bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Biodiversity associated to the sponges and algae of the sculptures of the Underwater Museum of Art (“MUSA”), Cancún, Mexico.
Authors: Solis-Weiss Vivianne , Toledano-Granados Arturo , Gonzalez-Cano Jaime , Jost Nikita
Published: February 2018

The famous Underwater Museum of Art or MUSA (>520 sculptures, 4-8m depth), located between Isla Mujeres and Cancún, Mexico, in a National Marine Park, helps in relieving tourist pressure on the worldwide-known reefs of the area, since many divers visit it annually (around 400 000). The hard substrate created by the sculptures enhances the area biodiversity by at least 16-20-fold (Rugosity measures). We compared the macrofauna associated to the dominant algae (Lobophora variegata and Dictyota bartraryresii) and sponge (Amphimedon compressa) growing on the sculptures and their variations with time. The two algae also have annual cycles and dominate at different times of the year, affecting their associated fauna. Samplings (quadrats 20X20cm) with SCUBA diving were made from March 2014 to February 2015. For this study, we identified 2064 marine invertebrates of the four main macrofauna groups: Crustaceans dominated with 1098 (53%), followed by Polychaetes: 401 (19%), Echinoderms: 325 (16%) and Mollusks: 240 (12%). Among the latter, the gastropod Cerithium litteratum dominated overwhelmingly accounting for 75% of all the Mollusks. Ophiactis sp. (158 orgs, 49%) and Ophiactis savignyi (64 orgs, 20%) dominated among Echinoderms, amphipods among Crustaceans (705 organisms, 64.2%), syllids (110 orgs, 27%) and sabellids (104 orgs, 26%) among Polychaetes. Other groups such as Sipunculans, Ascidians, Corals and Hydroids accounted for less than 1% and were not found in the sponge. Inside the sponge, Echinoderms, all juveniles, dominate overwhelmingly (93% of all Echinoderms were found there), Crustaceans follow. Polychaetes and Mollusks were almost as abundant in algae and sponge. This dominating sponge species constitutes a better shelter and probably also good feeding grounds for some macrofauna, especially Ophiuroids. C. litteratum, and the echinoids, being herbivorous, thrive preferably in the algal environment, especially L. variegata, and were never found in sponges, also the case for all large invertebrates.
Cd and Zn interactions and toxicity in ectomycorrhizal basidiomycetes in axenic culture
Authors: De Oliveira Vinicius , Tibbett Mark
Published: February 2018

Background. Metal contamination in soils affects both above and belowground communities, including soil microorganisms. Ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi are an important component in belowground community and tolerant strains have great potential in enhancing plant-based remediation techniques. We assessed cadmium and zinc toxicity in five ECM species in liquid media (Hebeloma subsaponaceum; H. cylindrosporum; H. crustuliniforme; Scleroderma sp.; Austroboletus occidentalis) and investigated the potential of Zn to alleviate Cd toxicity. Due to highly divergent results reported in the literature, liquid and solid media were compared experimentally for the first time in terms of differential toxicity thresholds in Cd and Zn interactions. Methods. A wide range of Cd and Zn concentrations were applied to ectomycorrhizal fungi in axenic cultures (in mg L-1): 0; 1; 3; 9; 27; 81; 243 for the Cd treatments, and 0; 1; 30; 90; 270; 810; 2430 for Zn. Combined Zn and Cd treatments were also applied to H. subsaponaceum and Scleroderma sp. Dry weight was recorded after 30 days, and in case of solid medium treatments, radial growth was also measured. Results and Discussion. All species were adversely affected by high levels of Cd and Zn, and A. occidentalis was the most sensitive, with considerable biomass decrease at 1 mg L-1 Cd, while Scleroderma sp. and H. subsaponaceum were the most tolerant, which are species commonly found in highly contaminated sites. Cd was generally 10 times more toxic than Zn, which may explain why Zn had little impact in alleviating Cd effects. In some cases, Cd and Zn interactions led to a synergistic toxicity, depending on the concentrations applied and type of media used. Increased tolerance patterns were detected in fungi grown in solid medium and may be the cause of divergent toxicity thresholds found in the literature. Furthermore, solid medium allows measuring radial growth/mycelial density as endpoints which are informative and in this case appeared be related to the high tolerance indices found in H. subsaponaceum.
Implications of being born late in the active season for growth, fattening, torpor use, winter survival and fecundity
Authors: Mahlert Britta , Gerritsmann Hanno , Stalder Gabrielle , Ruf Thomas , Zahariev Alexandre , Blanc Stéphane , Giroud Sylvain
Published: February 2018

For hibernators, being born late in the active season may have important effects on growth and fattening, hence on winter survival and reproduction. This study investigated differences in growth, fattening, energetic responses, winter survival and fecundity between early-born (‘EB’) and late-born (‘LB’) juvenile garden dormice (Eliomys quercinus). LB juveniles grew and gained mass twice as fast as EB individuals. Torpor use was low during intensive growth, that are, first weeks of body mass gain, but increased during pre-hibernation fattening. LB juveniles showed higher torpor use, reached similar body sizes but lower fat content than EB individuals before hibernation. Finally, LB individuals showed similar patterns of hibernation, but higher proportion of breeders during the following year than EB dormice. These results suggest that torpor is incompatible with growth but promotes fattening and consolidates pre-hibernation fat depots. In garden dormice, being born late in the reproductive season is associated with a fast life history.
Impact of the scale-up of piped water on urogenital schistosomiasis infection in rural South Africa
Authors: Tanser Frank , Azongo Daniel K , Vandormael Alain , Bärnighausen Till , Appleton Christopher
Published: February 2018

Recent work has estimated that sub-Saharan Africa could lose US$3.5 billion of economic productivity every year as a result of schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminthiasis. One of the main interventions to control schistosomiasis is the provision of safe water to limit the contact with infected water bodies and break the cycle of transmission. To date, a rigorous quantification of the impact of safe water supplies on schistosomiasis is lacking. Using data from one of Africa’s largest population-based cohorts, we establish the impact of the scale-up of piped water in a typical rural South African population over a seven-year time horizon. High coverage of piped water in the community decreased a child’s risk of urogenital schistosomiasis infection eight-fold (adjusted odds ratio = 0.12, 95% CI 0.06–0.26, p<0.001). The provision of safe water could drive levels of urogenital schistosomiasis infection to low levels of endemicity in rural African settings.
Preserving neuromuscular synapses in ALS by stimulating MuSK with a therapeutic agonist antibody
Authors: Cantor Sarah , Zhang Wei , Delestrée Nicolas , Remédio Leonor , Mentis George Z , Burden Steven J
Published: February 2018

In amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and animal models of ALS, including SOD1-G93A mice, disassembly of the neuromuscular synapse precedes motor neuron loss and is sufficient to cause a decline in motor function that culminates in lethal respiratory paralysis. We treated SOD1-G93A mice with an agonist antibody to MuSK, a receptor tyrosine kinase essential for maintaining neuromuscular synapses, to determine whether increasing muscle retrograde signaling would slow nerve terminal detachment from muscle. The agonist antibody, delivered after disease onset, slowed muscle denervation, promoting motor neuron survival, improving motor system output, and extending the lifespan of SOD1-G93A mice. These findings suggest a novel therapeutic strategy for ALS, using an antibody format with clinical precedence, which targets a pathway essential for maintaining attachment of nerve terminals to muscle.
SAC1 degrades its lipid substrate PtdIns4P in the endoplasmic reticulum to maintain a steep chemical gradient with donor membranes
Authors: Zewe James P , Wills Rachel C , Sangappa Sahana , Goulden Brady D , Hammond Gerald RV
Published: February 2018

Gradients of PtdIns4P between organelle membranes and the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) are thought to drive counter-transport of other lipids via non-vesicular traffic. This novel pathway requires the SAC1 phosphatase to degrade PtdIns4P in a ‘cis’ configuration at the ER to maintain the gradient. However, SAC1 has also been proposed to act in ‘trans’ at membrane contact sites, which could oppose lipid traffic. It is therefore crucial to determine which mode SAC1 uses in living cells. We report that acute inhibition of SAC1 causes accumulation of PtdIns4P in the ER, that SAC1 does not enrich at membrane contact sites, and that SAC1 has little activity in ‘trans’, unless a linker is added between its ER-anchored and catalytic domains. The data reveal an obligate ‘cis’ activity of SAC1, supporting its role in non-vesicular lipid traffic and implicating lipid traffic more broadly in inositol lipid homeostasis and function.
Effect of Inter-sentential vs Intra-sentential Code-Switching: With a Focus on Past Tense
Authors: Kashi Hanieh
Published: February 2018

The current study aimed at the comparative effect of inter-sentential vs intra-sentential code-switching on learning past tense. Initially, through non-random convenient sampling, the researcher chose 90 female EFL learners at the elementary level. Next, Key English Test (KET) was administered to the 90 learners and the results were used to select 60 participants for the purpose of this study. The participants were then divided into two groups each consisting of 30 learners. Afterwards, a grammar pretest having 30 items focusing on past simple tense was given to both groups. Following that, the grammatical explanations were provided for the two groups for ten sessions using code-switching.  The first experimental group received inter-sentential code switching in line with Reyes’s (2004) as a switch between two languages, where a sentence in one of the languages is completed and the next sentence starts with the other language (Reyes, 2004). In the second experimental group, in line with Reyes’s (2004), the switching occurred within a sentence. The results of statistical analysis indicated that inter-sentential code-switching proved more effective compared to intra-sentential code-switching on the learning of past tense by EFL learners. Based on the findings of the present study, EFL teachers are encouraged to use inter-sentential code-switching more compared to intra-sentential code-switching when it comes to teaching grammar.
Acquisition of Adjective Placement by L3 Learners of English: Evidence for the L2 Status Factor
Authors: Ghezlou Maryam , Koosha Mansour , Lotfi Ahmad Reza
Published: February 2018

This study attempts to tease apart the effect of first (L1) and second (L2) language knowledge on the acquisition of syntactic properties of L3 English in order to test current generative theories in the field of third language acquisition (L3A). The property under investigation is adjective placement. Participants are L1 Azeri / L2 Persian, and L1 Persian learners of English as a third and second language respectively. To fulfill so, 180 bilingual and monolingual university students from Arak and Miyandoab took a general English proficiency test, a background questionnaire, and a syntactic structure test. The L3 proficiency was also considered. The data, then, were analyzed through utilization of descriptive statistics and two-way ANOVA. In relation to the hypotheses, results indicated L2 status as the determining factor in the acquisition of English adjective properties by Azeri-Persian bilinguals. Proficiency level in the L3 also proved to have a significant role. The implications of the study can be utilized in developing an educational and linguistic methodology for bilingual learners of English as an L3 in Iran.
Bad Study Habits of EFL Learners as Indicators of their Poor Performance: A Case of the University of Bisha
Authors: Mahmoud Ahmad Al-Maqtri
Published: February 2018

The  objective of this study was to identify the study habits of the  college students of English,  and  examine their  role on the their  performance as assessed by the instructors. The study was intended to be a preliminary  and exploratory one and to be followed by a more at a larger scale study. The participants were 150  students distributed between  males (60%) and females (40%). They were selected purposefully representing the  different academic years from the  Departments of English, Colleges of Sciences and Arts, University of Bisha, An-namas, KAS. Three different tools were used to collect the data: a self-prepared 19-item survey questionnaire, informal observations, and informal meetings with  the instructors of the intended groups.  The percentile  and frequency techniques were used to analyze the collected data. The results showed that the majority of the students, boys in particular, devoted less time to their study, revised less frequently, never took notes, did not plan their study time, and study mainly to take examinations or please parents. They studied alone in their rooms and rarely study at library. All this  corresponded with the instructors' assessment that the participants’ performance was below the expectations. Though this was true of both genders, females, however, did better than males in many of these respects. Their study habits were less negative; they were more motivated and therefore their performance was reported to be better than those of the males. The study  concluded with some recommendations and suggestions  for future actions.
EFL Prospective Teachers’ Competency in Phonological Awareness: Impact on Teaching English Reading
Authors: Alshaboul Yousef
Published: February 2018

Deficits in EFL teachers’ proficiency have surfaced recently as one of the possible factors contributing to children’s reading problems at their early encounters with literacy. Phonological awareness (PA) has dominated specialists’ interests well-timed with escalating reports containing more provoking evidence connecting children's reading disability with deficiencies in PA. This paper aims at investigating the impact of perceived proficiency, GPA, and gender of prospective teachers on shaping their future reading instruction detectable by prospective teachers' PA beliefs, awareness and knowledge. Towards this end, a four-section survey was administered to 158 pre-service EFL teachers. Results confirmed significant differences related to knowledge and beliefs at the expense of awareness.
Ground beetles in city forests: does urbanization predict a personality trait?
Authors: Schuett Wiebke , Delfs Berit , Haller Richard , Kruber Sarah , Roolfs Simone , Timm Desiree , Willmann Magdalena , Drees Claudia
Published: February 2018

Background

Urbanization leads to substantial changes in natural habitats with profound effects on wildlife. Understanding behavioural responses to such environmental change is essential for identifying which organisms may adapt, as behaviour is often the first response to altered conditions. Individuals in more urbanized habitats may be expected to be more exploratory and bolder than their conspecifics in less urbanized habitats as they may be better able to cope with novel challenges.

Methods

In a two-year field study we tested ground beetles from differently urbanized forests for their exploratory behaviour (in a novel environment) and their risk-taking (death-feigning). In total, we tested ca. 3,000 individuals of four forest-dwelling ground beetle species from eight within-city forest patches. In the second year, we also transferred ca. 800 tested individuals of two species to the laboratory to test for consistent behavioural differences (i.e. personality differences) under standardised conditions.

Results

Individuals were generally more exploratory in more urbanized than in less urbanized areas but only in one year of the study. Exploratory behaviour was not predicted by population density but increased with temperature or showed a temperature optimum. Exploration was consistent over time and individuals that were more exploratory also took higher risks.

Discussion

We demonstrated that species which are generally less directly exposed to human activities (e.g., most invertebrates) show behavioural responses to urbanization. Effects of urbanization were year-dependent, suggesting that other environmental conditions interacted with effects of urbanization on beetle behaviour. Furthermore, our results indicate that different personality compositions might cause behavioural differences among populations living in differently urbanized habitats.
Hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic activity of aqueous leaf extract of Passiflora suberosa L
Authors: Sudasinghe Hasani Prabodha , Peiris Dinithi C.
Published: February 2018

Leaves of Passiflora suberosa L. (Family: Passifloraceae; common name: wild passion fruit, devil’s pumpkin) are used in Sri Lankan traditional medicine for treating diabetes. The present study investigated the in vivo ability of P. suberosa leaves to manage blood sugar status and associated cholesterol levels. Mechanisms of action and toxicity were also determined. Phytochemical screening of aqueous extracts of P. suberosa leaves and carbohydrate content of the leaves were determined according to previously published methods. In two group of male mice (n = 9), effects on fasting and random blood glucose levels (BGLs) of different acute doses (0, 25, 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg) of the aqueous leaf extract (ALE) were evaluated at 1, 3, and 5 h post-treatment. In another set of mice, the fasting BGL was evaluated following treatment of 0 or 50 mg/kg ALE (dose prescribed in traditional medicine) for 30 consecutive days. The lipid profile, some mechanism of ALE action (diaphragm glucose uptake, glycogen content in the liver and skeletal muscles) and its toxicity (behavioural observation, food and water intake, hepatoxicity) were also assessed following 30-day treatment. However, sucrose and glucose tolerance tests and intestinal glucose uptake were conducted to determine portion of mechanisms of action following single dose of 50 mg/kg ALE. Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of alkaloids, unsaturated sterols, triterpenes, saponins, flavonoids, tannins and proanthocyanidins. Carbohydrate content of the leaves was 12.97%. The maximum hypoglycemic effect was observed after 4 h of 50 and 100 mg/kg ALE administration. The extract decreased fasting BGL (18%) following an oral sucrose challenge and inhibited (79%) glucose absorption from the intestine. Correspondingly, the levels of glycogen in the liver (61%) and in the skeletal muscles (57%) were found be higher than that of the control group. The levels of total cholesterol (17%) and tri-glyceraldehyde levels (12%) found to be reduced in treated groups. Furthermore, no significant toxic effects were observed in treated groups. The present results suggest that the leaves of P. suberosa can be used to manage blood glucose and cholesterol levels. Isolation of active compounds are recommended for further analysis.
Product differentiation by marketing and processing cooperatives: A choice experiment with cheese and cereal products
Authors: Grashuis Jasper , Magnier Alexandre
Published: February 2018

With ongoing consolidation of food retailers and segmentation of consumer preferences, agri‐food producers and manufacturers have increased motivation to pursue product differentiation. We study if and how farmer cooperatives can build brand equity to drive or support product differentiation. With emphasis on ownership type and product origin, we conduct two choice experiments with cheese and cereal consumers in the United States. The results of our multinomial logit model indicate farmer cooperatives can command a price premium as compared to store brands, but not as much as non‐cooperatives. Cheese and cereal consumers also indicate a general willingness to pay for product origin and family ownership attributes, but the effects are not always compatible with farmer cooperatives. Overall, although price premiums for cooperative brands and labels may exist across various product categories, the heterogeneity in willingness to pay estimates for other product attributes is suggestive of the difficulties farmer cooperatives face in pursuit of product differentiation. [EconLit citations: Q11, Q13, M30]
From Linear to Angular Isomers: Achieving Tunable Charge Transport in Single‐Crystal Indolocarbazoles Through Delicate Synergetic CH/NH⋅⋅⋅π Interactions
Authors: Jiang Hui , Hu Peng , Ye Jun , Chaturvedi Apoorva , Zhang Keke K. , Li Yongxin , Long Yi , Fichou Denis , Kloc Christian , Hu Wenping
Published: February 2018

Weak intermolecular interaction in organic semiconducting molecular crystals plays an important role in molecular packing and electronic properties. Here, four five‐ring‐fused isomers were rationally designed and synthesized to investigate the isomeric influence of linear and angular shapes in affecting their molecular packing and resultant electronic properties. Single‐crystal field‐effect transistors showed mobility order of 5,7‐ICZ (3.61 cm2 V−1 s−1) >5,11‐ICZ (0.55 cm2 V−1 s−1) >11,12‐ICZ (ca. 10−5 cm2 V−1 s−1) and 5,12‐ICZ (ca. 10−6 cm2 V−1 s−1). Theoretical calculations based on density functional theory (DFT) and polaron transport model revealed that 5,7‐ICZ can reach higher mobilities than the others thanks to relatively higher hole transfer integral that links to stronger intermolecular interaction due to the presence of multiple NH⋅⋅⋅π and CH⋅⋅⋅π(py) interactions with energy close to common NH⋅⋅⋅N hydrogen bonds, as well as overall lower hole‐vibrational coupling owing to the absence of coupling of holes to low frequency modes due to better π conjugation.
Dynamics heterogeneity in silica‐filled nitrile butadiene rubber
Authors: Xu Huilong , Song Yihu , Jia Erwen , Zheng Qiang
Published: February 2018

Nanoparticles significantly reinforce rubbers, but their influence on polymer dynamics is far from being understood. Here a comparison study of polymer dynamics in silica‐filled nitrile butadiene rubber compounds and their bound rubber in extracted filler gels is performed. Both the compounds and filler gels contain glassy, restricted, and mobile rubber fractions. The restricted fraction detected by broadband dielectric spectra exhibits a subsegmental relaxation that is two to four orders of magnitude slower than the segmental dynamics of the mobile phase. It is significant that the extractable fraction interacts with both the restricted and mobile fractions in the bound rubber, thus improving the activation energy of restricted relaxation and reducing the fragility of segmental relaxation in the mobile fractions. Meanwhile, the influences of loading, surface nature, and specific surface area of the silica on the dynamics heterogeneity are investigated. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018, 135, 46223.
Modified zeolitic–midazolate framework 8/poly(ether‐block‐amide) mixed‐matrix membrane for propylene and propane separation
Authors: Amedi Hamid Reza , Aghajani Masoud
Published: February 2018

In this study, we fabricated a dual‐layer PES–poly(ether‐block‐amide) (PEBA) composite membrane that included zeolitic–midazolate framework 8 (ZIF‐8) particles and evaluated it for propylene and propane separation under pure and mixed feed conditions. To improve the performance, compatibility, and distribution of particles in the polymer matrix, the ZIF‐8 particles were modified by 3‐(triethoxysilyl) propyl amine (APTES) and 3‐(trimethoxysilyl) propyl amine (APTMS) amino silane coupling agents. Particle modification did not have much effect on the structure and particle size and slightly reduced the membrane specific surface area. The modified particles tended to be in the soft section. At the high loading rate of modified particles, their appropriate compatibility increased the membrane gas permeability () and selectivity. APTES with the proper chain length compared with APTMS had a higher
and the same selectivity. The best performance (by 32.1 gpu) was found in PES–PEBA–ZIF‐8–APTES 20%. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018, 135, 46273.
Twelve fundamental life histories evolving through allocation‐dependent fecundity and survival
Authors: Johansson Jacob , Brännström Åke , Metz Johan A. J. , Dieckmann Ulf
Published: February 2018

An organism's life history is closely interlinked with its allocation of energy between growth and reproduction at different life stages. Theoretical models have established that diminishing returns from reproductive investment promote strategies with simultaneous investment into growth and reproduction (indeterminate growth) over strategies with distinct phases of growth and reproduction (determinate growth). We extend this traditional, binary classification by showing that allocation‐dependent fecundity and mortality rates allow for a large diversity of optimal allocation schedules. By analyzing a model of organisms that allocate energy between growth and reproduction, we find twelve types of optimal allocation schedules, differing qualitatively in how reproductive allocation increases with body mass. These twelve optimal allocation schedules include types with different combinations of continuous and discontinuous increase in reproduction allocation, in which phases of continuous increase can be decelerating or accelerating. We furthermore investigate how this variation influences growth curves and the expected maximum life span and body size. Our study thus reveals new links between eco‐physiological constraints and life‐history evolution and underscores how allocation‐dependent fitness components may underlie biological diversity.
Increased transgenerational epigenetic variation, but not predictable epigenetic variants, after environmental exposure in two apomictic dandelion lineages
Authors: Preite Veronica , Oplaat Carla , Biere Arjen , Kirschner Jan , van der Putten Wim H. , Verhoeven Koen J. F.
Published: February 2018

DNA methylation is one of the mechanisms underlying epigenetic modifications. DNA methylations can be environmentally induced and such induced modifications can at times be transmitted to successive generations. However, it remains speculative how common such environmentally induced transgenerational DNA methylation changes are and if they persist for more than one offspring generation. We exposed multiple accessions of two different apomictic dandelion lineages of the Taraxacum officinale group (Taraxacum alatum and T. hemicyclum) to drought and salicylic acid (SA) treatment. Using methylation‐sensitive amplified fragment length polymorphism markers (MS‐AFLPs) we screened anonymous methylation changes at CCGG restriction sites throughout the genome after stress treatments and assessed the heritability of induced changes for two subsequent unexposed offspring generations. Irrespective of the initial stress treatment, a clear buildup of heritable DNA methylation variation was observed across three generations, indicating a considerable background rate of heritable epimutations. Less evidence was detected for environmental effects. Drought stress showed some evidence for accession‐specific methylation changes, but only in the exposed generation and not in their offspring. By contrast, SA treatment caused an increased rate of methylation change in offspring of treated plants. These changes were seemingly undirected resulting in increased transgenerational epigenetic variation between offspring individuals, but not in predictable epigenetic variants. While the functional consequences of these MS‐AFLP‐detected DNA methylation changes remain to be demonstrated, our study shows that (1) stress‐induced transgenerational DNA methylation modification in dandelions is genotype and context‐specific; and (2) inherited environmental DNA methylation effects are mostly undirected and not targeted to specific loci.
Selection by parasitoid females among closely related hosts based on volatiles: Identifying relevant chemical cues
Authors: Fors Lisa , Mozuraitis Raimondas , Blažytė‐Čereškienė Laima , Verschut Thomas A. , Hambäck Peter A.
Published: February 2018

Parasitoid fitness is influenced by the ability to overcome host defense strategies and by the ability of parasitoid females to select high‐quality host individuals. When females are unable to differentiate among hosts, their fitness will decrease with an increasing abundance of resistant hosts. To understand the effect of mixed host populations on female fitness, it is therefore necessary to investigate the ability of female parasitoids to select among hosts. Here, we used behavioral assays, headspace volatile collection, and electrophysiology to study the ability of Asecodes parviclava to use olfactory cues to select between a susceptible host (Galerucella calmariensis) and a resistant host (Galerucella pusilla) from a distance. Our studies show that parasitoid females have the capacity to distinguish the two hosts and that the selection behavior is acquired through experiences during earlier life stages. Further, we identified two volatiles (α‐terpinolene and [E]‐β‐ocimene) which amounts differ between the two plant–herbivore systems and that caused behavioral and electrophysiological responses. The consequence of this selection behavior is that females have the capacity to avoid laying eggs in G. pusilla, where the egg mortality is higher due to much stronger immune responses toward A. parviclava than in larvae of G. calmariensis.
Patterns of musculoskeletal growth and dimensional changes associated with selection and developmental plasticity in domestic and wild strain turkeys
Authors: Stover Kristin K. , Weinreich Daniel M. , Roberts Thomas J. , Brainerd Elizabeth L.
Published: February 2018

Domestication is a type of experimental evolution in which humans have artificially selected for specific desired traits. Selected strain animals can be utilized to identify correlated responses by comparing them to the wild strain. In particular, domestic turkeys have been selected for increased body mass and high‐growth rate, most significantly over the past 60 years. Yet it remains unclear how artificial selection has affected the morphology and evolution of the musculoskeletal system as a whole. Here, we compare growth rate over 21 weeks, hind limb bone scaling across ontogeny via in vivo CT scanning, and muscle proportions in wild and domestic turkeys to identify differences in structural scaling and the potential contributions of selection and developmental plasticity to whole‐organism morphology. The domestic turkeys grew at a higher rate (0.14 kg/day vs. 0.05 kg/day) and reached over 3 times the body mass of wild birds. Comparing the proportional muscle masses in adult turkeys, only the trunk had a greater mass ratio in the domestic turkey, driven solely by M. pectoralis (2.8 times larger). The proportional increase in only breast meat and no other muscles highlights the surgical precision attainable with artificial selection. The domestic turkey femur and tibiotarsus displayed increases in polar moment of area, apparently maintaining torsional strength as body mass increased. The lack of dimensional change in the more vertically held tarsometatarsus is consistent with the pattern expected due to developmental plasticity. These results from the domestic turkey emphasize that there are morphological limits to preserving the balance between growth and function, and varying rates of trait evolution can further complicate this equilibrium.
Incubation temperature impacts nestling growth and survival in an open‐cup nesting passerine
Authors: Ospina Emilie A. , Merrill Loren , Benson Thomas J.
Published: February 2018

For oviparous species such as birds, conditions experienced while in the egg can have long‐lasting effects on the individual. The impact of subtle changes in incubation temperature on nestling development, however, remains poorly understood, especially for open‐cup nesting species with altricial young. To investigate how incubation temperature affects nestling development and survival in such species, we artificially incubated American robin (Turdus migratorius) eggs at 36.1°C (“Low” treatment) and 37.8°C (“High” treatment). Chicks were fostered to same‐age nests upon hatching, and we measured mass, tarsus, and wing length of experimental nestlings and one randomly selected, naturally incubated (“Natural”), foster nest‐mate on days 7 and 10 posthatch. We found significant effects of incubation temperature on incubation duration, growth, and survival, in which experimentally incubated nestlings had shorter incubation periods (10.22, 11.50, and 11.95 days for High, Low, and Natural eggs, respectively), and nestlings from the Low treatment were smaller and had reduced survival compared to High and Natural nestlings. These results highlight the importance of incubation conditions during embryonic development for incubation duration, somatic development, and survival. Moreover, these findings indicate that differences in incubation temperature within the natural range of variation can have important carryover effects on growth and survival in species with altricial young.
Subtle variation in size and shape of the whole forewing and the red band among co‐mimics revealed by geometric morphometric analysis in Heliconius butterflies
Authors: Rossato Dirleane O. , Boligon Danessa , Fornel Rodrigo , Kronforst Marcus R. , Gonçalves Gislene L. , Moreira Gilson R. P.
Published: February 2018

Heliconius are unpalatable butterflies that exhibit remarkable intra‐ and interspecific variation in wing color pattern, specifically warning coloration. Species that have converged on the same pattern are often clustered in Müllerian mimicry rings. Overall, wing color patterns are nearly identical among co‐mimics. However, fine‐scale differences exist, indicating that factors in addition to natural selection may underlie wing phenotype. Here, we investigate differences in shape and size of the forewing and the red band in the Heliconius postman mimicry ring (H. erato phyllis and the co‐mimics H. besckei, H. melpomene burchelli, and H. melpomene nanna) using a landmark‐based approach. If phenotypic evolution is driven entirely by predation pressure, we expect nonsignificant differences among co‐mimics in terms of wing shape. Also, a reinforcement of wing pattern (i.e., greater similarity) could occur when co‐mimics are in sympatry. We also examined variation in the red forewing band because this trait is critical for both mimicry and sexual communication. Morphometric results revealed significant but small differences among species, particularly in the shape of the forewing of co‐mimics. Although we did not observe greater similarity when co‐mimics were in sympatry, nearly identical patterns provided evidence of convergence for mimicry. In contrast, mimetic pairs could be distinguished based on the shape (but not the size) of the red band, suggesting an “advergence” process. In addition, sexual dimorphism in the red band shape (but not size) was found for all lineages. Thus, we infer that natural selection due to predation by birds might not be the only mechanism responsible for variation in color patterns, and sexual selection could be an important driver of wing phenotypic evolution in this mimicry ring.
Nesting strategies and disease risk in necrophagous beetles
Authors: Fialho Verônica Saraiva , Rodrigues Vinícius Barros , Elliot Simon Luke
Published: February 2018

While the effects of carcass decomposition on microorganisms have been demonstrated in recent years, little is known of how this impacts necrophagous insects. A common assumption is that insects that exploit carcasses are exposed to a high density of potentially harmful microorganisms, but no field data have so far validated this. Necrophagous beetles such as the Scarabaeinae have complex nesting behaviors with elaborate parental care. So here, we begin to explore whether this conjunction of life history and nesting behavior represents an adaptive response to the threat posed by microbes in these environments, mainly by entomopathogens. We evaluated the density and distribution of fungi and bacteria from soil near the carcasses, and their ability to infect and kill insects that are in contact with this soil during the decomposition process. Our data showed an increase in the density and activity of opportunistic or facultative pathogens during the apex of decomposition, when there is a predominance of necrophagous insects. Meanwhile, the survivorship of bait insects decreased when in contact with soil from this period of decomposition, indicating a potential risk of infection. However, the density and activity of these microorganisms decreased with distance from the carcass, mainly with depth, which would benefit tunneller beetles in particular. We have thus provided the first field data to show that necrophagous insects are indeed exposed to high densities of potentially harmful microorganisms. Furthermore, we propose that some parental care strategies may have arisen not only as a response to competition, but also as adaptations that reduce the risks of disease. Although we have focused on carrion feeders, we suggest that the same occurs with coprophagous beetles, as both carrion and dung are nutrient‐rich resources.
The effects of allospecific mitochondrial genome on the fitness of northern redbelly dace (Chrosomus eos)
Authors: Angers Bernard , Leung Christelle , Vétil Romain , Deremiens Léo , Vergilino Roland
Published: February 2018

Instantaneous mitochondrial introgression events allow the disentangling of the effects of hybridization from those of allospecific mtDNA. Such process frequently occurred in the fish Chrosomus eos, resulting in cybrid individuals composed of a C. eos nuclear genome but with a C. neogaeus mtDNA. This provides a valuable model to address the fundamental question: How well do introgressed individuals perform in their native environment? We infer where de novo production of cybrids occurred to discriminate native environments from those colonized by cybrids in 25 sites from two regions (West‐Qc and East‐Qc) in Quebec (Canada). We then compared the relative abundance of wild types and cybrids as a measure integrating both fitness and de novo production of cybrids. According to mtDNA variation, 12 introgression events are required to explain the diversity of cybrids. Five cybrid lineages could not be associated with in situ introgression events. This includes one haplotype carried by 93% of the cybrids expected to have colonized West‐Qc. These cybrids also displayed a nearly complete allopatric distribution with wild types. We still inferred de novo production of cybrids at seven sites, that accounted for 70% of the cybrids in East‐Qc. Wild‐type and cybrid individuals coexist in all East‐Qc sites while cybrids were less abundant. Allopatry of cybrids restricted to the postglacial expansion suggests the existence of higher fitness for cybrids in specific conditions, allowing for the colonization of different environments and expanding the species’ range. However, allospecific mtDNA does not provide a higher fitness to cybrids in their native environment compared to wild types, making the success of an introgressed lineage uncertain.
Latent source mining in FMRI via restricted Boltzmann machine
Authors: Hu Xintao , Huang Heng , Peng Bo , Han Junwei , Liu Nian , Lv Jinglei , Guo Lei , Guo Christine , Liu Tianming
Published: February 2018

Blind source separation (BSS) is commonly used in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data analysis. Recently, BSS models based on restricted Boltzmann machine (RBM), one of the building blocks of deep learning models, have been shown to improve brain network identification compared to conventional single matrix factorization models such as independent component analysis (ICA). These models, however, trained RBM on fMRI volumes, and are hence challenged by model complexity and limited training set. In this article, we propose to apply RBM to fMRI time courses instead of volumes for BSS. The proposed method not only interprets fMRI time courses explicitly to take advantages of deep learning models in latent feature learning but also substantially reduces model complexity and increases the scale of training set to improve training efficiency. Our experimental results based on Human Connectome Project (HCP) datasets demonstrated the superiority of the proposed method over ICA and the one that applied RBM to fMRI volumes in identifying task‐related components, resulted in more accurate and specific representations of task‐related activations. Moreover, our method separated out components representing intermixed effects between task events, which could reflect inherent interactions among functionally connected brain regions. Our study demonstrates the value of RBM in mining complex structures embedded in large‐scale fMRI data and its potential as a building block for deeper models in fMRI data analysis.
The impact of correction on MP2RAGE cortical T1 and apparent cortical thickness at 7T
Authors: Haast Roy A.M. , Ivanov Dimo , Uludağ Kâmil
Published: February 2018

Determination of cortical thickness using MRI has often been criticized due to the presence of various error sources. Specifically, anatomical MRI relying on T1 contrast may be unreliable due to spatially variable image contrast between gray matter (GM), white matter (WM) and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Especially at ultra‐high field (≥ 7T) MRI, transmit and receive B1‐related image inhomogeneities can hamper correct classification of tissue types. In the current paper, we demonstrate that residual
(transmit) inhomogeneities in the T1‐weighted and quantitative T1 images using the MP2RAGE sequence at 7T lead to biases in cortical thickness measurements. As expected, post‐hoc correction for the spatially varying
profile reduced the apparent T1 values across the cortex in regions with low
, and slightly increased apparent T1 in regions with high
. As a result, improved contrast‐to‐noise ratio both at the GM‐CSF and GM‐WM boundaries can be observed leading to more accurate surface reconstructions and cortical thickness estimates. Overall, the changes in cortical thickness ranged between a 5% decrease to a 70% increase after
correction, reducing the variance of cortical thickness values across the brain dramatically and increasing the comparability with normative data. More specifically, the cortical thickness estimates increased in regions characterized by a strong decrease of apparent T1 after
correction in regions with low
due to improved detection of the pial surface. The current results suggest that cortical thickness can be more accurately determined using MP2RAGE data at 7T if
inhomogeneities are accounted for.
Power transformations improve interpolation of grids for molecular mechanics interaction energies
Authors: Minh David D. L.
Published: February 2018

A common strategy for speeding up molecular docking calculations is to precompute nonbonded interaction energies between a receptor molecule and a set of three‐dimensional grids. The grids are then interpolated to compute energies for ligand atoms in many different binding poses. Here, I evaluate a smoothing strategy of taking a power transformation of grid point energies and inverse transformation of the result from trilinear interpolation. For molecular docking poses from 85 protein‐ligand complexes, this smoothing procedure leads to significant accuracy improvements, including an approximately twofold reduction in the root mean square error at a grid spacing of 0.4 Å and retaining the ability to rank docking poses even at a grid spacing of 0.7 Å. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Continuous blood purification ameliorates clinical signs and corrects the plasma phospholipid levels of patients with multiple organ dysfunction syndromes
Authors: Wen Wei , Wang Kun , Jiang Zhi‐Ming , Zhang Zhong‐Hui , Zhou Lei
Published: February 2018

Background

Multiple organ dysfunction syndromes (MODS) is reported as a leading cause of mortality in intensive care units. Recently, continuous blood purification (CBP) has been mostly applied for MODS treatment. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of CBP on plasma phospholipid level in patients with MODS.

Methods

A total of 126 patients with MODS and 120 healthy people were collected. The serum cytokine levels, blood biochemical parameters, and blood gas indexes were detected, and the correlation among phospholipid compounds with serum cytokine levels, blood biochemical parameters, and blood gas indexes was analyzed.

Results

Before CBP, levels of body temperature, RR, HR, CVP, IL‐6, IL‐10, TNF‐α, BUN, SCr, PaCO2, SM747, and LPC540 were obviously higher, and pH, HCO3‐, PaO2, SaO2, PE750, PI885, PC792, PC826, PC830, PC854, PC802, and PG747 were lower in the MODS group than those in the control group. During CBP, the MODS group had gradually declined RR, CVP, levels of IL‐6, IL‐10 and TNF‐α, BUN, SCr, PaCO2, SM747, and LPC540 and increased HCO3‐, PaO2 and SaO2, PE750, PI885, PC792, PC826, PC830, PC854, PC802, and PG747. Besides, levels of PE750, PI885, PC792, PC826, PC830, PC854, PC802, and PG747 had an obvious negative correlation with levels of TNF‐α, IL‐10, IL‐6, BUN, SCr, and PaCO2, and a significant positive correlation with levels of HCO3‐, PaO2, and SaO2.

Conclusion

CBP could effectively ameliorate clinical signs of patients with MODS and correct the plasma phospholipid levels.
Antibodies against H3 and H4 histones from the sera of HIV‐infected patients catalyze site‐specific degradation of these histones
Authors: Baranova Svetlana V. , Dmitrenok Pavel S. , Zubkova Anastasiya D. , Ivanisenko Nikita V. , Odintsova Elena S. , Buneva Valentina N. , Nevinsky Georgy A.
Published: February 2018

Histones and their posttranslational modified forms play pivotal roles in chromatin functioning and gene transcription. Also, histones are harmful when they enter the intercellular space; their administration to animals results in systemic inflammatory and toxic responses. Autoantibodies having enzymatic activities (abzymes) are the specific feature of several autoimmune and viral diseases. Electrophoretically homogeneous IgGs containing no canonical proteases were purified from sera of HIV‐infected patients by using several affinity chromatographies. In contrast to known canonical proteases, Abs from HIV‐infected patients hydrolyzed exclusively only histones but no other control globular proteins. The H3 and H4 histone cleavage sites by antihistone IgGs were determined by matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry for the first time. Two clusters of H3 hydrolysis contain major (↕) and minor (*) cleavage sites: 18‐K*Q*LA↕TK*A↕AR*KS↕A*P‐30 and 34‐G*VK*KPHR*YRPGTVA*L*R‐50. H4 histone has only 1 cluster of cleavage sites containing additionally moderate (↓) cleavage sites: 15‐A↕KR↕HR↕KVLR↓D*NIQ↓GIT*K‐31. Sites of these histones cleavage correspond mainly to their known epitopes. It was surprising that most of the cleavage sites of histones are involved in the interaction with DNA of nucleosome core. Because histones act as damage‐associated molecules, abzymes against H3 and H4 can play important role in pathogenesis of AIDs and probably other viral and immune diseases.
An existence‐uniqueness result for the pure binary collisional breakage equation
Authors: Paul Jayanta , Kumar Jitendra
Published: February 2018

The study of collision‐induced breakage phenomenon in the particulate process has much current interest. This is an important process arising in many engineering disciplines. In this work, the existence of continuous solution of the pure collisional breakage model is developed beneath some restrictions on the breakage kernels. Furthermore, the mass conservation and uniqueness of solution are investigated in the absence of “shattering transition.” The underlying theory is based on the compactness result of Arzelà‐Ascoli and Banach contraction mapping principle.