bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Synthesis in living cells with the assistance of supramolecular nanocarriers
Authors: Ragab Sherif Shaban , Thapaliya Ek Raj , Zhang Yang , Tang Sicheng , McMahan Jeffrey Blye , Syed Sheyum , Captain Burjor , Raymo Françisco M.
Published: March 2016

Supramolecular nanocarriers transport complementary reactants inside living cells in consecutive internalization steps to allow their reaction exclusively in the intracellular space with the formation of a fluorescent product.
Design of hybrid heterocyclic systems with a furoxanylpyridine core via tandem hetero-Diels–Alder/retro-Diels–Alder reactions of (1,2,4-triazin-3-yl)furoxans
Authors: Fershtat Leonid L. , Larin Alexander A. , Epishina Margarita A. , Ovchinnikov Igor V. , Kulikov Alexander S. , Ananyev Ivan V. , Makhova Nina N.
Published: March 2016

Synthetic strategy for the synthesis of hybrid heterocyclic systems with the furoxanylpyridine core based on the tandem hetero-Diels–Alder/retro-Diels–Alder reactions of (1,2,4-triazin-3-yl)furoxans with enamine and norbornadiene has been developed.
Polypyrrole-promoted superior cyclability and rate capability of NaxFe[Fe(CN)6] cathodes for sodium-ion batteries
Authors: Tang Yang , Zhang Wuxing , Xue Lihong , Ding Xuli , Wang Ting , Liu Xiaoxiao , Liu Jing , Li Xiaocheng , Huang Yunhui
Published: March 2016

The Fe-HCF@PPy composite exhibits superior rate capability and improved cycling stability because of the effects from PPy as both an electronic conductor and a surface protective layer.
A graphene oxide-wrapped bipyramidal sulfur@polyaniline core–shell structure as a cathode for Li–S batteries with enhanced electrochemical performance
Authors: Zhang Kailong , Xu Yanhua , Lu Yue , Zhu Yongchun , Qian Yuying , Wang Danfeng , Zhou Jianbin , Lin Ning , Qian Yitai
Published: March 2016

Composites of the graphene oxide-wrapped bipyramidal sulfur@polyaniline core–shell structure have been prepared and investigated as cathodes for Li–S batteries.
Fabrication of a porous ZnRh2O4 photocathode for photoelectrochemical water splitting under visible light irradiation and a significant effect of surface modification by ZnO necking treatment
Authors: Kamimura Sunao , Higashi Masanobu , Abe Ryu , Ohno Teruhisa
Published: March 2016

A porous ZnRh2O4 electrode was fabricated by an electrophoretic deposition method on a fluorine-doped tin oxide substrate, and photoelectrochemical water splitting under visible light irradiation (λ > 420 nm) was performed.
Reorganization of self-assembled supramolecular materials controlled by hydrogen bonding and hydrophilic–lipophilic balance
Authors: Yang Pei-Pei , Zhao Xiao-Xiao , Xu An-Ping , Wang Lei , Wang Hao
Published: March 2016

The process ofin situmorphology transformation of the polymeric peptide (BKP) from nanoparticles to nanofibers controlled by H-bonds and hydrophobic interactions is explored. Increasing hydrophilic chain length of the molecule accelerates the morphology transformation.
Sub-10 nm copper chromium oxide nanocrystals as a solution processed p-type hole transport layer for organic photovoltaics
Authors: Wang Jian , Lee Yun-Ju , Hsu Julia W. P.
Published: March 2016

Solution processed <10 nm CuCrO2 nanocrystals are demonstrated as an efficient p-type hole transport layer for organic photovoltaic devices.
Gold nanoparticles as an ultrathin scattering layer for efficient dye-sensitized solar cells
Authors: Zhang Lu , Wang Zhong-Sheng
Published: March 2016

Gold nanoparticles of various sizes have been prepared and deposited on top of the TiO2 film in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) in order to enhance the light harvesting efficiency.
Simple fault‐tolerant method to balance load in network‐on‐chip
Authors: Xie Ruilian , Cai Jueping , Xin Xin
Published: March 2016

A fault‐tolerant odd–even (FTOE) turn model and load‐balancing multi‐router fault‐tolerant (LBMF) routing method that do not use virtual channels for mesh network‐on‐chip (NoC) are presented. Applying FTOE rules and routing packets around faulty regions in advance, LBMF balances the load around the faulty regions, and then the fault‐tolerant paths are shortened. Simulation results show that LBMF's network injection rate can be improved than related works by 25, 40% for 16 × 16 mesh and in the presence of 20 faults.
Low‐delay AES polynomial basis multiplier
Authors: Imaña J.L.
Published: March 2016

In this Letter, an efficient implementation of the bit‐parallel polynomial basis (PB) multiplier over the binary field GF(28) generated by the type I irreducible pentanomial f(y) = y8 + y4 + y3 + y + 1 is presented. This pentanomial is especially important because it is used in the advanced encryption standard (AES). Therefore, any optimisation of the multiplier complexity over this finite field is very relevant because efficient AES implementation can be obtained. The bit‐parallel multiplier here presented has the lowest delay known to date for similar multipliers based on this irreducible pentanomial.
Design of optimised multiple partial recovery LT codes
Authors: Liao Jianxin , Zhang Lei , Li Tonghong , Wang Jingyu , Qi Qi
Published: March 2016

Existing rateless codes have a very low intermediate symbol recovery rate. Therefore, a new analysis method named iterative and small degree first (I‐SDF) is presented for the design of optimised partial recovery Luby transform codes (PR‐LTC) in this study. On the basis of I‐SDF, the required number of encoded symbols with degree d in each decoding step is calculated by an iterative optimisation algorithm. Under the proposed design, R(R < k) input symbols can be recovered from as few encoded symbols as possible in PR‐LTC with message length k. Furthermore, multiple PR‐LTC (M‐PR‐LTC) is proposed to recover several partial recovery point (PRPs) efficiently. The analysis process is divided into multiple stages, and the required number of encoded symbols with degree d in each decoding step is calculated by a cross‐stage iterative optimisation algorithm. In addition, the interaction of each stage is adjusted by introducing a weight for each PRP. The PR‐LTC and M‐PR‐LTC are evaluated and compared with the existing schemes. The simulation results demonstrate that PR‐LTC and M‐PR‐LTC outperform other existing schemes in terms of average overhead, average degree of encoded symbols, memory usage, bit error rate and energy consumption.
Facial video‐based detection of physical fatigue for maximal muscle activity
Authors: Haque Mohammad A. , Irani Ramin , Nasrollahi Kamal , Moeslund Thomas B.
Published: March 2016

Physical fatigue reveals the health condition of a person at, for example, health checkup, fitness assessment, or rehabilitation training. This study presents an efficient non‐contact system for detecting non‐localised physical fatigue from maximal muscle activity using facial videos acquired in a realistic environment with natural lighting where subjects were allowed to voluntarily move their head, change their facial expression, and vary their pose. The proposed method utilises a facial feature point tracking method by combining a ‘good feature to track’ and a ‘supervised descent method’ to address the challenges that originate from realistic scenario. A face quality assessment system was also incorporated in the proposed system to reduce erroneous results by discarding low quality faces that occurred in a video sequence due to problems in realistic lighting, head motion, and pose variation. Experimental results show that the proposed system outperforms video‐based existing system for physical fatigue detection.
Three‐dimensional, ultra‐wideband micromachined millimetre‐wave hemispherical shell antenna: theoretical concept and calibration
Authors: Mirbeik Amir , Tavassoli Vahid , Ayazi Farrokh , Tavassolian Negar
Published: March 2016

This study presents a theoretical design study of a novel three‐dimensional micromachined hemispherical shell antenna for ultra‐wideband millimetre‐wave imaging applications. The antenna is composed of a hemispherical metallic shell which is suspended on top of a high‐resistivity silicon substrate using a thin silicon stem. The antenna exhibits two different operational modes and an exceptionally wide bandwidth of more than 80 GHz at the centre frequency of 120 GHz. Simulation results indicate that the antenna performance is highly sensitive to geometrical variations and hence to fabrication inaccuracies. Performing a complete sensitivity analysis using full‐wave simulations requires numerous simulation steps and is therefore time‐intensive and impractical. This study provides closed‐form solutions for all performance metrics of the antenna, followed by a comprehensive theoretical‐based sensitivity analysis for evaluating the effects of fabrication imperfections on its bandwidth. The antenna structure is then calibrated for ultra‐wideband operations and low sensitivities to fabrication inaccuracies.
Circularly polarised half E‐shaped patch antenna: a compact and fabrication‐friendly design
Authors: Kovitz Joshua M. , Rajagopalan Harish , Rahmat‐Samii Yahya
Published: March 2016

Supporting circular polarisation in single‐layer, single‐feed, compact patch antennas is a challenging task, especially when improved bandwidths are required. The difficulty lies in simultaneously obtaining good axial ratio (AR) and impedance matching performance over the required bandwidth. Several broadband,thick‐substrate circularly polarised (CP) patch designs have appeared in the literature, but their complex fabrication might not be suitable for harsh environments requiring mechanical simplicity or for high‐frequency applications at X‐band or higher. In this study, the authors propose a novel solution to this problem: the CP half E‐shaped patch antenna. This antenna is able to utilise thick substrates to meet the bandwidth requirements of many potential applications. Furthermore, the design can be fabricated on a single‐layer and uses reasonably sized gaps and line widths, making for a fabrication‐friendly design. Their design example shows 5.3% AR and impedance matching bandwidth at a thickness near a tenth of a wavelength. The S11 < − 10 dB bandwidth is 35%. Their particular design example has dimensions that fit within 45% × 39% of a free‐space wavelength. Furthermore, they provide an important comparison discussing the differences in operation between the linearly polarised half E‐shaped patch, CP E‐shaped patch, and CP half E‐shaped patch.
Non‐parametric detector in non‐homogeneous clutter environments with knowledge‐aided permutation test
Authors: Zhang Xuwang , Sun Jinping , Lu Songtao , Wang Guohua
Published: March 2016

In this study, a new kind of knowledge‐aided (KA) permutation test (PT) detector is proposed for the problem of performance deterioration of the PT in complex non‐homogeneous clutter environments. The proposed detector consists of two parts, a data selector and a conventional PT. The data selector uses the geographic information system (GIS) to select the reference cells which have similar clutter characteristics with the cell under test. Samples from the reference cells selected by the data selector are used to determine the detection threshold of the PT. Because the PT is a non‐parametric method, the proposed detector can maintain a constant false alarm rate without knowing the clutter's distribution type, which is very important in complex clutter environments. Considering the computation complexity of the PT, the authors also provide an implementation algorithm for the PT called ‘valid strategy method’, which is more efficient than the direct calculation method. In order to prove the excellent performance of the KA‐PT detector, this detector is compared with some conventional detectors in terms of the false‐alarm number and detection probability with the real data collected by IPIX radar. The results show that incorporating the non‐parametric method with the prior GIS can significantly improve detectors’ performance in practice.
Minimum steering node set of complex networks and its applications to biomolecular networks
Authors: Wu Lin , Li Min , Wang Jianxin , Wu Fang‐Xiang
Published: March 2016

Many systems of interests in practices can be represented as complex networks. For biological systems, biomolecules do not perform their functions alone but interact with each other to form so‐called biomolecular networks. A system is said to be controllable if it can be steered from any initial state to any other final state in finite time. The network controllability has become essential to study the dynamics of the networks and understand the importance of individual nodes in the networks. Some interesting biological phenomena have been discovered in terms of the structural controllability of biomolecular networks. Most of current studies investigate the structural controllability of networks in notion of the minimum driver node sets (MDSs). In this study, the authors analyse the network structural controllability in notion of the minimum steering node sets (MSSs). They first develop a graph‐theoretic algorithm to identify the MSS for a given network and then apply it to several biomolecular networks. Application results show that biomolecules identified in the MSSs play essential roles in corresponding biological processes. Furthermore, the application results indicate that the MSSs can reflect the network dynamics and node importance in controlling the networks better than the MDSs.
Electrical lysis of cells for detergent-free droplet assays
Authors: de Lange N. , Tran T. M. , Abate A. R.
Published: March 2016

Efficient lysis is critical when analyzing single cells in microfluidic droplets, but existing methods utilize detergents that can interfere with the assays to be performed. We demonstrate robust cell lysis without the use of detergents or other chemicals. In our method, cells are exposed to electric field immediately before encapsulation in droplets, resulting in cell lysis. We characterize lysis efficiency as a function of control parameters and demonstrate compatibility with enzymatic assays by measuring the catalysis of β-glucosidase, an important cellulase used in the conversion of biomass to biofuel. Our method enables assays in microfluidic droplets that are incompatible with detergents.
Effect of humidity on contact electrification due to collision between spherical particles
Authors: Xie L. , Bao N. , Jiang Y. , Zhou J.
Published: March 2016

This paper reports an experimental study of the contact electrification (CE) that happens when glass spheres of identical materials collide under different ambient relative humidity (RH) conditions. The experimental results indicate that the net charge on a sphere from a single collision is significantly altered by varying the RH level; the charge increases with increasing RH at low humidity, and then decreases at high RH conditions. The net charge reaches a maximum in the 20%–40% RH range. To explain the dependence of the CE on RH, we propose a model which yields predictions in agreement with the experimental data. The model also reveals how CE can be affected by temperature and surface absorption energy.
Raman scattering of 2H-MoS2 at simultaneous high temperature and high pressure (up to 600 K and 18.5 GPa)
Authors: Jiang JianJun , Li HePing , Dai LiDong , Hu HaiYing , Zhao ChaoShuai
Published: March 2016

The Raman spectroscopy of natural molybdenite powder was investigated at simultaneous conditions of high temperature and high pressure in a heatable diamond anvil cell (DAC), to obtain the temperature and pressure dependence of the main Raman vibrational modes (E1g,E2g1,A1g, and 2LA(M)). Over our experimental temperature and pressure range (300–600 K and 1 atm−18.5 GPa), the Raman modes follow a systematic blue shift with increasing pressure, and red shift with increasing temperature. The results were calculated by three-variable linear fitting. The mutual correlation index of temperature and pressure indicates that the pressure may reduce the temperature dependence of Raman modes. New Raman bands due to structural changes emerged at about 3–4 GPa lower than seen in previous studies; this may be caused by differences in the pressure hydrostaticity and shear stress in the sample cell that promote the interlayer sliding.
Highly improved photo-induced bias stability of sandwiched triple layer structure in sol-gel processed fluorine-doped indium zinc oxide thin film transistor
Authors: Kim Dongha , Park Hyungjin , Bae Byeong-Soo
Published: March 2016

In order to improve the reliability of TFT, an Al2O3 insulating layer is inserted between active fluorine doped indium zinc oxide (IZO:F) thin films to form a sandwiched triple layer. All the thin films were fabricated via low-cost sol-gel process. Due to its large energy bandgap and high bonding energy with oxygen atoms, the Al2O3 layer acts as a photo-induced positive charge blocking layer that effectively blocks the migration of both holes and V o2+ toward the interface between the gate insulator and the semiconductor. The inserted Al2O3 triple layer exhibits a noticeably low turn on voltage shift of −0.7 V under NBIS as well as the good TFT performance with a mobility of 10.9 cm2/V ⋅ s. We anticipate that this approach can be used to solve the stability issues such as NBIS, which is caused by inescapable oxygen vacancies.
Concerning an analytical solution of some families of Kepler’s transcendental equation
Authors: Perovich Slavica M. , Calasan Martin , Kovac Drasko , Tosic Ivana
Published: March 2016

The problem of finding an analytical solution of some families of Kepler transcendental equation is studied in some detail, by the Special Trans Functions Theory – STFT. Thus, the STFT mathematical approach in the form of STFT iterative methods with a novel analytical solutions are presented. Structure of the STFT solutions, numerical results and graphical simulations confirm the validity of the basic principle of the STFT. In addition, the obtained analytical results are compared with the calculated values of other analytical methods for alternative proving its significance. Undoubtedly, the proposed novel analytical approach implies qualitative improvement in comparison with conventional numerical and analytical methods.
Magnetic and optical properties of Mn-doped ZnO vertically aligned nanorods synthesized by hydrothermal technique
Authors: Panda J. , Sasmal I. , Nath T. K.
Published: March 2016

In this paper we have reported the synthesis of high quality vertically aligned undoped and Mn-doped ZnO single crystalline nanorods arrays on Si (100) substrates using two steps process, namely, initial slow seed layer formation followed by solution growth employing wet chemical hydrothermal method. The shapes of the as grown single crystalline nanorods are hexagonal. The diameter and length of the as grown undoped ZnO nanorods varies in the range of 80-150 nm and 1.0 - 1.4 μm, respectively. Along with the lattice parameters of the hexagonal crystal structure, the diameter and length of Mn doped ZnO nanorods are found to increase slightly as compared to the undoped ZnO nanorods. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirms the presence of Mn atoms in Mn2+ state in the single crystalline ZnO nanorods. The recorded photoluminescence spectrum contains two emissions peaks having UV exciton emissions along with a green-yellow emission. The green-yellow emissions provide the evidence of singly ionized oxygen vacancies. The magnetic field dependent magnetization measurements [M (H)] and zero field cooled (ZFC) and field cooled (FC) magnetization [M(T)] measurements have been carried out at different isothermal conditions in the temperature range of 5-300 K. The Mn doped ZnO nanorods clearly show room temperature ferromagnetic ordering near room temperature down to 5 K. The observed magnetization may be attributed to the long range ferromagnetic interaction between bound magnetic polarons led by singly charged oxygen vacancies.
Effect of W addition on the electrical switching of VO2 thin films
Authors: Rajeswaran Bharathi , Umarji Arun M.
Published: March 2016

Vanadium Oxide has been a frontrunner in the field of oxide electronics because of its metal-insulator transition (MIT). The interplay of different structures of VO2 has played a crucial role in deciding the magnitude of the first order MIT. Substitution doping has been found to introduce different polymorphs of VO2. Hence the role of substitution doping in stabilizing the competing phases of VO2 in the thin film form remains underexplored. Consequently there have been reports both discounting and approving such a stabilization of competing phases in VO2. It is reported in the literature that the bandwidth of the hysteresis and transition temperature of VO2 can be tuned by substitutional doping of VO2 with W. In this work, we have adopted a novel technique called, Ultrasonic Nebulized Spray Pyrolysis of Aqueous Combustion Mixture (UNSPACM) to deposit VO2 and W- doped VO2 as thin films. XRD and Raman spectroscopy were used to investigate the role of tungsten on the structure of VO2 thin films. Morphology of the thin films was found to be consisting of globular and porous nanoparticles of size ∼ 20nm. Transition temperature decreased with the addition of W. We found that for 2.0 at % W doping in VO2, the transition temperature has reduced from 68 o C to 25 o C. It is noted that W-doping in the process of reducing the transition temperature, alters the local structure and also increases room temperature carrier concentration.
Can feeding the broiler breeder improve chick quality and offspring performance?
Authors: Chang A. , Halley J. , Silva M.
Published: March 2016

The impact of nutrition on the performance of broiler breeders in terms of bodyweight profile, egg production, egg size and shell quality, mortality, fertility and hatchability has been well documented. However, studies on the direct effects of breeder nutrition on subsequent chick quality and offspring performance are limited. The present paper reviews the nutritional factors in broiler breeders that may improve chick quality and progeny performance. Recent research has suggested that the feeding of low crude protein and medium to high energy breeder diets in both rearing and laying period will not only have a positive impact on egg production, egg size, breeder fertility, hatchability and embryonic livability, but also on offspring performance. Improvements include better chick quality, higher chick weight, lower mortality, increased immune responses, enhanced litter quality and broiler growth. Breast-meat yield in the progeny can be improved as the energy to protein ratio increases from the rearing phase to the laying phase, indicating that nutrition of pullets can also affect growth and yields. The effects of maternal diet on offspring performance may depend on the sex of the progeny, with male broilers responding more than female broilers to breeders’ dietary protein and energy concentrations. However, little work has been conducted on the effects of individual amino acids in breeder diets on the subsequent generation. There seems to be some benefits with the use of long-chain poly-unsaturated fats in breeder diets on carcass quality of offspring, but these effects appear inconsistent at this stage. There is substantial evidence that confirms the direct effects of vitamin D and E, and trace minerals, especially in organic form, such as selenium, zinc and manganese, on chick quality and progeny performance. In fact, the impact of breeder nutrition on progeny performance in the field is more likely to be greater under conditions of poor breeder-flock uniformity, low vitamin and trace mineral contents or certain types of stress in the broiler house.
Development of cecal-predominant microbiota in broilers during a complete rearing using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis
Authors: Blajman J. E. , Zbrun M. V. , Signorini M. L. , Zimmermann J. A. , Rossler E. , Berisvil A. P. , Scharpen A. Romero , Astesana D. M. , Soto L. P. , Frizzo L. S.
Published: March 2016

Understanding of the intestinal microbiota is crucial to enhance intestinal health and performance parameters in animals. A more exhaustive research of the intestinal microbiota of broilers could be of interest to implement appropriate intervention measures. The aim of the present study was to investigate the development of the predominant cecal microbiota in broilers that were fed a Lactobacillus salivarius DSPV 001P strain during a complete rearing using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). Bacterial DNA from cecal samples of 24 broilers at different ages were amplified by PCR and analysed by DGGE. A total of 35 DGGE products were excised and sequenced. Distinctive differences in bacterial communities were observed in the caecum as broilers age. At early stages, identified bacteria within the caecum of broilers were predominantly Clostridium-related species. Also, some sequences had the closest match to the genus Escherichia/Shigella. Furthermore, the caecum was a reservoir rich in uncultured bacteria. The major difference observed in our study was an increase of potentially beneficial Lactobacillus at Day 45. These results may be attributed to modulation of the microbiota by the probiotic supplementation. The obtained data could be relevant for future studies related to the influence of the microbiota resulting from probiotic supplementation on the performance and the immunological parameters of broilers.
Emissions of nitrous oxide, ammonia and methane from Australian layer-hen manure storage with a mitigation strategy applied
Authors: Naylor T. A. , Wiedemann S. G. , Phillips F. A. , Warren B. , McGahan E. J. , Murphy C. M.
Published: March 2016

Greenhouse gas and ammonia emissions are important environmental impacts from manure management in the layer-hen industry. The present study aimed to quantify emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O), methane (CH4) and ammonia (NH3) from layer-hen manure stockpiles, and assess the use of an impermeable cover as an option to mitigate emissions. Gaseous emissions of N2O, CH4 and NH3 were measured using open-path FTIR spectroscopy and the emission strengths were inferred using a backward Lagrangian stochastic model. Emission factors were calculated from the relationship between gaseous emissions and stockpile inputs over a 32-day measurement period. Total NH3 emissions were 5.97 ± 0.399 kg/t (control) and 0.732 ± 0.116 kg/t (mitigation), representing an 88% reduction due to mitigation. Total CH4 emissions from the mitigation stockpile were 0.0832 ± 0.0198 kg/t. Methane emissions from the control and N2O emissions (control and mitigation) were below detection. The mass of each stockpile was 27 820 kg (control) and 25 120 kg (mitigation), with a surface area of ~68 m2 and a volume of ~19 m3. Total manure nitrogen (N) and volatile solids (VS) were 25.2 and 25.8 kg/t N, and 139 and 106 kg/t VS for the control and mitigation stockpiles respectively. Emission factors for NH3 were 24% and 3% of total N for the control and mitigation respectively. Methane from the mitigation stockpile had a CH4 conversion factor of 0.3%. The stockpile cover was found to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 74% compared with the control treatment, primarily via reduced NH3 and associated indirect N2O emissions.
Responses to various protein and energy supplements by steers fed low-quality tropical hay. 1. Comparison of response surfaces for young steers
Authors: McLennan S. R. , Bolam M. J. , Kidd J. F. , Chandra K. A. , Poppi D. P.
Published: March 2016

Response curves were established for different supplements, offered at intakes ranging from 0 to 20 g/kg liveweight (W).day to young Bos indicus crossbred steers fed low-quality Rhodes grass (Chloris gayana) hay ad libitum in two pen experiments. Supplements included protein meals of varying rumen-degradability (cottonseed meal (CSM) or fishmeal), as well as ‘energy sources’ comprising grains of high and low ruminal starch degradability (barley and sorghum) and a highly fermentable sugar source (molasses), with all diets adjusted for rumen-degradable nitrogen and mineral content. Unsupplemented steers gained 0.08 and 0.15 kg/day, in Experiments 1 and 2, respectively. Growth of steers increased linearly with intake of ‘energy source’ supplements in increasing order of molasses, sorghum and barley (all differences P < 0.05). Steer growth rate also increased linearly with fishmeal, albeit over a narrow intake range (0–4.1 g/kg W.day), whereas the response with CSM was asymptotic, showing a steep response at low intake before levelling at ~1.2 kg/day. All supplement types were associated with a linear reduction in hay intake by the steers (energy substitution) where the reduction was greater (P < 0.05) for barley and molasses (not different) than for sorghum (P < 0.05), and for fishmeal compared with CSM (P < 0.05). In concurrent metabolism studies with the same rations, organic matter digestibility of the total ration (561–578 g/kg DM, unsupplemented) was increased linearly by barley and molasses (both P < 0.05) but was unaffected by CSM and sorghum supplements. The efficiency of microbial protein synthesis in steers increased linearly, from 91 g microbial crude protein/kg digestible organic matter (unsupplemented), in both molasses and CSM-supplemented steers, with the trend for a higher response to molasses (P = 0.05), and appeared most closely related to digestible organic matter intake. The response curves from these studies provide the practical framework upon which to formulate rations for cattle grazing low-quality forages.
Capto-Dative Stabilization by Thermal Oxidation of 2-Oxo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyrimidines
Authors: Memarian Hamid R. , Sanchooli Esmael , Rudbari Hadi Amiri , Bruno Giuseppe
Published: March 2016

Various 4,6-diaryl substituted 2-oxo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyrimidines (THPMs) were oxidized to 2-oxo-1,2-dihydropyrimidines (DHPMs) by potassium peroxydisulfate (PPS) in aqueous acetonitrile solution under thermal conditions. Based on the proposed oxidation reaction mechanism by way of a radical, a capto-dative stabilized radical intermediate, among two possible formed double benzylic/allylic radical centres, governs the type of product formed. Whereas the electron-donating nature of the additional methoxy-substituent enhances the rate of oxidation, its attachment to the radical intermediate decreases the radical stability, simultaneously causing the shift of the radical centre to the capto-dative stabilized benzylic radical centre. The data of the density functional theory computational studies concerning the bond lengths to the radical centres and Mulliken population analysis support the results of the experimental work.
From the environment to NMR: water suppression for whole samples in their native state
Authors: Masoom Hussain , Adamo Antonio , Simpson André J.
Published: March 2016

Environmental contextEnvironmental samples are best analysed in their native state, with minimal sample preparation, to fully understand the complex interactions and processes occurring in environmental systems. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy is a powerful tool used to study environmental samples but sample pre-treatment is often required to remove water and improve analysis. We introduce an experimental approach to remove water signals from environmental samples in their natural state, which opens the door to intact sample analysis and more environmentally relevant science.
AbstractStudying environmental samples in their natural state is critical as drying, fractionating or extractions can alter the composition, structure, conformation and biological activity, as well as perturb essential interfaces and domains. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is a powerful and versatile tool that provides unprecedented levels of information regarding structure and interactions. Both high-resolution magic-angle-spinning and comprehensive-multiphase NMR probes facilitate the study of natural multiphase samples. 1H NMR spectroscopy is the most sensitive and provides unique information on swollen components and interfaces. However, samples such as plants, organisms and soil have a high aqueous content and a range of free, exchanging and bound water, leading to a broad and intense water signal that can span the entire 1H spectral region masking information from other components. In this manuscript, a water suppression approach termed Tailored Water suppression for Inhomogeneous Natural Samples (TWINS) is developed out of a practical need to study samples in their native state. TWINS builds upon the most effective approach to date (SPR-W5-WATERGATE) for natural samples with the addition of various elements to make the approach effective in the most challenging systems. TWINS was demonstrated on a range of environmental samples in both 1-D and 2-D NMR experiments. A lock capillary was developed to separate the lock solvent from the sample, further reducing sample alteration. In summary the more challenging the sample, the more TWINS outperformed conventional approaches. In turn this increases the range and diversity of samples that can be studied in their natural state critical for a wide variety of fields and applications.
Case study of zero-tillage organic soybean production in Brazil
Authors: Landers J. N. , Challiol M. , Vilela L. , Lanz S.
Published: March 2016

In the absence of the herbicide option, weed control is the major constraint to organic soybean production in southern Brazil and eastern Paraguay. A joint entrepreneurial initiative introduced innovative 6000-V electro-shock desiccation for pre-plant weed control in organic soybeans, under zero-tillage–conservation agriculture, complemented by already-proven inter-row cultivation and biological control methods for insects and diseases. To develop an efficient operating procedure, a field trial with the electro-shock treatment was carried out and showed 78.6% overall weed control 28 days after electro-shock treatment, and no significant difference between operating speeds of 3.42, 9.49 and 16.57 km h−1. Further research is required to improve equipment performance and prove the medium- and long-term economic and social benefits to policy-makers, in order to justify environmental services payments for this environmentally friendly system.
Above-soil and in-soil degradation of oxo- and bio-degradable mulches: a qualitative approach
Authors: Martín-Closas L. , Costa J. , Cirujeda A. , Aibar J. , Zaragoza C. , Pardo A. , Suso M. L. , Moreno M. M. , Moreno C. , Lahoz I. , Mácua J. I. , Pelacho A. M.
Published: March 2016

Degradable materials have been suggested to overcome accumulation in the field of persistent plastic residues associated with the increasing use of polyethylene mulches. New degradable materials have been proven successful for increasing crop productivity; however, their degradation in the field has been hardly addressed. A qualitative scale was used in the present study to assess the above-soil and in-soil degradation of degradable mulches during the cropping season. Degradation was determined in three biodegradable plastic mulches (Biofilm, BF; Mater-Bi, MB; Bioflex, BFx), two paper sheet mulches (Saikraft, PSA; MimGreen, PMG) and one oxo-degradable plastic mulch (Enviroplast, EvP). Polyethylene (PE) mulch was used as control. Mulches were tested in five Spanish locations (Castilla-La Mancha, La Rioja, Navarra, Aragón and Catalunya), with three crop seasons of processing tomato. Biodegradable plastic mulches BF and MB degraded more and faster above-soil than paper mulches; among biodegradable mulches BF degraded more than MB, and MB more than BFx. The above-soil degradation of the oxo-degradable mulch EvP was highly dependent on location and crop season, and it degraded more than PE. Main environmental factors triggering above-soil degradation were radiation, rainfall and crop cover. In-soil, paper mulches and BF degraded more and faster than MB, whereas BFx and EvP barely degraded. Environmental factors triggering in-soil degradation during the crop season were rainfall and irrigation water. The effect of soil parameters (organic matter, nutrient availability) on degradation during the cropping season was not evidenced. The qualitative scale used proved convenient for determining mulch field degradation. A visual scale for supporting the qualitative evaluation is provided. In order to standardise parameters and criteria for future studies on field mulching degradation evaluation, a unified degradation qualitative scale is suggested.
Direction of information flow in large-scale resting-state networks is frequency-dependent
Authors: Hillebrand Arjan , Tewarie Prejaas , van Dellen Edwin , Yu Meichen , Carbo Ellen W. S. , Douw Linda , Gouw Alida A. , van Straaten Elisabeth C. W. , Stam Cornelis J.
Published: March 2016

Significance

A description of the structural and functional connections in the human brain is necessary for the understanding of both normal and abnormal brain functioning. Although it has become clear in recent years that stable patterns of functional connectivity can be observed during the resting state, to date, it remains unclear what the dominant patterns of information flow are in this functional connectome and how these relate to the integration of brain function. Our results are the first to describe the large-scale frequency-specific patterns of information flow in the human brain, showing that different subsystems form a loop through which information “reverberates” or “circulates.” These results could be extended to give insights into how such flow optimizes integrative cognitive processing.
Unusual maintenance of X chromosome inactivation predisposes female lymphocytes for increased expression from the inactive X
Authors: Wang Jianle , Syrett Camille M. , Kramer Marianne C. , Basu Arindam , Atchison Michael L. , Anguera Montserrat C.
Published: March 2016

Significance

Females have increased immune responsiveness than males, and they are more likely to develop autoimmune disorders. The mechanism underlying these observations is unclear, and hypotheses suggest an important role for the X chromosome. Here, we discover that the inactive X is predisposed to become partially reactivated in mammalian female lymphocytes, resulting in the overexpression of immunity-related genes. We also demonstrate that lymphocytes from systemic lupus erythematosus patients have different epigenetic characteristics on the inactive X that compromises transcriptional silencing. These findings are the first to our knowledge to link the unusual maintenance of X chromosome Inactivation (the female-specific mechanism for dosage compensation) in lymphocytes to the female bias observed with enhanced immunity and autoimmunity susceptibility.
Combgap contributes to recruitment of Polycomb group proteins in
Drosophila
Authors: Ray Payal , De Sandip , Mitra Apratim , Bezstarosti Karel , Demmers Jeroen A. A. , Pfeifer Karl , Kassis Judith A.
Published: March 2016

Significance

The ability of organisms to regulate gene expression spatially and temporally is a crucial aspect of development and differentiation. Polycomb group proteins (PcG) are a group of transcriptional repressors that mediate silencing of developmental genes in places where they should not be expressed. Mutations in PcG proteins have been implicated in cancer. We aim to understand mechanisms of PcG-mediated repression, and in this study we report the involvement of Combgap, a DNA-binding protein, in PcG recruitment. Combgap binds to GTGT motifs, which are present within the regulatory regions of PcG target genes. Genome-wide analyses suggest that Combgap may directly recruit Polyhomeotic, a PcG protein. Overall, our data help provide a mechanism for PcG recruitment to target genes.
Analysis and valuation of the health and climate change cobenefits of dietary change
Authors: Springmann Marco , Godfray H. Charles J. , Rayner Mike , Scarborough Peter
Published: March 2016

Significance

The food system is responsible for more than a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions while unhealthy diets and high body weight are among the greatest contributors to premature mortality. Our study provides a comparative analysis of the health and climate change benefits of global dietary changes for all major world regions. We project that health and climate change benefits will both be greater the lower the fraction of animal-sourced foods in our diets. Three quarters of all benefits occur in developing countries although the per capita impacts of dietary change would be greatest in developed countries. The monetized value of health improvements could be comparable with, and possibly larger than, the environmental benefits of the avoided damages from climate change.
Spatiotemporal dynamics of auditory attention synchronize with speech
Authors: Wöstmann Malte , Herrmann Björn , Maess Burkhard , Obleser Jonas
Published: March 2016

Significance

Attending and ignoring play fundamental roles in our everyday behavior in spatially and temporally fast-varying environments. Does focused attention to a specific stimulus adapt to these spatiotemporal dynamics? Using magnetoencephalography, we investigated the differential time courses of sensory encoding of two simultaneous, bottom-up rhythmic speech streams versus neural signatures of top-down spatial attention to one of the two streams. As expected, spatial attention modulated the power of ∼10-Hz (alpha) oscillations and their lateralization across the two cerebral hemispheres. Critically, this lateralization of alpha activity was modulated in temporal synchrony with the speech rate and predicted participants’ speech comprehension. Our results demonstrate that alpha activity acts as a spatiotemporal filter to control the read-out of attended and ignored sensory content.
Haplotype synthesis analysis reveals functional variants underlying known genome-wide associated susceptibility loci
Authors: Lacour André , Ellinghaus David , Schreiber Stefan , Franke Andre , Becker Tim
Published: March 2016

Motivation: The functional mechanisms underlying disease association remain unknown for Genome-wide Association Studies (GWAS) susceptibility variants located outside coding regions. Synthesis of effects from multiple surrounding functional variants has been suggested as an explanation of hard-to-interpret findings. We define filter criteria based on linkage disequilibrium measures and allele frequencies which reflect expected properties of synthesizing variant sets. For eligible candidate sets, we search for haplotype markers that are highly correlated with associated variants.

Results: Via simulations we assess the performance of our approach and suggest parameter settings which guarantee 95% sensitivity at 20-fold reduced computational cost. We apply our method to 1000 Genomes data and confirmed Crohn’s Disease (CD) and Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) variants. A proportion of 36.9% allowed explanation by three-variant-haplotypes carrying at least two functional variants, as compared to 16.4% for random variants (P=1.72×10−8). Association could be explained by missense variants for MUC19, PER3 (CD) and HMG20A (T2D). In a CD GWAS—imputed using haplotype reference consortium data (64 976 haplotypes)—we could confirm the syntheses of MUC19 and PER3 and identified synthesis by missense variants for 6 further genes (ZGPAZ, GPR65, CLN3/NPIPB8, LOC102723878, rs2872507, GCKR). In all instances, the odds ratios of the synthesizing haplotypes were virtually identical to that of the index SNP. In summary, we demonstrate the potential of synthesis analysis to guide functional follow-up of GWAS findings.

Availability and implementation: All methods are implemented in the C/C ++ toolkit GetSynth, available at http://sourceforge.net/projects/getsynth/.

Contact:  tim.becker@uni-greifswald.de

Supplementary information:  Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Development and initial testing of a tailored telephone intervention delivered by peers to prevent recurring opioid-overdoses (TTIP-PRO)
Authors: Winhusen T. , Theobald J. , Lewis D. , Wilder C. M. , Lyons M. S.
Published: March 2016

Individuals with opioid use disorder experiencing a non-fatal opioid-overdose (OOD) are at heightened risk for future OODs; there are no interventions to facilitate treatment enrollment for these patients. Our goal was to develop and initially test the ‘tailored telephone intervention delivered by peers to prevent recurring opioid-overdoses’ (TTIP-PRO), a computer-facilitated, peer-delivered, individually tailored secondary prevention intervention designed to: (i) encourage patients to initiate medication-assisted treatment (MAT) and (ii) increase OOD knowledge. A pre–post-study assessed TTIP-PRO-content acceptability and software performance. Two Peer Interventionists, who were abstinent from illicit opioids, enrolled in MAT and had experience with OOD, were recruited from a MAT clinic. Recruitment letters were sent to patients treated for OOD in a hospital emergency department within the prior 8 months. Eight patients received TTIP-PRO and completed pre-/post-assessment. Peer Interventionists completed training within 4 h and reported high satisfaction with TTIP-PRO. There were no performance issues with the software. All participants rated TTIP-PRO as ‘very helpful’. Participants’ OOD knowledge increased significantly, with 69.9% correct responses pre-TTIP-PRO and 93.6% post-TTIP-PRO. Interest in receiving MAT, measured on a 10-point scale, increased from 8.1 to 9.5, but this change was not statistically significant. Further development and testing of TTIP-PRO appears warranted.
Bioeconomic multistock reference points as a tool for overcoming the drawbacks of the landing obligation
Authors: García Dorleta , Prellezo Raúl , Sampedro Paz , Da-Rocha José María , Castro José , Cerviño Santiago , García-Cutrín Javier , Gutiérrez María-José
Published: March 2016

The landing obligation policy was one of the major innovations introduced in the last Common Fisheries Policy reform in Europe. It is foreseen that the policy will affect the use of fishing opportunities and hence the economic performance of the fleets. The problem with fishing opportunities could be solved if single-stock total allowable catches (TACs) could be achieved simultaneously for all the stocks. In this study, we evaluate the economic impact of the landing obligation policy on the Spanish demersal fleet operating in the Iberian Sea region. To generate TAC advice, we used two sets of maximum sustainable yield (MSY) reference points, the single-stock MSY reference points defined by ICES and a set of multistock reference points calculated simultaneously using a bioeconomic optimization model. We found that the impact of the landing obligation is time and fleet dependent and highly influenced by assumptions about fleet dynamics. At fishery level, multistock reference points mitigate the decrease in the net present value generated by the implementation of the landing obligation. However at fleet level, the effect depends on the fleet itself and the period. To ensure the optimum use of fishing opportunities, the landing obligation should be accompanied by a management system that guarantees consistency between single-stock TACs. In this regard, multistock reference points represent an improvement over those currently in use. However, further investigation is necessary to enhance performance both at fleet level and in the long term.