bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Veto Player Theory of Policymaking in Semipresidential Regimes: The Case of Taiwan's Ma Ying-Jeou Presidency
Authors: Lin Jih-wen
Published: March 2016

Why did the unified government led by Taiwan's president Ma Ying-jeou experience gridlock? In this article, I answer this question by modifying the veto player theory to explain how policies are made in Taiwan's semipresidential system, in which the president can unilaterally appoint a premier who is accountable to the national legislature. Given this constitutional design, the premier represents the president rather than the legislature, so the agenda setter is either the legislature or the president. A veto player model shows that the legislature, as a collective veto player, has the last-mover's advantage when it sets the agenda and that the two executive heads are more likely to be incongruent if a policy has to be deliberated by the legislature. The president sets the agenda only if he can discipline the legislators in his party and the legislature is not allowed to amend an executive proposal. This theory explains why policies involving lawmaking give Taiwan's Legislative Yuan considerable bargaining powers, even to the disadvantage of the president. These theoretical arguments are confirmed by hypothesis-based case studies and can be generalized to study other semipresidential regimes.
Disillusionment and Dismay: How Chinese Netizens Think and Feel About the Two Koreas
Authors: Gries Peter
Published: March 2016

The deterioration of Sino–South Korean relations following the attacks on the Cheonan and on Yonpyong Island in 2010 has again raised the question of Chinese intentions in the Korean peninsula. In this article, I explore Chinese netizen views of the two Koreas. Qualitative and quantitative evidence (in the form of a large-scale national Internet survey) provide convergent evidence that while Chinese netizens feel coolly toward both Koreas, they think and feel about them in very different ways. Chinese netizens appear to be profoundly disillusioned with a North Korea that refuses to adopt Chinese-style “reform and opening,” which only reminds them of their poor and authoritarian past. However, recent high-profile historical and cultural disputes appear to have led to widespread Chinese dismay and even anger toward South Korea as well, which is perceived to be poaching on China's proud cultural heritage. These attitudes toward Korea are reflective of evolving Chinese understandings of what it means to be Chinese in the twenty-first century.
Forcing the Genie Back in the Bottle: Sociological Change, Institutional Reform, and Health Policy in Thailand
Authors: Hicken Allen , Selway Joel Sawat
Published: March 2016

In 2007, those behind the 2006 coup drafted a new constitution specifically aimed at turning back the political and policymaking clock to the pre-1997 era. However, in the preceding decade a significant transformation of Thai politics had taken place. Specifically, social cleavages had become politicized and particized in ways we have not seen before, and policy-focused, popular party programs had become part and parcel of serious party campaign strategies. Focusing on health policy, we thus argue in this article that institutional reforms have had predictable and observable implications for policymaking in Thailand, but only when considered in the context of changes to the broader social structure and other political conditions. While the 1997 reforms brought about a well-documented shift toward a more centralized, coordinated, and nationally focused policymaking environment, the 2007 reforms have been less successful at reversing that impact. In short, the coup makers are finding it harder than they supposed to force the genie back into the bottle.
Information and Heterogeneity in Issue Voting: Evidence from the 2008 Presidential Election in Taiwan
Authors: Lacy Dean , Niou Emerson M. S.
Published: March 2016

A voter's capacity to acquire and retain information moderates the relationship between issues and the vote. Issues differ in their distance from the voter's personal experience. Proximate issues, such as personal economic conditions, affect the vote decisions of highly informed and less informed voters equally. Distant issues, such as national economic conditions and foreign affairs, affect the vote of highly informed voters but not less informed voters. The 2008 presidential election on Taiwan provides a critical test of the effect of information on issue voting. Unification with mainland China versus Taiwan independence is the most important issue in the 2008 election, and voters with higher levels of political information show a larger effect of the issue on their vote. The national economy is also a significant predictor of vote choice, but only for highly informed voters. Personal economic conditions and other proximate issues are not significant predictors of the vote at any information level.
The Diverging Political Pathways of Labor Market Reform in Japan and Korea
Authors: Song Jiyeoun
Published: March 2016

In this article, I analyze diverging political pathways of labor market reform with an empirical focus on the cases of Japan and Korea. Despite similar trends of regulatory reform toward the increase of labor market flexibility, the patterns of labor market reform differed in the two countries. Japan adopted labor market liberalization for nonregular workers with the persistence of employment protection for regular workers. In contrast, Korea opted for regulatory reform for all workers while simultaneously strengthening workers' basic rights and improving protections for nonregular workers. I argue that the institutional features of the employment protection system determine the diverging patterns of labor market reform in Japan and Korea.
The Organizational Life: Daily Surveillance and Daily Resistance in North Korea
Authors: Lankov Andrei Nikolaevich , Kwak In-ok , Cho Choong-Bin
Published: March 2016

The “organizational life” is an important part of the daily existence of North Koreans. Every adult in North Korea has to be a participant in a multitude of rituals that serve a dual purpose of surveillance and indoctrination. In this article, we describe how the organizational life is arranged and also explain the ways it contributes to maintaining the domestic stability of North Korea and to manufacturing consent for the current regime. The study is based largely on refugee interviews.
Japan Under the DPJ: The Paradox of Political Change Without Policy Change
Authors: Lipscy Phillip Y. , Scheiner Ethan
Published: March 2016

In 2009, the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) brought an end to the long reign of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). However, despite high expectations, this politically transformative event has not unleashed significant policy change in Japan. We highlight five electoral factors that have acted as important constraints on policy change under DPJ rule. First, majoritarian electoral rules have led to a convergence in the policy positions of the two major political parties. Second, as the parties' policy positions have become more similar, voters have increasingly cast ballots based on “valence” (i.e., nonpolicy) evaluations. Third, large national vote swings have limited the tenure of young, inexperienced candidates who might otherwise serve as the instigators of reform. Fourth, Japan's electoral rules permit inconsistency across policy positions within parties and discourage greater policy coherence. Fifth, the continuing influence of rural regions has limited the scope of policy reform under the DPJ.
A Casualty of Political Transformation? The Politics of Energy Efficiency in the Japanese Transportation Sector
Authors: Lipscy Phillip Y.
Published: March 2016

The Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) came to power in 2009 promising significant transportation sector reform, but it has struggled to implement its proposals. I argue that the DPJ's initiatives faltered due to the legacy of “efficiency clientelism.” Historically, Japanese transportation policy combined two imperatives: (1) encourage efficiency by raising the cost of energy-inefficient transportation, and (2) redistribute benefits to supporters of the incumbent Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Because of the legacy of efficiency clientelism, DPJ campaign pledges—designed to appeal broadly to the general public by reducing transportation costs—ran up against the prospect of sharp declines in revenues and energy efficiency. Efficiency clientelism was well suited to political realities in Japan prior to the 1990s, but recent developments have undercut its viability. This raises profound questions about the sustainability of Japan's energy efficiency achievements.
Guerrilla Capitalism: Revolutionary Legacy, Political Cleavage, and the Preservation of the Private Economy in Zhejiang
Authors: Zhang Qi , Liu Mingxing , Shih Victor
Published: March 2016

In this article, we propose a causal relationship between a region's communist revolutionary legacy before 1949 and the variation in private sector development after 1949. In the case of Zhejiang, the pre-1949 revolutionary experience led to the power struggle between two elite groups, the guerrilla cadre group and the southbound cadre group, in the province after 1949. As the weak side, guerrilla cadres were willing to protect local economic interests in exchange for local popular support, which improved their odds of political survival. As a result, in contrast with counties where the guerrilla forces were historically weak, counties with strong guerrilla forces before 1949 saw significantly more robust private sector development throughout much of the Mao and post-Mao periods. In this article we provide preliminary historical and statistical evidence to support this hypothesis.
Alternative Paths to Party Polarization: External Impacts of Intraparty Organization in Japan
Authors: Sasada Hironori , Fujimura Naofumi , Machidori Satoshi
Published: March 2016

Although party polarization is one of the most significant focal points in the study of contemporary US politics, a limited number of studies have examined its theoretical implications for other countries. In addition, a great deal of effort has been made in the study of the changes in voting bases (i.e., constituencies or interest groups). However, little attention has been given to the features of party organization. In this study we look at the process of polarization between two major parties in Japan in recent years and analyze the way Japanese parties took an alternative path to polarization. We argue that party polarization can be caused by the strategic position-taking of the party executive in addition to the centralization of the party organization.
East Asia's Democratic Developmental States and Economic Growth
Authors: Rock Michael T.
Published: March 2016

Political elites in East Asia have opted for a set of democratic institutions with a strong majoritarian bias that privilege efficiency and accountability over representativeness. Some have labeled these democracies “democratic developmental states.” Because the political architects of East Asia's democratic developmental states have met at least some of their objectives, it is time to ask, What has been the impact of the shift to majoritarianism on growth? I answer this question empirically by demonstrating that the contribution to growth from majoritarian democratic institutions in East Asia is as large as that from the region's developmentally oriented authoritarian governments.
Star Search: Do Elections Help Nondemocratic Regimes Identify New Leaders?
Authors: Malesky Edmund , Schuler Paul
Published: March 2016

A commonly proffered theory to explain the use of elections in authoritarian regimes is that they help identify talented young leaders who can be groomed for leadership positions. Unfortunately, due to the difficulties of obtaining data in authoritarian settings, this hypothesis has not been tested satisfactorily. We examine candidate-level data from the 2007 Vietnamese National Assembly (VNA) election and subsequent selection of candidates for top positions within the VNA and for top ministry positions. We find no evidence that vote share is associated with promotion to leadership positions in the VNA and only limited evidence for vote share association with ministerial posts. Instead, the results indicate that leadership selection takes place within the party rather than through elections. Furthermore, behavior within the assembly suggests that those who were chosen may have been selected based on their loyalty or at least pliancy to the party elites.
Vote Buying, Village Elections, and Authoritarian Rule in Rural China: A Game-Theoretic Analysis
Authors: Takeuchi Hiroki
Published: March 2016

Village elections are a democratic institution in one of the most resilient authoritarian regimes in the world. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has promoted village elections over the past twenty years, but not elections at higher levels. I present a game-theoretic model in which candidates would engage in vote buying when competing in a small electorate but not when competing in a larger electorate. The model's equilibrium outcome implies that the logic of China's introduction of village elections inherently limits this democratic reform to the grassroots level. Elections for higher levels of government would be dangerous to the regime because they would lead candidates to create substantive policy platforms and political organizations. Thus, rather than being an experiment that has failed to lead to further reforms, village democracy is self-limiting by design.
Explaining the Absence of a Japanese Central Intelligence Agency: Alliance Politics, Sectionalism, and Antimilitarism
Authors: Williams Brad
Published: March 2016

I examine a relatively underexplored aspect of Japan's early postwar history and seek to explain why attempts to establish a Japanese-style central intelligence agency (JCIA) in the 1950s were unsuccessful. I evaluate three competing explanations drawn from the level of international politics, focusing on US power resources and influence as well as liberal and constructivist styles of analysis—alliance politics, sectionalism, and the norm of antimilitarism—in order to shed light on the historical origins of Japan's intelligence apparatus, which is relatively underdeveloped and underfunded compared to other middle powers. It highlights the primacy of domestic factors over structural causes in explaining the decision not to establish a JCIA. In particular, I argue that the JCIA proposal failed primarily because of attacks on important proponents that, while sometimes driven by seemingly rational organizational interests, were nevertheless legitimated by growing antimilitaristic sentiments shared by elites from the political center to the left of the ideological spectrum. The newly emerging norm of antimilitarism was predicated largely on a fear of constraints on recently acquired civil and political liberties. These fears, manifested most prominently in vocal Diet and media opposition, were compounded by the norm of secrecy—an important element of intelligence activities—which served to heighten further speculation about the malign intent of postwar Japan's reconstituted intelligence system.
Electoral Systems and Party Systems in East Asia
Authors: Reilly Benjamin
Published: March 2016

Over the past two decades, numerous East Asian states have undergone transitions to democracy. One of the most distinctive aspects of democratization has been the way East Asian democracies have sought to manage political change by institutional innovations that aim to influence the development of the region's party systems. These reforms have typically tried to promote more centrist and stable politics by encouraging fewer, and hence larger, political parties. The result is an increasing evolution of the region's electoral and party system constellations toward more majoritarian elections and, in some cases, nascent two-party systems.
The Economic Logic of Asian Preferential Trade Agreements: The Role of Intra-Industry Trade
Authors: Manger Mark S.
Published: March 2016

Are preferential trade agreements (PTAs) in the Asia-Pacific region merely a political phenomenon with no economic basis, as some critics say? I challenge this interpretation; in this article I present an explanatory model based on intra-industry trade to indicate what economic interests should drive Japanese and South Korean PTAs with ASEAN partners, and derive specific predictions. An analysis of the actual tariff barrier elimination in the agreements suggests important, but highly specific, economic benefits. First, preference margins are substantively greater for intra-industry trade, and second, intra-industry trade is much less likely to be excluded from tariff reductions when imported into Japan or South Korea. This indicates that PTAs help firms specialize their production throughout the region, and provides an economic rationale for these agreements. A qualitative case study of the Japan-Malaysia PTA and a statistical analysis of tariff liberalization in the PTAs of Japan and South Korea with the ASEAN countries support this view.
China's Media Censorship: A Dynamic and Diversified Regime
Authors: Tai Qiuqing
Published: March 2016

Media censorship is the hallmark of authoritarian regimes, but much of the motivation and practices of autocratic media censorship still remain opaque to the public. Using a dataset of 1,403 secret censorship directives issued by the Chinese propaganda apparatus, I examine the censorship practices in contemporary China. My findings suggest that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is gradually adjusting its censorship practices from restricting unfavorable reports to a strategy of “conditional public opinion guidance.” Over the years, the propaganda apparatus has banned fewer reports but guided more of them. However, this softer approach of regulating news is not equally enforced on every report or by different censorship authorities. First, the party tends to ban news that directly threatens the legitimacy of the regime. In addition, due to the speed with which news and photographs can be posted online, the authorities that regulate news on the Internet are more likely to ban unfavorable reports, compared with authorities that regulate slower-moving traditional media. Lastly, local leaders seeking promotions have more incentive to hide negative news within their jurisdictions than their central-level counterparts, who use media to identify misconduct among their local subordinates. Taken together, these characteristics create a strong but fragmented system of media regulation in contemporary China.
Language Stereotypes in Contemporary Taiwan: Evidence from an Experimental Study
Authors: Chang Yu-Tzung , Lu Jie
Published: March 2016

We collected original experimental data, using the matched-guise technique, to examine the Taiwanese people's evaluational reactions to two major spoken languages in contemporary Taiwan: Mandarin and Taiwanese. Taking advantage of the effectiveness of the experimental technique in controlling for possible unobserved confounding variables, we clearly and systematically demonstrate that (1) language stereotypes do exist in today's Taiwan, and (2) there are some serious and significant implications for Taiwan's public opinion and democratic politics. Our data show that such language stereotypes are of great salience and consistently decoded for political issues, less so for socioeconomic issues, and almost insignificant for personality features. Our data also confirm that these language stereotypes are not just proxies of Taiwan's regional divisions; the Taiwanese people cognitively differentiate between the spoken languages' political and socioeconomic implications (despite some mild halo effect between the two).
Military Support of Citizens' Challenge in the Asian Industrialized Countries
Authors: Yap O. Fiona , Chu Hoang Long
Published: March 2016

When do militaries in the newly industrialized countries of East and Southeast Asia support their governments, when do they support citizens' challenge of government, and when do they launch coups? We propose and test a theory of military behavior using data from across East and Southeast Asia between the 1970s and 2008. The results corroborate the model's predictions to make four contributions: First, the model provides a framework of military behavior for countries to expand study beyond coups or the absence thereof. Second, the findings bring to focus the influence of citizens on the military's behavior, an aspect largely overlooked in scholarship of the region. Third, the necessary conditions—weak economy and galvanized citizens' challenge—that affect the military's behavior vis-à -vis citizens and the government highlight the strategic interaction treatment. Fourth, this study broadens systematic treatment to enrich empirics and theory-building for the political economies of these countries.
Domestic Politics and US-China Trade Disputes over Renewable Energy
Authors: Zeng Ka
Published: March 2016

In this article I draw on the two-level game approach to analyze the influence of domestic politics on US-China trade disputes in alternative energy, especially in solar energy. I suggest that the difficulty Washington faces in getting China to address market access barriers in alternative energy needs to be viewed in light of both the coalitional dynamics in the United States resulting from the specific bilateral trade and investment relationship in this sector and Beijing's willingness to use industrial policy to foster economic competitiveness in nascent industries. Specifically, as China occupies the middle of the supply chain in the solar industry, both downstream users of low-cost Chinese imports and exporters of upstream products to China have voiced strong concerns about US trade action. Such domestic opposition, coupled with the importance of industrial policy for defending the country's long-term interests in a “strategic emerging” sector such as alternative energy, substantially constrains Washington's ability to influence Chinese policies.
Should I Stay or Should I Go? Patterns of Party Switching in Multiparty Taiwan
Authors: Fell Dafydd
Published: March 2016

Patterns of party switching in Taiwan have played an important role in the development and relative stability of its party system. In this study I aim to track key patterns of how politicians switched their partisan affiliation during the critical periods of party system change. I examine the level of party switching, where party switching was most prevalent, when switching was most common, and the most common types of switching since the advent of multiparty politics in Taiwan. Party switching is an important phenomenon in the development of party politics in Taiwan but thus far it has received surprisingly little systematic attention. This is the first comprehensive attempt to tackle this understudied topic.
Party System Institutionalization Without Parties: Evidence from Korea
Authors: Hellmann Olli
Published: March 2016

Formally institutionalized party organization is usually considered a prerequisite for the development of programmatic linkages between parties and voters. However, in this article I show that political parties in South Korea have succeeded in stabilizing interparty competition through programmatic linkages without making any significant efforts to build a formal organizational base. In fact, it could be argued that South Korea is a “partyless” democracy, as political parties get easily captured by the interests of ambitious politicians, thus failing to establish themselves as independent actors. I therefore make a more general argument about the concept of party system institutionalization: we need to rethink the current practice of aggregating the different attributes of party system institutionalization into a single scale, as these attributes do not seem to be connected in a linear fashion.
The State and Direction of Asian Comparative Politics: Who, What, Where, How?
Authors: Abbott Jason P. , Fahey Kevin
Published: March 2016

In this article we explore the state of the discipline of comparative Asian politics. In particular we analyze five aspects of research on Asia: whether the empirical scope of research is largely noncomparative; the extent to which that research is empirical rather than theory-generative; whether it pertains to public or foreign policy; if it relies on qualitative rather than quantitative methods; and the gender and geographic concentration of those conducting the research. After coding and analyzing data from 461 articles from eight different journals, we demonstrate that research on comparative Asian politics is more likely to be empirical, qualitative, focused on the country as unit of analysis, and disproportionately written by male academics educated and/or working in North America, Western Europe, or Australia.
Sexuelles Risikoverhalten im Jugendalter
Authors: Propp Olga , Schulz Wolfgang , Foran Heather
Published: April 2016

Zusammenfassung. Im Jugendalter nimmt die Prävalenz von sexuellem Risikoverhalten (SR) zu. Familiäre und individuelle Bedingungen stehen in Zusammenhang mit SR. Das Ziel der vorliegenden Querschnittsstudie bestand in der Überprüfung eines Modells, das individuelle und familiäre Faktoren zu SR in Beziehung setzt. Die Stichprobe der 12- bis 17-jährigen Jugendlichen (N = 246) stammt aus dem DFG-Projekt „Zukunft Familie III”. Im Rahmen eines Strukturgleichungsmodells wiesen die familiäre Lebensumwelt direkt sowie indirekt via externalisierende Verhaltensauffälligkeiten und Alkoholmissbrauch signifikante Zusammenhänge zu SR auf. Das Modell klärte etwa 25 % der Varianz auf. Diese Ergebnisse bieten einen ersten Ansatz für mögliche Korrelate von SR und können bei der zielgerichteten Anpassung von Präventionsmaßnahmen helfen.
Temperature-Sensing Overalls Offer Scientific Promise
Authors: Wendel JoAnna
Published: March 2016

In a proof-of-concept experiment, researchers test out how well a pair of fisherman's waders can sense changes in water temperature.
Differences down-under: alcohol-fueled methanogenesis by archaea present in Australian macropodids
Authors: Hoedt Emily C , Cuív Páraic Ó , Evans Paul N , Smith Wendy J M , McSweeney Chris S , Denman Stuart E , Morrison Mark
Published: March 2016

The Australian macropodids (kangaroos and wallabies) possess a distinctive foregut microbiota that contributes to their reduced methane emissions. However, methanogenic archaea are present within the macropodid foregut, although there is scant understanding of these microbes. Here, an isolate taxonomically assigned to the Methanosphaera genus (Methanosphaera sp. WGK6) was recovered from the anterior sacciform forestomach contents of a Western grey kangaroo (Macropus fuliginosus). Like the human gut isolate Methanosphaera stadtmanae DSMZ 3091T, strain WGK6 is a methylotroph with no capacity for autotrophic growth. In contrast, though with the human isolate, strain WGK6 was found to utilize ethanol to support growth, but principally as a source of reducing power. Both the WGK6 and DSMZ 3091T genomes are very similar in terms of their size, synteny and G:C content. However, the WGK6 genome was found to encode contiguous genes encoding putative alcohol and aldehyde dehydrogenases, which are absent from the DSMZ 3091T genome. Interestingly, homologs of these genes are present in the genomes for several other members of the Methanobacteriales. In WGK6, these genes are cotranscribed under both growth conditions, and we propose the two genes provide a plausible explanation for the ability of WGK6 to utilize ethanol for methanol reduction to methane. Furthermore, our in vitro studies suggest that ethanol supports a greater cell yield per mol of methane formed compared to hydrogen-dependent growth. Taken together, this expansion in metabolic versatility can explain the persistence of these archaea in the kangaroo foregut, and their abundance in these ‘low-methane-emitting’ herbivores.
Computations of uncertainty mediate acute stress responses in humans
Authors: de Berker Archy O. , Rutledge Robb B. , Mathys Christoph , Marshall Louise , Cross Gemma F. , Dolan Raymond J. , Bestmann Sven
Published: March 2016

The effects of stress are frequently studied, yet its proximal causes remain unclear. Here we demonstrate that subjective estimates of uncertainty predict the dynamics of subjective and physiological stress responses. Subjects learned a probabilistic mapping between visual stimuli and electric shocks. Salivary cortisol confirmed that our stressor elicited changes in endocrine activity. Using a hierarchical Bayesian learning model, we quantified the relationship between the different forms of subjective task uncertainty and acute stress responses. Subjective stress, pupil diameter and skin conductance all tracked the evolution of irreducible uncertainty. We observed a coupling between emotional and somatic state, with subjective and physiological tuning to uncertainty tightly correlated. Furthermore, the uncertainty tuning of subjective and physiological stress predicted individual task performance, consistent with an adaptive role for stress in learning under uncertain threat. Our finding that stress responses are tuned to environmental uncertainty provides new insight into their generation and likely adaptive function.
The plasma membrane calcium ATPase 4 signalling in cardiac fibroblasts mediates cardiomyocyte hypertrophy
Authors: Mohamed Tamer M. A. , Abou-Leisa Riham , Stafford Nicholas , Maqsood Arfa , Zi Min , Prehar Sukhpal , Baudoin-Stanley Florence , Wang Xin , Neyses Ludwig , Cartwright Elizabeth J. , Oceandy Delvac
Published: March 2016

The heart responds to pathological overload through myocyte hypertrophy. Here we show that this response is regulated by cardiac fibroblasts via a paracrine mechanism involving plasma membrane calcium ATPase 4 (PMCA4). Pmca4 deletion in mice, both systemically and specifically in fibroblasts, reduces the hypertrophic response to pressure overload; however, knocking out Pmca4 specifically in cardiomyocytes does not produce this effect. Mechanistically, cardiac fibroblasts lacking PMCA4 produce higher levels of secreted frizzled related protein 2 (sFRP2), which inhibits the hypertrophic response in neighbouring cardiomyocytes. Furthermore, we show that treatment with the PMCA4 inhibitor aurintricarboxylic acid (ATA) inhibits and reverses cardiac hypertrophy induced by pressure overload in mice. Our results reveal that PMCA4 regulates the development of cardiac hypertrophy and provide proof of principle for a therapeutic approach to treat this condition.
Fish mouths as engineering structures for vortical cross-step filtration
Authors: Sanderson S. Laurie , Roberts Erin , Lineburg Jillian , Brooks Hannah
Published: March 2016

Suspension-feeding fishes such as goldfish and whale sharks retain prey without clogging their oral filters, whereas clogging is a major expense in industrial crossflow filtration of beer, dairy foods and biotechnology products. Fishes’ abilities to retain particles that are smaller than the pore size of the gill-raker filter, including extraction of particles despite large holes in the filter, also remain unexplained. Here we show that unexplored combinations of engineering structures (backward-facing steps forming d-type ribs on the porous surface of a cone) cause fluid dynamic phenomena distinct from current biological and industrial filter operations. This vortical cross-step filtration model prevents clogging and explains the transport of tiny concentrated particles to the oesophagus using a hydrodynamic tongue. Mass transfer caused by vortices along d-type ribs in crossflow is applicable to filter-feeding duck beak lamellae and whale baleen plates, as well as the fluid mechanics of ventilation at fish gill filaments.
Exosomal transfer of stroma-derived miR21 confers paclitaxel resistance in ovarian cancer cells through targeting APAF1
Authors: Au Yeung Chi Lam , Co Ngai-Na , Tsuruga Tetsushi , Yeung Tsz-Lun , Kwan Suet-Ying , Leung Cecilia S. , Li Yong , Lu Edward S. , Kwan Kenny , Wong Kwong-Kwok , Schmandt Rosemarie , Lu Karen H. , Mok Samuel C.
Published: March 2016

Advanced ovarian cancer usually spreads to the visceral adipose tissue of the omentum. However, the omental stromal cell-derived molecular determinants that modulate ovarian cancer growth have not been characterized. Here, using next-generation sequencing technology, we identify significantly higher levels of microRNA-21 (miR21) isomiRNAs in exosomes and tissue lysates isolated from cancer-associated adipocytes (CAAs) and fibroblasts (CAFs) than in those from ovarian cancer cells. Functional studies reveal that miR21 is transferred from CAAs or CAFs to the cancer cells, where it suppresses ovarian cancer apoptosis and confers chemoresistance by binding to its direct novel target, APAF1. These data suggest that the malignant phenotype of metastatic ovarian cancer cells can be altered by miR21 delivered by exosomes derived from neighbouring stromal cells in the omental tumour microenvironment, and that inhibiting the transfer of stromal-derived miR21 is an alternative modality in the treatment of metastatic and recurrent ovarian cancer.
Decreased gastrointestinal toxicity associated with a novel capecitabine schedule (7 days on and 7 days off): a systematic review
Authors: Cadoo Karen A , Gajria Devika , Suh Emily , Patil Sujata , Theodoulou Maria , Norton Larry , Hudis Clifford A , Traina Tiffany A
Published: March 2016

Capecitabine is widely used in the management of metastatic breast cancer; however, drug delivery is limited by gastrointestinal and other toxicity. We employed mathematical modeling to rationally design an optimized dose and schedule for capecitabine of 2,000 mg twice daily, flat dosing, 7 days on, 7 days off. Preclinical data suggested increased efficacy and tolerability with this novel dosing, and three early-phase clinical trials have suggested a favorable toxicity profile. To further define the tolerability of this regimen, we conducted a systematic review of the gastrointestinal adverse events of patients on these studies. This review demonstrated a favorable gastrointestinal toxicity profile with capecitabine in this novel schedule when given as single agent or in combination therapy with either bevacizumab or lapatinib. No patients discontinued therapy for gastrointestinal toxicity, and there were no grade 4 or 5 gastrointestinal toxicities reported. Grade 3 or greater diarrhea occurred in two (2%); grade 2 or greater mucositis, constipation, and vomiting were reported in three (4%) patients. We conclude that capecitabine administered on a 7 days on, 7 days off schedule has limited gastrointestinal toxicity. Our methodology was based on an analysis of individual patient toxicity data from one phase I single-agent capecitabine and two phase II capecitabine combination studies (with bevacizumab and lapatinib, respectively), focusing specifically on gastrointestinal toxicity.
The impact of acute stress on hormones and cytokines and how their recovery is affected by music-evoked positive mood
Authors: Koelsch Stefan , Boehlig Albrecht , Hohenadel Maximilian , Nitsche Ines , Bauer Katrin , Sack Ulrich
Published: March 2016

Stress and recovery from stress significantly affect interactions between the central nervous system, endocrine pathways and the immune system. However, the influence of acute stress on circulating immune-endocrine mediators in humans is not well known. Using a double-blind, randomized study design, we administered a CO2 stress test to n = 143 participants to identify the effects of acute stress and recovery from stress, on serum levels of several mediators with immune function (IL-6, TNF-α, leptin and somatostatin), as well as on noradrenaline and two hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis hormones (ACTH and cortisol). Moreover, during a 1 h-recovery period, we repeatedly measured these serum parameters and administered an auditory mood-induction protocol with positive music and a neutral control stimulus. The acute stress elicited increases in noradrenaline, ACTH, cortisol, IL-6 and leptin levels. Noradrenaline and ACTH exhibited the fastest and strongest stress responses, followed by cortisol, IL-6 and leptin. The music intervention was associated with more positive mood and stronger cortisol responses to the acute stressor in the music group. Our data show that acute (CO2) stress affects endocrine, immune and metabolic functions in humans and they show that mood plays a causal role in the modulation of responses to acute stress.
All-solid-state high performance asymmetric supercapacitors based on novel MnS nanocrystal and activated carbon materials
Authors: Chen Teng , Tang Yongfu , Qiao Yuqing , Liu Zhangyu , Guo Wenfeng , Song Jianzheng , Mu Shichun , Yu Shengxue , Zhao Yufeng , Gao Faming
Published: March 2016

All-solid-state high-performance asymmetric supercapacitors (ASCs) are fabricated using γ-MnS as positive electrode and porous eggplant derived activated carbon (EDAC) as negative electrode with saturated potassium hydroxide agar gel as the solid electrolyte. The laminar wurtzite nanostructure of γ-MnS facilitates the insertion of hydroxyl ions into the interlayer space and the manganese sulfide nanowire offers electronic transportation channels. The size-uniform porous nanostructure of EDAC provides a continuous electron pathway as well as facilitates short ionic transportation pathways. Due to these special nanostructures of both the MnS and the EDAC, they exhibited a specific capacitance of 573.9 and 396 F g−1 at 0.5 A g−1, respectively. The optimized MnS//EDAC asymmetric supercapacitor shows a superior performance with specific capacitance of 110.4 F g−1 and 89.87% capacitance retention after 5000 cycles, a high energy density of 37.6 Wh kg−1 at a power density of 181.2 W kg−1 and remains 24.9 Wh kg−1 even at 5976 W kg−1. Impressively, such two assembled all-solid-state cells in series can light up a red LED indicator for 15 minutes after fully charged. These impressive results make these pollution-free materials promising for practical applications in solid aqueous electrolyte-based ASCs.
One-pot synthesis and in-vitro anticancer evaluation of 5-(2′-indolyl)thiazoles
Authors: Vaddula Buchi Reddy , Tantak Mukund P. , Sadana Rachana , Gonzalez Michael A. , Kumar Dalip
Published: March 2016

A series of 5-(2′-indolyl)thiazoles were synthesized and evaluated for their cytotoxicity against selected human cancer cell lines. The reaction of thioamides 3 with 3-tosyloxypentane-2,4-dione 4 led to in situ formation of 5-acetylthiazole 5 which upon treatment with arylhydrazines 6 in polyphosphoric acid resulted in the formation of 5-(2′-indolyl)thiazoles 2. Among the synthesized 5-(2′-indolyl)thiazoles, compounds 2d–f and 2h exhibited encouraging anticancer activity and also selectivity towards particular cell lines (IC50 = 10–30 μM). Further studies on the SAR of compound 2e may result in good anticancer activity.
Synchronous slowing down in coupled logistic maps via random network topology
Authors: Wang Sheng-Jun , Du Ru-Hai , Jin Tao , Wu Xing-Sen , Qu Shi-Xian
Published: March 2016

The speed and paths of synchronization play a key role in the function of a system, which has not received enough attention up to now. In this work, we study the synchronization process of coupled logistic maps that reveals the common features of low-dimensional dissipative systems. A slowing down of synchronization process is observed, which is a novel phenomenon. The result shows that there are two typical kinds of transient process before the system reaches complete synchronization, which is demonstrated by both the coupled multiple-period maps and the coupled multiple-band chaotic maps. When the coupling is weak, the evolution of the system is governed mainly by the local dynamic, i.e., the node states are attracted by the stable orbits or chaotic attractors of the single map and evolve toward the synchronized orbit in a less coherent way. When the coupling is strong, the node states evolve in a high coherent way toward the stable orbit on the synchronized manifold, where the collective dynamics dominates the evolution. In a mediate coupling strength, the interplay between the two paths is responsible for the slowing down. The existence of different synchronization paths is also proven by the finite-time Lyapunov exponent and its distribution.
Microbial oil-degradation under mild hydrostatic pressure (10 MPa): which pathways are impacted in piezosensitive hydrocarbonoclastic bacteria?
Authors: Scoma Alberto , Barbato Marta , Hernandez-Sanabria Emma , Mapelli Francesca , Daffonchio Daniele , Borin Sara , Boon Nico
Published: March 2016

Oil spills represent an overwhelming carbon input to the marine environment that immediately impacts the sea surface ecosystem. Microbial communities degrading the oil fraction that eventually sinks to the seafloor must also deal with hydrostatic pressure, which linearly increases with depth. Piezosensitive hydrocarbonoclastic bacteria are ideal candidates to elucidate impaired pathways following oil spills at low depth. In the present paper, we tested two strains of the ubiquitous Alcanivorax genus, namely A. jadensis KS_339 and A. dieselolei KS_293, which is known to rapidly grow after oil spills. Strains were subjected to atmospheric and mild pressure (0.1, 5 and 10 MPa, corresponding to a depth of 0, 500 and 1000 m, respectively) providing n-dodecane as sole carbon source. Pressures equal to 5 and 10 MPa significantly lowered growth yields of both strains. However, in strain KS_293 grown at 10 MPa CO2 production per cell was not affected, cell integrity was preserved and PO43− uptake increased. Analysis of its transcriptome revealed that 95% of its genes were downregulated. Increased transcription involved protein synthesis, energy generation and respiration pathways. Interplay between these factors may play a key role in shaping the structure of microbial communities developed after oil spills at low depth and limit their bioremediation potential.
Unravelling Linkages between Plant Community Composition and the Pathogen-Suppressive Potential of Soils
Authors: Latz Ellen , Eisenhauer Nico , Rall Björn Christian , Scheu Stefan , Jousset Alexandre
Published: March 2016

Plant diseases cause dramatic yield losses worldwide. Current disease control practices can be deleterious for the environment and human health, calling for alternative and sustainable management regimes. Soils harbour microorganisms that can efficiently suppress pathogens. Uncovering mediators driving their functioning in the field still remains challenging, but represents an essential step in order to develop strategies for increased soil health. We set up plant communities of varying richness to experimentally test the potential of soils differing in plant community history to suppress the pathogen Rhizoctonia solani. The results indicate that plant communities shape soil-disease suppression via changes in abiotic soil properties and the abundance of bacterial groups including species of the genera Actinomyces, Bacillus and Pseudomonas. Further, the results suggest that pairwise interactions between specific plant species strongly affect soil suppressiveness. Using structural equation modelling, we provide a pathway orientated framework showing how the complex interactions between plants, soil and microorganisms jointly shape soil suppressiveness. Our results stress the importance of plant community composition as a determinant of soil functioning, such as the disease suppressive potential of soils.
Observation of momentum-resolved charge fluctuations proximate to the charge-order phase using resonant inelastic x-ray scattering
Authors: Yoshida M. , Ishii K. , Naka M. , Ishihara S. , Jarrige I. , Ikeuchi K. , Murakami Y. , Kudo K. , Koike Y. , Nagata T. , Fukada Y. , Ikeda N. , Mizuki J.
Published: March 2016

In strongly correlated electron systems, enhanced fluctuations in the proximity of the ordered states of electronic degrees of freedom often induce anomalous electronic properties such as unconventional superconductivity. While spin fluctuations in the energy-momentum space have been studied widely using inelastic neutron scattering, other degrees of freedom, i.e., charge and orbital, have hardly been explored thus far. Here, we use resonant inelastic x-ray scattering to observe charge fluctuations proximate to the charge-order phase in transition metal oxides. In the two-leg ladder of Sr14−xCaxCu24O41, charge fluctuations are enhanced at the propagation vector of the charge order ( qCO) when the order is melted by raising temperature or by doping holes. In contrast, charge fluctuations are observed not only at qCO but also at other momenta in a geometrically frustrated triangular bilayer lattice of LuFe2O4. The observed charge fluctuations have a high energy (~1 eV), suggesting that the Coulomb repulsion between electrons plays an important role in the formation of the charge order.
Small molecule ice recrystallization inhibitors mitigate red blood cell lysis during freezing, transient warming and thawing
Authors: Briard Jennie G. , Poisson Jessica S. , Turner Tracey R. , Capicciotti Chantelle J. , Acker Jason P. , Ben Robert N.
Published: March 2016

During cryopreservation, ice recrystallization is a major cause of cellular damage. Conventional cryoprotectants such as dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and glycerol function by a number of different mechanisms but do not mitigate or control ice recrystallization at concentrations utilized in cryopreservation procedures. In North America, cryopreservation of human red blood cells (RBCs) utilizes high concentrations of glycerol. RBC units frozen under these conditions must be subjected to a time-consuming deglycerolization process after thawing in order to remove the glycerol to <1% prior to transfusion thus limiting the use of frozen RBC units in emergency situations. We have identified several low molecular mass ice recrystallization inhibitors (IRIs) that are effective cryoprotectants for human RBCs, resulting in 70–80% intact RBCs using only 15% glycerol and slow freezing rates. These compounds are capable of reducing the average ice crystal size of extracellular ice relative to a 15% glycerol control validating the positive correlation between a reduction in ice crystal size and increased post-thaw recovery of RBCs. The most potent IRI from this study is also capable of protecting frozen RBCs against the large temperature fluctuations associated with transient warming.
Control strategies of 3-cell Central Pattern Generator via global stimuli
Authors: Lozano Álvaro , Rodríguez Marcos , Barrio Roberto
Published: March 2016

The study of the synchronization patterns of small neuron networks that control several biological processes has become an interesting growing discipline. Some of these synchronization patterns of individual neurons are related to some undesirable neurological diseases and they are believed to play a crucial role in the emergence of pathological rhythmic brain activity in different diseases, like Parkinson’s disease. We show how, with a suitable combination of short and weak global inhibitory and excitatory stimuli over the whole network, we can switch between different stable bursting patterns in small neuron networks (in our case a 3-neuron network). We develop a systematic study showing and explaining the effects of applying the pulses at different moments. Moreover, we compare the technique on a completely symmetric network and on a slightly perturbed one (a much more realistic situation). The present approach of using global stimuli may allow to avoid undesirable synchronization patterns with nonaggressive stimuli.