bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Laboratory, field, mast-borne and airborne spectral reflectance
measurements of boreal landscape during spring
Authors: Hannula Henna-Reetta , Heinilä Kirsikka , Böttcher Kristin , Mattila Olli-Pekka , Salminen Miia , Pulliainen Jouni
Published: August 2019

Abstract. We publish and describe a surface spectral reflectance data record of seasonal snow (dry, wet, shadowed), forest ground (lichen, moss) and forest canopy (spruce and pine, branches) constituting the main elements of the boreal landscape. The reflectances are measured with spectro(radio)meters covering the wavelengths from visible (VIS) to short-wave infrared (SWIR) (350 to 2500 nm). In this paper, we describe the instruments used and how the spectral observations at different scales along with the concurrent in situ reference data have been collected, processed and archived. Information on the quality of the data and factors causing uncertainty are discussed. The main experimental site is located in Sodankylä Arctic Space Centre in northern Finland (67.37° N, 26.63° E) and the surrounding region. The collection includes highly controlled snow and conifer branch laboratory spectral measurements, portable field spectroradiometer observations of snow and snow-free ground at different locations and continuous mast-borne reflectance time series data of a pine forest and forest opening. In addition to the surface level spectral reflectance, data from airborne imaging spectrometer campaigns over Sodankylä boreal forest and Saariselkä fell region at selected spectral bands are included in the collection. All measurements of the data record correspond to a typical polar orbiting satellite observation event in high latitude spring season regarding their sun or illumination source (calibrated lamp) zenith angle and close to nadir instrument viewing angle. For all measurement geometries, observations are given in surface reflectance quantity corresponding to the typical representation of a satellite observation quantity to facilitate their comparison with other data sources. The openly accessible spectral reflectance data at multiple scales are suitable e.g. to climate and hydrological research and remote sensing model validation and development. To facilitate easy access to the data record the four datasets described here are deposited in a permanent data repository (http://www.zenodo.org/communities/boreal_reflectances/) (Hannula et al., 2019). Each dataset of a distinct scale has its own unique DOI (laboratory: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.2677477, field: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.2653629, mast-borne: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3349747, airborne: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3048420, https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3048902).
The upper-atmosphere extension of the ICON general circulation model (version: ua-icon-1.0)
Authors: Borchert Sebastian , Zhou Guidi , Baldauf Michael , Schmidt Hauke , Zängl Günther , Reinert Daniel
Published: August 2019

Abstract. How the upper-atmosphere branch of the circulation contributes to
and interacts with the circulation of the middle and lower atmosphere
is a research area with many open questions. Inertia–gravity waves, for instance,
have moved in the focus of research as they are suspected to be key features
in driving and shaping the circulation. Numerical atmospheric models are
an important pillar for this research. We use the ICOsahedral Non-hydrostatic
(ICON) general circulation model, which is a joint development
of the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology (MPI-M)
and the German Weather Service (DWD), and provides, e.g., local mass conservation,
a flexible grid nesting option, and a non-hydrostatic dynamical core
formulated on an icosahedral–triangular grid.
We extended ICON to the upper atmosphere and present here the two main components
of this new configuration named UA-ICON: an extension of the dynamical core from
shallow- to deep-atmosphere dynamics and the implementation of an upper-atmosphere
physics package.
A series of idealized test cases and climatological simulations is performed
in order to evaluate the upper-atmosphere extension of ICON.
Spatial and Temporal Evolution of a Lightning Diagnostic in HWRF (V3.7a)
Authors: Rosado Keren , Liu Bin , Morris Vernon , Tallapragada Vijay , Zhu Lin
Published: August 2019

Abstract. The operational Hurricane Weather Research and Forecast (HWRF) model has been used to investigate the role of lightning diagnostics in the life cycle of tropical cyclones. A lightning parameterization, the Lightning Potential Index (LPI), was implemented into HWRF with the motivation that an improvement in the forecast of lightning will lead to reductions in the HWRF model intensity forecast errors and bias. Three questions are addressed: (i) Can the HWRF model predict lightning temporal distributions with an acceptable degree of accuracy? (ii) How well does the HWRF model with lightning parameterization forecast lightning spatial distributions before, during, and after tropical cyclone intensification? (iii) What is the functional relationship between tropical cyclone wind speed and lightning frequency in the HWRF model forecast? A five-day simulation of Idealized tropical cyclones with and without eyewall replacement cycle, has been conducted, followed by two real cases e.g. hurricanes Earl and Igor to evaluate the evolution of the spatial distribution of lightning location. Results from this investigation led to the following observations: (1) the potential for lightning occurrence increases to its maximum peak prior to the maximum predicted wind intensity and (2) the numerical simulations predict a negative correlation between lightning occurrence and maximum winds during the storm’s peak intensity.
BPOP-v1 model: exploring the impact of changes in the biological pump on the shelf sea and ocean nutrient and redox state
Authors: Lovecchio Elisa , Lenton Timothy M.
Published: August 2019

Abstract. The ocean’s biological pump has changed over Earth history from one dominated by prokaryotes, to one involving a mixture of prokaryotes and eukaryotes with trophic structure. Changes in the biological pump are in turn hypothesised to have caused important changes in the ocean’s nutrient and redox properties. To explore these hypotheses, we present here a new box model including oxygen (O), phosphorus (P) and a dynamical biological pump. Our Biological Pump, Oxygen and Phosphorus (BPOP) model accounts for two – small and large – organic matter species generated by production and coagulation, respectively. Export and burial of these particles are regulated by a remineralization length (zrem) scheme. We independently vary zrem of small and large particles in order to study how changes in sinking speeds and remineralization rates affect the major biogeochemical fluxes, and O and P ocean concentrations. Modelled O and P budgets and fluxes lay close to present estimates for zrem in the range of currently measured values. Our results highlight that relatively small changes in zrem of the large particles can have important impacts on the O and P ocean availability and support the idea that an early ocean dominated by small particles was nutrient rich due to inefficient removal to sediments. The results also highlight that shelf ocean anoxia can coexist with an oxygenated deep open ocean for realistic values of zrem, especially for large values of the small particle zrem. This could challenge conventional interpretations that the Proterozoic deep ocean was anoxic, which are derived from shelf and slope sediment redox data. This simple and computationally inexpensive model is a promising tool to investigate the impact of changes in the organic matter sinking and remineralization rates as well as changes in physical processes coupled to the biological pump in a variety of case studies.
Development of the Community Water Model (CWatM v1.04)
A high-resolution hydrological model for global and regional
assessment of integrated water resources management
Authors: Burek Peter , Satoh Yusuke , Kahil Taher , Tang Ting , Greve Peter , Smilovic Mikhail , Guillaumot Luca , Wada Yoshihide
Published: August 2019

Abstract. We develop a new large-scale hydrological and water resources model, the Community Water Model (CWatM), which can simulate hydrology both globally and regionally at different resolutions from 30 arc min to 30 arc sec at daily time steps. CWatM is open-source in the Python programming environment and has a modular structure. It uses global, freely available data in the netCDF4 file format for reading, storage, and production of data in a compact way. CWatM includes general surface and groundwater hydrological processes, but also takes into account human activities, such as water use and reservoir regulation, by calculating water demands, water use, and return flows. Reservoirs and lakes are included in the model scheme. CWatM is used in the framework of the Inter-Sectoral Impact Model Intercomparison Project (ISIMIP), which compares global model outputs. The flexible model structure allows dynamic interaction with hydro-economic and water quality models for the assessment and evaluation of water management options. Furthermore, the novelty of CWatM is its combination of state-of the-art hydrological modeling, modular programming, an online user manual and automatic source code documentation, global and regional assessments at different spatial resolutions, and a potential community to add to, change, and expand the open-source project. CWatM also strives to build a community learning environment which is able to freely use an open-source hydrological model and flexible coupling possibilities to other sectoral models, such as energy and agriculture.
Modeling the high-resolution dynamic exposure to flooding in a city region
Authors: Zhu Xuehong , Dai Qiang , Han Dawei , Zhuo Lu , Zhu Shaonan , Zhang Shuliang
Published: August 2019

Abstract. Urban flooding exposure is generally investigated with the assumption of
stationary disasters and disaster-hit bodies during an event, and thus it
cannot satisfy the increasingly elaborate modeling and management of urban
floods. In this study, a comprehensive method was proposed to simulate
dynamic exposure to urban flooding considering residents' travel behavior.
First, a flood simulation was conducted using the LISFLOOD-FP model to
predict the spatiotemporal distribution of flooding. Second, an agent-based model was used to simulate residents' movements during the urban flooding period. Finally, to study the evolution and patterns of urban flooding exposure, the exposure of population, roads, and buildings to urban flooding was simulated using Lishui, China, as a case study. The results showed that water depth was the major factor affecting total urban exposure in Lishui. Urban exposure to fluvial flooding was concentrated along the river, while exposure to pluvial flooding was dispersed throughout the area (independent from the river). Additionally, the population distribution on weekends was more variable than on weekdays and was more sensitive to floods. In addition, residents' response behavior (based on their subjective consciousness) may result in increased overall exposure. This study presents the first fully formulated method for dynamic urban flood exposure simulation at a high spatiotemporal resolution. The quantitative results of this study can provide fundamental information for urban flood disaster vulnerability assessment, socioeconomic loss assessment, urban disaster risk management, and emergency response plan establishment.
A feeding Duke-of-York interaction of tone and epenthesis in Arapaho
Authors: Gleim Daniel
Published: August 2019

In the Algonquian language Arapaho, epenthetic vowels only show up if they can attract an underlying floating high tone. I argue that this co-dependency of tone and epenthesis should not be analysed as tone-triggered epenthesis (which has been claimed not to exist, Blumenfeld 2006). Instead, I conclude that the pattern should be analysed as an opaque interaction of epenthesis, tone assignment and vowel deletion. Since the epenthetic vowel is first inserted and later deleted, this interaction constitutes an instance of what is called a Duke-of-York gambit or derivation – more precisely a feeding Duke-of-York derivation, because the epenthetic vowel leaves traces behind. This type of opacity is conceptually intriguing for both constraint and rule-based models of phonology, but proves especially problematic for Optimality Theory (OT). I claim that the best analysis with constraint-based frameworks lies in the adoption of Stratal OT (Kiparsky 2000; Bermúdez-Otero 2011). Epenthesis applies in a first stratum where the epenthetic vowel is involved in segmental processes, deletion then applies on a higher stratum.
2019/15 Uniform minimum body height standards in the police service do not constitute indirect gender discrimination on grounds of sex (DE)
Authors: Schreiner Paul , Stephan Nina
Published: August 2019

2019/15 Uniform minimum body height standards in the police service do not constitute indirect gender discrimination on grounds of sex (DE)

The Higher Administrative Court of Münster (Oberverwaltungsgericht, the ‘OVG’) has held that a minimum body height of 163 cm for applicants to the police service, irrespective of gender, is lawful. At least, this shall apply if the determination of a minimum body height standard is a suitability criterion for access to the police service. Minimum standards solely serve the purpose of ensuring fitness for service and result from a comprehensive investigation. The investigation in this case established that suitability for the police service can only be guaranteed from a height of 163 cm upwards.
Governança Corporativa em um Hospital Privado: Um Estudo de Caso Sobre o Impacto no Desempenho Hospitalar
Authors: Lira Clarisse De Andrade , Silva Gisele Da , Lima Carlos Rogerio Montenegro de , Lima Mauricio Andrade de
Published: August 2019

O presente estudo tem como objetivo geral analisar como a governança corporativa contribui para a melhoria do desempenho em um hospital privado. Como objetivos específicos, esta pesquisa propõe a caracterizar o processo de governança corporativa no hospital, identificar as estratégias de governança corporativa utilizadas, levantar as barreiras e dificuldades encontradas no processo de implementação e verificar as contribuições da governança corporativa para o desempenho do hospital na percepção dos gestores. Trata-se de um estudo de caso único por meio de pesquisa exploratória de natureza qualitativa. A coleta de dados ocorreu em visita de campo e por entrevistas semiestruturadas com profissionais de um hospital particular de São Paulo e a análise de dados foi realizada por meio da análise de conteúdo de Bardin. A pesquisa proporcionou o entendimento das dimensões de pesquisa sobre a estrutura de governança implantada, fatores sobre a implantação e impactos no desempenho. Foi possível observar com a pesquisa que o Conselho de Administração passou a ser o instrumento catalizador de todas as iniciativas dentro do corpo das boas práticas de governança, porém toda a cadeia de gestores estava engajada no sentido de prover decisões mais céleres e pelas pessoas adequadas. Poucas barreiras de implantação foram identificadas no processo e os impactos mapeados no desempenho hospitalar são menos tangíveis, sendo direcionados para os aspectos de gestão: linha decisória mais clara e rápida, melhor alinhamento de esforços por toda a organização, desenvolvimento de lideranças, criação de cultura de prestação de contas mais efetiva (accountability).
Os Efeitos da Regulação de Preços da CMED sobre as Compras Públicas de Medicamentos do Estado de Minas Gerais
Authors: Campos Arthur Zaian Silva , Franco Marco Paulo Vianna
Published: August 2019

O trabalho abordou a regulação de preços praticada no Brasil pela Câmara de Regulação do Mercado de Medicamentos (CMED) e seus efeitos sobre as aquisições de medicamentos do Estado de Minas Gerais. Foi feita uma comparação entre os preços de medicamentos adquiridos pelo Estado, os preços de licitações registrados no Banco de Preços em Saúde do Ministério da Saúde e os preços-teto definidos pela CMED. A partir dos resultados observados, pôde-se concluir que o efeito sobre as compras públicas de Minas Gerais depende do grau de concorrência do medicamento em questão. Medicamentos que pertencem às classes terapêuticas concorrenciais apresentaram forte descolamento entre preços praticados e preços regulados, o que evidencia a ineficácia da regulação da CMED para este grupo de medicamentos. Nos casos de classes terapêuticas com um ou poucos ofertantes, os valores praticados e regulados são muito próximos, ainda que pouco competitivos em relação a preços internacionais. A fórmula de reajustes anuais da CMED foi considerada uma das principais causas da ineficácia do controle de preços em garantir o interesse público. Os resultados apontam para possíveis perdas na economicidade das compras públicas de medicamentos no Estado de Minas Gerais.
Edward Trojanowski: The Search for Style in Early 20th-century Furniture Design in Poland
Authors: Wójcik Agata
Published: August 2019

Three sources of inspiration are discernible in early 20th-century Polish furniture design and especially in the output of artist-designers associated with the Polish Applied Art Association (TPSS), namely, folk art, the historical styles, and the modernistic/geometrical current. Edward Trojanowski’s oeuvre in that area combines all these three tendencies and embodies the evolution of a Polish approach to designing furniture; hence it may serve to illustrate the history of Polish furniture design in the early 20th century. Although initially Trojanowski turned to folk art, he did not passively copy its decorative motifs. His study of folk craft persuaded him to simplify the forms of pieces of furniture and to experiment with the use of colour in furniture design and interior decoration. Later, his search for a national style encouraged him to seek inspiration in Biedermeier furniture design, which added elegance to his designs, as evident in the proportions of the pieces of furniture and in the use of decorative veneers or sophisticated geometric ornaments. In this manner Trojanowski, while following his own artistic path, developed forms of furniture that effortlessly bear comparison with the avant-garde designs of the Modernist geometric current, as proposed by the Wiener Werkstätte and the Werkbund, which heralded the arrival of Art Déco.
Weak democracies under pressure, 1918 and 1989 in comparison
Authors: Segert Dieter
Published: August 2019

The article is concerned with the recent crisis of representative democracy. It analyses especially the features and conditions of the democratic decay in East-Central Europe. The method of the study consists mainly in a thorough interpretation of different data from the field of social, political and economic transitions during and after the 1990s. Additionally, the article examines the fate of democratic regimes in the interwar period and the causes of its weakness. The population’s expectations towards political transformations was a major driving factor of politics in both periods of time in East-Central Europe. The article tries to answer the question how to deal successfully with the democracy crises in the region. The stabilisation of democratic polities would need both a strong social policy on the basis of an economic catch up with the West and a careful handling of the fears of “globalization”.
The impact of Brexit on the voting power in the Council of the European Union
Authors: Kleinowski Marcin
Published: August 2019

The article analyses the potential impact of Brexit on the voting power of member states and indirect voting power of EU residents in the Council, in the case of adopting decisions by the qualified majority of votes. The leading hypothesis of the paper assumes that the fact of leaving the EU by Great Britain leads to another transfer of voting power to the benefit of five countries with the largest populations. The aim of the paper is also to determine to what extent the indirect voting power of residents from individual member states is equal. The obtained results indicate that a flow of voting power towards the five member states with the largest populations will be a consequence of Brexit.
The theory of ordoliberalism and the principle of non-discrimination in EU law: implications for the Member States on the example of Polish Labour Code
Authors: Szczerba-Zawada Aleksandra , Dahl Martin
Published: August 2019

The principle of non-discrimination lies at the heart of the socio-economic order of the EU, the main parameters of which are sustainable economic growth, price stability, a highly competitive social market economy aiming at full employment and social progress, inclusion and social cohesion, non-discrimination, including equality between women and men and social justice (TEU: art. 3.3). Therefore, the prohibition of discrimination becomes a sine qua non condition for achieving EU treaty goals, strongly correlated with the theory of ordoliberalism. The aim of the article is to analyse the normative way of securing the principle of non-discrimination in EU law in the perspective of ordoliberalism and its implications for Polish law. The authors intend to answer the research question about the extent to which ordoliberal theory had an impact on the development of the principle of non-discrimination, understood as a subjective right to equal treatment, regardless of individual characteristics, other than nationality, through the comparison of relevant provision of EU law and the Polish Labour Code.
Ökonomische Bedeutung und rechtlicher Rahmen der staatlichen Werbung in der ungarischen Medienpolitik
Authors: Polyák Gábor
Published: August 2019

The situation of media freedom, the current problems of media regulation in Hungary has been a constant issue of the European agenda since 2010. Despite the fierce criticism of domestic, European and international organizations, neither the legal framework nor the direction of media policy steps changed. The media policy measures of recent years gradually led to an extensive transformation of the media system. The process is based on three contiguous pillars. These are undermining the independence of the supervisory bodies of private and public media, manipulating access to the resources necessary for their activity in the media market, and manipulating the information environment by controlling the access to public information and the political agenda. This paper highlights the communication and funding roles of state advertising and campaigning and the legal issues they raise. State advertising should by no means favour certain market players unfoundedly, because in such cases they can be considered as prohibited state aid in the terms of the European law. The practice of placing state advertisements in Hungary does not meet the normal market conditions. These advertisements are also problematic from the point of view of media law classification, however the Hungarian media authority always applies the law in favour of the government. This behaviour can also be found in the practice of assessing media concentrations. The misuse of public finance and the authorities’ biased decisions together resulted in the largest media concentration in Europe at the end of 2018.
Cluster analysis in the selection of buckwheat
Authors: Vilchinska L. A. , Gorodyska O. P. , Kaminna O. O. , Dyianchuk M. V.
Published: August 2019

Abstract. The purpose: using cluster analysis to shorten the selection process duration in buckwheat by grouping hybrid combinations into cluster classes by the similarity of morphological estimates, yield and technological parameters Methods. We evaluated samples of buckwheat (124), created by hybridization methods using samples of the Buckwheat genus Fagopyrum Mill. using tree-like clustering with the Euclidean distances measure. Results. Based on the cluster analysis results, we made a distribution of the 124 studied samples, created by the hybridization method, into four main clusters according to the main morphological, yield and technological indicators of grain quality. It was found that 66 samples, 53.6 %, refer to the second cluster with the average parameters of the main biometric, yield and technological indicators of grain quality. Only 25 % of samples or 31 samples were characterized by high economic-value indicators. Very high indicators of the studied samples are characterized by 13 samples — 10.5 %, very low — 14 samples — 11.3 %. It has been practically established that the morphological improvement, yield and grain quality technological indicators in buckwheat varieties from Belarus — Alenushka, Zhniaiarka, Smuglianka; Tatarstan — Kazan large-fruited; France — collection sample No. 4013; Russia — Mig, Solianska, Skorostyhla 86. Bringing them to hybridization with varieties of Ukrainian selection buckwheat makes it possible to obtain valuable raw material. Conclusions. The cluster analysis usage in the buckwheat selection makes it possible in the early stages of the selection process to perform a quick assessment, distribution and the source material selection.Keywords: buckwheat, cluster analysis, morphological, yield and grain quality technological indicators
Influence of sucrose starvation, osmotic and salt stresses on expression profiles of genes involved in the development of autophagy by means of microtubules
Authors: Olenieva V. D. , Lytvyn D. I. , Yemets A. I. , Blume Ya. B.
Published: August 2019

Aim. The aim of this work was to investigate changes in expression profiles of key genes involved in the development of autophagy by means of microtubules under the influence of sucrose starvation, osmotic and salt stresses. Methods. Arabidopsis thaliana seeds were sown aseptically on Murashige and Skoog solid medium. Salt and osmotic stresses were simulated by seed germination and seedlings cultivation on the media containing 150 mM NaCl and 10 mM mannitol, respectively. For investigation of starvation-induced autophagy plants were germinated and grown on sucrose-free medium. Results. Changes in expression of α-tubulin and atg8 genes had clearly defined stressdependent nature. Overexpression of tua1 and atg8e under starvation; tua3 and atg8f under osmotic stress; tua3 and atg8f, atg8e during salt stress indirectly testifies interaction between the structural units of autophagosomes and microtubules. It was shown that influence of investigated abiotic stimuli results in overexpression of elp3 and hda6 genes. Small increase in expression levels of hexokinase 2 and 3 was demonstrated. Conclusions. Transcriptome analysis of key genes involved in realization of autophagy induced by sucrose starvation, osmotic and salt stresses in Arabidopsis thaliana cells was conducted. Received data indirectly testifies interaction between the structural units of autophagosomes and microtubules and enables to point α-tubulin and atg8 genes, which are specific for the realization of autophagy induced by a certain abiotic stimuli. Expression profiles of elp3/deacetylases as well as hexokinases indicate the critical role of α-tubulin acetylation for autophagic response, that is involved in the development of programmed cell death.Keywords: autophagy, sucrose starvation, osmotic stress, salt stress, transcriptome analysis, α-tubulin, atg8.
Cardiospecific deletion of β-catenin gene associated with an activity violation of signaling cascades involved in the development of myocardial hypertrophy
Authors: Palchevska O. L. , Balatskyi V. V. , Macewicz L. L. , Piven O. O.
Published: August 2019

The aim of our study was to investigate the molecular mechanisms of hypertrophy response under cardiospecific β-catenin haploinsufficiency condition. Materials and methods. Studies were done with β-catenin condtional knockout mice (β-catflox/flox) and α-MHC-Cre-transgenic mice. To induce hypertrophy we used swimming test during 6 weeks. Using western-blot, we have analyzed the level of studied proteins. Results. It has been shown that the β-catenin haploinsufficiency is associated with increased signaling activity of MAPK, PI3-kinase-mTOR-dependent signaling cascades in both: with prolonged physical activity and without it. However, even with an increased activity of this signalling, β-catenin haploinsufficient mice expressed weaker hypertrophic response. Conclusions. The transcriptional activity of β-catenin is necessary for the proper interaction of signaling cascades during heart maturation and adaptation to stress. Keywords: β-catenin, hypertrophy, Wnt-signalling, MAPK signalling, PI3-kinase-mTOR-dependent cascade, PKA-signalling, myocardium.
Ontogenetic braincase development in Psittacosaurus lujiatunensis (Dinosauria: Ceratopsia) using micro-computed tomography
Authors: Bullar Claire M. , Zhao Qi , Benton Michael J. , Ryan Michael J.
Published: August 2019

Ontogenetic sequences are relatively rare among dinosaurs, with Ceratopsia being one of the better represented clades, and especially among geologically earlier forms, such as Psittacosaurus. Psittacosaurus is a small, bipedal basal ceratopsian abundant in the Lower Cretaceous deposits of Asia, whose cranial and endocranial morphology has been well studied, but only cursory details have been published on the bones surrounding the brain. Using reconstructions created from micro-computed tomography scans of well-preserved skulls from the Barremian–Aptian Yixian Formation, China, we document morphological changes in the braincase of Psittacosaurus lujiatunensis through three growth stages, hatchling, juvenile, and adult, thus providing the first detailed study of ceratopsian braincase morphology through ontogeny. Notable ontogenetic changes in the braincase of P. lujiatunensis include a dramatic relative reduction in size of the supraoccipital, an increase in the lateral expansion of the paroccipital processes and a decrease in the angle between the lateral semicircular canal and the palatal plane. These ontogenetic morphological changes in the braincase relate to expansion of the cranium and brain through growth, as well as reflecting the switch from quadrupedal juveniles to bipedal adults as documented in the changing orientation of the horizontal semicircular canal through ontogeny. Recognition of these patterns in a basal ceratopsian has implications for understanding key events in later ceratopsian evolution, such as the development of the parieto-squamosal frill in derived neoceratopsians.
Comprehensive classification of the plant non-specific lipid transfer protein superfamily towards its sequence–structure–function analysis
Authors: Fleury Cécile , Gracy Jérôme , Gautier Marie-Françoise , Pons Jean-Luc , Dufayard Jean-François , Labesse Gilles , Ruiz Manuel , de Lamotte Frédéric
Published: August 2019

Background

Non-specific Lipid Transfer Proteins (nsLTPs) are widely distributed in the plant kingdom and constitute a superfamily of related proteins. Several hundreds of different nsLTP sequences—and counting—have been characterized so far, but their biological functions remain unclear. It has been clear for years that they present a certain interest for agronomic and nutritional issues. Deciphering their functions means collecting and analyzing a variety of data from gene sequence to protein structure, from cellular localization to the physiological role. As a huge and growing number of new protein sequences are available nowadays, extracting meaningful knowledge from sequence–structure–function relationships calls for the development of new tools and approaches. As nsLTPs show high evolutionary divergence, but a conserved common right handed superhelix structural fold, and as they are involved in a large number of key roles in plant development and defense, they are a stimulating case study for validating such an approach.

Methods

In this study, we comprehensively investigated 797 nsLTP protein sequences, including a phylogenetic analysis on canonical protein sequences, three-dimensional structure modeling and functional annotation using several well-established bioinformatics programs. Additionally, two integrative methodologies using original tools were developed. The first was a new method for the detection of (i) conserved amino acid residues involved in structure stabilization and (ii) residues potentially involved in ligand interaction. The second was a structure–function classification based on the evolutionary trace display method using a new tree visualization interface. We also present a new tool for visualizing phylogenetic trees.

Results

Following this new protocol, an updated classification of the nsLTP superfamily was established and a new functional hypothesis for key residues is suggested. Lastly, this work allows a better representation of the diversity of plant nsLTPs in terms of sequence, structure and function.
Conspicuous colours reduce predation rates in fossorial uropeltid snakes
Authors: Cyriac Vivek Philip , Kodandaramaiah Ullasa
Published: August 2019

Uropeltid snakes (Family Uropeltidae) are non-venomous, fossorial snakes that are found above ground occasionally, during which time they are exposed to predation. Many species are brightly coloured, mostly on the ventral surface, but these colours are expected to have no function below the ground. Observations have shown that the cephalic resemblance (resemblance to heads) of uropeltid tails may direct attacks of predators towards the hardened tails, thereby potentially increasing handling times for predators. Experiments have also shown that predators learn to avoid prey that are non-toxic and palatable but are difficult to capture, hard to process or require long handling time when such prey advertise their unprofitability through conspicuous colours. We here postulate that uropeltid snakes use their bright colours to signal long handling times associated with attack deflection to the tails, thereby securing reduced predation from predators that can learn to associate colour with handling time. Captive chicken experiments with dough models mimicking uropeltids indicate that attacks were more common on the tail than on the head. Field experiments with uropeltid clay models show that the conspicuous colours of these snakes decrease predation rates compared to cryptic models, but a novel conspicuous colour did not confer such a benefit. Overall, our experiments provide support for our hypothesis that the conspicuous colours of these snakes reduce predation, possibly because these colours advertise unprofitability due to long handling times.
Perceived Effect of Dry Season Farming on Household Food Security in Goronyo Local Government Area of Sokoto State
Authors: Yakubu D. H. , Nwolisa N. , Kehinde E. A. , Muhammad M. B. , Shuaibu H. , Usman T.
Published: August 2019

Some farm households engage in dry season farming to reduce the problem of food deficit due to low access to food and low income from agriculture. Coping strategy and daily calorie intake of farm households used to determine the level of food security is often subject to bias, thus determining the farmers’ perceived level of food security becomes imperative. This study was therefore conducted with main objective of assessing the perceived effects of dry season farming on household food security in Goronyo Local Government Area (LGA) of Sokoto State. A sample of 100 farmers was used. Data were obtained with the use of an interview schedule. Descriptive (frequencies and percentages) and inferential (Chi-square analysis) statistics were used to analyze the data. Findings indicated that the entire farmers were male; majority of whom were in their economically active age group of less than 50 years, married (73.0%), with no formal education (83.0%). Farming was their major occupation (94.0%), to which they devoted 1-5 hectares (91.0%) of their personal land (69.0%) for dry season farming. They cultivated mainly rice (76.0%) during the season and perceived that they were food secured (85.0%). They reported that dry season farming improved their standard of living (= 4.26), served as a source of income (= 3.84) and lowered their food insecurity level (= 3.65), among others.  Result of the Chi-square analysis indicated that a significant relationship between educational attainment of the farmers and their perceived level of food security (x2 = 0.003 < P value = 47.69). It was concluded that dry season farmers in Goronyo LGA of Sokoto State believed that dry season farming had a positive effect on their household food security.
The Queen of Problems in Evolutionary Biology
Authors: Meirmans Stephanie , Meirmans Patrick G
Published: August 2019

Sexual reproduction is widespread amongst higher eukaryotes. But why are there not many more organisms reproducing asexually? After all, an asexual organism avoids making males, can thus in theory reproduce more efficiently, and one asexual mutant should quickly lead to the extinction of a sexual source population. Owing to such arguments, understanding the evolution and maintenance of sexual reproduction has in 1982 been called ‘the queen of problems in evolutionary biology’. In the last four decades, we have gained tremendous insights into this issue: perhaps most importantly, we understand more clearly that the powerful arguments against sex are not fully realised in all species. There are also recent insights into understanding the maintenance of sex in species where the problem is (partially) realised. Experimental evolution studies show that outcrossing can speed up the response to selection, while studies on natural populations emphasise the importance of niche differentiation and parasites.

Key Concepts

Sexual organisms dominate amongst higher eukaryotes.

Sexuals should in theory suffer from severe costs of sex, such as the cost of males.

All else equal, sexual populations should quickly go extinct due to these costs of sex.

On the genetic level, sexuality leads to fixed combinations of alleles across loci – also known as linkage disequilibrium (LD) – whereas sexual reproduction tends to break down these combinations to make sure that all combinations are possible, causing the population to be in a state of linkage equilibrium.

Since the breakdown of linkage disequilibrium is the most striking genetic effect of sexual reproduction, this has been the focus of most of the proposed benefits for sex.

In many species, the costs of sex might not be realised; the exact costs are affected by species‐specific constraints on the evolution of asexuality as well as ecological differentiation between sexuals and asexuals and life‐history traits.
Pinning synchronization of fractional‐order complex networks with adaptive coupling weights
Authors: Ding Xiaoshuai , Cao Jinde , Alsaadi Fuad E.
Published: August 2019

This work studies the issue of synchronization control for a type of fractional‐order complex networks, in which the adaptive coupling matrix is considered under the directed topology structure. A pinning control strategy, with the free selection of pinning nodes, is adopted for the synchronization goal. Then, by absorbing the information of eigenvectors and adaptive laws for the coupling matrix, a new Lyapunov function is constructed, by which, and with the assistance of Gronwall inequality and network features, the sufficient condition for Mittag‐Leffler synchronization of the fractional‐order network is established. Accordingly, an easy verifiable algebraic criterion is further derived by means of some matrix inequalities. Besides, we also discuss the effect of outer coupling strength on the achievement of network synchronization. Finally, a numerical experiment is performed to show the evidence of the correctness and effectiveness of the proposed results.
A Game Changer: Functional Nano/Micromaterials for Smart Rechargeable Batteries
Authors: Ryu Jaegeon , Song Woo‐Jin , Lee Sangyeop , Choi Sungho , Park Soojin
Published: August 2019

The imperative to electrify the transport sector in the past few decades has put millions of electric vehicles on the road worldwide with an extended mile range from critical technological breakthroughs in developing the rechargeable energy storage systems, which also covers electronic devices and smart grid applications. However, the available energy density of prevailing systems in the market (i.e., batteries) is reaching its boundaries due to the limited choice of electrochemical reactions that necessarily depend on the thermodynamics and kinetics of the components (e.g., cathode, anode, electrolyte, separator, and current collectors). Reaching the high energy density of batteries exploits new redox chemistry such as sensitive metal anodes, insulating and highly dissolving sulfur cathodes, etc., thus requiring novel designs of various multiscale functional materials to address the corresponding issues. Here, the recent achievements on the designs of smart functional materials for emerging problems in the whole range of systems are discussed: i) interfacial control/kinetic regulation of Li–S battery; ii) self‐healing‐driven structural stability in the electrode and electrolyte; iii) ion‐sieving functional membranes for selective scavenging capability; and iv) functional materials to ensure battery safety.
Nonspherical Nanoparticle Shape Stability Is Affected by Complex Manufacturing Aspects: Its Implications for Drug Delivery and Targeting
Authors: Haryadi Bernard Manuel , Hafner Daniel , Amin Ihsan , Schubel Rene , Jordan Rainer , Winter Gerhard , Engert Julia
Published: August 2019

The shape of nanoparticles is known recently as an important design parameter influencing considerably the fate of nanoparticles with and in biological systems. Several manufacturing techniques to generate nonspherical nanoparticles as well as studies on in vitro and in vivo effects thereof have been described. However, nonspherical nanoparticle shape stability in physiological‐related conditions and the impact of formulation parameters on nonspherical nanoparticle resistance still need to be investigated. To address these issues, different nanoparticle fabrication methods using biodegradable polymers are explored to produce nonspherical nanoparticles via the prevailing film‐stretching method. In addition, systematic comparisons to other nanoparticle systems prepared by different manufacturing techniques and less biodegradable materials (but still commonly utilized for drug delivery and targeting) are conducted. The study evinces that the strong interplay from multiple nanoparticle properties (i.e., internal structure, Young's modulus, surface roughness, liquefaction temperature [glass transition (Tg) or melting (Tm)], porosity, and surface hydrophobicity) is present. It is not possible to predict the nonsphericity longevity by merely one or two factor(s). The most influential features in preserving the nonsphericity of nanoparticles are existence of internal structure and low surface hydrophobicity (i.e., surface‐free energy (SFE) > ≈55 mN m−1, material–water interfacial tension <6 mN m−1), especially if the nanoparticles are soft (<1 GPa), rough (Rrms> 10 nm), porous (>1 m2g−1), and in possession of low bulk liquefaction temperature (<100 °C). Interestingly, low surface hydrophobicity of nanoparticles can be obtained indirectly by the significant presence of residual stabilizers. Therefore, it is strongly suggested that nonsphericity of particle systems is highly dependent on surface chemistry but cannot be appraised separately from other factors. These results and reviews allot valuable guidelines for the design and manufacturing of nonspherical nanoparticles having adequate shape stability, thereby appropriate with their usage purposes. Furthermore, they can assist in understanding and explaining the possible mechanisms of nonspherical nanoparticles effectivity loss and distinctive material behavior at the nanoscale.
16.67% Rigid and 14.06% Flexible Organic Solar Cells Enabled by Ternary Heterojunction Strategy
Authors: Yan Tingting , Song Wei , Huang Jiaming , Peng Ruixiang , Huang Like , Ge Ziyi
Published: August 2019

Ternary heterojunction strategies appear to be an efficient approach to improve the efficiency of organic solar cells (OSCs) through harvesting more sunlight. Ternary OSCs are fabricated by employing wide bandgap polymer donor (PM6), narrow bandgap nonfullerene acceptor (Y6), and PC71BM as the third component to tune the light absorption and morphologies of the blend films. A record power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 16.67% (certified as 16.0%) on rigid substrate is achieved in an optimized PM6:Y6:PC71BM blend ratio of 1:1:0.2. The introduction of PC71BM endows the blend with enhanced absorption in the range of 300–500 nm and optimises interpenetrating morphologies to promote photogenerated charge dissociation and extraction. More importantly, a PCE of 14.06% for flexible ITO‐free ternary OSCs is obtained based on this ternary heterojunction system, which is the highest PCE reported for flexible state‐of‐the‐art OSCs. A very promising ternary heterojunction strategy to develop highly efficient rigid and flexible OSCs is presented.
A Transparent Photonic Artificial Visual Cortex
Authors: Kumar Mohit , Som Tapobrata , Kim Joondong
Published: August 2019

Mimicking brain‐like functionality with an electronic device is an essential step toward the design of future technologies including artificial visual and memory applications. Here, a proof‐of‐concept all‐oxide‐based (NiO/TiO2) highly transparent (54%) heterostructure is proposed and demonstrated, which mimics the primitive functions of the visual cortex. Specifically, orientation selectivity and spatiotemporal processing similar to that of the visual cortex are demonstrated using direct optical stimuli under the self‐biased condition due to photovoltaic effect, illustrating an energy‐efficient approach for neuromorphic computing. The photocurrent of the device can be modulated from zero to 80 µA by simply rotating the slit by 90°. The device shows fast rise and fall times of 3 and 6 ms, respectively. Based on Kelvin probe force measurements, the observed results are attributed to a lateral photovoltaic effect. This highly transparent, self‐biased, photonic triggered device paves the way for the advancement of energy‐efficient neuromorphic computation.
Gold‐Catalyzed One‐Pot Synthesis of 1,3‐Disubstituted Allenes from Benzaldehydes and Terminal Alkynes
Authors: Lustosa Danilo M. , Clemens Simon , Rudolph Matthias , Hashmi A. Stephen K.
Published: August 2019

A new and facile one‐pot synthesis of 1,3‐disubstituted allenes, using cheap and readily available terminal alkynes, benzaldehyde derivatives and morpholine, was developed. A small library of 20 allenes demonstrates a broad applicability, with yields up to 86%. Isotopic‐labelling and cross‐over experiments strongly indicate that our reaction proceeds via a two‐step A3‐coupling followed by a 1,5‐hydrogen shift process.

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