bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Toxic stress and protective factors in multi‐ethnic school age children: A research protocol
Authors: Condon Eileen M. , Sadler Lois S. , Mayes Linda C.
Published: February 2018

Exposure to stressful environments in early childhood can cause a toxic stress response and lead to poor health outcomes, including obesity, cardiac disease, diabetes, and mental illness. In animals and maltreated children, the presence of a nurturing caregiver can buffer against the physiological disruptions associated with a toxic stress response; however, the specific caregiver and parenting characteristics that best promote a protective relationship in humans remain largely unexplored, particularly in families living in high‐risk environments. In this study, framed in an ecobiodevelopmental (EBD) model, a cross‐sectional design is being used to study 54 multi‐ethnic, urban maternal‐child dyads with children at early school age (4–9 years). Mothers’ past experiences, mental health, and caregiving patterns and children's hair cortisol, C‐reactive protein, pro‐inflammatory cytokines, blood pressure, BMI, behavior, and school performance are being analyzed to identify maternal characteristics that may protect against children's toxic stress response in families at high risk for exposure to stressors such as poverty, trauma, or exposure to violence.
The diabetes drug liraglutide reverses cognitive impairment in mice and attenuates insulin receptor and synaptic pathology in a non‐human primate model of Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Batista Andre F , Forny‐Germano Leticia , Clarke Julia R , Lyra e Silva Natalia M , Brito‐Moreira Jordano , Boehnke Susan E , Winterborn Andrew , Coe Brian C , Lablans Ann , Vital Juliana F , Marques Suelen A , Martinez Ana MB , Gralle Matthias , Holscher Christian , Klein William L , Houzel Jean‐Christophe , Ferreira Sergio T , Munoz Douglas P , De Felice Fernanda G
Published: February 2018

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a devastating neurological disorder that still lacks an effective treatment, and this has stimulated an intense pursuit of disease‐modifying therapeutics. Given the increasingly recognized link between AD and defective brain insulin signaling, we investigated the actions of liraglutide, a glucagon‐like peptide‐1 (GLP‐1) analog marketed for treatment of type 2 diabetes, in experimental models of AD. Insulin receptor pathology is an important feature of AD brains that impairs the neuroprotective actions of central insulin signaling. Here, we show that liraglutide prevented the loss of brain insulin receptors and synapses, and reversed memory impairment induced by AD‐linked amyloid‐β oligomers (AβOs) in mice. Using hippocampal neuronal cultures, we determined that the mechanism of neuroprotection by liraglutide involves activation of the PKA signaling pathway. Infusion of AβOs into the lateral cerebral ventricle of non‐human primates (NHPs) led to marked loss of insulin receptors and synapses in brain regions related to memory. Systemic treatment of NHPs with liraglutide provided partial protection, decreasing AD‐related insulin receptor, synaptic, and tau pathology in specific brain regions. Synapse damage and elimination are amongst the earliest known pathological changes and the best correlates of memory impairment in AD. The results illuminate mechanisms of neuroprotection by liraglutide, and indicate that GLP‐1 receptor activation may be harnessed to protect brain insulin receptors and synapses in AD. © 2018 The Authors. The Journal of Pathology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland.
Spatial aspects of oncogenic signalling determine the response to combination therapy in slice explants from Kras‐driven lung tumours
Authors: Närhi Katja , Nagaraj Ashwini S , Parri Elina , Turkki Riku , van Duijn Petra W , Hemmes Annabrita , Lahtela Jenni , Uotinen Virva , Mäyränpää Mikko I , Salmenkivi Kaisa , Räsänen Jari , Linder Nina , Trapman Jan , Rannikko Antti , Kallioniemi Olli , Af Hällström Taija M , Lundin Johan , Sommergruber Wolfgang , Anders Simon , Verschuren Emmy W
Published: February 2018

A key question in precision medicine is how functional heterogeneity in solid tumours informs therapeutic sensitivity. We demonstrate that spatial characteristics of oncogenic signalling and therapy response can be modelled in precision‐cut slices from Kras‐driven non‐small‐cell lung cancer with varying histopathologies. Unexpectedly, profiling of in situ tumours demonstrated that signalling stratifies mostly according to histopathology, showing enhanced AKT and SRC activity in adenosquamous carcinoma, and mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) activity in adenocarcinoma. In addition, high intertumour and intratumour variability was detected, particularly of MAPK and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) complex 1 activity. Using short‐term treatment of slice explants, we showed that cytotoxic responses to combination MAPK and phosphoinositide 3‐kinase–mTOR inhibition correlate with the spatially defined activities of both pathways. Thus, whereas genetic drivers determine histopathology spectra, histopathology‐associated and spatially variable signalling activities determine drug sensitivity. Our study is in support of spatial aspects of signalling heterogeneity being considered in clinical diagnostic settings, particularly to guide the selection of drug combinations. © 2018 The Authors. The Journal of Pathology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland.
Peptides with regularly alternating enantiomeric sequence: From ion channel models to bioinspired nanotechnological applications
Authors: Novelli Federica , De Santis Serena , Morosetti Stefano , Titubante Mattia , Masci Giancarlo , Scipioni Anita
Published: February 2018

Peptides are versatile building blocks that have been extensively used as peptide‐based organizers to generate bioinspired hybrid materials. Among them, those peptides characterized by regularly alternating enantiomeric sequences (l,d‐peptides) have attracted much interest. Their structures, which are not accessible to the corresponding homochiral peptides, have been exploited to achieve hybrid conjugates, the chemical and structural properties of which can be predetermined by correct design. Molecules that self‐assemble into hollow tubular architectures with side chains on the outer surface can form, allowing the introduction of new functionalities on amino acid residues containing reactive side chains. This provides an effective strategy to develop engineered nanotubes with the surface suitably tuned for applications in different fields, spanning from electronics to medicine.
Using item response theory to describe the Nonverbal Literacy Assessment (NVLA)
Authors: Fleming Danielle , Wilson Mark , Ahlgrim‐Delzell Lynn
Published: February 2018

The Nonverbal Literacy Assessment (NVLA) is a literacy assessment designed for students with significant intellectual disabilities. The 218‐item test was initially examined using confirmatory factor analysis. This method showed that the test worked as expected, but the items loaded onto a single factor. This article uses item response theory to investigate the NVLA using Rasch models. First, we reduced the number of items using a unidimensional model, which resulted in high levels of test reliability despite decreasing the number of questions, providing the same information about student abilities in less time. Second, the multidimensional analysis indicated that it is possible to view the NVLA as a test with four dimensions, resulting in more detailed information about student abilities. Finally, we combined these approaches to obtain both specificity and brevity, with a four‐dimensional model using 133 items from the original NVLA.
Pharmacoproteomics Profile in Response to Acamprosate Treatment of an Alcoholism Animal Model
Authors: Germany Caroline E. , Reker Ashlie N. , Hinton David J. , Oliveros Alfredo , Shen Xinggui , Andres‐Beck Lindsey G. , Wininger Katheryn M. , Trutschl Marjan , Cvek Urska , Choi Doo‐Sup , Nam Hyung W.
Published: February 2018

Acamprosate is an FDA‐approved medication for the treatment of alcoholism that is unfortunately only effective in certain patients. Although acamprosate is known to stabilize the hyper‐glutamatergic state in alcoholism, pharmacological mechanisms of action in brain tissue remains unknown. To investigate the mechanism of acamprosate efficacy, the authors employ a pharmacoproteomics approach using an animal model of alcoholism, type 1 equilibrative nucleoside transporter (ENT1) null mice. The results demonstrate that acamprosate treatment significantly decreased both ethanol drinking and preference in ENT1 null mice compared to that of wild‐type mice. Then, to elucidate acamprosate efficacy mechanism in ENT1 null mice, the authors utilize label‐free quantification proteomics comparing both genotype and acamprosate treatment effects in the nucleus accumbens (NAc). A total of 1040 protein expression changes are identified in the NAc among 3634 total proteins detected. The proteomics and Western blot result demonstrate that acamprosate treatment decreased EAAT expression implicating stabilization of the hyper‐glutamatergic condition in ENT1 null mice. Pathway analysis suggests that acamprosate treatment in ENT1 null mice seems to rescue glutamate toxicity through restoring of RTN4 and NF‐κB medicated neuroimmune signaling compared to wild‐type mice. Overall, pharmacoproteomics approaches suggest that neuroimmune restoration is a potential efficacy mechanism in the acamprosate treatment of certain sub‐populations of alcohol dependent subjects.
SILAC Expands its Territory to the Pathogenic Yeast, Candida albicans
Authors: Jang Wooyoung Eric , Kim Min‐Sik
Published: February 2018

Quantitative proteomic analysis using stable isotope labeling with amino acids in cell culture (SILAC), as metabolic labeling with MS, has been used as an excellent technique to measure relative abundance change in proteins and post‐transitional modifications. Since its development in 2002, SILAC has proven to have unique and specific advantage compared to other labeling methods such as Isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ) and Tandem Mass Tag (TMT). However, SILAC has limitations in its application to human tissue/organ samples and some types of unicellular organisms that convert supplemented heavy amino acids to others. In this issue, Kaneva et al. (Proteomics 2018, 18, 1700278) introduces a new application of SILAC to a pathogen, which allows quantitative proteomics analysis to be performed without the need of arginine auxotrophs for SILAC experiment. In fungal pathogens, such as Candida albicans and other yeast family, arginine metabolism is one of the factors that helps pathogen escape host's defenses. This prevents arginine auxotrophs from being used in C. albicans research and limits SILAC‐based MS method as a choice of quantitation. However, possibilities for quantitative proteomic analysis of a pathogenic yeast C. albicans using SILAC has now opened by Kaneva et al.
Relationships between family resilience and posttraumatic growth in breast cancer survivors and caregiver burden
Authors: Liu Ye , Li Yuli , Chen Lijun , Li Yurong , Qi Weiye , Yu Li
Published: February 2018

Objective

To examine the relationships between family resilience and posttraumatic growth (PTG) of breast cancer survivors and caregiver burden among principal caregivers in China.

Methods

Participants in this cross‐sectional study comprised 108 women aged 26 to 74 years (M = 49, SD = 9) with early‐stage breast cancer and 108 principal caregivers. Participants were recruited from a comprehensive cancer center of a public hospital in Shandong Province, China. The principal caregivers completed the Shortened Chinese Version of the Family Resilience Assessment Scale and the Chinese Version of the Zarit Caregiver Burden Interview; patients completed the Short Form of the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory and questions designed to obtain sociodemographic information. Hierarchical regression analysis was conducted to assess the adjusted association between family resilience and PTG and caregiver burden, while controlling for sociodemographics.

Results

Families showed a slightly elevated level of family resilience since the cancer experience, and patients showed a moderate degree of PTG. Principal caregivers reported moderate burden. The Shortened Chinese Version of the Family Resilience Assessment Scale total score was positively related to the Short Form of the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory total score (β = .28, P < .01) and was negatively related to Zarit Caregiver Burden Interview total score (β = −.28, P < .01).

Conclusions

Family resilience impacts PTG of breast cancer survivors and caregiver burden. Our findings indicated the necessity of interventions to facilitate family resilience, promote PTG among breast cancer survivors, and decrease family members' caregiver burden.
Fitness costs of infection with Serratia symbiotica are associated with greater susceptibility to insecticides in the pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum
Authors: Skaljac Marisa , Kirfel Phillipp , Grotmann Jens , Vilcinskas Andreas
Published: February 2018

BACKGROUND

Aphids are agricultural pests that damage crops by direct feeding and by vectoring important plant viruses. Bacterial symbionts can influence aphid biology, e.g. by providing essential nutrients or facilitating adaptations to biotic and abiotic stress.

RESULTS

We investigated the pea aphid (Acyrthosiphon pisum Harris) and its commonly associated secondary bacterial symbiont Serratia symbiotica to study the effect of this symbiont on host fitness and susceptibility to the insecticides imidacloprid, chlorpyrifos methyl, methomyl, cyantraniliprole and spirotetramat. There is emerging evidence that members of the genus Serratia can degrade and/or detoxify diverse insecticides. Therefore, we hypothesized that S. symbiotica may promote resistance to these artificial stress agents in aphids. Our results showed that Serratia‐infected aphids were more susceptible to most of the tested insecticides than non‐infected aphids. This probably reflects the severe fitness costs associated with S. symbiotica, which negatively affects development, reproduction and body weight.

CONCLUSION

Our study demonstrates that S. symbiotica plays an important role in the ability of aphid hosts to tolerate insecticides. These results provide insight into the potential changes in tolerance to insecticides in the field because there is a continuous and dynamic process of symbiont acquisition and loss that may directly affect host biology. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry
AlInSb Mid‐Infrared LEDs of High Luminous Efficiency for Gas Sensors
Authors: Fujita Hiromi , Ueno Koichiro , Morohara Osamu , Camargo Edson , Geka Hirotaka , Shibata Yoshihiko , Kuze Naohiro
Published: February 2018

In this paper, performance of mid‐infrared light emitting diodes (LEDs) with an InSb buffer layer and AlInSb active/barrier layers, emitting at room temperature is reported. This film structure makes an ideal base material in view of carrier confinement and crystalline quality. In order to achieve a high efficiency for light extraction, backside emission architecture is adopted together with a rough emitting surface and TiO2 anti‐reflection coating. The resulting AlInSb LED shows 75% higher power conversion efficiency than the reference, which has the highest efficiency in the market to date.
Thermoelectric Properties of Bulk Yttrium Silicide (YSi2) Fabricated by Arc Melting and Spark Plasma Sintering
Authors: Wongprakarn Suphagrid , Pinitsoontorn Supree , Tanusilp Sora‐at , Kurosaki Ken
Published: February 2018

Yttrium silicide (YSi2) nanoparticles in SiGe are reported to enhance the thermoelectric figure‐of‐merit (ZT) to the recorded value (≈1.81). However, the thermoelectric properties of bulk YSi2 has never been reported. In this work, the thermoelectric properties of YSi2 is studied for the first time. The bulk YSi2 is fabricated by arc melting highly pure Si and Y raw materials. The ingot is crushed to powder and compacted to form a highly dense pellet by spark plasma sintering. By optimizing the processing parameters, the single phase with the AlB2‐type structure (P6/mmm) is formed. The Hall measurements show that YSi2 exhibit a metallic‐like behavior with a very high electron concentration. This result in the thermoelectric properties with a very large electrical conductivity (≈18 × 105 Ω−1 m−1) but a small Seebeck coefficient (−26 µV K−1) at room temperature, and decrease with temperature. The thermal conductivity is around 14–19 W m−1 K−1 for all temperature range. The maximum ZT value is 0.026 at 423 K.
ZnAl2O4‐Functionalized Zinc Oxide Microstructures for Highly Selective Hydrogen Gas Sensing Applications
Authors: Hoppe Mathias , Lupan Oleg , Postica Vasile , Wolff Niklas , Duppel Viola , Kienle Lorenz , Tiginyanu Ion , Adelung Rainer
Published: February 2018

In this work, a simple method of ZnAl2O4‐functionalization of ZnO microstructures is presented. The different characterization methods (structural, chemical, and micro‐Raman) demonstrated the presence of only ZnO and ZnAl2O4 crystalline phases. ZnAl2O4 nano‐crystallites grow on the surfaces of ZnO 3D microstructures having diameters of 50–100 nm and with high density. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high‐resolution TEM (HRTEM) results clearly show ZnAl2O4 crystallites functionalizing zinc oxide tetrapod arms. The individual structures (microwires (MWs) and three‐dimensional (3D) tetrapods (Ts)) are integrated into functional devices, suitable for gas sensing applications. All devices show excellent hydrogen gas selectivity at relatively low operating temperature in the range of 25–100 °C. The highest gas sensing performances are obtained based on individual ZnAl2O4‐functionalized ZnO tetrapods (ZnAl2O4/ZnO‐T, with an arm diameter (D) of ≈400 nm) and a response of ≈2 at 25 °C to 100 ppm of hydrogen gas (H­2), while a ZnAl2O4/ZnO‐MW (D ≈ 400 nm) shows only a response of ≈1.1. The Al‐doped ZnO MW (D ≈ 400 nm) without ZnAl2O4 elaborated in another work, chosen only for comparison reason, shows no response up to 800 ppm H2 gas concentration. A gas sensing mechanism is proposed for a single ZnAl2O4/ZnO‐T microstructure based sensor. The obtained results on ZnAl2O4/ZnO‐T‐based devices is superior to many reported performances of other individual metal oxide nanostructures with much lower diameter, showing promising results for room temperature H2 gas sensing applications.
Ab Initio Study on Structure, Elastic, and Mechanical Properties of Lanthanide Sesquioxides
Authors: Pathak Arup Kumar , Vazhappilly Tijo
Published: February 2018

The structural, mechanical and elastic properties of industrially important C‐type lanthanide sesquioxides, Ln2O3 (Ln = Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy), are studied by employing ab initio electronic structure calculations. The calculated lattice parameters for Ln2O3 match very well with the experimental crystal structures and clearly reproduce the lanthanide contraction across the lanthanide series. Similarly, the elastic constants, bulk modulus and other mechanical properties obtained from our calculations are in very good agreement with the values available in the literature. The knowledge about bulk modulus and shear modulus could provide the volume and shape variation of material with respect to external strain which has significant impact for selecting suitable materials for novel applications.
Development of drug discovery screening system by molecular interaction kinetics–mass spectrometry
Authors: Obi Naoko , Fukuda Tetsuya , Nakayama Noboru , Ervin John , Bando Yasuhiko , Nishimura Toshihide , Nagatoishi Satoru , Tsumoto Kouhei , Kawamura Takeshi
Published: February 2018

Rationale

Drug discovery studies invariably require qualitative and quantitative analyses of target compounds at every stage of drug discovery. We have developed a system combining molecular interaction analysis and mass spectrometry (LC‐MS) using the principle of nanopore optical interferometry (nPOI) called molecular interaction kinetics–mass spectrometry (MIK‐MS). Since nPOI has high binding capacity, the bond‐dissociated compound can be directly detected using LC‐MS. In this study, we use carbonic anhydrase II (CAII) as a ligand and apply six small compounds as analytes and report the affinity analysis using MIK‐MS.

Methods

CAII was immobilized onto a COOH sensor chip using standard amine coupling. A reference surface was prepared by activating and subsequently blocking the surface under identical conditions. An amount of 50 μL of mix solution was injected over the reference channel and sample channel for CAII immobilization. The solutions eluting from the sensor chip were collected from the waste‐line of the SKi Pro system every 30 s. Reconstructed elution samples were then injected into the LC‐MS/MS system.

Results

A mixture containing furosemide, acetazolamide, 4‐sulfamoylbenzoic acid, 5‐(dimethylamino)‐1‐naphthalene sulfonamide (DNSA), sulfanilamide and sulpiride (15 μM each) was injected into the CAII‐immobilized sensor chip, and the fractions eluted from the SKi Pro system were collected and subjected to selected reaction monitoring LC‐MS characterization. Specific results were obtained for acetazolamide, DNSA, furosemide and sulpiride. The results suggest that the association–dissociation curve of a mixed sample can be obtained by one‐time MIK‐MS analysis.

Conclusions

Six small‐molecule binders of CAII were analyzed quantitatively using nPOI and MIK‐MS, and the results were compared to published surface plasmon resonance (SPR) results. The nPOI and SPR results show good agreement, confirming the reliability of the analysis. Time‐dependent binding results may be obtained by our MS sensorgram approach. Drugs that meet medical needs in a short period are required; this nPOI‐LC‐MS system is considered an important tool for rapid drug discovery.
Visible Light Driven Photocatalytic Cross‐Coupling Reactions on Nano Pd/ZnO Photocatalyst at Room‐Temperature
Authors: Hosseini‐Sarvari Mona , Bazyar Zahra
Published: February 2018

In this paper, we report a highly efficient photocatalytic activity of nano Pd/ZnO in cross‐coupling reactions including Suzuki‐Miyaura, Hiyama and Buch‐wald‐Hartwig reactions under visible light irradiation at ambient temperatures. This study shows that nano Pd/ZnO is a good photocatalyst under visible light irradiation. The photocatalytic activity of nano Pd/ZnO depends on the irradiation light intensity and wavelength. The results of photocatalysis demonstrate that nano Pd/ZnO, shows good result with high efficiency and selectivity and it can be recycled and reused several times without any significant loss in catalytic reactivity.
Highly Efficient Visible Light Active 2D‐2D Nanocomposites of N‐ZnO‐g‐C3N4 for Photocatalytic Degradation of Diverse Industrial Pollutants
Authors: Kumar Suneel , Kumar Ashish , Kumar Ajay , Balaji Ramachandran , Krishnan Venkata
Published: February 2018

In the drive towards the development of efficient photocatalytic materials for environmental remediation, two dimensional (2D) materials have drawn huge attention in the recent time. Towards this end, we report two dimensional (2D) nanocomposite by loading N‐doped ZnO nanosheets over graphitic carbon nitride (g‐C3N4) nanosheets by hydrothermal synthesis method. As prepared 2D‐2D nanocomposite exhibit excellent photocatalytic activity towards degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) dye from water under visible light irradiation. Moreover, the optimized nanocomposite with 7 wt% of N‐ZnO nanosheets (GNZ7) shows superior photocatalytic activity for degradation of several industrial pollutants including thiabendazole (TBZ), nitrobenzene (NB) and tetracycline (TC). The photoluminescence studies confirmed the improved interfacial charge separation which profoundly promotes their transfer to the reaction sites and hence responsible for the enhanced photocatalytic activity. In addition, the photocatalytic mechanism has been elucidated using active species trapping experiments which validate that hydroxyl radicals (*OH) and holes (h+) play a vital role in the degradation process. Furthermore, reusability experiments confirm the excellent stability of N‐ZnO‐g‐C3N4 nanocomposites. Hence, it can be summarized that such 2D‐2D nanocomposite have great potential to degrade diverse industrial pollutants and provides new insights for the fabrication of such nanocomposites for various applications.
Merge‐Tree: Visualizing the integration of commits into Linux
Authors: Wilde Evan , German Daniel
Published: February 2018

With an average of more than 900 merges into the Linux kernel per release, many containing hundreds of commits and some containing thousands, maintenance of older versions of the kernel becomes nearly impossible. Various commercial products, such as the Android platform, run older versions of the kernel; due to security, performance, and changing hardware needs, maintainers must understand what changes (commits) are added to the current version of the kernel since the last time they inspected it to make the necessary patches. Current tools provide information about repositories through the directed acyclic graph (DAG) of the repository, which is helpful for smaller projects. However, with the scale and number of branches in the kernel, the DAG becomes overwhelming very quickly. Furthermore, the DAG contains every parents of every commit, while maintainers are more interested in how and when a commit arrives to the official Linux repository. This paper makes 3 contributions: a conversion from DAG to Merge‐Tree, an implementation of a tool built on the Merge‐Tree model, and a user study to evaluate and validate the implementation and model.
Sunlight‐Driven Photo‐Thermochromic Smart Windows
Authors: Cao Ding , Xu Cheng , Lu Wenya , Qin Chuanxiang , Cheng Si
Published: February 2018

Smart windows have been paid much attention in recent years since they can save more energy in comparison with ordinary counterparts. However, exterior heating or electric system is still required to stimulate the color/transparency responses for current smart windows, which increases the complexity of device's structure and still consumes energy. Thus, sunlight‐responsive smart windows in building are particularly appealing for saving energy but seldom reported. Herein, we propose a facile and low‐cost method to construct reversible color/transparency switching materials by integrating the unique photothermal conversion feature of noble metal nanoparticles with thermochromic compounds. The switching behavior of thermochromic materials is not triggered by traditional exterior heating but laser/sunlight irradiation. In particular, we achieve ambient sunlight‐driven photo‐thermochromic smart windows (PTCSWs) prototype which can automatically become opaque to block sunlight on scorching days and return to a transparent state under low lighting condition. We believe that this work will pave a way for a novel class of smart windows which is highly expected to be integrated into building components to tailor specific camouflage coating and substantially save energy.
The Theory and Practice at the Intersection Between Human Rights and Humanitarian Law
Authors: Hakimi Monica
Published: February 2018

The United States is more than fifteen years into a fight against terrorism that shows no sign of abating and, with the change in administration, appears to be intensifying. Other Western democracies that have historically been uneasy about U.S. counterterrorism policies have, in recent years, shifted toward those policies. And armed nonstate groups continue to commit large-scale acts of violence in multiple distinct theaters. The legal issues that these situations present are not entirely new, but neither are they going away. Recent publications, like the three works under review, thus provide useful opportunities to reflect on and refine our thinking on them.
Efficacy of platelet transfusion for acute intracerebral hemorrhage among patients on antiplatelet therapy
Authors: Eke Onyinyechi , Shanechi Mercedeh , Gottlieb Michael
Published: February 2018

Clinical question

In patients taking antiplatelet therapy, does a platelet transfusion after acute spontaneous primary intracerebral hemorrhage reduce the risk of death or dependence?

Article chosen

Baharoglu MI, Cordonnier C, Al-Shahi Salman R, et al. Platelet transfusion versus standard care after acute stroke due to spontaneous cerebral hemorrhage associated with antiplatelet therapy (PATCH): a randomized, open-label, phase 3 trial.Lancet2016;387(10038):2605-13.

Study objective

The primary objective of this study was to investigate whether a platelet transfusion with standard care, compared with standard care alone, reduced death or dependence after intracerebral hemorrhage associated with antiplatelet therapy use.
EARLY REPRESENTATIONS OF FILIAL PIETY IN DYNASTIC HISTORIOGRAPHY: TEXTUAL HISTORY AND CONTENT OFHOU HAN SHUCHAPTER 39
Authors: Eicher Sebastian
Published: February 2018

Tales of filial piety became a standard element of the annals-biography style of historiography early on. Starting from theSong shu宋書, almost every dynastic history contains a chapter that is devoted to filial men. An early—but often neglected—precursor is Chapter 39 of Fan Ye's 范曄 (398–446)Hou Han shu後漢書. Inspired by his predecessor Hua Qiao 華嶠 (?–293), Fan inserted a chapter on filial men. The chapter was therefore compiled in times when the recommendation system of the Han and especially the recommendation as “filial and incorruptible” (xiaolian孝廉) had lost influence. This paper tries to shed some light on its origins, form, and content, and attempts to distinguish the most common motives that were used to describe filial (xiao孝) behavior in this early stage of its historiographical representation.
Boundary layer fluctuations in turbulent Rayleigh–Bénard convection
Authors: Wang Yin , Xu Wei , He Xiaozhou , Yik Hiufai , Wang Xiaoping , Schumacher Jörg , Tong Penger
Published: February 2018

We report a combined experimental and numerical study of the effect of boundary layer (BL) fluctuations on the scaling properties of the mean temperature profile$\unicode[STIX]{x1D703}(z)$and temperature variance profile$\unicode[STIX]{x1D702}(z)$in turbulent Rayleigh–Bénard convection in a thin disk cell and an upright cylinder of aspect ratio unity. Two scaling regions are found with increasing distance$z$away from the bottom conducting plate. In the BL region, the measured$\unicode[STIX]{x1D703}(z)$and$\unicode[STIX]{x1D702}(z)$are found to have the scaling forms$\unicode[STIX]{x1D703}(z/\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FF})$and$\unicode[STIX]{x1D702}(z/\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FF})$, respectively, with varying thermal BL thickness$\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FF}$. The functional forms of the measured$\unicode[STIX]{x1D703}(z/\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FF})$and$\unicode[STIX]{x1D702}(z/\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FF})$in the two convection cells agree well with the recently derived BL equations by Shishkinaet al.(Phys. Rev. Lett., vol. 114, 2015, 114302) and by Wanget al.(Phys. Rev. Fluids, vol. 1, 2016, 082301). In the mixing zone outside the BL region, the measured$\unicode[STIX]{x1D703}(z)$remains approximately constant, whereas the measured$\unicode[STIX]{x1D702}(z)$is found to scale with the cell height$H$in the two convection cells and follows a power law,$\unicode[STIX]{x1D702}(z)\sim (z/H)^{\unicode[STIX]{x1D716}}$, with the obtained values of$\unicode[STIX]{x1D716}$being close to$-1$. Based on the experimental and numerical findings, we derive a new equation for$\unicode[STIX]{x1D702}(z)$in the mixing zone, which has a power-law solution in good agreement with the experimental and numerical results. Our work demonstrates that the effect of BL fluctuations can be adequately described by the velocity–temperature correlation functions and the new BL equations capture the essential physics.
Thermal rupture of a free liquid sheet
Authors: Kitavtsev G. , Fontelos M. A. , Eggers J.
Published: February 2018

We consider a free liquid sheet, taking into account the dependence of surface tension on the temperature or concentration of some pollutant. The sheet dynamics are described within a long-wavelength description. In the presence of viscosity, local thinning of the sheet is driven by a strong temperature gradient across the pinch region, resembling a shock. As a result, for long times the sheet thins exponentially, leading to breakup. We describe the quasi-one-dimensional thickness, velocity and temperature profiles in the pinch region in terms of similarity solutions, which possess a universal structure. Our analytical description agrees quantitatively with numerical simulations.
Inertial focusing of finite-size particles in microchannels
Authors: Asmolov Evgeny S. , Dubov Alexander L. , Nizkaya Tatiana V. , Harting Jens , Vinogradova Olga I.
Published: February 2018

At finite Reynolds numbers, $Re$, particles migrate across laminar flow streamlines to their equilibrium positions in microchannels. This migration is attributed to a lift force, and the balance between this lift and gravity determines the location of particles in channels. Here we demonstrate that velocity of finite-size particles located near a channel wall differs significantly from that of an undisturbed flow, and that their equilibrium position depends on this, referred to as slip velocity, difference. We then present theoretical arguments, which allow us to generalize expressions for a lift force, originally suggested for some limiting cases and $Re\ll 1$, to finite-size particles in a channel flow at $Re\leqslant 20$. Our theoretical model, validated by lattice Boltzmann simulations, provides considerable insight into inertial migration of finite-size particles in a microchannel and suggests some novel microfluidic approaches to separate them by size or density at a moderate $Re$.
Ethnic cartography and politics in Vienna, 1918–1945
Authors: SVATEK PETRA
Published: February 2018

In Vienna, the close of the First World War and the period of the peace negotiations in Paris saw an enormous boom of ethnic-geographic research approaches and ethnic map-making. This process continued with the appointment of the Viennese geographer Hugo Hassinger (1877–1952) to the chair of human geography at the University of Vienna in 1931 and intensified with the establishment of the South East German Research Association and the National Socialist takeover in March 1938. But did the initiatives to create ethnic maps originate with politicians and authorities, or did they come from the scientists themselves? This article argues that scientists embarked upon ethnic geographies on their own initiative. Although political institutions used scientists and their resources for their own, political ends (ethnographic maps served as an important source for the National Socialists in their operations for ethnic consolidation), scientists also mobilized resources from the political sphere for career and disciplinary purposes.
Temporal changes in arthropod activity in tropical anthropogenic forests
Authors: Brandon-Mong G.-J. , Littlefair J.E. , Sing K.-W. , Lee Y.-P. , Gan H.-M. , Clare E.L. , Wilson J.-J.
Published: February 2018

Arthropod communities in the tropics are increasingly impacted by rapid changes in land use. Because species showing distinct seasonal patterns of activity are thought to be at higher risk of climate-related extirpation, global warming is generally considered a lower threat to arthropod biodiversity in the tropics than in temperate regions. To examine changes associated with land use and weather variables in tropical arthropod communities, we deployed Malaise traps at three major anthropogenic forests (secondary reserve forest, oil palm forest, and urban ornamental forest (UOF)) in Peninsular Malaysia and collected arthropods continuously for 12 months. We used metabarcoding protocols to characterize the diversity within weekly samples. We found that changes in the composition of arthropod communities were significantly associated with maximum temperature in all the three forests, but shifts were reversed in the UOF compared with the other forests. This suggests arthropods in forests in Peninsular Malaysia face a double threat: community shifts and biodiversity loss due to exploitation and disturbance of forests which consequently put species at further risk related to global warming. We highlight the positive feedback mechanism of land use and temperature, which pose threats to the arthropod communities and further implicates ecosystem functioning and human well-being. Consequently, conservation and mitigation plans are urgently needed.
Colliding Worlds: The Disintegration of America in the Cinema of the Coen Brothers
Authors: CARSTENSEN THORSTEN
Published: February 2018

In the cinema of Joel and Ethan Coen, contemporary America is depicted as an incoherent space in which traditional beliefs constantly collide with the new world order. Shaped by the erosion of commonly accepted values and the ubiquitous presence of the media and advertisements, this hybrid America is a world of commerce, consumption, and economic plight. While its cities are plagued by segregation, outbursts of casual violence undermine the myth of an unspoiled life in the countryside. Illustrating postmodern culture's preference for the periphery versus the center, the movies of the Coen brothers find a glimmer of morality remaining on the margin of society. Unimposing and compassionate characters such as the pregnant small-town detective inFargoor the naive yet brilliant protagonist ofThe Hudsucker Proxypersonify an idealistic, innocent America that is about to be displaced by selfish greed. Focusing onFargo,The Big Lebowski, andThe Man Who Wasn't There, my essay argues that the Coens’ visual playfulness, and their tendency to mine various cinematic genres, serve to emphasize their scathing critique of the American victory narrative.
The Power of Some Tests of Correlation
Authors: Williams E. J.
Published: February 2018

The coefficient of correlation between suitably defined statistics provides a means of testing various parametric hypotheses. The distribution of such coefficients, when the null hypothesis is not true, takes various forms in different applications. In particular, the correlation coefficients used to test hypotheses about the structural parameters in linear functional relations have doubly non-central distributions.

For tests of correlation in some typical situations, the curvature of the function defining the power in terms of the parameter in the neighbourhood of the null hypothesis is determined. This curvature is shown to be simply related to that of the function defining the squared correlation coefficient in terms of the parameter, in the neighbourhood of its minimum.
Iteration Near a Fixed Point
Authors: Smith Cedric A. B.
Published: February 2018

An exposition is given of the properties of the iterates of complex functions near a fixed point, with explicit expressions for their power series in certain cases. The relevance to problems in genetics and statistics is pointed out.
Restoration of Deformed Lattice Patterns
Authors: Grenander Ulf
Published: February 2018

The restoration of crystal lattices which have been jittered presents some problems that do not seem to have been previously studied. This is true especially in the multi-dimensional case. It is shown that a statistic suggested by Bartlett can be used for this purpose, and this is done both for Gaussian and general deformation mechanisms. The results are accompanied by some numerical experiments.
Some Problems in Mathematical Genealogy
Authors: Kendall David G.
Published: February 2018

After a general review of symmetric reversibility for countable-state continuous-time Markov chains the author shows that the birth-death-and-immigration process is symmetrically reversible and further that it remains so even when the description of the present state is refined to include a list of the sizes of all ‘families’ alive at the epoch in question. This result can be useful in genealogy because the operational direction of time there is the negative one. In view of the symmetric reversibility, some of the questions which face the genealogist can be answered without further calculation by quoting known results for the process with the usual (‘forward’ instead of ‘backward’) direction of time.

Further topics discussed include social mobility matrices, surname statistics, and Colin Rogers' ‘problem of the Spruces’.
Brevard Childs and the treasures of darkness
Authors: Cornell Collin
Published: February 2018

Contemporary biblical studies is populated by ‘comparativists’ and ‘theological interpreters’: scholars who read the Bible in the context of ancient artefacts, and scholars who read it in the context of Christian theology, respectively. These camps relate to one another mostly by feuding – or by mutual avoidance. The Old Testament theologian Brevard Childs is usually taken as a champion in the cause of theological interpretation, and so also as reinforcing one side of the disciplinary division. But under certain conditions, Childs also authorised the use of ancient artefacts (‘the treasures of darkness’) for reading scripture theologically. This article reactivates the latter possibility within Childs’ interpretive programme, especially through two cases studies: the first by Childs himself, when he uses the Sargon Legend to interpret Exodus 2; and the second a reprise of Childs’ procedure, using the Mesha Inscription to interpret 1 Kings 22.
The 21st-century epigraphic harvest from Macedonia
Authors: González Elena Martín , Paschidis Paschalis
Published: February 2018

On 16 June 1936 the young American epigraphist Charles Edson signed an agreement with the Berlin Academy of Sciences for the publication of all Greek inscriptions from Macedonia (Fig. 146) in the prestigious Inscriptiones Graecae series (see the text in Nigdelis 2015b: 10–12), estimating that the whole project could be completed within four years. His estimate proved, as so often in epigraphy, too optimistic. By 2016, only two volumes of inscriptions from ancient Macedonia had appeared in IG: the one Edson managed to complete in 1972 containing the inscriptions of Thessalonike (IG X 2.1) and the 1999 volume covering most of the northwestern border areas prepared by Fanoula Papazoglou and her collaborators (IG X 2.2.1). A further volume, of new material published after or not included in Edson's corpus, has just been published (IG X 2.1, Suppl. 1; most inscriptions have already been published and commented upon in Nigdelis 2006a and 2015a) and another is planned: a supplement to Edson's volume and full photographic documentation (due for publication in 2018).
New Classes of Degree Sequences with Fast Mixing Swap Markov Chain Sampling
Authors: ERDŐS PÉTER L. , MIKLÓS ISTVÁN , TOROCZKAI ZOLTÁN
Published: February 2018

In network modelling of complex systems one is often required to sample random realizations of networks that obey a given set of constraints, usually in the form of graph measures. A much studied class of problems targets uniform sampling of simple graphs with given degree sequence or also with given degree correlations expressed in the form of a Joint Degree Matrix. One approach is to use Markov chains based on edge switches (swaps) that preserve the constraints, are irreducible (ergodic) and fast mixing. In 1999, Kannan, Tetali and Vempala (KTV) proposed a simple swap Markov chain for sampling graphs with given degree sequence, and conjectured that it mixes rapidly (in polynomial time) for arbitrary degree sequences. Although the conjecture is still open, it has been proved for special degree sequences, in particular for those of undirected and directed regular simple graphs, half-regular bipartite graphs, and graphs with certain bounded maximum degrees. Here we prove the fast mixing KTV conjecture for novel, exponentially large classes of irregular degree sequences. Our method is based on a canonical decomposition of degree sequences into split graph degree sequences, a structural theorem for the space of graph realizations and on a factorization theorem for Markov chains. After introducing bipartite ‘splitted’ degree sequences, we also generalize the canonical split graph decomposition for bipartite and directed graphs.
The art and architecture of Peter Yates and Gordon Ryder at Kenton, Newcastle upon Tyne
Authors: Giddings Bob , Moss Oliver
Published: February 2018

This paper sets out to investigate the origins and legacy of a significant 1960s modernist public housing estate in the North East of England. This estate at Kenton Bar remains virtually intact, and as such represents a unique example in Newcastle upon Tyne. Its architects, Ryder and Yates, had personal contact with Le Corbusier, Georges Braque, Berthold Lubetkin, Ove Arup and Clive Entwistle; and the influence and mentorship of these individuals is clearly evident in the design. Being selected to join the small team at Peterlee New Town in 1948, provided the opportunity for Ryder and Yates to work together for the first time. The experience enriched their architectural vocabulary and modernist values; and ultimately led to the establishment of their business partnership in 1953. By the time of Kenton Bar, it was by far the largest project that their architectural practice had undertaken. The office was greatly appreciative of Eric Lyons and Span Developments, and their work appears as a distinct precedent in the layout. With a pyramid in its central square, and an assortment of innovative design installations, the estate resonated strongly and immediately with residents.Today, even the pyramid that was removed some years ago, lives on in the collective memory of residents, past and present. Recently, weblogs have been established; and collages and models produced by artists, as well as adults and children from the Estate, in the style of the original design presentations. Fifty years after it was conceived, the interest of local artists and galleries, the tenants’ association, former residents, and pupils of the primary school specifically designed to be at the heart of the estate may not be unprecedented but it is certainly rare. Ryder and Yates have created a living monument to twentieth-century ideas.
Following John Hejduk's Fabrications: on imagination and reality in the architectural design process
Authors: Anderson Jane , Priest Colin
Published: February 2018

This paper investigates the interaction between reality and imagination in the architectural design process. It engages with four inter-related inquiries. First, the interplay between reality and imagination in the architectural design process in student design-build live projects. Second, the interplay of reality and imagination for different agents in the architectural design process. Third, how the work of John Hejduk (1929-2000) enables a reappraisal of conceptions of reality and imagination in architectural design. Fourth, we address a live project for The Story Museum in Oxford, UK – a physical architectural space concerned with imaginary spaces – that suggests how an understanding of reality and imagination might be deepened in the architectural design process.

The text reappraises the interplay of reality and imagination in architectural design as a cognitive process. There are two aims: to reassess empirical responses and received wisdom about what is real and what is imagined in architectural design; and to reassess the perception of differences between imagination and reality occurring across education and practice. ‘Thing Theory’ is proposed as a conceptual framework which allows us to improve our understanding of how architectural designs emerge, are transformed in the designer's mind, how architects communicate them to others and how they are understood and shared by others. Reference is also made to interviews with prominent architects. The term ‘thing’ was repeatedly used by these architects to describe moments in the design process when a break from reality had occurred. In these moments, subject and object seemed at their most intertwined. This moment is strong because it is so flexible in responding to change and managing complexity. It is also weak because it is a time when the designer tends to neglect vital everyday constraints such as occupation and ethics. However, this is a key moment because it allows possible future realities to emerge.