bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Parental knowledge and adolescents' risk behaviors
Authors: Albertos Aranzazu , Osorio Alfonso , Lopez‐del Burgo Cristina , Carlos Silvia , Beltramo Carlos , Trullols Fernando
Published: November 2016

In this paper we study whether parental knowledge of adolescents' activities varies according to socio‐demographic variables, and we analyze the possible association between parental knowledge patterns and certain risk behaviors among adolescents. A cross‐sectional study was performed with representative samples of high‐school students in Peru and El Salvador. A questionnaire assessed risk behaviors, as well as possible determinants, including parental knowledge. The questionnaire was answered by 6208 adolescents. We observed that the greater the degree of knowledge, the lower the frequency of risk behaviors among youth. The degree of knowledge was inversely associated with children's age, and we observed that being female was associated with a greater degree of parental knowledge. The study shows that parents' supervision criteria might be influenced by gender stereotypes, which would have a harmful effect on young males, as the lower degree of knowledge puts them at higher odds of risk behaviors.
SAR110894, a potent histamine H3‐receptor antagonist, displays disease‐modifying activity in a transgenic mouse model of tauopathy
Authors: Delay‐Goyet Philippe , Blanchard Véronique , Schussler Nathalie , Lopez‐Grancha Mati , Ménager Jean , Mary Véronique , Sultan Eric , Buzy Armelle , Guillemot Jean‐Claude , Stemmelin Jeanne , Bertrand Philippe , Rooney Thomas , Pradier Laurent , Barnéoud Pascal
Published: November 2016

Introduction

Tau hyperphosphorylation and neurofibrillary tangles are histopathologic hallmarks of tauopathies. Histamine H3‐receptor antagonists have been proposed to reduce tau hyperphosphorylation in preclinical models.

Methods

We evaluated the ability of SAR110894, a selective histamine H3‐receptor antagonist, to inhibit tau pathology and prevent cognitive deficits in a tau transgenic mouse model (THY‐Tau22).

Results

SAR110894 treatment for 6 months (but not 2 weeks) in THY‐Tau22 mice decreased both tau hyperphosphorylation at pSer396‐pSer404 (AD2 signal) in the hippocampus and the number of AT8 (pSer199/202‐Thr205) positive cells in the cortex and decreased the formation of neurofibrillary tangles in the cortex, hippocampus, and amygdala. Macrophage inflammatory protein 1‐alpha messenger RNA expression was decreased in the hippocampus. SAR110894 also prevented episodic memory deficits, and this effect was still detected after treatment washout.

Discussion

Long‐term SAR110894 treatment could have potential disease modifying activity in neurodegenerative tauopathies.
Dull Brains and Frozen Feet: A Historical Essay on Cold
Authors: Lankford Harvey V.
Published: November 2016

This essay will review historical and medical aspects of cold exposure, hypothermia, and frostbite during the Napoleonic era. The 19th century writings of Dominique Jean Larrey, Pierre Jean Moricheau-Beaupré, and others are used to provide an evocative supporting narrative to illustrate some of the cold illnesses, physiology, and theory of both an earlier era and the present time.

Medical care for over a century followed the how but not the why of treating frostbite and hypothermia slowly with snow or cold water rather than heat. There were 2 main reasons: First was a practical attempt to limit gangrene. Less known, and long forgotten, is a major rationale based on the erroneous theory of heat called “the caloric.” Because of these 2 reasons, the slow method of “cold warming” remained standard medical practice well into the 20th century. Although these recommendations are now known to be flawed, some of the reasons behind them will be discussed, along with early but correct observations on afterdrop and circumrescue collapse. There is a long backstory of treatment from 1812 to the present.
Buddhism, Politics and the Limits of Law
Authors: Schonthal Benjamin
Published: November 2016

It is widely assumed that a well-designed and well-implemented constitution can help ensure religious harmony in modern states. Yet how correct is this assumption? Drawing on groundbreaking research from Sri Lanka, this book argues persuasively for another possibility: when it comes to religion, relying on constitutional law may not be helpful, but harmful; constitutional practice may give way to pyrrhic constitutionalism. Written in a lucid and direct style, and aimed at both specialists and non-specialists, Buddhism, Politics and the Limits of Law explains why constitutional law has deepened, rather than diminished, conflicts over religion in Sri Lanka. Examining the roles of Buddhist monks, civil society groups, political coalitions and more, the book provides the first extended study of the legal regulation of religion in Sri Lanka as well as the first book-length analysis of the intersections of Buddhism and contemporary constitutional law.
The Maui's Dolphin Challenge: Lessons From a School-Based Litter Reduction Project
Authors: Townrow Carly S. , Laurence Nick , Blythe Charlotte , Long Jenny , Harré Niki
Published: November 2016

The Maui's Dolphin Challenge was a litter reduction project that was run twice at a secondary school in Aotearoa New Zealand. The project drew on a theoretical framework encompassing four psycho-social principles: values, embodied learning, efficacy, and perceived social norms. It challenged students to reduce the litter at the school by offering to donate $200 a week for 3 weeks to help protect the endangered Maui's dolphin. However, for every piece of litter found, $1 would come off this total. The challenge was accompanied by feedback on progress, posters, assemblies, and videos. Both times it was run, litter dropped by approximately half. After the first iteration, a survey found that students (n= 275 surveys) appeared motivated not to litter primarily due to a desire to care for the Maui's dolphin. Interviews and a focus group with staff and students (n= 14) after the second iteration also found the dolphins were important, but there was a cultural norm against picking up litter. The limitations of the project, its impact on the school's sustainability culture, and implications for other whole-school environmental projects, especially those with a waste focus, are discussed.
A comparative assessment of vibration control capabilities of a L-shaped Gurney flap
Authors: Motta V. , Quaranta G.
Published: November 2016

This work presents the capabilities of a novel L-shaped trailing-edge Gurney flap as a device for vibration reduction. The primary effect of this L-tab is represented by a modification of the reference aerofoil mean line shape through by two counter-rotating vortical structures created at the trailing edge. The comparison of the aerodynamic loads generated by the novel L-tab Gurney flap and a classical trailing-edge flap allows to estimate the ranges of reduced frequency where the L-tab is expected to perform better than a trailing edge flap and vice versa. Linear aerostructural models for a typical section representative of a helicopter blade equipped with a partial-span L-tab or a trailing-edge flap are built, and a higher harmonic control algorithm is applied. Performance are compared between the two devices to reduce separately theN/rev harmonics of the blade root rotating frame vertical force, flapping and feathering moments. The attainment of similar results with classical trailing-edge device is a further confirmation of the potential feasibility of this novel L-tab as an effective alternative means for vibration reduction on rotor blades.
Design and Processing of Particulate Products
Authors: Litster Jim
Published: November 2016

With this unique and comprehensive text, readers will gain the quantitative tools needed to engineer the particulate processes and products that are ubiquitous in modern life. Covering a series of particle and particulate delivery form design processes, with emphasis on design and operation to control particle attributes, and supported by many worked examples, it is essential reading for students and practitioners. Topics covered include a range of particle design processes such as crystallization and precipitation, granulation, grinding, aerosol processes and spray drying, as well as forms of delivery such as granules, tablets, dry powders, and aerosols. Readers will learn from real-world examples how the primary particle properties and the structure and properties of the delivery form can lead to high performance products, ranging from pharmaceuticals, consumer goods and foods, to specialty chemicals, paints, agricultural chemicals and minerals.
A World of Babies
Authors: Gottlieb Alma , DeLoache Judy
Published: November 2016

Should babies sleep alone in cribs, or in bed with parents? Is talking to babies useful, or a waste of time? A World of Babies provides different answers to these and countless other childrearing questions, precisely because diverse communities around the world hold drastically different beliefs about parenting. While celebrating that diversity, the book also explores the challenges that poverty, globalization and violence pose for parents. Fully updated for the twenty-first century, this edition features a new introduction and eight new or revised case studies that directly address contemporary parenting challenges, from China and Peru to Israel and the West Bank. Written as imagined advice manuals to parents, the creative format of this book brings alive a rich body of knowledge that highlights many models of baby-rearing - each shaped by deeply held values and widely varying cultural contexts. Parenthood may never again seem a matter of 'common sense'.
THE FADED SPLENDOUR OF LAGASHITE PRINCESSES: A RESTORED STATUETTE FROM TELLO AND THE DEPICTION OF COURT WOMEN IN THE NEO-SUMERIAN KINGDOM OF LAGASH
Authors: Thomas Ariane
Published: November 2016

A statuette of a woman dating from the Second Dynasty of Lagash features exceptional gold, silver and copper bracelets that have been recently restored and analysed. The statue is remarkable for its refined dress, to date known only from a small number of female figures, almost all linked to the court of Lagash's Second Dynasty. Examination of the statuette and comparable pieces has revealed possible traces of polychromy, although these vestiges are particularly difficult to identify with any certainty. This paper presents these results within the larger corpus of female depictions from the Second Dynasty of Lagash, together with other very similar examples, to better understand the meaning of the specific costume they wear and the possible identity of the women wearing it.
Gold deposits of Suriname: geological context, production and economic significance
Authors: Kioe-A-Sen Nicole M. E. , van Bergen Manfred J. , Wong Theo E. , Kroonenberg Salomon B.
Published: November 2016

Gold has been a major economic asset for Suriname for more than a century. The long history of gold mining, concentrated in large parts of a greenstone belt in the northeast of the country, began with small-scale artisanal extraction activities and has recently seen the development of major open-pit operations. Despite the range of mining activities, Suriname's gold deposits and occurrences are under-explored from a scientific point of view. Primary gold mineralisations in the greenstone belt occur in multiple forms, and although their origin is commonly related to the Palaeoproterozoic Trans-Amazonian orogeny, the controls of ore formation in specific cases often remain obscure. This contribution presents an abridged overview of currently available information on the geological setting and characteristics for some of the main deposits where gold is extracted. In view of the consistent link between gold metallogeny and granitoid–greenstone belts in the northern Guiana Shield, the mineralised settings in Suriname are discussed in a regional context.
Ancient origin and recent range expansion of the maize weevilSitophilus zeamais, and its genealogical relationship to the rice weevilS. oryzae
Authors: Corrêa A.S. , Vinson C.C. , Braga L.S. , Guedes R.N.C. , de Oliveira L.O.
Published: November 2016

Archeological records attest the early association ofSitophiluswith stored cereals from the beginning of agriculture on Asia. The maize weevil (Sitophilus zeamais) became particularly damaging to maize, a cereal crop domesticated on Mesoamerica. We investigated the late evolutionary history of the maize weevil to gain insights on its origin, timing of association with maize, and genealogical relationship to the almost morphologically indistinguishable rice weevil (Sitophilus oryzae). Two mitochondrial genes (cytochrome oxidase subunit I and cytochrome oxidase subunit II) and the nuclear ribosomal gene region were partially sequenced. Analyses showed that the maize weevil shared no haplotypes with the rice weevil; instead, each species exhibited distinct mitogroups and ribogroups. The two weevil species likely split about 8.7 million years ago (95% highest posterior density: 4.0–15.0). Microsatellite data analyses sorted the 309 specimens from 15 populations of the maize weevil into three genotypic groups, which displayed low genetic differentiation and widespread occurrence worldwide. The maize weevil and the rice weevil are each a distinct species; both of which emerged prior to the onset of agriculture. The maize–maize weevil association took place after maize became widespread as a global crop. The maize weevil populations lack spatial genetic structure at the regional, continental, and intercontinental scales.
Identification and characterization of two faba bean (Vicia faba L.) WRKY transcription factors and their expression analysis during salt and drought stress
Authors: ABID G. , MUHOVSKI Y. , MINGEOT D. , SAIDI M. N. , AOUIDA M. , AROUA I. , M'HAMDI M. , BARHOUMI F. , REZGUI S. , JEBARA M.
Published: November 2016

Drought and salinity are two major environmental factors limiting faba bean growth, leading to considerable reduction in their productivity. The WRKY gene family act as major transcription factors that might play an important role in abiotic stress tolerance. In the present study, two partial sequences sharing significant homology with known WRKY genes were isolated from faba bean by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification using degenerate primers targeting the well-conserved WRKY domain. The isolated WRKY gene fragments were designated as VfWRKY1 and VfWRKY2 showing 62% similarity between them. Sequence and phylogenetic analyses revealed that VfWRKY1 and VfWRKY2 belong to WRKY group I and could be grouped with their orthologues from other plant species. The gene expression profile of VfWRKY1 and VfWRKY2 in faba bean showed that they are significantly accumulated in various plant organs. Further, quantitative real-time PCR analysis showed that both transcripts were responsive to drought and salt stress, and also they are genotype dependent, meaning that different faba bean cultivars respond in a different way to drought and salt challenge. The expression patterns obtained suggest the important roles of VfWRKY1 and VfWRKY2 in drought and salt stress response and tolerance. This knowledge might be helpful in the identification of drought-tolerant cultivars and provide potential candidate markers for faba bean breeding in order to develop osmotic-stress-tolerant cultivars.
Validation of droplet digital PCR for the detection and absolute quantification of Borrelia DNA in Ixodes scapularis ticks
Authors: KING JENNY L. , SMITH ASHLEY D. , MITCHELL ELIZABETH A. , ALLEN MICHAEL S.
Published: November 2016

We evaluated the QX200 Droplet Digital PCR (ddPCR™, Bio-Rad) system and protocols for the detection of the tick-borne pathogens Borrelia burgdorferi and Borrelia miyamotoi in Ixodes scapularis nymphs and adults collected from North Truro, Massachusetts. Preliminary screening by nested PCR determined positive infection levels of 60% for B. burgdorferi in these ticks. To investigate the utility of ddPCR as a screening tool and to calculate the absolute number of bacterial genome copies in an infected tick, we adapted previously reported TaqMan®-based qPCR assays for ddPCR. ddPCR proved to be a reliable means for detection and absolute quantification of control bacterial DNA with precision as low as ten spirochetes in an individual sample. Application of this method revealed the average carriage level of B. burgdorferi in infected I. scapularis nymphs to be 2291 spirochetes per nymph (range: 230–5268 spirochetes) and 51 179 spirochetes on average in infected adults (range: 5647–115 797). No ticks naturally infected with B. miyamotoi were detected. The ddPCR protocols were at least as sensitive to conventional qPCR assays but required fewer overall reactions and are potentially less subject to inhibition. Moreover, the approach can provide insight on carriage levels of parasites within vectors.
An Existential Perspective on Death Anxiety, Retirement, and Related Research Problems
Authors: Osborne John W.
Published: November 2016

Les auteurs discutent des aspects de l’existentialisme se rapportant à l’existence et de l’anxiété sur la mort (AM). Le facticité de l’existence, l’être-avec-les autres, l’influence sur la motivation de l’inéluctabilité de la mort, la quête de sens, profitant de la vie au maximum en acceptant responsabilité de sa propre vie, et la capacité de faire face à l’isolement existentiel sont tous compris dans cette discussion. Une difficulté importante c’est de séparer AM de l’anxiété de l’objet. On trouve que les corrélations entre l’âge, le sexe et AM sont variables. On discute des problèmes de personnalité et de l’orientation du rôle dans la transition vers la retraite, ainsi que la notion de Erikson de la « générativité » en tant qu’expression de l’énergie et le but de la quarantaine. Considération des problèmes méthodologiques et linguistiques dans la recherche d’AM sont discutés. En conclusion, cet article suggère des méthodologies qualitatives comme un moyen interpersonnel d’exploration d’AM dans le contexte de la psychothérapie et du services de conseil.
High-risk regions and outbreak modelling of tularemia in humans
Authors: DESVARS-LARRIVE A. , LIU X. , HJERTQVIST M. , SJÖSTEDT A. , JOHANSSON A. , RYDÉN P.
Published: November 2016

Sweden reports large and variable numbers of human tularemia cases, but the high-risk regions are anecdotally defined and factors explaining annual variations are poorly understood. Here, high-risk regions were identified by spatial cluster analysis on disease surveillance data for 1984–2012. Negative binomial regression with five previously validated predictors (including predicted mosquito abundance and predictors based on local weather data) was used to model the annual number of tularemia cases within the high-risk regions. Seven high-risk regions were identified with annual incidences of 3·8–44 cases/100 000 inhabitants, accounting for 56·4% of the tularemia cases but only 9·3% of Sweden's population. For all high-risk regions, most cases occurred between July and September. The regression models explained the annual variation of tularemia cases within most high-risk regions and discriminated between years with and without outbreaks. In conclusion, tularemia in Sweden is concentrated in a few high-risk regions and shows high annual and seasonal variations. We present reproducible methods for identifying tularemia high-risk regions and modelling tularemia cases within these regions. The results may help health authorities to target populations at risk and lay the foundation for developing an early warning system for outbreaks.
Dynamics of screw dislocations: A generalised minimising-movements scheme approach
Authors: BONASCHI GIOVANNI A. , VAN MEURS PATRICK , MORANDOTTI MARCO
Published: November 2016

The gradient flow structure of the model introduced in Cermelli & Gurtin (1999, The motion of screw dislocations in crystalline materials undergoing antiplane shear: glide, cross-slip, fine cross-slip. Arch. Rational Mech. Anal.148(1), 3–52) for the dynamics of screw dislocations is investigated by means of a generalised minimising-movements scheme approach. The assumption of a finite number of available glide directions, together with the “maximal dissipation criterion” that governs the equations of motion, results into solving a differential inclusion rather than an ODE. This paper addresses how the model in Cermelli & Gurtin is connected to a time-discrete evolution scheme which explicitly confines dislocations to move at each time step along a single glide direction. It is proved that the time-continuous model in Cermelli & Gurtin is the limit of these time-discrete minimising-movement schemes when the time step converges to 0. The study presented here is a first step towards a generalisation of standard gradient flow theory that allows for dissipations which cannot be described by a metric.
INHOMOGENEOUS INCOMPRESSIBLE VISCOUS FLOWS WITH SLOWLY VARYING INITIAL DATA
Authors: Chemin Jean-Yves , Zhang Ping
Published: November 2016

The purpose of this paper is to provide a large class of initial data which generates global smooth solution of the 3D inhomogeneous incompressible Navier–Stokes system in the whole space $\mathbb{R}^{3}$. This class of data is based on functions which vary slowly in one direction. The idea is that 2D inhomogeneous Navier–Stokes system with large data is globally well-posed and we construct the 3D approximate solutions by the 2D solutions with a parameter. One of the key point of this study is the investigation of the time decay properties of the solutions to the 2D inhomogeneous Navier–Stokes system. We obtained the same optimal decay estimates as the solutions of 2D homogeneous Navier–Stokes system.
Consumer factors associated with purchasing local versus global value chain foods
Authors: Bogomolova Svetlana , Loch Adam , Lockshin Larry , Buckley Jon
Published: November 2016

Global value chains (GVCs) have grown to represent the major source of modern food and grocery items. Yet there is an increasing preference among consumers toward locally sourced and supplied foods among perceptions of health, economic and community benefits. Typically purchased in farmers’ markets and specialty outlets, local foods are becoming more widely available in supermarkets, who are now interested in how they might introduce or increase that product range. We collect actual purchase data from a regional supermarket chain and analyze the drivers of higher local food proportional outcomes across a sample of consumers. Attempts to link theoretically important drivers of local food purchasing in traditional (e.g., farmers’ market) outlets to supermarket settings proved difficult. Results do, however, suggest some means by which parties interested in developing local value chains between regional suppliers and supermarket outlets could be achieved. As such, the study is a useful first-step in the development of new value chains to address future potential issues of socio-economic stratification and inequality as a consequence of GVC prevalence.
Varieties of contested multilateralism: Positive and negative consequences for the constitutionalisation of multilateral institutions
Authors: KREUDER-SONNEN CHRISTIAN , ZANGL BERNHARD
Published: November 2016

This essay analyses the consequences of contested multilateralism (CM) for the level of constitutionalisation of specific multilateral institutions. We argue that CM has implications for institutions’ constitutional quality in particular if it is polity-driven and not (merely) policy-driven, that is, when actors’ employment of alternative institutions stems from their dissatisfaction with the political order of an institution rather than individual policies. Given the co-existence of constitutionalised and non-constitutionalised multilateral institutions in today’s international order, state and non-state actors can use alternative institutions to contest the constraining or discretionary character of an institution’s polity. We hold that CM is likely to have negative consequences for the constitutionalisation of multilateral institutions if it is employed ‘top-down’ by states to enhance their freedom to wield discretionary authority, but that it is likely to have positive consequence if it is employed ‘bottom-up’ by society actors to constrain the exercise of discretionary authority through multilateral institutions. We illustrate the empirical plausibility of our claims in two cases involving top-down contestation of the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) and bottom-up contestation of the World Health Organization (WHO).
Zooming in on norm research: Towards a suitable scale for the Shanghai Mixed Court
Authors: KROLL STEFAN
Published: November 2016

Research on norms in international relations has recently focused increasingly on the localisation and translation of normative patterns. While there is a strong interest in studying local diversity as embedded in global contexts, the question of how to accomplish this still poses a methodological challenge. In order to make visible the different global, national, local, and situational dimensions of diffusion processes, this article applies the technique of ‘zooming in’ on the respective levels. The article studies the case of a mixed court in Shanghai at the end of the nineteenth century. The court is both a special court in the context of extraterritoriality and a representative case of hybrid normativity and decision making. As this article shows, the practices of the mixed court are not reducible to its single foreign, national or local components. On the contrary, it represents an original normative institution combining various normative and procedural elements. In describing this hybrid institution, the article refers to the concept of multinormativity, understood as an extension of what has been discussed as legal pluralism, since it does not take Western concepts of the law as a major point of reference.
The Social Science History Association at 40: A Savory Chop Suey
Authors: Carter Susan Boslego
Published: November 2016

Multidisciplinary conversations are tough. Language, habits of thinking, and styles of presentation and criticism differ profoundly across disciplines. Academic rewards to multidisciplinary research are unpredictable. Yet year after year, for 40 years running now, the Social Science History Association (SSHA) has hosted increasingly large, multidisciplinary conferences that attract scholars from a diverse set of academic fields and geographic regions. By fostering debate in an atmosphere of civility, respect, and inclusiveness, the SSHA has become a premiere venue for introducing the latest in social scientific topics, methods, and data. Here I salute the founders and guardians of the culture responsible for this impressive achievement with a multidisciplinary foray into the history of America's chop suey craze of the early twentieth century. Like the remarkable history of the SSHA, the history of chop suey illustrates the importance of civility, respect, and democratic inclusiveness in fostering innovation. It is a story that celebrates the rewards to institutions that promote such virtues.
From the Outside Looking In: TheAnnalesSchool, the Non-Western World, andSocial Science History
Authors: Perdue Peter C.
Published: November 2016

During the 40 years since its founding, the Social Science History Association (SSHA) and its journal have attracted many scholars to the field of social science history, stimulating many new lines of research, but it has only had limited success in developing some of the more prominent new trends in the history field. Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie's early presence in the journalSocial Science Historydid not stimulate much further work on thelongue durée. In environmental history, transnational history, and studies of the non-Western world, the SSHA has not led the way. The article calls on members of the SSHA to think about creative responses to these new directions of inquiry.
Migration in the 1930s: Beyond the Dust Bowl
Authors: Gutmann Myron P. , Brown Daniel , Cunningham Angela R. , Dykes James , Leonard Susan Hautaniemi , Little Jani , Mikecz Jeremy , Rhode Paul W. , Spielman Seth , Sylvester Kenneth M.
Published: November 2016

This paper analyzes in detail the role of environmental and economic shocks in the migration of the 1930s. The 1940 US Census of Population asked every inhabitant where they lived five years earlier, a unique source for understanding migration flows and networks. Earlier research documented migrant origins and destinations, but we will show how short-term and annual weather conditions at sending locations in the 1930s explain those flows, and how they operated through agricultural success. Beyond demographic data, we use data about temperature and precipitation, plus data about agricultural production from the agricultural census. The widely known migration literature for the 1930s describes an era of relatively low migration, with much of the migration that did occur radiating outward from the Dust Bowl region and the cotton South. Our work about the complete United States will provide a fuller examination of migration in this socially and economically important era.
Erfolgskritische Faktoren bei der Optimierung des Skill-Grade-Mix auf der Basis von Lean Management-Prinzipien
Authors: Inauen Alice , Rettke Horst , Fridrich Annemarie , Spirig Rebecca , Bauer Georg F.
Published: November 2016

Zusammenfassung. Hintergrund: Knappe Ressourcen im Gesundheitswesen erfordern einen anforderungsgerechten Einsatz der Mitarbeitenden. Um den Skill-Grade-Mix zu optimieren, initiierte ein Schweizer Universitätsspital ein Projekt, das auf «Lean Management»-Prinzipien basierte. Das Projektteam begleitete jede Pflegeabteilung individuell durch das Projekt und führte eine wissenschaftliche Evaluation der Ergebnisse durch. Ziel: Das Ziel dieser qualitativen Teilstudie bestand darin, erfolgskritische Faktoren des Projekts zu identifizieren. Methode: Vier Fokusgruppen dienten dazu, die Projekterfahrungen der Teilnehmenden zu diskutieren. Die Rekrutierung erfolgte aus Abteilungen, welche die Wirkung des Projekts rückwirkend entweder eher positiv oder eher kritisch eingeschätzt hatten. Der Grad der direkten Einbindung in das Projekt bildete ein zusätzliches Unterscheidungskriterium. Ergebnisse: Während der Grad der direkten Einbindung in das Projekt keine Rolle spielte, kamen in den Gruppen mit eher positiver oder kritischer Projektbewertung gegensätzliche Meinungen und Erfahrungen zum Tragen. Transparenz, Kontext und Haltung erwiesen sich als ausschlaggebende erfolgskritische Faktoren. Schlussfolgerungen: Projektverantwortliche sollten die Transparenz des Projektverlaufs sicherstellen und eine Passung der Projektstruktur hinsichtlich der lokalen Gegebenheiten gewährleisten, um die Betroffenen in ihrer kritischen bzw. positiven Haltung dem Projekt gegenüber zu unterstützen.
Gazel Receives 2016 Hisashi Kuno Award
Authors:   AGU
Published: November 2016

Esteban Gazel will receive the Hisashi Kuno Award at the 2016 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, to be held 12–16 December in San Francisco, Calif. The award recognizes "accomplishments of junior scientists who make outstanding contributions to the fields of volcanology, geochemistry, and petrology."
Chronic activation of the D156A point mutant of Channelrhodopsin-2 signals apoptotic cell death: the good and the bad
Authors: Perny Michael , Muri Lukas , Dawson Heather , Kleinlogel Sonja
Published: November 2016

Channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2) has become a celebrated research tool and is considered a promising potential therapeutic for neurological disorders. While making its way into the clinic, concerns about the safety of chronic ChR2 activation have emerged; in particular as the high-intensity blue light illumination needed for ChR2 activation may be phototoxic. Here we set out to quantify for the first time the cytotoxic effects of chronic ChR2 activation. We studied the safety of prolonged illumination on ChR2(D156A)-expressing human melanoma cells as cancer cells are notorious for their resistance to killing. Three days of illumination eradicated the entire ChR2(D156A)-expressing cell population through mitochondria-mediated apoptosis, whereas blue light activation of non-expressing control cells did not significantly compromise cell viability. In other words, chronic high-intensity blue light illumination alone is not phototoxic, but prolonged ChR2 activation induces mitochondria-mediated apoptosis. The results are alarming for gain-of-function translational neurological studies but open the possibility to optogenetically manipulate the viability of non-excitable cells, such as cancer cells. In a second set of experiments we therefore evaluated the feasibility to put melanoma cell proliferation and apoptosis under the control of light by transdermally illuminating in vivo melanoma xenografts expressing ChR2(D156A). We show clear proof of principle that light treatment inhibits and even reverses tumor growth, rendering ChR2s potential tools for targeted light-therapy of cancers.
Downregulation of microRNA-27b-3p enhances tamoxifen resistance in breast cancer by increasing NR5A2 and CREB1 expression
Authors: Zhu Jiang , Zou Zhengzhi , Nie Peipei , Kou Xiaoni , Wu Baoyan , Wang Songmao , Song Zhangjun , He Jianjun
Published: November 2016

Estrogen-dependent breast cancer is often treated with the aromatase inhibitors or estrogen receptor (ER) antagonists. Tamoxifen as a major ER antagonist is usually used to treat those patients with ERα-positive breast cancer. However, a majority of patients with ERα positive fail to respond to tamoxifen due to the presence of intrinsic or acquired resistance to the drug. Altered expression and functions of microRNAs (miRNAs) have been reportedly associated with tamoxifen resistance. In this study, we investigated the role of miR-27b-3p in resistance of breast cancer to tamoxifen. MiR-27b-3p levels were remarkably reduced in the tamoxifen-resistant breast cancer cells compared with their parental cells. In addition, miR-27b-3p was also significantly downregulated in breast tumor tissues relative to adjacent non-tumor tissues. Moreover, the expression levels of miR-27b-3p were lower in the breast cancer tissues from tamoxifen-resistant patients compared with that from untreated-tamoxifen patients. Notably, tamoxifen repressed miR-27b-3p expression, whereas estrogen induced miR-27b-3p expression in breast cancer cells. Besides, we provided experimental evidences that miR-27b-3p enhances the sensitivity of breast cancer cells to tamoxifen in vitro and in vivo models. More importantly, we validated that miR-27b-3p directly targeted and inhibited the expression of nuclear receptor subfamily 5 group A member 2 (NR5A2) and cAMP-response element binding protein 1 (CREB1) and therefore augmented tamoxifen-induced cytotoxicity in breast cancer. Lastly, miR-27b-3p levels were found to be significantly negatively correlated with both NR5A2 and CREB1 levels in breast cancer tissues. Our findings provided further evidence that miR-27b-3p might be considered as a novel and potential target for the diagnosis and treatment of tamoxifen-resistant breast cancer.
The antifungal caspofungin increases fluoroquinolone activity against Staphylococcus aureus biofilms by inhibiting N-acetylglucosamine transferase
Authors: Siala Wafi , Kucharíková Soňa , Braem Annabel , Vleugels Jef , Tulkens Paul M , Mingeot-Leclercq Marie-Paule , Van Dijck Patrick , Van Bambeke Françoise
Published: November 2016

Biofilms play a major role in Staphylococcus aureus pathogenicity but respond poorly to antibiotics. Here, we show that the antifungal caspofungin improves the activity of fluoroquinolones (moxifloxacin, delafloxacin) against S. aureus biofilms grown in vitro (96-well plates or catheters) and in vivo (murine model of implanted catheters). The degree of synergy among different clinical isolates is inversely proportional to the expression level of ica operon, the products of which synthesize poly-N-acetyl-glucosamine polymers, a major constituent of biofilm matrix. In vitro, caspofungin inhibits the activity of IcaA, which shares homology with β-1-3-glucan synthase (caspofungin’s pharmacological target in fungi). This inhibition destructures the matrix, reduces the concentration and polymerization of exopolysaccharides in biofilms, and increases fluoroquinolone penetration inside biofilms. Our study identifies a bacterial target for caspofungin and indicates that IcaA inhibitors could potentially be useful in the treatment of biofilm-related infections.
Rapid and reversible photoinduced switching of a rotaxane crystal
Authors: Chen Kai-Jen , Tsai Ya-Ching , Suzaki Yuji , Osakada Kohtaro , Miura Atsushi , Horie Masaki
Published: November 2016

Crystalline phase transitions caused by external stimuli have been used to detect physical changes in the solid-state properties. This study presents the mechanical switching of crystals of ferrocene-containing rotaxane controlled by focused laser light. The expansion and contraction of the crystals can be driven by turning on and off laser light at 445 nm. The irradiation-induced expansion of the crystal involves elongation along the a, b and c axes at 30 °C, whereas heating of the crystal at 105 °C causes the shortening of c axis. The expansions reversibly occur and have the advantage of a rapid relaxation (reverse) process. Single-crystal X-ray crystallography reveals the detailed structural changes of the molecules, corresponding to a change in the size of the crystals on laser irradiation. This molecular crystal behaviour induced by laser irradiation, is demonstrated for the remote control of objects, namely, microparticle transport and microswitching in an electric circuit.
Hydrogenated vacancies lock dislocations in aluminium
Authors: Xie Degang , Li Suzhi , Li Meng , Wang Zhangjie , Gumbsch Peter , Sun Jun , Ma Evan , Li Ju , Shan Zhiwei
Published: November 2016

Due to its high diffusivity, hydrogen is often considered a weak inhibitor or even a promoter of dislocation movements in metals and alloys. By quantitative mechanical tests in an environmental transmission electron microscope, here we demonstrate that after exposing aluminium to hydrogen, mobile dislocations can lose mobility, with activating stress more than doubled. On degassing, the locked dislocations can be reactivated under cyclic loading to move in a stick-slip manner. However, relocking the dislocations thereafter requires a surprisingly long waiting time of ∼103 s, much longer than that expected from hydrogen interstitial diffusion. Both the observed slow relocking and strong locking strength can be attributed to superabundant hydrogenated vacancies, verified by our atomistic calculations. Vacancies therefore could be a key plastic flow localization agent as well as damage agent in hydrogen environment.
Is the ‘blue’ colour convention for inhaled reliever medications important? A UK-based survey of healthcare professionals and patients with airways disease
Authors: Fletcher Monica , Scullion Jane , White John , Thompson Bronwen , Capstick Toby
Published: November 2016

In many countries, short-acting β2-agonist inhalers have traditionally been coloured blue. This inhaled therapy has also conventionally been known as a ‘reliever’ by patients and healthcare professionals (HCPs), in comparison with ‘preventer’ medications (inhaled steroids). With the rapidly changing market in inhaled therapy for COPD and asthma and growing numbers of devices, there has been some concern that the erosion of traditional colour conventions is leading to patients (and HCPs) becoming confused about the role of different therapies. In order to assess whether there was concern over the perceived changing colour conventions, the UK Inhaler Group carried out a large online survey of patients and HCPs. The aim was to determine how patients and HCPS identify and describe inhaled drugs, and how this might impact on use of medicines and safety. The results of the survey highlighted the importance of the term ‘blue inhaler’ for patients with only 11.3% never referring to the colour when referring to their inhaler. For HCPs, 95% felt colour conventions were important when referring to reliever medication. In addition, HCPs appear to refer to inhalers mainly by colour when talking to patients. Our conclusions were that the concept of a ‘blue inhaler’ remains important to patients and healthcare professionals. These results add to the debate about the need to formalise the colour coding of inhaled therapies, in particular using the colour blue for inhalers for rapid relief of symptoms, as this convention may be an important measure and contributor to patient safety. Our survey should provide impetus for all interested parties to discuss and agree a formal industry-wide approach to colour coding of inhaled therapies for the benefit of patients and carers and HCPs.
Correction: Corrigendum: Drought dominates the interannual variability in global terrestrial net primary production by controlling semi-arid ecosystems
Authors: Huang Ling , He Bin , Chen Aifang , Wang Haiyan , Liu Junjie , Lű Aifeng , Chen Ziyue
Published: November 2016

Scientific Reports 6: Article number: 24639; published online: 19 April 2016; updated: 03 November 2016
Recombinant production of influenza hemagglutinin and HIV-1 GP120 antigenic peptides using a cleavable self-aggregating tag
Authors: Xu Wanghui , Zhao Qing , Xing Lei , Lin Zhanglin
Published: November 2016

The increasing demand for antigenic peptides in the development of novel serologic diagnostics and epitope-based vaccines requires rapid and reliable peptide synthesis techniques. Here we investigated a method for efficient recombinant expression and purification of medium- to large-sized antigenic peptides in E. coli. Previously we devised a streamlined protein expression and purification scheme based on a cleavable self-aggregating tag (cSAT), which comprised an intein molecule and a self-aggregating peptide ELK16. In this scheme, the target proteins were fused in the C-termini with cSAT and expressed as insoluble aggregates. After intein self-cleavage, target proteins were released into the soluble fraction with high yield and reasonable purity. We demonstrated the applicability of this scheme by preparing seven model viral peptides, with lengths ranging from 32 aa to 72 aa. By adding an N-terminal thioredoxin tag, we enhanced the yield of target peptides released from the aggregates. The purified viral peptides demonstrated high antigenic activities in ELISA and were successfully applied to dissecting the antigenic regions of influenza hemagglutinin. The cSAT scheme described here allows for the rapid and low-cost preparation of multiple antigenic peptides for immunological screening of a broad range of viral antigens.
Trends for isolated amino acids and dipeptides: Conformation, divalent ion binding, and remarkable similarity of binding to calcium and lead
Authors: Ropo M. , Blum V. , Baldauf C.
Published: November 2016

We derive structural and binding energy trends for twenty amino acids, their dipeptides, and their interactions with the divalent cations Ca2+, Ba2+, Sr2+, Cd2+, Pb2+, and Hg2+. The underlying data set consists of more than 45,000 first-principles predicted conformers with relative energies up to ~4 eV (~400 kJ/mol). We show that only very few distinct backbone structures of isolated amino acids and their dipeptides emerge as lowest-energy conformers. The isolated amino acids predominantly adopt structures that involve an acidic proton shared between the carboxy and amino function. Dipeptides adopt one of two intramolecular-hydrogen bonded conformations C5 or "Equation missing". Upon complexation with a divalent cation, the accessible conformational space shrinks and intramolecular hydrogen bonding is prevented due to strong electrostatic interaction of backbone and side chain functional groups with cations. Clear correlations emerge from the binding energies of the six divalent ions with amino acids and dipeptides. Cd2+ and Hg2+ show the largest binding energies–a potential correlation with their known high acute toxicities. Ca2+ and Pb2+ reveal almost identical binding energies across the entire series of amino acids and dipeptides. This observation validates past indications that ion-mimicry of calcium and lead should play an important role in a toxicological context.
Critical Dynamics of Gravito-Convective Mixing in Geological Carbon Sequestration
Authors: Soltanian Mohamad Reza , Amooie Mohammad Amin , Dai Zhenxue , Cole David , Moortgat Joachim
Published: November 2016

When CO2 is injected in saline aquifers, dissolution causes a local increase in brine density that can cause Rayleigh-Taylor-type gravitational instabilities. Depending on the Rayleigh number, density-driven flow may mix dissolved CO2 throughout the aquifer at fast advective time-scales through convective mixing. Heterogeneity can impact density-driven flow to different degrees. Zones with low effective vertical permeability may suppress fingering and reduce vertical spreading, while potentially increasing transverse mixing. In more complex heterogeneity, arising from the spatial organization of sedimentary facies, finger propagation is reduced in low permeability facies, but may be enhanced through more permeable facies. The connectivity of facies is critical in determining the large-scale transport of CO2-rich brine. We perform high-resolution finite element simulations of advection-diffusion transport of CO2 with a focus on facies-based bimodal heterogeneity. Permeability fields are generated by a Markov Chain approach, which represent facies architecture by commonly observed characteristics such as volume fractions. CO2 dissolution and phase behavior are modeled with the cubic-plus-association equation-of-state. Our results show that the organization of high-permeability facies and their connectivity control the dynamics of gravitationally unstable flow. We discover new flow regimes in both homogeneous and heterogeneous media and present quantitative scaling relations for their temporal evolution.
Raman tensor elements of β-Ga2O3
Authors: Kranert Christian , Sturm Chris , Schmidt-Grund Rüdiger , Grundmann Marius
Published: November 2016

The Raman spectrum and particularly the Raman scattering intensities of monoclinic β-Ga2O3 are investigated by experiment and theory. The low symmetry of β-Ga2O3 results in a complex dependence of the Raman intensity for the individual phonon modes on the scattering geometry which is additionally affected by birefringence. We measured the Raman spectra in dependence on the polarization direction for backscattering on three crystallographic planes of β-Ga2O3 and modelled these dependencies using a modified Raman tensor formalism which takes birefringence into account. The spectral position of all 15 Raman active phonon modes and the Raman tensor elements of 13 modes were determined and are compared to results from ab-initio calculations.