bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Viscous Dietary Fiber Reduces Adiposity and Plasma Leptin and Increases Muscle Expression of Fat Oxidation Genes in Rats
Authors: Islam Ajmila , Civitarese Anthony E. , Hesslink Robert L. , Gallaher Daniel D.
Published: November 2011

Dietary interventions that reduce accumulation of body fat are of great interest. Consumption of viscous dietary fibers cause well‐known positive metabolic effects, such as reductions in the postprandial glucose and insulin concentrations. However, their effect on body composition and fuel utilization has not been previously studied. To examine this, rats were fed a viscous nonfermentable dietary fiber, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), for 6 weeks. Body composition was measured by dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry (DXA) and fat pad weight. Plasma adipokines, AMP kinase activation, and enzyme and mRNA analysis of key regulators of energetics in liver and soleus muscle were measured. The HPMC diet significantly lowered percent body fat mass and increased percent lean body mass, compared to a cellulose‐containing diet (no viscosity). Fasting leptin was reduced 42% and resistin 28% in the HPMC group compared to the cellulose group. Rats fed HPMC had greater activation of AMP kinase in liver and muscle and lower phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) expression in liver. mRNA expression in skeletal muscle was significantly increased for carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1B (CPT‐1B), PPARγ coactivator 1α, PPARδ and uncoupling protein 3 (UCP3), as was citrate synthase (CS) activity, in the HPMC group relative to the cellulose group. These results indicate that viscous dietary fiber preserves lean body mass and reduces adiposity, possibly by increasing mitochondrial biogenesis and fatty acid oxidation in skeletal muscle, and thus represents a metabolic effect of viscous fiber not previously described. Thus, viscous dietary fiber may be a useful dietary component to assist in reduction of body fat.
Efficient synthesis of poly(2-hydroxypropyl methacrylate)-silica colloidal nanocomposite particles via aqueous dispersion polymerization
Authors: Zou Hua , Armes Steven P.
Published: November 2011

Colloidally stable poly(2-hydroxypropyl methacrylate)-silica nanocomposite particles can be efficiently prepared by aqueous dispersion polymerization at 60 °C using a binary mixture of an ultrafine aqueous silica sol and poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) [PVP] as the stabilizer system.
Hybrid functional study of Si and O donors in wurtzite AlN
Authors: Silvestri Leonardo , Dunn Kerry , Prawer Steven , Ladouceur François
Published: November 2011

The properties of Si and O donors in wurtzite AlN have been studied by means of hybrid functional calculations, finding that both impurities form DX centres. In the case of Si, the stable DX centre is close in energy to the substitutional donor state and to a second metastable DX centre, thus explaining both the persistent effects and the broad range of activation energies observed experimentally. Ionisation energies have been computed for both Si and O donor states.
Spin effects on the instability and propagation modes of electrostatic plasma waves in quantum plasmas
Authors: Ki Dae-Han , Jung Young-Dae
Published: November 2011

The effects of the electron spin interaction on the pure instability and propagation modes of the quantum electrostatic waves are investigated in cold quantum electron plasmas. It is found that the influence of the electron spin interaction increases the group velocity of the propagation mode of the quantum electrostatic wave. In addition, it is shown that the electron spin interaction enhances the growth rate of the instability mode of the quantum electrostatic wave. It is also found that the effects of the electron spin interaction would be more important in the domain of small Fermi wave numbers.
Three-dimensionalization of the stratified mixing layer at high Reynolds number
Authors: Mashayek A. , Peltier W. R.
Published: November 2011

Numerical analyses of the stability of a stratified two-dimensional Kelvin-Helmholtz billow against three dimensional disturbances provide a theoretical means of identifying the primary mechanism(s) that induce transition to turbulence. We identify, through fully resolved three-dimensional numerical simulations, secondary modes of instability which have been suggested by recent observations to be responsible for this transition. Our analyses lead us to two primary conclusions. First, as the Reynolds number is increased at a fixed stratification level, the vortex pairing process may be entirely suppressed by the rapid growth of three-dimensional secondary instabilities. Second, the new transition mechanisms identified herein have significant implications for the efficiency of mixing in the turbulent flow that develops subsequent to saturation of the secondary instabilities.
The Lorenz function: Its properties at optimum thermoelectric figure-of-merit
Authors: Flage-Larsen E. , Prytz Ø.
Published: November 2011

The Lorenz function is investigated for different scattering mechanisms, temperatures, chemical potentials, and charge carrier concentrations. We show that at optimum thermoelectric figure-of-merit, the deviation from the degenerate and non-degenerate limits is significant, where the magnitude of the deviation is determined by the scattering mechanism. Furthermore, the Lorenz functions are parameterized as a function of charge carrier concentration, temperature, and effective mass for different scattering mechanisms.
Atomic mix in directly driven inertial confinement implosions
Authors: Wilson D. C. , Ebey P. S. , Sangster T. C. , Shmayda W. T. , Yu. Glebov V. , Lerche R. A.
Published: November 2011

Directly driven implosions on the Omega laser [T. R. Boehly et al., Opt. Commun. 133, 495 (1997)] have measured the presence of atomic mix using D+T neutron yield rates from plastic capsules with and without deuterated layers, and a nearly pure tritium fuel containing 0.7% deuterium. In 15, 19, and 24 μm thick plastic shells, D+T neutron yields increased by factors of 86, 112, and 24 when the 1.2 μm thick inner layer was deuterated. Based on adjusting a fully atomic mix modvfel to fit yield degradation in the un-deuterated capsule and applying it to the capsule with the deuterated layer, atomic mixing accounts for 40–75% of the yield degradation due to mix. For the first time, the time dependence of mixed mass was measured by the ratio of the yield rates from both types of capsules. As expected, the amount of mix grows throughout the D+T burn.
Manipulating InAs nanowires with submicrometer precision
Authors: Flöhr Kilian , Liebmann Marcus , Sladek Kamil , Günel H. Yusuf , Frielinghaus Robert , Haas Fabian , Meyer Carola , Hardtdegen Hilde , Schäpers Thomas , Grützmacher Detlev , Morgenstern Markus
Published: November 2011

InAs nanowires are grown epitaxially by catalyst-free metal organic vapor phase epitaxy and are subsequently positioned with a lateral accuracy of less than 1 μm using simple adhesion forces between the nanowires and an indium tip. The technique, requiring only an optical microscope, is used to place individual nanowires onto the corner of a cleaved-edge wafer as well as across predefined holes in Si3N4 membranes. The precision of the method is limited by the stability of the micromanipulators and the precision of the optical microscope.
Sum frequency generation-compressive sensing microscope
Authors: Cai Xiaojun , Hu Bian , Sun Ting , Kelly Kevin F. , Baldelli Steven
Published: November 2011

A new sum frequency generation imaging microscope using a novel sampling theory, compressive sensing (CS), has been developed for surface studies. CS differentiates itself from the conventional sampling methods by collecting fewer measurements than the traditional methods to reconstruct a high quality image. Pseudorandom patterns were applied to a light modulator and reflected the sum frequency (SF) signal generated from the sample into a photomultiplier tube detector. The image of the sample was reconstructed using sparsity preserving algorithms from the SF signal. The influences of the number of CS testing patterns applied and the number of SF pulses acquired for each pattern on the quality of the images was investigated and a comparison of the image quality with the traditional raster scan was made at varying resolutions for a gold patterned Si surface. Our results demonstrate the CS technique achieved 16 times the pixel density beyond the resolution where the raster scan strategy lost its ability to image the sample due to the dilution of the SF signal below the detection limit of the detector.
Localization effects on recombination dynamics in InAs/InP self-assembled quantum wires emitting at 1.5 μm
Authors: Canet-Ferrer Josep , Munoz-Matutano Guillermo , Fuster David , Alen Benito , Gonzalez Yolanda , Gonzalez Luisa , Martinez-Pastor Juan P
Published: November 2011

We have studied the temperature dependence of the photoluminescence of a single layer of InAs/InP(001) self-assembled quantum wires emitting at 1.5 μm. The non-radiative mechanisms responsible for the quenching of the emission band have been identified. The exciton dynamics has been investigated using time resolved photoluminescence measurements. The results have been explained through the interplay between free excitons and localized states (arising from size fluctuations in the quantum wires).
Landau damping of Langmuir waves in non-Maxwellian plasmas
Authors: Ouazene M. , Annou R.
Published: November 2011

As free electrons move in the nearest neighbour ion’s potential well, the equilibrium velocity departs from Maxwell distribution. The effect of the non-Maxwellian velocity distribution function (NMVDF) on many properties of the plasma such as the transport coefficients, the kinetic energy, and the degree of ionization is found to be noticeable. A correction to the Langmuir wave dispersion relation is proved to arise due to the NMVDF as well [Phys. Plasmas 17, 052105 (2010)]. The study is extended hereafter to include the effect of NMVDF on the Landau damping of Langmuir wave.
Cooling field and temperature dependence on training effect in NiFe2O4-NiO nanogranular system
Authors: Tian Z. M. , Chen J. T. , Yuan S. L. , Zhang Y. S. , Ma Z. Z. , Duan H. N. , Lu C. L.
Published: November 2011

The training effect has been systematically studied in exchange coupled NiFe2O4/NiO nanogranular system. Both exchange bias field (HEB) and vertical magnetization shifts (MShift) can be observed after the system field cooled from 350 K to low temperatures, which decrease monotonically through consecutive loop cycles. During this procedure, linear dependence between HEB and MShift is found for this system, revealing the critical role of the pinned uncompensated spins. With the increase of cooling field, the relative change of HEB becomes more pronounced, which shows that the rapid reduction of the pinned uncompensated spins for high cooling field. Moreover, the reduction of HEB becomes weakened with decreasing measured temperatures, which indicated the spin configuration at low temperatures possesses higher dynamic stability. The cooling field and temperature dependence on training effect is discussed in terms of the evolution of the metastable spin configurations at the interfaces and fitted by a recent theoretical model.
Diamagnetism of rotating plasma
Authors: Young W. C. , Hassam A. B. , Romero-Talamás C. A. , Ellis R. F. , Teodorescu C.
Published: November 2011

Diamagnetism and magnetic measurements of a supersonically rotating plasma in a shaped magnetic field demonstrate confinement of plasma pressure along the magnetic field resulting from centrifugal force. The Grad-Shafranov equation of ideal magnetohydrodynamic force balance, including supersonic rotation, is solved to confirm that the predicted angular velocity is in agreement with spectroscopic measurements of the Doppler shifts.
Direct visualization and characterization of chemical bonding and phase composition of grain boundaries in polycrystalline diamond films by transmission electron microscopy and high resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy
Authors: Koenka I. Y. , Kauffmann Y. , Hoffman A.
Published: November 2011

Polycrystalline diamond films are composed of diamond grains, interconnected by grain boundaries of ill defined nature. In this study we characterized the local phase composition, chemical bonding, and structure of the grain boundaries by electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) in the plasmonic and core-level ragimes, using a monochromated and high resolution transmission electron microscope. Peaks at 283.5, 286.3, and 287.5 eV in the C(1s) pre-edge structure provide direct evidence for the preferential presence of amorphous carbon and hydrogen bonding at grain boundaries. Plasmonic EELS reveals a high amorphous carbon component in the grain boundaries region.
Energy enhancement of quasi-monoenergetic proton bunches using a slice-cone target
Authors: Zheng Jun , Sheng Zheng-Ming , Liu Jin-Lu , Zhou Wei-Min , Xu Han , Zhang Jie
Published: November 2011

A slice-cone target is proposed for the generation of quasi-monoenergetic proton bunches. In this new target structure, two symmetrical solid slices are adjoined obliquely to the tip of a hollow cone. Two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations show that a large number of hot electrons are pulled out from the solid slices and accelerated forward by direct laser acceleration. Compared with the hollow cone target, a stronger electrostatic field at the rear surface of the slice-cone tip is set up by the hot electrons from the cone and the slices. As a result, the energy of the quasi-monoenergetic proton bunch produced through the target-normal sheath acceleration mechanism can be improved by 75%. It shows that the proton energy scales proportional to the square root of the laser intensity. For the incident laser with the focused intensity about 5 × 1020 W/cm2, one can obtain proton bunches with central energy 165 MeV and energy spread 13%.
High carrier concentration induced effects on the bowing parameter and the temperature dependence of the band gap of GaxIn1−xN
Authors: Donmez O. , Gunes M. , Erol A. , Arikan M. C. , Balkan N.
Published: November 2011

The influence of intrinsic carrier concentration on the compositional and temperature dependence of the bandgap of GaxIn1−xN is investigated in nominally undoped samples with Ga fractions of x = 0.019, 0.062, 0.324, 0.52, and 0.56. Hall Effect results show that the free carrier density has a very weak temperature dependence and increases about a factor of 4, when the Ga composition increases from x = 0.019 to 0.56. The photoluminescence (PL) peak energy has also weak temperature dependence shifting to higher energies and the PL line shape becomes increasingly asymmetrical and broadens with increasing Ga composition. The observed characteristics of the PL spectra are explained in terms of the transitions from free electron to localized tail states and the high electron density induced many-body effects. The bowing parameter of GaxIn1−xN is obtained from the raw PL data as 2.5 eV. However, when the high carrier density induced effects are taken into account, it increases by about 14% to 2.9 eV. Furthermore, the temperature dependence of the PL peak becomes more pronounced and follows the expected temperature dependence of the bandgap variation.
Local domain sensing with nanostructured tunneling anisotropic magneto resistance probes
Authors: Mark S. , Ebel L. , Brunner K. , Gould C. , Molenkamp L. W.
Published: November 2011

Miniaturizing a tunneling anisotropic magneto resistance contact allows local sensing of the density of states of (Ga,Mn)As. This offers the possibility to locally read-out magnetization states in nanoscale devices without the need to add disruptive metal contacts. Using this technique, we show that the behavior of (Ga,Mn)As at a sub micron scale is closer to that of an ideal macrospin than is the case for macroscopic (Ga,Mn)As layers.
Comparisons of Complex Sounds across Extended Retention Intervals Survives Reading Aloud
Authors: McKeown Denis , Mills Roseanne , Mercer Tom
Published: November 2011

A simple experimental arrangement is designed to foil verbal rehearsal during an extended (from 5 to 30 s) retention interval across which participants attempt to discriminate two periodic complex sounds. Sounds have an abstract timbre that does not lend itself to verbal labeling, they differ across trials so that no ‘standard’ comparison stimulus is built up by the participants, and the spectral change to be discriminated is very slight and therefore does not shift the stimulus into a new verbal category. And, crucially, in one experimental condition, participants read aloud during most of the retention interval. Despite these precautions, performance is robust across the extended retention interval. The inference is that one form of auditory memory does not require verbal rehearsal. Nevertheless, modest forgetting occurred. Whatever form memory takes in this situation, it is not totally secure from disruption.
Plant growth and soil responses to soil applied organic materials in Tasmania, Australia
Authors: Ives S. W. , Cotching W. E. , Sparrow L. A. , Lisson S. , Doyle R. B.
Published: November 2011

Biosolids, poppy mulch (PM), and poppy seed waste (PSW) were applied to soils in barley and wheat field trials in two areas of Tasmania to determine crop and soil responses and the potential for these materials to substitute for inorganic fertiliser. Lime-amended biosolids (LAB) was applied at one, two, and five times the nitrogen-limiting biosolids application rate (NLBAR). Anaerobically digested biosolids (ADB) was applied at the NLBAR, and PM and PSW were applied at industry-recommended rates. The results indicated that ADB, LAB, PM, and PSW can substitute for inorganic fertiliser in meeting plant nutrient requirements but may be releasing more plant-available N than guideline assumptions. However, organic amendments are less easily managed and applied than inorganic fertiliser, and release of plant-available N from organic amendments may be too rapid for plant uptake to prevent leaching losses. LAB can also leave elevated residual extractable phosphorus in soil after two cereal crops, and PM and LAB can increase soil pH. Microbial biomass showed an inconsistent, and in some cases unexpected, response to organic amendments after 1 year and no significant relationship to changes in soil carbon.
Rhizosphere effects on soil nutrient dynamics and microbial activity in an Australian tropical lowland rainforest
Authors: Toberman Hannah , Chen Chengrong , Xu Zhihong
Published: November 2011

Via vast exchanges of energy, water, carbon, and nutrients, tropical forests are a major driving force in the regulation of Earth’s biogeochemical, hydrological, and climatic cycles. Given the critical role of rhizosphere processes in nutrient cycling, it is likely that rhizosphere processes in tropical rainforests form a major component of the biome’s interactions with global cycles. Little is known, however, about rhizospheric processes in rainforest soils. In order to investigate the influence of rhizosphere processes upon rainforest nutrient cycling, we compared the nutrient status and microbial activity of rhizospheric soil from Australian lowland tropical rainforest with that of the surrounding bulk soil. We found a marked difference in the biological and chemical nature of the rhizosphere and bulk soils. Total carbon, microbial biomass carbon, total nitrogen, soluble nitrogen, and a suite of trace element concentrations, alongside microbial respiration and the rate and diversity of carbon substrate use, were all significantly higher in the rhizosphere soil than the bulk soil. Rhizosphere soil δ15N was significantly lower than that of the bulk soil. Ratios of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur differed significantly between the rhizosphere and bulk soil. These clear differences suggest that rhizosphere processes strongly influence nutrient cycling in lowland tropical rainforest, and are likely to play an important role in its interaction with global cycles. This role may be under-represented with composite sampling of rhizosphere and bulk soil. Further research is required regarding the mechanisms of rainforest rhizospheric processes and their relationship with ecosystem productivity, stability, and environmental change.
Brassica juncea
plant cadmium resistance 1 protein (BjPCR1) facilitates the radial transport of calcium in the root
Authors: Song Won-Yong , Choi Kwan-Sam , Alexis De Angeli , Martinoia Enrico , Lee Youngsook
Published: November 2011

Calcium (Ca) is an important structural component of plant cell walls and an intracellular messenger in plants and animals. Therefore, plants tightly control the balance of Ca by regulating Ca uptake and its transfer from cell to cell and organ to organ. Here, we propose that
Brassica juncea
PCR1 (PCR1), a member of the plant cadmium resistance (PCR) protein family in Indian mustard, is a Ca
2+
efflux transporter that is required for the efficient radial transfer of Ca
2+
in the root and is implicated in the translocation of Ca to the shoot. Knock-down lines of
BjPCR1
were greatly stunted and translocated less Ca to the shoot than did the corresponding WT. The localization of BjPCR1 to the plasma membrane and the preferential expression of
BjPCR1
in the root epidermal cells of WT plants suggest that
BjPCR1
antisense plants could not efficiently transfer Ca
2+
from the root epidermis to the cells located inside the root. Protoplasts isolated from
BjPCR1
antisense lines had lower Ca
2+
efflux activity than did those of the WT, and membrane vesicles isolated from
BjPCR1
-expressing yeast exhibited increased Ca
2+
transport activity. Inhibitor studies, together with theoretical considerations, indicate that BjPCR1 exports one Ca
2+
in exchange for three protons. Root hair-specific expression of
BjPCR1
in
Arabidopsis
results in plants that exhibit increased Ca
2+
resistance and translocation. In conclusion, our data support the hypothesis that BjPCR1 is an exporter required for the translocation of Ca
2+
from the root epidermis to the inner cells, and ultimately to the shoot.
The Second Phase of a Social Marketing Approach to a Successful Oral Cancer Case-Finding Pilot
Authors: Lowry Ray , Archer Anne , Howe Debora , Hiom Sara
Published: November 2011

This is the second phase of a successful social marketing intervention for mouth cancer detection. The objective is to implement a social marketing oral cancer pilot case-finding service for an at-risk population. Phase two enhanced the original project, which used specific awareness-raising techniques in a defined catchment population to engage with those at risk for oral cancer. It also encouraged them to seek early case-finding and diagnosis or elimination from follow-up in a uniquely designed case-finding/referral intervention based on social marketing techniques. Phase two features included on-street recruiting and mapping of the target audience. The total target population for the intervention was identified, and a significant proportion was reached and drawn into contact with the service. The system developed proved that it is possible to define, identify, and engage with a hard-to-reach target population at risk for a serious disease and draw significant numbers into case-finding/health service contact. This intervention illustrates the value of complex target population tracking systems, the value of using techniques to map target populations, the application of social marketing techniques in drawing in a hard-to-reach target audience, and how much social marketing is about the product or service, rather than just the communication strategy.
Evaluation of two portable sensors for energy expenditure assessment during high‐intensity running
Authors: Koehler Karsten , de Marees Markus , Braun Hans , Schaenzer Wilhelm
Published: November 2011

The correct assessment of individual energy requirements of athletes remains a challenge. Available literature indicates that accelerometry‐based sensors underestimated energy expenditure in athletes, especially during high‐intensity exercise. The goal of our study was to evaluate two commercially available devices (Actiheart; SenseWear Pro3) during high‐intensity running and to identify potential sources of error.

Twenty‐nine male endurance‐ and strength‐trained athletes participated in an incremental running exercise, which started at 2.8 m · s−1. Running speed was increased by 0.4 m · s−1 every 5 minutes until 4.8 m · s−1 or individual exhaustion were reached. Energy expenditure was measured with indirect calorimetry (IC) and both sensors were worn according to the manufacturers' instructions. Twelve participants also conducted a step test in order to individually recalibrate the Actiheart data.

The Actiheart monitor underestimated energy expenditure (EE) for all speeds by 1.1 to 8.3 kcal · min−1 and showed a weak correlation with IC (r=0.61). Following individual recalibration there were no significant differences to IC but validity correlation did not improve (r=0.56). Heart rate was assessed correctly with the Actiheart when compared to a Polar 610 recorder. Activity counts increased only between 2.8 and 3.6 m · s−1 but plateaued thereafter. SenseWear significantly underestimated EE for all speeds by 1.0 to 9.5 kcal min−1 and was moderately correlated with IC (r=0.66). Longitudinal and transversal acceleration increased significantly between 2.8 and 4.4 m · s−1 and were correlated with running speed (0.63 < r<0.69).

Our results show that both devices underestimate EE during high‐intensity running. For Actiheart, individual calibration is recommended in order to obtain sufficiently accurate results. For SenseWear, acceleration data could be used to improve EE prediction during high‐intensity running. Further research is necessary to validate these portable devices in other groups, in field settings and during other exercise types.
Heterogeneous Uptake of Hydrogen Peroxide on Mineral Oxides
Authors: Wang Wei-gang , Ge Mao-fa , Sun Qiao
Published: November 2011

The interaction of mineral oxides (α-Al2O3, MgO, Fe2O3, and SiO2) with hydrogen peroxide was investigated using the Knudsen cell reactor. The initial reactive uptake coefficients for the commercially available powders are measured as (1.00±0.11)×10−4 for α-Al2O3, (1.66±0.23)×10−4 for MgO, (9.70±1.95)×10−5 for Fe2O3, and (5.22±0.9)×10−5 for SiO2. These metal oxide powders exhibit some catalytic behavior toward the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide excluding SiO2. H2O2 can be destroyed on Fe2O3 surface and O2 is formed. The experimental results suggest that the heterogeneous loss on mineral surface can represent an important sink of hydrogen peroxide.
High-resolution Infrared Spectroscopy of 15N216O in 1650–3450 cm−1
Authors: Du Jun-he , Liu An-wen , Perevalov V. I. , Tashkun S. A. , Hu Shui-ming
Published: November 2011

High-resolution ro-vibrational spectroscopy of 15N216O in 1650–3450 cm−1 region is studied using highly enriched isotopologue sample. The positions of more than 7300 lines of 15N216O isotopologue were measured with a typical accuracy of 5.0×10−4 cm−1. The transitions were rovibrationally assigned on the basis of the global effective Hamiltonian model. The band by band analysis allowed for the determination of the rovibrational parameters of a total of 73 bands. 29 of them are newly reported and more rotational transitions have been observed for the others. The maximum deviation of the preidictions of the effective Hamiltonian model is up to 0.70 cm−1 for the 15N216O species.
Simulated Annealing Study on Structures and Energetics of CO2 in Argon Clusters
Authors: Wang Le-cheng , Xie Dai-qian
Published: November 2011

The minimum-energy configurations and energetic properties of the ArN-CO2 (N = 1–19) van der Waals clusters were investigated by a simulated annealing algorithm. A newly developed Ar-CO2 potential energy surface together with the Aziz Ar-Ar interaction potential was employed to construct the high dimensional potential functions by pairwise additive approximation. The global minimal conformations were optimized by sampling the glassy phase space with a circumspectively formulated annealing schedule. Unlike the lighter RgN-CO2 clusters, the size-dependent structural and energetic characteristics of ArN-CO2 exhibit a different behavior. The dramatically variations with number of solvent were found for small clusters. After the completion of the first solvation shell at N = 17, the clusters were evolved more smoothly.
An extremal decomposition problem for harmonic measure
Authors: Dubinin Vladimir , Vuorinen Matti
Published: November 2011

Let

E
E

be a continuum in the closed unit disk

|

z

|

≤
1

|z|\le 1

of the complex

z
z

-plane which divides the open disk

|

z

|

>
1

|z| > 1

into

n
≥
2

n\ge 2

pairwise nonintersecting simply connected domains

D
k

D_k

such that each of the domains

D
k

D_k

contains some point

a
k

a_k

on a prescribed circle

|

z

|

=
ρ

|z| = \rho

,

0
>
ρ
>
1

,

k
=
1
,
…
,
n

.

0 >\rho >1\, , \, k=1,\dots ,n\,.

It is shown that for some increasing function

Ψ

,

\Psi \,,

independent of

E
E

and the choice of the points

a
k

,

a_k,

the mean value of the harmonic measures
\[
<mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="normal upper Psi Superscript negative 1 Baseline left-bracket StartFraction 1 Over n EndFraction sigma-summation Underscript k equals 1 Overscript k Endscripts normal upper Psi left-parenthesis omega left-parenthesis a Subscript k Baseline comma upper E comma upper D Subscript k Baseline right-parenthesis right-parenthesis right-bracket">

Ψ

−
1

[

1
n

∑

k
=
1

k

Ψ
(
ω
(

a
k

,
E
,

D
k

)
)
]

\Psi ^{-1}\left [ \frac {1}{n} \sum _{k=1}^{k} \Psi ( \omega (a_k,E, D_k))\right ]

\]
is greater than or equal to the harmonic measure

ω
(
ρ
,

E
∗

,

D
∗

)

,

\omega (\rho , E^* , D^*)\,,

where

E
∗

=
{
z
:

z
n

∈
[
−
1
,
0
]
}

E^* = \{ z: z^n \in [-1,0] \}

and

D
∗

=
{
z
:

|

z

|

>
1
,

|

arg

z

|

>
π

/

n
}

.

D^* =\{ z: |z|>1, |\textrm {arg}\, z| > \pi /n\} \,.

This implies, for instance, a solution to a problem of R. W. Barnard, L. Cole, and A. Yu. Solynin concerning a lower estimate of the quantity

inf

E

max

k
=
1
,
…
,
n

ω
(

a
k

,
E
,

D
k

)

\inf _{E} \max _{k=1,\dots ,n} \omega (a_k,E, D_k)\,

for arbitrary points of the circle

|

z

|

=
ρ

.

|z| = \rho \,.

These authors stated this hypothesis in the particular case when the points are equally distributed on the circle

|

z

|

=
ρ

.

|z| = \rho \,.
Inferring gene regulatory networks from gene expression data by path consistency algorithm based on conditional mutual information
Authors: Zhang Xiujun , Zhao Xing-Ming , He Kun , Lu Le , Cao Yongwei , Liu Jingdong , Hao Jin-Kao , Liu Zhi-Ping , Chen Luonan
Published: November 2011

Motivation: Reconstruction of gene regulatory networks (GRNs), which explicitly represent the causality of developmental or regulatory process, is of utmost interest and has become a challenging computational problem for understanding the complex regulatory mechanisms in cellular systems. However, all existing methods of inferring GRNs from gene expression profiles have their strengths and weaknesses. In particular, many properties of GRNs, such as topology sparseness and non-linear dependence, are generally in regulation mechanism but seldom are taken into account simultaneously in one computational method.

Results: In this work, we present a novel method for inferring GRNs from gene expression data considering the non-linear dependence and topological structure of GRNs by employing path consistency algorithm (PCA) based on conditional mutual information (CMI). In this algorithm, the conditional dependence between a pair of genes is represented by the CMI between them. With the general hypothesis of Gaussian distribution underlying gene expression data, CMI between a pair of genes is computed by a concise formula involving the covariance matrices of the related gene expression profiles. The method is validated on the benchmark GRNs from the DREAM challenge and the widely used SOS DNA repair network in Escherichia coli. The cross-validation results confirmed the effectiveness of our method (PCA-CMI), which outperforms significantly other previous methods. Besides its high accuracy, our method is able to distinguish direct (or causal) interactions from indirect associations.

Availability: All the source data and code are available at: http://csb.shu.edu.cn/subweb/grn.htm.

Contact:  lnchen@sibs.ac.cn; zpliu@sibs.ac.cn

Supplementary information:  Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Role of the Sucrose Synthase Encoding PrSus1 Gene in the Development of the Parasitic Plant Phelipanche ramosa L. (Pomel)
Authors: Péron Thomas , Véronési Christophe , Mortreau Eric , Pouvreau Jean-Bernard , Thoiron Séverine , Leduc Nathalie , Delavault Philippe , Simier Philippe
Published: November 2011

Phelipanche ramosa L. (Pomel) is a major root-parasitic weed attacking many important crops. Success in controlling this parasite is rare and a better understanding of its unique biology is needed to develop new specific control strategies. In the present study, quantitative polymerase chain reaction experiments showed that sucrose synthase encoding PrSus1 transcripts accumulate at their highest level once the parasite is connected to the host (tomato) vascular system, mainly in the parasite tubercles, which bear numerous adventitious roots. In situ hybridization experiments revealed strong PrSus1 expression in both shoot and root apices, especially in shoot apical meristems and in the vascular tissues of scale leaves and stems, and in the apical meristems and developing xylem in roots. In addition, immunolocalization experiments showed that a sucrose synthase protein co-localized with cell-wall thickening in xylem elements. These findings highlight the role of PrSus1 in the utilization of host-derived sucrose in meristematic areas and in cellulose biosynthesis in differentiating vascular elements. We also demonstrate that PrSus1 is downregulated in response to 2,3,5-triiodobenzoic acid-induced inhibition of polar auxin transport in the host stem, suggesting that PrSus1 activity in xylem maturation is controlled by host-derived auxin.
Use of Leaf Wetness and Temperature to Time Fungicide Applications to Control Anthracnose Fruit Rot of Strawberry in Florida
Authors: MacKenzie S. J. , Peres N. A.
Published: November 2011

Anthracnose fruit rot (AFR), caused by Colletotrichum acutatum, is a major disease of strawberry in Florida and is generally controlled by weekly fungicide applications. More than 20 applications may be made during the growing season, most commonly using captan and the quinone-outside inhibitors. Field experiments were conducted for three seasons on a susceptible and a partially resistant cultivar to evaluate the effectiveness of timing fungicide applications for managing AFR based on a previously published model by Wilson and associates that uses leaf wetness duration and temperature to predict fruit infection by C. acutatum under controlled conditions. For most treatments, rules were established where captan was applied when the predicted proportion of fruit infected (INF) from the model exceeded 0.15 and pyraclostrobin was applied when INF exceeded 0.5. For one model-timed treatment where captan and pyraclostrobin were applied before symptoms first appeared in the field, disease control was as good as the treatment where calendar weekly applications were made and the model-timed treatment utilized 47% fewer sprays. In treatments where fungicide application began after symptom appearance, the number of applications was reduced further but disease control was 40% less effective. Model-timed fungicide treatments that included pyraclostrobin gave better control than the treatments using captan alone. The model relating leaf wetness and temperature to predict AFR infection can be used effectively in a disease-forecasting system to time fungicide treatments and greatly reduce the number of applications without loss of disease control or yield.
Social status gates social attention in humans
Authors: Dalmaso Mario , Pavan Giulia , Castelli Luigi , Galfano Giovanni
Published: November 2011

Humans tend to shift attention in response to the averted gaze of a face they are fixating, a phenomenon known as gaze cuing. In the present paper, we aimed to address whether the social status of the cuing face modulates this phenomenon. Participants were asked to look at the faces of 16 individuals and read fictive curriculum vitae associated with each of them that could describe the person as having a high or low social status. The association between each specific face and either high or low social status was counterbalanced between participants. The same faces were then used as stimuli in a gaze-cuing task. The results showed a greater gaze-cuing effect for high-status faces than for low-status faces, independently of the specific identity of the face. These findings confirm previous evidence regarding the important role of social factors in shaping social attention and show that a modulation of gaze cuing can be observed even when knowledge about social status is acquired through episodic learning.
Physiological implications of pair-bond status in greylag geese
Authors: Wascher Claudia A. F. , Weiß Brigitte M. , Arnold Walter , Kotrschal Kurt
Published: November 2011

In group-living vertebrates, reliable social allies play a decisive role in dealing with stressors. For example, support by social allies is known to dampen glucocorticoid responses. It remains unknown, however, how social embedding affects the sympatho-adrenergic axis as indicated by heart rate (HR) in non-human animals. We studied the relationships between HR, pair-bond status and distance from the pair-partner in twenty-five free-ranging greylag geese (
Anser anser
) in a natural social environment. In three individuals, we investigated HR responses following partner loss. Overall, we found a context- and sex-dependent difference in HR between paired and unpaired individuals, paired males having a lower HR during agonistic encounters, and unpaired females having a lower HR during resting. Also, in paired females HR increased with increasing distance from the partner. Our data suggest that HR is modulated by pair-bond status in greylag geese in a context- and sex-dependent manner, which may be representative for social vertebrates in general. Despite the low sample size, the present study indicates that proper social embedding may optimize an individual's physiological investment in the social domain. This reduces individual energy expenditure and may benefit health and reproductive success.
Neutral coated inclusions of finite conductivity
Authors: Jarczyk Paweł , Mityushev Vladimir
Published: November 2011

We discuss the conductivity of two-dimensional media with coated neutral inclusions of finite conductivity. Such an inclusion, when inserted in a matrix, does not disturb the uniform external field. We are looking for shapes of the core and coating in terms of the conformal mapping
ω
(
z
) of the unit disc onto coated inclusions. The considered inverse problem is reduced to an eigenvalue problem for an integral equation containing singular integrals over a closed curve
L
1
on the transformed complex plane. The conformal mapping
ω
(
z
) is constructed via eigenfunctions of the integral equation. For each fixed curve
L
1
, the boundary of the core is given by the curve
ω
(
L
1
). The boundary of the coating is obtained by the mapping of the unit circle. It is justified that any shaped inclusion with a smooth boundary can be made neutral by surrounding it with an appropriate coating. Shapes of the neutral inclusions are obtained in analytical form when
L
1
is an ellipse.
Bumble-bee learning selects for both early and long flowering in food-deceptive plants
Authors: Internicola Antonina I. , Harder Lawrence D.
Published: November 2011

Most rewardless orchids engage in generalized food-deception, exhibiting floral traits typical of rewarding species and exploiting the instinctive foraging of pollinators. Generalized food-deceptive (GFD) orchids compete poorly with rewarding species for pollinator services, which may be overcome by flowering early in the growing season when relatively more pollinators are naive and fewer competing plant species are flowering, and/or flowering for extended periods to enhance the chance of pollinator visits. We tested these hypotheses by manipulating flowering time and duration in a natural population ofCalypso bulbosaand quantifying pollinator visitation based on pollen removal. Both early and long flowering increased bumble-bee visitation compared with late and brief flowering, respectively. To identify the cause of reduced visitation during late flowering, we tested whether negative experience withC. bulbosa(avoidance learning) and positive experience with a rewarding species,Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, (associative learning) by captive bumble-bees could reduceC. bulbosa's competitiveness. Avoidance learning explained the higher visitation of early- compared with late-floweringC. bulbosa. The resulting pollinator-mediated selection for early flowering may commonly affect GFD orchids, explaining their tendency to flower earlier than rewarding orchids. For dissimilar deceptive and rewarding sympatric species, associative learning may additionally favour early flowering by GFD species.
High dispersal ability inhibits speciation in a continental radiation of passerine birds
Authors: Claramunt Santiago , Derryberry Elizabeth P. , Remsen J. V. , Brumfield Robb T.
Published: November 2011

Dispersal can stimulate speciation by facilitating geographical expansion across barriers or inhibit speciation by maintaining gene flow among populations. Therefore, the relationship between dispersal ability and speciation rates can be positive or negative. Furthermore, an ‘intermediate dispersal’ model that combines positive and negative effects predicts a unimodal relationship between dispersal and diversification. Because both dispersal ability and speciation rates are difficult to quantify, empirical evidence for the relationship between dispersal and diversification remains scarce. Using a surrogate for flight performance and a species-level DNA-based phylogeny of a large South American bird radiation (the Furnariidae), we found that lineages with higher dispersal ability experienced lower speciation rates. We propose that the degree of fragmentation or permeability of the geographical setting together with the intermediate dispersal model are crucial in reconciling previous, often contradictory findings regarding the relationship between dispersal and diversification.
Echovirus 11 infection induces dramatic changes in the actin cytoskeleton of polarized Caco-2 cells
Authors: Sobo Komla , Stuart Amanda D. , Rubbia-Brandt Laura , Brown T. David K. , McKee Thomas A.
Published: November 2011

Binding of echovirus 11 strain 207 (EV11-207) to Caco-2 monolayers results in rapid transfer of the virus to tight junctions prior to uptake. Using a confocal microscopy based-method, this study quantified the spatiotemporal distribution of actin during the time course of infection by EV11-207 in Caco-2 polarized cells. It was found that binding of EV11-207 to the apical surface resulted in rapid rearrangement of the actin cytoskeleton, concomitant with transport of the virus particles to tight junctions. By interfering with the actin network dynamics, the virus remained trapped at the cell surface, leading to abortion of infection. In addition, it was observed that at 4 h post-infection, concomitant with the detection of virus replication, actin filament was depolymerized and degraded. Finally, it was shown that the mechanisms leading to loss of actin were independent of viral genome synthesis, indicating a potential role for the viral protein synthesis seen in late infection. These data confirmed a previous study on the requirement for an intact actin cytoskeleton for EV11-207 to infect cells and reinforce the notion of actin cytoskeleton subversion by picornaviruses during infection in polarized epithelial cells.
Antibacterial Activities ofGinkgo bilobaL. Leaf Extracts
Authors: Sati S. C. , Joshi Savita
Published: November 2011

The antibacterial activity of methanol, ethanol, chloroform, and hexane extracts of the leaves of Himalayan gymnospermous plantGinkgo bilobaL. was assessed against five animal and plant pathogenic strains (Agrobacterium tumefaciens, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Erwinia chrysanthemi, and Xanthomonas phaseoli) employing disc-diffusion and broth-dilution assays. The methanol extract showed the highest activity (zone of inhibition of 15–21 mm) followed by ethanol (14–19 mm), chloroform (15–20 mm), and hexane (14–19 mm) extracts at 250 μg/mL. A minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 7.8 μg/mL was found for the methanol extract against most of the pathogens tested.
Water channel structure of bassanite at high air humidity: crystal structure of CaSO4·0.625H2O
Authors: Schmidt Horst , Paschke Iris , Freyer Daniela , Voigt Wolfgang
Published: November 2011

Structure analysis using single-crystal diffraction was carried out as a contribution to the dispute about the nature of the water channel structure of bassanite (CaSO4·0.5H2O). A recent result of Weiss & Bräu (2009) for the crystal structure of bassanite (monoclinic, space groupC2) at ambient conditions of air humidity was confirmed. In the presence of high relative air humidity the crystal structure of bassanite transformed due to the incorporation of additional water of hydration. The crystal structure of CaSO4·0.625H2O was solved by single-crystal diffraction at 298 K and 75% relative air humidity. The experimental results provided an insight into both crystal structures. A model explaining the phase transition from CaSO4·0.625H2O to CaSO4·0.5H2O was derived. The monoclinic cell setting of CaSO4·0.5H2O and the trigonal cell setting of CaSO4·0.625H2O were confirmed by powder diffraction.
Mitochondrial DNA diversity patterns in Pakistani buffalo
Authors: Babar M. E. , Hussain T. , Imran M. , Nagarajan M. , Kumar S.
Published: November 2011

The Indian subcontinent is considered to be the likely centre of river buffalo domestication, based on population dynamics, archaeological evidence and genetic diversity. Recent studies on mitochondrial DNA diversity have drawn useful conclusions about the domestication history of Bubalus bubalis. The conclusions of these studies are, however, incomplete, unless samples can also be analysed from Pakistan, which contains the second largest buffalo population of the world. Here, we report the results of the first study on mitochondrial D‐loop sequence diversity in five breeds of Pakistani buffalo. Analysis of sequence variations in 503‐bp of the D‐loop region of 123 animals revealed 52 haplotypes, including 40 singletons. Multidimensional display of breed pairwise FST values revealed no strong clustering of breeds. Bayesian, maximum parsimony, neighbour joining and UPGMA trees revealed a topology consistent with domestication as well as subsequent introgression of multiple maternal lineages from the wild stocks. Reduced median network analysis provided evidence of population expansion from more than one set of haplotypes. The study also confirmed that Pakistani buffalo are of the river type. The observed mitochondrial D‐loop sequence diversity suggests that Pakistani areas bordering India might have contributed to the initiation of domestication of the present‐day river buffalo.