bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Performingextracomunitari: Mocking migrants in Venetobarzellette
Authors: Perrino Sabina 
Published: April 2015

AbstractIn Italy,barzelletteare short funny stories that speakers perform in various social events with large groups of friends, relatives, or colleagues. In Northern Italy, where a strong anti-immigration platform has been implemented by two influential political parties of the Veneto region,barzelletteare performed to represent certain immigrant groups, especially the so-calledextracomunitari. In this article, I examine the performative power of multidialectal language play in race-based humor through an analysis of two such joking events. I show how Veneto speakers performbarzellettein their local language, Veneto dialect, to mock immigrant voices, using approaches that purport, not necessarily in a deliberate fashion, to ‘contain’ or ‘conceal’ their racist remarks in their local code. In this way, they sharpen an exclusionary divide between an ‘us’, as insiders, as the local speakers of this language, and a ‘them’, as outsiders, or the immigrant ‘others’, who do not share this code. I thus examine issues of covert racist discourse within an ‘unmarked’ framework in which race and racializing discourses are embedded in social and cultural patterns. (Code-shifting, jokes,Lega Nord, migration, race, racialized discourse, Veneto dialect)*
Staging language on Corsica: Stance, improvisation, play, and heteroglossia
Authors: Jaffe Alexandra 
Published: April 2015

AbstractThis article uses the concept of stance to examine a series of activities and plurilingual heteroglossic performances and improvisations in a Corsican language-planning event. It focuses on how stances taken by performers attribute stances to the audience, as well as how stance objects (language, community, heritage) are construed in performance. This analysis is used to examine how these language-planning events mediate ideological tensions in Corsican language planning, specifically between traditional monolingual/purist ideologies and plurilingual, polynomic ones. (Stance, Corsica, performance, ideology, heteroglossia)*
Performing and evaluating (non)modernities of Portuguese migrant figures on YouTube: The case of Antonio de Carglouch
Authors: Koven Michèle , Simões Marques Isabelle 
Published: April 2015

AbstractWe analyze how France-based YouTube comedic performers Ro et Cut enact the stylized figure of a Portuguese migrant in France, Antonio, in their most popular video,Carglouch. We then examine how commenters respond to the enactment. Specifically, we apply Irvine and Gal's notion of semiotic differentiation to study how participants use language to construct and apply polycentric notions of modernity/nonmodernity. This allows us to analyze how YouTube performers and commenters produce their own and Antonio's relative (non)modernity, as they orient to different versions of a modern/nonmodern axis of differentiation, situated in multiple ‘centers’: France, Portugal, or Europe. That is, participants either interpret Antonio as a nonmodern immigrant in France, a nonmodern emigrant from Portugal, or an international representative of Portugal, spreading nonmodern images of Portugal abroad. We then consider how participants bring these differently centered images of the nonmodern Other into dialogue with each Other, with different outcomes for variously positioned participants. (Migration, heteroglossia, YouTube, transnationalism, Luso-descendants, (non)modernity, France, Portugal)*
Electron acceleration in underdense plasmas described with a classical effective theory
Authors: Pocsai M. A. , Varró S. , Barna I. F. 
Published: April 2015

AbstractAn effective theory of laser–plasma-based particle acceleration is presented. Here we treated the plasma as a continuous medium with an index of refraction nm in which a single electron propagates. Because of the simplicity of this model, we did not perform particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations in order to study the properties of the electron acceleration. We studied the properties of the electron motion due to the Lorentz force and the relativistic equations of motion were numerically solved and analyzed. We compared our results with PIC simulations and experimental data.
Mobility analysis and structural synthesis of a class of spatial mechanisms with coupling chains
Authors: Cao Wen-ao , Ding Huafeng , Chen Ziming , Zhao Shipei 
Published: April 2015

SUMMARYThis paper presents a systematic method for dealing with mobility analysis and structural synthesis of a class of important spatial mechanisms with coupling chains, which involve more complex coupling relations than spatial parallel mechanisms. First, an approach to the establishment of the motion screw equation of the class of mechanisms is derived. Then, a general methodology for mobility analysis along with detection of rigid substructures is proposed based on the motion screw equation. Third, the principle of structural synthesis of the class of mechanisms is established on the basis of the method of mobility analysis. Finally, some novel spatial mechanisms with coupling chains are synthesized, illustrating the effectiveness of the method. The study of the paper will benefit structural analysis and synthesis of more complex spatial mechanisms with coupling chains.
Seed predation, pathogens and germination in primary vs. secondary cloud forest at Maquipucuna Reserve, Ecuador
Authors: Myster Randall W. 
Published: April 2015

Abstract:Because the fate of the seed rain has long been shown to be critical to understanding forest recruitment and regeneration, seed predation, seed pathogens and germination among different species was examined in primary (closed-canopy vs. tree-fall gap) and in secondary (banana vs. sugarcane vs. seeded pasture) cloud forest at Maquipucuna Reserve, Ecuador. I found (1) seed predation took more seeds than either seed pathogenic disease or germination for all tree seed species and in both forests, where the level of seed loss to predation was greatest in the closed-canopy primary forest, second largest in the tree-fall gaps and less in recovering banana, sugarcane and pasture; (2) for pathogens these trends were reversed; and (3) most seeds, that were not taken by predators or pathogens, germinated. Cecropia sp. seeds in the tree-fall gaps and Otoba gordoniifolia seeds in both closed-canopy forest and tree-fall gaps were the most significantly different among all treatments in primary forest and Solanum ovalifolia seeds in banana fields and Piper aduncum in all fields were the most significantly different among all treatments in secondary forest. I conclude that forests may recover faster after human disturbance (here agriculture) than after natural disturbances (here tree-fall).
The prevalence of mutations in the major hydrophilic region of the surface antigen of hepatitis B virus varies with subgenotype
Authors: WANG X. Y. , HARRISON T. J. , HE X. , CHEN Q. Y. , LI G. J. , LIU M. H. , LI H. , YANG J. Y. , FANG Z. L. 
Published: April 2015

SUMMARYMutations in the major hydrophilic region (MHR) of the surface antigen of hepatitis B virus (HBV) may result in vaccine escape, failure of immunotherapy and antiviral resistance. These mutants may be transmitted and constitute a public health threat. We aimed to determine the prevalence of MHR mutations of HBV in areas of high endemicity in Guangxi, China. HBV surface gene was analysed from 278 HBsAg-positive asymptomatic individuals recruited from Guangxi using cluster sampling. Three genotypes, B, C and I, were identified. The overall prevalence of MHR mutations is 17·6%. The prevalence of MHR mutations in genotype B (15·1%) is not significantly different from that in genotype C (16·4%). However, the prevalence in subgenotype C5 (31·1%) is significantly higher than in subgenotype C2 (13·0%) (χ2= 6·997,P< 0·05). The prevalence of escape mutations and overlapping polymerase substitutions in subgenotype C5 is significantly higher than in subgenotypes B2 and C2. In total, 7·9% of MHR mutants are escape mutations and 72·1% of MHR mutations produced amino-acid changes in the overlapping polymerase, including resistance mutations to entecavir. Our results suggest that the prevalence of MHR mutations varies with subgenotype. The prevalence of escape mutations and polymerase mutations may be associated with subgenotype.
Cautious Democrats: Religious Actors and Democratization Processes in Senegal
Authors: Villalón Leonardo A. 
Published: April 2015

AbstractThis article analyzes the role of religious actors at different stages in the long and gradual processes of democratization in Senegal. It examines the transformations in their political influence from pillars of the stable (but non-democratic) post-independence state, to a more ambiguous posture in the decade of democratic opening. A discussion of the interactive relationship between religious change and the transition to democracy over the course of the 1990s leads us to an analysis of the role of religious actors in debating the substantive content of Senegalese democracy in the decade that followed. The article concludes that whileprocedurallyreligious actors are playing an important role in the development of the democratic system in Senegal,substantivelythey are doing so in part by calling into question some understandings of what democracy entails. The ultimate evaluation of their contribution to the consolidation of democracy hinges at least in part on our conceptualization of democracy itself.
A novel role of PRR14 in the regulation of skeletal myogenesis
Authors: Yang M , Yuan Z-M 
Published: April 2015

AbstractDysregulation of genes involved in organizing and maintaining nuclear structures, such as SYNE1, SYNE2, TREM43, EMD and LMNA is frequently associated with diverse diseases termed laminopathies, which often affect the muscle tissue. The PRR14 protein was recently reported to tether heterochromatin to nuclear lamina but its function remains largely unknown. Here, we present several lines of evidence demonstrating a critical role of PRR14 in regulation of myoblast differentiation. We found that Prr14 expression was upregulated during skeletal myogenesis. Knockdown of Prr14 impeded, whereas overexpression of PRR14 enhanced C2C12 differentiation. The pro-myogenesis activity of PRR14 seemed to correlate with its ability to support cell survival and to maintain the stability and structure of lamin A/C. In addition, PRR14 stimulated the activity of MyoD via binding to heterochromatin protein 1 alpha (HP1α). The results altogether support a model in which PRR14 promotes skeletal myogenesis via supporting nuclear lamina structure and enhancing the activity of MyoD.
Bid chimeras indicate that most BH3-only proteins can directly activate Bak and Bax, and show no preference for Bak versus Bax
Authors: Hockings C , Anwari K , Ninnis R L , Brouwer J , O'Hely M , Evangelista M , Hinds M G , Czabotar P E , Lee E F , Fairlie W D , Dewson G , Kluck R M 
Published: April 2015

AbstractThe mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis is initiated by Bcl-2 homology region 3 (BH3)-only members of the Bcl-2 protein family. On upregulation or activation, certain BH3-only proteins can directly bind and activate Bak and Bax to induce conformation change, oligomerization and pore formation in mitochondria. BH3-only proteins, with the exception of Bid, are intrinsically disordered and therefore, functional studies often utilize peptides based on just their BH3 domains. However, these reagents do not possess the hydrophobic membrane targeting domains found on the native BH3-only molecule. To generate each BH3-only protein as a recombinant protein that could efficiently target mitochondria, we developed recombinant Bid chimeras in which the BH3 domain was replaced with that of other BH3-only proteins (Bim, Puma, Noxa, Bad, Bmf, Bik and Hrk). The chimeras were stable following purification, and each immunoprecipitated with full-length Bcl-xL according to the specificity reported for the related BH3 peptide. When tested for activation of Bak and Bax in mitochondrial permeabilization assays, Bid chimeras were ~1000-fold more effective than the related BH3 peptides. BH3 sequences from Bid and Bim were the strongest activators, followed by Puma, Hrk, Bmf and Bik, while Bad and Noxa were not activators. Notably, chimeras and peptides showed no apparent preference for activating Bak or Bax. In addition, within the BH3 domain, the h0 position recently found to be important for Bax activation, was important also for Bak activation. Together, our data with full-length proteins indicate that most BH3-only proteins can directly activate both Bak and Bax.
Characterization of adipocytes derived from fibro/adipogenic progenitors resident in human skeletal muscle
Authors: Arrighi N , Moratal C , Clément N , Giorgetti-Peraldi S , Peraldi P , Loubat A , Kurzenne J-Y , Dani C , Chopard A , Dechesne C A 
Published: April 2015

AbstractA population of fibro/adipogenic but non-myogenic progenitors located between skeletal muscle fibers was recently discovered. The aim of this study was to determine the extent to which these progenitors differentiate into fully functional adipocytes. The characterization of muscle progenitor-derived adipocytes is a central issue in understanding muscle homeostasis. They are considered as being the cellular origin of intermuscular adipose tissue that develops in several pathophysiological situations. Here fibro/adipogenic progenitors were isolated from a panel of 15 human muscle biopsies on the basis of the specific cell-surface immunophenotype CD15+/PDGFRα+CD56−. This allowed investigations of their differentiation into adipocytes and the cellular functions of terminally differentiated adipocytes. Adipogenic differentiation was found to be regulated by the same effectors as those regulating differentiation of progenitors derived from white subcutaneous adipose tissue. Similarly, basic adipocyte functions, such as triglyceride synthesis and lipolysis occurred at levels similar to those observed with subcutaneous adipose tissue progenitor-derived adipocytes. However, muscle progenitor-derived adipocytes were found to be insensitive to insulin-induced glucose uptake, in association with the impairment of phosphorylation of key insulin-signaling effectors. Our findings indicate that muscle adipogenic progenitors give rise to bona fide white adipocytes that have the unexpected feature of being insulin-resistant.
Observation of finite-wavelength screening in high-energy-density matter
Authors: Chapman D. A. , Vorberger J. , Fletcher L. B. , Baggott R. A. , Divol L. , Döppner T. , Falcone R. W. , Glenzer S. H. , Gregori G. , Guymer T. M. , Kritcher A. L. , Landen O. L. , Ma T. , Pak A. E. , Gericke D. O. 
Published: April 2015

AbstractA key component for the description of charged particle systems is the screening of the Coulomb interaction between charge carriers. First investigated in the 1920s by Debye and Hückel for electrolytes, charge screening is important for determining the structural and transport properties of matter as diverse as astrophysical and laboratory plasmas, nuclear matter such as quark-gluon plasmas, electrons in solids, planetary cores and charged macromolecules. For systems with negligible dynamics, screening is still mostly described using a Debye–Hückel-type approach. Here, we report the novel observation of a significant departure from the Debye–Hückel-type model in high-energy-density matter by probing laser-driven, shock-compressed plastic with high-energy X-rays. We use spectrally resolved X-ray scattering in a geometry that enables direct investigation of the screening cloud, and demonstrate that the observed elastic scattering amplitude is only well described within a more general approach.
Nkx2.1-derived astrocytes and neurons together with Slit2 are indispensable for anterior commissure formation
Authors: Minocha Shilpi , Valloton Delphine , Ypsilanti Athena R. , Fiumelli Hubert , Allen Elizabeth A. , Yanagawa Yuchio , Marin Oscar , Chédotal Alain , Hornung Jean-Pierre , Lebrand Cécile 
Published: April 2015

AbstractGuidepost cells present at and surrounding the midline provide guidance cues that orient the growing axons through commissures. Here we show that the transcription factor Nkx2.1 known to control the specification of GABAergic interneurons also regulates the differentiation of astroglia and polydendrocytes within the mouse anterior commissure (AC). Nkx2.1-positive glia were found to originate from three germinal regions of the ventral telencephalon. Nkx2.1-derived glia were observed in and around the AC region by E14.5. Thereafter, a selective cell ablation strategy showed a synergistic role of Nkx2.1-derived cells, both GABAergic interneurons and astroglia, towards the proper formation of the AC. Finally, our results reveal that the Nkx2.1-regulated cells mediate AC axon guidance through the expression of the repellent cue, Slit2. These results bring forth interesting insights about the spatial and temporal origin of midline telencephalic glia, and highlight the importance of neurons and astroglia towards the formation of midline commissures.
Leaf onset in the northern hemisphere triggered by daytime temperature
Authors: Piao Shilong , Tan Jianguang , Chen Anping , Fu Yongshuo H. , Ciais Philippe , Liu Qiang , Janssens Ivan A. , Vicca Sara , Zeng Zhenzhong , Jeong Su-Jong , Li Yue , Myneni Ranga B. , Peng Shushi , Shen Miaogen , Peñuelas Josep 
Published: April 2015

AbstractRecent warming significantly advanced leaf onset in the northern hemisphere. This signal cannot be accurately reproduced by current models parameterized by daily mean temperature (Tmean). Here using in situ observations of leaf unfolding dates (LUDs) in Europe and the United States, we show that the interannual anomalies of LUD during 1982–2011 are triggered by daytime (Tmax) more than by nighttime temperature (Tmin). Furthermore, an increase of 1 °C in Tmax would advance LUD by 4.7 days in Europe and 4.3 days in the United States, more than the conventional temperature sensitivity estimated from Tmean. The triggering role of Tmax, rather than the Tmin or Tmean variable, is also supported by analysis of the large-scale patterns of satellite-derived vegetation green-up in spring in the northern hemisphere (>30°N). Our results suggest a new conceptual framework of leaf onset using daytime temperature to improve the performance of phenology modules in current Earth system models.
Exploring the impact of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) on diabetes control in diabetes patients: a prospective observational study in general practice
Authors: Luijks Hilde D , de Grauw Wim JC , Bor Jacobus HJ , van Weel Chris , Lagro-Janssen Antoine LM , Biermans Marion CJ , Schermer Tjard R 
Published: April 2015

Abstract
Background:
Little is known about the association between COPD and diabetes control parameters.

Aims:
To explore the association between comorbid COPD and longitudinal glycaemic control (HbA1C) and systolic blood pressure (SBP) in a primary care cohort of diabetes patients.

Methods:
This is a prospective cohort study of type 2 diabetes patients in the Netherlands. In a mixed model analysis, we tested differences in the 5-year longitudinal development of HbA1C and SBP according to COPD comorbidity (present/absent). We corrected for relevant covariates. In subgroup effect analyses, we tested whether potential differences between diabetes patients with/without COPD were modified by age, sex, socio-economic status (SES) and body mass index (BMI).

Results:
We analysed 610 diabetes patients. A total of 63 patients (10.3%) had comorbid COPD. The presence of COPD was not significantly associated with the longitudinal development of HbA1C (P=0.54) or SBP (P=0.33), but subgroup effect analyses showed significant effect modification by SES (P<0.01) and BMI (P=0.03) on SBP. Diabetes patients without COPD had a flat SBP trend over time, with higher values in patients with a high BMI. For diabetes patients with COPD, SBP gradually increased over time in the middle- and high-SES groups, and it decreased over time in those in the low-SES group.

Conclusions:
The longitudinal development of HbA1C was not significantly associated with comorbid COPD in diabetes patients. The course of SBP in diabetes patients with COPD is significantly associated with SES (not BMI) in contrast to those without COPD. Comorbid COPD was associated with longitudinal diabetes control parameters, but it has complex interactions with other patient characteristics. Further research is needed.
Antibacterial activity of silver-killed bacteria: the "zombies" effect
Authors: Wakshlak Racheli Ben-Knaz , Pedahzur Rami , Avnir David 
Published: April 2015

AbstractWe report a previously unrecognized mechanism for the prolonged action of biocidal agents, which we denote as the zombies effect: biocidally-killed bacteria are capable of killing living bacteria. The concept is demonstrated by first killing Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 with silver nitrate and then challenging, with the dead bacteria, a viable culture of the same bacterium: Efficient antibacterial activity of the killed bacteria is observed. A mechanism is suggested in terms of the action of the dead bacteria as a reservoir of silver, which, due to Le-Chatelier's principle, is re-targeted to the living bacteria. Langmuirian behavior, as well as deviations from it, support the proposed mechanism.
Oxygen-induced cell migration and on-line monitoring biomarkers modulation of cervical cancers on a microfluidic system
Authors: Lin Xuexia , Chen Qiushui , Liu Wu , Zhang Jie , Wang Shiqi , Lin Zhixiong , Lin Jin-Ming 
Published: April 2015

AbstractIn this work, we report an integrated microfluidic device for cell co-culture under different concentrations of oxygen, in which the secreted protein VEGF165 was on-line qualitatively and semi-quantitatively analyzed by functional nucleic acid, hemin, ABTS and peroxide system. This microfluidic platform allowed investigation of various oxygen and distances effect on cell-to-cell communication. Besides, the microfluidic device was used for real-time analysis of VEGF165 protein by aptamer-functionalized microchannels. Under 5% O2 condition, we found that the migration of CaSki cells was faster than the migration of human umbilical vein endothelial cells. However, the migration of CaSki cells was slower than the migration of HUVECs under 15% O2 condition. Moreover, the shorter intercellular distances, the quicker cells migration. Furthermore, HIF-1α and VEGF165 genes, ROS were analyzed and the results would provide new perspectives for the diagnosis and medical treatment of cervical cancer.
Illusory ownership of an invisible body reduces autonomic and subjective social anxiety responses
Authors: Guterstam Arvid , Abdulkarim Zakaryah , Ehrsson H. Henrik 
Published: April 2015

AbstractWhat is it like to be invisible? This question has long fascinated man and has been the central theme of many classic literary works. Recent advances in materials science suggest that invisibility cloaking of the human body may be possible in the not-so-distant future. However, it remains unknown how invisibility affects body perception and embodied cognition. To address these questions, we developed a perceptual illusion of having an entire invisible body. Through a series of experiments, we characterized the multisensory rules that govern the elicitation of the illusion and show that the experience of having an invisible body reduces the social anxiety response to standing in front of an audience. This study provides an experimental model of what it is like to be invisible and shows that this experience affects bodily self-perception and social cognition.