bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
On the Contribution of Curl‐Free Current Patterns to the Ultimate Intrinsic Signal‐to‐Noise Ratio at Ultra‐High Field Strength
Authors: Pfrommer Andreas , Henning Anke
Published: February 2017

The ultimate intrinsic signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) is a coil independent performance measure to compare different receive coil designs. To evaluate this benchmark in a sample, a complete electromagnetic basis set is required. The basis set can be obtained by curl‐free and divergence‐free surface current distributions, which excite linearly independent solutions to Maxwell's equations. In this work, we quantitatively investigate the contribution of curl‐free current patterns to the ultimate intrinsic SNR in a spherical head‐sized model at 9.4 T. Therefore, we compare the ultimate intrinsic SNR obtained with having only curl‐free or divergence‐free current patterns, with the ultimate intrinsic SNR obtained from a combination of curl‐free and divergence‐free current patterns. The influence of parallel imaging is studied for various acceleration factors. Moreover results for different field strengths (1.5 T up to 11.7 T) are presented at specific voxel positions and acceleration factors. The full‐wave electromagnetic problem is analytically solved using dyadic Green's functions. We show, that at ultra‐high field strength (B0⩾7T) a combination of curl‐free and divergence‐free current patterns is required to achieve the best possible SNR at any position in a spherical head‐sized model. On 1.5‐ and 3T platforms, divergence‐free current patterns are sufficient to cover more than 90% of the ultimate intrinsic SNR.
Brain neurochemical and hemodynamic findings in the NY1DD mouse model of mild sickle cell disease
Authors: Cui Min‐Hui , Suzuka Sandra M. , Branch Nicholas A. , Ambadipudi Kamalakar , Thangaswamy Sangeetha , Acharya Seetharama A. , Billett Henny H. , Branch Craig A.
Published: February 2017

To characterize the cerebral profile associated with sickle cell disease (SCD), we used in vivo proton MRI and MRS to quantify hemodynamics and neurochemicals in the thalamus of NY1DD mice, a mild model of SCD, and compared them with wild‐type (WT) control mice. Compared with WT mice, NY1DD mice at steady state had elevated cerebral blood flow (CBF) and concentrations of N‐acetylaspartate (NAA), glutamate (Glu), alanine, total creatine and N‐acetylaspartylglutamate. Concentrations of glutathione (GSH) at steady state showed a negative correlation with BOLD signal change in response to 100% oxygen, a marker for oxidative stress, and mean diffusivity assessed using diffusion‐tensor imaging, a marker for edematous inflammation. In NY1DD mice, elevated basal CBF was correlated negatively with [NAA], but positively with concentration of glutamine ([Gln]). Immediately after experimental hypoxia (at reoxygenation after 18 hours of 8% O2), concentrations of NAA, Glu, GSH, Gln and taurine (Tau) increased only in NY1DD mice. [NAA], [Glu], [GSH] and [Tau] all returned to baseline levels two weeks after the hypoxic episode. The altered neurochemical profile in the NY1DD mouse model of SCD at steady state and following experimental hypoxia/reoxygenation suggests a state of chronic oxidative stress leading to compensatory cerebral metabolic adjustments.
Phase imaging with multiple phase‐cycled balanced steady‐state free precession at 9.4 T
Authors: Kim Jae‐Woong , Kim Seong‐Gi , Park Sung‐Hong
Published: February 2017

While phase imaging with a gradient echo (GRE) sequence is popular, phase imaging with balanced steady‐state free precession (bSSFP) has been underexplored. The purpose of this study was to investigate anatomical and functional phase imaging with multiple phase‐cycled bSSFP, in expectation of increasing spatial coverage of steep phase‐change regions of bSSFP. Eight different dynamic 2D pass‐band bSSFP studies at four phase‐cycling (PC) angles and two TE/TR values were performed on rat brains at 9.4 T with electrical forepaw stimulation, in comparison with dynamic 2D GRE. Anatomical and functional phase images were obtained by averaging the dynamic phase images and mapping correlation between the dynamic images and the stimulation paradigm, and were compared with their corresponding magnitude images. Phase imaging with 3D pass‐band and 3D transition‐band bSSFP was also performed for comparison with 3D GRE phase imaging. Two strategies of combining the multiple phase‐cycled bSSFP phase images were also proposed. Contrast between white matter and gray matter in bSSFP phase images significantly varied with PC angle and became twice as high as that of GRE phase images at a specific PC angle. With the same total scan time, the combined bSSFP phase images provided stronger phase contrast and visualized neuronal fiber‐like structures more clearly than the GRE phase images. The combined phase images of both 3D pass‐band and 3D transition‐band bSSFP showed phase contrasts stronger than those of the GRE phase images in overall brain regions, even at a longer TE of 20 ms. In contrast, phase functional MRI (fMRI) signals were weak overall and mostly located in draining veins for both bSSFP and GRE. Multiple phase‐cycled bSSFP phase imaging is a promising anatomical imaging technique, while its usage as fMRI does not seem desirable with the current approach.
Two extended formulations for cardinality maximum flow network interdiction problem
Authors: Afshari Rad Maria , Kakhki Hossein Taghizadeh
Published: February 2017

We consider the maximum flow network interdiction problem in its cardinality case. There is an integer programming model for this problem by Wood (Math Comput Model 17 (1993), 1–18). Two types of valid inequalities have also been proposed (Altner et al., Oper Res Lett 38 (2010), 33–38 and Wood, Math Comput Model 17 (1993), 1–18) to strengthen the LP relaxation of the integer model. However, due to their combinatorial nature, the number of these inequalities are exponential. Here, we present an equivalent reformulation (extended formulation) for this problem which has a polynomial number of constraints. We also introduce new valid inequalities, and show that the corresponding reformulation of the LP relaxation of the integer model augmented with these inequalities, significantly decreases the integrality gap for a class of network interdiction problems with proven large integrality gaps. Numerical results for some benchmark as well as randomly generated instances are also reported. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. NETWORKS, Vol. 69(4), 367–377 2017
The development of mentoring‐relationship quality, future‐planning style, and career goal setting among adolescents from a disadvantaged background
Authors: Lau Wendy S. Y. , Zhou Xiao‐chun , Lai Simon M. K.
Published: February 2017

Our behaviors are regulated by our perception of the future based on past experiences and knowledge. Children from a disadvantaged background might encounter obstacles more frequently when they plan their future. It is possible that a good relationship with an adult volunteer who provides assistance and guidance in the disadvantaged youth's development may facilitate their future‐planning style and career goal setting. The present study investigated the role of a good mentoring relationship in promoting a disadvantaged youth's future‐planning style and goal‐setting ability. It focused on children from a disadvantaged background who participated in theChildDevelopmentFund (CDF) inHongKong. In the study, 187CDFparticipants (93 with high mentoring‐relationship quality [MRQ] and 94 with lowMRQ) and 208 comparison group participants were able to complete all four times of the survey. Repeated‐measures analyses of covariance showed thatGroup main effects were observed for both future‐planning style,F(2, 374) = 5.92,p < .01, and career goal‐setting self‐efficacy,F(2, 376) = 6.07,p < .01. Main Time effect was also found for the latter,F(3, 1128) = 7.99,p < .01. A significantGroup × Time interaction effect was observed for future‐planning style only,F(5.78, 1081.21) = 2.17,p < .05. Our results suggest that participants with highMRQoutperformed the comparison group in both future‐planning style and career goal‐setting self‐efficacy. Multiple regression analyses revealed that meanMRQscore accounted for 3.9% (p < .01) of the variance in future‐planning style and 4.1% (p < .01) of the variance in career goal‐setting self‐efficacy, supporting the role of a good mentoring relationship. Mentors have introduced new resources to the disadvantaged youths with highMRQand have promoted the development of various skills through modeling.
Engineering sortase A by screening a second‐generation library using phage display
Authors: Schmohl Lena , Bierlmeier Jan , Gerth Fabian , Freund Christian , Schwarzer Dirk
Published: February 2017

Sortase‐mediated ligation is one of the most commonly used chemo‐enzymatic techniques for the site‐specific modification of proteins. We have established a new library of sortase mutants for directed evolution of sortase substrate selectivity. Phage display screens of this second‐generation library yielded sortase mutants that ligate substrate proteins containing an APxTG or FPxTG recognition sequence instead of the canonical LPxTG sorting motif. These findings indicate that the second‐generation sortase library is well suited for sortase engineering in order to increase the versatility of sortase‐mediated ligation. Copyright © 2017 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effects of arginine and leucine substitutions on anti‐endotoxic activities and mechanisms of action of cationic and amphipathic antimicrobial octadecapeptide from rice α‐amylase
Authors: Taniguchi Masayuki , Ochiai Akihito , Toyoda Ryu , Sato Teppei , Saitoh Eiichi , Kato Tetsuo , Tanaka Takaaki
Published: February 2017

Previously, we showed that the antimicrobial cationic and amphipathic octadecapeptide AmyI‐1‐18 from rice α‐amylase (AmyI‐1) inhibited the endotoxic activity of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from Escherichia coli. In addition, we demonstrated that several AmyI‐1‐18 analogs containing arginine or leucine substitutions, which were designed on the basis of the helical wheel projection of AmyI‐1‐18, exhibited higher antimicrobial activity against human pathogenic microorganisms than AmyI‐1‐18. In the present study, anti‐inflammatory (anti‐endotoxic) activities of five AmyI‐1‐18 analogs containing arginine or leucine substitutions were investigated. Two single arginine‐substituted and two single leucine‐substituted AmyI‐1‐18 analogs inhibited the production of LPS‐induced nitric oxide in mouse macrophages (RAW264) more effectively than AmyI‐1‐18. These data indicate that enhanced cationic and hydrophobic properties of AmyI‐1‐18 are associated with improved anti‐endotoxic activity. In subsequent chromogenic Limulus amebocyte lysate assays, 50% inhibitory concentrations (IC50) of the three AmyI‐1‐18 analogs (G12R, D15R, and E9L) were 0.11–0.13 μm, indicating higher anti‐endotoxic activity than that of AmyI‐1‐18 (IC50, 0.22 μm), and specific LPS binding activity. In agreement, surface plasmon resonance analyses confirmed direct LPS binding of three AmyI‐1‐18 analogs. In addition, AmyI‐1‐18 analogs exhibited little or no cytotoxic activity against RAW264 cells, indicating that enhancements of anti‐inflammatory and LPS‐neutralizing activities following replacement of arginine or leucine did not result in significant increases in cytotoxicity. This study shows that the arginine‐substituted and leucine‐substituted AmyI‐1‐18 analogs with improved anti‐endotoxic and antimicrobial activities have clinical potential as dual‐function host defense agents. Copyright © 2017 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Heterochiral Jun and Fos bZIP peptides form a coiled‐coil heterodimer that is competent for DNA binding
Authors: Kamada Rui , Nakagawa Natsumi , Oyama Taiji , Sakaguchi Kazuyasu
Published: February 2017

Coiled coils, consisting of at least two α‐helices, have important roles in the regulation of transcription, cell differentiation, and cell growth. Peptides composed of d‐amino acids (d‐peptides) have received great attention for their potential in biomedical applications, because they give large diversity for the design of peptidyl drug and are more resistant to proteolytic digestion than l‐peptides. However, the interactions between l‐peptides/l‐protein and d‐peptides in the formation of complex are poorly understood. In this study, stereoisomer‐specific peptides were constructed corresponding to regions of the basic‐leucine‐zipper domains of Jun and Fos proteins. basic‐leucine‐zipper domains consist of an N‐terminal basic domain, which is responsible for DNA binding, and a C‐terminal domain that enables homodimerization or heterodimerization via formation of a coiled‐coil. By combining peptides with different stereochemistries, the d‐l heterochiral Jun‐Fos heterodimer formation induced DNA binding by the basic domains of Jun‐Fos. Our study provides new insight into the interaction between l‐peptide and d‐peptide enantiomers for developing d‐peptide materials and drugs. Copyright © 2017 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Formation, dissociation, and diffusion of various hydrogen dimers in silicon
Authors: Voronkov Vladimir V. , Falster Robert
Published: February 2017

Available data on hydrogen in silicon samples quenched from a high T and in those exposed to a plasma at low T are analyzed and the existence of three different forms of diatomic hydrogen is concluded. One of them, H2A (a dimer of a moderate diffusivity) was fully characterized by the temperature dependence of its dissociation rate constant and its equilibrium constant and diffusivity. The two other forms, H2B (of a high diffusivity) and H2C (of a low diffusivity) are partially characterized. As a practical application of the properties of the dimers deduced here, the hydrogen content in solar cells was estimated from data on the permanent deactivation of boron–oxygen centers that degrade solar cell efficiency.
Applying agile methods to aircraft embedded software: an experimental analysis
Authors: Mirachi Samoel , da Costa Guerra Valdir , da Cunha Adilson Marques , Dias Luiz Alberto Vieira , Villani Emilia
Published: February 2017

This paper discusses the applicability of agile methods to aircraft embedded software development. It presents the main results of an experiment that combines agile practices from Scrum with model‐based development and distributed development. The experiment consists of the development of an aircraft cockpit display system divided in five distributed teams. Three features are analysed and quantified, using the output artefacts of each team: the artefacts' quality, the adherence to agile methods, and the adherence to standard DO‐178C. The main conclusion of the experiment is that there is a high correlation between the adherence to agile methods and the artefacts' quality, motivating the use of agile methods in aircraft industry. Also, the experiment evinced that agile methods does not specifically address the integration of distributed teams and the hardware/software integration. This lacuna affects the artefacts' quality. The results of the experiment emphasize the importance of concentrating future work in the proposal of specific agile practices for these activities. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Oxidative stress as a damage mechanism in porcine cumulus‐oocyte complexes exposed to malathion during in vitro maturation
Authors: Flores Diana , Souza Verónica , Betancourt Miguel , Teteltitla Mario , González‐Márquez Humberto , Casas Eduardo , Bonilla Edmundo , Ramírez‐Noguera Patricia , Gutiérrez‐Ruíz María Concepción , Ducolomb Yvonne
Published: February 2017

Malathion is one of the most commonly used insecticides. Recent findings have demonstrated that it induces oxidative stress in somatic cells, but there are not enough studies that have demonstrated this effect in germ cells. Malathion impairs porcine oocyte viability and maturation, but studies have not shown how oxidative stress damages maturation and which biochemical mechanisms are affected in this process in cumulus‐oocyte complexes (COCs). The aims of the present study were to determine the amount of oxidative stress produced by malathion in porcine COCs matured in vitro, to define how biochemical mechanisms affect this process, and determine whether trolox can attenuate oxidative damage. Sublethal concentrations 0, 750, and 1000 µM were used to evaluate antioxidant enzyme expressions, reactive oxygen species (ROS production), protein oxidation, and lipid peroxidation, among other oxidation products. COCs viability and oocyte maturation decreased in a concentration‐dependent manner. Malathion increased Cu, Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD1), glutathione‐S‐transferase (GST), and glucose 6 phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) protein level and decreased glutathione peroxidase (GSH‐Px) and catalase (CAT) protein level. Species reactives of oxygen (ROS), protein oxidation and Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) levels increased in COCs exposed to the insecticide, but when COCs were pre‐treated with the trolox (50 µM) 30 min before and during malathion exposure, these parameters decreased down to control levels. This study showed that malathion has a detrimental effect on COCs during in vitro maturation, inducing oxidative stress, while trolox attenuated malathion toxicity by decreasing oxidative damage.
Theoretical modeling of surface and tip‐enhanced Raman spectroscopies
Authors: Hu Wei , Duan Sai , Luo Yi
Published: February 2017

Raman spectroscopy is a powerful technique in molecular science because of the ability of providing vibrational ‘finger‐print’. The developments of the surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) and tip‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS) have significantly improved the detection sensitivity and efficiency. However, they also introduce complications for the spectral assignments, for which advanced theoretical modeling has played an important role. Here we summarize some of our recent progresses for SERS and TERS, which generally combine both solid‐state physics and quantum chemistry methods with two different schemes, namely the cluster model and the periodic boundary condition (PBC) model. In the cluster model, direct Raman spectra calculations are performed for the cluster taken from the accurate PBC structure. For PBC model, we have developed a quasi‐analytical approach that enables us to calculate the Raman spectra of entire system. Under the TERS condition, the non‐uniformity of plasmonic field in real space can drastically alter the interaction between the molecule and the light. By taking into account the local distributions of the plasmonic field, a new interaction Hamiltonian is constructed and applied to model the super‐high‐resolution Raman images of a single molecule. It shows that the resonant Raman images reflect the transition density between ground and excited states, which are generally vibrational insensitive. The nonresonant Raman images, on the other hand, allow to visualize the atomic movement of individual vibrational modes in real space. The inclusion of non‐uniformity of plasmonic field provides ample opportunities to discover new physics and new applications in the future. WIREs Comput Mol Sci 2017, 7:e1293. doi: 10.1002/wcms.1293

This article is categorized under:

Structure and Mechanism > Molecular Structures

Structure and Mechanism > Computational Materials Science

Theoretical and Physical Chemistry > Spectroscopy
Cover Image, Volume 7, Issue 2
Authors: Yuan Shuguang , Chan H.C. Stephen , Hu Zhenquan
Published: February 2017

The cover image, by Shuguang Yuan et al., is based on the Software Focus Using PyMOL as a platform for computational drug design, DOI: 10.1002/wcms.1298.

image
Survey on time series motif discovery
Authors: Torkamani Sahar , Lohweg Volker
Published: February 2017

Last decades witness a huge growth in medical applications, genetic analysis, and in performance of manufacturing technologies and automatised production systems. A challenging task is to identify and diagnose the behavior of such systems, which aim to produce a product with desired quality. In order to control the state of the systems, various information is gathered from different types of sensors (optical, acoustic, chemical, electric, and thermal). Time series data are a set of real‐valued variables obtained chronologically. Data mining and machine learning help derive meaningful knowledge from time series. Such tasks include clustering, classification, anomaly detection and motif discovery. Motif discovery attempts to find meaningful, new, and unknown knowledge from data. Detection of motifs in a time series is beneficial for, e.g., discovery of rules or specific events in a signal. Motifs provide useful information for the user in order to model or analyze the data. Motif discovery is applied to various areas as telecommunication, medicine, web, motion‐capture, and sensor networks. This contribution provides a review of the existing publications in time series motif discovery along with advantages and disadvantages of existing approaches. Moreover, the research issues and missing points in this field are highlighted. The main objective of this focus article is to serve as a glossary for researchers in this field. WIREs Data Mining Knowl Discov 2017, 7:e1199. doi: 10.1002/widm.1199

This article is categorized under:

Algorithmic Development > Spatial and Temporal Data Mining

Fundamental Concepts of Data and Knowledge > Motivation and Emergence of Data Mining

Technologies > Computational Intelligence

Technologies > Machine Learning
Two New Compounds in the Group of Zinc Phenoxides and Zinc Phenylamides
Authors: Dannenberg Felix , Thiele Günther , Dehnen Stefanie , Mehring Michael
Published: February 2017

The synthesis and characterization of ethyl{2‐[(phenylamino)methyl]phenoxy}zinc (1) and ethyl{2‐[(propan‐2‐ylideneamino)methyl]phenylamido}zinc (2) are reported. The phenoxide 1 was prepared starting from 2‐(phenylaminomethyl)phenol and diethylzinc and the phenylamide 2 was obtained from 2,2‐dimethyl‐1,2,3,4‐tetrahydroquinazoline and diethylzinc. The compounds were characterized by NMR spectroscopy (1H, 13C{1H}), IR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, TGA measurements, and X‐ray structure analysis. In the solid state both compounds form dimers where (1)2·4thf shows a planar Zn2O2 and (2)2 a planar Zn2N2 unit. Noteworthy, the aminal ring of 2,2‐dimethyl‐1,2,3,4‐tetrahydroquinazoline was opened by its reaction with diethylzinc to give an ylidene moiety at the benzylic nitrogen atom.
The Influence of Peritectic Reaction/Transformation on Crack Susceptibility in the Continuous Casting of Steels
Authors: Saleem Saud , Vynnycky Michael , Fredriksson Hasse
Published: February 2017

The work presented here examines the surface cracks that can form during the continuous casting of near peritectic steels due to the volume changes during the peritectic reaction/transformation. The investigated samples were collected during plant trials from two different steel grades. The role and mode of the peritectic reaction/transformation are found to depend on the composition of the alloy, resulting in different types of surface cracks. The effect of the local variation in the cooling rate on the formation of the different types of cracks present in each steel grade, which can be due, for example, to the formation of oscillation marks, is demonstrated. The enhanced severity of the surface and internal oxidation, both of which depend on the alloy composition and consequent peritectic reaction, is highlighted. Experimental and theoretical studies show that different types of surface cracks can occur in peritectic steels depending upon the alloy composition and cooling rate, both of which define the fraction of the remaining liquid upon completion of the peritectic reaction/transformation.
Rheology of the Sponge Phase of the SDS–Hexanol–Brine System
Authors: Briceño Ahumada Zenaida Cenorina , Soltero Martínez J. Félix Armando , Carvajal Ramos Francisco , Maldonado Amir
Published: February 2017

We have studied the rheological properties of the sponge phases (or L3) of the sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)–hexanol–brine (NaCl 20 g/l) system at different bilayer volume fractions. The most concentrated samples display a Newtonian behavior even at high shear rates, while the more diluted ones depart from it, probably due to a transition from the sponge to a lamellar structure. Two linear variation zones were observed when the viscosity was measured as a function of bilayer volume fraction. The effect of temperature on the rheology of a sample with bilayer volume fraction of 0.024 is discussed, and also how the addition to the system of polyethylene glycol, a water‐soluble polymer, affects this transition.
Novel Noninvasive Nuclear Medicine Imaging Techniques for Cardiac Inflammation
Authors: Kircher Malte , Lapa Constantin
Published: February 2017

Purpose of Review

Inflammation is a key player in a wide range of cardiovascular and myocardial diseases. Given the numerous implications of inflammatory processes in disease initiation and progression, functional imaging modalities including positron emission tomography (PET) represent valuable diagnostic, prognostic, and monitoring tools in patient management. Since increased glucose metabolism is a hallmark of inflammation, PET using the radiolabeled glucose analog [18F]-2-deoxy-2-fluoro-d-glucose (FDG) is the mainstay diagnostic test for nuclear imaging of (cardiac) inflammation. Recently, new approaches using more specific tracers to overcome the limited specificity of FDG have emerged.

Recent Findings

PET imaging has proven its value in a number of inflammatory conditions of the heart including myocarditis, endocarditis, sarcoidosis, or reactive changes after myocardial infarction. In infection-related endocarditis, FDG-PET and white blood cell scintigraphy have been implemented in current guidelines. FDG-PET is considered as nuclear medical gold standard in myocarditis, pericarditis, or sarcoidosis. Novel strategies, including targeting of somatostatin receptors or C-X-C motif chemokine receptor CXCR4, have shown promising results in first studies.

Nuclear medicine techniques offer valuable information in the assessment of myocardial inflammation. Given the possibility to directly visualize inflammatory activity, they represent useful tools for diagnosis, risk stratification, and therapy monitoring.
Discrete Barker Frailty and Warped Mortality Dynamics at Older Ages
Authors: Palloni Alberto , Beltrán-Sánchez Hiram
Published: February 2017

We develop a discrete variant of a general model for adult mortality influenced by the delayed impact of early conditions on adult health and mortality. The discrete variant of the model builds on an intuitively appealing interpretation of conditions that induce delayed effects and is an extension of the discrete form of the standard frailty model with distinct implications. We show that introducing delayed effects is equivalent to perturbing adult mortality patterns with a particular class of time-/age-varying frailty. We emphasize two main results. First, populations with delayed effects could experience unchanging or increasing adult mortality even when background mortality has been declining for long periods of time. Although this phenomenon also occurs in a regime with standard frailty, the distortions can be more severe under a regime with Barker frailty. As a consequence, conventional interpretations of the observed rates of adult mortality decline in societies that experience Barker frailty may be inappropriate. Second, the observed rate of senescence (slope of adult mortality rates) in populations with delayed effects could increase, decrease, or remain steady over time and across adult ages even though the rate of senescence of the background age pattern of mortality is time- and age-invariant. This second result implies that standard interpretations of empirical estimates of the slope of adult mortality rates in populations with delayed effects may be misleading because they can reflect mechanisms other than those inducing senescence as conventionally understood in the literature.
Tertiary center experience with primary endoscopic laryngoplasty in pediatric acquired subglottic stenosis and literature review
Authors: Alshammari Jaber , Alkhunaizi Arwa A. , Arafat Abdullah S.
Published: February 2017

Background and objectives:

To share our experience with primary endoscopic laryngoplasty in pediatric acquired subglottic stenosis and critically review the previously published studies.

Setting:

Tertiary Referral Centers, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Patients and methods:

A retrospective case series study was conducted, where the case notes of all pediatric patients who underwent endoscopic management as a primary surgical intervention for acquired subglottic stenosis (SGS) from 2004 to 2014 were reviewed. All patients who underwent surgical correction with primary open laryngoplasty for congenital subglottic stenosis had been excluded.

Results:

A total of 60 patients with a workable diagnosis of subglottic stenosis were reviewed. Forty-five patients were included in the study and 15 patients were excluded because they underwent open laryngoplasty as a primary treatment modality for congenital subglottic stenosis. The majority of the patients were males 29 (64%), with 16 (36%) females. The main presentation was stridor and intercostal recession. Thirty-nine (86%) patients had subglottic stenosis due to prolonged intubation; 5 (11%) patients were idiopathic and one patient (3%) had inflammatory reasons. The site of stenosis was isolated SGS in 41 while 4 patients had glottic-subglottic stenosis (GSGS). In terms of the grade of stenosis: 13 patients had grade I; 23 had grade II and 9 had grade III. The character of stenosis was soft except in 5 patients with hard (mature) scar. The number of dilatation procedures ranged from 1 to 6 with a mean of 2. The endoscopic management was considered to be successful when the patient is completely asymptomatic after the follow up period of one year. No major complications were recorded among the patients. Thirty-seven (82.3%) patients had a benign course post endoscopic intervention without complications and 8 (17.7%) underwent a secondary open surgical management due to re-stenosis (P value < 0.01).

Conclusion:

Our study showed that primary endoscopic management was successful in 82.3% of cases of acquired subglottic stenosis including those with high grade stenosis and long segment of more than 12 mm in terms of the craniocaudal length. CO2 laser was an important tool to convert mature hard stenotic segment into a soft one. The latter yielded to the lateral pressure created by balloon dilatation better.
Response: Reengaging Environmental Education in the ‘Anthropocene’
Authors: Di Chiro Giovanna
Published: February 2017

At the turn of the 21st century, an historical moment of rapid earth system change and environmental crisis in an era labelled by some scholars as the Anthropocene (the age of humans), the need for environmental education is perhaps greater than ever; but, as I argued 27 years ago, not just any environmental education will do. As the world confronts increasingly complex issues of rising poverty, escalating conflict, and ecological degradation, it matters what we mean by ‘the environment’, and it matters what educational practices we engage. Too often, environmental education has adopted the persistent and problematic ‘human versus nature’ binary in Western thinking, a conceptual legacy that leads to false dichotomies separating problems considered more ‘social’ from those classified as more ‘environmental’. Over the past 3 decades, the field of environmental education has expanded globally, benefitting from the path-breaking analyses of environmental justice studies, feminist political ecology, and the environmental humanities, all transdisciplinary fields that offer environmental education a critical frame for understanding the dynamic ‘social nature’ of human and environment connections and interdependencies. Yet, the current discourse of the Anthropocene reengages these oppressive dichotomies. To rethink and transform this re-splitting trend, I envision the flourishing of a robust, socially critical environmental education grounded in feminist analyses, environmental justice and decolonial theories, and engaged in embodied, lively action research collaborations supporting more sustainable and resilient communities.
FREEDOM OF CONSCIENCE AS RELIGIOUS AND MORAL FREEDOM
Authors: Perry Michael J.
Published: February 2017

In another essay being published contemporaneously with this one, I have explained that as the concept “human right” is understood both in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in all the various international human rights treaties that have followed in the Universal Declaration's wake, a right is a human right if the rationale for establishing and protecting the right—for example, as a treaty-based right—is, in part, that conduct that violates the right violates the imperative, articulated in Article 1 of the Universal Declaration, to “act towards all human beings in a spirit of brotherhood.” Each of the human rights articulated in the Universal Declaration and/or in one or more international human rights treaties—for example, the right, articulated in Article 5 of the Universal Declaration and elsewhere, not to be subjected to “cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment”—is a specification of what, in conjunction with other considerations, the imperative—which functions in the morality of human rights as the normative ground of human rights—is thought to forbid (or to require). A particular specification is controversial if and to the extent the supporting claim—a claim to the effect that the “act towards all human beings in a spirit of brotherhood” imperative forbids (or requires)X—is controversial. My aim in this essay is to elaborate and defend a particular specification: the right, internationally recognized as a human right, to freedom of conscience—to freedom, that is, to live one's life in accord with the deliverances of one's conscience.
HAPPINESS AND THE RESTLESS HEART: AN AUGUSTINIAN CONFESSION
Authors: Johnson Luke Timothy
Published: February 2017

Saint Augustine opens his Confessions with the words “Great art thou, O Lord, and greatly to be praised; great is thy power, and of thy wisdom there is no number. . . . this tiny part of all that Thou hast created desires to praise Thee. Thou dost so excite him that to praise Thee is his joy. For Thou hast made us for Thyself and our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee.” The author discovered these words, in the translation of Frank Sheed (New York: Sheed & Ward, 1943), at a young age, and the concluding line in particular, “For Thou hast made us for Thyself and our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee,” has occasioned continual return and reflection. In this article, the author investigates the meaning of this line in its context, following the phrase “to praise Thee is his joy.” Adopting a generous construal of his own experience with the text, the author examines some of the ways in which a person who wishes to be a Christian thinks about the elusive yet all-important dimension of human existence called happiness or joy.
APPLYING THE LESSONS: IDEALS VERSUS REALITIES OF HAPPINESS FROM MEDIEVAL ISLAM TO THE “FOUNDING FATHERS”
Authors: Cornell Vincent J.
Published: February 2017

The idea of happiness and its pursuit have been taken up by thinkers in many times and places. This article examines the role of happiness as a concept and goal in medieval Islamic thought and, especially, in the work of Abū Ḥāmid Muḥammad al-Ghazālī and Abū Naṣr al-Fārābī. In examining Ghazālī's and Fārābī's perspectives on happiness, the article looks at the influence of Plato and Aristotle on these medieval Islamic thinkers and puts Islamic thought on happiness in conversation with the views of the American founders.
Google Politics: The Political Determinants of Internet Censorship in Democracies
Authors: Meserve Stephen A. , Pemstein Daniel
Published: February 2017

The expansion of digital interconnectivity has simultaneously increased individuals’ access to media and presented governments with new opportunities to regulate information flows. As a result, even highly democratic countries now issue frequent censorship and user data requests to digital content providers. We argue that government internet censorship occurs, in part, for political reasons, and seek to identify the conditions under which states censor. We leverage new, cross-nationally comparable, censorship request data, provided by Google, to examine how country characteristics co-vary with governments’ digital censorship activity. Within democracies, we show that governments engage in more digital censorship when internal dissent is present and when their economies produce substantial intellectual property. But these demand mechanisms are modulated by the relative influence that democratic institutions provide to narrow and diffuse interests; in particular, states with proportional electoral institutions censor less.
Effects of almond consumption on the post-lunch dip and long-term cognitive function in energy-restricted overweight and obese adults
Authors: Dhillon Jaapna , Tan Sze-Yen , Mattes Richard D.
Published: February 2017

The post-lunch dip in cognition is a well-established phenomenon of decreased alertness, memory and vigilance after lunch consumption. Lunch composition reportedly influences the post-lunch dip. Moreover, dieting is associated with cognitive function impairments. The negative effects of dieting have been reversed with nut-supplemented diets. The aims of this study were to (1) evaluate the acute effect of an almond-enriched high-fat lunch or high-carbohydrate lunch on the post-lunch decline in cognitive function, and (2) evaluate the effects of chronic almond consumption as part of an energy-restricted diet on the memory and attention domains of cognitive function. In total, eighty-six overweight and obese adults were randomised to consume either an almond-enriched diet (AED) or a nut-free control diet (NFD) over a 12-week weight loss intervention. Participants were also randomised to receive either an almond-enriched high-fat lunch (A-HFL) (>55 % energy from fat, almonds contributing 70–75 % energy) or a high-carbohydrate lunch (HCL) (>85 % energy from carbohydrates) at the beginning and end of the weight loss intervention. Memory and attention performance indices decreased after lunch consumption (P<0·001). The A-HFL group ameliorated the decline in memory scores by 57·7 % compared with the HCL group (P=0·004). Both lunch groups had similar declines in attention. Moreover, memory and attention performance indices increased after the 12-week intervention period (P<0·05) with no difference between the AED and NFD groups. In conclusion, almond consumption at a midday meal can reduce the post-lunch dip in memory. However, long-term almond consumption may not further improve cognitive function outcomes in a weight loss intervention.
Robustness of plant–insect herbivore interaction networks to climate change in a fragmented temperate forest landscape
Authors: Bähner K.W. , Zweig K.A. , Leal I.R. , Wirth R.
Published: February 2017

Forest fragmentation and climate change are among the most severe and pervasive forms of human impact. Yet, their combined effects on plant–insect herbivore interaction networks, essential components of forest ecosystems with respect to biodiversity and functioning, are still poorly investigated, particularly in temperate forests. We addressed this issue by analysing plant-insect herbivore networks (PIHNs) from understories of three managed beech forest habitats: small forest fragments (2.2–145 ha), forest edges and forest interior areas within three continuous control forests (1050–5600 ha) in an old hyper-fragmented forest landscape in SW Germany. We assessed the impact of forest fragmentation, particularly edge effects, on PIHNs and the resulting differences in robustness against climate change by habitat-wise comparison of network topology and biologically realistic extinction cascades of networks following scores of vulnerability to climate change for the food plant species involved. Both the topological network metrics (complexity, nestedness, trophic niche redundancy) and robustness to climate change strongly increased in forest edges and fragments as opposed to the managed forest interior. The nature of the changes indicates that human impacts modify network structure mainly via host plant availability to insect herbivores. Improved robustness of PIHNs in forest edges/small fragments to climate-driven extinction cascades was attributable to an overall higher thermotolerance across plant communities, along with positive effects of network structure. The impoverishment of PIHNs in managed forest interiors and the suggested loss of insect diversity from climate-induced co-extinction highlight the need for further research efforts focusing on adequate silvicultural and conservation approaches.
What does the Southern Brazilian Coastal Plain tell about its diversity? Syrphidae (Diptera) as a model
Authors: Kirst F.D. , Marinoni L. , Krüger R.F.
Published: February 2017

The natural areas of the Coastal Plain of Rio Grande do Sul (CPRS) have suffered fragmentation due to anthropic action. The faunal surveys offer a low-cost method to quickly evaluate environmental alterations, and Syrphidae flies are often used as models in this kind of study. We aimed to ascertain the diversity of Syrphidae in the South region of Brazil by estimating its species’ richness, and to use this data to identify new areas for conservation. In this survey Malaise traps were installed for 8 days in the CPRS, which was divided into five regions. Each region was subdivided into seven collecting areas and each of those areas received four traps, totaling 140 traps. A total of 456 Syrphidae individuals from 18 genera and 49 species were collected. In Region 1, there were nine exclusive species; in Region 2, there were three; in Region 3, there were 13, ten of which came from Estação Ecológica do Taim (ESEC Taim). In the Individual-based rarefaction analysis, Region 1 possessed the largest number of expected species out of the regions in the CPRS; we found 97% of these species. This insect collection effort, as one of the first in the CPRS, has broadened the known geographic distributions of 11 species of Syrphidae, and also indicated areas to be conserved. Additionally, it gave support for expanding ESEC Taim and creating new areas of conservation in Region 1, in Arroio Pelotas and Arroio Corrientes.
The supply of illegal tortoise meat to Toliara City, south-western Madagascar
Authors: Manjoazy Theodore , Razafimanahaka Julie H. , Ronto William , Randrianavelona Roma , Ganzhorn Jörg U. , Jenkins Richard K. B.
Published: February 2017

A range of endemic and protected vertebrate species from Madagascar are threatened by the demand for bushmeat. We report on the number of discarded carapaces from illegally killed Critically Endangered radiated tortoisesAstrochelys radiatain an urban centre in south-west Madagascar. Through covert monitoring of public rubbish dumps we observed 1,913 carapaces during July 2010–January 2014. There was notable spatial and temporal variation, with some evidence of peaks in carapace dumping during May–June and October–December. A single rubbish dump near the artisanal fishery landing beaches accounted for 93% of the observed carapaces.
Identification of potential protein partners that bind to the variant surface glycoprotein inTrypanosoma equiperdum
Authors: CARRASQUEL LIOMARY M. , ESCALONA JOSÉ L. , ACOSTA-SERRANO ALVARO , GUO YURONG , BUBIS JOSÉ
Published: February 2017

Trypanosoma equiperdumpossesses a dense coat of a variant surface glycoprotein (VSG) that is used to evade the host immune response by a process known as antigenic variation. Soluble and membrane forms of the predominant VSG from the VenezuelanT. equiperdumTeAp-N/D1 strain (sVSG and mVSG, respectively) were purified to homogeneity; and antibodies against sVSG and mVSG were raised, isolated, and employed to produce anti-idiotypic antibodies that structurally mimic the VSG surface. Prospective VSG-binding partners were initially detected by far-Western blots, and then by immunoblots using the generated anti-idiotypic antibodies. Polypeptides of ~80 and 55 kDa were isolated when anti-idiotypic antibodies–Sepharose affinity matrixes were used as baits. Mass spectrometry sequencing yielded hits with various proteins fromTrypanosoma bruceisuch as heat-shock protein 70, tryparedoxin peroxidase, VSG variants, expression site associated gene product 6, and two hypothetical proteins. In addition, a possible interaction with a protein homologous to the glutamic acid/alanine-rich protein fromTrypanosoma congolensewas also found. These results indicate that the corresponding orthologous gene products are candidates for VSG-interacting proteins inT. equiperdum.
A Year of One's Own: Dating the Praetorship of Marcus Crassus
Authors: Stone Martin
Published: February 2017

It is curious that, although a wholeLifeof Plutarch is devoted to Marcus Crassus, so little is known as to the facts and dates of hiscursus honorum.His praetorship is a fact, but of uncertain date. Plutarch is often interpreted as associating it with his special command against Spartacus in 72; Appian can be read as placing it in 71. A virtual consensus of scholars follows Broughton in favouring 73. It is contended here that Crassus' destined year was 75, when he turned 40. That it was his actual year is supported by his nobility, ambition and talent: one of eight places should have been his. No province is attested or likely. But the limited availability of praetorian provinces in these years and Crassus' known interest in special commands make this unproblematic.

The early dating proposed makes sense of the absence of an aedileship. It creates, however, an expected consular year of 72. The blocking of this is associated with the discourse of rivalry between Crassus and Pompey: the very odd trial forincestumwith a Vestal Virgin finds explanation in this context. The article aspires to shine a light on the post-civil war period in which Crassus, no less than Pompey, is both player and exemplar.
The Jews in Rome during the Flavian Period
Authors: McLaren James S.
Published: February 2017

During the late republic and early principate the Jews who called Rome their home occasionally found themselves in the public gaze. Some of their customs and aspects of their ways of life also attracted occasional comment, often for their apparently strange and foreign manner. At no stage, however, during this period did they feature prominently in the public sphere of life in Rome. The aftermath of the war of 66-70 CE brought about an abrupt change in circumstances for the Jews living in Rome. Apart from the immediate visual celebration of the triumph, there followed a number of substantial monumental and numismatic commemorations of the Roman victory. In this article the purpose and function of those commemorations and the possible consequences for the Jews who lived in Rome are examined. In particular, the impact of the public profiling of the war on Jewish identity and of how the writings of Josephus are to be read in this setting is explored. Rather than regard Josephus as a supporter of the Flavian rulers, writing an account of the war that encouraged fellow Jews to collaborate with Rome, it is argued that he was offering Jews in Rome a counter-narrative to the way the war was being publicly commemorated.