bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A pilot study of road lighting, cycle lighting and obstacle detection
Authors: Fotios S , Qasem H , Cheal C , Uttley J
Published: January 2016

This paper investigates cyclists’ detection of an obstacle on the surface of the road ahead, observed in peripheral vision, and how this is affected by variations in light level from road and cycle lighting. The data analysed were the height at which a rising obstacle was detected, this simulating an approaching irregularity in the road surface. The results suggest that when cycling on a lit road, cycle lighting frequently offers no benefit for peripheral detection and may make it worse. It was demonstrated that position matters: At low illuminances, a hub-mounted lamp improved detection over a handlebar-mounted lamp. This benefit was sufficient to offset the reduction in detection found when decreasing road lighting from 2.0 lux to 0.2 lux.
AlluraClarity Radiation Dose–Reduction Technology in the Hybrid Operating Room During Endovascular Aneurysm Repair
Authors: de Ruiter Quirina M. B. , Moll Frans L. , Gijsberts Crystel M. , van Herwaarden Joost A.
Published: January 2016

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of radiation dose reduction with the Allura ClarityIQ image processing technology for fixed C-arms in comparison with a mobile C-arm and an Allura fixed C-arm without ClarityIQ technology during endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) procedures. Methods: Radiation dose data from 85 patients (mean age 74.2±7.8 years; 68 men) undergoing EVAR with mobile and fixed C-arm fluoroscopy were retrospectively analyzed. The radiation dose parameters included the kerma area product (KAP), fluoroscopic time (FT), and number of digital subtraction angiography (DSA) frames (FrDSA). KAPtotal consisted of KAPfluoro (KAP for fluoroscopic imaging) and KAPDSA (KAP for DSA and single shots). Linear regression analysis was used to explore differences in the association of KAP with the FT, FrDSA, and body mass index (BMI) among the 3 C-arms. Results: The mean KAPtotal values for mobile, Allura C-arm, and AlluraClarity C-arm for noncomplex EVARs were 56±39, 245±142, and 157±120 Gy·cm2 (p<0.001); for complex EVARs, the values were 110±43, 874±653, and 598±319 Gy·cm2 (p<0.001), respectively. On average, KAPfluoro tripled when the mobile C-arm was replaced by the fixed C-arm. There were no significant differences in the KAPfluoro adjusted for the FT between Allura and AlluraClarity (p=0.69). However, there was a major 61% reduction in KAPDSA from 1.36 Gy·cm2 per DSA frame for Allura to 0.54 Gy·cm2 per DSA frame with AlluraClarity (p=0.03). For the mobile C-arm, BMI was not associated with KAP (p=0.13). The associations of BMI with KAPfluoro and KAPDSA were significant for both fixed C-arms but were more robust for Allura compared to AlluraClarity (p=0.02 for KAPfluoro and p<0.001 for KAPDSA). Conclusion: Changing a mobile C-arm for a fixed C-arm in a hybrid operating suite increased the average intraoperative dose during EVAR. Upgrading the Allura fixed C-arm with ClarityIQ technology resulted in a 61% reduction in the radiation per DSA frame.
Propensity Score Analysis Comparing Clinical Outcomes of Drug-Eluting vs Bare Nitinol Stents in Femoropopliteal Lesions
Authors: Soga Yoshimitsu , Takahara Mitsuyoshi , Iida Osamu , Nakano Masatsugu , Yamauchi Yasutaka , Zen Kan , Kawasaki Daizo , Ando Kenji
Published: January 2016

Purpose: To present a propensity score matching analysis comparing the 1-year outcomes of de novo femoropopliteal lesions treated with drug-eluting stents (DES) or bare nitinol stents (BNS). Methods: A retrospective review was conducted of 452 limbs in 389 patients (mean age 74±8 years; 284 men) treated with DES implantation and 1808 limbs in 1441 patients (mean age 72±9 years; 1023 men) implanted with BNS for de novo femoropopliteal lesions. One-year follow-up data were available on all patients. The primary endpoint was 12-month restenosis assessed by duplex ultrasonography or follow-up angiography within ±2 months. Secondary endpoint was major adverse limb events (MALE) including major amputation, any reintervention, and restenosis. Results: The BNS group was more likely to have current smoking, chronic total occlusion, and poor below-the-knee runoff. The stratification analysis demonstrated that diabetes mellitus (DM) and reference vessel diameter (RVD) had a significant interaction on the association of DES vs BNS implantation with restenosis (interaction p<0.05). Thus, the population was stratified into 4 subgroups (1: –DM, RVD ≥5 mm, 2: +DM, RVD ≥5 mm, 3: –DM, RVD <5 mm, and 4: +DM, RVD <5 mm); the RVD threshold was empirically determined. There were no significant intergroup differences in baseline variables after matching. There was no significant difference in restenosis risk between DES and BNS in the RVD ≥5 mm subgroup regardless of the presence of DM. The DES group had a significantly higher restenosis risk in the RVD <5 mm subgroup regardless of the presence of DM. No significant difference was observed in the risk of major amputation, reintervention, or MALE in any subgroup. Conclusion: These results suggest that a first-generation DES was not superior to a conventional BNS for femoropopliteal lesions.
The Changed Injury Landscape, More on Injury Prevention Roles for the Lifestyle Physician, and More Than “Limited Progress” Since Injury in America
Authors: Linn Herbert I.
Published: January 2016

One theme of the article (“Time for Lifestyle Medicine to Take Injury Prevention Seriously,” by Teitge and Francescutti) that should resonate with contemporary injury prevention proponents—whether they are researchers, practitioners, policy makers, or advocates in the public health arena or providers, administrators, and patient advocates in the health care arena—is the need for an increased injury prevention focus among health care providers. In particular, the call for providers to link injury prevention approaches and tools to the clinical care of patients is both noteworthy and compelling. However, the authors’ description of the current injury experience in the United States fails to acknowledge important changes over the past decade and a half that have had an impact on the injury prevention roles of providers. Plus, the notion that progress in injury prevention has been limited in the 3 decades since the publication of Injury in America, undervalues the advances that have occurred.
Molecular basis of influenza hemagglutinin inhibition with an entry-blocker peptide by computational docking and mass spectrometry
Authors: Lu Robert , Müller Patrick , Downard Kevin M
Published: January 2016

Background

The increased resistance of circulating strains to current antiviral inhibitors of the influenza virus necessitates that new antivirals and their mode of action are identified. Influenza hemagglutinin is an ideal target given inhibitors of its function can block the entry of the virus into host cells during the early stages of replication. This article describes the molecular basis for the inhibition of H1 and H5 hemagglutinin by an entry-blocker peptide using companion molecular docking and mass spectrometry-based experiments.

Methods

A combination of hemagglutination inhibition assays, computational molecular docking and a novel mass spectrometry-based approach are employed to explore the mode of action of the entry-blocker peptide at a molecular level.

Results

The entry-blocker peptide is shown to be able to maximally inhibit blood cell hemagglutination at a concentration of between 6.4 and 9.2 µM. The molecular basis for this inhibition is derived from the binding of the peptide to hemagglutinin in the vicinity of the reported sialic acid binding site surrounded by an α-helix (190-helix) and two loop (130-loop and 220-loop) regions in the case of a H1 hemagglutinin and the second loop region in the case of a H5 hemagglutinin.

Conclusions

The results support the recognized potential of the entry-blocker peptide as an effective antiviral agent that can inhibit the early stages of viral replication and further illustrate the power of a combination of docking and a mass spectrometry approach to screen the molecular basis of new antiviral inhibitors to the influenza virus.
What Should Be the Role of Computer Games in Education?
Authors: Mayer Richard E.
Published: January 2016

Game advocates call for replacing conventional schooling with educational activities based on computer games. These claims were examined by reviewing published research on games for learning and then drawing policy implications. Value-added research shows that the most promising features of games use conversational language, put words in spoken form, add prompts to explain, add advice or explanations, and add relevant pregame activities. Cognitive consequences research shows that first-person shooter games improve perceptual attention skills. Media comparison research shows that games are more effective than conventional media for science learning. However, an educational revolution based on gaming is not indicated. Policy implications are to use games for targeted learning objectives, align games with classroom activities, avoid confusing liking with learning, and use games to adapt activities to maintain challenge. Research evidence informs decisions about educational games.
Teachers’ Beliefs, in the Context of Policy Reform
Authors: Fives Helenrose , Buehl Michelle M.
Published: January 2016

Teachers’ beliefs shape their practice. Beliefs, conceptions held with enough personal conviction to be considered true, serve as helpful heuristics for teachers embedded in the complex, ever-changing contexts of classrooms and schools. Three sets of beliefs appear essential to teaching practice, namely, beliefs about teaching, knowledge (epistemic beliefs), and students’ ability. Empirical research about these beliefs is reviewed in light of current U.S. policy documents of curriculum standards, the Common Core State Standards initiative and the Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas. Teachers’ beliefs filter, frame, and guide their perceptions and implementation of the new curriculum standards. Recommendations to policy makers, educational leaders, and teacher educators include allowing teachers to examine and reflect on their beliefs in light of reforms.
Neutrophils, platelets, and inflammatory pathways at the nexus of sickle cell disease pathophysiology
Authors: Zhang Dachuan , Xu Chunliang , Manwani Deepa , Frenette Paul S.
Published: January 2016

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a severe genetic blood disorder characterized by hemolytic anemia, episodic vaso-occlusion, and progressive organ damage. Current management of the disease remains symptomatic or preventative. Specific treatment targeting major complications such as vaso-occlusion is still lacking. Recent studies have identified various cellular and molecular factors that contribute to the pathophysiology of SCD. Here, we review the role of these elements and discuss the opportunities for therapeutic intervention.
Beyond hydroxyurea: new and old drugs in the pipeline for sickle cell disease
Authors: Telen Marilyn J.
Published: January 2016

Despite Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of hydroxyurea to reduce the frequency of vaso-occlusive episodes, sickle cell disease (SCD) has continued to be treated primarily with analgesics for pain relief. However, elucidation of the multiple pathophysiologic mechanisms leading to vaso-occlusion and tissue injury in SCD has now resulted in a burgeoning effort to identify new treatment modalities to prevent or ameliorate the consequences of the disease. Development of new drugs as well as investigation of drugs previously used in other settings have targeted cell adhesion, inflammatory pathways, upregulation of hemoglobin F, hemoglobin polymerization and sickling, coagulation, and platelet activation. Although these efforts have not yet yielded drugs ready for FDA approval, several early studies have been extremely encouraging. Moreover, the marked increase in clinical pharmaceutical research addressing SCD and the new and old drugs in the pipeline make it reasonable to expect that we will soon have new treatments for SCD.
Genetic treatment of a molecular disorder: gene therapy approaches to sickle cell disease
Authors: Hoban Megan D. , Orkin Stuart H. , Bauer Daniel E.
Published: January 2016

Effective medical management for sickle cell disease (SCD) remains elusive. As a prevalent and severe monogenic disorder, SCD has been long considered a logical candidate for gene therapy. Significant progress has been made in moving toward this goal. These efforts have provided substantial insight into the natural regulation of the globin genes and illuminated challenges for genetic manipulation of the hematopoietic system. The initial γ-retroviral vectors, next-generation lentiviral vectors, and novel genome engineering and gene regulation approaches each share the goal of preventing erythrocyte sickling. After years of preclinical studies, several clinical trials for SCD gene therapies are now open. This review focuses on progress made toward achieving gene therapy, the current state of the field, consideration of factors that may determine clinical success, and prospects for future development.
Aligning the unalignable: bacteriophage whole genome alignments
Authors: Bérard Sèverine , Chateau Annie , Pompidor Nicolas , Guertin Paul , Bergeron Anne , Swenson Krister M.
Published: January 2016

Background

In recent years, many studies focused on the description and comparison of large sets of related bacteriophage genomes. Due to the peculiar mosaic structure of these genomes, few informative approaches for comparing whole genomes exist: dot plots diagrams give a mostly qualitative assessment of the similarity/dissimilarity between two or more genomes, and clustering techniques are used to classify genomes. Multiple alignments are conspicuously absent from this scene. Indeed, whole genome aligners interpret lack of similarity between sequences as an indication of rearrangements, insertions, or losses. This behavior makes them ill-prepared to align bacteriophage genomes, where even closely related strains can accomplish the same biological function with highly dissimilar sequences.

Results

In this paper, we propose a multiple alignment strategy that exploits functional collinearity shared by related strains of bacteriophages, and uses partial orders to capture mosaicism of sets of genomes. As classical alignments do, the computed alignments can be used to predict that genes have the same biological function, even in the absence of detectable similarity. The Alpha aligner implements these ideas in visual interactive displays, and is used to compute several examples of alignments of Staphylococcus aureus and Mycobacterium bacteriophages, involving up to 29 genomes. Using these datasets, we prove that Alpha alignments are at least as good as those computed by standard aligners. Comparison with the progressiveMauve aligner – which implements a partial order strategy, but whose alignments are linearized – shows a greatly improved interactive graphic display, while avoiding misalignments.

Conclusions

Multiple alignments of whole bacteriophage genomes work, and will become an important conceptual and visual tool in comparative genomics of sets of related strains.

A python implementation of Alpha, along with installation instructions for Ubuntu and OSX, is available on bitbucket (https://bitbucket.org/thekswenson/alpha).
PTESFinder: a computational method to identify post-transcriptional exon shuffling (PTES) events
Authors: Izuogu Osagie G. , Alhasan Abd A. , Alafghani Hani M. , Santibanez-Koref Mauro , Elliott David J. , Jackson Michael S.
Published: January 2016

Background

Transcripts, which have been subject to Post-transcriptional exon shuffling (PTES), have an exon order inconsistent with the underlying genomic sequence. These have been identified in a wide variety of tissues and cell types from many eukaryotes, and are now known to be mostly circular, cytoplasmic, and non-coding. Although there is no uniformly ascribed function, several have been shown to be involved in gene regulation. Accurate identification of these transcripts can, however, be difficult due to artefacts from a wide variety of sources.

Results

Here, we present a computational method, PTESFinder, to identify these transcripts from high throughput RNAseq data. Uniquely, it systematically excludes potential artefacts emanating from pseudogenes, segmental duplications, and template switching, and outputs both PTES and canonical exon junction counts to facilitate comparative analyses. In comparison with four existing methods, PTESFinder achieves highest specificity and comparable sensitivity at a variety of read depths. PTESFinder also identifies between 13 % and 41.6 % more structures, compared to publicly available methods recently used to identify human circular RNAs.

Conclusions

With high sensitivity and specificity, user-adjustable filters that target known sources of false positives, and tailored output to facilitate comparison of transcript levels, PTESFinder will facilitate the discovery and analysis of these poorly understood transcripts.
The Banach contraction principle in $C^{*}$-algebra-valued b-metric spaces with application
Authors: Kamran Tayyab , Postolache Mihai , Ghiura Adrian , Batul Samina , Ali Rashid
Published: January 2016

We introduce the notion of a $C^{*}$

C
∗

-algebra-valued b-metric space. We generalize the Banach contraction principle in this new setting. As an application of our result, we establish an existence result for an integral equation in a $C^{*}$

C
∗

-algebra-valued b-metric space.
Pedal Edema and Jugular Venous Pressure for Volume Overload in Peritoneal Dialysis Patients
Authors: Garfinkle Michael A. , Barton James
Published: January 2016

Background:

The diagnostic strength of the jugular venous pressure (JVP) and pedal edema as physical examination tools for the assessment of volume status has been minimally studied.

Methods:

We conducted a prospective observational study in an outpatient peritoneal dialysis clinic in Saskatoon, Canada. Patients were adult (age 18 or older) peritoneal dialysis outpatients without any history of cardiac dysfunction, a central line, and current arteriovenous fistula. JVP was assessed by both a resident and a staff nephrologist, while the presence of edema was assessed by the resident only. Likelihood ratios were calculated for the absence or presence of pedal edema as well as the JVP at multiple cutoffs. The criterion standard for volume overload was defined as an overhydration to extracellular water ratio of greater than or equal to 7 % as determined by bioimpedance (Body Composition Monitor—Fresnius Medical Care).

Results:

Twenty-five separate patient encounters were assessed. Twelve patients were found to be volume overloaded while 13 were euvolemic. The presence and absence of edema were both significant signs for the presence (+likelihood ratio (LR) 16, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.02–260) or absence (−LR 0.44, 95 % CI 0.23–0.83) of volume overload, respectively. The JVP failed to reach statistical significance for the presence or absence of volume overload at any height above the sternal angle, although precision was poor for the positive likelihood ratio at cutoffs above 3 cm and the negative likelihood ratio at the 0 cm cutoff.

Conclusions:

The presence of pedal edema is a good indicator of volume overload in peritoneal dialysis patients without cardiac dysfunction, although its absence cannot definitively rule out significant water excess. A JVP of 1 to 3 cm was found to be not a clinically significant sign. We are unable to comment on the diagnostic strength of a low (0 cm) or high (JVP >3 cm) due to poor precision.
Reducing Oncology Unit Central Line–Associated Bloodstream Infections: Initial Results of a Simulation-Based Educational Intervention
Authors: Page Jenna , Tremblay Maureen , Nicholas Cate , James Ted A.
Published: January 2016

A targeted educational intervention using a simulated central line care model improved competence in central line care and resulted in decreased CLABSI rates for oncology inpatients.
Delivering Patient Value by Using Process Improvement Tools to Decrease Patient Wait Time in an Outpatient Oncology Infusion Unit
Authors: Gjolaj Lauren N. , Campos Gloria G. , Olier-Pino Angela I. , Fernandez Gustavo L.
Published: January 2016

By using the systematic PDCA tool, the authors were able to identify opportunities to reduce waste in the system and streamline patient care.
Reduction of Inappropriate Prophylactic Pegylated Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor Use for Patients With Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer Who Receive Chemotherapy: An ASCO Quality Training Program Project of the Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute
Authors: Martin Goodman Lindsey , Moeller Machelle B. , Azzouqa Abdel-Ghani , Guthrie Amy E. , Dalby Carole K. , Earl Marc A. , Cheng Connie , Pennell Nathan A. , Shapiro Marc , Velcheti Vamsidhar , Stevenson James P.
Published: January 2016

Purpose:

Routine prophylactic pegylated granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (pGCSF) administration for patients receiving chemotherapy regimens associated with low risk (< 10%) for neutropenic fever (LRNF) is not recommended. Inappropriate use of pGCSF increases patient morbidity and health care costs.

Methods:

A multidisciplinary team reviewed the charts of patients with non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) at the Taussig Cancer Institute in whom a new chemotherapy regimen was initiated from April through November 2013. pGCSF use was identified and deemed appropriate if prescribed for chemotherapy associated with high risk of neutropenic fever (> 20%) or intermediate risk (10% to 20%) if other risk factors for neutropenic fever were present. Use with LRNF chemotherapy was recorded as inappropriate.

Results:

One hundred eighty patients with NSCLC received a new chemotherapy regimen during the specified time period. Thirty-four of 119 patients (28%) treated with LRNF chemotherapy received pGCSF. Each patient received an average of 2.6 doses of pGCSF (total, 89 doses). We implemented three plan-do-study-act cycles: education of providers, development of Taussig Cancer Institute consensus guidelines for pGCSF in NSCLC, and removal of standing pGCSF orders from LRNF chemotherapy in the electronic medical record. Analysis during the change period revealed 4% of patients with NSCLC treated with LRNF chemotherapy received pGCSF. Cost analysis showed an 84% decrease in billed charges per month. No increase in neutropenic fever admissions was found.

Conclusion:

pGCSF was excessively prescribed for patients with NSCLC. Factors contributing to inappropriate use included provider lack of familiarity with guidelines and knowledge with regard to the risk of neutropenic fever for individual chemotherapy regimens, and electronic medical record chemotherapy templates that contain standing GCSF orders. Interventions to address these gaps quickly produced improved compliance with guidelines and led to significant cost savings.
Clinical Insights Into the Biology and Treatment of Pancreatic Cancer
Authors: Mettu Niharika B. , Abbruzzese James L.
Published: January 2016

Pancreatic cancer is a devastating disease with a universally poor prognosis. In 2015, it is estimated that there will be 48,960 new cases of pancreatic cancer and that 40,560 people will die of the disease. The 5-year survival rate is 7.2% for all patients with pancreatic cancer; however, survival depends greatly on the stage at diagnosis. Unfortunately, 53% of patients already have metastatic disease at diagnosis, which corresponds to a 5-year survival rate of 2.4%. Even for the 9% of patients with localized disease confined to the pancreas, the 5-year survival is still modest at only 27.1%. These grim statistics highlight the need for ways to identify cohorts of individuals at highest risk, methods to screen those at highest risk to identify preinvasive pathologic precursors, and development of effective systemic therapies. Recent clinical and translational progress has emphasized the relationship with diabetes, the role of the stroma, and the interplay of each of these with inflammation in the pathobiology of pancreatic cancer. In this article, we will discuss these relationships and how they might translate into novel management strategies for the treatment of this disease.
Weight Loss Is Associated With Increased NAD+/SIRT1 Expression But Reduced PARP Activity in White Adipose Tissue
Authors: Rappou Elisabeth , Jukarainen Sakari , Rinnankoski-Tuikka Rita , Kaye Sanna , Heinonen Sini , Hakkarainen Antti , Lundbom Jesper , Lundbom Nina , Saunavaara Virva , Rissanen Aila , Virtanen Kirsi A. , Pirinen Eija , Pietiläinen Kirsi H.
Published: January 2016

Context:

Sirtuins (SIRTs) and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerases (PARPs) are 2 important nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD)+-dependent enzyme families with opposing metabolic effects. Energy shortage increases NAD+ biosynthesis and SIRT activity but reduces PARP activity in animals. Effects of energy balance on these pathways in humans are unknown.

Objective:

We compared NAD+/SIRT pathway expressions and PARP activities in sc adipose tissue (SAT) between lean and obese subjects and investigated their change in the obese subjects during a 12-month weight loss.

Design, Setting and Participants:

SAT biopsies were obtained from 19 clinically healthy obese subjects (mean ± SE body mass index, 34.6 ± 2.7 kg/m2) during a weight-loss intervention (0, 5, and 12 mo) and from 19 lean reference subjects (body mass index, 22.7 ± 1.1 kg/m2) at baseline.

Main Outcome Measures:

SAT mRNA expressions of SIRTs 1–7 and the rate-limiting gene in NAD+ biosynthesis, nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT) were measured by Affymetrix, and total PARP activity by ELISA kit.

Results:

SIRT1, SIRT3, SIRT7, and NAMPT expressions were significantly lower, whereas total PARP activity was increased in obese compared with lean subjects. SIRT1 and NAMPT expressions increased in obese subjects between 0 and 5 months, after a mean weight loss of 11.7%. In subjects who continued to lose weight between 5 and 12 months, SIRT1 expression increased progressively, whereas in subjects with weight regain, SIRT1 reverted to baseline levels. PARP activity significantly decreased in all subjects upon weight loss.

Conclusions:

Calorie restriction is an attractive strategy to improve the NAD+/SIRT pathway and decrease PARPs in SAT in human obesity.
Scenes of Speculation
Authors: Kazanjian David
Published: January 2016

This contribution to a roundtable on the question of recovery makes a case for overreading the archives of the black Atlantic diaspora not only for what they tell us about who did what, where, and when but also for scenes of speculative thought. The author draws on his research into black settler colonization of Liberia to make this case.
History Hesitant
Authors: Lowe Lisa
Published: January 2016

This article explores under what conditions, with what methods, and in relation to what materials the question of recovery with respect to slavery and freedom can be posed. Accounts of Black Atlantic and African American slavery are central to understanding enslavement and the terrains of struggles for freedom, yet the questioning of recovery also requires a critical examination of the genealogy of freedom itself. The author argues that liberalism did not contradict slavery, but rather served as a means to rationalize slavery and its aftermath, and observes that many liberal ideas were also employed to justify settler occupation, theft of land, imperial trades, war, and overseas empire, making these simultaneous yet differentiated processes that link Africa, Asia, and Europe with the Americas relevant to the study of slavery and freedom. Moreover, the author observes that because slavery and colonialism are the conditions of possibility for liberalism, we must hesitate before reiterating the desire for freedom.
Storytelling and the Comparative Study of Atlantic Slavery and Freedom
Authors: Wong Edlie L.
Published: January 2016

This article investigates the possibilities of storytelling and black Atlantic literature in forging new critical approaches to the archive of New World Asian indenture. It also emphasizes the significance of the comparative study of bonded labor to our understanding of “the Atlantic.” It explores forms of historical storytelling across a broad range of cultural materials, from Chinese American activist Wong Chin Foo's 1874 “fugitive coolie” narrative and bilingual Spanish-Chinese labor contracts to the novels of contemporary writers such as Cristina García, Amitav Ghosh, Toni Morrison, and Patricia Powell. What does it mean to place the archives of New World slavery and Asian indenture in conversation or in juxtaposition, especially when this counterpoint does not result in a structure of complementarity? By reading across multiple archives of enslavement, the author illuminates underexamined global circuits of comparative knowledge production about race and racial formations in the Atlantic plantation system. Recovery is not the primary aim of the comparative archive encounter. Rather, the adaptive acts of comparison and translation yield critical insights into the multiform workings of racial capitalism. This article pushes beyond the bounded analytic zone of the Atlantic to further complicate the “primary narrative” of the Middle Passage. Rather than opposed concepts, slavery and freedom existed on a continuum within an Atlantic economy that reached eastward along the routes of European colonial incursion into Africa and Asia to satisfy the endless demand for New World labor.
Archives and Histories of Racial Capitalism
Authors: Morgan Jennifer L.
Published: January 2016

This afterword revisits the archive as a problem space for scholars grappling with slavery and its afterlife.
Recovering Fugitive Freedoms
Authors: Davis Thulani
Published: January 2016

This article describes the process of looking across post–Civil War political, labor, and social archives for black community formations, black imaginaries around freedom, and fugitive legislative changes in an attempt to recover freed people's theorizing of the political.
Lincoln's Black Mourners
Authors: Hodes Martha
Published: January 2016

Considering the question of the recovery of marginalized voices in the archives, this article reflects on the problem of finding and interpreting the personal responses of African Americans to the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln in 1865. Black freedom was central to the post–Civil War nation, yet direct black voices remain submerged, available most often in public sources like newspapers and sermons or in scant and skeletal personal writings. The most vivid black voices are to be found in more troublesome sources: those mediated by sympathetic whites who recorded the words and actions of African Americans. Such sources lack a crucial dimension of experience found in the more voluminous direct personal responses of Lincoln's white mourners: the persistence of everyday life (matters of labor, health, romance, leisure) in the face of shock and grief, an absence that stems from the particular motivations of white observers. Scholars must also reckon with the question of how to present these methodological challenges to our readers and how to shape both the content and structure of our narratives to move marginalized voices to the center. In sum, ventriloquized voices in the archives must not be dismissed but must instead be approached with rigor and imagination.
NO FLOWERING IN SHORT DAY (NFL) is a bHLH transcription factor that promotes flowering specifically under short-day in Arabidopsis
Authors: Sharma Nidhi , Xin Ruijiao , Kim Dong-Hwan , Sung Sibum , Lange Theo , Huq Enamul
Published: January 2016

Flowering in plants is a dynamic and synchronized process where various cues including age, day-length, temperature and endogenous hormones fine-tune the timing of flowering for reproductive success. Arabidopsis thaliana is a facultative long day (LD) plant where LD photoperiod promotes flowering. Arabidopsis still flowers under short-day (SD) conditions, albeit much later than LD conditions. Although, factors regulating the inductive LD pathway have been extensively investigated, the non-inductive SD pathway is much less understood. Here we identified a critical basic Helix-Loop-Helix transcription factor called NFL (NO FLOWERING IN SHORT DAY) that is essential to induce flowering specifically under SD conditions in Arabidopsis. nfl mutants do not flower under SD conditions, but flowers similar to wild type under LD conditions. The no flowering phenotype in SD is rescued either by exogenous application of GA or by introducing della quadruple mutants in the nfl background, suggesting that NFL acts upstream of GA to promote flowering. NFL is expressed at the meristematic regions and NFL is localized to the nucleus. Quantitative RT-PCR assays using meristem tissues showed that GA biosynthetic genes are down-regulated and the GA catabolic and receptor genes are up-regulated in the nfl mutant compared to wild type consistent with the perturbation of the endogenous GA biosynthetic and catabolic intermediates in the mutant. Taken together, these data suggest that NFL is a key transcription factor necessary for promotion of flowering under non-inductive SD conditions through the GA pathway.
Hic-5 is required for myofibroblast differentiation by regulating mechanically dependent MRTF-A nuclear accumulation
Authors: Varney Scott D. , Betts Courtney B. , Zheng Rui , Wu Lei , Hinz Boris , Zhou Jiliang , Van De Water Livingston
Published: January 2016

How mechanical cues from the extracellular environment are translated biochemically to modulate the effects of TGF-β on myofibroblast differentiation remains a critical area of investigation. We report here that the focal adhesion protein, Hic-5, is required for the mechanically dependent generation of stress fibers in response to TGF-β. Successful generation of stress fibers promotes the nuclear localization of the transcriptional cofactor MRTF-A and this correlates with the mechanically dependent induction of α-SMA and Hic-5 in response to TGF-β. As a consequence of regulating stress fiber assembly, Hic-5 is required for the nuclear accumulation of MRTF-A, and the induction of α-SMA as well as cellular contractility, suggesting a critical role for Hic-5 in myofibroblast differentiation. Indeed, the expression of Hic-5 was transient in acute wounds and persistent in pathogenic scars, and co-localized with α-SMA expression in vivo. Together, these data suggest that a mechanically dependent feed forward loop, elaborated by the reciprocal regulation of MRTF-A localization by Hic-5 and Hic-5 expression by MRTF-A, plays a critical role in myofibroblast differentiation in response to TGF-β.
KIF17 regulates RhoA-dependent actin remodeling at epithelial cell–cell adhesions
Authors: Acharya Bipul R. , Espenel Cedric , Libanje Fotine , Raingeaud Joel , Morgan Jessica , Jaulin Fanny , Kreitzer Geri
Published: January 2016

The kinesin KIF17 localizes at microtubule plus-ends where it contributes to regulation of microtubule stabilization and epithelial polarization. We now show that KIF17 localizes at cell–cell adhesions and that KIF17 depletion inhibits accumulation of actin at the apical pole of cells grown in 3D organotypic cultures and alters the distribution of actin and E-cadherin in cells cultured in 2D on solid supports. Overexpression of full-length KIF17 constructs or truncation mutants containing the N-terminal motor domain resulted in accumulation of newly incorporated GFP–actin into junctional actin foci, cleared E-cadherin from cytoplasmic vesicles and stabilized cell–cell adhesions to challenge with calcium depletion. Expression of these KIF17 constructs also increased cellular levels of active RhoA, whereas active RhoA was diminished in KIF17-depleted cells. Inhibition of RhoA or its effector ROCK, or expression of LIMK1 kinase-dead or activated cofilinS3A inhibited KIF17-induced junctional actin accumulation. Interestingly, KIF17 activity toward actin depends on the motor domain but is independent of microtubule binding. Together, these data show that KIF17 can modify RhoA–GTPase signaling to influence junctional actin and the stability of the apical junctional complex of epithelial cells.
Removal of Phosphate from Aqueous Solution Using Layered Double Hydroxide Prepared from Waste Iron-Making Slag
Authors: Kuwahara Yasutaka , Tamagawa Shigetaka , Fujitani Tadahiro , Yamashita Hiromi
Published: January 2016

A layered double hydroxide (LDH) type adsorbent for phosphate removal from aqueous solution was prepared from blast furnace slag (BFS) which is vastly discharged by the iron manufacturing industry. The phosphate adsorption performances of the prepared adsorbent and its calcined derivatives were examined using simulated wastewater solutions containing 124 P-mg L−1 which is close to the effluent produced by the sewage sludge dewatering process, and factors such as pH, nature, and amount of adsorbent were studied to establish the optimum adsorption conditions. The adsorbent exhibited a great ability to efficiently remove phosphate in a variety of environments, especially even from 15 ppm phosphorus aqueous solutions, owing to a strong affinity of Ca(OH)x species and an ion-exchange ability of Cl− anions accommodated in the layers. The maximum phosphorus adsorption uptake reached 91.9 P-mg g−1 after 24 h of adsorption at an initial pH of 7.0 and at 25 °C, which was 126-fold higher than that of raw BFS (0.73 P-mg g−1). The adsorption process followed a pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Freundlich adsorption isotherms. The results suggest that the slag-made LDH is a promising low-cost adsorbent for efficient phosphate removal from wastewater streams and phosphorus recovery processes.
Rules of UGA-N decoding by near-cognate tRNAs and analysis of readthrough on short uORFs in yeast
Authors: Beznosková Petra , Gunišová Stanislava , Valášek Leoš Shivaya
Published: January 2016

The molecular mechanism of stop codon recognition by the release factor eRF1 in complex with eRF3 has been described in great detail; however, our understanding of what determines the difference in termination efficiencies among various stop codon tetranucleotides and how near-cognate (nc) tRNAs recode stop codons during programmed readthrough in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is still poor. Here, we show that UGA-C as the only tetranucleotide of all four possible combinations dramatically exacerbated the readthrough phenotype of the stop codon recognition-deficient mutants in eRF1. Since the same is true also for UAA-C and UAG-C, we propose that the exceptionally high readthrough levels that all three stop codons display when followed by cytosine are partially caused by the compromised sampling ability of eRF1, which specifically senses cytosine at the +4 position. The difference in termination efficiencies among the remaining three UGA-N tetranucleotides is then given by their varying preferences for nc-tRNAs. In particular, UGA-A allows increased incorporation of Trp-tRNA whereas UGA-G and UGA-C favor Cys-tRNA. Our findings thus expand the repertoire of general decoding rules by showing that the +4 base determines the preferred selection of nc-tRNAs and, in the case of cytosine, it also genetically interacts with eRF1. Finally, using an example of the GCN4 translational control governed by four short uORFs, we also show how the evolution of this mechanism dealt with undesirable readthrough on those uORFs that serve as the key translation reinitiation promoting features of the GCN4 regulation, as both of these otherwise counteracting activities, readthrough versus reinitiation, are mediated by eIF3.
A DEAD-box RNA helicase promotes thermodynamic equilibration of kinetically trapped RNA structures in vivo
Authors: Ruminski Dana J. , Watson Peter Y. , Mahen Elisabeth M. , Fedor Martha J.
Published: January 2016

RNAs must assemble into specific structures in order to carry out their biological functions, but in vitro RNA folding reactions produce multiple misfolded structures that fail to exchange with functional structures on biological time scales. We used carefully designed self-cleaving mRNAs that assemble through well-defined folding pathways to identify factors that differentiate intracellular and in vitro folding reactions. Our previous work showed that simple base-paired RNA helices form and dissociate with the same rate and equilibrium constants in vivo and in vitro. However, exchange between adjacent secondary structures occurs much faster in vivo, enabling RNAs to quickly adopt structures with the lowest free energy. We have now used this approach to probe the effects of an extensively characterized DEAD-box RNA helicase, Mss116p, on a series of well-defined RNA folding steps in yeast. Mss116p overexpression had no detectable effect on helix formation or dissociation kinetics or on the stability of interdomain tertiary interactions, consistent with previous evidence that intracellular factors do not affect these folding parameters. However, Mss116p overexpression did accelerate exchange between adjacent helices. The nonprocessive nature of RNA duplex unwinding by DEAD-box RNA helicases is consistent with a branch migration mechanism in which Mss116p lowers barriers to exchange between otherwise stable helices by the melting and annealing of one or two base pairs at interhelical junctions. These results suggest that the helicase activity of DEAD-box proteins like Mss116p distinguish intracellular RNA folding pathways from nonproductive RNA folding reactions in vitro and allow RNA structures to overcome kinetic barriers to thermodynamic equilibration in vivo.
Capturing the character and feel of the seasons
Authors: Williams Brenda
Published: January 2016

What would happen if Summer's ‘whisper of wind through corn’, became a destructive force? Explore personification in Brenda Williams' original poems.
Harness the power of Pobble in your school
Authors: McKeown Sal
Published: January 2016

What could be more exciting for children than getting their written work published and shared with the world? Sal McKeown taps into the appeal of an online platform.
Can corporate structures benefit teacher careers?
Authors: McKeown Sal
Published: January 2016

With new funding recently announced to fuel the growth of multi-academy trusts, Sal McKeown listens in on the debate around what they can offer ambitious teachers.
Post-embryonic Development of Mischocyttarus latior (Fox) (Hymenoptera, Vespidae)
Authors: Cecílio Daniel Simões Santos , Da Rocha Agda Alves , Giannotti Edilberto
Published: January 2016

Mischocyttarus latior (Fox) occurs in Bolivia and in Brazil and has been recorded in Cerrado areas from southeast Brazil. The objectives of the present study were to describe the immature stages of M. latior, determine the development time of the immature stages and determine which factors affect its duration. Daily mappings were performed from March 1994 to August 1995 in 22 nests. Two nests were also collected and dissected to characterize immatures. Larvae presented five instars and unlike most Mischocyttarus, M. latior has only a single lobe on the abdominal sternite, which is vestigial in third instar, emergent in fourth instar and fully developed in the fifth instar larvae. The mean duration of the immature stages (from egg laying to adult emergence), was 67.38 ± 9.41 days, a longer period than the total duration of the immature stages of other previously studied species. The development time of the immatures was variable, depending on the colony development stage, with development times being quicker in pre-emergence colonies.
Flight and Digging Effort in Leaf-cutting Ant Males and Gynes
Authors: Silva Edypo Jacob , Camargo Roberto Da Silva , Forti Luiz Carlos
Published: January 2016

The nuptial flight and nest digging are high intensity activities which consume body reserves. The flight and digging effort was quantified by measuring the carbohydrate and total lipids content in males and females before and after the nuptial flight, and the queen’s digging effort during the foundation. The digging effort was quantified by experimentally stimulating the queens to dig a nest – one, two or three consecutive times – compared to the queens that did not dig. The colorimetric method was used to determine the soluble carbohydrates and extraction method of immersion was used to determine the total lipids. The results showed significant loss of carbohydrates and total lipids in males and females after the flight. On average the males contained 0.027 mg of soluble carbohydrates before the nuptial flight, and 0.005 mg after the nuptial flight, and the females contained 0.129 mg of soluble carbohydrates before the nuptial flight, and 0.079 mg after the nuptial flight. For the males the percentage of lipids decreased from 5.27±1.07% to 2.60±0.63% and for females from 36.46±4.86% to 32.62% after the nuptial flight. The digging effort of the queen caused a slight reduction in total carbohydrates, it was without digging 0.054 mg, normal digging 0.055 mg, double digging 0.045 mg (decrease of 20,22 %), and triple digging 0.044 mg  (decrease of 20 %) per queen. Based on our results we conclude that the carbohydrate content is the main energetic resource used for the nuptial flight and nest digging, for males and gynes of leaf-cutting ants.
Bioactivity of Cicuta virosa L. var. latisecta Celak. (Umbelliferae: Cicutal) against Red Imported Fire Ant under Laboratory and Field Conditions
Authors: Tian Yong-Qing , Cheng Dong-Mei , Zhang Zhi-Xiang
Published: January 2016

We evaluated the bioactivities of compounds from Cicuta virosa L. var. latisecta Celak. against red imported fire ants (Solenopsis invicta Buren) under field and laboratory conditions. The compounds were as follows: methanol extract; petroleum ether, chloroform, and ethyl acetate fractions from the methanol extract; and the active compound isoimperatorin, which was isolated from the chloroform-fraction. The 7 d LC50 values of the methanol extract, petroleum ether, chloroform, and ethyl acetate fractions and isoimperatorin toward micrergates were 111.20, 214.45, 40.90, 569.67, and 25.73 mg/kg, res­pectively. The corresponding LC50 values toward macrergates were 155.78, 308.38, 75.01, 776.75, and 42.77 mg/kg, res­pectively. Under field conditions, baits containing 0.2% methanol extract, 0.1% chloroform fraction, and 0.05% isoimperatorin efficiently controlled S. invicta, with effectiveness percentages of 95.56%, 97.78%, and 95.56%, respectively on the 30th day after bait application. Such effectiveness percentages were not significantly different from that obtained using the positive control fipronil. The present study showed that C. virosa L. var. latisecta has potential as a natural control agent for the red imported fire ants.
New Distribution Record of Reticulitermes speratus Kolbe (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) in the Coldest Highland in Central Japan
Authors: Takagi Etsuro , Ogai Takahiro
Published: January 2016

The distribution of Reticulitermes speratus Kolbe was investigated in the Sugadaira highland, the coldest area in central Japan. We found R. speratus in an empty lot in June 2013. The following spring, we found the overwintered termites in the log, which had been naturally covered in snow. Conversely, the population size in the empty lot had decreased from April through June 2014. Moreover, R. speratus were not found in the forest. These suggest that the individuals found in the empty lot had been artificially introduced and the establishment might be difficult in the coldest areas in Japan.