bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
From problem solving to problem definition: scrutinizing the complex nature of clinical practice
Authors: Cristancho Sayra , Lingard Lorelei , Regehr Glenn
Published: December 2016

In medical education, we have tended to present problems as being singular, stable, and solvable. Problem solving has, therefore, drawn much of medical education researchers’ attention. This focus has been important but it is limited in terms of preparing clinicians to deal with the complexity of the 21st century healthcare system in which they will provide team-based care for patients with complex medical illness. In this paper, we use the Soft Systems Engineering principles to introduce the idea that in complex, team-based situations, problems usually involve divergent views and evolve with multiple solution iterations. As such we need to shift the conversation from (1) problem solving to problem definition, and (2) from a problem definition derived exclusively at the level of the individual to a definition derived at the level of the situation in which the problem is manifested. Embracing such a focus on problem definition will enable us to advocate for novel educational practices that will equip trainees to effectively manage the problems they will encounter in complex, team-based healthcare.
Análisis de atracción de inversión extranjera a países de la Alianza del Pacífico
Authors: Concha José Roberto , Gómez Oscar Alberto
Published: December 2016

Esta investigación desarrolla un método para atraer inversión extranjera directa a países de la Alianza del Pacífico; el objetivo es identificar, a través de cruces estadísticos, empresas latinoamericanas con potencial de invertir en clústeres productivos de una región de la Alianza del Pacífico, para convertirla en una plataforma de transformación y distribución de bienes con destino final en otros mercados de la Alianza del Pacífico, aprovechando los beneficios arancelarios y las ventajas competitivas de esa región en el marco de dicho acuerdo. El análisis permite identificar seis empresas en Argentina, nueve en Brasil y catorce en Ecuador, con potencial de invertir en la región del Valle del Cauca en Colombia, en sectores como alimentos procesados, automotor, empaques y cuidado personal, entre otros.
Competing Family Law Norms: Challenging Hong Kong Law’s Conceptualization of the Ideal Family
Authors: SCULLY-HILL Anne
Published: December 2016

Two recent Hong Kong cases have highlighted the developing dissonance between family law norms in Hong Kong and other jurisdictions. The first entailed a challenge to the Hong Kong Director of Immigration’s refusal to recognize an overseas same-sex civil partnership as analogous to marriage. The second concerned a parental order for a child born overseas as a result of a surrogacy arrangement to an unmarried commissioning couple. These two cases challenged a specific conceptualization of the family in Hong Kong law: a preference for a heterosexual, married couple as the basis for the family unit. However, other common law jurisdictions would recognize the applicants’ claims to family status, as do international human rights principles. This article explores the scope and intersection of Hong Kong’s family law values, its private international law obligations, and the potential for invoking the public policy exception in these cases. In doing so, it tests the extent to which Hong Kong law’s conceptualization of the “Ideal Family” can be legitimately imposed to oust the claims of the “Other Family” to legal recognition.
Political Stakeholder Theory: The State, Legitimacy, and the Ethics of Microfinance in Emerging Economies
Authors: Olsen Tricia D.
Published: December 2016

How does the state influence stakeholder legitimacy? And how does this process affect an industry’s ethical challenges? Stakeholder theory adopts a forward-looking perspective and seeks to understand how managers can address stakeholders’ claims to improve the firm’s ability to create value. Yet, existing work does not adequately address the role of the state in defining the stakeholder universe nor the implications this may have for subsequent ethical challenges managers face. This article develops a political stakeholder theory (political ST) by weaving together the political economy, stakeholder theory, and legitimacy literatures. Political ST shows how state policies influence stakeholder legitimacy and, in turn, affect an industry’s ethical challenges. This article integrates the concept of agonism to address the perennial tension between markets and states and its implications for firms and their managers. Political ST is then applied to the case of microfinance, followed by a discussion of the contributions of this approach.
Isolation of fungal pathogens from eggs of the endangered sea turtle speciesChelonia mydasin Ascension Island
Authors: Sarmiento-Ramirez Jullie M. , Sim Jolene , Van West Pieter , Dieguez-Uribeondo Javier
Published: December 2016

Fungal emerging pathogens are one of the main threats for global biodiversity. Sea turtles do not seem to be an exemption, and recent studies on important nesting areas worldwide have shown that two fungal pathogens, i.e.Fusarium falciformeandFusarium keratoplasticum, are involved in low hatching success in nests of sea turtle species. Although the presence of these pathogens has been detected in Ascension Island, there are no investigations on the distribution of these two pathogens in main nesting beaches in the island. In this study, we analysed 109 eggshells of the speciesChelonia mydasfrom four nesting areas in Ascension Island. We have isolated and identified a total of 46 fungal isolates. A phylogenetic analysis, of the ITS nrDNA region, with a number of reference sequences of theFusarium solanispecies complex, showed that 23 of these isolates corresponded to the pathogenF. keratoplasticum. The analyses on isolation frequency, that included other previously obtained isolates, i.e. 11F. keratoplasticumand oneF. falciforme, showed thatF. keratoplasticumwas the species most frequently isolated in Ascension Island and it was found in all nesting beaches, whileF. falciformewas only isolated from Pan Am beach. When compared with other nesting areas worldwide, the abundance ofF. keratoplasticumoverF. falciformewas higher than any other nesting region tested. These findings are important in order to evaluate the potential threat of this pathogen to nests of the sea turtle population of Ascension Island, and to develop future control strategies.
The Politics of Labor Market Reform in Coordinated Welfare Capitalism
Authors: Fleckenstein Timo , Lee Soohyun Christine
Published: December 2016

Coordinated welfare capitalism has been subject to comprehensive change since the 1990s, with workfare measures and the deregulation of employment protection at the heart of labor market reforms. Developments in Sweden, Germany, and South Korea challenge not only the assumption of relative stability that is commonly associated with the study of coordinated market economies, but also the assertion that this stability is associated with the persistence of established political coalitions. The authors contend that a collapse of longstanding welfare state coalitions is the key political driver of labor market reform, with the withdrawal of employers from previous welfare settlements at the center of this development.
INTEGRATED SCORE ESTIMATION
Authors: Jun Sung Jae , Pinkse Joris , Wan Yuanyuan
Published: December 2016

We study the properties of the integrated score estimator (ISE), which is the Laplace version of Manski’s maximum score estimator (MMSE). The ISE belongs to a class of estimators whose basic asymptotic properties were studied in Jun, Pinkse, and Wan (2015, Journal of Econometrics 187(1), 201–216). Here, we establish that the MMSE, or more precisely $$\root 3 \of n |\hat \theta _M - \theta _0 |$$, (locally first order) stochastically dominates the ISE under the conditions necessary for the MMSE to attain its $\root 3 \of n $ convergence rate and that the ISE has the same convergence rate as Horowitz’s smoothed maximum score estimator (SMSE) under somewhat weaker conditions. An implication of the stochastic dominance result is that the confidence intervals of the MMSE are for any given coverage rate wider than those of the ISE, provided that the input parameter αn is not chosen too large. Further, we introduce an inference procedure that is not only rate adaptive as established in Jun et al. (2015), but also uniform in the choice of αn. We propose three different first order bias elimination procedures and we discuss the choice of input parameters. We develop a computational algorithm for the ISE based on the Gibbs sampler and we examine implementational issues in detail. We argue in favor of normalizing the norm of the parameter vector as opposed to fixing one of the coefficients. Finally, we evaluate the computational efficiency of the ISE and the performance of the ISE and the proposed inference procedure in an extensive Monte Carlo study.
The effect of shyness on children's formation and retention of novel word–object mappings
Authors: HILTON MATT , WESTERMANN GERT
Published: December 2016

This study set out to examine whether shyness, an aversion to novelty and unfamiliar social situations, can affect the processes that underlie early word learning. Twenty-four-month-old children (n =32) were presented with sets of one novel and two familiar objects, and it was found that shyer children were less likely to select a novel object as the referent of a novel label. Furthermore, not-shy children then showed evidence of retaining these novel mappings, but shy children did not. These findings suggest that shy children's aversion to novelty and to the unfamiliar context can impact on their word learning.
Generalised Bohr compactification and model-theoretic connected components
Authors: KRUPIŃSKI KRZYSZTOF , PILLAY ANAND
Published: December 2016

For a group G first order definable in a structure M, we continue the study of the “definable topological dynamics” of G (from [9] for example). The special case when all subsets of G are definable in the given structure M is simply the usual topological dynamics of the discrete group G; in particular, in this case, the words “externally definable” and “definable” can be removed in the results described below.

Here we consider the mutual interactions of three notions or objects: a certain model-theoretic invariant G*/(G*)000M of G, which appears to be “new” in the classical discrete case and of which we give a direct description in the paper; the [externally definable] generalised Bohr compactification of G; [externally definable] strong amenability. Among other things, we essentially prove: (i) the “new” invariant G*/(G*)000M lies in between the externally definable generalised Bohr compactification and the definable Bohr compactification, and these all coincide when G is definably strongly amenable and all types in SG(M) are definable; (ii) the kernel of the surjective homomorphism from G*/(G*)000M to the definable Bohr compactification has naturally the structure of the quotient of a compact (Hausdorff) group by a dense normal subgroup; (iii) when Th(M) is NIP, then G is [externally] definably amenable iff it is externally definably strongly amenable.

In the situation when all types in SG(M) are definable, one can just work with the definable (instead of externally definable) objects in the above results.
Every Man His Own Avenger: Landlord Remedies and the Antebellum Roots of the Crop Lien and Chattel Mortgage in the United States
Authors: Wolkoff Adam
Published: December 2016

The crop lien was more than a strange fruit of emancipation, a hard-fought compromise, or a pragmatic choice. Its legal logic rested on several generations’ experience with capitalist social relations in the antebellum North, where intense pressures on land use in urban cores and their agricultural hinterlands promoted contestation and experimentation in the ancient body of landlord–tenant law. Northerners designed the crop lien as a way to disentangle contract from property: to strip the lease of its common law guarantee of exclusive possession and shift the burden onto tenants to bargain for it.1
A reinforced combinatorial particle swarm optimization based multimodel identification of nonlinear systems
Authors: Adeniran Ahmed A. , El Ferik Sami
Published: December 2016

Several industrial systems are characterized by high nonlinearities with wide operating ranges and large set point changes. Identification and representation of these systems represent a challenge, especially for control engineers. Multimodel technique is one effective approach that can be used to describe nonlinear systems through the combination of several submodels, where each is contributing to the output with a certain degree of validity. One major concern in this technique, especially for systems with unknown operating conditions, is the partitioning of the system's operating space and thus the identification of different submodels. This paper proposes a three-stage approach to obtain a multimodel representation of a nonlinear system. A reinforced combinatorial particle swarm optimization and hybrid K-means are used to determine the number of submodels and their respective parameters. The proposed method automatically optimizes the number of submodels with respect to the submodel complexity. This allows operating space partition and generation of a parsimonious number of submodels without prior knowledge. The application of this approach on several examples, including a continuous stirred tank reactor, demonstrates its effectiveness.
Categorizing biological information based on function–morphology for bioinspired conceptual design
Authors: Lee Sooyeon , McAdams Daniel A. , Morris Elissa
Published: December 2016

A function-based keyword search is a concept generation methodology studied in the bioinspired design area that conveys textual biological inspiration for engineering design. Current keyword search methods are inefficient primarily due to the knowledge gap between engineering and biology domains. To improve current keyword search methods, we propose an algorithm that extracts and organizes morphology-based solutions from biological text. WordNet is utilized to discover morphological solutions in biological text. The novel algorithm also adapts latent semantic analysis and the expectation–maximization algorithm to categorize morphological solutions and group biological text. We introduce a novel penalty function that reflects the distance between functions (problems) and morphologies (solutions). The penalty function allows the algorithm to extract morphological solutions directly related to a design problem. We compare the output of the algorithm to manually extracted solutions for validation. A case study is included to exemplify the utility of the developed algorithm. Upon implementation of the algorithm, engineering designers can discover innovative solutions in biological text in a straightforward, efficient manner.
Incidence and factors associated with emergency department visits for recurrent skin and soft tissue infections in patients in California, 2005–2011
Authors: MAY L. , KLEIN E. Y. , MARTINEZ E. M. , MOJICA N. , MILLER L. G.
Published: December 2016

More than 2 million visits for skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) are seen in US emergency departments (EDs) yearly. Up to 50% of patients with SSTIs, suffer from recurrences, but associated factors remain poorly understood. We performed a retrospective study of patients with primary diagnosis of SSTI between 2005 and 2011 using California ED discharge data from the State Emergency Department Databases and State Inpatient Databases. Using a multivariable logistic regression, we examined factors associated with a repeat SSTI ED visits up to 6 months after the initial SSTI. Among 197 371 SSTIs, 16·3% were associated with a recurrent ED visit. We found no trend in recurrent visits over time (χ2 trend = 0·68, P = 0·4). Race/ethnicity, age, geographical location, household income, and comorbidities were all associated with recurrent visits. Recurrent ED visits were associated with drug/alcohol abuse or liver disease [odds ratio (OR) 1·4, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1·3–1·4], obesity (OR 1·3, 95% CI 1·2–1·4), and in infections that were drained (OR 1·1, 95% CI 1·1–1·1) and inversely associated with hospitalization after initial ED visit (OR 0·4, 95% CI 0·3–0·4). In conclusion, we found several patient-level factors associated with recurrent ED visits. Identification of these high-risk groups is critical for future ED-based interventions.
Transport of finiteness structures and applications
Authors: TASSON CHRISTINE , VAUX LIONEL
Published: December 2016

We describe a general construction of finiteness spaces which subsumes the interpretations of all positive connectors of linear logic. We then show how to apply this construction to prove the existence of least fixpoints for particular functors in the category of finiteness spaces: These include the functors involved in a relational interpretation of lazy recursive algebraic datatypes along the lines of the coherence semantics of system T.
The longevity of desorbing and adsorbing rice seeds
Authors: Hay Fiona R. , Timple Stephen
Published: December 2016

In each of two experiments, freshly harvested seeds of two cultivars of rice were dried and then rehydrated to different moisture levels. In experiment 1, seed equilibrium relative humidity (eRH) and moisture content (MC) were determined at each moisture level so that moisture desorption and adsorption isotherms could be constructed. Seed storage experiments were also carried out for seeds equilibrated at each moisture level, in sealed aluminium foil packets at 45°C. In experiment 2, storage experiments at 45°C were carried out on seeds dried to 12% MC and seeds dried to lower moisture levels and then rehydrated to 12% MC.

The moisture adsorption isotherm was shifted to lower MC at a given eRH compared with the desorption isotherm. This hysteresis effect was seen both when seeds were dried to <6% MC and then allowed to adsorb moisture to different levels, and when seeds were dried to different levels (10, 8, 6 or 4% MC) and then allowed to adsorb moisture up to 12% MC. The log-log relationship between seed longevity, σ [the standard deviation of the normal distribution of seed deaths over time, as defined in the Ellis and Roberts (1980) seed viability equations] and seed storage MC did not vary depending on whether the seeds were desorbing or adsorbing moisture. The relationship between σ and eRH was better described by a log-log model than a log-linear model and did vary depending on whether seeds were desorbing or adsorbing moisture: at a given eRH, the longevity of adsorbing seeds was greater than that of desorbing seeds. The implications for seed storage are discussed.
A novel single-feed reconfigurable antenna for polarization and frequency diversity
Authors: Sedghara Ailar , Atlasbaf Zahra
Published: December 2016

A novel dual-band single-feed reconfigurable annular-ring slot antenna with polarization diversity is proposed. This antenna has the ability to switch frequency bands and polarization at the same time whereas applying a simple structure. It consists of two concentric circular slots and two tuning stubs on one side of the substrate and a 50 Ω microstrip feed line and two stubs on the other side. The proposed antenna can be switched between two resonant frequencies, 2.4 GHz (WLAN) and 3.5 GHz (Wimax). Furthermore, it can be switched between linear polarization (LP), left-hand circular polarization (LHCP), and right-hand circular polarization (RHCP) at the first frequency band, LHCP and RHCP at the second band. All these capabilities are achieved by applying only five PIN diodes on both sides of the substrate. Simulation and experimental results indicate that the proposed antenna demonstrates a good impedance bandwidth at the two frequency bands and satisfactory radiation pattern in five different states.
Do Cognitive and Physical Functions Age in Concert from Age 70 to 76? Evidence from the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936
Authors: Ritchie Stuart J. , Tucker-Drob Elliot M. , Starr John M. , Deary Ian J.
Published: December 2016

The present study concerns the relation of mental and bodily characteristics to one another during ageing. The ‘common cause’ theory of ageing proposes that declines are shared across multiple, seemingly-disparate functions, including both physical and intellectual abilities. The concept of ‘reserve’ suggests that healthier cognitive (and perhaps bodily) functions from early in life are protective against the effects of senescence across multiple domains. In three waves of physical and cognitive testing data from the longitudinal Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 (n = 1,091 at age 70 years; n = 866 at 73; n = 697 at 76), we used multivariate growth curve modeling to test the ‘common cause’ and ‘reserve’ hypotheses. Support for both concepts was mixed: although levels of physical functions and cognitive functions were correlated with one another, physical functions did not decline together, and there was little evidence for shared declines in physical and mental functions. Early-life intelligence, a potential marker of system integrity, made a significant prediction of the levels, but not the slopes, of later life physical functions. These data suggest that common causes, which are likely present within cognitive functions, are not as far-reaching beyond the cognitive arena as has previously been suggested. They also imply that bodily reserve may be similar to cognitive reserve in that it affects the level, but not the slope, of ageing-related declines.
Critical exponents and scaling invariance in the absence of a critical point
Authors: Saratz N. , Zanin D. A. , Ramsperger U. , Cannas S. A. , Pescia D. , Vindigni A.
Published: December 2016

The paramagnetic-to-ferromagnetic phase transition is classified as a critical phenomenon due to the power-law behaviour shown by thermodynamic observables when the Curie point is approached. Here we report the observation of such a behaviour over extraordinarily many decades of suitable scaling variables in ultrathin Fe films, for certain ranges of temperature T and applied field B. This despite the fact that the underlying critical point is practically unreachable because protected by a phase with a modulated domain structure, induced by the dipole–dipole interaction. The modulated structure has a well-defined spatial period and is realized in a portion of the (T, B) plane that extends above the putative critical temperature, where thermodynamic quantities do not display any singularity. Our results imply that scaling behaviour of macroscopic observables is compatible with an avoided critical point.
Efficiency limits for photoelectrochemical water-splitting
Authors: Fountaine Katherine T. , Lewerenz Hans Joachim , Atwater Harry A.
Published: December 2016

Theoretical limiting efficiencies have a critical role in determining technological viability and expectations for device prototypes, as evidenced by the photovoltaics community’s focus on detailed balance. However, due to their multicomponent nature, photoelectrochemical devices do not have an equivalent analogue to detailed balance, and reported theoretical efficiency limits vary depending on the assumptions made. Here we introduce a unified framework for photoelectrochemical device performance through which all previous limiting efficiencies can be understood and contextualized. Ideal and experimentally realistic limiting efficiencies are presented, and then generalized using five representative parameters—semiconductor absorption fraction, external radiative efficiency, series resistance, shunt resistance and catalytic exchange current density—to account for imperfect light absorption, charge transport and catalysis. Finally, we discuss the origin of deviations between the limits discussed herein and reported water-splitting efficiencies. This analysis provides insight into the primary factors that determine device performance and a powerful handle to improve device efficiency.
A chromosome-level genome assembly of the Asian arowana, Scleropages formosus
Authors: Li Jia , Bian Chao , Hu Yinchang , Mu Xidong , Shen Xueyan , Ravi Vydianathan , Kuznetsova Inna S. , Sun Ying , You Xinxin , Qiu Ying , Zhang Xinhui , Yu Hui , Huang Yu , Xu Pao , Gu Ruobo , Xu Junmin , Orbán László , Venkatesh Byrappa , Shi Qiong
Published: December 2016

Asian arowana (Scleropages formosus), an ancient teleost belonging to the Order Osteoglossomorpha, has been a valuable ornamental fish with some varieties. However, its biological studies and breeding germplasm have been remarkably limited by the lack of a reference genome. To solve these problems, here we report high-quality genome sequences of three common varieties of Asian arowana (the golden, red and green arowana). We firstly generated a chromosome-level genome assembly of the golden arowana, on basis of the genetic linkage map constructed with the restriction site-associated DNA sequencing (RAD-seq). In addition, we obtained draft genome assemblies of the red and green varieties. Finally, we annotated 22,016, 21,256 and 21,524 protein-coding genes in the genome assemblies of golden, red and green varieties respectively. Our data were deposited in publicly accessible repositories to promote biological research and molecular breeding of Asian arowana.
Biogenic synthesis of Zinc oxide nanostructures from Nigella sativa seed: Prospective role as food packaging material inhibiting broad-spectrum quorum sensing and biofilm
Authors: Al-Shabib Nasser A. , Husain Fohad Mabood , Ahmed Faheem , Khan Rais Ahmad , Ahmad Iqbal , Alsharaeh Edreese , Khan Mohd Shahnawaz , Hussain Afzal , Rehman Md Tabish , Yusuf Mohammad , Hassan Iftekhar , Khan Javed Masood , Ashraf Ghulam Md , Alsalme Ali , Al-Ajmi Mohamed F. , Tarasov Vadim V. , Aliev Gjumrakch
Published: December 2016

Bacterial spoilage of food products is regulated by density dependent communication system called quorum sensing (QS). QS control biofilm formation in numerous food pathogens and Biofilms formed on food surfaces act as carriers of bacterial contamination leading to spoilage of food and health hazards. Agents inhibiting or interfering with bacterial QS and biofilm are gaining importance as a novel class of next-generation food preservatives/packaging material. In the present study, Zinc nanostructures were synthesised using Nigella sativa seed extract (NS-ZnNPs). Synthesized nanostructures were characterized hexagonal wurtzite structure of size ~24 nm by UV-visible, XRD, FTIR and TEM. NS-ZnNPs demonstrated broad-spectrum QS inhibition in C. violaceum and P. aeruginosa biosensor strains. Synthesized nanostructures inhibited QS regulated functions of C. violaceum CVO26 (violacein) and elastase, protease, pyocyanin and alginate production in PAO1 significantly. NS-ZnNPs at sub-inhibitory concentrations inhibited the biofilm formation of four-food pathogens viz. C. violaceum 12472, PAO1, L. monocytogenes, E. coli. Moreover, NS-ZnNPs was found effective in inhibiting pre-formed mature biofilms of the four pathogens. Therefore, the broad-spectrum inhibition of QS and biofilm by biogenic Zinc oxide nanoparticles and it is envisaged that these nontoxic bioactive nanostructures can be used as food packaging material and/or as food preservative.
Distinct and Shared Determinants of Cardiomyocyte Contractility in Multi-Lineage Competent Ethnically Diverse Human iPSCs
Authors: Tomov Martin L. , Olmsted Zachary T. , Dogan Haluk , Gongorurler Eda , Tsompana Maria , Otu Hasan H. , Buck Michael , Chang Eun-Ah , Cibelli Jose , Paluh Janet L.
Published: December 2016

The realization of personalized medicine through human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology can be advanced by transcriptomics, epigenomics, and bioinformatics that inform on genetic pathways directing tissue development and function. When possible, population diversity should be included in new studies as resources become available. Previously we derived replicate iPSC lines of African American, Hispanic-Latino and Asian self-designated ethnically diverse (ED) origins with normal karyotype, verified teratoma formation, pluripotency biomarkers, and tri-lineage in vitro commitment. Here we perform bioinformatics of RNA-Seq and ChIP-seq pluripotency data sets for two replicate Asian and Hispanic-Latino ED-iPSC lines that reveal differences in generation of contractile cardiomyocytes but similar and robust differentiation to multiple neural, pancreatic, and smooth muscle cell types. We identify shared and distinct genes and contributing pathways in the replicate ED-iPSC lines to enhance our ability to understand how reprogramming to iPSC impacts genes and pathways contributing to cardiomyocyte contractility potential.
Examining the Validity of the Phonon Gas Model in Amorphous Materials
Authors: Lv Wei , Henry Asegun
Published: December 2016

The idea of treating phonon transport as equivalent to transport through a gas of particles is termed the phonon gas model (PGM), and it has been used almost ubiquitously to try and understand heat conduction in all solids. However, most of the modes in disordered materials do not propagate and thus may contribute to heat conduction in a fundamentally different way than is described by the PGM. From a practical perspective, the problem with trying to apply the PGM to amorphous materials is the fact that one cannot rigorously define the phonon velocities for non-propagating modes, since there is no periodicity. Here, we tested the validity of the PGM for amorphous materials by assuming the PGM is applicable, and then, using a combination of lattice dynamics, molecular dynamics (MD) and experimental thermal conductivity data, we back-calculated the phonon velocities for the vibrational modes. The results of this approach show that if the PGM was valid, a large number of the mid and high frequency modes would have to have either imaginary or extremely high velocities to reproduce the experimental thermal conductivity data. Furthermore, the results of MD based relaxation time calculations suggest that in amorphous materials there is little, if any, connection between relaxation times and thermal conductivity. This then strongly suggests that the PGM is inapplicable to amorphous solids.
Comprehensive evaluation of molecular enhancers of the isothermal exponential amplification reaction
Authors: Mok Ellie , Wee Eugene , Wang Yuling , Trau Matt
Published: December 2016

The exponential amplification reaction (EXPAR) is an emerging isothermal nucleic acid amplification method with high potential for molecular diagnostics due to its isothermal nature and high amplification efficiency. However, the use of EXPAR is limited by the high levels of non-specific amplification. Hence, methods that can improve the specificity of EXPAR are desired to facilitate its widespread adoption in practice. Herein, we proposed a strategy to improve EXPAR performance by using molecular enhancers. Eight small molecules were investigated, including ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, betaine, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), trehalose, tetramethylammonium chloride (TMAC), bovine serum albumin (BSA) and single-stranded binding (SSB) proteins. A combination of kinetic and end-point analysis was adopted to investigate how these molecules affected EXPAR performance. Trehalose, TMAC, BSA and SSB proteins were found to have positive effects on EXPAR with trehalose being able to increase the efficiency of EXPAR. In contrast, TMAC, BSA and SSB proteins were shown to increase the specificity of EXPAR. We applied our findings to demonstrate the combination of trehalose and TMAC could simultaneously improve both the efficiency and specificity of an EXPAR-based miRNA detection method. The information provided in this study may serve as a reference to benefit the wider isothermal amplification community.
Modular Architecture and Unique Teichoic Acid Recognition Features of Choline-Binding Protein L (CbpL) Contributing to Pneumococcal Pathogenesis
Authors: Gutiérrez-Fernández Javier , Saleh Malek , Alcorlo Martín , Gómez-Mejía Alejandro , Pantoja-Uceda David , Treviño Miguel A. , Voß Franziska , Abdullah Mohammed R. , Galán-Bartual Sergio , Seinen Jolien , Sánchez-Murcia Pedro A. , Gago Federico , Bruix Marta , Hammerschmidt Sven , Hermoso Juan A.
Published: December 2016

The human pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae is decorated with a special class of surface-proteins known as choline-binding proteins (CBPs) attached to phosphorylcholine (PCho) moieties from cell-wall teichoic acids. By a combination of X-ray crystallography, NMR, molecular dynamics techniques and in vivo virulence and phagocytosis studies, we provide structural information of choline-binding protein L (CbpL) and demonstrate its impact on pneumococcal pathogenesis and immune evasion. CbpL is a very elongated three-module protein composed of (i) an Excalibur Ca2+-binding domain -reported in this work for the very first time-, (ii) an unprecedented anchorage module showing alternate disposition of canonical and non-canonical choline-binding sites that allows vine-like binding of fully-PCho-substituted teichoic acids (with two choline moieties per unit), and (iii) a Ltp_Lipoprotein domain. Our structural and infection assays indicate an important role of the whole multimodular protein allowing both to locate CbpL at specific places on the cell wall and to interact with host components in order to facilitate pneumococcal lung infection and transmigration from nasopharynx to the lungs and blood. CbpL implication in both resistance against killing by phagocytes and pneumococcal pathogenesis further postulate this surface-protein as relevant among the pathogenic arsenal of the pneumococcus.
Ascl3 transcription factor marks a distinct progenitor lineage for non-neuronal support cells in the olfactory epithelium
Authors: Weng Pei-Lun , Vinjamuri Mridula , Ovitt Catherine E.
Published: December 2016

The olfactory epithelium (OE) is composed of olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs), sustentacular supporting cells, and several types of non-neuronal cells. Stem and progenitor cells are located basally, and are the source of all cell types needed to maintain OE homeostasis. Here, we report that Ascl3, a basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor, is expressed in the developing OE. Lineage tracing experiments demonstrate that the non-neuronal microvillar cells and Bowman’s glands are exclusively derived from Ascl3+ progenitor cells in the OE during development. Following chemically-induced injury, Ascl3 expression is activated in a subset of horizontal basal cells (HBCs), which repopulate all microvillar cells and Bowman’s glands during OE regeneration. After ablation of Ascl3-expressing cells, the OE can regenerate, but lacks the non-neuronal microvillar and Bowman’s gland support cells. These results demonstrate that Ascl3 marks progenitors that are lineage-committed strictly to microvillar cells and Bowman’s glands, and highlight the requirement for these cell types to support OE homeostasis.
Sequential information in a great ape utterance
Authors: Fedurek Pawel , Zuberbühler Klaus , Dahl Christoph D.
Published: December 2016

Birdsong is a prime example of acoustically sophisticated vocal behaviour, but its complexity has evolved mainly through sexual selection to attract mates and repel sexual rivals. In contrast, non-human primate calls often mediate complex social interactions, but are generally regarded as acoustically simple. Here, we examine arguably the most complex call in great ape vocal communication, the chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) ‘pant hoot’. This signal consists of four acoustically distinct phases: introduction, build-up, climax and let-down. We applied state-of-the-art Support Vector Machines (SVM) methodology to pant hoots produced by wild male chimpanzees of Budongo Forest, Uganda. We found that caller identity was apparent in all four phases, but most strongly in the low-amplitude introduction and high-amplitude climax phases. Age was mainly correlated with the low-amplitude introduction and build-up phases, dominance rank (i.e. social status) with the high-amplitude climax phase, and context (reflecting activity of the caller) with the low-amplitude let-down phase. We conclude that the complex acoustic structure of chimpanzee pant hoots is linked to a range of socially relevant information in the different phases of the call, reflecting the complex nature of chimpanzee social lives.
Exploring the Relationship Between Eye Movements and Electrocardiogram Interpretation Accuracy
Authors: Davies Alan , Brown Gavin , Vigo Markel , Harper Simon , Horseman Laura , Splendiani Bruno , Hill Elspeth , Jay Caroline
Published: December 2016

Interpretation of electrocardiograms (ECGs) is a complex task involving visual inspection. This paper aims to improve understanding of how practitioners perceive ECGs, and determine whether visual behaviour can indicate differences in interpretation accuracy. A group of healthcare practitioners (n = 31) who interpret ECGs as part of their clinical role were shown 11 commonly encountered ECGs on a computer screen. The participants’ eye movement data were recorded as they viewed the ECGs and attempted interpretation. The Jensen-Shannon distance was computed for the distance between two Markov chains, constructed from the transition matrices (visual shifts from and to ECG leads) of the correct and incorrect interpretation groups for each ECG. A permutation test was then used to compare this distance against 10,000 randomly shuffled groups made up of the same participants. The results demonstrated a statistically significant (α  0.05) result in 5 of the 11 stimuli demonstrating that the gaze shift between the ECG leads is different between the groups making correct and incorrect interpretations and therefore a factor in interpretation accuracy. The results shed further light on the relationship between visual behaviour and ECG interpretation accuracy, providing information that can be used to improve both human and automated interpretation approaches.
Influence of Third Particle on the Tribological Behaviors of Diamond-like Carbon Films
Authors: Bai Lichun , Srikanth Narasimalu , Kang Guozheng , Zhou Kun
Published: December 2016

Tribological mechanisms of diamond-like carbon (DLC) films in a sand-dust environment are commonly unclear due to the complicated three-body abrasion caused by sand particles. This study investigates the three-body abrasion of the DLC film via molecular dynamics simulations. The influence factors such as the load, velocity, shape of the particle and its size are considered. It has been found that the friction and wear of the DLC film are determined by adhesion at a small load but dominated by both adhesion and plowing at a large load. A high velocity can increase the friction of the DLC film but decrease its wear, due to the response of its networks to a high strain rate indicated by such velocity. The shape of the particle highly affects its movement mode and thus changes the friction and wear of the DLC film. It is found that a small-sized particle can increase the friction and wear of the DLC film by enhancing plowing. These unique tribological mechanisms of the DLC film can help to promote its wide applications in a sand-dust environment.
Hydrogen overproducing nitrogenases obtained by random mutagenesis and high-throughput screening
Authors: Barahona Emma , Jiménez-Vicente Emilio , Rubio Luis M.
Published: December 2016

When produced biologically, especially by photosynthetic organisms, hydrogen gas (H2) is arguably the cleanest fuel available. An important limitation to the discovery or synthesis of better H2-producing enzymes is the absence of methods for the high-throughput screening of H2 production in biological systems. Here, we re-engineered the natural H2 sensing system of Rhodobacter capsulatus to direct the emission of LacZ-dependent fluorescence in response to nitrogenase-produced H2. A lacZ gene was placed under the control of the hupA H2-inducible promoter in a strain lacking the uptake hydrogenase and the nifH nitrogenase gene. This system was then used in combination with fluorescence-activated cell sorting flow cytometry to screen large libraries of nitrogenase Fe protein variants generated by random mutagenesis. Exact correlation between fluorescence emission and H2 production levels was found for all automatically selected strains. One of the selected H2-overproducing Fe protein variants lacked 40% of the wild-type amino acid sequence, a surprising finding for a protein that is highly conserved in nature. We propose that this method has great potential to improve microbial H2 production by allowing powerful approaches such as the directed evolution of nitrogenases and hydrogenases.
Spin-Crossover Materials towards Microwave Radiation Switches
Authors: Kucheriv Olesia I. , Oliynyk Viktor V. , Zagorodnii Volodymyr V. , Launets Vilen L. , Gural’skiy Il’ya A.
Published: December 2016

Microwave electromagnetic radiation that ranges from one meter to one millimetre wavelengths is finding numerous applications for wireless communication, navigation and detection, which makes materials able to tune microwave radiation getting widespread interest. Here we offer a new way to tune GHz frequency radiation by using spin-crossover complexes that are known to change their various physical properties under the influence of diverse external stimuli. As a result of electronic re-configuration process, microwave absorption properties differ for high spin and low spin forms of the complex. The evolution of a microwave absorption spectrum for the switchable compound within the region of thermal transition indicates that the high-spin and the low-spin forms are characterized by a different attenuation of electromagnetic waves. Absorption and reflection coefficients were found to be higher in the high-spin state comparing to the low-spin state. These results reveal a considerable potential for the implementation of spin-crossover materials into different elements of microwave signal switching and wireless communication.
In vivo stepwise immunomodulation using chitosan nanoparticles as a platform nanotechnology for cancer immunotherapy
Authors: Han Hee Dong , Byeon Yeongseon , Jang Jong-Hwa , Jeon Hat Nim , Kim Ga Hee , Kim Min Gi , Pack Chan-Gi , Kang Tae Heung , Jung In Duk , Lim Yong Taik , Lee Young Joo , Lee Jeong-Won , Shin Byung Cheol , Ahn Hyung Jun , Sood Anil K. , Park Yeong-Min
Published: December 2016

Dentritic cell (DC)-based cancer immunotherapy faces challenges in both efficacy and practicality. However, DC-based vaccination requires multiple injections and elaborates ex vivo manipulation, which substantially limits their use. Therefore, we sought to develop a chitosan nanoparticle (CH-NP)-based platform for the next generation of vaccines to bypass the ex vivo manipulation and induce immune responses via active delivery of polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid sodium salt (poly I:C) to target Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) in endosomes. We developed CH-NPs encapsulating ovalbumin (OVA) as a model antigen and poly I:C as the adjuvant in an ionic complex. These CH-NPs showed increased in vivo intracellular delivery to the DCs in comparison with controls after injection into tumor-bearing mice, and promoted DC maturation, leading to emergence of antigen-specific cytotoxic CD8+ T cells. Finally, the CH-NPs showed significantly greater antitumor efficacy in EG.7 and TC-1 tumor-bearing mice compared to the control (p < 0.01). Taken together, these data show that the CH-NP platform can be used as an immune response modulatory vaccine for active cancer immunotherapy without ex vivo manipulation, thus resulting in increased anticancer efficacy.
Bipolar and Unipolar Silylene-Diphenylene σ-π Conjugated Polymer Route for Highly Efficient Electrophosphorescence
Authors: Chang Yao-Tang , Sharma Sunil , Hung Miao-Ken , Lee Yu-Hsuan , Chen Show-An
Published: December 2016

σ-π conjugated polymer strategy is proposed for designing electroluminescent host polymers with silylene-diphenylene as the backbone repeat unit giving a high triplet energy (ET = 2.67 eV). By incorporation of high ET (3.0 eV) electron (oxadiazole, OXD) and hole (triphenyl amine, TPA) transport moieties, or TPA alone (in this case, the main chain acts as electron transport channel) as side arms on the silylene, the high ET bipolar and unipolar polymers are formed, allowing a use of iridium green phosphor (Ir(ppy)2(acac), Ir-G) (ET = 2.40 eV) as the dopant. The matching of energy levels of the dopant with the hosts, leading to charge trapping into it; and singlets and triplets of the exciplex and excimer can be harvested via energy transfer to the dopant. Using these host-guest systems as the emitting layer, chlorinated indium-tin-oxide (Cl-ITO) as the anode, and benzimidazole derivative (TPBI) as the electron transport layer, this two-layer device gives the high luminance efficiency 80.1 cd/A and external quantum efficiency 21.2%, which is the best among the report values for polymer light emitting diode (PLED) in the literatures. This example manifests that σ-π conjugated polymer strategy is a promising route for designing polymer host for efficient electrophosphorescence.
Ionic liquids modified graphene oxide composites: a high efficient adsorbent for phthalates from aqueous solution
Authors: Zhou Xinguang , Zhang Yinglu , Huang Zuteng , Lu Dingkun , Zhu Anwei , Shi Guoyue
Published: December 2016

In 2015, more than 30% of erasers were found to contain a PAE content that exceeded the 0.1% limit established by the Quality and Technology Supervision Bureau of Jiangsu Province in China. Thus, strengthening the supervision and regulation of the PAE content in foods and supplies, in particular, remains necessary. Graphene oxide (GO) and its composites have drawn great interests as promising adsorbents for polar and nonpolar compounds. However, GO-based adsorbents are typically restricted by the difficult separation after treatment because of the high pressure in filtration and low density in centrifugation. Herein, a series of novel ionic liquids modified graphene oxide composites (GO-ILs) were prepared as adsorbents for phthalates (PAEs) in eraser samples, which overcame the conventional drawbacks. These novel composites have a combination of the high surface area of graphene oxide and the tunability of the ionic liquids. It is expected that the GO-ILs composites can be used as efficient adsorbents for PAEs from aqueous solution. This work also demonstrated a new technique for GO-based materials applied in sample preparation.
High-throughput chinmedomics-based prediction of effective components and targets from herbal medicine AS1350
Authors: Liu Qi , Zhang Aihua , Wang Liang , Yan Guangli , Zhao Hongwei , Sun Hui , Zou Shiyu , Han Jinwei , Ma Chung Wah , Kong Ling , Zhou Xiaohang , Nan Yang , Wang Xijun
Published: December 2016

This work was designed to explore the effective components and targets of herbal medicine AS1350 and its effect on “Kidney-Yang Deficiency Syndrome” (KYDS) based on a chinmedomics strategy which is capable of directly discovering and predicting the effective components, and potential targets, of herbal medicine. Serum samples were analysed by UPLC-MS combined with pattern recognition analysis to identify the biomarkers related to the therapeutic effects. Interestingly, the effectiveness of AS1350 against KYDS was proved by the chinmedomics method and regulated the biomarkers and targeting of metabolic disorders. Some 48 marker metabolites associated with alpha-linolenic acid metabolism, fatty acid metabolism, sphingolipids metabolism, phospholipid metabolism, steroid hormone biosynthesis, and amino acid metabolism were identified. The correlation coefficient between the constituentsin vivoand the changes of marker metabolites were calculated by PCMS software and the potential effective constituents of AS1350 were also confirmed. By using chinmedomics technology, the components in AS1350 protecting against KYDS by re-balancing metabolic disorders of fatty acid metabolism, lipid metabolism, steroid hormone biosynthesis,etc. were deduced. These data indicated that the phenotypic characterisations of AS1350 altering the metabolic signatures of KYDS were multi-component, multi-pathway, multi-target, and overall regulation in nature.