bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
3D printer generated thorax phantom with mobile tumor for radiation dosimetry
Authors: Mayer Rulon , Liacouras Peter , Thomas Andrew , Kang Minglei , Lin Liyong , Simone Charles B.
Published: July 2015

This article describes the design, construction, and properties of an anthropomorphic thorax phantom with a moving surrogate tumor. This novel phantom permits detection of dose both inside and outside a moving tumor and within the substitute lung tissue material. A 3D printer generated the thorax shell composed of a chest wall, spinal column, and posterior regions of the phantom. Images of a computed tomography scan of the thorax from a patient with lung cancer provided the template for the 3D printing. The plastic phantom is segmented into two materials representing the muscle and bones, and its geometry closely matches a patient. A surrogate spherical plastic tumor controlled by a 3D linear stage simulates a lung tumor’s trajectory during normal breathing. Sawdust emulates the lung tissue in terms of average and distribution in Hounsfield numbers. The sawdust also provides a forgiving medium that permits tumor motion and sandwiching of radiochromic film inside the mobile surrogate plastic tumor for dosimetry. A custom cork casing shields the film and tumor and eliminates film bending during extended scans. The phantom, lung tissue surrogate, and radiochromic film are exposed to a seven field plan based on an ECLIPSE plan for 6 MV photons from a Trilogy machine delivering 230 cGy to the isocenter. The dose collected in a sagittal plane is compared to the calculated plan. Gamma analysis finds 8.8% and 5.5% gamma failure rates for measurements of large amplitude trajectory and static measurements relative to the large amplitude plan, respectively. These particular gamma analysis results were achieved using parameters of 3% dose and 3 mm, for regions receiving doses >150 cGy. The plan assumes a stationary detection grid unlike the moving radiochromic film and tissues. This difference was experimentally observed and motivated calculated dose distributions that incorporated the phase of the tumor periodic motion. These calculations modestly improve agreement between the measured and intended doses.
Heterogeneous nucleation of CdS to enhance visible-light photocatalytic hydrogen evolution of SiC/CdS composite
Authors: Peng Yuan , Guo Zhongnan , Wang Da , Pan Nanyan , Yuan Wenxia
Published: July 2015

Synthesis of composite photocatalyst is one of the most important strategies to enhance the yield of hydrogen produced by water splitting. However, one photocatalyst usually tends to randomly aggregate on the other's surface, which weakens the electron transport of the heterogeneous interface. Herein, we developed a hydrothermal reaction to synthesize the SiC/CdS composite with a feasible Z-scheme and well-controlled dispersion of CdS on SiC surface. Heterogeneous structure on the catalyst interface is obtained, leading to more light-absorption and effective electron-hole separation between the well-contacted components, which contribute to the doubly enhanced photocatalytic performance of the composite. This work provides a simple and practical route to improve the catalytic activity by optimizing the intrinsic contact of Z-scheme composite semiconductors.
Two dimensional triangulation of breakdown in a high voltage coaxial gap
Authors: Cordaro S. W. , Bott-Suzuki S. C. , Caballero Bendixsen L. S. , Atoyan Levon , Byvank Tom , Potter William , Kusse B. R. , Greenly J. B.
Published: July 2015

We describe a technique by which magnetic field probes are used to triangulate the exact position of breakdown in a high voltage coaxial vacuum gap. An array of three probes is placed near the plane of the gap with each probe at 90° intervals around the outer (anode) electrode. These probes measure the azimuthal component of the magnetic field and are all at the same radial distance from the cylindrical axis. Using the peak magnetic field values measured by each probe, the current carried by the breakdown channel, and Ampères law we can calculate the distance away from each probe that the breakdown occurred. These calculated distances are then used to draw three circles each centered at the centers of the corresponding magnetic probes. The common intersection of these three circles then gives the predicted azimuthal location of the center of the breakdown channel. Test results first gathered on the coaxial gap breakdown device (240 A, 25 kV, 150 ns) at the University of California San Diego and then on COBRA (1 MA, 1 MV, 100 ns) at Cornell University indicate that this technique is relatively accurate and scales between these two devices.
Communication: Structural interconversions between principal clathrate hydrate structures
Authors: Liang Shuai , Kusalik Peter G.
Published: July 2015

Gas clathrate hydrates formed with most gases belong to three common and well characterized crystalline structures known as sI, sII, and sH, although molecular mechanisms for their structural interconversions have remained poorly understood. Here, we present potential mechanisms for the interconversions between sI and sH and sII and sH, as observed within molecular simulations of the cross-nucleation of different methane hydrate phases. We find that a 4151062 cage intermediates the structural interconversion between sI and sH, while a sII crystal can form on a sH template directly. These structural interconversion pathways emphasize the diversity of possible clathrate hydrate phases characterized by a variety of tetrahedrally hydrogen-bonded structures.
Enhanced Seebeck coefficient in silicon nanowires containing dislocations
Authors: Bennett Nick S. , Byrne Daragh , Cowley Aidan
Published: July 2015

In recent years, research on thermoelectric (TE) materials has intensified—thanks to the exciting potential of low-dimensional structures such as nanowires. Experiments have shown that nano-structuring materials can greatly reduce their thermal transport properties, significantly enhancing thermoelectric performance. With reduced thermal conductivity, nano-structured silicon—which is plentiful and low-cost—becomes a competitive TE material, but still trails traditional TE materials in overall performance. In this study, we show that the creation of extended defects within the crystal structure of silicon nanowires can create an additional enhancement. Relative to regular silicon nanowires, extended defects lead to an increased Seebeck coefficient. The effect is a consequence of the creation of dislocations and dislocation-loops, intentionally introduced in the nanowires. These defects create nano-scale potential barriers which theoretical studies have predicted can enhance silicon's thermopower by energy filtering of low-energy carriers. Although the defects slightly reduce carrier mobility—increasing electrical resistivity in the nanowires—their presence creates an overall two-fold enhancement in the thermoelectric power factor.
Localized surface plasmon resonances after selective oxidization of AuCu solid solution nanocrystalline films
Authors: Sousanis A. , Grammatikopoulos S. , Delimitis A. , Dracopoulos V. , Poulopoulos P.
Published: July 2015

AuxCu100−x, 4 ≤ x ≤ 12 at.%, solid solution nanocrystalline films with thickness between 1.5 and 100 nm were grown on Si(100) and Corning glass substrates at room temperature by radio frequency magnetron sputtering. After post annealing at 430 °C in a furnace with air, phase separation occurred between CuO and Au. The Au nanoparticles showed intense localized surface plasmon resonances with an amplitude increasing with Au concentration. We show the evolution of these resonances with the annealing time and correlate the structure to optical properties. The controllable tuning of position and intensity of plasmon resonances render this system a good candidate for applications.
Separating electric field and thermal effects across the metal-insulator transition in vanadium oxide nanobeams
Authors: Stabile Adam A. , Singh Sujay K. , Wu Tai-Lung , Whittaker Luisa , Banerjee Sarbajit , Sambandamurthy G.
Published: July 2015

We present results from an experimental study of the equilibrium and non-equilibrium transport properties of vanadium oxide nanobeams near the metal-insulator transition (MIT). Application of a large electric field in the insulating phase across the nanobeams produces an abrupt MIT, and the individual roles of thermal and non-thermal effects in driving the transition are studied. Transport measurements at temperatures (T) far below the critical temperature (Tc) of MIT, in nanoscale vanadium oxide devices, show that both T and electric field play distinctly separate, but critical roles in inducing the MIT. Specifically, at T≪Tc, electric field dominates the MIT through an avalanche-type process, whereas thermal effects become progressively critical as T approaches Tc.
Optically controllable molecular logic circuits
Authors: Nishimura Takahiro , Fujii Ryo , Ogura Yusuke , Tanida Jun
Published: July 2015

Molecular logic circuits represent a promising technology for observation and manipulation of biological systems at the molecular level. However, the implementation of molecular logic circuits for temporal and programmable operation remains challenging. In this paper, we demonstrate an optically controllable logic circuit that uses fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) for signaling. The FRET-based signaling process is modulated by both molecular and optical inputs. Based on the distance dependence of FRET, the FRET pathways required to execute molecular logic operations are formed on a DNA nanostructure as a circuit based on its molecular inputs. In addition, the FRET pathways on the DNA nanostructure are controlled optically, using photoswitching fluorescent molecules to instruct the execution of the desired operation and the related timings. The behavior of the circuit can thus be controlled using external optical signals. As an example, a molecular logic circuit capable of executing two different logic operations was studied. The circuit contains functional DNAs and a DNA scaffold to construct two FRET routes for executing Input 1 AND Input 2 and Input 1 AND NOT Input 3 operations on molecular inputs. The circuit produced the correct outputs with all possible combinations of the inputs by following the light signals. Moreover, the operation execution timings were controlled based on light irradiation and the circuit responded to time-dependent inputs. The experimental results demonstrate that the circuit changes the output for the required operations following the input of temporal light signals.
Transparent conducting oxide free backside illuminated perovskite solar cells
Authors: Li Jia , Yao Jiexiong , Xia Huarong , Sun Wentao , Liu Jian , Peng Lianmao
Published: July 2015

Recently, hybrid perovskites have attracted great attention because of their promising applications in solar cells. However, perovskite solar devices reported till now are mostly based on transparent conducting oxide (TCO) substrates which account for a large proportion in the total cost. Herein, TCO-free perovskite solar cells are fabricated. A photo-electricity conversion efficiency of 5.27% is obtained with short circuit current density (Jsc) of 10.7 mA/cm2, open circuit voltage (Voc) of 0.837 V, and fill factor of 0.588. This study points a feasible way of replacing TCO substrate by low cost substrates, indicating promising potentials in solar energy conversion applications.
Nonpolar III-nitride vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers incorporating an ion implanted aperture
Authors: Leonard J. T. , Cohen D. A. , Yonkee B. P. , Farrell R. M. , Margalith T. , Lee S. , DenBaars S. P. , Speck J. S. , Nakamura S.
Published: July 2015

We report on our recent progress in improving the performance of nonpolar III-nitride vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) by using an Al ion implanted aperture and employing a multi-layer electron-beam evaporated ITO intracavity contact. The use of an ion implanted aperture improves the lateral confinement over SiNx apertures by enabling a planar ITO design, while the multi-layer ITO contact minimizes scattering losses due to its epitaxially smooth morphology. The reported VCSEL has 10 QWs, with a 3 nm quantum well width, 1 nm barriers, a 5 nm electron-blocking layer, and a 6.95-λ total cavity thickness. These advances yield a single longitudinal mode 406 nm nonpolar VCSEL with a low threshold current density (∼16 kA/cm2), a peak output power of ∼12 μW, and a 100% polarization ratio. The lasing in the current aperture is observed to be spatially non-uniform, which is likely a result of filamentation caused by non-uniform current spreading, lateral optical confinement, contact resistance, and absorption loss.
High power continuous-wave GaSb-based superluminescent diodes as gain chips for widely tunable laser spectroscopy in the 1.95–2.45 μm wavelength range
Authors: Vizbaras K. , Dvinelis E. , Šimonytė I. , Trinkūnas A. , Greibus M. , Songaila R. , Žukauskas T. , Kaušylas M. , Vizbaras A.
Published: July 2015

We present high-power single-spatial mode electrically pumped GaSb-based superluminescent diodes (SLDs) operating in the 1.95 to 2.45 μm wavelength range in continuous-wave (CW). MBE grown GaSb-based heterostructures were fabricated into single-angled facet ridge-waveguide devices that demonstrate more than 40 mW CW output power at 2.05 μm, to >5 mW at 2.40 μm at room-temperature. We integrated these SLDs into an external cavity (Littrow configuration) as gain chips and achieved single-mode CW lasing with maximum output powers exceeding 18 mW. An extremely wide tuning range of 120 nm per chip with side-mode-suppression-ratios >25 dB was demonstrated while maintaining optical output power level above 3 mW across the entire tuning range.
Dopant-mediated structural and magnetic properties of TbMnO3
Authors: Sharma Vinit , McDannald A. , Staruch M. , Ramprasad R. , Jain M.
Published: July 2015

Structural and magnetic properties of the doped terbium manganites (Tb,A)MnO3 (A = Gd, Dy, and Ho) have been investigated using first-principles calculations and further confirmed by subsequent experimental studies. Both computational and experimental studies suggest that compared to the parent material, namely, TbMnO3 (with a magnetic moment of 9.7 μB for Tb3+) Dy- and Ho-ion substituted TbMnO3 results in an increase in the magnetic susceptibility at low fields (≤10.6μB for Dy3+ and Ho3+). The observed spiral-spin AFM order in TbMnO3 is stable with respect to the dopant substitutions, which modify the Mn-O-Mn bond angles and lead to stronger the ferromagnetic component of the magnetic moment. Given the fact that magnetic ordering in TbMnO3 causes the ferroelectricity, this is an important step in the field of the magnetically driven ferroelectricity in the class of magnetoelectric multiferroics, which traditionally have low magnetic moments due to the predominantly antiferromagnetic order. In addition, the present study reveals important insights on the phenomenological coupling mechanism in detail, which is essential in order to design new materials with enhanced magneto-electric effects at higher temperatures.
Valence band alignment and hole transport in amorphous/crystalline silicon heterojunction solar cells
Authors: Mews Mathias , Liebhaber Martin , Rech Bernd , Korte Lars
Published: July 2015

To investigate the hole transport across amorphous/crystalline silicon heterojunctions, solar cells with varying band offsets were fabricated using amorphous silicon suboxide films. The suboxides enable good passivation if covered by a doped amorphous silicon layer. Increasing valence band offsets yield rising hole transport barriers and reduced device efficiencies. Carrier transport by thermal emission is reduced and tunnel hopping through valence band tail states increases for larger barriers. Nevertheless, stacks of films with different band gaps, forming a band offset staircase at the heterojunction, could allow the application of these layers in silicon heterojunction solar cells.
High fructose consumption in pregnancy alters the perinatal environment without increasing metabolic disease in the offspring
Authors: Lineker Christopher , Kerr Paul M. , Nguyen Patricia , Bloor Ian , Astbury Stuart , Patel Nikhil , Budge Helen , Hemmings Denise G. , Plane Frances , Symonds Michael E. , Bell Rhonda C.
Published: July 2015

Maternal carbohydrate intake is one important determinant of fetal body composition, but whether increased exposure to individual sugars has long-term adverse effects on the offspring is not well established. Therefore, we examined the effect of fructose feeding on the mother, placenta, fetus and her offspring up to 6 months of life when they had been weaned onto a standard rodent diet and not exposed to additional fructose. Dams fed fructose were fatter, had raised plasma insulin and triglycerides from mid-gestation and higher glucose near term. Maternal resistance arteries showed changes in function that could negatively affect regulation of blood pressure and tissue perfusion in the mother and development of the fetus. Fructose feeding had no effect on placental weight or fetal metabolic profiles, but placental gene expression for the glucose transporter GLUT1 was reduced, whereas the abundance of sodium-dependent neutral amino acid transporter-2 was raised. Offspring born to fructose-fed and control dams were similar at birth and had similar post-weaning growth rates, and neither fat mass nor metabolic profiles were affected. In conclusion, raised fructose consumption during reproduction results in pronounced maternal metabolic and vascular effects, but no major detrimental metabolic effects were observed in offspring up to 6 months of age.
Estimating the prevalence of mixed-type gonococcal infections in Queensland, Australia
Authors: Trembizki Ella , Doyle Christine , Buckley Cameron , Jennison Amy , Smith Helen , Bates John , Sloots Theo , Nissen Michael , Lahra Monica M. , Whiley David
Published: July 2015

Background Mixed gonococcal infections within the one anatomical site have been recognised but questions remain over how often they occur. In this study, the aim was to estimate the prevalence of mixed gonococcal infections using novel real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods that were developed and validated, targeting the gonococcal porB gene. Methods: Neisseria gonorrhoeae strains were categorised into three different porB groups, based on sequence data derived from N. gonorrhoeae multi-antigen sequence typing (NG-MAST) analyses of local isolates. Specific PCR methods for each group were then developed and these PCR methods were used to test clinical samples (n = 350) that were positive for gonorrhoea as determined by nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) diagnostic screening. Results: Initial validation using isolates showed the group PCR methods proved 100% sensitive and 100% specific for their respective porB groups. When applied to the clinical specimens, 298/350 (85%) provided positive results by the group PCR methods. Of these, four specimens showed evidence of mixed infections, supported by subsequent DNA sequencing of the PCR products. Conclusions: The data provide further evidence of mixed gonococcal infections at the same anatomical site, but show that such infections may be relatively infrequent (1.3%; 95% confidence interval 0.01–2.6%) in a general screening population.
The use of probabilistic lexicality cues for word segmentation in Chinese reading
Authors: Zang Chuanli , Wang Yongsheng , Bai Xuejun , Yan Guoli , Drieghe Denis , Liversedge Simon P.
Published: July 2015

In an eye-tracking experiment we examined whether Chinese readers were sensitive to information concerning how often a Chinese character appears as a single-character word versus the first character in a two-character word, and whether readers use this information to segment words and adjust the amount of parafoveal processing of subsequent characters during reading. Participants read sentences containing a two-character target word with its first character more or less likely to be a single-character word. The boundary paradigm was used. The boundary appeared between the first character and the second character of the target word, and we manipulated whether readers saw an identity or a pseudocharacter preview of the second character of the target. Linear mixed-effects models revealed reduced preview benefit from the second character when the first character was more likely to be a single-character word. This suggests that Chinese readers use probabilistic combinatorial information about the likelihood of a Chinese character being single-character word or a two-character word online to modulate the extent of parafoveal processing.
Myelinophagy: Schwann cells dine in
Authors: Thumm Michael , Simons Mikael
Published: July 2015

When nerve injury occurs, the axon and myelin fragments distal to the injury site have to be cleared away before repair. In this issue, Gomez-Sanchez et al. (2015; J. Cell Biol. http://dx.doi.org/10.1083/jcb.201503019) find that clearance of the damaged myelin within Schwann cells occurs not by phagocytosis but rather via selective autophagy, in a process they term “myelinophagy.”
An Equivariant Main Conjecture in Iwasawa theory and applications
Authors: Greither Cornelius , Popescu Cristian
Published: July 2015

We construct a new class of Iwasawa modules, which are the number field analogues of the

p
p

-adic realizations of the Picard

1
1

-motives constructed by Deligne and studied extensively from a Galois module structure point of view in our previous works. We prove that the new Iwasawa modules are of projective dimension

1
1

over the appropriate profinite group rings. In the abelian case, we prove an Equivariant Main Conjecture, identifying the first Fitting ideal of the Iwasawa module in question over the appropriate profinite group ring with the principal ideal generated by a certain equivariant

p
p

-adic

L
L

-function. This is an integral, equivariant refinement of the classical Main Conjecture over totally real number fields proved by Wiles. Finally, we use these results and Iwasawa co-descent to prove refinements of the (imprimitive) Brumer–Stark Conjecture and the Coates–Sinnott Conjecture, away from their

2
2

-primary components, in the most general number field setting. All of the above is achieved under the assumption that the relevant prime

p
p

is odd and that the appropriate classical Iwasawa

μ
\mu

-invariants vanish (as conjectured by Iwasawa).
Evaluation of Sampling and Testing Efficiencies of Plum pox virus Eradication Programs in Pennsylvania and Ontario
Authors: Gougherty A. V. , Pazdernik K. T. , Kaiser M. S. , Nutter F. W.
Published: July 2015

Plum pox virus (PPV) was first detected in the United States in Pennsylvania in 1999 and in Ontario, Canada in 2000. Following a 10-year survey and eradication program, PPV was officially declared eradicated in Pennsylvania in 2009. Although incidence of PPV was greatly reduced from 2000 to 2008, PPV remains present in Ontario. The objective of this study was to compare how the Pennsylvania and Ontario PPV eradication programs affected the probability of detecting PPV at the leaf, scaffold, tree, and Prunus orchard block scales. A simulation model was developed to evaluate the sampling and testing efficiency of the two programs. At the tree scale, the Pennsylvania sampling and detection protocols had a detection efficiency of 71.8% compared with 40.5% for the Ontario program. Several components in the Pennsylvania and Ontario PPV eradication programs affected PPV detection efficiency. A stratified (by tree scaffold) random sampling design did not improve PPV detection efficiency in either program, compared with a simple random sampling design to select leaves for enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) testing. Detection efficiency for both programs increased with sample size but gains in detection efficiency diminished as sample size increased. There was good agreement (between the commercial ELISA kit used in Pennsylvania and the kit used in Ontario) at the leaf and scaffold scales but not the tree scale. Based on simulation modeling, the Pennsylvania PPV eradication program required that >2 PPV-positive trees must be present within a Prunus block to achieve a 95% probability of correctly detecting PPV at the block scale, whereas the Ontario program required >5 PPV-positive trees within a block to achieve 95% probability of detection. The results from this study have important implications with regard to the efficiency of the two eradication programs to detect PPV-positive trees.
Worldwide patterns of human epigenetic variation
Authors: Carja Oana , MacIsaac Julia L. , Mah Sarah M. , Henn Brenna M. , Kobor Michael S. , Feldman Marcus W. , Fraser Hunter B.
Published: July 2015

DNA methylation is an epigenetic modification, influenced by both genetic and environmental variation, that can affect transcription and many organismal phenotypes. Although patterns of DNA methylation have been shown to differ between human populations, it remains to be determined whether epigenetic diversity mirrors the patterns observed for DNA polymorphisms or gene expression levels. We measured DNA methylation at 480,000 sites in 34 individuals from five diverse human populations in the Human Genome Diversity Panel, and analyzed these together with single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and gene expression data. We found greater population-specificity of DNA methylation than of mRNA levels, which may be driven by the greater genetic control of methylation. This study provides insights into gene expression and its epigenetic regulation across populations and offers a deeper understanding of worldwide patterns of epigenetic diversity in humans.
N-(6-Methylpyridin-2-yl)mesitylenesulfonamide and acetic acid – a salt, a cocrystal or both?
Authors: Pan Fangfang , Kalf Irmgard , Englert Ulli
Published: July 2015

In the solid obtained fromN-(6-methylpyridin-2-yl)mesitylenesulfonamide and acetic acid, the constituents interactviatwo N—H...O hydrogen bonds. The H atom situated in one of these short contacts is disordered over two positions: one of these positions is formally associated with an adduct of the neutral sulfonamide molecule and the neutral acetic acid molecule, and corresponds to a cocrystal, while the alternative site is associated with salt formation between a protonated sulfonamide molecule and deprotonated acetic acid molecule. Site-occupancy refinements and electron densities from difference Fourier maps suggest a trend with temperature, albeit of limited significance; the cocrystal is more relevant at 100 K, whereas the intensity data collected at room temperature match the description as cocrystal and salt equally well.
Scenario based evaluation of a cost risk model through sensitivity analysis
Authors: Ökmen Önder , Öztaş Ahmet
Published: July 2015

Purpose

– Actual costs frequently deviate from the estimated costs in either favorable or adverse direction in construction projects. Conventional cost evaluation methods do not take the uncertainty and correlation effects into account. In this regard, a simulation-based cost risk analysis model, the Correlated Cost Risk Analysis Model, previously has been proposed to evaluate the uncertainty effect on construction costs in case of correlated costs and correlated risk-factors. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the detailed evaluation of the Cost Risk Analysis Model through scenario and sensitivity analyses.

Design/methodology/approach

– The evaluation process consists of three scenarios with three sensitivity analyses in each and 28 simulations in total. During applications, the model’s important parameter called the mean proportion coefficient is modified and the user-dependent variables like the risk-factor influence degrees are changed to observe the response of the model to these modifications and to examine the indirect, two-sided and qualitative correlation capturing algorithm of the model. Monte Carlo Simulation is also applied on the same data to compare the results.

Findings

– The findings have shown that the Correlated Cost Risk Analysis Model is capable of capturing the correlation between the costs and between the risk-factors, and operates in accordance with the theoretical expectancies.

Originality/value

– Correlated Cost Risk Analysis Model can be preferred as a reliable and practical method by the professionals of the construction sector thanks to its detailed evaluation introduced in this paper.
Genetic, ecological and geographic covariables explaining host range and specificity of a microsporidian parasite
Authors: Lange Benjamin , Kaufmann Andrea Patricia , Ebert Dieter
Published: July 2015

Parasites often have a smaller geographic distribution than their hosts. Common garden infection trials can untangle the role that historical contingencies, ecological conditions and the genetic constitution of local host populations play in limiting parasite geographic range; however, infection trials usually overestimate the range of hosts in which a parasite could naturally persist.

This study overcomes that problem by using multigeneration, long‐term persistence experiments. We study the microsporidian parasite Hamiltosporidium tvaerminnensis in monoclonal populations of Daphnia magna from 43 widely spread sites. The parasite persisted well in hosts collected from its natural geographic range, but demonstrated long‐term persistence in only a few host genotypes outside this range.

Genetic distance between hosts from the parasite's origin site and newly tested host populations correlated negatively with parasite persistence. Furthermore, the parasite persisted only in host populations from habitats with a high likelihood of drying up in summer, although we excluded environmental variation in our experiments.

Together, our results suggest that host genetic factors play the dominant role in explaining the limited geographic range of parasites and that these genetic differences covary with geographic distance and the habitat type the host is adapted to.
Impacts of geography, taxonomy and functional group on inorganic carbon use patterns in marine macrophytes
Authors: Stepien Courtney C.
Published: July 2015

Carbon uptake in terrestrial plants functions under near‐constant source carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations and isotopic ratios, but aquatic macrophytes operate in a more complex system where environmental fluxes and biotic interactions undermine assumptions of constant CO2 concentration and 13C/12C.

Many marine macrophytes not only passively access CO2 for photosynthesis, but also actively concentrate CO2 and bicarbonate () using carbon concentration mechanisms (CCMs). These processes change macrophyte carbon fractionation signatures (13C/12C) and elevate seawater pH as high as 10.4 in mesocosm pH assays, in which the pH value reached is termed pH*.

I assembled a global data set of 2027 marine macrophyte δ13C and pH assay values for 664 species to assess (i) how macrophyte δ13C varies with the abiotic parameters such as sea surface temperature (SST), latitude and habitat, and the organismal traits of taxonomic and functional group membership and (ii) how species δ13C is related to CCM presence or absence, as determined by a pH drift assay.

Across 613 macrophyte species, collection site distance from the equator was negatively related to species δ13C, while collection site variance in SST was positively related to species δ13C. Macrophyte tissue δ13C differed among oceans as well as in intertidal versus subtidal habitats. Species from phylum Rhodophyta had the lowest δ13C, and functional group was related to δ13C, largely due to higher δ13C in calcifying species.

Analysis of 141 species with paired pH*–δ13C data found that these metrics of CCM presence are not independent. As species δ13C increases so does the probability of species pH* > 9.0, a threshold value of CCM presence in pH assays.

Synthesis. CCMs revealed species patterns in communities at every scale investigated, from local emersion gradients to oceanic and global gradients. Trends in macrophyte δ13C values indicate that macrophytes rely more on CO2 further from the equator, but have increased use of at sites with high temperature variance, patterns that may be driven by species turnover rather than intraspecific variation. Patterns in species CCMs will be crucial to understanding how macrophyte communities respond to ocean acidification‐induced changes to SST and variability.
How to be a Responsibility-Sensitive Egalitarian: From Metaphysics to Social Practice
Authors: McTernan Emily
Published: July 2015

There is something attractive about combining the values of equality and responsibility, even though the view most commonly associated with doing so, of luck egalitarianism, is beset with objections. This article hence proposes an alternative approach to being a responsibility-sensitive egalitarian: one grounded on our valuable social practices of responsibility, rather than on a desire to mitigate the influence of luck on people’s prospects. First, I argue that this practice-based approach better captures the very reasons that responsibility is significant for justice than does the prevalent approach among luck egalitarians: namely, the values of fairness, choice and respect. Second, I show that the remaining motivation of the luck egalitarian approach, of being ‘anti-luck’, is impoverished. I conclude by suggesting that this practice-based approach is better motivated and more palatable than existing forms of luck egalitarianism, even for those relational egalitarians who standardly criticise making egalitarianism responsibility-sensitive.
Popular Rule in Schumpeter’s Democracy
Authors: Ingham Sean
Published: July 2015

In this article, it is argued that existing democracies might establish popular rule even if Joseph Schumpeter’s notoriously unflattering picture of ordinary citizens is accurate. Some degree of popular rule is in principle compatible with apathetic, ignorant and suggestible citizens, contrary to what Schumpeter and others have maintained. The people may have control over policy, and their control may constitute popular rule, even if citizens lack definite policy opinions and even if their opinions result in part from elites’ efforts to manipulate these opinions. Thus, even a purely descriptive, ‘realist’ account of democracy of the kind that Schumpeter professed to offer may need to concede that there is no democracy without some degree of popular rule.
A survey of the chemical, biochemical, microbiological and sensorial quality of Aho cheese, a traditional cheese from Eastern Black Sea Region, Turkey
Authors: Temiz Hasan , Kılıç Serdar
Published: July 2015

Aho cheese, a traditional Turkish dairy product, is commonly produced in the eastern Black Sea region of Anatolia. In this study, 60 samples were collected and some biochemical, microbiological and sensory qualities were investigated. The mean values for dry matter, fat, protein, salt, ash and pH were 45.04, 8.10, 26.50, 9.58, 10.64 g/100 g and 5.07, respectively. Water‐soluble nitrogen (WSN), ripening index (WSN, % of TN) and acidity index were 0.59 g/100 g, 14.50% and 4.82 mg KOH/g fat, respectively. The mean values for saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acid/saturated fatty acid values were found to be 73.57, 23.08, 3.38 and 0.046 g/100 g fatty acids, respectively. Total aerobic mesophilic bacteria, yeast, mould and coliform counts were between 6.20–7.44, 4.84–6.96 and 0.00–2.45 log cfu/g, respectively.
Biotic resistance limits the invasiveness of the western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), in Florida
Authors: Funderburk Joe , Frantz Galen , Mellinger Charles , Tyler‐Julian Kara , Srivastava Mrittunjai
Published: July 2015

The spread of the western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande), has resulted in the world‐wide destabilization of established integrated pest management programs for many crops. It is hypothesized that frequent exposure to insecticides in intensive agriculture selected for resistant populations, which allowed invasive populations in the eastern USA to overcome biotic resistance from the native community of species. Research conducted in Florida to understand the role of biotic factors in limiting the abundance of the western flower thrips is reviewed. Orius spp. (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae) are effective predators that suppress populations of thrips on crop and non‐crop hosts in southern and northern Florida. Orius are more effective predators of the western flower thrips than the native flower thrips, F. tritici (Fitch) and F. bispinosa (Morgan). The native species are competitors of the western flower thrips. Excessive fertilization and the use of broad‐spectrum insecticides in crop fields further enhances populations of the western flower thrips. Interactions with native species clearly limit the abundance of western flower thrips in Florida, but populations are abundant in fertilized crop fields where application of insecticides excludes predators and competitor species.
Signaling and Counter‐Signaling in the Judicial Hierarchy: An Empirical Analysis of En Banc Review
Authors: Beim Deborah , Hirsch Alexander V. , Kastellec Jonathan P.
Published: July 2015

We leverage the institutional features of American courts to evaluate the importance of whistleblowers in hierarchical oversight. Drawing on a formal theory of signaling in the judicial hierarchy, we examine the role of whistleblowing dissents in triggering en banc review of three‐judge panels by full circuits of the Courts of Appeals. The theory generates predictions about how dissent interacts with judicial preferences to influence circuits' review and reversal decisions, which we test using original and existing data. First, we show that judges who dissent counter to their preferences are more likely to see their dissents lead to review and reversal. Second, we show that dissents are most influential when the likelihood of non‐compliance by a three‐judge panel is highest. Our results underscore the importance of dissent in the judicial hierarchy and illustrate how judicial whistleblowers can help appellate courts target the most important cases for review.
When Are Monetary Policy Preferences Egocentric? Evidence from American Surveys and an Experiment
Authors: Bearce David H. , Tuxhorn Kim‐Lee
Published: July 2015

This article enters the international/comparative political economy debate about whether individual‐level macroeconomic policy preferences are egocentric and, if so, on what basis (factors, sectors, or firms). It argues that contextual information may function as a precondition for the emergence of egocentric preferences. With a focus on the trade‐off between using monetary policy for a domestic or an international goal, it presents evidence from three original American surveys using informative vignettes to show how monetary policy preferences exhibit firm‐based egocentric variation: Individuals whose employer does most of its business in overseas markets have a lesser preference for domestic monetary autonomy. It also presents evidence from a survey experiment to show how the strength of this egocentric relationship depends on the informative power of the vignette: A more contextually informative vignette produces a stronger relationship between overseas business activity and a preference against domestic monetary autonomy.
Covered Stent Membrane Design for Treatment of Atheroembolic Disease at Carotid Artery Bifurcation and Prevention of Thromboembolic Stroke: An In Vitro Experimental Study
Authors: Kabinejadian Foad , Kaabi Nezhadian Mercedeh , Cui Fangsen , Ho Pei , Leo Hwa Liang
Published: July 2015

In this study, a polymeric membrane has been designed and developed for carotid stents to prevent detachment of emboli from the arterial wall and subsequent stroke, while maintaining side‐branch flow. Prototypes of different geometrical design parameters have been fabricated and their performance has been evaluated in vitro under physiological pulsatile flow condition in a life‐size silicone anastomotic model of carotid artery bifurcation. These evaluations include both quantitative and qualitative experimental (in vitro) assessments of emboli prevention capability, side‐branch flow preservation, and flow visualization. The covered stents with the novel membrane demonstrated significantly higher emboli prevention capability than the corresponding bare nitinol stent as well as some earlier related designs, while preserving more than 93% of the original flow of the external carotid artery (ECA). Flow in the ECA through these covered stents was uniform without evidence of undesirable flow recirculation or retrograde flow that might predispose the vessel wall to intimal thickening and atherosclerotic plaque formation. This study demonstrated the potential of these novel covered stent designs for the treatment of carotid atherosclerotic stenosis and prevention of late embolic stroke. However, further in vivo investigations of biological effects and mechanical performance of this covered stent design (e.g., its thrombogenicity potential and biocompatibility) are warranted.
The Effects of Platelet‐Rich Plasma on Halting the Progression in Porcine Intervertebral Disc Degeneration
Authors: Cho Hongsik , Holt David C. , Smith Richard , Kim Song‐Ja , Gardocki Raymond J. , Hasty Karen A.
Published: July 2015

Disc degeneration and the subsequent herniation and/or rupture of the intervertebral disc (IVD) are due to a failure of the extracellular matrix of the annulus to contain the contents of the nucleus. This results from inadequate maintenance of the matrix components as well as the proteolytic activity of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) that degrade matrix molecules. Arresting progression of disc degeneration in the annulus holds greater clinical potential at this point than prevention of its onset in the nucleus. Therefore, in this study, we have therapeutic aims that would decrease levels of the cytokines and growth factors that indirectly lead to disc degeneration via stimulating MMP and increase levels of several beneficial growth factors, such as transforming growth factor‐β, with the addition of platelet‐rich plasma (PRP) that would stimulate cell growth and matrix synthesis. For this study, we attempted to address these imbalances of metabolism by using tumor necrosis factor‐α treated annulus fibrosus cells isolated from porcine IVD tissue and incubating the cells in a growth factor rich environment with PRP. These results indicate that the PRP in vitro increased the production of the major matrix components (type II collagen and aggrecan) and decreased the inhibitory collagenase MMP‐1. This application will address a therapeutic approach for intervening early in the degenerative process.
Academic and social achievement goals: Their additive, interactive, and specialized effects on school functioning
Authors: Liem Gregory Arief D.
Published: July 2015

Background

Students’ pursuit of academic and social goals has implications for school functioning. However, studies on academic and social achievement goals have been relatively independent and mainly conducted with students in culturally Western settings.

Aims

Guided by multiple‐goal perspectives, this study examined the role of academic and social achievement goals in outcome variables relevant to academic (achievement, effort/persistence), social (peer relationship satisfaction, loneliness), and socio‐academic (cooperative learning, competitive learning, socially regulated, and self‐regulated learning) functioning.

Sample

A total of 356 Indonesian high‐school students (mean age = 16 years; 36% girls) participated in the study.

Methods

A self‐report survey comprising items drawn from pre‐existing instruments was administered to measure distinct dimensions of achievement goals and outcomes under focus. Regression analysis was performed to examine additive, interactive, and specialized effects of achievement goals on outcomes.

Results

Aligned with the hierarchical model of goal relationships (Wentzel, 2000, Contemp. Educ. Psychol., 25, 105), academic and social achievement goals bore additive effects on most outcomes. Findings also revealed a specialized effect on academic achievement and notable interactive effects on cooperative learning. In general, mastery‐approach and performance‐approach goals were more adaptive than their avoidance counterparts. The effects of social development goals were positive, whereas those of social demonstration‐approach goals were mixed. Contrary to prior findings, social demonstration‐avoidance goals did not appear to be inimical for school functioning.

Conclusions

Findings underscore the importance of both academic and social achievement goals in day‐to‐day school functioning and the need to consider the meaning of goals and the coordination of multiple goals from cultural lenses.
Interactive effects of pesticide exposure and pathogen infection on bee health – a critical analysis
Authors: Collison Elizabeth , Hird Heather , Cresswell James , Tyler Charles
Published: July 2015

Bees are fundamentally important for pollination services and declines in populations could have significant economic and environmental implications. Pesticide exposure and pathogen infection are recognised as potential stressors impacting upon bee populations and recently there has been a surge in research on pesticide–disease interactions to reflect environmentally realistic scenarios better. We critically analyse the findings on pesticide–disease interactions, including effects on the survival, pathogen loads and immunity of bees, and assess the suitability of various endpoints to inform our mechanistic understanding of these interactions. We show that pesticide exposure and pathogen infection have not yet been found to interact to affect worker survival under field‐realistic scenarios. Colony‐level implications of pesticide effects on Nosema infections, viral loads and honey bee immunity remain unclear as these effects have been observed in a laboratory setting only using a small range of pesticide exposures, generally exceeding those likely to occur in the natural environment, and assessing a highly selected series of immune‐related endpoints. Future research priorities include the need for a better understanding of pesticide effects on the antimicrobial peptide (AMP) component of an individual's immune response and on social defence behaviours. Interactions between pesticide exposure and bacterial and fungal infections have yet to be addressed. The paucity of studies in non‐Apis bee species is a further major knowledge gap.