bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Partitioned identities? Everyday national distinctions inNorthernIreland and theIrish state
Authors: Todd Jennifer
Published: January 2015

How does political structure affect ethno‐national distinction? Partitioned societies are a good test case where we can see the effects of changed socio‐political circumstances on historically inherited distinction. This article takes nominally identical distinctions of nationality and religion with common historical roots and shows how they are differentially understood in two polities partitioned in 1920:NorthernIreland, a devolved region of theUnitedKingdom, and theIrish state. Using a data base of interviews with over 220 respondents, of which 75 inNorthernIreland, conducted between 2003 and 2006, it shows how complex, potentially totalising and exclusive ‘ethnic’ and ‘ethno‐national’ divisions are built up from simpler and more permeable distinctions. Respondents interrelate the same elements into a loosely‐knit symbolic structure – different in each jurisdiction – which frames expectations and discourse, and which is associated with different logics of national discourse, one focussing on personal orientation, the other on group belonging. The resultant ‘ethno‐national’ distinctions function differently North and South.
Claiming the nation for the people: the dynamics of representation in German public discourse about immigrant integration
Authors: Piwoni Eunike
Published: January 2015

Against the backdrop of the current trend to criticise elite‐centred approaches to the study of nationalism, this article sheds light on ways in which elite and popular notions of nationhood are mediated. Thus, public discourse on national identity is explored as a discourse that ordinary people can influence and in which elites make claims to represent the people. To illustrate the dynamics of representative claim‐making and reception, the article uses a case study fromGerman public discourse; the debate aboutThiloSarrazin's 2010 bookGermany Does Away With Itself. It finds that, althoughSarrazin clearly breaches well‐established rules in national identity discourse, his ideas gain traction from the moment he becomes accepted as representing ordinaryGermans. The findings are discussed against the backdrop of the history ofGerman national identity discourse and anti‐essentialist approaches treating nationhood as a political claim.
The nation and the city: urban festivals and cultural mobilisation
Authors: Leerssen Joep
Published: January 2015

This article attempts to map the relations between nation‐building processes in 19th‐century Europe and city cultures with their urban sociability. Three patterns are surveyed: [1] the modern‐national assimilation of medieval and early‐modern city cultures (sample case: Orléans and the French cult of Joan of Arc); [2] the modular replication across cities of urban festivals as cultural mobilizers (sample case: the spread of Floral Games festivals in Southern France and Northern Spain); [3] the reticulation of city‐based practices into a nationwide and nation‐building network (sample cases: the role of choral societies in German cultural nationalism; and its transnational knock‐on effect in the Baltic Provinces). By choosing the city as our social focus and placing it (or rather, its ideal‐type ‘Urbania’) alongside Gellner's ideal‐types of ‘Megalomania’ and ‘Ruritania’, we can avoid the finalism of studying regionalist and nationalist movements in the analytical framework of the post‐Versailles state system, and we gain a better understanding of the granulated, localized social basis of such movements and the translocally homogenizing role of culture.
Gender‐ and disease‐specific urinary thioredoxin in chronic kidney disease patients with or without type 2 diabetic nephropathy
Authors: Tobino Kyoko , Muso Eri , Iwasaki Yukako , Yonemoto Satomi , Kasuno Kenji , Tsukamoto Tatsuo , Nakamura Hajime , Tomino Yasuhiko
Published: January 2015

Aim

The role of urinary (U‐) thioredoxin (Trx), a class of small redox proteins, in physiological and pathological conditions, in addition to its gender specificity, has been insufficiently determined in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients, especially in diabetes mellitus (DM) nephropathy.

Methods

U‐Trx was measured cross‐sectionally in 110 CKD outpatients with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of >15 mL/min per 1.73 m2, namely, in 57 type 2 DM patients (male: n = 41, female: n = 16) and 53 non‐DM patients (M: n = 33, F: n = 20), as well as 30 healthy controls (M: n = 11, F: n = 19). Comparisons were made among controls, DM and non‐DM, and between M and F, with clinical parameters compared in each group. In addition, a comparison between average U‐Trx level and the changes of renal function during a one‐year period was performed.

Results

U‐Trx was significantly higher in females than in males in controls (P < 0.05) and in non‐DM patients (P < 0.05). Multiple regression analysis revealed that urinary protein (UP)/creatinine (Cr) ratio, female sex and HbA1c were independent factors affecting U‐Trx among all subjects (adjusted R2 = 0.468). In DM patients, U‐Trx was negatively correlated with eGFR, especially in males, and positively correlated with UP/Cr and NAG in both sexes (all P < 0.01), as well as with systolic blood pressure in all (P < 0.05). Average U‐Trx was positively correlated with the rate of annual eGFR decline of male (P < 0.01) but not female DM patients.

Conclusion

U‐Trx might have a gender‐specific physiological and pathological role and be a potent marker of renal damage in DM nephropathy.
A hemicellulose‐bound form of silicon inhibits cadmium ion uptake in rice (Oryza sativa) cells
Authors: Ma Jie , Cai Hongmei , He Congwu , Zhang Wenjun , Wang Lijun
Published: January 2015

Silicon (Si) alleviates cadmium (Cd) toxicity in rice (Oryza sativa). However, the chemical mechanisms at the single‐cell level are poorly understood.

Here, a suspension of rice cells exposed to Cd and/or Si treatments was investigated using a combination of plant cell nutritional, molecular biological, and physical techniques including in situ noninvasive microtest technology (NMT), polymerase chain reaction (PCR), inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP‐MS), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) in Kelvin probe mode (KPFM).

We found that Si‐accumulating cells had a significantly reduced net Cd2+ influx, compared with that in Si‐limited cells. PCR analyses of the expression levels of Cd and Si transporters in rice cells showed that, when the Si concentration in the medium was increased, expression of the Si transporter gene Low silicon rice 1 (Lsi1) was up‐regulated, whereas expression of the gene encoding the transporter involved in the transport of Cd, Natural resistance‐associated macrophage protein 5 (Nramp5), was down‐regulated. ICP‐MS results revealed that 64% of the total Si in the cell walls was bound to hemicellulose constituents following the fractionation of the cell walls, and consequently inhibited Cd uptake. Furthermore, AFM in KPFM demonstrated that the heterogeneity of the wall surface potential was higher in cells cultured in the presence of Si than in those cultured in its absence, and was homogenized after the addition of Cd.

These results suggest that a hemicellulose‐bound form of Si with net negative charges is responsible for inhibition of Cd uptake in rice cells by a mechanism of [Si‐hemicellulose matrix]Cd complexation and subsequent co‐deposition.
How dieting makes the lean fatter: from a perspective of body composition autoregulation through adipostats and proteinstats awaiting discovery
Authors: Dulloo A. G. , Jacquet J. , Montani J.‐P. , Schutz Y.
Published: January 2015

Whether dieting makes people fatter has been a subject of considerable controversy over the past 30 years. More recent analysis of several prospective studies suggest, however, that it is dieting to lose weight in people who are in the healthy normal range of body weight, rather than in those who are overweight or obese, that most strongly and consistently predict future weight gain. This paper analyses the ongoing arguments in the debate about whether repeated dieting to lose weight in normal‐weight people represents unsuccessful attempts to counter genetic and familial predispositions to obesity, a psychosocial reaction to the fear of fatness or that dieting per se confers risks for fatness and hence a contributing factor to the obesity epidemic. In addressing the biological plausibility that dieting predisposes the lean (rather than the overweight or obese) to regaining more body fat than what had been lost (i.e. fat overshooting), it integrates the results derived from the re‐analysis of body composition data on fat mass and fat‐free mass (FFM) losses and recoveries from human studies of experimental energy restriction and refeeding. These suggest that feedback signals from the depletion of both fat mass (i.e. adipostats) and FFM (i.e. proteinstats) contribute to weight regain through the modulation of energy intake and adaptive thermogenesis, and that a faster rate of fat recovery relative to FFM recovery (i.e. preferential catch‐up fat) is a central outcome of body composition autoregulation in lean individuals. Such a temporal desynchronization in the restoration of the body's fat vs. FFM results in a state of hyperphagia that persists beyond complete recovery of fat mass and interestingly until FFM is fully recovered. However, as this completion of FFM recovery is also accompanied by fat deposition, excess fat accumulates. In other words, fat overshooting is a prerequisite to allow complete recovery of FFM. This confers biological plausibility for post‐dieting fat overshooting – which through repeated dieting and weight cycling would increase the risks for trajectories from leanness to fatness. Given the increasing prevalence of dieting in normal‐weight female and male among young adults, adolescents and even children who perceive themselves as too fat (due to media, family and societal pressures), together with the high prevalence of dieting for optimizing performance among athletes in weight‐sensitive sports, the notion that dieting and weight cycling may be predisposing a substantial proportion of the population to weight gain and obesity deserves greater scientific scrutiny.
Monocarboxylate transporters: new players in body weight regulation
Authors: Carneiro L. , Pellerin L.
Published: January 2015

Over the last two decades, several genes have been identified that appear to play a role in the regulation of energy homeostasis and body weight. For a small subset of them, a reduction or an absence of expression confers a resistance to the development of obesity. Recently, a knockin mouse for a member of the monocarboxylate transporter (MCT) family, MCT1, was demonstrated to exhibit a typical phenotype of resistance to diet‐induced obesity and a protection from its associated metabolic perturbations. Such findings point out at MCTs as putatively new therapeutic targets in the context of obesity. Here, we will review what is known about MCTs and their possible metabolic roles in different organs and tissues. Based on the description of the phenotype of the MCT1 knockin mouse, we will also provide some insights about their putative roles in weight gain regulation.
Short QTc Interval in Males with Klinefelter Syndrome—Influence of CAG Repeat Length, Body Composition, and Testosterone Replacement Therapy
Authors: JØRGENSEN INGER NORLYK , SKAKKEBÆK ANNE , ANDERSEN NIELS HOLMARK , PEDERSEN LISBETH NØRUM , HOUGAARD DAVID MICHAEL , BOJESEN ANDERS , TROLLE CHRISTIAN , GRAVHOLT CLAUS HØJBJERG
Published: January 2015

Background

Klinefelter syndrome (KS) is a sex chromosomal aneuploidy (47,XXY) affecting 1/660 males. Based on findings in Turner syndrome, we hypothesized that electrocardiogram (ECG) abnormalities would be present in males with KS.

Objective

To investigate ECGs in males with KS and compare with controls.

Methods

Case control study of 62 males with KS and 62 healthy males matched on age. The primary outcome parameter was a difference in the ECG presentation between the two groups. The ECGs were analyzed by one blinded examiner (intraobserver variability 0.2–2.1%). The QT‐interval was measured using “teach‐the‐tangent” method excluding the U‐wave. QTc was calculated using Bazett's equation, Hodges’ equation, and a linear regression model. Body mass index, abdominal fat, and muscle mass as well as sex hormone levels were secondary parameters. The prevalence of mutations in genes related to short QT syndrome was determined in participants with a QTc < 330 ms.

Results

Compared to controls, the QTc‐interval was shorter (P = 0.02–0.06) in males with KS depending on the applied correction method. QTc was shortest among testosterone (T)‐treated males with KS, while untreated and thus hypogonadal KS had QTc interval comparable to controls. No mutations in genes related to short QT syndrome were found.

Conclusion

We found short QTc interval in males with KS, with further shortening of the QTc interval by T. These results suggest that genes on the X chromosome could be involved in regulation of the QTc interval and that T treatment may aggravate this mechanism.
Heterologous expression of chloroplast‐localized geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate synthase confers fast plant growth, early flowering and increased seed yield
Authors: Tata Sandeep Kumar , Jung Jihye , Kim Yoon‐Ha , Choi Jun Young , Jung Ji‐Yul , Lee In‐Jung , Shin Jeong Sheop , Ryu Stephen Beungtae
Published: January 2015

Geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate synthase (GGPS) is a key enzyme for a structurally diverse class of isoprenoid biosynthetic metabolites including gibberellins, carotenoids, chlorophylls and rubber. We expressed a chloroplast‐targeted GGPS isolated from sunflower (Helianthus annuus) under control of the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum). The resulting transgenic tobacco plants expressing heterologous GGPS showed remarkably enhanced growth (an increase in shoot and root biomass and height), early flowering, increased number of seed pods and greater seed yield compared with that of GUS‐transgenic lines (control) or wild‐type plants. The gibberellin levels in HaGGPS‐transgenic plants were higher than those in control plants, indicating that the observed phenotype may result from increased gibberellin content. However, in HaGGPS‐transformant tobacco plants, we did not observe the phenotypic defects such as reduced chlorophyll content and greater petiole and stalk length, which were previously reported for transgenic plants expressing gibberellin biosynthetic genes. Fast plant growth was also observed in HaGGPS‐expressing Arabidopsis and dandelion plants. The results of this study suggest that GGPS expression in crop plants may yield desirable agronomic traits, including enhanced growth of shoots and roots, early flowering, greater numbers of seed pods and/or higher seed yield. This research has potential applications for fast production of plant biomass that provides commercially valuable biomaterials or bioenergy.
Exchange transfusion in patients with Down syndrome and severe transient leukemia
Authors: Hayasaka Itaru , Cho Kazutoshi , Morioka Keita , Kaneshi Yosuke , Akimoto Takuma , Furuse Yuta , Moriichi Akinori , Iguchi Akihiro , Cho Yuko , Minakami Hisanori , Ariga Tadashi
Published: January 2015

Background

Among neonates with Down syndrome (DS) and transient leukemia (TL), hyperleukocytosis (white blood cell [WBC] count >100 × 109/L) is associated with increased blood viscosity, respiratory failure due to pulmonary hypertension, multiorgan failure, and increased risk of early death. There have been no previous studies focusing on the effects of exchange transfusion (ExT) on WBC count, respiratory status, and other parameters in TL patients with hyperleukocytosis.

Methods

An observational retrospective study was carried out at a single center of all five DS neonates with TL, GATA1 mutations, and hyperleukocytosis, born at a median gestational age of 34 weeks (range, 30–38 weeks) with birthweight 2556 g (range, 1756–3268 g) during a 24 month study period between September 2011 and August 2013. All five neonates underwent ExT at a median age of 2 days (range, 0–5 days) before initiation of other cytoreductive therapy with cytarabine, which was carried out in two patients.

Results

All patients required respiratory support before ExT. After ExT, respiration status improved in all five patients: WBC count (mean) decreased by 85% from 143 × 109/L to 21 × 109/L. None developed tumor lysis syndrome. Three survived and two died: one hydrops fetalis neonate born at gestational week 30 died at age 5 days, and another died eventually from acute gastroenteritis 40 days after leaving hospital at the age of 155 days with complete remission. Two of the three surviving neonates developed acute megakaryocytic leukemia at age 90 days and 222 days.

Conclusion

ExT was very effective in improving hyperleukocytosis and may have had favorable effects on respiration.
Classification of R&D projects and selection of R&D project management concept
Authors: Kuchta Dorota , Skowron Dorota
Published: January 2015

Currently, the dispersion and variety of both research and development (R&D) project management methods and their taxonomies pose difficulties in the selection of a management concept suitable for a particular type of R&D project. The paper attempts to assign a specified management concept to a given R&D project type. An in‐depth analysis of the literature was done, and dispersed information on the R&D project management were systemised and linked. More detailed classifications of R&D projects and agile project management (APM) methods were proposed. The paper as a result presents a new typology of R&D projects and a proposal of assignment of project management methods to individual types of R&D projects. Moreover, a case study of an R&D project is presented with outlining the major problems concerning its implementation, resulting, inter alia, from the selection of an inappropriate management concept made at the stage of project planning and application for funding. The authors also carried out an empirical research aimed at the confirmation of conclusions drawn from the relevant literature and the investigated case study. The main result of the paper is the assignment of different project management concepts to certain R&D project types as well as the distinction of two types of APM concepts. The final conclusion of the article is that most types of R&D projects, identified using the criterion of the degree of knowledge of their goals and methods of their implementation, should be managed by a customised concept of APM. It is, however, essential that one matches different types of Agile methods with different types of R&D project.
Hope as a Primitive Mental State
Authors: Segal Gabriel , Textor Mark
Published: January 2015

We criticize attempts to define hope in terms of other psychological states and argue that hope is a primitive mental state whose nature can be illuminated by specifying key aspects of its functional profile.
Do we need a practice incremental shuttle walk test for patients with interstitial lung disease referred for pulmonary rehabilitation?
Authors: Johnson‐Warrington Vicki , Sewell Louise , Morgan Mike , Singh Sally
Published: January 2015

Background and objective

Patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD) are increasingly being referred to pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) where exercise capacity is measured, often by an incremental shuttle walk test (ISWT). These patients are frequently limited by severe dyspnoea and exertional desaturation. Available guidelines suggest two ISWT are needed; however, this is time consuming and it has not been reported whether a practice ISWT is necessary in ILD. We aimed to investigate if a practice ISWT is needed for patients with ILD referred to PR.

Methods

Patients with ILD who attended a PR assessment performed two ISWT as per standard protocol. Hospital notes were retrieved and relevant data extracted and validated. Endurance shuttle walk test (ESWT) level was calculated at 85% VO2 peak as estimated from the first ISWT (ISWT 1) and second ISWT (ISWT 2).

Results

Forty‐three patients were included (18 with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis). There was a mean change of 28.84 (31.71) m between the two ISWT (P < 0.001) with 72.1% of patients walking further on ISWT 2. A Bland–Altman plot showed good agreement between the ISWTs; however, the limits of agreement were wide. There was a significant difference in ESWT levels (P < 0.001) when calculated from ISWT 1 and ISWT 2. ISWT 1 distance, post‐ISWT 1 heart rate and baseline Borg breathlessness score were significant variables (P < 0.05) in linear regression, but this only explained 42.6% of the variance (R2 0.426).

Conclusions

A practice ISWT is necessary to accurately assess exercise capacity. It was not possible to predict which patients did not need to complete two ISWT.
Parathyroid hormone‐related protein‐induced hypercalcemia due to osteosarcoma in a cat
Authors: Yuki Masashi , Nitta Makiko , Omachi Tetsuo
Published: January 2015

A 15‐year‐old castrated male mixed‐breed cat was presented with a history of sarcoma of the distal right hind limb. Biochemical analysis revealed increased concentrations of blood urea, creatinine, total calcium, ionized calcium, and parathyroid hormone‐related protein (PTHrP). The mass was removed surgically by amputation of the hind limb. Osteosarcoma was diagnosed based on histopathologic examination. All abnormal serum analyte concentrations improved immediately after surgery, including azotemia, total calcium, ionized calcium, andPTHrP. The biochemical results were attributed to osteosarcoma causingPTHrP‐induced hypercalcemia.
Rod electrical coupling is controlled by a circadian clock and dopamine in mouse retina
Authors: Jin Nan Ge , Chuang Alice Z. , Masson Philippe J. , Ribelayga Christophe P.
Published: January 2015

Key points

Rod photoreceptors play a key role in vision in dim light; in the mammalian retina, although rods are anatomically connected or coupled by gap junctions, a type of electrical synapse, the functional importance and regulation of rod coupling has remained elusive.

We have developed a new technique in the mouse: perforated patch‐clamp recording of rod inner segments in isolated intact retinae maintained by superfusion.

We find that rod electrical coupling is controlled by a circadian clock and dopamine, and is weak during the day and stronger at night.

The results also indicate that the signal‐to‐noise ratio for a dim light response is increased at night because of coupling.

Our observations will provide a framework for understanding the daily variations in human vision as well as the basis of specific retinal malfunctions.

Rod single‐photon responses are critical for vision in dim light. Electrical coupling via gap junction channels shapes the light response properties of vertebrate photoreceptors, but the regulation of rod coupling and its impact on the single‐photon response have remained unclear. To directly address these questions, we developed a perforated patch‐clamp recording technique and recorded from single rod inner segments in isolated intact neural mouse retinae, maintained by superfusion. Experiments were conducted at different times of the day or under constant environmental conditions, at different times across the circadian cycle. We show that rod electrical coupling is regulated by a circadian clock and dopamine, so that coupling is weak during the day and strong at night. Altogether, patch‐clamp recordings of single‐photon responses in mouse rods, tracer coupling, receptive field measurements and pharmacological manipulations of gap junction and dopamine receptor activity provide compelling evidence that rod coupling is modulated in a circadian manner. These data are consistent with computer modelling. At night, single‐photon responses are smaller due to coupling, but the signal‐to‐noise ratio for a dim (multiphoton) light response is increased at night because of signal averaging between coupled rods.
Vascular effects of aerobic exercise training in rat adult offspring exposed to hypoxia‐induced intrauterine growth restriction
Authors: Reyes Laura M. , Morton Jude S. , Kirschenman Raven , DeLorey Darren S. , Davidge Sandra T.
Published: January 2015

Key points

Prenatal hypoxia, one of the most common consequences of complicated pregnancies, leads to intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and impairs later‐life endothelium‐dependent vascular function.

Early interventions are needed to ultimately reduce later‐life risk for cardiovascular disease.

Aerobic exercise training has been shown to prevent cardiovascular diseases. Whether exercise can be used as an intervention to reverse the vascular phenotype of this susceptible population is unknown.

Aerobic exercise training enhanced endothelium‐derived hyperpolarization‐mediated vasodilatation in gastrocnemius muscle arteries in male IUGR offspring, and did not improve nitric oxide‐mediated vasodilatation in IUGR offspring.

Understanding the mechanisms by which exercise impacts the cardiovascular system in a susceptible population and the consideration of sexual dimorphism is essential to define whether exercise could be used as a preventive strategy in this population.

Hypoxia in utero is a critical insult causing intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). Adult offspring born with hypoxia‐induced IUGR have impaired endothelium‐dependent vascular function. We tested whether aerobic exercise improves IUGR‐induced endothelial dysfunction. Pregnant Sprague–Dawley rats were exposed to control (21% oxygen) or hypoxic (11% oxygen) conditions from gestational day 15 to 21. Male and female offspring from normoxic and hypoxic (IUGR) pregnancies were randomized at 10 weeks of age to either an exercise‐trained or sedentary group. Exercise‐trained rats ran on a treadmill for 30 min at 20 m min−1, 5 deg gradient, 5 days week−1, for 6 weeks. Concentration–response curves to phenylephrine and methylcholine were performed in second order mesenteric and gastrocnemius muscle arteries, in the presence or absence of l‐NAME (100 μm), MnTBAP (peroxynitrite scavenger; 10 μm), apamin (0.1 μm) and TRAM‐34 (an intermediate‐conductance calcium‐activated potassium channel blocker; 10 μm), or indomethacin (5 μm). In adult male IUGR offspring, prenatal hypoxia had no effect on total vasodilator responses in either vascular bed. Aerobic exercise training in IUGR males, however, improved endothelium‐derived hyperpolarization (EDH)‐mediated vasodilatation in gastrocnemius muscle arteries. Female IUGR offspring had reduced NO‐mediated vasodilatation in both vascular beds, along with decreased total vasodilator responses and increased prostaglandin‐mediated vasoconstriction in gastrocnemius muscle arteries. In contrast to males, aerobic exercise training in IUGR female offspring had no effect on either vascular bed. Exercise may not prove to be a beneficial therapy for specific vascular pathways affected by prenatal hypoxia, particularly in female offspring.
It’s A-bout Time: Detailed Patterns of Physical Activity in Obese Adolescents Participating in a Lifestyle Intervention
Authors: Howie Erin Kaye , Olds Timothy , McVeigh Joanne A. , Abbott Rebecca A. , Straker Leon
Published: January 2015

Background:

The detailed patterns of physical activity and sedentary behaviors of overweight and obese adolescents are unknown, but may be important for health outcomes and targeted intervention design.

Methods:

Participants completed Curtin University’s Activity, Food and Attitudes Program (CAFAP), an 8-week intervention with 12 months of maintenance intervention. Physical activity and sedentary time were assessed at 6 time periods with accelerometers and were analyzed by 1) time and type of day, 2) intensity bout patterns using exposure variation analysis, and 3) individual case analysis.

Results:

Participants (n = 56) spent a lower percentage of time at baseline in light activity during school days compared with weekend days (24.4% vs 29.0%, P = .004). The majority of time was in long uninterrupted sedentary bouts of greater than 30 minutes (26.7% of total time, 36.8% of sedentary time at baseline). Moderate activity was accumulated in short bouts of less than 5 minutes (3.1% of total time, 76.0% moderate time). Changes varied by individuals.

Conclusions:

Exposure variation analysis revealed specific changes in activity patterns in overweight and obese adolescents who participated in a lifestyle intervention. A better understanding of these patterns can help to design interventions that meaningfully affect specific behaviors, with unique health consequences.
Crystal structure of the chemokine receptor CXCR4 in complex with a viral chemokine
Authors: Qin Ling , Kufareva Irina , Holden Lauren G. , Wang Chong , Zheng Yi , Zhao Chunxia , Fenalti Gustavo , Wu Huixian , Han Gye Won , Cherezov Vadim , Abagyan Ruben , Stevens Raymond C. , Handel Tracy M.
Published: January 2015

Molecular “go” signals reveal their secrets

Chemokines are proteins that direct how cells move within the body. For instance, chemokines help immune cells locate invading pathogens and ensure that cells position themselves correctly within a developing organ. Cells detect chemokines through G protein–coupled receptors on their surface; however, the molecular details of how these proteins interact remain unclear (see the Perspective by Standfuss). Qin
et al.
solved the crystal structure of the chemokine receptor CXCR4 bound to the viral chemokine vMIP-II. Burg
et al.
solved the crystal structure of a viral chemokine receptor bound to the chemokine domain of CX3CL1. Given the role of chemokines in a number of diseases, these results may help in future drug design.

Science
, this issue p.
1117
, p.
1113
; see also p.
1071
Genetic control of distal stem cell fate within root and embryonic meristems
Authors: Crawford Brian C. W. , Sewell Jared , Golembeski Greg , Roshan Carmel , Long Jeff A. , Yanofsky Martin F.
Published: January 2015

Genetic control of stem cell fate in plant roots

Without roots, most plants cannot thrive. Crawford
et al.
have now unearthed the robust control systems that build roots. Signaling by the plant hormone auxin triggers three genes that control the development of stem cells forming the root. With this trio of genes, any one of which can do the job, root development is backed up with fail-safe controls. The team could use the same system of controls to sprout roots in the wrong places, making roots instead of shoots.

Science
, this issue p.
655
Spatially structured photons that travel in free space slower than the speed of light
Authors: Giovannini Daniel , Romero Jacquiline , Potoček Václav , Ferenczi Gergely , Speirits Fiona , Barnett Stephen M. , Faccio Daniele , Padgett Miles J.
Published: January 2015

Slowing down light with added structure

We are taught that the speed of light in free space is one of the universal physical constants:
c.
Giovannini
et al.
now show that there are certain conditions under which such certainty can be broken (see the Perspective by Sambles). Adding spatial structure to an optical beam of single photons reduced the speed of light. The magnitude of the decrease depended on the complexity of the structure imprinted onto the photons.

Science
, this issue p.
857
; see also p.
828
Draft Genome Sequence and Gene Annotation of the Entomopathogenic Fungus
Verticillium hemipterigenum
Authors: Horn Fabian , Habel Andreas , Scharf Daniel H. , Dworschak Jan , Brakhage Axel A. , Guthke Reinhard , Hertweck Christian , Linde Jörg
Published: January 2015

Verticillium hemipterigenum
(anamorph
Torrubiella hemipterigena
) is an entomopathogenic fungus and produces a broad range of secondary metabolites. Here, we present the draft genome sequence of the fungus, including gene structure and functional annotation. Genes were predicted incorporating RNA-Seq data and functionally annotated to provide the basis for further genome studies.
Draft Genome Sequence of Cryophilic Basidiomycetous Yeast
Mrakia blollopis
SK-4, Isolated from an Algal Mat of Naga-ike Lake in the Skarvsnes Ice-Free Area, East Antarctica
Authors: Tsuji Masaharu , Kudoh Sakae , Hoshino Tamotsu
Published: January 2015

Mrakia blollopis
strain SK-4 was isolated from an algal mat of Naga-ike, a lake in Skarvsnes, East Antarctica. Here, we report the draft genome sequence of M. blollopis SK-4. This is the first report on the genome sequence of any cold-adapted fungal species.
Draft Genome Sequence of Spirochaeta sp. Strain JC202, an Endosymbiont of the Termite (Isoptera) Gut
Authors: Tushar L. , Sravanthi T. , Sasikala C. , Ramana C. V.
Published: January 2015

We announce here the draft genome sequence of Spirochaeta sp. strain JC202 isolated from gut of a termite (Isoptera). The genome suggests that Spirochaeta sp. JC202 has the capability for natural conjugation with the help of fimbriae and pili. Experimental evidence and the genome sequence suggest that strain JC202 is capable of producing colicin V and a bacteriocin group of peptides in a specific interaction.
Socioeconomic variation in the incidence of childhood coeliac disease in the UK
Authors: Zingone Fabiana , West Joe , Crooks Colin J , Fleming Kate M , Card Timothy R , Ciacci Carolina , Tata Laila J
Published: January 2015

Background

Serological studies indicate that evidence of coeliac disease (CD) exists in about 1% of all children, but we lack estimates of current diagnostic patterns among children and how they vary by socioeconomic group.

Methods

We identified all children aged 0–18 years between 1993 and 2012 who were registered with general practices across the UK that contribute to a large population-based general practice database. The incidence of CD was evaluated in each quintile of the Townsend index of deprivation and stratified by age, sex, country and calendar year.

Results

Among 2 063 421 children, we identified 1247 CD diagnoses, corresponding to an overall CD incidence of 11.9 per 100 000 person-years, which was similar across the UK countries and higher in girls than in boys. We found a gradient of CD diagnosis across socioeconomic groups, with the rate of diagnosis being 80% higher in children from the least-deprived areas than in those from the most-deprived areas (incident rate ratio 1.80, 95% CI 1.45 to 2.22). This pattern held for both boys and girls and across all ages. Across all four countries of the UK, we found similar associations between CD and socioeconomic status. While CD incidence up to age 2 remained stable over the study period, diagnoses at older ages have almost tripled over the past 20 years.

Conclusions

Children living in less socioeconomically deprived areas in the UK are more likely to be diagnosed with CD. Increased implementation of diagnostic guidelines could result in better case identification in more-deprived areas.
The wire anchor loop traction (WALT) maneuver
Authors: Effendi Khaled , Sacho Raphael Hillel , Belzile François , Marotta Thomas R
Published: January 2015

Crossing the neck of large complex intracranial aneurysms for the purposes of stent deployment can be challenging using standard over the wire techniques. We describe a novel yet simple technique for straightening out the loop formed within a large intracranial aneurysm, which is often required in order to cross the aneurysm neck into the distal branch. Both the microcatheter and microwire are initially introduced into the distal vasculature, followed by withdrawal of the microwire to a point parallel to the distal exiting branch. The microcatheter and microwire are then gently withdrawn and a series of maneuvers to gradually reduce the loop is performed, obviating the need for distal purchase in the form of a stent, balloon, or coil, which have previously been described to maintain distal purchase.
Outcome of central hypoventilation secondary to childhood pertussis encephalitis in adulthood
Authors: Gouder Caroline , Fsadni Peter , Montefort Stephen
Published: January 2015

We present a rare case of central hypoventilation secondary to pertussis encephalopathy occurring during childhood. The patient was successfully managed by negative pressure ventilation initially until portable non-invasive ventilators became available. The patient was, unfortunately, lost to follow-up. She was reviewed in adulthood following several years of non-compliance to treatment and found asymptomatic despite chronic hypercapnoea.
Protecting the health of the @hlete: how online technology may aid our common goal to prevent injury and illness in sport
Authors: Verhagen Evert , Bolling Caroline
Published: January 2015

Online technology dominates our era and eHealth has become a reality for sports clinicians and researchers. Contemporary online platforms enable self-monitoring and provide tailored feedback to the different stakeholders who play a role in the health and care of athletes. Innovations such as digital monitoring, mobile applications and connected hardware provide the critical tools to solve current enigmas in sports medicine research, and to streamline and facilitate injury prevention, management and rehabilitation. eHealth is not an emerging future of sports medicine—the technology to move our field forward in terms of research and practice is already available. This Analysis is based on Evert Verhagen's keynote presentation at the IOC World Conference on Injury and Illness Prevention in Sport (Monaco, 12 April 2014). It outlines the use of eHealth in research, implementation and practice, and provides an overview of possibilities and opportunities that existing and emerging eHealth solutions provide for sports and exercise medicine and physiotherapy.
Novel Nanometric Reversible Low Power Bidirectional Universal Logarithmic Barrel Shifter with Overflow and Zero Flags
Authors: Hosseininia Nayereh , Boroumand Soudabeh , Haghparast Majid
Published: January 2015

One of the most important issues in designing VLSI circuits is power consumption. Reversible logic which is widely utilized in quantum computing, low power CMOS design, optical information processing, bioinformatics and nanotechnology-based systems decreases power loss. A reversible circuit has zero internal power dissipation because it does not lose information. Reversible barrel shifters are required to construct reversible embedded digital signal and general-purpose processors. Data shifting is often used in high-speed/low-power error-control applications, floating point normalization, address decoding and bit indexing. This paper proposes a novel reversible bidirectional universal barrel shifter which is applied in high speed and high performance applications. The proposed barrel shifter is designed in a single circuit with overflow and zero flags. It performs three operations consisting of rotating, logical and arithmetic shifting that transfers and shifts data in both directions. The design is evaluated and formulated in terms of number of garbage outputs, number of constant inputs, quantum cost, number of reversible gates and hardware complexity. All the scales are in nanometric area.
Reconfigurable FPGA/GPU-Based Architecture of Block Compressive Sampling Matching Pursuit Algorithm
Authors: Jarrah Amin , Jamali Mohsin M.
Published: January 2015

The signals in reality are sparse signal where a few numbers of samples are non-zero. So, a compression technique must be applied to reduce the overhead of processing, storing, and transmission. Blocking compressive sampling matching pursuit (BCoSaMP) algorithm is a recursive algorithm which provides an accurate reconstruction of sparse signal from a small number of noisy samples. It doesn't assume that the noise is Gaussian or bounded but it uses information about the noise magnitude for stopping criterion. However, BCoSaMP is a computationally intensive algorithm. So, BCoSaMP algorithm has been implemented on both field-programmable gate array (FPGA) and graphic processing units (GPU) by exploiting parallel and pipelining approaches. A new software tool called radar signal processing tool (RSPT) is also presented. It allows the designer to auto-generate fully optimized VHDL representation of BCoSaMP by specifying many user input parameters through graphical user interface (GUI). Moreover, it provides the designer a feedback on various performance parameters. This offer the designer the ability to make any adjustments to the BCoSaMP component until gets the desired performance of the overall system-on-chip (SoC). Our simulation results indicate that the achieved speed-up of FPGA and GPU over the sequential one is improved by up to 14 and 10.7, respectively.
Dynamic Interaction of Two Adjacent Foundations Embedded in a Viscoelastic Soil
Authors: Sbartai Badreddine
Published: January 2015

This paper studies the dynamic interaction for two adjacent rigid foundations embedded in a viscoelastic soil layer. The vibrations originate from one of the rigid foundations placed in the soil layer, which are subjected to harmonic loads of translation, rocking, and torsion. The dynamic responses of the rigid surface foundations are solved from the wave equations by taking into account their interaction. The solution is formulated using the frequency domain boundary element method (BEM), in conjunction with Kausel–Peek Green’s function for a layered stratum and the thin layer method (TLM) to account for the interaction between the two foundations. This approach allows us to establish a mathematical model for determining the compliance functions of the two adjacent foundations with regard to their spacing, substratum depth, masses, shapes, embedding, load intensity, and frequencies of excitation. The soil heterogeneity was taken into account for the cases of one or two layers of soils over a rigid bedrock and semi-infinite soil. The analysis of the present study indicates that the effect of several parameters on the dynamic interaction response of two adjacent foundations is nonnegligible. In particular, the dominant influence of some parameters, such as the heterogeneity of the soil, shape of the foundations, and the load intensity, compared to the other ones is clearly revealed.
Volatility Behaviors of Financial Time Series by Percolation System on Sierpinski Carpet Lattice
Authors: Pei Anqi , Wang Jun
Published: January 2015

The financial time series is simulated and investigated by the percolation system on the Sierpinski carpet lattice, where percolation is usually employed to describe the behavior of connected clusters in a random graph, and the Sierpinski carpet lattice is a graph which corresponds the fractal — Sierpinski carpet. To study the fluctuation behavior of returns for the financial model and the Shanghai Composite Index, we establish a daily volatility measure — multifractal volatility (MFV) measure to obtain MFV series, which have long-range cross-correlations with squared daily return series. The autoregressive fractionally integrated moving average (ARFIMA) model is used to analyze the MFV series, which performs better when compared to other volatility series. By a comparative study of the multifractality and volatility analysis of the data, the simulation data of the proposed model exhibits very similar behaviors to those of the real stock index, which indicates somewhat rationality of the model to the market application.
Model penicillin fermentation by least squares support vector machine with tuning based on amended harmony search
Authors: Ou Yang Hai-Bin , Li Steven , Zhang Ping , Kong Xiangyong
Published: January 2015

Penicillin fermentation is an important part of microbial fermentation. Due to the existence of error date in the independent variables and dependent variables of the penicillin fermentation sample data, the accuracy of the model of penicillin fermentation is affected. In this paper, an amended harmony search (AHS) algorithm is developed to adjust the hyper-parameters of least squares support vector machine (LS-SVM) in order to build penicillin fermentation process model with prediction accuracy. The AHS algorithm is investigated by unconstrained benchmark functions with different characteristics. Compared with other several optimization approaches, AHS demonstrates a better performance. Moreover, using the simulation data from the PenSim simulation platform to validate the effectiveness of the penicillin fermentation process modeling, experiment results show that the penicillin fermentation process modeling based on the tuned LS-SVM by AHS possesses robustness and generalization ability.
Post-collisional high-K calc-alkaline volcanism in Tengchong volcanic field, SE Tibet: constraints on Indian eastward subduction and slab detachment
Authors: Guo Zhengfu , Cheng Zhihui , Zhang Maoliang , Zhang Lihong , Li Xiaohui , Liu Jiaqi
Published: January 2015

Post-collisional high-K calc-alkaline volcanism occurred in the Tengchong volcanic field in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau from 8 Ma to AD 1609. The volcanic rocks have chondrite-normalized rare earth element (REE) patterns characterized by enrichment in light REE (LREE), a flat heavy REE (HREE) pattern and weak negative Eu anomalies. Primitive mantle-normalized incompatible trace element diagrams indicate enrichments in large ion lithophile elements (LILE) relative to high field strength elements (HFSE) and negative Ta–Nb–Ti anomalies. Incompatible trace element and Sr–Nd–Pb isotope compositions reflect the suprasubduction-zone fluid enrichment of the asthenospheric mantle wedge beneath the Burma–Tengchong terrane as a consequence of eastward underthrusting of the Indian continental lithosphere following the India–Asia collision at 55 Ma. Sr–Nd isotope mixing modelling indicates that amounts of the Indian slab-derived fluid range from 1.0 to 4.6% in the asthenospheric mantle source. Incompatible trace element modelling calculation results show 16% melting of the enriched asthenospheric mantle wedge beneath the Burma–Tengchong terrane. Three parameters (i.e. India-derived fluid, melting degree and residual minerals in the mantle source) constrain the composition of the Tengchong volcanic field mafic magmas. Trace element and Sr–Nd isotopic mixing modelling indicate that the post-collisional mafic magmas in this volcanic field are the product of slab detachment of the eastward subducted Indian continental lithosphere, which may be linked to a significant change in the convergence angle between India and Asia since 8 Ma.
Independent effects of endurance training and weight loss on peak fat oxidation in moderately overweight men: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Nordby Pernille , Rosenkilde Mads , Ploug Thorkil , Westh Karina , Feigh Michael , Nielsen Ninna B. , Helge Jørn W. , Stallknecht Bente
Published: January 2015

Endurance training increases peak fat oxidation (PFO) during exercise, but whether this is independent of changes in body weight is not known. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of endurance training with or without weight loss or a diet-induced weight loss on PFO and on key skeletal muscle mitochondrial proteins involved in fat oxidation. Sixty moderately overweight, sedentary but otherwise healthy men were randomized to 12 wk of training (T), diet (D), training and increased caloric intake (T-iD), or continuous sedentary control (C). Isoenergetic deficits corresponding to 600 kcal/day were comprised of endurance exercise for T and caloric restriction for D. T-iD completed similar training but was not in 600 kcal deficit because of dietary replacement. PFO and the exercise intensity at which this occurred (FatMax) were measured by a submaximal exercise test and calculated by polynomial regression. As intended by study design, a similar weight loss was observed in T (−5.9 ± 0.7 kg) and D (−5.2 ± 0.8 kg), whereas T-iD (−1.0 ± 0.5 kg) and C (0.1 ± 0.6 kg) remained weight stable. PFO increased to a similar extent with 42% in T [0.16 g/min; 95% confidence intervals (CI): 0.02; 0.30, P = 0.02] and 41% in T-iD (0.16 g/min; 95% CI: 0.01; 0.30, P = 0.04) compared with C, but did not increase in D ( P = 0.96). In addition, the analysis of covariance showed that changes in both PFO (0.10 g/min; 95% CI: 0.03; 0.17, P = 0.03) and FatMax (6.3% V̇o2max; 95% CI: 1.4; 11.3, P < 0.01) were independently explained by endurance training. In conclusion, endurance training per se increases PFO in moderately overweight men.