bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Protein ingestion preserves proteasome activity during intense aseptic inflammation and facilitates skeletal muscle recovery in humans
Authors: Draganidis Dimitrios , Chondrogianni Niki , Chatzinikolaou Athanasios , Terzis Gerasimos , Karagounis Leonidas G. , Sovatzidis Apostolos , Avloniti Alexandra , Lefaki Maria , Protopapa Maria , Deli Chariklia K. , Papanikolaou Konstantinos , Jamurtas Athanasios Z. , Fatouros Ioannis G.
Published: August 2017

The ubiquitin–proteasome system (UPS) is the main cellular proteolytic system responsible for the degradation of normal and abnormal (e.g. oxidised) proteins. Under catabolic conditions characterised by chronic inflammation, the UPS is activated resulting in proteolysis, muscle wasting and impaired muscle function. Milk proteins provide sulphur-containing amino acid and have been proposed to affect muscle inflammation. However, the response of the UPS to aseptic inflammation and protein supplementation is largely unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate how milk protein supplementation affects UPS activity and skeletal muscle function under conditions of aseptic injury induced by intense, eccentric exercise. In a double-blind, cross-over, repeated measures design, eleven men received either placebo (PLA) or milk protein concentrate (PRO, 4×20 g on exercise day and 20 g/d for the following 8 days), following an acute bout of eccentric exercise (twenty sets of fifteen eccentric contractions at 30°/s) on an isokinetic dynamometer. In each trial, muscle biopsies were obtained from the vastus lateralis muscle at baseline, as well as at 2 and 8 d post exercise, whereas blood samples were collected before exercise and at 6 h, 1 d, 2 d and 8 d post exercise. Muscle strength and soreness were assessed before exercise, 6 h post exercise and then daily for 8 consecutive days. PRO preserved chymotrypsin-like activity and attenuated the decrease of strength, facilitating its recovery. PRO also prevented the increase of NF-κB phosphorylation and HSP70 expression throughout recovery. We conclude that milk PRO supplementation following exercise-induced muscle trauma preserves proteasome activity and attenuates strength decline during the pro-inflammatory phase.
Alternative Healthy Eating Index 2010, Dietary Inflammatory Index and risk of mortality: results from the Whitehall II cohort study and meta-analysis of previous Dietary Inflammatory Index and mortality studies
Authors: Shivappa Nitin , Hebert James R. , Kivimaki Mika , Akbaraly Tasnime
Published: August 2017

We aimed to examine the association between the Alternative Healthy Eating Index updated in 2010 (AHEI-2010), the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DIITM) and risk of mortality in the Whitehall II study. We also conducted a meta-analysis on the DII-based results from previous studies to summarise the overall evidence. Data on dietary behaviour assessed by self-administered repeated FFQ and on mortality status were available for 7627 participants from the Whitehall II cohort. Cox proportional hazards regression models were performed to assess the association between cumulative average of AHEI-2010 and DII scores and mortality risk. During 22 years of follow-up, 1001 participants died (450 from cancer, 264 from CVD). Both AHEI-2010 (mean=48·7 (sd10·0)) and DII (mean=0·37 (sd1·41)) were associated with all-cause mortality. The fully adjusted hazard ratio (HR) persd, were 0·82; 95 % CI 0·76, 0·88 for AHEI-2010 and 1·18; 95 % CI 1·08, 1·29 for DII. Significant associations were also observed with cardiovascular and cancer mortality risk. For DII, a meta-analysis (using fixed effects) from this and four previous studies showed a positive association of DII score with all-cause (HR=1·04; 95 % CI 1·03, 1·05, 28 891deaths), cardiovascular (HR=1·05; 95 % CI 1·03, 1·07, 10 424 deaths) and cancer mortality (HR=1·05; 95 % CI 1·03, 1·07,n8269).The present study confirms the validity to assess overall diet through AHEI-2010 and DII in the Whitehall II cohort and highlights the importance of considering diet indices related to inflammation when evaluating all-cause, cardiovascular and cancer mortality risk.
Mammary gland and milk fatty acid composition of two dairy goat breeds under feed-restriction
Authors: Palma Mariana , Alves Susana P. , Hernández-Castellano Lorenzo E. , Capote Juan , Castro Noemí , Argüello Anastasio , Matzapetakis Manolis , Bessa Rui J. B. , de Almeida André M.
Published: August 2017

Goat dairy products are an important source of animal protein in the tropics. During the dry season, pasture scarcity leads animals to lose up to 40% of their body weight, a condition known as Seasonal Weight Loss (SWL) that is one of the major constraints in ruminant production. Breeds with high tolerance to SWL are relevant to understand the physiological responses to pasture scarcity so they could be used in programs for animal breeding. In the Canary Islands there are two dairy goat breeds with different levels of tolerance to SWL: thePalmera, susceptible to SWL; and theMajorera, tolerant to SWL. Fat is one of the milk components most affected by environmental and physiological conditions. This study hypothesises that feed-restriction affectsMajoreraandPalmerabreeds differently, leading to different fatty acid profiles in the mammary gland and milk. An interaction between breed and feed-restriction was observed in the mammary gland. Feed-restriction was associated with an increase in oleic acid and a decrease in palmitic acid percentage in thePalmerabreed whereas no differences were observed in theMajorerabreed. Palmitic and oleic acids together constituted around 60% of the total fatty acids identified, which suggests thatPalmerabreed is more susceptible to SWL. In milk, feed-restriction affected both breeds similarly. Regarding the interaction of the breed with the treatment, we also observed similar responses in both breeds, but this influence affects only around 2% of the total fatty acids. In general,Majorerabreed is more tolerant to feed-restriction.
Characterisation of gene expression related to milk fat synthesis in the mammary tissue of lactating yaks
Authors: Lee Jung Nam , Wang Yong , Xu Ya Ou , Li Yu Can , Tian Fang , Jiang Ming Feng
Published: August 2017

This research communication describes the profile of gene expression related to the synthesis of yak milk as determined via quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Significant up-regulation during lactation were observed in genes related to fatty acid (FA) uptake from blood (LPL, CD36), intracellular FA transport (FABP3), intracellular FA activation of long- and short-chain FAs (ACSS1, ACSS2, ACSL1), de novo synthesis (ACACA), desaturation (SCD), triacyglycerol (TAG) synthesis (AGPAT6, GPAM, LPIN1), lipid droplet formation (PLIN2, BTN1A1, XDH), ketone body utilisation (BDH1, OXCT1), and transcription regulation (THRSP, PPARGC1A). In particular, intracellular de novo FA synthesis (ACSS2, ACACA, and FABP3) and TAG synthesis (GPAM, AGPAT6, and LPIN1), whose regulation might be orchestrated as part of the gene network under the control of SERBF1 in the milk fat synthesis process, were more activated compared to levels in dairy cows. However, the genes involved in lipid droplet formation (PLIN2, XDH, and BTN1A1) were expressed at lower levels compared to those in dairy cows, where these genes are mainly controlled by the PPARG regulator.
Continuity and Change in the Luba Christian Movement, Katanga, Belgian Congo, c.1915–50
Authors: MAXWELL DAVID
Published: August 2017

This article studies the Christian movement that occurred amongst the Luba of Katanga, Belgian Congo, from about 1915 to 1950, paying particular attention to how it was received by different social categories and mediated by local religious enthusiasts. The notion of conversion is examined across two generations with reference to ageing, revival and reprise via a case study of the Congo Evangelistic Mission (CEM), a Pentecostal faith body. The paper shows how the CEM's literary and pneumatic practices were understood both in terms of ruptures with what had gone before and through establishing continuities with pre-existing culture, particularly the search for social harmony.
The development of magnetic field line wander by plasma turbulence
Authors: Howes Gregory G. , Bourouaine Sofiane
Published: August 2017

Plasma turbulence occurs ubiquitously in space and astrophysical plasmas, mediating the nonlinear transfer of energy from large-scale electromagnetic fields and plasma flows to small scales at which the energy may be ultimately converted to plasma heat. But plasma turbulence also generically leads to a tangling of the magnetic field that threads through the plasma. The resulting wander of the magnetic field lines may significantly impact a number of important physical processes, including the propagation of cosmic rays and energetic particles, confinement in magnetic fusion devices and the fundamental processes of turbulence, magnetic reconnection and particle acceleration. The various potential impacts of magnetic field line wander are reviewed in detail, and a number of important theoretical considerations are identified that may influence the development and saturation of magnetic field line wander in astrophysical plasma turbulence. The results of nonlinear gyrokinetic simulations of kinetic Alfvén wave turbulence of sub-ion length scales are evaluated to understand the development and saturation of the turbulent magnetic energy spectrum and of the magnetic field line wander. It is found that turbulent space and astrophysical plasmas are generally expected to contain a stochastic magnetic field due to the tangling of the field by strong plasma turbulence. Future work will explore how the saturated magnetic field line wander varies as a function of the amplitude of the plasma turbulence and the ratio of the thermal to magnetic pressure, known as the plasma beta.
Diurnal activity patterns of the temporary fish ectoparasite,Gnathia africanaBarnard, 1914 (Isopoda, Gnathiidae), from the southern coast of South Africa
Authors: Welicky Rachel L. , Ferreira Maryke L. , Sikkel Paul , Smit Nico J.
Published: August 2017

Gnathiid isopods are one of the most common fish ectoparasites, and are found in both temperate and tropical oceans. On coral reefs, gnathiids are most active at dusk and dawn, and contribute significantly to trophic dynamics, as they are a prey resource for cleaner fish and parasitize numerous fishes. Gnathiids also inhabit temperate intertidal waters, but their activity patterns and contribution to intertidal trophic dynamics remain unstudied. To provide the first ecological data on temperate intertidal gnathiid activity patterns, 172 gnathiid-freeClinus superciliosuswere set in an intertidal system in Tsitsikamma National Park, South Africa, during early morning, morning, afternoon, early evening, and evening, high and low tide, and within the inter- and infra-tidal zone to examine gnathiid infestation levels. After exposure, gnathiids from each fish were identified to the species level, counted, and their developmental stage was recorded. All gnathiids were identified asGnathiia africana. On average, 1 ± 5SD gnathiids were collected from each fish, and the majority of gnathiids collected were stage 1. Significantly more gnathiids were collected during morning and afternoon compared with all other time periods. The number of gnathiids collected was not influenced by the fish's exposure to high or low tide, or placement within the tide zone. AlthoughG. africanais free from cleaner fish predation because cleaner fish do not reside in temperate intertidal habitat,G. africanaabundance is surprisingly small. Future studies should examine what regulatesG. africanapopulation size and the role they play in temperate intertidal food webs.
Co-occurrence of nativeOstrea edulisand non-nativeCrassostrea gigasrevealed by monitoring of intertidal oyster populations
Authors: Zwerschke Nadescha , Kochmann Judith , Ashton Elizabeth C. , Crowe Tasman P. , Roberts Dai , O'Connor Nessa E.
Published: August 2017

Coastal ecosystems are particularly vulnerable to alien invasions. Regular, standardized, targeted monitoring of coastal areas helps to detect the arrival of non-native species early, identify sites most vulnerable to invasion, and assess potential for further spread. This study quantified the spread and changes in distribution of non-native oyster,Crassostrea gigas, populations around the coast of Ireland. In total 37 sites were surveyed, in areas which either currently or previously harboured cultivatedC. gigas, for the presence and abundance of ‘wild’C. gigas. Wild populations were identified at 20 sites and at four additional sitesC. gigaswas observed as recently discarded from aquaculture activity. Five of the invaded sites were identified as being highly suitable for a population expansion based on their current population status. Importantly, we also identified individuals ofC. gigasand native European oysters,Ostrea edulis, co-occurring within the same shore at five sites. This is the first record to our knowledge of such co-occurrence within Europe. This evidence of co-existing oyster species raises concerns regarding the potential impact ofC. gigason recoveringO. edulispopulations. In Ireland, however,C. gigasdoes not typically spread extensively from introduction points, and although self-containing populations exist, they are currently sustained at a much lower density than those observed in other regions such as the Wadden Sea or French Atlantic coasts. We suggest, therefore, that to protect native oyster populations,C. gigasshould be eradicated where co-occurring withO. edulisand recommend continuous monitoring of invaded sites.
Leishmania infection in bats from a non-endemic region of Leishmaniasis in Brazil
Authors: GÓMEZ-HERNÁNDEZ CÉSAR , BENTO ELAINE C. , REZENDE-OLIVEIRA KARINE , NASCENTES GABRIEL A. N. , BARBOSA CECILIA G. , BATISTA LARA R. , TIBURCIO MONIQUE G. S. , PEDROSA ANDRÉ L. , LAGES-SILVA ELIANE , RAMÍREZ JUAN D. , RAMIREZ LUIS E.
Published: August 2017

Leishmaniasis is a complex of zoonotic diseases caused by parasites of the genus Leishmania, which can develop in domestic as well as wild animals and humans throughout the world. Currently, this disease is spreading in rural and urban areas of non-endemic regions in Brazil. Recently, bats have gained epidemiological significance in leishmaniasis due to its close relationship with human settlements. In this study, we investigated the presence of Leishmania spp. DNA in blood samples from 448 bats belonging to four families representing 20 species that were captured in the Triangulo Mineiro and Alto Paranaiba areas of Minas Gerais State (non-endemic areas for leishmaniasis), Brazil. Leishmania spp. DNA was detected in 8·0% of the blood samples, 41·6% of which were Leishmania infantum, 38·9% Leishmania amazonensis and 19·4% Leishmania braziliensis. No positive correlation was found between Leishmania spp. and bat food source. The species with more infection rates were the insectivorous bats Eumops perotis; 22·2% (4/18) of which tested positive for Leishmania DNA. The presence of Leishmania in the bat blood samples, as observed in this study, represents epidemiological importance due to the absence of Leishmaniasis cases in the region.
Power and Pride
Authors: Wimmer Andreas
Published: August 2017

Why do some individuals embrace nationalist rhetoric and feel proud of their citizen ship while others do not? This article introduces an exchange-theoretic perspective, according to which national pride depends on access to political power. Seen from this perspective, members of ethnic groups that are not represented in national-level government should be less proud of their nation than those included in the polity. Furthermore, ethnic violence in the past or power-sharing arrangements in the present should reduce trust in the future stability of political representation and thus pride in the nation. From a dynamic point of view, members of ethnic groups whose level of political representation decreased in the past should also see their nation in a less positive light today. To show this, the author uses existing surveys to assemble a new dataset with answers to a similar question about national pride. It covers 123 countries that comprise 92 percent of the world's population. For roughly half of these countries, the ethnic groups listed in the surveys could also be found in another data set that contains information on the political status of these groups. Multilevel ordered logistic regressions at both the country and the group level confirm these hypotheses while taking into account a wide range of individual-level and country-level variables discussed in the existing literature.
African resistance to the International Criminal Court: Halting the advance of the anti-impunity norm
Authors: Mills Kurt , Bloomfield Alan
Published: August 2017

The creation of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in 1998 marked a substantial advance in the effort to ensure all perpetrators of mass atrocities can be brought to justice. Yet significant resistance to the anti-impunity norm, and the ICC as the implementing institution, has arisen in Africa. The ICC has primarily operated in Africa, and since it sought to indict the sitting Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir in 2008 resistance from both individual African states and the African Union has increased substantially. We draw on the concept of ‘norm antipreneurs’, and the broader norm dynamics literature, to analyse how resistance has developed and manifested itself, as well as the potential effects of this resistance on the anti-impunity norm. We conclude that the antipreneur concept helped us structure and organise analysis of the case – suggesting it could be usefully deployed in other similar cases – but that this case also suggests that antipreneurs do not always enjoy substantial defensive advantages. We also conclude that African resistance to the ICC has substantially stalled the advance of the anti-impunity norm, a finding that has significant implications for the wider effort to reduce mass atrocity crimes in the contemporary era.
PRICING, REIMBURSEMENT, AND HEALTH TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT OF MEDICINAL PRODUCTS IN BULGARIA
Authors: Benisheva-Dimitrova Tatyana , Sidjimova Dobriana , Cherneva Daniela , Kralimarkov Nikolay
Published: August 2017

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the analysis, discussion, and challenges of the price and reimbursement process of medicinal products in Bulgaria in the period 2000–15 and health technology assessment (HTA) role in these processes.

Methods: The dynamics of the reform, with respect to the healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors, are tracked by documentary review of regulations, articles, and reports in the European Union (EU), as well as analytical and historical analysis.

Results: Pricing and reimbursement processes have passed through a variety of committees between 2003 and 2012. Separate units for pricing and reimbursement of medicinal products were established in Bulgaria for the first time, in 2013, when an independent body, the National Council at Prices and Reimbursement of Medicinal Products, was set up to approve medicinal products with new international nonproprietary names (INN) for reimbursement in Bulgaria. Over the course of 2 years (2013–14), thirty-three new INNs were approved for reimbursement. In December 2015, a new HTA body was introduced, and assigned to the National Centre for Public Health and Analyses.

Conclusions: Although Bulgaria has current legislation on pricing and reimbursement which is in accordance with the EU rules, there is no mechanism for reporting and monitoring these processes or the financial resources annually, so as to provide an overall objective assessment and analysis by year. Therefore, this financial assessment should become a national policy objective for the future.
Implementation and Analysis of Tightly Integrated INS/Stereo VO for Land Vehicle Navigation
Authors: Liu Fei , Sarvrood Yashar Balazadegan , Gao Yang
Published: August 2017

Tight integration of inertial sensors and stereo visual odometry to bridge Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signal outages in challenging environments has drawn increasing attention. However, the details of how feature pixel coordinates from visual odometry can be directly used to limit the quick drift of inertial sensors in a tight integration implementation have rarely been provided in previous works. For instance, a key challenge in tight integration of inertial and stereo visual datasets is how to correct inertial sensor errors using the pixel measurements from visual odometry, however this has not been clearly demonstrated in existing literature. As a result, this would also affect the proper implementation of the integration algorithms and their performance assessment. This work develops and implements the tight integration of an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) and stereo cameras in a local-level frame. The results of the integrated solutions are also provided and analysed. Land vehicle testing results show that not only the position accuracy is improved, but also better azimuth and velocity estimation can be achieved, when compared to stand-alone INS or stereo visual odometry solutions.
A cross-sectional study of acute diarrhea in Pudong, Shanghai, China: prevalence, risk factors, and healthcare-seeking practices
Authors: YU J.-X. , ZHU W.-P. , YE C.-C. , XUE C.-Y. , LAI S.-J. , ZHANG H.-L. , ZHANG Z.-K. , GENG Q.-B. , YANG W.-Z. , SUN Q. , LI Z.-J.
Published: August 2017

Diarrhea is a common cause of morbidity and mortality and the incidence of diarrhea in the world has changed little over the past four decades. To assess the prevalence of and healthcare practices for diarrhea, a cross-sectional study was conducted in Pudong, Shanghai, China. In October 2014, a total of 5324 community residents were interviewed. Respondents were asked if they had experienced diarrhea (defined as ⩾3 passages of watery, loose, bloody, or mucoid stools within a 24-h period) in the previous month prior to the interview. The monthly prevalence of diarrhea was 4·1% (95% CI: 3·3–4·8), corresponding to an incidence rate of 0·54 episodes per person-year. The proportion of individuals with diarrhea who sought healthcare was 21·2% (95% CI: 13·4–29·0). Diarrhea continues to impose a considerable burden on the community and healthcare system in Pudong. Young age and travel were identified as predictors of increased diarrhea occurrence.
Social and psychological consequences of not crying: possible associations with psychopathology and therapeutic relevance
Authors: Hesdorffer Dale C. , Vingerhoets Ad J.J.M. , Trimble Michael R.
Published: August 2017

Objective

Emotional crying is hypothesized to serve intra- and interpersonal functions. Intrapersonal functions are assumed to facilitate the capacity to recover from emotional distress, thus promoting well-being. Interpersonal functions are postulated to have a major impact on social functioning. We hypothesized that non-criers would have lower well-being and poorer social functioning than criers.

Methods

Study participants included 475 people who reportedly lost the capacity to cry and 179 “normal” control criers. Applied measures assessed crying, well-being, empathy, attachment, social support, and connection with others. Prevalence estimates of not crying by gender were obtained from a panel survey of 2,000 Dutch households.

Results

In the main survey, tearless cases had less connection with others, less empathy, and experienced less social support, but were equal in terms of well-being. They also reported being less moved by emotional stimuli and had a more avoidant and less anxious attachment style. In multivariate analyses, being male, having an avoidant attachment style, and lacking empathy were independent predictors of tearlessness. Some 46.1% felt that not being able to cry affected them negatively; however, despite these findings, only 2.9% had sought any kind of professional help. Loss of the capacity to cry occurred in 8.6% of the men and 6.5% of the women in the large panel survey.

Conclusions

Despite reduced empathy, less connection with others, and a more avoidant/less anxious attachment type, well-being is maintained in tearless people. Additional clinical and therapeutic investigations of tearlessness may lead to clarification of bidirectional associations between psychiatric disorders (e.g., alexithymia, posttraumatic stress disorder, psychopathy) and tearlessness.
Ticker: A system for incremental ASP-based stream reasoning
Authors: BECK HARALD , EITER THOMAS , FOLIE CHRISTIAN
Published: August 2017

In complex reasoning tasks, as expressible by Answer Set Programming (ASP), problems often permit for multiple solutions. In dynamic environments, where knowledge is continuously changing, the question arises how a given model can be incrementally adjusted relative to new and outdated information. This paper introduces Ticker, a prototypical engine for well-defined logical reasoning over streaming data. Ticker builds on a practical fragment of the recent rule-based language LARS, which extends ASP for streams by providing flexible expiration control and temporal modalities. We discuss Ticker's reasoning strategies: first, the repeated one-shot solving mode calls Clingo on an ASP encoding. We show how this translation can be incrementally updated when new data is streaming in or time passes by. Based on this, we build on Doyle's classic justification-based truth-maintenance system to update models of non-stratified programs. Finally, we empirically compare the obtained evaluation mechanisms.
Program completion in the input language of GRINGO
Authors: HARRISON AMELIA , LIFSCHITZ VLADIMIR , RAJU DHANANJAY
Published: August 2017

We argue that turning a logic program into a set of completed definitions can be sometimes thought of as the “reverse engineering” process of generating a set of conditions that could serve as a specification for it. Accordingly, it may be useful to define completion for a large class of Answer Set Programming (ASP) programs and to automate the process of generating and simplifying completion formulas. Examining the output produced by this kind of software may help programmers to see more clearly what their program does, and to what degree its behavior conforms with their expectations. As a step toward this goal, we propose here a definition of program completion for a large class of programs in the input language of the ASP grounder gringo, and study its properties.
Representing hybrid automata by action language modulo theories
Authors: LEE JOOHYUNG , LONEY NIKHIL , MENG YUNSONG
Published: August 2017

Both hybrid automata and action languages are formalisms for describing the evolution of dynamic systems. This paper establishes a formal relationship between them. We show how to succinctly represent hybrid automata in an action language which in turn is defined as a high-level notation for answer set programming modulo theories—an extension of answer set programs to the first-order level similar to the way satisfiability modulo theories (SMT) extends propositional satisfiability (SAT). We first show how to represent linear hybrid automata with convex invariants by an action language modulo theories. A further translation into SMT allows for computing them using SMT solvers that support arithmetic over reals. Next, we extend the representation to the general class of non-linear hybrid automata allowing even non-convex invariants. We represent them by an action language modulo ordinary differential equations, which can be compiled into satisfiability modulo ordinary differential equations. We present a prototype systemcplus2aspmtbased on these translations, which allows for a succinct representation of hybrid transition systems that can be computed effectively by the state-of-the-art SMT solverdReal.
John Cage and George Herbert Mead: The Unknown Influence of Van Meter Ames
Authors: YANG SERENA
Published: August 2017

As John Cage wrote in his bookA Year from Monday, the “current use for art [is] giving instances of society suitable for social imitation—suitable because they show ways . . . people can do things without being told or telling others what to do.” Cage's ideal anarchic music emphasizes not only renouncing compositional control, but also the process of self-discovery happening to everyone, a process that leads participants to discover their creative abilities. This paper argues that Cage's penchant for self-discovery came from his understanding of George Herbert Mead's theories of the process of individuation (the “me” and the “I”). Cage discovered Mead through readingZen and American Thought(1962) by his friend Van Meter Ames, a professor of philosophy at the University of Cincinnati, who saw the compatibility between Zen and Mead's concept of self in the capacity of the “I,” a phase of self whose unpredictable steps contribute to human innovation. Cage found the possibility of overthrowing the thought of the world through triggering a self-discovery of the “I” in everyone. He realized this idea in his happenings, such as0’00”, by requiring performers to respond to the simple descriptions without specifying sound or duration.
Prediction of odd-mode instabilities under output mismatch effects
Authors: Suárez Almudena , Ramírez Franco , Sancho Sergio
Published: August 2017

A methodology is presented to predict odd-mode instability in power amplifiers under output mismatch effects, as in the case of amplifiers connected to an antenna. This kind of instability is often observed in multi-device configurations, due to their symmetry properties. Unlike the single-ended situation, there is a cancellation of odd multiples of the oscillation frequency at the circuit output, so there is no impact of the load-impedance values at the sideband frequencies. The odd-mode instability only depends on the impedance terminations at the fundamental frequency and its harmonic terms, and can only be detected within the circuit unstable loop, instead of the antenna-connection terminals. The possible unstable modes are related with the eigenvectors of an outer tier conversion matrix accounting for the symmetry properties of the circuit topology. Under sufficient low-pass filtering of the amplifier output network, the analysis parameters can be limited to the magnitude and phase of the reflection coefficient at the fundamental frequency. This analysis involves a computationally efficient graphical technique to detect potential instabilities and a bifurcation-detection method to determine the instability boundaries in the Smith chart. The two main types of instability from periodic regime are considered, respectively associated with incommensurable and subharmonic oscillations. Results have been validated through pole-zero identification and experimental measurements.
Wars and State-Making Reconsidered - The Rise of the Developmental State
Authors: Pincus Steve , Robinson James
Published: August 2017

This article argues that the term “fiscal-military state” is a misnomer, particularly when applied to one of the paradigmatic cases of early modern state formation, Britain. Britain devoted a significantly smaller proportion of government revenues to military expenses than any other European state. Moreover, its overall expenditure included important non-military elements and massive investment in colonial development, a fact that standard accounts fail to take into consideration. The existing fiscal historiography also ignores large swaths of other types of state activity. Finally, the article argues that the British state—and quite probably other early modern states—was not forged in warfare. If war did not make the British state, this would explain why the British state was less narrowly focused on making war.
Geographies of Mobilization and Territories of Belligerence during the First World War
Authors: Compagnon Olivier , Purseigle Pierre
Published: August 2017

The global history of the First World War is still in its early stages. This article proposes to contribute to its development by “de-Europeanizing” the historiography of the conflict and suggesting some of the ways scholars can move beyond “centers” and “peripheries” to combine different spatial scales of analysis. First, it demonstrates the need to look beyond the European theaters of the war and investigate spaces hitherto deemed to be marginal: despite their distance from the epicenter of the combat, these regions were traversed by tensions directly linked to the conflict and witnessed major transformations between 1914 and 1918. Second, it invites researchers to focus on elements such as the environment, natural resources, or diasporas, which make it possible to break out of a national framework of analysis and to do justice to the global impact of the Great War. This twofold approach underlines the value of a new geography of mobilization and belligerence, one that matches the diversity of experiences and reflects the truly global dimension of the First World War.
The Ecological Edges of Belligerency - Toward a Global Environmental History of the First World War
Authors: Keller Tait
Published: August 2017

This article represents an initial foray into the global environmental history of the First World War and suggests new approaches that can change our understanding of the conflict. With ravaged farmlands, charred trees, and muddy quagmires as iconic images of the First World War, scholars have generally tended to overlook the place and the role of nature. Yet only by taking the environment into account can we fully understand the trauma of war and how this conflict in particular shaped the most basic levels of human existence for years to come. Armies in the First World War were both social and biological entities, which depended on a “military ecology” of energy extraction, production, and supply. To keep soldiers and machines in action, belligerent states commandeered food and fuel throughout the biosphere, extending the war's environmental reach far beyond the western front. Examining a number of the ways that war shaped the periphery—evolving disease ecologies in colonial Africa, tin extraction in Southeast Asia, and food production in Latin America—will show that the boundaries of belligerency were vast. These three regions also illustrate the different ways in which the preparation and pursuit of war transformed societies and the natural world. Seeing what George Kennan called the twentieth century's “seminal catastrophe” from an environmental perspective illuminates the global dimensions of the First World War. The conflict accelerated environmental change that had begun in the previous century and established the patterns of military-industrial production, human victimization, and environmental exploitation that defined the twentieth century.
Accessory and Witness - The Profession of the Lawyer under Stalin (1945–1953)
Authors: Cadiot Juliette
Published: August 2017

Drawing on research conducted in Russian and Ukrainian archives, this article explores the legal profession in the late Stalin-era USSR, with a focus on the years following the Second World War. During this period, the number of cases dealt with in the courts grew considerably, and calls to rehabilitate “socialist legality” became more pressing. It is against this backdrop that the article details the different professional aspects—social trajectories and daily practices—of the criminal lawyer's craft. It concludes that while their influence remained relatively weak and was rarely anchored in their legal capabilities, Soviet lawyers did develop economic and networking capacities that enabled them to maintain their autonomy and to fully participate in the dynamics of the Soviet society that emerged in the aftermath of the war. Despite their weak position and the purges they had suffered, lawyers found ways to gain privileged information about ongoing cases, and some of them played an intermediary role between the apparatus of repression and Soviet notables—particularly by participating in the system of bribery and clientelism. Their actions exemplified the ways that Soviets acclimatized to Stalin's dictatorship, working to bend and improve the rules and to create spaces of protection, mutual assistance, and exchange at the heart of the state and the party.
Lipid-Therapie – warum, für wen und wie intensiv?
Authors: Riesen Walter F.
Published: August 2017

Zusammenfassung. Die Dyslipidämie stellt einen der wichtigsten kardiovaskulären Risikofaktoren dar. Massnahmen dagegen sind deshalb von zentraler Bedeutung. Die Behandlung erhöhter Lipidwerte mit Statinen hat sich dabei als besonders erfolgreich erwiesen. Die Indikation zur lipidsenkenden Therapie richtet sich nach dem kardiovaskulären Risiko. Patienten, die bereits an atherosklerotischen Krankheiten oder Niereninsuffizienz leiden, bzw. an Diabetes Typ 1 mit Organschäden oder Typ 2 mit weiteren Risikofaktoren, oder solche mit familiärer Hypercholesterinämie, gelten als Hochrisikopatienten und sollten entsprechend behandelt werden. Bei allen übrigen empfiehlt sich die Berechnung des 10-Jahres-Risikos. In der Schweiz werden gewöhnlich der modifizierte PROCAM-Score/Algorithmus der AGLA und der Score der EAS/ESC verwendet. Die Intensität der Behandlung hängt vom kardiovaskulären Risiko ab.
Medikamentöse Senkung des LDL-Cholesterins
Authors: Barthelmes Jens , Sudano Isabella
Published: August 2017

Zusammenfassung. Hypercholesterinämie ist einer der am umfassendsten dokumentierten modifizierbaren kardiovaskulären Risikofaktoren. Wir diskutieren die Grundpfeiler der medikamentösen Therapie bei Hypercholesterinämie in der Primär- und Sekundärprävention. Dabei stehen Indikation, klinisches Outcome und Verträglichkeit etablierter Therapien mit Statinen, Ezetimib und Fibraten sowie innovative Ansätze wie die Hemmung der PCSK9 im Fokus. Unser Übersichtsartikel befasst sich auch mit spezifischen Indikationen wie familiärer Hypercholesterinämie und Sekundärprävention bei Patienten mit kardiovaskulären Ereignissen sowie mit Therapieoptionen bei Patienten mit Statinintoleranz.
CME
Authors: Jenni Fabienne , Rampini Silvana
Published: August 2017

Zusammenfassung. Zusammenfassung: Inguinal vergrösserte Lymphknoten stellen nach zervikalen Lymphadenopathien die zweithäufigste Lokalisation regionaler Lymphadenopathien dar. Die Differenzialdiagnose ist breit und geht von harmlosen lokalen Läsionen im Drainagegebiet über Infektionen wie insbesondere sexuell übertragbare Erkrankungen bis hin zu malignen Erkrankungen. Wegweisend im Abklärungsalgorithmus sind insbesondere eine fundierte Anamnese, die Klinik sowie im Weiteren spezifische Laboruntersuchungen und bei begründetem Verdacht oder verbleibender Unklarheit die Feinnadelpunktion bzw. Lymphknotenexzisionsbiopsie. Das folgende CME gibt eine Übersicht über die Differenzialdiagnose und weist eine mögliche Abklärungsstrategie auf.
New Data Record Extends History of Global Air Pollution
Authors: Witman Sarah
Published: August 2017

Researchers extend long-term aerosol records to the past 40 years by combining two existing algorithms to process satellite data over both land and sea.
Multifunctional quantum dot DNA hydrogels
Authors: Zhang Libing , Jean Sae Rin , Ahmed Sharif , Aldridge Peter M. , Li Xiyan , Fan Fengjia , Sargent Edward H. , Kelley Shana O.
Published: August 2017

Biotemplated nanomaterials offer versatile functionality for multimodal imaging, biosensing, and drug delivery. There remains an unmet need for traceable and biocompatible nanomaterials that can be synthesized in a precisely controllable manner. Here, we report self-assembled quantum dot DNA hydrogels that exhibit both size and spectral tunability. We successfully incorporate DNA-templated quantum dots with high quantum yield, long-term photostability, and low cytotoxicity into a hydrogel network in a single step. By leveraging DNA-guided interactions, we introduce multifunctionality for a variety of applications, including enzyme-responsive drug delivery and cell-specific targeting. We report that quantum dot DNA hydrogels can be used for delivery of doxorubicin, an anticancer drug, to increase potency 9-fold against cancer cells. This approach also demonstrated high biocompatibility, trackability, and in vivo therapeutic efficacy in mice bearing xenografted breast cancer tumors. This work paves the way for the development of new tunable biotemplated nanomaterials with multiple synergistic functionalities for biomedical applications.
Dispersion engineering and frequency comb generation in thin silicon nitride concentric microresonators
Authors: Kim Sangsik , Han Kyunghun , Wang Cong , Jaramillo-Villegas Jose A. , Xue Xiaoxiao , Bao Chengying , Xuan Yi , Leaird Daniel E. , Weiner Andrew M. , Qi Minghao
Published: August 2017

Kerr nonlinearity-based frequency combs and solitons have been generated from on-chip microresonators. The initiation of the combs requires global or local anomalous dispersion which leads to many limitations, such as material choice, film thickness, and spectral ranges where combs can be generated, as well as fabrication challenges. Using a concentric racetrack-shaped resonator, we show that such constraints can be lifted and resonator dispersion can be engineered to be anomalous over moderately broad bandwidth. We demonstrate anomalous dispersion in a 300 nm thick silicon nitride film, suitable for semiconductor manufacturing but previously thought to result in waveguides with high normal dispersion. Together with a mode-selective, tapered coupling scheme, we generate coherent mode-locked frequency combs. Our method can realize anomalous dispersion for resonators at almost any wavelength and simultaneously achieve material and process compatibility with semiconductor manufacturing.
Ultrafast carrier thermalization in lead iodide perovskite probed with two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy
Authors: Richter Johannes M. , Branchi Federico , Valduga de Almeida Camargo Franco , Zhao Baodan , Friend Richard H. , Cerullo Giulio , Deschler Felix
Published: August 2017

In band-like semiconductors, charge carriers form a thermal energy distribution rapidly after optical excitation. In hybrid perovskites, the cooling of such thermal carrier distributions occurs on timescales of about 300 fs via carrier-phonon scattering. However, the initial build-up of the thermal distribution proved difficult to resolve with pump–probe techniques due to the requirement of high resolution, both in time and pump energy. Here, we use two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy with sub-10 fs resolution to directly observe the carrier interactions that lead to a thermal carrier distribution. We find that thermalization occurs dominantly via carrier-carrier scattering under the investigated fluences and report the dependence of carrier scattering rates on excess energy and carrier density. We extract characteristic carrier thermalization times from below 10 to 85 fs. These values allow for mobilities of 500 cm2 V−1 s−1 at carrier densities lower than 2 × 1019 cm−3 and limit the time for carrier extraction in hot carrier solar cells.
Arctic Ocean sea ice cover during the penultimate glacial and the last interglacial
Authors: Stein Ruediger , Fahl Kirsten , Gierz Paul , Niessen Frank , Lohmann Gerrit
Published: August 2017

Coinciding with global warming, Arctic sea ice has rapidly decreased during the last four decades and climate scenarios suggest that sea ice may completely disappear during summer within the next about 50–100 years. Here we produce Arctic sea ice biomarker proxy records for the penultimate glacial (Marine Isotope Stage 6) and the subsequent last interglacial (Marine Isotope Stage 5e). The latter is a time interval when the high latitudes were significantly warmer than today. We document that even under such warmer climate conditions, sea ice existed in the central Arctic Ocean during summer, whereas sea ice was significantly reduced along the Barents Sea continental margin influenced by Atlantic Water inflow. Our proxy reconstruction of the last interglacial sea ice cover is supported by climate simulations, although some proxy data/model inconsistencies still exist. During late Marine Isotope Stage 6, polynya-type conditions occurred off the major ice sheets along the northern Barents and East Siberian continental margins, contradicting a giant Marine Isotope Stage 6 ice shelf that covered the entire Arctic Ocean.
Characterisation of the changing genomic landscape of metastatic melanoma using cell free DNA
Authors: Cutts Anthony , Venn Oliver , Dilthey Alexander , Gupta Avinash , Vavoulis Dimitris , Dreau Helene , Middleton Mark , McVean Gil , Taylor Jenny C. , Schuh Anna
Published: August 2017

Cancer is characterised by complex somatically acquired genetic aberrations that manifest as intra-tumour and inter-tumour genetic heterogeneity and can lead to treatment resistance. In this case study, we characterise the genome-wide somatic mutation dynamics in a metastatic melanoma patient during therapy using low-input (50 ng) PCR-free whole genome sequencing of cell-free DNA from pre-treatment and post-relapse blood samples. We identify de novo tumour-specific somatic mutations from cell-free DNA, while the sequence context of single nucleotide variants showed the characteristic UV-damage mutation signature of melanoma. To investigate the behaviour of individual somatic mutations during proto-oncogene B-Raf -targeted and immune checkpoint inhibition, amplicon-based deep sequencing was used to verify and track frequencies of 212 single nucleotide variants at 10 distinct time points over 13 months of treatment. Under checkpoint inhibition therapy, we observed an increase in mutant allele frequencies indicating progression on therapy 88 days before clinical determination of non-response positron emission tomogrophy-computed tomography. We also revealed mutations from whole genome sequencing of cell-free DNA that were not present in the tissue biopsy, but that later contributed to relapse. Our findings have potential clinical applications where high quality tumour-tissue derived DNA is not available.
A unique tolerizing dendritic cell phenotype induced by the synthetic triterpenoid CDDO-DFPA (RTA-408) is protective against EAE
Authors: Wei Hsi-Ju , Pareek Tej K. , Liu Qi , Letterio John J.
Published: August 2017

Tolerogenic dendritic cells (DCs) have emerged as relevant clinical targets for the treatment of multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune disorders. However, the pathways essential for conferring the tolerizing DC phenotype and optimal methods for their induction remain an intense area of research. Triterpenoids are a class of small molecules with potent immunomodulatory activity linked to activation of Nrf2 target genes, and can also suppress the manifestations of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). Here we demonstrate that DCs are a principal target of the immune modulating activity of triterpenoids in the context of EAE. Exposure of DCs to the new class of triterpenoid CDDO-DFPA (RTA-408) results in the induction of HO-1, TGF-β, and IL-10, as well as the repression of NF-κB, EDN-1 and pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6, IL-12, and TNFα. CDDO-DFPA exposed DCs retained expression of surface ligands and capacity for antigen uptake but were impaired to induce Th1 and Th17 cells. TGF-β was identified as the factor mediating suppression of T cell proliferation by CDDO-DFPA pretreated DCs, which failed to passively induce EAE. These findings demonstrate the potential therapeutic utility of CDDO-DFPA in the treatment and prevention of autoimmune disorders, and its capacity to induce tolerance via modulation of the DC phenotype.