bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
What hurts: The reported consequences of negative interactions with peers among Australian adolescent school children
Authors: Rigby Ken , Bagshaw Dale
Published: March 2016

The prevalence and hurtfulness of aggressive actions from peers at school experienced by Australian adolescents was examined with a sample of 652 Year 9 students (mean age 14 years) attending seven secondary schools in Adelaide, South Australia. Kinds of aggressive actions reported were categorised as physical, verbal and relational. In general, boys reported receiving more physical aggression; girls more relational aggression. Although girls tended to report being hurt more by aggressive acts than boys, they were similar in reporting acts of relational aggression, such as exclusion, as more hurtful to them than being subjected to physical aggression. Implications for interventions to reduce aggression in schools are discussed.
Christmas without the kids: Losing children through the child protection system
Authors: O’Neill Cas
Published: March 2016

Longitudinal research in Victoria is exploring the experience and support needs of birth parents’ and grandparents, children, permanent parents, teachers, social workers and therapists in situations where the children have been permanently removed from their birth families by the child protection system. The research is now halfway through its second three-year phase.

This paper details the findings for ten birth parents, most of whom have been involved in the study for at least three years. The findings are presented through themes of loss, role, boundary, power and support. The research provides clues as to how professionals can offer support to these parents. What the parents want is little enough–for their stories to be heard without blame; to be consulted about their children’s future; and to be offered the possibility of meeting up with parents who have similar experiences.
How can a strengths approach increase safety in a child protection context?
Authors: O’Neil Di
Published: March 2016

Child protection is one of the most difficult fields for social welfare professionals to work within. Being an enabler on one hand and an agent of social control on the other, can create a dichotomy that leaves practitioners feeling like they need a different set of skills to do each component. Maybe a strengths approach framework can provide the link between the two. A strengths approach is greater than a set of strengths-based tools. It is a way of conceptualising the organisation and delivery of child protection services. This article expresses the current views of a practitioner with 37 years experience in the child and family welfare field.
Recent Australian child protection and out-of-home care research: What’s been done – and what needs to be done?
Authors: Cashmore Judy , Higgins Daryl J. , Bromfield Leah M. , Scott Dorothy A.
Published: March 2016

A research-led reform strategy is urgently required in the field of child protection in Australia. While international research can be a valuable resource, a strong research base which is relevant to this country’s needs, legislation and service systems is essential. Two recent audits of Australian research completed over the past decade – one on out-of-home care and the other on child protection more broadly – have highlighted significant gaps in existing research. There is a number of important topics that have not been addressed – as well as an over-reliance on small-scale, qualitative studies and a very low level of funding for research. This paper explores these gaps and identifies crucial areas for development, encompassing: the development of a national child protection and out-of-home care research agenda; adequate funding for research, especially for multi-site, cross-jurisdictional studies; and closer collaboration between researchers, policymakers and practitioners to close the gap between what we know and what we do.
Leaving care: Thinking systemically, thinking globally
Authors: Pinkerton John
Published: March 2016

Thanks to the greatly increased interest in the experiences of young people leaving state care, there is now a much better understanding of how vulnerable this group is when making the transition to adulthood. It is also now clear that there must be interrelated formal and informal support provided to young people when leaving and after leaving care if their life chances are to be significantly improved. This article extends the logic of that systemic thinking to embrace the challenge of globalisation as a necessary aspect of contemporary thinking about care leaving. It recognises the difficulties in developing an international perspective but suggests a model for promoting cross national exchange. An agenda is suggested around which global networking could be built in order to ensure that advances being made for care leavers in any one country are both secured against the negative impact of globalisation and become part of a global resource.
Pathways to and from state care: The experiences of eight young people
Authors: Frederick John , Goddard Chris
Published: March 2016

Children enter state care because their parents are unable to care for them or because of abuse and neglect. Invariably they experience considerable distress and emotional trauma with many having clinically significant mental health problems. Few, however, receive the assessment, counselling and supportive services that they need. When they leave care, many experience extensive problems including mental health difficulties, unemployment, poverty, homelessness, drug abuse, relationship difficulties and lack of social support.

This paper will discuss the findings of a qualitative study utilising in-depth interviews with young people who have been in state care. Illustrations of their pathways to and from care will highlight their experiences, and direct quotations from the participants will provide particular insights into the complex issues they have had to confront.

The paper will outline key opportunities for prevention and intervention approaches at various points along these pathways.
Mentoring young people leaving care
Authors: Griffin Clare
Published: March 2016

‘Whitelion’ is a non profit organisation that supports disadvantaged young people and helps make our community a more inclusive and safer place. Each year thousands of youths are disconnected from their families and our community due to abuse, neglect, drug addiction and poverty. These young people have often had horrific life experiences with few positive role models and are caught in a ‘cycle of discouragement’. Many of them end up in out-of-home care or the juvenile justice system. Whitelion gives them the best chance to ‘break the cycle’ through positive role modelling, mentoring and employment, and the opportunity to build positive lives for themselves.

Clare Griffin is the Mentoring Team Leader at Whitelion. She has worked with young people involved with the out-of-home care system in a variety of roles over the past eight years.
Study groups as professional development for advanced caseworkers
Authors: Costello Susan , Tehan Caroline
Published: March 2016

During 2003-2005, Anglicare Victoria conducted study groups for their advanced caseworkers. This program was developed in consultation with senior staff within the context of Anglicare Victoria’s Services Practices Manual, including Theoretical Frameworks. It aimed to provide senior practitioners with peer support, education and discussion.

The study group model was a collaborative approach using adult teaching principles and strategies. Central to each session was a case presentation from one of the participants which provided an opportunity to integrate learning with theory and practice. A training model of the study group is presented.

Evaluation indicated that the study group reduced participants’ isolation, increased their confidence in engaging family members, including fathers, and broadened their conceptualisation of family problems. Learnings and proposed changes to future study groups are identified.
A birth certificate is not a biological property title: Has an insidiously persistent idea finally reached its use-by date?
Authors: Poulter Jim
Published: March 2016

Particularly in western societies, the notion that children are biological property has been a strongly implicit idea for many generations. It has therefore also been an idea that has implicitly pervaded our child welfare legislation and practice for generations, despite frequent legal rhetoric about the rights of the child. In this paper, the author traces the negative effects on welfare practice that this notion of children as property has had over the last half century. In doing so, the author calls not only on his professional experience, but also on his personal experience as a foster, adoptive and permanent care parent. Some provisions within the new Victorian child protection legislation are examined to gauge their capacity to address the negative effects on practice of this persistent notion, and reason found for some guarded optimism.
Comparing caring: The Looking After Children system in Canada and Australia
Authors: Cheers Deirdre , Kufeldt Kathleen , Klein Ross , Rideout Scott
Published: March 2016

The Looking After Children (LAC) system is currently used in a number of countries world wide, providing increasing opportunities for international research collaboration. This paper describes early results of one such collaborative effort between Canada and Australia. The LAC system is a child-centred case management approach aimed at enhancing the developmental needs of children and young people in out-of-home care placements. LAC has the capacity to connect research, policy and practice. For research and practice LAC measures and enhances outcomes of care. Aggregation of data collected via the use of LAC allows policy makers to assess current practices in order to monitor and measure the extent to which intended program goals are achieved. LAC promotes and encourages collaboration in the care system, enhancing participation opportunities and partnerships between social workers, direct carers (foster parents and residential workers), parents, children and young people.
Spiders, bullies, monsters or terrorists: What scares Australian children?
Authors: Gilmore Linda , Campbell Marilyn
Published: March 2016

In recent times, Australian children have been exposed to a range of frightening images of war and terrorism in the media. To determine the possible impact of such distal events, fears were measured in a sample of 220 children aged 6 to 12 years using the Fear Survey Schedule for Children (FSSC-R) as well as a free option method. On the FSSC-R, the type and intensity of children’s fears were similar to previous studies conducted over the past two decades, with being hit by a car, bombs and being unable to breathe producing the most fear. By contrast, spontaneous responses indicated that children’s greatest fears were of animals, the dark and being lost. Surprisingly few children mentioned war and terrorism without prompting. The findings suggest that concerns about Australian children becoming more fearful as a result of media coverage of war and terrorism are not supported.
BIG RIG (Boys in Gippsland Reference and Information Group) Telling it like it is
Authors: O’Neill Jenny
Published: March 2016

In partial response to two fatal utility truck accidents involving local school students, the School Focused Youth Service Coordinator and the Student Welfare Coordinator decided to form a boys’ reference group to find out if the school was meeting the boys’ health and well-being information needs. This resulted in 20 young men discussing and deciding on how they would find out the information, then developing a survey and distributing it to 113 boys. A wealth of information was gained from the completed surveys from young men in Years 8, 9 and 10 on what their information priorities were and how they would like the information delivered.
Residential Family Treatment: A creative alternative in child protection work
Authors: Schulz C. , Wilson S. , Newton M. , Epenhuysen P. Van , Holzworth B.
Published: March 2016

The maintenance of the physical and emotional safety of children about to be returned to their families following serious abuse is a complex and significant problem. This paper describes a treatment offered to such families which makes use of a residential setting, and which involved intensive work over the period of a week. This approach was cost effective, allowed for greater creativity by child protection workers, and impacted significantly on the lives of the families. This paper offers a philosophical as well as practical framework for treating at risk families in which a child is about to be returned.
Honey, I shrunk the evaluator: Reflections on the 1990 National Evaluation Conference
Authors: Liddell Max , Liddell Margaret
Published: March 2016

The 1990 National Evaluation Conference, a conference devoted to current developments in evaluation, left the authors with many concerns. This paper, after describing a few of the contributions which were of relevance to human services, explores some of the dilemmas. Is program evaluation a research activity or not? What are the implications of the commercialisation of the public sector? Is evaluation a tool to induce employee conformity? These questions are raised, and their implications for human services discussed.
Making Parent Education Relevant to Vulnerable Parents
Authors: O’Brien Wendy
Published: March 2016

Most packaged parent education programmes available in Victoria teach some underlying principles about children’s behaviour and offer specific skills or strategies for managing children. Whilst parent education is seen as an important part of a treatment plan for parents who have abused or neglected their children, these parents are rarely at a stage where they can make use of the information or strategies taught in the packaged programmes. Acutely vulnerable parents, who themselves have been hurt as children, must first heal some of their past before being able to learn and use new approaches to parenting. This paper considers the characteristics of acutely vulnerable parents and proposes some approaches that can be employed to assist these parents reach a point where they can respond to parent education and develop new positive ways relating to their children.
We are the Rural Crisis
Authors: Stark Lorraine
Published: March 2016

I asked the Farmer and his wife to tell me about the Rural Crisis. His wife gave me a long look, and said “We are the Rural Crisis!” This paper is dedicated to them.
Future Directions for Rural Australia
Authors: Edwards John
Published: March 2016

The following is an edited interview with Simon Crean, Minister for Primary Industries and Energy, conducted by John Edwards, Executive Director, National Children’s Bureau of Australia on December 5, 1991.
The Children Young Persons and their Families Act 1989
Authors: Hassall Ian
Published: March 2016

Since November 1989 New Zealand has had new statutory care and protection and youth justice procedures. They differ substantially from the procedures under the old 1974 act. For the majority of cases, the disposition of the child, services provided and, in the case of offending, any penalties or restitution imposed are now the responsibility of the family rather than the Court.

This responsibility is exercised through a new official process called the Family Group Conference, at which the State is represented but in which the decision-making power is expected to rest largely with the family. Only if this fails or if the offence falls into the most serious of categories is the matter passed to the Court. A new group of officials has been created to co-ordinate the process. They are known as Youth Justice and Care and Protection Co-ordinators.
I love them but they’re driving me crazy : Stress in Mothers of Young Children
Authors: Rodd Jillian
Published: March 2016

A recent study which investigated the relationship between a range of measures of psychological well-being and stress in a group of 109 Melbourne mothers (Rodd, 1992), unearthed some surprising but not unexpected findings. In fact, the research into maternal stress was initiated following many years of working with parents, running parent support and education programs and discussions with a range of professionals who provide services for families. The end result of the examination of this observational and anecdotal evidence pointed to the fact that mothers of young children are stressed - not just slightly or moderately stressed - but experiencing extreme levels of emotional stress in relation to their parenting role!
Censorship and Children’s Literature: Thomas the Tank Engine almost meets the Controller, an American Psycho is wrapped in Plastic, and Hannibal Lecter goes free
Authors: Goddard Chris
Published: March 2016

THOMAS THE TANK ENGINE is very proud of his branch line. He thinks it is the most important part of the whole railway. He has two coaches. They are old, and need new paint, but he loves them very much. He calls them Annie and Clarabel. Annie can only take passengers, but Clarabel can take passengers, luggage and the guard.

(Awdry, 1986: 4)
AN INTERVIEW WITH NEIL WALLACE
Authors: Altig David , Nosal Ed
Published: March 2016

A few years ago we sat down with Neil Wallace and had two lengthy, free-ranging conversations about his career and, generally speaking, his views on economics. What follows is a distillation of these conversations.
The LCOGT NEO Follow-up Network
Authors: Lister Tim A. , Greenstreet S. , Gomez E. , Christensen E. , Larson S.
Published: March 2016

Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network (LCOGT) has deployed a homogeneous telescope network of nine 1-meter telescopes to four locations in the northern and southern hemispheres, with a planned network size of twelve 1-meter telescopes at 6 locations. This network is very versatile and is designed to respond rapidly to target of opportunity events and also to perform long term monitoring of slowly changing astronomical phenomena. The global coverage of the network and the apertures of telescope available make LCOGT ideal for follow-up and characterization of Solar System objects (e.g. asteroids, Kuiper Belt Objects, comets, Near-Earth Objects (NEOs)) and additionally for the discovery of new objects.

We are using the LCOGT network to confirm newly detected NEO candidates produced by the major sky surveys such as Catalina Sky Survey (CSS) and PanSTARRS (PS1&2) and several hundred targets are now being followed per year. An increasing amount of time is being spent to obtain follow-up astrometry and photometry for radar-targeted objects and those on the Near-Earth Object Human Space Flight Accessible Targets Study (NHATS) or Asteroid Retrieval Mission (ARM) lists in order to improve the orbits, determine the light curves and rotation periods and improve the characterization. This will be extended to obtain more light curves of other NEOs which could be targets. Recent results have included the first period determinations for several of the Goldstone-targeted NEOs. We are in the process of building a NEO follow-up portal which will allow professionals, amateurs and Citizen Scientists to plan, schedule and analyze NEO imaging and spectroscopy observations and data using the LCOGT Network and to act as a co-ordination hub for the NEO follow-up efforts.
Linking very short arcs from large database of asteroid observations
Authors: Gronchi Giovanni F. , Baù Giulio , Marò Stefano
Published: March 2016

With the improvements of the observational technology for the new surveys the number of asteroid detections is rapidly increasing. For this reason we must use very efficient methods to compute orbits with these data. We have to identify observations taken in different nights as belonging to the same asteroid. If we do not have an efficient algorithm for that, the unidentified observation database can increase without control, and we risk to detect the same objects multiple times.
Sizes, Shapes, and Satellites of Asteroids from Occultations
Authors: Dunham David W. , Herald David , Preston Steve , Timerson Brad , Maley Paul , Frappa Eric , Hayamizu Tsutomu , Talbot John , Poro Atila
Published: March 2016

For 40 years, the sizes and shapes of many dozens of asteroids have been determined from observations of asteroidal occultations, and over a thousand high-precision positions of the asteroids relative to stars have been measured. Some of the first evidence for satellites of asteroids was obtained from the early efforts; now, the orbits and sizes of some satellites discovered by other means have been refined from occultation observations. Also, several close binary stars have been discovered, and the angular diameters of some stars have been measured from analysis of these observations. The International Occultation Timing Association (IOTA) coordinates this activity worldwide, from predicting and publicizing the events, to accurately timing the occultations from as many stations as possible, and publishing and archiving the observations.
Impact hazard monitoring: theory and implementation
Authors: Farnocchia D.
Published: March 2016

We review the most standard impact monitoring techniques. Linear methods are the fastest approach but their applicability regime is limited because of the chaotic dynamics of near-Earth asteroids. Among nonlinear methods, Monte Carlo algorithms are the most reliable ones but also most computationally intensive and so unpractical for routine impact monitoring. In the last 15 years, the Line of Variations method has been the most successful technique thanks to its computational efficiency and capability of detecting low probability events deep in the nonlinear regime. We also present some more recent techniques developed to deal with the new challenges arising in the impact hazard assessment problem. In particular, we describe keyhole maps as a tool to go beyond strongly scattering encounters and how to account for nongravitational perturbations, especially the Yarkovsky effect, when their contribution is the main source of prediction uncertainty. Finally, we discuss systematic ranging to deal with the short-term hazard assessment problem for newly discovered asteroids, when only a short observed arc is available thus leading to severe degeneracies in the orbit estimation process.
Solar System Object Image Search: A precovery search engine
Authors: Gwyn Stephen D. J. , Hill Norman , Kavelaars JJ
Published: March 2016

While regular astronomical image archive searches can find images at a fixed location, they cannot find images of moving targets such as asteroids or comets. The Solar System Object Image Search (SSOIS) at the Canadian Astronomy Data Centre allows users to search for images of moving objects, allowing precoveries. SSOIS accepts as input either an object designation, a list of observations, a set of orbital elements, or a user-generated ephemeris for an object. It then searches for observations of that object over a range of dates. The user is then presented with a list of images containing that object from a variety of archives. Initially created to search the CFHT MegaCam archive, SSOIS has been extended to other telescopes including Gemini, Subaru/SuprimeCam, WISE, HST, the SDSS, AAT, the ING telescopes, the ESO telescopes, and the NOAO telescopes (KPNO/CTIO/WIYN), for a total of 24.5 million images. As the Pan-STARRS and Hyper Suprime-Cam archives become available, they will be incorporated as well. The SSOIS tool is located on the web at http://www.cadc-ccda.hia-iha.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/en/ssois/.
Are some meteoroids rubble piles?
Authors: Borovička Jiří
Published: March 2016

The possibility that some meteoroids in the size range 1 – 20 meters are rubble piles i.e. assembles of boulders of various sizes held together only by small van der Waals forces, is investigated. Such meteoroids are expected to start disrupting into individual pieces during the atmospheric entry at very low dynamic pressures of ~ 25 Pa, even before the onset of ablation. The heterogeneous bodies as Almahata Sitta (asteroid 2008 TC3) and Benešov are primary candidates for rubble piles. Nevertheless, by analyzing the deceleration, wake, and light curve of the Benešov bolide, we found that the meteoroid disruption started only at a height of 70 km under dynamic pressure of 50 kPa. No evidence for a very early fragmentation was found also for the Chelyabinsk event.
Revisit of rotational dynamics of Asteroid 4179 Toutatis from Chang'e-2's flyby
Authors: Zhao Yuhui , Hu Shoucun , Ji Jianghui
Published: March 2016

This paper presents analysis of the rotational parameters of Toutatis based on the observational results from Chang'e-2's close flyby. The 3-D shape model derived from ground-based radar observation is used to calculate the 3-1-3 Euler angles at the flyby epoch, which are evaluated to be −20.1° ± 1°, 27.6° ± 1° and 42.2° ± 1°. The large amplitude of Toutatis' tumbling attitude is demonstrated to be the result of the large deviation of the angular momentum axis and the rotational axis. Two rotational periods are evaluated to be 5.38±0.03 days for rotation about the long axis and 7.40±0.03 days for precession of the long axis about the angular momentum vector based on Fourier analysis. These results provide a further understanding of rotational state of Toutatis.
Families classification including multiopposition asteroids
Authors: Milani Andrea , Spoto Federica , Knežević Zoran , Novaković Bojan , Tsirvoulis Georgios
Published: March 2016

In this paper we present the results of our new classification of asteroid families, upgraded by using catalog with > 500,000 asteroids. We discuss the outcome of the most recent update of the family list and of their membership. We found enough evidence to perform 9 mergers of the previously independent families. By introducing an improved method of estimation of the expected family growth in the less populous regions (e.g. at high inclination) we were able to reliably decide on rejection of one tiny group as a probable statistical fluke. Thus we reduced our current list to 115 families. We also present newly determined ages for 6 families, including complex 135 and 221, improving also our understanding of the dynamical vs. collisional families relationship. We conclude with some recommendations for the future work and for the family name problem.
Space Weathering of S-Complex Asteroids Manifested in the UV/Blue: Recent Insights and Future Directions
Authors: Vilas Faith , Hendrix Amanda R.
Published: March 2016

Space weathering affects reflectance spectra of the Moon and S-complex asteroids by spectral bluing (increasing reflectance with decreasing wavelength) of their surface materials at UV/blue (less than 400 nm) wavelengths. This spectral bluing is attributed to a degradation of the UV absorption feature seen in spectral reflectance of olivine as a result of the creation of nanophase (npFe0) iron. We have modeled the effect of the addition of small amounts of npFe0 intimately mixed with particles from a hypothetical material and a terrestrial basalt. The addition of 0.0001% npFe0 affects the reflectance at these UV/blue wavelengths, while the addition of 0.01% is required to see the visible/near infrared reddening and diminution of VNIR absorption features. Thus, the UV/blue spectral reflectance characteristics allow earlier detection of the onset of space weathering effects.
Chronizität im Alltag der psychiatrischen Versorgung – eine Forschungskollaboration zwischen Sozialpsychiatrie und Europäischer Ethnologie
Authors: von Peter Sebastian , Wullschleger Alexandre , Mahler Lieselotte , Munk Ingrid , Zaumseil Manfred , Niewöhner Jörg , Klausner Martina , Bister Milena , Heinz Andreas , Beck Stefan
Published: March 2016

Zusammenfassung. Interdisziplinärität ist in den letzten Jahrzehnten zu einem wissenschaftspolitischen Desiderat geworden. Gleichzeitig besteht bisher kaum Einigkeit darüber, wie sich interdisziplinäre Forschung strukturieren oder operationalisieren lässt. Im vorliegenden Artikel wird ein kollaboratives Arbeiten zwischen Ethnologie und Psychiatrie beschrieben. Es werden vor allem methodische Fragen eines kollaborativen Vorgehens diskutiert und daraus methodologische Forderungen für die Entwicklung alltagsnaher Forschungsdesigns abgeleitet. Im engeren Sinn wird dabei der Frage nachgegangen, in welcher Weise ethnographische Methoden dazu beitragen können, die Komplexität und Vielschichtigkeit sowohl des klinisch-therapeutischen Alltags als auch der Lebenswelten von Betroffenen und deren Bezugspersonen abzubilden und möglichst genau zu erfassen.
A global bionomic database for the dominant vectors of human malaria
Authors: Massey N. Claire , Garrod Gala , Wiebe Antoinette , Henry Andrew J. , Huang Zhi , Moyes Catherine L. , Sinka Marianne E.
Published: March 2016

Anopheles mosquitoes were first recognised as the transmitters of human malaria in the late 19th Century and have been subject to a huge amount of research ever since. Yet there is still much that is unknown regarding the ecology, behaviour (collectively ‘bionomics’) and sometimes even the identity of many of the world’s most prominent disease vectors, much less the within-species variation in their bionomics. Whilst malaria elimination remains an ambitious goal, it is becoming increasingly clear that knowledge of vector behaviour is needed to effectively target control measures. A database of bionomics data for the dominant vector species of malaria worldwide has been compiled from published peer-reviewed literature. The data identification and collation processes are described, together with the geo-positioning and quality control methods. This is the only such dataset in existence and provides a valuable resource to researchers and policy makers in this field.
Epigenetic modification of PKMζ rescues aging-related cognitive impairment
Authors: Chen Chen , Meng Shi-Qiu , Xue Yan-Xue , Han Ying , Sun Cheng-Yu , Deng Jia-Hui , Chen Na , Bao Yan-Ping , Zhang Fei-Long , Cao Lin-Lin , Zhu Wei-Guo , Shi Jie , Song Wei-Hong , Lu Lin
Published: March 2016

Cognition is impacted by aging. However, the mechanisms that underlie aging-associated cognitive impairment are unclear. Here we showed that cognitive decline in aged rats was associated with changes in DNA methylation of protein kinase Mζ (PKMζ) in the prelimbic cortex (PrL). PKMζ is a crucial molecule involved in the maintenance of long-term memory. Using different behavioral models, we confirmed that aged rats exhibited cognitive impairment in memory retention test 24 h after training and overexpression of PKMζ in the PrL rescued cognitive impairment in aged rats. After fear conditioning, the protein levels of PKMζ and the membrane expression of GluR2 increased in the PrL in young and adult rats but not in aged rats and the levels of methylated PKMζ DNA in the PrL decreased in all age groups, whereas the levels of unmethylated PKMζ DNA increased only in young and adult rats. We also found that environmentally enriched housing reversed the hypermethylation of PKMζ and restored cognitive performance in aged rats. Inactivation of PKMζ prevented the potentiating effects of environmental enrichment on memory retention in aged rats. These results indicated that PKMζ might be a potential target for the treatment of aging-related cognitive impairment, suggesting a potential therapeutic avenue.
Longer telomeres in chronic, moderate, unconjugated hyperbilirubinaemia: insights from a human study on Gilbert’s Syndrome
Authors: Tosevska Anela , Moelzer Christine , Wallner Marlies , Janosec Milan , Schwarz Ursula , Kern Carina , Marculescu Rodrig , Doberer Daniel , Weckwerth Wolfram , Wagner Karl-Heinz
Published: March 2016

Bilirubin (BR) is a natural endogenous compound with a potent bioactivity. Gilbert’s Syndrome (GS) is a benign hereditary condition of increased unconjugated bilirubin (UCB) in serum and serves as a convenient model for studying the effects of BR in humans. In absence of liver disease, increased UCB levels are inversely associated to all-cause mortality risk, especially from cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). On the other hand, telomere malfunction is linked to a higher risk of CVDs. To our knowledge, there is no data on whether UCB is linked to telomere length in healthy or diseased individuals In the present study we have observed a relationship between mildly increased serum UCB and telomere length. We used an in vivo approach, assessing telomere length in PBMCs from individuals with GS (n = 60) and matched healthy controls (n = 60). An occurrence of longer telomeres was observed in male individuals chronically exposed to increased UCB, as well as in Gunn rats, an animal model of unconjugated hyperbilirubinaemia. Previously identified differences in immunomodulation and redox parameters in individuals with GS, such as IL-6, IL-1β and ferric reducing ability of plasma, were confirmed and proposed as possible contributors to the occurrence of longer telomeres in GS.
Lightwave Circuits in Lithium Niobate through Hybrid Waveguides with Silicon Photonics
Authors: Weigel Peter O. , Savanier Marc , DeRose Christopher T. , Pomerene Andrew T. , Starbuck Andrew L. , Lentine Anthony L. , Stenger Vincent , Mookherjea Shayan
Published: March 2016

We demonstrate a photonic waveguide technology based on a two-material core, in which light is controllably and repeatedly transferred back and forth between sub-micron thickness crystalline layers of Si and LN bonded to one another, where the former is patterned and the latter is not. In this way, the foundry-based wafer-scale fabrication technology for silicon photonics can be leveraged to form lithium-niobate based integrated optical devices. Using two different guided modes and an adiabatic mode transition between them, we demonstrate a set of building blocks such as waveguides, bends and couplers which can be used to route light underneath an unpatterned slab of LN, as well as outside the LN-bonded region, thus enabling complex and compact lightwave circuits in LN alongside Si photonics with fabrication ease and low cost.
New type of Al-based decagonal quasicrystal in Al60Cr20Fe10Si10 alloy
Authors: He Zhanbing , Ma Haikun , Li Hua , Li Xingzhong , Ma Xiuliang
Published: March 2016

A new kind of decagonal quasicrystal (DQC) with a periodicity of 1.23 nm was observed in the as-cast quaternary Al60Cr20Fe10Si10 alloy. The intensity distribution of some spots in the selected-area electron diffraction pattern along the tenfold zone axis was found to be different from other Al-based DQCs. High-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy was adopted to reveal the structural features at an atomic level. Both the tenfold symmetry and symmetry-broken decagonal (D) clusters of 1.91 nm in diameter were found, but with structural characteristics different from the corresponding D clusters in the other Al-based DQCs. The neighboring D clusters are connected by sharing one edge rather than covering, suggesting the tiling model is better than the covering model for structural description.
Avian responses to an extreme ice storm are determined by a combination of functional traits, behavioural adaptations and habitat modifications
Authors: Zhang Qiang , Hong Yongmi , Zou Fasheng , Zhang Min , Lee Tien Ming , Song Xiangjin , Rao Jiteng
Published: March 2016

The extent to which species’ traits, behavior and habitat synergistically determine their response to extreme weather events (EWE) remains poorly understood. By quantifying bird and vegetation assemblages before and after the 2008 ice storm in China, combined with interspecific interactions and foraging behaviours, we disentangled whether storm influences avian reassembly directly via functional traits (i.e. behavioral adaptations), or indirectly via habitat variations. We found that overall species richness decreased, with 20 species detected exclusively before the storm, and eight species detected exclusively after. These shifts in bird relative abundance were linked to habitat preferences, dietary guild and flocking behaviours. For instance, forest specialists at higher trophic levels (e.g. understory-insectivores, woodpeckers and kingfishers) were especially vulnerable, whereas open-habitat generalists (e.g. bulbuls) were set to benefit from potential habitat homogenization. Alongside population fluctuations, we found that community reassembly can be rapidly adjusted via foraging plasticity (i.e. increased flocking propensity and reduced perching height). And changes in preferred habitat corresponded to a variation in bird assemblages and traits, as represented by intact canopy cover and high density of large trees. Accurate predictions of community responses to EWE are crucial to understanding ecosystem disturbances, thus linking species-oriented traits to a coherent analytical framework.
Twinning-mediated formability in Mg alloys
Authors: Suh Byeong-Chan , Kim Jae H. , Hwang Ji Hyun , Shim Myeong-Shik , Kim Nack J.
Published: March 2016

Mg alloys are promising candidates for automotive applications due to their low density and high specific strength. However, their widespread applications have not been realized mainly because of poor formability at room temperature, arising from limited number of active deformation systems and strong basal texture. It has been recently shown that Mg-Zn-Ca alloys have excellent stretch formability, which has been ascribed to their weak basal texture. However, the distribution of basal poles is orthotropic, which might result in anisotropy during deformation and have adverse effect on formability. Here, we show that tension twinning is mainly responsible for enhanced formability of Mg-Zn-Ca alloys. We found that tension twinning is quite active during both uniaxial deformation and biaxial deformation of Mg-Zn-Ca alloy even under the stress conditions unfavourable for the formation of tensile twins. Our results provide new insights into the development of Mg alloys having high formability.
Microfluidic colloid filtration
Authors: Linkhorst John , Beckmann Torsten , Go Dennis , Kuehne Alexander J. C. , Wessling Matthias
Published: March 2016

Filtration of natural and colloidal matter is an essential process in today’s water treatment processes. The colloidal matter is retained with the help of micro- and nanoporous synthetic membranes. Colloids are retained in a “cake layer” – often coined fouling layer. Membrane fouling is the most substantial problem in membrane filtration: colloidal and natural matter build-up leads to an increasing resistance and thus decreasing water transport rate through the membrane. Theoretical models exist to describe macroscopically the hydrodynamic resistance of such transport and rejection phenomena; however, visualization of the various phenomena occurring during colloid retention is extremely demanding. Here we present a microfluidics based methodology to follow filter cake build up as well as transport phenomena occuring inside of the fouling layer. The microfluidic colloidal filtration methodology enables the study of complex colloidal jamming, crystallization and melting processes as well as translocation at the single particle level.
Methotrexate is not associated with increased liver cirrhosis in a population-based cohort of rheumatoid arthritis patients with chronic hepatitis B
Authors: Tang Kuo-Tung , Hung Wei-Ting , Chen Yi-Hsing , Lin Ching-Heng , Chen Der-Yuan
Published: March 2016

A few studies showed that long-term methotrexate (MTX) use exacerbates liver fibrosis and even leads to liver cirrhosis in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. We therefore conducted a population-based cohort study to investigate the impact of long-term MTX use on the risk of chronic hepatitis B (CHB)-related cirrhosis among RA patients. We analyzed data from the National Health Insurance Research Database in Taiwan and identified 631 incident cases of RA among CHB patients (358 MTX users and 273 MTX non-users) from January 1, 1998 to December 31, 2007. After a median follow-up of more than 6 years since the diagnosis of CHB, a total of 41 (6.5%) patients developed liver cirrhosis. We did not find an increased risk of liver cirrhosis among CHB patients with long-term MTX use for RA. Furthermore, there was no occurrence of liver cirrhosis among 56 MTX users with a cumulative dose ≧3 grams after 97 months’ treatment. In conclusion, our data showed that long-term MTX use is not associated with an increased risk for liver cirrhosis among RA patients with CHB. However, interpretation of the results should be cautious due to potential bias in the cohort.
Gene dysregulation is restored in the Parkinson’s disease MPTP neurotoxic mice model upon treatment of the therapeutic drug CuII(atsm)
Authors: Cheng Lesley , Quek Camelia Y. J. , Hung Lin W. , Sharples Robyn A. , Sherratt Nicki A. , Barnham Kevin J. , Hill Andrew F.
Published: March 2016

The administration of MPTP selectively targets the dopaminergic system resulting in Parkinsonism-like symptoms and is commonly used as a mice model of Parkinson’s disease. We previously demonstrated that the neuroprotective compound CuII(atsm) rescues nigral cell loss and improves dopamine metabolism in the MPTP model. The mechanism of action of CuII(atsm) needs to be further defined to understand how the compound promotes neuronal survival. Whole genome transcriptomic profiling has become a popular method to examine the relationship between gene expression and function. Substantia nigra samples from MPTP-lesioned mice were evaluated using whole transcriptome sequencing to investigate the genes altered upon CuII(atsm) treatment. We identified 143 genes affected by MPTP lesioning that are associated with biological processes related to brain and cognitive development, dopamine synthesis and perturbed synaptic neurotransmission. Upon CuII(atsm) treatment, the expression of 40 genes involved in promoting dopamine synthesis, calcium signaling and synaptic plasticity were restored which were validated by qRT-PCR. The study provides the first detailed whole transcriptomic analysis of pathways involved in MPTP-induced Parkinsonism. In addition, we identify key therapeutic pathways targeted by a potentially new class of neuroprotective agents which may provide therapeutic benefits for other neurodegenerative disorders.
Root-associated fungi of Vaccinium carlesii in subtropical forests of China: intra- and inter-annual variability and impacts of human disturbances
Authors: Zhang Yanhua , Ni Jian , Tang Fangping , Pei Kequan , Luo Yiqi , Jiang Lifen , Sun Lifu , Liang Yu
Published: March 2016

Ericoid mycorrhiza (ERM) are expected to facilitate establishment of ericaceous plants in harsh habitats. However, diversity and driving factors of the root-associated fungi of ericaceous plants are poorly understood. In this study, hair-root samples of Vaccinium carlesii were taken from four forest types: old growth forests (OGF), secondary forests with once or twice cutting (SEC I and SEC II) and Cunninghamia lanceolata plantation (PLF). Fungal communities were determined using high-throughput sequencing and impacts of human disturbances and the intra- and inter-annual variability of root-associated fungal community were evaluated. Diverse fungal taxa were observed and our results showed that (1) Intra- and inter-annual changes in root-associated fungal community were found and the Basidiomycota to Ascomycota ratio was related to mean temperature of the sampling month; (2) Human disturbances significantly affected structure of root-associated fungal community of V. carlesii and two secondary forest types were similar in root-associated fungal community and were closer to that of the old growth forest; (3) Plant community composition, edaphic parameters and geographic factors significantly affected root-associated fungal communities of V. carlesii. These results may be helpful in better understanding the maintenance mechanisms of fungal diversity associated with hair roots of ERM plants under human disturbances.
Differential controls on soil carbon density and mineralization among contrasting forest types in a temperate forest ecosystem
Authors: You Ye-Ming , Wang Juan , Sun Xiao-Lu , Tang Zuo-Xin , Zhou Zhi-Yong , Sun Osbert Jianxin
Published: March 2016

Understanding the controls on soil carbon dynamics is crucial for modeling responses of ecosystem carbon balance to global change, yet few studies provide explicit knowledge on the direct and indirect effects of forest stands on soil carbon via microbial processes. We investigated tree species, soil and site factors in relation to soil carbon density and mineralization in a temperate forest of central China. We found that soil microbial biomass and community structure, extracellular enzyme activities and most of the site factors studied varied significantly across contrasting forest types and that the associations between activities of soil extracellular enzymes and microbial community structure appeared to be weak and inconsistent across forest types, implicating complex mechanisms in the microbial regulation of soil carbon metabolism in relation to tree species. Overall, variations in soil carbon density and mineralization are predominantly accounted for by shared effects of tree species, soil, microclimate and microbial traits rather than the individual effects of the four categories of factors. Our findings point to differential controls on soil carbon density and mineralization among contrasting forest types and highlight the challenge to incorporate microbial processes for constraining soil carbon dynamics in global carbon cycle models.
Dark state population determines magnetic sensitivity in radical pair magnetoreception model
Authors: Xu Bao-Ming , Zou Jian
Published: March 2016

What is the real role of the quantum coherence and entanglement in the radical pair (RP) compass and what determines the singlet yield have not been fully understood. In this paper, we find that the dark states of the two-electron Zeeman energy operator (TEZE) play an important role in the RP compass. We respectively calculate the singlet yields for two initial states in this dark state basis: the coherent state and the same state just removing the dark state coherence. For the later there is neither dark state coherence nor entanglement in the whole dynamical process. Surprisingly we find that in both cases the singlet yields are the same and based on this result, we believe that the dark state population determines the singlet yield completely and the dark state coherence and entanglement have little contribution to it. Finally, we also find that the dark state population as well as the singlet yield anisotropy is fragile to the vertical magnetic noise. However, the orientation is robust and is even enhanced by the parallel magnetic noise because the dark states expand a decoherence-free subspace. The dark state population as well as the orientation is more robust to the hyperfine coupling noise.
Evidence for lattice-polarization-enhanced field effects at the SrTiO3-based heterointerface
Authors: Li Y. , Zhang H. R. , Lei Y. , Chen Y. Z. , Pryds N. , Shen Baogen , Sun Jirong
Published: March 2016

Electrostatic gating provides a powerful approach to tune the conductivity of the two-dimensional electron liquid between two insulating oxides. For the LaAlO3/SrTiO3 (LAO/STO) interface, such gating effect could be further enhanced by a strong lattice polarization of STO caused by simultaneous application of gate field and illumination light. Herein, by monitoring the discharging process upon removing the gate field, we give firm evidence for the occurrence of this lattice polarization at the amorphous-LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interface. Moreover, we find that the lattice polarization is accompanied with a large expansion of the out-of-plane lattice of STO. Photo excitation affects the polarization process by accelerating the field-induced lattice expansion. The present work demonstrates the great potential of combined stimuli in exploring emergent phenomenon at complex oxide interfaces.