bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Trapped intermediate state of plant pyruvate phosphate dikinase indicates substeps in catalytic swiveling domain mechanism
Authors: Minges Alexander , Höppner Astrid , Groth Georg
Published: May 2017

Pyruvate phosphate dikinase (PPDK) is an essential enzyme of both the C4 photosynthetic pathway and cellular energy metabolism of some bacteria and unicellular protists. In C4 plants, it catalyzes the ATP‐ and Pi‐dependent formation of phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) while in bacteria and protozoa the ATP‐forming direction is used. PPDK is composed out of three distinct domains and exhibits one of the largest single domain movements known today during its catalytic cycle. However, little information about potential intermediate steps of this movement was available. A recent study resolved a discrete intermediate step of PPDK's swiveling movement, shedding light on the details of this intriguing mechanism. Here we present an additional structural intermediate that possibly represents another crucial step in the catalytic cycle of PPDK, providing means to get a more detailed understanding of PPDK's mode of function.
Toxicity and residual effects of insecticides on Ascia monuste and predator Solenopsis saevissima
Authors: Araújo Tamíris A de , Picanço Marcelo C , Ferreira Dalton de O , Campos Júlia ND , Arcanjo Lucas de P , Silva Gerson A
Published: May 2017

BACKGROUND

Investigating the impact of pesticides on non‐target organisms is essential for sustainable integrated pest management programs. We therefore assessed the toxicity of ten insecticides to the brassica caterpillar Ascia monuste and its ant predator Solenopsis saevissima and examined the effect that the insecticide synergists had on toxicity to the predator. We also assessed the residual period of control and impact of the insecticides during the brassica growing cycle.

RESULTS

All insecticides except flubendiamide exhibited mortality above the threshold required by Brazilian legislation (80%). Chlorantraniliprole, cyantraniliprole, indoxacarb and spinosad exhibited lower toxicity to the ant predator than they did to the brassica caterpillar. The results obtained for synergized insecticides suggest that selectivity to the predator was due the involvement of cytochrome P450‐dependent monooxygenases. Chlorfenapyr and cyantraniliprole exhibited the highest residual periods of control to the brassica caterpillar, whereas malathion had the greatest impact on the predator.

CONCLUSION

Most of the insecticides efficiently controlled the brassica caterpillar, but not all exhibited selectivity to the predator. Therefore, due to the distinctive responses of organisms with respect to residual periods of control and the impact of the insecticides, spraying frequency must be strongly considered in integrated pest management programs. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry
Conformational latitude – activity relationship of KPPR tetrapeptide analogues toward their ability to inhibit binding of vascular endothelial growth factor 165 to neuropilin‐1
Authors: Fedorczyk Bartlomiej , Lipiński Piotr F. J. , Tymecka Dagmara , Puszko Anna K. , Wilenska Beata , Perret Gerard Y. , Misicka Aleksandra
Published: May 2017

Neuropilin‐1 (NRP‐1) has been found to be overexpressed in several kinds of malignant tumors, and it is postulated that in pathological angiogenesis, its interaction with the vascular endothelial growth factor 165 (VEGF165) leads to progression of tumor vascularization and growth. Herein, we present synthesis and in vitro evaluation of tetrapeptides with the general sequence KxxR, where xx represents two canonical amino acid residues or a single amino acid possessing hydrocarbon backbone. All synthesized compounds were found to be inhibitors of VEGF165/NRP‐1 interactions. The rationale behind their design was to elucidate the relationship between the xx flexibility and their inhibitory activity. Detailed molecular dynamics simulations for all synthesized compounds have been performed. A clear and quantitative relationship was found in the peptide analogues: the more flexible is the xx, the less active the analogue is. But surprisingly, highly flexible peptidomimetics with non‐natural amino acids (NH2‐(CH2)n‐COOH; n = 4,5) residues used possessed higher inhibitory activity than it was expected. Our molecular dynamics study of inhibitor/NRP‐1 complexes provides convincing explanations of divergence in the observed inhibitory activity; thus, it might give indication for design of the next generation NRP‐1 inhibitors. Copyright © 2017 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Synthesis of relaxin‐2 and insulin‐like peptide 5 enabled by novel tethering and traceless chemical excision
Authors: Thalluri Kishore , Kou Binbin , Yang Xu , Zaykov Alexander N. , Mayer John P. , Gelfanov Vasily M. , Liu Fa , DiMarchi Richard D.
Published: May 2017

This report presents an entirely chemical, general strategy for the synthesis of relaxin‐2 and insulin‐like peptide 5. Historically, these two peptides have represented two of the more synthetically challenging members of the insulin superfamily. The key synthetic steps involve two sequential oxime ligations to covalently link the individual A‐chain and B‐chain, followed by disulfide bond formation under aqueous, redox conditions. This is followed by two chemical reactions that employ diketopiperazine cyclization‐mediated cleavage and ester hydrolysis to liberate the connecting peptide and the heterodimeric product. This approach avoids the conventional iodine‐mediated disulfide bond formation and enzyme‐assisted proteolysis to generate biologically active two‐chain peptides. This novel synthetic strategy is ideally suited for peptides such as relaxin and insulin‐like peptide 5 as they possess methionine and tryptophan that are labile under strong oxidative conditions. Additionally, these peptides possess multiple arginine and lysine residues that preclude the use of trypsin‐like enzymes to obtain biologically active hormones. This synthetic methodology is conceivably applicable to other two‐chain peptides that contain multiple disulfide bonds. Copyright © 2017 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Probing the interfacial interaction between monolayer molybdenum disulfide and Au nanoclusters
Authors: Wang Fei , Xu Hui , Fang Jingyue , Wang Guang , Zhang Xueao
Published: May 2017

Coupling of plasmonic metal nanostructures on two‐dimensional materials represents one promising approach to improve their optoelectronic device performance. In this article, we systematically investigated the interfacial interactions between Au nanoclusters and monolayer molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) and the effect of Au decoration on the electrical transport and optical properties of MoS2, through the combination of in situ MoS2 field‐effect transistor device evaluation and in situ ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements. The in situ X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy/ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy experiments revealed a weak interfacial coupling between Au nanoclusters and monolayer MoS2. The absence of strong charge transfer between Au nanoclusters and MoS2 was further confirmed by the photoluminescence and Raman measurements. It was also found that the electron charge‐carrier concentration in monolayer MoS2 weakly depended on the coverage of Au nanoclusters. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Accurate p‐values for adaptive designs with binary endpoints
Authors: Heritier Stephane , Lloyd Chris J. , Lô Serigne N.
Published: May 2017

Adaptive designs encompass all trials allowing various types of design modifications over the course of the trial. A key requirement for confirmatory adaptive designs to be accepted by regulators is the strong control of the family‐wise error rate. This can be achieved by combining the p‐values for each arm and stage to account for adaptations (including but not limited to treatment selection), sample size adaptation and multiple stages. While the theory for this is novel and well‐established, in practice, these methods can perform poorly, especially for unbalanced designs and for small to moderate sample sizes. The problem is that standard stagewise tests have inflated type I error rate, especially but not only when the baseline success rate is close to the boundary and this is carried over to the adaptive tests, seriously inflating the family‐wise error rate. We propose to fix this problem by feeding the adaptive test with second‐order accurate p‐values, in particular bootstrap p‐values. Secondly, an adjusted version of the Simes procedure for testing intersection hypotheses that reduces the built‐in conservatism is suggested. Numerical work and simulations show that unlike their standard counterparts the new approach preserves the overall error rate, at or below the nominal level across the board, irrespective of the baseline rate, stagewise sample sizes or allocation ratio. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Single‐phase‐to‐ground fault feeder identification based on the feature between voltage and integration of current
Authors: Zhang Shu , He Zhengyou , Mai Ruikun
Published: May 2017

The availability of an accurate fault identification technique can result in considerable reduction in the restoration time of a faulted distribution network. In this paper, a fault feeder identification strategy for distribution network grounded by a Petersen coil based on the feature between voltage and integration of current is proposed in which the frequency band concerned is involved. First, the phase–frequency characteristics, which depend on the parameters of the distribution feeders, are analyzed for the characteristic frequency band. Also, the relation between the voltage and the integrated current is given in detail. Then, the value of the average ratio of the zero‐sequence voltage in the bus and integrated current in the feeders can be used to establish the detection criterion to discriminate between healthy feeders and the faulty one. Finally, the reliability and the validity of this algorithm are extensively studied with PSCAD/EMTDC, in which a wide range of fault conditions with different fault resistances are taken into account. © 2017 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Synthesis, Characterization, and Magnetic Properties of Iron Complexes Bearing Polydentate Nitrogen Ligands
Authors: Li Wei , Bai Sheng‐Di , Su Feng , Duan Xin‐E , Liu Dian‐Sheng
Published: May 2017

Four iron complexes {[PhN(CH2)2NH(SiMe3)]4FeLi·Et2O (1), [PhN(CH2)3NSiMe3]2FeLi(Et2O) (2), [PhN(CH2)2NCH(Ph)NSiMe3]2FeLi(Et2O)2 (3), and [PhN(CH2)3NCH(Ph)NSiMe3]2FeLi(Et2O)2 (4)} with polydentate nitrogen ligands were synthesized and structurally characterized by X‐ray crystallography. The X‐ray structures of complexes 1–4 show that they crystallize in three different systems. The magnetic properties of 1–4 were investigated. The magnetization trends of magnetic field intensity show the curves of Type‐S, illustrating those complexes 1–4 are superparamagnetic.
Tightness–looseness: Implications for consumer and branding research
Authors: Torelli Carlos J. , Rodas María A.
Published: May 2017

This commentary highlights the importance of the tightness–looseness distinction to provide a more nuanced understanding of cross‐cultural consumer behavior (Li, Gordon & Gelfand, this issue). We provide guidelines to integrate the tightness–looseness distinction into existing cross‐cultural models of consumer behavior, and suggest how doing so can help to refine predictions about the persuasiveness of message appeals. We also discuss how the tightness–looseness distinction can enrich branding research, by suggesting future research opportunities in the domains of brand extension research and brand protection.
Gender Confirmation Surgery: Guiding Principles
Authors: Schechter Loren S. , D'Arpa Salvatore , Cohen Mimis N. , Kocjancic Ervin , Claes Karel E.Y. , Monstrey Stan
Published: May 2017

Background

At this time, no formal training or educational programs exist for surgeons or surgery residents interested in performing gender confirmation surgeries.

Aim

To propose guiding principles designed to aid with the development of formal surgical training programs focused on gender confirmation surgery.

Methods

We use expert opinion to provide a “first of its kind” framework for training surgeons to care for transgender and gender nonconforming individuals.

Outcomes

We describe a multidisciplinary treatment model that describes an educational philosophy and the institution of quality parameters.

Results

This article represents the first step in the development of a structured educational program for surgical training in gender confirmation procedures.

Clinical Implications

The World Professional Association for Transgender Health Board of Directors unanimously approved this article as the framework for surgical training.

Strengths and Limitations

This article builds a framework for surgical training. It is designed to provide concepts that will likely be modified over time and based on additional data and evidence gathered through outcome measurements.

Conclusion

We present an initial step in the formation of educational and technical guidelines for training surgeons in gender confirmation procedures.
Nonlinear Optical Polarization Analysis in Chemistry and Biology
Authors: Simpson Garth J.
Published: May 2017

This rigorous yet accessible guide presents a molecular-based description of nonlinear optical polarization analysis of chemical and biological assemblies. It includes discussion of the most common nonlinear optical microscopy and interfacial measurements used for quantitative analysis, specifically second harmonic generation (SHG), two-photon excited fluorescence (2PEF), vibrational sum frequency generation (SFG), and coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy/stimulated Raman spectroscopy (CARS/SRS). A linear algebra mathematical framework is developed, allowing step-wise systematic connections to be made between the observable measurements and the molecular response. Effects considered include local field corrections, the molecular orientation distribution, rotations between the molecular frame, the local frame and the laboratory frame, and simplifications from molecular and macromolecular symmetry. Specific examples are provided throughout the book, working from the common and relatively simple case studies through to the most general scenarios.
Radio Resource Management in Wireless Networks
Authors: Hossain Ekram , Rasti Mehdi , Le Long Bao
Published: May 2017

Do you need to design efficient wireless communications systems? This unique text provides detailed coverage of radio resource allocation problems in wireless networks and the techniques that can be used to solve them. Covering basic principles and mathematical algorithms, and with a particular focus on power control and channel allocation, you will learn how to model, analyze, and optimize the allocation of resources in both physical and data link layers, and for a range of different network types. Both established and emerging networks are considered, including CDMA and OFDMA wireless networks, relay-based wireless networks, and cognitive radio networks. Numerous exercises help you put knowledge into practice, and provide the tools needed to address some of the current research problems in the field. This is an essential reference whether you are a graduate student, researcher or industry professional working in the field of wireless communication networks.
The Fourth Amendment in an Age of Surveillance
Authors: Gray David
Published: May 2017

The Fourth Amendment is facing a crisis. New and emerging surveillance technologies allow government agents to track us wherever we go, to monitor our activities online and offline, and to gather massive amounts of information relating to our financial transactions, communications, and social contacts. In addition, traditional police methods like stop-and-frisk have grown out of control, subjecting hundreds of thousands of innocent citizens to routine searches and seizures. In this work, David Gray uncovers the original meaning of the Fourth Amendment to reveal how its historical guarantees of collective security against threats of 'unreasonable searches and seizures' can provide concrete solutions to the current crisis. This important work should be read by anyone concerned with the ongoing viability of one of the most important constitutional rights in an age of increasing government surveillance.
Beckett's Art of Salvage
Authors: Bates Julie
Published: May 2017

This innovative exploration of the recurring use of particular objects in Samuel Beckett's work is the first study of the material imagination of any single modern author. Across five decades of aesthetic and formal experimentation in fiction, drama, poetry and film, Beckett made substantial use of only fourteen objects - well-worn not only where they appear within his works but also in terms of their recurrence throughout his creative corpus. In this volume, Bates offers a striking reappraisal of Beckett's writing, with a focus on the changing functions and impact of this set of objects, and charts, chronologically and across media, the pattern of Beckett's distinctive authorial procedure. The volume's identification of the creative praxis that emerges as an 'art of salvage' offers an integrated way of understanding Beckett's writing, opens up new approaches to his work, and offers a fresh assessment of his importance and relevance today.
Family-Centred Perinatal Care
Authors: Chalmers Beverley
Published: May 2017

Since childbirth became a medicalized - and usually hospitalized - event a century ago, women's and families' psychosocial needs have been relegated to a somewhat peripheral role within the clinically focussed hierarchy of medical care. This text reinstates psychosocial issues as a primary focus of care, together with clinical excellence. Family-centred care is a familiar phrase in today's maternity services, with professional guidelines and hospital policies including the term in their care protocols; however, few definitions, and no specific standards, for family-centred care exist. While all caregivers and care services are likely to define their care as sensitive to women's needs, and family-centred, the actual implementation of a family-centred approach - despite it being a current fashion in care - is still inadequate. This book clearly defines family-centred perinatal care, and outlines how truly family-centred care can, and should, be implemented, and how, and where, this has been done.
“European Integration Through Law”
Authors: Voßkuhle Andreas
Published: May 2017

This article discusses the Federal Constitutional Court’s contribution to European “integration through law” over the past decades. The Basic Law’s openness to integration and to European Law is examined, as well as the co-operation between the Federal Constitutional Court and the European Court of Justice in the execution of European Union law and the protection of fundamental rights. The author provides a number of examples to show how the instruments of identity review andultra viresreview developed by the Federal Constitutional Court secure the agenda of European integration as agreed upon in the European Treaties. He also shows how national governmental bodies are bound by the concept of responsibility with respect to the European integration process and how the Court ensures the necessary democratic legitimisation for the acts of European institutions by requiring the involvement of the German parliament in political decision-making processes related to the European Union. Finally, the author explores the idea of the legal community and the criticisms that have been levied against this concept. He concludes by positing that the European Union can only preserve itself by remaining a legal community, and that the rule of law in EU law is indispensable, particularly in times of crisis.
Dating of ultramafic rocks from the Western Alps ophiolites discloses Late Cretaceous subduction ages in the Zermatt-Saas Zone
Authors: REBAY GISELLA , ZANONI DAVIDE , LANGONE ANTONIO , LUONI PIETRO , TIEPOLO MASSIMO , SPALLA MARIA IOLE
Published: May 2017

The Zermatt-Saas Zone was part of the Middle to Late Jurassic Tethyan lithosphere that underwent oceanic metamorphism during Mesozoic time and subduction during Eocene time (HP to UHP metamorphism). In upper Valtournanche, serpentinite, metarodingite and eclogite record a dominant S2 foliation that developed under 2.5±0.3 GPa and 600±20°C during Alpine subduction. Serpentinites contain clinopyroxene and rare zircon porphyroclasts. Clinopyroxene porphyroclasts show fringes within S2 with similar compositions to that of grains defining S2. Zircon cores show zoning typical of magmatic growth and thin fringes parallel to the S2 foliation. These features indicate crystallization of clinopyroxene and zircon fringes during HP syn-D2 metamorphism, related to the Alpine subduction. The U–Pb zircon dates for cores and fringes reveal crystallization at 165±3.2 Ma and 65.5±5.6 Ma, respectively. The Middle Jurassic dates are in agreement with the known ages for the oceanic accretion of the Tethyan lithosphere. The Late Cretaceaous - Paleocene dates suggest that the Zermatt-Saas Zone experienced high-pressure to ultra-high-pressure (HP–UHP) metamorphism at c. 16 Ma earlier than previously reported. This result is in agreement with the evidence that in the Western Alps the continental Sesia-Lanzo Zone reached the subduction climax at least from 70 Ma and was exhumed during ongoing oceanic subduction. Our results are further evidence that the Zermatt-Saas ophiolites diachronically recorded heterogeneous HP–UHP metamorphism.
Delinquent Dogs and the Molise Malaise: Negotiating Suburbia in John Fante's “My Dog Stupid”
Authors: HAWTHORN RUTH
Published: May 2017

This article explores ideas of suburban masculinity in “My Dog Stupid” (1986), a comic novella by the critically neglected novelist and screenwriter John Fante. Placing the text within the context of the twentieth-century suburban “canon,” I argue that Fante complicates and critiques the dystopian image of American suburbia that has dominated both fictional and sociological representations of this environment over the past seventy years.
Ethnicity and social relations in Indonesian television production houses
Authors: Myutel Maria
Published: May 2017

In Indonesia the industry producing the most popular commercial TV programmes, known assinetron, is largely dominated by Indonesians of Indian (Sindhi) origin. This article examines social relations within thesinetronproduction houses and argues that between the 1990s and the early 2010s the distribution of symbolic and material capital depended on ethnicity, as it was imagined and constituted by two rather different cultural frameworks and historical experiences. One is based on the occupational distinction, rooted in the South Asian caste system, while the other can be traced back to ethnic classifications in colonial Indonesia.
Modafinil and cognitive enhancement in schizophrenia and healthy volunteers: the effects of test battery in a randomised controlled trial
Authors: Lees J. , Michalopoulou P. G. , Lewis S. W. , Preston S. , Bamford C. , Collier T. , Kalpakidou A. , Wykes T. , Emsley R. , Pandina G. , Kapur S. , Drake R. J.
Published: May 2017

Background

Cognitive deficits in schizophrenia have major functional impacts. Modafinil is a cognitive enhancer whose effect in healthy volunteers is well-described, but whose effects on the cognitive deficits of schizophrenia appear to be inconsistent. Two possible reasons for this are that cognitive test batteries vary in their sensitivity, or that the phase of illness may be important, with patients early in their illness responding better.

Methods

A double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled single-dose crossover study of modafinil 200 mg examined this with two cognitive batteries [MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB) and Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB)] in 46 participants with under 3 years’ duration of DSM-IV schizophrenia, on stable antipsychotic medication. In parallel, the same design was used in 28 age-, sex-, and education-matched healthy volunteers. Uncorrectedpvalues were calculated using mixed effects models.

Results

In patients, modafinil significantly improved CANTAB Paired Associate Learning, non-significantly improved efficiency and significantly slowed performance of the CANTAB Stockings of Cambridge spatial planning task. There was no significant effect on any MCCB domain. In healthy volunteers, modafinil significantly increased CANTAB Rapid Visual Processing, Intra-Extra Dimensional Set Shifting and verbal recall accuracy, and MCCB social cognition performance. The only significant differences between groups were in MCCB visual learning.

Conclusions

As in earlier chronic schizophrenia studies, modafinil failed to produce changes in cognition in early psychosis as measured by MCCB. CANTAB proved more sensitive to the effects of modafinil in participants with early schizophrenia and in healthy volunteers. This confirms the importance of selecting the appropriate test battery in treatment studies of cognition in schizophrenia.
Pathways from assaultive violence to post-traumatic stress, depression, and generalized anxiety symptoms through stressful life events: longitudinal mediation models
Authors: Lowe S. R. , Joshi S. , Galea S. , Aiello A. E. , Uddin M. , Koenen K. C. , Cerdá M.
Published: May 2017

Background

Assaultive violence events are associated with increased risk for adverse psychiatric outcomes, including post-traumatic stress (PTS), depression, and generalized anxiety. Prior research has indicated that economic, legal, and social stressors that could follow assaultive events may explain the increased risk for adverse psychiatric outcomes, yet longitudinal studies have not adequately examined this pathway. In the current study, we aimed to address this limitation.

Methods

Participants (N = 1360) were part of a longitudinal population-based study of adults living in Detroit. At three waves, participants indicated their exposure to assaultive violence and economic, legal, and social stressors, and completed inventories of PTS, depression, and generalized anxiety. Longitudinal mediation models were used to test the hypothesized pathway from assaultive violence to each psychiatric outcome.

Results

The hypothesized models evidenced good fit with the data and, in each, the paths from Wave 1 (W1) assaultive violence to W2 stressors, and from W2 stressors to W3 symptoms were significant (range of Standardized Estimates: 0.09–0.15, all p < 0.01). Additionally, the indirect paths from W1 assaultive violence to W3 symptoms were significant (range of Standardized Estimates: 0.01–0.02, all p < 0.05).

Conclusions

The findings illustrate that the economic, legal, and social stressors that could follow assaultive violence increase risk for a range of psychiatric symptoms. Although future research is needed, the results suggest that investment in interventions that prevent and mitigate assaultive violence survivors’ exposure to such stressors may be an effective way to prevent mental illness in the aftermath of violent assaults.
Social network cohesion and the retreat from Southern vowels in Raleigh
Authors: Dodsworth Robin , Benton Richard A.
Published: May 2017

Network research in sociolinguistics suggests that integration in a local community network promotes speakers' retention of local linguistic variants in the context of pressure from external or standard dialects. In most sociolinguistic network research, a speaker is assigned a single score along an index representing the aggregate of several network and other social features. We propose that contemporary network methods in adjacent disciplines can profitably apply to sociolinguistics, thereby facilitating not only more generalizable quantitative analysis but also new questions about therelationalnature of linguistic variables. Two network analysis methods—cohesive blocking and Quadratic Assignment Procedure regression—are used to evaluate the social network factors shaping the retreat from the Southern Vowel Shift (SVS) in Raleigh, North Carolina. The data come from a 160-speaker subset of a conversational corpus. Significant network effects indicate that network proximity to Raleigh's urban core promotes retention of SVS features, and that network similarity between speakers corresponds to linguistic similarity. Contemporary social-network methods can contribute to linguistic analysis by providing a holistic picture of the community's structure. (Networks, sociophonetics, Southern Vowel Shift, dialect contact)*
Jaw setting and the California Vowel Shift in parodic performance
Authors: Pratt Teresa , D'Onofrio Annette
Published: May 2017

This article explores the intertwining semiotics of language and embodiment in performances of Californian personae. We analyze two actors’ performances of Californian characters in parodic skits, comparing them to the same actors’ performances of non-Californian characters. In portraying their Californian characters, the actors use particularized jaw settings, which we link toembodied stereotypesfrom earlier portrayals of the Valley Girl and Surfer Dude personae. Acoustic analysis demonstrates that both actors also produce features of the California Vowel Shift in their Californian performances, aligning their linguistic productions with sound changes documented in California. We argue that these embodied stereotypes and phonetic realizations not only co-occur in parodic styles, but are in fact semiotically and corporeally intertwined, one occasioning the other. Moreover, the performances participate in the broader process ofenregisterment, packaging these semiotic resources with other linguistic and extralinguistic features to recontextualize Californian personae in the present day. (Parody, performance, California, California Vowel Shift, embodiment, embodied stereotype, enregisterment)*
Policy convergence as a multifaceted concept: the case of renewable energy policies in the European Union
Authors: Strunz Sebastian , Gawel Erik , Lehmann Paul , Söderholm Patrik
Published: May 2017

The literature on policy convergence has identified numerous facets and causal drivers of convergence. Distinguishing four dimensions of convergence (object, benchmark, drivers and directed process) helps clarify why and in what form policy convergence may occur (or not). Thus, depending on, for example, the object of analysis (policy outcome or instruments used), the same empirical case may give rise to opposing assessments. Furthermore, both economic and political drivers are necessary to account for successful policy convergence: economic convergence partly explains why countries may face similar problems, and political mechanisms explain why they might choose similar policies to solve a given problem. This article illustrates the multifaceted character of convergence for the dynamic field of renewable energy policies in the European Union. The empirical results indicate temporary convergence in the case of policy support instrument choices and conditional convergence in terms of renewable shares. However, the results suggest divergence of public R&D subsidies targeting renewables.
How do family medicine residents choose an anticoagulation regimen for patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation?
Authors: Yazdan-Ashoori Payam , Oqab Zardasht , McIntyre William F. , Quinn Kieran L. , Oosten Erik van , Hopman Wilma M. , Baranchuk Adrian
Published: May 2017

Aim

To examine the choices Canadian family medicine residents make for oral anticoagulation (OAC) for patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (AF).

Background

AF increases the risk of strokes. An important consideration in AF management is risk stratification for stroke and prescription of appropriate OAC. Family physicians provide the vast majority of OAC prescriptions.

Methods

We administered a survey to residents in multiple Canadian family medicine training programmes. Questions explored the experiences and attitudes towards risk stratification and choices of OAC when presented with standardized clinical scenarios. In each scenario, a novel oral anticoagulant (NOAC) would be the preferred treatment according to the contemporary Canadian and European guidelines.

Findings

A total of 247 residents participated in the survey. Most used the congestive heart failure, hypertension, age ≥ 75, diabetes mellitus, stroke or TIA (2 points) (81%) and congestive heart failure, hypertension, age ≥ 75 (2 points) or age 65-74 (1 point), diabetes mellitus, stroke or TIA, vascular disease including peripheral arterial disease, myocardial infarction, or aortic plaque, sex (female) (67%) risk stratification schemes while the preferred bleeding risk stratification scheme was hypertension, abnormal liver or renal function, stroke, bleeding, labile international normalized ratio, elderly (age ≥ 65), drugs or alcohol (84%). In the clinical scenarios, residents generally preferred warfarin in favour of NOACs, independent of training level. Residents ranked the risk of adverse events and the cost to the patient as their most and least important consideration when prescribing OAC, respectively. Therefore in patients with nonvalvular AF, Canadian family medicine residents prefer warfarin in comparison with NOACs despite the latest Canadian and European guideline recommendations. This knowledge gap may be enhanced by multiple factors, including a sometimes magnified fear of adverse events and a rapidly changing landscape in stroke prophylaxis.
Evaluation of Central Asian wheat germplasm for stripe rust resistance
Authors: Kokhmetova Alma , Sharma Ram C. , Rsaliyev Shynbolat , Galymbek Kanat , Baymagambetova Kanagat , Ziyaev Zafar , Morgounov Alexey
Published: May 2017

Stripe rust, caused by Puccinia striiformis f.sp. tritici (Pst), is an important disease of winter wheat in Central Asia. Stripe rust races contain diverse virulence/avirulence patterns and change rapidly. Therefore the objectives of this research were to: (i) examine current pathotype variability of Pst races collected from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan and (ii) evaluate stripe rust resistance in leading cultivars and advanced breeding lines targeted to those regions. Analyses of 152 Pst samples showed diverse virulence patterns with avirulence to Yr5, Yr10 and Yr15 being common. Most of identified races are among the rare. Analysis of a mixed Pst population showed 10 distinct pathotypes with frequencies ranged from 1.2 to 8.7%. The virulence patterns ranged from least ‘31–1.5’ and X-1.5 to highly virulent ‘86 + E16’. Seedling evaluation of 62 genotypes using the 10 pathotypes showed variations for resistance. Bunyodkor and Barhayot showed resistance to all pathotypes. Five Yr genes were postulated. Yr1 in KR12-5075, and Yr6 in KR11-03 and KR12-5003 were postulated. Yr5 combined with Yr10 and Yr15 genes were determined in Bunyodkor. The wheat genotypes also showed different levels of resistance in adult plant stage under field conditions. Twenty genotypes showed <20% severity in both Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The disease severity on several genotypes differed in this countries, suggesting different Pst populations in the two countries. Several resistant genotypes were identified, which should be further evaluated for release as new varieties or used in breeding programmes. Two resistant lines from this study were identified as new varieties in Georgia and Uzbekistan.
TCF1+ hepatitis C virus-specific CD8+ T cells are maintained after cessation of chronic antigen stimulation
Authors: Wieland Dominik , Kemming Janine , Schuch Anita , Emmerich Florian , Knolle Percy , Neumann-Haefelin Christoph , Held Werner , Zehn Dietmar , Hofmann Maike , Thimme Robert
Published: May 2017

Differentiation and fate of virus-specific CD8+ T cells after cessation of chronic antigen stimulation is unclear. Here we show that a TCF1+CD127+PD1+ hepatitis C virus (HCV)-specific CD8+ T-cell subset exists in chronically infected patients with phenotypic features of T-cell exhaustion and memory, both before and after treatment with direct acting antiviral (DAA) agents. This subset is maintained during, and for a long duration after, HCV elimination. After antigen re-challenge the less differentiated TCF1+CD127+PD1+ population expands, which is accompanied by emergence of terminally exhausted TCF1-CD127-PD1hi HCV-specific CD8+ T cells. These results suggest the TCF1+CD127+PD1+ HCV-specific CD8+ T-cell subset has memory-like characteristics, including antigen-independent survival and recall proliferation. We thus provide evidence for the establishment of memory-like virus-specific CD8+ T cells in a clinically relevant setting of chronic viral infection and we uncover their fate after cessation of chronic antigen stimulation, implicating a potential strategy for antiviral immunotherapy.
Transcriptional regulation of FOXP3 requires integrated activation of both promoter and CNS regions in tumor-induced CD8+ Treg cells
Authors: Chakraborty Sreeparna , Panda Abir K. , Bose Sayantan , Roy Dia , Kajal Kirti , Guha Deblina , Sa Gaurisankar
Published: May 2017

T-regulatory cells are an upsurge in the tumor microenvironment and induce immune-evasion. CD4+ Treg cells are well characterized whereas the role of CD8+ Tregs in cancer has recently started to crease attention. Here, we report an augmentation CD8+FOXP3+ Tregs in breast tumor microenvironment. FOXP3, the lineage-specific transcription factor, is a dominant regulator of Treg cell development and function. FOXP3 is induced preferentially by divergent signaling in CD4+ Treg cells. But how FOXP3 is induced and maintained in tumor-CD8+ Tregs is the Cinderella of the investigation. We observed that RUNX3, a CD8+ lineage-specific transcription factor, binds at the FOXP3-promoter to induce its transcription. In addition to promoter activation, involvement of cis-elements CNS1 and CNS2 in the transcriptional regulation of FOXP3 was also evident in these cells. SMAD3 binds to CNS1 region and acts as transcription inducer, whereas GATA3 plays a temporal role in the FOXP3 transcription by differential chromatin modification in CNS regions. In CNS1 region, GATA3 acts as a repressor for FOXP3 in naïve CD8+ T cells. Whereas in CD8+ Tregs, GATA3 binds directly at CNS2 region and persuaded the maintenance of FOXP3. Therefore, the intervention of these concerted transcriptional machinery may have a therapeutic potential in immunotherapy of cancer.
Function of second cladding layer in hollow core tube lattice fibers
Authors: Huang Xiaosheng , Yoo Seongwoo , Yong KenTye
Published: May 2017

Modes attenuation of the tube lattice fiber (TLF) is characterized by D/λ, where D is the core diameter and λ is the wavelength. Hence, the TLF is structured with a large core to ensure a low attenuation loss. A small core, on the other hand, facilitates the gas-filled TLF applications, but at the expense of the increased mode attenuation. We show that adding a second cladding layer to the conventional one layer TLF (1TLF) can resolve the contradicting requirements. The mode attenuation of TLF with two cladding layers (2TLF) is less influenced by the D/λ value as compared to 1TLF, thus realizing a low loss small core TLF. Furthermore, we found that adding the second layer brings another advantage to a bending performance. With a determined core size, D, a 1TLF with smaller capillary hole size, d, experiences less bending loss. However, the reduced d increases the confinement loss that counteracts the bending loss improvement. This confliction is substantially alleviated in 2TLF thanks to the second cladding layer. Theoretical investigations and experimental demonstrations are presented to evidence the important role of the second cladding ring in the TLF, which has been overlooked in prior studies.
Protein Phosphatase 2A (PP2A) Regulates EG5 to Control Mitotic Progression
Authors: Liu Yang , Zhang Zhong , Liang Hui , Zhao Xuyang , Liang Ling , Wang Guangxi , Yang Jingyi , Jin Yan , McNutt Michael A. , Yin Yuxin
Published: May 2017

EG5 (KIF11) is a member of the kinesin-like protein family involved in centrosome separation and bipolar spindle formation. When a cell enters mitosis, CDK1 phosphorylates EG5 at Thr926 and promotes EG5 localization on the mitotic spindle which drives bipolar spindle formation. EG5 provides power for spindle movement and thus controls the dynamics of spindle assembly. However, little is known about EG5 regulation or how EG5 detaches from the spindle upon mitotic exit. In this study we identify EG5 as a novel substrate of PP2A phosphatase, and we show that the PP2A/B55α complex plays an important role in mitotic exit by a mechanism involving EG5. The PP2A/B55α complex physically associates with the EG5 C-terminal tail domain and dephosphorylates EG5 at Thr926 that enables mitotic exit. Conversely PP2A knockdown cells show a high level of phospho-EG5 in late metaphase, which is associated with a delay in mitotic exit. These phenotypic features are similar to those induced by EG5/T926D transfection that mimics phosphorylated EG5 status. Our results argue that PP2A controls mitotic exit through EG5 dephosphorylation. Lack of PP2A leads to abnormal EG5 activation, resulting in delay of mitotic exit.
Stem cell proliferation patterns as an alternative for in vivo prediction and discrimination of carcinogenic compounds
Authors: Stevens An-Sofie , Willems Maxime , Plusquin Michelle , Ploem Jan-Pieter , Winckelmans Ellen , Artois Tom , Smeets Karen
Published: May 2017

One of the major challenges in the development of alternative carcinogenicity assays is the prediction of non-genotoxic carcinogens. The variety of non-genotoxic cancer pathways complicates the search for reliable parameters expressing their carcinogenicity. As non-genotoxic and genotoxic carcinogens have different cancer risks, the objective of this study was to develop a concept for an in vivo test, based on flatworm stem cell dynamics, to detect and classify carcinogenic compounds. Our methodology entails an exposure to carcinogenic compounds during the animal’s regeneration process, which revealed differences in proliferative responses between non-genotoxic and genotoxic carcinogens during the initial stages of the regeneration process. A proof of concept was obtained after an extensive study of proliferation dynamics of a genotoxic and a non-genotoxic compound. A pilot validation with a limited set of compounds showed that the proposed concept not only enabled a simple prediction of genotoxic and non-genotoxic carcinogens, but also had the power to discriminate between both. We further optimized this discrimination by combining stem cell proliferation responses with a phenotypic screening and by using specific knockdowns. In the future, more compounds will be tested to further validate and prove this concept.
Correction: Corrigendum: Insights into cancer severity from biomolecular interaction mechanisms
Authors: Raimondi Francesco , Singh Gurdeep , Betts Matthew J. , Apic Gordana , Vukotic Ranka , Andreone Pietro , Stein Lincoln , Russell Robert B.
Published: May 2017

Scientific Reports 6: Article number: 34490; published online: 04 October 2016; updated: 03 May 2017. This Article contains a typographical error. In the Results section, under the heading ‘The most affected protein interfaces in cancer’, ‘EGFR-ERRB2’ should read: ‘EGFR-ERBB2’.
Erratum: Cumulative radiation exposure from imaging procedures and associated lifetime cancer risk for patients with lymphoma
Authors: Fabritius Grete , Brix Gunnar , Nekolla Elke , Klein Stefan , Popp Henning D. , Meyer Mathias , Glatting Gerhard , Hagelstein Claudia , Hofmann Wolf K. , Schoenberg Stefan O. , Henzler Thomas
Published: May 2017

Scientific Reports 6: Article number: 35181; published online: 17 October 2016; updated: 03 May 2017. The original version of this Article contained a typographical error in the Abstract. “The average ED in the first year after diagnosis was significantly different for men (59 ± 33 mSv) and women (744 ± 33 mSv)-(p < 0.
Correction: Corrigendum: A scalable diffraction-based scanning 3D colour video display as demonstrated by using tiled gratings and a vertical diffuser
Authors: Jia Jia , Chen Jhensi , Yao Jun , Chu Daping
Published: May 2017

Scientific Reports 7: Article number: 44656; published online: 17 March 2017; updated: 03 May 2017 The original version of this Article contained a typographical error in Reference 6, which was incorrectly given as: Yaracs, F., Kang, H. & Onural, L. Circular holographic video display system. Opt. Express 19, 9147–9156 (2011).
Enzyme discovery beyond homology: a unique hydroxynitrile lyase in the Bet v1 superfamily
Authors: Lanfranchi Elisa , Pavkov-Keller Tea , Koehler Eva-Maria , Diepold Matthias , Steiner Kerstin , Darnhofer Barbara , Hartler Jürgen , Van Den Bergh Tom , Joosten Henk-Jan , Gruber-Khadjawi Mandana , Thallinger Gerhard G. , Birner-Gruenberger Ruth , Gruber Karl , Winkler Margit , Glieder Anton
Published: May 2017

Homology and similarity based approaches are most widely used for the identification of new enzymes for biocatalysis. However, they are not suitable to find truly novel scaffolds with a desired function and this averts options and diversity. Hydroxynitrile lyases (HNLs) are an example of non-homologous isofunctional enzymes for the synthesis of chiral cyanohydrins. Due to their convergent evolution, finding new representatives is challenging. Here we show the discovery of unique HNL enzymes from the fern Davallia tyermannii by coalescence of transcriptomics, proteomics and enzymatic screening. It is the first protein with a Bet v1-like protein fold exhibiting HNL activity, and has a new catalytic center, as shown by protein crystallography. Biochemical properties of D. tyermannii HNLs open perspectives for the development of a complementary class of biocatalysts for the stereoselective synthesis of cyanohydrins. This work shows that systematic integration of -omics data facilitates discovery of enzymes with unpredictable sequences and helps to extend our knowledge about enzyme diversity.
Increase the elongation at break of poly (lactic acid) composites for use in food packaging films
Authors: El-hadi Ahmed M.
Published: May 2017

Poly (3-hydroxy butyrate) (PHB), cellulose nano crystal (CNC) and a plasticizer (TBC) are mixed together with PLLA with the aim to increase the elongation at break for use in the food packing sector. Spherical (CNC) and fibril nano crystal (CNF) were prepared by hydrolysis of microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) in distilled water, and then stirred using a magnetic stirrer for 15 days and ultrasonic treatment without using any acids as green method. The morphology, thermal, and mechanical properties were studied using POM, DSC, WAXD, SEM and tensile testing, respectively. DSC demonstrated that the addition of PHB, CNC and TBC to PLLA matrix lead to reduce Tg, TCCand Tmthan pure PLLA. FT-IR verified that the carbonyl group C=O appeared broad and some peaks in the PLLA composites 5, 6 and 7 shifted from 3.98 × 108to 4.07 × 108 Hz, at 3.54 × 108to 3.44 × 108 Hz, at 3.19 × 108to 3.13 × 108 Hz. Mechanical testing shows that pure PLLA is brittle, and the elongation at break of PLLA composites reaches up to 205%, making it suitable to use in food packaging.
Sugar-derived disordered carbon nano-sheets as high-performance electrodes in sodium-ion batteries
Authors: Sridhar Vadahanambi , Park Hyun
Published: May 2017

Inspired by the simple and spectacular experiment of dehydrogenation of sugar by sulphuric acid, we developed a microwave based solvothermal technique for the synthesis of activated carbon nano-sheets (aCNS) using white sugar as the carbon source and potassium hydroxide as the activating agent.
Chemical mediation as a structuring element in marine gastropod predator-prey interactions
Authors: Bornancin L. , Bonnard I. , Mills S. C. , Banaigs B.
Published: May 2017

Some diterpenoid compounds protect the sacoglossansElysiasp. andCyerce nigricansfrom their carnivorous predator the dorid nudibranch,Gymnodorissp., unlike chemically unprotected gastropods that are consumed by this voracious nudibranch (photo Philippe Bourseiller).