bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Insurance in Elizabethan England
Authors: Rossi Guido
Published: January 2017

English insurance came into being almost entirely during the Elizabethan period. However, the Great Fire of 1666 consumed most of London's mercantile document, and therefore little is known about early English insurance. Using new archival material, this study provides the first in-depth analysis of early English insurance. It focuses on a crucial yet little-known text, the London Insurance Code of the early 1580s, and shows how London insurance customs were first imported from Italy, then influenced by the Dutch, and finally shaped in a systematic fashion in that Insurance Code. The London Insurance Code was in turn heavily influenced by coeval continental codes. This deep influence attests the strong links between English and European insurance, and questions the common/civil law divide on the history of commercial law.
Bringing International Fugitives to Justice
Authors: Sadoff David A.
Published: January 2017

A novel and robust framework for the operational and legal analysis of recovering fugitives abroad, Bringing International Fugitives to Justice addresses how States, working alone, in cooperation, or with third-party intervention, strive to secure the custody of fugitives in order to bring them to justice - for prosecution or punishment purposes - while evaluating the lawfulness of those pursuit efforts. The book introduces redefined terms and new concepts to add precision to the discourse; sets forth comprehensive typologies, including of extradition arrangements and impediments; and provides a mapping to account for the full range of means and methods - extradition, collateral and remedial approaches to extradition, and full-scale and fallback alternatives to extradition -by which international fugitives can be retrieved. The study considers the judicial, diplomatic, and policy consequences of reliance on the more aggressive or controversial alternatives, proffering recommendations that, if adopted, could facilitate the recovery of fugitives while minimizing associated risks.
Death and the Afterlife in Byzantium
Authors: Marinis Vasileios
Published: January 2017

For all their reputed and professed preoccupation with the afterlife, the Byzantines had no systematic conception of the fate of the soul between death and the Last Judgement. Death and the Afterlife in Byzantium marries for the first time liturgical, theological, literary, and material evidence to investigate a fundamental question: what did the Byzantines believe happened after death? This interdisciplinary study provides an in-depth analysis and synthesis of hagiography, theological treatises, apocryphal texts and liturgical services, as well as images of the fate of the soul in manuscript and monumental decoration. It also places the imagery of the afterlife, both literary and artistic, within the context of Byzantine culture, spirituality, and soteriology. The book intends to be the definitive study on concepts of the afterlife in Byzantium, and its interdisciplinary structure will appeal to students and specialists from a variety of areas in medieval studies.
Public Painting and Visual Culture in Early Republican Florence
Authors: Bent George R.
Published: January 2017

Street corners, guild halls, government offices, and confraternity centers contained paintings that made the city of Florence a visual jewel at precisely the time of its emergence as an international cultural leader. This book considers the paintings that were made specifically for consideration by lay viewers, as well as the way they could have been interpreted by audiences who approached them with specific perspectives. Their belief in the power of images, their understanding of the persuasiveness of pictures, and their acceptance of the utterly vital role that art could play as a propagator of civic, corporate, and individual identity made lay viewers keenly aware of the paintings in their midst. Those pictures affirmed the piety of the people for whom they were made in an age of social and political upheaval, as the city experimented with an imperfect form of republicanism that often failed to adhere to its declared aspirations.
Ethnic Politics and State Power in Africa
Authors: Roessler Philip
Published: January 2017

Why are some African countries trapped in vicious cycles of ethnic exclusion and civil war, while others experience relative peace? In this groundbreaking book, Philip Roessler addresses this question. Roessler models Africa's weak, ethnically-divided states as confronting rulers with a coup-civil war trap - sharing power with ethnic rivals is necessary to underwrite societal peace and prevent civil war, but increases rivals' capabilities to seize sovereign power in a coup d'état. How rulers respond to this strategic trade-off is shown to be a function of their country's ethnic geography and the distribution of threat capabilities it produces. Moving between in-depth case studies of Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo based on years of field work and statistical analyses of powersharing, coups and civil war across sub-Saharan Africa, the book serves as an exemplar of the benefits of mixed methods research for theory-building and testing in comparative politics.
The United Nations, Peace and Security
Authors: Thakur Ramesh
Published: January 2017

Ending humanitarian atrocities has become as important for the United Nations as preventing interstate war. This book examines the transformation of UN operations, analysing its changing role and structure. Ramesh Thakur asks why, when and how force may be used, and argues that the growing gulf between legality and legitimacy is evidence of an eroded sense of international community. He considers the tension between the United States, with its capacity to use force and project power, and the United Nations, as the centre of the international law enforcement system. He asserts the central importance of the rule of law and a rules-based order focused on the United Nations as the foundation of a civilised system of international relations. This book will be of interest to students of the United Nations and international organisations in politics, law and international relations departments, as well as policymakers in governmental and non-governmental international organisations.
Letters of the Catholic Poor
Authors: Earner-Byrne Lindsey
Published: January 2017

This innovative study of poverty in Independent Ireland between 1920 and 1940 is the first to place the poor at its core by exploring their own words and letters. Written to the Catholic Archbishop of Dublin, their correspondence represents one of the few traces in history of Irish experiences of poverty, and collectively they illuminate the lives of so many during the foundation decades of the Irish state. This book keeps the human element central, so often lost when the framework of history is policy, institutions and legislation. It explores how ideas of charity, faith, gender, character and social status were deployed in these poverty narratives and examines the impact of poverty on the lives of these writers and the survival strategies they employed. Finally, it considers the role of priests in vetting and vouching for the poor and, in so doing, perpetuating the discriminating culture of charity.
Transition to bluff-body dynamics in the wake of vertical-axis wind turbines
Authors: Araya Daniel B. , Colonius Tim , Dabiri John O.
Published: January 2017

We present experimental data to demonstrate that the far wake of a vertical-axis wind turbine (VAWT) exhibits features that are quantitatively similar to that of a circular cylinder with the same aspect ratio. For a fixed Reynolds number ($Re\approx 0.8\times 10^{5}$) and variable tip-speed ratio, two-dimensional particle image velocimetry (PIV) is used to measure the velocity field in the wake of four different laboratory-scale models: a 2-bladed, 3-bladed and 5-bladed VAWT, as well as a circular cylinder. With these measurements, we use spectral analysis and proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) to evaluate statistics of the velocity field and investigate the large-scale coherent motions of the wake. In all cases, we observe three distinct regions in the VAWT wake: (i) the near wake, where periodic blade vortex shedding dominates; (ii) a transition region, where growth of a shear-layer instability occurs; (iii) the far wake, where bluff-body wake oscillations dominate. We define a dynamic solidity parameter, $\unicode[STIX]{x1D70E}_{D}$, that relates the characteristic scales of the flow to the streamwise transition location in the wake. In general, we find that increasing $\unicode[STIX]{x1D70E}_{D}$ leads to an earlier transition, a greater initial velocity deficit and a faster rate of recovery in the wake. We propose a coordinate transformation using $\unicode[STIX]{x1D70E}_{D}$ in which the minimum velocity recovery profiles of the VAWT wake closely match that of the cylinder wake. The results have implications for manipulating VAWT wake recovery within a wind farm.
The role of global curvature on the structure and propagation of weakly unstable cylindrical detonations
Authors: Han Wenhu , Kong Wenjun , Gao Yang , Law Chung K.
Published: January 2017

The role of the global curvature on the structure and propagation of cylindrical detonations is studied allowing and without allowing the development of cellular structures through two-dimensional (2-D) and 1-D simulations, respectively. It is shown that as the detonation transitions from being overdriven to the Chapman–Jouguet (CJ) state, its structure evolves from no cell, to growing cells and then to diverging cells. Furthermore, the increased dimension of the average structure of the cellular cylindrical detonation, coupled with the curved transverse wave, leads to bulk un-reacted pockets as the cells grow, and consequently lower average propagation velocities as compared to those associated with smooth fronts. As the global detonation front expands and its curvature decreases, the extent of the un-reacted pockets diminishes and the average velocity of the cellular cylindrical detonation eventually degenerates to that of the smooth fronts. Consequently, the presence of cellular instability renders detonation more difficult to initiate for weakly unstable detonations.
Defining the Nature and Limits of Presidential Powers in the Transitional Constitution of South Sudan: A Politically Contentious Matter for the New Nation
Authors: Deng Mark A W
Published: January 2017

This article reflects on the Transitional Constitution of South Sudan and the political tumult in which it has landed the country. In particular, it looks at the contentious provisions of article 101(r) and (s) of the constitution, which give the president powers to remove an elected state governor and appoint a new governor, upon the occurrence of a crisis whose nature is undefined in the constitution and remains intellectually inconceivable. The article argues that these provisions concentrate political power in the hands of president, to the extent that they undermine the development and maintenance of democracy and the rule of law in the country. In conclusion, it argues for the adoption of a democratic constitution and a federal system of government as the solution to the concentration of political power in Juba.
Live weight gain, urinary nitrogen excretion and urination behaviour of dairy heifers grazing pasture, chicory and plantain
Authors: CHENG L. , MCCORMICK J. , HUSSEIN A. N. , LOGAN C. , PACHECO D. , HODGE M. C. , EDWARDS G. R.
Published: January 2017

The objective of the present study was to investigate live weight (LW) gain, urinary nitrogen (UN) excretion and urination behaviour of dairy heifers grazing pasture, chicory and plantain in autumn and spring. The study comprised a 35-day autumn trial (with a 7-day acclimation period) and a 28-days spring trial (with a 7-day acclimation period). For each trial, 56 Friesian × Jersey heifers were blocked into five dietary treatments balanced for their LW and breeding worth (i.e. genetic merit of a cow for production and reproduction): 1·00 perennial ryegrass–white clover pasture (PA); 1·00 chicory (CH); 1·00 plantain (PL); 0·50 pasture + 0·50 chicory (PA + CH); and 0·50 pasture + 0·50 plantain (PA + PL). A fresh allocation of the herbage was offered every 3 days with allowance calculated according to feed requirement for maintenance plus gain of 1·0 kg LW/day. In both trials, LW gain was lower on CH than other treatments. In the spring trial, UN concentration and UN excretion were lower in CH and PL than other treatments. In autumn, a higher urination frequency was observed over the first 6 h after forage allocation in CH and PA + CH than other treatments. Data from the present study indicate that feeding CH alone limited heifer LW gain. However, heifers grazing swards containing chicory (CH and PA + CH) and plantain (PL and PA + PL) had the potential to lower nitrous oxide emissions and nitrate leaching from soil compared with heifers grazing PA, by reducing N loading in urine patches.
Role of flavonoids and nitrates in cardiovascular health
Authors: Lovegrove Julie A. , Stainer Alex , Hobbs Ditte A.
Published: January 2017

CVD remain the leading cause of death globally. Effective dietary strategies for their reduction are of high priority. Increasing evidence suggests that phytochemicals, particularly dietary flavonoids and nitrates, are key modulators of CVD risk reduction through impact on multiple risk factors. The aim of this review is to explore the evidence for the impact of flavonoid- and nitrate-rich foods and supplements on CVD risk, with specific reference to their importance as mediators of vascular health and platelet function. There is accumulating evidence to support benefits of dietary flavonoids on cardiovascular health. Dose-dependent recovery of endothelial function and lowering of blood pressure have been reported for the flavanol (-)-epicatechin, found in cocoa, apples and tea, through production and availability of endothelial nitric oxide (NO). Furthermore, flavonoids, including quercetin and its metabolites, reducein vitroandex vivoplatelet function via inhibition of phosphorylation-dependent cellular signalling pathways, although furtherin vivostudies are required to substantiate these mechanistic effects. Hypotensive effects of dietary nitrates have been consistently reported in healthy subjects in acute and chronic settings, although there is less evidence for these effects in patient groups. Proposed mechanisms of actions include endothelial-independent NO availability, which is dependent on the entro-salivary circulation and microbial conversion of dietary nitrate to nitrite in the mouth. In conclusion, flavonoid- and nitrate-rich foods show promising effects on vascular function, yet further randomly controlled studies are required to confirm these findings and to determine effective doses.
Genetic influences on hormonal markers of chronic hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal function in human hair
Authors: Tucker-Drob E. M. , Grotzinger A. D. , Briley D. A. , Engelhardt L. E. , Mann F. D. , Patterson M. , Kirschbaum C. , Adam E. K. , Church J. A. , Tackett J. L. , Harden K. P.
Published: January 2017

Background

Cortisol is the primary output of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis and is central to the biological stress response, with wide-ranging effects on psychiatric health. Despite well-studied biological pathways of glucocorticoid function, little attention has been paid to the role of genetic variation. Conventional salivary, urinary and serum measures are strongly influenced by diurnal variation and transient reactivity. Recently developed technology can be used to measure cortisol accumulation over several months in hair, thus indexing chronic HPA function.

Method

In a socio-economically diverse sample of 1070 twins/multiples (ages 7.80–19.47 years) from the Texas Twin Project, we estimated effects of sex, age and socio-economic status (SES) on hair concentrations of cortisol and its inactive metabolite, cortisone, along with their interactions with genetic and environmental factors. This is the first genetic study of hair neuroendocrine concentrations and the largest twin study of neuroendocrine concentrations in any tissue type.

Results

Glucocorticoid concentrations increased with age for females, but not males. Genetic factors accounted for approximately half of the variation in cortisol and cortisone. Shared environmental effects dissipated over adolescence. Higher SES was related to shallower increases in cortisol with age. SES was unrelated to cortisone, and did not significantly moderate genetic effects on either cortisol or cortisone.

Conclusions

Genetic factors account for sizable proportions of glucocorticoid variation across the entire age range examined, whereas shared environmental influences are modest, and only apparent at earlier ages. Chronic glucocorticoid output appears to be more consistently related to biological sex, age and genotype than to experiential factors that cluster within nuclear families.
Familial confounding of the association between maternal smoking during pregnancy and internalizing disorders in offspring
Authors: Meier S. M. , Plessen K. J. , Verhulst F. , Mors O. , Mortensen P. B. , Pedersen C. B. , Agerbo E.
Published: January 2017

Background

Maternal smoking has consistently been associated with multiple adverse childhood outcomes including externalizing disorders. In contrast the association between maternal smoking during pregnancy (MSDP) and internalizing (anxiety and depressive) disorders in offspring has received less investigation.

Method

We conducted a nationwide cohort study including 957635 individuals born in Denmark between 1991 and 2007. Data on MSDP and diagnoses of depression or anxiety disorders were derived from national registers and patients were followed up from the age of 5 years to the end of 2012. Hazard rate ratios (HRRs) were estimated using stratified Cox regression models. Sibling data were used to disentangle individual- and familial-level effects of MSDP and to control for unmeasured familial confounding.

Results

At the population level, offspring exposed to MSDP were at increased risk for both severe depression [HRR 1.29, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.22–1.36] and severe anxiety disorders (HRR 1.26, 95% CI 1.20–1.32) even when controlling for maternal and paternal traits. However, there was no association between MSDP and internalizing disorders when controlling for the mother's propensity for MSDP (depression: HRR 1.11, 95% CI 0.94–1.30; anxiety disorders: HRR 0.94, 95% CI 0.80–1.11) or comparing differentially exposed siblings (depression: HRR 1.18, 95% CI 0.75–1.89; anxiety disorders: HRR 0.87, 95% CI 0.55–1.36).

Conclusions

The results suggest that familial background factors account for the association between MSDP and severe internalizing disorders not the specific exposure to MSDP.
Quantifying contextual effects in second language processing of phonolexically ambiguous and unambiguous words
Authors: CHRABASZCZ ANNA , GOR KIRA
Published: January 2017

Second language (L2) speakers often experience difficulty discriminating speech sounds of the nonnative language, which can result in phonolexical ambiguity. We report two experiments that examine how L2 Russian speakers may utilize contextual constraints for phonolexical ambiguity resolution during speech comprehension. L2 ambiguous words constitute minimal pairs with palatalized and unpalatalized consonants in the Russian language, where the phonological feature of palatalization marks semantic, morphological, or syntactic distinctions between words. L2 performance is compared to that of a control group of Russian native speakers. The results demonstrate that L2 listeners rely on contextual information for meaning disambiguation during sentence comprehension, but that the relative reliance on different types of context is task specific.
Hepatitis B virus in drug users in France: prevalence and vaccination history, ANRS-Coquelicot Survey 2011–2013
Authors: BROUARD C. , PILLONEL J. , SOGNI P. , CHOLLET A. , LAZARUS J. V. , PASCAL X. , BARIN F. , JAUFFRET-ROUSTIDE M. ,   the ANRS Coquelicot Survey Group
Published: January 2017

People who use drugs (PWUD) are a key population for hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccination and screening. We aimed to estimate the seroprevalence of HBs antigen (HBsAg) and self-reported HBV vaccination history in French PWUD attending harm reduction centres using data from the ANRS-Coquelicot multicentre survey conducted in 2011–2013 in 1718 PWUD. Self-fingerprick blood samples were collected on dried blood spots to detect the presence of HBsAg. HBsAg seroprevalence was estimated at 1·4% [95% confidence interval (CI) 0·8–2·5]. It varied between PWUD born in high (7·6%, 95% CI 2·7–19·1), moderate (2·2%, 95% CI 0·8–5·7) and low (0·7%, 95% CI 0·3–1·5) endemic zones. Factors independently associated with HBsAg carriage were being born in a moderate or high endemic zone or reporting precarious housing. Self-reported HBV vaccination history varied from 47·4% in high endemic zones, to 59·3% and 62·6% for moderate and low endemic zones, respectively. Our results suggest that drug use plays a small and substantial role, respectively, in HBsAg carriage in PWUD born in high/moderate and low endemic zones.
Systematic Review of Neuropsychological Rehabilitation for Prospective Memory Deficits as a Consequence of Acquired Brain Injury
Authors: Mahan Steven , Rous Rebecca , Adlam Anna
Published: January 2017

Objectives: Prospective memory (PM) impairments are common following acquired brain injury (ABI). PM is the ability to keep a goal in mind for future action and interventions have the potential to increase independence. This review aimed to evaluate studies examining PM rehabilitation approaches in adults and children with ABI. Methods:Relevant literature was identified using PsycARTICLES (1894 to present), PsycINFO (1880 to present), the Cochrane Library (1972 to present), MEDLINE PubMed, reference lists from relevant journal articles, and searches of key journals. Literature searches were conducted using variants of the terms brain injury, stroke, encephalitis, meningitis, and tumor, combined with variants of the terms rehabilitation and prospective memory.Results: Of the 435 papers identified, 11 were included in the review. Findings demonstrated a variety of interventions to alleviate PM deficits, including compensatory strategies (e.g., external memory aids) that provide either content-specific or content-free cueing, and remediation strategies (e.g., meta-cognitive training programs) aimed at improving the self-monitoring of personal goals. Risk of bias for individual studies was considered and the strengths and limitations of each of the included studies and the review itself were discussed. Conclusions: Interventions used with adults can be effective; PM abilities can be improved by using simple reminder systems and performance can be generalized to facilitate everyday PM functioning. There is, however, a lack of research of PM interventions conducted with children with ABI, and pediatric interventions need to consider on-going cognitive maturation. (JINS, 2017, 23, 254–265)
Vollständig resorbierbare Stents – eine neue Ära in der Behandlung der koronaren Herzkrankheit?
Authors: Sabti Zaid , Jeger Raban
Published: January 2017

Zusammenfassung. Die perkutane Ballonangioplastie revolutionierte die Behandlung der koronaren Herzkrankheit. Der Einsatz von Gefässstützen (Stents) setzte diese Revolution fort. Nach den reinen Metallstents (Bare metal stents, BMS) und den Medikamenten-beschichteten Stents (drug-eluting stents, DES) folgen nun bioresorbierbare Stents (bioresorbable vascular scaffolds, BVS). Im Gegensatz zu den ersten zwei Stent-Generationen werden die BVS nach einer bestimmten Zeit vollständig abgebaut und versprechen eine Antwort für bisher ungelöste Probleme von BMS und DES.
Seltene Ursache für eine Problematik des Sakroiliakalgelenks bei einem Ironman-Triathleten
Authors: Knechtle Beat , Nikolaidis Pantelis T.
Published: January 2017

Zusammenfassung. Wir berichten über einen 52-jährigen Ironman-Triathleten, der über länger anhaltende Schmerzen im Bereich des linken Gesässes klagte. Therapeutische Bemühungen bei Verdacht auf ein blockiertes Sakroiliakalgelenk bleiben erfolglos. Ein MRI des Beckens zeigte dann eine Fraktur des linken Os ilium. Aufgrund der Bildgebung gehen wir von einem zweizeitigen Geschehen aus mit Frakturbildung nach Manipulation.
Lizzie Wade Receives 2016 Walter Sullivan Award for Excellence in Science Journalism–Features
Authors:   AGU
Published: January 2017

Lizzie Wade received the 2016 Walter Sullivan Award for Excellence in Science Journalism–Features at the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting Honors Ceremony, held on 14 December 2016 in San Francisco, Calif. The award recognizes "a journalist for a feature story or series in any medium except books that makes information about the Earth and space sciences accessible and interesting to the general public."
Seven Projections for Earth and Space Science Jobs
Authors: Harwell David
Published: January 2017

What do the coming political changes mean for the job market? In the short term, not much. But long term, expect privatization, contract employment, and more.
House Science Committee's Climate Tweets Rile Scientists
Authors: Wendel JoAnna
Published: January 2017

Twice in just over a month, a government body tweeted material that claims to refute the human causes of climate change.
Human adipose stem cell differentiation is highly affected by cancer cells both in vitro and in vivo: implication for autologous fat grafting
Authors: Paino Francesca , La Noce Marcella , Di Nucci Diego , Nicoletti Giovanni Francesco , Salzillo Rosa , De Rosa Alfredo , Ferraro Giuseppe Andrea , Papaccio Gianpaolo , Desiderio Vincenzo , Tirino Virginia
Published: January 2017

Recent studies showed that mesenchymal stem cells derived from adipose tissue can promote tumour progression, raising some concerns regarding their use in regenerative medicine. In this context, we co-cultured either SAOS2 osteosarcoma or MCF7 breast cancer cells with human adipose stem cells (hASCs), in order to evaluate potential effects of cancer cells on hASCs differentiation, in vitro and in vivo. In this study we observed that both SAOS2 and MCF7 cell lines induced an increase in hASCs proliferation, compared to hASCs alone, but, surprisingly, neither changes in the expression of CD90, CD29, CD324 and vimentin, nor variations in the Twist and Slug mRNAs were detectable. Noteworthy, SAOS2 and MCF7 cells induced in hASCs an upregulation of CD34 expression and stemness genes, including OCT3/4, Nanog, Sox2 and leptin, and a decrease in angiogenic factors, including CD31, PDGFα, PDGFRα, PDGFRβ and VEGF. SMAD and pSMAD2/3 increased only in hASCs alone. After 21 days of co-culture, hASCs differentiated both in adipocytes and endothelial cells. Moreover, co-injection of MCF7 cells with hASCs led to the formation of a highly vascularized tumour. Taken together our findings suggest that mesenchymal stem cells, under tumour cell induction, do not differentiate in vitro or facilitate the angiogenesis of the tumour in vivo, thus opening interesting new scenarios in the relationship between cancer and stem cells. These findings may also lead to greater caution, when managing autologous fat grafts in cancer patients.
Viral Phylogenomics Using an Alignment-Free Method: A Three-Step Approach to Determine Optimal Length of k-mer
Authors: Zhang Qian , Jun Se-Ran , Leuze Michael , Ussery David , Nookaew Intawat
Published: January 2017

The development of rapid, economical genome sequencing has shed new light on the classification of viruses. As of October 2016, the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) database contained >2 million viral genome sequences and a reference set of ~4000 viral genome sequences that cover a wide range of known viral families. Whole-genome sequences can be used to improve viral classification and provide insight into the viral “tree of life”. However, due to the lack of evolutionary conservation amongst diverse viruses, it is not feasible to build a viral tree of life using traditional phylogenetic methods based on conserved proteins. In this study, we used an alignment-free method that uses k-mers as genomic features for a large-scale comparison of complete viral genomes available in RefSeq. To determine the optimal feature length, k (an essential step in constructing a meaningful dendrogram), we designed a comprehensive strategy that combines three approaches: (1) cumulative relative entropy, (2) average number of common features among genomes, and (3) the Shannon diversity index. This strategy was used to determine k for all 3,905 complete viral genomes in RefSeq. The resulting dendrogram shows consistency with the viral taxonomy of the ICTV and the Baltimore classification of viruses.
Neural Correlates of Speech Segregation Based on Formant Frequencies of Adjacent Vowels
Authors: Alain Claude , Arsenault Jessica S. , Garami Linda , Bidelman Gavin M. , Snyder Joel S.
Published: January 2017

The neural substrates by which speech sounds are perceptually segregated into distinct streams are poorly understood. Here, we recorded high-density scalp event-related potentials (ERPs) while participants were presented with a cyclic pattern of three vowel sounds (/ee/-/ae/-/ee/). Each trial consisted of an adaptation sequence, which could have either a small, intermediate, or large difference in first formant (Δf1) as well as a test sequence, in which Δf1 was always intermediate. For the adaptation sequence, participants tended to hear two streams (“streaming”) when Δf1 was intermediate or large compared to when it was small. For the test sequence, in which Δf1 was always intermediate, the pattern was usually reversed, with participants hearing a single stream with increasing Δf1 in the adaptation sequences. During the adaptation sequence, Δf1-related brain activity was found between 100–250 ms after the /ae/ vowel over fronto-central and left temporal areas, consistent with generation in auditory cortex. For the test sequence, prior stimulus modulated ERP amplitude between 20–150 ms over left fronto-central scalp region. Our results demonstrate that the proximity of formants between adjacent vowels is an important factor in the perceptual organization of speech, and reveal a widely distributed neural network supporting perceptual grouping of speech sounds.
Local melatonin application induces cold tolerance in distant organs of Citrullus lanatus L. via long distance transport
Authors: Li Hao , Chang Jingjing , Zheng Junxian , Dong Yuchuan , Liu Qiyan , Yang Xiaozhen , Wei Chunhua , Zhang Yong , Ma Jianxiang , Zhang Xian
Published: January 2017

Melatonin is a ubiquitous chemical substance that regulates plant growth and responses to stress. Several recent studies show that exogenous melatonin confers cold tolerance to plants; however, the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. Here, we report that melatonin application at optimal dose, either on the leaves or the roots, not only induced cold stress tolerance in the site of application, but also systemically induced cold tolerance in untreated distant parts. Foliar or rhizospheric treatment with melatonin increased the melatonin levels in untreated roots or leaves, respectively, under both normal and cold stress conditions, whereas rhizospheric melatonin treatment increased the melatonin exudation rates from the xylem. An increased accumulation of melatonin accompanied with an induction in antioxidant enzyme activity in distant untreated tissues alleviated cold-induced oxidative stress. In addition, RNA-seq analysis revealed that an abundance of cold defense-related genes involved in signal sensing and transduction, transcriptional regulation, protection and detoxification, and hormone signaling might mediate melatonin-induced cold tolerance. Taken together, our results suggest that melatonin can induce cold tolerance via long distance signaling, and such induction is associated with an enhanced antioxidant capacity and optimized defense gene expression. Such a mechanism can be greatly exploited to benefit the agricultural production.
Lasing in Live Mitotic and Non-Phagocytic Cells by Efficient Delivery of Microresonators
Authors: Schubert Marcel , Volckaert Klara , Karl Markus , Morton Andrew , Liehm Philipp , Miles Gareth B. , Powis Simon J. , Gather Malte C.
Published: January 2017

Reliable methods to individually track large numbers of cells in real time are urgently needed to advance our understanding of important biological processes like cancer metastasis, neuronal network development and wound healing. It has recently been suggested to introduce microscopic whispering gallery mode lasers into the cytoplasm of cells and to use their characteristic, size-dependent emission spectrum as optical barcode but so far there is no evidence that this approach is generally applicable. Here, we describe a method that drastically improves intracellular delivery of resonators for several cell types, including mitotic and non-phagocytic cells. In addition, we characterize the influence of resonator size on the spectral characteristics of the emitted laser light and identify an optimum size range that facilitates tagging and tracking of thousands of cells simultaneously. Finally, we observe that the microresonators remain internalized by cells during cell division, which enables tagging several generations of cells.
HO-1 inhibits preadipocyte proliferation and differentiation at the onset of obesity via ROS dependent activation of Akt2
Authors: Wagner Gabriel , Lindroos-Christensen Josefine , Einwallner Elisa , Husa Julia , Zapf Thea-Christin , Lipp Katharina , Rauscher Sabine , Gröger Marion , Spittler Andreas , Loewe Robert , Gruber Florian , Duvigneau J. Catharina , Mohr Thomas , Sutterlüty-Fall Hedwig , Klinglmüller Florian , Prager Gerhard , Huppertz Berthold , Yun Jeanho , Wagner Oswald , Esterbauer Harald , Bilban Martin
Published: January 2017

Excessive accumulation of white adipose tissue (WAT) is a hallmark of obesity. The expansion of WAT in obesity involves proliferation and differentiation of adipose precursors, however, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we used an unbiased transcriptomics approach to identify the earliest molecular underpinnings occuring in adipose precursors following a brief HFD in mice. Our analysis identifies Heme Oxygenase-1 (HO-1) as strongly and selectively being upregulated in the adipose precursor fraction of WAT, upon high-fat diet (HFD) feeding. Specific deletion of HO-1 in adipose precursors of Hmox1fl/flPdgfraCre mice enhanced HFD-dependent visceral adipose precursor proliferation and differentiation. Mechanistically, HO-1 reduces HFD-induced AKT2 phosphorylation via ROS thresholding in mitochondria to reduce visceral adipose precursor proliferation. HO-1 influences adipogenesis in a cell-autonomous way by regulating events early in adipogenesis, during the process of mitotic clonal expansion, upstream of Cebpα and PPARγ. Similar effects on human preadipocyte proliferation and differentiation in vitro were observed upon modulation of HO-1 expression. This collectively renders HO-1 as an essential factor linking extrinsic factors (HFD) with inhibition of specific downstream molecular mediators (ROS & AKT2), resulting in diminished adipogenesis that may contribute to hyperplastic adipose tissue expansion.
Reference-free, high-resolution measurement method of timing jitter spectra of optical frequency combs
Authors: Kwon Dohyeon , Jeon Chan-Gi , Shin Junho , Heo Myoung-Sun , Park Sang Eon , Song Youjian , Kim Jungwon
Published: January 2017

Timing jitter is one of the most important properties of femtosecond mode-locked lasers and optical frequency combs. Accurate measurement of timing jitter power spectral density (PSD) is a critical prerequisite for optimizing overall noise performance and further advancing comb applications both in the time and frequency domains. Commonly used jitter measurement methods require a reference mode-locked laser with timing jitter similar to or lower than that of the laser-under-test, which is a demanding requirement for many laser laboratories, and/or have limited measurement resolution. Here we show a high-resolution and reference-source-free measurement method of timing jitter spectra of optical frequency combs using an optical fibre delay line and optical carrier interference. The demonstrated method works well for both mode-locked oscillators and supercontinua, with 2 × 10−9 fs2/Hz (equivalent to −174 dBc/Hz at 10-GHz carrier frequency) measurement noise floor. The demonstrated method can serve as a simple and powerful characterization tool for timing jitter PSDs of various comb sources including mode-locked oscillators, supercontinua and recently emerging Kerr-frequency combs; the jitter measurement results enabled by our method will provide new insights for understanding and optimizing timing noise in such comb sources.
Synthesis and solution stability of water-soluble κ2N,κO-bis(3,5-dimethylpyrazolyl)ethanol manganese(i) tricarbonyl bromide (CORM-ONN1)
Authors: Mede Ralf , Traber Juliane , Klein Moritz , Görls Helmar , Gessner Guido , Hoffmann Patrick , Schmitt Michael , Popp Jürgen , Heinemann Stefan H. , Neugebauer Ute , Westerhausen Matthias
Published: January 2017

The 2,2-bis(3,5-dimethyl-1-pyrazolyl)ethanol heteroscorpionate ligand stabilizes a water-soluble and quite non-toxic photoCORM.
Functional metallosupramolecular architectures using 1,2,3-triazole ligands: it's as easy as 1,2,3 “click”
Authors: Vasdev Roan A. S. , Preston Dan , Crowley James D.
Published: January 2017

Self-assembled metallosupramolecular architectures generated using “click” ligands have become an increasingly popular area of inorganic chemistry.
Chiral discrimination of α-hydroxy acids and N-Ts-α-amino acids induced by tetraaza macrocyclic chiral solvating agents by using1H NMR spectroscopy
Authors: Lv Caixia , Feng Lei , Zhao Hongmei , Wang Guo , Stavropoulos Pericles , Ai Lin
Published: January 2017

Several α-hydroxy acids andN-Ts-α-amino acids were effectively discriminated in the presence of tetraaza macrocyclic chiral solvating agents (TAMCSAs)1a–1dby1H NMR spectroscopy.
Electrochemical properties of a rechargeable aluminum–air battery with a metal–organic framework as air cathode material
Authors: Mori Ryohei
Published: January 2017

The goal of this study was to develop a rechargeable aluminum–air battery with high capacity and long-term durability in charge–discharge electrochemical reactions.
Highly uniform distribution of Pt nanoparticles on N-doped hollow carbon spheres with enhanced durability for oxygen reduction reaction
Authors: Shi Qiurong , Zhu Chengzhou , Engelhard Mark H. , Du Dan , Lin Yuehe
Published: January 2017

Carbon-supported Pt nanostructures currently exhibit great potential in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells.
SO2 capture by ionic liquid and spectroscopic speciation of sulfur(iv) therein
Authors: Yasaka Y. , Watanabe K. , Kimura Y.
Published: January 2017

The absorption of equimolar sulfur dioxide (SO2) by tributyloctylphosphonium bicarbonate ([P4448]HCO3) resulted in the formation of a corresponding bisulfite ionic liquid ([P4448][bisulfite]) accompanied by carbon dioxide (CO2) release.
Introduction of a long-chain branching structure by ultraviolet-induced reactive extrusion to improve cell morphology and processing properties of polylactide foam
Authors: Li Shaojie , He Guangjian , Liao Xia , Park Chul B. , Yang Qi , Li Guangxian
Published: January 2017

Long-chain branching structure introduced by UV-induced reactive extrusion could widen its foaming processing window.
Healing of skin wounds using a new cocoon scaffold loaded with platelet-rich or platelet-poor plasma
Authors: Liu Jiawei , Lu Fei , Chen HongLei , Bao Rong , Li Zhiquan , Lu Bitao , Yu Kun , Dai Fangying , Wu Dayang , Lan Guangqian
Published: January 2017

The cocoons of the silkwormBombyx moriare widely used as biofunctional materials.
Interaction of oxalic acid with dimethylamine and its atmospheric implications
Authors: Chen Jiao , Jiang Shuai , Liu Yi-Rong , Huang Teng , Wang Chun-Yu , Miao Shou-Kui , Wang Zhong-Quan , Zhang Yang , Huang Wei
Published: January 2017

Oxalic acid and dimethylamine are the most common organic acid and base in the atmosphere, and are recognized as significant precursor species in atmospheric new particle formation.
Fabrication and characterization of oxide ion conducting films, Zr1−xMxO2−δ(M = Y, Sc) on porous SOFC anodes, prepared by electron beam physical vapor deposition
Authors: Shin Tae Ho , Shin Miyoung , Park Geon-Woo , Lee Shiwoo , Woo Sang-Kuk , Yu Jihaeng
Published: January 2017

Fabrication of improved and easily controlled thin electrolytes for SOFCsviaEB-PVD processing.
A reduced graphene oxide-encapsulated phosphorus/carbon composite as a promising anode material for high-performance sodium-ion batteries
Authors: Lee Gi-Hyeok , Jo Mi Ru , Zhang Kai , Kang Yong-Mook
Published: January 2017

Electrochemical performance of phosphorus/carbon composite was unprecedentedly enhanced by reduced graphene oxide (rGO) encapsulation.
A phytic acid etched Ni/Fe nanostructure based flexible network as a high-performance wearable hybrid energy storage device
Authors: Li Panpan , Jin Zhaoyu , Xiao Dan
Published: January 2017

A flexible Ni/Fe hybrid energy storage device is proposed through etching a NiZn alloy and Fe coating in phytic acid solution at room temperature, simultaneously revealing high energy and power density due to the combination of battery and capacitor properties.
A multifunctional polyethylenimine-based nanoplatform for targeted anticancer drug delivery to tumors in vivo
Authors: Zhou Benqing , Zhao Lingzhou , Shen Mingwu , Zhao Jinhua , Shi Xiangyang
Published: January 2017

Polyethylenimine can be modified with folic acid through a polyethylene glycol spacer for targeted anticancer drug delivery to tumors.
Robust mussel-inspired coatings for controlled zinc ion release
Authors: Mu Youbing , Wu Zelin , Ma Yan , Zheng Jiyong , Zhang Wei , Sun Zhiyong , Wang Xiao , Pei Danfeng , Li Liang , Jiang Wei , Hou Jian , Wan Xiaobo
Published: January 2017

Mussel-inspired controlled-release coatings by the combination of the metal-chelation ability of catechol and the hydrolysis of acetal are reported.
Oxygen-tuned nanozyme polymerization for the preparation of hydrogels with printable and antibacterial properties
Authors: Ye Yuemei , Xiao Linlin , Bin He Bin He , Zhang Qi , Nie Tao , Yang Xinrui , Wu Dongbei , Cheng Heli , Li Ping , Wang Qigang
Published: January 2017

A printable, antibacterial polymer hydrogel was prepared by a nanozyme catalyzed radical polymerization under physiological conditions.
A family of doped lanthanide metal–organic frameworks for wide-range temperature sensing and tunable white light emission
Authors: Yang Yan , Chen Lian , Jiang Feilong , Yu Muxin , Wan Xiuyan , Zhang Bo , Hong Maochun
Published: January 2017

A series of binary and ternary mixed LnMOFs with high stability showing potential applications in wide-range thermosensors and white LEDs are reported.
An iron(iii)-centred ferric wheel Fe⊂{Fe6} with a siloxane-based bis-salicylidene Schiff base
Authors: Shova Sergiu , Cazacu Maria , Novitchi Ghenadie , Zoppellaro Giorgio , Train Cyrille , Arion Vladimir B.
Published: January 2017

A new iron(iii)-centred ferric wheel Fe⊂{Fe}6 of the formula [Fe7(H2L)6(NCS)6](ClO4)3·10H2O, where H4L = N,N′-bis(3-carboxylsalicylidene)-1,3-bis(3-aminopropyl)tetramethyldisiloxane, was synthesised and fully characterised.
Reductively-labile sulfonate ester protecting groups that are rapidly cleaved by physiological glutathione
Authors: Choi Adam , Miller Stephen C.
Published: January 2017

Reductively-labile sulfonate esters are unmasked by physiological glutathione to yield a free sulfonate and a reduced thioquinone methide byproduct.
Phantosmia and Dysgeusia following Endoscopic Transcribriform Approaches to Olfactory Groove Meningiomas
Authors: Kumar Jay , Murphy Emma , Gray Stacey , Holbrook Eric , Curry William , Venteicher Andrew
Published: January 2017

The endoscopic, endonasal transcribriform approach (EETA) is an important technique used to directly access the anterior skull base and is increasingly being used in the management of olfactory groove meningiomas (OGMs). As this approach requires removal of the cribriform plate and olfactory epithelium en route to the tumor, patients are anosmic postoperatively. Here, we report the development of phantosmia and dysgeusia in two patients who underwent EETAs for OGMs, which has not yet been reported in the literature. We hypothesize that phantosmia and dysgeusia may result from aberrant neuronal signals or misinterpretation centrally from the remaining distal portions of the olfactory and taste pathways. Since EETAs are newer than traditional open craniotomy-based techniques, reporting these outcomes will be important to appropriately counsel patients preoperatively.
Fictitious consumer responsibility? Quantifying social desirability bias in corporate social responsibility surveys
Authors: Kuokkanen Henri
Published: January 2017

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) surveys repeatedly indicate significant consumer interest in products and services of businesses that follow virtuous business practices. Yet the existence of a causal relationship between company responsibility and its financial performance is a contested area, and clear evidence that CSR would create a competitive advantage is missing. As ethical evaluations are deeply embedded in responsibility, this discrepancy casts doubt on the genuineness of the integrity consumers express in surveys. A social desirability (SD) bias leading to fictitious responsibility—be it an intentional attempt to appear ethical or an unconscious tendency to exaggerate moral behaviour—is thus plausible and it threatens the reliability of research in the field. Despite this, a SD bias construct is mostly excluded from CSR marketing research, an omission likely due to a lack of appropriate measurement tools. The aim of this article is to narrow this gap and construct a SD bias variable that can be employed to control statistical analysis. Data collected using the Balanced Inventory of Desirable Responding is used to develop a new, continuous scale variable for SD bias. The results support the reliability of the new variable and the robustness of the development process. The subsequent ability to include SD bias in statistical models opens exciting opportunities to improve the value of consumer-oriented CSR surveys by highlighting the difference between fictitious and genuine consumer integrity and offering tools to quantify the severity of the former. This article is published as part of a collection on integrity and its counterfeits.
Solitary waves in dimer binary collision model
Authors: Ahsan Zaid , Jayaprakash K. R.
Published: January 2017

Solitary wave propagation in nonlinear diatomic (dimer) chains is a very interesting topic of research in the study of nonlinear lattices. Such waves were recently found to be supported by the essentially nonlinear granular lattice and Toda lattice. An interesting aspect of this discovery is attributed to the realization of a spectrum of the mass ratio (the only system parameter governing the dynamics) that supports the propagation of such waves corresponding to the considered interaction potential. The objective of this exposition is to explore solitary wave propagation in the dimer binary collision (BC) model. Interestingly, the dimer BC model supports solitary wave propagation at a discrete spectrum of mass ratios similar to those observed in granular and Toda dimers. Further, we report a qualitative and one-to-one correspondence between the spectrum of the mass ratio corresponding to the dimer BC model and those corresponding to granular and Toda dimer chains.