bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Radiofrequency energy for vascular closure: a novel technique with multiple applications
Authors: Dalili Mohammad
Published: February 2013

Vascular stricture is a known complication of radiofrequency ablation. We used this potential of radiofrequency for voluntary restriction and closure of a pulmonary artery branch in a sheep.
Major Incidents in Kenya: the Case for Emergency Services Development and Training
Authors: Wachira Benjamin W. , Smith Wayne
Published: February 2013

Kenya's major incidents profile is dominated by droughts, floods, fires, terrorism, poisoning, collapsed buildings, accidents in the transport sector and disease/epidemics. With no integrated emergency services and a lack of resources, many incidents in Kenya escalate to such an extent that they become major incidents. Lack of specific training of emergency services personnel to respond to major incidents, poor coordination of major incident management activities, and a lack of standard operational procedures and emergency operation plans have all been shown to expose victims to increased morbidity and mortality.

This report provides a review of some of the major incidents in Kenya for the period 2000-2012, with the hope of highlighting the importance of developing an integrated and well-trained Ambulance and Fire and Rescue service appropriate for the local health care system.

WachiraB, SmithW. Major incidents in Kenya: the case for emergency services development and training. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2013;28(2):1-4.
vTrain: A Novel Curriculum for Patient Surge Training in a Multi-User Virtual Environment (MUVE)
Authors: Greci Laura S. , Ramloll Rameshsharma , Hurst Samantha , Garman Karen , Beedasy Jaishree , Pieper Eric B. , Huang Ricky , Higginbotham Erin , Agha Zia
Published: February 2013

Introduction

During a pandemic influenza, emergency departments will be overwhelmed with a large influx of patients seeking care. Although all hospitals should have a written plan for dealing with this surge of health care utilization, most hospitals struggle with ways to educate the staff and practice for potentially catastrophic events.

Hypothesis/Problem

To better prepare hospital staff for a patient surge, a novel educational curriculum was developed utilizing an emergency department for a patient surge functional drill.

Methods

A multidisciplinary team of medical educators, evaluators, emergency preparedness experts, and technology specialists developed a curriculum to: (1) train novice users to function in their job class in a multi-user virtual environment (MUVE); (2) obtain appropriate pre-drill disaster preparedness training; (3) perform functional team exercises in a MUVE; and (4) reflect on their performance after the drill.

Results

A total of 14 students participated in one of two iterations of the pilot training program; seven nurses completed the emergency department triage course, and seven hospital administrators completed the Command Post (CP) course. All participants reported positive experiences in written course evaluations and structured verbal debriefings, and self-reported increase in disaster preparedness knowledge. Students also reported improved team communication, planning, team decision making, and the ability to visualize and reflect on their performance.

Conclusion

Data from this pilot program suggest that the immersive, virtual teaching method is well suited to team-based, reflective practice and learning of disaster management skills.

GreciLS, RamlollR, HurstS, GarmanK, BeedasyJ, PieperEB, HuangR, HigginbothamE, AghaZ. vTrain: a novel curriculum for patient surge training in a multi-user virtual environment (MUVE). Prehosp Disaster Med.2013;28(3):1-8.
Achievements on circularly polarized horn-fed metallic electromagnetic band gap antenna design
Authors: Arnaud Eric , Chantalat Régis , Monediere Thierry , Rodes Emmanuel , Thevenot Marc
Published: February 2013

This paper presents a comprehensive study on the design of a 30 GHz, circularly polarized (CP), single horn-fed, metallic electromagnetic band gap (EBG) antenna. Three different approaches have been studied in order to create a 20 dBi antenna with an axial ratio (AR) lower than 1 dB over a 500 MHz bandwidth. Based on theoretical and experimental results, a conclusion is given on the best solution to obtain the desired characteristics. Perspectives and guidelines are also given for the design of multi-feed EBG antenna as a reflector focal feed for Ka-Band Space Applications.
Hilary Putnam
Authors: de Gaynesford Maximilian
Published: February 2013

Hilary Putnam is one of the most influential philosophers of recent times, and his authority stretches far beyond the confines of the discipline. He has had a dramatic influence on theories of meaning, semantic content, the nature of mental phenomena, on interpretations of quantum mechanics, theory-change, logic, mathematics, and on what shape we should desire for future philosophy. However, the diversity of Putnam's writings and his frequent spells of radical rethinking pose a considerable challenge to readers. De Gaynesford shows how these difficulties may be overcome by examining the whole of Putnam's career within its historical context in an accurate and accessible way. In so doing he reveals a basic unity in Putnam's work, achieved through repeated engagements with a small set of hard problems. By foregrounding this integrity, the book offers an account that is both true to Putnam and will be welcomed by students and philosophers alike as an aid to reading his work.
Bernard Williams
Authors: Jenkins Mark P.
Published: February 2013

From his earliest work on personal identity to his last on the value of truthfulness, the ideas and arguments of Bernard Williams (1929-2003) have proved sometimes controversial, often influential, and always worth studying. This book provides a comprehensive account of Williams's many significant contributions to contemporary philosophy. Topics covered include personal identity, various critiques of moral theory, practical reasoning and moral motivation, truth and objectivity, and the relevance of ancient Greece to modern life. The book not only positions Williams among these important philosophical topics, but also with regard to the views of other philosophers, including prominent forerunners such as Hume and Nietzsche and contemporary thinkers such as Parfit, McDowell, Korsgaard and Nussbaum. Despite the fragmentary nature of Williams's work and the resistance of his views to familiar labels, Jenkins reveals the recurring themes and connections within his writings and the philosophical underpinnings to his work.
Herbert Spencer and the Invention of Modern Life
Authors: Francis Mark
Published: February 2013

The English philosopher Herbert Spencer (1820-1903) was a colossus of the Victorian age. His works ranked alongside those of Darwin and Marx in the development of disciplines as wide ranging as sociology, anthropology, political theory, philosophy and psychology. His unique system of knowledge, which bridged the gap between empiricism and metaphysics, offered modern and scientific answers to questions about the meaning of life and made him a world philosopher of the late nineteenth century. In this major new study of Spencer, the first for over thirty years, Mark Francis provides an authoritative and meticulously researched intellectual biography of this remarkable man. Using archival material and contemporary printed sources, Francis creates a fascinating portrait of a human being whose philosophical and scientific system was a unique attempt to explain modern life in all its biological, psychological and sociological forms. Herbert Spencer and the Invention of Modern Life fills what is perhaps the last big biographical gap in Victorian history. An exceptional work of scholarship it not only dispels the plethora of misinformation surrounding Spencer but shines new light on the broader cultural history of the nineteenth century. Elegantly written, provocative and rich in insight it will be required reading for all students of the period.
The Philosophy of Agamben
Authors: Mills Catherine
Published: February 2013

Giorgio Agamben has gained widespread popularity in recent years for his rethinking of radical politics and his approach to meta-physics and language. However, the extraordinary breadth of historical, legal and philosophical sources which contribute to the complexity and depth of Agambens thinking can also make his work intimidating. Covering the full range of Agambens work, this critical introduction outlines Agambens key concerns: metaphysics, language and potentiality, aesthetics and poetics, sovereignty, law and biopolitics, ethics and testimony, and his powerful vision of completed humanity. Highlighting the novelty of Agambens approach while also situating it in relation to the work of other continental thinkers, The Philosophy of Agamben presents a clear and engaging introduction to the work of this original and influential thinker.
How to Understand Language
Authors: Weiss Bernhard
Published: February 2013

Why are philosophers - as opposed to, say, linguists and psychologists - puzzled by language? How should we attempt to shed philosophical light on the phenomenon of language? How to Understand Language frames its discussion of the philosophy of language with these two central questions. Bernhard Weiss first explores the reasons why language is so hard to understand from a philosophical point of view and then begins the search for a productive approach to the philosophical task of understanding language. After finding fault with approaches based on philosophical analysis or translation, Weiss undertakes an extended investigation of the programme of constructing a theory of meaning. Weiss endorses Donald Davidsons advocacy of that approach, which is pivotal to the discussion, but he argues strongly against the roles of both truth theory and radical interpretation. In doing so, he offers novel arguments for a number of distinctive claims about some key issues in philosophy of language, centrally, those of the normativity and publicity of meaning. How to Understand Language presents a fresh approach to many issues of abiding interest in the philosophy of language.
Forgiveness
Authors: Garrard Eve
Published: February 2013

Forgiveness usually gets a very good press in our culture: we are deluged with self-help books and television shows all delivering the same message, that forgiveness is good for everyone, and is always the right thing to do. But those who have suffered seriously at the hands of others often and rightly feel that this boosterism about forgiveness is glib and facile. Perhaps forgiveness is not always desirable, especially where the wrongdoing is terrible or the wrongdoer unrepentant. In this book, Garrard and McNaughton suggest that the whole debate suffers from a crippling lack of clarity about what forgiveness really amounts to. They argue that it is more difficult, complex and troubling than many of its advocates suppose. Nevertheless, they conclude, a proper understanding of forgiveness allows us to avoid cheap and shallow forms of it, and enables us to see why it is right and admirable to forgive even unrepentant wrongdoers.
Detection of Remote Neuronal Reactions in the Thalamus and Hippocampus Induced by Rat Glioma Using the PET Tracer Cis-4-[18F]Fluoro-D-Proline
Authors: Geisler Stefanie , Willuweit Antje , Schroeter Michael , Zilles Karl , Hamacher Kurt , Galldiks Norbert , Shah Nadim J , Coenen Heinz H , Langen Karl-Josef
Published: February 2013

After cerebral ischemia or trauma, secondary neurodegeneration may occur in brain regions remote from the lesion. Little is known about the capacity of cerebral gliomas to induce secondary neurodegeneration. A previous study showed that cis-4-[18F]fluoro-D-proline (D- cis-[18F]FPro) detects secondary reactions of thalamic nuclei after cortical infarction with high sensitivity. Here we investigated the potential of D- cis-[18F]FPro to detect neuronal reactions in remote brain areas in the F98 rat glioma model using ex vivo autoradiography. Although the tumor tissue of F98 gliomas showed no significant D- cis-[18F]FPro uptake, we observed prominent tracer uptake in 7 of 10 animals in the nuclei of the ipsilateral thalamus, which varied with the specific connectivity with the cortical areas affected by the tumor. In addition, strong D- cis-[18F]FPro accumulation was noted in the hippocampal area CA1 in two animals with ipsilateral F98 gliomas involving hippocampal subarea CA3 rostral to that area. Furthermore, focal D- cis-[18F]FPro uptake was present in the necrotic center of the tumors. Cis-4-[18F]fluoro-D-proline uptake was accompanied by microglial activation in the thalamus, in the hippocampus, and in the necrotic center of the tumors. The data suggest that brain tumors induce secondary neuronal reactions in remote brain areas, which may be detected by positron emission tomography (PET) using D- cis-[18F]FPro.
V101L of human formyl peptide receptor 1 (FPR1) increases receptor affinity and augments the antagonism mediated by cyclosporins
Authors: Zhou Caihong , Zhou Yan , Wang Jia , Feng Yang , Wang Haonan , Xue Jinglun , Chen Yani , Ye Richard D. , Wang Ming-Wei
Published: February 2013

Genetic variation plays a major role in drug response variability. CsA (cyclosporin A), a widely used immunosuppressive agent, is a specific antagonist for FPR1 (formyl peptide receptor 1), which is an important G-protein-coupled chemoattractant receptor in the innate immune system. In order to study the variable responses of cyclosporins to different FPR1 mutants, we investigated the distribution of human FPR1 haplotypes among 209 healthy Han Chinese subjects. The haplotype pattern in Han Chinese were characterized on the basis of five SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms), including rs5030878 (p.T11I), rs2070745 (p.V101L), rs5030880 (p.R190W), rs1042229 (p.N192K) and rs867228 (p.A346E). Receptor binding affinity of cyclosporins to FPR1 haplotypes was assessed using N-formyl-Nle-Leu-Phe-Nle-Tyr-Lys–FITC in CHO-Gα16 cells stably transfected with cDNAs encoding the top 12 FPR1 haplotypes in the Han Chinese. Variants of FPR1 carrying a single amino acid substitution of leucine for valine at position 101 (p.Leu101) displayed significantly higher pKi values for CsA and CsH (cyclosporin H), indicative of an improved receptor affinity. The polymorphism of FPR1 p.Leu101 also enhanced the inhibitory effects of cyclosporins on fMLF (N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine)-induced activities, including calcium mobilization, cell chemotaxis and MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase) phosphorylation. These results point to a possible complication for clinical use of CsA in patients carrying the p.Leu101 allele of FPR1.
Structural fluctuation of protein in water around its native state: A new statistical mechanics formulation
Authors: Kim Bongsoo , Hirata Fumio
Published: February 2013

A new statistical mechanics formulation of characterizing the structural fluctuation of protein correlated with that of water is presented based on the generalized Langevin equation and the 3D-reference interaction site model (RISM)/RISM theory of molecular liquids. The displacement vector of atom positions, and their conjugated momentum, are chosen for the dynamic variables for protein, while the density fields of atoms and their momentum fields are chosen for water. Projection of other degrees of freedom onto those dynamic variables using the standard projection operator method produces essentially two equations, which describe the time evolution of fluctuation concerning the density field of solvent and the conformation of protein around an equilibrium state, which are coupled with each other. The equation concerning the protein dynamics is formally akin to that of the coupled Langevin oscillators, and is a generalization of the latter, to atomic level. The most intriguing feature of the new equation is that it contains the variance-covariance matrix as the “Hessian” term describing the “force” restoring an equilibrium conformation, which is the second moment of the fluctuation of atom positions. The “Hessian” matrix is naturally identified as the second derivative of the free energy surface around the equilibrium. A method to evaluate the Hessian matrix based on the 3D-RISM/RISM theory is proposed. Proposed also is an application of the present formulation to the molecular recognition, in which the conformational fluctuation of protein around its native state becomes an important factor as exemplified by so called “induced fitting.”
Influence of the embedding matrix on optical properties of Ge nanocrystals-based nanocomposite
Authors: Parola S. , Quesnel E. , Muffato V. , Bartringer J. , Slaoui A.
Published: February 2013

Germanium nanocrystals were prepared by a nanocluster source and characterized by photoluminescence and spectroscopic photometry methods. The optical measurements were carried out in order to estimate the effective bandgap of the Ge nanocrystals. Both Mie theory and the quantum confinement theory were applied to interpret the extracted absorption data. We found that the quantum confinement theory enables to explain the nanocrystal size and the host matrix dependence of the nanocrystal bandgap. On the other hand, the photoluminescence measurements have not allowed to confirm the bandgap evaluated from absorption data. This is explained as due to the dominant effect of the recombination at the nanocrystals surface.
Suppression of spatial hole burning and pulse stabilization for actively modelocked quantum cascade lasers using quantum coherent absorption
Authors: Shimu S. S. , Docherty A. , Talukder M. A. , Menyuk C. R.
Published: February 2013

We theoretically study of an actively modelocked quantum cascade laser in which we incorporate quantum coherent absorption by interleaving quantum coherent absorbing periods with gain periods. We show that this absorption suppresses the spatial hole burning that is responsible for pulse instability. As a consequence, the laser produces a stable train of single-peak soliton-like pulses with pulse durations less than 1.25 ps over a broad range of pump powers. We also show that the laser self-starts from initial quantum noise.
Effect of substrate surface roughness on electric current induced flow of liquid metals
Authors: Talukder Santanu , Somaiah Nalla , Kumar Praveen
Published: February 2013

Electric current can induce long-range flow of liquid metals over a conducting substrate. This work reports on the effect of the substrate surface roughness on the liquid metal-front velocity during such a flow. Experiments were conducted by passing electric current through liquid gallium placed over ∼170 nm thick, 500 μm wide gold and platinum films of varying roughness. The ensuing flow, thus, resembles micro-fluidics behavior in an open-channel. The liquid-front velocity decreased linearly with the substrate surface roughness; this is attributed to the reduction in the effective electric field along the liquid metal-substrate interface with the substrate surface roughness.
Phase locking of vortex-based spin-torque nanocontact oscillators by antivortices
Authors: Zaspel C. E.
Published: February 2013

Magnetic vortices formed at a nanocontact undergo gyrotropic oscillations when driven by a spin-torque providing potential applications as microwave nano-oscillators; however, to increase the power output it is necessary to use an array of synchronized oscillators. Here a theory is developed for two nanocontact oscillators that are interacting through an intermediate antivortex. The confining potential for the two vortices formed at each nanocontact as well as the antivortex is the Oersted-Ampere field about each nanocontact. Solution of the Thiele equation for this system indicates that the nanocontact vortex oscillators will be phase locked over a wide range of nanocontact currents.
Electrical transport in hydrogen-aluminium Co-doped ZnO and Zn1−xMgxO films: Relation to film structure and composition
Authors: Bikowski A. , Ellmer K.
Published: February 2013

ZnO:Al and Zn1−xMgxO:Al films have been deposited in Ar/H2 atmospheres by magnetron sputtering from oxidic targets at two substrate temperatures: room temperature and 300 °C. The electrical transport parameters—carrier concentration, resistivity, and Hall mobility—have been measured and related to the structural properties and the chemical composition. The resistivity ρ both of ZnO:Al as well as Zn1−xMgxO:Al films decreases with increasing hydrogen flow for the films deposited at room temperature. The decrease is up to 2 orders of magnitude and in both cases due to an increase of the electron concentration and the Hall mobility and occurred despite the fact, that the films became almost X-ray amorphous with increasing hydrogen content. In contrast to these results, for depositions at 300 °C, the resistivity increases with increasing hydrogen portion in the sputtering atmosphere, more strongly for the Zn1−xMgxO:Al films (3 orders of magnitude). Based on literature data, it is concluded that the built-in atomic hydrogen acts as a shallow donor at low deposition temperatures, while it becomes deactivated at Tsub = 300 °C by the formation of molecular H2.
Spatially resolved investigation of strain and composition variations in (In,Ga)N/GaN epilayers
Authors: Wilsch Benjamin , Jahn Uwe , Jenichen Bernd , Lähnemann Jonas , Grahn Holger T. , Wang Hui , Yang Hui
Published: February 2013

The strain state and composition of a 400 nm thick (In,Ga)N layer grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition on a GaN template are investigated by spatially integrated x-ray diffraction and cathodoluminescence (CL) spectroscopy as well as by spatially resolved CL and energy dispersive x-ray analysis. The CL investigations confirm a process of strain relaxation accompanied by an increasing indium content toward the surface of the (In,Ga)N layer, which is known as the compositional pulling effect. Moreover, we identify the strained bottom, unstrained top, and gradually relaxed intermediate region of the (In,Ga)N layer. In addition to an increase of the indium content along the growth direction, the strain relaxation leads to an enhancement of the lateral variations of the indium distribution toward the surface.
Monitoring and prediction of soil moisture spatial–temporal variations from a hydropedological perspective: a review
Authors: Zhu Qing , Liao Kaihua , Xu Yan , Yang Guishan , Wu Shaohua , Zhou Shenglu
Published: February 2013

Accurate prediction of soil moisture spatial–temporal variations remains critical in agronomic, hydrological, pedological, and environmental studies. Traditional approaches of soil moisture monitoring and prediction have limitations of being time-consuming, labour-intensive, and costly for direct field observation; and having low spatial resolution for remote sensing, and inconsistent accuracy and reliability for landscape feature (e.g. topography, land use, vegetation) modelling. Innovative and effective approaches for accurate soil moisture simulation are needed. Pedological properties, including soil structure, particle size distribution, porosity, horizon, redox feature, and organic matter content, have been accepted as important factors controlling soil moisture and can be potentially used in soil moisture prediction. However, pedological properties mostly lack quantification (e.g. redox feature, horizon, soil structure), and soil sampling and analysis are time-consuming and costly, especially at large spatial scale. These limitations have restricted the utilisation of pedological information to predict soil moisture spatial–temporal variations at different spatial scales. To overcome these difficulties, new tools including geophysical tools and computed tomography, and new methods including mining soil survey information and integrating pedological information with landscape features and modelling, are proposed in this paper.
NLRP1
haplotypes associated with vitiligo and autoimmunity increase interleukin-1β processing via the NLRP1 inflammasome
Authors: Levandowski Cecilia B. , Mailloux Christina M. , Ferrara Tracey M. , Gowan Katherine , Ben Songtao , Jin Ying , McFann Kimberly K. , Holland Paulene J. , Fain Pamela R. , Dinarello Charles A. , Spritz Richard A.
Published: February 2013

Nuclear localization leucine-rich-repeat protein 1 (NLRP1) is a key regulator of the innate immune system, particularly in the skin where, in response to molecular triggers such as pathogen-associated or damage-associated molecular patterns, the NLRP1 inflammasome promotes caspase-1–dependent processing of bioactive interleukin-1β (IL-1β), resulting in IL-1β secretion and downstream inflammatory responses.
NLRP1
is genetically associated with risk of several autoimmune diseases including generalized vitiligo, Addison disease, type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and others. Here we identify a repertoire of variation in
NLRP1
by deep DNA resequencing. Predicted functional variations in
NLRP1
reside in several common high-risk haplotypes that differ from the reference by multiple nonsynonymous substitutions. The haplotypes that are high risk for disease share two substitutions, L155H and M1184V, and are inherited largely intact due to extensive linkage disequilibrium across the region. Functionally, we found that peripheral blood monocytes from healthy subjects homozygous for the predominant high-risk haplotype 2A processed significantly greater (
P
< 0.0001) amounts of the IL-1β precursor to mature bioactive IL-1β under basal (resting) conditions and in response to Toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists (TLR2 and TLR4) compared with monocytes from subjects homozygous for the reference haplotype 1. The increase in basal release was 1.8-fold greater in haplotype 2A monocytes, and these differences between the two haplotypes were consistently observed three times over a 3-mo period; no differences were observed for IL-1α or TNFα.
NLRP1
RNA and protein levels were not altered by the predominant high-risk haplotype, indicating that altered function of the corresponding multivariant NLRP1 polypeptide predisposes to autoimmune diseases by activation of the NLRP1 inflammasome.
Kissing and nanotunneling mediate intermitochondrial communication in the heart
Authors: Huang Xiaohu , Sun Lei , Ji Shuangxi , Zhao Ting , Zhang Wanrui , Xu Jiejia , Zhang Jue , Wang Yanru , Wang Xianhua , Franzini-Armstrong Clara , Zheng Ming , Cheng Heping
Published: February 2013

Mitochondria in many types of cells are dynamically interconnected through constant fusion and fission, allowing for exchange of mitochondrial contents and repair of damaged mitochondria. However, constrained by the myofibril lattice, the ∼6,000 mitochondria in the adult mammalian cardiomyocyte display little motility, and it is unclear how, if at all, they communicate with each other. By means of target-expressing photoactivatable green fluorescent protein (PAGFP) in the mitochondrial matrix or on the outer mitochondrial membrane, we demonstrated that the local PAGFP signal propagated over the entire population of mitochondria in cardiomyocytes on a time scale of ∼10 h. Two elemental steps of intermitochondrial communications were manifested as either a sudden PAGFP transfer between a pair of adjacent mitochondria (i.e., “kissing”) or a dynamic nanotubular tunnel (i.e., “nanotunneling”) between nonadjacent mitochondria. The average content transfer index (fractional exchange) was around 0.5; the rate of kissing was 1‰ s
−1
per mitochondrial pair, and that of nanotunneling was about 14 times smaller. Electron microscopy revealed extensive intimate contacts between adjacent mitochondria and elongated nanotubular protrusions, providing a structural basis for the kissing and nanotunneling, respectively. We propose that, through kissing and nanotunneling, the otherwise static mitochondria in a cardiomyocyte form one dynamically continuous network to share content and transfer signals.
Central role of the exchange factor GEF-H1 in TNF-α–induced sequential activation of Rac, ADAM17/TACE, and RhoA in tubular epithelial cells
Authors: Waheed Faiza , Dan Qinghong , Amoozadeh Yasaman , Zhang Yuqian , Tanimura Susumu , Speight Pam , Kapus András , Szászi Katalin
Published: February 2013

Transactivation of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) by tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) is a key step in mediating RhoA activation and cytoskeleton and junction remodeling in the tubular epithelium. In this study we explore the mechanisms underlying TNF-α–induced EGFR activation. We show that TNF-α stimulates the TNF-α convertase enzyme (TACE/a disintegrin and metalloproteinase-17), leading to activation of the EGFR/ERK pathway. TACE activation requires the mitogen-activated protein kinase p38, which is activated through the small GTPase Rac. TNF-α stimulates both Rac and RhoA through the guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF)-H1 but by different mechanisms. EGFR- and ERK-dependent phosphorylation at the T678 site of GEF-H1 is a prerequisite for RhoA activation only, whereas both Rac and RhoA activation require GEF-H1 phosphorylation on S885. Of interest, GEF-H1-mediated Rac activation is upstream from the TACE/EGFR/ERK pathway and regulates T678 phosphorylation. We also show that TNF-α enhances epithelial wound healing through TACE, ERK, and GEF-H1. Taken together, our findings can explain the mechanisms leading to hierarchical activation of Rac and RhoA by TNF-α through a single GEF. This mechanism could coordinate GEF functions and fine-tune Rac and RhoA activation in epithelial cells, thereby promoting complex functions such as sheet migration.
Gladstonian Liberalism and Environment Protection, 1865–76
Authors: Roberts M.J.D.
Published: February 2013

Historians have, in recent times, produced a considerable literature attempting to interpret the motives of Victorian pioneers of concern for the preservation of ‘natural’ environments and to evaluate the cultural implications of the attitudes, which they aimed to promote. Yet no systematic study so far exists of the earliest and most politically effective Victorian movement for environmental protection—the campaign for the protection from commercial development of common lands around London (and ultimately across England) begun in 1865. This article aims to provide that study by investigating the origins, patterns of recruitment, strategy, tactics, rhetoric and public impact of the key mobilising organisation of campaigners—the Commons Preservation Society. Particular attention is paid to the period in office of the first Gladstone administration (1868–74), as it was during this period that open-space campaigners achieved the rare success of transforming the issue into a subject requiring sustained ‘high political’ attention. By uncovering the carefully co-ordinated and tactically sophisticated campaign plan of the Liberal MPs who performed the core tasks of parliamentary and public persuasion, the conclusion is reached that the campaign was primarily triggered and driven as a response to ‘the coming of democracy’ in 1867, its ideological and electoral credentials as a genuinely ‘Liberal’ cause generated major tensions with a retrenchment-focused party leadership over the course of the first Gladstone government and its manner of resolution gives unequivocal evidence of attempted adaptation to urban modernity rather than of a longing to restore a traditional or idealised past.
Bank Bailout Menus
Authors: Bhattacharya Sudipto , Nyborg Kjell G.
Published: February 2013

We study bailouts of banks that suffer from debt overhang problems and have private information about the quality of their assets-in-place and new investment opportunities. Menus of bailout plans are used as a screening device. Constrained optimality involves overcapitalization and nonlinear pricing, with worse types choosing larger bailouts. When investment opportunities follow the assets, we derive an equivalence result between equity injections and asset buyouts. The larger capital outlay under asset buyouts can be offset by borrowing against the assets. If investment opportunities follow the bank, equity injections offer more upside to the bailout agency. This may reduce or enhance efficiency, depending on whether screening intensity is needed mostly on assets-in-place or new investments. (JEL G28, G01, D82)
First Report of Puccinia emaculata Infection on Switchgrass in Virginia
Authors: Frazier T. , Shen Z. , Zhao B. , Bush E.
Published: February 2013

During the spring of 2007, approximately 2,000 switchgrass plants, representing 168 core switchgrass germplasm, were established in a field nursery at the Virginia Tech Kentland Farm Research Center in Montgomery County, VA. These germplasms were originally obtained from the USDA Plant Genetic Resources Conservation Unit (Griffin, GA) and included both lowland and upland ecotypes. After planting, the switchgrass plants were allowed to establish for 3 years. In the summers of 2009, 2010, and 2011, a substantial infection of a foliar rust pathogen was observed on more than 90% of switchgrass lines in the field. The infected leaves had dark brown pustules that were arranged in a linear fashion between the veins and mainly located on the adaxial surface of the leaf. We observed the infected leaf samples under a microscope and isolated the urediniospores. The urediniospores were brown, round, and averaged 26.08 ± 1.67 μm long and 24.65 ± 1.66 μm wide. Teliospores were observed late in the summers of 2009 and 2010. The teliospores were two-celled, oblong to ellipsoid in shape, and averaged 32.23 ± 3.07 μm in length. The apical cell width averaged 17.6 ± 1.83 μm and the basal cell width averaged 15.08 ± 1.75 μm. The morphology of both the urediniospores and teliospores were similar to Puccinia emaculata Schw. (P. emaculata) (2,3). Using previously established rust disease scoring methods (1), the infected switchgrass lines were evaluated and scored for infection severity on a 0 to 9 scale based on the percentage of leaf area infected, with 0 being either highly resistant or escaping infection and 9 being highly susceptible. The majority of upland switchgrass cultivars, including Caddo, Cave-in-rock, Blackwell, Sunburst, Pathfinder, and Dacotah, were moderately to highly susceptible to this rust pathogen and on average, scored between 7 and 8. However, the majority of lowland switchgrass cultivars, including Alamo, Kanlow, TEM-SEC, TEM-SLC, and TEM-LoDorm, were moderately to highly resistant and scored on average between 3 and 4. This result is consistent with previous reports that show that lowland ecotypes are more resistant to rust diseases (1). To further validate the identity of the rust pathogen, we designed two primers (5′-CCAGTAACGGCGAGTGAAGAG-3′ and 5′-CGACTTCCATGGCCACCGTGCGGCTGTCT-3′) based on the 18S rDNA sequence of P. emaculata (3). DNA was extracted from bulk infected leaf material for PCR amplification. The 1.2 kb PCR product was isolated and sent for DNA sequencing. The DNA sequence was 98% identical to the 18S rDNA sequence of P. emaculata (EU915294.1). To our knowledge, this study represents the first report of rust on a wide range of various switchgrass cultivars in Virginia.

References: (1) D. M. Gustafson et al. Crop Sci. 43:755, 2003. (2) R. L. Hirsch et al. Plant Dis. 94:381, 2010. (3) J. Zale et al. Plant Dis. 92:1710, 2008.
The impact of biases in mobile phone ownership on estimates of human mobility
Authors: Wesolowski Amy , Eagle Nathan , Noor Abdisalan M. , Snow Robert W. , Buckee Caroline O.
Published: February 2013

Mobile phone data are increasingly being used to quantify the movements of human populations for a wide range of social, scientific and public health research. However, making population-level inferences using these data is complicated by differential ownership of phones among different demographic groups that may exhibit variable mobility. Here, we quantify the effects of ownership bias on mobility estimates by coupling two data sources from the same country during the same time frame. We analyse mobility patterns from one of the largest mobile phone datasets studied, representing the daily movements of nearly 15 million individuals in Kenya over the course of a year. We couple this analysis with the results from a survey of socioeconomic status, mobile phone ownership and usage patterns across the country, providing regional estimates of population distributions of income, reported airtime expenditure and actual airtime expenditure across the country. We match the two data sources and show that mobility estimates are surprisingly robust to the substantial biases in phone ownership across different geographical and socioeconomic groups.
A framework for linear stability analysis of finite-area vortices
Authors: Elcrat Alan , Protas Bartosz
Published: February 2013

In this investigation, we revisit the question of linear stability analysis of two-dimensional steady Euler flows characterized by the presence of compact regions with constant vorticity embedded in a potential flow. We give a complete derivation of the linearized perturbation equation which, recognizing that the underlying equilibrium problem is of a free-boundary type, is carried out systematically using methods of shape-differential calculus. Particular attention is given to the proper linearization of contour integrals describing vortex induction. The thus obtained perturbation equation is validated by analytically deducing from it stability analyses of the circular vortex, originally due to Kelvin, and of the elliptic vortex, originally due to Love, as special cases. We also propose and validate a spectrally accurate numerical approach to the solution of the stability problem for vortices of general shape in which all singular integrals are evaluated analytically.
Generalist insects behave in a jasmonate-dependent manner on their host plants, leaving induced areas quickly and staying longer on distant parts
Authors: Perkins Lynda E. , Cribb Bronwen W. , Brewer Philip B. , Hanan Jim , Grant Murray , de Torres Marta , Zalucki Myron P.
Published: February 2013

Plants are sessile, so have evolved sensitive ways to detect attacking herbivores and sophisticated strategies to effectively defend themselves. Insect herbivory induces synthesis of the phytohormone jasmonic acid which activates downstream metabolic pathways for various chemical defences such as toxins and digestion inhibitors. Insects are also sophisticated animals, and many have coevolved physiological adaptations that negate this induced plant defence. Insect behaviour has rarely been studied in the context of induced plant defence, although behavioural adaptation to induced plant chemistry may allow insects to bypass the host's defence system. By visualizing jasmonate-responsive gene expression within whole plants, we uncovered spatial and temporal limits to the systemic spread of plant chemical defence following herbivory. By carefully tracking insect movement, we found induced changes in plant chemistry were detected by generalist
Helicoverpa armigera
insects which then modified their behaviour in response, moving away from induced parts and staying longer on uninduced parts of the same plant. This study reveals that there are plant-wide signals rapidly generated following herbivory that allow insects to detect the heterogeneity of plant chemical defences. Some insects use these signals to move around the plant, avoiding localized sites of induction and staying ahead of induced toxic metabolites.
Functional modulation of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase underlies adaptation to high-altitude hypoxia in a Tibetan migratory locust
Authors: Zhang Zhen-Yu , Chen Bing , Zhao De-Jian , Kang Le
Published: February 2013

Mitochondria are crucial to the hypoxia response of aerobic organisms. However, mitochondrial mechanisms for hypoxia adaptation remain largely unknown. We conducted a comparative study on the mitochondrial hypoxia response and adaptation of the Tibetan Plateau and North China lowland populations of migratory locusts,Locusta migratoria.Compared with lowland locusts, Tibetan locusts presented significantly higher hypoxia tolerance and a better-maintained mitochondrial structure in flight muscles under oxygen partial pressure of 1.6 kPa. The hypoxic treatment inhibited the NADH-linked oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) significantly in both locust populations, but to a less extent in Tibetan locusts. Among the critical components of OXPHOS, only cytochrome c oxidase (COX) exhibited significantly higher activity in Tibetan locusts under normoxia and hypoxia. Pharmacological interventions using NaN3confirmed that COX activity inhibition reduced hypoxia tolerance by downregulating OXPHOS in both locust populations. The enhanced COX activity was caused not by protein content, but by elevated catalytic efficiency resulting from the increased ferrocytochrome c affinity of COX and the increased electron transport rate via catalytic redox centres. These findings reveal a novel mechanism that confers mitochondrial robustness against hypoxia by modulating the COX activity, which represents an adaptation to permanent hypoxia in the Tibetan Plateau.
Stream hydrology limits recovery of riparian ecosystems after wolf reintroduction
Authors: Marshall Kristin N. , Hobbs N. Thompson , Cooper David J.
Published: February 2013

Efforts to restore ecosystems often focus on reintroducing apex predators to re-establish coevolved relationships among predators, herbivores and plants. The preponderance of evidence for indirect effects of predators on terrestrial plant communities comes from ecosystems where predators have been removed. Far less is known about the consequences of their restoration. The effects of removal and restoration are unlikely to be symmetrical because removing predators can create feedbacks that reinforce the effects of predator loss. Observational studies have suggested that the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone National Park initiated dramatic restoration of riparian ecosystems by releasing willows from excessive browsing by elk. Here, we present results from a decade-long experiment in Yellowstone showing that moderating browsing alone was not sufficient to restore riparian zones along small streams. Instead, restoration of willow communities depended on removing browsing and restoring hydrological conditions that prevailed before the removal of wolves. The 70-year absence of predators from the ecosystem changed the disturbance regime in a way that was not reversed by predator reintroduction. We conclude that predator restoration may not quickly repair effects of predator removal in ecosystems.
Bacterial genomes in epidemiology—present and future
Authors: Croucher Nicholas J. , Harris Simon R. , Grad Yonatan H. , Hanage William P.
Published: February 2013

Sequence data are well established in the reconstruction of the phylogenetic and demographic scenarios that have given rise to outbreaks of viral pathogens. The application of similar methods to bacteria has been hindered in the main by the lack of high-resolution nucleotide sequence data from quality samples. Developing and already available genomic methods have greatly increased the amount of data that can be used to characterize an isolate and its relationship to others. However, differences in sequencing platforms and data analysis mean that these enhanced data come with a cost in terms of portability: results from one laboratory may not be directly comparable with those from another. Moreover, genomic data for many bacteria bear the mark of a history including extensive recombination, which has the potential to greatly confound phylogenetic and coalescent analyses. Here, we discuss the exacting requirements of genomic epidemiology, and means by which the distorting signal of recombination can be minimized to permit the leverage of growing datasets of genomic data from bacterial pathogens.
The evolutionary dynamics of receptor binding avidity in influenza A: a mathematical model for a new antigenic drift hypothesis
Authors: Yuan Hsiang-Yu , Koelle Katia
Published: February 2013

The most salient feature of influenza evolution in humans is its antigenic drift. This process is characterized by structural changes in the virus's B-cell epitopes and ultimately results in the ability of the virus to evade immune recognition and thereby reinfect previously infected hosts. Until recently, amino acid substitutions in epitope regions of the viral haemagglutinin were thought to be positively selected for their ability to reduce antibody binding and therefore were thought to be responsible for driving antigenic drift. However, a recent hypothesis put forward by Hensley and co-workers posits that cellular receptor binding avidity is the dominant phenotype under selection, with antigenic drift being a side effect of these binding avidity changes. Here, we present a mathematical formulation of this new antigenic drift model and use it to show how rates of antigenic drift depend on epidemiological parameters. We further use the model to evaluate how two different vaccination strategies can impact antigenic drift rates and ultimately disease incidence levels. Finally, we discuss the assumptions present in the model formulation, predictions of the model, and future work that needs to be done to determine the consistency of this hypothesis with known patterns of influenza's genetic and antigenic evolution.
mTOR complex 2 phosphorylates IMP1 cotranslationally to promote IGF2 production and the proliferation of mouse embryonic fibroblasts
Authors: Dai Ning , Christiansen Jan , Nielsen Finn C. , Avruch Joseph
Published: February 2013

Lack of IGF2 in mice results in diminished embryonic growth due to diminished cell proliferation. Here we show that mouse embryonic fibroblasts lacking the RNA-binding protein IMP1 (IGF2 mRNA-binding protein 1) have defective splicing and translation of IGF2 mRNAs, markedly reduced IGF2 polypeptide production, and diminished proliferation. The proliferation of the IMP1-null fibroblasts can be restored to wild-type levels by IGF2 in vitro or by re-expression of IMP1, which corrects the defects in IGF2 RNA splicing and translation. The ability of IMP1 to correct these defects is dependent on IMP1 phosphorylation at Ser181, which is catalyzed cotranslationally by mTOR complex 2 (mTORC2). Phosphorylation strongly enhances IMP1 binding to the IGF2-leader 3 5′ untranslated region, which is absolutely required to enable IGF2-leader 3 mRNA translational initiation by internal ribosomal entry. These findings uncover a new mechanism by which mTOR regulates organismal growth by promoting IGF2 production in the mouse embryo through mTORC2-catalyzed cotranslational IMP1/IMP3 phosphorylation. Inasmuch as TORC2 is activated by association with ribosomes, the present results indicate that mTORC2-catalyzed cotranslational protein phosphorylation is a core function of this complex.
The Morphology Of The Zulu Locative
Authors: van der Spuy Andrew
Published: February 2013

The Zulu locative has traditionally been classed as an adverb, or as a nominal in certain contexts. In other Bantu languages, like Swahili, the locative is treated as a form of noun. This paper presents a description of the locative in terms of the theory of Distributed Morphology. It proposes that the Zulu locative can best be viewed as a case of the nominal. The paper also examines two phonological alternations associated with the locative, namely vowel lowering and palatalization. Traditionally, these have been seen as phonologically conditioned, but it is argued that they are both morphologically conditioned.