bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Compatibility of Justice for Women with Jus Post Bellum Analysis
Authors: Aoláin Fionnuala Ní , Haynes Dina Francesca
Published: April 2014

Feminist scholars have paid particular attention to the post-conflict arena because it is perceived to offer a unique and infrequent opportunity to address a range of harms that women experience during cyclical and systematic violence. It also provides an opportunity to address the compounded and structural harms that women experience in societies where they are marginalized, underrepresented, and discriminated against. However, to date, jus post bellum has largely escaped feminist analysis. The authors are quizzical as to the gendered imagination of hereto developed jus post frameworks, viewing them as largely exclusionary of and uninterested in the gendered dimensions of armed conflict and its aftermath. The chapter challenges the presumed universality of jus post theorizing and poses a quizzical challenge to how portends to offer an encompassing framework that diligently addresses the needs, desires, and challenges of women in conflict and post-conflict settings.
Of Jus Post Bellum and Lex Pacificatoria
Authors: Bell Christine
Published: April 2014

This chapter discusses whether a jus post bellum regime operating across different types of conflict is possible and desirable, and if not, how we should best situate and respond to contemporary developments in international law relating to terminating intra-state conflict. It explores what arguably has been the main driver of the legal concept of jus post bellum: the relationship between law and practice in contemporary peace negotiations in deeply divided societies. The chapter argues that a dynamic relationship between law and practice has generated novel interpretations and even mutations in the relevant international law so as to give some substance to arguments for a “third way” regime, or lex pacificatoria. The chapter considers whether it is firstly possible, and secondly desirable, to try to “complete” and develop this lex pacificatoria into a clearer set of legal standards and even a new regime such as a jus post bellum.
Conflict Termination from a Human Rights Perspective
Authors: Wählisch Martin
Published: April 2014

The exact moment when the application of jus post bellum is supposed to begin and end is still under debate. This chapter approaches the question from a human rights perspective, analyzing the practice of international human rights bodies regarding “post”-conflict situations. Elections, the reintegration of militia, security sector reforms, the re-establishment of diplomatic relations, and progressing economic developments have been used as political factors for marking an approaching end of jus post bellum. However, international practice also shows that assessment of the “post” needs to be context specific and varies according to the concrete case at hand. The chapter assesses the ECtHR decision Sejdić and Finci v Bosnia and Herzegovina, recommendations of UN human rights monitoring bodies concerning Lebanon’s post-Civil War confessional power-sharing system, and the transition of Libya after the international military intervention in 2011. The chapter concludes with a synopsis of indicators for defining the temporal scope of jus post bellum.
One Fundamental Concepts
Authors: Louis Fisher
Published: April 2014

This chapter discusses the following concepts: enumerated and implied powers of the three branches of government; overlapping powers; judicial misconceptions; historical framework; the British model; the Articles of Confederation; constitutional convention and ratification; separation of powers; Articles I and II of the Constitution; evolving powers; approaches by lawyers and professors in analyzing executive and presidential power; and interpretive theories adopted by the Supreme Court in decisions on separation of powers.
Four The President and Congress
Authors: Louis Fisher
Published: April 2014

This chapter examines powers that routinely call for interactions between the President and Congress. These include the legislative process, appointments, independent counsels, delegation of authority, and independent commissions.
Eight War Powers
Authors: Louis Fisher
Published: April 2014

This chapter focuses on the war powers assigned to Congress. The discussions cover the authority to initiate war; military action in practice; the availability of a standing army; international and regional bodies that function as a constitutional substitute for the Senate and the House of Representatives; the Korean War; Truman's seizure of steel mills; the Vietnam War; the War Powers Resolution; and Presidents' circumvention of the legislative branch and treating the Security Council and NATO as constitutional substitutes.
Nine The President and the Judiciary
Authors: Louis Fisher
Published: April 2014

This chapter discusses the following: the case of Marbury v. Madison (1803) which has been cited as evidence that the Supreme Court has the authority to not only strike down the acts of Presidents, Congress, and the states but to do so permanently; independent presidential judgment; advisory opinions; nominating judges, recess appointments; FDR's court-packing; national security and judicial deference; and the state secrets privilege.
In-Work Poverty
Authors: Marx Ive , Nolan Brian
Published: April 2014

This chapter surveys the phenomenon of in-work poverty across Europe, setting the scene for its main focus: how can policy respond? International trade and skill-biased technological change are seen to be threatening the (potential) earnings of workers while at the same time policy in many countries has become focused on increasing the number of people in work. There thus exists legitimate ground for concern that more workers potentially find themselves in jobs that do not generate sufficient income to escape poverty. It is argued that which policy action, or set of policy actions, is most appropriate, cannot be seen as entirely independent from normative notions that underlie the various ways in which the causes of in-work poverty can be construed. The chapter considers relevant policy strategies, including the maximization of work-intensity, minimum wage setting, direct income supplements and tax credits.
Social Redistribution, Poverty, and the Adequacy of Social Protection
Authors: Cantillon Bea , Van Mechelen Natascha , Pintelon Olivier , Van den Heede Aaron
Published: April 2014

Social protection systems traditionally serve a dual purpose: to maintain acquired living standards in the event of social risks and to combat poverty by guaranteeing adequate minimum incomes. More recently, these goals – which are basically instances of damage compensation – have been complemented with a third objective, namely to foster ‘active inclusion’ as a means of preventing or rectifying damage. Starting from the hypothesis that the tensions between these objectives of social protection may have increased the chapter considers changes in poverty reduction by social transfers according to household work-intensity. In order to identify the role of policies it considers trends in spending levels and benefit generosity. It then reflects on the potentials and constraints to achieve more adequate minimum income protection. The most important conclusion to be drawn is the striking – and in many countries rising – inadequacy of social protection for individuals living in households with a low work-intensity.
The Redistributive Capacity of Services in the European Union
Authors: Verbist Gerlinde , Matsaganis Manos
Published: April 2014

Welfare states provide social benefits in cash and – increasingly – in kind. This chapter analyses the redistributive capacity of services, more specifically health care, education and childcare. First, the methodological issues associated with the quantification of social service delivery and the construction of a counterfactual are explored. The results show that services reduce inequality more than cash benefits do. To correctly interpret this result, it is however important to disentangle the effect of ‘size’ and the effect of ‘design’. Services for non-elderly individuals are, in all countries, much more important in size than cash transfers for the non-elderly, a fortiori if education is included. Using concentration coefficients it is shown that, in most countries, cash transfers are more ‘pro-poor’ than in-kind benefits. Obviously, the larger the share of either spending on cash benefits or spending on services, the larger the equalizing impact on the (extended) income distribution.
Who Benefits from Investment Policies? The Case of Family Activation in European Countries
Authors: Van Lancker Wim , Ghysels Joris
Published: April 2014

Family policy is a constituent part of the traditional social policy mix that has been subject to profound changes in terms of both scope and substance following the emergence of the social investment paradigm. Therefore, the shift from cash to service spending is further explored with a specific focus on family policy (i.e. child benefits, childcare services and parental leave benefits). Based on expenditure trends, little support is found for the hypothesis of a generalized crowding-out process of cash benefits by service spending. Rather, there is evidence of overwhelming diversity across countries, in terms of policy effort, the balance between cash and in-kind spending, and the redistributive impact of family policy. A more detailed comparison of family policy in Flanders and Sweden provides indications of the importance of policy design in enhancing the distributive impact of policy.
The Reform Capacities of European Welfare States
Authors: Hemerijck Anton
Published: April 2014

This chapter focuses on the social investment paradigm and the ‘new politics’ of the welfare state. It is argued that, alongside serious retrenchments, there have been deliberate attempts to rebuild social programmes and institutions to accommodate for the new economic and social realities of the 21st century, roughly in line with social investment priorities, in the fields of family services, gender equality, employment policy, labour market regulation and human capital formation. The European welfare reform momentum of the past two decades is captured as a search for a new welfare state, which is incomplete and resulting from institutionally bounded and contingent adaptation to new social realities.
Identifying the Skeleton of the Social Investment State
Authors: De Deken Johan
Published: April 2014

In this chapter the possibilities and limitations of using expenditure data to measure ‘social investment’ are discussed. The analysis of expenditure data is an obvious choice for attempts to identify to what extent governments have adopted the agenda of an ‘activating ‘ and ‘enabling’ welfare state as well as to operationalize policies that can potentially account for cross-national differences in poverty trends. The chapter explores the possibilities and limits of operationalizing social investment policies on the basis of social expenditure data. It is shown that the use of expenditure data to map the skeleton of the social investment state is fraught with conceptual and methodological problems. The chapter comments on the spending data related to old and new social risks that are reported in the Appendix to the book.
CABS-flex predictions of protein flexibility compared with NMR ensembles
Authors: Jamroz Michal , Kolinski Andrzej , Kmiecik Sebastian
Published: April 2014

Motivation: Identification of flexible regions of protein structures is important for understanding of their biological functions. Recently, we have developed a fast approach for predicting protein structure fluctuations from a single protein model: the CABS-flex. CABS-flex was shown to be an efficient alternative to conventional all-atom molecular dynamics (MD). In this work, we evaluate CABS-flex and MD predictions by comparison with protein structural variations within NMR ensembles.

Results: Based on a benchmark set of 140 proteins, we show that the relative fluctuations of protein residues obtained from CABS-flex are well correlated to those of NMR ensembles. On average, this correlation is stronger than that between MD and NMR ensembles. In conclusion, CABS-flex is useful and complementary to MD in predicting protein regions that undergo conformational changes as well as the extent of such changes.

Availability and implementation: The CABS-flex is freely available to all users at http://biocomp.chem.uw.edu.pl/CABSflex .

Contact : sekmi@chem.uw.edu.pl

Supplementary information:  Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Evidence for a lower value for H0 from cosmic chronometers data?
Authors: Busti Vinicius C. , Clarkson Chris , Seikel Marina
Published: April 2014

An intriguing discrepancy emerging in the concordance model of cosmology is the tension between the locally measured value of the Hubble rate, and the ‘global’ value inferred from the cosmic microwave background (CMB). This could be due to systematic uncertainties when measuring H0 locally, or it could be that we live in a highly unlikely Hubble bubble, or other exotic scenarios. We point out that the global H0 can be found by extrapolating H(z) data points at high-z down to z = 0. By doing this in a Bayesian non-parametric way, we can find a model-independent value for H0. We apply this to 19 measurements based on differential age of passively evolving galaxies as cosmic chronometers. Using Gaussian processes, we find H0 = 64.9 ± 4.2 km s−1 Mpc−1 (1σ), in agreement with the CMB value, but reinforcing the tension with the local value. An analysis of possible sources of systematic errors shows that the stellar population synthesis model adopted may change the results significantly, being the main concern for subsequent studies. Forecasts for future data show that distant H(z) measurements can be a robust method to determine H0, where a focus in precision and a careful assessment of systematic errors are required.
The highest frequency detection of a radio relic: 16 GHz AMI observations of the ‘Sausage’ cluster
Authors: Stroe Andra , Rumsey Clare , Harwood Jeremy J. , van Weeren Reinout J. , Röttgering Huub J. A. , Saunders Richard D. E. , Sobral David , Perrott Yvette C. , Schammel Michel P.
Published: April 2014

We observed the cluster CIZA J2242.8+5301 with the Arcminute Microkelvin Imager at 16 GHz and present the first high radio-frequency detection of diffuse, non-thermal cluster emission. This cluster hosts a variety of bright, extended, steep-spectrum synchrotron-emitting radio sources, associated with the intracluster medium, called radio relics. Most notably, the northern, Mpc-wide, narrow relic provides strong evidence for diffusive shock acceleration in clusters. We detect a puzzling, flat-spectrum, diffuse extension of the southern relic, which is not visible in the lower radio-frequency maps. The northern radio relic is unequivocally detected and measures an integrated flux of 1.2 ± 0.3 mJy. While the low-frequency (<2 GHz) spectrum of the northern relic is well represented by a power law, it clearly steepens towards 16 GHz. This result is inconsistent with diffusive shock acceleration predictions of ageing plasma behind a uniform shock front. The steepening could be caused by an inhomogeneous medium with temperature/density gradients or by lower acceleration efficiencies of high energy electrons. Further modelling is necessary to explain the observed spectrum.
Intubation Biomechanics
Authors: Hindman Bradley J. , Santoni Brandon G. , Puttlitz Christian M. , From Robert P. , Todd Michael M.
Published: April 2014

Introduction:

Laryngoscopy and endotracheal intubation in the presence of cervical spine instability may put patients at risk of cervical cord injury. Nevertheless, the biomechanics of intubation (cervical spine motion as a function of applied force) have not been characterized. This study characterized and compared the relationship between laryngoscope force and cervical spine motion using two laryngoscopes hypothesized to differ in force.

Methods:

Fourteen adults undergoing elective surgery were intubated twice (Macintosh, Airtraq). During each intubation, laryngoscope force, cervical spine motion, and glottic view were recorded. Force and motion were referenced to a preintubation baseline (stage 1) and were characterized at three stages: stage 2 (laryngoscope introduction); stage 3 (best glottic view); and stage 4 (endotracheal tube in trachea).

Results:

Maximal force and motion occurred at stage 3 and differed between the Macintosh and Airtraq: (1) force: 48.8 ± 15.8 versus 10.4 ± 2.8 N, respectively, P = 0.0001; (2) occiput-C5 extension: 29.5 ± 8.5 versus 19.1 ± 8.7 degrees, respectively, P = 0.0023. Between stages 2 and 3, the motion/force ratio differed between Macintosh and Airtraq: 0.5 ± 0.2 versus 2.0 ± 1.4 degrees/N, respectively; P = 0.0006.

Discussion:

The relationship between laryngoscope force and cervical spine motion is: (1) nonlinear and (2) differs between laryngoscopes. Differences between laryngoscopes in motion/force relationships are likely due to: (1) laryngoscope-specific cervical extension needed for intubation, (2) laryngoscope-specific airway displacement/deformation needed for intubation, and (3) cervical spine and airway tissue viscoelastic properties. Cervical spine motion during endotracheal intubation is not directly proportional to force. Low-force laryngoscopes cannot be assumed to result in proportionally low cervical spine motion.
A frequency averaging framework for the solution of complex dynamic systems
Authors: Lecomte Christophe
Published: April 2014

A frequency averaging framework is proposed for the solution of complex linear dynamic systems. It is remarkable that, while the mid-frequency region is usually very challenging, a smooth transition from low- through mid- and high-frequency ranges is possible and all ranges can now be considered in a single framework. An interpretation of the frequency averaging in the time domain is presented and it is explained that the average may be evaluated very efficiently in terms of system solutions.
Flutter in a quasi-one-dimensional model of a collapsible channel
Authors: Pihler-Puzović D. , Pedley T. J.
Published: April 2014

The effects of wall inertia on instabilities in a collapsible channel with a long finite-length flexible wall containing a high Reynolds number flow of incompressible fluid are studied. Using the ideas of interactive boundary layer theory, the system is described by a one-dimensional model that couples inviscid flow outside the boundary layers formed on the channel walls with the deformation of the flexible wall. The observed instability is a form of flutter, which is superposed on the behaviour of the system when the wall mass is neglected. We show that the flutter has a positive growth rate because the fluid loading acts as a negative damping in the system. We discuss these findings in relation to other work on self-excited oscillations in collapsible channels.
Statistical analysis of modal gating in ion channels
Authors: Siekmann Ivo , Sneyd James , Crampin Edmund J.
Published: April 2014

Ion channels regulate the concentrations of ions within cells. By stochastically opening and closing its pore, they enable or prevent ions from crossing the cell membrane. However, rather than opening with a constant probability, many ion channels switch between several different levels of activity even if the experimental conditions are unchanged. This phenomenon is known as modal gating: instead of directly adapting its activity, the channel seems to mix sojourns in active and inactive modes in order to exhibit intermediate open probabilities. Evidence is accumulating that modal gating rather than modulation of opening and closing at a faster time scale is the primary regulatory mechanism of ion channels. However, currently, no method is available for reliably calculating sojourns in different modes. In order to address this challenge, we develop a statistical framework for segmenting single-channel datasets into segments that are characteristic for particular modes. The algorithm finds the number of mode changes, detects their locations and infers the open probabilities of the modes. We apply our approach to data from the inositol-trisphosphate receptor. Based upon these results, we propose that mode changes originate from alternative conformational states of the channel protein that determine a certain level of channel activity.
Individual recognition through olfactory–auditory matching in lemurs
Authors: Kulahci Ipek G. , Drea Christine M. , Rubenstein Daniel I. , Ghazanfar Asif A.
Published: April 2014

Individual recognition can be facilitated by creating representations of familiar individuals, whereby information from signals in multiple sensory modalities become linked. Many vertebrate species use auditory–visual matching to recognize familiar conspecifics and heterospecifics, but we currently do not know whether representations of familiar individuals incorporate information from other modalities. Ring-tailed lemurs (
Lemur catta
) are highly visual, but also communicate via scents and vocalizations. To investigate the role of olfactory signals in multisensory recognition, we tested whether lemurs can recognize familiar individuals through matching scents and vocalizations. We presented lemurs with female scents that were paired with the contact call either of the female whose scent was presented or of another familiar female from the same social group. When the scent and the vocalization came from the same individual versus from different individuals, females showed greater interest in the scents, and males showed greater interest in both the scents and the vocalizations, suggesting that lemurs can recognize familiar females via olfactory–auditory matching. Because identity signals in lemur scents and vocalizations are produced by different effectors and often encountered at different times (uncoupled in space and time), this matching suggests lemurs form multisensory representations through a newly recognized sensory integration underlying individual recognition.
How do animal territories form and change? Lessons from 20 years of mechanistic modelling
Authors: Potts Jonathan R. , Lewis Mark A.
Published: April 2014

Territory formation is ubiquitous throughout the animal kingdom. At the individual level, various behaviours attempt to exclude conspecifics from regions of space. At the population level, animals often segregate into distinct territorial areas. Consequently, it should be possible to derive territorial patterns from the underlying behavioural processes of animal movements and interactions. Such derivations are an important element in the development of an ecological theory that can predict the effects of changing conditions on territorial populations. Here, we review the approaches developed over the past 20 years or so, which go under the umbrella of ‘mechanistic territorial models’. We detail the two main strands to this research: partial differential equations and individual-based approaches, showing what each has offered to our understanding of territoriality and how they can be unified. We explain how they are related to other approaches to studying territories and home ranges, and point towards possible future directions.
Three-dimensional space: locomotory style explains memory differences in rats and hummingbirds
Authors: Flores-Abreu I. Nuri , Hurly T. Andrew , Ainge James A. , Healy Susan D.
Published: April 2014

While most animals live in a three-dimensional world, they move through it to different extents depending on their mode of locomotion: terrestrial animals move vertically less than do swimming and flying animals. As nearly everything we know about how animals learn and remember locations in space comes from two-dimensional experiments in the horizontal plane, here we determined whether the use of three-dimensional space by a terrestrial and a flying animal was correlated with memory for a rewarded location. In the cubic mazes in which we trained and tested rats and hummingbirds, rats moved more vertically than horizontally, whereas hummingbirds moved equally in the three dimensions. Consistent with their movement preferences, rats were more accurate in relocating the horizontal component of a rewarded location than they were in the vertical component. Hummingbirds, however, were more accurate in the vertical dimension than they were in the horizontal, a result that cannot be explained by their use of space. Either as a result of evolution or ontogeny, it appears that birds and rats prioritize horizontal versus vertical components differently when they remember three-dimensional space.
The oestrogen pathway underlies the evolution of exaggerated male cranial shapes in
Anolis
lizards
Authors: Sanger Thomas J. , Seav Susan M. , Tokita Masayoshi , Langerhans R. Brian , Ross Lela M. , Losos Jonathan B. , Abzhanov Arhat
Published: April 2014

Sexual dimorphisms vary widely among species. This variation must arise through sex-specific evolutionary modifications to developmental processes.
Anolis
lizards vary extensively in their expression of cranial dimorphism. Compared with other
Anolis
species, members of the
carolinensis
clade have evolved relatively high levels of cranial dimorphism; males of this clade have exceptionally long faces relative to conspecific females. Developmentally, this facial length dimorphism arises through an evolutionarily novel, clade-specific strategy. Our analyses herein reveal that sex-specific regulation of the oestrogen pathway underlies evolution of this exaggerated male phenotype, rather than the androgen or insulin growth factor pathways that have long been considered the primary regulators of male-biased dimorphism among vertebrates. Our results suggest greater intricacy in the genetic mechanisms that underlie sexual dimorphisms than previously appreciated.
Novosphingobium kunmingense sp. nov., isolated from a phosphate mine
Authors: Xie Fuhong , Quan Shujing , Liu Dehai , He Weihong , Wang Yanan , Ma Huan , Chen Guocan , Chao Yapeng , Qian Shijun
Published: April 2014

A yellow-pigmented, Gram-stain-negative, strictly aerobic, rod-shaped, round-ended bacterium, designated strain 18-11HKT, was isolated from a phosphate mine situated in the suburb of Kunming in Yunnan province in south-western China. The taxonomic status of this strain was evaluated by using a polyphasic approach. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity, strain 18-11HKT was shown to belong to the genus

Novosphingobium

, showing the highest levels of sequence similarity with respect to ‘Novosphingobium ginsenosidimutans’ FW-6 (97.2 %),

Novosphingobium subterraneum

DSM 12447T (96.7 %),

Novosphingobium aromaticivorans

DSM 12444T (96.7 %) and

Novosphingobium tardaugens

DSM 16702T (96.3 %). Strain 18-11HKT had a genomic DNA G+C content of 65.3 mol% and Q-10 as the predominant respiratory quinone. DNA–DNA hybridizations of strain 18-11HKT with

N. subterraneum

DSM 12447T,

N. aromaticivorans

DSM 12444T and

N. tardaugens

DSM 16702T showed low relatedness values of 29.6, 33.5 and 32.3 %, respectively. The predominant fatty acids of strain 18-11HKT were summed feature 8 (C18 : 1ω7c and/or C18 : 1ω6c), summed feature 3 (C16 : 1ω7c and/or C16 : 1ω6c) and C16 : 0, and the major 2-hydroxy fatty acid was C14 : 0 2-OH. The polar lipid profile revealed the presence of sphingoglycolipid, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylcholine and some unidentified lipids. On the basis of its phenotypic properties and phylogenetic distinctiveness, strain 18-11HKT represents a novel species of the genus

Novosphingobium

, for which the name Novosphingobium kunmingense sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is 18-11HKT ( = CGMCC 1.12274T = DSM 25975T).
Classification and phylogeny of the cyanobiont Anabaena azollae Strasburger: an answered question?
Authors: Pereira Ana L. , Vasconcelos Vitor
Published: April 2014

The symbiosis Azolla–Anabaena azollae, with a worldwide distribution in pantropical and temperate regions, is one of the most studied, because of its potential application as a biofertilizer, especially in rice fields, but also as an animal food and in phytoremediation. The cyanobiont is a filamentous, heterocystic cyanobacterium that inhabits the foliar cavities of the pteridophyte and the indusium on the megasporocarp (female reproductive structure). The classification and phylogeny of the cyanobiont is very controversial: from its morphology, it has been named Nostoc azollae, Anabaena azollae, Anabaena variabilis status azollae and recently Trichormus azollae, but, from its 16S rRNA gene sequence, it has been assigned to

Nostoc

and/or

Anabaena

, and from its phycocyanin gene sequence, it has been assigned as non-Nostoc and non-Anabaena. The literature also points to a possible co-evolution between the cyanobiont and the Azolla host, since dendrograms and phylogenetic trees of fatty acids, short tandemly repeated repetitive (STRR) analysis and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of nif genes and the 16S rRNA gene give a two-cluster association that matches the two-section ranking of the host (Azolla). Another controversy surrounds the possible existence of more than one genus or more than one species strain. The use of freshly isolated or cultured cyanobionts is an additional problem, since their morphology and protein profiles are different. This review gives an overview of how morphological, chemical and genetic analyses influence the classification and phylogeny of the cyanobiont and future research.
Regulation of persistent activity in hippocampal mossy cells by inhibitory synaptic potentials
Authors: Anderson Ross W. , Strowbridge Ben W.
Published: April 2014

The hippocampal formation receives strong cholinergic input from the septal/diagonal band complex. Although the functional effects of cholinergic activation have been extensively studied in pyramidal neurons within the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex, less is known about the role of cholinergic receptors on dentate gyrus neurons. Using intracellular recordings from rat dentate hilar neurons, we find that activation of m1-type muscarinic receptors selectively increases the excitability of glutamatergic mossy cells but not of hilar interneurons. Following brief stimuli, cholinergic modulation reveals a latent afterdepolarization response in mossy cells that can extend the duration of stimulus-evoked depolarization by >100 msec. Depolarizing stimuli also could trigger persistent firing in mossy cells exposed to carbachol or an m1 receptor agonist. Evoked IPSPs attenuated the ADP response in mossy cells. The functional effect of IPSPs was amplified during ADP responses triggered in the presence of cholinergic receptor agonists but not during slowly decaying simulated ADPs, suggesting that modulation of ADP responses by IPSPs arises from destabilization of the intrinsic currents underlying the ADP. Evoked IPSPs also could halt persistent firing triggered by depolarizing stimuli. These results show that through intrinsic properties modulated by muscarinic receptors, mossy cells can prolong depolarizing responses to excitatory input and extend the time window where multiple synaptic inputs can summate. By actively regulating the intrinsic response to synaptic input, inhibitory synaptic input can dynamically control the integration window that enables detection of coincident inputs and shape the spatial pattern of hilar cell activity.
A structural characterization of the isoniazidMycobacterium tuberculosisdrug target, Rv2971, in its unliganded form
Authors: Shahine Adam , Prasetyoputri Anggia , Rossjohn Jamie , Beddoe Travis
Published: April 2014

Aldo-keto reductases (AKR) are a large superfamily of NADPH-dependent oxidoreductases and play a role in detoxification of toxic metabolites. Rv2971, an AKR inMycobacterium tuberculosis, has recently been identified as a target of isoniazid, a key first-line drug against tuberculosis. Here, the cloning, expression, purification, crystallization and structural characterization of Rv2971 are described. To gain insight into its function, the crystal structure of Rv2971 was successfully determined to 1.60 Å resolution in its unliganded form. The structure exhibits a TIM-barrel fold typical of AKRs, revealing structural characteristics essential for function and substrate specificities, allowing a structural comparison between Rv2971 and other mycobacterial AKRs.
Cloning, expression, purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis ofN-acetylmannosamine kinase from methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus
Authors: North Rachel A. , Seizova Simona , Stampfli Anja , Kessans Sarah A. , Suzuki Hironori , Griffin Michael D. W. , Kvansakul Marc , Dobson Renwick C. J.
Published: April 2014

N-Acetylmannosamine kinase (EC 2.7.1.60) is involved in the catabolism of sialic acid for many bacterial pathogens implicated in human disease such asEscherichia coli,Staphylococcus aureus,Vibrio choleraeandV. vulnificus. Interestingly, some human commensals and bacterial pathogens can scavenge sialic acids from their surrounding environment and degrade them as a source of carbon, nitrogen and energy. This process requires a cluster of genes known as the `Nan-Nag cluster', which have proven to be essential forS. aureusgrowth on sialic acids, suggesting that the pathway is a viable antimicrobial drug target. The enzymeN-acetylmannosamine kinase is involved in the catabolism of sialic acid, transferring a phosphate group from adenosine-5′-triphosphate to the C6 position ofN-acetylmannosamine to generateN-acetylmannosamine-6-phosphate. The gene was cloned into an appropriate expression vector; recombinant protein was expressed inE. coliBL21 (DE3) cells and purifiedviaanion-exchange chromatography, hydrophobic interaction chromatography and size-exclusion chromatography. PurifiedN-acetylmannosamine kinase was screened for crystallization. The best crystal diffracted to a resolution of beyond 2.6 Å in space groupP2. Understanding the structural nature of this enzyme from methicillin-resistantS. aureuswill provide insights necessary for the development of future antimicrobials.
Expression, crystallization and preliminary X-ray crystallographic analysis of DNA-directed RNA polymerase subunit L fromThermococcus onnurineusNA1
Authors: Ho Thien-Hoang , Hong Myoung-Ki , Ngo Ho-Phuong-Thuy , Kang Lin-Woo
Published: April 2014

RNA polymerase (RNAP) plays a crucial role in gene expression in all organisms. It is a multiprotein complex that produces primary transcript RNA. Generally, the basal transcription apparatus in archaea is simpler than the eukaryotic RNA polymerase II counterpart. To understand the structure and function of archaeal RNAP, theTON-0309gene encoding DNA-directed RNA polymerase subunit L (ToRNAP_L) fromThermococcus onnurineusNA1 was cloned and the protein was overexpressed inEscherichia coli, purified and crystallized. The purified protein was crystallized using the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method and the crystal diffracted to 2.10 Å resolution. The crystal belonged to the hexagonal space groupP6122, with unit-cell parametersa=b= 42.3,c= 211.2 Å. One molecule was present in the asymmetric unit, with a correspondingVMof 2.5 Å3 Da−1and a solvent content of 50.0%.
Change in smoking status during two consecutive pregnancies: a population‐based cohort study
Authors: Tran DT , Roberts CL , Jorm LR , Seeho S , Havard A
Published: April 2014

Objective

To investigate changes in tobacco smoking in two consecutive pregnancies and factors associated with the change.

Design

Population‐based cohort study.

Setting

New South Wales, Australia, 2000–10.

Population

A total of 183 385 women having first and second singleton pregnancies.

Methods

Descriptive and multivariable logistic regression analyses of perinatal data linked to hospital admission data.

Main outcome measures

Proportion of women smoking during their first pregnancy who quit by their second, and of women not smoking in their first pregnancy who did smoke during their second.

Results

Among 22 761 smokers in the first pregnancy, 33.5% had quit by their second. Among 160 624 non‐smokers in their first pregnancy, 3.6% smoked during their second. Women who were aged ≥25 years, were married, born in a non‐English speaking country, used private obstetric care, and lived in a socio‐economically advantaged area were more likely to quit or less likely to start smoking in the second pregnancy. Smokers who had gestational hypertension (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1.36, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.23–1.51), a large‐for‐gestational‐age infant (OR 1.66, 95% CI, 1.46–1.89), and a stillbirth (OR 1.44, 95% CI 1.06–1.94) were more likely to quit, whereas smokers whose infant was small‐for‐gestational‐age (OR 0.65, 95% CI 0.60–0.70) or admitted to special care nursery (OR 0.87, 95% CI 0.81–0.94) were less likely to quit. Among non‐smokers in the first pregnancy, the risk of smoking in the second pregnancy increased with late antenatal attendance (e.g. ≥26 weeks, OR 1.30, 95% CI 1.14–1.48), gestational diabetes (OR 1.25, 95% CI 1.07–1.45), preterm birth (e.g. spontaneous, OR 1.25, 95% CI 1.10–1.43), caesarean section (e.g. prelabour, OR 1.13, 95% CI 1.01–1.26), and infant small‐for‐gestational‐age (OR 1.37, 95% CI 1.26–1.48) or required special care nursery (OR 1.14, 95% CI 1.06–1.23). Inter‐pregnancy interval of ≥3 years was associated with either change in smoking status.

Conclusions

Most smokers continue to smoke in their next pregnancy, even among those who experienced poor outcomes. Intensive interventions should be explored and offered to women at the highest risk.
Oncological outcome and long‐term complications in robot‐assisted radical surgery for early stage cervical cancer: an observational cohort study
Authors: Hoogendam JP , Verheijen RHM , Wegner I , Zweemer RP
Published: April 2014

Objective

To report the oncological outcome and long‐term complications of radical surgery by robot‐assisted laparoscopy in early stage cervical cancer.

Design

Observational cohort study.

Setting

Tertiary referral centre.

Population

About 100 cervical cancer patients treated consecutively with robot‐assisted radical surgery between 2008 and 2013.

Methods

Two gynaecological oncologists specialised in minimally invasive surgery performed all surgeries on a three/four‐armed robotic system. Procedures consisted of pelvic lymph node dissection combined with a radical hysterectomy, radical vaginal trachelectomy or parametrectomy.

Main outcome measures

Recurrence, survival and long‐term complication rates.

Results

104 robot‐assisted laparoscopies were performed in 100 patients (stage IA1–IIB), with a median follow‐up of 29.5 months (range 2.5–67.1 months). Thirteen cases were diagnosed with a loco‐regional (8%), distant (4%) or combined (1%) recurrence at a median of 14.4 months (range 2.9–34.8 months). All mortality (7%) was cervical cancer‐related and due to recurrent disease. Four recurrences receive palliative care and two are in complete remission. The overall 5‐year progression‐free and disease‐specific survival rates are 81.4 and 88.7%, respectively. Frequent complications were lymphoedema (26%), lower urinary tract symptoms (19%), urinary tract infection (17%) and sexual disorders (9%). Five patients had a vaginal cuff dehiscence. No complication‐related mortality occurred.

Conclusion

The recurrence, survival and long‐term complication rates of robot‐assisted radical surgery for early stage cervical cancer in this cohort are reassuring concerning its continued clinical use.
Strategies Used in Production of Phenylalanine‐Free Foods for PKU Management
Authors: Soltanizadeh Nafiseh , Mirmoghtadaie Leila
Published: April 2014

Phenylketonuria (PKU) is one of the most widespread dysfunctions caused by an inheritable problem in the phenylalanine metabolism. In this metabolic disease, gene mutations in phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) result in phenylalanine accumulation that causes varying degrees of mental retardation. The most effective treatment is restriction of phenylalanine in diet provided through different strategies including combination of low‐protein foods, hydrolyzing of protein‐rich foods, or use of protein substitutes. Meat and meat products, sea foods, milk and infant formula, cereal products, and beans are among the modified foods for PKU management. Elimination of phenylalanine from food presents major technological, nutritional, and organolleptic challenges because protein, as an essential structure‐building and nutritional element, is removed. In addition, following this program is laborious, boring, and restrictive for both patients and their families. This paper reviews the current findings about PKU and the recent developments in the production of phenylalanine‐free foods. Also, the nutritional requirements and challenges encountered by PKU individuals and food technologists are finally discussed.
A Review on the Relationships between Processing, Food Structure, and Rheological Properties of Plant‐Tissue‐Based Food Suspensions
Authors: Moelants Katlijn R.N. , Cardinaels Ruth , Van Buggenhout Sandy , Van Loey Ann M. , Moldenaers Paula , Hendrickx Marc E.
Published: April 2014

Nowadays, there is much interest in controlling the functional properties of processed fruit‐ and vegetable‐derived products, which has stimulated renewed research interest in process–structure–function relations. In this review, we focus on rheology as a functional property because of its importance during the entire production chain up to the moment of consumption and digestion. This review covers the literature of the past decade with respect to process–structure–rheology relations in plant‐tissue‐based food suspensions. It became clear that the structure of plant‐tissue‐based food suspensions, consisting of plant‐tissue‐based particles in an aqueous serum phase, is affected by many unit operations (for example, heat treatment) and that also the sequence of unit operations can have an effect on the final structural properties. Furthermore, particle concentration, particle size, and particle morphology were found to be key structural elements determining the rheological properties of these suspensions comprising low amounts of starch and serum pectin. Since the structure of plant‐tissue‐based products was shown to be changed during processing, rheological parameters of these products were simultaneously altered. Therefore, this review also comprises a discussion of the effect on rheological properties of the most relevant processing steps in the production of plant‐tissue‐based products. Linking changes in rheology due to processing with process‐induced alterations in structural characteristics turned out to be quite intricate. The current knowledge on process–structure–function relations can form the basis for future improved and novel food process and product design.
Combating Mineral Malnutrition through Iron and Zinc Biofortification of Cereals
Authors: Shahzad Zaigham , Rouached Hatem , Rakha Allah
Published: April 2014

Iron and zinc are 2 important nutrients in the human diet. Their deficiencies in humans lead to a variety of health‐related problems. Iron and zinc biofortification of cereals is considered a cost‐effective solution to overcome the malnutrition of these minerals. Biofortification aims at either increasing accumulation of these minerals in edible parts, endosperm, or to increase their bioavailability. Iron and zinc fertilization management positively influence their accumulation in cereal grains. Regarding genetic strategies, quantitative genetic studies show the existence of ample variation for iron and zinc accumulation as well as inhibitors or promoters of their bioavailability in cereal grains. However, the genes underlying this variation have rarely been identified and never used in breeding programs. Genetically modified cereals developed by modulation of genes involved in iron and zinc homeostasis, or genes influencing bioavailability, have shown promising results. However, iron and zinc concentration were quantified in the whole grains during most of the studies, whereas a significant proportion of them is lost during milling. This makes it difficult to realistically assess the effectiveness of the different strategies. Moreover, modifications in the accumulation of toxic elements, like cadmium and arsenic, that are of concern for food safety are rarely determined. Trials in living organisms with iron‐ and zinc‐biofortified cereals also remain to be undertaken. This review focuses on the common challenges and their possible solutions related to agronomic as well as genetic iron and zinc biofortification of cereals.
Simultaneous Detection of Human Mitochondrial DNA and Nuclear‐Inserted Mitochondrial‐origin Sequences (NumtS) using Forensic mtDNA Amplification Strategies and Pyrosequencing Technology
Authors: Bintz Brittania J. , Dixon Groves B. , Wilson Mark R.
Published: April 2014

Next‐generation sequencing technologies enable the identification of minor mitochondrial DNA variants with higher sensitivity than Sanger methods, allowing for enhanced identification of minor variants. In this study, mixtures of human mtDNA control region amplicons were subjected to pyrosequencing to determine the detection threshold of the Roche GS Junior® instrument (Roche Applied Science, Indianapolis, IN). In addition to expected variants, a set of reproducible variants was consistently found in reads from one particular amplicon. A BLASTn search of the variant sequence revealed identity to a segment of a 611‐bp nuclear insertion of the mitochondrial control region (NumtS) spanning the primer‐binding sites of this amplicon (Nature 1995;378:489). Primers (Hum Genet 2012;131:757; Hum Biol 1996;68:847) flanking the insertion were used to confirm the presence or absence of the NumtS in buccal DNA extracts from twenty donors. These results further our understanding of human mtDNA variation and are expected to have a positive impact on the interpretation of mtDNA profiles using deep‐sequencing methods in casework.
Fatal Falls from Height in Taiwan
Authors: Peng Tzu‐An , Lee Chien‐Chang , Lin Jasper Chia‐Cheng , Shun Chia‐Tung , Shaw Kai‐Ping , Weng Te I
Published: April 2014

This study conducts an investigation of fatal falls from height, examines gender differences, and compares our findings with those of Western countries. We review deaths in Taiwan caused by falls from height that underwent forensic autopsy from 1994 to 2010. Among the examined cases, 182 were suicide, 156 were accidents, and 18 were homicides. Men who fell from greater heights had a lower probability of fatal head trauma (p = 0.045), and women exhibited a lower fatal head trauma rate when falling from heights of between 10 and 25 m in accident group (p = 0.003). There was no significant difference between cases of falling from greater and lower heights within the suicide group (p = 0.834). Psychiatric illness was only reported in 20.3% and 28.8% cases in suicide and accident groups. Only in male cases was the use of psychotropic substances higher in the suicide groups than in the accident groups (p = 0.047).