bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Biophysical Image Compositing Technique for the Global-Scale Extraction and Mapping of Barren Lands
Authors: Sharma Ram , Tateishi Ryutaro , Hara Keitarou
Published: November 2016

As the barren lands play a key role in the interaction between land cover dynamics and climate system, an efficient methodology for the global-scale extraction and mapping of the barren lands is important. The discriminative potential of the existing soil/bareness indexes was assessed by collecting globally distributed reference data belonging to major land cover types. The existing soil/bareness indexes parameterized at the local scale did not work satisfactorily everywhere at the global level. A new technique called the Biophysical Image Composite (BIC) is proposed in the research by exploiting time-series of the multi-spectral data to capture global-scale barren land attributes effectively. The BIC is a false color composite image made up of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), short wave infrared reflectance, and green reflectance, which were specially selected from the highest vegetation activity period by avoiding signals from the seasonal snowfall. The drastic contrast between the barren lands and vegetation as exhibited by the BIC provides a robust extraction and mapping of the barren lands, and facilitates its visual interpretation. Random Forests based supervised classification approach was applied on the BIC for the mapping of global barren lands. A new global barren land cover map of year 2013 was produced with high accuracy. The comparison of the resulted map with an existing map of the same year showed a substantial discrepancy between two maps due to methodological variation. To cope with this problem, the BIC based mapping methodology, with a special account of the land surface phenological changes, is suggested to standardize the global-scale estimates and mapping of the barren lands.
Enhanced Autophagy in Polycystic Kidneys of AQP11 Null Mice
Authors: Tanaka Yasuko , Watari Mayumi , Saito Tatsuya , Morishita Yoshiyuki , Ishibashi Kenichi
Published: November 2016

Aquaporin-11 (AQP11) is an intracellular water channel expressed at the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of the proximal tubule. Its gene disruption in mice leads to intracellular vacuole formation at one week and the subsequent development of polycystic kidneys by three weeks. As the damaged proximal tubular cells with intracellular vacuoles form cysts later, we postulated that autophagy may play a role in the cyst formation and examined autophagy activity before and after cyst development in AQP11(−/−) kidneys. PCR analysis showed the increased expression of the transcript encoding LC3 (Map1lc3b) as well as other autophagy-related genes in AQP11(−/−) mice. Using green fluorescent protein (GFP)-LC3 transgenic mice and AQP11(−/−) mice, we found that the number of GFP-LC3–positive puncta was increased in the proximal tubule of AQP11(−/−) mice before the cyst formation. Interestingly, they were also observed in the cyst-lining epithelial cell. Further PCR analyses revealed the enhanced expression of apoptosis-related and ER stress–related caspase genes before and after the cyst formation, which may cause the enhanced autophagy. These results suggest the involvement of autophagy in the development and maintenance of kidney cysts in AQP11(−/−) mice.
Coriandrum sativum and Lavandula angustifolia Essential Oils: Chemical Composition and Activity on Central Nervous System
Authors: Caputo Lucia , Souza Lucéia , Alloisio Susanna , Cornara Laura , De Feo Vincenzo
Published: November 2016

The aims of this study are to determine the chemical composition of Lavandula angustifolia Mill. and Coriandrum sativum L. essential oils, to evaluate their cytotoxic effects in SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells, to investigate whether an alteration of adenylate cyclase 1 (ADCY1) and of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) expression can take part in the molecular mechanisms of the essential oils, and to study their possible neuronal electrophysiological effects. The essential oils were obtained by hydrodistillation, and studied by GC and GC-MS. In the oils from L. angustifolia and C. sativum, linalool was the main component (33.1% and 67.8%, respectively). SH-SY5Y cells were incubated with different concentrations of essential oils and of linalool. Cell viability and effects on ADCY1 and ERK expression were analyzed using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide MTT and Western blotting, respectively. Variation in cellular electrophysiology was studied in primary cultures of rat cortical neurons with a multi-electrode array (MEA)-based approach. The essential oils and linalool revealed different cytotoxic activities. Linalool inhibited ADCY1 and ERK expression. Neuronal networks subjected to L. angustifolia and C. sativum essential oils showed a concentration-dependent inhibition of spontaneous electrical activity.
Green Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles Stabilized with Mussel-Inspired Protein and Colorimetric Sensing of Lead(II) and Copper(II) Ions
Authors: Cheon Ja , Park Won
Published: November 2016

This articles reports a simple and green method for preparing uniform silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), for which self-polymerized 3,4-dihydroxy-l-phenylalanine (polyDOPA) is used as the reducing and stabilizing agent in aqueous media. The AgNPs functionalized by polyDOPA were analyzed by UV–Vis spectroscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Raman spectrophotometry, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. The results revealed that the polyDOPA-AgNPs with diameters of 25 nm were well dispersed due to the polyDOPA. It was noted that the polyDOPA-AgNPs showed selectivity for Pb2+ and Cu2+ detection with the detection limits for the two ions as low as 9.4 × 10−5 and 8.1 × 10−5 μM, respectively. Therefore, the polyDOPA-AgNPs can be applied to both Pb2+ and Cu2+ detection in real water samples. The proposed method will be useful for colorimetric detection of heavy metal ions in aqueous media.
Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Status in Circulating Tumor Cells as a Predictive Biomarker of Sensitivity in Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer Patients Treated with Docetaxel Chemotherapy
Authors: Okegawa Takatsugu , Itaya Naoshi , Hara Hidehiko , Tambo Mitsuhiro , Nutahara Kikuo
Published: November 2016

Objective: We examined whether epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expression in circulating tumor cells (CTCs) can be used to predict survival in a population of bone-metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) patients treated with docetaxel chemotherapy. Methods: All patients with mCRPC who had experienced treatment failure with androgen-deprivation therapy and had received docetaxel chemotherapy were eligible. CTCs and EGFR expression in CTCs were enumerated with the CellSearch System in whole blood. This system is a semi-automated system that detects and enriches epithelial cells from whole blood using an EpCAM antibody-based immunomagnetic capture. In addition, the EGFR-positive CTCs were assessed using CellSearch® Tumor Phenotyping Reagent EGFR. Results: The median CTC count at baseline before starting trial treatment was eight CTCs per 7.5 mL of blood (range 0–184). There were 37 patients (61.7%) who had ≥5 CTCs, with median overall survival of 11.5 months compared with 20.0 months for 23 patients (38.3%) with <5 CTCs (p < 0.001). A total of 15 patients (40.5%, 15/37) with five or more CTCs were subjected to automated immunofluorescence staining and cell sorting for EGFR protein. Patients with EGFR-positive CTCs had a shorter overall survival (OS) (5.5 months) than patients with EGFR-negative CTCs (20.0 months). CTCs, EGFR-positive CTCs, and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were independent predictors of overall survival time (p = 0.002, p < 0.001, and p = 0.017, respectively). Conclusion: CTCs may be an independent predictor of OS in CRPC treated with docetaxel chemotherapy. The EGFR expression detected in CTCs was important for assessing the response to chemotherapy and predicting disease outcome.
Steroid-Functionalized Titanocenes: Docking Studies with Estrogen Receptor Alpha
Authors: Gao Li , Maldonado Wilson , Narváez-Pita Xiomara , Carmona-Negrón José , Olivero-Verbel Jesus , Meléndez Enrique
Published: November 2016

Estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) is a transcription factor that is activated by hormones, with 17β-estradiol being its most active agonist endogenous ligand. ERα is also activated or inactivated by exogenous ligands. ER is overexpressed in hormone-dependent breast cancer, and one of the treatments for this type of cancer is the use of an ER antagonist to halt cell proliferation. We have previously reported four steroid-functionalized titanocenes: pregnenolone, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), trans-androsterone, and androsterone. These steroids have hormonal activity as well as moderate antiproliferative activity, thus these steroids could act as vectors for the titanocene dichloride to target hormone-dependent cancers. Also, these steroids could increase the antiproliferative activity of the resulting titanocenes based on synergism. In order to elucidate which factors contribute to the enhanced antiproliferative activity of these steroid-functionalized titanocenes, we performed docking studies between ERα and the titanocenes and the steroids. The binding affinities and type of bonding interactions of the steroid-functionalized titanocenes with ERα are herein discussed.
Cyanobacteria as Chassis for Industrial Biotechnology: Progress and Prospects
Authors: Al-Haj Lamya , Lui Yuen , Abed Raeid , Gomaa Mohamed , Purton Saul
Published: November 2016

Cyanobacteria hold significant potential as industrial biotechnology (IB) platforms for the production of a wide variety of bio-products ranging from biofuels such as hydrogen, alcohols and isoprenoids, to high-value bioactive and recombinant proteins. Underpinning this technology, are the recent advances in cyanobacterial “omics” research, the development of improved genetic engineering tools for key species, and the emerging field of cyanobacterial synthetic biology. These approaches enabled the development of elaborate metabolic engineering programs aimed at creating designer strains tailored for different IB applications. In this review, we provide an overview of the current status of the fields of cyanobacterial omics and genetic engineering with specific focus on the current molecular tools and technologies that have been developed in the past five years. The paper concludes by giving insights on future commercial applications of cyanobacteria and highlights the challenges that need to be addressed in order to make cyanobacterial industrial biotechnology more feasible in the near future.
Recent Advances in Organic Radicals and Their Magnetism
Authors: Kumar Sharvan , Kumar Yogendra , Keshri Sudhir , Mukhopadhyay Pritam
Published: November 2016

The review presents an overview of the organic radicals that have been designed and synthesized recently, and their magnetic properties are discussed. The π-conjugated organic radicals such as phenalenyl systems, functionalized nitronylnitroxides, benzotriazinyl, bisthiazolyl, aminyl-based radicals and polyradicals, and Tetrathiafulvalene (TTF)-based H-bonded radicals have been considered. The examples show that weak supramolecular interactions play a major role in modulating the ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic properties. The new emerging direction of zethrenes, organic polyradicals, and macrocyclic polyradicals with their attractive and discrete architectures has been deliberated. The magnetic studies delineate the singlet-triplet transitions and their corresponding energies in these organic radicals. We have also made an attempt to collate the major organic neutral radicals, radical ions and radical zwitterions that have emerged over the last century.
Recent Advancements in Liquid Metal Flexible Printed Electronics: Properties, Technologies, and Applications
Authors: Wang Xuelin , Liu Jing
Published: November 2016

This article presents an overview on typical properties, technologies, and applications of liquid metal based flexible printed electronics. The core manufacturing material—room-temperature liquid metal, currently mainly represented by gallium and its alloys with the properties of excellent resistivity, enormous bendability, low adhesion, and large surface tension, was focused on in particular. In addition, a series of recently developed printing technologies spanning from personal electronic circuit printing (direct painting or writing, mechanical system printing, mask layer based printing, high-resolution nanoimprinting, etc.) to 3D room temperature liquid metal printing is comprehensively reviewed. Applications of these planar or three-dimensional printing technologies and the related liquid metal alloy inks in making flexible electronics, such as electronical components, health care sensors, and other functional devices were discussed. The significantly different adhesions of liquid metal inks on various substrates under different oxidation degrees, weakness of circuits, difficulty of fabricating high-accuracy devices, and low rate of good product—all of which are challenges faced by current liquid metal flexible printed electronics—are discussed. Prospects for liquid metal flexible printed electronics to develop ending user electronics and more extensive applications in the future are given.
Drug Release by Direct Jump from Poly(ethylene-glycol-b-ε-caprolactone) Nano-Vector to Cell Membrane
Authors: Till Ugo , Gibot Laure , Mingotaud Anne-Françoise , Ehrhart Jérôme , Wasungu Luc , Mingotaud Christophe , Souchard Jean-Pierre , Poinso Alix , Rols Marie-Pierre , Violleau Frédéric , Vicendo Patricia
Published: November 2016

Drug delivery by nanovectors involves numerous processes, one of the most important being its release from the carrier. This point still remains unclear. The current work focuses on this point using poly(ethyleneglycol-b-ε-caprolactone) micelles containing either pheophorbide-a (Pheo-a) as a fluorescent probe and a phototoxic agent or fluorescent copolymers. This study showed that the cellular uptake and the phototoxicity of loaded Pheo-a are ten times higher than those of the free drug and revealed a very low cellular penetration of the fluorescence-labeled micelles. Neither loaded nor free Pheo-a displayed the same cellular localization as the labeled micelles. These results imply that the drug entered the cells without its carrier and probably without a disruption, as suggested by their stability in cell culture medium. These data allowed us to propose that Pheo-a directly migrates from the micelle to the cell without disruption of the vector. This mechanism will be discussed.
Sleep Duration and Chronic Fatigue Are Differently Associated with the Dietary Profile of Shift Workers
Authors: Heath Georgina , Coates Alison , Sargent Charli , Dorrian Jillian
Published: November 2016

Shift work has been associated with dietary changes. This study examined factors associated with the dietary profiles of shift workers from several industries (n = 118, 57 male; age = 43.4 ± 9.9 years) employed on permanent mornings, nights, or rotating 8-h or 12-h shifts. The dietary profile was assessed using a Food Frequency Questionnaire. Shift-related (e.g., sleep duration and fatigue), work-related (e.g., industry), and demographic factors (e.g., BMI) were measured using a modified version of the Standard Shift work Index. Mean daily energy intake was 8628 ± 3161 kJ. As a percentage of daily energy intake, all workers reported lower than recommended levels of carbohydrate (CHO, 45%–65%). Protein was within recommended levels (15%–25%). Permanent night workers were the only group to report higher than recommended fat intake (20%–35%). However, all workers reported higher than recommended levels of saturated fat (>10%) with those on permanent nights reporting significantly higher levels than other groups (Mean = 15.5% ± 3.1%, p < 0.05). Shorter sleep durations and decreased fatigue were associated with higher CHO intake (p ≤ 0.05) whereas increased fatigue and longer sleep durations were associated with higher intake of fat (p ≤ 0.05). Findings demonstrate sleep duration, fatigue, and shift schedule are associated with the dietary profile of shift workers.
The Effect of Low Dose Iron and Zinc Intake on Child Micronutrient Status and Development during the First 1000 Days of Life: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Petry Nicolai , Olofin Ibironke , Boy Erick , Donahue Angel Moira , Rohner Fabian
Published: November 2016

Adequate supply of micronutrients during the first 1000 days is essential for normal development and healthy life. We aimed to investigate if interventions administering dietary doses up to the recommended nutrient intake (RNI) of iron and zinc within the window from conception to age 2 years have the potential to influence nutritional status and development of children. To address this objective, a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized and quasi-randomized fortification, biofortification, and supplementation trials in women (pregnant and lactating) and children (6–23 months) delivering iron or zinc in doses up to the recommended nutrient intake (RNI) levels was conducted. Supplying iron or zinc during pregnancy had no effects on birth outcomes. There were limited or no data on the effects of iron/zinc during pregnancy and lactation on child iron/zinc status, growth, morbidity, and psychomotor and mental development. Delivering up to 15 mg iron/day during infancy increased mean hemoglobin by 4 g/L (p < 0.001) and mean serum ferritin concentration by 17.6 µg/L (p < 0.001) and reduced the risk for anemia by 41% (p < 0.001), iron deficiency by 78% (ID; p < 0.001) and iron deficiency anemia by 80% (IDA; p < 0.001), but had no effect on growth or psychomotor development. Providing up to 10 mg of additional zinc during infancy increased plasma zinc concentration by 2.03 µmol/L (p < 0.001) and reduced the risk of zinc deficiency by 47% (p < 0.001). Further, we observed positive effects on child weight for age z-score (WAZ) (p < 0.05), weight for height z-score (WHZ) (p < 0.05), but not on height for age z-score (HAZ) or the risk for stunting, wasting, and underweight. There are no studies covering the full 1000 days window and the effects of iron and zinc delivered during pregnancy and lactation on child outcomes are ambiguous, but low dose daily iron and zinc use during 6–23 months of age has a positive effect on child iron and zinc status.
Enhancing Noah Land Surface Model Prediction Skill over Indian Subcontinent by Assimilating SMOPS Blended Soil Moisture
Authors: Nair Akhilesh , Indu J.
Published: November 2016

In the present study, soil moisture assimilation is conducted over the Indian subcontinent, using the Noah Land Surface Model (LSM) and the Soil Moisture Operational Products System (SMOPS) observations by utilizing the Ensemble Kalman Filter. The study is conducted in two stages involving assimilation of soil moisture and simulation of brightness temperature (Tb) using radiative transfer scheme. The results of data assimilation in the form of simulated Surface Soil Moisture (SSM) maps are evaluated for the Indian summer monsoonal months of June, July, August, September (JJAS) using the Land Parameter Retrieval Model (LPRM) AMSR-E soil moisture as reference. Results of comparative analysis using the Global land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS) SSM is also discussed over India. Data assimilation using SMOPS soil moisture shows improved prediction over the Indian subcontinent, with an average correlation of 0.96 and average root mean square difference (RMSD) of 0.0303 m3/m3. The results are promising in comparison with the GLDAS SSM, which has an average correlation of 0.93 and average RMSD of 0.0481 m3/m3. In the second stage of the study, the assimilated soil moisture is used to simulate X-band brightness temperature (Tb) at an incidence angle of 55° using the Community Microwave Emission Model (CMEM) Radiative transfer Model (RTM). This is aimed to study the sensitivity of the parameterization scheme on Tb simulation over the Indian subcontinent. The result of Tb simulation shows that the CMEM parameterization scheme strongly influences the simulated top of atmosphere (TOA) brightness temperature. Furthermore, the Tb simulations from Wang dielectric model and Kirdyashev vegetation model shows better similarity with the actual AMSR-E Tb over the study region.
Enabling Smart Air Conditioning by Sensor Development: A Review
Authors: Cheng Chin-Chi , Lee Dasheng
Published: November 2016

The study investigates the development of sensors, in particular the use of thermo-fluidic sensors and occupancy detectors, to achieve smart operation of air conditioning systems. Smart operation refers to the operation of air conditioners by the reinforcement of interaction to achieve both thermal comfort and energy efficiency. Sensors related to thermal comfort include those of temperature, humidity, and pressure and wind velocity anemometers. Improvements in their performance in the past years have been studied by a literature survey. Traditional occupancy detection using passive infra-red (PIR) sensors and novel methodologies using smartphones and wearable sensors are both discussed. Referring to the case studies summarized in this study, air conditioning energy savings are evaluated quantitatively. Results show that energy savings of air conditioners before 2000 was 11%, and 30% after 2000 by the integration of thermo-fluidic sensors and occupancy detectors. By utilizing wearable sensing to detect the human motions, metabolic rates and related information, the energy savings can reach up to 46.3% and keep the minimum change of predicted mean vote (∆PMV→0), which means there is no compromise in thermal comfort. This enables smart air conditioning to compensate for the large variations from person to person in terms of physiological and psychological satisfaction, and find an optimal temperature for everyone in a given space. However, this tendency should be evidenced by more experimental results in the future.
Label-Free Detection of Human Glycoprotein (CgA) Using an Extended-Gated Organic Transistor-Based Immunosensor
Authors: Minamiki Tsukuru , Minami Tsuyoshi , Sasaki Yui , Wakida Shin-ichi , Kurita Ryoji , Niwa Osamu , Tokito Shizuo
Published: November 2016

Herein, we report on the fabrication of an extended-gated organic field-effect transistor (OFET)-based immunosensor and its application in the detection of human chromogranin A (hCgA). The fabricated OFET device possesses an extended-gate electrode immobilized with an anti-CgA antibody. The titration results of hCgA showed that the electrical changes in the OFET characteristics corresponded to the glycoprotein recognition ability of the monoclonal antibody (anti-CgA). The observed sensitivity (detection limit: 0.11 µg/mL) and selectivity indicate that the OFET-based immunosensor can be potentially applied to the rapid detection of the glycoprotein concentration without any labeling.
Quantifying the City’s Green Area Potential Gain Using Remote Sensing Data
Authors: Santos Teresa , Tenedório José , Gonçalves José
Published: November 2016

Information about green spaces available in a city is essential for urban planning. Urban green areas are generally assessed through environmental indicators that reflect the city’s quality of life and urban comfort. A methodology based on 3D measure and analysis of green urban areas at the city scale is presented. Two products are proposed: (1) measuring current vegetation cover at ground level through object-oriented classification of WorldView-2 imagery; and (2) estimating potential green cover at rooftop level using 3D data obtained by LiDAR sensor. The methodology, implemented in Lisbon, Portugal, demonstrates that: (1) remote sensing imagery provides powerful tools for master planning and policy analysis regarding green urban area expansion; and (2) measures of urban sustainability cannot be solely based on indicators obtained from 2D geographical information. In fact, 2D urban indicators should be complemented by 3D modelling of geographic data.
High-Quality Solid Fuel Production from Leaf Litter of Urban Street Trees
Authors: Nurmatov Nodirjon , Leon Gomez Daniel , Hensgen Frank , Bühle Lutz , Wachendorf Michael
Published: November 2016

Leaf litter is a growing concern for cities. Due to adherent dirt such biomass is rarely utilized nowadays but may constitute a renewable energy source for communities or private households. Leaf litter from main roads, residential areas and city centres collected by the vacuum technique or the sweeper technique was sampled and analysed for ash content and chemical composition. Ash content of leaf litter collected by the sweeping technique was higher (21.6%–40.1% dry matter, DM) than in material collected by the vacuum technique (12.0%–21.7% DM). Leaf litter from residential areas had the highest contamination (21.7%–40.1% DM), followed by main roads (20.8%–26.2% DM) and city centres (12.0%–21.6% DM). Ash content was reduced by up to 60% with a washing treatment and reached values comparable to those achieved by multiple manual rinsing, which was conducted as a reference treatment. The chemical composition of washed leaf litter could be further improved by mechanical dehydration treatment due to a reduction in harmful elements for combustion such as K, Cl, Mg and S. Heating value of leaf litter increased and the risk of corrosion and ash melting during combustion were reduced.
Contrasting Roles of Deoxynivalenol and Nivalenol in Host-Mediated Interactions between Fusarium graminearum and Sitobion avenae
Authors: Drakulic Jassy , Kahar Mohd , Ajigboye Olubukola , Bruce Toby , Ray Rumiana
Published: November 2016

Fusarium graminearum is the predominant causal species of Fusarium head blight in Europe and North America. Different chemotypes of the species exist, each producing a plethora of mycotoxins. Isolates of differing chemotypes produce nivalenol (NIV) and deoxynivalenol (DON), which differ in toxicity to mammals and plants. However, the effect of each mycotoxin on volatile emissions of plant hosts is not known. Host volatiles are interpreted by insect herbivores such as Sitobion avenae, the English grain aphid, during host selection. Previous work has shown that grain aphids are repelled by wheat infected with DON-producing F. graminearum, and this study seeks to determine the influence of pathogen mycotoxins to host volatile chemistry. Volatile collections from infected hosts and olfactometer bioassays with alate aphids were performed. Infections with isolates that produced DON and NIV were compared, as well as a trichothecene deficient transformant derived from the NIV-producing isolate. This work confirmed the repellent nature of infected hosts with DON accumulation. NIV accumulation produced volatiles that were attractive to aphids. Attraction did not occur when NIV was absent and was, therefore, a direct consequence of NIV production.
Indoxyl Sulfate—Review of Toxicity and Therapeutic Strategies
Authors: Leong Sheldon , Sirich Tammy
Published: November 2016

Indoxyl sulfate is an extensively studied uremic solute. It is a small molecule that is more than 90% bound to plasma proteins. Indoxyl sulfate is derived from the breakdown of tryptophan by colon microbes. The kidneys achieve high clearances of indoxyl sulfate by tubular secretion, a function not replicated by hemodialysis. Clearance by hemodialysis is limited by protein binding since only the free, unbound solute can diffuse across the membrane. Since the dialytic clearance is much lower than the kidney clearance, indoxyl sulfate accumulates to relatively high plasma levels in hemodialysis patients. Indoxyl sulfate has been most frequently implicated as a contributor to renal disease progression and vascular disease. Studies have suggested that indoxyl sulfate also has adverse effects on bones and the central nervous system. The majority of studies have assessed toxicity in cultured cells and animal models. The toxicity in humans has not yet been proven, as most data have been from association studies. Such toxicity data, albeit inconclusive, have prompted efforts to lower the plasma levels of indoxyl sulfate through dialytic and non-dialytic means. The largest randomized trial showed no benefit in renal disease progression with AST-120. No trials have yet tested cardiovascular or mortality benefit. Without such trials, the toxicity of indoxyl sulfate cannot be firmly established.
Response of Vallisneria natans to Increasing Nitrogen Loading Depends on Sediment Nutrient Characteristics
Authors: Gu Jiao , Xu Zenghong , Jin Hui , Ning Xiaoyu , He Hu , Yu Jinlei , Jeppesen Erik , Li Kuanyi
Published: November 2016

High nitrogen (N) loading may contribute to recession of submerged macrophytes in shallow lakes; yet, its influences vary depending on environmental conditions. In August 2013, we conducted a 28-day factorial-designed field mesocosm experiment in Lake Taihu at the Taihu Laboratory for Lake Ecosystem Research (TLLER) to examine the effects of high N loading on the growth of Vallisneria natans in systems with contrasting sediment types. We ran the experiments with two levels of nutrient loading—present-day external nutrient loading (average P: 5 μg·L−1·day−1, N: 130 μg·L−1·day−1) and P: 5 μg·L−1·day−1, and with three times higher N loading (N: 390 μg·L−1·day−1) and used sediment with two contrasting nutrient levels. V. natans growth decreased significantly with increasing N loading, the effect being dependent, however, on the nutrient status of the sediment. In low nutrient sediment, relative growth rates, leaf biomass and root biomass decreased by 11.9%, 18.2% and 23.3%, respectively, at high rather than low N loading, while the decline was larger (44.0%, 32.7% and 41.8%, respectively) when using high nutrient sediment. The larger effect in the nutrient-rich sediment may reflect an observed higher shading of phytoplankton and excess nutrient accumulation in plant tissue, though potential toxic effects of the high-nutrient sediment may also have contributed. Our study confirms the occurrence of a negative effect of increasing N loading on submerged plant growth in shallow nutrient-enriched lakes and further shows that this effect is augmented when the plants grow in nutrient-rich sediment. External N control may, therefore, help to protect or restore submerged macrophytes, especially when the sediment is enriched with nutrients and organic matter.
Les Hyménoptères Symphytes récoltés par le Dr Hubert Cleu. Contribution à l'inventaire du département de l'Ardèche
Authors: Chevin Henri
Published: November 2016

L'étude de la collection du Dr. H. Cleu (MNHN, Paris) et des récoltes réalisées par d'autres entomologistes, a permis d'établir l'inventaire provisoire des Hyménoptères Symphytes du département de l'Ardèche qui s'élève actuellement à 137 espèces dont 13 sont rares en Europe occidentale. Par ailleurs, il faut noter la présence d'espèces montagnardes et d'espèces méridionales due à la situation géographique du département.
Les Tardigrades du Groenland. Résultats de la 2e expédition du G.E.C.R.P. au Scoresbysund (côte orientale, 1985)
Authors: Séméria Yves , Elin Dominique
Published: November 2016

En 1985, une expédition du G.E.C.R.P. a livré des échantillons de mousses et de lichens en provenance d'un biotope situé à 3 km au nord du village de Scoresbysund. Il s'agit d'un versant qui s'élève jusqu'à 200 m d'altitude, orienté au sud-est et surplombant un lac. Le sol est de nature gneissique et tous les prélèvements ont été faits en tenant compte du gradient d'humidité. Onze espèces nouvelles sont mises en évidence pour la région de Scoresbysund, dont une pour le Groenland. Le nombre d'espèces groenlandaises s'élève ainsi, à 41 espèces (dont 19 pour Scoresbysund).
Coléoptères de la région de Roussillon (Isère). IV. Curculionidae
Authors: Moulin Jean , Viallier Jean
Published: November 2016

Cette 4e note présente la liste des 418 espèces de Curculionides capturées dans la région de Roussillon au cours des 22 dernières années.
Note sur quelques plantes rares ou nouvelles pour le département de l'Ardèche
Authors: Descoings Bernard-Marie
Published: November 2016

L'inventaire de la flore de l'Ardèche s'enrichit de 6 espèces nouvelles pour le département : une Orchidée méditerranéenne et une autre atlantique, un Juncus atlantique et 4 plantes originaires d'Amérique. Une localité nouvelle et une mise au point sur un Minuartia rare. Une nouvelle station intéressante pour le Genêt de Villars.
Une nouvelle cicindèle de Thaïlande : Calochroa shozoi (Coleoptera Cicindelidae)
Authors: Naviaux Roger L. , Sawada Hirofumi
Published: November 2016

A new cicindelid from Thailand : Calochroa shozoi (Coleoptera Cicindelidae)

Description of a new Calochroa recently collected in several localities of Chiang Mai province, north of Thailand. This species is closely allied to Calochroa bramani Dokhtouroff but may be distinguished by constant characters.
Un îlot floristique : le Suc de Clava, dôme de serpentine de l'Ardèche
Authors: Delaigue Jacques
Published: November 2016

L'auteur présente une étude globale de la végétation du Suc de Clava, dôme de serpentine de l'Ardèche du nord (Boutières), au pied du Mont Pilât. Après diverses généralités, il analyse en détail la flore de ce site en ses différentes strates botaniques, puis synthétise les aspects variés de cette végétation, pauvre, mais originale et riche de quelques taxons particuliers. Il termine par des perspectives phytosociologiques et phytodynamiques évolutives.
Présence d'Anodonta woodiana (Lea) en France (Mollusques Lamellibranches Unionidae)
Authors: Girardi H. , Ledoux Jean-Claude
Published: November 2016

Occurrence of Anodonta woodiana (Lea) in France (Bivalvia Unionidae)

Anodonta (Pteranodon ) woodiana woodiana (Lea, 1834) is recorded for the first time from southern France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône. This east asiatic species, already introduced into eastern Europe, has been found in fish breeding bassins.
Description d'une cochenille nouvelle de la région lyonnaise, constituant un genre nouveau proche des Planococcini (Homoptera Coccoidea Pseudococcidae)
Authors: Goux L.
Published: November 2016

Description d'un nouveau genre et d'une nouvelle espèce, Giraudia daniela-ferreroae (femelle adulte et larve), vivant sur graminées, provenant de Courzieu près de Lyon (Rhône).
Sélection trophique chez les Hispinae (Coleoptera Chrysomelidae Cryptostoma)
Authors: Jolivet Pierre
Published: November 2016

Trophic selection among Hispinae (Coleoptera Chrysomelidae Cryptostoma)

Many Hispinae larvae are mining inside the leaves of Gramineae or living freely or between appressed leaves of Palmae and other Monocots. Several genera feed on Dicots only. Generally, food choice is strict and most of the species are oligophagous.
Heracleum mantegazzianum Sommier et Levier (Ombellifères) dans la moyenne vallée du Rhône
Authors: Delaigue Régis
Published: November 2016

La présence d 'Heracleum mante gazzianum Som. et Lev. est signalée au sud de Vienne dans la vallée du Rhône. L'auteur fait remarquer que la pilosité des fruits est décrite différemment suivant les auteurs et que différentes espèces sont peut-être confondues. Cette plante peut provoquer des photodermatoses en raison de la présence de psoralènes.
Evolution of the graphite surface in phosphoric acid: an AFM and Raman study
Authors: Yivlialin Rossella , Brambilla Luigi , Bussetti Gianlorenzo , Tommasini Matteo , Li Bassi Andrea , Casari Carlo Spartaco , Passoni Matteo , Ciccacci Franco , Duò Lamberto , Castiglioni Chiara
Published: November 2016

Phosphoric acid is an inorganic acid used for producing graphene sheets by delaminating graphite in (electro-)chemical baths. The observed phenomenology during the electrochemical treatment in phosphoric acid solution is partially different from other acidic solutions, such as sulfuric and perchloric acid solutions, where the graphite surface mainly forms blisters. In fact, the graphite surface is covered by a thin layer of modified (oxidized) material that can be observed when an electrochemical potential is swept in the anodic current regime. We characterize this particular surface evolution by means of a combined electrochemical, atomic force microscopy and Raman spectroscopy investigation.
Product reliability and warranty period as a cost-forming factors
Authors: Podolyakina Nataly
Published: November 2016

The relevance of this study is determined by the fact that, in modern conditions, the manufacturers of high-tech products offer long-term warranty service for their products aiming at receiving the consumer. In turn, the frequency of warranty service depends on the probability of trouble-free operation of the product in a certain time interval. However, increasing the uptime of the products and increase the warranty period results in increased costs. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to develop a model that allows determining the impact of the following factors on the product cost: the reliability of the manufactured products and the term of their warranty. To achieve the goal of the research there has been determined the content of warranty service, has been introduced the integrated indicator of quality warranty services, and has been shown the level of products reliability as a dependence from the costs of their manufacturing and warranty service. The novelty of this study is estimation of the manufacturer’s cost depending on the way of providing the warranty service, either by repair, or by complete replacement of the failed product. The research results provide competitive advantages to manufacturers of high-tech products since it enables to find the efficient period and intensity of the warranty service.
CENTRAL ENGINE OF LATE-TIME X-RAY FLARES WITH INTERNAL ORIGIN
Authors: Mu Hui-Jun , Gu Wei-Min , Hou Shu-Jin , Liu Tong , Lin Da-Bin , Yi Tuan , Liang En-Wei , Lu Ju-Fu
Published: November 2016

This work focuses on a sample of seven extremely late-time X-ray flares with peak time

, among which two flares can be confirmed as the late-time activity of central engine. The main purpose is to investigate the mechanism of such late-time flares based on the internal origin assumption. In the hyper-accreting black hole (BH) scenario, we study the possibility of two well-known mechanisms acting as the central engine to power such X-ray flares, i.e., the neutrino–antineutrino annihilation and the Blandford–Znajek (BZ) process. Our results show that the annihilation luminosity is far below the observational data. Thus, the annihilation mechanism cannot account for such late-time flares. For the BZ process, if the role of outflows is taken into consideration, the inflow mass rate near the horizon will be quite low such that the magnetic field will probably be too weak to power the observed X-ray flares. We therefore argue that, for the late-time flares with internal origin, the central engine is unlikely to be associated with BHs. On the contrary, a fast rotating neutron star with strong bipolar magnetic fields may be responsible for such flares.
THE EFFECTS OF SPATIAL SMOOTHING ON SOLAR MAGNETIC HELICITY PARAMETERS AND THE HEMISPHERIC HELICITY SIGN RULE
Authors: Ocker Stella Koch , Petrie Gordon
Published: November 2016

The hemispheric preference for negative/positive helicity to occur in the northern/southern solar hemisphere provides clues to the causes of twisted, flaring magnetic fields. Previous studies on the hemisphere rule may have been affected by seeing from atmospheric turbulence. Using Hinode/SOT-SP data spanning 2006–2013, we studied the effects of two spatial smoothing tests that imitate atmospheric seeing: noise reduction by ignoring pixel values weaker than the estimated noise threshold, and Gaussian spatial smoothing. We studied in detail the effects of atmospheric seeing on the helicity distributions across various field strengths for active regions (ARs) NOAA 11158 and NOAA 11243, in addition to studying the average helicities of 179 ARs with and without smoothing. We found that, rather than changing trends in the helicity distributions, spatial smoothing modified existing trends by reducing random noise and by regressing outliers toward the mean, or removing them altogether. Furthermore, the average helicity parameter values of the 179 ARs did not conform to the hemisphere rule: independent of smoothing, the weak-vertical-field values tended to be negative in both hemispheres, and the strong-vertical-field values tended to be positive, especially in the south. We conclude that spatial smoothing does not significantly affect the overall statistics for space-based data, and thus seeing from atmospheric turbulence seems not to have significantly affected previous studies’ ground-based results on the hemisphere rule.
THE GINI COEFFICIENT AS A MORPHOLOGICAL MEASUREMENT OF STRONGLY LENSED GALAXIES IN THE IMAGE PLANE
Authors: Florian Michael K. , Li Nan , Gladders Michael D.
Published: November 2016

Characterization of the morphology of strongly lensed galaxies is challenging because images of such galaxies are typically highly distorted. Lens modeling and source plane reconstruction is one approach that can provide reasonably undistorted images from which morphological measurements can be made, though at the expense of a highly spatially variable telescope point-spread function (PSF) when mapped back to the source plane. Unfortunately, modeling the lensing mass is a time- and resource-intensive process, and in many cases there are too few constraints to precisely model the lensing mass. If, however, useful morphological measurements could be made in the image plane rather than the source plane, it would bypass this issue and obviate the need for a source reconstruction process for some applications. We examine the use of the Gini coefficient as one such measurement. Because it depends on the cumulative distribution of the light of a galaxy, but not the relative spatial positions, the fact that surface brightness is conserved by lensing means that the Gini coefficient may be well preserved by strong gravitational lensing. Through simulations, we test the extent to which the Gini coefficient is conserved, including by effects due to PSF convolution and pixelization, to determine whether it is invariant enough under lensing to be used as a measurement of galaxy morphology that can be made in the image plane.
PROPERTIES OF SUPERSONIC EVERSHED DOWNFLOWS
Authors: Pozuelo S. Esteban , Rubio L. R. Bellot , Rodríguez J. de la Cruz
Published: November 2016

We study supersonic Evershed downflows in a sunspot penumbra by means of high spatial resolution spectropolarimetric data acquired in the Fe i 617.3 nm line with the CRISP instrument at the Swedish 1 m Solar Telescope. Physical observables, such as Dopplergrams calculated from line bisectors and Stokes V zero-crossing wavelengths, and Stokes V maps in the far red-wing, are used to find regions where supersonic Evershed downflows may exist. We retrieve the line-of-sight velocity and the magnetic field vector in these regions using two-component inversions of the observed Stokes profiles with the help of the SIR code. We follow these regions during their lifetime to study their temporal behavior. Finally, we carry out a statistical analysis of the detected supersonic downflows to characterize their physical properties. Supersonic downflows are contained in compact patches moving outward, which are located in the mid- and outer penumbra. They are observed as bright, roundish structures at the outer end of penumbral filaments that resemble penumbral grains. The patches may undergo fragmentations and mergings during their lifetime; some of them are recurrent. Supersonic downflows are associated with strong and rather vertical magnetic fields with a reversed polarity compared to that of the sunspot. Our results suggest that downflows returning back to the solar surface with supersonic velocities are abruptly stopped in dense deep layers and produce a shock. Consequently, this shock enhances the temperature and is detected as a bright grain in the continuum filtergrams, which could explain the existence of outward-moving grains in the mid- and outer penumbra.
A VERY BRIGHT, VERY HOT, AND VERY LONG FLARING EVENT FROM THE M DWARF BINARY SYSTEM DG CVn
Authors: Osten Rachel A. , Kowalski Adam , Drake Stephen A. , Krimm Hans , Page Kim , Gazeas Kosmas , Kennea Jamie , Oates Samantha , Page Mathew , de Miguel Enrique , Novák Rudolf , Apeltauer Tomas , Gehrels Neil
Published: November 2016

On 2014 April 23, the Swift satellite responded to a hard X-ray transient detected by its Burst Alert Telescope, which turned out to be a stellar flare from a nearby, young M dwarf binary DG CVn. We utilize observations at X-ray, UV, optical, and radio wavelengths to infer the properties of two large flares. The X-ray spectrum of the primary outburst can be described over the 0.3–100 keV bandpass by either a single very high-temperature plasma or a nonthermal thick-target bremsstrahlung model, and we rule out the nonthermal model based on energetic grounds. The temperatures were the highest seen spectroscopically in a stellar flare, at T

X
of 290 MK. The first event was followed by a comparably energetic event almost a day later. We constrain the photospheric area involved in each of the two flares to be >1020 cm2, and find evidence from flux ratios in the second event of contributions to the white light flare emission in addition to the usual hot, T ∼ 104 K blackbody emission seen in the impulsive phase of flares. The radiated energy in X-rays and white light reveal these events to be the two most energetic X-ray flares observed from an M dwarf, with X-ray radiated energies in the 0.3–10 keV bandpass of 4 × 1035 and 9 × 1035 erg, and optical flare energies at E

V
of 2.8 × 1034 and 5.2 × 1034 erg, respectively. The results presented here should be integrated into updated modeling of the astrophysical impact of large stellar flares on close-in exoplanetary atmospheres.
DETECTION OF VERY HARD γ-RAY SPECTRUM FROM THE TEV BLAZAR MRK 501
Authors: Shukla A. , Mannheim K. , Chitnis V. R. , Roy J. , Acharya B. S. , Dorner D. , Hughes G. , Biland A.
Published: November 2016

The occasional hardening of the GeV-to-TeV spectrum observed from the blazar Mrk 501 has reopened the debate on the physical origin of radiation and particle acceleration processes in TeV blazars. We have used the ∼7 years of Fermi-LAT data to search for the time intervals with unusually hard spectra from the nearby TeV blazar Mrk 501. We detected hard spectral components above 10 GeV with photon index <1.5 at a significance level of more than 5 sigma on 17 occasions, each with 30 day integration time. The photon index of the hardest component reached a value of 0.89 ± 0.29. We interpret these hard spectra as signatures of intermittent injection of sharply peaked and localized particle distributions from the base of the jet.