bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Magnetic Nanofiber Layers as a Functional Surface for Biomolecule Immobilization and One‐Use ‘Sensing in‐a‐Drop’ Applications
Authors: Sanli Serdar , Celik Emine Guler , Demir Bilal , Gumus Z. Pinar , Ilktac Raif , Aksuner Nur , Demirkol Dilek Odaci , Timur Suna
Published: December 2018

Stabilization of biomolecules on matrices is critically important. Here we constructed composite nanofibers with magnetic features by electro‐spinning of magnetic nanoparticles (MNP) in an appropriate polymer matrix on a collector surface for multiple uses. ‘Poly(vinylalcohol)‐polyethyleneimine/Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles’ (PVA‐PEI/MNP) composite nanofiber was used on the screen printed electrodes (SPE) to serve as a platform for the glucose oxidase (GOx) biofilm as the model biomolecule. To show the potential application of this material as a biosensor component, the resulted biofilm, called ‘PVA‐PEI/MNP/GOx’, was fixed on SPE via a neodymium magnet for the electrochemical detection of glucose at −0.7 V where oxygen consumption due to enzymatic reaction was measured. The main advantage of the obtained magnetic biomembrane is that it allows analysis with a single drop. After step‐by‐step surface modifications, analytical characterization was performed using various techniques, such as voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy and X‐Ray photoelectron spectroscopy as well as microscopic techniques. The linear range of the PVA‐PEI/MNP/GOx surface was found as 0.0125 to 0.5 mM with a limit of detection of 11.5 μM for glucose as analyte. The application of PVA‐PEI/MNP/GOx for glucose detection in synthetic samples was carried out. Data proved the potential use of the ‘PVA‐PEI/MNP’ surface as a biomolecule immobilization platform for disposable biosensor applications.
A Concise Stereoselective Route to C‐ and P‐ Chirogenic Hydroxypropyl Phosphines by Ring‐Opening of Optically Active Oxaphospholane‐2‐oxide
Authors: Keisar Orit Redy , Ashkenazi Nissan
Published: December 2018

A facile, stereoselective method for the synthesis of both carbon‐ and P‐chirogenic phosphine oxides and phosphines bearing a hydroxyl chelating arm was developed. A carefully designed oxaphospholane was constructed via tandem Arbuzov‐ intramolecular cyclization reaction, using commercially available compounds. Regioselective ring opening alkylation/arylation provided optically active phosphine oxides within two synthetic steps. An additional step of stereospecific deoxygenation produced P‐chirogenic tertiary phosphines in high dr.
Schottky/p‐n Cascade Heterojunction Constructed by Intentional n‐Type Doping Perovskite Toward Efficient Electron Layer‐Free Perovskite Solar Cells
Authors: Huang Like , Bu Shixiao , Zhang Danli , Peng Ruixiang , Wei Qiang , Ge Ziyi , Zhang Jianjun
Published: December 2018

Electron transport layer (ETL)‐free perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are getting much more attention with their simpler structure and potentially low cost as well as higher stability. However, the elimination of ETL (such as TiO2) with intrinsically deep valance band level leads to the absence of the hole blocking mechanism and thus serious charge recombination at the FTO/perovskite interface compared with ETL‐based devices. An interface band bending associated built‐in electric field is an essential driving force of charge separation. Here, by intentional polarity tailoring of perovskite via incorporation of Sb as a shallow donor, ETL‐free PSCs with optimized energy level alignment both at the front and rear interfaces are constructed, resulting in an enhanced built‐in electric field and thus efficient majority carrier collection and minority blocking as well as reduced interfacial charge recombination at both interfaces. Device simulation calculations also confirm the importance of polarity control for device performance improvement. The effect of doping on the perovskite films properties and device performance are systematically demonstrated. Correspondingly, ETL‐free PSCs with a champion power conversion efficiency of 12.62% is achieved.
Brilliant green dye adsorption onto composite snail shell–rice husk: Adsorption isotherm, kinetic, mechanistic, and thermodynamics analysis
Authors: Popoola Lekan Taofeek , Aderibigbe Tajudeen Adejare , Yusuff Adeyinka Sikiru , Munir Musleema Mofehintoluwa
Published: December 2018

This study examined the potential for a composite of snail shell–rice husk (SS‐RH) to successfully remove brilliant green dye (BGD) from aqueous solutions using the batch adsorption method. The adsorbent was synthesized by the calcination process and prepared at a calcination temperature, calcination time, and SS‐RH mixing ratio of 681.10°C, 2.61 hours (h), and 2.61 mixing ratio, respectively. The SS‐RH active functional groups were characterized by the Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, while examination of its surface morphology was executed by scanning electron microscope. The effects of the BGD's initial concentration, time, pH, solution temperature, adsorbent mass dosage, and rotation speed of the stirrer on it removal were examined. The Langmuir and Sip isotherms fit well for the BGD uptake onto the SS‐RH among the two‐parameter and three‐parameter isotherms examined with R2 values of 0.9995 and 1,000, and optimum adsorption capacities of 129.87 and 123.30 milligrams per gram (mg/g), respectively. Experimental data conformed perfectly using a pseudo‐second‐order kinetic model. The thickness of the boundary layer contributed to the adsorption, as revealed by mechanistic parameters. Thermodynamic adsorption parameters suggested that BGD adsorption onto the SS‐RH was nonspontaneous and endothermic, exhibiting a high level of disorderliness at the solid–liquid interface. The results proved SS‐RH to be a valuable, low‐cost adsorbent for BGD adsorption from aqueous solution.
Carboniferous chondrichthyan assemblages from the Surprise Canyon and Watahomigi formations (latest Mississippian–Early Pennsylvanian) of the western Grand Canyon, Northern Arizona
Authors: Hodnett John-Paul M. , Elliott David K.
Published: December 2018

Two chondrichthyan assemblages of Late Mississippian/Early Pennsylvanian age are now recognized from the western Grand Canyon of northern Arizona. The latest Serpukhovian Surprise Canyon Formation has yielded thirty-one taxa from teeth and dermal elements, which include members of the Phoebodontiformes, Symmoriiformes, Bransonelliformes, Ctenacanthiformes, Protacrodontoidea, Hybodontiformes, Neoselachii (Anachronistidae), Paraselachii (Gregoriidae, Deeberiidae, Orodontiformes, and Eugeneodontiformes), Petalodontiformes, and Holocephali. The euselachian grade taxa are remarkably diverse with four new taxa recognized here; the Protacrodontidae:Microklomax carrieaenew genus new species andNovaculodus billingsleyinew genus new species, and the Anchronistidae:Cooleyella plateranew species andAmaradontus santuciinew genus new species The Surprise Canyon assemblage also has the youngest occurrence of the elasmobranchClairina, previously only known from the Upper Devonian. The Surprise Canyon Formation represents a nearshore fluvial infilling of karstic channels, followed by a shallow marine bioherm reef, and finally deeper open water deposition. The early Bashkirian Watahomigi Formation represents open marine deposition and contains only two taxa: a new xenacanthiform,Hokomata parvanew genus new species, and the holocephalanDeltodus. The relationship between the Surprise Canyon and Watahomigi chondrichthyan assemblages and other significant coeval chondrichthyan assemblages suggests that there may have been eastern and western distinctions among the Euamerican assemblages during the Serpukhovian due to geographic separation by the formation of Pangea.

UUID:http://zoobank.org/54a906b6-4873-4f84-92b5-ca0752de01aa
NAMBA FORCING, WEAK APPROXIMATION, AND GUESSING
Authors: COX SEAN , KRUEGER JOHN
Published: December 2018

We prove a variation of Easton’s lemma for strongly proper forcings, and use it to prove that, unlike the stronger principle IGMP, GMP together with 2ω ≤ ω2 is consistent with the existence of an ω1-distributive nowhere c.c.c. forcing poset of size ω1. We introduce the idea of a weakly guessing model, and prove that many of the strong consequences of the principle GMP follow from the existence of stationarily many weakly guessing models. Using Namba forcing, we construct a model in which there are stationarily many indestructibly weakly guessing models which have a bounded countable subset not covered by any countable set in the model.
CONTRACTION-FREE SEQUENT CALCULI FOR INTUITIONISTIC LOGIC: A CORRECTION
Authors: DYCKHOFF ROY
Published: December 2018

We present a much-shortened proof of a major result (originally due to Vorob’ev) about intuitionistic propositional logic: in essence, a correction of our 1992 article, avoiding several unnecessary definitions.
BROUWER’S FAN THEOREM AND CONVEXITY
Authors: BERGER JOSEF , SVINDLAND GREGOR
Published: December 2018

In the framework of Bishop’s constructive mathematics we introduce co-convexity as a property of subsets B of ${\left\{ {0,1} \right\}^{\rm{*}}}$, the set of finite binary sequences, and prove that co-convex bars are uniform. Moreover, we establish a canonical correspondence between detachable subsets B of ${\left\{ {0,1} \right\}^{\rm{*}}}$ and uniformly continuous functions f defined on the unit interval such that B is a bar if and only if the corresponding function f is positive-valued, B is a uniform bar if and only if f has positive infimum, and B is co-convex if and only if f satisfies a weak convexity condition.
INTERPRETABLE SETS IN DENSE O-MINIMAL STRUCTURES
Authors: JOHNSON WILL
Published: December 2018

We give an example of a dense o-minimal structure in which there is a definable quotient that cannot be eliminated, even after naming parameters. Equivalently, there is an interpretable set which cannot be put in parametrically definable bijection with any definable set. This gives a negative answer to a question of Eleftheriou, Peterzil, and Ramakrishnan. Additionally, we show that interpretable sets in dense o-minimal structures admit definable topologies which are “tame” in several ways: (a) they are Hausdorff, (b) every point has a neighborhood which is definably homeomorphic to a definable set, (c) definable functions are piecewise continuous, (d) definable subsets have finitely many definably connected components, and (e) the frontier of a definable subset has lower dimension than the subset itself.
THE ELLIS GROUP CONJECTURE AND VARIANTS OF DEFINABLE AMENABILITY
Authors: JAGIELLA GRZEGORZ
Published: December 2018

We consider definable topological dynamics forNIPgroups admitting certain decompositions in terms of specific classes of definably amenable groups. For such a group, we find a description of the Ellis group of its universal definable flow. This description shows that the Ellis group is of bounded size. Under additional assumptions, it is shown to be independent of the model, proving a conjecture proposed by Newelski. Finally we apply the results to new classes of groups definable in o-minimal structures, generalizing all of the previous results for this setting.
ON CONSTRAINTS AND DIVIDING IN TERNARY HOMOGENEOUS STRUCTURES
Authors: KOPONEN VERA
Published: December 2018

Let ${\cal M}$ be ternary, homogeneous and simple. We prove that if ${\cal M}$ is finitely constrained, then it is supersimple with finite SU-rank and dependence is k-trivial for some k < ω and for finite sets of real elements. Now suppose that, in addition, ${\cal M}$ is supersimple with SU-rank 1. If ${\cal M}$ is finitely constrained then algebraic closure in ${\cal M}$ is trivial. We also find connections between the nature of the constraints of ${\cal M}$, the nature of the amalgamations allowed by the age of ${\cal M}$, and the nature of definable equivalence relations. A key method of proof is to “extract” constraints (of ${\cal M}$) from instances of dividing and from definable equivalence relations. Finally, we give new examples, including an uncountable family, of ternary homogeneous supersimple structures of SU-rank 1.
RELATIVE DEFINABILITY OF n-GENERICS
Authors: WANG WEI
Published: December 2018

A set $G \subseteq \omega$ is n-generic for a positive integer n if and only if every ${\rm{\Sigma }}_n^0$ formula of G is decided by a finite initial segment of G in the sense of Cohen forcing. It is shown here that every n-generic set G is properly ${\rm{\Sigma }}_n^0$ in some G-recursive X. As a corollary, we also prove that for every $n > 1$ and every n-generic set G there exists a G-recursive X which is generalized ${\rm{lo}}{{\rm{w}}_n}$ but not generalized ${\rm{lo}}{{\rm{w}}_{n - 1}}$. Thus we confirm two conjectures of Jockusch [4].
Impact of environmental conditions and seed physico-chemical characteristics on the resistance of cowpea genotypes to Callosobruchus maculatus F. (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) infestation
Authors: Kosini D. , Nukenine E.N. , Saidou C. , Noubissié J.-B.T. , Dolinassou S.
Published: December 2018

There is a need to improve research and extension documentation to assist farmers in making better use of the available resistant cowpea genotypes to insects attack during storage. A study was conducted to determine the resistance of ten cowpea genotypes [Vigna unguiculata(L.) Walp.] toCallosobruchus maculatusF. attack in the Sudano-Guinean and Sudano-Sahelian agro-ecological zones (SS) of Cameroon. Thereafter, seeds were analyzed for physical properties and chemical composition to determine the main parameters of their resistance againstC. maculatus. The SS was more suitable for insect infestation. Genotypes were classified into resistant to highly susceptible. Results showed that the physical characteristics of seeds were less important than the chemical components for conferring resistance toC. maculatus. Two genotypes, Samira and Lade, consistently demonstrated high tolerance to infestation byC.maculatus, and therefore may be recommended for use in breeding programs as a source of resistance and then to minimize the dependence on insecticides for the control of insect pests under subsistence farming conditions in Cameroon.
THE ROLE OF STATE IMMUNITY AND ACT OF STATE IN THE NM CHERRY BLOSSOM CASE AND THE WESTERN SAHARA DISPUTE
Authors: Ruys Tom
Published: December 2018

In early 2018, the Polisario Front and the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) obtained a favourable ruling from the South African Courts, granting the SADR ownership over a cargo of phosphate aboard the NM Cherry Blossom originating from a mine in the Moroccan-controlled part of the Western Sahara. Although hitherto largely unnoticed in legal circles, the Cherry Blossom case raises important questions concerning the outer bounds of State immunity and the scope of the act of State doctrine. In addition, the case holds potentially far-reaching ramifications for the international legal order if other domestic courts were to follow suit.
THE INDIVISIBILITY OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND THE CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES
Authors: de Beco Gauthier
Published: December 2018

This article argues that a new understanding of the indivisibility of human rights has emerged through the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). The CRPD has blurred the distinction between civil and political rights, on the one hand, and economic and social rights, on the other. After showing how this distinction has been blurred in the Convention, the article critically analyses the impact this has had on the concept of indivisibility, as well as its consequences for international human rights law more generally. It shows that there is now a shift away from a preoccupation with different categories of rights and towards concern for the real and actual enjoyment of human rights.
Not speaking the same language: 17-month-olds shift their perception of novel labels following brief exposure to non-native language
Authors: SAN JUAN Valerie , LIN Carol , MACKENZIE Heather , CURTIN Suzanne , GRAHAM Susan A.
Published: December 2018

We examined if and when English-learning 17-month-olds would accommodate Japanese forms as labels for novel objects. In Experiment 1, infants (n = 22) who were habituated to Japanese word–object pairs looked longer at switched test pairs than familiar test pairs, suggesting that they had mapped Japanese word forms to objects. In Experiments 2 (n = 44) and 3 (n = 22), infants were presented with a spoken passage prior to habituation to assess whether experience with a different language would shift their perception of Japanese word forms. Here, infants did not demonstrate learning of Japanese word–object pairs. These findings offer insight into the flexibility of the developing perceptual system. That is, when there is no evidence to the contrary, 17-month-olds will accommodate forms that vary from their typical input but will efficiently constrain their perception when cued to the fact that they are not listening to their native language.
OB-scene, a Live Audio/Visual Performance for Photoplethysmograph and Female Body
Authors: Troisi Anna
Published: December 2018

OB-sceneis a performance centred on a live sonification of biological data gathered in real-time with a medical vaginal probe (photoplethysmograph), made by the author. The use of the photoplethysmograph, which takes inspiration from the first medical vaginal probes used for diagnostic purposes by Masters and Johnson (1966) introduces a media-archaeological aspect to this work. Data gathered through the probe is processed and transformed into sound and visuals projected in the exhibition space.OB-scenetakes inspiration from Jane Bennett’sVibrant Matter(2010) in which she argues that human agency has echoes in non-human nature and vice versa, shifting away from anthropocentrism towards the concept of ‘vital materiality’ that runs across bodies, both humans andunhuman. Furthermore,OB-sceneis affiliated with an emerging movement of women and technology called ‘XenoFeminism’ (XF). It introduces the idea of techno-alienation and focuses on the concept of other/diverse desires, new forms of desiring, experiencing something other (Laboria Cuboniks 2015). In this specific work, this takes the form of a technofeminism incorporating the fluid, the non-human and the diverse. In this performance, the body is fused with the technology, rather than empowered or enhanced by technology itself, body and technology become a uniqueactant(Latour 2009) enabling the audience to experience the sensorial assemblage as a space for communal experience with political implications.OB-sceneis as an immersive environmental work where the senses, affect and memory were key features of ‘assemblage thinking’ (Hamilakis 2017).
Proprioception in Visual Mental Imagery of Spaces while Deep Listening
Authors: Forcucci Luca
Published: December 2018

This article explores the sense of proprioception within visual mental imagery. The research is based on an experiment named In/Pe (Intention/Perception) developed by the author. The analysis of the data investigates the perception by an audience of architectural spaces, as well as natural environments, in visual mental imageries, emerging from a focused listening process of three fixed-medium pieces, one sound installation and one performance. This highlights the idea of the experience of the artwork as a virtual constructed perception within one’s mind, an embodied experience that triggers the phenomenal world of sensation. The study examines what kind of spaces are visualised by the ‘beholder’. The overall agreement in how participants imagine spaces suggests that the perception is linked to their own bodies.
Organising Sound with Audio Clothes: An interview with Benoit Maubrey
Authors: Rudi Jøran
Published: December 2018

Benoit Maubrey’s work with audio art started in Berlin in 1982 with public sound sculptures, and he eventually turned to performative practices with portable audio embedded in clothes and costumes. His artistic practice currently spans site-specific and non-site-specific sound installations, locational and non-locational performances, as well as performed, interactive and non-interactive sound installations, and a comprehensive description of his artistic trajectory is planned for release in 2019: Benoit Maubrey – Sound Sculptures. His most well-known ensemble is The Audio Ballerinas, wearing tutus with a combination of solar cells, light sensors, samplers, radios, amplifiers and loudspeakers. The ensemble has been performing since its debut in Lille in 1990. Maubrey has developed a huge portfolio of audio ensemble performances on several continents, and an interesting thread of autonomy and critical reflection is running through his oeuvre. The costumes and their technical affordances have changed with new technological developments, and in this interview Maubrey explains these developments, and how he has maintained and extended his artistic focus.
Filling Sound with Space: An elemental approach to sound spatialisation
Authors: Robusté Joan Riera
Published: December 2018

This research introduces different compositional techniques involving the use of sound spatialisation. These permit the incorporation of sound distortions produced by the real space, the body and the auditory system into low-, middle- and large-scale musical structures, allowing sound spatialisation to become a fundamental parameter of the three compositions presented here. An important characteristic of these pieces is the exclusive use of sine waves and other time-invariant sound signals. Even though these types of signals present no alterations in time, it is possible to perceive pitch, loudness and tone-colour variations when they move in space, due to the psychoacoustic processes involved in spatial hearing. To emphasise the perception of such differences, this research proposes dividing a tone into multiple sound units and spreading these in space using several loudspeakers arranged around the listener. In addition to the perception of sound attribute variations, it is also possible to create dynamic rhythms and textures that depend almost exclusively on how sound units are arranged in space. Such compositional procedures help to overcome to some degree the unnaturalness implicit when using synthetic-generated sounds; through them, it is possible to establish cause–effect relationships between sound movement, on the one hand, and the perception of sound attribute, rhythm and texture variations on the other. Another important consequence is the possibility of producing diffuse sound fields independently of the levels of reverberation in the room, and to create sound spaces of a particular spatial depth without using artificial delay or reverb.
GENERALIZED CONTINUED FRACTION EXPANSIONS WITH CONSTANT PARTIAL DENOMINATORS
Authors: TÖRMÄ TOPI
Published: December 2018

We study generalized continued fraction expansions of the form
$$\begin{eqnarray}\frac{a_{1}}{N}\frac{}{+}\frac{a_{2}}{N}\frac{}{+}\frac{a_{3}}{N}\frac{}{+}\frac{}{\cdots },\end{eqnarray}$$
where
$N$
is a fixed positive integer and the partial numerators
$a_{i}$
are positive integers for all
$i$
. We call these expansions
$\operatorname{dn}_{N}$
expansions and show that every positive real number has infinitely many
$\operatorname{dn}_{N}$
expansions for each
$N$
. In particular, we study the
$\operatorname{dn}_{N}$
expansions of rational numbers and quadratic irrationals. Finally, we show that every positive real number has, for each
$N$
, a
$\operatorname{dn}_{N}$
expansion with bounded partial numerators.
Pyroxasulfone Is Effective for Management ofBromusspp. in Winter Wheat in Western Canada
Authors: Johnson Eric N. , Wang Zhijie , Geddes Charles M. , Coles Ken , Hamman Bill , Beres Brian L.
Published: December 2018

In response to concerns about acetolactate synthase (ALS) inhibitor–resistant weeds in wheat production systems, we explored the efficacy of managingBromusspp., downy and Japanese bromes, in a winter wheat system using alternative herbicide treatments applied in either fall or spring. Trials were established at Lethbridge and Kipp, Alberta, and Scott, Saskatchewan, Canada over three growing seasons (2012–2014) to compare the efficacy of pyroxasulfone (a soil-applied very-long-chain fatty acid elongase inhibitor; WSSA Group 15) and flumioxazin (a protoporphyrinogen oxidase inhibitor; WSSA Group 14) against industry-standard ALS-inhibiting herbicides for downy and Japanese brome control. Winter wheat injury from herbicide application was minor, with the exception of flucarbazone application at Scott.Bromusspp. control was greatest with pyroxsulam and all herbicide treatments containing pyroxasulfone. Downy and Japanese bromes were controlled least by thiencarbazone and flumioxazin, respectively, whereasBromusspp. had intermediate responses to the other herbicides tested. Herbicides applied in fall resulted in reduced winter wheat yield relative to the spring applications. Overall, pyroxasulfone or pyroxsulam provided the most efficaciousBromusspp. control compared with the other herbicides and consistently maintained optimal winter wheat yields. Therefore, pyroxasulfone could facilitate management ofBromusspp. resistant to ALS inhibitors in winter wheat in the southern growing regions of western Canada. Improved weed control and delayed herbicide resistance may be achieved when pyroxasulfone is applied in combination with flumioxazin.
Response of Sweetpotato to Oryzalin Application Rate and Timing
Authors: Chaudhari Sushila , Jennings Katherine M. , Meyers Stephen L.
Published: December 2018

The investigation of potential herbicides for weed control in sweetpotato is critical due to the limited number of registered herbicides and the development of populations of herbicide- resistant weeds. Therefore, field studies were conducted at the Horticultural Crops Research Station, Clinton, NC and the Pontotoc Ridge–Flatwoods Branch Experiment Station, Pontotoc, MS to determine the effect of oryzalin application rate and timing on sweetpotato tolerance. Oryzalin at 0.6, 1.1, 2.2, 3.4, and 4.5 kg ai ha–1was applied immediately after transplanting or 14 d after sweetpotato transplanting (DAP). At Clinton, oryzalin applied immediately after transplanting resulted in ≤1% leaf distortion 4 and 6 wk after transplanting (WAP) regardless of application rate. However, when oryzalin was applied 14 DAP, greater sweetpotato leaf distortion was observed from 2.2, 3.4, and 4.5 kg ha–1(≤8%) than 0.6 and 1.1 kg ha–1(≤4%). At Pontotoc, oryzalin applied immediately after transplanting resulted in ≤6% leaf distortion 4 WAP regardless of application rate. However, when oryzalin was applied at 14 DAP, greater leaf distortion was reported from 3.4 and 4.5 kg ha–1(11 to 13%) than 0.6, 1.1, and 2.2 kg ha–1(4 to 6%). Oryzalin application rate and timing did not affect yield of no.1, jumbo, or marketable sweetpotato. Based on these results, oryzalin herbicide has potential for registration in sweetpotato.
Potential yield loss in sugar beet due to weed interference in the United States and Canada
Authors: Soltani Nader , Dille J. Anita , Robinson Darren E. , Sprague Christy L. , Morishita Don W. , Lawrence Nevin C. , Kniss Andrew R. , Jha Prashant , Felix Joel , Nurse Robert E. , Sikkema Peter H.
Published: December 2018

The objective of this WSSA Weed Loss Committee report is to provide quantitative data on the potential yield loss in sugar beet due to weed interference from the major sugar beet growing areas of the United States and Canada. Researchers and extension specialists who conducted research on weed control in sugar beet in the United States and Canada provided quantitative data on sugar beet yield loss due to weed interference in their regions. Specifically, data were requested from weed control studies in sugar beet from up to 10 individual studies per calendar year over a 15-yr period between 2002 and 2017. Data collected indicated that if weeds are left uncontrolled under optimal agronomic practices, growers in Idaho, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ontario, Oregon, and Wyoming would potentially lose an average of 79%, 61%, 66%, 68%, 63%, 75%, 83%, 78%, and 77% of the sugar beet yield. The corresponding monetary loss would be approximately US$234, US$122, US$369, US$43, US$40, US$211, US$12, US$14, and US$32 million, respectively. The average yield loss due to weed interference for the primary sugar beet growing areas of North America was estimated to be 70%. Thus, if weeds are not controlled, growers in the United States would lose approximately 22.4 million tonnes of sugar beet yield valued at approximately US$1.25 billion, and growers in Canada would lose approximately 0.5 million tonnes of sugar beet yield valued at approximately US$25 million. The high return on investment in weed management highlights the importance of continued weed science research for sustaining high crop yield and profitability of sugar beet production in North America.
Obama’s Science Adviser Rails Against Trump’s Climate Policies
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: December 2018

John Holdren tells Eos that strong measures still could help avoid the most catastrophic damages from climate change.
Posteruption Enhancement of Hydrothermal Activity: A 33‐Year, Multieruption Time Series at Axial Seamount (Juan de Fuca Ridge)
Authors: Baker Edward T. , Walker Sharon L. , Chadwick William W. , Butterfield David A. , Buck Nathaniel J. , Resing Joseph A.
Published: December 2018

Mid‐ocean ridge eruptions, initiating or revitalizing hydrothermal discharge and disrupting seafloor ecosystems, occur regularly as a consequence of plate spreading. Evaluating their impact on long‐term hydrothermal discharge requires information on the scale and duration of any posteruption enhancement. Here we describe a unique hydrothermal plume time series of annual (or more frequent) observations at Axial Seamount vent fields from 1985 through 2017, missing only 7 years. Axial, a hot spot volcano astride the Juan de Fuca Ridge, experienced eruptions in 1998, 2011, and 2015. In 1998 and 2011 lava flooded the SE caldera and south rift zone, but in 2015 most lava was extruded in a series of flows extending ~20 km down the north rift zone. Response cruises occurred within 18 days (1998) to about 4 months, followed by regular posteruption observations. All 30 cruises measured plume rise height (a proxy for heat flux) and turbidity (indicative of chemical changes in vent discharge) at several vent sites, yielding an integrated view of vent field activity. Venting in the SE caldera area persisted throughout the time series, consistent with the imaged location of the shallowest portion of the melt‐rich magma reservoir. Eruptions produced substantial and diagnostic increases in plume rise and turbidity, and posteruption enhancements lasted 2–5 years, totaling ~10 years over the course of the time series. Estimates of the relative heat flux indicate a sixfold increase during eruption‐enhanced periods, implying that generalizations about mid‐ocean ridge hydrothermal fluxes may be underestimates if based on non–eruption‐enhanced hydrothermal activity alone.
Contrasting Hydrological Controls on Bed Properties During the Acceleration of Pine Island Glacier, West Antarctica
Authors: Bougamont M. , Christoffersen P. , Nias I. , Vaughan D. G. , Smith A. M. , Brisbourne A.
Published: December 2018

In the Amundsen sector of West Antarctica, the flow of glaciers accelerates when intrusion of warm ocean water onto the continental shelf induces strong melting beneath ice shelves and thinning near the glaciers' grounding line. Predicting the future of these glaciers is, however, hindered by a poor understanding of the dynamical processes that may exacerbate, or on the contrary modulate, the inland ice sheet response. This study seeks to investigate processes occurring at the base of Pine Island Glacier through numerical inversions of surface velocities observed in 1996 and 2014, a period of time during which the glacier accelerated significantly. The outputs show that substantial changes took place in the basal environment, which we interpret with models of undrained subglacial till and hydrological routing. The annual basal melt production increased by 25% on average. Basal drag weakened by 15% over nearly two thirds of the region of accelerated flow, largely due to the direct assimilation of locally produced basal meltwater into the underlying subglacial sediment. In contrast, regions of increased drag are found to follow several of the glacier's shear margins and furthermore to coincide with inferred hydrological pathways. We interpret this basal strengthening as signature of an efficient hydrological system, where low‐pressure water channels have reduced the surrounding basal water pressure. These are the first identified stabilization mechanisms to have developed alongside Pine Island ice flow acceleration. Indeed, these processes could become more significant with increased meltwater availability and may limit the glacier's response to perturbation near its grounding line.
Ionogram RFI Rejection Using an Autoregressive Interpolation Process
Authors: Turley Mike D. E. , Heitmann Andrew J. , Gardiner‐Garden Robert S.
Published: December 2018

Defence Science and Technology Group's Digital Oblique Receiving System (DORS) is a direct‐digital high‐frequency ionosonde receiver, capable of collecting high‐quality ionograms simultaneously on multiple oblique ionospheric paths. One of the key signal processing steps that run on board the receiver is a novel technique for the detection and removal of radio frequency interference (RFI). In the down‐converted narrow‐band time series, external RFI sources manifest as impulsive noise, often many orders of magnitude stronger than the ionosonde signal of interest. The RFI rejection technique applies a threshold detector to the whitened data, to locate the corrupt samples, and then replaces the bad data using forward and backward linear prediction, based on an autoregressive model of the desired ionosonde signal. Algorithm performance is evaluated using a set of simple statistics and ~6,000 DORS ionograms from central Australia. Compared to a more traditional approach of clipping the strong RFI impulses, the new technique significantly reduces instances of undersuppression and recovers more of the weaker propagation mode content in the ionogram. The result is a much cleaner image for the DORS automatic feature extraction and parameterized fitting technique.
A NAC transcription factor, NOR-like1, is a new positive regulator of tomato fruit ripening
Authors: Gao Ying , Wei Wei , Zhao Xiaodan , Tan Xiaoli , Fan Zhongqi , Zhang Yiping , Jing Yuan , Meng Lanhuan , Zhu Benzhong , Zhu Hongliang , Chen Jianye , Jiang Cai-Zhong , Grierson Donald , Luo Yunbo , Fu Da-Qi
Published: December 2018

Ripening of the model fruit tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is controlled by a transcription factor network including NAC (NAM, ATAF1/2, and CUC2) domain proteins such as No-ripening (NOR), SlNAC1, and SlNAC4, but very little is known about the NAC targets or how they regulate ripening. Here, we conducted a systematic search of fruit-expressed NAC genes and showed that silencing NOR-like1 (Solyc07g063420) using virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) inhibited specific aspects of ripening. Ripening initiation was delayed by 14 days when NOR-like1 function was inactivated by CRISPR/Cas9 and fruits showed obviously reduced ethylene production, retarded softening and chlorophyll loss, and reduced lycopene accumulation. RNA-sequencing profiling and gene promoter analysis suggested that genes involved in ethylene biosynthesis (SlACS2, SlACS4), color formation (SlGgpps2, SlSGR1), and cell wall metabolism (SlPG2a, SlPL, SlCEL2, and SlEXP1) are direct targets of NOR-like1. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSA), chromatin immunoprecipitation-quantitative PCR (ChIP-qPCR), and dual-luciferase reporter assay (DLR) confirmed that NOR-like1 bound to the promoters of these genes both in vitro and in vivo, and activated their expression. Our findings demonstrate that NOR-like1 is a new positive regulator of tomato fruit ripening, with an important role in the transcriptional regulatory network.
Aluminum-target-assisted femtosecond-laser-filament-induced water condensation and snow formation in a cloud chamber
Authors: Liu Yonghong , Liu Jiansheng , Sun Haiyi , Ju Jingjing , Hu Xinkai , Wang Cheng , Leng Yuxin
Published: December 2018

We compare the water condensation and snow formation induced by a femtosecond laser filament with that when the filament is assisted by an aluminum target located at different positions along the filament. We reveal that the laser-filament-induced water condensation and snow formation assisted by the aluminum target are more efficient compared with those obtained without the assistance of the aluminum target. We find that the mass of the snow induced by the laser filament is the largest when the aluminum target is located at the end of the filament, smaller when it is at the middle of the filament, and the smallest at the beginning of the filament. These findings indicate that a higher plasma density and the generation of vortex pairs below the filament are important for enhancing the efficiency and yield of the laser-induced water condensation and precipitation. The higher plasma density provides more cloud condensation nuclei and facilitates the water condensation; vortex pairs below the filament are favourable to the growth of particles up to larger sizes.
Correction: A review of crystalline silicon bifacial photovoltaic performance characterisation and simulation
Authors: Liang Tian Shen , Pravettoni Mauro , Deline Chris , Stein Joshua S. , Kopecek Radovan , Singh Jai Prakash , Luo Wei , Wang Yan , Aberle Armin G. , Khoo Yong Sheng
Published: December 2018

Correction for ‘A review of crystalline silicon bifacial photovoltaic performance characterisation and simulation’ by Tian Shen Liang et al., Energy Environ. Sci., 2019, DOI: 10.1039/c8ee02184h.
Short-term and long-term toxicological effects of vanadium dioxide nanoparticles on A549 cells
Authors: Xi Wen-Song , Song Zheng-Mei , Chen Zhang , Chen Ni , Yan Gui-Hua , Gao Yanfeng , Cao Aoneng , Liu Yuanfang , Wang Haifang
Published: December 2018

The long-term low-dose cytotoxicity of VO2 nanoparticles is much different from the short-term one.
Enhanced catalytic benzene oxidation over a novel waste-derived Ag/eggshell catalyst
Authors: Guo Yunlong , Yang Da-Peng , Liu Minghuan , Zhang Xiaoyan , Chen Yisong , Huang Jiale , Li Qingbiao , Luque Rafael
Published: December 2018

Ag nanoparticles loaded-eggshell catalysts were successfully synthesized by a simple impregnation method, in which the trashy eggshell was served as both biotemplate and support. The eggshell supported Ag catalyst exhibit excellent catalytic activity and stability for benzene oxidation.
Associations between polymorphisms of the PDLIM4 gene and susceptibility to osteoporotic fracture in an elderly population of Han Chinese
Authors: Chen Jihang , Hong Zheping , Zhao Chen , Bi Qing , Qiu Binsong
Published: December 2018

The aim of the present study was to investigate the associations between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the PDZ and LIM domain protein 4 (PDLIM4) gene and susceptibility to osteoporotic fracture in an elderly Han Chinese population. Seven SNPs of PDLIM4, including rs77584624, rs78418541, rs270611, rs3900945, rs77486529, rs71583465, and rs366512, were examined in 540 elderly Chinese patients with osteoporotic fractures (case group) and 540 healthy Chinese subjects (control group) using Sanger sequencing. A-allele carriers of rs270611 in PDLIM4 had a significantly high risk of osteoporotic fracture (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 1.34; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.24–1.46; P<0.001). Similarly, individuals carrying the C-allele at PDLIM4 rs3900945 were predisposed to osteoporotic fracture (adjusted OR = 1.45; 95% CI: 1.05–1.25; P<0.001). In contrast, the T-allele at rs366512 appeared to be a protective genetic factor against osteoporotic fracture (adjusted OR = 0.84; 95% CI: 0.74–0.95; P<0.01). Consistently, the serum levels of N-terminal propeptide of type I procollagen (PINP) and C-telopeptide fragments of Collagen type I α1 chains (β-CTx) were higher in A-allele carriers of rs270611 and C-allele carriers of rs3900945, while T-allele carriers of rs366512 had lower PINP and β-CTx levels. Corresponding well with published findings, the A-allele of rs270611 and C-allele of rs3900945 were associated with reduced bone marrow density (BMD) at the fracture site, while T-allele carriers of rs366512 were shown to have normal BMD. Our study provides supportive evidence for the contribution of PDLIM4 gene polymorphisms to the susceptibility to osteoporotic fracture and suggests that rs270611 and rs3900945 are genetic risk factors, while rs366512 might be a genetic protective factor against osteoporotic fracture in elderly Han individuals.
Copyright and open access in the life sciences: a researcher's guide to sharing and publishing scientific information
Authors: Shuman Jill M.
Published: December 2018

Copyright provides the creator of an original work, such as a journal article or a scientific poster, with exclusive rights to authorize and reproduction and sharing copies of the work. Issues regarding copyright have become more prominent as digital technologies have made copying and distributing information easier. In a research environment, there is ample opportunity to share print and electronic resources among colleagues, which may represent noncompliance with copyright law. The desire to remove the paywall from the published literature has led to several versions of open access (OA), differentiated by the fees charged to the author as article processing charges, where the article is stored, and when the published article becomes freely available as OA. A number of government agencies and major research funders in the U.S.A. and the EU have implemented specific guidelines as to where and how their funded research can be published. Although OA publications can be read for free, they are still subject to various license limitations regarding sharing and reuse.
Digital publishing isn't enough: the case for ‘blueprints’ in scientific communication
Authors: Jennings-Antipov Laura D. , Gardner Timothy S.
Published: December 2018

Since the time of Newton and Galileo, the tools for capturing and communicating science have remained conceptually unchanged — in essence, they consist of observations on paper (or electronic variants), followed by a ‘letter’ to the community to report your findings. These age-old tools are inadequate for the complexity of today's scientific challenges. If modern software engineering worked like science, programmers would not share open source code; they would take notes on their work and then publish long-form articles about their software. Months or years later, their colleagues would attempt to reproduce the software based on the article. It sounds a bit silly, and yet even, this level of prose-based methodological discourse has deteriorated in science communication. Materials and Methods sections of papers are often a vaguely written afterthought, leaving researchers baffled when they try to repeat a published finding. It's time for a fundamental shift in scientific communication and sharing, a shift akin to the advent of computer-aided design and source code versioning. Science needs reusable ‘blueprints’ for experiments replete with the experiment designs, material flows, reaction parameters, data, and analytical procedures. Such an approach could establish the foundations for truly open source science where these scientific blueprints form the digital ‘source code’ for a supply chain of high-quality innovations and discoveries.
Semantic enrichment of life sciences content: how it works and key benefits for researchers
Authors: Zarnegar Jake
Published: December 2018

In the time it takes a human life sciences researcher to read one research article machines can process hundreds of thousands of articles. An unco-ordinated army of bots, crawlers, and other software agents are active day and night on the Internet discovering, ingesting, and analyzing research content. Many of these agents are designed to help researchers rapidly filter the ever-expanding research record and surface the articles and findings most relevant to their work. For these software agents to be most effective, they need to understand the content they are reading in a manner similar to an expert human reader. (What are the main concepts being discussed and what are the main findings asserted? What is this research article telling us that is new and what is supporting or contradicting past findings?). This is where semantic enrichment comes into play — semantic enrichment adds structured machine-readable metadata to life science articles to assist software agents in ‘reading’ the content in a manner similar to a human researcher. In the present study, I'll define the mechanism of semantic enrichment of life sciences content, examine the benefits it is bringing to researchers today, and preview promising avenues for future benefits.
An Updated Study of Discovering Blawan-Ijen Geothermal Prospect Area Using Gravity and Magnetic Methods
Authors: Daud Yunus , Arafat Yasir , Adhnandya Kumara Dhara , Anastasia Fortuna Diah , Maulana Yunus Faris , Firdaus Avicienna Haidar , Farhan
Published: December 2018

The Blawan-Ijen volcanic complex is located in Bondowoso regencies, East Java province. The complex is expected to have geothermal system which is indicated by the occurrence of Blawan hotspring, acid lake on Ijen Crater and alterations. In 2017, measurements of gravity and magnetic methods have been conducted for the first time through the PITTA 2017 program. In 2018, further measurements are carried out to infill the previous data in order to strengthen the interpretation results. There are 151 stations obtained from each method until 2018. In this study, gravity method is used to detect the contrast density of an anomalous body while magnetic method is applied to discover the location of demagnetization zone. This paper presents the integration of both methods in geothermal exploration to determine the geothermal prospect area. The result of CBA and residual gravity indicated the existence of high gravity anomaly in the center to the southwest of the study area. Moreover, after processing RTP on magnetic data, there is the presence of low magnetic anomaly usually associated with demagnetization zone. Generally, the overall results supported one each other and pointed out the occurrence of the geothermal prospect possibly around the center of the study area.
Model for Nanofluids Thermal Conductivity Based on Modified Nanoconvective Mechanism
Authors: Tiandho Yuant , Gusa Rika Favoria , Dinata Irwan , Sunanda Wahri
Published: December 2018

Nuclear reactors are one of the long-term energy fulfillment solutions. Efforts to increase operating power density at various type of nuclear reactors are programs that are being developed to improve the economic properties of a reactor. The use of nanofluids allows nuclear reactors to operate more optimally through increased critical heat flux (CHF) and increased retention capability of nuclear reactors to accidents. Thermal conductivity is a nanofluids property that intensively studied because it has not been obtained an accurate model. In this paper a nanofluid thermal conductivity model was developed by involving all possible heat transfer mechanisms. But the modification only focuses on the mechanism of nanoconvection. According to this model the thermal conductivity of nanofluids depends on the volume fraction of nanoparticles, particle diameter, viscosity, density, and temperature.