bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Quantum chaos on a critical Fermi surface
Authors: Patel Aavishkar A. , Sachdev Subir
Published: February 2017

Significance

All high-temperature superconductors exhibit a remarkable “strange metal” state above their critical temperatures. A theory of the strange metal is a prerequisite for a deeper understanding of high-temperature superconductivity, but the ubiquitous quasiparticle theory of normal metals cannot be extended to the strange metal. Instead, strange metals exhibit many-body chaos over the shortest possible time allowed by quantum theory. We characterize the quantum chaos in a model of fermions at nonzero density coupled to an emergent gauge field. We find a universal relationship between the chaos parameters and the experimentally measurable thermal diffusivity. Our results establish a connection between quantum dephasing and energy transport in states of quantum matter without quasiparticles.
RhoA knockout fibroblasts lose tumor-inhibitory capacity in vitro and promote tumor growth in vivo
Authors: Alkasalias Twana , Alexeyenko Andrey , Hennig Katharina , Danielsson Frida , Lebbink Robert Jan , Fielden Matthew , Turunen S. Pauliina , Lehti Kaisa , Kashuba Vladimir , Madapura Harsha S. , Bozoky Benedek , Lundberg Emma , Balland Martial , Guvén Hayrettin , Klein George , Gad Annica K. B. , Pavlova Tatiana
Published: February 2017

Significance

In order for cancer to develop, normal tumor-inhibitory fibroblasts need to change into tumor-promoting, cancer-associated fibroblasts. We created Ras homolog family member A (
RhoA
) gene knockout fibroblasts and found that even though these cells lacked common markers of classic cancer-associated fibroblasts, they had lost their normal tumor-inhibitory capacity and induced tumor-cell migration and proliferation in vitro and tumor growth in vivo.
RhoA
knock-out cells also showed an altered cytoskeleton, reduced contractile force, and induced stiffness of the fibroblasts.
RhoA
knockout also induced a loss of α-smooth muscle actin and an activated proinflammatory state, which was reflected by interference with a number of Rho signaling cascades. Our data indicate that RhoA is a key regulator of the switch from tumor-inhibitory to tumor-promoting fibroblasts.
Hippo signaling promotes JNK-dependent cell migration
Authors: Ma Xianjue , Wang Hongxiang , Ji Jiansong , Xu Wenyan , Sun Yihao , Li Wenzhe , Zhang Xiaoping , Chen Juxiang , Xue Lei
Published: February 2017

Significance

Cancer is the leading cause of death worldwide, although studies revealed that dysregulation of the Hippo pathway contributes to tumorigenesis, whereas its roles in tumor invasion and cell migration remain paradoxical and largely elusive. Using
Drosophila
as a model, we herein find cross-talk between the Hippo and JNK pathways in regulating cell migration and invasion. Mechanistically, we identify
bantam
-Rox8 modules as essential components downstream of Yorkie in mediating JNK-dependent cell invasion. Our finding is particularly important as it offers a wake-up call for therapeutic interventions of Hippo-related cancers, because simply increasing Hippo signal activity may paradoxically accelerate cell invasion and metastasis.
Adolescent Substance Use: Assessing the Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of a School-Based Health Center Workforce
Authors: Ramos Mary M. , Sebastian Rachel A. , Murphy Mary , Oreskovich Kristin , Condon Timothy P.
Published: February 2017

Background: Recent attention has focused on the potential for school-based health centers (SBHCs) to provide access points for adolescent substance use care. In 2015, the University of New Mexico began screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) training for providers at New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH)-funded SBHCs across the state. This study assesses baseline knowledge, attitudes, and practices of the New Mexico SBHC provider workforce regarding adolescent substance use and provision of services. Methods: In early 2015, the NMDOH administered an SBHC provider workforce survey ( N = 118) and achieved a 44.9% response rate. This descriptive analysis includes all survey respondents who self-identified as a primary care or behavioral health provider in an SBHC serving middle or high school students ( n = 52). Results: Among respondents, the majority (57.7%) were primary care providers, including nurse practitioners, physicians, and physician assistants. The remaining 42.3% of respondents were master's-level behavioral health providers. Only 44.2% of providers reported practicing the full SBIRT model at their SBHC, and 21.2% reported having received continuing education on SBIRT within the previous 3 years. Most respondents, 84.6%, agreed that it is the responsibility of SBHC providers to screen students for substance use using a standardized tool, and 96.2% agreed that it is the responsibility of the SBHC provider to assess for students’ readiness to change. A majority reported self-efficacy in helping students achieve change in their alcohol use, illicit drug use, and prescription drug misuse: 73.1%, 65.4%, and 63.5%, respectively. Conclusions: These results suggest that SBIRT training for New Mexico SBHC providers is timely. The authors identified gaps between recommended SBIRT practices and SBIRT delivery as well as discrepancies between reported provider self-efficacy and actual implementation of the SBIRT model. Further study will determine the effectiveness of efforts to address substance use and implement SBIRT in SBHCs.
A Statewide Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) Curriculum for Medical Residents: Differential Implementation Strategies in Heterogeneous Medical Residency Programs
Authors: Pringle Janice L. , Kearney Shannon M. , Rickard-Aasen Sherry , Campopiano Melinda M. , Gordon Adam J.
Published: February 2017

Background: Many screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) training curricula have been implemented within graduate medical residency training programs, with varying degrees of success. The authors examined the implementation of a uniform, but adaptable, statewide SBIRT curriculum in 7 diverse residency training programs and whether it could improve resident knowledge, skills, and attitudes regarding SBIRT and unhealthy alcohol and other drug (AOD) use. Methods: The authors assessed the implementation of the Pennsylvania SBIRT Medical and Residency Training (SMaRT) curriculum at 7 residency sites training a variety of disciplines. Faculty could use a variety of training modalities, including (1) Web-based self-directed modules; (2) didactic lectures; (3) small-group sessions; and/or (4) skill-transfer interactions with standardized or real patients in preceptor-led encounters. Acquisition of knowledge, skills, and attitudes regarding SBIRT and unhealthy AOD use–associated patient care were assessed via a pre- and post-survey instrument with 4 domains: Resident Knowledge, Resident Competence, Resident Skills and Attitudes (Alcohol), and Resident Skills and Attitudes (Drug). Responses to the pre- and post-surveys ( N = 365) were compared and analyzed with t tests and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. Results: The diverse modalities allowed each of the residency programs to adapt and implement the SMaRT curriculum based on their needs and environments. Residents’ knowledge, skills, and attitudes regarding SBIRT and working with unhealthy AOD use, as assessed by survey, generally improved after completing the SMaRT curriculum, despite the variety of models used. Specifically, Resident Knowledge and Resident Competence domains significantly improved ( P < .000). Residents improved the least for survey items within the Resident Skills and Attitudes (Alcohol) domain. Conclusions: Adaptable curricula, such as SMaRT, may be a viable step towards developing a nationwide curriculum.
RAG1/2 induces genomic insertions by mobilizing DNA into RAG1/2-independent breaks
Authors: Rommel Philipp C. , Oliveira Thiago Y. , Nussenzweig Michel C. , Robbiani Davide F.
Published: February 2017

The RAG recombinase (RAG1/2) plays an essential role in adaptive immunity by mediating V(D)J recombination in developing lymphocytes. In contrast, aberrant RAG1/2 activity promotes lymphocyte malignancies by causing chromosomal translocations and DNA deletions at cancer genes. RAG1/2 can also induce genomic DNA insertions by transposition and trans-V(D)J recombination, but only few such putative events have been documented in vivo. We used next-generation sequencing techniques to examine chromosomal rearrangements in primary murine B cells and discovered that RAG1/2 causes aberrant insertions by releasing cleaved antibody gene fragments that subsequently reintegrate into DNA breaks induced on a heterologous chromosome. We confirmed that RAG1/2 also mobilizes genomic DNA into independent physiological breaks by identifying similar insertions in human lymphoma and leukemia. Our findings reveal a novel RAG1/2-mediated insertion pathway distinct from DNA transposition and trans-V(D)J recombination that destabilizes the genome and shares features with reported oncogenic DNA insertions.
Localization for uniform algebras generated by real-analytic functions
Authors: Anderson John , Izzo Alexander
Published: February 2017

It is shown that if

A
A

is a uniform algebra generated by real-analytic functions on a suitable compact subset

K
K

of a real-analytic variety such that the maximal ideal space of

A
A

is

K
K

and every continuous function on

K
K

is locally a uniform limit of functions in

A
A

, then

A
=
C
(
K
)

A=C(K)

. This gives an affirmative answer to a special case of a question from the Proceedings of the Symposium on Function Algebras held at Tulane University in 1965.
Singular cardinals and square properties
Authors: Magidor Menachem , Sinapova Dima
Published: February 2017

We analyze the effect of singularizing cardinals on square properties. By work of Džamonja-Shelah and of Gitik, if you singularize an inaccessible cardinal to countable cofinality while preserving its successor, then

◻

κ
,
ω

\square _{\kappa , \omega }

holds in the bigger model. We extend this to the situation where every regular cardinal in an interval

[
κ
,
ν
]

[\kappa ,\nu ]

is singularized, for some regular cardinal

ν
\nu

. More precisely, we show that if

V
⊂
W

V\subset W

,

κ
>
ν

\kappa >\nu

are cardinals, where

ν
\nu

is regular in

V
V

,

κ
\kappa

is a singular cardinal in

W
W

of countable cofinality,

c
f

W

(
τ
)
=
ω

\mathrm {cf}^W(\tau )=\omega

for all

V
V

-regular

κ
≤
τ
≤
ν

\kappa \leq \tau \leq \nu

, and

(

ν
+

)
V

=
(

κ
+

)
W

(\nu ^+)^V=(\kappa ^+)^W

, then

W
⊨

◻

κ
,
ω

W\models \square _{\kappa ,\omega }

.
Ulrich bundles on Veronese surfaces
Authors: Coskun Emre , Genc Ozhan
Published: February 2017

We prove that every Ulrich bundle on the Veronese surface has a resolution in terms of twists of the trivial bundle over

P

2

\mathbb {P}^{2}

. Using this classification, we prove existence results for stable Ulrich bundles over

P

k

\mathbb {P}^{k}

with respect to an arbitrary polarization

d
H

dH

.
The functional version of the Ball inequality
Authors: Huang Qingzhong , Li Ai-Jun
Published: February 2017

K. Ball proved a strengthening of the Blaschke-Santaló inequality for unconditional convex bodies in

R

n

\mathbb {R}^n

. In this paper, we characterize the uniqueness of this inequality and establish its functional version.
Some remarks on singular oscillatory integrals and convolution operators
Authors: Sjölin Per
Published: February 2017

In this note we study the relation between oscillatory integral operators and convolution operators, and also the sharpness of

L
p

L^p

-estimates for singular oscillatory integral operators.
Topological invariant means on almost periodic functionals: Solution to problems by Dales–Lau–Strauss and Daws
Authors: Neufang Matthias
Published: February 2017

Let

G

\mathcal {G}

be a locally compact group, and denote by

W
A
P

(

M

(

G

)
)

\mathrm {WAP} (\mathrm {M}(\mathcal {G}))

and

A
P

(

M

(

G

)
)

\mathrm {AP}(\mathrm {M}(\mathcal {G}))

the spaces of weakly almost periodic, respectively, almost periodic functionals on the measure algebra

M

(

G

)

\mathrm {M}(\mathcal {G})

. Problem 3 in [H.G. Dales, A.T.-M. Lau, D. Strauss, Second duals of measure algebras, Dissertationes Math. (Rozprawy Mat.) 481 (2012), 1–121] asks if

W
A
P

(

M

(

G

)
)

\mathrm {WAP}(\mathrm {M}(\mathcal {G}))

and

A
P

(

M

(

G

)
)

\mathrm {AP}(\mathrm {M}(\mathcal {G}))

admit topological invariant means, and if yes, whether they are unique. The questions regarding existence had already been raised in [M. Daws, Characterising weakly almost periodic functionals on the measure algebra, Studia Math. 204 (2011), no. 3, 213–234]. We answer all these problems in the affirmative.
Microtubule motors involved in nuclear movement during skeletal muscle differentiation
Authors: Gache V. , Gomes E. R. , Cadot B.
Published: February 2017

Nuclear positioning is a determining event in several cellular processes, such as fertilization, cell migration, and cell differentiation. The structure and function of muscle cells, which contain hundreds of nuclei, have been shown to rely in part on proper nuclear positioning. Remarkably, in the course of muscle differentiation, nuclear movements along the myotube axis might represent the event required for the even positioning of nuclei in the mature myofiber. Here we analyze nuclear behavior, time in motion, speed, and alignment during myotube differentiation and temporal interference of cytoskeletal microtubule-related motors. Using specific inhibitors, we find that nuclear movement and alignment are microtubule dependent, with 19 microtubule motor proteins implicated in at least one nuclear behavior. We further focus on Kif1c, Kif5b, kif9, kif21b, and Kif1a, which affect nuclear alignment. These results emphasize the different roles of molecular motors in particular mechanisms.
fastMitoCalc: an ultra-fast program to estimate mitochondrial DNA copy number from whole-genome sequences
Authors: Qian Yong , Butler Thomas J , Opsahl-Ong Krista , Giroux Nicholas S , Sidore Carlo , Nagaraja Ramaiah , Cucca Francesco , Ferrucci Luigi , Abecasis Gonçalo R , Schlessinger David , Ding Jun
Published: February 2017

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number is tightly regulated in tissues, and is both a critical determinant of mitochondrial function and a potential biomarker for disease. We and other groups have shown that the mtDNA copy number per cell can be directly estimated from whole-genome sequencing. The computation is based on the rationale that sequencing coverage should be proportional to the underlying DNA copy number for autosomal and mitochondrial DNA, and most computing time is spent calculating the average autosomal DNA coverage across ∼3 billion bases. That makes analyzing tens of thousands of available samples very slow. Here we present fastMitoCalc, which takes advantage of the indexing of sequencing alignment files and uses a randomly selected small subset (0.1%) of the nuclear genome to estimate autosomal DNA coverage accurately. It is more than 100 times faster than current programs. fastMitoCalc also provides an option to estimate copy number using a single autosomal chromosome, which could also achieve high accuracy but is slower. Using fastMitoCalc, it becomes much more feasible now to conduct analyses on large-scale consortium data to test for association of mtDNA copy number with quantitative traits or nuclear variants.

Availability and Implementation

fastMitoCalc is available at https://lgsun.irp.nia.nih.gov/hsgu/software/mitoAnalyzer/index.html

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
P622 Efficacy of probiotics in inflammatory bowel disease: systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Derwa Y. , Gracie D.J. , Hamlin P.J. , Ford A.C.
Published: February 2017

Background: Ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) are inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Evidence implicates disturbances of the gastrointestinal microbiota in their pathogenesis. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the efficacy of probiotics in IBD.

Methods: MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register were searched (up to November 2016). Eligible randomised controlled trials (RCTs) recruited adults with UC or CD, and compared probiotics with 5-aminosalicylates (5-ASAs) or placebo. Dichotomous symptom data were pooled to obtain a relative risk (RR) of failure to achieve remission in active IBD, or RR of relapse of disease activity in quiescent IBD, with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

Results: The search identified 12,251 citations. Twenty-two RCTs were eligible. There was no benefit of probiotics over placebo in inducing remission in active UC (RR of failure to achieve remission = 0.86; 95% CI 0.68–1.08).

Figure 1. Forest plot of randomised controlled trials reporting the efficacy of probiotics versus placebo in inducing remission in active UC, or in preventing relapse in quiescent UC.

However, when only trials of VSL#3 were considered there appeared to be a benefit (RR =0.74; 95% CI 0.63–0.87). Probiotics appeared equivalent to 5-ASAs in preventing UC relapse (RR =1.02 (95% CI 0.85 to 1.23).

Figure 2. Forest plot of randomised controlled trials reporting the efficacy of probiotics versus 5-aminosalicylates in Inducing remission in active UC, or in preventing relapse in quiescent UC.

There was no benefit of probiotics in inducing remission of active CD, in preventing relapse of quiescent CD, or in preventing endoscopic or clinical relapse of CD after surgically induced remission.

Figure 3. Forest plot of randomised controlled trials reporting the efficacy of probiotics versus placebo in inducing remission in active CD, or in preventing relapse in quiescent CD.

Conclusions: VSL#3 appears to be effective in inducing remission in active UC, and probiotics may be as effective as 5-ASAs in preventing relapse of quiescent UC. However, the efficacy of probiotics in CD remains uncertain, and more evidence from RCTs is required before their utility is known.
Constitutional Interpretation
Authors: Chandrachud Chintan
Published: February 2017

This chapter examines the question of interpretation with regard to the Indian Constitution. It begins with an overview of two meta-judgments underlying constitutional interpretation, the first of which relates to the legitimate source of the Constitution’s authority and the second to the tools and techniques that can be relied upon in order to expound constitutional meaning. It then considers the three historical phases of the Indian Supreme Court’s interpretive philosophy: textualism, structuralism and ethicalism, and panchayati eclecticism. It also explains how the Court started deciding cases based on self-conceptions of its own role, resulting in the adoption of various interpretive approaches that are not only incongruent, but also often producing incoherent constitutional jurisprudence.
Law, Politics, and Constitutional Hegemony
Authors: Baxi Upendra
Published: February 2017

This chapter examines constitutional hegemony in relation to three forms of prudence: legisprudence, jurisprudence, and demosprudence. It considers how constitutional pluralism has influenced the making and working of the Indian Constitution, especially through the dynamics of the Supreme Court of India. In particular, it explores the notion of adjudicatory leadership and the concept of demosprudence in the context of the Indian Supreme Court, along with the changing relation between demosprudence and jurisprudence. The article first looks at the demosprudence of the Supreme Court of India, before discussing the concepts of organisational adjudicatory leadership, hermeneutic adjudicatory leadership, Social Action Litigation, and socially responsible criticism. It also analyses the politics and law of constitutional amendments.
Separation of Powers
Authors: Pal Ruma
Published: February 2017

This chapter examines how the issue of separation of powers is treated in the Indian Constitution. More specifically, it considers whether the separation of powers is a principle in the constitutional law of India and if so, what sort of doctrine of separation of powers is embraced by the Indian Constitution. The chapter begins with an overview of the three models of separation of powers articulated in the Indian Constitution, along with the constitutional provisions showing the functional overlap between the executive, legislature, and judiciary. It then turns to a discussion of the legislative branch’s judicial powers under the Constitution, as well as its control of the judiciary; the executive’s administration, legislative, and judicial functions; and the courts’ judicial power and independence. Finally, it looks at the allocation of powers relating to governance to autonomous bodies such as the Election Commission and the Comptroller and Auditor-General.
Legislature
Authors: Chauhan Sidharth
Published: February 2017

This chapter examines how the exercise of legislative privileges is treated in the Indian Constitution. More specifically, it considers whether the exercise of legislative privileges by members of the Indian Parliament is justiciable and if so, to what extent. While the courts have ruled in favour of limited judicial scrutiny, the broader principle of ‘separation of powers’ invites further debate. This article begins with an overview of the justifications for legislative privileges and prominent judgments related to their scope, along with some instances where their invocation has become the subject of political controversy but not litigated. In particular, it discusses the Indian Supreme Court’s lack of a clear position on press freedoms vs legislative privileges, as well as legal questions concerning the validity of invoking privileges against acts committed outside the legislatures and the permissibility of judicial review over them.
Fiscal Federalism
Authors: Singh Nirvikar
Published: February 2017

This chapter examines the fiscal aspects of federalism as enshrined in the Indian Constitution. It gives an overview of the original structures of fiscal federalism in India, including assignments of spending and revenue and mechanisms and institutions for making transfers across different government levels. It reviews constitutional amendments that have occurred since the adoption of the Constitution, from changes in expenditure and revenue authorities to the creation of a tier of local governments. It also considers the process of amending the Constitution, with particular emphasis on the intellectual and political drivers of change, and proceeds with a discussion of how the various constitutional provisions and amendments have been implemented in practice. Finally, it looks at legal cases concerning the constitutionality of fiscal federalism in India at various times, paying attention to institutions governing intergovernmental transfers, the distinction between taxes and fees, and the scope of authority of different levels of government.
Rights
Authors: Padmanabhan Ananth
Published: February 2017

This chapter examines the constitutional framework for fundamental rights in India. It considers three key issues raised by Part III: the application of fundamental rights to private actors (the ‘actor’ question); the applicability of fundamental rights to personal laws and to constitutional amendments (the ‘form’ question); and the effect of unconstitutionality on the validity of a law (the ‘effect’ question). The chapter focuses upon how the Supreme Court has interpreted the meaning of ‘State’ under Article 12, highlighting the structuralist understanding that it has provided, and also considering the contentious question of whether the judiciary should be regarded as ‘State’ for the purposes of Part III of the Constitution. It also examines the meaning of ‘law’ in Article 13 of the Constitution and concludes with an analysis of the doctrine of severability and the doctrine of eclipse.
Saving Clauses
Authors: Deva Surya
Published: February 2017

This chapter examines the drafting history, nature, scope, (mis)use, and relevance of the so-called ‘saving clauses’ of the Indian Constitution: Article 31A, Article 31B read with the Ninth Schedule, and Article 31C. They are designed to protect laws aimed at agrarian reforms or at implementing certain Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSPs) from a potential constitutional challenge on the ground of violating fundamental rights (FRs), andexceptionally allow certain laws to override FRs. This chapter offers an alternative reading of the saving clauses and discusses the Ninth Schedule, arguing that, despite being misused in the past, it might not be abused in the future, and that the Basic Structure doctrine is inappropriate to test the validity of laws inserted in the Ninth Schedule. It also suggests that the judiciary misconstrued their role with respect to the right to property as a FR, as well as the value of DPSPs relative to FRs.
Gender Equality
Authors: Kapur Ratna
Published: February 2017

This chapter examines gender equality in post-colonial India, particularly some of the structural and normative factors that make it difficult for women to bring constitutional challenges in their fight for greater equality. It considers efforts at using law, especially constitutional equality rights, to challenge laws promoting sex discrimination in India, along with the use of fundamental rights to equality as guaranteed by Articles 14, 15, and 16 of the Indian Constitution to challenge legal rules and provisions believed to discriminate against women. The chapter describes two different approaches to equality and gender difference through which the constitutional guarantees can be understood: a formal approach and a substantive approach. It then explores how familial ideology has influenced the judiciary’s approach to gender difference and provides examples to illustrate the impact of fundamental rights challenges on the very familial and legal discourses that have constituted women as different and subordinate.
Sovereign Immunity
Authors: Maitra Neel
Published: February 2017

This chapter examines the doctrine of sovereign immunity and the related ‘Sovereign Functions’ doctrine in India. It begins with an overview of the text of Article 300 of the Indian Constitution and proceeds with a brief survey of the case law on sovereign immunity that preceded the adoption of the Constitution. It then revisits some early attempts to revise the law on sovereign immunity in the post-Independence period, before discussing the judicial treatment of sovereign immunity and how the Indian Supreme Court has dealt with the constraints imposed by its own precedents, along with the Court’s difficulties in providing a coherent account of sovereign immunity. In particular, it considers the Supreme Court’s attempt to bypass the constraints that it had placed upon itself through the evolution of new doctrines in fundamental rights cases.
The Indian Constitution Seen from Outside
Authors: Tushnet Mark
Published: February 2017

This chapter considers some aspects of the Indian Constitution and its judicial interpretation, as seen from abroad. To this end, it discusses a number of topics that compare India’s constitutional experience with those of other countries, beginning with unconstitutional constitutional amendments and the ‘Basic Structure’ doctrine. It then explores public interest litigation, affirmative action and reservations, and finally the mechanisms by which judicial independence has been secured in India. It also comments on the contentious relationship between constitutional courts and political elites in other institutions. The chapter concludes by noting how constitutional developments, including the growth of constitutional doctrine, are intertwined with a nation’s overall political system, especially the party system in place.
Pulsing ULXs: tip of the iceberg?
Authors: King Andrew , Lasota Jean-Pierre , Kluźniak Włodek
Published: February 2017

We consider the three currently known pulsing ultraluminous X-ray sources (PULXs). We show that in one of them the observed spin-up rate requires super-Eddington accretion rates at the magnetospheric radius, even if magnetar-strength fields are assumed. In the two other systems, a normal-strength neutron star field implies super-Eddington accretion at the magnetosphere. Adopting super-Eddington mass transfer as the defining characteristic of ULX systems, we find the parameters required for self-consistent simultaneous fits of the luminosities and spin-up rates of the three pulsed systems. These imply near equality between their magnetospheric radii RM and the spherization radii Rsph where radiation pressure becomes important and drives mass-loss from the accretion disc. We interpret this near equality as a necessary condition for the systems to appear as pulsed, since if it is violated the pulse fraction is small. We show that as a consequence all PULXs must have spin-up rates $\dot{\nu }\gtrsim 10^{-10}\, {\rm s^{-2}}$, an order of magnitude higher than in any other pulsing neutron-star binaries. The fairly tight conditions required for ULXs to show pulsing support our earlier suggestion that many unpulsed ULX systems must actually contain neutron stars rather than black holes.
Ayub Khan Ommaya (1930-2008): Legacy and Contributions to Neurosurgery
Authors: Dossani Rimal Hanif , Kalakoti Piyush , Thakur Jai Deep , Nanda Anil
Published: February 2017

Ayub Khan Ommaya (1930-2008) was a pioneering neurosurgeon of Pakistani origin who is widely known for inventing the Ommaya reservoir, a ventricular catheter with a mushroom-shaped dome for administration of intraventricular therapies. As a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford, Ommaya developed an early interest in studying traumatic brain injury. Over the course of his career, Ommaya employed subhuman primate models to better understand mechanisms underlying human cerebral concussion. His work on traumatic brain injury led to the creation of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, a center for injury prevention research at the Center for Disease Control. This historical paper visits Ommaya's life story and recounts his key contributions to neurosurgery.
Lateral Orbitotomy Approach for Lesions Involving the Middle Fossa: A Retrospective Review of Thirteen Patients
Authors: Chabot Joseph D. , Gardner Paul A. , Stefko S. Tonya , Zwagerman Nathan T. , Fernandez- Miranda Juan Carlos
Published: February 2017

BACKGROUND: Classically used for treatment of orbital lesions, the lateral orbitotomy with cantholysis can be combined with a temporal craniectomy for lesions involving the middle cranial fossa.

OBJECTIVE: To present a single-center experience with the lateral orbitotomy approach for lesions involving the middle fossa.

METHODS: Twenty-five patients underwent lateral orbitotomies from April 2012 to July 2015. Excluding patients with solely intraorbital pathologies, 13 patients’ clinical and radiographic records were retrospectively reviewed.

RESULTS: Signs/symptoms in the 13 patients (ages 28-81) included proptosis (69%), decreased visual acuity (31%), diplopia (54%), and afferent pupillary defect (69%). Pathologies were meningioma (8), esthesioneuroblastoma, lymphoma, chordoma, Ewing's sarcoma, and squamous cell carcinoma. Surgical goals were maximal safe resection in 8 patients, palliative debulking in 3 patients, and cavernous sinus biopsy in 2 patients. In 8 patients for whom maximal resection was the goal, 2 had gross total resection, while 6 had near-total resection. All patients (3) for whom palliation was the goal had symptomatic improvement. Both cavernous sinus biopsies obtained diagnostic tissue without complications. All patients with proptosis (n = 9) and diplopia (n = 7), and 2 of 4 patients with decreased visual acuity had improvement in their symptoms. No patient reported worsening of their symptoms. Mean follow-up was 12 mo (2-30 mo). Complications included oculorrhea (1), pseudomeningocele (2), transient ptosis (2), and forehead numbness (1).

CONCLUSION: The lateral orbitotomy is a promising approach for carefully selected lesions with involvement of both the lateral orbit and middle cranial fossa. It provides minimally invasive access for biopsy, decompression, or resection.
Gliding lizards use the position of the sun to enhance social display
Authors: Klomp Danielle A. , Stuart-Fox Devi , Das Indraneil , Ord Terry J.
Published: February 2017

Effective communication requires animal signals to be readily detected by receivers in the environments in which they are typically given. Certain light conditions enhance the visibility of colour signals and these conditions can vary depending on the orientation of the sun and the position of the signaller. We tested whetherDraco sumatranusgliding lizards modified their position relative to the sun to enhance the conspicuousness of their throat-fan (dewlap) during social display to conspecifics. The dewlap was translucent, and we found that lizards were significantly more likely to orient themselves perpendicular to the sun when displaying. This increases the dewlap's radiance, and likely, its conspicuousness, by increasing the amount of light transmitted through the ornament. This is a rare example of a behavioural adaptation for enhancing the visibility of an ornament to distant receivers.
A sterilizable, biocompatible, tropoelastin surface coating immobilized by energetic ion activation
Authors: Yeo Giselle C. , Kondyurin Alexey , Kosobrodova Elena , Weiss Anthony S. , Bilek Marcela M. M.
Published: February 2017

Biomimetic materials which integrate with surrounding tissues and regulate new tissue formation are attractive for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Plasma immersion ion-implanted (PIII) polyethersulfone (PES) provides an excellent platform for the irreversible immobilization of bioactive proteins and peptides. PIII treatment significantly improves PES wettability and results in the formation of acidic groups on the PES surface, with the highest concentration observed at 40–80 s of PIII treatment. The elastomeric protein tropoelastin can be stably adhered to PIII-treated PES in a cell-interactive conformation by tailoring the pH and salt levels of the protein–surface association conditions. Tropoelastin-coated PIII-treated PES surfaces are resistant to molecular fouling, and actively promote high levels of fibroblast adhesion and proliferation while maintaining cell morphology. Tropoelastin, unlike other extracellular matrix proteins such as fibronectin, uniquely retains full bioactivity even after medical-grade ethylene oxide sterilization. This dual approach of PIII treatment and tropoelastin cloaking allows for the stable, robust functionalization of clinically used polymer materials for directed cellular interactions.
Structural, mechanistic and functional insight into gliotoxin
bis
-thiomethylation in
Aspergillus fumigatus
Authors: Dolan Stephen K. , Bock Tobias , Hering Vanessa , Owens Rebecca A. , Jones Gary W. , Blankenfeldt Wulf , Doyle Sean
Published: February 2017

Gliotoxin is an epipolythiodioxopiperazine (ETP) class toxin, contains a disulfide bridge that mediates its toxic effects via redox cycling and is produced by the opportunistic fungal pathogen
Aspergillus fumigatus
. Self-resistance against gliotoxin is effected by the gliotoxin oxidase GliT, and attenuation of gliotoxin biosynthesis is catalysed by gliotoxin
S
-methyltransferase GtmA. Here we describe the X-ray crystal structures of GtmA-apo (1.66 Å), GtmA complexed to
S
-adenosylhomocysteine (1.33 Å) and GtmA complexed to
S
-adenosylmethionine (2.28 Å), providing mechanistic insights into this important biotransformation. We further reveal that simultaneous elimination of the ability of
A. fumigatus
to dissipate highly reactive dithiol gliotoxin, via deletion of GliT and GtmA, results in the most significant hypersensitivity to exogenous gliotoxin observed to date. Indeed, quantitative proteomic analysis of Δ
gliT
::Δ
gtmA
reveals an uncontrolled over-activation of the
gli
-cluster upon gliotoxin exposure. The data presented herein reveal, for the first time, the extreme risk associated with intracellular dithiol gliotoxin biosynthesis—in the absence of an efficient dismutation capacity. Significantly, a previously concealed protective role for GtmA and functionality of ETP
bis
-thiomethylation as an ancestral protection strategy against dithiol compounds is now evident.
Relating trophic resources to community structure: a predictive index of food availability
Authors: Zupo Valerio , Alexander Timothy J. , Edgar Graham J.
Published: February 2017

The abundance and the distribution of trophic resources available for consumers influence the productivity and the diversity of natural communities. Nevertheless, assessment of the actual abundance of food items available for individual trophic groups has been constrained by differences in methods and metrics used by various authors. Here we develop an index of food abundance, the framework of which can be adapted for different ecosystems. The relative available food index (RAFI) is computed by considering standard resource conditions of a habitat and the influence of various generalized anthropogenic and natural factors. RAFI was developed using published literature on food abundance and validated by comparison of predictions versus observed trophic resources across various marine sites. RAFI tables here proposed can be applied to a range of marine ecosystems for predictions of the potential abundance of food available for each trophic group, hence permitting exploration of ecological theories by focusing on the deviation from the observed to the expected.
Protein interaction networks at the host–microbe interface inDiaphorina citri, the insect vector of the citrus greening pathogen
Authors: Ramsey J. S. , Chavez J. D. , Johnson R. , Hosseinzadeh S. , Mahoney J. E. , Mohr J. P. , Robison F. , Zhong X. , Hall D. G. , MacCoss M. , Bruce J. , Cilia M.
Published: February 2017

The Asian citrus psyllid (Diaphorina citri)is the insect vector responsible for the worldwide spread of ‘CandidatusLiberibacter asiaticus’ (CLas), the bacterial pathogen associated with citrus greening disease. Developmental changes in the insect vector impact pathogen transmission, such thatD. citritransmission of CLas is more efficient when bacteria are acquired by nymphs when compared with adults. We hypothesize that expression changes in theD. citriimmune system and commensal microbiota occur during development and regulate vector competency. In support of this hypothesis, more proteins, with greater fold changes, were differentially expressed in response to CLas in adults when compared with nymphs, including insect proteins involved in bacterial adhesion and immunity. Compared with nymphs, adult insects had a higher titre of CLas and the bacterial endosymbionts Wolbachia, Profftella and Carsonella. All Wolbachia and Profftella proteins differentially expressed between nymphs and adults are upregulated in adults, while most differentially expressed Carsonella proteins are upregulated in nymphs. Discovery of protein interaction networks has broad applicability to the study of host–microbe relationships. Using protein interaction reporter technology, aD. citrihaemocyanin protein highly upregulated in response to CLas was found to physically interact with the CLas coenzyme A (CoA) biosynthesis enzyme phosphopantothenoylcysteine synthetase/decarboxylase. CLas pantothenate kinase, which catalyses the rate-limiting step of CoA biosynthesis, was found to interact with aD. citrimyosin protein. Two Carsonella enzymes involved in histidine and tryptophan biosynthesis were found to physically interact withD. citriproteins. These co-evolved protein interaction networks at the host–microbe interface are highly specific targets for controlling the insect vector responsible for the spread of citrus greening.
Expression and function of ATP-dependent potassium channels in zebrafish islet β-cells
Authors: Emfinger Christopher H. , Welscher Alecia , Yan Zihan , Wang Yixi , Conway Hannah , Moss Jennifer B. , Moss Larry G. , Remedi Maria S. , Nichols Colin G.
Published: February 2017

ATP-sensitive potassium channels (K
ATP
channels) are critical nutrient sensors in many mammalian tissues. In the pancreas, K
ATP
channels are essential for coupling glucose metabolism to insulin secretion. While orthologous genes for many components of metabolism–secretion coupling in mammals are present in lower vertebrates, their expression, functionality and ultimate impact on body glucose homeostasis are unclear. In this paper, we demonstrate that zebrafish islet β-cells express functional K
ATP
channels of similar subunit composition, structure and metabolic sensitivity to their mammalian counterparts. We further show that pharmacological activation of native zebrafish K
ATP
using diazoxide, a specific K
ATP
channel opener, is sufficient to disturb glucose tolerance in adult zebrafish. That β-cell K
ATP
channel expression and function are conserved between zebrafish and mammals illustrates the evolutionary conservation of islet metabolic sensing from fish to humans, and lends relevance to the use of zebrafish to model islet glucose sensing and diseases of membrane excitability such as neonatal diabetes.
Link prediction in multiplex online social networks
Authors: Jalili Mahdi , Orouskhani Yasin , Asgari Milad , Alipourfard Nazanin , Perc Matjaž
Published: February 2017

Online social networks play a major role in modern societies, and they have shaped the way social relationships evolve. Link prediction in social networks has many potential applications such as recommending new items to users, friendship suggestion and discovering spurious connections. Many real social networks evolve the connections in multiple layers (e.g. multiple social networking platforms). In this article, we study the link prediction problem in multiplex networks. As an example, we consider a multiplex network of Twitter (as a microblogging service) and Foursquare (as a location-based social network). We consider social networks of the same users in these two platforms and develop a meta-path-based algorithm for predicting the links. The connectivity information of the two layers is used to predict the links in Foursquare network. Three classical classifiers (naive Bayes, support vector machines (SVM) and K-nearest neighbour) are used for the classification task. Although the networks are not highly correlated in the layers, our experiments show that including the cross-layer information significantly improves the prediction performance. The SVM classifier results in the best performance with an average accuracy of 89%.
Fabrication and characterization of electrospun poly(e-caprolactone) fibrous membrane with antibacterial functionality
Authors: Cerkez Idris , Sezer Ayse , Bhullar Sukhwinder K.
Published: February 2017

This research study is mainly targeted on fabrication and characterization of antibacterial poly(e-caprolactone) (PCL) based fibrous membrane containing silver chloride particles. Micro/nano fibres were produced by electrospinning and characterized with TGA, DSC, SEM and mechanical analysis. It was found that addition of silver particles slightly reduced onset of thermal degradation and increased crystallization temperature of neat PCL. Silver-loaded samples exhibited higher tensile stress and lower strain revealing that the particles behaved as reinforcing agent. Moreover, addition of silver chloride resulted in beaded surface texture and formation of finer fibres as opposed to the neat. Antibacterial properties were tested against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria and remarkable biocidal functionalities were obtained with about six logs reduction of
Staphylococcus aureus
and
Escherichia coli
O157:H7.
Do rats learn conditional independence?
Authors: Bowers Robert Ian , Timberlake William
Published: February 2017

If acquired associations are to accurately represent real relevance relations, there is motivation for the hypothesis that learning will, in some circumstances, be more appropriately modelled, not as direct dependence, but as conditional independence. In a serial compound conditioning experiment, two groups of rats were presented with a conditioned stimulus (CS1) that imperfectly (50%) predicted food, and was itself imperfectly predicted by a CS2. Groups differed in the proportion of CS2 presentations that were ultimately followed by food (25% versus 75%). Thus, the information presented regarding the relevance of CS2 to food was ambiguous between direct dependence and conditional independence (given CS1). If rats learnt that food was conditionally independent of CS2, given CS1, subjects of both groups should thereafter respond similarly to CS2 alone. Contrary to the conditionality hypothesis, subjects attended to the direct food predictability of CS2, suggesting that rats treat even distal stimuli in a CS sequence as immediately relevant to food, not conditional on an intermediate stimulus. These results urge caution in representing indirect associations as conditional associations, accentuate the theoretical weight of the Markov condition in graphical models, and challenge theories to articulate the conditions under which animals are expected to learn conditional associations, if ever.
Immune system stimulation by the native gut microbiota of honey bees
Authors: Kwong Waldan K. , Mancenido Amanda L. , Moran Nancy A.
Published: February 2017

Gut microbial communities can greatly affect host health by modulating the host's immune system. For many important insects, however, the relationship between the gut microbiota and immune function remains poorly understood. Here, we test whether the gut microbial symbionts of the honey bee can induce expression of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), a crucial component of insect innate immunity. We find that bees up-regulate gene expression of the AMPs apidaecin and hymenoptaecin in gut tissue when the microbiota is present. Using targeted proteomics, we detected apidaecin in both the gut lumen and the haemolymph; higher apidaecin concentrations were found in bees harbouring the normal gut microbiota than in bees lacking gut microbiota. In
in vitro
assays, cultured strains of the microbiota showed variable susceptibility to honey bee AMPs, although many seem to possess elevated resistance compared to
Escherichia coli
. In some trials, colonization by normal gut symbionts resulted in improved survivorship following injection with
E. coli
. Our results show that the native, non-pathogenic gut flora induces immune responses in the bee host. Such responses might be a host mechanism to regulate the microbiota, and could potentially benefit host health by priming the immune system against future pathogenic infections.
Genetic Basis of Melanin Pigmentation in Butterfly Wings
Authors: Zhang Linlin , Martin Arnaud , Perry Michael W. , van der Burg Karin R.L. , Matsuoka Yuji , Monteiro Antónia , Reed Robert D.
Published: February 2017

Despite the variety, prominence, and adaptive significance of butterfly wing patterns surprisingly little known about the genetic basis of wing color diversity. Even though there is intense interest in wing pattern evolution and development, the technical challenge of genetically manipulating butterflies has slowed efforts to functionally characterize color pattern development genes. To identify candidate wing pigmentation genes we used RNA-seq to characterize transcription across multiple stages of butterfly wing development, and between different color pattern elements, in the painted lady butterflyVanessa cardui. This allowed us to pinpoint genes specifically associated with red and black pigment patterns. To test the functions of a subset of genes associated with presumptive melanin pigmentation we used CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing in four different butterfly genera.pale,Ddc, andyellowknockouts displayed reduction of melanin pigmentation, consistent with previous findings in other insects. Interestingly, however,yellow-d,ebony, andblackknockouts revealed that these genes have localized effects on tuning the color of red, brown, and ochre pattern elements. These results point to previously undescribed mechanisms for modulating the color of specific wing pattern elements in butterflies, and provide an expanded portrait of the insect melanin pathway.