bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of salinomycin isolated from Streptomyces albus JSY-2 against the ciliate, Ichthyophthirius multifiliis
Authors: Yao Jia-Yun , Gao Ming-Yue , Jia Yong-Yi , Wu Yan-Xia , Yin Wen-Lin , Cao Zheng , Yang Gui-Lian , Huang Hai-Bin , Wang Chun-Feng , Shen Jin-Yu , Gu Zhi-Min
Published: November 2018

The present study was undertaken to investigate the antiparasitic activity of extracellular products of Streptomyces albus. Bioactivity-guided isolation of chloroform extracts affording a compound showing potent activity. The structure of the compound was elucidated as salinomycin (SAL) by EI-MS, 1H NMR and 13C NMR. In vitro test showed that SAL has potent anti-parasitic efficacy against theronts of Ichthyophthirius multifiliis with 10 min, 1, 2, 3 and 4 h (effective concentration) EC50 (95% confidence intervals) of 2.12 (2.22–2.02), 1.93 (1.98–1.88), 1.42 (1.47–1.37), 1.35 (1.41–1.31) and 1.11 (1.21–1.01) mg L−1. In vitro antiparasitic assays revealed that SAL could be 100% effective against I. multifiliis encysted tomonts at a concentration of 8.0 mg L−1. In vivo test demonstrated that the number of I. multifiliis trophonts on Erythroculter ilishaeformis treated with SAL was markedly lower than that of control group at 10 days after exposed to theronts (P < 0.05). In the control group, 80% mortality was observed owing to heavy I. multifiliis infection at 10 days. On the other hand, only 30.0% mortality was recorded in the group treated with 8.0 mg L−1 SAL. The median lethal dose (LD50) of SAL for E. ilishaeformis was 32.9 mg L−1.
Verbal fluency in relation to reading ability in students with and without dyslexia
Authors: SHAREEF ZEINAB , ÖSTBERG PER , HEDENIUS MARTINA
Published: November 2018

Verbal fluency tasks, in which participants generate words during a set time, have been used in research and assessments of neurobiological disorders and impairments. Research on verbal fluency in dyslexia has shown impaired performance in semantic and letter fluency. However, studies report inconsistent results, and action fluency has not been examined in dyslexia. Current research has mainly examined verbal fluency in relation to executive functions, vocabulary, and phonological processing. The present study examined performance on letter, semantic, and action fluency in relation to reading ability in 42 students in higher education, of which 16 had developmental dyslexia and 26 had typical reading development. It was examined if verbal fluency can predict variance in reading ability when group, phonological awareness, and rapid automatized naming are controlled for. Results showed impaired verbal fluency in the developmental dyslexia group. Action fluency and group were significant predictors of reading ability, together explaining 73% of the variance, in a backward elimination regression analysis. The results point to a possible, unique connection between action fluency and reading ability; this connection is discussed based on their neurocognitive underpinnings.
Marginalisation of Roma: Root Causes and Possible Policy Actions
Authors: Ciaian Pavel , Kancs D’Artis
Published: November 2018

The existing policy and academic debate on the social mobility of Roma have been focused almost entirely on entry barriers (the cost of entry into the mainstream society), whereas exit barriers (the cost of exit from the traditional Roma lifestyle) have been acknowledged and studied to a much lesser extent. In this study we advocate that from a policy perspective it is important to understand differences between the two types of social mobility barriers, as they have different causes and hence have to be addressed by different policy instruments. However, it is important that both types of social mobility barriers are addressed simultaneously, as they interact and reinforce each other mutually. Further, addressing social mobility barriers of Roma requires a change of both formal and informal institutions. Therefore, policy measures have to be implemented and sustained over a long period of time in order to have a sustainable impact on the social and economic integration of Roma.
Becoming atomic: the bunker, modernity, and the city
Authors: Boyd Gary A. , Linehan Denis
Published: November 2018

From a starting point of Jay Swayze's extraordinary Underground Homes and Gardens project (1980) this paper explores and contextualises the bunker's significance and accelerated production under threat from atomic weapons in the Cold War. The nuclear bunker represents the end-point of a series of buried and semi-buried structures. Bulwarks since the early eighteenth century against increasingly sophisticated forms of ordnance, they emerge in increasing numbers throughout the twentieth century across a series of scales and spheres from the household to the civic and urban. In its proliferation as a building type and precise fitness to purpose, the bunker is arguably as emblematic of modernity as the department store, the great exhibition, the skyscraper or the machine-inspired domestic space advocated by Le Corbusier. It also represents the obverse – or perhaps a parodic iteration – of the preoccupations of early architectural modernism: a vast underground international style, cast in millions of tons of thick, reinforced concrete retaining walls, whose spatial relationship to the landscape above was strictly mediated through the periscope, the loop-hole, the range finder and the strategic necessity to both resist and facilitate the technologies and scopic regimes of weaponry.

This paper critically uncoils Paul Virillo's observation that, once physically eclipsed in its topographical and technical settings, the bunker's efficacy would mutate to other domains, retaining and remaking its meaning in another topology. ‘The essence of the new fortress’, he writes, ‘is elsewhere, underfoot, invisible from here on in’. Shaped by this impulse, this paper attempts to render visible the bunker's relationship to modernity and its architectural, cultural and urban contributions to the twentieth century. In doing so it excavates some of the relationships between the physical artefact, its implications and its enduring metaphorical and perceptual ghosts as domestic realms and whole cities and regions became atomic.
EARLY CHILDHOOD HEALTH AND SCHOOLING ATTAINMENT GAPS WITHIN AND ACROSS COUNTRIES
Authors: Miller Ray
Published: November 2018

This paper develops a theory of human capital to investigate the role of early childhood health in explaining the large and persistent schooling gaps observed within and across countries. Quantitative analysis using the theory and data from 98 countries shows that early health inequalities within developingcountries strongly amplify later schooling gaps— counterfactually eliminating inequalities reduces schooling Ginis by an average of 18% in developing economies but has only mild effects in richer countries. Moreover, early health inequalities are found to be an important source of schooling variation across countries— universally equating early health to the average US level reduces the cross-country standard deviation of average schooling attainment by over 40%. Additional policy experiments reveal that the gains from early health interventions tend to be amplified by later educational investments in developing economies, while those targeting school-aged children may be limited if early health conditions are ignored.
HOW POWERFUL ARE NETWORK EFFECTS? A SKILL-BIASED TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE APPROACH
Authors: Afonso Oscar , Magalhäes Manuela
Published: November 2018

Even for the standard skill-biased technological change (SBTC) literature, the generic rise in the skill premium in the face of the relative increase in skilled workers since the 1980s seems a little puzzling. We develop a general equilibrium SBTC growth model that allows the dominance of either the price channel or the market-size channel mechanism through which network spillovers affect the technological-knowledge bias and, thus, the paths of intra-country wage inequality. The proposed mechanisms can accommodate facts not explained by the earlier literature.
WORLD INTEREST RATES AND INEQUALITY: INSIGHT FROM THE GALOR–ZEIRA MODEL
Authors: Battisti Michele , Fioroni Tamara , Lavezzi Andrea Mario
Published: November 2018

In this paper, we study the relationship between changes in the world interest rate and within-country inequality during the 1985–2005 period in which the world interest rate sharply declined. In line with the predictions of the seminal model of Galor and Zeira [Income distribution and macroeconomics.Review of Economic Studies60, 35–52], the analysis suggests that the decrease in the world interest rate is associated with a decrease in inequality in poor countries and an increase in inequality in rich ones.
APPROXIMATING THE VALUE FUNCTION FOR OPTIMAL EXPERIMENTATION
Authors: Amman Hans M. , Kendrick David A. , Tucci Marco P.
Published: November 2018

In the economics literature, there are two dominant approaches for solving models with optimal experimentation (also called active learning). The first approach is based on the value function and the second on an approximation method. In principle the value function approach is the preferred method. However, it suffers from thecurse of dimensionalityand is only applicable to small problems with a limited number of policy variables. The approximation method allows for a computationally larger class of models, but may produce results that deviate from the optimal solution. Our simulations indicate that when the effects of learning are limited, the differences may be small. However, when there is sufficient scope for learning, the value function solution seems more aggressive in the use of the policy variable.
AN ESTIMATED DSGE MODEL WITH A DEFLATION STEADY STATE
Authors: Hirose Yasuo
Published: November 2018

Benhabib et al. [(2001) Journal of Economic Theory 96, 40–69] argue that there exists a deflation steady state when the zero lower bound on the nominal interest rate is considered in a Taylor-type monetary policy rule. This paper estimates a medium-scale DSGE model with a deflation steady state for the Japanese economy during the period from 1999 to 2013, when the Bank of Japan conducted a zero interest rate policy and the inflation rate was almost always negative. Although the model exhibits equilibrium indeterminacy around the deflation steady state, a set of specific equilibria is selected by Bayesian methods. According to the estimated model, positive shocks to households’ preferences and wage markup, and a negative shock to monetary policy do not necessarily have an inflationary effect, in contrast to a standard model with a targeted-inflation steady state. An economy in the deflation equilibrium could experience unexpected volatility because of sunspot fluctuations, but it turns out that sunspot shocks have a limited effect on Japan’s output fluctuations and rather contribute to stabilizing the economy after the global financial crisis.
Quantitative Aspects of PLAD Sidewall Doping Characterization by SIMS and APT
Authors: Kouzminov Dimitry , Cournoyer James , Norasetthekul Somchintana , Muthuraman Harish , Gao Qi
Published: November 2018

Application of atom probe tomography (APT) and 1.5D secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) as complimentary techniques to study fin sidewall doping by plasma implantation (PLAD) is the focus of this paper. Unlike planar transistors, characterization of 3D devices both by SIMS and APT requires sample preparation via trench backfill with α-Si, or other material, via chemical vapor deposition or atomic layer deposition process due to high aspect ratio of test structures. Certain artifacts with adverse impacts on quantitative results encountered in this study are discussed.
onlineSPARC: A Programming Environment for Answer Set Programming
Authors: MARCOPOULOS ELIAS , ZHANG YUANLIN
Published: November 2018

Recent progress in logic programming (e.g. the development of the answer set programming (ASP) paradigm) has made it possible to teach it to general undergraduate and even middle/high school students. Given the limited exposure of these students to computer science, the complexity of downloading, installing, and using tools for writing logic programs could be a major barrier for logic programming to reach a much wider audience. We developed onlineSPARC, an online ASP environment with a self-contained file system and a simple interface. It allows users to type/edit logic programs and perform several tasks over programs, including asking a query to a program, getting the answer sets of a program, and producing a drawing/animation based on the answer sets of a program.
More than meets the eye – and less: Comments onThe Internationalists
Authors: FOLLESDAL ANDREAS
Published: November 2018

These comments address three themes concerning Oona A Hathaway’s and Scott J Shapiro’sThe Internationalists(Hathaway and Shapiro 2017), a great contribution to scholarship about international relations, international law and international legal theory. I first explore further some game theoretical themes, how the Peace Pact arguably contributed to avoid war by creating institutions – such as international courts – that helped stabilise an assurance game among states by providing trustworthy information and commitments, in turn influencing practices and beliefs concerning mutual non-aggression. Second, I suggest that the authors should not claim more than that the Peace Pact was one cause of the massive shift in reduced warfare. Further arguments are needed to show that this treaty was the trigger that ‘began a cascade’. Third, I suggest that the lessons for the future are limited, as we explore how to preserve and improve on the New World Order of the Pact, rather than backsliding into the Old World Order.
The role of outcasting in the world order
Authors: ULFSTEIN GEIR
Published: November 2018

The Internationalistsis a fascinating book. The authors present a clear proposition about the significance of the 1928 Pact for the Renunciation of War for a more peaceful world. My focus is on the role of what the authors call outcasting, as an alternative to war. I argue that outcasting is hardly new. It has been known as reprisals or self-help, and currently as countermeasures. It is essential that such measures are brought under international control. What is more, the current US administration is a threat to the current world order. Other states and civil society need to continue to develop internationally controlled sanctions against violations of international law – also in the absence of the USA.
Outlawing war is not enough to promote international peace: The ambivalence of liberal interventionism
Authors: GEIS ANNA
Published: November 2018

Why has interstate war declined and why do states refrain from territorial conquests in the post-Second World War order? The 1928 Peace Pact cannot account for these remarkable developments. This article argues that outlawing war is not enough to promote international peace. International Relations debates on the influence of weapons of mass destruction, democratic regime types and political cultures on interstate behaviour provide further important insights into the delegitimation of certain types of war. Since the 1990s, a changing character of war and warfare has emerged that is especially promoted by democratic states. How democratic states have justified their military use of force and how they have conducted their military interventions has a strong and ambivalent impact on the liberal world order.
Pneumonie: Ersetzt der Ultraschall das Thoraxröntgen?
Authors: Mathis Gebhard
Published: November 2018

Zusammenfassung. Pneumonische Lungenkonsolidierungen stellen sich durch typische sonomorphologische Kriterien dar: echoarme Läsionen mit verzerrten Rändern, Bronchoaerogramme, reguläre Durchblutung und parapneumonische Ergüsse. Pneumonien können sonografisch bettseitig dargestellt werden. Die Wiederbelüftung korreliert gut mit dem klinischen Verlauf. In vier Metanalysen wurde die Lungensonografie (LUS) mit der Computertomografie (CT) evaluiert. Dabei zeigt sich für die LUS eine Sensitivität von 88–97 % und eine Spezifität von 90–96 %. Das Thoraxröntgen hingegen wies eine gepoolte Sensitivität von 77 % und eine Spezifität von 91 % auf. Daher sollte LUS das Thoraxröntgen in der bildgebenden Diagnostik der ambulant erworbenen Pneumonie ersetzen.
Universitäre Ultraschallausbildung in Deutschland
Authors: Müller Dorothea , Strobel Deike
Published: November 2018

Zusammenfassung. Ein wesentliches Reformelement für eine Modernisierung des Medizinstudiums ist eine Stärkung des berufsspezifischen, praxisorientierten Spektrums des Medizinstudiums. Auf Anregung des Hochschulausschusses der deutschen Kultusministerkonferenz wurde hierzu der Nationale Kompetenzbasierte Lernzielkatalog Medizin (NKLM) entwickelt. Ausgangspunkt für die kompetenzbasierte Gestaltung der Curricula ist die Festlegung, über welche Kenntnisse, Fertigkeiten und Haltungen die Absolventen eines Medizinstudiums zu Beginn ihrer beruflichen Weiterbildung verfügen sollen. Die Ultraschallausbildung wird im NKLM in vorklinischen und klinischen Fächern mehrfach erwähnt. Ein präziser Vorschlag für Struktur und Inhalte der praktischen Ultraschallausbildung fehlt im NKLM. Die Universitäten sind aufgefordert, verschiedene Ausbildungsmodelle zu evaluieren.
CME: Stellenwert der Thoraxsonografie beim Thoraxtrauma
Authors: Morf Susanne
Published: November 2018

Zusammenfassung. Traumapatienten sollten nach internationalen Richtlinien versorgt werden. Je nach Schweregrad des Traumas muss eine unmittelbare Lebensbedrohung ausgeschlossen werden und die Sonografie gehört zur Komplementierung der Diagnostik dazu. Zur EFAST-Untersuchung gehört der Ausschluss von Flüssigkeit im Thorax, von einem Pneumothorax und von Flüssigkeit im Perikard.
Diagnostik des Karpaltunnelsyndroms: Wert der Sonografie im Vergleich zur elektrophysiologischen Untersuchung
Authors: Schmid Patrik , Badur Nicole , Kluge Sebastian , Vögelin Esther
Published: November 2018

Zusammenfassung. Das Karpaltunnelsyndrom (KTS) ist das häufigste Kompressionssyndrom der peripheren Nerven. Zur Diagnostik gehören die Anamnese mit den in der 6-Punkte-Karpaltunnelsyndrom-Symptomskala enthaltenen Kriterien nächtliche Brachialgie, Brachialgie tagsüber, nächtliche Akroparästhesie und Akroparästhesie tagsüber sowie eine spezifische klinische Untersuchung. Die weiteren diagnostischen Schritte schliessen eine Abklärung mittels Elektroneuromyografie ein. Eine hochauflösende Ultraschalluntersuchung zur Einschätzung der Morphologie des N. medianus hat zunehmend an Bedeutung in der Diagnosestellung des KTS gewonnen, während die Elektroneuromyografie eine funktionelle Beurteilung erlaubt. Der Kardinalbefund in der Nervensonografie (NUS) ist die relative oder absolute Vergrösserung des Nervenquerschnitts proximal des Randes des Retinaculum flexorum. Obwohl zunehmend Studien befürworten, NUS als Erstuntersuchung in der Diagnostik des KTS einzusetzen, herrscht kein Konsens über optimale sonografische Kriterien in der Definition eines komprimierten N. medianus. Ziel dieser Arbeit ist es, den Einsatz von Ultraschall und Elektrophysiologie in der Diagnosestellung des KTS am eigenen Patientengut und im Vergleich zur Literatur vorzustellen.
Time and Scale Dependence in Estuarine Longitudinal Dispersion
Authors: Liu Wei , Li Ming , Chant Robert , Hunter Eli , Valle‐Levinson Arnoldo
Published: November 2018

Dye‐release and numerical modeling experiments are conducted to investigate horizontal dispersion in a partially mixed estuary. Longitudinal dispersion of a dye patch shows marked flood‐ebb asymmetry in the first two tidal cycles after a dye release, with most of the dispersion occurring during ebb tides. There are large differences in the dispersion rate between spring and neap tides. Due to increased vertical mixing during spring tides, a dye patch quickly extends from the bottom to the surface and is exposed to the vertical shear in the entire water column, enhancing longitudinal dispersion. In contrast, most of the dye patch is limited to the bottom few meters during the neap tides. Although decreased vertical mixing during neap tides facilitates longitudinal dispersion, the vertical shear across the thin dye patch in the bottom layer is much weaker than the full water column shear in spring tides. Decreased shear leads to reduced longitudinal dispersion. After four tidal cycles, the second moment of the dye patch increases with time in the along‐channel direction at a power of between 2 and 3. The longitudinal dispersion rate varies as the four thirds power of the dye patch size, indicating scale‐dependent diffusion.
The Apparent Absence of Kilometer‐Sized Pyroclastic Volcanoes on Mercury: Are We Looking Right?
Authors: Brož P. , Čadek O. , Wright J. , Rothery D. A.
Published: November 2018

Spacecraft data reveal that volcanism was active on Mercury. Evidence of large‐volume effusive and smaller‐scale explosive eruptions has been detected. However, only large (>~15 km) volcanic features or vents have been found so far, despite abundant high‐resolution imagery. On other volcanic planets, the size of volcanoes is anticorrelated with their frequency; small volcanoes are much more numerous than large ones. Here we present results of a numerical model that predicts the shapes of ballistically emplaced volcanic edifices and hence can explain the lack of kilometer‐sized constructional explosive volcanoes on the surface of Mercury. We find that due to the absence of the atmosphere, particles are spread on this planet over a larger area than is typical for Earth or Mars. Erupted volumes are likely insufficient to build edifices with slope angles that enable their easy recognition with currently available data or that could survive destruction by subsequent impact bombardment.
Seeking the Shore: Evidence for Active Submarine Canyon Head Incision Due to Coarse Sediment Supply and Focusing of Wave Energy
Authors: Smith M. Elliot , Werner Samuel H. , Buscombe Daniel , Finnegan Noah J. , Sumner Esther J. , Mueller Erich R.
Published: November 2018

Submarine flows carve canyons into continental shelves, yet the conditions and events responsible for canyon incision are incompletely understood. Coarse sediment flux has been shown to promote terrestrial bedrock incision via abrasion in rivers, but similar processes in submarine canyons have yet to be systematically documented. We use repeat bathymetry, provenance analysis, wave modeling, and channel network analysis to show that longshore sheltering and wave focusing by the Delgada submarine canyon induce sediment accumulation and elevated wave shear stresses in its headwall region that frequently mobilize coarse bed material. These mobilizations scour bedrock in the headwall and generate abrasive turbidity currents that work to carve the canyon's active channel into bedrock. These findings highlight an important positive feedback between submarine canyons, waves, and sediment supply and suggest that submarine canyons adjacent to wave‐dominated, coarse sediment‐rich coastlines seek the shoreline through headward incision.
Sensitivity of the ITCZ Location to Ocean Forcing Via Q‐Flux Green's Function Experiments
Authors: Harrop Bryce E. , Lu Jian , Liu Fukai , Garuba Oluwayemi A. , Leung L. Ruby
Published: November 2018

The sensitivity of the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) position to forcing patterns is important for understanding changes in tropical rainfall. A set of Green's function experiments reveals hat this sensitivity is asymmetric depending on which hemisphere (northern or southern) the forcing is applied. Northern hemisphere forcings produce a much larger response than southern hemisphere forcings of similar magnitude. The response of the ITCZ position to forcing can be broken into linear and nonlinear components, and it is shown that the asymmetry arises from the nonlinear component. The linear and nonlinear response components have similar magnitudes, but the pattern of the nonlinear component is insensitive to the location of the forcing, such that it amplifies the response to northern hemisphere forcings and dampens the response to southern hemisphere forcings. This asymmetry hints at an intrinsic mode of the climate system, depending on the current climate state.
Rupture Kinematics and Structural‐Rheological Control of the 2016 Mw6.1 Amatrice (Central Italy) Earthquake From Joint Inversion of Seismic and Geodetic Data
Authors: Cirella A. , Pezzo G. , Piatanesi A.
Published: November 2018

We investigate the rupture process of the 2016, Mw6.1 Amatrice earthquake, the first shock of a seismic sequence characterized by three damaging earthquakes occurred in central Italy between August and October. We jointly invert strong motion, High‐Rate GPS data, GPS, and DInSAR displacements and we adopt ad hoc velocity profiles of the crust below each station. The retrieved source model reveals a high degree of complexity, characterized by a prominent bilateral rupture with low slip at the hypocenter, two well‐separated slip patches and a rupture front accelerating when breaking the largest patch. The rupture of the main asperity features a slip‐velocity pulse that is impeded ahead of its current direction and splits into two pulses. In this fault section we find clues of structural and rheological control of the rupture propagation due to the fault system segmentation.
Spatial and Temporal Variability of Coccolithophore Blooms in the Eastern Bering Sea
Authors: Ladd C. , Eisner L. B. , Salo S. A. , Mordy C. W. , Iglesias‐Rodriguez M. D.
Published: November 2018

Coccolithophores are a widespread group of marine phytoplankton that produce plates of calcium carbonate that cover their cells. Large blooms of coccolithophores may significantly influence the biogeochemical properties of the ocean and atmosphere and trophic dynamics of the marine ecosystem. Because of the important implications of coccolithophore blooms, their timely monitoring and reporting is necessary for ecosystem management. To communicate with ecosystem management stakeholders, we developed an annual Coccolithophore Bloom Index (CBI) for the eastern Bering Sea shelf using satellite ocean color data. Comparisons between in situ and satellite data and the CBI (years 1997–2017) were used to examine the hypotheses regarding environmental influences on interannual bloom variability. A significant nonlinear relationship with summer stratification was found: the CBI was higher during years with either very low or very high stratification. In addition, while the blooms usually occurred over the middle shelf (50‐ to 100‐m depth), more of the bloom was located over the shallow (30–50 m) inner shelf when stratification was low. Spatial correspondence between nutrient concentrations (nitrate and ammonium) and the areal extent of the coccolithophore bloom provides tantalizing but nonconclusive evidence that nutrient availability plays a role in bloom formation and location.
On the Harvest of Predictability From Land States in a Global Forecast Model
Authors: Dirmeyer Paul A. , Halder Subhadeep , Bombardi Rodrigo
Published: November 2018

Various land surface treatments in a suite of subseasonal‐to‐seasonal forecasts are applied to diagnose the degree to which potential predictability from the land surface is harvested, where breakdowns occur in the process chains that link land surface states to atmospheric phenomena, and the role played by memory in the climate system. Version 2 of the Coupled Forecast System (CFSv2) is used for boreal summer simulations spanning 28 years. Four types of retrospective forecasts are produced: those where land surface initial states are from the same date and year as the initial atmosphere and ocean states; ensembles where initial land states come from different years than the atmosphere and ocean; simulations where soil moisture is specified from an observationally constrained analysis; and simulations where an alternative triggering mechanism for convection is employed. The specified soil moisture allows estimation of an upper bound for land‐driven predictability and prediction skill in boreal summer. Realistic land initialization represents the best possible case with this model in forecast mode, while the simulations with initial land states from different years isolate the impact of atmosphere and ocean initialization on forecasts. Harvested predictability is calculated, and its relationship to memory of initial anomalies is estimated. The pathway of land surface information through the energy and water cycles to the atmosphere, and ultimately its effects on precipitation, is traced, showing a robust propagation of useful signal through land surface fluxes, near‐surface meteorological states, and boundary layer properties, but largely disappearing at precipitation, implying problems with the convective parameterization.
SO2 Observations and Sources in the Western Pacific Tropical Tropopause Region
Authors: Rollins Andrew W. , Thornberry Troy D. , Atlas Elliot , Navarro Maria , Schauffler Sue , Moore Fred , Elkins James W. , Ray Eric , Rosenlof Karen , Aquila Valentina , Gao Ru‐Shan
Published: November 2018

Sulfur dioxide (SO2) is one of the primary source gases for aerosols in the atmosphere. Even at low concentrations, its presence in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UT/LS) provides an important source for aerosol nucleation and growth, and SO2 has been postulated to be important for the stratospheric sulfur budget. To understand aerosol nucleation and global radiative effects, it is therefore important to quantify how much SO2 emitted from biogenic and anthropogenic processes at the surface is transported into the UT/LS. Much of the potential transport is expected to occur in regions of significant deep convection such as the western Pacific warm pool. Here we use measurements from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) WB‐57F Pacific Oxidants Sulfur Ice and DehydratiON (POSIDON) mission that was based in Guam in 2016 to examine the distribution and sources of SO2 in the western Pacific UT/LS region. During POSIDON, a few events related to volcanic emissions as well as transport by tropical cyclones were observed that brought up to 86 pptv of SO2 above 14‐km altitude. Overall however, the measurements corroborate our earlier findings that SO2 near the tropical tropopause is typically quite low (~5 pptv) and globally the transport of SO2 into the stratosphere is likely a minor source of stratospheric aerosols.
ADAM12 is a circulating marker for stromal activation in pancreatic cancer and predicts response to chemotherapy
Authors: Veenstra V. L. , Damhofer H. , Waasdorp C. , van Rijssen L. B. , van de Vijver M. J. , Dijk F. , Wilmink H. W. , Besselink M. G. , Busch O. R. , Chang D. K. , Bailey P. J. , Biankin A. V. , Kocher H. M. , Medema J. P. , Li J. S. , Jiang R. , Pierce D. W. , van Laarhoven H. W. M. , Bijlsma M. F.
Published: November 2018

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is characterized by abundant stroma that harbors tumor-promoting properties. No good biomarkers exist to monitor the effect of stromal targeting therapies or to predict response. We set out to identify such non-invasive markers for PDAC stroma and predict response to therapy. Gene expression datasets, co-culture experiments, xenografts, and patient samples were analyzed. Serum samples were measured from a cohort of 58 resected patients, and 87 metastatic or locally advanced PDAC patients. Baseline and follow-up levels were assessed in 372 additional metastatic PDAC patients who received nab-paclitaxel with gemcitabine (n = 184) or gemcitabine monotherapy (n = 188) in the phase III MPACT trial. Increased levels of ADAM12 were found in PDAC patients compared to healthy controls (p < 0.0001, n = 157 and n = 38). High levels of ADAM12 significantly associated with poor outcome in resected PDAC (HR 2.07, p = 0.04). In the MPACT trial survival was significantly longer for patients who received nab-paclitaxel and had undetectable ADAM12 levels before treatment (OS 12.3 m vs 7.9 m p = 0.0046). Consistently undetectable or decreased ADAM12 levels during treatment significantly associated with longer survival as well (OS 14.4 m and 11.2 m, respectively vs 8.3, p = 0.0054). We conclude that ADAM12 is a blood-borne proxy for stromal activation, the levels of which have prognostic significance and correlate with treatment benefit.
Glucocorticoid-mediated ER-mitochondria contacts reduce AMPA receptor and mitochondria trafficking into cell terminus via microtubule destabilization
Authors: Choi Gee Euhn , Oh Ji Young , Lee Hyun Jik , Chae Chang Woo , Kim Jun Sung , Jung Young Hyun , Han Ho Jae
Published: November 2018

Glucocorticoid, a major risk factor of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), is widely known to promote microtubule dysfunction recognized as the early pathological feature that culminates in memory deficits. However, the exact glucocorticoid receptor (GR)-mediated mechanism of how glucocorticoid triggers microtubule destabilization and following intracellular transport deficits remains elusive. Therefore, we investigated the effect of glucocorticoid on microtubule instability and cognitive impairment using male ICR mice and human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells. The mice group that was exposed to corticosteroid, the major glucocorticoid form of rodents, showed reduced trafficking of α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid receptor (AMPAR) 1/2 and mitochondria, which are necessary for memory establishment, into the synapse due to microtubule destabilization. In SH-SY5Y cells, cortisol, the major glucocorticoid form of humans, also decreased microtubule stability represented by reduced acetylated α-tubulin to tyrosinated α-tubulin ratio (A/T ratio), depending on the mitochondria GR-mediated pathway. Cortisol translocated the Hsp70-bound GR into mitochondria which thereafter promoted GR-Bcl-2 interaction. Increased ER-mitochondria connectivity via GR-Bcl-2 coupling led to mitochondrial Ca2+ influx, which triggered mTOR activation. Subsequent autophagy inhibition by mTOR phosphorylation increased SCG10 protein levels via reducing ubiquitination of SCG10, eventually inducing microtubule destabilization. Thus, failure of trafficking AMPAR1/2 and mitochondria into the cell terminus occurred by kinesin-1 detachment from microtubules, which is responsible for transporting organelles towards periphery. However, the mice exposed to pretreatment of microtubule stabilizer paclitaxel showed the restored translocation of AMPAR1/2 or mitochondria into synapses and improved memory function compared to corticosterone-treated mice. In conclusion, glucocorticoid enhances ER-mitochondria coupling which evokes elevated SCG10 and microtubule destabilization dependent on mitochondrial GR. This eventually leads to memory impairment through failure of AMPAR1/2 or mitochondria transport into cell periphery.
The structure and function of the global citrus rhizosphere microbiome
Authors: Xu Jin , Zhang Yunzeng , Zhang Pengfan , Trivedi Pankaj , Riera Nadia , Wang Yayu , Liu Xin , Fan Guangyi , Tang Jiliang , Coletta-Filho Helvécio D. , Cubero Jaime , Deng Xiaoling , Ancona Veronica , Lu Zhanjun , Zhong Balian , Roper M. Caroline , Capote Nieves , Catara Vittoria , Pietersen Gerhard , Vernière Christian , Al-Sadi Abdullah M. , Li Lei , Yang Fan , Xu Xun , Wang Jian , Yang Huanming , Jin Tao , Wang Nian
Published: November 2018

Citrus is a globally important, perennial fruit crop whose rhizosphere microbiome is thought to play an important role in promoting citrus growth and health. Here, we report a comprehensive analysis of the structural and functional composition of the citrus rhizosphere microbiome. We use both amplicon and deep shotgun metagenomic sequencing of bulk soil and rhizosphere samples collected across distinct biogeographical regions from six continents. Predominant taxa include Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Acidobacteria and Bacteroidetes. The core citrus rhizosphere microbiome comprises Pseudomonas, Agrobacterium, Cupriavidus, Bradyrhizobium, Rhizobium, Mesorhizobium, Burkholderia, Cellvibrio, Sphingomonas, Variovorax and Paraburkholderia, some of which are potential plant beneficial microbes. We also identify over-represented microbial functional traits mediating plant-microbe and microbe-microbe interactions, nutrition acquisition and plant growth promotion in citrus rhizosphere. The results provide valuable information to guide microbial isolation and culturing and, potentially, to harness the power of the microbiome to improve plant production and health.
Hybrid perovskite light emitting diodes under intense electrical excitation
Authors: Kim Hoyeon , Zhao Lianfeng , Price Jared S. , Grede Alex J. , Roh Kwangdong , Brigeman Alyssa N. , Lopez Mike , Rand Barry P. , Giebink Noel C.
Published: November 2018

Hybrid perovskite semiconductors represent a promising platform for color-tunable light emitting diodes (LEDs) and lasers; however, the behavior of these materials under the intense electrical excitation required for electrically-pumped lasing remains unexplored. Here, we investigate methylammonium lead iodide-based perovskite LEDs under short pulsed drive at current densities up to 620 A cm−2. At low current density (J < 10 A cm−2), we find that the external quantum efficiency (EQE) depends strongly on the time-averaged history of the pulse train and show that this curiosity is associated with slow ion movement that changes the internal field distribution and trap density in the device. The impact of ions is less pronounced in the high current density regime (J > 10 A cm−2), where EQE roll-off is dominated by a combination of Joule heating and charge imbalance yet shows no evidence of Auger loss, suggesting that operation at kA cm−2 current densities relevant for a laser diode should be within reach.
Improved reference genome of Aedes aegypti informs arbovirus vector control
Authors: Matthews Benjamin J. , Dudchenko Olga , Kingan Sarah B. , Koren Sergey , Antoshechkin Igor , Crawford Jacob E. , Glassford William J. , Herre Margaret , Redmond Seth N. , Rose Noah H. , Weedall Gareth D. , Wu Yang , Batra Sanjit S. , Brito-Sierra Carlos A. , Buckingham Steven D. , Campbell Corey L. , Chan Saki , Cox Eric , Evans Benjamin R. , Fansiri Thanyalak , Filipović Igor , Fontaine Albin , Gloria-Soria Andrea , Hall Richard , Joardar Vinita S. , Jones Andrew K. , Kay Raissa G. G. , Kodali Vamsi K. , Lee Joyce , Lycett Gareth J. , Mitchell Sara N. , Muehling Jill , Murphy Michael R. , Omer Arina D. , Partridge Frederick A. , Peluso Paul , Aiden Aviva Presser , Ramasamy Vidya , Rašić Gordana , Roy Sourav , Saavedra-Rodriguez Karla , Sharan Shruti , Sharma Atashi , Smith Melissa Laird , Turner Joe , Weakley Allison M. , Zhao Zhilei , Akbari Omar S. , Black William C. , Cao Han , Darby Alistair C. , Hill Catherine A. , Johnston J. Spencer , Murphy Terence D. , Raikhel Alexander S. , Sattelle David B. , Sharakhov Igor V. , White Bradley J. , Zhao Li , Aiden Erez Lieberman , Mann Richard S. , Lambrechts Louis , Powell Jeffrey R. , Sharakhova Maria V. , Tu Zhijian , Robertson Hugh M. , McBride Carolyn S. , Hastie Alex R. , Korlach Jonas , Neafsey Daniel E. , Phillippy Adam M. , Vosshall Leslie B.
Published: November 2018

Female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes infect more than 400 million people each year with dangerous viral pathogens including dengue, yellow fever, Zika and chikungunya. Progress in understanding the biology of mosquitoes and developing the tools to fight them has been slowed by the lack of a high-quality genome assembly. Here we combine diverse technologies to produce the markedly improved, fully re-annotated AaegL5 genome assembly, and demonstrate how it accelerates mosquito science. We anchored physical and cytogenetic maps, doubled the number of known chemosensory ionotropic receptors that guide mosquitoes to human hosts and egg-laying sites, provided further insight into the size and composition of the sex-determining M locus, and revealed copy-number variation among glutathione S-transferase genes that are important for insecticide resistance. Using high-resolution quantitative trait locus and population genomic analyses, we mapped new candidates for dengue vector competence and insecticide resistance. AaegL5 will catalyse new biological insights and intervention strategies to fight this deadly disease vector.
The hippocampus underlies the association between self-esteem and physical health
Authors: Lu Huanhua , Li Xueting , Wang Yinan , Song Yiying , Liu Jia
Published: November 2018

Self-esteem refers to the extent to which we feel positive or negative about ourselves, and reflects an individual’s subjective evaluation of personal worth and attitudes about the self. As one kind of positive psychosocial resources, high self-esteem has been found to buffer the effects of stress on physical health. However, little is known about the possible neural basis underlying the association between physical health and self-esteem. In the present study, we investigated whether the hippocampus served as a neuroanatomical basis for the association between self-esteem and physical health in a large population of healthy young adults. We examined self-esteem and self-reported physical health with the Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale (RSES) and the Chinese Constitution Questionnaire (CCQ) respectively, and gray matter volume of the hippocampus was measured using magnetic resonance imaging. As expected, we found that individuals with higher levels of self-esteem had better self-reported physical health. Importantly, the mediation analysis showed that the gray matter volume of the hippocampus mediated the link between self-esteem and physical health, suggesting its critical role in the neural circuitry through which self-esteem is related to physical health.
p66Shc activation promotes increased oxidative phosphorylation and renders CNS cells more vulnerable to amyloid beta toxicity
Authors: Lone Asad , Harris Richard A. , Singh Olivia , Betts Dean H. , Cumming Robert C.
Published: November 2018

A key pathological feature of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the accumulation of the neurotoxic amyloid beta (Aβ) peptide within the brains of affected individuals. Previous studies have shown that neuronal cells selected for resistance to Aβ toxicity display a metabolic shift from mitochondrial-dependent oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) to aerobic glycolysis to meet their energy needs. The Src homology/collagen (Shc) adaptor protein p66Shc is a key regulator of mitochondrial function, ROS production and aging. Moreover, increased expression and activation of p66Shc promotes a shift in the cellular metabolic state from aerobic glycolysis to OXPHOS in cancer cells. Here we evaluated the hypothesis that activation of p66Shc in CNS cells promotes both increased OXPHOS and enhanced sensitivity to Aβ toxicity. The effect of altered p66Shc expression on metabolic activity was assessed in rodent HT22 and B12 cell lines of neuronal and glial origin respectively. Overexpression of p66Shc repressed glycolytic enzyme expression and increased both mitochondrial electron transport chain activity and ROS levels in HT22 cells. The opposite effect was observed when endogenous p66Shc expression was knocked down in B12 cells. Moreover, p66Shc activation in both cell lines increased their sensitivity to Aβ toxicity. Our findings indicate that expression and activation of p66Shc renders CNS cells more sensitive to Aβ toxicity by promoting mitochondrial OXPHOS and ROS production while repressing aerobic glycolysis. Thus, p66Shc may represent a potential therapeutically relevant target for the treatment of AD.
Real-time tropospheric delay retrieval with GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and BDS data
Authors: Pan Lin , Guo Fei
Published: November 2018

The precise point positioning (PPP) is a promising technology for the real-time retrieval of atmospheric parameters with a single receiver in anywhere, all-weather and any time. The real-time atmospheric parameters can be applied to the time-critical meteorology, such as the severe weather nowcasting. The PPP is a satellite-based technology. Multi-constellation integration can enhance satellite geometry and increase measurement redundancy so that the solutions of atmospheric parameters are expected to be improved. Currently, the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) family includes recovered GLONASS and modernized GPS as well as the emerging Galileo and BDS. A week of GNSS observations from 160 stations are processed to retrieve the tropospheric zenith total delay (ZTD) in real time. The four-constellation mixed real-time precise products including satellite orbit and clock corrections are adopted, and their quality is evaluated. The performance of ZTD estimates is assessed in terms of accuracy and convergence time by comparing with final tropospheric ZTD products provided by two analysis centers. The ZTDs retrieved from different constellation combinations (i.e., GPS/GLONASS/Galileo/BDS, GPS/GLONASS, and GPS-only), different processing models for ionospheric delays (i.e., ionospheric-free (IF) combined PPP, and uncombined (UC) PPP), and different modes (i.e., real-time mode, and post-processing mode) are compared.
IL-23R Signaling Plays No Role in Myocardial Infarction
Authors: Engelowski Erika , Modares Nastaran Fazel , Gorressen Simone , Bouvain Pascal , Semmler Dominik , Alter Christina , Ding Zhaoping , Flögel Ulrich , Schrader Jürgen , Xu Haifeng , Lang Philipp A. , Fischer Jens , Floss Doreen M. , Scheller Jürgen
Published: November 2018

Ischemic heart diseases are the most frequent diseases in the western world. Apart from Interleukin (IL-)1, inflammatory therapeutic targets in the clinic are still missing. Interestingly, opposing roles of the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-23 have been described in cardiac ischemia in mice. IL-23 is a composite cytokine consisting of p19 and p40 which binds to IL-23R and IL-12Rβ1 to initiate signal transduction characterized by activation of the Jak/STAT, PI3K and Ras/Raf/MAPK pathways. Here, we generate IL-23R-Y416FΔICD signaling deficient mice and challenged these mice in close- and open-chest left anterior descending coronary arteria ischemia/reperfusion experiments. Our experiments showed only minimal changes in all assayed parameters in IL-23R signaling deficient mice compared to wild-type mice in ischemia and for up to four weeks of reperfusion, including ejection fraction, endsystolic volume, enddiastolic volume, infarct size, gene regulation and α smooth muscle actin (αSMA) and Hyaluronic acid (HA) protein expression. Moreover, injection of IL-23 in wild-type mice after LAD ischemia/reperfusion had also no influence on the outcome of the healing phase. Our data showed that IL-23R deficiency has no effects in myocardial I/R.
Gene Expression Signatures Point to a Male Sex-Specific Lung Mesenchymal Cell PDGF Receptor Signaling Defect in Infants Developing Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia
Authors: Fulton Christina T. , Cui Tracy X. , Goldsmith Adam M. , Bermick Jennifer , Popova Antonia P.
Published: November 2018

Male sex is a risk factor for development of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), a common chronic lung disease following preterm birth. We previously found that tracheal aspirate mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) from premature infants developing BPD show reduced expression of PDGFRα, which is required for normal lung development. We hypothesized that MSCs from male infants developing BPD exhibit a pathologic gene expression profile deficient in PDGFR and its downstream effectors, thereby favoring delayed lung development. In a discovery cohort of 6 male and 7 female premature infants, we analyzed the tracheal aspirate MSCs transcriptome. A unique gene signature distinguished MSCs from male infants developing BPD from all other MSCs. Genes involved in lung development, PDGF signaling and extracellular matrix remodeling were differentially expressed. We sought to confirm these findings in a second cohort of 13 male and 12 female premature infants. mRNA expression of PDGFRA, FGF7, WNT2, SPRY1, MMP3 and FOXF2 were significantly lower in MSCs from male infants developing BPD. In female infants developing BPD, tracheal aspirate levels of proinflammatory CCL2 and profibrotic Galectin-1 were higher compared to male infants developing BPD and female not developing BPD. Our findings support a notion for sex-specific differences in the mechanisms of BPD development.