bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Vitamin D receptor Cdx-2-dependent response of central obesity to vitamin D intake in the subjects with type 2 diabetes: a randomised clinical trial
Authors: Shab-Bidar Sakineh , Neyestani Tirang R. , Djazayery Abolghassem
Published: September 2015

This study aimed to investigate the effects of daily intake of vitamin D-fortified yogurt drink (doogh) on central obesity indicators in subjects with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and the possible modulation of this effect by vitamin D receptor (VDR) Cdx-2 genotypes. A total of sixty T2D subjects were randomly allocated to two groups to receive either plain doogh (PD; n 29, containing 170 mg Ca and no vitamin D/250 ml) or vitamin D3-fortified doogh (FD; n 31, containing 170 mg Ca and 12·5 μg/250 ml) twice a day for 12 weeks. 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D), glycaemic as well as adiposity indicators were evaluated before and after the intervention. VDR-Cdx-2 genotypes in extended number of T2D subjects in the FD group (n 60) were determined as AA, GA and GG. After 12 weeks, in FD compared with PD, serum 25(OH)D increased (+35·4 v. −4·8 nmol/l; P<0·001) and mean changes of waist circumference (WC; −1·3 v. +1·6 cm; P=0·02), body fat mass (FM; −1·9 v. +0·60 %; P=0·008), truncal fat (TF; −1·1 v. 0·13 %; P=0·003) and visceral adipose tissue (−0·80 v. +0·37 AU; P<0·001) decreased significantly. Circulating 25(OH)D was raised only in the AA group (34·8 nmo/l in AA group v. −6·4 nmol/l in AG and −1·6 nmol/l in GG groups; P<0·001), which was accompanied by a significant decrease in changes of WC (P=0·004), FM% (P=0·01) and TF% (P<0·001) in the AA genotype. Daily intake of vitamin D-FD for 12 weeks improved the central obesity indices in T2D subjects, and the improvement was more pronounced in the carriers of the AA genotype of VDR-Cdx-2.
A pilot duplicate diet study on manganese, selenium and chromium intakes in institutionalised children and adolescents from Guatemala
Authors: Cabrera-Vique Carmen , Briones Mercedes , Muros José Joaquín , Seiquer Isabel , Sánchez José Antonio , Rodríguez Guillermo , Giménez Rafael
Published: September 2015

Hidden hunger occurs in the presence of an otherwise nutritionally or energetically appropriate diet that is deficient in essential vitamins and minerals. Guatemala has the highest rate of child malnutrition in Latin America and the prevalence of hidden hunger is high. The aim of this study was to determine the Mn, Se and Cr dietary intakes in Guatemalan institutionalised children (4–14 years), a population group at high risk of mineral deficiency. For this purpose, the contents of Mn, Se and Cr were analysed in a duplicate diet (for 7 consecutive days) by electrothermal atomisation-atomic absorption spectrophotometry following acid digestion. Mn, Se and Cr intakes from the duplicate diets were in the range of 1·3–2·31 mg/d, 58·7–69·6 µg/d and 6·32–27·57 µg/d, respectively. Mn and Cr values were below current recommended daily intakes. A cereal- and legumes-based diet is habitually consumed by this population. Local vegetables, fruits and nutritional supplements are included daily, but the consumption of fish, meat, eggs and dairy products is very infrequent or negligible. Mean daily energy intake from the 7-d diet was 8418·2 kJ (2012 kcal), with a macronutrient energy distribution of carbohydrates 69·4 %, proteins 12·3 % and fats 18·3 %. Correlations between Mn, Se and Cr intakes and energy and other nutrient intakes were also evaluated. The present findings will help establish new nutritional strategies for this and similar population groups.
Robert Nelson's Festivals and Fasts and the Problem of the Sacred in Early Eighteenth-Century England
Authors: Sirota Brent S.
Published: September 2015

The pious layman Robert Nelson's 1704 tract A Companion for the Festivals and Fasts of the Church of England was arguably the most popular and important Anglican devotional work of the eighteenth century. Ostensibly a simple guidebook to the Anglican liturgical calendar, Nelson's Festivals and Fasts was, in fact, a précis of Anglican theology and ecclesiology. What has been less clearly recognized, however, was the extent to which Nelson's Festivals and Fasts was also a sharply polemical work. This article considers Nelson's tract as a defense of “the sacred” as demarcating a socially and cognitively distinct sphere of life. Nelson's work takes great pains to maintain the spaces, offices, festivals and personnel of the church as “set apart” from the commerce of everyday life; and nearly every page exudes a fear of encroachment on the sacred. Nelson's conception of the sacred, and the manifold threats to its differentiation, provokes a reconsideration of the prevalent narratives of religious transformation in the early English enlightenment. Most importantly, it underscores the serious limitations of the current debate over secularization in this period.
European Workers in Brazilian Coalmining, Rio Grande do Sul, 1850–1950
Authors: Gontarski Speranza Clarice
Published: September 2015

Coalmining in Brazil began in the mid-nineteenth century in the municipality of São Jerônimo, Rio Grande do Sul, the country’s southernmost state. European workers were brought in and joined Brazilian workers, mostly local peasants with no experience in mining. This article discusses the role played by the immigrants in the making of a working class in the coalfields of southern Brazil. The research on which this article is based draws on numerous sources, including lawsuits and the application forms used to request professional licences. It focuses on ethnic and racial ambiguity, and on political strategies. The identity of the miners in the region is commonly represented as an amalgam of all ethnic groups, but this article shows that this self-propagated solidarity and cohesion among workers had its limits.
Should social psychologists create a disciplinary affirmative action program for political conservatives?
Authors: Shweder Richard A.
Published: September 2015

Freely staying on the move between alternative points of view is the best antidote to dogmatism. Robert Merton's ideals for an epistemic community are sufficient to correct pseudo-empirical studies designed to confirm beliefs that liberals (or conservatives) think deserve to be true. Institutionalizing the self-proclaimed political identities of social psychologists may make things worse.
Lost in the city: Yes's ‘Heart of the Sunrise’ and the expansion of musical expression in rock
Authors: Palmer John R.
Published: September 2015

Yes's ‘Heart of the Sunrise’ addresses one of the primary concerns of the counterculture: the alienation of the individual from humanity by the dominant consumerist, ‘plastic’ culture, represented by the city. In their expression of the effects of alienation, Yes expanded the musical vocabulary of rock, for while the allusive imagery of the song's text relates the locus of the protagonist and his being ‘lost’ amid the population of the city, the arrangement of the song and the purely instrumental passages lay bare the frustration of an individual unable to establish intimate, human relationships. Contemporary commentary on hippie perceptions of, and reactions to, mainstream culture provides a background to an analysis that demonstrates the descriptive power of the instrumental passages in this 1971 work.
‘James Brown’, ‘Jamesbrown’, James Brown: Black (music) from the getup
Authors: Brar Dhanveer Singh
Published: September 2015

The following article addresses the question of the blackness and radicalism of James Brown's musical performances during what was arguably the peak of his career, between 1964 and 1971. Using analytical frameworks from the fields of black studies, performance studies and cultural theory, this article presents an argument for listening to Brown's music in terms of the modalities of rupture. The activity of rupture is tracked through the preface to his autobiography, the stage performance he developed in the early part of his career, and the experiments in rhythm he orchestrated with his band in 1964. The article culminates in a close listening of the 1971 record ‘Super Bad’ as the aesthetic height of a black radicalism Brown was producing through his music.
Review of washback research literature within Kane's argument-based validation framework
Authors: Cheng Liying , Sun Youyi , Ma Jia
Published: September 2015

No area of language assessment research in the past 20 years has received a greater increase in attention than washback research. Beginning with the seminal work of Alderson & Wall (Alderson & Wall 1993; Wall & Alderson 1993), an evolving body of empirical washback studies has been conducted worldwide, especially in countries where English is not the dominant language. A systematic search of the pertinent literature between 1993 and 2013 identified a total of 123 publications consisting of 36 review articles and 87 empirical studies. The focus of this review is on the empirical studies. A further breakdown of these empirical studies reveals 11 books and monographs, 27 doctoral dissertations, 40 journal articles, and 9 book chapters. This intensity of research activity underscores the timeliness and importance of this research topic and highlights its maturity, which in turn calls for this systematic review.
Written corrective feedback in L2 writing: Connors & Lunsford (1988); Lunsford & Lunsford (2008); Lalande (1982)
Authors: Ferris Dana
Published: September 2015

Written corrective feedback (CF) has been the most heavily researched topic in second language (L2) writing over the past 20 years. As a recent research timeline article in this journal (Ferris 2012; see also Bitchener & Ferris 2012) shows, studies of error correction in student writing have crossed disciplines (composition and rhetoric, foreign language studies, applied linguistics) and have utilized a range of research paradigms, including descriptive text analysis, quasi-experimental designs, and quantitative and qualitative classroom research. This article highlights two landmark studies on this topic, both from the 1980s, representing two of these research traditions. It explains why replication of these two studies would further advance our knowledge about written CF and makes specific suggestions about how the replications should be completed.
International Judges: Is There a Global Ethic?
Authors: Goldstone Richard J.
Published: September 2015

Since the last decade of the twentieth century the number of international and transnational judges has burgeoned. There are now in excess of 100 international courts and tribunals, with thousands of international judges who sit on them. They come from all corners of the globe and bring with them the experience of many systems of justice.
Rescuing Democracy in the Age of the Internet
Authors: Runciman David
Published: September 2015

Throughout almost the entire history of democracy—from pre-Socratic Greece up to the second half of the twentieth century—its champions faced little difficulty in identifying its enemies. Critics of democracy consistently lined up to attack it on ideological and philosophical grounds. The litany of complaints was familiar: Democracy is an ignorant, unreliable, unstable form of rule; putting power in the hands of the people entrusts decision-making to those who are incapable of making the right decisions, either because of their natural incapacity or because social arrangements have denuded them of their ability to know what they are doing; democratic politicians pander to the masses, and the masses reward them for it; democracies choose short-term gratification over long-term solutions and eventually pay the price. These charges were invariably accompanied by the promise of something better, the assumption being that almost any alternative regime would be an improvement on the inadequacies of democracy.
Iatrogenic “aortopulmonary window”: percutaneous rescue closure as a bridge to surgical repair
Authors: Marini Davide , Ferraro Gaetana , Agnoletti Gabriella
Published: September 2015

We present the case of a 15-year-old boy who underwent arterial switch operation due to transposition of the great arteries with severe scoliosis, obstruction of the right coronary ostium, and severe stenosis of the pulmonary trunk. Balloon angioplasty caused a large aortopulmonary shunt provoking myocardial ischaemia and pulmonary hypertension. The traumatic “aortopulmonary window” was percutaneously occluded using an Amplatzer Septal Occluder device as a bridge to surgical repair.
Management of hypoplastic left heart syndrome with intact atrial septum: a two-centre experience
Authors: Sathanandam Shyam K. , Philip Ranjit , Gamboa David , Van Bergen Andrew , Ilbawi Michel N. , Knott-Craig Christopher , Waller B. Rush , Javois Alexander J. , Cuneo Bettina F.
Published: September 2015

Introduction

Hypoplastic left heart syndrome with an intact atrial septum is a poor predictor of outcomes. Prenatal assessment of pulmonary venous Doppler and emergent postnatal cardiac intervention may be associated with better outcomes.

Materials and methods

A retrospective review of all hypoplastic left heart syndrome patients in two centres over a 5-year period was performed. Group 1 included patients with adequate inter-atrial communication. Group 2 included patients with prenatal diagnosis with an intact atrial septum who had immediate transcatheter intervention. Group 3 included patients with intact atrial septum who were not prenatally diagnosed and underwent either delayed intervention or no intervention before stage 1 palliation. Primary outcome was survival up to stage 2 palliation.

Results

The incidence of hypoplastic left heart syndrome with a restrictive atrial communication was 11.2% (n=19 of 170). Overall survival to stage 2 or heart transplantation was 85% and 67% for Groups 1 and 2, respectively (n=129/151, n=8/12; p=0.03), and 0% (n=0/7) for Group 3. Survival benefits were observed between Groups 2 and 3 (p<0.001). Foetal pulmonary vein Doppler reverse/forward velocity time integral ratio of ⩾18% (sensitivity, 0.99, 95% CI, 0.58–1; specificity, 0.99, 95% CI, 0.96–1) was predictive of the need for emergent left atrial decompression.

Conclusion

Using a multidisciplinary approach and foetal pulmonary vein Doppler, time-saving measures can be instituted by delivering prenatally diagnosed neonates with hypoplastic left heart syndrome with intact atrial septum close to the cardiac catheterisation suite where left atrial decompression can be performed quickly and safely that may improve survival.
Association between women’s empowerment and infant and child feeding practices in sub-Saharan Africa: an analysis of Demographic and Health Surveys
Authors: Na Muzi , Jennings Larissa , Talegawkar Sameera A , Ahmed Saifuddin
Published: September 2015

Objective

To explore the relationship between women’s empowerment and WHO recommended infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices in sub-Saharan Africa.

Design

Analysis was conducted using data from ten Demographic and Health Surveys between 2010 and 2013. Women’s empowerment was assessed by nine standard items covering three dimensions: economic, socio-familial and legal empowerment. Three core IYCF practices examined were minimum dietary diversity, minimum meal frequency and minimum acceptable diet. Separate multivariable logistic regression models were applied for the IYCF practices on dimensional and overall empowerment in each country.

Setting

Benin, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Uganda and Zimbabwe.

Subjects

Youngest singleton children aged 6–23 months and their mothers (n15 153).

Results

Less than 35 %, 60 % and 18 % of children 6–23 months of age met the criterion of minimum dietary diversity, minimum meal frequency and minimum acceptable diet, respectively. In general, likelihood of meeting the recommended IYCF criteria was positively associated with the economic dimension of women’s empowerment. Socio-familial empowerment was negatively associated with the three feeding criteria, except in Zimbabwe. The legal dimension of empowerment did not show any clear pattern in the associations. Greater overall empowerment of women was consistently and positively associated with multiple IYCF practices in Mali, Rwanda and Sierra Leone. However, consistent negative relationships were found in Benin and Niger. Null or mixed results were observed in the remaining countries.

Conclusions

The importance of women’s empowerment for IYCF practices needs to be discussed by context and by dimension of empowerment.
Contact and fumigant toxicity of five pesticidal plants against Callosobruchus maculatus (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) in stored cowpea (Vigna unguiculata)
Authors: Mkenda Prisila A. , Stevenson Philip C. , Ndakidemi Patrick , Farman Dudley I. , Belmain Steven R.
Published: September 2015

Insecticidal activities of five pesticidal plant species,Tephrosia vogelii,Dysphania(Syn:Chenopodium)ambrosioides,Lippia javanica,Tithonia diversifoliaandVernonia amygdalina, which have been reported to control storage pests, were evaluated as leaf powders againstCallosobruchus maculatus(Fabricius 1775) in stored cowpea. Their efficacy was compared with the commercial pesticide Actellic dust (pirimiphos-methyl) at the recommended concentration (50 g/90 kg), and with untreated cowpea seeds as a negative control. The plant powders were applied at concentrations of 0.01, 0.1, 1 and 3 g/10 g of cowpea seeds in 250 ml plastic containers (to measure contact toxicity), or 0.005, 0.05, 0.5 and 5 g tied in small muslin cloth bags and hung in 500 ml plastic bottles containing 10 g of cowpea seeds (to measure fumigant toxicity). Mortality of adults, oviposition deterrence, adult emergence, and percent seed damage were recorded. Complete protection of seeds and inhibition of adult emergence were achieved in Actellic dust-treated seeds; contact toxicity using leaf powders ofT. vogeliiat all concentrations,D. ambrosioidesat concentrations of 0.1, 1 and 3 g andL. javanicaat concentrations of 1 and 3 g; and fumigant toxicity usingD.ambrosioidesat concentrations of 0.5 and 5 g andL.javanicaat a concentration of 5 g. Head space analysis ofD.ambrosioidesandL.javanicaidentified ascaridole and camphor, respectively, as components that could be responsible for the bioactivity of these plant species. These plants may, therefore, serve as effective but less harmful biopesticide alternatives to Actellic. Conversely,V.amygdalinaandT.diversifoliawere not effective, indicating that they should not be promoted for controlling bruchids in cowpea.
Pediatrician and Parent-Reported Interest in Technology-Based Positive Parenting Promotion
Authors: McGoron Lucy , Ondersma Steven J.
Published: September 2015

Pediatric settings are a promising venue for detecting and responding to behavioral health problems in young children, in part by promoting evidence-based parenting strategies. Technology in pediatrics could enhance the feasibility of behavioral health services within pediatrics, but must first be accepted by pediatricians and parents. This report describes pediatrician and parent interest in using technology within pediatrics for behavioral health. Sixty pediatricians and 50 parents of young children were surveyed. Overall, results suggest that many parents are already using pediatrics for behavioral health services, and that the majority of pediatricians and parents are open to using technology for behavioral health screening, anticipatory guidance, and parent training. Further steps are needed to develop technology-based approaches to behavioral health in pediatrics in order to connect parents with evidence-based parenting information.
A novel ER–microtubule-binding protein, ERLIN2, stabilizes Cyclin B1 and regulates cell cycle progression
Authors: Zhang Xuebao , Cai Juan , Zheng Ze , Polin Lisa , Lin Zhenghong , Dandekar Aditya , Li Li , Sun Fei , Finley Russell L , Fang Deyu , Yang Zeng-Quan , Zhang Kezhong
Published: September 2015

The gene encoding endoplasmic reticulum (ER) lipid raft-associated protein 2 (ERLIN2) is amplified in human breast cancers. ERLIN2 gene mutations were also found to be associated with human childhood progressive motor neuron diseases. Yet, an understanding of the physiological function and mechanism for ERLIN2 remains elusive. In this study, we reveal that ERLIN2 is a spatially and temporally regulated ER–microtubule-binding protein that has an important role in cell cycle progression by interacting with and stabilizing the mitosis-promoting factors. Whereas ERLIN2 is highly expressed in aggressive human breast cancers, during normal development ERLIN2 is expressed at the postnatal stage and becomes undetectable in adulthood. ERLIN2 interacts with the microtubule component α-tubulin, and this interaction is maximal during the cell cycle G2/M phase where ERLIN2 simultaneously interacts with the mitosis-promoting complex Cyclin B1/Cdk1. ERLIN2 facilitates K63-linked ubiquitination and stabilization of Cyclin B1 protein in G2/M phase. Downregulation of ERLIN2 results in cell cycle arrest, represses breast cancer proliferation and malignancy and increases sensitivity of breast cancer cells to anticancer drugs. In summary, our study revealed a novel ER–microtubule-binding protein, ERLIN2, which interacts with and stabilizes mitosis-promoting factors to regulate cell cycle progression associated with human breast cancer malignancy.
Ultraviolet luminosity density of the universe during the epoch of reionization
Authors: Mitchell-Wynne Ketron , Cooray Asantha , Gong Yan , Ashby Matthew , Dolch Timothy , Ferguson Henry , Finkelstein Steven , Grogin Norman , Kocevski Dale , Koekemoer Anton , Primack Joel , Smidt Joseph
Published: September 2015

The spatial fluctuations of the extragalactic background light trace the total emission from all stars and galaxies in the Universe. A multiwavelength study can be used to measure the integrated emission from first galaxies during reionization when the Universe was about 500 million years old. Here we report arcmin-scale spatial fluctuations in one of the deepest sky surveys with the Hubble Space Telescope in five wavebands between 0.6 and 1.6 μm. We model-fit the angular power spectra of intensity fluctuation measurements to find the ultraviolet luminosity density of galaxies at redshifts greater than 8 to be "Equation missing". This level of integrated light emission allows for a significant surface density of fainter primeval galaxies that are below the point-source detection level in current surveys.
Optogenetic manipulation of cGMP in cells and animals by the tightly light-regulated guanylyl-cyclase opsin CyclOp
Authors: Gao Shiqiang , Nagpal Jatin , Schneider Martin W. , Kozjak-Pavlovic Vera , Nagel Georg , Gottschalk Alexander
Published: September 2015

Cyclic GMP (cGMP) signalling regulates multiple biological functions through activation of protein kinase G and cyclic nucleotide-gated (CNG) channels. In sensory neurons, cGMP permits signal modulation, amplification and encoding, before depolarization. Here we implement a guanylyl cyclase rhodopsin from Blastocladiella emersonii as a new optogenetic tool (BeCyclOp), enabling rapid light-triggered cGMP increase in heterologous cells (Xenopus oocytes, HEK293T cells) and in Caenorhabditis elegans. Among five different fungal CyclOps, exhibiting unusual eight transmembrane topologies and cytosolic N-termini, BeCyclOp is the superior optogenetic tool (light/dark activity ratio: 5,000; no cAMP production; turnover (20 °C) ∼17 cGMP s−1). Via co-expressed CNG channels (OLF in oocytes, TAX-2/4 in C. elegans muscle), BeCyclOp photoactivation induces a rapid conductance increase and depolarization at very low light intensities. In O2/CO2 sensory neurons of C. elegans, BeCyclOp activation evokes behavioural responses consistent with their normal sensory function. BeCyclOp therefore enables precise and rapid optogenetic manipulation of cGMP levels in cells and animals.
Dynamic kirigami structures for integrated solar tracking
Authors: Lamoureux Aaron , Lee Kyusang , Shlian Matthew , Forrest Stephen R. , Shtein Max
Published: September 2015

Optical tracking is often combined with conventional flat panel solar cells to maximize electrical power generation over the course of a day. However, conventional trackers are complex and often require costly and cumbersome structural components to support system weight. Here we use kirigami (the art of paper cutting) to realize novel solar cells where tracking is integral to the structure at the substrate level. Specifically, an elegant cut pattern is made in thin-film gallium arsenide solar cells, which are then stretched to produce an array of tilted surface elements which can be controlled to within ±1°. We analyze the combined optical and mechanical properties of the tracking system, and demonstrate a mechanically robust system with optical tracking efficiencies matching conventional trackers. This design suggests a pathway towards enabling new applications for solar tracking, as well as inspiring a broader range of optoelectronic and mechanical devices.
Two spatiotemporally distinct value systems shape reward-based learning in the human brain
Authors: Fouragnan Elsa , Retzler Chris , Mullinger Karen , Philiastides Marios G.
Published: September 2015

Avoiding repeated mistakes and learning to reinforce rewarding decisions is critical for human survival and adaptive actions. Yet, the neural underpinnings of the value systems that encode different decision-outcomes remain elusive. Here coupling single-trial electroencephalography with simultaneously acquired functional magnetic resonance imaging, we uncover the spatiotemporal dynamics of two separate but interacting value systems encoding decision-outcomes. Consistent with a role in regulating alertness and switching behaviours, an early system is activated only by negative outcomes and engages arousal-related and motor-preparatory brain structures. Consistent with a role in reward-based learning, a later system differentially suppresses or activates regions of the human reward network in response to negative and positive outcomes, respectively. Following negative outcomes, the early system interacts and downregulates the late system, through a thalamic interaction with the ventral striatum. Critically, the strength of this coupling predicts participants’ switching behaviour and avoidance learning, directly implicating the thalamostriatal pathway in reward-based learning.
From coherent shocklets to giant collective incoherent shock waves in nonlocal turbulent flows
Authors: Xu G. , Vocke D. , Faccio D. , Garnier J. , Roger T. , Trillo S. , Picozzi A.
Published: September 2015

Understanding turbulent flows arising from random dispersive waves that interact strongly through nonlinearities is a challenging issue in physics. Here we report the observation of a characteristic transition: strengthening the nonlocal character of the nonlinear response drives the system from a fully turbulent regime, featuring a sea of coherent small-scale dispersive shock waves (shocklets) towards the unexpected emergence of a giant collective incoherent shock wave. The front of such global incoherent shock carries most of the stochastic fluctuations and is responsible for a peculiar folding of the local spectrum. Nonlinear optics experiments performed in a solution of graphene nano-flakes clearly highlight this remarkable transition. Our observations shed new light on the role of long-range interactions in strongly nonlinear wave systems operating far from thermodynamic equilibrium, which reveals analogies with, for example, gravitational systems, and establishes a new scenario that can be common to many turbulent flows in photonic quantum fluids, hydrodynamics and Bose–Einstein condensates.
Involvement of a eukaryotic-like ubiquitin-related modifier in the proteasome pathway of the archaeon Sulfolobus acidocaldarius
Authors: Anjum Rana S. , Bray Sian M. , Blackwood John K. , Kilkenny Mairi L. , Coelho Matthew A. , Foster Benjamin M. , Li Shurong , Howard Julie A. , Pellegrini Luca , Albers Sonja-Verena , Deery Michael J. , Robinson Nicholas P.
Published: September 2015

In eukaryotes, the covalent attachment of ubiquitin chains directs substrates to the proteasome for degradation. Recently, ubiquitin-like modifications have also been described in the archaeal domain of life. It has subsequently been hypothesized that ubiquitin-like proteasomal degradation might also operate in these microbes, since all archaeal species utilize homologues of the eukaryotic proteasome. Here we perform a structural and biochemical analysis of a ubiquitin-like modification pathway in the archaeon Sulfolobus acidocaldarius. We reveal that this modifier is homologous to the eukaryotic ubiquitin-related modifier Urm1, considered to be a close evolutionary relative of the progenitor of all ubiquitin-like proteins. Furthermore we demonstrate that urmylated substrates are recognized and processed by the archaeal proteasome, by virtue of a direct interaction with the modifier. Thus, the regulation of protein stability by Urm1 and the proteasome in archaea is likely representative of an ancient pathway from which eukaryotic ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis has evolved.
Ambipolar solution-processed hybrid perovskite phototransistors
Authors: Li Feng , Ma Chun , Wang Hong , Hu Weijin , Yu Weili , Sheikh Arif D. , Wu Tom
Published: September 2015

Organolead halide perovskites have attracted substantial attention because of their excellent physical properties, which enable them to serve as the active material in emerging hybrid solid-state solar cells. Here we investigate the phototransistors based on hybrid perovskite films and provide direct evidence for their superior carrier transport property with ambipolar characteristics. The field-effect mobilities for triiodide perovskites at room temperature are measured as 0.18 (0.17) cm2V−1s−1for holes (electrons), which increase to 1.24 (1.01) cm2V−1s−1for mixed-halide perovskites. The photoresponsivity of our hybrid perovskite devices reaches 320 A W−1, which is among the largest values reported for phototransistors. Importantly, the phototransistors exhibit an ultrafast photoresponse speed of less than 10 μs. The solution-based process and excellent device performance strongly underscore hybrid perovskites as promising material candidates for photoelectronic applications.
Erratum: A phosphorylation switch controls the spatiotemporal activation of Rho GTPases in directional cell migration
Authors: Cao Xuan , Kaneko Tomonori , Li Jenny S. , Liu An-Dong , Voss Courtney , Li Shawn S.C.
Published: September 2015

Nature Communications 6: Article number: 7721 (2015); Published 13 July 2015; Updated 8 September 2015 The image in Fig. 1h of this Article was inadvertently duplicated from panel i. The correct version of the figure appears below.
Very low embryonic crude oil exposures cause lasting cardiac defects in salmon and herring
Authors: Incardona John P. , Carls Mark G. , Holland Larry , Linbo Tiffany L. , Baldwin David H. , Myers Mark S. , Peck Karen A. , Tagal Mark , Rice Stanley D. , Scholz Nathaniel L.
Published: September 2015

The 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster exposed embryos of pink salmon and Pacific herring to crude oil in shoreline spawning habitats throughout Prince William Sound, Alaska. The herring fishery collapsed four years later. The role of the spill, if any, in this decline remains one of the most controversial unanswered questions in modern natural resource injury assessment. Crude oil disrupts excitation-contraction coupling in fish heart muscle cells and we show here that salmon and herring exposed as embryos to trace levels of crude oil grow into juveniles with abnormal hearts and reduced cardiorespiratory function, the latter a key determinant of individual survival and population recruitment. Oil exposure during cardiogenesis led to specific defects in the outflow tract and compact myocardium and a hypertrophic response in spongy myocardium, evident in juveniles 7 to 9 months after exposure. The thresholds for developmental cardiotoxicity were remarkably low, suggesting the scale of the Exxon Valdez impact in shoreline spawning habitats was much greater than previously appreciated. Moreover, an irreversible loss of cardiac fitness and consequent increases in delayed mortality in oil-exposed cohorts may have been important contributors to the delayed decline of pink salmon and herring stocks in Prince William Sound.
A whole-genome RNAi screen uncovers a novel role for human potassium channels in cell killing by the parasite Entamoeba histolytica
Authors: Marie Chelsea , Verkerke Hans P. , Theodorescu Dan , Petri William A.
Published: September 2015

The parasite Entamoeba histolytica kills human cells resulting in ulceration, inflammation and invasion of the colonic epithelium. We used the cytotoxic properties of ameba to select a genome-wide RNAi library to reveal novel host factors that control susceptibility to amebic killing. We identified 281 candidate susceptibility genes and bioinformatics analyses revealed that ion transporters were significantly enriched among susceptibility genes. Potassium (K+) channels were the most common transporter identified. Their importance was further supported by colon biopsy of humans with amebiasis that demonstrated suppressed K+ channel expression. Inhibition of human K+ channels by genetic silencing, pharmacologic inhibitors and with excess K+ protected diverse cell types from E. histolytica-induced death. Contact with E. histolytica parasites triggered K+ channel activation and K+ efflux by intestinal epithelial cells, which preceded cell killing. Specific inhibition of Ca2+-dependent K+ channels was highly effective in preventing amebic cytotoxicity in intestinal epithelial cells and macrophages. Blockade of K+ efflux also inhibited caspase-1 activation, IL-1β secretion and pyroptotic death in THP-1 macrophages. We concluded that K+ channels are host mediators of amebic cytotoxicity in multiple cells types and of inflammasome activation in macrophages.
Friend or foe: differential responses of rice to invasion by mutualistic or pathogenic fungi revealed by RNAseq and metabolite profiling
Authors: Xu Xi-Hui , Wang Chen , Li Shu-Xian , Su Zhen-Zhu , Zhou Hui-Na , Mao Li-Juan , Feng Xiao-Xiao , Liu Ping-Ping , Chen Xia , Hugh Snyder John , Kubicek Christian P. , Zhang Chu-Long , Lin Fu-Cheng
Published: September 2015

The rice endophyte Harpophora oryzae shares a common pathogenic ancestor with the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae. Direct comparison of the interactions between a single plant species and two closely-related (1) pathogenic and (2) mutualistic fungi species can improve our understanding of the evolution of the interactions between plants and fungi that lead to either mutualistic or pathogenic interactions. Differences in the metabolome and transcriptome of rice in response to challenge by H. or M. oryzae were investigated with GC-MS, RNA-seq and qRT-PCR. Levels of metabolites of the shikimate and lignin biosynthesis pathways increased continuously in the M. oryzae-challenged rice roots (Mo-roots); these pathways were initially induced, but then suppressed, in the H. oryzae-challenged rice roots (Ho-roots). Compared to control samples, concentrations of sucrose and maltose were reduced in the Ho-roots and Mo-roots. The expression of most genes encoding enzymes involved in glycolysis and the TCA cycle were suppressed in the Ho-roots, but enhanced in the Mo-roots. The suppressed glycolysis in Ho-roots would result in the accumulation of glucose and fructose which was not detected in the Mo-roots. A novel co-evolution pattern of fungi-host interaction is proposed which highlights the importance of plant host in the evolution of fungal symbioses.
Non-radiative relaxation of photoexcited chlorophylls: theoretical and experimental study
Authors: Bricker William P. , Shenai Prathamesh M. , Ghosh Avishek , Liu Zhengtang , Enriquez Miriam Grace M. , Lambrev Petar H. , Tan Howe-Siang , Lo Cynthia S. , Tretiak Sergei , Fernandez-Alberti Sebastian , Zhao Yang
Published: September 2015

Nonradiative relaxation of high-energy excited states to the lowest excited state in chlorophylls marks the first step in the process of photosynthesis. We perform ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy measurements, that reveal this internal conversion dynamics to be slightly slower in chlorophyll B than in chlorophyll A. Modeling this process with non-adiabatic excited state molecular dynamics simulations uncovers a critical role played by the different side groups in the two molecules in governing the intramolecular redistribution of excited state wavefunction, leading, in turn, to different time-scales. Even given smaller electron-vibrational couplings compared to common organic conjugated chromophores, these molecules are able to efficiently dissipate about 1 eV of electronic energy into heat on the timescale of around 200 fs. This is achieved via selective participation of specific atomic groups and complex global migration of the wavefunction from the outer to inner ring, which may have important implications for biological light-harvesting function.
RNA sequencing provides exquisite insight into the manipulation of the alveolar macrophage by tubercle bacilli
Authors: Nalpas Nicolas C. , Magee David A. , Conlon Kevin M. , Browne John A. , Healy Claire , McLoughlin Kirsten E. , Rue-Albrecht Kévin , McGettigan Paul A. , Killick Kate E. , Gormley Eamonn , Gordon Stephen V. , MacHugh David E.
Published: September 2015

Mycobacterium bovis, the agent of bovine tuberculosis, causes an estimated $3 billion annual losses to global agriculture due, in part, to the limitations of current diagnostics. Development of next-generation diagnostics requires a greater understanding of the interaction between the pathogen and the bovine host. Therefore, to explore the early response of the alveolar macrophage to infection, we report the first application of RNA-sequencing to define, in exquisite detail, the transcriptomes ofM. bovis-infected and non-infected alveolar macrophages from ten calves at 2, 6, 24 and 48 hours post-infection. Differentially expressed sense genes were detected at these time points that revealed enrichment of innate immune signalling functions and transcriptional suppression of host defence mechanisms (e.g., lysosome maturation). We also detected differentially expressed natural antisense transcripts, which may play a role in subverting innate immune mechanisms following infection. Furthermore, we report differential expression of novel bovine genes, some of which have immune-related functions based on orthology with human proteins. This is the first in-depth transcriptomics investigation of the alveolar macrophage response to the early stages ofM. bovisinfection and reveals complex patterns of gene expression and regulation that underlie the immunomodulatory mechanisms used byM. bovisto evade host defence mechanisms.
Natural Killer Cells-Produced IFN-γ Improves Bone Marrow-Derived Hepatocytes Regeneration in Murine Liver Failure Model
Authors: Li Lu , Zeng Zhutian , Qi Ziping , Wang Xin , Gao Xiang , Wei Haiming , Sun Rui , Tian Zhigang
Published: September 2015

Bone-marrow transplantation (BMT) can repopulate the liver through BM-derived hepatocyte (BMDH) generation, although the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Using fumarylacetoacetate hydrolase–deficient (Fah−/−) mice as a liver-failure model, we confirmed that BMDHs were generated by fusion of BM-derived CD11b+F4/80+myelomonocytes with resident Fah−/− hepatocytes. Hepatic NK cells became activated during BMDH generation and were the major IFN-γ producers. Indeed, both NK cells and IFN-γ were required for BMDH generation since WT, but not NK-, IFN-γ–, or IFN-γR1–deficient BM transplantation successfully generated BMDHs and rescued survival in Fah−/− hosts. BM-derived myelomonocytes were determined to be the IFN-γ–responding cells. The IFN-γ–IFN-γR interaction contributed to the myelomonocyte–hepatocyte fusion process, as most of the CD11b+ BMDHs in mixed BM chimeric Fah−/− hosts transplanted with a 1:1 ratio of CD45.1+ WT and CD45.2+Ifngr1−/− BM cells were of CD45.1+ WT origin. Confirming these findings in vitro, IFN-γ dose-dependently promoted the fusion of GFP+ myelomonocytes with Fah−/− hepatocytes due to a direct effect on myelomonocytes; similar results were observed using activated NK cells. In conclusion, BMDH generation requires NK cells to facilitate myelomonocyte–hepatocyte fusion in an IFN-γ–dependent manner, providing new insights for treating severe liver failure.
Links between fear of humans, stress and survival support a non-random distribution of birds among urban and rural habitats
Authors: Rebolo-Ifrán Natalia , Carrete Martina , Sanz-Aguilar Ana , Rodríguez-Martínez Sol , Cabezas Sonia , Marchant Tracy A. , Bortolotti Gary R. , Tella José L.
Published: September 2015

Urban endocrine ecology aims to understand how organisms cope with new sources of stress and maintain allostatic load to thrive in an increasingly urbanized world. Recent research efforts have yielded controversial results based on short-term measures of stress, without exploring its fitness effects. We measured feather corticosterone (CORTf, reflecting the duration and amplitude of glucocorticoid secretion over several weeks) and subsequent annual survival in urban and rural burrowing owls. This species shows high individual consistency in fear of humans (i.e., flight initiation distance, FID), allowing us to hypothesize that individuals distribute among habitats according to their tolerance to human disturbance. FIDs were shorter in urban than in rural birds, but CORTflevels did not differ, nor were correlated to FIDs. Survival was twice as high in urban as in rural birds and links with CORTfvaried between habitats: while a quadratic relationship supports stabilizing selection in urban birds, high predation rates may have masked CORTf-survival relationship in rural ones. These results evidence that urban life does not constitute an additional source of stress for urban individuals, as shown by their near identical CORTfvalues compared with rural conspecifics supporting the non-random distribution of individuals among habitats according to their behavioural phenotypes.
Water from air: an overlooked source of moisture in arid and semiarid regions
Authors: McHugh Theresa A. , Morrissey Ember M. , Reed Sasha C. , Hungate Bruce A. , Schwartz Egbert
Published: September 2015

Water drives the functioning of Earth’s arid and semiarid lands. Drylands can obtain water from sources other than precipitation, yet little is known about how non-rainfall water inputs influence dryland communities and their activity. In particular, water vapor adsorption – movement of atmospheric water vapor into soil when soil air is drier than the overlying air – likely occurs often in drylands, yet its effects on ecosystem processes are not known. By adding 18O-enriched water vapor to the atmosphere of a closed system, we documented the conversion of water vapor to soil liquid water across a temperature range typical of arid ecosystems. This phenomenon rapidly increased soil moisture and stimulated microbial carbon (C) cycling and the flux of water vapor to soil had a stronger impact than temperature on microbial activity. In a semiarid grassland, we also observed that non-rainfall water inputs stimulated microbial activity and C cycling. Together these data suggest that, during rain-free periods, atmospheric moisture in drylands may significantly contribute to variation in soil water content, thereby influencing ecosystem processes. The simple physical process of adsorption of water vapor to soil particles, forming liquid water, represents an overlooked but potentially important contributor to C cycling in drylands.
Magnetic Field Triggered Multicycle Damage Sensing and Self Healing
Authors: Ahmed Anansa S. , Ramanujan R. V.
Published: September 2015

Multifunctional materials inspired by biological structures have attracted great interest, e.g. for wearable/ flexible “skin” and smart coatings. A current challenge in this area is to develop an artificial material which mimics biological skin by simultaneously displaying color change on damage as well as self healing of the damaged region. Here we report, for the first time, the development of a damage sensing and self healing magnet-polymer composite (Magpol), which actively responds to an external magnetic field. We incorporated reversible sensing using mechanochromic molecules in a shape memory thermoplastic matrix. Exposure to an alternating magnetic field (AMF) triggers shape recovery and facilitates damage repair. Magpol exhibited a linear strain response upto 150% strain and complete recovery after healing. We have demonstrated the use of this concept in a reusable biomedical device i.e., coated guidewires. Our findings offer a new synergistic method to bestow multifunctionality for applications ranging from medical device coatings to adaptive wing structures.
Aquaporin-1 Deficiency Protects Against Myocardial Infarction by Reducing Both Edema and Apoptosis in Mice
Authors: Li Lihua , Weng Zhiyong , Yao Chenjuan , Song Yuanlin , Ma Tonghui
Published: September 2015

Many studies have determined that AQP1 plays an important role in edema formation and resolution in various tissues via water transport across the cell membrane. The aim of this research was to determine both if and how AQP1 is associated with cardiac ischemic injury, particularly the development of edema following myocardial infarction (MI). AQP1+/+ and AQP1−/− mice were used to create the MI model. Under physiological conditions, AQP1−/− mice develop normally; however, in the setting of MI, they exhibit cardioprotective properties, as shown by reduced cardiac infarct size determined via NBT staining, improved cardiac function determined via left ventricular catheter measurements, decreased AQP1-dependent myocardial edema determined via water content assays and decreased apoptosis determined via TUNEL analysis. Cardiac ischemia caused by hypoxia secondary to AQP1 deficiency stabilized the expression of HIF-1α in endothelial cells and subsequently decreased microvascular permeability, resulting in the development of edema. The AQP1-dependent myocardial edema and apoptosis contributed to the development of MI. AQP1 deficiency protected cardiac function from ischemic injury following MI. Furthermore, AQP1 deficiency reduced microvascular permeability via the stabilization of HIF-1α levels in endothelial cells and decreased cellular apoptosis following MI.
Electroporation of mammalian cells by nanosecond electric field oscillations and its inhibition by the electric field reversal
Authors: Gianulis Elena C. , Lee Jimo , Jiang Chunqi , Xiao Shu , Ibey Bennet L. , Pakhomov Andrei G.
Published: September 2015

The present study compared electroporation efficiency of bipolar and unipolar nanosecond electric field oscillations (NEFO). Bipolar NEFO was a damped sine wave with 140 ns first phase duration at 50% height; the peak amplitude of phases 2–4 decreased to 35%, 12% and 7% of the first phase. This waveform was rectified to produce unipolar NEFO by cutting off phases 2 and 4. Membrane permeabilization was quantified in CHO and GH3 cells by uptake of a membrane integrity marker dye YO-PRO-1 (YP) and by the membrane conductance increase measured by patch clamp. For treatments with 1–20 unipolar NEFO, at 9.6–24 kV/cm, 10 Hz, the rate and amount of YP uptake were consistently 2-3-fold higher than after bipolar NEFO treatments, despite delivering less energy. However, the threshold amplitude was about 7 kV/cm for both NEFO waveforms. A single 14.4 kV/cm unipolar NEFO caused a 1.5–2 times greater increase in membrane conductance (p < 0.05) than bipolar NEFO, along with a longer and less frequent recovery. The lower efficiency of bipolar NEFO was preserved in Ca2+-free conditions and thus cannot be explained by the reversal of electrophoretic flows of Ca2+. Instead, the data indicate that the electric field polarity reversals reduced the pore yield.