bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Study of pyrolytic mechanisms of seaweed based on different components (soluble polysaccharides, proteins, and ash)
Authors: Wang Shuang , Hu Yamin , He Zhixia , Wang Qian , Xu Shannan
Published: March 2017

The pyrolysis mechanisms of the main components of seaweed (soluble polysaccharides, proteins, and ash) were investigated in this study using characterization analysis and thermogravimetric analysis–mass spectrometry. XPS analysis indicated that most of the metal ions existed in the ash, while substituents of Na and K ions were found in polysaccharides. Oxygen-containing functional groups in Enteromorpha were found to exist mainly in the following forms: -OH/C-O in polysaccharides, COO- in proteins, and inorganic oxygen in the ash. Pyrolysis thermogravimetric (TG) curves of the components of Enteromorpha indicated that the thermogravimetric analysis ranges of polysaccharides and proteins were 175–310 °C and 300–350 °C, respectively. During the pyrolysis process, due to the effects of metal ions, the maximum thermal weight loss rate was found to increase, while the pyrolysis temperature also increased. CO2 was generated from the decarboxylation of uronic acids and the decomposition of inorganic carbonates in proteins and polysaccharides.
Optimisation of applied field pulses for microwave assisted magnetic recording
Authors: Greaves Simon John , Muraoka Hiroaki , Kanai Yasushi
Published: March 2017

Grains in a recording medium experience field pulses from a write head during recording. In general, a short head field rise time and a square pulse shape have been viewed as optimal. This work investigates the optimum field pulse shape for microwave assisted magnetic recording on single layer and ECC media. A square pulse was found to give the best recording performance on single layer media, but an initially negative field pulse increasing at a constant rate was more suitable for ECC media.
Eddy current loss evaluation of magnetic powder core based on electric and magnetic networks
Authors: Konda Shigeru , Yoshida Yukihiro , Ichinokura Osamu
Published: March 2017

This paper presents a method for calculating eddy current loss in the magnetic powder core based on electric and magnetic networks. First, an electric and magnetic model of single particle of magnetic powder core to calculate intra-particle eddy current loss generated in each particle of the magnetic powder is discussed. Then, eddy current losses of toroidal cores made from three sizes of magnetic powders are determined. Experimental results demonstrate the validity of the proposed method.
Multiple intersection properties of optical resonance modes in metallic metamaterials
Authors: Tokuda Yasunori , Sakaguchi Koichiro , Yamaguchi Yuki , Takano Keisuke
Published: March 2017

Unusual behavior of Fabry-Perot-like waveguide resonance modes is presented for a quasi-dielectric metamaterial that consists of two metallic sub-wavelength cut-through slit-array slabs separated by an air-gap region. Simulations based on the finite-difference time-domain method were conducted. The unique optical properties were interpreted in terms of multiple intersection of the resonance modes. Depending on the intersection conditions of the optical modes, furthermore, a variety of crossing characteristics, i.e., fade-out crossing with/without an isolated loop, anticrossing with/without intensity reduction, and anticrossing with/without frequency repulsion, were identified for the air-gap dependence of the transmission spectra. These findings, which were obtained by careful observation of the properties of this type of metamaterial, present a novel and interesting aspect of the behavior of the optical resonance modes.
Yield, growth, canopy traits and photosynthesis in high-yielding, synthetic hexaploid-derived wheats cultivars compared with non-synthetic wheats
Authors: Tang Yonglu , Wu Xiaoli , Li Chaosu , Yang Wuyun , Huang Mingbo , Ma Xiaoling , Li Shizhao
Published: March 2017

Continuous improvement of potential yield is one of the most important goals of wheat breeding. The introduction of synthetic hexaploid wheat (SHW) germplasm has broken the bottleneck in potential yield, taking wheat breeding in China’s Sichuan Basin to a new level. However, systematic research on the physiological basis of high-yielding, SHW-derived cultivars has lagged behind. In the present study, three SHW-derived, high-yielding cultivars and three typical, non-synthetic cultivars widely used in wheat production were chosen for a 5-year study. Post-anthesis canopy structure, rates of canopy apparent photosynthesis (CAP), attenuation during grain filling, dry matter partitioning and other physiological parameters were studied. The average yield of the SHW-derived cultivars was 9154 kg ha–1, which was 13.5% higher than that of the non-synthetic cultivars. The increased yield was due to increased biomass and/or increased harvest index (HI). SHW-derived cultivars had shorter but wider flag leaves, with length : width ratio <10. The basal angle and open angle were small at the beginning of anthesis, which gradually increased as grain-filling progressed; the SPAD readings of the flag leaf and penultimate leaf of the SHW-derived cultivars was significantly higher than that of the non-synthetic cultivars from anthesis to mid–late grainfill. The CAP values at anthesis and 20 days post-anthesis were significantly higher in the SHW-derived cultivars than in non-synthetic cultivars, in which the difference was most significant between 10 : 00 and 12 : 00. The dry matter partitioning at anthesis varied significantly among cultivars, and the stem and sheath proportion of the SHW-derived cultivars was larger than that of the non-synthetic cultivars. At maturation, the spike rachis and leaves of the SHW-derived cultivars accounted for significantly smaller proportions of the total aboveground dry weight. Accordingly, the grain proportion was increased by 1–4 percentage points. Yield components were closely related to measured physiological parameters; e.g. grain yield correlated positively with SPAD values (r = 0.960**) and negatively with the proportion of spike rachis at maturation (r = –0.946**). This indicated that a semi-compact plant morphology, with high SPAD readings and high CAP and greater HI, was the physiological basis of high yield in SHW-derived cultivars.
Seed-germination response of Leymus chinensis to cold stratification in a range of temperatures, light and low water potentials under salt and drought stresses
Authors: Lin Jixiang , Shi Yujie , Tao Shuang , Yu Xingyang , Yu Dafu , Yan Xiufeng
Published: March 2017

Leymus chinensis has important forage value and is considered a useful grass species for grassland restoration in Northeast China. However, little information exists concerning the germination responses of this species to interactions of cold stratification, light, temperature and low water potential caused by salinity and drought. Experiments were conducted in growth chambers, and the results showed that in all conditions of light, temperature and water stresses, the germination percentages of cold-stratified seeds were higher than of non-stratified seeds. Light had an inhibitory effect on germination percentage under both non-saline and salt stress conditions; darkness is beneficial for germination of this species. In addition, seeds germinated much better under alternating temperature regimes than under constant temperatures. Both salt and drought stresses decreased the germination percentage of Leymus chinensis, but the reductions under drought stress were much greater. Moreover, after being transferred to distilled water, most non-germinated seeds under drought stress germinated well, and the total percentage reached that of the non-saline condition level. Therefore, cold stratification is an effective measure to increase seed germination and salt or drought tolerance, especially in darkness. We conclude that Leymus chinensis has definite salt and drought tolerance during the germination stage and it is a promising species for the restoration of deteriorated grassland in Northeast China.
Electron–hole asymmetry of the topological surface states in strained HgTe
Authors: Jost Andreas , Bendias Michel , Böttcher Jan , Hankiewicz Ewelina , Brüne Christoph , Buhmann Hartmut , Molenkamp Laurens W. , Maan Jan C. , Zeitler Uli , Hussey Nigel , Wiedmann Steffen
Published: March 2017

Significance

Topological insulators possess metallic surfaces states that are generally perceived as electrons and holes with a linear symmetric dispersion around the Dirac point. In this work, we show that this symmetry is significantly distorted in the 3D topological insulator-strained HgTe. In thermopower experiments, we show a distinctively different behavior of surface electrons and holes that originates from a strongly asymmetric dispersion of surface states. Nonetheless, the surface states themselves remain topologically protected as evidenced by the observation of an ambipolar surface quantum Hall effect and quantum oscillations in the thermoelectric response. This observation shows that the physics of topological surface states in 3D topological insulators is far richer than previously envisaged.
Discovery of an endogenous Deltaretrovirus in the genome of long-fingered bats (Chiroptera: Miniopteridae)
Authors: Farkašová Helena , Hron Tomáš , Pačes Jan , Hulva Pavel , Benda Petr , Gifford Robert James , Elleder Daniel
Published: March 2017

Significance

Retroviruses copy their RNA genome into complementary DNA, which is then inserted into the host chromosomal DNA as an obligatory part of their life cycle. Such integrated viral sequences, called proviruses, are passed to the infected cell progeny on cellular division. If germline cells are targeted, the proviruses become vertically inherited as other host genes and are called endogenous retroviruses. Deltaretroviruses, which include important human and veterinary pathogens (HTLV-1 and BLV), are the last retroviral genus for which endogenous forms were not known. We have identified a case of endogenous Deltaretrovirus, which entered the genome of long-fingered bat ancestors more than 20 million years ago. This finding opens the way for elucidating the deep evolutionary history of deltaretroviruses.
Chapter 2. Addressing the problems of intentionality and granularity in non-human primate gesture
Authors: Cartmill Erica A. , Byrne Richard W.
Published: March 2017

Any study of communicative gesture must identify which movements are purposeful (intentionality) and which examples of movements should be grouped into a single gesture (granularity). Where researchers studying human gesture are aided by linguistic context, researchers studying non-human primates must rely on their subjects’ movements alone to address these questions. We propose an approach to intentionality and granularity in non-human primate gesture based first on the possibility that only some, but not all individuals that use particular movements do so as intentional gestures, and second on the premise that gestures found to have specific meanings reflect real-world distinctions made by the animals. We apply this approach to the behavior of 28 captive orangutans and identify 64 distinct gestures, 29 of which have specific, predictable meanings.
Chapter 3. Birth of a Morph
Authors: McNeill David , Sowa Claudia
Published: March 2017

When speech is prevented, gesture morphs emerge de novo. The morphs include standards of good form and syntagmatic values. However, when speech is present, gestures do not attain morph status, do not have standards of form or syntagmatic values.
Chapter 4. Dyadic evidence for grounding with abstract deictic gestures
Authors: Bavelas Janet , Gerwing Jennifer , Allison Meredith , Sutton Chantelle
Published: March 2017

Speakers use gestures to communicate within a dialogue, not as isolated individuals. We therefore analyzed gestural communication within dyadic dialogues. Specifically, we microanalyzed grounding (the sequence of steps by which speaker and addressee ensure their mutual understanding) in a task that elicited abstract deictic gestures. Twenty-two dyads designing a hypothetical floor plan together without writing implements often used gestures to describe these non-existent spaces. We examined the 552 gestures (97% of the database) that conveyed information that was not presented in the accompanying words. A highly reliable series of analyses tracked the immediate responses to these non-redundant speech-gesture combinations. In the vast majority of cases, the addressee’s response indicated understanding, and the speaker/gesturer’s actions confirmed that this understanding was correct.
Chapter 5. If you don’t already know, I’m certainly not going to show you!
Authors: Hostetter Autumn , Alibali Martha W. , Schrager Sheree M.
Published: March 2017

The present study aimed to determine if variations in a speaker’s motivation to communicate influence the frequency or size of the gestures the speaker produces. We observed the gestures produced by speakers as they gave route directions to a listener who they believed would use the information either to cooperate with them in a later game, compete with them, or merely play simultaneously. Gesture rates were not affected. However, speakers produced a higher proportion of gestures that were large in size when they expected their listener to cooperate with them than when they expected their listener to compete with them. These findings suggest that gestures are shaped in part by speakers’ desire to communicate information clearly to their listeners.
Chapter 6. Measuring the formal diversity of hand gestures by their hamming distance
Authors: Hogrefe Katharina , Ziegler Wolfram , Goldenberg Georg
Published: March 2017

Based on the assumption that the formal diversity of gestures indicates their potential information content, we developed a method that focuses on the analysis of physiological and kinetic aspects of hand gestures. A form-based transcription with the Hamburg Notation System for Sign Languages (HamNoSys, Prillwitz et al. 1989) constitutes the basis for the calculation of a measure of the formal diversity of hand gestures. We validated our method in a study with healthy persons, who retold the same short video clips first verbally and then without speaking. The silent condition was expected to elicit higher formal diversity of hand gestures since they have to transmit information without support from language (Goldin-Meadow et al. 1996). Results were in line with our expectations. We conclude that the determination of the formal diversity of hand gestures is an adequate method for gesture analysis which is especially suitable for analysing the gestures of persons with language disorders.
Chapter 13. The development of spatial perspective in the description of large-scale environments
Authors: Sekine Kazuki
Published: March 2017

This research investigated developmental changes in children’s representations of large-scale environments as reflected in spontaneous gestures and speech produced during route descriptions Four-, five-, and six-year-olds (N = 122) described the route from their nursery school to their own homes. Analysis of the children’s gestures showed that some 5- and 6-year-olds produced gestures that represented survey mapping, and they were categorized as a survey group. Children who did not produce such gestures were categorized as a route group. A comparison of the two groups revealed no significant differences in speech indices, with the exception that the survey group showed significantly fewer right/left terms. As for gesture, the survey group produced more gestures than the route group. These results imply that an initial form of survey-map representation is acquired beginning at late preschool age.
Chapter 15. The changing role of gesture form and function in a picture book interaction between a child with autism and his support teacher
Authors: Sowden Hannah , Perkins Michael R. , Clegg Judy
Published: March 2017

Autism is a developmental disorder which impacts on the social, communicative and cognitive abilities of the child. The development of both language and gesture is delayed. Previous research indicates that deictic gestures predominate over representative gestures in this population. This paper presents a case study, Nathan, aged 2:6 years interacting with his support teacher, Joanne. The five minute interaction comprises three distinct phases. In the first phase Joanne engages Nathan’s attention by means of deictic gestures, the second phase shows an increase in iconic gesture, and in the final phase Nathan actively contributes to the interaction both verbally and gesturally. We conclude that Nathan is skilled at understanding and using deictic gestures, at imitating representative gestures and can collaboratively engage in interactions. This study indicates that children with autism may combine communicative modalities with more complexity than previously thought.
Chapter 16. A cross-linguistic study of verbal and gestural descriptions in French and Japanese monolingual and bilingual children
Authors: Zvaigzne Meghan , Oshima-Takane Yuriko , Genesee Fred , Hirakawa Makiko
Published: March 2017

This study investigated whether the presence of mimetics (sound-symbolic words) in language influences children’s verbal and gestural descriptions by comparing monolingual and bilingual speakers of Japanese and French. Mimetics are present in Japanese, but not French (Kita, 2008). 4 to 6-year-old children described motion and object characteristics to an experimenter during a referential communication task. Verbal descriptions were coded as precise or imprecise and produced with or without mimetics and/or iconic gestures. Mimetics and gestures were used frequently in Japanese, particularly for motion descriptions. Bilinguals patterned like monolinguals, except when speaking Japanese they used more imprecise descriptions and fewer mimetics. This shows that presence of mimetics in language and frequent exposure to them promotes their use in conjunction with gestures.
Chapter 17. Gesture and language shift on the Uruguayan-Brazilian border
Authors: Newbury Kendra
Published: March 2017

The linguistic phenomenon in which a prestige language variety supplants a traditional one, language shift, as well as the related phenomenon of superstratum and substratum interference, leading to mixture, have been widely studied in linguistics. Scholars, however, have not applied these linguistic theories to non-verbal communication, such as gesture. In applying these concepts to the hegemonic displacement in northern Uruguay of the traditional Portuguese variety by the national language, Spanish, this article demonstrates that gestural convention is interconnected with the linguistic outcome of language contact among these border bilinguals. Focusing on gestures that are traditionally associated with each language, the results confirm expected generalizations about gesture shift as a parallel phenomenon, while they reveal conclusions about how gesture differs from language, including the absence of gesture-switching and the phenomenon of latency, or rather, the delay in the adoption of culturally-defined paralinguistic forms when a speech community undergoes language shift.
Chapter 18. Seeing the graph vs. being the graph
Authors: Gerofsky Susan
Published: March 2017

This study is situated within a body of new work in mathematics education that involves studies of gesture, kinesthetic learning and embodied metaphor and mathematical understandings (for example, Lakoff & Núñez, 2000; Nemirovsky & Borba, 2003; Goldin-Meadow, Kim & Singer, 1999). This chapter reports findings from the first two years of the author’s multi-year study exploring variations of secondary students’ gestures when asked to describe mathematical graphs. Three diagnostic categories emerged from this data with regard to learners’ degree of imaginative engagement and ability to notice mathematically salient features when encountering graphs.
Chapter 21. Gesture and discourse
Authors: Foraker Stephani
Published: March 2017

Do speakers use different gestures when first introducing a referent compared to when referring back to the referent? Four adults narrated a story involving two men and several objects. We coded the speech and gestures produced, focusing on the gestures that accompanied nouns or pronouns used to introduce or refer back to referents. The main finding was that gestures with predominantly redundant information (same identity as the spoken referent) occurred more often when introducing a referent in speech, but that gestures with predominantly additional information (different entity than spoken referent, predicate of a referent) occurred more often when referring back in speech. These findings underscore the idea that speakers’ gestures can reflect the difference between new and given information in discourse.
Subsidiarity: Restoring a Sacred Harmony
Authors: Kieffer John W.
Published: March 2017

The principle of subsidiarity is a bastion of Catholic social teaching. It is also a principle in the philosophy of the American Founding Fathers. In the USA, subsidiarity is ignored without a sense of the proper harmony between authority and responsibility. Human dignity and wise stewardship are compromised. Conscience protection becomes a concerning issue as highlighted by the conflicts arising after passing of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. A reconnection of the patient to be steward of his health care is critical in addressing these issues. Third parties, including the government, business, and insurance companies, are firmly entrenched in health care oftentimes with the result being increased cost and detachment of the patient from the stewardship of his or her care. Vitally needed is a return to the principle of subsidiarity in health care. Hopeful solutions include the Zarephath Health Center, the Surgery Center of Oklahoma, and the clinic of Dr. Juliette Madrigal-Dersch.

The principle of subsidiarity is a bastion of Catholic social teaching. It is a principle in the philosophy of the American Founding Fathers. In the US, subsidiarity is ignored without a sense of the proper harmony between authority and responsibility. Human dignity, wise stewardship, and solidarity are compromised. A reconnection of the patient to personal stewardship of his health care is critical in addressing these issues. Third parties are firmly entrenched in health care oftentimes with the result being increased cost and detachment of the patient from his or her care. Vitally needed is a return to the principle of subsidiarity in health care.
Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia cells produce large extracellular vesicles containing organelles and an active cytoskeleton
Authors: Johnson Suzanne M. , Dempsey Clare , Parker Catriona , Mironov Aleksandr , Bradley Helen , Saha Vaskar
Published: March 2017

Extracellular vesicles have been described in non‐paracrine cellular interactions in cancer. We report a similar phenomenon in B‐cell precursor (BCP) acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). Using advanced microscopy and high throughput screening, we further characterise a subset of large vesicles (LEVs) identified in cell lines, murine models of human BCP‐ALL and clinical samples. Primary ALL blasts and cell lines released heterogeneous anucleate vesicles <6 micron into extracellular fluids. Larger LEVs were enclosed in continuous membranes, contained intact organelles and demonstrated an organised cytoskeleton. An excess of circulating CD19‐positive LEVs were observed in diagnostic samples and isolated from mice engrafted with BCP‐ALL primary cells. LEVs exhibited dynamic shape change in vitro and were internalised by other leukaemic cell lines leading to phenotypic transformation analogous to the cell of origin. In patient‐derived xenografts, LEVs were released by primary ALL cells into extracellular spaces and internalised by murine mesenchymal cells in vivo. Collectively these data highlight the heterogeneity but accessibility of LEVs in clinical samples and their potential to provide a unique insight into the biology of the cell of origin and to their development as novel biomarkers to aid diagnosis and improve therapeutic outcomes.
Incorporating a Modified Graeb Score to the Modified Fisher Scale for Improved Risk Prediction of Delayed Cerebral Ischemia Following Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage
Authors: Eagles Matt E , Jaja Blessing N R , Macdonald R Loch
Published: March 2017

BACKGROUND

Delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI) is a cause of poor outcome after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. Risk scales to predict DCI have scarcely been evaluated for predictive accuracy. Accounting for volume of intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) in the modified Fischer scale (mFS) may improve its predictive accuracy.

OBJECTIVE

To compare the modified Graeb score (mGS) to the mFS for risk prediction of DCI, and to investigate whether incorporating an mGS cut-point into the mFS could improve predictive accuracy.

METHODS

This retrospective analysis was based on the Clazosentan to Overcome Neurological Ischemia and Infarction Occurring after Subarachnoid Hemorrhage (CONSCIOUS-1) trial cohort. IVH volume was quantified with the mGS. The relation of the mGS to DCI was evaluated using logistic regression and the area under the receiver operator characteristics curve (AUC). An optimized mGS cut-point was identified using the Youden index, and was incorporated into the mFS to dichotomize grades 2 and 4. The AUC was used to compare the predictive performance of the mGS with that of the mFS, and to assess whether there was an improvement in DCI prediction after creation of the dichotomized scale.

RESULTS

The mFS and the mGS had similar discrimination for DCI (AUC: 0.608 vs 0.618; P = .79). A new scale including both the mFS and mGS significantly improved the AUC compared to the mFS (AUC: 0.647 vs 0.608; P = .022).

CONCLUSION

The mFS and the mGS have similar prognostic utility. Accounting for IVH volume improved prediction of DCI by the mFS.
Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa Inhibitors in Prevention and Rescue Treatment of Thromboembolic Complications During Endovascular Embolization of Intracranial Aneurysms
Authors: Dornbos David , Katz Joel S , Youssef Patrick , Powers Ciarán J , Nimjee Shahid M
Published: March 2017

Thromboembolic complications remain a major risk of endovascular neurosurgery during the treatment of intracranial aneurysms, despite the use of therapeutic heparinization and oral antiplatelet therapy when indicated. Glycoprotein (GP) IIb/IIIa inhibitors target a nonredundant pathway of platelet aggregation following adhesion and activation. Initially established and implemented in the cardiovascular arena, this drug class has provided a new tool in the neurovascular armamentarium as well. Numerous case reports, case series, and retrospective reviews have evaluated the safety and efficacy of abciximab, eptifibatide, and tirofiban in the treatment of acute thromboembolic complications during the endovascular treatment of intracranial aneurysms. The use of this drug class has also been found to be beneficial as a prophylactic agent, providing ischemia protection during the placement of intracranial stents, flow diverters, and thrombogenic coils in the setting of subarachnoid hemorrhage and during elective aneurysmal embolization. While the current published literature clearly establishes efficacy and safety of GP IIb/IIIa inhibitors in the prevention of thromboembolic complications, there does not yet exist an established protocol for their administration in endovascular neurosurgery. This review provides a comprehensive evaluation of the current published literature pertaining to the use of all available GP IIb/IIIa inhibitors for thromboembolic complications, providing recommendations for dosing and administration of abciximab, eptifibatide, and tirofiban based on previously published rates of efficacy and intracranial hemorrhage.
Clinical Impact of Nucleic Acid Amplification Testing in the Diagnosis of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis: A 10-Year Longitudinal Study
Authors: Bourgi Kassem , Patel Jaimin , Samuel Linoj , Kieca Angela , Johnson Laura , Alangaden George
Published: March 2017

Background

Nucleic acid amplification (NAA) testing for Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) offers improved diagnostic accuracy, compared with smear microscopy, in differentiating MTB from other mycobacteria. We aimed to evaluate the reliability and projected impact of NAA testing in patients with acid-fast bacilli (AFB) smear-positive respiratory samples.

Methods

We identified a retrospective cohort of all patients with AFB smear-positive respiratory specimens at Henry Ford Hospital from January 1, 2001 through December 31, 2011. We examined the association between patients’ sociodemographic factors and clinical comorbidities with the likelihood of being diagnosed with MTB. We evaluated the projected change in duration of airborne isolation and unnecessary MTB treatment with introducing NAA testing into clinical decision making for AFB smear-positive patients.

Results

One hundred thirty patients had AFB smear-positive respiratory specimens, 80 of these patients had a positive NAA test result, and 82 patients grew MTB on culture. Nucleic acid amplification testing had a sensitivity and specificity of 97.6% and 100%, respectively. Integrating NAA testing into clinical decision making for patients with AFB-positive smears was associated with a significantly shorter time in airborne isolation (6.0 ± 7.6 vs 23.1 ± 38.0, P < .001) and 9.5 ± 11.32 fewer days of unnecessary MTB treatment in patients with negative NAA test.

Conclusions

Nucleic acid amplification testing provided a rapid and accurate test in the diagnosis of MTB while significantly reducing the duration of isolation and unnecessary medications in patients with negative NAA test.
Financial Crises and Risk Premia*
Authors: Muir Tyler
Published: March 2017

I analyze the behavior of risk premia in financial crises, wars, and recessions in an international panel spanning over 140 years and 14 countries. I document that expected returns, or risk premia, increase substantially in financial crises, but not in the other episodes. Asset prices decline in all episodes, but the decline in financial crises is substantially larger than the decline in fundamentals so that expected returns going forward are large. However, drops in consumption and consumption volatility are fairly similar across financial crises and recessions and are largest during wars, so asset pricing models based on aggregate consumption have trouble matching these facts. Comparing crises to “deep” recessions strengthens these findings further. By disentangling financial crises from other bad macroeconomic times, the results suggest that financial crises are particularly important to understanding why risk premia vary. I discuss implications for theory more broadly and discuss both rational and behavioral models that are consistent with the facts. Theories where asset prices are related to the health of the financial sector appear particularly promising.
The FgVps39-FgVam7-FgSso1 Complex Mediates Vesicle Trafficking and Is Important for the Development and Virulence of Fusarium graminearum
Authors: Li Bing , Liu Luping , Li Ying , Dong Xin , Zhang Haifeng , Chen Huaigu , Zheng Xiaobo , Zhang Zhengguang
Published: March 2017

Vesicle trafficking is an important event in eukaryotic organisms. Many proteins and lipids transported between different organelles or compartments are essential for survival. These processes are mediated by soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor (SNARE) proteins, Rab-GTPases, and multisubunit tethering complexes such as class C core vacuole or endosome tethering and homotypic fusion or vacuole protein sorting (HOPS). Our previous study has demonstrated that FgVam7, which encodes a SNARE protein involving in vesicle trafficking, plays crucial roles in growth, asexual or sexual development, deoxynivalenol production, and pathogenicity in Fusarium graminearum. Here, the affinity purification approach was used to identify FgVam7-interacting proteins to explore its regulatory mechanisms during vesicle trafficking. The orthologs of yeast Vps39, a HOPS tethering complex subunit, and Sso1, a SNARE protein localized to the vacuole or endosome, were identified and selected for further characterization. In yeast two-hybrid and glutathione-S-transferase pull-down assays, FgVam7, FgVps39, and FgSso1 interacted with each other as a complex. The ∆Fgvps39 mutant generated by targeted deletion was significantly reduced in vegetative growth and asexual development. It failed to produce sexual spores and was defective in plant infection and deoxynivalenol production. Further cellular localization and cytological examinations suggested that FgVps39 is involved in vesicle trafficking from early or late endosomes to vacuoles in F. graminearum. Additionally, the ∆Fgvps39 mutant was defective in vacuole morphology and autophagy, and it was delayed in endocytosis. Our results demonstrate that FgVam7 interacts with FgVps39 and FgSso1 to form a unique complex, which is involved in vesicle trafficking and modulating the proper development of infection-related morphogenesis in F. graminearum.
Phosphatidylserine Exposure after Vascular Injury-Platelet or Endothelial
Authors: Agbani Ejaife O. , Cash Jenna L , Williams Christopher M. , Poole Alastair W.
Published: March 2017

Background

Platelets membranes are considered the paramount site for the assembly of tenase and prothrombinase complex and are key players in localising coagulation to wound sites. However, the endothelium is also known to express phosphatidylserine (PS) and support the binding of recombinant FVa/FXa even beyond the site of injury. It thus remains unclear, what cell type play the preeminent role in the cellular control of coagulation after vascular injury.

Approach

To address this question, we utilised a model of haemostasis (full thickness 1mm excisional skin wounds) as well as tissues after injury in laser and ferric chloride models of thrombosis. Damage to the endothelium was assessed by the combined methods of picrosirius red staining, immunofluorescence and electron microscopy. Using multiphoton microscopy, we then compared the spatial distribution of PS on platelets and the endothelium.

Results

Platelets and detectable PS significantly co-localised compared with similar analysis of endothelial cell and exposed PS on wounded carotids arteries which was not significant. Point injury by laser induced restricted damage of the endothelium which was associated with limited platelets recruitment. In consistence with platelets response after FeCl3injury, platelets exposed most of the PS detected at the wound edge where skin vessels were transected in our haemostasis model (Correlation Coeff. 0.78 +/− 0.12 vs 0.35 +/− 0.23).

Conclusions

We surmised that data from the different models support a paradigm of graded haemostatic response to vascular injury, in which full platelets response is limited to wound sites exposing the sub-endothelial matrix.
OncoScore: a novel, Internet-based tool to assess the oncogenic potential of genes
Authors: Rocco Piazza , Daniele Ramazzotti , Roberta Spinelli , Alessandra Pirola , Luca De Sano , Pierangelo Ferrari , Vera Magistroni , Nicoletta Cordani , Nitesh Sharma , Carlo Gambacorti-Passerini
Published: March 2017

The complicated, evolving landscape of cancer mutations poses a formidable challenge to identify cancer genes among the large lists of mutations typically generated in NGS experiments. The ability to prioritize these variants is therefore of paramount importance. To address this issue we developed OncoScore, a text-mining tool that ranks genes according to their association with cancer, based on available biomedical literature. Receiver operating characteristic curve and the area under the curve (AUC) metrics on manually curated datasets confirmed the excellent discriminating capability of OncoScore (OncoScore cut-off threshold = 21.09; AUC = 90.3%, 95% CI: 88.1-92.5%), indicating that OncoScore provides useful results in cases where an efficient prioritization of cancer-associated genes is needed.
Comparison of methods that use whole genome data to estimate the heritability and genetic architecture of complex traits
Authors: Evans Luke M. , Tahmasbi Rasool , Vrieze Scott I. , Abecasis Gonçalo R. , Das Sayantan , Bjelland Doug W. , deCandia Teresa R. ,   Haplotype Reference Consortium, Goddard Michael E. , Neale Benjamin M. , Yang Jian , Visscher Peter M. , Keller Matthew C.
Published: March 2017

Heritability,h2, is a foundational concept in genetics, critical to understanding the genetic basis of complex traits. Recently-developed methods that estimate heritability from genotyped SNPs,h2SNP, explain substantially more genetic variance than genome-wide significant loci, but less than classical estimates from twins and families. However,h2SNPestimates have yet to be comprehensively compared under a range of genetic architectures, making it difficult to draw conclusions from sometimes conflicting published estimates. Here, we used thousands of real whole genome sequences to simulate realistic phenotypes under a variety of genetic architectures, including those from very rare causal variants. We compared the performance of ten methods across different types of genotypic data (commercial SNP array positions, whole genome sequence variants, and imputed variants) and under differing causal variant frequencies, levels of stratification, and relatedness thresholds. These results provide guidance in interpreting past results and choosing optimal approaches for future studies. We then chose two methods (GREML-MS and GREML-LDMS) that best estimated overallh2SNPand the causal variant frequency spectra to six phenotypes in the UK Biobank using imputed genome-wide variants. Our results suggest that as imputation reference panels become larger and more diverse, estimates of the frequency distribution of causal variants will become increasingly unbiased and the vast majority of trait narrow-sense heritability will be accounted for.
Improving pairwise comparison of protein sequences with domain co-occurrence
Authors: Menichelli Christophe , Gascuel Olivier , Bréhélin Laurent
Published: March 2017

Motivation

Comparing and aligning protein sequences is an essential task in bioinformatics. More specifically, local alignment tools like BLAST are widely used for identifying conserved protein sub-sequences, which likely correspond to protein domains or functional motifs. However, to limit the number of false positives, these tools are used with stringent sequence-similarity thresholds and hence can miss several hits, especially for species that are phylogenetically distant from reference organisms. A solution to this problem is then to integrate additional contextual information to the procedure.

Results

Here, we propose to use domain co-occurrence to increase the sensitivity of pairwise sequence comparisons. Domain co-occurrence is a strong feature of proteins, since most protein domains tend to appear with a limited number of other domains on the same protein. We propose a method to take this information into account in a typical BLAST analysis and to construct new domain families on the basis of these results. We usedPlasmodium falciparumas a case study to evaluate our method. The experimental findings showed an increase of 16% of the number of significant BLAST hits and an increase of 28% of the proteome area that can be covered with a domain. Our method identified 2473 new domains for which, in most cases, no model of the Pfam database could be linked. Moreover, our study of the quality of the new domains in terms of alignment and physicochemical properties show that they are close to that of standard Pfam domains.

Availability

Software implementing the proposed approach and the Supplementary Data are available at:https://gite.lirmm.fr/menichelli/pairwise-comparison-with-cooccurrence
5,6-Dibromo-1H-indole-2,3-dione
Authors: Golen James A. , Manke David R.
Published: March 2017

The title compound, C8H3Br2NO2, crystallizes with two near planar molecules in the asymmetric unit, with non-H atoms possessing mean deviations from planarity of 0.012 and 0.014 Å. The two molecules are connected by an N—H...O and a C—H...O hydrogen bond. In the crystal, molecules connect through a series of bifurcated N—(H,H)...O hydrogen bonds, forming chains propagating along the [1-1-1] direction. The molecules are further linked through intermolecular halogen interactions, including a Br...O close contact of 2.9409 (3) Å, and two C—H...Br interactions of 3.777 (3) and 3.845 (3) Å. These interactions link the chains into sheets lying parallel to the (1-23) plane.
6-Chloro-3-(2,2-dibromoacetyl)-2H-chromen-2-one
Authors: Yarbagi Kaviraj , Chennuru Ramanaiah , Mahapatra Sudarshan , Venkateswara Rao B. , Sanasi Paul Douglas
Published: March 2017

In the title compound, C11H5Br2ClO3, the benzopyran ring system is essentially planar (r.m.s. deviation = 0.023 Å) and one of the bromine atoms is almost coplanar with it [deviation = 0.091 (1) Å]. In the crystal, inversion dimers linked by pairs of double-acceptor (C—H)2...O hydrogen bonds are seen. Further C—H...O interactions link the dimers into (010) sheets.
1-(7-Isopropyl-2,5-dimethyl-8-nitronaphthalen-1-yl)ethanone
Authors: Ait Elhad Mustapha , Benharref Ahmed , Taourirte Moha , Daran Jean-Claude , Oukhrib Abdelouahd , Berraho Moha
Published: March 2017

The title compound, C17H19NO3, was synthesized in three steps from a mixture of α-, β- and γ-himachalene, which was isolated from an essential oil of the Atlas cedar (Cedrus atlantica). The dihedral angle between the two rings of the naphthalene moiety is 2.54 (5)°. The nitro group and the acetyl group lie almost normal to the mean plane of the naphthalene moiety, making dihedral angles of 80.29 (13) and 83.01 (15)°, respectively, and are inclined to one another by 13.23 (19)°. There is an intramolecular C—H...O hydrogen bond present involving a nitro O atom and the H atom of the methine C atom of the isopropyl group, forming an S(6) ring motif. In the crystal, molecules are linked by pairs of C—H...π interactions, forming inversion dimers. There are no other significant intermolecular interactions present.
3,5-Dichloro-N-(4-methylphenyl)benzenesulfonamide
Authors: Shakuntala K. , Naveen S. , Lokanath N. K. , Suchetan P. A.
Published: March 2017

The molecule of the title compound, C13H11Cl2NO2S, is U-shaped with the central C—S—N—C segment having a torsion angle of 67.2 (4)°. The dihedral angle between the benzene rings is 57.0 (2)°. In the crystal, molecules are linked via N—H...O and C—H...O hydrogen bonds, forming chains propagating along the a-axis direction. The chains are linked by C—H...π interactions, forming a three-dimensional supramolecular structure.
Who is vulnerable? Adult social care and modern slavery
Authors: Craig Gary , Clay Stephen
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The 2015 Modern Slavery Act focusses attention forms of modern slavery (human trafficking and forced labour), within the UK. The contemporaneous 2014 Care Act, identifies modern slavery as a new form of risk within adult social care, listing forms of abuse and vulnerability. However, it does not consider whether those providing care may themselves be vulnerable to forms of modern slavery. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors describe the history of the development of modern slavery legislation in the UK, outline key provisions of the Care Act, illustrated with real-life cases. The analysis suggests that adult social care – characterised by informality, fragmentation and vulnerability – is one where instances of modern slavery may be more common than considered to date.

Findings

The data collected, though relatively modest, suggests that a thorough investigation should be undertaken into the possibility of modern slavery taking place within the realm of adult social care.

Research limitations/implications

Data have been collected through a snowball process, rolling out a survey to relevant groups of individual and organisations. A more rigorous investigation is required to examine the extent of modern slavery within adult social care.

Practical implications

The training of those responsible for the regulation/management of adult social care needs to ensure that they are fully equipped to understand the nature of modern slavery and how to identify its symptoms and victims.

Social implications

There is also a need for heightened awareness of those close to people being cared for that they may also identify the symptoms of modern slavery.

Originality/value

This area has not been explored to date.
Banking outreach, infrastructure development and regional growth
Authors: Vidyarthi Harishankar
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the dynamics between banking penetration, infrastructure development and regional growth within a multivariate framework in 23 Indian states over the period 2000-2012.

Design/methodology/approach

The study employs the multivariate panel data framework to analyze the dynamics between banking penetration, infrastructure development and regional growth within the vector error correction model (VECM) framework.

Findings

The findings confirm the long-run equilibrium relationship between banking penetration, infrastructure and income for the panel. Long-run income elasticity of infrastructure, estimated using Panel dynamic ordinary least square, is positive, statistically significant and has a value of 0.1531. Further, results show bidirectional causality between income and aggregate infrastructure and unidirectional causality running from banking penetration to income and aggregate infrastructure in the long run. However, there is unidirectional causality running from income to banking penetration and aggregate infrastructure and from banking penetration to aggregate infrastructure in the short run.

Research limitations/implications

The study mainly concentrates on the 2000-2012 period and includes transportation (roadways and railways), energy (including electricity) and telecommunication as indicators for infrastructure, as the data for these sectors are easily available at the state level. Second, this study employs the panel data technique as it has a shorter data count.

Practical implications

In order to minimize the existing regional disparity in a developing India, national infrastructure policies should be aimed toward improving the overall access to as well as the quality of infrastructure (existing as well as newly planned). Further, widening the banking outreach at the bottom level may further help the economy as well as the infrastructure sector in mobilizing long-term finances for productive investments, in order to have a balanced, more inclusive and faster growth in the long run.

Originality/value

The study employs panel unit root, cointegration and Granger causality tests within the panel VECM framework to explore the dynamics among the system variables. Further, the study creates a composite index of infrastructure with principle component analysis.