bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Paeonol ameliorates monosodium urate‐induced arthritis in rats through inhibiting nuclear factor‐κB‐mediated proinflammatory cytokine production
Authors: Chen Gang , Jia Ping , Yin Zhong‐yi , Kong Shu‐zhen , Xiang Zhao‐bao , Zheng Xu‐xu
Published: August 2019

Moutan Cortex has been widely used to treat various types of arthritis in traditional Chinese medicine. Paeonol is isolated as an active ingredient from Moutan Cortex. However, the effect and potential mechanism of paeonol on gouty arthritis have not been evaluated. In this study, rats were treated intragastrically with paeonol for consecutive 7 days. On Day 5, rats were intra‐articularly injected with monosodium urate (MSU) crystals in the ankle joints to induce MSU‐induced arthritis (MIA). Paw volume was detected at various time points. Gait score was measured at 24 hr after MSU crystal injection. Ankle joints were collected for evaluation of histological score and expression of proinflammatory cytokines using hematoxylin and eosin staining and immunohistochemistry staining, respectively. Nuclear level of nuclear factor (NF)‐κBp65 in synovial tissues was analyzed by western blot assay. NF‐κB DNA‐binding activity was measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Paeonol markedly lowered the paw volume, gait score, and histological score in MIA rats. Mechanistically, paeonol markedly reduced the expression of TNF‐α, IL‐1β, and IL‐6 in synovial tissues of MIA rats. In addition, the elevated level of p65 in nucleus and NF‐κB DNA‐binding activity in synovial tissues of MIA rats were reduced significantly by paeonol treatment. These findings suggest that paeonol exerts anti‐inflammatory effect in MIA rats through inhibiting expression of proinflammatory cytokines and NF‐κB activation.
Stabilizing heteroatom‐centered 16‐vertex group 11 tetrahedral architectures: Bonding and structural considerations toward versatile endohedral species
Authors: Gam Franck , Arratia‐Pérez Ramiro , Kahlal Samia , Saillard Jean‐Yves , Muñoz‐Castro Alvaro
Published: August 2019

Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were carried out on a series of clusters made of a centered tetrahedral 16‐atom superatomic cage having 20 or 18 jellium electrons (je) and structurally related to [Au20], namely [X@M16] (M = group 11; X = group 2, 4, 12, 14 element). Such species provide further information of how two different electron counts offer a more preferred endohedral situation for specific group elements. Calculations show that the encapsulated atom provides supplementary orbitals to stabilize the bonding M16 MO's. Different favored electron counts are found depending on the nature of the encapsulated atom, as observed by the formation of 20‐je species when encapsulating a group 14 element and 18‐je species when encapsulating a group 2 element. In addition, the capabilities to enable reactive sites along the cage structure are found via the formation of σ holes at the coinage‐metal edges, as shown by their electrostatic potential surface. Such naked species, which constitute an interesting addition to libraries of examples as small models for doped M(111) surfaces of fcc metals, reveal that different superatomic electronic configurations can favor the encapsulation of certain group elements. These results can guide further design of endohedral species.
Contributions of Single-Cell Approaches for Probing Heterogeneity and Dynamics of Neural Progenitors Throughout Life: Concise Review
Authors: Marcy Guillaume , Raineteau Olivier
Published: August 2019

Development of the forebrain occurs in a stepwise manner from a pool of neural progenitors (NPs), which differs over space and time to produce distinct progenies. The sequence of events leading to the generation of the exquisite complexity of cell types that compose this tissue has been described in great detail at the population level. Recent advances in histology and transcriptomics have allowed probing spatial and temporal heterogeneity and dynamics of NPs at the single-cell level. Clonal fate mapping studies highlight a deterministic behavior as well as the existence of trajectories in the lineage progression of prenatal and postnatal NPs, whereas single-cell transcriptomic studies shed new light on the transcriptional signatures of these processes. Here, we review this recent work and integrate it to our current understanding of forebrain germinal activity at prenatal and postnatal time points. Stem Cells  2019;37:1381–1388
How water quality standards for pesticides affect the classification of the chemical status of rivers
Authors: Milano Marianne , Chèvre Nathalie
Published: August 2019

Awareness of the presence of high concentrations of pesticides in Swiss rivers has increased in the last decade. Since 2017, the Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications is planning to introduce new regulatory acceptable concentrations for surface water of 38 organic pesticides. Based on pesticide concentration analyses carried out in a small agricultural catchment in the canton of Vaud, over the 2005–2015 period, we review the impacts of this legislative revision on the chemical status of rivers. A first comparison between the historical standard (0.1 μg/L) and revised water quality criteria (WQC) highlights that standards are raised for 12 pesticides and lowered for 25 pesticides, sometimes with very high ratios. Risk coefficients were computed based on the historical standard and revised WQC to determine the chemical status of the river. The worst‐case value was retained to define this status. Individual risk coefficients indicate that more pesticides meet the revised WQC than the historical one, leading to very different chemical status. According to the historical standard, the chemical status of the Boiron River is defined as moderate to poor, and the main problem is the presence of herbicides. According to the revised WQC, the chemical status is good, and periodically moderate or poor. Ninety percent of the pesticides identified had a low to very low ecotoxicological risk coefficient. Other issues related to insecticides were identified. Based on these results, we discuss the importance of the standard chosen when defining regulatory acceptable concentrations.

This article is categorized under:

Water and Life > Conservation, Management, and Awareness

Science of Water > Water Quality

Engineering Water > Sustainable Engineering of Water
Immunoengineering in glioblastoma imaging and therapy
Authors: Zanganeh Steven , Georgala Petrina , Corbo Claudia , Arabi Leila , Ho Jim Q. , Javdani Najme , Sepand Mohammad R. , Cruickshank Kiara , Campesato Luis F. , Weng Chien‐Huan , Hemayat Saeed , Andreou Chrysafis , Alvim Ricardo , Hutter Gregor , Rafat Marjan , Mahmoudi Morteza
Published: August 2019

Patients diagnosed with glioblastoma have poor prognosis. Conventional treatment strategies such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy demonstrated limited clinical success and have considerable side effects on healthy tissues. A central challenge in treating brain tumors is the poor permeability of the blood–brain barrier (BBB) to therapeutics. Recently, various methods based on immunotherapy and nanotechnology have demonstrated potential in addressing these obstacles by enabling precise targeting of brain tumors to minimize adverse effects, while increasing targeted drug delivery across the BBB. In addition to treating the tumors, these approaches may be used in conjunction with imaging modalities, such as magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography to enhance the prognosis procedures. This review aims to provide mechanistic understanding of immune system regulation in the central nervous system and the benefits of nanoparticles in the prognosis of brain tumors.

This article is characterized under:

Diagnostic Tools > in vivo Nanodiagnostics and Imaging

Nanotechnology Approaches to Biology > Cells at the Nanoscale

Nanotechnology Approaches to Biology > Nanoscale Systems in Biology
IoT Frameworks and Complexity
Authors: Cheruvu Sunil , Kumar Anil , Smith Ned , Wheeler David M.
Published: August 2019

In Chapter 1 we explored device cost dynamics when security is built-in from the beginning. Either the cost of the device increases or the ratio of device resources attributed to non-security-related functionality decreases. However, ignoring security results in the IoT device becoming the “weak link.” This chapter surveys IoT frameworks. We categorized them according to a consumer, industrial, or manageability focus though many seek broader relevance. IoT frameworks hide a lot of underlying complexity as the industry wrestles with embracing newer Internet protocols while maintaining backward compatibility. A plethora of standards setting groups have come to the rescue offering insightful perspectives on framework design to accommodate broader interoperability goals. But this may be too much of a good thing as framework interoperability has become yet another interoperability challenge. Framework designs often emphasize differing objectives, interoperability, adaptability, performance, and manageability. We offer an idealized framework that focuses on security to add contrast to what the industry already has considered. This chapter is lengthy relative to the other chapters in part because there are many IoT framework standards available and each takes a different perspective. Each has merit but ultimately the IoT ecosystem is likely to reduce the number of viable frameworks. We nevertheless encourage continued IoT framework evolution that removes unnecessary complexity and places security by design at the center.
Politics of Mobility and Stability in Authorizing European Heritage: Estonia’s Great Guild Hall
Authors: Kaasik-Krogerus Sigrid
Published: August 2019

Kaasik-Krogerus scrutinizes the European Heritage Label (EHL) as an authorized heritage discourse (AHD) in the making. She analyses how the discourse is formed in a politics of mobility and stability between the local, national, and European scales resulting from the interplay of europeanization (of the national and local) and domestication (of the European). The chapter asks how this politics of mobility and stability is conducted to manage the scalar dissonance in one of the sites, the Great Guild Hall in Tallinn, Estonia. Kaasik-Krogerus argues that the politics conducted in the exhibitions works in two controversial ways: legitimizing mobility and stability as natural and simultaneously challenging these as problematic. The analysis illuminates the dissonance between the national-scale intents and their consequences on the European scale concerning power relations, multiscalarity, and future imaginaries.
Geography of Emotions Across the Black Mediterranean: Oral Memories and Dissonant Heritages of Slavery and the Colonial Past
Authors: Proglio Gabriele
Published: August 2019

This contribution is dedicated to analysing oral memories about the Black Mediterranean through interviews with people from or culturally linked to the Horn of Africa. The aim is to consider how the interviewees make use of archives to voice their feelings about the past and present in Africa and Europe. I introduce the concept of a “geography of emotions” as a set of different perceptions of Europe and its past. The mobilization of these memories in new interpretative perspectives is part of a dissonant heritage which is actively working inside the European borders in order to produce new cultural identities, to reiterate forms of belonging to black diasporic communities, and to invent new geographies from liminal positions.
Seen Through Other Eyes—Opening Up New Vistas in Realistic Mathematics Education Through Visions and Experiences from Other Countries
Authors: van den Heuvel-Panhuizen Marja
Published: August 2019

This chapter is a synthesis of visions on and experiences with Realistic Mathematics Education (RME) described in the eighteen following chapters of this volume by forty-four authors from fifteen different countries. Through a process of synthesizing information from these chapters and combining and contrasting what the authors wrote about RME, a comprehensive image emerged of the theory and practice of RME, together with some new vistas. The chapter is structured around the following themes: making acquaintance with RME, narratives of first experiences with RME, highlighted outstanding features of RME, processes of implementation of RME and their challenges, adaptations of RME, criticisms of RME, and the flavours of RME that can be found in foreign curricula, textbooks, instructional materials, and teaching methods. Finally, to conclude the chapter, I reflect on new insights related to RME and directions for its further development that can be gained from this input from abroad.
Realistic Mathematics Education in the Chinese Context—Some Personal Reflections
Authors: Sun Xiaotian , He Wei
Published: August 2019

In this chapter, we start with a historical review of how Professor Hans Freudenthal and Realistic Mathematics Education (RME) became known in China, and how the academic exchange between Chinese scholars in the field of mathematics education and researchers at the Freudenthal Institute initiated and continued later. Then we discuss the positive impact of RME. Specifically, we cite some living examples for how the theoretical and empirical research substances related to RME-influenced mathematics curriculum development in China. These examples include the fields of curricular policy making, textbook design and classroom teaching.
The Impact of Hans Freudenthal and the Freudenthal Institute on the Project Mathe 2000
Authors: Wittmann Erich Ch.
Published: August 2019

This chapter is an attempt to describe the direct and indirect influence Hans Freudenthal and his institute had on the developmental research conducted by Mathe 2000. Special attention will be given to the balance of pure and applied mathematics in designing learning environments, where RME and Mathe 2000 differ to some extent, and to the role of mathematics in mathematics education.
Learning to Look at the World Through Mathematical Spectacles—A Personal Tribute to Realistic Mathematics Education
Authors: Arcavi Abraham
Published: August 2019

As professionals of mathematics education, we seldom offer personal accounts of our own learning and development. Although such subjective experiences may be idiosyncratic and hardly generalisable, a brief racconto of what and how one came to know may be useful—firstly, to those from whom we learned (maybe what we learned from them is not what they intended to teach us, and this is worth explicating), secondly, to those whom we teach (for them to know who we are and some of the sources of our learning), and, thirdly, to some colleagues willing to start conversations and to share experiences. This essay subjectively describes aspects of the inspiration generated by the insightful, applicable and effective principles of mathematics instruction that Realistic Mathematics Education has offered to us all, influencing the approaches to teaching and learning and the doing in mathematics education.
From the Bottom Up—Reinventing Realistic Mathematics Education in Southern Argentina
Authors: Zolkower Betina , Bressan Ana María , Pérez Silvia , Gallego María Fernanda
Published: August 2019

This chapter focuses on the Grupo Patagónico de Didáctica de la Matemática (GPDM), a collective of about twenty teachers and teacher educators in Southern Argentina who, united by a shared interest in making mathematics meaningful, relevant, and accessible to all students, have been learning about, adapting, implementing, and contributing to Realistic Mathematics Education (RME). The chapter is organised as follows. First, we outline the state of mathematics education reform in Argentina in the 1990s. Next, we describe how the GPDM was formed, how participants learned about and implemented RME in their classrooms, and how the group’s sphere of influence in Grades K–12 and in pre-service and in-service mathematics teacher education expanded from the local to the regional, the national, and the international level. We close with a reflection on what we have learned throughout this creative appropriation process. Throughout the chapter, a selection of annotated vignettes on the work of GPDM teachers and their students illustrate the manner in which the legacy of Hans Freudenthal materialised and continues to materialise in Argentinean classrooms.
Exploring the ‘Shadows’ in the Implementation Processes for National Anti-fraud Strategies at the Local Level: Aims, Ownership, and Impact
Authors: Levi Michael , Doig Alan
Published: August 2019

This article studies the development and implementation of a nationally drafted strategy for fraud in local government in England. The purpose, relevant to other countries which also face (or evade) problems of policy outreach, is to consider what is required to achieve effective implementation through three broad aspects: aims, ownership, and impact. There is a particular focus on the assessment of the strategy implementation process and what mechanisms translate strategies into effective delivery or what other factors may subvert that delivery. The empirical research draws on the UK government’s 2006 policy review on fraud and the consequential changes between then and 2019, including a number of fraud strategies initiated by the United Kingdom central government. To review implementation in practice, it focuses on the 2011 local government strategy and uses a local-level case study to assess issues concerning aims, ownership, and impact, as well as the effect of other nationally determined policies and agendas. It concludes that without an ‘owned’ strategy implementation process as a whole, national strategies concerning the prevention and policing of fraud in England in the twenty-first century have had—and continue to have—modest impact on practice on the ground at the local level. We find it plausible that this is true elsewhere in the world, not only for crime control but also for other ‘change’ strategies in the public sector. However, testing that proposition is for researchers in other countries. Our aim here is to use this superficially parochial study to raise more universal questions about how policy designers (and academic researchers) need to take better account of circumstances on the ground, the management of strategy implementation and legitimacy, if their strategies are to be more than merely symbolic rhetoric.
Missing children appeal designs: Is recall accuracy influenced by the design of the appeal?
Authors: Hunt Daniel , Ioannou Maria , Synnott John
Published: August 2019

When a child goes missing it is common practice to release an appeal of the child in the hope that a member of the public could help to identify and locate them. Despite being an everyday occurrence, there remains a significant gap in our understanding of how effective these appeals are. The present study sought to explore the effectiveness of missing children appeals through the recall accuracy of the general public immediately after observing the appeals and again after a three-day delay. One hundred and eighty-two participants observed either a mock Child Rescue Alert or a mock Twitter appeal. The results found no significant difference in recall accuracy between the design of the appeals although there was a significant difference in recall error. Confidence in own recall accuracy and the length of time spent observing the appeals were also found to be significantly associated with recall accuracy. Initial recall accuracy scores were significantly higher than recall accuracy scores following a three-day break. This exploratory study demonstrates the requirement to improve missing children appeals and lays the foundation for future studies to build on these findings further.
Rates of age‐ and amyloid β‐associated cortical atrophy in older adults with superior memory performance
Authors: Dang Christa , Yassi Nawaf , Harrington Karra D. , Xia Ying , Lim Yen Ying , Ames David , Laws Simon M. , Hickey Martha , Rainey‐Smith Stephanie , Sohrabi Hamid R. , Doecke James D. , Fripp Jurgen , Salvado Olivier , Snyder Peter J. , Weinborn Michael , Villemagne Victor L. , Rowe Christopher C. , Masters Colin L. , Maruff Paul ,   AIBL Research Group, Chambers Brian , Chiu Edmond , Clarnette Roger , Darby David , Davison Mary , Drago John , Drysdale Peter , Gilbert Jacqueline , Lim Kwang , Lautenschlager Nicola , LoGiudice Dina , McCardle Peter , McFarlane Steve , Mander Alastair , Merory John , O'Connor Daniel , Scholes Ron , Samuel Mathew , Trivedi Darshan , Woodward Michael
Published: August 2019

Introduction

Superior cognitive performance in older adults may reflect underlying resistance to age‐associated neurodegeneration. While elevated amyloid β (Aβ) deposition (Aβ+) has been associated with increased cortical atrophy, it remains unknown whether “SuperAgers” may be protected from Aβ‐associated neurodegeneration.

Methods

Neuropsychologically defined SuperAgers (n = 172) and cognitively normal for age (n = 172) older adults from the Australian Imaging, Biomarkers and Lifestyle study were case matched. Rates of cortical atrophy over 8 years were examined by SuperAger classification and Aβ status.

Results

Of the case‐matched SuperAgers and cognitively normal for age older adults, 40.7% and 40.1%, respectively, were Aβ+. Rates of age‐ and Aβ‐associated atrophy did not differ between the groups on any measure. Aβ− individuals displayed the slowest rates of atrophy.

Discussion

Maintenance of superior memory in late life does not reflect resistance to age‐ or Aβ‐associated atrophy. However, those individuals who reached old age without cognitive impairment nor elevated Aβ deposition (i.e. Aβ−) displayed reduced rates of cortical atrophy.
Neuropsychological latent classes at enrollment and postmortem neuropathology
Authors: Zammit Andrea R. , Hall Charles B. , Bennett David A. , Ezzati Ali , Katz Mindy J. , Muniz‐Terrera Graciela , Lipton Richard B.
Published: August 2019

Introduction

We classified individuals based on their baseline performance on cognitive measures and investigated the association between cognitive classifications and neuropathological findings ∼7 years later, as an external validator.

Methods

Brain autopsies of 779 decedents were examined. Baseline latent class analysis on 10 neuropsychological measures was previously assigned: mixed‐domains impairment (n = 39, 5%), memory‐specific impairment (n = 210, 27%), frontal impairment (n = 113, 14.5%), average cognition (n = 360, 46.2%), and superior cognition (n = 57, 7.3%). Linear regressions and risks ratios were used to examine the relation of latent class assignment at enrollment with neuropathological indices.

Results

Amyloid β, tau, and transactive response DNA‐binding protein 43 were associated with mixed‐domains impairment and memory‐specific impairment classes ∼7 years before death. Moderate arteriolosclerosis was associated with membership in the frontal impairment class.

Discussion

Our findings support the use of latent class models that incorporate more comprehensive neuropsychological measures to classify cognitive impairment.
Laïcité, sociologie et histoire contemporaine de l’islam
Authors: McDougall James
Published: August 2019

Résumés

Cet article propose de donner un nouveau cadre à l’histoire de l’islam auxxe siècle en repensant sa relation avec certaines catégories dominantes de la sociologie, notamment avec la thèse de la sécularisation. L’histoire mondiale de l’islam depuis la fin duxixe siècle a été façonnée par un paradoxe apparent entre deux de ses caractéristiques les plus significatives. La première a consisté en des appels persistants au renouveau, à la réforme et à l’unité des musulmans à travers le monde, ce qui tendait vers une unification ou un dépassement des anciennes formes de variation dans la tradition. La seconde s’est manifestée, au contraire, par une fragmentation croissante des structures d’autorité au sein de la tradition, par une prolifération des significations qui lui étaient attribuées et des formes de pratique adoptées pour l’incarner, ainsi que par une acuité renouvelée des conflits sectaires en son sein. C’est un paradoxe que seule peut appréhender une compréhension de l’islam en tant que pratique sociale ancrée dans les rapports entre États et religions, caractéristiques des sociétés modernes – et non de l’islam en tant que religion « médiévale » et exclusivement « résistante à la sécularisation ».
ELASTIC GRAPHS
Authors: THURSTON DYLAN P.
Published: August 2019

An elastic graph is a graph with an elasticity associated to each edge. It may be viewed as a network made out of ideal rubber bands. If the rubber bands are stretched on a target space there is an elastic energy. We characterize when a homotopy class of maps from one elastic graph to another is loosening, that is, decreases this elastic energy for all possible targets. This fits into a more general framework of energies for maps between graphs.
Varieties of abstract concepts and their multiple dimensions
Authors: VILLANI CATERINA , LUGLI LUISA , LIUZZA MARCO TULLIO , BORGHI ANNA M.
Published: August 2019

abstract

The issue of how abstract concepts are represented is widely debated. However, evidence is controversial, also because different criteria were used to select abstract concepts – for example, imageability and abstractness were equated. In addition, for many years abstract concepts have been considered as a unitary whole. Our work aims to address these two limitations. We asked participants to evaluate 425 abstract concepts on 15 dimensions: abstractness, concreteness, imageability, context availability, Body-Object-Interaction, Modality of Acquisition, Age of Acquisition, Perceptual modality strength, Metacognition, Social metacognition, Interoception, Emotionality, Social valence, Hand and Mouth activation. Results showed that conceiving concepts only in terms of concreteness/abstractness is too simplified. More abstract concepts are typically acquired later and through the linguistic modality and are characterized by high scores in social metacognition (feeling that others can help us in understanding word meaning), while concrete concepts obtain high scores in Body-Object-Interaction, imageability, and context availability. A cluster analysis indicated four kinds of abstract concepts: philosophical-spiritual (e.g., value), self-sociality (e.g., politeness), emotive/inner states (e.g., anger), and physical, spatio-temporal, and quantitative concepts (e.g., reflex). Overall, results support multiple representation views indicating that sensorimotor, inner, linguistic, and social experience have different weights in characterizing different kinds of abstract concepts.
Derivation of the Early Carboniferous Wedgeport pluton by crystal fractionation of a mafic parental magma: a rare case of an A-type granite within the Meguma terrane (Nova Scotia, Canada)
Authors: Shellnutt J. Gregory , Dostal Jaroslav
Published: August 2019

The Cambrian–Ordovician metasedimentary rocks of the Meguma terrane (Canadian Appalachians) were extensively intruded by silicic plutons during Middle Devonian to Early Carboniferous times. Syn-plutonic but volumetrically minor mafic-ultramafic intrusions were also emplaced. In most localities, the silicic plutons and mafic-ultramafic intrusions do not appear to be petrogenetically related and are likely derived from different sources. The Attwoods Brook gabbronorite of SW Nova Scotia yielded an in situ zircon weighted-mean 206Pb–238U age of 357.9 ± 3.3 Ma that is within the uncertainty of the age of the neighbouring Wedgeport pluton (357 ± 1 Ma). The Wedgeport pluton is a rare example of a mantle-derived, peraluminous A-type granite within the Meguma terrane. The similar ages and Nd isotopes of the Attwoods Brook gabbronorite (εNd(t) = +1.1 to +4.0) and Wedgeport pluton (εNd(t) = +2.1 to +3.3) suggest the two intrusions are petrogenetically related. Fractional crystallization modelling demonstrates that a parental magma similar to the Attwoods Brook gabbronorite can produce residual silicic liquids that resemble the granites of the Wedgeport pluton, indicating that they could be members of the same intrusive complex. The emplacement of the gabbronorite and Wedgeport pluton occurred during a period of tensional plate stress that was contemporaneous with rifting of the Maritimes Basin that produced the Fountain Lake continental flood basalts and A-type granites of the Cobequid Highlands within the Avalon terrane. It is possible that the Early Carboniferous rocks of SW Nova Scotia are related to the rifted-related magmatism within the Maritimes Basin.
Glutathione-S-transferase of Trichinella spiralis regulates maturation and function of dendritic cells
Authors: Jin Xuemin , Yang Yong , Liu Xiaolei , Shi Haining , Cai Xuepeng , Luo Xuenong , Liu Mingyuan , Bai Xue
Published: August 2019

Immunomodulation by molecules from Trichinella spiralis (T. spiralis) has been widely reported. Glutathione-S-transferase (GST) is a major immune-modulator of the family of detoxification enzymes. Dendritic cells (DCs) are an important target for the regulation of the immune response by T. spiralis. In this study, the recombinant GST of T. spiralis (rTs-GST) was expressed and purified. rTs-GST induced low CD40 expression and moderate CD80, CD86 and MHC-II expressions and inhibited the increase of CD40, CD80 and CD86 on DCs induced by LPS. We showed that rTs-GST decreased the LPS-induced elevated level of pro-inflammatory cytokines of DCs and enhanced the level of regulatory cytokines IL-10 and TGF-β. Furthermore, co-culture of DCs and CD4+ T cells demonstrated that rTs-GST-treated DCs suppressed the proliferation of OVA-specific CD4+ T cells and increased the population of regulatory T cells (Tregs). rTs-GST-treated DCs induced a higher level of IL-4, IL-10 and TGF-β, but inhibited the level of IFN-γ. This indicates that rTs-GST-pulsed DCs induce both Th2-type responses and Tregs. These findings contribute to the current understanding of the immunomodulation of Ts-GST on cellular response and immunomodulation of T. spiralis.
Moral rigidity as a proximate facilitator of group cohesion and combativeness
Authors: Marie Antoine
Published: August 2019

De Dreu and Gross's description of the proximate mechanisms conditioning success in intergroup conflict omits humans' deontological morality. Drawing on research on sacralization and moral objectivism, I show how “moral rigidity” may have evolved through partner selection mechanisms to foster coalitions’ cohesion and combativeness in intergroup conflict.
Do people always invest less in attack than defense? Possible qualifying factors
Authors: Weisel Ori
Published: August 2019

In many conflict situations, defense is easier to mobilize than attack. However, a number of factors, namely, the initial endowments available to each side, the stakes of the conflict, the respective costs of defense and attack, and the way that conflict is framed and perceived, may make attacking more attractive than defending.
Preschoolers are sensitive to accent distance
Authors: WEATHERHEAD Drew , FRIEDMAN Ori , WHITE Katherine S.
Published: August 2019

Can children tell how different a speaker's accent is from their own? In Experiment 1 (N = 84), four- and five-year-olds heard speakers with different accents and indicated where they thought each speaker lived relative to a reference point on a map that represented their current location. Five-year-olds generally placed speakers with stronger accents (as judged by adults) at more distant locations than speakers with weaker accents. In contrast, four-year-olds did not show differences in where they placed speakers with different accents. In Experiment 2 (N = 56), the same sentences were low-pass filtered so that only prosodic information remained. This time, children judged which of five possible aliens had produced each utterance, given a reference speaker. Children of both ages showed differences in which alien they chose based on accent, and generally rated speakers with foreign accents as more different from their native accent than speakers with regional accents. Together, the findings show that preschoolers perceive accent distance, that children may be sensitive to the distinction between foreign and regional accents, and that preschoolers likely use prosody to differentiate among accents.
Differences in women’s and men’s conservation of cacao agroforests in coastal Ecuador
Authors: Blare Trent , Useche Pilar
Published: August 2019

Stakeholder preferences for the conservation of cacao agroforests are scarcely known. Here, a revealed preference model was used to estimate the value that smallholders place on the conservation of their cacao agroforests in coastal Ecuador. Variables in the model included plot-level data (the gender of those who owned and managed the plot, profit, land title and years of ownership) and household demographic data (ages, educational levels and wealth indicators). Households were willing to give up some profit to conserve agroforests especially if they had managed the plot longer. Furthermore, when women were included in the management of a plot, the household was more likely to conserve the cacao agroforest, but the gender of the person who owns the plot had no effect on the probability of conserving the agroforest. These findings provide further evidence of the gender differences in preferences for agroforests and that more inclusive land-use decisions may lead to the use of more sustainable farming practices. They also demonstrate that policies that encourage inclusive land ownership do not necessarily ensure equal gender participation in plot decision-making and management.
Spatial modelling of biodiversity conservation priorities in Portugal’s Montado ecosystem using Marxan with Zones
Authors: Pinto Rute , Antunes Paula , Blumentrath Stefan , Brouwer Roy , Clemente Pedro , Santos Rui
Published: August 2019

Spatial models are increasingly being used to target the most suitable areas for biodiversity conservation. This study investigates how the spatial tool Marxan with Zones (MARZONE) can be used to support the design of cost-effective biodiversity conservation policy. New in this study is the spatial analysis of the costs and effectiveness of different agro-environmental measures (AEMs) for habitat and biodiversity conservation in the Montado ecosystem in Portugal. A distinction is made between the financial costs paid to participating landowners and farmers for adopting AEMs and the broader economic opportunity costs of the corresponding land-use changes. Habitat and species conservation targets are furthermore defined interactively with the local government agency responsible for the management of protected areas, while the costs of agro-forestry activities and alternative land uses are estimated in direct consultation with local landowners. MARZONE identifies the spatial distribution of priority areas for conservation and the associated costs, some of which overlap with existing protected areas. These results provide useful insights into the trade-offs between nature conservation and the opportunity costs of protecting ecologically vulnerable areas, helping to improve current and future conservation policy design.
Evaluating the efficacy of the Family Check-Up Online: A school-based, eHealth model for the prevention of problem behavior during the middle school years
Authors: Stormshak Elizabeth A. , Seeley John R. , Caruthers Allison S. , Cardenas Lucia , Moore Kevin J. , Tyler Milagra S. , Fleming Christopher M. , Gau Jeff , Danaher Brian
Published: August 2019

This study evaluated the efficacy of a family-centered preventive intervention, the Family Check-Up (FCU), delivered as an online, eHealth model to middle school families. To increase accessibility of family-centered prevention in schools, we adapted the evidence-based FCU to an online format, with the goal of providing a model of service delivery that is feasible, given limited staffing and resources in many schools. Building on prior research, we randomly assigned participants to waitlist control (n= 105), FCU Online as a web-based intervention (n= 109), and FCU Online with coaching support (n= 108). We tested the effects of the intervention on multiple outcomes, including parental self-efficacy, child self-regulation, and child behavior, in this registered clinical trial (NCT03060291). Families engaged in the intervention at a high rate (72% completed the FCU assessment) and completed 3-month posttest assessments with good retention (94% retained). Random assignment to the FCU Online with coaching support was associated with reduced emotional problems for children (p= .003,d= −0.32) and improved parental confidence and self-efficacy (p= .018,d= 0.25) when compared with waitlist controls. Risk moderated effects: at-risk youth showed stronger effects than did those with minimal risk. The results have implications for online delivery of family-centered interventions in schools.
A GLIMPSE OF THE PEOPLE OF ALTICA: OSTEOLOGICAL AND ISOTOPIC/RADIOCARBON ANALYSIS
Authors: Storey Rebecca , Buckley Gina M. , Kennett Douglas J.
Published: August 2019

Altica is a rare first-farming village site in the Basin of Mexico that has survived to modern times. Thus, it provides a glimpse into life during the Early–Middle Formative period. While valuable archaeological information on the village was recovered in excavation, only four burials comprising four individuals were recovered, a very small sample. Two individuals are older-aged females; the third, a middle-aged male, was accompanied by prestigious nonperishable goods and indicates that there are status differences even at this early date. The final individual was a young male buried in a deviant manner, suggesting possible foul play. While all individuals have indicators of periods of poor health, stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen paint a more complete picture of the types of foods these individuals consumed over their lifetime. Radiogenic strontium isotopes of tooth enamel identify one individual, the young male buried in a deviant manner, as non-native to the Altica region. Thus, there is mystery in the manner of death, but even in this small sample, the wider connections Altica had that are so evident in the artefactual analysis are found in the skeletons. In addition, accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon dating provides a chronology of occupation through the people.
THE ALTICA PROJECT: REFRAMING THE FORMATIVE BASIN OF MEXICO
Authors: Stoner Wesley D. , Nichols Deborah L.
Published: August 2019

The Altica Project that began in 2014 is an important step in addressing over two decades of limited problem-oriented research at Formative sites in the Basin of Mexico. Through this research, we demonstrate that Altica is the earliest known settled village in the Teotihuacan Valley and one of the only first-farming village sites in the Basin of Mexico that has not been engulfed by the urban sprawl of Mexico City. It represents the northward spread of settled village life in a time that people of the region were transitioning from a mobile foraging lifestyle to one more reliant on food production. Despite its small size and remote location, Altica was an important part of Early and Middle Formative exchange networks, as it imported multiple types of goods from distant places in Mesoamerica and may have played a role in the early trade of Otumba obsidian. This paper leads the Special Section by framing the research project and outlining its major goals. Survey and excavation results are introduced. Finally, we preface each of the presentations to situate them within the framework. Altica spans a transitional period in Mesoamerica that began around 1000 calb.c.We establish Altica as a proxy to understand broader Mesoamerican processes at that time.
Food insecurity, acculturation and diagnosis of CHD and related health outcomes among immigrant adults in the USA
Authors: Smith Michael D , Coleman-Jensen Alisha
Published: August 2019

Objective:

To deepen understanding of the relationship between food insecurity, acculturation, and diagnosis of CHD and related health outcomes among immigrant adults.

Design:

Using cross-sectional, nationally representative data from the National Health Interview Survey 2011 to 2015, we address two research questions. First, what is the relationship of household food insecurity and acculturation with: CHD, angina pectoris, heart attack, self-rated poor health and obesity? Second, what is the association of food insecurity with these health outcomes over years of living in the USA? We estimate multivariate logistic regressions without (question 1) and with (question 2) an interaction term between food insecurity and acculturation for CHD and related health outcomes.

Setting:

USA.

Participants:

Low-income immigrant adults.

Results:

Food insecurity and acculturation are both associated with diagnosis of CHD and related health outcomes among immigrant adults. Food insecurity and acculturation are associated with the health of female immigrants more than males. Also, the differences by food security status in the probability of having several poor health outcomes (self-rated heath, obesity, women’s angina pectoris) are largest for those in the USA for less than 5 years, decrease for those who have lived in the USA for 5–14 years, and are larger again for those in the USA for 15 or more years.

Conclusions:

Recent and long-term food-insecure immigrants are more vulnerable to CHD and related health outcomes than those in the USA for 5–14 years. Further research is needed to understand why.
Copernicanism and the typicality in time
Authors: Ćirković Milan M. , Balbi Amedeo
Published: August 2019

How special (or not) is the epoch we are living in? What is the appropriate reference class for embedding the observations made at the present time? How probable – or else – is anything we observe in the fulness of time? Contemporary cosmology and astrobiology bring those seemingly old-fashioned philosophical issues back into focus. There are several examples of contemporary research which use the assumption of typicality in time (or temporal Copernicanism) explicitly or implicitly, while not truly elaborating upon the meaning of this assumption. The present paper brings attention to the underlying and often uncritically accepted assumptions in these cases. It also aims to defend a more radical position that typicality in time is not – and cannot ever be – well-defined, in contrast to the typicality in space, and the typicality in various specific parameter spaces. This, of course, does not mean that we are atypical in time; instead, the notion of typicality in time is necessarily somewhat vague and restricted. In principle, it could be strengthened by further defining the relevant context, e.g. by referring to typicality within the Solar lifetime, or some similar restricting clause.
Carabid beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) differentially respond to soil management practices in feed and forage systems in transition to organic management
Authors: Pisani Gareau Tara , Voortman Christina , Barbercheck Mary
Published: August 2019

We conducted a 3-yr cropping systems experiment in central Pennsylvania, USA, to determine the effects of initial cover crop species, tillage and resulting environmental variables on the activity–density (A–D), species richness, community composition and guild composition of carabid beetles (Carabidae: Coleoptera) during the transition from conventional to organic production. We compared four systems in a factorial combination of a mixed perennial sod (timothy,Phleum pratenseL.) and legumes (red clover,Trifolium pratenseL.) or annual cereal grain (cereal rye,Secale cerealeL.) followed by a legume (hairy vetch,Vicia villosaRoth) as initial cover crops, and soil management using full tillage (moldboard plow) or reduced tillage (chisel plow) implemented in soybeans followed by maize in the subsequent year. The experiment was established twice, first in autumn 2003 (S1) and again in autumn 2004 (S2) in an adjacent field, in a randomized complete-block design with four replicates in each Start. We collected a total of 2181 adult carabid beetles. Approximately 65% of the carabid beetles collected were from six species. Indicator Species Analysis showed that several carabid species were indicative of treatment, e.g.,Poecilus chalciteswas a strong indicator for treatments with an initial cereal rye cover crop. Eleven environmental variables explained variation in carabid A–D, richness and the A–D of species categorized by size class and dominant trophic behavior, respectively, but varied in significance and direction among guilds. Soil moisture was a significant effect for total carabid A–D in both S1 and S2. Redundancy analyses revealed some similar and some idiosyncratic responses among informative species for the cover crop×tillage treatments through the 3-yr rotation. The most consistent factors that distinguished species assemblages among years and treatments were the number and intensity of soil disturbances and perennial weed density. The consistent occurrence of soil disturbance indicators in multivariate analyses suggests that future studies that aim to compare the effects of nominal soil management treatments on carabid beetles and other soil-associated arthropods should quantify frequency and intensity of disturbance associated with crop management practices.
The Necessity of Indonesia's Measures to Sink Vessels for IUU Fishing in the Exclusive Economic Zone
Authors: LILIANSA Dita
Published: August 2019

Indonesia has been burning or sinking foreign vessels in its efforts to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing in its exclusive economic zone. Opinions on how much longer this measure should continue are manifold. While political issues may easily mask the situation, the underlying legal question remains: whether burning or sinking foreign vessels is a legal and necessary enforcement measure for Indonesia. Even though Article 73(1) of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea does not make any reference to this type of measure, it allows coastal states to take measures that are “necessary to ensure compliance with their laws and regulations”. This paper examines the meaning of the term “necessary” within the ambit of Article 73(1) to evaluate whether Indonesia's measure to burn or sink foreign vessels is necessary.