bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Microstructure manipulation and guest release from cation responsive peptide microspheres
Authors: Gupta Astha , Krishna K. Vijaya , Verma Sandeep
Published: August 2015

A thiolated C3-symmetric dihistidine conjugate and its self-assembly to yield nanospheres. Doughnut shaped, porous microspheres formed upon co-incubation with ATP that can be triggered to release cargo in response to cationic stimulus.
Correlation between nucleation, phase transition and dynamic melt-crystallization kinetics in PAni/PVDF blends
Authors: Biswas Swarup , Dutta Bula , Bhattacharya Subhratanu
Published: August 2015

The dynamic melt crystallization kinetics of polyaniline (PAni)/poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) blends of different compositions has been investigated to understand the influence of PAni on the heterogeneous nucleation and phase transition of PVDF.
Correction: Dielectric hysteresis behaviors of polyvinylidene fluoride-based multilayer dielectrics controlled by confined distribution of conductive particles
Authors: Zhu Jiaming , Luo Shanshan , Cao Bo , Shen Jiabin , Guo Shaoyun
Published: August 2015

Correction for ‘Dielectric hysteresis behaviors of polyvinylidene fluoride-based multilayer dielectrics controlled by confined distribution of conductive particles’ by Jiaming Zhu et al., RSC Adv., 2015, 5, 65927–65931.
An alternative theory to explain the effects of coalescing oil drops on mouthfeel
Authors: Le Reverend Benjamin , Engmann Jan
Published: August 2015

In this letter, we demonstrate that through non-trivial rheological effects occurring in narrow gaps, it is possible to explain how coalescent oil drops contribute to the specific mouthfeel of such unstable emulsions.
Modeling growth paths of interacting crack pairs in elastic media
Authors: Ghelichi Ramin , Kamrin Ken
Published: August 2015

The problem of predicting the growth of a system of cracks, each crack influencing the growth of the others, arises in multiple fields.
Improved power output by incorporating polyvinyl alcohol into the anode of a microbial fuel cell
Authors: Chen X. F. , Wang X. S. , Liao K. T. , Zeng L. Z. , Xing L. D. , Zhou X. W. , Zheng X. W. , Li W. S.
Published: August 2015

In this study, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is proposed as a new binder to improve the power output of a microbial fuel cell.
Thermoelectric and electrical transport properties of Mg2Si multi-doped with Sb, Al and Zn
Authors: Zhao Jianbao , Liu Zhenxian , Reid Joel , Takarabe Kenichi , Iida Tsutomu , Wang Bosen , Yoshiya Uwatoko , Tse John S.
Published: August 2015

A maximumZTof 0.964 was found for Sb0.5%Zn0.5% doped Mg2Si, which is comparable to those of PbTe based thermoelectric materials.
A novel Fe3O4@nSiO2@NiPd–PVP@mSiO2 multi-shell core–shell nanocomposite for cinnamic acid hydrogenation in water
Authors: Feng Wenhui , Dong Huixian , Niu Libo , Wen Xin , Huo Li , Bai Guoyi
Published: August 2015

A novel magnetic mesoporous core–shell nanocomposite Fe3O4@nSiO2@NiPd–PVP@mSiO2 exhibited excellent activity, selectivity and good reusability in cinnamic acid hydrogenation in water.
A green approach to green-conversion material and green-agriculture: alkaline-earth metal sulfide phosphors
Authors: Qiu Zhongxian , Luo Tingting , Zhang Jilin , Zhou Wenli , Yu Liping , Lian Shixun
Published: August 2015

Green-conversion phosphor was prepared through a green IPTM approach and fabricated into laminated glass as a permanent sunlight conversion greenhouse device.
Swelling of PDMS networks in solvent vapours; applications for passive RFID wireless sensors
Authors: Rumens C. V. , Ziai M. A. , Belsey K. E. , Batchelor J. C. , Holder S. J.
Published: August 2015

The swelling ratio of a network polydimethylsiloxane correlates with the Hansen solubility parameters, δd, δp and δh and the vapour pressures of organic vapours. The use of PDMS as a mechanical actuator in a prototype wireless RFID passive sensor is demonstrated.
High performance n-type bismuth telluride based alloys for mid-temperature power generation
Authors: Tang Zhenglong , Hu Lipeng , Zhu Tiejun , Liu Xiaohua , Zhao Xinbing
Published: August 2015

We combine Se alloying, SbI3 doping and repeated hot deformation to obtain high-performance n-type Bi2Te3 based mid-temperature thermoelectric materials for power generation.
Necroptosis signalling is tuned by phosphorylation of MLKL residues outside the pseudokinase domain activation loop
Authors: Tanzer Maria C. , Tripaydonis Anne , Webb Andrew I. , Young Samuel N. , Varghese Leila N. , Hall Cathrine , Alexander Warren S. , Hildebrand Joanne M. , Silke John , Murphy James M.
Published: August 2015

The pseudokinase MLKL (mixed lineage kinase domain-like), has recently emerged as a critical component of the necroptosis cell death pathway. Although it is clear that phosphorylation of the activation loop in the MLKL pseudokinase domain by the upstream protein kinase RIPK3 (receptor-interacting protein kinase-3), is crucial to trigger MLKL activation, it has remained unclear whether other phosphorylation events modulate MLKL function. By reconstituting Mlkl−/−, Ripk3−/− and Mlkl−/−Ripk3−/− cells with MLKL phospho-site mutants, we compared the function of known MLKL phosphorylation sites in regulating necroptosis with three phospho-sites that we identified by MS, Ser158, Ser228 and Ser248. Expression of a phosphomimetic S345D MLKL activation loop mutant-induced stimulus-independent cell death in all knockout cells, demonstrating that RIPK3 phosphorylation of the activation loop of MLKL is sufficient to induce cell death. Cell death was also induced by S228A, S228E and S158A MLKL mutants in the absence of death stimuli, but was most profound in Mlkl−/−Ripk3−/− double knockout fibroblasts. These data reveal a potential role for RIPK3 as a suppressor of MLKL activation and indicate that phosphorylation can fine-tune the ability of MLKL to induce necroptosis.
Compact microstrip decoupling and matching network for two symmetric antennas
Authors: Li Rui‐Peng , Wang Peng , Zheng Qiang , Wu Rui‐Zhi
Published: August 2015

A novel and compact decoupling and matching network (DMN) is proposed for two symmetric antennas. The DMN is designed and analysis by the lumped‐element circuit and the even/odd mode analysis proved the feasibility of the network for a two‐element closely spaced array. Then the network is fulfilled by a microstrip line. The measurement results (both with the advanced design system and the high frequency structure simulator) agree quiet well with the simulation ones. High antenna isolation and good matching are achieved simultaneously. The design concept, formulation and experimental results are introduced.
Multichannel OADM using cascaded Bragg grating/Mach–Zehnder interferometers in SOI
Authors: Wang J. , Chen L.R.
Published: August 2015

Multichannel optical add–drop multiplexers (OADMs) based on cascaded Bragg grating/Mach–Zehnder interferometers in silicon‐on‐insulator are reported. The OADMs are fabricated using electron beam lithography with a single etch. Three add–drop channels at wavelengths of 1542.5, 1557.0, and 1570.4 nm, each with a 3 dB bandwidth (BW) of 4 nm are obtained. All channels exhibit a transmission isolation of >20 dB, an interferometric crosstalk of <−30 dB, and a bandwidth utilisation factor of >0.5.
Multi‐objective low voltage grid tariff setting
Authors: Jargstorf Johannes , Belmans Ronnie
Published: August 2015

The design of low voltage grid tariffs can be constrained by several political objectives for the electricity sector, such as energy conservation or an increase of local generation. This leads to trade‐offs between these objectives. In this study, a multi‐objective model is proposed, to address this task in a European context. The model calculates Pareto‐optimal shares of the capacity and energy components for different sets of decision variables. In a case study, the model is implemented for a number of tariff structures such as a flat tariff and a time of use tariff. Results show the trade‐off between the objectives. They also show the impact of rising levels of local generation and of a variation in the tariff structure. These case study results outline the importance to formalise high level political objectives and to include them in the tariff design process.
Corrigendum to: Use of motion activated remote cameras to detect the endangered spotted-tail quoll (Dasyurus maculatus): results from a pilot study
Authors: McLean Chris M. , Vårhammar Angelica , Mikac Katarina M.
Published: August 2015

A survey of the spotted-tailed quoll (Dasyurus maculatus) was conducted in the Watagan Mountains of New South Wales using baited remote cameras. Nine individuals were detected, of which seven occurred at meat-baited sites and two at sites with a general mammal bait. This confirms the expectation that a meat-based bait increases the ability to detect this species using remote cameras.
Confounding effects of oxygen and temperature on the TEX
86
signature of marine Thaumarchaeota
Authors: Qin Wei , Carlson Laura T. , Armbrust E. Virginia , Devol Allan H. , Moffett James W. , Stahl David A. , Ingalls Anitra E.
Published: August 2015

Significance

Ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) are among the most abundant microorganisms in the ocean. Apart from having a major influence on the nitrogen cycle, the glycerol dibiphytanyl glycerol tetraether (GDGT) membrane lipids of AOA are widely used to reconstruct past sea surface temperatures. We here provide compelling evidence that the composition of membrane lipids of marine AOA show strain-specific dependence on temperature. We also show that oxygen (O
2
) concentration greatly influences membrane lipid composition, leading to significant increases in TEX
86
-derived temperatures with increasing O
2
limitation. This finding challenges the convention that GDGT composition correlates solely with ocean temperature and necessitates a reassessment of archaeal lipid-based paleoclimate proxies, particularly when applied to environments where O
2
is depleted.
Increasing disparities between resource inputs and outcomes, as measured by certain health deliverables, in biomedical research
Authors: Bowen Anthony , Casadevall Arturo
Published: August 2015

Significance

The general public funds the vast majority of biomedical research and is also the major intended beneficiary of biomedical breakthroughs. We show that increasing research investments, resulting in an increasing knowledge base, have not yielded comparative gains in certain health outcomes over the last five decades. We demonstrate that monitoring scientific inputs, outputs, and outcomes can be used to estimate the productivity of the biomedical research enterprise and may be useful in assessing future reforms and policy changes. A wide variety of negative pressures on the scientific enterprise may be contributing to a relative slowing of biomedical therapeutic innovation. Slowed biomedical research outcomes have the potential to undermine confidence in science, with widespread implications for research funding and public health.
IRF5 controls both acute and chronic inflammation
Authors: Weiss Miriam , Byrne Adam J. , Blazek Katrina , Saliba David G. , Pease James E. , Perocheau Dany , Feldmann Marc , Udalova Irina A.
Published: August 2015

Significance

Many of the world’s major chronic diseases are driven by inflammation. The most abundant inflammatory cells in these diseases are myeloid cells, such as macrophages and neutrophils. Both cell types show remarkable phenotypic diversity among tissues. Defining molecular factors that control this diversity provides abundant scope for the generation of more specific and effective therapeutics, as the lack of specificity of the current most widely used antiinflammatory approaches, such as glucocorticoids and nonsteroidal antiinflammatory molecules, leads to widespread problems if used long term, even at relatively low doses. In this study we demonstrate that a transcription factor called IFN regulatory factor 5 controls macrophage and neutrophil aspects of inflammation, and thus its blockade might be an effective therapeutic strategy for multiple indications.
Neural systems supporting linguistic structure, linguistic experience, and symbolic communication in sign language and gesture
Authors: Newman Aaron J. , Supalla Ted , Fernandez Nina , Newport Elissa L. , Bavelier Daphne
Published: August 2015

Significance

Although sign languages and nonlinguistic gesture use the same modalities, only sign languages have established vocabularies and follow grammatical principles. This is the first study (to our knowledge) to ask how the brain systems engaged by sign language differ from those used for nonlinguistic gesture matched in content, using appropriate visual controls. Signers engaged classic left-lateralized language centers when viewing both sign language and gesture; nonsigners showed activation only in areas attuned to human movement, indicating that sign language experience influences gesture perception. In signers, sign language activated left hemisphere language areas more strongly than gestural sequences. Thus, sign language constructions—even those similar to gesture—engage language-related brain systems and are not processed in the same ways that nonsigners interpret gesture.
Kinetics of a Criegee intermediate that would survive high humidity and may oxidize atmospheric SO
2
Authors: Huang Hao-Li , Chao Wen , Lin Jim Jr-Min
Published: August 2015

Significance

Ozonolysis of alkenes produces highly reactive Criegee intermediates. Whereas water dimer efficiently scavenges the simplest Criegee intermediate CH
2
OO in the troposphere, this study clear demonstrates that water vapor does not react with dimethyl substituted Criegee intermediate (CH
3
)
2
COO, at least not fast enough to significantly consume (CH
3
)
2
COO in the troposphere. On the other hand, (CH
3
)
2
COO reacts with SO
2
three times faster than CH
2
OO does, indicating Criegee intermediates of a structure similar to (CH
3
)
2
COO are potential candidates for an efficient oxidant in the atmospheric SO
2
oxidation.
Unraveling the mechanism of selective ion transport in hydrophobic subnanometer channels
Authors: Li Hui , Francisco Joseph S. , Zeng Xiao Cheng
Published: August 2015

Significance

Ion channels facilitate diffusion of ions across biological membranes. It has been a longstanding puzzle as to why the larger-sized K
+
ion can diffuse across the narrow potassium channel, whereas the smaller Na
+
cannot. Recently synthesized nanopores also possess ion selectivity, suggesting different mechanisms for the selective ion transport. Here, we employ ab initio molecular dynamics simulation to investigate structural and dynamical properties of aqua Na
+
and K
+
ions in hydrophobic nanochannels. We find that the aqua-Na
+
ion has a smaller-sized but more structured and robust hydration shell, leading to low diffusivity in subnanometer channels. We predict that the (8, 8) carbon nanotube is possibly the best artificial K
+
-selective channel and may give rise to the highest K
+
transportation rate.
Residual history: memory and activism in modern Poland
Authors: Allison Shona
Published: August 2015

This article examines the divide between national and local collective memory in Poland and investigates the role of “memory activists” in mediating and exploiting this divide. It narrows its focus to the ethnic cleansing of Poles by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) from 1943 to 1944 and the forced relocation of Ukrainians in Poland, Operation Vistula, in 1947. It surveys local and national newspapers to understand competing interpretations and analyzes what incidents (e.g. protests, disputes, commemorations, reenactments, etc.) related to these events take place in local communities. It highlights the many actors, “memory activists,” and associations involved in pushing specific, often ahistorical, interpretations of these events – motivated by political gain, careerism, or personal conviction. It uses the theoretical works of Maurice Halbwachs and Karl Mannheim to effectively distinguish between local and national phenomenon and to elucidate the various nuances of collective memory.
The political economy of the media in the Somali conflict
Authors: Stremlau Nicole , Fantini Emanuele , Osman Ridwan M.
Published: August 2015

This article explores the political economy of the media in the context of weak formal state institutions in Somalia. Drawing on literature examining the political economy of war, the authors argue that, rather than being either a system of anarchy or a system in which journalists strive to serve normative functions of a fourth estate, the media in Somalia have their own internal logic that operates according to local norms and rules. This accounts for the media's ability to continue to grow despite the serious security concerns and the absence of strong state institutions and regulations, as well as predictable and regular revenue.
Kindlin-3–mediated integrin adhesion is dispensable for quiescent but essential for activated hematopoietic stem cells
Authors: Ruppert Raphael , Moser Markus , Sperandio Markus , Rognoni Emanuel , Orban Martin , Liu Wen-Hsin , Schulz Ansgar S. , Oostendorp Robert A.J. , Massberg Steffen , Fässler Reinhard
Published: August 2015

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) generate highly dividing hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs), which produce all blood cell lineages. HSCs are usually quiescent, retained by integrins in specific niches, and become activated when the pools of HPCs decrease. We report that Kindlin-3–mediated integrin activation controls homing of HSCs to the bone marrow (BM) and the retention of activated HSCs and HPCs but not of quiescent HSCs in their BM niches. Consequently, Kindlin-3–deficient HSCs enter quiescence and remain in the BM when cotransplanted with wild-type hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs), whereas they are hyperactivated and lost in the circulation when wild-type HSPCs are absent, leading to their exhaustion and reduced survival of recipients. The accumulation of HSPCs in the circulation of leukocyte adhesion deficiency type III patients, who lack Kindlin-3, underlines the conserved functions of Kindlin-3 in man and the importance of our findings for human disease.
aRrayLasso: a network-based approach to microarray interconversion
Authors: Brown Adam S. , Patel Chirag J.
Published: August 2015

Summary: Robust conversion between microarray platforms is needed to leverage the wide variety of microarray expression studies that have been conducted to date. Currently available conversion methods rely on manufacturer annotations, which are often incomplete, or on direct alignment of probes from different platforms, which often fail to yield acceptable genewise correlation. Here, we describe aRrayLasso, which uses the Lasso-penalized generalized linear model to model the relationships between individual probes in different probe sets. We have implemented aRrayLasso in a set of five open-source R functions that allow the user to acquire data from public sources such as Gene Expression Omnibus, train a set of Lasso models on that data and directly map one microarray platform to another. aRrayLasso significantly predicts expression levels with similar fidelity to technical replicates of the same RNA pool, demonstrating its utility in the integration of datasets from different platforms.

Availability and implementation: All functions are available, along with descriptions, at https://github.com/adam-sam-brown/aRrayLasso.

Contact:  chirag_patel@hms.harvard.edu

Supplementary information:  Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Correcting gene expression data when neither the unwanted variation nor the
factor of interest are observed
Authors: Jacob Laurent , Gagnon-Bartsch Johann A. , Speed Terence P.
Published: August 2015

When dealing with large scale gene expression studies, observations are commonly contaminated by sources of unwanted variation such as platforms or batches. Not taking this unwanted variation into account when analyzing the data can lead to spurious associations and to missing important signals. When the analysis is unsupervised, e.g. when the goal is to cluster the samples or to build a corrected version of the dataset—as opposed to the study of an observed factor of interest—taking unwanted variation into account can become a difficult task. The factors driving unwanted variation may be correlated with the unobserved factor of interest, so that correcting for the former can remove the latter if not done carefully. We show how negative control genes and replicate samples can be used to estimate unwanted variation in gene expression, and discuss how this information can be used to correct the expression data. The proposed methods are then evaluated on synthetic data and three gene expression datasets. They generally manage to remove unwanted variation without losing the signal of interest and compare favorably to state-of-the-art corrections. All proposed methods are implemented in the bioconductor package RUVnormalize.
A proposed chemical scheme for HCCO formation in cold dense clouds
Authors: Wakelam V. , Loison J.-C. , Hickson K. M. , Ruaud M.
Published: August 2015

The ketenyl radical (HCCO) has recently been discovered in two cold dense clouds with a non-negligible abundance of a few 10−11 (compared to H2). Until now, no chemical network has been able to reproduce this observation. We propose here a chemical scheme that can reproduce HCCO abundances together with HCO, H2CCO and CH3CHO in the dark clouds Lupus-1A and L486. The main formation pathway for HCCO is the OH + CCH → HCCO + H reaction as suggested by Agúndez et al. but with a much larger rate coefficient than used in current models. Since this reaction has never been studied experimentally or theoretically, this larger value is based on a comparison with other similar systems.
Compositional Differences in Anthocyanins from Blue‐ and Purple‐Grained Spring Wheat Grown in Four Environments in Central Saskatchewan
Authors: Abdel‐Aal El‐Sayed M. , Hucl Pierre , Shipp Jaclyn , Rabalski Iwona
Published: August 2015

Anthocyanins are important dietary components that play significant roles in human health because of their antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory properties. In the present study nine anthocyanin‐pigmented spring wheat lines grown at two sites in central Saskatchewan, Canada, were evaluated in terms of anthocyanin composition in comparison with four wheat checks over a two‐year period. The genotypes studied were blue‐aleurone and purple‐pericarp wheat. The anthocyanin pigments were quantified and identified with liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. Two anthocyanin profiles were identified in the breeding lines, namely, blue profile and purple profile. Wheat lines with a purple profile had overall higher anthocyanin concentrations and more pigments than the blue‐aleurone lines. The purple profile was also characterized by the presence of acylated anthocyanins containing malonyl and succinyl substituents, but no acylated pigments were found in the blue profile. Delphinidin was the dominant aglycone in the blue profile, whereas cyanidin was the principal anthocyanidin in the purple profile. Genotype and interactions among genotype, year, and location were found to significantly influence content and composition of anthocyanin pigments. These differences in anthocyanin content and composition reflect various color characteristics and bioactivity for purple or blue wheat when utilized.
A Large Repetitive RTX-Like Protein Mediates Water-Soaked Lesion Development, Leakage of Plant Cell Content and Host Colonization in the Pantoea stewartii subsp. stewartii Pathosystem
Authors: Roper M. Caroline , Burbank Lindsey P. , Williams Kayla , Viravathana Polrit , Tien Hsin-Yu , von Bodman Susanne
Published: August 2015

Pantoea stewartii subsp. stewartii is the etiological agent of Stewart’s wilt and is a serious bacterial pathogen affecting sweet corn. During the leaf blight phase, P. stewartii colonizes the leaf apoplast and causes a characteristic water-soaked lesion. The Hrp type III secretion system has been implicated in the water-soaking phenotype, and the goal of this study was to investigate other potential factors that contribute to the plant cellular disruption associated with these lesions. The P. stewartii genome contains a gene encoding a large repetitive RTX toxin, designated rtx2. RTX toxins comprise a large family of pore-forming proteins, which are widely distributed among gram-negative bacteria. These cytotoxins usually lyse their target host cells and cause significant tissue damage as a consequence. We hypothesized that this RTX-like toxin plays a role in the water-soaking phase of infection due to its predicted cytolytic properties. Based on the data reported here, we conclude that RTX2 contributes significantly to the development of water-soaked lesions and leakage of plant cellular contents and is an important pathogenicity factor for P. stewartii.
Genetic Diversity and Biocontrol ofRosellinia necatrixInfecting Apple in Northern Italy
Authors: Pasini Luca , Prodorutti Daniele , Pastorelli Sandro , Pertot Ilaria
Published: August 2015

The soilborne fungus Rosellinia necatrix is the causal agent of white root rot disease on numerous plant species, including apple, which, together with the ability to survive in soil for long periods, makes this pathogen difficult to control. To understand the origins of pathogen infestation, a survey of diseased apple orchards in the northeast of Italy was conducted and 35 isolates of R. necatrix were characterized with intersimple sequence repeat markers. High genetic heterogeneity among the collected isolates suggested multiple preexisting sources of inoculum and not movement of infected soil or plant material from a single source. Greenhouse trials confirmed that, as with some other crops, soil water content and temperature were the main factors influencing infection of apple plants, while organic fertilizers and the incorporation of apple wood residues were less important. The efficacy of Trichoderma atroviride SC1 as a biocontrol agent against R. necatrix greatly depended on the timing of application. It reduced white root rot incidence on apple seedlings only if treatment was applied at least 1 week before planting.
Chryseobacterium echinoideorum sp. nov., isolated from sea urchins (Tripneustes gratilla)
Authors: Lin Shih-Yao , Hameed Asif , Wen Cheng-Zhe , Liu You-Cheng , Shen Fo-Ting , Hsu Yi-Han , Lai Wei-An , Young Chiu-Chung
Published: August 2015

A Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, non-motile, rod-shaped, flexirubin-producing bacterium, designated strain CC-CZW010T, was isolated from the edible sea urchinTripneustes gratillain Penghu Island, Taiwan. The isolate grew optimally at pH 7.0 and 30 °C in the presence of 2 % (w/v) NaCl. The most closely related strains in terms of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity wereChryseobacterium taihuenseNBRC 108747T(97.6 %) andChryseobacterium aquaticumKCTC 12483T(96.7 %). Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed a distinct taxonomic position attained by strain CC-CZW010Twith respect to other species of the genusChryseobacterium. Strain CC-CZW010Tpossessed iso-C15 : 0, anteiso-C15 : 0, iso-C17 :  03-OH, summed feature 3 (comprising C16 : 1ω7c/C16 : 1ω6c) and summed feature 9 (comprising C16 :  010-methyl/iso-C17 : 1ω9c) as predominant fatty acids. The major polar lipid profile consisted of phosphatidylethanolamine, two unidentified lipids and five aminolipids. The polyamine pattern contained the major compoundsym-homospermidine. Menaquinone 6 (MK-6) was the predominant respiratory quinone, and the G+C content of the genomic DNA was 36.4 mol%. According to distinct phylogenetic, phenotypic and chemotaxonomic features, strain CC-CZW010Trepresents a novel species of the genusChryseobacterium, for which the nameChryseobacterium echinoideorumsp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is CC-CZW010T( = BCRC 80786T = JCM 30470T).
Reclassification of Angiococcus disciformis, Cystobacter minus and Cystobacter violaceus as Archangium disciforme comb. nov., Archangium minus comb. nov. and Archangium violaceum comb. nov., unification of the families Archangiaceae and Cystobacteraceae, and emended descriptions of the families Myxococcaceae and Archangiaceae
Authors: Lang Elke , Schumann Peter , Tindall Brian J. , Mohr Kathrin I. , Spröer Cathrin
Published: August 2015

The species Archangium gephyra, Angiococcus disciformis, Cystobacter minus and Cystobacter violaceus are currently classified in three different genera of the order Myxococcales. The 16S rRNA gene sequences of the respective type strains show a similarity higher than 98.4 % and form a tight phylogenetic group. A dendrogram calculating the similarity of MALDI-TOF spectra confirmed the close relatedness of the four species that grouped in a monophyletic cluster in the neighbourhood of other species of the genus Cystobacter. The type strains shared similar fatty acid patterns of high complexity with iso-C15 : 0, C16 : 1ω5c and iso-C14 : 0 3-OH as the major components. The vegetative cells of these species are uniformly long needle-shaped rods, and the myxospores are short rods, ovoid or irregularly spherical thus differing from the myxospores of species related to Cystobacter fuscus, the type species of this genus. Some enzymic and hydrolysing reactions of the type strains are described. As a result of the high relatedness and similarity of the four species, it is proposed to place them into one genus, and due to phylogenetic and morphological distinctness, the species should be classified in a genus distinct from the genus Cystobacter as Archangium gephyra (type strain M18T = DSM 2261T = ATCC 25201T = NBRC 100087T), Archangium disciforme comb. nov. (type strain CMU 1T = DSM 52716T = ATCC 33172T), Archangium minus comb. nov. (proposed neotype strain Cb m2 = DSM 14751 = JCM 12627) and Archangium violaceum comb. nov. (type strain Cb vi61T = DSM 14727T = CIP 109131T = JCM 12629T). Since the family Archangiaceae
Jahn 1924 AL has priority over the family Cystobacteraceae
McCurdy 1970 AL, it is proposed to assign the genera Archangium, Anaeromyxobacter, Cystobacter, Hyalangium, Melittangium and Stigmatella to the family Archangiaceae. Emended descriptions of the families Myxococcaceae and Archangiaceae are also provided.
TET1 Modulates H4K16 Acetylation by Interacting with hMOF to Regulate Expression of DNA Repair Genes and Oncogenic Transformation
Authors: Zhong Jianing , Li Xianfeng , Cai Wanshi , Wang Yan , Dong Shanshan , Zhang Jian’an , Yang Jie , Wang Kangli , Mao Fengbiao , Zeng Cheng , Li Yuanyuan , Wu Jinyu , Yang Huanming , Xu Xingzhi , Sun Zhong Sheng
Published: August 2015

The Ten Eleven Translocation 1 (TET1) protein is a DNA demethylase that regulates gene expression through alteration of DNA methylation. Recent studies have demonstrated that TET1 could modulate transcriptional expression independent of its DNA demethylation activity; however, the detailed mechanisms underlying TET1’s role in such transcriptional regulation remain not well understood. Here, we uncovered that Tet1 formed a chromatin complex with histone acetyltransferase Mof and scaffold protein Sin3a in mouse embryonic stem cells by integrative genomic analysis using publicly available ChIP-seq data sets. Specifically, the TET1/SIN3A/hMOF complex mediates acetylation of histone H4 at lysine 16,viafacilitating the binding of hMOF on chromatin, to regulate expression of important DNA repair genes in DNA double strand breaks, includingTP53BP1,RAD50,RAD51, andBRCA1, for homologous recombination and non-homologous end joining repairs. Under hydrogen peroxide-induced DNA damage, dissociation of TET1 and hMOF from chromatin, concurrent with increased binding of SIRT1 on chromatin, led to hypo-acetylation of H4K16, reduced expression of these DNA repair genes, and DNA repair defects in a DNA methylation independent manner. A similar epigenetic dynamic alteration was also observed in H-RASV12oncogenic-transformed cells, supporting the notion that suppression of TET1 downregulates DNA repair genes through modifying H4K16ac, instead of its demethylation function, and therefore contribute to tumorigenesis. Taken together, our results suggested a mechanistic link between a novel TET1 complex and H4K16ac, DNA repair genes expression, and genomic instability.
Antithetic Integral Feedback: A new motif for robust perfect adaptation in noisy biomolecular networks
Authors: Briat Corentin , Gupta Ankit , Khammash Mustafa
Published: August 2015

Homeostasis is a running theme in biology. Often achieved through feedback regulation strategies, homeostasis allows living cells to control their internal environment as a means for surviving changing and unfavourable environments. While many endogenous homeostatic motifs have been studied in living cells, some other motifs may remain under-explored or even undiscovered. At the same time, known regulatory motifs have been mostly analyzed at the deterministic level, and the effect of noise on their regulatory function has received low attention. Here we lay the foundation for a regulation theory at the molecular level that explicitly takes into account the noisy nature of biochemical reactions and provides novel tools for the analysis and design of robust homeostatic circuits. Using these ideas, we propose a new regulation motif, which we refer to asantithetic integral feedback,and demonstrate its effectiveness as a strategy for generically regulating a wide class of reaction networks. By combining tools from probability and control theory, we show that the proposed motif preserves the stability of the overall network, steers the population of any regulated species to a desired set point, and achieves robust perfect adaptation – all with low prior knowledge of reaction rates. Moreover, our proposed regulatory motif can be implemented using a very small number of molecules and hence has a negligible metabolic load. Strikingly, the regulatory motif exploits stochastic noise, leading to enhanced regulation in scenarios where noise-free implementations result in dysregulation. Finally, we discuss the possible manifestation of the proposed antithetic integral feedback motif in endogenous biological circuits and its realization in synthetic circuits.
Multiple obstacles to psychological care from the viewpoint of addiction service users
Authors: Gore Stuart , Mendoza Julio , Delgadillo Jaime
Published: August 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore addiction service users’ experiences of psychological interventions for depression symptoms, with an emphasis on understanding obstacles to engage with treatment.

Design/methodology/approach

– This was a thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with ten people who took part in a randomised controlled trial of cognitive and behavioural interventions; four of whom never engaged with treatment.

Findings

– Five prominent obstacles to access therapy were: memory deficits, becoming overwhelmed by multiple demands and appointments, being housebound due to fluctuations in mental health problems, tendency to avoid the unfamiliar, and contextual life problems related to deprivation and social conflict.

Research limitations/implications

– The authors note some possible limitations related to overreliance on telephone interviews and interviewers’ field notes. The authors discuss the findings in light of epidemiological research, cognitive, behavioural and motivational enhancement theories.

Practical implications

– The authors propose it is important to recognise and address multiple obstacles to therapy. Offering therapy appointments that are co-located within addiction services and time-contingent to other social/medical interventions may help to address some of these obstacles.

Originality/value

– The present qualitative results complement the prior experimental research and enrich the understanding of how to maximise engagement with psychological interventions.
Mobile phone user authentication with grip gestures using pressure sensors
Authors: Murao Kazuya , Tobise Hayami , Terada Tsutomu , Iso Toshiki , Tsukamoto Masahiko , Horikoshi Tsutomu
Published: August 2015

Purpose

– User authentication is generally used to protect personal information such as phone numbers, photos and account information stored in a mobile device by limiting the user to a specific person, e.g. the owner of the device. Authentication methods with password, PIN, face recognition and fingerprint identification have been widely used; however, these methods have problems of difficulty in one-handed operation, vulnerability to shoulder hacking and illegal access using fingerprint with either super glue or facial portrait. From viewpoints of usability and safety, strong and uncomplicated method is required.

Design/methodology/approach

– In this paper, a user authentication method is proposed based on grip gestures using pressure sensors mounted on the lateral and back sides of a mobile phone. Grip gesture is an operation of grasping a mobile phone, which is assumed to be done instead of conventional unlock procedure. Grip gesture can be performed with one hand. Moreover, it is hard to imitate grip gestures, as finger movements and grip force during a grip gesture are hardly seen by the others.

Findings

– The feature values of grip force are experimentally investigated and the proposed method from viewpoint of error rate is evaluated. From the result, this method achieved 0.02 of equal error rate, which is equivalent to face recognition.

Originality/value

– Many researches using pressure sensors to recognize grip pattern have been proposed thus far; however, the conventional works just recognize grip patterns and do not identify users, or need long pressure data to finish confident authentication. This proposed method authenticates users with a short grip gesture.
Owner-employee relations in small firms
Authors: Ntalianis Filotheos , Dyer Linda , Vandenberghe Christian
Published: August 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to shed light on the type of exchange relationship that small business owners establish with their employees. In particular, this study examines how the personality trait of “conscientiousness” among small business owners relates to relational “psychological contracts,” breach and violation that develop between owners and employees.

Design/methodology/approach

– This was a quantitative survey design conducted in Canada. Participants were 253 employees and the 50 small firm owners for whom they worked.

Findings

– Results indicate that owner conscientiousness was positively associated with a relational psychological contract with employees and perceived breach mediated a negative relationship between owner-rated relational contract obligations and feelings of contract violation among employees. Owner-rated relational contract obligations also mediated a negative relationship between owner conscientiousness and employee perceptions of breach and violation.

Practical implications

– Given the link between conscientiousness and relational contracts, small business owners who get involved in selection and training ought to present to the newly hired employees an accurate picture of their role and job requirements in order to create successful organizations. In addition, less conscientious business owners, through training, should try to develop further skills, such as goal setting and performance appraisal, in order to increase their ability to establish effective relationships (i.e. relational contracts).

Originality/value

– The current study is an initial attempt toward a better understanding of exchange relationships in small firms, thus strengthening the links between organizational behavior and small business research. It also contributes a quantitative perspective on issues that have typically been explored qualitatively.
Changes in work intensification and intensified learning: challenge or hindrance demands?
Authors: Korunka Christian , Kubicek Bettina , Paškvan Matea , Ulferts Heike
Published: August 2015

Purpose

– Increasing speed in many life domains is currently being discussed under the term “social acceleration” as a societal phenomenon which not only affects western societies, but may also lead to job demands arising from accelerated change. Demands such as work intensification and intensified learning and their changes over time may increase emotional exhaustion, but may also induce positive effects. The purpose of this paper is to examine how increases in demands arising from accelerated change affect employee well-being.

Design/methodology/approach

– A total of 587 eldercare workers provided data on work intensification and intensified learning as well as on exhaustion and job satisfaction at two points in time.

Findings

– Work intensification was negatively related to future job satisfaction and positively related to future emotional exhaustion, whereas intensified learning was positively associated with future job satisfaction and negatively with future emotional exhaustion.

Social implications

– Intensified demands represents a growing social as well as work-specific challenge which needs to be addressed by practitioners.

Originality/value

– Using a longitudinal perspective this study is the first to examine the relationship of increases in work intensification and intensified learning with job satisfaction and emotional exhaustion at work.
Work-home interference and work values in Greater China
Authors: Lu Chang-qin , Wang Bei , Siu Oi-ling , Lu Luo , Du Dan-yang
Published: August 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the mediating effects of work-home interference (WHI) on the relationships between work demand, work attitudes, and job performance, with a focus on the moderating effect of Chinese work values (CWV).

Design/methodology/approach

– A self-administered survey method was used. The sample comprised 1,032 employees from Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. The moderated mediation framework was used to test the proposed model.

Findings

– The results showed that WHI mediated the relationships among work demand, job satisfaction, and affective organizational commitment (AOC), but did not mediate the relationship between work demand and job performance. CWV moderated the mediated relationships and exacerbated the mediation effects of WHI on the relationships between work demand and job satisfaction and AOC.

Research limitations/implications

– The use of a cross-sectional design prevented the drawing of causal inference. With the exception of job performance, the self-reported measures are all subject to the problem of common method bias.

Practical implications

– Organizations in Greater China could implement stress management programs to reduce the negative effects of work demands. HR practitioners and managers should understand what values their employees hold to provide the proper interventions for them.

Originality/value

– By integrating both the mediator (WHI) and a moderator (CWV), this study investigated how CWV, an individual-level cultural value, affects the influences of WHI. The results highlight the importance of incorporating culturally specific value constructs when examining the underlying mechanisms of WHI.
Diagnosis and economic impact of operational variability – a case from the chemical forest industry
Authors: Rantamäki Jukka Mikael , Saarela Olli
Published: August 2015

Purpose

– This paper deals with the identification and diagnosis of operational variability in chemical processes, which is a common problem in mills but little explored in literature. The Cross-Industry Standard Process for Data Mining (CRISP-DM) is a widely used approach in problem solving. The purpose of this paper is to: first, contribute to the body of knowledge on applying CRISP-DM in a pulp mill production process and the special issues that need to be considered in this context. Exact amounts of a cost increase due to variation in pulp production have not been reported previously. Second, to quantify the cost of variation.

Design/methodology/approach

– In the case studied, the variation in a pulp mill batch cooking process had increased. In order to identify the causes of variation, CRISP-DM was applied.

Findings

– The cycle of variation was identified and found to be related to the batch cooking process cycle time. By using information from this analysis it was possible to detect otherwise unobserved defective steam nozzles. The defective equipment was repaired and improved. Further improvement was achieved when the fouling of a heat exchanger was found by analysis to be the root cause of long-term variability parameters. By applying CRISP-DM, equipment defects and fouling were identified as the root causes of the higher manufacturing costs due to increased variation were detected and estimated. The Taguchi loss function is a possible tool for estimating the cost of variation in pulp manufacturing.

Originality/value

– This paper provides new knowledge in the context of implementing CRISP-DM and the Taguchi loss function in the pulp and paper manufacturing process.
Diagnosing urban rail transit vehicles with FMEA and fuzzy set
Authors: Zhu Wei , Li Chen-yu , Xiao Xiao-yan , Xu Wen-bin
Published: August 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to develop an effective treatment to analyze and diagnose urban rail transit (URT) vehicle maintenance strategy.

Design/methodology/approach

– In this paper, the technique of Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) is introduced into the examination of URT trains, first. Then the method of fuzzy-set-based assessment for FMEA is presented, which is the quantitative tool of Fuzzy-Set-based treatment for FMEA in analysis and diagnoses to URT maintenance strategy. Moreover, recommendations for further improvement of the proposed approach are also provided. Initial application into the vehicle maintenance of Shanghai URT System shows, that the proposed approach has a good performance and consequently is worth further development.

Findings

– The paper presents a FMEA and fuzzy-set-based theoretical approach for analyzing and diagnosing current methods in URT vehicle maintenance strategy.

Practical implications

– With rapid development of URT systems in the world especially in those highly populated areas, much more attentions are turning to researches on URT maintenance, nevertheless, few quantitative research achievement are mentioned or applied. This paper is a tentative attempt at introducing fuzzy-set theory into quantitative analysis and diagnoses of URT maintenance strategy.

Originality/value

– The study in this paper is helpful in theory and practice of URT maintenance and its methodology could be further applied into a broad family of facility group or system in other engineering fields.