bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Encroachment Dynamics of Juniperus virginiana L. and Mesic Hardwood Species into Cross Timbers Forests of North-Central Oklahoma, USA
Authors: Hoff Daniel , Will Rodney , Zou Chris , Lillie Nathan
Published: February 2018

Cross Timbers forests, typically dominated by Quercus stellata Wangenh. and Q. marilandica Muenchh., are the transition zone between eastern deciduous forest and prairie in the southern Great Plains. Fire exclusion beginning in the mid-1900s has led to increasing stand density and encroachment of fire-intolerant Juniperus virginiana L. and mesic hardwood. We measured current forest structure and tree ages of 25 stands (130 plots) in north-central Oklahoma to characterize the extent and dynamics of encroachment. The respective basal area and stand density of the overstory (diameter at breast height; dbh > 10 cm) were 19.0 m2 ha−1 and 407 trees ha−1 with Q. stellata comprising 43% of basal area and 42% of stand density. Quercus marilandica represented only 3% of basal area and 4% of overstory density. Juniperus virginiana represented 7% of basal area and 14% of stand density while mesic hardwoods, e.g., Celtis spp., Ulmus spp., Carya spp., 33% of basal area and stand density. The sapling layer was dominated by mesic hardwoods (68%) and J. virginiana (25%) while the seedling layer was dominated by mesic hardwoods (74%). The majority of Quercus recruited into the overstory between 1910–1970, while recruitment of J. virginiana and mesic hardwoods began more recently (post 1950s). Growth rate, based on the relationship between age and dbh, was faster for mesic hardwoods than for J. virginiana and Q. stellata. These results indicate that removal of recurrent surface fire as a disturbance agent has significantly altered forest composition in the Cross Timbers region by allowing encroachment of J. virginiana and fire-intolerant, mesic hardwoods. This increases wildfire risk because J. virginiana is very flammable and will alter how these forests respond to future drought and other disturbance events.
Establishment Success of the Beetle Tapeworm Hymenolepis diminuta Depends on Dose and Host Body Condition
Authors: Dhakal Suraj , Micki Buss Sebastian , Jane Cassidy Elizabeth , Vitt Meyling Nicolai , Lund Fredensborg Brian
Published: February 2018

Parasite effects on host fitness and immunology are often intensity-dependent. Unfortunately, only few experimental studies on insect-parasite interactions attempt to control the level of infection, which may contribute substantial variation to the fitness or immunological parameters of interest. The tapeworm Hymenolepis diminuta—flour beetle Tenebrio molitor model—has been used extensively for ecological and evolutionary host–parasite studies. Successful establishment of H. diminuta cysticercoids in T. molitor relies on ingestion of viable eggs and penetration of the gut wall by the onchosphere. Like in other insect models, there is a lack of standardization of the infection load of cysticercoids in beetles. The aims of this study were to: (1) quantify the relationship between exposure dose and establishment success across several H. diminuta egg concentrations; and (2) test parasite establishment in beetles while experimentally manipulating host body condition and potential immune response to infection. Different egg concentrations of H. diminuta isolated from infected rat feces were fed to individual beetles 7–10 days after eclosion and beetles were exposed to starvation, wounding, or insertion of a nylon filament one hour prior to infection. We found that the establishment of cysticercoids in relation to exposure dose could be accurately predicted using a power function where establishment success was low at three lowest doses and higher at the two highest doses tested. Long-term starvation had a negative effect on cysticercoid establishment success, while insertion of a nylon filament and wounding the beetles did not have any effect compared to control treatment. Thus, our results show that parasite load may be predicted from the exposure dose within the observed range, and that the relationship between dose and parasite establishment success is able to withstand some changes in host body condition.
Heat Coma Temperature and Supercooling Point in Oceanic Sea Skaters (Heteroptera, Gerridae)
Authors: Harada Tetsuo
Published: February 2018

Heat coma temperatures (HCTs) and super cooling points (SCPs) were examined for nearly 1000 oceanic sea skaters collected from in the Pacific and Indian Oceans representing four Halobates species; H. germanus, H. micans, H. sericeus, and H. sp. Analysis was conducted using the entire dataset because a negative correlation was seen between the HCTs and SCPs in all four species. A weak negative correlation was seen between HCTs and SCPs with a cross tolerance between warmer HCTs and colder SCPs. The weakness of the correlation may be due to the large size of the dataset and to the variability in ocean surface temperature. The negative correlation does however suggest that oceanic sea skaters may have some form of cross tolerance with a common physiological mechanism for their high and low temperature tolerances.
Denoising of X-ray Images Using the Adaptive Algorithm Based on the LPA-RICI Algorithm
Authors: Mandić Ivica , Peić Hajdi , Lerga Jonatan , Štajduhar Ivan
Published: February 2018

Diagnostics and treatments of numerous diseases are highly dependent on the quality of captured medical images. However, noise (during both acquisition and transmission) is one of the main factors that reduce their quality. This paper proposes an adaptive image denoising algorithm applied to enhance X-ray images. The algorithm is based on the modification of the intersection of confidence intervals (ICI) rule, called relative intersection of confidence intervals (RICI) rule. For each image pixel apart, a 2D mask of adaptive size and shape is calculated and used in designing the 2D local polynomial approximation (LPA) filters for noise removal. One of the advantages of the proposed method is the fact that the estimation of the noise free pixel is performed independently for each image pixel and thus, the method is applicable for easy parallelization in order to improve its computational efficiency. The proposed method was compared to the Gaussian smoothing filters, total variation denoising and fixed size median filtering and was shown to outperform them both visually and in terms of the peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) by up to 7.99 dB.
Image Features Based on Characteristic Curves and Local Binary Patterns for Automated HER2 Scoring
Authors: Mukundan Ramakrishnan
Published: February 2018

This paper presents novel feature descriptors and classification algorithms for the automated scoring of HER2 in Whole Slide Images (WSI) of breast cancer histology slides. Since a large amount of processing is involved in analyzing WSI images, the primary design goal has been to keep the computational complexity to the minimum possible level and to use simple, yet robust feature descriptors that can provide accurate classification of the slides. We propose two types of feature descriptors that encode important information about staining patterns and the percentage of staining present in ImmunoHistoChemistry (IHC)-stained slides. The first descriptor is called a characteristic curve, which is a smooth non-increasing curve that represents the variation of percentage of staining with saturation levels. The second new descriptor introduced in this paper is a local binary pattern (LBP) feature curve, which is also a non-increasing smooth curve that represents the local texture of the staining patterns. Both descriptors show excellent interclass variance and intraclass correlation and are suitable for the design of automatic HER2 classification algorithms. This paper gives the detailed theoretical aspects of the feature descriptors and also provides experimental results and a comparative analysis.
A Marine Information System for Environmental Monitoring: ARGO-MIS
Authors: Pieri Gabriele , Cocco Michele , Salvetti Ovidio
Published: February 2018

Sea shipping routes have become very crowded and this, coupled with an always increasing demand of oil based products, contributes to the increase in maritime traffic density, as a consequence pollution risks have increased. Therefore, it is important to have information systems capable of detecting and monitoring environmental endangering situations like oil spills at sea. In this paper, a Marine Information System, acting as an integrated and inter-operable monitoring tool is proposed and discussed. The discussion focuses on a system that is able to integrate different data acquired from various electronic sensors, and that is inter-operable among marine operators and ship traffic authorities. The available data on the system are all geo-referenced, and flows seamlessly through the system, where they are integrated in a consistent and usable manner. An important result of this integration is the capability to produce a collection of proactive services such as Decision Support ones, which can be used to improve the functionalities and facilities concerned in an intervention operation. Through the implementation of these services, we aim to demonstrate how an efficient environmental management system could benefit from being supported by a Marine Information System that can provide the dynamic links between different data, models and actors.
Studies of the Influence of Beam Profile and Cooling Conditions on the Laser Deposition of a Directionally-Solidified Superalloy
Authors: Yang Shuo , Du Dong , Chang Baohua
Published: February 2018

In the laser deposition of single crystal and directionally-solidified superalloys, it is desired to form laser deposits with high volume fractions of columnar grains by suppressing the columnar-to-equiaxed transition efficiently. In this paper, the influence of beam profile (circular and square shapes) and cooling conditions (natural cooling and forced cooling) on the geometric morphology and microstructure of deposits were experimentally studied in the laser deposition of a directionally-solidified superalloy, IC10, and the mechanisms of influence were revealed through a numerical simulation of the thermal processes during laser deposition. The results show that wider and thinner deposits were obtained with the square laser beam than those with the circular laser beam, regardless of whether natural or forced cooling conditions was used. The heights and contact angles of deposits were notably increased due to the reduced substrate temperatures by the application of forced cooling for both laser beam profiles. Under natural cooling conditions, columnar grains formed epitaxially at both the center and the edges of the deposits with the square laser beam, but only at the center of the deposits with the circular laser beam; under forced cooling conditions, columnar grains formed at both the center and the edges of deposits regardless of the laser beam profile. The high ratios of thermal gradient and solidification velocity in the height direction of the deposits were favorable to forming deposits with higher volume fractions of columnar grains.
The Biological Properties and Potential Interacting Proteins of d-Alanyl-d-alanine Ligase A from Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Authors: Yang Shufeng , Xu Yuefei , Wang Yan , Ren Feng , Li Sheng , Ding Wenyong , Ma Yufang , Zhang Wenli
Published: February 2018

(1) Background: d-alanine-d-alanine ligase (DdlA), an effective target for drug development to combat against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), which threatens human health globally, supplies a substrate of d-alanyl-d-alanine for peptidoglycan crosslinking by catalyzing the dimerization of two d-alanines. To obtain a better understanding of DdlA profiles and develop a colorimetric assay for high-throughput inhibitor screening, we focused on explicating and characterizing Tb-DdlA. (2) Methods and Results: Rv2981c (ddlA) was expressed in Escherichia coli, and the purified Tb-DdlA was identified using (anti)-polyhistidine antibody followed by DdlA activity confirmation by measuring the released orthophosphate via colorimetric assay and the yielded d-alanyl-d-alanine through high performance thin layer chromatography (HP-TLC). The kinetic assays on Tb-DdlA indicated that Tb-DdlA exhibited a higher affinity to ATP (KmATP: 50.327 ± 4.652 μmol/L) than alanine (KmAla: 1.011 ± 0.094 mmol/L). A colorimetric assay for Tb-DdlA activity was developed for high-throughput screening of DdlA inhibitors in this study. In addition, we presented an analysis on Tb-DdlA interaction partners by pull-down assay and MS/MS. Eight putative interaction partners of Tb-DdlA were identified. (3) Conclusions: Our dataset provided a valuable resource for exploring Tb-DdlA biology, and developed an easy colorimetric assay for screening of Tb-DdlA inhibitors.
Role of Cationic Side Chains in the Antimicrobial Activity of C18G
Authors: Kohn Eric , Shirley David , Arotsky Lubov , Picciano Angela , Ridgway Zachary , Urban Michael , Carone Benjamin , Caputo Gregory
Published: February 2018

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been an area of great interest, due to the high selectivity of these molecules toward bacterial targets over host cells and the limited development of bacterial resistance to these molecules throughout evolution. The peptide C18G has been shown to be a selective, broad spectrum AMP with a net +8 cationic charge from seven lysine residues in the sequence. In this work, the cationic Lys residues were replaced with other natural or non-proteinogenic cationic amino acids: arginine, histidine, ornithine, or diaminopropionic acid. These changes vary in the structure of the amino acid side chain, the identity of the cationic moiety, and the pKa of the cationic group. Using a combination of spectroscopic and microbiological methods, the influence of these cationic groups on membrane binding, secondary structure, and antibacterial activity was investigated. The replacement of Lys with most other cationic residues had, at most, 2-fold effects on minimal inhibitory concentration against a variety of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. However, the peptide containing His as the cationic group showed dramatically reduced activity. All peptide variants retained the ability to bind lipid vesicles and showed clear preference for binding vesicles that contained anionic lipids. Similarly, all peptides adopted a helical conformation when bound to lipids or membrane mimetics, although the peptide containing diaminopropionic acid exhibited a decreased helicity. The peptides exhibited a wider variety of activity in the permeabilization of bacterial membranes, with peptides containing Lys, Arg, or Orn being the most broadly active. In all, the antibacterial activity of the C18G peptide is generally tolerant to changes in the structure and identity of the cationic amino acids, yielding new possibilities for design and development of AMPs that may be less susceptible to immune and bacterial recognition or in vivo degradation.
Direct Observation of Inner-Layer Inward Contractions of Multiwalled Boron Nitride Nanotubes upon in Situ Heating
Authors: Li Zhongwen , Li Zi-An , Sun Shuaishuai , Zheng Dingguo , Wang Hong , Tian Huanfang , Yang Huaixin , Bai Xuedong , Li Jianqi
Published: February 2018

In situ heating transmission electron microscopy observations clearly reveal remarkable interlayer expansion and inner-layer inward contraction in multi-walled boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) as the specimen temperature increases. We interpreted the observed inward contraction as being due to the presence of the strong constraints of the outer layers on radial expansion in the tubular structure upon in situ heating. The increase in specimen temperature upon heating can create pressure and stress toward the tubular center, which drive the lattice motion and yield inner diameter contraction for the multi-walled BNNTs. Using a simple model involving a wave-like pattern of layer-wise distortion, we discuss these peculiar structural alterations and the anisotropic thermal expansion properties of the tubular structures. Moreover, our in situ atomic images also reveal Russian-doll-type BN nanotubes, which show anisotropic thermal expansion behaviors.
Bioactive Dietary VDR Ligands Regulate Genes Encoding Biomarkers of Skin Repair That Are Associated with Risk for Psoriasis
Authors: Karrys Amitis , Rady Islam , Chamcheu Roxane-Cherille , Sabir Marya , Mallick Sanchita , Chamcheu Jean , Jurutka Peter , Haussler Mark , Whitfield G.
Published: February 2018

Treatment with 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25D) improves psoriasis symptoms, possibly by inducing the expression of late cornified envelope (LCE)3 genes involved in skin repair. In psoriasis patients, the majority of whom harbor genomic deletion of LCE3B and LCE3C (LCE3C_LCE3B-del), we propose that certain dietary analogues of 1,25D activate the expression of residual LCE3A/LCE3D/LCE3E genes to compensate for the loss of LCE3B/LCE3C in the deletant genotype. Herein, human keratinocytes (HEKn) homozygous for LCE3C_LCE3B-del were treated with docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and curcumin, two low-affinity, nutrient ligands for the vitamin D receptor (VDR). DHA and curcumin induce the expression of LCE3A/LCE3D/LCE3E mRNAs at concentrations corresponding to their affinity for VDR. Moreover, immunohistochemical quantitation revealed that the treatment of keratinocytes with DHA or curcumin stimulates LCE3 protein expression, while simultaneously opposing the tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα)-signaled phosphorylation of mitogen activated protein (MAP) kinases, p38 and Jun amino-terminal kinase (JNK), thereby overcoming inflammation biomarkers elicited by TNFα challenge. Finally, DHA and curcumin modulate two transcription factors relevant to psoriatic inflammation, the activator protein-1 factor Jun B and the nuclear receptor NR4A2/NURR1, that is implicated as a mediator of VDR ligand-triggered gene control. These findings provide insights into the mechanism(s) whereby dietary VDR ligands alter inflammatory and barrier functions relevant to skin repair, and may provide a molecular basis for improved treatments for mild/moderate psoriasis.
Dietary Iron Supplementation Alters Hepatic Inflammation in a Rat Model of Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis
Authors: Atarashi Machi , Izawa Takeshi , Miyagi Rena , Ohji Shoko , Hashimoto Ai , Kuwamura Mitsuru , Yamate Jyoji
Published: February 2018

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is now the most common liver disease in the world. NAFLD can progress to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), cirrhosis and eventually hepatocellular carcinoma. Acquired hepatic iron overload is seen in a number of patients with NAFLD; however, its significance in the pathology of NAFLD is still debated. Here, we investigated the role of dietary iron supplementation in experimental steatohepatitis in rats. Rats were fed a control, high-fat (HF), high-fat high-iron (HFHI) and high-iron (HI) diet for 30 weeks. Blood biochemical, histopathological and gut microbiota analyses were performed. Rats in HF and HFHI groups showed an ALT-dominant elevation of serum transaminases, hepatic steatosis, hepatic inflammation, and upregulation of proinflammatory cytokines. The number of large inflammatory foci, corresponding to lobular inflammation in NASH patients, was significantly higher in HFHI than in HF group; within the lesion, macrophages with intense iron staining were observed. Hepatic expression of TNFα was higher in HFHI than that in HF group. There was no significant change in hepatic oxidative stress, gut microbiota or serum endotoxin levels between HF and HFHI groups. These results suggested that dietary iron supplementation enhances experimental steatohepatitis induced by long-term high-fat diet feeding in rats. Iron-laden macrophages can play an important role in the enhancement of hepatic inflammation.
Color Attributes of Colored-Yarn Mixed Woven Fabrics Made of Raw-White Warps and Multicolored Wefts and Based on Weft-Backed Structures
Authors: Hua Tao , Tang Lau , Chiu Wing , Tian Xiao
Published: February 2018

This paper reports the development of colored-yarn mixed woven fabrics by using raw white warps and multicolored-wefts, as well as a study of the influential factors on the color attributes of the resultant fabrics. Weft yarns in six colors, together with the white warp yarns, were used to create a series of fabric colors. Two types of new weft-backed structures were designed to assign the desired wefts for color mixing, as well as to reduce the white warp floats on the surface and thus, the lightness of the fabric. The effects of the proportion of yarn color components, weft density, and the introduction of black weft floats on the color attributes of fabrics, were investigated. The results show that through varying the proportion of mixing yarn color components, via fabric structure, a series of mixed red-blue and green-yellow colors for fabrics are created, respectively. Colored yarn mixed fabric presents a lowered lightness after a middle regulating layer is introduced into the structure. Compared to fabrics with a lower density, higher density fabrics possess lower lightness, higher redness and blueness in the blue-red fabrics, and higher greenness and yellowness in the yellow-green fabric. The lightness of fabric lowers after adding black yarn.
Sacramental Communion with Nature: From Emerson on the Lord’s Supper to Thoreau’s Transcendental Picnic
Authors: Gatta John
Published: February 2018

For both Emerson and Thoreau, ocular attentiveness was a crucial means of at least disposing the soul toward experiencing moments of otherwise unpredictable, ecstatic encounter with the divine soul of Nature. But the eye alone was not the sole sensory pathway toward receiving such revelations. Especially in later writing, Thoreau focused special attention on eating and drinking as key bodily—yet also spiritual—modes of experiencing communion with the earth. He applied this sacramental understanding to the several processes of obtaining, preparing, and consuming food, but above all to the thankful appreciation of locally gathered, wild fruits and nuts. Such gifts, freely given, presumably invite “us to picnic with Nature,” thereby dramatizing how “man at length stands in such a relation to Nature as the animals which pluck and eat as they go.” Though Emerson never embraced a comparably sacramental vision of Nature, or showed the same interest in gustatory encounter with wildness, one might interpret his attraction toward other diverse and often spiritualized concepts of communion as a compensatory outcome of his ministerial decision in 1832 to cease administering the Christian church’s sacrament of the Lord’s Supper.
Aurora Image Classification Based on Multi-Feature Latent Dirichlet Allocation
Authors: Zhong Yanfei , Huang Rui , Zhao Ji , Zhao Bei , Liu Tingting
Published: February 2018

Due to the rich physical meaning of aurora morphology, the classification of aurora images is an important task for polar scientific expeditions. However, the traditional classification methods do not make full use of the different features of aurora images, and the dimension of the description features is usually so high that it reduces the efficiency. In this paper, through combining multiple features extracted from aurora images, an aurora image classification method based on multi-feature latent Dirichlet allocation (AI-MFLDA) is proposed. Different types of features, whether local or global, discrete or continuous, can be integrated after being transformed to one-dimensional (1-D) histograms, and the dimension of the description features can be reduced due to using only a few topics to represent the aurora images. In the experiments, according to the classification system provided by the Polar Research Institute of China, a four-class aurora image dataset was tested and three types of features (MeanStd, scale-invariant feature transform (SIFT), and shape-based invariant texture index (SITI)) were utilized. The experimental results showed that, compared to the traditional methods, the proposed AI-MFLDA is able to achieve a better performance with 98.2% average classification accuracy while maintaining a low feature dimension.
A CNN-Based Fusion Method for Feature Extraction from Sentinel Data
Authors: Scarpa Giuseppe , Gargiulo Massimiliano , Mazza Antonio , Gaetano Raffaele
Published: February 2018

Sensitivity to weather conditions, and specially to clouds, is a severe limiting factor to the use of optical remote sensing for Earth monitoring applications. A possible alternative is to benefit from weather-insensitive synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images. In many real-world applications, critical decisions are made based on some informative optical or radar features related to items such as water, vegetation or soil. Under cloudy conditions, however, optical-based features are not available, and they are commonly reconstructed through linear interpolation between data available at temporally-close time instants. In this work, we propose to estimate missing optical features through data fusion and deep-learning. Several sources of information are taken into account—optical sequences, SAR sequences, digital elevation model—so as to exploit both temporal and cross-sensor dependencies. Based on these data and a tiny cloud-free fraction of the target image, a compact convolutional neural network (CNN) is trained to perform the desired estimation. To validate the proposed approach, we focus on the estimation of the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), using coupled Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 time-series acquired over an agricultural region of Burkina Faso from May–November 2016. Several fusion schemes are considered, causal and non-causal, single-sensor or joint-sensor, corresponding to different operating conditions. Experimental results are very promising, showing a significant gain over baseline methods according to all performance indicators.
Challenges in Separations of Proteins and Small Biomolecules and the Role of Modern Mass Spectroscopy Tools for Solving Them, as Well as Bypassing Them, in Structural Analytical Studies of Complex Biomolecular Mixtures
Authors: Haramija Marko
Published: February 2018

State-of-the-art purification of biomolecules, as well as separation of complex omic mixtures, is crucial for modern biomedical research. Mass spectroscopy (MS) represents a technique that both requires very clean biomedical samples and can substantially assist liquid chromatography (LC) separations, using either LC-MS or LC-MS/MS methods available. Here, a brief overview of the applicability of LC-MS/MS methodology for structural analyses of complex omic mixtures without prior purification of each sample component will be given. When necessary bioinformatic tools are available, these can be carried out quite quickly. However, manual data analysis of such complex mixtures is typically very slow. On the other hand, the need for high-level purity of protein samples for modern biomedical research will be discussed. Often, modification of protein purification protocols is needed, or additional purification steps may be either required or preferred. In the context of mass spectroscopy-related biomedical research, purification of pmol and subpmol amounts of biomedical samples, as well as commercial availability of pmol amounts of purified standards will be discussed.
First Nations People: Addressing the Relationships between Under-Enrollment in Medical Education, STEM Education, and Health in the United States
Authors: Persaud-Sharma Dharam , Burns Joseph
Published: February 2018

In the United States of America, an analysis of enrollment statistics to institutions of higher education, those pursuing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields, as well as those pursuing medical education show a paralleled ethnic stratification. Based upon such stratification, Native Americans consistently rank amongst the lowest demographic groups to enroll in and pursue higher education, STEM or medical education. A perturbed history of the First Nations people in the establishment of the United States of America laid the foundation for a multitude of factors contributing to current trends in health, living, and academic pursuits amongst First Nation’s people. This paper aims to explore the factors underlying the lack of Native American enrollment in higher education, careers in STEM and medicine. An investigation was conducted following a broad literature review relevant to the topic, and articles were critically appraised using the Search, Appraisal, Synthesis of Analysis (SALSA) framework as well as the Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research (SRQR). Findings from such studies indicate that the Native American communities face a unique set of social circumstances rooted in a historical context, with several unmet basic needs of living required for integration, access, and pursuit of higher education.
How to Achieve Supply Chain Sustainability Efficiently? Taming the Triple Bottom Line Split Business Cycle
Authors: Klumpp Matthias
Published: February 2018

For sustainable supply chains, specific concepts regarding how to efficiently improve sustainability are needed in a global comprehensive triple bottom line (TBL) approach, especially for forwarders as central actors in supply chain design. Such specific advice is provided by reporting empirical DEA Malmquist index findings from seven large European forwarders regarding a TBL sustainability analysis from 2006 to 2016. A major obstacle in improving sustainability consists in the newly discovered fact that with the business cycle, the three TBL areas of economic, ecologic and social objectives for logistics are undergoing different up- and down-ward trends, making it very hard to improve all three simultaneously. Additional factors are identified in the characteristics of size and government influence regarding the sustainability efficiency of forwarders. This has important impacts on supply chain design like e.g., with selection criteria.
Impact of Erratic Rainfall from Climate Change on Pulse Production Efficiency in Lower Myanmar
Authors: Mar Sein , Nomura Hisako , Takahashi Yoshifumi , Ogata Kazuo , Yabe Mitsuyasu
Published: February 2018

Erratic rainfall has a detrimental impact on crop productivity but rainfall during the specific growth stage is rarely used in efficiency analysis. This study focuses on this untapped point and examines the influence of rainfall specifically encountered during the sowing stage and early vegetative growth stage and the flowering stage of pulses on productivity and efficiency in Lower Myanmar using data from 182 sample farmers. The results of a stochastic frontier production function reveal that rainfall incidence during the flowering season of pulses has a negatively significant effect on yield while replanting crops after serious damage by rain increases productivity. Controlled rainfall variables, seed rate, human labor and land preparation cost are important parameters influencing pulses yield. In the efficiency model, levels of yield loss have a negative impact while being a male household head, access to government credit, access to training, locating farms in the Bago Region and possessing a large area of pulses have a positively significant effect on technical efficiency. Policy recommendations include the establishment of a safety network, such as crop insurance to protect farmers from losses due to unpredictable weather conditions, promoting training programs on cultural practices adapted to climate change, wide coverage of extension activities, giving priority to small-scale farmers and female farmer participation in training and extension activities and increasing the rate of credit availability to farmers.
A Comparative Analysis on Food Security in Bangladesh, India and Myanmar
Authors: Chen Yuanyuan , Lu Changhe
Published: February 2018

In 2013, China proposed the Bangladesh–China–India–Myanmar Economic Corridor initiatives to enhance the economic cooperation between Bangladesh, India, and Myanmar. To serve the priority setting of agricultural cooperation in the initiatives, an analysis is necessary to understand the food security situation and its key influencing factors in the three countries. For this purpose, this study applied a food security index (FSI) to measure the food security level at state scale and analyze its changes in the three countries during 1990–2013. Further, a factor decomposition method was used to quantify the contribution of major factors to the FSI changes. The results showed that the food demand was generally secured in Myanmar and India during 1990–2013 but in shortage by around 10% in most years before 2008 in Bangladesh. The annual FSI values showed a rather obvious periodic variation and a slightly increasing trend during the whole period. Although the grain production in the three countries increased significantly, the FSI was not accordingly improved, as a result of the simultaneous increase of grain consumption. In Bangladesh and India, the grain production increase was mainly driven by the improvement of crop yield, while the grain consumption increase was mainly caused by the population growth. In Myanmar, the production increase was largely caused by the expansion of cropping area, and the consumption growth was mainly due to the increased grain requirement per capita. To meet the increasing food demand in the future, it is essential to improve the irrigation and drainage systems and crop management to increase the land use efficiency and crop yield. In addition, the adaptation of appropriate policy for family planning could be important to slow down the quick population growth and thus the food demand.
All-Round Manipulation of the Actin Cytoskeleton by HIV
Authors: Ospina Stella Alberto , Turville Stuart
Published: February 2018

While significant progress has been made in terms of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) therapy, treatment does not represent a cure and remains inaccessible to many people living with HIV. Continued mechanistic research into the viral life cycle and its intersection with many aspects of cellular biology are not only fundamental in the continued fight against HIV, but also provide many key observations of the workings of our immune system. Decades of HIV research have testified to the integral role of the actin cytoskeleton in both establishing and spreading the infection. Here, we review how the virus uses different strategies to manipulate cellular actin networks and increase the efficiency of various stages of its life cycle. While some HIV proteins seem able to bind to actin filaments directly, subversion of the cytoskeleton occurs indirectly by exploiting the power of actin regulatory proteins, which are corrupted at multiple levels. Furthermore, this manipulation is not restricted to a discrete class of proteins, but rather extends throughout all layers of the cytoskeleton. We discuss prominent examples of actin regulators that are exploited, neutralized or hijacked by the virus, and address how their coordinated deregulation can lead to changes in cellular behavior that promote viral spreading.
Land Use Change over the Amazon Forest and Its Impact on the Local Climate
Authors: Llopart Marta , Reboita Michelle , Coppola Erika , Giorgi Filippo , Da Rocha Rosmeri , De Souza Diego
Published: February 2018

One of the most important anthropogenic influences on climate is land use change (LUC). In particular, the Amazon (AMZ) basin is a highly vulnerable area to climate change due to substantial modifications of the hydroclimatology of the region expected as a result of LUC. However, both the magnitude of these changes and the physical process underlying this scenario are still uncertain. This work aims to analyze the simulated Amazon deforestation and its impacts on local mean climate. We used the Common Land Model (CLM) version 4.5 coupled with the Regional Climate Model (RegCM4) over the Coordinated Regional Climate Downscaling Experiment (CORDEX) South America domain. We performed one simulation with the RegCM4 default land cover map (CTRL) and one simulation under a scenario of deforestation (LUC), i.e., replacing broadleaf evergreen trees with C3 grass over the Amazon basin. Both simulations were driven by ERA Interim reanalysis from 1979 to 2009. The climate change signal due to AMZ deforestation was evaluated by comparing the climatology of CTRL with LUC. Concerning the temperature, the deforested areas are about 2 °C warmer compared to the CTRL experiment, which contributes to decrease the surface pressure. Higher air temperature is associated with a decrease of the latent heat flux and an increase of the sensible heat flux over the deforested areas. AMZ deforestation induces a dipole pattern response in the precipitation over the region: a reduction over the west (about 7.9%) and an increase over the east (about 8.3%). Analyzing the water balance in the atmospheric column over the AMZ basin, the results show that under the deforestation scenario the land surface processes play an important role and drive the precipitation in the western AMZ; on the other hand, on the east side, the large scale circulation drives the precipitation change signal. Dipole patterns over scenarios of deforestation in the Amazon was also found by other authors, but the precipitation decrease on the west side was never fully explained. Using budget equations, this work highlights the physical processes that control the climate in the Amazon basin under a deforestation scenario.
Impacts of Environmental Variables on a Phytoplankton Community: A Case Study of the Tributaries of a Subtropical River, Southern China
Authors: Hou Zhaojiang , Jiang Yuan , Liu Qi , Tian Yulu , He Kejian , Fu Lan
Published: February 2018

The phytoplankton community in the river is closely related to the location of the river and the impact of human activities. To summarize the patterns of phytoplankton community changes in rivers and to analyze the reasons for these patterns and differences, we sampled the three tributaries of the Dongjiang River at different latitudes in the dry and rainy season for three years. The results showed that the three rivers were mesotrophic, lightly eutrophic and moderately eutrophic respectively. From the south to the north, the water temperature and nutrition showed an increasing trend. In two different seasons, the differences in the water temperature and dissolved oxygen were clear. In the dry season, results of the multidimensional scaling (MDS) analysis indicated that the phytoplankton community structures in the Li River and Qiuxiang River were similar. Regardless of the number of species, the cell abundance or the dominance index, Bacillariophyta were found to be dominant. Chlorophyta was dominant in the Danshui River. In the rainy season, Bacillariophyta, Bacillariophyta-Chlorophyta and Chlorophyta-Cyanophyta became the dominant types in the Li River, Qiuxiang River and Danshui River, respectively. These different patterns in phytoplankton community variation were affected by both the water quality and temperature.
Global Sensitivity Analysis of a Water Quality Model in the Three Gorges Reservoir
Authors: Cheng Yao , Li Yajun , Ji Fei , Wang Yuchun
Published: February 2018

Global sensitivity analysis is the key to establishing advanced and complex water quality models and measurements of ecological parameters. In this paper, the Sobol’s sensitivity analysis method was applied to a quantitative analysis of the important factors governing a water quality model, which has been developed to simulate algal dynamics in Caotang Bay, one of the tributary bays in the Three Gorges Reservoir, China. The analysis focused on the response of chlorophyll-a and dissolved oxygen to 11 parameters. The results show that chlorophyll-a is influenced mainly by the maximum phytoplankton growth rate, the lower optimum temperature for algal growth, the phosphate half-saturation constant, and the phytoplankton linear mortality rate; while dissolved oxygen is influenced mainly by the maximum phytoplankton growth rate, the lower optimum temperature for algal growth, the phytoplankton basal respiration rate, and the detritus remineralization rate. These parameter sensitivities change with time and have a marked seasonal pattern. The parameter sensitivity differences between a shallow lake or reservoir and a deep reservoir suggest that mechanisms of cycling in nutrients and dissolved oxygen are different.
ALMA Reveals Molecular Cloud N55 in the Large Magellanic Cloud as a Site of Massive Star Formation
Authors: N. Naslim , Tokuda K. , Onishi T. , Kemper F. , Wong T. , Morata O. , Takada S. , Harada R. , Kawamura A. , Saigo K. , Indebetouw R. , Madden S. C. , Hony S. , Meixner M.
Published: February 2018

We present the molecular cloud properties of N55 in the Large Magellanic Cloud using 12CO(1–0) and 13CO(1–0) observations obtained with Atacama Large Millimeter Array. We have done a detailed study of molecular gas properties, to understand how the cloud properties of N55 differ from Galactic clouds. Most CO emission appears clumpy in N55, and molecular cores that have young stellar objects (YSOs) show larger linewidths and masses. The massive clumps are associated with high and intermediate mass YSOs. The clump masses are determined by local thermodynamic equilibrium and virial analysis of the 12CO and 13CO emissions. These mass estimates lead to the conclusion that (a) the clumps are in self-gravitational virial equilibrium, and (b) the 12CO(1–0)-to-H2 conversion factor,

X

CO

, is 6.5 × 1020 cm−2 (K km s−1)−1. This CO-to-H2 conversion factor for N55 clumps is measured at a spatial scale of ∼0.67 pc, which is about two times higher than the

X

CO

value of the Orion cloud at a similar spatial scale. The core mass function of N55 clearly show a turnover below 200

M

⊙

, separating the low-mass end from the high-mass end. The low-mass end of the 12CO mass spectrum is fitted with a power law of index 0.5 ± 0.1, while for 13CO it is fitted with a power law index 0.6 ± 0.2. In the high-mass end, the core mass spectrum is fitted with a power index of 2.0 ± 0.3 for 12CO, and with 2.5 ± 0.4 for 13CO. This power law behavior of the core mass function in N55 is consistent with many Galactic clouds.
Effect of Sporosarcina Pasteurii on the strength properties of compressed earth specimens
Authors: Bernat-Maso E. , Gil L. , Escrig C. , Barbé J. , Cortés P.
Published: February 2018

Microbial biodeposition of calcite induction for improving the performance of rammed earth is a research area that must be analysed in a representative environment. This analysis must consider the compaction force, particle size distribution and curing process as production variables. This paper investigates the effects of adding specific bacteria, Sporosarcina Pasteurii, into compressed earth cubes and the effect of production variables. Uniaxial compressive tests and direct shear tests have been conducted for 80 specimens. The results indicate that calcite precipitation interacts with the drying process of clay/silt resulting in reducing the compressive strength, the apparent cohesion and the friction angle. Finally, bacterial activity, which is more likely in samples cured in a high humidity environment, tends to reduce the dilatancy effect.
Discriminaties bestrijden of diversiteit op de arbeidsmarkt promoten? Overzicht van een overheidsoptreden in het Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest (1997-2012)
Authors: Tandé Alexandre
Published: February 2018

Eind jaren 1990 treft het Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest maatregelen in de strijd tegen discriminaties op de arbeidsmarkt op grond van etnische origine. In een sociohistorisch perspectief en op basis van mondelinge en geschreven bronnen schetst dit artikel de omstandigheden waarin dat overheidsbeleid tot stand komt, de experimentele acties van de eerste jaren en de wijziging van dat beleid in de jaren 2000. Tegelijk met zijn consolidatie (integratie van nieuwe maatregelen in het gewestelijk recht, oprichting van een Brusselse cel van diversiteitsconsultants) wordt het beleid tevens geheroriënteerd naar een nieuwe doelstelling: promotie van diversiteit. De strijd tegen discriminaties en de promotie van diversiteit worden weliswaar vaak voorgesteld als “de twee zijden van dezelfde medaille”, maar die twee doelstellingen kunnen ook een andere richting uitgaan of zelfs tegenstrijdig zijn. Een overzicht van de totstandkoming van dat Brussels beleid, van de evoluties en de impact ervan verstrekt dan toelichtingen bij de huidige antwoorden op twee grote uitdagingen in de Brusselse agglomeratie: de ongelijke toegang tot de arbeidsmarkt en de erkenning van de socioculturele diversiteit.
Novel insights into pericarp, protein body globoids of aleurone layer, starchy granules of three cereals gained using atomic force microscopy and environmental scanning electronic microscopy
Authors: Antonini Elena , Zara Carolina , Valentini Laura , Gobbi Pietro , Ninfali Paolino , Menotta Michele
Published: February 2018

In this study, we applied Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy-Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (ESEM-EDS) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) analysis to three different cereal caryopses: barley, oat and einkorn wheat. The morphological structures, chemical elemental composition and surface characteristics of the three cereals were described. Regarding the morphology, barley showed the thickest pericarp, providing a strong barrier digestion and absorption of nutrients. The aleurone layer of each cereal type contained protein body globoids within its cells. Large type-A and small type-B starchy granules were revealed in the endosperm of barley and einkorn wheat, whereas irregular starchy granules were found in oats. The starchy granule elemental composition, detected by ESEM-EDS, was rather homogenous in the three cereals, whereas the pericarp and protein body globoids showed heterogeneity. In the protein body globoids, oats showed higher P and K concentrations than barley and einkorn wheat. Regarding the topographic profiles, detected by AFM, einkorn wheat starchy granules showed a surface profile that differed significantly from that of oats and barley, which were quite similar to one another. The present work provides insights into the morphological and chemical makeup of the three grains shedding light on the higher bio-accessibility of einkorn wheat nutrients compared to barley and oats, providing important suggestions for human nutrition and technological standpoints.
Marcinkiewicz Multipliers and Lipschitz Spaces on Heisenberg Groups
Authors: Han Yanchang , Han Yongsheng , Li Ji , Tan Chaoqiang
Published: February 2018

The Marcinkiewicz multipliers are
$L^{p}$
bounded for
$1<p<\infty$
on the Heisenberg group
$\mathbb{H}^{n}\simeq \mathbb{C}^{n}\times \mathbb{R}$
(Müller, Ricci, and Stein). This is surprising in the sense that these multipliers are invariant under a two parameter group of dilations on
$\mathbb{C}^{n}\times \mathbb{R}$
, while there is no two parameter group of automorphic dilations on
$\mathbb{H}^{n}$
. The purpose of this paper is to establish a theory of the flag Lipschitz space on the Heisenberg group
$\mathbb{H}^{n}\simeq \mathbb{C}^{n}\times \mathbb{R}$
that is, in a sense, intermediate between that of the classical Lipschitz space on the Heisenberg group
$\mathbb{H}^{n}$
and the product Lipschitz space on
$\mathbb{C}^{n}\times \mathbb{R}$
. We characterize this flag Lipschitz space via the Littlewood–Paley theory and prove that flag singular integral operators, which include the Marcinkiewicz multipliers, are bounded on these flag Lipschitz spaces.