bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Characteristics of the Spanish grammar and sociolinguistic proficiency of dual immersion graduates
Authors: Potowski Kim
Published: February 2014

Dual immersion schools in the United States, which combine native Spanish speakers and students learning Spanish as an L2, encourage English development while promoting Spanish learning. However, relatively little is known about the levels of Spanish attained by dual immersion graduates. This case study describes the performance on a number of measures of a graduating class at a Spanish-English dual immersion school. It analyzes their proficiency in speaking, reading and writing, their production of three grammatical forms, and their ability to identify and produce appropriately polite Spanish. Heritage Spanish speakers evidenced fairly strong Spanish systems. L2 Spanish learners scored low on several measures, but overall could communicate their ideas. Several recommendations are offered for immersion classroom pedagogy.
Understanding scientific communication through the extraction of the conceptual and rhetorical information codified by verbs
Authors: López Rodríguez Clara I.
Published: February 2014

Both translation and terminology can benefit from English for specific purposes and corpus linguistics in the study of the process of extracting information from texts, in particular, medical abstracts complying with the IMRAD (Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussions) format. This study focuses on verbs as instruments of conceptual, textual and rhetorical activation in scientific discourse and investigates the relation between the distribution of verbs, the different rhetorical moves of abstracts and the activation of conceptual areas. To that end, we propose a semantic classification of the most frequent verbs in each rhetorical section and in abstracts as a whole, and apply a method for the extraction of conceptual, textual and rhetorical information based on the analysis of a POS-tagged corpus within the framework of corpus linguistics and the Functional-Lexematic Model.
Monitoring knowledge
Authors: Schierz Amanda C.
Published: February 2014

The diffusion and transfer of knowledge is central to the process of innovation and is of importance to both academics and industrialists. In this paper, we propose that academic articles and patent documents referring to a set of well-researched concepts may be used as a measure of this diffusion and transfer. Concepts are typically articulated as terms, and shared terms in specialist research papers and patent documents are proposed as a monitoring index for the transfer of academic knowledge to patented technology. The identification and statistical monitoring of changes in the use of terms, through the medium of texts, may provide innovative opportunities and reduce the extensive lead-time from invention to innovation. A text-based approach has been taken to research the changes in terminology that occurred in the development of Artificial Intelligence since 1936. Biological models of growth have been applied to model the diachronic changes, and the results show that the growth of term usage may be modelled by using logistic growth techniques.
Beyond social constructivism: Complexity theory and translator education
Authors: Kiraly Donald C.
Published: February 2014

Evidence from several translation market surveys suggests that many students of translation may not be receiving adequate training, particularly in the personal and inter-personal skills that they will need upon graduation in the rapidly changing field of language mediation. This article investigates the multi-cluster na-ture of ‘translator competence’ and its implications for a multi-facetted approach to translator education. In drawing upon recent work involving the application of com-plexity theory to educational issues, the article moves beyond neo-Vygotskian social constructivism as the key guiding principle for translator education. Complexity the-ory is used to show how a principled combination of transmissionist, transactional and transformational teaching approaches might be more effective than any one approach alone.
Integration of translation and summarization processes in summary translation
Authors: Shreve Gregory M.
Published: February 2014

"Summary translation" is a form of translation that is much more common in the federal government than in commercial environments, and so is rarely studied and generally ill understood. While it involves many of the processes that emerge in the nor-mal full translation task (verbatim translation in government parlance), because the final result of this cross-language task is a summary as well as a translation, the summary translator must effectively integrate the component cognitive processes of both summari-zation and translation. The extreme transactional influence of the request for information that initiates a summary translation produces at least four significant areas of difference between summary and full translation, which involve: the extent of semantic reduction and linguistic compression/expansion, the extent of source-text/target text correspondence, and the differential weighting of semantic content. Each of these areas of difference has implications for some of the gross cognitive processes underlying translation: text com-prehension (from reading or listening), hierarchical discourse processing, mental model construction, task-based decision-making/problem-solving, and text production.
An empirical investigation of temporal and technical post-editing effort
Authors: O'Brien Sharon
Published: February 2014

This article reports on a study designed to quantify temporal and technical post-editing effort in machine translated texts. The study involved two groups of English>German translators, one instructed to post-edit a machine-translated text and the other to translate the same text from English into German. In addition, text segments containing negative translatability indicators (NTIs) were isolated in order to compare the effort involved in post-editing and translating segments with such indicators and without. Results indicate that the post-editing effort for all segments was lower than the translation effort for those segments. Additional results suggest, among other things, that the removal of NTIs may reduce relative post-editing effort overall.
Terminology and ideology: Translating Russian political language
Authors: Visson Lynn
Published: February 2014

This article analyzes the rapid developments in Russian political language, or discourse, since the fall of the Soviet Union as they impact Russian>English interpreting. Specifically, the article focuses on the mixing of registers produced by the persistence of Soviet-era language and the introduction of new influences, such as borrowings and criminal and marketing slang.
Validation of the International Reading Literacy Test
Authors: Diepen Mieke van , Verhoeven Ludo , Aarnoutse Cor , Bosman Anna M.T.
Published: February 2014

In 2001, the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) conducted a comparative study of reading literacy (PIRLS 2001). A reading comprehension assessment instrument was developed and translated into the languages of 35 participating countries for this purpose. After field testing of the instrument, the final version of the Reading Literacy Test (RLT) was established. In two studies, the validity of the Dutch version of the RLT was examined. In the first study, comparison of the linguistic characteristics of the Dutch and English versions of the test showed the Dutch passages and items to contain both a greater number of words and longer words than the English passages and items. However, the use of more and longer words did not produce a higher level of complexity with respect to content, sentence structure, text structure, or test items as judged by a panel of bilingual experts. While the Dutch children had to read more and longer words than the English children, moreover, they had no problems finishing the test within the allocated amount of time. In the second study, the possible impact of the changes made after the field testing of the RLT was examined. The omission of passages and the modification or omission of test items were found to have no consequences for the psychometric properties of the Dutch version of the test were examined.
Russian SMS compliments
Authors: Mironovschi Lilia
Published: February 2014

This study focuses on compliments in Russian language used in electronic communication. 187 examples of compliments sent from mobile phones by means of short message service (SMS) to the participants of a beauty contest that took place in a big west-Russian city were analysed. The language used in the short messages (SM) was similar to the spoken Russian language of young generation and contained incomplete sentences, slang words, etc. However, the compliments made by SMS were more expressive, more ingenious, and longer than the spoken Russian compliments. The cultural specifics of Russian SM and the specific features of SM as a discourse genre, which affect the compliment realization, are accented in the study.
The influence of spelling conventions on perceived plurality in compounds
Authors: Jansen Carel , Schreuder Robert , Neijt Anneke
Published: February 2014

Dutch compounds with ‘e’ or ‘en’ as linking element between modifier and head were presented to mother tongue speakers of Afrikaans in an experimental setting that explored the possibility that these different spelling formats would suggest a singular or plural meaning of the modifier. The participants appeared to interpret ‘en’ in the linking element as an indication for singular, and ‘e’ as signifying plural. This outcome supported the findings in comparable studies on Dutch, which also revealed a tendency to understand the spelling of the linking schwa in relation to conventions for the spelling of the plural suffix. In Afrikaans the spelling of the plural forms is ‘e’, whereas in Dutch the spelling of plural forms is ‘en’. This explains why the results of the Dutch and Afrikaans experiments, while using the same materials, are each other’s mirror image.
The graphematic representation of prepositional phrases in experimental writing of Tarifit Berber by Moroccan students in Germany and Morocco
Authors: Mehlem Ulrich
Published: February 2014

The representation of word boundaries constitutes a central issue of many writing systems and orthographies, especially when two different components of a segmental phonographic and a word-based morpho-syntactical principle interact. This interaction will be studied in the context of literacy transfer from a L2 learnt at school to a vernacular and non-written L1. The central question of this paper will be how three different types of literate and metalinguistic knowledge intervene in this process. As a case study, the spontaneously written narratives of Moroccan school children who speak Tarifit Berber as their first language in Germany (with German as L2) and Morocco (with Modern Standard Arabic as L2) will be analysed. We assume that the writing of Berber in these two settings does not only differ on the level of the two different scripts, but also on the level of very divergent orthographic principles at the morpho-syntactical level.

This paper presents material from two research projects on literacy acquisition of Moroccan students in Germany and Morocco, in which students from different grades were asked to produce oral narratives in Berber (and their second language, i.e. Arabic or German, respectively) and then to transcribe them according to their preferred script system. The similarities in the treatment of word boundaries cut across the overt differences in the choice of the script system: pupils in Germany, even if they use the Arabic script, transfer a word concept from German, while in Morocco, even in the case of Latin letters, a different model is dominant. As will be shown with respect to the problem of prepositional phrases in detail, the different models function like “matrix scripts”. They indicate at the same time, albeit in different degrees, a cultural accommodation to the dominant school or official language.
Effects of 12 weeks of dynamic strength training with local vibration
Authors: Drummond Marcos D. M. , Couto Bruno P. , Augusto Izabela G. , Rodrigues Sara A. , Szmuchrowski Leszek A.
Published: February 2014

The purpose of this study was to investigate the chronic effects of dynamic strength training (ST) with local vibration on the maximum strength of elbow flexor muscles. Twenty healthy male untrained volunteers were divided randomly into the following two groups: the conventional training group (CTG) or the vibration training group (VTG). Both groups performed ST for 12 weeks, three times a week. The ST protocol included four sets of 8–10 repetition maximums (RMs) of unilateral elbow flexion exercise. The VTG performed this training protocol with local vibration at a frequency of 30 Hz and amplitude of 6 mm. The mean values of the one repetition maximum (1RM) tests for both groups increased significantly from the pretest week to the fourth week and from the fourth week to the eighth week (CTG: mean 19.02, s = 7.88%, p = 0.01; mean 10.50, s = 6.86%, p = 0.019, respectively; VTG: mean 16.02, s = 8.30%, p = 0.017; mean 12.55, s = 8.76%, p = 0.019, respectively). The increases in the maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) tests were also statistically significant from the pretest week to the fourth week and from the fourth week to the eighth week (CTG: mean 12.32, s = 8.33%, p = 0.004; mean 9.95, s = 5.32%, p = 0.006, respectively; VTG: mean 10.16, s = 11.71%, p = 0.003; mean 10.36, s = 2.96%, p = 0.01, respectively). There was no significant difference between the 1RM and MVC test results in the eighth and twelfth weeks in either group. No significant differences were observed between the groups (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the application of local vibration does not change the chronic effects of dynamic ST in untrained individuals.
The possible extremal Betti numbers of a homogeneous ideal
Authors: Herzog Jürgen , Sharifan Leila , Varbaro Matteo
Published: February 2014

We give a numerical characterization of the possible extremal Betti numbers (values as well as positions) of any homogeneous ideal in a polynomial ring over a field of characteristic

0
0

.
Mehler–Heine formulas for orthogonal polynomials with respect to the modified Jacobi weight
Authors: Fejzullahu Bujar
Published: February 2014

In this paper the ladder operator approach has been applied to deduce the Mehler–Heine type formulas for orthogonal polynomials with respect to the modified Jacobi weight
\[
<mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="omega Subscript alpha comma beta comma h Baseline left-parenthesis x right-parenthesis equals h left-parenthesis x right-parenthesis left-parenthesis 1 minus x right-parenthesis Superscript alpha Baseline left-parenthesis 1 plus x right-parenthesis Superscript beta Baseline comma x element-of left-bracket negative 1 comma 1 right-bracket comma">

ω

α
,
β
,
h

(
x
)
=
h
(
x
)
(
1
−
x

)
α

(
1
+
x

)
β

,

x
∈
[
−
1
,
1
]
,

\omega _{\alpha ,\beta ,h}(x)=h(x) (1-x)^\alpha (1+x)^\beta , \hspace {0.5cm} x\in [-1,1],

\]
where

α
,
β
>
0
,

\alpha ,\beta >0,

and with

h
h

real analytic and strictly positive on

[
−
1
,
1
]
.

[-1, 1].
A future of the model organism model
Authors: Rine Jasper
Published: February 2014

Changes in technology are fundamentally reframing our concept of what constitutes a model organism. Nevertheless, research advances in the more traditional model organisms have enabled fresh and exciting opportunities for young scientists to establish new careers and offer the hope of comprehensive understanding of fundamental processes in life. New advances in translational research can be expected to heighten the importance of basic research in model organisms and expand opportunities. However, researchers must take special care and implement new resources to enable the newest members of the community to engage fully with the remarkable legacy of information in these fields.
Canto: an online tool for community literature curation
Authors: Rutherford Kim M. , Harris Midori A. , Lock Antonia , Oliver Stephen G. , Wood Valerie
Published: February 2014

Motivation: Detailed curation of published molecular data is essential for any model organism database. Community curation enables researchers to contribute data from their papers directly to databases, supplementing the activity of professional curators and improving coverage of a growing body of literature. We have developed Canto, a web-based tool that provides an intuitive curation interface for both curators and researchers, to support community curation in the fission yeast database, PomBase. Canto supports curation using OBO ontologies, and can be easily configured for use with any species.

Availability: Canto code and documentation are available under an Open Source license from http://curation.pombase.org/. Canto is a component of the Generic Model Organism Database (GMOD) project (http://www.gmod.org/).

Contact:  helpdesk@pombase.org
BioPlat: a software for human cancer biomarker discovery
Authors: Butti Matias D. , Chanfreau Hernan , Martinez Diego , García Diego , Lacunza Ezequiel , Abba Martin C.
Published: February 2014

Summary: Development of effective tools such as oligo-microarrays and next-generation sequencing methods for monitoring gene expression on a large scale has resulted in the discovery of gene signatures with prognostic/predictive value in various malignant neoplastic diseases. However, with the exponential growth of gene expression databases, biologists are faced with the challenge of extracting useful information from these repositories. Here, we present a software package, BioPlat (Biomarkers Platform), which allows biologists to identify novel prognostic and predictive cancer biomarkers based on the data mining of gene expression signatures and gene expression profiling databases. BioPlat has been designed as an easy-to-use and flexible desktop software application, which provides a set of analytical tools related to data extraction, preprocessing, filtering, gene expression signature calculation, in silico validation, feature selection and annotation that leverage the integration and reuse of gene expression signatures in the context of follow-up data.

Availability and implementation: BioPlat is a platform-independent software implemented in Java and supported on GNU/Linux and MS Windows, which is freely available for download at http://www.cancergenomics.net.

Contact:  mcabba@gmail.com

Supplementary information:  Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
CanSNPer: a hierarchical genotype classifier of clonal pathogens
Authors: Lärkeryd Adrian , Myrtennäs Kerstin , Karlsson Edvin , Dwibedi Chinmay Kumar , Forsman Mats , Larsson Pär , Johansson Anders , Sjödin Andreas
Published: February 2014

Summary: Advances in typing methodologies have recently reformed the field of molecular epidemiology of pathogens. The falling cost of sequencing technologies is creating a deluge of whole genome sequencing data that burdens bioinformatics resources and tool development. In particular, single nucleotide polymorphisms in core genomes of pathogens are recognized as the most important markers for inferring genetic relationships because they are evolutionarily stable and amenable to high-throughput detection methods. Sequence data will provide an excellent opportunity to extend our understanding of infectious disease when the challenge of extracting knowledge from available sequence resources is met. Here, we present an efficient and user-friendly genotype classification pipeline, CanSNPer, based on an easily expandable database of predefined canonical single nucleotide polymorphisms.

Availability and implementation: All documentation and Python-based source code for the CanSNPer are freely available at http://github.com/adrlar/CanSNPer.

Contact:  adrian.larkeryd@foi.se
Estimating concentrations of essential omega-3 fatty acids in the ocean: supply and demand
Authors: Budge Suzanne M. , Devred Emmanuel , Forget Marie-Hélène , Stuart Venetia , Trzcinski M. Kurtis , Sathyendranath Shubha , Platt Trevor
Published: February 2014

Vertebrates have a universal requirement for essential fatty acids (FAs), but in the ocean these FAs are synthesized only by phytoplankton. All other marine organisms must source their essential FA directly from phytoplankton or indirectly through the food web. Thus, the growth and abundance of all organisms in the marine ecosystem is constrained not just by the rate of carbon fixation in photosynthesis but also by the rate of synthesis of essential FAs. Despite the significance of this controlling step, we have had until now only very limited knowledge of the amount, distribution and rate of synthesis of essential FAs in the sea. Here, we report results on the quantity of a specific essential omega-3 FA, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) in the ocean, obtained with a novel application of ocean-colour data collected by remote sensing. Using in situ samples collected in the Northwest Atlantic, we developed a simple model to describe the relationship between total FAs and total chlorophyll-a. We refined these by examining the relationships of FAs produced predominantly by diatoms with the fraction of total chlorophyll-a derived from diatoms. These models were then applied to satellite data to map the distribution of EPA relative to diatom carbon in the Northwest Atlantic. With extrapolation to the global oceans, we were able to provide a first estimate of annual production of EPA, which demonstrated that the supply was barely sufficient to meet the nutritional demand of the world population in the present day; as the world population increases, this resource may become inadequate to meet those demands. This approach will allow us to begin to address issues such as the budget of essential FAs in the ocean and the maximum sustainable rate at which these FAs could be harvested from the ocean without compromising the integrity of the marine ecosystem.
Variability of fishing effort for the German brown shrimp (Crangon crangon) fishing fleet: influencing factors, and seasonal and spatial patterns
Authors: Respondek G. , Gröger J. , Floeter J. , Temming A.
Published: February 2014

We examined factors affecting the fishing effort in the German brown shrimp (Crangon crangon) fishery, including shrimp and fuel price, catch per unit effort (cpue), number of days with strong wind, fishing port, and season. Time-series analysis (TS) using rational transfer functions (ARIMAX, an extension of autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) modelling) were applied to model mean monthly boat effort (MBE, in hours), aggregated from the logbook data of five German ports for the years 2000–2008. We addressed two major areas: (i) whether cyclic effort patterns and the effect of external factors such as wind differ regionally, and (ii) whether external factors such as cpue, shrimp and fuel prices have a significant influence on the effort pattern. The estimated ARIMAX models accounted for 52–77% of the variance in MBE if analysed separately for each port, indicating a stable seasonal pattern of fishing effort without major interannual variations or significant trends. In spite of considerable variability in the external factors, none of cpue, shrimp or fuel price had a significant effect on the fishing effort. We interpreted this stability as a lack of alternative target species and discuss the theory that a response of a fishery to these external factors might only occur once certain critical threshold values have been exceeded, which was not the case during the investigated period. The models indicated differences in the seasonal patterns of the different harbours, with shorter trips and an earlier start for the main fishing season in the southwest (SW) regions, whereas in the northeast (NE) harbours, trips were longer, peak effort was shifted by 1–2 months and the spring season was of greater importance. The relationships of these regional patterns to the shrimp life cycle and coast topography, as well as implications for future management, are discussed.
The gene cluster of aureocyclicin 4185: the first cyclic bacteriocin of Staphylococcus aureus
Authors: Potter Amina , Ceotto Hilana , Coelho Marcus Lívio Varella , Guimarães Allan J. , Bastos Maria do Carmo de Freire
Published: February 2014

Staphylococcus aureus 4185 was previously shown to produce at least two bacteriocins. One of them is encoded by pRJ101. To detect the bacteriocin-encoding gene cluster, an ~9160 kb region of pRJ101 was sequenced. In silico analyses identified 10 genes (aclX, aclB, aclI, aclT, aclC, aclD, aclA, aclF, aclG and aclH) that might be involved in the production of a novel cyclic bacteriocin named aureocyclicin 4185. The organization of these genes was quite similar to that of the gene cluster responsible for carnocyclin A production and immunity. Four putative proteins encoded by these genes (AclT, AclC, AclD and AclA) also exhibited similarity to proteins encoded by cyclic bacteriocin gene clusters. Mutants derived from insertion of Tn917-lac into aclC, aclF, aclH and aclX were affected in bacteriocin production and growth. AclX is a 205 aa putative protein not encoded by the gene clusters of other cyclic bacteriocins. AclX exhibits 50 % similarity to a permease and has five putative membrane-spanning domains. Transcription analyses suggested that aclX is part of the aureocyclicin 4185 gene cluster, encoding a protein required for bacteriocin production. The aclA gene is the structural gene of aureocyclicin 4185, which shows 65 % similarity to garvicin ML. AclA is proposed to be cleaved off, generating a mature peptide with a predicted M
r of 5607 Da (60 aa). By homology modelling, AclA presents four α-helices, like carnocyclin A. AclA could not be found at detectable levels in the culture supernatant of a strain carrying only pRJ101. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a cyclic bacteriocin gene cluster in the genus Staphylococcus.
6-(4-Fluorophenyl)-3-phenyl-7H-1,2,4-triazolo[3,4-b][1,3,4]thiadiazine
Authors: Palakshamurthy B. S. , Devarajegowda H. C. , Mohan N. R. , Sreenivasa S. , Suchetan P. A.
Published: February 2014

In the title compound, C16H11FN4S, the dihedral angles between the triazole ring and the phenyl and fluorobenzene rings are 23.22 (17) and 18.06 (17)°, respectively. The six-membered heterocyclic ring adopts a distorted envelope conformation, with the methylene C atom as the flap. In the crystal, the molecules are linked by two C—H...N and C—H...F interactions along [010], formingC(5),C(8) andC(13) chains repectively. C—H...π interactions involving the phenyl ring and π–π interactions [centroid–centroid separation for triazole rings = 3.5660 (18) Å] are also observed.
1-(3,4-Dimethoxyphenyl)-3-phenylprop-2-en-1-one
Authors: Umesha Basavaiah , Basavaraju Yeriyur Basavaiah , Kaur Manpreet , Yathirajan Hemmige S. , Jasinski Jerry P.
Published: February 2014

In the title compound, C17H16O3, the dihedral angle between the mean planes of the benzene rings is 57.1 (1)°. The mean plane of the ketone group is twisted by 10.0 (5)° from that of the dimethoxyphenyl ring. The two dimethoxyphenyl groups are twisted slighly from the mean plane of the phenyl ring, with C—O—C—C torsion angles of 6.4 (2) and −7.9 (2)° [r.m.s. deviations = 0.15 (3) and 0.18 (3) Å for the two methoxy C atoms]. In the crystal, weak centroid–centroid π–π stacking interactions, with intercentroid distances of 3.8939 (11) and 3.9430 (10) Å are observed.
Diphenyl[(phenylsulfanyl)methyl]-λ5-phosphanethione
Authors: Gessner Viktoria H.
Published: February 2014

The title compound, C19H17PS2, results from the direct deprotonation of diphenylmethylphosphine sulfide and subsequent reaction with diphenyl disulfide. The C—P and C—S bond lengths of 1.8242 (18) and 1.8009 (18) Å, respectively, of the central P—C—S linkage are comparable to those found in the sulfonyl analogue, but are considerably longer than those reported for the dimetallated sulfonyl compound. The dihedral angle between the benzene rings of the diphenylmethyl moiety is 69.46 (7)°. No distinct intermolecular interactions are present in the crystal structure.
5-Chloro-5′′-(4-chlorobenzylidene)-4′-(4-chlorophenyl)-1′,1′′-dimethyldispiro[indoline-3,2′-pyrrolidine-3′,3′′-piperidine]-2,4′′-dione
Authors: Farag I. S. Ahmed , Girgis Adel S. , Ramadan A. A. , Moustafa A. M. , Mabied Ahmed F.
Published: February 2014

The racemic title compound, C30H26Cl3N3O2, comprises two spiro links, the first connecting the piperidine and pyrrolidine rings and the other connecting the indole and pyrrolidine rings. The piperidine ring adopts a half-chair conformation, while the pyrrolidine ring has an envelope conformation with the unsubstituted C atom as the flap. The dihedral angles between the twop-Cl-substituted benzene rings and the indole ring are 33.13 (14) and 54.11 (14)°. In the crystal, molecules form inversion dimers through pairs of N—H...O hydrogen bonds [graph setR22(8)]. Aromatic C—H...O hydrogen bonds extend these dimers into a ribbon structure, enclosingR22(14) ring motifs, along thea-axis direction.
Anharmonicity and isomorphic phase transition: a multi-temperature X-ray single-crystal and powder diffraction study of 1-(2′-aminophenyl)-2-methyl-4-nitroimidazole
Authors: Poulain Agnieszka , Wenger Emmanuel , Durand Pierrick , Jarzembska Katarzyna N. , Kamiński Radosław , Fertey Pierre , Kubicki Maciej , Lecomte Claude
Published: February 2014

The harmonic model of atomic nuclear motions is usually enough for multipole modelling of high-resolution X-ray diffraction data; however, in some molecular crystals, such as 1-(2′-aminophenyl)-2-methyl-4-nitro-1H-imidazole [Paul, Kubicki, Jelschet al.(2011).Acta Cryst.B67, 365–378], it may not be sufficient for a correct description of the charge-density distribution. Multipole refinement using harmonic atom vibrations does not lead to the best electron density model in this case and the so-called `shashlik-like' pattern of positive and negative residual electron density peaks is observed in the vicinity of some atoms. This slight disorder, which cannot be modelled by split atoms, was solved using third-order anharmonic nuclear motion (ANM) parameters. Multipole refinement of the experimental high-resolution X-ray diffraction data of 1-(2′-aminophenyl)-2-methyl-4-nitro-1H-imidazole at three different temperatures (10, 35 and 70 K) and a series of powder diffraction experiments (20 ≤T≤ 300 K) were performed to relate this anharmonicity observed for several light atoms (N atoms of amino and nitro groups, and O atoms of nitro groups) to an isomorphic phase transition reflected by a change in thebcell parameter around 65 K. The observed disorder may result from the coexistence of domains of two phases over a large temperature range, as shown by low-temperature powder diffraction.
Structural insight into activity enhancement and inhibition of H64A carbonic anhydrase II by imidazoles
Authors: Aggarwal Mayank , Kondeti Bhargav , Tu Chingkuang , Maupin C. Mark , Silverman David N. , McKenna Robert
Published: February 2014

Human carbonic anhydrases (CAs) are zinc metalloenzymes that catalyze the hydration and dehydration of CO2and HCO3−, respectively. The reaction follows a ping-pong mechanism, in which the rate-limiting step is the transfer of a proton from the zinc-bound solvent (OH−/H2O) in/out of the active siteviaHis64, which is widely believed to be the proton-shuttling residue. The decreased catalytic activity (∼20-fold lower with respect to the wild type) of a variant of CA II in which His64 is replaced with Ala (H64A CA II) can be enhanced by exogenous proton donors/acceptors, usually derivatives of imidazoles and pyridines, to almost the wild-type level. X-ray crystal structures of H64A CA II in complex with four imidazole derivatives (imidazole, 1-methylimidazole, 2-methylimidazole and 4-methylimidazole) have been determined and reveal multiple binding sites. Two of these imidazole binding sites have been identified that mimic the positions of the `in' and `out' rotamers of His64 in wild-type CA II, while another directly inhibits catalysis by displacing the zinc-bound solvent. The data presented here not only corroborate the importance of the imidazole side chain of His64 in proton transfer during CA catalysis, but also provide a complete structural understanding of the mechanism by which imidazoles enhance (and inhibit when used at higher concentrations) the activity of H64A CA II.
Trait diversity enhances yield in algal biofuel assemblages
Authors: Shurin Jonathan B. , Mandal Shovon , Abbott Rachel L.
Published: February 2014

Phytoplankton offer great potential as a bioenergy crop; however, technological advances are needed to intensify their yield and reduce their footprints for water, nutrients and land. One approach to enhance productivity is to grow polycultures of mixed species, which convert abiotic resources into biomass more efficiently than any single taxon.

We measured traits related to nutrient and light use, growth rate, biomass production, stoichiometry and neutral lipid concentration in 16 diverse microalgal taxa. Species with large cells (primarily Chlorophyta) showed rapid growth, high asymptotic biomass, low minimum nutrient demands, and high cellular C : N and C : P ratios. These same species also exhibited high minimum demands for light and low lipid concentrations. We grew all 119 possible species pairs and found that biomass yield exceeded the component monocultures in polycultures consisting of species with highly divergent traits. However, underyielding occurred frequently as many pairs produced less biomass than either the mean or the maximum of the two component monocultures.

In terms of ecological trade‐offs, competitive ability for N and P were positively correlated, but negatively related to ability to grow at low light. In terms of bioenergy production, the species with high cellular lipid concentrations showed both slow growth and high demands for nutrients.

Synthesis and applications. Our results identify trade‐offs among functional traits that determine the suitability of different algal species as biofuel feedstocks and narrow the search for productive and robust species combinations to maximize bioenergy productivity. An approach based on the ecology of species traits will be more effective in optimizing yield in bioenergy communities than promoting high species diversity per se.
Diversity, resistance and resilience of the bacterial communities at two alpine glacier forefields after a reciprocal soil transplantation
Authors: Meola Marco , Lazzaro Anna , Zeyer Josef
Published: February 2014

In this study, we determined the driving key factor determining variability in bacterial community structures in soils at two unvegetated alpine glacier forefields with different bedrock geology (calcareous and siliceous). We further assessed the resistance and resilience capacities of the bacterial communities through reciprocal soil transplantations. Sterilized and unsterilized soils were incubated locally (‘home’) or transplanted (‘away’) for 15 months (July 2011–October 2012) and sampled regularly during the snow‐free seasons. Changes in bacterial community structures were determined through fingerprinting of the 16S rRNA gene and correlated with several environmental factors. This study demonstrates that bacterial community structures at our field sites were shaped by distinct mineralogical soil properties. Soil moisture and pH appeared to not be the major driving key factors. Calcareous soil was more selective to bacteria, thus diversity was higher in siliceous soils as a positive effect of its more diverse mineralogical composition. Bacterial community in the calcareous soil exhibited stronger resistance to transplantation than the community in the siliceous soil. In fact, siliceous soil was more easily invaded by extrinsic taxa. Bacterial communities of both soil types were equally resilient at home, although different resilience patterns were observed between calcareous and siliceous soils incubated away.
In situ visualization of newly synthesized proteins in environmental microbes using amino acid tagging and click chemistry
Authors: Hatzenpichler Roland , Scheller Silvan , Tavormina Patricia L. , Babin Brett M. , Tirrell David A. , Orphan Victoria J.
Published: February 2014

Here we describe the application of a new click chemistry method for fluorescent tracking of protein synthesis in individual microorganisms within environmental samples. This technique, termed bioorthogonal non‐canonical amino acid tagging (BONCAT), is based on the in vivo incorporation of the non‐canonical amino acid L‐azidohomoalanine (AHA), a surrogate for l‐methionine, followed by fluorescent labelling of AHA‐containing cellular proteins by azide‐alkyne click chemistry. BONCAT was evaluated with a range of phylogenetically and physiologically diverse archaeal and bacterial pure cultures and enrichments, and used to visualize translationally active cells within complex environmental samples including an oral biofilm, freshwater and anoxic sediment. We also developed combined assays that couple BONCAT with ribosomal RNA (rRNA)‐targeted fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), enabling a direct link between taxonomic identity and translational activity. Using a methanotrophic enrichment culture incubated under different conditions, we demonstrate the potential of BONCAT‐FISH to study microbial physiology in situ. A direct comparison of anabolic activity using BONCAT and stable isotope labelling by nano‐scale secondary ion mass spectrometry (15NH3 assimilation) for individual cells within a sediment‐sourced enrichment culture showed concordance between AHA‐positive cells and 15N enrichment. BONCAT‐FISH offers a fast, inexpensive and straightforward fluorescence microscopy method for studying the in situ activity of environmental microbes on a single‐cell level.
Improved plant resistance to drought is promoted by the root‐associated microbiome as a water stress‐dependent trait
Authors: Rolli Eleonora , Marasco Ramona , Vigani Gianpiero , Ettoumi Besma , Mapelli Francesca , Deangelis Maria Laura , Gandolfi Claudio , Casati Enrico , Previtali Franco , Gerbino Roberto , Pierotti Cei Fabio , Borin Sara , Sorlini Claudia , Zocchi Graziano , Daffonchio Daniele
Published: February 2014

Although drought is an increasing problem in agriculture, the contribution of the root‐associated bacterial microbiome to plant adaptation to water stress is poorly studied. We investigated if the culturable bacterial microbiome associated with five grapevine rootstocks and the grapevine cultivar Barbera may enhance plant growth under drought stress. Eight isolates, over 510 strains, were tested in vivo for their capacity to support grapevine growth under water stress. The selected strains exhibited a vast array of plant growth promoting (PGP) traits, and confocal microscopy observation of gfp‐labelled Acinetobacter and Pseudomonas isolates showed their ability to adhere and colonize both the Arabidopsis and grapevine rhizoplane. Tests on pepper plants fertilized with the selected strains, under both optimal irrigation and drought conditions, showed that PGP activity was a stress‐dependent and not a per se feature of the strains. The isolates were capable of increasing shoot and leaf biomass, shoot length, and photosynthetic activity of drought‐challenged grapevines, with an enhanced effect in drought‐sensitive rootstock. Three isolates were further assayed for PGP capacity under outdoor conditions, exhibiting the ability to increase grapevine root biomass. Overall, the results indicate that PGP bacteria contribute to improve plant adaptation to drought through a water stress‐induced promotion ability.
Subaltern Cosmopolitanism: Concept and Approaches
Authors: Zeng Minhao
Published: February 2014

‘Cosmopolitanism is back’, proclaimed David Harvey presciently in 2000 ( Harvey, 2000 : 529). In the face of injustice, inequality and violence emerging from globalization processes, the last decade has witnessed a cascading interest in the vision of a world community in which sameness and difference are harmoniously dealt with. Across the humanities and social sciences, there have emerged multiple ways of understanding what exactly cosmopolitanism means for research. To push this concept to greater rigour, scholars have tried to demarcate its conceptual boundaries by underlining its conjunctural nature ( Werbner, 2006 ). Thus we have such notions as rooted cosmopolitanism, working-class cosmopolitanism, discrepant cosmopolitanism, ethnic cosmopolitanism, and vernacular cosmopolitanism. Of all these conjunctural terms, subaltern cosmopolitanism has gained noteworthy attention of late. In one of her articles published in 2010 about the old baggage and missing luggage of cosmopolitan theory, for example, Glick Schiller claims that the possibilities of strengthening cosmopolitan theory lie in ‘a further development of a subaltern cosmopolitanism’ (2010: 414). In this Viewpoint, I will first present an overview of how subaltern cosmopolitanism has been deployed by scholars, and then evaluate its particular purchase in cosmopolitan studies, and finally suggest fortifying the critical sinew of this concept by drawing on conversations about other weighty issues that concern the humanities and social sciences of today.
The Socialist Blues? Citizenship, Class and Civil Society
Authors: Stevenson Nick
Published: February 2014

This article seeks to explore the relationship between the British labour movement, the Left and the Labour party. It does so through the intellectual prism of debates around citizenship and civil society. In this respect, I seek to recover a critical politics around questions of class from the New Left who were always critical of more mainstream ideas of citizenship. However, I also point to the limitations of those who have argued that meaningful forms of citizenship can no longer be connected to political parties and only occurs outside of state organizations. Political parties continue to need intellectual narratives to legitimate their role in society and to connect with the broader civil order. The Labour Party in this respect has seemingly broken with ‘New Labour’ and is searching for a new narrative. The rise of an intellectual grouping around ‘Blue Labour’ has made considerable headway recently and I seek to take a critical view of some of their ideas and ethical frameworks. Here I argue that changing class formations and a more pluralistic society potentially ask difficult questions of those who seek to revive the labour movement in troubled times.
Fatal Child Abuse Presenting with Multiple Vertebral and Vascular Trauma
Authors: Dudley Mary H. , Garg Megha
Published: February 2014

This case study involves the unexplained death of a previously healthy 30‐month‐old child. Reportedly, she was found unresponsive by her foster father following a 2‐hour nap. She was transported to the hospital and died in the emergency room of unknown causes. Blood drawn in the ER showed hemoglobin of 4.3 mg/dL. Postmortem skeletal survey, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain, and retinal examinations were negative. The medical examiner assumed jurisdiction of the body. The autopsy showed massive retroperitoneal hemorrhage, transections of the abdominal aorta, and inferior vena cava, and complete tears of the anterior longitudinal ligament of the spine at C5/C6 and L1/L2 with diastases of the vertebral bodies at the corresponding intervertebral disk spaces. The case is believed to be extraordinary due to both the extent of injury that does not match the reported history and the mechanism of vertebral and vascular injuries.
Death Due to Coronary Artery Insufficiency Following Blunt Trauma to the Chest
Authors: Hugar Basappa S. , Shetty Harish S. , Yajaman Girish Chandra P. , Rao Anitha S.
Published: February 2014

There have been numerous reports of sudden cardiac death following blunt trauma to the chest, but there is lack of such references in forensic literature. It is the court of law which makes decision about trauma precipitating natural events. The forensic pathologist is scientifically trained in the medical field and would be in a better position to give clear picture about the victim's general status at the time of death, exact nature and severity of the illness he is suffering from if any. He can also assess the nature and severity of injuries sustained, and thus, his opinion as to the possible role played by the traumatic event in bringing about the death is valuable. This paper will discuss the mechanism of cardiac injury or possible cardiac injury and sudden death of an apparently healthy 36‐year‐old male following blunt chest trauma sustained during alleged assault by his neighbor.
Conflict Resolution Mechanisms in International Financial Organizations: Experiences and Collaborations in Broadening the Informal Process
Authors: Nanwani Suresh
Published: February 2014

International financial organizations (IFOs) such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, and regional development banks, including the Asian Development Bank and the Inter‐American Development Bank, are covered in their charter provisions with immunity from judicial proceedings in national legal systems on employment matters. Over the years, IFOs have found a practical way to deal with employment disputes and conflict resolution. Administrative tribunals have been established to serve as judicial proceedings. Informal processes such as ombudsperson (also referred to as ombuds) services have been provided by IFOs. In recent years, growing emphasis has been placed on other informal processes such as mediation services. IFOs have collaborated with, and learned lessons from, other organizations including the United Nations, the International Ombudsman Association, multinational corporations and national agencies to improve the delivery of informal processes.
The implied cost of equity capital, corporate investment and chief executive officer turnover
Authors: Hu Jinshuai , Lin Zhijun
Published: February 2014

This study investigates how the cost of equity capital, along with corporate investment, affects chief executive officer (CEO) turnover decisions. We hypothesize that the cost of equity conveys information about firm performance uncertainty that is informative ofCEOtalent. Consistently, our empirical results show that the likelihood ofCEOturnover is positively associated with the implied cost of equity, after controlling for earnings and stock performance measures and risk factors. Additional analysis of reverse causality supports the causal effect of the high cost of equity onCEOdismissals. We also find that the positive association is more pronounced for firms that are more likely to suffer from underinvestment problems. These results suggest that the cost of equity plays a more important role in assessingCEOperformance when the firm needs more external equity capital to pursue investment opportunities.