bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Benzocaine Complexation with p‐Sulfonic Acid Calix[n]arene: Experimental (1H‐NMR) and Theoretical Approaches
Authors: Arantes Lucas M. , Varejão Eduardo V. V. , Pelizzaro‐Rocha Karin J. , Cereda Cíntia M. S. , de Paula Eneida , Lourenço Maicon P. , Duarte Hélio A. , Fernandes Sergio A.
Published: December 2013

The aim of this work was to study the interaction between the local anesthetic benzocaine and p‐sulfonic acid calix[n]arenes using NMR and theoretical calculations and to assess the effects of complexation on cytotoxicity of benzocaine. The architectures of the complexes were proposed according to 1H NMR data (Job plot, binding constants, and ROESY) indicating details on the insertion of benzocaine in the cavity of the calix[n]arenes. The proposed inclusion compounds were optimized using the PM3 semiempirical method, and the electronic plus nuclear repulsion energy contributions were performed at the DFT level using the PBE exchange/correlation functional and the 6‐311G(d) basis set. The remarkable agreement between experimental and theoretical approaches adds support to their use in the structural characterization of the inclusion complexes. In vitro cytotoxic tests showed that complexation intensifies the intrinsic toxicity of benzocaine, possibly by increasing the water solubility of the anesthetic and favoring its partitioning inside of biomembranes.
Vitamin D‐binding protein haplotype is associated with hospitalization for RSV bronchiolitis
Authors: Randolph A. G. , Yip W.‐K. , Falkenstein‐Hagander K. , Weiss S. T. , Janssen R. , Keisling S. , Bont L.
Published: December 2013

Background

Between 75 000 and 125 000 U.S. infants are hospitalized for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) bronchiolitis every year. Up to half will be diagnosed with asthma in later childhood. Vitamin D deficiency has been associated with susceptibility to asthma and respiratory infections. Measured vitamin D is largely bound to vitamin D‐binding protein (VDBP); VDBP levels are influenced by its gene (GC) haplotype.

Objective

We assessed the relationship between polymorphisms rs7041 and rs4588, which define haplotypes GC1s, GC1f, and GC2, and RSV bronchiolitis susceptibility and subsequent asthma.

Methods

We retrospectively recruited 198 otherwise healthy children (93% White) hospitalized for severe RSV bronchiolitis in Boston and 333 parents into a follow‐up study to assess asthma diagnosis. Data were analysed using family‐based genetic association tests. We independently validated our results in 465 White children hospitalized with RSV bronchiolitis and 930 White population controls from the Netherlands.

Results

The rs7041_C allele (denoting haplotype GC1s) was overtransmitted (P = 0.02, additive model) in the entire Boston cohort, in Whites (P = 0.03), and especially in children subsequently diagnosed with asthma (P = 0.006). The GC1f haplotype was undertransmitted in the asthma subgroups (all races and White, both P < 0.05). The rs7041_C allele was also more frequent in the RSV bronchiolitis group compared with controls (OR 1.12, 95% CI 1.02, 1.4, P = 0.03) in the Netherlands, especially in mechanically ventilated patients (P = 0.009).

Conclusion and Clinical Relevance

GC1s haplotype carriage may increase the risk of RSV bronchiolitis in infancy and subsequent asthma development. The GC1s haplotype is associated with higher VDBP levels, resulting in less freely available vitamin D.

Key Messages

Vitamin D‐binding protein (VDBP) haplotypes influence free vitamin D levels. We report an association between a VDBP haplotype and hospitalization for RSV bronchiolitis in infancy in two independent cohorts.
Valproic Acid Reduces Neuritic Plaque Formation and Improves Learning Deficits in APPSwe/PS1A246E Transgenic Mice via Preventing the Prenatal Hypoxia‐Induced Down‐Regulation of Neprilysin
Authors: Wang Zheng , Zhang Xiao‐Jie , Li Ting , Li Jia , Tang Yu , Le Weidong
Published: December 2013

Aims

Previously, we have documented that prenatal hypoxia can aggravate the cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease (AD) neuropathology in APPSwe/PS1A246E (APP/PS1) transgenic mice, and valproic acid (VPA) can prevent hypoxia‐induced down‐regulation of β‐amyloid (Aβ) degradation enzyme neprilysin (NEP) in primary neurons. In this study, we have investigated the molecular mechanisms of VPA's anti‐AD effects and found that VPA can reduce the prenatal hypoxia‐induced neuritic plaque formation and improve the learning deficits in the AD mouse model.

Methods

The pregnant APP/PS1 transgenic mice were exposed in a hypobaric chamber. Neuritic plaque staining, Morris water maze, and enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were used to detect the effects of VPA on Aβ neuropathology, learning, and memory. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays and real‐time PCR (RT‐PCR) were used to determine the effect of VPA on the histone3 acetylation (H3‐Ace).

Results

We found that VPA can inhibit neuritic plaque formation and improve the learning and memory in the prenatal hypoxic APP/PS1 transgenic mice. In addition, VPA treatment can decrease the soluble and insoluble Aβ42 levels and increase the NEP expression via up‐regulation of H3‐Ace in the APP/PS1 transgenic mice.

Conclusion

Valproic acid is able to attenuate the prenatal hypoxia‐induced Aβ neuropathology and learning and memory deficits via inhibiting the activation of histone deacetylase 1 (HDAC1), preventing the decrease in H3‐Ace in the NEP promoter regions and reducing the down‐regulation of NEP.
Structuring Decisions for Managing Threatened and Endangered Species in a Changing Climate
Authors: GREGORY ROBIN , ARVAI JOSEPH , GERBER LEAH R.
Published: December 2013

The management of endangered species under climate change is a challenging and often controversial task that incorporates input from a variety of different environmental, economic, social, and political interests. Yet many listing and recovery decisions for endangered species unfold on an ad hoc basis without reference to decision‐aiding approaches that can improve the quality of management choices. Unlike many treatments of this issue, which consider endangered species management a science‐based problem, we suggest that a clear decision‐making process is equally necessary. In the face of new threats due to climate change, managers’ choices about endangered species require closely linked analyses and deliberations that identify key objectives and develop measurable attributes, generate and compare management alternatives, estimate expected consequences and key sources of uncertainty, and clarify trade‐offs across different dimensions of value. Several recent cases of endangered species conservation decisions illustrate our proposed decision‐focused approach, including Gulf of Maine Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) recovery framework development, Cultus Lake sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) management, and Upper Columbia River white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) recovery planning.

Estructuración de Decisiones para Manejar Especies Amenazadas y en Peligro en un Clima Cambiante
Incorporating Climate Science in Applications of the U.S. Endangered Species Act for Aquatic Species
Authors: MCCLURE MICHELLE M. , ALEXANDER MICHAEL , BORGGAARD DIANE , BOUGHTON DAVID , CROZIER LISA , GRIFFIS ROGER , JORGENSEN JEFFREY C. , LINDLEY STEVEN T. , NYE JANET , ROWLAND MELANIE J. , SENEY ERIN E. , SNOVER AMY , TOOLE CHRISTOPHER , VAN HOUTAN KYLE
Published: December 2013

Aquatic species are threatened by climate change but have received comparatively less attention than terrestrial species. We gleaned key strategies for scientists and managers seeking to address climate change in aquatic conservation planning from the literature and existing knowledge. We address 3 categories of conservation effort that rely on scientific analysis and have particular application under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA): assessment of overall risk to a species; long‐term recovery planning; and evaluation of effects of specific actions or perturbations. Fewer data are available for aquatic species to support these analyses, and climate effects on aquatic systems are poorly characterized. Thus, we recommend scientists conducting analyses supporting ESA decisions develop a conceptual model that links climate, habitat, ecosystem, and species response to changing conditions and use this model to organize analyses and future research. We recommend that current climate conditions are not appropriate for projections used in ESA analyses and that long‐term projections of climate‐change effects provide temporal context as a species‐wide assessment provides spatial context. In these projections, climate change should not be discounted solely because the magnitude of projected change at a particular time is uncertain when directionality of climate change is clear. Identifying likely future habitat at the species scale will indicate key refuges and potential range shifts. However, the risks and benefits associated with errors in modeling future habitat are not equivalent. The ESA offers mechanisms for increasing the overall resilience and resistance of species to climate changes, including establishing recovery goals requiring increased genetic and phenotypic diversity, specifying critical habitat in areas not currently occupied but likely to become important, and using adaptive management.

Incorporación de las Ciencias Climáticas en las Aplicaciones del Acta Estadunidense de Especies en Peligro para Especies Acuáticas
Sex‐Biased Inbreeding Effects on Reproductive Success and Home Range Size of the Critically Endangered Black Rhinoceros
Authors: CAIN BRADLEY , WANDERA ANTONY B. , SHAWCROSS SUSAN G. , EDWIN HARRIS W. , STEVENS‐WOOD BARRY , KEMP STEPHEN J. , OKITA‐OUMA BENSON , WATTS PHILLIP C.
Published: December 2013

A central premise of conservation biology is that small populations suffer reduced viability through loss of genetic diversity and inbreeding. However, there is little evidence that variation in inbreeding impacts individual reproductive success within remnant populations of threatened taxa, largely due to problems associated with obtaining comprehensive pedigree information to estimate inbreeding. In the critically endangered black rhinoceros, a species that experienced severe demographic reductions, we used model selection to identify factors associated with variation in reproductive success (number of offspring). Factors examined as predictors of reproductive success were age, home range size, number of nearby mates, reserve location, and multilocus heterozygosity (a proxy for inbreeding). Multilocus heterozygosity predicted male reproductive success (p< 0.001, explained deviance >58%) and correlated with male home range size (p < 0.01, r2 > 44%). Such effects were not apparent in females, where reproductive success was determined by age (p < 0.01, explained deviance 34%) as females raise calves alone and choose between, rather than compete for, mates. This first report of a 3‐way association between an individual male's heterozygosity, reproductive output, and territory size in a large vertebrate is consistent with an asymmetry in the level of intrasexual competition and highlights the relevance of sex‐biased inbreeding for the management of many conservation‐priority species. Our results contrast with the idea that wild populations of threatened taxa may possess some inherent difference from most nonthreatened populations that necessitates the use of detailed pedigrees to study inbreeding effects. Despite substantial variance in male reproductive success, the increased fitness of more heterozygous males limits the loss of heterozygosity. Understanding how individual differences in genetic diversity mediate the outcome of intrasexual competition will be essential for effective management, particularly in enclosed populations, where individuals have restricted choice about home range location and where the reproductive impact of translocated animals will depend upon the background distribution in individual heterozygosity.

Efectos de la Endogamia Sesgada por el Sexo sobre el Éxito Reproductivo y el Rango del Tamaño de Hábitat del Rinoceronte Negro, Especie en Peligro Crítico
Dependence of the Endangered Black‐Capped Vireo on Sustained Cowbird Management
Authors: WILSEY CHAD B. , LAWLER JOSHUA J. , CIMPRICH DAVID , SCHUMAKER NATHAN H.
Published: December 2013

Conservation‐reliant species depend on active management, even after surpassing recovery goals, for protection from persistent threats. Required management may include control of another species, habitat maintenance, or artificial recruitment. Sometimes, it can be difficult to determine whether sustained management is required. We used nonspatial stochastic population projection matrix simulation and a spatially explicit population model to estimate the effects of parasitism by a brood parasite, the Brown‐headed Cowbird (Moluthrus ater), on a population of endangered Black‐capped Vireos (Vireo atricapilla). We simulated parasitism as a percentage of breeding vireo pairs experiencing decreased fecundity due to cowbirds. We estimated maximum sustainable parasitism (i.e., highest percentage of parasitized vireo breeding pairs for which population growth is ≥1) with the nonspatial model under multiple scenarios designed to assess sensitivity to assumptions about population growth rate, demographic effects of parasitism, and spatial distribution of parasitism. We then used the spatially explicit model to estimate cumulative probabilities of the population falling below the population recovery target of 1000 breeding pairs for a range of parasitism rates under multiple scenarios. We constructed our models from data on vireos collected on the Fort Hood Military Reservation, Texas (U.S.A.). Estimates of maximum sustainable parasitism rates ranged from 9–12% in scenarios with a low (6%) vireo population growth rate to 49–60% in scenarios with a high (24%) growth rate. Sustained parasitism above 45–85%, depending on the scenario, would likely result in the Fort Hood Vireo population dropping below its recovery goal within the next 25 years. These estimates suggest that vireos, although tolerant of low parasitism rates, are a conservation‐reliant species dependent on cowbird management.

Dependencia de Vireo atricapilla, Especie en Peligro, hacia el Manejo Sostenido de Moluthurs ater
Effect of Rotational Shepherding on Demographic and Genetic Connectivity of Calcareous Grassland Plants
Authors: RICO YESSICA , BOEHMER HANS JUERGEN , WAGNER HELENE H.
Published: December 2013

Response to habitat fragmentation may not be generalized among species, in particular for plant communities with a variety of dispersal traits. Calcareous grasslands are one of the most species‐rich habitats in Central Europe, but abandonment of traditional management has caused a dramatic decline of calcareous grassland species. In the Southern Franconian Alb in Germany, reintroduction of rotational shepherding in previously abandoned grasslands has restored species diversity, and it has been suggested that sheep support seed dispersal among grasslands. We tested the effect of rotational shepherding on demographic and genetic connectivity of calcareous grassland specialist plants and whether the response of plant populations to shepherding was limited to species dispersed by animals (zoochory). Specifically, we tested competing dispersal models and source and focal patch properties to explain landscape connectivity with patch‐occupancy data of 31 species. We fitted the same connectivity models to patch occupancy and nuclear microsatellite data for the herb Dianthus carthusianorum (Carthusian pink). For 27 species, patch connectivity was explained by dispersal by rotational shepherding regardless of adaptations to zoochory, whereas population size (16% species) and patch area (0% species) of source patches were not important predictors of patch occupancy in most species. [Correction made after online publication, February 25, 2014: Population size and patch area percentages were mistakenly inverted, and have now been fixed.] Microsite diversity of focal patches significantly increased the model variance explained by patch occupancy in 90% of the species. For D. carthusianorum, patch connectivity through rotational shepherding explained both patch occupancy and population genetic diversity. Our results suggest shepherding provides dispersal for multiple plant species regardless of their dispersal adaptations and thus offers a useful approach to restore plant diversity in fragmented calcareous grasslands.

Efectos del Pastoreo Rotacional sobre la Conectividad Genética y Demográfica de Plantas de Pastizales Calcáreos
Atypical fibroxanthoma arising in a young patient with Li‐Fraumeni syndrome
Authors: Lee Sun Mi , Zhang Wei , Fernandez Martin P.
Published: December 2013

Patients with Li‐Fraumeni syndrome (LFS) have a germ‐line mutation of p53 (TP53) and are predisposed to develop a variety of malignancies at an early age. In this report, we describe an 18‐year‐old woman with LFS who developed an atypical fibroxanthoma (AFX) on her left arm. This tumor was based in the dermis, sparsely cellular and had ill‐defined borders. It was composed predominantly of medium‐sized spindled‐shaped cells, but many large cells with pleomorphic nuclei were also present. Immunohistochemical stains showed that the tumor cells lacked expression of keratin, S‐100 protein, desmin and CD34. Array‐based comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) revealed marked genomic instability with multiple whole chromosome losses, including chromosomes 8, 10, 13 and 22, as well as a partial loss of 17p. This represents one of a few reports of a cutaneous tumor in a patient with LFS and a rare example of an AFX occurring at a young age.
Role of caspase‐9 in the effector caspases and genome expressions, and growth of bovine skeletal myoblasts
Authors: Van Ba Hoa , Hwang Inho
Published: December 2013

Caspase‐9 has been reported as the key regulator of apoptosis, however, its role in skeletal myoblast development and molecular involvements during cell growth still remains unknown. The current study aimed to present the key role of caspase‐9 in the expressions of apoptotic caspases and genome, and cell viability during myoblast growth using RNA interference mediated silencing. Three small interference RNA sequences (siRNAs) targeting caspase‐9 gene was designed and ligated into pSilencer plasmid vector to construct shRNA expression constructs. Cells were transfected with the constructs for 48 h. Results indicated that all three siRNAs could silence the caspase‐9 mRNA expression significantly. Particularly, the mRNA expression level of caspase‐9 in the cells transfected by shRNA1, shRNA2 and shRNA3 constructs were reduced by 37.85%, 68.20% and 58.14%, respectively. Suppression of caspase‐9 led to the significant increases in the mRNA and protein expressions of effector caspase‐3, whereas the reduction in mRNA and protein expressions of caspase‐7. The microarray results showed that the suppression of caspase‐9 resulted in significant upregulations of cell proliferation‐, adhesion‐, growth‐, development‐ and division‐regulating genes, whereas the reduction in the expressions of cell death program‐ and stress response‐regulating genes. Furthermore, cell viability was significantly increased following the transfection. These data suggest that caspase‐9 could play an important role in the control of cell growth, and knockdown of caspase‐9 may have genuine potential in the treatment of skeletal muscle atrophy.
Foreign Trade and Investment: Firm‐level Perspectives
Authors: Helpman Elhanan
Published: December 2013

This Economica Coase Lecture reviews research that has revolutionized the field of international trade and foreign direct investment. It explains the motivation behind the development of new analytical frameworks, the nature of these frameworks, and the empirical studies that sprouted from them.
A network approach to response inhibition: dissociating functional connectivity of neural components involved in action restraint and action cancellation
Authors: Dambacher Franziska , Sack Alexander T. , Lobbestael Jill , Arntz Arnoud , Brugman Suzanne , Schuhmann Teresa
Published: December 2013

The ability to inhibit action tendencies is vital for adaptive human behaviour. Various paradigms are supposed to assess action inhibition and are often used interchangeably. However, these paradigms are based on different conceptualizations (action restraint vs. action cancellation) and the question arises as to what extent different conceptualizations of inhibitory processing are mirrored in a distinct neural activation pattern. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate the neural correlates of action restraint vs. action cancellation. Analyses of local activity changes as well as network connectivity measures revealed a strong overlap of activation within a common action inhibition network including inferior frontal, pre‐supplementary motor and thalamic brain areas as well as the anterior cingulate cortex. Furthermore, our findings pointed to additional neural networks that are distinct for action restraint (i.e. right superior frontal gyrus, left middle frontal gyrus, and bilateral anterior cingulate cortex) and action cancellation (i.e. right middle frontal gyrus, posterior cingulate cortex, and parietal regions). Our connectivity analyses showed that different inhibitory modalities largely relied on a task‐independent global inhibition network within the brain. Furthermore, they suggested that the conceptually distinct inhibitory aspects of action restraint vs. action cancellation also activated additional specific brain regions in a task‐dependent manner. This has implications for the choice of tasks in an empirical setting, but is also relevant for various clinical contexts in which inhibition deficits are considered a diagnostic feature.
The eye contact effect in request and emblematic hand gestures
Authors: Ferri Francesca , Busiello Marianna , Campione Giovanna C. , De Stefani Elisa , Innocenti Alessandro , Romani Gian Luca , Costantini Marcello , Gentilucci Maurizio
Published: December 2013

Request and emblematic gestures, despite being both communicative gestures, do differ in terms of social valence. Indeed, only the former are used to initiate/maintain/terminate an actual interaction. If such a difference is at stake, a relevant social cue, i.e. eye contact, should have different impacts on the neuronal underpinnings of the two types of gesture. We measured blood oxygen level‐dependent signals, using functional magnetic resonance imaging, while participants watched videos of an actor, either blindfolded or not, performing emblems, request gestures, or meaningless control movements. A left‐lateralized network was more activated by both types of communicative gestures than by meaningless movements, regardless of the accessibility of the actor's eyes. Strikingly, when eye contact was taken into account as a factor, a right‐lateralized network was more strongly activated by emblematic gestures performed by the non‐blindfolded actor than by those performed by the blindfolded actor. Such modulation possibly reflects the integration of information conveyed by the eyes with the representation of emblems. Conversely, a wider right‐lateralized network was more strongly activated by request gestures performed by the blindfolded than by those performed by the non‐blindfolded actor. This probably reflects the effect of the conflict between the observed action and its associated contextual information, in which relevant social cues are missing.
A potassium leak channel silences hyperactive neurons and ameliorates status epilepticus
Authors: Dey Deblina , Eckle Veit‐Simon , Vitko Iuliia , Sullivan Kyle A. , Lasiecka Zofia M. , Winckler Bettina , Stornetta Ruth L. , Williamson John M. , Kapur Jaideep , Perez‐Reyes Edward
Published: December 2013

Objective

To develop a constitutively active K+ leak channel using TREK‐1 (TWIK‐related potassium channel 1; TREK‐M) that is resistant to compensatory down‐regulation by second messenger cascades, and to validate the ability of TREK‐M to silence hyperactive neurons using cultured hippocampal neurons. To test if adenoassociated viral (AAV) delivery of TREK‐M could reduce the duration of status epilepticus and reduce neuronal death induced by lithium‐pilocarpine administration.

Methods

Molecular cloning techniques were used to engineer novel vectors to deliver TREK–M via plasmids, lentivirus, and AAV using a cytomegalovirus (CMV)‐enhanced GABRA4 promoter. Electrophysiology was used to characterize the activity and regulation of TREK–M in human embryonic kidney (HEK‐293) cells, and the ability to reduce spontaneous activity in cultured hippocampal neurons. Adult male rats were injected bilaterally with self‐complementary AAV particles composed of serotype 5 capsid into the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex. Lithium‐pilocarpine was used to induce status epilepticus. Seizures were monitored using continuous video–electroencephalography (EEG) monitoring. Neuronal death was measured using Fluoro‐Jade C staining of paraformaldehyde‐fixed brain slices.

Results

TREK‐M inhibited neuronal firing by hyperpolarizing the resting membrane potential and decreasing input resistance. AAV delivery of TREK‐M decreased the duration of status epilepticus by 50%. Concomitantly it reduced neuronal death in areas targeted by the AAV injection.

Significance

These findings demonstrate that TREK‐M can silence hyperexcitable neurons in the brain of epileptic rats and treat acute seizures. This study paves the way for an alternative gene therapy treatment of status epilepticus, and provides the rationale for studies of AAV‐TREK‐M's effect on spontaneous seizures in chronic models of temporal lobe epilepsy.
Effects of epilepsy treatments on sleep architecture and daytime sleepiness: An evidence‐based review of objective sleep metrics
Authors: Jain Sejal V. , Glauser Tracy A.
Published: December 2013

Objective

Sleep is considered restorative, and good quantity and quality sleep is required for memory consolidation and synaptic plasticity. Sleep disorders are common in patients with epilepsy. Poor sleep quality or quantity may worsen seizure control. On the other end, seizures and epilepsy may worsen the sleep quality and set a vicious cycle. In addition, antiepileptic drugs have an effect on sleep architecture. We performed a systemic literature review with a goal to evaluate the effect of antiepileptic drugs and nondrug treatments for epilepsy on sleep architecture to help better understand treatment effects, especially in patients with epilepsy and sleep problems.

Methods

We searched PubMed and identified studies that evaluated objective sleep outcomes for an antiepileptic drug. We also searched for studies with objective sleep outcomes that evaluated other epilepsy treatments such as epilepsy surgery, vagus nerve stimulation, and ketogenic diet.

Results

The studies were categorized based on evidence class and study population for an individual antiepileptic drug or treatment. We identified that most antiepileptic drugs and nondrug treatments for epilepsy affect sleep architecture.

Significance

We identified that gabapentin, tiagabine, pregabalin, clobazam, and carbamazepine reduce sleep latency and/or improve sleep efficiency. Phenobarbital, valproic acid, and higher‐dose levetiracetam aggravate daytime sleepiness, whereas topiramate and zonisamide do not. Vagus nerve stimulation reduces daytime sleepiness, and ketogenic diet improves slow‐wave sleep. Epilepsy surgery may improve nocturnal sleep only in a subgroup of patients with improved seizure frequency. Further studies are needed to evaluate the dose‐dependent sleep effects of antiepileptic drugs and nondrug treatments independent of the improvement of epilepsy, and to identify if these changes are clinically significant.
Does aspartic acid racemization constrain the depth limit of the subsurface biosphere?
Authors: Onstott T. C. , Magnabosco C. , Aubrey A. D. , Burton A. S. , Dworkin J. P. , Elsila J. E. , Grunsfeld S. , Cao B. H. , Hein J. E. , Glavin D. P. , Kieft T. L. , Silver B. J. , Phelps T. J. , van Heerden E. , Opperman D. J. , Bada J. L.
Published: December 2013

Previous studies of the subsurface biosphere have deduced average cellular doubling times of hundreds to thousands of years based upon geochemical models. We have directly constrained the in situ average cellular protein turnover or doubling times for metabolically active micro‐organisms based on cellular amino acid abundances, D/L values of cellular aspartic acid, and the in vivo aspartic acid racemization rate. Application of this method to planktonic microbial communities collected from deep fractures in South Africa yielded maximum cellular amino acid turnover times of ~89 years for 1 km depth and 27 °C and 1–2 years for 3 km depth and 54 °C. The latter turnover times are much shorter than previously estimated cellular turnover times based upon geochemical arguments. The aspartic acid racemization rate at higher temperatures yields cellular protein doubling times that are consistent with the survival times of hyperthermophilic strains and predicts that at temperatures of 85 °C, cells must replace proteins every couple of days to maintain enzymatic activity. Such a high maintenance requirement may be the principal limit on the abundance of living micro‐organisms in the deep, hot subsurface biosphere, as well as a potential limit on their activity. The measurement of the D/L of aspartic acid in biological samples is a potentially powerful tool for deep, fractured continental and oceanic crustal settings where geochemical models of carbon turnover times are poorly constrained. Experimental observations on the racemization rates of aspartic acid in living thermophiles and hyperthermophiles could test this hypothesis. The development of corrections for cell wall peptides and spores will be required, however, to improve the accuracy of these estimates for environmental samples.
A New Package in MODFLOW to Simulate Unconfined Groundwater Flow in Sloping Aquifers
Authors: Wang Quanrong , Zhan Hongbin , Tang Zhonghua
Published: December 2013

The nonhorizontal‐model‐layer (NHML) grid system is more accurate than the horizontal‐model‐layer grid system to describe groundwater flow in an unconfined sloping aquifer on the basis of MODFLOW‐2000. However, the finite‐difference scheme of NHML was based on the Dupuit‐Forchheimer assumption that the streamlines were horizontal, which was acceptable for slope less than 0.10. In this study, we presented a new finite‐difference scheme of NHML based on the Boussinesq assumption and developed a new package SLOPE which was incorporated into MODFLOW‐2000 to become the MODFLOW‐SP model. The accuracy of MODFLOW‐SP was tested against solution of Mac Cormack (1969). The differences between the solutions of MODFLOW‐2000 and MODFLOW‐SP were nearly negligible when the slope was less than 0.27, and they were noticeable during the transient flow stage and vanished in steady state when the slope increased above 0.27. We established a model considering the vertical flow using COMSOL Multiphysics to test the robustness of constrains used in MODFLOW‐SP. The results showed that streamlines quickly became parallel with the aquifer base except in the narrow regions near the boundaries when the initial flow was not parallel to the aquifer base. MODFLOW‐SP can be used to predict the hydraulic head of an unconfined aquifer along the profile perpendicular to the aquifer base when the slope was smaller than 0.50. The errors associated with constrains used in MODFLOW‐SP were small but noticeable when the slope increased to 0.75, and became significant for the slope of 1.0.
Investigating Schizotypy and Crime‐Based Reasoning with Qualitative Methods
Authors: Wilkinson Dean J. , Caulfield Laura S. , Jones Tim
Published: December 2013

Qualitative data are presented following a series of four studies where participants completed a quantitative reasoning task followed by either an interview or an audio diary. Qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke 2006) with three main themes emerging: emotions; reasoning approach; and justifications. High schizotypal scorers demonstrated limited emotional responses compared with low scorers, and where emotions were expressed, individuals made these in relation to themselves rather than the presented scenario. Results contribute to a better understanding of the biases that high‐scoring individuals experience and provide further evidence for ‘jump to conclusions’ biases in reasoning about crime.
Escape from parasitism by the invasive alien ladybird, Harmonia axyridis
Authors: Comont Richard F. , Purse Bethan V. , Phillips William , Kunin William E. , Hanson Matthew , Lewis Owen T. , Harrington Richard , Shortall Christopher R. , Rondoni Gabriele , Roy Helen E.
Published: December 2013

Alien species are often reported to perform better than functionally similar species native to the invaded range, resulting in high population densities, and a tendency to become invasive. The enemy release hypothesis (ERH) explains the success of invasive alien species (IAS) as a consequence of reduced mortality from natural enemies (predators, parasites and pathogens) compared with native species. The harlequin ladybird, Harmonia axyridis, a species alien to Britain, provides a model system for testing the ERH.

Pupae of H. axyridis and the native ladybird Coccinella septempunctata were monitored for parasitism between 2008 and 2011, from populations across southern England in areas first invaded by H. axyridis between 2004 and 2009. In addition, a semi‐field experiment was established to investigate the incidence of parasitism of adult H. axyridis and C. septempunctata by Dinocampus coccinellae.

Harmonia axyridis pupae were parasitised at a much lower rate than conspecifics in the native range, and both pupae and adults were parasitised at a considerably lower rate than C. septempunctata populations from the same place and time (H. axyridis: 1.67%; C. septempunctata: 18.02%) or in previous studies on Asian H. axyridis (2–7%). We found no evidence that the presence of H. axyridis affected the parasitism rate of C. septempunctata by D. coccinellae.

Our results are consistent with the general prediction that the prevalence of natural enemies is lower for introduced species than for native species at early stages of invasion. This may partly explain why H. axyridis is such a successful IAS.
Effectiveness of sampling methods and further sampling for accessing spider diversity: a case study in a Brazilian Atlantic rainforest fragment
Authors: Azevedo Guilherme H. F. , Faleiro Bárbara T. , Magalhães Ivan L. F. , Benedetti Alípio R. , Oliveira Ubirajara , Pena‐Barbosa João P. P. , Santos Marcus T. T. , Vilela Paula F. , de Maria Mário , Santos Adalberto J.
Published: December 2013

The current biodiversity crisis makes the quantification of the diversity and the description of organism distribution particularly pressing. Biological inventories are among the most effective ways to improve the knowledge about local biota, but they can be very time and money‐consuming. The determination of adequate sampling effort and the selection of cost‐effective collecting methods are critical issues.

In this article, a spider diversity inventory in an Atlantic semi‐deciduous forest fragment in Brazil was used to compare the efficiency of three collecting methods in two different seasons in order to propose an optimised sampling protocol. The worthiness of increasing sampling effort in the target area and similar tropical ecosystems was estimated and evaluated in terms of its cost‐effectiveness.

For a better sampling of the spider community, it is suggested that a proportion of 55, 29 and 16% of total sampling hours should be dedicated to nocturnal hand collecting (NHC), pitfall traps and beating trays, respectively, in the rainy season. If only one method can be applied, the most efficient in terms of species per sampling is the NHC.

A completeness of 70% of the estimated spider species richness (as predicted by the Chao1 estimator) was observed in the complete inventory and increasing sampling effort in the studied area may be highly ineffective when the costs involved are considered.

Other studies in similar tropical rainforest areas also presented completeness around 70%, which might be a threshold from which the sampling effort necessary to raise the observed species richness substantially starts to be ineffective.
Autotransplantation of mesiodens for missing maxillary lateral incisor with cone‐beam CT‐fabricated model and orthodontics
Authors: Lee Y. , Chang S. W. , Perinpanayagam H. , Yoo Y. J. , Lim S. M. , Oh S. R. , Gu Y. , Ahn S. J. , Kum K.‐Y.
Published: December 2013

Aim

Autotransplantation is a viable treatment option for a missing tooth when there is a suitable donor, especially in adolescents with remaining facial growth. This report presents the aesthetic restoration of a missing maxillary lateral incisor through orthodontic treatment and autotransplantation of a mesiodens using a CBCT‐fabricated rapid‐prototyping model.

A 14‐year‐old male patient with a congenitally missing maxillary lateral incisor was referred from the Department of Orthodontics. The teeth were moved orthodontically to regain space for the missing lateral incisor and to close the space of the mesiodens after transplantation. A replica of the donor tooth was fabricated from a cone‐beam computed tomography scan through a rapid‐prototyping machine before autotransplantation surgery. The model was used to create a socket for the graft tooth, thereby shortening the extra‐oral time and minimizing the damage to the root surface. After transplantation and orthodontic tooth movement, the mesiodens was finally restored with an aesthetic laminate restoration. Over 3 years, the aesthetics remained excellent, and the transplant functioned normally without any signs or symptoms of root resorption.

Key learning point

Missing anterior teeth may be replaced through a combination of orthodontics, autotransplantation with a rapid‐prototyping model and prosthodontic restoration, in growing patients.
Effect of the pro‐resolution lipid mediator Resolvin E1 (RvE1) on pulp tissues exposed to the oral environment
Authors: Dondoni L. , Scarparo R. K. , Kantarci A. , Van Dyke T. E. , Figueiredo J. A. P. , Batista E. L.
Published: December 2013

Aim

To evaluate the effects of topical Resolvin E1 (RvE1) application on infected dental pulps.

Methodology

Forty‐two male Wistar rats (n = 6 per three groups/and two time periods) were used. To induce inflammation, pulps in mandibular right first molars were accessed and then left exposed to the oral environment for 24 h. After this period, topical medication with a corticosteroid/antibiotic blend, or RvE1, or its vehicle (Ethanol 0.1%) was directly applied onto the pulp tissue and teeth were restored with silver amalgam. The effects of the protocols were evaluated histologically and compared with control pulps not exposed to the oral environment. The inflammatory changes after 24 and 72 h were assessed through a scoring method and analysed using the Kruskal–Wallis test followed by Dunn's. Differences were considered significant if P < 0.05 (CI = 95%).

Results

Ethanol and corticosteroid/antibiotic treatment were not effective in arresting severe inflammatory alterations of exposed pulps at 24 and 72 h (P < 0.05, CI = 95%). At both time periods, RvE1 treatment led to a reduction of tissue cellularity and extent of inflammation, whose changes were not different from control pulps (P > 0.05, CI = 95%).

Conclusions

A protective role for RvE1 in pulp inflammation was observed even in the presence of contamination, suggesting that it may be a candidate for a novel therapeutic strategy for conservative dental pulp treatment.
The 1918 influenza pandemic in New York City: age‐specific timing, mortality, and transmission dynamics
Authors: Yang Wan , Petkova Elisaveta , Shaman Jeffrey
Published: December 2013

Background

The 1918 influenza pandemic caused disproportionately high mortality among certain age groups. The mechanisms underlying these differences are not fully understood.

Objectives

To explore the dynamics of the 1918 pandemic and to identify potential age‐specific transmission patterns.

Methods

We examined 1915–1923 daily mortality data in New York City (NYC) and estimated the outbreak duration and initial effective reproductive number (Re) for each 1‐year age cohort.

Results

Four pandemic waves occurred from February 1918 to April 1920. The fractional mortality increase (i.e. ratio of excess mortality to baseline mortality) was highest among teenagers during the first wave. This peak shifted to 25‐ to 29‐year‐olds in subsequent waves. The distribution of age‐specific mortality during the last three waves was strongly correlated (r = 0·94 and 0·86). With each wave, the pandemic appeared to spread with a comparable early growth rate but then attenuate with varying rates. For the entire population, Re estimates made assuming 2‐day serial interval were 1·74 (1·27), 1·74 (1·43), 1·66 (1·25), and 1·86 (1·37), respectively, during the first week (first 3 weeks) of each wave. Using age‐specific mortality, the average Re estimates over the first week of each wave were 1·62 (95% CI: 1·55–1·68), 1·68 (1·65–1·72), 1·67 (1·61–1·73), and 1·69 (1·63–1·74), respectively; Re was not significantly different either among age cohorts or between waves.

Conclusions

The pandemic generally caused higher mortality among young adults and might have spread mainly among school‐aged children during the first wave. We propose mechanisms to explain the timing and transmission dynamics of the four NYC pandemic waves.
AFTER THE HITTITES: THE KINGDOMS OF KARKAMISH AND PALISTIN IN NORTHERN SYRIA
Authors: WEEDEN MARK
Published: December 2013

The disappearance and weakening of the Late Bronze Age territorial empires in the Eastern Mediterranean shortly after 1200 BC is traditionally held to be followed by a so-called Dark Age of around 300 years, characterized by a lack of written sources. However, new sources are appearing, mainly in the medium of Hieroglyphic Luwian inscriptions, which help us to understand events and, more importantly, political and geographical power constellations during the period. The new sources are briefly situated within the framework of the current debates, with special regard given to the territories of Karkamish and Palistin. Emphasis is laid on the apparent continuation of local idioms for the articulation of power, largely persisting from the Hittite Empire, in spite of any changes in population, social structure, or political institutions that may have occurred.
LINE‐1 hypomethylation in spermatozoa is associated with Bisphenol A exposure
Authors: Miao M. , Zhou X. , Li Y. , Zhang O. , Zhou Z. , Li T. , Yuan W. , Li R. , Li D.‐K.
Published: December 2013

Bisphenol A (BPA) is an endocrine disruptor with potentially harmful effects on humans. However, epigenetic mechanisms that modulate the effects of BPA remain unclear. Methylation of long interspersed nucleotide elements (LINE‐1) is a marker of genome‐wide methylation status. This study aims to examine whether BPA exposure was associated with LINE‐1 methylation changes in men. Male factory workers in Hunan, China (N = 149) were studied, 77 with BPA exposure in workplace (BPA‐exposed group) and 72 without BPA exposure in workplace (control group). Pre‐shift and post‐shift urine samples were collected from the BPA‐exposed group and spot urine samples were collected from the control group. Urine samples were assessed for BPA. In addition, blood and semen samples were collected from both groups for LINE‐1 methylation analysis. In multivariate analysis adjusted for age, education, smoking habits and alcohol consumption, sperm LINE‐1 methylation level was significantly lower in BPA exposed workers (p < 0.001) compared to that in the unexposed workers. Linear regression analysis also showed that log‐transformed urine BPA levels were inversely associated with sperm LINE‐1 methylation (p < 0.0001), but not peripheral blood cell LINE‐1 methylation. Moreover, the association between urine BPA level and semen quality was not attenuated after adjustments for LINE‐1 level. In summary, the observed independent relationship between BPA exposure and LINE‐1 methylation may have public health implications on reproductive health in men because of ubiquitous exposure to BPA.
Capacitation and Ca2+ influx in spermatozoa: role of CNG channels and protein kinase G
Authors: Cisneros‐Mejorado A. , Hernández‐Soberanis L. , Islas‐Carbajal M. C. , Sánchez D.
Published: December 2013

Cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) has been recently shown to modulate in vitro capacitation of mammalian spermatozoa, but the mechanisms through which it influences sperm functions have not been clarified. There are at least two targets of cGMP, cyclic nucleotide‐gated (CNG) channels and cGMP‐dependent protein kinase (PKG), involved in several physiological events in mammalian spermatozoa. It has been suggested that CNG channels allow the influx of Ca2+ to cytoplasm during capacitation, whereas PKG could trigger a phosphorylation pathway which might also, indirectly, mediate calcium entry. Using the patch‐clamp technique in whole‐cell configuration, we showed how l‐cis‐Diltiazem (a CNG‐channel inhibitor) and KT5823 (a PKG inhibitor) decreased significantly the amplitude of macroscopic ion currents in a dose–response manner, and decreased in vitro capacitation. The inhibition of CNG channels completely abolishes the Ca2+ influx induced by cyclic nucleotides in mouse spermatozoa. This work suggests that the downstream cGMP pathway is required in mammalian sperm capacitation and the mechanisms involved include CNG channels and PKG, highlighting these molecules as important therapeutic targets for infertility treatments or to develop new male contraceptives.
Effect of Fe Doping on Layered GdBa0.5Sr0.5Co2O5+δ Perovskite Cathodes for Intermediate Temperature Solid Oxide Fuel Cells
Authors: Kim Junyoung , Jun Areum , Shin Jeeyoung , Kim Guntae
Published: December 2013

Layered perovskite cathode materials have received considerable attention for intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cells (IT‐SOFCs) because of their fast oxygen ion diffusion through pore channels and high catalytic activity toward the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) at low temperatures. In this study, we have investigated the effects of Fe substitution for the Co site on electrical and electrochemical properties of a layered perovskite, GdBa0.5Sr0.5Co2−xFexO5+δ (x = 0, 0.5, and 1.0), as a cathode material for IT‐SOFCs. Furthermore, electrochemical properties of GdBa0.5Sr0.5CoFeO5+δ–yGDC (y = 0, 20, 40, and 50 wt%) cathodes were evaluated to determine the optimized cell performance. At a given temperature, the electrical conductivity and the area‐specific resistances (ASRs) of GdBa0.5Sr0.5Co2−x FexO5+δ decrease with Fe content. The lowest ASR of 0.067 Ω·cm2 was obtained at 873 K for the GdBa0.5Sr0.5CoFeO5+δ. The GdBa0.5Sr0.5CoFeO5 + δ composite with 40 wt% GDC was identified as an optimum cathode material, showing the highest maximum power density (1.31 W/cm2) at 873 K, and other samples also showed high power density over 1.00 W/cm2.