bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Computing cyclic invariants for molecular graphs
Authors: Berger Franziska , Gritzmann Peter , de Vries Sven
Published: July 2017

Ring structures in molecules belong to the most important substructures for many applications in Computational Chemistry. One typical task is to find an implicit description of the ring structure of a molecule. We present efficient algorithms for cyclic graph invariants that may serve as molecular descriptors to accelerate database searches. Another task is to construct a well‐defined set of rings of a molecular graph explicitly. We give a new algorithm for computing the set of relevant cycles of a graph. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. NETWORKS, Vol. 70(2), 116–131 2017
Application of NIR Spectroscopy Coupled with PLS Regression for Quantification of Total Polyphenol Contents from the Fruit and Aerial Parts of Citrullus colocynthis
Authors: Rizvi Tania S. , Mabood Fazal , Ali Liaqat , Al‐Broumi Mohammed , Al Rabani Hamida K.M. , Hussain Javid , Jabeen Farah , Manzoor Suryyia , Al‐Harrasi Ahmed
Published: July 2017

Introduction

Citrullus colocynthis (L.) Schrad is extensively used to treat diabetes, obesity, fever, cancer, amenorrhea, jaundice, leukemia, rheumatism, and respiratory diseases. Chemical studies have indicated the presence of several cucurbitacins, flavones, and other polyphenols in this plant. These phytochemical constituents are responsible for the interesting antioxidant and other biological activities of C. colocynthis.

Objective

In the present study, for the first time, near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy coupled with partial least square (PLS) regression analysis was used to quantify the polyphenolic phytochemicals of C. colocynthis.

Methodology

The fruit and aerial parts of the C. colocynthis were extracted individually in methanol followed by fractionation in n‐hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, n‐butanol, and water. Near infrared (NIR) spectra were obtained in absorption mode in the wavelength range 700–2500 nm. The PLS regression model was then built from the obtained spectral data to quantify the total polyphenol contents in the selected plant samples.

Results

The PLS regression model obtained had a R2 value of 99% with a 0.98 correlationship value and a good prediction with a root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) value of 1.89% and correlation of 0.98. These results were further confirmed through UV–vis spectroscopy and it is found that the ethyl acetate fraction has the maximum value for polyphenol contents (101.7 mg/100 g; NIR, 100.4 mg/100 g; UV–vis).

Conclusions

The polyphenolic phytochemicals of the fruit and aerial parts of C. colocynthis have been quantified successfully by using multivariate analysis in a non‐destructive, economical, precise, and highly sensitive method, which uses very simple sample preparation. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
RAFT synthesis of an amphiphilic block copolymer bearing chlorin rings in the hydrophobic segment and its application in photodynamic therapy
Authors: Obata Makoto , Tanaka Shuto , Mizukoshi Hiroshi , Ishihara Eika , Takahashi Masaki , Hirohara Shiho
Published: July 2017

RAFT polymerization of styrene (St) in the presence of 5,10,15,20‐tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)porphyrin (TFPP) was conducted using 4‐cyano‐4‐(thiobenzoyl)thiopentanoic acid as a chain‐transfer agent and azobisisobutyronitrile as an initiator at 60 °C. The resulting polymer exhibited a chlorin‐like UV‐vis spectrum, which indicated that the polymer possessed a reduced TFPP structure. Furthermore, an SEC trace recorded using UV‐vis detector (λ = 410 nm), which selectively detected the TFPP‐incorporated polymer, shifted toward higher molecular mass as the polymerization progressed. This evidence indicated that TFPP acted as a vinylene‐type monomer, such as maleimide, to form a copolymer, namely, poly(St‐co‐TFPP). The mole fraction of TFPP units was estimated to be 0.74 × 10−3, which was close to that in the feed (1 × 10−3). Chain extension of poly(St‐co‐TFPP) with polyethylene glycol monomethyl ether acrylate (PEGA) was performed to afford the amphiphilic block copolymer poly(St‐co‐TFPP)‐b‐poly(PEGA). The degrees of polymerization of St and PEGA were determined to be 64 and 75, respectively. Poly(St‐co‐TFPP)‐b‐poly(PEGA) formed micelles following dialysis. The median diameter of the micelles in solution was determined to be 16 nm by DLS. The photocytotoxicity of the micelle solution was evaluated in a human glioblastoma cell line (U251) and an N‐methyl‐N'‐nitro‐N‐nitrosoguanidine‐induced mutant of a rat murine RGM‐1 gastric carcinoma mucosal cell line (RGK‐1). © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2017, 55, 3395–3403
The effectiveness of a group intervention to facilitate posttraumatic growth among women with breast cancer
Authors: Ramos Catarina , Costa Pedro Alexandre , Rudnicki Tânia , Marôco Ana Lúcia , Leal Isabel , Guimarães Raquel , Fougo José Luís , Tedeschi Richard G.
Published: July 2017

Objective

This longitudinal study tested the effectiveness of a group intervention designed to facilitate posttraumatic growth (PTG).

Methods

Sample consisted of 205 women diagnosed with non‐metastatic breast cancer who were either assigned to an intervention group (n = 58) or to a control group (n = 147). PTG, challenge to core beliefs, and rumination (intrusive and deliberate) were assessed at baseline (T1), at 6 months (T2), and at 12 months after baseline (T3).

Results

Results from the Latent Growth Modeling suggested that participants from the intervention group have higher levels of PTG. The challenge to core beliefs and the intrusive rumination have a moderator role on PTG, since group intervention is also linked to the enhancement of both variables.

Conclusions

Participation in the intervention group increase PTG. Challenge to core beliefs and intrusive rumination are improved by group intervention, which to a certain extent facilitate PTG.
Nanoparticle Probes for Quantifying Supramolecular Determinants of Biosurface Affinity
Authors: Le N. D. B. , Hou S. , Tonga G. Y. , Jerri H. A. , Elci S. G. , Mizuhara T. , Normand V. , Benczédi D. , Vachet R. W. , Rotello V. M.
Published: July 2017

Interactions between macromolecular systems and biosurfaces are complicated by the complexity of these multivalent interactions and challenges in quantifying affinities. In this study, a library of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) with different functional head groups as multivalent probes to quantify biosurface affinity, using hair as a model targeted substrate, is used. The adhesion of the AuNPs is quantified by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Using this method it is demonstrated that multiple supramolecular forces affect affinity. As expected, electrostatic interaction is a strong driving force for adhesion of the nanoparticle tags onto hair in aqueous solution, evidenced by a much higher level of gold adsorption for cationic AuNPs compared to anionic or neutral AuNPs. Functionalized cationic AuNPs are synthesized with systematically varied terminal groups and are screened for deposition onto hair. AuNP adhesion onto hair in water generally decreases as a function of increasing hydrophobicity; however, electron‐rich aromatic rings provide significantly enhanced attachment. Although the intact, healthy hair cuticle is considered negatively charged and hydrophobic, the findings indicate that hydrophobic interactions are not as critical to deposition of AuNPs onto hair as the electrostatic component from the presence and accessibility of the cationic moieties, which are the greatest drivers for deposition onto hair.
Vitamin B6 Cofactor‐Conjugated Polyethyleneimine‐Passivated Silver Nanoclusters for Fluorescent Sensing of Zn2+ and Cd2+ Using Chemically Modified Cellulose Strips
Authors: Bothra Shilpa , Paira Priyankar , Kumar SK Ashok , Kumar Rajender , Sahoo Suban K
Published: July 2017

This work presents the fluorescent turn‐on sensing of Zn2+ and Cd2+ by using a nano‐assembly designed by the surface modification of the blue fluorescent polyethyleneimine (PEI) passivated silver nanoclusters (PEI‐AgNCs) with the vitamin B6 cofactor pyridoxal 5‘‐phosphate (PLP) in aqueous medium. The cofactor PLP was conjugated through the Schiff base condensation between the ‐CHO group of PLP and the free –NH2 present in PEI‐AgNCs. The formation of nano‐assembly PLP_PEI‐AgNCs was ascertained from various characterization along with the fluorescent color change from blue to yellow. Upon addition of Zn2+ and Cd2+, the yellow fluorescent of PLP_PEI‐AgNCs instantaneously and selectively changed to bluish‐green with a significant fluorescence enhancement at 475 nm. The developed nanoprobe shows the detection limit down to 50.5 x 10−8 M for Zn2+ and 59.0 x 10−8 M for Cd2+ without any interference from other tested metal ions and was applied for the recognition of Zn2+ and Cd2+ in various environmental and biological fluids with good recovery %. Also, the PLP conjugated PEI‐AgNCs was covalently anchored over the cellulose paper strips, characterized and then applied for the detection of Zn2+ and Cd2+. In addition, the developed system has been employed for the qualitative detection of intracellular Zn2+ in live HeLa cells by fluorescence imaging.
Oxidative Amidation of Methylarenes and Heteroamines under Metal‐Free Conditions
Authors: Pappula Venkatanarayana , Ravi Chitrakar , Samanta Supravat , Adimurthy Subbarayappa
Published: July 2017

Synthesis of heteroamides through oxidative amidation of methylarenes with hetero aromatic amines using tert‐Butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP) as oxidant has been described. The present method represents a significant development for the oxidative amidation of methylarenes to obtain heteroamides which does not require metal catalyst and TBHP act as only oxidant. Methylarenes are easy to handle, stable, commercially available (by‐products in gasoline industry) and used as carbonyl source for amide synthesis. The reaction proceeds through the imine intermediate formation and its subsequent oxidation by TBHP provides the desired amides.
Synthesis of Optically Pure Arylamine Derivatives by Using the Bucherer Reaction
Authors: Dahms Benedikt , Franke Robert , Waldvogel Siegfried R.
Published: July 2017

The Bucherer reaction is a common pathway for the conversion of 1‐ and 2‐naphthols into the corresponding 1‐ or 2‐naphthylamines, respectively. Mostly, only singular examples for its preparative use are reported since this particular transformation seems to be very sensitive to the reaction conditions. By choosing different phenolic substrates and chiral amines, we were able to prepare a broad scope of optically pure arylamines using this type of reaction. In contrast to alternative methods forming C−N aryl bonds such as Buchwald‐Hartwig or Chan‐Lam cross‐coupling reactions, no palladium or copper catalysts are required. The use of water as solvent and the easily available starting materials make this method to an attractive approach.
Toward Activity Origin of Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution Reaction on Carbon‐Rich Crystalline Coordination Polymers
Authors: Wang Lihuan , Tranca Diana C. , Zhang Jian , Qi Yanpeng , Sfaelou Stavroula , Zhang Tao , Dong Renhao , Zhuang Xiaodong , Zheng Zhikun , Seifert Gotthard
Published: July 2017

The fundamental understanding of electrocatalytic active sites for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is significantly important for the development of metal complex involved carbon electrocatalysts with low kinetic barrier. Here, the MSxNy (M = Fe, Co, and Ni, x/y are 2/2, 0/4, and 4/0, respectively) active centers are immobilized into ladder‐type, highly crystalline coordination polymers as model carbon‐rich electrocatalysts for H2 generation in acid solution. The electrocatalytic HER tests reveal that the coordination of metal, sulfur, and nitrogen synergistically facilitates the hydrogen ad‐/desorption on MSxNy catalysts, leading to enhanced HER kinetics. Toward the activity origin of MS2N2, the experimental and theoretical results disclose that the metal atoms are preferentially protonated and then the production of H2 is favored on the MN active sites after a heterocoupling step involving a N‐bound proton and a metal‐bound hydride. Moreover, the tuning of the metal centers in MS2N2 leads to the HER performance in the order of FeS2N2 > CoS2N2 > NiS2N2. Thus, the understanding of the catalytic active sites provides strategies for the enhancement of the electrocatalytic activity by tailoring the ligands and metal centers to the desired function.
Non‐Gaussian characteristics and extreme distribution of fluctuating wind pressures on large cylindrical–conical steel cooling towers
Authors: Ke Shitang , Wang Hao , Ge Yaojun
Published: July 2017

Large cylindrical–conical steel cooling tower (SCT) represents a new configuration of cooling tower, and its wind load distribution pattern and forming mechanism are very different from those of the traditional hyperbolic cooling towers. Large eddy simulation was used for the numerical simulation on a superlarge cylindrical–conical SCT that exceeds the specification limit, which is also the highest (189 m) SCT under construction in Asia. The surface flow field and time history of 3‐D aerodynamic force were obtained for the cylindrical and conical parts, respectively. Comparison with the measurements of other large cooling towers and the results of wind tunnel test confirmed the validity of the numerical simulation. Then, based on the probability density distribution and spatial correlation of representative measuring points, regions of non‐Gaussian distribution were identified. The forming mechanism of non‐Gaussian wind pressure distribution was revealed from the perspective of the correlation of non‐Gaussian distribution versus flow separation and eddy motion. The criteria for classifying the region of non‐Gaussian distribution for the cylindrical and conical parts were analyzed, respectively. Research shows that the wind pressures in the windward regions of conical and cylindrical parts obey Gaussian distribution; however, the wind pressures from the region of extreme negative pressure to the region of flow separation are largely non‐Gaussian and the wind pressures of the conical part are generally non‐Gaussian in the leeward region. Finally, the three algorithms for calculating the extreme values of wind pressure were used, namely, peak factor method, improved peak factor method, and Sadek–Simiu method. The distribution patterns of peak factors and extreme values of wind pressure in SCT towers were analyzed comparatively. The 2‐D formulae for fitting the extreme values of wind values for the cylindrical and conical parts were derived by nonlinear least square method. Moreover, strategy for value determination was also presented. The present research aimed to strengthen the understanding of the fluctuating wind pressure distribution and its forming mechanism for large cylindrical–conical SCT towers.
Closed-loop quality control system for laser chemical machining in metal micro-production
Authors: Zhang P. , von Freyberg A. , Fischer A.
Published: July 2017

Small geometrical features in the scale of 10 to 400 μm can be produced on metallic workpieces with the laser-induced chemical etching process at low costs. However, the interactions among the subsystems of the laser chemical etching process, the mechanical positioning unit, the etchant pump, the laser source, and among the removal paths hinder the precise determination of the required process parameters for producing the desired geometry. For this reason, a closed-loop quality control is designed to compensate the deviations of quality features of a single removal and also of a workpiece produced by a sequence of removals. The developed control approach is based on inverse process models, which are used for a feed-forward control. Finally, a closed-loop control is achieved by designing an adaptive controller for the non-linear multi-inputs-multi-outputs process. The closed-loop control is realized as a production-discrete control by using a post-production measurement, and applied for producing a micro forming tool in the shape of a rectangular die. As a result, the laser chemical etching process is stabilized and, thus, the desired geometrical quality features of the workpiece are obtained with a reduced shape deviation of 2.4 μm.
Quantitative metabolomics of a xylose-utilizing Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain expressing the Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron xylose isomerase on glucose and xylose
Authors: Mert M J , Rose S H , la Grange D C , Bamba T , Hasunuma T , Kondo A , van Zyl W H
Published: July 2017

The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae cannot utilize xylose, but the introduction of a xylose isomerase that functions well in yeast will help overcome the limitations of the fungal oxido-reductive pathway. In this study, a diploid S. cerevisiae S288c[2n YMX12] strain was constructed expressing the Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron xylA (XI) and the Scheffersomyces stipitis xyl3 (XK) and the changes in the metabolite pools monitored over time. Cultivation on xylose generally resulted in gradual changes in metabolite pool size over time, whereas more dramatic fluctuations were observed with cultivation on glucose due to the diauxic growth pattern. The low G6P and F1,6P levels observed with cultivation on xylose resulted in the incomplete activation of the Crabtree effect, whereas the high PEP levels is indicative of carbon starvation. The high UDP-d-glucose levels with cultivation on xylose indicated that the carbon was channeled toward biomass production. The adenylate and guanylate energy charges were tightly regulated by the cultures, while the catabolic and anabolic reduction charges fluctuated between metabolic states. This study helped elucidate the metabolite distribution that takes place under Crabtree-positive and Crabtree-negative conditions when cultivating S. cerevisiae on glucose and xylose, respectively.
Diffusion tensor imaging for multilevel assessment of the visual pathway: possibilities for personalized outcome prediction in autoimmune disorders of the central nervous system
Authors: Kuchling Joseph , Brandt Alexander U , Paul Friedemann , Scheel Michael
Published: July 2017

The afferent visual pathway represents the most frequently affected white matter pathway in multiple sclerosis (MS) and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD). Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) can reveal microstructural or non-overt brain tissue damage and quantify pathological processes. DTI facilitates the reconstruction of major white matter fiber tracts allowing for the assessment of structure-function and damage-dysfunction relationships. In this review, we outline DTI studies investigating the afferent visual pathway in idiopathic optic neuritis (ON), NMOSD, and MS. Since MS damage patterns are believed to depend on multiple factors, i.e., ON (anterior visual pathway damage), inflammatory lesions (posterior visual pathway damage), and global diffuse inflammatory and neurodegenerative processes, comprehensive knowledge on different contributing factors using DTI in vivo may advance our understanding of MS disease pathology. Combination of DTI measures and visual outcome parameters yields the potential to improve routine clinical diagnostic procedures and may further the accuracy of individual prognosis with regard to visual function and personalized disease outcome. However, due to the inherent limitations of DTI acquisition and post-processing techniques and the so far heterogeneous and equivocal data of previous studies, evaluation of the true potential of DTI as a possible biomarker for afferent visual pathway dysfunction is still substantially limited. Further research efforts with larger longitudinal studies and standardized DTI acquisition and post-processing validation criteria are needed to overcome current DTI limitations. DTI evaluation at different levels of the visual pathway has the potential to provide markers for individual damage evaluation in the future. As an imaging biomarker, DTI may support individual outcome prediction during personalized treatment algorithms in MS and other neuroinflammatory diseases, hereby leveraging the concept of predictive, preventive, and personalized medicine in the field of clinical neuroimmunology.
Cost evaluation in design for end-of-Life of automotive components
Authors: Anthony Catherine , Cheung Wai M.
Published: July 2017

The European Union implemented the End-of-Life Vehicle directive to deal with an estimated 6 million end-of-life vehicles each year. Existing literature describe the processes to deal with the waste at end-of-life of different products but there is a lack of information on the costing of these options. These costs remain a concern to automotive manufacturers. This paper therefore reports the end-of-life costs of vehicle components and also demonstrates how these costs can be predicted at the design stage. The proposed approach should help to decide whether the automotive parts are viable for remanufacture, refurbishment, recycling, or disposal from an economic perspective. Two different automotive parts have been selected as case studies to validate the approach. Assumptions were made during the development of the technique and based on the results, the proposed approach could potentially provide vehicle manufacturers a method of estimating the cost of end-of-life recovery processes of vehicle components.
The role of esophagoscopy and imaging in the detection of second esophageal primary carcinomas in mucosal head and neck malignancy
Authors: Dezube Aaron R. , Lee Arnold , Rebeiz Elie
Published: July 2017

Abstract

Objective

Esophagoscopy and/or barium swallow are routinely performed in the evaluation of patients with mucosal head and neck malignancies. Whether this intervention is efficient or cost-effective is questioned in our multidisciplinary head and neck tumor clinic. Our study objective is to find the yield provided by esophagoscopy and barium swallow, and the incidence of second primary cancers.

Study Design

Retrospective case series.

Methods

A retrospective chart review was done on patients treated at our institution for squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck over a period of 8 years. The records of five hundred and ninety-four patients were analyzed to determine the method by which the cancer was diagnosed, the association with a particular region of the primary cancer, and the incidence of risk-increasing behavior.

Results

Five patients (0.84%) were found to have a second neoplasm of the esophagus. Of these, three patients (0.5%) had metachronous and two (0.34%) had a synchronous lesion. Three were diagnosed with barium swallow and two during routine endoscopy. The primary tumors were of the oral cavity in three patients and of the glottis and/or hypopharynx in two patients. All patients had a history of tobacco or alcohol abuse.

Conclusion

The incidence of a second cancer of the esophagus in head and neck cancer patients was low. Esophagoscopy and barium swallow are safe and reliable methods to detect an esophageal lesion.

Highlights
A focus on partisanship: How it impacts voting behaviors and political attitudes
Authors: Krishna Aradhna , Sokolova Tatiana
Published: July 2017

The target article by John Jost (2017 – this issue) focuses on political ideology (liberalism vs. conservatism) and its association with personal characteristics, cognitive processing style, and motivational interests. Jost's arguments and data are very compelling and will inspire consumer psychologists to do more research in the political domain. To enable this goal further, we complement the target article by focusing on partisanship, another major determinant of political judgments and decisions. Whereas political ideology refers to people being more liberal or conservative, partisanship refers to how strongly people identify with a specific political party (e.g., Republicans or Democrats). In reviewing the literature on partisanship, we concentrate on voting behaviors and attitudes, an area not addressed by Jost, but of great importance for consumer psychologists given the large expenditures on political advertising. Adding to Jost's discussion of the link between political ideology and systematic processing, we examine the interplay between these two constructs and partisanship.
Gambogic acid improves non‐small cell lung cancer progression by inhibition of mTOR signaling pathway
Authors: Zhao Teng , Wang Hong‐Jian , Zhao Wen‐Wen , Sun Yi‐Ling , Hu Li‐Kuan
Published: July 2017

Gambogic acid (GA) has been shown to inhibit cancer cell proliferation, induce apoptosis, and enhance reactive oxygen species accumulation. However, whether GA could improve multidrug resistance through modulating autophagy has never been explored. We demonstrated that the combination of GA and cisplatin (CDDP) resulted in a stronger growth inhibition effect on A549 and NCI‐H460 cells using the MTT assay. Furthermore, treatment with GA significantly increased autophagy in these cells. More importantly, GA‐induced cell death could be largely abolished by 3‐methyladenine (3‐MA) or chloroquine (CQ) treatment, suggesting that GA‐induced cell death was dependent on autophagy. Western blot analysis showed that GA treatment suppressed the activation of Akt, mTOR, and S6. In addition, using a GA and rapamycin combination induced more cell death compared to either GA or rapamycin alone. In summary, GA may have utility as an adjunct therapy for non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients through autophagy‐dependent cell death, even when cancer cells have developed resistance to apoptosis.
BOSQUES FÓSILES Y TECNOLOGÍA HUMANA: LA EXPLOTACIÓN DE MATERIAS PRIMAS LÍTICAS EN EL BOSQUE DE DARWIN, PARAMILLOS (ARGENTINA)
Authors: Cortegoso Valeria , Lucero Gustavo , Castro Silvina , Winocur Diego
Published: July 2017

El Bosque de Darwin, en el centro-occidente de Argentina, ha sido ampliamente estudiado por la geología desde que fuera descrito originalmente por el autor deEl Origen de las Especies. Sin embargo, hasta ahora no se había analizado su potencial y el de otros bosques fósiles próximos como fuentes y canteras de materias primas líticas a lo largo de la historia humana de la región. A partir de relevamientos geológicos, arqueológicos y del empleo de análisis petrográficos y de SIG, se caracterizan dos sectores de las formaciones geológicas Paramillos y Los Colorados que presentan evidencias de explotación humana. Se evalúa el uso de troncos fósiles de estas formaciones como recurso para la talla. Los resultados muestran una posición estratégica de este enclave en relación al valle de Uspallata y a los sitios de Precordillera, como Agua de la Cueva. También la accesibilidad, visibilidad, abundancia y calidad de las materias primas explican la extensiva explotación que se evidencia en la presencia de troncos canteados, como así también en los abundantes sectores de superficie con restos de talla primaria y selección de materia prima.
How Things Seem to Higher-Order Thought Theorists
Authors: BERGER JACOB
Published: July 2017

According to David Rosenthal’s higher-order thought (HOT) theory of consciousness, a mental state is conscious just in case one is aware of being in that state via a suitable HOT. Jesse Mulder (2016) recently objects: though HOT theory holds that conscious states are states that it seems to one that one is in, the view seems unable to explain how HOTs engender such seemings. I clarify here how HOT theory can adequately explain the relevant mental appearances, illustrating the explanatory power of HOT theory.
GENOTYPIC DIFFERENCES IN CARDINAL TEMPERATURES FOR IN VITRO POLLEN GERMINATION AND POLLEN TUBE GROWTH OF COCONUT HYBRIDS
Authors: RANASINGHE C. S. , KUMARATHUNGE M. D. P. , KIRIWANDENIYA K. G. S.
Published: July 2017

Successful fruit set in coconut depends on several reproductive processes including pollen germination and pollen tube growth. High temperature (˃33 °C) during flowering reduces fruit set in coconut. Therefore, identification and development of coconut varieties or hybrids with high reproductive heat tolerance will benefit the coconut industry in view of the climate changes. This experiment was conducted to quantify the response of pollen germination and pollen tube growth of seven coconut hybrids to increasing temperature from 16 to 38 °C. A Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was carried out to classify coconut hybrids on the basis of their temperature tolerances to pollen germination. Pollen germination and pollen tube length of the hybrids ranged from 56 to 78% and 242 to 772 µm, respectively. A modified bilinear model best described the response to temperature of pollen germination and pollen tube length. Cardinal temperatures (Tmin, Topt and Tmax) of pollen germination and pollen tube length varied among the seven hybrids. PCA identified Tmax for pollen germination and Topt for pollen tube length as the most important parameters in describing varietal tolerance to high temperature. PCA also identified SLGD × Sri Lanka Tall and Sri Lanka Brown Dwarf × Sri Lanka Tall as the most tolerant hybrids to high temperature stress and Sri Lanka Tall × Sri Lanka Tall and Sri Lanka Green Dwarf × San Ramon as less tolerant ones based on cardinal temperatures for pollen germination and pollen tube length. Tmax for pollen germination of the most tolerant and less tolerant hybrids were 41.9 and 39.5 °C, respectively. Topt for pollen tube length in the most tolerant and less tolerant hybrids were 29.5 and 26.0 °C, respectively.
The Munitions Worker as Trickster in Wartime Japan
Authors: Uchiyama Benjamin
Published: July 2017

Following Japan's invasion of China in 1937, Japanese bureaucratic and intellectual elites constructed a volatile image of the munitions worker as trickster. Within this discursive realm, the worker became an object of hope, fear, and rage for the guardians of an idealized home front struggling to bolster war production while still adhering to wartime goals of national austerity. In the cultural fantasies and nightmares of the Japanese home front, the munitions worker fluctuated between the valorized “industrial warrior” laboring for the nation and a violent delinquent ready to wreak havoc on society.
Stock Liquidity and Stock Price Crash Risk
Authors: Chang Xin , Chen Yangyang , Zolotoy Leon
Published: July 2017

We find that stock liquidity increases stock price crash risk. To identify the causal effect, we use the decimalization of stock trading as an exogenous shock to liquidity. This effect is increasing in a firm’s ownership by transient investors and nonblockholders. Liquid firms have a higher likelihood of future bad earnings news releases, which are accompanied by greater selling by transient investors, but not blockholders. Our results suggest that liquidity induces managers to withhold bad news, fearing that its disclosure will lead to selling by transient investors. Eventually, accumulated bad news is released all at once, causing a crash.
Diagnosing collisionless energy transfer using field–particle correlations: gyrokinetic turbulence
Authors: Klein Kristopher G. , Howes Gregory G. , TenBarge Jason M.
Published: July 2017

Determining the physical mechanisms that extract energy from turbulent fluctuations in weakly collisional magnetized plasmas is necessary for a more complete characterization of the behaviour of a variety of space and astrophysical plasmas. Such a determination is complicated by the complex nature of the turbulence as well as observational constraints, chiefly that in situ measurements of such plasmas are typically only available at a single point in space. Recent work has shown that correlations between electric fields and particle velocity distributions constructed from single-point measurements produce a velocity-dependent signature of the collisionless damping mechanism. We extend this work by constructing field–particle correlations using data sets drawn from single points in strongly driven, turbulent, electromagnetic gyrokinetic simulations to demonstrate that this technique can identify the collisionless mechanisms operating in such systems. The velocity-space structure of the correlation between proton distributions and parallel electric fields agrees with expectations of resonant mechanisms transferring energy collisionlessly in turbulent systems. This work motivates the eventual application of field–particle correlations to spacecraft measurements in the solar wind, with the ultimate goal to determine the physical mechanisms that dissipate magnetized plasma turbulence.
‘Parity of Participation’ and the Politics of Needs Interpretation: Engagement with Roma Migrants in Manchester
Authors: COOLS PIETER , LEGGIO DANIELE VIKTOR , MATRAS YARON , OOSTERLYNCK STIJN
Published: July 2017

Service providers in Western welfare states have to engage with an increasingly differentiated citizenry. The arrival of new migrant communities triggers debates, negotiations and struggles over the needs of these communities and how service providers can engage with them. In this paper, we look at these processes of developing local social inclusion policies that target migrant communities through the perspective of Nancy Fraser's ‘politics of need interpretation’. More specifically, we analyse Roma engagement strategies in Manchester. We do so by reconstructing how the presence of Romanian Roma emerged as a public issue leading to various engagement strategies and how different actors competed over the interpretation of the needs of the Roma community and the best ways to respond to them. We use Fraser's notion of ‘parity of participation’ to draw attention to the position of the Roma community itself in the process of interpreting needs.
Characterization of group B coxsackieviruses isolated from non-polio acute flaccid paralysis patients in Pakistan: vital assessment before polio eradication
Authors: ANGEZ M. , SHAUKAT S. , ZAHRA R. , ALAM M. M. , SHARIF S. , KHURSHID A. , ARSHAD Y. , SULEMAN M. , MUJTABA G. , ZAIDI S. S. Z.
Published: July 2017

Pakistan is at the verge of polio eradication but isolation of non-polio enteroviruses (NPEVs) from acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) cases may result in serious or even fatal outcome. Many enteroviruses share similar symptoms and epidemiology as is the case with poliovirus and coxsackievirus (CV). The present study was designed to genetically characterize coxsackievirus B (CV-B) serotypes isolated from non-polio acute flaccid paralytic children, as well as to understand their probable role in paralysis. A total of 63 (20·1%) out of 313 stool samples during 2013 were found positive for NPEVs in rhabdomyosarcoma cells. Only 24 (38·0%) NPEVs were typed as CV-B by microneutralization assay and were further characterized by sequencing of the viral protein 1 (VP1) gene. Molecular phylogenetic analyses classified the study strains into six coxsackievirus B serotypes (coxsackievirus B1 to B6) with their respective prototype strains with evidence of epidemiological linkage and distinct clusters. Moreover, four major differences were found within the amino acid sequences of BC-loop in VP1 of CV-B strains. In conclusion, this study presented the molecular evolutionary genetic overview and distinct phylogenetic pattern of CV-B isolates from AFP cases in Pakistan, and explored the possible link between CV-B infections and AFP cases. Furthermore, our data reveal that these viruses might contribute to the incidence of paralysis in population and there is need of time to establish an enterovirus surveillance system for better understanding of epidemiological and virological characteristics of NPEV infections associated with AFP cases in the country.
Regional relationships among the low vowels of U.S. English: Evidence from production and perception
Authors: Kendall Tyler , Fridland Valerie
Published: July 2017

The unconditioned merger of the low back vowels and the variety of realizations found for the low front vowel have been noted as leading to greater distinctiveness across U.S. English regional dialects. The extent to which the movements of these vowels are related has repeatedly been of interest to dialectology as well as phonological theory. Here, examining production and perception data from speaker-listeners across three major regions of the United States, the relationships among these low vowels within and across regions are investigated. Participants provided speech samples and took part in a vowel identification task, judging vowels along a continuum from /æ/ to /ɑ/. Results of acoustic analysis and statistical analysis of the perception results indicate that a structural relationship between /æ/ and /ɑ/ is maintained across regions and that listeners’ own degree of low back vowel merger predicts their perception of the boundary between /æ/ and /ɑ/.
There's three variants: Agreement variation in existentialthereconstructions
Authors: Krejci Bonnie , Hilton Katherine
Published: July 2017

Previous studies of agreement variation in existentialthereconstructions treat the variable as binary, distinguishing between agreeing and nonagreeing variants. Using new data from a corpus of English spoken in California, we argue that this widely studied variable cannot be fully understood without instead making a three-way distinction between agreement (there are/were+ plural), nonagreement using a full form of the verb (there is/was+ plural), and nonagreement usingthere's. We motivate this three-way distinction by showing that the two nonagreeing variants differ in their distributions with respect to polarity and determiner type, as well as speaker age and education level. Full form nonagreement is more frequent among speakers with less formal education, whilethere'sis favored by younger speakers. These results suggest that the two nonagreeing variants differ in their longitudinal trajectories, a finding that would be obscured in an analysis that makes only a binary distinction between variants.
New insights into an old form: A variationist analysis of the pleonastic possessive in Guatemalan Spanish
Authors: Elsig Martin
Published: July 2017

Romance languages differ as regards the adjectival or article-like status of prenominal possessives. While in Italian, Portuguese, Catalan, and Old Spanish, they pattern like adjectives and co-occur with articles, and in French and Modern Spanish, they compete with the latter for the same structural position. The different distribution of possessives is claimed to reflect distinct stages on a grammaticalization cline (Alexiadou, 2004). This paper focuses on a variety of Central American Spanish where the Old Spanish co-occurrence of an (indefinite) article and a possessive in the prenominal domain has been maintained (as inuna mi amiga‘a my friend’). Based on a variationist study of interview data extracted from the Project for the Sociolinguistic Study of Spanish for Spain and America (PRESEEA) Guatemala corpus, I will argue that it is indeed the indefinite article that shows signs of retarded grammaticalization. Yet, rather than extending to the variety as a whole, this retardation is context-specific.
‘Crying Out With Life and Truth’: Simulating Immersion in Messiaen'sDes Canyons aux étoiles. . .
Authors: COCHRAN TIMOTHY B.
Published: July 2017

InDes Canyons aux étoiles. . ., a work commissioned to celebrate the American bicentennial, Olivier Messiaen defines the United States through representations of Utah's birds and canyons. Focusing on the phenomenological power rather than the pictorial intentions of Messiaen's music, this article examines ways that Messiaen uses textural saturation and varied repetition to draw the listener into a musically mediated Bryce Canyon. The music challenges a stable subject/object relationship for the listener by promoting humility and awe within the landscape over more visually oriented touristic encounters. Simulations of immersion serve implicit political and evangelistic goals as city-dwelling listeners are invited to embrace dwelling in the natural environment as a means of revaluing faith and breaking free from what Messiaen perceived as the twin hindrances of mechanized civilization and secularism.
Vera Lynn on Screen: Popular Music and the ‘People's War’
Authors: GUTHRIE KATE
Published: July 2017

By the outbreak of the Second World War in Britain, critics had spent several decades negotiating the supposed distinctions between highbrow and lowbrow culture, as recent scholarship has shown. What has received comparatively little attention is how the demands of wartime living changed the stakes of the debate. This article addresses this lacuna, exploring how war invited a reassessment of the relative merits of art and popular music. Perhaps the most iconic British singer of the period, Vera Lynn provides a case study. Focusing on her first film vehicle,We'll Meet Again(1942), I explore how Lynn's character mediated the highbrow/lowbrow conflict – for example, by presenting popular music as a site of community, while disparaging art music for its minority appeal. In so doing, I argue, the film not only promoted Lynn's star persona, but also intervened in a broader debate about the value of entertainment for a nation at war.
Who Went South? The German Ethnic Niche in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres
Authors: Kamphoefner Walter D.
Published: July 2017

This article examines the demographic and occupational selectivity of German immigration to South America (primarily Argentina and Brazil) and Australia, compared to Germans bound for the United States, and the geographic and occupational niches they occupied at various destinations. It draws upon both individual-level and aggregate data from censuses and migration records on three continents to examine occupational profiles, urbanization rates, sex ratios, age structure, and age heaping as a rough measure of “quality,” among German immigrants to these destinations, concluding that immigration to the United States tended to be the least selective.
Spiritual Districts: The Origins and Dynamics of US Cities with Unusually High Concentrations of Parachurch Organizations
Authors: Scheitle Christopher P. , Dollhopf Erica J. , McCarthy John D.
Published: July 2017

Parachurch organizations are Christian, heavily evangelical Protestant, 501(c)(3) public charities focused on providing religious goods and services outside of any congregational or denominational sponsorship. The parachurch sector in the United States has been growing rapidly in recent decades, yet this growth has been highly uneven across communities. Many communities have very few parachurch organizations, while a few exhibit incredibly higher concentrations of them than would be expected based only upon their religious composition. Using IRS records, we isolate communities with the greatest concentrations of parachurch organizations, and then, drawing upon ideas developed in studies of industrial districts, we address this puzzle by exploring four of those communities, which we refer to as spiritual districts: Tulsa, Oklahoma; Nashville, Tennessee; Colorado Springs, Colorado; and Washington, D.C. We utilize interviews with organizational leaders and archival records to attempt to account for the makeup of and dynamics of each of the four unique clusters of parachurch organizations, concluding with a discussion of how understanding spiritual districts can contribute to greater understanding of the phenomenon of industrial districts.
Tsunami Records Show Increased Hazards for Chile’s Central Coast
Authors: Stanley Sarah
Published: July 2017

Simulations of the historical quake raise new concerns: A similar event in the future could cause a devastating tsunami in Chile’s most populated coastal region.
Growth arrest and a persister state enable resistance to osmotic shock and facilitate dissemination of Vibrio cholerae
Authors: Silva-Valenzuela Cecilia A , Lazinski David W , Kahne Shoshanna C , Nguyen Y , Molina-Quiroz Roberto C , Camilli Andrew
Published: July 2017

Vibrio cholerae is a water-borne bacterial pathogen and causative agent of cholera. Although V. cholerae is a halophile, it can survive in fresh water, and this has a major role in cholera epidemics through consumption of contaminated water and subsequent fecal–oral spread. After dissemination from humans back into fresh water, V. cholerae encounters limited nutrient availability and an abrupt drop in conductivity but little is known about how V. cholerae adapts to, and survives in this environment. In this work, by abolishing or altering the expression of V. cholerae genes in a high-throughput manner, we observed that many osmotic shock tolerant mutants exhibited slowed or arrested growth, and/or generated a higher proportion of persister cells. In addition, we show that growth-arrested V. cholerae, including a persister subpopulation, are generated during infection of the intestinal tract and together allow for the successful dissemination to fresh water. Our results suggest that growth-arrested and persister subpopulations enable survival of V. cholerae upon shedding to the aquatic environment.
Therapeutic efficacy of a respiratory syncytial virus fusion inhibitor
Authors: Roymans Dirk , Alnajjar Sarhad S , Battles Michael B , Sitthicharoenchai Panchan , Furmanova-Hollenstein Polina , Rigaux Peter , Berg Joke Van den , Kwanten Leen , Ginderen Marcia Van , Verheyen Nick , Vranckx Luc , Jaensch Steffen , Arnoult Eric , Voorzaat Richard , Gallup Jack M. , Larios-Mora Alejandro , Crabbe Marjolein , Huntjens Dymphy , Raboisson Pierre , Langedijk Johannes P. , Ackermann Mark R. , McLellan Jason S , Vendeville Sandrine , Koul Anil
Published: July 2017

Respiratory syncytial virus is a major cause of acute lower respiratory tract infection in young children, immunocompromised adults, and the elderly. Intervention with small-molecule antivirals specific for respiratory syncytial virus presents an important therapeutic opportunity, but no such compounds are approved today. Here we report the structure of JNJ-53718678 bound to respiratory syncytial virus fusion (F) protein in its prefusion conformation, and we show that the potent nanomolar activity of JNJ-53718678, as well as the preliminary structure–activity relationship and the pharmaceutical optimization strategy of the series, are consistent with the binding mode of JNJ-53718678 and other respiratory syncytial virus fusion inhibitors. Oral treatment of neonatal lambs with JNJ-53718678, or with an equally active close analog, efficiently inhibits established acute lower respiratory tract infection in the animals, even when treatment is delayed until external signs of respiratory syncytial virus illness have become visible. Together, these data suggest that JNJ-53718678 is a promising candidate for further development as a potential therapeutic in patients at risk to develop respiratory syncytial virus acute lower respiratory tract infection.
Charge carrier localised in zero-dimensional (CH3NH3)3Bi2I9 clusters
Authors: Ni Chengsheng , Hedley Gordon , Payne Julia , Svrcek Vladimir , McDonald Calum , Jagadamma Lethy Krishnan , Edwards Paul , Martin Robert , Jain Gunisha , Carolan Darragh , Mariotti Davide , Maguire Paul , Samuel Ifor , Irvine John
Published: July 2017

A metal-organic hybrid perovskite (CH3NH3PbI3) with three-dimensional framework of metal-halide octahedra has been reported as a low-cost, solution-processable absorber for a thin-film solar cell with a power-conversion efficiency over 20%. Low-dimensional layered perovskites with metal halide slabs separated by the insulating organic layers are reported to show higher stability, but the efficiencies of the solar cells are limited by the confinement of excitons. In order to explore the confinement and transport of excitons in zero-dimensional metal–organic hybrid materials, a highly orientated film of (CH3NH3)3Bi2I9 with nanometre-sized core clusters of Bi2I93− surrounded by insulating CH3NH3+ was prepared via solution processing. The (CH3NH3)3Bi2I9 film shows highly anisotropic photoluminescence emission and excitation due to the large proportion of localised excitons coupled with delocalised excitons from intercluster energy transfer. The abrupt increase in photoluminescence quantum yield at excitation energy above twice band gap could indicate a quantum cutting due to the low dimensionality.