bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Romantic Economist
Authors: Bronk Richard
Published: March 2015

Since economies are dynamic processes driven by creativity, social norms, and emotions as well as rational calculation, why do economists largely study them using static equilibrium models and narrow rationalistic assumptions? Economic activity is as much a function of imagination and social sentiments as of the rational optimisation of given preferences and goods. In this book, Richard Bronk argues that economists can best model and explain these creative and social aspects of markets by using new structuring assumptions and metaphors derived from the poetry and philosophy of the Romantics. By bridging the divide between literature and science, and between Romanticism and narrow forms of Rationalism, economists can access grounding assumptions, models, and research methods suitable for comprehending the creativity and social dimensions of economic activity. This is a guide to how economists and other social scientists can broaden their analytical repertoire to encompass the vital role of sentiments, language, and imagination.
American Poetry after Modernism
Authors: Gelpi Albert
Published: March 2015

Albert Gelpi's American Poetry after Modernism is a study of sixteen major American poets of the postwar period, from Robert Lowell to Adrienne Rich. Gelpi argues that a distinctly American poetic tradition was solidified in the later half of the twentieth century, thus severing it from British conventions. In Gelpi's view, what distinguishes the American poetic tradition from the British is that at the heart of the American endeavor is a primary questioning of function and medium. The chief paradox in American poetry is the lack of a tradition that requires answering and redefining - redefining what it means to be a poet and, likewise, how the words of a poem create meaning, offer insight into reality, and answer the ultimate questions of living. Through chapters devoted to specific poets, Gelpi explores this paradox by providing an original and insightful reading of late-twentieth-century American poetry.
African American Slang
Authors: Widawski Maciej
Published: March 2015

In this pioneering exploration of African American slang - a highly informal vocabulary and a significant aspect of African American English - Maciej Widawski explores patterns of form, meaning, theme and function, showing it to be a rule-governed, innovative and culturally revealing vernacular. Widawski's comprehensive description is based on a large database of contextual citations from thousands of contemporary sources, including literature and the press, music, film and television. It also includes an alphabetical glossary of 1,500 representative slang expressions, defined and illustrated by 4,500 usage examples. Due to its vast size, the glossary can stand alone as a dictionary providing readers with a reliable reference of terms. Combining scholarship with user-friendliness, this book is an insightful and practical resource for students and researchers in linguistics and general readers interested in exploring lexical variation in contemporary English.
Allies in Memory
Authors: Edwards Sam
Published: March 2015

Amidst the ruins of postwar Europe, and just as the Cold War dawned, many new memorials were dedicated to those Americans who had fought and fallen for freedom. Some of these monuments, plaques, stained-glass windows and other commemorative signposts were established by agents of the US government, partly in the service of transatlantic diplomacy; some were built by American veterans' groups mourning lost comrades; and some were provided by grateful and grieving European communities. As the war receded, Europe also became the site for other forms of American commemoration: from the sombre and solemn battlefield pilgrimages of veterans, to the political theatre of Presidents, to the production and consumption of commemorative souvenirs. With a specific focus on processes and practices in two distinct regions of Europe – Normandy and East Anglia – Sam Edwards tells a story of postwar Euro-American cultural contact, and of the acts of transatlantic commemoration that this bequeathed.
A Cultural History of Translation in Early Modern Japan
Authors: Clements Rebekah
Published: March 2015

The translation of texts has played a formative role in Japan's history of cultural exchange as well as the development of literature, and indigenous legal and religious systems. This is the first book of its kind, however, to offer a comprehensive survey of the role of translation in Japan during the Tokugawa period, 1600–1868. By examining a wide range of translations into Japanese from Chinese, Dutch and other European texts, as well as the translation of classical Japanese into the vernacular, Rebekah Clements reveals the circles of intellectual and political exchange that existed in early modern Japan, arguing that, contrary to popular belief, Japan's 'translation' culture did not begin in the Meiji period. Examining the 'crisis translation' of military texts in response to international threats to security in the nineteenth century, Clements also offers fresh insights into the overthrow of the Tokugawa shogunate in 1868.
Peace at What Price?
Authors: Croco Sarah E.
Published: March 2015

Why do some leaders stay in wars they are unlikely to win? Why do other leaders give in to their adversaries' demands when continued fighting is still possible? Peace at What Price? strives to answer these questions by offering a new theoretical concept: leader culpability. Culpable leaders - those who can be credibly linked to the decision to involve the state in the war - face a significantly higher likelihood of domestic punishment if they fail to win a war than non-culpable leaders who do the same. Consequently, culpable leaders will prosecute wars very differently from their non-culpable counterparts. Utilizing a large-N analysis and case illustrations, the book's findings challenge the conventional wisdom regarding the relationship between war outcomes and leader removal and demonstrate the necessity of looking at individual leader attributes, instead of collapsing leaders by regime type. The book also offers new insights on democracies at war and speaks to the American experience in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The History of Linguistics in Europe
Authors: Law Vivien
Published: March 2015

This authoritative and wide-ranging book, first published in 2003, examines the history of western linguistics over a 2000-year timespan, from its origins in ancient Greece up to the crucial moment of change in the Renaissance that laid the foundations of modern linguistics. Some of today's burning questions about language date back a long way: in 1400 BC Plato was asking how words relate to reality. Other questions go back just a few generations, such as our interest in the mechanisms of language change, or in the social factors that shape the way we speak. Vivien Law explores how ideas about language over the centuries have changed to reflect changing modes of thinking. A survey chapter brings the coverage of the book up to the present day. Classified bibliographies and chapters on research resources and the qualities the historian of linguistics needs to develop, provide the reader with the tools to go further.
Ethnoarchaeology in Action
Authors: David Nicholas , Kramer Carol
Published: March 2015

Ethnoarchaeology first developed as the study of ethnographic material culture from archaeological perspectives. Over the past half century it has expanded its scope, especially to cultural and social anthropology. Both authors are leading practitioners, and their theoretical perspective embraces both the processualism of the New Archaeology and the post-processualism of the 1980s and 90s. A case-study approach enables a balanced global geographic and topical coverage, including consideration of materials in French and German. Three introductory chapters discuss the subject and its history, survey the theory, and discuss field methods and ethics. Ten topical chapters consider formation processes, subsistence, the study of artefacts and style, settlement systems, site structure and architecture, specialist craft production, trade and exchange, and mortuary practices and ideology. Ethnoarchaeology in Action concludes with ethnoarchaeology's contributions actual and potential, and with a look at its place within anthropology. It is generously illustrated, including many photographs of leading ethnoarchaeologists in action.
Political Order and Inequality
Authors: Boix Carles
Published: March 2015

The fundamental question of political theory, one that precedes all other questions about the nature of political life, is why there is a state at all. Is human cooperation feasible without a political authority enforcing it? Or do we need a state to live together? This problem then opens up two further questions. If a state is necessary to establish order, how does it come into place? And, when it does, what are the consequences for the political status and economic welfare of its citizens? Combining ethnographical material, historical cases, and statistical analysis, this book describes the foundations of stateless societies, why and how states emerge, and the basis of political obligation. As a result of this inquiry, it explains the economic and political roots of inequality, describes the causes of the stagnation of the preindustrial world, and explores what led to the West's prosperity of the past two centuries.
Suicide and Contemporary Science Fiction
Authors: Gutiérrez-Jones Carlos
Published: March 2015

Suicide and Contemporary Science Fiction examines the fascination with suicidal crises evident in a range of science fiction. Carlos Gutiérrez-Jones argues that the theme of creative self-destruction is invoked by H. G. Wells as a means of negotiating Victorian anxieties regarding evolutionary theory, by Stanislaw Lem as he wrestles with the prospect of nuclear self-destruction at the dawn of the space age, by William Gibson as he considers the development of artificial intelligence, by Christopher Nolan as he explores the cybernetic colonization of the unconscious, by Rian Johnson as he links aspects of video gaming to the neoliberal militarization of institutions, and by Margaret Atwood as she considers impending ecological disaster and the rise of bioterrorism. These authors often depict such scientific and technological changes in a fashion that requires the central characters to transform themselves in hopes of remaining relevant in a radically altered environment.
The Ecology of Oil
Authors: Santiago Myrna I.
Published: March 2015

An exploration of the social and environmental consequences of oil extraction in the tropical rainforest. Using northern Veracruz as a case study, the author argues that oil production generated major historical and environmental transformations in land tenure systems and uses, and social organisation. Such changes, furthermore, entailed effects, including the marginalisation of indigenes, environmental destruction, and tense labour relations. In the context of the Mexican Revolution (1910–1920), however, the results of oil development did not go unchallenged. Mexican oil workers responded to their experience by forging a politicised culture and a radical left militancy that turned 'oil country' into one of the most significant sites of class conflict in revolutionary Mexico. Ultimately, the book argues, Mexican oil workers deserve their share of credit for the 1938 decree nationalising the foreign oil industry - heretofore reserved for President Lazaro Cardenas - and thus changing the course of Mexican history.
Modulation of immune function by dietary lectins in rheumatoid arthritis
Authors: Cordain Loren , Toohey L. , Smith M. J. , Hickey M. S.
Published: March 2015

Despite the almost universal clinical observation that inflammation of the gut is frequently associated with inflammation of the joints and vice versa, the nature of this relationship remains elusive. In the present review, we provide evidence for how the interaction of dietary lectins with enterocytes and lymphocytes may facilitate the translocation of both dietary and gut-derived pathogenic antigens to peripheral tissues, which in turn causes persistent peripheral antigenic stimulation. In genetically susceptible individuals, this antigenic stimulation may ultimately result in the expression of overt rheumatoid arthritis (RA) via molecular mimicry, a process whereby foreign peptides, similar in structure to endogenous peptides, may cause antibodies or T-lymphocytes to cross-react with both foreign and endogenous peptides and thereby break immunological tolerance. By eliminating dietary elements, particularly lectins, which adversely influence both enterocyte and lymphocyte structure and function, it is proposed that the peripheral antigenic stimulus (both pathogenic and dietary) will be reduced and thereby result in a diminution of disease symptoms in certain patients with RA.
The effect of vegetarian diet on skin autofluorescence measurements in haemodialysis patients
Authors: Nongnuch Arkom , Davenport Andrew
Published: March 2015

CVD remains the major cause of death for dialysis patients. Dialysis patients have both traditional and nontraditional risk factors, including the retention of advanced glycation end products (AGE). Tissue AGE can be measured by skin autofluorescence (SAF) and are a reliable measurement of chronic exposure. Dietary intake of AGE may be lower in vegetarian patients than in non-vegetarian patients, so we determined whether vegetarian patients had lower SAF than non-vegetarian patients. We measured SAF in 332 adult haemodialysis patients using a UV technique in a standardised manner. Information about patients' demographic data, laboratory results and current medicinal prescriptions was collected retrospectively from the hospital's computerised database. The mean patient age was 65·2 (sd15·1) years, 64 % were men, 42 % were diabetic, and 66 % were Caucasian. The mean SAF was 3·26 (sd0·95) arbitrary units (AU), and SAF was lower in vegetarians as compared to non-vegetarians (2·71 (sd0·6)v. 3·31 (sd0·97) AU,P= 0·002). SAF was negatively correlated on both univariate (r− 0·17,P= 0·002) and multiple linear regression (β coefficient − 0·39, 95 % CI − 0·7, − 0·07,P= 0·019). SAF, a marker of tissue AGE deposition, was reduced in vegetarian haemodialysis patients after correction for known confounders, which suggests that a vegetarian diet may reduce exposure to preformed dietary AGE. Dietary manipulation could potentially reduce tissue AGE and SAF as well as CVD risk, but further prospective studies are warranted to confirm the present findings.
Dietary and anthropometric indicators of nutritional status in relation toHelicobacter pyloriinfection in a paediatric population
Authors: Janjetic Mariana A. , Mantero Paula , Cueto Rua Eduardo , Balcarce Norma , Zerbetto de Palma Gerardo , Catalano Mariana , Zubillaga Marcela B. , Boccio José R. , Goldman Cinthia G.
Published: March 2015

It has been postulated thatHelicobacter pyloriinfection could affect growth and appetite, consequently influencing body weight. Therefore, the association betweenH. pyloriinfection and the dietary and anthropometric indicators of nutritional status of a paediatric population were investigated. A total of 525 children (aged 4–16 years) who were referred to the gastroenterology unit of the Sor Maria Ludovica Children's Hospital from Buenos Aires, Argentina, were enrolled and completed an epidemiological questionnaire.H. pyloriinfection was diagnosed using the13C-urea breath test (13C-UBT). Height and weight were assessed for calculation of anthropometric indicators. Energy and macronutrient intakes were estimated by 24 h dietary recall. Data analysis was performed using a χ2test, a Student'sttest, a Mann–WhitneyUtest and linear and logistic regressions. The prevalence ofH. pyloriinfection was 25·1 % (with a mean age of 10·1 (sd3·1) years). A tendency towards lower energy, carbohydrate, protein and fat intakes was observed in infected patients; however, it was not associated withH. pyloriinfection in any of the evaluated age groups (4–8, 9–13 and 14–16 years). Underweight, stunting, overweight and obesity were also not associated with the infection. Although height-for-age and BMI-for-ageZscores tended to be lower in infected patients, the differences betweenH. pylori-positive andH. pylori-negative children were not statistically significant. In conclusion,H. pyloriinfection was not associated with dietary intake or with anthropometric indicators in the present population of children with gastrointestinal symptoms; however, an increased sample size would be needed to confirm the observed tendency towards lower dietary intake and lower anthropometric indicators of nutritional status inH. pylori-infected children.
Induction of protection in murine experimental models againstTrichinella spiralis: an up-to-date review
Authors: Ortega-Pierres G. , Vaquero-Vera A. , Fonseca-Liñán R. , Bermúdez-Cruz R.M. , Argüello-García R.
Published: March 2015

The parasitic nematodeTrichinella spiralis, an aetiological agent of the disease known as trichinellosis, infects wild and domestic animals through contaminated pig meat, which is the major source forTrichinellatransmission. Prevention of this disease by interrupting parasite transmission includes vaccine development for livestock; however, major challenges to this strategy are the complexity of theT. spiralislife cycle, diversity of stage-specific antigens, immune-evasion strategies and the modulatory effect of host responses. Different approaches have been taken to induce protective immune responses byT. spiralisimmunogens. These include the use of whole extracts or excretory–secretory antigens, as well as recombinant proteins or synthesized epitopes, using murine experimental models for trichinellosis. Here these schemes are reviewed and discussed, and new proposals envisioned to block the zoonotic transmission of this parasite.
SKILL SELECTIVITY IN TRANSATLANTIC MIGRATION: THE CASE OF CANARY ISLANDERS IN CUBA
Authors: Juif Dácil
Published: March 2015

The skill composition of European migrants to the New World and their contribution to the human capital and institutional formation in destination countries are popular topics in economic history. This study assesses the skill composition of 19thcentury transatlantic migrants to Cuba. It finds that nearly half of the European immigrants originate from the Spanish province of the Canary Islands, which displays the lowest literacy and numeracy rates of Spain. Even within this province, those who left belonged to the least skilled section of the population. By promoting the influx of a cheap and poorly educated white workforce that replaced African slaves on their sugar estates, large landowners in Cuba contributed to the perpetuation of high economic, political and social inequality.
Suicidal behaviour – does it exist in pre-school aged children?
Authors: Connolly Louise
Published: March 2015

When children under five years of age are assessed and investigated following an accidental injury or self-poisoning, the possibility of psychiatric disorder and indeed suicidal intent is rarely considered. We present a case of repeated self-induced poisonings in a five year old boy, who on psychiatric examination demonstrated serious psychopathology and expressed ambivalence in relation to suicidality. All such presentations should receive consideration as to whether a referral to child psychiatry is indicated. In the training of general practitioners, paediatricians and psychiatrists alike, attention should be given to this area.
The role of prior language context on bilingual spoken word processing: Evidence from the visual world task
Authors: MERCIER JULIE , PIVNEVA IRINA , TITONE DEBRA
Published: March 2015

We investigated whether speaking in one language affects cross- and within-language activation when subsequently switching to a task performed in the same or different language. English–French bilinguals (L1 English, n = 29; L1 French, n = 28) were randomly assigned to a prior language context condition consisting of a spontaneous production task in English (the no-switch group) or in French (the switch group). Participants then performed an English spoken language comprehension task using the visual world method. The key result was that the switch group showed less evidence of cross-language competition than the no-switch group, consistent with the notion of an active inhibition of a prior language in the switch group. These data suggest that proficient bilinguals can globally suppress a non-target language, whether it is L1 or L2, though doing so requires cognitive resources that may be diverted from other demands, such as controlling within-language competition.
Reconsidering the Housing Asset-Based Welfare Approach: Reflection from East Asian Experiences
Authors: Izuhara Misa
Published: March 2015

Housing is a platform of wealth accumulation in many home-owning societies. Ownership of assets often contributes to help people build social capital, influence their social participation and helps them access increasingly privatised goods and services. Such ‘asset-based welfare’ has been fashionable in Western academic circles, considering the ways in which housing could become a real or potential welfare resource. It may not, however, be such a novel idea from an East Asian perspective since the promotion of home ownership has always been embedded in the wider context of welfare provision in many parts of the region. Despite the argument that an increasing level of home ownership could potentially compensate for the erosion of family support, the sustainability of a home-ownership-based welfare approach has been questioned. At the forefront of ‘post-growth’ societies with societal ageing, recession, housing price volatility and neoliberal policy reforms, using Japan as a case study, this article examines the reasons and conditions behind the lack of success in commonly identified strategies of asset-based welfare in a regional context. The policy-driven market failures which supersede the cultural obstacles require re-examination.
THE TYPICALITIES OF THE ENGLISH? WALT ROSTOW,THE STAGES OF ECONOMIC GROWTH, AND MODERN BRITISH HISTORY
Authors: ORTOLANO GUY
Published: March 2015

Walt Rostow wanted his landmark contribution to modernization theory,The Stages of Economic Growth: A Non-communist Manifesto(1960), to offer an alternative to Marxist analysis, and in service of that effort he sought to replace class with nation as the agent of history. Britain figured prominently in the resulting account, functioning as everything from a trailblazing pioneer to an idiosyncratic anomaly to a cautionary tale for weak-kneed Americans, but it never explicitly offered the model for other nations to follow that historians today associate with the text. In explaining how that misreading came to dominate discussions ofStages, this essay rethinks a US historiography that collapses modernization theory with American exceptionalism, and a UK historiography premised on the claim that Britain made the modern world. Attending to the function of Britain inStagesreinserts British history into postwar conceptions of world history—not as a paradigmatic case, but nevertheless as a significant one.
Genetic diversity of physical, nutritional and functional properties of cowpea grain and relationships among the traits
Authors: Muranaka Satoru , Shono Mariko , Myoda Takao , Takeuchi Junko , Franco Jorge , Nakazawa Yozo , Boukar Ousmane , Takagi Hiroko
Published: March 2015

Cowpea is traditionally important as an affordable source of protein and minerals and of cash income in sub-Saharan Africa, especially for small-scale farmers who have limited options for food and cash crops. The development and deployment of cowpea varieties with improved nutrition and quality that meet the needs of farmers and consumers should enhance cowpea consumption and production in the region. We have identified genetic diversity in various grain quality-related traits of cowpea and relationships among the traits. Wide genetic variation and strong correlations among crude protein, Fe and Zn contents suggest the possibility of improving the concentrations of these nutritional factors simultaneously. Low associations among physical and nutritional properties of grain indicate the possibility of introgressing favorable traits utilizing identified genetic resources. However, narrow variation in amino acid (AA) composition suggests a lesser possibility of improving the contents of specific AAs in cowpea, but it gave a reliable nitrogen-to-protein conversion factor of 5.45 for the estimation of crude protein content. Several improved breeding lines were identified with low concentrations of flatulence-causing oligosaccharides and various favorable agronomic traits and nutrient contents. TVu-12802 had the highest contents of crude protein and high contents of micronutrients, with a low ratio of phytic acid to Fe and Zn contents.
How Do High-Latitude Volcanic Eruptions Affect Climate?
Authors: Pausata Francesco S. R.
Published: March 2015

High-Latitude Volcanic Eruption Impacts on Climate: Filling the Gaps; Stockholm, Sweden, 5–7 November 2014
Unusual Echo Signal in Atmospheric E Layer
Authors: Orwig Jessica
Published: March 2015

Metallic plasma layers in Earth's ionosphere interfere with radio communications and produce odd echo behavior at specific frequencies.
Mitochondrial SSBP1 protects cells from proteotoxic stresses by potentiating stress-induced HSF1 transcriptional activity
Authors: Tan Ke , Fujimoto Mitsuaki , Takii Ryosuke , Takaki Eiichi , Hayashida Naoki , Nakai Akira
Published: March 2015

Heat-shock response is an adaptive response to proteotoxic stresses including heat shock, and is regulated by heat-shock factor 1 (HSF1) in mammals. Proteotoxic stresses challenge all subcellular compartments including the mitochondria. Therefore, there must be close connections between mitochondrial signals and the activity of HSF1. Here, we show that heat shock triggers nuclear translocation of mitochondrial SSBP1, which is involved in replication of mitochondrial DNA, in a manner dependent on the mitochondrial permeability transition pore ANT–VDAC1 complex and direct interaction with HSF1. HSF1 recruits SSBP1 to the promoters of genes encoding cytoplasmic/nuclear and mitochondrial chaperones. HSF1–SSBP1 complex then enhances their induction by facilitating the recruitment of a chromatin-remodelling factor BRG1, and supports cell survival and the maintenance of mitochondrial membrane potential against proteotoxic stresses. These results suggest that the nuclear translocation of mitochondrial SSBP1 is required for the regulation of cytoplasmic/nuclear and mitochondrial proteostasis against proteotoxic stresses.
New Anti-angiogenic Leading Structure Discovered in the Fruit of Cimicifuga yunnanensis
Authors: Nian Yin , Yang Jing , Liu Tong-Yang , Luo Ying , Zhang Ji-Hong , Qiu Ming-Hua
Published: March 2015

Cimyunnins A–C (1–3), characterized with an unusual fused cyclopentenone ring G, together with cimyunnin D (4), possessing a highly rearranged γ-lactone ring F, were characterized from the fruit of Cimicifuga yunnanensis. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic analysis, X-ray diffraction and density functional theory calculations. In addition, cimyunnin A exhibited comparable anti-angiogenic activities to those of sunitinib, a clinically-used first-line angiogenesis inhibitor, in the in vitro and ex vivo studies.
Genome wide expression profiling of p53 regulated miRNAs in neuroblastoma
Authors: Rihani Ali , Van Goethem Alan , Ongenaert Maté , De Brouwer Sara , Volders Pieter-Jan , Agarwal Saurabh , De Preter Katleen , Mestdagh Pieter , Shohet Jason , Speleman Frank , Vandesompele Jo , Van Maerken Tom
Published: March 2015

Restoration of the antitumor activity of p53 could offer a promising approach for the treatment of neuroblastoma. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are important mediators of p53 activity, but their role in the p53 response has not yet been comprehensively addressed in neuroblastoma. Therefore, we set out to characterize alterations in miRNA expression that are induced by p53 activation in neuroblastoma cells. Genome-wide miRNA expression analysis showed that miR-34a-5p, miR-182-5p, miR-203a, miR-222-3p and miR-432-5p are upregulated following nutlin-3 treatment in a p53 dependent manner. The function of miR-182-5p, miR-203a, miR-222-3p and miR-432-5p was analyzed by ectopic overexpression of miRNA mimics. We observed that these p53-regulated miRNAs inhibit the proliferation of neuroblastoma cells to varying degrees, with the most profound growth inhibition recorded for miR-182-5p. Overexpression of miR-182-5p promoted apoptosis in some neuroblastoma cell lines and induced neuronal differentiation of NGP cells. Using Chromatin Immunoprecipitation-qPCR (ChIP-qPCR), we did not observe direct binding of p53 to MIR182, MIR203, MIR222 and MIR432 in neuroblastoma cells. Taken together, our findings yield new insights in the network of p53-regulated miRNAs in neuroblastoma.
Lrrk2 R1628P variant is a risk factor for essential tremor
Authors: Chao Yin Xia , Ng Ebonne Yulin , Tan Louis , Prakash Kumar M. , Au Wing-Lok , Zhao Yi , Tan Eng-King
Published: March 2015

Essential tremor (ET) and Parkinson's disease (PD) are two of the most common adult onset movement disorders with overlapping clinical features. PD patients with leucine-rich repeat kinase-2 (LRRK2) mutations may present initially with an ET phenotype. To address the possibility of a common genetic link between ET and PD, we examined the association between a commonLRRK2R1628P gene variant and ET. TheLRRK2R1628P was genotyped in ET cases and matched healthy controls. A total of 1277 subjects comprising of 450 ET cases and 827 controls were included. There were 40 heterozygote (GG to CG) variant out of 450 ET cases (genotypic frequency 8.9%) and 36 heterozygote variant (GG to CG, genotypic frequency 4.3%) and one homozygote variant (GG to CC) out of 827 controls. Subjects carrying the R1628P variant had a twofold increased risk of ET (p = 0.0035, OR = 2.20 and 95% confidence interval is 1.30–3.73). Using a case control methodology, we demonstrated an association between a known PD risk variant,LRRK2R1628P, with ET. Subjects carrying the R1628P variant had twice the risk of developing ET. The sharing of a similar gene risk variant suggests a possible pathophysiologic link between PD and ET.
Structure-properties relationships in triarylamine-based donor-acceptor molecules containing naphtyl groups as donor material for organic solar cells
Authors: Mohamed Salma , Demeter Dora , Laffitte Jean-Alex , Blanchard Philippe , Roncali Jean
Published: March 2015

The effects of replacing the phenyl rings of triphenylamine (TPA) by naphtyl groups are analysed on a series of push-pull molecules containing a 2-thienyl-dicyanovinyl acceptor group. UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry show that the introduction of one or two naphtyl groups in the structure has limited effects on the optical properties and energy levels of the molecule. On the other hand, the evaluation of the compounds as donor material in bi-layer solar cells with C60as acceptor shows that the number and mode of linkage of the naphtyl groups exert a marked influence on the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the cell. Two naphtyl groups lead to a decrease ofPCEwith respect to TPA, while a single naphtyl group produces opposite effects depending on the linking mode. Compared to TPA, an alpha-naphtyl group leads to a small decrease ofPCEwhile in contrast a beta-naphtyl leads to a ~35% increase ofPCEdue to improved short-circuit current density (Jsc) and fill-factor. The determination of the hole-mobility of these two donors by the space-charge-limited current method shows that these effects are correlated with the higher hole-mobility of the β-naphtyl compound.
The transmembrane transporter domain of glutamate transporters is a process tip localizer
Authors: Hayashi Mariko Kato , Yasui Masato
Published: March 2015

Glutamate transporters in the central nervous system remove glutamate released from neurons to terminate the signal. These transporters localize to astrocyte process tips approaching neuronal synapses. The mechanisms underlying the localization of glutamate transporters to these processes, however, are not known. In this study, we demonstrate that the trimeric transmembrane transporter domain fragment of glutamate transporters, lacking both N- and C-terminal cytoplasmic regions, localized to filopodia tips. This is a common property of trimeric transporters including a neutral amino acid transporter ASCT1. Astrocyte specific proteins are not required for the filopodia tip localization. An extracellular loop at the centre of the 4thtransmembrane helices, unique for metazoans, is required for the localization. Moreover, a C186S mutation at the 4thtransmembrane region of EAAT1, found in episodic ataxia patients, significantly decreased its process tip localization. The transmembrane transporter domain fragments of glutamate transporters also localized to astrocyte process tips in cultured hippocampal slice. These results indicate that the transmembrane transporter domain of glutamate transporters have an additional function as a sorting signal to process tips.
Presynaptic c-Jun N-terminal Kinase 2 regulates NMDA receptor-dependent glutamate release
Authors: Nisticò Robert , Florenzano Fulvio , Mango Dalila , Ferraina Caterina , Grilli Massimo , Di Prisco Silvia , Nobili Annalisa , Saccucci Stefania , D'Amelio Marcello , Morbin Michela , Marchi Mario , Mercuri Nicola B. , Davis Roger J. , Pittaluga Anna , Feligioni Marco
Published: March 2015

Activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) signaling pathway is a critical step for neuronal death occurring in several neurological conditions. JNKs can be activated via receptor tyrosine kinases, cytokine receptors, G-protein coupled receptors and ligand-gated ion channels, including the NMDA glutamate receptors. While JNK has been generally associated with postsynaptic NMDA receptors, its presynaptic role remains largely unexplored. Here, by means of biochemical, morphological and functional approaches, we demonstrate that JNK and its scaffold protein JIP1 are also expressed at the presynaptic level and that the NMDA-evoked glutamate release is controlled by presynaptic JNK-JIP1 interaction. Moreover, using knockout mice for single JNK isoforms, we proved that JNK2 is the essential isoform in mediating this presynaptic event. Overall the present findings unveil a novel JNK2 localization and function, which is likely to play a role in different physiological and pathological conditions.
Self-induced parametric amplification arising from nonlinear elastic coupling in a micromechanical resonating disk gyroscope
Authors: Nitzan Sarah H. , Zega Valentina , Li Mo , Ahn Chae H. , Corigliano Alberto , Kenny Thomas W. , Horsley David A.
Published: March 2015

Parametric amplification, resulting from intentionally varying a parameter in a resonator at twice its resonant frequency, has been successfully employed to increase the sensitivity of many micro- and nano-scale sensors. Here, we introduce the concept of self-induced parametric amplification, which arises naturally from nonlinear elastic coupling between the degenerate vibration modes in a micromechanical disk-resonator and is not externally applied. The device functions as a gyroscope wherein angular rotation is detected from Coriolis coupling of elastic vibration energy from a driven vibration mode into a second degenerate sensing mode. While nonlinear elasticity in silicon resonators is extremely weak, in this high quality-factor device, ppm-level nonlinear elastic effects result in an order-of-magnitude increase in the observed sensitivity to Coriolis force relative to linear theory. Perfect degeneracy of the primary and secondary vibration modes is achieved through electrostatic frequency tuning, which also enables the phase and frequency of the parametric coupling to be varied and we show that the resulting phase and frequency dependence of the amplification follow the theory of parametric resonance. We expect that this phenomenon will be useful for both fundamental studies of dynamic systems with low dissipation and for increasing signal-to-noise ratio in practical applications such as gyroscopes.
Protein Traffic Disorders: an Effective High-Throughput Fluorescence Microscopy Pipeline for Drug Discovery
Authors: Botelho Hugo M. , Uliyakina Inna , Awatade Nikhil T. , Proença Maria C. , Tischer Christian , Sirianant Lalida , Kunzelmann Karl , Pepperkok Rainer , Amaral Margarida D.
Published: March 2015

Plasma membrane proteins are essential molecules in the cell which mediate interactions with the exterior milieu, thus representing key drug targets for present pharma. Not surprisingly, protein traffic disorders include a large range of diseases sharing the common mechanism of failure in the respective protein to reach the plasma membrane. However, specific therapies for these diseases are remarkably lacking. Herein, we report a robust platform for drug discovery applied to a paradigmatic genetic disorder affecting intracellular trafficking – Cystic Fibrosis. This platform includes (i) two original respiratory epithelial cellular models incorporating an inducible double-tagged traffic reporter; (ii) a plasma membrane protein traffic assay for high-throughput microscopy screening; and (iii) open-source image analysis software to quantify plasma membrane protein traffic. By allowing direct scoring of compounds rescuing the basic traffic defect, this platform enables an effective drug development pipeline, which can be promptly adapted to any traffic disorder-associated protein and leverage therapy development efforts.
Thyroid ultrasound findings in a follow-up survey of children from three Japanese prefectures: Aomori, Yamanashi and Nagasaki
Authors: Hayashida Naomi , Imaizumi Misa , Shimura Hiroki , Furuya Fumihiko , Okubo Noriyuki , Asari Yasushi , Nigawara Takeshi , Midorikawa Sanae , Kotani Kazuhiko , Nakaji Shigeyuki , Ohtsuru Akira , Akamizu Takashi , Kitaoka Masafumi , Suzuki Shinichi , Taniguchi Nobuyuki , Yamashita Shunichi , Takamura Noboru
Published: March 2015

We conducted ultrasound thyroid screening in cohort of 4,365 children aged between 3 to 18 years in three Japanese prefectures (Aomori, Yamanashi and Nagasaki) using the same procedures as used in the Fukushima Health Survey. Forty-four children had nodules ≥ 5.1 mm in diameter or cysts ≥ 20.1 mm in diameter detected at the first screening and 31 of these children underwent the second follow-up survey. We collected information from thyroid ultrasound examinations and final clinical diagnoses and re-categorized the thyroid findings after the second examination. Twenty children had nodules ≥ 5.1 mm in diameter or cysts ≥ 20.1 mm in diameter at the second examination; of these, one child was diagnosed with a thyroid papillary carcinoma and the remaining 19 children were diagnosed with possibly benign nodules such as adenomas, adenomatous nodules and adenomatous goiters. A further 11 children were re-categorized as “no further examinations were required.” Our results suggest that ultrasound thyroid findings in children may change with a relatively short-term passing period and that thyroid cancer may exist at a very low but certain frequency in the general childhood population.
Bayesian inference for low-rank Ising networks
Authors: Marsman Maarten , Maris Gunter , Bechger Timo , Glas Cees
Published: March 2015

Estimating the structure of Ising networks is a notoriously difficult problem. We demonstrate that using a latent variable representation of the Ising network, we can employ a full-data-information approach to uncover the network structure. Thereby, only ignoring information encoded in the prior distribution (of the latent variables). The full-data-information approach avoids having to compute the partition function and is thus computationally feasible, even for networks with many nodes. We illustrate the full-data-information approach with the estimation of dense networks.
Coffee consumption and bladder cancer: a meta-analysis of observational studies
Authors: Wu Weixiang , Tong Yeqing , Zhao Qiang , Yu Guangxia , Wei Xiaoyun , Lu Qing
Published: March 2015

Controversial results of the association between coffee consumption and bladder cancer (BC) risk were reported among epidemiological studies. Therefore, we conducted this meta-analysis to clarify the association. Relevant studies were identified according to the inclusion criteria. Totally, 34 case-control studies and 6 cohort studies were included in our meta-analysis. The overall odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) between coffee consumption and BC risk was 1.33 (95% CI 1.19 to 1.48). The summary ORs of BC for an increase of 1 cup of coffee per day were 1.05 (95% CI 1.03 to 1.06) for case-control studies and 1.03 (95% CI 0.99 to 1.06) for cohort studies. The overall ORs for male coffee drinkers, female coffee drinkers and coffee drinkers of both gender were 1.31 (95% CI: 1.08 to 1.59), 1.30 (95% CI: 0.87 to 1.96) and 1.35 (95% CI: 1.20 to 1.51). Compared with smokers (OR = 1.24, 95% CI: 0.91 to 1.70), non-smokers had a higher risk (OR = 1.72, 95% CI: 1.25 to 2.35) for BC. Results of this meta-analysis suggested that there was an increased risk between coffee consumption and BC. Male coffee drinkers and non-smoking coffee drinkers were more likely to develop BC.
Feature Integration in the Mapping of Multi-Attribute Visual Stimuli to Responses
Authors: Ishizaki Takuya , Morita Hiromi , Morita Masahiko
Published: March 2015

In the human visual system, different attributes of an object, such as shape and color, are separately processed in different modules and then integrated to elicit a specific response. In this process, different attributes are thought to be temporarily “bound” together by focusing attention on the object; however, how such binding contributes to stimulus-response mapping remains unclear. Here we report that learning and performance of stimulus-response tasks was more difficult when three attributes of the stimulus determined the correct response than when two attributes did. We also found that spatially separated presentations of attributes considerably complicated the task, although they did not markedly affect target detection. These results are consistent with a paired-attribute model in which bound feature pairs, rather than object representations, are associated with responses by learning. This suggests that attention does not bind three or more attributes into a unitary object representation and long-term learning is required for their integration.
Now you see it, now you don't: flushing hosts prior to experimentation can predict their responses to brood parasitism
Authors: Hanley Daniel , Samaš Peter , Heryán Josef , Hauber Mark E. , Grim Tomáš
Published: March 2015

Brood parasitic birds lay their eggs in other birds' nests, leaving hosts to raise their offspring. To understand parasite-host coevolutionary arms races, many studies have examined host responses to experimentally introduced eggs. However, attending parents often need to be flushed from their nests to add experimental eggs. If these birds witness parasitism events, they may recognize and reject foreign eggs more readily than parents who did not. We found that, after being flushed, female blackbirds,Turdus merula, remained close to their nests. Flushed females were more likely to eject foreign eggs and did so more quickly than females that were not flushed during experimentation. In contrast, flushing did not predict responses and latency to responses to parasitism by song thrush,Turdus philomelos, which flew farther from their nests and likely did not witness experimental parasitism. When statistically considering flushing, previously published conclusions regarding both species' response to experimental parasitism did not change. Nevertheless, we recommend that researchers record and statistically control for whether hosts were flushed prior to experimental parasitism. Our results have broad implications because more vigilant and/or bolder parents can gain more information about parasitism events and therefore have better chances of successfully defending against brood parasitism.
A computational mechanistic investigation of hydrogen production in water using the [RhIII(dmbpy)2Cl2]+/[RuII(bpy)3]2+/ascorbic acid photocatalytic system
Authors: Kayanuma Megumi , Stoll Thibaut , Daniel Chantal , Odobel Fabrice , Fortage Jérôme , Deronzier Alain , Collomb Marie-Noëlle
Published: March 2015

The involvement of the RhIII(H) and RhII(H) hydride species in the mechanism of H2 production could explain the high efficiency of the photocatalytic system.
Electron capture dissociation and drift tube ion mobility-mass spectrometry coupled with site directed mutations provide insights into the conformational diversity of a metamorphic protein
Authors: Harvey Sophie R. , Porrini Massimiliano , Tyler Robert C. , MacPhee Cait E. , Volkman Brian F. , Barran Perdita E.
Published: March 2015

Ion mobility mass spectrometry can be combined with data from top-down sequencing to discern adopted conformations of proteins in the absence of solvent.
A dynamic surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy method for ultra-sensitive detection: from the wet state to the dry state
Authors: Yang Liangbao , Li Pan , Liu Honglin , Tang Xianghu , Liu Jinhuai
Published: March 2015

A dynamic surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy method from the wet state to the dry state.
Anti-atherogenic properties of date vs. pomegranate polyphenols: the benefits of the combination
Authors: Rosenblat Mira , Volkova Nina , Borochov-Neori Hamutal , Judeinstein Sylvie , Aviram Michael
Published: March 2015

MPM cholesterol content was not significantly affected by consumption of PJ or date seed extract alone. In contrast, consumption of Hallawi date fruit extract or a combination of PJ together with date fruit and date seeds extract significantly decreased macrophage cholesterol content by 12% or 28%, respectively.
Aqueous alteration of potassium-bearing aluminosilicate minerals: from mechanism to processing
Authors: Skorina Taisiya , Allanore Antoine
Published: March 2015

Potassium-bearing framework aluminosilicates are earth-abundant and globally available raw materials that are potential sources of potassium or aluminium. The physical chemistry of aqueous alteration of the corresponding minerals is discussed in this work, in the framework of green chemistry and engineering.
Single stream inertial focusing in a straight microchannel
Authors: Wang Xiao , Zandi Matthew , Ho Chia-Chi , Kaval Necati , Papautsky Ian
Published: March 2015

We demonstrate an inertial microfluidic chip with simple, planar channel geometry for single-position focusing of microbeads and cells in sheathless flow cytometry.
A short and highly convergent approach for the synthesis of rutaecarpine derivatives
Authors: Subba Reddy B. V. , Anji Babu R. , Jagan Mohan Reddy B. , Sridhar B. , Ramalinga Murthy T. , Pranathi P. , Kalivendi Shasi V. , Prabhakar Rao T.
Published: March 2015

Synthesis of rutaecarpine analogues is accomplished from anthranilamide and chloroaldehyde through the halocyclization strategy.
Recent advances in new generation dye removal technologies: novel search for approaches to reprocess wastewater
Authors: Ahmad Akil , Mohd-Setapar Siti Hamidah , Chuong Chuo Sing , Khatoon Asma , Wani Waseem A. , Kumar Rajeev , Rafatullah Mohd
Published: March 2015

In order to control the negative impacts of dyes on living organisms, several techniques and methodologies have been developed for their removal from industry effluents and other water bodies.
Designing lipids for selective partitioning into liquid ordered membrane domains
Authors: Momin Noor , Lee Stacey , Gadok Avinash K. , Busch David J. , Bachand George D. , Hayden Carl C. , Stachowiak Jeanne C. , Sasaki Darryl Y.
Published: March 2015

Short PEG spacers effectively decouple headgroup and receptor–ligand interactions from the membrane allowing packing order of the lipid tails to direct partitioning of lipids to specific membrane phases.