bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Compound specific isotope analysis of hexachlorocyclohexane isomers: a method for source fingerprinting and field investigation of in situ biodegradation
Authors: Chartrand Michelle , Passeport Elodie , Rose Carla , Lacrampe‐Couloume Georges , Bidleman Terry F. , Jantunen Liisa M. , Sherwood Lollar Barbara
Published: February 2015

RATIONALE

The manufacturing and uses of hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) have resulted in a serious environmental challenge and legacy. This study highlights the ability of compound specific isotope analysis (CSIA) to distinguish among various HCH sources and to support the evaluation of the potential for in situ biodegradation in contaminated groundwater.

METHODS

Tests were conducted to verify the absence of significant isotope fractionation during HCH sample pre‐concentration including dichloromethane extraction, solvent exchange into iso‐octane, and H2SO4 clean‐up, and analysis by gas chromatography/combustion‐isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC/C‐IRMS). The method was then applied to four Technical Grade (TG) HCH mixtures procured from different sources and to groundwater samples from a contaminated site.

RESULTS

The pre‐concentration method enabled determination of carbon isotope ratios (δ13C values) of HCH isomers with no significant isotopic fractionation. The TG‐HCH mixtures had significantly different δ13C values. Moreover, for any given TG‐HCH, all isomers had δ13C values within 1.1‰ of each other – a distinctly uniform fingerprint. At the HCH‐contaminated field site, compared with source wells, downgradient wells showed significant (up to 5.1‰) enrichment in 13C and the δ13C values of the HCH isomers were significantly different from each other.

CONCLUSIONS

A method was successfully developed for the CSIA of HCH isomers that showed potential for HCH source differentiation and identification of HCH in situ biodegradation. At the HCH‐contaminated site, the observed preferential isotopic enrichment of certain isomers relative to others for a given source allows differentiation between biodegraded and non‐biodegraded HCH. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Mobile Manipulation and Mobility as Manipulation—Design and Algorithms of RoboSimian
Authors: Hebert Paul , Bajracharya Max , Ma Jeremy , Hudson Nicolas , Aydemir Alper , Reid Jason , Bergh Charles , Borders James , Frost Matthew , Hagman Michael , Leichty John , Backes Paul , Kennedy Brett , Karplus Paul , Satzinger Brian , Byl Katie , Shankar Krishna , Burdick Joel
Published: February 2015

This article presents the hardware design and software algorithms of RoboSimian, a statically stable quadrupedal robot capable of both dexterous manipulation and versatile mobility in difficult terrain. The robot has generalized limbs and hands capable of mobility and manipulation, along with almost fully hemispherical three‐dimensional sensing with passive stereo cameras. The system is semiautonomous, enabling low‐bandwidth, high latency control operated from a standard laptop. Because limbs are used for mobility and manipulation, a single unified mobile manipulation planner is used to generate autonomous behaviors, including walking, sitting, climbing, grasping, and manipulating. The remote operator interface is optimized to designate, parametrize, sequence, and preview behaviors, which are then executed by the robot. RoboSimian placed fifth in the DARPA Robotics Challenge Trials, demonstrating its ability to perform disaster recovery tasks in degraded human environments.
Human‐in‐the‐loop Control of a Humanoid Robot for Disaster Response: A Report from the DARPA Robotics Challenge Trials
Authors: DeDonato Mathew , Dimitrov Velin , Du Ruixiang , Giovacchini Ryan , Knoedler Kevin , Long Xianchao , Polido Felipe , Gennert Michael A. , Padır Taşkın , Feng Siyuan , Moriguchi Hirotaka , Whitman Eric , Xinjilefu X. , Atkeson Christopher G.
Published: February 2015

The DARPA Robotics Challenge (DRC) requires teams to integrate mobility, manipulation, and perception to accomplish several disaster‐response tasks. We describe our hardware choices and software architecture, which enable human‐in‐the‐loop control of a 28 degree‐of‐freedom Atlas humanoid robot over a limited bandwidth link. We discuss our methods, results, and lessons learned for the DRC Trials tasks. The effectiveness of our system architecture was demonstrated as the WPI‐CMU DRC Team scored 11 out of a possible 32 points, ranked seventh (out of 16) at the DRC Trials, and was selected as a finalist for the DRC Finals.
CHIMP, the CMU Highly Intelligent Mobile Platform
Authors: Stentz Anthony , Herman Herman , Kelly Alonzo , Meyhofer Eric , Haynes G. Clark , Stager David , Zajac Brian , Bagnell J. Andrew , Brindza Jordan , Dellin Christopher , George Michael , Gonzalez‐Mora Jose , Hyde Sean , Jones Morgan , Laverne Michel , Likhachev Maxim , Lister Levi , Powers Matt , Ramos Oscar , Ray Justin , Rice David , Scheifflee Justin , Sidki Raumi , Srinivasa Siddhartha , Strabala Kyle , Tardif Jean‐Philippe , Valois Jean‐Sebastien , Vande Weghe J. Michael , Wagner Michael , Wellington Carl
Published: February 2015

We have developed the CHIMP (CMU Highly Intelligent Mobile Platform) robot as a platform for executing complex tasks in dangerous, degraded, human‐engineered environments. CHIMP has a near‐human form factor, work‐envelope, strength, and dexterity to work effectively in these environments. It avoids the need for complex control by maintaining static rather than dynamic stability. Utilizing various sensors embedded in the robot's head, CHIMP generates full three‐dimensional representations of its environment and transmits these models to a human operator to achieve latency‐free situational awareness. This awareness is used to visualize the robot within its environment and preview candidate free‐space motions. Operators using CHIMP are able to select between task, workspace, and joint space control modes to trade between speed and generality. Thus, they are able to perform remote tasks quickly, confidently, and reliably, due to the overall design of the robot and software. CHIMP's hardware was designed, built, and tested over 15 months leading up to the DARPA Robotics Challenge. The software was developed in parallel using surrogate hardware and simulation tools. Over a six‐week span prior to the DRC Trials, the software was ported to the robot, the system was debugged, and the tasks were practiced continuously. Given the aggressive schedule leading to the DRC Trials, development of CHIMP focused primarily on manipulation tasks. Nonetheless, our team finished 3rd out of 16. With an upcoming year to develop new software for CHIMP, we look forward to improving the robot's capability and increasing its speed to compete in the DRC Finals.
Understanding Korean Transnational Girls in High School Science Classes: Beyond the Model Minority Stereotype
Authors: RYU MINJUNG
Published: February 2015

This study examines six Korean transnational girls enrolled in two advanced placement (AP) biology classes to understand their experiences in science classrooms at the intersection of race, language, and gender. Confronting the model minority stereotype for Asian students, which is particularly salient in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics related disciplines, I ask why these six girls chose to take advanced science and mathematics classes, in general, and AP biology, in particular, and what challenges they faced in the focal biology classes. Based on an analysis of classroom observation and interview data, I argue that their decisions to take science and mathematics courses were ways of negotiating their positions as members of a racial minority, English learners, and Koreans with stereotyped characteristics. In the class, they encountered challenges related to various modes of language used in advanced science classes, such as unfamiliar science terms, complex texts, social linguistic skills required in discursive practices, and various knowledge going beyond class texts. While challenged, the girls were not empowered enough to pursue academic assistance in the gendered sites of the AP biology class. I discuss research and pedagogical implications of the study focusing on the science education of transnational nonnative English‐speaking students.
Language, Access, and Power in the Elementary Science Classroom
Authors: SCHOERNING EMILY , HAND BRIAN , SHELLEY MACK , THERRIEN WILLIAM
Published: February 2015

The Next Generation Science Standards call for the adoption of many aspects of scientific inquiry in the classroom. The ways in which classroom talk and classroom environment change as students and teachers learn to utilize inquiry approaches are underexplored. This study examines the frequency with which linguistic markers related to access and power appear in student and teacher speech in the elementary science classroom. As teachers begin to implement argument‐based inquiry methods, teacher and student use of these markers changes significantly. These changes indicate that students whose teachers utilize argument‐based inquiry have greater access and power in the science classroom. In this paper, the mechanisms by which teachers afford their students access and power are explored from a quantitative perspective.
A mixed‐effect model for positive responses augmented by zeros
Authors: Rodrigues‐Motta Mariana , Galvis Soto Diana Milena , Lachos Victor H. , Vilca Filidor , Baltar Valéria Troncoso , Junior Eliseu Verly , Fisberg Regina Mara , Lobo Marchioni Dirce Maria
Published: February 2015

In this research article, we propose a class of models for positive and zero responses by means of a zero‐augmented mixed regression model. Under this class, we are particularly interested in studying positive responses whose distribution accommodates skewness. At the same time, responses can be zero, and therefore, we justify the use of a zero‐augmented mixture model. We model the mean of the positive response in a logarithmic scale and the mixture probability in a logit scale, both as a function of fixed and random effects. Moreover, the random effects link the two random components through their joint distribution and incorporate within‐subject correlation because of the repeated measurements and between‐subject heterogeneity. A Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm is tailored to obtain Bayesian posterior distributions of the unknown quantities of interest, and Bayesian case‐deletion influence diagnostics based on the q‐divergence measure is performed. We apply the proposed method to a dataset from a 24hour dietary recall study conducted in the city of São Paulo and present a simulation study to evaluate the performance of the proposed methods. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Factors Influencing the Growth of Pt Nanowires via Chemical Self‐Assembly and their Fuel Cell Performance
Authors: Meng Hui , Zhan Yunfeng , Zeng Dongrong , Zhang Xiaoxue , Zhang Guoqing , Jaouen Frédéric
Published: February 2015

This work reports a detailed investigation of the template‐free synthesis of Pt nanowires via the chemical reduction of Pt salt precursors with formic‐acid. The results indicate that both the oxidation state of Pt in the salt and the pH value of the aqueous solution comprising the platinum salt and formic acid are critical factors for the formation of Pt nanowires. Nanowires are obtained from platinum atoms in a +IV oxidation state, with ligating chloride anions (H2PtCl6 and K2PtCl6) or nonligating chloride anions (PtCl4). Increasing the pH of the aqueous Pt salt and HCOOH solution leads to a drastic reduction of the nanowires' length between pH 3 and 4.5. A mechanism involving formate as a reducing agent and formic acid as a structure directing agent explains these results. The Pt nanowires are stable up to 200 °C; therefore, these nanowires are suitable for use as catalysts in proton‐exchange‐membrane fuel cell. The optimized synthesis conditions are then selected for investigating the kinetics of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) of such nanowires in a fuel cell. The ORR mass activity of the Pt nanowires is 130 A g−1 Pt at 0.9 V iR‐free potential; significantly higher than that of two commercial Pt/C catalysts tested in the same conditions. The higher mass activity is explained based on a higher surface specific activity. Accelerated degradation tests indicate that Pt nanowires supported on carbon are as stable as Pt nanoparticles supported on carbon.
Prospective multicenter study of ultrasound‐based measurements of fetal head station and position throughout labor
Authors: Vitner D. , Paltieli Y. , Haberman S. , Gonen R. , Ville Y. , Nizard J.
Published: February 2015

ABSTRACT

Objectives

To assess the relationship between fetal head position and head station during labor, as measured using an ultrasound‐based system, and the occurrence of occiput posterior (OP) position at delivery.

Methods

This was an international prospective observational study including women who delivered between January 2009 and September 2013 in four centers: one in Brooklyn, NY, USA; one in Haifa, Israel; and two in Paris, France. We used an ultrasound‐based system (LaborPro) to monitor fetal head station and position non‐invasively throughout labor. We collected data on demographics, labor parameters and outcome.

Results

A total of 595 women were included. In 563 (94.6%) women, fetal head position at delivery was occiput anterior (OA), in 31 (5.2%) it was OP and in one (0.2%) it was occiput transverse. In 89% of pregnancies with intrapartum OP when fetal head station was above −2, the head position turned to OA at delivery; the equivalent figures were 74% and 63% OA at delivery when intrapartum OP was diagnosed at head stations of −2 to < 0, and 0 and below, respectively. Cesarean delivery was performed in 35% of pregnancies with fetal head in OP position at delivery, as opposed to 10% of those with non‐OP position at delivery. On retrospective analysis, all deliveries in OP were already in OP at station −2 and below.

Conclusions

In this first assessment of fetal head position at delivery according to fetal head position at various station levels, our data show that 100% of OP positions at delivery were already in OP position at station −2 and below. We did not observe rotation from a non‐OP to an OP position from station −2 and below. Nearly two‐thirds of fetuses in OP at station 0 and below will rotate to an OA position for delivery. Copyright © 2015 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Fetal middle cerebral artery and umbilical artery pulsatility index: effects of maternal characteristics and medical history
Authors: Akolekar R. , Sarno L. , Wright A. , Wright D. , Nicolaides K. H.
Published: February 2015

Objective

To define the contribution of maternal variables which influence the measured fetal middle cerebral artery (MCA) and umbilical artery (UA) pulsatility index (PI) in the assessment of fetal wellbeing.

Methods

Maternal characteristics and medical history were recorded and fetal MCA‐PI and UA‐PI (n = 36 818) were measured in women with singleton pregnancies attending a routine hospital visit at 30 + 0 to 37 + 6 weeks' gestation. For pregnancies delivering phenotypically normal live births or stillbirths ≥ 30 weeks' gestation, variables among maternal demographic characteristics and medical history that are important in the prediction of MCA‐PI and UA‐PI were determined by multiple linear regression analysis.

Results

Significant independent contributions to MCA‐PI were provided by gestational age at assessment, East Asian racial origin, being parous and birth‐weight Z‐score of the neonate of the previous pregnancy. Significant independent contributions to UA‐PI were provided by gestational age at assessment, Afro‐Caribbean, East Asian and mixed racial origin, cigarette smoking, being parous and birth‐weight Z‐score of the neonate of the previous pregnancy. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to define the contribution of maternal variables that influence the measured MCA‐PI and UA‐PI and express the values as multiples of the median (MoMs). The cerebroplacental ratio (CPR) MoM was calculated by dividing MCA‐PI MoM by UA‐PI MoM. The model was shown to provide an adequate fit of MoM values for all covariates, both in pregnancies that delivered small‐for‐gestational‐age neonates and in those without this pregnancy complication.

Conclusions

A model was fitted to express MCA‐PI, UA‐PI and CPR as MoMs after adjusting for variables from maternal characteristics and medical history that affect this measurement. Copyright © 2015 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Accuracy of three‐dimensional ultrasound compared with magnetic resonance imaging in diagnosis of Müllerian duct anomalies using ESHRE–ESGE consensus on the classification of congenital anomalies of the female genital tract
Authors: Graupera B. , Pascual M. A. , Hereter L. , Browne J. L. , Úbeda B. , Rodríguez I. , Pedrero C.
Published: February 2015

Objective

To establish the accuracy of three‐dimensional ultrasound (3D‐US), compared with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), for diagnosing uterine anomalies, using the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology–European Society for Gynaecological Endoscopy (ESHRE–ESGE) consensus on the classification of congenital anomalies of the female genital tract.

Methods

Sixty women with uterine anomalies suspected after examination by conventional two‐dimensional ultrasound were evaluated with 3D‐US and MRI. These data were analyzed retrospectively to confirm the presence and type of uterine malformation in accordance with the ESHRE–ESGE consensus. Sensitivity, specificity and positive (PPV) and negative (NPV) predictive values were calculated, using MRI as the gold standard, and agreement between the two methods was evaluated by kappa index.

Results

Compared with MRI, for the diagnosis of normal uteri, 3D‐US had a sensitivity of 83.3%, specificity of 100%, PPV of 100%, NPV of 98.2% and kappa index of 0.900. For dysmorphic uteri and for hemi‐uteri, the sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV were all 100%, and kappa was 1.00. For septate uteri, the sensitivity was 100%, specificity was 88.9%, PPV was 95.5%, NPV was 100% and kappa was 0.918. For bicorporeal uteri, the sensitivity was 83.3%, specificity was 100%, PPV was 100%, NPV was 98.2% and kappa was 0.900.

Conclusions

3D‐US is highly accurate for diagnosing uterine malformations, having a good level of agreement with MRI in the classification of different anomaly types based on the ESHRE–ESGE consensus. Copyright © 2015 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Climate–conflict research: some reflections on the way forward
Authors: Buhaug Halvard
Published: February 2015

A decade of systematic research on climate change and armed conflict has revealed a number of interesting patterns but few results that are robust across studies. This essay takes stock of the quantitative empirical literature, identifies central limitations, and presents five priorities for future research in the field. While these priorities refer to technical and operational aspects of statistical analysis, their underlying motivation, and objective, is to develop a better and more refined theoretical understanding of possible indirect and conditional connections between climatic changes and violent conflict. WIREs Clim Change 2015, 6:269–275. doi: 10.1002/wcc.336

This article is categorized under:

Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Change > Values‐Based Approach to Vulnerability and Adaptation
Esophagectomy for End‐Stage Achalasia
Authors: Watson Thomas J.
Published: February 2015

Achalasia is a disease for which treatments are palliative in nature. Success of therapy is judged by a number of metrics, the most important being relief of symptoms, such as dysphagia and regurgitation. Patients often compensate for symptoms though a variety of dietary and lifestyle modifications, making symptomatic assessment of therapeutic outcome unreliable. Given this fact, and the progressive nature of the condition if left inadequately treated, patients not infrequently present with the disabling manifestations of end‐stage disease for which esophagectomy is the best option. In appropriately selected patients, and when performed in experienced centers, esophagectomy with foregut reconstruction can be undertaken successfully with acceptable rates of morbidity and mortality, as well as a good long‐term symptomatic outcome, in cases of end‐stage achalasia.
Experimental evidence suggesting that H2O2 is produced within the thylakoid membrane in a reaction between plastoquinol and singlet oxygen
Authors: Khorobrykh Sergey A. , Karonen Maarit , Tyystjärvi Esa
Published: February 2015

Plastoquinol (PQH2‐9) and plastoquinone (PQ‐9) mediate photosynthetic electron transfer. We isolated PQH2‐9 from thylakoid membranes, purified it with HPLC, subjected the purified PQH2‐9 to singlet oxygen (1O2) and analyzed the products. The main reaction of 1O2 with PQH2‐9 in methanol was found to result in formation of PQ‐9 and H2O2, and the amount of H2O2 produced was essentially the same as the amount of oxidized PQH2‐9. Formation of H2O2 in the reaction between 1O2 and PQH2‐9 may be an important source of H2O2 within the lipophilic thylakoid membrane.
Evolving dynamics of the relationship between US core inflation and unemployment
Authors: Putnam Bluford H. , Azzarello Samantha
Published: February 2015

Labor market dynamics in the US are changing due to long‐term factors including decelerating labor force growth, rising age of the labor force, and the rapid advance of e‐commerce, as well as the one‐time downward adjustment during 2009–2013 of the size of state and local government work forces. We discuss some of the controversies revolving around how to analyze labor markets in this dynamic environment from the perspective of monetary policymaking, given the dual mandate of the Federal Reserve to encourage both full employment and price stability.

Our statistical research documents the changing association between US unemployment and core inflation. There was a perceived trade‐off between inflation and unemployment in the 1950s and 1960s that gave way to stagflation in the 1970s, when both unemployment and inflation were rising. The 1980s were a transition period where the trade‐off was perceived to have returned. This trade‐off has not been so clear, however, when one looks at the last twenty years. Since 1995, a period of stable and low inflation was consistently observed despite considerable cycles in the unemployment rate.

Our theoretical discussion provides a dynamic interpretation of the shifting nature of labor markets, with the objective of pointing the way for future research while highlighting crucial differences in possible interpretations that could fuel debate, both inside and outside the Fed, over how the Fed should manage its dual mandate. The dynamic changes being seen in US labor markets all suggest that the effectiveness of monetary policy to encourage full employment may be vastly overstated. If this interpretation is correct, the Fed may need to reconsider how to manage its dual mandate and react less aggressively to perceived labor slack that may be due to longer‐term structural shifts over which the Fed has no influence.
Positive Association of D Allele of ACE Gene With High Altitude Pulmonary Edema in Indian Population
Authors: Bhagi Shuchi , Srivastava Swati , Tomar Arvind , Bala Singh Shashi , Sarkar Soma
Published: February 2015

Objective

High altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) is a potentially fatal high altitude illness occurring as a result of hypobaric hypoxia with an unknown underlying genetic mechanism. Recent studies have shown a possible association between HAPE and polymorphisms in genes of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS), which play a key role in sensitivity of an individual toward HAPE.

Methods

For the present investigation, study groups consisted of HAPE patients (HAPE) and acclimatized control subjects (rCON). Four single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were genotyped using restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis in genes of the RAAS pathway, specifically, renin ( REN) C(–4063)T (rs41317140) and RENi8–83 (rs2368564), angiotensin ( AGT) M(235)T (rs699), and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) insertion/deletion (I/D) (rs1799752).

Results

Only the I/D polymorphism of the ACE gene showed a significant difference between the HAPE and rCON groups. The frequency of the D allele was found to be significantly higher in the HAPE group. Arterial oxygen saturation levels were significantly lower in the HAPE group compared with the rCON group and also decreased in the I/D and D/D genotypes compared with the I/I genotype in these groups. The other polymorphisms occurring in the REN and AGT genes were not significantly different between the 2 groups.

Conclusions

These findings demonstrate a possible association of the I/D polymorphism of the ACE gene with the development of HAPE, with D/D being the at-risk genotype.
Global Health Security Demands a Strong International Health Regulations Treaty and Leadership From a Highly Resourced World Health Organization
Authors: Burkle Frederick M.
Published: February 2015

If the Ebola tragedy of West Africa has taught us anything, it should be that the 2005 International Health Regulations (IHR) Treaty, which gave unprecedented authority to the World Health Organization (WHO) to provide global public health security during public health emergencies of international concern, has fallen severely short of its original goal. After encouraging successes with the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) pandemic, the intent of the legally binding Treaty to improve the capacity of all countries to detect, assess, notify, and respond to public health threats has shamefully lapsed. Despite the granting of 2-year extensions in 2012 to countries to meet core surveillance and response requirements, less than 20% of countries have complied. Today it is not realistic to expect that these gaps will be solved or narrowed in the foreseeable future by the IHR or the WHO alone under current provisions. The unfortunate failures that culminated in an inadequate response to the Ebola epidemic in West Africa are multifactorial, including funding, staffing, and poor leadership decisions, but all are reversible. A rush by the Global Health Security Agenda partners to fill critical gaps in administrative and operational areas has been crucial in the short term, but questions remain as to the real priorities of the G20 as time elapses and critical gaps in public health protections and infrastructure take precedence over the economic and security needs of the developed world. The response from the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network and foreign medical teams to Ebola proved indispensable to global health security, but both deserve stronger strategic capacity support and institutional status under the WHO leadership granted by the IHR Treaty. Treaties are the most successful means the world has in preventing, preparing for, and controlling epidemics in an increasingly globalized world. Other options are not sustainable. Given the gravity of ongoing failed treaty management, the slow and incomplete process of reform, the magnitude and complexity of infectious disease outbreaks, and the rising severity of public health emergencies, a recommitment must be made to complete and restore the original mandates as a collaborative and coordinated global network responsibility, not one left to the actions of individual countries. The bottom line is that the global community can no longer tolerate an ineffectual and passive international response system. As such, this Treaty has the potential to become one of the most effective treaties for crisis response and risk reduction worldwide. Practitioners and health decision-makers worldwide must break their silence and advocate for a stronger Treaty and a return of WHO authority. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2015;9:568–580)
Reviving the Remains of Colonization – The Belgian Colonial Archives in Brussels
Authors: Piret Bérengère
Published: February 2015

Since 1997, all the archives of Belgian Congo are deposited at the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Brussels and are opened up the public. For more than fifteen years, researchers have consulted and scrutinized its documents produced by the colonial authorities between 1908 and 1960. Still several collections have not been explored. This article relates of the history and the organization of the archives of Belgian Congo.
Dietary magnesium deficiency alters gut microbiota and leads to depressive-like behaviour
Authors: Winther Gudrun , Pyndt Jørgensen Betina M , Elfving Betina , Nielsen Denis Sandris , Kihl Pernille , Lund Sten , Sørensen Dorte Bratbo , Wegener Gregers
Published: February 2015

Objective

Gut microbiota (GM) has previously been associated with alterations in rodent behaviour, and since the GM is affected by the diet, the composition of the diet may be an important factor contributing to behavioural changes. Interestingly, a magnesium restricted diet has been shown to induce anxiety and depressive-like behaviour in humans and rodents, and it could be suggested that magnesium deficiency may mediate the effects through an altered GM.

Methods

The present study therefore fed C57BL/6 mice with a standard diet or a magnesium deficient diet (MgD) for 6 weeks, followed by behavioural testing in the forced swim test (FST) to evaluate depressive-like behaviour. An intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test (GTT) was performed 2 day after the FST to assess metabolic alterations. Neuroinflammatory markers were analysed from hippocampus. GM composition was analysed and correlated to the behaviour and hippocampal markers.

Results

It was found that mice exposed to MgD for 6 weeks were more immobile than control mice in the FST, suggesting an increased depressive-like behaviour. No significant difference was detected in the GTT. GM composition correlated positively with the behaviour of undisturbed C57BL/6 mice, feeding MgD diet altered the microbial composition. The altered GM correlated positively to the hippocampal interleukin-6.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we hypothesise that imbalances of the microbiota–gut–brain axis induced by consuming a MgD diet, contributes to the development of depressive-like behaviour.
The combined impact of adherence to five lifestyle factors on all-cause, cancer and cardiovascular mortality: a prospective cohort study among Danish men and women
Authors: Petersen Kristina E. N. , Johnsen Nina F. , Olsen Anja , Albieri Vanna , Olsen Lise K. H. , Dragsted Lars O. , Overvad Kim , Tjønneland Anne , Egeberg Rikke
Published: February 2015

Individual lifestyle factors have been associated with lifestyle diseases and premature mortality by an accumulating body of evidence. The impact of a combination of lifestyle factors on mortality has been investigated in several studies, but few have applied a simple index taking national guidelines into account. The objective of the present prospective cohort study was to investigate the combined impact of adherence to five lifestyle factors (smoking, alcohol intake, physical activity, waist circumference and diet) on all-cause, cancer and cardiovascular mortality based on international and national health recommendations. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) with 95 % CI. During a median follow-up of 14 years, 3941 men and 2827 women died. Among men, adherence to one additional health recommendation was associated with an adjusted HR of 0·73 (95 % CI 0·71, 0·75) for all-cause mortality, 0·74 (95 % CI 0·71, 0·78) for cancer mortality and 0·70 (95 % CI 0·65, 0·75) for cardiovascular mortality. Among women, the corresponding HR was 0·72 (95 % CI 0·70, 0·75) for all-cause mortality, 0·76 (95 % CI 0·73, 0·80) for cancer mortality and 0·63 (95 % CI 0·57, 0·70) for cardiovascular mortality. In the present study, adherence to merely one additional health recommendation had a protective effect on mortality risk, indicating a huge potential in enhancing healthy lifestyle behaviours of the population.
New data on lithistid sponges from the deep Florida shelf with description of a new species ofTheonella
Authors: Pisera Andrzej , Pomponi Shirley A.
Published: February 2015

Most lithistids occur worldwide in deep-water environments, but can be found in some places in shallow water. They are not well known in the tropical western Atlantic, despite the fact that they were first described in the late 1800s. We report here two species of poorly known theonellid demosponges (Astrophorina),Discodermia dissolutaandTheonella atlantica, and one new species,Theonella wrightae, from the north-west, south-west and south Florida shelf. There is considerable variability in habitus, colour and spiculation in this species. If samples are taken randomly from different specimens and from functionally and structurally different locations on the sponge, the specimens could be mistakenly identified or individuals of the same species could be described as different species. This report increases the number of lithistid sponges reported from the tropical western Atlantic region to 30 species, but our unpublished data suggest a much higher number of species present in this region. It is also the second report of the relatively deep-water (81 m) occurrence ofD. dissolutathat is mostly known from depths as shallow as 10–30 m.
Environmental predictors of diarrhoeal infection for rural and urban communities in south India in children and adults
Authors: KATTULA D. , FRANCIS M. R. , KULINKINA A. , SARKAR R. , MOHAN V. R. , BABJI S. , WARD H. D. , KANG G. , BALRAJ V. , NAUMOVA E. N.
Published: February 2015

Diarrhoeal diseases are major causes of morbidity and mortality in developing countries. This longitudinal study aimed to identify controllable environmental drivers of intestinal infections amidst a highly contaminated drinking water supply in urban slums and villages of Vellore, Tamil Nadu in southern India. Three hundred households with children (<5 years) residing in two semi-urban slums and three villages were visited weekly for 12–18 months to monitor gastrointestinal morbidity. Households were surveyed at baseline to obtain information on environmental and behavioural factors relevant to diarrhoea. There were 258 diarrhoeal episodes during the follow-up period, resulting in an overall incidence rate of 0·12 episodes/person-year. Incidence and longitudinal prevalence rates of diarrhoea were twofold higher in the slums compared to rural communities (P < 0·0002). Regardless of study site, diarrhoeal incidence was highest in infants (<1 year) at 1·07 episodes/person-year, and decreased gradually with increasing age. Increasing diarrhoeal rates were associated with presence of children (<5 years), domesticated animals and low socioeconomic status. In rural communities, open-field defecation was associated with diarrhoea in young children. This study demonstrates the contribution of site-specific environmental and behavioural factors in influencing endemic rates of urban and rural diarrhoea in a region with highly contaminated drinking water.
Spatial–temporal patterns of surface melting observed over Antarctic ice shelves using scatterometer data
Authors: Oza Sandip Rashmikant
Published: February 2015

Ice shelves fringing Antarctica are sensitive indicators of climate change due to the direct interface with the atmosphere and ocean. Meltwater induced by atmospheric warming percolates from the surface into hydrofractures and affects shelf stability. Surface melting reduces the microwave backscattering; thus backscatter data is useful in melt monitoring. The Ku-band scatterometer derived melting index (MI) was utilized to assess the decadal (2000–10) variability observed over Antarctic ice shelves. The low intensity melting observed over large ice shelves and high intensity melting observed over the Larsen, Amery, West and Shackleton ice shelves are discussed. A correlation of around 93% was observed between MI variation and rift propagation over Amery Ice Shelf. The El Niño and the Southern Oscillation (ENSO) correlation with MI was also investigated. The paper highlights that scatterometer derived information has the potential to assess meltwater production and rift propagation.
Deforestation slowdown in the Brazilian Amazon: prices or policies?
Authors: Assunção Juliano , Gandour Clarissa , Rocha Rudi
Published: February 2015

This paper investigates the contribution of agricultural output prices and policies to the reduction in Amazon deforestation in the 2000s. Based on a panel of Amazon municipalities from 2002 through 2009, we first show that deforestation responded to agricultural output prices. After controlling for price effects, we find that conservation policies implemented beginning in 2004 and 2008 significantly contributed to the curbing of deforestation. Counterfactual simulations suggest that conservation policies avoided approximately 73,000 km2of deforestation, or 56 per cent of total forest clearings that would have occurred from 2005 through 2009 had the policies adopted beginning in 2004 and 2008 not been introduced. This is equivalent to an avoided loss of 2.7 billion tonnes of stored carbon dioxide.
Human Rights Day after the ‘breakthrough’: celebrating the Universal Declaration of Human Rights at the United Nations in 1978 and 1988
Authors: Burke Roland
Published: February 2015

This article examines the impact of the late 1970s ‘breakthrough’ in human rights, as it was registered within the United Nations. It analyses the debates on human rights at the thirtieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, in December 1978, and those a decade later. These two moments, among the few that invited explicit reflection from states on the meaning of human rights, and of their universality, reveal that the effects of the ‘breakthrough’ arrived at the UN after a long period of latency. Even by 1988, their manifestation was only partial, and often contradictory. The profound gap between the efflorescence in the NGO movement and the depressing stasis, or worse, elsewhere suggests the need for a more complex periodization of the 1970s as an era of decisive triumph in the ascent of human rights.
Engineering inter-imperialism: American miners and the transformation of global mining, 1871–1910
Authors: Tuffnell Stephen
Published: February 2015

This article examines the transnational circulation of American mine engineers between the United States, southern Africa, and the Americas in the late nineteenth century. Technology and knowledge was diffused worldwide with the circulation of American engineers who styled themselves as expert race managers as they compared the labour practices of mines across the world. The article's focus is the extension of the United States’ global footprint to South Africa, where an expatriate ‘colony’ of American engineers created a resilient form of Anglo-American inter-imperial collaboration. As they worked the Rand, American engineers made transnational comparisons of South African and North and South American mines. In the process, they led a global discussion of the efficiency of mining labour that reified white management of other races. After leaving the Rand, American engineers migrated across the globe, many to Mexico, where the interwoven networks of expert knowledge, industrial capitalism, and transnational race-making that characterized late nineteenth-century global mining followed.
Wie effektiv sind Maßnahmen zur Förderung der phonologischen Bewusstheit?
Authors: Fischer Melanie Y. , Pfost Maximilian
Published: February 2015

Die phonologische Bewusstheit wird vielfach als notwendige Voraussetzung für den Schriftspracherwerb gesehen und stellt daher einen möglichen Ansatzpunkt für intervenierende Maßnahmen dar. Die Wirksamkeit von Trainingsprogrammen wurde jedoch bislang im deutschen Sprachraum nicht zusammenfassend geprüft. Im Rahmen der vorliegenden Arbeit wurde geprüft, ob ein Training phonologischer Bewusstheit für deutschsprachige Kinder effektiv ist, um deren Schriftspracherwerb zu fördern. Insgesamt wurden 19 Arbeiten, welche 22 Trainings-Kontrollgruppen-Vergleiche enthielten, durch eine systematische Literaturrecherche identifiziert und deren Ergebnisse meta-analytisch integriert. Für Maße der phonologischen Bewusstheit zeigte sich ein mittlerer, statistisch bedeutsamer Trainingseffekt in Höhe von d = 0.36. Ebenso waren im Mittel kurzfristige (d = 0.21) sowie langfristige (d = 0.14) signifikante Transfereffekte für das Lesen und Rechtschreiben nachweisbar. Im Vergleich zu Ergebnissen aus dem englischen Sprachraum zeigen die hier integrierten Befunde eine geringere Wirksamkeit von Fördermaßnahmen der phonologischen Bewusstheit für den Schriftspracherwerb im Deutschen. Systematische Orthographieunterschiede stellen einen Erklärungsansatz für diese divergierende Befundlage dar.
Validated predictive modelling of the environmental resistome
Authors: Amos Gregory C A , Gozzard Emma , Carter Charlotte E , Mead Andrew , Bowes Mike J , Hawkey Peter M , Zhang Lihong , Singer Andrew C , Gaze William H , Wellington Elizabeth M H
Published: February 2015

Multi-drug-resistant bacteria pose a significant threat to public health. The role of the environment in the overall rise in antibiotic-resistant infections and risk to humans is largely unknown. This study aimed to evaluate drivers of antibiotic-resistance levels across the River Thames catchment, model key biotic, spatial and chemical variables and produce predictive models for future risk assessment. Sediment samples from 13 sites across the River Thames basin were taken at four time points across 2011 and 2012. Samples were analysed for class 1 integron prevalence and enumeration of third-generation cephalosporin-resistant bacteria. Class 1 integron prevalence was validated as a molecular marker of antibiotic resistance; levels of resistance showed significant geospatial and temporal variation. The main explanatory variables of resistance levels at each sample site were the number, proximity, size and type of surrounding wastewater-treatment plants. Model 1 revealed treatment plants accounted for 49.5% of the variance in resistance levels. Other contributing factors were extent of different surrounding land cover types (for example, Neutral Grassland), temporal patterns and prior rainfall; when modelling all variables the resulting model (Model 2) could explain 82.9% of variations in resistance levels in the whole catchment. Chemical analyses correlated with key indicators of treatment plant effluent and a model (Model 3) was generated based on water quality parameters (contaminant and macro- and micro-nutrient levels). Model 2 was beta tested on independent sites and explained over 78% of the variation in integron prevalence showing a significant predictive ability. We believe all models in this study are highly useful tools for informing and prioritising mitigation strategies to reduce the environmental resistome.
How deeply does your mutant sleep? Probing arousal to better understand sleep defects in Drosophila
Authors: Faville R. , Kottler B. , Goodhill G. J. , Shaw P. J. , van Swinderen B.
Published: February 2015

The fruitfly, Drosophila melanogaster, has become a critical model system for investigating sleep functions. Most studies use duration of inactivity to measure sleep. However, a defining criterion for sleep is decreased behavioral responsiveness to stimuli. Here we introduce the Drosophila ARousal Tracking system (DART), an integrated platform for efficiently tracking and probing arousal levels in animals. This video-based platform delivers positional and locomotion data, behavioral responsiveness to stimuli, sleep intensity measures and homeostatic regulation effects – all in one combined system. We show how insight into dynamically changing arousal thresholds is crucial for any sleep study in flies. We first find that arousal probing uncovers different sleep intensity profiles among related genetic background strains previously assumed to have equivalent sleep patterns. We then show how sleep duration and sleep intensity can be uncoupled, with distinct manipulations of dopamine function producing opposite effects on sleep duration but similar sleep intensity defects. We conclude by providing a multi-dimensional assessment of combined arousal and locomotion metrics in the mutant and background strains. Our approach opens the door for deeper insights into mechanisms of sleep regulation and provides a new method for investigating the role of different genetic manipulations in controlling sleep and arousal.
Direct quantification of total sulfur dioxide in wine using triple quadrupole ICP-MS
Authors: Wang Xiao-wei , Liu Jing-fu , Wang Xiao-yan , Shao Bing , Liu Li-ping , Zhang Jing
Published: February 2015

The unanimous ionization efficiency of various S-containing compounds indicates the great convenience for determination of total SO2in wineviaICP-QQQ.
A universal sensing platform based on the repair ligation-mediated light-producing DNA machine
Authors: Xu Qinfeng , Zhang Yan , Zhang Chun-yang
Published: February 2015

We developed a universal sensing platform based on the repair ligation-mediated light-producing DNA machines.
Electronic-structure-based material descriptors: (in)dependence on self-interaction and Hartree–Fock exchange
Authors: Notario-Estévez A. , Kozlov S. M. , Viñes F. , Illas F.
Published: February 2015

We show here the general validity of most popular electronic structure based material descriptors for all transition metals, unbiased by the usage of one or more specific density functional computational methods.
Discrete {GdIII4M} (M = GdIII or CoII) pentanuclear complexes: a new class of metal-organophosphate molecular coolers
Authors: Gupta Sandeep K. , Dar Aijaz A. , Rajeshkumar Thayalan , Kuppuswamy Subramaniam , Langley Stuart K. , Murray Keith S. , Rajaraman Gopalan , Murugavel Ramaswamy
Published: February 2015

A higher magnetic entropy change is observed for the homometallic {GdIII5} complex (25.8 J kg−1 K−1) as compared to the heterometallic {GdIII4CoII} complex (20.3 J kg−1 K−1).
Hydrocarbon liquid production via the bioCRACK process and catalytic hydroprocessing of the product oil
Authors: Schwaiger N. , Elliott D. C. , Ritzberger J. , Wang H. , Pucher P. , Siebenhofer M.
Published: February 2015

Combination of liquid phase pyrolysis based bioCRACK biomass liquefaction and catalytic hydroprocessing for Hydrocarbon production.
Copper and zinc complexes of a diaza-crown ether as artificial nucleases for the efficient hydrolytic cleavage of DNA
Authors: Li Fang-zhen , Xie Jia-qing , Feng Fa-mei
Published: February 2015

Copper and zinc complexes of a diaza-crown ether, serving as artificial nucleases, exhibited high nuclease activities towards the hydrolytic cleavage of DNA.
Investigation of the electrical conductivity and optical property of polyaniline-based nanocomposite and its application as an ethanol vapor sensor
Authors: Khan Md. Dilwar Alam , Akhtar Arshia , Nabi Syed Ashfaq
Published: February 2015

A semi-conducting polyaniline–Sn(iv)iodophosphate nanocomposite ethanol sensor with quick response and reproducible behavior.
Greener [3+3] tandem annulation–oxidation approach towards the synthesis of substituted pyrimidines
Authors: Vadagaonkar Kamlesh S. , Kalmode Hanuman P. , Prakash Sattey , Chaskar Atul C.
Published: February 2015

An efficient and practical method using choline hydroxide has been developed for the production of a wide range of substituted pyrimidines.
A high triplet-energy polymer: synthesis and photo-physical properties of a π-stacked vinyl polymer having a xanthone moiety in the side chain
Authors: Sugino Hiroyoshi , Koyama Yasuhito , Nakano Tamaki
Published: February 2015

Poly(xanthon-3-yl methacrylate) having a π-stacked conformation efficiently harvests photo excitation energy for sky blue phosphorescent emission of iridium bis[(4,6-difluorophenyl)pyridinato-N,C2]picolinate (FIrpic) in solution and in film.
DFT study on the adsorption and dissociation of H2S on CuO(111) surface
Authors: Sun Shujuan , Zhang Dongsheng , Li Chunyu , Wang Yanji
Published: February 2015

The pathways of the dissociation H2S on the CuO(111) surface are presented in this work.