bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
One‐comparator counter‐based controller for synchronous DC/DC converters
Authors: Aldhaher Samer , Whidborne James F. , Luk Patrick Chi‐Kwong 
Published: August 2014

A low complexity, low component‐count digital controller consisting of a single comparator and a digital counter is proposed for the purpose of providing control and voltage regulation for synchronous buck DC/DC converters used in voltage ripple insensitive applications. The system is modelled and analysed based on an averaged‐circuit representation of the buck converter including the parasitic resistances of its passive and active components. The existence of limit cycles is investigated by using a describing function to represent the comparator and the pulse‐width modulated generator. The simulation results are presented and are verified with experimental results for a 36 W prototype. The validity of the predicted performance of the proposed controller for higher loading conditions is thus confirmed.
Generalised transformerless ultra step‐up DC–DC converter with reduced voltage stress on semiconductors
Authors: Nouri Tohid , Hosseini Seyed Hossein , Babaei Ebrahim , Ebrahimi Jaber 
Published: August 2014

A non‐isolated DC–DC converter with high‐voltage gain and low‐voltage stress across the semiconductors is proposed in this study. The proposed converter consists of n stages of diode–capacitor–inductor (D–C–L) units at the input side and m units of voltage multiplier cells (VMCs) at the output side. Increasing of D–C–L units and VMCs, lead to high‐voltage gain at low duty cycle. Lower values of duty cycle will result in increasing of converter controllability and increasing of operation region. Also by increasing of VMCs, the voltage stress across the main switch and other semiconductors is reduced severely. Decreasing of voltage stress across the main switch leads to use a switch with lower RDS‐ON that reduces on state losses of the proposed converter. Besides, by decreasing of voltage stress across the diode rectifiers, diodes with less forward voltage drop can be adopted. The circuit performance will be compared with other solutions that were previously proposed for voltage step‐up in the terms of voltage gain, main switch voltage stress and number of components. Finally, a 357 V–65.5 W laboratory prototype with 92% conversion efficiency is built in order to prove the satisfying operation of the proposed converter and carried mathematical analysis.
Interleukin-1 deficiency prolongs ovarian lifespan in mice
Authors: Uri-Belapolsky Shiri , Shaish Aviv , Eliyahu Efrat , Grossman Hadas , Levi Mattan , Chuderland Dana , Ninio-Many Lihi , Hasky Noa , Shashar David , Almog Tal , Kandel-Kfir Michal , Harats Dror , Shalgi Ruth , Kamari Yehuda 
Published: August 2014

SignificanceFemales are subjected to a biological clock that dictates the end of the reproductive lifespan, on average, at 50 y of age, whereas fecundity sharply decreases after 30 y of age. Over the past decade, a current trend of postponing childbearing into advanced age has led to a corresponding upward trend in the number of in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments. Inflammation was reported to affect both IVF outcomes and the ovarian reserve adversely. Identifying a possible culprit, such as IL-1, may offer new insight into the mechanisms responsible for oocyte loss as well as practical interventions, such as IL-1 blockade, which aims to slow down the rate at which oocytes are eliminated and improve IVF outcomes.
Synchronization in human musical rhythms and mutually interacting complex systems
Authors: Hennig Holger 
Published: August 2014

Significance
Though the statistical properties of musical compositions have been widely studied, little is known about the statistical nature of musical interaction—a foundation of musical communication. The goal of this study was to uncover the general statistical properties underlying musical interaction by observing two individuals synchronizing rhythms. We found that the interbeat intervals between individuals exhibit scale-free cross-correlations, i.e., the next beat played by an individual is dependent on the entire history (up to several minutes) of their partner’s interbeat intervals. To explain this surprising observation, we introduce a general stochastic model that can also be used to study synchronization phenomena in econophysics and physiology. The scaling laws found in musical interaction are directly applicable to audio production.
Fair sampling perspective on an apparent violation of duality
Authors: Bolduc Eliot , Leach Jonathan , Miatto Filippo M. , Leuchs Gerd , Boyd Robert W. 
Published: August 2014

Significance
In 2012, Menzel et al. reported on the results of a fundamental experiment raising questions regarding the simultaneous observation of wave-like and particle-like properties in a given quantum system. Whereas the general applicability of the duality principle to entangled subsystems is an open question, we bring the current understanding of the duality principle a step forward by theoretically deriving the strongest relations between the visibility of an interference pattern and the which-way information in a two-way interferometer such as Young’s double slit. This formalism successfully describes tests of duality where postselection on a subset of the interference pattern is applied. Our analysis even reconciles the surprising results of Menzel et al. with the duality principle in its standard form.
Expression profiling associates blood and brain glucocorticoid receptor signaling with trauma-related individual differences in both sexes
Authors: Daskalakis Nikolaos P. , Cohen Hagit , Cai Guiqing , Buxbaum Joseph D. , Yehuda Rachel 
Published: August 2014

Significance
Because posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) occurs in a subset of trauma-exposed persons, expression profiling in the context of an animal model that focuses on individual differences in stress response permits identification of the relevant signaling pathways that lead to sustained impairment or resilience. The inclusion of blood and brain samples from both sexes is important because it allows the detection of convergent susceptibility pathways and concomitant identification of blood-based biomarkers. The across tissue and sex involvement of glucocorticoid receptor signaling with exposure-related individual differences suggests that targeting this signaling pathway may lead to a promising therapeutic strategy in PTSD.
Collective credit allocation in science
Authors: Shen Hua-Wei , Barabási Albert-László 
Published: August 2014

SignificanceThe increasing dominance of multiauthor papers is straining the credit system of science: although for single-author papers, the credit is obvious and undivided, for multiauthor papers, credit assignment varies from discipline to discipline. Consequently, each research field runs its own informal credit allocation system, which is hard to decode for outsiders. Here we develop a discipline-independent algorithm to decipher the collective credit allocation process within science, capturing each coauthor’s perceived contribution to a publication. The proposed method provides scientists and policy-makers an effective tool to quantify and compare the scientific contribution of each researcher without requiring familiarity with the credit allocation system of the specific discipline.
Tumorigenicity of hypoxic respiring cancer cells revealed by a hypoxia–cell cycle dual reporter
Authors: Le Anne , Stine Zachary E. , Nguyen Christopher , Afzal Junaid , Sun Peng , Hamaker Max , Siegel Nicholas M. , Gouw Arvin M. , Kang Byung-hak , Yu Shu-Han , Cochran Rory L. , Sailor Kurt A. , Song Hongjun , Dang Chi V. 
Published: August 2014

Significance
In this study, we report the finding that a subpopulation of hypoxic cancer cells expressed genes involved in mitochondrial function, sustained oxidative metabolism, and were fully tumorigenic. These findings indicate that, whereas the Warburg effect contributes to the metabolism of growing cancer cells, tumorigenicity does not exclusively depend on it and is not diminished by continued respiration under hypoxia.
A cellular solution to an information-processing problem
Authors: Iyengar Garud , Rao Madan 
Published: August 2014

Significance
Cell-surface signaling receptors are organized into different architectures that have been arrived at multiple times in diverse contexts. To understand the trade-offs that lead to these architectures, we pose the generic information-processing problem of identifying the optimal strategy for distributed mobile noisy sensors to faithfully “read” an incoming signal that varies in space–time. This involves balancing two opposing requirements: clustering noisy sensors to reduce statistical error and spreading sensors to enhance spatial coverage, resulting in a phase transition that explains the frequent reemergence of a set of architectures. Our results extend to a variety of engineering and communication applications that involve mobile and distributed sensing, and suggest that biology might offer solutions to hard optimization problems that arise in these applications.
Wnt ligand/Frizzled 2 receptor signaling regulates tube shape and branch-point formation in the lung through control of epithelial cell shape
Authors: Kadzik Rachel S. , Cohen Ethan David , Morley Michael P. , Stewart Kathleen M. , Lu Min Min , Morrisey Edward E. 
Published: August 2014

Significance
We generated a conditional mouse allele for the Wnt receptor Fzd2 and used it to assess the role of Fzd2-mediated Wnt signaling in the lung. Loss of Fzd2 specifically in the developing lung epithelium results in defects in domain branch-point formation which alter the primary branching program of the lung. We show that Fzd2 is required to sculpt the developing epithelium in the lung through activation of the small GTPase RhoA and control of epithelial cell shape. These results reveal the importance of Wnt/RhoA signaling in altering the shape of the developing epithelium of branched organs such as the lung. Such studies highlight the interconnectedness of signaling pathways during the formation of a branched network.
Microbial-induced meprin β cleavage in MUC2 mucin and a functional CFTR channel are required to release anchored small intestinal mucus
Authors: Schütte André , Ermund Anna , Becker-Pauly Christoph , Johansson Malin E. V. , Rodriguez-Pineiro Ana M. , Bäckhed Fredrik , Müller Stefan , Lottaz Daniel , Bond Judith S. , Hansson Gunnar C. 
Published: August 2014

Significance
Mucus with its major constituent, the gel-forming mucins, is important for protecting the host epithelium from bacteria. Under normal conditions, these mucin networks are constantly released into the small intestinal lumen. This release required a proteolytic cleavage in the mucin by the metalloprotease meprin β and was absent in germ-free animals but induced by bacteria. The small intestinal mucus in cystic fibrosis is also attached, not due to lack of enzyme, but rather that the mucin is not properly unfolded in the absence of a functional cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator channel and sufficient bicarbonate levels. Mucus can thus appear both attached and released as part of a system controlling bacterial removal. This new concept may lead to new ways for the treatment and therapy of cystic fibrosis.
Patterned progression of bacterial populations in the premature infant gut
Authors: La Rosa Patricio S. , Warner Barbara B. , Zhou Yanjiao , Weinstock George M. , Sodergren Erica , Hall-Moore Carla M. , Stevens Harold J. , Bennett William E. , Shaikh Nurmohammad , Linneman Laura A. , Hoffmann Julie A. , Hamvas Aaron , Deych Elena , Shands Berkley A. , Shannon William D. , Tarr Phillip I. 
Published: August 2014

Significance
It is increasingly apparent that bacteria in the gut are important determinants of health and disease in humans. However, we know remarkably little about how this organ transitions from a sterile/near-sterile state at birth to one that soon harbors a highly diverse biomass. We show in premature infants a patterned progression of the gut bacterial community that is only minimally influenced by mode of delivery, antibiotics, or feeds. The pace of this progression is most strongly influenced by gestational age, with the microbial population assembling slowest for infants born most prematurely. These data raise the possibility that host biology, more than exogenous factors such as antibiotics, feeds, and route of delivery, drives bacterial populations in the premature newborn infant gut.
Single-shot stand-off chemical identification of powders using random Raman lasing
Authors: Hokr Brett H. , Bixler Joel N. , Noojin Gary D. , Thomas Robert J. , Rockwell Benjamin A. , Yakovlev Vladislav V. , Scully Marlan O. 
Published: August 2014

Significance
The long-range stand-off chemical identification of materials has been a high profile goal of science in recent years. In this article, we demonstrate the stand-off identification of chemical compounds from kilometer-scale distances in a single laser pulse by detecting the emission from random Raman lasing processes in the target. This technique opens up the door to rapid identification of potentially hazardous chemicals from a safe distance.
Mapping the λ Integrase bridges in the nucleoprotein Holliday junction intermediates of viral integrative and excisive recombination
Authors: Tong Wenjun , Warren David , Seah Nicole E. , Laxmikanthan Gurunathan , Van Duyne Gregory D. , Landy Arthur 
Published: August 2014

Significance
The bacteriophage encoded λ Int protein is distinguished from other well-studied and widely exploited tyrosine recombinase family members as a heterobivalent DNA binding protein. With the help of accessory DNA bending proteins, Int bridges two different classes of DNA sites within the unique 400-kDa recombinogenic complexes of integrative and excisive recombination. The absence of any overarching investigations or structural models for these key complexes stems from the inability to determine which core-type and arm-type binding sites are joined to one another by Int-mediated bridges. We solved this long-standing problem using site-directed chemical cross-linking of Int in trapped Holliday junction intermediates and recombination reactions with chimeric recombinases, to identify the unique patterns of Int bridges for integrative and excisive recombination.
Coevolutionary information, protein folding landscapes, and the thermodynamics of natural selection
Authors: Morcos Faruck , Schafer Nicholas P. , Cheng Ryan R. , Onuchic José N. , Wolynes Peter G. 
Published: August 2014

Significance
Natural protein sequences, being the result of random mutation coupled with natural selection, have remarkable properties that are not typical of unselected random sequences, including the ability to robustly fold to an organized structure that is needed to function. We estimate the selection temperature, the effective temperature at which sequences were selected by evolution, for eight protein families and compare these values with experimental data for folding temperatures of proteins in each family. The selection temperature measures the importance of maintaining the stability and structural specificity of the folded state on the evolutionary process. For all families, the selection temperature is below physiological temperature, indicating that maintaining the structural integrity of the folded state is an important constraint on evolution.
Predicting hybrid performance in rice using genomic best linear unbiased prediction
Authors: Xu Shizhong , Zhu Dan , Zhang Qifa 
Published: August 2014

SignificanceGenomic prediction is a new field of quantitative genetics. Individual performance can be predicted using genome-wide markers before the phenotype is measured. Genomic prediction for hybrid performance is even more promising because genotype of a hybrid is predetermined by the parents. We propose a genomic best linear unbiased prediction to predict hybrid performance of rice, and incorporate dominance and epistasis into the prediction model. Simulation studies showed that predictability can be further improved after incorporating dominance and epistasis into the model. The new strategy of marker-guided hybrid prediction is called genomic hybrid breeding, and it represents a new technology that may potentially revolutionize hybrid breeding in agriculture.
Does De Jure Judicial Independence Really Matter?
Authors: Melton James , Ginsburg Tom 
Published: August 2014

AbstractThe relationship between de jure and de facto judicial independence is much debated in the literature on judicial politics. Some studies find no relationship between the formal rules governing the structure of the judiciary and de facto judicial independence, while others find a tight correlation. This article sets out to reassess the relationship between de jure and de facto judicial independence using a new theory and an expanded data set. De jure institutional protections, we argue, do not work in isolation but work conjunctively, so that particular combinations of protections are more likely to be effective than others. We find that rules governing the selection and removal of judges are the only de jure protections that actually enhance judicial independence in practice and that they work conjunctively. This effect is strongest in authoritarian regimes and in contexts with checks on executive authority.
The Politics of Judicial Retirement in Canada and the United Kingdom
Authors: Massie Tajuana , Randazzo Kirk A. , Songer Donald R. 
Published: August 2014

AbstractIn this study, we test theories of judicial retirement developed in the United States to study patterns of retirement in Canada and England. We explore whether there is evidence that justices time their departures to strategically advance partisan or policy goals. Using survival analysis to examine the career patterns of judges appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada (1875–2012), as well as the House of Lords of the United Kingdom (1875–2009), we find that there is no evidence of strategy to achieve political objectives. Instead, these judges either choose to stay as long as possible or retire for personal reasons.
On Courts and Pocketbooks
Authors: Rice Douglas 
Published: August 2014

AbstractScholars studying judicial behavior have identified a host of factors theoretically and empirically connected to judicial decision making. One recent theory identifies economic conditions—which have implications for the decisions of voters and politicians—as influencing the voting behavior of US Supreme Court justices. Yet the US Supreme Court is a unique judicial institution addressing limited—though indisputably important—economic cases every year. State courts, on the other hand, address a multitude of issues every year with economic ramifications. Building on the rich body of literature examining state courts of last resort, I analyze whether judges, across a variety of methods for judicial selection and retention, respond to temporary changes in the state of the economy. Results indicate that the responses of state supreme court judges to changes in the state of the economy are conditional on the electoral vulnerability of the justice. This research thus offers considerable insight into judicial behavior under different selection mechanisms and the conditional influence of the state of the economy.
The Chief Justice as Executive
Authors: Chutkow Dawn M. 
Published: August 2014

AbstractThis article is the first comprehensive empirical study of chief justice appointments to the Judicial Conference committees of the US Courts, entities with influence over substantive public and legal policy. Using a newly created database of all judges appointed to serve on Judicial Conference committees between 1986 and 2012, the results indicate that a judge’s partisan alignment with the chief justice matters, as do personal characteristics such as race, experience on the bench, and court level. These results support claims that Judicial Conference committee selection, membership, and participation may present a vehicle for advancing the chief justice’s individual political and policy interests.
Successful Aging and Subjective Well-Being Among Oldest-Old Adults
Authors: Cho Jinmyoung , Martin Peter , Poon Leonard W. ,   for the Georgia Centenarian Study
Published: August 2014

Purpose of the Study:
This research integrates successful aging and developmental adaptation models to empirically define the direct and indirect effects of 2 distal (i.e., education and past life experiences) and 5 proximal influences (i.e., physical functioning, cognitive functioning, physical health impairment, social resources, and perceived economic status) on subjective well-being. The proximal influences involved predictors outlined in most extant models of successful aging (e.g., Rowe & Kahn, 1998 [Rowe, J. W., & Kahn, R. L. (1998). Successful aging. New York: Pantheon Books.]). Our model extends such models by including distal impact as well as interactions between distal and proximal impacts.

Design and Methods:
Data were obtained from 234 centenarians and 72 octogenarians in the Georgia Centenarian Study. Structural equation modeling was conducted with Mplus 6.1.

Results:
Results showed significant direct effects of physical health impairment and social resources on positive aspects of subjective well-being among oldest-old adults. We also found significant indirect effects of cognitive functioning and education on positive affect among oldest-old adults. Social resources mediated the relationship between cognitive functioning and positive affect; and cognitive functioning and social resources mediated the relationship between education and positive affect. In addition, physical health impairment mediated the relationship between cognitive functioning and positive affect; and cognitive functioning and physical health impairment mediated the relationship between education and positive affect.

Implications:
Integrating 2 different models (i.e., successful aging and developmental adaptation) provided a comprehensive view of adaptation from a developmental perspective.
Characterizing RNA ensembles from NMR data with kinematic models
Authors: Fonseca Rasmus , Pachov Dimitar V. , Bernauer Julie , van den Bedem Henry 
Published: August 2014

Abstract
Functional mechanisms of biomolecules often manifest themselves precisely in transient conformational substates. Researchers have long sought to structurally characterize dynamic processes in non-coding RNA, combining experimental data with computer algorithms. However, adequate exploration of conformational space for these highly dynamic molecules, starting from static crystal structures, remains challenging. Here, we report a new conformational sampling procedure, KGSrna, which can efficiently probe the native ensemble of RNA molecules in solution. We found that KGSrna ensembles accurately represent the conformational landscapes of 3D RNA encoded by NMR proton chemical shifts. KGSrna resolves motionally averaged NMR data into structural contributions; when coupled with residual dipolar coupling data, a KGSrna ensemble revealed a previously uncharacterized transient excited state of the HIV-1 trans-activation response element stem–loop. Ensemble-based interpretations of averaged data can aid in formulating and testing dynamic, motion-based hypotheses of functional mechanisms in RNAs with broad implications for RNA engineering and therapeutic intervention.