bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cartesian and non-Cartesian responses in LGN, V1, and V2 cells
Authors: MAHON L.E. , DE VALOIS R.L.
Published: May 2019

Cell responses to drifting Cartesian (parallel) and non-Cartesian
(concentric, radial, and hyperbolic) stimuli were recorded in
and beyond the classical receptive field (CRF) in the lateral
geniculate nucleus (LGN), V1, and V2 of anesthetized monkeys.
Many cells were equally responsive to Cartesian and non-Cartesian,
especially concentric, gratings. Around 15% of cells in each
area were significantly more responsive to concentric compared
to parallel gratings; however, cells significantly more responsive
to parallel compared to concentric gratings were more numerous
in the cortex. While many cells responded to hyperbolic and
radial gratings, few were most responsive to these gratings.
Cell selectivity decreased for Cartesian and increased for
non-Cartesian gratings from V1 to V2 and the relative response
varied as a function of stimulus extent with respect to the
CRF. Complex, nonoriented, nondirectional cells with a low aspect
ratio (AR) responded best to non-Cartesian gratings. These
results cannot be fully explained using Gabor linear/energy models of
simple and complex receptive fields (RFs) although such models predict
some cells to respond equally to Cartesian and non-Cartesian gratings.
Cells significantly more responsive to non-Cartesian gratings can
be accounted for by CRF selectivity influenced by modulation
from the nonclassical receptive field (nCRF). The present study
shows that Cartesian/non-Cartesian selectivity is not an emergent
property of V4 cells but is present at all levels of early visual
processing being subserved by a subset of cells with specific
tuning properties.
Early intervention home visiting — evaluated and revisited!: Evaluation of a preventative model to strengthen isolated families
Authors: Bryce Helen , Drielsma Paul
Published: May 2019

This article is a follow-up of a paper describing a proposed ‘best practice’ model for a home visiting service for first-time parents (Drielsma, 1998). The results of three years implementation and evaluation of a pilot of that model in a geographically isolated semi-metropolitan high growth area on the Central Coast, NSW are presented and discussed. The service uses paid professionals within the context of a ‘Family Centre’ with a volunteer network to offer ongoing home visiting support to first-time parents who are facing social and geographical isolation and who have few supports and resources to meet their needs. Importantly, the service has relied on close collaboration with child health services and a partnership with other community agencies and the local community itself. The external evaluation used a mix of Action Research and quantitative tools. This showed that the pilot model effectively engaged ‘high-risk’ families in a non-stigmatising way. Further, these families were networked to an array of other mainstream child health and family support services. The essence of this model was described through an Action Profiling process and this correlated closely with the model's structural parameters of operation.
Foster care trends in a Western Australian non-government family welfare agency 1991-1999
Authors: Ainsworth Frank , Ash Sue , Summers Adele
Published: May 2019

Wanslea Family Services (WFS), a non-government family welfare agency in Perth, has provided foster care placements for the Western Australian Department of Family and Children's Services for many years. Data about these children and their families is held in a comprehensive electronic database that covers the period 1991-1999. This 9-year data set is unique in Western Australia and may be unique nationally.

An analysis of this data indicates no significant variation across the nine year period for age at admission of children to foster care. In contrast, a statistically significant cubic trend was found for length of episode of care indicating that the duration of foster care placements significantly varied across the nine year period. Analyses of gender for both age at admission and length of foster care showed significant differences but only for particular years. In 1995 females were significantly younger than males while in 1998 males were significantly younger than females. Only in 1998 was length of episode of care significant when it was shorter for males than females. Possible explanations for these results are discussed.
Risk Balancing in an Integrated Farm Risk Management Plan
Authors: Escalante Cesar L. , Barry Peter J.
Published: May 2019

Using optimization techniques in a Simulation framework, this study demonstrates the synergy between risk balancing and alternative strategies in effectively reducing risk under changing farm conditions. Highly risk-averse farmers tend to prefer integrated risk-management plans, based on the diversification principle, that yield offsetting combinations of the risk-reducing benefits of most strategies and the profit-generating capacities of the others. The greater appeal of a more diversified plan usually downplays the risk balancing strategy as the farm utilizes credit reserves to implement other production and marketing plans considered essential to Overall risk reduction. The farm, however, still realizes overall, though more regulated, reduction in its financial risk position.
Willingness to Plant Identity Preserved Crops: The Case of Mississippi Soybeans
Authors: Hudson Darren , Jones Tom
Published: May 2019

The willingness to plant identity preserved (IP) crops was examined using Mississippi soybean producers as an example. A contingent valuation framework was used to assess the impacts of offered premiums on a producer's probability of planting IP soybeans. Findings suggest that offered premiums significantly affect planting decisions. In addition, desire to learn more about IP production was found to increase the probability of planting, suggesting that desire to learn leads to experimentation. Finally, prior knowledge or experience planting IP crops significantly decreased the probability of planting.
Dopamine antagonist antipsychotics in diverted forensic populations
Authors: Cummings Michael A. , Proctor George J. , Arias Ai-Li W.
Published: May 2019

In community settings, negative symptoms and cognitive deficits are the primary barriers to independent living, stable relationships, and employment for individuals suffering from schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. In contrast, however, positive psychotic symptoms (e.g., command hallucinations and persecutory delusions) often drive behavior which serves as the gateway to arrest and criminalization. Historically, the keystone of treatment for positive psychotic symptoms has been antagonism of dopamine D2 receptors in the mesolimbic tract. In this article, we review and explore the principles underlying dopamine antagonism for the treatment of psychosis; optimization of dopamine antagonists in treating positive psychotic symptoms; the advantages of depot dopamine antagonist antipsychotics in forensic settings; the concepts of pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic treatment failures; and the role of medication plasma concentrations in optimizing and managing treatment.
Annotating a broad range of anaphoric phenomena, in a variety of genres: the ARRAU Corpus
Authors: Uryupina Olga , Artstein Ron , Bristot Antonella , Cavicchio Federica , Delogu Francesca , Rodriguez Kepa J. , Poesio Massimo
Published: May 2019

This paper presents the second release ofarrau, a multigenre corpus of anaphoric information created over 10 years to provide data for the next generation of coreference/anaphora resolution systems combining different types of linguistic and world knowledge with advanced discourse modeling supporting rich linguistic annotations. The distinguishing features ofarrauinclude the following: treating all NPs as markables, including non-referring NPs, and annotating their (non-) referentiality status; distinguishing between several categories of non-referentiality and annotating non-anaphoric mentions; thorough annotation of markable boundaries (minimal/maximal spans, discontinuous markables); annotating a variety of mention attributes, ranging from morphosyntactic parameters to semantic category; annotating the genericity status of mentions; annotating a wide range of anaphoric relations, including bridging relations and discourse deixis; and, finally, annotating anaphoric ambiguity. The current version of the dataset contains 350K tokens and is publicly available from LDC. In this paper, we discuss in detail all the distinguishing features of the corpus, so far only partially presented in a number of conference and workshop papers, and we also discuss the development between the first release ofarrauin 2008 and this second one.
The potential reproductive effects of exposure of domestic ruminants to endocrine disrupting compounds
Authors: Boerjan M.L. , Freijnagel S. , Rhind S.M. , Meijer G.A.L.
Published: May 2019

Chemical compounds that mimic or block some of the actions of the steroid hormone oestradiol, have created public concern primarily because of potential adverse reproductive effects in wildlife and humans. Many studies, in vivo and in vitro, have revealed abnormal reproductive function following exposure to these compounds. The number of chemicals known to have the potential to modulate endocrine functions is increasing. In contrast to humans and wildlife, the potential reproductive effects of exposure of domestic animals to endocrine disrupting compounds (EDC) have been studied little. The aim of this overview is to evaluate the possible contribution of EDC to reproductive failure in domestic ruminants.

Sources and classes of EDC are discussed as well as their structure and the modes of hormone disruption. Endocrine disrupting agents may interfere with the reproductive processes of both males and females at several points of the reproductive cycle and through a range of physiological mechanisms. Extrapolating from the results obtained with laboratory animals, the mechanisms whereby infertility in domestic ruminants might be expressed by exposure to EDC through contaminated food and drinking water are addressed.

A preliminary risk assessment is included and it is concluded that under certain circumstances there may be a significantly enhanced intake of oestrogenic hormones and EDC through sewage-contaminated water or soil-contaminated herbage. The physiological consequences for domestic ruminants of EDC ingestion, at the rates estimated, are largely unknown. However, the levels of exposure to oestrogenic hormones and phthalates in grazing ruminants are such that when studying fertility problems in high-yielding dairy cattle the impacts of exposure to endocrine disruptors via the food and drinking water cannot be neglected.
Effect of dietary energy source on the performance and perirenal fat thickness evolution of primiparous rabbit does
Authors: Pascual J. J. , Motta W. , Cervera C. , Quevedo F. , Blas E. , Fernández-Carmona J.
Published: May 2019

Seventy-four New Zealand ✕ Californian females were used to determine the influence of dietary energy source on the performance and perirenal fat thickness (PFT) change measured by ultrasound of primiparous rabbit does. Three highly concentrated diets were designed with different dietary energy sources: animal fat (diet F), vegetable oil (diet O) and cereal starch (diet S), and does were fertilized by artificial insemination after parturition (AP group) or around weaning (AW group), litters being weaned at 28 days of age. There were no significant differences in live weight and food intake of females throughout gestation, but does given diet S showed a higher increase in their PFT until 28th day than those given diets F and O (P < 0·01), although all females had a similar PFT at parturition. Rabbit does given diets S and O showed a significantly higher dietary energy intake than those given diet F (P < 0·01) during the first weeks of lactation, and similar thereafter until the second parturition. Milk yield and litter weight gain were significantly higher with fat-enriched diets (P < 0·05), and milk composition of rabbit does given diet F showed a higher total solids content (P = 0·01), fat (P < 0·001) and energy (P < 0·01) than milk of does receiving diets O or S. Although pups on fat diets showed a higher weaning weight (P < 0·05), dietary treatment during lactation did not have any effect on the performance of pups during the subsequent growing period. PFT always decreased during lactation for does given fat-enriched diets, while it increased for does given diet S and fertilized after parturition. Live weight of AP does was significantly higher at 21st day of lactation (P < 0·01) and at weaning (P < 0·001), and they showed a significantly lower food intake during the final week of lactation. The period from weaning to parturition was too short for AP does, which showed a decrease of their PFT, while AW does showed an increase of their PFT and a greater number of pups alive at birth (P < 0·05). Due to the lower milk yield of rabbit does fertilized AP, their pups showed a significantly higher solid food intake (P < 0·001), resulting in a similar value for the live weight of pups in both groups at weaning. The earlier promotion of solid food intake significantly affected the food intake of litters during the subsequent growing period, presenting higher values for pups coming from AP does. In conclusion, the addition of dietary fat, especially from animal origin, seems to improve the utilization of energy for milk production, while the use of a high level of starch could decrease the negative balance of primiparous rabbit does during lactation.
Effects of breed and family on rate of copper accretion in the liver of purebred Charollais, Suffolk and Texel lambs
Authors: Suttle N. F. , Lewis R. M. , Small J. N. W.
Published: May 2019

The feeding of housed lambs on conserved forages and pelleted rations is accompanied by a high risk of chronic copper (Cu) poisoning (CCP) which might be reduced by selecting sires for low liver Cu status. Livers were therefore retrieved from Suffolk, Texel and Charollais lambs, slaughtered during the course of a performance trial, to ascertain sire and possibly breed effects on the rate of Cu accretion in the liver. In total, 160 livers were obtained, 100 from Suffolk, 40 from Texel and 20 from Charollais lambs, the progeny of 14, eight and eight sires, respectively. Lambs came from three separately managed flocks but were brought together at 8 weeks of age, weaned onto a common complete diet containing 6·1 mg Cu per kg dry matter (DM) and offered ad libitum. One-fifth of each breed group was slaughtered at 14, 18 or 22 weeks and the remaining 40% at 26 weeks of age. Mean (s.e. ) liver Cu concentrations at those ages were 3220 (450), 4639 (464), 6426 (468), and 6513 (370) µmol/kg DM for Suffolk, and 5843 (811), 6579 (857), 8017 (811) and 10406 (589) µmol/kg DM for Texel, respectively. The pattern of liver Cu accretion differed, the Suffolk starting at a low value yet reaching a plateau at about 22 weeks of age (significant quadratic regression coefficient), the Texel, continually increasing from a high initial value at an average rate of 53·7 (s.e.10·6) µmol/kg DM per day. There was a significant effect of sire on liver Cu in the Suffolk (P 0·05) with a heritability of 0·85 (s.e. 0·44); in the Suffolk and Texel combined, the heritability was 0·60 (s.e. 0·33). The data available on the Charollais were too limited to test for sire effects but at 26 weeks of age, where most information was available, the mean liver Cu concentration was 7285 (s.e.826) µmol/kg DM. At a given age, food intake, liver weight and live weight were each lowest in the Texel but when expressed as a proportion of live weight (LW), both food intake (43 g/kg LW) and liver weight (5·15 g DM per kg LW) were similar among breeds (P 0·05). Thus, differences in liver Cu accretion are unlikely to reflect differences in Cu intake per unit liver weight. There was a tendency for liver size per kg LW to decrease as liver Cu rose in the Texel but not in the Suffolk. Continued hepatic Cu accretion in the Texel may reflect a breed-specific inability to cope with Cu overload. Increases in liver Cu to marginally toxic levels in some Suffolk, some Charollais and most Texel lambs, and to a level commonly associated with toxicity in one Texel lamb, on a ration of moderate Cu concentration highlights the difficulty of controlling risk of CCP by manipulating dietary composition. The current EC limit for Cu in ovine diets, 17 mg Cu per kg DM, is clearly too high for the breeds and dietary conditions used in this study. However a safe limit would be hard to achieve and hence the need to exploit sire variation in propensity to accumulate liver Cu to reduce disease risk.
Comparison of microbial markers (15N and purine bases) and bacterial isolates for the estimation of rumen microbial protein synthesis
Authors: Carro M. D. , Miller E. L.
Published: May 2019

The first objective of this experiment was to investigate the effect of using different bacterial isolates on the estimation of microbial protein production in semi-continuous fermenters (RUSITEC) given four diets, and to test whether a ‘mixed’ bacterial pellet was representative of the whole bacterial population in the fermenters. A second objective was to compare two different microbial markers (nitrogen-fifteen (15N) and purine bases (PB)). Diets consisted of neutral-detergent fibre from grass hay (10 g/day) and sugar-beet pulp (2 g/day) and 280 mg/day of one of four N forms (isolated soya-bean protein, soya-bean peptides, amino acids blended to profile soya-bean protein and NH4Cl). Two 14-day incubation runs were carried out and in each run each of the four different diets were given to two vessels. On days 12 and 13, total digesta (effluent plus nylon bags residues) was collected for analyses of non-ammonia N,15N enrichment and PB concentration, and for isolation of total mixed bacterial pellets (TB). On the last day of each incubation run, the system was stopped for isolation of liquid- (LAB) and solid-associated (SAB) bacteria. Microbial N flow was estimated from the15N enrichment and PB concentration in both total digesta and in the three different bacterial pellets (TB, LAB, and SAB). For all diets, LAB presented a greater (P < 005)15N enrichment and PB: N ratio than SAB, with TB having an intermediate value. For both markers, the use of LAB produced the lowest (P < 005) estimates of microbial N flow and the use of SAB produced the greatest (P < 005) estimates. The use of TB produced intermediate values with all diets, suggesting that TB consisted of SAB and LAB. For all bacterial pellets, PB produced greater (P 005) values of microbial N flow than15N. However, there was a positive relationship (r = 0·883; P 0001; no. = 15) between the values of microbial N flow determined with the two markers when TB were used as reference.
A reaction-diffusion model of stored bagasse
Authors: Macaskill C. , Sexton M. J. , Gray B. F.
Published: May 2019

The storage of bagasse, which is principally cellulose, presents many problems for the sugar industry, one of which is bagasse loss due to spontaneous combustion. This is an expensive problem for the industry as bagasse is used as a fuel by sugar mills, and for cogeneration of electricity. Self-heating occurs in the pile through an oxidation mechanism as well as a moisture dependent reaction. The latter reaction is now known to exhibit a local maximum, similar to the heat release curves found in cool-flame problems. Bagasse typically contains 45–55% by weight of water when milling is completed and the question of how to reduce the moisture content is important for two reasons. Firstly, wet bagasse does not burn nearly as efficiently as dry bagasse, and secondly, self-heating is greatly enhanced in the presence of water, for temperatures less than 60–70°C.

An existing mathematical model is used, but modified to take into account the newly observed peak in the moisture dependent reaction. Most of the previously reported complex bifurcation behaviour possible in this model is not realized when physically realistic parameter values are used. The bifurcation diagram describing the long-time steady-state solution is the familiar S-shaped hysteresis curve. In the presence of the new form of the moisture dependent reaction, an intermediate state can be found which is not a true steady-state of the system as, in reality, the characteristics of the pile slowly change as water is lost. This state corresponds to observations of an elevated temperature (around 60–70°C) which persists for long periods of time. Approximate equations can then be defined which predict this intermediate state, and hence a different hysteresis curve is found. A simple explanation for the process by which water is lost from the pile is obtained from these equations and an analytical expression is given for the exponential decay of water levels in the pile.
Combustion waves with reactant depletion
Authors: Graham-Eagle J. , Schult D. A.
Published: May 2019

A simple model for the propagation of a combustion wave is proposed and the speed of propagation is predicted. It is assumed that the reactant ignites at a specified temperature and then burns until depleted with reaction rate dependent on temperature and reactant concentration. The exact solution and linear stability are determined in the case of constant heat generation and a numerical scheme is developed to generate traveling wave solutions in the more general case. This numerical method is applied to the case where the temperature dependence of the reaction rate is modeled by the Arrhenius function.
Self-heating behaviour of low moisture content particles—modelling the basket-heating of solid particles and some aspects of the cross over behaviour using milk powder as an example
Authors: Chen Xiao Dong
Published: May 2019

Self-heating in packed paniculate that is exothermically reactive is a major cause of fire and explosion in the powder industry. This study is focused on part of the Auckland development of a mathematical model dealing with this hazardous process in industry using milk powder as an example. Milk powder is a primary powdered food product around the world.

An update of the detailed mathematical model is given here, and predictions are made using the model to simulate the basket-heating behaviour of a milk powder in the laboratory (so the model can thus be validated). Basket heating in an oven is a standard laboratory technique for measuring the exothermic reactivity of a solid material.

After a favorable comparison with the laboratory results, several aspects of basket-heating were investigated with a view to further improving the technique. Firstly, the model was used to explore the effect of elevated ambient humidity and initial sample water content upon the heating process in the basket. Secondly, the model was used to explore the cross over phenomenon which is related to a novel procedure for measuring activation energy and exothermicity (that is, the Crossing-Point-Temperature (CPT) method, which is a new version of the basket heating technique). The predictions together with the experimental evidence show that the reaction kinetics obtained using the Heat Release (HR) method (another version of the basket heating technique well published in the literature) may not be correct, especially for those measured at elevated oven temperatures and for larger basket sizes. Thirdly, simulations were performed to illustrate that the CPT phenomenon does not just occur at the center of the basket but also occurs everywhere else in the sample. This can become a significant advantage for further development of the CPT method in terms of reducing experimental duration and improving reproducibility.
Practical stability of the solutions of impulsive systems of differential-difference equations via the method of comparison and some applications to population dynamics
Authors: Bainov D. D. , Dishliev A. B. , Stamova I. M.
Published: May 2019

In this paper we consider an initial value problem for systems of impulsive differential-difference equations is considered. Making use of the method of comparison and differential inequalities for piecewise continuous functions, sufficient conditions for practical stability of the solutions of such systems are obtained. Applications to population dynamics are also given.
Global stability and persistence in diffusive food chains
Authors: Kuang Yang
Published: May 2019

In this paper, the results of Freedman and So [13] on global stability and persistence of simple food chains are extended to general diffusive food chains. For global stability of the unique homogeneous positive steady state, our approach involves an application of the invariance principle of reaction-diffusion equations and the construction of a Liapunov functional. For persistence, we use the dynamical system results of Dunbaret al.[11] and Hutson and Moran [29].
Multipartitions, generalized Durfee squares and affine Lie algebra characters
Authors: Bouwknegt Peter
Published: May 2019

We give some higher dimensional analogues of the Durfee square formula and point out their relation to dissections of multipartitions. We apply the results to write certain affine Lie algebra characters in terms of Universal Chiral Partition Functions.
Phonological P2 or PMN During Spoken Word Recognition in Mandarin Chinese
Authors: Huang Xian-Jun , lv Kun , Yang Jin-Chen
Published: May 2019

Abstract. Word-initial phonological mismatches during spoken word recognition often elicit an event-related potential (ERP) component, namely, the phonological mapping negativity (PMN) in cross-modal priming studies or studies using sentence as context. However, recent studies also reported that a phonological P2 but not PMN has been observed for Mandarin Chinese spoken word recognition in unimodal word-matching and meaning-matching experiments, that is, both the prime and target words were presented auditorily. In the present study, the same pairs of disyllabic Mandarin Chinese words as in the prior unimodal studies were used as stimuli to investigate whether or not the phonological P2 effect is modulated by prime modality and can be replicated in a cross-modal design (i.e., written primes followed by spoken targets). Both the phonological and semantic relations between primes and targets were manipulated. Participants were instructed to judge whether the meaning of the two words were same or not. An enhanced PMN between 250 and 320 ms was elicited by word-initial phonological mismatches. In the later time window, centro-parietally distributed early N400 and late N400 were elicited in semantically unrelated conditions. The presence of PMN instead of P2 in the current study implies that ERP markers of word-initial phonological mismatches during spoken word recognition are modulated by the modality of primes at the level of phonological analysis.
Feature Overlap and Relevance Determine Sequential Modulations in the Simon Task
Authors: Hoppe Katharina , Wascher Edmund , Küper Kristina
Published: May 2019

Abstract. Subjects usually respond faster and more accurate in trials in which the response location corresponds to a task-irrelevant stimulus location compared to when not. Previous research has shown, that this so-called Simon effect is reduced after non-corresponding compared to after corresponding trials. As of now it is yet unclear what exact mechanisms drive such sequential modulations. One theory assumes a conflict adaptation mechanism that decreases the influence of incongruent information after non-corresponding trials via increased cognitive control. However, other authors claim that feature integration processes may be the underlying mechanism as the amount of feature overlap differs between different correspondence sequences. Unfortunately, this also means that in the standard Simon task the repetition of task features and correspondence sequences are not independent. In order to address this issue, we mapped four stimuli to two responses in the present EEG study. This way, we created a task, which allows for sequences in which the stimulus identity may change without alternating the required response. These sequences may either comprise a change of the stimulus position or not and the contribution of feature integration as well as conflict adaptation processes could thus be observed independently. Our results indicate that the repetition of task features affects performance to a stronger degree than the correspondence sequence and feature integration processes do. Yet, an impact of both could still be observed. The strongest effect of feature repetitions on task performance was observed for task-relevant features, especially for the imperative stimulus identity itself. The EEG results support these findings. The amplitudes of the fronto-central N2 and the parietal P3 decreased with increasing feature overlap from one trial to the next. The posterior lateralization, reflected by the posterior contralateral negativity (PCN), however, appears to reflect mainly changes in the stimulus location and stimulus–response (S–R) correspondence rather than feature repetitions per se.
Long‐Term Monitoring of the Brazil Current Transport at 22°S From XBT and Altimetry Data: Seasonal, Interannual, and Extreme Variability
Authors: Goes M. , Cirano M. , Mata M. M. , Majumder S.
Published: May 2019

The seasonal and interannual variability of the Brazil Current (BC) at 22°S is examined using expendable bathythermograph (XBT) transect and satellite altimetry data from 1993 to 2017. The XBT‐based mean absolute geostrophic transport of the BC is estimated as 4.7 ± 1.9 Sv, with additional 0.9 ± 0.9 Sv along the shelf. The strong agreement between the absolute dynamic height and altimetric sea surface height is used in two methods to reconstruct a daily time series of the BC transport since 1993. The altimetry‐based methods can represent well the BC transport seasonal cycle, whereas the XBT‐based estimates are slightly aliased by the strong regional mesoscale variability. At interannual timescales, the BC transport is significantly correlated (r= 0.43) with the wind stress curl in the western half of the basin with a lag of 19 months, which is consistent with baroclinic adjustment timescales. Other sources of variability can be observed in a case study of the summer 2009/2010 event, which was characterized by strong sea surface temperature anomalies of approximately 3 °C. During the event, the BC reached 11 Sv for nearly 3 months, partly driven by an increased coastal upwelling from a cyclonic wind stress anomaly, a standing eddy along the section, and thermosteric anomalies that reached the offshore side of section in February. Heat anomalies were transported southward along the subtropical gyre following the BC path in a period of 2 months, which is consistent with advective timescales. Potential implications for extreme sea level and summer precipitation events in South America are discussed.
Sampling in the Dark: Challenges in Fine-Root Research
Authors: Ziegler Clare , Yaffar Daniela , Cordeiro Amanda
Published: May 2019

International Minirhizotron Working Group; Oak Ridge, Tennessee, 9–11 January 2019
Inorganic Carbon and pCO2 Variability During Ice Formation in the Beaufort Gyre of the Canada Basin
Authors: DeGrandpre Michael D. , Lai Chun‐Ze , Timmermans Mary‐Louise , Krishfield Richard A. , Proshutinsky Andrey , Torres Daniel
Published: May 2019

Solute exclusion during sea ice formation is a potentially important contributor to the Arctic Ocean inorganic carbon cycle that could increase as ice cover diminishes. When ice forms, solutes are excluded from the ice matrix, creating a brine that includes dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and total alkalinity (AT). The brine sinks, potentially exporting DIC and AT to deeper water. This phenomenon has rarely been observed, however. In this manuscript, we examine a ~1 year pCO2 mooring time series where a ~35‐μatm increase in pCO2 was observed in the mixed layer during the ice formation period, corresponding to a simultaneous increase in salinity from 27.2 to 28.5. Using salinity and ice based mass balances, we show that most of the observed increases can be attributed to solute exclusion during ice formation. The resulting pCO2 is sensitive to the ratio of AT and DIC retained in the ice and the mixed layer depth, which controls dilution of the ice‐derived AT and DIC. In the Canada Basin, of the ~92 μmol/kg increase in DIC, 17 μmol/kg was taken up by biological production and the remainder was trapped between the halocline and the summer stratified surface layer. Although not observed before the mooring was recovered, this inorganic carbon was likely later entrained with surface water, increasing the pCO2 at the surface. It is probable that inorganic carbon exclusion during ice formation will have an increasingly important influence on DIC and pCO2 in the surface of the Arctic Ocean as seasonal ice production and wind‐driven mixing increase with diminishing ice cover.
Semianalytical Derivation of Phytoplankton, CDOM, and Detritus Absorption Coefficients From the Landsat 8/OLI Reflectance in Coastal Waters
Authors: Wei Jianwei , Lee ZhongPing , Shang Shaoling , Yu Xiaolong
Published: May 2019

The Operational Land Imager (OLI) onboard Landsat 8 has potential for mapping the water bio‐optical properties with high spatial resolution. Landsat 8/OLI generates the remote sensing reflectance (Rrs) at four visible bands (λ1‐4 = 443, 482, 561, and 655 nm) and is lack of a 412‐nm band commonly included for ocean color sensors. This spectral configuration has limited the use of Landsat 8/OLI reflectance product for analytical derivation of light absorption coefficients of phytoplankton, colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM), and detritus. In this study, we proposed a hybrid approach to fill this gap. First, we developed an algorithm to estimate the reflectance in a virtual band centered at λ0 = 412 nm from the OLI reflectance spectra Rrs(λ1‐4). Both the estimated Rrs(λ0) and measured Rrs(λ1‐4) were then used together to retrieve the water component absorption coefficients with existing algorithms including the quasi‐analytical algorithm. We assessed the model performance using in situ measurements from the global waters. It was found that the proposed approach could estimate Rrs(412) with a median absolute percentage difference of ~9%. The subsequent retrievals of the component absorption coefficients were satisfactorily accurate, with median absolute percentage difference roughly equal to 35%, 40%, and 60% for phytoplankton, CDOM, and detritus, respectively. The results suggest the feasibility to generate analytically the component absorption coefficients from the Landsat 8/OLI reflectance.
Single-molecule kinetics of pore assembly by the membrane attack complex
Authors: Parsons Edward S. , Stanley George J. , Pyne Alice L. B. , Hodel Adrian W. , Nievergelt Adrian P. , Menny Anaïs , Yon Alexander R. , Rowley Ashlea , Richter Ralf P. , Fantner Georg E. , Bubeck Doryen , Hoogenboom Bart W.
Published: May 2019

The membrane attack complex (MAC) is a hetero-oligomeric protein assembly that kills pathogens by perforating their cell envelopes. The MAC is formed by sequential assembly of soluble complement proteins C5b, C6, C7, C8 and C9, but little is known about the rate-limiting steps in this process. Here, we use rapid atomic force microscopy (AFM) imaging to show that MAC proteins oligomerize within the membrane, unlike structurally homologous bacterial pore-forming toxins. C5b-7 interacts with the lipid bilayer prior to recruiting C8. We discover that incorporation of the first C9 is the kinetic bottleneck of MAC formation, after which rapid C9 oligomerization completes the pore. This defines the kinetic basis for MAC assembly and provides insight into how human cells are protected from bystander damage by the cell surface receptor CD59, which is offered a maximum temporal window to halt the assembly at the point of C9 insertion.
Computation and Simulation of Evolutionary Game Dynamics in Finite Populations
Authors: Hindersin Laura , Wu Bin , Traulsen Arne , García Julian
Published: May 2019

The study of evolutionary dynamics increasingly relies on computational methods, as more and more cases outside the range of analytical tractability are explored. The computational methods for simulation and numerical approximation of the relevant quantities are diverging without being compared for accuracy and performance. We thoroughly investigate these algorithms in order to propose a reliable standard. For expositional clarity we focus on symmetric 2 × 2 games leading to one-dimensional processes, noting that extensions can be straightforward and lessons will often carry over to more complex cases. We provide time-complexity analysis and systematically compare three families of methods to compute fixation probabilities, fixation times and long-term stationary distributions for the popular Moran process. We provide efficient implementations that substantially improve wall times over naive or immediate implementations. Implications are also discussed for the Wright-Fisher process, as well as structured populations and multiple types.
Innate positive chemotaxis to paeonal from highly attractive Chinese medicinal herbs in the cigarette beetle, Lasioderma serricorne
Authors: Cao Yu , Benelli Giovanni , Germinara Giacinto Salvatore , Maggi Filippo , Zhang Yuanjie , Luo Shuangli , Yang Hong , Li Can
Published: May 2019

Lasioderma serricorne, also known as cigarette beetle, can exploit a wide variety of stored materials as foods, but it is particularly common on tobacco and herbs. This beetle is a dominant pest species of stored Chinese medicinal materials (CMMs) causing high economic damages, making effective control strategies urgently needed. Behavioural manipulation is an important component of Integrated Pest Management. To the best of our knowledge, plant-borne volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have never been explored to develop lures for managing L. serricorne. In this study, the behavioural responses of L. serricorne to VOCs from four selected CMMs (Euphorbia kansui, Aconitum carmichaelii, Eucommia ulmoides and Pinellia ternata) were studied and their components analysed. Then, the olfactory responses of L. serricorne to the most abundant VOC identified in the preferred CMM, i.e., paeonal, was tested. L. serricorne showed significant differences in its preferences for the VOCs from the four CMMs, i.e, E. kansui > A. carmichaelii > E. ulmoides > P. ternata. From the VOCs of E. kansui, A. carmichaelii, E. ulmoides, and P. ternata, 77, 74, 56, and 81 molecules, were identified, respectively. Paeonal (23.5%), junipene (17.2%), hexanal (17.1%), and benzeneacetonitrile (14.0%) were the most abundant, respectively. Since paeonal dominated the VOC spectrum of the most preferred CMM, this compound was selected for further studies. L. serricorne showed significant positive responses to paeonal tested at various doses, with the most attractive ones being 100 μg and 500 μg. Our findings shed light on the olfactory cues routing the food searching behaviour in the cigarette beetle, providing important information on how L. serricorne targets particular CMMs. The high attractiveness of paeonal at low doses tested here may be exploited further to develop novel monitoring and control tools (e.g., lure-and-kill strategies) against this important stored product pest.
Top-down fabrication of high-uniformity nanodiamonds by self-assembled block copolymer masks
Authors: Zheng Jiabao , Lienhard Benjamin , Doerk Gregory , Cotlet Mircea , Bersin Eric , Kim Harrison Sejoon , Byun Young-Chul , Nam Chang-Yong , Kim Jiyoung , Black Charles T. , Englund Dirk
Published: May 2019

Nanodiamonds hosting colour centres are a promising material platform for various quantum technologies. The fabrication of non-aggregated and uniformly-sized nanodiamonds with systematic integration of single quantum emitters has so far been lacking. Here, we present a top-down fabrication method to produce 30.0 ± 5.4 nm uniformly-sized single-crystal nanodiamonds by block copolymer self-assembled nanomask patterning together with directional and isotropic reactive ion etching. We show detected emission from bright single nitrogen vacancy centres hosted in the fabricated nanodiamonds. The lithographically precise patterning of large areas of diamond by self-assembled masks and their release into uniformly sized nanodiamonds open up new possibilities for quantum information processing and sensing.
Analysis by RNA-seq of transcriptomic changes elicited by heat shock in Leishmania major
Authors: Rastrojo Alberto , Corvo Laura , Lombraña Rodrigo , Solana Jose C. , Aguado Begoña , Requena Jose M.
Published: May 2019

Besides their medical relevance, Leishmania is an adequate model for studying post-transcriptional mechanisms of gene expression. In this microorganism, mRNA degradation/stabilization mechanisms together with translational control and post-translational modifications of proteins are the major drivers of gene expression. Leishmania parasites develop as promastigotes in sandflies and as amastigotes in mammalians, and during host transmission, the parasite experiences a sudden temperature increase. Here, changes in the transcriptome of Leishmania major promastigotes after a moderate heat shock were analysed by RNA-seq. Several of the up-regulated transcripts code for heat shock proteins, other for proteins previously reported to be amastigote-specific and many for hypothetical proteins. Many of the transcripts experiencing a decrease in their steady-state levels code for transporters, proteins involved in RNA metabolism or translational factors. In addition, putative long noncoding RNAs were identified among the differentially expressed transcripts. Finally, temperature-dependent changes in the selection of the spliced leader addition sites were inferred from the RNA-seq data, and particular cases were further validated by RT-PCR and Northern blotting. This study provides new insights into the post-transcriptional mechanisms by which Leishmania modulate gene expression.
Direct and Indirect Effects of Herbicides on Insect Herbivores in Rice, Oryza sativa
Authors: Kraus Emily C. , Stout Michael J.
Published: May 2019

Densities of insect pests in agricultural communities may be affected by herbicides commonly used for weed management via several routes. First, herbicides may cause direct mortality to insects present both during and immediately following application. Second, herbicides may induce plant defenses that increase resistance to insect herbivores. Third, herbicides may alter the quantity and composition of weed populations, which in turn may change the structure of insect communities found subsequently in the crop. This study was designed to investigate the effects of an array of herbicides on the densities of several major pests found in rice in the southern United States. These pests included the rice water weevil, Lissorhoptrus oryzophilus Kuschel (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), the rice stinkbug, Oebalus pugnax (Fabricius) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), and a stemborer complex comprised of three lepidopteran species (Lepidoptera: Crambidae). Insects directly exposed to herbicides experienced high mortality; while those fed leaf material that had been exposed to herbicides did not. Herbicide application did not significantly increase resistance in rice to subsequent herbivore infestation. Results provided modest support for the third hypothesis represented by positive correlations between weed densities and insect pest densities.
The mixing-demixing phase diagram of ultracold heteronuclear mixtures in a ring trimer
Authors: Richaud Andrea , Zenesini Alessandro , Penna Vittorio
Published: May 2019

We derive the complete mixing-demixing phase-diagram relevant to a bosonic binary mixture confined in a ring trimer and modeled within the Bose-Hubbard picture. The mixing properties of the two quantum fluids, which are shown to be strongly affected by the fragmented character of the confining potential, are evaluated by means of a specific indicator imported from Statistical Thermodynamics and are shown to depend only on two effective parameters incorporating the asymmetry between the heteronuclear species. To closely match realistic experimental conditions, our study is extended also beyond the pointlike approximation of potential wells by describing the systems in terms of two coupled Gross-Pitaevskii equations. The resulting mean-field analysis confirms the rich scenario of mixing-demixing transitions of the mixture and also constitutes an effective springboard towards a viable experimental realization. We additionally propose an experimental realization based on a realistic optical-tweezers system and on the bosonic mixture 23Na + 39K, thanks to the large tunability of their intra- and inter-species scattering lengths.
Identification of thiostrepton as a pharmacological approach to rescue misfolded alpha-sarcoglycan mutant proteins from degradation
Authors: Hoch Lucile , Henriques Sara F. , Bruge Celine , Marsolier Justine , Benabides Manon , Bourg Nathalie , Tournois Johana , Mahé Gurvan , Morizur Lise , Jarrige Margot , Bigot Anne , Richard Isabelle , Nissan Xavier
Published: May 2019

Limb-girdle muscular dystrophy type 2D (LGMD2D) is characterized by a progressive proximal muscle weakness. LGMD2D is caused by mutations in the gene encoding α-sarcoglycan (α-SG), a dystrophin-associated glycoprotein that plays a key role in the maintenance of sarcolemma integrity in striated muscles. We report here on the development of a new in vitro high-throughput screening assay that allows the monitoring of the proper localization of the most prevalent mutant form of α-SG (R77C substitution). Using this assay, we screened a library of 2560 FDA-approved drugs and bioactive compounds and identified thiostrepton, a cyclic antibiotic, as a potential drug to repurpose for LGMD2D treatment. Characterization of the thiostrepton effect revealed a positive impact on R77C-α-SG and other missense mutant protein localization (R34H, I124T, V247M) in fibroblasts overexpressing these proteins. Finally, further investigations of the molecular mechanisms of action of the compound revealed an inhibition of the chymotrypsin-like activity of the proteasome 24 h after thiostrepton treatment and a synergistic effect with bortezomib, an FDA-approved proteasome inhibitor. This study reports on the first in vitro model for LGMD2D that is compatible with high-throughput screening and proposes a new therapeutic option for LGMD2D caused by missense mutations of α-SG.
Comprehensive Analysis of Animal Models of Cardiovascular Disease using Multiscale X-Ray Phase Contrast Tomography
Authors: Dejea Hector , Garcia-Canadilla Patricia , Cook Andrew C. , Guasch Eduard , Zamora Monica , Crispi Fatima , Stampanoni Marco , Bijnens Bart , Bonnin Anne
Published: May 2019

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) affect the myocardium and vasculature, inducing remodelling of the heart from cellular to whole organ level. To assess their impact at micro and macroscopic level, multi-resolution imaging techniques that provide high quality images without sample alteration and in 3D are necessary: requirements not fulfilled by most of current methods. In this paper, we take advantage of the non-destructive time-efficient 3D multiscale capabilities of synchrotron Propagation-based X-Ray Phase Contrast Imaging (PB-X-PCI) to study a wide range of cardiac tissue characteristics in one healthy and three different diseased rat models. With a dedicated image processing pipeline, PB-X-PCI images are analysed in order to show its capability to assess different cardiac tissue components at both macroscopic and microscopic levels. The presented technique evaluates in detail the overall cardiac morphology, myocyte aggregate orientation, vasculature changes, fibrosis formation and nearly single cell arrangement. Our results agree with conventional histology and literature. This study demonstrates that synchrotron PB-X-PCI, combined with image processing tools, is a powerful technique for multi-resolution structural investigation of the heart ex-vivo. Therefore, the proposed approach can improve the understanding of the multiscale remodelling processes occurring in CVDs, and the comprehensive and fast assessment of future interventional approaches.