bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Regeneration beneath a dioecious tree species (Spondias purpurea) in a Mexican tropical dry forest
Authors: Méndez-Toribio Moisés , González-Di Pierro Ana María , Quesada Mauricio , Benítez-Malvido Julieta
Published: March 2014

In dioecious plant species different frugivore activity between genders may influence the abundance and richness of the seedling banks underneath their canopies throughout seed removal and dispersal. In the tropical dry forest of Chamela, on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, the role of S. purpurea female trees as nucleation sites of regeneration was investigated. The standing density, species richness and dispersal syndrome of woody seedlings (i.e. trees and shrubs, 10–100 cm tall) recruited underneath and outside the canopy of 10 male and 10 female S. purpurea trees were recorded in a total of 160 1-m2 plots. Total density was greater in seedling communities associated with female trees (i.e. underneath and outside their canopies) as compared with male trees (231 vs. 153 seedlings, respectively); whereas overall species richness was greater underneath female canopies. Further, the density of zoochorous species were greater underneath the canopy of S. purpurea females (range = 0–5 plants m−2), than elsewhere (outside female canopies, range = 0–3 plants m−2; underneath and outside male canopies, range = 0–2 plants m−2), suggesting a directional dispersal bias towards them. Females of dioecious plant species may act as nucleation sites of initial seedling recruitment in tropical dry forests.
Projecting the impact of climate change on the transmission of Ross River virus: methodological challenges and research needs
Authors: YU W. , DALE P. , TURNER L. , TONG S.
Published: March 2014

Ross River virus (RRV) is the most common vector-borne disease in Australia. It is vitally important to make appropriate projections on the future spread of RRV under various climate change scenarios because such information is essential for policy-makers to identify vulnerable communities and to better manage RRV epidemics. However, there are many methodological challenges in projecting the impact of climate change on the transmission of RRV disease. This study critically examined the methodological issues and proposed possible solutions. A literature search was conducted between January and October 2012, using the electronic databases Medline, Web of Science and PubMed. Nineteen relevant papers were identified. These studies demonstrate that key challenges for projecting future climate change on RRV disease include: (1) a complex ecology (e.g. many mosquito vectors, immunity, heterogeneous in both time and space); (2) unclear interactions between social and environmental factors; and (3) uncertainty in climate change modelling and socioeconomic development scenarios. Future risk assessments of climate change will ultimately need to better understand the ecology of RRV disease and to integrate climate change scenarios with local socioeconomic and environmental factors, in order to develop effective adaptation strategies to prevent or reduce RRV transmission.
‘Some banglyng about the customes’: Popular Memory and the Experience of Defeat in a Sussex Village, 1549–1640
Authors: WOOD ANDY
Published: March 2014

This article deploys a body of remarkably detailed witness statements to interrogate the nature of popular memory and social conflict in Petworth, Sussex. These depositions are located in two specific contexts: a struggle between the tenants of Petworth and the ninth earl of Northumberland (1591 – 1608) and the broader pattern of resistance and negotiation in the village between the ‘commotion time’ of 1549 and the calling of the Short Parliament. The essay presents a micro-history of local struggles over land, rights and resources and the findings open up questions within the recent historiography of early modern social relations, undermining the notion that authority was flexibly negotiated between ruler and ruled. Instead, it locates negotiation within social structures that gave a powerful advantage to the gentry and nobility. In this respect, the essay builds upon the return in social history to questions of economic inequality and imbalances of political agency.
Sir George Stapledon and the Cahn Hill Improvement Scheme: A Dream Turned Reality
Authors: MOORE-COLYER RICHARD
Published: March 2014

R. G. Stapledon was one of the most profound of twentieth-century thinkers on rural and landscape issues. Scientist, philosopher and teacher, he was an unconventional figure who, with a dedicated team of loyal colleagues, established the basic biology and breeding systems of the Graminae at the Welsh Plant Breeding Station in the 1920s and 1930s. They subsequently bred a range of grass and clover varieties which were to transform grazing lands throughout the British Empire. To Stapledon the grasslands of an island nation were of vital strategic importance and if Britain were to prepare for a future war, her grasslands would require dramatic improvement if they were to provide a reserve of fertility. In proposing and implementing a vast scheme of renovation of the uplands of Wales, against the fervent opposition of the economists, as a means of both improving agricultural output and stemming the haemorrhage of depopulation, he demonstrated the practical feasibility of land improvement. In so doing he provided a template for the massively subsidised post-war programme of land improvement which was so dramatically to change the face of Britain. This article describes the evolution and conduct of the Cahn Hill Improvement Scheme which was not only one of the most ambitious outdoor ‘experiments’ of the last century, but in a sense, a metaphor for nation-building itself.
The story in the mind: the effect of 3D gameplay on the structuring of written L2 narratives
Authors: Neville David O.
Published: March 2014

The article reports on a mixed-methods study evaluating the use of a three-dimensional digital game-based language learning (3D-DGBLL) environment to teach German two-way prepositions and specialized vocabulary within a simulated real-world context of German recycling and waste management systems. The study assumed that goal-directed player activity in this environment would configure digital narratives, which in turn would help study participants in the experimental group to co-configure story maps for ordering and making sense of the problem spaces encountered in the environment. The study further assumed that these participants would subsequently rely on the story maps to help them structure written L2 narratives describing an imagined personal experience closely resembling the gameplay of the 3D-DGBLL environment. The study found that immersion in the 3D-DGBLL environment influenced the manner in which the second language was invoked in these written narratives: Participants in the experimental group produced narratives containing more textual indicators describing the activity associated with the recycling and waste management systems and the spaces in which these systems are located. Increased usage of these indicators suggest that participants in the experimental group did indeed rely on story maps generated during 3D gameplay to structure their narratives, although stylistic and grammatical features of the narratives suggest, however, that changes could be made to the curricular implementation of the 3D-DGBLL environment. The study also puts forward ideas for instructional best practices based on research findings and suggests future areas of development and investigation.
Systemically Treated Breast Cancer Patients and Controls: An Evaluation of the Presence of Noncredible Performance
Authors: Wefel Jeffrey S. , Kornet Rozemarijn L. , Schagen Sanne B.
Published: March 2014

This study sought to define the frequency of noncredible performance in breast cancer patients before, during and after completion of systemic treatment, as well as predictors of noncredible performance. We examined six datasets investigating the cognitive effects of chemotherapy and/or endocrine therapy. Embedded performance validity test (PVT) measures were identified and used to evaluate the datasets. One dataset included a standalone PVT. Possible noncredible performance was operationally defined as performance below criterion on three or more PVT indices. This was undertaken as cancer patients have been observed clinically to fail PVTs both in the context of external gain and independent of such motivators. A total of 534 breast cancer patients and 214 healthy controls were included in the analysis. Percentages of patients performing below cutoff on one or more PVT varied from 0% to 21.2%. Only 1 patient met the criterion of noncredible performance. Calculation of post-test probabilities indicated a more than 90% chance to detect noncredible performance. There is no evidence to suggest noncredible performance in breast cancer patients and healthy controls who choose to participate in research studies examining cognitive function. Thus, the observational data showing that non-central nervous system (CNS) cancer and therapies not targeting the CNS can have untoward effects on cognitive function are unlikely to be due to noncredible performance. (JINS, 2014, 19, 1–13)
Spiritual AIM and the work of the chaplain: A model for assessing spiritual needs and outcomes in relationship
Authors: Shields Michele , Kestenbaum Allison , Dunn Laura B.
Published: March 2014

Objective:

Distinguishing the unique contributions and roles of chaplains as members of healthcare teams requires the fundamental step of articulating and critically evaluating conceptual models that guide practice. However, there is a paucity of well-described spiritual assessment models. Even fewer of the extant models prescribe interventions and describe desired outcomes corresponding to spiritual assessments.

Method:

This article describes the development, theoretical underpinnings, and key components of one model, called the Spiritual Assessment and Intervention Model (Spiritual AIM). Three cases are presented that illustrate Spiritual AIM in practice. Spiritual AIM was developed over the past 20 years to address the limitations of existing models. The model evolved based in part on observing how different people respond to a health crisis and what kinds of spiritual needs appear to emerge most prominently during a health crisis.

Results:

Spiritual AIM provides a conceptual framework for the chaplain to diagnose an individual's primary unmet spiritual need, devise and implement a plan for addressing this need through embodiment/relationship, and articulate and evaluate the desired and actual outcome of the intervention. Spiritual AIM's multidisciplinary theory is consistent with the goals of professional chaplaincy training and practice, which emphasize the integration of theology, recognition of interpersonal dynamics, cultural humility and competence, ethics, and theories of human development.

Significance of Results:

Further conceptual and empirical work is needed to systematically refine, evaluate, and disseminate well-articulated spiritual assessment models such as Spiritual AIM. This foundational work is vital to advancing chaplaincy as a theoretically grounded and empirically rigorous healthcare profession.
Garbage in, garbage out? Some micro sources of macro errors
Authors: SUNSTEIN CASS R. , HASTIE REID
Published: March 2014

Many institutions, large or small, make their decisions through some process of deliberation. Nonetheless, deliberating institutions often fail, in the sense that they make judgments that are false or that fail to take advantage of the information that their members have. Micro mistakes can lead to macro blunders or even catastrophes. There are four such failures; all of them have implication for large-scale institutions as well as small ones. (1) Sometimes the predeliberation errors of an institution's members are amplified, not merely propagated, as a result of deliberation. (2) Institutions fall victim to cascade effects, as the initial speakers or actors are followed by their successors, who do not disclose what they know. Non-disclosure, on the part of those successors, may be a product of either informational or reputational cascades. (3) As a result of group polarization, deliberating institutions sometimes end up in a more extreme position in line with their predeliberation tendencies. Sometimes group polarization leads in desirable directions, but there is no assurance to this effect. (4) In deliberating institutions, shared information often dominates or crowds out unshared information, ensuring that institutions do not learn what their members know. Informational signals and reputational pressure help to explain all four errors. The results can be harmful to numerous institutions, including large ones, and to societies as a whole. Markets are able to correct some of these problems, but cascade effects occur there as well.
Theoretical Prediction of Electronic Structure and Carrier Mobility in Single-walled MoS2 Nanotubes
Authors: Xiao Jin , Long Mengqiu , Li Xinmei , Xu Hui , Huang Han , Gao Yongli
Published: March 2014

We have investigated the electronic structure and carrier mobility of armchair and zigzag single-walled MoS2nanotubes using density functional theory combined with Boltzmann transport method with relaxation time approximation. It is shown that armchair nanotubes are indirect bandgap semiconductors, while zigzag nanotubes are direct ones. The band gaps of single-walled MoS2nanotubes are along with the augment of their diameters. For armchair nanotubes (5 ≤Na≤ 14), the hole mobility raise from 98.62 ~ 740.93 cm2V−1s−1at room temperature, which is about six times of the electron mobility. For zigzag nanotubes (9 ≤Na≤ 15), the hole mobility is 56.61 ~ 91.32 cm2V−1s−1at room temperature, which is about half of the electron mobility.
Mesoporous nanogold–MnO2–poly(o-phenylenediamine) hollow microspheres as nanotags and peroxidase mimics for sensing biomolecules
Authors: Lai Wenqiang , Zhuang Junyang , Que Xiaohua , Fu Libing , Tang Dianping
Published: March 2014

Mesoporous MnO2 nanotags as peroxidase mimics for sensing biomolecules.
Ion coordination significantly enhances the photocatalytic activity of graphitic-phase carbon nitride
Authors: Gao Honglin , Yan Shicheng , Wang Jiajia , Zou Zhigang
Published: March 2014

Here we report a facile surface modification route, metal ion coordination, to improve the photoactivity of carbon nitride.
Understanding copper sensitivity in zebrafish (Danio rerio) through the intracellular localization of copper transporters in a hepatocyte cell-line ZFL and the tissue expression profiles of copper transporters
Authors: Leung King Pong , Chen Dongshi , Chan King Ming
Published: March 2014

ATP7B resided in trans-Golgi network in ZFL cells either with or without exposed to copper ion, it might not contribute to removal of Cu2+ions out from the hepatocyte.
Anti-cooperative ligand binding and dimerisation in the glycopeptide antibiotic dalbavancin
Authors: Cheng Mu , Ziora Zyta M. , Hansford Karl A. , Blaskovich Mark A. , Butler Mark S. , Cooper Matthew A.
Published: March 2014

Dalbavancin, a semi-synthetic glycopeptide with enhanced antibiotic activity compared to vancomycin and teicoplanin, dimerises strongly in an anti-cooperative manner with ligand binding.
Partition of proteins with extraction in aqueous two-phase system by hydroxyl ammonium-based ionic liquid
Authors: Chen Jing , Wang Yuzhi , Zeng Qun , Ding Xueqin , Huang Yanhua
Published: March 2014

A series of hydroxyl ammonium ionic liquids have been designed and synthesized and used for the extraction of proteins.
Branched tetrasilane substituted phosphines – synthesis and characterisation of PhSi(SiiPr2)3P and {PhSi(SiMe2)3}2P14
Authors: Feierabend Michael , von Hänisch Carsten
Published: March 2014

Reactions of branched trichlorotetrasilane with P7(SiMe3)3 and Li3P are described, yielding the new compounds PhSi(SiiPr2)3P and {PhSi(SiMe2)3}2P14.
Optical manipulation of single molecules in the living cell
Authors: Norregaard Kamilla , Jauffred Liselotte , Berg-Sørensen Kirstine , Oddershede Lene B.
Published: March 2014

Optical tweezers are the only nano-tools capable of manipulating and performing force-measurements on individual molecules and organelles inside the living cell. We present methodologies for in vivo calibration and exciting recent results.
Magnetically controlled single-nanoparticle detection via particle–electrode collisions
Authors: Santos Germano P. , Melo Antonio F. A. A. , Crespilho Frank N.
Published: March 2014

By applying a magnetic field parallel to a gold microelectrode, collisions of magnetite nanoparticles modified with Prussian could be controlled.
Towards electrochemical purification of chemically reduced graphene oxide from redox accessible impurities
Authors: Tan Shu Min , Ambrosi Adriano , Khezri Bahareh , Webster Richard D. , Pumera Martin
Published: March 2014

The progress of electrochemical purification of graphenes is monitored by changes in the electrochemical behaviour of cumene hydroperoxide and characterised via ICP-MS, EDS, SEM, XPS and CV, which reveal that iron impurities have different redox-availability in the materials that were investigated.
Efficient and versatile catalysis of N-alkylation of heterocyclic amines with alcohols and one-pot synthesis of 2-aryl substituted benzazoles with newly designed ruthenium(ii) complexes of PNS thiosemicarbazones
Authors: Ramachandran Rangasamy , Prakash Govindan , Selvamurugan Sellappan , Viswanathamurthi Periasamy , Malecki Jan Grzegorz , Ramkumar Venkatachalam
Published: March 2014

Efficient catalytic N-alkylation of amines using Ru(ii) catalysts with good yields and high selectivity.
Grating-structured metallic microsprings
Authors: Huang Tao , Liu Zhaoqian , Huang Gaoshan , Liu Ran , Mei Yongfeng
Published: March 2014

Grating-structured metallic microsprings with imprinting-tailored mechanical elasticity were synthesized via grating-directed self-rolling.
Nanostructures on graphene using supramolecule and supramolecular nanocomposites
Authors: Bai Peter , Kao Joseph , Chen Jian-Hao , Mickelson William , Zettl Alex , Xu Ting
Published: March 2014

Block copolymer and nanoparticle structures can be generated on graphene substrates in one step using a supramolecular nanocomposite approach.
The structural transitions of C60 nanowhiskers under an electric field characterized by in situ transmission electron microscopy and electron energy-loss spectroscopy
Authors: Li Chao , Wang Bingzhe , Yao Yuan , Piao Guangzhe , Gu Lin , Wang Yanguo , Duan Xiaofeng , Yu Richeng
Published: March 2014

The structural transformation path of C60 nanowhiskers under an electric field studied using in situ TEM is reported.
Reaction of N-propargylic β-enaminones with acetylene dicarboxylates: catalyst-free synthesis of 3-azabicyclo[4.1.0]hepta-2,4-dienes
Authors: Goutham Kommuru , Nagaraju Vemu , Suresh Surisetti , Raghavaiah Pallepogu , Karunakar Galla V.
Published: March 2014

Catalyst- and base-free synthesis of 3-azabicyclo[4.1.0]hepta-2,4-dienes in one pot operation is described.
Functionalised staple linkages for modulating the cellular activity of stapled peptides
Authors: Lau Yu Heng , de Andrade Peterson , Quah Soo-Tng , Rossmann Maxim , Laraia Luca , Sköld Niklas , Sum Tze Jing , Rowling Pamela J. E. , Joseph Thomas L. , Verma Chandra , Hyvönen Marko , Itzhaki Laura S. , Venkitaraman Ashok R. , Brown Christopher J. , Lane David P. , Spring David R.
Published: March 2014

A divergent synthetic strategy for generating helical p53 peptides bearing functionalised staple linkages, allowing for efficient optimisation of cellular activity.
Compensation by fractional‐order phase‐lead/lag compensators
Authors: Tavazoei Mohammad Saleh , Tavakoli‐Kakhki Mahsan
Published: March 2014

This study deals with a generalised version of lead/lag compensators known as fractional‐order lead/lag compensators. Exact and simple formulas are found for designing this introduced type of fractional‐order compensators in order to provide the required magnitude and phase at a given frequency. Also, the region in the phase‐magnitude plane, which is accessible by these compensators, is analytically found. Moreover, numerical examples and experimental results are presented to show the applicability of the achievements of this study in control system design.
Road Network Vulnerability Assessment Based on Fragile Factor Interdependencies in Spatial-Functional Perspectives
Authors: Hsieh Cheng-Hsien , Feng Cheng-Min
Published: March 2014

Road networks are instrumental in resource allocation and preevacuation, and profoundly affect disaster response and recovery, particularly emergent-disaster logistics and island rescues. Disruptions to road networks impair daily operations, irrespective of whether they are damaged by external forces or failures in interacting elements. However, functional interdependency is absent from transportation vulnerability assessments. This study thus constructed a framework to assess the interdependent vulnerability of road network failures. Based on eleven fragile factors developed in the literature and an empirical case study in the Taipei metropolitan area, road network vulnerability is determined by fuzzy cognitive maps and geographic information systems for functional and spatial interactions, respectively. The analytical results indicate that road network vulnerability is underestimated if the interdependency is neglected. Delay time on the shortest substitution, level of service on adjacent links, and inaccessibility to hospital emergency centers significantly affect vulnerability. Whereas certain socioeconomic resilience is performed in the short term, spatial–functional interdependency dilutes those effects in the long term. The framework developed facilitates decision makers in understanding interdependent vulnerabilities and adopting appropriate strategies to improve vulnerability.
Social and private speech in an interpreted meeting of deafblind persons
Authors: Berge Sigrid Slettebakk
Published: March 2014

The article explores how the distinction between egocentric and social speech affects the dynamics of interpreter-mediated interaction, during a meeting among five deafblind board members in Norway. Extracts from a videotape of the meeting were analysed, with a specific focus on two sequences of exchanges involving a board member (Inger), her interpreter and the rest of the group. Inger uses Norwegian Tactile Sign Language with her interpreter, who in turn uses spoken Norwegian and Norwegian Sign Language with the rest of the group. The analysis shows that, while most of Inger’s utterances were social and oriented to the other board members, some were of a private nature and directed only to herself. The interpreter evaluated Inger’s communicative project constantly and acted accordingly, interpreting the socially oriented utterances but not the private utterances. Based on these findings, the interpreter’s performance is discussed in relation not only to professional ethics but also to monological and dialogical perspectives on language and interpreting.
Translation, stylistics and To the Lighthouse
Authors: Morini Massimiliano
Published: March 2014

Scholars in Descriptive Translation Studies and other areas of translation theory have often employed ‘style’ as a term, but have rarely expanded their stylistic reflections beyond the level of impressionistic description. In the last decade, however, a small number of articles and monographs have advocated or attempted a fusion of stylistics and translation studies, into something that Kirsten Malmkjær (2004) has aptly termed “translational stylistics.” Building on this handful of contributions, the author proposes a bi-textual analysis of deictic shifts in Virginia Woolf’s To the Lighthouse (1927) and Giulia Celenza’s early Italian translation Gita al faro (1934).
The “good” and the “bad” of spiritual leadership
Authors: Krishnakumar Sukumarakurup , Houghton Jeffery D. , Neck Christopher P. , Ellison Christopher N.
Published: March 2014

This paper develops and presents a spiritual contingency model of spiritual leadership that includes spiritual leadership characteristics such as follower’s feelings of interconnectedness, religious or existential faith, and leader charisma along with such boundary conditions and contingencies (moderators) as narcissism, pro-social motivation to lead, follower perceptions of leader integrity (ethics), and perceived organizational support. In exploring these contingency factors, the paper also examines the potential “dark side” of spiritual leadership and concludes with implications for future research and managerial practice as suggested by the model.
Different Impacts of α- and β-Blockers in Neurogenic Hypertension Produced by Brainstem Lesions in Rat
Authors: Lu Wen-Hsien , Hsieh Kai-Sheng , Lu Pei-Jung , Wu Yi-Shan , Ho Wen-Yu , Cheng Pei-Wen , Lai Chi-Cheng , Hsiao Michael , Tseng Ching-Jiunn
Published: March 2014

Background:

Bilateral lesions of nucleus tractus solitarii in rat result in acute hypertension, pulmonary edema, and death within hours. The hypertension results from excessive catecholamine release. Catecholamine can activate connexin43 to regulate cell death. There is no study investigating the cardiopulmonary impacts of different adrenergic blockers and apoptosis mechanism in rat model.

Methods:

The authors microinjected 6-hydroxydopamine into nucleus tractus solitarii of the rat (n = 8 per group) and evaluated the cardiopulmonary changes after treatment with different concentrations of α1-blockers, α2-blockers, β-blockers, and α-agonists.

Results:

In the rat model, the authors found that prazosin (0.15 mg/kg) treatment could preserve cardiac output and reverse neutrophil infiltrations in lungs and lead to prevent pulmonary hemorrhagic edema. The time-dependent increases in connexin43 and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling–positive cells induced by 6-hydroxydopamine lesions were decreased after prazosin treatment (terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling–positive cells at 6 h: 64.01 ± 2.41% vs. 24.47 ± 3.10%; mean ± SD, P < 0.001, in heart, and 80.83 ± 2.52% vs. 2.60 ± 1.03%, P < 0.001, in lung). However, propranolol caused further compromise of the already impaired cardiac output with consequence of rapid death. Phenylephrine enhanced the phenotype in the link between connexin43 expressions and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling–positive cells but not yohimbine. Connexin43 expressions and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling–positive cells were more decreased with prazosin (0.15 and 0.3 mg/kg) than that with prazosin (0.05 mg/kg) treatment.

Conclusions:

α1-Receptors are the keystones of the phenotype. In some brainstem encephalitis and brain injury with nucleus tractus solitarii involvement, early α1-receptor blockade treatment may prevent acute death from tissue apoptosis. α-Blockers can also decrease cerebral perfusion pressure, and further studies are needed in translation to brain injury with increased intracranial pressure.
Towards a high-throughput system for high-pressure cooling of cryoprotectant-free biological crystals
Authors: van der Linden Peter , Dobias Fabien , Vitoux Hugo , Kapp Ulrike , Jacobs Jeroen , Mc Sweeney Sean , Mueller-Dieckmann Christoph , Carpentier Philippe
Published: March 2014

A prototype of a high-pressure cooling apparatus dedicated to macromolecular crystallography on synchrotrons is reported. The system allows cooling of biological crystals without the addition of penetrating or nonpenetrating exogenous cryoprotectant by transforming the aqueous solvent into high-density amorphous ice at a pressure of 200 MPa. The samples are directly fished from crystallization trays with cryopins specifically designed for the pressurizing device and which are compatible with robotized sample changers on synchrotron beamlines. Optionally, the system allows noble gas derivatization during the high-pressure cooling procedure. Some technical details of the equipment and of the method are described in this article. A representative series of test crystals shows that the system is capable of successfully cooling samples that normally require a wide variety of cryoprotection conditions. The last section focuses on pressure-induced structural modifications of these proteins, which are shown to be few but nevertheless of interest.
Robust powder auto-indexing using many peaks
Authors: Oishi-Tomiyasu R.
Published: March 2014

A new powder auto-indexing method for theCONOGRAPHsoftware [Oishi-Tomiyasu (2013).Acta Cryst.A69, 603–610] can carry out exhaustive powder auto-indexing in a short time, even if theqvalues of many peaks are used, with sufficient consideration given to their observational errors. This article explains that the use of manyqvalues is essential to make powder auto-indexing robust against dominant zones and missing or false peaks in the input. Results fromCONOGRAPHfor 25 real diffraction patterns, including difficult cases, are presented. Owing to a sorting criterion for zones defined in the previous article, the computation times were reduced by a factor of between 18 and 250, and exhaustive powder auto-indexing was completed in 5 min at most.
Weak C—H...X(X= O, N) hydrogen bonds in the crystal structure of dihydroberberine
Authors: Pingali Subramanya , Donahue James P. , Payton-Stewart Florastina
Published: March 2014

Dihydroberberine (systematic name: 9,10-dimethoxy-6,8-dihydro-5H-1,3-dioxolo[4,5-g]isoquinolino[3,2-a]isoquinoline), C20H19NO4, a reduced form of pharmacologically important berberine, crystallizes from ethanol without interstitial solvent. The molecule shows a dihedral angle of 27.94 (5)° between the two arene rings at the ends of the molecule, owing to the partial saturation of the inner quinolizine ring system. Although lacking classical O—H or N—H donors, the packing in the crystalline state is clearly governed by C—H...N and C—H...O hydrogen bonds involving the two acetal-type C—H bonds of the 1,3-dioxole ring. Each dihydroberberine molecule is engaged in four hydrogen bonds with neighbouring molecules, twice as donor and twice as acceptor, thus forming a two-dimensional sheet network that lies parallel to the (100) plane.
Understanding the placebo effect in clinical trials for postural tachycardia syndrome
Authors: Nwazue Victor C , Arnold Amy C , Raj Vidya , Black Bonnie K , Biaggioni Italo , Paranjape Sachin Y , Orozco Carlos , Dupont William D , Robertson David , Raj Satish R
Published: March 2014

Postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS) is characterized by excessive increases in heart rate (HR) upon standing. Previous studies have shown that standing HR decreases over time in POTS patients given placebo. We hypothesized that this reduction is due to cardiovascular physiological alteration, as opposed to psychological benefit from perceived therapy. To prospectively test this hypothesis, we examined the effects of an open‐label ‘no treatment’ intervention (NoRx) compared with a patient‐blinded placebo on standing HR in POTS patients. Twenty‐one POTS patients participated in a randomized cross‐over trial with oral placebo versus NoRx administered at 0900 h. Seated blood pressure (BP) and HR were measured at baseline and every hour for 4 h. Similarly, BP and HR were measured while patients stood for 10 min at these time points. Standing HR decreased significantly over time with both NoRx (112 ± 13 and 103 ± 16 b.p.m. at baseline and 4 h, respectively) and placebo (112 ± 14 and 102 ± 16 b.p.m. at baseline and 4 h, respectively; Ptime < 0.001), but this effect was not different between interventions (Pdrug = 0.771). Postural tachycardia syndrome patients have exaggerated orthostatic tachycardia in the morning that decreases over time with either placebo or NoRx interventions, suggesting this phenomenon is due to cardiovascular physiological variation. These data highlight the need for a placebo arm in haemodynamic clinical trials in POTS and may have important implications for the diagnosis of these patients.
GABAA receptors are involved in the analgesic effects of morphine microinjected into the central nucleus of the amygdala
Authors: Rashvand Mina , Khajavai Ali , Parviz Mohsen , Hasanein Parisa , Keshavarz Mansoor
Published: March 2014

The central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) has an important role in pain perception and analgesia. Opioid and GABAA receptors, which are both involved in pain modulation, are found in high concentration in the CeA. The present study was designed to examine the interaction of opioidergic and GABAergic systems in the CeA during modulation of acute thermal pain. In the present study, different doses of morphine (25, 50 and 100 μg/rat), either alone or after 5 min pretreatment with the selective GABAA receptor agonist muscimol (60 ng/rat) or the selective GABAA receptor antagonist bicuculline (50 ng/rat), were injected bilaterally into the CeA of each rat. Tail‐flick latencies (TFL) were measured every 5 min for 60 min. The results revealed that microinjection of morphine into the CeA significantly increased TFL in a dose‐dependent manner. Microinjection of bicuculline or muscimol in combination with morphine into the CeA increased and decreased TFL, respectively. It seems that morphine in the CeA facilitates the function of descending inhibitory systems by interacting with the activity of local GABAA receptors.
Maternal fructose intake during pregnancy modulates hepatic and hypothalamic AMP‐activated protein kinase signalling in a sex‐specific manner in offspring
Authors: Mukai Yuuka , Ozaki Haruka , Serita Yuko , Sato Shin
Published: March 2014

Dietary fructose ingestion during gestation affects carbohydrate metabolism in the offspring. In the present study, we investigated the effects of excess fructose intake during pregnancy on hepatic and hypothalamic AMP‐activated kinase (AMPK) expression and phosphorylation, as well as hepatic glucose‐6‐phosphatase (G6Pase) activity in offspring. Pregnant Wistar rats received normal chow and 100 g/L fructose solution or normal water during gestation ad libitum. On gestational Day 21, some dams were killed and plasma samples and fetuses were collected. The remaining dams received normal water after spontaneous delivery during lactation. Pups were killed on postnatal Day 22 and the plasma, liver and hypothalamus were collected and analysed. Plasma glucose and insulin levels increased in female but not male offspring in the fructose group. Although the mRNA and total protein levels of AMPKα were unchanged, levels of phosphorylated AMPKα protein in the fructose group of female offspring were significantly lower in the liver and 4.6‐fold higher in the hypothalamus. The hepatic protein level of sirtuin 1, which is involved in AMPK phosphorylation and activation, was significantly reduced in the fructose group of female offspring. The activity of G6Pase, which plays a role in gluconeogenesis, was significantly enhanced in the liver of female offspring from fructose‐fed dams. These changes were not observed in male offspring. In conclusion, we found that excessively high fructose intake during pregnancy may modulate the hepatic and hypothalamic AMPK signalling pathways in female offspring after birth.
MrpacC regulates sporulation, insect cuticle penetration and immune evasion in Metarhizium robertsii
Authors: Huang Wei , Shang Yanfang , Chen Peilin , Gao Qiang , Wang Chengshu
Published: March 2014

pH‐responsive transcription factor of the PacC/Rim101 family governs adaptation to environment, development and virulence in many fungal pathogens. In this study, we report the functions of a PacC homologue, MrpacC, in an insect pathogenic fungus Metarhizium robertsii. The gene was highly transcribed in the fungus in alkaline conditions, and deletion of MrpacC impaired fungal responses to ambient pH and salt/metal challenges but not osmotic stress. We found that MrpacC is required for fungal full virulence by contributing to penetration of insect cuticles, mycosis of insect cadavers and evasion of host immunity. In MrpacC deletion strains, the chitinase but not protease activity was reduced, which was consistent with the downregulation of groups A and C chitinase genes. Further, the glucosyltransferase genes involved in cell wall remodelling and protein glycosylation were upregulated in ΔMrpacC. MrpacC transcriptional control of chitinase and glucosyltransferase genes was verified both by the presence of PacC consensus binding motif in gene promoter regions and the promoter DNA‐binding assays. The results of this study not only advances the understanding of PacC function in fungal development and virulence, but will also facilitate future studies on the mechanism(s) behind the selective control of target genes by PacC.
Unconscious and unnoticed professional practice within an outstanding school for children and young people with complex learning difficulties and disabilities
Authors: Crombie Richard , Sullivan Lesley , Walker Kate , Warnock Rebecca
Published: March 2014

This article describes a three‐year project undertaken at Pear Tree School for children and young people with severe and multiple and profound learning difficulties. Lesley Sullivan, the school's head teacher, believed that much of the value within the work of this outstanding school went unidentified by existing approaches to planning, monitoring and evaluation. Richard Crombie, educational psychologist, was engaged to work on the project. Also involved were Kate Walker and Rebecca Warnock, deputy head teachers, as well as the whole staff, children and some parents. The project takes as its starting point that essential, but very often unnoticed and unconscious, professional practice is rooted in implicit processes learnt experientially. We set ourselves the task of finding meaningful frameworks for identifying and developing that practice. This meant close observation within and outside school coupled with feeding back to staff, and their subsequent engagement with and use of explanatory frameworks.
Everybody Knows This is Nowhere: The Kiev Park of Memory and Post‐Soviet Urbanism in Context
Authors: Hatherley Owen
Published: March 2014

The reappraisal of the post‐Soviet landscape is in danger of overlooking two of its most important elements: firstly, the mass modernist housing that was more extensive here than probably anywhere else; and secondly, the post‐1989 capitalist context of property speculation, office development and decay. These routinely missed landscapes constitute the very things travelled through on the way to utopian, if ruined, monuments, such as those documented in Frédéric Chaubin's CCCP — Cosmic Communist Constructions Photographed. When visited, the surroundings of these structures turn out to be at least as interesting as the photogenic modernist monument itself. This essay is an account of a visit to one of the most architecturally contemporary of these structures — the Park of Memory crematoria in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, designed by Abraham Miletsky in 1974. In Chaubin's photographs, the curling concrete volumes of the Park's central crematoria are flamboyant, fantastical and self‐referential, the very ‘iconic’ architecture that many post‐Soviet capitals would like to have in order to attract tourists. There is a lot more going on in the surrounding city than what is typically recorded in its visual representations, however, as discussed in this essay. Such monuments are not mute, and cannot be severed from their surroundings.
Translating Space: the Politics of Ruins, the Remote and Peripheral Places
Authors: Martin Daryl
Published: March 2014

This essay surveys recent artistic, literary and philosophical treatments of landscape that use metaphors of ruination, remoteness and the periphery. The discussion primarily focuses on Patrick Keiller's recent works, particularly his filmRobinson in Ruins, the account of remote spaces in Paul Farley and Michael Symmons Roberts' bookEdgelands, and a collection of essays by Stavros Stavrides on peripheral urban spaces,Towards the City of Thresholds. These treatments of landscape offer an attention to the social significance of spaces overlooked within wider cultural representations of place. It is suggested that all three illustrate the argument that mundane spaces can be read and translated into politicized landscapes offering alternative readings of past events, as well as potential directions for future forms of sociality.
A model for enhancing social communication and interaction in everyday activities for primary school children with ASD
Authors: Peters Brenda
Published: March 2014

Children with a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder may find the social aspects of learning particularly challenging because of the traits of diffculty with social communication and interaction. This paper evaluates the impact of an interactive model designed to support social communication and interaction for twelve students with ASD, who attend three international primary schools in Hong Kong. Using an exploratory mixed‐methods approach, the study investigates the children's participation and engagement when a Social Communication and Interaction model is in operation. The model is built around the concept of mediation and the use of tools, which were intended to encourage children with ASD to be engaged in high‐level participation activities. Attention is drawn towards the children's growth of self‐confidence, a reduction of adult support and the children's increased participation with others in the activity sessions.
Type 2 diabetes mellitus‐related genetic polymorphisms in microRNAs and microRNA target sites (MicroRNAs中与2型糖尿病相关的基因多态性及microRNA靶位)
Authors: Gong Weijing , Xiao Di , Ming Guangfeng , Yin Jiye , Zhou Honghao , Liu Zhaoqian
Published: March 2014

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are important endogenous regulators in eukaryotic gene expression and a broad range of biological processes. MiRNA‐related genetic variations have been proved to be associated with human diseases, such as type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Polymorphisms in miRNA genes (primary miRNAs, precursor miRNAs, mature miRNAs, and miRNA regulatory regions) may be involved in the development of T2DM by changing the expression and structure of miRNAs and target gene expression. Genetic polymorphisms of the 3′‐untranslated region (UTR) in miRNA target genes may destroy putative miRNA binding sites or create new miRNA binding sites, which affects the binding of UTRs with miRNAs, finally resulting in susceptibility to and development of T2DM. Therefore, focusing on studies into genetic polymorphisms in miRNAs or miRNA binding sites will help our understanding of the pathophysiology of T2DM development and lead to better health management. Herein, we review the association of genetic polymorphisms in miRNA and miRNA targets genes with T2DM development.
Nitrospina‐like bacteria are the main drivers of nitrite oxidation in the seasonal upwelling area of the Eastern South Pacific (Central Chile ∼36°S)
Authors: Levipan Héctor A. , Molina Verónica , Fernandez Camila
Published: March 2014

Aerobic nitrite oxidation in marine environments plays a key role in the nitrification process. Marine bacteria involved in this nitrate‐producing process have however been seldom studied compared with the ammonia‐oxidizing community. Here, we report for the first time the community structure of aerobic nitrite‐oxidizing bacteria (NOB) in the seasonal upwelling and oxygen‐deficient area off Central Chile. Analysis of 16S rRNA by tag pyrosequencing was combined with specific quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and reverse transcription qPCR in summer and wintertime. Nitrospina‐like bacteria were the only known NOB detected by means of pyrosequencing between 30 and 80 m depth, accounting for up to 5% of total bacteria. This guild was represented by 11 and 7 operational taxonomic units (97% cut‐off) in winter and summertime respectively. Nitrospina‐like bacteria were phylogenetically related to sequences retrieved from coastal upwelling, oxygen minimum zones and deep‐sea environments. This group was also detected by qPCR with abundances that increased with depth throughout the water column. Importantly, Nitrospina from surface layers showed low abundances but high 16S rRNA : rDNA ratios and mainly in summertime. Overall, our results highlight the seasonal variability between the structure and physiological state of this community and suggest a significant role of Nitrospina in the nitrogen cycle of seasonal upwelling areas.
Alcohol‐Preferring Rats Show Decreased Corticotropin‐Releasing Hormone‐2 Receptor Expression and Differences in HPA Activation Compared to Alcohol‐Nonpreferring Rats
Authors: Yong Weidong , Spence John Paul , Eskay Robert , Fitz Stephanie D. , Damadzic Ruslan , Lai Dongbing , Foroud Tatiana , Carr Lucinda G. , Shekhar Anantha , Chester Julia A. , Heilig Markus , Liang Tiebing
Published: March 2014

Background

Corticotropin‐releasing hormone (CRH) and urocortins (UCNs) bind to corticotropin‐releasing hormone type 2 receptor (CRF2 receptor), a Gs protein‐coupled receptor that plays an important role in modulation of anxiety and stress responses. The Crhr2 gene maps to a quantitative trait locus (QTL) for alcohol preference on chromosome 4 previously identified in inbred alcohol‐preferring (iP) and‐nonpreferring (iNP) F2 rats.

Methods

Real‐time polymerase chain reaction was utilized to screen for differences in Crhr2 mRNA expression in the central nervous system (CNS) of male iP and iNP rats. DNA sequence analysis was then performed to screen for polymorphism in Crhr2 in order to identify genetic variation, and luciferase reporter assays were then applied to test their functional significance. Next, binding assays were used to determine whether this polymorphism affected CRF2 receptor binding affinity as well as CRF2 receptor density in the CNS. Finally, social interaction and corticosterone levels were measured in the P and NP rats before and after 30‐minute restraint stress.

Results

Crhr2 mRNA expression studies found lower levels of Crhr2 mRNA in iP rats compared to iNP rats. In addition, DNA sequencing identified polymorphisms in the promoter region, coding region, and 3′‐untranslated region between the iP and iNP rats. A 7 bp insertion in the Crhr2 promoter of iP rats altered expression in vitro as measured by reporter assays, and we found that CRF2 receptor density was lower in the amygdala of iP as compared to iNP rats. Male P rats displayed decreased social interaction and significantly higher corticosterone levels directly following 30‐minute restraint when compared to male NP rats.

Conclusions

This study identified Crhr2 as a candidate gene of interest underlying the chromosome 4 QTL for alcohol consumption that was previously identified in the P and NP model. Crhr2 promoter polymorphism is associated with reduced mRNA expression in certain brain regions, particularly the amygdala, and lowered the density of CRF2 receptor in the amygdala of iP compared to iNP rats. Together, these differences between the animals may contribute to the drinking disparity as well as the anxiety differences of the P and NP rats.