bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Compulsory Schooling Laws and Migration Across European Countries
Authors: Aparicio Fenoll Ainhoa , Kuehn Zoë
Published: October 2017

Educational attainment is a key factor for understanding why some individuals migrate and others do not. Compulsory schooling laws, which determine an individual’s minimum level of education, can potentially affect migration. We test whether and how increasing the length of compulsory schooling influences migration of affected cohorts across European countries, a context where labor mobility is essentially free. We construct a novel database that includes information for 31 European countries on compulsory education reforms passed between 1950 and 1990. Combining this data with information on recent migration flows by cohorts, we find that an additional year of compulsory education reduces the number of individuals from affected cohorts who migrate in a given year by 9 %. Our results rely on the exogeneity of compulsory schooling laws. A variety of empirical tests indicate that European legislators did not pass compulsory education reforms as a reaction to changes in emigration rates or educational attainment.
On a free boundary problem and minimal surfaces
Authors: Wang Kelei , Wei Juncheng , Liu Yong
Published: October 2017

From minimal surfaces such as Simons' cone and catenoids, using refined Lyapunov–Schmidt reduction method, we construct new solutions for a free boundary problem whose free boundary has two components. In dimension 8, using variational arguments, we also obtain solutions which are global minimizers of the corresponding energy functional. This shows that the theorem of Valdinoci et al. [41,42] is optimal.
Systematic Use of Visual Analysis for Assessing Outcomes in Single Case Design Studies
Authors: Ledford Jennifer R. , Lane Justin D. , Severini Katherine E.
Published: October 2017

Single case designs (SCDs) allow researchers to objectively evaluate the impact of an intervention by repeatedly measuring a dependent variable across baseline and intervention conditions. Rooted in baseline logic, SCDs evaluate change over time, with each participant serving as his or her own control during the course of a study. Formative and summative evaluation of data is critical to determining causal relations. Visual analysis involves evaluation of level, trend, variability, consistency, overlap, and immediacy of effects within (baseline and intervention) and between conditions (baseline to intervention). The purpose of this paper is to highlight the process for visually analysing data collected in the context of a SCD and to provide structures and procedures for evaluating the six data characteristics of interest. A checklist with dichotomous responses (i.e., yes/no) is presented to facilitate implementation and reporting of systematic visual analysis.
Accuracy of the Ottawa Ankle Rules applied by non-physician providers in a pediatric emergency department
Authors: MacLellan Joe , Smith Teya , Baserman Jason , Dowling Shawn
Published: October 2017

Objective

The Ottawa Ankle Rules (OAR) are a clinical decision tool used to minimize unnecessary radiographs in ankle and foot injuries. The OAR are a reliable tool to exclude fractures in children over 5 years of age when applied by physicians. Limited data support its use by other health care workers in children. Our objective was to determine the accuracy of the OAR when applied by non-physician providers (NPP).

Methods

Children aged 5 to 17 years presenting with an acute ankle or foot injury were enrolled. Phase 1 captured baseline data on x-ray use in 106 patients. NPPs were then educated on the usage of the OAR and completed an OAR learning module. In phase 2, NPPs applied the OAR to 184 included patients.

Results

The sensitivity of the foot rule, as applied by NPP’s, was 100% (56-100% CI) and the specificity was 17% (9-29% CI) for clinically significant fractures. The sensitivity of the ankle portion of the rule, as applied by NPP’s, was 88% (47-99 CI) and the specificity was 31% (23-40% CI) for clinically significant fractures. The only clinically significant fracture missed by NPP’s was detected on physician assessment. Inter-observer agreement was κ=0.24 for the ankle rule and κ=0.49 for the foot rule.

Conclusion

The sensitivity of the OAR when applied by NPP’s was very good. More training and practice using the OAR would likely improve NPP’s inter-observer reliability. Our data suggest the OAR may be a useful tool for NPP’s to apply prior to physician assessment.
Testing the effectiveness of a transdiagnostic treatment approach in reducing violence and alcohol abuse among families in Zambia: study protocol of the Violence and Alcohol Treatment (VATU) trial
Authors: Kane J. C. , Skavenski Van Wyk S. , Murray S. M. , Bolton P. , Melendez F. , Danielson C. K. , Chimponda P. , Munthali S. , Murray L. K.
Published: October 2017

Background

Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is an urgent global health problem. Root causes for VAWG include the individual- and family-level factors of alcohol abuse, mental health problems, violence exposure, and related adverse experiences. Few studies in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) have assessed the effectiveness of psychological interventions for reducing VAWG. This randomized controlled trial, part of the What Works to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls consortium, examines the effectiveness of a common elements treatment approach (CETA) for reducing VAWG and comorbid alcohol abuse among families in Zambia.

Methods/design

Study participants are families consisting of three persons: an adult woman, her male husband or partner, and one of her children aged 8–17 (if available). Eligibility criteria include experience of moderate-to-severe intimate partner violence by the woman and hazardous alcohol use by her male partner. Family units are randomized to receive CETA or treatment as usual. The primary outcome is VAWG as measured by the Severity of Violence Against Women Scale, assessed along with secondary outcomes at 24 months post-baseline. Interim assessments are also conducted at 4–5 months (following CETA completion) and 12 months post-baseline.

Conclusions

This ongoing trial is one of the first in sub-Saharan Africa to evaluate the use of an evidence-based common elements approach for reducing VAWG by targeting a range of individual- and family-level factors, including alcohol abuse. Results of this trial will inform policy on what interventions work to prevent VAWG in LMIC with local perspectives on scale up and wider implementation.
Unsteady aerodynamics and vortex-sheet formation of a two-dimensional airfoil
Authors: Xia X. , Mohseni K.
Published: October 2017

Unsteady inviscid flow models of wings and airfoils have been developed to study the aerodynamics of natural and man-made flyers. Vortex methods have been extensively applied to reduce the dimensionality of these aerodynamic models, based on the proper estimation of the strength and distribution of the vortices in the wake. In such modelling approaches, one of the most fundamental questions is how the vortex sheets are generated and released from sharp edges. To determine the formation of the trailing-edge vortex sheet, the classical steady Kutta condition can be extended to unsteady situations by realizing that a flow cannot turn abruptly around a sharp edge. This condition can be readily applied to a flat plate or an airfoil with cusped trailing edge since the direction of the forming vortex sheet is known to be tangential to the trailing edge. However, for a finite-angle trailing edge, or in the case of flow separation away from a sharp corner, the direction of the forming vortex sheet is ambiguous. To remove anyad hocimplementation, the unsteady Kutta condition, the conservation of circulation as well as the conservation laws of mass and momentum are coupled to analytically solve for the angle, strength and relative velocity of the trailing-edge vortex sheet. The two-dimensional aerodynamic model together with the proposed vortex-sheet formation condition is verified by comparing flow structures and force calculations with experimental results for several airfoil motions in steady and unsteady background flows.
Resonance dynamics in compressible cavity flows using time-resolved velocity and surface pressure fields
Authors: Wagner Justin L. , Beresh Steven J. , Casper Katya M. , DeMauro Edward P. , Arunajatesan Srinivasan
Published: October 2017

The resonance modes in Mach 0.94 turbulent flow over a cavity having a length-to-depth ratio of five were explored using time-resolved particle image velocimetry (TR-PIV) and time-resolved pressure sensitive paint (TR-PSP). Mode switching was quantified in the velocity field simultaneous with the pressure field. As the mode number increased from one through three, the resonance activity moved from a region downstream within the recirculation region to areas further upstream in the shear layer, an observation consistent with linear stability analysis. The second and third modes contained organized structures associated with shear layer vortices. Coherent structures occurring in the velocity field during modes two and three exhibited a clear modulation in size with streamwise distance. The streamwise periodicity was attributable to the interference of downstream-propagating vortical disturbances with upstream-travelling acoustic waves. The coherent structure oscillations were approximately $180^{\circ }$ out of phase with the modal surface pressure fluctuations, analogous to a standing wave. Modal propagation (or phase) velocities, based on cross-correlations of bandpass-filtered velocity fields were found for each mode. The phase velocities also showed streamwise periodicity and were greatest at regions of maximum constructive interference where coherent structures were the largest. Overall, the phase velocities increased with modal frequency, which coincided with the modal activity residing at higher portions of the cavity where the local mean flow velocity was elevated. Together, the TR-PIV and TR-PSP provide unique details not only on the distribution of modal activity throughout the cavity, but also new understanding of the resonance mechanism as observed in the velocity field.
Les sculptures funéraires de Cyrénaïque sur le marché de l'art
Authors: Belzic Morgan
Published: October 2017

In the course of my research on Cyrenaican funerary sculptures, such as the remarkable ‘Mourning Women’ and ‘Funerary Divinities’ and the distinctive local funerary portraits, I realised to my dismay that a large part of this archaeological material has been or is currently on sale on the international art market. The number of sales of these sculptures on the art market demonstrates the extent of looting over the past twenty years in the Greek necropoleis of Libya. These sales show in particular that the degree of tomb destruction has increased exponentially during the past ten years. This preliminary discussion has three main objectives: 1) to alert and to inform the world about this destruction in order to help end the looting; 2) to describe the operational modes of the illicit trade in antiquities on the art market; and 3) to study and document these sculptures, which are important evidence for understanding the culture and history of ancient Cyrenaica.
Risky Business? Welfare State Reforms and Government Support in Britain and Denmark
Authors: Lee Seonghui , Jensen Carsten , Arndt Christoph , Wenzelburger Georg
Published: October 2017

Are welfare state reforms electorally dangerous for governments? Political scientists have only recently begun to study this seemingly simple question, and existing work still suffers from two shortcomings. First, it has never tested the reform–vote link with data on actual legislative decisions for enough points in time to allow robust statistical tests. Secondly, it has failed to take into account the many expansionary reforms that have occurred in recent decades. Expansions often happen in the same years as cutbacks. By focusing only on cutbacks, estimates of the effects of reforms on government popularity become biased. This article addresses both shortcomings. The results show that voters punish governments for cutbacks, but also reward them for expansions, making so-called compensation, a viable blame-avoidance strategy. The study also finds that the size of punishments and rewards is roughly the same, suggesting that voters’ well-documented negativity bias does not directly translate into electoral behavior.
MUSSOLINI AND THE FALL OF FASCISM, 25 JULY 1943: A REAPPRAISAL
Authors: GIN EMILIO
Published: October 2017

The article addresses the question of Mussolini's role in the fall of fascism. After Alamein and Stalingrad, in order to save the regime, Mussolini's main concern became how to reach a compromise peace agreement with Soviet Russia. As Hitler remained obdurate, however, the sole option left to theducewas to send stern warnings to Berlin about the precariousness of his domestic position. Mussolini's growing apathy and unusual passivity facing domestic opposition, as well as his demeanour during the Grand Council of Fascism, between 24 and 25 July 1943, which eventually spelled his fate, have often been interpreted as the result of his declining health or of his overconfidence. On the contrary, in his desperate struggle to sway Hitler, Mussolini needed to provide him with a last and unquestionable proof of how awful the situation had become for the regime in Italy and for himself. In Mussolini's twisted calculations, by deliberately provoking the opposition against him, the vote in the Grand Council would have provided that evidence. It proved to be his last political gamble.
DIETARY DIVERSITY AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH NUTRITIONAL STATUS AMONG ADOLESCENTS AND ADULTS IN RURAL INDIA
Authors: Nithya D. J. , Bhavani R. V.
Published: October 2017

Dietary diversity is associated with household or individual food availability and intake of nutrients from different food groups and is an important component of nutritional outcome. This study examined the Nutrient Adequacy Ratio (NAR) and the Mean Adequacy Ratio (MAR) of three dietary diversity indices and their relationship with the nutritional status of adolescents and adults in rural regions of two states in India, Wardha district in Maharashtra and Koraput district in Odisha, in 2014. Individual dietary diversity was calculated using 24-hour diet recall (FS24hr) data and household dietary diversity was measured with food frequency data using Berry’s index (DDI) and food scores (FSFFQ). The nutritional status of individuals was assessed using anthropometric indices. The diets in both locations were cereal dominated. It was observed that 51% of adolescent boys and 27% of adolescent girls had ‘thinness’ and stunting. The prevalence of undernutrition was higher among adult women (48%) than adult men (36%). The mean diversity indices were FS24hrof 8, DDI of 89–90 and FSFFQof 64–66 in the two locations. The FS24hrwas found to be positively correlated with the NAR of all nutrients while DDI and FSFFQwere correlated with seven and six nutrients, respectively. The DDI and FS24hrshowed an association with MAR if the two locations were combined together. Sensitivity and specificity analysis showed that FS24hrgave more true positives than false positives and the area under the Receiver Operating Characteristic curve was 0.68, implying that this measure truly differentiates individuals having low dietary diversity with low MAR from those with low dietary diversity and a high MAR. All three measures of dietary diversity showed a linear association with the nutritional outcomes of adults, while in the adolescent group only DDI showed a relationship. It is concluded that 24-hour diet recall is a good measure for studying the relationship between dietary diversity and nutritional status in adults.
BIRTH ORDER, STAGE OF INFANCY AND INFANT MORTALITY IN INDIA
Authors: Mishra S. K. , Ram Bali , Singh Abhishek , Yadav Awdhesh
Published: October 2017

Using data from India’s National Family Health Survey, 2005–06 (NFHS-3), this article examines the patterns of relationship between birth order and infant mortality. The analysis controls for a number of variables, including mother’s characteristics such as age at the time of survey, current place of residence (urban/rural), years of schooling, religion, caste, and child’s sex and birth weight. A modest J-shaped relationship between birth order of children and their risk of dying in the neonatal period is found, suggesting that although both first- and last-born children are at a significantly greater risk of dying compared with those in the middle, last-borns (i.e. fourth and higher order births) are at the worst risk. However, in the post-neonatal period first-borns are not as vulnerable, but the risk increases steadily with the addition of successive births and last-borns are at much greater risk, even worse than those in the neonatal period. Although the strength of relationship between birth order and mortality is attenuated after the potential confounders are taken into account, the relationship between the two variables remains curvilinear in the neonatal period and direct in the post-neonatal period. There are marked differences in these patterns by the child’s sex. While female children are less prone to the risk of dying in the neonatal period in comparison with male children, the converse is true in the post-neonatal period. Female children not only run higher risks of dying in the post-neonatal period, but also become progressively more vulnerable with an increase in birth order.
Corporate Environmental Policy and Shareholder Value: Following the Smart Money
Authors: Fernando Chitru S. , Sharfman Mark P. , Uysal Vahap B.
Published: October 2017

We examine the value consequences of corporate social responsibility through the lens of institutional shareholders. We find a sharp asymmetry between corporate policies that mitigate the firm’s exposure to environmental risk and those that enhance its perceived environmental friendliness (“greenness”). Institutional investors shun stocks with high environmental risk exposure, which we show have lower valuations, as predicted by risk management theory. These findings suggest that corporate environmental policies that mitigate environmental risk exposure create shareholder value. In contrast, firms that increase greenness do not create shareholder value and are also shunned by institutional investors.
MCCARTHYISM AND THE MATHEMATIZATION OF ECONOMICS
Authors: Weintraub E. Roy
Published: October 2017

Historians of the social sciences and historians of economics have come to agree that, in the United States, the 1940s transformation of economics from political economy to economic science was associated with economists’ engagements with other disciplines—e.g., mathematics, statistics, operations research, physics, engineering, cybernetics—during and immediately after World War II. More controversially, some historians have also argued that the transformation was accelerated by economists’ desires to be safe, to seek the protective coloration of mathematics and statistics, during the McCarthy period. This paper argues that that particular claim 1) is generally accepted, but 2) is unsupported by good evidence, and 3) what evidence there is suggests that the claim is false.
HARRY JOHNSON ON THE PHILLIPS CURVE
Authors: Forder James
Published: October 2017

It is noted that Harry G. Johnson was widely admired for his broad knowledge of economics, and particularly for the excellence and synthesizing quality of much of his writing. His discussions of the Phillips curve and related matters are considered. It is found that they are brief, inaccurate, and inconsistent. It is clear that, despite his reputation, they should not be treated as authoritative. It is further suggested that rather than supposing that Johnson’s knowledge and capabilities have been grossly exaggerated, it may be better to conclude that the Phillips curve was not nearly so important in the literature of the 1960s and 1970s as has been supposed.
Is vowel nasalisation phonological in English? A systematic review
Authors: KRÄMER MARTIN
Published: October 2017

Vowel nasalisation in American English has been the subject of a long discussion as to whether it is a phonological process or whether it should better be analysed as phonetic coarticulation. As a predictable allophonic process, vowel nasalisation also provides a testing ground for theories of lexical representation, since if it turns out that language users store this predictable information in long-term memory, there is no reason to assume any kind of phonological underspecification. In this article, experimental studies on this phenomenon are reviewed with these two questions in mind: is the phenomenon a phonological process at all and is this predictable information, i.e. vowel nasalisation, stored in the mental lexicon. The majority of studies provide evidence supporting the phonological view and underspecified lexical representations.
Nutrition warnings as front-of-pack labels: influence of design features on healthfulness perception and attentional capture
Authors: Cabrera Manuel , Machín Leandro , Arrúa Alejandra , Antúnez Lucía , Curutchet María Rosa , Giménez Ana , Ares Gastón
Published: October 2017

Objective

Warnings are a new directive front-of-pack (FOP) nutrition labelling scheme that highlights products with high content of key nutrients. The design of warnings influences their ability to catch consumers’ attention and to clearly communicate their intended meaning, which are key determinants of their effectiveness. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the influence of design features of warnings as a FOP nutrition labelling scheme on perceived healthfulness and attentional capture.

Design

Five studies with a total of 496 people were carried out. In the first study, the association of colour and perceived healthfulness was evaluated in an online survey in which participants had to rate their perceived healthfulness of eight colours. In the second study, the influence of colour, shape and textual information on perceived healthfulness was evaluated using choice-conjoint analysis. The third study focused on implicit associations between two design features (shape and colour) on perceived healthfulness. The fourth and fifth studies used visual search to evaluate the influence of colour, size and position of the warnings on attentional capture.

Results

Perceived healthfulness was significantly influenced by shape, colour and textual information. Colour was the variable with the largest contribution to perceived healthfulness. Colour, size and position of the warnings on the labels affected attentional capture.

Conclusions

Results from the experiments provide recommendations for the design of warnings to identify products with unfavourable nutrient profile.
Alternative standard frequencies for interstellar communication
Authors: Sivaram C. , Arun Kenath , Kiren O. V.
Published: October 2017

The 21 cm hydrogen line is considered a favourable frequency by the SETI programme in their search for signals from potential extraterrestrial (ET) civilizations. The Pioneer plaque, attached to the Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11 spacecraft, portrays the hyperfine transition of neutral hydrogen and used the wavelength as a standard scale of measurement. Although this line would be universally recognized and is a suitable wavelength to look for radio signals from ETs, the presence of ubiquitous radiation from galactic hydrogen could make searches a little difficult. In this paper, we suggest several alternate standard frequencies, which are free of interference from atomic or molecular sources and is independent of any bias.
The ‘Hungry Gap’: Twitter, local press reporting and urban agriculture activism
Authors: Reed Matt , Keech Daniel
Published: October 2017

This paper is concerned with how urban food activists related to the media during 2015, when Bristol was the European Green Capital (EGC), how they represented themselves and how others represented their agenda. Our intention is to inform the debates on urban agriculture (UA) and, more specifically, to contribute to discussions about ‘scaling up’ UA. To achieve this, we adopt a form of analysis that rests on Castells’ insights about contemporary protest movements, the media and the role of communication technologies in constituting social power. By using Bristol, a city with a well-developed and studied urban agriculture movement, we suggest new areas for consideration that focus on the importance of communication in the development of the movement. Our study relied only on publicly available data; newspaper reports about the EGC and a sample of the social media used by the urban food networks in the city. We found that the mass media was mainly concerned with reporting topics other than food and that urban food was not a salient issue in their coverage. The Twitter network we analyzed was a loose constellation of different communities, which shared materials that were mostly concerned with creating a shared, normative picture of urban food. By considering the structure of these forms of media, we can observe the assembly of the forms of communication and their content. The paper concludes that the self-representation of urban food networks at that time reveals a narrow focus of interest. This emphasis may have contributed to the lack of connection within the city between potential allies. Our conclusion supports similar research findings in neighboring communities, which have observed the limited connections of urban food networks to the circuits of power and influence.
The updated ICRC Commentary on the Second Geneva Convention: Demystifying the law of armed conflict at sea
Authors: Demeyere Bruno , Henckaerts Jean-Marie , Hiemstra Heleen , Nohle Ellen
Published: October 2017

Since their publication in the 1950s and 1980s respectively, the Commentaries on the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols of 1977 have become a major reference for the application and interpretation of those treaties. The International Committee of the Red Cross, together with a team of renowned experts, is currently updating these Commentaries in order to document developments and provide up-to-date interpretations of the treaty texts. Following a brief overview of the methodology and process of the update as well as a historical background to the Second Geneva Convention, this article addresses the scope of applicability of the Convention, the type of vessels it protects (in particular hospital ships and coastal rescue craft), and its relationship with other sources of international humanitarian law and international law conferring protection to persons in distress at sea. It also outlines differences and commonalities between the First and the Second Conventions, including how these have been reflected in the updated Commentary on the Second Convention. Finally, the article highlights certain substantive obligations under the Convention and how the updated Commentary addresses some of the interpretive questions they raise.
Spatial scale of receptive fields in the visual sector of the cat thalamic reticular nucleus
Authors: Soto-Sánchez Cristina , Wang Xin , Vaingankar Vishal , Sommer Friedrich T. , Hirsch Judith A.
Published: October 2017

Inhibitory projections from the visual sector of the thalamic reticular nucleus to the lateral geniculate nucleus complete the earliest feedback loop in the mammalian visual pathway and regulate the flow of information from retina to cortex. There are two competing hypotheses about the function of the thalamic reticular nucleus. One regards the structure as a thermostat that uniformly regulates thalamic activity through negative feedback. Alternatively, the searchlight hypothesis argues for a role in focal attentional modulation through positive feedback, consistent with observations that behavioral state influences reticular activity. Here, we address the question of whether cells in the reticular nucleus have receptive fields small enough to provide localized feedback by devising methods to quantify the size of these fields across visual space. Our results show that reticular neurons in the cat operate over discrete spatial scales, at once supporting the searchlight hypothesis and a role in feature selective sensory processing.
Zeeman splitting via spin-valley-layer coupling in bilayer MoTe2
Authors: Jiang Chongyun , Liu Fucai , Cuadra Jorge , Huang Zumeng , Li Ke , Rasmita Abdullah , Srivastava Ajit , Liu Zheng , Gao Wei-Bo
Published: October 2017

Atomically thin monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides possess coupling of spin and valley degrees of freedom. The chirality is locked to identical valleys as a consequence of spin–orbit coupling and inversion symmetry breaking, leading to a valley analog of the Zeeman effect in presence of an out-of-plane magnetic field. Owing to the inversion symmetry in bilayers, the photoluminescence helicity should no longer be locked to the valleys. Here we show that the Zeeman splitting, however, persists in 2H-MoTe2 bilayers, as a result of an additional degree of freedom, namely the layer pseudospin, and spin–valley-layer locking. Unlike monolayers, the Zeeman splitting in bilayers occurs without lifting valley degeneracy. The degree of circularly polarized photoluminescence is tuned with magnetic field from −37% to 37%. Our results demonstrate the control of degree of freedom in bilayer with magnetic field, which makes bilayer a promising platform for spin-valley quantum gates based on magnetoelectric effects.
Transmembrane Segment XI of the Na+/H+ Antiporter of S. pombe is a Critical Part of the Ion Translocation Pore
Authors: Dutta Debajyoti , Shin Kyungsoo , Rainey Jan K. , Fliegel Larry
Published: October 2017

The Na+/H+ exchanger of the plasma membrane of S. pombe (SpNHE1) removes intracellular sodium in exchange for an extracellular proton. We examined the structure and functional role of amino acids 360–393 of putative transmembrane (TM) segment XI of SpNHE1. Structural analysis suggested that it had a helical propensity over amino acids 360–368, an extended region from 369–378 and was helical over amino acids 379–386. TM XI was sensitive to side chain alterations. Mutation of eight amino acids to alanine resulted in loss of one or both of LiCl or NaCl tolerance when re-introduced into SpNHE1 deficient S. pombe. Mutation of seven other amino acids had minor effects. Analysis of structure and functional mutations suggested that Glu361 may be involved in cation coordination on the cytoplasmic face of the protein with a negative charge in this position being important. His367, Ile371 and Gly372 were important in function. Ile371 may have important hydrophobic interactions with other residues and Gly372 may be important in maintaining an extended conformation. Several residues from Val377 to Leu384 are important in function possibly involved in hydrophobic interactions with other amino acids. We suggest that TM XI forms part of the ion translocation core of this Na+/H+ exchanger.
Experimental testing of reciprocal effects of nutrition and parasitism in wild black capuchin monkeys
Authors: Agostini Ilaria , Vanderhoeven Ezequiel , Di Bitetti Mario S. , Beldomenico Pablo M.
Published: October 2017

Nutritional stress may predispose individuals to infection, which in turn can have further detrimental effects on physical condition, thus creating an opportunity for reciprocal effects between nutrition and parasitism. Little experimental investigation has been conducted on this “vicious circle” hypothesis in wild animals, especially under natural conditions. We evaluated the reciprocal effects of nutritional status and parasitism using an experimental approach in two groups of wild black capuchin monkeys (Sapajus nigritus). Across two consecutive winters, we collected faecal samples from identified capuchins to determine presence and load of gastrointestinal helminthes, and measured individual body mass as a proxy of physical condition. Food availability was manipulated by provisioning monkeys with bananas, and parasite burdens by applying antiparasitic drugs to selected individuals. We found no effect of antiparasitic drugs on physical condition, but parasite loads decreased in response to high levels of food availability. Our results represent the first experimental evidence that the nutritional status may drive parasite dynamics in a primate.
Outcomes of 23- and 24-weeks gestation infants in Wellington, New Zealand: A single centre experience
Authors: Berry Mary Judith , Saito-Benz Maria , Gray Clint , Dyson Rebecca Maree , Dellabarca Paula , Ebmeier Stefan , Foley David , Elder Dawn Elizabeth , Richardson Vaughan Francis
Published: October 2017

Optimal perinatal care of infants born less than 24 weeks gestation remains contentious due to uncertainty about the long-term neurodevelopment of resuscitated infants. Our aim was to determine the short-term mortality and major morbidity outcomes from a cohort of inborn infants born at 23 and 24 weeks gestation and to assess if these parameters differed significantly between infants born at 23 vs. 24 weeks gestation. We report survival rates at 2-year follow-up of 22/38 (58%) at 23 weeks gestation and 36/60 (60%) at 24 weeks gestation. Neuroanatomical injury at the time of discharge (IVH ≥ Grade 3 and/or PVL) occurred in in 3/23 (13%) and 1/40 (3%) of surviving 23 and 24 weeks gestation infants respectively. Rates of disability at 2 years corrected postnatal age were not different between infants born at 23 and 24 weeks gestation. We show evidence that with maximal perinatal care in a tertiary setting it is possible to achieve comparable rates of survival free of significant neuroanatomical injury or severe disability at age 2 in infants born at 23-week and 24-weeks gestation.
Structure-Activity Relationship Studies of β-Lactam-azide Analogues as Orally Active Antitumor Agents Targeting the Tubulin Colchicine Site
Authors: Fu Dong-Jun , Fu Ling , Liu Ying-Chao , Wang Jun-Wei , Wang Yu-Qing , Han Bing-Kai , Li Xiao-Rui , Zhang Chuang , Li Feng , Song Jian , Zhao Bing , Mao Ruo-Wang , Zhao Ruo-Han , Zhang Sai-Yang , Zhang Li , Zhang Yan-Bing , Liu Hong-Min
Published: October 2017

We have synthesized a series of new β-lactam-azide derivatives as orally active anti-tumor agents by targeting tubulin colchicine binding site and examined their structure activity relationship (SAR). Among them, compound 28 exhibited the most potent antiproliferative activity against MGC-803 cells with an IC50 value of 0.106 μM by induction of G2/M arrest and apoptosis and inhibition of the epithelial to mesenchymal transition. 28 acted as a novel inhibitor of tubulin polymerization by its binding to the colchicine site. SAR analysis revealed that a hydrogen atom at the C-3 position of the β-lactam was required for the potent antiproliferative activity of β-lactam-azide derivatives. Oral administration of compound 28 also effectively inhibited MGC-803 xenograft tumor growth in vivo in nude mice without causing significant loss of body weight. These results suggested that compound 28 is a promising orally active anticancer agent with potential for development of further clinical applications.
Brain atrophy in the visual cortex and thalamus induced by severe stress in animal model
Authors: Yoshii Takanobu , Oishi Naoya , Ikoma Kazuya , Nishimura Isao , Sakai Yuki , Matsuda Kenichi , Yamada Shunji , Tanaka Masaki , Kawata Mitsuhiro , Narumoto Jin , Fukui Kenji
Published: October 2017

Psychological stress induces many diseases including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); however, the causal relationship between stress and brain atrophy has not been clarified. Applying single-prolonged stress (SPS) to explore the global effect of severe stress, we performed brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) acquisition and Voxel-based morphometry (VBM). Significant atrophy was detected in the bilateral thalamus and right visual cortex. Fluorescent immunohistochemistry for Iba-1 as the marker of activated microglia indicates regional microglial activation as stress-reaction in these atrophic areas. These data certify the impact of severe psychological stress on the atrophy of the visual cortex and the thalamus. Unexpectedly, these results are similar to chronic neuropathic pain rather than PTSD clinical research. We believe that some sensitisation mechanism from severe stress-induced atrophy in the visual cortex and thalamus, and the functional defect of the visual system may be a potential therapeutic target for stress-related diseases.
An extinct vertebrate preserved by its living hybridogenetic descendant
Authors: Dubey Sylvain , Dufresnes Christophe
Published: October 2017

Hybridogenesis is a special mode of hybrid reproduction where one parental genome is eliminated and the other is transmitted clonally. We propose that this mechanism can perpetuate the genome of extinct species, based on new genetic data fromPelophylaxwater frogs. We characterized the genetic makeup of Italian hybridogenetic hybrids (P. kl.hispanicusandesculentus) and identified a new endemic lineage of Eastern-Mediterranean origin as one parental ancestor ofP. kl.hispanicus. This taxon is nowadays extinct in the wild but its germline subsists through its hybridogenetic descendant, which can thus be considered as a “semi living fossil”. Such rare situation calls for realistic efforts of de-extinction through selective breeding without genetic engineering, and fuels the topical controversy of reviving long extinct species. “Ghost” species hidden by taxa of hybrid origin may be more frequent than suspected in vertebrate groups that experienced a strong history of hybridization and semi-sexual reproduction.
Evidence of mixotrophic carbon-capture by n-butanol-producer Clostridium beijerinckii
Authors: Sandoval-Espinola W. J. , Chinn M. S. , Thon M. R. , Bruno-Bárcena J. M.
Published: October 2017

Recent efforts to combat increasing greenhouse gas emissions include their capture into advanced biofuels, such as butanol. Traditionally, biobutanol research has been centered solely on its generation from sugars. Our results show partial re-assimilation of CO2 and H2 by n-butanol-producer C. beijerinckii. This was detected as synchronous CO2/H2 oscillations by direct (real-time) monitoring of their fermentation gasses. Additional functional analysis demonstrated increased total carbon recovery above heterotrophic values associated to mixotrophic assimilation of synthesis gas (H2, CO2 and CO). This was further confirmed using 13C-Tracer experiments feeding 13CO2 and measuring the resulting labeled products. Genome- and transcriptome-wide analysis revealed transcription of key C-1 capture and additional energy conservation genes, including partial Wood-Ljungdahl and complete reversed pyruvate ferredoxin oxidoreductase / pyruvate-formate-lyase-dependent (rPFOR/Pfl) pathways. Therefore, this report provides direct genetic and physiological evidences of mixotrophic inorganic carbon-capture by C. beijerinckii.
Disordered Supersolids in the Extended Bose-Hubbard Model
Authors: Lin Fei , Maier T. A. , Scarola V. W.
Published: October 2017

The extended Bose-Hubbard model captures the essential properties of a wide variety of physical systems including ultracold atoms and molecules in optical lattices, Josephson junction arrays, and certain narrow band superconductors. It exhibits a rich phase diagram including a supersolid phase where a lattice solid coexists with a superfluid. We use quantum Monte Carlo to study the supersolid part of the phase diagram of the extended Bose-Hubbard model on the simple cubic lattice. We add disorder to the extended Bose-Hubbard model and find that the maximum critical temperature for the supersolid phase tends to be suppressed by disorder. But we also find a narrow parameter window in which the supersolid critical temperature is enhanced by disorder. Our results show that supersolids survive a moderate amount of spatial disorder and thermal fluctuations in the simple cubic lattice.
Is Long-term Exposure to Air Pollution Associated with Episodic Memory? A Longitudinal Study from Northern Sweden
Authors: Oudin Anna , Forsberg Bertil , Lind Nina , Nordin Steven , Oudin Åström Daniel , Sundström Anna , Nordin Maria
Published: October 2017

Associations between long-term exposure to ambient air pollution and cognitive function have been observed in a few longitudinal studies. Our aim was to investigate the association between long-term exposure to air pollution and episodic memory, a marker of early cognitive decline. We used data from the Betula study in Northern Sweden, and included participants 60 to 85 of age at inclusion, 1,469 persons in total. The participants were followed for up to 22 years, five years apart between 1988 and 2010. A composite of five tasks was used as a measure of episodic memory measure (EMM), and the five-year change in EMM score (ΔEMM) was calculated such that a participant could contribute with up to four measurement pairs. A Land Use Regression Model was used to estimate cumulative annual mean of NOx at the residential address of the participants (a marker for long-term exposure to traffic-related air pollution). There did not seem to be any association between exposure to traffic air pollution and episodic memory change, with a ΔEMM estimate of per 1 µg/m3 increase in NOx of 0.01 (95% Confidence Interval: −0.02,0.03). This is in contrast to a growing body of evidence suggesting associations between air pollution and cognitive function.
Performance and consistency of a fluorescence-based high-throughput screening assay for use in Babesia drug screening in mice
Authors: Rizk Mohamed Abdo , El-Sayed Shimaa Abd El-Salam , AbouLaila Mahmoud , Eltaysh Rasha , Yokoyama Naoaki , Igarashi Ikuo
Published: October 2017

In this study, we evaluated the validity of a fluorescence-based assay using SYBR Green I (SG I) stain for screening antibabesial compounds against B. microti in mice. Two different hematocrits (HCTs; 2.5% and 5%) were used. Correlating relative fluorescence units (RFUs) with parasitemia showed significant linear relationships with R2 values of 0.97 and 0.99 at HCTs of 2.5% and 5%, respectively. Meanwhile, the Z′ factors in a high-throughput screening (HTS) assay were within the permissible limit (≥0.5) at 2.5% HCT and lower than this value at 5% HCT. Taken together, the highest signal-to-noise (S/N) ratios were obtained at 2.5% HCT; therefore, we concluded that 2.5% was the best HCT for applying fluorescence assay in antibabesial drug screening in mice. Additionally, positive control mice and those treated with diminazene aceturate, pyronaridine tetraphosphate, and an allicin/diminazene aceturate combination showed peak parasitemia and fluorescence values on the same day post-inoculation. Moreover, using different concentrations of SG I revealed that the optimal concentration was 2x. In summary, considering that all experiments were applied under optimal laboratory conditions, fluorescence assay at 2.5% HCT using 2x SG I for B. microti parasite offers a novel approach for drug screening in mice.
Towards remote assessment and screening of acute abdominal pain using only a smartphone with native accelerometers
Authors: Myers David R. , Weiss Alexander , Rollins Margo R. , Lam Wilbur A.
Published: October 2017

Smartphone-based telehealth holds the promise of shifting healthcare from the clinic to the home, but the inability for clinicians to conduct remote palpation, or touching, a key component of the physical exam, remains a major limitation. This is exemplified in the assessment of acute abdominal pain, in which a physician’s palpation determines if a patient’s pain is life-threatening requiring emergency intervention/surgery or due to some less-urgent cause. In a step towards virtual physical examinations, we developed and report for the first time a “touch-capable” mHealth technology that enables a patient’s own hands to serve as remote surrogates for the physician’s in the screening of acute abdominal pain. Leveraging only a smartphone with its native accelerometers, our system guides a patient through an exact probing motion that precisely matches the palpation motion set by the physician. An integrated feedback algorithm, with 95% sensitivity and specificity, enabled 81% of tested patients to match a physician abdominal palpation curve with <20% error after 6 attempts. Overall, this work addresses a key issue in telehealth that will vastly improve its capabilities and adoption worldwide.
Multilayer pixel super-resolution lensless in-line holographic microscope with random sample movement
Authors: Wang Mingjun , Feng Shaodong , Wu Jigang
Published: October 2017

We report a multilayer lensless in-line holographic microscope (LIHM) with improved imaging resolution by using the pixel super-resolution technique and random sample movement. In our imaging system, a laser beam illuminated the sample and a CMOS imaging sensor located behind the sample recorded the in-line hologram for image reconstruction. During the imaging process, the sample was moved by hand randomly and the in-line holograms were acquired sequentially. Then the sample image was reconstructed from an enhanced-resolution hologram obtained from multiple low-resolution in-line holograms by applying the pixel super-resolution (PSR) technique. We studied the resolution enhancement effects by using the U.S. Air Force (USAF) target as the sample in numerical simulation and experiment. We also showed that multilayer pixel super-resolution images can be obtained by imaging a triple-layer sample made with the filamentous algae on the middle layer and microspheres with diameter of 2 μm on the top and bottom layers. Our pixel super-resolution LIHM provides a compact and low-cost solution for microscopic imaging and is promising for many biomedical applications.
Conformations and molecular interactions of poly-γ-glutamic acid as a soluble microbial product in aqueous solutions
Authors: Wang Ling-Ling , Chen Jian-Tao , Wang Long-Fei , Wu Sha , Zhang Guang-zhao , Yu Han-Qing , Ye Xiao-dong , Shi Qing-Shan
Published: October 2017

Soluble microbial products (SMPs) are of significant concern in the natural environment and in engineered systems. In this work, poly-γ-glutamic acid (γ-PGA), which is predominantly produced by Bacillus sp., was investigated in terms of pH-induced conformational changes and molecular interactions in aqueous solutions; accordingly, its sedimentation coefficient distribution and viscosity were also elucidated. Experimental results indicate that pH has a significant impact on the structure and molecular interactions of γ-PGA. The conformation of the γ-PGA acid form (γ-PGA-H) is rod-like while that of the γ-PGA sodium form (γ-PGA-Na) is sphere-like. The transformation from α-helix to random coil in the γ-PGA secondary structure is primarily responsible for this shape variation. The intramolecular hydrogen bonds in the γ-PGA-H structure decrease and intramolecular electrostatic repulsion increases as pH increases; however, the sedimentation coefficient distributions of γ-PGA are dependent on intermolecular interactions rather than intramolecular interactions. Concentration has a more substantial effect on intermolecular electrostatic repulsion and chain entanglement at higher pH values. Consequently, the sedimentation coefficient distributions of γ-PGA shift significantly at pH 8.9 from 0.1 to 1.0 g/L, and the viscosity of γ-PGA (5% w/v) significantly increases as pH increases from 2.3 to 6.0.
A new developing class of gene delivery: messenger RNA-based therapeutics
Authors: Meng Zhao , O'Keeffe-Ahern Jonathan , Lyu Jing , Pierucci Luca , Zhou Dezhong , Wang Wenxin
Published: October 2017

Gene therapy has long been held as having the potential to become a front line treatment for various genetic disorders.
A water-soluble two-photon ratiometric triarylboron probe with nucleolar targeting by preferential RNA binding
Authors: Liu Jun , Zhang Shilu , Zhang Chenghua , Dong Jun , Shen Chengyi , Zhu Jiang , Xu Huajun , Fu Mingkai , Yang Guoqiang , Zhang Xiaoming
Published: October 2017

By functionalizing triarylboron with cyclen, we developed a water-soluble two-photon ratiometric triarylboron probe with nucleolar targeting by preferential RNA binding.