bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Convention on the Rights of the Child: How fares Victorian law and practice?
Authors: Carney Terry
Published: March 2016

On the 2nd of September this year, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, adopted by the Assembly in November 1989, came into force under international law, 30 days after the lodgment of the 20th instrument of ratification (by which time 31 countries had deposited ratifications). Shortly prior to that date, on 22 August, after some public controversy about the matter, Australia had determined to sign the Convention. The Convention, which stemmed from the 1979 International Year of the Child, expanded and elaborated within an international treaty, rights first enunciated (in non-binding form) in the 1959 Declaration of the Rights of the Child. It applies to a person under the age of 18.

Over 5 years ago, the Report of the Child Welfare Practice and Legislation Review Committee was published. That report - Equity and Social Justice for children families and communities, took, as one of its foundation principles, the proposition that Victorian law and practice should reflect internationally accepted principles of human and civil rights of children.
Undersocialized Conduct and Attachment Disorders: A child psychiatric team experience with a developmental and systems approach
Authors: Zsizsmann Christine , Weerasinghe Chatra , Belcher Noelle
Published: March 2016

The paper deals mainly with work undertaken at Travancore Child and Family Centre and discusses the connection between attachment disorder and Undersocialized Conduct Disorder. Clinical examples illustrate the difficulties such children present to the caregivers and workers in the systems around the child. As these children generally fail to respond readily to therapies based on the child’s ability to form trusting relationships, management and treatment strategies which rely on careful assessment of the child’s attachment behaviour are described.
Rural People in Times of Recession
Authors: Hill John , Phillips Cheryl
Published: March 2016

Rural “crises” have been a significant feature of our physical and social history since the early days of European settlement. Our landscape is both harsh and vulnerable, and the climate accentuates the vulnerability of that environment. In the beginning farmers imposed traditional English methods of agriculture on the land, including clearing and irrigating without any real understanding of the consequences these methods would bring to the landscape. Soil erosion and salinity are part of the heritage of those days which we will have to deal with for generations to come. Nevertheless, Australian farmers have developed techniques for farming this country that have been copied in other dry-land areas throughout the world.
South Australia Kids for Landcare Invests in the Future
Authors: Moore Melanie , Bayly Chris
Published: March 2016

Today’s children are the custodians of tomorrow’s environment – and, with that in mind, an all-out effort is being made to educate South Australian children about their important role in the future of Australia as an agriculturally sustainable and profitable nation.

Thousands of trees are being propagated, soils are being studied, water is being tested for salinity, frogs are being counted, kids are singing songs about caring for the environment, and country and city schools are linking together.
Child Safety under Scrutiny: The Rural Child Safety Project
Authors: Zanker Carolyn
Published: March 2016

Country life may not be as healthy for children as we would like to think. More rural children under five years of age die as the result of accidents than their city counterparts.

To raise awareness of this problem, the Child Accident Prevention Foundation of Australia is conducting a Rural Child Safety Project with the Southern Mallee Councils Group in Victoria over a twelve month period. The project was launched in Swan Hill on 21 August 1991 by the Hon. Caroline Hogg, Minister for Ethnic, Municipal and Community Affairs. The launch took place at a local Primary School and was attended by local government representatives and community leaders.
Rural Living: Children speak out
Authors: Munn Peter
Published: March 2016

In reviewing the literature on children living in rural cities or towns there has been to my knowledge nothing written on how children perceive their living environment. This paper attempts in a small way to present some of the positive aspects that children recognise in living in such an environment. However, to ensure some balance to the paper these children are also asked to present the positive aspects of living in a capital city with which they are familiar. The children are then asked where in the world they would like to live if they were given a free choice.
Isolation at its Best
Authors: Cruise Jenny
Published: March 2016

Many efforts have been made to determine the differences between the meaning of ‘rural’ areas and ‘isolated’ areas, and it is not until you are provided with the occasion to venture forth into outer rural areas that you realise the true meaning of isolation.

In my position of ‘Mobile Support Teacher, Wentworth Area’, working with primary school children in the south-west of New South Wales, I have the opportunity to visit many station properties and families, and have gained an understanding of how these families cope with isolation.
Juvenile Justice - New Zealand’s Family Oriented Approach
Authors: Ludbrook Robert
Published: March 2016

Our perceptions of children tend to vacillate between a romanticised view of them as young innocents whose unacceptable behaviour should be excused because of their youth, immaturity and impressionability and the contrasting view that they are uncivilised barbarians who, for their own good, must be treated firmly, even severely, so they may leam to distinguish right from wrong and to behave properly.

The ‘child correction’ approach was favoured by the early British settlers in Aotearoa New Zealand. Soon after colonisation there were moves to establish child reformatories on the English model and children were often more harshly treated than adults. It was accepted that the most effective way of correcting children was to hit them with a cane or a whip. Some early observers noted the warmth and affection with which the indigenous Maori people treated their children and contrasted this with the stern and strict attitudes of the Anglo-Saxon colonisers.
What Stresses Australian Children?
Authors: Slee Phillip T.
Published: March 2016

A sample of 1,146 children ranging in age from 5-13 years was assessed for stressful life events across the lifespan. Children reported experiencing, on average, seven events during their lifetimes. Boys reported more such events than girls. The impact of multiple life events on children’s adjustment is discussed in the paper.
Preventing Out of Home Placements
Authors: Wharf Brian
Published: March 2016

The following article by Professor Brian Wharf is based on programs operating in the USA. There are some signs of placement prevention programs being embraced by government bodies and non-government child welfare agencies in Australia and in Canada. His experience of developments in Australia, during a recent visit, prompted him to put forward this article for publication in Children Australia. There appears to be a remarkable similarity of interests between child welfare issues in Australia and Canada, particularly round the question of whether protection and prevention services should be integrated or provided by separate agencies or departments. Children Australia hopes this will be the first in a series of exchanges between Australia and Canada.
Making Decisions about Children in Care: A study of case conferences
Authors: Spence Nigel
Published: March 2016

This paper studies the decision-making processes that occur in child welfare case conferences. Using a small sample of eight case conferences the study focuses on the way child welfare professionals and parents interact in formulating constructions of “children’s needs” and “parental competence”. The case conference setting, group composition, sequence and the relationships between the health and welfare professionals present are also identified as key factors in influencing the outcome of the case conference.
Parenting: a survey of community needs
Authors: Hunt Graham , Hawkins Russell , Goodlet Trish
Published: March 2016

Survey data indicated that parents (notably mothers) regarded their own parents and partners as the most important sources of parenting information. Respondents were not at all likely to use parenting courses in a preventative sense, that is, to use courses in an attempt to anticipate problems before they occur and consider ways of dealing with them. Parents reported that they would be more likely to attend parenting courses once difficulties had become established. There was a preference for any parenting courses to consist of one-off sessions on particular topics rather than longer courses. Drugs and teenagers’ was the topic most frequently rated as ‘Very important’ for a parenting course. When presented with hypothetical problem situations, parents showed a preference for solving such problems within the family rather than consulting professionals. Parenting courses were not frequently seen as a solution to such problems. Reason for these perceptions are discussed. It seems that the ways in which parenting courses are described (advertised) may be crucial to their acceptance by parents who might benefit from them.
Young Women Subject to Statutory Orders and the Transition to Independence: Contradictions in policy and practice
Authors: Liddell Margaret
Published: March 2016

This paper examines the way the state welfare system deals with young women who are subject to statutory orders and their need for support as they move towards independence. Young women’s views of their needs are highlighted. Evidence is drawn from the author’s and other relevant Australian and overseas research. The issues are examined within the context of general community trends and policy and practice implications are studied using Community Services Victoria as a case example.

A variety of social and economic factors are leading to young people in the general community living with their parents for longer periods of time. In contrast, young people subject to statutory orders, especially young women, are often being discharged from these orders - and thus isolated from adult guidance - shortly after they pass their mid-teens.

Assumptions about these young women’s needs - that they no longer require nor wish for support and are ready for complete independence at this early age - are challenged. The legal, organisational and practice constraints which reinforce these assumptions are analysed. The apparent contradiction arising from young women refusing services which they also say they require, is also discussed.

The author demonstrates that there is a need for a reconceptualisation of the issue. A new kind of partnership between workers and young women on statutory orders is needed and a policy and administrative framework which facilitates this. The implications of the findings for practice and policy - and especially the important contribution ttiat young women’s views can make to the development of social policy - are presented.
A path analysis of patient dependence and caregiver burden in Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Garre-Olmo J. , Vilalta-Franch J. , Calvó-Perxas L. , Turró-Garriga O. , Conde-Sala L. , López-Pousa S.
Published: March 2016

Background:

The concept of dependence has been proposed as an integrative measure to assess the progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD).This study aimed to investigate the association of patient's dependence level with the caregiver burden within a general theoretical model that includes other well-established determinants.

Methods:

Observational and cross-sectional multicenter study. The sample consisted of patients with AD recruited in outpatient consultation offices by a convenience sampling procedure stratified by dementia severity. Cognitive and functional status, behavioral disturbances, dependence level, medical comorbidities, and caregiver burden were assessed by using standardized instruments. A path analysis was used to test the hypothesized relationships between the caregiver burden and its determinants, including the level of dependence.

Results:

The sample consisted of 306 patients (33.3% mild, 35.9% moderate, 30.7% severe), the mean age was 78.5 years (SD = 7.8), and 66.2% were women. The model fit was acceptable and explained 29% of the caregiver burden variance. Primary stressors were the level of dependence and the distress related to behavioral disturbances. Caregiver's age, gender, and co-residence with the patient were the contextual factors related to caregiver burden. The job status of the caregiver was a significant secondary stressor, functional disability was indirectly associated with caregiver burden via dependence, and frequency of behavioral disturbances was indirectly associated with the caregiver burden via distress.

Conclusions:

Dependence was, apart from behavioral disturbances, the most important primary stressor directly related to caregiver burden irrespective of the disease severity.
Effects of L1 tone on perception of L2 tone - a study of Mandarin tone learning by native Cantonese children
Authors: LI XINXIN , TO CAROL KIT SUM , NG MANWA LAWRENCE
Published: March 2016

In the present study, the Perceptual Assimilation Model (PAM) was tested on its applicability in child L2 lexical tone acquisition. The possible effect of L1 (Cantonese) lexical tones on L2 (Mandarin) lexical tone learning was explored. Accuracy rate and error patterns were examined with an AX discrimination task and a forced-choice identification task. Forty-nine native Cantonese-speaking students aged 8 years participated in the study. Results revealed that these children exhibited nearly perfect performance in the discrimination of Mandarin tones. However, significant tone differences were detected in the identification task. Tone 4 (T4) was identified with the lowest accuracy, and T1 with the highest. Error analysis revealed that Mandarin T2-T3 was the most confusing pair, followed by the T1-T4 pair. The inherent phonetic similarity between lexical tones in a language and the tone similarities across languages may also have contributed to perception difficulties, which could help to refine and supplement the PAM in the tonal/suprasegmental domain.
Searching for color variation on fast rotating asteroids with simultaneousV-Jobservations
Authors: Polishook David , Moskovitz Nicholas
Published: March 2016

Boulders, rocks and regolith on fast rotating asteroids (<2.5 hours) are modeled to slide towards the equator due to a strong centrifugal force and a low cohesion force. As a result, regions of fresh subsurface material can be exposed. Therefore, we searched for color variation on small and fast rotating asteroids. We describe a novel technique in which the asteroid is simultaneously observed in the visible and near-IR wavelength range. In this technique, brightness changes due to atmospheric extinction effects can be calibrated across the visible and near-IR images. We useV- andJ-band filters since the distinction in color between weathered and unweathered surfaces on ordinary chondrite-like bodies is most prominent at these wavelengths and can reach ~25%. To test our method, we observed 3 asteroids with Cerro Tololo's 1.3 m telescope. We find ~5% variation of the meanV-Jcolor, but do not find any clearly repeating color signature through multiple rotations. This suggests that no landslides occurred within the timescale of space weathering, or that Landslides occurred but the exposed patches are too small for the measurements' uncertainty.
From Asteroids to Space Debris
Authors: Benkhaldoun Zouhair , Moon Hong-Kyu , Daassou Ahmed , Park Jang-Hyun , Lazrek Mohamed
Published: March 2016

Since 2011, Oukaimeden Observatory (OUCA) has become one of the active NEO search facilities in the word. Its discovery statistics shows that the MOSS (Morocco Oukaimeden Sky Survey) project received credits for more than 2,145 new designations, including 3 NEOs and 4 comets. Its excellent astro-climactic characteristics are partly behind the success. The average number of observable nights is around 280 nights per year, while median seeing is 0.8-0.9 arcsec. We completed construction of a new telescope at the site in March 2015. It is Optical Wide-field Patrol (OWL) facility designed and built by Korea Space Science Institute (KASI). The primary objective of this facility is to monitor national space assets of Korea; either wide-field imaging- or fast data acquisition- capabilities enable the 0.5m telescope to conduct observation programs to catalog and follow-up various transient events in the night sky. We present the seeing condition, the OWL system and preliminary results obtained at OWL@Oukaimeden during the past several months.
DEEP-South: Preliminary Photometric Results from the KMTNet-CTIO
Authors: Kim Myung-Jin , Moon Hong-Kyu , Choi Young-Jun , Yim Hong-Suh , Bae Young-Ho , Roh Dong-Goo , Park Jin Tae , Moon Bora ,   the DEEP-South Team
Published: March 2016

Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI) successfully completed the development of Korea Microlensing Telescope Network (KMTNet, Park et al. 2012) in mid-2015, following which it conducted test runs for several months. ‘DEep Ecliptic Patrol of the Southern sky’ (DEEP-South, Moon et al. 2015), which will be used for asteroid and comet studies, will not only characterize targeted asteroids, carrying out blind surveys toward the sweet spots, but will also mine the data of such bodies using the KMTNet archive. We report preliminary lightcurves of four Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHAs) from test runs at KMTNet-CTIO in the February - May 2015 period.
Masses of asteroids and total mass of the main asteroid belt
Authors: Pitjeva E. V. , Pitjev N. P.
Published: March 2016

An estimation of the mass of the main asteroid belt was made on the basis of the new version of EPM2014 ephemerides of the Institute of Applied Astronomy of Russian Academy of Sciences using about 800000 positional observations of planets and spacecraft. We obtained the individual estimations of masses of large asteroids from radar data, as well as estimates of the masses of asteroids by using known diameters and estimated average densities for the three taxonomic types (C, S, M), and used the known mass values of binary asteroids and asteroids to which spacecraft approached. A two-dimensional homogeneous annulus with dimensions corresponding observed width of the main asteroid belt (2.06 au and 3.27 au) was used instead of a previous massive one-dimensional ring for modeling total perturbations from small asteroids. The obtained value of the total mass of the main asteroid belt is (12.25 ± 0.19)10−10M⊙.
DEEP-South: Network Construction, Test Runs and Early Results
Authors: Moon Hong-Kyu , Kim Myung-Jin , Yim Hong-Suh , Choi Young-Jun , Bae Young-Ho , Roh Dong-Goo , Park Jintae , Moon Bora ,   the DEEP-South Team
Published: March 2016

Korea Microlensing Telescope Network (KMTNet) which consists of three identical 1.6 m wide-field telescopes with 18k × 18k CCDs, is the first optical survey system of its kind. The combination of fast optics and the mosaic CCD delivers seeing limited images over a 4 square degrees field of view. The main science goal of KMTNet is the discovery and characterization of exoplanets, yet it also offers various other science applications including DEep Ecliptic Patrol of SOUTHern sky (DEEP-South). The aim of DEEP-South is to discover and characterize asteroids and comets, including Near Earth Objects (NEOs). We started test runs last February after commissioning, and will return to normal operations in October 2015. A summary of early results from the test runs will be presented.
WISE data and sparse photometry used for shape reconstruction of asteroids
Authors: Ďurech Josef , Hanuš Josef , Alí-Lagoa Victor M. , Delbo Marco , Oszkiewicz Dagmara A.
Published: March 2016

Asteroid disk-integrated sparse-in-time photometry can be used for determination of shapes and spin states of asteroids by the lightcurve inversion method. To clearly distinguish the correct solution of the rotation period from other minima in the parameter space, data with good photometric accuracy are needed. We show that if the low-quality sparse photometry obtained from ground-based astrometric surveys is combined with data from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) satellite, the correct rotation period can be successfully derived. Although WISE observed in mid-IR wavelengths, we show that for the period and spin determination, these data can be modelled as reflected light. The absolute fluxes are not required since only relative variation of the flux over the rotation is sufficient to determine the period. We also discuss the potential of combining all WISE data with the Lowell photometric database to create physical models of thousands of asteroids.
Main-belt comets: sublimation-driven activity in the asteroid belt
Authors: Hsieh Henry H.
Published: March 2016

Our knowledge of main-belt comets (MBCs), which exhibit comet-like activity likely due to the sublimation of volatile ices, yet orbit in the main asteroid belt, has increased greatly since the discovery of the first known MBC, 133P/Elst-Pizarro, in 1996, and their recognition as a new class of solar system objects after the discovery of two more MBCs in 2005. I review work that has been done over the last 10 years to improve our understanding of these enigmatic objects, including the development of systematic discovery methods and diagnostics for distinguishing MBCs from disrupted asteroids (which exhibit comet-like activity due to physical disruptions such as impacts or rotational destabilization). I also discuss efforts to understand the dynamical and thermal properties of these objects.
Asteroid Evolution: Role of Geotechnical Properties
Authors: Sánchez Paul
Published: March 2016

This paper presents a brief review and latest results of the work that has been carried out by the Planetary Science community in order to understand the role of the geotechnical properties of granular asteroids (commonly known as “rubble-pile” asteroids) in their formation, evolution and possible disruption. As such, we will touch in aspects of the theoretical and numerical tools that have been used with this objective and how the obtained results compare to the observed asteroids.
Recent Goldstone radar observations of selected near-Earth asteroids less than 140 m in diameter
Authors: Brozović Marina , Benner Lance A. M. , Busch Michael W. , Giorgini Jon D. , Slade Martin A. , Lawrence Kenneth J.
Published: March 2016

Radar observations are a powerful technique to study near-Earth asteroids (NEAs). Goldstone's 3.75 m resolution capability is invaluable when attempting to image NEAs with diameters smaller than 140 m. The small NEAs are a very diverse population in which we continue to discover unusual objects.
Spin-orbit coupling in binary asteroids
Authors: Margot Jean-Luc , Naidu Shantanu P.
Published: March 2016

We use radar images with decameter resolution to measure the sizes, shapes, spin states, mutual orbits, masses, and densities of components of asteroid binaries and triples. We simulate the spin-orbit dynamics of these systems and map the possible spin configurations of the satellites on surface of section plots. The presence of chaotic regions in the phase space has important consequences for the evolution of binary asteroids. It may substantially increase spin synchronization timescales, delay BYORP-type evolution, and extend the lifetime of binaries.
Instrumentally documented meteorite falls: two recent cases and statistics from all falls
Authors: Spurný Pavel
Published: March 2016

Precise data from instrumental observations of fireballs, especially those for really bright bolides, provide information about the population and physical properties of meteoroids, i.e. fragments of asteroids and comets, colliding with the Earth's atmosphere. An overview of what is known about meteoroids and their parent bodies from analysis of bolides producing meteorite falls, especially from the instrumentally observed meteorite falls, was a topic of this invited contribution. At present, atmospheric and orbital information with different degree of reliability and precision for these meteorite falls is known for only 24 cases. This topic was described in detail in the review work of Borovička, Spurný and Brown (2015) (Borovička et al., 2015). However, this work contains all instrumentally documented falls until end of 2013. To bring this work up to date, two new instrumentally observed meteorite falls in 2014, the Annama meteorite fall in Russia on 18 April 2014 and the Žďár nad Sázavou meteorite fall in the Czech Republic on 9 December 2014, are presented and commented in this paper. Especially the second case is mentioned in more detail including still unpublished data. Statistical analyses resulting from all 24 instrumentally documented falls are also mentioned.
Linking the Origin of Asteroids to Planetesimal Formation in the Solar Nebula
Authors: Klahr Hubert , Schreiber Andreas
Published: March 2016

The asteroids (more precisely: objects of the main asteroid belt) and Kuiper Belt objects (more precisely: objects of the cold classical Kuiper Belt) are leftovers of the building material for our earth and all other planets in our solar system from more than 4.5 billion years ago. At the time of their formation those were typically 100 km large objects. They were called planetesimals, built up from icy and dusty grains. In our current paradigm of planet formation it was turbulent flows and metastable flow patterns, like zonal flows and vortices, that concentrated mm to cm sized icy dust grains in sufficient numbers that a streaming instability followed by a gravitational collapse of these particle clump was triggered. The entire picture is sometimes referred to as gravoturbulent formation of planetesimals. What was missing until recently, was a physically motivated prediction on the typical sizes at which planetesimals should form via this process. Our numerical simulations in the past had only shown a correlation between numerical resolution and planetesimal size and thus no answer was possible (Johansen et al.2011). But with the lastest series of simulations on JUQUEEN (Stephan & Doctor 2015), covering all the length scales down to the physical size of actual planetesimals, we were able to obtain values for the turbulent particle diffusion as a function of the particle load in the gas. Thus, we have all necessary data at hand to feed a 'back of the envelope' calculation that predicts the size of planetesimals as result of a competition between gravitational concentration and turbulent diffusion. Using the diffusion values obtained in the numerical simulations it predicts planetesimal sizes on the order of 100 km, which suprisingly coincides with the measured data from both asteroids (Bottke et al.2005) as well from Kuiper Belt objects (Nesvorny et al.2011).
More Acidic Oceans Could Reduce Fertility for Algae Eaters
Authors: Lipuma Lauren
Published: March 2016

New research shows that increased levels of carbon dioxide in the oceans cause changes that alter key nutrients essential to the reproduction of animals low on the food web.
Characterization of genetically engineered mouse models carrying Col2a1-cre-induced deletions of Lrp5 and/or Lrp6
Authors: Schumacher Cassie A , Joiner Danese M , Less Kennen D , Drewry Melissa Oosterhouse , Williams Bart O
Published: March 2016

Mice carrying Collagen2a1-cre-mediated deletions of Lrp5 and/or Lrp6 were created and characterized. Mice lacking either gene alone were viable and fertile with normal knee morphology. Mice in which both Lrp5 and Lrp6 were conditionally ablated via Collagen2a1-cre-mediated deletion displayed severe defects in skeletal development during embryogenesis. In addition, adult mice carrying Collagen2a1-cre-mediated deletions of Lrp5 and/or Lrp6 displayed low bone mass suggesting that the Collagen2a1-cre transgene was active in cells that subsequently differentiated into osteoblasts. In both embryonic skeletal development and establishment of adult bone mass, Lrp5 and Lrp6 carry out redundant functions.
HOXB9 acts as a negative regulator of activated human T cells in response to amino acid deficiency
Authors: Hayashi Keitaro , Ouchi Motoshi , Endou Hitoshi , Anzai Naohiko
Published: March 2016

T‐cell activation is an energy expenditure process and should be properly controlled in accordance with the availability of nutrients such as amino acids to eliminate wasteful energy consumption. However, the details of response to amino acids insufficiency in activated T cells remain largely unknown. Here we show that homeobox B9 (HOXB9), a member of the homeobox gene family that is known as a morphogenesis regulator, acts as a suppressor of activated human T cells to address amino acid starvation. The expression of HOXB9 was triggered by amino acid deprivation as well as functional inhibition of L‐type amino acid transporter 1 (also known as SLC7A5) via activating transcription factor 4 in activated T cells. HOXB9 interfered the activities of NF‐κB, nuclear factor of activated T‐cells (NFAT) and AP‐1 but not retinoic acid receptor‐related orphan receptor, resulting in attenuation of the production of selective cytokines in activated T cells. Thus, the morphogenetic gene plays an unexpected role in the regulation of cellular metabolism with changes in the nutrition status in human T cells.
Chronic stress in mice remodels lymph vasculature to promote tumour cell dissemination
Authors: Le Caroline P. , Nowell Cameron J. , Kim-Fuchs Corina , Botteri Edoardo , Hiller Jonathan G. , Ismail Hilmy , Pimentel Matthew A. , Chai Ming G. , Karnezis Tara , Rotmensz Nicole , Renne Giuseppe , Gandini Sara , Pouton Colin W. , Ferrari Davide , Möller Andreas , Stacker Steven A. , Sloan Erica K.
Published: March 2016

Chronic stress induces signalling from the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and drives cancer progression, although the pathways of tumour cell dissemination are unclear. Here we show that chronic stress restructures lymphatic networks within and around tumours to provide pathways for tumour cell escape. We show that VEGFC derived from tumour cells is required for stress to induce lymphatic remodelling and that this depends on COX2 inflammatory signalling from macrophages. Pharmacological inhibition of SNS signalling blocks the effect of chronic stress on lymphatic remodelling in vivo and reduces lymphatic metastasis in preclinical cancer models and in patients with breast cancer. These findings reveal unanticipated communication between stress-induced neural signalling and inflammation, which regulates tumour lymphatic architecture and lymphogenous tumour cell dissemination. These findings suggest that limiting the effects of SNS signalling to prevent tumour cell dissemination through lymphatic routes may provide a strategy to improve cancer outcomes.
Typical fast thermalization processes in closed many-body systems
Authors: Reimann Peter
Published: March 2016

The lack of knowledge about the detailed many-particle motion on the microscopic scale is a key issue in any theoretical description of a macroscopic experiment. For systems at or close to thermal equilibrium, statistical mechanics provides a very successful general framework to cope with this problem. However, far from equilibrium, only very few quantitative and comparably universal results are known. Here a quantum mechanical prediction of this type is derived and verified against various experimental and numerical data from the literature. It quantitatively describes the entire temporal relaxation towards thermal equilibrium for a large class (in a mathematically precisely defined sense) of closed many-body systems, whose initial state may be arbitrarily far from equilibrium.
MT1-MMP sheds LYVE-1 on lymphatic endothelial cells and suppresses VEGF-C production to inhibit lymphangiogenesis
Authors: Wong Hoi Leong Xavier , Jin Guoxiang , Cao Renhai , Zhang Shuo , Cao Yihai , Zhou Zhongjun
Published: March 2016

Lymphangiogensis is involved in various pathological conditions, such as arthritis and cancer metastasis. Although many factors have been identified to stimulate lymphatic vessel growth, little is known about lymphangiogenesis inhibitors. Here we report that membrane type 1-matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP) is an endogenous suppressor of lymphatic vessel growth. MT1-MMP-deficient mice exhibit spontaneous corneal lymphangiogenesis without concomitant changes in angiogenesis. Mice lacking MT1-MMP in either lymphatic endothelial cells or macrophages recapitulate corneal lymphangiogenic phenotypes observed in Mmp14−/− mice, suggesting that the spontaneous lymphangiogenesis is both lymphatic endothelial cells autonomous and macrophage associated. Mechanistically, MT1-MMP directly cleaves LYVE-1 on lymphatic endothelial cells to inhibit LYVE-1-mediated lymphangiogenic responses. In addition, MT1-MMP-mediated PI3Kδ signalling restrains the production of VEGF-C from prolymphangiogenic macrophages through repressing the activation of NF-κB signalling. Thus, we identify MT1-MMP as an endogenous inhibitor of physiological lymphangiogenesis.
Enhanced flight performance by genetic manipulation of wing shape in Drosophila
Authors: Ray Robert P. , Nakata Toshiyuki , Henningsson Per , Bomphrey Richard J.
Published: March 2016

Insect wing shapes are remarkably diverse and the combination of shape and kinematics determines both aerial capabilities and power requirements. However, the contribution of any specific morphological feature to performance is not known. Using targeted RNA interference to modify wing shape far beyond the natural variation found within the population of a single species, we show a direct effect on flight performance that can be explained by physical modelling of the novel wing geometry. Our data show that altering the expression of a single gene can significantly enhance aerial agility and that theDrosophilawing shape is not, therefore, optimized for certain flight performance characteristics that are known to be important. Our technique points in a new direction for experiments on the evolution of performance specialities in animals.
Social amoebae trap and kill bacteria by casting DNA nets
Authors: Zhang Xuezhi , Zhuchenko Olga , Kuspa Adam , Soldati Thierry
Published: March 2016

Extracellular traps (ETs) from neutrophils are reticulated nets of DNA decorated with anti-microbial granules, and are capable of trapping and killing extracellular pathogens. Various phagocytes of mammals and invertebrates produce ETs, however, the evolutionary history of this DNA-based host defence strategy is unclear. Here we report that Sentinel (S) cells of the multicellular slug stage of the social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum produce ETs upon stimulation with bacteria or lipopolysaccharide in a reactive oxygen species-dependent manner. The production of ETs by S cells requires a Toll/Interleukin-1 receptor domain-containing protein TirA and reactive oxygen species-generating NADPH oxidases. Disruption of these genes results in decreased clearance of bacterial infections. Our results demonstrate that D. discoideum is a powerful model organism to study the evolution and conservation of mechanisms of cell-intrinsic immunity, and suggest that the origin of DNA-based ETs as an innate immune defence predates the emergence of metazoans.
Blended sea level anomaly fields with enhanced coastal coverage along the U.S. West Coast
Authors: Risien C.M. , Strub P.T.
Published: March 2016

We form a new ‘blended’ data set of sea level anomaly (SLA) fields by combining gridded daily fields derived from altimeter data with coastal tide gauge data. Within approximately 55–70 km of the coast, the altimeter data are discarded and replaced by a linear interpolation between the tide gauge and remaining offshore altimeter data. To create a common reference height for altimeter and tide gauge data, a 20-year mean is subtracted from each time series (from each tide gauge and altimeter grid point) before combining the data sets to form a blended mean sea level anomaly (SLA) data set. Daily mean fields are produced for the 22-year period 1 January 1993–31 December 2014. The primary validation compares geostrophic velocities calculated from the height fields and velocities measured at four moorings covering the north-south range of the new data set. The blended data set improves the alongshore (meridional) component of the currents, indicating an improvement in the cross-shelf gradient of the mean SLA data set.
Environmental stochasticity controls soil erosion variability
Authors: Kim Jongho , Ivanov Valeriy Y. , Fatichi Simone
Published: March 2016

Understanding soil erosion by water is essential for a range of research areas but the predictive skill of prognostic models has been repeatedly questioned because of scale limitations of empirical data and the high variability of soil loss across space and time scales. Improved understanding of the underlying processes and their interactions are needed to infer scaling properties of soil loss and better inform predictive methods. This study uses data from multiple environments to highlight temporal-scale dependency of soil loss: erosion variability decreases at larger scales but the reduction rate varies with environment. The reduction of variability of the geomorphic response is attributed to a ‘compensation effect’: temporal alternation of events that exhibit either source-limited or transport-limited regimes. The rate of reduction is related to environment stochasticity and a novel index is derived to reflect the level of variability of intra- and inter-event hydrometeorologic conditions. A higher stochasticity index implies a larger reduction of soil loss variability (enhanced predictability at the aggregated temporal scales) with respect to the mean hydrologic forcing, offering a promising indicator for estimating the degree of uncertainty of erosion assessments.
Mode-Division-Multiplexing of Multiple Bessel-Gaussian Beams Carrying Orbital-Angular-Momentum for Obstruction-Tolerant Free-Space Optical and Millimetre-Wave Communication Links
Authors: Ahmed Nisar , Zhao Zhe , Li Long , Huang Hao , Lavery Martin P. J. , Liao Peicheng , Yan Yan , Wang Zhe , Xie Guodong , Ren Yongxiong , Almaiman Ahmed , Willner Asher J. , Ashrafi Solyman , Molisch Andreas F. , Tur Moshe , Willner Alan E.
Published: March 2016

We experimentally investigate the potential of using ‘self-healing’ Bessel-Gaussian beams carrying orbital-angular-momentum to overcome limitations in obstructed free-space optical and 28-GHz millimetre-wave communication links. We multiplex and transmit two beams (l = +1 and +3) over 1.4 metres in both the optical and millimetre-wave domains. Each optical beam carried 50-Gbaud quadrature-phase-shift-keyed data and each millimetre-wave beam carried 1-Gbaud 16-quadrature-amplitude-modulated data. In both types of links, opaque disks of different sizes are used to obstruct the beams at different transverse positions. We observe self-healing after the obstructions and assess crosstalk and power penalty when data is transmitted. Moreover, we show that Bessel-Gaussian orbital-angular-momentum beams are more tolerant to obstructions than non-Bessel orbital-angular-momentum beams. For example, when obstructions that are 1 and 0.44 the size of the l = +1 beam, are placed at beam centre, optical and millimetre-wave Bessel-Gaussian beams show ~6 dB and ~8 dB reduction in crosstalk, respectively.
Prognostic value of Diabetes in Patients with Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Treated with Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy
Authors: Peng Hao , Chen Lei , Zhang Yuan , Li Wen-Fei , Mao Yan-Ping , Zhang Fan , Guo Rui , Liu Li-Zhi , Lin Ai-Hua , Sun Ying , Ma Jun
Published: March 2016

The prognostic value of diabetes remains unknown in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) treated with intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). We retrospectively reviewed medical records of 1489 patients with non-metastatic, histologically-proven NPC treated using IMRT. 81/1489 (5.4%) patients were diabetic, 168/1489 (11.3%) were prediabetic, and 1240/1489 (83.3%) were normoglycemic. The 4-year disease-free survival (DFS), overall survival (OS), loco-regional relapse-free survival (LRRFS) and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) rates were 77.1% vs. 82.4% (P = 0.358), 85.8% vs. 91.0% (P = 0.123), 90.9% vs. 91.7% (P = 0.884), and 85.5% vs. 89.2% (P = 0.445) for diabetic vs. normoglycemic patients, and 82.4% vs. 82.4% (P = 0.993), 88.7% vs. 91.0% (P = 0.285), 90.6% vs. 91.7% (P = 0.832) and 91.5% vs. 89.2% (P = 0.594) for preidabetic vs. normoglycemic patients. Multivariate analysis did not established diabetes as poor prognostic factors in NPC patients treated with IMRT (P = 0.332 for DFS, P = 0.944 for OS, P = 0.977 for LRRFS, P = 0.157 for DMFS), however, triglycerides and low density lipoprotein cholesterol were independent prognostic factors. In conclusion, diabetes does not appear to be a prognostic factor in NPC patients treated with IMRT, and attention should be paid to hyperglycemia-associated hyperlipaemia.
Early cerebral volume reductions and their associations with reduced lupus disease activity in patients with newly-diagnosed systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Mak Anselm , Ho Roger Chun-Man , Tng Han-Ying , Koh Hui Li , Chong Joanna Su Xian , Zhou Juan
Published: March 2016

We examined if cerebral volume reduction occurs very early during the course of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and observed prospectively whether gray (GMV) and white matter volumes (WMV) of the brain would improve with lowered SLE disease activity. T1-weighted MRI brain images were obtained from 14 healthy controls (HC) and 14 newly-diagnosed SLE patients within 5 months of diagnosis (S1) and after achieving low disease activity (S2). Whole brain voxel-based morphometry was used to detect differences in the GMV and WMV between SLE patients and HC and those between SLE patients at S1 and S2. SLE patients were found to have lower GMV than HC in the middle cingulate cortex, middle frontal gyrus and right supplementary motor area, and lower WMV in the superior longitudinal fasciculus, cingulum cingulate gyrus and inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus at both S1 and S2. Whole-brain voxel-wise analysis revealed increased GMV chiefly in the prefrontal regions at S2 compared to S1 in SLE patients. The GMV increase in the left superior frontal gyrus was significantly associated with lowered SLE disease activity. In conclusion, GMV and WMV reduced very early in SLE patients. Reduction of SLE disease activity was accompanied by region-specific GMV improvement in the prefrontal regions.
Low internal pressure in femtoliter water capillary bridges reduces evaporation rates
Authors: Cho Kun , Hwang In Gyu , Kim Yeseul , Lim Su Jin , Lim Jun , Kim Joon Heon , Gim Bopil , Weon Byung Mook
Published: March 2016

Capillary bridges are usually formed by a small liquid volume in a confined space between two solid surfaces. They can have a lower internal pressure than the surrounding pressure for volumes of the order of femtoliters. Femtoliter capillary bridges with relatively rapid evaporation rates are difficult to explore experimentally. To understand in detail the evaporation of femtoliter capillary bridges, we present a feasible experimental method to directly visualize how water bridges evaporate between a microsphere and a flat substrate in still air using transmission X-ray microscopy. Precise measurements of evaporation rates for water bridges show that lower water pressure than surrounding pressure can significantly decrease evaporation through the suppression of vapor diffusion. This finding provides insight into the evaporation of ultrasmall capillary bridges.
Google Glass-Directed Monitoring and Control of Microfluidic Biosensors and Actuators
Authors: Zhang Yu Shrike , Busignani Fabio , Ribas João , Aleman Julio , Rodrigues Talles Nascimento , Shaegh Seyed Ali Mousavi , Massa Solange , Rossi Camilla Baj , Taurino Irene , Shin Su-Ryon , Calzone Giovanni , Amaratunga Givan Mark , Chambers Douglas Leon , Jabari Saman , Niu Yuxi , Manoharan Vijayan , Dokmeci Mehmet Remzi , Carrara Sandro , Demarchi Danilo , Khademhosseini Ali
Published: March 2016

Google Glass is a recently designed wearable device capable of displaying information in a smartphone-like hands-free format by wireless communication. The Glass also provides convenient control over remote devices, primarily enabled by voice recognition commands. These unique features of the Google Glass make it useful for medical and biomedical applications where hands-free experiences are strongly preferred. Here, we report for the first time, an integral set of hardware, firmware, software, and Glassware that enabled wireless transmission of sensor data onto the Google Glass for on-demand data visualization and real-time analysis. Additionally, the platform allowed the user to control outputs entered through the Glass, therefore achieving bi-directional Glass-device interfacing. Using this versatile platform, we demonstrated its capability in monitoring physical and physiological parameters such as temperature, pH, and morphology of liver- and heart-on-chips. Furthermore, we showed the capability to remotely introduce pharmaceutical compounds into a microfluidic human primary liver bioreactor at desired time points while monitoring their effects through the Glass. We believe that such an innovative platform, along with its concept, has set up a premise in wearable monitoring and controlling technology for a wide variety of applications in biomedicine.
Low T3 syndrome is a strong predictor of poor outcomes in patients with community-acquired pneumonia
Authors: Liu Jinliang , Wu Xuejie , Lu Fang , Zhao Lifang , Shi Lingxian , Xu Feng
Published: March 2016

Low T3 syndrome was previously reported to be linked to poor clinical outcomes in critically ill patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the predictive power of low T3 syndrome for clinical outcomes in patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Data for 503 patients were analyzed retrospectively and the primary end point was 30-day mortality. The intensive care unit (ICU) admission rate and 30-day mortality were 8.3% and 6.4% respectively. The prevalence of low T3 syndrome differed significantly between survivors and nonsurvivors (29.1% vs 71.9%, P < 0.001) and low T3 syndrome was associated with a remarkable increased risk of 30-day mortality and ICU admission in patients with severe CAP. Multivariate logistic regression analysis produced an odds ratio of 2.96 (95% CI 1.14–7.76, P = 0.025) for 30-day mortality in CAP patients with low T3 syndrome. Survival analysis revealed that the survival rate among CAP patients with low T3 syndrome was lower than that in the control group (P < 0.01). Adding low T3 syndrome to the PSI and CURB-65 significantly increased the areas under the ROC curves for predicting ICU admission and 30-day mortality. In conclusion, low T3 syndrome is an independent risk factor for 30-day mortality in CAP patients.