bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Influence of distance between sample surface and focal point on spectral intensity of nanosecond laser-induced silicon plasma in air
Authors: Wang Ying , Chen Anmin , Li Suyu , Ke Da , Wang Xiaowei , Zhang Dan , Jiang Yuanfei , Jin Mingxing
Published: September 2017

The influence of distance between sample surface and focal point on optical emission spectroscopy of laser-induced silicon plasma by a nanosecond Nd:YAG laser operating at the wavelength of 1064 nm was investigated in air. Our results show that the emission intensity of Si (I) 390.6 nm line and N (II) 399.5 nm line depends strongly on the distance between sample surface and focal point. When the surface of ablated sample is away from the focal point of focusing lens, the neutral atomic line (Si(I) signal to be measured) is much higher than the ionic line (interference signal N (II)). Therefore, we can improve the intensity of Si (I) signal to be measured, and reduce the intensity of interference signal N (II). The presented result is mainly based on the reduction of interaction between the plasma plume and the ambient air, leading to much weaker collisions.
Communication: Effect of density on the physical aging of pressure-densified polymethylmethacrylate
Authors: Casalini R. , Roland C. M.
Published: September 2017

The rate of physical aging of glassy polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), followed from the change in the secondary relaxation with aging, is found to be independent of the density, the latter controlled by the pressure during glass formation. Thus, the aging behavior of the secondary relaxation is the same whether the glass is more compacted or less dense than the corresponding equilibrium liquid. This equivalence in aging of glasses formed under different pressures indicates that local packing is the dominant variable governing the glassy dynamics. The fact that pressure densification yields different glass structures is at odds with a model for non-associated materials having dynamic properties exhibited by PMMA, such as density scaling of the relaxation time and isochronal superposition of the relaxation dispersion.
Uniaxial-stress-driven transformation in cold compressed glassy carbon
Authors: Yao Mingguang , Fan Xianhong , Zhang Weiwei , Bao Yongjun , Liu Ran , Sundqvist Bertil , Liu Bingbing
Published: September 2017

We show that transformation of glassy carbon (GC) into a translucent superhard carbon phase by cold-compression is obtained in the presence of a uniaxial stress field. This transition accompanies with sp2 to sp3 bonding change in GC, and it is found that the uniaxial stress strongly favors this bonding transition. The transformation of GC causes photoluminescence and significantly increases light transmissivity. Upon decompression, the high pressure phase can be maintained under large uniaxial stress at a chamber pressure even down to ∼10 GPa. We discuss possible mechanisms of these transitions by a distinct bonding process that occurs in noncrystalline carbon.
The SPES surface ionization source
Authors: Manzolaro M. , D’Agostini F. , Monetti A. , Andrighetto A.
Published: September 2017

Ion sources and target systems play a crucial role in isotope separation on line facilities, determining the main characteristics of the radioactive ion beams available for experiments. In the context of the selective production of exotic species (SPES) facility, a 40 MeV, 200 μA proton beam directly impinges a uranium carbide target, generating approximately 1013 fissions per second. The radioactive isotopes produced by the 238U fissions are delivered to the 1+ ion source by means of a tubular transfer line. Here they can be ionized and subsequently accelerated toward the experimental areas. In this work, the characterization of the surface ionization source currently adopted for the SPES facility is presented, taking as a reference ionization efficiency and transversal emittance measurements. The effects of long term operation at high temperature are also illustrated and discussed.
Thermodynamic responses of electronic systems
Authors: Franco-Pérez Marco , Ayers Paul W. , Gázquez José L. , Vela Alberto
Published: September 2017

We present how the framework of the temperature-dependent chemical reactivity theory can describe the panorama of different types of interactions between an electronic system and external reagents. The key reactivity indicators are responses of an appropriate state function (like the energy or grand potential) to the variables that determine the state of the system (like the number of electrons/chemical potential, external potential, and temperature). We also consider the response of the average electron density to appropriate perturbations. We present computable formulas for these reactivity indicators and discuss their chemical utility for describing electronic, electrostatic, and thermal changes associated with chemical processes.
Characterization of photo-multiplier tube as ex-vessel radiation detector in tokamak
Authors: Jo Jungmin , Cheon MunSeong , Kim Junghee , An YoungHwa , Park Seungil , Chung Kyoung-Jae , Hwang Y. S.
Published: September 2017

Feasibility of using conventional photo-multiplier tubes (PMTs) without a scintillator as an ex-vessel radiation detector in a tokamak environment is studied. Basic irradiation tests using standard gamma ray sources and a d-d neutron generator showed that the PMT is responding both to gamma photons and neutrons, possibly due to the direct generation of secondary electrons inside the PMT by the impingement of high energy photons. Because of the selective sensitivity of the PMT to hard x-ray and neutrons in ohmic and neutral beam injected plasmas, respectively, it is shown that the PMT with certain configuration can be utilized either to monitor the fluctuation in the fusion neutron generation rate or to study the behavior of runaway electrons in tokamaks.
Testing nonlocal models of electron thermal conduction for magnetic and inertial confinement fusion applications
Authors: Brodrick J. P. , Kingham R. J. , Marinak M. M. , Patel M. V. , Chankin A. V. , Omotani J. T. , Umansky M. V. , Del Sorbo D. , Dudson B. , Parker J. T. , Kerbel G. D. , Sherlock M. , Ridgers C. P.
Published: September 2017

Three models for nonlocal electron thermal transport are here compared against Vlasov-Fokker-Planck (VFP) codes to assess their accuracy in situations relevant to both inertial fusion hohlraums and tokamak scrape-off layers. The models tested are (i) a moment-based approach using an eigenvector integral closure (EIC) originally developed by Ji, Held, and Sovinec [Phys. Plasmas 16, 022312 (2009)]; (ii) the non-Fourier Landau-fluid (NFLF) model of Dimits, Joseph, and Umansky [Phys. Plasmas 21, 055907 (2014)]; and (iii) Schurtz, Nicolaï, and Busquet’s [Phys. Plasmas 7, 4238 (2000)] multigroup diffusion model (SNB). We find that while the EIC and NFLF models accurately predict the damping rate of a small-amplitude temperature perturbation (within 10% at moderate collisionalities), they overestimate the peak heat flow by as much as 35% and do not predict preheat in the more relevant case where there is a large temperature difference. The SNB model, however, agrees better with VFP results for the latter problem if care is taken with the definition of the mean free path. Additionally, we present for the first time a comparison of the SNB model against a VFP code for a hohlraum-relevant problem with inhomogeneous ionisation and show that the model overestimates the heat flow in the helium gas-fill by a factor of ∼2 despite predicting the peak heat flux to within 16%.
Decoupling recombination mechanisms and trap state localization in direct bandgap semiconductors using photoluminescence decay
Authors: Gerber M. W. , Kleiman R. N.
Published: September 2017

In this work, we show that extraction of the true bulk lifetime from the biexponential decay that follows from low initial carrier density photoluminescence decay experiments is not generally possible, and introduce new models to enable extraction of the bulk lifetime in the case where the initial carrier density exceeds the doping level. From measurements with high initial carrier density, we establish quasi-equilibrium between localized and free carrier states and accurately measure the bulk lifetime. Using our new models, we measure the time constants associated with localization processes as well as nonradiative and radiative bulk recombination in our GaAs double heterostructures grown with molecular beam epitaxy from experiments with varied excitation strength providing initial carrier densities that range from around 1014 to 1017 cm–3. We demonstrate that this approach can be applied to lightly doped (1016 cm–3) materials where the strongest excitation yields initial carrier densities that exceed the doping level. In our n-type sample, we report lifetime values of (22.7 ± 0.1) ns for bulk recombination, (73 ± 1) ns for trap-capture, (51 ± 2) ns for trap-emission, and (63 ± 2) ns for trap-decay, with a low-level injection effective radiative efficiency of (27.5 ± 0.7)%. In our p-type sample, we report lifetime values of (78.9 ± 0.3) ns for bulk recombination, (77.5 ± 0.7) ns for trap-capture, (530 ± 10) ns for trap-emission, and (177 ± 4) ns for trap-decay, with a low-level injection effective radiative efficiency of (47.0 ± 0.8)%. In comparison with the long and short lifetimes extracted from the biexponential decay with weak excitation, the mean bulk lifetime measured with strong excitation was (33 ± 2)% and (53 ± 1)% longer than the short lifetime, and (68 ± 4)% and (103 ± 3)% shorter than the long lifetime in our n-type and p-type samples, respectively. In our n-type sample, the extracted low-level injection nonradiative lifetime was (33 ± 1) ns, and it was observed to remain constant with the injection level. In our p-type sample, the high-level injection nonradiative lifetime was measured to be (30 ± 30)% larger than the low-level injection nonradiative lifetime of (140 ± 2) ns.
Abrupt climate changes during Termination III in Southern Europe
Authors: Pérez-Mejías Carlos , Moreno Ana , Sancho Carlos , Bartolomé Miguel , Stoll Heather , Cacho Isabel , Cheng Hai , Edwards R. Lawrence
Published: September 2017

Significance

We present an outstanding speleothem record that reconstructs the vegetation activity and hydrological availability during Termination III (T-III) in Southern Europe throughout δ
13
C, δ
18
O, and Mg/Ca variations. The results reveal for the North Atlantic region the sequence of abrupt stadial events during T-III, in close analogy to the Asian Monsoon changes reconstructed from Chinese speleothems. The two stadials identified in this record (S8.1 and S8.2) have similarities with Heinrich 1 and Heinrich 2 events in Termination I in terms of changes in the phasing of benthic δ
18
O, rise of semidesert pollen taxa, and ice-rafted debris release.
Efficient stimulus-secretion coupling at ribbon synapses requires RIM-binding protein tethering of L-type Ca
2+
channels
Authors: Luo Fujun , Liu Xinran , Südhof Thomas C. , Acuna Claudio
Published: September 2017

Significance

This paper investigates the organization of the active zone at ribbon synapses in the retina, using deletions of the active zone protein RIM-binding protein (RBP) as a tool. The results demonstrate that, at these synapses, which, different from other synapses, use presynaptic L-type calcium channels for triggering vesicle exocytosis, RBPs mediate the recruitment of L-type calcium channels adjacent to release sites, thereby allowing efficient stimulus-secretion coupling. Thus, this paper presents a demonstration of how calcium channels are organized at the presynaptic active zone of ribbon synapses.
Escherichia coliresponds to environmental changes using enolasic degradosomes and stabilized DicF sRNA to alter cellular morphology
Authors: Murashko Oleg N. , Lin-Chao Sue
Published: September 2017

Significance

The prevalent habitat ofEscherichia coliis the predominantly anaerobic environment of the gastrointestinal tract of humans and other warm-blooded organisms. We found that, under anaerobic conditions, the presence of enolase in the RNA degradation machinery regulates cell morphology and inducesE.colifilamentation by stabilizing a small RNA, DicF, that inhibits the cell division geneftsZ. Cell filamentation has previously been linked to bacterial pathogenesis. In contrast toE.colinonpathogenic strains, pathogenicE.colistrains possess multiple copies of sRNA DicF in their genomes. Our data provide a mechanism by which bacterial cells can adopt a filamentous form during infection under anaerobic conditions.
Subnational mobility and consumption-based environmental accounting of US corn in animal protein and ethanol supply chains
Authors: Smith Timothy M. , Goodkind Andrew L. , Kim Taegon , Pelton Rylie E. O. , Suh Kyo , Schmitt Jennifer
Published: September 2017

Significance

Companies and society alike are increasingly concerned with environmental impacts across complex supply chains. Suppliers engaged in upstream intermediate transactions commonly contribute over 75% of the carbon and water impacts of products ultimately consumed by users. These impacts pose risks to downstream customer-facing companies in the form of firm image, supply disruptions, and regulatory action. Policymakers and nonprofit advocacy organizations are increasingly looking to engage actors across supply chains to encourage conservation and environmental impact reduction. Unfortunately, traceability across complex, heterogeneous supply hinders these efforts. We provide a method for estimating mobility of corn from farms through feed and fuel supply chains, making it possible to characterize the variable environmental impacts of US corn inputs into animal protein and ethanol production.
Biodiversity promotes primary productivity and growing season lengthening at the landscape scale
Authors: Oehri Jacqueline , Schmid Bernhard , Schaepman-Strub Gabriela , Niklaus Pascal A.
Published: September 2017

Significance

Research of the past decades has shown that biodiversity promotes ecosystem functions including primary productivity. However, most studies focused on experimental communities at small spatial scales, and little is known about how these findings scale to nonexperimental, real-world ecosystems at large spatial scales, despite these systems providing essential ecosystem services to humans. Here, we show that primary productivity, its temporal stability, and the decadal trend of a prolonged growing season strongly increase with biodiversity across heterogeneous landscapes, which is consistent over vast environmental, climatic, and altitudinal gradients. Our findings thus underline the critical role biodiversity plays for ecosystem functioning and responses to environmental change in heterogeneous, real-world ecosystems at the landscape scale.
Smad7 enables STAT3 activation and promotes pluripotency independent of TGF-β signaling
Authors: Yu Yi , Gu Shuchen , Li Wenjian , Sun Chuang , Chen Fenfang , Xiao Mu , Wang Lei , Xu Dewei , Li Ye , Ding Chen , Xia Zongping , Li Yi , Ye Sheng , Xu Pinglong , Zhao Bin , Qin Jun , Chen Ye-Guang , Lin Xia , Feng Xin-Hua
Published: September 2017

Significance

TGF-β and related growth factors critically regulate cell potency and functions. Smad7 is induced by TGF-βs and inhibits the physiological functions of TGF-β signaling. This study describes an unexpected finding that Smad7 promotes self-renewal of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) in a manner independent of its inhibition on TGF-β signaling. Instead, Smad7 acts to induce activation of transcription factor signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 (STAT3) in ESCs. Smad7 activates STAT3 through its direct binding to the cytokine receptor upstream of STAT3 activation. In agreement with the role of STAT3 in maintaining ESC pluripotency, Smad7 promotes ESC self-renewal and induced pluripotent stem cell reprogramming. This finding illustrates a regulatory mechanism for Smad7 in maintaining pluripotency, and likely in cancer and inflammation.
Virulence protein VirD5 of
Agrobacterium tumefaciens
binds to kinetochores in host cells via an interaction with Spt4
Authors: Zhang Xiaorong , van Heusden G. Paul H. , Hooykaas Paul J. J.
Published: September 2017

Significance

The soil bacterium
Agrobacterium tumefaciens
transforms plant cells into tumor cells by transferring a segment of oncogenic DNA (T-DNA). During transformation a set of virulence proteins is translocated into the plant cells to promote transformation. We show here that one of these proteins, VirD5, has the capacity to interfere with the conserved process of mitosis. By binding to the conserved host protein Spt4, VirD5 accumulates in the nucleus at the centromeres/kinetochores. There it can cause chromosome missegregation generating aneuploid cells in both yeast and plant cells.
Epigenetic control via allosteric regulation of mammalian protein arginine methyltransferases
Authors: Jain Kanishk , Jin Cyrus Y. , Clarke Steven G.
Published: September 2017

Significance

There is increasing literature that links the overexpression of protein arginine methyltransferase (PRMT) 5 and PRMT7 to cancer metastasis and tumorigenesis and that suggests these enzymes may be good therapeutic targets. An important question remaining is how PRMT7 may control PRMT5 activity in mammalian cells. In this work, we demonstrate that PRMT7-dependent monomethylation at one site in histone H4 can activate another site for methylation by PRMT5. Such allosteric regulation has not been previously seen in this class of protein modification enzymes.
Loquacious-PD facilitates
Drosophila
Dicer-2 cleavage through interactions with the helicase domain and dsRNA
Authors: Trettin Kyle D. , Sinha Niladri K. , Eckert Debra M. , Apple Sarah E. , Bass Brenda L.
Published: September 2017

Significance

Drosophila melanogaster
use RNA interference to respond to a viral infection. Dicer-2 cleaves viral double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), producing siRNAs that silence viral gene expression. Dicer-2 recognizes the ends of dsRNA, and this property likely evolved to distinguish between viral and cellular dsRNA. Loquacious-PD (Loqs-PD), a dsRNA binding protein, is not required for Dicer-2’s antiviral activity. However, by allowing Dicer-2 to cleave in a termini-independent manner, Loqs-PD facilitates cleavage of endogenous substrates with more complex termini. Our studies are significant because they provide a mechanistic basis for how Loqs-PD modulates Dicer-2 activity. For example, they reveal a previously unrecognized protein–protein interaction interface on the helicase domain of Dicer-2.
Molecular mechanism of water reorientational slowing down in concentrated ionic solutions
Authors: Zhang Qiang , Wu TianMin , Chen Chen , Mukamel Shaul , Zhuang Wei
Published: September 2017

Significance

The dynamics of water molecules surrounding the hydrated ions affects many natural phenomena including protein processes and charge transfer in the aqueous rechargeable ion batteries. In the concentrated solutions, a long-standing puzzle is that all electrolytes retard water rotation regardless of whether they weaken or strengthen the water hydrogen-bonding network. We investigate this issue theoretically and find the deceleration to be largely due to the coupling of the slow, collective component of water rotation with the motion of sizable ion clusters in the concentrated solutions. This finding is at variance with the intuitive expectation that the deceleration is caused by the change in fast, single-molecular water hydrogen bond switching adjacent to the ions.
Increasing the breadth and potency of response to the seasonal influenza virus vaccine by immune complex immunization
Authors: Maamary Jad , Wang Taia T. , Tan Gene S. , Palese Peter , Ravetch Jeffrey V.
Published: September 2017

Significance

Influenza viruses remain a source of substantial morbidity and mortality worldwide. This is, in part, because current approaches to vaccination elicit strain-specific immune responses. Here, we report a method for targeting the Fc receptor, CD23, during vaccination with existing influenza vaccines (TIV) to increase the breadth and potency of the antibody response. Immunization with the TIV in complex with a monoclonal antibody that is broadly reactive against the hemagglutinin glycoprotein and engineered at the Fc domain to engage CD23 elicited antibodies that were 10-fold increased in potency and that protected against the potential pandemic influenza virus subtype H5N1 in vivo. This work demonstrates that broadly protective influenza immunity can be achieved using existing seasonal vaccines.
Endodermal germ-layer formation through active actin-driven migration triggered by N-cadherin
Authors: Giger Florence A. , David Nicolas B.
Published: September 2017

Significance

Construction of the adult body during development implies the separation of cells into tissues and organs. The first of these events occurs during gastrulation, when cells segregate in germ layers, setting the bases of the body plan. Despite its importance, the molecular and cellular basis of germ-layer formation has remained elusive. This work uses live imaging and functional approaches to reveal how the endodermal layer forms in zebrafish, leading to an original model of cell segregation by active migration away from neighboring cells, a process triggered by N-cadherin. We propose this may be a core conserved mechanism driving germ-layer formation and might be extended to other processes of cell segregation, highlighting gastrulation as a paradigm for tissue formation.
Direct dating of Neanderthal remains from the site of Vindija Cave and implications for the Middle to Upper Paleolithic transition
Authors: Devièse Thibaut , Karavanić Ivor , Comeskey Daniel , Kubiak Cara , Korlević Petra , Hajdinjak Mateja , Radović Siniša , Procopio Noemi , Buckley Michael , Pääbo Svante , Higham Tom
Published: September 2017

Significance

Radiocarbon dating of Neanderthal remains recovered from Vindija Cave (Croatia) initially revealed surprisingly recent results: 28,000–29,000 B.P. This implied the remains could represent a late-surviving, refugial Neanderthal population and suggested they could have been responsible for producing some of the early Upper Paleolithic artefacts more usually produced by anatomically modern humans. This article presents revised radiocarbon dates of the human bones from this site obtained using a more robust purification method targeting the amino acid hydroxyproline. The data show that all the Neanderthal remains are from a much earlier period (>40,000 cal B.P.). These revised dates change our interpretation of this important site and demonstrate that the Vindija Neanderthals probably did not overlap temporally with early modern humans.
Schwann cells use TAM receptor-mediated phagocytosis in addition to autophagy to clear myelin in a mouse model of nerve injury
Authors: Brosius Lutz Amanda , Chung Won-Suk , Sloan Steven A. , Carson Glenn A. , Zhou Lu , Lovelett Emilie , Posada Sean , Zuchero J. Bradley , Barres Ben A.
Published: September 2017

Significance

Myelin is a potent inhibitor of axon regeneration. In the central nervous system, failure to clear myelin debris after injury presents a major roadblock to recovery. In contrast, rapid myelin clearance in the peripheral nervous system (PNS) contributes to this system’s remarkable regenerative capacity, but the mechanisms involved have remained incompletely understood. In this work, we set out to identify novel mechanisms of PNS myelin clearance to generate new ideas about activating myelin clearance in the injured CNS. We provide evidence that Schwann cells, myelinating glia of the PNS, engulf myelin debris using two receptors, Axl and Mertk. We hypothesize that astrocytes have the potential to use this same mechanism to engulf myelin debris after CNS injury.
Localized CD47 blockade enhances immunotherapy for murine melanoma
Authors: Ingram Jessica R. , Blomberg Olga S. , Sockolosky Jonathan T. , Ali Lestat , Schmidt Florian I. , Pishesha Novalia , Espinosa Camilo , Dougan Stephanie K. , Garcia K. Christopher , Ploegh Hidde L. , Dougan Michael
Published: September 2017

Significance

CD47 is a broadly expressed membrane-associated innate immune regulator that acts as a ligand of signal regulatory protein alpha (SIRPα) on antigen-presenting cells to inhibit phagocytosis. In xenograft models, inhibitors of the CD47–SIRPα interaction selectively target tumor-expressed CD47 and improve antibody responses to tumors by enhancing antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis. In syngeneic settings, however, broad expression of CD47 on cells of the hematopoietic lineage creates a formidable antigen sink and increases toxicity. We find that optimal synergy between anti-CD47 antibodies and several immune therapies, including anti–CTLA-4, requires near-complete blockade of CD47 in the tumor microenvironment. Thus, novel strategies to deliver localized CD47 blockade to tumors may be particularly valuable for immune therapy.
Cellular responses to human cytomegalovirus infection: Induction of a mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition (MET) phenotype
Authors: Oberstein Adam , Shenk Thomas
Published: September 2017

Significance

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) causes birth defects and serious disease in immunocompromised patients. We do not fully understand the cellular processes that HCMV manipulates during infection. A holistic understanding of the cellular response to HCMV will help clarify mechanisms that underlie its replication and spread. This work uses systems virology to globally map the host response to HCMV infection. Our method identifies unappreciated pathways modulated by HCMV, including mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition (MET), an important developmental pathway involved in epithelial tissue formation, wound healing, and cancer metastasis. Our findings demonstrate that HCMV induces MET and raise the possibility that the transition influences not only viral pathogenesis but also the behavior of normal and diseased cells within an infected human host.
Redefining community based on place attachment in a connected world
Authors: Gurney Georgina G. , Blythe Jessica , Adams Helen , Adger W. Neil , Curnock Matthew , Faulkner Lucy , James Thomas , Marshall Nadine A.
Published: September 2017

Significance

Effective environmental policy requires public participation in management, typically achieved through engaging community defined by residential location or resource use. However, current social and environmental change, particularly increasing connectedness, demands new approaches to community. We draw on place attachment theory to redefine community in the context of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Using a large dataset on place attachment, our analysis of local, national, and international stakeholders identified four communities differing in their attachment to the reef and spanning location and use communities. Our results suggest that place attachment can bridge geographic and social boundaries, and communities of attachment could thus be leveraged to foster transnational stewardship, which is crucial to addressing modern sustainability challenges in our globalized world.
Molecular basis of mammalian transmissibility of avian H1N1 influenza viruses and their pandemic potential
Authors: Zanin Mark , Wong Sook-San , Barman Subrata , Kaewborisuth Challika , Vogel Peter , Rubrum Adam , Darnell Daniel , Marinova-Petkova Atanaska , Krauss Scott , Webby Richard J. , Webster Robert G.
Published: September 2017

Significance

Airborne transmission of influenza A viruses between mammals is not well understood. Our study of a group of similar subtype H1N1 avian influenza viruses (AIVs) isolated at Delaware Bay, USA, revealed genetic markers for airborne transmission in nonstructural genes. Viruses not containing all markers lacked airborne transmissibility in the ferret model. We revealed a role for Nonstructural Protein 1 (NS1) in facilitating airborne transmission that was associated with viral replication in the upper respiratory tract (URT). Non–airborne-transmissible NS1 mutants showed delayed viral maturation, resulting in limited tissue pathology and little virus at the mucosa. Overall, our study has revealed insights into viral replication in the URT associated with the airborne transmissibility of AIVs in mammals.
Workgroup interdependence and satisfaction from a developmental perspective: the moderating role of the group’s life cycle stage / Interdependencia y satisfacción en el grupo de trabajo desde la perspectiva del desarrollo: el rol moderador de la fase del ciclo de vida grupal
Authors: Alves Marta P. , Lourenço Paulo R. , Dimas Isabel
Published: September 2017

From a developmental perspective, workgroups adjust and modify the way they function over time. The present study aims to test, at the group level, the moderating role of the group’s life phase in the relationship between workgroup interdependence ties in terms of task, outcome and functions, assessed by social network density and group satisfaction. A sample of 84 teams from various companies participated in this research. The results showed that the group’s development phase determines the way that outcome interdependence density in teams is associated with satisfaction and reveal the existence of differences between the second and fourth development stages. Therefore, the group’s life cycle stage should be considered as a relevant variable in research and intervention with groups in the workplace.
European top management careers: a field-analytical approach
Authors: Bühlmann Felix , Davoine Eric , Ravasi Claudio
Published: September 2017

Research on European business elites has been dominated by a ‘national career model’ approach, arguing that each country has a specific top management career pattern. In recent years, this line of argument has been challenged due to the increasing international circulation of top managers. To examine the impact of internationalisation on career models, we will draw on a database of 916 top managers in Germany, Switzerland, France and Britain. Our field-analytical analysis reveals that the most important career distinction – between internal and external careers – is valid beyond national models. In addition, international managers do not constitute a separate homogenous group: in some countries, they imitate national career patterns; in others, they pursue complementary strategies.
Stabilization of dynamic microtubules by mDia1 drives Tau-dependent Aβ1–42 synaptotoxicity
Authors: Qu Xiaoyi , Yuan Feng Ning , Corona Carlo , Pasini Silvia , Pero Maria Elena , Gundersen Gregg G. , Shelanski Michael L. , Bartolini Francesca
Published: September 2017

Oligomeric Amyloid β1–42 (Aβ) plays a crucial synaptotoxic role in Alzheimer’s disease, and hyperphosphorylated tau facilitates Aβ toxicity. The link between Aβ and tau, however, remains controversial. In this study, we find that in hippocampal neurons, Aβ acutely induces tubulin posttranslational modifications (PTMs) and stabilizes dynamic microtubules (MTs) by reducing their catastrophe frequency. Silencing or acute inhibition of the formin mDia1 suppresses these activities and corrects the synaptotoxicity and deficits of axonal transport induced by Aβ. We explored the mechanism of rescue and found that stabilization of dynamic MTs promotes tau-dependent loss of dendritic spines and tau hyperphosphorylation. Collectively, these results uncover a novel role for mDia1 in Aβ-mediated synaptotoxicity and demonstrate that inhibition of MT dynamics and accumulation of PTMs are driving factors for the induction of tau-mediated neuronal damage.
NLR Nod1 signaling promotes survival of BCR-engaged mature B cells through up-regulated Nod1 as a positive outcome
Authors: Hayakawa Kyoko , Formica Anthony M. , Zhou Yan , Ichikawa Daiju , Asano Masanao , Li Yue-Sheng , Shinton Susan A. , Brill-Dashoff Joni , Núñez Gabriel , Hardy Richard R.
Published: September 2017

Although B cell development requires expression of the B cell antigen receptor (BCR), it remains unclear whether engagement of self-antigen provides a positive impact for most B cells. Here, we show that BCR engagement by self-ligand during development in vivo results in up-regulation of the Nod-like receptor member Nod1, which recognizes the products of intestinal commensal bacteria. In anti-thymocyte/Thy-1 autoreactive BCR knock-in mice lacking self–Thy-1 ligand, immunoglobulin light chain editing occurred, generating B cells with up-regulated Nod1, including follicular and marginal zone B cells with natural autoreactivity. This BCR editing with increased Nod1 resulted in preferential survival. In normal adult mice, most mature B cells are enriched for Nod1 up-regulated cells, and signaling through Nod1 promotes competitive survival of mature B cells. These findings demonstrate a role for microbial products in promoting survival of mature B cells through up-regulated Nod1, providing a positive effect of BCR engagement on development of most B cells.
Zika virus has oncolytic activity against glioblastoma stem cells
Authors: Zhu Zhe , Gorman Matthew J. , McKenzie Lisa D. , Chai Jiani N. , Hubert Christopher G. , Prager Briana C. , Fernandez Estefania , Richner Justin M. , Zhang Rong , Shan Chao , Tycksen Eric , Wang Xiuxing , Shi Pei-Yong , Diamond Michael S. , Rich Jeremy N. , Chheda Milan G.
Published: September 2017

Glioblastoma is a highly lethal brain cancer that frequently recurs in proximity to the original resection cavity. We explored the use of oncolytic virus therapy against glioblastoma with Zika virus (ZIKV), a flavivirus that induces cell death and differentiation of neural precursor cells in the developing fetus. ZIKV preferentially infected and killed glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs) relative to differentiated tumor progeny or normal neuronal cells. The effects against GSCs were not a general property of neurotropic flaviviruses, as West Nile virus indiscriminately killed both tumor and normal neural cells. ZIKV potently depleted patient-derived GSCs grown in culture and in organoids. Moreover, mice with glioblastoma survived substantially longer and at greater rates when the tumor was inoculated with a mouse-adapted strain of ZIKV. Our results suggest that ZIKV is an oncolytic virus that can preferentially target GSCs; thus, genetically modified strains that further optimize safety could have therapeutic efficacy for adult glioblastoma patients.
Electoral System Effects on Party Systems
Authors: Shugart Matthew S. , Taagepera Rein
Published: September 2017

The question of how electoral institutions affect party systems has been central to the literature on elections. For a given electoral system configuration, how many parties earn votes and win seats? How large is the largest party’s share of all votes and seats? This varies from country to country, from election to election, and, inside the country, from district to district. Yet two institutional inputs—district magnitude and assembly size—determine the worldwide averages surprisingly well, and they do so for well-defined logical reasons. These worldwide averages supply benchmarks against which to compare individual countries, elections, and districts: given their two basic institutional inputs, do they have rather many or few parties, and by how much are they off, compared to logical average expectations? History, culture, and current politics account of course for which parties form and which of them is the largest, but institutions shape their number and sizes.
Presidential and Legislative Elections
Authors: Jones Mark P.
Published: September 2017

Over a hundred countries have popularly elected presidents. Within a democratic context, presidential and legislative elections have a profound impact on politics and government in a country. Systems of government with democratically elected presidents fall into two broad regime-type categories: pure presidential and semipresidential. Presidential systems vary in terms of the length of the president’s term, the rules determining how the winner of the presidential contest is determined, and the ability of a president to seek re-election. Legislatures in presidential and semipresidential systems are elected using an electoral system from one of four broad families, with proportional representation being the most common. In pure presidential democracies, the presidential elections exercise a significant direct and indirect impact on the pattern of competition in the legislative elections, with both elections combining to influence the nature of democratic governance in a country.
Electoral Systems and Ethnic Minority Representation
Authors: Lublin David , Bowler Shaun
Published: September 2017

Every democratic process short of unanimity produces opinion minorities. Political divisions along anchored demographic characteristics like language, religion, race, or ethnicity challenge pluralist models of governance by threatening to entrench the exclusion of minority groups from political power. Especially when attuned to ethnic geography, electoral engineering through manipulation of the electoral system and other rules governing the electoral process, such as boundary delimitation, reserved seats, ballot-access requirements, and ethnic party bans, can help promote either inclusion or exclusion of minorities. Ensuring long-term interethnic peace has proved more difficult. Scholars continue to grapple with how to ensure minority inclusion without freezing existing divisions.
Electoral Systems in Context
Authors: Taylor Steven L.
Published: September 2017

The United States of America has one of the longest, continually functional electoral systems in the world. On one level, the system is seemingly simple, as it is based predominantly on plurality winners in the context of single-seat districts. However, its extensive usage of primary elections adds a nearly unique element to the process of filling elected office. This mechanism is used more extensively in the United States than in any other case. Additionally, the United States has a complex, and unique, system for electing its national executive. All of these factors help create and reinforce one of the most rigid two-party systems in the world.
Identity and Speech in Sports in the Social Media Era
Authors: Sanderson Jimmy
Published: September 2017

Social media has ushered in seismic shifts to communication structures in society and these effects extend to the world of sport, where athletes and sports figures routinely divulge content on social media platforms. This chapter discusses athletes’ and other sports figures’ social media use to express their identity, which includes showcasing more of their personality, expressing dissent, and providing commentary on political and social issues. The chapter discusses legal implications for sport organization administrators as they seek to balance organizational reputation with First Amendment rights. The chapter also addresses related issues that can manifest in the online sphere, such as private commentary becoming public, threats made to athletes, and social media use by organization employees that can negatively impact athletes and harm the organization.
Leagues and Owners
Authors: McCann Michael A.
Published: September 2017

This chapter explores the legal authority of professional sports league commissioners to govern owners of teams. Commissioners and owners are motivated by often complementary, but occasionally disparate, sets of incentives. When friction between a commissioner and owner surfaces, key contractual covenants establish the relevant duties and responsibilities for dispute resolution. Whether, and to what degree, a commissioner and owner invoke those covenants is not always predictable or seemingly logical. To illustrate, this chapter details the turbulent yet lengthy tenure of Donald Sterling as owner of the Los Angeles Clippers. By analyzing the Donald Sterling saga, this chapter reveals the legal boundaries and contextual dimensions of commissioner authority over team owners.
Recreational Sports Law
Authors: Baker Thomas A.
Published: September 2017

This chapter discusses application of legal doctrines and defenses within recreational sport settings. Many of the concepts discussed here are very general in that they apply to an array of recreational sport settings. Some are more specific to particular recreational situations. The general concepts are introduced so that the reader appreciates the way courts apply the law across various types of recreational sports cases. The more specific concepts involve problems that are relevant, timely, and somewhat unique to particular recreational sports. Ultimately, recreational sports law is not a field of law with its own distinct legal norms. Instead, “recreational sports law” encapsulates legal applications that are more common to recreational sport cases than to others. Exposure to the contents of this chapter will provide the reader with a more nuanced understanding of those legal applications of which recreational sport providers and participants need to be the most concerned.
The Commissioner’s Power to Discipline Players for On- and Off-Field Misconduct
Authors: Karcher Richard T.
Published: September 2017

This article examines the power of professional sports league commissioners to discipline and suspend players for misconduct both on and off the field. It first provides a historical background on disciplinary measures for players in different professional sports leagues, including the National Football League, over the past century. It then considers the source of the commissioner’s power and authority to discipline professional athletes for misconduct as well as the rationale behind it, focusing on the adoption of personal conduct policies at the league level. It also discusses the commissioner’s authority and power to act in the “best interests” of the sport. Finally, it analyzes the limitations on the commissioner’s power and authority, including the collective bargaining agreements and some arbitration and court rulings that involved suspensions of players by league commissioners.
The Role of Bioethics in Sports Law
Authors: Milstein Alan
Published: September 2017

Bioethics is the application of ethical principles to life’s biological choices. It has played a meaningful role in the intersection of sports and the law. As technology and science advance, bioethics is poised to even more dramatically influence how the various participants in the world of sports interact with the boundaries of law. To that end, this chapter explores the most critical bioethical issues in sports today. Those issues include the role of the team physician; the use of performance-enhancing pharmaceuticals, surgical techniques, and gene modification; and new advances in performance-tracking technologies. Finally, the chapter explores the ethics of watching violent contact sports knowing that participants may face a life after competition in a debilitating condition.
Public Development for Professional Sports Stadiums
Authors: Raij Irwin P. , Chester Alexander
Published: September 2017

This chapter discusses the development and financing for stadiums by the teams in the largest American professional sports leagues, including MLB, the NFL, the NBA, the NHL, and MLS, and the role of government in that process. With the exception of antitrust issues, there may be no aspect of American sports in which the government is as involved as the construction and financing of the stadiums in which the games are played. Stadium development, initially a private matter, entered the public interest because of the dramatic growth in construction costs coupled with the appearance of economic and societal benefits to a region that hosts a major league team. It will come as no surprise that venue projects are challenging and often controversial. This chapter analyzes how teams, leagues, and government entities negotiate for venue development projects, touching on the legal, practical, and political challenges that have emerged over the years.
Blood Sports in an Age of Liability
Authors: Standen Jeffrey
Published: September 2017

This chapter examines how civil liability assessments and criminal convictions have affected the legality of blood sports. Blood sports can be divided into three categories: human versus human contests, human versus animal sports, and animal versus animal fighting. For over a century, blood sports have been under both social and legal attack, resulting in significant changes in most of the historic forms of combat worldwide. The chapter begins with an overview of the most popular violent sports today, including contact sports such as American football and ice hockey. It then considers criminal prosecutions and civil lawsuits that arise from contact sports, including the “concussion suits” filed on behalf of athletes who suffered head injuries. It also discusses the doctrine of assumption of risk in sports and concludes with an analysis of how legislative intervention can obviate private tort liability for latent, chronic injuries to the brain of players.
The Increasing Role of Disability Issues in U.S. Sports Law
Authors: Koller Dionne
Published: September 2017

This chapter discusses the leading issues involving individuals with disabilities who participate, or seek to participate, in U.S. sports. This analysis highlights the most important issues in the interscholastic, intercollegiate, professional, and Olympic sports contexts. This chapter asserts that while current legal doctrine focuses on prohibiting discrimination and accommodating “qualified” persons with disabilities within existing sports programs, more should be done to expand adaptive sports programming. In this way, law can be used to help expand our current understandings of who is an “athlete” and what is a “sport,” so that in the future, more individuals with disabilities can enjoy the benefits of athletic competition.
Rock Art in Central and South America
Authors: Troncoso Andrés , Armstrong Felipe , Basile Mara
Published: September 2017

Central and South America is a vast region, where a wide range of different societies established, transformed, disappeared, and endured. This kaleidoscope of peoples offers a particularly rich and diverse body of rock art in terms of its historical, technical, visual, and spatial features. The first sections of this chapter briefly introduces the reader to this diversity, as well as to the history of rock art research, presenting and discussing the different theoretical and methodological frameworks used. The authors discuss the role that rock art played—and still plays—for different groups, which they have grouped in terms of their common socioeconomic strategies. The authors argue that rock art research from this region can contribute to the wider understanding of rock art in the world, offering its materialistic and archaeological approaches ranging from the study of social complexity, the domestication of animals, mobility, and memory.
Psychological Assessment of the Eating Disorders
Authors: Anderson Drew A. , Donahue Joseph , Ehrlich Lauren E. , Gorrell Sasha
Published: September 2017

Clinicians and researchers have several approaches with which to assess eating disorder and related symptomatology, including interviews, self-report instruments, and behavioral measures. The purpose of this chapter is to describe a process, based on a functional approach, that will help assessors to develop assessments and choose instruments for eating disorders and eating-related problems. This approach takes into account both theoretical and practical concerns and allows assessors to individualize their assessments depending on their particular needs. This process starts with broad considerations about the context in which the assessment is to be given and ends with the choice of specific instruments to be used.