bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Succession to the Crown Act 2013
Authors: Hill Christopher
Published: August 2013

Bob Morris' comment on the Succession to the Crown Bill invites the Church of England to ‘fresh, bound-breaking’ thinking about Church of England establishment in light of the role of the Supreme Governor of the Church of England and the statutory obligation for the Sovereign to maintain communion with the Church of England. Along with other writers he argues that, in effect, this leaves us with religious freedom in the UK but not religious equality. I hope that Morris' challenge will stimulate such fresh thought – my response is not yet this but concerns another matter that he raises in relation to Roman Catholic marriages. He repeats concern in both Houses of Parliament that children of ‘mixed marriages’ are obliged to be brought up as Roman Catholics, and he correctly questions the extent of such an absolute obligation contra an article in the Catholic Herald.
IMF Working Paper Monetary and Capital Markets Department Possible Unintended Consequences of Basel III and Solvency II
Authors: Al-Darwish Ahmed , Hafeman Michael , Impavido Gregorio , Kemp Malcolm , O'Malley Padraic
Published: August 2013

This Working Paper should not be reported as representing the views of the IMF.

The views expressed in this Working Paper are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent those of the IMF or IMF policy. Working Papers describe research in progress by the author(s) and are published to elicit comments and to further debate.

In today's financial system, complex financial institutions are connected through an opaque network of financial exposures. These connections contribute to financial deepening and greater savings allocation efficiency, but are also unstable channels of contagion. Basel III and Solvency II should improve the stability of these connections, but could have unintended consequences for cost of capital, funding patterns, interconnectedness, and risk migration.
Scanning Electron Microscopy Studies of Neoformations on Stony Materials of Modern Building Works
Authors: Alves Carlos
Published: August 2013

The built environment is subjected to several pollutants under variable environmental conditions defined by diverse geochemical systems. These geochemical systems promote the occurrence of neoformations that can have a detrimental effect on surfaces of the building materials. Hence, the study of neoformations helps in the understanding of weathering processes that affect built structures. In the present paper we present a scanning electron microscopy study of macroscopic manifestations of neoformations detected during an extensive visual survey of several modern architectural works in urban areas of northern and central Portugal. The studies performed suggest that cementitious materials play an important role as a source of pollutants for the most common neoformations such as carbonate rich stains and coatings, as well as salt efflorescences of alkaline sulphates and carbonates. There are also indications of contributions from organic sources for alkaline nitrates and atmospheric pollution for gypsum-rich black crusts. Other less common neoformations include phosphate aggregates and silica stains that represent interesting indicators of the geochemical systems in built environments. In the case of carbonate-rich coatings, indications of recurrence related to the circulation of carbonate forming solutions relevant to the maintenance of built surfaces were detected.
REMARKS ON EISENSTEIN
Authors: BILU YURI , BORICHEV ALEXANDER
Published: August 2013

We obtain a fully explicit quantitative version of the Eisenstein theorem on algebraic power series which is more suitable for certain applications than the existing version due to Dwork, Robba, Schmidt and van der Poorten. We also treat ramified series and Laurent series, and we demonstrate some applications; for instance, we estimate the discriminant of the number field generated by the coefficients.
Postoperative radiotherapy for advanced head and neck cancer in patients with cardiac pacemakers
Authors: Ampil Federico L. , Nathan Cherie-Ann , Ghali Ghali , Kim David
Published: August 2013

The clinical situation of coexisting significant cardiac arrhythmias complicating head and neck cancer (HNC) is uncommon, accounting for <11% of comorbid illnesses present in this particular cohort of individuals. Little is documented about the outcomes of these people with cardiac pacemakers (CP) when surgery combined with postoperative radiotherapy is rendered. The authors report two cases wherein full-course postoperative irradiation was administered without any patient mishap. Appropriately indicated adjuvant radiotherapy for locally advanced HNC can be conducted safely and effectively in patients with CPs. Implementation of essential precautionary measures is encouraged to avoid any serious, unwanted cardiac events.
Reasons to Love Life
Authors: Till Benedikt , Sonneck Gernot , Baldauf Gerhard , Steiner Elise , Niederkrotenthaler Thomas
Published: August 2013

Background: A suicide awareness campaign was initiated in the Austrian federal state of Styria to increase help-seeking behavior in the population. Billboards were shown throughout Styria depicting joyful everyday-life situations with a focus on social and family connectedness, and promoting the Telephone Emergency Service, a crisis hotline. Aims: The present study investigated the impact of this campaign on the utilization of the crisis hotline and on suicide rates. Method: Phone calls and suicide rates in the study region 3 months before the campaign were compared with rates 3 months after the campaign. The changes were contrasted with the characteristics of phone calls and the suicide rate in a comparable control region. Results: There were significantly more phone calls in the study region after the awareness campaign compared to the control region, which was similar to seasonal trends in nonintervention years, and there was no increase of suicide-related phone calls. The proportion of suicide-related phone calls referring to family problems decreased after the initiation of the campaign. Suicide rates did not change. Conclusion: The campaign may have had some minor immediate impact on the utilization of the Telephone Emergency Service, but it did not seem to motivate suicidal individuals, especially those with family problems, to call.
Integrating metagenomic and amplicon databases to resolve the phylogenetic and ecological diversity of the Chlamydiae
Authors: Lagkouvardos Ilias , Weinmaier Thomas , Lauro Federico M , Cavicchioli Ricardo , Rattei Thomas , Horn Matthias
Published: August 2013

In the era of metagenomics and amplicon sequencing, comprehensive analyses of available sequence data remain a challenge. Here we describe an approach exploiting metagenomic and amplicon data sets from public databases to elucidate phylogenetic diversity of defined microbial taxa. We investigated the phylum Chlamydiae whose known members are obligate intracellular bacteria that represent important pathogens of humans and animals, as well as symbionts of protists. Despite their medical relevance, our knowledge about chlamydial diversity is still scarce. Most of the nine known families are represented by only a few isolates, while previous clone library-based surveys suggested the existence of yet uncharacterized members of this phylum. Here we identified more than 22 000 high quality, non-redundant chlamydial 16S rRNA gene sequences in diverse databases, as well as 1900 putative chlamydial protein-encoding genes. Even when applying the most conservative approach, clustering of chlamydial 16S rRNA gene sequences into operational taxonomic units revealed an unexpectedly high species, genus and family-level diversity within the Chlamydiae, including 181 putative families. These in silico findings were verified experimentally in one Antarctic sample, which contained a high diversity of novel Chlamydiae. In our analysis, the Rhabdochlamydiaceae, whose known members infect arthropods, represents the most diverse and species-rich chlamydial family, followed by the protist-associated Parachlamydiaceae, and a putative new family (PCF8) with unknown host specificity. Available information on the origin of metagenomic samples indicated that marine environments contain the majority of the newly discovered chlamydial lineages, highlighting this environment as an important chlamydial reservoir.
Akt Isoforms Differentially Protect against Stroke-Induced Neuronal Injury by Regulating mTOR Activities
Authors: Xie Rong , Cheng Michelle , Li Mei , Xiong Xiaoxing , Daadi Marcel , Sapolsky Robert M , Zhao Heng
Published: August 2013

Protein kinases Akt1 and Akt3 are considered to be more crucial to brain function than Akt2. We investigated the roles of Akt1 and Akt3 in stroke-induced brain injury and examined their interactions with the Akt/mTOR pathways. Focal ischemia was induced in rats. Lentiviral vectors expressing constitutively active Akt1 and Akt3 (cAkt1 and cAkt3) were injected into the ischemic cortex. Infarct sizes and gene and protein expressions in the Akt/mTOR pathways were evaluated. The results show that Akt1 and Akt3 proteins were degraded as early as 1 hour after stroke, whereas Akt2 proteins remained unchanged until 24 hours after stroke. Lentiviral-mediated overexpression of cAkt1 or cAkt3 reduced neuronal death after in vitro and in vivo ischemia. Interestingly, cAkt3 overexpression resulted in stronger protection than cAkt1 overexpression. Western blot analyses further showed that cAkt3 promoted significantly higher levels of phosphorylated Akt and phosphorylated mTOR than cAkt1. The mTOR inhibitor rapamycin blocked the protective effects of both cAkt1 and cAkt3. In conclusion, Akt isoforms are differentially regulated after stroke and Akt3 offers stronger protection than cAkt1 by maintaining Akt levels and promoting mTOR activity.
Real time estimation of slant path tropospheric delay at very low elevation based on singular ground‐based global positioning system station
Authors: Zhu Qinglin , Zhao Zhenwei , Lin Leke
Published: August 2013

Real time slant path tropospheric delay (STD) is of benefit in near real‐time weather forecasting, climatologic applications, and reconstructing refractivity profile. For low elevation ( < 5°), the traditional method precision of calculating STD is poor. A new method of estimating real‐time STD at very low elevation (0° − 5°), which is based on singular ground‐based Global Positioning System (GPS) with International GPS Service ultra‐rapid product, is presented in this study. An experiment was carried out to validate the feasibility on an island in Shantou, south China during July 2009. Results from radiosondes, GPS and models are compared and show that GPS‐derived results have agreement with those from radiosonde for low elevation ( < 5°). Consequently, the method can potentially offset some drawbacks of traditional method, and even may be used for monitoring the troposphere without radiosondes in some aspects in the future.
Thermal properties of holmium-implanted gold films for a neutrino mass experiment with cryogenic microcalorimeters
Authors: Prasai K. , Alves E. , Bagliani D. , Yanardag S. Basak , Biasotti M. , Galeazzi M. , Gatti F. , Gomes M. Ribeiro , Rocha J. , Uprety Y.
Published: August 2013

In a microcalorimetric neutrino mass experiment using the radioactive decay of 163Ho, the radioactive material must be fully embedded in the microcalorimeter absorber. One option that is being investigated is to implant the radioactive isotope into a gold absorber, as gold is successfully used in other applications. However, knowing the thermal properties at the working temperature of microcalorimeters is critical for choosing the absorber material and for optimizing the detector performance. In particular, it is paramount to understand if implanting the radioactive material in gold changes its heat capacity. We used a bolometric technique to measure the heat capacity of gold films, implanted with various concentrations of holmium and erbium (a byproduct of the 163Ho fabrication), in the temperature range 70 mK–300 mK. Our results show that the specific heat capacity of the gold films is not affected by the implant, making this a viable option for a future microcalorimeter holmium experiment.
Understanding wetting of immiscible liquids near a solid surface using molecular simulation
Authors: Kumar Vaibhaw , Errington Jeffrey R.
Published: August 2013

We introduce Monte Carlo simulation methods for determining interfacial properties of fluids that exhibit bulk liquid-liquid immiscibility. An interface-potential-based approach, in which the interfacial properties of a system are related to the surface excess free energy of a thin fluid film in contact with a surface, is utilized to deduce the wetting characteristics of these systems. We present a framework for implementing this general method within both the grand canonical and semigrand isobaric-isothermal ensembles. Tracking the evolution of interfacial properties along various thermodynamic paths is also examined. This task is accomplished by implementing variants of the expanded ensemble technique, which enables one to obtain components of the interface potential along a path of interest. We also discuss how these concepts are employed to calculate bulk liquid-liquid coexistence properties in an efficient manner. The computational strategies introduced here are applied to three model Lennard-Jones systems. For each system, we compile the evolution of the liquid-liquid surface tension and contact angle with temperature or pressure. For one of the model systems we compare our results with literature data. We also examine how interfacial properties evolve upon variation of the relative affinity of the fluid components for the substrate. Overall, we find that the approach pursued here is generally applicable and provides an efficient and precise means to calculate the bulk and interfacial properties of fluids that exhibit liquid-liquid immiscibility.
Photofragmentation dynamics of ICN−(CO2)n clusters following visible excitation
Authors: Martin Joshua P. , Case Amanda S. , Gu Quanli , Darr Joshua P. , McCoy Anne B. , Lineberger W. Carl
Published: August 2013

Photodissociation of ICN−(CO2)n, n = 0–18, with 500-nm excitation is investigated using a dual time-of-flight mass spectrometer. Photoabsorption to the 2Π1/2 state is detected using ionic-photoproduct action spectroscopy; the maximum absorption occurs around 490 nm. Ionic-photoproduct distributions were determined for ICN−(CO2)n at 500 nm. Following photodissociation of bare ICN− via 430–650 nm excitation, a small fraction of CN− is produced, suggesting that nonadiabatic effects play a role in the photodissociation of this simple anion. Electronic structure calculations, carried out at the MR-SO-CISD level of theory, were used to evaluate the potential-energy surfaces for the ground and excited states of ICN−. Analysis of the electronic structure supports the presence of nonadiabatic effects in the photodissociation dynamics. For n ≥ 2, the major ionic photoproduct has a mass corresponding to either partially solvated CN− or partially solvated [NCCO2]−.
Charge transport in organic semiconductors: Assessment of the mean field theory in the hopping regime
Authors: Wang Linjun , Beljonne David
Published: August 2013

The performance of the mean field theory to account for charge transfer rate in molecular dimers and charge transport mobility in molecular stacks with small intermolecular electronic coupling and large local electron-phonon coupling (i.e., in the hopping regime) is carefully investigated against various other approaches. Using Marcus formula as a reference, it is found that mean field theory with system-bath interaction and surface hopping approaches yield fully consistent charge transfer rates in dimers. However, in contrast to the dimer case, incorporating system-bath interaction in the mean field approach results in a completely wrong temperature dependence of charge carrier mobility in larger aggregates. Although the mean field simulation starting from the relaxed geometry of a charged molecule and neglecting system-bath interaction can reproduce thermally activated transport, it is not able to characterize properly the role of additional nonlocal electron-phonon couplings. Our study reveals that the mean field theory must be used with caution when studying charge transport in the hopping regime of organic semiconductors, where the surface hopping approach is generally superior.
Efficient broken line fitting procedure for analysis of force spectroscopy curves in chemical force microscopy
Authors: Jóźwiak G. , Masalska A. , Gotszalk T. , Schroeder G.
Published: August 2013

The procedure for the analysis of force-distance curves in chemical force microscopy is presented. This procedure is based upon the Broken Line Fitting algorithm with an adaptation of knots positions. The strength of this method relies on the fact that it has O(N) complexity, which means that it is as efficient as standard peak detection techniques utilized by commercially available software. It is shown by means of computer simulations that the algorithm is able to detect snap-out points of a height comparable to a noise level, which is a significant improvement in comparison to previously reported techniques. The proposed method is also resistant to base line distortions. Using this procedure for an analysis of CH3-CH3 interactions enabled measurements of interactions between only two molecules, which has been confirmed experimentally. The obtained results strongly support validity of the Johnson-Kendall-Roberts model at the sub-nanometer scale.
Qualitative and quantitative analysis of surface-acoustic-wave-based ultraviolet photodetectors
Authors: Wang Wei-Shan , Tsai Chi-Ju , Ma Chein-Ching
Published: August 2013

Surface-acoustic-wave (SAW) based ultraviolet (UV) photodetectors with multiple optical sensing areas is presented by depositing patterned ZnO films on a LiNbO3 substrate. Two different types of electrodes, uniform interdigital transducer (IDT) and slanted finger interdigital transducer (SFIT), are designed and fabricated to analyze the performances of SAW array UV photodetectors. By tuning ultraviolet wavelengths, qualitative characteristics of SAW UV photodetectors are observed through the measurements of SAW attenuation. Quantitative analyses of the photodetectors are presented by varying light intensities. Moreover, dynamic responses of SAW array UV photodetectors under the illumination of different optical wavelengths are also demonstrated. Ultraviolet light of 350 nm with power densities of 8.46 and 18.34 μW/cm2 is detectable from a UV photodetector with uniform IDT and SFIT, respectively. This study not only indicates that a SAW-based UV sensor is a potential candidate of array UV photodetectors but also provides a comprehensive analysis of SAW UV photodetectors.
Influence on miniband structure of size variations in regimented InAs/GaAs quantum dots arrays
Authors: García Trinidad , Manuel Gómez-Campos Francisco , Rodríguez-Bolívar Salvador
Published: August 2013

The influence of breaks in the periodicity of a InAs/GaAs quantum dot supracrystal is theoretically investigated in this work. With this aim, we infer the order of magnitude of the change in the eigenenergies due to the spread in sizes of quantum dots in these systems. From it, it would be possible to ascertain whether effects derived from the miniband structure of a manufactured supracrystal would be detected experimentally or if they would be masked by non-periodic defects. Thus, we have a first estimate of the differences between the behaviour of experimental samples and their ideal counterparts.
Initial experimental evidence of self-collimation of target-normal-sheath-accelerated proton beam in a stack of conducting foils
Authors: Ni P. A. , Lund S. M. , McGuffey C. , Alexander N. , Aurand B. , Barnard J. J. , Beg F. N. , Bellei C. , Bieniosek F. M. , Brabetz C. , Cohen R. H. , Kim J. , Neumayer P. , Roth M. , Logan B. G.
Published: August 2013

Phenomena consistent with self-collimation (or weak self-focusing) of laser target-normal-sheath-accelerated protons was experimentally observed for the first time, in a specially engineered structure (“lens”) consisting of a stack of 300 thin aluminum foils separated by 50 μm vacuum gaps. The experiments were carried out in a “passive environment,” i.e., no external fields applied, neutralization plasma or injection of secondary charged particles was imposed. Experiments were performed at the petawatt “PHELIX” laser user facility (E = 100 J, Δt = 400 fs, λ = 1062 nm) at the “Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung–GSI” in Darmstadt, Germany. The observed rms beam spot reduction depends inversely on energy, with a focusing degree decreasing monotonically from 2 at 5.4 MeV to 1.5 at 18.7 MeV. The physics inside the lens is complex, resulting in a number of different mechanisms that can potentially affect the particle dynamics within the structure. We present a plausible simple interpretation of the experiment in which the combination of magnetic self-pinch forces generated by the beam current together with the simultaneous reduction of the repulsive electrostatic forces due to the foils are the dominant mechanisms responsible for the observed focusing/collimation. This focusing technique could be applied to a wide variety of space-charge dominated proton and heavy ion beams and impact fields and applications, such as HEDP science, inertial confinement fusion in both fast ignition and heavy ion fusion approaches, compact laser-driven injectors for a Linear Accelerator (LINAC) or synchrotron, medical therapy, materials processing, etc.
Mitigation of cross-beam energy transfer: Implication of two-state focal zooming on OMEGA
Authors: Froula D. H. , Kessler T. J. , Igumenshchev I. V. , Betti R. , Goncharov V. N. , Huang H. , Hu S. X. , Hill E. , Kelly J. H. , Meyerhofer D. D. , Shvydky A. , Zuegel J. D.
Published: August 2013

Cross-beam energy transfer (CBET) during OMEGA low-adiabat cryogenic experiments reduces the hydrodynamic efficiency by ∼35%, which lowers the calculated one-dimensional (1-D) yield by a factor of 7. CBET can be mitigated by reducing the diameter of the laser beams relative to the target diameter. Reducing the diameter of the laser beams by 30%, after a sufficient conduction zone has been generated (two-state zooming), is predicted to maintain low-mode uniformity while recovering 90% of the kinetic energy lost to CBET. A radially varying phase plate is proposed to implement two-state zooming on OMEGA. A beam propagating through the central half-diameter of the phase plate will produce a large spot, while a beam propagating through the outer annular region of the phase plate will produce a narrower spot. To generate the required two-state near-field laser-beam profile, a picket driver with smoothing by spectral dispersion (SSD) would pass through an apodizer, forming a beam of half the standard diameter. A second main-pulse driver would co-propagate without SSD through its own apodizer, forming a full-diameter annular beam. Hydrodynamic simulations, using the designed laser spots produced by the proposed zooming scheme on OMEGA, show that implementing zooming will increase the implosion velocity by 25% resulting in a 4.5× increase in the 1-D neutron yield. Demonstrating zooming on OMEGA would validate a viable direct-drive CBET mitigation scheme and help establish a pathway to hydrodynamically equivalent direct-drive–ignition implosions by increasing the ablation pressure (1.6×), which will allow for more stable implosions at ignition-relevant velocities.
Copper nanowire arrays for transparent electrodes
Authors: Gao Tongchuan , Leu Paul W.
Published: August 2013

Metallic nanowires have demonstrated high optical transmission and electrical conductivity with potential for application as transparent electrodes that may be used in flexible devices. In this paper, we systematically investigated the electrical and optical properties of 1D and 2D copper nanowire (Cu NW) arrays as a function of diameter and pitch and compared their performance to that of Cu thin films and our recent results on silver (Ag) NW arrays. Cu NWs exhibit enhanced transmission over thin films due to propagating resonance modes between NWs. For the same geometry, the transmission of Cu NW arrays is about the same as that of Ag NW arrays since the dispersion relation of propagating modes in metal nanowire arrays are independent of the metal permittivity. The sheet resistance is also comparable since the conductivity of Cu is about the same as that of Ag. Just as in Ag NWs, larger Cu NW diameters and pitches are favored for achieving higher solar transmission at a particular sheet resistance. Cu NW arrays may achieve solar transmission >90% with sheet resistances <10 Ω/sq and figure of merit σDC/σop>1000. One of the primary concerns with the use of Cu is oxidation and we also investigated the impact of a nickel (Ni) coating, which can serve as an anti-oxidation layer, on the electrical and optical properties.
Thermal transport properties of rolled graphene nanoribbons
Authors: Li Dengfeng , Li Bolin , Luo Min , Feng Chunbao , Ouyang Tao , Gao Fei
Published: August 2013

Using nonequilibrium Green's function method, we investigate the influence of the curvature and edge effects on the thermal transport during the process of rolling graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) into carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in the transverse direction. The curvature effect results in a slight decrease in the thermal conductance of GNRs, which is remarkably different from that in the longitudinal direction. The curvature and edge effects show a strong size and chirality dependence, while the curvature effect is more sensitive to the size. When the size equals to 12.8 nm (49.2 nm) with the zigzag (armchair) edge, the edge effect results in the reduction of thermal conductance of 2.4% (13.0%) as compared to the corresponding CNT, but the curvature effect vanishes.
Anode modification of polymer light-emitting diode using graphene oxide interfacial layer: The role of ultraviolet-ozone treatment
Authors: Jiang Xiao-Chen , Li Yan-Qing , Deng Yan-Hong , Zhuo Qi-Qi , Lee Shuit-Tong , Tang Jian-Xin
Published: August 2013

A simple and efficient method has been developed to modify the anode interface of polymer light-emitting diode by incorporating solution-processable graphene oxide as hole transport layer. Interface engineering of ultraviolet-ozone treatment on graphene oxide is demonstrated to dramatically enhance the electrical properties, leading to 15% increase in efficiency compared to that with a traditionally used poly(styrenesulfonate)-doped poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) layer. As determined by photoelectron spectroscopy and impedance spectroscopy, an optimized ultraviolet-ozone treatment results in a more favorable energy level alignment and a decrease in series resistance, which can subsequently facilitate charge injection at the anodic interface.
Microfluidic rectifier based on poly(dimethylsiloxane) membrane and its application to a micropump
Authors: Wang Yao-Nan , Tsai Chien-Hsiung , Fu Lung-Ming , Lin Liou Lung-Kai
Published: August 2013

A microfluidic rectifier incorporating an obstructed microchannel and a PDMS membrane is proposed. During forward flow, the membrane deflects in the upward direction; thereby allowing the fluid to pass over the obstacle. Conversely, during reverse flow, the membrane seals against the obstacle, thereby closing the channel and preventing flow. It is shown that the proposed device can operate over a wide pressure range by increasing or decreasing the membrane thickness as required. A microfluidic pump is realized by integrating the rectifier with a simple stepper motor mechanism. The experimental results show that the pump can achieve a vertical left height of more than 2 m. Moreover, it is shown that a maximum flow rate of 6.3 ml/min can be obtained given a membrane thickness of 200 μm and a motor velocity of 80 rpm. In other words, the proposed microfluidic rectifier not only provides an effective means of preventing reverse flow but also permits the realization of a highly efficient microfluidic pump.
Rapid prototyping of carbon-based chemiresistive gas sensors on paper
Authors: Mirica Katherine A. , Azzarelli Joseph M. , Weis Jonathan G. , Schnorr Jan M. , Swager Timothy M.
Published: August 2013

Significance

This paper describes a rapid, solvent-free, two-step procedure for the fabrication of selective gas and vapor sensors from carbon nanotubes and graphite on the surface of paper that overcomes challenges associated with solvent-assisted chemical functionalization and integration of these materials into devices. The first step generates solid composites from carbon nanotubes (or graphite) and small molecules (chosen to interact with specific types of gases and vapors) by mechanical mixing and subsequent compression into a form similar to a conventional pencil “lead”. The second step uses mechanical abrasion (“drawing”) of these solid composites on the surface of paper to generate functional devices. The use of diverse composites yields sensing arrays capable of detecting and differentiating gases and vapors and part-per-million concentrations.
Parmenides - Platon - Hermes Trismegistus
Authors: Jeck Udo Reinhold
Published: August 2013

Abstract

Heidegger's many observations about the philosophical thought of the Middle Ages, while often controversial, are deserving of attention. One of the lesser-known of these observations reflects his interest in hermetic philosophy, as found in his posthumously published treatise Die Negativität (1938/39), a critical engagement with Hegel with regard to the nature and ontological status of negation. Therein, Heidegger associates the acpoupa of Parmenides with the sphaera intelligibi-lis of Hermes Trismegistus and the absolute Idee of Hegel and therewith Plato's doctrine of the ideas in its absolute-idealist modification. Heidegger weaves these various strands of the tradition into a web of manifold significations representative of different yet related philosophical intentions.
Science Communication in a Digital Age: Social Media and the American Fisheries Society
Authors: Claussen Julie E , Cooney Patrick B , Defilippi Julie M , Fox Sarah Gilbert , Glaser Sarah Michele , Hawkes Elden , Hutt Clifford , Jones Marissa H , Kemp Iris M , Lerner Aaron , Midway Stephen R , Nesbit Shivonne , Osborne-Gowey Jeremiah , Roberts Ryan , Steward Cleve
Published: August 2013

Social media platforms are effective tools used to help communicate and increase involvement in cultural, political, and scientific circles. In 2012, an ad hoc committee was established to explore online fisheries science communication and how social media platforms can be utilized by the American Fisheries Society (AFS). A survey was disseminated to all AFS units (chapters, sections, divisions) and student subunits to better understand the current use of social media within the AFS. A relatively high response rate (82%) provided some confidence in the survey results—namely, that nearly 69% or more of units and subunits used social media. Facebook was the dominant platform used (59%; all others < 15%) and almost exclusively (97%) for the purpose of communication. Education, outreach, and member recruitment were other reasons for social media use. Finally, whether units currently use social media or not at all, it was recommended that AFS-led workshops and assistance would increase the usefulness of social media.
Reduced Myxobolus cerebralis Actinospore Production in a Colorado Reservoir May Be Linked to Changes in Tubifex tubifex Population Structure
Authors: Nehring R. Barry , Hancock B. , Catanese M. , Stinson M. E. T. , Winkelman D. , Wood J. , Epp J.
Published: August 2013

Elucidating the dynamics of a parasitic infection requiring two hosts in a natural ecosystem can be a daunting task. Myxobolus cerebralis (Mc), the myxozoan parasite that causes whirling disease in some salmonids, was detected in the Colorado River upstream of Windy Gap Reservoir (WGR) in 1988. Subsequently, whirling disease was implicated in the decline of wild Rainbow Trout Oncorhynchus mykiss in the river when WGR was identified as a point source of Mc triactinomyxons (TAMs). Between 1997 and 2004, numerous investigations began to elucidate the etiology of Mc in WGR. During this period, Mc TAM production in WGR declined more than 90%. Explanations for the decline have included differences in stream discharge between years, changes in the thermal regime of the lake, severe drought, changes in the fish population structure in WGR, and reductions in the prevalence and severity of Mc infection in salmonids in the Colorado and Fraser rivers upstream of WGR. All of these have been discredited as explanations for the reduced TAM production. In 2005, a new study was conducted to replicate the studies completed in 1998. In this paper, the results of a new real-time polymerase chain reaction assay utilized to quantify the mitochondrial 16S rDNA specific to each of four lineages of Tubifex tubifex in pooled samples of 50 oligochaetes are presented. These results suggest that compared with 1998, the densities of aquatic oligochaetes and T. tubifex have increased, TAM production has been greatly reduced, and the decline is congruent with the dominance of lineages I, V, and VI of T. tubifex—three lineages that are refractory or highly resistant to Mc infection—in the oligochaete population. While it is possible that the resistant lineages function as biofilters that deactivate Mc myxospores, the reason for the decline in TAM production in WGR remains an enigma.

Received February 15, 2012; accepted March 17, 2013
SubNet: a Java application for subnetwork extraction
Authors: Zhang Quanwei , Zhang Zhengdong D.
Published: August 2013

Summary: The extraction of targeted subnetworks is a powerful way to identify functional modules and pathways within complex networks. Here, we present SubNet, a Java-based stand-alone program for extracting subnetworks, given a basal network and a set of selected nodes. Designed with a graphical user-friendly interface, SubNet combines four different extraction methods, which offer the possibility to interrogate a biological network according to the question investigated. Of note, we developed a method based on the highly successful Google PageRank algorithm to extract the subnetwork using the node centrality metric, to which possible node weights of the selected genes can be incorporated.

Availability:  http://www.zdzlab.org/1/subnet.html

Contact:  zhengdong.zhang@einstein.yu.edu

Supplementary information:  Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
High-accuracy prediction of transmembrane inter-helix contacts and application to GPCR 3D structure modeling
Authors: Yang Jing , Jang Richard , Zhang Yang , Shen Hong-Bin
Published: August 2013

Motivation: Residue–residue contacts across the transmembrane helices dictate the three-dimensional topology of alpha-helical membrane proteins. However, contact determination through experiments is difficult because most transmembrane proteins are hard to crystallize.

Results: We present a novel method (MemBrain) to derive transmembrane inter-helix contacts from amino acid sequences by combining correlated mutations and multiple machine learning classifiers. Tested on 60 non-redundant polytopic proteins using a strict leave-one-out cross-validation protocol, MemBrain achieves an average accuracy of 62%, which is 12.5% higher than the current best method from the literature. When applied to 13 recently solved G protein-coupled receptors, the MemBrain contact predictions helped increase the TM-score of the I-TASSER models by 37% in the transmembrane region. The number of foldable cases (TM-score >0.5) increased by 100%, where all G protein-coupled receptor templates and homologous templates with sequence identity >30% were excluded. These results demonstrate significant progress in contact prediction and a potential for contact-driven structure modeling of transmembrane proteins.

Availability:  www.csbio.sjtu.edu.cn/bioinf/MemBrain/

Contact:  hbshen@sjtu.edu.cn or zhng@umich.edu

Supplementary information:  Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Constitutive Expression of the Xylanase Inhibitor TAXI-III Delays Fusarium Head Blight Symptoms in Durum Wheat Transgenic Plants
Authors: Moscetti Ilaria , Tundo Silvio , Janni Michela , Sella Luca , Gazzetti Katia , Tauzin Alexandra , Giardina Thierry , Masci Stefania , Favaron Francesco , D'Ovidio Renato
Published: August 2013

Cereals contain xylanase inhibitor (XI) proteins which inhibit microbial xylanases and are considered part of the defense mechanisms to counteract microbial pathogens. Nevertheless, in planta evidence for this role has not been reported yet. Therefore, we produced a number of transgenic plants constitutively overexpressing TAXI-III, a member of the TAXI type XI that is induced by pathogen infection. Results showed that TAXI-III endows the transgenic wheat with new inhibition capacities. We also showed that TAXI-III is correctly secreted into the apoplast and possesses the expected inhibition parameters against microbial xylanases. The new inhibition properties of the transgenic plants correlate with a significant delay of Fusarium head blight disease symptoms caused by Fusarium graminearum but do not significantly influence leaf spot symptoms caused by Bipolaris sorokiniana. We showed that this contrasting result can be due to the different capacity of TAXI-III to inhibit the xylanase activity of these two fungal pathogens. These results provide, for the first time, clear evidence in planta that XI are involved in plant defense against fungal pathogens and show the potential to manipulate TAXI-III accumulation to improve wheat resistance against F. graminearum.
First Report of Chrysanthemum stem necrosis virus on Russell Prairie Gentian in Brazil
Authors: Duarte L. M. L. , Alexandre M. A. V. , Gobatto D. , Kitajima E. W. , Harakava R.
Published: August 2013

In November 2012, plants of Russell prairie gentian (Eustoma grandiflorum, Lisianthus russellianus) were collected from a commercial greenhouse in Atibaia, SP, Brazil, displaying necrotic spots on leaves and necrosis on stems, followed by generalized systemic necrosis. Disease symptom incidence was estimated at 10%. Preliminary electron microscopy observations of negatively stained leaf extracts prepared from those lesions revealed the presence of a large number of spherical tospovirus-like, approximately 100 nm in diameter. Samples of infected leaves were ground in 0.01 M phosphate buffer containing 0.5% sodium sulphide and mechanically inoculated in six plants of each species of Nicotiana glutinosa, N. tabacum cv. White Burley, N. megalosiphon, N. debneyii, Datura stramonium, Chenopodium amaranticolor, C. quinoa, and E. grandiflorum. All inoculated plants displayed local lesions 4 to 5 days after inoculation, while N. debneyii and D. stramonium showed systemic symptoms, typical of Tospovirus infection. In addition, E. grandiflorum reproduced the original symptoms. Total RNA was extracted from infected E. grandiflorum and D. stramonium, and reverse transcription (RT)-PCR was performed using universal primers BR60 and BR65 (2) targeting conserved regions of the nucleocapsid gene (N). The amplification products of approximately 450 bp were purified, cloned, and sequenced. The unknown virus was identified as Chrysanthemum stem necrosis virus (CSNV-Lis) based on host range and nucleotide sequence (Genbank Accession No. KC894721) and showed 99% identity with a CSNV chrysanthemum isolate from Japan (AB600872). Maximum likelihood phylogenetic analysis using nine homologous CSNV sequences available in GenBank classified CSNV-Lis into a monophyletic group formed by chrysanthemum isolates from Japan and China while a Japanese lisianthus isolate was separately clustered. CSNV is a member of the genus Tospovirus (Bunyaviridae) and was first reported on chrysanthemum in Brazil (1) and later in the Netherlands, Slovenia, United Kingdom, and Japan (3). Despite scattered recent reports of CSNV, the simultaneous production of chrysanthemum and lisianthus crops along the year by Brazilian farmers has contributed to the virus maintenance in the field. The high identity between Brazilian and Japanese isolates of CSNV suggest a possible reintroduction of the virus through exchange of vegetative propagating material.

References: (1) L. M. L. Duarte et al. J. Phytopathol. 143:569, 1995. (2) M. Eiras et al. Fitopatol. Bras. 26:170, 2001. (3) K. Momonoi et al. J. Gen. Plant Pathol. 77:142, 2011.
The evolution of complex gene regulation by low-specificity binding sites
Authors: Stewart Alexander J. , Plotkin Joshua B.
Published: August 2013

Requirements for gene regulation vary widely both within and among species. Some genes are constitutively expressed, whereas other genes require complex regulatory control. Transcriptional regulation is often controlled by a module of multiple transcription factor binding sites that, in combination, mediate the expression of a target gene. Here, we study how such regulatory modules evolve in response to natural selection. Using a population-genetic model, we show that complex regulatory modules which contain a larger number of binding sites must employ binding motifs that are less specific, on average, compared with smaller regulatory modules. This effect is extremely general, and it holds regardless of the selected binding logic that a module experiences. We attribute this phenomenon to the inability of stabilizing selection to maintain highly specific sites in large regulatory modules. Our analysis helps to explain broad empirical trends in the
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
regulatory network: those genes with a greater number of distinct transcriptional regulators feature less-specific binding motifs, compared with genes with fewer regulators. Our results also help to explain empirical trends in module size and motif specificity across species, ranging from prokaryotes to single-cellular and multi-cellular eukaryotes.
Shared ancestry influences community stability by altering competitive interactions: evidence from a laboratory microcosm experiment using freshwater green algae
Authors: Venail Patrick A. , Alexandrou Markos A. , Oakley Todd H. , Cardinale Bradley J.
Published: August 2013

The impact of biodiversity on the stability of ecological communities has been debated among biologists for more than a century. Recently summarized empirical evidence suggests that biodiversity tends to enhance the temporal stability of community-level properties such as biomass; however, the underlying mechanisms driving this relationship remain poorly understood. Here, we report the results of a microcosm study in which we used simplified systems of freshwater microalgae to explore how the phylogenetic relatedness of species influences the temporal stability of community biomass by altering the nature of their competitive interactions. We show that combinations of two species that are more evolutionarily divergent tend to have lower temporal stability of biomass. In part, this is due to negative ‘selection effects’ in which bicultures composed of distantly related species are more likely to contain strong competitors that achieve low biomass. In addition, bicultures of distantly related species had on average weaker competitive interactions, which reduced compensatory dynamics and decreased the stability of community biomass. Our results demonstrate that evolutionary history plays a key role in controlling the mechanisms, which give rise to diversity–stability relationships. As such, patterns of shared ancestry may help us predict the ecosystem-level consequences of biodiversity loss.
Arabidopsis Tetraspanins Are Confined to Discrete Expression Domains and Cell Types in Reproductive Tissues and Form Homo- and Heterodimers When Expressed in Yeast
Authors: Boavida Leonor C. , Qin Peng , Broz Miranda , Becker Jörg D. , McCormick Sheila
Published: August 2013

Tetraspanins are evolutionary conserved transmembrane proteins present in all multicellular organisms. In animals, they are known to act as central organizers of membrane complexes and thought to facilitate diverse biological processes, such as cell proliferation, movement, adhesion, and fusion. The genome of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) encodes 17 members of the tetraspanin family; however, little is known about their functions in plant development. Here, we analyzed their phylogeny, protein topology, and domain structure and surveyed their expression and localization patterns in reproductive tissues. We show that, despite their low sequence identity with metazoan tetraspanins, plant tetraspanins display the typical structural topology and most signature features of tetraspanins in other multicellular organisms. Arabidopsis tetraspanins are expressed in diverse tissue domains or cell types in reproductive tissues, and some accumulate at the highest levels in response to pollination in the transmitting tract and stigma, male and female gametophytes and gametes. Arabidopsis tetraspanins are preferentially targeted to the plasma membrane, and they variously associate with specialized membrane domains, in a polarized fashion, to intercellular contacts or plasmodesmata. A membrane-based yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) two-hybrid system established that tetraspanins can physically interact, forming homo- and heterodimer complexes. These results, together with a likely genetic redundancy, suggest that, similar to their metazoan counterparts, plant tetraspanins might be involved in facilitating intercellular communication, whose functions might be determined by the composition of tetraspanin complexes and their binding partners at the cell surface of specific cell types.
Rate‐dependent model of structural concrete incorporating kinematics of ambient water subjected to high‐cycle loads
Authors: Maekawa Koichi , Fujiyama Chikako
Published: August 2013

Purpose

The paper aims to propose a rate‐dependent model of structural concrete in combination with the kinematics of condensed water.

Design/methodology/approach

First, the paper proposes the coupling model of water versus cracked concrete with a mathematical completeness of equilibrium and deformational compatibility. The proposed model deals with anisotropy of structural performance and of permeability, which is a particular issue of concrete caused by cracks. The governing equation for saturated concrete in this study is based on Biot's theory that deals with particle assembly as a two‐phase composite. Second, the paper shows the possible reduction of the fatigue life of real‐scale bridge RC decks owing to the water residing in structural cracks under moving wheel‐type loading.

Findings

The paper shows that the existence of water possibly has an influence on the rate‐dependency of structural performance. The comparison of transition of pore pressure and principal strain indicates that damage to the concrete skeleton is accelerated by internal stress caused by high pore pressure. It suggests that the existence of water can reduce the fatigue life of bridge decks, especially when the upper layer is saturated.

Originality/value

This paper clarifies the effect of pore water on structural concrete by using numerical model considering kinematics of water.