bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prevalence, diagnosis and outcome of cleft lip with or without cleft palate in The Netherlands
Authors: Fleurke‐Rozema J. H. , van de Kamp K. , Bakker M. K. , Pajkrt E. , Bilardo C. M. , Snijders R. J. M.
Published: December 2015

Objective

To examine the accuracy and timing of diagnosis of fetal cleft lip with or without cleft palate (CL ± P) in the years following the introduction of a national screening program, and to assess the completeness and accuracy of information in The Netherlands Perinatal Registry.

Methods

A list was obtained of cases with a prenatal or postnatal diagnosis of CL ± P from two fetal medicine units between 2008 and 2012. All cases of CL ± P were included irrespective of the presence or absence of additional anomalies. Cases were included if the estimated date of delivery was between 1 January 2008 and 31 December 2012.

Results

During the study period, 330 cases of CL ± P were identified, with a prevalence of 15 per 10 000 pregnancies. The number of cases that were detected before 24 weeks' gestation increased during the study period, while the rate of termination of pregnancy did not change significantly (P = 0.511). CL ± P was isolated in 217 (66%) cases and karyotype was abnormal in 69 (21%) cases. In 5% of the cases in which CL ± P seemed to be isolated during the 18–23‐week anomaly scan, postnatal array comparative genomic hybridization (array‐CGH) revealed an abnormal karyotype and 50% of these cases had major additional anomalies. Examination of data from The Netherlands Perinatal Registry demonstrated that in 37% of cases CL±P was not recorded in the pregnancy records.

Conclusion

CL ± P is increasingly being diagnosed prenatally, without a significant effect on the rate of pregnancy termination. Further improvement in the diagnostic accuracy may be achieved by advocating prenatal array‐CGH to reduce the frequency of unexpected anomalies being diagnosed after birth. It is important that healthcare providers register accurately the presence or absence of anomalies in the birth records to ensure that, in the future, data from The Netherlands Perinatal Registry can be relied upon to monitor prevalence. Copyright © 2015 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Structure and Magnetic Investigation of a Series of Rare Earth Heterospin Monometallic Compounds of Nitronyl Nitroxide Radical
Authors: Wang Yuxiao , Fan Zhe , Yin Xiaoying , Wang Shuping , Yang Shutao , Zhang Jianjun , Geng Lina , Shi Shikao
Published: December 2015

Five rare earth heterospin complexes [Ln(hfac)3(NITptBuPh)2], [LnIII = Eu (1), Tb (2), Dy (3), Ho (4), Er (5)] (hfac = hexafluoroacetylacetonate), were synthesized with the radical ligand NITptBuPh [2‐(4′‐tert‐butylphenyl)‐4, 4,5, 5‐tetramethylimidazoline‐1‐oxyl‐3‐oxide]. These complexes exhibit similar structures. All of them crystallize in the monoclinic space group P21/c, and consist of discrete mononuclear molecules. The central LnIII ion is eight‐coordinate with a distorted dodecahedral environment. The NITptBuPh radical acts as monodentate ligand towards LnIII ion through the NO group. The magnetic studies suggested weak antiferromagnetic interactions between LnIII ion and radicals in 1, 3, 4, and 5, but weak ferromagnetic interaction in 2.
Results of a Fifteen‐Year Follow‐up Program in Patients Operated with Unilateral Neck Exploration for Primary Hyperparathyroidism
Authors: Thier Mark , Nordenström Erik , Almquist Martin , Bergenfelz Anders
Published: December 2015

Background

Since the introduction of unilateral parathyroidectomy for primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT) it has been debated wherever this approach is associated with greater long‐term risk for recurrence compared to bilateral neck exploration.

Methods

This is a prospective study based on a structured 15‐year follow‐up program in patients with non‐hereditary, sporadic pHPT, undergoing first time surgery with unilateral or focused neck exploration (unilateral procedures), with the use of intraoperative PTH (iOPTH) between 1989 and 2010.

Results

292 patients were analyzed. The median age of the patients was 66 years [interquartile range (IQR) 57–75], and 234 (80.4 %) were female. The median preoperative level of total calcium was 2.74 mmol/L (IQR 2.63–2.85 mmol/L) and the median PTH level was 10 pmol/L (IQR 7.4–14 pmol/L). The median follow‐up time was 5 years (IQR 1–10 years). Some 275 patients were followed for 1 year (94.2 %/275 person‐years/5 patients deceased), 164 for 5 years (56.2 %/820 person‐years/31 patients deceased), 70 for 10 years (24.0 %/700 patient‐years/57 patients deceased) and 51 (17.5 %/765 patient‐years/69 patients deceased) for 15 years after surgery. Three patients (1.1 %) had signs of persistent disease. One patient recurred in pHPT at 5 years postoperatively during 15 years of follow‐up. Histopathology indicated solitary parathyroid adenoma at primary surgery.

Conclusion

Patients with pHPT operated with unilateral procedures and iOPTH, had a low risk for long‐term recurrence during a 15 years follow‐up program.
Environmental conditions at arrival to the wintering grounds and during spring migration affect population dynamics of barn swallowsHirundo rusticabreeding in Northern Italy
Authors: Sicurella Beatrice , Musitelli Federica , Rubolini Diego , Saino Nicola , Ambrosini Roberto
Published: December 2015

Several populations of long‐distance migratory birds are currently suffering steep demographic declines. The identification of the causes of such declines is difficult because population changes may be driven by events occurring in distant geographical areas during different phases of the annual life‐cycle of migrants. Furthermore, wintering areas and migration routes of populations of small‐sized species are still largely unknown, with few exceptions. In this paper we identified the critical phases of the annual life‐cycle that most influence the population dynamics of a small passerine, the Barn SwallowHirundo rustica.We used information on temporal dynamics of a population breeding in Northern Italy, whose wintering range and timing of migration have been recently described by miniaturised tracking dataloggers. Our results indicated that primary productivity in the wintering grounds in the month when most individuals arrive from autumn migration and primary productivity in an area that is probably a stopover site during spring migration, influenced population dynamics more than habitat conditions at the breeding grounds. By using annual variation in primary productivity at the wintering grounds and stopover sites as predictors, we replicated the observed interannual population changes with great accuracy. However, the steep decline recently suffered by the population could be replicated only by including a constant annual decline in the model, suggesting that changes in primary productivity only predicted the interannual variation around the long‐term trend. Our study therefore suggests the existence of critical periods during wintering and migration that may have large impact on population fluctuations of migrant birds.
Complete Hydatidiform Mole with Co-existing Live Fetus: A Case Series
Authors: Ahmed Maimoona , Kolar Geeta , Vavilala Suseela , Jaiman Sunil
Published: December 2015

This review was undertaken to evaluate the maternal and fetal risk associated with complete hydatidiform mole with co-existing fetus (CHMF) and to assess the feasibility for continuing such pregnancies. Twin gestations with CHMF were reviewed from the hospital database from 2005 to 2014 at our center. Diagnosis was based on ultrasonography and confirmed post-delivery, histopathologically. Amniocentesis for karyotype was done for the live fetuses. Serum β-hCG levels were followed till they normalized. Six cases of CHMF were salvaged from the archives. Three had live normal babies (50 %), pregnancy was terminated in two cases for excessive bleeding (33.3 %) and one miscarried (16.7 %). One fetus exhibited 47, XXY Klinefelter syndrome while rest showed normal karyotype. Two patients required blood transfusion, one was complicated with severe pre-eclampsia whereas none showed gestational trophoblastic neoplasm. CHMF is a rare condition that can be diagnosed by ultrasonography. Continuation of such a pregnancy is an acceptable option and expectant management instead of therapeutic abortion can be pursued after weighing the possibility of fetal survival against maternal risk. Counseling of the couple and family plays a crucial role. Associated spectrum of maternal and fetal complications mandates close pre- and post-natal surveillance.
Juliet Got It Wrong: Conversion and the Politics of Naming in Kumaon, ca. 1850–1930
Authors: Joshi Sanjay
Published: December 2015

Through the historicization of one episode, this essay addresses a variety of questions related to class, caste, gender, religion, and social life as well as cultural attitudes in Kumaon between the mid-nineteenth and mid-twentieth centuries. The politics of naming—who among the Christian converts of Almora changed their names and who retained their pre-conversion names—is central to this essay. Behind each name retained or changed was a story. The essay juxtaposes many different stories drawn from a variety of sources—missionary records, nationalist sources, fiction, and families' own archives. Rather than place these stories into the better-known master narratives of colonialism and nationalism or even of religion and conversion, this essay tries to highlight issues that are much more local and contextual yet resonate with concerns of other people and places. Through historicizing the local and the everyday, I argue for not conflating the ordinary and the mundane with the trivial or the unimportant. Touching on themes common to different parts of Asia, this essay highlights local histories of a region often neglected in the history of the subcontinent.
The Surprising Democratic Behemoth: Indonesia in Comparative Asian Perspective
Authors: Aspinall Edward
Published: December 2015

Indonesia stands out as one of the most successful cases of democratic transformation in Asia, a continent that has been, with several notable exceptions, generally resistant to democratic change over the last three decades. Taking its cue from other Asian democracies, this article considers the degree to which economic modernization and ethnic factors might account for Indonesia's relative democratic success. With regard to both, it is proposed that a key factor has been the failure of Indonesia's political cleavage structure to express social conflicts that might undermine democracy. Instead, Indonesia's democratic model has been based on an inclusionary elite settlement in which powerful political and economic actors have gained a stake in the system, largely through access to patronage. This settlement has consolidated Indonesian democracy, but it has also generated costs that have been borne by relatively disempowered groups, reflected in continuing economic and gender inequality.
Development as Entangled Knot: The Case of the Slaughter Renunciation Movement in Tibet, China
Authors: (Kabzung) Gaerrang
Published: December 2015

A common conceptualization of development as a binary relationship between trustees and target groups is inadequate. This article proposes the metaphor of development as an entangled cultural knot, constituted by multiple power relations. It uses this concept to analyze a recent slaughter renunciation movement, in which some leading Tibetan Nyingma masters from Larung Gar have suggested that Tibetan herders give up selling their livestock to the slaughter market for religious reasons. The movement reflects an alternative form of development articulated by several leading Tibetan Buddhist teachers, particularly Khenpo Tsultrim Lodroe, yet it goes against the state project of developing the yak meat industry. This movement has been criticized not only by state officials, but also by secular Tibetan intellectuals, as well as by herders. This article argues that the complex relationships among Tibetan Nyingma teachers, state officials, Tibetan secularists, and herders; their shared and competing interests; and the apparently contradictory positions they take on various issues require a much more sophisticated conceptual tool than the simple dichotomous conceptualization of development.
Democracy with Asian Characteristics
Authors: Thompson Mark R.
Published: December 2015

In the last three decades, a number of Asian thinkers supportive of, or opposed to, authoritarian rule have developed culture-based theories of democracy that challenge, or buttress, a liberal, “Western” understanding of democratic rule. The most famous expression was the “Asian values” discourse of government-linked intellectuals in Singapore and Malaysia, but there has also been a “political Confucianist” critique of “Western democracy” in China as well as claims that only “Thai-style democracy” is appropriate in Thailand. Less well known is a pro-democratic stance in Asia rooted in the region's major religious traditions. These apparently contradictory discourses have been dialectically related in the post–Cold War era: authoritarian rulers reacted to universalist claims about democracy with assertions of cultural particularism which, in turn, triggered a reaction by Asian democrats who pointed to the liberal character of world religions practiced in the region. While the civilizational critique of “Western” democracy (the origins of which can be traced to Imperial Germany and Meiji Japan) has contributed to democratic decline in the region, there has also been push back by offering an interpretation based on East Asia's major religious traditions to show that “Asian values” are not incompatible with democracy.
Stellarator design
Authors: Boozer Allen H.
Published: December 2015

This paper is dedicated to Vitaly Shafranov, who became increasingly interested in stellarators. Stellarators have a steady-state magnetic configuration, robust positional stability, and consistency with a plasma current below the level at which runaway electrons become a major issue. The development path for stellarators may be faster and cheaper than for tokamaks: stellarators are amenable to computer design validated by moderate scale experiments to circumvent issues that impede fusion development. This is distinct from the empirical explorations required to find an acceptable nonlinear, self-organized state of a tokamak. Fusion plasmas can be designed and controlled in stellarators in ways that are not possible in tokamaks. This paper outlines computational studies that could be carried at low cost during the next few years that would clarify the reactor potential of the stellarator and are needed for rational planning of the fusion program.
Performing Marriage: A Doll's House and Its Reconstructions in Fin-de-Siècle London
Authors: Christian Mary
Published: December 2015

Actress Elizabeth Robins, encountering Ibsen's Doll's House for the first time in a Novelty Theatre performance in June 1889, was thrilled by both the boldness of the play's ideology and the emotional power of the characters and the acting. The one element with which she found fault in the production, however, was Nora's tarantella, which she described nearly forty years later as “a piece of theatricalism, Ibsen's one concession to the effect-hunting that he had come to deliver us from.” William Archer and Harley Granville-Barker concurred with Robins's assessment, criticizing Nora's dance as the play's “flawed streak,” as “a theatrical effect, of an obvious, unmistakable kind” and “Ibsen's last concession to … the theatrical orthodoxy of his earlier years.” The tarantella, they agreed, was an embarrassing irrelevance, a crowd-pleasing distraction from the play's serious brainwork, simply an opportunity for the lead actress to display her agility and her well-shaped legs.
Private Schools and the Provision of ‘Public Benefit’
Authors: WILDE RACHEL J , GREEN FRANCIS , TAYLOR-GOOBY PETER , WIBORG SUSANNE
Published: December 2015

Legislative changes and a recent court ruling allow private schools in England and Wales to determine how to provide the public benefits required to justify their charitable status. We investigate how private school headteachers and other informed stakeholders perceive their public benefit objectives and obligations. We find that schools interpret public beneficiaries widely to include one or more of state school pupils, local communities, other charities, and general society through raising socially responsible adults. Private schools pursue their own goals through public benefit provision, and balance the advantages of public benefit activities against the costs. The schools are not constrained by the ‘more than tokenistic’ minimum set by the regulator. The findings highlight the difficulties faced by governments who seek to pursue redistributive educational policies through charitable law.
Perspectives on bilingual children's narratives elicited with the Multilingual Assessment Instrument for Narratives
Authors: PESCO DIANE , KAY-RAINING BIRD ELIZABETH
Published: December 2015

This Special Issue is all about the stories of children: preschool- and school-age children; bilingual and monolingual children; children developing typically or identified as having a specific language impairment (SLI); and children speaking and experiencing one or more of the following languages: English, Finnish, German, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Russian, Slovak, Swedish, and Turkish in minority or majority language contexts. The stories are fictional ones, about baby birds and baby goats, a cat and a dog: a cast of characters the reader will come to know well as they read the Introduction (Gagarina, Klop, Tsimpli, & Walters, 2016) and individual articles. They were collected using a new narrative assessment tool that is common to all the articles within the issue: the Language Impairment Testing in Multilingual Settings—Multilingual Assessment Instrument for Narratives (LITMUS-MAIN; Gagarina et al., 2012, 2015), described at some length by its developers in the Introduction to the Special Issue.
Narrative abilities in early successive bilingual Slovak–English children: A cross-language comparison
Authors: KAPALKOVÁ SVETLANA , POLIŠENSKÁ KAMILA , MARKOVÁ LENKA , FENTON JAMES
Published: December 2015

This study investigates macrostructure skill transfer in successive bilingual children speaking Slovak and English, a new language combination for narrative research. We examined whether narrative performance reflected language dominance and assessed relationships between nonword repetition (NWR) and narrative skills within and across languages. Forty typically developing Slovak–English bilingual children (mean age = 5 years, 10 months) were evaluated for microstructure and macrostructure performance in both languages through story telling and retelling tasks. In addition, NWR was assessed in Slovak, the children's first language (L1). Macrostructure scores were higher in their L1 than in their second language (L2), but comprehension did not differ across languages. L1 NWR was significantly related to L1 microstructure scores, but not to L1/L2 macrostructure or L2 microstructure. Implications for assessing bilingual children's language are discussed.
Narrative production in monolingual and bilingual children with specific language impairment
Authors: TSIMPLI IANTHI MARIA , PERISTERI ELENI , ANDREOU MARIA
Published: December 2015

The aim of this study was to identify potential clinical markers of specific language impairment (SLI) in bilingual children with SLI by using the Greek version of the Multilingual Assessment Instrument for Narratives. Twenty-one Greek-speaking monolingual and 15 bilingual children with SLI participated, along with monolingual (N = 21) and bilingual (N = 15) age-matched children with typical development. Results showed differences between typically development children and children with SLI in microstructure, while bilingual children with SLI were found to attain similar levels of performance, and even to outperform monolingual children with SLI, in macrostructure. It is suggested that the retelling coding scheme could permit differential diagnosis of SLI among bilingual children within the scope of narrative assessment.
English and international students in China today
Authors: Botha Werner
Published: December 2015

China has since 2000 started marketing itself as a hub for international education, and there has been a push by the government to attract a large number of foreign students to the country's universities. Sharma (2011) reported that there were around 260,000 foreign students studying in China's universities, and that the aim of the Ministry of Education was to attract around 500,000 foreign students by 2020. However, as China is a so-called ‘emerging destination’ for foreign students, perhaps not surprisingly, the vast majority - around two-thirds - of its foreign student population is currently from the Asia region (Study in China, 2012). Although the largest number of foreign students in China study Chinese language programs, an increasing number are attracted by such programs as engineering and medicine. These courses are also being promoted as English-medium programs, with whole degree programs offered from undergraduate to postgraduate levels in English. Little research has been carried out on how these programs are being conducted, the reception of these programs by foreign students in China, and the impact this is having on China's universities. The attraction of international students to China's higher education institutions would no doubt alter the dynamics of language use on these university campuses. This article reports on the reception and use of English by foreign university students in one such international degree program: international undergraduate students studying for a degree in Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) in the School of Medicine of one of China's leading universities. This case study provides an example of how English-medium instruction programs are currently being used to attract foreign students to China's universities, partly in order for these universities to promote themselves as ‘international’ institutions (see also Botha, 2014; and Bolton and Botha, 2015).
Lower semi-continuity for non-coercive polyconvex integrals in the limit case
Authors: De Philippis G. , Di Marino S. , Focardi M.
Published: December 2015

Lower semi-continuity results for polyconvex functionals of the calculus of variations along sequences of maps u: Ω ⊂ ℝn → ℝm in W1,m, 2 ⩽ m⩽ n, weakly converging in W1,m-1, are established. In addition, for m = n + 1, we also consider the autonomous case for weakly converging maps in W1,n-1.
The moderating role of parenting on the relationship between psychopathy and antisocial behavior in adolescence
Authors: Silva Teresa C. , Stattin Håkan
Published: December 2015

We aimed to analyze the impact of several parenting factors on the relationship between psychopathy and antisocial behavior. Nine hundred youths and their mothers reported on parent–youth interactions, and youth self-report measures of psychopathy, delinquency and violent behavior were taken. Multiple regression was used to test for the significance of interactions between parenting and psychopathy scores. In terms of delinquency, linear interactions between psychopathy and the level of conflict with parents and parents' knowledge of their youths' whereabouts/youths' willingness to disclose information were found based on the data reported by the youths. Data reported by mothers indicated a linear interaction between psychopathy and parents' knowledge/youth disclosure, and a quadratic interaction of conflict with parents. For violence, we used logistic regression models to analyze moderation. No interaction effects between psychopahy scores and parenting factors were found. Youths' reports of high conflict with parents and parents' knowledge/youth disclosure showed to have an impact on violence regardless of the level of psychopathic traits. Implications for the prevention and treatment are discussed.
DOES FREE WILL EXIST?
Authors: Johnson David Kyle
Published: December 2015

In ‘Do Souls Exist’, I suggested that, while the non-existence of the soul does threaten free will, the threat it possess is inconsequential. Free will faces so many other hurdles that, if those were overcome, the soul's non-existence would be a non-threat. In this paper, I establish this; and to do so, I define the common libertarian notion of free will, and show how neuroscience, determinism, indeterminism, theological belief, axioms in logic, and even Einstein's theory of relativity each entail that libertarian free will does not exist. I conclude by demonstrating why some philosophers reject alternate (compatibilist) understandings of free will, and so believe that the notion we are free is an illusion.
THE TWO-WAY DOOMSDAY MACHINE
Authors: Le Poidevin Robin
Published: December 2015

A thought experiment invites us to examine our intuitive beliefs about the reality of the past, the reality of the future, and our capacity to affect either, and provides a test of our attitudes towards life. Given an inescapable choice and extraordinary power, would it be our duty to destroy the whole of reality, both past and future?
BELIEF AND EVIDENCE, AND HOW IT MAY AID REFLECTION CONCERNING CHARLIE HEBDO
Authors: Watson Brenda
Published: December 2015

Starting from support for James's critique of Clifford's dictum, the article argues for holding beliefs, whether secular or religious, firmly but provisionally, remaining open to fresh experience. This consideration prompts reflection on the debate following the attack on Charlie Hebdo. Alternative beliefs were opposing each other with seemingly equal certainty. The justification for insistence on the right to free speech itself requires scrutiny. The article finishes by noting the baleful effects of the intellectual apartheid which has tended to be practised in the West which presumes that religion and reason have nothing to do with each other.
Destructive Obedience Without Pressure
Authors: Mermillod Martial , Marchand Victorien , Lepage Johan , Begue Laurent , Dambrun Michael
Published: December 2015

Abstract. Studies on obedience to authority highlight the power of the situation by showing how an experimental setting can trap participants and force them to commit acts contrary to their values ( Bocchiaro & Zimbardo, 2010 ). The source of obedience has generally been represented by an institutional scientific authority. In the present experiment, we tested a more widespread form of authority: a managerial authority implemented in the form of an administrative violence paradigm ( Meeus & Raaijmakers, 1986 ). Specifically, we compared two forms of authority: obedience to authority as manipulated by Meeus and Raaijmakers (1986) , where the requests are made in an authoritarian manner, and compliance without pressure, where the participant is told that he is free to do what is requested ( Enzle & Harvey, 1982 ). The results illustrate that a substantial level of obedience can be elicited even in the absence of explicit authoritarian pressure.
Apoptotic cell clearance of Leishmania major-infected neutrophils by dendritic cells inhibits CD8+ T-cell priming in vitro by Mer tyrosine kinase-dependent signaling
Authors: Ribeiro-Gomes F L , Romano A , Lee S , Roffê E , Peters N C , Debrabant A , Sacks D
Published: December 2015

Neutrophils are the predominant recruited and infected cells during the early stages of Leishmania major infection in the skin, and depletion of neutrophils promotes immunity to infection transmitted by sand fly bite. In order to better understand how the acute neutrophilic response suppresses immunity, we assessed the consequences of the interaction between neutrophils recovered from the skin-inoculation site and bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (DCs) in vitro. The capture of infected, apoptotic neutrophils by the DCs completely inhibited their cross-presentation function that was dependent on engagement of the receptor tyrosine kinase Mer on the DCs. The capture of uninfected neutrophils, or neutrophils infected with Toxoplasma gondii, had only slight immunomodulatory effects. These studies define the clearance of infected, apoptotic neutrophils by DCs and Mer receptor signaling as central to the early immune evasion strategies of L. major, with relevance to other vector-borne pathogens delivered by bite to the skin.
A CDC42EP4/septin-based perisynaptic glial scaffold facilitates glutamate clearance
Authors: Ageta-Ishihara Natsumi , Yamazaki Maya , Konno Kohtarou , Nakayama Hisako , Abe Manabu , Hashimoto Kenji , Nishioka Tomoki , Kaibuchi Kozo , Hattori Satoko , Miyakawa Tsuyoshi , Tanaka Kohichi , Huda Fathul , Hirai Hirokazu , Hashimoto Kouichi , Watanabe Masahiko , Sakimura Kenji , Kinoshita Makoto
Published: December 2015

The small GTPase-effector proteins CDC42EP1-5/BORG1–5 interact reciprocally with CDC42 or the septin cytoskeleton. Here we show that, in the cerebellum, CDC42EP4 is exclusively expressed in Bergmann glia and localizes beneath specific membrane domains enwrapping dendritic spines of Purkinje cells. CDC42EP4 forms complexes with septin hetero-oligomers, which interact with a subset of glutamate transporter GLAST/EAAT1. In Cdc42ep4−/− mice, GLAST is dissociated from septins and is delocalized away from the parallel fibre-Purkinje cell synapses. The excitatory postsynaptic current exhibits a protracted decay time constant, reduced sensitivity to a competitive inhibitor of the AMPA-type glutamate receptors (γDGG) and excessive baseline inward current in response to a subthreshold dose of a nonselective inhibitor of the glutamate transporters/EAAT1–5 (DL-TBOA). Insufficient glutamate-buffering/clearance capacity in these mice manifests as motor coordination/learning defects, which are aggravated with subthreshold DL-TBOA. We propose that the CDC42EP4/septin-based glial scaffold facilitates perisynaptic localization of GLAST and optimizes the efficiency of glutamate-buffering and clearance.
Humidity trends imply increased sensitivity to clouds in a warming Arctic
Authors: Cox Christopher J. , Walden Von P. , Rowe Penny M. , Shupe Matthew D.
Published: December 2015

Infrared radiative processes are implicated in Arctic warming and sea-ice decline. The infrared cloud radiative effect (CRE) at the surface is modulated by cloud properties; however, CRE also depends on humidity because clouds emit at wavelengths that are semi-transparent to greenhouse gases, most notably water vapour. Here we show how temperature and humidity control CRE through competing influences between the mid- and far-infrared. At constant relative humidity, CRE does not decrease with increasing temperature/absolute humidity as expected, but rather is found to be approximately constant for temperatures characteristic of the Arctic. This stability is disrupted if relative humidity varies. Our findings explain observed seasonal and regional variability in Arctic CRE of order 10 W m−2. With the physical properties of Arctic clouds held constant, we calculate recent increases in CRE of 1–5 W m−2 in autumn and winter, which are projected to reach 5–15 W m−2 by 2050, implying increased sensitivity of the surface to clouds.
Presynaptic hyperpolarization induces a fast analogue modulation of spike-evoked transmission mediated by axonal sodium channels
Authors: Rama Sylvain , Zbili Mickaël , Bialowas Andrzej , Fronzaroli-Molinieres Laure , Ankri Norbert , Carlier Edmond , Marra Vincenzo , Debanne Dominique
Published: December 2015

In the mammalian brain, synaptic transmission usually depends on presynaptic action potentials (APs) in an all-or-none (or digital) manner. Recent studies suggest, however, that subthreshold depolarization in the presynaptic cell facilitates spike-evoked transmission, thus creating an analogue modulation of a digital process (or analogue–digital (AD) modulation). At most synapses, this process is slow and not ideally suited for the fast dynamics of neural networks. We show here that transmission at CA3–CA3 and L5–L5 synapses can be enhanced by brief presynaptic hyperpolarization such as an inhibitory postsynaptic potential (IPSP). Using dual soma–axon patch recordings and live imaging, we find that this hyperpolarization-induced AD facilitation (h-ADF) is due to the recovery from inactivation of Nav channels controlling AP amplitude in the axon. Incorporated in a network model, h-ADF promotes both pyramidal cell synchrony and gamma oscillations. In conclusion, cortical excitatory synapses in local circuits display hyperpolarization-induced facilitation of spike-evoked synaptic transmission that promotes network synchrony.
Multitrophic diversity in a biodiverse forest is highly nonlinear across spatial scales
Authors: Schuldt Andreas , Wubet Tesfaye , Buscot François , Staab Michael , Assmann Thorsten , Böhnke-Kammerlander Martin , Both Sabine , Erfmeier Alexandra , Klein Alexandra-Maria , Ma Keping , Pietsch Katherina , Schultze Sabrina , Wirth Christian , Zhang Jiayong , Zumstein Pascale , Bruelheide Helge
Published: December 2015

Subtropical and tropical forests are biodiversity hotspots, and untangling the spatial scaling of their diversity is fundamental for understanding global species richness and conserving biodiversity essential to human well-being. However, scale-dependent diversity distributions among coexisting taxa remain poorly understood for heterogeneous environments in biodiverse regions. We show that diversity relations among 43 taxa—including plants, arthropods and microorganisms—in a mountainous subtropical forest are highly nonlinear across spatial scales. Taxon-specific differences in β-diversity cause under- or overestimation of overall diversity by up to 50% when using surrogate taxa such as plants. Similar relationships may apply to half of all (sub)tropical forests—including major biodiversity hotspots—where high environmental heterogeneity causes high biodiversity and species turnover. Our study highlights that our general understanding of biodiversity patterns has to be improved—and that much larger areas will be required than in better-studied lowland forests—to reliably estimate biodiversity distributions and devise conservation strategies for the world’s biodiverse regions.
A mirrorless spinwave resonator
Authors: Pinel Olivier , Everett Jesse L. , Hosseini Mahdi , Campbell Geoff T. , Buchler Ben C. , Lam Ping Koy
Published: December 2015

Optical resonance is central to a wide range of optical devices and techniques. In an optical cavity, the round-trip length and mirror reflectivity can be chosen to optimize the circulating optical power, linewidth and free-spectral range (FSR) for a given application. In this paper we show how an atomic spinwave system, with no physical mirrors, can behave in a manner that is analogous to an optical cavity. We demonstrate this similarity by characterising the build-up and decay of the resonance in the time domain and measuring the effective optical linewidth and FSR in the frequency domain. Our spinwave is generated in a 20 cm long Rb gas cell, yet it facilitates an effective FSR of 83 kHz, which would require a round-trip path of 3.6 km in a free-space optical cavity. Furthermore, the spinwave coupling is controllable enabling dynamic tuning of the effective cavity parameters.
Polymorphisms of BCL2 and BAX Genes Associate with Outcomes in Advanced Non-small cell lung cancer Patients treated with platinum-based Chemotherapy
Authors: Peng Yu , Wang Linang , Qing Yi , Li Chongyi , Ren Tao , Li Qing , Li Mengxia , Zhang Shiheng , Shan Jinglu , Wang Ge , Yang Zhenzhou , Wang Dong
Published: December 2015

Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) of the gene belonging to the BCL2 family are thought to play a role in chemotherapy resistance. This study investigated the association of BCL2-938C>A(rs2279115) and BAX-248G>A(rs4645878) promoter region SNPs and the clinical responses and outcomes of 235 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients treated with platinum-based chemotherapy. The data suggested that BAX-248GA and GA+AA genotype was associated with poor response [odds ratio (OR) 1.943, p = 0.039; OR 1.867, p = 0.038, respectively] to chemotherapy and BCL2-938CA, CA+AA and BAX-248GA, AA and GA+AA were associated with poor progression-free survival (PFS) [hazard ratio (HR) 1.514, p = 0.004; HR 1.456, p = 0.009; HR 1.449, p = 0.013; HR 2.006, p = 0.010; HR 1.506, p = 0.003, respectively] and BCL2-938CA, AA and CA+AA and BAX-248GA, AA and GA+AA were associated with poor overall survival (OS) (HR 2.006, p < 0.001; HR 2.322, p < 0.001; HR 2.096, p < 0.001; HR 1.632, p = 0.001; HR 2.014, p = 0.010; HR 1.506, p < 0.001, respectively). Furthermore, combination of these two polymorphisms showed patients with 2–4 variant alleles of these two genes associated with poor PFS and OS (HR 1.637, p = 0.001; HR 2.365, p < 0.001). The data from the current study provide evidence that BCL2-938C>A and BAX-248G>A polymorphisms may be useful in predicting clinical outcomes of patients with advanced inoperable NSCLC to platinum-based chemotherapy.
PTEN stabilizes TOP2A and regulates the DNA decatenation
Authors: Kang Xi , Song Chang , Du Xiao , Zhang Cong , Liu Yu , Liang Ling , He Jinxue , Lamb Kristy , Shen Wen H. , Yin Yuxin
Published: December 2015

PTEN is a powerful tumor suppressor that antagonizes the cytoplasmic PI3K-AKT pathway and suppresses cellular proliferation. PTEN also plays a role in the maintenance of genomic stability in the nucleus. Here we report that PTEN facilitates DNA decatenation and controls a decatenation checkpoint. Catenations of DNA formed during replication are decatenated by DNA topoisomerase II (TOP2) and this process is actively monitored by a decatenation checkpoint in G2 phase. We found that PTEN deficient cells form ultra-fine bridges (UFBs) during anaphase and these bridges are generated as a result of insufficient decatenation. We show that PTEN is physically associated with a decatenation enzyme TOP2A and that PTEN influences its stability through OTUD3 deubiquitinase. In the presence of PTEN, ubiquitination of TOP2A is inhibited by OTUD3. Deletion or deficiency of PTEN leads to down regulation of TOP2A, dysfunction of the decatenation checkpoint and incomplete DNA decatenation in G2 and M phases. We propose that PTEN controls DNA decatenation to maintain genomic stability and integrity.
Antagonism of Nav channels and α1-adrenergic receptors contributes to vascular smooth muscle effects of ranolazine
Authors: Virsolvy Anne , Farah Charlotte , Pertuit Nolwenn , Kong Lingyan , Lacampagne Alain , Reboul Cyril , Aimond Franck , Richard Sylvain
Published: December 2015

Ranolazine is a recently developed drug used for the treatment of patients with chronic stable angina. It is a selective inhibitor of the persistent cardiac Na+ current (INa) and is known to reduce the Na+-dependent Ca2+ overload that occurs in cardiomyocytes during ischemia. Vascular effects of ranolazine, such as vasorelaxation,have been reported and may involve multiple pathways. As voltage-gated Na+ channels (Nav) present in arteries play a role in contraction, we hypothesized that ranolazine could target these channels. We studied the effects of ranolazine in vitro on cultured aortic smooth muscle cells (SMC) and ex vivo on rat aortas in conditions known to specifically activate or promote INa. We observed that in the presence of the Nav channel agonist veratridine, ranolazine inhibited INa and intracellular Ca2+ calcium increase in SMC and arterial vasoconstriction. In arterial SMC, ranolazine inhibited the activity of tetrodotoxin-sensitive voltage-gated Nav channels and thus antagonized contraction promoted by low KCl depolarization. Furthermore, the vasorelaxant effects of ranolazine, also observed in human arteries and independent of the endothelium, involved antagonization of the α1-adrenergic receptor. Combined α1-adrenergic antagonization and inhibition of SMCs Nav channels could be involved in the vascular effects of ranolazine.
RETRACTED ARTICLE: Acupuncture elicits neuroprotective effect by inhibiting NAPDH oxidase-mediated reactive oxygen species production in cerebral ischaemia
Authors: Shi Guang-Xia , Wang Xue-Rui , Yan Chao-Qun , He Tian , Yang Jing-Wen , Zeng Xiang-Hong , Xu Qian , Zhu Wen , Du Si-Qi , Liu Cun-Zhi
Published: December 2015

In the current study, we aimed to investigate whether NADPH oxidase, a major ROS-producing enzyme, was involved in the antioxidant effect of acupuncture on cognitive impairment after cerebral ischaemia. The cognitive function, infract size, neuron cell loss, level of superoxide anion and expression of NADPH oxidase subunit in hippocampus of two-vessel occlusion (2VO) rats were determined after 2-week acupuncture. Furthermore, the cognitive function and production of O2− were determined in the presence and absence of NADPH oxidase agonist (TBCA) and antagonist (Apocynin). The effect of acupuncture on cognitive function after cerebral ischaemia in gp91phox-KO mice was evaluated by Morris water maze. Acupuncture reduced infarct size, attenuated overproduction of O2− and reversed consequential cognitive impairment and neuron cell loss in 2VO rats. The elevations of gp91phox and p47phox after 2VO were significantly decreased after acupuncture treatment. However, no differences of gp91phox mRNA were found among any experimental groups. Furthermore, these beneficial effects were reversed by TBCA, whereas apocynin mimicked the effect of acupuncture by improving cognitive function and decreasing O2− generation. Acupuncture failed to improve the memory impairment in gp91phox KO mice. Full function of the NADPH oxidase enzyme plays an important role in neuroprotective effects against cognitive impairment via inhibition of NAPDH oxidase-mediated oxidative stress.
Random walk hierarchy measure: What is more hierarchical, a chain, a tree or a star?
Authors: Czégel Dániel , Palla Gergely
Published: December 2015

Signs of hierarchy are prevalent in a wide range of systems in nature and society. One of the key problems is quantifying the importance of hierarchical organisation in the structure of the network representing the interactions or connections between the fundamental units of the studied system. Although a number of notable methods are already available, their vast majority is treating all directed acyclic graphs as already maximally hierarchical. Here we propose a hierarchy measure based on random walks on the network. The novelty of our approach is that directed trees corresponding to multi level pyramidal structures obtain higher hierarchy scores compared to directed chains and directed stars. Furthermore, in the thermodynamic limit the hierarchy measure of regular trees is converging to a well defined limit depending only on the branching number. When applied to real networks, our method is computationally very effective, as the result can be evaluated with arbitrary precision by subsequent multiplications of the transition matrix describing the random walk process. In addition, the tests on real world networks provided very intuitive results, e.g., the trophic levels obtained from our approach on a food web were highly consistent with former results from ecology.
Biofortification of oilseed Brassica juncea with the anti-cancer compound glucoraphanin by suppressing GSL-ALK gene family
Authors: Augustine Rehna , Bisht Naveen C.
Published: December 2015

Glucosinolates are amino acids derived secondary metabolites, invariably present in Brassicales, which have huge health and agricultural benefits. Sulphoraphane, the breakdown product of glucosinolate glucoraphanin is known to posses anti-cancer properties. AOP (2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenases) or GSL-ALK enzyme catalyzes the conversion of desirable glucoraphanin to deleterious gluconapin and progoitrin, which are present in very high amounts in most of the cultivable Brassica species including Brassica juncea. In this study we showed that B. juncea encodes four functional homologs of GSL-ALK gene and constitutive silencing of GSL-ALK homologs resulted in accumulation of glucoraphanin up to 43.11 μmoles g−1 DW in the seeds with a concomitant reduction in the anti-nutritional glucosinolates. Glucoraphanin content was found remarkably high in leaves as well as sprouts of the transgenic lines. Transcript quantification of high glucoraphanin lines confirmed significant down-regulation of GSL-ALK homologs. Growth and other seed quality parameters of the transgenic lines did not show drastic difference, compared to the untransformed control. High glucoraphanin lines also showed higher resistance towards stem rot pathogen Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. Our results suggest that metabolic engineering of GSL-ALK has huge potential for enriching glucoraphanin content and improve the oil quality and vegetable value of Brassica crops.
Characteristics and treatment outcomes of pan-urothelial cell carcinoma: a descriptive analysis of 45 patients
Authors: Fang Dong , Liu Pei , Li Xuesong , Xiong Gengyan , Zhang Lei , Singla Nirmish , Zhao Guangzhi , He Qun , He Zhisong , Zhou Liqun
Published: December 2015

The incidence of pan-urothelial cell carcinoma (panUCC), which refers to the presence of both bilateral (UTUC) and bladder tumor (BT), is relatively low. However, the profile of a panUCC cohort of patients remains to be elucidated. We reviewed the data of consecutive UTUC patients who received treatment at our center from 1999 to 2012. Overall, 45 patients were included in this study, with a median age of 64.5 years. Fourteen patients initially presented with unilateral UTUC, 11 initially with BT and the remainder with multiple tumors. Patients with UTUC were more likely to manifest higher rates of muscle invasion and larger-sized tumors. Five patients were treated with complete urinary tract exenteration (CUTE) and most patients (73.3%) received combined management with conservative and radical surgery. After a median follow-up of 77 months, 18 patients (40%) died including 15 (33.3%) due to cancer. Higher tumor stage was the only risk factor predictive of worse survival. Nineteen patients experienced local recurrence after conservative surgery. This study indicated that PanUCC involves either synchronous or metachronous presentation of tumors with a high risk of tumor recurrence, progression and dissemination after conservative surgery.
Kondo peak splitting and Kondo dip induced by a local moment
Authors: Niu Pengbin , Shi Yun-Long , Sun Zhu , Nie Yi-Hang , Luo Hong-Gang
Published: December 2015

Many features like spin-orbit coupling, bias and magnetic fields applied and so on, can strongly influence the Kondo effect. One of the consequences is Kondo peak splitting. However, Kondo peak splitting led by a local moment has not been investigated systematically. In this research we study theoretically electronic transport through a single-level quantum dot exchange coupled to a local magnetic moment in the Kondo regime. We focus on the Kondo peak splitting induced by an anisotropic exchange coupling between the quantum dot and the local moment, which shows rich splitting behavior. We consider the cases of a local moment with S = 1/2 and S = 1. The longitudinal (z-component) coupling plays a role of multivalued magnetic fields and the transverse (x, y-components) coupling lifts the degeneracy of the quantum dot, both of which account for the fine Kondo peak splitting structures. The inter-level or intra-level transition processes are identified in detail. Moreover, we find a Kondo dip at the Fermi level under the proper parameters. The possible experimental observations of these theoretical results should deepen our understanding of Kondo physics.