bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Glyphosate residues in rural groundwater, Nottawasaga River Watershed, Ontario, Canada
Authors: Van Stempvoort Dale R , Spoelstra John , Senger Natalie D , Brown Susan J , Post Ryan , Struger John
Published: January 2016

BACKGROUND

The objective of this study was to investigate the occurrence of glyphosate residues (glyphosate and its metabolite AMPA) in shallow groundwater in a catchment dominated by agriculture, and to examine the potential for this groundwater to store and transmit these compounds to surface waters.

RESULTS

Glyphosate residues were found in some of the groundwater samples collected in riparian (surface seeps), upland (mostly <20 m below ground) and wetland settings (<3 m below ground). Overall, glyphosate and AMPA were detected in 10.5 and 5.0%, respectively, of the groundwater samples analyzed as part of this study. All concentrations of glyphosate were well below Canadian guidelines for drinking water quality and for protection of aquatic life. Seasonal differences in concentrations in riparian seeps were possibly related to cycles of weather, herbicide application and degradation of glyphosate. Highest concentrations were at upland sites (663 ng L−1 of glyphosate, 698 ng L−1 of AMPA), apparently related to localized applications. Most glyphosate detections in wetlands were >0.5 km distant from possible areas of application, and, combined with other factors, suggest an atmospheric transport and deposition delivery mechanism. In both upland and wetland settings, highest glyphosate concentrations were sometimes not at the shallowest depths, indicating influence of hydrological factors.

CONCLUSION

The glyphosate/AMPA detections in riparian seeps demonstrated that these compounds are persistent enough to allow groundwater to store and transmit glyphosate residues to surface waters. Detections in the wetlands support earlier evidence that atmospheric transport and deposition may lead to glyphosate contamination of environments not intended as targets of applications. This interpretation is further supported by detections of both glyphosate and AMPA in precipitation samples collected in the same watershed. © 2016 Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada Pest Management Science © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry
N‐halamine coatings formed via the electroreduction of in situ generated diazonium cations: toward antimicrobial surfaces
Authors: Gao Shan , Cachet Hubert , Debiemme‐Chouvy Catherine
Published: January 2016

Nowadays, antimicrobial N‐halamine polymers and coatings are extensively studied thanks to their qualities such as effectiveness toward a broad spectrum of microorganisms and regenerability. An N‐halamine organic polymer contains nitrogen–halogen covalent bonds. Its antimicrobial properties are due to the oxidizing power of the halide atoms, which are at the oxidation state + I in chloramine (>N‐Cl) or bromamine (>N‐Br) groups. The aim of the present work was to generate a new N‐halamine coating in a two‐step route. First, we have synthesized by electroreduction of in situ generated aminophenyl diazonium cations polyaminophenyl films because these films contain numerous amino functions. Electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM) allowed us to determine the mass of the film formed by cyclic voltammetry and to estimate its thickness; the highest one is about 1 µm. Then, the second step of the process was the formation of haloamine functions into the polyaminophenyl film by substitution of H atoms of the amine functions by Br or Cl atoms. The films were observed by SEM, and their composition was determined by Energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDS). Finally, the EQCM experiments allowed us to estimate that the N‐halamine films that we have prepared contain one Cl atom or one Br atom for 4 or 4.5 phenyl groups, respectively. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
DNA Nanotechnology for Precise Control over Drug Delivery and Gene Therapy
Authors: Angell Chava , Xie Sibai , Zhang Liangfang , Chen Yi
Published: January 2016

Nanomedicine has been growing exponentially due to its enhanced drug targeting and reduced drug toxicity. It uses the interactions where nanotechnological components and biological systems communicate with each other to facilitate the delivery performance. At this scale, the physiochemical properties of delivery systems strongly affect their capacities. Among current delivery systems, DNA nanotechnology shows many advantages because of its unprecedented engineering abilities. Through molecular recognition, DNA nanotechnology can be used to construct a variety of nanostructures with precisely controllable size, shape, and surface chemistry, which can be appreciated in the delivery process. In this review, different approaches that are currently used for the construction of DNA nanostructures are reported. Further, the utilization of these DNA nanostructures with the well‐defined parameters for the precise control in drug delivery and gene therapy is discussed.
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
Authors: Morris Helen
Published: January 2016

Helen and Michael run their business from their home, Stocksfield Hall in Northumberland, England. A showcase for their work, the house is frequently featured in magazines and on television, and is open to the public once a month. The Stencil Library blog was launched in 2007, to provide inspiration and information about stencil-related decoration, along with the more photogenic aspects of life at The Stencil Library.

Helen is widely recognized as an expert on the subject and is in regular demand for lectures and demonstrations in Europe and America.
Performance and Efficiency of Anionic Dishwashing Liquids with Amphoteric and Nonionic Surfactants
Authors: Blagojević Stevan N. , Blagojević Slavica M. , Pejić Nataša D.
Published: January 2016

Performance and efficiency of anionic [sodium lauryl ether sulfate (SLES) and sodium α‐olefin sulfonate (AOS)] and amphoteric [cocamidopropyl betaine (CAB)] as well as nonionic [cocodiethanol amide (DEA), various ethoxylated alcohols (C12–C15–7EO, C10–7EO and C9–C11–7EO) and lauramine oxide (AO)] surfactants in various dishwashing liquid mixed micelle systems have been studied at different temperatures (17.0, 23.0 and 42.0 °C). The investigated parameters were critical micelle concentration (CMC), surface tension (γ), cleaning performance and, foaming, biodegradability and irritability of anionic (SLES/AOS) and anionic/amphoteric/nonionic (SLES/AOS/CAB/AO) as well as anionic/nonionic (SLES/AOS/DEA/AO, SLES/AOS/C12‐C15‐7EO/AO, SLES/AOS/C10–7EO/AO and SLES/AOS/C9–C11–7EO/AO) dishwashing surfactant mixtures. In comparison to the starting binary SLES/AOS surfactant mixture, addition of various nonionic surfactants promoted CMC and γ lowering, enhanced cleaning performance and foaming, but did not significantly affect biodegradability and irritability of dishwashing formulations. The anionic/nonionic formulation SLES/AOS/C9–C11–7EO/AO shows both the lowest CMC and γ as well as the best cleaning performance, compared to the other examined dishwashing formulations. However, the results in this study reveal that synergistic behavior of anionic/nonionic SLES/AOS/ethoxylated alcohols/AO formulations significantly improves dishwashing performance and efficiency at both low and regular dishwashing temperatures (17.0 and 42.0 °C) and lead to better application properties.
Plato's Simile of Light (continued). Part II. The Allegory of the Cave
Authors: Ferguson A. S.
Published: January 2016

The first part of this paper argued that the traditional application of the Cave to the Line was not intended by Plato, and led to a misunderstanding of both similes. The Cave, it was said, is attached to the simile of the Sun and the Line by the visible region outside the cave, which is a reintegration of the symbolism of sun, originals and images in the sunlight, and the new system of objects inside the cave is compared and contrasted with the natural objects in the visible outside. As we know that the natural symbolism illustrates the Platonic education, our main task in this paper will be to find the meaning of the cave, untrammelled by the associations of the lower line.
A paleoenvironmental study of early to middle Pleistocene foraminifera of the Santa Barbara Formation at Santa Barbara, California
Authors: Patterson R. Timothy , Brunner Charlotte A. , Capo Rosemary , Dahl Jeremy
Published: January 2016

An interval of the Early to Middle Pleistocene history of the California Borderland was assessed using multivariate analysis of foraminifera from the Santa Barbara Formation at Bathhouse Beach, Santa Barbara, California. A census of 93 species of benthic foraminifera and nine species of planktonic foraminifera was compiled from 11 samples from the shelly marls, silts, and sands of the lower member. Most species of benthic foraminifera are rare and only 38 species comprise one percent or more of the population in one or more samples.

Paleoenvironment of the sea floor was determined based on benthic foraminifera. R-mode cluster analysis defined five associations which are similar to those of the present-day banks and terraces of the California Borderland. Q-mode cluster analysis grouped samples into four biofacies which characterize shallow banks near 50 meters water depth and off-shore ridges and deep banks averaging 150 meters water depth. The stratigraphic succession of biofacies indicates two transgressive cycles separated by an apparent disconformity between 7.5 and 8.9 meters above the base of the section (between samples 3 and 4).

Paleoceanography of surficial waters was interpreted from planktonic foraminifera. Paleotemperature was assessed from the proportion of sinistral to dextral morphs and from the proportion of encrusted, compact morphs to reticulate, globular morphs of Neogloboquadrina pachyderma. The coiling morphs show a warm interval from the base of the section to about 12 meters (between samples 5 and 6), and a cooler interval from about 12 meters to about 24 meters (between samples 10 and 11), and an interval of intermediate paleotemperature in the topmost sample of the section. Changes in the planktonic assemblage do not coincide with the transgressive cycles inferred from the benthic biofacies.

The Bathhouse Beach section can be placed chronostratigraphically based on planktonic foraminiferal coiling shifts and strontium isotopic data. The isotopic age range of 400 to 900 Kyr brackets the 600 Kyr age assigned by Lagoe and Thompson (1988) to the Neogloboquadrina pachyderma coiling dominance interval CD9/CD8 boundary which occurs midway in the section, between samples 5 and 6.
Sensorimotor contingencies do not replace internal representations, and mastery is not necessary for perception
Authors: Niebur Ernst
Published: January 2016

Sensorimotor contingencies are certainly of great importance for perception but they are no substitute for the internal representation of perceived information. I argue that internal, non-iconic representations of perceptions must, and do, exist and that sensorimotor contingencies are an integral part of them. Further, I argue that mastery of the sensory apparatus or environment is not a prerequisite for perception and that perception is possible in the absence of any control over the perceptual process.
Some Issues Facing Environmental Organisations in Developing Countries: A Case Study of the South Pacific Action Committee for Human Ecology and the Environment
Authors: Taylor Neil , Nathan Subhashni
Published: January 2016

The South Pacific Action Committee for Human Ecology and the Environment (SPACHEE) is a regional environmental Non Government Organisation (NGO) based in Fiji but serving twelve small island nations in the South Pacific region, and involved in both formal and non-formal environmental education. At present its membership base is very limited numerically, regionally and also in terms of its socio-economic make up. This article analyses SPACHEE's current membership and issues base and makes a number of recommendations as to how the organisation might broaden these. Some suggestions are also made as to how SPACHEE might link its work more explicitly to issues of equality and social justice. These suggestions may have implications for other environmental NGOs in larger developing countries in the region which face similar environmental issues, such as loss of rainforest, degradation of coral reefs and mangrove destruction.
Prospective clinical and serological follow-up in early childhood reveals a high rate of subclinical RSV infection and a relatively high reinfection rate within the first 3 years of life
Authors: KUTSAYA A. , TEROS-JAAKKOLA T. , KAKKOLA L. , TOIVONEN L. , PELTOLA V. , WARIS M. , JULKUNEN I.
Published: January 2016

Children encounter repeated respiratory tract infections during their early life. We conducted a prospective clinical and serological follow-up study to estimate the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) primary infection and reinfection rates in early childhood. Sera were collected from 291 healthy children at the ages of 13, 24 and 36 months and antibody levels against RSV antigens were determined by enzyme immunoassay. The RT–PCR method was also used for identifying the possible presence of RSV in symptomatic patients. At ages 1, 2 and 3 years, 37%, 68% and 86%, respectively, of studied children were seropositive for RSV. In children seropositive at age 1 year, RSV reinfection rate was at least 37%. Only one of reinfected children showed evidence for a third reinfection by age 3 years. Of children who turned RSV seropositive between ages 1 and 2 years, the reinfection rate was 32% during the third year of life. The mean antibody levels at primary infection were very similar in all age groups. The average decrease of antibody levels was 25–30% within a year. In 66 cases RSV infection was identified by RT–PCR. RSV infection rate in early childhood is 86% and reinfection rate is around 35%. This prospective serological follow-up study also provided evidence for the presence of RSV infections in children that did not show clinical signs warranting RSV RNA detection.
Overview of Diagnosis and Drug Treatments of Anxiety Disorders
Authors: Nutt David J.
Published: January 2016

Anxiety disorders are common and often disabling. They fall into five main categories: panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder, each of which have characteristic symptoms and cognitions. All anxiety disorders respond to drugs and psychological treatments. This review will focus on drug treatments. Recent research has emphasized the value of antidepressants especially the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, benzodiazepines, and related sedative-like compounds. The common co-existence of depression with all of the anxiety disorders means that the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are now generally considered to be the first-line treatments but the benzodiazepines have some utility especiaRy in promoting sleep and working acutely to reduce extreme distress.
Pattern of Comorbidity Among Anxious and Odd Personality Disorders: The Case of Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder
Authors: Rossi Alessandro , Marinangeli Maria Grazia , Butti Giancarlo , Kalyvoka Artemis , Petruzzi Concetta
Published: January 2016

The aim of this study was to examine the pattern of comorbidity among obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) and other personality disorders (PDs) in a sample of 400 psychiatric inpatients. PDs were assessed using the Semistructured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R Personality Disorders (SCID-II). Odds ratios (ORs) were calculated to determine significant comorbidity among OCPD and other axis II disorders. The most elevated odds ratios were found for the cooccurrence of OCPD with cluster A PDs (the “odd” PDs, or paranoid and schizoid PDs). These results are consistent with those of previous studies showing a higher cooccurrence of OCPD with cluster A than with cluster C (“anxious”) PDs. In light of these observations, issues associated with the nosologic status of OCPD within the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders clustering system remain unsettled.
Processing of Situational Information in Story Problem Texts. An Analysis from On-Line Measures
Authors: Orrantia Josetxu , Muñez David , Vicente Santiago , Verschaffel Lieven , Rosales Javier
Published: January 2016

In three experiments, we investigated the extent to which readers process information related to the construction of a situation model when they are confronted with solving word problems. Considering that generation of inferences to match actions with particular goals is part of constructing of the situation model, we constructed “rich story problems”, that is, word problems included in the context of a story, in which the characters propose goals, and then these goals are followed by actions to achieve it. In Experiments 1 and 2 the story problems were designed so that the character’s goal was related to the activation of a problem schema, either explicitly (Experiment 1) or implicitly (Experiment 2). In Experiment 3 the problem schema activation was clearly separated from the goal information. In all three experiments, goal information availability was assessed by on-line measures. The results showed that participants processed situational information by keeping track of characters’ goals. These results fit nicely with those studies that emphasize the role of situation model construction in word problem solving.
Antikonvulsive Therapie nach dem ersten epileptischen Anfall – pro und contra
Authors: Zieglgänsberger Dominik , Tettenborn Barbara
Published: January 2016

Zusammenfassung. Ein erster epileptischer Anfall ist für einen Patienten ein einschneidendes Ereignis mit weitreichenden Konsequenzen. Eine besonders gründliche Abklärung der Ursache und des Rezidivrisikos ist daher obligat. Für eine antikonvulsive Behandlung nach einem ersten unprovozierten Anfall sprechen wegen des erhöhten Rezidivrisikos ein pathologischer EEG-Befund mit Nachweis von epilepsietypischen Potenzialen, der Nachweis von strukturellen Auffälligkeiten, ein pathologischer neurologischer Untersuchungsbefund, ein fokaler Anfallsbeginn oder ein Anfall aus dem Schlaf heraus sowie die Klassifikation als Epilepsie-Syndrom mit hohem Rezidivrisiko wie einer jugendlichen myoklonischen Epilepsie oder einer jugendlichen Absencenepilepsie. An psychosozialen Faktoren müssen die Angst des Patienten und der Angehörigen vor weiteren Anfällen, das Verletzungsrisiko und berufliche und soziale Gegebenheiten berücksichtigt werden. Gegen eine langfristige Behandlung sprechen vor allem medikamentöse Langzeitnebenwirkungen wie Gewichtszunahme und Osteoporose.
Plasmonic phase modulator based on novel loss-overcompensated coupling between nanoresonator and waveguide
Authors: Im Song-Jin , Ho Gum-Song , Yang Da-Jie , Hao Zhong-Hua , Zhou Li , Kim Nam-Chol , Kim Il-Gwang , Wang Qu-Quan
Published: January 2016

We present that surface plasmon polariton, side-coupled to a gain-assisted nanoresonator where the absorption is overcompensated, exhibits a prominent phase shift up to π maintaining the flat unity transmission across the whole broad spectra. Bandwidth of this plasmonic phase shift can be controlled by adjusting the distance between the plasmonic waveguide and the nanoresonator. For a moderate distance, within bandwidth of 100 GHz, the phase shift and transmission are constantly maintained. The plasmonic phase can be shift-keying-modulated by a pumping signal in the gain-assisted nanoresonator. A needed length in our approach is of nanoscale while already suggested types of plasmonic phase modulator are of micrometer scale in length. The energy consumption per bit, which benefits from the nano size of this device, is ideally low on the order of 10 fJ/bit. The controllable plasmonic phase shift can find applications in nanoscale Mach–Zehnder interferometers and other phase-sensitive devices as well as directly in plasmonic phase shift keying modulators.
A mechanistic model for hydrogen activation, spillover, and its chemical reaction in a zeolite-encapsulated Pt catalyst
Authors: Shin Hyeyoung , Choi Minkee , Kim Hyungjun
Published: January 2016

We have proposed a full mechanism for the entire hydrogen spillover based catalytic process of the Pt-encapsulated zeolite and distinct catalytic roles of Lewis acid sites and the surface hydroxyls such as Brønsted acid sites.
The mechanism of controllable dehydrogenation: CPMD study of M(BH4)x(NH3)y (M = Li, Mg) decomposition
Authors: Wang Kun , Zhang Jian-Guo , Lang Xu-Qiang
Published: January 2016

The dehydrogenation processes of ammine metallic borohydrides can be controlled if appropriate metal centres are chosen.
Synthetic, structural, and computational investigations of N-alkyl benzo-2,1,3-selenadiazolium iodides and their supramolecular aggregates
Authors: Lee Lucia M. , Corless Victoria B. , Tran Michael , Jenkins Hilary , Britten James F. , Vargas-Baca Ignacio
Published: January 2016

Alkyl benzo-2,1,3-selenadiazolium cations are conveniently prepared by cyclo-condensation ofN-alkyl-phenylenediamines with selenous acid.
Deducing the functional characteristics of the human selenoprotein SELK from the structural properties of its intrinsically disordered C-terminal domain
Authors: Polo Andrea , Colonna Giovanni , Guariniello Stefano , Ciliberto Gennaro , Costantini Susan
Published: January 2016

The results evidence that during MD simulation SELK presents a distribution of equilibrium conformers which continuously inter-change their conformations.
Hot off the press
Authors: Hill Robert A. , Sutherland Andrew
Published: January 2016

A personal selection of 33 recent papers is presented covering various aspects of current developments in bioorganic chemistry and novel natural products such as pseudellone A from Pseudallescheria ellipsoidea.
Role of vanadium oxide and palladium multiple loading on the sensitivity and recovery kinetics of tin dioxide based gas sensors
Authors: Suematsu Koichi , Kodama Kazuya , Ma Nan , Yuasa Masayoshi , Kida Tetsuya , Shimanoe Kengo
Published: January 2016

Improving the gas sensing properties by Pd and V2O5 co-loading on the SnO2 attributed to the role of each additive.
Magnetohydrodynamic actuation of droplets for millimetric planar fluidic systems
Authors: Ahmadi A. , McDermid C. M. , Markley L.
Published: January 2016

In this work, a magnetohydrodynamic method is proposed for the actuation of droplets in small-scale planar fluidic systems, providing an alternative to commonly used methods such as electrowetting-on-dielectric. Elementary droplet-based operations, including transport, merging, and mixing, are demonstrated. The forces acting on millimetric droplets are carefully investigated, with a primary focus on the magnetic actuation force and on the unbalanced capillary forces that arise due to hysteresis. A super-hydrophobic channel is 3D printed to guide the droplets, with thin wires installed as contact electrodes and permanent magnets providing a static magnetic field. It is shown that droplet motion is enhanced by increasing the droplet size and minimizing the electrode contact surface. The effects of channel geometry on threshold voltage and minimum moveable droplet volume are characterized. Finally, the presence of electrolysis is investigated and mitigating strategies are discussed.
Synthesis, characterisation and aquatic ecotoxicity of the UV filter hexyl 2-(4-diethylamino-2-hydroxybenzoyl)benzoate (DHHB) and its chlorinated by-products
Authors: Grbović Gorica , Malev Olga , Dolenc Darko , Klobučar Roberta Sauerborn , Cvetković Želimira , Cvetković Bruno , Jovančićević Branimir , Trebše Polonca
Published: January 2016

Environmental context
Various UV-filtering chemicals are added to sunscreens in order to protect humans from the harmful effects of the sun. As a consequence of disinfection processes in swimming pools, sunscreen components may be chlorinated and change their structure and properties, leading to derivatives with higher toxicity. The safety of sunscreen components as well as that of their transformation products during their use requires further study.

Abstract
In this work is presented a synthesis pathway for the UV filter hexyl 2-(4-diethylamino-2-hydroxybenzoyl)benzoate (DHHB) and its chlorinated by-products in order to investigate the transformation behaviour and toxicity changes of DHHB during chlorination disinfection treatment. Acute toxicity was measured using standardised tests with aquatic model organisms. The potency of DHHB was compared with other benzophenone-like UV filters tested in the same experimental set-up. The toxicity of chlorinated compounds tested with photobacteria was found to be in a similar range to that of the starting compound. Microalgae were more sensitive to DHHB than to its chlorinated by-products, whereas daphnids were affected more by DHHB’s chlorinated products. The comparative toxicity data showed DHHB and even more its chlorinated by-products as more highly biologically potent to daphnids than other tested UV filters. The toxic potential of benzophenone-like UV filters should be interpreted together with data on their chemical properties, chlorination effects and affected organisms.
Wheats developed for high yield on stored soil moisture have deep vigorous root systems
Authors: Rich Sarah M. , Wasson Anton P. , Richards Richard A. , Katore Trushna , Prashar Renu , Chowdhary Ritika , Saxena D. C. , Mamrutha H. M. , Zwart Alec , Misra S. C. , Sai Prasad S. V. , Chatrath R. , Christopher Jack , Watt Michelle
Published: January 2016

Many rainfed wheat production systems are reliant on stored soil water for some or all of their water inputs. Selection and breeding for root traits could result in a yield benefit; however, breeding for root traits has traditionally been avoided due to the difficulty of phenotyping mature root systems, limited understanding of root system development and function, and the strong influence of environmental conditions on the phenotype of the mature root system. This paper outlines an international field selection program for beneficial root traits at maturity using soil coring in India and Australia. In the rainfed areas of India, wheat is sown at the end of the monsoon into hot soils with a quickly receding soil water profile; in season water inputs are minimal. We hypothesised that wheat selected and bred for high yield under these conditions would have deep, vigorous root systems, allowing them to access and utilise the stored soil water at depth around anthesis and grain-filling when surface layers were dry. The Indian trials resulted in 49 lines being sent to Australia for phenotyping. These lines were ranked against 41 high yielding Australian lines. Variation was observed for deep root traits e.g. in eastern Australia in 2012, maximum depth ranged from 118.8 to 146.3 cm. There was significant variation for root traits between sites and years, however, several Indian genotypes were identified that consistently ranked highly across sites and years for deep rooting traits.
Salt-stress induced alterations in the root lipidome of two barley genotypes with contrasting responses to salinity
Authors: Natera Siria H. A. , Hill Camilla B. , Rupasinghe Thusitha W. T. , Roessner Ute
Published: January 2016

Changes in lipid metabolism and composition as well as in distinct lipid species have been linked with altered plant growth, development and responses to environmental stresses including salinity. However, there is little information available in the literature focusing on lipids in roots under soil-related stresses such as salinity. Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is a major cereal grain and, as a glycophyte, suffers substantial yield loss when grown under saline conditions. Relatively little is understood of adaptation and tolerance mechanisms involving lipids and lipid metabolism in barley roots during development and under exposure to salinity stress. In this study we investigated the lipid composition of barley roots of Clipper and Sahara – two genotypes with contrasting responses to salinity – before and after salinity stress using a combination of three lipidomics techniques: Fatty acid compositional analysis, untargeted lipid profiling, and targeted analysis to profile quantitatively the individual molecular species of key plant lipid classes. Our results provide new insight into the effect of salinity on fatty acid profiles and key lipid classes within barley roots of two different genotypes, which is discussed in the context of current knowledge of the root metabolic responses of cereal crops to salinity stress.
Enhanced root growth of the brb (bald root barley) mutant in drying soil allows similar shoot physiological responses to soil water deficit as wild-type plants
Authors: Dodd Ian C. , Diatloff Eugene
Published: January 2016

The genetics, molecular biology and nutrient uptake of plant root hair mutants have been studied in detail, but their physiological responses to soil drying have not. Thus, the root hairless brb (bald root barley) barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) mutant and its wild type (WT) were grown in drying soil. Well-watered, pre-tillering plants showed no genotypic differences in daily transpiration and leaf elongation rate, and the ratio of day to night leaf elongation (D/N, a sensitive indicator of water stress). After withholding water for 25 days, root hydraulic conductivity and xylem ABA concentration were similar between genotypes, but WT plants had more tillers and D/N was more than halved in brb. To avoid possible developmental and nutritional differences confounding responses to water deficit, pre-tillering plants were allowed to dry soils of high and low phosphorus (P) status. Although leaf area, leaf water potential and shoot fresh weight (FW) were similar in the two genotypes, root FW of brb was greater by 44 and 18% in a high and low P soil respectively. This adaptive response allowed brb to maintain similar shoot growth and transpiration as WT plants, despite decreased effective root surface area in the absence of root hairs.
Active 3ʹ–5ʹ cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases are present in detergent-resistant membranes of mural granulosa cells
Authors: Bergeron Annick , Guillemette Christine , Sirard Marc-André , Richard François J.
Published: January 2016

Lipids rafts are specialised membrane microdomains involved in cell signalling that can be isolated as detergent-resistant membranes (DRMs). The second messenger cyclic AMP (cAMP) has a central role in cell signalling in the ovary and its degradation is carried out by the phosphodiesterase (PDE) enzyme family. We hypothesised that PDEs could be functionally present in the lipid rafts of porcine mural granulosa cell membranes. PDE6C, PDE8A and PDE11A were detected by dot blot in the DRMs and the Triton-soluble fraction of the mural granulosa cells membrane and the cytosol. As shown by immunocytochemistry, PDEs showed clear immunostaining in mural granulosa cell membranes and the cytosol. Interestingly, cAMP–PDE activity was 18 times higher in the DRMs than in the Triton-soluble fraction of cell membranes and was 7.7 times higher in the cytosol than in the DRMs. cAMP–PDE activity in mural granulosa cells was mainly contributed by the PDE8 and PDE11 families. This study shows that PDEs from the PDE8 and PDE11 families are present in mural granulosa cells and that the cAMP–PDE activity is mainly contributed by the cytosol. In the cell membrane, the cAMP–PDE activity is mainly contributed by the DRMs. In addition, receptors for prostaglandin E2 and LH, two G-protein-coupled receptors, are present in lipid rafts and absent from the non-raft fraction of the granulosa cell membrane. These results suggest that in these cells, the lipid rafts exist as a cell-signalling platform and PDEs are one of the key enzyme families present in the raft.
On the optimal use of isotherm models for the characterization of biosorption of lead onto algae
Authors: Brouers F. , Al-Musawi Tariq
Published: January 2016

For the first time we apply a new method based on the mathematical derivation of some known isotherm from the Burr function which describes many birth-death (sorption-desorption) phenomena in ecology and economy. Therefore, in this study the experimental isotherm data of biosorption of Pb(II) onto algae was modeled to Langmuir, Hill-Sips, Brouers-Sotolongo, Brouers-Gaspard, and Redlich-Peterson isotherm models. The parameters of each model were determined by nonlinear fitting algorithms using Mathematica program. The maximum Pb(II) removal rate increased with the increase of temperature and reached the maximum value (98%) at the temperature of 40 C. The results showed that the Hill-Sips and the Brouers-Sotolongo isotherms were definitely the most suitable models to satisfactorily describe biosorption of Pb(II) on the algal biomass. In addition, as these two models gave very close results, the use of an intermediate one the Brouers-Gaspard isotherm model could also describe the sorption in most cases. High coefficient of determination values was obtained by using nonlinear methods and these findings are contrary to most works in this field that use linearization methods. Further, this study showed that a complete set of data is necessary to have a good representation of the isotherm and using only coefficient of determination is not always an adequate tool to compare the goodness of the nonlinear fit of an isotherm models.
The divisible load balance problem with shared cost and its application to phylogenetic inference
Authors: Scholl Constantin , Kobert Kassian , Flouri Tomáš , Stamatakis Alexandros
Published: January 2016

Motivated by load balance issues in parallel calculations of the phylogenetic likelihood function, we recently introduced an approximation algorithm for efficiently distributing partitioned alignment data to a given number of CPUs. The goal is to balance the accumulated number of sites per CPU, and, at the same time, to minimize the maximum number of unique partitions per CPU. The approximation algorithm assumes that likelihood calculations on individual alignment sites have identical runtimes and that likelihood calculation times on distinct sites are entirely independent from each other. However, a recently introduced optimization of the phylogenetic likelihood function, the so-called site repeats technique, violates both aforementioned assumptions. To this end, we modify our data distribution algorithm and explore 72 distinct heuristic strategies that take into account the additional restrictions induced by site repeats, to yield a ‘good’ parallel load balance.

Our best heuristic strategy yields a reduction in required arithmetic operations that ranges between 2% and 92% with an average of 62% for all test datasets using 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, and 64 CPUs compared to the original site-repeat-agnostic data distribution algorithm.
Host dispersal as the driver of parasite genetic structure: a paradigm lost?
Authors: Mazé‐Guilmo Elise , Blanchet Simon , McCoy Karen D. , Loot Géraldine
Published: January 2016

Understanding traits influencing the distribution of genetic diversity has major ecological and evolutionary implications for host–parasite interactions. The genetic structure of parasites is expected to conform to that of their hosts, because host dispersal is generally assumed to drive parasite dispersal. Here, we used a meta‐analysis to test this paradigm and determine whether traits related to host dispersal correctly predict the spatial co‐distribution of host and parasite genetic variation. We compiled data from empirical work on local adaptation and host–parasite population genetic structure from a wide range of taxonomic groups. We found that genetic differentiation was significantly lower in parasites than in hosts, suggesting that dispersal may often be higher for parasites. A significant correlation in the pairwise genetic differentiation of hosts and parasites was evident, but surprisingly weak. These results were largely explained by parasite reproductive mode, the proportion of free‐living stages in the parasite life cycle and the geographical extent of the study; variables related to host dispersal were poor predictors of genetic patterns. Our results do not dispel the paradigm that parasite population genetic structure depends on host dispersal. Rather, we highlight that alternative factors are also important in driving the co‐distribution of host and parasite genetic variation.
Accounting for Stylised Facts about Recent Anti‐dumping: Retaliation and Innovation
Authors: Miyagiwa Kaz , Song Huasheng , Vandenbussche Hylke
Published: January 2016

Recent work has found certain stylised facts about anti‐dumping (AD) actions. (i) AD actions are mostly between industrial and developing countries; (ii) developing countries use AD to retaliate against industrial countries; and (iii) AD is concentrated in R&D‐intensive industries. This study develops an analytical framework that can account for these empirical findings. The model suggests that market expansions and/or improvement in R&D capability in the South are essential in avoiding AD wars with the North. Interestingly, stricter enforcement of intellectual property rights in the South has little effect on stopping AD wars between the North and the South.
LEARNING ENGLISH VOCABULARY USING WEB-BASED LEITNER BOX WITH SOCIAL NETWORK
Authors: Gao Yunxia , Tasir Zaidatun , Harun Jamalludin , Jumaat Nurul Farhana
Published: January 2016

The aim of the research is to explore the impact of the web-based Leitner Box which is enhanced with social network, particularly Facebook on English vocabulary learning. This research used mixed research design and the data were collected both in qualitative and quantitative ways. The instruments include questionnaire, semi-structured interviews, and performance tests. 35 university’s students were chosen randomly as the respondents for the questionnaire and 30 students from English class were chosen purposively to do the pre-test and post-test. From the findings, it is discovered that students agreed they have problems in learning vocabulary (mean = 3.98).   The web-based Leitner Box has a significant positive impact on English vocabulary learning (p<0.05). Findings from the questionnaires also revealed that students gave positive opinions toward web-based Leitner box (mean = 4.28).  In term of whether the element of social network can be beneficial to students, the findings showed that social network helps students to learn English vocabulary in this collaborative learning environment (mean = 4.28). The students claimed that web-based Leitner Box and social network make the vocabulary learning process much easier and more interesting by sharing information and actively participating in the collaborative learning environment.
TEMPLATE BASED DEFECT DETECTION OF FLEXIBLE PRINTED CIRCUIT
Authors: Zulkoffli Zuliani , Abu Bakar Elmi
Published: January 2016

This study presented a research on machine vision inspection to define defects on flexible printed circuit (FPC). The images were subjected to image processing system where an elimination-subtraction method used. In this algorithm, 7 types of FPC defects defined and simulated in the system using Specimen 1 and processing time taken for both side inspection was 3.3s. Then, the commercial patent design of FPC was tested as specimen 2 to define short circuit defects on it. The processing time taken by this algorithm on specimen 2 was 0.28s. Comparison on manual inspection and machine vision implementation were carried out and greatly resulted on shorten inspection time to 59.7%. This result shows significant contribution in increasing the efficiency of FPC inspection process.
MOTIVATION OF INTERNET USE: RELATION WITH PATHOLOGICAL INTERNET USE, GENDER AND INTERNET ACTIVITIES
Authors: Xi Lu , Kee Jiar Yeo
Published: January 2016

This study is aimed to examine the motivation of Internet use among university students in Malaysia. A total of 102 students from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) answered the pencil-paper questionnaire. Result of descriptive analysis showed that 49.02% of students were identified as pathological Internet use (PIU). The predominant motivation of Internet use were information seeking and entertainment/escape. The inferential analysis using MANOVA indicated that students with PIU reported significantly higher scores of all motivation factors of Internet use than their non-PIU peers. Correlational test was used to examine the relationship between motivation of Internet use and Internet activities found that social recognition was significantly related to four Internet activities including social networking site (SNS), online game, shopping and browsing. Entertainment/escape was only related to SNS usage. The low coefficient of correlation between motivation and Internet activities implied the influence of potential variables.
EVALUATION OF THREE RNA EXTRACTION METHODS FROM THREE CULTIVARS OF MALAYSIAN UPLAND RICE
Authors: Mohd Arif Shahkila , Ma Nyuk Ling , Wagiran Alina , Rahmat Zaidah
Published: January 2016

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) can be divided into two major categories, which is upland rice and lowland rice. Apart from being the staple food for more than half of the world population, it is also known as model plant for functional genomics study. However, it possess high amount of starch and polysaccharide that makes the isolation of good quality RNA for downstream purposes often a difficult task. While there are many studies being carried out for lowland rice extraction, none has been reported for upland rice. This study is the first to report on evaluation of three RNA extraction methods for three Malaysian upland rice cultivars in order to determine the best method to isolate high grade RNA. The result obtained demonstrated that good quality RNA in terms of integrity, purity and quality can be isolated from young leaves of these cultivars  by using guanidine isothiocyanate based extraction method that is fast, simple and efficient and had been proven suitable for further downstream applications.
Effect of Sb thickness on the performance of bialkali-antimonide photocathodes
Authors: Mamun Md Abdullah A. , Elmustafa Abdelmageed A. , Hernandez-Garcia Carlos , Mammei Russell , Poelker Matthew
Published: January 2016

The alkali species Cs and K were codeposited using an effusion source, onto relatively thick layers of Sb (50 nm to ∼7 μm) grown on GaAs and Ta substrates inside a vacuum chamber that was baked and not-vented, and also baked and vented with clean dry nitrogen but not rebaked. The characteristics of the Sb films, including sticking probability, surface roughness, grain size, and crystal properties were very different for these conditions, yet comparable values of photocathode yield [or quantum efficiency (QE)] at 284 V were obtained following codeposition of the alkali materials. Photocathodes manufactured with comparatively thick Sb layers exhibited the highest QE and the best 1/e lifetime. The authors speculate that the alkali codeposition enabled optimized stoichiometry for photocathodes manufactured using thick Sb layers, which could serve as a reservoir for the alkali materials.
Effective Hamiltonian for a half-filled asymmetric ionic Hubbard chain with alternating on-site interaction
Authors: Grusha I. , Menteshashvili M. , Japaridze G. I.
Published: January 2016

We derive an effective spin Hamiltonian for the one-dimensional half-filled asymmetric ionic Hubbard model (IHM) with alternating on-site interaction in the limit of strong repulsion. It is shown that the effective Hamiltonian is that of a spin S = 1/2 anisotropic XXZ Heisenberg chain with alternating next-nearest-neighbor (NNN) and three-spin couplings in the presence of a uniform and a staggered magnetic field.
Coset Diagram for the Action of Picard Group on $\mathbb{Q}(i,\sqrt{3})$
Authors: Mushtaq Qaiser , Anis Saima
Published: January 2016

In this paper coset diagrams, propounded by Higman, are used to investigate the behavior of elements as words in orbits of the action of the Picard group Γ=PSL(2,ℤ[i]) on [Formula: see text]. Graphical interpretation of amalgamation of the components of Γ is also given. Some elements [Formula: see text] of [Formula: see text] and their conjugates [Formula: see text] over ℚ(i) have different signs in the orbits of the biquadratic field [Formula: see text] when acted upon by Γ. Such real quadratic irrational numbers are called ambiguous numbers. It is shown that ambiguous numbers in these coset diagrams form a unique pattern. It is proved that there are a finite number of ambiguous numbers in an orbit Γα, and they form a closed path which is the only closed path in the orbit Γα. We also devise a procedure to obtain ambiguous numbers of the form [Formula: see text], where b is a positive integer.
Modeling and Mechanism of Rain-Wind Induced Vibration of Bundled Conductors
Authors: Zhou Chao , Liu Yibing
Published: January 2016

Under the certain rain-wind conditions, bundled conductors exhibit a rain-wind induced large-amplitude vibration. This type of vibration can cause the fatigue fractures of conductors and fatigue failures of spacers, which threaten the safety operation and serviceability of high-voltage transmission line. To reveal the mechanism of rain-wind induced vibration of bundled conductors, a series of 2-dimensional CFD models about the twin bundled conductors with rivulets are developed to obtain the curves of aerodynamic coefficients with the upper rivulet angle. The influences of the forward conductor’s aerodynamic shielding and the upper rivulet’s aerodynamic characteristics on the leeward conductor are discussed. Furthermore, a 2-dimensional 3DOF model for the rain-wind induced vibration of the leeward conductor is established. The model is solved by finite element method and Newmark method, and the effects of the wind velocity and the upper rivulet’s motion on vibration amplitude of the leeward conductor are analyzed. By contrast with the wake-induced vibration, it can easily find that the characteristics of rain-wind vibration are obviously different from those of the wake-induced vibration, and the main reason of the rain-induced vibration may be due to the upper rivulet’s motion.
Vehicle Position Updating Strategy Based on Kalman Filter Prediction in VANET Environment
Authors: Mo Yuanfu , Yu Dexin , Song Jun , Zheng Kun , Guo Yajuan
Published: January 2016

In VANET (vehicular ad hoc network) environment, the successive vehicle position data actually are discrete, so the key to the moving vehicle modeling is to effectively reduce the updating frequency of the position data so as to alleviate the communication and database management load. This paper proposes vehicle position data updating strategy with packet repetition based on Kalman filter predicting. Firstly, we design a position data updating model based on Kalman filter difference predicting equations. Then, we design a packet repetition mode decision algorithm, which is applied to deliver vehicle position updating data. The model with packet repetition can not only generate position updating data according to preset threshold, but also decide packet repetition mode related to the distance of two adjacent vehicles in order to reduce data loss. Both simulated highway and realistic urban road experimental results show that vehicle position data updating frequency could be obviously reduced and the reliability of the communication is greatly improved through packet repetition mechanism by using this position updating strategy.