bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Governance traps in climate change politics: re‐framing the debate in terms of responsibilities and rights
Authors: Newell Peter , Bulkeley Harriet , Turner Karen , Shaw Christopher , Caney Simon , Shove Elizabeth , Pidgeon Nicholas
Published: September 2015

There is a strong sense of malaise surrounding climate politics today. This has been created at least in part by factors such as the chasm between the scale of action required and the adequacy of current political commitments, stalemate in global negotiations, the low price of carbon, and a growing sense of indifference among the publics of some developed countries about the threat posed by climate change. Within the policy community these issues are generally treated as different problems each to be overcome on their own terms. Yet, we argue, suggested solutions to these problems hold much in common—namely a focus on identifying agency, whether the capacity of institutions to act or the behavior of individuals. What is often missing from such accounts of climate politics is a recognition that the problems of how agency is attributed, what we might term governance traps, are structural in nature. Governing climate change therefore requires that we study the conditions through which these challenges arise and which in turn serve to frame agency in particular ways. We suggest that examining the ways in which notions of responsibilities and rights are currently being framed within climate politics provides one way into these dynamics. This opens up the critical questions that need to be addressed ahead of the critical Conference of the Parties meeting in Paris in November 2015. WIREs Clim Change 2015, 6:535–540. doi: 10.1002/wcc.356

This article is categorized under:

Policy and Governance > Multilevel and Transnational Climate Change Governance
Syntheses, Structures and Spectral Properties of Mononuclear CuII and Dimeric ZnII Complexes Based on an Asymmetric Salamo‐type N2O2 Ligand
Authors: Xu Li , Zhu Li‐Chun , Ma Jian‐Chun , Zhang Yang , Zhang Jing , Dong Wen‐Kui
Published: September 2015

The asymmetric Salamo‐type N2O2 ligand H2L and its corresponding CuII and ZnII complexes [CuL] and [{ZnL}2]·2CH3CN were synthesized and structurally characterized. Crystallographic data of the CuII complex revealed that the CuII ion is tetracoordinate with a slightly distorted square planar arrangement forming a 2D supramolecular plane structure by hydrogen bonding and π···π stacking interactions. In the ZnII complex, the ZnII ions are pentacoordinate in N2O2 tetradentate fashion and intermolecular contacts between ZnII and oxygen atoms result in a head‐to‐tail dimer. The ZnII ions were found to have slightly distorted square pyramidal and trigonal bipyramidal arrangements, respectively. Hydrogen bonding interactions stabilized the ZnII complex to facilitate self‐assembly to a 1D linear chain. The CuII and ZnII complexes show intense photoluminescence with maximum emissions at approx. 426 and 411 nm upon excitation at 360 and 350 nm, respectively.
The B–N Bond in Some Aminoboranes and an Iminoborane, Studied by 11B and 15N NMR Spectroscopy and DFT Methods
Authors: Wrackmeyer Bernd
Published: September 2015

15N NMR spectra of several aminoboranes (Me2B–NMe2, Cl2B–NMe2, Br2B–NMe2, OCH2CH2OB–NMe2), three N‐pyrrolylboranes, and an iminoborane (tBu–B≡N–tBu) was measured. The spin‐spin coupling constants 1J(15N, 11B) were resolved at elevated temperatures. In the case of the iminoborane at 105 °C, the coupling constant 1J(14N,11B) = 57 Hz could also be determined from the 11B NMR spectrum [from 15N NMR 1J(15N,11B) = 81 Hz]. Generally, there is no correlation between the magnitude of 1J(15N,11B) and the bond length dBN. The values 1J(15N,11B) indicate that changes in σ bonding affect their magnitude, and the nature of the lone pair of electrons at nitrogen is of great importance. The calculated NMR parameters of an adduct of the iminoborane with an N‐heterocyclic carbene, show that the bonding situation around the BN double bond in the adduct is comparable with imines.
Extracurricular Participation and Course Performance in the Middle Grades: A Study of Low‐Income, Urban Youth
Authors: Schwartz Kate , Cappella Elise , Seidman Edward
Published: September 2015

The transition to middle/junior high school is associated with declines in students’ academic performance, especially among low‐income, urban youth. Developmental psychologists posit such declines are due to a poor fit between the needs of early adolescents—industry, identity, and autonomy—and the environment of their new schools. Extracurricular participation during these years may act as a buffer for youth, providing a setting for development outside the classroom. The current study examines participation within and across activity settings among low‐income, urban youth in New York City over this transition. Using the Adolescent Pathways Project data, this study explores how such participation relates to course performance. We find that a large percentage of youth are minimally or uninvolved in extracurricular activities during these years; that participation varies within youth across time; and that the association between participation and course performance varies by activity setting. Youth who participate frequently in community or athletic settings or have high participation in two or more settings are found to have higher GPAs in the year in which they participate and youth who participate frequently in the religious setting are found to have lower GPAs. High participation in more than two settings may be detrimental.
Influence of Storage on Physicochemical and Volatile Features of Enriched and Aromatized Wax Organogels
Authors: Öğütcü Mustafa , Yılmaz Emin , Güneşer Onur
Published: September 2015

In this study, virgin olive oil (VOO) organogels were produced with beeswax (BW) and sunflower wax (SW) and enriched with β‐carotene, vitamin D3 and E as well as aromatized with strawberry, banana, and butter aromas. The physicochemical, thermal, structural, and sensorial properties of the fresh organogel samples were determined. The peroxide values, antioxidant activities, firmness, and volatile compositions of the fresh samples and those stored for 3 months were also determined. The organogels were not only stable, uniform, and homogenous during the storage period but also the added components did not affect the organogel properties. The panel defined three appearance, four texture, three mouthfeel, four aroma, and four flavor terms to describe the organogels sensorially. Moreover, the added aroma (banana, strawberry, and diacetyl‐butter) components of the fresh and stored organogels were quantified by GC/MS‐SPME. In conclusion, these results demonstrated that beeswax and sunflower wax are very suitable to preserve the aromatic characteristics of these types of spreadable products.
Functional distribution of synapsin I in human sperm
Authors: Coleman William L. , Kulp Adam C. , Venditti Jennifer J.
Published: September 2015

Proteins known to function during cell–cell communication and exocytosis in neurons and other secretory cells have recently been reported in human sperm. Synapsins are a group of proteins that have been very well characterized in neurons, but little is known about synapsin function in other cell types. Based upon previous findings and the known function of synapsin, we tested the hypothesis that synapsin I was present in human sperm. Washed, capacitated, and acrosome induced sperm preparations were used to evaluate the functional distribution of synapsin I using immunocytochemistry. Protein extracts from mouse brain, mouse testis/epididymis, and human semen were used for protein blotting techniques. Immunolocalization revealed synapsin I was enriched in the sperm equatorial segment. Protein extracts from mouse brain, mouse testis/epididymis, and human semen were positive for synapsin I using several different antibodies, and dot blot results were confirmed by Western blot analyses. Finally, treatment of capacitated and acrosome reaction induced samples with anti‐synapsin antibodies significantly reduced sperm motility. Localization of synapsin I in human sperm is a novel finding. The association of synapsin I with the sperm equatorial segment and effects on motility are suggestive of a role associated with capacitation and/or acrosome reaction, processes that render sperm capable of fertilizing an oocyte.
Repair of post polypectomy colonic perforation by Endoclip: a case report
Authors: Hormati Ahmad , Ghadir Mohmad Reza , Alavinejad Pezhman , Sarkeshikian Seyed Saeed , Modares Mahdi Pezeshki
Published: September 2015

A 73-year-old woman was admitted to evaluate for iron deficiency anemia, increased serum creatinine, and ascites. Her colonoscopy revealed a polyp at the junction of sigmoid and descending colon, and after polypectomy, a 6 mm colonic perforation was seen. The perforation was detected by radiography and CT scan; and beside conservative management and antibiotics, her perforation was closed by using Endoclip. The patient was observed and discharged from hospital without any surgery 5 days later, and in follow-up there was no problem regarding perforation.
The challenges of facilitating a mindfulness programme in a psychiatric inpatient unit
Authors: Lavin D.
Published: September 2015

Facilitating mindfulness programmes within an inpatient mental health setting is discussed. The difficulty in effectively engaging patients at this acute stage in their illness is focussed upon. Other challenges discussed are identifying appropriate inclusion and exclusion criteria; identifying the optimal programme format for this setting; promoting mindfulness within the environment of the inpatient unit and the training requirements for programme facilitators. The article concludes that due attention should be given to these challenges in order to maintain the integrity of mindfulness as an effective intervention for mental health difficulties.
The Role of the Residence: Exploring the Goals of an Aboriginal Residential Program in Contributing to the Education and Development of Remote Students
Authors: Benveniste Tessa , Dawson Drew , Rainbird Sophia
Published: September 2015

Recent media and policy focus in remote Aboriginal education has turned to boarding schools. The general rhetoric is that boarding schools will allow Indigenous Australian students to have access to quality education and to learn to ‘walk in two worlds’. However, to date, there has been very little exploration of the lived experiences of Indigenous boarding schools, either from broader political and sociological perspectives, or from the schools themselves. Furthermore, understanding of how the residential side of boarding constructs the use of time and presents educational and social development opportunities is lacking. This paper aims to begin to address this, by presenting the goals and intended outcomes of a residential program for remote central Australian Aboriginal students. Through analysis of 17 semistructured interviews with residence staff, this paper identifies the two overarching goals of the program, as well as the more specific learning outcomes from which the program expects its students to benefit. The research presented is preliminary data that forms part of a broader PhD study of postboarding school expectations and outcomes for remote Aboriginal students, their families, and their communities.
REHABILITATING DEMOCRACY: RESTORING CIVIL RIGHTS AND LEADING THE NEXT HUMAN RIGHTS REVOLUTION
Authors: Franklin Robert M.
Published: September 2015

This article describes the culture of activist black Christian congregations that propelled campaigns to dismantle legalized racial segregation and advocate for equal justice. Historically, as the imperfections of American democracy were exposed, the most marginal people in the society acted persistently and repeatedly to extend the benefits of democracy to all citizens. The article highlights the distinctive social and intellectual contributions of the secular activist W. E. B. Du Bois and social gospel minister Martin Luther King. The author sees the contemporary discussion and faith-based mobilization around reversing mass incarceration as an outgrowth of the civil rights movement. Finally, the article suggests that leadership for the next global human rights revolution is likely to emerge from students and young leaders who are committed to radically inclusive conceptions of democracy, equality, and social justice.
New trepostomate bryozoans from the Upper Ordovician of Morocco and the temperature influence on zooid size
Authors: Jiménez-Sánchez Andrea , Villas Enrique , Vennin Enmanuelle
Published: September 2015

New Upper Ordovician trepostomate bryozoans from the eastern Anti-Atlas of Morocco have been identified. They have been collected from the lower and intermediate units of the Khabt-el-Hajar Formation, late Katian in age, representing, respectively, bryozoan-pelmatozoan meadows with siliciclastic input, degraded by wave activity in a mid-ramp setting, and outer-ramp environments with marly substrates. Ten species of the generaCyphotrypa,Calloporella,Diplotrypa,Parvohallopora,Dekayia, andAostiporaare described. Of them, three species are new:Cyphotrypa regularisJiménez-Sánchez,Parvohallopora cystataJiménez-Sánchez, andAostipora elongataJiménez-Sánchez. Univariate statistical analyses of the sub-polar Moroccan species, in addition to other congeneric species of high, middle, and low latitudes, corroborate that for the trepostomate bryozoan the temperature of the ambient water was a primary control on zooecium size variations. Nevertheless, other environmental factors, besides temperature, must have also influenced significantly the zooid size, at least in low latitudes. Our data also give further support for considering the zooecium wall thickness as a limiting factor for the zooid size increment with latitude in the trepostomates.
Dumela Mma: an examination of resilience among South African grandmothers raising grandchildren
Authors: DOLBIN-MACNAB MEGAN L. , JARROTT SHANNON E. , MOORE LYN E. , O'HORA KENDRA A. , DE CHAVONNES VRUGT MARIETTE , ERASMUS MYRTLE
Published: September 2015

Grandmothers serve as primary care-givers for a significant number of South African children. Previous research has documented that South African grandmothers experience physical, financial, emotional and social adversity. However, less attention has been given to South African grandmothers' resilience, or their capacity to respond to the challenges associated with raising their grandchildren. Utilising Walsh's (2003; 2012) family resilience model, this qualitative study examined resilience and resilient processes among 75 Black South African grandmothers raising grandchildren. Grandmothers participated in structured interviews during a weekly visit to a local luncheon (social) club. Results indicated that the grandmothers perceived themselves as engaging in a number of resilient processes, including relying on their spirituality, accessing sources of instrumental support, and seeking emotional support and companionship from their grandchildren and larger communities. Grandmothers also believed that focusing on their grandchildren contributed to their sense of resilience. This involved maintaining a sense of responsibility to their grandchildren, having hope for their grandchildren's futures and finding enjoyment in the grandmother–grandchild relationship. The findings reveal that, by engaging in various resilient processes, South African grandmothers raising grandchildren perceive themselves and their families as having strategies they can utilise in order to successfully cope with adversity. Findings also highlight the need for prevention and intervention efforts designed to promote grandmothers' resilience, as well as the resilience of their grandchildren.
In search of Karl Polanyi’s International Relations theory
Authors: Dale Gareth
Published: September 2015

Karl Polanyi is principally known as an economic historian and a theorist of international political economy. His theses are commonly encountered in debates concerning globalisation, regionalism, regulation and deregulation, and neoliberalism. But the standard depiction of his ideas is based upon a highly restricted corpus of his work: essentially, his published writings, in English, from the 1940s and 1950s. Drawing upon a broader range of Polanyi’s work in Hungarian, German, and English, this article examines his less well-known analyses of international politics and world order. It sketches the main lineaments of Polanyi’s international thought from the 1910s until the mid-1940s, charting his evolution from Wilsonian liberal, via debates within British pacifism, towards a position close to E. H. Carr’s realism. It reconstructs the dialectic of universalism and regionalism in Polanyi’s prospectus for postwar international order, with a focus upon his theory of ‘tame empires’ and its extension by neo-Polanyian theorists of the ‘new regionalism’ and European integration. It explores the tensions and contradictions in Polanyi’s analysis, and, finally, it hypothesises that the failure of his postwar predictions provides a clue as to why his research on international relations dried up in the 1950s.
Police assistance as foreign policy: Explaining donor practices
Authors: FRIESENDORF CORNELIUS
Published: September 2015

Police assistance is an important, albeit understudied aspect of foreign policy. While many scholars have studied international and transnational policing, it remains largely unknown why donor police forces often support their colleagues in fragile states in different ways. This article discusses a variety of potential explanations of police assistance: a domestic rational actor model; a constructivist focus on international norms; and theories on the use of force by democracies. While all of these explanations are relevant, this article shows that they remain incomplete without studying police organisations and how these implement assistance on the ground. As the organisational cultures of donor police agencies differ, so do their assistance practices. The case of German and Italian police assistance in Afghanistan illustrates the relevance of an organisational approach: despite operating in the same environment, German police officers promoted civilian and Italian Carabinieri militarised policing. The article stresses that explaining security assistance, an important form of indirect intervention in fragile states, requires zooming in on policy implementation and policy implementers.
The prosodic hierarchy of Swedish
Authors: Myrberg Sara , Riad Tomas
Published: September 2015

We give an overview of the phonological properties and processes that define the categories of the prosodic hierarchy in Swedish: theprosodic word(ω), theprosodic phrase(φ) and theintonation phrase(ι). The separation of two types of tonal prominence,big accentsversussmall accents(previously calledfocalandword accent, e.g. Bruce 1977, 2007), is crucial for our analysis. The ω in Swedish needs to be structured on two levels, which we refer to as the minimal ω and the maximal ω, respectively. The minimal ω contains one stress, whereas the maximal ω contains one accent. We argue for a separate category φ that governs the distribution of big accents within clauses. The ι governs the distribution of clause-related edge phenomena like theinitiality accentand right-edge boundary tones as well as the distribution ofnuclear big accents.
Original Position Models, Trade-offs and Continuity
Authors: DASKAL STEVEN
Published: September 2015

John Harsanyi has offered an argument grounded in Bayesian decision theory that purports to show that John Rawls's original position analysis leads directly to utilitarian conclusions. After explaining why a prominent Rawlsian line of response to Harsanyi's argument fails, I argue that a seemingly innocuous Bayesian rationality assumption, the continuity axiom, is at the heart of a fundamental disagreement between Harsanyi and Rawls. The most natural way for a Rawlsian to respond to Harsanyi's line of analysis, I argue, is to reject continuity. I then argue that this Rawlsian response fails as a defence of the difference principle, and I raise some concerns about whether it makes sense to posit the discontinuities needed to support the other elements of Rawls's view, although I suggest that Rawls may be able to invoke discontinuity to vindicate part of his first principle of justice.
Should We Prevent Optimific Wrongs?
Authors: MOGENSEN ANDREAS L.
Published: September 2015

Most people believe that some optimific acts are wrong. Since we are not permitted to perform wrong acts, we are not permitted to carry out optimific wrongs. Does the moral relevance of the distinction between action and omission nonetheless permit us to allow others to carry them out? I show that there exists a plausible argument supporting the conclusion that it does. To resist my argument, we would have to endorse a principle according to which, for any wrong action, there is some reason to prevent that action over and above those reasons associated with preventing harm to its victim(s). I argue that it would be a mistake to value the prevention of wrong acts in the way required to resist my argument.
Population trends in Himalayan Griffon in Upper Mustang, Nepal, before and after the ban on diclofenac
Authors: PAUDEL KHADANANDA , AMANO TATSUYA , ACHARYA RAJU , CHAUDHARY ANAND , BARAL HEM S. , BHUSAL KRISHNA P. , CHAUDHARY ISHWARI P. , GREEN RHYS E. , CUTHBERT RICHARD J. , GALLIGAN TOBY H.
Published: September 2015

The Upper Mustang region of Nepal holds important breeding populations of Himalayan Griffon Gyps himalayensis. Despite this species being considered ‘Least Concern’ on the IUCN Red List, the population in Upper Mustang had declined substantially in the early to mid-2000s. During that period, the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac was commonly used to treat illness and injury in domesticated ungulates throughout Nepal. The timing and magnitude of declines in Himalayan Griffon in Upper Mustang resemble the declines in resident populations of the ‘Critically Endangered’ White-rumped Vulture Gyps bengalensis and Slender-billed Vulture Gyps tenuirostris in Nepal, both of which are also known to be highly sensitive to diclofenac. Since 2006, the veterinary use of diclofenac has been banned in Nepal to prevent further vulture declines. In this paper, we analyse the population trend in Himalayan Griffon in Upper Mustang between 2002 and 2014 and show a partial recovery. We conclude that the decline is now occurring at a slower rate than previously observed and immigration from areas where diclofenac was either not or rarely used the probable explanation for the recovery observed.
Examining the relationship between vegetable intake of mothers and that of their children: a cross-sectional study of 10- to 12-year-old schoolchildren in Japan
Authors: Tada Yuki , Tomata Yasutake , Sunami Ayaka , Yokoyama Yuri , Hida Azumi , Furusho Tadasu , Kawano Yukari
Published: September 2015

Objective

The present study aimed to investigate the correlation between mothers’ and children’s vegetable intake and whether children are conscious about their vegetable intake.

Design

Cross-sectional study. Self-administered questionnaires for mothers and children, consisting of items regarding diet history, were distributed to children via homeroom teachers. We created dummy exposure variables for each quartile of mothers’ vegetable intake. Multiple regression analysis was performed with children’s vegetable intake as the outcome variable.

Setting

Two public elementary schools in a residential district of Tokyo, Japan.

Subjects

Study participants were upper-grade children (aged 10–12 years) and their mothers (332 pairs of mothers and children).

Results

The mean vegetable intake in mothers and children was 310 (sd145) g/d and 276 (sd105) g/d, respectively. A positive linear relationship was found between mothers’ and children’s vegetable intake even after adjustment for considerable covariates (P<0·001). When stratified by children’s consciousness, the positive linear relationship was more pronounced in children who were conscious of eating all their vegetables (P<0·001 for interaction with children’s consciousness).

Conclusions

Mothers’ vegetable intake was significantly correlated with children’s vegetable intake. However, this correlation was stronger in children who were conscious of eating all their vegetables. Our findings suggest that enhancing mother’s vegetable intake and health consciousness of children are indispensable prerequisites for increasing vegetable intake among children.
10 Posted Workers in Europe from a Private International Law Perspective
Authors: Merrett Louise
Published: September 2015

Cases involving the posting of workers will inevitably involve international elements and therefore issues of private international law. Historically, it has been assumed that English employment law is territorial: in particular section 204 of the Employment Rights Act 1996 provides that the provisions of the Act apply irrespective of the law applicable to the contract. This contribution examines this proposition through the perspective of private international law principles, and also considers the compatibility of section 204 with the private international law rules in the Posted Workers Directive and the new definition of overriding mandatory rules in the Rome I Regulation.
The Public Procurement Rules in Action: An Empirical Exploration of Social Impact and Ideology
Authors: Ludlow Amy
Published: September 2015

Governments are increasingly turning to the market to provide public goods, works and (perhaps most controversially) services. Markets, and market values, have come to govern our lives as never before and the financial crisis appears to have done little to dampen governments’ faiths in markets. The public procurement rules define some of the parameters within which governments must engage with the market but the ideology of these rules, particularly how much ‘space’ they afford Member States to pursue non-commercial policies in their procurement decision-making, is deeply contested. This chapter argues that there is a missing empirical dimension to these ideological discussions. It seeks to partially redress this by presenting findings from an ethnographic study of a competitive tendering exercise at a British prison, from which it is argued that a more complex ideological picture emerges than appears from doctrinal analyses of the rules.
The Legal Framework for New Economic Governance and its Implications for Wage Policy Learning
Authors: Dahan Samuel
Published: September 2015

This chapter examines the implications of the new European economic governance framework from a policy-learning point of view. It is argued that a new form of EU learning influence has emerged in the wake of the EMU legal and institutional crisis. The author takes the view that an inherent asymmetry in the EMU, namely the presence of a unified monetary policy without a commensurate coordination of social policy and wage-setting mechanisms, contributed to the development of the crisis. The latent consequences of this flaw—diverging (wage) growth and cost competitiveness—were brought into full view when the global financial crisis struck. In response, new wage governance instruments were established in order to exert learning pressure on wage development and wage-setting systems in the EU. The substantive orientation of this new framework is examined with an eye to determining whether it qualifies as a learning process under which wage and spending cuts supplant the role of currency depreciation as a means of addressing external economic shocks and competitiveness gaps. Finally, drawing on recent findings concerning the workings of the ‘European Semester’, the chapter assesses whether the new economic governance reforms are already generating learning outcomes at the domestic level.
Labour Rights as Human Rights: Implications for Employers’ Free Movement in an Enlarged European Union
Authors: Novitz Tonia
Published: September 2015

This chapter considers the legal status of labour rights as human rights within the European Union (EU) and the implications that this may have for free movement provisions under European Community (EC) law. This is not by any means a new subject for analysis and reflection, but has been of particular concern since the fifth enlargement of the EU which commenced in 2004. It is in this context that we have witnessed significant litigation before the European Court of Justice concerning the scope of the right to strike, and widespread protest concerning the adoption of a new Directive on Services in the Internal Market.
Access and rational use of psychotropic medications in low- and middle-income countries
Authors: Padmanathan P. , Rai D.
Published: September 2015

Improving access and rational use of psychotropic medications in low- and middle-income countries is an important factor in reducing the public health burden resulting from mental illness. This paper considers each component of the medications management cycle to identify current barriers to improvement. Selection is hindered by a lack of up to date local essential drugs lists, while procurement and distribution can be affected by the type of system used: centralised or decentralised, government-run or independent, push or pull. Rational use involves patients, prescribers and policy-makers and requires consideration of who is able to prescribe, how prescribing decisions are made and how to ensure patient-centred care. We include a number of recommendations based on these issues, while emphasising the importance of ensuring the broader context of mental illness and its management is not overlooked when improving access to psychotropic medications.
Thermodynamic phase transitions in a frustrated magnetic metamaterial
Authors: Anghinolfi L. , Luetkens H. , Perron J. , Flokstra M. G. , Sendetskyi O. , Suter A. , Prokscha T. , Derlet P. M. , Lee S. L. , Heyderman L. J.
Published: September 2015

Materials with interacting magnetic degrees of freedom display a rich variety of magnetic behaviour that can lead to novel collective equilibrium and out-of-equilibrium phenomena. In equilibrium, thermodynamic phases appear with the associated phase transitions providing a characteristic signature of the underlying collective behaviour. Here we create a thermally active artificial kagome spin ice that is made up of a large array of dipolar interacting nanomagnets and undergoes phase transitions predicted by microscopic theory. We use low energy muon spectroscopy to probe the dynamic behaviour of the interacting nanomagnets and observe peaks in the muon relaxation rate that can be identified with the critical temperatures of the predicted phase transitions. This provides experimental evidence that a frustrated magnetic metamaterial can be engineered to admit thermodynamic phases.
Impaired PIEZO1 function in patients with a novel autosomal recessive congenital lymphatic dysplasia
Authors: Lukacs Viktor , Mathur Jayanti , Mao Rong , Bayrak-Toydemir Pinar , Procter Melinda , Cahalan Stuart M. , Kim Helen J. , Bandell Michael , Longo Nicola , Day Ronald W. , Stevenson David A. , Patapoutian Ardem , Krock Bryan L.
Published: September 2015

Piezo1 ion channels are mediators of mechanotransduction in several cell types including the vascular endothelium, renal tubular cells and erythrocytes. Gain-of-function mutations in PIEZO1 cause an autosomal dominant haemolytic anaemia in humans called dehydrated hereditary stomatocytosis. However, the phenotypic consequence of PIEZO1 loss of function in humans has not previously been documented. Here we discover a novel role of this channel in the lymphatic system. Through whole-exome sequencing, we identify biallelic mutations in PIEZO1 (a splicing variant leading to early truncation and a non-synonymous missense variant) in a pair of siblings affected with persistent lymphoedema caused by congenital lymphatic dysplasia. Analysis of patients’ erythrocytes as well as studies in a heterologous system reveal greatly attenuated PIEZO1 function in affected alleles. Our results delineate a novel clinical category of PIEZO1-associated hereditary lymphoedema.
Measuring the mechanical properties of molecular conformers
Authors: Jarvis S. P. , Taylor S. , Baran J. D. , Champness N. R. , Larsson J. A. , Moriarty P.
Published: September 2015

Scanning probe-actuated single molecule manipulation has proven to be an exceptionally powerful tool for the systematic atomic-scale interrogation of molecular adsorbates. To date, however, the extent to which molecular conformation affects the force required to push or pull a single molecule has not been explored. Here we probe the mechanochemical response of two tetra(4-bromophenyl)porphyrin conformers using non-contact atomic force microscopy where we find a large difference between the lateral forces required for manipulation. Remarkably, despite sharing very similar adsorption characteristics, variations in the potential energy surface are capable of prohibiting probe-induced positioning of one conformer, while simultaneously permitting manipulation of the alternative conformational form. Our results are interpreted in the context of dispersion-corrected density functional theory calculations which reveal significant differences in the diffusion barriers for each conformer. These results demonstrate that conformational variation significantly modifies the mechanical response of even simple porpyhrins, potentially affecting many other flexible molecules.
Phylogeographic structure of cotton pest Adelphocoris suturalis (Hemiptera: Miridae): strong subdivision in China inferred from mtDNA and rDNA ITS markers
Authors: Zhang Lijuan , Li Hu , Li Shujuan , Zhang Aibing , Kou Fei , Xun Huaizhu , Wang Pei , Wang Ying , Song Fan , Cui Jianxin , Cui Jinjie , Gouge Dawn H. , Cai Wanzhi
Published: September 2015

Phylogeographic patterns of some extant plant and vertebrate species have been well studied; however, they are poorly understood in the majority of insects. The study documents analysis of mitochondrial (COI, CYTB and ND5) and nuclear (5.8S rDNA, ITS2 and 28S rDNA) data from 419 individuals ofAdelphocoris suturalis, which is one of the main cotton pests found in the 31 locations in China and Japan involved in the study. Results show that the species is highly differentiated between populations from central China and peripheral China regions. Analysis of molecular variance showed a high level of geographical differentiation at different hierarchical levels. Isolation-by-distance test showed no significant correlation between genetic distance and geographical distance amongA. suturalispopulations, which suggested gene flow is not restricted by distance. In seven peripheral populations, the high levels of genetic differentiation and the smallNemvalues implied that geographic barriers were more likely restrict gene flow. Neutrality tests and the Bayesian skyline plot suggested population expansion likely happened during the cooling transition between Last Interglacial and Last Glacial Maximum. All lines of evidence suggest that physical barriers, Pleistocene climatic oscillations and geographical heterogeneity have affected the population structure and distribution of this insect in China.
A novel natural product inspired scaffold with robust neurotrophic, neurogenic and neuroprotective action
Authors: Chakravarty Sumana , Maitra Swati , Reddy R Gajendra , Das Tapatee , Jhelum Priya , Kootar Scherazad , Rajan Wenson D. , Samanta Anumita , Samineni Ramesh , Pabbaraja Srihari , Kernie Steven G. , Mehta Goverdhan , Kumar Arvind
Published: September 2015

In search for drugs to treat neuropsychiatric disorders wherein neurotrophic and neurogenic properties are affected, two neurotrophically active small molecules specially crafted following natural product leads based on 2-oxa-spiro[5.5]-undecane scaffold, have been thoroughly evaluated for their neurotrophic, neurogenic and neuroprotective potential in ex vivo primary culture and in vivo zebrafish and mouse models. The outcome of in vivo investigations suggest that one of these molecules is more neurotrophic than neurogenic while the other one is more neurogenic than neurotrophic and the former exhibits remarkable neuroprotection in a mouse acute ischemic stroke model. The molecular mechanisms of action of these compounds appear to be through the TrkB-MEK-ERK-CREB-BDNF pathway as pre-treatment with neurotrophin receptor TrkB inhibitor ANA-12 and MEK inhibitor PD98059 attenuates the neurotrophic action of compounds.
Microgravity promotes osteoclast activity in medaka fish reared at the international space station
Authors: Chatani Masahiro , Mantoku Akiko , Takeyama Kazuhiro , Abduweli Dawud , Sugamori Yasutaka , Aoki Kazuhiro , Ohya Keiichi , Suzuki Hiromi , Uchida Satoko , Sakimura Toru , Kono Yasushi , Tanigaki Fumiaki , Shirakawa Masaki , Takano Yoshiro , Kudo Akira
Published: September 2015

The bone mineral density (BMD) of astronauts decreases specifically in the weight-bearing sites during spaceflight. It seems that osteoclasts would be affected by a change in gravity; however, the molecular mechanism involved remains unclear. Here, we show that the mineral density of the pharyngeal bone and teeth region of TRAP-GFP/Osterix-DsRed double transgenic medaka fish was decreased and that osteoclasts were activated when the fish were reared for 56 days at the international space station. In addition, electron microscopy observation revealed a low degree of roundness of mitochondria in osteoclasts. In the whole transcriptome analysis, fkbp5 and ddit4 genes were strongly up-regulated in the flight group. The fish were filmed for abnormal behavior; and, interestingly, the medaka tended to become motionless in the late stage of exposure. These results reveal impaired physiological function with a change in mechanical force under microgravity, which impairment was accompanied by osteoclast activation.
Discovery of carbon-vacancy ordering in Nb4AlC3–x under the guidance of first-principles calculations
Authors: Zhang Hui , Hu Tao , Wang Xiaohui , Li Zhaojin , Hu Minmin , Wu Erdong , Zhou Yanchun
Published: September 2015

The conventional wisdom to tailor the properties of binary transition metal carbides by order-disorder phase transformation has been inapplicable for the machinable ternary carbides (MTCs) due to the absence of ordered phase in bulk sample. Here, the presence of an ordered phase with structural carbon vacancies in Nb4AlC3–x (x ≈ 0.3) ternary carbide is predicted by first-principles calculations and experimentally identified for the first time by transmission electron microscopy and micro-Raman spectroscopy. Consistent with the first-principles prediction, the ordered phase, o-Nb4AlC3, crystalizes in P63/mcm with a = 5.423 Å, c = 24.146 Å. Coexistence of ordered (o-Nb4AlC3) and disordered (Nb4AlC3–x) phase brings about abundant domains with irregular shape in the bulk sample. Both heating and electron irradiation can induce the transformation from o-Nb4AlC3 to Nb4AlC3–x. Our findings may offer substantial insights into the roles of carbon vacancies in the structure stability and order-disorder phase transformation in MTCs.
Cyanobacterial Light-Harvesting Phycobilisomes Uncouple From Photosystem I During Dark-To-Light Transitions
Authors: Chukhutsina Volha , Bersanini Luca , Aro Eva-Mari , van Amerongen Herbert
Published: September 2015

Photosynthetic organisms cope with changes in light quality by balancing the excitation energy flow between photosystems I (PSI) and II (PSII) through a process called state transitions. Energy redistribution has been suggested to be achieved by movement of the light-harvesting phycobilisome between PSI and PSII, or by nanometre scale rearrangements of the recently discovered PBS-PSII-PSI megacomplexes. The alternative ‘spillover’ model, on the other hand, states that energy redistribution is achieved by mutual association/dissociation of PSI and PSII. State transitions have always been studied by changing the redox state of the electron carriers using electron transfer inhibitors, or by applying illumination conditions with different colours. However, the molecular events during natural dark-to-light transitions in cyanobacteria have largely been overlooked and still remain elusive. Here we investigated changes in excitation energy transfer from phycobilisomes to the photosystems upon dark-light transitions, using picosecond fluorescence spectroscopy. It appears that megacomplexes are not involved in these changes and neither does spillover play a role. Instead, the phycobilisomes partly energetically uncouple from PSI in the light but hardly couple to PSII.
Extracellular vesicles from Paracoccidioides pathogenic species transport polysaccharide and expose ligands for DC-SIGN receptors
Authors: da Silva Roberta Peres , Heiss Christian , Black Ian , Azadi Parastoo , Gerlach Jared Q. , Travassos Luiz R. , Joshi Lokesh , Kilcoyne Michelle , Puccia Rosana
Published: September 2015

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) mediate non-conventional transport of molecules across the fungal cell wall. We aimed at describing the carbohydrate composition and surface carbohydrate epitopes of EVs isolated from the pathogenic fungi Paracoccidioides brasiliensis and P. lutzii using standard procedures. Total EV carbohydrates were ethanol-precipitated from preparations depleted of lipids and proteins, then analyzed by chemical degradation, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance and size-exclusion chromatography. EV glycosyl residues of Glc, Man and Gal comprised most probably two major components: a high molecular mass 4,6-α-glucan and a galactofuranosylmannan, possibly an oligomer, bearing a 2-α-Manp main chain linked to β-Galf (1,3) and α-Manp (1,6) end units. The results also suggested the presence of small amounts of a (1→6)-Manp polymer, (1→3)-glucan and (1→6)-glucan. Glycan microarrays allowed identification of EV surface lectin(s), while plant lectin microarray profiling revealed terminal Man and GlcNAc residues exposed at the EVs surface. Mammalian lectin microarray profiling showed that DC-SIGN receptors recognized surface carbohydrate in Paracoccidioides EVs. Our results suggest that oligosaccharides, cytoplasmic storage and cell wall polysaccharides can be exported in fungal EVs, which also expose surface PAMPs and lectins. The role of these newly identified components in the interaction with the host remains to be unraveled.
High-throughput design and optimization of fast lithium ion conductors by the combination of bond-valence method and density functional theory
Authors: Xiao Ruijuan , Li Hong , Chen Liquan
Published: September 2015

Looking for solid state electrolytes with fast lithium ion conduction is an important prerequisite for developing all-solid-state lithium secondary batteries. By combining the simulation techniques in different levels of accuracy, e.g. the bond-valence (BV) method and the density functional theory (DFT), a high-throughput design and optimization scheme is proposed for searching fast lithium ion conductors as candidate solid state electrolytes for lithium rechargeable batteries. The screening from more than 1000 compounds is performed through BV-based method and the ability to predict reliable tendency of the Li+ migration energy barriers is confirmed by comparing with the results from DFT calculations. β-Li3PS4 is taken as a model system to demonstrate the application of this combination method in optimizing properties of solid electrolytes. By employing the high-throughput DFT simulations to more than 200 structures of the doping derivatives of β-Li3PS4, the effects of doping on the ionic conductivities in this material are predicted by the BV calculations. The O-doping scheme is proposed as a promising way to improve the kinetic properties of this materials and the validity of the optimization is proved by the first-principles molecular dynamics (FPMD) simulations.
A new minimally-invasive method for microinjection into the mouse spinal dorsal horn
Authors: Kohro Yuta , Sakaguchi Emi , Tashima Ryoichi , Tozaki-Saitoh Hidetoshi , Okano Hideyuki , Inoue Kazuhide , Tsuda Makoto
Published: September 2015

Noninvasive gene delivery to the spinal dorsal horn (SDH) remains challenging because existing methods to directly microinject vectors require laminectomy, which leads to tissue damage and inflammation. Such responses might hamper accurate readouts of cellular and behavioural effects of an introduced gene. Here we develop a new minimally-invasive SDH microinjection technique without the need of laminectomy in which a microcapillary is inserted into the SDH parenchyma through an intervertebral space. Using this method, we microinjected adeno-associated virus with an astrocytic promoter into the SDH and achieved efficient gene expression in an astrocyte-specific manner without gliosis, neuronal loss or inflammation. Furthermore, astrocytic loss- and gain-of-function of the transcription factor STAT3 by expressing a dominant-negative form and a constitutive-active form of STAT3, respectively, demonstrated the necessity and sufficiency of astrocytic STAT3 in the maintenance of neuropathic pain following peripheral nerve injury, a debilitating chronic pain state in which currently available treatments are frequently ineffective. Thus, our technique enables manipulation of gene expression in cell type- and spatial-specific manners without adverse effects and may be useful for research in SDH physiology and pathology.
Specific biological responses of the synovial membrane to carbon nanotubes
Authors: Nomura Hiroki , Takanashi Seiji , Tanaka Manabu , Haniu Hisao , Aoki Kaoru , Okamoto Masanori , Kobayashi Shinsuke , Takizawa Takashi , Usui Yuki , Oishi Ayumu , Kato Hiroyuki , Saito Naoto
Published: September 2015

Biological evaluation of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is typically performed in the lung or abdominal cavity; however, biological reactions to CNTs are predicted to be markedly different in other tissues. In applications of CNTs as reinforcement for artificial joints and drug delivery systems, including their use in bone regeneration, the intra-articular synovial membrane makes contact with the CNTs. Herein, we analyzed the reaction of the synovial membrane with multiwalled CNTs (MWCNTs). Injection of MWCNTs into rat knee joints revealed their dose-dependent incorporation into deep synovial membranes and the formation of granulation tissue, without long-term inflammation. MWCNTs were incorporated into human fibroblast-like synoviocytes (HFLSs), with less cytotoxicity than that observed in macrophages (RAW264 cells). Moreover, MWCNTs inhibited the release of cytokines and chemokines from HFLSs. The reaction of the synovial membrane with MWCNTs differed from that observed in other tissues; thus, detailed biological evaluation at each target site is necessary for clinical applications.