bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Secularism, State Neutrality, and Islam
Authors: Saeed Abdullah
Published: January 2017

This chapter explores how Muslims understand secularism and respond to the idea of separating religion from the state. For many Muslims, secularism has negative connotations, as they understand it to be against religion, equivalent to irreligion or antireligion. Due to these preconceptions, a Muslim who calls for secularism to be accepted may face significant resistance in many Muslim-majority countries. Various historical, social, and political reasons account for why much of the Western world has moved to separate religion or the church from the state, even while religion has remained, in several instances, an explicit part of the state. There is ample room in Islamic thought to explore the basic issue of state neutrality vis--vis religion, but the language of political discourse must shift toward more neutral terms. The term “state neutrality” is more acceptable. Muslims can come to accept state neutrality, despite their negative historical experiences associated with secularism.
Secularism in India
Authors: Verma Vidhu
Published: January 2017

This chapter examines the historical emergence of secularism through movements, debates, and legal formulations to explain specific features that the concept has acquired in the context of India. The first part examines the tensions between the theoretical narratives of Indian constitutionalism and the practices of politics that led to the acceptance of certain essential conditions of secularism. The approach towards secularism found in writings of Nehru, Gandhi and Ambedkar are then discussed. The third part focuses on the ill-defined meaning of secularism that does not accurately reflect the conceptual shifts made by the modern legal system. The final section critically examines the claim that secularism is a state-led exercise in certain domains. An overview of the legal literature shows that secularism is also the domain of experts, bureaucrats, and professionals. The history of court decisions about what constitutes a religious practice that is protected by law reveals considerable variation and arbitrariness..
Sacred, Secular, and Neosacred Governments in China and Taiwan
Authors: Kuo Cheng-tian
Published: January 2017

This chapter explores a puzzle in comparative religion–state relations: both the atheist Chinese communist government and the democratic Taiwanese government have substantially restored the traditional, pluralistic, religious state of Chinese dynasties. After 1949, the Chinese government and the Taiwanese government developed different types of religion–state relations. The Chinese Communist government initially aimed to eliminate all religions but lost its religious legitimacy. After 1979, it swiftly established a Leninist religious state that would regain its religious legitimacy but maintain its dominance over all other religions. Similarly, the Taiwanese government started with a quasi-Leninist state to keep religions at arm’s-length. But after the lifting of martial law in 1987, the Taiwanese government gradually developed a democratic religious state by which religious freedom and equality are maximized. Both the Chinese government and the Taiwanese government developed neosacred states with differential impacts on religious freedom and equality.
Black Infidels
Authors: Hutchinson Sikiyu
Published: January 2017

African Americans are among the most religious groups in the United States. Consequently, secular humanism and atheism are largely anathema to mainstream African Americans. Nonetheless, secular humanist and atheist traditions have coexisted with religious traditions in African American social thought and community as a progressive political and cultural counterweight to black religious orthodoxy. Radical or progressive humanism is specifically concerned with the liberation struggle of disenfranchised peoples. Organized religion is one of many powerful forces solidifying inequity based on race, gender, class, and sexual orientation. Racism, classism, sexism, and heterosexism are amplified and reinforced by economic injustice institutionalized under global capitalism. Hence, humanism is especially relevant for people of color living in conditions of structural inequality in which the state serves only the human rights of the wealthy.
Secular Ethics, East and West
Authors: Tan Sor-hoon
Published: January 2017

One can find secular ethics in Aristotle’s philosophy; one can also find secular ethics in Confucianism. Debates about the religious status of Confucianism date back several centuries and continue today. Ethical concepts in the Classical Confucian texts and the ethical life they advocate can be accepted on their own, independent of any otherworldly religious beliefs. This chapter reconstructs a Confucian secular ethics from the textual resources of Classical Confucianism—Analects, the Mencius, and the Xunzi. It then considers possibilities for reconciling ethics, science, and religion within secular Confucian perspectives by comparing two modern treatments of Confucian ethics, one inspired by Immanuel Kant and the other by sociobiology and evolutionary psychology. Finally, a third treatment is presented: a pragmatist treatment of Confucian secular ethics based on John Dewey’s reconstruction of the religious.
Political Secularism
Authors: Berlinerblau Jacques
Published: January 2017

The term “secularism” stands as one of the most multivalent phrases in the contemporary global political lexicon. Mutually irreconcilable definitions of the term exist side by side in popular, journalistic, and even scholarly discourse. In an effort to reduce the confusion, this chapter suggests that the term “political secularism” be employed in contradistinction to “secularity,” “secular humanism,” or usages that equate secularism with atheism. It is argued that the fundamental principles that undergird political secularism have a lengthy and complex genealogy in Christian political philosophy, be it of the Ancient, Medieval, Renaissance, or Reformation periods. These ideational taproots inform and tincture the modern political concept of secularism in a variety of intriguing ways. They have also resulted in contemporary political secular projects that are at once divergent from one another, in flux, and constantly evolving.
After Anger
Authors: Wells Elizabeth
Published: January 2017

The late 1950s saw an astonishing emergence of iconoclastic and modernistic approaches to the genre of the British musical. Directors like Joan Littlewood and her Theatre Workshop company produced a number of dark, cynical, and experimental musicals in the late 1950s that provided British theatre professionals and audiences alike with an alternative to the dominant American style. Many attempted to bring this new and particularly British voice to the West End. An investigation of the musical, dramatic, and cultural context of the exceptional and important ‘Soho’ shows, which include Expresso Bongo, The Crooked Mile, Fings Ain’t Wot They Used T’Be, and Make Me an Offer, reveals these works as microcosms of their cultural environment as well as marking new directions in British musical theatre. Culminating in Oliver!, arguably the best-known British musical of this era, this development heralded a time of experimentation, social commentary, and modernism.
The Beggar’s Legacy
Authors: Lawson-Peebles Robert
Published: January 2017

This chapter traces the impact of the 1920 revival of The Beggar’s Opera on a wide variety of texts, ranging from Brecht and Weill’s Die Dreigroschenoper and Ayckbourn’s A Chorus of Disapproval, to BBC dramas of ordinary life, the early productions of Theatre Workshop, Charles Parker’s radio ballads, Osborne’s The Entertainer, and some television plays of Alan Plater and Dennis Potter. It suggests that Gay’s ballad opera, rooted in folk song, provided a model of articulated dramaturgy that raised questions about the nature of authenticity, and that could be adapted by differing media to disintegrate the conventional form of the musical. This open structure responded to the purposes of cultural politics, in particular the needs of a provincial, and sometimes working-class, aesthetic.
Mamma Mia! and the Aesthetics of the Twenty-First-Century Jukebox Musical
Authors: Rodosthenous George
Published: January 2017

This chapter explores the aesthetics of the jukebox musical subgenre and, by taking Mamma Mia! as a key example, analyses the dramaturgy of the piece to show how its narrative and musical structure reflects the interlocking themes of the break-up of the nuclear family, mother–daughter relationships, and the problems of single mothers. By examining how Mamma Mia! evokes on stage the sunny atmosphere of a beach holiday on a Greek island, the article demonstrates the way in which the show exploits the jukebox format to express the utopianism of musical comedy through the pleasure derived from its artful deployment of ABBA’s greatest hits. The essay considers the jukebox structure of Mamma Mia! and compares it with other British examples of the subgenre, namely the jukebox musicals Our House (2002), Taboo (2002), Never Forget (2007), and Viva Forever (2013).
English Musical Comedy, 1890–1924
Authors: Banfield Stephen
Published: January 2017

Musical comedy in London’s West End theatres during and on either side of the Edwardian period is reassessed against the traditional narrative of period obsolescence and Americanization. This is done through close readings of audience capacity and demographics, musical economics, musical topics, script and lyric writing (including humour), standard plots, performance practice, and opulent production values. The genre’s celebration of modernity and investment not only in the British Empire but also in its own merchandise and afterlife of amateur productions is analysed. Special reference is made to the producer George Edwardes; the composers Lionel Monckton, Paul Rubens, and Howard Talbot; the lyricist Adrian Ross; the stars Gertie Millar and George Grossmith; and the shows The Arcadians, To-Night’s the Night, The Quaker Girl, and A Country Girl. The genre’s particular appeal during the First World War is also covered. Research questions for the future are raised.
Freedom and Enlightenment
Authors: Hanley Ryan Patrick
Published: January 2017

Our understanding of the freedom advanced by the political thinkers of the Enlightenment has long been dominated by two conceptual categories, negative and positive liberty. Yet this convenient dichotomy obscures appreciation of the ways in which these two concepts of liberty can and often do work together. This chapter aims to redress this by examining the conception of freedom set forth by three key Enlightenment thinkers: Adam Smith, Rousseau, and Kant. It argues that their concept of “moral” or “inner” freedom suggests an important way in which positive liberty can promote ends traditionally associated with negative liberty. Specifically, these philosophers regard moral freedom as inextricable from political freedom insofar as moral freedom enables us to shoulder the burdens of political freedom. Thus their concept of freedom offers good reasons not only to question the separation between positive and negative freedom, but to regard moral freedom as indispensable to political freedom.
How Supervisor Experience Influences Trust, Supervision, and Trainee Learning: A Qualitative Study
Authors: Sheu Leslie , Kogan Jennifer R. , Hauer Karen E.
Published: January 2017

Purpose

Appropriate trust and supervision facilitate trainees’ growth toward unsupervised practice. The authors investigated how supervisor experience influences trust, supervision, and subsequently trainee learning.

Method

In a two-phase qualitative inductive content analysis, phase one entailed reviewing 44 internal medicine resident and attending supervisor interviews from two institutions (July 2013 to September 2014) for themes on how supervisor experience influences trust and supervision. Three supervisor exemplars (early, developing, experienced) were developed and shared in phase two focus groups at a single institution, wherein 23 trainees validated the exemplars and discussed how each impacted learning (November 2015).

Results

Phase one: Four domains of trust and supervision varying with experience emerged: data, approach, perspective, clinical. Early supervisors were detail oriented and determined trust depending on task completion (data), were rule based (approach), drew on their experiences as trainees to guide supervision (perspective), and felt less confident clinically compared with more experienced supervisors (clinical). Experienced supervisors determined trust holistically (data), checked key aspects of patient care selectively and covertly (approach), reflected on individual experiences supervising (perspective), and felt comfortable managing clinical problems and gauging trainee abilities (clinical). Phase two: Trainees felt the exemplars reflected their experiences, described their preferences and learning needs shifting over time, and emphasized the importance of supervisor flexibility to match their learning needs.

Conclusions

With experience, supervisors differ in their approach to trust and supervision. Supervisors need to trust themselves before being able to trust others. Trainees perceive these differences and seek supervision approaches that align with their learning needs.
Dexmedetomidine Reduces Perioperative Opioid Consumption and Postoperative Pain Intensity in Neurosurgery: A Meta-analysis
Authors: Liu Yi , Liang Feng , Liu Xiaochen , Shao Xinxin , Jiang Nan , Gan Xiaoliang
Published: January 2017

Background:

Dexmedetomidine (DEX) has been administered to patients during neurosurgery. Some studies have found that DEX could reduce perioperative opioid consumption and postoperative pain intensity. However, no firm conclusions have been reached. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to assess the efficacy of DEX for managing pain in neurosurgical patients.

Materials and Methods:

A comprehensive literature review was conducted to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) focusing on the effects of DEX on perioperative opioid consumption and postoperative pain intensity in patients undergoing neurosurgery. PubMed, the Web of science, the Cochrane Library, and Scopus were searched. The resulting data were combined to calculate the pooled mean differences (MDs), standard MDs or odds ratios (ORs), and 95% confidence intervals (CIs), as appropriate. Heterogeneity and potential publication bias were assessed. Furthermore, a trial sequential analysis was performed to improve the precision of our findings.

Results:

A total of 11 published RCTs involving 674 patients undergoing neurosurgery (335 patients, 339 controls) were included in this meta-analysis. There were significant differences in postanesthesia care unit (PACU) visual analog scale scores between the groups (MD=−1.54, 95% CI, −2.33 to 0.75, I
2=87%, P=0.0001). In addition, there were significant differences in PACU opioid requirements between the treatment and control groups (standard MD=−0.88, 95% CI, −1.74 to 0.02, I
2=91%, P=0.05). Furthermore, intraoperative opioid consumption was significantly reduced in the treatment group (MD=−127.75, 95% CI, −208.62 to 46.89, I
2=98%, P=0.002).

Conclusions:

DEX could reduce perioperative and PACU opioid consumption as well as postoperative pain intensity.
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Relapse and Clitoral Reconstruction After Female Genital Mutilation
Authors: Abdulcadir Jasmine , Bianchi Demicheli Francesco , Willame Alexia , Recordon Nathalie , Petignat Patrick
Published: January 2017

BACKGROUND:

Evidence on clitoral reconstruction after female genital mutilation is lacking.

CASE:

A woman with female genital mutilation experiencing clitoral pain during sex consulted to undergo clitoral reconstruction. The surgery was complicated by a wound infection responsible for severe postoperative pain. Such genital pain made our patient recall the traumatic experience of genital mutilation and experience a relapse of posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms. She reported anxiety; spontaneous, intrusive recurrent memories of the cutting; hypervigilance; and depressed mood. We successfully treated the infection and posttraumatic stress disorder. At 6 months postsurgery, she reported no clitoral pain and improved sexual function.

CONCLUSION:

Genital pain after clitoral reconstruction may cause recall of memories of the genital mutilation. We recommend multidisciplinary comprehensive psychosexual care and adequate analgesia.
Advanced Research and Data Methods in Women's Health
Authors: Macedonia Christian R. , Johnson Clark T. , Rajapakse Indika
Published: January 2017

Technical advances in science have had broad implications in reproductive and women's health care. Recent innovations in population-level data collection and storage have made available an unprecedented amount of data for analysis while computational technology has evolved to permit processing of data previously thought too dense to study. “Big data” is a term used to describe data that are a combination of dramatically greater volume, complexity, and scale. The number of variables in typical big data research can readily be in the thousands, challenging the limits of traditional research methodologies. Regardless of what it is called, advanced data methods, predictive analytics, or big data, this unprecedented revolution in scientific exploration has the potential to dramatically assist research in obstetrics and gynecology broadly across subject matter. Before implementation of big data research methodologies, however, potential researchers and reviewers should be aware of strengths, strategies, study design methods, and potential pitfalls. Examination of big data research examples contained in this article provides insight into the potential and the limitations of this data science revolution and practical pathways for its useful implementation.
MACULAR PIGMENT DISTRIBUTION RESPONSES TO HIGH-DOSE ZEAXANTHIN SUPPLEMENTATION IN PATIENTS WITH MACULAR TELANGIECTASIA TYPE 2
Authors: Choi Rene Y. , Gorusupudi Aruna , Wegner Kimberley , Sharifzadeh Mohsen , Gellermann Werner , Bernstein Paul S.
Published: January 2017

Purpose:

To analyze macular pigment (MP) amount and distribution in patients with macular telangiectasia Type 2 receiving oral zeaxanthin supplementation in a randomized, open-label, interventional trial.

Methods:

Eight macular telangiectasia Type 2 patients were randomized to 10 mg or 20 mg of zeaxanthin per day. At each visit, best-corrected visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, fundus biomicroscopy, color fundus photography, autofluorescence imaging, optical coherence tomography, and serum carotenoid levels were tested. Patients were assessed at baseline and after 6, 12, 18, and 24 months of zeaxanthin supplementation. Concentration of MP was analyzed and calculated from autofluorescence imaging obtained at 488-nm excitation wavelength. Serum carotenoid levels were obtained using high-performance liquid chromatography.

Results:

The majority of patients had definite increases in the intensity of hypofluorescent ring of MP, but none of them deposited MP centrally at the fovea. Although some patients noted subjective improvements in vision, no objective improvements could be documented, and there were no changes in foveal optical coherence tomographic features. Yellowish, hypofluorescent crystals appeared in one patient's macular region with no change in visual acuity. These inner retinal crystals disappeared several months after discontinuing her 20-mg zeaxanthin supplement.

Conclusion:

Based on the current study, zeaxanthin supplementation does not result in any visual benefit in patients with macular telangiectasia Type 2 and does not reestablish a normal peaked distribution of MP in the fovea. One patient developed a novel, reversible, crystalline maculopathy in response to zeaxanthin supplementation that was reminiscent of canthaxanthin crystalline maculopathy.
Sound Localization in Patients With Congenital Unilateral Conductive Hearing Loss With a Transcutaneous Bone Conduction Implant
Authors: Vyskocil Erich , Liepins Rudolfs , Kaider Alexandra , Blineder Michaela , Hamzavi Sasan
Published: January 2017

Objective:

There is no consensus regarding the benefit of implantable hearing aids in congenital unilateral conductive hearing loss (UCHL). This study aimed to measure sound source localization performance in patients with congenital UCHL and contralateral normal hearing who received a new bone conduction implant.

Study Design:

Evaluation of within-subject performance differences for sound source localization in a horizontal plane.

Setting:

Tertiary referral center.

Patients:

Five patients with atresia of the external auditory canal and contralateral normal hearing implanted with transcutaneous bone conduction implant at the Medical University of Vienna were tested.

Intervention:

Activated/deactivated implant.

Main Outcome Measure:

Sound source localization test; localization performance quantified using the root mean square (RMS) error.

Results:

Sound source localization ability was highly variable among individual subjects, with RMS errors ranging from 21 to 40 degrees. Horizontal plane localization performance in aided conditions showed statistically significant improvement compared with the unaided conditions, with RMS errors ranging from 17 to 27 degrees. The mean RMS error decreased by a factor of 0.71 (p < 0.001).

Conclusion:

Analysis revealed improved sound localization performance in a horizontal plane with the activated transcutaneous bone conduction implant. Some patients with congenital UCHL might be capable of developing improved horizontal plane localization abilities with the binaural cues provided by this device.
Development and Preliminary Pilot Testing of a Peer Support Text Messaging Intervention for HIV-Infected Black Men Who Have Sex With Men
Authors: Senn Theresa E. , Braksmajer Amy , Coury-Doniger Patricia , Urban Marguerite A. , Rossi Adam , Carey Michael P.
Published: January 2017

Background:

Black men who have sex with men (MSM) are disproportionately infected with HIV and are less well retained along the HIV continuum of care. We report on the feasibility of a peer support text messaging intervention designed to increase retention in HIV care and HIV medication adherence among HIV-infected black men who have sex with men.

Methods:

Based on formative research, a cell phone app was developed to support a peer-based text messaging intervention. The app allowed the researchers to view text messages sent between mentors and mentees, but did not allow them to view other text messages sent by these phones. Three HIV-infected black men who have sex with men were recruited to serve as volunteer peer mentors. They were trained in motivational techniques, peer support skills, and skills for improving appointment attendance and medication adherence. Mentees (N = 8) received the intervention for 1 month. Mentees completed a postintervention survey and interview.

Results:

The peer mentor text messaging intervention was feasible. Mentors delivered support in a nonjudgmental, motivational way. However, technical and other implementation problems arose. Some mentees desired more frequent contact with mentors, and mentors reported that other commitments made it difficult at times to be fully engaged. Both mentors and mentees desired more personalized contact (ie, phone calls).

Conclusions:

A text messaging peer mentor intervention was feasible. Additional research with a larger sample is needed to determine optimal ways to improve mentors' engagement in the intervention and to determine intervention acceptability and efficacy. In future studies, peer support phone calls could be incorporated.
Neurocognitive impact of cranial radiation in adults with cancer: an update of recent findings
Authors: Edelstein Kim , Richard Nadine M. , Bernstein Lori J.
Published: January 2017

Purpose of review

Radiation to the brain is associated with adverse effects on cognition in cancer patients. Advances in technology have improved treatment efficacy, while new or adjuvant approaches continue to be developed. The long-term impact of both established and newer treatments on cognition is an active area of research.

Recent findings

The article reviews the 15 studies published between January 2015 and October 2016 that include data on neurocognitive functions following radiation to the brain in adults with brain metastases, primary brain tumors, or other cancers. These studies examine neurocognitive outcomes in relation to radiation treatment delivery, pharmacological interventions, and biomarkers of brain injury.

Advances in radiotherapy protocols have reduced neurotoxic side-effects. Implementation of standardized, validated neurocognitive measures and biomarkers of brain injury provide new insights into the impact of cranial radiation on cognitive functions. Several promising new lines of research will benefit from further study to address common challenges in the field, including high rates of attrition in longitudinal trials, absence of control groups, small sample sizes, and heterogeneous patient groups.
Working with what you've got: unattractive males show greater mate-guarding effort in a duetting songbird
Authors: Dowling Jenélle , Webster Michael S.
Published: January 2017

When mates are limited, individuals should allocate resources to mating tactics that maximize fitness. In species with extra-pair paternity (EPP), males can invest in mate guarding, or, alternatively, in seeking EPP. Males should optimize fitness by adjusting investment according to their attractiveness to females, such that attractive males seek EPP, and unattractive males guard mates. This theory has received little empirical testing, leaving our understanding of the evolution of mating tactics incomplete; it is unclear how a male's relative attractiveness influences his tactics. We conducted observations and experiments on red-backed fairy-wrens (
Malurus melanocephalus
) to address this question. We found that older, more attractive (red–black) males sought EPP, whereas unattractive (brown) males invested in alternative tactics—physical and acoustic mate guarding. Younger red–black males used intermediate tactics. This suggests that males adopt mating tactics appropriate to their attributes. Males obtained similar reproductive success, suggesting these alternative tactics may maximize each male's paternity gain. Though it is likely that female choice also determines paternity, rather than just male tactics, we establish that the many interconnected components of a male's sexual phenotype influence the evolution of his decision-making rules, deepening our understanding of how mating tactics evolve under sexual selection.
The
N
-linking glycosylation system from
Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae
is required for adhesion and has potential use in glycoengineering
Authors: Cuccui Jon , Terra Vanessa S. , Bossé Janine T. , Naegeli Andreas , Abouelhadid Sherif , Li Yanwen , Lin Chia-Wei , Vohra Prerna , Tucker Alexander W. , Rycroft Andrew N. , Maskell Duncan J. , Aebi Markus , Langford Paul R. , Wren Brendan W. ,   on behalf of the BRaDP1T Consortium
Published: January 2017

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae
is a mucosal respiratory pathogen causing contagious porcine pleuropneumonia. Pathogenesis studies have demonstrated a major role for the capsule, exotoxins and outer membrane proteins.
Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae
can also glycosylate proteins, using a cytoplasmic
N
-linked glycosylating enzyme designated NGT, but its transcriptional arrangement and role in virulence remains unknown. We investigated the NGT locus and demonstrated that the putative transcriptional unit consists of
rimO
,
ngt
and a glycosyltransferase termed
agt.
From this information we used the
A. pleuropneumoniae
glycosylation locus to decorate an acceptor protein, within
Escherichia coli,
with a hexose polymer that reacted with an anti-dextran antibody. Mass spectrometry analysis of a truncated protein revealed that this operon could add up to 29 repeat units to the appropriate sequon. We demonstrated the importance of NGT in virulence, by creating deletion mutants and testing them in a novel respiratory cell line adhesion model. This study demonstrates the importance of the NGT glycosylation system for pathogenesis and its potential biotechnological application for glycoengineering.
The neuroendocrine immunomodulatory axis-like pathway mediated by circulating haemocytes in pacific oysterCrassostrea gigas
Authors: Liu Zhaoqun , Zhou Zhi , Jiang Qiufen , Wang Lingling , Yi Qilin , Qiu Limei , Song Linsheng
Published: January 2017

The neuroendocrine-immune (NEI) regulatory network is a complex system, which plays an indispensable role in the immunity of host. In this study, a neuroendocrine immunomodulatory axis (NIA)-like pathway mediated by the nervous system and haemocytes was characterized in the oysterCrassostrea gigas. Once invaded pathogen was recognized by the host, the nervous system would temporally release neurotransmitters to modulate the immune response. Instead of acting passively, oyster haemocytes were able to mediate neuronal immunomodulation promptly by controlling the expression of specific neurotransmitter receptors on cell surface and modulating their binding sensitivities, thus regulating intracellular concentration of Ca2+. This neural immunomodulation mediated by the nervous system and haemocytes could influence cellular immunity in oyster by affecting mRNA expression level of TNF genes, and humoral immunity by affecting the activities of key immune-related enzymes. In summary, though simple in structure, the ‘nervous-haemocyte’ NIA-like pathway regulates both cellular and humoral immunity in oyster, meaning a world to the effective immune regulation of the NEI network.
Measure for degree heterogeneity in complex networks and its application to recurrence network analysis
Authors: Jacob Rinku , Harikrishnan K. P. , Misra R. , Ambika G.
Published: January 2017

We propose a novel measure of degree heterogeneity, for unweighted and undirected complex networks, which requires only the degree distribution of the network for its computation. We show that the proposed measure can be applied to all types of network topology with ease and increases with the diversity of node degrees in the network. The measure is applied to compute the heterogeneity of synthetic (both random and scale free (SF)) and real-world networks with its value normalized in the interval[0,1]. To define the measure, we introduce a limiting network whose heterogeneity can be expressed analytically with the value tending to 1 as the size of the networkNtends to infinity. We numerically study the variation of heterogeneity for random graphs (as a function ofpandN) and for SF networks withγandNas variables. Finally, as a specific application, we show that the proposed measure can be used to compare the heterogeneity of recurrence networks constructed from the time series of several low-dimensional chaotic attractors, thereby providing a single index to compare the structural complexity of chaotic attractors.
Leaving safety to visit a feeding site: is it optimal to hesitate while exposed?
Authors: Rands Sean A.
Published: January 2017

Animals living in complex environments experience differing risks of predation depending upon their location within the landscape. An animal could reduce the risk it experiences by remaining in a refuge site, but it may need to emerge from its refuge and enter more dangerous sites for feeding and other activities. Here, I consider the actions of an animal choosing to travel a short distance between a safe refuge and a dangerous foraging site, such as a bird leaving cover to visit a feeder. Although much work has been conducted examining the choice between a refuge and a foraging site when faced with a trade-off between starvation and predation risk, the work presented here is the first to consider the travel behaviour between these locations. Using state-dependent stochastic dynamic programming, I illustrate that there are several forms of optimal behaviour that can emerge. In some situations, the animal should choose to travel without stopping between sites, but in other cases, it is optimal for the animal to travel hesitantly towards the food, and to stop its travel at a point before it reaches the refuge. I discuss how this hesitant ‘dawdling’ behaviour may be optimal, and suggest further work to test these predictions.
Integrability of systems of two second-order ordinary differential equations admitting four-dimensional Lie algebras
Authors: Gainetdinova A. A. , Gazizov R. K.
Published: January 2017

We suggest an algorithm for integrating systems of two second-order ordinary differential equations with four symmetries. In particular, if the admitted transformation group has two second-order differential invariants, the corresponding system can be integrated by quadratures using invariant representation and the operator of invariant differentiation. Otherwise, the systems reduce to partially uncoupled forms and can also be integrated by quadratures.
Real wave propagation in the isotropic-relaxed micromorphic model
Authors: Neff Patrizio , Madeo Angela , Barbagallo Gabriele , d'Agostino Marco Valerio , Abreu Rafael , Ghiba Ionel-Dumitrel
Published: January 2017

For the recently introduced isotropic-relaxed micromorphic generalized continuum model, we show that, under the assumption of positive-definite energy, planar harmonic waves have real velocity. We also obtain a necessary and sufficient condition for real wave velocity which is weaker than the positive definiteness of the energy. Connections to isotropic linear elasticity and micropolar elasticity are established. Notably, we show that strong ellipticity does not imply real wave velocity in micropolar elasticity, whereas it does in isotropic linear elasticity.
Acute embryonic anoxia exposure favours the development of a dominant and aggressive phenotype in adult zebrafish
Authors: Ivy Catherine M. , Robertson Cayleih E. , Bernier Nicholas J.
Published: January 2017

Eutrophication and climate change are increasing the incidence of severe hypoxia in fish nursery habitats, yet the programming effects of hypoxia on stress responsiveness in later life are poorly understood. In this study, to investigate whether early hypoxia alters the developmental trajectory of the stress response, zebrafish embryos were exposed to 4 h of anoxia at 36 h post-fertilization and reared to adults when the responses to secondary stressors were assessed. While embryonic anoxia did not affect basal cortisol levels or the cortisol response to hypoxia in later life, it had a marked effect on the responses to a social stressor. In dyadic social interactions, adults derived from embryonic anoxia initiated more chases, bit more often, entered fewer freezes and had lower cortisol levels. Adults derived from embryonic anoxia also performed more bites towards their mirror image, had lower gonadal aromatase gene expression and had higher testosterone levels. We conclude that acute embryonic anoxia has long-lasting consequences for the hormonal and behavioural responses to social interactions in zebrafish. Specifically, we demonstrate that acute embryonic anoxia favours the development of a dominant and aggressive phenotype, and that a disruption in sex steroid production may contribute to the programming effects of environmental hypoxia.
Historical citizen science to understand and predict climate-driven trout decline
Authors: Clavero Miguel , Ninyerola Miquel , Hermoso Virgilio , Filipe Ana Filipa , Pla Magda , Villero Daniel , Brotons Lluís , Delibes Miguel
Published: January 2017

Historical species records offer an excellent opportunity to test the predictive ability of range forecasts under climate change, but researchers often consider that historical records are scarce and unreliable, besides the datasets collected by renowned naturalists. Here, we demonstrate the relevance of biodiversity records developed through citizen-science initiatives generated outside the natural sciences academia. We used a Spanish geographical dictionary from the mid-nineteenth century to compile over 10 000 freshwater fish records, including almost 4 000 brown trout (Salmo trutta) citations, and constructed a historical presence–absence dataset covering over 2 000 10 × 10 km cells, which is comparable to present-day data. There has been a clear reduction in trout range in the past 150 years, coinciding with a generalized warming. We show that current trout distribution can be accurately predicted based on historical records and past and present values of three air temperature variables. The models indicate a consistent decline of average suitability of around 25% between 1850s and 2000s, which is expected to surpass 40% by the 2050s. We stress the largely unexplored potential of historical species records from non-academic sources to open new pathways for long-term global change science.
No evidence for thermal transgenerational plasticity in metabolism when minimizing the potential for confounding effects
Authors: Kielland Ø. N. , Bech C. , Einum S.
Published: January 2017

Environmental change may cause phenotypic changes that are inherited across generations through transgenerational plasticity (TGP). If TGP is adaptive, offspring fitness increases with an increasing match between parent and offspring environment. Here we test for adaptive TGP in somatic growth and metabolic rate in response to temperature in the clonal zooplankton
Daphnia pulex
. Animals of the first focal generation experienced thermal transgenerational ‘mismatch’ (parental and offspring temperatures differed), whereas conditions of the next two generations matched the (grand)maternal thermal conditions. Adjustments of metabolic rate occurred during the lifetime of the first generation (i.e. within-generation plasticity). However, no further change was observed during the subsequent two generations, as would be expected under TGP. Furthermore, we observed no tendency for increased juvenile somatic growth (a trait highly correlated with fitness in
Daphnia
) over the three generations when reared at new temperatures. These results are inconsistent with existing studies of thermal TGP, and we describe how previous experimental designs may have confounded TGP with within-generation plasticity and selective mortality. We suggest that the current evidence for thermal TGP is weak. To increase our understanding of the ecological and evolutionary role of TGP, future studies should more carefully identify possible confounding factors.
Biofilms Confer Resistance to Simulated Extra-terrestrial Geochemical Extremes
Authors: Stevens Adam H. , Childers Delma , Fox-Powell Mark , Cockell Charles S.
Published: January 2017

1

Abstract

Biofilms improve microbes’ resistance to a variety of extreme physical and chemical conditions on Earth. The discovery of putative aqueous environments on other planetary bodies such as Mars motivates an interest in understanding the viability of life, and the potential role of biofilms, in previously unexplored geochemical extremes. We investigated the loss of viability of planktonic cells and biofilms ofSphingomonas desiccabilis(a Gram-negative, desiccation resistant, soil crust-forming organism) to simulated Martian brines. These brines were produced from geochemical modelling of past aqueous environments on Mars, and their high sulfate concentrations make them different to most terrestrial brines, although similar briny environments have been found in locations such as the Basque Lakes in Canada or in deep subsurface groundwater systems. Biofilms grown on basaltic scoria were subjected to the simulated martian brines and the viability of cells was measured over time and compared to equivalent planktonic cultures. Crystal violet assay was used to measure how the biomass of the biofilms changed over time in response to the brines. While certain brines were highly hostile to microbial viability, we found that biofilms that were desiccated prior to being treated with brines maintained viability over a longer treatment period when compared to planktonic cells. Our results show that biofilms confer short-term protection to the harsh osmotic, ionic, and acidic conditions of Mars-relevant brines. However, in the most extreme simulated brines, even biofilms eventually lost viability. By demonstrating that biofilms confer protection to conditions that are potentially analogous to current day recurrent slope lineae (thought to be produced by the flow of briny fluids) on Mars, our results show that contaminant biofilm-forming microorganisms may have a greater chance of surviving in so-called ‘Special Regions’ on Mars, with implications for planetary protection in missions that aim to explore these regions.
Plant resistance to drought relies on early stomatal closure
Authors: Martin-StPaul N , Delzon S , Cochard H
Published: January 2017

Plant resistance to drought has long been thought to be associated with the ability to maintain transpiration and photosynthesis longer during drought, through the opening of stomata. This premise is at the root of most current framework used to assess drought impacts on land plants in vegetation models. We examined this premise by coupling a meta-analysis of functional traits of stomatal response to drought (i.e. the water potential causing stomatal closure,Ψclose) and embolism resistance (the water potential at the onset of embolism formation,Ψ12), with simulations from a soil-plant hydraulic model. We found thatΨcloseandΨ12were equal (isometric) only for a restricted number of species, but as Ψ12 decreases, the departure from isometry increases, with stomatal closure occurring far before embolism occurs. For the most drought resistant species (Ψ12<-4.2 MPa),Ψclosewas remarkably independent of embolism resistance and remained above −4.5 MPa, suggesting the existence of a restrictive boundary by which stomata closure must occur. This pattern was supported by model simulations. Indeed, coordinated decrease in bothΨcloseandΨ12leads to unsuspected accelerated death under drought for embolism resistant species, in contradiction with observations from drought mortality experiments. Overall our results highlight that most species have similarity in stomatal behavior, and are highly conservative in terms of their water use during drought. The modelling framework presented here provides a baseline to simulate the temporal dynamic leading to mortality under drought by accounting for multiple, measurable traits.
Structural basis ofMycobacterium tuberculosistranscription and transcription inhibition
Authors: Lin Wei , Mandal Soma , Degen David , Liu Yu , Ebright Yon W. , Li Shengjian , Feng Yu , Zhang Yu , Mandal Sukhendu , Jiang Yi , Liu Shuang , Gigliotti Matthew , Talaue Meliza , Connell Nancy , Das Kalyan , Arnold Eddy , Ebright Richard H.
Published: January 2017

One Sentence Summary

Structures ofMycobacterium tuberculosisRNA polymerase reveal taxon-specific properties and binding sites of known and new antituberculosis agents

Mycobacterium tuberculosis(Mtb) is the causative agent of tuberculosis, which kills 1.8 million annually.MtbRNA polymerase (RNAP) is the target of the first-line antituberculosis drug rifampin (Rif). We report crystal structures ofMtbRNAP, alone and in complex with Rif. The results identify anMtb-specific structural module ofMtbRNAP and establish that Rif functions by a steric-occlusion mechanism that prevents extension of RNA. We also report novel non-Rif-related compounds–Nα-aroyl-N-aryl-phenylalaninamides (AAPs)–that potently and selectively inhibitMtbRNAP andMtbgrowth, and we report crystal structures ofMtbRNAP in complex with AAPs. AAPs bind to a different site onMtbRNAP than Rif, exhibit no cross-resistance with Rif, function additively when co-administered with Rif, and suppress resistance emergence when co-administered with Rif.
TRUB1 is the predominant pseudouridine synthase acting on mammalian mRNA via a predictable and conserved code
Authors: Safra Modi , Nir Ronit , Farouq Daneyal , Vainberg Slutskin Ilya , Schwartz Schraga
Published: January 2017

Following synthesis, RNA can be modified with over 100 chemically distinct modifications, which can potentially regulate RNA expression post-transcriptionally. Pseudouridine (Ψ) was recently established to be widespread and dynamically regulated on yeast mRNA, but less is known about Ψ presence, regulation, and biogenesis in mammalian mRNA. Here, we sought to characterize the Ψ landscape on mammalian mRNA, to identify the main Ψ-synthases (PUSs) catalyzing Ψ formation, and to understand the factors governing their specificity toward selected targets. We first developed a framework allowing analysis, evaluation, and integration of Ψ mappings, which we applied to >2.5 billion reads from 30 human samples. These maps, complemented with genetic perturbations, allowed us to uncover TRUB1 and PUS7 as the two key PUSs acting on mammalian mRNA and to computationally model the sequence and structural elements governing the specificity of TRUB1, achieving near-perfect prediction of its substrates (AUC = 0.974). We then validated and extended these maps and the inferred specificity of TRUB1 using massively parallel reporter assays in which we monitored Ψ levels at thousands of synthetically designed sequence variants comprising either the sequences surrounding pseudouridylation targets or systematically designed mutants perturbing RNA sequence and structure. Our findings provide an extensive and high-quality characterization of the transcriptome-wide distribution of pseudouridine in human and the factors governing it and provide an important resource for the community, paving the path toward functional and mechanistic dissection of this emerging layer of post-transcriptional regulation.
Understanding young consumers’ tendencies regarding eco-labelled products
Authors: Göçer Aysu , Sevil Oflaç Bengü
Published: January 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore different factors influencing young consumers’ approaches to eco-labeled products in an emerging country, Turkey.

Design/methodology/approach

Relevant measures were adapted from the previous literature to assess key constructs on environment and eco-label perceptions. First, an exploratory factor analysis was employed for identifying the key dimensions, and then structural equation modeling was conducted for testing the research hypotheses.

Findings

The findings reveal that the existence of perceived environmental knowledge has an influence on eco-labeled product purchase tendencies, with environmental concern (EC) having a significant mediating effect.

Practical implications

This study contributes to practice by addressing perceptual factors affecting young consumers in emerging markets such as Turkey. This relationship can be utilized to increase the tendency to purchase eco-labeled products to create EC enhancing programs in education in addition to environmental knowledge leveraging ones. Besides, these findings may also be beneficial in eco-labeled product marketing efforts.

Originality/value

This study provides value for the literature by investigating the perception of young consumers in an emerging market specifically, and adopts a more specific eco-label focus, which it integrates with an environmental perspective.