bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The relationship between the radio core-dominance parameter and spectral index in different classes of extragalactic radio sources (II)
Authors: Pei Zhi-Yuan , Fan Jun-Hui , Bastieri Denis , Sawangwit Utane , Yang Jiang-He
Published: May 2019

Active galactic nuclei (AGNs) can be divided into two major classes, namely radio-loud and radio-quiet AGNs. A small subset of the radio-loud AGNs is called blazars, which are believed to be unified with Fanaroff-Riley type I/II (FRI/II) radio galaxies. Following our previous work (Fan et al.), we present a sample of 2400 sources with measured radio flux densities of the core and extended components. The sample contains 250 BL Lacs, 520 quasars, 175 Seyferts, 1178 galaxies, 153 FRI or FRII galaxies and 104 unidentified sources. We then calculate the radio core-dominance parameters and spectral indices, and study their relationship. Our analysis shows that the core-dominance parameters and spectral indices are quite different for different types of sources. We also confirm that the correlation between core-dominance parameter and spectral index exists for a large sample presented in this work.
Measurements of atmospheric turbulence parameters at Vainu Bappu Observatory using short-exposure CCD images
Authors: Sreekanth Reddy V. , Banyal Ravinder Kumar , Sridharan R. , Selvaraj Aishwarya
Published: May 2019

We report atmospheric turbulence parameters, namely atmospheric seeing, tilt-anisoplanatic angle (θ
0) and coherence time (τ
0), measured under various sky conditions, at Vainu Bappu Observatory in Kavalur. Bursts of short exposure images of selected stars were recorded with a high-speed, frame-transfer CCD mounted on the Cassegrain focus of a newly commissioned 1.3 m telescope. The estimated median seeing is ≈ 1.85″ at wavelength of ∼ 600 nm, the image motion correlation between different pairs of stars is ∼ 44% for θ
0 ≈ 36″ and mean τ
0 is ≈ 2.4 ms. This work was motivated by the design considerations and expected performance of an adaptive optics system that is currently being planned for the telescope.
Radial velocity measurements from LAMOST medium-resolution spectroscopic observations: a pointing towards the Kepler field
Authors: Liu Nian , Fu Jian-Ning , Zong Weikai , Shi Jian-Rong , Luo A-Li , Zhang Hao-Tong , Cui Xiang-Qun , Hou Yong-Hui , Pan Yang , Shan Xin-Rui , Chen Jian-Jun , Bai Zhong-Rui , Chen Jian-Xing , Du Bing , Hou Wen , Liu Yu-Chen , Tian Hao , Wang Jiang-Tao , Wang Jia-Xin , Wu Ke-Fei , Wu Yu-Zhong , Yan Hong-Liang , Zuo Fang
Published: May 2019

Radial velocity is one of the key measurements in understanding the fundamental properties of stars, stellar clusters and the Galaxy. A plate of stars in the Kepler field was observed in May of 2018 with the medium-resolution spectrographs of LAMOST, aiming to test the performance of this new system which is the upgraded equipment of LAMOST after the first five-year regular survey. We present our analysis on the radial velocity measurements (RVs) derived from these data. The results show that slight and significant systematic errors exist among the RVs obtained from the spectra collected by different spectrographs and exposures, respectively. After correcting the systematic errors with different techniques, the precision of RVs reaches ∼1.3, ∼1.0, ∼0.5 and ∼0.3 km s−1 at S/N
r
= 10, 20, 50 and 100, respectively. Comparing with the RVs of standard stars from the APOGEE survey, our RVs are calibrated with a zero-point shift of ∼7 km s−1. The results indicate that the LAMOST medium-resolution spectroscopic system may provide RVs with a reasonable accuracy and precision for the selected targets.
Optimizing dynamics of integrated food–energy–water systems under the risk of climate change
Authors: Memarzadeh Milad , Moura Scott , Horvath Arpad
Published: May 2019

Integrated management of food–energy–water systems (FEWS) requires a unified, flexible and reproducible approach to incorporate the interdependence between sectors, and include the risk of non-stationary environmental variations due to climate change. Most of the recently developed methods in the literature fall short of one or more aspects in such integration. In this article, we propose a novel approach based upon fundamentals of decision theory and reinforcement learning that (1) quantifies and propagates uncertainty, (2) incorporates resource interdependence, (3) includes the impact of uncontrolled variables such as climate variations, and (4) adaptively optimizes management decisions to minimize the costs and environmental impacts of crop production. Moreover, the proposed method is robust to problem-specific complexities and is easily reproducible. We illustrate the framework on a real-world case study in Ventura County, California.
Consumers’ Motivation to Participate in the “One Day No Rice” Policy
Authors: Arsil P , Sularso K E , Mulyani A
Published: May 2019

The one day no rice policy has been emerged aiming to encourage Indonesian consumers to substitute rice with other local food staples and to diversify their daily consumption. This study aims to investigate consumers’ motivation to participate in the one day no rice policy. A hundred respondents from Yogyakarta city was interviewed using laddering method of administration. A means-end chain approach was used to analyse data that consists of four steps: laddering interview, content analysis, generating and interpreting hierarchy value map (HVM). The results show that there are three main pathways in the HVM regarding consumers’ motivation to participate in one day no rice policy. They are 1). Food habit, 2) fulfil daily needs and 3) supporting local food policy. These motives can be used to promote local food policy particularly encouraging consumers to diversify their daily food consumption other than rice.
What is out there? a typology of land restoration projects in Latin America and the Caribbean
Authors: Coppus R , Romijn JE , Méndez-Toribio M , Murcia C , Thomas E , Guariguata MR , Herold M , Verchot L
Published: May 2019

Restoring degraded lands is high on the international agenda and the number of restoration projects in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) has increased considerably over the past decades. However, the variety of approaches used have not been systematically documented and analyzed. We aimed to develop a restoration typology as a function of the geographical and socio-economical setting, planning, timeframe, finances, implementation, monitoring and potential impact, which will help to discern broad patterns and identify gaps in project implementation in LAC. We categorized 97 restoration projects using Multiple Correspondence Analysis and a Hierarchical Clustering on Principal Components. Three main restoration types emerged from the clustering, with the main defining variables being: (1) project area under restoration, (2) amount of funding received, (3) source of funding and (4) monitoring efforts. The first type are large-scale projects, which receive high amounts of funding provided by international donors, and with a well-established monitoring plan; the second type are projects financed with private money, typically lacking a sound monitoring program; and the third type represents small projects with low amounts of funding, financed with public funds from national governments, often with a rudimentary monitoring plan. The typology enables a comparative analysis of the status and trends of restoration activities across Latin America. We conclude that, despite growing awareness and recognition that integrated approaches are needed to revert complex and interconnected socio-economic and environmental issues like land degradation, the socio-economic dimension remains underexposed in the majority of restoration projects, whereas monitoring is still regarded as an extra cost instead of a necessary investment.
Data-driven rational biosynthesis design: from molecules to cell factories
Authors: Chen Fu , Yuan Le , Ding Shaozhen , Tian Yu , Hu Qian-Nan
Published: May 2019

A proliferation of chemical, reaction and enzyme databases, new computational methods and software tools for data-driven rational biosynthesis design have emerged in recent years. With the coming of the era of big data, particularly in the bio-medical field, data-driven rational biosynthesis design could potentially be useful to construct target-oriented chassis organisms. Engineering the complicated metabolic systems of chassis organisms to biosynthesize target molecules from inexpensive biomass is the main goal of cell factory design. The process of data-driven cell factory design could be divided into several parts: (1) target molecule selection; (2) metabolic reaction and pathway design; (3) prediction of novel enzymes based on protein domain and structure transformation of biosynthetic reactions; (4) construction of large-scale DNA for metabolic pathways; and (5) DNA assembly methods and visualization tools. The construction of a one-stop cell factory system could achieve automated design from the molecule level to the chassis level. In this article, we outline data-driven rational biosynthesis design steps and provide an overview of related tools in individual steps.
Connectivity Dynamics in Dryland Litter Cycles: Moving Decomposition beyond Spatial Stasis
Authors: Throop Heather L , Belnap Jayne
Published: May 2019

Drylands (arid and semiarid ecosystems) cover nearly half of Earth's terrestrial surface, but biogeochemical pools and processes in these systems remain poorly understood. Litter can account for a substantial portion of carbon and nutrient pools in these systems, with litter decomposition exerting important controls over biogeochemical cycling. Dryland decomposition is typically treated as a spatially static process in which litter is retained and decomposed where it is initially deposited. Although this assumption is reasonable for mesic systems with continuous plant canopy cover and a stable subcanopy litter layer, dryland pools generally reflect discontinuous inputs from heterogeneous canopy cover followed by substantial litter transport. In the present article, we review horizontal and vertical transport processes that move litter from the initial deposition point and retention elements that influence litter accumulation patterns. Appreciation of the spatially dynamic litter cycle, including quantitative assessment of transport patterns, will improve estimates of the fate and distribution of organic matter in current and future drylands.
Is polypharmacy an increasing burden in chronic kidney disease? The German experience
Authors: Parker Kathrine , Wong Joanne
Published: May 2019

This is a commentary article describing the key findings of the German chronic kidney disease (GCKD) study and how these relate to current practice. With the GCKD study showing high levels of polypharmacy, this article discusses ways to ensure that polypharmacy is appropriate and the difficulties faced within a chronic kidney disease population. Suggestions of ways to minimize medication burden in renal patients provide some practical advice for clinicians.
Professional development: life or death after pre-service training?
Authors: Higginbotham Christine
Published: May 2019

Within the ELT profession there has been some discussion regarding the appropriateness of one-month pre-service teacher training courses such as CELTA. These courses are designed on the assumption that graduates will need further support and professional development in their first post. This paper examines the extent to which 115 newly qualified teachers (NQTs) were supported in their first teaching posts and addresses a second concern: do short, intensive courses encourage trainees to develop reflective-practice skills? The findings suggest that generally NQTs are not well supported in their first teaching posts, nor are they provided with adequate continued professional development by the institutions they work for. This is particularly evident in the teaching of young learners. However, most NQTs felt CELTA had sufficiently prepared them to be able to reflect on their classroom teaching in their first posts, despite some obstacles to reflective practice being raised.
Ecological and physiological implications of nitrogen oxide reduction pathways on greenhouse gas emissions in agroecosystems
Authors: Yoon Sukhwan , Song Bongkeun , Phillips Rebecca L , Chang Jin , Song Min Joon
Published: May 2019

Microbial reductive pathways of nitrogen (N) oxides are highly relevant to net emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) from agroecosystems. Several biotic and abiotic N-oxide reductive pathways influence the N budget and net GHG production in soil. This review summarizes the recent findings of N-oxide reduction pathways and their implications to GHG emissions in agroecosystems and proposes several mitigation strategies. Denitrification is the primary N-oxide reductive pathway that results in direct N2O emissions and fixed N losses, which add to the net carbon footprint. We highlight how dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA), an alternative N-oxide reduction pathway, may be used to reduce N2O production and N losses via denitrification. Implications of nosZ abundance and diversity and expressed N2O reductase activity to soil N2O emissions are reviewed with focus on the role of the N2O-reducers as an important N2O sink. Non-prokaryotic N2O sources, e.g. fungal denitrification, codenitrification and chemodenitrification, are also summarized to emphasize their potential significance as modulators of soil N2O emissions. Through the extensive review of these recent scientific advancements, this study posits opportunities for GHG mitigation through manipulation of microbial N-oxide reductive pathways in soil.
Multiplex genome editing of microorganisms using CRISPR-Cas
Authors: Adiego-Pérez Belén , Randazzo Paola , Daran Jean Marc , Verwaal René , Roubos Johannes A , Daran-Lapujade Pascale , van der Oost John
Published: May 2019

Microbial production of chemical compounds often requires highly engineered microbial cell factories. During the last years, CRISPR-Cas nucleases have been repurposed as powerful tools for genome editing. Here, we briefly review the most frequently used CRISPR-Cas tools and describe some of their applications. We describe the progress made with respect to CRISPR-based multiplex genome editing of industrial bacteria and eukaryotic microorganisms. We also review the state of the art in terms of gene expression regulation using CRISPRi and CRISPRa. Finally, we summarize the pillars for efficient multiplexed genome editing and present our view on future developments and applications of CRISPR-Cas tools for multiplex genome editing.
Prevalence of antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli isolated from urban and agricultural streams in Canterbury, New Zealand
Authors: Van Hamelsveld Sophie , Adewale Muyiwa E , Kurenbach Brigitta , Godsoe William , Harding Jon S , Remus-Emsermann Mitja N P , Heinemann Jack A
Published: May 2019

Baseline studies are needed to identify environmental reservoirs of non-pathogenic but associating microbiota or pathogenic bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics and to inform safe use of freshwater ecosystems in urban and agricultural settings. Mesophilic bacteria and Escherichia coli were quantified and isolated from water and sediments of two rivers, one in an urban and one in an agricultural area near Christchurch, New Zealand. Resistance of E. coli to one or more of nine different antibiotics was determined. Additionally, selected strains were tested for conjugative transfer of resistances. Despite having similar concentrations of mesophilic bacteria and E. coli, the rivers differed in numbers of antibiotic-resistant E. coli isolates. Fully antibiotic-susceptible and -resistant strains coexist in the two freshwater ecosystems. This study was the first phase of antibiotic resistance profiling in an urban setting and an intensifying dairy agroecosystem. Antibiotic-resistant E. coli may pose different ingestion and contact risks than do susceptible E. coli. This difference cannot be seen in population counts alone. This is an important finding for human health assessments of freshwater systems, particularly where recreational uses occur downstream.
Outcomes and characterization of chromosomal self-targeting by native CRISPR-Cas systems in Streptococcus thermophilus
Authors: Cañez Cassandra , Selle Kurt , Goh Yong Jun , Barrangou Rodolphe
Published: May 2019

CRISPR-Cas systems provide adaptive immunity against phages in prokaryotes via DNA-encoded, RNA-mediated, nuclease-dependent targeting and cleavage. Due to inefficient and relatively limited DNA repair pathways in bacteria, CRISPR-Cas systems can be repurposed for lethal DNA targeting that selects for sequence variants. In this study, the relative killing efficiencies of endogenous Type I and Type II CRISPR-Cas systems in the model organism Streptococcus thermophilus DGCC7710 were assessed. Additionally, the genetic and phenotypic outcomes of chromosomal targeting by plasmid-programmed Type I-E or Type II-A systems were analyzed. Efficient killing was observed using both systems, in a dose-dependent manner when delivering 0.4–400 ng of plasmid DNA. Targeted PCR screening and genome sequencing were used to determine the genetic basis enabling survival, showing that evasion of Type I-E self-targeting was primarily the result of low-frequency defective plasmids that excised the targeting spacer. The most notable genotype recovered from Type II-A targeting of genomic locus, lacZ, was a 34 kb-deletion derived from homologous recombination (HR) between identical conserved sequences in two separate galE coding regions, resulting in 2% loss of the genome. Collectively, these results suggest that HR contributes to the plasticity and remodeling of bacterial genomes, leading to evasion of genome targeting by CRISPR-Cas systems.
Managing Fragmented Fire-Threatened Landscapes with Spatial Externalities
Authors: Lauer Christopher J , Montgomery Claire A , Dietterich Thomas G
Published: May 2019

Accounting for externalities generated by fire spread is necessary for managing fire risk on landscapes with multiple owners. In this paper, we determine the optimal management of a synthetic landscape parameterized to represent the ecological conditions of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) plantations in southwest Oregon. The problem is formulated as a dynamic game, where each agent maximizes their own objective without considering the welfare of the other agents. We demonstrate a method for incorporating spatial information and externalities into a dynamic optimization process. A machine-learning technique, approximate dynamic programming, is applied to determine the optimal timing and location of fuel treatments and timber harvests for each agent. The value functions we estimate explicitly account for the spatial interactions that generate fire risk. They provide a way to model the expected benefits, costs, and externalities associated with management actions that have uncertain consequences in multiple locations. The method we demonstrate is applied to analyze the effect of landscape fragmentation on landowner welfare and ecological outcomes.
Genome-Wide Patterns of Gene Expression in a Wild Primate Indicate Species-Specific Mechanisms Associated with Tolerance to Natural Simian Immunodeficiency Virus Infection
Authors: Simons Noah D , Eick Geeta N , Ruiz-Lopez Maria J , Hyeroba David , Omeja Patrick A , Weny Geoffrey , Zheng HaoQiang , Shankar Anupama , Frost Simon D W , Jones James H , Chapman Colin A , Switzer William M , Goldberg Tony L , Sterner Kirstin N , Ting Nelson
Published: May 2019

Over 40 species of nonhuman primates host simian immunodeficiency viruses (SIVs). In natural hosts, infection is generally assumed to be nonpathogenic due to a long coevolutionary history between host and virus, although pathogenicity is difficult to study in wild nonhuman primates. We used whole-blood RNA-seq and SIV prevalence from 29 wild Ugandan red colobus (Piliocolobus tephrosceles) to assess the effects of SIV infection on host gene expression in wild, naturally SIV-infected primates. We found no evidence for chronic immune activation in infected individuals, suggesting that SIV is not immunocompromising in this species, in contrast to human immunodeficiency virus in humans. Notably, an immunosuppressive gene, CD101, was upregulated in infected individuals. This gene has not been previously described in the context of nonpathogenic SIV infection. This expands the known variation associated with SIV infection in natural hosts and may suggest a novel mechanism for tolerance of SIV infection in the Ugandan red colobus.
Functional Ability in Everyday Life: Are Associations With an Engaged Lifestyle Mediated by Working Memory?
Authors: Guye Sabrina , Röcke Christina , Martin Mike , von Bastian Claudia C
Published: May 2019

Objectives

An engaged lifestyle has been linked to measures of functional ability in everyday life. However, the underlying mechanism of this link is still understudied. We propose working memory as a potential mediator of this relation.

Methods

Modeling data of 158 older adults with a latent-variables approach, we examined whether working memory mediated the relation between an engaged lifestyle, that is, intellectual, social, and physical activities, and functional ability, that is, self-reported everyday failures and test-based everyday performance.

Results

Working memory was found to fully mediate the relation between gaming activities and test-based everyday performance. Furthermore, we found a negative association between sports activities and self-reported everyday failures not mediated through working memory, indicating that individuals who reported high levels of sports activities reported fewer everyday cognitive failures. All other lifestyle activities were, however, neither directly nor indirectly associated with functional ability.

Discussion

Working memory is one pathway by which gaming activities are related to test-based measures of functional ability in everyday life. Given the overlapping cognitive demands of working memory, gaming activities, and the test-based measure of functional ability, the findings suggest that while an engaged lifestyle can benefit functional ability, those benefits may be limited to highly similar domains.
MiR-144 overexpression as a promising therapeutic strategy to overcome glioblastoma cell invasiveness and resistance to chemotherapy
Authors: Cardoso Ana M S , Sousa Madalena , Morais Catarina M , Oancea-Castillo Liliana R , Régnier-Vigouroux Anne , Rebelo Olinda , Tão Hermínio , Barbosa Marcos , Pedroso Maria C de Lima , Jurado Amália S
Published: May 2019

Glioblastoma (GB) is the most aggressive and common form of primary brain tumor, characterized by fast proliferation, high invasion, and resistance to current standard treatment. The average survival rate post-diagnosis is only of 14.6 months, despite the aggressive standard post-surgery treatment approaches of radiotherapy concomitant with chemotherapy with temozolomide. Altered cell metabolism has been identified as an emerging cancer hallmark, including in GB, thus offering a new target for cancer therapies. On the other hand, abnormal expression levels of miRNAs, key regulators of multiple molecular pathways, have been correlated with pathological manifestations of cancer, such as chemoresistance, proliferation, and resistance to apoptosis. In this work, we hypothesized that gene therapy based on modulation of a miRNA with aberrant expression in GB and predicted to target crucial metabolic enzymes might impair tumor cell metabolism. We found that the increase of miR-144 levels, shown to be downregulated in U87 and DBTRG human GB cell lines, as well as in GB tumor samples, promoted the downregulation of mRNA of enzymes involved in bioenergetic pathways, with consequent alterations in cell metabolism, impairment of migratory capacity, and sensitization of DBTRG cells to a chemotherapeutic drug, the dichloroacetate (DCA). Taken together, our findings provide evidence that the miR-144 plus DCA combined therapy holds promise to overcome GB-acquired chemoresistance, therefore deserving to be explored toward its potential application as a complementary therapeutic approach to the current treatment options for this type of brain tumor.
Mapping Arctic clam abundance using multiple datasets, models, and a spatially explicit accuracy assessment
Authors: Misiuk Benjamin , Bell Trevor , Aitken Alec , Brown Craig J , Edinger Evan N
Published: May 2019

Species distribution models are commonly used in the marine environment as management tools. The high cost of collecting marine data for modelling makes them finite, especially in remote locations. Underwater image datasets from multiple surveys were leveraged to model the presence–absence and abundance of Arctic soft-shell clam (Mya spp.) to support the management of a local small-scale fishery in Qikiqtarjuaq, Nunavut, Canada. These models were combined to predict Mya abundance, conditional on presence throughout the study area. Results suggested that water depth was the primary environmental factor limiting Mya habitat suitability, yet seabed topography and substrate characteristics influence their abundance within suitable habitat. Ten-fold cross-validation and spatial leave-one-out cross-validation (LOO CV) were used to assess the accuracy of combined predictions and to test whether this was inflated by the spatial autocorrelation of transect sample data. Results demonstrated that four different measures of predictive accuracy were substantially inflated due to spatial autocorrelation, and the spatial LOO CV results were therefore adopted as the best estimates of performance.
Is microwave ablation an alternative to stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy in patients with inoperable early-stage primary lung cancer?
Authors: Watson Robert A , Tol Isabel , Gunawardana Shannon , Tsakok Maria T
Published: May 2019

A best evidence topic was written according to a structured protocol. The question addressed was: in patients with inoperable early-stage primary lung cancer does microwave ablation (MWA) or stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy (SBRT) achieve improved outcomes in terms of local control, recurrence, survival and complications? Altogether, more than 550 papers were found using the reported search, of which 12 represented the best evidence to answer the clinical question. The authors, journal, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes and results of these papers are tabulated. No single study directly compared the effects of MWA with SBRT. However, the best available evidence for MWA (7 studies) was compared to that for SBRT (5 studies). The range of 3-year survival reported for MWA was 29.2–84.7%, compared with 42.7–63.5% for SBRT. The range of median survival was 35–60 months for MWA and 32.6–48 months for SBRT. This suggests similar outcomes between these two 2 techniques. Different side-effect profiles were observed between techniques with MWA associated with pneumothorax and fever and SBRT most commonly causing radiation pneumonitis and rib fractures. The evidence base for MWA is less than that for SBRT and is heterogenous in terms of participants and technical design. However, within these limitations, we conclude that MWA appears comparable with SBRT in terms of local control and survival rates.
Autoimmune hepatitis during preoperative chemotherapy in a patient with thymoma
Authors: Nishimura Tomoki , Tsunezuka Hiroaki , Miyata Naoko , Inoue Masayoshi
Published: May 2019

Autoimmune diseases associated with thymoma are well known, with myasthenia gravis being the most common, while autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is extremely rare. The case of a 63-year-old woman with AIH that developed during preoperative chemotherapy for invasive type B2 thymoma is presented. Liver dysfunction was improved by steroid treatment using oral prednisolone, 30 mg daily, followed by tapering. The patient underwent a macroscopic complete resection including dissemination, and no evidence of recurrence has been seen for 13 months. Although the serum levels of anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody were elevated, no symptoms of myasthenia gravis appeared during the clinical course. This is a rare case of non-myasthenic thymoma complicated with AIH. AIH should be carefully considered in thymoma patients with liver dysfunction, since multidisciplinary treatment is required for invasive thymoma.
Asylum Seeker Children in Nauru: Australia’s International Human Rights Obligations and Operational Realities
Authors: Dechent Susanna , Tania Sharmin , Mapulanga-Hulston Jackie
Published: May 2019

This article examines if Australia’s policy and law regarding asylum seeker and refugee children in Nauru are consistent with its international legal obligations under the terms of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). Under article 3 of the CRC, Australia is required to consider the best interests of each child within its jurisdiction. It is also bound by the CRC prohibition on arbitrary detention and obligations derived from Convention rights relating to health, education, and family matters. To assess Australia’s law and policy, the article draws on the findings of recent inquiries and reports that examine how detention and conditions at the processing centre and in the community in Nauru have impacted on the mental and physical well-being of children. The article highlights gaps in the implementation of Convention rights and draws together the findings and recommendations made in recent reports to assist in the development of suitable solutions. It concludes that Australia’s treatment of asylum seeker and refugee children violates key obligations under the CRC and that, accordingly, Australia should remove these children from Nauru and settle them in Australia.
Comparative Functional and Phylogenomic Analyses of Host Association in the Remoras (Echeneidae), a Family of Hitchhiking Fishes
Authors: Kenaley C P , Stote A , Ludt W B , Chakrabarty P
Published: May 2019

Synopsis

The family Echeneidae consists of eight species of marine fishes that hitchhike by adhering to a wide variety of vertebrate hosts via a sucking disc. While several studies have focused on the interrelationships of the echeneids and the adhesion performance of a single species, no clear phylogenetic hypothesis has emerged and the morphological basis of adhesion remains largely unknown. We first set out to resolve the interrelationships of the Echeneidae by taking a phylogenomic approach using ultraconserved elements. Then, within this framework, we characterized disc morphology through µ-CT analysis, evaluated host specificity through an analysis of host phylogenetic distance, and determined which axes of disc morphological variation are associated with host diversity, skin surface properties, mean pairwise phylogenetic distance (MPD obs.), and swimming regime. We recovered an extremely well-supported topology, found that the specificity of host choice is more variable in a pelagic group and less variable in a reef-generalist group than previously proposed, and that axes of disc morphospace are best explained by models that include host skin surface roughness, host MPD obs., and maximum host Reynolds number. This suggests that ecomorphological diversification was driven by the selection pressures of host skin surface roughness, host specialization, and hydrodynamic regime.
Phosphorylation by protein kinase C stabilizes ABCG1 and increases cholesterol efflux
Authors: Watanabe Taro , Kioka Noriyuki , Ueda Kazumitsu , Matsuo Michinori
Published: May 2019

ATP-binding cassette protein G1 (ABCG1) plays an important role in eliminating excess cholesterol from macrophages and in the formation of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), which contributes to the prevention and regression of atherosclerosis. The post-translational regulation of ABCG1 remains elusive, although phosphorylation by protein kinase A destabilizes ABCG1 proteins. We examined the phosphorylation of ABCG1 using HEK293 and Raw264.7 cells. ABCG1 phosphorylation was enhanced by treatment with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA), a protein kinase C (PKC) activator. PKC activation by TPA increased ABCG1 protein levels and promoted ABCG1-dependent cholesterol efflux to HDL. This activity was suppressed by Go6976, a PKCα/βI inhibitor, suggesting that PKC activation stabilizes ABCG1. To confirm this, the degradation rate of ABCG1 was analysed; ABCG1 degradation was suppressed upon PKC activation, suggesting that PKC phosphorylation regulates ABCG1 levels. To confirm this involvement, we co-expressed ABCG1 and a constitutively active form of PKCα in HEK cells. ABCG1 was increased upon co-expression. These results suggest that PKC-mediated phosphorylation, probably PKCα, stabilizes ABCG1, consequently increasing ABCG1-mediated cholesterol efflux, by suppressing ABCG1 degradation. PKC activation could thus be a therapeutic target to suppress the development of atherosclerosis.
Field-Aged Insecticide Residues on Chrysoperla johnsoni (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae)
Authors: Amarasekare Kaushalya G , Brown Preston H , Shearer Peter W
Published: May 2019

We studied the direct (lethal) and indirect (sublethal) effects of field-aged insecticide residues of spinetoram, chlorantraniliprole and lambda-cyhalothrin on adults and larvae of the green lacewing, Chrysoperla johnsoni Henry, Wells and Pupedis an important generalist predator in western United States pear orchards. We applied formulated pesticides using their high label rates mixed with 935 liters/ha of water on pear trees utilizing an airblast sprayer. We collected leaves from the experiment trees at 1, 7, 14, 21 days after treatment (DAT) and exposed C. johnsoni adults and second instars to insecticide residues or untreated control for 72 h. We monitored larvae that survived the treatments until adult emergence (for larvae) or adults until death (for paired adults). We assessed the adults for acute and chronic mortality, longevity, fecundity, and fertility, and larvae for acute mortality, sex ratio, developmental time, and survival of adults emerged from treated second instars, to determine lethal and sublethal effects. The field-exposed insecticide residues of chlorantraniliprole exhibited higher lethal and sublethal toxicities on C. johnsoni during the 21-d leaf collection period when compared with the field-exposed residue toxicities of lambda-cyhalothrin and spinetoram. The field-exposed residue of lambda-cyhalothrin and spinetoram exhibited moderate toxicities on C. johnsoni during the 21-d leaf collection period. Results from this study show similar trends with previous studies using multiple routes of exposure laboratory assays and field experiments on Chrysoperla sp. The direct and indirect effects of field-aged residues of spinetoram, chlorantraniliprole, and lambda-cyhalothrin on C. johnsoni are discussed.
Accounting for Mismatch Unemployment
Authors: Herz Benedikt , van Rens Thijs
Published: May 2019

We investigate unemployment due to mismatch in the United States over the past three and a half decades. We propose an accounting framework that allows us to estimate the contribution of each of the frictions that generated labor market mismatch. Barriers to job mobility account for the largest part of mismatch unemployment, with a smaller role for barriers to worker mobility. We find little contribution of wage-setting frictions to mismatch.
All roads lead to Rome: Internationalization strategies of Chinese law firms
Authors: Li Jing
Published: May 2019

On the basis of a hand-collected sample of 123 Chinese law firms, this article offers a comprehensive empirical examination into their globalization efforts. It finds that the majority of the firms have endeavoured to expand overseas than not. The most frequently used strategies are international offices and formal cross-border referral networks. While all law firms are enthusiastic to echo and tag along the government-led ‘Going Out’ initiatives so as to claim legitimacy for their activities, the firms with secondary or lower tier reputation tend to implement it on a more substantive level. Overall, Chinese law firms are still at the initial stage of their internationalization process, and there are considerable discrepancies between actual practices and the formal structures. This is most evident when many of the international offices are in fact associated or merged but subtly marketed as directly invested, thus illustrating that internationalization often carries symbolic value in the eyes of clients. This said, a closer look at the overseas offices with resident lawyers reveals that Chinese law firms are often also calculative entrepreneurs, who know where their competitiveness lies. They purposefully organize their offices to focus on trade route underpinned work, especially the niche market of the outbound Chinese SMEs. As such, pragmatism, entrepreneurship, and state power dynamically interact with each other in shaping the internationalization trajectories of Chinese law firms.
Beyond ‘blue-collar professionalism’: Continuity and change in the professionalization of uniformed emergency services work
Authors: McCann Leo , Granter Edward
Published: May 2019

The sociology of professions has so far had limited connections to emergency services occupations. Research on emergency occupations tends to focus on workplace culture and identity, often emphasizing continuity rather than change. Police officers, firefighters, and paramedics have their historical roots in manual, technical, or ‘semi-professional’ occupations and their working lives still bear many of the hallmarks of blue-collar, uniformed ‘street-level’ work. But uniformed emergency services—like many other occupations—are increasingly undergoing processes of ‘professionalization’. The organizations in which they are employed and the fields in which they work have undergone significant change and disruption, calling into question the core features, cultures, and duties of these occupations. This article argues that sociology of work on emergency services could be helpfully brought into closer contact with the sociology of professions in order to better understand these changes. It suggests four broad empirical and conceptual domains where meaningful connections can be made between these literatures, namely, leadership and authority; organizational goals and objectives; professional identities; and ‘extreme’ work. Emergency services are evolving in complex directions while retaining certain long-standing and entrenched features. Studying emergency occupations as professions also sheds new light on the changing nature of ‘professionalism’ itself.
Does Individual Health Have Implications for Individuals’ Attitudes towards Minority Groups? A Case Study from the Greek Population
Authors: Hall Jonathan , Rapp Carolin , Eikemo Terje Andreas
Published: May 2019

Immunological defence against pathogens and behavioural responses to members of other ethnic or racial groups may be understood as co-evolved solutions to a commonly recurring adaptive problem in our ancestral environment: the need to avoid infectious disease. In recent years, research on the concept of the behavioural immune system has highlighted behavioural defence, showing in particular that individual-level disgust sensitively is associated with greater prejudice towards members of other—particularly stigmatized—social groups. Stigma thus represents in part a human disease-avoidance strategy. This mechanism is thereby assumed to be particularly strong for individuals who report poor mental and/or physical health. In this article, we draw upon MIGHEAL data to examine how health vulnerabilities impact prejudice towards new immigrants in Greece—a key refugee- and migrant-receiving society. The findings have direct implications for the political consequences of health interventions: policies that result in enhanced immune-system functioning and resilience to health shocks may reduce prejudice towards new migrants, enhancing a society’s capacity to receive and integrate refugees and other migrants. Health policy may thus provide an avenue by which societies improve their responses to large-scale migration flows—a policy area that arguably represents the greatest moral crisis of our time.
A radio halo surrounding the Brightest Cluster Galaxy in RXCJ0232.2–4420: a mini-halo in transition?
Authors: Kale Ruta , Shende Krishna M , Parekh Viral
Published: May 2019

Diffuse radio sources associated with the intra-cluster medium are direct probes of the cosmic ray electrons and magnetic fields. We report the discovery of a diffuse radio source in the galaxy cluster RXCJ0232.2–4420 (SPT-CL J0232–4421, z = 0.2836) using 606 MHz observations with the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope. The diffuse radio source surrounds the Brightest Cluster Galaxy in the cluster-like typical radio mini-haloes. However the total extent of it is 550 × 800 kpc2, which is larger than mini-haloes and similar to that of radio haloes. The BCG itself is also a radio source with a marginally resolved core at 7 arcsec (30 kpc) resolution. We measure the 606 MHz flux density of the RH to be 52 ± 5 mJy. Assuming a spectral index of 1.3, the 1.4 GHz radio power is 4.5 × 1024 W Hz−1. The dynamical state of the cluster has been inferred to be 'relaxed’ and also as 'complex’, depending on the classification methods based on the morphology of the X-ray surface brightness. This system thus seems to be in the transition phase from a mini-halo to a radio halo.
MutationDistiller: user-driven identification of pathogenic DNA variants
Authors: Hombach Daniela , Schuelke Markus , Knierim Ellen , Ehmke Nadja , Schwarz Jana Marie , Fischer-Zirnsak Björn , Seelow Dominik
Published: May 2019

MutationDistiller is a freely available online tool for user-driven analyses of Whole Exome Sequencing data. It offers a user-friendly interface aimed at clinicians and researchers, who are not necessarily bioinformaticians. MutationDistiller combines MutationTaster's pathogenicity predictions with a phenotype-based approach. Phenotypic information is not limited to symptoms included in the Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO), but may also comprise clinical diagnoses and the suspected mode of inheritance. The search can be restricted to lists of candidate genes (e.g. virtual gene panels) and by tissue-specific gene expression. The inclusion of GeneOntology (GO) and metabolic pathways facilitates the discovery of hitherto unknown disease genes. In a novel approach, we trained MutationDistiller's HPO-based prioritization on authentic genotype–phenotype sets obtained from ClinVar and found it to match or outcompete current prioritization tools in terms of accuracy. In the output, the program provides a list of potential disease mutations ordered by the likelihood of the affected genes to cause the phenotype. MutationDistiller provides links to gene-related information from various resources. It has been extensively tested by clinicians and their suggestions have been valued in many iterative cycles of revisions. The tool, a comprehensive documentation and examples are freely available at https://www.mutationdistiller.org/
Functional MRI reveals evidence of a self-positivity bias in the medial prefrontal cortex during the comprehension of social vignettes
Authors: Fields Eric C , Weber Kirsten , Stillerman Benjamin , Delaney-Busch Nathaniel , Kuperberg Gina R
Published: May 2019

A large literature in social neuroscience has associated the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) with the processing of self-related information. However, only recently have social neuroscience studies begun to consider the large behavioral literature showing a strong self-positivity bias, and these studies have mostly focused on its correlates during self-related judgments and decision-making. We carried out a functional MRI (fMRI) study to ask whether the mPFC would show effects of the self-positivity bias in a paradigm that probed participants’ self-concept without any requirement of explicit self-judgment. We presented social vignettes that were either self-relevant or non-self-relevant with a neutral, positive or negative outcome described in the second sentence. In previous work using event-related potentials, this paradigm has shown evidence of a self-positivity bias that influences early stages of semantically processing incoming stimuli. In the present fMRI study, we found evidence for this bias within the mPFC: an interaction between self-relevance and valence, with only positive scenarios showing a self vs other effect within the mPFC. We suggest that the mPFC may play a role in maintaining a positively biased self-concept and discuss the implications of these findings for the social neuroscience of the self and the role of the mPFC.
Identifying the relevant carbohydrate storage pools available for remobilization in aspen roots
Authors: Wiley Erin , King Carolyn M , Landhäusser Simon M
Published: May 2019

Nonstructural carbohydrate (NSC) remobilization remains poorly understood in trees. In particular, it remains unclear (i) which tissues (e.g., living bark or xylem) and compounds (sugars or starch) in woody plants are the main sources of remobilized carbon, (ii) to what extent these NSC pools can be depleted and (iii) whether initial NSC mass or concentration is a better predictor of regrowth potential following disturbance. To address these questions, we collected root segments from a large mature trembling aspen stand; we then allowed them to resprout (sucker) in the dark and remobilize NSC until all sprouts had died. We found that initial starch mass, not concentration, was the best predictor of subsequent sprout mass. In total, more NSC mass (~4×) was remobilized from the living inner bark than the xylem of the roots. After resprouting, root starch was generally depleted to <0.6% w/w in both tissues. In contrast, a large portion of sugars appear unavailable for remobilization: sugar concentrations were only reduced to 12% w/w in the bark and 2% in the xylem. These findings suggest that in order to test whether plant processes like resprouting are limited by storage we need to (i) measure storage in the living bark, not just the xylem, (ii) consider storage pool size—not just concentration—and (iii) carefully determine which compounds are actually components of the storage pool.
2Science and Medicine
Authors: Chico Tita
Published: May 2019

The titles reviewed in this chapter concern science and medicine studies. They represent work drawn from a variety of contexts and disciplinary perspectives, including science and technology, the history of science, literary studies, critical race theory, medical humanities, cultural anthropology, public health, the philosophy of science, transnationalism, media studies, archive studies, and book history. The chapter opens with 1. Notable Books—extended discussions of three especially significant books. Subsequent sections are dedicated to: 2. Bodies and Embodiment; 3. Epistemology and Dissemination; 4. Institutions and Praxis; and 5. Conversations (Journals). Readers will note certain themes running throughout, which include decolonizing science, embodiment, form, circulation, and praxis.