bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The preparation of organoboron-based stilbene nanoparticles for cell imaging
Authors: Yuan Huanxiang , Wang Lifang , Li Shuhong , Liang Haiyan , Lu Chichong , Wang Yibo , Zhao Cui-Hua
Published: August 2016

In this work, a series of nanoparticles were prepared assembled by a highly emissive solid-state organoboron-based stilbene (OBS) and PS-PEG-COOH via regulating the ratio of these two compounds using a co-precipitation method.
Co-operative transitions of responsive-polymer coated gold nanoparticles; precision tuning and direct evidence for co-operative aggregation
Authors: Won Sangho , Phillips Daniel J. , Walker Marc , Gibson Matthew I.
Published: August 2016

Responsive polymers and polymer-coated nanoparticles have many potential bio-applications with the crucial parameter being the exact temperature where the transition occurs.
Hot1 factor recruits co-activator Sub1 and elongation complex Spt4/5 to osmostress genes
Authors: Gomar-Alba M. , del Olmo M.
Published: August 2016

Hyperosmotic stress response involves the adaptative mechanisms needed for cell survival. Under high osmolarity conditions, many stress response genes are activated by several unrelated transcription factors that are controlled by the Hog1 kinase. Osmostress transcription factor Hot1 regulates the expression of several genes involved in glycerol biosynthesis, and the presence of this transcription factor in their promoters is essential for RNApol II recruitment. The physical association between Hog1 and Hot1 activates this transcription factor and directs the RNA polymerase II localization at these promoters. We, herein, demonstrate that physical and genetic interactions exist between Hot1 and several proteins involved in transcriptional and posttranscriptional processes: for example, transcription co-activator Sub1 and elongation complex Spt4/5. The results presented in this work demonstrate that Hot1 enrichment is not detected through the coding regions of its target genes and rule out a direct role in transcription elongation. Instead, other data presented herein indicate a key function of the Hot1 transcription factor in the recruitment of these proteins to the promoter or the 5′-coding region of the genes under its control.
Generalised MIT in a tri‐band LNA
Authors: Guan Yangyang , Wu Yongle , Li Mingxing , Wang Weimin , Liu Yuanan
Published: August 2016

In this study, the authors propose a generalised multiband impedance transformer (MIT), which can transform the frequency‐dependent complex loads at multiple arbitrary bands simultaneously. The proposed transformer has two parts: the multiple frequency‐selection sections consisted of the series–parallel branches and the π‐shape impedance transformer is composed of the multiple series transmission lines. Analytical equations are derived for the closed‐form solutions and the rules of electrical parameters. Numerical examples are examined to verify the validity. On the basis of printed circuit board, a single‐stage tri‐band low‐noise amplifier (LNA) with the proposed MIT is designed, simulated, and measured for practical application. The measured LNA maintains the tri‐band performance and the 3 dB bandwidths are 400, 250, and 50 MHz with the 15, 12, and 7 dB minimum gain, respectively. The minimum input return losses are −24, −13, and −11 dB corresponding to the three bands, and the output return loss is lower than −10 dB from 1.5 to 2.6 GHz. The minimum input third‐order intercept points are 4.1, 6.2, and 14.7 dBm, respectively. Besides, the noise figures (NFs) are 1.9, 2.6, and 5.0 dB separately at the centre frequencies of 1.8, 2.23, and 2.47 GHz.
CP patch antenna with controllable polarisation over dual‐frequency bands
Authors: Zhang Jin‐Dong , Zhu Lei , Liu Neng‐Wu , Wu Wen
Published: August 2016

A dual‐band circularly polarised (CP) patch antenna with single layer and single feed is proposed. Different from other methods resorting to two dissimilar radiators, this antenna employs two pairs of degenerate modes, i.e. TM01/TM10 and TM03/TM30 modes, of a single radiator, making it compact size and geometrical symmetry. The antenna is composed of a square patch and four pairs of folded stubs at its four corners. The senses of CP radiation in the lower and upper bands are independently controlled, which can be the same or orthogonal. The influence of stubs loaded on the radiating patch and the design principle are given. To validate the design method, a prototype operating at 2.73 and 4.49 GHz is designed and fabricated. Measured results show that the right‐hand CP and left‐hand CP radiations can be obtained in the lower and upper bands. Measured results agree well with simulated ones, achieving the radiation gains of about 7.0 and 5.9 dBic in the two bands, respectively.
Broadband asymmetric transmission of linearly polarised wave based on bilayered chiral metamaterial
Authors: Tian Dou , Li Wei , Xu Ran , Shi Hongyu , Xu Zhuo , Xia Song , Zhang Anxue
Published: August 2016

In this study, a bilayered chiral metamaterial is proposed to realise broadband asymmetric transmission of linearly polarised electromagnetic wave in two opposite directions. Simulated results show that the bilayered chiral metamaterial can achieve broadband cross‐polarisation transmission with an efficiency of over 0.8 from 10.27 to 11.57 GHz with two peaks of 0.92 and 0.94 at around 10.5 and 11.3 GHz, respectively, in one direction, <0.07 in the opposite direction at the same polarisation of the incident wave during the considered frequency band. Except a little blue shift, the measured results agree well with the simulated ones. Meanwhile, the structure can achieve nearly 90° polarisation conversion for both x‐ and y‐polarised incident wave in two opposite directions and was verified by studying the polarisation azimuth rotation angles. Then, the surface current was studied to reveal the physical origin of the broadband asymmetric transmission of the structure.
Structure and EM‐driven design of novel compact UWB slot antenna
Authors: Bekasiewicz Adrian , Koziel Slawomir
Published: August 2016

In this study, a structure and design optimisation procedure of a novel compact ultra‐wideband (UWB) slot antenna has been presented. In order to achieve small size of the structure and maintain acceptable electrical performance, a sufficiently large number of geometry parameters have been introduced. These include a stepped‐impedance feed line and a meandered slot with all of dimensions being parameterised and subject to optimisation. All parameters are simultaneously adjusted using automated electromagnetic (EM)‐simulation‐driven optimisation algorithm. The design process is oriented towards explicit size reduction of the antenna structure. Penalty function approach is utilised to control the reflection response. In order to reduce the computational cost of the optimisation process, variable‐fidelity EM models are utilised. The footprint of the optimised antenna is only 8.93 × 17.9 mm (160 mm2) while maintaining reflection below the –10 dB threshold in the entire UWB frequency range. The antenna has been favourably compared with the state‐of‐the‐art compact structures in terms of the size. The obtained numerical results are supported by measurements of the fabricated antenna prototype.
Systematic Quantification of GPCR/cAMP-Controlled Protein Kinase A
Interactions
Authors: Torres-Quesada O. , Röck R. , Stefan E.
Published: August 2016

The diffusible second messenger cyclic AMP (cAMP) originates from multiple G
protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) cascades activating the intracellular key
effector protein kinase A (PKA). Spatially and temporally restricted cAMP-fluxes
are directly sensed by macromolecular PKA complexes. The consequences are
alterations of molecular interactions, which lead to activation of
compartmentalized PKA phosphotransferase activities, regulating a vast array of
cellular functions. To decode cell-type and cell-compartment specific PKA
functions, the spatio-temporal dynamics of small molecule:protein interactions,
protein:protein interactions (PPIs), cAMP-mobilization, and phosphotransferase
activities need to be determined directly in the appropriate cellular context. A
collection of cell-based reporters has been developed to either visualize or
quantitatively measure kinase activities or PKA complex formation/dissociation.
In this review, we list a collection of unimolecular and bimolecular PKA
biosensors, followed by the specification of the modular design of a
Renilla luciferase based protein-fragment complementation assay (PCA)
platform for measuring PKA network interactions. We discuss the application
spectrum of the PCA reporter to identify, quantify, and dissect dynamic and
transient PKA complexes downstream of specific GPCR activities. We specify the
implementation of a PCA PKA platform to systematically quantify the concurrent
involvement of receptor-cAMP signaling, post-translational modifications, and
kinase subunit mutations/perturbations in PKA activation. The systematic
quantification of transient PKA network interactions will contribute to a better
understanding how GPCR-recognized input signals are streamlined through the
compartmentalized and cAMP-interacting PKA signalosome.
“Beyond this ignorant present”: the poverty of historicism in Macbeth
Authors: Heffernan Julián Jiménez
Published: August 2016

AlthoughMacbethis notstricto sensua history play, its dominant concern with the paralogisms of time forces the reader to reconsider its relationship with history. Moreover, the scarcely noted fact that the debate for and against historicism—encouraged by thinkers like Hegel, Lukács, Strauss, Aron or Popper—tends to capitalize on the hermeneutic affordances of a play likeMacbeth, brings the historical (perhaps historicist) provocation of the play all the more sharply into focus. Self-validating prophecy emerges, in this reconsideration, as the pivotal, paralogic speech act in a play that reads like a parody of verification. By exposing the logical complicity between providentialist prophecy and historicist interpretation, this article contends that Shakespeare obtained, inMacbeth, ironic-critical distance from contemporary historiographic teleology, and that he thus sheltered himself in advance from the progressive-moralist, at bottom apocalyptic, arrogance of neo-historicist critics like Stephen Greenblatt or Richard Wilson. In the final analysis,Macbethgets the last word, one no oracular predictive or postdictive consummation is able to efface. This article is published as part of a collection to commemorate the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death.
Instability of Pollard’s exact solution for geophysical ocean flows
Authors: Ionescu-Kruse Delia
Published: August 2016

In this paper we apply the short-wavelength perturbation method to derive instability criteria for the three-dimensional nonlinear Pollard geophysical waves. We show that these waves are linearly unstable when the wave steepness exceeds a certain threshold.
Meghnad Saha: Physicist and nationalist
Authors: Banerjee Somaditya
Published: August 2016

Deeply committed to the cause of Indian independence, Saha occasionally detoured from his physics to conduct a revolutionary mission or pen a populist manifesto.
The Big Science of Stockpile Stewardship
Authors: Reis Victor H. , Hanrahan Robert J. , Levedahl W. Kirk
Published: August 2016

In the quarter century since the US last exploded a nuclear weapon, an extensive research enterprise has maintained the resources and know-how needed to preserve confidence in the country’s stockpile.
Co-ordinated performance of leaf hydraulics and economics in 10 Chinese temperate tree species
Authors: Jin Ying , Wang Chuankuan , Zhou Zhenghu , Li Zhimin
Published: August 2016

Exploring relationships between leaf hydraulics and economic traits is important in understanding the carbon–water coupling and in extending the leaf economics spectrum. In this study, leaf hydraulics, photosynthesis, structural and nutrient traits and photosynthetic resource use efficiency were measured for 10 temperate tree species in the north-eastern China. Leaf hydraulic conductance was positively correlated with photosynthetic traits, specific leaf area, leaf nitrogen concentration, photosynthetic water and nitrogen use efficiencies, suggesting co-ordination between leaf hydraulics and economic traits. Principal component analysis revealed that significant correlations existed among leaf hydraulic, photosynthetic and resource use traits (axis 1), and axis 2 was strongly associated with leaf structural and nutrient traits. The 10 species were distributed along the diagonal line between axis 1 and axis 2. Species displaying the ‘fast’ strategy tended to have higher photosynthetic rates, leaf hydraulic conductance and photosynthetic water and nutrient use efficiencies; however, they also had lower carbon investment and faced a greater risk of embolism. These findings indicate that leaf hydraulics, economics and resource uses together play an important role in determining species ecological strategies, and provide supports for the ‘fast–slow’ leaf economics spectrum.
The AgED Study. Age-related eye disease (AgED) in South Australian general practice: are we blind to early detection and intervention?
Authors: Guymer Chelsea , Casson Robert , Howell Cate , Stocks Nigel
Published: August 2016

The AgED Study aimed to evaluate the detection, awareness and management of age-related eye disease (AgED) in South Australian general practice. Three South Australian metropolitan general practices were recruited and all patients aged 75 years and older were invited to participate. A cross-sectional postal questionnaire and retrospective audit of consenting patients’ medical records was performed. On average, patients had their last eye check 9 months ago; the majority (64.9%) performed by an optometrist. Only 7.6% had visited their GP for their last eye check, mostly (90.5%) for a mandatory ‘Fitness to Drive’ medical assessment. There were marked differences in GP recording v. self-reported AgED and a marked discrepancy in the prevalence rates of AgED, visual impairment and blindness in this study compared with Australian population-based prevalence surveys. Despite the lack of GP documentation of eye disease, the majority of patients engaged in timely eye checks with either an optometrist or ophthalmologist, and their overall visual function and vision-related quality of life (QoL) were satisfactory.
Predicting wildfire spread and behaviour in Mediterranean landscapes
Authors: Salis Michele , Arca Bachisio , Alcasena Fermin , Arianoutsou Margarita , Bacciu Valentina , Duce Pierpaolo , Duguy Beatriz , Koutsias Nikos , Mallinis Giorgos , Mitsopoulos Ioannis , Moreno José M. , Pérez José Ramón , Urbieta Itziar R. , Xystrakis Fotios , Zavala Gonzalo , Spano Donatella
Published: August 2016

The use of spatially explicit fire spread models to assess fire propagation and behaviour has several applications for fire management and research. We used the FARSITE simulator to predict the spread of a set of wildfires that occurred along an east–west gradient of the Euro-Mediterranean countries. The main purpose of this work was to evaluate the overall accuracy of the simulator and to quantify the effects of standard vs custom fuel models on fire simulation performance. We also analysed the effects of different fuel models and slope classes on the accuracy of FARSITE predictions. To run the simulations, several input layers describing each study area were acquired, and their effect on simulation outputs was analysed. Site-specific fuel models and canopy inputs were derived either from existing vegetation information and field sampling or through remote-sensing data. The custom fuel models produced an increase in simulation accuracy, and results were nearly unequivocal for all the case studies examined. We suggest that spatially explicit fire spread simulators and custom fuel models specifically developed for the heterogeneous landscapes of Mediterranean ecosystems can help improve fire hazard mapping and optimise fuel management practices across the Euro-Mediterranean region.
Emerging single-phase state in small manganite nanodisks
Authors: Shao Jian , Liu Hao , Zhang Kai , Yu Yang , Yu Weichao , Lin Hanxuan , Niu Jiebin , Du Kai , Kou Yunfang , Wei Wengang , Lan Fanli , Zhu Yinyan , Wang Wenbin , Xiao Jiang , Yin Lifeng , Plummer E. W. , Shen Jian
Published: August 2016

Significance

Electronic phase separation (EPS) is a common phenomenon in complex oxides systems. However, little is known regarding how EPS responds when the size of the system is smaller than the characteristic size of EPS. This issue is not only important for understanding the physical origin of EPS but also for oxides device applications in which oxides have to be fabricated into small-sized structures. Our work on manganites shows a surprising transition from the EPS state to a single phase state when the spatial size of the system is smaller than the characteristic length scale of EPS. This observation paves a way to manipulate EPS, which is potentially useful for oxides electronic and spintronic device applications.
Major neurotransmitter systems in dorsal hippocampus and basolateral amygdala control social recognition memory
Authors: Garrido Zinn Carolina , Clairis Nicolas , Silva Cavalcante Lorena Evelyn , Furini Cristiane Regina Guerino , de Carvalho Myskiw Jociane , Izquierdo Ivan
Published: August 2016

Significance

The hippocampus and basolateral amygdala—modulated by β-noradrenergic, D1/D5 dopaminergic, and H2-histaminergic receptors—control memory processing of many memories, but their role in social recognition memory (SRM) has been little studied. SRM is fundamental for the establishment of social relationships and, consequently, for the formation and stability of social groups. The social deficits of psychiatric disorders, such as autism and schizophrenia, are believed to be caused by alterations in SRM processing by the hippocampus and amygdala. Here we examine the involvement of the hippocampus and basolateral amygdala—and β-noradrenergic, D1/D5 dopaminergic, and H2-histaminergic receptors therein—in SRM consolidation. The results suggest an important and complex modulation of this process, which may help to elucidate the basis of inappropriate social behavior in psychiatric patients.
Limits of US soft power in the Arab world (2003–15)
Authors: Matar Hosam
Published: August 2016

Soft power, according to Joseph Nye, in 2004, is ‘the ability to affect others through the co-optive means of framing the agenda, persuading, and eliciting positive attraction in order to obtain preferred outcomes’. The United States is applying many initiatives and policies of soft power in the Arab world. No other state holds as much widespread cultural attractiveness around the globe as much as the United States. Yet, America’s political and cultural popularity in the Middle East, including the Arab world, is still relatively low when compared with other regions of the world. In 2014, from the 10 states that were most unfavourable toward the United States, five were Arab states. Therefore, like hard power, soft power also has its own limits. This article focuses on the reasons and conditions that impose such constrictions and limits on US soft power in the Arab world.
Unveiling the early-stage anatomy of a protocluster hub with ALMA
Authors: Henshaw J. D. , Jiménez-Serra I. , Longmore S. N. , Caselli P. , Pineda J. E. , Avison A. , Barnes A. T. , Tan J. C. , Fontani F.
Published: August 2016

High-mass stars shape the interstellar medium in galaxies, and yet, largely because the initial conditions are poorly constrained, we do not know how they form. One possibility is that high-mass stars and star clusters form at the junction of filamentary networks, referred to as ‘hubs’. In this Letter we present the complex anatomy of a protocluster hub within an Infrared Dark Cloud (IRDC), G035.39−00.33, believed to be in an early phase of its evolution. We use high-angular resolution ({θmaj, θmin} = {1.4 arcsec, 0.8 arcsec} ∼ {0.02 pc, 0.01 pc}) and high-sensitivity (0.2 mJy beam−1; ∼0.2 Mȯ) 1.07 mm dust continuum observations from the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) to identify a network of narrow, 0.028 ± 0.005 pc wide, filamentary structures. These are a factor of ≳3 narrower than the proposed ‘quasi-universal’ ∼0.1 pc width of interstellar filaments. Additionally, 28 compact objects are reported, spanning a mass range 0.3 Mȯ < Mc < 10.4 Mȯ. This indicates that at least some low-mass objects are forming coevally with more massive counterparts. Comparing to the popular ‘bead-on-a-string’ analogy, the protocluster hub is poorly represented by a monolithic clump embedded within a single filament. Instead, it comprises multiple intra-hub filaments, each of which retains its integrity as an independent structure and possesses its own embedded core population.
Pathogen Infection and MORC Proteins Affect Chromatin Accessibility of Transposable Elements and Expression of Their Proximal Genes in Arabidopsis
Authors: Bordiya Yogendra , Zheng Yi , Nam Ji-Chul , Bonnard April C. , Choi Hyong Woo , Lee Bum-Kyu , Kim Jonghwan , Klessig Daniel F. , Fei Zhangjun , Kang Hong-Gu
Published: August 2016

To assess the role of MORC1 in epigenetics in relation to plant immunity, genome-wide chromatin accessibility was compared between mock- or Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato–inoculated wild type (WT) Arabidopsis, the morc1/2 double mutant, or both. Most changes in chromatin accessibility, scored by DNase I hypersensitive sites (DHSs), were located in the promoters of genes and transposable elements (TEs). Comparisons between morc1/2 and WT receiving the same treatment revealed differential DHSs (dDHSs) predominantly associated with heterochromatic TEs. By contrast, comparisons between mock- and P. syringae pv. tomato–inoculated plants from the same genotype showed dDHSs associated with biotic and abiotic stress-related genes; a smaller but significant population was in TEs. Moreover, many defense genes, including PR-1, PR-2, and PR-5, were proximal to P. syringae pv. tomato–induced, TE-associated dDHSs. A random subset of these defense genes showed moderately delayed or reduced expression or both in P. syringae pv. tomato–infected morc1/2 as compared with WT. MORC1 was physically bound to chromatin in a P. syringae pv. tomato infection-responsive manner at sites dispersed throughout the genome. Notably, silencing of TE-associated dDHSs proximal to these infection-induced, MORC1-interacting sites led to significant suppression of P. syringae pv. tomato–induced transcription of adjacent defense genes, including PR-1. These results provide evidence that MORC1 is associated with TEs and suggest that a subset of these TEs may help regulate their proximal defense genes.
The Sinorhizobium fredii HH103 MucR1 Global Regulator Is Connected With the nod Regulon and Is Required for Efficient Symbiosis With Lotus burttii and Glycine max cv. Williams
Authors: Acosta-Jurado Sebastián , Alias-Villegas Cynthia , Navarro-Gómez Pilar , Zehner Susanne , Murdoch Piedad del Socorro , Rodríguez-Carvajal Miguel A. , Soto María J. , Ollero Francisco-Javier , Ruiz-Sainz José E. , Göttfert Michael , Vinardell José-María
Published: August 2016

Sinorhizobium fredii HH103 is a rhizobial strain showing a broad host range of nodulation. In addition to the induction of bacterial nodulation genes, transition from a free-living to a symbiotic state requires complex genetic expression changes with the participation of global regulators. We have analyzed the role of the zinc-finger transcriptional regulator MucR1 from S. fredii HH103 under both free-living conditions and symbiosis with two HH103 host plants, Glycine max and Lotus burttii. Inactivation of HH103 mucR1 led to a severe decrease in exopolysaccharide (EPS) biosynthesis but enhanced production of external cyclic glucans (CG). This mutant also showed increased cell aggregation capacity as well as a drastic reduction in nitrogen-fixation capacity with G. max and L. burttii. However, in these two legumes, the number of nodules induced by the mucR1 mutant was significantly increased and decreased, respectively, with respect to the wild-type strain, indicating that MucR1 can differently affect nodulation depending on the host plant. RNA-Seq analysis carried out in the absence and the presence of flavonoids showed that MucR1 controls the expression of hundreds of genes (including some related to EPS production and CG transport), some of them being related to the nod regulon.
Genome-wide biases in the rate and molecular spectrum of spontaneous mutations inVibrio choleraeandVibrio fischeri
Authors: Dillon Marcus M. , Sung Way , Sebra Robert , Lynch Michael , Cooper Vaughn S.
Published: August 2016

The vast diversity in nucleotide composition and architecture among bacterial genomes may be partly explained by inherent biases in the rates and spectra of spontaneous mutations. Bacterial genomes with multiple chromosomes are relatively unusual but some are relevant to human health, none more so than the causative agent of cholera,Vibrio cholerae. Here, we present the genome-wide mutation spectra in wild-type and mismatch repair (MMR) defective backgrounds of twoVibriospecies, the low-GC% squid symbiontV. fischeriand the pathogenV. cholerae, collected under conditions that greatly minimize the efficiency of natural selection. In apparent contrast to their high diversity in nature, both wild-typeV. fischeriandV. choleraehave among the lowest rates for base-substitution mutations (bpsms) and insertion-deletion mutations (indels) that have been measured, below 10−3/genome/generation.V. fischeriandV. choleraehave distinct mutation spectra, but both are AT-biased and produce a surprising number of multi-nucleotide indels. Furthermore, the loss of a functional MMR system caused the mutation spectra of these species to converge, implying that the MMR system itself contributes to species-specific mutation patterns. Bpsm and indel rates varied among genome regions, but do not explain the more rapid evolutionary rates of genes on chromosome 2, which likely result from weaker purifying selection. More generally, the very low mutation rates ofVibriospecies correlate inversely with their immense population sizes and suggest that selection may not only have maximized replication fidelity but also optimized other polygenic traits relative to the constraints of genetic drift.
Hydroxycinnamoyltransferases Involved in the Accumulation of Caffeic Acid Esters in Gametophytes and Sporophytes of Equisetum arvense
Authors: Hohlfeld M. , Veit M. , Strack D.
Published: August 2016

Four hydroxycinnamoyltransferases from Equisetum arvense L. were studied that catalyze the formation of mono-O-caffeoyl-meso-tartrate, di-O-caffeoyl-meso-tartrate, 5-O-caffeoylshikimate (dactylifrate), and 5-O-caffeoylquinate (chlorogenate). The enzymes were classified as coenzyme A (CoA)-ester-dependent acyltransferases (EC 2.3.1), i.e. hydroxycinnamoyl-CoA:meso-tartrate hydroxycinnamoyltransferase (CTT), hydroxycinnamoyl-CoA:caf-feoyl-meso-tartrate hydroxycinnamoyltransferase (CCT), hydroxycinnamoyl-CoA:shikimate hydroxycinnamoyltransferase (CST), and hydroxycinnamoyl-CoA:quinate hydroxycinnamoyltransferase. The CTT, CCT, and CST were partially purified and separated from E. arvense gametophytes by hydrophobic interaction chromatography on Fractogel TSK Butyl-650 followed by molecular exclusion on fast protein liquid chromatography-Superdex-75 with 87-, 62-, and 130- fold enrichments and 12, 8, and 11% yields, respectively. The enzyme activities obtained with caffeoyl-CoA were 95 (CTT), 74 (CCT), and 200 [mu]kat (CST) kg-1 protein. The apparent native relative molecular weight values were found to be approximately 45,000 (CTT), 52,000 (CCT), and 50,000 (CST). Each enzyme showed highest activities at pH 7.5, the CCT and CST in Tris-HCl (1.2 and 1.0 M) and the CTT in imidazole-HCl (1.25 M). Enzyme activities were stimulated more than 3-fold by 100 mM ascorbate. The apparent energies of activation (kilojoules mol-1) were calculated to be 56 (CTT), 69 (CST), and 76 (CCT). The enzymes accepted cinnamoyl-CoA and various hydroxycinnamoyl-CoAs. The time course of the transferase activities along with that of a fourth one, hydroxycinnamoyl-CoA:quinate hydroxycinnamoyltransferase, and the pattern of product accumulation were determined during a 1-year growth period of the E. arvense sporophytes.
Plasma Membrane Na+ Transport in a Salt-Tolerant Charophyte (Isotopic Fluxes, Electrophysiology, and Thermodynamics in Plants Adapted to Saltwater and Freshwater)
Authors: Kiegle E. A. , Bisson M. A.
Published: August 2016

In salt-tolerant Chara longifolia, enhanced Na+ efflux plays an important role in maintaining low cytoplasmic Na+. When it is cultured in fresh water (FW), C. longifolia has a higher Na+ efflux than the obligate FW Chara corallina, although pH dependence and inhibitor profiles are similar for both species (J. Whittington and M.A. Bisson [1994] J Exp Bot 45: 657–665). When it is cultured in saltwater, C. longifolia has a Na+ efflux of 264 [plus or minus] 14 nmol m-2 s-1 at pH 7, 13 times higher than FW-adapted cultures and 31 times higher than C. corallina. As in FW-adapted plants, efflux is highest at pH 5, but pH dependence is less steep and more linear in cells adapted to saltwater. In plants of both species from FW cultures, Na+ efflux is inhibited by Li+ at pH 5 but not at pH 7 or 9, whereas in the salt-adapted C. longifolia, Li+ inhibits Na+ efflux at pH 7 and 9 but not at pH 5. Amiloride inhibits Na+ efflux in salt-adapted cells but not in FW cells. We conclude that a new type of Na+ efflux system is induced in salt-adapted plants, although both systems have characteristics suggestive of a Na+/H+ antiport. In all cases, a 1:1 Na+/H+ antiport would have sufficient energy to maintain the cytoplasmic Na+ activities measured at pH 5 and 7 but not at pH 9, which suggests that another efflux system must be operating at pH 9.
Autophagy in Tobacco Suspension-Cultured Cells in Response to Sucrose Starvation
Authors: Moriyasu Y. , Ohsumi Y.
Published: August 2016

The response of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) suspension-cultured cells (BY-2) to nutrient starvation was investigated. When the cells that were grown in Murashige-Skoog medium containing 3% (w/v) sucrose were transferred to the same medium without sucrose, 30 to 45% of the intracellular proteins were degraded in 2 d. An analysis with sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed that proteins were degraded nonselectively. With the same treatment, protease activity in the cell, which was measured at pH 5.0 using fluorescein thiocarbamoyl-casein as a substrate, increased 3- to 7-fold after 1 d. When the cysteine protease inhibitor (2S,3S)-trans-epoxysuccinyl-L-leucylamido-3-methyl-butane (10 [mu]M) was present in the starvation medium, both the protein degradation and the increase in the protease activity were effectively inhibited. Light microscopy analysis showed that many small spherical bodies accumulated in the perinuclear region of the cytosol 8 h after the start of the inhibitor treatment. These bodies were shown to be membrane-bound vesicles of 1 to 6 [mu]m in diameter that contained several particles. Quinacrine stained these vesicles and the central vacuole; thus, both organelles are acidic compartments. Cytochemical enzyme analysis using 1-naphthylphosphate and β-glycerophosphate as substrates showed that these vesicles contained an acid phosphatase(s). We suggest that these vesicles contribute to cellular protein degradation stimulated under sucrose starvation conditions.
Membrane-Delimited Phosphorylation Enables the Activation of the Outward-Rectifying K Channels in Motor Cell Protoplasts of Samanea saman
Authors: Moran N.
Published: August 2016

Outward-rectifying K channels activated by membrane depolarization (Kout or KD channels) control K+ efflux from plant cells. To find out to what extent phosphorylation is required for the activity of these channels, the patch-clamp method was applied to protoplasts from the legume Samanea saman in both whole-cell and isolated-patch configurations. In the absence of either Mg2+ or ATP in the “cytosolic” solution, the KD channel activity declined completely within 15 min. This decline could be reversed in excised, inside-out patches by restoring MgATP (1 mM) to the cytoplasmic side of the membrane. Mg2+ (1 mM) plus 5[prime]-adenylylimidodiphosphate (1 mM), a nonhydrolyzable ATP analog, did not substitute for ATP. Mg2+ (1 mM) plus adenosine 5[prime]-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) (25 to <100 [mu]M), an irreversibly thiophosphorylating ATP analog, sustained channel activity irreversibly. 1–(5-IsoquinolinesulphonyI)-2- methylpiperazine (100 [mu]M), a broad-range kinase inhibitor, blocked the activity of KD channels in the presence of MgATP. These results strongly suggest that the activation of the outward-rectifying K channels by depolarization depends critically on phosphorylation by a kinase tightly associated with the KD channel.
Predicting Light Acclimation in Cyanobacteria from Nonphotochemical Quenching of Photosystem II Fluorescence, Which Reflects State Transitions in These Organisms
Authors: Campbell D. , Oquist G.
Published: August 2016

An important factor in photosynthetic ecophysiology is the light regime that a photobiont is acclimated to exploit. In a wide range of cyanobacteria and cyano-lichens, the easily measured fluorescence parameters, coefficient of nonphotochemical quenching of photosystem II variable fluorescence (qN) and nonphotochemical quenching, decline to a minimum near the acclimated growth light intensity. This characteristic pattern predicts the integrated light regime to which populations are acclimated, information that is particularly useful for cyanobacteria or cyano-lichens from habitats with highly variable light intensities. qN reflects processes that compete with photosystem II photochemistry for absorbed excitation energy. In cyanobacteria, we find no evidence for energy-dependent quenching mechanisms, which are the predominant components of qN in higher plants. Instead, in cyanobacteria, qN correlates closely with the excitation flow from the phycobilisome to photosystem I, indicating that qN reflects the state transition mechanism for equilibration of excitation from the phycobilisome to the two photosystems.
CSR: retailer activities vs consumer buying decisions
Authors: Elg Ulf , Hultman Jens
Published: August 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate how a retailer’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities and image influence consumer perceptions regarding the firm’s social responsibility, and how CSR aspects influence consumers buying decisions in store for a specific product.

Design/methodology/approach

– A qualitative case study method is used, including interviews, document studies and observations. The CSR approach of a Swedish retailer is investigated at corporate level and in the store, and how this interacts with the views of consumers as they make decisions regarding the purchase of a disposable product.

Findings

– The authors propose the concept CSR identity to capture the internal efforts and positioning that a retailer attempts to achieve. Store activities and external independent stakeholders will have a main influence on whether the identity is regarded as credible by consumers. Furthermore, factors such as self-image and influences from the social network will influence whether a consumer will be committed to prioritize CSR aspects in the store.

Practical implications

– Gaps between the retailer and the consumer perspective on CSR, particularly relevant for disposable, low-involvement products are identified. It is critical for retailers to be aware of and address these gaps.

Originality/value

– The study captures corporate level, store level and consumer behaviour for a single retailer and is able to reflect upon how specific activities from the retailer interact with consumer attitudes and activities in the store. The authors connect various streams of research on CSR and retailing into one consistent framework.
Hydrologically contrasting environments induce genetic but not phenotypic differentiation in Solanum dulcamara
Authors: Zhang Qian , Peters Janny L. , Visser Eric J. W. , de Kroon Hans , Huber Heidrun
Published: August 2016

In contrasting habitats, locally adapted populations are expected to evolve through directional selection. Hydrological gradients provide a scenario where strong selection forces have led to species segregation in communities along the hydrological niche axes due to specific adaptations to their ambient environment. However, much less is known about the processes enabling species with wide ecological amplitudes, such as Solanum dulcamara L., to occupy the contrasting niches at the far ends of the gradient. Here, we investigate the question whether local adaptation is indeed the driving mechanism enabling this species to inhabit contrasting wet and dry habitats.

Using molecular analyses and performing a common garden experiment, we examined whether genetic and phenotypic differentiation had occurred between populations originating from flooding‐ and drought‐prone habitat pairs from nine different locations. We also tested whether plants were better adapted to their home site stress.

We found a significant genetic variation but hardly any phenotypic differentiation between populations from contrasting habitats for plants grown under optimal conditions. Surprisingly, comparison of the genetic differentiation in neutral markers with that in phenotypic traits using the QST‐FST (estimated by ФPT) approach revealed that the QST values were consistently and significantly smaller than the ФPT values. This is in contrast to the hypothesis that directional selection is an important component enabling S. dulcamara to survive under contrasting habitat conditions. In addition, no home site effects were detected for responses to flooding and drought treatments. All plants were characterized by high levels of plasticity for traits associated with flooding and drought tolerance, such as rapid adventitious root formation upon flooding and increased root to shoot ratio in response to drought, irrespective of habitat of origin. Moreover, no trade‐offs in such flooding and drought responses were found.

Synthesis. Our results show that S. dulcamara has not evolved locally adapted populations in response to flooding and drought stress, despite genetic differentiation and despite the presumably strong selection gradient. The generally high levels of adaptive plasticity in traits increasing flooding and drought tolerance may be the main mechanism allowing S. dulcamara to occupy hydrologically contrasting habitats.
Short‐term outcome of substance‐induced psychotic disorder in a large UK first episode psychosis cohort
Authors: Thompson A. , Marwaha S. , Winsper C. , Everard L. , Jones P. B. , Fowler D. , Amos T. , Freemantle N. , Singh S. P. , Marshall M. , Sharma V. , Birchwood M.
Published: August 2016

Objective

The incidence and outcome of first‐episode substance‐induced psychotic disorder (SIPD) are unclear. The study aimed to compare the 1‐year outcomes of those given a SIPD diagnosis by clinicians compared to other psychosis diagnoses in a first‐episode cohort.

Method

Data were from a large (n = 1027) cohort of first‐episode psychosis (FEP) patients admitted to early intervention services in the UK (National EDEN). Diagnosis, including that of SIPD, was made by treating psychiatrists at baseline using ICD10 criteria. Details on symptoms, functioning, quality of life, relapse and recovery were available at baseline and 12 months.

Results

There were 67 cases of SIPD (6.5% of the cohort). At baseline, SIPD patients were no different to other psychoses on symptoms, functioning and quality of life. At 12 months, there was no difference in SIPD and other psychoses on functioning, quality of life or relapse and recovery rates. Levels of psychotic and general symptomatology were similar but depressive symptoms were higher in the SIPD group.

Conclusions

First‐episode psychosis patients with a diagnosis of SIPD do not appear to have better outcomes than those with other primary psychotic diagnoses. The higher levels of depressive symptoms may be a specific marker in these patients.
Diagnosis and clinical management of melanoma patients at higher risk of a new primary melanoma: A population‐based study in New South Wales, Australia
Authors: Watts Caroline G , Madronio Christine M , Morton Rachael L , Goumas Chris , Armstrong Bruce K , Curtin Austin , Menzies Scott W , Mann Graham J , Thompson John F , Cust Anne E
Published: August 2016

Background/Objectives

To describe the method of diagnosis, clinical management and adherence to clinical practice guidelines for melanoma patients at high risk of a subsequent primary melanoma, and compare this with melanoma patients at lower risk.

Methods

The Melanoma Patterns of Care study was a population‐based, observational study based on doctors’ reported clinical management of melanoma patients in New South Wales, Australia, diagnosed with in situ or invasive melanoma over a 12‐month period from October 2006. Of 2605 patients with localised melanoma, 1019 (39%) were defined as at higher risk due to the presence of one or more of the following factors: a family history of melanoma (11%), multiple primary melanomas (17%), or many naevi (24%).

Results

Compared to patients at lower risk, high risk patients were more likely to receive their initial care from a primary care physician (56% vs 50%, P = 0.002), have their melanoma detected during a routine skin check (40% vs 33%, P < 0.001), have their lesion assessed with dermoscopy (63% vs 56%, P = 0.002), and be encouraged to have skin surveillance (84% vs 77%, P < 0.001) and skin self‐examination (87% vs 83%, P = 0.03). Higher socioeconomic status and urban residence were associated with patients at higher risk receiving initial treatment from a specialist doctor.

Conclusions

Clinical management of higher risk patients was more likely to conform to clinical practice guidelines for diagnosis and skin surveillance than to melanoma patients at lower risk.
Pimasertib, a selective oral MEK1/2 inhibitor: absolute bioavailability, mass balance, elimination route, and metabolite profile in cancer patients
Authors: von Richter Oliver , Massimini Giorgio , Scheible Holger , Udvaros Istvan , Johne Andreas
Published: August 2016

Aim

This trial (NCT: 01713036) investigated the absolute bioavailability, mass balance and metabolite profile of pimasertib in a new design combining these investigations in a single group of patients.

Methods

Six male patients with pathologically confirmed, locally advanced or metastatic solid tumours were enrolled. Exclusion criteria included Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status >1. In Part A of the trial, patients received a 60 mg oral dose of unlabelled pimasertib followed by an intravenous (i.v.) tracer dose of [14C]pimasertib 2 μg (equalling 9 kBq) as a bolus injection, one hour after the oral dose, on Day 1. On Day 8, all patients received 60 mg pimasertib capsules spiked with 2.6 MBq of [14C]pimasertib. Patients received 60 mg oral unlabelled pimasertib twice daily from Day 3 to Day 21 of Part A and in subsequent 21‐day cycles in Part B.

Results

Following i.v. administration, [14C]pimasertib exhibited a geometric mean total body clearance of 45.7 l h−1 (geometric coefficient of variation [geometric CV]: 47.2%) and a volume of distribution of 229 l (geometric CV: 42.0%). Absolute bioavailability was 73%. The majority of the oral [14C] dose (85.1%) was recovered in excreta. Total radioactivity was mainly excreted into urine (52.8%) and faeces (30.7%) with 78.9% of the [14C] dose recovered as metabolites. Two major circulating metabolites were identified in plasma: a carboxylic acid (M445) and a phosphoethanolamine conjugate (M554). The safety profile was in line with the published pimasertib trials.

Conclusion

Pimasertib showed a favourable pharmacokinetic profile with high absolute bioavailability and a unique metabolic pathway (conjugation with phosphoethanolamine).
Efficient Estimation for Accelerated Failure Time Model under Case-Cohort and Nested Case-Control Sampling
Authors: Kang Suhyun , Lu Wenbin , Liu Mengling
Published: August 2016

Case-cohort (Prentice, 1986) and nested case-control (Thomas, 1977) designs have been widely used as a cost-effective alternative to the full-cohort design. In this article, we propose an efficient likelihood-based estimation method for the accelerated failure time model under case-cohort and nested case-control designs. An EM algorithm is developed to maximize the likelihood function and a kernel smoothing technique is adopted to facilitate the estimation in the M-step of the EM algorithm. We show that the proposed estimators for the regression coefficients are consistent and asymptotically normal. The asymptotic variance of the estimators can be consistently estimated using an EM-aided numerical differentiation method. Simulation studies are conducted to evaluate the finite-sample performance of the estimators and an application to a Wilms tumor data set is also given to illustrate the methodology.
Bleeding related to disturbed fibrinolysis
Authors: Kolev Krasimir , Longstaff Colin
Published: August 2016

The components and reactions of the fibrinolysis system are well understood. The pathway has fewer reactants and interactions than coagulation, but the generation of a complete quantitative model is complicated by the need to work at the solid‐liquid interface of fibrin. Diagnostic tools to detect disease states due to malfunctions in the fibrinolysis pathway are also not so well developed as is the case with coagulation. However, there are clearly a number of inherited or acquired pathologies where hyperfibrinolysis is a serious, potentially life‐threatening problem and a number of antifibrinolytc drugs are available to treat hyperfibrinolysis. These topics will be covered in the following review.
A Matter of Framing: Explaining the Failure of Post‐Islamist Social Movements in the Arab Spring
Authors: Hoyle Justin A.
Published: August 2016

Shortly after the Arab Spring began in 2010, multiple scholars noted that the dominant discursive trend present within these protests was that of post‐Islamism. Post‐Islamism is broadly defined as an ideology seeking to establish a democratic state within a distinctly Islamic society. Despite the presence of post‐Islamist opportunity structures, social movements embodying post‐Islamist principles have had little success consolidating power. The theoretical argument presented here is that the failure of these movements is the result of inherent flaws within post‐Islamist frames. Specifically, this study posits that unlike traditional Islamist frames (i.e., frames emphasizing the creation of a state governed by Shari‘a) post‐Islamist frames limit the ability of movements’ to monopolize religion as a cultural asset. As such, when post‐Islamist movements face political challenges during contentious periods they cannot rely on nontemporal legitimacy to retain power. Additionally, the challenging task of integrating Islamic and democratic frames in contentious moments renders post‐Islamist movements susceptible to counterframing. The preceding claims will be tested through a comparative analysis of the Iranian Hierocracy (1977–1979), and the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (2011–2014). Comparing the experiences of a post‐Islamist movement (Brotherhood) with that of an Islamist movement (Hierocracy) will explicate the flaws within post‐Islamist frames.