bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Use of diffusive gradients in thin-films for studies of chemical speciation and bioavailability
Authors: Zhang Hao , Davison William
Published: March 2015

Environmental context The health of aquatic organisms depends on the distribution of the dissolved forms of chemical components (speciation) and their rates of interaction (dynamics). This review documents and explains progress made using the dynamic technique of diffusive gradients in thin-films (DGT) to meet these challenges of measuring directly chemical speciation and associated dynamics in natural waters. The relevance of these measurements to uptake by biota of chemical forms in soils, sediments and water is discussed with reference to this expanding literature. Abstract This review assesses progress in studies of chemical speciation using diffusive gradients in thin-films (DGT) by examining the contributions made by key publications in the last 20 years. The theoretical appreciation of the dynamic solution components measured by DGT has provided an understanding of how DGT measures most metal complexes, but excludes most colloids. These findings strengthen the use of DGT as a monitoring tool and provide a framework for using DGT to obtain in situ kinetic information. Generally, the capabilities of DGT as an in situ perturbation and measurement tool have yet to be fully exploited. Studies that have used DGT to investigate processes relevant to bioavailability have blossomed in the last 10 years, especially for soils, as DGT mimics the diffusion limiting uptake conditions that, under some conditions, characterise uptake by plants. As relationships between element accumulated by DGT and in plants depend on the plant species, soils studied, and the element and its chemical form, DGT is not an infallible predictive tool. Rather its strength comes from providing information on the labile species in the system, whether water, soil or sediment. Recent studies have shown good relationships between measurements of metals in periphyton and by DGT, and unified dose response curves have been obtained for biota in sediments when they are based on DGT measurements. Both these cases suggest that alternative approaches to the established ‘free ion’ approach may be fruitful in these media and illustrate the growing use of DGT to investigate environmental chemical processes.
Myocardin is required for maintenance of vascular and visceral smooth muscle homeostasis during postnatal development
Authors: Huang Jianhe , Wang Tao , Wright Alexander C. , Yang Jifu , Zhou Su , Li Li , Yang Jisheng , Small Aeron , Parmacek Michael S.
Published: March 2015

Significance

Smooth muscle cells (SMCs) play critical roles in maintaining organismal homeostasis. Myocardin is a muscle-restricted transcriptional coactivator previously implicated in development of the heart and vasculature. To define myocardin-mediated functions during postnatal development, we generated mice harboring an inducible, SMC-restricted mutation in the
Myocd
gene. Myocardin mutant mice exhibit profound derangements in arterial structure and in the gastrointestinal and genitourinary tracts.
Myocd
deletion leads to the loss of the contractile SMC phenotype, triggering cell-autonomous ER stress, autophagy, and apoptosis. These data reveal that myocardin is required for maintenance, homeostasis, and ultimately survival of vascular and visceral SMCs during postnatal development. These findings provide unanticipated insights into the pathogenesis of thoracic aortic aneurysm and dissection and gastrointestinal and genitourinary syndromes.
Src-family protein tyrosine kinase phosphorylates WNK4 and modulates its inhibitory effect on KCNJ1 (ROMK)
Authors: Lin Dao-Hong , Yue Peng , Yarborough Orlando , Scholl Ute I. , Giebisch Gerhard , Lifton Richard P. , Rinehart Jesse , Wang Wen-Hui
Published: March 2015

Significance

Genetic, biochemical, and animal model studies have implicated with-no-lysine kinase 4 (WNK4) in regulation of the balance between renal salt reabsorption and K secretion. It has been proposed that serum/glucocorticoid-induced kinase 1 (SGK1)-induced phosphorylation of WNK4 plays an important role in switching from inhibiting KCNJ1 (ROMK) channels during volume depletion to promoting K secretion during increasing K intake. However, it is not understood why a high SGK1 level fails to stimulate ROMK channels during the volume depletion, whereas it increases ROMK channel activity and K secretion during high K intake. The present study provides insights into the mechanism illustrating how SFK-induced phosphorylation of WNK4 regulates ROMK to distinguish the physiologic response to hyperkalemia and volume depletion.
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Decorum: Quintilian’s Reflections on Rhetorical Humor
Authors: Waisanen Don
Published: March 2015

This study examines ancient Roman ideas about humor’s boundaries in public culture. In particular, I analyze book 6, chapter 3 of the Institutio Oratoria, which covers Quintilian’s reflections on the subject. Following Cicero, Quintilian engages the tensions between humor and decorum in his political context, using urbanitas to refine the former and to loosen the latter’s strictures. In this process, the use of urbanitas implicitly points readers toward factors that can make humor rhetorical. Quintilian thus answers Cicero’s question about the degree to which humor should be used and furthers inquiry into how much rhetorical humor can or should be taught.
Schrödinger operators on graphs: Symmetrization and Eulerian cycles
Authors: Karreskog G. , Kurasov P. , Trygg Kupersmidt I.
Published: March 2015

Spectral properties of the Schrödinger operator on a finite compact metric graph with delta-type vertex conditions are discussed. Explicit estimates for the lowest eigenvalue (ground state) are obtained using two different methods: Eulerian cycle and symmetrization techniques.
Moduli spaces and the inverse Galois problem for cubic surfaces
Authors: Elsenhans Andreas-Stephan , Jahnel Jörg
Published: March 2015

We study the moduli space

M

~

\widetilde {\mathscr {M}}

of marked cubic surfaces. By classical work of A. B. Coble, this has a compactification

M
~

\widetilde {M}

, which is linearly acted upon by the group 

W
(

E
6

)

W(E_6)

.

M
~

\widetilde {M}

 is given as the intersection of 30 cubics in 

P

9

\mathbf {P}^9

. For the morphism

M

~

→

P

(
1
,
2
,
3
,
4
,
5
)

\widetilde {\mathscr {M}} \to \mathbf {P}(1,2,3,4,5)

forgetting the marking, followed by Clebsch’s invariant map, we give explicit formulas, i.e., Clebsch’s invariants are expressed in terms of Coble’s irrational invariants. As an application, we give an affirmative answer to the inverse Galois problem for cubic surfaces over 

Q

\mathbb {Q}

.
Prevalence of Myclobutanil Resistance and Difenoconazole Insensitivity in Populations of Venturia inaequalis
Authors: Villani Sara M. , Biggs Alan R. , Cooley Daniel R. , Raes Jessica J. , Cox Kerik D.
Published: March 2015

Demethylation inhibitors (DMIs) are a class of single-site fungicides with high levels of protective and curative efficacy against Venturia inaequalis, the causal agent of apple scab. To determine the prevalence of resistance to the DMI fungicide myclobutanil, 3,987 single-lesion conidial V. inaequalis isolates from 141 commercial, research, and baseline orchard populations were examined throughout New England, the mid-Atlantic, and the Midwest from 2004 to 2013. Of these orchard populations, 63% had practical resistance, 13% had reduced sensitivity, and 24% were sensitive to myclobutanil. A sensitivity baseline for the recently introduced DMI fungicide difenoconazole was established to make comparisons with myclobutanil sensitivity in orchard populations. The mean effective concentration of difenoconazole at which mycelial growth was inhibited by 50% (EC50) was determined to be 0.002 μg ml−1 for 44 baseline isolates of V. inaequalis. From 2010 to 2013, 1,012 isolates of V. inaequalis from 37 of the 141 orchard populations above were screened for sensitivity to difenoconazole. In all, 1 orchard population had reduced sensitivity to difenoconazole, while the remaining 36 orchard populations were sensitive to the fungicide. In field experiments, difenoconazole demonstrated high levels of apple scab control on mature apple fruit, despite the fact that the population of V. inaequalis had practical resistance to difenoconazole. Although our results indicate widespread resistance to myclobutanil but not difenoconazole, due to the propensity for cross-sensitivity among DMI fungicides, growers with myclobutanil resistance should be cautious when using difenoconazole for disease management.
Transgenerational effects modulate density-dependent prophylactic resistance to viral infection in a lepidopteran pest
Authors: Wilson Kenneth , Graham Robert I.
Published: March 2015

There is an increasing appreciation of the importance of transgenerational effects on offspring fitness, including in relation to immune function and disease resistance. Here, we assess the impact of parental rearing density on offspring resistance to viral challenge in an insect species expressing density-dependent prophylaxis (DDP); i.e. the adaptive increase in resistance or tolerance to pathogen infection in response to crowding. We quantified survival rates in larvae of the cotton leafworm (
Spodoptera littoralis
) from either gregarious- or solitary-reared parents following challenge with the baculovirus
S. littoralis
nucleopolyhedrovirus. Larvae from both the parental and offspring generations exhibited DDP, with gregarious-reared larvae having higher survival rates post-challenge than solitary-reared larvae. Within each of these categories, however, survival following infection was lower in those larvae from gregarious-reared parents than those from solitary-reared, consistent with a transgenerational cost of DDP immune upregulation. This observation demonstrates that crowding influences lepidopteran disease resistance over multiple generations, with potential implications for the dynamics of host–pathogen interactions.
Periodic traction in migrating large amoeba ofPhysarum polycephalum
Authors: Rieu Jean-Paul , Delanoë-Ayari Hélène , Takagi Seiji , Tanaka Yoshimi , Nakagaki Toshiyuki
Published: March 2015

The slime mouldPhysarum polycephalumis a giant multinucleated cell exhibiting well-known Ca2+-dependent actomyosin contractions of its vein network driving the so-called cytoplasmic shuttle streaming. Its actomyosin network forms both a filamentous cortical layer and large fibrils. In order to understand the role of each structure in the locomotory activity, we performed birefringence observations and traction force microscopy on excised fragments ofPhysarum. After several hours, these microplasmodia adopt three main morphologies: flat motile amoeba, chain types with round contractile heads connected by tubes and motile hybrid types. Each type exhibits oscillations with a period of about 1.5 min of cell area, traction forces and fibril activity (retardance) when fibrils are present. The amoeboid types show only peripheral forces while the chain types present a never-reported force pattern with contractile rings far from the cell boundary under the spherical heads. Forces are mostly transmitted where the actomyosin cortical layer anchors to the substratum, but fibrils maintain highly invaginated structures and contribute to forces by increasing the length of the anchorage line. Microplasmodia are motile only when there is an asymmetry in the shape and/or the force distribution.
Na+/K+-ATPase resistance and cardenolide sequestration: basal adaptations to host plant toxins in the milkweed bugs (Hemiptera: Lygaeidae: Lygaeinae)
Authors: Bramer Christiane , Dobler Susanne , Deckert Jürgen , Stemmer Michael , Petschenka Georg
Published: March 2015

Despite sequestration of toxins being a common coevolutionary response to plant defence in phytophagous insects, the macroevolution of the traits involved is largely unaddressed. Using a phylogenetic approach comprising species from four continents, we analysed the ability to sequester toxic cardenolides in the hemipteran subfamily Lygaeinae, which is widely associated with cardenolide-producing Apocynaceae. In addition, we analysed cardenolide resistance of their Na+/K+-ATPases, the molecular target of cardenolides. Our data indicate that cardenolide sequestration and cardenolide-resistant Na+/K+-ATPase are basal adaptations in the Lygaeinae. In two species that shifted to non-apocynaceous hosts, the ability to sequester was secondarily reduced, yet Na+/K+-ATPase resistance was maintained. We suggest that both traits evolved together and represent major coevolutionary adaptations responsible for the evolutionary success of lygaeine bugs. Moreover, specialization on cardenolides was not an evolutionary dead end, but enabled this insect lineage to host shift to cardenolide-producing plants from distantly related families.
Susceptibility of amphibians to chytridiomycosis is associated with MHC class II conformation
Authors: Bataille Arnaud , Cashins Scott D. , Grogan Laura , Skerratt Lee F. , Hunter David , McFadden Michael , Scheele Benjamin , Brannelly Laura A. , Macris Amy , Harlow Peter S. , Bell Sara , Berger Lee , Waldman Bruce
Published: March 2015

The pathogenic chytrid fungusBatrachochytrium dendrobatidis(Bd) can cause precipitous population declines in its amphibian hosts. Responses of individuals to infection vary greatly with the capacity of their immune system to respond to the pathogen. We used a combination of comparative and experimental approaches to identify major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC-II) alleles encoding molecules that foster the survival of Bd-infected amphibians. We found that Bd-resistant amphibians across four continents share common amino acids in three binding pockets of the MHC-II antigen-binding groove. Moreover, strong signals of selection acting on these specific sites were evident among all species co-existing with the pathogen. In the laboratory, we experimentally inoculated Australian tree frogs with Bd to test how each binding pocket conformation influences disease resistance. Only the conformation of MHC-II pocket 9 of surviving subjects matched those of Bd-resistant species. This MHC-II conformation thus may determine amphibian resistance to Bd, although other MHC-II binding pockets also may contribute to resistance. Rescuing amphibian biodiversity will depend on our understanding of amphibian immune defence mechanisms against Bd. The identification of adaptive genetic markers for Bd resistance represents an important step forward towards that goal.
Binding space and time through action
Authors: Binetti N. , Hagura N. , Fadipe C. , Tomassini A. , Walsh V. , Bestmann S.
Published: March 2015

Space and time are intimately coupled dimensions in the human brain. Several lines of evidence suggest that space and time are processed by a shared analogue magnitude system. It has been proposed that actions are instrumental in establishing this shared magnitude system. Here we provide evidence in support of this hypothesis, by showing that the interaction between space and time is enhanced when magnitude information is acquired through action. Participants observed increases or decreases in the height of a visual bar (spatial magnitude) while judging whether a simultaneously presented sequence of acoustic tones had accelerated or decelerated (temporal magnitude). In one condition (Action), participants directly controlled the changes in bar height with a hand grip device, whereas in the other (No Action), changes in bar height were externally controlled but matched the spatial/temporal profile of the Action condition. The sign of changes in bar height biased the perceived rate of the tone sequences, where increases in bar height produced apparent increases in tone rate. This effect was amplified when the visual bar was actively controlled in the Action condition, and the strength of the interaction was scaled by the magnitude of the action. Subsequent experiments ruled out that this was simply explained by attentional factors, and additionally showed that a monotonic mapping is also required between grip force and bar height in order to bias the perception of the tones. These data provide support for an instrumental role of action in interfacing spatial and temporal quantities in the brain.
Role of the PhoP–PhoQ gene regulatory system in adaptation of Yersinia pestis to environmental stress in the flea digestive tract
Authors: Vadyvaloo Viveka , Viall Austin K. , Jarrett Clayton O. , Hinz Angela K. , Sturdevant Daniel E. , Joseph Hinnebusch B.
Published: March 2015

The Yersinia pestis PhoPQ gene regulatory system is induced during infection of the flea digestive tract and is required to produce adherent biofilm in the foregut, which greatly enhances bacterial transmission during a flea bite. To understand the in vivo context of PhoPQ induction and to determine PhoP-regulated targets in the flea, we undertook whole-genome comparative transcriptional profiling of Y. pestis WT and ΔphoP strains isolated from infected fleas and from temperature-matched in vitro planktonic and flow-cell biofilm cultures. In the absence of PhoP regulation, the gene expression program indicated that the bacteria experienced diverse physiological stresses and were in a metabolically less active state. Multiple stress response genes, including several toxin–antitoxin loci and YhcN family genes responsible for increased acid tolerance, were upregulated in the phoP mutant during flea infection. The data implied that PhoPQ was induced by low pH in the flea gut, and that PhoP modulated physiological adaptation to acid and other stresses encountered during infection of the flea. This adaptive response, together with PhoP-dependent modification of the bacterial outer surface that includes repression of pH 6 antigen fimbriae, supports stable biofilm development in the flea foregut.
Activin/Nodal signaling and NANOG orchestrate human embryonic stem cell fate decisions by controlling the H3K4me3 chromatin mark
Authors: Bertero Alessandro , Madrigal Pedro , Galli Antonella , Hubner Nina C. , Moreno Inmaculada , Burks Deborah , Brown Stephanie , Pedersen Roger A. , Gaffney Daniel , Mendjan Sasha , Pauklin Siim , Vallier Ludovic
Published: March 2015

Stem cells can self-renew and differentiate into multiple cell types. These characteristics are maintained by the combination of specific signaling pathways and transcription factors that cooperate to establish a unique epigenetic state. Despite the broad interest of these mechanisms, the precise molecular controls by which extracellular signals organize epigenetic marks to confer multipotency remain to be uncovered. Here, we use human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) to show that the Activin–SMAD2/3 signaling pathway cooperates with the core pluripotency factor NANOG to recruit the DPY30-COMPASS histone modifiers onto key developmental genes. Functional studies demonstrate the importance of these interactions for correct histone 3 Lys4 trimethylation and also self-renewal and differentiation. Finally, genetic studies in mice show that Dpy30 is also necessary to maintain pluripotency in the pregastrulation embryo, thereby confirming the existence of similar regulations in vivo during early embryonic development. Our results reveal the mechanisms by which extracellular factors coordinate chromatin status and cell fate decisions in hESCs.
A noncanonical PWI domain in the N-terminal helicase-associated region of the spliceosomal Brr2 protein
Authors: Absmeier Eva , Rosenberger Leonie , Apelt Luise , Becke Christian , Santos Karine F. , Stelzl Ulrich , Wahl Markus C.
Published: March 2015

The spliceosomal RNA helicase Brr2 is required for the assembly of a catalytically active spliceosome on a messenger RNA precursor. Brr2 exhibits an unusual organization with tandem helicase units, each comprising dual RecA-like domains and a Sec63 homology unit, preceded by a more than 400-residue N-terminal helicase-associated region. Whereas recent crystal structures have provided insights into the molecular architecture and regulation of the Brr2 helicase region, little is known about the structural organization and function of its N-terminal part. Here, a near-atomic resolution crystal structure of a PWI-like domain that resides in the N-terminal region ofChaetomium thermophilumBrr2 is presented. CD spectroscopic studies suggested that this domain is conserved in the yeast and human Brr2 orthologues. Although canonical PWI domains act as low-specificity nucleic acid-binding domains, no significant affinity of the unusual PWI domain of Brr2 for a broad spectrum of DNAs and RNAs was detected in band-shift assays. Consistently, theC. thermophilumBrr2 PWI-like domain, in the conformation seen in the present crystal structure, lacks an expanded positively charged surface patch as observed in at least one canonical, nucleic acid-binding PWI domain. Instead, in a comprehensive yeast two-hybrid screen against human spliceosomal proteins, fragments of the N-terminal region of human Brr2 were found to interact with several other spliceosomal proteins. At least one of these interactions, with the Prp19 complex protein SPF27, depended on the presence of the PWI-like domain. The results suggest that the N-terminal region of Brr2 serves as a versatile protein–protein interaction platform in the spliceosome and that some interactions require or are reinforced by the PWI-like domain.
Structure of struthiocalcin-1, an intramineral protein fromStruthio cameluseggshell, in two crystal forms
Authors: Ruiz-Arellano Rayana R. , Medrano Francisco J. , Moreno Abel , Romero Antonio
Published: March 2015

Biomineralization is the process by which living organisms produce minerals. One remarkable example is the formation of eggshells in birds. Struthiocalcins present in the ostrich (Struthio camellus) eggshell matrix act as biosensors of calcite growth during eggshell formation. Here, the crystal structure of struthiocalcin-1 (SCA-1) is reported in two different crystal forms. The structure is a compact single domain with an α/β fold characteristic of the C-type lectin family. In contrast to the related avian ovocleidin OC17, the electrostatic potential on the molecular surface is dominated by an acidic patch. Scanning electron microscopy combined with Raman spectroscopy indicates that these intramineral proteins (SCA-1 and SCA-2) induce calcium carbonate precipitation, leading to the formation of a stable form of calcite in the mature eggshell. Finally, the implications of these two intramineral proteins SCA-1 and SCA-2 in the nucleation of calcite during the formation of eggshells in ratite birds are discussed.
ANS complex of St John's wort PR-10 protein with 28 copies in the asymmetric unit: a fiendish combination of pseudosymmetry with tetartohedral twinning
Authors: Sliwiak Joanna , Dauter Zbigniew , Kowiel Marcin , McCoy Airlie J. , Read Randy J. , Jaskolski Mariusz
Published: March 2015

Hyp-1, a pathogenesis-related class 10 (PR-10) protein from St John's wort (Hypericum perforatum), was crystallized in complex with the fluorescent probe 8-anilino-1-naphthalene sulfonate (ANS). The highly pseudosymmetric crystal has 28 unique protein molecules arranged in columns with sevenfold translational noncrystallographic symmetry (tNCS) alongcand modulated X-ray diffraction with intensity crests atl= 7nandl= 7n± 3. The translational NCS is combined with pseudotetragonal rotational NCS. The crystal was a perfect tetartohedral twin, although detection of twinning was severely hindered by the pseudosymmetry. The structure determined at 2.4 Å resolution reveals that the Hyp-1 molecules (packed as β-sheet dimers) have three novel ligand-binding sites (two internal and one in a surface pocket), which was confirmed by solution studies. In addition to 60 Hyp-1-docked ligands, there are 29 interstitial ANS molecules distributed in a pattern that violates the arrangement of the protein molecules and is likely to be the generator of the structural modulation. In particular, whenever the stacked Hyp-1 molecules are found closer together there is an ANS molecule bridging them.
Understanding fundamental and practical ingredients of construction project data management
Authors: Kähkönen Kalle , Rannisto Jukka
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– This paper and research behind it aim to explain key elements behind construction project data management by looking at actual operations. The construction project management is heavily built around document control and relating events such as change orders, submittals, transmittals and requests for information. These functionalities are usually forming the core of electronic data/document management systems (EDMS), and more recently solutions based on Building Information Modelling (BIM) technologies. A growing share of buildings construction projects are designed and documented by using BIM applications. BIM applications can form spatially organised access to project data and documents which, if widely applied, can change the world of EDMS solutions.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper presents results of a research effort where the use of EDMS was studied in 15 building construction case projects. The research focus was on EDMS structure, usage of EDMS in each case project and EDMS use models.

Findings

– The gained results explain content and characteristics of current practice. It is considered that useful knowledge can be learned from the present used of EDMS in building construction projects. This understanding can help our sector to move towards more advanced solutions.

Research limitations/implications

– The obtained research data are a certain kind of building development projects. These were renovation and change projects of existing buildings.

Originality/value

– Although the main stream of research has been technology-driven, the research behind this paper is targeting for new knowledge over the characteristics of EDMS use.
Linking operations strategy, environmental dynamism and firm performance
Authors: Akgul Arzu Karaman , Gozlu Sitki , Tatoglu Ekrem
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine empirically the causal links among operations strategy (OS), environmental dynamism (ED) and firm performance (FP) within the context of a key emerging economy, Turkey.

Design/methodology/approach

– Drawing on a structured questionnaire, data for the study was collected from a sample of 211 firms that are listed in the database of the Turkey’s largest 1,000 manufacturing firms. The research framework was tested using partial least squares method, which is a variance-based structural equation modeling approach.

Findings

– The results indicate that ED is positively and significantly related to OS dimensions. ED is also found to have a strong and positive influence on FP. Some strong support has also been found regarding the effect of OS on FP.

Research limitations/implications

– The study’s narrow focus on Turkish companies precludes the generalization of findings to other emerging countries as well as other sectors that may benefit from OS. Also, the collection of data from a single respondent in each firm might be a cause for possible response bias.

Practical implications

– This study provides managers with a useful tool for evaluating the efficiency of their OS relative to their competitors in dynamic business environments. Moreover, the findings of this study are envisaged to aid company managers in their endeavors to craft and execute successful strategies where appropriate environmental considerations and new operations capabilities should be incorporated to their broader strategic plans.

Originality/value

– The main contribution of this study stems from its examination of the causal links among OS, ED and FP within the context of a key emerging economy, Turkey.
Investigation on fatigue behavior of single SnAgCu/SnPb solder joint by rapid thermal cycling
Authors: Chen Jibing , Yin Yanfang , Ye Jianping , Wu Yiping
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the thermal fatigue behavior of a single Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu (SAC) lead-free and 63Sn-37Pb (SnPb) solder joint treated by rapidly alternating heating and cooling cycles.

Design/methodology/approach

– With the application of electromagnetic-induced heating, the specimen was heated and cooled, controlled with a system that uses a fuzzy logic algorithm. The microstructure and morphology of the interface between the solder ball and Cu substrate was observed using scanning electron microscopy. The intermetallic compounds and the solder bump surface were analyzed by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction, respectively.

Findings

– The experimental results showed that rapid thermal cycling had an evident influence on the surface and interfacial microstructure of a single solder joint. The experiment revealed that microcracks originate and propagate on the superficial oxide of the solder bump after rapid thermal cycling.

Originality/value

– Analysis, based on finite element modeling and metal thermal fatigue mechanism, determined that the rimous cracks can be explained by the heat deformation theory and the function of temperature distribution in materials physics.
The ventral portion of the anterior pretectal nucleus controls descending mechanisms that initiate neuropathic pain in rats
Authors: Rossaneis Ana C , Prado Wiliam A
Published: March 2015

Stimulating the dorsal anterior pretectal nucleus (dAPtN) in rats is more effective than stimulating the ventral APtN (vAPtN) at reducing tail‐flick latency, whereas stimulation of the vAPtN is more effective at reducing postoperative pain behaviour. This study examines whether a cell lesion caused by injecting N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate into the dAPtN or vAPtN changes the withdrawal threshold of a rat hind paw during different phases of the tactile hypersensitivity induced by a chronic constriction injury (CCI) of the contralateral sciatic nerve. The number of Fos immunoreactive cells in the APtN was also evaluated. The rats whose vAPtN was lesioned 2 days before CCI had more intense tactile hypersensitivity 2 days after CCI than that of the control group, but the groups were not different 7 days after the CCI. The rats whose vAPtN was lesioned 5 days after CCI had withdrawal thresholds that did not differ significantly 7 days after the CCI. The tactile hypersensitivity of the rats whose dAPtN was lesioned 2 days before or 5 days after CCI was not different from that of the control on the second and seventh days after the CCI. The number of Fos immunoreactive cells in the vAPtN and dAPtN increased 2 days after CCI, but did not differ from that in the control 7 days after CCI. We conclude that vAPtN and dAPtN cells are activated by nerve injury; the vAPtN exerts inhibitory control of the initial phase of neuropathic pain whereas the dAPtN does not appear to exert an inhibitory effect in neuropathic processing.
Diguanylate cyclase DgcP is involved in plant and human Pseudomonas spp. infections
Authors: Aragon Isabel M. , Pérez‐Mendoza Daniel , Moscoso Joana A. , Faure Emmanuel , Guery Benoit , Gallegos María‐Trinidad , Filloux Alain , Ramos Cayo
Published: March 2015

The second messenger cyclic di‐GMP (c‐di‐GMP) controls the transition between different lifestyles in bacterial pathogens. Here, we report the identification of DgcP (diguanylate cyclase conserved in Pseudomonads), whose activity in the olive tree pathogen Pseudomonas savastanoi pv. savastanoi is dependent on the integrity of its GGDEF domain. Furthermore, deletion of the dgcP gene revealed that DgcP negatively regulates motility and positively controls biofilm formation in both the olive tree pathogen P. savastanoi pv. savastanoi and the human opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Overexpression of the dgcP gene in P. aeruginosa PAK led to increased exopolysaccharide production and upregulation of the type VI secretion system; in turn, it repressed the type III secretion system, which is a hallmark of chronic infections and persistence for P. aeruginosa. Deletion of the dgcP gene in P. savastanoi pv. savastanoi NCPPB 3335 and P. aeruginosa PAK reduced their virulence in olive plants and in a mouse acute lung injury model respectively. Our results show that diguanylate cyclase DgcP is a conserved Pseudomonas protein with a role in virulence, and confirm the existence of common c‐di‐GMP signalling pathways that are capable of regulating plant and human Pseudomonas spp. infections.
Three‐dimensional structure and cyanobacterial activity within a desert biological soil crust
Authors: Raanan Hagai , Felde Vincent J. M. N. L. , Peth Stephan , Drahorad Sylvie , Ionescu Danny , Eshkol Gil , Treves Haim , Felix‐Henningsen Peter , Berkowicz Simon M. , Keren Nir , Horn Rainer , Hagemann Martin , Kaplan Aaron
Published: March 2015

Desert biological soil crusts (BSCs) are formed by adhesion of soil particles to polysaccharides excreted by filamentous cyanobacteria, the pioneers and main producers in this habitat. Biological soil crust destruction is a central factor leading to land degradation and desertification. We study the effect of BSC structure on cyanobacterial activity. Micro‐scale structural analysis using X‐ray microtomography revealed a vesiculated layer 1.5–2.5 mm beneath the surface in close proximity to the cyanobacterial location. Light profiles showed attenuation with depth of 1%–5% of surface light within 1 mm but also revealed the presence of ‘light pockets’, coinciding with the vesiculated layer, where the irradiance was 10‐fold higher than adjacent crust parts at the same depth. Maximal photosynthetic activity, examined by O2 concentration profiles, was observed 1 mm beneath the surface and another peak in association with the ‘light pockets’. Thus, photosynthetic activity may not be visible to currently used remote sensing techniques, suggesting that BSCs' contribution to terrestrial productivity is underestimated. Exposure to irradiance higher than 10% full sunlight diminished chlorophyll fluorescence, whereas O2 evolution and CO2 uptake rose, indicating that fluorescence did not reflect cyanobacterial photosynthetic activity. Our data also indicate that although resistant to high illumination, the BSC‐inhabiting cyanobacteria function as ‘low‐light adapted’ organisms.
Inwardizing Rilke's dog of ‘divine inseeing’ into itself
Authors: Mogenson Greg
Published: March 2015

The article explores a text of the poet R.M. Rilke in the manner of Psychology as the Discipline of Interiority (PDI). PDI, developed mainly in the writings of Wolfgang Giegerich, refers to the ‘speculative turn’ within analytical psychology. The speculative turn involves an interpretative stance that strictly adheres to Jung's seminal insight into psychology's lack of an empirically‐objective, Archimedean vantage‐point outside of or beyond the psyche. The paper aims to demonstrate that, for all its beauty, the account of interiority that is celebrated in the passage from Rilke is self‐contradictory. This is due to its being naively conceived as the undialectical opposite of an external viewpoint that it is unable to overcome. Whereas Rilke merely imagines interiority by means of the visual image of his getting inside a dog as one passes by, the interpretative approach taken in this article thinks interiority by reflecting Rilke's text into itself in the speculative manner that is provided for and required by Jung's insight into psychology's lack of an Archimedean vantage‐point. If we interpret the text in this way, an understanding of interiority that is truly in accord with its concept is opened up and a main aspect of psychology as the discipline of interiority is performatively demonstrated.
Thresholds in the relationship between functional diversity and patch size for mammals in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest
Authors: Magioli M. , Ribeiro M. C. , Ferraz K. M. P. M. B. , Rodrigues M. G.
Published: March 2015

Patch size affects abundance and diversity of mammal species, but there is little information on threshold regarding this relationship or relating it to functional diversity. Therefore, we aimed with this study to (1) evaluate if the functional diversity of medium‐ and large‐sized mammal assemblages can be explained by patch size; (2) if this relationship is positive, evaluate whether it is linear (neutral hypothesis) or has critical thresholds (threshold hypothesis); (3) propose specific conservation strategies for each situation. We used primary and secondary mammal database for different forest remnants sizes in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest biome. We calculated functional diversity (FD), using an ecologically meaningful set of traits: body mass and locomotion form, behavioral and dietary traits, and environmental sensitivity of species. We compared linear models with threshold models using Akaike information criterion (AIC). FD values increased with patch size, possibly associated with the high complexity and heterogeneity of larger areas. The threshold model better explained the pattern between FD values and patch sizes than the linear one (delta AIC = 35.8), confirming our threshold hypothesis. Two thresholds (at 60 and 2050 ha) were identified. Our results highlight the need of compliance with the Brazilian Forest Code for assemblages in fragments lower than 60 ha. For assemblages in fragments between the two thresholds whose FD values significantly increased with patch size, we recommend improvements in conservation planning. For assemblages in fragments bigger than 2050 ha, we suggest the establishment of new protected areas, or at least, the maintenance of the existent ones. Our approach can serve as the basis for analysis with other taxonomic groups and ecosystems, increasing chances of maintaining faunal ecological functions, and improving species conservation.
Continental systems tracts of the Brazilian Cretaceous Bauru Basin and their relationship with the tectonic and climatic evolution of South America
Authors: Batezelli Alessandro
Published: March 2015

The application of sequence stratigraphy concepts to continental deposits lacking the referece provided sea level has been a challenge, mainly because the temporal relationships between stratigraphic surfaces and systems tracts depend on the tectonic and climatic evolution of the area. Using the concept of accommodation space (A) and sediment supply (S), we identify specific stacking patterns of aeolian, lacustrine, fluvial and alluvial systems that correspond to the particular tectonic and climatic evolution of the southeastern portion of South America. With the end of the Early Cretaceous volcanism (133 Ma), the southeastern portion of South America underwent tectonic restructuring, which generated basins that encompassed continental sedimentary sequences. The tectonic events responsible for the accumulation of these sequences occurred during two primary phases. The first phase is related to Early Cretaceous thermal subsidence, which was more pronounced in the regions where the thickest Serra Geral Formation basaltic successions are found, resulting in the formation of Bauru Basin. The second phase was related to the Late Cretaceous uplift in southeastern Brazil as a result of magmatic/volcanic activity associated with the Trindade Mantle Plume. Stratigraphic analysis based on well‐logs and outcrops and aided by petrographic studies identified three sequences that are bounded by regional unconformities that record important changes in the Bauru Basin's tectonic and paleoenvironmental conditions. The unconformity K‐0 is related to the origin of the Bauru Basin in the Early Cretaceous. The Early Cretaceous Sequence 1 (Caiuá Group) is interpreted as a second‐ order sequence, formed by aeolian and fluvial deposits and constituting a Fluvial‐Aeolian Systems Tract. Unconformity K‐1 that was generated in the Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian – Campanian?) is related to the tectonic evolution of the basin and source area. Overlying Unconformity K‐1, lacustrine, fluvial and alluvial deposits display progradational characteristics of the two‐third‐ order sequences: Sequences 2A and 2B, constituted by the Fluvial‐Lacustrine and Alluvial Systems Tracts, respectively, and separated by the Unconformity K‐1A. Sedimentological characteristics, paleosols and stratigraphic architecture, suggest that A/S ratio was neutral in the late stage of the Sequence 1, whereas in the Sequence 2 there was an increase (Sequence 2A) followed by a decrease in the A/S ratio (Sequence 2B). Aeolian facies and paleosol P1 (Sequence 1), fluvial‐lacustrine facies and hydromorphic soils (Sequence 2A), and alluvial facies and Paleosol P2 (Sequence 2B), indicate climatic changes in the South American during the Cretaceous. The stratigraphic framework, subaerial unconformities and paleosols provide key elements for subdividing of the Brazilian continental sequence into third‐order sequences and systems tracts, for identification of allocyclic and autocyclic patterns in time and space.
Electrochemotherapy in advanced skin tumors and cutaneous metastases – a retrospective multicenter analysis
Authors: Kreuter Alexander , van Eijk Tina , Lehmann Percy , Fischer Matthias , Horn Thomas , Assaf Chalid , Schley Gaston , Herbst Rudolf , Kellner Ivonne , Weisbrich Christiane , Hyun Julia , Wieland Ulrike , Schlaak Max , Rübben Albert , Lommel Kerstin
Published: March 2015

Background and objectives

Once classic treatments such as chemotherapy or radiation therapy have been exhausted, only few therapeutic options remain for extensive skin tumors or cutaneous metastases. In such cases, electrochemotherapy may be considered as alternative therapy.

Patients and methods

In this retrospective study, clinical features, treatment response, and adverse effects were evaluated in 56 patients treated with electrochemotherapy at six German dermatology departments.

Results

The mean age of the patient cohort (14 men, 42 women) was 69.3 years. Included were 20 patients with skin metastasis of advanced malignant melanoma, 13 patients with breast cancer metastases, 15 patients with primary squamous cell carcinoma of the skin or cutaneous metastases of other carcinoma types, and 8 patients with cutaneous lymphoma or sarcoma. The overall response rate was 44.6% (10.7% complete response; 33.9% partial response). By contrast, 31 (55.4%) patients did not respond (12.5% had stable disease; 42.9%, tumor progression). Patients with melanoma and cutaneous lymphoma or sarcoma responded significantly better than those with carcinoma. Roughly one quarter of patients showed an improvement in tumor‐related exudation, fetor, and chronic bleeding.

Conclusion

Showing only few adverse effects, electrochemotherapy was effective in about one half of the patients with advanced tumors. Treatment response appears to depend on the tumor entity.
Abnormalities in chromosome 6q24 as a cause of early‐onset, non‐obese, non‐autoimmune diabetes mellitus without history of neonatal diabetes
Authors: Yorifuji T. , Matsubara K. , Sakakibara A. , Hashimoto Y. , Kawakita R. , Hosokawa Y. , Fujimaru R. , Murakami A. , Tamagawa N. , Hatake K. , Nagasaka H. , Suzuki J. , Urakami T. , Izawa M. , Kagami M.
Published: March 2015

Aims

Abnormalities in the imprinted locus on chromosome 6q24 are the most common causes of transient neonatal diabetes mellitus (6q24‐related transient neonatal diabetes). 6q24‐Related transient neonatal diabetes is characterized by the patient being small‐for‐gestational age, diabetes mellitus at birth, spontaneous remission within the first few months and frequent recurrence of diabetes after childhood. However, it is not clear whether individuals with 6q24 abnormalities invariably develop transient neonatal diabetes. This study explored the possibility that 6q24 abnormalities might cause early‐onset, non‐autoimmune diabetes without transient neonatal diabetes.

Methods

The 6q24 imprinted locus was screened for abnormalities in 113 Japanese patients with early‐onset, non‐obese, non‐autoimmune diabetes mellitus who tested negative for mutations in the common maturation‐onset diabetes of the young (MODY) genes and without a history of transient neonatal diabetes. Positive patients were further analysed by combined loss of heterozygosity / comparative genomic hybridization analysis and by microsatellite analysis. Detailed clinical data were collected through the medical records of the treating hospitals.

Results

Three patients with paternal uniparental isodisomy of chromosome 6q24 were identified. None presented with hyperglycaemia in the neonatal period. Characteristically, these patients were born small‐for‐gestational age, representing 27.2% of the 11 patients whose birth weight standard deviation score (SDS) for gestational age was below −2.0.

Conclusions

Abnormalities in the imprinted locus on chromosome 6q24 do not necessarily cause transient neonatal diabetes. Non‐penetrant 6q24‐related diabetes could be an underestimated cause of early‐onset, non‐autoimmune diabetes in patients who are not obese and born small‐for‐gestational age.
Cell‐specific regulation of neuronal activity by endogenous production of nitric oxide
Authors: Zhong Lei Ray , Estes Stephen , Artinian Liana , Rehder Vincent
Published: March 2015

Nitric oxide (NO) is a key regulator of neuronal excitability in the nervous system. While most studies have investigated its role as an intercellular messenger/modulator, less is known about potential physiological roles played by NO within NO‐producing neurons. We showed previously that intrinsic production of NO within B5 neurons of the pond snail Helisoma trivolvis increased neuronal excitability by acting on three ionic conductances. Here we demonstrate that intrinsically produced NO affected two of the same conductances in another buccal neuron, B19, where it had the opposite, namely inhibitory, effect on neuronal activity. Using single‐cell RT‐PCR, we show that B19 neurons express NO synthase (NOS) mRNA. The inhibition of intrinsic NO production with NOS inhibitors caused membrane potential depolarization, transient spiking and an increase in input resistance. Inhibition of the main intracellular receptor of NO, soluble guanylyl cyclase, had similar effects on the parameters mentioned above. An investigation of the effects of NO on ion channels revealed that intrinsic NO mediated neuronal hyperpolarization by activating voltage‐gated calcium channels that in turn caused the tonic opening of apamin‐sensitive calcium‐activated potassium channels. The analysis of action potentials in B5 and B19 neurons suggested that the opposite effects on neuronal excitability elicited by intrinsic NO were probably determined by differences in the ionic conductances that shape their action potentials. In summary, we describe a mechanism by which B19 neurons utilise intrinsically produced NO in a cell‐type‐specific fashion to decrease their neuronal activity, highlighting an important physiological role of NO within NO‐producing neurons.