bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Spectroscopic and thermodynamic properties of molecular hydrogen dissolved in water at pressures up to 200 MPa
Authors: Borysow Jacek , del Rosso Leonardo , Celli Milva , Moraldi Massimo , Ulivi Lorenzo
Published: April 2014

We have measured the Raman Q-branch of hydrogen in a solution with water at a temperature of about 280 K and at pressures from 20 to 200 MPa. From a least-mean-square fitting analysis of the broad Raman Q-branch, we isolated the contributions from the four lowest individual roto-vibrational lines. The vibrational lines were narrower than the pure rotational Raman lines of hydrogen dissolved in water measured previously, but significantly larger than in the gas. The separations between these lines were found to be significantly smaller than in gaseous hydrogen and their widths were slightly increasing with pressure. The lines were narrowing with increasing rotational quantum number. The Raman frequencies of all roto-vibrational lines were approaching the values of gas phase hydrogen with increasing pressure. Additionally, from the comparison of the integrated intensity signal of Q-branch of hydrogen to the integrated Raman signal of the water bending mode, we have obtained the concentration of hydrogen in a solution with water along the 280 K isotherm. Hydrogen solubility increases slowly with pressure, and no deviation from a smooth behaviour was observed, even reaching thermodynamic conditions very close to the transition to the stable hydrogen hydrate. The analysis of the relative hydrogen concentration in solution on the basis of a simple thermodynamic model has allowed us to obtain the molar volume for the hydrogen gas/water solution. Interestingly, the volume relative to one hydrogen molecule in solution does not decrease with pressure and, at high pressure, is larger than the volume pertinent to one molecule of water. This is in favour of the theory of hydrophobic solvation, for which a larger and more stable structure of the water molecules is expected around a solute molecule.
Effect of aspect ratio on the energy extraction efficiency of three-dimensional flapping foils
Authors: Deng Jian , Caulfield C. P. , Shao Xueming
Published: April 2014

Numerical simulations are used to investigate the effect of variation of the aspect ratio and the structure of pitching motions on the energy extraction efficiency and wake topology of flapping foils. The central aim is to predict the energy extraction performance and efficiency of a flapping-foil-based energy harvesting system (EHS) in realistic working conditions with finite aspect ratios. A sinusoidal heaving motion is imposed upon the foil, as well as both a sinusoidal pitching motion and a variety of trapezoidal-like periodic pitching motions. The simulations employ a finite-volume method with body-fitted moving grids, allowing the capture of flow structure near the foil surface. A detailed analysis of the hydrodynamic performance shows two peaks per periodic cycle in the lift force time histories or equivalently, the energy extraction time histories. The first primary peak corresponds to an effective angle of attack around 15.4°, indicating good attachment of the flow on the foil surface without significant flow separation. The secondary peak corresponds to a leading edge vortex (LEV) travelling on the foil surface. The shape of the LEV is altered markedly as the aspect ratio varies, and consequently the secondary peak in the lift force time history is strongly affected by the effects of three-dimensionality for foils with smaller aspect ratios. By examining the relationship between energy extraction efficiency and aspect ratio, a critical aspect ratio of AR = 4 is identified for sinusoidal pitching motions, below which the three-dimensional low-aspect-ratio characteristics dominate the flow evolution. Therefore, the compromise between higher energy extraction efficiency and lower costs of manufacturing and installation suggests that an aspect ratio around AR = 4 is the most appropriate choice for a real EHS. Furthermore, although trapezoidal-like pitching motions are known to improve the efficiency in flows restricted to two dimensions, particularly for non-optimal angle of attack, the efficiency of such flows is even more strongly affected by three-dimensional motions, with substantial efficiency loss even for AR = 8. This suggests that the implementation of efficiency improvement strategies obtained by two-dimensional studies should be treated with caution when extended to real three-dimensional flows.
Quasi-laminar stability and sensitivity analyses for turbulent flows: Prediction of low-frequency unsteadiness and passive control
Authors: Mettot Clément , Sipp Denis , Bézard Hervé
Published: April 2014

This article presents a quasi-laminar stability approach to identify in high-Reynolds number flows the dominant low-frequencies and to design passive control means to shift these frequencies. The approach is based on a global linear stability analysis of mean-flows, which correspond to the time-average of the unsteady flows. Contrary to the previous work by Meliga et al. [“Sensitivity of 2-D turbulent flow past a D-shaped cylinder using global stability,” Phys. Fluids 24, 061701 (2012)], we use the linearized Navier-Stokes equations based solely on the molecular viscosity (leaving aside any turbulence model and any eddy viscosity) to extract the least stable direct and adjoint global modes of the flow. Then, we compute the frequency sensitivity maps of these modes, so as to predict before hand where a small control cylinder optimally shifts the frequency of the flow. In the case of the D-shaped cylinder studied by Parezanović and Cadot [J. Fluid Mech. 693, 115 (2012)], we show that the present approach well captures the frequency of the flow and recovers accurately the frequency control maps obtained experimentally. The results are close to those already obtained by Meliga et al., who used a more complex approach in which turbulence models played a central role. The present approach is simpler and may be applied to a broader range of flows since it is tractable as soon as mean-flows — which can be obtained either numerically from simulations (Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS), Large Eddy Simulation (LES), unsteady Reynolds-Averaged-Navier-Stokes (RANS), steady RANS) or from experimental measurements (Particle Image Velocimetry - PIV) — are available. We also discuss how the influence of the control cylinder on the mean-flow may be more accurately predicted by determining an eddy-viscosity from numerical simulations or experimental measurements. From a technical point of view, we finally show how an existing compressible numerical simulation code may be used in a black-box manner to extract the global modes and sensitivity maps.
Relativistic helicity and link in Minkowski space-time
Authors: Yoshida Z. , Kawazura Y. , Yokoyama T.
Published: April 2014

A relativistic helicity has been formulated in the four-dimensional Minkowski space-time. Whereas the relativistic distortion of space-time violates the conservation of the conventional helicity, the newly defined relativistic helicity conserves in a barotropic fluid or plasma, dictating a fundamental topological constraint. The relation between the helicity and the vortex-line topology has been delineated by analyzing the linking number of vortex filaments which are singular differential forms representing the pure states of Banach algebra. While the dimension of space-time is four, vortex filaments link, because vorticities are primarily 2-forms and the corresponding 2-chains link in four dimension; the relativistic helicity measures the linking number of vortex filaments that are proper-time cross-sections of the vorticity 2-chains. A thermodynamic force yields an additional term in the vorticity, by which the vortex filaments on a reference-time plane are no longer pure states. However, the vortex filaments on a proper-time plane remain to be pure states, if the thermodynamic force is exact (barotropic), thus, the linking number of vortex filaments conserves.
Formulation of the spherical harmonic coefficients of the entire magnetic field components generated by magnetic moment and current for shimming
Authors: Noguchi So
Published: April 2014

For MRI and NMR magnet design, a highly homogeneous and high magnetic field has to be achieved by active and/or passive shimming. The active and passive shimming commonly homogenize the magnetic field around the magnet center by cancellation of the higher terms of a spherical harmonic series than the 0th term. So far, the spherical harmonic expression in the cylindrical coordinate system is well known for a circular coil, a solenoid coil, and magnetization of ferromagnetic material with/without its volume. In a shimming design, only the z-component of an inhomogeneous magnetic field is compensated because it is dominant to the performance of MRI/NMR. However, various kinds of MRI and NMR systems have recently been developed, and these magnets sometimes have an axially asymmetric configuration or generate a tilted magnetic field. Therefore, the entire x-, y-, and z-components have to be homogenized for such magnets. I derive the spherical harmonic expression of the entire components of magnetic field generated by a circular coil, a dipole coil, and a straight line current. In addition, since the entire magnetization components of the ferromagnetic material having the volume contribute the entire components of the magnetic field around the magnet center, I also derive the equations of the spherical harmonic coefficients of the magnetic field generated by ferromagnetic material. Since these equations need a numerical integration, such as the Gauss quadrature integration, the computation accuracy of the spherical harmonic coefficients is investigated against the number of the evaluation points. We can calculate the highly accurate spherical harmonic coefficients with the small number of the evaluation points.
Lattice-Boltzmann simulations of the electrophoretic stretching of polyelectrolytes: The importance of hydrodynamic interactions
Authors: Hickey Owen A. , Holm Christian , Smiatek Jens
Published: April 2014

In this article we examine the electrophoretic stretching of polyelectrolytes between parallel uncharged plates using molecular dynamics simulations. We compare simulations where the fluid is modeled implicitly using a Langevin thermostat, which ignore hydrodynamic interactions, to simulations with an explicit lattice-Boltzmann fluid that take hydrodynamic interactions into account. The difference between simulations with and without hydrodynamic interactions is larger for longer polyelectrolytes, as one would expect. Furthermore, we present simulation results which show that the effects of hydrodynamic interactions are reduced as the distance between the confining plates is diminished. The main result of our study is that hydrodynamic interactions play a larger role in systems with a shorter Debye length, in contrast to conventional wisdom.
Modeling and optimization of biogas production from rice mill effluent using up flow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor
Authors: Thirugnanasambandham Karichappan , Sivakumar Venkatachalam , Prakash Maran Jeganathan
Published: April 2014

The main objective of the present study is to investigate the efficiency of seed sludge for the production of biogas from rice mill effluent using up flow anaerobic sludge blanket bioreactor. Response surface methodology coupled with three factors three level Box-Behnken response surface design was used to study the treatment process statistically. Effects of temperature, alkalinity dose, and flow rate on the chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal and biogas production were investigated and second order polynomial mathematical models were developed for the responses with high coefficient of determination values (R2 > 0.99). Analysis of variance was used to evaluate the adequacy of developed mathematical models and three dimensional response surface plots were constructed to study the interactive effects of process variables on the treatment efficiency. Optimum conditions were found to be temperature of 40 °C, alkalinity dose of 1.5 g CaCO3/l and wastewater flow rate of 6 l d−1. Under these conditions 87% ofCOD removal and biogas production of 273 ml CH4/g COD were obtained.
Energy loss in spark gap switches
Authors: Oreshkin V. I. , Lavrinovich I. V.
Published: April 2014

The paper reports on numerical study of the energy loss in spark gap switches. The operation of the switches is analyzed using the Braginsky model which allows calculation of the time dependence of the spark channel resistance. The Braginsky equation is solved simultaneously with generator circuit equations for different load types. Based on the numerical solutions, expressions which determine both the energy released in a spark gap switch and the switching time are derived.
Effect of Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction on magnetic vortex
Authors: Luo Y. M. , Zhou C. , Won C. , Wu Y. Z.
Published: April 2014

The effect of the Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya (DM) interaction on the vortex in magnetic microdisk was investigated by micro-magnetic simulation based on the Landau–Lifshitz–Gilbert equation. Our results show that the DM interaction modifies the size of the vortex core, and also induces an out-of-plane magnetization component at the edge and inside the disk. The DM interaction can destabilizes one vortex handedness, generate a bias field to the vortex core and couple the vortex polarity and chirality. This DM-interaction-induced coupling can therefore provide a new way to control vortex polarity and chirality.
Design and implementation of the tapered resistive sheets to control edge scattering
Authors: Chen Hai-Yan , Zhu Zhi-Wei , Lu Li-Juan , Guan Yan , Xie Jian-Liang , Deng Long-Jiang
Published: April 2014

Closed-form expressions for equivalent surface resistance of the tapered resistive sheets realized by geometric variation based on frequency selective surfaces concepts are presented in this paper. These expressions can be used efficiently to calculate the equivalent surface resistive of tapered resistive sheets with variable periodic structures of said geometries. These equivalent surface resistances of tapered resistive sheets calculated from these expressions are compared to and closely agree with results obtained from a numerical simulation of the actual tapered resistive meta-surfaces. Finally, we propose the tapered resistive sheets based on these expressions to control edge scattering, and excellent agreement with these results from the actual tapered resistive sheets loading can be obtained.
Architectures of planetary systems and implications for their formation
Authors: Ford Eric B.
Published: April 2014

Significance

Prior to the discovery of exoplanets, astronomers fine tuned theories of planet formation to explain detailed properties of the solar system. The discovery of exoplanets has significantly increased our appreciation for the diversity of planetary systems in nature. In this article we review the current understanding of the late stages of evolution of planetary systems, focusing on observational constraints from radial velocity and transit observations.
Multivariate analysis reveals genetic associations of the resting default mode network in psychotic bipolar disorder and schizophrenia
Authors: Meda Shashwath A. , Ruaño Gualberto , Windemuth Andreas , O’Neil Kasey , Berwise Clifton , Dunn Sabra M. , Boccaccio Leah E. , Narayanan Balaji , Kocherla Mohan , Sprooten Emma , Keshavan Matcheri S. , Tamminga Carol A. , Sweeney John A. , Clementz Brett A. , Calhoun Vince D. , Pearlson Godfrey D.
Published: April 2014

Significance

Connectivity within the brain’s resting-state default mode network (DMN) has been shown to be compromised in multiple genetically complex/heritable neuropsychiatric disorders. Uncovering the source of such alterations will help in developing targeted treatments for these disorders. To our knowledge, this study is the first attempt to do so by using a multivariate data-driven fusion approach. We report five major DMN subnodes, all of which were found to be hypo-connected in probands with psychotic illnesses. Further, we found an overrepresentation of genes in major relevant pathways such as NMDA potentiation, PKA/immune response signalling, synaptogenesis, and axon guidance that influenced altered DMN connectivity in psychoses. The study thus identifies several putative genes and pathways related to an important biological marker known to be compromised in psychosis.
Crumbs promotes expanded recognition and degradation by the SCF
Slimb/β-TrCP
ubiquitin ligase
Authors: Ribeiro Paulo , Holder Maxine , Frith David , Snijders Ambrosius P. , Tapon Nicolas
Published: April 2014

Significance

Regulation of tissue growth is essential for metazoan development and adult homeostasis. The Hippo (Hpo) pathway is an evolutionarily conserved signaling cascade that has emerged as a crucial regulator of tissue size by virtue of its control of cell proliferation and cell death. Multiple epithelial architecture inputs converge on Hpo signaling, allowing tissues to quickly respond to disruptions in cell–cell and cell–matrix interactions. Here, we show that the polarity protein Crumbs promotes the apical localization and degradation of the Hpo pathway protein Expanded, by the SCF
Slmb/β-TRCP
ubiquitin ligase. This ubiquitin-dependent mechanism could potentially allow the dynamic regulation of Hpo signaling in response to changes in polarity.
Field experiments of success-breeds-success dynamics
Authors: van de Rijt Arnout , Kang Soong Moon , Restivo Michael , Patil Akshay
Published: April 2014

Significance

Social scientists have long debated why similar individuals often experience drastically different degrees of success. Some scholars have suggested such inequality merely reflects hard-to-observe personal differences in ability. Others have proposed that one fortunate success may trigger another, thus producing arbitrary differentiation. We conducted randomized experiments through intervention in live social systems to test for success-breeds-success dynamics. Results show that different kinds of success (money, quality ratings, awards, and endorsements) when bestowed upon arbitrarily selected recipients all produced significant improvements in subsequent rates of success as compared with the control group of nonrecipients. However, greater amounts of initial success failed to produce much greater subsequent success, suggesting limits to the distortionary effects of social feedback.
Unusually long-lived pause required for regulation of a Rho-dependent transcription terminator
Authors: Hollands Kerry , Sevostiyanova Anastasia , Groisman Eduardo A.
Published: April 2014

Significance

Accurate gene expression requires that transcription of DNA into RNA terminate in the correct location. In bacteria, many transcription termination events rely on the termination factor Rho. Rho-dependent terminators perform critical housekeeping functions in the cell and also regulate expression of specific genes. However, the DNA and RNA sequences that promote Rho-dependent termination are poorly understood, particularly for those terminators with regulatory functions. We now define the sequence elements required for transcription termination at a regulated Rho-dependent terminator. These sequences cause RNA polymerase to pause for an unusually long time during transcription. The remarkable longevity of this pause is required for a regulatory signal to stimulate Rho-dependent termination and thereby govern expression of the gene downstream of the pause site.
Rescue of embryonic stem cells from cellular transformation by proteomic stabilization of mutant p53 and conversion into WT conformation
Authors: Rivlin Noa , Katz Shir , Doody Maayan , Sheffer Michal , Horesh Stav , Molchadsky Alina , Koifman Gabriela , Shetzer Yoav , Goldfinger Naomi , Rotter Varda , Geiger Tamar
Published: April 2014

Significance

Mutations in p53 lead to cell transformation through the elimination of the WT tumor suppressor activities and the gain of oncogenic ones. In contrast, mouse embryos develop normally, despite the expression of mutant p53. Here, we report that, in ES cells, mutant p53 conformation is shifted to a WT form, leading to transcriptionally active p53 and increased genomic integrity of these cells. Using MS-based proteomics, we were able to isolate a network of interacting proteins that bind mutant p53 and stabilize it to the WT form. These results can serve as a potential platform for p53-based cancer therapy development in the future.
Intake and transformation to a glycoside of (
Z
)-3-hexenol from infested neighbors reveals a mode of plant odor reception and defense
Authors: Sugimoto Koichi , Matsui Kenji , Iijima Yoko , Akakabe Yoshihiko , Muramoto Shoko , Ozawa Rika , Uefune Masayoshi , Sasaki Ryosuke , Alamgir Kabir Md. , Akitake Shota , Nobuke Tatsunori , Galis Ivan , Aoki Koh , Shibata Daisuke , Takabayashi Junji
Published: April 2014

Significance

Plants receive volatile compounds emitted by neighboring plants that are infested by herbivores, and consequently the receiver plants begin to defend against forthcoming herbivory. To date, how plants receive volatiles and, consequently, how they fortify their defenses, is largely unknown. We found that tomato plants absorbed the airborne green leaf alcohol (
Z
)-3-hexenol emitted by neighboring conspecific plants under attack by herbivores and subsequently converted the alcohol to a glycoside. The glycoside suppressed growth and survival rates of cutworms. The accumulation of glycoside in the receiver plants explained the defense acquired via “smelling” their neighbors. This study showed that the processing of a volatile compound is a mechanism of volatile reception in tomato plants.
Cell cycle-specific cleavage of Scc2 regulates its cohesin deposition activity
Authors: Woodman Julie , Fara Tyler , Dzieciatkowska Monika , Trejo Michael , Luong Nancy , Hansen Kirk C. , Megee Paul C.
Published: April 2014

Significance

Cohesin complexes tether replicated sister chromatids together from DNA replication until anaphase onset. This tethering promotes proper chromosome segregation, DNA damage repair, and the regulation of some genes. Cohesins are deposited on chromosomes by sister chromatid cohesion (Scc) proteins, Scc2 and Scc4, which form a heterodimeric cohesin deposition complex in budding yeast. Although Scc2/Scc4 is essential for cohesin deposition, its regulation is poorly understood. We demonstrate that dephosphorylation promotes constitutive Scc2 cleavage within its amino terminus, resulting in the loss of its interaction with Scc4. Moreover, an
scc2
truncation mutant that mimics cleaved Scc2 is defective in cohesin deposition. We suggest that Scc2 cleavage, which is regulated by modulation of Scc2’s phosphorylation status, represents a previously unidentified mechanism that controls Scc2/Scc4 cohesin deposition activity.
PAI-1–regulated extracellular proteolysis governs senescence and survival in
Klotho
mice
Authors: Eren Mesut , Boe Amanda E. , Murphy Sheila B. , Place Aaron T. , Nagpal Varun , Morales-Nebreda Luisa , Urich Daniela , Quaggin Susan E. , Budinger G. R. Scott , Mutlu Gökhan M. , Miyata Toshio , Vaughan Douglas E.
Published: April 2014

Significance

Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) is an essential mediator of cellular senescence in vitro and is one of the biochemical fingerprints of senescence in vivo.
Klotho
-deficient (
kl/kl
) mice display a complex phenotype reminiscent of human aging and exhibit age-dependent increases in PAI-1 in tissues and in plasma. Thus, we hypothesized that PAI-1 contributes to the aging-like phenotype of
kl/kl
mice. We observed that either genetic deficiency or pharmacological inhibition of PAI-1 in
kl/kl
mice was associated with reduced evidence of senescence, preserved organ structure and function, and a fourfold increase in median lifespan. These findings indicate that PAI-1 is a critical mediator of senescence in vivo and defines a novel target for the prevention and treatment of age-related disorders in man.
A forager–herder trade-off, from broad-spectrum hunting to sheep management at Aşıklı Höyük, Turkey
Authors: Stiner Mary C. , Buitenhuis Hijlke , Duru Güneş , Kuhn Steven L. , Mentzer Susan M. , Munro Natalie D. , Pöllath Nadja , Quade Jay , Tsartsidou Georgia , Özbaşaran Mihriban
Published: April 2014

Significance

This article provides original results on the formative conditions of sheep domestication in the Near East. To our knowledge, none of the results has been published before, and the results are expected to be of wide interest to archaeologists, biologists, and other professionals interested in evolutionary and cultural processes of animal domestication.
Ca
v
3.2 T-type calcium channel is required for the NFAT-dependent Sox9 expression in tracheal cartilage
Authors: Lin Shin-Shiou , Tzeng Bing-Hsiean , Lee Kuan-Rong , Smith Richard J. H. , Campbell Kevin P. , Chen Chien-Chang
Published: April 2014

Significance

The tracheal cartilage rings are important for protecting and maintaining the airway. However, the chondrogenesis of tracheal cartilage is not completely understood. We demonstrate that the Ca
v
3.2 T-type calcium channel is required for normal tracheal cartilage ring formation. Calcium influx via Ca
v
3.2 induces chondrogenesis and up-regulates a chondrogenic master gene, sex determination region of Y chromosome (SRY)-related high-mobility group-Box gene 9 (Sox9), via a calcium and calcineurin-dependent pathway. Ca
v
3.2-dependent regulation of Sox9 is mediated by a newly identified nuclear factor of activated T-cell binding site on the Sox9 promoter. Our study provides novel insight into the roles of Ca
v
3.2 T-type calcium channels in tracheal development. Moreover,
CACNA1H
, the human homolog of the mouse Ca
v
3.2-encoding gene, may be a potential candidate gene involved in congenital tracheal stenosis in humans.
Genesis and pathogenesis of the 1918 pandemic H1N1 influenza A virus
Authors: Worobey Michael , Han Guan-Zhu , Rambaut Andrew
Published: April 2014

Significance

The origin of the 1918 pandemic influenza A virus (IAV) and the reasons for its unusual severity are two of the foremost biomedical mysteries of the past century. We infer that the virus arose via reassortment between a preexisting human H1 IAV lineage and an avian virus. Phylogenetic, seroarcheological, and epidemiological evidence indicates those born earlier or later than ∼1880–1900 would have had some protection against the 1918 H1N1 virus, whereas many young adults born from ∼1880–1900 may have lacked such protection because of childhood exposure to an antigenically distinct H3N8 virus. Our findings suggest that better understanding of how initial exposure shapes lifetime immunity may enhance the prediction and control of future IAV pandemics and seasonal epidemics.
Heterodimeric coiled-coil interactions of human GABA
B
receptor
Authors: Burmakina Svetlana , Geng Yong , Chen Yan , Fan Qing R.
Published: April 2014

Significance

Human GABA
B
receptor transmits inhibitory signals in the brain. Defects in the receptor are linked to several neurological diseases, including epilepsy and spasticity. The GABA
B
receptor consists of two subunits, GABA
B
receptor 1 (GBR1) and GABA
B
receptor 2 (GBR2). GBR1 is trapped inside the cell because it contains an endoplasmic reticulum retention signal that targets the receptor to the intracellular compartment. This retention signal is masked by coiled-coil interaction between GBR1 and GBR2 when the two subunits associate. The crystal structure of a coiled-coil complex between the GABA
B
receptor subunits reveals the heterodimeric interaction that is responsible for facilitating the surface transport of the intact receptor.
Gait synchronization in
Caenorhabditis elegans
Authors: Yuan Jinzhou , Raizen David M. , Bau Haim H.
Published: April 2014

Significance

How independent agents interact to form collective behavior is of interest in diverse disciplines. Larger animals coordinate their motions via their nervous systems. However, little is known regarding the mechanisms by which microscopic animals coordinate their gaits. We observed that, when in a swarm, clusters of
Caenorhabditis elegans
synchronize their swimming gait. To identify the mechanism responsible for this behavior, we devised controlled experiments to examine the interactions between pairs of animals. Our studies indicate that steric hindrance is the dominant factor responsible for gait synchronization in
C. elegans,
and that hydrodynamic interactions and mechanosensation do not play a significant role. We infer that a similar mechanism may apply to other microscopic swimming organisms and self-propelled particles.
Pathophysiology of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in rhesus macaques
Authors: Safronetz David , Prescott Joseph , Feldmann Friederike , Haddock Elaine , Rosenke Rebecca , Okumura Atsushi , Brining Douglas , Dahlstrom Eric , Porcella Stephen F. , Ebihara Hideki , Scott Dana P. , Hjelle Brian , Feldmann Heinz
Published: April 2014

Significance

Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) is a rare but often fatal disease caused by infection with New World hantaviruses. A limitation to understanding the pathogenesis of HPS and developing medical countermeasures against this disease is a lack of experimental disease models. In this study we describe the characterization of a novel nonhuman primate model of HPS. After infection with deer mouse-only–passaged Sin Nombre virus, macaques developed severe respiratory disease indicative of HPS. Viremia and hematological abnormalities were the earliest markers of ensuing disease, and the hyperpermeability associated with the onset of respiratory distress coincided with dysregulation of host responses exclusively in the pulmonary endothelium. This model will help advance our understanding of HPS and preclinical development of therapeutic strategies.
Identification of human neutralizing antibodies against MERS-CoV and their role in virus adaptive evolution
Authors: Tang Xian-Chun , Agnihothram Sudhakar S. , Jiao Yongjun , Stanhope Jeremy , Graham Rachel L. , Peterson Eric C. , Avnir Yuval , Tallarico Aimee St. Clair , Sheehan Jared , Zhu Quan , Baric Ralph S. , Marasco Wayne A.
Published: April 2014

Significance

The recently emerged Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) causes severe respiratory disease with ∼43% mortality. There is no licensed vaccine or antiviral for MERS. Here we identified seven human neutralizing Abs (nAbs) against MERS-CoV. These nAbs bind to three epitope groups in the viral Spike protein–receptor interface, blocking virus attachment. Five residues in the viral receptor-binding domain critical for neutralization escape were identified. Further study indicated that four of five mutations not only confer neutralization resistance but also impair receptor binding and viral fitness. This panel of nAbs offers the possibility of developing human mAb-based immunotherapy.
Endophilin A1 induces different membrane shapes using a conformational switch that is regulated by phosphorylation
Authors: Ambroso Mark R. , Hegde Balachandra G. , Langen Ralf
Published: April 2014

Significance

BIN/amphiphysin/Rvs (BAR) proteins shape lipid membranes into functional shapes and compartments in a broad range of cellular processes. However, how a protein generates distinct forms of membrane curvature and how these states are regulated is unknown. We find that endophilin A1 uses different structures and mechanisms to generate tubes or vesicles. Phosphorylation toggles a conformational switch between these two structures, potentially acting as a regulator of membrane curvature in vivo. These findings may also explain how other proteins, including the BAR protein family, generate different shapes and are regulated in a large number of membrane remodeling processes.
A rifamycin inactivating phosphotransferase family shared by environmental and pathogenic bacteria
Authors: Spanogiannopoulos Peter , Waglechner Nicholas , Koteva Kalinka , Wright Gerard D.
Published: April 2014

Significance

Environmental microorganisms are a source of diverse antibiotic resistance determinants. With the appropriate selection pressure, these resistance genes can be mobilized to clinically relevant pathogens. Identifying and characterizing elements of the environmental antibiotic resistome provides an early warning of what we may expect to encounter in the clinic. We uncover a conserved genetic element associated with various rifamycin antibiotic-inactivating mechanisms. This element led to the identification of a new resistance gene and associated enzyme responsible for inactivating rifamycin antibiotics by phosphorylation. Cryptic orthologous genes are also found in pathogenic bacteria but remain susceptible to the drug. This study reveals a new antibiotic resistance protein family and the unexpected prevalence of a silent rifamycin resistome among pathogenic bacteria.
A 9,000-year-old caribou hunting structure beneath Lake Huron
Authors: O’Shea John M. , Lemke Ashley K. , Sonnenburg Elizabeth P. , Reynolds Robert G. , Abbott Brian D.
Published: April 2014

Significance

Some of the most pivotal questions in human history necessitate the investigation of archaeological sites that are now under water. These contexts have unique potentials for preserving ancient sites without disturbance from later human occupation. The Alpena-Amberley Ridge beneath modern Lake Huron in the Great Lakes offers unique evidence of prehistoric caribou hunters for a time period that is very poorly known on land. The newly discovered Drop 45 Drive Lane and associated artifacts presented here provide unprecedented insight into the social and seasonal organization of early peoples in the Great Lakes region, while the interdisciplinary research program provides a model for the archaeological investigation of submerged prehistoric landscapes.
Long-lasting fibrin matrices ensure stable and functional angiogenesis by highly tunable, sustained delivery of recombinant VEGF
164
Authors: Sacchi Veronica , Mittermayr Rainer , Hartinger Joachim , Martino Mikaël M. , Lorentz Kristen M. , Wolbank Susanne , Hofmann Anna , Largo Remo A. , Marschall Jeffrey S. , Groppa Elena , Gianni-Barrera Roberto , Ehrbar Martin , Hubbell Jeffrey A. , Redl Heinz , Banfi Andrea
Published: April 2014

Significance

Inducing the growth of new blood vessels by specific factors is an attractive strategy to restore blood flow in ischemic tissues. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is the master regulator of angiogenesis, yet clinical trials of VEGF gene delivery failed. Major challenges include the need to control the tissue distribution of factor dose and the duration of expression. Here, we developed a highly tunable fibrin-based platform to precisely control the dose and duration of VEGF protein delivery in tissues. Optimized delivery of fibrin-bound VEGF ensured normal, stable, and functional angiogenesis and improved perfusion of ischemic tissues, without genetic modification and with limited duration of VEGF delivery. These findings suggest a strategy to improve both safety and efficacy of therapeutic angiogenesis.
Bacterial scaffold directs pole-specific centromere segregation
Authors: Ptacin Jerod L. , Gahlmann Andreas , Bowman Grant R. , Perez Adam M. , von Diezmann Lexy , Eckart Michael R. , Moerner W. E. , Shapiro Lucy
Published: April 2014

Significance

Bacteria use molecular partitioning systems based on the ATPase ParA to segregate chromosome centromeres before cell division, but how these machines target centromeres to specific locations is unclear. This study shows that, inCaulobacter crescentus, a multimeric complex composed of the PopZ protein directs the ParA machine to transfer centromeres to the cell pole. Spent ParA subunits released from the mitotic apparatus during segregation are recruited throughout a 3D PopZ matrix at the pole. ParA recruitment and sequestration by PopZ stimulates the cell-pole proximal recycling of ParA into a nucleoid-bound complex to ensure pole-specific centromere transfer. PopZ therefore utilizes a 3D scaffolding strategy to create a subcellular microdomain that directly regulates the function of the bacterial centromere segregation machine.
Chinese preschool children’s comprehension of a picture storybook
Authors: Li Linhui , Zhou Jing , Liu Baogen , Gao Xiaomei
Published: April 2014

This chapter explores 3 to 6 year old Chinese children’s comprehension of a picture storybook The Very Hungry Caterpillar. The results show: (1) Chinese children’s understanding of images, actions and characters’ states improves with age; (2) Children develop their understanding of images first, followed by actions and then characters’ states; (3) It is easier for children to understand images prominent in pictures than those not prominent in pictures or containing culture-specific information with which children are not familiar, actions represented directly through the relationship of different images than those actions which require making a connection with preceding and following pictures, and characters’ states represented by visible information such as size and colour than those less visible or age-appropriate.
Shaping discourses of multilingualism through a language ideological debate
Authors: Hult Francis M. , Pietikäinen Sari
Published: April 2014

The ideological (re)construction of the position of Swedish in Finland is examined as it took shape during a major year-long debate about the role of Swedish in Finnish education. Data were collected through archival research of the leading national newspapers in the two official languages of Finland:Helsingin Sanomat(Finnish) andHufvudstadsbladet(Swedish). Circulating and intersecting discourses in newspaper texts are traced in order to examine how these discourses facilitate the negotiation of tensions about the status of Swedish in Finland. Analysis demonstrates how ideological space was opened for destabilizing dominant perspectives about the relative value of languages in Finland. Moreover, it is shown that (re)interpretations of the discourse of ‘Swedish as mandatory’ in education became a fulcrum for leveraging a wider debate about the ‘Finland as bilingual nation’ discourse, which has long been part of the national consciousness.
Political loanwords
Authors: Ajsic Adnan
Published: April 2014

Similar to many modern languages Bosnian continues to borrow lexical material from English. Although this is by no means a new trend, the linguo-political situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina has dramatically changed in the past twenty years and with it the dynamics and patterns of lexical borrowing. Based on a special synchronic corpus compiled from opinion pieces and editorials from the contemporary Bosnian press, this study analyzes the collocational patterns of the most frequently occurring English loanwords and compares them to their original collocational patterns extracted from a comparable English-language corpus. The findings confirm a divergence in collocational patterning between the donor and borrowing languages (Kurtböke & Potter 2000), but also suggest the existence of a “washback” effect whereby some of the new collocational patterns from the borrowing language enter the donor language through media discourse. The new collocational patterns are shown to derive from the postwar constitutional arrangement in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Direct and indirect speech in Spanish language news reports
Authors: Gervasi Kareen
Published: April 2014

This work uses data from two Spanish language newspapers:Granmafrom Cuba andEl Nuevo Heraldfrom Miami to analyze pragmatic and social factors that underlie the use of reported speech in news texts. This study examines pragmatic and social constraints on journalists’ choice of reporting speech structures. Journalists use direct speech to provide a literal quotation of another’s voice, whereas indirect speech is presents the journalists’ own rendition of the quoted words. The qualitative and quantitative analyses reveal thatGranmaandEl Nuevo Heraldexhibit different patterns of use of direct and indirect speech, which are motivated by the two newspapers’ ideological perspectives and the level of political and social power of the news actors.
What can software tell us about political candidates?
Authors: Kangas Sara E.N.
Published: April 2014

This study evaluates a computerized text analysis program, Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC), by investigating the relationship between the discourse and personalities of presidential and vice presidential candidates in the 2008 presidential election in the United States. Analyses of speech samples (N = 141) from Barack Obama, Joe Biden, John McCain, and Sarah Palin were conducted using LIWC. The results show that in the context of political speech events, such as media interviews, political candidates make unique linguistic choices, which may be interpreted as displaying distinct personality traits. Yet, despite the statistical significance of the results, there are salient limitations of utilizing computerized methodologies to analyze political speech events, such as the limited interpretative capacity of the software to understand pragmatic and contextual language use.
Discursive strategies of instrumentalizing history in mainstream Turkish political discourse
Authors: Küçükali Can
Published: April 2014

This article explores how specific narratives of the past can be functionalized/instrumentalized as discursive strategies in order to gain political power. To investigate this issue, four relevant governmental and non-governmental texts about the main opposition party in Turkey are analysed. The Republican People’s Party (CHP), which played a historic role by becoming a state party between 1923 and 1946, and which later adopted a social democratic position in the political system, has frequently been criticized by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) for its historical identity. The article illuminates how discursive strategies of argumentation, nomination and predication are used to portray the CHP as an enduring bureaucratic-militarist state party and the ways in which these strategies are functionalized by AKP politicians as well as by public intellectuals in favour of the government.
Generalizacion de Una Clasificacion Cognitivo Dimensional de Episodios de Ayuda A Una Muestra EspañOla
Authors: Chacon Fernando
Published: April 2014

En el presente artículo se argumenta que la literatura psicosocial sobre el altruismo carece de un marco teórico que interrelacione distintas formas de ayuda. Se describen las investigaciones de Smithson, Pearce y Amato (1980–83) sobre una taxonomía dimensional de episodios de ayuda en muestras australianas. Intentamos confirmar los resultados de dichas investigaciones y generalizar la taxonomía a una muestra de universitarios españoles. Los análisis multidimensionales reflejan una estructura bidimensional estable a pesar de las diferencias nacionales. Estas dimensiones son: ayuda importante-ayuda no importante y ayuda planificada-ayuda espontánea. Aparecen, además, algunas diferencias culturales en la localización de algunos episodios de ayuda en las dimensiones. Se sugieren algunas hipótesis que pueden explicar estas diferencias.
Social Categorization, Intergroup Behaviour and Self-Esteem: Two Experiments
Authors: Hogg Machael A. , Turner John C. , Nascimento-Schulze Clelia , Spriggs David
Published: April 2014

Two experiments investigating the hypothesis that self-esteem is elevated through intergroup discrimination (the positive distinctiveness hypothesis) are reported. Oakes and Turner (1980) have shown experimentally that subjects who are given, and take, the opportunity to discriminate experience elevated self-estteem, while those given no such opportunity de not. This finding is open to an alternative explanation in terms of category salience alone. Experiment 1 disconfounds discrimination and salience and produces findings which support the positive distinctiveness rather than the salience hypothesis. Since there exists the possibility of a partial explanation of the data in terms of compliance, a second experiment (almost an exact replication of the first) is reported which examines this. The positive distinctiveness hypothesis is again upheld in contrast to the salience hypothesis, but the possibility of compliance as a partial explanation is not entirely ruled out.
Datos Preliminares Sobre Algunas Caracteristicas Psicosociales de los Brasileños Derivadas de Investigaciones Sobre la Justicia Distributiva
Authors: Rodrigues Aroldo
Published: April 2014

En este trabajo se presentan los datos de una investigación sobre los criterios de justicia distributiva, es decir, sobre el modo en que los sujetos distribuyen los recursos entre las distintas “partes” que intervienen en una tarea comercial. Los datos obtenidos permiten verficar en una muestra de sujetos brasileños la existencia de la necesidad afiliativa y la importancia del script cultural de la simpatía.
Patron de Conducta Tipo a, Representacion Social y Cognicion Social. Estudio Experimental
Authors: Echabe Echebarría , Rovira Páez
Published: April 2014

En el presente estudio se analizó la relación entre las representaciones de los sujetos tipo A versus tipo B del éxito y del fracaso, así como su relación con los procesos atribucionales. Utilizando el paradigma experimental de la Indefensión Adquirida se observó que los sujetos tipo A realizaban atribuciones de capacidad en mayor medida tanto ante la situación de éxito como en la de fracaso. Los sujetos tipo A comunicaron mayores niveles de implicación y ansiedad, así como una percepción más desafiante de la tarea. Se observó también una calidad de ejecución más pobre en la tarea subsiguiente en los sujetos tipo A, así como un fenómeno de indefensión en los sujetos previamente sometidos a una tarea experimental irresoluble. Por último, se propone un modelo Psicosociológico de Salud que integre niveles macro, microsociales y psicológicos.
Patrones conductuales en el terrorismo actual: un análisis empírico
Authors: Garzón A. , Garcés J. , Herrera M.
Published: April 2014

El análisis del terrorismo, como campo distinto de investigation, es un fenómeno relativamente reciente. El estudio del Terrorismo ha sido un fenómeno de interés para las ciencias políticas, psicológicas, sociológicas centradas en el estudio de los fenómenos internacionales y la justicia criminal.

Este artículo es una revisión empírica y conceptual del Terrorismo. Es una aproximación conceptual y tipológica del fenómeno terrorista y de los fenómenos internacionales a través del análisis de las actividades terroristas y sus objetivos-estímulos.
Un análisis de la relación entre ambiente familiar y delincuencia juvenil
Authors: Redondo Lourdes Mirón , Martín Angeles Luengo , Fernández Jorge Sobral , López José M. Otero
Published: April 2014

En este trabajo se analiza la relación entre las interacciones afectivas y normativas del ambiente familiar, y la conducta delictiva de los adolescentes varones. La muestra del estudio estaba compuesta por tres grupos de adolescentes: no delincuentes, delincuentes no detectados y delincuentes detectados (institucionalizados). Los resultados de los análisis realizados ponen de manifiesto la existencia de diferencias significativas entre las características familiares de delincuentes y no delincuentes. Concretamente, los datos del estudio permiten afirmar que: 1) las variables afectivas parecen más importantes que las referidas a los aspectos normativos para discriminar entre los grupos de sujetos, y 2) entre las variables afectivas serían el apego del hijo hacia los padres y el conflicto familiar las que aparecen como especialmente relevantes para discriminar entre delincuentes y no delincuentes, asociándose un alto nivel de apego/bajo nivel de conflicto con no delincuencia, y un bajo nivel de apego/alto nivel de conflicto con delincuencia.