bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Quality assurance of the international computerised 24 h dietary recall method (EPIC-Soft)
Authors: Crispim Sandra P. , Nicolas Genevieve , Casagrande Corinne , Knaze Viktoria , Illner Anne-Kathrin , Huybrechts Inge , Slimani Nadia
Published: September 2013

The interview-administered 24 h dietary recall (24-HDR) EPIC-Soft®has a series of controls to guarantee the quality of dietary data across countries. These comprise all steps that are part of fieldwork preparation, data collection and data management; however, a complete characterisation of these quality controls is still lacking. The present paper describes in detail the quality controls applied in EPIC-Soft, which are, to a large extent, built on the basis of the EPIC-Soft error model and are present in three phases: (1) before, (2) during and (3) after the 24-HDR interviews. Quality controls for consistency and harmonisation are implemented before the interviews while preparing the seventy databases constituting an EPIC-Soft version (e.g. pre-defined and coded foods and recipes). During the interviews, EPIC-Soft uses a cognitive approach by helping the respondent to recall the dietary intake information in a stepwise manner and includes controls for consistency (e.g. probing questions) as well as for completeness of the collected data (e.g. system calculation for some unknown amounts). After the interviews, a series of controls can be applied by dietitians and data managers to further guarantee data quality. For example, the interview-specific ‘note files’ that were created to track any problems or missing information during the interviews can be checked to clarify the information initially provided. Overall, the quality controls employed in the EPIC-Soft methodology are not always perceivable, but prove to be of assistance for its overall standardisation and possibly for the accuracy of the collected data.
Children and youth do not compensate for an imposed bout of prolonged sitting by reducing subsequent food intake or increasing physical activity levels: a randomised cross-over study
Authors: Saunders Travis J. , Chaput Jean-Philippe , Goldfield Gary S. , Colley Rachel C. , Kenny Glen P. , Doucet Eric , Tremblay Mark S.
Published: September 2013

The behavioural impact of an imposed bout of prolonged sitting is yet to be investigated in the paediatric population. The objective of the present study was to determine the acute effect of prolonged sitting onad libitumfood intake and spontaneous physical activity (PA) levels in healthy children and youth. A total of twenty healthy youth (twelve males and eight females) aged 10–14 years, with a mean BMI of 18·6 (sd4·3) kg/m2, were exposed to three experimental conditions in a random order: (1) a day of uninterrupted sitting (Sedentary); (2) a day of sitting interrupted with a 2 min light-intensity walk break every 20 min (Breaks); (3) a day of sitting interrupted with a 2 min light-intensity walk break every 20 min as well as 2 × 20 min of moderate-intensity PA (Breaks+PA). Food intake (ad libitumbuffet meal) and PA (accelerometry for 24 h) were assessed following exposure to each experimental condition. Despite significant differences in sedentary behaviour and activity levels during the three in-laboratory sessions (allP< 0·01), we did not observe any differences inad libitumfood intake immediately following exposure to each experimental condition or any changes in the levels of sedentary behaviour or PA in the 24 h following exposure to each experimental condition (allP>0·25). These findings suggest that children and youth may not compensate for an imposed bout of sedentary behaviour by reducing subsequent food intake or increasing PA levels.
Connections between Mutinies in European Navies
Authors: Frykman Niklas
Published: September 2013

During the revolutionary 1790s, an unprecedented number of mutinies tore through the British, French, and Dutch navies. This simultaneous upsurge of lower-deck militancy in both allied and belligerent fleets was not coincidental, nor was it simply a violent expression of similar pressures making themselves felt on ships under different flags but all engaged in the same conflict. Instead, through manifold personal connections, men who circulated back and forth across the frontline, and through the gradual emergence of a common political ideology, mutinies across navies constituted a single radical movement, a genuine Atlantic revolution in this so-called age of Atlantic revolutions.
Cladorhizidae (Porifera, Demospongiae, Poecilosclerida) of the deep Atlantic collected during Ifremer cruises, with a biogeographic overview of the Atlantic species
Authors: Hestetun J.T. , Fourt M. , Vacelet J. , Boury-Esnault N. , Rapp H.T.
Published: September 2013

The study presents Cladorhizidae collected during Ifremer cruises in the Atlantic Ocean from 1981 to 2004. Fifteen species are described from the generaAbyssocladia,Asbestopluma,ChondrocladiaandCladorhiza, with complete descriptions of five new species. While a couple of species were collected at 670–1010 m depth at the Rockall Bank, most species were collected at middle to lower bathyal and abyssal depths (~2000–5000 m), ranging from the northern Atlantic to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the coast of Africa at Gabon–Congo. A biogeographic analysis of currently known Arctic, Atlantic and some Antarctic species shows that the majority of included cladorhizids are described from the north-east Atlantic and Arctic Oceans while a lower number of species are known from other parts of the Atlantic Ocean. Large regions are poorly investigated, and previously undescribed species can be expected when sampling in these areas. A regional mostly endemic cladorhizid fauna is predicted for shelf and upper slope areas. Species in the lower bathyal and abyssal seem on the other hand to have a wider geographical distribution.
Seasonal changes in benthic algal communities of the upper subtidal zone in Sanya Bay (Hainan Island, China)
Authors: Tytlyanov Eduard A. , Titlyanova Tamara V. , Huang Hui , Li Xiubao
Published: September 2013

A floristic study of the marine plants and algae at Luhuitou reef, Sanya Bay, Hainan Island, China, was conducted during the rainy (October 2008 and November 2010) and dry seasons (April 2009 and February 2012). Specimens were collected in the upper subtidal zone (from 0.5 to 3 m depth at low tide). A total of 156 taxa were collected, including 143 macrophyte species (90%), 12 blue–green algal species (10%), and the seagrass, Thalassia hemprichii. The most diverse group was the Rhodophyta (79 taxa or 55%), followed by the Chlorophyta (38 taxa or 25%) and then the Phaeophyceae (26 taxa or 20%). In the upper subtidal zone, macroalgae formed two types of communities: polydominant communities of turf-forming algae and monodominant and bidominant communities of foliose or fleshy algae. Seasonal changes occurred in the dominant species, which appear to be caused by periodic annual events of thalli detachment and subsequent community succession. In spite of heavy pollution from dissolved inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus in Sanya Bay, the subtidal flora has not undergone any dramatic changes in species numbers or composition and is similar to that of unpolluted regions in the Indo-Pacific.
Reproductive biology of the marine ornamental shrimp Lysmata boggessi in the south-eastern Gulf of Mexico
Authors: Baeza J. Antonio , Behringer Donald C. , Hart Rebecca J. , Dickson Michael D. , Anderson Joshua R.
Published: September 2013

Reproductive aspects of the intensively traded ornamental shrimp Lysmata boggessi were examined. Abundance, reproductive biology (fecundity, reproductive output and egg size) and population structure (frequency distribution, size at sex phase change and sex phase ratio) were examined at three different fishing grounds off south and west-central Florida between May 2011 and February 2012. Fishery-dependent densities of L. boggessi varied between 2.51 ± 1.39 and 13.05 ± 9.30 shrimps per 1000 m2 at two different localities. The proportion of brooding shrimp varied considerably at one locality during two different dates, suggesting reproductive seasonality. Reproductive output increased linearly with shrimp body weight (SBW) at one locality (May 2011), but scaled negatively with SBW at a second locality (January–February 2012). Lastly, no correlation between embryo size and shrimp carapace length (CL) was recorded at one locality (May 2011), but a slight negative correlation between embryo size and CL was found at the second locality (January–February 2012). Lysmata boggessi might be experiencing trade-offs between different reproductive parameters driven by environmental, probably seasonal, conditions during the year. All of this information needs to be considered in assessing shrimp stocks and establishing a sustainable management plan.
Parasite co-infections show synergistic and antagonistic interactions on growth performance of East African zebu cattle under one year
Authors: THUMBI S. M. , de. C. BRONSVOORT B. M. , POOLE E. J. , KIARA H. , TOYE P. , NDILA M. , CONRADIE I. , JENNINGS A. , HANDEL I. G. , COETZER J. A. W. , HANOTTE O. , WOOLHOUSE M. E. J.
Published: September 2013

The co-occurrence of different pathogen species and their simultaneous infection of hosts are common, and may affect host health outcomes. Co-infecting pathogens may interact synergistically (harming the host more) or antagonistically (harming the host less) compared with single infections. Here we have tested associations of infections and their co-infections with variation in growth rate using a subset of 455 animals of the Infectious Diseases of East Africa Livestock (IDEAL) cohort study surviving to one year. Data on live body weight, infections with helminth parasites and haemoparasites were collected every 5 weeks during the first year of life. Growth of zebu cattle during the first year of life was best described by a linear growth function. A large variation in daily weight gain with a range of 0·03–0·34 kg, and a mean of 0·135 kg (0·124, 0·146; 95% CI) was observed. After controlling for other significant covariates in mixed effects statistical models, the results revealed synergistic interactions (lower growth rates) withTheileria parvaandAnaplasma marginaleco-infections, and antagonistic interactions (relatively higher growth rates) withT. parvaandTheileria mutansco-infections, compared with infections withT. parvaonly. Additionally, helminth infections can have a strong negative effect on the growth rates but this is burden-dependent, accounting for up to 30% decrease in growth rate in heavily infected animals. These findings present evidence of pathogen–pathogen interactions affecting host growth, and we discuss possible mechanisms that may explain observed directions of interactions as well as possible modifications to disease control strategies when co-infections are present.
Developing a rapid throughput screen for detection of nematicidal activity of plant cysteine proteinases: the role ofCaenorhabditis eleganscystatins
Authors: PHIRI A. M. , DE POMERAI D. , BUTTLE D. J. , BEHNKE J. M. B.
Published: September 2013

Plant cysteine proteinases (CPs) from papaya (Carica papaya) are capable of killing parasitic nematode wormsin vitroand have been shown to possess anthelmintic effectsin vivo.The acute damage reported in gastrointestinal parasites has not been found in free-living nematodes such asCaenorhabditis elegansnor among the free-living stages of parasitic nematodes. This apparent difference in susceptibility might be the result of active production of cysteine proteinase inhibitors (such as cystatins) by the free-living stages or species. To test this possibility, a supernatant extract of refined papaya latex (PLS) with known active enzyme content was used. The effect on wild-type (Bristol N2) and cystatin null mutant (cpi-1−/−andcpi-2−/−)C. eleganswas concentration-, temperature- and time-dependent. Cysteine proteinases digested the worm cuticle leading to release of internal structures and consequent death. Both cystatin null mutant strains were highly susceptible to PLS attack irrespective of the temperature and concentration of exposure, whereas wild-type N2 worms were generally resistant but far more susceptible to attack at low temperatures. PLS was able to induce elevatedcpi-1 andcpi-2 cystatin expression. We conclude that wild-typeC. elegansdeploy cystatins CPI-1 and CPI-2 to resist CP attack. The results suggest that thecpi-1 orcpi-2 null mutants (or a double mutant combination of the two) could provide a cheap and effective rapid throughputC. elegans-based assay for screening plant CP extracts for anthelmintic activity.
Identification of a novel assemblage G subgenotype and a zoonotic assemblage B in rodent isolates ofGiardia duodenalisin the Canary Islands, Spain
Authors: FERNÁNDEZ-ÁLVAREZ ÁNGELA , MARTÍN-ALONSO AARÓN , ABREU-ACOSTA NÉSTOR , FELIU CARLOS , HUGOT JEAN-PIERRE , VALLADARES BASILIO , FORONDA PILAR
Published: September 2013

The flagellated parasiteGiardia duodenalisis known as one of the most common causes of protozoal diarrhoea in both humans and animals worldwide. The aim of the present work was to perform the first study ofG. duodenalisin rodents in the Canary Islands (Spain) and analyse the level of genetic variation and the potential zoonotic role of the isolates. Stool samples were collected from 284 wild rodents andGiardiacysts were detected by light microscopy. The overall prevalence of giardiasis was 25·4% and ranged from 19·4% in El Hierro to 34% in Gran Canaria. Positive samples were further characterized by PCR and nucleotide sequencing of the triose phosphate isomerase (TPI),β-giardin (BG) and glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) genes. Our study revealed assemblage G as the most frequent genotype and identified two rodent-infectingG. duodenalishaplotypes of this assemblage, HI and HII. Phylogenetic analysis supported the monophyly of haplotype HI, which we suggest to be considered as a novelG. duodenalissub-assemblage GII, due to the high genetic distances among this sub-genotype and assemblage G. Furthermore,G. duodenalisassemblage B was detected in an inhabited area in La Palma, a fact that may pose a potential risk ofG. duodenalistransmission from rodents to humans.
Dynamics of psychotherapy-related cerebral haemodynamic changes in obsessive compulsive disorder using a personalized exposure task in functional magnetic resonance imaging
Authors: Morgiève M. , N'Diaye K. , Haynes W. I. A. , Granger B. , Clair A.-H. , Pelissolo A. , Mallet L.
Published: September 2013

Background

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a successful treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). It is known to induce changes in cerebral metabolism; however, the dynamics of these changes and their relation to clinical change remain largely unknown, precluding the identification of individualized response biomarkers.

Method

In order to study the dynamics of treatment response, we performed systematic clinical and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) evaluation of 35 OCD patients immediately before a 3-month course of CBT, halfway through and at its end, as well as 6 months after. To sensitize fMRI probing, we used an original exposure task using neutral, generic and personalized obsession-inducing images.

Results

As expected, CBT produced a significant improvement in OCD. This improvement was continuous over the course of the therapy; therefore, outcome could be predicted by response at mid-therapy (r2 = 0.67, p < 0.001). Haemodynamic response to the task was located in the anterior cingulate and orbitofrontal cortices and was stronger during exposure to personalized obsession-inducing images. In addition, both the anxiety ratings and the haemodynamic response to the obsession-inducing images in the anterior cingulate and the left but not the right orbitofrontal clusters decreased with symptom improvement. Interestingly, haemodynamic activity continued to decrease after stabilization of clinical symptoms.

Conclusions

Using an innovative and highly sensitive exposure paradigm in fMRI, we showed that clinical and haemodynamic phenotypes have similar time courses during CBT. Our results, which suggest that the initial CBT sessions are crucial, prompt us to investigate the anatomo-functional modifications underlying the very first weeks of the therapy.
Guided Internet-delivered cognitive behavioural treatment for insomnia: a randomized trial
Authors: van Straten A. , Emmelkamp J. , de Wit J. , Lancee J. , Andersson G. , van Someren E. J. W. , Cuijpers P.
Published: September 2013

Background

Insomnia is a prevalent problem with a high burden of disease (e.g. reduced quality of life, reduced work capacity) and a high co-morbidity with other mental and somatic disorders. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is effective in the treatment of insomnia but is seldom offered. CBT delivered through the Internet might be a more accessible alternative. In this study we examined the effectiveness of a guided Internet-delivered CBT for adults with insomnia using a randomized controlled trial (RCT).

Method

A total of 118 patients, recruited from the general population, were randomized to the 6-week guided Internet intervention (n = 59) or to a wait-list control group (n = 59). Patients filled out an online questionnaire and a 7-day sleep diary before (T0) and after (T1) the 6-week period. The intervention group received a follow-up questionnaire 3 months after baseline (T2).

Results

Almost three-quarters (72.9%) of the patients completed the whole intervention. Intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis showed that the treatment had statistically significant medium to large effects (p < 0.05; Cohen'sdbetween 0.40 and 1.06), and resulted more often in clinically relevant changes, on all sleep and secondary outcomes with the exception of sleep onset latency (SOL) and number of awakenings (NA). There was a non-significant difference in the reduction in sleep medication between the intervention (a decrease of 6.8%) and control (an increase of 1.8%) groups (p = 0.20). Data on longer-term effects were inconclusive.

Conclusions

This study adds to the growing body of literature that indicates that guided CBT for insomnia can be delivered through the Internet. Patients accept the format and their sleep improves.
Default network connectivity as a vulnerability marker for obsessive compulsive disorder
Authors: Peng Z. W. , Xu T. , He Q. H. , Shi C. Z. , Wei Z. , Miao G. D. , Jing J. , Lim K. O. , Zuo X. N. , Chan R. C. K.
Published: September 2013

Background

Aberrant functional connectivity within the default network is generally assumed to be involved in the pathophysiology of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD); however, the genetic risk of default network connectivity in OCD remains largely unknown.

Method

Here, we systematically investigated default network connectivity in 15 OCD patients, 15 paired unaffected siblings and 28 healthy controls. We sought to examine the profiles of default network connectivity in OCD patients and their siblings, exploring the correlation between abnormal default network connectivity and genetic risk for this population.

Results

Compared with healthy controls, OCD patients exhibited reduced strength of default network functional connectivity with the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), and increased functional connectivity in the right inferior frontal lobe, insula, superior parietal cortex and superior temporal cortex, while their unaffected first-degree siblings only showed reduced local connectivity in the PCC.

Conclusions

These findings suggest that the disruptions of default network functional connectivity might be associated with family history of OCD. The decreased default network connectivity in both OCD patients and their unaffected siblings may serve as a potential marker of OCD.
X-ray powder diffraction data for potassium erbium fluoride
Authors: Maixner J. , Bartůněk V.
Published: September 2013

X-ray powder diffraction data, unit-cell parameters, and space group for potassium erbium fluoride, K0.5Er0.5F2, are reported [a = 5.6862(5) Å, unit-cell volume V = 183.85 Å3, Z = 4, and space group Fm-3m]. Potassium erbium fluoride is isostructural with a large family of fluorides represented by the mineral fluorite CaF2. All of the measured lines of the title compound were indexed and are consistent with the Fm-3m space group. No detectable impurities were observed.
Acinetobacterbacteraemia in Thailand: evidence for infections outside the hospital setting
Authors: PORTER K. A. , RHODES J. , DEJSIRILERT S. , HENCHAICHON S. , SILUDJAI D. , THAMTHITIWAT S. , PRAPASIRI P. , JORAKATE P. , KAEWPAN A. , PERUSKI L. F. , KERDSIN A. , PRASERT K. , YUENPRAKONE S. , MALONEY S. A. , BAGGETT H. C.
Published: September 2013

Acinetobacteris a well-recognized nosocomial pathogen. Previous reports of community-associatedAcinetobacterinfections have lacked clear case definitions and assessment of healthcare-associated (HCA) risk factors. We identifiedAcinetobacterbacteraemia cases from blood cultures obtained <3 days after hospitalization in rural Thailand and performed medical record reviews to assess HCA risk factors in the previous year and compare clinical and microbiological characteristics between cases with and without HCA risk factors. Of 72Acinetobactercases, 32 (44%) had no HCA risk factors. Compared to HCA infections, non-HCA infections were more often caused byAcinetobacterspecies other thancalcoaceticus–baumanniicomplex species and by antibiotic-susceptible organisms. Despite similar symptoms, the case-fatality proportion was lower in non-HCA than HCA cases (9%vs. 45%,P < 0·01). Clinicians should be aware ofAcinetobacteras a potential cause of community-associated infections in Thailand; prospective studies are needed to improve understanding of associated risk factors and disease burden.
Coarsening rates for the dynamics of slipping droplets
Authors: KITAVTSEV GEORGY
Published: September 2013

Reduced ordinary differential equation (ODE) models arising from a high-order lubrication system and describing coarsening dynamics of droplets in nanometric polymer film interacting on a hydrophobically coated solid substrate in the presence of large slippage at the liquid/solid interface are analysed. In the limiting case of infinite slip length corresponding in applications to free films, a collision/absorption model then arises and is solved explicitly. The exact coarsening law is derived for it analytically and confirmed numerically. Existence of a threshold for the decay of initial distributions of droplet distances at infinity at which the coarsening rates switch from algebraic to exponential ones is shown.
Evaluation of Paramedic Utilization of the Intubating Laryngeal Mask Airway in High-Fidelity Simulated Critical Care Scenarios
Authors: Byars Donald , Lo Bruce , Yates Jeff
Published: September 2013

Introduction

Successful oxygenation and ventilation can mean the difference between life and death in the prehospital setting. While airway challenges can be numerous within the confines of the emergency department, there are many additional confounding difficulties in the prehospital setting, which include limited access to equipment, poor lighting, extreme environments, limited personnel to assist, no immediate backup, and limited rescue airway options. The concept of an easy, reliable, and rapidly deployable alternative rescue airway device is critical, especially when considering the addition of rapid sequence intubation protocols in the prehospital setting.

Hypothesis

The primary objective of this study was to ascertain whether paramedics can be trained to deploy this alternative airway device with an acceptable success rate in a simulated critical care airway scenario. The secondary objective was to determine whether the previously-trained paramedics were able to retain their ability to deploy the device successfully at one year.

Methods

This was a prospective, observational, single-group, descriptive cohort, educational trial. Forty paramedics were trained in the use of the Intubating Laryngeal Mask Airway (I-LMA) in a simulation medicine curriculum culminating in a simulated critical care difficult airway scenario requiring urgent oxygenation and ventilation after failed traditional endotracheal intubation. An emergency medicine physician proctor determined successful airway management. Repeat testing was then performed at approximately one year out, challenging the medics to intubate a mannequin using the I-LMA during an unrelated training session.

Results

Of the 40 paramedics who underwent complete simulation training, 39 were able to intubate and ventilate the simulated difficult airway using the I-LMA during the critical care scenario. This yields a success rate of 97.5% (95% CI, 87.1%-99.4%). At approximately one year out, 35 out of 35 medics were able to intubate the mannequin using the I-LMA, resulting in a success rate of 100% (95% CI, 91.4%-100%).

Conclusions

In this study, paramedics were able to deploy the I-LMA with a high degree of success in a simulated difficult airway, with a high degree of skill retention at one year out.

ByarsD, LoB, YatesJ. Evaluation of paramedic utilization of the Intubating Laryngeal Mask Airway in high-fidelity simulated critical care scenarios. Prehosp Disaster Med.2013;28(6):1-2.
Breakthrough in Ergonomics for Laboratory and Clinical Microscopes
Authors: Zenner-Gellrich Silvia
Published: September 2013

Microscope users can become fatigued by awkward sitting positions and complicated controls. This affects many users in microbiology, cytology, hematology, and pathology labs. In recent years researchers have conducted studies to examine microscope ergonomic issues for users with various body heights. This research is critical because data from occupational and medical literature clearly indicate that occupational-based injuries at the workplace are common where microscopes are used extensively. Muscular-skeletal conditions, including shoulder, neck, and back aches, are the most prevalent injuries, with more than 77% of users experiencing these issues.
Nibbling at Membranes
Authors: Carmichael Stephen W.
Published: September 2013

It has been known for decades that clathrin- and dynamin-mediated endocytosis is the major pathway for recycling the components of vesicle membranes after strong stimulation and high rates of exocytosis in secretory cells. This pathway occurs over tens of seconds to minutes after fusion of the secretory vesicle membrane with the plasma membrane. It resembles classical receptor-mediated endocytosis, but it has a trigger that is unique to secretion: the sudden appearance of the secretory vesicle membrane on the surface of the cell. However, the spatial localization, the relationship to individual fusion events, the nature of the cargo, and the timing and nature of nucleation events have been unknown. An elegant study by Mary Bittner, Rachel Aikman, and Ronald Holz has addressed these issues.
Why Does It Take So Long to Pump Down?
Authors: Bigelow Wilbur C.
Published: September 2013

Recently there has been a lot of discussion on the Microscopy Listserver about the fact that it frequently seems to take forever for a vacuum system to pump down to an operating level. It turns out that there are several interesting and fundamental reasons for this. Because of the widespread interest in this topic, it would seem worthwhile to review these reasons briefly. I think that anyone who works with an instrument that has a vacuum system could find this article useful. I am afraid, however, that the fact that it contains a number of mathematical equations will scare some people away. This should not be so, because no difficult mathematical manipulations are involved, and all the equations form the basis for interesting and important relationships, which I hope are described in straightforward, understandable terms.
Elucidating the Nanoscale Structure of Dinosaur Bone
Authors: Boatman E. M. , Gronsky R. , Goodwin M. B. , Ritchie R. O.
Published: September 2013

Bone is an important material in many scientific disciplines because of its unique structure-property relationships, which are intrinsically dependent on its nanoscale components, bioapatite and collagen. As a living tissue, bone has evolved over hundreds of millions of years, and most vertebrates are now extinct. However, the vast majority of the relevant literature has engaged only modern bone tissues, neglecting the deep time perspective. Why?
Streamlining Sample Preparation of Semiconductor Materials with a New Site-specific Cleaving Technology
Authors: Teshima J. , Moyal E. , Clarke Jamil J.
Published: September 2013

The global consumer market wants smaller, faster, more reliable, lower-cost products. The semiconductor industry has responded by the doubling of chip transistor density every two years, closely following Moore's Law. To meet their goals, the industry has made huge investments in R&D and manufacturing to miniaturize components, increase the size of substrates (wafers), improve the productivity of factories, and invent new packaging technology.
High throughput and energy efficient two‐dimensional inverse discrete cosine transform architecture
Authors: Tziortzios Thomas , Dokouzyannis Stavros
Published: September 2013

This study presents an energy efficient and high throughput two‐dimensional inverse discrete cosine transform (IDCT) architecture, suitable for high speed and high quality image and video processing applications. The proposed architecture is based on the Arai–Agui–Nakajima IDCT algorithm. The high throughput rate is accomplished through the high degree of pipelining in the multipliers of the architecture. The distribution properties of the input signal, that is, the high percentage of zero coefficients, are exploited in order to lower power consumption. In particular, whenever an all zero column enters the architecture, the corresponding pipeline stages are adjacently deactivated in order to lower switching activity. Furthermore, a novel approach, regarding the transposition structure, is introduced. The all zero columns are not loaded in the transposition memory. Instead, they are encoded through a single bit in a parallel data path, thereby reducing the power consumption of the transposition process by 19%. The proposed architecture, implemented in a 65 nm field programmable gate array, provides a throughput rate of 2.722 Gpixel/s for a power consumption of 0.831 W. The experimental results and the comparison with previous work validate the efficiency and the suitability of the proposed implementation for high speed and high quality video decoding applications.
Robust quantisation index modulation‐based approach for image watermarking
Authors: Zareian Mohsen , Tohidypour Hamid Reza
Published: September 2013

In this study, a robust image watermarking based on the quantisation index modulation (QIM) method is proposed. Conventional QIM methods employ a fixed quantisation step‐size that results in poor robustness of the algorithm. Here, the quantisation step‐size in the QIM method is adaptively selected using a power‐law function and with the aid of the side information, the proposed method is invariant to gain and rotation attack. To keep the watermark imperceptible and increase its robustness, the low‐frequency components of high‐entropy image blocks are used for data hiding. The analytical error probability and embedding distortion are derived and assessed by simulations on artificial signals. The optimum parameter in the power‐law function is obtained based on minimising the error probability. Experimental results confirm the superiority of the proposed technique against common attacks in comparison with the recently proposed methods.
Planar compact triple‐band monopole antenna for IEEE 802.16 m worldwide interoperability for microwave access system
Authors: Lu Jui‐Han , Lee Yu‐Yi
Published: September 2013

Planar compact monopole antenna design with triple‐band operation for the IEEE 802.16 m worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) system is proposed. By adding C‐ and L‐shaped monopole strips to the antenna, excitation of multi‐resonant modes can approximate the 2.6, 3.5 and 5.5 GHz bands required for WiMAX (IEEE 802.16 m) operations. The obtained impedance bandwidths across the operating bands approach 168/325/1208 MHz for the 2.6/3.5/5.5 GHz bands, respectively. The model proposed in this study can also operate with an antenna 15% smaller than conventional antennas. The antenna is small enough to be embedded in an USB dongle since overall antenna volume is only 22 × 28 × 0.8 mm3. The measured peak gains and radiation efficiencies approximate 3.0/4.2/4.5 dBi and 77/76/83% in the 2.6/3.5/5.5 GHz band, respectively, and exhibit a nearly omni‐directional pattern in the XY‐plane.
Inherited human sex reversal due to impaired nucleocytoplasmic trafficking of SRY defines a male transcriptional threshold
Authors: Chen Yen-Shan , Racca Joseph D. , Phillips Nelson B. , Weiss Michael A.
Published: September 2013

Significance

Mutations in human
SRY
(sex determining region on Y chromosome) associated with somatic sex reversal provide a model for the perturbation of a genetic switch in organogenesis. Inherited alleles, associated with either testicular or ovarian differentiation, provide unique probes of threshold biochemical properties, defining mechanistic borders between functional and nonfunctional transcription factors. This study exploited two such alleles to demonstrate that bidirectional nucleocytoplasmic trafficking (import–export shuttling) enables robust operation of this switch via phosphorylation at a site external to the DNA-binding motif of the transcription factor. In accordance with studies of intersexual mice, our results suggest that human SRY functions at the edge of ambiguity.
Future reef decalcification under a business-as-usual CO
2
emission scenario
Authors: Dove Sophie G. , Kline David I. , Pantos Olga , Angly Florent E. , Tyson Gene W. , Hoegh-Guldberg Ove
Published: September 2013

Significance

The study explores the impact of anthropogenic ocean warming and acidification on intact coral reef assemblages using large-scale, replicated mesocosms that simulate future conditions under natural levels of seasonal variability.
Essential ribosome assembly factor Fap7 regulates a hierarchy of RNA–protein interactions during small ribosomal subunit biogenesis
Authors: Hellmich Ute A. , Weis Benjamin L. , Lioutikov Anatoli , Wurm Jan Philip , Kaiser Marco , Christ Nina A. , Hantke Katharina , Kötter Peter , Entian Karl-Dieter , Schleiff Enrico , Wöhnert Jens
Published: September 2013

Significance

Ribosomes are complex macromolecular machines universal to all domains of life that synthesize all cellular proteins. They consist of many different protein and RNA building blocks. Their biogenesis—a paradigm for the assembly of macromolecular machines in general—is a highly complex and tightly regulated process in eukaryotes requiring the concerted action of many ribosome assembly factors. In this study we analyze the cross-talk between two of these assembly factors and ribosomal building blocks with biophysical methods and show how it might contribute to the fidelity and efficiency of ribosome assembly.
Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans
sp. nov. causes lethal chytridiomycosis in amphibians
Authors: Martel An , Spitzen-van der Sluijs Annemarieke , Blooi Mark , Bert Wim , Ducatelle Richard , Fisher Matthew C. , Woeltjes Antonius , Bosman Wilbert , Chiers Koen , Bossuyt Franky , Pasmans Frank
Published: September 2013

Significance

Chytridiomycosis has resulted in the serious decline and extinction of >200 species of amphibians worldwide and poses the greatest threat to biodiversity of any known disease. This fungal disease is currently known to be caused by
Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis
, hitherto the only species within the entire phylum of the Chytridiomycota known to parasitize vertebrate hosts. We describe the discovery of a second highly divergent, chytrid pathogen,
Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans
sp. nov., that causes lethal skin infections in salamanders, which has resulted in steep declines in salamander populations in northwestern Europe. Our finding provides another explanation for the phenomenon of amphibian biodiversity loss that is emblematic of the current global biodiversity crisis.
Role of NINJA in root jasmonate signaling
Authors: Acosta Iván F. , Gasperini Debora , Chételat Aurore , Stolz Stéphanie , Santuari Luca , Farmer Edward E.
Published: September 2013

Significance

Plant growth, the basis of agricultural production, is compromised when plants defend themselves against herbivores.Wound-induced growth reduction is coordinated between organs by hormones termed “jasmonates.” We developed a sensitive assay that marks tissues where wounding activates jasmonate function in seedlings. This assay showed that a key repressor of jasmonate responses is active mainly in roots where it permits normal growth. A deeper understanding of cell-size control is crucial in successfully engineering plants that display reduced growth restriction under stress.
Structures of RNA polymerase II complexes with Bye1, a chromatin-binding PHF3/DIDO homologue
Authors: Kinkelin Kerstin , Wozniak Glenn G. , Rothbart Scott B. , Lidschreiber Michael , Strahl Brian D. , Cramer Patrick
Published: September 2013

Significance

Transcription of protein-coding genes requires transient binding of many different factors to RNA polymerase II. Thus far, crystal structures of only two such factors in complex with RNA polymerase II are known. Here we report crystal structures of a third polymerase-binding protein, bypass of Ess1 (Bye1), in complex with RNA polymerase II in different functional states. We also show that Bye1 binds histone tails with posttranslational modifications that mark active chromatin and discuss models for Bye1 function in a chromatin context.
Structure of Leavitt path algebras of polynomial growth
Authors: Alahmedi Adel , Alsulami Hamed , Jain Surender , Zelmanov Efim I.
Published: September 2013

We determine the structure of Leavitt path algebras of polynomial growth and discuss their automorphisms and involutions.
Breakdown of long-range temporal dependence in default mode and attention networks during deep sleep
Authors: Tagliazucchi Enzo , von Wegner Frederic , Morzelewski Astrid , Brodbeck Verena , Jahnke Kolja , Laufs Helmut
Published: September 2013

The integration of segregated brain functional modules is a prerequisite for conscious awareness during wakeful rest. Here, we test the hypothesis that temporal integration, measured as long-term memory in the history of neural activity, is another important quality underlying conscious awareness. For this aim, we study the temporal memory of blood oxygen level-dependent signals across the human nonrapid eye movement sleep cycle. Results reveal that this property gradually decreases from wakefulness to deep nonrapid eye movement sleep and that such decreases affect areas identified with default mode and attention networks. Although blood oxygen level-dependent spontaneous fluctuations exhibit nontrivial spatial organization, even during deep sleep, they also display a decreased temporal complexity in specific brain regions. Conversely, this result suggests that long-range temporal dependence might be an attribute of the spontaneous conscious mentation performed during wakeful rest.
Independent circuits in the basal ganglia for the evaluation and selection of actions
Authors: Stephenson-Jones Marcus , Kardamakis Andreas A. , Robertson Brita , Grillner Sten
Published: September 2013

Significance

The activity in the dopaminergic reward system of the brain is concerned with the evaluation of actions and is controlled from the lateral habenulae, in all vertebrates investigated, from lamprey to primates. This study considers the mechanisms by which the lateral habenulae is controlled. We show here that a particular group of nerve cells conveys excitatory drive to the lateral habenulae, which, in turn, receive excitatory input from pallium (cortex in mammals) and inhibitory control from a specific compartment (striosomes) in the basal ganglia. This control system is critical for value-based decisions, important in all groups of vertebrates.
RNA-binding protein regulates plant DNA methylation by controlling mRNA processing at the intronic heterochromatin-containing gene
IBM1
Authors: Wang Xingang , Duan Cheng-Guo , Tang Kai , Wang Bangshing , Zhang Huiming , Lei Mingguang , Lu Kun , Mangrauthia Satendra K. , Wang Pengcheng , Zhu Guohui , Zhao Yang , Zhu Jian-Kang
Published: September 2013

Significance

Transposons in higher eukaryotes are subject to epigenetic silencing. Some transposons have found residence in introns of genes. It is unclear how intronic transposon-containing genes are regulated. This paper reports a cellular factor, ANTI-SILENCING 1 (ASI1), which is required for proper expression of intronic transposon-containing genes. ASI1 plays an important role in regulating genome DNA methylation patterns. The work represents a major advancement in cellular antisilencing mechanisms. A previously undescribed mechanism for higher eukaryotes to cope with the collateral effects of silencing intronic transposon elements is discovered. This work has implications beyond the plant epigenetics field because studies in mammalian systems have suggested important roles of intronic heterochromatin on 3′ distal polyadenylation, although the underlying mechanism is not known.
Journalists’ discursive construction of public opinion on President Obama and the economy
Authors: Buttny Richard , Haspel Kathleen C.
Published: September 2013

This study investigates the journalistic construction of news from a focus group of eleven Philadelphia-area voters. The journalists not only represent the participants’ voices, they also present themselves as keen observers — they attempt to display expertise as journalists. The written stories use the participants’ voices more than was found in the journalists’ oral discussion about the focus group. In both the oral and written stories, the journalists ventriloquise participants’ voices within the genre, the news-feature story of how the dire political economy affects ordinary people. The journalists represent the participants’ opinions while simultaneously recontextualizing participants’ voices within their own storyline.
Was there a cat in the garden?
Authors: Teubert Wolfgang
Published: September 2013

Knowledge represents things as they are. But how are things? Traditionally, epistemology has based knowledge on experience. To accept a proposition means to find it consistent with one’s experience. But can we trust experience to give us the ‘facts’ in an unadulterated way? There are scholars who claim just that, for instance Roy Harris in his new book After Epistemology, and Martin Heidegger in his Being and Time, now almost a century old. While I agree with both of them that Cartesian rationality is not a sound basis for making epistemological claims, I take issue with their argument that knowledge can be generated by a prelinguistic interpretation of authentic experience. I argue that there is no interpretable experience without participation in discourse, and that therefore the discursive construction of the category ‘cat’ is prior to any cat experience. Instead of viewing ourselves as solitary knowing minds, we should assign intentionality (‘aboutness’) to discourse as a collective mind. Knowledge that can be represented in the form of arbitrary signs only exists in discourse, of which we, the selves, are a part.
PolyOrth
Authors: Cahill Lynne , Tiberius Carole , Herring Jon
Published: September 2013

The relationship between orthography, phonology and morphology varies with different languages and writing systems. These relationships are by no means random. They follow rules, albeit with exceptions, even for relatively irregular languages like English. In this paper, we present the PolyOrth approach to representing these relationships, which definines orthographic forms in terms of their phonological and morphological correspondences within inheritance lexicons. The approach involves defining Finite State Transducers (FSTs), but in a much more subtle way than traditional speech-to-text or text-to-speech transducers. We define FSTs to provide phoneme to grapheme mappings for onsets, peaks and codas, as well as a grapheme to grapheme FST which defines spelling rules. We demonstrate the approach applied to English, Dutch and German. These three languages are interesting because they share many features of all three levels (orthography, morphology and phonology) whilst also demonstrating significant differences. This allows us to illustrate not only a range of different orthography/ phonology/ morphology relationships within languages but also the possibility of sharing information about such mappings across languages.
Development of reading comprehension from middle childhood to adolescence
Authors: Kaplan Dafna
Published: September 2013

The study considers the impact of cognitive development and discourse-based factors on the ability to understand different types of written texts from middle childhood across adolescence. Reading comprehension was examined by responses to four types of questions — literal, inferential, integrative, and metatextual — based on narrative and expository texts assigned to monolingual Hebrew speakers at four age-schooling levels (4th, 7th, 11th graders, and adults). Distributional analyses revealed higher scores on comprehension of narrative compared with expository texts in the two younger groups, with comprehension continuing to improve in both genres up to 11th grade and responses of high-school students close to those of the adult participants. Qualitative evaluations of responses to the different types of questions revealed progression from a superficial grasp of basic information to in-depth interpretation of the text as a whole, with more advanced reading comprehension manifested by the ability to combine an integrative approach to text comprehension with attention to specific details and to process information from diverse points of view.
Sofic dimension for discrete measured groupoids
Authors: Dykema Ken , Kerr David , Pichot Mikaël
Published: September 2013

For discrete measured groupoids preserving a probability measure we introduce a notion of sofic dimension that measures the asymptotic growth of the number of sofic approximations on larger and larger finite sets. In the case of groups we give a formula for free products with amalgamation over an amenable subgroup. We also prove a free product formula for measure-preserving actions.
Constructing class invariants
Authors: Kontogeorgis Aristides
Published: September 2013

Shimura reciprocity law allows us to verify that a modular function gives rise to a class invariant. Here we present a new method based on Shimura reciprocity that allows us not only to verify but to find new class invariants from a modular function of level

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