bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mathematical description of mechanical behavior of woven fabric reinforced PPS‐based composites at high temperature
Authors: Wang Shiyu , Zhang Jiazhen , Fang Guodong , Zhou Zhengong , Wang Yue
Published: March 2018

Carbon fiber fabric reinforced PPS (C/PPS) composites exhibit significant nonlinearity before failure, particularly with respect to shear deformations. Loading‐unloading Iosipescu shear tests for the composites at different high temperatures are conducted. It is found that there exist significant plasticity deformations and stiffness degradation. A one‐parameter damage‐plasticity model is proposed to describe mathematically the nonlinear mechanical behavior of the C/PPS composites at high temperatures. The relationship between effective stress and effective plastic strain in a power form, the evolution of damage in an exponential form and the shear modulus are all associated with temperature. It is verified that the proposed model can well characterize the shear and off‐axis compressive nonlinear behavior of the composites at different temperatures. POLYM. COMPOS., 40:1097–1103, 2019. © 2018 Society of Plastics Engineers
Stimmgabeln – einfach und verästelt
Authors: Mathelitsch Leopold , Granitzer Petra , Rumpf Klemens , Verovnik Ivo
Published: March 2018

Das Schwingen von Stimmgabeln lässt sich grundsätzlich durch eine Balkenschwingung beschreiben. Ein schwingender Zinken entspricht einem Dipolstrahler. Beide Zinken zusammen ergeben einen Quadrupolstrahler. Die Zinken sind in der Regel schmal im Vergleich zur abgestrahlten Wellenlänge. Das sorgt für einen akustischen Kurzschluss, der erklärt, warum Stimmgabeln so leise sind. Im Fundus der Universität Graz befinden sich vierzinkige Stimmgabeln. Konstruiert wurden sie im 19. Jahrhundert von einem österreichischen Professor. Nach einer zeitgenössischen Notiz wollte er damit menschliche Vokallaute nachbilden.
Drei auf einen Streich – kombinierte Röntgenanalyse mit höchster Auflösung
Authors: Johannes Andreas , Ronning Carsten
Published: March 2018

Funktionale Halbleiterbauteile beruhen unter anderem auf der kontrollierten Trennung von Ladungsträgern durch innere elektrische Felder, intrinsische Spannungen und/oder chemische Potentiale. Unsere internationale Gruppe mit Beteiligung der Universitäten Jena, Wien und Madrid sowie der European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, ESRF, hat eine neue Röntgenanalysemethode entwickelt, mit der sich gleichzeitig die chemische Zusammensetzung, die chemische Valenz (Oxidationsstufe und Bindungseigenschaft eines Elements) und der Ort der Ladungstrennung bestimmen lassen – sogar während des Betriebs.
Semen‐derived amyloidogenic peptides—Key players of HIV infection
Authors: Lee Young‐Ho , Ramamoorthy Ayyalusamy
Published: March 2018

Misfolding and amyloid aggregation of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) are implicated in a variety of diseases. Studies have shown that membrane plays important roles on the formation of intermediate structures of IDPs that can initiate (and/or speed‐up) amyloid aggregation to form fibers. The process of amyloid aggregation also disrupts membrane to cause cell death in amyloid diseases like Alzheimer's disease and type‐2 diabetes. On the other hand, recent studies reported the membrane fusion properties of amyloid fibers. Remarkably, amyloid‐fibril formation by short peptide fragments of highly abundant prostatic acidic‐phosphatase (PAP) in human semen and are capable of boosting the rate of HIV infection up to 400,000‐fold during sexual contact. Unlike the least toxic fully matured fibers of most amyloid proteins, the semen‐derived enhancer of virus infection (SEVI) amyloid‐fibrils of PAP peptide fragments are highly potent in rendering the maximum rate of HIV infection. This unusual property of amyloid fibers has witnessed increasing number of studies on the biophysical aspects of fiber formation and fiber‐membrane interactions. NMR studies have reported a highly disordered partial helical structure in a membrane environment for the intrinsically disordered PAP peptide that promotes the fusion of the viral membrane with that of host cells. The purpose of this review article is to unify and integrate biophysical and immunological research reported in the previous studies on SEVI. Specifically, amyloid aggregation, dramatic HIV infection enhancing properties, membrane fusion properties, high resolution NMR structure, and approaches to eliminate the enhancement of HIV infection of SEVI peptides are discussed.
Crystal structure of B‐cell co‐receptor CD19 in complex with antibody B43 reveals an unexpected fold
Authors: Teplyakov Alexey , Obmolova Galina , Luo Jinquan , Gilliland Gary L.
Published: March 2018

CD19 is a transmembrane protein expressed on malignant B cells, but not in other lineages or other tissues, which makes it an attractive target for monoclonal antibody‐mediated immunotherapy. Anti‐CD19 antibody B43 was utilized in a bispecific T‐cell engager (BiTE) blinatumomab that demonstrated potency for the treatment of relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia. To gain insight into the mechanism of action of the antibody, the crystal structure of B43 Fab was determined in complex with CD19 and in the unbound form. The structure revealed the binding epitope, explained the lack of cross‐reactivity toward non‐human species, and suggested the key‐and‐lock mechanism of antigen recognition. Most unexpectedly, the structure revealed a unique molecular topology of CD19. Rather than a tandem of c‐type immunoglobulin folds predicted from the amino acid sequence, the extracellular domain of CD19 exhibits an elongated β‐sandwich formed by two immunoglobulin folds by swapping their C‐terminal halves. This is the first structure of CD19, which has no sequence homologs.
Phylogenetic spread of sequence data affects fitness of SOD1 consensus enzymes: Insights from sequence statistics and structural analyses
Authors: Goyal Venuka Durani , Magliery Thomas J.
Published: March 2018

Non‐natural protein sequences with native‐like structures and functions can be constructed successfully using consensus design. This design strategy is relatively well understood in repeat proteins with simple binding function, however detailed studies are lacking in globular enzymes. The SOD1 family is a good model for such studies due to the availability of large amount of sequence and structure data motivated by involvement of human SOD1 in the fatal motor neuron disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). We constructed two consensus SOD1 enzymes from multiple sequence alignments from all organisms and eukaryotic organisms. A significant difference in their catalytic activities shows that the phylogenetic spread of the sequences used affects the fitness of the construct obtained. A mutation in an electrostatic loop and overall design incompatibilities between bacterial and eukaryotic sequences were implicated in this disparity. Based on this analysis, a bioinformatics approach was used to classify mutations thought to cause familial ALS providing a unique high level view of the physical basis of disease‐causing aggregation of human SOD1.
MUFOLD‐SS: New deep inception‐inside‐inception networks for protein secondary structure prediction
Authors: Fang Chao , Shang Yi , Xu Dong
Published: March 2018

Protein secondary structure prediction can provide important information for protein 3D structure prediction and protein functions. Deep learning offers a new opportunity to significantly improve prediction accuracy. In this article, a new deep neural network architecture, named the Deep inception‐inside‐inception (Deep3I) network, is proposed for protein secondary structure prediction and implemented as a software tool MUFOLD‐SS. The input to MUFOLD‐SS is a carefully designed feature matrix corresponding to the primary amino acid sequence of a protein, which consists of a rich set of information derived from individual amino acid, as well as the context of the protein sequence. Specifically, the feature matrix is a composition of physio‐chemical properties of amino acids, PSI‐BLAST profile, and HHBlits profile. MUFOLD‐SS is composed of a sequence of nested inception modules and maps the input matrix to either eight states or three states of secondary structures. The architecture of MUFOLD‐SS enables effective processing of local and global interactions between amino acids in making accurate prediction. In extensive experiments on multiple datasets, MUFOLD‐SS outperformed the best existing methods and other deep neural networks significantly. MUFold‐SS can be downloaded from http://dslsrv8.cs.missouri.edu/~cf797/MUFoldSS/download.html.
Low pressure‐induced secondary structure transitions of regenerated silk fibroin in its wet film studied by time‐resolved infrared spectroscopy
Authors: He Zhipeng , Liu Zhao , Zhou Xiaofeng , Huang He
Published: March 2018

The secondary structure transitions of regenerated silk fibroin (RSF) under different external perturbations have been studied extensively, except for pressure. In this work, time‐resolved infrared spectroscopy with the attenuated total reflectance (ATR) accessory was employed to follow the secondary structure transitions of RSF in its wet film under low pressure. It has been found that pressure alone is favorable only to the formation of β‐sheet structure. Under constant pressure there is an optimum amount of D2O in the wet film (D2O : film = 2:1) so as to provide the optimal condition for the reorganization of the secondary structure and to have the largest formation of β‐sheet structure. Under constant amount of D2O and constant pressure, the secondary structure transitions of RSF in its wet film can be divided into three stages along with time. In the first stage, random coil, α‐helix, and β‐turn were quickly transformed into β‐sheet. In the second stage, random coil and β‐turn were relatively slowly transformed into β‐sheet and α‐helix, and the content of α‐helix was recovered to the value prior to the application of pressure. In the third and final stage, no measurable changes can be found for each secondary structure. This study may be helpful to understand the secondary structure changes of silk fibroin in silkworm's glands under hydrostatic pressure.
A Hydrogen Plasma Treatment for Soft and Selective Silicon Nitride Etching
Authors: Bouchilaoun Meriem , Soltani Ali , Chakroun Ahmed , Jaouad Abdelatif , Darnon Maxime , Boone François , Maher Hassan
Published: March 2018

In this paper, the development of a soft and selective method to increase the etching rate and control accurately the etched thickness of Si3N4 material is reported. This technique combines the low damage characteristics of wet etching with the anisotropy of plasma etching which is compatible with the requirements of many surface sensitive electronic devices such as MOS transistors. This consists on a local modification of the Si3N4 layer using hydrogen‐based plasma followed by wet chemical etching in buffered oxide etch solution. The plasma conditions are optimized and a relatively high etch rate is demonstrated. FTIR analyses show clear evidence that the formation of N–H and Si–H species in the hydrogenated Si3N4 layer contributes effectively to the increase of the etching rate. Finally, a chemical etching model is proposed to explain the higher etch rate of hydrogenated Si3N4.
Mott Lecture: Description of Charge Transport in Disordered Organic Semiconductors: Analytical Theories and Computer Simulations
Authors: Baranovskii Sergei D.
Published: March 2018

Hopping of charge carriers via randomly distributed localized states with Gaussian energy spectrum is usually considered as the dominant charge transport mechanism in disordered organic semiconductors. Although much progress has been achieved in the theoretical description of such transport processes, many researchers follow the unlucky and groundless conviction that analytical solutions of the hopping transport problem are not possible. Monte Carlo computer simulations with phenomenological fitting of numerical results are often considered as the only theoretical tool suitable to describe hopping transport in disordered materials with the Gaussian energy spectrum. In this article, the transparent closed‐form analytical solutions for the hopping transport in organic disordered semiconductors are highlighted and some shortcomings of the phenomenological fittings are analyzed.
An adiabatic foehn mechanism
Authors: Damiens Florentin , Lott Francois , Millet Christophe , Plougonven Riwal
Published: March 2018

Atmospheric mountain flows, produced when the incoming wind is small near the surface and continuously increases with altitude, are evaluated with models of increasing complexity. All models confirm that foehn can be produced by a mountain gravity wave critical level mechanism, where the critical level is located below the surface. This mechanism does not involve humidity, upper‐level wave breaking, upstream blocking, downward wave reflections or hydraulic control, as often suggested by popular theories. The first model used is a theoretical one which combines linear gravity wave dynamics with a nonlinear boundary condition: in this model the wave breaking does not feed back onto the dynamics by construction. Partial linear wave reflections are also minimized by using smooth profiles of the incident wind and a uniform stratification N2 = constant, and can even be suppressed when the incident wind shear is also constant, Uz = constant. The second model is a numerical mesoscale model (Weather Research and Forecasting), and we show that it predicts mountain wave fields which can be reproduced by the theoretical model, provided that we specify an adequate boundary‐layer depth in the theoretical model.
Accurate description of excited state intramolecular proton transfer that involves zwitterionic state using optimally tuned range‐separated time‐dependent density functional theory
Authors: Zhou Panwang , Zhao Li
Published: March 2018

Excited‐state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) reaction typically involves the excited‐state of charge‐transfer (CT) character. Thus, locating the transition state (TS) and providing an accurate description for the canonical and tautomeric forms play important roles and remain as challenges in the investigation of ESIPT reaction. In this study, the ESIPT reaction of a recently developed ESIPT chromophore (compound 1) (N. Suzuki et al., Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2014, 53, 8231) that involves the CT and zwitterionic states has been investigated using the time‐dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) method with different functionals and the second‐order algebraic diagrammatic construction (ADC(2)) method. Theoretical results suggest that the TDDFT method with IP‐tuned range‐separated functional should be applied to investigate ESIPT reaction when the zwitterionic or CT states are involved. In addition, the TS geometries for the ESIPT reaction of compound 1 in three different solvents have been successfully located, and the Gibbs free energies along the reaction path have been provided. The calculated results can clearly explain the experimentally observed solvent‐dependent fluorescence of compound 1.
Desmoid fibromatosis of the chest wall
Authors: Ong QiHao , Wong Janice , Sinha Sanjay , Kejriwal Nand
Published: March 2018

We report a case of desmoid fibromatosis of the chest wall. A 70‐year‐old woman was referred to our hospital with right shoulder blade pain and paresthesia over the right upper breast. Chest X‐ray and computed tomography demonstrated a 5 cm right apical mass in the chest. Biopsy of the mass demonstrated features of desmoid fibromatosis. The patient subsequently underwent surgical resection of the mass and received adjuvant radiation therapy for microscopic positive margins. In conclusion, although desmoid tumour of the chest is rare, it is worth considering in the differential diagnoses of chest wall tumours.
Report on the breakage of the tip of a radial endobronchial ultrasonic probe sheath during bronchoscopy
Authors: Yaguchi Daizo , Ichikawa Motoshi , Inoue Noriko , Kobayashi Daisuke , Shizu Masato , Imai Naoyuki
Published: March 2018

A lesion in a 73‐year‐old woman that was suspected to be right lung cancer was biopsied under ultrasound‐guided bronchoscopy with a guide sheath. The procedure was completed without a noticeable problem, but after 3 days, it was found that the tip of the ultrasonic probe sheath was broken and that the broken fragment was missing. Based on the concern that the fragment had been left in the lung, the patient was examined by computed tomography scan 4 days after the biopsy, and bronchoscopy was repeated 38 days after the biopsy, but no fragment was detected. These procedures and an investigation by the Olympus Corporation led to the conclusion that the fragment was not in the lung, and it was not found in a subsequent surgical specimen. Breakage of devices may occur at any time regardless of progression of fatigue (wear) with increased use, and thorough device management before, during, and after use is important.
Organocatalyzed Synthesis of Medicinally Important Chromeno[2, 3‐d]pyrimidine‐triones in Biodegradable Reaction Medium
Authors: Rai Pragati , Sagir Hozeyfa , Kumar Akhilesh , B. Yadav Vijay , R. Siddiqui I.
Published: March 2018

A convenient and simple approach for the synthesis of medicinally important chromeno[2, 3‐d]pyrimidine‐triones has been disclosed under metal‐free conditions. Glycerol as biodegradable reaction medium in combination with organocatalyst has been used which facilitates the formation of the desired product. Absence of side‐products as well as non‐hazardous reaction conditions are another green attributes of our described protocol. A broad range of substrates were well tolerated in this reaction system.
High‐Potential Metalless Nanocarbon Foam Supercapacitors Operating in Aqueous Electrolyte
Authors: Liu Chueh , Li Changling , Ahmed Kazi , Mutlu Zafer , Lee Ilkeun , Zaera Francisco , Ozkan Cengiz S. , Ozkan Mihrimah
Published: March 2018

Light‐weight graphite foam decorated with carbon nanotubes (dia. 20–50 nm) is utilized as an effective electrode without binders, conductive additives, or metallic current collectors for supercapacitors in aqueous electrolyte. Facile nitric acid treatment renders wide operating potentials, high specific capacitances and energy densities, and long lifespan over 10 000 cycles manifested as 164.5 and 111.8 F g−1, 22.85 and 12.58 Wh kg−1, 74.6% and 95.6% capacitance retention for 2 and 1.8 V, respectively. Overcharge protection is demonstrated by repetitive cycling between 2 and 2.5 V for 2000 cycles without catastrophic structural demolition or severe capacity fading. Graphite foam without metallic strut possessing low density (≈0.4–0.45 g cm−3) further reduces the total weight of the electrode. The thorough investigation of the specific capacitances and coulombic efficiencies versus potential windows and current densities provides insights into the selection of operation conditions for future practical devices.
Rapid Detection of Copper in Biological Systems Using Click Chemistry
Authors: Zheng Wenshu , Li Huiling , Chen Wenwen , Zhang Jiangjiang , Wang Nuoxin , Guo Xuefeng , Jiang Xingyu
Published: March 2018

A fast (1 min), straightforward but efficient, click chemistry‐based system that enables the rapid detection of free copper (Cu) ions in either biological fluids or living cells without tedious pretreatment is provided. Cu can quickly induce the conjugation between graphene oxide (GO) and a fluorescent dye via click reaction. On the basis of the high specificity of bioorthogonal reaction and the effective quenching ability of GO, the assay studied in this paper can respond to Cu ions in less than 1 min with excellent selectivity and sensitivity, which is the fastest sensor for Cu as far as it is known. In addition, the application of this system is verified by performing assays in living cells and untreated urine samples from patients suffering from Wilson's Disease. Such a Cu detection system shows great promises in both fundamental research and routine clinical diagnostics.
Monitoring the Dynamic Process of Formation of Plasmonic Molecular Junctions during Single Nanoparticle Collisions
Authors: Guo Jing , Pan Jie , Chang Shuai , Wang Xuewen , Kong Na , Yang Wenrong , He Jin
Published: March 2018

The capability to study the dynamic formation of plasmonic molecular junction is of fundamental importance, and it will provide new insights into molecular electronics/plasmonics, single‐entity electrochemistry, and nanooptoelectronics. Here, a facile method to form plasmonic molecular junctions is reported by utilizing single gold nanoparticle (NP) collision events at a highly curved gold nanoelectrode modified with a self‐assembled monolayer. By using time‐resolved electrochemical current measurement and surface‐enhanced Raman scattering spectroscopy, the current changes and the evolution of interfacial chemical bonding are successfully observed in the newly formed molecular tunnel junctions during and after the gold NP “hit‐n‐stay” and “hit‐n‐run” collision events. The results lead to an in‐depth understanding of the single NP motion and the associated molecular level changes during the formation of the plasmonic molecular junctions in a single NP collision event. This method also provides a new platform to study molecular changes at the single molecule level during electron transport in a dynamic molecular tunnel junction.
Immobilization of Nanoparticles on Fibrous Clay Surfaces: Towards Promising Nanoplatforms for Advanced Functional Applications
Authors: Aranda Pilar , Ruiz‐Hitzky Eduardo
Published: March 2018

This account discusses on diverse general approaches employed for the preparation of heterostructured materials based on the immobilization of metal oxides and other nanoparticles on sepiolite and palygorskite fibrous clay minerals, showing the many opportunities of application offered by the resulting materials. Various examples from our own experience have been selected to show how sepiolite acts as a convenient nanoplatform for immobilization of diverse type of nanoparticles, such as TiO2, Fe3O4, Prussian blue, zeolites, layered double hydroxides, carbon nanotubes and graphenes, etc., to produce functional materials for applications in catalysis, environmental remediation, sensing devices, energy production, and others.
Why Patients Decline Genomic Sequencing Studies: Experiences from the CSER Consortium
Authors: Amendola Laura M. , Robinson Jill O. , Hart Ragan , Biswas Sawona , Lee Kaitlyn , Bernhardt Barbara A. , East Kelly , Gilmore Marian J. , Kauffman Tia L. , Lewis Katie L. , Roche Myra , Scollon Sarah , Wynn Julia , Blout Carrie
Published: March 2018

Clinical and research settings are increasingly incorporating genomic sequencing (GS) technologies. Previous research has explored reasons for declining genetic testing and participation in genetic studies; however, there is a dearth of literature regarding why potential participants decline participation in GS research, and if any of these reasons are unique to GS. This knowledge is essential to promote informed decision‐making and identify potential barriers to research participation and clinical implementation. We aggregated data from seven sites across the National Institutes of Health's Clinical Sequencing Exploratory Research (CSER) consortium on each project's procedures for recruitment, and rates of and reasons for decline. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The decline rate for enrollment at the seven CSER sites ranged from 12 to 64% (median 28%) and varied based on age and disease status. Projects differed in their protocols for approaching potential participants and obtaining informed consent. Reasons for declining GS research were reported for 1088 potential participants. Commonly cited reasons were similar to those reported for clinical single gene testing and non‐GS genetic research. The most frequently cited reason for decline was study logistics (35%); thus, addressing logistical barriers to enrollment may positively impact GS study recruitment. Privacy and discrimination concerns were cited by 13% of decliners, highlighting the need for researchers and providers to focus educational efforts in this area. The potential psychological burden of pursuing and receiving results from GS and not wanting to receive secondary findings, a concern specific to GS, have been cited as concerns in the literature. A minority of potential participants cited psychological impact (8%) or not wanting to receive secondary findings (2%) as reasons for decline, suggesting that these concerns were not major barriers to participation in these GS studies. Further research is necessary to explore the impact, if any, of different participant groups or study protocols on rates of decline for GS studies. Future studies exploring GS implementation should consider using standardized collection methods to examine reasons for decline in larger populations and more diverse healthcare settings.
Identification and Sensitivity Analysis for Average Causal Mediation Effects with Time-Varying Treatments and Mediators: Investigating the Underlying Mechanisms of Kindergarten Retention Policy
Authors: Park Soojin , Steiner Peter M. , Kaplan David
Published: March 2018

Considering that causal mechanisms unfold over time, it is important to investigate the mechanisms over time, taking into account the time-varying features of treatments and mediators. However, identification of the average causal mediation effect in the presence of time-varying treatments and mediators is often complicated by time-varying confounding. This article aims to provide a novel approach to uncovering causal mechanisms in time-varying treatments and mediators in the presence of time-varying confounding. We provide different strategies for identification and sensitivity analysis under homogeneous and heterogeneous effects. Homogeneous effects are those in which each individual experiences the same effect, and heterogeneous effects are those in which the effects vary over individuals. Most importantly, we provide an alternative definition of average causal mediation effects that evaluates a partial mediation effect; the effect that is mediated by paths other than through an intermediate confounding variable. We argue that this alternative definition allows us to better assess at least a part of the mediated effect and provides meaningful and unique interpretations. A case study using ECLS-K data that evaluates kindergarten retention policy is offered to illustrate our proposed approach.
Disentangling the biological pathways involved in early features of Alzheimer's disease in the Rotterdam Study
Authors: Ahmad Shahzad , Bannister Christian , van der Lee Sven J. , Vojinovic Dina , Adams Hieab H.H. , Ramirez Alfredo , Escott‐Price Valentina , Sims Rebecca , Baker Emily , Williams Julie , Holmans Peter , Vernooij Meike W. , Ikram M. Arfan , Amin Najaf , van Duijn Cornelia M.
Published: March 2018

Introduction

Exploring the role of Alzheimer's disease (AD) implicated pathways in the predementia phase may provide new insight for preventive and clinical trials targeting disease specific pathways.

Methods

We constructed weighted Genetic risk scores, first based on 20 genome‐wide significant AD risk variants and second clustering these variants within pathways. Risk scores were investigated for their association with AD, mild cognitive impairment, and brain magnetic resonance imaging phenotypes including white matter lesions, hippocampal volume, and brain volume.

Results

The risk score capturing endocytosis pathway was significantly associated with mild cognitive impairment (P = 1.44 × 10−4). Immune response (P = .016) and clathrin/AP2 adaptor complex pathway (P = 3.55 × 10−3) excluding apolipoprotein E also showed modest association with white matter lesions but did not sustain Bonferroni correction (P = 9.09 × 10−4).

Discussion

Our study suggests that the clinical spectrum of early AD pathology is explained by different biological pathways, in particular, the endocytosis, clathrin/AP2 adaptor complex, and immune response pathways, that are independent of apolipoprotein E (APOE).
Reuse Remix Recycle
Authors: Huggett Jeremy
Published: March 2018

Preservation of digital data is predicated on the expectation of its reuse, yet that expectation has never been examined within archaeology. While we have extensive digital archives equipped to share data, evidence of reuse seems paradoxically limited. Most archaeological discussions have focused on data management and preservation and on disciplinary practices surrounding archiving and sharing data. This article addresses the reuse side of the data equation through a series of linked questions: What is the evidence for reuse, what constitutes reuse, what are the motivations for reuse, and what makes some data more suitable for reuse than others? It concludes by posing a series of questions aimed at better understanding our digital engagement with archaeological data.
Self Constitution as The Foundation for Leading Ethically: A Foucauldian Possibility
Authors: Ladkin Donna
Published: March 2018

This article challenges the assumption that the source of ethical leadership is the well-intentioned leader of good character. Drawing from Michel Foucault’s critical philosophy, it argues that those aspiring to lead ethically must actively constitute themselves in order to become subjects who are free to exercise ethical agency. The practices of self-care (epimeileisthai sautou) and courageous speech (parrhesia) are introduced as means by which such self-constitution can be approached. The case of US President Barack Obama’s inability to close the detention centre at Guantanamo Bay serves as an illustrative device to ground Foucault’s ideas. The argument enriches a philosophically informed rendering of ethical leadership in three ways: by highlighting the role resistance plays in any leader’s attempts to achieve ethical ends, by demonstrating the importance of an orientation of critique on the part of those aspiring to lead ethically, and by revealing the importance of followers in realizing ethical outcomes.
The automatic nature of motivated belief updating
Authors: KAPPES ANDREAS , SHAROT TALI
Published: March 2018

People's risk estimates often do not align with the evidence available to them. In particular, people tend to discount bad news (such as evidence suggesting their risk of being involved in a car accident is higher than they thought) as compared to good news (evidence suggesting it is lower) – this is known as the belief update bias. It has been assumed that individuals use motivated reasoning to rationalise away unwanted evidence (e.g., “I am a safe driver, thus these statistics do not apply to me”). However, whether reasoning is required to discount bad news has not been tested directly. Here, we restrict cognitive resources using a cognitive load (Experiment 1) and a time restriction manipulation (Experiment 3) and find that while these manipulations diminish learning in general, they do not diminish the bias. Furthermore, we also show that the relative neglect of bad news happens the moment new evidence is presented, not when participants are subsequently prompted to state their belief (Experiment 2). Our findings suggest that reasoning is not required for bad news to be discounted as compared to good news.
Moving contact-line mobility measured
Authors: Xia Yi , Steen Paul H.
Published: March 2018

Contact-line mobility characterizes how fast a liquid can wet or unwet a solid support by relating the contact angle $\unicode[STIX]{x0394}\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}$ to the contact-line speed $U_{CL}$. The contact angle changes dynamically with contact-line speeds during rapid movement of liquid across a solid. Speeds beyond the region of stick–slip are the focus of this experimental paper. For these speeds, liquid inertia and surface tension compete while damping is weak. The mobility parameter $M$ is defined empirically as the proportionality, when it exists, between $\unicode[STIX]{x0394}\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}$ and $U_{CL}$, $M\unicode[STIX]{x0394}\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}=U_{CL}$. We discover that $M$ exists and measure it. The experimental approach is to drive the contact line of a sessile drop by a plane-normal oscillation of the drop’s support. Contact angles, displacements and speeds of the contact line are measured. To unmask the mobility away from stick–slip, the diagram of $\unicode[STIX]{x0394}\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}$ against $U_{CL}$, the traditional diagram, is remapped to a new diagram by rescaling with displacement. This new diagram reveals a regime where $\unicode[STIX]{x0394}\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}$ is proportional to $U_{CL}$ and the slope yields the mobility $M$. The experimental approach reported introduces the cyclically dynamic contact angle goniometer. The concept and method of the goniometer are illustrated with data mappings for water on a low-hysteresis non-wetting substrate.
Reservoir Effects in a Stone Age Fjord on Lolland, Denmark
Authors: Philippsen Bente
Published: March 2018

On the island of Lolland, southeast Denmark, an area of almost 300 ha is currently under archaeological investigation prior to the planned construction of a tunnel between Denmark and Germany under the Femern belt. The area investigated in the context of the “Femern project” includes a former fjord or lagoon, which was used both as an economic resource and as background for ritual activities in the Neolithic. The wetland conditions give excellent preservation conditions for organic material. A yet unsolved issue, however, is the question of reservoir effects. The local reservoir effect needs to be known for accurate radiocarbon (14C) dating of samples with possible aquatic carbon sources, such as human bones or food residues on pottery. Therefore, this paper attempts to calculate the local reservoir effect for the study area. I will discuss the possibilities and limitations when analyzing 14C dates from a rescue excavation. When applying the estimated reservoir corrections to a hoard of jaws and other bones, an interesting change in ritual activity at ca. 4000 cal BC can be observed. Furthermore, I examined 14C dates on bulk organic sediment and will discuss their implications for building chronologies and for reconstructing the environment of the Stone Age fjord. Finally, I will discuss the pitfalls and uncertainties associated with 14C dates for sea level reconstruction.
International Law and the Turn to Political Economy
Authors: HASKELL JOHN , RASULOV AKBAR
Published: March 2018

An increasing number of international law scholars over the last few years have started to turn their attention to the study of political economy. To what extent can this trend be considered an indication of an underlying ‘disciplinary turn’? How should one understand the phenomenon of disciplinary turns? The answer we propose to this question in this article proceeds from the assumption that not all disciplinary shifts follow the same logic. Unlike the linguistic or the historical turn, the turn to political economy in contemporary international law does not represent an exercise in inter-disciplinary exploration. The concept of political economy used in international law has very little to do with the actual discipline of political economy. It is much more diffuse and unfocused in theoretical terms. What gives it its essential sense of identity is not any form of distinct methodological orientation, but rather its basic usefulness as a potential marker of critical self-distancing vis-à-vis the mainstream international law tradition and its ideological function as a mediating device for the expression of a deep-seated concern about the structural injustices of modern capitalism.
Environmental shielding is contrast preservation
Authors: Stanton Juliet
Published: March 2018

The term ‘environmental shielding’ has been used to refer to a class of processes in which the phonetic realisation of a nasal stop depends on its vocalic context. In Chiriguano, for example, nasal consonants are realised as such before nasal vowels (/mã/ → [mã]), but acquire an oral release before oral vowels (/ma/ → [mba]). Herbert (1986) claims that shielding protects a contrast between oral and nasal vowels: if Chiriguano /ma/ were realised as [ma], [a] would likely carry some degree of nasal coarticulation, and be less distinct from nasal /ã/. This article provides new arguments for Herbert's position, drawn from a large typological study of South American languages. I argue that environmental shielding is contrast preservation, and that any successful analysis of shielding must make explicit reference to contrast. These results contribute to a growing body of evidence that constraints on contrast are an essential component of phonological theory.
SOVEREIGN RESTRUCTURING VS. FISCAL ADJUSTMENT IN A MONETARY UNION: MACROECONOMIC EFFECTS FROM MODEL-BASED SIMULATIONS
Authors: Forni L. , Pisani M.
Published: March 2018

We assess the macroeconomic effects of a sovereign restructuring in a small economy belonging to a monetary union by simulating a dynamic general equilibrium model. We compare the macroeconomic outcome of restructuring with scenarios where the debt reduction is achieved via fiscal adjustment. In line with the empirical evidence, we assume that the sovereign debt is held by domestic agents and by agents in the rest of the monetary union; after the restructuring the sovereign borrowing rate increases and the increase is fully transmitted to the domestic households' borrowing rate; and the government cannot discriminate between domestic and foreign agents when restructuring. We also assume that the small economy does not exit from the monetary union after the restructuring and that the restructuring does not have systemic effects on the rest of the union. Our results suggest that the restructuring can imply persistent and large reduction of output, especially if the share of public debt held domestically is large, the private foreign debt is high, and the spread paid by the government and the households does increases.
A NOTE ON CREDIT RISK TRANSFER AND THE MACROECONOMY
Authors: Faia Ester
Published: March 2018

The recent financial crisis highlighted the limits of the originate to distribute model of banking, but its nexus with the macroeconomy remains unexplored. I build a business cycle model with banks engaging in credit risk transfer (CRT) under informational externalities. Markets for CRT provide liquidity insurance to banks, but the emergence of a pooling equilibrium can also impair the banks' monitoring incentives. In normal times and in face of standard macro shocks the insurance benefits of CRT prevail and the business cycle is stabilized. In face of financial/liquidity shocks the extent of informational asymmetries is larger and the business cycle is amplified. The macro model with CRT can also reproduce well a number of macro and banking statistics over the period of rapid growth of this banks' business model.
INFLATION STABILIZATION AND DEFAULT RISK IN A CURRENCY UNION
Authors: Okano Eiji , Hamano Masashige
Published: March 2018

By developing a class of dynamic stochastic general equilibrium models with nominal rigidities and assuming a two-country currency union with sovereign risk, we show that there is not necessarily a trade-off between the prevention of default risk and stabilizing inflation. Under optimal monetary and fiscal policy, comprising a de facto inflation stabilization policy, the tax rate as an optimal fiscal policy tool plays an important role in stabilizing inflation, although not completely because of the distorted steady state. Changes in the tax rate to minimize welfare costs via stabilizing inflation then improve the fiscal surplus, and because of this and the incompletely stabilized inflation, the default rate does not increase as much.
Traffic-light labels and financial incentives to reduce sugar-sweetened beverage purchases by low-income Latino families: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Franckle Rebecca L , Levy Douglas E , Macias-Navarro Lorena , Rimm Eric B , Thorndike Anne N
Published: March 2018

Objective

The objective of the present study was to test the effectiveness of financial incentives and traffic-light labels to reduce purchases of sugar-sweetened beverages in a community supermarket.

Design

In this randomized controlled trial, after a 2-month baseline period (February–March 2014), in-store traffic-light labels were posted to indicate healthy (green), less healthy (yellow) or unhealthy (red) beverages. During the subsequent five months (April–August 2014), participants in the intervention arm were eligible to earn a $US 25 in-store gift card each month they refrained from purchasing red-labelled beverages.

Setting

Urban supermarket in Chelsea, MA, USA, a low-income Latino community.

Subjects

Participants were customers of this supermarket who had at least one child living at home. A total of 148 customers (n 77 in the intervention group and n 71 in the control group) were included in the final analyses.

Results

Outcomes were monthly in-store purchases tracked using a store loyalty card and self-reported consumption of red-labelled beverages. Compared with control participants, the proportion of intervention participants who purchased any red-labelled beverages decreased by 9 % more per month (P=0·002). More intervention than control participants reduced their consumption of red-labelled beverages (−23 % v. −2 % for consuming ≥1 red beverage/week, P=0·01).

Conclusions

Overall, financial incentives paired with in-store traffic-light labels modestly reduced purchase and consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages by customers of a community supermarket.
Assessing maize diversity and defining a representative subset by means of selected morphological ear traits
Authors: Rincon-Sanchez Froylan , Ruiz-Torres Norma A.
Published: March 2018

The objectives of this study were to analyse the maize diversity in the southeast of Coahuila State in Mexico and to identify a representative subset that encompasses the majority of the diversity in the region of study. Seventy-seven native maize populations were first explored and given a race classification followed by a morphological description based on selected quantitative ear traits using 10 representative ears from the collected samples. The differences between maize populations from the adaptation area and the relationships between and within groups in the region of study indicate the usefulness of the ear traits to describe maize diversity. Two main groups were identified that summarized the maize diversity. The first group, the conical ear complex, includes populations adapted to highland altitudes (Conico Norteño Race). The second group, the cylindrical ear complex, represents populations adapted to lowland and intermediate altitudes (Raton and Tuxpeño Norteño). Using the phenogram, a subset of 18 out of the 77 maize populations (23.4%) was defined that accounts for the variation between and within the different race complexes. This subset also includes at least one representative population from each of the less represented types. The final subset, representing a sample of maize diversity, can be used to establish strategies for conservation and use, such as participatory conservation and management, or it can be used to develop breeding techniques for improving the land race populations within the region of study.
Can Atmospheric Science Improve Global Disaster Resilience?
Authors: Steptoe Hamish , Jones Sarah , Fox Helen
Published: March 2018

Scientific understanding of atmospheric hazards and their interconnectivity can contribute to international policy and disaster risk management.
ER–mitochondria signaling in Parkinson’s disease
Authors: Gómez-Suaga Patricia , Bravo-San Pedro José M , González-Polo Rosa A. , Fuentes José M. , Niso-Santano Mireia
Published: March 2018

Mitochondria form close physical contacts with a specialized domain of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), known as the mitochondria-associated membrane (MAM). This association constitutes a key signaling hub to regulate several fundamental cellular processes. Alterations in ER–mitochondria signaling have pleiotropic effects on a variety of intracellular events resulting in mitochondrial damage, Ca2+ dyshomeostasis, ER stress and defects in lipid metabolism and autophagy. Intriguingly, many of these cellular processes are perturbed in neurodegenerative diseases. Furthermore, increasing evidence highlights that ER–mitochondria signaling contributes to these diseases, including Parkinson’s disease (PD). PD is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder, for which effective mechanism-based treatments remain elusive. Several PD-related proteins localize at mitochondria or MAM and have been shown to participate in ER–mitochondria signaling regulation. Likewise, PD-related mutations have been shown to damage this signaling. Could ER–mitochondria associations be the link between pathogenic mechanisms involved in PD, providing a common mechanism? Would this provide a pharmacological target for treating this devastating disease?

In this review, we aim to summarize the current knowledge of ER–mitochondria signaling and the recent evidence concerning damage to this signaling in PD.
Podocyte-specific Rac1 deficiency ameliorates podocyte damage and proteinuria in STZ-induced diabetic nephropathy in mice
Authors: Lv Zhimei , Hu Mengsi , Fan Minghua , Li Xiaobing , Lin Jiangong , Zhen Junhui , Wang Ziyang , Jin Haijun , Wang Rong
Published: March 2018

Activation of Ras-related C3 botulinum toxin substrate 1 (Rac1) has been implicated in diverse kidney diseases, yet its in vivo significance in diabetic nephropathy (DN) is largely unknown. In the present study, we demonstrated a podocyte-specific Rac1-deficient mouse strain and showed that specific inhibition of Rac1 was able to attenuate diabetic podocyte injury and proteinuria by the blockade of Rac1/PAK1/p38/β-catenin signaling cascade, which reinstated the integrity of podocyte slit diaphragms (SD), rectified the effacement of foot processes (FPs), and prevented the dedifferentiation of podocytes. In vitro, we showed Rac1/PAK1 physically bound to β-catenin and had a direct phosphorylation modification on its C-terminal Ser675, leading to less ubiquitylated β-catenin, namely more stabilized β-catenin, and its nuclear migration under high-glucose conditions; further, p38 activation might be responsible for β-catenin nuclear accumulation via potentiating myocyte-specific enhancer factor 2C (MEF2c) phosphorylation. These findings provided evidence for a potential renoprotective and therapeutic strategy of cell-specific Rac1 deficiency for DN and other proteinuric diseases.
DAX1 promotes cervical cancer cell growth and tumorigenicity through activation of Wnt/β-catenin pathway via GSK3β
Authors: Liu Xiao-Fang , Li Xue-Yuan , Zheng Peng-Sheng , Yang Wen-Ting
Published: March 2018

DAX1 is well known for its fundamental role in several types of cancer, while its biological role in cervical cancer remains largely unexplored. The expression of DAX1 in cervical carcinoma tissue was examined using immunohistochemistry and western blot. The effects of DAX1 silencing on the cell growth, tumor formation, and CSC (cancer stem cell) characteristics were also investigated. DAX1 expressed a gradual increase from normal cervix to high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions, and consequently to cervical cancer. Silence of DAX1 significantly inhibited the cell growth, tumorigenicity, and tumorsphere formation. Furthermore, the TOP/FOP-Flash reporter assay revealed that Wnt/β-catenin pathway was significantly inactivated in DAX1-silenced cervical cancer cells with the downregulation of Wnt/β-catenin targeting genes, including cyclinD1 and c-myc. Moreover, dual-luciferase reporter and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay confirmed that DAX1 transcriptionally repressed glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β), an inhibitor of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, by physically interacting with −666~−444 motif on the GSK3β promoter. Additionally, the blockage of GSK3β by CHIR-99021 resulted in a significant increase of CSC characteristics induced by the silence of DAX1. Our data demonstrated that DAX1 is overexpressed in cervical cancer, and that it promotes cell growth and tumorigenicity through activating Wnt/β-catenin pathway mediated by GSK3β.