bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Conscience in Early Modern English Literature
Authors: Stoll Abraham
Published: September 2017

Conscience in Early Modern English Literature describes how poetry, theology, and politics intersect in the early modern conscience. In the wake of the Reformation, theologians attempt to understand how the faculty works, poets attempt to capture the experience of being in its grip, and revolutionaries attempt to assert its authority for political action. The result, Abraham Stoll argues, is a dynamic scene of conscience in England, thick with the energies of salvation and subjectivity, and influential in the public sphere of Civil War politics. Stoll explores how Shakespeare, Spenser, Herbert, and Milton stage the inward experience of conscience. He links these poetic scenes to Luther, Calvin, and English Reformation theology. He also demonstrates how they shape the public discourses of conscience in such places as the toleration debates, among Levellers, and in the prose of Hobbes and Milton. In the literature of the early modern conscience, Protestant subjectivity evolves toward the political subject of modern liberalism.
Mozart in Vienna
Authors: Keefe Simon P.
Published: September 2017

Mozart's greatest works were written in Vienna in the decade before his death (1781–1791). This biography focuses on Mozart's dual roles as a performer and composer and reveals how his compositional processes are affected by performance-related concerns. It traces consistencies and changes in Mozart's professional persona and his modus operandi and sheds light on other prominent musicians, audience expectations, publishing, and concert and dramatic practices and traditions. Giving particular prominence to primary sources, Simon P. Keefe offers new biographical and critical perspectives on the man and his music, highlighting his extraordinary ability to engage with the competing demands of singers and instrumentalists, publishing and public performance, and concerts and dramatic productions in the course of a hectic, diverse and financially uncertain freelance career. This comprehensive and accessible volume is essential for Mozart lovers and scholars alike, exploring his Viennese masterpieces and the people and environments that shaped them.
The Laws and Economics of Confucianism
Authors: Zhang Taisu
Published: September 2017

Tying together cultural history, legal history, and institutional economics, The Laws and Economics of Confucianism: Kinship and Property in Pre-Industrial China and England offers a novel argument as to why Chinese and English pre-industrial economic development went down different paths. The dominance of Neo-Confucian social hierarchies in Late Imperial and Republican China, under which advanced age and generational seniority were the primary determinants of sociopolitical status, allowed many poor but senior individuals to possess status and political authority highly disproportionate to their wealth. In comparison, landed wealth was a fairly strict prerequisite for high status and authority in the far more 'individualist' society of early modern England, essentially excluding low-income individuals from secular positions of prestige and leadership. Zhang argues that this social difference had major consequences for property institutions and agricultural production.
No Future
Authors: Worley Matthew
Published: September 2017

'No Feelings', 'No Fun', 'No Future'. The years 1976–84 saw punk emerge and evolve as a fashion, a musical form, an attitude and an aesthetic. Against a backdrop of social fragmentation, violence, high unemployment and socio-economic change, punk rejuvenated and re-energised British youth culture, inserting marginal voices and political ideas into pop. Fanzines and independent labels flourished; an emphasis on doing it yourself enabled provincial scenes to form beyond London's media glare. This was the period of Rock Against Racism and benefit gigs for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and the striking miners. Matthew Worley charts the full spectrum of punk's cultural development from the Sex Pistols, Buzzcocks and Slits through the post-punk of Joy Division, the industrial culture of Throbbing Gristle and onto the 1980s diaspora of anarcho-punk, Oi! and goth. He recaptures punk's anarchic force as a medium through which the frustrated and the disaffected could reject, revolt and re-invent.
Losing Pravda
Authors: Roudakova Natalia
Published: September 2017

What happens when journalism is made superfluous? Combining ethnography, media analysis, moral and political theory this book examines the unravelling of professional journalism in Russia over the past twenty-five years, and its effects on society. It argues that, contrary to widespread assumptions, late Soviet-era journalists shared a cultural contract with their audiences, which ensured that their work was guided by a truth-telling ethic. Post-communist economic and political upheaval led not so much to greater press freedom as to the de-professionalization of journalism, as journalists found themselves having to monetize their truth-seeking skills. This has culminated in a perception of journalists as political prostitutes, or members of the 'second oldest profession', as they are commonly termed in Russia. Roudakova argues that this cultural shift has fundamentally eroded the value of truth-seeking and telling in Russian society.
A system-wide solution to antidote stocking in emergency departments: the Nova Scotia antidote program
Authors: Murphy Nancy G. , Bona D. Ruth , Hurley Theresa A.
Published: September 2017

Objective

Inadequate stocking of essential antidotes in hospitals is an internationally documented problem. A concrete and sustainable system-wide solution for easy access to antidotes in emergency departments (EDs) was developed and implemented in Nova Scotia, Canada.

Methods

Antidote stocking guidelines and a systemwide antidote management strategy were established. A standardized collection of antidotes housed in highly visible containers in provincial EDs was implemented for timely access. Antidote-specific online administration guidelines were developed. Using the poison centre for surveillance, the antidote program maintained a database of antidote utilization patterns; 11 years of data were available for analysis.

Results

2/2 (100%) tertiary care, 9/9 (100%) regional EDs, and 21/25 (84%) community EDs in Nova Scotia stock antidote kits, for an overall compliance rate of 32/36 (89%). A total of 678 antidotes (excluding N-acetylcysteine) were used for 520 patients. The distribution of antidote use by hospital type was 99/678 (14.6%) at community hospitals, 379/678 (55.9%) at regional hospitals, and 200/678 (29.5%) at tertiary care hospitals. The five most commonly used antidotes were: naloxone 143/678 (21.1%), fomepizole 111/678 (16.4%), glucagon 94/678 (13.9%), calcium 70/678 (10.3%), and sodium bicarbonate 67/678 (9.9%). Of the 520 patients in whom antidotes were used, death occurred in 3% (15/520), major outcomes in 35% (183/520), and moderate outcomes in 39% (205/520).

Conclusion

The Nova Scotia Antidote Program demonstrates that a solution to inadequate antidote stocking is achievable and requires a system-wide approach with ongoing maintenance and surveillance. The frequency and distribution of antidote usage documented in this program supports the need for enhancement of emergency preparedness. The poison centre and hospital pharmacies are crucial to surveillance and maintenance of this program.
It’s Your Job to Save Me: The Union of Canadian Correctional Officers and the Death of Ashley Smith
Authors: Balfour Gillian
Published: September 2017

The death of Ashley Smith represents the first time in Canadian legal history that correctional officers were criminally charged in the death of a prisoner under the care of the state. In response to these unprecedented charges, the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers (UCCO) mounted a highly public campaign in defense of the officers. In this article, I review UCCO’s media statements following Smith’s death, submissions to various government review committees, and the current Global Agreement between UCCO and Correctional Service Canada (CSC) regarding federally sentenced women. I suggest these narratives work to reproduce administrative segregation as necessary to manage “troubled young women” who are constituted as an unsafe working condition for officers. I highlight the failure of UCCO to influence government policy, unlike the effective success of unions in the United States, and I challenge the place of UCCO in Canada’s trade union movement.
Impact of Discontinuing Contact Precautions for MRSA and ESBLE in an Intensive Care Unit: A Prospective Noninferiority Before and After Study
Authors: Renaudin Laurie , Llorens Mathieu , Goetz Christophe , Gette Sébastien , Citro Vincente , Poulain Sylvia , Vanson Marie-Laure , Sellies Jocelyne
Published: September 2017

OBJECTIVE

To compare incidence densities of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) or extended-spectrum β-lactamase–producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBLE) acquisition in the intensive care unit (ICU) before and after discontinuation of contact precautions (CP) and application of standard precautions (SP).

DESIGN

Prospective noninferiority before-and-after study comparing 2 periods: January 1, 2012, to January 31, 2014 (the CP period) and February 1, 2014, to February 29, 2016 (the SP period).

SETTING

A 16-bed polyvalent ICU in France with only single-bed rooms with dedicated equipment and reusable medical devices.

PATIENTS

All patients admitted to the ICU during the CP and SP periods were included: 1,547 and 1,577 patients, respectively.

METHODS

Incidence densities of ICU-acquired MRSA or ESBLE were determined per 1,000 patient days. Other studied factors included (1) patient characteristics, (2) incidence densities of MRSA or ESBLE carried at admission, (3) compliance with hand hygiene protocols, and (4) antibiotic consumption.

RESULTS

Incidence densities of ICU-acquired MRSA were 0.82 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.31–1.33) and 0.79 (95% CI, 0.30–1.29) per 1,000 patient days during the CP and SP periods, respectively. For ESBLE, values were 2.7 (95% CI, 1.78–3.62) and 2.06 (95% CI, 1.27–2.86) per 1,000 patient days. These rates were significantly nonsuperior during the SP period compared to CP period, with a margin of 1 per 1,000 patient days for both MRSA (P=.002) and ESBLE (P=.004). Other factors were comparable during the 2 periods. Only ESBLE carried at admission was inferior during the SP period. We observed a high level of compliance to hand hygiene protocols.

CONCLUSIONS

Discontinuing CP did not increase acquired MRSA and ESBLE in our ICU with single rooms with dedicated equipment, strict application of hand hygiene, medical and paramedical leadership, and good antibiotic stewardship.

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2017;38:1342–1350
South-South Dialogue: In Search of Humanity
Authors: Mukandi Bryan
Published: September 2017

This paper is a meditation on the idea of South-South dialogue, beginning with the South-South Dialogues: Situated Perspectives in Decolonial Epistemologies symposium held at the University of Queensland in 2015. I interrogate the concept of South-South dialogue, apposing it to the Cartesian ‘I think’, and then question the plausibility of the concept. On the basis of a Gadamerian conception of understanding, I suggest that what passes for South-South dialogue is in fact more likely to be North-South or even North-North dialogue. This is buttressed by an examination of Valentin Mudimbe's Parables and Fables. I go on to suggest, however, that by staying within the realm of the concept, in what could be called a Cartesian paradigm, Mudimbe misses the important role that South-South dialogue can play. Drawing on the work of Sara Motta, Tsitsi Dangarembga's Nervous Conditions and the concept of hunhu, I claim that the promise of South-South dialogue is the creation of spaces in which humanity is fostered.
Optimization on the Performance of a Precision Flank-Locking Locknut Considering the Machining and Operational Parameters
Authors: Chen C. M. , Lee C. Y.
Published: September 2017

In this study, the anti-loosening characteristics of a precision flank-locking locknut fabricated under various machining processes and tested in different dynamic environments were investigated. The control parameters considered include the tightening torque and thread pitch of the set screw, machining process on the end plane of locknut, and vibration amplitude and frequency of dynamic loading in service, etc. Their sensitivities on the axial force ratio and anti-loosening ratio of the locknut were evaluated using Taguchi method. It was found that the pretension of locknut, the tightening torque and the pitch of set screw, and the machining process of the nut's end plane were the significant control parameters for the anti-loosening performance of the locknut. Moreover, the results of experimental measurements were employed in the regression fit on the performance of the locknut. The regression model was able to predict the anti-loosening ratio with 4.42% average error comparing with the measurements. Furthermore, the optimized design of the locknut through the Taguchi method was able to increase the axial force ratio and anti-loosening ratio by 20.4% and 16.8%, respectively, comparing with standard locknut.
A Randomised Controlled Trial Evaluating the Effectiveness and Tolerability of Step-up and Step-down Varenicline Therapy for Smoking Cessation: A Study Protocol
Authors: Drovandi Aaron D. , Teague Peta-Ann , Glass Beverley D. , Malau-Aduli Bunmi
Published: September 2017

Background: Varenicline remains the most effective medication for smoking cessation; however, discontinuation as a result of adverse events negatively impacts medication adherence, and the likelihood of a quit attempt being successful. Post-treatment cravings and withdrawal symptoms may also occur, increasing the likelihood of treatment failure, due to lapse and relapse after achieving initial abstinence. This protocol details a trial investigating changes in the effectiveness and tolerability of varenicline, when an extended step-up and step-down regimen are used.

Methods: A phase four, randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled single-centre study with a treatment period of 16 weeks, and follow-up period of 12 weeks will be conducted. Up to 201 participants will be enrolled and allocated in a 1:1:1 ratio to a placebo-matching control group, step-up, or step-down intervention group, all receiving behavioural counselling and quitting advice. Participants will be contacted weekly during treatment and fortnightly during follow-up. Eligible participants are smokers over 18 years old, willing to quit smoking, are able to attend clinic visits, and have no uncontrolled or serious medical issues. Primary outcome measures are comparisons of biochemically confirmed continuous abstinence rates, 7-day point prevalence abstinence rates, and the frequency, severity and duration of adverse events, cravings and withdrawal symptoms. Secondary outcome measures are participant adherence to the study medication throughout treatment, and comparisons of changes in smoking satisfaction and reward. Effects of each regimen on smoking cessation will be assessed by logistic regression, with survival analyses used for a more precise estimate of when cessation occurs. Primary endpoints will then be compared using a general linear model. Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry: ACTRN12616000802404p
Italian-American conversations on the mafia: Danilo Dolci visits Philadelphia’s 1961 Festival of Italy
Authors: Owen Samantha
Published: September 2017

In 1961 the peace activist and anti-mafia campaigner Danilo Dolci spoke at a protest event at the Italian centennial of unification celebrations hosted by the City of Philadelphia. The reactions to the talk he gave on development initiatives in Western Sicily provide some insight into the transnational discussion that was developing around the mafia, governance and leadership in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Dolci and his supporters made the suggestion that the problems encountered by the post-war governments in Italy, Sicily and Philadelphia were a result of leaderships which presented or made the appearance of change but did not fix the underlying problems. This article maps how the conversation developed, why the idea of the mafia as a ‘thing’, an operating criminal organisation with Sicilian origins, was such an important narrative, and what it meant for those trying to make a claim to leadership positions.
The Kinematics of Quasar Broad Emission Line Regions Using a Disk-Wind Model
Authors: Yong Suk Yee , Webster Rachel L. , King Anthea L. , Bate Nicholas F. , O’Dowd Matthew J. , Labrie Kathleen
Published: September 2017

The structure and kinematics of the broad line region in quasars are still unknown. One popular model is the disk-wind model that offers a geometric unification of a quasar based on the viewing angle. We construct a simple kinematical disk-wind model with a narrow outflowing wind angle. The model is combined with radiative transfer in the Sobolev, or high velocity, limit. We examine how angle of viewing affects the observed characteristics of the emission line. The line profiles were found to exhibit distinct properties depending on the orientation, wind opening angle, and region of the wind where the emission arises.

At low inclination angle (close to face-on), we find that the shape of the emission line is asymmetric, narrow, and significantly blueshifted. As the inclination angle increases (close to edge-on), the line profile becomes more symmetric, broader, and less blueshifted. Additionally, lines that arise close to the base of the disk wind, near the accretion disk, tend to be broad and symmetric. Single-peaked line profiles are recovered for the intermediate and equatorial wind. The model is also able to reproduce a faster response in either the red or blue sides of the line profile, consistent with reverberation mapping studies.
Response surface methodology as a tool for modelling galacto-oligosaccharide production
Authors: Vénica Claudia I. , Bergamini Carina V. , Perotti María C.
Published: September 2017

The experiments reported in this research paper describe the effects of β-galactosidase enzyme dose and cheese whey amount, on the maximum concentration and yield of galacto-oligosaccahride (GOS) and reaction time. The experimental plan was based on central composite rotational design (CCRD) and modelled by response surface methodology (RSM). The results indicate that the proposed mathematical models could adequately describe the concentration and yield of GOS and the reaction time within the limits of the factors that are being investigated. The variance analysis shows high values of coefficients of determination (>0·97) while no significant lack of fit was evident. Hence, the models could be employed to select reaction conditions applied in the manufacture of products enriched in bioactive compounds with high value-added.
Intertidal polychaetes from Abu Musa Island, Persian Gulf, with a new species from thePerinereis cultriferaspecies complex (Annelida: Nereididae)
Authors: Bonyadi-Naeini Alieh , Rastegar-Pouyani Nasrullah , Rastegar-Pouyani Eskandar , Glasby Christopher J. , Rahimian Hassan
Published: September 2017

Polychaetes of 31 species from 17 families (Amphinomidae, Chrysopetalidae, Eunicidae, Glyceridae, Hesionidae, Iphionidae, Lumbrineridae, Maldanidae, Nereididae, Oenonidae, Phyllodocidae, Polynoidae, Sabellidae, Serpulidae, Syllidae, Terebellidae, Trichobranchidae) were studied from five locations around Abu Musa Island, the Persian Gulf.Perinereis iranicasp. nov. is described as a new species for the Persian Gulf.Perinereis iranicasp. nov. is most similar to members of thePerinereis cultriferaspecies complex, which are also found in the Persian Gulf, but can be most easily distinguished from them by the number, shape and arrangement of paragnaths in Areas V and VI.Perinereis camiguanais compared to members of the genus Pseudonereis, and found to resemble them closely, but until type specimens can be re-examined, we recommend treating this species asNereidinae incertae sedis.Fifteen species, belonging to 13 genera:Eunice‘sp_Abu Musa’,Marphysa‘sp_Abu Musa’,Glyceracf.tesselata,Hesione splendida,Lumbrineris‘sp_Abu Musa’,Notoproctus‘sp_Abu Musa’,Nereissp. cf.N. pelagica,Eteone‘sp_Abu Musa’,Harmothoe liaoi,Potamilla‘sp_Abu Musa’,Branchiosylliscf.exilis,Trypanosyllis‘sp. 1_Abu Musa’,Trypanosyllis‘sp. 2_Abu Musa’,Terebella‘sp_Abu Musa’,Terebellidescf.stroemiare reported for the first time from the Persian Gulf; nine species remain to be named formally. Three genera:Notoproctus,Eteone,Terebellaare recorded for the first time from the Persian Gulf.
Conservation implications for the Himalayan wolf Canis (lupus) himalayensis based on observations of packs and home sites in Nepal
Authors: Werhahn Geraldine , Kusi Naresh , Sillero-Zubiri Claudio , Macdonald David W.
Published: September 2017

We provide insights into pack composition and den site parameters of the Himalayan wolf Canis (lupus) himalayensis based on observations of free-ranging wolves in three study areas in Nepal. We combine this with a social survey of the local Buddhist communities regarding human–carnivore conflict, to draw inferences for conservation practice in the Nepalese Himalayas. We recorded eight wolf packs (with an average composition of two adults and three pups), and found five home sites in high-altitude shrubland patches within alpine grasslands at 4,270–4,940 m altitude. There was a spatial–temporal overlap of wolf home sites and livestock herding during spring and summer, which facilitated human–wolf conflict. The litters of three out of five wolf packs found in Dolpa during 2016 were killed by local people in the same year. In Nepal compensation is offered for depredation by snow leopards Panthera uncia, with associated lowering of negative attitudes, but not for depredation by wolves. We recommend the implementation of financial and educational conservation schemes for all conflict-causing carnivores across the Himalayan regions of Nepal.
Why are psychotic experiences associated with self-injurious thoughts and behaviours? A systematic review and critical appraisal of potential confounding and mediating factors
Authors: Hielscher E. , DeVylder J. E. , Saha S. , Connell M. , Scott J. G.
Published: September 2017

Psychotic experiences (PEs), including hallucination- and delusion-like experiences, are robustly associated with self-injurious thoughts and behaviours (SITB) in the general population. However, it remains unclear as to why there is an association. The purpose of this systematic review was to elucidate the role of other factors that influence the association between PEs and SITB and, in doing so, highlight potential mechanisms underlying the relationship. A search of electronic international databases was undertaken, including PubMed, PsycINFO and EMBASE, and eligible studies were grouped according to seven confounder categories: sociodemographics, mental disorders, alcohol and substance use, environmental, psychological, intervention and family history/genetic factors. The systematic search strategy identified 41 publications reporting on 1 39 427 participants from 16 different countries. In the majority of studies, where adjustment for other variables occurred, the association between PEs and SITB persisted, suggesting PEs have an independent role. Common mental disorders, psychological distress and negative environmental exposures explained a substantial amount of the variance and therefore need to be considered as potential underlying mechanisms. There was high variability in the variables adjusted for in these studies, and so the question still remains as to whether the association between PEs and self-harm/suicidality can be attributed (fully or in part) to confounding and mediating factors or directly causal mechanisms. Regardless of causality, the now extensive literature reporting an association between these two clinical phenomena supports the broad usefulness of PEs as an indicator of risk for SITB.
Trait and facet-level predictors of first-onset depressive and anxiety disorders in a community sample of adolescent girls
Authors: Goldstein Brandon L. , Kotov Roman , Perlman Greg , Watson David , Klein Daniel N.
Published: September 2017

Background

Individual differences in neuroticism, extraversion, and conscientiousness are associated with, and may predict onset of, internalizing disorders. These general traits can be parsed into facets, but there is a surprising paucity of research on facet risk for internalizing disorders. We examined general traits and facets of neuroticism, extraversion, and conscientiousness in predicting first onsets of depressive and anxiety disorders.

Methods

A community sample of 550 adolescent females completed general and facet-level personality measures and diagnostic interviews. Interviews were re-administered 18 months later.

Results

First onsets of depressive disorders were predicted by neuroticism, extraversion, and conscientiousness. Facets predicting first onset of depression included depressivity (neuroticism facet) and lower positive emotionality and sociability (extraversion facets). First onsets of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) were predicted by neuroticism, and particularly the facet of anxiousness. First onsets of social phobia were predicted at the facet level by anxiousness. First onsets of specific phobia were predicted by neuroticism, low conscientiousness, and all neuroticism facets. In multivariate analyses, first onsets of depression were uniquely predicted by depressivity, and onsets of GAD and social phobia were uniquely predicted by anxiousness over and above the general trait of neuroticism.

Conclusions

General traits predict first onsets of depressive and anxiety disorders. In addition, more specific associations are evident at the facet level. Facets can refine our understanding of the links between personality and psychopathology risk, and provide finer-grained targets for personality-informed interventions.
ENDOGENIZING THE ICT SECTOR: A MULTISECTOR APPROACH
Authors: Wymer Clifford R. , Saltari Enrico , Federici Daniela
Published: September 2017

In this paper, we present a nonlinear model where the information and communication technology (ICT) sector is endogenized. In the model, there are two intermediate goods: a traditional good produced by capital and labor and the ICT good produced by innovative capital and skilled labor. The final good is obtained combining the two intermediate goods. The model is specified and estimated as continuous-time general disequilibrium framework. Our main results are the following. We find that the elasticity of substitution of the aggregate sector has a value intermediate between that of the ICT sector and that of the traditional sector, indicating that the input complementarity is tighter in the former than in the latter. Moreover, in all the sectors elasticities are well below 1. As for the traditional sector, whose share is predominant in the production of the final good, the input complementarity helps explain most of the labor share decline of Italian economy as a consequence of the slowdown in the growth of capital intensity. In the ICT sector, technological progress, both in the form of capital augmenting and capital bias, showed a decline over the sample period with an obvious negative consequence on the global evolution of the technical progress. The results about the dynamics of the two intermediate sectors allow to interpret the “Italian paradox” of an industrial structure marked by an increasing weight of the traditional sector and the difficulties encountered by the Italian economy in exiting from its actual worst recession since the 1930s.
BLESSETH HIM THAT GIVES AND NOT HIM THAT TAKES: BUṬRUS AL-BUSTĀNĪ AND THE MERCY OF DEBT
Authors: ALI NADIA BOU
Published: September 2017

This article discusses Nahda intellectual Buṭrus al-Bustānī’s public and pedagogic writings. It focuses on the nationalist pamphlets, theNafīr Sūrriya, written in the wake of the first sectarian–civil war, and his translation of Defoe'sRobinson Crusoe, both published in Beirut in 1860. I analyze Bustānī’s politico-theological and economic thought by looking at the nexus of debt, guilt, love, and mercy that he draws out in theNafīr. The article argues that Bustānī’s nation is inaugurated into a “guilt-history” and eternally faced with the task of confronting the mercy of debt and the un-requitable debt of mercy. Nationality in this specific sociohistorical context became a form of artifice that in a postlapsarian age requires religion, labor, and exchange to survive as a social contract. The “civil war” exemplified a return to a state of nature that could only be amended by a return to the laws of nature and the seeking of refuge under the name of one God and one religion,diyāna. The social contract, articulated in these terms, could only be sealed through the recognition of natural laws as the foundation provided by God himself, while politics remained concealed under the folds of political theology.
Dicamba Spray Drift as Influenced by Wind Speed and Nozzle Type
Authors: Sousa Alves Guilherme , Kruger Greg R. , da Cunha João Paulo A. R. , de Santana Denise G. , Pinto Luís André T. , Guimarães Frederico , Zaric Milos
Published: September 2017

With the release of dicamba-resistant crops, it is necessary to understand how technical and environmental conditions affect the application of dicamba. This study sought to evaluate drift from dicamba applications through flat-fan nozzles, under several wind speeds in a wind tunnel. Dicamba applications were performed through two standard (XR and TT) and two air induction (AIXR and TTI) 110015 nozzles at 0.9, 2.2, 3.6 and 4.9 ms−1 wind speeds. The applications were made at 276 kPa pressure and the dicamba rate was 561 g ae ha-1. The droplet spectrum was measured using a laser diffraction system. Artificial targets were used as drift collectors, positioned in a wind tunnel from 2 to 12 m downwind from the nozzles. Drift potential was determined using a fluorescent tracer added to solutions, quantified by fluorimetry. The air induction TTI nozzle produced the lowest percentage of dicamba drift at 2.2, 3.6 and 4.9 ms−1 wind speeds at all distances. Dicamba spray drift from XR, TT and AIXR nozzles increased exponentially as wind speed increased, whereas from TTI nozzle drift increased linearly as wind speed increased. Drift did not increase linearly as the volume percentage of droplets smaller than 100 µm and wind speed increased.
Beurteilung funktioneller Einschränkungen bei degenerativen Erkrankungen der Lendenwirbelsäule: Wer hat Recht – der Arzt, der Patient oder der objektive Test?
Authors: Stienen Martin N. , Bellut David , Regli Luca , Hausmann Oliver N. , Gautschi Oliver P.
Published: September 2017

Zusammenfassung. Zur exakten Erfassung von Schmerzen, funktionellen Einschränkungen und gesundheitsbezogener Lebensqualität bei Patienten mit degenerativen Wirbelsäulenerkrankungen existiert eine Reihe validierter Messinstrumente. Neben der Beurteilung durch den Therapeuten sowie «subjektiven» patientenorientierten Messmethoden (PROMs) wurde in den vergangenen Jahren der «Timed Up and Go»(TUG)-Test systematisch untersucht und als krankheitsspezifisches Messinstrument validiert. Heute kann eine objektive funktionelle Einschränkung (OFI = Objective Functional Impairment) in wenigen Sekunden und kostenfrei mithilfe einer Smartphone-Applikation bestimmt werden. Die Bestimmung von Z- oder T-Werten, die TUG-Testergebnisse in Relation zur Populationsnorm setzen, ermöglichen eine alters- und geschlechtsadjustierte Ergebnisinterpretation. Diese Übersichtsarbeit fasst die aktuellen Erkenntnisse zu objektiven Messmethoden bei degenerativen Wirbelsäulenpathologien inklusive deren Vor- und Nachteile zusammen und vergleicht sie mit den bisherigen Beurteilungsmethoden für funktionelle Outcomes.
Chronische Schmerzen nach Inguinalhernienchirurgie
Authors: Lavanchy Joël L. , Streitberger Konrad , Zindel Joel , Beldi Guido
Published: September 2017

Zusammenfassung. Chronische Schmerzen nach Inguinalhernienoperationen sind häufig. Die aktuelle Evidenz zeigt, dass die endoskopische Versorgung von Hernien mit einem Netz chronische postoperative Schmerzen verringert. Dieser Review zeigt mögliche Ursachen und therapeutische Optionen bei Patienten mit chronischen Schmerzen nach Hernienoperationen auf.
Turning up the Heat on Organic Matter to Track Carbon
Authors: McNichol Ann , Rosenheim Brad , Galy Valier
Published: September 2017

Inaugural Workshop on Thermal Analysis of Natural Organic Matter; Woods Hole, Massachusetts, 15–16 September 2016
Quiet Volcanic Activity Changes Speed of Ambient Seismic Waves
Authors: Stanley Sarah
Published: September 2017

Seismic data collected continuously for 4 years could improve understanding of geological structures that underlie Japan’s Izu Oshima volcanic island.
Priming of lineage-specifying genes by Bcl11b is required for lineage choice in post-selection thymocytes
Authors: Kojo Satoshi , Tanaka Hirokazu , Endo Takaho A. , Muroi Sawako , Liu Ye , Seo Wooseok , Tenno Mari , Kakugawa Kiyokazu , Naoe Yoshinori , Nair Krutula , Moro Kazuyo , Katsuragi Yoshinori , Kanai Akinori , Inaba Toshiya , Egawa Takeshi , Venkatesh Byrappa , Minoda Aki , Kominami Ryo , Taniuchi Ichiro
Published: September 2017

T-lineage committed precursor thymocytes are screened by a fate-determination process mediated via T cell receptor (TCR) signals for differentiation into distinct lineages. However, it remains unclear whether any antecedent event is required to couple TCR signals with the transcriptional program governing lineage decisions. Here we show that Bcl11b, known as a T-lineage commitment factor, is essential for proper expression of ThPOK and Runx3, central regulators for the CD4-helper/CD8-cytotoxic lineage choice. Loss of Bcl11b results in random expression of these factors and, thereby, lineage scrambling that is disconnected from TCR restriction by MHC. Initial Thpok repression by Bcl11b prior to the pre-selection stage is independent of a known silencer for Thpok, and requires the last zinc-finger motif in Bcl11b protein, which by contrast is dispensable for T-lineage commitment. Collectively, our findings shed new light on the function of Bcl11b in priming lineage-specifying genes to integrate TCR signals into subsequent transcriptional regulatory mechanisms.
Patient-derived hiPSC neurons with heterozygous CNTNAP2 deletions display altered neuronal gene expression and network activity
Authors: Flaherty Erin , Deranieh Rania M. , Artimovich Elena , Lee Inkyu S. , Siegel Arthur J. , Levy Deborah L. , Nestor Michael W. , Brennand Kristen J.
Published: September 2017

Variants in CNTNAP2, a member of the neurexin family of genes that function as cell adhesion molecules, have been associated with multiple neuropsychiatric conditions such as schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability; animal studies indicate a role for CNTNAP2 in axon guidance, dendritic arborization and synaptogenesis. We previously reprogrammed fibroblasts from a family trio consisting of two carriers of heterozygous intragenic CNTNAP2 deletions into human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) and described decreased migration in the neural progenitor cells (NPCs) differentiated from the affected CNTNAP2 carrier in this trio. Here, we report the effect of this heterozygous intragenic deletion in CNTNAP2 on global gene expression and neuronal activity in the same cohort. Our findings suggest that heterozygous CNTNAP2 deletions affect genes involved in neuronal development and neuronal activity; however, these data reflect only one family trio and therefore more deletion carriers, with a variety of genetic backgrounds, will be needed to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying CNTNAP2 deletions.
MicroRNA regulation of CYP 1A2, CYP3A4 and CYP2E1 expression in acetaminophen toxicity
Authors: Gill Pritmohinder , Bhattacharyya Sudeepa , McCullough Sandra , Letzig Lynda , Mishra Prasun J. , Luo Chunqiao , Dweep Harsh , James Laura
Published: September 2017

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) that regulate the cytochrome P-450 isoforms involved in acetaminophen (APAP) toxicity were examined in HepaRG cells treated with APAP (20 mM). In-vitro studies found that APAP protein adducts were increased at 1 h, followed by ALT increases at 12 and 24 h. CYP1A2, CYP3A4 and CYP2E1 mRNA levels were decreased, while miRNAs were increased for miR-122-5p, miR-378a-5p, miR-27b-3p at 6 h and miR-125b-5p at 12 h and miR-27b-3p at 24 h. Putative miRNA binding sites on the 3′UTRs of the CYPs were identified in-silico. Overexpression of miR-122-5p and miR-378a-5p in cells suppressed protein expression of CYP1A2, CYP3A4 and CYP2E1. Luciferase reporter assays confirmed the interaction between miR-122 and the 3′UTR of the CYP1A2 and CYP3A4. Thus, the in-vitro experiments showed that miR-122-5p and miR-378a-5p upregulation were associated with translational repression of CYPs. Serum samples of children with APAP overdose had significant elevation of miR-122-5p, miR-378a-5p, miR-125b-5p and miR-27b-3p, compared to healthy controls and receiver operator curves of the miRNAs had AUCs of 91 to 100%. Collectively, the data suggest that miRNA elevations in APAP toxicity represent a regulatory response to modify CYP1A2, CYP3A4 and CYP2E1 translation due to cellular stress and injury.
Determining the biomechanics of touch sensation in C. elegans
Authors: Elmi Muna , Pawar Vijay M. , Shaw Michael , Wong David , Zhan Haoyun , Srinivasan Mandayam A.
Published: September 2017

The sense of touch is a fundamental mechanism that nearly all organisms use to interact with their surroundings. However, the process of mechanotransduction whereby a mechanical stimulus gives rise to a neuronal response is not well understood. In this paper we present an investigation of the biomechanics of touch using the model organism C. elegans. By developing a custom micromanipulation and force sensing system around a high resolution optical microscope, we measured the spatial deformation of the organism’s cuticle and force response to controlled uniaxial indentations. We combined these experimental results with anatomical data to create a multilayer computational biomechanical model of the organism and accurately derive its material properties such as the elastic modulus and poisson’s ratio. We demonstrate the utility of this model by combining it with previously published electrophysiological data to provide quantitative insights into different biomechanical states for mechanotransduction, including the first estimate of the sensitivity of an individual mechanoreceptor to an applied stimulus (parameterised as strain energy density). We also interpret empirical behavioural data to estimate the minimum number of mechanoreceptors which must be activated to elicit a behavioural response.
Adaptation trajectories during adhesion and spreading affect future cell states
Authors: Bruekers Stéphanie M. C. , Bao Min , Hendriks José M. A. , Mulder Klaas W. , Huck Wilhelm T. S.
Published: September 2017

Cells are complex systems in which dynamic gene expression and protein-interaction networks adapt to changes in the environment. Seeding and subsequent spreading of cells on substrates represents an example of adaptation to a major perturbation. The formation of adhesive interactions and self-organisation of the cytoskeleton during initial spreading might prime future cell behaviour. To elucidate the role of these events on later cellular behaviour, we mapped the trajectories by which cells respond to seeding on substrates with different physical properties. Our experiments on cell spreading dynamics on collagen- or fibrin-coated polyacrylamide gels and collagen or fibrin hydrogels show that on each substrate, cells follow distinct trajectories of morphological changes, culminating in fundamentally different cell states as quantified by RNA-expression levels, YAP/TAZ localisation, proliferation and differentiation propensities. The continuous adaptation of the cell to environmental cues leaves traces due to differential cellular organisation and gene expression profiles, blurring correlations between a particular physical property and cellular phenotype.
Prolonged seizure activity causes caspase dependent cleavage and dysfunction of G-protein activated inwardly rectifying potassium channels
Authors: Baculis Brian C. , Weiss Amanda C. , Pang Weilun , Jeong Han Gil , Lee Jun Hee , Liu Dai-Chi , Tsai Nien-Pei , Chung Hee Jung
Published: September 2017

Recurrent high-frequency epileptic seizures cause progressive hippocampal sclerosis, which is associated with caspase-3 activation and NMDA receptor-dependent excitotoxicity. However, the identity of caspase-3 substrates that contribute to seizure-induced hippocampal atrophy remains largely unknown. Here, we show that prolonged high-frequency epileptiform discharges in cultured hippocampal neurons leads to caspase-dependent cleavage of GIRK1 and GIRK2, the major subunits of neuronal G protein-activated inwardly rectifying potassium (GIRK) channels that mediate membrane hyperpolarization and synaptic inhibition in the brain. We have identified caspase-3 cleavage sites in GIRK1 (387ECLD390) and GIRK2 (349YEVD352). The YEVD motif is highly conserved in GIRK2-4, and located within their C-terminal binding sites for Gβγ proteins that mediate membrane-delimited GIRK activation. Indeed, the cleaved GIRK2 displays reduced binding to Gβγ and cannot coassemble with GIRK1. Loss of an ER export motif upon cleavage of GIRK2 abolishes surface and current expression of GIRK2 homotetramic channels. Lastly, kainate-induced status epilepticus causes GIRK1 and GIRK2 cleavage in the hippocampus in vivo. Our findings are the first to show direct cleavage of GIRK1 and GIRK2 subunits by caspase-3, and suggest the possible role of caspase-3 mediated down-regulation of GIRK channel function and expression in hippocampal neuronal injury during prolonged epileptic seizures.
Explorability and the origin of network sparsity in living systems
Authors: Busiello Daniel M. , Suweis Samir , Hidalgo Jorge , Maritan Amos
Published: September 2017

The increasing volume of ecologically and biologically relevant data has revealed a wide collection of emergent patterns in living systems. Analysing different data sets, ranging from metabolic gene-regulatory to species interaction networks, we find that these networks are sparse, i.e. the percentage of the active interactions scales inversely proportional to the system size. To explain the origin of this puzzling common characteristic, we introduce the new concept of explorability: a measure of the ability of an interacting system to adapt to newly intervening changes. We show that sparsity is an emergent property resulting from optimising both explorability and dynamical robustness, i.e. the capacity of the system to remain stable after perturbations of the underlying dynamics. Networks with higher connectivities lead to an incremental difficulty to find better values for both the explorability and dynamical robustness, associated with the fine-tuning of the newly added interactions. A relevant characteristic of our solution is its scale invariance, i.e., it remains optimal when several communities are assembled together. Connectivity is also a key ingredient in determining ecosystem stability and our proposed solution contributes to solving May’s celebrated complexity-stability paradox.
Erratum: Determination of Low Loss in Isotopically Pure Single Crystal 28Si at Low Temperatures and Single Microwave Photon Energy
Authors: Kostylev Nikita , Goryachev Maxim , Bulanov Andrey D. , Gavva Vladimir A. , Tobar Michael E.
Published: September 2017

Scientific Reports 7: Article number: 44813; published online: 20 March 2017; updated: 20 September 2017. The original version of this Article contained typographical errors in the Abstract. “Whispering Gallery Mode (WGM) analysis revealed large Quality Factors of order 2 × 106 (dielectric loss ~5 ×10−7) at high powers, degrading to 7 × 10−5 (dielectric loss ~1.
Lipidomic alterations of in vitro macrophage infection by L. infantum and L. amazonensis
Authors: Negrão Fernanda , Abánades Daniel R. , Jaeeger Caroline F. , Rocha Daniele F. O. , Belaz Katia R. A. , Giorgio Selma , Eberlin Marcos N. , Angolini Célio F. F.
Published: September 2017

Lipidomics ofLeishmaniahas been demonstrated and related to its adaptation mechanisms during host-cells infection and its different clinical manifestations.
Nanometric building blocks for robust multifunctional molecular junctions
Authors: James David D. , Bayat Akhtar , Smith Scott R. , Lacroix Jean-Christophe , McCreery Richard L.
Published: September 2017

Multiple layers in molecular junctions with different structures permit a wide range of electronic functions, including rectification, memory, and charge storage.
In situ hybridization of enzymes and their metal–organic framework analogues with enhanced activity and stability by biomimetic mineralisation
Authors: Li Zhixian , Xia Huan , Li Shaomin , Pang Jiafeng , Zhu Wei , Jiang Yanbin
Published: September 2017

A new concept of combining enzymes and their MOF mimics with enhanced enzymatic activity and stability to construct enzyme–MOF composites is proposed.
Cross-coupling of sulfonic acid derivatives via aryl-radical transfer (ART) using TTMSS or photoredox
Authors: Nacsa Eric D. , Lambert Tristan H.
Published: September 2017

The intramolecular cross-coupling of sulfonic acid derivatives occurs in the presence of tris(trimethylsilyl)silane (TTMSS) at room temperature and in air to form biaryl compounds. A photoredox-catalyzed procedure is also described. These protocols provide mild and convenient alternatives to standard tin-mediated reactions.
Rheological characterization of liquid-to-solid transitions in bulk polyelectrolyte complexes
Authors: Liu Yalin , Momani Brian , Winter H. Henning , Perry Sarah L.
Published: September 2017

We use linear viscoelasticity measurements to characterize the salt-driven liquid-to-solid transition of ‘saloplastic’ polyelectrolyte complexes.
Elasticity and failure of liquid marbles: influence of particle coating and marble volume
Authors: Rendos Abigail , Alsharif Nourin , Kim Brian L. , Brown Keith A.
Published: September 2017

Liquid droplets can become non-wetting liquid marbles when coated with hydrophobic power. While their elastic mechanics do not depend on the particle coating, the point at which they fail under compression depends on both the particle coating and their volume.
Abiotic streamers in a microfluidic system
Authors: Debnath Nandini , Hassanpourfard Mahtab , Ghosh Ranajay , Trivedi Japan , Thundat Thomas , Sadrzadeh Mohtada , Kumar Aloke
Published: September 2017

We report the phenomenon of formation of particle aggregates in the form of thin slender strings when a polyacrylamide (PAM) solution, laden with polystyrene (PS) beads is introduced into a microfluidic device containing an array of micropillars.