bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A New Approach for Vehicle Lateral Velocity and Yaw Rate Control with Uncertainty
Authors: Sun Hao , Zhao Han , Huang Kang , Zhen Shengchao
Published: May 2017

In order to attain excellent stability and maneuverability to ensure safety and ride‐comfort, the lateral velocity and yaw rate of a vehicle are expected to be controlled at any desired values simultaneously. A basic manipulation model of a vehicle with two degrees of freedom which requires two independent control inputs (front and rear steering angle) is constructed. In this model, we consider the mass and the moment of inertia of the vehicle are the uncertain parameters which are (possibly) fast‐varying. However, no further information, except that the uncertainties are bounded, is assumed. Furthermore, the bound is unknown. An adaptive robust control methodology based on the Udwadia and Kalaba approach which guarantees uniform boundedness and uniform ultimate boundedness is proposed to drive the system to follow the pre‐specified constraints approximately. The adaptive law is of leakage type which can adjust itself based on the tracking error. The numerical simulation results conducted by MATLAB demonstrate the ease and effectiveness of implementation.
A brief review of extrusion‐based tissue scaffold bio‐printing
Authors: Ning Liqun , Chen Xiongbiao
Published: May 2017

Extrusion‐based bio‐printing has great potential as a technique for manipulating biomaterials and living cells to create three‐dimensional (3D) scaffolds for damaged tissue repair and function restoration. Over the last two decades, advances in both engineering techniques and life sciences have evolved extrusion‐based bio‐printing from a simple technique to one able to create diverse tissue scaffolds from a wide range of biomaterials and cell types. However, the complexities associated with synthesis of materials for bio‐printing and manipulation of multiple materials and cells in bio‐printing pose many challenges for scaffold fabrication. This paper presents an overview of extrusion‐based bio‐printing for scaffold fabrication, focusing on the prior‐printing considerations (such as scaffold design and materials/cell synthesis), working principles, comparison to other techniques, and to‐date achievements. This paper also briefly reviews the recent development of strategies with regard to hydrogel synthesis, multi‐materials/cells manipulation, and process‐induced cell damage in extrusion‐based bio‐printing. The key issue and challenges for extrusion‐based bio‐printing are also identified and discussed along with recommendations for future, aimed at developing novel biomaterials and bio‐printing systems, creating patterned vascular networks within scaffolds, and preserving the cell viability and functions in scaffold bio‐printing. The address of these challenges will significantly enhance the capability of extrusion‐based bio‐printing.
Population-based study to re-evaluate optimal lymph node yield in colonic cancer
Authors: Del Paggio J C , Peng Y , Wei X , Nanji S , MacDonald P H , Krishnan Nair C , Booth C M
Published: May 2017

Background

It is well established that lymph node (LN) yield in colonic cancer resection has prognostic significance, although optimal numbers are not clear. Here, LN thresholds associated with both LN positivity and survival were evaluated in a single population-based data set.

Methods

Treatment records were linked to the Ontario Cancer Registry to identify a 25 per cent random sample of all patients with stage II / III colonic cancer between 2002 and 2008. Multivariable regression and Cox models evaluated factors associated with LN positivity and cancer-specific survival (CSS) respectively. Optimal thresholds were obtained using sequential regression analysis.

Results

On adjusted analysis of 5508 eligible patients, younger age (P < 0·001), left-sided tumours (P = 0·003), higher T category (P < 0·001) and greater LN yield (relative risk 0·89, 95 per cent c.i. 0·81 to 0·97; P = 0·007) were associated with a greater likelihood of LN positivity. Regression analyses with multiple thresholds suggested no substantial increase in LN positivity beyond 12–14 LNs. Cox analysis of stage II disease showed that lower LN yield was associated with a significant increase in the risk of death from cancer (CSS hazard ratio range 1·55–1·74; P < 0·001) compared with a greater LN yield, with no significant survival benefit beyond a yield of 20 LNs. Similarly, for stage III disease, a lower LN yield was associated with an increase in the risk of death from cancer (CSS hazard ratio range 1·49–2·20; P < 0·001) versus a large LN yield. In stage III disease, there was no observed LN threshold for survival benefit in the data set.

Conclusion

There is incongruity in the optimal LN evaluation for colonic cancer. Although the historically stated threshold of 12 LNs may ensure accurate staging in colonic cancer, thresholds for optimal survival are associated with far greater yields.
Electrochemically Fabricated Pd–In Catalysts for Carbon Dioxide‐Formate/Formic Acid Inter‐Conversion
Authors: Hwang Eunkyoung , Park Hyanjoo , Kim Hoyoung , Ahn Sang Hyun , Kim Soo‐Kil
Published: May 2017

Pd–In catalysts were electrochemically prepared for application in unitized regenerative fuel cells based on carbon dioxide and formic acid. The morphology and composition of the Pd–In catalysts were controlled by varying the concentration of the In precursor in a deposition bath. The catalytic activity was then investigated for both formic acid oxidation and carbon dioxide reduction reactions. In order to enhance their activity and stability, the Pd–In catalysts were annealed under Ar atmosphere, resulting in better activities than those of the as‐deposited Pd–In catalysts. Although the activity was not excellent, this effort aimed at the development of bimetallic catalysts paves the way toward inter‐conversion electrodes active in both the electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction and formic acid oxidation reactions.
Using PyMOL to Explore the Effects of pH on Noncovalent Interactions between Immunoglobulin G and Protein A: A Guided‐Inquiry Biochemistry Activity
Authors: Roche Allred Zahilyn D. , Tai Heeyoung , Bretz Stacey Lowery , Page Richard C.
Published: May 2017

Students' understandings of foundational concepts such as noncovalent interactions, pH and pKa are crucial for success in undergraduate biochemistry courses. We developed a guided‐inquiry activity to aid students in making connections between noncovalent interactions and pH/pKa. Students explore these concepts by examining the primary and tertiary structures of immunoglobulin G (IgG) and Protein A. Students use PyMOL, an open source molecular visualization application, to (1) identify hydrogen bonds and salt bridges between and within the proteins at physiological pH and (2) apply their knowledge of pH/pKa to association rate constant data for these proteins at pH 4 and pH 11. The laboratory activity was implemented within a one semester biochemistry laboratory for students majoring in allied health disciplines, engineering, and biological sciences. Several extensions for more advanced students are discussed. Students' overall performance highlighted their ability to successfully complete tasks such as labeling and identifying noncovalent interactions and revealed difficulties with analyzing noncovalent interactions under varying pH/pKa conditions. Students' evaluations after completing the activity indicated they felt challenged but also recognized the potential of the activity to help them gain meaningful understanding of the connections between noncovalent interactions, pH, pKa, and protein structure. © 2017 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 45(6):528–536, 2017.
Patterns of production of collagen‐rich deposits in peripheral nerves in response to injury: A pilot study in a rabbit model
Authors: Rivlin Michael , Miller Andrew , Tulipan Jacob , Beredjiklian Pedro K. , Wang Mark L. , Fertala Jolanta , Steplewski Andrzej , Kostas James , Fertala Andrzej
Published: May 2017

Introduction

Although collagen‐rich deposits are the main component of neural scars, the patterns of their formation are ill defined. Essential to the biosynthesis of collagen fibrils are enzymes catalyzing posttranslational modifications and chaperones that control the formation of the collagen triple helix. Prolyl‐4‐hydroxylase (P4H) and heat shock protein‐47 (HSP47) play a key role, and their production is upregulated during scar formation in human tissues. Alpha smooth muscle actin (αSMA) is also produced during fibrotic processes in myofibroblasts that participate in fibrotic response. In injured peripheral nerves, however, the distribution of cells that produce these markers is poorly understood.

Methods

The goal of this study was to determine the distribution of the αSMA‐positive, HSP47‐positive, and the P4H‐positive cells to better understand the formation of collagen‐rich fibrotic tissue (FT) in response to peripheral nerve injury. To reach this goal, we employed a rabbit model of crush‐injury and partial‐transection injury of the sciatic nerves.

Results

Our study demonstrated that αSMA is expressed in a relatively small number of cells seen in neural FT. In contrast, cells producing P4H and HSP47 are ubiquitously present in sites of injury of the sciatic nerves.

Conclusion

We contemplate that these proteins may serve as valuable markers that define fibrotic activities in the injured peripheral nerves.
Mining relationships in learning‐oriented social networks
Authors: Sousa‐Vieira María E. , López‐Ardao Jose C. , Fernández‐Veiga Manuel , Rodríguez‐Pérez Miguel , López‐García Cándido
Published: May 2017

The widespread use of computing and communications technologies has enabled the popularity of social networks oriented to learn. In this work, we study the nature and strength of associations between students using an online social network embedded in a learning management system. With datasets from three offerings of the same course, we mined the sequences of questions and answers posted by the students to identify structural properties of the social graph, patterns of collaboration among students and factors influencing the final academic achievements. The results show some hints to understand how users react to incentives in online social learning systems, useful for instance to measure the effectiveness of the learning tasks based on the patterns of students’ participation in the platform and adapt their design, or as early predictors of academic performance.
Cyclotides: Overview and Biotechnological Applications
Authors: Gould Andrew , Camarero Julio A.
Published: May 2017

Cyclotides are globular microproteins with a unique head‐to‐tail cyclized backbone, stabilized by three disulfide bonds forming a cystine knot. This unique circular backbone topology and knotted arrangement of three disulfide bonds makes them exceptionally stable to chemical, thermal, and biological degradation compared to other peptides of similar size. In addition, cyclotides have been shown to be highly tolerant to sequence variability, aside from the conserved residues forming the cystine knot. Cyclotides can also cross cellular membranes and are able to modulate intracellular protein–protein interactions, both in vitro and in vivo. All of these features make cyclotides highly promising as leads or frameworks for the design of peptide‐based diagnostic and therapeutic tools. This article provides an overview on cyclotides and their applications as molecular imaging agents and peptide‐based therapeutics.
The role of self‐serving cognitive distortions in reactive and proactive aggression
Authors: Oostermeijer Sanne , Smeets Kirsten C. , Jansen Lucres M. C. , Jambroes Tijs , Rommelse Nanda N. J. , Scheepers Floor E. , Buitelaar Jan K. , Popma Arne
Published: May 2017

Background

Aggression is often divided into reactive and proactive forms. Reactive aggression is typically thought to encompass ‘blaming others’ and ‘assuming the worst’, while proactive aggression relates to ‘self‐centeredness’ and ‘minimising/mislabelling’.

Aim

Our aim was to evaluate relationships between reactive and proactive aggression and cognitive distortions and to test whether changes in these cognitions relate to changes in aggression.

Methods

A total of 151 adolescents (60% boys; mean age 15.05 years, standard deviation 1.28) were enrolled in an evidence‐based intervention to reduce aggression. Due to attrition and anomalous responses, the post‐intervention sample involved 80 adolescents. Correlation and linear regression analyses were used to investigate the relationship between cognitive distortions and aggression.

Results

Blaming others was related to reactive aggression before the intervention, while all cognitive distortions were related to proactive aggression both pre‐ and post‐intervention. Changes in reactive aggression were uniquely predicted by blaming others, while changes in proactive aggression were predicted by changes in cognitive distortions overall.

Conclusion

To our knowledge, this study is the first to show a relationship between changes in cognitive distortions and changes in aggression. Treatment of reactive aggression may benefit from focusing primarily on reducing cognitive distortions involving misattribution of blame to others. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Oxidized Lignin Depolymerization using Formate Ionic Liquid as Catalyst and Solvent
Authors: Dai Jinhuo , Patti Antonio F. , Longé Lionel , Garnier Gil , Saito Kei
Published: May 2017

Lignin has been widely studied as a sustainable source of renewable materials, particularly aromatic feedstock chemicals, which are in great and increasing need in the world. Lignin oxidation and depolymerization presents a promising approach to functionalized phenolic products. In this work, a novel oxidative degradation of lignin using a formate ionic liquid was investigated resulting in ethyl acetate soluble and also water‐soluble depolymerized lignin products. The β‐O‐4 bonds in lignin were oxidized and then depolymerized by a recyclable ionic liquid, 2‐hydroxy ethylammonium formate. 2‐Hydroxy ethylammonium formate, which could dissolve lignin acting as a solvent, was found to also catalyze the depolymerization of the oxidized lignin. The lignin depolymerization products were characterized.
Organic CO Prodrugs: Structure–CO‐Release Rate Relationship Studies
Authors: Pan Zhixiang , Chittavong Vayou , Li Wei , Zhang Jun , Ji Kaili , Zhu Mengyuan , Ji Xingyue , Wang Binghe
Published: May 2017

Carbon monoxide (CO) is an endogenously produced gasotransmitter in mammals, and may have signaling roles in bacteria as well. It has many recognized therapeutic effects. A significant challenge in this field is the development of pharmaceutically acceptable forms of CO delivery with controllable and tunable release rates. Herein, the structure–release rate studies of the first class of organic CO prodrugs that release CO in aqueous solution at neutral pH is described.
Tunable Wettability of Electrospun Polyurethane/Silica Composite Membranes for Effective Separation of Water‐in‐Oil and Oil‐in‐Water Emulsions
Authors: Fang Wenyuan , Liu Libin , Guo Gailan
Published: May 2017

Polymer‐dominated membranes with switchable wettability are highly desired due to their on‐demand applications for oil/water separation. Herein, a low‐cost methodology to fabricate membranes consisting of hyperbranched polyurethane (HBPU) and fluorine‐modified silica (F‐SiO2) with tunable wettability by electrospinning is reported. The HBPU/F‐SiO2 composite membranes can be transformed from superhydrophobicity to ‐philicity through plasma treatment; these membranes exhibit different wettability for effective separation of surfactant‐stabilized water‐in‐oil and oil‐in‐water emulsions.
New Catalysts for Coal to Ethylene Glycol
Authors: Wang Zhiqiao , Xu Zhongning , Peng Siyan , Zhou Zhangfeng , Pan Pengbin , Lin Lin , Qin Yeyan , Guo Guocong , Yao Yuangen
Published: May 2017

Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences has achieved the industrialization of the first generation catalysts for coal to ethylene glycol for the first time in 2009. However, there are still lots of aspects to be improved, such as high noble metal loading and toxic Cr in catalyst of ester hydrogenation. To improve the catalysts, we have done systematic deep research about the nanostructures of catalysts, and revealed facet effect, size effect, synergistic effect, support effect, and so on. A series of catalysts preparation technologies have been developed to achieve the efficient utilization of noble metals. The Pd loadings of dehydrogenation catalyst and CO oxidative coupling catalyst have been dropped from 2.5% to 0.9% and 2.0% to 0.13%, respectively, while the catalytic performances are enhanced greatly. The toxic Cu‐Cr in ester hydrogenation catalyst has been upgraded to green Cu‐Si. The new catalysts for coal to ethylene glycol with advancement have been successfully developed with independent intellectual property rights.
Conversion of Biomass Waste into Biochar and the Effect on Mung Bean Crop Production
Authors: Saxena Jyoti , Rawat Jyoti , Kumar Raj
Published: May 2017

The dependence on chemical fertilizers in agriculture leads to environmental hazards, destruction of biological communities, and poorer soil quality. Addition of biochar in soil alters overall soil properties, encourages microbiota and increases nutrients’ holding and absorption capacity; hence can be used to improve soil fertility for sustainable agriculture. Cow dung (CD), pine wood (PW), and pine needles (PN) found abundantly in the Himalayan region were selected for preparing biochar. Since phosphate solubilizing fungi have also been cited in the literature to enhance plant growth, the Penicillium sp. K4 strain was added along with biochar. A pot experiment with mung bean plants with eight different treatments was conducted. Generally, all the treatments showed a significant increase in growth and yield compared to plants grown in untreated soil. However, the biochar prepared from pine needles was found to be the best. It was observed that addition of biochar to soil influenced the overall growth of plants positively but the inoculation of Penicillium sp. K4 with biochar improved this effect further. Hence, it can be concluded that the addition of bio‐inoculant in biochar can be a useful practice for enhancing crop productivity.
The impact of noninvasive follicular thyroid neoplasm with papillary‐like nuclear features on the performance of the Afirma gene expression classifier
Authors: Hang Jen‐Fan , Westra William H. , Cooper David S. , Ali Syed Z.
Published: May 2017

BACKGROUND

A recent revision in thyroid tumor nomenclature has resulted in a change from a malignant diagnosis (noninvasive follicular variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma) to one that is nonmalignant (noninvasive follicular thyroid neoplasm with papillary‐like nuclear features [NIFTP]). The objective of the current study was to evaluate the impact of this change on the performance of the Afirma gene expression classifier (GEC).

METHODS

The authors retrospectively analyzed consecutive thyroid fine‐needle aspiration specimens with indeterminate diagnoses on which GEC was performed. Surgical pathology material was reviewed with the reclassification of nodules into NIFTP.

RESULTS

GEC testing was performed on 384 fine‐needle aspiration specimens diagnosed as atypia of undetermined significance (AUS) (304 cases) and suspicious for a follicular neoplasm (SFN) (80 cases) and yielded a suspicious result in 152 of the AUS cases (50%) and 50 of the SFN cases (63%). Thyroidectomy was performed on 177 patients. After reclassifying NIFTP, the positive predictive value of GEC decreased from 42% (95% confidence interval [95% CI], 39%‐45%) to 24% (95% CI, 22%‐26%) in the AUS group and from 23% (95% CI, 19%‐27%) to 13% (95% CI, 9%‐18%) in the SFN group. Total thyroidectomy was performed more frequently than a partial thyroidectomy in patients with AUS with a suspicious GEC result compared with pre‐GEC controls (68% vs 49%; P = .037).

CONCLUSIONS

Reclassification of NIFTP significantly decreases the positive predictive value of GEC in indeterminate thyroid nodules. Nevertheless, the majority of patients with indeterminate thyroid nodules with a suspicious GEC result in the study institution have undergone total thyroidectomy. This finding raises concerns over reliance on a suspicious GEC result by clinicians to justify total thyroidectomy. Cancer Cytopathol 2017;125:683‐91. © 2017 American Cancer Society.
Spatial rearrangement of Purkinje cell subsets forms the transverse and longitudinal compartmentalization in the mouse embryonic cerebellum
Authors: Vibulyaseck Suteera , Fujita Hirofumi , Luo Yuanjun , Tran Anh Khoa , Oh‐Nishi Arata , Ono Yuichi , Hirano Shinji , Sugihara Izumi
Published: May 2017

Transversely oriented lobules and longitudinally arrayed stripes of Purkinje cell subsets subdivide the cerebellar cortex into multiple compartments that are involved in diverse functions. In the mammalian cerebellum, anterior, and posterior lobules, which are involved in somatosensorimotor function, show an alternation of aldolase C (zebrin II) ‐positive and ‐negative stripes, whereas the central lobules (lobules VIb–VII and crus I), which are implicated in nonmotor functions, show a laterally expanded arrangement solely of aldolase C‐positive stripes. To understand the developmental process of this compartmental pattern, we identified groups of Purkinje cell subsets in the entire mouse cerebellum at embryonic day (E) 14.5 by staining Purkinje cell subset markers. We then tracked four major domains of Protocadherin 10 (Pcdh10)‐positive Purkinje cell subsets (medial, dorsal, central, and mid‐lateral subsets), which were clearly demarcated during E14.5–17.5. These domains of Purkinje cell subsets shifted predominantly in the longitudinal direction to be positioned in the anterior and posterior lobules. However, a particular portion of the medial and mid‐lateral domains, and the whole of the central domain shift in the lateral direction to be positioned in the central lobules. The results indicate that while the longitudinal shift of domains of Purkinje cell subsets forms the longitudinally striped compartments in the anterior and posterior cerebellum, the lateral shift of particular domains of Purkinje cell subsets underlies the laterally expanded arrangement of stripes in central lobules. Thus, the rearrangement of Purkinje cell subsets in the embryonic cerebellum is critically related to the compartmental organization in the mammalian cerebellum.
Synaptogenesis and synaptic protein localization in the postnatal development of rod bipolar cell dendrites in mouse retina
Authors: Anastassov Ivan A. , Wang Weiwei , Dunn Felice A.
Published: May 2017

Retinal responses to photons originate in rod photoreceptors and are transmitted to the ganglion cell output of the retina through the primary rod bipolar pathway. At the first synapse of this pathway, input from multiple rods is pooled into individual rod bipolar cells. This architecture is called convergence. Convergence serves to improve sensitivity of rod vision when photons are sparse. Establishment of convergence depends on the development of a proper complement of dendritic tips and transduction proteins in rod bipolar cells. How the dendrites of rod bipolar cells develop and contact the appropriate number of rods is unknown. To answer this question we visualized individual rod bipolar cells in mouse retina during postnatal development and quantified the number of dendritic tips, as well as the expression of transduction proteins within dendrites. Our findings show that the number of dendritic tips in rod bipolar cells increases monotonically during development. The number of tips at P21, P30, and P82 exceeds the previously reported rod convergence ratios, and the majority of these tips are proximal to a presynaptic rod release site, suggesting more rods provide input to a rod bipolar cell. We also show that dendritic transduction cascade members mGluR6 and TRPM1 appear in tips with different timelines. These finding suggest that (a) rod bipolar cell dendrites elaborate without pruning during development, (b) the convergence ratio between rods and rod bipolar cells may be higher than previously reported, and (c) mGluR6 and TRPM1 are trafficked independently during development.
REST4Mobile: A framework for enhanced usability of REST services on smartphones
Authors: Mesfin Gebremariam , Ghinea Gheorghita , Grønli Tor‐Morten , Alouneh Sahel
Published: May 2017

Considering end‐user research and proliferation of smartphones and REpresentational State Transfer (REST) interfaces, we envisage that smartphone owners can innovate to compose applications on the small screen. This paper presents the design and evaluation of a REST service development framework (viz, REST4Mobile) with the aim to enhance the usability when consuming on smartphones. Our design process uses the usability factors identified in our previous work as primary constraints for modeling the framework and a corresponding composition tool. Thus, sample REST services are developed with and then without the framework, and usability of composing the services on smartphones is evaluated. Evaluation was conducted by deploying the component REST services, the composition tool, and the resulting composite apps on a local machine. As the task of service composition is conducted directly on the smartphone's screen, the evaluation process is designed to be repeatable on remote servers and on the cloud. Results showed that constraints can be added into the REST architectural style on the basis of the influences of domain specific terms and human cognitive capabilities on the naming and size of the Uniform Resource Identifiers (URIs). In addition, the principles embodying the framework are found to be influential factors in enhancing the usability of REST services on smartphones.
Odd‐Electron Bonds
Authors: Clark Timothy
Published: May 2017

The history and theory of one‐ and three‐electron bonds are presented and discussed. It is shown that the dependence of the odd‐electron bond energy on the difference in ionization potentials of the bonding partners must be corrected to include the ion‐pairing energy for neutral odd‐electron bonded complexes.
Understanding the Limiting Factors of Solvent‐Annealed Small‐Molecule Bulk‐Heterojunction Organic Solar Cells from a Chemical Perspective
Authors: Fernandez Daniel , Viterisi Aurelien , Challuri Vijay , Ryan James W. , Martinez‐Ferrero Eugenia , Gispert‐Guirado Francesc , Martinez Marta , Escudero Eduardo , Stenta Caterina , Marsal Lluis F. , Palomares Emilio
Published: May 2017

A detailed account of the limiting factors of solvent‐annealed bulk‐heterojunction small‐molecule organic solar cells is given. This account is based on the extensive characterisation of solar cell devices made from a library of five diketopyrolopyrole (DPP) donor dyes. Their chemical structure is designed in such a way as to provide insights into the energetics of solar cell active layer micro‐structure formation. Numerous chemical and physical properties of the active layers are assessed and inter‐related such as light absorption, molecular packing in the solid state, crystal‐forming properties in thin films, charge carrier mobility and charge carrier recombination kinetics. A myriad of characterisation techniques are used such as UV/Vis absorption spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy, XRD, AFM and photo‐induced transient measurements, which provide information on the optical properties of the active layers, morphology and recombination kinetics. Consequently, a mechanism for the solvent‐vapour‐annealing‐assisted formation of crystalline domains of donor molecules in the active layer is proposed, and the micro‐structural features are related to the J–V characteristics of the devices. According to this model, the crystalline phase in which the donor crystallise in the active layer is the key determinant to direct the formation of the micro‐structure.
Enumeration of WT1‐specific CD8+ T cells for clinical application using an MHC Streptamer based no‐wash single‐platform flow‐cytometric assay
Authors: Matko Sarah , Teichert Madeleine , Tunger Antje , Schmitz Marc , Bornhauser Martin , Tonn Torsten , Odendahl Marcus
Published: May 2017

The advent of novel strategies to generate leukemia‐associated‐antigen (LAA)‐specific T cells for adoptive immunotherapies creates a demand for standardized good laboratory practice (GLP)‐compliant enumeration assays to provide a secure clinical environment—whether it is to identify potential donors, define therapeutic doses for transplantation, or monitor clinical success. Here, we introduce a no‐wash assay based on single‐platform cell enumeration and Streptamer staining to determine the Wilms' tumor antigen 1 (WT1)‐specific T cell immunity in clinical samples. We analyzed the performance of the WT1‐specific MHC Streptamers in direct comparison to CMV‐ and EBV‐specific MHC Streptamer staining by spiking antigen‐specific T cells in PBMCs. The accuracy of the assay was high for all performed experiments with a mean recovery of 94% and a linear regression of 0.988. Differences were apparent regarding the limit of detection/quantification (LOD/LOQ). While results obtained for WT1 yielded an LOD/LOQ of 0.08 ± 0.04% and 0.11 ± 0.06% (1.33 ± 0.32 cells/µl and 1.9 ± 0.14 cells/µl), the overall LOD/LOQ was notably lower and accounted to 0.02 ± 0.02% and 0.05 ± 0.03% (0.60 ± 0.03 cells/µl and 1.27 ± 0.58 cells/µl). Subsequent screening of 22 healthy individuals revealed significantly higher values for WT1 (0.04 ± 0.02% and 1.5 ± 0.9 cells/µl) than for the irrelevant HIV pol (0.016 ± 0.01% and 0.5 ± 0.4 cells/µl). In contrast, no increased frequencies were observed for WT1‐specific T cells compared to HIV‐specific T cells using a classical wash‐protocol. These findings strongly suggest the use of no‐wash single‐platform assays in combination with MHC Streptamer staining for the detection of low affinity LAA‐specific T cells due to its high accuracy and sensitivity. © 2017 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry
Unraveling the relative contribution of inter‐ and intrapopulation functional variability in wild populations of a tadpole species
Authors: Zhao Tian , Li Cheng , Wang Xiaoyi , Xie Feng , Jiang Jianping
Published: May 2017

Functional traits are increasingly recognized as an integrative approach by ecologists to quantify a key facet of biodiversity. And these traits are primarily expressed as species means in previous studies, based on the assumption that the effects of intraspecific variability can be overridden by interspecific variability when studying functional ecology at the community level. However, given that intraspecific variability could also have important effects on community dynamics and ecosystem functioning, empirical studies are needed to investigate the importance of intraspecific variability in functional traits. In this study, 256 Scutiger boulengeri tadpole individuals from four different populations are used to quantify the functional difference between populations within a species, and the relative contribution of inter‐ and intrapopulation variability in functional traits. Our results demonstrate that these four populations differ significantly in functional attributes (i.e., functional position, functional richness, and low functional overlap), indicating that individuals from different populations within a species should be explicitly accounted for in functional studies. We also find similar relative contribution of inter‐ (~56%) and intrapopulation (~44%) variation to the total variability between individuals, providing evidence that individuals within populations should also be incorporated in functional studies. Overall, our results support the recent claims that intraspecific variability cannot be ignored, as well as the general idea of “individual level” research in functional ecology.
Deriving a light use efficiency estimation algorithm using in situ hyperspectral and eddy covariance measurements for a maize canopy in Northeast China
Authors: Zhang Feng , Zhou Guangsheng
Published: May 2017

We estimated the light use efficiency (LUE) via vegetation canopy chlorophyll content (CCCcanopy) based on in situ measurements of spectral reflectance, biophysical characteristics, ecosystem CO2 fluxes and micrometeorological factors over a maize canopy in Northeast China. The results showed that among the common chlorophyll‐related vegetation indices (VIs), CCCcanopy had the most obviously exponential relationships with the red edge position (REP) (R2 = .97, p < .001) and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) (R2 = .91, p < .001). In a comparison of the indicating performances of NDVI, ratio vegetation index (RVI), wide dynamic range vegetation index (WDRVI), and 2‐band enhanced vegetation index (EVI2) when estimating CCCcanopy using all of the possible combinations of two separate wavelengths in the range 400−1300 nm, EVI2 [1214, 1259] and EVI2 [726, 1248] were better indicators, with R2 values of .92 and .90 (p < .001). Remotely monitoring LUE through estimating CCCcanopy derived from field spectrometry data provided accurate prediction of midday gross primary productivity (GPP) in a rainfed maize agro‐ecosystem (R2 = .95, p < .001). This study provides a new paradigm for monitoring vegetation GPP based on the combination of LUE models with plant physiological properties.
Evaluating hybridization capture with RAD probes as a tool for museum genomics with historical bird specimens
Authors: Linck Ethan B. , Hanna Zachary R. , Sellas Anna , Dumbacher John P.
Published: May 2017

Laboratory techniques for high‐throughput sequencing have enhanced our ability to generate DNA sequence data from millions of natural history specimens collected prior to the molecular era, but remain poorly tested at shallower evolutionary time scales. Hybridization capture using restriction site‐associated DNA probes (hyRAD) is a recently developed method for population genomics with museum specimens. The hyRAD method employs fragments produced in a restriction site‐associated double digestion as the basis for probes that capture orthologous loci in samples of interest. While promising in that it does not require a reference genome, hyRAD has yet to be applied across study systems in independent laboratories. Here, we provide an independent assessment of the effectiveness of hyRAD on both fresh avian tissue and dried tissue from museum specimens up to 140 years old and investigate how variable quantities of input DNA affect sequencing, assembly, and population genetic inference. We present a modified bench protocol and bioinformatics pipeline, including three steps for detection and removal of microbial and mitochondrial DNA contaminants. We confirm that hyRAD is an effective tool for sampling thousands of orthologous SNPs from historic museum specimens to describe phylogeographic patterns. We find that modern DNA performs significantly better than historical DNA better during sequencing but that assembly performance is largely equivalent. We also find that the quantity of input DNA predicts %GC content of assembled contiguous sequences, suggesting PCR bias. We caution against sampling schemes that include taxonomic or geographic autocorrelation across modern and historic samples.
Prevalence and impact of childhood adversities and post‐traumatic stress disorder in women with fibromyalgia and chronic widespread pain
Authors: Coppens E. , Van Wambeke P. , Morlion B. , Weltens N. , Giao Ly H. , Tack J. , Luyten P. , Van Oudenhove L.
Published: May 2017

Objective

This study investigates the prevalence of different types of childhood adversities (CA) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in female patients with Fibromyalgia or Chronic Widespread Pain (FM/CWP) compared to patients with Functional Dyspepsia (FD) and achalasia. In FM/CWP, we also investigated the association between CA and PTSD on the one hand and pain severity on the other.

Methods

Patient samples consisted of 154 female FM/CWP, 83 female FD and 53 female achalasia patients consecutively recruited from a tertiary care hospital. Well‐validated self‐report questionnaires were used to investigate CA and PTSD.

Results

Forty‐nine per cent of FM/CWP patients reported at least 1 type of CA, compared to 39.7% of FD patients and 23.4% of achalasia patients (p < 0.01). The prevalence of CA did not differ significantly between FM/CWP and FD, but both groups had a higher prevalence of CA compared to both achalasia and healthy controls (p < 0.01). FM/CWP patients were six times more likely to report PTSD than both FD (p < 0.001) and achalasia (p < 0.001) patients.

Conclusion

In FM/CWP, PTSD comorbidity, but not CA, was associated with self‐reported pain severity and PTSD severity mediated the relationship between CA and pain severity. In summary, the prevalence of CA is higher in FM/CWP compared to achalasia, but similar to FD. However, PTSD is more prevalent in FM/CWP compared to FD and associated with higher pain intensity in FM/CWP.

Significance

As expected and has been shown in other functional disorders, we found elevated levels of childhood adversity in FM/CWP patients. Results of this study however suggest that the impact of childhood adversity (i.e. whether such events have led to the development of PTSD symptoms), rather than the mere presence of such adversity, is of crucial importance in FM/CWP patients. Screening for PTSD symptoms should be an essential part of the assessment process in patients suffering from FM/CWP, and both prevention and intervention efforts should take into account PTSD symptoms and their impact on pain severity and general functioning.
Paradoxes of praise: Identity‐inconsistent praise results in praise‐inconsistent responses
Authors: Rabinovich Anna , Morton Thomas A.
Published: May 2017

In four experimental studies, we explored the effect of consistency between central group values and the content of group‐directed praise on group‐based esteem, group identification, and willingness to express attitudes and intentions (in)consistent with the content of praise. Study 1 used pre‐existing groups with clearly defined central values, Study 2 relied on individual differences in perceptions of central group values within the same social group, and Studies 3 and 4 manipulated the centrality of group values experimentally. The results demonstrated that identity‐inconsistent praise resulted in lower group‐based esteem (Studies 1–4), and reduced group identification (Study 4), as compared to identity‐consistent praise. In addition, in all studies, identity‐inconsistent praise led to stronger willingness to reaffirm (the ignored) central group characteristics than identity‐consistent praise. The results are consistent with extensions of the self‐verification approach to the collective self.
Competition over collective victimhood recognition: When perceived lack of recognition for past victimization is associated with negative attitudes towards another victimized group
Authors: De Guissmé Laura , Licata Laurent
Published: May 2017

Groups that perceive themselves as victims can engage in “competitive victimhood.” We propose that, in some societal circumstances, this competition bears on the recognition of past sufferings—rather than on their relative severity—fostering negative intergroup attitudes. Three studies are presented. Study 1, a survey among Sub‐Saharan African immigrants in Belgium (N = 127), showed that a sense of collective victimhood was associated with more secondary anti‐Semitism. This effect was mediated by a sense of lack of victimhood recognition, then by the belief that this lack of recognition was due to that of Jews' victimhood, but not by competition over the severity of the sufferings. Study 2 replicated this mediation model among Muslim immigrants (N = 125). Study 3 experimentally demonstrated the negative effect of the unequal recognition of groups' victimhood on intergroup attitudes in a fictional situation involving psychology students (N = 183). Overall, these studies provide evidence that struggle for victimhood recognition can foster intergroup conflict.
Men in pink collars: Stereotype threat and disengagement among male teachers and child protection workers
Authors: Kalokerinos Elise K. , Kjelsaas Kathleen , Bennetts Steven , von Hippel Courtney
Published: May 2017

Male employees are a traditionally advantaged group, but when working in a female‐dominated industry they may be vulnerable to negative gender stereotypes. The current research examined stereotype threat among men in two traditionally feminine jobs. Study 1 measured stereotype threat among primary school teachers and found that men experienced more stereotype threat than women, and that feelings of stereotype threat were related to negative job attitudes for men but not women. Study 2 manipulated the direction of social comparisons to elicit stereotype threat among male child protection workers. For men but not women, upward social comparisons with a successful feminine target elicited stereotype threat. In turn, stereotype threat was associated with intentions to resign and feeling expected to perform stereotypic masculine work tasks. These results suggest that despite their advantaged status, men in pink‐collar jobs are susceptible to workplace stereotype threat.
Racial phenotypicality bias in educational expectations for both male and female teenagers from different socioeconomic backgrounds
Authors: Meeus Joke , Paredes Mayor Javiera , González Roberto , Brown Rupert , Manzi Jorge
Published: May 2017

In three experiments (N = 56, 99, and 225), we showed that racial phenotypicality bias characterizes educational expectations for Chilean mestizo students: participants displayed more positive educational expectations for light complexioned than for dark complexioned high school students. In Study 1, with male high school target students, the relation between racial phenotypic appearance and educational expectations was mediated by differences in perceived competence. Study 2 suggests that the gender of the target student did not influence the occurrence of racial phenotypicality bias. Study 3 showed that racial phenotypicality bias occurs in both university students and high school teachers' judgements. Although socioeconomic background of the target student partially explained the effects of racial phenotypic appearance (especially in teachers), the latter exerted an additional and independent influence on educational expectations. These results underline the fact that effects of racial phenotypicality bias should not be overlooked in the educational domain. As mediational analyses suggested, these effects only partly occur because of stereotypical associations between racial phenotypic appearance and socioeconomic background, but also because of stereotypical associations between racial phenotypic appearance and attributed competence.
The helping orientations inventory: Measuring propensities to provide autonomy and dependency help
Authors: Maki Alexander , Vitriol Joseph A. , Dwyer Patrick C. , Kim John S. , Snyder Mark
Published: May 2017

Research on helping behavior distinguishes between giving recipients the tools to solve problems for themselves (autonomy‐oriented help) and direct solutions not requiring recipients' involvement (dependency‐oriented help). Across three studies, we examined whether individuals can be characterized by dispositional propensities toward offering autonomy‐oriented and/or dependency‐oriented help. In initial studies, factor analyses revealed the two hypothesized Helping Orientations Inventory scales along with an additional scale capturing opposition to helping, all acceptable in internal consistency and test–retest reliability (Studies 1a–1c). Next, we found that the three scales related in distinct ways to constructs from the intergroup (e.g., social dominance orientation) and interpersonal (e.g., empathic concern) helping literatures (Studies 1d and 1e). Additionally, these orientations predicted satisfaction with volunteer behavior (Study 2) and interest in future volunteering (Study 3). Overall, people vary in their helping orientations, and these orientations implicate a range of variables relevant to intergroup and interpersonal helping.
Are highly numerate individuals invulnerable to attribute framing bias? Comparing numerically and graphically represented attribute framing
Authors: Kreiner Hamutal , Gamliel Eyal
Published: May 2017

Judgments and decisions are frequently biased by attribute framing, presenting either positive or negative attributes of an object. This paper focused on two factors previously shown to moderate the attribute‐framing bias: mode of presentation and participants' numeric ability. Whereas many studies demonstrated that graphical display reduced the bias, recent findings suggest that graphical manipulation can nevertheless elicit significant framing bias. Numeracy has been shown to moderate attribute‐framing bias when the quantitative information was represented by numbers. The present study examined to what extent numeracy would still moderate the framing bias when it is graphically elicited. The results showed a significant framing bias for graphically as well as for numerically represented framing scenarios. Critically, whereas numeracy moderated the framing bias in numerically represented scenarios, it did not have a similar moderating effect when the quantitative information in the scenario was graphically represented. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.
The power of politics: How political leaders in Serbia discursively manage identity continuity and political change to shape the future of the nation
Authors: Obradović Sandra , Howarth Caroline
Published: May 2017

The construction of national identities through political discourse is a growing field of interest to social psychologists, particularly as many countries face changing demographics, borders and social realities as part of globalization, immigration and continued political integration and conflict. Through an analysis of 17 key speeches by Serbian politicians over the past 25 years, the present paper explores the question of how politicians, as entrepreneurs of identity, discursively manage the relationship between identity continuity and political change over time, in attempts to construct the future of a nation. We particularly explore this issue in the context of Serbia's present political aspirations toward joining the European Union. The findings indicate that (i) political change becomes negotiated within the framework of established and legitimized identity discourses that have developed over time, and (ii) while history is frequently drawn on to support political agendas, it is successful to the extent that this history offers a sense of cultural continuity rather than a coherent narrative of historical events and time periods. We conclude by arguing for the benefits that a diachronic approach to political discourse can offer social psychologists interested in the discursive construction of national identity.
It is written all over your face: Socially rejected people display microexpressions that are detectable after training in the Micro Expression Training Tool (METT)
Authors: McDonald Kelly , Newby‐Clark Ian R. , Walker Jennifer , Henselwood Kallee
Published: May 2017

Social rejection is a powerful negative emotional experience, yet rejected people often appear stoic and unmoved. That is, their macroexpressions of emotion are not accurate reflections of their emotional states. Yet, there is reason to believe that rejected people exhibit involuntary microexpressions of negative emotion. We contrasted people's macroexpressions of emotion with their microexpressions subsequent to an acceptance or rejection experience. Observers coded microexpressions after being trained with the Micro Expression Training Tool. Rejected participants expressed more sad and angry microexpressions than did accepted participants. This research demonstrates that socially rejected people display negative microexpressions that are detectable by observers trained in the Micro Expression Training Tool.