bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Undocumented water column sink for cadmium in open ocean oxygen-deficient zones
Authors: Janssen David J. , Conway Tim M. , John Seth G. , Christian James R. , Kramer Dennis I. , Pedersen Tom F. , Cullen Jay T.
Published: April 2014

Significance

Cadmium (Cd), a trace nutrient for marine algae, has a marine distribution that closely matches the macronutrients nitrate and phosphate. Sedimentary microfossil records of Cd provide reconstructions of past ocean nutrient distributions that facilitate understanding the role of the oceans in the carbon cycle and climate change. However, incomplete knowledge of processes that control the addition and removal of Cd in the ocean, and Cd’s variability relative to major nutrients, limit use of the paleoceanographic proxy. We present coupled data of Cd concentration and isotopic composition in seawater and suspended marine particles, indicating direct removal of Cd via coprecipitation with sulfide in oxygen-deficient waters. Thus, the marine Cd cycle may be highly sensitive to the extent of global oceanic oxygen depletion.
Inhaled oxytocin increases positive social behaviors in newborn macaques
Authors: Simpson Elizabeth A. , Sclafani Valentina , Paukner Annika , Hamel Amanda F. , Novak Melinda A. , Meyer Jerrold S. , Suomi Stephen J. , Ferrari Pier Francesco
Published: April 2014

Significance

Oxytocin promotes positive social behaviors in several species and therefore may be a therapeutic tool for neurodevelopmental disorders. It remains untested, however, whether oxytocin may affect infants, and whether effects may vary depending on infants’ social skills or interest. To test these predictions, we administered nebulized oxytocin to rhesus macaque newborns. Macaques, like humans, engage in complex face-to-face mother–infant interactions. Oxytocin increased infants’ affiliative communicative gestures and decreased salivary cortisol, and higher oxytocin levels were associated with greater social interest. Infants with stronger imitative skills were most positively influenced by oxytocin, suggesting that oxytocin sensitivity may underlie early social motivation. These results suggest that oxytocin may be a promising early intervention for infants at risk for abnormal social functions.
Structure of the branched intermediate in protein splicing
Authors: Liu Zhihua , Frutos Silvia , Bick Matthew J. , Vila-Perelló Miquel , Debelouchina Galia T. , Darst Seth A. , Muir Tom W.
Published: April 2014

Significance

We report the crystal structure of an intein poised to carry out the rate-limiting step in protein splicing, namely the attack of a conserved Asn side-chain amide on the adjacent backbone amide, leading to resolution of the branched intermediate in the process. The structure reveals that the Asn assumes an unprecedented ready-to-attack conformational state. Guided by this structure, we used protein semisynthesis methods to show that a backbone-to-side-chain hydrogen-bond is critical to position the Asn side-chain for attack and activate it as a nucleophile. This mechanistic insight has general implications for the study of other enzymatic processes involving nucleophilic Asn and Gln residues. The study highlights the power of the combined structural and semisynthesis methods for dissecting protein catalysis.
GFRα1 released by nerves enhances cancer cell perineural invasion through GDNF-RET signaling
Authors: He Shuangba , Chen Chun-Hao , Chernichenko Natalya , He Shizhi , Bakst Richard L. , Barajas Fernando , Deborde Sylvie , Allen Peter J. , Vakiani Efsevia , Yu Zhenkun , Wong Richard J.
Published: April 2014

Significance

In this study, we identify nerve-released glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) family receptor (GFR)α1 as a key factor that enhances perineural invasion (PNI) through GDNF-Ret proto-oncogene (RET) signaling. We demonstrate that GFRα1 is released from nerves in a soluble form and cooperates with secreted GDNF to activate cancer cell surface RET, activating downstream signaling, cancer cell migration, and PNI. These findings advance our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of PNI and define the specific cancer cell requirements necessary for PNI to occur. This work promotes the concept that a ligand and receptor both released by the microenvironment may cooperate together to facilitate cancer invasion. These findings highlight the key participatory role that the nerve microenvironment plays in enabling cancer perineural invasion.
Income inequality in today’s China
Authors: Xie Yu , Zhou Xiang
Published: April 2014

Significance

We document a rapid increase in income inequality in China’s recent past, capitalizing on newly available survey data collected by several Chinese university survey organizations. By now, China’s income inequality not only surpasses that of the United States by a large margin but also ranks among the highest in the world, especially in comparison with countries with comparable or higher standards of living. We argue that China’s current high income inequality is significantly driven by structural factors attributable to the Chinese political system, the main structural determinants being the rural-urban divide and the regional variation in economic well-being.
Neurosteroids promote phosphorylation and membrane insertion of extrasynaptic GABA
A
receptors
Authors: Abramian Armen M. , Comenencia-Ortiz Eydith , Modgil Amit , Vien Thuy N. , Nakamura Yasuko , Moore Yvonne E. , Maguire Jamie L. , Terunuma Miho , Davies Paul A. , Moss Stephen J.
Published: April 2014

Significance

This study provides an understanding of how neurosteroids regulate the membrane expression of the α4 subunit-containing extrasynaptic GABA
A
receptor (GABA
A
R) subtypes that mediate tonic inhibition. This is significant because it defines an unexpected molecular mechanism by which neurosteroids produce long-lasting changes in the efficacy of GABAergic tonic inhibition. This is expected to lead to the development of pharmacological strategies that can control the number of GABA
A
Rs on the cell surface. These strategies hold the promise of restoring tonic inhibition in diseases that are associated with a reduced expression of α4 subunit-containing GABA
A
Rs by boosting the expression of extrasynaptic GABA
A
Rs to alleviate a broad range of neuropsychiatric disorders.
Declines in large wildlife increase landscape-level prevalence of rodent-borne disease in Africa
Authors: Young Hillary S. , Dirzo Rodolfo , Helgen Kristofer M. , McCauley Douglas J. , Billeter Sarah A. , Kosoy Michael Y. , Osikowicz Lynn M. , Salkeld Daniel J. , Young Truman P. , Dittmar Katharina
Published: April 2014

Significance

Understanding the effects of biodiversity loss on zoonotic disease is of pressing importance to both conservation science and public health. This paper provides experimental evidence of increased landscape-level disease risk following declines in large wildlife, using the case study of the rodent-borne zoonosis, bartonellosis, in East Africa. This pattern is driven not by changes in community composition or diversity of hosts, as frequently proposed in other systems, but by increases in abundance of susceptible hosts following large mammal declines. Given that rodent increases following large wildlife declines appear to be a widespread pattern, we suggest this relationship is likely to be general.
Syntrophic exchange in synthetic microbial communities
Authors: Mee Michael T. , Collins James J. , Church George M. , Wang Harris H.
Published: April 2014

Significance

Metabolic exchange between microbes is a crucial process driving the development of microbial ecosystems. The exchange of essential amino acids presents an opportunity to investigate the guiding principles underlying microbial trade in nature. In this study, we devised synthetic communities of
Escherichia coli
bacteria of increasing complexity to measure general properties enabling metabolic exchange of amino acids. We identified numerous syntrophic interactions that enable cooperative growth, which exhibited both positive and negative epistasis with increasing community complexity. Our results suggest that amino acid auxotrophy may be an evolutionarily optimizing strategy to reduce biosynthetic burden while promoting cooperative interactions between different bacteria in the microbiome.
Do educational backgrounds make a difference?
Authors: Zhou Jing , Jin Lixian
Published: April 2014

For decades there has been a debate about whether parents with different socioeconomic status have differential influences on their children’s language development. This study focuses on the features of language use of Mandarin-speaking mothers with different educational backgrounds in interaction with their 3–6 year old children to explore the similarities and differences between the mothers’ communication with their children. Data were collected from videotaped semi-structured mother–child interactions among different age groups. The main research finding reveals that the communicative acts of these Chinese mothers are similar at the levels of social interchange and the speech act; the common types of communicative acts show a cultural consistency among Chinese mothers in interacting with their young children. However, the language inputs of mothers of the two differing social groups show significant differences on linguistic productivity, vocabulary measurement and pragmatic flexibility. These findings are discussed in the context of the role of mothers’ input in language development.
Foreign metaphors and Arabic translation
Authors: Bazzi Samia
Published: April 2014

This paper attempts to bridge translation studies on metaphor with perspectives from cognitive and critical discourse studies. It provides a new contribution to the study of the interplay between language and politics by investigating the ideological motivations behind choices made by Arab journalists/translators in translating metaphors in reports of world events, in the Middle East in particular. The analytic approach adopted for the purpose of this study draws inspiration from cognitive linguistics, critical discourse studies, and descriptive translation studies. Through a comparative study of a corpus of news representations in Western and Middle Eastern sources, the study scrutinizes the role of metaphor in our perception of reality and interpretation of a news event. Based on an examination of the processing of metaphor in professional translations, the study concludes that metaphors can be classified into two main types in terms of media translation: the cultural type and the ideological type and that each of these is approached differently by translators. The generalized findings concerning these two types of translational patterns are supported by input from Arabic-speaking university-level students of translation studies, in the form of parallel translations by the students and notes on their subsequent classroom discussion.
Monitoring anti-minority rhetoric in the Czech print media
Authors: Slavíčková Tess , Zvagulis Peter
Published: April 2014

This paper describes selected outcomes of media monitoring for anti-minority hate speech in the Czech Republic. In keeping with the agenda of critical discourse analysis, we aim to integrate historical, linguistic and cultural specificities with their linguistic manifestations in news articles about minorities, and here we present findings from a long-term study devoted to tracking xenophobia against two of the main minority groups. The AntiMetrics project, of which the work described here is one part, is designed to detect signs of anti-minority rhetoric in a society, with a view to taking steps to prevent such indicators from developing into more embedded prejudice and ultimately inter-group violence. The paper aims to provide a snapshot of what is a broad, long-term interdisciplinary project. Using a critical discourse toolkit, we analyse a sample news story about the Roma community, and identify a number of discursive and linguistic features that indicate the entrenchment of “new racism” in media at some levels. The toolkit also seeks to go beyond lexical signs to identify more implicit rhetorical devices, such as framing and (de-) contextualization of news events, and to quantify lack of balance in the selection of witnesses and other primary definers. Our ongoing content survey indicates the embedding of linguistic patterns that raise concern about leakage of far right discourse via media into everyday communication.
The ideational clinch of the Roman Catholic Church and the EU
Authors: Kratochvíl Petr , Doležal Tomáš
Published: April 2014

The article explores the so far largely ignored question of the political relations between the European Union and the Roman Catholic Church. It analyzes the deeper mutual ideational influences of the two entities, asking whether there has been a convergence of views about several basic political notions between the Church and the EU. The analysis centres on the Church’s approach to four fundamental notions related to the EU – (1) secularism, (2) the individual(ism), (3) free market, and (4) the state, stressing in particular the discursive strategies the Church employs to defend its own position. The conclusion focuses on the relation between the RCC’s “theopolitical” imagination and the EU’s political form and argues that the surprisingly strong support of the Church for the integration process is not only a result of theaggiornamento, but a peculiar example of the Church’s ongoing Europeanization. Methodologically, the paper builds on a discourse analysis of almost 160 documents released by the three key Church bodies which often comment on the EU: the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Community, the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences, and the Curia.
Conflicto, Identificacion y Poder en la Influencia Minoritaria
Authors: Mugny Gabriel , Ibáñez Tomás , Elejabarrieta Francisco , Iniguez Lupicinio , Pérez Juan A.
Published: April 2014

En 6 condiciones experimentales se presenta a los sujetos un texto minoritario extremamente favorable al aborto, siendo evaluada la influencia en una dimensión directa (actitud frente al aborto) y en una dimensión indirecta (actitud frente a la contracepción). En tres condiciones se introduce una pequeña amenaza y en las otras tres una fuerte amenaza que implica un fuerte costo social simbólico en caso de un eventual acuerdo con la minoría. En cada caso, o bien no se explica ninguna identificación (condiciones control) o bien se lleva a los sujetos a percibirse identificados ya a la Iglesia ya a la minoría. Los resultados principales muestran que a) en las condiciones sin identificación explícita, la minoría obtiene el efecto de conversión esperado por el modelo de la influencia minoritaria, en el caso de que el costo social es elevado; b) por el contrario, en caso de identificación explícita con la minoría el costo social disminuye tanto la influencia indirecta como la directa, lo que aboga en defensa del modelo del poder; c) en las condiciones en las que los sujetos son identificados con la Iglesia aparece un curioso efecto: cuanto mayor es el costo social más se acercan los sujetos a la minoría. Dado que las explicaciones divergen según la interpretación que los autores dan de este efecto paradójico y del conjunto de los resultados, se presentan dos interpretaciones complementarias, incluso aunque se contradigan entre ellas.
Analisis de la Etiqueta “Delincuente” Como Criterio Clasificador en una Muestra de Mujeres
Authors: Díaz Miguel M. Clemente
Published: April 2014

Se realiza en primer lugar una breve revisión de algunas de las variables utilizadas en la literatura para diferenciar a los sujetos delincuentes de los no delincuentes, prestando especial atención a aquellas que se han empleado en el estudio de la mujer delincuente; se concluye en la introducción de este artículo que la mayoría de los autores encuentran diferencias significativas a nivel psicológico entre ambas poblaciones. Se planea a continuación un estudio en el que se trata de demostrar la falsedad de tal afirmación, debido a la gran disparidad de los sujetos empleados en otros estudios (muestras de control no sólo no delincuente, sino de distinta clase social, nivel cultural, edad, etc.). Controladas dichas variables, se realiza una comparación de mujeres delincuentes y no delincuentes en las variables siguientes: inteligencia cuantitativa, sinceridad, neuroticismo, extraversión y “locus of control”, encontrándose apoyo para la hipótesis inicial (no hubo diferencias significativas entre ambos grupos), menos en la variable inteligencia cualitativa, resultado explicable por el hecho de que la muestra de mujeres delincuentes estaba en prisión.
Estructura Interna Y Capacidad Predictiva de las Teorias Implicitas: Un Estudio Sobre la Mujer
Authors: Pérez Armando Rodríguez , Méndez Rosaura González
Published: April 2014

El propósito de esta investigación fue demostrar la similitud estructural entre las teorías implícitas y otros esquemas de conocimiento. Para ello, nos servimos de las creencias que tiene el hombre de la calle sobre la capacidad laboral de las mujeres. Después de observar la existencia de seis tipos de representaciones, la tradicional, la progresistas, la laboral, la biológica, la educacional y la psicológica, extrajimos 124 proposiciones causales de fuentes literarias, científicas e históricas.

La primera investigación estudió el grado de pertenencia de las proposiciones a cada teoría mediante puntuaciones de tipicidad y polaridad, de acuerdo con la técnica de Rosch (1973). La dos siguientes probaron a través de un diseño factorial que la representación de las teorías generaba predicciones bien diferenciadas, tanto en conducta laboral como en elección vocacional.

Los resultados se discuten contrastándolos con los obtenidos en los estudios sobre categorías naturales y scripts conductuales.
Atribucion, Exito en la Tarea y Expectativas del Rol Sexual: Una Vision Critica del Modelo de Deaux
Authors: Morales Miguel C. Moya
Published: April 2014

Se presentan dos investigaciones en las que se estudian el efecto del sexo del sujeto, el sexo de la persona estímulo y el tipo de tarea sobre las atribuciones causales de éxito. En el estudio 1, a los sujetos experimentales se les describe una persona estímulo, hombre o mujer, que realiza una tarea (oposiciones) típicamente masculina o femenina. El estudio 2 es idéntico al anterior salvo en la forma de presentar el tipo de tarea. Los resultados obtenidos no apoyan el modelo de Deaux (1976) que ha sido adoptado por muchos autores, pero sugiere, en cambio, otras líneas de investigación de las atribuciones causales de éxito en la tarea.
Diferencias sociodemográficas en la satisfacción marital: el caso de México
Authors: de Weiss Susan Pick , Palos Patricia Andrade
Published: April 2014

Este estudio se refiere a un análisis de las diferencias sociodemográficas que están presentes en la satisfacción marital en relación a la interacción en las parejas, aspectos emocionales y estructurales del cónyuge. Las variables sociodemográficas que se consideran son, a saber: sexo, nümero de años de casados, edad, escolaridad y nümero de hijos.

Se aplicaron las tres subescalas de la Escala de Satisfacción Marital (Pick de Weiss y Andrade Palos, sometido a publicación) en la Ciudad de México, a una muestra de 244 personas casadas.

Se encontraron diferencias con respecto al sexo del sujeto, su escolaridad y nümero de años casados, en lo que respecta a la satisfacción con la interacción conyugal. En relación a satisfacción con aspectos emocionales del cónyuge se obtuvieron diferencias en el nümero de hijos y las variables que mostraron diferencias significativas en el factor de satisfacción con aspectos estructurales del cónyuge fueron sexo y nümero de hijos.
Creencias y expectativas respecto de la consulta médica: Un análisis de diferencias culturales
Authors: Castro Felipe G. , Rodríguez Jesús
Published: April 2014

Se compararon 102 mujeres del área metropolitana de los Angeles divididas en tres grupos según su grado de aculturación (mejico-americanas vs. anglo-americanas). Las variables consideradas se refirieron a las expectativas respecto al médico en contextos terapéuticos. Se consideraron las puntuaciones de tres medidas: La puntuación total en expectativas respecto del médico, las puntuaciones respecto a las expectativas referentes al comportamiento afectivo del médico y las puntuaciones respecto a las expectativas de tratamiento concreto. Los análisis de los resultados y el control de diversas variables tales como edad, gravedad de la enfermedad, etc., muestran la ausencia de diferencias interculturales en lo que las mujeres de la muestra esperan del médico. Si estos resultados se confirman obligarían a identificar más claramente cuándo son importantes las diferencias de aculturación y cuándo no lo son.
Análisis de la contextualización del comportamiento adaptativo en el retraso mental: Comparación entre contexto familiar e institucional
Authors: Rubio Víctor J. , Delgado Antonio , Martínez José Luis García
Published: April 2014

Este estudio se dirige a contrastar las diferencias en el comportamiento adaptativo de los sujetos retrasados que son producto de los diferentes contextos en los que éste es emitido. En este caso, el contexto se entiende como los aspectos físicos y sociales del lugar en el que inmediatamente se produce la conducta. Esta perspectiva molecular del contexto ha permitido detectar diferencias en el comportamiento adaptativo en términos de lenguaje receptivo y lenguaje expresivo. La muestra utilizada fueron 71 sujetos evaluados a través del West Virginia assessment and tracking system.
Reconocimiento de emociones a partir de descripciones verbales
Authors: Fernández Alfonso Jiménez , Carrera Ma. José Mallo
Published: April 2014

El presente estudio supone una aplicación tentativa de la técnica del autoinforme a la codificación y decodificación de las manifestaciones corporales y expresivas asociadas al comportamiento emocional. El interés en el uso de dicha técnica radica, no tanto en la posibilidad de determinar los cambios reales asociados a la emoción, como de conocer el modo en que los sujetos recuerdan y categorizan su experiencia emocional.
Comportamiento expresivo que antecede a la sonrisa social: Comparación entre lactantes normales y afectados por el síndrome de Down
Authors: Carvajal Fernando , Loeches Angela , Iglesias Jaime
Published: April 2014

El objetivo de este trabajo ha sido comprobar la sonrisa social de los lactantes normales con la de los afectados por el síndrome de Down (mongolismo), atendiendo principalmente a los movimientos expresivos de las cejas que la precedieron. Por medio de una técnica de base anatómica, se analizaron las respuestas faciales de alegría de ocho niños normales y otros ocho con síndrome de Down, con edades comprendidas entre los tres y cinco meses, que aparecieron durante la interacción cara a cara con sus madres. Con independencia de su retraso cognitivo, los niños con síndrome de Down mostraron básicamente los mismos movimientos expresivos que los normales antes y durante la sonrisa. No obstante, se encontraron algunas diferencias en la frecuencia y duración media de las sonrisas, así como en la frecuencia de los movimientos expresivos de las cejas previos a la misma. Estos resultados se discuten en términos de las alteraciones psicofisiológicas que sufren los niños con síndrome de Down, derivadas de un estado de desequilibrio cromosómico.
Reconocimiento de emociones a partir de la expresión y el contexto: Una réplica
Authors: Mallo María José , Dols José Miguel Fernández , Wallbott Harald
Published: April 2014

En el presente estudio se examinan las contribuciones relativas de la expresión facial y el contexto situacional al reconocimiento de emociones. Tras la evaluación independiente de ambas fuentes de información, los sujetos juzgaron distintas combinaciones que variaban en su grado de congruencia. Aunque los resultados indican una preponderancia de la información expresiva sobre la situational en el juicio global, se señala la necesidad de nuevos diseños que permitan investigar el papel modulador del contexto sobre los juicios emocionales.
El modelo de reactancia-indefensión de Wortman y Brehm desde la perspectiva de la psicofisiología social
Authors: de Cisneros I. Fernández Jiménez , Rubio J. M. León
Published: April 2014

Este estudio fue diseñado para poner a prueba la hipótesis de reactancia-indefensión de Wortman y Brehm (según la cual los efectos producidos por la incontrolabilidad están mediados por la duración del evento incontrolable) en relación al funcionamiento corporal. Para ello, se eligió como principal variable dependiente el control de la respuesta electromiográfica de la musculatura frontal. Se utilizó un diseño factorial 3 (expectativa de control alta, baja y nula) X 2 (entrenamiento en incontrolabilidad corto y largo). Asimismo, se incluyeron medidas sobre «locus de control», estilo atribucional, percepción y estrategias de control. Los resultados obtenidos confirman parcialmente la hipótesis establecida y son discutidos dentro del ámbito de la Psicofisiologia Social.
La lógica de la acción colectiva: tres modelos de análisis de la participación política no institucional
Authors: Valencia J. F.
Published: April 2014

En el presente estudio se sometieron a prueba tres Modelos explicativos de la Participación Política No Institucional, el Modelo Actitudinal (que incluía Actitud y Norma Social—Fishbein y Ajzen), el Modelo Motivacional de Recursos (que incluía Motivo Selectivo, Social, y Colectivo—Klandermans) y el Modelo Psicosocial (que incluía recursos a diferentes niveles de análisis).

Tomando el Porcentaje de Varianza Explicada como un índice de poder explicativo, el Modelo Psicosocial fue el que mayor peso obtuvo. También se demostró un mayor peso explicativo del Modelo Motivacional de recursos sobre el Actitudinal.

Finalmente, de cara a la Explicación de la Lógica de la Acción Colectiva, se asume la importancia de la intencionalidad de los actores colectivos, pues la explicación causal no es suficiente. En otras palabras, se asume la necesidad de tomar en cuenta que las razones pueden ser causas del comportamiento.
El tema de la pregunta y la elaboración de las respuestas en la detección de mentiras
Authors: Sänchez Flor , Becerra Alberto
Published: April 2014

En este trabajo se estudió la incidencia que, sobre la detección de mentiras, podría tener que los temas a que estaban referidas variasen en cuanto a implicación emocional para el emisor y que las respuestas fuesen preparadas o espontáneas. Los resultados obtenidos señalaron que la implicación personal en el tema facilita el reconocimiento de las respuestas falsas, a la vez que la preparación previa de las respuestas dificulta la detección de mentiras a jueces no entrenados.
Interpretación causal, sentimiento de culpa y predicción de reincidencia en un contexto legal
Authors: González Ana Rosa Delgado
Published: April 2014

Hemos realizado un estudio diferencial sobre las interpretaciones causales y sus consecuencias cognitivo- afectivas en un contexto de robo, utilizando como marco teórico el último modelo atribucional de Weiner (1986). Para ello, hemos aplicado cuestionarios de autoinforme a 1.450 sujetos menores de edad. Los resultados, obtenidos mediante análisis de la varianza y técnicas de regresión, indican (1) que existe una taxonomía de las causas claramente diferenciada en función de las dimensiones—locus, estabilidad y controlabilidad—, y de la perspectiva—actor/observador—de los sujetos; (2) que la estabilidad de las causas determina la predicción de reincidencia, y que ésta es mayor en los sujetos que dicen haber cometido más robos, y (3) que el sentimiento de culpa está determinado por la controlabilidad de las causas y varía como función inversa de la experiencia delictiva. Finalmente, señalamos algunas implicaciones teóricas y aplicadas de este trabajo.
Apoyo social percibido: su efecto protector frente a los acontecimientos vitales estresantes
Authors: de Roda Ana Barrón López , Fuertes Fernando Chacón
Published: April 2014

Este estudio examina la relación entre apoyo social percibido, eventos vitales estresantes y depresión en una muestra (N = 74) perteneciente a la comunidad de Aranjuez. Como se hipotetizó, aparecen efectos directos significativos del apoyo social y de los eventos vitales sobre la depresión. Sin embargo no se obtuvieron efectos de interacción significativos, no apoyando nuestros resultados la hipótesis del efecto protector en el caso del apoyo social percibido. Este tipo de apoyo, en vez de simplemente proteger al individuo frente al impacto negativo del estrés, puede ser importante por sí mismo en la reducción de la sintomatologia depresiva.
Comprensión de nociones sobre organización social con niños y adolescentes mexicanos de nivel socioeconómico bajo
Authors: Barriga Frida Diaz , Aguilar Javier , Hernández Gerardo , Castañeda Margarita , Díaz Noemi , Hernández Susana , Vila Irene Muria , Peña Lucía
Published: April 2014

El propósito del estudio fue identificar las tendencias evolutivas en la construcción de la representación de la organización social en relación con las nociones de pobreza-riqueza, estratificación y cambio social autoconceptualización, trabajo, contexto e instituciones sociales. Se realizaron entrevistas semiestructuradas sobre dichas nociones con una muestra de 90 escolares mexicanos de 6 a 15 años de nivel socioeconómico bajo. Los niños pequeños explicaron la organización social en función de factores aislados, individualistas o únicos, caracterizando las clases sociales en términos de atributos observables (dinero y posesiones). En la niñez media y adolescencia, aunque siguen preponderando las explicaciones individualistas, se incrementan gradualmente las basadas en la consideración de varios factores y en la intervención de acciones colectivas e instituciones sociales.
¿Cómo recuerda usted la noticia del 23-F? Naturaleza y mecanismos de los «recuerdos-destello»
Authors: Ruiz-Vargas José María
Published: April 2014

Un número elevado de estudios ha demostrado que la mayoría de las personas recuerda con gran vividez las circunstancias en las que tuvieron noticia de sucesos sorprendentes y de gran trascendencia. Algunos autores han asumido que estos recuerdos, llamados «recuerdos-destello» (flashbulb memories), implican la existencia de un mecanismo neural especial. Otros, sin embargo, han cuestionado tal hipótesis y han argumentado que este tipo de recuerdos deben ser considerados como productos de los mecanismos ordinarios de memoria. El objetivo de este estudio fue identificar los hipotéticos mecanismos ordinarios que pudieran explicar la creación de estos recuerdos sin necesidad de apelar a mecanismos especiales. Mediante el uso de un cuestionario, analizamos los recuerdos de las circunstancias, la singularidad, el grado de impresión y la cantidad de repetición de dos sucesos nacionales de gran relevancia: el intento de golpe de estado de 1981 (23-F) y la muerte del general Franco (20-N). Nuestra hipótesis fue que el factor básico para la creación de «recuerdos-destello» es el grado de elaboración y distintividad de codificación de la noticia y su contexto, y que dicho grado es propiciado por la gran cantidad de recursos atencionales que se genera cuando en un suceso concurren con fuerza el factor sorpresa y el factor impacto emocional. Los resultados confirmaron esta hipótesis.
Ruptura matrimonial y salud mental: Variables psicosociales asociadas en el caso de la mujer
Authors: del Barrio Ma. Victoria , Domenech Ana
Published: April 2014

En el trabajo se presentan los resultados de la evaluación de un grupo de mujeres con ruptura matrimonial en dos aspectos que la literatura sobre el tema considera relevantes: vinculación al ex marido y situación emocional. La primera se ba medido mediante el ASD (Kitson, 1982) y la segunda con el CAQ (Krug, 1980). Se ba considerado también la influencia de las variables psicosociales sobre la situación de la mujer divorciada, tales como actividad económica, duración del matrimonio, hijos, nueva pareja… En el caso del CAQ se ha utilizado un grupo control de mujeres casadas. Los resultados muestran que el impacto emocional del divorcio existe puesto que las mujeres con ruptura matrimonial alcanzan puntuaciones más altas que las casadas en las escalas de depresión, paranoidismo y esquizofrenia. En vinculación al ex marido las puntuaciones muestran un adecuado nivel de independencia. Las mujeres que conservan mayor vinculación presentan una situación emocional peor.
The Africana paradigm in Capital: the debts of Karl Marx to people of African descent
Authors: Agozino Biko
Published: April 2014

This article will attempt an original interpretation of Capital (Marx, K. 1867. Capital: A Critique of Political Economy, Vol. 1. Marx/Engels Internet Archive, 1995, 1999. http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx) and other major works of Karl Marx to demonstrate that people of African descent are central to the discourse of Marx, contrary to widespread misconceptions by critics who attribute a Eurocentric orientation to Marx because of the accident of his birth in Europe and by allies because of his scholarly activism in European working-class politics. The paper argues that the earlier work of Marx and Engels ([1847] 1969. The Manifesto of the Communist Party in Marx/Engels Selected Works, Vol. One, pp. 98–137. Moscow: Progress Publishers), especially the Manifesto of the Communist Party, may have misled critics into believing that the history of all hitherto existing society alluded to by Marx and Engels was exclusively European history. On the contrary, there are hundreds of references to the ‘Negro’ in Capital, not as part of a peripheral or superficial concern relating to the issue of class exploitation in Europe, but as a foundational model for explaining and predicting the ending of the exploitation of the working class globally. The paper concludes that this reading adds credence to Africana Studies paradigms that privilege critical, Africa-centred scholar-activism as an important contribution to original theoretical, methodological and policy innovations.
Political economy of the Namibian tourism sector: addressing post-apartheid inequality through increasing indigenous ownership
Authors: Jänis Julia
Published: April 2014

Tourism is regarded as one of Namibia's key economic sectors that can diversify the economy and create employment, but due to the apartheid legacy the sector is highly dominated by the white minority. Current efforts to increase the share of indigenous ownership include Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) and Community-Based Tourism (CBT). This article analyses the challenges involved in promoting BEE and CBT through research material gathered in 16 Namibian tourism enterprises. The challenges are related to the prevailing inequality and racial prejudices in Namibia, and to the nature of tourism as an economic sector that requires special skills and experience.
Aid for Trade and African agriculture: the bittersweet case of Swazi sugar
Authors: Richardson-Ngwenya Pamela , Richardson Ben
Published: April 2014

In 2006, the European Union reformed its sugar regime, reducing the price for sugar by 36%. To cushion the impact on traditional overseas suppliers, an ‘Aid for Trade’ programme called the Accompanying Measures for Sugar Protocol countries (AMSP) was implemented. This paper explores the impacts of the AMSP in Swaziland. The authors discuss emergent agrarian class differentiation and argue that the benefits experienced by farmers are jeopardised by ongoing processes of liberalisation. The paper concludes by suggesting that donors must consider market stabilisation and corporate regulation if they are to make ‘Aid for Trade’ work for the poor.
Individuals Receiving Specialized Treatment for Drug and Alcohol Dependence and Gambling Disorder in Israel—Characteristics and Implications for Prevalence Estimates
Authors: Lev-Ran Shaul , Florentin Iris , Feingold Daniel , Rehm Jürgen
Published: April 2014

Background

Substance dependence is one of the main factors contributing to morbidity and mortality worldwide. Gambling disorder has recently been included as an addictive disorder in DSM-5 ( Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition) and is associated with substantial psychiatric comorbidity and respective disability. Nevertheless, the vast majority of those suffering from these disorders do not receive treatment. In Israel, prevalence of substance dependence has traditionally been estimated to be lower than those in high-income countries, though prevalence estimates from the recent decade are lacking. Moreover, characteristics of individuals seeking treatment for substance dependence and gambling disorder have not been published.

Methods

In this study, the authors analyzed data from the Israel National Addiction Registry, a computerized database that includes sociodemographic characteristics of all individuals treated in specialized public facilities for substance dependence and gambling disorders in the years 2003–2012.

Results

The prevalence of treatment utilization for drug and alcohol dependence and gambling disorders were 0.2%, 0.1%, and 0.01%, respectively. These rates generally remained stable throughout the last decade. Individuals seeking treatment for alcohol dependence were in the lower socioeconomic status (SES) cluster, whereas those seeking treatment for drug dependence were in the midrange SES clusters, findings that are generally in concurrence with characteristics of treatment seekers in high-income countries.

Conclusions

Prevalence estimates based on reports indicating that approximately 10% of individuals with substance dependence seek treatment suggest rates of alcohol dependence in Israel that are substantially higher those previously published, though still lower than most high-income countries. Nationwide epidemiologic studies exploring current rates of substance dependence and gambling disorder in Israel are urgently needed, and treatment options should be planned and funded accordingly. Potential reasons for these apparent low rates of treatment utilization for these disorders in Israel should be explored in order to improve services provided for this population.
Identification and characterization of thermotolerant acetic acid bacteria strains isolated from coconut water vinegar in Sri Lanka
Authors: Perumpuli PABN , Watanabe Taisuke , Toyama Hirohide
Published: April 2014

From the pellicle formed on top of brewing coconut water vinegar in Sri Lanka, three Acetobacter strains (SL13E-2, SL13E-3, and SL13E-4) that grow at 42 °C and four Gluconobacter strains (SL13-5, SL13-6, SL13-7, and SL13-8) grow at 37 °C were identified as Acetobacter pasteurianus and Gluconobacter frateurii, respectively. Acetic acid production by the isolated Acetobacter strains was examined. All three strains gave 4% acetic acid from 6% initial ethanol at 37 °C, and 2.5% acetic acid from 4% initial ethanol at 40 °C. Compared with the two other strains, SL13E-4 showed both slower growth and slower acetic acid production. As well as the thermotolerant SKU1108 strain, the activities of the alcohol dehydrogenase and the aldehyde dehydrogenase of SL13E-2 and SL13E-4 were more stable than those of the mesophilic strain. The isolated strains were used to produce coconut water vinegar at higher temperatures than typically used for vinegar production.
Inhibitor screening of lactate dehydrogenase C4 from black-lipped pika in the Western Sichuan Plateau
Authors: Zhang Qinglian , He Qinghua , Xue Fulai , Ma Jinhu
Published: April 2014

Studies indicated that lactate dehydrogenase C4 (LDH-C4) was a good target protein for development of contraceptive drugs. Virtual screening and in vitro enzyme assay using pika LDH-C4 as target protein revealed NSC61610, NSC215718, and NSC345647 with Ki of 7.8, 27, and 41 μM separately. This study might be helpful for development of pika contraceptive drugs.
Asymmetric synthesis of tetrahydroisoquinolines by enzymatic Pictet–Spengler reaction
Authors: Nishihachijo Masakatsu , Hirai Yoshinori , Kawano Shigeru , Nishiyama Akira , Minami Hiromichi , Katayama Takane , Yasohara Yoshihiko , Sato Fumihiko , Kumagai Hidehiko
Published: April 2014

Norcoclaurine synthase (NCS) catalyzes the stereoselective Pictet–Spengler reaction between dopamine and 4-hydroxyphenylacetaldehyde as the first step of benzylisoquinoline alkaloid synthesis in plants. Recent studies suggested that NCS shows relatively relaxed substrate specificity toward aldehydes, and thus, the enzyme can serve as a tool to synthesize unnatural, optically active tetrahydroisoquinolines. In this study, using an N-terminally truncated NCS from Coptis japonica expressed in Escherichia coli, we examined the aldehyde substrate specificity of the enzyme. Herein, we demonstrate the versatility of the enzyme by synthesizing 6,7-dihydroxy-1-phenethyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline and 6,7-dihydroxy-1-propyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline in molar yields of 86.0 and 99.6% and in enantiomer excess of 95.3 and 98.0%, respectively. The results revealed the enzyme is a promising catalyst that functions to stereoselectively produce various 1-substituted-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinolines.
A region corresponding to second aspartate-rich motif in tryptophan isoprenylating enzyme, ComQ, serves as a substrate-binding site
Authors: Okada Masahiro , Ishihara Ayako , Yamasaki Risa , Tsuji Fumitada , Hayashi Shunsuke , Usami Syohei , Sakagami Youji
Published: April 2014

Posttranslational isoprenylation of a tryptophan residue identified from Bacillus quorum sensing pheromone, ComX pheromone, is unique and essential for the bioactivity. A modifying enzyme, ComQ, forms ComX pheromone from the ComX precursor and isoprenyl pyrophosphate and exhibits moderate similarity to isoprenyl pyrophosphate synthases. We investigated non-conserved region in ComQ, corresponding to isopentenyl pyrophosphate binding region of the synthases, using in vitro cell-free isoprenylation. These results suggested that the only conserved aspartic acid residue in the region of ComQ is critical for enzyme activity and responsible for ComX binding. Our findings should contribute to basic understanding of the mechanism of tryptophan isoprenylation.
Overexpression, purification, and characterization of Paenibacillus cell surface-expressed chitinase ChiW with two catalytic domains
Authors: Itoh Takafumi , Sugimoto Ikumi , Hibi Takao , Suzuki Fumiko , Matsuo Koichi , Fujii Yutaka , Taketo Akira , Kimoto Hisashi
Published: April 2014

Paenibacillus sp. strain FPU-7 produces several different chitinases and effectively hydrolyzes robust chitin. Among the P. FPU-7 chitinases, ChiW, a novel monomeric chitinase with a molecular mass of 150 kDa, is expressed as a cell surface molecule. Here, we report that active ChiW lacking the anchoring domains in the N-terminus was successfully overproduced in Escherichia coli and purified to homogeneity. The two catalytic domains at the C-terminal region were classified as typical glycoside hydrolase family 18 chitinases, whereas the N-terminal region showed no sequence similarity to other known proteins. The vacuum-ultraviolet circular dichroism spectrum of the enzyme strongly suggested the presence of a β-stranded-rich structure in the N-terminus. Its biochemical properties were also characterized. Various insoluble chitins were hydrolyzed to N,N’-diacetyl-D-chitobiose as the final product. Based on amino acid sequence similarities and site-directed mutagenesis, Glu691 and Glu1177 in the two GH-18 domains were identified as catalytic residues.
A remark on Schatten class Toeplitz operators on Bergman spaces
Authors: Pau Jordi
Published: April 2014

We provide a new characterization (valid for all

0
>
p
>
∞

0>p>\infty

) of Schatten class membership of Toeplitz operators induced by positive measures acting on weighted Bergman spaces on the unit ball. The result is new even for the case of the unit disk.
A boundary Harnack inequality for singular equations of 𝑝-parabolic type
Authors: Kuusi Tuomo , Mingione Giuseppe , Nyström Kaj
Published: April 2014

We prove a boundary Harnack type inequality for nonnegative solutions to singular equations ofpp-parabolic type,2n/(n+1)>p>22n/(n+1)>p>2, in a time-independent cylinder whose base isC1,1C^{1,1}-regular. Simple examples show, using the corresponding estimates valid for the heat equation as a point of reference, that this type of inequality cannot, in general, be expected to hold in the degenerate case (2>p>∞2>p>\infty).
Continuous leafwise harmonic functions on codimension one transversely isometric foliations
Authors: Matsumoto Shigenori
Published: April 2014

Let

F

\mathcal {F}

be a codimension one foliation on a closed manifold

M
M

which admits a transverse dimension one Riemannian foliation. Then any continuous leafwise harmonic functions are shown to be constant on leaves.
Importance of modelling heteroscedasticity of survey index data in fishery stock assessments
Authors: Hyun Saang-Yoon , Maunder Mark N. , Rothschild Brian J.
Published: April 2014

Many fish stock assessments use a survey index and assume a stochastic error in the index on which a likelihood function of associated parameters is built and optimized for the parameter estimation. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the assumption that the standard deviation for the difference in the log-transformed index is approximately equal to the coefficient of variation of the index, and also to examine the homo- and heteroscedasticity of the errors. The traditional practice is to assume a common variance of the index errors over time for estimation convenience. However, if additional information is available about year-to-year variability in the errors, such as year-to-year coefficient of variation, then we suggest that the heteroscedasticity assumption should be considered. We examined five methods with the assumption of a multiplicative error in the survey index and two methods with that of an additive error in the index: M1, homoscedasticity in the multiplicative error model; M2, heteroscedasticity in the multiplicative error model; M3, M2 with approximate weighting and an additional parameter for scaling variance; M4–M5, pragmatic practices; M6, homoscedasticity in the additive error model; M7, heteroscedasticity in the additive error model. M1–M2 and M6–M7 are strictly based on statistical theories, whereas M3–M5 are not. Heteroscedasticity methods M2, M3, and M7 consistently outperformed the other methods. However, we select M2 as the best method. M3 requires one more parameter than M2. M7 has problems arising from the use of the raw scale as opposed to the logarithm transformation. Furthermore, the fitted survey index in M7 can be negative although its domain is positive.
Streptomyces-Induced Resistance Against Oak Powdery Mildew Involves Host Plant Responses in Defense, Photosynthesis, and Secondary Metabolism Pathways
Authors: Kurth Florence , Mailänder Sarah , Bönn Markus , Feldhahn Lasse , Herrmann Sylvie , Große Ivo , Buscot François , Schrey Silvia D. , Tarkka Mika T.
Published: April 2014

Rhizobacteria are known to induce defense responses in plants without causing disease symptoms, resulting in increased resistance to plant pathogens. This study investigated how Streptomyces sp. strain AcH 505 suppressed oak powdery mildew infection in pedunculate oak, by analyzing RNA-Seq data from singly- and co-inoculated oaks. We found that this Streptomyces strain elicited a systemic defense response in oak that was, in part, enhanced upon pathogen challenge. In addition to induction of the jasmonic acid/ethylene–dependent pathway, the RNA-Seq data suggests the participation of the salicylic acid–dependent pathway. Transcripts related to tryptophan, phenylalanine, and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis were enriched and phenylalanine ammonia lyase activity increased, indicating that priming by Streptomyces spp. in pedunculate oak shares some determinants with the Pseudomonas-Arabidopsis system. Photosynthesis-related transcripts were depleted in response to powdery mildew infection, but AcH 505 alleviated this inhibition, which suggested there is a fitness benefit for primed plants upon pathogen challenge. This study offers novel insights into the mechanisms of priming by actinobacteria and highlights their capacity to activate plant defense responses in the absence of pathogen challenge.