bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
‘The greater part of jurisconsults’: On Consensus Claims and Their Footnotes in Legal Scholarship
Authors: BOER LIANNE J.M. 
Published: November 2016

AbstractThis article portrays the use of consensus claims, as well as their substantiation, in the debate on cyber-attacks and Article 2(4) of the UN Charter. Focusing on (re)interpretations of the prohibition on the use of force in the light of cyber-attacks, the article first shows how scholars appeal to the ‘majority opinion’ of scholars or the ‘generally accepted’ interpretation of the norm. It points out the different uses of these ‘consensus claims’, as I refer to them, and what scholars invoke exactly when referring to this elusive majority. Elaborating on this ‘elusive’ nature of consensus, I argue that the appeal of a consensus claim lies precisely in its invocation of a fairly mystical ‘out there’. Consensus, as it turns out, evaporates the moment we attempt to substantiate it, and this might be precisely where its strength lies. The second part of the article thus shifts focus to how these claims are substantiated. An empirical inquiry into the footnotes supporting consensus claims reveals that, most of the time, writers refer to the same scholars to substantiate their claims. Making use of Henry Small's idea of ‘concept symbols’, the article argues that these most-cited scholars turn into the ‘bearers’ of majority opinion. On the level of the individual academic piece, the singular reference might appear to be fairly innocent. Yet, when considered as a more widespread practice of ‘self-referentiality’, it seriously impacts who gets a say – and thus, ultimately, what we know – in international law.
International Law Scholars as Amici Curiae: An Emerging Dialogue (of the Deaf)?
Authors: KENT AVIDAN , TRINIDAD JAMIE 
Published: November 2016

AbstractInternational law scholars frequently seek to participate in international legal proceedings as amici curiae. Often they do so by ‘piggy-backing’ onto the submissions of NGOs and other advocacy groups. Occasionally – but increasingly in recent years – they do so in their own names, purporting to offer ‘pure’ academic expertise, and generating certain expectations of scholarly neutrality. This article focuses on the latter trend, which the authors argue has the potential to re-shape the scholar-adjudicator dialogue in interesting ways. Under the traditional approach towards ‘teachings’, the decision of whether, how and with whom to engage is firmly in the hands of the adjudicators. The proliferation of academic amicus briefs threatens to disrupt this arrangement. It also brings certain benefits: the briefs are often more ‘on point’ than doctrinal writings, while openness to unsolicited academic submissions encourages plurality and reduces reliance on reputation as a measure of scholarly quality. Our survey of the emerging practice across various international courts and tribunals indicates that adjudicators tend to be reticent when it comes to the reception of unsolicited academic amicus briefs, however, we identify several instances of productive engagement. This leads us to conclude that it would be unduly gloomy to characterize the emerging practice as a ‘dialogue of the deaf’. A fairer assessment would be that the academic amicus trend is bringing about a modest adjustment in the way that international law scholars and adjudicators engage with each other.
The body of the martyr. Between an archival exercise and the recovery of his suffering. The need for a recovery of humanity in osteoarchaeology
Authors: Ion Alexandra 
Published: November 2016

AbstractThis paper addresses the limits of the methods and questions asked by osteoarchaeologists when dealing with human remains. Osteoarchaeologists seem to take for granted that through the study of such remains they can say something relevant about a past individual's identity, something about the nature of their being. Since the early 1990s various voices have questioned these assumptions, also claiming that the study and display of human remains are unethical. It is my intention to rethink the topic of ethics in osteoarchaeology by shifting the focus to the research questions and methods we employ – what kind of evidence are we looking for and what kinds of relationship are we establishing with those earlier lives? By taking as a starting point the analysis of the remains of the Greek Catholic Bishop Vasile Aftenie, killed during the Communist regime, I explore the view practitioners take as the legitimate way of framing the relationship between past and present and the transformation of bones into scientific objects. In the end I propose that such a re-evaluation, alongside an opening of our discipline towards anthropology, can contribute to a recovery of humanity as part of the academic discourse, which should be the key element in any ethical discussion.
Heritage bureaucracies and the modern nation state. Towards an ethnography of archaeological systems of government
Authors: Plets Gertjan 
Published: November 2016

AbstractDrawing on examples from the West (Flanders) and developing East (Siberia, Russia), this paper investigates the subtle and often overlooked entanglements between the nation state and archaeology. Drawing on careful ethnographic assessments mapping the impact of the state on archaeological practice in Russia and Flanders, this paper illustrates that we need to transcend our traditional focus on nationalism and also look at the impact of bureaucratic procedures and documents. These at first sight benign systems of government greatly enmesh archaeologists with the nation state and its myriad of agendas, ultimately impacting both heritage management and academic research.
End-of-life care decisions using a Korean advance directive among cancer patient–caregiver dyads
Authors: Kim Shinmi , Koh Sujin , Park Kwonoh , Kim Jinshil 
Published: November 2016

ABSTRACTObjective:The Korean advance directive (K–AD) comprises a value statement, treatment directives, preferences for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), artificial ventilation, tube feeding, and hospice care, as well as a proxy appointment. The K–AD can facilitate a patient's decision making with respect to end-of-life (EoL) care. The present study aimed to examine the extent to which patient–caregiver dyads would use the K–AD and agree on EoL care decisions.Methods:Using a descriptive study design, 81 cancer patients were invited to participate. The final sample consisted of 44 patient–caregiver dyads who completed survey questionnaires, including the K–AD. One patient did not complete all parts of the questionnaire, and 36 (44.4%) declined to participate. Content analysis was conducted to examine the K–AD value statements. Cohen's kappa coefficient was calculated to determine the degree of patient–caregiver dyadic agreement on K–AD treatment directives (Sudore & Fried, 2010).Results:Our patient participants had the following cancer diagnoses: colorectal 29.5%, breast 29.5%, and liver/biliary tract cancers, 15.9%. Half of the sample had advanced-stage disease. Spouses (70.5%) or adult children (20.4%) were the primary caregivers, with perceived bonding rated as fair (31.8%) or good (65.9%). Rejection of the K–AD was mainly due to the difficulty involved in deciding on EoL care (50%). Comfort while dying was the most common theme expressed by patients (73.8%) and caregivers (66.7%). In terms of treatment directives, dyads advocated for hospice care (66.7%) and reduced support for aggressive treatments of CPR or artificial ventilation. The use of CPR (κ = 0.43, p = 0.004) and artificial ventilation (κ = 0.28, p = 0.046) showed significantly mild to moderate concordance among the dyads. Some 16 of the 21 dyads identified their spouses as a proxy, with others designating their adult children.Significance of results:The degree of patient–caregiver concordance on the K–AD seemed applicable, and achieved mild to moderate concordance. Our findings are exploratory but suggest the need for EoL discussions where patient–caregiver dyads are encouraged to participate in EoL care decision making.
Analysis of crop residue use in small holder mixed farms in Ethiopia
Authors: Alkhtib Ashraf , Wamatu Jane , Kassie Girma T , Rischkowsky Barbara 
Published: November 2016

AbstractDeterminants of the use of cereal and pulse residue for livestock feeding and soil mulching among smallholder farmers in the mixed farming system were analyzed. Crop residue (CR) is dual purpose resources in the mixed crop–livestock systems of the Ethiopian highlands. They serve as livestock feed and inputs for soil and water conservation. They are generated predominantly from cereals and pulses. However, in view of the allocation of CR, soil conservation and livestock are two competing enterprises. Identifying the determinants of the intensity of use of cereal and pulse residue may help in designing strategies for more efficient CR utilization. Data on CR were generated and its utilization was collected in two highland regions in Ethiopia from 160 households using a structured questionnaire. The data were analyzed using the multivariate Tobit model. Results of the study showed that farmers prefer using CR from pulses over CR from cereals for livestock feeding purposes. The proportion of CR from pulses that was used as feed was positively affected by education level of the farmer, livestock extension service, number of small ruminants and CR production from the previous season. Distance of farm plots from residences of the farm households negatively affected the proportions of cereal and pulse residue used for feed. The use of pulse residue increased significantly when the women participated in decision making on CR utilization. The proportion of cereal and pulse residue used for soil mulch was positively affected by the education level of the farmer, the distance between the homestead and the cultivated land, extension service, awareness about soil mulch, the slope of cultivated land, participation in farmer-to-farmer extension and CR generated in the preceding season. In view that pulse CR have better nutritive value compared with cereal CR, better utilization of CR could be achieved by maximizing the use of pulse residue as livestock feed and optimizing the use of cereal residue as soil mulch. More livestock extension on the nutritive value of pulse residue should be provided to the farmers who cultivate sloppy plots. Encouraging the culture of labor exchange among the farmers could result in increased labor availability in the farms that would facilitate the transport and storage of pulse residue and increase its use as livestock feed. Increasing the awareness among farmers about the superiority of the pulse residue over cereal residue as feed and encouraging use of cereal residue as soil mulch could optimize the utilization of CR in the household.
Tetrapod limb and sarcopterygian fin regeneration share a core genetic programme
Authors: Nogueira Acacio F. , Costa Carinne M. , Lorena Jamily , Moreira Rodrigo N. , Frota-Lima Gabriela N. , Furtado Carolina , Robinson Mark , Amemiya Chris T. , Darnet Sylvain , Schneider Igor 
Published: November 2016

AbstractSalamanders are the only living tetrapods capable of fully regenerating limbs. The discovery of salamander lineage-specific genes (LSGs) expressed during limb regeneration suggests that this capacity is a salamander novelty. Conversely, recent paleontological evidence supports a deeper evolutionary origin, before the occurrence of salamanders in the fossil record. Here we show that lungfishes, the sister group of tetrapods, regenerate their fins through morphological steps equivalent to those seen in salamanders. Lungfishde novotranscriptome assembly and differential gene expression analysis reveal notable parallels between lungfish and salamander appendage regeneration, including strong downregulation of muscle proteins and upregulation of oncogenes, developmental genes and lungfish LSGs. MARCKS-like protein (MLP), recently discovered as a regeneration-initiating molecule in salamander, is likewise upregulated during early stages of lungfish fin regeneration. Taken together, our results lend strong support for the hypothesis that tetrapods inherited abona fidelimb regeneration programme concomitant with the fin-to-limb transition.
Turmeric powder and its derivatives from Curcuma longa rhizomes: Insecticidal effects on cabbage looper and the role of synergists
Authors: de Souza Tavares Wagner , Akhtar Yasmin , Gonçalves Gabriel Luiz Padoan , Zanuncio José Cola , Isman Murray B. 
Published: November 2016

AbstractCurcuma longa has well-known insecticidal and repellent effects on insect pests, but its impact on Trichoplusia ni is unknown. In this study, the compound ar-turmerone, extracted and purified from C. longa rhizomes, was identified and its insecticidal effects, along with turmeric powder, curcuminoid pigments and crude essential oil were evaluated against this important agricultural pest. The role of natural (sesamol and piperonal) and synthetic [piperonyl butoxide (PBO)] synergists under laboratory and greenhouse conditions were also evaluated. The concentration of ar-turmerone in C. longa rhizomes harvested was 0.32% (dwt). Turmeric powder and its derivatives caused 10–20% mortality in third instar T. ni at a very low dose (10 μg/larva). Addition of PBO increased toxicity of turmeric powder and its derivatives (90–97% mortality) in most binary combinations (5 μg of turmeric powder or its derivatives +5 μg of PBO), but neither piperonal nor sesamol were active as synergists. The compound ar-turmerone alone and the combination with PBO reduced larval weight on treated Brassica oleracea in the laboratory and in greenhouse experiments, compared with the negative control. The compound ar-turmerone could be used as a low cost botanical insecticide for integrated management of cabbage looper in vegetable production.
Regulation of RNA-binding proteins affinity to export receptors enables the nuclear basket proteins to distinguish and retain aberrant mRNAs
Authors: Soheilypour M. , Mofrad M. R. K. 
Published: November 2016

AbstractExport of messenger ribonucleic acids (mRNAs) into the cytoplasm is a fundamental step in gene regulation processes, which is meticulously quality controlled by highly efficient mechanisms in eukaryotic cells. Yet, it remains unclear how the aberrant mRNAs are recognized and retained inside the nucleus. Using a new modelling approach for complex systems, namely the agent-based modelling (ABM) approach, we develop a minimal model of the mRNA quality control (QC) mechanism. Our results demonstrate that regulation of the affinity of RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) to export receptors along with the weak interaction between the nuclear basket protein (Mlp1 or Tpr) and RBPs are the minimum requirements to distinguish and retain aberrant mRNAs. Our results show that the affinity between Tpr and RBPs is optimized to maximize the retention of aberrant mRNAs. In addition, we demonstrate how the length of mRNA affects the QC process. Since longer mRNAs spend more time in the nuclear basket to form a compact conformation and initiate their export, nuclear basket proteins could more easily capture and retain them inside the nucleus.
Inhomogeneous ensembles of radical pairs in chemical compasses
Authors: Procopio Maria , Ritz Thorsten 
Published: November 2016

AbstractThe biophysical basis for the ability of animals to detect the geomagnetic field and to use it for finding directions remains a mystery of sensory biology. One much debated hypothesis suggests that an ensemble of specialized light-induced radical pair reactions can provide the primary signal for a magnetic compass sensor. The question arises what features of such a radical pair ensemble could be optimized by evolution so as to improve the detection of the direction of weak magnetic fields. Here, we focus on the overlooked aspect of the noise arising from inhomogeneity of copies of biomolecules in a realistic biological environment. Such inhomogeneity leads to variations of the radical pair parameters, thereby deteriorating the signal arising from an ensemble and providing a source of noise. We investigate the effect of variations in hyperfine interactions between different copies of simple radical pairs on the directional response of a compass system. We find that the choice of radical pair parameters greatly influences how strongly the directional response of an ensemble is affected by inhomogeneity.
A murine model of early Pseudomonas aeruginosa lung disease with transition to chronic infection
Authors: Bayes H. K. , Ritchie N. , Irvine S. , Evans T. J. 
Published: November 2016

AbstractPseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) remains an important pathogen in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) lung disease as well as non-CF bronchiectasis and chronic obstructive airways disease. Initial infections are cleared but chronic infection with mucoid strains ensues in the majority of CF patients and specific interventions to prevent this critical infection transition are lacking. The PA bead model has been widely used to study pulmonary P.aeruginosa infection but has limitations in animal husbandry and in accurately mimicking human disease. We have developed an adapted agar bead murine model using a clinical mucoid strain that demonstrates the key features of transition from transitory to chronic airways infection. Infected animals show very limited acute morbidity and mortality, but undergo infection-related weight loss and neutrophilic inflammation, development of anti-pseudomonal antibodies, variable bacterial clearance, endobronchial infection and microbial adaptation with PA small colony variants. We anticipate this model will allow research into the host and microbial factors governing this critical period in Pseudomonas aeruginosa pulmonary pathogenesis when transition to chronicity is occurring.
Subdiffusion in Membrane Permeation of Small Molecules
Authors: Chipot Christophe , Comer Jeffrey 
Published: November 2016

AbstractWithin the solubility–diffusion model of passive membrane permeation of small molecules, translocation of the permeant across the biological membrane is traditionally assumed to obey the Smoluchowski diffusion equation, which is germane for classical diffusion on an inhomogeneous free-energy and diffusivity landscape. This equation, however, cannot accommodate subdiffusive regimes, which have long been recognized in lipid bilayer dynamics, notably in the lateral diffusion of individual lipids. Through extensive biased and unbiased molecular dynamics simulations, we show that one-dimensional translocation of methanol across a pure lipid membrane remains subdiffusive on timescales approaching typical permeation times. Analysis of permeant motion within the lipid bilayer reveals that, in the absence of a net force, the mean squared displacement depends on time ast0.7, in stark contrast with the conventional model, which assumes a strictly linear dependence. We further show that an alternate model using a fractional-derivative generalization of the Smoluchowski equation provides a rigorous framework for describing the motion of the permeant molecule on the pico- to nanosecond timescale. The observed subdiffusive behavior appears to emerge from a crossover between small-scale rattling of the permeant around its present position in the membrane and larger-scale displacements precipitated by the formation of transient voids.
INO80 is Required for Osteogenic Differentiation of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells
Authors: Zhou Chenchen , Zou Jing , Zou Shujuan , Li Xiaobing 
Published: November 2016

AbstractBone marrow derived human mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) are a great source in bone tissue engineering. However, how to improve the efficiency of MSC osteogenesis remains a big challenge in bone regenerative medicine. Here, we characterized the role of INO80 chromatin remodeling complex in osteogenic differentiation of MSC. We showed that silencing of subunits of INO80 reduced the mineral deposition of MSC in osteogenic condition. Moreover, INO80-silencing MSC cultured in osteogenic condition expressed lower mRNA levels of osteoblast-specific genes, including Runx2, Osx, Col1α1 and OCN. INO80 can interact with Wdr5 in MSC and positively regulates the canonical Wnt signaling transduction. Importantly, the mice implanted with INO80-silencing MSC displayed less bone formation. Overall, our study provides a new mechanism regarding osteogenic differentiation of MSC and could potentially be applied in clinical tissue engineering and treatment of osteoporosis.
Overexpression of soluble RAGE in mesenchymal stem cells enhances their immunoregulatory potential for cellular therapy in autoimmune arthritis
Authors: Park Min-Jung , Lee Seung Hoon , Moon Su-Jin , Lee Jung-Ah , Lee Eun-Jung , Kim Eun-Kyung , Park Jin-Sil , Lee Jennifer , Min Jun-Ki , Kim Seok Jung , Park Sung-Hwan , Cho Mi-La 
Published: November 2016

AbstractMesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are attractive agents for cellular therapy in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) serves as a pattern recognition receptor for endogenous inflammatory ligands. Soluble RAGE (sRAGE) is a truncated form of RAGE that functions as a decoy and acts as an anti-inflammatory molecule. The aim of this study was to determine whether sRAGE has therapeutic effects and the mechanisms active in sRAGE-overexpressing MSCs (sRAGE-MSCs) in an experimental model of RA. sRAGE-MSCs were generated by DNA transfection of human adipose tissue-derived MSCs (Ad-hMSCs). MSCs showed increased expression of VEGF, IL-1β, IL-6, and HMGB-1 under inflammatory conditions. However, sRAGE-MSCs showed significantly lower production of these proinflammatory molecules. Expression of immunomodulatory molecules such as IL-10, TGF-β, and indoleamine 2, 3-dioxygenase was higher in sRAGE-MSCs than in mock-MSCs. sRAGE-MSCs showed enhanced migration potential. Transplantation of sRAGE-MSCs into arthritic IL-1Ra-knockout mice markedly suppressed inflammatory arthritis, decreased Th17 cells, and reciprocally increased regulatory T cells. The differentiation of IFN-γ+CD4+ and IL-17+CD4+ cells was inhibited by incubation with sRAGE-MSCs compared with mock-MSCs. These findings suggest that sRAGE overexpression in Ad-hMSCs optimizes their immunoregulatory properties, which may be useful as a novel cellular therapy for RA.
DPDR-CPI, a server that predicts Drug Positioning and Drug Repositioning via Chemical-Protein Interactome
Authors: Luo Heng , Zhang Ping , Cao Xi Hang , Du Dizheng , Ye Hao , Huang Hui , Li Can , Qin Shengying , Wan Chunling , Shi Leming , He Lin , Yang Lun 
Published: November 2016

AbstractThe cost of developing a new drug has increased sharply over the past years. To ensure a reasonable return-on-investment, it is useful for drug discovery researchers in both industry and academia to identify all the possible indications for early pipeline molecules. For the first time, we propose the term computational “drug candidate positioning” or “drug positioning”, to describe the above process. It is distinct from drug repositioning, which identifies new uses for existing drugs and maximizes their value. Since many therapeutic effects are mediated by unexpected drug-protein interactions, it is reasonable to analyze the chemical-protein interactome (CPI) profiles to predict indications. Here we introduce the server DPDR-CPI, which can make real-time predictions based only on the structure of the small molecule. When a user submits a molecule, the server will dock it across 611 human proteins, generating a CPI profile of features that can be used for predictions. It can suggest the likelihood of relevance of the input molecule towards ~1,000 human diseases with top predictions listed. DPDR-CPI achieved an overall AUROC of 0.78 during 10-fold cross-validations and AUROC of 0.76 for the independent validation. The server is freely accessible via http://cpi.bio-x.cn/dpdr/.