bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Direct and indirect effects of temperature and precipitation on alpine seed banks in the Tibetan Plateau
Authors: Ma Miaojun , Collins Scott L. , Du Guozhen
Published: February 2020

Plant community responses to global environmental change focus primarily on aboveground vegetation; however, the important role of the seed bank is frequently neglected. Specifically, the direct and indirect effects of changes in temperature and precipitation on seed banks remain poorly understood, yet seed banks provide a vital source of ecosystem resilience to global environmental change. We used a structural equation model to explore the direct and indirect effects of temperature, precipitation, and other biotic and abiotic factors on soil seed bank community composition using 1,026 soil seed bank samples from 57 sites along an elevation gradient that served as a space‐for‐time substitution for changing climate in the Tibetan Plateau. Seed bank richness was negatively correlated with both precipitation and temperature, but neither climate factor affected seed bank density. Temperature was also negatively correlated with vegetation species richness, which was positively correlated with seed bank richness and density. Both precipitation and temperature were positively correlated with soil total N, and total N was negatively correlated with vegetation richness. Both precipitation and temperature were negatively correlated with soil pH, and soil pH was negatively correlated with vegetation richness, but positively correlated with seed bank richness and density. Increasing precipitation and temperature would decrease seed bank diversity through direct effects as well as indirectly by decreasing vegetation diversity. Soil pH and total N emerged as the most important soil abiotic factors for seed bank diversity. Increasing precipitation and temperature under climate change may increase the extinction risk of some species in the seed bank by altering bet‐hedging and risk‐spreading strategies, which will degrade natural restoration ability and ultimately ecosystem resilience. This research is important because it identifies the potential underlying mechanistic basis of climate change impacts on seed banks through effects of aboveground vegetation and belowground biotic and abiotic factors.
A morphological, reproductive, and molt phenology database for 379 bird species from the Colombian Tropical Andes
Authors: Cardona‐Salazar Leydy J. , Benavides‐Ossa Yeny A. , Vargas‐Daza Ángela M. , Betancurt‐Grisales Juan F. , Bohada‐Murillo Mauricio , Martínez‐Sánchez Estefani T. , Cardona‐Romero Marelid , Busi Ana , Tobón‐Escobar William D. , Ortíz‐Giraldo Mateo , Gómez Castillo Daniela , Alvarez‐Londoño Johnathan , Molina‐Marin Dimas A. , Rodas‐Rua Juan C. , Grisales‐Muñoz Laura D. , Velásquez‐Trujillo Vanessa , Salazar‐Ramírez Luisa F. , Pineda‐Gómez Diana M. , Hoyos‐Jaramillo Alejandro , Santisteban‐Arenas Rafael R. , Salazar‐Ramírez Juan G. , Orozco‐Montoya Gloria Patricia , Ramos‐Valencia Santiago A. , Gómez‐Londoño Germán , Ospina‐Bautista Fabiola , Estévez‐Varón Jaime V. , Ossa‐López Paula A. , Rivera‐Páez Fredy A. , Pérez Cárdenas Jorge E. , Fontúrbel Francisco E. , Castaño‐Villa Gabriel J.
Published: February 2020

The Colombian Tropical Andes are one of the regions with highest bird diversity on Earth. However, information on bird morphology, reproductive phenology, and molt is particularly scarce in this region. Also, this region is heavily impacted by deforestation, and it is vulnerable to climate change. Hence, providing baseline information on life history and morphological traits will be essential to support future research on functional diversity, climate change effects, conservation, evolution, and phenology. To fill this gap, we have compiled information on bird distribution, morphology, molt, and reproductive phenology at 52 localities of the Department of Caldas, covering an elevation range between 148 and 3845 m. This compilation comprises a wide range of habitats, including native forests, forestry plantations, croplands, and paramo. Our database presents information for 3,398 records belonging to 379 bird species (representing 23 orders, 53 families, and 258 genera). From those records, 2,843 correspond to information collected in the field between 2008 and 2019, and the remaining 555 records correspond to specimens deposited in the Natural History Museum of the Caldas University, collected between 1969 and 2014. We measured nine morphological traits from all specimens: total culmen, gape, bill width, bill depth, tarsus, wing length, tail length, total length, and mass. We also have reproductive condition information for 257 species and molt information available for 378 species. The information contained in this data set represents ~20% of the Colombian avifauna and ~11% of the bird species richness in South America. This data set is released for non‐commercial use only. Credits should be given to this paper (i.e., proper citation), and the products generated with this database should be shared under the same license terms (CC BY‐NC‐SA).
The role of omnivory in mediating metacommunity robustness to habitat destruction
Authors: Liao Jinbao , Bearup Daniel , Fagan William F.
Published: February 2020

Omnivores have long been known to play an important role in determining the stability of ecological communities. Recent theoretical studies have suggested that they may also increase the resilience of their communities to habitat destruction, one of the major drivers of species extinctions globally. However, these outcomes were obtained for minimal food webs consisting of only a single omnivore and its prey species, while much more complex communities can be anticipated in nature. In this study, we undertake a systematic comparative analysis of the robustness of metacommunities containing various omnivory structures to habitat loss and fragmentation using a mathematical model. We observe that, in general, omnivores are better able to survive facing habitat destruction than specialist predators of similar trophic level. However, the community as a whole does not always benefit from the presence of omnivores, as they may drive their intraguild prey to extinction. We also analyze the frequency with which these modules occur in a set of empirical food webs, and demonstrate that variation in their rate of occurrence is consistent with our model predictions. Our findings demonstrate the importance of considering the complete food web in which an omnivore is embedded, suggesting that future study should focus on more holistic community analysis.
Chia Seed Oil Prevents High Fat Diet Induced Hyperlipidemia and Oxidative Stress in Mice
Authors: Han Kai , Li Xin‐Yang , Zhang Ye‐Qi , He Yong‐Lin , Hu Rui , Lu Xiu‐Li , Li Qi‐Jiu , Hui Jing
Published: February 2020

Hyperlipidemia is a common cardiovascular disease. At present, the influence of high fat diet (HFD) on this is being explored. Recently, vegetable oils rich in omega‐3 have been reported that can treat hyperlipidemia caused by HFD. However, the effects of chia seed oil (CSO) on HFD‐induced hyperlipidemia and oxidative stress are poorly studied. Hence, in this study, the effects of CSO on hyperlipidemia and oxidative stress induced by HFD in mice are analyzed by various commercial kits, section staining, and protein expression. The results show that CSO decreases body weight and organ index. Meanwhile, CSO reduces serum lipid levels of total cholesterol, triglyceride, and low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol. It can also elevate superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activities and reduce malondialdehyde content in serum and liver. The results of histopathological analysis prove that CSO improves hepatic steatosis and reduces lipid deposition. Further, the results of western blot demonstrate that CSO upregulates the expression of peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor alpha and carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1a in the liver. As a result, CSO may be a potential lipid‐lowering oil to prevent and treat HFD‐induced hyperlipidemia and oxidative stress.

Practical Applications CSO, as a byproduct of chia seed processing, is a rich source of α‐linolenic acid. This study investigates the effects of CSO on HFD‐induced hyperlipidemia and oxidative stress in mice. It is concluded that dietary CSO can improve the hyperlipidemia in HFD‐induced mice via analysis of lipid parameters, histopathology study of the liver, and lipid metabolism related genes. In addition, supplementation of CSO also can improve the oxidative stress in mice. Therefore, CSO can be used for the prevention of hyperlipidemia and oxidative stress. This research provides a theoretical basis for the comprehensive development and utilization of functional chia seed oil.
Lipophilic Multi‐walled Carbon Nanotube‐based Solid Contact Potassium Ion‐selective Electrodes with Reproducible Standard Potentials. A Comparative Study
Authors: Papp Soma , Kozma József , Lindfors Tom , Gyurcsányi Róbert E.
Published: February 2020

The two most promising approaches for preparing solid contacts (SCs) for polymeric membrane based ion‐selective electrodes (ISEs) are based on the use of large surface areas conducting materials with high capacitance (e. g., various carbon nanotubes) and redox active materials (e. g. conducting polymers). While many of the essential requirements for the potential stability of SCISEs were addressed, the E0 reproducibility and its predictability, that would enable single use of such electrodes without calibration is still a challenge, i. e., the fabrication of electrodes with sufficiently close E0 and slope values to enable the characterization of large fabrication batches through the calibration of only a small number of electrodes. The most generic solution seems to be the adjustment of the E0 potential by polarization prior to the application of the ion‐selective membrane. This approach proved to be successful in case of conducting polymer‐based solid contacts, but has to be still explored for capacitive solid contact based ISEs, which is the purpose of this paper. We have chosen a well‐established highly lipophilic multi‐walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT), i. e. octadecane modified MWCNT (OD‐MWCNT), that is investigated in the comparative context of a similarly lipophilic conducting polymer solid contact (a perfluorinated alkanoate side chain functionalized poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene)). While, the OD‐MWCNT based SCISEs had inherently small standard deviation of their E0 values (less than 5 mV) this could be further improved by external polarization and short circuiting the SCISEs.
Role of the Interplay between Spinodal Decomposition and Crystal Growth in the Morphological Evolution of Crystalline Bulk Heterojunctions
Authors: Ronsin Olivier J. J. , Harting Jens
Published: February 2020

The stability of organic solar cells is strongly affected by the morphology of the photoactive layers, whose separated crystalline and/or amorphous phases are kinetically quenched far from their thermodynamic equilibrium during the production process. The evolution of these structures during the lifetime of the cell remains poorly understood. Herein, a phase‐field simulation framework is proposed, handling liquid–liquid demixing and polycrystalline growth at the same time to investigate the evolution of crystalline immiscible binary systems. It is found that initially, the nuclei trigger the spinodal decomposition, whereas the growing crystals quench the phase coarsening in the amorphous mixture. In contrast, the separated liquid phases guide the crystal growth along the domains of high concentration. It is also demonstrated that with a higher crystallization rate, in the final morphology, single crystals are more structured and form percolating pathways for each material with smaller lateral dimensions.
Optimum design study of a straight tube with different inserts for thermal performance characteristics
Authors: Gupta Arun , Singh Hardial
Published: February 2020

This paper presents a simple straight tube with different types of inserts in which there is a flow of water + Al2O3. The experimental and computational studies were performed for different inserts, such as simple insert, twisted‐I, twisted‐II, and simple straight tube. The coefficient of heat transfer and Nusselt number is computed for mass flow rate ranging between 0.06 and 0.20 m/s. The simple straight tube is used as a means of validating the experimental results with computational results. The work concluded that twisted‐II inserts provide enhanced thermal performance in comparison to all other process conditions. In this study, statistical analysis is performed by statistical software and by generating model equations. Furthermore, the effect of a twisted insert in heat pipe for two types of fluids, that is, water and nanofluid (Al203 + water) is experimentally and computationally designed using the Taguchi method and orthogonal array concept. Moreover, temperature and velocity contours are developed for all four types of insert designs in the tube.
A brief diversity training: Raising awareness of ingroup privilege to improve attitudes towards disadvantaged outgroups
Authors: Ehrke Franziska , Ashoee Aysan , Steffens Melanie C. , Louvet Eva
Published: February 2020

Diversity training is a popular strategy to reduce prejudice within educational settings. However, in practice, diversity training rarely relies on social‐psychological theory, and research on its effectiveness in real‐world settings is scarce. Previous research regarding diversity training has particularly neglected an important theoretical concept: privilege as the counterpart of discrimination. Therefore, we developed a diversity training aiming to increase awareness of ingroup privilege, using an intersectional approach to teach participants the complex interaction between privilege and oppression. We randomly allocated students of educational science (N = 112) to a repeated‐measures (pre‐test, post‐test, follow‐up) control‐group design. Compared with the control group, training participants showed a significant increase in awareness of ingroup privilege 1 week after the training, whereas there was no change in awareness of discrimination. Furthermore, increased awareness of ingroup privilege 1 week after the training mediated improved outgroup attitudes (i.e., more positive outgroup feelings towards immigrants and refugees, reduced subtle prejudice towards immigrants and reduced homonegativity) 2 weeks after the training.
A case of inguinal cellular angiofibroma
Authors: Kamitani Rei , Matsumoto Kazuhiro , Fujiwara Shinnosuke , Akita Hirotaka , Mikami Shuji , Kameyama Kaori , Jinzaki Masahiro , Oya Mototsugu
Published: February 2020

Introduction

Cellular angiofibroma is a benign mesenchymal tumor that is rare and has a good prognosis. However, preoperative distinction of cellular angiofibroma from malignant tumors is difficult.

Case presentation

A 77‐year‐old man complained of a left inguinal mass, which was a solid, painless, mobile tumor measuring approximately 40 mm and contacted with the left spermatic cord. Based on his age, the location and imaging findings, a preoperative diagnosis of myxoid liposarcoma was made. The patient underwent left high inguinal orchiectomy with complete resection of the tumor. Histologically and immunohistochemically, the tumor had no feature of malignancy. A postoperative diagnosis of cellular angiofibroma was made. The patient remains free of disease recurrence 12 months after surgery.

Conclusion

Cellular angiofibroma is a benign but rare tumor, which is sometimes difficult to distinguish from malignant neoplasms. Further studies are needed to accurately preoperatively diagnose this tumor.
Increased hepatic acylcarnitines after oral administration of amiodarone in rats
Authors: Kim Gabin , Choi Hyung‐Kyoon , Lee Hwanhui , Moon Kyoung‐Sik , Oh Jung Hwa , Lee Jaeick , Shin Jae Gook , Kim Dong Hyun
Published: February 2020

Amiodarone is known to induce hepatic injury in some recipients. We applied an untargeted metabolomics approach to identify endogenous metabolites with potential as biomarkers for amiodarone‐induced liver injury. Oral amiodarone administration for 1 week in rats resulted in significant elevation of acylcarnitines and phospholipids in the liver. Hepatic short‐ and medium‐chain acylcarnitines were dramatically increased in a dose‐dependent manner, while the serum levels of these acylcarnitines did not change substantially. In addition, glucose levels were significantly increased in both the serum and liver. Gene expression profiling showed that the hepatic mRNA levels of Cpt1, Cpt2, and Acat1 were significantly suppressed, whereas those of Acot1, Acly, Acss2, and Acsl3 were increased. These results suggest that hepatic acylcarnitines and glucose levels might be increased due to disruption of mitochondrial function and suppression of glucose metabolism. Perturbation of energy metabolism might be associated with amiodarone‐induced hepatotoxicity.
New voter polling data, letter to Congress fuel support for CCBHC expansion
Authors: Canady Valerie A.
Published: February 2020

A bipartisan majority of voters (82%) think it's important that the federal government increase funding to expand access to mental health and addiction treatment, including 77% of Republican voters and 90% of Democratic voters, according to new polling released Feb. 18. Additionally, the National Council for Behavioral Health on Feb. 13 released a letter signed by 60 national organizations urging Congress to extend and expand the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) demonstration.
Closed‐form solutions of two‐sector Romer model of endogenous growth using partial Hamiltonian approach
Authors: ul Haq Burhan , Naeem Imran
Published: February 2020

This article presents the closed‐form solutions of two‐sector human capital–based Romer growth model. The partial Hamiltonian approach is effectively applied to some growth models in order to compute the closed‐form solutions for economic variables involved in the model. Pontryagin's maximum principle provides the set of first‐order system of ODEs, which are regarded as an essential criteria for optimality. The partial Hamiltonian approach is utilized to construct three first integrals of the system using the current value Hamiltonian. With the aid of these first integrals, we computed two distinct exact solutions of Romer model under certain parametric restrictions. The closed‐form expressions for control, state, and costate variables are presented explicitly as a function of
. We have graphically illustrated the solution curves and observed the effect of human capital parameter
on control and state variables. The growth rates of all economic variables are evaluated, and their long‐run behavior is predicted.
The enhanced gain and cost‐effective antipodal Vivaldi antenna for 5G communication applications
Authors: Dixit Amruta S. , Kumar Sumit
Published: February 2020

The gain enhanced antipodal Vivaldi antenna (AVA) is implemented in this study for fifth‐generation (5G) communication applications. At first, the conventional AVA is designed and then metamaterial and rectangular corrugations are added to AVA to enhance its gain from 7.75 to 9.53 dB. The designed antenna size is 40 mm × 24 mm × 1.6 mm and it is fabricated on the FR4 substrate. Further, modified AVA with metamaterial and corrugation increases higher cut‐off frequency from 30.62 to 34.52 GHz. The gain of the designed antenna varies between 5 and 9.53 dB over 24.77 to 34.52 GHz and its bandwidth is 9.75 GHz. The designed antenna covers 25 to 29.5 GHz and 31.8 to 33.4 GHz 5G frequency bands. Experimental results and the simulated results are nearly same, which demonstrate that the designed antenna can be used for 5G communication applications.
Use of Integrated Clinical Decision Support Tools to Manage Parenteral Nutrition Ordering: Experience From an Academic Medical Center
Authors: Lashinsky Jennifer N. , Suhajda Jennilyn K. , Pleva Melissa R. , Kraft Michael D.
Published: February 2020

Parenteral nutrition (PN) is a complex therapy with numerous opportunities for error during the prescribing, preparation, and administration processes. Advances in technology, such as computerized provider order entry (CPOE), electronic health records (EHRs), and clinical decision support (CDS) have helped decrease the risks associated with PN therapy. These technologies can be utilized to guide prescribing, provide automated safety checks, and increase overall safety and accuracy in PN ordering, compounding, and administration. In recent years, increased awareness of the risks associated with PN therapy, in particular issues with ordering and transcription, have magnified the need for improved support of PN ordering within currently available systems. Additionally, drug shortages continue to impact key components of PN admixtures, further increasing the risks associated with this complex therapy. These concerns and risks present an opportunity for the development of new functionality, as well as improvements in and innovative utilization of available technology within systems supporting the PN use process. This discussion will highlight the risks associated with PN, examine the role of drug shortages on the safety of this therapy, describe the application of available technology to manage shortages, and report the experience of using commercially available CDS tools at one academic medical center. It will also include a discussion of the transition from paper orders to CPOE/EHR‐based orders for PN and the transition from one commercially available electronic system to another at this particular institution.
A pilot study to screen for poor academic performance in children with sickle cell disease in the outpatient setting
Authors: Karkoska Kristine , Zaheer Sibgha , Chen Victoria , Fishbein Joanna , Appiah‐Kubi Abena , Aygun Banu
Published: February 2020

Background

Children with sickle cell disease (SCD) are at risk for neurocognitive deficits, which can lead to effects on academic performance and later job attainment. However, screening in children at high risk for poor academic performance (PAP) in a clinic setting has been limited. The goal was to identify young children with SCD at high risk for PAP via administration of a standardized screening tool at the clinic visit.

Procedure

Parents of 20 patients were asked to complete the Behavior Assessment System for Children, 3rd edition (BASC‐3) Parent Rating Scale. Children ages six to nine years and all SCD genotypes were included. Those patients who scored at least 1 standard deviation below the mean were considered high risk. Statistics was used to associate demographic, academic, and laboratory data with risk status (RS).

Results

Four of 20 patients (20%) were found to be at risk by the BASC‐3. A significant association was found between those with a history of PAP and RS (P = 0.001). A trend toward association was found between baseline hemoglobin, reticulocyte count, and RS. Children not at risk had a higher hemoglobin level and lower reticulocyte count (P = 0.37 and P = 0.20, respectively). Those on hydroxyurea were significantly less likely to score as at risk (P = 0.014), whereas those with siblings may be at greater risk (P = 0.037).

Conclusion(s)

A parent‐directed screening tool may identify children with SCD in need of additional school support. Further prospective studies are necessary to understand correlations found between hemoglobin, reticulocyte count, and hydroxyurea treatment and risk for PAP.
Review of nutritional status, body composition, and effects of antineoplastic drug disposition
Authors: Wiernikowski John T. , Bernhardt Melanie Brooke
Published: February 2020

The overall survival for children with cancer in high income countries is excellent. However, there are many disparities that may negatively affect survival, which are particularly problematic in low income countries, such as nutritional status at diagnosis and throughout therapy. Nutritional status as well as concomitant foods, supplements, and medications may play a role in overall exposure and response to chemotherapy. Emerging science around the microbiome may also play a role and should be further explored as a contributor to disease progression and therapeutic response. This article highlights some of these issues and proposes additional areas of research relevant to nutritional status and pharmacology that are needed in pediatric oncology.
Aging Biomarkers: From Functional Tests to Multi‐Omics Approaches
Authors: Kudryashova Ksenia S. , Burka Ksenia , Kulaga Anton Y. , Vorobyeva Nataliya S. , Kennedy Brian K.
Published: February 2020

Aging results in various deleterious changes in the human body that may lead to loss of function and the manifestation of chronic diseases. While diseases can generally be reliably diagnosed, the aging process itself requires more sophisticated approaches to evaluate its progression. Numerous attempts have been made to establish biomarkers to quantify human aging at the cellular, tissue, and organismal level. Here, an up‐to‐date overview of biomarkers related to human aging with an emphasis on biomarkers that take into account different mechanisms of aging between individuals is provided. Classical discrete molecular and non‐molecular biomarkers handpicked by researches on the base of their strong correlation with age, as well as emerging omics‐based biomarkers, are discussed and potential future directions and developments in the field of aging assessment are outlined.
Combustion of Nanoaluminum and Magnesium in Fuel‐Rich Propellants
Authors: Maggi Filippo , Zadra Francesco
Published: February 2020

Fuel‐rich propellants are used in ducted rocket technology. The reduced content of oxidizer and the use of atmospheric air improve the gravimetric specific impulse far above the level of standard rocket motors, granting longer operating range. Peculiar requirements of ducted rockets favor either high or low‐pressure exponent propellants, depending on the pressurization strategy of the gas generator. The introduction of metal additives further improves the volumetric specific impulse and plays in favor of system compactness but combustion is difficult due to the intrinsic lack of oxidizer. Agglomeration of metal and low burning rates are observed. In this paper, the combustion of a set of fuel‐rich propellants with nanoaluminum and magnesium is investigated. The reported data set comprises ideal performance, burning rate, incipient agglomeration, and metal content of the agglomerates.
The Risk Analysis Screening Tool (RAST): Part II, using RAST to evaluate the release of ammonia
Authors: Luo Feng , Vaughen Bruce K.
Published: February 2020

This is the second article on the Risk Analysis Screening Tool (RAST). Part I provides an overview of the RAST software and how it can be used when performing a Hazards Identification and Risk Analysis. This article will focus on one piece of equipment: an ammonia storage tank located within a densely populated university campus. For the storage tank, the relief valve vents outdoors at the height of a two‐story building with its release modeled as an outdoor release. The potential failure scenarios proposed by the RAST software confirmed the scenarios generated by the Process Hazards Analysis team. RAST can be used using minimum required inputs and general assumptions and default values within the software. The results are presented in this article along with an additional, similar case study on chlorine. The risk matrix and risk summary tabs give a visual presentation of whether the failure scenarios found by RAST are within an acceptable, tolerable risk. The user or company running the study may change the desired target frequency factor then work to achieve those figures through implementation of protective layers.
Odorant‐binding proteins and chemosensory proteins potentially involved in host plant recognition in the Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri
Authors: Zhang He , Chen Jun‐Long , Lin Jia‐Hao , Lin Jin‐Tian , Wu Zhong‐Zhen
Published: February 2020

BACKGROUND

Odorant‐binding proteins (OBPs) and chemosensory proteins (CSPs) are two families of small water‐soluble proteins involved in odor detection and subsequent signal transmission. Determination of their binding mechanisms and specificity towards different odorants is important for developing OBPs/CSPs as targets in pest control management.

RESULTS

We re‐annotated genes encoding putative OBPs and CSPs in the Asian citrus psyllid (Diaphorina citri) draft genome using various bioinformatic tools. Genes encoding nine OBPs (seven Classic and two Plus‐C) and 12 CSPs were identified, consistent with our previous transcriptomic results. Tissue‐specific and developmental expression analyses suggested that genes encoding six OBPs and four CSPs were predominantly expressed in antennae, and displayed various expression patterns in different development stages, suggesting potential involvement in olfactory perception. Competitive fluorescence binding assays with 13 candidate ligands, including known host plant volatiles, sex pheromone components and repellents, showed that DcitOBP3 could bind to various odorants, whereas DcitOBP6, 8 and 9 bound specifically to host plant terpenoids. DcitCSP1 and 12 could also bind to certain terpenoids with high binding specificity.

CONCLUSION

OBP‐ and CSP‐encoding genes were systematically identified by annotating the draft D. citri genome and those potentially involved in odorant detection and signal transmission were identified by analyzing their tissue‐expression profiles and odorant‐binding affinities, particularly to the peripheral molecular perception of host plant terpenoids. The identified genes may provide potential targets for efficient pest control. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry
Identification and expression of main genes involved in non‐target site resistance mechanisms to fenoxaprop‐p‐ethyl in Beckmannia syzigachne
Authors: Bai Shuang , Zhao Yanfang , Zhou Yuanming , Wang Mingliang , Li Yihui , Luo Xiaoyong , Li Lingxu
Published: February 2020

BACKGROUND

Non‐target‐site resistance (NTSR) to herbicides is a serious threat to global agriculture. Although metabolic resistance is the dominant mechanism of NTSR, the molecular mechanisms are not yet well‐characterized. This study aimed to uncover the likely metabolism‐related genes in Beckmannia syzigachne (American sloughgrass) resistant to fenoxaprop‐p‐ethyl.

RESULTS

Ultra‐performance liquid chromatography – tandem mass spectrometry experiments showed that the resistant American sloughgrass biotype (R, SD‐04‐SS) showed enhanced degradation of this herbicide compared to the susceptible biotype (S, SD‐12). R and S biotype were harvested at 24 h after fenoxaprop‐p‐ethyl treatment to conduct RNA sequencing (RNA‐Seq) analysis to investigate the likely fenoxaprop‐p‐ethyl metabolic genes. The RNA‐Seq libraries yield 417 969 980 clean reads. The de novo assembly generated 115 112 unigenes, of which 57 906 unigenes were annotated. Finally, we identified 273 cytochrome P450s, 178 oxidases, 47 glutathione S‐transferases (GSTs), 166 glucosyltransferases (GTs) and 180 ABC transporter genes to determine the likely fenoxaprop‐p‐ethyl metabolism‐related genes in R biotype. Twelve overlapping up‐regulated genes in the R biotype (fenoxaprop‐p‐ethyl‐treated R/non‐treated R, fenoxaprop‐p‐ethyl‐treated R/fenoxaprop‐p‐ethyl‐treated S) were identified by RNA‐Seq and the results were validated using qRT‐PCR. Ten were identified as fenoxaprop‐p‐ethyl metabolism‐related genes, including three P450s (homologous to CYP71D7, CYP99A2 and CYP71D10), one GST (homologous to GSTF1), two GTs (homologous to UGT90A1 and UGT83A1) and four oxidase genes.

CONCLUSION

This work demonstrates that the NTSR mechanism by means of enhanced detoxification of fenoxaprop‐p‐ethyl in American sloughgrass is very likely driven by herbicide metabolism related genes. The RNA‐Seq data presented here provide a valuable resource for understanding the molecular mechanism of NTSR in American sloughgrass. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry
Mild‐Temperature Solution‐Assisted Encapsulation of Phosphorus into ZIF‐8 Derived Porous Carbon as Lithium‐Ion Battery Anode
Authors: Yan Chengzhan , Zhao Huaping , Li Jun , Jin Huile , Liu Long , Wu Wanyi , Wang Jichang , Lei Yong , Wang Shun
Published: February 2020

The high theoretical capacity of red phosphorus (RP) makes it a promising anode material for lithium‐ion batteries. However, the large volume change of RP during charging/discharging imposes an adverse effect on the cyclability and the rate performance suffers from its low conductivity. Herein, a facile solution‐based strategy is exploited to incorporate phosphorus into the pores of zeolitic imidazole framework (ZIF‐8) derived carbon hosts under a mild temperature. With this method, the blocky RP is etched into the form of polyphosphides anions (PP, mainly P5−) so that it can easily diffuse into the pores of porous carbon hosts. Especially, the indelible crystalline surface phosphorus can be effectively avoided, which usually generates in the conventional vapor‐condensation encapsulation method. Moreover, highly‐conductive ZIF‐8 derived carbon hosts with any pore smaller than 3 nm are efficient for loading PP and these pores can alleviate the volume change well. Finally, the composite of phosphorus encapsulated into ZIF‐8 derived porous carbon exhibits a significantly improved electrochemical performance as lithium‐ion battery anode with a high capacity of 786 mAh g−1 after 100 cycles at 0.1 A g−1, a good stability within 700 cycles at 1 A g−1, and an excellent rate performance.
Bad smell detection using quality metrics and refactoring opportunities
Authors: Bafandeh Mayvan Bahareh , Rasoolzadegan Abbas , Javan Jafari Abbas
Published: February 2020

Bad smells are bad practices in developing software. These poor solutions significantly influence the understandability and maintainability of source code. Therefore, bad smell detection plays a vital role in the refactoring, maintaining, and measuring the quality of large and complex software systems. Researchers believe that bad smells should be precisely identified and addressed. However, bad smell detection is complicated by issues such as informal and inconsistent specifications of bad smells and high false positive rates in the detection process, all of which affect the success rate in detection. In this paper, we present a new method to detect bad smells in code by addressing the aforementioned issues. Our proposed method is a multi‐step process using software quality metrics and refactoring opportunities. In this method, after obtaining the bad smell formal specifications based on software metrics, we utilize them to achieve a set of candidates for each bad smell. Afterwards, each of the instances will be examined and compared with the corresponding refactoring situations specified for that bad smell. This examination strikes out the false positives created in the previous step. The evaluation of this method on four open‐source systems demonstrates the improved effectiveness of bad smell detection in code.
Predicting fiber‐reinforced polymer–concrete bond strength using artificial neural networks: A comparative analysis study
Authors: Haddad Rami , Haddad Madeleine
Published: February 2020

The repair efficiency of fiber‐reinforced polymer (FRP) is crucially linked to bond strength between FRP and concrete. Artificial neural networks (ANNs) technique is employed for the prediction of FRP–concrete bond strength based on more than 440 data points collected from literature work for training and testing of the proposed ANNs model. Such a model facilitates investigating the effect of various key parameters in controlling the bond. These are concrete compressive strength, maximum aggregate size, FRP thickness and modulus of elasticity, FRP‐to‐concrete length and width ratios, and adhesive tensile strength. The proposed ANNs model shows high fitting and prediction capability of training and testing data, respectively, with low mean square errors. Its accuracy of prediction far exceeds that of literature empirical models. Furthermore, the present comparative and sensitivity study of the predicted bond strength promotes the understanding of the impact of the above key parameters.
Seismic behavior of frames with weak bolted end plate connections rehabilitated by posttensioned tendons under near‐/far‐field earthquakes
Authors: Saberi Vahid , Saberi Hamid , Gerami Mohsen , Kheyroddin Ali
Published: February 2020

Posttensioned tendons can be used for rehabilitation of frames as well as for providing self‐centering ability. The optimum selection of retrofit parameters is carried out based on their effect on the seismic behavior of a structure. The results of 2D numerical modeling of the frames in this paper revealed that the rehabilitation of a frame with weak end plate bolted connection by adding posttensioned tendons improves the seismic response of the weak frame to be close to that of the reference frame, whose connections are designed according to AISC code. It was observed that the roof displacements were reduced by 5%, and the maximum story drifts in near‐ and far‐field earthquakes were reduced by 8% and 2% in the rehabilitated frames on average compared to those of the reference frame. The results of 3D substructure numerical models, verified by experimental results, indicated that the changes in the tendon diameter from 12 to 18 mm increased the moment capacity and initial rotational stiffness by 38% and 60%, respectively, compared to those of the reference model. The increase in tendon distance from 18 to 22 cm resulted in 29% rise in moment capacity compared to that of the reference frame.
Evaluating time domain reflectometry and coaxial impedance sensors for soil observations by the U.S. Climate Reference Network
Authors: Wilson Timothy B. , Diamond Howard J. , Kochendorfer John , Meyers Tilden P. , Hall Mark , Casey Nancy W. , Baker C. Bruce , Leeper Ronald , Palecki Michael A.
Published: February 2020

The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of two commercial‐grade electromagnetic sensors in measuring soil water content for the U.S. Climate Reference Network (USCRN). One sensor was a 50‐MHz coaxial impedance dielectric sensor (model HydraProbe, Stevens Water Monitoring Systems). The second sensor was a 1‐GHz time domain reflectometry (TDR) sensor (model TDR‐315L, Acclima). There was no substantial difference between both probes in daily mean volumetric soil water content and soil temperature measurements at a 0.1‐m depth in a customized uniform loamy soil testbed in Oak Ridge, TN, from 2016 to 2018, and at select USCRN stations with a variety of soils. However, the TDR‐315L provided more representative soil water content measurements for stations with high‐clay‐content soils than the HydraProbe. These results confirm the necessity of using site‐specific soil properties for soil sensors like the HydraProbe for estimating soil water content in different soil environments. They also suggest that TDR sensors may provide an opportunity to improve USCRN soil moisture measurements in higher‐clay‐content soils.
Calibration of ionic and cellular cardiac electrophysiology models
Authors: Whittaker Dominic G. , Clerx Michael , Lei Chon Lok , Christini David J. , Mirams Gary R.
Published: February 2020

Cardiac electrophysiology models are among the most mature and well‐studied mathematical models of biological systems. This maturity is bringing new challenges as models are being used increasingly to make quantitative rather than qualitative predictions. As such, calibrating the parameters within ion current and action potential (AP) models to experimental data sets is a crucial step in constructing a predictive model. This review highlights some of the fundamental concepts in cardiac model calibration and is intended to be readily understood by computational and mathematical modelers working in other fields of biology. We discuss the classic and latest approaches to calibration in the electrophysiology field, at both the ion channel and cellular AP scales. We end with a discussion of the many challenges that work to date has raised and the need for reproducible descriptions of the calibration process to enable models to be recalibrated to new data sets and built upon for new studies.

This article is categorized under:

Analytical and Computational Methods > Computational Methods

Physiology > Mammalian Physiology in Health and Disease

Models of Systems Properties and Processes > Cellular Models
Existence and Regularity of Spheres Minimising the Canham–Helfrich Energy
Authors: Mondino Andrea , Scharrer Christian
Published: February 2020

We prove the existence and regularity of minimisers for the Canham–Helfrich energy in the class of weak (possibly branched and bubbled) immersions of the 2-sphere. This solves (the spherical case) of the minimisation problem proposed by Helfrich in 1973, modelling lipid bilayer membranes. On the way to proving the main results we establish the lower semicontinuity of the Canham–Helfrich energy under weak convergence of (possibly branched and bubbled) weak immersions.
Regime switching affine processes with applications to finance
Authors: van Beek Misha , Mandjes Michel , Spreij Peter , Winands Erik
Published: February 2020

We introduce the notion of a regime switching affine process. Informally this is a Markov process that behaves conditionally on each regime as an affine process with specific parameters. To facilitate our analysis, specific restrictions are imposed on these parameters. The regime switches are driven by a Markov chain. We prove that the joint process of the Markov chain and the conditionally affine part is a process with an affine structure on an enlarged state space, conditionally on the starting state of the Markov chain. Like for affine processes, the characteristic function can be expressed in a set of ordinary differential equations that can sometimes be solved analytically. This result unifies several semi-analytical solutions found in the literature for pricing derivatives of specific regime switching processes on smaller state spaces. It also provides a unifying theory that allows us to introduce regime switching to the pricing of many derivatives within the broad class of affine processes. Examples include European options and term structure derivatives with stochastic volatility and default. Essentially, whenever there is a pricing solution based on an affine process, we can extend this to a regime switching affine process without sacrificing the analytical tractability of the affine process.
Cyclic lot-sizing problems with sequencing costs
Authors: Grigoriev Alexander , Kreuzen Vincent J. , Oosterwijk Tim
Published: February 2020

We study a single-machine lot-sizing problem, where n types of products need to be scheduled on the machine. Each product is associated with a constant demand rate, maximum production rate and inventory costs per time unit. Every time when the machine switches production between products, sequencing costs are incurred. These sequencing costs depend both on the product the machine just produced and on the product the machine is about to produce. The goal is to find a cyclic schedule minimizing total average costs, subject to the condition that all demands are satisfied. We establish the complexity of the problem, and we prove a number of structural properties largely characterizing optimal solutions. Moreover, we present two algorithms approximating the optimal schedules by augmenting the problem input. Due to the high-multiplicity setting, even trivial cases of the corresponding conventional counterparts become highly non-trivial with respect to the output sizes and computational complexity, even without sequencing costs. In particular, the length of an optimal solution can be exponential in the input size of the problem. Nevertheless, our approximation algorithms produce schedules of a polynomial length and with a good quality compared to the optimal schedules of exponential length.
Bidirectional Relationship of Sleep with Emotional and Behavioral Difficulties: A Five-year Follow-up of Finnish Adolescents
Authors: Kortesoja Laura , Vainikainen Mari-Pauliina , Hotulainen Risto , Rimpelä Arja , Dobewall Henrik , Lindfors Pirjo , Karvonen Sakari , Merikanto Ilona
Published: February 2020

The long-term effects of sleep on adolescent psychosocial well-being are mostly unknown, although insufficient sleep has been associated with emotional and behavioral difficulties in cross-sectional studies. With a five-year follow-up of Finnish adolescents (Time 1: n = 8834; Mean age = 13 years, 51.1% female, Time 2: n = 5315, Mean age = 15 years, 51.6% female, Time 3: n = 3712; Mean age = 17 years; 50.2% female), the purpose of this longitudinal study was to investigate the relations between self-reported sleep duration, sleep problems, and emotional and behavioral difficulties during adolescence. Emotional and behavioral difficulties were assessed using The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) measuring emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity, peer problems and total difficulties. Sleep duration was calculated by counting the hours between self-reported bedtime and wake-up time. Sleep problems were assessed with a single question about the general sleep problems. According to the cross-lagged models for sleep and emotional and behavioral difficulties, the findings of this study indicate a developmental process during adolescence where, firstly, short sleep duration is a stronger predictor for current and prospective emotional and behavioral difficulties than vice versa. Secondly, increased emotional and behavioral difficulties expose adolescents to current and later sleep problems more strongly than reverse. Thus, the results show that short sleep duration predisposed to emotional and behavioral difficulties across adolescence, which then led to more prospective sleep problems. These findings suggest a developmental process where sleep and emotional and behavioral difficulties are intertwined in shaping adolescents’ health.
Modeling Intensive Polytomous Time-Series Eye-Tracking Data: A Dynamic Tree-Based Item Response Model
Authors: Cho Sun-Joo , Brown-Schmidt Sarah , Boeck Paul De , Shen Jianhong
Published: February 2020

This paper presents a dynamic tree-based item response (IRTree) model as a novel extension of the autoregressive generalized linear mixed effect model (dynamic GLMM). We illustrate the unique utility of the dynamic IRTree model in its capability of modeling differentiated processes indicated by intensive polytomous time-series eye-tracking data. The dynamic IRTree was inspired by but is distinct from the dynamic GLMM which was previously presented by Cho, Brown-Schmidt, and Lee (Psychometrika 83(3):751–771, 2018). Unlike the dynamic IRTree, the dynamic GLMM is suitable for modeling intensive binary time-series eye-tracking data to identify visual attention to a single interest area over all other possible fixation locations. The dynamic IRTree model is a general modeling framework which can be used to model change processes (trend and autocorrelation) and which allows for decomposing data into various sources of heterogeneity. The dynamic IRTree model was illustrated using an experimental study that employed the visual-world eye-tracking technique. The results of a simulation study showed that parameter recovery of the model was satisfactory and that ignoring trend and autoregressive effects resulted in biased estimates of experimental condition effects in the same conditions found in the empirical study.