bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Thermally Stable Nanocrystalline Steel
Authors: Hulme-Smith Christopher Neil , Ooi Shgh Woei , Bhadeshia Harshad K. D. H.
Published: August 2017

Two novel nanocrystalline steels were designed to withstand elevated temperatures without catastrophic microstructural changes. In the most successful alloy, a large quantity of nickel was added to stabilize austenite and allow a reduction in the carbon content. A 50 kg cast of the novel alloy was produced and used to verify the formation of nanocrystalline bainite. Synchrotron X-ray diffractometry usingin situheating showed that austenite was able to survive more than 1 hour at 773 K (500 °C) and subsequent cooling to ambient temperature. This is the first reported nanocrystalline steel with high-temperature capability.
INTERNATIONAL APPROACHES TO CLIMATE CHANGE AND CULTURAL HERITAGE
Authors: Hambrecht George , Rockman Marcy
Published: August 2017

Anthropogenic climate change is increasingly threatening cultural heritage; cultural resource managers, communities, and archaeologists are confronting this reality. Yet the phenomenon is happening over such a wide range of physical and sociocultural contexts that it is a problem too big for any one organization or discipline to tackle. Therefore, the sharing of best practices and examples between the communities dealing with this problem is essential. This article presents examples from communities, cultural resource managers, and archaeologists who are engaging with climate change–based threats to cultural heritage. Our presentation of these international activities follows the US National Park Service (NPS) four-pillar approach to climate-change threats to cultural heritage: science, mitigation, adaptation, and communication. We discuss this approach and then present a number of cases in which communities or institutions are attempting to manage cultural heritage threatened by climate change through these four pillars. This article restricts itself to examples that are taking place outside of the USA and concludes with some general recommendations for both archaeologists and funding entities.
Institutional Linkages with the State and Organizational Practices in Corporate Social Responsibility: Evidence from China
Authors: Ge Jianhua , Zhao Wei
Published: August 2017

To deepen our understanding of organizations’ heterogeneous responses to institutional demand, we develop a ‘relational complexity’ argument to highlight organizations’ diverse institutional linkages as another important source of practice variation. We argue that diverse relations between organizations and the institutional authority can filter distinct institutional pressures and expectations, shape organizational interpretations of environmental demands, and thus trigger heterogeneous organizational practices. We adopt this theoretical framework and distinguish two types of institutional linkages with the state to understand different adoption patterns in corporate social responsibility (CSR) in its early stage of diffusion in China. Based on a national survey dataset consisting of 1,268 firms, our analyses show that firms having a stronger bureaucratic linkage with the state tend to focus on more visible external-oriented CSR practices. In contrast, those firms forming a closer partnership with the state through political or semi-political associations are more likely to take more extensive adoptions by further developing internal CSR structures. This study enriches the institutional analyses by shifting our attention to the relational dynamics between organizations and institutional authority as a key source of practice variation. It also has important implications to the research and practices of CSR in emerging economies.
Iodine status of postpartum women and their infants in Australia after the introduction of mandatory iodine fortification
Authors: Huynh Dao , Condo Dominique , Gibson Robert , Muhlhausler Beverly , Ryan Philip , Skeaff Sheila , Makrides Maria , Zhou Shao J.
Published: August 2017

Mandatory I fortification in bread was introduced in Australia in 2009 in response to the re-emergence of biochemical I deficiency based on median urinary I concentration (UIC)<100 µg/l. Data on the I status of lactating mothers and their infants in Australia are scarce. The primary aim of this study was to assess the I status, determined by UIC and breast milk I concentration (BMIC), of breast-feeding mothers in South Australia and UIC of their infants. The secondary aim was to assess the relationship between the I status of mothers and their infants. The median UIC of the mothers (n 686) was 125 (interquartile range (IQR) 76–200) µg/l and median BMIC (n 538) was 127 (IQR 84–184) µg/l. In all, 38 and 36 % of the mothers had a UIC and BMIC below 100 µg/l, respectively. The median UIC of infants (n 628) was 198 (IQR 121–296) µg/l, and 17 % had UIC<100 µg/l. Infant UIC was positively associated with maternal UIC (β 0·26; 95 % CI 0·14, 0·37, P<0·001) and BMIC (β 0·85; 95 % CI 0·66, 1·04, P<0·001) at 3 months postpartum after adjustment for gestational age, parity, maternal secondary and further education, BMI category and infant feeding mode. The adjusted OR for infant UIC<100 µg/l was 6·49 (95 % CI 3·80, 11·08, P<0·001) in mothers with BMIC<100 µg/l compared with those with BMIC≥100 µg/l. The I status of mothers and breast-fed infants in South Australia, following mandatory I fortification, is indicative of I sufficiency. BMIC<100 µg/l increased the risk of biochemical I deficiency in breast-fed infants.
Sociodemographic, lifestyle and behavioural factors associated with consumption of sweetened beverages among adults in Cambridgeshire, UK: the Fenland Study
Authors: Barrett Peter , Imamura Fumiaki , Brage Søren , Griffin Simon J , Wareham Nicholas J , Forouhi Nita G
Published: August 2017

Objective

We aimed to identify sociodemographic, lifestyle and behavioural determinants of consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) and artificially sweetened beverages (ASB) among adults in Cambridgeshire, UK.

Design

Cross-sectional data were obtained from a cohort of 9991 adults born between 1950 and 1975. An FFQ was used to assess consumption of beverages and other dietary factors. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine potential determinants of consuming SSB and ASB (≥1 serving/d).

Setting

Recruitment from general practice surgeries to participate in the ongoing population-based Fenland Study.

Subjects

Adults (n 9991) aged 30–64 years from three areas of Cambridgeshire, UK.

Results

Prevalence estimates for daily SSB and ASB consumption were 20·4 % (n 2041) and 8·9 % (n 893), respectively. SSB consumption (OR; 95 % CI) was more common in men than women (1·33; CI 1·17, 1·50) and among those reporting lower income (<£20 000/year) than those reporting higher income (>£40 000/year; 1·31; 1·09, 1·58). In contrast, daily ASB consumption was more common among women than men (1·62; 1·34, 1·96), those on weight-loss diets than those who were not (2·58; 2·05, 3·24) and those reporting higher income than lower income (1·53; 1·16, 2·00). Factors associated with higher consumption of each of SSB and ASB included being a younger adult, being overweight/obese, having shorter education, eating meals or snack foods while watching television, and skipping breakfast (P<0·05 each).

Conclusions

Frequent consumers of SSB and ASB differ by several sociodemographic characteristics. However, increased BMI, younger age and unhealthy eating behaviours are common to both groups.
Electride and superconductivity behaviors in Mn5Si3-type intermetallics
Authors: Zhang Yaoqing , Wang Bosen , Xiao Zewen , Lu Yangfan , Kamiya Toshio , Uwatoko Yoshiya , Kageyama Hiroshi , Hosono Hideo
Published: August 2017

Electrides are unique in the sense that they contain localized anionic electrons in the interstitial regions. Yet they exist with a diversity of chemical compositions, especially under extreme conditions, implying generalized underlying principles for their existence. What is rarely observed is the combination of electride state and superconductivity within the same material, but such behavior would open up a new category of superconductors. Here, we report a hexagonal Nb5Ir3 phase of Mn5Si3-type structure that falls into this category and extends the electride concept into intermetallics. The confined electrons in the one-dimensional cavities are reflected by the characteristic channel bands in the electronic structure. Filling these free spaces with foreign oxygen atoms serves to engineer the band topology and increase the superconducting transition temperature to 10.5 K in Nb5Ir3O. Specific heat analysis indicates the appearance of low-lying phonons and two-gap s-wave superconductivity. Strong electron–phonon coupling is revealed to be the pairing glue with an anomalously large ratio between the superconducting gap Δ0 and Tc, 2Δ0/kBTc = 6.12. The general rule governing the formation of electrides concerns the structural stability against the cation filling/extraction in the channel site.
A Reciprocal Interaction between β-Catenin and Osterix in Cementogenesis
Authors: Choi Hwajung , Kim Tak-Heun , Yang Siqin , Lee Jeong-Chae , You Hyung-Keun , Cho Eui-Sic
Published: August 2017

Although accumulating evidence indicates that both β-catenin and osterix (Osx) are essential for bone and tooth development, few studies have investigated the interaction of these two key proteins in the context of cementogenesis. In this study, we used transgenic mice with constitutively active β-catenin and inactive Osx in the dental mesenchyme to address this question. We found that cementoblasts with constitutively active β-catenin require Osx to produce excessive cellular cementum, and that ablation of Osx prevents this abnormal accumulation. Importantly, cementoblasts transduced with retrovirus expressing constitutively active β-catenin exhibited upregulation of Osx expression through direct binding to the promoter region of Osx. Osx regulates Lef1 expression and consequently could regulate T-cell factor/lymphoid enhancer factor (Tcf/Lef) binding activity in Wnt/β-catenin signaling. However, the loss of Tcf/Lef binding activity by Osx ablation was not rescued by transduction of retrovirus expressing constitutively active β-catenin or ectopic Lef1 overexpression. These results suggest that the Tcf/Lef binding activity of Wnt/β-catenin signaling is Osx-dependent during cementogenesis. Moreover, Osx differentially regulates the expression of various Tcf family members, suggesting that Osx regulates cementogenesis by utilizing various Tcf/Lef-dependent mechanisms. This is the first report to show that downstream Osx signaling through Tcf/Lefs is critical for cementogenesis.
A single-layer Janus membrane with dual gradient conical micropore arrays for self-driving fog collection
Authors: Ren Feifei , Li Guoqiang , Zhang Zhen , Zhang Xuedong , Fan Hua , Zhou Chen , Wang Yulong , Zhang Yinghui , Wang Chaowei , Mu Kai , Su Yahui , Wu Dong
Published: August 2017

Inspired by natural creatures, the development of a device that collects water from fog represents an important research direction.
Morphology stabilization strategies for small-molecule bulk heterojunction photovoltaics
Authors: Rahmanudin Aiman , Jeanbourquin Xavier A. , Hänni Simon , Sekar Arvindh , Ripaud Emilie , Yao Liang , Sivula Kevin
Published: August 2017

Strategies for enhancing the thermal stability of small-molecule organic solar cells are demonstrated and compared with two molecularly engineered additives.
A nickel coordination supramolecular network synergized with nitrogen-doped graphene as an advanced cathode to significantly boost the rate capability and durability of supercapacitors
Authors: Zhang Gaowei , Zhang Feng , Yao Hua , Liu Zhixian , Yang Yangyi
Published: August 2017

A new Ni coordination supramolecular network integrates well with nitrogen-doped graphene via a facile one-step hydrothermal method for electrodes of supercapacitor with excellent electrochemical performance.
An Exploration of the Associations Among Hearing Loss, Physical Health, and Visual Memory in Adults From West Central Alabama
Authors: Hay-McCutcheon Marcia J. , Hyams Adriana , Yang Xin , Parton Jason , Panasiuk Brianna , Ondocsin Sarah , James Mary Margaret , Scogin Forrest
Published: August 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this preliminary study was to explore the associations among hearing loss, physical health, and visual memory in adults living in rural areas, urban clusters, and an urban city in west Central Alabama.

Method

Two hundred ninety-seven adults (182 women, 115 men) from rural areas, urban clusters, and an urban city of west Central Alabama completed a hearing assessment, a physical health questionnaire, a hearing handicap measure, and a visual memory test.

Results

A greater number of adults with hearing loss lived in rural areas and urban clusters than in an urban area. In addition, poorer physical health was significantly associated with hearing loss. A greater number of individuals with poor physical health who lived in rural towns and urban clusters had hearing loss compared with the adults with other physical health issues who lived in an urban city. Poorer hearing sensitivity resulted in poorer outcomes on the Emotional and Social subscales of the Hearing Handicap Inventory for Adults. And last, visual memory, a working-memory task, was not associated with hearing loss but was associated with educational level.

Conclusions

The outcomes suggest that hearing loss is associated with poor physical and emotional health but not with visual-memory skills. A greater number of adults living in rural areas experienced hearing loss compared with adults living in an urban city, and consequently, further research will be necessary to confirm this relationship and to explore the reasons behind it. Also, further exploration of the relationship between cognition and hearing loss in adults living in rural and urban areas will be needed.
Hybrid Superconducting Devices Based on Quantum Wires
Authors: Grove-Rasmussen K.
Published: August 2017

This article reviews the experimental progress in hybrid superconducting devices based on quantum wires, in the form of semiconductor nanowires or carbon nanotubes, which are coupled to superconducting electrodes. It also presents a series of recent examples which illustrate the key phenomena that have allowed detailed investigations of important scenarios, including individual impurities on superconductors and proximitized systems that may hold Majorana quasiparticles. After describing experimental aspects of hybrid devices, including materials and fabrication techniques, the article considers superconducting junctions with normal quantum dots (QDs). It then turns to experiments on superconductivity-enhanced QD spectroscopy, sub-gap states in hybrid QDs, and non-local signals in Cooper pair splitter devices. Finally, it discusses the growth of epitaxial semiconductor–superconductor nanowire hybrids.
Superconducting Nanodevices
Authors: Gallop J. , Hao L.
Published: August 2017

This article reviews recent progress in superconducting nanodevices, with particular emphasis on fabrication methods developed for superconducting nanowires and nanoscale Josephson junctions based on different barrier materials. It evaluates the future potential of superconducting nanodevices, including nano-superconducting quantum interference devices (nanoSQUIDs), in light of improvements in nanoscale fabrication and manipulation techniques, along with their likely impacts on future quantum technology and measurement. The article first considers efforts to realize devices at the physical scale of 100 nm and below before discussing different types of Josephson junction such as trilayer junctions. It also describes the use of focused ion beam milling and electron beam lithography techniques for junction fabrication at the nanoscale and the improved energy sensitivity detectable with a nanoSQUID. Finally, it looks at a range of applications for nanoSQUIDs, superconducting single photon detectors, and other superconducting nanodevices.
The role of genericity in the history of dynamical systems theory
Authors: Roque Tatiana
Published: August 2017

This article examines the role of genericity in the development of dynamical systems theory. In his memoir ‘Sur les courbes définies par une équation différentielle’, published in four parts between 1881 and 1886, Henri Poincaré studied the behavior of curves that are solutions for certain types of differential equations. He successfully classified them by focusing on singular points, described the trajectories’ behavior in important particular cases and provided new methods that proved to be extremely useful. This article begins with a discussion of singularity theory and its influence on the first definitions of genericity, along with the application of the notions of structural stability and genericity to understand dynamical systems. It also analyzes the Smale conjecture and how it was proven wrong and concludes with an overview of changes in the definitions of genericity meant to describe the ‘dark realm of dynamics’.
Homology
Authors: Schmitt Stéphane
Published: August 2017

This article examines how the concept of homology is used as an expression of generality in the life sciences. Throughout its long history, homology expressed a quest for generality in the understanding of animal anatomy by suggesting that a diversity of forms resulted from modifications of a single ‘primitive’ structure. However, the meaning of this quest as well as the practices associated with it changed considerably with the different theoretical context of the life sciences. Thus, homology was an element of continuity in the history of biology and played a central role in some developments, particularly the emergence of evolutionary theory. This article first considers the use of homology in pre-transformist comparative anatomy and how it paved the way for the conceptualization of evolutionary theory before discussing the rise of new meanings of homology in genetics.
2D arrays of Josephson nanocontacts and nanogranular superconductors
Authors: Sergeenkov Sergei
Published: August 2017

This article examines many novel effects related to the magnetic, electric, elastic and transport properties of Josephson nanocontacts and nanogranular superconductors using a realistic model of two-dimensional Josephson junction arrays. The arrays were created by a 2D network of twin-boundary dislocations with strain fields acting as an insulating barrier between hole-rich domains in underdoped crystals. The article first describes a model of nanoscopic Josephson junction arrays before discussing some interesting phenomena, including chemomagnetism and magnetoelectricity, electric analog of the ‘fishtail‘ anomaly and field-tuned weakening of the chemically induced Coulomb blockade, a giant enhancement of the non-linear thermal conductivity in 2D arrays, and thermal expansion of a singleJosephson contact.
Thermal transport of small systems
Authors: Yamamoto Takahiro , Watanabe Kazuyuki , Watanabe Satoshi
Published: August 2017

This article focuses on the phonon transport or thermal transport of small systems, including quasi-one-dimensional systems such as carbon nanotubes. The Fourier law well describes the thermal transport phenomena in normal bulk materials. However, it is no longer valid when the sample dimension reduces down to below the mean-free path of phonons. In such a small system, the phonons propagate coherently without interference with other phonons. The article first considers the Boltzmann–Peierls formula of diffusive phonon transport before discussing coherent phonon transport, with emphasis on the Landauer formulation of phonon transport, ballistic phonon transport and quantized thermal conductance, numerical calculation of the phonon-transmission function, and length dependence of the thermal conductance.
Iron-oxide nanostructures with emphasis on nanowires
Authors: Deshpande U.P. , Shripathi T. , Narlikar A.V.
Published: August 2017

This article examines the properties of iron-oxide nanostructures, with particular emphasis on nanowires. It begins with an overview of iron-oxide nanostructures and nanowires, followed by a discussion of the synthesis of aligned ?-Fe2O3 nanowires and nanosheets by a simple thermal oxidation route. It then describes the preferential bending of [110] grown ?-Fe2O3 nanowires about the C-axis and quantitative estimation of nanowire alignment using X-ray diffraction and grazing incidence X-ray diffraction. It also considers the growth mechanism of ?-Fe2O3 nanowires and nanosheets, different nanowire morphologies, rotational slip in ?-Fe2O3 nanosheets, and the influence of local environment and substrate microstructure on nanowire growth.
Roles of shape and space in electronic properties of carbon nanomaterials
Authors: Oshiyama Atsushi , Okada Susumu
Published: August 2017

This article examines how internal space and boundary shapes affect the electronic properties of carbon nanomaterials by conducting total-energy electronic-structure calculations based on the density-functional theory. It first considers the existence of nanospace in carbon peapods before discussing boundaries in planar and tubular nanostructures. It also describes double-walled nanotubes, defects in carbon nanotubes, and hybrid structures of carbon nanotubes. Finally, it discusses the magnetic properties of zigzag-edged graphene ribbons and carbon nanotubes as well as the essential role of the edge state. The article shows that both space and peas (fullerenes) are decisive in electronic properties. In carbon peapods, nearly free-electron states occurring in the internal space hybridize with carbon orbitals and then make the peapod a new multicarrier system. The edge state belongs to a new class of electron states that is inherent to zigzag borders in hexagonally bonded networks.
Identification and separation of metallic and semiconducting carbon nanotubes
Authors: Kamarás Katalin , Pekker Àron
Published: August 2017

This article describes the identification and separation of metallic and semiconducting carbon nanotubes according to their electric properties. It first provides an overview of the electronic structure of nanotubes, focusing on how their metallic and semiconducting properties arise. It then considers the most widely used characterization techniques used in determining metallic or semiconducting behavior, including Raman spectroscopy and photoluminescence measurements. It also discusses specific chirality-selective growth techniques, physical postgrowth selection methods, enrichment by chirality-sensitive chemical reactions, and modification of transport properties without change in chirality. The article concludes with a review of some applications of metallic and semiconducting carbon nanotubes as transparent conductive coatings.
Size-dependent phase transitions and phase reversal at the nanoscale
Authors: Barnard Amanda S.
Published: August 2017

This article investigates size-dependent phase transitions and phase reversal at the nanoscale. In general, the crystallization of a nanomaterial into a particular structure is kinetically driven. However, the choice of which structure occurs in a specific size range is often a result of thermodynamics. These size-dependent phase relationships may be explored by analyzing the free energy and enthalpy of formation. This article considers the size-dependent phase stability of nanomaterials based on experimental and theoretical studies of zirconia and titania. It describes the use of bulk phase diagrams to capture important information on the stability of materials. It also highlights some of the physical parameters that influence phase transitions and phase reversal at the nanoscale, including temperature, pressure, shape, solution chemistry, surface chemistry and surface charge.
Role of computational sciences in Si nanotechnologies and devices
Authors: Shiraishi K. , Nakayama T.
Published: August 2017

This article discusses the role of computational sciences in the fabrication of silicon nanotechnologies and devices, with particular emphasis on new scientific findings that offer great insight into such devices. It first considers how the present Si technology trend is stimulated by scientific knowledge, focusing on the potential of complimentary metaloxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology and the importance of understanding the atomisticprocess of Si thermal oxidation. It then discusses key knowledge for Si nanodevices obtainedby computational science, paying attention to the microscopic process of Si oxidation and the curious properties of high-k gate dielectrics. It also describes the possibility of Si nanowire channels as an example of computational-science-guided channel engineering and concludes with an assessment of the future trend of Si nanotechnologies driven by computational science, including Si nanowires, GaAs nanoWires, and carbon nanotubes.
Protein-based nanodevices
Authors: Pompa P.P. , Rinaldi R.
Published: August 2017

This article discusses the exploitation of specific proteins for engineeringnanoelectronic devices. It begins with an overview of the basic characteristics of proteins as well as the main procedures and strategies in nanomanufacturing suitable for interfacing inorganic matter to biological units. It then considers nanoelectronic devices having proteins as functional units as well as the biophysical implications of protein-based nanobioelectronics. It also highlights major concerns about the possibility of integrating nanodevices with the present-day consumer electronics. Finally, it describes recent developments in thefields of biosensing and proteomics, along with the related technological methods in realizing hybrid devices and biocompatible interfaces.
Bioconjugated quantum dots for tumor molecular imaging and profiling
Authors: Zrazhevskiy P. , Gao X.
Published: August 2017

This article discusses the use of bioconjugated quantum dots (QDs) for tumor molecular imaging and profiling. The need for personalized diagnostics and therapy is becoming apparent in all areas of medicine, and especially urgent and sought after in treating cancer. Mechanisms of cancerogenesis and cancer response to therapy remain poorly understood, thus precluding accurate cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and effective treatment. Accurate molecular profiling of individual tumors is one key to effective treatment. This article first considers the photophysical properties of QDs before reviewing the most common methods for engineering QD-based probes for biomedical applications, including water solubilization and bioconjugation approaches. It also describes a number of techniques for molecular imagingand profiling of tumors, ranging from QD-based multicolor flow cytometry and applications of QDs in high-resolution correlated fluorescence/electron microscopy, QD bioprobes for molecular profiling of tumor-tissue sections and microarrays, and QD-oligonucleotide bioconjugates for in-situ hybridization.
Theory of hydrogen storage in nanoscale materials
Authors: Zhao Yufeng , Kim Yong-Hyun , Zhang S.B. , Heben Michael J.
Published: August 2017

This article reviews the theory of hydrogen storage in nanoscale materials. It first describes the concept of hydrogen sorbent and an optimal type of hydrogen-storage material (HSM), in which hydrogen-HSM interaction is much weaker than the internal interactions in the HSMs. It then considers the mechanism of hydrogen-material interaction in terms of bonding between hydrogen and other elements through orbital hybridization, focusing on physisorption, chemisorptions through weak covalent bonds, non-classical dihydrogenbinding, and electrostatic-enhanced binding of H2 in HSMs. It also examines the internal interaction in the hydrogen sorbents as well as the required hydrogen-storageproperties and design principles of hydrogen sorbents.
Electron cold sources: Nanotechnology contribution to field emitters
Authors: Binh Vu Thien
Published: August 2017

This article reviews recent advances in field emission cathodes and their applications, focusing on a number of possibilities emerging from the field of nanotechnology. It begins with an overview of the driving forces for the evolution of cold cathodes, laying emphasis on their fundamental characteristics and industrial applications as well as the bottlenecks of metallic field emitters. It then considers single-atom emitters, followed by different examples where the advent of nanotechnology has contributed towards improving new cold cathodes. It also discusses the Fresnel projection microscope and the microgun, a route to the microcolumn approach which is associated with the nanotip; a host of material issues for field emitters, taking into account carbon nanocompounds; carbon-nanotube field emitters; and carbon-nanopearl field emitters. The article concludes with an evaluation of the applications and uses of carbon nanocompounds, carbon nanotubes and carbon nanopearls as cold cathodes.
Dodging silver bullets: good CRISPR gene-drive design is critical for eradicating exotic vertebrates
Authors: Prowse Thomas A. A. , Cassey Phillip , Ross Joshua V. , Pfitzner Chandran , Wittmann Talia A. , Thomas Paul
Published: August 2017

Self-replicating gene drives that can spread deleterious alleles through animal populations have been promoted as a much needed but controversial ‘silver bullet’ for controlling invasive alien species. Homing-based drives comprise an endonuclease and a guide RNA (gRNA) that are replicated during meiosis via homologous recombination. However, their efficacy for controlling wild populations is threatened by inherent polymorphic resistance and the creation of resistance alleles via non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ)-mediated DNA repair. We used stochastic individual-based models to identify realistic gene-drive strategies capable of eradicating vertebrate pest populations (mice, rats and rabbits) on islands. One popular strategy, a sex-reversing drive that converts heterozygous females into sterile males, failed to spread and required the ongoing deployment of gene-drive carriers to achieve eradication. Under alternative strategies, multiplexed gRNAs could overcome inherent polymorphic resistance and were required for eradication success even when the probability of NHEJ was low. Strategies causing homozygotic embryonic non-viability or homozygotic female sterility produced high probabilities of eradication and were robust to NHEJ-mediated deletion of the DNA sequence between multiplexed endonuclease recognition sites. The latter two strategies also purged the gene drive when eradication failed, therefore posing lower long-term risk should animals escape beyond target islands. Multiplexing gRNAs will be necessary if this technology is to be useful for insular extirpation attempts; however, precise knowledge of homing rates will be required to design low-risk gene drives with high probabilities of eradication success.
Novel host plant leads to the loss of sexual dimorphism in a sexually selected male weapon
Authors: Allen Pablo E. , Miller Christine W.
Published: August 2017

In this time of massive global change, species are now frequently interacting with novel players. Greater insight into the impact of these novel interactions on traits linked to fitness is essential, because effects on these traits can hinder population existence or promote rapid adaptation. Sexually selected weapons and ornaments frequently influence fitness and often have heightened condition-dependence in response to nutrition. Condition-dependence in response to different ecological conditions, a form of developmental plasticity, may be responsible for much of the intraspecific variation in sexually selected ornaments and weapons in wild populations. Here we examined the consequences of developing on a novel plant for the expression of size and shape in the leaf-footed cactus bug
Narnia femorata
(Hemiptera: Coreidae). The males of this species possess enlarged, sexually dimorphic femurs on their hind legs. These legs are used as weapons in male–male contests. Females are typically larger in overall body size. Our study revealed that developing upon a novel host can lead to pronounced phenotypically plastic change in sexually dimorphic traits. Male hind femurs were greatly impacted by the novel diet to the extent that the sexual dimorphism in hind femurs was lost. Further, dimorphism in body size increased, as males became tiny adults while females better maintained their body size. These patterns underscore the complex effects that novel species interactions may have on sexual phenotypes.
Joint regulation of growth and division timing drives size homeostasis in proliferating animal cells
Authors: Singh Abhyudai , Vargas-Garcia Cesar A. , Björklund Mikael
Published: August 2017

How organisms maintain cell size homeostasis is a long-standing problem that remains unresolved, especially in multicellular organisms. Recent experiments in diverse animal cell types demonstrate that within a cell population the extent of growth and cellular proliferation (i.e., fitness) is low for small and large cells, but high at intermediate sizes. Here we use mathematical models to explore size-control strategies that drive such a non-monotonic fitness profile resulting in an optimal cell size. Our analysis reveals that if cell size grows exponentially or linearly over time, then fitness always varies monotonically with size irrespective of how timing of division is regulated. Furthermore, if the cell divides upon attaining a critical size (as in the Sizer or size-checkpoint model), then fitness always increases with size irrespective of how growth rate is regulated. These results show that while several size control models can maintain cell size homeostasis, they fail to predict the optimal cell size, and hence unable to explain why cells prefer a certain size. Interestingly, fitness maximization at an optimal size requires two key ingredients: 1) The growth rate decreases with increasing size for large enough cells; and 2) The cell size at the time of division is a function of the newborn size. The latter condition is consistent with the Adder paradigm for division control (division is triggered upon adding a fixed size from birth), or a Sizer-Adder combination. Consistent with theory, Jurkat T cell growth rates, as measured via oxygen consumption or mitochondrial activity, increase with size for small cells, but decrease with size for large cells. In summary, regulation of both growth and cell division timing is critical for size control in animal cells, and this joint-regulation leads to an optimal size where cellular fitness is maximized.

Address inquires to A. Singh, E-mail:absingh@udel.edu.
Compositional heterogeneity and outgroup choice influence the internal phylogeny of the ants
Authors: Borowiec Marek L. , Rabeling Christian , Brady Seán G. , Fisher Brian L. , Schultz Ted R. , Ward Philip S.
Published: August 2017

Knowledge of the internal phylogeny and evolutionary history of ants (Formicidae), the world’s most species-rich clade of eusocial organisms, has dramatically improved since the advent of molecular phylogenetics. A number of relationships at the subfamily level, however, remain uncertain. Key unresolved issues include placement of the root of the ant tree of life and the relationships among the so-called poneroid subfamilies. Here we assemble a new data set to attempt a resolution of these two problems and carry out divergence dating, focusing on the age of the root node of crown Formicidae. For the phylogenetic analyses we included data from 110 ant species, including the key speciesMartialis heureka. We focused taxon sampling on non-formicoid lineages of ants to gain insight about deep nodes in the ant phylogeny. For divergence dating we retained a subset of 62 extant taxa and 42 fossils in order to approximate diversified sampling in the context of the fossilized birth-death process. We sequenced 11 nuclear gene fragments for a total of ~7.5 kb and investigated the DNA sequence data for the presence of among-taxon compositional heterogeneity, a property known to mislead phylogenetic inference, and for its potential to affect the rooting of the ant phylogeny. We found sequences of the Leptanillinae and several outgroup taxa to be rich in adenine and thymine (51% average AT content) compared to the remaining ants (45% average). To investigate whether this heterogeneity could bias phylogenetic inference we performed outgroup removal experiments, analysis of compositionally homogeneous sites, and a simulation study. We found that compositional heterogeneity indeed appears to affect the placement of the root of the ant tree but has limited impact on more recent nodes. We put forward a novel hypothesis regarding the rooting of the ant phylogeny, in whichMartialisand the Leptanillinae together constitute a clade that is sister to all other ants. After correcting for compositional heterogeneity this emerges as the best-supported hypothesis of relationships at deep nodes in the ant tree. The results of our divergence dating under the fossilized birth-death process and diversified sampling suggest that the crown Formicidae originated during the Albian or Aptian ages of the Lower Cretaceous (103–124 Ma). In addition, we found support for monophyletic poneroids comprising the subfamilies Agroecomyrmecinae, Amblyoponinae, Apomyrminae, Paraponerinae, Ponerinae, and Proceratiinae, and well-supported relationships among these subfamilies except for the placement of Proceratiinae and (Amblyoponinae + Apomyrminae). Our phylogeny also highlights the non-monophyly of several ant genera, includingProtanillaandLeptanillain the Leptanillinae,Proceratiumin the Proceratiinae, andCryptopone,Euponera, andMesoponerawithin the Ponerinae.
Genome size and the extinction of small populations
Authors: LaBar Thomas , Adami Christoph
Published: August 2017

Although extinction is ubiquitous throughout the history of life, insight into the factors that drive extinction events are often difficult to decipher. Most studies of extinction focus on inferring causal factors from past extinction events, but these studies are constrained by our inability to observe extinction events as they occur. Here, we use digital evolution to avoid these constraints and study “extinction in action”. We focus on the role of genome size in driving population extinction, as previous work both in comparative genomics and digital evolution has shown a correlation between genome size and extinction. We find that extinctions in small populations are caused by large genome size. This relationship between genome size and extinction is due to two genetic mechanisms that increase a population’s lethal mutational burden: large genome size leads to both an increased lethal mutation rate and an increased likelihood of stochastic reproduction errors and non-viability. We further show that this increased lethal mutational burden is directly due to genome expansions, as opposed to subsequent adaptation after genome expansion. These findings suggest that large genome size can enhance the extinction likelihood of small populations and may inform which natural populations are at an increased risk of extinction.
Synthesis of N-substituted arylhydrazones: applying to polyester fabric as disperse dyes
Authors: Elassar Abdel-Zaher A. , Al-Mousawi Saleh M. , Helal Maher Helmi , Elgazzar Mohamed E.
Published: August 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to prepare new disperse dyes and apply for dying polyester fabrics.

Design/methodology/approach

The synthetic reaction was carried out through two steps: preparation of arylhydrazones and alkylation using enaminone and dimethylaminovinyl-pyridazine. The high temperature method was used to apply these dyes to polyester fibres.

Findings

The study revealed that there is a significant effect of the new prepared disperse dyes on polyester fabrics. The structures of the prepared dyes were established based on elemental analysis and spectral data (infra red (IR), mass spectrometry (MS) and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR), carbon 13th nuclear magnetic resonance (13C-NMR)).

Research limitations/implications

Disperse dyes containing heterocyclic moiety have attracted great academic and industrial attention owing to their significant. The potential of using disperse dyes easily prepared from arylhydrazones are promise broad applications for these dyes.

Practical implications

The presence of N-thienyl and N-pyridazinyl in the structure of the synthesised disperse dyes would be expected to add the bioactivity advantage. Also, it can be used in formulating the antimicrobial fabrics.

Social implications

The N-thienyl and N-pyrdiazinyl derivatives of azo dyes are expected to be superior to in the application for fabrics. It may be useful for other applications like painting.

Originality/value

This paper helps to synthesise novel thiophene or pyridazine-based dyestuff for application in dying properties on polyester fabric and study their fastness properties.
Poverty reduction through enabling factors
Authors: Alam Khurshed
Published: August 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify the factors which are instrumental to poverty reduction opposed to many factors that are considered as impediments to poverty reduction in a poor country like Bangladesh.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is an outcome of review of literature covered wide range of issues including sectoral contribution to economic growth but none has exclusively dealt with the instrumental role of the poverty reduction factors, insider’s view, long-term observations (1960-2014), and reviews of secondary data.

Findings

In order to reduce poverty, rather than attempting to change the “culture of poverty,” remove the “structural trap,” or “kin system as poverty trap” it can be achieved through harnessing the enabling factors of poverty reduction. Study argues that rather than focusing on “barriers” to poverty reduction, a country needs to identify and focus on its “potential” factors of poverty reduction. The dominant enabling factors for Bangladesh were agricultural development and remittance. The utilization of land and labor could bring a transformation in the rural economy of Bangladesh which was essential to poverty reduction.

Practical implications

The study shows that the individuals can escape poverty largely through their own effort where a proper policy support from the government is needed. The state needs to play the facilitating role rather than the instrumental in the case of poverty reduction.

Originality/value

The paper reveals instruments to poverty reduction where usual practice was to identify the barrier to development and to suggest the means of overcoming those barriers. It suggests how to look into the matter from other way round where instead of identifying the barrier attempt should be made to identify the enabling factors and to harness those enabling factors. The findings are based on the country-specific literatures but not generalized in the form as attempted here. The study shows a means of poverty reduction where country-specific strategy or home-grown model can be drawn out based on the identification of potential factors.
Transmission of Type 2 diabetes to sons and daughters: the D.E.S.I.R. cohort
Authors: Balkau B. , Roussel R. , Wagner S. , Tichet J. , Froguel P. , Fagherazzi G. , Bonnet F. ,   for the D.E.S.I.R. Study Group
Published: August 2017

Aims

To document the family transmission of Type 2 diabetes to men and women.

Method

The French D.E.S.I.R. cohort followed men and women over 9 years, with 3‐yearly testing for incident Type 2 diabetes. First‐ and/or second‐degree family histories of diabetes were available for 2187 men and 2282 women. Age‐adjusted hazard ratios were estimated for various family members and groupings of family members, as well as for a genetic diabetes risk score, based on 65 diabetes‐associated loci.

Results

Over 9 years, 136 men and 63 women had incident Type 2 diabetes. The hazard ratios for diabetes associated with having a first‐degree family member with diabetes (parents, siblings, children) differed between men [1.21 (95% CI 0.80, 1.85)] and women [3.02 (95% CI 1.83, 4.99); Pinteraction=0.006]. The genetic risk score was predictive of diabetes in both men and women, with similar hazard ratios 1.10 (95% CI 1.06, 1.15) and 1.08 (95% CI 1.02, 1.14) respectively, for each additional at‐risk allele. In women, the risk associated with having a family member with diabetes persisted after adjusting for the genetic score.

Conclusion

Women with a family history of diabetes (paternal or maternal) were at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes and this risk was independent of a genetic score; in contrast, for men, there was no association. Diabetes screening and prevention may need to more specifically target women with diabetes in their family, but further studies are required as the number of people with diabetes in this study was small.
Resting respiratory sinus arrhythmia in suicide attempters
Authors: Tsypes Aliona , James Kiera M. , Woody Mary L. , Feurer Cope , Kudinova Anastacia Y. , Gibb Brandon E.
Published: August 2017

Although suicide attempts (SA) occur across a broad range of diagnoses as well as in the absence of a diagnosable disorder, most studies to date have focused on them within a single, specific disorder. Consistent with the NIMH RDoC initiative to identify biobehavioral vulnerabilities that cut across diagnoses, the goal of the present study was to examine potential differences in resting respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) levels in a large, diagnostically heterogeneous sample of women with and without a history of SA who were matched on a broad range of demographic and clinical variables. Participants were 112 women with (n = 56) and without (n = 56) a history of SA recruited from the community. The two groups were equated on approximate age, race, household income, and lifetime histories of psychiatric diagnoses. Resting electrocardiogram was recorded during a 2‐min rest period. RSA was calculated via spectral power analyses with a fast Fourier transform. We found that women with a history of SA exhibited significantly lower resting RSA levels than women with no history of SA, and this difference was maintained even after statistically controlling for the potential influence of women's history of psychiatric diagnoses and their current symptoms of depression and anxiety. These findings suggest the presence of a link between resting RSA and SA history.
A new genus and two new species of diptilomiopid mites (Acari: Diptilomiopidae) from Hainan Province, China
Authors: Xu Xing-Quan , Xue Xiao-Feng
Published: August 2017

A new genus and two new species of the subfamily Diptilomiopinae (Acari: Diptilomiopidae) from China’s Hainan Island are described and illustrated. They are Dividilobus parvifolius gen. nov. and sp. nov. on Gnetum parvifolium (Warb.) C. Y. Cheng (Gnetaceae) and Vimola samarangensis sp. nov. on Syzygium samarangense (Blume.) Merr. et Perry (Myrtaceae). Both of the two new species are vagrant on leaf lower surface. No damage to the host was observed. A key to species of Vimola is provided.
Vulnerability assessment of seismic induced out-of-plane failure of unreinforced masonry wall buildings
Authors: Abo-El-Ezz Ahmad , Houalard Clémentine , Nollet Marie-José , Assi Rola
Published: August 2017

Damage to unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings from earthquake shaking is often caused by out-of-plane failure of walls. This is particularly relevant to the majority of URM buildings in Eastern Canada that were constructed prior to the introduction of seismic design prescriptions. Seismic vulnerability assessment of this type of failure is therefore an essential step towards seismic risk mitigation. This paper presents a simplified procedure for seismic vulnerability assessment of out-of-plane failure of URM wall buildings. The procedure includes the development of an equivalent single degree of freedom model of the wall with a characteristic force–deformation capacity curve. The capacity curve is convolved with displacement response spectrum to predict the displacement demand. The predicted displacement demand is compared to displacement thresholds criteria corresponding to the initiation of each damage state. The procedure is applied to an inventory of URM buildings in Montreal and the corresponding probability of out-of-plane damage is evaluated.