bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
“The laughing third man in a fight”: Stalin’s use of the wedge strategy
Authors: Hager Robert P.
Published: December 2016

Although much IR theory focuses on balancing, this paper examines a version of the wedge strategy, what Stalin allegedly called being “the laughing third man in a fight.” This is the practice of advancing one’s goals by setting up other states to fight each other. The first case study is Soviet strategy in Europe from September 1939 until June 1941. The second is Soviet strategy in the Far East in 1941–45. What I am looking at here is a policy of deliberately encouraging the start of a war and/or aiding its prolongation in order to weaken both sides. The two case studies indicate that the Soviet Union used such a strategy at times in place of the usual forms of balancing, discussed in the international relations literature. Additionally, analysis of Moscow’s conduct, statements by Soviet leaders, and the policies of a number of foreign communist parties indicate that, in addition to any security goals, Stalin’s agenda included furthering the USSR’s goal as a revolutionary state, even thought this had at times to be constrained by realpolitik.
MORTALITY, MIGRATION, AND RURAL TRANSFORMATION IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA'S URBAN TRANSITION
Authors: Fox Sean
Published: December 2016

The stylized facts of Africa's urban transition highlight the limitations of traditional economic models of urbanization. Recent research has provided evidence that demographic rather than economic processes provide a more compelling explanation for observed trends in the region. In particular, mortality decline appears to be both a necessary and sufficient condition for urbanization to occur and a key driver of urban growth more broadly. The accumulation of survey data over the past few decades and the development of new geospatial datasets that incorporate satellite imagery are facilitating new, more spatially nuanced insights into the dynamics of urban population change in the region. This offers opportunity to develop better policies for managing urban change than those adopted in the past, which placed a misguided emphasis on manipulating migration incentives with little evidence of positive benefits.
Creating Ecotourism in Costa Rica, 1970–2000
Authors: JONES GEOFFREY , SPADAFORA ANDREW
Published: December 2016

Between the 1970s and the 2000s, Costa Rica became established as the world’s leading ecotourism destination. This article argues that although Costa Rica benefited from biodiversity and a pleasant climate, the country’s preeminence in ecotourism requires more than a natural resource endowment explanation. While previous literature has emphasized the efforts of the government and nongovernment organizations, this article demonstrates the critical role of small entrepreneurs in the co-creation of the industry. Making extensive use of oral history, the article explores the role of tour companies in drawing affluent Western ecotourists to the country, and of the creators of ecolodges and other forms of accommodation in providing them with somewhere to stay. Clustering created positive externalities, drawing new entrepreneurs into the industry who could also learn from knowledge spillovers. There were downsides to the new industry. The creation of the national image of a natural paradise enabled many businesses which were not environmentally sustainable to free ride on the green image.
Outbreak ofPantoea agglomeransBloodstream Infections at an Oncology Clinic—Illinois, 2012-2013
Authors: Yablon Brian R. , Dantes Raymund , Tsai Victoria , Lim Rachel , Moulton-Meissner Heather , Arduino Matthew , Jensen Bette , Patel Megan Toth , Vernon Michael O. , Grant-Greene Yoran , Christiansen Demian , Conover Craig , Kallen Alexander , Guh Alice Y.
Published: December 2016

OBJECTIVE

To determine the source of a healthcare-associated outbreak ofPantoea agglomeransbloodstream infections.

DESIGN

Epidemiologic investigation of the outbreak.

SETTING

Oncology clinic (clinic A).

METHODS

Cases were defined asPantoeaisolation from blood or catheter tip cultures of clinic A patients during July 2012–May 2013. Clinic A medical charts and laboratory records were reviewed; infection prevention practices and the facility’s water system were evaluated. Environmental samples were collected for culture. Clinical and environmentalP. agglomeransisolates were compared using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis.

RESULTS

Twelve cases were identified; median (range) age was 65 (41–78) years. All patients had malignant tumors and had received infusions at clinic A. Deficiencies in parenteral medication preparation and handling were identified (eg, placing infusates near sinks with potential for splash-back contamination). Facility inspection revealed substantial dead-end water piping and inadequate chlorine residual in tap water from multiple sinks, including the pharmacy clean room sink.P. agglomeranswas isolated from composite surface swabs of 7 sinks and an ice machine; the pharmacy clean room sink isolate was indistinguishable by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis from 7 of 9 available patient isolates.

CONCLUSIONS

Exposure of locally prepared infusates to a contaminated pharmacy sink caused the outbreak. Improvements in parenteral medication preparation, including moving chemotherapy preparation offsite, along with terminal sink cleaning and water system remediation ended the outbreak. Greater awareness of recommended medication preparation and handling practices as well as further efforts to better define the contribution of contaminated sinks and plumbing deficiencies to healthcare-associated infections are needed.

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol2017;38:314–319
A model for Faraday pilot waves over variable topography
Authors: Faria Luiz M.
Published: December 2016

Couder et al. (Nature, vol. 437 (7056), 2005, p. 208) discovered that droplets walking on a vibrating bath possess certain features previously thought to be exclusive to quantum systems. These millimetric droplets synchronize with their Faraday wavefield, creating a macroscopic pilot-wave system. In this paper we exploit the fact that the waves generated are nearly monochromatic and propose a hydrodynamic model capable of quantitatively capturing the interaction between bouncing drops and a variable topography. We show that our reduced model is able to reproduce some important experiments involving the drop–topography interaction, such as non-specular reflection and single-slit diffraction.
Spectrograms of ship wakes: identifying linear and nonlinear wave signals
Authors: Pethiyagoda Ravindra , McCue Scott W. , Moroney Timothy J.
Published: December 2016

A spectrogram is a useful way of using short-time discrete Fourier transforms to visualise surface height measurements taken of ship wakes in real-world conditions. For a steadily moving ship that leaves behind small-amplitude waves, the spectrogram is known to have two clear linear components, a sliding-frequency mode caused by the divergent waves and a constant-frequency mode for the transverse waves. However, recent observations of high-speed ferry data have identified additional components of the spectrograms that are not yet explained. We use computer simulations of linear and nonlinear ship wave patterns and apply time–frequency analysis to generate spectrograms for an idealised ship. We clarify the role of the linear dispersion relation and ship speed on the two linear components. We use a simple weakly nonlinear theory to identify higher-order effects in a spectrogram and, while the high-speed ferry data are very noisy, we propose that certain additional features in the experimental data are caused by nonlinearity. Finally, we provide a possible explanation for a further discrepancy between the high-speed ferry spectrograms and linear theory by accounting for ship acceleration.
Managerial change and strategic change: The temporal sequence
Authors: Domínguez-CC Marta , Barroso-Castro Carmen
Published: December 2016

The relationship between managerial change and strategic change is a complex issue that challenges our understanding of how firms react to their business environment. In this study, we analyse the influence of the management team and more specifically their knowledge and capabilities in the process of strategic change. To do so, we delve deeper into the relationship between managerial change and strategic change by identifying the sequence of these changes. Using qualitative methodology, we analyse 10 companies listed on the Spanish Stock Exchange over an extensive period to formulate our propositions. Our analysis shows that managerial change precedes strategic change. Top management team reorganization, even without Chief Executive Officer succession, was a sufficient condition for strategic change to take place. Moreover, we identified key modifications that took place whenever strategic change occurred. Our results provide meaningful insights into the processes of strategic change within firms that broaden our theoretical knowledge in this area.
Inferring flight parameters of Mesozoic avians through multivariate analyses of forelimb elements in their living relatives
Authors: Serrano Francisco J. , Palmqvist Paul , Chiappe Luis M. , Sanz José L.
Published: December 2016

Our knowledge of the diversity, ecology, and phylogeny of Mesozoic birds has increased significantly during recent decades, yet our understanding of their flight competence remains poor. Wing loading (WL) and aspect ratio (AR) are two aerodynamically relevant parameters, as they relate to energy costs of aerial locomotion and flight maneuverability. They can be calculated in living birds (i.e., Neornithes) from body mass (BM), wingspan (B), and lift surface (SL). However, the estimates for extinct birds can be subject to biases from statistical issues, phylogeny, locomotor adaptations, and diagenetic compaction. Here we develop a sequential approach for generating reliable multivariate models that allow estimation of measurements necessary to determineWLandARin the main clades of non-neornithine Mesozoic birds. The strength of our predictions is supported by the use of those variables that show similar scaling patterns in modern and stem taxa (i.e., non-neornithine birds) and the similarity of our predictions with measurements obtained from fossils preserving wing outlines. In addition, although ourWLandARvalues are based on estimates (BM,B, andSL) that have an associated error, there is no cumulative error in their calculation, and both parameters show low prediction errors. Therefore, we present the first taxonomically broad, error-calibrated estimation of these two important aerodynamic parameters in non-neornithine birds. Such estimates show that theWLandARof the non-neornithine birds here analyzed fall within the range of variation of modern birds (i.e., Neornithes). Our results indicate that most modern flight modes (e.g., continuous flapping, flap and gliding, flap and bounding, thermal soaring) were possible for the wide range of non-neornithine avian taxa; we found no evidence for the presence of dynamic soaring among these early birds.
Focusing nucleic acid-based molecular diagnostics and xenomonitoring approaches for human helminthiases amenable to preventive chemotherapy
Authors: MINETTI CORRADO , LACOURSE E. JAMES , REIMER LISA , STOTHARD J. RUSSELL
Published: December 2016

The current mainstay for control of the four major helminth diseases in humans (lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis, soil-transmitted helminthiases and schistosomiasis) is with preventive chemotherapy by mass administration of key anthelminthics. Following the London Declaration on Neglected Tropical Diseases in 2012, a roadmap for the elimination and control of these helminthiases by 2020 has been devised. With expected declines in prevalence and intensity of these infections, there is urgent need for implementing more sensitive, high-throughput and cost-effective diagnostic tools. Currently available diagnostic approaches for surveying, monitoring and evaluating helminth control programmes are based on microscopical observation of eggs/larvae, and/or detection of antibodies or parasite antigens in stool, urine or blood; all relatively low-throughput and of limited sensitivity and specificity. Newly proposed approaches for helminthiases diagnosis include the nucleic acid-based methods of (multiplex) real-time polymerase chain reaction assays, loop-mediated isothermal amplification and recombinase polymerase amplification. However, as well as sensitivity/specificity evaluation, their comparison to current ‘gold standard’ diagnostics and future application in individual-/community-based diagnosis, or in xenomonitoring requires consideration of relative costs, agreement of standard methods and strategic interpretation of resulting data before control/elimination programmes might best utilize molecular diagnostics to inform decision making. We review current nucleic-acid-based molecular diagnostic methods and highlight the needs and future research required to refine these tools for monitoring and evaluation of control and elimination programmes for four major human helminthiases.
Leishmania infantum and Dirofilaria immitis coinfection in dogs in Greece
Authors: NTAIS PANTELIS , CHRISTODOULOU VASILIKI , DOKIANAKIS EMMANOUIL , ANTONIOU MARIA
Published: December 2016

Leishmaniasis and dirofilariasis are parasitic diseases of humans and dogs, worldwide, and they are often found as coinfections in endemic areas. Cases of human and canine dirofilariasis have being reported in Greece and leishmaniasis is endemic in most prefectures in humans and dogs. In most cases, dirofilariasis is established by parasitological (the modified Knott's test) and/or immunological methods, whilst for leishmaniasis molecular techniques and culture are also used. During an epidemiological study in Greece, 22·1% of the 5772 dogs studied were found positive by serology forLeishmania.Blood cultures of 165 (12·94%) of these animals producedLeishmaniapromastigotes and 26 (2·03%)Dirofilariamicrofilariae (L1), whilst only in two (0·16%) bothLeishmaniaandDirofilariaL1 appeared. The aim was to assess coinfections by the two parasites in dogs in Greece, the isolation and survival ofDirofilariamicrofilariae andLeishmaniapromastigotes using clotted blood (a fast, simple and low-cost method) and the survival potential of the two parasites in coexistence,in vitro.
ARSISANDTHESISIN ANCIENT RHYTHMICS AND METRICS: A NEW APPROACH
Authors: Lynch Tosca
Published: December 2016

Since the beginning of modern investigations on ancient rhythmics, scholars have faced significant problems in interpreting the technical terminology employed by ancient rhythmicians, especially in relation to two of the most basic terms attested in the sources: ἄρσις and θέσις, which indicate the two fundamental components of a rhythmical foot.
How does consciousness for action relate to attention for action?
Authors: Franz Elizabeth A.
Published: December 2016

The interesting target article by Morsella et al. addresses critical issues that impact our understanding of consciousness. It is surprising, however, to see no treatment of the relationship between attention and consciousness, particularly given available models. Whether olfaction is most suitable as a model system to study consciousness for action also seems questionable. These issues are elaborated in the present commentary.
Is conscious content available only to the skeletal muscle system?
Authors: Keller Andreas
Published: December 2016

I applaud Morsella et al.'s approach to investigate consciousness in terms of behavioral control. After all, the function of the brain is to control behavior, and consciousness contributes to the function of the brain. However, I question whether conscious content is available only to the skeletal muscle system, as the principle of parallel responses into skeletal muscle (PRISM) (Morsella 2005) proposes.
The chemosensory brain requires a distributed cellular mechanism to harness information and resolve conflicts – is consciousness the forum?
Authors: Lathe Richard
Published: December 2016

The central nervous system (CNS) evolved from a chemosensory epithelium, but a simple epithelium has limited means to resolve conflicts between early drives (e.g., approach vs. avoid). Understanding the role of “consciousness” as a resolution device, with specific focus on chemosensation and the olfactory system, is of appeal. I argue that consciousness is not the adjudicator, but is instead the forum that brings conflicting (conscious) inputs into a form that allows them to be (unconsciously) compared/contrasted, guiding rational action.
Conscious content generated by unconscious action-related adjustments
Authors: Pahlavan Farzaneh , Arouss Melana
Published: December 2016

As mentioned in the target article by Morsella et al., the motor program's contents as a whole do not influence each other in the conscious field; however, research shows that some of their generated aspects could be sensitive to the context of the behavior. Such motivational “context-contamination” leads to voluntarily “turn off” of negative states. Taking place out of the conscious field, these adjustments would have critical influence on behavior, such as aggression.
Four questions for passive frame theory
Authors: Rosenbaum David A.
Published: December 2016

Four questions are raised about the passive frame theory of Morsella et al.: (1) What is the relation of the theory to the response-selection-bottleneck view of attention? (2) Does the theory accommodate the contents of consciousness? (3) What about animals without skeletal muscles? (4) How do the contents of consciousness change with the development of automaticity?
The science of consciousness must include its more advanced forms
Authors: Vonasch Andrew , Masicampo E. J. , Baumeister Roy F.
Published: December 2016

Morsella et al. argue that science should not focus on high forms of consciousness. We disagree. An understanding of high forms of consciousness is invaluable to the scientific study of consciousness. Moreover, it poses challenges to the passive frame theory. Specifically, it challenges the notions that conscious thoughts are not connected and that consciousness serves skeletomotor conflict only.
COST-UTILITY ANALYSIS OF PRIMARY PROPHYLAXIS, COMPARED WITH ON-DEMAND TREATMENT, FOR PATIENTS WITH SEVERE HEMOPHILIA TYPE A IN COLOMBIA
Authors: Castro Jaramillo Héctor Eduardo , Moreno Viscaya Mabel , Mejia Aurelio E.
Published: December 2016

Objectives:This article presents a cost-utility analysis from the Colombian health system perspective comparing primary prophylaxis to on-demand treatment using exogenous clotting factor VIII (FVIII) for patients with severe hemophilia type A.

Methods:We developed a Markov model to estimate expected costs and outcomes (measured as quality-adjusted life-years, QALYs) for each strategy. Transition probabilities were estimated using published studies; utility weights were obtained from a sample of Colombian patients with hemophilia and costs were gathered using local data. Both deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analysis were performed to assess the robustness of results.

Results:The additional cost per QALY gained of primary prophylaxis compared with on-demand treatment was 105,081,022 Colombian pesos (COP) (55,204 USD), and thus not considered cost-effective according to a threshold of up to three times the current Colombian gross domestic product (GDP) per-capita. When primary prophylaxis was provided throughout life using recombinant FVIII (rFVIII), which is much costlier than FVIII, the additional cost per QALY gained reached 174,159,553 COP (91,494 USD).

Conclusions:using a decision rule of up to three times the Colombian GDP per capita, primary prophylaxis (with either FVIII or rFVIII) would not be considered as cost-effective in this country. However, a final decision on providing or preventing patients from primary prophylaxis as a gold standard of care for severe hemophilia type A should also consider broader criteria than the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio results itself. Only a price reduction of exogenous FVIII of 50 percent or more would make primary prophylaxis cost-effective in this context.
Antimicrobial resistance in Salmonella that caused foodborne disease outbreaks: United States, 2003–2012
Authors: BROWN A. C. , GRASS J. E. , RICHARDSON L. C. , NISLER A. L. , BICKNESE A. S. , GOULD L. H.
Published: December 2016

Although most non-typhoidal Salmonella illnesses are self-limiting, antimicrobial treatment is critical for invasive infections. To describe resistance in Salmonella that caused foodborne outbreaks in the United States, we linked outbreaks submitted to the Foodborne Disease Outbreak Surveillance System to isolate susceptibility data in the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System. Resistant outbreaks were defined as those linked to one or more isolates with resistance to at least one antimicrobial drug. Multidrug resistant (MDR) outbreaks had at least one isolate resistant to three or more antimicrobial classes. Twenty-one per cent (37/176) of linked outbreaks were resistant. In outbreaks attributed to a single food group, 73% (16/22) of resistant outbreaks and 46% (31/68) of non-resistant outbreaks were attributed to foods from land animals (P < 0·05). MDR Salmonella with clinically important resistance caused 29% (14/48) of outbreaks from land animals and 8% (3/40) of outbreaks from plant products (P < 0·01). In our study, resistant Salmonella infections were more common in outbreaks attributed to foods from land animals than outbreaks from foods from plants or aquatic animals. Antimicrobial susceptibility data on isolates from foodborne Salmonella outbreaks can help determine which foods are associated with resistant infections.
Connections in Randomly Oriented Graphs
Authors: NARAYANAN BHARGAV
Published: December 2016

Given an undirected graph G, let us randomly orient G by tossing independent (possibly biased) coins, one for each edge of G. Writing a → b for the event that there exists a directed path from a vertex a to a vertex b in such a random orientation, we prove that for any three vertices s, a and b of G, we have ℙ(s → a ∩ s → b) ⩾ ℙ(s → a) ℙ(s → b).
The role of depression in the insomnia of people with subjective memory impairment, mild cognitive impairment, and dementia in a community sample of elderly individuals in South Korea
Authors: Kim Won-Hyoung , Kim Ji-Hyun , Kim Byung-Soo , Chang Sung-Man , Lee Dong-Woo , Cho Maeng-Je , Bae Jae-Nam
Published: December 2016

Background:

This study investigates the relationship between insomnia and cognitive dysfunctions including, subjective memory impairment (SMI), mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and dementia, by considering depression in a community sample of elderly individuals.

Methods:

Data for 1,740 elderly individuals aged 65 years and over were obtained from a nationwide dementia epidemiological study conducted in South Korea. Cognitive functional status was assessed by the Mini-Mental State Examination and the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Packet Clinical Assessment Battery. Insomnia was defined as the presence of at least one of the four sleep complaints (difficulty in initiating sleep, difficulty in maintaining sleep, early morning awakening, and non-restorative sleep), accompanied by moderate to severe daytime consequences. Depression was evaluated using the Geriatric Depression Scale.

Results:

The prevalence of insomnia in the patients with SMI, MCI, and dementia was found to be 23.2%, 19.6%, and 31.0%, respectively. The patients with SMI, MCI, and dementia were significantly more likely to have insomnia and the four sleep complaints than the normal comparison patients. After adjusting for sociodemographic factors, the significant relationships between cognitive dysfunctional status and insomnia remained. However, after adjusting for sociodemographic factors and depression, no significant relationships with any of the sleep complaints or insomnia remained.

Conclusion:

Insomnia is a very common complaint in the elderly with SMI, MCI, and dementia. Depression might play an important factor in the relationship between insomnia and cognitive dysfunctional status in the elderly.
ON THE COHOMOLOGY OF SOME SIMPLE SHIMURA VARIETIES WITH BAD REDUCTION
Authors: Shen Xu
Published: December 2016

We determine the Galois representations inside the$\ell$-adic cohomology of some quaternionic and related unitary Shimura varieties at ramified places. The main results generalize the previous works of Reimann and Kottwitz in this setting to arbitrary levels at$p$, and confirm the expected description of the cohomology due to Langlands and Kottwitz.
The Rationale of Economics and Law in the Aftermath of the Crisis: A Lesson from Michel Foucault
Authors: De Lucia Luca
Published: December 2016

Economic and financial crisis – Institutional response and constitutional changes in the area of economic governance – Relationship between the European Union and the member states – Interpretation – Two concepts elaborated by Michel Foucault – ‘Pastorship’ and ‘Discipline’ – The deep sense of the new techniques of government in this area – The role of the Court of Justice – The position of national judges.
ANALYTIC CUT AND INTERPOLATION FOR BI-INTUITIONISTIC LOGIC
Authors: KOWALSKI TOMASZ , ONO HIROAKIRA
Published: December 2016

We prove that certain natural sequent systems for bi-intuitionistic logic have the analytic cut property. In the process we show that the (global) subformula property implies the (local) analytic cut property, thereby demonstrating their equivalence. Applying a version of Maehara technique modified in several ways, we prove that bi-intuitionistic logic enjoys the classical Craig interpolation property and Maximova variable separation property; its Halldén completeness follows.
Picturing Families between Black and White: Mixed Descent and Social Mobility in Colonial Minas Gerais, Brazil
Authors: Dantas Mariana L. R.
Published: December 2016

During the eighteenth century, the Rodrigues da Cruz and the Vieira da Costa families rose to relative prominence in thecomarcaof Rio das Velhas, a judicial district of the captaincy of Minas Gerais (Figure 1). Both families had as their patriarch a wealthy Portuguese man whose fortune was built on the gold-mining industry that dominated the regional economy in the early part of the century. Both families were also the product of relationships between Portuguese gold miners and slave women. The second and third generations of the two families similarly comprised freed or free persons of mixed European and African descent whose own standing in society relied in part on their families' ability to manage the social and legal implications of the circumstances of their birth. The Rodrigues da Cruz and Vieira da Costa families were thus part of a large and rising population ofpardos(light-skinned persons) ormulatos(persons of mixed descent) in eighteenth-century Minas Gerais—not of solely Portuguese origin or descent (brancos), solely African origin (preto), nor solely African descent but born in Brazil (crioulo). Their ambiguous social standing could lie somewhere between the elite status of most brancos and the slave status of most pretos or crioulos.
The Last Door: Political Prisoners and the Use of Torture in Mexico's Dirty War
Authors: McCormick Gladys
Published: December 2016

In December 1969, former President Lázaro Cárdenas sent a letter to political prisoners in the Lecumberri federal penitentiary in Mexico City, assuring them that he would continue to lobby for their release. In October 1973, Michoacán university students marching in front of the state government building in Morelia held up placards demanding the release of political prisoners. On June 29, 1974, Lucio Cabañas, guerrilla leader of the Partido de los Pobres (Party of the Poor) in the mountains of Guerrero, released a communiqué in which the group's first demand was the release of political prisoners. In its founding document from March 1973, the Liga Comunista 23 de Septiembre (LC-23S), an urban-based guerrilla group responsible for more than 60 direct-action operations, made it clear that political prisoners were one of the costs of carrying out a revolution and, as such, would not distract from its broader mission. These are just some of the references to the imprisonment of activists during the height of what is considered Mexico's dirty war. Taken together, the many references to political prisoners suggest that being held captive by the state was a common threat and, in some cases, a reality in the lives of those challenging the authoritarian government in the 1960s and 1970s.
AGU On-Demand Expands Channels and Features
Authors: Parr Lauren
Published: December 2016

Stream the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting from your couch.
Direct single-cell biomass estimates for marine bacteria via Archimedes’ principle
Authors: Cermak Nathan , Becker Jamie W , Knudsen Scott M , Chisholm Sallie W , Manalis Scott R , Polz Martin F
Published: December 2016

Microbes are an essential component of marine food webs and biogeochemical cycles, and therefore precise estimates of their biomass are of significant value. Here, we measured single-cell biomass distributions of isolates from several numerically abundant marine bacterial groups, including Pelagibacter (SAR11), Prochlorococcus and Vibrio using a microfluidic mass sensor known as a suspended microchannel resonator (SMR). We show that the SMR can provide biomass (dry mass) measurements for cells spanning more than two orders of magnitude and that these estimates are consistent with other independent measures. We find that Pelagibacterales strain HTCC1062 has a median biomass of 11.9±0.7 fg per cell, which is five- to twelve-fold smaller than the median Prochlorococcus cell’s biomass (depending upon strain) and nearly 100-fold lower than that of rapidly growing V. splendidus strain 13B01. Knowing the biomass contributions from various taxonomic groups will provide more precise estimates of total marine biomass, aiding models of nutrient flux in the ocean.
Vibrio crassostreae, a benign oyster colonizer turned into a pathogen after plasmid acquisition
Authors: Bruto Maxime , James Adèle , Petton Bruno , Labreuche Yannick , Chenivesse Sabine , Alunno-Bruscia Marianne , Polz Martin F , Le Roux Frédérique
Published: December 2016

Vibrios are frequently associated with oyster mortality; however whether they are the primary causative agent or secondary opportunistic colonizers is not well understood. Here we combine analysis of natural infection dynamics, population genomics and molecular genetics to ask (i) to what extent oysters are passively colonized by Vibrio population present in the surrounding water, (ii) how populations turn over during pathogenicity events and (iii) what genetic factors are responsible for pathogenicity. We identified several populations of Vibrio preferentially associated with oyster tissues. Among these, Vibrio crassostreae is particularly abundant in diseased animals while nearly absent in the surrounding water, and its pathogenicity is correlated with the presence of a large mobilizable plasmid. We further demonstrate that the plasmid is essential for killing but not necessary for survival in tissues of oysters. Our results suggest that V. crassostreae first differentiated into a benign oyster colonizer that was secondarily turned into a pathogen by introgression of a virulence plasmid into the population, possibly facilitated by elevated host density in farming areas.
Nanomechanical motion transduction with a scalable localized gap plasmon architecture
Authors: Roxworthy Brian J. , Aksyuk Vladimir A.
Published: December 2016

Plasmonic structures couple oscillating electromagnetic fields to conduction electrons in noble metals and thereby can confine optical-frequency excitations at nanometre scales. This confinement both facilitates miniaturization of nanophotonic devices and makes their response highly sensitive to mechanical motion. Mechanically coupled plasmonic devices thus hold great promise as building blocks for next-generation reconfigurable optics and metasurfaces. However, a flexible approach for accurately batch-fabricating high-performance plasmomechanical devices is currently lacking. Here we introduce an architecture integrating individual plasmonic structures with precise, nanometre features into tunable mechanical resonators. The localized gap plasmon resonators strongly couple light and mechanical motion within a three-dimensional, sub-diffraction volume, yielding large quality factors and record optomechanical coupling strength of 2 THz·nm−1. Utilizing these features, we demonstrate sensitive and spatially localized optical transduction of mechanical motion with a noise floor of 6 fm·Hz−1/2, representing a 1.5 orders of magnitude improvement over existing localized plasmomechanical systems.
Efficacy of Losartan in the management of Post-Dialysis Euvolemic Hypertension (HELD-Trial): A Single-Blind Randomized Control Trial
Authors: Aftab Raja Ahsan , Khan Amer Hayat , Adnan Azreen Syazril , Sulaiman Syed Azhar Syed , Khan Tahir Mehmood
Published: December 2016

To assess the effectiveness of losartan 50 mg on post dialysis euvolemic hypertensive patients against standard antihypertensive pharmacotherapy. A multicentre, prospective, randomized, single-blind trial was conducted to assess the effect of losartan 50 mg every other day (EOD), once a morning (OM) among post-dialysis euvolemic hypertensive patients. Covariate-adaptive randomization was used to allocate participants to a standard or treatment arm, and they were followed up for eight weeks. Pre-, intra- and post-dialysis session blood pressure (BP) measurements were recorded along with any adverse events. A total of 88 patients were randomized into standard (n = 44) and treatment arms (n = 44) and were followed for a period of 8 weeks. In the standard group, the mean post-dialysis blood pressure dropped by 0.3 mmHg by the end of the 8th week. However the treatment arm reported a drop of 2.4 mmHg of BP drop during the 8-week trial period. Analysis suggests that there was a significant difference in blood pressure readings at the end of 8 weeks among patients treated with losartan (P < 0.001). However, no such statistical association was observed in the standard arm (P 0.75). A slow, steady significant decline in post-dialysis BP was observed among euvolemic hypertensive patients that were treated with losartan 50 mg.
Space geodetic monitoring of engineered structures: The ongoing destabilization of the Mosul dam, Iraq
Authors: Milillo Pietro , Bürgmann Roland , Lundgren Paul , Salzer Jacqueline , Perissin Daniele , Fielding Eric , Biondi Filippo , Milillo Giovanni
Published: December 2016

We present a detailed survey of the ongoing destabilization process of the Mosul dam. The dam is located on the Tigris river and is the biggest hydraulic structure in Iraq. From a geological point of view the dam foundation is poor due to a site geology formed by alternating strata of highly soluble materials including gypsum, anhydrite, marl and limestone. Here we present the first multi-sensor cumulative deformation map for the dam generated from space-based interferometric synthetic aperture radar measurements from the Italian constellation COSMO-SkyMed and the European sensor Sentinel-1a over the period 2014–2016 that we compare to an older dataset spanning 2004–2010 acquired with the European Envisat satellite. We found that deformation was rapid during 2004–2010, slowed in 2012–2014 and increased since August 2014 when grouting operations stopped due to the temporary capture of the dam by the self proclaimed Islamic State. We model the inferred deformation using a Markov chain Monte Carlo approach to solve for change in volume for simple tensile dislocations. Results from recent and historical geodetic datasets suggests that the volume dissolution rate remains constant when the equivalent volume of total concrete injected during re-grouting operations is included in the calculations.
The colored Hanbury Brown–Twiss effect
Authors: Silva B. , Sánchez Muñoz C. , Ballarini D. , González-Tudela A. , de Giorgi M. , Gigli G. , West K. , Pfeiffer L. , del Valle E. , Sanvitto D. , Laussy F. P.
Published: December 2016

The Hanbury Brown–Twiss effect is one of the celebrated phenomenologies of modern physics that accommodates equally well classical (interferences of waves) and quantum (correlations between indistinguishable particles) interpretations. The effect was discovered in the late thirties with a basic observation of Hanbury Brown that radio-pulses from two distinct antennas generate signals on the oscilloscope that wiggle similarly to the naked eye. When Hanbury Brown and his mathematician colleague Twiss took the obvious step to propose bringing the effect in the optical range, they met with considerable opposition as single-photon interferences were deemed impossible. The Hanbury Brown–Twiss effect is nowadays universally accepted and, being so fundamental, embodies many subtleties of our understanding of the wave/particle dual nature of light. Thanks to a novel experimental technique, we report here a generalized version of the Hanbury Brown–Twiss effect to include the frequency of the detected light, or, from the particle point of view, the energy of the detected photons. Our source of light is a polariton condensate, that allows high-resolution filtering of a spectrally broad source with a high degree of coherence. In addition to the known tendencies of indistinguishable photons to arrive together on the detector, we find that photons of different colors present the opposite characteristic of avoiding each others. We postulate that fermions can be similarly brought to exhibit positive (boson-like) correlations by frequency filtering.
Immune Activation Influences SAMHD1 Expression and Vpx-mediated SAMHD1 Degradation during Chronic HIV-1 Infection
Authors: Fu Weihui , Qiu Chao , Zhou Mingzhe , Zhu Lingyan , Yang Yu , Qiu Chenli , Zhang Linxia , Xu Xuan , Wang Ying , Xu Jianqing , Zhang Xiaoyan
Published: December 2016

SAMHD1 restricts human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) replication in myeloid cells and CD4+ T cells, while Vpx can mediate SAMHD1 degradation to promote HIV-1 replication. Although the restriction mechanisms of SAMHD1 have been well-described, SAMHD1 expression and Vpx-mediated SAMHD1 degradation during chronic HIV-1 infection were poorly understood. Flow cytometric analysis was used to directly visualize ex vivo, and after in vitro SIV-Vpx treatment, SAMHD1 expression in CD4+ T cells and monocytes. Here we report activated CD4+ T cells without SAMHD1 expression were severely reduced, and SAMHD1 in CD4+ T cells became susceptible to SIV-Vpx mediated degradation during chronic HIV-1 infection, which was absent from uninfected donors. These alterations were irreversible, even after long-term fully suppressive antiretroviral treatment. Although SAMHD1 expression in CD4+ T cells and monocytes was not found to correlate with plasma viral load, Vpx-mediated SAMHD1 degradation was associated with indicators of immune activation. In vitro assays further revealed that T-cell activation and an upregulated IFN-I pathway contributed to these altered SAMHD1 properties. These findings provide insight into how immune activation during HIV-1 infection leads to irreparable aberrations in restriction factors and in subsequent viral evasion from host antiviral defenses.
Edge enhancement improves disruptive camouflage by emphasising false edges and creating pictorial relief
Authors: Egan John , Sharman Rebecca J. , Scott-Brown Kenneth C. , Lovell Paul George
Published: December 2016

Disruptive colouration is a visual camouflage composed of false edges and boundaries. Many disruptively camouflaged animals feature enhanced edges; light patches are surrounded by a lighter outline and/or a dark patches are surrounded by a darker outline. This camouflage is particularly common in amphibians, reptiles and lepidopterans. We explored the role that this pattern has in creating effective camouflage. In a visual search task utilising an ultra-large display area mimicking search tasks that might be found in nature, edge enhanced disruptive camouflage increases crypsis, even on substrates that do not provide an obvious visual match. Specifically, edge enhanced camouflage is effective on backgrounds both with and without shadows; i.e. this is not solely due to background matching of the dark edge enhancement element with the shadows. Furthermore, when the dark component of the edge enhancement is omitted the camouflage still provided better crypsis than control patterns without edge enhancement. This kind of edge enhancement improved camouflage on all background types. Lastly, we show that edge enhancement can create a perception of multiple surfaces. We conclude that edge enhancement increases the effectiveness of disruptive camouflage through mechanisms that may include the improved disruption of the object outline by implying pictorial relief.
Plasma cathepsin D correlates with histological classifications of fatty liver disease in adults and responds to intervention
Authors: Walenbergh Sofie M. A. , Houben Tom , Rensen Sander S. , Bieghs Veerle , Hendrikx Tim , van Gorp Patrick J. , Oligschlaeger Yvonne , Jeurissen Mike L. J. , Gijbels Marion J. J. , Buurman Wim A. , Vreugdenhil Anita C. E. , Greve Jan Willem M. , Plat Jogchum , Hofker Marten H. , Kalhan Satish , Pihlajamäki Jussi , Lindsey Patrick , Koek Ger H. , Shiri-Sverdlov Ronit
Published: December 2016

Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is characterized by liver lipid accumulation and inflammation. The mechanisms that trigger hepatic inflammation are poorly understood and subsequently, no specific non-invasive markers exist. We previously demonstrated a reduction in the plasma lysosomal enzyme, cathepsin D (CatD), in children with NASH compared to children without NASH. Recent studies have raised the concept that non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in adults is distinct from children due to a different histological pattern in the liver. Yet, the link between plasma CatD to adult NASH was not examined. In the current manuscript, we investigated whether plasma CatD in adults correlates with NASH development and regression. Biopsies were histologically evaluated for inflammation and NAFLD in three complementary cohorts of adults (total n = 248). CatD and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were measured in plasma. Opposite to our previous observations with childhood NASH, we observed increased levels of plasma CatD in patients with NASH compared to adults without hepatic inflammation. Furthermore, after surgical intervention, we found a reduction of plasma CatD compared to baseline. Our observations highlight a distinct pathophysiology between NASH in children and adults. The observation that plasma CatD correlated with NASH development and regression is promising for NASH diagnosis.
miR-365 targets β-arrestin 2 to reverse morphine tolerance in rats
Authors: Wang Jian , Xu Wei , Zhong Tao , Song Zongbin , Zou Yu , Ding Zhuofeng , Guo Qulian , Dong Xinzhong , Zou Wangyuan
Published: December 2016

Morphine tolerance is a challenging clinical problem that limits its clinical application in pain treatment. Non-coding microRNAs (miRNAs) modulate gene expression in a post transcriptional manner, and their dysregulation causes various diseases. However, the significance of miRNAs in morphine tolerance is still poorly understood. In the present study, we hypothesized that microRNA-365 (miR-365) is a key functional small RNA that reverses morphine tolerance through regulation of β-arrestin 2 in rats. Here, microarray analysis and quantitative real-time PCR showed that miR-365 was robustly decreased in the spinal cord after chronic morphine administration. In situ hybridization and immunochemistry double staining showed that miR-365 was expressed in neurons of the spinal cord. We identified β-arrestin 2 as the target gene of miR-365 by bioinformatics analysis and luciferase reporter assay. The data showed that overexpression of miR-365 prevented and reversed established morphine tolerance, and increased expression of miR-365 caused a decrease in expression of β-arrestin 2 protein. miR-365 downregulation is involved in the development and maintenance of morphine tolerance through regulation of β-arrestin 2, and miR-365 upregulation provides a promising and novel approach for treatment of morphine tolerance.
γ-H2AX/53BP1/pKAP-1 foci and their linear tracks induced by in vitro exposure to radon and its progeny in human peripheral blood lymphocytes
Authors: Ding Defang , Zhang Yaping , Wang Jing , Wang Xufei , Fan Dunhuang , He Linfeng , Zhang Xuxia , Gao Yun , Li Qiang , Chen Honghong
Published: December 2016

The biodosimetric information is critical for evaluating the human health hazards caused by radon and its progeny. Here, we demonstrated that the formation of phosphorylated histone variant H2AX (γ-H2AX), p53-binding protein 1 (53BP1) and phosphorylated KRAB-associated protein 1 (pKAP-1) foci and their linear tracks in human peripheral blood lymphocytes (HPBLs) in vitro exposed to radon and its progeny were dependent on the cumulative absorbed dose of radon exposure but was unrelated to the concentration of radon. Among them, γ-H2AX foci and its linear tracks were the most sensitive indicators with the lowest estimable cumulative absorbed dose of 1.74 mGy from their linear dose-response curves and sustained for 12 h after termination of radon exposure. In addition, three types of foci showed an overdispersed non-Poisson distribution in HPBLs. The ratios of pKAP-1/γ-H2AX foci co-localization, 53BP1/γ-H2AX foci co-localization and 53BP1/pKAP-1 foci co-localization were significantly increased in HPBLs exposed to radon while they were unrelated to the cumulative dose of radon exposure, suggesting that γ-H2AX, pKAP-1 and 53BP1 play an important role in the repair of heterochromatic double-strand breaks. Altogether, our findings provide an experimental basis for estimating the biological dose of internal α-particle irradiation from radon and its progeny exposure in humans.
Formation mechanism of Ruddlesden-Popper-type antiphase boundaries during the kinetically limited growth of Sr rich SrTiO3 thin films
Authors: Xu Chencheng , Du Hongchu , van der Torren Alexander J. H. , Aarts Jan , Jia Chun-Lin , Dittmann Regina
Published: December 2016

We elucidated the formation process for Ruddlesden-Popper-type defects during pulsed laser deposition of Sr rich SrTiO3 thin films by a combined analysis of in-situ atomic force microscopy, low energy electron diffraction and high resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy. At the early growth stage of 1.5 unit cells, the excess Sr results in the formation of SrO on the surface, resulting in a local termination change from TiO2 to SrO, thereby forming a Sr rich (2 × 2) surface reconstruction. With progressive SrTiO3 growth, islands with thermodynamically stable SrO rock-salt structure are formed, coexisting with TiO2 terminated islands. During the overgrowth of these thermodynamically stable islands, both lateral as well as vertical Ruddlesden-Popper-type anti-phase boundaries are formed, accommodating the Sr excess of the SrTiO3 film. We suggest the formation of thermodynamically stable SrO rock-salt structures as origin for the formation of Ruddlesden-Popper-type antiphase boundaries, which are as a result of kinetic limitations confined to certain regions on the surface.