bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Anthropometric characteristics and body composition in Mexican older adults: age and sex differences
Authors: López-Ortega Mariana , Arroyo Pedro
Published: November 2015

Anthropometric reference data for older adults, particularly for the oldest old, are still limited, especially in developing countries. The aim of the present study was to describe sex- and age-specific distributions of anthropometric measurements and body composition in Mexican older adults. The methods included in the present study were assessment of height, weight, BMI, calf circumference (CC), waist circumference (WC) and hip circumference (HC) as well as knee height in a sample of 8883 Mexican adults aged 60 years and above and the estimation of sex- and age-specific differences in these measures. Results of the study (n 7865, 54 % women) showed that men are taller, have higher BMI, and larger WC than women, whereas women presented higher prevalence of obesity and adiposity. Overall prevalence of underweight was 2·3 % in men and 4·0 % in women, with increasing prevalence with advancing age. Significant differences were found by age group for weight, height, WC, HC, CC, BMI and knee height (P<0·001), but no significant differences in waist–hip circumference were observed. Significant differences between men and women were found in height, weight, circumferences, BMI and knee height (P<0·001). These results, which are consistent with studies of older adults in other countries, can be used for comparison with other Mexican samples including populations living in the USA and other countries with similar developmental and socio-economic conditions. This information can also be used as reference in clinical settings as a tool for detection of individuals at risk of either underweight or overweight and obesity.
A medium-term intervention study on the impact of high- and low-fat snacks varying in sweetness and fat content: large shifts in daily fat intake but good compensation for daily energy intake
Authors: Lawton Clare L. , Delargy Helen J. , Smith Fiona C. , Hamilton Vikki , Blundell John E.
Published: November 2015

Thirty-six normal-weight, habitual snackers (eighteen males, eighteen females) completed a medium-term intervention study designed to examine the tendency of four different types of snacks, varying in nutrient (low- (LF) or high-fat (HF)) and sensory properties (sweet (SW) or non-sweet (NSW)), to influence the control of appetite and to adjust daily energy intake. Subjects were exposed to each snack category for a 3-week period and were asked to consume a minimum number of snacks each day so that at least 25% of their daily energy intake would be derived from the test snacks. Energy and macronutrient intakes from the test snacks were calculated every day and also from other eating episodes (using 3 d food diary records) during the third week of snack exposure. Subjects consumed more energy/d from the SW snacks than from the NSW snacks, with most energy being consumed from the HF/SW snacks (3213 kJ) and least energy from the LF/NSW snacks (1628 kJ). This differential snack intake remained stable across the whole snack exposure period. Total daily energy intake did not differ significantly during exposure to any of the four snack types. Furthermore, the encouragement to eat freely from the test snacks did not lead to daily overconsumption of energy when compared with pre-study intakes. Hence, the level of snack consumption was largely compensated for by the energy consumed from the rest of the eating pattern. Although daily energy intake during exposure to the HF snacks was an average of 364 kJ higher (NS) than that during exposure to the LF snacks, the clearest and most significant effect of snack consumption was on daily macronutrient intake. Appreciable consumption of the HF snacks raised the percentage of total daily energy intake consumed as fat from 37 to 41% (P< 0.01). In contrast, the LF snacks reduced daily fat intake to 33.5% (LF/SW,P< 0.05; LF/NSW, NS) of total daily energy. The results, therefore, suggest that, in habitual snackers, generous consumption of LF snacks, when compared with HF snacks, is an effective strategy to reduce fat intake so that it approaches the recommendations of dietary guidelines without increasing total daily energy intake.
Marsyas the Satyr and Apuleius of Madauros
Authors: Finkelpearl Ellen
Published: November 2015

memet professus sum…seminumidam et semigaetulum (‘I publicly described my self…as half Numidian, half Gaetulian’).

ApuleiusApology

Apuleius…qui nobis Afris Afer est notior (‘Apuleius…who as an African is better known to us Africans’).

AugustineEpistle138

I pass much time in the excellent company of a Moroccan writer of the second century AD, Lucius Apuleius, a colonial of the old Roman Empire.

Salman RushdieTravels with a Golden Ass

Apuleius of Madauros was a Romano-African, a provincial from Africa Proconsularis who, most of the time, conveys the impression of being fully assimilated, more steeped in Graeco-Roman culture than his contemporaries in the cultural centre, disdainful of his countrymen who know no Latin, and even an agent of Romanisation. Yet, given the new ways of thinking about provincial identity and centre vs periphery under the Roman Empire, it may be time to revisit the complicated hybrid and fluctuating identity of someone who, on the one hand, actively imparted Roman culture to his homeland and, on the other, pronounces his allegiance to Carthage (over Athens and Rome) and who, at least in certain contexts, refuses to be ashamed of his Numidian-Gaetulian roots. Weighing both Apuleius' few explicit statements about his allegiances to his homeland (and rejection thereof) and his fictionalised portraits of cultural outsiders, this essay argues that Apuleius expresses a dual and conflicted sense of Romano-African identity. ReadingFlorida3 (Marsyas and Apollo) against the grain of current scholarship, I argue that Apuleius is not simply an Apollo, but both a Marsyas and an Apollo, with implications for a reading of what might be provincial and African in his works.
Some Observations on the Persecution of Decius
Authors: Clarke G.W.
Published: November 2015

In Rome, the only trials of Christians about which we have good evidence were before the Praefectus Urbi or a Praefectus Praetorio; none of the known cases was important enough to come directly before the emperor himself…

G. E. M. de Ste Croix, ‘Why were the Early Christians Persecuted?’

Past and Present26 (Nov. 1963), 6 ff. at 11

This statement appears to overlook an informative epistle of Cyprian (Ep. 39), written before the termination of the persecution of Decius. Cyprian is still in his self-imposed exile (which ended shortly after Easter—March 23—A.D. 251) and he is writing about events that have taken place during this same Decian persecution. The letter is, therefore, a contemporary document, for the incidents described cannot have occurred—at the maximum—much more than twelve months previously.
Doing it my way: Sensation, perception – and feeling red
Authors: Humphrey Nicholas
Published: November 2015

The theory presented here is a near neighbour of Humphrey's theory of sensations as actions. O'Regan & Noë have opened up remarkable new possibilities. But they have missed a trick by not making more of the distinction between sensation and perception; and some of their particular proposals for how we use our eyes to represent visual properties are not only implausible but would, if true, isolate vision from other sensory modalities and do little to explain the phenomenology of conscious experience in general.
A new method of applying differential kinematics through dual quaternions
Authors: de Oliveira Andre Schneider , De Pieri Edson Roberto , Moreno Ubirajara Franco
Published: November 2015

Differential kinematics is a traditional approach to linearize the mapping between the workspace and joint space. However, a Jacobian matrix cannot be inverted directly in redundant systems or in configurations where kinematic singularities occur. This work presents a novel approach to the solution of differential kinematics through the use of dual quaternions. The main advantage of this approach is to reduce “drift” error in differential kinematics and to ignore the kinematic singularities. An analytical dual-quaternionic Jacobian is defined, which allows for the application of this approach in any robotic system.
Distributed model predictive coverage control for decoupled mobile robots
Authors: Mohseni F. , Doustmohammadi A. , Menhaj M. B.
Published: November 2015

A distributed coverage control scheme based on the state space model predictive control, which is known as receding horizon control (RHC) for decoupled systems, is presented. An optimal control problem is formulated for a set of decoupled robotic systems where a cost function couples the dynamical behavior of the robots. The coupling is described through a connected graph using a Voronoi diagram, where each robot is a node and the cost and constraints of the optimization problem associated with each robot are a function of its state and of the states of its neighbors. The complexity of the problem is addressed by breaking a centralized receding horizon controller into distinct RHC controllers of smaller sizes. Each RHC controller is associated with a different node and it computes the local control inputs based only on the position of the robot and that of its neighbors. The stability of the distributed scheme is analyzed and its properties compared with the linear quadratic regulator (LQR) design which has been proposed in the literature. Moreover, the proposed coverage algorithm is also applied to deploy a group of mobile robots in a desired formation pattern. The simulation results are used to illustrate the good performance of the proposed coverage control scheme.
Sources of variability in language development of children with cochlear implants: age at implantation, parental language, and early features of children's language construction
Authors: SZAGUN GISELA , SCHRAMM SATYAM A.
Published: November 2015

The aim of the present study was to analyze the relative influence of age at implantation, parental expansions, and child language internal factors on grammatical progress in children with cochlear implants (CI). Data analyses used two longitudinal corpora of spontaneous speech samples, one with twenty-two and one with twenty-six children, implanted between 0;6 and 3;10. Analyses were performed on the combined and separate samples. Regression analyses indicate that early child MLU is the strongest predictor of child MLU two and two-and-a-half years later, followed by parental expansions and age at implantation. Associations between earliest MLU gains and MLU two years later point to stability of individual differences. Early type and token frequencies of determiners predict MLU two years later more strongly than early frequency of lexical words. We conclude that features of CI children's very early language have considerable predictive value for later language outcomes.
Food sources of free sugars in children’s diet and identification of lifestyle patterns associated with free sugars intake: the GRECO (Greek Childhood Obesity) study
Authors: Farajian Paul , Risvas Grigoris , Panagiotakos Demosthenes B , Zampelas Antonis
Published: November 2015

Objective

Excessive free sugars consumption has a possible role in health issues, diet quality and obesity development. The present cross-sectional study aimed to identify the major food sources of free sugars in Greek children’s diet and investigate possible associations of dietary patterns with free sugars intake.

Design

Anthropometric measurements and information on dietary and physical activity habits were obtained. Energy and free sugars intake coming from foods were estimated and principal components analysis was applied to identify dietary patterns.

Setting

The GRECO (Greek Childhood Obesity) study.

Subjects

Nationwide sample of 3089 children (aged 10–12 years).

Results

Adopting WHO criteria, 44·2 % of participants were categorized as having free sugars intake above 10 % of total energy intake. Mean contribution of free sugars to energy intake was 11·2 %, and the major food sources of free sugars differed from those of other childhood populations. Free sugars intake was not associated with overweight/obesity. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that two lifestyle and dietary patterns, characterized by higher consumption of sweets, fast foods, fries, sugared drinks, frequently ordering/eating outside home and having meals in front of a screen (pattern 1) and higher consumption of whole fruits, 100 % fruit juices, vegetables, legumes and honey/jam (pattern 2), were positively associated with free sugars intake.

Conclusions

A large proportion of children exceeded the recommended cut-off and free sugars intake was associated with lifestyle patterns rather than single foods. Public health programmes aiming to reduce free sugars consumption should be tailored on promoting the correct dietary habits of specific childhood populations.
Introduction: Young Fatherhood: Lived experiences and policy challenges
Authors: Neale Bren
Published: November 2015

The entry of young people into early parenthood has long been regarded as an issue for social policy and for professional practice in the UK and internationally. Despite a steadily falling trend, most notably since 1998, the UK still has one of the highest rates of teenage pregnancy in Europe, concentrated in the most socially disadvantaged areas of the country (Office for National Statistics, 2015). The majority of these pregnancies are unplanned, with about half resulting in the birth of a child, although the extent to which this should be a cause for concern is a contested issue (Duncan et al., 2010). Considerable research evidence exists on the experiences of young mothers, with a range of interventions designed to meet their needs. However, young fathers (defined as those under the age of 25, a quarter of whom are estimated to be in their teens) have, until recently, been neglected in both research and policy. Over the past decade, small pockets of research evidence on the circumstances, practices and values of young fathers have begun to coalesce into a fledgling evidence base. However, the notion of ‘feckless’ young men, who are assumed to be absent, or disinterested in ‘being there’, or, worse, regarded as a potential risk to their children, continues to hold sway, particularly in popular media and some political discourses (Neale and Davies, 2015).
Comparison of ibuprofen, cyclobenzaprine or both in patients with acute cervical strain: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Khwaja S. Mustafah , Minnerop Max , Singer Adam J.
Published: November 2015

Objective:

We compared pain severity and time to resumption of activities in patients with cervical strains treated with a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), a centrally acting muscle relaxant or both.

Methods:

We performed a double-blinded, randomized controlled trial of adults with cervical strains from motor vehicle collisions or from falls who presented to a suburban academic emergency department (ED). Patients were randomly assigned to receive ibuprofen 800 mg, cyclobenzaprine 5 mg or both, 3 times daily as needed for up to 7 days. Outcome measures included a pain score on a 100-mm visual analog scale, pain relief scores, the time to resumption of normal activities, the use of rescue medications, and adverse outcomes. We used repeated-measures analysis of variance to compare pain relief over time. Our sample size of 20 patients in each group had a power of 80% to detect a difference of 15 mm in pain relief scores between the highest and lowest groups.

Results:

We randomly assigned 61 patients to receive ibuprofen (n = 20), cyclobenzaprine (n = 21) or both (n = 20). Mean (standard deviation) age was 34 (11) years; 58% were women and 72% were white. Although pain scores improved over time in all groups, there were no significant differences between the groups in any of the outcome measures. The rate of adverse events was also similar between groups.

Conclusion:

Our study suggests that there is little benefit to routinely using or adding cyclobenzaprine to NSAIDs for ED patients with acute cervical strain.
Malaysia's Niche in International Higher Education: Targeting Muslim-majority, Commonwealth, and Less-developed Countries
Authors: Graf Arndt
Published: November 2015

In 2010, more than 87,000 international students were studying in Malaysia. The Malaysian government wants to increase the number of international students to more than 200,000 by 2020. The case of Malaysia as an emerging player in international education is particularly interesting as it is not only one of the first former colonies of a European country to achieve such high international attractiveness, but also one of the first Muslim-majority countries to become a hub of international education. This article analyses both the supply and demand side of this remarkable trend. The historical and political circumstances for the institutional buildup of Malaysian higher education are discussed, followed by an analysis of the religious, linguistic, and developmental background of the international students coming to Malaysia. Lastly, factors affecting other prominent destinations of international student migration, such as the implications of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, are taken into account.
Cooling Galápagos Sea Surface Temperatures Affect Local Penguins
Authors: Shultz David
Published: November 2015

The Galápagos cold pool is expanding northward as a result of climate change, and local penguin populations are rising.
Gekko japonicus genome reveals evolution of adhesive toe pads and tail regeneration
Authors: Liu Yan , Zhou Qian , Wang Yongjun , Luo Longhai , Yang Jian , Yang Linfeng , Liu Mei , Li Yingrui , Qian Tianmei , Zheng Yuan , Li Meiyuan , Li Jiang , Gu Yun , Han Zujing , Xu Man , Wang Yingjie , Zhu Changlai , Yu Bin , Yang Yumin , Ding Fei , Jiang Jianping , Yang Huanming , Gu Xiaosong
Published: November 2015

Reptiles are the most morphologically and physiologically diverse tetrapods, and have undergone 300 million years of adaptive evolution. Within the reptilian tetrapods, geckos possess several interesting features, including the ability to regenerate autotomized tails and to climb on smooth surfaces. Here we sequence the genome of Gekko japonicus (Schlegel’s Japanese Gecko) and investigate genetic elements related to its physiology. We obtain a draft G. japonicus genome sequence of 2.55 Gb and annotated 22,487 genes. Comparative genomic analysis reveals specific gene family expansions or reductions that are associated with the formation of adhesive setae, nocturnal vision and tail regeneration, as well as the diversification of olfactory sensation. The obtained genomic data provide robust genetic evidence of adaptive evolution in reptiles.
Restoration of skilled locomotion by sprouting corticospinal axons induced by co-deletion of PTEN and SOCS3
Authors: Jin Duo , Liu Yuanyuan , Sun Fang , Wang Xuhua , Liu Xuefeng , He Zhigang
Published: November 2015

The limited rewiring of the corticospinal tract (CST) only partially compensates the lost functions after stroke, brain trauma and spinal cord injury. Therefore it is important to develop new therapies to enhance the compensatory circuitry mediated by spared CST axons. Here by using a unilateral pyramidotomy model, we find that deletion of cortical suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3), a negative regulator of cytokine-activated pathway, promotes sprouting of uninjured CST axons to the denervated spinal cord. A likely trigger of such sprouting is ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) expressed in local spinal neurons. Such sprouting can be further enhanced by deletion of phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN), a mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) negative regulator, resulting in significant recovery of skilled locomotion. Ablation of the corticospinal neurons with sprouting axons abolishes the improved behavioural performance. Furthermore, by optogenetics-based specific CST stimulation, we show a direct limb motor control by sprouting CST axons, providing direct evidence for the reformation of a functional circuit.
Carbon-depleted outer core revealed by sound velocity measurements of liquid iron–carbon alloy
Authors: Nakajima Yoichi , Imada Saori , Hirose Kei , Komabayashi Tetsuya , Ozawa Haruka , Tateno Shigehiko , Tsutsui Satoshi , Kuwayama Yasuhiro , Baron Alfred Q. R.
Published: November 2015

The relative abundance of light elements in the Earth’s core has long been controversial. Recently, the presence of carbon in the core has been emphasized, because the density and sound velocities of the inner core may be consistent with solid Fe7C3. Here we report the longitudinal wave velocity of liquid Fe84C16 up to 70 GPa based on inelastic X-ray scattering measurements. We find the velocity to be substantially slower than that of solid iron and Fe3C and to be faster than that of liquid iron. The thermodynamic equation of state for liquid Fe84C16 is also obtained from the velocity data combined with previous density measurements at 1 bar. The longitudinal velocity of the outer core, about 4% faster than that of liquid iron, is consistent with the presence of 4–5 at.% carbon. However, that amount of carbon is too small to account for the outer core density deficit, suggesting that carbon cannot be a predominant light element in the core.
Eukaryotic opportunists dominate the deep-subsurface biosphere in South Africa
Authors: Borgonie G. , Linage-Alvarez B. , Ojo A. O. , Mundle S.O.C. , Freese L B. , Van Rooyen C. , Kuloyo O. , Albertyn J. , Pohl C. , Cason E. D. , Vermeulen J. , Pienaar C. , Litthauer D. , Van Niekerk H. , Van Eeden J. , Lollar B. Sherwood. , Onstott T. C. , Van Heerden E.
Published: November 2015

Following the discovery of the first Eukarya in the deep subsurface, intense interest has developed to understand the diversity of eukaryotes living in these extreme environments. We identified that Platyhelminthes, Rotifera, Annelida and Arthropoda are thriving at 1.4 km depths in palaeometeoric fissure water up to 12,300 yr old in South African mines. Protozoa and Fungi have also been identified; however, they are present in low numbers. Characterization of the different species reveals that many are opportunistic organisms with an origin due to recharge from surface waters rather than soil leaching. This is the first known study to demonstrate the in situ distribution of biofilms on fissure rock faces using video documentation. Calculations suggest that food, not dissolved oxygen is the limiting factor for eukaryal population growth. The discovery of a group of Eukarya underground has important implications for the search for life on other planets in our solar system.
Two-photon interference at telecom wavelengths for time-bin-encoded single photons from quantum-dot spin qubits
Authors: Yu Leo , Natarajan Chandra M. , Horikiri Tomoyuki , Langrock Carsten , Pelc Jason S. , Tanner Michael G. , Abe Eisuke , Maier Sebastian , Schneider Christian , Höfling Sven , Kamp Martin , Hadfield Robert H. , Fejer Martin M. , Yamamoto Yoshihisa
Published: November 2015

Practical quantum communication between remote quantum memories rely on single photons at telecom wavelengths. Although spin-photon entanglement has been demonstrated in atomic and solid-state qubit systems, the produced single photons at short wavelengths and with polarization encoding are not suitable for long-distance communication, because they suffer from high propagation loss and depolarization in optical fibres. Establishing entanglement between remote quantum nodes would further require the photons generated from separate nodes to be indistinguishable. Here, we report the observation of correlations between a quantum-dot spin and a telecom single photon across a 2-km fibre channel based on time-bin encoding and background-free frequency downconversion. The downconverted photon at telecom wavelengths exhibits two-photon interference with another photon from an independent source, achieving a mean wavepacket overlap of greater than 0.89 despite their original wavelength mismatch (900 and 911 nm). The quantum-networking operations that we demonstrate will enable practical communication between solid-state spin qubits across long distances.
Giant elastic tunability in strained BiFeO3 near an electrically induced phase transition
Authors: Li Q , Cao Y. , Yu P. , Vasudevan R. K. , Laanait N. , Tselev A. , Xue F. , Chen L. Q. , Maksymovych P. , Kalinin S. V. , Balke N.
Published: November 2015

Elastic anomalies are signatures of phase transitions in condensed matters and have traditionally been studied using various techniques spanning from neutron scattering to static mechanical testing. Here, using band-excitation elastic/piezoresponse spectroscopy, we probed sub-MHz elastic dynamics of a tip bias-induced rhombohedral−tetragonal phase transition of strained (001)-BiFeO3 (rhombohedral) ferroelectric thin films from ∼103 nm3 sample volumes. Near this transition, we observed that the Young’s modulus intrinsically softens by over 30% coinciding with two- to three-fold enhancement of local piezoresponse. Coupled with phase-field modelling, we also addressed the influence of polarization switching and mesoscopic structural heterogeneities (for example, domain walls) on the kinetics of this phase transition, thereby providing fresh insights into the morphotropic phase boundary in ferroelectrics. Furthermore, the giant electrically tunable elastic stiffness and corresponding electromechanical properties observed here suggest potential applications of BiFeO3 in next-generation frequency-agile electroacoustic devices, based on the utilization of the soft modes underlying successive ferroelectric phase transitions.
Universal behavior of hydrogels confined to narrow capillaries
Authors: Li Yang , Sarıyer Ozan S. , Ramachandran Arun , Panyukov Sergey , Rubinstein Michael , Kumacheva Eugenia
Published: November 2015

Flow of soft matter objects through one-dimensional environments is important in industrial, biological and biomedical systems. Establishing the underlying principles of the behavior of soft matter in confinement can shed light on its performance in many man-made and biological systems. Here, we report an experimental and theoretical study of translocation of micrometer-size hydrogels (microgels) through microfluidic channels with a diameter smaller than an unperturbed microgel size. For microgels with different dimensions and mechanical properties, under a range of applied pressures, we established the universal principles of microgel entrance and passage through microchannels with different geometries, as well as the reduction in microgel volume in confinement. We also show a non-monotonic change in the flow rate of liquid through the constrained microgel, governed by its progressive confinement. The experimental results were in agreement with the theory developed for non-linear biaxial deformation of unentangled polymer gels. Our work has implications for a broad range of phenomena, including occlusion of blood vessels by thrombi and needle-assisted hydrogel injection in tissue engineering.
Evolution of public cooperation in a monitored society with implicated punishment and within-group enforcement
Authors: Chen Xiaojie , Sasaki Tatsuya , Perc Matjaž
Published: November 2015

Monitoring with implicated punishment is common in human societies to avert freeriding on common goods. But is it effective in promoting public cooperation? We show that the introduction of monitoring and implicated punishment is indeed effective, as it transforms the public goods game to a coordination game, thus rendering cooperation viable in infinite and finite well-mixed populations. We also show that the addition of within-group enforcement further promotes the evolution of public cooperation. However, although the group size in this context has nonlinear effects on collective action, an intermediate group size is least conductive to cooperative behaviour. This contradicts recent field observations, where an intermediate group size was declared optimal with the conjecture that group-size effects and within-group enforcement are responsible. Our theoretical research thus clarifies key aspects of monitoring with implicated punishment in human societies and additionally, it reveals fundamental group-size effects that facilitate prosocial collective action.
Born small, die young: Intrinsic, size-selective mortality in marine larval fish
Authors: Garrido S. , Ben-Hamadou R. , Santos A.M.P. , Ferreira S. , Teodósio M.A. , Cotano U. , Irigoien X. , Peck M.A. , Saiz E. , Ré P.
Published: November 2015

Mortality during the early stages is a major cause of the natural variations in the size and recruitment strength of marine fish populations. In this study, the relation between the size-at-hatch and early survival was assessed using laboratory experiments and on field-caught larvae of the European sardine (Sardina pilchardus). Larval size-at-hatch was not related to the egg size but was significantly, positively related to the diameter of the otolith-at-hatch. Otolith diameter-at-hatch was also significantly correlated with survival-at-age in fed and unfed larvae in the laboratory. For sardine larvae collected in the Bay of Biscay during the spring of 2008, otolith radius-at-hatch was also significantly related to viability. Larval mortality has frequently been related to adverse environmental conditions and intrinsic factors affecting feeding ability and vulnerability to predators. Our study offers evidence indicating that a significant portion of fish mortality occurs during the endogenous (yolk) and mixed (yolk /prey) feeding period in the absence of predators, revealing that marine fish with high fecundity, such as small pelagics, can spawn a relatively large amount of eggs resulting in small larvae with no chances to survive. Our findings help to better understand the mass mortalities occurring at early stages of marine fish.
Intrinsic magnetic properties of single-phase Mn1+xGa (0 < x < 1) alloys
Authors: Lu Q. M. , Yue M. , Zhang H. G. , Wang M. L. , Yu F. , Huang Q. Z. , Ryan D. H. , Altounian Z.
Published: November 2015

Magnetization measurements have been carried out on a series of carefully prepared single-phase Mn1 + xGa (0 < x < 1) alloys. The saturation magnetization Ms, measured at 5 K, has a value of 92.0 emu/g for x = 0.15. This is the highest value reported in these alloys and is close to the calculated value of 116 emu/g for the stoichiometric compound (x = 0). Ms decreases gradually with x and has a value of 60.7 emu/g for x = 0.86. This behavior is consistent with the extra Mn atoms occupying Ga sites and coupling antiferromagnetically with the rest of the Mn atoms. The intrinsic magnetic properties of the Mn-Ga alloys indicate their great potential as novel, rare-earth free permanent magnetic materials.
Meta-analysis of colistin for the treatment of Acinetobacter baumannii infection
Authors: Chen Zhijin , Chen Yu , Fang Yaogao , Wang Xiaotian , Chen Yanqing , Qi Qingsong , Huang Fang , Xiao Xungang
Published: November 2015

Multidrug resistant among Acinetobacter baumannii infection is associated with a high mortality rate and limits the therapeutic options. The aim of this study was to assess the safety and efficacy of colistin monotherapy vs. other single antibiotic therapy AND colistin-based combination therapy (with other antibiotics) vs. colistin alone for the treatment of Acinetobacter baumannii infection. Online electronic database were searched for studies evaluating colistin with or without other antibiotics in treatment of patients with drug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii infection. Totally, twelve studies met the inclusion criteria. For colistin-based combination therapy, six articles including 668 patients were included. Our results showed that the overall clinical response did not differ significantly between colistin-based combination therapy and monotherapy (OR = 1.37, 95% CI = 0.86–2.19, P = 0.18). This insignificance was also detected in ICU mortality, length of stay and nephrotoxicity (P > 0.05). However, the colistin-based combination therapy was shown increasing the microbiological response (OR = 2.14, 95% CI = 1.48–3.07, P < 0.0001). For colistin monotherapy, six studies involving 491 patients were analyzed. The results were in concordance with the findings of the colistin-based combination therapy group. Our results suggest that colistin may be a promising therapy as safe and efficacious as standard antibiotics for the treatment of drug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii infection.
Improving vagal activity ameliorates cardiac fibrosis induced by angiotensin II: in vivo and in vitro
Authors: Liu Jin-Jun , Huang Ning , Lu Yi , Zhao Mei , Yu Xiao-Jiang , Yang Yang , Yang Yong-hua , Zang Wei-Jin
Published: November 2015

Cardiac remodeling is characterized by overactivity of the renin–angiotensin system (RAS) and withdrawal of vagal activity. We hypothesized that improving vagal activity could attenuate cardiac fibrosis induced by angiotensin II (Ang II) in vivo and in vitro. Rats were subjected to abdominal aorta constriction (AAC) with or without pyridostigmine (PYR) (31 mg/kg/d). After 8 weeks, PYR significantly decreased Ang II level, AT1 protein expression and collagen deposition in cardiac tissue and improved heart rate variability, baroreflex sensitivity and cardiac function, which were abolished by atropine. In vitro, treatment of cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) with Ang II (10−7 M) increased cell proliferation, migration, transformation and secretory properties, which were significantly diminished by acetylcholine (ACh, 10−6 M). Subsequently, Ang II significantly increased collagen type I expression as well as metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 expression and activity. Transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 expression and Smad3 phosphorylation presented a similar trend. Notably, the knockdown of the acetylcholine M2 receptor by siRNA could abolish ACh anti-fibrotic action. These data implicated cholinesterase inhibitor can increase vagal activity and reduce local Ang II level and ACh inhibit Ang II pro-fibrotic effects. Our findings suggested that the parasympathetic nervous system can serve as a promising target for cardiac remodeling treatment.
Structures of the CDK12/CycK complex with AMP-PNP reveal a flexible C-terminal kinase extension important for ATP binding
Authors: Dixon-Clarke Sarah E. , Elkins Jonathan M. , Cheng S.-W. Grace , Morin Gregg B. , Bullock Alex N.
Published: November 2015

Cyclin-dependent kinase 12 (CDK12) promotes transcriptional elongation by phosphorylation of the RNA polymerase II C-terminal domain (CTD). Structure-function studies show that this activity is dependent on a C-terminal kinase extension, as well as the binding of cyclin K (CycK). To better define these interactions we determined the crystal structure of the human CDK12/CycK complex with and without the kinase extension in the presence of AMP-PNP. The structures revealed novel features for a CDK, including a large β4-β5 loop insertion that contributes to the N-lobe interaction with the cyclin. We also observed two different conformations of the C-terminal kinase extension that effectively open and close the ATP pocket. Most notably, bound AMP-PNP was only observed when trapped in the closed state. Truncation of this C-terminal structure also diminished AMP-PNP binding, as well as the catalytic activity of the CDK12/CycK complex. Further kinetic measurements showed that the full length CDK12/CycK complex was significantly more active than the two crystallised constructs suggesting a critical role for additional domains. Overall, these results demonstrate the intrinsic flexibility of the C-terminal extension in CDK12 and highlight its importance for both ATP binding and kinase activity.
Composition and Interactions of Hepatitis B Virus Quasispecies Defined the Virological Response During Telbivudine Therapy
Authors: Zhou Bin , Dong Hui , He Yungang , Sun Jian , Jin Weirong , Xie Qing , Fan Rong , Wang Minxian , Li Ran , Chen Yangyi , Xie Shaoqing , Shen Yan , Huang Xin , Wang Shengyue , Lu Fengming , Jia Jidong , Zhuang Hui , Locarnini Stephen , Zhao Guo-Ping , Jin Li , Hou Jinlin
Published: November 2015

Reverse transcriptase (RT) mutations contribute to hepatitis B virus resistance during antiviral therapy with nucleos(t)ide analogs. However, the composition of the RT quasispecies and their interactions during antiviral treatment have not yet been thoroughly defined. In this report, 10 patients from each of 3 different virological response groups, i.e., complete virological response, partial virological response and virological breakthrough, were selected from a multicenter trial of Telbivudine treatment. Variations in the drug resistance-related critical RT regions in 107 serial serum samples from the 30 patients were examined by ultra-deep sequencing. A total of 496,577 sequence reads were obtained, with an average sequencing coverage of 4,641X per sample. The phylogenies of the quasispecies revealed the independent origins of two critical quasispecies, i.e., the rtA181T and rtM204I mutants. Data analyses and theoretical modeling showed a cooperative-competitive interplay among the quasispecies. In particular, rtM204I mutants compete against other quasispecies, which eventually leads to virological breakthrough. However, in the absence of rtM204I mutants, synergistic growth of the drug-resistant rtA181T mutants with the wild-type quasispecies could drive the composition of the viral population into a state of partial virological response. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the frequency of drug-resistant mutations in the early phase of treatment is important for predicting the virological response to antiviral therapy.
Three-dimensional Reconstruction of Peripheral Nerve Internal Fascicular Groups
Authors: Zhong Yingchun , Wang Liping , Dong Jianghui , Zhang Yi , Luo Peng , Qi Jian , Liu Xiaolin , Xian Cory J.
Published: November 2015

Peripheral nerves are important pathways for receiving afferent sensory impulses and sending out efferent motor instructions, as carried out by sensory nerve fibers and motor nerve fibers. It has remained a great challenge to functionally reconnect nerve internal fiber bundles (or fascicles) in nerve repair. One possible solution may be to establish a 3D nerve fascicle visualization system. This study described the key technology of 3D peripheral nerve fascicle reconstruction. Firstly, fixed nerve segments were embedded with position lines, cryostat-sectioned continuously, stained and imaged histologically. Position line cross-sections were identified using a trained support vector machine method and the coordinates of their central pixels were obtained. Then, nerve section images were registered using the bilinear method and edges of fascicles were extracted using an improved gradient vector flow snake method. Subsequently, fascicle types were identified automatically using the multi-directional gradient and second-order gradient method. Finally, a 3D virtual model of internal fascicles was obtained after section images were processed. This technique was successfully applied for 3D reconstruction for the median nerve of the hand-wrist and cubital fossa regions and the gastrocnemius nerve. This nerve internal fascicle 3D reconstruction technology would be helpful for aiding peripheral nerve repair and virtual surgery.
Competing Anisotropy-Tunneling Correlation of the CoFeB/MgO Perpendicular Magnetic Tunnel Junction: An Electronic Approach
Authors: Yang Chao-Yao , Chang Shu-Jui , Lee Min-Han , Shen Kuei-Hung , Yang Shan-Yi , Lin Horng-Ji , Tseng Yuan-Chieh
Published: November 2015

We intensively investigate the physical principles regulating the tunneling magneto-resistance (TMR) and perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) of the CoFeB/MgO magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) by means of angle-resolved x-ray magnetic spectroscopy. The angle-resolved capability was easily achieved and it provided greater sensitivity to symmetry-related d-band occupation compared to traditional x-ray spectroscopy. This added degree of freedom successfully solved the unclear mechanism of this MTJ system renowned for controllable PMA and excellent TMR. As a surprising discovery, these two physical characteristics interact in a competing manner because of opposite band-filling preference in space-correlated symmetry of the 3d-orbital. An overlooked but harmful superparamagnetic phase resulting from magnetic inhomogeneity was also observed. This important finding reveals that simultaneously achieving fast switching and a high tunneling efficiency at an ultimate level is improbable for this MTJ system owing to its fundamental limit in physics. We suggest that the development of independent TMR and PMA mechanisms is critical towards a complementary relationship between the two physical characteristics, as well as the realization of superior performance, of this perpendicular MTJ. Furthermore, this study provides an easy approach to evaluate the futurity of any emerging spintronic candidates by electronically examining the relationship between their magnetic anisotropy and transport.
Mesoporous-silica nanofluidic channels for quick enrichment/extraction of trace pesticide molecules
Authors: Xu Pengcheng , Chen Chuanzhao , Li Xinxin
Published: November 2015

As nanofluidic channels, uniaxially oriented mesoporous-silica is, for the first time, in-situ self-assembled in a microfluidic chip for quick enrichment/extraction of ng L−1(ppt)-level organo-phosphorous (OP) pesticide residue from aqueous solution to ethanol. This micro/nano combined pre-treatment chip is essential for following gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) quantitative analysis. Featuring huge surface area and dense silanol groups at the inwall surface, the mesoporous-silica is uniaxially self-assembled in a micro-reservoir to form a pile of nanofluidic channels (diameter = 2.1 nm). The captured/enriched pesticide molecules in the nanochannels can be efficiently extracted by much smaller volume of ethanol due to its much higher solubility to OP. In our affirming experiment, three mixed OP pesticides of dichlorvos, paraoxon and chlorpyrifos (in water) are captured/enriched by the nano-channels and eluted/extracted by only 0.6 mL ethanol. The whole process only takes 16 min. The GC-MS quantitative results for the extracted three pesticides indicate that the extraction recovery achieves 80%. The achieved limit of quantification (LOQ) and the limit of detection (LOD) are 100 ng L−1 and 30 ng L−1, respectively. The nanofluidic-channel pre-treatment technique is promising in various application fields like agriculture and food safety security.
Coherent interaction with two-level fluctuators using near field scanning microwave microscopy
Authors: de Graaf S. E. , Danilov A. V. , Kubatkin S. E.
Published: November 2015

Near field Scanning Microwave Microscopy (NSMM) is a scanning probe technique that non-invasively can obtain material properties on the nano-scale at microwave frequencies. While focus has been on developing room-temperature systems it was recently shown that this technique can potentially reach the quantum regime, opening up for applications in materials science and device characterization in solid state quantum information processing. In this paper we theoretically investigate this new regime of NSMM. Specifically we show that interaction between a resonant NSMM probe and certain types of two-level systems become possible when the NSMM probe operates in the (sub-) single photon regime and we expect a high signal-to-noise ratio if operated under the right conditions. This would allow to detect single atomic material defects with energy splittings in the GHz range with nano-scale resolution, provided that individual defects in the material under study are well enough separated. We estimate that this condition is fulfilled for materials with loss tangents below tan δ ∼ 10−3 which holds for materials used in today’s quantum circuits and devices where typically tan δ < 10−5. We also propose several extensions to a resonant NSMM that could improve sensitivity and functionality also for microscopes operating in a high power regime.
RNA-based, transient modulation of gene expression in human haematopoietic stem and progenitor cells
Authors: Diener Yvonne , Jurk Marion , Kandil Britta , Choi Yeong-Hoon , Wild Stefan , Bissels Ute , Bosio Andreas
Published: November 2015

Modulation of gene expression is a useful tool to study the biology of haematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) and might also be instrumental to expand these cells for therapeutic approaches. Most of the studies so far have employed stable gene modification by viral vectors that are burdensome when translating protocols into clinical settings. Our study aimed at exploring new ways to transiently modify HSPC gene expression using non-integrating, RNA-based molecules. First, we tested different methods to deliver these molecules into HSPCs. The delivery of siRNAs with chemical transfection methods such as lipofection or cationic polymers did not lead to target knockdown, although we observed more than 90% fluorescent cells using a fluorochrome-coupled siRNA. Confocal microscopic analysis revealed that despite extensive washing, siRNA stuck to or in the cell surface, thereby mimicking a transfection event. In contrast, electroporation resulted in efficient, siRNA-mediated protein knockdown. For transient overexpression of proteins, we used optimised mRNA molecules with modified 5′- and 3′-UTRs. Electroporation of mRNA encoding GFP resulted in fast, efficient and persistent protein expression for at least seven days. Our data provide a broad-ranging comparison of transfection methods for hard-to-transfect cells and offer new opportunities for DNA-free, non-integrating gene modulation in HSPCs.
Characterization of stem/progenitor cell cycle using murine circumvallate papilla taste bud organoid
Authors: Aihara Eitaro , Mahe Maxime M. , Schumacher Michael A. , Matthis Andrea L. , Feng Rui , Ren Wenwen , Noah Taeko K. , Matsu-ura Toru , Moore Sean R. , Hong Christian I. , Zavros Yana , Herness Scott , Shroyer Noah F. , Iwatsuki Ken , Jiang Peihua , Helmrath Michael A. , Montrose Marshall H.
Published: November 2015

Leucine-rich repeat-containing G-protein coupled receptor 5-expressing (Lgr5+) cells have been identified as stem/progenitor cells in the circumvallate papillae and single cultured Lgr5+cells give rise to taste cells. Here we use circumvallate papilla tissue to establish a three-dimensional culture system (taste bud organoids) that develops phenotypic characteristics similar to native tissue, including a multilayered epithelium containing stem/progenitor in the outer layers and taste cells in the inner layers. Furthermore, characterization of the cell cycle of the taste bud progenitor niche reveals striking dynamics of taste bud development and regeneration. Using this taste bud organoid culture system and FUCCI2 transgenic mice, we identify the stem/progenitor cells have at least 5 distinct cell cycle populations by tracking within 24-hour synchronized oscillations of proliferation. Additionally, we demonstrate that stem/progenitor cells have motility to form taste bud organoids. Taste bud organoids provides a system for elucidating mechanisms of taste signaling, disease modeling and taste tissue regeneration.