bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Interaction of neurons and astrocytes underlies the mechanism of Aβ-induced neurotoxicity
Authors: Angelova Plamena R. , Abramov Andrey Y.
Published: September 2014

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by the aggregation of amyloid β-peptide (Aβ) into β-sheet-rich fibrils. Although plaques containing Aβ fibrils have been viewed as the conventional hallmark of AD, recent research implicates small oligomeric species formed during the aggregation of Aβ in the neuronal toxicity and cognitive deficits associated with AD. We have demonstrated that oligomers, but not monomers, of Aβ40 and Aβ42 were found to induce calcium signalling in astrocytes but not in neurons. This cell specificity was dependent on the higher cholesterol level in the membrane of astrocytes compared with neurons. The Aβ-induced calcium signal stimulated NADPH oxidase and induced increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. These events are detectable at physiologically relevant concentrations of Aβ. Excessive ROS production and Ca2+ overload induced mitochondrial depolarization through activation of the DNA repairing enzyme poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1) and opening mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP). Aβ significantly reduced the level of GSH in both astrocytes and neurons, an effect which is dependent on external calcium. Thus Aβ induces a [Ca2+]c signal in astrocytes which could regulate the GSH level in co-cultures that in the area of excessive ROS production could be a trigger for neurotoxicity. The pineal hormone melatonin, the glycoprotein clusterin and regulation of the membrane cholesterol can modify Aβ-induced calcium signals, ROS production and mitochondrial depolarization, which eventually lead to neuroprotection.
Signalling specificity in the Akt pathway in breast cancer
Authors: Clark Abbe R. , Toker Alex
Published: September 2014

Aberrant activation of fundamental cellular processes, such as proliferation, migration and survival, underlies the development of numerous human pathophysiologies, including cancer. One of the most frequently hyperactivated pathways in cancer is the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt signalling cascade. Three isoforms of the serine/threonine protein kinase Akt (Akt1, Akt2 and Akt3) function to regulate cell survival, growth, proliferation and metabolism. Strikingly, non-redundant and even opposing functions of Akt isoforms in the regulation of phenotypes associated with malignancy in humans have been described. However, the mechanisms by which Akt isoform-specificity is conferred are largely unknown. In the present review, we highlight recent findings that have contributed to our understanding of the complexity of Akt isoform-specific signalling and discussed potential mechanisms by which this isoform-specificity is conferred. An understanding of the mechanisms of Akt isoform-specificity has important implications for the development of isoform-specific Akt inhibitors and will be critical to finding novel targets to treat disease.
Exocytosis of gliotransmitters from cortical astrocytes: implications for synaptic plasticity and aging
Authors: Lalo Ulyana , Rasooli-Nejad Seyed , Pankratov Yuriy
Published: September 2014

Maintaining brain function during aging is very important for mental and physical health. Recent studies showed a crucial importance of communication between two major types of brain cells: neurons transmitting electrical signals, and glial cells, which maintain the well-being and function of neurons. Still, the study of age-related changes in neuron–glia signalling is far from complete. We have shown previously that cortical astrocytes are capable of releasing ATP by a quantal soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor-attachment protein receptor (SNARE) complex-dependent mechanism. Release of ATP from cortical astrocytes can be activated via various pathways, including direct UV-uncaging of intracellular Ca2+or G-protein-coupled receptors. Importantly, release of both ATP and glutamate from neocortical astrocytes was not observed in brain slices of dominant-negative SNARE (dnSNARE) mice, expressing dnSNARE domain selectively in astrocytes. We also discovered that astrocyte-driven ATP can cause significant attenuation of synaptic inhibition in the pyramidal neurons via Ca2+-interaction between the neuronal ATP and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors. Furthermore, we showed that astrocyte-derived ATP can facilitate the induction of long-term potentiation of synaptic plasticity in the neocortex. Our recent data have shown that an age-related decrease in the astroglial Ca2+ signalling can cause a substantial decrease in the exocytosis of gliotransmitters, in particular ATP. Age-related impairment of ATP release from cortical astrocytes can cause a decrease in the extent of astroglial modulation of synaptic transmission in the neocortex and can therefore contribute to the age-related impairment of synaptic plasticity and cognitive decline. Combined, our results strongly support the physiological relevance of glial exocytosis for glia–neuron communications and brain function.
The role of neuronal versus astrocyte-derived heparan sulfate proteoglycans in brain development and injury
Authors: Tselnicker Isabella Farhy , Boisvert Matthew M. , Allen Nicola J.
Published: September 2014

Astrocytes modulate many aspects of neuronal function, including synapse formation and the response to injury. Heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) mediate some of the effects of astrocytes on synaptic function, and participate in the astrocyte-mediated brain injury response. HSPGs are a highly conserved class of proteoglycans, with variable heparan sulfate (HS) chains that play a major role in determining the function of these proteins, such as binding to growth factors and receptors. Expression of both the core proteins and their HS chains can vary depending on cellular origin, thus the functional impact of HSPGs may be determined by the cell type in which they are expressed. In the brain, HSPGs are expressed by both neurons and astrocytes; however, the specific contribution of neuronal HSPGs compared with astrocyte-derived HSPGs to development and the injury response is largely unknown. The present review examines the current evidence regarding the roles of HSPGs in the brain, describes the cellular origins of HSPGs, and interrogates the roles of HSPGs from astrocytes and neurons in synaptogenesis and injury. The importance of considering cell-type-specific expression of HSPGs when studying brain function is discussed.
Acute regulation of PDK1 by a complex interplay of molecular switches
Authors: Calleja Veronique , Laguerre Michel , de las Heras-Martinez Gloria , Parker Peter J. , Requejo-Isidro Jose , Larijani Banafshé
Published: September 2014

Phosphoinositide-dependent kinase 1 (PDK1) is the master regulator of at least 23 other AGC kinases whose downstream signalling has often been implicated in various diseases and in particular in cancer. Therefore there has been great interest in determining how PDK1 is controlled and how it regulates its substrates spatially and temporally. The understanding of these mechanisms could offer new possibilities for therapeutic intervention. Over the years, a more comprehensive view of the mechanisms involved in the regulation of PDK1 has emerged and these comprise serine/threonine as well as tyrosine phosphorylation, subcellular localization, regulator binding and conformation status. In the present review, we discuss how various molecular mechanisms are together responsible for the conformational regulation behind the activation of PDK1 in cells.
Nonlinear instability of an Oldroyd elastico–viscous magnetic nanofluid saturated in a porous medium
Authors: Moatimid Galal M. , Alali Elham M. M. , Ali Hoda S. M.
Published: September 2014

Through viscoelastic potential theory, a Kelvin-Helmholtz instability of two semi-infinite fluid layers, of Oldroydian viscoelastic magnetic nanofluids (MNF), is investigated. The system is saturated by porous medium through two semi-infinite fluid layers. The Oldroyd B model is utilized to describe the rheological behavior of viscoelastic MNF. The system is influenced by uniform oblique magnetic field that acts at the surface of separation. The model is used for the MNF incorporated the effects of uniform basic streaming and viscoelasticity. Therefore, a mathematical simplification must be considered. A linear stability analysis, based upon the normal modes analysis, is utilized to find out the solutions of the equations of motion. The onset criterion of stability is derived; analytically and graphs have been plotted by giving numerical values to the various parameters. These graphs depict the stability characteristics. Regions of stability and instability are identified and discussed in some depth. Some previous studies are recovered upon appropriate data choices. The stability criterion in case of ignoring the relaxation stress times is also derived. To relax the mathematical manipulation of the nonlinear approach, the linearity of the equations of motion is taken into account in correspondence with the nonlinear boundary conditions. Taylor's theory is adopted to expand the governing nonlinear characteristic equation according to of the multiple time scales technique. This analysis leads to the well-known Ginzburg–Landau equation, which governs the stability criteria. The stability criteria are achieved theoretically. To simplify the mathematical manipulation, a special case is considered to achieve the numerical estimations. The influence of orientation of the magnetic fields on the stability configuration, in linear as well as nonlinear approaches, makes a dual role for the magnetic field strength in the stability graphs. Stability diagram is plotted for different sets of physical parameters. A new stability as well as instability region, in the parameter space, appears due to the nonlinear effects.
Valence and conduction band offsets at low-k a-SiOxCy:H/a-SiCxNy:H interfaces
Authors: King Sean W. , Brockman Justin , French Marc , Jaehnig Milt , Kuhn Markus , French Benjamin
Published: September 2014

In order to understand the fundamental electrical leakage and reliability failure mechanisms in nano-electronic low-k dielectric/metal interconnect structures, we have utilized x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and reflection electron energy loss spectroscopy to determine the valence and conduction band offsets present at interfaces between non-porous and porous low-k a-SiOxCy:H interlayer dielectrics and a-SiCxNy:H metal capping layers. The valence band offset for such interfaces was determined to be 2.7 ± 0.2 eV and weakly dependent on the a-SiOC:H porosity. The corresponding conduction band offset was determined to be 2.1 ± 0.2 eV. The large band offsets indicate that intra metal layer leakage is likely dominated by defects and trap states in the a-SiOC:H and a-SiCN:H dielectrics.
Study on the steady operating state of a micro-pulse electron gun
Authors: Kui Zhou , Xiangyang Lu , Shengwen Quan , Jifei Zhao , Xing Luo , Ziqin Yang
Published: September 2014

Micro-pulse electron gun (MPG) employs the basic concept of multipacting to produce high-current and short-pulse electron beams from a radio-frequency (RF) cavity. The concept of MPG has been proposed for more than two decades. However, the unstable operating state of MPG vastly obstructs its practical applications. This paper presents a study on the steady operating state of a micro-pulse electron gun with theory and experiments. The requirements for the steady operating state are proposed through the analysis of the interaction between the RF cavity and the beam load. Accordingly, a MPG cavity with the frequency of 2856 MHz has been designed, constructed, and tested. Some primary experiments have been finished. Both the unstable and stable operating states of the MPG have been observed. The stable output beam current has been detected at about 3.8 mA. Further experimental study is under way now.
Angular density perturbations to filled type I strong explosions
Authors: Yalinewich Almog , Sari Re'em
Published: September 2014

In this paper we extend the Sedov-Taylor-Von Neumann model for a strong explosion to account for small angular and radial variations in the density. We assume that the density profile is given by \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\begin{document}$\rho \left(r,\theta ,\phi \right)=kr^{-\omega }\left(1+\varepsilon \left(\frac{r}{r_{0}}\right)^{q}Y_{lm}\left(\theta ,\phi \right)\right)$\end{document}ρr,θ,ϕ=kr−ω1+ɛrr0qYlmθ,ϕ, where ɛ ≪ 1 and \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\begin{document}$\omega \le \frac{7-\gamma }{\gamma +1}$\end{document}ω≤7−γγ+1. In order to verify our results we compare them to analytical approximations and full hydrodynamic simulations. We demonstrate how this method can be used to describe arbitrary (not just self similar) angular perturbations. This work complements our previous analysis on radial, spherically symmetric perturbations, and allows one to calculate the response of an explosion to arbitrary perturbations in the upstream density. Together, they settle an age old controversy about the inner boundary conditions.
Short-range ordering of ion-implanted nitrogen atoms in SiC-graphene
Authors: Willke P. , Amani J. A. , Thakur S. , Weikert S. , Druga T. , Maiti K. , Hofsäss H. , Wenderoth M.
Published: September 2014

We perform a structural analysis of nitrogen-doped graphene on SiC(0001) prepared by ultra low-energy ion bombardment. Using scanning tunneling microscopy, we show that nitrogen atoms are incorporated almost exclusively as graphitic substitution in the graphene honeycomb lattice. With an irradiation energy of 25 eV and a fluence of approximately 5 × 1014 cm−2, we achieve a nitrogen content of around 1%. By quantitatively comparing the position of the N-atoms in the topography measurements with simulated random distributions, we find statistically significant short-range correlations. Consequently, we are able to show that the dopants arrange preferably at lattice sites given by the 6 × 6-reconstruction of the underlying substrate. This selective incorporation is most likely triggered by adsorbate layers present during the ion bombardment. This study identifies low-energy ion irradiation as a promising method for controlled doping in epitaxial graphene.
Engineering of optical polarization based on electronic band structures of A-plane ZnO layers under biaxial strains
Authors: Matsui Hiroaki , Hasuike Noriyuki , Harima Hiroshi , Tabata Hitoshi
Published: September 2014

In-plane anisotropic strains in A-plane layers on the electronic band structure of ZnO were investigated from the viewpoint of optical polarization anisotropy. Investigations utilizing k·p perturbation theory revealed that energy transitions and associated oscillation strengths were dependent on in-plane strains. The theoretical correlation between optical polarizations and in-plane strains was experimentally demonstrated using A-plane ZnO layers with different in-plane strains. Finally, optical polarization anisotropy and its implications for in-plane optical properties are discussed in relation to the energy shift between two orthogonal directions. Higher polarization rotations were obtained in an A-plane ZnO layer with in-plane biaxially compressive strains as compared to strain-free ZnO. This study provides detailed information concerning the role played by in-plane strains in optically polarized applications based on nonpolar ZnO in the ultra-violet region.
Nanoscale elastic modulus mapping revisited: The concept of effective mass
Authors: Zlotnikov I. , Fratzl P. , Zolotoyabko E.
Published: September 2014

We introduce the effective mass of the nanoindenter tip/sample assembly into the nanoscale dynamic modulus mapping technique that allows us to extract the correct storage modulus from the measured contact stiffness. We show that the developed approach successfully works for both stiff ceramics, such as fused quartz, and much compliant polymer materials, such as polycarbonate (PC) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA).
Design and optimization of a bi-axial vibration-driven electromagnetic generator
Authors: Yang Jin , Yu Qiangmo , Zhao Jiangxin , Zhao Nian , Wen Yumei , Li Ping , Qiu Jing
Published: September 2014

To scavenge energy from ambient vibrations with arbitrary in-plane motion directions and over a wide frequency range, a novel electromagnetic vibration energy harvester is designed and optimized. In the harvester, a circular cross-section elastic rod, not a traditional thin cantilever beam, is used to extract ambient vibration energy because of its capability to collect vibration from arbitrary in-plane motion directions. The magnetic interaction between magnets and the iron core contributes to a nonlinear oscillation of the rod with increased frequency bandwidth. The influences of the structure configurations on the electrical output and the working bandwidth of the harvester are investigated using Ansoft's Maxwell 3D to achieve optimal performance. The experimental results show that the harvester is sensitive to vibrations from arbitrary in-plane directions and it exhibits a bandwidth of 5.7 Hz and a maximum power of 13.4 mW at an acceleration of 0.6 g (with g = 9.8 ms−2).
Application of the Variable Oxygen Probe to Determine the π-Electron Donor Ability of the Alkyne Group
Authors: Harris Benjamin L. , White Jonathan M.
Published: September 2014

Eight ester and ether derivatives of propargyl alcohol with varying electron demand were structurally characterised using low temperature X-ray crystallography, these were combined with seven derivatives obtained from the Cambridge Structural Database. Variable oxygen probe analysis of these derivatives provided evidence that the ethynyl substituent is a relatively weak π-electron donor, and is a slightly less effective donor than the C–C bond of an ethyl substituent.
Selective filtering defect at the axon initial segment in Alzheimer’s disease mouse models
Authors: Sun Xiaqin , Wu Yu , Gu Mingxue , Liu Zhuo , Ma Yuanlin , Li Jun , Zhang Yan
Published: September 2014

Significance

It is widely accepted that Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is an age-related disease that is always associated with later stages of life. However, our data indicates that if carrying familial AD mutations (such as the PS1 mutations examined in this study), neurons are perturbed during development, protein trafficking, protein translocation, and axon initial segment (AIS) subcellular structure formation. Given that AIS is associated with action potential generation and NR2B is highly related to synaptic transmission, we think that this may subsequently lead to many problems associated with misfiring and synaptic transmission in these AD neurons, and may further contribute to AD development and pathology.
Comparative Matters
Authors: Ran Hirschl
Published: September 2014

Comparative study has emerged as the new frontier of constitutional law scholarship as well as an important aspect of constitutional adjudication. Increasingly, jurists, scholars, and constitution drafters worldwide accept that “we are all comparativists now.” And yet, despite this tremendous renaissance, the “comparative” aspect, as a method and a project, remains under-theorized and blurry. Fundamental questions concerning the very meaning and purpose of comparative constitutional inquiry, and how it is to be undertaken, are seldom asked, let alone answered. The author addresses this gap by charting the intellectual history of constitutional thought and the analytical underpinnings of comparative constitutional inquiry, probing the various types, aims, epistemology, and methodologies of engagement with the constitutive laws of others through the ages, and exploring how and why comparative constitutional inquiry has been and ought to be more extensively pursued by academics and jurists worldwide. Through extensive exploration of comparative constitutional endeavors past and present, near and far, the author shows how attitudes toward engagement with the constitutive laws of others reflect tensions between particularism and universalism as well as competing visions of who “we” are as a political community. Drawing on insights from social theory, religion, history, political science, and public law, the author argues for an interdisciplinary approach to the study of comparative constitutionalism that is methodologically and substantively preferable to merely doctrinal accounts. It is contended that the future of comparative constitutional studies lies in relaxing the sharp divide between constitutional law and the social sciences.
2 Early Engagements with the Constitutive Laws of Others: Lessons from Pre-Modern Religion Law
Authors: Ran Hirschl
Published: September 2014

Many purportedly new debates in comparative constitutional law have early equivalents, some dating back over two millennia. The chapter examines pre-modern religion law and the birth of two concepts cardinal for understanding the philosophy of comparative constitutional studies of law and religion: acknowledgment of the legitimacy and integrity of the constitutive laws of others; and doctrinal innovation from a necessity-based or ideologically driven impulse to respond to or incorporate such laws. Pre-modern canon law and Jewish law suggest that engagement with the constitutive laws of others is much longer and thicker than the current convergence trend. Some of the concepts developed in religion-laden contexts in times long gone continue to be relevant for understanding contemporary constitutional reaction to external convergence pressures. Further examples illustrate that alongside inquisitiveness per se, instrumentalist factors matter greatly in explaining purportedly principled, doctrinal debates over openness toward, or rejection of, the constitutive laws of others.
The Notion of Expression in Music Criticism
Authors: Alessandri Elena
Published: September 2014

Expression is arguably one of the most common and important terms in musical discourse, used as a measure of the aesthetic value of musical performance. But what does it mean for a performance to be expressive or for a performer to play expressively? The difficulty of this question resides in the complexity of the expression phenomenon and in the ambiguity that the word “express” and its correlates can bring to the expression discourses shared in different contexts (e.g. typical listeners, musicians, researchers). This chapter discusses some of the main issues related to the ambiguous usage of the term “expression” in musical parlance through an examination of music critics’ reviews of Beethoven’s 32 piano sonatas. It attempts to clarify what critics mean—or seem to mean—when they talk of expression in music, and how this notion relates to their critical judgements.
A Taxonomy of Listeners’ Judgements of Expressiveness in Music Performance
Authors: Schubert Emery , Fabian Dorottya
Published: September 2014

This chapter examines methods of obtaining listeners’ responses to one or more interpretations of a piece of western classical music. Referring to Gilman’s psychological study of expressiveness, it discusses some of the issues faced by music psychologists when investigating expressiveness in music, and the problem of defining expressiveness. It then examines the various definitions of expression in the music-psychology literature, and proposes a taxonomy that categorizes different kinds of expressiveness according to content (musical, emotional, etc.) and layer (composer, performer). Empirical studies of post-performance listener ratings of recorded performances of a violin composition by Johann Sebastian Bach and continuous rating of different performances of the Hungarian Dance No. 2 by Johannes Brahms are then discussed. Finally, it is argued that music-psychology research will be well served by considering the different kinds of expression that are associated with music, which the chapter lays out systematically from the perspective of the listener.
Implications for Ethnomusicology
Authors: Stock Jonathan P. J.
Published: September 2014

Ethnomusicologists have a long-held interest in musical expressivity, with general observations as follows. First, musical expression has enduring qualities, even though performances are newly made for each occasion, but change vs. stability is also very typically genre-specific. Second, music’s expressivity emerges in relation to particular personal histories and cultural environments, such that use of apparently similar expressive ingredients may hide divergent aesthetic values. Third, while we can measure certain aspects of expressivity as strategic departures from preconceived sonic norms, cross-cultural comparison remains methodologically challenging. Fourth, many worldwide struggle to talk about musical expressivity or rely entirely on metaphor, such that research across language boundaries is not straightforward. Participation as a musician provides the researcher deep access in settings where actions speak louder than words, but takes us far from the experimental isolation of variables. The account closes with an examination of future prospects for ethnomusicologists, noting opportunities with respect to interdisciplinarity, quantitative and qualitative research techniques, and the rethinking of the concept of expressivity itself.
The Yablo Paradox and Circularity
Authors: Cook Roy T
Published: September 2014

This chapter addresses the Circularity Question. Several scholars have claimed that the Yablo paradox is, in fact, circular. The first critical task is thus to distinguish between a number of different senses in which a linguistic construction might be circular. We then examine extant arguments for and against the circularity of the Yablo construction. Prominent amongst these are Graham Priest’s argument that the use of diagonalization in the construction of the Yablo paradox smuggles in problematic circularity, and Hannes Leitgeb’s suggestion that non-well-founded sets can be used to model the referential structure of various semantic puzzles and thus settle this question. After deciding that the Yablo paradox is circular, but in a rather benign sense, the chapter concludes with the construction of a version of the paradox using infinitary connectives, a proof that this infinitary variant is genuinely non-circular, and a discussion and pre-emption of objections to the construction in question.
Finite Elements and Fast Iterative Solvers
Authors: Elman Howard , Silvester David , Wathen Andy
Published: September 2014

The subject of this book is the efficient solution of partial differential equations (PDEs) that arise when modelling incompressible fluid flow. The first part (Chapters 1 through 5) covers the Poisson equation and the Stokes equations. For each PDE, there is a chapter concerned with finite element discretization and a companion chapter concerned with efficient iterative solution of the algebraic equations obtained from discretization. Chapter 5 describes the basics of PDE-constrained optimization. The second part of the book (Chapters 6 to 11) is a more advanced introduction to the numerical analysis of incompressible flows. It starts with four chapters on the convection–diffusion equation and the steady Navier–Stokes equations, organized by equation with a chapter describing discretization coupled with a companion concerned with iterative solution algorithms. The book concludes with two chapters describing discretization and solution methods for models of unsteady flow and buoyancy-driven flow.
Models of Incompressible Fluid Flow
Authors: Elman Howard C. , Silvester David J. , Wathen Andrew J.
Published: September 2014

This preliminary chapter gives a brief introduction to the equations studied in depth in the book, as they are used to model incompressible fluids.
Solution of Unsteady Navier–Stokes equations
Authors: Elman Howard C. , Silvester David J. , Wathen Andrew J.
Published: September 2014

This chapter concerns the numerical solution of time-dependent Navier–Stokes equations. The emphasis is on implicit time stepping in conjunction with adaptive time-step control and iterative solution of the linearized systems.
Solution of Models of Buoyancy-Driven Flow
Authors: Elman Howard C. , Silvester David J. , Wathen Andrew J.
Published: September 2014

This chapter concerns the numerical solution of the Boussinesq equations, which model buoyancy-driven flow. The focus is on implicit time-stepping methods and time-step control, together with iterative solution algorithms of the linearized systems.
Real-time feedback control of quantum optical input-output systems
Authors: Mabuchi H.
Published: September 2014

This chapter discusses a novel aspect of quantum control, namely quantum feedback. It explains the crucial distinction between measurement-based feedback and autonomous feedback. In the former, a detector performs a measurement of the variable to be controlled, and information passes from the quantum system to a classical system, which processes it to produce a correction signal sent to an actuator acting back on the quantum system. In the latter, the detector-processor-actuator part of the controller is another quantum system coupled to the controlled system, and no information need pass through classical channels. The chapter treats the useful formalism of the quantum stochastic master equation, a basic element of knowledge essential to the detailed understanding of measurement-based feedback, and the design of the filters for the corresponding controller. The autonomous aspect of quantum feedback is illustrated by a discussion of analog, continuous error correction of a qubit by quantum optics elements.
Micromechanics and superconducting circuits
Authors: Lehnert K. W.
Published: September 2014

This chapter presents the basic concepts of quantum electromechanics from the point of view of the impressive experiments performed at Boulder on suspended nano-membranes. In particular, it demonstrates how to treat cooling as autonomous quantum feedback, with electrostatic pressure used in the actuator role. It also gives a detailed account of the various facets of the remarkable phenomenon presented by the hybridization of mechanical and electromagnetic degrees of freedom.
Quantum Bayesian approach to circuit QED measurement
Authors: Korotkov A. N.
Published: September 2014

This chapter introduces a puzzling property of the monitoring of a qubit by a coherent signal traversing a cavity dispersively coupled to the qubit. If the measurement of the signal is done by a fully efficient phase-sensitive amplifier, no noise is added by the amplifier and the backaction of the amplifier on the qubit induces the Bloch vector of the latter to diffuse along a line of longitude. When the measurement of the signal is done by a fully efficient phase-preserving amplifier, extra noise of quantum origin is added by the amplifier owing to the presence of the idler port, but the state of the qubit remains pure, the backaction-induced diffusion of the Bloch vector now occurring on the entire Bloch sphere.
Distributional Implications of Climate Change in Rural India: A General Equilibrium Approach
Authors: Jacoby Hanan G. , Rabassa Mariano , Skoufias Emmanuel
Published: September 2014

We develop a general equilibrium framework, based on a specific‐factors trade model, to quantify the medium‐term household welfare impacts of global warming in rural India. Using an hedonic approach grounded in the theory combined with detailed microdata, we estimate that three decades of warming will reduce agricultural productivity in the range of 7%–13%, with the arid northwest of India especially hard hit. Our analysis shows that the proportional welfare cost of climate change is likely to be both modest and evenly distributed across percentiles of the per capita income distribution, but this latter conclusion emerges only when the flexibility of rural wages is taken into account.
A Welfare Criterion For Models With Distorted Beliefs*
Authors: Brunnermeier Markus K. , Simsek Alp , Xiong Wei
Published: September 2014

This article proposes a welfare criterion for economies in which agents have heterogeneously distorted beliefs. Instead of taking a stand on whose belief is correct, our criterion asserts that an allocation is belief-neutral efficient (inefficient) if it is efficient (inefficient) under any convex combination of agents’ beliefs. Although this criterion gives an incomplete ranking of social allocations, it can identify positive- and negative-sum speculation driven by conflicting beliefs in a broad range of economic environments.
Different tastes for different individuals
Authors: Fujikura Kohei
Published: September 2014

Individual taste differences were first reported in the first half of the 20th century, but the primary reasons for these differences have remained uncertain. Much of the taste variation among different mammalian species can be explained by pseudogenization of taste receptors. In this study, by analyzing 14 ethnically diverse populations, we investigated whether the most recent disruptions of taste receptor genes segregate with their intact forms. Our results revealed an unprecedented prevalence of segregating loss-of-function (LoF) taste receptor variants, identifying one of the most pronounced cases of functional population diversity in the human genome. LoF variant frequency (2.10%) was considerably higher than the overall mutation rate (0.16%), and many humans harbored varying numbers of critical mutations. In particular, molecular evolutionary rates of sour (14.7%) and bitter receptors (1.8%) were far higher in humans than those of sweet (0.02%), salty (0.05%), and umami (0.17%) receptors compared with other carnivorous mammals although not all of the taste receptors genes were identified. Many LoF variants are population-specific, some of which arose even after the population differentiation, but not before divergence of the modern and archaic (Neanderthal and Denisovan) human. Based on these findings, we conclude that modern humans might have been losing their taste receptor genes because of high-frequency LoF taste receptor variants. Finally I actually demonstrated the genetic testing of taste receptors from personal exome sequence.
The cost of falls
Authors: Tian Yang , Thompson James , Buck David
Published: September 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore the whole system cost of the care pathway for older people (aged 65-years old and over) admitted to hospitals as a result of falls in Torbay, a community of 131,000 in the southwest of England with a high proportion of older residents, over a two-year period.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper analysed patient-level linked acute hospital, community care and local authority-funded social care data to track patients’ care costs – for those patients admitted to an acute hospital due to their fall – in the 12 months before and after their fall.

Findings

– On average, the cost of hospital, community and social care services for each admitted for a fall were almost four times as much in the 12 months after admission, than the cost of the admission itself. Over the 12 months that followed admission for falls, costs were 70 per cent higher than in the 12 months before the fall. The most dramatic increase was in community health care costs (160 per cent), compared to a 37 per cent increase in social care costs and a 35 per cent increase in acute hospital care costs. For patients who had a minor fall and those who survived 12 months after the fall, the costs of care home services increased significantly; for patients with hip fracture, the costs of community care services increased significantly; for patients who did not survive 12 months after the fall, the cost of acute inpatient and community health visits increased significantly.

Originality/value

– This is the only study that has assessed the costs across the acute hospital, community care and social care pathway for this group of patients, in an English population. This will help commissioners and providers understand and develop better-integrated responses to frail elderly patients needs.
Integrated care communities: putting change theory into practice
Authors: Bradbury Elizabeth
Published: September 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to reflect on the experience of the Advancing Quality Alliance's (AQuA) regional Integrated Care Discovery Community created to translate integrated care theory into practice at scale and to test ways to address the system enablers of integrated care.

Design/methodology/approach

– Principles of flexibility, agility, credibility and scale influenced Community design. The theoretical framework drew on relevant complexity, learning community and change management theories. Co-designed with stakeholders, the discovery-based Community model incorporated emergent learning from change in complex adaptive environments and focused bespoke support on leadership capability building.

Findings

– In total, 19 health and social care economies participated. Kotter's eight-step change model proved flexible in conjunction with large-scale change theories. The tension between programme management, learning communities and the emergent nature of change in complex adaptive systems can be harnessed to inject pace and urgency. Mental models and simple rules were helpful in managing participant's desire for a directive approach in the context of a discovery programme.

Research limitations/implications

– This is a viewpoint from a regional improvement organisation in North West England.

Social implications

– The Discovery Community was a useful construct through which to rapidly develop multiple integrated health and social care economies. Flexible design and bespoke delivery is crucial in a complex adaptive environment. Capability building needs to be agile enough to meet the emergent needs of a changing workforce. Collaborative leadership has emerged as an area requiring particular attention.

Originality/value

– Learning from AQuA's approach may assist others in structuring large-scale integrated care or complex change initiatives.
Measurements of the elastic and anelastic properties of sandstone flooded with supercritical CO2
Authors: Mikhaltsevitch Vassily , Lebedev Maxim , Gurevich Boris
Published: September 2014

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of supercritical CO2 (scCO2) injection on the elastic and anelastic properties of sandstone at seismic and ultrasonic frequencies. We present the results of the low‐frequency and ultrasonic experiments conducted on water‐saturated sandstone (Donnybrook, Western Australia) flooded with scCO2. The sandstone was cut in the direction perpendicular to a formation bedding plane and tested in a Hoek triaxial pressure cell. During the experiments with scCO2, the low‐frequency and ultrasonic systems and the pump dispensing scCO2 were held at a temperature of 42°C. The elastic parameters obtained for the sandstone with scCO2 at seismic (0.1 Hz–100 Hz) and ultrasonic (∼0.5 MHz) frequencies are very close to those for the dry rock. The extensional attenuation was also measured at seismic frequencies for the dry, water‐saturated, and scCO2‐injected sandstones. The applicability of Gassmann's fluid substitution theory to obtained results was also tested during the experiments.
Burial stress and elastic strain of carbonate rocks
Authors: Fabricius Ida Lykke
Published: September 2014

Burial stress on a sediment or sedimentary rock is relevant for predicting compaction or failure caused by changes in, e.g., pore pressure in the subsurface. For this purpose, the stress is conventionally expressed in terms of its effect: “the effective stress” defined as the consequent elastic strain multiplied by the rock frame modulus. We cannot measure the strain directly in the subsurface, but from the data on bulk density and P‐wave velocity, we can estimate the rock frame modulus and Biot's coefficient and then calculate the “effective vertical stress” as the total vertical stress minus the product of pore pressure and Biot's coefficient. We can now calculate the elastic strain by dividing “effective stress” with the rock frame modulus. By this procedure, the degree of elastic deformation at a given time and depth can be directly expressed. This facilitates the discussion of the deformation mechanisms. The principle is illustrated by comparing carbonate sediments and sedimentary rocks from the North Sea Basin and three oceanic settings: a relatively shallow water setting dominated by coarse carbonate packstones and grainstones and two deep water settings dominated by fine‐grained carbonate mudstones and wackestones.
Experiences of the quality of care of women with near‐miss maternal morbidities in the UK
Authors: Hinton L , Locock L , Knight M
Published: September 2014

We undertook a qualitative interview study of women's and their partners’ experiences of severe pregnancy complications. Across the care pathway, women identified a number of examples of good practice that made an important difference to their recovery. There were some areas where women felt the quality of care could be improved, for example during points of transition between higher level and routine care or from hospital to the community. Longer‐term support and counselling were felt to be particularly valuable, and yet not always universally available. These results emphasise the importance of integrated quality care across the whole patient pathway.
Experiences with maternal and perinatal death reviews in the UK—the MBRRACE‐UK programme
Authors: Kurinczuk JJ , Draper ES , Field DJ , Bevan C , Brocklehurst P , Gray R , Kenyon S , Manktelow BN , Neilson JP , Redshaw M , Scott J , Shakespeare J , Smith LK , Knight M ,   on behalf of MBRRACE‐UK (Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audit and Confidential Enquiries across the UK)
Published: September 2014

Established in 1952, the programme of surveillance and Confidential Enquiries into Maternal Deaths in the UK is the longest running such programme worldwide. Although more recently instituted, surveillance and confidential enquiries into perinatal deaths are also now well established nationally. Recent changes to funding and commissioning of the Enquiries have enabled both a reinvigoration of the processes and improvements to the methodology with an increased frequency of future reporting. Close engagement with stakeholders and a regulator requirement for doctors to participate have both supported the impetus for involvement of all professionals leading to greater potential for improved quality of care for women and babies.
The experience of the implementation of perinatal audit in Moldova
Authors: Stratulat P , Curteanu A , Caraus T , Petrov V , Gardosi J
Published: September 2014

The Beyond the Numbers project in Moldova implemented perinatal mortality audit as a means to improve maternity and newborn care. Key activities for this project included training in audit, the setting up of audit committees, implementation of the review of cases and dissemination of information. During the project, a significant reduction was noted of perinatal deaths at term (from 37 weeks gestation and birthweight of ≥ 2500 g) by 1.5 per 1000; from 5.1 per 1000 in 2006 to 3.6 per 1000 in 2013.
Experiences with perinatal death reviews in South Africa—the Perinatal Problem Identification Programme: scaling up from programme to province to country
Authors: Rhoda NR , Greenfield D , Muller M , Prinsloo R , Pattinson RC , Kauchali S , Kerber K
Published: September 2014

The Perinatal Problem Identification Programme (PPIP) was designed and developed in South Africa as a facility audit tool for perinatal deaths. It has been used by only a few hospitals since the late 1990s, but since the country's commitment to achieve Millennium Development Goal 4—the use of PPIP is now mandatory for all facilities delivering pregnant mothers and caring for newborns. To date 588 sites, representing 73% of the deliveries captured by the District Health Information System for South Africa, provide data to the national database at the Medical Research Council Unit for Maternal and Infant Health Care Strategies in Pretoria.
First Asian record of Panthera (Leo) fossilis (Mammalia, Carnivora, Felidae) in the Early Pleistocene of Western Siberia, Russia
Authors: SOTNIKOVA Marina V. , FORONOVA Irina V.
Published: September 2014

A lion‐like pantherine felid is described as Panthera (Leo) fossilis from the late Early Pleistocene sediments of the Kuznetsk Basin (Western Siberia, Russia). The find of P. fossilis first recorded in Asia considerably extends the current notion of the eastward expansion of the most ancient lions. The Siberian lion is geologically the oldest form and is dimensionally among the largest members of the group of fossil lions on the Eurasian continent. Although known by mandibular remains only, it is readily distinguished from Panthera (Leo) spelaea by a heavy built mandibular corpus with rectangular profile in the cheek teeth area, a deep, well‐outlined and narrow anterior section of the masseteric fossa, and a large p4 supported by a big unreduced anterior root. The Siberian lion shares these features with the European Middle Pleistocene P. fossilis and the American Late Pleistocene P. (Leo) atrox, which suggests their close relationship. P. atrox originated from P. fossilis and was isolated in North America south of the Late Pleistocene ice sheets. This explains why the American lion has retained more primitive features than the coeval Eurasian cave lion P. (L.) spelaea.
Management implications of genetic studies for ex situ populations of three critically endangered Asian Gyps vultures
Authors: Ishtiaq F. , Prakash V. , Green R. E. , Johnson J.
Published: September 2014

Captive breeding and ex situ conservation have become important tools in species conservation programmes. The effectiveness of the management of captive populations can be hampered by the absence of pedigree data, but molecular markers can be used to inform conservation objectives and reduce inbreeding in the captive population. Using microsatellite markers, we examined the genetic diversity and relatedness among wild‐caught individuals of three critically endangered Asian vulture species, Gyps bengalensis, Gyps indicus and Gyps tenuirostris, populations established for captive breeding. Estimates of the inbreeding coefficient (f) were low, indicating that populations of all three species do not appear to be inbred. Moreover, the data show that a large proportion of wild‐taken birds were unrelated individuals (94.6, 87.1 and 85.3% in G. bengalensis, G. indicus and G. tenuirostris, respectively). No significant genetic differentiation (FST) was observed between historic and 2000/2001 populations of G. bengalensis in Pakistan and India. However, the more recent sampling (2002–2006) in Pakistan showed a significant difference from India. A genetic signal of a demographic bottleneck in all three species was found in some (M‐ratio test), but not all, tests (heterozygote excess and mode shift in allele frequencies). Levels of genetic diversity in G. bengalensis and G. indicus populations were comparable to levels prior to or soon after the start of their decline, respectively, suggesting that adequate numbers of birds exist in captivity for these two species and reflect neutral diversity levels observed in the wild. The genetic data obtained from this study allow us to minimize the loss of neutral genetic diversity in small wild and captive populations and to identify related pairs to avoid inbreeding depression.
Atrioventricular Block Precipitated by Isoproterenol
Authors: Barold S. Serge , De Wilde Hans E. , Timmers Liesbeth , Van Heuverswyn Frederic E. , Stroobandt Roland X.
Published: September 2014

An isoproterenol infusion was administered during an electrophysiologic study (EPS) in a patient with a history of near syncope, left bundle branch block, and no documented atrioventricular (AV) block. Isoproterenol precipitated classic 2:1 Infra‐Hisian AV block most probably proximal to the site of recording a His–Purkinje potential consistent with right bundle branch activity. Paroxysmal AV block also occurred during isoproterenol washout at a different site located distal to the presumed right bundle branch potential. Isoproterenol may be valuable diagnostically in an occasional patient suspected of AV block in whom an EPS is unrevealing and a drug challenge is negative.