bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Saharan mineral dust outbreaks observed over the North Atlantic island of La Palma in summertime between 1984 and 2012
Authors: Laken Benjamin A. , Parviainen Hannu , Pallé Enric , Shahbaz Tariq 
Published: June 2013

AbstractWe estimate the frequency of Saharan mineral dust outbreak events observed over the North Atlantic island of La Palma based on in situ nightly atmospheric extinction measurements recorded almost continuously since 1984 by the Carlsberg Meridian Telescope at the Roque de los Muchachos observatory. The outbreak frequency shows a well‐defined seasonal peak in the months of July to September, during which time the occurrence of Saharan dust events (SDEs) is approximately 28 ± 6%. We find considerable year‐to‐year variability in the summertime SDE frequency, observing a steady reduction between 1984 and 1997, followed by a period of relative mean stability from 1999 to 2012. We investigated changes in the atmospheric extinction of the SDEs as an indicator of strength of the episodes and found that this parameter approximately follows the SDE frequency, however, instrumental limitations prevented us from deriving precise conclusions regarding their long‐term changes. A lagged correlation analysis between SDE properties and the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and Sahel rainfall index (SRI) was performed. We found that 55 ± 4% of the year‐to‐year variations in July–September SDE frequency may be reproduced by a lagged relationship to the NAO conditions during the preceding October–December period, and 45 ± 4% may be reproduced by a negative correlation to the SRI during the preceding February–April period. Based on these relationships it may be possible to obtain an approximate indication of the strength of the upcoming summertime dust season over the North Atlantic around half a year in advance.
Inhibitory Effects of Hypoxia on Metabolic Switch and Osteogenic Differentiation of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells
Authors: Hsu Shu-Han , Chen Chien-Tsun , Wei Yau-Huei 
Published: June 2013

Abstract
We previously demonstrated that metabolic switch and mitochondrial activation are required for osteogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs). However, stem cells in niches or transplanted into injured tissues constantly encounter hypoxic stress that hinders aerobic metabolism. Therefore, we investigated the effects of oxygen tension (1% vs. 21%) on metabolism and osteogenic differentiation of hMSCs. We found that hypoxia impaired osteogenic differentiation as indicated by attenuation of alkaline phosphatase activity and expression of osteogenic markers core binding factor a-1 and osteopontin. In addition, differentiation-induced mitochondrial activation was compromised as shown by the decrease in the expression of respiratory enzymes and oxygen consumption rate. On the contrary, anaerobic metabolism was augmented as revealed by the upregulation of glycolytic enzymes and increase of lactate production, rendering the cells to rely more on anaerobic glycolysis for energy supply. Moreover, administration of 2-deoxyglucose (a glycolytic inhibitor) but not antimycin A (a respiratory inhibitor) significantly decreased intracellular ATP levels of hMSCs differentiating under hypoxia. Treatment with cobalt chloride, a hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) stabilizer, recapitulated the inhibitory effects of hypoxia, suggesting that HIF-1α is involved in the compromise of hMSCs differentiation. These results suggest that hypoxia inhibits metabolic switch and mitochondrial function and therefore suppresses osteogenic differentiation of hMSCs. Stem Cells Stem Cells 2013;31:2779–2788
Agent‐based modeling: a systematic assessment of use cases and requirements for enhancing pharmaceutical research and development productivity
Authors: Hunt C. Anthony , Kennedy Ryan C. , Kim Sean H. J. , Ropella Glen E. P. 
Published: June 2013

AbstractA crisis continues to brew within the pharmaceutical research and development (R&D) enterprise: productivity continues declining as costs rise, despite ongoing, often dramatic scientific and technical advances. To reverse this trend, we offer various suggestions for both the expansion and broader adoption of modeling and simulation (M&S) methods. We suggest strategies and scenarios intended to enable new M&S use cases that directly engage R&D knowledge generation and build actionable mechanistic insight, thereby opening the door to enhanced productivity. What M&S requirements must be satisfied to access and open the door, and begin reversing the productivity decline? Can current methods and tools fulfill the requirements, or are new methods necessary? We draw on the relevant, recent literature to provide and explore answers. In so doing, we identify essential, key roles for agent‐based and other methods. We assemble a list of requirements necessary for M&S to meet the diverse needs distilled from a collection of research, review, and opinion articles. We argue that to realize its full potential, M&S should be actualized within a larger information technology framework—a dynamic knowledge repository—wherein models of various types execute, evolve, and increase in accuracy over time. We offer some details of the issues that must be addressed for such a repository to accrue the capabilities needed to reverse the productivity decline. WIREs Syst Biol Med 2013, 5:461–480. doi: 10.1002/wsbm.1222This article is categorized under:

Models of Systems Properties and Processes > Mechanistic Models
Translational, Genomic, and Systems Medicine > Translational Medicine
Synthesis, Structure, Antibacterial and Spectroscopic Properties of a Zinc(II) Complex with the Ligand 4‐Heptanoyl‐pyrazol‐5‐one
Authors: Xu Li‐Ying , Li Ning , Li Jia‐Min , Dong Wei 
Published: June 2013

AbstractThe long‐chain ligand, 1‐phenyl‐3‐methyl‐4‐heptanoyl‐pyrazol‐5‐one (HL) and its zinc(II) complex ZnL2 were synthesized. The structure and the properties of ZnL2 were characterized by elemental analysis, IR spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction, and thermogravimetric analysis. The zinc ion is five‐coordinated in a square‐pyramidal environment by four oxygen atoms of the HL ligands in the equatorial plane and one water molecule in the axial position. The water molecule is directly bonded to Zn2+ and involved in intermolecular hydrogen bonding network. The complex and its corresponding ligand were screened in vitro against some strains of the human pathogenic bacteria. The metal complex exhibits higher antibacterial activity than its corresponding ligand. The complex exhibits purple effect emission as the result of fluorescence from the intraligand emission excited state.
Synthesis, Structure, and Characterization of a Microporous Metal‐Organic Framework with PtS Topology
Authors: Zhang Qing‐Feng , Luo Jun‐Hua , Yuan Ai‐Hua 
Published: June 2013

AbstractThe microporous metal‐organic framework Cd2(ABTC)(H2O)(DMA)2·H2O·3DMA (1) (H4ABTC = 3, 3′,5, 5′‐azobenzenetetracarboxylic acid; DMA = N,N′‐dimethylacetamide) was prepared by solvothermal reaction and characterized. X‐ray structure analysis revealed that compound 1 is a three‐dimensional (3D) open framework with 2D channels. The topology is based on a PtS net, constructed of 4‐connected rectangular ABTC4– units with 4‐connected tetrahedral dinuclear Cd2(CO2)4(H2O)(DMA)2 secondary building units (SBUs). The solid‐state excitation‐emission spectra showed that the strongest emission peak is at 403 nm upon excitation at λ = 287 nm.
Synthesis and Crystal Structures of the Alkali Aluminium Thiohypodiphosphates MIAlP2S6 (M = Li, Na)
Authors: Kuhn Alexander , Eger Roland , Nuss Jürgen , Lotsch Bettina V. 
Published: June 2013

AbstractThe crystal structures of the alkali aluminium thiohypodiphosphates MIAlP2S6 (MI = Li, Na) are reported. NaAlP2S6 crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Fdd2 (no. 43) with a = 8.0400(2), b = 10.9452(2), c = 20.8801(4) Å, and V = 1837.44(7) Å3 (Z = 8). It is isostructural with AgAlP2S6, which is consistent with the similar ionic radii of Na and Ag. In contrast, LiAlP2S6 crystallizes in a different structure type which has not been observed in the large number of thiohypodiphosphates reported so far. It crystallizes in the monoclinic space group C2/c (no. 15) with a = 6.783(3), b = 10.365(4), c = 11.776(4) Å, β = 94.399(5)°, and V = 825.46(5) Å3 (Z = 4).
The Effect of Olive Leaf Addition on Antioxidant Content and Antioxidant Activity of “Memecik” Olive Oils at Two Maturity Stages
Authors: Sevim Didar , Tuncay Ozlem , Koseoglu Oya 
Published: June 2013

AbstractIn this study, the effects of leaf addition, maturity stage and storage on the antioxidant content and activity of olive oils (cv. Memecik) were investigated in the 2008/09 and 2009/10 crop seasons. Olive fruits were harvested at two different maturity stages (early and late), and the leaves of the same cultivar were added at different rates (0, 1, and 3 %) prior to oil extraction. After extraction, the oil samples were stored for 18 months and total chlorophyll, α‐tocopherol, total phenolic content and the antioxidant activity [DPPH· (2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl) and ABTS·+ (2,2‐azino‐bis(3‐ethylbenzothiazoline)‐6‐sulfonic acid) radical scavenging] were determined at 6 month‐intervals. Olive leaf addition induced a significant increase in total chlorophyll, α‐tocopherol, total phenolic content, and antioxidant activities in both years (P < 0.001). During the storage period antioxidant content and antioxidant activities in the oils significantly decreased in both years (P < 0.001). However, the oils to which leaf material was added had higher antioxidant contents and activities than those without leaf material addition at the end of the 18‐month storage period. After storage, the antioxidant content and DPPH· radical scavenging activity of control (0 %) samples were lower than those in the leaf added samples (3 %). The data obtained from this study suggested that the addition of olive leaf to oils allowed more functional olive oils with higher antioxidant contents.
Whey protein isolate counteracts the effects of a high-fat diet on energy intake and hypothalamic and adipose tissue expression of energy balance-related genes
Authors: McAllan Liam , Keane Deirdre , Schellekens Harriët , Roche Helen M. , Korpela Riitta , Cryan John F. , Nilaweera Kanishka N. 
Published: June 2013

The intake of whey protein isolate (WPI) is known to reduce high-fat diet (HFD)-induced body-weight gain and adiposity. However, the molecular mechanisms are not fully understood. To this end, we fed C57BL/6J mice for 8 weeks with diets containing 10 % energy as fat (low-fat diet, LFD) or 45 % energy as fat (HFD) enriched with either 20 % energy as casein (LFD and HFD) or WPI (high-fat WPI). Metabolic parameters and the hypothalamic and epididymal adipose tissue expression of energy balance-related genes were investigated. The HFD increased fat mass and plasma leptin levels and decreased the dark-phase energy intake, meal number, RER, and metabolic (VO2and heat) and locomotor activities compared with the LFD. The HFD increased the hypothalamic tissue mRNA expression of the leptin receptor, insulin receptor (INSR) and carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1b (CPT1b). The HFD also reduced the adipose tissue mRNA expression ofGLUT4andINSR. In contrast, WPI reduced fat mass, normalised dark-phase energy intake and increased meal size in HFD-fed mice. The dietary protein did not have an impact on plasma leptin, insulin, glucose or glucagon-like peptide 1 levels, but increased plasma TAG levels in HFD-fed mice. At a cellular level, WPI significantly reduced the HFD-associated increase in the hypothalamic tissue mRNA expression of the leptin receptor,INSRandCPT1b. Also, WPI prevented the HFD-induced reduction in the adipose tissue mRNA expression ofINSRandGLUT4. In comparison with casein, the effects of WPI on energy intake and hypothalamic and adipose tissue gene expression may thus represent a state of reduced susceptibility to weight gain on a HFD.
Carbon-isotope record and palaeoenvironmental changes during the early Toarcian oceanic anoxic event in shallow-marine carbonates of the Adriatic Carbonate Platform in Croatia
Authors: SABATINO NADIA , VLAHOVIĆ IGOR , JENKYNS HUGH C. , SCOPELLITI GIOVANNA , NERI RODOLFO , PRTOLJAN BOŽO , VELIĆ IVO 
Published: June 2013

AbstractGeochemical (δ13C, δ18O and Mn) compositions of Lower Jurassic shallow-water carbonates cropping out in Croatia were analyzed to elucidate the impact of the early Toarcian oceanic anoxic event (T-OAE) on the Adriatic Carbonate Platform (AdCP). The bulk-rock carbon-isotope records through the studied sections (Velebit-A, Velebit-B and Gornje Jelenje) are characterized by two significant excursions: (i) an initial positive trend interrupted by a pronounced negative shift (c. 2.5‰) that is followed by (ii) an increasing trend of positive values (up to 4.5‰). A comparison with δ13C trends obtained from well-calibrated sections from other localities in Europe shows that the overall character of the early Toarcian negative excursion is clearly reproduced in the curves derived from Croatian shallow-water deposits, which helps to date the sequences and reinforces the global character of the carbon-cycle perturbation. Lower Jurassic sedimentary successions in the studied area show a gradual deepening trend corresponding to deposition of the Toarcian spotted limestones. Assuming that the distinctive negative excursion in the carbon-isotope curves is synchronous across the AdCP, the contact between the spotted limestones and the underlying beds rich in lithiotid bivalves appears to be diachronous within the study area. The Mn record through the Croatian Velebit-A section and, in particular, the rise in concentration (up to 100 ppm) coinciding with the beginning of the δ13Ccarbpositive shift, reflects a change in the redox conditions in seawater that allowed diagenetic incorporation of reduced manganese into the calcite structure of the carbonate sediment during the onset of the T-OAE.
U–Pb and Re–Os geochronology of the Haolibao porphyry Mo–Cu deposit, NE China: implications for a Late Permian tectonic setting
Authors: ZENG QING-DONG , SUN YAN , DUAN XIAO-XIA , LIU JIAN-MING 
Published: June 2013

AbstractNew geochronological data for the Haolibao porphyry Mo–Cu deposit, NE China, yield Permian crystallization zircon U–Pb ages of 278 ± 5 Ma for granite and 267 ± 10 Ma for the granite porphyry that hosts the Mo–Cu mineralization, and four Re–Os molybdenite ages yield an isochron age of 265 ± 3 Ma. These ages disagree with the previous K–Ar age determinations that suggest a correlation of intrusive rocks of the Haolibao area with the Yanshanian intrusive rocks of Cretaceous age. The mineralizations at the Haolibao area may be related to the tectonic–magmatic activity caused by collisional events between the North China Plate and Mongolian terranes during the Permian. The occurrence of the Haolibao plutonic rocks indicates that the Palaeo-Asian-Mongolian Ocean closed during the Permian along the Xilamulun River suture.
Writing Fiction, Living History: Kanhaiyalal Munshi's historical trilogy
Authors: PARE SHVETAL VYAS 
Published: June 2013

AbstractKanhaiyalal Munshi was a pre-eminent Gujarati author, freedom fighter and politician. A member of the Indian National Congress and a close associate of Mahatma Gandhi, he is credited with having developed and popularized the concept of Gujarat ni asmita, or Gujarati self-consciousness. This paper focusses on a trilogy of Munshi's historical fiction namely Patan Ni Prabhuta (The Glory of Patan) (1916), Gujarat No Nath (The Master of Gujarat) (1917–1918) and Rajadhiraj (The King of Kings) (1922). This paper offers a close reading of these texts, to argue that the trilogy offers the possibility of opening up notions of Gujarati identity, and of showing its constructed nature. Munshi's engagement with the ideas of politics, heroism and nation-building reflects the concerns of a movement that is trying to understand both itself and the nation that it is in the process of imagining. Highlighting the subversion of the texts is an attempt to stretch the boundaries of Gujarati identity, and think differently about the meaning of being Gujarati.
Mitochondrial phylogeny of the genus Echinococcus (Cestoda: Taeniidae) with emphasis on relationships among Echinococcus canadensis genotypes
Authors: NAKAO MINORU , YANAGIDA TETSUYA , KONYAEV SERGEY , LAVIKAINEN ANTTI , ODNOKURTSEV VALERIY A. , ZAIKOV VLADIMIR A. , ITO AKIRA 
Published: June 2013

SUMMARYThe mitochondrial genomes of the genus Echinococcus have already been sequenced for most species and genotypes to reconstruct their phylogeny. However, two important taxa, E. felidis and E. canadensis G10 genotype (Fennoscandian cervid strain), were lacking in the published phylogeny. In this study, the phylogeny based on mitochondrial genome sequences was completed with these taxa. The present phylogeny highly supports the previous one, with an additional topology showing sister relationships between E. felidis and E. granulosus sensu stricto and between E. canadensis G10 and E. canadensis G6/G7 (closely related genotypes referred to as camel and pig strains, respectively). The latter relationship has a crucial implication for the species status of E. canadensis. The cervid strain is composed of two genotypes (G8 and G10), but the present phylogeny clearly suggests that they are paraphyletic. The paraphyly was also demonstrated by analysing the complete nucleotide sequences of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) of E. canadensis genotypes from various localities. A haplotype network analysis using the short cox1 sequences from worldwide isolates clearly showed a close relatedness of G10 to G6/G7. Domestic and sylvatic life cycles based on the host specificity of E. canadensis strains have been important for epidemiological considerations. However, the taxonomic treatment of the strains as separate species or subspecies is invalid from a molecular cladistic viewpoint.
Soil tardigrades from the Antarctic Peninsula with a description of a new species and some remarks on the genusRamajendas(Eutardigrada: Isohypsibiidae)
Authors: Kaczmarek Łukasz , Janko Karel , Smykla Jerzy , Michalczyk Łukasz 
Published: June 2013

ABSTRACTIn thirteen (mostly soil) mixed samples, collected from nine localities on the Antarctic continent and some of the neighbouring islands, 788 specimens and 32 eggs of tardigrades were found. In total, five species were identified:Acutuncus antarcticus, Echiniscus jenningsi,Diphascon(D.)victoriae,Hypsibius dujardiniandRamajendas dastychisp. nov.A. antarcticuswas the most abundant (nearly 90% of all specimens) and was the prevailing taxon found in the majority of locations.R. dastychisp. nov. is the fourth species described in the exclusively Antarctic/sub-Antarctic genus. The new species differs from all other congeners by the presence of four gibbosities on the caudo-dorsal cuticle (configuration II:2–2) and also by some morphometric characters. In this paper we also briefly discuss the taxonomy and zoogeography of the genusRamajendas.
Public sector reform and blame avoidance effects
Authors: Mortensen Peter B. 
Published: June 2013

AbstractBlame avoidance has often been claimed to be an important rationale behind changes in the organisation of the public sector, but very few studies have examined whether and how public attribution of responsibility is actually affected by such reforms. For instance, how do changes in the formal allocation of authority affect public attribution of blame when things go wrong? Is the effect immediate or delayed? To advance our understanding of such questions, this paper presents an analysis of blame and credit attribution in more than 1,200 newspaper articles about health-care-related issues in Norway before and after the major Norwegian hospital reform from 2002. The central empirical finding of the article is that central state-level authorities in Norway were attributed less blame in media coverage of health-care problems after the reform than before the reform. The shift is delayed, but substantial and robust to various modifications in model estimations.
Representative democracy and policy-making in the administrative state: is agency policy-making necessarily better?
Authors: Krause George A. 
Published: June 2013

AbstractThis study focuses on how voters and politicians rationally select a preferred policy-making venue (Politician or Agency), and its implications for the principal-agent relationship between voters and politicians in a representative democracy. This study allows for incomplete information, as well as solving for the comparative static conditions pertaining to the extent that a politician's policy-making venue choices mirror those preferred by a representative voter. The comparative static results highlight when a politician (1) chooses the representative voter's preferred policy-making venue (ActiveorPassive Political Responsiveness); (2) is able to choose freely either policy-making venue without committing agency loss (Political Discretion); and (3) willing to deviate from the representative voter's preferred policy-making venue (Political Shirking). In contrast to the study by Spence, this study analytically demonstrates that one cannot infer that the benefits accrued from agency policy-making will necessarily exceed those from electoral institutions.
Governance and organisational effectiveness: towards a theory of government performance
Authors: Lynn Laurence E. , Robichau Robbie Waters 
Published: June 2013

AbstractResearch on the determinants of government performance has identified numerous factors bearing on effective governance and government's role in it. However, understanding of how these factors are causally inter-related is limited. We take as our point of departure a multi-level analytic framework termed a logic of governance (LOG), previously used to reveal patterns of causality in governance based on hundreds of published research publications. Using a revised LOG, we reinterpret the earlier analysis in terms of organisational effectiveness indicators, and identify patterns of causal interaction in 300 more recent research articles. We formulate a multi-level model of governance that postulates how public policy and management interact to affect government outputs and outcomes. We hypothesise that the exercise of hierarchical authority is more fundamental to performance than has been acknowledged by governance scholars. We challenge the argument that advanced democracies are moving towards “governance without government”.
Cops for hire? The political economy of police employment in the German states
Authors: Tepe Markus , Vanhuysse Pieter 
Published: June 2013

AbstractIn times of an alleged waning of political business cycles and partisan policy-making, vote-seeking policy-makers can be expected toshiftthe use of political manipulation mechanisms towards other policy domains in which the macro-institutional environment allows them greater leverage. Public employment generally, and police employment specifically, are a promising domain for such tactics. Timing the hiring of police officers during election periods may increase votes, as these are “street-visible” jobs dealing with politically salient issues. Law-and-order competence signalling makes police hiring especially attractive for conservative parties. Testing these electioneering and partisanship hypotheses in the German states between 1992 and 2010, we find that socio-economic variables such as population density strongly determine police employment. But incumbents also hire more police officers before elections, while conservative party power increases police numbers. Subjectively “immediate” forms of crime (issue salience) and perceived causes of crime such as immigration are also positively associated with police numbers.