bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
DO MATURE INNOVATION PLATFORMS MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH FOR DEVELOPMENT? A META-ANALYSIS OF CASE STUDIES
Authors: SCHUT MARC , CADILHON JEAN-JOSEPH , MISIKO MICHAEL , DROR IDDO 
Published: December 2016

SUMMARYInnovation Platforms (IPs) have become a popular vehicle in agricultural research for development (AR4D). The IP promise is that integrating scientific and local knowledge results in innovations that can have impact at scale. Many studies have uncovered how IPs work in various countries, value chains and themes. The conclusion is clear: IPs generate enthusiasm and can bring together stakeholders to effectively address specific problems and achieve ‘local’ impact. However, few studies focus on ‘mature’ IPs and whether or not these achieve impact at a ‘higher’ scale: address systems trade-offs to guide decision making, focus on integration of multiple commodities, reach a large number of beneficiaries and learn from their failures. This study evaluates the impact of mature IPs in AR4D by analysing the success factors of eight case studies across three continents. Although we found pockets of IP success and impact, these were rarely achieved at scale. We therefore critically question the use of IPs as a technology dissemination and scaling mechanism in AR4D programs that aim to benefit the livelihoods of many farmers in developing countries. Nevertheless, we do find that IPs can fulfil an important role in AR4D. If the IP processes are truly demand-driven, participatory and based on collective investment and action, they have the ability to bring together committed stakeholders, and result in innovations that are technically sound, locally adapted, economically feasible for farmers, and socially, culturally and politically acceptable. Several of our cases show that if these IPs are firmly embedded in other public and private extension mechanisms and networks, they can allow the technologies or other types of innovations to scale out beyond the original IP scope, geographical focus or target audience. We see a need for more rigorous, accurate and continuous measurement of IP performance which can contribute to adaptive management of IPs, better understanding of ‘what works’ in terms of process design and facilitation, as well as to cost-benefit analysis of IPs as compared to other approaches that aim to contribute to agricultural development.
IDEALIZATION, JUSTICE, AND THE FORM OF PRACTICAL REASON
Authors: Hope Simon 
Published: December 2016

Abstract:Current debates about ideal theory and idealization in modern moral and political philosophy do not typically scrutinize the form of reflection itself. This is an unfortunate oversight: assumptions about the form of reflection shape the positions defended in those debates. I argue that the appropriate form of reflection on the nature and justification of standards of justice and morality is the form of practical reason. I further argue that the form of practical reason cannot support many of the idealizations typically deployed in modern moral and political philosophy.
FEASIBILITY: INDIVIDUAL AND COLLECTIVE
Authors: Stemplowska Zofia 
Published: December 2016

Abstract:This essay offers an account of feasible actions. It criticizes the conditional
account of feasibility and offers instead what I call the constrained account of
feasibility. The constrained account is superior, I argue, on account of how it
deals with the problem of motivational failure to act and with collective
action. According to the constrained account, roughly put, an action is feasible
when the agent or agents performing it know how to perform it and are
appropriately responsive to incentives. The essay shows that some collective
requirements for action that appear feasible are not in fact feasible.
WHAT “REALISTIC UTOPIAS” ARE — AND AREN’T
Authors: Galston William A. 
Published: December 2016

Abstract:Political theory is not a purely theoretical enterprise; it is intended to be practical and action-guiding. To perform this role, the requirements of political theory must be possible, and the standard of possibility it employs must be appropriate to the political domain. Because human beings vary in their capacity for morality and justice, a reasonably just society, as Rawls understands it, must not be expected. Despite his concerns to the contrary, the possibility of a just polity is not needed to ward off resignation and cynicism. There is a principled path between a politics of complacency that thwarts feasible progress and a politics of utopian aspiration that ends by inflicting harm in the name of doing good.
CONFESSIONS OF A UTOPOPHOBE
Authors: Huemer Michael 
Published: December 2016

Abstract:Ideal theorists in political philosophy seek to describe a perfect political society, and to evaluate political principles by reference to their consequences in a world where everyone complies with the principles. I argue that ideal theory is not needed to set goals for practical inquiries, nor to define justice, nor to enable rankings of injustices. Nor is it useful to theorize about very different kinds of society that might occur in the far future. Ideal theory tempts us to make each of three kinds of error: it tempts us to propose norms that no specific agent can act on, to posit crazy exaggerations of moral virtues, and to place too much trust in abstract philosophical reasoning. A better approach to normative questions is to rely on analogical arguments starting from uncontroversial intuitions about concrete scenarios.
THE COMMONWEALTH OF BEES: ON THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF JUSTICE-THROUGH-ETHOS
Authors: Gaus Gerald 
Published: December 2016

Abstract:Some understand utopia as an ideal society in which everyone would be thoroughly informed by a moral ethos: all would always act on their pure conscientious judgments about justice, and so it would never be necessary to provide incentives for them to act as justice requires. In this essay I argue that such a society is impossible. A society of purely conscientiously just agents would be unable to achieve real justice. This is the Paradox of Pure Conscientiousness. This paradox, I argue, can only be overcome when individuals are prepared to depart from their own pure, conscientious, judgments of justice.
SKEPTICISM ABOUT UNCONSTRAINED UTOPIANISM
Authors: Hall Edward 
Published: December 2016

Abstract:In this essay, I critically engage with a methodological approach in contemporary political theory — unconstrained utopianism — which holds that we can only determine how we should live by first giving an account of the principles that would govern society if people were perfectly morally motivated. I provide reasons for being skeptical of this claim. To begin with I query the robustness of the principles unconstrained utopianism purportedly delivers. While the method can be understood as offering existence proofs, because we can devise other situations in which morally flawless decision making would unearth alternative sets of principles, I argue that such proofs tell us surprisingly little about how we should live in general. Drawing on this point, I contend that normative models that wish away certain phenomena that are uncontroversially central to any account of politics cannot plausibly claim to tell us how we should live in political society. I conclude by offering a more positive sketch of why avoiding this brand of utopianism might not represent a problematic capitulation to the morally nonideal and suggest that theorizing in light of certain constraints may be a precondition of good normative theorizing itself.
JUSTICE, FEASIBILITY, AND IDEAL THEORY: A PLURALIST APPROACH
Authors: Mason Andrew 
Published: December 2016

Abstract:A qualified pluralism is defended that recognizes value in a variety of forms of political theory and resists arguments that purport to show that one particular approach should occupy a privileged position. Against realists, it is argued that abstract analyses of political values that bracket a wide range of facts about people and their circumstances can be both coherent and important, whereas against those who think “ideal theory” or the identification of ultimate principles should come first, it is argued that the case for always giving priority to either one of these is weak.
Spatial awareness in pervasive ecosystems
Authors: Dobson Simon , Viroli Mirko , Fernandez-Marquez Jose Luis , Zambonelli Franco , Stevenson Graeme , Di Marzo Serugendo Giovanna , Montagna Sara , Pianini Danilo , Ye Juan , Castelli Gabriella , Rosi Alberto 
Published: December 2016

AbstractPervasive systems are intended to make use of services and components that they encounter in their environment. Such systems are naturallyspatialin that they can only be understood in terms of the ways in which components meet and interact in space. Rather than treating spatiality separately from system components, researchers are starting to develop computational models in which the entire structure of a pervasive system is modelled and constructed using an explicit spatial model, supporting multi-level spatial reasoning, and adapting autonomously to spatial interactions. In this paper, we review current and emerging models of spatial computing for pervasive ecosystems, and highlight some of the trends that will guide future research.
Storing massive Resource Description Framework (RDF) data: a survey
Authors: Ma Zongmin , Capretz Miriam A. M. , Yan Li 
Published: December 2016

AbstractThe Resource Description Framework (RDF) is a flexible model for representing information about resources on the Web. As a W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) Recommendation, RDF has rapidly gained popularity. With the widespread acceptance of RDF on the Web and in the enterprise, a huge amount of RDF data is being proliferated and becoming available. Efficient and scalable management of RDF data is therefore of increasing importance. RDF data management has attracted attention in the database and Semantic Web communities. Much work has been devoted to proposing different solutions to store RDF data efficiently. This paper focusses on using relational databases and NoSQL (for ‘not only SQL (Structured Query Language)’) databases to store massive RDF data. A full up-to-date overview of the current state of the art in RDF data storage is provided in the paper.
Charles Georges Thibault (1919–2003): inspirational leader in French reproductive biology
Authors: Hunter R.H.F 
Published: December 2016

SummaryThe contribution of Charles Thibault in creating and developing a major international centre of animal research at Jouy-en-Josas (near Versailles) in post Second World War France is recorded in detail. Not only did he select a team of gifted young chercheurs, but he stimulated and supported their research in diverse ways. The projects covered were not only primarily of significance to animal reproduction, but they also became relevant to human infertility studies and to IVF treatments. Members of the team in Physiologie Animale gained international research reputations and seasoned overseas researchers were attracted to Jouy-en-Josas for their sabbaticals. Thibault himself was known especially for his studies on the mammalian oocyte, on fertilization both in vivo and in vitro, and for a key publication on parthenogenesis. Over and above leading the department of Physiologie Animale at the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), he was Professor of Reproductive Physiology at the University of Paris VI and an influential member of national committees in Paris. His formal career reached a peak with his appointment as President of the French scientific research organisation (CNRS), and his overall contributions were celebrated both nationally and internationally, not least as Commander of the Legion d'Honneur and recipient of the Wolf Prize, the latter being presented in the Israeli Parliament, the Knessett. His influence continues to be strong, felt in France and beyond through his protégés and his publications.
Integrin α7 is a functional cancer stem cell surface marker in oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Ming Xiao-Yan , Fu Li , Zhang Li-Yi , Qin Yan-Ru , Cao Ting-Ting , Chan Kwok Wah , Ma Stephanie , Xie Dan , Guan Xin-Yuan 
Published: December 2016

AbstractNon-CG methylation has been associated with stemness regulation in embryonic stem cells. By comparing differentially expressed genes affected by non-CG methylation between tumour and corresponding non-tumour tissues in oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), we find that Integrin α7 (ITGA7) is characterized as a potential cancer stem cell (CSC) marker. Clinical data show that a high frequency of ITGA7+ cells in OSCC tissues is significantly associated with poor differentiation, lymph node metastasis and worse prognosis. Functional studies demonstrate that both sorted ITGA7+ cells and ITGA7 overexpressing cells display enhanced stemness features, including elevated expression of stemness-associated genes and epithelial–mesenchymal transition features, as well as increased abilities to self-renew, differentiate and resist chemotherapy. Mechanistic studies find that ITGA7 regulates CSC properties through the activation of the FAK-mediated signalling pathways. As knockdown of ITGA7 can effectively reduce the stemness of OSCC cells, ITGA7 could be a potential therapeutic target in OSCC treatment.
Mature IgM-expressing plasma cells sense antigen and develop competence for cytokine production upon antigenic challenge
Authors: Blanc Pascal , Moro-Sibilot Ludovic , Barthly Lucas , Jagot Ferdinand , This Sébastien , de Bernard Simon , Buffat Laurent , Dussurgey Sébastien , Colisson Renaud , Hobeika Elias , Fest Thierry , Taillardet Morgan , Thaunat Olivier , Sicard Antoine , Mondière Paul , Genestier Laurent , Nutt Stephen L. , Defrance Thierry 
Published: December 2016

AbstractDogma holds that plasma cells, as opposed to B cells, cannot bind antigen because they have switched from expression of membrane-bound immunoglobulins (Ig) that constitute the B-cell receptor (BCR) to production of the secreted form of immunoglobulins. Here we compare the phenotypical and functional attributes of plasma cells generated by the T-cell-dependent and T-cell-independent forms of the hapten NP. We show that the nature of the secreted Ig isotype, rather than the chemical structure of the immunizing antigen, defines two functionally distinct populations of plasma cells. Fully mature IgM-expressing plasma cells resident in the bone marrow retain expression of a functional BCR, whereas their IgG+ counterparts do not. Antigen boost modifies the gene expression profile of IgM+ plasma cells and initiates a cytokine production program, characterized by upregulation of CCL5 and IL-10. Our results demonstrate that IgM-expressing plasma cells can sense antigen and acquire competence for cytokine production upon antigenic challenge.
An ultra-tunable platform for molecular engineering of high-performance crystalline porous materials
Authors: Zhai Quan-Guo , Bu Xianhui , Mao Chengyu , Zhao Xiang , Daemen Luke , Cheng Yongqiang , Ramirez-Cuesta Anibal J. , Feng Pingyun 
Published: December 2016

AbstractMetal-organic frameworks are a class of crystalline porous materials with potential applications in catalysis, gas separation and storage, and so on. Of great importance is the development of innovative synthetic strategies to optimize porosity, composition and functionality to target specific applications. Here we show a platform for the development of metal-organic materials and control of their gas sorption properties. This platform can accommodate a large variety of organic ligands and homo- or hetero-metallic clusters, which allows for extraordinary tunability in gas sorption properties. Even without any strong binding sites, most members of this platform exhibit high gas uptake capacity. The high capacity is accomplished with an isosteric heat of adsorption as low as 20 kJ mol−1 for carbon dioxide, which could bring a distinct economic advantage because of the significantly reduced energy consumption for activation and regeneration of adsorbents.
Interstitial oxygen as a source of p-type conductivity in hexagonal manganites
Authors: Skjærvø Sandra H. , Wefring Espen T. , Nesdal Silje K. , Gaukås Nikolai H. , Olsen Gerhard H. , Glaum Julia , Tybell Thomas , Selbach Sverre M. 
Published: December 2016

AbstractHexagonal manganites, h-RMnO3 (R=Sc, Y, Ho–Lu), have been intensively studied for their multiferroic properties, magnetoelectric coupling, topological defects and electrically conducting domain walls. Although point defects strongly affect the conductivity of transition metal oxides, the defect chemistry of h-RMnO3 has received little attention. We use a combination of experiments and first principles electronic structure calculations to elucidate the effect of interstitial oxygen anions, Oi, on the electrical and structural properties of h-YMnO3. Enthalpy stabilized interstitial oxygen anions are shown to be the main source of p-type electronic conductivity, without reducing the spontaneous ferroelectric polarization. A low energy barrier interstitialcy mechanism is inferred from Density Functional Theory calculations to be the microscopic migration path of Oi. Since the Oi content governs the concentration of charge carrier holes, controlling the thermal and atmospheric history provides a simple and fully reversible way of tuning the electrical properties of h-RMnO3.
Species-specific control of external superoxide levels by the coral holobiont during a natural bleaching event
Authors: Diaz Julia M. , Hansel Colleen M. , Apprill Amy , Brighi Caterina , Zhang Tong , Weber Laura , McNally Sean , Xun Liping 
Published: December 2016

AbstractThe reactive oxygen species superoxide (O2·−) is both beneficial and detrimental to life. Within corals, superoxide may contribute to pathogen resistance but also bleaching, the loss of essential algal symbionts. Yet, the role of superoxide in coral health and physiology is not completely understood owing to a lack of direct in situ observations. By conducting field measurements of superoxide produced by corals during a bleaching event, we show substantial species-specific variation in external superoxide levels, which reflect the balance of production and degradation processes. Extracellular superoxide concentrations are independent of light, algal symbiont abundance and bleaching status, but depend on coral species and bacterial community composition. Furthermore, coral-derived superoxide concentrations ranged from levels below bulk seawater up to ∼120 nM, some of the highest superoxide concentrations observed in marine systems. Overall, these results unveil the ability of corals and/or their microbiomes to regulate superoxide in their immediate surroundings, which suggests species-specific roles of superoxide in coral health and physiology.
Development of novel noninvasive prenatal testing protocol for whole autosomal recessive disease using picodroplet digital PCR
Authors: Chang Mun Young , Kim Ah Reum , Kim Min Young , Kim Soyoung , Yoon Jinsun , Han Jae Joon , Ahn Soyeon , Kang Changsoo , Choi Byung Yoon 
Published: December 2016

AbstractWe developed a protocol of noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT), employing a higher-resolution picodroplet digital PCR, to detect genetic imbalance in maternal plasma DNA (mpDNA) caused by cell-free fetal DNA (cffDNA). In the present study, this approach was applied to four families with autosomal recessive (AR) congenital sensorineural hearing loss. First, a fraction of the fetal DNA in mpDNA was calculated. Then, we made artificial DNA mixtures (positive and negative controls) to simulate mpDNA containing the fraction of cffDNA with or without mutations. Next, a fraction of mutant cluster signals over the total signals was measured from mpDNA, positive controls, and negative controls. We determined whether fetal DNA carried any paternal or maternal mutations by calculating and comparing the sum of the log-likelihood of the study samples. Of the four families, we made a successful prediction of the complete fetal genotype in two cases where a distinct cluster was identified for each genotype and the fraction of cffDNA in mpDNA was at least 6.4%. Genotyping of only paternal mutation was possible in one of the other two families. This is the first NIPT protocol potentially applicable to any AR monogenic disease with various genotypes, including point mutations.
A low balance between microparticles expressing tissue factor pathway inhibitor and tissue factor is associated with thrombosis in Behçet’s Syndrome
Authors: Khan E. , Ambrose N. L. , Ahnström J. , Kiprianos A. P. , Stanford M. R. , Eleftheriou D. , Brogan P.A. , Mason J. C. , Johns M. , Laffan M. A. , Haskard D. O. 
Published: December 2016

AbstractThrombosis is common in Behçet’s Syndrome (BS), and there is a need for better biomarkers for risk assessment. As microparticles expressing Tissue Factor (TF) can contribute to thrombosis in preclinical models, we investigated whether plasma microparticles expressing Tissue Factor (TF) are increased in BS. We compared blood plasma from 72 healthy controls with that from 88 BS patients (21 with a history of thrombosis (Th+) and 67 without (Th−). Using flow cytometry, we found that the total plasma MP numbers were increased in BS compared to HC, as were MPs expressing TF and Tissue Factor Pathway Inhibitor (TFPI) (all p < 0.0001). Amongst BS patients, the Th+ group had increased total and TF positive MP numbers (both p ≤ 0.0002) compared to the Th- group, but had a lower proportion of TFPI positive MPs (p < 0.05). Consequently, the ratio of TFPI positive to TF positive MP counts (TFPI/TF) was significantly lower in Th+ versus Th− BS patients (p = 0.0002), and no patient with a TFPI/TF MP ratio >0.7 had a history of clinical thrombosis. We conclude that TF-expressing MP are increased in BS and that an imbalance between microparticulate TF and TFPI may predispose to thrombosis.
TGFβ2-induced outflow alterations in a bioengineered trabecular meshwork are offset by a rho-associated kinase inhibitor
Authors: Torrejon Karen Y. , Papke Ellen L. , Halman Justin R. , Bergkvist Magnus , Danias John , Sharfstein Susan T. , Xie Yubing 
Published: December 2016

AbstractMembers of the transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ) cytokine family have long been associated with affecting several cellular functions, including cell proliferation, differentiation and extracellular matrix (ECM) turnover. Of particular interest to this work, TGFβ2 has been linked to most types of glaucomas as a potential fibrotic agent that can cause elevation of intraocular pressure (IOP). Given that the trabecular meshwork (TM) provides most of aqueous humor outflow resistance in the eye, an in vitro bioengineered human TM (HTM) model has been created and validated by analyzing effects of TGFβ2 on transcellular pressure changes and outflow facility. These changes were correlated with several biological alterations induced by this cytokine, including ECM production and overexpression of HTM-marker myocillin. Furthermore, this TM model has been used to extend current knowledge of gene expression of cytokines involved in TGFβ-induced ECM turnover over time. In particular, the ability for a ROCK-inhibitor to diminish the effect of TGFβ on TM was demonstrated. This work supports the notion that anti-fibrotic activities of ROCK-inhibitors could counteract the elevation of IOP and increased strain observed in glaucomatous TM.