bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Hydrogel degradation triggered by pH for the smart release of antibiotics to combat bacterial infection
Authors: Lu Zhentan , Zhang Jiaqi , Yu Zhenguo , Liu Qiongzhen , Liu Ke , Li Mufang , Wang Dong
Published: December 2016

pH-Triggered smart drug release for the treatment of bacterial infection.
A comparative study of the electrochemical and the spectroscopic behaviour of trisbipyrazyl ruthenium [Ru(bpz)32+]
Authors: Velasco Jaime González
Published: December 2016

Identification of the molecular orbitals in Ru(bpz)32+ involved in charge transfer reactions by means of spectroscopic and electrochemical measurements.
Investigation of the binding modes of a positively charged pillar[5]arene: internal and external guest complexation
Authors: Gómez-González Borja , Francisco Vitor , Montecinos Rodrigo , García-Río Luis
Published: December 2016

The selective binding behavior of a trimethylammonium-derived pillar[5]arene towards different guests in aqueous media and under neutral conditions is reported.
Single lithium-ion conducting poly(tetrafluorostyrene sulfonate) – polyether block copolymer electrolytes
Authors: Shao Zhecheng , Jannasch Patric
Published: December 2016

Well-designed BAB triblock copolymers with central polyether and flanking poly(lithium pentafluorostyrene sulfonate) blocks reach very high conductivities in the solid state.
Synthesis of diverse heterocycles via one-pot cascade cross-dehydrogenative-coupling (CDC)/cyclization reaction
Authors: Zhang Chao , Li Tianlei , Wang Liguo , Rao Yu
Published: December 2016

A cascade Cross-Dehydrogenative-Coupling (CDC)/cyclization methodology has been developed for the synthesis of diverse scaffolds.
PIFA-Mediated oxidative cyclization of 1-aroyl-N-arylcyclopropane-1-carboxamides and their application in the synthesis of pyrrolo[3,2-c]quinolinones
Authors: Zhang Zhiguo , Gao Xiaolong , Li Zhonglian , Zhang Guisheng , Ma Nana , Liu Qingfeng , Liu Tongxin
Published: December 2016

A PIFA-promoted ring-closing reaction for the synthesis of spirocyclopropane quinolinediones, and their application toward pyrrolo[3,2-c]quinolinones.
Acid-promoted denitrogenative Pd-catalyzed addition of arylhydrazines with nitriles at room temperature
Authors: Cheng Kai , Wang Guofang , Meng Mengting , Qi Chenze
Published: December 2016

Pd(TFA)2-catalyzed denitrogenative addition proceeded with selective C–N bond cleavage of arylhydrazines with nitriles under air at room temperature.
Zirconium tetraazamacrocycle complexes display extraordinary stability and provide a new strategy for zirconium-89-based radiopharmaceutical development
Authors: Pandya Darpan N. , Bhatt Nikunj , Yuan Hong , Day Cynthia S. , Ehrmann Brandie M. , Wright Marcus , Bierbach Ulrich , Wadas Thaddeus J.
Published: December 2016

89Zr–Tetraazamacrocycle complexes display extraordinary stability.
Near-IR-induced dissociation of thermally-sensitive star polymers
Authors: Dai Yuqiong , Sun Hao , Pal Sunirmal , Zhang Yunlu , Park Sangwoo , Kabb Christopher P. , Wei Wei David , Sumerlin Brent S.
Published: December 2016

Responsive systems sensitive to near-infrared (NIR) light are promising for triggered release due to efficient deep tissue penetration of NIR irradiation relative to higher energy sources (e.g., UV), allowing for spatiotemporal control over triggering events with minimal potential for tissue damage.
Sensing telomerase: From in vitro detection to in vivo imaging
Authors: Wang Li-juan , Ma Fei , Tang Bo , Zhang Chun-yang
Published: December 2016

We reviewed recent advances in telomerase assays including bothin vitrodetection andin vivoimaging.
AIE-active theranostic system: selective staining and killing of cancer cells
Authors: Gui Chen , Zhao Engui , Kwok Ryan T. K. , Leung Anakin C. S. , Lam Jacky W. Y. , Jiang Meijuan , Deng Haiqin , Cai Yuanjing , Zhang Weijie , Su Huifang , Tang Ben Zhong
Published: December 2016

A mitochondrion-specific AIEgen is a theranostic molecule, with the function of lighting up and killing cancer cells rather than normal cells.
Highly crystallized α-FeOOH for a stable and efficient oxygen evolution reaction
Authors: Luo Wenjun , Jiang Chaoran , Li Yaomin , Shevlin Stephen A. , Han Xiaoyu , Qiu Kaipei , Cheng Yingchun , Guo Zhengxiao , Huang Wei , Tang Junwang
Published: December 2016

A well-crystallized α-FeOOH (a goethite widespread in nature) shows an efficient and stable oxygen evolution reaction by removing surface chemically adsorbed water.
Hexagonal mesoporous silica islands to enhance photovoltaic performance of planar junction perovskite solar cells
Authors: Zhang Yi , Zhang Zhaofei , Yan Wei , Zhang Bao , Feng Yaqing , Asiri Abdullah M. , Nazeeruddin Mohammad Khaja , Gao Peng
Published: December 2016

Wormhole-like hexagonal mesoporous silica (HMS) can modify the perovskite morphology and increase the light path length in a planar junction perovskite solar cell to improve the average PCE to 17.6% over 30 devices.
Mesoporous C-coated SnOxnanosheets on copper foil as flexible and binder-free anodes for superior sodium-ion batteries
Authors: Bian Haidong , Xiao Xufen , Zeng Shanshan , Yuen Muk-Fung , Li Zebiao , Kang Wenpei , Yu Denis Y. W. , Xu Zhengtao , Lu Jian , Li Yang Yang
Published: December 2016

A flexible binder-free electrode with mesoporous C-coated SnOxfilms adhered to Cu foil was self-assembled and used as an NIB anode.
Facile scalable synthesis of highly monodisperse small silica nanoparticles using alkaline buffer solution and their application for efficient sentinel lymph node mapping
Authors: Quan Bo , Lee Chaedong , Yoo Jung Sun , Piao Yuanzhe
Published: December 2016

Cancer nanomedicine involving nanotechnology-based drugs and in vivo imaging agents is an active field of nanoscience that provides new ways of enhancing therapeutic and diagnostic efficacy.
Poly(dopamine)-inspired surface functionalization of polypropylene tissue mesh for prevention of intra-peritoneal adhesion formation
Authors: Hu Wanjun , Lu Shenglin , Ma Ying , Ren Pengfei , Ma Xiaoe , Zhou Naizhen , Zhang Tianzhu , Ji Zhenling
Published: December 2016

The poly(dopamine)-inspired coating of O2 plasma treated PP mesh with chitosan shows an excellent anti-adhesion property.
Plasmon induced ultrafast injection of hot electrons in Au nanoislands grown on a CdS film
Authors: Sharma Alka , Sharma Chhavi , Bhattacharyya Biplab , Gambhir Kaweri , Kumar Mahesh , Chand Suresh , Mehrotra Ranjana , Husale Sudhir
Published: December 2016

The ultrafast charge dynamics demonstrated in the Au–CdS film supports the plasmon induced interfacial charge transfer transition phenomenon.
Experiments on Auditory-Visual Perception of Sentences by Users of Unilateral, Bimodal, and Bilateral Cochlear Implants
Authors: Dorman Michael F. , Liss Julie , Wang Shuai , Berisha Visar , Ludwig Cimarron , Natale Sarah Cook
Published: December 2016

Purpose

Five experiments probed auditory-visual (AV) understanding of sentences by users of cochlear implants (CIs).

Method

Sentence material was presented in auditory (A), visual (V), and AV test conditions to listeners with normal hearing and CI users.

Results

(a) Most CI users report that most of the time, they have access to both A and V information when listening to speech. (b) CI users did not achieve better scores on a task of speechreading than did listeners with normal hearing. (c) Sentences that are easy to speechread provided 12 percentage points more gain to speech understanding than did sentences that were difficult. (d) Ease of speechreading for sentences is related to phrase familiarity. (e) Users of bimodal CIs benefit from low-frequency acoustic hearing even when V cues are available, and a second CI adds to the benefit of a single CI when V cues are available. (f) V information facilitates lexical segmentation by improving the recognition of the number of syllables produced and the relative strength of these syllables.

Conclusions

Our data are consistent with the view that V information improves CI users' ability to identify syllables in the acoustic stream and to recognize their relative juxtaposed strengths. Enhanced syllable resolution allows better identification of word onsets, which, when combined with place-of-articulation information from visible consonants, improves lexical access.
Understanding Risk for Reading Difficulties in Children With Language Impairment
Authors: Murphy Kimberly A. , Justice Laura M. , O'Connell Ann A. , Pentimonti Jill M. , Kaderavek Joan N.
Published: December 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to retrospectively examine the preschool language and early literacy skills of kindergarten good and poor readers, and to determine the extent to which these skills predict reading status.

Method

Participants were 136 children with language impairment enrolled in early childhood special education classrooms. On the basis of performance on a word recognition task given in kindergarten, children were classified as either good or poor readers. Comparisons were made across these 2 groups on a number of language and early literacy measures administered in preschool, and logistic regression was used to determine the best predictors of kindergarten reading status.

Results

Twenty-seven percent of the sample met criterion for poor reading in kindergarten. These children differed from good readers on most of the skills measured in preschool. The best predictors of kindergarten reading status were oral language, alphabet knowledge, and print concept knowledge. Presence of comorbid disabilities was not a significant predictor. Classification accuracy was good overall.

Conclusion

Results suggest that risk of reading difficulty for children with language impairment can be reliably estimated in preschool, prior to the onset of formal reading instruction. Measures of both language and early literacy skills are important for identifying which children are likely to develop later reading difficulties.
Writing Process Products in Intermediate-Grade Children With and Without Language-Based Learning Disabilities
Authors: Koutsoftas Anthony D.
Published: December 2016

Purpose

Difficulties with written expression are an important consideration in the assessment and treatment of school-age children. This study evaluated how intermediate-grade children with and without written language difficulties fared on a writing task housed within the Hayes and Berninger (2014) writing process framework.

Method

Sixty-four children completed a writing task whereby they planned, wrote, and revised a narrative story across 3 days. Children had extended time to produce an outline, first draft, and final copy of their story. Language transcription approaches were used to obtain measures reflecting writing productivity, complexity, accuracy, and mechanics, in addition to measures of planning and revision.

Results

Results indicated that children with writing difficulties produced poorer quality stories compared with their peers yet were not significantly different across all measures. Children with typical development produced longer stories with better spelling accuracy. Writing process measures predicted significant amounts of variance in writing quality across the sample.

Discussion

Writing should be considered as part of language assessment and intervention, whether as the sole language difficulty or alongside difficulties with speaking, listening, or reading in children with language-based learning difficulties. Implications for translation of research to practice and service delivery are provided.

Supplemental Material

https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.14963940
Literate Language Intervention With High-Need Prekindergarten Children: A Randomized Trial
Authors: Phillips Beth M. , Tabulda Galiya , Ingrole Smriti A. , Burris Pam Webb , Sedgwick T. Kayla , Chen Shiyi
Published: December 2016

Purpose

The present article reports on the implementation and results of a randomized intervention trial targeting the literate language skills of prekindergarten children without identified language disorders but with low oral language skills.

Method

Children (N= 82; 45 boys and 37 girls) were screened-in and randomized to a business-as-usual control or to the pull-out treatment groups in which they received 4 instructional units addressing different sentence-level syntactic and semantic features: prepositions, conjunctions, adverbs, and negations. The intervention was delivered by paraprofessionals in small groups in the form of 20-min lessons 4 times a week for 12 weeks.

Results

Overall, children receiving the supplemental instruction showed educationally meaningful gains in their oral language skills, relative to children in the control group. Significant group differences were found on researcher-designed oral language measures, with moderate to large effect sizes ranging from .44 to .88 on these measures.

Conclusions

The intervention holds the potential to positively affect understanding and production of syntax and semantic features, such as prepositions and conjunctions, in young children with weak oral language skills.
Propositional Density in Spoken and Written Language of Czech-Speaking Patients With Mild Cognitive Impairment
Authors: Smolík Filip , Stepankova Hana , Vyhnálek Martin , Nikolai Tomáš , Horáková Karolína , Matějka Štěpán
Published: December 2016

Purpose

Propositional density (PD) is a measure of content richness in language production that declines in normal aging and more profoundly in dementia. The present study aimed to develop a PD scoring system for Czech and use it to compare PD in language productions of older people with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and control participants matched on age, gender, and education.

Method

Groups of patients with aMCI and cognitively healthy control participants (
N
= 20 each) provided short spoken and written language samples. Two samples were elicited for each modality, 1 describing recent events and 1 describing childhood memories. Series of neuropsychological tests were administered. The groups were compared using
t
-tests and the relations between measures using correlation coefficients.

Results

PD was lower in spoken productions of patients with aMCI, compared with control participants, but only in language samples using remote memories. PD in these samples was related to verbal fluency and education but not to working memory. PD in written samples did not differ between participants with aMCI and control participants.

Conclusions

PD in spoken language reflects the cognitive decline in people with aMCI, but the effect is relatively mild. The results support the existing findings that PD is related to verbal fluency.
The Role of Categorical Speech Perception and Phonological Processing in Familial Risk Children With and Without Dyslexia
Authors: Hakvoort Britt , de Bree Elise , van der Leij Aryan , Maassen Ben , van Setten Ellie , Maurits Natasha , van Zuijen Titia L.
Published: December 2016

Purpose

This study assessed whether a categorical speech perception (CP) deficit is associated with dyslexia or familial risk for dyslexia, by exploring a possible cascading relation from speech perception to phonology to reading and by identifying whether speech perception distinguishes familial risk (FR) children with dyslexia (FRD) from those without dyslexia (FRND).

Method

Data were collected from 9-year-old FRD (
n
= 37) and FRND (
n
= 41) children and age-matched controls (
n
= 49) on CP identification and discrimination and on the phonological processing measures rapid automatized naming, phoneme awareness, and nonword repetition.

Results

The FRD group performed more poorly on CP than the FRND and control groups. Findings on phonological processing align with the literature in that (a) phonological processing related to reading and (b) the FRD group showed the lowest phonological processing outcomes. Furthermore, CP correlated weakly with reading, but this relationship was fully mediated by rapid automatized naming.

Conclusion

Although CP phonological skills are related to dyslexia, there was no strong evidence for a cascade from CP to phonology to reading. Deficits in CP at the behavioral level are not directly associated with dyslexia.
Building Collaborative Competencies for Speech Language Pathologists and Deaf Educators: Review of a Pilot Project
Authors: Wainscott Sarah
Published: December 2016

Collaboration between professionals is widely recognized as best practice, although in serving students who are deaf/hard of hearing, deaf educators and speech-language pathologists often function in parallel roles rather than in cooperative partnerships. Interactions between graduate students in speech-language pathology and deaf education are explored during a pilot project in which students from separate programs engaged together in online learning activities and in practicum settings. Rather than previous works, which have primarily documented shared content between the disciplines, this project applies a transformative learning model to the development of competencies related specifically to the practice of collaborating. Archives of online live discussions, student discussion boards, interviews with students, videos from shared clinic sessions, and supervisor notes were used to classify areas of student growth. Positive changes were documented in professional disposition as related to the other discipline, confidence in negotiating “role sharing” and “role release” with colleagues, skills in managing multiple tasks and objectives, and broadened skill sets related to the other discipline.
Configurable radiofrequency identification sensing breadboard for industrial Internet of Things
Authors: Occhiuzzi C. , Amendola S. , Manzari S. , Caizzone S. , Marrocco G.
Published: December 2016

A configurable antenna breadboard is here proposed for fast prototyping of radiofrequency identification sensing devices for application to the Industrial Internet of Things. The proposed layout is modular, includes both radiating, tuning and expansion traces and can be considered as a multi‐port antenna system suitable to network‐oriented design. Depending on the ports’ status, the board may be used in standalone configuration as well as electromagnetically coupled to an external booster for improved read‐range performance over metals and high‐dielectric objects.
Coding diffusion metasurface for ultra‐wideband RCS reduction
Authors: Zhang Hui , Lu Yao , Su Jianxun , Li Zengrui , Liu Jinbo , Yang Yaoqing (Lamar)
Published: December 2016

A coding diffusion metasurface is designed and fabricated for ultra‐wideband radar cross‐section (RCS) reduction. Two kinds of unit cells based on square ring patch are employed to generate the ‘0’ and ‘1’ elements of the coding metasurface. By precise design of the unit cells, a 180° ± 37° reflection phase difference between these cells is achieved over 8.01–22.76 GHz, leading to dramatically reduce the scattering field level by more than 10 dB. To obtain the diffusion far‐field pattern of the metasurface, the optimisation algorithm is utilised to calculate the optimal layout of the digital elements. Both full‐wave simulation and measurement results verify the capability of the proposed metasurface.
Multiple human tracking in RGB‐depth data: a survey
Authors: Camplani Massimo , Paiement Adeline , Mirmehdi Majid , Damen Dima , Hannuna Sion , Burghardt Tilo , Tao Lili
Published: December 2016

Multiple human tracking (MHT) is a fundamental task in many computer vision applications. Appearance‐based approaches, primarily formulated on RGB data, are constrained and affected by problems arising from occlusions and/or illumination variations. In recent years, the arrival of cheap RGB‐depth devices has led to many new approaches to MHT, and many of these integrate colour and depth cues to improve each and every stage of the process. In this survey, the authors present the common processing pipeline of these methods and review their methodology based (a) on how they implement this pipeline and (b) on what role depth plays within each stage of it. They identify and introduce existing, publicly available, benchmark datasets and software resources that fuse colour and depth data for MHT. Finally, they present a brief comparative evaluation of the performance of those works that have applied their methods to these datasets.
Segmentation of the left ventricle in short‐axis sequences by combining deformation flow and optical flow
Authors: Wang Zhen Zhou
Published: December 2016

To help the clinicians to segment the borders of the left ventricle (LV) efficiently during measurement of the heart, the authors come up with a semi‐automatic approach in this study that is capable of identifying the endocardial borders robustly from cine magnetic resonance images. Firstly, the deformation flow is computed between the inputted boundary in the previous frame and the extracted edge of the LV in the current frame based on boundary minimum distance principle (BMDP). Then, the deformation flow is constrained by optical flow calculated by a partial differential equation model. A smooth deformation boundary is then formed by minimising the energy between the previously inputted boundary and the rough boundary obtained by BMDP and optical flow constraint. To extract edge of the LV as accurate as possible, a threshold selection method is used and improved based on the previous study. The proposed approach is tested on the open access dataset. The computed average perpendicular distance is 1.36 ± 0.24 mm and the computed Dice measure is 90.7% ± 0.15%. Experimental results show that the proposed approach is significantly more accurate than the referenced state of art methods.
Loran phase code revisited for continuous wave interference cancellation
Authors: Bayat Meysam , Madani Mohammad Hossein
Published: December 2016

A new phase coding is proposed to eliminate the continuous wave interference (CWI) in Loran navigation systems. In fact, CWI is one of the most important noise sources that make errors in signal phase tracking. Consequently, undesirable errors are constructed in time of arrival (TOA) measurement and ultimately navigation precision is reduced dramatically. The performance of Loran navigation systems is improved by applying the proposed phase coding and also using the averaging and phase decoding method. Analyses results show that if the interference is synchronous, then the proposed phase coding, called as Bayat‐Madani phase code interval, cancels interference effects on TOA measurement completely. This interference cancelation is independent from the received signal signal‐to‐interference ratio. For near‐synchronous and asynchronous CWI, the TOA error originated from interference is improved considerably, in some frequencies about 100 times, compared to the standard Loran. Furthermore, almost all of the sky multi‐hops are eliminated as well.
Performance estimation of polarity controlled electrostatically doped tunnel field‐effect transistor
Authors: Nigam Kaushal , Pandey Sunil , Kondekar Pravin , Sharma Dheeraj , Verma Madhulika , Gedam Anju
Published: December 2016

In this work, the performance estimation of polarity controlled electrostatically doped tunnel field‐effect transistor (TFET) is reported. The proposed device exhibits heavily doped n‐type Si‐channel with two distinctive gates, namely control gate (CG) and polarity gate (PG). First, the CG and PG work functions of 4.72 eV are considered to convert the layer beneath CG and PG of intrinsic type. Next, the PG voltage of −1.2 V is used at source side to induce a p + region, so that, it follows the similar trend as like a n+ –i –p+ gated structure of conventional TFET. Silvaco ATLAS simulation of the proposed device shows ION/IOFF ratio of ∼7.8 × 1010 and OFF current is less than 1 fA, with high‐k dielectric of gate material at VDS = 0.5, V. Finally, a minimum point subthreshold slope of 12 mV/decade at 300 K is achieved, which indicates that the proposed TFET has the potential to achieve better than ITRS low‐standby‐power switch performance.
The background Friedmannian Hubble constant in relativistic inhomogeneous cosmology and the age of the Universe
Authors: Roukema Boudewijn F. , Mourier Pierre , Buchert Thomas , Ostrowski Jan J.
Published: December 2016

Context. In relativistic inhomogeneous cosmology, structure formation couples to average cosmological expansion. A conservative approach to modelling this assumes an Einstein-de Sitter model (EdS) at early times and extrapolates this forward in cosmological time as a “background model” against which average properties of today’s Universe can be measured.

Aims. This modelling requires adopting an early-epoch-normalised background Hubble constant Hbg1.

Methods. Here, we show that the ΛCDM model can be used as an observational proxy to estimate Hbg1 rather than choose it arbitrarily. We assume (i) an EdS model at early times; (ii) a zero dark energy parameter; (iii) bi-domain scalar averaging-division of the spatial sections into over- and underdense regions; and (iv) virialisation (stable clustering) of collapsed regions.

Results. We find Hbg1= 37.7 ± 0.4 km s-1/ Mpc (random error only) based on a Planck ΛCDM observational proxy.

Conclusions. Moreover, since the scalar-averaged expansion rate is expected to exceed the (extrapolated) background expansion rate, the expected age of the Universe should be much younger than 2/(3Hbg1) = 17.3 Gyr. The maximum stellar age of Galactic bulge microlensed low-mass stars (most likely: 14.7 Gyr; 68% confidence: 14.0–15.0 Gyr) suggests an age of about a Gyr older than the (no-backreaction) ΛCDM estimate.
On the variation of longitudinal and torsional frequencies in a partially hinged rectangular plate
Authors: Berchio Elvise , Buoso Davide , Gazzola Filippo
Published: December 2016

We consider a partially hinged rectangular plate and its normal modes. There are two families of modes, longitudinal and torsional. We study the variation of the corresponding eigenvalues under domain deformations. We investigate the possibility of finding a shape functional able to quantify the torsional instability of the plate, namely how prone is the plate to transform longitudinal oscillations into torsional ones. This functional should obey several rules coming from both theoretical and practical evidences. We show that a simple functional obeying all the required rules does not exist and that the functionals available in literature are not reliable.
Chance-constrained data envelopment analysis modeling with random-rough data
Authors: Shiraz Rashed Khanjani , Tavana Madjid , Di Caprio Debora
Published: December 2016

Data envelopment analysis (DEA) is a useful management tool for measuring the relative efficiency of decision making units (DMUs) which consumes multiple inputs to produce multiple outputs. Although precise input and output data are fundamentally indispensable in classical DEA models, real-world problems often involve random and/or rough input and output data. We present a chance-constrained DEA model with random and rough (random-rough) input and output data and propose a deterministic equivalent model with quadratic constraints to solve the model. The main contributions of this paper are fourfold: (3.1) we propose a DEA model for problems characterized by random-rough variables; (3.2) we transform the proposed chance-constrained model with random-rough variables into a deterministic equivalent non-linear form that could be simplified as a deterministic model with quadratic constraints; (3.3) we perform sensitivity analysis to investigate the stability and robustness of the proposed model; and (3.4) we use a numerical example to demonstrate the feasibility and richness of the obtained solutions.
Posttraumatic Parotid Sialocele Complicating a Mandibular Fracture: A Case Report
Authors: Falk Jesse , Borgwardt Ryan , MacLeod Stephen
Published: December 2016

Blunt trauma to the parotid resulting in the formation of a sialocele is rare, with only three cases identified in the literature. We present a unique case involving a 32-year-old man with blunt trauma resulting in a left mandibular angle fracture. The patient underwent open reduction and internal fixation of the left mandibular angle fracture via transoral approach. At follow-up, after resolution of the edema from the injury, a sialocele was noted in the region of the left anterior parotid gland. The patient was treated conservatively with antisialagogues, pressure dressings, and multiple percutaneous aspirations that ultimately resulted in resolution of the sialocele.
Russia and Carl Schmitt: the hybridity of resistance in the globalised world
Authors: Kurylo Bohdana
Published: December 2016

The rise of state dissidence has challenged the hegemony of Western liberalism on the international relations stage. Russia’s ongoing involvement in the Ukraine crisis is a case in point. Russia’s dissidence threatens not only the already fragile European order, but also the potency of liberalism as a system of international norms. Hence, a great deal of attention has been given to trying to determine the possible failures and solutions of global governance in dealing with Russia. In contrast, this article argues for the need to understand state resistance from the perspective of the dissenting state. By drawing upon Carl Schmitt’s influential critique of globalizing liberalism, the article attempts to analyse what Russia’s resistance reveals about the subtle mechanisms of global liberal governance. On the basis of Schmitt’s theory, the article establishes that Russia’s dissidence can be an attempt to preserve state sovereignty and its unique “way of life”, as well as state pluralism on the global arena. In fact, to eradicate conflict, liberal governance attempts to suppress state pluralism as a potential cause of conflict. In the long run, however, this risks provoking radical resistance in response. The article then analyses the “hybrid” strategy of Russia’s resistance employed in the Ukraine crisis, based on which it identifies the major weaknesses of liberal governance. The article concludes that the inadequacy of international law to deal with unconventional forms of warfare and refusal to acknowledge the possibility of animosity can significantly debilitate liberal governance. This article is published as part of a collection on global governance.
1,2-Diaryl-1,2-disodioethanes: Versatile, Highly Reactive, and Tunable Synthetic Equivalents of Sodium Metal
Authors: Azzena Ugo
Published: December 2016

1,2-Diaryl-1,2-disodioethanes are easily prepared, versatile, and stable diorganometals finding application in 1,2-reductive eliminations as well as in the degradation of several persistent organic pollutants as homogeneous synthetic equivalents of a highly reactive form of Na metal. Understanding their reactivity in terms of their different electron-donor power, which is strongly affected by the nature of substituents located either on the aromatic ring(s) or on the carbanionic centers, allowed rationalization of their employment not only as chemoselective single electron transfer reducing reagents, but also as bases in the generation of enediolates of arylacetic acids bearing easily reducible carbon–halogen bonds.
Sustainable livelihoods approach through the lens of the State-and-Transition Model in semi-arid pastoral systems
Authors: Easdale Marcos H. , López Dardo R.
Published: December 2016

Dealing with complex challenges worldwide regarding sustainable development and environmental management requires applied frameworks to understand and manage change in complex social-ecological systems. In this regard, frameworks that have originated from different research arenas such as the State-and-Transition Model and the sustainable livelihoods approach provide a conceptual basis for theory and operative integration. The aim of this paper was to provide a conceptual model for social-ecological research and sustainable management in semi-arid pastoral systems. We suggest integrating the state-and-transition model by including structural and functional features of social-ecological systems into the sustainable livelihoods approach. Both attributes are analysed at a household level in five types of capital that typically comprise social-ecological systems: natural, human, manufactured, social and financial. We propose to perform the structural-functional analysis for each capital as separate sub-systems in order to assess the impact of different disturbance factors. Some implications of this framework are explained by providing an example of the impact of drought in smallholder pastoral systems from semi-arid rangelands of North-West Patagonia, Argentina. This approach is encouraging as a step towards two main challenges: (i) the provision of applied frameworks for social-ecological assessment and management, and (ii) an attempt to bring closer science and decision making.
Childhood poverty and adult psychological well-being
Authors: Evans Gary W.
Published: December 2016

Significance

Childhood poverty in a prospective, longitudinal design is linked to deficits in adult memory; greater psychological distress, including a behavioral marker of helplessness; and elevated levels of chronic physiological stress. These findings extend prior cross-sectional data during childhood and are largely parallel to existing life course work on physical health sequelae of childhood poverty.
Neuroadaptive technology enables implicit cursor control based on medial prefrontal cortex activity
Authors: Zander Thorsten O. , Krol Laurens R. , Birbaumer Niels P. , Gramann Klaus
Published: December 2016

Significance

The human brain continuously and automatically processes information concerning its internal and external context. We demonstrate the elicitation and subsequent detection and decoding of such “automatic interpretations” by means of context-sensitive probes in an ongoing human–computer interaction. Through a sequence of such probe–interpretation cycles, the computer accumulates responses over time to model the operator’s cognition, even without that person being aware of it. This brings human cognition directly into the human–computer interaction loop, expanding traditional notions of “interaction.” The concept introduces neuroadaptive technology—technology which automatically adapts to an estimate of its operator’s mindset. This technology bears relevance to autoadaptive experimental designs, and opens up paradigm-shifting possibilities for human–machine systems in general.
Episode of intense chemical weathering during the termination of the 635 Ma Marinoan glaciation
Authors: Huang Kang-Jun , Teng Fang-Zhen , Shen Bing , Xiao Shuhai , Lang Xianguo , Ma Hao-Ran , Fu Yong , Peng Yongbo
Published: December 2016

Significance

At least two extreme glaciations (dubbed as snowball Earth events), each lasting millions of years and affecting the entire globe, occurred during the Cryogenian Period (∼720–635 Ma). These glaciations are recorded by globally distributed glacial deposits overlain by cap carbonates. According to the snowball Earth hypothesis, cap carbonate deposition was driven by intense continental weathering during deglaciation, but geochemical evidence is lacking. Using Mg isotopes as a proxy, we reconstruct the history of chemical weathering during and following the terminal Cryogenian Marinoan glaciation in South China. Our data confirm an episode of strong chemical weathering during the termination of the 635-Ma Marinoan glaciation, but its climax occurred before cap carbonate deposition.
Molecular profiling of single circulating tumor cells from lung cancer patients
Authors: Park Seung-min , Wong Dawson J. , Ooi Chin Chun , Kurtz David M. , Vermesh Ophir , Aalipour Amin , Suh Susie , Pian Kelsey L. , Chabon Jacob J. , Lee Sang Hun , Jamali Mehran , Say Carmen , Carter Justin N. , Lee Luke P. , Kuschner Ware G. , Schwartz Erich J. , Shrager Joseph B. , Neal Joel W. , Wakelee Heather A. , Diehn Maximilian , Nair Viswam S. , Wang Shan X. , Gambhir Sanjiv S.
Published: December 2016

Significance

There exists an urgent need for minimally invasive molecular analysis tools for cancer assessment and management, particularly in advanced-stage lung cancer, when tissue procurement is challenging and gene mutation profiling is crucial to identify molecularly targeted agents for treatment. High-throughput compartmentalization and multigene profiling of individual circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from whole-blood samples using modular gene panels may facilitate highly sensitive, yet minimally invasive characterization of lung cancer for therapy prediction and monitoring. We envision this nanoplatform as a compelling research tool to investigate the dynamics of cancer disease processes, as well as a viable clinical platform for minimally invasive yet comprehensive cancer assessment.
Clarifying intact 3D tissues on a microfluidic chip for high-throughput structural analysis
Authors: Chen Yih Yang , Silva Pamuditha N. , Syed Abdullah Muhammad , Sindhwani Shrey , Rocheleau Jonathan V. , Chan Warren C. W.
Published: December 2016

Significance

Structural analysis of microscale three-dimensional tissues (3D microtissues) in high-throughput is becoming increasingly important in drug discovery, regenerative medicine, and other biomedical areas because they recapitulate many in vivo biological features not present in 2D models. This can be done by using microfluidic technology to control and apply external forces to on-chip 3D microtissues, and imaging these organ-on-chip systems with confocal microscopy. However, the high cellular density of 3D microtissues scatters light and fundamentally limits the ability to characterize the entire tissue construct. We developed an on-chip strategy to rapidly clarify, image, and analyze whole intact microtissues without compromising internal structures. Our technique removes the imaging depth limit, allowing accurate analysis and characterization of entire tissues in microfluidic chips.
Mimicking transient activation of protein kinases in living cells
Authors: Klomp Jennifer E. , Huyot Vincent , Ray Anne-Marie , Collins Kerrie B. , Malik Asrar B. , Karginov Andrei V.
Published: December 2016

Significance

Nearly all eukaryotic physiological events are regulated by protein kinases. Aberrations in functions of kinases are linked to numerous diseases. Significant progress has been made in dissecting the role of many kinases. However, understanding how specific kinases orchestrate complex signaling events remains challenging. Here we present a method to control the timing and the duration of kinase activity. This system provides the ability to mimic physiologically relevant transient activation of a kinase. We demonstrate the specificity and efficiency of this method by regulating tyrosine kinase (c-Src) and serine/threonine kinase (p38α). By using this approach, we identify morphological changes induced by transient activation of Src and demonstrate the role of sequential Src-PI3K and Src-Rac1 signaling in regulation of cell morphology.
No growth stimulation of Canada’s boreal forest under half-century of combined warming and CO
2
fertilization
Authors: Girardin Martin P. , Bouriaud Olivier , Hogg Edward H. , Kurz Werner , Zimmermann Niklaus E. , Metsaranta Juha M. , de Jong Rogier , Frank David C. , Esper Jan , Büntgen Ulf , Guo Xiao Jing , Bhatti Jagtar
Published: December 2016

Significance

Limited knowledge about the mechanistic drivers of forest growth and responses to environmental changes creates uncertainties about the future role of circumpolar boreal forests in the global carbon cycle. Here, we use newly acquired tree-ring data from Canada’s National Forest Inventory to determine the growth response of the boreal forest to environmental changes. We find no consistent boreal-wide growth response over the past 60 y across Canada. However, some southwestern and southeastern forests experienced a growth enhancement, and some regions such as the northwestern and maritime areas experienced a growth depression. Growth–climate relationships bring evidence of an intensification of the impacts of hydroclimatic variability on growth late in the 20th century, in parallel with the rapid rise of summer temperature.
CRISPR screen identifies the NCOR/HDAC3 complex as a major suppressor of differentiation in rhabdomyosarcoma
Authors: Phelps Michael P. , Bailey Jenna N. , Vleeshouwer-Neumann Terra , Chen Eleanor Y.
Published: December 2016

Significance

Current histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors have shown mixed results in the treatment of many cancer types. Our study has demonstrated significant antitumor phenotypes resulting from targeted disruption of HDAC3 and the NCOR complex with genome engineering technology. Our findings provide compelling evidence that the HDACs and their essential interacting factors remain key cancer therapeutic targets and that the next generation of selective HDAC inhibitors may improve survival of cancer patients.
Can sub-Saharan Africa feed itself?
Authors: van Ittersum Martin K. , van Bussel Lenny G. J. , Wolf Joost , Grassini Patricio , van Wart Justin , Guilpart Nicolas , Claessens Lieven , de Groot Hugo , Wiebe Keith , Mason-D’Croz Daniel , Yang Haishun , Boogaard Hendrik , van Oort Pepijn A. J. , van Loon Marloes P. , Saito Kazuki , Adimo Ochieng , Adjei-Nsiah Samuel , Agali Alhassane , Bala Abdullahi , Chikowo Regis , Kaizzi Kayuki , Kouressy Mamoutou , Makoi Joachim H. J. R. , Ouattara Korodjouma , Tesfaye Kindie , Cassman Kenneth G.
Published: December 2016

Significance

The question whether sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) can be self-sufficient in cereals by 2050 is of global relevance. Currently, SSA is amongst the (sub)continents with the largest gap between cereal consumption and production, whereas its projected tripling demand between 2010 and 2050 is much greater than in other continents. We show that nearly complete closure of the gap between current farm yields and yield potential is needed to maintain the current level of cereal self-sufficiency (approximately 80%) by 2050. For all countries, such yield gap closure requires a large, abrupt acceleration in rate of yield increase. If this acceleration is not achieved, massive cropland expansion with attendant biodiversity loss and greenhouse gas emissions or vast import dependency are to be expected.
Past-focused environmental comparisons promote proenvironmental outcomes for conservatives
Authors: Baldwin Matthew , Lammers Joris
Published: December 2016

Significance

Political polarization on important issues can have dire consequences for society, and divisions regarding the issue of climate change could be particularly catastrophic. Building on research in social cognition and psychology, we show that temporal comparison processes largely explain the political gap in respondents’ attitudes towards and behaviors regarding climate change. We found that conservatives’ proenvironmental attitudes and behaviors improved consistently and drastically when we presented messages that compared the environment today with that of the past. This research shows how ideological differences can arise from basic psychological processes, demonstrates how such differences can be overcome by framing a message consistent with these basic processes, and provides a way to market the science behind climate change more effectively.
Growth rate of crystalline ice and the diffusivity of supercooled water from 126 to 262 K
Authors: Xu Yuntao , Petrik Nikolay G. , Smith R. Scott , Kay Bruce D. , Kimmel Greg A.
Published: December 2016

Significance

Water is ubiquitous, but its physical properties are anomalous compared with most liquids. Because the anomalies become enhanced upon cooling, understanding the behavior of deeply supercooled water is critical. Unfortunately, experiments below ∼236 K at ambient pressure are difficult due to uncontrolled crystallization. Using a pulsed-laser–heating technique, we have determined the crystalline-ice growth rate and liquid-water diffusivity for temperatures between 180 and 262 K in ultrahigh-vacuum conditions. The fact that both of these quantities are smoothly varying rules out the hypothesis that water’s properties have a singularity at or near 228 K. However, the results are consistent with a previous prediction for the diffusivity that assumed no thermodynamic transitions occur in the supercooled region.
Self-organization of actin networks by a monomeric myosin
Authors: Saczko-Brack Dario , Warchol Ewa , Rogez Benoit , Kröss Markus , Heissler Sarah M. , Sellers James R. , Batters Christopher , Veigel Claudia
Published: December 2016

Significance

Actomyosin networks are central to a broad range of cellular motile processes, including cell polarization and collective cell migration during morphogenesis and development. Myosin-IXa is critically involved in these processes. Using fluorescence spectroscopy, total internal reflection fluorescence, and electron microscopy, we demonstrate that myosin-IXa assembles actin filaments into highly ordered lattices. The actin filaments of parallel polarity are connected by myosin-IXa in distinct conformations and at a repeat distance of 36 nm across the network. The myosin-IXa–induced actin lattices introduce orientated actin tracks and a network of regularly spaced platforms for localized Rho-GTPase–activating protein activity in cell polarization and collective cell migration.
Uhrf1 controls the self-renewal versus differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells by epigenetically regulating the cell-division modes
Authors: Zhao Jingyao , Chen Xufeng , Song Guangrong , Zhang Jiali , Liu Haifeng , Liu Xiaolong
Published: December 2016

Significance

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) harbor the capacities of both self-renewal and differentiation to sustain life-long production of all blood cells. However, how individual HSCs accomplish the decision of self-renewal versus differentiation remains largely unknown. Here, we find that Uhrf1, a key epigenetic regulator of DNA methylation, specifically controls this critical process. In the absence of Uhrf1, HSCs undergo erythroid-biased differentiation at the expense of self-renewal capacity, leading to hematopoietic failure and lethality. Mechanistically, Uhrf1 regulates the HSC-division mode by DNA methylation-mediated repression of the expression of certain erythroid-specific genes, and thus modulates the cell fate decision of HSCs. This study provides unique insights into the relationship among Uhrf1-mediated DNA methylation, cell-division mode, and HSC fate decision.
Increased burden of deleterious variants in essential genes in autism spectrum disorder
Authors: Ji Xiao , Kember Rachel L. , Brown Christopher D. , Bućan Maja
Published: December 2016

Significance

Essential genes (EGs) are necessary for survival and the development of an organism. Our study is focused on investigating the role of EGs in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). With a comprehensive catalog of 3,915 mammalian EGs, we show that there is both an elevated burden of damaging mutations in EGs in ASD probands and also, an enrichment of EGs in known ASD risk genes. Moreover, the analysis of EGs in the developing brain identified clusters of coexpressed EGs implicated in ASD. Overall, we provide evidence that genes that are essential for survival and fitness also contribute to ASD risk and lead to the disruption of normal social behavior.
RNA polymerase gate loop guides the nontemplate DNA strand in transcription complexes
Authors: NandyMazumdar Monali , Nedialkov Yuri , Svetlov Dmitri , Sevostyanova Anastasia , Belogurov Georgiy A. , Artsimovitch Irina
Published: December 2016

Significance

The nontemplate DNA strand in the transcription bubble interacts with RNA polymerase and accessory factors to control initiation, elongation, transcription-coupled repair, and translation. During initiation, σ subunit interactions with the nontemplate DNA regulate promoter complex formation and lifetime, abortive synthesis, and start site selection. Here, we show that the β subunit gate loop contacts with an adjacent segment of the nontemplate discriminator region play a similar role during initiation. The deletion of the gate loop alters the structure and properties of promoter complexes and has pleiotropic effects on RNA chain elongation and termination. We propose that, acting in concert with accessory factors, the gate loop mediates the clamp closure and guides the nontemplate strand in initiation and elongation complexes.