bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
BMP-2 can promote the osteogenic differentiation of human endometrial stem cells
Authors: Ai Jafar , Azizi Ebrahim , Shamsian Azam , Eslami Akram , Khoshzaban Ahad , Ebrahimi-Barough Somayeh , Ai Armin , Alizadeh Aliakbar
Published: August 2015

Background: Human endometrial-derived stem cells (hEnSCs) as multipotent accessible source of cells are known as useful cell candidates in the field of bone tissue engineering. However, the effect of bone morphogenic protein-2 (BMP-2) as an osteoinductive growth factor has not been clearly ascertained.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of the remarkable osteoinductive growth factor BMP-2, on promotion of osteogenic differentiation in hEnSCs.

Methods: Endometrial biopsies were obtained from healthy women referred to the hospital for infertility treatment. After tissue digestion in collagenase, the isolated endometrial cells were expanded in Dulbecco’s modified Eagle medium (DMEM) supplemented with 10% FBS. The propagated cells were characterized based on the expression of endometrial (CD90, CD105), endothelial (CD31), and hematopoietic (CD34, CD133) stem cell markers. Cells were differentiated in osteogenic medium containing DMEM supplemented with 10% FBS, 10 nM dexamethasone, 50 μg/ml Ascorbic acid, and 10 mM β-glycerophosphate in the presence or absence of BMP-2 for 21 days. Alizarin red staining was performed to verify the matrix mineralization. Immunocytochemical staining was conducted to detect the expression of OCT-4, CD133, and osteopontin as well as osteocalcin. The expression of osteoblast transcripts, including osteopontin, osteonectin, and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were analyzed by semi quantitative PCR.

Results: The expanded EnSCs were spindle shaped. They were positive for the expression of Oct-4, CD90, and CD105, while they were negative for endothelial and hematopoietic markers. The matrix mineralization was confirmed by Alizarin red in both groups at day 21. Although the expression of osteopontin and osteocalcin was detected in both groups by immunological staining, the expression of osteocalcin was more intense in the presence of BMP-2. ALP, Osteonectin and osteopontin transcripts were expressed in all groups; however, the expression of ALP and osteopontin was upregulated in the presence of BMP-2.

Conclusion: BMP-2 as an osteoinductive growth factor, could promote the osteogenic differentiation of EnSCs in vitro.
Isolated right atrial rupture because of external cardiac massage after coronary artery bypass grafting
Authors: Yavuz Senol , Eris Cuneyt , Toktas Faruk , Goncu Tugrul , Ata Yusuf , Turk Tamer
Published: August 2015

Background: Isolated right atrial rupture is a very rare catastrophic complication of cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Objective: We described a rare case of right atrial rupture after external cardiac massage.

Methods: We reported the case of a 62-year-old male patient who developed excessive bleeding following external cardiac massage for sudden cardiac arrest in the intensive care unit after coronary artery bypass grafting.

Results: This man underwent successful emergency repair of the tear of the right atrium without using cardiopulmonary bypass.

Conclusion: Right atrial rupture can occur after external cardiac massage. An emergency repair is needed.
Analytic description of the image to patient torso registration problem in image guided interventions
Authors: Ferrari Vincenzo , Moglia Andrea , Ferrari Mauro
Published: August 2015

Objective: The accurate registration of virtual pre-operative information of the human body anatomy, obtained as images with imaging devices, with real intra-operative information is one of the key aspects on which effective Image Guided Surgery (IGS) is based. The registration of pre-operative images on the real patient, during abdominal and thoracic  interventions, is influenced by many parameters, which in many cases are influenced each other, thus making it often difficult to define the problem and consequently to solve it for each specific kind of intervention. The objective of this paper is to obtain an analytic description of the 3D image to patient registration problem, which can be more intuitive than the traditional textual descriptions. Methods: The problem is formalized and various parameters affecting the registration are macro-classified in function of their nature. Results: The problem is analytically described discussing for each macro-category of parameters potential solutions to avoid or to reduce their contribution to the registration error. Conclusions: The availability of an analytic description of the image to patient torso registration problem can be beneficial for teaching IGS, to describe existing registration strategies, and to search new ones for each kind of surgery using a systematic approach.
Numerical simulations to determine the influence of mould design on ice-templated scaffold structures
Authors: Husmann Anke , Pawelec Kendell , Burdett Clare , Best Serena , Cameron Ruth
Published: August 2015

In recent years, there has been a shift from traditional cell culture on two-dimensional substrates towards the use of three-dimensional scaffolds for tissue engineering. Ice-templating is a versatile tool to create porous scaffolds from collagen. Here we discuss specific considerations for the design of moulds to produce freeze dried collagen scaffolds with pore sizes of around 100µm, a range that is relevant to tissue engineering. A numerical model of heat conduction, implemented in COMSOL Multiphysics® version 5.0, calculated the temperature contour lines and heat flow vectors during cooling for a variety of mould geometries and materials. We show how temperature distribution within moulds determines the resulting pore structure of the scaffolds by regulating ice growth, and we validate our simulation against experimental results. These simulations are especially useful when working with moulds that contain volumes of more than 1cm in each direction.
Economic evaluation of sacral neuromodulation in overactive bladder: A Canadian perspective
Authors: Hassouna Magdy M. , Sadri Hamid
Published: August 2015

Introduction: Refractory overactive bladder (OAB) with urge incontinence is an underdiagnosed condition with substantial burden on the healthcare system and diminished patient’s quality-of-life. Many patients will fail conservative treatment with optimized medical-therapy (OMT) and may benefit from minimally invasive procedures, including sacral-neuromodulation (SNM) or botulinum- toxin (BonT-A). The goal of this study was to estimate the costefectiveness of SNM vs. OMT and BonT-A as important parameters from coverage and access to a therapy.Methods: A Markov model with Monte-Carlo simulation was used to assess the incremental cost effectiveness ratio (ICER) of SNM vs. BonT-A and OMT both in deterministic and probabilistic analysis from a provincial payer perspective over a 10-year time horizon with 9-month Markov-cycles. Clinical data, healthcare resource utilization, and utility scores were acquired from recent publications and an expert panel of 7 surgeons. Cost data (2014-Dollars) were derived from provincial health insurance policy, drug benefit formulary, and hospital data. All cost and outcomes were discounted at a 3% rate.Results: The annual (year 1–10) incremental quality-adjusted life years for SNM vs. BonT-A was 0.05 to 0.51 and SNM vs. OMT was 0.19 to 1.76. The annual incremental cost of SNM vs. BonT-A was $7237 in year 1 and -$9402 in year 10 and was between $8878 and -$11 447 vs. OMT. In the base-case deterministic analysis, the ICER for SNM vs. BonT-A and OMT were within the acceptable range ($44 837 and $15 130, respectively) at the second year of therapy, and SNM was dominant in consequent years. In the basecase analysis the probability of ICER being below the acceptability curve (willingness-to-pay $50 000) was >99% for SNM vs. BonT-A at year 3 and >95% for OMT at year 2.Conclusion: SNM is a cost-effective treatment option to manage patients with refractory OAB when compared to either BonT-A or OMT. From a Canadian payers’ perspective, SNM may be considered a first-line treatment option in management of patients with OAB with superior long-term outcomes. Similar to all economic analysis, this study has limitations which are based on the assumptions of the used model.
Notes on some Phytopythium and Pythium species occurring in oak forests in southern Poland
Authors: Jankowiak Robert , Stępniewska Hanna , Bilański Piotr
Published: August 2015

Phytopythium and Pythium species are known to be soil-born oomycete pathogens of forest trees in Europe. Little is known, however, about the presence of these micro-organisms in Polish oak forests. During the period 2007–2009 a comprehensive study of Phytophthora species in soils of oak forests in southern Poland was conducted using baiting technique. In this study, baits were also colonized by oomycete resembling Pythium species. Based on morphological characteristics and the ITS sequences comparisons, 10 species of Phytopythium and Pythium were isolated from the soil-root samples, including three putative new species belonging to the genus of Phytopythium. The most commonly encountered Pythium species was Pythium anandrum. The present study demonstrates for the first time that Phytopythium citrinum and Pythium diclinum can also act as soil-borne organisms in oak forests. In addition, these species were reported for the first time in Poland.
Professor dr hab. Anna Maria Bujakiewicz
Authors: Kujawa Anna
Published: August 2015

The article presents the biography and scientific achievements of Professor Anna Bujakiewicz. After receiving her master’s degree and doctorate in biology and mycology from Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Professor Bujakiewicz continued her exciting research and teaching on mycology at her Alma Mater Posnaniensis for more than 50 years. Her publications in this field include many books, articles, and other scholarly reports.
Russo e italiano nei contatti linguistici: immagini riflesse
Authors: Liudmila L'vovna Fedorova  , Michela Bolognani
Published: August 2015

The paper aims to enlighten the image of Italy through Russian and the image of Russia through Italian in the mutual lexical input of languages. Language contacts affect borrowing words from a language-donor by a recipient language; the choice of loan words can tell something about the donor to the recipient. The analysis was based on the data of dictionaries and on the experimental inquiry. As dictionaries show, loan words pertain mostly to the passive lexicon of a recipient language, though in different proportions in Russian and in Italian. The results of experiment reveal active lexical items which create the respective stereotype images; they can focus on the spheres of nowadays interest and can serve as labels for tourist business.
“The Past Is a Foreign Country”: History as Representation in the Writings of William Darlymple
Authors: David Edward Gibbons
Published: August 2015

The work of William Dalrymple reflects a series of transformations, from straightforward travel writing, through more complex and profound encounters with the places and people of various Eastern nations, in particular India, to what most recently might best be described as narrative history. While such depth would be out of place in tourist discourse, some of it – the historical dimension in particular – is unusual even for travel writing. Despite the increasing specialization, however, Dalrymple’s approach has if anything become less elitist in nature; he has even been known to offer his services providing guest lectures on Indian history to select tour parties. His choice of history as his preferred method of representation in theory allows his chosen cultures to represent themselves. In practice, however, it tends to result in a reduced emphasis on the other, and the figure of the first-person narrator, ostensibly relegated to the background, proves to be more resilient than anticipated. Possibly the main theme of Dalrymple’s work as a whole is his own cultural development, from callow travel writer to culturally sensitive historical commentator.
Ultrastructural analysis of adult mouse neocortex comparing aldehyde perfusion with cryo fixation
Authors: Korogod Natalya , Petersen Carl CH , Knott Graham W
Published: August 2015

Analysis of brain ultrastructure using electron microscopy typically relies on chemical fixation. However, this is known to cause significant tissue distortion including a reduction in the extracellular space. Cryo fixation is thought to give a truer representation of biological structures, and here we use rapid, high-pressure freezing on adult mouse neocortex to quantify the extent to which these two fixation methods differ in terms of their preservation of the different cellular compartments, and the arrangement of membranes at the synapse and around blood vessels. As well as preserving a physiological extracellular space, cryo fixation reveals larger numbers of docked synaptic vesicles, a smaller glial volume, and a less intimate glial coverage of synapses and blood vessels compared to chemical fixation. The ultrastructure of mouse neocortex therefore differs significantly comparing cryo and chemical fixation conditions.
ISG15 counteracts Listeria monocytogenes infection
Authors: Radoshevich Lilliana , Impens Francis , Ribet David , Quereda Juan J , Nam Tham To , Nahori Marie-Anne , Bierne Hélène , Dussurget Olivier , Pizarro-Cerdá Javier , Knobeloch Klaus-Peter , Cossart Pascale
Published: August 2015

ISG15 is an interferon-stimulated, linear di-ubiquitin-like protein, with anti-viral activity. The role of ISG15 during bacterial infection remains elusive. We show that ISG15 expression in nonphagocytic cells is dramatically induced upon Listeria infection. Surprisingly this induction can be type I interferon independent and depends on the cytosolic surveillance pathway, which senses bacterial DNA and signals through STING, TBK1, IRF3 and IRF7. Most importantly, we observed that ISG15 expression restricts Listeria infection in vitro and in vivo. We made use of stable isotope labeling in tissue culture (SILAC) to identify ISGylated proteins that could be responsible for the protective effect. Strikingly, infection or overexpression of ISG15 leads to ISGylation of ER and Golgi proteins, which correlates with increased secretion of cytokines known to counteract infection. Together, our data reveal a previously uncharacterized ISG15-dependent restriction of Listeria infection, reinforcing the view that ISG15 is a key component of the innate immune response.
How to get the best deal
Authors: Byers Kelsey JRP , Schiestl Florian P
Published: August 2015

Floral scents and nectar attract both pollinators and other animals that may reduce the plant's fitness, and therefore put flowering plants in a challenging situation.
On computer‐intensive simulation and estimation methods for rare‐event analysis in epidemic models
Authors: Clémençon Stéphan , Cousien Anthony , Felipe Miraine Dávila , Tran Viet Chi
Published: August 2015

This article focuses, in the context of epidemic models, on rare events that may possibly correspond to crisis situations from the perspective of public health. In general, no close analytic form for their occurrence probabilities is available, and crude Monte Carlo procedures fail. We show how recent intensive computer simulation techniques, such as interacting branching particle methods, can be used for estimation purposes, as well as for generating model paths that correspond to realizations of such events. Applications of these simulation‐based methods to several epidemic models fitted from real datasets are also considered and discussed thoroughly. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Identifying cosmological perturbations in group field theory condensates
Authors: Gielen Steffen
Published: August 2015

Abstract

One proposal for deriving effective cosmological models from theories of quantum gravity is to view the former as a mean-field (hydrodynamic) description of the latter, which describes a universe formed by a ‘condensate’ of quanta of geometry. This idea has been successfully applied within the setting of group field theory (GFT), a quantum field theory of ‘atoms of space’ which can form such a condensate. We further clarify the interpretation of this mean-field approximation, and show how it can be used to obtain a semiclassical description of the GFT, in which the mean field encodes a classical statistical distribution of geometric data. In this sense, GFT condensates are quantum homogeneous geometries that also contain statistical information about cosmological inhomogeneities. We show in the isotropic case how this information can be extracted from geometric GFT observables and mapped to quantities of observational interest. Basic uncertainty relations of (non-commutative) Fourier transforms imply that this statistical description can only be compatible with the observed near-homogeneity of the Universe if the typical length scale associated to the distribution is much larger than the fundamental ‘Planck’ scale. As an example of effective cosmological equations derived from the GFT dynamics, we then use a simple approximation in one class of GFT models to derive the ‘improved dynamics’ prescription of holonomy corrections in loop quantum cosmology.
Morocco and the Moors
Authors: Leared Arthur
Published: August 2015

This travelogue by Dr Arthur Leared (1822–1879) follows his journey through Morocco during 1872, giving a comprehensive picture of the country and its people. At this time, Morocco was a French protectorate, ruled by the Alouite dynasty, comprising a mix of tribes, cultures, races and religions. Following Leared's route south, the geography, people, culture, legal and religious practices of Morocco are all explored thoroughly, with personal memories and anecdotes of daily life. As a physician and the inventor of the binaural stethoscope, Leared was interested in the advantages of the climate for treating respiratory diseases, particularly tuberculosis, and in native medical materials and practices. He subsequently became the physician at the Portuguese embassy, and planned the foundation of a sanatorium in Tangier. A vivid and balanced account of the country, as viewed from the stance of an objective traveller as the country began to open up to Europeans.
Free French Africa in World War II
Authors: Jennings Eric T.
Published: August 2015

Only in recent years have historians rediscovered the critical role that French colonial troops played in the twentieth century's two world wars. What is perhaps still deeply under-appreciated is how much General de Gaulle's Free France drew its strength from 1940 to the middle of 1943 from fighting men, resources, and operations in French Equatorial Africa rather than London. Territorially, Free France spanned from the Libyan border with Chad down to the Congo River, and to the scattered tiny French territories of the South Pacific and India. Eric T. Jennings tells the story of an improbable French military and institutional rebirth through Central Africa and gives a unique, deep look at the key role Free French Africa played during World War II to help the Allied cause.
European Legal Cultures in Transition
Authors: Grødeland Åse B. , Miller William L.
Published: August 2015

Are national legal cultures in Europe converging or diverging as a result of the pressures of European legal integration? Åse B. Grødeland and William L. Miller address this question by exploring the attitudes and perceptions of the general public and law professionals in five European countries: England, Norway, Bulgaria, Poland and the Ukraine. Presenting new findings, they challenge the established view that ordinary citizens and people working professionally with the law have different legal cultures. Their research in fact reveals that the attitudes of citizens in Eastern and Western Europe towards 'law-in-principle' are remarkably similar, whereas perceptions of 'law-in-practice' differ by country and often correlate with GDP per capita and country ranking in rule of law indices. Grødeland and Miller's innovative methodological approach will appeal to both experts and non-experts with an interest in legal culture, European integration, or European elite and public opinion.
Religious Refugees in the Early Modern World
Authors: Terpstra Nicholas
Published: August 2015

The religious refugee first emerged as a mass phenomenon in the late fifteenth century. Over the following two and a half centuries, millions of Jews, Muslims, and Christians were forced from their homes and into temporary or permanent exile. Their migrations across Europe and around the globe shaped the early modern world and profoundly affected literature, art, and culture. Economic and political factors drove many expulsions, but religion was the factor most commonly used to justify them. This was also the period of religious revival known as the Reformation. This book explores how reformers' ambitions to purify individuals and society fueled movements to purge ideas, objects, and people considered religiously alien or spiritually contagious. It aims to explain religious ideas and movements of the Reformation in nontechnical and comparative language.
History, Frankish Identity and the Framing of Western Ethnicity, 550–850
Authors: Reimitz Helmut
Published: August 2015

This pioneering study explores early medieval Frankish identity as a window into the formation of a distinct Western conception of ethnicity. Focusing on the turbulent and varied history of Frankish identity in Merovingian and Carolingian historiography, it offers a new basis for comparing the history of collective and ethnic identity in the Christian West with other contexts, especially the Islamic and Byzantine worlds. The tremendous political success of the Frankish kingdoms provided the medieval West with fundamental political, religious and social structures, including a change from the Roman perspective on ethnicity as the quality of the 'Other' to the Carolingian perception that a variety of Christian peoples were chosen by God to reign over the former Roman provinces. Interpreting identity as an open ended process, Helmut Reimitz explores the role of Frankish identity in the multiple efforts through which societies tried to find order in the rapidly changing post-Roman world.
Stargazing Basics
Authors: Kinzer Paul E.
Published: August 2015

How do I get started in astronomy? Should I buy binoculars or a telescope? What can I expect to see? This wonderful beginners' guide to astronomy covers all the information you need to get started. This second edition has been fully updated and now includes new illustrations, the latest astronomy equipment and celestial events through to the year 2025. It starts by explaining the basic techniques and equipment you need for exploring the skies before taking you on a tour of the night sky, covering the Moon, Sun, stars, planets and more. Any necessary technical terms are clearly explained. The author gives sound advice on using and purchasing affordable binoculars, telescopes and accessories, and the book is illustrated with photos taken by the author, showing how objects in the sky actually look through modest amateur equipment. It contains a comprehensive glossary and references to further astronomy resources and websites.
The Psychology of Innovation in Organizations
Authors: Cropley David H. , Cropley Arthur J.
Published: August 2015

In today's highly competitive market, organizations increasingly need to innovate in order to survive. Drawing on a wealth of psychological research in the field of creativity, David H. Cropley and Arthur J. Cropley illustrate practical methods for conceptualizing and managing organizational innovation. They present a dynamic model of the interactions between four key components of creativity - product, person, process, and press - which function as building blocks of innovation. This volume sheds new light on the nature of innovative products and the processes that generate them, the psychological characteristics of innovative people, and the environments that facilitate innovation. It also fills a significant gap in the current literature by addressing the paradoxical quality of organizational innovation, which may be both helped and hindered by the same factors. The authors demonstrate that with proper measurement and management, organizations can effectively encourage individuals to produce and take advantage of novel ideas.
The Cauchy Problem for Non-Lipschitz Semi-Linear Parabolic Partial Differential Equations
Authors: Meyer J. C. , Needham D. J.
Published: August 2015

Reaction-diffusion theory is a topic which has developed rapidly over the last thirty years, particularly with regards to applications in chemistry and life sciences. Of particular importance is the analysis of semi-linear parabolic PDEs. This monograph provides a general approach to the study of semi-linear parabolic equations when the nonlinearity, while failing to be Lipschitz continuous, is Hölder and/or upper Lipschitz continuous, a scenario that is not well studied, despite occurring often in models. The text presents new existence, uniqueness and continuous dependence results, leading to global and uniformly global well-posedness results (in the sense of Hadamard). Extensions of classical maximum/minimum principles, comparison theorems and derivative (Schauder-type) estimates are developed and employed. Detailed specific applications are presented in the later stages of the monograph. Requiring only a solid background in real analysis, this book is suitable for researchers in all areas of study involving semi-linear parabolic PDEs.
The Mortality and Morality of Nations
Authors: Abulof Uriel
Published: August 2015

Standing at the edge of life's abyss, we seek meaningful order. We commonly find this 'symbolic immortality' in religion, civilization, state and nation. What happens, however, when the nation itself appears mortal? The Mortality and Morality of Nations seeks to answer this question, theoretically and empirically. It argues that mortality makes morality, and right makes might; the nation's sense of a looming abyss informs its quest for a higher moral ground, which, if reached, can bolster its vitality. The book investigates nationalism's promise of moral immortality and its limitations via three case studies: French Canadians, Israeli Jews, and Afrikaners. All three have been insecure about the validity of their identity or the viability of their polity, or both. They have sought partial redress in existential self-legitimation: by the nation, of the nation and for the nation's very existence.
Defending Rorty
Authors: Curtis William M.
Published: August 2015

Liberal democracy needs a clear-eyed, robust defense to deal with the increasingly complex challenges it faces in the twenty-first century. Unfortunately much of contemporary liberal theory has rejected this endeavor for fear of appearing culturally hegemonic. Instead, liberal theorists have sought to gut liberalism of its ethical substance in order to render it more tolerant of non-liberal ways of life. This theoretical effort is misguided, however, because successful liberal democracy is an ethically demanding political regime that requires its citizenry to display certain virtues and habits of mind. Against the grain of contemporary theory, philosopher Richard Rorty blends American pragmatism and romanticism to produce a comprehensive vision of liberal modernity that features a virtue-based conception of liberal democracy. In doing so, Rorty defends his pragmatic liberalism against a host of notable interlocutors, including Charles Taylor, Nancy Fraser, Hilary Putnam, Richard J. Bernstein, and Jean Bethke Elshtain.
Free-stream coherent structures in growing boundary layers: a link to near-wall streaks
Authors: Deguchi Kengo , Hall Philip
Published: August 2015

In a recent paper, Deguchi & Hall (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 752, 2014a, pp. 602–625) described a new kind of exact coherent structure which sits at the edge of an asymptotic suction boundary layer at high values of the Reynolds number $Re$. At a distance $\ln Re$ from the wall, the structure is driven by the fully nonlinear interaction of tiny rolls, waves and streaks convected downstream at almost the free-stream speed. The interaction problem satisfies the unit-Reynolds-number three-dimensional Navier–Stokes equations and is localized in a layer of the same depth as the unperturbed boundary layer. Here, we show that the interaction problem is generic to any boundary layer that approaches its free-stream form through an exponentially small correction. It is shown that away from the layer where it is generated the induced roll–streak flow is dominated by non-parallel effects which now play a major role in the streamwise evolution of the structure. The similarity with the parallel boundary layer case is restricted only to the layer where it is generated. It is shown that non-parallel effects cause the structure to persist only over intervals of finite length in any growing boundary layer and lead to a flow structure reminiscent of turbulent boundary layer simulations. The results found shed light on a possible mechanism to couple near-wall streaks with coherent structures located towards the edge of a turbulent boundary layer. Some discussion of how the mechanism adapts to a three-dimensional base flow is given.
A new record of the pliosaurBrachauchenius lucasiWilliston, 1903 (Reptilia: Sauropterygia) of Turonian (Late Cretaceous) age, Morocco
Authors: ANGST D. , BARDET N.
Published: August 2015

The site of Goulmima (south Morocco) is well known for its rich marine fauna of Turonian age (Late Cretaceous). It has yielded a large variety of invertebrates but also of vertebrate taxa, represented by actinopterygians and marine reptiles including Plesiosauria (Sauropterygia) and Mosasauroidea (Squamata). The Plesiosauria are known so far by two major clades of Plesiosauroidea: the Elasmosauridae (Libonectes atlasenseBuchy, 2005) and the Polycotylidae (Thililua longicollis, Bardet, Suberbiola & Jalil, 2003a;Manemergus angirostrisBuchy, Metayer & Frey, 2005). Here we describe a new specimen of plesiosaur found in the same outcrop, differing from those previously cited and belonging to the other large plesiosaur clade, the Pliosauroidea. Comparison of this specimen with other Plesiosauria shows that it belongs toBrachauchenius lucasiWilliston (1903), a species previously known only from the Cenomanian–Turonian stages of the Western Interior Seaway of North America and in the upper Barremian succession of northern South America (Colombia). The description of this species on a contemporaneous site of North Africa significantly expands its palaeobiogeographic distribution. This discovery confirms the affinities between marine faunas of the Western Interior Seaway and those of North Africa at this time, and also permits a better understanding of the palaeobiology of the Goulmima outcrop. A discussion about the systematical status ofPolyptychodonOwen, 1841 is also provided.
A new way to measure milk yield persistency: a genetic point of view with application to Gyr (Bos indicus) cattle
Authors: Pereira Rodrigo Junqueira , Ayres Denise Rocha , Faro Lenira El , Filho Aníbal Eugênio Vercesi , Verneque Rui da Silva , de Albuquerque Lucia Galvão
Published: August 2015

The objective of this work was to estimate genetic parameters for a measure of persistency of milk yield and to evaluate its association with 305-d cumulative milk yield and lactation length. 12 346 records from 8202 dairy Gyr cows including lactations up to fifth calving were used. The measure of persistency was obtained from one of the parameters of a quadratic model that describes the cumulative yield across lactation as a function of days in milk. A three-trait multivariate analysis was done. Heritability and repeatability for persistency were 0·08 and 0·21, respectively. Deviance Information Criterion provided evidence that the additive genetic covariance between the measure of persistency studied and 305-d cumulative yield is zero. Genetic correlations between persistency and lactation length were 0·50 and 0·27 for first or all lactations, respectively. Milk yield persistency as measured in this study has low heritability. Selection for persistency can increase lactation length. The measure of milk yield persistency studied here is genetically independent of total milk yield and can be included in routine genetic evaluations of dairy cattle.
Why not believe in an evil God? Pragmatic encroachment and some implications for philosophy of religion
Authors: SCRUTTON ANASTASIA PHILIPPA
Published: August 2015

Pointing to broad symmetries between the idea that God is omniscient, omnipotent, and all-good, and the idea that God is omniscient, omnipotent, but all-evil, the evil-God challenge raises the question of why theists should prefer one over the other. I respond to this challenge by drawing on a recent theory in epistemology, pragmatic encroachment, which asserts that practical considerations can alter the epistemic status of beliefs. I then explore some of the implications of my argument for how we do philosophy of religion, arguing that practical and contextual as well as alethic considerations are properly central to the discipline.
PHYSIOGNOMIC DISCOURSE AND THE TRIALS OF CROSS-CLASS SYMPATHY INMARY BARTON
Authors: Harner Christie
Published: August 2015

“The judge, the jury, the avenger of blood, the prisoner, the witnesses – all were gathered together within one building” (306; ch. 32): at the melodramatic acme of Elizabeth Gaskell's 1848Mary Barton, the reader's energies have similarly converged upon Jem Wilson's trial for the murder of Harry Carson. Yet despite the narrative significance of the courtroom testimonies, once Jem has pled not guilty, the narrator unexpectedly mutes the prosecutor's opening speech and substitutes instead what seems to be a lowbrow debate about the defendant's physical appearance. The first speaker insists that any justly accused man will have “some expression of [his] crimes” in his face, and observing Jem's “low, resolute brow” and “white compressed lips,” he comments that he has “seldom seen one with such marks of Cain on his countenance as the man at the bar” (309; ch. 32). The second observer disagrees, asserting that Jem's forehead is not so low as it might initially seem and is in fact rather square, “which some people say is a good sign” (309; ch. 32). He asserts that he is “no physiognomist” and proposes instead that Jem's agitated and depressed visage is less the sign of a depraved character than the result of inner turmoil and a bad haircut.
NEXT WEEK!! — : DESIRE, DOMESTIC MELODRAMA, AND THE EXTRAVAGANT PROLIFERATIONS OFEAST LYNNE
Authors: Armstrong Mary A.
Published: August 2015

Ellen Wood'sEast Lynne(1861) exhibits the exhilarating characteristics of a Victorian sensation novel and then some: degenerate aristocracy, a sneering villain, flight, adultery, a child born out of wedlock, disfigurement, disguise, extended deathbed scenes, murder, and more (e.g., fake accents, false identities, an electrifying homicide trial, and a spectacular train wreck). But at the center of all the disaster, transgression, pathos, coincidence, and extremity,East Lynneis (mainly) the story of the aptly-named Isabel Vane, the beloved but patently bored wife who abandons her husband and children to run away with a handsome seducer. Overcome by remorse (and conveniently both disfigured and presumed dead), she returns to the home of her remarried husband to act as governess to her own children and to witness (at length and in painful detail) the life she might have had if she had denied her perpetually irrepressible but inappropriate feelings — feelings not so much of lust for another man, but of annoyance and tedium with the man she actually has.East Lynneurges (usually in the form of multiple diatribes from the third person narrator) that the wives and mothers of mid-Victorian England be content with their lot, employing a moral didacticism that insists on female domestic responsibility — and the attendant obligation of female suffering — with sadistic pleasure. And yet, when not lingering over the agonies of Isabel, the narrative gushes, seemingly despite itself, with sympathy for the heroine's life of monotony and misery. Indeed,East Lynne's compelling power comes in large part from the novel's skillful, lingering walk on a ledge of its own making and its protracted vacillation between condemnation and empathy for an unhappy heroine gone astray.
Sovereignty, Political Authority, and Gridlock
Authors: HELD DAVID
Published: August 2015

This article examines the impact of the growth of multilateral and transnational governance on sovereignty and the diffusion of political authority. It begins by exploring the legacy of World War II and the building of the UN system. The rise of intergovernmentalism and transnational governance arrangements is examined followed by an assessment of some of the leading changes in the postwar global politics landscape. These issues are explored in greater depth across two cases: security and the environment. The article then examines a set of trends which can be characterized as a gridlock in leading institutions, and highlights the political uncertainty ahead at the global level.
Funktionelle Magen- und Darmbeschwerden
Authors: Halama Marcel
Published: August 2015

Zusammenfassung. Funktionelle Abdominalbeschwerden sind ein häufiges Problem im ärztlichen Alltag. Als funktionelle Abdominalbeschwerden wird eine Störung in der Motilität und/oder der Wahrnehmung bezeichnet. Am häufigsten sind die funktionelle Dyspepsie und das Reizdarmsyndrom. Eine kausale Therapie existiert nicht, jedoch stehen vielfältige medikamentöse und auch nicht-medikamentöse Therapieoptionen zur Verfügung, die individuell versucht werden können.
On the Rebound: Modeling Earth's Ever-Changing Shape
Authors: Melini Daniele , Gegout Pascal , King Matt , Marzeion Ben , Spada Giorgio
Published: August 2015

A new modeling tool easily computes the elastic response of changes in loading on Earth's surface to high resolution. Scientists test this tool using finely detailed data on glaciers' mass changes.
Manipulating the banana rhizosphere microbiome for biological control of Panama disease
Authors: Xue Chao , Ryan Penton C. , Shen Zongzhuan , Zhang Ruifu , Huang Qiwei , Li Rong , Ruan Yunze , Shen Qirong
Published: August 2015

Panama disease caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense infection on banana is devastating banana plantations worldwide. Biological control has been proposed to suppress Panama disease, though the stability and survival of bio-control microorganisms in field setting is largely unknown. In order to develop a bio-control strategy for this disease, 16S rRNA gene sequencing was used to assess the microbial community of a disease-suppressive soil. Bacillus was identified as the dominant bacterial group in the suppressive soil. For this reason, B. amyloliquefaciens NJN-6 isolated from the suppressive soil was selected as a potential bio-control agent. A bioorganic fertilizer (BIO), formulated by combining this isolate with compost, was applied in nursery pots to assess the bio-control of Panama disease. Results showed that BIO significantly decreased disease incidence by 68.5%, resulting in a doubled yield. Moreover, bacterial community structure was significantly correlated to disease incidence and yield and Bacillus colonization was negatively correlated with pathogen abundance and disease incidence, but positively correlated to yield. In total, the application of BIO altered the rhizo-bacterial community by establishing beneficial strains that dominated the microbial community and decreased pathogen colonization in the banana rhizosphere, which plays an important role in the management of Panama disease.
CRISPR/Cas9-based generation of knockdown mice by intronic insertion of artificial microRNA using longer single-stranded DNA
Authors: Miura Hiromi , Gurumurthy Channabasavaiah B , Sato Takehito , Sato Masahiro , Ohtsuka Masato
Published: August 2015

Knockdown mouse models, where gene dosages can be modulated, provide valuable insights into gene function. Typically, such models are generated by embryonic stem (ES) cell-based targeted insertion, or pronuclear injection, of the knockdown expression cassette. However, these methods are associated with laborious and time-consuming steps, such as the generation of large constructs with elements needed for expression of a functional RNAi-cassette, ES-cell handling, or screening for mice with the desired knockdown effect. Here, we demonstrate that reliable knockdown models can be generated by targeted insertion of artificial microRNA (amiRNA) sequences into a specific locus in the genome [such as intronic regions of endogenous eukaryotic translation elongation factor 2 (eEF-2) gene] using the Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats/Crispr associated 9 (CRISPR/Cas9) system. We used in vitro synthesized single-stranded DNAs (about 0.5-kb long) that code for amiRNA sequences as repair templates in CRISPR/Cas9 mutagenesis. Using this approach we demonstrate that amiRNA cassettes against exogenous (eGFP) or endogenous [orthodenticle homeobox 2 (Otx2)] genes can be efficiently targeted to a predetermined locus in the genome and result in knockdown of gene expression. We also provide a strategy to establish conditional knockdown models with this method.
A Broadly Cross-protective Vaccine Presenting the Neighboring Epitopes within the VP1 GH Loop and VP2 EF Loop of Enterovirus 71
Authors: Xu Longfa , He Delei , Yang Lisheng , Li Zhiqun , Ye Xiangzhong , Yu Hai , zhao Huan , Li Shuxuan , Yuan Lunzhi , Qian Hongliu , Que Yuqiong , Kuo Shih James Wai , Zhu Hua , Li Yimin , Cheng Tong , Xia Ningshao
Published: August 2015

Human enterovirus 71 (EV71) and coxsackievirus A16 (CA16) are the major etiological agents of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) and are often associated with neurological complications. Currently, several vaccine types are being developed for EV71 and CA16. In this study, we constructed a bivalent chimeric virus-like particle (VLP) presenting the VP1 (aa208-222) and VP2 (aa141-155) epitopes of EV71 using hepatitis B virus core protein (HBc) as a carrier, designated HBc-E1/2. Immunization with the chimeric VLPs HBc-E1/2 induced higher IgG titers and neutralization titers against EV71 and CA16 in vitro than immunization with only one epitope incorporated into HBc. Importantly, passive immunization with the recombinant HBc-E2 particles protected neonatal mice against lethal EV71 and CA16 infections. We demonstrate that anti-VP2 (aa141-155) sera bound authentic CA16 viral particles, whereas anti-VP1 (aa208-222) sera could not. Moreover, the anti-VP2 (aa141-155) antibodies inhibited the binding of human serum to virions, which demonstrated that the VP2 epitope is immunodominant between EV71 and CA16. These results illustrated that the chimeric VLP HBc-E1/2 is a promising candidate for a broad-spectrum HFMD vaccine and also reveals mechanisms of protection by the neighboring linear epitopes of the VP1 GH and VP2 EF loops.
A fiber-optic sorbitol biosensor based on NADH fluorescence detection toward rapid diagnosis of diabetic complications
Authors: Gessei Tomoko , Arakawa Takahiro , Kudo Hiroyuki , Mitsubayashi Kohji
Published: August 2015

A fiber-optic sorbitol biosensor based on NADH fluorescence detection.
Electronically addressable nanomechanical switching of i-motif DNA origami assembled on basal plane HOPG
Authors: Campos R. , Zhang S. , Majikes J. M. , Ferraz L. C. C. , LaBean T. H. , Dong M. D. , Ferapontova E. E.
Published: August 2015

Here, a pH-induced nanomechanical switching of i-motif structures incorporated into DNA origami bound onto cysteamine-modified basal plane HOPG was electronically addressed, demonstrating for the first time the electrochemical read-out of the nanomechanics of DNA origami.
Surface-dependent magnetic behavior of α-Fe2O3 quasi-cubes induced by Mg2+ ions
Authors: Liu Rongmei , Jiang Zixiang , Liu Qi , Zhu Xiandong , Yan Zhiyang , Chen Weiye
Published: August 2015

α-Fe2O3 quasi-cubes with high-index facets exposed were synthesized in a controlled manner by Mg2+ ions, and show surface-dependent magnetic behavior.
A novel strategy to directly fabricate flexible hollow nanofibers with tunable luminescence–electricity–magnetism trifunctionality using one-pot electrospinning
Authors: Liu Yawen , Ma Qianli , Dong Xiangting , Yu Wensheng , Wang Jinxian , Liu Guixia
Published: August 2015

Novel photoluminescent–electrical–magnetic trifunctional flexible Eu(BA)3phen/PANI/Fe3O4/PVP hollow nanofibers were constructed using a one-pot coaxial electrospinning process for the first time.
Direct chemical synthesis of well dispersed L10-FePt nanoparticles with tunable size and coercivity
Authors: He Jianghai , Bian Baoru , Zheng Qiang , Du Juan , Xia Weixing , Zhang Jian , Yan Aru , Liu J. Ping
Published: August 2015

We report a simple, green, one-step solid-phase approach to synthesize well-dispersed single-crystal L10-FePt nanoparticles with coercivity of more than 20 kOe.
Preparation of lignin/glycerol-based bis(cyclic carbonate) for the synthesis of polyurethanes
Authors: Chen Qin , Gao Keke , Peng Chang , Xie Haibo , Zhao Zongbao Kent , Bao Ming
Published: August 2015

A bis(cyclic carbonate) was obtained via glycidylation of lignin-based bisphenol followed by cycloaddition with CO2. Further polyaddition between the bis(cyclic carbonate) and diamines led to the synthesis of polyurethanes. The structure and thermal properties of these polyurethane materials were elucidated.
D1-like receptors distinguishing thieno-azecine regioisomers
Authors: Abdel-Fattah Mohamed A. O. , Abadi Ashraf H. , Lehmann Jochen , Schweikert Peter M. , Enzensperger Christoph
Published: August 2015

Design of novel azecine derivatives with modulated dopaminergic receptor selectivity and affinity profiles.
Hierarchical SrTiO3/NiFe2O4 composite nanostructures with excellent light response and magnetic performance synthesized toward enhanced photocatalytic activity
Authors: Jing Panpan , Du JinLu , Wang Jianbo , Lan Wei , Pan Lining , Li Jianan , Wei Jinwu , Cao Derang , Zhang Xinlei , Zhao Chenbo , Liu Qingfang
Published: August 2015

Being capable of gathering advanced properties of SrTiO3 and NiFe2O4, hierarchical SrTiO3/NiFe2O4 composite nanostructures have been synthesized toward enhanced photocatalytic activity.
Ultrasmall superparamagnetic Ni nanoparticles embedded in polyaniline as a lightweight and thin microwave absorber
Authors: Han Dandan , Xiao Ningru , Hu He , Liu Bao , Song Gengxin , Yan He
Published: August 2015

In this work, we have reported the preparation and lightweight and thin microwave absorbent application of ultrasmall Ni nanoparticles embedded in polyaniline (PANI).
Variations of cellular components in Thermosynechococcus sp. CL-1 under electrochemical treatment
Authors: Ko Tzu-Hsing , Hsu Yao-Chun , Wang Yung-Fu , Chang Yen-Hui , Lin Shao-Kai , Hsueh Hsin-Ta , Chen Hsing-Hui
Published: August 2015

To investigate the potential for biofuel production by using cyanobacterium photosynthesis integrated with electrochemical treatment, several protein expressions and cellular components were experimentally analyzed.
Enhanced capacitance of nitrogen-doped hierarchically porous carbide-derived carbon in matched ionic liquids
Authors: Ewert J.-K. , Weingarth D. , Denner C. , Friedrich M. , Zeiger M. , Schreiber A. , Jäckel N. , Presser V. , Kempe R.
Published: August 2015

Supercapacitor performance can be significantly increased when matching a suitable ionic liquid to nitrogen-doped nanoporous carbon.