bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Growing microbes in millifluidic droplets
Authors: Boitard Laurent , Cottinet Denis , Bremond Nicolas , Baudry Jean , Bibette Jérôme
Published: January 2015

Microbiology has continuously pushed efforts towards understanding microbial diversity. Technologies and methods have also evolved, from plating, and use of microscopes and cytometers, towards micro‐well handling robots and, finally, fluidic‐based devices. The aim of this review was to bring microbiologists attention to the outstanding analytical and handling power of millifluidic droplet technologies for analysing and sorting phenotypic diversity in the microbial world. This new format overcomes many limitations of previous approaches. It provides outstanding reproducible growth conditions over droplet reservoirs allowing unprecedented sensitive read‐out over thousands of colonies over time. The confinement of the millifluidic train within tubes and the implementation of a three phases format excludes any contamination issues. The automation and handling of reservoir droplets is inherently facilitated. We show as a proof of principle the efficiency of capturing phenotypic diversity within a bacterial sample submitted to a sub‐minimum inhibitory concentration of antibiotic. The precision offered by the millifluidic format allows the detection of a variety of resistance strategies that compete and coexist. The review finally explores the potential of this approach to address new challenges such as community‐based growth of multiple‐strain systems.
Determination of critical shear stress of non‐cohesive soils using submerged jet test and turbulent kinetic energy
Authors: Sang Joseph , Allen Peter , Dunbar John
Published: January 2015

Laboratory tests using Jet Erosion Testing (JET) apparatus, impinging normally on a horizontal boundary, were conducted to determine the critical shear stress (τc) of non‐cohesive soil samples. A three‐dimensional (3D) SonTek/YSI 16 MHz Micro‐Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter (MicroADV) was used to measure turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) at a radial limit of entrainment in the wall jet zone and the measurements were used to calculate τc of the samples. The results showed that TKE increases exponentially with increasing particle size. The τc from this study were comparable (R2 = 0.8) to the theoretical τc from Shields diagram after bed roughness scale ratio (D/ks), due to the non‐uniform bed conditions, was accounted for. This study demonstrated that JET and TKE can be used to determine τc of non‐cohesive soils. The use of JET and TKE was found to be faster and easier when compared to the conventional approach of using flumes. A relationship of TKE at the onset of incipient motion (TKEc) and samples’ D50 developed in this study can be used to predict τc of non‐cohesive soils under similar non‐uniform conditions. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Accuracy and efficiency of two numerical methods of solving the potential flow problem for highly nonlinear and dispersive water waves
Authors: Yates Marissa L. , Benoit Michel
Published: January 2015

The accuracy and efficiency of two methods of resolving the exact potential flow problem for nonlinear waves are compared using three different one horizontal dimension (1DH) test cases. The two model approaches use high‐order finite difference schemes in the horizontal dimension and differ in the resolution of the vertical dimension. The first model uses high‐order finite difference schemes also in the vertical, while the second model applies a spectral approach. The convergence, accuracy, and efficiency of the two models are demonstrated as a function of the temporal, horizontal, and vertical resolutions for the following: (1) the propagation of regular nonlinear waves in a periodic domain; (2) the motion of nonlinear standing waves in a domain with fully reflective boundaries; and (3) the propagation and shoaling of a train of waves on a slope. The spectral model approach converges more rapidly as a function of the vertical resolution. In addition, with equivalent vertical resolution, the spectral model approach shows enhanced accuracy and efficiency in the parameter range used for practical model applications. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Distinctive responses of brain tumor cells to TLR2 ligands:
Authors: Yoon Hee Jung , Jeon Sae‐Bom , Koh Han Seok , Song Jae‐Young , Kim Sang Soo , Kim In‐Hoo , Park Eun Jung
Published: January 2015

Malignant brain tumor mass contains significant numbers of infiltrating glial cells that may intimately interact with tumor cells and influence cancer treatments. Understanding of characteristic discrepancies between normal GLIA and tumor cells would, therefore, be valuable for improving anticancer therapeutics. Here, we report distinct differences in toll‐like receptors (TLR)−2‐mediated responses between normal glia and primary brain tumor cell lines. We found that tyrosine phosphorylation of STAT1 by TLR2 ligands and its downstream events did not occur in mouse, rat, or human brain tumor cell lines, but were markedly induced in normal primary microglia and astrocytes. Using TLR2‐deficient, interferon (IFN)‐γ‐deficient, and IFNγ‐receptor‐1‐deficient mice, we revealed that the impaired phosphorylation of STAT1 might be linked with defective TLR2 system in tumor cells, and that a TLR2‐dependent pathway, not IFNγ‐receptor machinery, might be critical for tyrosine STAT1 phosphorylation by TLR2 ligands. We also found that TLR2 and its heterodimeric partners, TLR1 and 6, on brain tumor cells failed to properly respond to TLR2 ligands, and representative TLR2‐dependent cellular events, such as inflammatory responses and cell death, were not detected in brain tumor cells. Similar results were obtained in in vitro and in vivo experiments using orthotopic mouse and rat brain tumor models. Collectively, these results suggest that primary brain tumor cells may exhibit a distinctive dysfunction of TLR2‐associated responses, resulting in abnormal signaling and cellular events. Careful targeting of this distinctive property could serve as the basis for effective therapeutic approaches against primary brain tumors. GLIA 2015;63:894–905
CSF‐1‐activated macrophages are target‐directed and essential mediators of schwann cell dedifferentiation and dysfunction in Cx32‐deficient mice
Authors: Groh Janos , Klein Ines , Hollmann Claudia , Wettmarshausen Jennifer , Klein Dennis , Martini Rudolf
Published: January 2015

We investigated connexin 32 (Cx32)‐deficient mice, a model for the X‐linked form of Charcot‐Marie‐Tooth neuropathy (CMT1X), regarding the impact of low‐grade inflammation on Schwann cell phenotype. Whereas we previously identified macrophages as amplifiers of the neuropathy, we now explicitly focus on the impact of the phagocytes on Schwann cell dedifferentiation, a so far not‐yet addressed disease‐related mechanism for CMT1X. Using mice heterozygously deficient for Cx32 and displaying both Cx32‐positive and ‐negative Schwann cells in one and the same nerve, we could demonstrate that macrophage clusters rather than single macrophages precisely associate with mutant but not with Cx32‐positive Schwann cells. Similarly, in an advanced stage of Schwann cell perturbation, macrophage clusters were strongly associated with NCAM‐ and L1‐positive, dedifferentiated Schwann cells. To clarify the role of macrophages regarding Schwann cell dedifferentiation, we generated Cx32‐deficient mice additionally deficient for the macrophage‐directed cytokine colony‐stimulating factor (CSF)−1. In the absence of CSF‐1, Cx32‐deficient Schwann cells not only showed the expected amelioration in myelin preservation but also failed to upregulate the Schwann cell dedifferentiation markers NCAM and L1. Another novel and unexpected finding in the double mutants was the retained activation of ERK signaling, a pathway which is detrimental for Schwann cell homeostasis in myelin mutant models. Our findings demonstrate that increased ERK signaling can be compatible with the maintenance of Schwann cell differentiation and homeostasis in vivo and identifies CSF‐1‐activated macrophages as crucial mediators of detrimental Schwann cell dedifferentiation in Cx32‐deficient mice. GLIA 2015;63:977–986
The Structure of Clinical Translation: Efficiency, Information, and Ethics
Authors: Kimmelman Jonathan , London Alex John
Published: January 2015

The last two decades have witnessed a crescendo of allegations that clinical translation is rife with waste and inefficiency. Patient advocates argue that excessively demanding regulations delay access to life‐saving drugs, research funders claim that too much basic science languishes in academic laboratories, journal editors allege that biased reporting squanders public investment in biomedical research, and drug companies (and their critics) argue that far too much is expended in pharmaceutical development.

But how should stakeholders evaluate the efficiency of translation and proposed reforms to drug development? Effective reforms require an accurate model of the systems they aspire to improve—their components, their proper functions, and their pathologies. However, there is currently no explicit and well‐developed model of translation for evaluating such criticisms.

In what follows, we offer an explicit model of clinical translation. Many discussions of clinical translation and its pathologies presume that its main output is tangible: new drugs, vaccines, devices, and diagnostics. We disagree. We argue that the principal output of clinical translation is information—in particular, information about the coordinated set of materials, practices, and constraints needed to safely unlock the therapeutic or preventive activities of drugs, biologics, and diagnostics. To develop this information calls for a process far different from a simple linear progression of clinical trials; it requires exploratory sampling of many different elements in this set. Our model points to some limitations and liabilities of influential proposals for reforming research. It also reveals some underrecognized opportunities for improving the efficiency of clinical translation.
The Maternal Description of Child (MDoC): A New Audiotaped Measure of Maternal Affect
Authors: Martin Anne , Razza Rachel A. , Brooks‐Gunn Jeanne
Published: January 2015

We report on a new measure of maternal affect from an ongoing multi‐site birth cohort study with primarily low‐income families, the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study. At child age of 5 years, mothers were asked to describe their child in a short, semi‐structured home interview. One innovation of this measure – called the Maternal Description of Child (MDoC) – is that it captured maternal affect via audiotape rather than videotape. Based on mothers' talk about their child, coders scored mothers on Positive Affect, Negative Affect, and Detachment. Evidence is presented to support the convergent and predictive validity of these scales. Given that objective measures of parenting are generally preferable to self‐reported measures, further research should determine whether the MDoC can be successfully administered by phone. If it can, the MDoC would allow large‐scale phone surveys to measure maternal affect for the first time. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Midline 1 controls polarization and migration of murine cytotoxic T cells
Authors: Boding Lasse , Hansen Ann K. , Nielsen Morten M. , Meroni Germana , Braunstein Thomas H. , Woetmann Anders , Ødum Niels , Bonefeld Charlotte M. , Geisler Carsten
Published: January 2015

Midline 1 (MID1) is a microtubule‐associated ubiquitin ligase that regulates protein phosphatase 2 A levels. Loss‐of‐function mutations in MID1 lead to the human X‐linked Opitz G/BBB (OS) syndrome characterized by defective midline development during embryogenesis. We have recently shown that MID1 is strongly up‐regulated in murine cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs), and that it has a significant impact on exocytosis of lytic granules and the killing capacity of CTLs. The aims of the present study were to determine the localization of MID1 in migrating CTLs, and to investigate whether MID1 affects CTL polarization and migration. We found that MID1 mainly localizes to the uropod of migrating CTLs and that it has a substantial impact on CTL polarization and migration in vitro. Furthermore, analysis of contact hypersensitivity responses supported that MID1 controls effector functions of CTLs in hapten‐challenged skin in vivo. These results provide significant new knowledge on the role of MID1 in CTL biology.
Parents as Participants in Their Children's Learning
Authors: Njeru Margaret
Published: January 2015

Research has repeatedly proven that parental participation in the education of their children plays a major role in their academic performance and general development. Children whose parents and families in general stay engaged in their education have been shown to perform better than those who do not receive such family support. In Kenya, the subject of parental participation has not received much attention in terms of research, and roles of parents in their children's education are not normally well defined. Based on observation, parental participation remains low especially in the rural areas. This is a conceptual paper that provides a general background of the topic and then theorizes on some issues that hinder parental participation in their children's education. Field research on the topic is expected to follow.
Activation of the anti‐inflammatory reflex blocks lipopolysaccharide‐induced decrease in synaptic inhibition in the temporal cortex of the rat
Authors: Garcia‐Oscos Francisco , Peña David , Housini Mohammad , Cheng Derek , Lopez Diego , Cuevas‐Olguin Roberto , Saderi Nadia , Salgado Delgado Roberto , Galindo Charles Luis , Salgado Burgos Humberto , Rose‐John Stefan , Flores Gonzalo , Kilgard Michael P. , Atzori Marco
Published: January 2015

Stress is a potential trigger for a number of neuropsychiatric conditions, including anxiety syndromes and schizophrenic psychoses. The temporal neocortex is a stress‐sensitive area involved in the development of such conditions. We have recently shown that aseptic inflammation and mild electric shock shift the balance between synaptic excitation and synaptic inhibition in favor of the former in this brain area (Garcia‐Oscos et al., 2012), as well as in the prefrontal cortex (Garcia‐Oscos et al., 2014). Given the potential clinical importance of this phenomenon in the etiology of hyperexcitable neuropsychiatric illness, this study investigates whether inactivation of the peripheral immune system by the “anti‐inflammatory reflex” would reduce the central response to aseptic inflammation. For a model of aseptic inflammation, this study used i.p. injections of the bacterial toxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 5 µM) and activated the anti‐inflammatory reflex either pharmacologically by i.p. injections of the nicotinic α7 receptor agonist PHA543613 or physiologically through electrical stimulation of the left vagal nerve (VNS). Patch‐clamp recording was used to monitor synaptic function. Recordings from LPS‐injected Sprague Dawley rats show that activation of the anti‐inflammatory reflex either pharmacologically or by VNS blocks or greatly reduces the LPS‐induced decrease of the synaptic inhibitory‐to‐excitatory ratio and the saturation level of inhibitory current input–output curves. Given the ample variety of pharmacologically available α7 nicotinic receptor agonists as well as the relative safety of clinical VNS already approved by the FDA for the treatment of epilepsy and depression, our findings suggest a new therapeutic avenue in the treatment of stress‐induced hyperexcitable conditions mediated by a decrease in synaptic inhibition in the temporal cortex. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Hydrogen in silicate melt inclusions in quartz from granite detected with Raman spectroscopy
Authors: Li Jiankang , Chou I‐Ming
Published: January 2015

By using Raman spectroscopy, hydrogen was detected, together with CH4, N2, H2O, disordered graphite, and possibly a (CH4)n(H2)m compound, in silicate melt inclusions (SMIs) in quartz from Jiajika granite in China. The occurrences of H2 in fluid or melt inclusions are rarely reported because they are not commonly expected, and also the spectral window above 4000 cm−1 wavenumbers, where the dominant signals of H2 located, is rarely covered in routine Raman analyses due to limited information of geological interest available in that spectral range. The mechanisms for the occurrence of H2 in these SMIs are unknown. However, the retention of H2 in these SMIs was most likely resulted from the low diffusion rate of H2 in quartz at low temperatures and also the low H2 gradient between SMIs and their environments surrounding the host minerals. More studies are needed to determine whether the occurrences of H2 in inclusions in minerals are common in similar or other rock types, to formulate the mechanisms for its entrapment, and to investigate the associated geological processes. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Health‐promoting compounds of broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. var. italica) plants as affected by nitrogen fertilisation in projected future climatic change environments
Authors: Zaghdoud Chokri , Carvajal Micaela , Moreno Diego A , Ferchichi Ali , del Carmen Martínez‐Ballesta María
Published: January 2015

BACKGROUND

The complex interactions between CO2 increase and salinity were investigated in relation to decreased N supply, in order to determine the nutritional quality of broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. var. italica) plants under these conditions. Three different decreased N fertilisation regimes (NO3−/NH4+ ratios of 100:0, 50:50 and 0:100 respectively) were combined with ambient (380 ppm) and elevated (800 ppm) [CO2] under non‐saline (0 mmol L−1 NaCl) and saline (80 mmol L−1 NaCl) conditions. Nutrients (minerals, soluble protein and total amino acids) and natural antioxidants (glucosinolates, phenolic acids, flavonoids and vitamin C) were determined.

RESULTS

In NH4+‐fed broccoli plants, a marked growth reduction was shown and a redistribution of amino acids to cope with NH4+ toxicity resulted in higher levels of indolic glucosinolate and total phenolic compounds. However, the positive effect of the higher [CO2] – ameliorating adverse effects of salinity – was only observed when N was supplied as NO3−. Under reduced N fertilisation, the total glucosinolates were increased by a decreased NO3−/NH4+ ratio and elevated [CO2] but were unaffected by salinity.

CONCLUSION

Under future climatic challenges, such as increased salinity and elevated [CO2], a clear genotypic dependence of S metabolism was observed in broccoli plants. In addition, an influence of the form in which N was supplied on plant nutritional quality was observed; a combined NO3−/NH4+ (50:50) supply allowed broccoli plants not only to deal with NH4+ toxicity but also to modify their glucosinolate content and profile. Thus, for different modes of N fertilisation, the interaction with climatic factors must be considered in the search for an optimal balance between yield and nutritional quality. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry
Graphene quantum dots as enhanced plant growth regulators: effects on coriander and garlic plants
Authors: Chakravarty Disha , Erande Manisha B , Late Dattatray J
Published: January 2015

BACKGROUND

We report investigations on the use of graphene quantum dots for growth enhancement in coriander (Coriandrum sativam L.) and garlic (Allium sativum) plants. The as‐received seeds of coriander and garlic were treated with 0.2 mg mL−1 of graphene quantum dots for 3 h before planting.

RESULTS

Graphene quantum dots enhanced the growth rate in coriander and garlic plants, including leaves, roots, shoots, flowers and fruits, when the seeds were treated with graphene quantum dots.

CONCLUSION

Our investigations open up the opportunity to use graphene quantum dots as plant growth regulators that can be used in a variety of other food plants for high yield. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry
High‐resolution observations of precipitation from cumulonimbus clouds
Authors: Blyth Alan M. , Bennett Lindsay J. , Collier Christopher G.
Published: January 2015

Making high‐resolution observations of heavy rainfall from cumulonimbus clouds involves choosing a good location where convection occurs frequently and with some degree of predictability so that aircraft do not have to chase clouds, and radars and other ground‐based instruments can be optimally placed. It also requires significant resources, international collaboration and a good deal of serendipity. This paper describes several observational campaigns that were designed to understand relatively small‐scale convective clouds that produce heavy precipitation, and presents results that have been found over the years. It complements the companion papers in this special issue by giving an observational perspective. It is by no means comprehensive and is limited to cumulonimbus clouds. The Convective Storm Initiation Project (CSIP) was designed to understand the phenomena responsible for the initiation of convection in the maritime environment of southern England. There was a similar objective in the Convective Orographically‐induced Precipitation Study (COPS), but for the complex terrain of the Black Forest mountains, Germany, and the Vosges Mountains, France. The recent Convective Precipitation Experiment (COPE) was designed to understand the entire life cycle of convective clouds that formed along sea‐breeze convergence lines in the southwestern peninsula of England. Its particular focus was on the dynamics and microphysics of the convective clouds. Examples of observations from these and other field campaigns designed to study the initiation of convection, cumulonimbus clouds and convective precipitation are presented, with a view to demonstrating how they contribute to a physical understanding of the phenomena and the processes involved.
Fast profiling of protease specificity reveals similar substrate specificities for cathepsins K, L and S
Authors: Vizovišek Matej , Vidmar Robert , Van Quickelberghe Emmy , Impens Francis , Andjelković Uroš , Sobotič Barbara , Stoka Veronika , Gevaert Kris , Turk Boris , Fonović Marko
Published: January 2015

Proteases are important effectors of numerous physiological and pathological processes. Reliable determination of a protease's specificity is crucial to understand protease function and to develop activity‐based probes and inhibitors. During the last decade, various proteomic approaches for profiling protease substrate specificities were reported. Although most of these approaches can identify up to thousands of substrate cleavage events in a single experiment, they are often time consuming and methodologically challenging as some of these approaches require rather complex sample preparation procedures. For such reasons their application is often limited to those labs that initially introduced them. Here, we report on a fast and simple approach for proteomic profiling of protease specificities (fast profiling of protease specificity (FPPS)), which can be applied to complex protein mixtures. FPPS is based on trideutero‐acetylation of novel N‐termini generated by the action of proteases and subsequent peptide fractionation on Stage Tips containing ion‐exchange and reverse phase chromatographic resins. FPPS can be performed in 2 days and does not require extensive fractionation steps. Using this approach, we have determined the specificity profiles of the cysteine cathepsins K, L and S. We further validated our method by comparing the results with the specificity profiles obtained by the N‐terminal combined fractional diagonal chromatography method. This comparison pointed to almost identical substrate specificities for all three cathepsins and confirmed the reliability of the FPPS approach. All MS data have been deposited in the ProteomeXchange with identifiers PXD001536 and PXD001553 (http://proteomecentral.proteomexchange.org/dataset/PXD001536; http://proteomecentral.proteomexchange.org/dataset/PXD001553).
Facet‐Dependent Effect of Well‐Defined CeO2 Nanocrystals on the Adsorption and Dephosphorylation of Phosphorylated Molecules
Authors: Wang Zhi‐Gang , Bi Wen‐Zhi , Ma Shu‐Cui , Lv Nan , Zhang Ji‐Lin , Sun De‐Hui , Ni Jia‐Zuan
Published: January 2015

CeO2 nanocrystals (CN) with different morphologies (i.e., cube, octahedron, and rod) are prepared and the facet‐dependent effect of these CeO2 nanocrystals on the adsorption and dephosphorylation of phosphorylated molecules is investigated for the first time using the model p‐nitrophenyl disodium orthophorphate (p‐NPP). Due to their different surface atomic configurations, the {111} and {110} facets have much higher adsorption capacity and kinetic catalytic activities than {100} facets. All the CeO2 nanocrystals can intensely promote the dephosphorylation reaction owing to the strong interaction between Ce cations and phosphoryl oxygens resulting in the cleavage of phosphoester bonds. As was expected, the above facet‐dependent effect can be verified by the practical application results of the CeO2 nanocrystals on the capture and dephosphorylation of phosphopeptides. Thus, surface engineering could be a useful and feasible strategy for not only fundamentally understanding the interaction between crystal facets and molecules but also effectively developing high‐performance functional materials.
A systems view of epigenetic networks regulating pancreas development and β‐cell function
Authors: Xie Ruiyu , Carrano Andrea C. , Sander Maike
Published: January 2015

The development of the pancreas and determination of endocrine cell fate are controlled by a highly complex interplay of signaling events and transcriptional networks. It is now known that an interconnected epigenetic program is also required to drive these processes. Recent studies using genome‐wide approaches have implicated epigenetic regulators, such as DNA and histone‐modifying enzymes and noncoding RNAs, to play critical roles in pancreas development and the maintenance of cell identity and function. Furthermore, genome‐wide analyses have implicated epigenetic changes as a casual factor in the pathogenesis of diabetes. In the future, genomic approaches to further our understanding of the role of epigenetics in endocrine cell development and function will be useful for devising strategies to produce or manipulate β‐cells for therapies of diabetes. WIREs Syst Biol Med 2015, 7:1–11. doi: 10.1002/wsbm.1287

This article is categorized under:

Biological Mechanisms > Cell Fates

Developmental Biology > Lineages

Developmental Biology > Stem Cell Biology and Regeneration
Tuning the Structures of AsMo12 and AsW12 into Chiral Crystals by Introducing CH3CN and H2O
Authors: Wang Youlin , Lu Xiaoming , Min Tao , Feng Jun
Published: January 2015

Abstract. The asymmetrical crystal [Na(15C5)2][Na(15C5)]2(AsMo12O40)]·CH3CN (1) was synthesized. Interestingly, the huge α‐keggin ion AsMo12 is distorted by introduction of CH3CN molecules and adopts a chiral assembly with space group P4. In contrast, the analogous compound AsW12 co‐crystallizes with trace H2O molecules. The hydrogen atoms of H2O are positionally disordered with 50 % occupation to correlate with AsW12 in space group P4/m. Solid and solution CD spectra indicate that the crystals of 1 are in R configuration. This leads to the conclusion that molybdenum has greater affinity toward organic CH3CN, whereas tungsten has greater affinity to inorganic H2O. Additionally, AsMo12 shows greater deformability than AsW12. It is suggested that POMo shows a greater potential as chiral material than POW because of the flexibility of Mo. As a highlight, CH3CN can function as a general chiral inducer for the innovation of other chiral crystals, if fixed along one dimension.
Preparation and Gas Separation Properties of Metal‐Organic Framework Membranes
Authors: Dou Zhongshang , Cai Jianfeng , Cui Yuanjing , Yu Jiancan , Xia Tifeng , Yang Yu , Qian Guodong
Published: January 2015

Continuous and intergrown metal‐organic framework (MOF) membranes, MIL‐100(In) (MIL represents Materials Institute Lavoisier), were prepared directly on porous anodic alumina oxide (AAO) membranes using an in situ crystallization method. The pore surface of MIL‐100(In) is conferred with polarity due to the presence of the 1, 3,5‐benzenetricarboxylic acid. The thickness of MIL‐100(In) membranes was tuned by varying the reactant concentration of indium chloride and 1, 3,5‐benzenetricarboxylic acid. Single gas permeation measurements on this MOF membrane indicate the large permeances of 0.90 × 10–6 and 0.81 × 10–6 mol·m–2·s–1·Pa–1 for CO2 and CH4, and relatively high ideal selective factors of 3.75 and 3.38 for CO2/N2 and CH4/N2, respectively.
Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections in Non-ICU Inpatient Wards: A 2-Year Analysis
Authors: Rhee Yoona , Heung Michael , Chen Benrong , Chenoweth Carol E.
Published: January 2015

OBJECTIVE

Little is known about patient-specific factors contributing to central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) outside of the intensive care unit (ICU). We sought to describe these factors and hypothesized that dialysis patients would comprise a significant proportion of this cohort.

DESIGN

Retrospective observational study from January 2010 to December 2011

SETTING

An 880-bed tertiary teaching hospital

PATIENTS

Patients with CLABSI in non–ICU wards

METHODS

CLABSI patients were identified from existing infection-control databases and primary chart review was conducted. National Health and Safety Network (NHSN) definitions were utilized for CLABSI and pathogen classification. CLABSI rates were calculated per patient day. Total mortality rates were inclusive of hospice patients.

RESULTS

Over a 2-year period, 104 patients incurred 113 CLABSIs for an infection rate of 0.35 per 1,000 patient days. The mean length of hospital stay prior to CLABSI was 16±13.3 days, which was nearly 3 times that of hospital-wide non-ICU length of stay. Only 11 patients (10.6%) received dialysis within 48 hours of CLABSI. However, 67% of patients had a hematologic malignancy, and 91.8% of those admitted with a malignant hematologic diagnosis were neutropenic at the time of CLABSI. Enterococcus spp. was the most common organism recovered, and half of all central venous catheters (CVCs) present were peripherally inserted central catheters (PICC lines). Mortality rates were 18.3% overall and 27.3% among dialysis patients.

CONCLUSIONS

In patients with CLABSIs outside of the ICU, only 10.6% received dialysis prior to infection. However, underlying hematologic malignancy, neutropenia, and PICC lines were highly prevalent in this population.

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2015;00(0):1–7
Risk Factors for gyrA and parC Mutations in Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Authors: Cluzet Valerie C. , Lautenbach Ebbing , Nachamkin Irving , Cary Mark S. , Fishman Neil O. , Shih Natalie N. C. , Morales Knashawn H. , Linkin Darren R.
Published: January 2015

OBJECTIVE

The major mechanism of fluoroquinolone (FQ) resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PSA) is modification of target proteins in DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV, most commonly the gyrA and parC subunits. The objective of this study was to determine risk factors for PSA with and without gyrA or parC mutations.

DESIGN

Case-case-control study

SETTING

Two adult academic acute-care hospitals

PATIENTS

Case 1 study participants had a PSA isolate on hospital day 3 or later with any gyrA or parC mutation; case 2 study participants had a PSA isolate on hospital day 3 or later without these mutations. Controls were a random sample of all inpatients with a stay of 3 days or more.

METHODS

Each case group was compared to the control group in separate multivariate models on the basis of demographics and inpatient antibiotic exposure, and risk factors were qualitatively compared.

RESULTS

Of 298 PSA isolates, 172 (57.7%) had at least 1 mutation. Exposure to vancomycin and other agents with extended Gram-positive activity was a risk factor for both cases (case 1 odds ratio [OR], 1.09; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04–1.13; OR, 1.14; 95% CI, 1.03–1.26; case 2 OR, 1.09; 95% CI, 1.03–1.14; OR, 1.13; 95% CI, 1.01–1.25, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

Exposure to agents with extended Gram-positive activity is a risk factor for isolation of PSA overall but not for gyrA/parC mutations. FQ exposure is not associated with isolation of PSA with mutations.

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2015;00(0): 1–7
Through the Looking Glass, Darkly: Perceptions of Hate in Interpersonal Relationships
Authors: Aumer Katherine , Bahn Anne Cathrine Krebs , Harris Sean
Published: January 2015

Current research has focused primarily on how hate works in groups or its theoretical nature. This study replicates previous findings (Aumer-Ryan & Hatfield, 2007) that hate is primarily felt towards intimate others or people we spend considerable time with. Ninety-eight participants filled out a survey concerning themselves, the people they love and the people they hate. Participants also filled out a survey about motivations concerning the people they love and hate. Results demonstrate that participants saw people they hate considerably differently than those they love, and themselves. Additionally, this study provides empirical evidence that hate can be used as a predictor of motivation. Specifically, disgust and devaluation were important predictors in negative and positive motivation. Additional studies examining interpersonal hate can help better understand how hate operates and inform current theoretical literature.
DEBATING THE ANC'S EXTERNAL LINKS DURING THE STRUGGLE AGAINST APARTHEID
Authors: MACMILLAN HUGH
Published: January 2015

Several recent publications have explored the African National Congress's (ANC's) external links during South Africa's apartheid years. The following four texts offer an insight into the very different personal and methodological approaches that have so far shaped attempts to understand this aspect of the ANC's struggle. The section starts with a review of Stephen Ellis's recent book External Mission: the ANC in exile, 1960–1990 by Hugh Macmillan, who argues that Ellis overemphasizes the relationship between the ANC and the South African Communist Party (SACP). In a response to this review, Stephen Ellis justifies his approach by pointing to the importance of interpretation for the production of history, but also by referring to the different networks and resources, both in South Africa and beyond, on which he and Macmillan were able to draw. A review of Hugh Macmillan's new book The Lusaka Years: the ANC in exile in Zambia, 1963 to 1994 by Arianna Lissoni follows. Lissoni agrees with the author that the debate about the ANC in exile must be understood in the context of contemporary disaffection with South Africa's ruling party. Emphasizing the specificity of the Zambian experience, she welcomes Macmillan's focus on the multiplicity of experiences in exile as potentially opening new avenues for further study and reflection on the ANC. Finally, Mariya Kurbak's consideration of Irina Filatova and Apollon Davidson's The Hidden Thread: Russia and South Africa in the Soviet era explains that the authors' close understanding of Russian–South African relations enables them to illuminate the previously hidden importance of the Soviet Union in the history of South Africa and the ANC.
BECOMING ‘COSMO’: DISPLACEMENT, DEVELOPMENT AND DISGUISE IN ONGATA RONGAI
Authors: Landau Loren B.
Published: January 2015

Ongata Rongai, a rapidly growing, ethnically heterogeneous community on Nairobi's urban periphery, has remained remarkably convivial in a country so frequently defined by conflicts over land and belonging. Bolstered by a distinct set of political logics and social practices, many of the site's multi-ethnic residents overtly reject the validity of ethnic violence and politics with reference to an explicitly articulated universalist inclusivity rarely seen in Kenya. Locally described as ‘being cosmo’, this distinct political rhetoric and emerging subjectivity has its roots in the mixed ethnic origins of its leaders, the history of land acquisition, and xenophobic persecution and displacements elsewhere in the country. More specifically, the evolution of this conviviality in the shadow of conflict has been driven by the interests of ‘half-caste’ political elites and increasingly established Kikuyu landowners. Together they draw on and reinforce a foundation myth of fair land transfers to promote peace and their own economic and electoral ambitions. The result is a vernacular and spatialized cosmopolitanism that fosters localized ethnic blindness. Its success depends on demonizing discourses of indigeneity while embracing ideas of ethnic homelands beyond the city. By acting as a foil to a growing literature on theethnicizationof land and space in Africa, this article demonstrates the need to understand spatially constructed subjectivities as responses to supra-local social and political practice.
Specialised hunting of Iberian ibex during Neanderthal occupation at El Esquilleu Cave, northern Spain
Authors: de los Terreros José Yravedra Sáinz , Gómez-Castanedo Alberto , Picado Julia Aramendi , Preysler Javier Baena
Published: January 2015

Traditional views of Neanderthal hunting strategies envisage them preying on herd species such as bison and deer, rather than the sophisticated tracking of solitary animals. Analysis of faunal remains from El Esquilleu Cave in northern Spain, however, demonstrates that during certain periods of the Middle Palaeolithic occupation, Neanderthals focused on the hunting of ibex and chamois, small solitary species that inhabited the mountainous terrain around the site. These results indicate that Neanderthal hunting practices may have had more similarity to those of their Upper Palaeolithic relatives than is usually assumed.
The chronology of culture: a comparative assessment of European Neolithic dating approaches
Authors: Manning Katie , Timpson Adrian , Colledge Sue , Crema Enrico , Edinborough Kevan , Kerig Tim , Shennan Stephen
Published: January 2015

Archaeologists have long sought appropriate ways to describe the duration and floruit of archaeological cultures in statistical terms. Thus far, chronological reasoning has been largely reliant on typological sequences. Using summed probability distributions, the authors here compare radiocarbon dates for a series of European Neolithic cultures with their generally accepted ‘standard’ date ranges and with the greater precision afforded by dendrochronology, where that is available. The resulting analysis gives a new and more accurate description of the duration and intensity of European Neolithic cultures.
Ritual, art and society in the Levantine Chalcolithic: the ‘Processional’ wall painting from Teleilat Ghassul
Authors: Drabsch Bernadette , Bourke Stephen
Published: January 2015

The fragmentary ‘Processional’ wall painting from Teleilat Ghassul in Jordan is here shown to depict a religious procession involving eight individuals rather than the three identified in the original 1970s reconstruction. All of the figures wear masks and carry objects, but elaborately robed leaders, members perhaps of a dedicated priestly class, are clearly distinguished from their naked attendants. The scene belongs to the Late Chalcolithic period when Levantine society was becoming increasingly hierarchical, and the wall painting as a whole illustrates the prominent role of elites in ritual practices at this critical period of social transformation.
Beyond Stonehenge: Carn Menyn Quarry and the origin and date of bluestone extraction in the Preseli Hills of south-west Wales
Authors: Darvill Timothy , Wainwright Geoff
Published: January 2015

Recent investigations at Stonehenge have been accompanied by new research on the origin of the famous ‘bluestones’, a mixed assemblage of rhyolites and dolerites that stand among the much taller sarsens. Some of the rhyolite debitage has been traced to a quarry site at Craig Rhosyfelin near the Pembrokeshire coast; but fieldwork on the upland outcrops of Carn Menyn has also provided evidence for dolerite extraction in the later third millennium BC, and for the production of pillar-like blocks that resemble the Stonehenge bluestones in shape and size. Quarrying at Carn Menyn began much earlier, however, during the seventh millennium BC, suggesting that Mesolithic communities were the first to exploit the geology of this remote upland location.
Archaeology, forensics and the death of a child in Late Neolithic Sweden
Authors: Carlie Anne , Arcini Caroline , Druid Henrik , Risberg Jan
Published: January 2015

The discovery of a child’s skeleton in a Late Neolithic well in Sweden raises again the issue of watery rituals and human sacrifice in prehistoric societies. Analysis of diatoms from the right humerus and from the surrounding sediment indicated that the child died by drowning and had not simply been disposed of in the well after death. The scenarios of accidental drowning and murder are examined to account for this discovery. The preferred hypothesis, based on a comparative study of similar finds from north-western Europe, interprets this instead as a ritual sacrifice. The use of diatom analysis to establish drowning as the cause of death adds a new weapon into the armoury of forensic archaeology.
Yavi-Chichaand the Inka expansion: a petrographic approach
Authors: Cremonte María Beatriz
Published: January 2015

The social complexities underlying imperial control are manifest in the material culture of everyday life encountered at archaeological sites. TheYavi-Chichapottery style of the south-central Andes illustrates how local identities continued to be expressed in practices of pottery manufacture during the process of Inka expansion. TheYavi-Chichastyle itself masks a number of distinct production processes that can be traced through petrographic analysis and that relate to the different communities by whom it was produced and consumed. The dispersion of pottery fabric types in this region may partly be attributable to the Inka practice of mitmaqkuna, the displacement and relocation of entire subject populations.
Second World War conflict archaeology in the forests of north-west Europe
Authors: Passmore David G. , Harrison Stephan , Tunwell David Capps
Published: January 2015

Concrete fortifications have long served as battle-scarred memorials of the Second World War. The forests of north-west Europe, meanwhile, have concealed a preserved landscape of earthwork field fortifications, military support structures and bomb- and shell-craters that promise to enhance our understanding of the conflict landscapes of the 1944 Normandy Campaign and the subsequent battles in the Ardennes and Hürtgenwald forests. Recent survey has revealed that the archaeology surviving in wooded landscapes can significantly enhance our understanding of ground combat in areas covered by forest. In particular, this evidence sheds new light on the logistical support of field armies and the impact of Allied bombing on German installations.
State Succession to Bilateral Treaties: A Few Observations on the Incoherent and Unjustifiable Solution Adopted for Secession and Dissolution of States under the 1978 Vienna Convention
Authors: DUMBERRY PATRICK
Published: January 2015

This article examines the question of state succession to bilateral treaties. It analyses the work of the International Law Commission undertaken in the 1970s and criticizes the solutions it has adopted in the 1978 Vienna Convention on Succession of States in Respect of Treaties for different types of state succession. I will argue that it is incoherent for the ILC to apply, on the one hand, the solution of automatic continuity for bilateral treaties in the context of secession and dissolution of states, while adopting, on the other hand, the solution of tabula rasa for Newly Independent States. In any event, it is plainly unjustifiable to apply the principle of automatic continuity to bilateral treaties. Thus, while the tabula rasa principle was adopted by the ILC for multilateral treaties to protect Newly Independent States’ right to self-determination, the same solution was chosen for bilateral treaties for different reasons. The rule of tabula rasa was adopted because of the particular nature of bilateral treaties and the basic requirement that the other party to an original treaty must consent to the continuation of that treaty with a Newly Independent State. There are simply no logical reasons as to why the tabula rasa principle adopted for Newly Independent States should not also find application for all new states. Bilateral treaties do not automatically continue to be in force as of the date of succession unless both states that are implicated explicitly (or tacitly) agree to such a continuation.
The Security Council's 1267/1989 Targeted Sanctions Regime and the Use of Confidential Information: A Proposal for Decentralization of Review
Authors: HOLLENBERG STEPHAN
Published: January 2015

From a due process perspective, the essential problem with the UN Security Council's targeted sanctions regime is the persistent lack of sufficient access to confidential material relied upon for the designation of targeted individuals. Despite the Security Council's efforts to amend the procedures of the sanctions regime, it is highly unlikely that this deficiency can ever be remedied within its present top-down structure. Therefore, this article proposes to decentralize the regime's designation procedure, to mitigate the problem of being unable to challenge or review confidential information and evidence, which underlies an individual's designation. Such an amendment would entail that the designation of a particular individual and the possible subsequent judicial review procedure would take place domestically, prior to a universal blacklisting by the UN Sanctions Committee. As a consequence, any confidential material relied upon could stay within the designating state, and would be shared only with courts and possibly special security-cleared advocates, within that domestic legal order. This would make it more acceptable for the relevant authorities to make such information available.
A Human Rights Appraisal of the Limits to Judicial Independence for International Criminal Justice
Authors: ALMQVIST JESSICA
Published: January 2015

The UN Security Council's involvement in the area of international criminal justice raises concerns about judicial independence. Of primary concern in this study is the degree to which this political organ has come to determine and restrict jurisdiction of international criminal tribunals, with the effect of excluding cases involving alleged grave crimes by actors whose presence in situations of which the Council is seized is supported by its permanent members. This control, it will be argued, undermines the basic conditions for a sound administration of justice, as it impedes these tribunals from selecting the cases that may come before them in accordance with respect for human rights and the rule of law. More specifically, restrictions imposed by political organs, leading to unjustified unequal treatment before the law and the courts of perpetrators and victims of grave crime in a given situation, are contrary to principles of equality and non-discrimination. A theory of international judicial independence should therefore extend to a consideration of the legality of such restrictions and acknowledge it as an essential requirement of independence.