bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Apparent low ability of liver and muscle to adapt to variation of dietary carbohydrate:protein ratio in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)
Authors: Skiba-Cassy Sandrine , Panserat Stéphane , Larquier Mélanie , Dias Karine , Surget Anne , Plagnes-Juan Elisabeth , Kaushik Sadasivam , Seiliez Iban
Published: September 2012

The rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) exhibits high dietary amino acid requirements and an apparent inefficiency to use dietary carbohydrates. Using this species, we investigated the metabolic consequences of long-term high carbohydrates/low protein feeding. Fish were fed two experimental diets containing either 20 % carbohydrates/50 % proteins (C20P50), or high levels of carbohydrates at the expense of proteins (35 % carbohydrates/35 % proteins – C35P35). The expression of genes related to hepatic and muscle glycolysis (glucokinase (GK), pyruvate kinase and hexokinase) illustrates the poor utilisation of carbohydrates irrespective of their dietary levels. The increased postprandial GK activity and the absence of inhibition of the gluconeogenic enzyme glucose-6-phosphatase activity support the hypothesis of the existence of a futile cycle around glucose phosphorylation extending postprandial hyperglycaemia. After 9 weeks of feeding, the C35P35-fed trout displayed lower body weight and feed efficiency and reduced protein and fat gains than those fed C20P50. The reduced activation of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4-E binding protein 1 (4E-BP1) in the muscle in this C35P35 group suggests a reduction in protein synthesis, possibly contributing to the reduction in N gain. An increase in the dietary carbohydrate:protein ratio decreased the expression of genes involved in amino acid catabolism (serine dehydratase and branched-chain α-keto acid dehydrogenase E1α and E1β), and increased that of carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1, suggesting a higher reliance on lipids as energy source in fish fed high-carbohydrate and low-protein diets. This probably also contributes to the lower fat gain. Together, these results show that different metabolic pathways are affected by a high-carbohydrate/low-protein diet in rainbow trout.
Comparing linkage and association analyses in sheep points to a better way of doing GWAS
Authors: KEMPER KATHRYN E. , DAETWYLER HANS D. , VISSCHER PETER M. , GODDARD MICHAEL E.
Published: September 2012

Genome wide association studies (GWAS) have largely succeeded family-based linkage studies in livestock and human populations as the preferred method to map loci for complex or quantitative traits. However, the type of results produced by the two analyses contrast sharply due to differences in linkage disequilibrium (LD) imposed by the design of studies. In this paper, we demonstrate that association and linkage studies are in agreement provided that (i) the effects from both studies are estimated appropriately as random effects, (ii) all markers are fitted simultaneously and (iii) appropriate adjustments are made for the differences in LD between the study designs. We demonstrate with real data that linkage results can be predicted by the sum of association effects. Our association study captured most of the linkage information because we could predict the linkage results with moderate accuracy. We suggest that the ability of common single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) to capture the genetic variance in a population will depend on the effective population size of the study organism. The results provide further evidence for many loci of small effect underlying complex traits. The analysis suggests a more informed method for GWAS is to fit statistical models where all SNPs are analysed simultaneously and as random effects.
Sequence variations inOsAGPasesignificantly associated with amylose content and viscosity properties in rice (Oryza sativaL.)
Authors: LU FU-HAO , PARK YONG-JIN
Published: September 2012

Sequence-based variations in starch synthesis-related genes (SSRGs) exert a basic influence on the determination of eating quality in rice (Oryza sativaL.). This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the sequence variations from parts of 10 SSRGs and the amylose content (AC) plus rapid viscosity analysis (RVA) profiles in a heuristic rice core set by association mapping (AM). In total, 86 sequence variations were found in 10 sequenced amplicons, including 79 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), six insertion-deletions (InDels) and one polymorphic simple sequence repeat (SSR). Among them, 61 variations were exon-based, of which 41 should lead to amino acid changes. Four subpopulations were revealed by population structure analysis based on 170 genome-wide SSR genotypes. The final AM showed a sum of four significant associations between three phenotypic indices and three sequence variations. AnADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase small unit 1(OsAGPS1) SNP (A–G) was significantly associated with increased AC (P<0·001,R2=15·6%), while a 12-bp deletion ofAGPase large unit 4(OsAGPL4) was significantly related to the decreased breakdown viscosity (BDV) (P<0·001,R2=16·6%) in both general linear model (GLM) and mixed linear model (MLM). This study provides a new perspective of allele mining for breeding strategies based on marker-assisted selection.
Polish stress: looking for phonetic evidence of a bidirectional system
Authors: Newlin-Łukowicz Luiza
Published: September 2012

This paper reports on a study of Polish stress, the only uncontested example of a bidirectional system with internal lapses (Kager 2001, McCarthy 2003). The results indicate that Polish stress is non-iterative, a finding that seriously calls into question the existence of this particular stress type. An analysis of the acoustic prominence of syllables traditionally associated with different stress levels suggests that Polish simple words exhibit only one (penultimate) prominence. The stress pattern in compounds is less uniform; they can carry one or two (penultimate) stresses, depending on their prosodic structure. I analyse the distribution of stresses in compounds as governed by clash avoidance. Specifically, compound stems are parsed into separate PWds and assigned separate stresses only if the emergent trochees are non-adjacent. Hence, four-syllable compounds like /tsuʤɔ-ˈʑεmʲεts/ ‘foreigner’ have one stress, while compounds like /banaˈnɔvɔ-arbuˈzɔvɨ/ ‘banana-watermelon’ have two. I ascribe this pattern to the undominated ranking of the *FtFtconstraint.
A CAUTIONARY NOTE ON USING (MARCH) CURRENT POPULATION SURVEY AND PANEL STUDY OF INCOME DYNAMICS DATA TO STUDY WORKER MOBILITY
Authors: Kambourov Gueorgui , Manovskii Iourii
Published: September 2012

The monthly Current Population Survey (CPS), with its annual demographic March supplement, and the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) are the leading sources of data on worker reallocation across occupations, industries, and firms. Much of the active current research is based on these data. In this paper, we contrast these data sets as sources of data for measuring the dynamics of worker mobility. We find that (i) (March) CPS data are characterized by a substantial amount of noise when it comes to identifying occupational and industry switches; (ii) March CPS data provide a poor measure of annual occupational mobility and, instead, most likely measure mobility over a much shorter period; (iii) (the changes in) the procedure to impute missing data have a dramatic effect on the interpretation of the CPS data in, e.g., the trend in occupational mobility. The most important shortcomings of the PSID are the facts that (i) occupational and industry affiliation data are available in most years at an annual frequency; (ii) the PSID's sample, by design, excludes immigrants arriving in the United States after 1968; (iii) the Retrospective Occupation–Industry Files with reliable occupation and industry affiliation data are available only until 1980.
Second language sentence processing in reading for comprehension and translation
Authors: LIM JUNG HYUN , CHRISTIANSON KIEL
Published: September 2012

A self-paced reading and translation task was used with learners of English as a second language (L2) to explore what sorts of information L2 learners use during online comprehension compared to native speakers, and how task (reading for comprehension vs. translation) and proficiency affect L2 comprehension. Thirty-six Korean native speakers of English and 32 native English speakers read plausible and implausible subject relative clauses and object relative clauses. Reading times, comprehension accuracy, and translations were analyzed. Results showed that L2 learners were able to use syntactic information similarly to native speakers during comprehension, and that online L2 processing and offline comprehension were modulated by reading goals and proficiency. Results are interpreted as showing that L2 processing is quantitatively rather than qualitatively different from first language processing, i.e. strategically “good enough”.
Genetic Factors Account for Half of the Phenotypic Variance in Liability to Sleep-Related Bruxism in Young Adults: A Nationwide Finnish Twin Cohort Study
Authors: Rintakoski Katariina , Hublin Christer , Lobbezoo Frank , Rose Richard J. , Kaprio Jaakko
Published: September 2012

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to examine the role of genetic and environmental factors in the phenotypic variance of bruxism in a large population-based cohort of young adult twins in Finland.

Methods: The material of the present study derives from the FinnTwin16 cohort study consisting of five birth cohorts of twin pairs born in 1975–1979 who completed a questionnaire (at mean age 24, range 23–27 years) with data on frequency of sleep-related bruxism in 2000–2002. We used quantitative genetic modeling, based on the genetic similarity of monozygotic and dizygotic twins, to estimate the most probable genetic model for bruxism, based on decomposition of phenotypic variance into components: additive genetic effects (A), dominant genetic effects (D), and non-shared environmental effects (E).

Results: On average, 8.7% experienced bruxism weekly, 23.4% rarely, and 67.9% never, with no significant gender difference (p = .052). The best fitting genetic model for bruxism was the AE-model. Additive genetic effects accounted for 52% (95% CI 0.41–0.62) of the total phenotypic variance. Sex-limitation model revealed no gender differences.

Conclusions: Genetic factors account for a substantial proportion of the phenotypic variation of the liability to sleep-related bruxism, with no gender difference in its genetic architecture.
Auto‐acoustic compaction in steady shear flows: Experimental evidence for suppression of shear dilatancy by internal acoustic vibration
Authors: van der Elst Nicholas J. , Brodsky Emily E. , Le Bas Pierre‐Yves , Johnson Paul A.
Published: September 2012

Granular shear flows are intrinsic to many geophysical processes, ranging from landslides and debris flows to earthquake rupture on gouge‐filled faults. The rheology of a granular flow depends strongly on the boundary conditions and shear rate. Earthquake rupture involves a transition from quasi‐static to rapid shear rates. Understanding the processes controlling the transitional rheology is potentially crucial for understanding the rupture process and the coseismic strength of faults. Here we explore the transition experimentally using a commercial torsional rheometer. We measure the thickness of a steady shear flow at velocities between 10−3 and 102 cm/s, at very low normal stress (7 kPa), and observe that thickness is reduced at intermediate velocities (0.1–10 cm/s) for angular particles, but not for smooth glass beads. The maximum reduction in thickness is on the order of 10% of the active shear zone thickness, and scales with the amplitude of shear‐generated acoustic vibration. By examining the response to externally applied vibration, we show that the thinning reflects a feedback between internally generated acoustic vibration and granular rheology. We link this phenomenon to acoustic compaction of a dilated granular medium, and formulate an empirical model for the steady state thickness of a shear‐zone in which shear‐induced dilatation is balanced by a newly identified mechanism we call auto‐acoustic compaction. This mechanism is activated when the acoustic pressure is on the order of the confining pressure, and results in a velocity‐weakening granular flow regime at shear rates four orders of magnitude below those previously associated with the transition out of quasi‐static granular flow. Although the micromechanics of granular deformation may change with greater normal stress, auto‐acoustic compaction should influence the rheology of angular fault gouge at higher stresses, as long as the gouge has nonzero porosity during shear.
Is the C:N:P stoichiometry in soil and soil microbial biomass related to the landscape and land use in southern subtropical China?
Authors: Li Yong , Wu Jinshui , Liu Shoulong , Shen Jianlin , Huang Daoyou , Su Yirong , Wei Wenxue , Syers J. Keith
Published: September 2012

Does the soil microbial biomass (SMB) in terrestrial ecosystems present well‐ constrained atomic carbon:nitrogen:phosphorus (C:N:P) ratios, analogous to the planktonic biomass in marine ecosystems? How do soil microbes respond to changes in the soil environment in terms of their elemental stoichiometry? Following up on the work of Cleveland and Liptzin (2007), we examined the stoichiometry of C, N and P in the soil and SMB and their relationships at both the landscape and land‐use levels in subtropical terrestrial ecosystems. 1,069 soil samples were collected at a depth of 0–20 cm from three typical landscapes (a karst mountain, a low hill and a lowland) in southern subtropical China. The landscapes presented various land‐use types (e.g., paddy field, upland, woodland, etc.) and intensities of anthropogenic activity. The samples were analyzed to determine soil organic C, total soil N and total soil P contents as well as SMB C, SMB N and SMB P. On average, atomic C:N:P ratios of 80:7.9:1 in the soil and 70.2:6:1 in the SMB were obtained for the region. A clear descending trend of the soil C:N:P ratios (not the SMB C:N:P ratios) was observed across the three landscapes in the order: karst mountain > low hill > lowland. Although significant variations primarily related to human activities were observed in the soil and SMB atomic C:N:P ratios across the landscapes and land‐use types, a significant correlation (r = 0.56,p< 0.001) was found between the soil and SMB C:P ratios in the entire data set; however, the correlation for the comparable N:P ratios was not evident. Significant correlations between the soil and SMB C:N, C:P and even N:P ratios (mainly in the woodland) were also observed variably at the finer level of the landscape or land‐use. The tendency for a C:N:P stoichiometric relationship to exist between microbes and the soil environment found in this study might suggest possible non‐homeostasis of elemental stoichiometry in the SMB of the terrestrial ecosystems in southern subtropical China.
The role of frictional strength on plate coupling at the subduction interface
Authors: Tan Eh , Lavier Luc L. , Van Avendonk Harm J. A. , Heuret Arnauld
Published: September 2012

At a subduction zone the amount of friction between the incoming plate and the forearc is an important factor in controlling the dip angle of subduction and the structure of the forearc. In this paper, we investigate the role of the frictional strength of sediments and of the serpentinized peridotite on the evolution of convergent margins. In numerical models, we vary thickness of a serpentinized layer in the mantle wedge (15 to 25 km) and the frictional strength of both the sediments and serpentinized mantle (friction angle 1° to 15°, or static friction coefficient 0.017 to 0.27) to control the amount of frictional coupling between the plates. With plastic strain weakening in the lithosphere, our numerical models can attain stable subduction geometry over millions of years. We find that the frictional strength of the sediments and serpentinized peridotite exerts the largest control on the dip angle of the subduction interface at seismogenic depths. In the case of low sediment and serpentinite friction, the subduction interface has a shallow dip, while the subduction zone develops an accretionary prism, a broad forearc high, a deep forearc basin, and a shallow trench. In the high friction case, the subduction interface is steep, the trench is deeper, and the accretionary prism, forearc high and basin are all absent. The resultant free‐air gravity and topographic signature of these subduction zone models are consistent with observations. We believe that the low‐friction model produces a geometry and forearc structure similar to that of accretionary margins. Conversely, models with high friction angles in sediments and serpentinite develop characteristics of an erosional convergent margin. We find that the strength of the subduction interface is critical in controlling the amount of coupling at the seismogenic zone and perhaps ultimately the size of the largest earthquakes at subduction zones.
Long‐term, non‐local coastline responses to local shoreline stabilization
Authors: Ells Kenneth , Murray A. Brad
Published: September 2012

The future of large‐scale coastline evolution will be strongly coupled to human manipulations designed to prevent erosion. We explore the consequences of this coupling using a numerical model for large‐scale coastline evolution to compare the long‐term, non‐local effects of two generalized classes of shoreline stabilization: 1) beach nourishment (the addition of dredged sand to an eroding beach), and 2) hard‐structures (e.g., seawalls, groynes, etc.) which fix the position of the shoreline without adding sand. In centurial model experiments where localized stabilization is maintained in the context of changing climate forcing, both forms of stabilization are found to significantly alter patterns of erosion and accretion at distances up to tens of kilometers. On a cuspate‐cape coastline similar to the North and South Carolina coast, USA, with stabilization applied to the eroding updrift flank of a single cape, perturbations to coastline evolution are qualitatively similar within ∼20 km for each stabilization scenario, though they differ in magnitude both updrift and downdrift of the stabilized shoreline. The “human” signal in coastline change can extend as far as a neighboring cape (approximately 100 km away), but these long‐range effects differ for each scenario. Nourishment resulted in seaward growth of the stabilized cape, increasing the extent that it blocked sediment flux in downdrift regions of the coast through wave shadowing. When stabilized with a hard structure the cape's initial position remain fixed, decreasing wave shadowing.
Statistical adjustment of decadal predictions in a changing climate
Authors: Kharin V. V. , Boer G. J. , Merryfield W. J. , Scinocca J. F. , Lee W.‐S.
Published: September 2012

A method for post‐processing decadal predictions from global climate models that accounts for model deficiencies in representing climate trends is proposed and applied to decadal predictions of annual global mean temperature from the Canadian Centre for Climate Modelling and Analysis climate model. The method, which provides a time‐dependent trend adjustment, reduces residual drifts that remain after applying the standard time‐independent bias correction when the modelled and observed long‐term trends differ. Initialized predictions and uninitialized simulations that share common specified external forcing are analyzed. Trend adjustment substantially reduces forecast errors in both cases and initialization further enhances skill, particularly for the first forecast year.
A late Pleistocene–Mid‐Holocene noble gas and stable isotope climate and subglacial record in southern Michigan
Authors: Castro Maria Clara , Warrier Rohit B. , Hall Chris M. , Lohmann Kyger C.
Published: September 2012

Stable isotopes (δD, δ18O) and 14C derived ages in the Saginaw aquifer in southern Michigan suggest subglacial meltwater contributions from the Laurentide Ice Sheet of up to 36% in the late Pleistocene, following the Last Glacial Maximum. Contributions of up to 74% from previous glaciation periods are observed. Together with the Marshall record [Ma et al., 2004], noble gas temperatures (NGTs) and excess air (EA) from the Saginaw aquifer capture, for the first time, the onset of the Younger Dryas (∼12.9 kyr BP) with a ∼3.3°C cooling accompanied by drier conditions. Mid‐Holocene (MH) climatic shifts are also identified, with warming (∼2.9°C), increased aridity starting at ∼5.4 kyr BP followed by reversal to cooler, humid conditions at ∼4.1 kyr BP. Except for the last MH reversal, the stable isotope record mimics the NGT and EA records. Contrasting trends displayed byδ18O and deuterium‐excess in the last MH reversal suggests enhanced vapor transport from the Gulf of Mexico.
The concept of wave‐turbopause layer and its signature in the global mesosphere‐lower thermospheric gravity wave activity
Authors: John Sherine Rachel , Kishore Kumar Karanam
Published: September 2012

The concept of the ‘wave‐turbopause layer’ is introduced and discussed in this study, which defines the wave‐turbopause as a layer having a lower and upper boundary, where maximum dissipation of atmospheric waves happens. The analysis is carried out using three years of SABER temperature measurements (2004–2006) and seasonal and latitudinal variability of the wave‐turbopause layer is established. On an average, it is found that there is a maximum of ∼5–20 km difference in altitude between the lower and upper boundaries of the wave‐turbopause. Seasonally, the winter hemispheric high latitudes have the highest wave‐turbopause which decreases toward the summer hemisphere with a secondary maximum at the summer hemisphere midlatitude. Moreover, the monthly variability of the wave‐turbopause and mesopause is studied for 50°N, 0° and 50°S latitudes. On global scale, the latitude‐height sections of zonal mean gravity wave potential energy of the MLT region is compared with the wave‐turbopause characteristics. The wave‐turbopause pattern seems to be superposed on the potential energy transition pattern which exposes an intermediate layer sandwiched between low and high magnitudes of potential energy. Thus the present study proposes the concept of the wave‐turbopause layer and substantiates the same by discussing its latitudinal structure, seasonal and monthly variability, correlation with the cold point mesopause and gravity wave potential energy in the MLT region.
Residual currents over a uniform slope due to breaking of internal waves in a two‐layer system
Authors: Nakayama Keisuke , Shintani Tetsuya , Kokubo Kazuki , Kakinuma Taro , Maruya Yasuyuki , Komai Katsuaki , Okada Tomonari
Published: September 2012

Residual currents due to internal wave breaking on a uniform slope were investigated in a two‐layer system using laboratory experiments and numerical computations for different layer configurations. Internal wave‐induced currents over a slope were measured in an experimental tank using PIV and also reproduced by a hydrodynamic model to quantify the detailed velocity field. The present results reveal that the critical level derived from the KdV theorem is a useful parameter for classifying the dynamics of internal waves breaking over a slope. As the horizontal distance from the critical level point to the internal wave breaking point increases, internal waves break more dynamically over the slope. Consequently, residual currents are enhanced near the breaking point. These findings increase our capacity to understand flux paths of biological and chemical substances in the stratified coastal ocean.
Effects of cloud horizontal inhomogeneity and drizzle on remote sensing of cloud droplet effective radius: Case studies based on large‐eddy simulations
Authors: Zhang Zhibo , Ackerman Andrew S. , Feingold Graham , Platnick Steven , Pincus Robert , Xue Huiwen
Published: September 2012

This study investigates effects of drizzle and cloud horizontal inhomogeneity on cloud effective radius (re) retrievals from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). In order to identify the relative importance of various factors, we developed a MODIS cloud property retrieval simulator based on the combination of large‐eddy simulations (LES) and radiative transfer computations. The case studies based on synthetic LES cloud fields indicate that at high spatial resolution (∼100 m) 3‐D radiative transfer effects, such as illumination and shadowing, can induce significant differences between retrievals ofre based on reflectance at 2.1 μm (re,2.1) and 3.7 μm (re,3.7). It is also found that 3‐D effects tend to have stronger impact onre,2.1 than re,3.7, leading to positive difference between the two (Δre,3.7−2.1) from illumination and negative Δre,3.7−2.1from shadowing. The cancellation of opposing 3‐D effects leads to overall reasonable agreement betweenre,2.1 and re,3.7 at high spatial resolution as far as domain averages are concerned. At resolutions similar to MODIS, however, re,2.1 is systematically larger than re,3.7when averaged over the LES domain, with the difference exhibiting a threshold‐like dependence on bothre,2.1and an index of the sub‐pixel variability in reflectance (Hσ), consistent with MODIS observations. In the LES cases studied, drizzle does not strongly impact reretrievals at either wavelength. It is also found that opposing 3‐D radiative transfer effects partly cancel each other when cloud reflectance is aggregated from high spatial resolution to MODIS resolution, resulting in a weaker net impact of 3‐D radiative effects onre retrievals. The large difference at MODIS resolution between re,3.7 and re,2.1 for highly inhomogeneous pixels with Hσ> 0.4 can be largely attributed to what we refer to as the “plane‐parallelrebias,” which is attributable to the impact of sub‐pixel level horizontal variability of cloud optical thickness onre retrievals and is greater for re,2.1 than re,3.7. These results suggest that there are substantial uncertainties attributable to 3‐D radiative effects and plane‐parallelre bias in the MODIS re,2.1retrievals for pixels with strong sub‐pixel scale variability, and theHσ index can be used to identify these uncertainties.
Modification of the IR sky temperature under different atmospheric conditions in an arid region in central Saudi Arabia: Experimental and theoretical justification
Authors: Maghrabi A. H.
Published: September 2012

Sky temperatures that were estimated from a single‐channel IR detector over Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, were analyzed from June 2008 to May 2011. The data were divided into three main categories: clear sky, cloudy sky, and dusty conditions. The observation and the research results were as follows. During periods of clear‐sky conditions, it was found that the sky temperatures depend mainly on the atmospheric water content, the screen level temperature, and the suspended aerosol particles in the atmosphere. Under cloudy conditions, the sky temperature ranges between −37°C and 5°C. The mean sky temperatures in this case are higher than those of the clear‐sky conditions by approximately 11°C to 18°C. The radiative properties of cloudy skies depend on the cloud characteristics and the intervening atmosphere between the ground and the cloud base. The sky temperature during dusty conditions ranged between −20°C and 8.5°C. The study showed that dusty conditions increase the atmospheric temperatures by approximately 17°C to 31°C. The sky temperatures during dusty periods are affected by several factors, such as the air mass properties, which bring the dust, and the dust particle characteristics, such as size, shape, and chemical composition, which are initially determined by the sources from which the dust originated. Theoretical simulations using MODTRAN software were used to investigate the atmospheric thermal radiation spectral distributions in the three categories. The results show that the major changes occurred within the atmospheric window (8–14μm).
Introduction to Suomi national polar‐orbiting partnership advanced technology microwave sounder for numerical weather prediction and tropical cyclone applications
Authors: Weng F. , Zou X. , Wang X. , Yang S. , Goldberg M. D.
Published: September 2012

The Suomi National Polar‐orbiting Partnership (NPP) satellite was successfully launched on 28 October 2011. On board the Suomi NPP, the Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS) is a cross‐track scanning instrument and has 22 channels at frequencies ranging from 23 to 183 GHz which allows for probing the atmospheric temperature and moisture under clear and cloudy conditions. ATMS inherited most of the sounding channels from its predecessors: Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit‐A (AMSU‐A) and Microwave Humidity Sounder (MHS) onboard NOAA and MetOp satellites. However, ATMS has a wider scan swath and has no gaps between two consecutive orbits. It includes one new temperature sounding channel and two water vapor sounding channels and provides more details of thermal structures in lower troposphere, especially for the storm conditions such as tropical cyclones. While ATMS temperature sounding channels have shorter integration time and therefore higher noise than AMSU‐A, the ATMS observations from their overlapping field of views are resampled to produce AMSU‐A‐like measurements.
Surface micro‐topography causes hot spots of biogeochemical activity in wetland systems: A virtual modeling experiment
Authors: Frei S. , Knorr K. H. , Peiffer S. , Fleckenstein J. H.
Published: September 2012

Wetlands provide important ecohydrological services by regulating fluxes of nutrients and pollutants to receiving waters, which can in turn mitigate adverse effects on water quality. Turnover of redox‐sensitive solutes in wetlands has been shown to take place in distinct spatial and temporal patterns, commonly referred to as hot spots and hot moments. Despite the importance of such patterns for solute fluxes the mechanistic understanding of their formation is still weak and their existence is often explained by variations in soil properties and diffusive transport only. Here we show that surface micro‐topography in wetlands can cause the formation of biogeochemical hot spots solely by the advective redistribution of infiltrating water as a result of complex subsurface flow patterns. Surface and subsurface flows are simulated for an idealized section of a riparian wetland using a fully integrated numerical code for coupled surface‐subsurface systems. Biogeochemical processes and transport along advective subsurface flow paths are simulated kinetically using the biogeochemical code PHREEQC. Distinct patterns of biogeochemical activity (expressed as reaction rates) develop in response to micro‐topography induced subsurface flow patterns. Simulated vertical pore water profiles for various redox‐sensitive species resemble profiles observed in the field. This mechanistic explanation of hot spot formation complements the more static explanations that relate hot spots solely to spatial variability in soil characteristics and can account for spatial as well as temporal variability of biogeochemical activity, which is needed to assess future changes in the biogeochemical turnover of wetland systems.
Retracted Article: Enhanced adsorption of ionizable aromatic compounds on humic acid-coated carbonaceous adsorbents
Authors: Sun Yubing , Chen Changlun , Shao Dadong , Li Jiaxing , Tan Xiaoli , Zhao Guixia , Yang Shubin , Wang Xiangke
Published: September 2012

Adsorption of ionizable aromatic compounds (IACs) such as 1-naphthylamine and 1-naphthol on Humic acid (HA)-coated graphene oxide nanosheets (GONs), multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), activated carbon (AC), and flake graphite (FG) were investigated by the batch techniques.
Glutathione export from human erythrocytes andPlasmodium falciparummalaria parasites
Authors: Barrand Margery A. , Winterberg Markus , Ng Frances , Nguyen Mai , Kirk Kiaran , Hladky Stephen B.
Published: September 2012

Glutathione export from uninfected human erythrocytes was compared with that from cells infected with the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum using two separate methods that distinguish between oxidized (GSSG) and reduced (GSH) glutathione. One involved enzymatic recycling with or without thiol-masking; the other involved rapid derivatization followed by HPLC. Glutathione efflux from uninfected erythrocytes under physiological conditions occurred predominantly as GSH. On exposure of the cells to oxidative challenge, efflux of GSSG exceeded that of GSH. Efflux of both species was blocked by MK571, an inhibitor of mammalian multidrug-resistance proteins. Glutathione efflux from parasitized erythrocytes was substantially greater than that from uninfected erythrocytes. Under physiological conditions, the exported species was GSH, whereas under energy-depleted conditions, GSSG efflux occurred. Glutathione export from parasitized cells was inhibited partially by MK571 and more so by furosemide, an inhibitor of the ‘new permeability pathways’ induced by the parasite in the host erythrocyte membrane. Efflux from isolated parasites occurred as GSH. On exposure to oxidative challenge, this GSH efflux decreased, but no GSSG export was detected. These results are consistent with the view that the parasite supplies its host erythrocyte with GSH, much of which is exported from the infected cell via parasite-induced pathways.
An archaeal protein evolutionarily conserved in prokaryotes is a zinc-dependent metalloprotease
Authors: Hu Yongmei , Peng Nan , Han Wenyuan , Mei Yuxia , Chen Zhengjun , Feng Xu , Liang Yun Xiang , She Qunxin
Published: September 2012

A putative protease gene (tldD) was previously identified from studying tolerance of letD encoding the CcdB toxin of a toxin–antidote system of the F plasmid in Escherichia coli. While this gene is evolutionarily conserved in archaea and bacteria, the proteolytic activity of encoded proteins remained to be demonstrated experimentally. Here we studied Sso0660, an archaeal TldD homologue encoded in Sulfolobus solfataricus by overexpression of the recombinant protein and characterization of the purified enzyme. We found that the enzyme is active in degrading azocasein and FITC–BSA substrates. Protease inhibitor studies showed that EDTA and o-phenanthroline, two well-known metalloprotease inhibitors, either abolished completely or strongly inhibited the enzyme activity, and flame spectrometric analysis showed that a zinc ion is a cofactor of the protease. Furthermore, the protein forms disulfide bond via the Cys416 residue, yielding protein dimer that is the active form of the enzyme. These results establish for the first time that tidD genes encode zinc-containing proteases, classifying them as a family in the metalloprotease class.
Upregulation of iHsp70 by mild heat shock protects rabbit myogenic stem cells: involvement of JNK signalling and c‐Jun
Authors: Bironaite Daiva , Pivoriunas Augustas , Venalis Algirdas
Published: September 2012

iHsp70 [inducible Hsp70 (heat‐shock protein 70)] family members (iHsp70, Hsp72 and Hsp70) are highly conserved proteins that act as molecular chaperones and promote cell survival during various forms of stress. Our data indicate that cultured adult rabbit myoblasts do not express iHsp70 under normal growth conditions, although increased expression was detectable 0.5–72 h following a 42°C heat shock for 15–60 min. The intracellular iHsp70 level reached a maximum 8 h after onset of the heat shock, which correlated with its increased accumulation in nuclei. Inhibition of iHsp70 expression by quercetin showed that sustained activation of JNK (c‐Jun N‐terminal kinase) 2 and suppression of c‐Jun phosphorylation were responsible for myoblast death after heat shock. The data also demonstrate that activation of transcription factor c‐Jun depends mostly on JNK1, whereas JNK2 had higher affinity and was translocated to nuclei together with c‐Jun. We have also shown that the JNK signalling pathway is an upstream effect of iHsp70 expression. These findings provide further in‐depth understanding of the implication of the pro‐survival signalling kinases JNK1 and JNK2 and their target, c‐Jun, in expression of iHsp70 and regulation of myogenic stem cell survival and death mechanisms after heat shock. Mild heat shock before transplantation might be a way of improving myogenic stem cell survival.
Communication Strategy Training for Caregivers of Individuals With Dementia
Authors: Mason-Baughman Mary Beth , Lander Andrew
Published: September 2012

Researchers in this study investigated the perceptions of 14 professional and family caregivers regarding 11 communication strategies to use during interactions with individuals with dementia. The results showed that 10 of the strategies were frequently reported in the literature for caregivers of individuals with dementia (Small, Gutman, Saskia, & Hillhouse, 2003). The investigators added a final strategy that focused on using pictures, books, and props during interactions and planning/structuring interactions. Caregivers completed questionnaires before and after training to rate the importance and frequency of use of each strategy. Caregivers then participated in a training session led by the investigators that included a verbal and written explanation of each strategy and a description of why using the strategy would help to improve communication interactions. Comparisons of pretraining to posttraining questionnaires showed that most caregivers did not use materials such as books, pictures, magazines, and games during communication interactions and did not try to plan for visits/interactions pretraining; posttraining, however, most caregivers responded that they would frequently use materials and plan for interactions.
Effect of solvent quality on the dispersibility of polymer-grafted spherical nanoparticles in polymer solutions
Authors: Egorov S. A. , Binder K.
Published: September 2012

In this work, lattice-based self consistent field theory is used to study the structural properties of individual polymer-grafted spherical nanopartices and particle-particle interactions in polymer melts and solutions under variable solvent conditions. Our study has focused on the depth of the minimum in the potential of mean force between the two brush-coated nanoparticles, if such a minimum occurs, and we have also addressed the corresponding radial density profiles of free and grafted chains around a single nanoparticle, in an attempt to clarify the extent of correlation between the depth of the minimum, Wmin, and the parameter δ characterizing the interpenetration between the profiles of free and grafted chains. Although one cannot establish a simple one-to-one correspondence between Wmin and δ, we do find common trends, in particular, if the solvent conditions for free and grafted chains differ: varying the volume fraction of the free chains, δ typically exhibits a broad minimum, corresponding to a region where the magnitude of Wmin exceeds thermal energy kBT, leading to particle aggregation.
Magnetic properties of current-annealed amorphous thin films
Authors: Coïsson M. , Barrera G. , Celegato F. , Martino L. , Tiberto P. , Vinai F. , Allia P.
Published: September 2012

An annealing technique based on electrical current heating is extended from the case of metallic ribbons to thin films, by taking into account the role of thermal dissipation played by the film substrate. It has been employed in order to study the evolution of the magnetic properties with increasing annealing current intensity, and thus annealing temperature, of amorphous Fe-Co-Nb-Si-P-B thin films. Results are compared with conventionally annealed samples, treated in furnace at similar temperatures. Joule heating turns out to be more effective in softening the magnetic properties of the studied alloy in thin film form, with respect to furnace annealing. Additionally, Joule heating (performed at low current intensities) is able to promote the development of a spin reorientation transition in the studied film, which results in the appearance of a transcritical hysteresis loop and a dense stripe domain configuration.
Development of nondestructive non-contact acousto-thermal evaluation technique for damage detection in materials
Authors: Sathish Shamachary , Welter John T. , Jata Kumar V. , Schehl Norman , Boehnlein Thomas
Published: September 2012

This paper presents the development of a new non-contact acousto-thermal signature (NCATS) nondestructive evaluation technique. The physical basis of the method is the measurement of the efficiency of the material to convert acoustic energy into heat, and a theoretical model has been used to evaluate this. The increase in temperature due to conversion of acoustic energy injected into the material without direct contact was found to depend on the thermal and elastic properties of the material. In addition, it depends on the experimental parameters of the acoustic source power, the distance between sample and acoustic source, and the period of acoustic excitation. Systematic experimental approaches to optimize each of the experimental variables to maximize the observed temperature changes are described. The potential of the NCATS technique to detect microstructural-level changes in materials is demonstrated by evaluating accumulated damage due to plasticity in Ti-6Al-4V and low level thermal damage in polymer matrix composites. The ability of the technique for macroscopic applications in nondestructive evaluation is demonstrated by imaging a crack in an aluminum test sample.
Water dissociation on Cu (111): Effects of molecular orientation, rotation, and vibration on reactivity
Authors: Mondal Arobendo , Seenivasan H. , Tiwari Ashwani K.
Published: September 2012

Three-dimensional time-dependent quantum mechanical method has been used to study the influence of orientation, rotation, and vibration on the dissociation of water molecule on Cu(111) surface, using London–Eyring–Polanyi–Sato potential energy surface. Our calculations show that dependency of dissociation probability on the initial orientation of the molecule changes with the vibrational state of the molecule. It has also been found that for v0 = 0 and 1, where v0 stands for the vibrational state of the pseudo diatomic HO–H, the rotational excitation of the molecule increases the reactivity, whereas for v0 = 2, the rotational excitation of the molecule decreases the reactivity. Vibrational excitation of the molecule greatly enhances the dissociation probability.
Equilibrium molecular dynamics determination of thermal conductivity for multi-component systems
Authors: Babaei Hasan , Keblinski Pawel , Khodadadi Jay M.
Published: September 2012

We perform the equilibrium molecular dynamics (EMD) determination of thermal conductivity via the Green-Kubo method for several multi-component systems including gas and liquid mixtures, solid nanoparticle liquid suspension (nanofluids), and a solid alloy. The results are compared against those obtained with the application of the heat source and sink and determination of thermal conductivity from non-equilibrium molecular dynamics (NEMD) and the Fourier's Law. We demonstrate that the proper definition of the heat current in the equilibrium simulations leads to the consistency between the results obtained using the equilibrium and non-equilibrium simulations. In particular, EMD simulations, in agreement with NEMD results, do not predict any significant thermal conductivity enhancement for well-dispersed nanofluids.
Quantification of interfacial state density (Dit) at the high-k/III-V interface based on Hall effect measurements
Authors: Veksler D. , Nagaiah P. , Chidambaram T. , Cammarere R. , Tokranov V. , Yakimov M. , Chen Y.-T. , Huang J. , Goel N. , Oh J. , Bersuker G. , Hobbs C. , Kirsch P. D. , Oktyabrsky S.
Published: September 2012

In this work, we propose a method to quantify the density of interfacial states at the oxide/semiconductor interface using only Hall concentration and low frequency capacitance-voltage data. We discuss the advantages of the proposed method over commonly used admittance techniques in characterizing highly disordered interfaces between the high-k dielectric and high mobility substrates. This gated Hall method is employed to characterize high-k/IIIV interface quality in metal-oxide semiconductor high electron mobility transistor structures with high mobility InGaAs channels.
Frequency and amplitude stabilized terahertz quantum cascade laser as local oscillator
Authors: Ren Y. , Hayton D. J. , Hovenier J. N. , Cui M. , Gao J. R. , Klapwijk T. M. , Shi S. C. , Kao T.-Y. , Hu Q. , Reno J. L.
Published: September 2012

We demonstrate an experimental scheme to simultaneously stabilize the frequency and amplitude of a 3.5 THz third-order distributed feedback quantum cascade laser as a local oscillator. The frequency stabilization has been realized using a methanol absorption line, a power detector, and a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) loop. The amplitude stabilization of the incident power has been achieved using a swing-arm voice coil actuator as a fast optical attenuator, using the direct detection output of a superconducting mixer in combination with a 2nd PID loop. Improved Allan variance times of the entire receiver, as well as the heterodyne molecular spectra, are demonstrated.
Morphology dependence of radial elasticity in multiwalled boron nitride nanotubes
Authors: Chiu H.-C. , Kim S. , Klinke C. , Riedo E.
Published: September 2012

We report on the measurement of the radial modulus of boron nitride nanotubes (BN-NTs) with various sizes and thicknesses. These BN-NTs are radially much stiffer than previously reported thinner and smaller BN-NTs. Here, we show the key role of the morphology of the nanotubes in determining their radial rigidity; in particular, we find that the external and internal radii, Rext and Rint, have a stronger influence on the radial modulus than the nanotube’s thickness. The radial modulus decreases nonlinearly with 1/Rext until reaching, for a large number of layers and a large radius, the transverse elastic modulus of bulk h-BN.
Development of time sensitivity: Duration ratios in time bisection
Authors: Droit-Volet Sylvie , Zélanti Pierre
Published: September 2012

This study investigated the development of children's abilities to discriminate durations as a function of their ratio and examined whether the ability to discriminate durations that differed by a very difficult ratio is related to the development of attention capacities. Children aged 5 and 8 years, as well as adults, performed a series of temporal bisection tasks with a ratio between the short and the long anchor duration that was changed to control the difficulty of the task (5:6, 2:3, and 1:2) in two duration ranges (<1 s and >3 s). In addition, they completed neuropsychological tests in order to assess their short-term memory, working memory, and visual attention abilities. The results showed that, at ratios of 2:3 and 1:2, most participants were able to discriminate the anchor durations in bisection. However, their sensitivity to time improved, whatever the duration range, both as the distance between the anchor durations increased and with increasing age. For the smallest duration ratio (5:6), few of the children were able to discriminate the anchor durations in the bisection task in comparison to adults. Hierarchical regression analyses performed on the neuropsychological tests revealed that, for the 2:3 ratio between anchor durations, the participants' visual attention scores explained a large part of the variance in time sensitivity. The children's lower temporal sensitivity was probably due to their limited visual attention abilities, thus explaining the difficulty they experienced in discriminating very close durations (5:6).