bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Importance of Planning and Politics
Authors: Hanson Royce
Published: December 2017

This book concludes with a discussion of Montgomery County's contribution to understanding planning politics. Montgomery's experience highlights the complementary roles and reasoning processes of planners and politicians as they sought to act in the public interest. One of the most valuable lessons planners and political leaders can take from Montgomery's cases is the importance of persistence in land use policy. This is evident in the General Plan, the Agricultural Reserve, and Silver Spring. Furthermore, Montgomery shows that planning matters even if planning politics is hard. This conclusion argues that planning for the next half-century will require a fusion of traditional land use planning with a broader capacity for rethinking Montgomery's role in the metropolitan, state, national, and world political economies. It ends by speculating on the county's future.
Three Puffs on a Cigarette
Authors: Orbach Danny
Published: December 2017

This chapter discusses the murder of Queen Min of Korea by Japanese Lieutenant General Miura Gorō in 1895. On October 8, 1895, a group of Japanese officers, policemen, and civilians broke into the private apartments of Queen Min, hacked her to death with swords, killed several of her court ladies and burned their bodies on the lawn. The minister of the royal household was also slain, and the crown princess was beaten. This heinous act planned by Miura, the Japanese envoy, without the knowledge of the Japanese government. The chapter examines the assassination of Queen Min within its historical and political context before discussing how it brought together, with dire consequences, two distinct roads of military resistance to state policy. It also considers the trial and subsequent acquittal of Miura in Hiroshima.
Introduction
Authors: Krug Rebecca
Published: December 2017

This introductory chapter details the background and context of Margery Kempe's spirituality and examines the extraordinary nature of Kempe's engagement with the written word. It emphasizes the uniqueness of Kempe's position given that, unlike many other late medieval women, she had gone out of her way to put her visions, feelings, and devotional experiences into writing. From here, the chapter begins formulating a new approach to Kempe's work as her own book of consolation by focusing on three issues which have occupied many of the Book's critics: the concept of revision, the nature of collaboration, and the relationship between writer and readers.
Comfort
Authors: Krug Rebecca
Published: December 2017

This chapter looks at the offer of consolation in late medieval devotional writing. It distinguishes between classical traditions, in which consolation was meant to eradicate grief and return the bereaved to civic life, and medieval ones, in which comfort was to be found in the recognition of both God's infinite goodness and the intense depravity of sinful humans. Medieval books of comfort sought to teach readers how they should feel about their “wretchedness;” the preface to Kempe's Book identifies it as offering “solace” to the “sinful wretches” who read it, to Kempe herself, and to her scribe. This chapter tracks the Book's exploration of communal experiences of high devotional desire, comfort, joy, and emotional expression as a replacement for isolated individual experiences of “wretchedness.”
Loneliness
Authors: Krug Rebecca
Published: December 2017

This chapter looks at Kempe's search for spiritual joy and companionship in conjunction with contradictory advice, offered in books of consolation, about interpersonal relations. One model insisted that the highest form of spiritual love could be found only in solitude—in a relationship with “Jesus Alone;” another recommended that believers seek out the fellowship of “right-minded men.” This chapter shows that Kempe's Book traces her struggle to live in accordance with both models. This involves, first, separation from family and home, followed by a series of pilgrimages, and, second, upon her return to Lynn, reintegration into English devotional and familial communities.
Doctors at War
Authors: de Rond Mark
Published: December 2017

This book is a candid account of a trauma surgical team based, for a tour of duty, at a field hospital in Helmand, Afghanistan. It tells of the highs and lows of surgical life in hard-hitting detail, bringing to life a morally ambiguous world in which good people face impossible choices and in which routines designed to normalize experience have the unintended effect of highlighting war's absurdity. With stories that are at once comical and tragic, the book captures the surreal experience of being a doctor at war. It lifts the cover on a world rarely ever seen, let alone written about, and provides a poignant counterpoint to the archetypical, adrenaline-packed, macho tale of what it is like to go to war. Here the crude and visceral coexist with the tender and affectionate. The book tells of well-meaning soldiers at hospital reception, there to deliver a pair of legs in the belief that these can be reattached to their comrade, now in mid-surgery; of midsummer Christmas parties and pancake breakfasts and late-night sauna sessions; of interpersonal rivalries and banter; of caring too little or too much; of tenderness and compassion fatigue; of hell and redemption; of heroism and of playing God. This is one of the first books ever to bring to life the experience of the doctors and surgical teams tasked with mending what war destroys.
Camp Bastion
Authors: de Rond Mark
Published: December 2017

The author describes Camp Bastion and its fifty-bed field hospital. Prior to its handover in late 2014, Camp Bastion covered eight square miles of desert in southwestern Afghanistan and served as the coalition's logistical hub in Helmand. Some 600 aircraft flew in and out of the camp every day. The hospital featured an ordinary and intensive care ward, a six-bed resuscitation bay (or emergency department), a four-theater (or bed) operating room, GP and dentist practices, and a pharmacy. Each day in the hospital began and ended with a meeting of department chiefs and included many of the surgeons. It was here that patients were discussed on an individual basis and life-or-death decisions made. The author discusses the hospital facilities, services, and amenities as well as day-to-day activities.
Legs
Authors: de Rond Mark
Published: December 2017

The author comments about casualties with leg injuries who were brought to the field hospital each day. He first talks about his roommate named Brook, who was very critical of the efforts expended in Iraq and Afghanistan and struggled to make sense of the war. Brook despaired of having to feed injured Afghans daily into a second-rate health care system where levels of care were so much inferior to that at Camp Bastion. The author then describes the predicament of some of the patients at the hospital, including one who got some fragment wounds around his left knee and complained that his left leg was hurting. He also shares the story of a U.S. marine who called to the hospital to report the discovery of two partial legs belonging to Billy, one of the troops in his charge.
Boredom
Authors: de Rond Mark
Published: December 2017

The author reflects on the boredom that strikes doctors and surgical staff stationed at the field hospital. In principle, boredom should have been good news—after all, no one was getting hurt—except that it left the doctors with nothing meaningful to do. And so they found themselves pining for work to come in, even if this invariably came at the expense of someone else getting hurt. Boredom can also drive doctors to criticize each other's handling of patients and treatment and discharge decisions. The military is no stranger to boredom, not even on deployment to some of the most volatile, conflict-ridden regions in the world such as Afghanistan. According to the author, the surgical staff at Camp Bastion's hospital, with idle time on their hands, became introspective.
A Record-Breaking Month
Authors: de Rond Mark
Published: December 2017

The author says the last month was a record-breaking one for the field hospital in terms of blood use. Because the numbers of casualties were not significantly different from previous months, this meant that people were getting increasingly badly injured, fueled by more powerful and often badly contaminated improvised explosive devices. The author also discusses the controversy sparked by one of the doctors' comments that the field hospital should stop giving one of the Afghans more opiates as he wouldn't get the same pain medications in any local hospital. After mentioning the day's casualties, he describes the three helicopter crews that were in charge of the evacuation of casualties: MERT, Dustoff, and Pedro. MERT is a British-staffed medical crew, comprising a physician, one or two advanced paramedics, and an emergency nurse. Dustoff and Pedro are American-staffed helicopter crews with a limited level of medical care.
Back Home
Authors: de Rond Mark
Published: December 2017

The author reflects on war's ugly reality as he headed back home from Camp Bastion. When packing for his return journey, the author says he left behind almost all his clothes—they felt dirty, contaminated—conscious that he might somehow transport the experience back home. He claims that he was feeling guilty for not being more deeply affected emotionally by what he had witnessed during his stay at the camp. According to the author, his scholarly ambitions compared poorly to the life-and-death scenarios faced by doctors. He talks about the human suffering caused by conflicts such as those in Iraq and Afghanistan. While the doctors and nurses featured in his book are not typically exposed to the thrill of the fight, the author suggests that they are willing spectators nonetheless to all that war destroys.
Australia
Authors: Sharman J. C.
Published: December 2017

This chapter considers Australia as a host for the proceeds of foreign grand corruption, and addresses the common instances in which inward corruption flows have attracted scarce publicity and little or no investigation, and where the host country government has been resistant to the idea of tracing, freezing, and returning looted wealth from abroad. People too often hear about the atypical anti-corruption success stories, while the more typical stories of corrupt leaders being able to enjoy their loot undisturbed are overlooked. The chapter argues that this lack of effectiveness is a result of a lack of willingness to take action rather than a lack of capacity. Australia has some of the most powerful applicable laws in the world, more stringent than those available to its American, Swiss, and British counterparts, but the authorities have lacked the inclination to apply them.
Conclusion
Authors: Sharman J. C.
Published: December 2017

This concluding chapter compares the patterns of strengths and weaknesses among the previous case studies and provides some policy recommendations. It explains that, given the inherent difficulty of international legal action, the problems faced by victim countries, which almost by definition have limited resources, and the fact that even “bad guys” are allowed due process and human rights in rule-of-law democracies, it seems that asset recovery as a purely criminal law strategy will seldom work. A more hopeful strategy is to move away from the criminal justice system and interstate law, and instead use a mix of strategies pursued by states as well as non-state actors, from NGOs, to vulture funds, to private individuals.
Kings and Their Friends
Authors: Sigurðsson Jón Viðar
Published: December 2017

This chapter examines how the kings and chieftains made use of friendship to secure their positions of power in Norway. The Norwegian kings used friendship to the highest degree to secure support for themselves from local chieftains and householders. However, in the long run friendship was unsuitable as a political foundation for the kings' power. In accordance with a new ideology that developed at the end of the twelfth century and in the first half of the thirteenth, friendship was replaced with obedience and service. To put it simply, a transition occurred from bilateral to unilateral relationships. After these changes, the king no longer needed to establish friendships with the householders; they had become his subjects to rule. However, the king continued to use friendship to secure the loyalty of the most central persons in the royal administration.
Introduction
Authors: High Mette M.
Published: December 2017

This introductory chapter provides an overview of the Mongolian gold rush. The gold rush, which has grown to become the largest ever on the Asian continent, involves major risks, perhaps even the sacrifice of human life itself. Although national and international commentators rejoice in Mongolia's immense mineral wealth, which is expected to help ease the global crisis in financial investment markets, gold is locally regarded as a volatile and inalienable material that is not readily exchangeable and commodifiable. In contrast to other kinds of metal, it is seen to retain strong ties to the landscape and its many spirit beings. Since these ties cannot easily be severed and are particularly strong at the point of extraction, the fortune of gold is inseparable from the fears that surround mining.
Introduction
Authors: Posecznick Alex
Published: December 2017

This introductory chapter talks about the individuals engaged in the ongoing activity required to work at Ravenwood College on a daily basis, specifically, their struggles, competing agendas, tensions, triumphs, and deliberations. Much of this analysis designates the institution's position in a hierarchy of excellence, particularly, on the lower end of the scale. In the ongoing, postsecondary hierarchy premised on elitehood, selectivity, resources, and prestige, Ravenwood was peripheral at best. Despite the extraordinary commencement ceremony, and what some call Ravenwood's “special spirit,” the American context positioned the institution as mediocre. Its service to nontraditional students (in terms of race, gender, and class) was starkly overshadowed by the pressure to maintain its position in the meritocracy.
Being a “Real” College in America
Authors: Posecznick Alex
Published: December 2017

This chapter focuses on how Ravenwood's community perceives and tangles with merit, how numbers have a privileged place in conversations about entrance examinations, accreditation metrics, among others. Merit is constituted by a whole constellation of factors, including affiliation with particular groups (which resonates with discussions about brand), scores on standardized tests, persistence and hard work, and even how choices are made. Although universities are nodes within a massive network of activities, the ways that those strands are knotted together can differ radically depending on the position of the institution, its history, its student profile, and so forth. The ways that meaning gets layered into those different positions is precisely indicative of meritocracy—or the ways that merit moves from a philosophical position to being codified and operationalized into society.
Financing Education and the Crisis of Sustainability
Authors: Posecznick Alex
Published: December 2017

This chapter turns to the most pressing and consequential of numbers—fiscal ones. It shows how the financial conditions that disciplined the Ravenwood community shape the way the college operates and drive the ways that they resolve problems. Ravenwood's approach to recruitment, branding, and converting applicants into students was deeply informed by its available resources and the economic conditions of its students. A sudden and large endowment can lead to facilities that are marked with eliteness, celebrity faculty and scholars who are known in the right circles, and strategic management of metrics that will lead to movement in rankings. In short, for institutions and individuals alike, choice is constrained by cost. Ravenwood's lack of financial resources took away more options.
Conclusions and Recommendations
Authors: Norris Pippa
Published: December 2017

This chapter summarizes the core argument and the reforms recommended to advance free and fair elections at home and abroad. Considerable evidence suggests that problems in the American electoral process have worsened, and piecemeal reforms will not be enough to compensate for growing party polarization and declining public confidence, both of which have risen since 2000. Matters of electoral governance should not be determined through laws enacted by self-interested partisan representatives in state houses. Instead, the reform process needs to engage us all. By themselves, the proposed reforms will not automatically restore confidence in elections overnight, but they are the first step in the long-term process of stemming the loss of public trust in American elections.
Three-dimensional variations in the lower limb caused by the windlass mechanism
Authors: Manfredi-Márquez María José , Tovaruela-Carrión Natalia , Távara-Vidalón Priscila , Domínguez-Maldonado Gabriel , Fernández-Seguín Lourdes María , Ramos-Ortega Javier
Published: December 2017

Background

The windlass mechanism was described as the effect caused by the extension of the first metatarsalphalangeal joint (1st MTPJ). Quantify the degrees of movement produced in the leg by means of the Bioval® sensor system, after performing two measurements in the 1st MTPJ, 45° extension and maximum extension.

Methods

Tests-post-test study with just one intervention group, performed in the Clinical Podiatry Area of the Faculty of Nursing, Physiotherapy and Podiatry of the University of Seville. Subjects were included as of age 20, with a value from 0° to 3° valgus, Helbing line, a value from 0° to +5° for the foot postural index, and a localisation axis for the normalised subtalar joint. Subjects with surgical operations of the first ray, fractures and surgical operations in the leg, pathologies in the first ray and rheumatic diseases were excluded. Measurement was performed with the Bioval® system by means of inserting four sensors in the bone structures involved in the windlass mechanism.

Results

With the 45° wedge we observed a direct correlation among the variables extension–plantar flexion 1st MTPJ and rotation of the femur. With maximal extension of the 1st MTPJ we obtained a direct relationship between the variable extension of the 1st MTPJ and the variables plantar flexion and prono-supination of the 1st metatarsal as well as with the variables tibia rotation and femur rotation.

Conclusion

Kinematic analysis suggested that the higher the degree of extension the more movement will be generated. This reduces the level of impact the more distal the structure with respect to the 1st MTPJ, which has an impact on the entire leg. Because of the kinematic system used wasn’t suitable, its impact wasn’t exactly quantified.
Structure and properties of slow-resorbing nanofibers obtained by (co-axial) electrospinning as tissue scaffolds in regenerative medicine
Authors: Hudecki Andrzej , Gola Joanna , Ghavami Saeid , Skonieczna Magdalena , Markowski Jarosław , Likus Wirginia , Lewandowska Magdalena , Maziarz Wojciech , Los Marek J.
Published: December 2017

With the rapid advancement of regenerative medicine technologies, there is an urgent need for the development of new, cell-friendly techniques for obtaining nanofibers—the raw material for an artificial extracellular matrix production. We investigated the structure and properties of PCL10nanofibers, PCL5/PCL10core-shell type nanofibers, as well as PCL5/PCLAgnanofibres prepared by electrospinning. For the production of the fiber variants, a 5–10% solution of polycaprolactone (PCL) (Mw= 70,000–90,000), dissolved in a mixture of formic acid and acetic acid at a ratio of 70:30 m/m was used. In order to obtain fibers containing PCLAg1% of silver nanoparticles was added. The electrospin was conducted using the above-described solutions at the electrostatic field. The subsequent bio-analysis shows that synthesis of core-shell nanofibers PCL5/PCL10, and the silver-doped variant nanofiber core shell PCL5/PCLAg, by using organic acids as solvents, is a robust technique. Furthermore, the incorporation of silver nanoparticles into PCL5/PCLAgmakes such nanofibers toxic to model microbes without compromising its biocompatibility. Nanofibers obtained such way may then be used in regenerative medicine, for the preparation of extracellular scaffolds: (i) for controlled bone regeneration due to the long decay time of the PCL, (ii) as bioscaffolds for generation of other types of artificial tissues, (iii) and as carriers of nanocapsules for local drug delivery. Furthermore, the used solvents are significantly less toxic than the solvents for polycaprolactone currently commonly used in electrospin, like for example chloroform (CHCl3), methanol (CH3OH), dimethylformamide (C3H7NO) or tetrahydrofuran (C4H8O), hence the presented here electrospin technique may allow for the production of multilayer nanofibres more suitable for the use in medical field.
Solution structure and dynamics of Xanthomonas albilineans Cas2 provide mechanistic insight on nuclease activity
Authors: Jeong Migyeong , Kim Iktae , Kim Gowoon , Ka Donghyun , Kim Nak‐Kyun , Bae Euiyoung , Ryu Kyoung‐Seok , Suh Jeong‐Yong
Published: December 2017

Cas2 protein in the CRISPR‐Cas system functions as a scaffold for the acquisition of foreign DNA fragments, and as a nuclease against DNA and RNA substrates. Crystal structures of Cas2 have shown catalytically inactive conformational states that do not explain the mechanism of Cas2 nuclease activity. Here, we report that Xanthomonas albilineans Cas2 (XaCas2) assumes an inactive conformation in solution. Residual dipolar couplings and NMR relaxation, however, provide direct evidence on conformational dynamics at the predicted hinge region. Furthermore, XaCas2 transiently associates with metal ions for nuclease activity via highly mobile Asp8. Taken together, the dual function of Cas2 can be explained by a dynamic equilibrium of conformational states that serve as a scaffold or as a nuclease on demand.
Xom induces proteolysis of β‐catenin through GSK3β‐mediated pathway
Authors: Wu Bin , Gao Hong , Le Yi , Wu Xiaoming , Zhu Zhenglun
Published: December 2017

The dorsal cell fate determination factor β‐catenin and its antagonist, the ventral cell fate determination factor Xom, are expressed and distributed in a polarized fashion during early vertebrate embryogenesis. Ubiquitin‐mediated proteolysis has been shown to control the abundance of both β‐catenin and Xom. However, the mechanism of ubiquitin‐mediated proteolysis in regulating dorsoventral patterning remains largely unclear. Our current study shows that Xom induces proteolysis of β‐catenin through GSK3‐mediated phosphorylation of Ser33/37 of β‐catenin. Our findings reveal a novel pathway that regulates β‐catenin stability, and suggest, for the first time, a critical function of ubiquitin‐mediated proteolysis in balancing the integration of dorsal–ventral signals and the polarized distribution of β‐catenin and Xom during dorsoventral axis formation.
Selective regulation of type II interferon‐inducible genes by NPM1/nucleophosmin
Authors: Abe Mayumi , Lin Jianhuang , Nagata Kyosuke , Okuwaki Mitsuru
Published: December 2017

Nucleophosmin (NPM1) is a multifunctional nucleolar protein. Here, we analyze the role of NPM1 in gene expression using our previous microarray data and find a relationship between NPM1 and interferon (IFN)‐γ‐inducible genes. We show that NPM1 selectively regulates the expression of a subset of IFN‐γ‐inducible genes and directly binds to two important transcription factors in the type II IFN pathway: signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 and interferon regulatory factor 1 (IRF1). Furthermore, NPM1 is found to regulate the IFN‐γ‐inducible promoter activity of major histocompatibility complex class II transactivator (CIITA), and mutation of the IRF1‐binding site on the CIITA promoter abolishes the effect of NPM1. Our results suggest a novel mechanism for IFN‐γ‐mediated gene expression by NPM1.
The 11 Year Solar Cycle Response of the Equatorial Ionization Anomaly Observed by GPS Radio Occultation
Authors: Li King‐Fai , Lin Li‐Ching , Bui Xuan‐Hien , Liang Mao‐Chang
Published: December 2017

We have retrieved the latitudinal and vertical structures of the 11 year solar cycle modulation on ionospheric electron density using 14 years of satellite‐based radio occultation measurements utilizing the Global Positioning System. The densities at the crests of the equatorial ionization anomaly (EIA) in the subtropics near 300 km in 2003 and 2014 (high solar activity with solar 10.7 cm flux, F10.7 ≈ 140 solar flux unit (sfu)) were 3 times higher than that in 2009 (low solar activity F10.7 ≈ 70 sfu). The higher density is attributed to the elevated solar extreme ultraviolet and geomagnetic activity during high solar activity periods. The location of the EIA crests moved ~50 km upward and ~10° poleward, because of the enhanced E × B force. The EIA in the northern hemisphere was more pronounced than that in the southern hemisphere. This interhemispheric asymmetry is consistent with the effect of enhanced transequatorial neutral wind. The above observations were reproduced qualitatively by the two benchmark runs of the Thermosphere‐Ionosphere‐Electrodynamics General Circulation Model. In addition, we have studied the impact of the 11 year solar cycle on the 27 day solar cycle response of the ionospheric electron density. Beside the expected modulation on the amplitude of the 27 day solar variation due to the 11 year solar cycle, we find that the altitude of the maximal 27 day solar response is unexpectedly ~50 km higher than that of the 11 year solar response. This is the first time that a vertical dependence of the solar responses on different time scales is reported.
Ion Acceleration Inside Foreshock Transients
Authors: Liu Terry Z. , Lu San , Angelopoulos Vassilis , Lin Yu , Wang X. Y.
Published: December 2017

Recent observations upstream of Earth's bow shock have revealed that foreshock transients can not only accelerate solar wind ions by reflection at their upstream boundaries but may also accelerate ions inside them. Evidence for the latter comes from comparisons of ion spectra inside and outside the cores, and from evidence of leakage of suprathermal ions from the cores. However, definite evidence for, and the physics of, ion acceleration in the foreshock transients are still open questions. Using case studies of foreshock transients from Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms observations, we reveal an ion acceleration mechanism in foreshock transients that is applicable to ~25% of the transients. The ion energy flux is enhanced between several keV to tens of keV in the cores. We show that these energetic ions are reflected at the earthward moving boundary of foreshock transients, are accelerated through partial gyration along the convection electric field, and can leak out both upstream and downstream of the foreshock transients. Using ions moving self‐consistently with a generic 3‐D global hybrid simulation of a foreshock transient, we confirm this physical picture of ion acceleration and leakage. These accelerated ions could be further accelerated at the local bow shock and repopulate the foreshock, increasing the efficacy of solar wind‐magnetosphere interactions.
A Gigantic Jet Observed Over an Mesoscale Convective System in Midlatitude Region
Authors: Yang Jing , Sato Mitsuteru , Liu Ningyu , Lu Gaopeng , Wang Yu , Wang Zhichao
Published: December 2017

Gigantic jets (GJs) are mostly observed over summer tropical or tropical‐like thunderstorms. This study reports observation of a GJ over a mesoscale convective system (MCS) in the midlatitude region in eastern China. The GJ is observed over a relatively weak radar reflectivity region ahead of the leading line, and the maximum radar echo top along the GJ azimuth was lower than the tropopause in the same region, significantly different from past studies that indicate summer GJs are usually associated with convective surges or overshooting tops. Also different from most of previous observations showing GJ‐producing summer thunderstorms only produced GJ type of transient luminous events during their life cycles, two sprites were also captured in a time window of 15 min containing the GJ, indicating that the MCS provides favorable conditions not only for the GJ but also for the sprites. The balloon‐borne soundings of the MCS show that there were large wind shears in the middle and upper levels of the thundercloud, which may have played important roles for the GJ production.
Predictability and Prediction of Low‐Frequency Rainfall Over the Lower Reaches of the Yangtze River Valley on the Time Scale of 20 to 30 days
Authors: Yang Qiuming
Published: December 2017

This paper presents a predictability study of the 20–30‐day low‐frequency rainfall over the lower reaches of the Yangtze River valley (LYRV). This study relies on an extended complex autoregressive (ECAR) model method, which is based on the principal components of the global 850 hPa low‐frequency meridional wind. ECAR is a recently advanced climate forecast method, based on data‐driven models. It not only reflects the lagged variations information between the leading low‐frequency components of the global circulation and rainfall in a complex space, but also displays the ability to describe the synergy variations of low‐frequency components of a climate system in a low dimensional space. A 6‐year forecast experiment is conducted on the low‐frequency rainfall over the LYRV for the extended‐range daily forecasts during 2009–2014, based on the time‐varying high‐order ECAR. These experimental results demonstrate that the useful skills of the real‐time forecasts are achieved for an extended lead‐time up to 28 days with a fifth‐order model, and are also shown to be 27‐day lead for forecasts which are initiated from weak intraseasonal oscillation (ISO). This high‐order ECAR displays the ability to significantly improve the predictions of the ISO. The analysis of the 20–30‐day ISO predictability reveals a predictability limit of about 28–40 days. Therefore, the forecast framework used in this study is determined to have the potential to assist in improving the real‐time forecasts for the 20–30‐day oscillations related to the heavy rainfall over the LYRV in summer.
Siting Background Towers to Characterize Incoming Air for Urban Greenhouse Gas Estimation: A Case Study in the Washington, DC/Baltimore Area
Authors: Mueller K. , Yadav V. , Lopez‐Coto I. , Karion A. , Gourdji S. , Martin C. , Whetstone J.
Published: December 2017

There is increased interest in understanding urban greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. To accurately estimate city emissions, the influence of extraurban fluxes must first be removed from urban greenhouse gas (GHG) observations. This is especially true for regions, such as the U.S. Northeastern Corridor‐Baltimore/Washington, DC (NEC‐B/W), downwind of large fluxes. To help site background towers for the NEC‐B/W, we use a coupled Bayesian Information Criteria and geostatistical regression approach to help site four background locations that best explain CO2 variability due to extraurban fluxes modeled at 12 urban towers. The synthetic experiment uses an atmospheric transport and dispersion model coupled with two different flux inventories to create modeled observations and evaluate 15 candidate towers located along the urban domain for February and July 2013. The analysis shows that the average ratios of extraurban inflow to total modeled enhancements at urban towers are 21% to 36% in February and 31% to 43% in July. In July, the incoming air dominates the total variability of synthetic enhancements at the urban towers (R2 = 0.58). Modeled observations from the selected background towers generally capture the variability in the synthetic CO2 enhancements at urban towers (R2 = 0.75, root‐mean‐square error (RMSE) = 3.64 ppm; R2 = 0.43, RMSE = 4.96 ppm for February and July). However, errors associated with representing background air can be up to 10 ppm for any given observation even with an optimal background tower configuration. More sophisticated methods may be necessary to represent background air to accurately estimate urban GHG emissions.
New Parameterizations for Neutral and Ion‐Induced Sulfuric Acid‐Water Particle Formation in Nucleation and Kinetic Regimes
Authors: Määttänen Anni , Merikanto Joonas , Henschel Henning , Duplissy Jonathan , Makkonen Risto , Ortega Ismael K. , Vehkamäki Hanna
Published: December 2017

We have developed new parameterizations of electrically neutral homogeneous and ion‐induced sulfuric acid‐water particle formation for large ranges of environmental conditions, based on an improved model that has been validated against a particle formation rate data set produced by Cosmics Leaving OUtdoor Droplets (CLOUD) experiments at European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). The model uses a thermodynamically consistent version of the Classical Nucleation Theory normalized using quantum chemical data. Unlike the earlier parameterizations for H2SO4‐H2O nucleation, the model is applicable to extreme dry conditions where the one‐component sulfuric acid limit is approached. Parameterizations are presented for the critical cluster sulfuric acid mole fraction, the critical cluster radius, the total number of molecules in the critical cluster, and the particle formation rate. If the critical cluster contains only one sulfuric acid molecule, a simple formula for kinetic particle formation can be used: this threshold has also been parameterized. The parameterization for electrically neutral particle formation is valid for the following ranges: temperatures 165–400 K, sulfuric acid concentrations 104–1013 cm−3, and relative humidities 0.001–100%. The ion‐induced particle formation parameterization is valid for temperatures 195–400 K, sulfuric acid concentrations 104–1016 cm−3, and relative humidities 10−5–100%. The new parameterizations are thus applicable for the full range of conditions in the Earth's atmosphere relevant for binary sulfuric acid‐water particle formation, including both tropospheric and stratospheric conditions. They are also suitable for describing particle formation in the atmosphere of Venus.
Past Summer Temperatures Inferred From Dendrochronological Records of Fitzroya cupressoides on the Eastern Slope of the Northern Patagonian Andes
Authors: Lavergne Aliénor , Daux Valérie , Pierre Monique , Stievenard Michel , Srur Ana Marina , Villalba Ricardo
Published: December 2017

Estimating summer temperature fluctuations over long timescales in southern South America is essential for better understanding the past climate variations in the Southern Hemisphere. Here we developed robust 212 year long basal area increment (BAI) and δ13C chronologies from living temperature‐sensitive Fitzroya cupressoides on the eastern slope of the northern Patagonian Andes (41°S). After removing the increasing trend from the growth records likely due to the CO2 fertilization effect, we tested the potential to reconstruct past summer temperature variations using BAI and δ13C as predictors. The reconstruction based on δ13C records has the strongest predictive skills and explains as much as 62% of the total variance in instrumental summer temperature (n = 81, p < 0.001). The temperature signal recorded in tree‐ring growth is not substantially different to that present in δ13C and consequently does not provide additional information to improve the regression models. Our δ13C‐based reconstruction shows cold summer temperatures in the second part of the 19th century and in the mid‐20th century followed by a warmer period. Notably, the 20th and the early 21st centuries were warmer (+0.6°C) than the 19th century. Reconstructed summer temperature variations are modulated by low‐latitude (El Niño–Southern Oscillation) and high‐latitude (Southern Annular Mode) climate forcings. Our reconstruction based on δ13C agrees well with previous ring width based temperature reconstructions in the region and comparatively enhances the low‐frequency variations in the records. The present study provides the first reconstruction of summer temperature in South America south of 40°S for the period 1800–2011 entirely based on isotopic records.
miR‐322‐5p targets IGF‐1 and is suppressed in the heart of rats with pulmonary hypertension
Authors: Connolly Martin , Garfield Benjamin E. , Crosby Alexi , Morrell Nick W. , Wort Stephen J. , Kemp Paul R.
Published: December 2017

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is characterised by remodelling of the pulmonary vasculature leading to right ventricular hypertrophy. Here, we show that miR‐322‐5p (the rodent orthologue of miR‐424‐5p) expression is decreased in the right ventricle of monocrotaline‐treated rats, a model of PAH, whereas a putative target insulin‐like growth factor 1 (IGF‐1) is increased. IGF‐1 mRNA was enriched 16‐fold in RNA immunoprecipitated with Ago2, indicating binding to miR‐322‐5p. In cell transfection experiments, miR‐322‐5p suppressed the activity of a luciferase reporter containing a section of the IGF‐1 3′ untranslated region (UTR) as well as IGF‐1 mRNA and protein levels. Taken together, these data suggest that miR‐322 targets IGF‐1, a process downregulated in PAH‐related RV hypertrophy.
Tip60 is associated with resistance to X‐ray irradiation in prostate cancer
Authors: Xie Xin , Xu Zhaoping , Wang Chenghe , Fang Chen , Zhao Juping , Xu Le , Qian Xiaoqiang , Dai Jun , Sun Fukang , Xu Danfeng , He Wei
Published: December 2017

Tip60, an oncogene, accelerates cell growth by regulating androgen receptor translocation into the nucleus in prostate cancer. However, the mechanism of Tip60 in the response of prostate cancer to radiotherapy, and radioresistance, has not been studied. Using human prostate cancer samples and two human prostate cancer cell lines (LNCaP and DU145), Tip60 protein expression and the acetylation of ataxia telangiectasia mutant (ATM) were analysed by western blotting and immunoprecipitation. Tip60 was downregulated with small interfering RNA. Cells were irradiated using X‐rays at 0.25 Gy·min−1. Cell viability was assessed by the MTT assay. The expression of Tip60 protein was increased in radioresistant prostate cancer tissues in comparison with radiosensitive tissues, which was also confirmed in both irradiated DU145 and LNCaP cells. Furthermore, the acetylation of ATM was also upregulated in a time‐dependent manner after irradiation of both DU145 and LNCaP cells. Additionally, depletion of Tip60 decreased the survival of LNCaP and DU145 cells by inducing apoptosis, reduced the acetylation of ATM and decreased the expression of phosphorylated ATM, Chk2 and cdc25A in both DU145 and LNCaP cells after X‐ray irradiation. The results of this study demonstrated that the expression of Tip60 may be related to the radioresistance of prostate cancer and could serve as a promising predictive factor for prostate cancer patients receiving radiotherapy.
Finite Element Analysis as a Method to Study Molluscan Shell Mechanics
Authors: Lemanis Robert , Zlotnikov Igor
Published: December 2017

The clade Mollusca is a highly diverse and disparate group of terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates, the taxon containing over 100 000 known species including some of the most intelligent invertebrate animals. Their shells are exemplar systems in the study of biomechanics, biomineralization, and biomimetics. Research into understanding the superior biomechanical properties of the shell and how these properties relate to the animals ecology have required a diverse range of methods at multiple length scales; one particularly powerful method is finite element analysis. Finite element analysis is a robust engineering method that has a long‐standing history in biomechanical research. This review summarizes the application of finite element analysis in the study of both the mechanical properties of different molluscan shell ultrastructures as well as macro‐scale modeling of the shell. From the calculation of elastic constants to the origins of the strength of nacre and the relationship between shell folding and ecology, this article provides a window into how finite element analysis can further our understanding of mechanics and functional morphology.
Ultralong 20 Milliseconds Charge Separation Lifetime for Photoilluminated Oligophenylenevinylene–Azafullerene Systems
Authors: Rotas Georgios , Stranius Kati , Tkachenko Nikolai , Tagmatarchis Nikos
Published: December 2017

The synthesis and characterization of oligophenylenevinylene (OPV)–azafullerene (C59N) systems in the form of OPV–C59N donor–acceptor dyad 1 and C59N–OPV–C59N acceptor–donor–acceptor triad 2 is accomplished. Photoinduced electronic interactions between OPV and C59N within 1 and 2 are assessed by UV–vis and photoluminescence. The redox properties of 1 and 2 are investigated, revealing a set of one‐electron oxidation and three one‐electron reduction processes owed to OPV and C59N, respectively. The electrochemical bandgap for 1 and 2 is calculated as 1.44 and 1.53 eV, respectively, and the free energy for the formation of the charge‐separated state for 1 and 2 via the singlet‐excited state of OPV is found negative, proving a thermodynamically favorable the process. Photoexcitation assays are performed in toluene and o‐dichlorobenzene (oDCB) and the reactions are monitored with time‐resolved absorption and emission spectroscopies. Competitive photoinduced energy and electron transfer are identified to occur in both systems, with the former being dominant in 2. Markedly, the charge‐separated state in oDCB exhibits a much longer lifetime compared to that in toluene, reaching 20 ms for 1, the highest ever reported value for fullerene‐based materials. These unprecedented results are rationalized by considering conformational phenomena affecting the charge‐separated state.
Ultrastable and Biocompatible NIR‐II Quantum Dots for Functional Bioimaging
Authors: Zebibula Abudureheman , Alifu Nuernisha , Xia Liqun , Sun Chaowei , Yu Xiaoming , Xue Dingwei , Liu Liwei , Li Gonghui , Qian Jun
Published: December 2017

Fluorescence bioimaging in the second near‐infrared spectral region (NIR‐II, 1000–1700 nm) can provide advantages of high spatial resolution and large penetration depth, due to low light scattering. However, NIR‐II fluorophores simultaneously possessing high brightness, good stability, and biocompatibility are very rare. Hydrophobic NIR‐II emissive PbS@CdS quantum dots (QDs) are surface‐functionalized, via a silica and amphiphilic polymer (Pluronic F‐127) dual‐layer coating method. The as‐synthesized PbS@CdS@SiO2@F‐127 nanoparticles (NPs) are aqueously dispersible and possess a quantum yield of ≈5.79%, which is much larger than those of most existing NIR‐II fluorophores. Thanks to the dual‐layer protection, PbS@CdS@SiO2@F‐127 NPs show excellent chemical stability in a wide range of pH values. The biocompatibility of PbS@CdS@SiO2@F‐127 NPs is studied, and the results show that the toxicity of the NPs in vivo could be minimal. PbS@CdS@SiO2@F‐127 NPs are then utilized for in vivo and real‐time NIR‐II fluorescence microscopic imaging of mouse brain. The architecture of blood vessels is visualized and the imaging depth reaches 950 µm. Furthermore, in vivo NIR‐II fluorescence imaging of gastrointestinal tract is achieved, by perfusing PbS@CdS@SiO2@F‐127 NPs into mice at a rather low dosage. This work illustrates the potential of ultrastable, biocompatible, and bright NIR‐II QDs in biomedical and clinical applications, which require deep tissue imaging.
Threshold Switching of Ag or Cu in Dielectrics: Materials, Mechanism, and Applications
Authors: Wang Zhongrui , Rao Mingyi , Midya Rivu , Joshi Saumil , Jiang Hao , Lin Peng , Song Wenhao , Asapu Shiva , Zhuo Ye , Li Can , Wu Huaqiang , Xia Qiangfei , Yang J. Joshua
Published: December 2017

Threshold switches with Ag or Cu active metal species are volatile memristors (also termed diffusive memristors) featuring spontaneous rupture of conduction channels. The temporal dynamics of the conductance evolution is closely related to the electrochemical and diffusive dynamics of the active metals which could be modulated by electric field strength, biasing duration, temperature, and so on. Microscopic pictures by electron microscopy and quantitative thermodynamics modeling are examined to give insights into the underlying physics of the switching. Depending on the time scale of the relaxation process, such devices find a variety of novel applications in electronics, ranging from selector devices for memories to synaptic devices for neuromorphic computing.
Polysulfide Stabilization: A Pivotal Strategy to Achieve High Energy Density Li–S Batteries with Long Cycle Life
Authors: Chen Yuqing , Zhang Hongzhang , Xu Wenbin , Yang Xiaofei , Yu Ying , Li Xianfeng , Zhang Huamin
Published: December 2017

The disproportionation of polysulfide (PS) is a long‐neglected and vital issue that causes the fast capacity fading of Li–S batteries. Based on the hard and soft acids and bases (HSAB) theory, a large size N‐methyl‐N‐ethyl pyrrolidinium (MEP+) cation is proposed to complex and stabilize the PS in electrolyte. The disproportionation of PS is successfully suppressed by this simple method, thereby avoiding the precipitation of sulfur in the electrolyte and reducing the loss of the active materials. The mutual interaction mechanism between MEP+ and Sn2− in electrolyte is comprehensively investigated and verified for the first time, via both density functional theory (DFT) calculation and experimental characterization. It enables the 5000 mA h Li–S batteries (soft package type) to achieve initial specific energy over 300 Wh kg−1 and maintain over 65% after 100 charge/discharge cycles at 1/20 C, while merely 24% is remained at 59 cycles without MEP+. This interesting finding is believed to shed light on the further development of Li–S batteries.
Bioinspired Artificial Eyes: Optic Components, Digital Cameras, and Visual Prostheses
Authors: Lee Gil Ju , Choi Changsoon , Kim Dae‐Hyeong , Song Young Min
Published: December 2017

The diverse vision systems found in nature can provide interesting design inspiration for imaging devices, ranging from optical subcomponents to digital cameras and visual prostheses, with more desirable optical characteristics compared to conventional imagers. The advantages of natural vision systems include high visual acuity, wide field of view, wavelength‐free imaging, improved aberration correction and depth of field, and high motion sensitivity. Recent advances in soft materials, ultrathin electronics, and deformable optoelectronics have facilitated the realization of novel processes and device designs that mimic biological vision systems. This review highlights recent progress and continued efforts in the research and development of bioinspired artificial eyes. At first, the configuration of two representative eyes found in nature: a single‐chambered eye and a compound eye, is explained. Then, advances in bioinspired optic components and image sensors are discussed in terms of materials, optical/mechanical designs, and integration schemes. Subsequently, novel visual prostheses as representative application examples of bioinspired artificial eyes are described.