bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Vem som helst kan ju läsa!
Authors: Bern Lars
Published: January 2018

[Der findes ikke resumé til denne artikel.]
Klarsprogsarbejdet i Skattevæsenet før og nu
Authors: Jarvad Pia , Agerholm Birgitte
Published: January 2018

Hvordan skrev skattemyndighederne i 70’erne – og hvordan skriver SKAT i dag? Vi skitserer udviklingen og fortæller om et sprogprojekt, der har vendt rundt på kommunikationen til borgere, virksomheder, rådgivere og medarbejdere.
Vägledningen 24-timmarswebben – effektivare och bättre service på webbplatser
Authors: Albinsson Sofia
Published: January 2018

[Der findes ikke resumé til denne artikel.]
Forord
Authors: Hovdenak Marit , Fretland Jan Olav
Published: January 2018

Der findes ikke resumé til denne artikel.
Å gjøre lovtekster klarere
Authors: Fjeld Ruth Vatvedt
Published: January 2018

Der findes ikke resumé til denne artikel.
Det laaange seje træk
Authors: Seest Louise
Published: January 2018

Der findes ikke resumé til denne artikel.
Svenskt lagspråk i Finland?
Authors: Malmsten Ann-Marie
Published: January 2018

Der findes ikke resumé til denne artikel.
Kva kan næringslivet gjere? Kort samandrag av innlegget
Authors: Bjerke Siri
Published: January 2018

Der findes ikke reusmé til denne artikel.
Vad gör språknämnderna och vad kan de bidra med?
Authors: Lindgren Birgitta
Published: January 2018

Der findes ikke resumé til denne artikel.
Skattekort på nätet – exempel på hur Skatteförvaltningen utvecklar sina elektroniska tjänster
Authors: Hoffrén Kaj
Published: January 2018

Tax card online is an e-service offered by the Finnish Tax Administration to anyone who needs to change their tax card in the course of the year. Prior to implementation, the usability of the service was tested with the help of a company specializing in Internet services. An additional usability test was made prior to its launch, where a group of customers were invited to test the service and give their feedback on it. In order that the service should be perceived as easy and user-friendly, the language and instructions have been made as simple as possible. The Tax Administration hired language advisors to write the texts. Translations were done by professional translators. Going forward, customer response will play a big part in the development of the service. There is an online feedback form available to users. Customer response regarding incoming requests for support is also followed up. Usability is examined approximately every two years, looking specifically at the age of the customers, how familiar they are with the service and which parts of the service have been considered problematic.
Jurister och språkkonsulter i samarbete på Skatteverket
Authors: Hultberg Maria , Wassdahl Louise
Published: January 2018

Skatteverket övergår från att ha sin rättsinformation i tryckta handledningar till att publicera den på webben. Samtidigt som all text digitaliseras bearbetar man informationen enligt klarspråksprinciper. Språkkonsulter, sakkunniga skribenter och rättssäkrare har arbetat nära tillsammans med ansvar för språket respektive sakinnehållet. Vi språkkonsulter fick makten att förändra det traditionstyngda juridiska språket. Har vi förvaltat den makten väl? Vi har lärt oss att jurister och språkkonsulter kan ha mycket olika syn på vad som är tydlig text men vi tycker att vi gemensamt åstadkommit klarspråk för mottagaren. Det ser inte längre ut som äldre tiders juridiska språk men inte heller som klarspråk som riktar sig till allmänheten. SummaryThe Swedish Tax Agency is converting approximately 20 printed manuals containing its interpretations of the Swedish tax laws for access from a central web site. During the digitising process the language on every single page has been reviewed and edited into plain language. Plain language consultants and tax law experts have been working closely together, the former taking responsibility for the language and the latter for the complex content. As linguistic experts we have the power to influence the heavy and sometimes stilted language, a language often marked by old legal tradition. Have we used our power well? We have learned that linguists and lawyers can have very different views on what is clear, and on what constitutes plain language. However, we think that, by pooling our resources, we have achieved a good compromise, aimed at a target audience that has a good knowledge of the tax laws, with the purpose of guiding them in their complicated tasks.
Using Time Clusters for Following Users’ Shifts in Rating Practices
Authors: Margaris Dionisis , Vassilakis Costas
Published: January 2018

Users that enter ratings for items follow different rating practices, in the sense that, when rating items, some users are more lenient, while others are stricter. This aspect is taken into account by the most widely used similarity metric in user-user collaborative filtering, namely, the Pearson Correlation, which adjusts each individual user rating by the mean value of the ratings entered by the specific user, when computing similarities. However, a user’s rating practices change over time, i.e. a user could start as strict and subsequently become lenient or vice versa. In that sense, the practice of using a single mean value for adjusting users’ ratings is inadequate, since it fails to follow such shifts in users’ rating practices, leading to decreased rating prediction accuracy. In this work, we address this issue by using the concept of dynamic averages introduced earlier and we extend earlier work by (1) introducing the concept of rating time clusters and (2) presenting a novel algorithm for calculating dynamic user averages and exploiting them in user-user collaborative, filtering implementations. The proposed algorithm incorporates the aforementioned concept and is able to follow more successfully shifts in users’ rating practices. It has been evaluated using numerous datasets, and has been found to introduce significant gains in rating prediction accuracy, while outperforming the dynamic average computation approaches that are presented earlier.
Knocking on Industry’s Door: Needs in Product-Cost Optimization in the Early Product Life Cycle Stages
Authors: Walter Matthias , Leyh Christian , Strahringer Susanne
Published: January 2018

While theoretical concepts for product-costing methodologies have evolved over the decades, little emphasis has been placed on their integration into modern information systems. During a co-innovation workshop at SAP SE, we initiated our collaborative research with selected large-scale enterprises from the discrete manufacturing industry. Moreover, we conducted interviews with business experts to gain a sophisticated understanding of the cost-optimization process itself. As a result, we present an exemplary optimization process with an emphasis on the specific characteristics of the product development stage. Based upon this example, we identified associated deficits in information system support. No current software fulfills the enterprises’ requirements regarding cost optimization in the early stages of a product’s life cycle. Thus, the respective processes lack integration in corporate environments. Taking this on, our article compiles detailed problem identification and, moreover, suggests approaches to overcome these hurdles.
СТАЊЕ И ТРЕНДОВИ ИМОВИНСКОГ КРИМИНАЛИТЕТА У РЕПУБЛИЦИ СРПСКОЈ
Authors: Шикман Миле
Published: January 2018

Имовински криминалитет је врстакриминалитета који је, криминолошки посматрано, вишеструкоинтересантан криминални феномен. Као прво, ријеч је онајмасовнијем криминалном феномену који партиципира вишеод 50% свих извршених кривичних дјела, при чему чини око65% кривичних дјела општег криминалитета. У вези са тимје и највећи број пријављених лица, укључујући пунољетна ималољетна лица, као и повратнике у извршењу кривичних дјелаимовинског криминалитета. Такође, највећи број извршилацаових кривичних дјела јесу професионални извршиоци, алиова кривична дјела карактерише и значајан удио ситуационихизвршиоца кривичних дјела, као и малољетних лица, којима суово и прва извршена кривична дјела. Поред тога, структуру овихкривичних дјела карактерише изражена динамика, тј. промјенеу обиму испољавања и разноврсност облика испољавања. Таквадистрибуција кривичних дјела имовинског криминалитета је иочекивана, јер су и различити облици понашања (радњи) којимасе напада имовина других лица, као заштитни објект овихкривичних дјела. Циљ рада је да се путем доступних податакасагледају стање и трендови имовинског криминалитета уРепублици Српској у петогодишњем периоду (2011-2015). У тусврху, користиће се статистички подаци о кривичним дјелимаимовинског криминалитета који су садржани у подацимаМинистарства унутрашњих послова (евиденције, извјештаји ораду, информације) и подаци о броју пријављених, оптуженихи осуђених пунољетних и малољетних лица садржани устатистикама Републичког завода за статистику, који приказујеобједињене податке тужилаштава и судова.
ПОРЕСКА УТАЈА У КРИВИЧНОМ ЗАКОНОДАВСТВУ СРБИЈЕ – ОСНОВНО КРИВИЧНО ДЕЛО ПРОТИВ ДРЖАВНИХ ФИНАНСИЈА И ПОСЕБНО КРИВИЧНО ДЕЛО ПРОТИВ ПРИВРЕДЕ
Authors: Драгојловић Јоко , Матијашевић-Обрадовић Јелена
Published: January 2018

Пореска утаја је врста незаконите порескеевазије. О порескоj утаји се најчешће говори онда када сеизбегава плаћање непосредних пореза. Неплаћање порезаможе бити санкционисано као прекршај, привредни преступили кривично дело. Обухват анализе у овом раду ограниченје на област незаконите евазије, и то конкретно на порескуутају као основно кривично дело против државних финансијаи посебно кривично дело против привреде. У раду је притоме учињен осврт на сва релевантна питања која су у вези сапореском утајом као кривичним делом. Конкретно, учињен јеосврт на појам и деликте привредног криминалитета, разлогепореске евазије, те незакониту пореску евазију, потом на општекарактеристике кривичних дела против привреде, те на самупореску утају, опредељујући прво, у кратким цртама, њенисторијски развој, одређење у Кривичном законику Србије, и,коначно, анализирајући праксу правосудних органа у Србијиу кривичним поступцима за пореску утају. Основни разлогинкриминације пореске утаје произилази из потребе да сеуставне обавезе грађана, плаћање пореза и других дажбинаи обезбеђење средстава ради финансирања јавних функцијаобезбеде и кривичноправним нормама. Ово је нарочито битнозбог тога што се последице пореске утаје манифестују на свимпољима од виталног значаја за једну државу: нпр., на фискалномплану, социјалном плану, политичком плану, итд. Значајнакомпонента у одговору на облике пореске утаје јесте свест, несамо стручне јавности и правосудних органа већ и свих грађана,о штетности недозвољене пореске евазије уопште, нарочитопореске утаје, те последицама које свакодневно врло битноутичу на многе аспекте живота свих нас и наших потомака.
Multilayered model of speech
Authors: Chistyakov Andrey
Published: January 2018

Human speech is the most important part of General Artificial Intelligence and subject of much research. The hypothesis proposed in this article provides explanation of difficulties that modern science tackles in the field of human brain simulation. The hypothesis is based on the author’s conviction that the brain of any given person has different ability to process and store information. Therefore, the approaches that are currently used to create General Artificial Intelligence have to be altered.
Performance testing in the cloud. How bad is it really?
Authors: Laaber Christoph , Scheuner Joel , Leitner Philipp
Published: January 2018

Rigorous performance engineering traditionally assumes measuring on bare-metal environments to control for as many confounding factors as possible. Unfortunately, some researchers and practitioners might not have access, knowledge, or funds to operate dedicated performance testing hardware, making public clouds an attractive alternative. However, cloud environments are inherently unpredictable and variable with respect to their performance. In this study, we explore the effects of cloud environments on the variability of performance testing outcomes, and to what extent regressions can still be reliably detected. We focus on software microbenchmarks as an example of performance tests, and execute extensive experiments on three different cloud services (AWS, GCE, and Azure) and for different types of instances. We also compare the results to a hosted bare-metal offering from IBM Bluemix. In total, we gathered more than 5 million unique microbenchmarking data points from benchmarks written in Java and Go. We find that the variability of results differs substantially between benchmarks and instance types (from 0.03% to > 100% relative standard deviation). We also observe that testing using Wilcoxon rank-sum generally leads to unsatisfying results for detecting regressions due to a very high number of false positives in all tested configurations. However, simply testing for a difference in medians can be employed with good success to detect even small differences. In some cases, a difference as low as a 1% shift in median execution time can be found with a low false positive rate given a large sample size of 20 instances.
Unmasking Christie
Authors: Davis Jessica Milner
Published: January 2018

Unmasking Christie
Carabinieri?
Authors: Forabosco Giovannantonio
Published: January 2018

Research was conducted using a series of light bulb jokes (Forabosco, 1994). The original target of the jokes were the Poles, retargeted into “carabinieri” in Italy. A question is advanced: why carabinieri? An enlightening answer comes from comparative sociology.
Computational humor and Christie Davies’ basis for joke comparison
Authors: Rayz Julia
Published: January 2018

While historically computational humor paid very little attention to sociology and mostly took into account subparts of linguistics and some psychology, Christie Davies wrote a number of papers that should affect the study of computational humor directly. This paper will look at one paper to illustrate this point, namely Christie’s chapter in the Primer of Humor Research.  With the advancements in computational processing and big data analysis/analytics, it is becoming possible to look at a large collection of humorous texts that are available on the web. In particular, older texts, including joke materials, that are being scanned from previously published printed versions. Most of the approaches within computational humor concentrated on comparison of present/existing jokes, without taking into account classes of jokes that are absent in a given setting. While the absence of a class is unlikely to affect classification – something that researchers in computational humor seem to be interested in – it does come into light when features of various classes are compared and conclusions are being made. This paper will describe existing approaches and how they could be enhanced, thanks to Davies’s contributions and the advancements in data processing.
Early Management of Retained Hemothorax in Blunt Head and Chest Trauma
Authors: Huang Fong‐Dee , Yeh Wen‐Bin , Chen Sheng‐Shih , Liu Yuan‐Yuarn , Lu I‐Yin , Chou Yi‐Pin , Wu Tzu‐Chin
Published: January 2018

Background

Major blunt chest injury usually leads to the development of retained hemothorax and pneumothorax, and needs further intervention. However, since blunt chest injury may be combined with blunt head injury that typically requires patient observation for 3–4 days, other critical surgical interventions may be delayed. The purpose of this study is to analyze the outcomes of head injury patients who received early, versus delayed thoracic surgeries.

Materials and methods

From May 2005 to February 2012, 61 patients with major blunt injuries to the chest and head were prospectively enrolled. These patients had an intracranial hemorrhage without indications of craniotomy. All the patients received video‐assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) due to retained hemothorax or pneumothorax. Patients were divided into two groups according to the time from trauma to operation, this being within 4 days for Group 1 and more than 4 days for Group 2. The clinical outcomes included hospital length of stay (LOS), intensive care unit (ICU) LOS, infection rates, and the time period of ventilator use and chest tube intubation.

Result

All demographics, including age, gender, and trauma severity between the two groups showed no statistical differences. The average time from trauma to operation was 5.8 days. The ventilator usage period, the hospital and ICU length of stay were longer in Group 2 (6.77 vs. 18.55, p = 0.016; 20.63 vs. 35.13, p = 0.003; 8.97 vs. 17.65, p = 0.035). The rates of positive microbial cultures in pleural effusion collected during VATS were higher in Group 2 (6.7 vs. 29.0%, p = 0.043). The Glasgow Coma Scale score for all patients improved when patients were discharged (11.74 vs. 14.10, p < 0.05).

Discussion

In this study, early VATS could be performed safely in brain hemorrhage patients without indication of surgical decompression. The clinical outcomes were much better in patients receiving early intervention within 4 days after trauma.
Against the reduction of modality to essence
Authors: Wildman Nathan
Published: January 2018

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a claim of metaphysical modality, in possession of good alethic standing, must be in want of an essentialist foundation. Or at least so say the advocates of thereductive-essence-firstview (the REF, for short), according to which all (metaphysical) modality is to be reductively defined in terms of essence. Here, I contest this bit of current wisdom. In particular, I offer two puzzles—one concerning the essences of non-compossible, complementary entities, and a second involving entities whose essences are modally ‘loaded’—that together strongly call into question the possibility of reducing modality to essence.
Crafting continuity and change in Saudi society: Joint parent‐youth transition‐to‐adulthood projects
Authors: Khalifa Hind , Alnuaim Aziza A. , Young Richard A. , Marshall Sheila K. , Popadiuk Natalee
Published: January 2018

Little is known about the transition to adulthood in traditional, developing countries such as Saudi Arabia. Previous research in other countries has revealed the importance of considering parents' support during the transition to adulthood. Thus, the purpose of this research was to examine how two generations negotiated the transition to adulthood. We asked the research question, What are the joint projects in which parents and youth plan and act on their plans for the youth's future? We used the action project method, an established qualitative approach, to answer these questions by observing the joint conversations of 14 parent and youth dyads. Our results provided evidence of an overarching higher level goal, or intentional framework, of crafting generational change and continuity within which participants' joint projects were embedded. Joint projects were organized into three groups: (a) negotiating educational and career futures, (b) promoting gender roles and marriage, and (c) shaping independence.
The Aesthetic Interior as Incubator of Health and Well-Being
Authors: Hayes Richard W.
Published: January 2018

Domestic interiors created during the Aesthetic Movement have often been interpreted in terms of the ideas of aesthetic autonomy associated with Théophile Gautier, Walter Pater and Joris-Karl Huysmans. This essay takes a different tack by analysing the aesthetic interior in light of concerns with health reform. It focuses on the writings and designs of architect E.W. Godwin (1833–86) who pursued interior design as part of an effort to foster a healthy life, one that consisted of hygiene, relief from urban stress, and an enlargement of the aesthetic responsiveness of his clients. He conceived of spare and calm interiors that were healthful alternatives to dust-infested Victorian clutter while concomitantly offering psychological respite from the ‘high-pressure, nervous times’ endemic to metropolitan life. This goal accords with Godwin's related interest in dress reform, a preoccupation that led to his participation in the Health Exhibition of 1884. By unpacking Godwin's specific contribution to the sanitary discussions that prevailed in Victorian Britain, I align the aesthetic interior with the central imperative of sanitary reform: promoting health through ameliorating Britain's urban environment.
Grounding the Space Race
Authors: Maher Neil M.
Published: January 2018

On July 15, 1969, while more than one million space enthusiasts flocked to Florida's Cape Canaveral to celebrate the final countdown of the Apollo 11 launch the following day, a less festive gathering took place just a few miles away in an empty field outside the western gate of the Kennedy Space Center. On one side of the clearing stood NASA's chief, Thomas O. Paine, with several space agency administrators, while at the other end waited the Southern Christian Leadership Conference's (SCLC) president, Ralph Abernathy, with twenty-five poor African American families, four scruffy mules pulling two rickety wagons, and, much to Paine's dismay, a phalanx of newspaper reporters and television news crews. When Abernathy's group began slowly marching hand-in-hand singing “We Shall Overcome,” Paine and his entourage walked forward to meet them in the middle of the field. Abernathy then took a microphone, nodded toward the Apollo 11 rocket towering in the distance, and explained that his Poor People's Campaign had not traveled to the cape to protest the Apollo launch, but instead to demonstrate against the country's distorted sense of national priorities. “I want NASA scientists,” he explained to the gathered press, “to tackle problems we face in society”.
What Feeds Indonesia’s Destructive Mud Eruption?
Authors: Stanley Sarah
Published: January 2018

New advances in seismic investigations suggest links in plumbing between nearby magma volcanoes and a mud-erupting system that has been spewing for more than a decade.
Epithelial cell adhesion molecule overexpression regulates epithelial-mesenchymal transition, stemness and metastasis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells via the PTEN/AKT/mTOR pathway
Authors: Wang Meng-He , Sun Rui , Zhou Xiao-Min , Zhang Mei-Yin , Lu Jia-Bin , Yang Yang , Zeng Li-Si , Yang Xian-Zi , Shi Lu , Xiao Ruo-Wen , Wang Hui-Yun , Mai Shi-Juan
Published: January 2018

Epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) is known to be highly expressed in a variety of epithelial carcinomas, and it is involved in cell adhesion and proliferation. However, its expression profile and biological function in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) remains unclear. In this study, higher expression of EpCAM was found in NPC samples compared with non-cancer nasopharyngeal mucosa by qRT-PCR. Additionally, immunohistochemistry (IHC) analysis of NPC specimens from 64 cases showed that high EpCAM expression was associated with metastasis and shorter survival. Multivariate survival analysis identified high EpCAM expression as an independent prognostic factor. Ectopic EpCAM expression in NPC cells promoted epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), induced a cancer stem cell (CSC)-like phenotype, and enhanced metastasis in vitro and in vivo without an effect on cell proliferation. Notably, EpCAM overexpression reduced PTEN expression and increased the level of AKT, mTOR, p70S6K and 4EBP1 phosphorylation. Correspondingly, an AKT inhibitor and rapamycin blocked the effect of EpCAM on NPC cell invasion and stem-like phenotypes, and siRNA targeting PTEN rescued the oncogenic activities in EpCAM knockdown NPC cells. Our data demonstrate that EpCAM regulates EMT, stemness and metastasis of NPC cells via the PTEN/AKT/mTOR pathway.
Short-term retinoic acid treatment sustains pluripotency and suppresses differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cells
Authors: De Angelis Maria Teresa , Parrotta Elvira Immacolata , Santamaria Gianluca , Cuda Giovanni
Published: January 2018

Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs), including human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) derived from blastocyst and human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) generated from somatic cells by ectopic expression of defined transcriptional factors, have both the ability to self-renew and to differentiate into all cell types. Here we explored the two antagonistic effects of retinoic acid (RA) on hiPSCs. Although RA has been widely described as a pharmacological agent with a critical role in initiating differentiation of pluripotent stem cells, we demonstrate that short-term RA exposure not only antagonizes cell differentiation and sustains pluripotency of hiPSCs, but it also boosts and improves their properties and characteristics. To shed light on the mechanistic insights involved in the resistance to differentiation of hiPSCs cultured in RA conditions, as well as their improved pluripotency state, we focused our attention on the Wnt pathway. Our findings show that RA inhibits the Wnt canonical pathway and positively modulates the Akt/mTOR signaling, explaining why such perturbations, under our experimental conditions, do not lead to hiPSCs differentiation. Altogether, these data uncover a novel role for RA in favouring the maintenance of ground-state pluripotency, supporting its bivalent role, dose- and time-dependent, for hiPSCs differentiation and self-renewal processes.
Publisher Correction: Second-order spectral lineshapes from charged interfaces
Authors: Ohno Paul E. , Wang Hong-fei , Geiger Franz M.
Published: January 2018

The original version of this Article contained an error in Equation 3b. A ‘ + ’ sign incorrectly appeared instead of a ‘–’ sign in the denominator of the right-hand side of the equation and incorrectly read:$$\left( {\chi _1^{\left( 3 \right)} + i\chi _2^{\left( 3 \right)}} \right) = \left( {\frac{{\kappa ^2}}{{\kappa ^2 + \left( {\Delta k_z} \right)^2}}\chi ^{\left( 3 \right)} + i\frac{{\kappa \Delta k_z}}{{\kappa ^2 + \left( {\Delta k_z} \right)^2}}\chi ^{\left( 3 \right)}} \right) = \frac{\kappa }{{\kappa + i\Delta k_z}}\chi ^{\left( 3 \right)}$$

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This has now been corrected in both the PDF and HTML versions of the Article.
Author Correction: Rationalizing the light-induced phase separation of mixed halide organic–inorganic perovskites
Authors: Draguta Sergiu , Sharia Onise , Yoon Seog Joon , Brennan Michael C. , Morozov Yurii V. , Manser Joseph S. , Kamat Prashant V. , Schneider William F. , Kuno Masaru
Published: January 2018

The original version of this Article contained an error in the spelling of the author Joseph S. Manser, which was incorrectly given as Joseph M. Manser. This has now been corrected in both the PDF and HTML versions of the Article.
Author Correction: Targeted gadofullerene for sensitive magnetic resonance imaging and risk-stratification of breast cancer
Authors: Han Zheng , Wu Xiaohui , Roelle Sarah , Chen Chuheng , Schiemann William P. , Lu Zheng-Rong
Published: January 2018

In the original version of this Article, the penultimate sentence of the Abstract incorrectly read ‘The dose of the contrast agent for effective molecular MRI is only slightly lower than that of ZD2-Cy5.5 (0.5 µmol kg−1) in fluorescence imaging.’ The correct version states ‘higher’ in place of ‘lower’. This error has been corrected in both the PDF and HTML versions of the Article.
The mechanism of glycosphingolipid degradation revealed by a GALC-SapA complex structure
Authors: Hill Chris H. , Cook Georgia M. , Spratley Samantha J. , Fawke Stuart , Graham Stephen C. , Deane Janet E.
Published: January 2018

Sphingolipids are essential components of cellular membranes and defects in their synthesis or degradation cause severe human diseases. The efficient degradation of sphingolipids in the lysosome requires lipid-binding saposin proteins and hydrolytic enzymes. The glycosphingolipid galactocerebroside is the primary lipid component of the myelin sheath and is degraded by the hydrolase β-galactocerebrosidase (GALC). This enzyme requires the saposin SapA for lipid processing and defects in either of these proteins causes a severe neurodegenerative disorder, Krabbe disease. Here we present the structure of a glycosphingolipid-processing complex, revealing how SapA and GALC form a heterotetramer with an open channel connecting the enzyme active site to the SapA hydrophobic cavity. This structure defines how a soluble hydrolase can cleave the polar glycosyl headgroups of these essential lipids from their hydrophobic ceramide tails. Furthermore, the molecular details of this interaction provide an illustration for how specificity of saposin binding to hydrolases is encoded.
Publisher Correction: Imaging spectroscopy of solar radio burst fine structures
Authors: Kontar E. P. , Yu S. , Kuznetsov A. A. , Emslie A. G. , Alcock B. , Jeffrey N. L. S. , Melnik V. N. , Bian N. H. , Subramanian P.
Published: January 2018

The original version of this article contained errors in Refs 15, 27, 32, 33 and 43, which were incorrectly given with the wrong journal name “Solid Phys.” rather than the correct “Sol. Phys.”. This has now been corrected in the PDF and HTML versions of the article.
Free choice shapes normalized value signals in medial orbitofrontal cortex
Authors: Yamada Hiroshi , Louie Kenway , Tymula Agnieszka , Glimcher Paul W.
Published: January 2018

Normalization is a common cortical computation widely observed in sensory perception, but its importance in perception of reward value and decision making remains largely unknown. We examined (1) whether normalized value signals occur in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and (2) whether changes in behavioral task context influence the normalized representation of value. We record medial OFC (mOFC) single neuron activity in awake-behaving monkeys during a reward-guided lottery task. mOFC neurons signal the relative values of options via a divisive normalization function when animals freely choose between alternatives. The normalization model, however, performed poorly in a variant of the task where only one of the two possible choice options yields a reward and the other was certain not to yield a reward (so called: “forced choice”). The existence of such context-specific value normalization may suggest that the mOFC contributes valuation signals critical for economic decision making when meaningful alternative options are available.
Signaling ammonium across membranes through an ammonium sensor histidine kinase
Authors: Pflüger Tobias , Hernández Camila F. , Lewe Philipp , Frank Fabian , Mertens Haydyn , Svergun Dmitri , Baumstark Manfred W. , Lunin Vladimir Y. , Jetten Mike S. M. , Andrade Susana L. A.
Published: January 2018

Sensing and uptake of external ammonium is essential for anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing (anammox) bacteria, and is typically the domain of the ubiquitous Amt/Rh ammonium transporters. Here, we report on the structure and function of an ammonium sensor/transducer from the anammox bacterium “Candidatus Kuenenia stuttgartiensis” that combines a membrane-integral ammonium transporter domain with a fused histidine kinase. It contains a high-affinity ammonium binding site not present in assimilatory Amt proteins. The levels of phosphorylated histidine in the kinase are coupled to the presence of ammonium, as conformational changes during signal recognition by the Amt module are transduced internally to modulate the kinase activity. The structural analysis of this ammonium sensor by X-ray crystallography and small-angle X-ray-scattering reveals a flexible, bipartite system that recruits a large uptake transporter as a sensory module and modulates its functionality to achieve a mechanistic coupling to a kinase domain in order to trigger downstream signaling events.
Enhanced power conversion efficiency in iridium complex-based terpolymers for polymer solar cells
Authors: Xue Zhongyuan , Wang Shifan , Yang Jie , Zhong Yu , Qian Min , Li Cheng , Zhang Zhiguo , Xing Guichuan , Huettner Sven , Tao Youtian , Li Yongfang , Huang Wei
Published: January 2018

By introducing various low concentrations of Iridium complexes to the famous donor polymer of PTB7-Th backbone, new heavy metal containing terpolymers have been demonstrated. When blended with PC71BM, an obvious increase of power conversion efficiency (PCE) is obtained in 1 mol% Ir containing polymer for different photovoltaic devices either using Ca or PDIN as cathode interface layers. The impact of molecular weight on the photovoltaic performance has been particularly considered by using three batches of control polymer PTB7-Th to ensure a fair and more convincing comparison. At similar molecular weight conditions (Mn: ~60 kg mol−1, Mw: 100–110 kg mol−1), the 1 mol% Ir containing PTB7-ThIr1/PC71BM blends exhibits enhanced PCE to 9.19% compared with 7.92% of the control PTB7-Th. Through a combination of physical measurement, such as optoelectrical characterization, GIWAXS and pico-second time-resolved photoluminescence, the enhancement are contributed from comprehensive factors of higher hole mobility, less bimolecular recombination and more efficient slow process of charge separation.
Room-temperature processing of silver submicron fiber mesh for flexible electronics
Authors: Bai Xiaopeng , Lin Sen , Wang Haolun , Zong Yi , Wang Haiyang , Huang Ziyun , Li Donglai , Wang Chang , Wu Hui
Published: January 2018

Ultrathin, patterned, conducting metallic fibers have been extensively studied as building blocks in flexible electronics. However, their scalable processing and attainment of patterns at room temperature is challenging. In this paper, we report on the patterning of ultra-long silver submicron fibers as woven mesh through the process of continuous draw spinning in the presence of ultraviolet (UV) treatment. The silver fibers can be directly intertwined on flexible substrates, such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyimide (PI). The as obtained silver submicron fiber mesh present excellent photoelectric properties (T = 90%, R = 9 Ω sq−1) and outstanding flexibility and can be easily transferred on other surfaces. To demonstrate its application, flexible electrochromic smart window and infrared stealth film have been prepared.
Optimizing olfactory testing for the diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease: item analysis of the university of Pennsylvania smell identification test
Authors: Morley James F. , Cohen Abigail , Silveira-Moriyama Laura , Lees Andrew J. , Williams David R. , Katzenschlager Regina , Hawkes Christopher , Shtraks Julie P. , Weintraub Daniel , Doty Richard L. , Duda John E.
Published: January 2018

The 40-item University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT) is an effective instrument to detect olfactory dusfunction in Parkinson’s disease (PD). It is not clear, however, whether tests of this length are necessary to detect such dysfunction. Several studies have suggested that detection of certain odors is selectively compromised in PD, and that a test comprised of these odors could be shorter and more specific for this purpose. Therefore, we attempted to identify a subset of UPSIT odors that distinguish PD from controls with similar or improved test characteristics compared to the full test. The discriminatory power of each odor was examined using UPSIT data from a discovery cohort of 314 PD patients and 314 matched controls and ranked using multiple methods (including odds ratios, regression coefficients and discriminant analysis). To validate optimally discriminant subsets, we calculated test characteristics using data from two independent cohorts (totaling 306 PD and 343 controls). In the discovery cohort, multiple novel 12-item subsets (and the previously described Brief Smell Identification Test-B) performed similarly or improved upon the UPSIT and were better than 12 random items. However, in validation studies from independent cohorts, multiple subsets retained test characteristics similar to the full UPSIT, but did not outperform 12 random items. Differential discriminatory power of individual items is not conserved across independent cohorts arguing against selective hyposmia in PD. However, multiple 12-item subsets performed as well as the full UPSIT. These subsets could form the basis for shorter olfactory tests in the clinical evaluation of Parkinsonism.
Regeneration in distantly related species: common strategies and pathways
Authors: Fumagalli Maria Rita , Zapperi Stefano , La Porta Caterina A. M.
Published: January 2018

While almost all animals are able to at least partially replace some lost parts, regeneration abilities vary considerably across species. Here we study gene expression patterns in distantly related species to investigate conserved regeneration strategies. To this end, we collect from the literature transcriptomic data obtained during the regeneration of three species (Hydra magnipapillata, Schmidtea mediterranea, and Apostichopus japonicus), and compare them with gene expression during regeneration in vertebrates and mammals. This allows us to identify a common set of differentially expressed genes and relevant shared pathways that are conserved across species during the early stage of the regeneration process. We also find a set of differentially expressed genes that in mammals are associated to the presence of macrophages and to the epithelial–mesenchymal transition. This suggests that features of the sophisticated wound healing strategy of mammals are already observable in earlier emerging metazoans.
Effects of crystallographic and geometric orientation on ion beam sputtering of gold nanorods
Authors: Hinks J. A. , Hibberd F. , Hattar K. , Ilinov A. , Bufford D. C. , Djurabekova F. , Greaves G. , Kuronen A. , Donnelly S. E. , Nordlund K.
Published: January 2018

Nanostructures may be exposed to irradiation during their manufacture, their engineering and whilst in-service. The consequences of such bombardment can be vastly different from those seen in the bulk. In this paper, we combine transmission electron microscopy with in situ ion irradiation with complementary computer modelling techniques to explore the physics governing the effects of 1.7 MeV Au ions on gold nanorods. Phenomena surrounding the sputtering and associated morphological changes caused by the ion irradiation have been explored. In both the experiments and the simulations, large variations in the sputter yields from individual nanorods were observed. These sputter yields have been shown to correlate with the strength of channelling directions close to the direction in which the ion beam was incident. Craters decorated by ejecta blankets were found to form due to cluster emission thus explaining the high sputter yields.
Ca2+-permeable mechanosensitive channels MCA1 and MCA2 mediate cold-induced cytosolic Ca2+ increase and cold tolerance in Arabidopsis
Authors: Mori Kendo , Renhu Na , Naito Maho , Nakamura Aki , Shiba Hayato , Yamamoto Tsuyoshi , Suzaki Takuya , Iida Hidetoshi , Miura Kenji
Published: January 2018

Cold shock triggers an immediate rise in the cytosolic free calcium concentration ([Ca2+]cyt) in Arabidopsis thaliana and this cold-induced elevation of [Ca2+]cyt is inhibited by lanthanum or EGTA. It is suggested that intracellular calcium mainly contributes to the cold-induced [Ca2+]cyt response by entering into the cytosol. Two calcium-permeable mechanosensitive channels, MCA1 and MCA2 (mid1-complementing activity), have been identified in Arabidopsis. Here, we demonstrate that MCA1 and MCA2 are involved in a cold-induced increase in [Ca2+]cyt. The cold-induced [Ca2+]cyt increase in mca1 and mca2 mutants was markedly lower than that in wild types. The mca1 mca2 double mutant exhibited chilling and freezing sensitivity, compared to wild-type plants. Expression of At5g61820, At3g51660, and At4g15490, which are not regulated by the CBF/DREB1s transcription factor, was down-regulated in mca1 mca2. These results suggest that MCA1 and MCA2 are involved in the cold-induced elevation of [Ca2+]cyt, cold tolerance, and CBF/DREB1-independent cold signaling.
Peptide-based coatings for flexible implantable neural interfaces
Authors: Righi Martina , Puleo Gian Luigi , Tonazzini Ilaria , Giudetti Guido , Cecchini Marco , Micera Silvestro
Published: January 2018

In the last decade, the use of flexible biosensors for neuroprosthetic and translational applications has widely increased. Among them, the polyimide (PI)-based thin-film electrodes got a large popularity. However, the usability of these devices is still hampered by a non-optimal tissue-device interface that usually compromises the long-term quality of neural signals. Advanced strategies able to improve the surface properties of these devices have been developed in the recent past. Unfortunately, most of them are not easy to be developed and combined with micro-fabrication processes, and require long-term efforts to be testable with human subjects. Here we show the results of the design and in vitro testing of an easy-to-implement and potentially interesting coating approach for thin-film electrodes. In particular, two biocompatible coatings were obtained via covalent conjugation of a laminin-derived peptide, CAS-IKVAV-S (IKV), with polyimide sheets that we previously functionalized with vinyl- and amino- groups (PI_v and PI_a respectively). Both the engineered coatings (PI_v+IKV and PI_a+IKV) showed morphological and chemical properties able to support neuronal adhesion, neurite sprouting, and peripheral glial cell viability while reducing the fibroblasts contamination of the substrate. In particular, PI_v+IKV showed promising results that encourage further in vivo investigation and pave the way for a new generation of peptide-coated thin-film electrodes.
Publisher Correction: Anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic effects of intravenous adipose-derived stem cell transplantation in a mouse model of bleomycin-induced interstitial pneumonia
Authors: Kotani Takuya , Masutani Ryota , Suzuka Takayasu , Oda Katsuhiro , Makino Shigeki , Ii Masaaki
Published: January 2018

A correction to this article has been published and is linked from the HTML version of this paper. The error has been fixed in the paper.
Publisher Correction: Genome-wide linkage and association study implicates the 10q26 region as a major genetic contributor to primary nonsyndromic vesicoureteric reflux
Authors: Darlow John M. , Darlay Rebecca , Dobson Mark G. , Stewart Aisling , Charoen Pimphen , Southgate Jennifer , Baker Simon C. , Xu Yaobo , Hunziker Manuela , Lambert Heather J. , Green Andrew J. , Santibanez-Koref Mauro , Sayer John A. , Goodship Timothy H. J. , Puri Prem , Woolf Adrian S. , Kenda Rajko B. , Barton David E. , Cordell Heather J.
Published: January 2018

A correction to this article has been published and is linked from the HTML version of this paper. The error has been fixed in the paper.
Reverse micelle Extraction of Antibiotics using an Eco-friendly Sophorolipids Biosurfactant
Authors: Chuo Sing Chuong , Abd-Talib Norfahana , Mohd-Setapar Siti Hamidah , Hassan Hashim , Nasir Hasmida Mohd , Ahmad Akil , Lokhat David , Ashraf Ghulam Md.
Published: January 2018

Reverse micelles extraction of erythromycin and amoxicillin were carried out using the novel Sophorolipids biosurfactant. By replacing commonly used chemical surfactants with biosurfactant, reverse micelle extraction can be further improved in terms of environmental friendliness and sustainability. A central composite experimental design was used to investigate the effects of solution pH, KCl concentration, and sophorolipids concentration on the reverse micelle extraction of antibiotics. The most significant factor identified during the reverse micelle extraction of both antibiotics is the pH of aqueous solutions. Best forward extraction performance for erythromycin was found at feed phase pH of approximately 8.0 with low KCl and sophorolipids concentrations. Optimum recovery of erythromycin was obtained at stripping phase pH around 10.0 and with low KCl concentration. On the other hand, best forward extraction performance for amoxicillin was found at feed phase pH around 3.5 with low KCl concentration and high sophorolipids concentration. Optimum recovery of erythromycin was obtained at stripping phase pH around 6.0 with low KCl concentration. Both erythromycin and amoxicillin were found to be very sensitive toaqueous phase pH and can be easily degraded outside of their stable pH ranges.
Differential proteomics of lesional vs. non-lesional biopsies revealed non-immune mechanisms of alopecia areata
Authors: Thanomkitti Kanchalit , Kanlaya Rattiyaporn , Fong-ngern Kedsarin , Kapincharanon Chompunoot , Sueksakit Kanyarat , Chanchaem Prangwalai , Thuangtong Rattapon , Thongboonkerd Visith
Published: January 2018

Alopecia areata (AA) is one of the common hair disorders for which treatment is frequently ineffective and associated with relapsing episodes. Better understanding of disease mechanisms and novel therapeutic targets are thus required. From 10 AA patients, quantitative proteomics using LTQ-Orbitrap-XL mass spectrometer revealed 104 down-regulated, 4 absent, 3 up-regulated and 11 newly present proteins in lesional vs. non-lesional biopsies. Among these, the decreased levels of α-tubulin, vimentin, heat shock protein 70 (HSP70), HSP90, annexin A2 and α-enolase were successfully confirmed by Western blotting. Protein-protein interactions network analysis using STRING tool revealed that the most frequent biological processes/networks of the down-regulated proteins included tissue development, cell differentiation, response to wounding and catabolic process, whereas those for the up-regulated proteins included biological process, metabolic process, cellular transport, cellular component organization and response to stimulus. Interestingly, only 5 increased/newly present proteins were associated with the regulation of immune system, which may not be the predominant pathway in AA pathogenic mechanisms as previously assumed. In summary, we report herein the first proteome dataset of AA demonstrating a number of novel pathways, which can be linked to the disease mechanisms and may lead to discovery of new therapeutic targets for AA.
An application of machine learning to haematological diagnosis
Authors: Gunčar Gregor , Kukar Matjaž , Notar Mateja , Brvar Miran , Černelč Peter , Notar Manca , Notar Marko
Published: January 2018

Quick and accurate medical diagnoses are crucial for the successful treatment of diseases. Using machine learning algorithms and based on laboratory blood test results, we have built two models to predict a haematologic disease. One predictive model used all the available blood test parameters and the other used only a reduced set that is usually measured upon patient admittance. Both models produced good results, obtaining prediction accuracies of 0.88 and 0.86 when considering the list of five most likely diseases and 0.59 and 0.57 when considering only the most likely disease. The models did not differ significantly, which indicates that a reduced set of parameters can represent a relevant “fingerprint” of a disease. This knowledge expands the model’s utility for use by general practitioners and indicates that blood test results contain more information than physicians generally recognize. A clinical test showed that the accuracy of our predictive models was on par with that of haematology specialists. Our study is the first to show that a machine learning predictive model based on blood tests alone can be successfully applied to predict haematologic diseases. This result and could open up unprecedented possibilities for medical diagnosis.