bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The dialogic nature of dystopia in Alisa Ganieva's novel The Mountain and The Wall
Authors: Lappela Anni
Published: October 2017

In this article I discuss and analyze the dystopian and utopian discourses in Alisa Ganieva’s novel The Mountain and the Wall (Prazdničnaya gora, 2012; English translation 2015). My particular interest lies in the connection between geographical imagination and postcolonial themes, as well as the relationship between gender and space. The chosen approach to Ganieva’s novel leaves out many other interesting topics, such as the role of Islam in the story, and questions about national and ethnical identity, but I will only elaborate upon them whenever they appear relevant to the outlined approach. My aim is not to label Ganieva’s work as a postcolonial novel, but to discuss the possibility to read it from a postcolonial point of view and to read a postcolonial thematic in it, among many other interesting themes.
Measuring language lateralisation with different language tasks: a systematic review
Authors: Bradshaw Abigail R. , Thompson Paul A. , Wilson Alexander C. , Bishop Dorothy V.M. , Woodhead Zoe V.J.
Published: October 2017

Language lateralisation refers to the phenomenon in which one hemisphere (typically the left) shows greater involvement in language functions than the other. Measurement of laterality is of interest both to researchers investigating the neural organisation of the language system and to clinicians needing to establish an individual’s hemispheric dominance for language prior to surgery, as in patients with intractable epilepsy. Recently, there has been increasing awareness of the possibility that different language processes may develop hemispheric lateralisation independently, and to varying degrees. However, it is not always clear whether differences in laterality across language tasks with fMRI are reflective of meaningful variation in hemispheric lateralisation, or simply of trivial methodological differences between paradigms. This systematic review aims to assess different language tasks in terms of the strength, reliability and robustness of the laterality measurements they yield with fMRI, to look at variability that is both dependent and independent of aspects of study design, such as the baseline task, region of interest, and modality of the stimuli. Recommendations are made that can be used to guide task design; however, this review predominantly highlights that the current high level of methodological variability in language paradigms prevents conclusions as to how different language functions may lateralise independently. We conclude with suggestions for future research using tasks that engage distinct aspects of language functioning, whilst being closely matched on non-linguistic aspects of task design (e.g., stimuli, task timings etc); such research could produce more reliable and conclusive insights into language lateralisation. This systematic review was registered as a protocol on Open Science Framework: https://osf.io/5vmpt/.
Larval survival of Litopenaeus vannamei (boone) fed Chaetoceros muelleri produced with agricultural fertilizers
Authors: Valenzuela-Espinoza E , Gendrop-Funes V , Pérez-Castañeda R , Wilburn-González JG
Published: October 2017

Larval survival of Litopenaeus vannamei fed Chaetoceros muelleri produced with agricultural fertilizers and f/2 medium (control) was compared. The microalgae were cultivated in natural sea water fertilized with 36.8 mg L–1 N-NH4NO3 and 3.5 mg L–1 P-P2O5 as a substitute for nitrogen and phosphorus in the f/2 medium. Microalgal concentration during feeding of nauplius5 stages to protozoeaIII was maintained at a density of 100–150 x 103 cells mL–1. From mysisI to postlarvae1 stages, Artemia franciscana nauplii were the only source of food. Average growth of C. muelleri with agricultural fertilizers was greater and significant (P < 0.05) with respect to the control on days 2, 3 and 4 of the culture; however, on day 5, there was no significant difference in the cellular density. Survival of the larvae of the mysisI stage fed C. muelleri produced with agricultural fertilizers and f/2 medium was 69% and 77.5%, respectively, and showed significant differences (P < 0.05). However, survival at the postlarvae1 stage in both treatments (60.1% and 65.6%) was not significantly different. We conclude that the use of nutrients from agricultural fertilizer as a substitute for nitrogen and phosphorus in the f/2 medium constitutes a viable alternative for the culture of C. muelleri as food for larvae of L. vannamei.
Linear alkylbenzene sulfonates (LAS) as tracers of urban waste waters in shallow littoral ecosystems: A case study in the Bay of Cádiz
Authors: González-Mazo E , Quiroga JM , Gómez-Parra A
Published: October 2017

The spatial distribution of linear alkylbenzene sulfonates (LAS) and their composition of homologues in sediments of Cádiz Bay, a semienclosed system surrounded by urbanized areas, has been studied. LAS homologues were measured in marine sediments using solid-phase extraction and reversed-phase high-perfomance liquid chromatography with spectrofluorimetric detection. Results showed that LAS, principally associated with solids in suspension and originating from the existing outlet where urban waste waters are discharged into the Sancti Petri Channel, are transported to Cádiz Bay during the ebb tide or emptying phase. The transport of solids in suspension is defined by the circulation of tidal currents and its sedimentation will be encouraged in those zones where the water has a long residence time, zones of low energy, where the accumulation of the surfactant takes place. These results enable the area of influence of the urban waste water discharge to be determined. The distribution of the various LAS homologues in the sediment samples is different from that of the commercial LAS. The greater the distance from the discharge point, the smaller the quantities of the long-chain homologues.
Comments about the relationship between temperature and giant squid catches
Authors: Morales-Bojórquez E
Published: October 2017

The fishery of the giant squid (Dosidicus gigas D'Orbigny, 1835) is an unstable resource that has shown wide variations in its abundance and availability in the last 20 years, which were tried to be explained by a hypothesis that related the effects of El Niño and the sea temperature on the fishery. Recently, with data obtained in research surveys, the hypothesis that water temperature is a factor that affects the displacement of the squid has been considered again, in such a way that catches can be related to the average temperature in the fishing zones, validating the hypothesis with relative abundance data (AR), obtained in a research survey, which are known to be highly skewed. In this way, the accuracy in the catch-environment relationship of the giant squid is determined by two factors: (a) the correct estimation of the resource's AR index, which must be corrected with an unbiased estimator of minimum variance, under a lognormal distribution, what allows working data series without discarding information; and (b) the functional relationship of AR with temperature and therefore, recognizing that the relationship between temperature and squid catches is not direct (linear), thus understanding that the effect of the sea temperature on the squid's AR index is random, since in the AR there is an observation error that must be evaluated.
Independency in the volumes of eggs of the Heerman's gull (Larus heermanni), on base to their clutching sequence
Authors: Carmona R , Lozano E
Published: October 2017

In most birds egg volume has been recorded directly dependant on clutch sequence. Furthermore, the egg size has been also considered as dependent on the size of its predecessor, thus, they are constantly analyzed with non-parametric statistics, given the independency required by the parametric one. We studied the Heermann's gull (Larus heermanni) colony at El Callo Islet (south of San José Island, B.C.S.) during its reproductive season (1996). Twenty-seven nests were followed and identified with plastic flags. The eggs were marked (according to their appearance) and measured (length and width), in order to calculate their volume. The analysis of the volume of 66 eggs showed normality and homocedasticity (in all cases α = 0.05). The volume comparison by clutch sequence evidenced that the first and second eggs were similar, but both differed from third eggs ( x- ± SE: 57.59 ± 1.52, 56.62 ± 1.75 and 52.66 ± 2.48 cm3, respectively). Furthermore, three simple linear correlations were performed (first-second, first-third and second-third), in order to evidenciate the supposed size-dependence on previous eggs. No relationship could be established in either comparisons (r = 0.143, 0.08 and 0.291; d.f.= 23, 14 and 14, P = 0.502, 0.784 and 0.313, respectively). This means that the egg volume depends on the clutch sequence, but not necessarily on the volume of previous eggs, indicating the need of testing such dependency and, consequently, the type of statistical analysis to be used.
X‐linked inhibitor of apoptosis inhibition sensitizes acute myeloid leukemia cell response to TRAIL and chemotherapy through potentiated induction of proapoptotic machinery
Authors: Zhou Jianbiao , Lu Xiao , Tan Tuan Zea , Chng Wee‐Joo
Published: October 2017

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is an aggressive disease with an increasing incidence and relatively low 5‐year survival rate. Unfortunately, the underlying mechanism of leukemogenesis is poorly known, and there has been little progress in the treatment for AML. Studies have shown that X‐linked inhibitor of apoptosis (XIAP), one of the inhibitors of apoptosis proteins (IAPs), is highly expressed and contributes to chemoresistance in AML. Hence, a novel drug, RO6867520 (RO‐BIR2), developed by Roche targeting the BIR2 domain in XIAP to reactivate blocked apoptosis, is a promising therapy for AML. The monotherapy of RO‐BIR2 had minimal effect on most of the AML cell lines tested except U‐937. In contrast to AML cell lines, in general, RO‐BIR2 alone has been shown to inhibit the proliferation of primary AML patient samples effectively and induced apoptosis in a dose‐dependent manner. A combination of RO‐BIR2 with TNF‐related apoptosis‐inducing ligand (TRAIL) led to highly synergistic effect on AML cell lines and AML patient samples. This combination therapy is capable of inducing apoptosis, thereby leading to an increase in specific apoptotic cell population, along with the activation of caspase 3/7. A number of apoptotic‐related proteins such as XIAP, cleavage of caspase 3, cleavage of caspase 7, and cleaved PARP were changed upon combination therapy. Combination of RO‐BIR2 with Ara‐C had similar effect as the TRAIL combination. Ara‐C combination also led to synergistic effect on AML cell lines and AML patient samples with low combination indexes (CIs). We conclude that the combination of RO‐BIR2 with either TRAIL or Ara‐C represents a potent therapeutic strategy for AML and is warranted for further clinical trials to validate the synergistic benefits in patients with AML, especially for the elderly who are abstaining from intensive chemotherapy.
Molecular profiling and combinatorial activity of CCT068127: a potent CDK2 and CDK9 inhibitor
Authors: Whittaker Steven R. , Barlow Clare , Martin Mathew P. , Mancusi Caterina , Wagner Steve , Self Annette , Barrie Elaine , Te Poele Robert , Sharp Swee , Brown Nathan , Wilson Stuart , Jackson Wayne , Fischer Peter M. , Clarke Paul A. , Walton Michael I. , McDonald Edward , Blagg Julian , Noble Martin , Garrett Michelle D. , Workman Paul
Published: October 2017

Deregulation of the cyclin‐dependent kinases (CDKs) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of multiple cancer types. Consequently, CDKs have garnered intense interest as therapeutic targets for the treatment of cancer. We describe herein the molecular and cellular effects of CCT068127, a novel inhibitor of CDK2 and CDK9. Optimized from the purine template of seliciclib, CCT068127 exhibits greater potency and selectivity against purified CDK2 and CDK9 and superior antiproliferative activity against human colon cancer and melanoma cell lines. X‐ray crystallography studies reveal that hydrogen bonding with the DFG motif of CDK2 is the likely mechanism of greater enzymatic potency. Commensurate with inhibition of CDK activity, CCT068127 treatment results in decreased retinoblastoma protein (RB) phosphorylation, reduced phosphorylation of RNA polymerase II, and induction of cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. The transcriptional signature of CCT068127 shows greatest similarity to other small‐molecule CDK and also HDAC inhibitors. CCT068127 caused a dramatic loss in expression of DUSP6 phosphatase, alongside elevated ERK phosphorylation and activation of MAPK pathway target genes. MCL1 protein levels are rapidly decreased by CCT068127 treatment and this associates with synergistic antiproliferative activity after combined treatment with CCT068127 and ABT263, a BCL2 family inhibitor. These findings support the rational combination of this series of CDK2/9 inhibitors and BCL2 family inhibitors for the treatment of human cancer.
MAVEN Observations of Ionospheric Irregularities at Mars
Authors: Fowler C. M. , Andersson L. , Shaver S. R. , Thayer J. P. , Huba J. D. , Lillis R. , Usanova M. E. , Espley J. , Ergun R. E. , Mcfadden J. , Mahaffy P. R. , Connerney J. E. P. , Benna M. , Elrod M. , Mitchell D. L. , Mazelle C. , Jakosky B. M.
Published: October 2017

Ionospheric irregularities associated with horizontal magnetic fields below 200 km altitude are observed at Mars. Plasma density modulations of up to 200% are observed during such events and appear correlated with fluctuations in the magnetic field. The observed fluctuations are likely Doppler shifted and represent spatial structures at length scales of 15–20 km or less. Conditions in the Martian ionosphere below 200 km are synonymous with the terrestrial E region, where ionospheric irregularities have been extensively studied. Interestingly, the irregularities at Mars appear to be electromagnetic in nature, in contrast to the electrostatic nature of irregularities at Earth. It is currently unclear what the primary drivers of these irregularities at Mars are, and further study is needed to explain these important phenomenon within the Martian ionosphere.
Synthetic θ‐Defensin Antibacterial Peptide as a Highly Efficient Nonviral Vector for Redox‐Responsive miRNA Delivery
Authors: Yu Meng , Yan Jin , He Wangxiao , Li Chenyu , Ma Peter X. , Lei Bo
Published: October 2017

Synthetic cationic vectors have shown great promise for nonviral gene delivery. However, their cytotoxicity and low efficiency impose great restrictions on clinic applications. To push through this limitation, humanized peptides or proteins with cationic biocompatibility as well as biodegradation would be an excellent candidate. Herein, for the first time, we describe how an arginine‐rich humanized antimicrobial cyclopeptide, θ‐defensin, can be used as a synthetic cationic vector to load and deliver miRNA into bone mesenchymal stem cells with high efficiency and ultralow cytotoxicity, surpassing the efficiency of the commercial polyethylenimine (25 kD) and Lipofectamine 3000. To note, θ‐defensin can redox‐responsively release the loaded miRNA through a structural change: in extracellular oxidative environment, θ‐defensin has large β‐sheet structures stabilized by three disulfide linkages, and this special structure enables highly efficient delivery of miRNA by passing through cell membranes; in intracellular environment, redox‐responsive disulfide linkages are broken and the tight β‐sheet structures are destroyed, so that the miRNA can be released. Our results suggest that synthetic θ‐defensin peptides are a new class of nonviral gene vectors and this study may also provide a promising strategy to design smart‐responsive gene vectors with high efficiency and minimal toxicity.
Chemical Fixation of CO2 and Other Heterogeneous Catalytic Studies by Employing a Layered Cu‐Porphyrin Prepared Through Single‐Crystal to Single‐Crystal Exchange of a Zn Analogue
Authors: Dutta Gargi , Jana Ajay Kumar , Natarajan Srinivasan
Published: October 2017

A solvothermal reaction of Zn(NO3)2⋅6 H2O, tetra‐(4‐pyridyl)porphyrin (H2TPyP), and 4,4′‐oxybis(benzoic acid) (H2OBA) resulted in a new two‐dimensional Zn‐ porphyrin metal–organic framework compound, [Zn2(C40H24N8)0.5(C14H8O5)(DMA)](DMA)(H2O)6 (1; DMA=N,N‐dimethylacetamide). The ZnII ions present in 1 could be exchanged by using a solution of Cu(NO3)2⋅3 H2O in DMA at room temperature to give [Cu2(C40H24N8)0.5(C14H8O5)(DMA)](DMA)(H2O)3 (Cu∈1). The extra‐framework solvent molecules have been shown to be reversibly removed or exchanged without collapse of the framework. Solvent‐free Cu∈1 was explored as an active heterogeneous catalyst towards three different organic reactions: 1) the chemical fixation of CO2 into cyclic carbonate at room temperature and 1 atm; 2) the nitroaldol reaction under solvent‐free conditions, and 3) the three‐component coupling of aminopyridine, benzaldehyde, and aryl alkynes followed by 5‐exo‐dig cyclization to produce the important pharmacophore imidazopyridine.
Pd‐Catalyzed versus Uncatalyzed, PhI(OAc)2‐Mediated Cyclization Reactions of N6‐([1,1′‐Biaryl]‐2‐yl)Adenine Nucleosides
Authors: Satishkumar Sakilam , Poudapally Suresh , Vuram Prasanna K. , Gurram Venkateshwarlu , Pottabathini Narender , Sebastian Dellamol , Yang Lijia , Pradhan Padmanava , Lakshman Mahesh K.
Published: October 2017

In this work we have assessed reactions of N6‐([1,1′‐biaryl]‐2‐yl)adenine nucleosides with Pd(OAc)2 and PhI(OAc)2, via a PdII/PdIV redox cycle. The substrates are readily obtained by Pd/Xantphos‐catalyzed reaction of adenine nucleosides with 2‐bromo‐1,1′‐biaryls. In PhMe, the N6‐biarylyl nucleosides gave C6‐carbazolyl nucleoside analogues by C−N bond formation with the exocyclic N6 nitrogen atom. In the solvent screening for the Pd‐catalyzed reactions, an uncatalyzed process was found to be operational. It was observed that the carbazolyl products could also be obtained in the absence of a metal catalyst by reaction with PhI(OAc)2 in 1,1,1,3,3,3‐hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP). Thus, under Pd catalysis and in HFIP, reactions proceed to provide carbazolyl nucleoside analogues, with some differences. If reactions of N6‐biarylyl nucleoside substrates were conducted in MeCN, formation of aryl benzimidazopurinyl nucleoside derivatives was observed in many cases by C−N bond formation with the N1 ring nitrogen atom of the purine (carbazole and benzimidazole isomers are readily separated by chromatography). Whereas PdII/PdIV redox is responsible for carbazole formation under the metal‐catalyzed conditions, in HFIP and MeCN radical cations and/or nitrenium ions can be intermediates. An extensive set of radical inhibition experiments was conducted and the data are presented.
Selective Separation of Dyes and Brine Recovery from Textile Wastewater by Nanofiltration Membranes
Authors: Thamaraiselvan Chidambaram , Michael Noel , Oren Yoram
Published: October 2017

The selective separation mechanisms of three textile dyes with NaCl solution by nanofiltration membranes during brine recovery at three different pH values were investigated. Tests were performed with the purpose of relating flux decline, brine recovery, and dye rejection behavior to membrane characteristics, like molecular weight cutoff, contact angle, and zeta potential, charge of the dye molecules, and solution chemistry. The salt‐organic separation factor was estimated in order to rank and choose the most suitable nanofiltration membranes for brine recovery with high degree of flux.
Intrinsic Electrocatalysis in DNA
Authors: Paleček Emil , Bartošík Martin
Published: October 2017

We show, for the first time, that DNA produces an electrocatalytic square wave voltammetric reduction peak or chronopotentiometric peak HDNA at mercury and solid amalgam electrodes. These peaks are attributed to the catalytic hydrogen evolution reaction, allowing label‐free detection of chromosomal DNA and oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) below parts per million and nanomolar levels, respectively. By using peak HDNA at high current densities, native chromosomal DNA was distinguished from its denatured form. With this method, damage of DNA from human cancer cells by ionizing radiation or sonication was detected. Sensitivity of the DNA determination was greatly enhanced in the presence of [Co(NH3)6]3+. Chromosomal DNA and ODNs can be detected at concentrations 2–3 orders lower than any earlier voltammetric or chronopotentiometric label‐free methods. In the presence of 4 mM [Co(NH3)6]3+, DNA from human cancer cells was easily detected at 5 ng/mL, that is, below the concentration level of cell‐free DNA in body fluids.
Service multinational enterprises and linkages development in Pakistan
Authors: Khan Zaheer , Park Jeong‐Yang , Akhtar Pervaiz
Published: October 2017

The development of various types of linkages is key to understanding the impact of multinational enterprises (MNEs) on the economic development of host markets. Using a qualitative research approach, we investigate the linkages created by IT MNEs in Pakistan. The findings suggest that these MNEs have created management, technological, diversification, and financial linkages, among others. Their creation is contingent and co‐determined by the MNEs' investment motives, their mandates, and embeddedness in the host market as well as the local technical capability. We highlight the contributions and implications of these linkages. Copyright © 2017 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Rainwater Chemistry Within the Vicinity of Qua Iboe Estuary, Nigeria
Authors: Akpan Anyanime O. , Udosen Essien D. , Offiong Nnanake‐Abasi O.
Published: October 2017

The Qua Iboe River estuary is one of the most studied ecosystems in the Niger Delta of Nigeria given its proximity to intense industrial activities. There have been concerns regarding possible environmental contamination, which has led to several monitoring studies. In this study, some trace metals (Zn, Mn, Cu, Fe, Cr, Pb, Ni, Cd) in rainwater samples collected around the estuary were investigated using standard analytical methods. Rainwater samples were also analysed for physicochemical characteristics. The results obtained revealed varied levels of trace metals and physicochemical parameters across dry and wet seasons. The average abundance of trace metals in rainwater samples from the study locations is in the order: Fe > Zn > Mn > Cr > Cu > Ni > Cd > Pb. In addition, predominant anions in rainwater samples are in the order >Cl−>>>S2–>CN–. Results from statistical analyses reveal the relationships across parameters as well as the discrimination of monitored sites based on the intensity of industrial activities. Principal component analysis reveals that soil dust, sea salt, and fossil fuel combustion are major factors affecting the rainwater chemistry of the study area. The significant amounts of trace metals and the physicochemical parameters quantified in the rainwater samples indicate some level of contamination. However, these levels do not indicate serious pollution problems at present.
Reconsidering Water Electrolysis: Producing Hydrogen at Cathodes Together with Selective Oxidation of n‐Butylamine at Anodes
Authors: Xue Song , Watzele Sebastian , Čolić Viktor , Brandl Kurt , Garlyyev Batyr , Bandarenka Aliaksandr S.
Published: October 2017

Electrocatalysis for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is of great interest for improving the effectiveness of water splitting devices. Decreasing the anodic overpotential and simultaneously changing the anodic reaction selectively to produce valuable chemicals instead of O2 would be a major improvement of the overall cost efficiency. Some amines, when present in aqueous electrolytes, were recently shown to change the selectivity of the anodic process to generate H2O2 rather than O2 on MnOx at pH 10. This results in unusually high apparent “anodic activities”. In this work, industrially relevant OER catalysts, oxyhydroxides of cobalt (CoOx), nickel–iron (NiFeOx), and nickel (NiOx) all show more pronounced effects. Moreover, as anodes they also selectively catalyzed the production of nbutyronitrile from n‐butylamine at higher pH as an easily retrievable valuable product. The pH dependence of the activity was investigated at pH values closer those at which alkaline electrolyzers operate. The highest activities were observed for NiOx thin‐film electrodes at pH 12 in the presence of 0.4 m n‐butylammonium sulfate, without poisoning the active sites of Pt electrocatalysts at the hydrogen evolution electrode. 1H NMR spectroscopy showed that n‐butylamine is selectively oxidized to n‐butyronitrile, an organic chemical with numerous applications. However, measurements using rotating ring‐disk electrodes indicated that some H2O2 is also generated at the surface of the oxide anodes.
Support helps students with addiction, mental health problems enroll in college
Authors: Sutton Halley
Published: October 2017

Maria Yoo is the director of the Michigan Supported Education Program, a free, six‐month program designed to guide adult learners with disabilities or mental health issues into a community college or four‐year program. MSEP services learners in the Detroit area by partnering with local institutions to create pathways to degree completion.
Impacts of plant diversity on arthropod communities and plant–herbivore network architecture
Authors: Welti Ellen , Helzer Chris , Joern Anthony
Published: October 2017

At the local scale, insect herbivore diversity is often limited by plant diversity, but little is known about how the network structure of plant and herbivore interactions changes across local plant diversity gradients. Ascertaining plant–herbivore interaction structure at the ecological community level is important for predicting responses of herbivores to plant species loss. We sampled arthropods and plants across three years, beginning in the fourth year of an experimental prairie restoration containing three treatment levels of sown plant diversity. Plots initially planted with higher plant diversity had higher arthropod species richness. Sown diversity treatments strongly affected plant–herbivore interaction structure: The increased sown diversity treatment decreased plant–herbivore connectance, increased average herbivore diet generalism, and increased herbivore robustness to plant species loss. Treatments diverged over time with the last year of sampling showing the greatest difference between treatments in plant and arthropod species richness, and plant–herbivore network structural properties. Network structural properties of the high sown diversity treatment were the least variable temporally. However, divergence of plant and arthropod between diversity treatments was not found in traditional ordinations of community taxonomic composition. While previous comparisons of plant–herbivore interaction networks across ecological gradients treated network size (biodiversity) as a confounding factor, we demonstrate that plant diversity can directly shape network structure, and higher plant diversity maintains less temporally variable ecological networks of herbivores and their host plants.
Changing contributions of stochastic and deterministic processes in community assembly over a successional gradient
Authors: Måren Inger Elisabeth , Kapfer Jutta , Aarrestad Per Arild , Grytnes John‐Arvid , Vandvik Vigdis
Published: October 2017

Successional dynamics in plant community assembly may result from both deterministic and stochastic ecological processes. The relative importance of different ecological processes is expected to vary over the successional sequence, between different plant functional groups, and with the disturbance levels and land‐use management regimes of the successional systems. We evaluate the relative importance of stochastic and deterministic processes in bryophyte and vascular plant community assembly after fire in grazed and ungrazed anthropogenic coastal heathlands in Northern Europe. A replicated series of post‐fire successions (n = 12) were initiated under grazed and ungrazed conditions, and vegetation data were recorded in permanent plots over 13 years. We used redundancy analysis (RDA) to test for deterministic successional patterns in species composition repeated across the replicate successional series and analyses of co‐occurrence to evaluate to what extent species respond synchronously along the successional gradient. Change in species co‐occurrences over succession indicates stochastic successional dynamics at the species level (i.e., species equivalence), whereas constancy in co‐occurrence indicates deterministic dynamics (successional niche differentiation). The RDA shows high and deterministic vascular plant community compositional change, especially early in succession. Co‐occurrence analyses indicate stochastic species‐level dynamics the first two years, which then give way to more deterministic replacements. Grazed and ungrazed successions are similar, but the early stage stochasticity is higher in ungrazed areas. Bryophyte communities in ungrazed successions resemble vascular plant communities. In contrast, bryophytes in grazed successions showed consistently high stochasticity and low determinism in both community composition and species co‐occurrence. In conclusion, stochastic and individualistic species responses early in succession give way to more niche‐driven dynamics in later successional stages. Grazing reduces predictability in both successional trends and species‐level dynamics, especially in plant functional groups that are not well adapted to disturbance.
Increased energy differentially increases richness and abundance of optimal body sizes in deep‐sea wood falls
Authors: McClain Craig R. , Barry James P. , Webb Thomas J.
Published: October 2017

Theoretical and empirical studies suggest that the total energy available in natural communities influences body size as well as patterns of abundance and diversity. But the precise mechanisms underlying these relationships or how these three ecological properties relate remain elusive. We identify five hypotheses relating energy availability, body size distributions, abundance, and species richness within communities, and we use experimental deep‐sea wood fall communities to test their predicted effects both on descriptors describing the species‐richness–body‐size distribution, and on trends in species richness within size classes over an energy gradient (size‐class–richness relationships). Invertebrate communities were taxonomically identified, weighed, and counted from 32Acaciasp. logs ranging in size from 0.6 to 20.6 kg (corresponding to different levels of energy available), which were deployed at 3,203 m in the Northeast Pacific Ocean for 5 and 7 yr. Trends in both the species‐richness–body‐size distribution and the size‐class–richness distribution with increasing wood fall size provide support for the Increased Packing hypothesis: species richness increases with increasing wood fall size but only in the modal size class. Furthermore, species richness of body size classes reflected the abundance of individuals in that size class. Thus, increases in richness in the modal size class with increasing energy were concordant with increases in abundance within that size class. The results suggest that increases in species richness occurring as energy availability increases may be isolated to specific niches, e.g., the body size classes, especially in communities developing on discrete and energetically isolated resources such as deep sea wood falls.
Regularized spatial maximum covariance analysis
Authors: Wang Wen‐Ting , Huang Hsin‐Cheng
Published: October 2017

In climate and atmospheric research, many phenomena involve more than one spatial processes covarying in space. To understand how one process is affected by another, maximum covariance analysis is commonly applied. However, the patterns obtained from maximum covariance analysis may sometimes be difficult to interpret. In this paper, we propose a regularization approach to promote spatial features in dominant coupled patterns by introducing smoothness and sparseness penalties while accounting for their orthogonalities. We develop an efficient algorithm to solve the resulting optimization problem by using the alternating direction method of multipliers. The effectiveness of the proposed method is illustrated by several numerical examples, including an application to study how precipitation in East Africa is affected by sea surface temperatures in the Indian Ocean.
Recent Advances in Microbial Electrochemical Technologies (Topical Issue EU‐ISMET 2016)
Authors: Aulenta F. , Hao Yu E. , Angenent L. T. , Villano M.
Published: October 2017

No abstract.
Synthetic Routes to Electroactive Organic Discotic Aromatic Triazatruxenes
Authors: El Sayed Mardia Telep
Published: October 2017

This paper gives a survey about the triazatruxene (triindole) particle, distinguishes its structure, and portrays a conceivable way to deal with its combination and structures of all at‐present‐known fluid precious stones in view of triazatruxene, in addition to checking its electronic element criticalness. Triazatruxene is a brilliant particle that has been uncovered in the recent 14 years as a discotic liquid crystal compound. Of late, this electron‐rich particle turned out to be more alluring as a core center in the building of discotic liquid column with electro‐dynamic properties that demonstrated a consistent hexagonal columnar mesophase under an expansive assortment of temperatures. Besides, numerous different properties in this delicate material brought a wide consideration up in organic electronic innovation devices, for example, light radiating diodes (organic light‐emitting diode), field impact transistors (field‐effect transistor), and photovoltaic cells. In this survey, triazatruxene and all particles closely resembling triazatruxene in the most recent 16 years until 2016 have been incorporated, including a brief summary of their applications in all fields, which will be introduced.
Risk manager formula for success: Influencing decision making
Authors: Midgley Mike
Published: October 2017

Providing the ultimate decision makers with a quantitative risk analysis based on thoughtful assessment by the organization's experts enables an efficient decision.
Pumas affect elk dynamics in absence of other large carnivores
Authors: Lehman Chadwick P. , Rota Christopher T. , Raithel Jarod D. , Millspaugh Joshua J.
Published: October 2017

We investigated survival, reproduction, and population growth (λ) for a declining elk (Cervus canadensis nelsoni) population in South Dakota, USA, 2011–2015. We obtained survival data from 125 calves and 34 yearlings. We determined survival and pregnancy rates for 42 adults (2–8 years old) and 39 old adults (≥8 years old). We combined population vital rates into a matrix model, which indicated a slightly growing population but with considerable uncertainty ( = 1.03, 95% CI = 0.93–1.13). Our elasticity analysis suggested asymptotic growth rates were most sensitive to proportional changes in old adult and adult female survival, followed by proportional changes in calf and yearling survival. Our life‐stage simulation analysis further supported asymptotic growth rates being most sensitive to variation in survival, and most of the variation in λ we observed was a consequence of variation in annual calf survival (R2 = 0.58). Annual calf survival was low (0.26, 95% CI = 0.05–0.52), and puma (Puma concolor) predation was the primary cause‐specific mortality factor of calves (0.63, 95% CI = 0.51–0.76). Adult female survival was near its biological maximum (0.95, 95% CI = 0.87–0.99); therefore, managing for increased calf survival may be the most practical strategy for promoting elk population growth in this system. Managing this puma population at the lower end of the population objective and reducing white‐tailed deer (Odocoileous virginianus) numbers (primary prey source) may allow for elk population growth in this system. © 2017 The Wildlife Society.
Biomineral Amorphous Lasers through Light‐Scattering Surfaces Assembled by Electrospun Fiber Templates
Authors: Moffa Maria , Camposeo Andrea , Fasano Vito , Fazio Barbara , Iatì Maria Antonia , Maragò Onofrio M. , Saija Rosalba , Schröder Heinz‐Christoph , Müller Werner E. G. , Pisignano Dario
Published: October 2017

New materials aim at exploiting the great control of living organisms over molecular architectures and minerals. Optical biomimetics has been widely developed by microengineering, leading to photonic components with order resembling those found in plants and animals. These systems, however, are realized by complicated and adverse processes. Here we show how biomineralization might enable the one‐step generation of components for amorphous photonics, in which light is made to travel through disordered scattering systems, and particularly of active devices such as random lasers, by using electrospun fiber templates. The amount of bio‐enzymatically produced silica is related to light‐scattering capacity and the resulting organosilica surfaces exhibit a transport mean free path for light as low as 3 μm, and lasing with linewidth below 0.2 nm. The resulting, complex optical material is characterized and modelled to elucidate scattered fields and lasing performance. Tightly‐controlled nanofabrication of direct biological inspiration establishes a new concept for the additive manufacturing of engineered light‐diffusing materials and photonic components, not addressed by existing technologies.
The dosimetric impact of the prescription isodose line (IDL) on the quality of robotic stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) plans
Authors: Xu Qianyi , Fan Jiajin , Grimm Jimm , LaCouture Tamara , Asbell Sucha , Park Joo Han , Kubicek Gregory
Published: October 2017

Purpose

There is no consensus on the optimal prescription isodose line (IDL) in CyberKnife (CK) SRS. We designed a strategy to search for optimal CK plans at different levels of IDLs and investigated the dosimetric impact on the quality of CK plans.

Methods and materials

The retrospective study consisted of 13 CK patients with 16 brain tumors. The mean volume and size of the tumors was 9.7 ± 10.4 cc and 30.3 ± 10.9 mm, respectively. Four shells were created at distances of 2–3 mm to 60 mm from the target. The constraint dose of the innermost shell (D1) was the primary optimization parameter. For isolated brain tumors, D1 started from the prescription dose and gradually reduced after optimization started over. The optimal plans were reached when the coverage started to degrade and the desired IDL was achieved. For eight tumors abutting an OAR, both the D1 and constraint dose to the OAR were gradually pushed until an optimal plan was reached for the desired IDL.

Results

For the isolated tumors, the V5 Gy, V10 Gy, V15 Gy, V20 Gy, and V25 Gy of low IDL (49.6 ± 2.1%) plans were on average 23.6%, 28.6%, 33.8%, 26.2%, and 10.6% lower, respectively, comparing to the high IDL (88.6 ± 1.3%) plans. The Conformality Index (CI) of the low IDL plans outperformed the high IDL plans (mean: 1.15 vs. 1.24), except for a lesion under 0.5 cc. The quality of the middle IDL plans (69.6 ± 1.5%) was close to the low IDL plans. Similar results were observed for tumors abutting an OAR.

Conclusions

Low IDL plans outperformed high IDL plans for all metrics in tumors > 0.5 cc. The lower dose exposure of normal brain tissue and better CI could potentially reduce radiation necrosis while the higher maximum dose could improve local control.
Effects of magnetic field orientation and strength on the treatment planning of nonsmall cell lung cancer
Authors: Schrenk Oliver , Spindeldreier Claudia Katharina , Burigo Lucas Norberto , Hoerner‐Rieber Juliane , Pfaffenberger Asja
Published: October 2017

Purpose

Magnetic resonance image‐guided radiotherapy (MRgRT) has the potential to increase the accuracy of radiation treatment delivery. Several research groups have developed hybrid MRgRT devices differing by radiation source used and magnetic field orientation and strength. In this work, we investigate the impact of different magnetic field orientations and strengths on the treatment planning of nonsmall cell lung cancer patients (NSCLC).

Methods

A framework using the in‐house developed treatment planning system matRad and the EGSnrc Monte Carlo code system was introduced to perform Monte Carlo‐based treatment planning in the presence of a magnetic field. A specialized spectrum‐based source model for the beam qualities of 6 MV and cobalt‐60 was applied. Optimized plans for stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) and intensity‐modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) were generated for four NSCLC patients in the presence of different magnetic field orientations and strengths which are applied in hybrid MRgRT devices currently under development or in clinical use.

Results

SBRT and IMRT treatment planning could be performed with consistent plan quality for all magnetic field setups. Only minor effects on the treatment planning outcome were found in the case of magnetic fields orientated perpendicular to the beam direction. Compared to the perpendicular magnetic field orientation, the inline orientation showed the capability to reduce the dose to lung while maintaining equal target coverage. Particularly for tumors with a central position in lung, a distinct dose reduction was obtained which led to a maximum reduction of mean lung dose by 18.5% (0.5 Gy), when applying a 1 T inline magnetic field.

Conclusion

All plans generated in this work obtained dose metrics within clinical constraints according to RTOG guidelines. When considering conventional dose metrics, no detrimental effects due to the magnetic fields were observed on the dose to the tumor or to organs at risk. An evaluation of the effects on skin dose was not ascertainable due to the simplified specification of the source model used. By accounting for the magnetic field during treatment planning, a dose reduction in lung could be achieved for inline‐oriented magnetic fields. An inline orientation of the magnetic field therefore showed a potential benefit when treating NSCLC with MRgRT.
A qualitative study on individual experiences of chronic hepatitis B patients
Authors: Taheri Ezbarami Zahra , Hassani Parkhideh , Zagheri Tafreshi Mansoureh , Alavi Majd Hamid
Published: October 2017

Aim

The aim of this study was to explain the perception of patients with chronic hepatitis B regarding problems in the Iranian society.

Design

Descriptive qualitative research.

Methods

In this qualitative study, 27 patients with chronic hepatitis B in Iran were selected through purposive sampling. The data were collected over 22 months, in 2015–2016, by means of semi‐structured interviews and field notes. The interview transcripts were coded using MAXQDA10 software®. To extract categories and themes, the thematic analysis approach was used.

Results

The participants’ age ranged from 25–52 years. Analysis of the data revealed seven themes: insufficient self‐care, misperceptions, stigmatization, psychological consequences, failure, spiritual struggle and post‐traumatic growth.
Fiction as informative and its implications for information science theory
Authors: Doty Philip , Broussard Ramona
Published: October 2017

Reading fiction is a neglected area of study in information behavior research, even as such research has expanded to include investigation of different kinds of behavior by more kinds of people, and an expanded repertoire of research methods and fields. Using data from a small empirical study (n=8) and research from five fields other than information science, the paper reports on participants' reading of fiction and those five fields' study of how reading fiction is informative. Considering fiction informative has two important outcomes: we (1) understand information behavior better and (2) address important problems in information science theory. Such problems include frustrated attempts to defineinformation, the (generally hidden) gendered character of information science and information behavior research, the misguided conduit metaphor and an overemphasis on cognition at the expense of practice, documents and materiality.
Yet another method for author co‐citation analysis: A new approach based on paragraph similarity
Authors: Hsiao Tsung‐Ming , Chen Kuang‐hua
Published: October 2017

Co‐citation analysis has been widely adopted to represent the intellectual structure of a discipline. In general, all co‐cited author pairs are regarded equal. With the development of computer technology and easy accessibility of machine readable full‐text articles, new weighting schemes for measuring co‐citation strength (CCS) have been proposed. However, in previous studies, only distance and sentence similarity are used to adjust CCS when applying co‐citation analysis. In this study, we propose a new approach to measuring CCS based on paragraph similarity. Investigation was carried out to compare our approach and traditional author co‐citation analysis (TACA), as well as other different parametric ACAs. Preliminary results show that TACA and distance‐based ACA (DACA) share many commonalities. In contrast, similarity‐based ACAs reveal the different structure from that of TACA and DACA. However, differences in resulting network structure were still found between paragraph‐similarity‐based ACA (PACA) and sentence‐similarity‐based ACA (SACA). Compared to SACA, PACA produces less number of factors and clusters and moderate size of clusters.
Viewed by too many or viewed too little: Using information dissemination for audience segmentation
Authors: Jansen Bernard J. , Jung Soon‐Gyo , Salminen Joni , An Jisun , Kwak Haewoon
Published: October 2017

The identification of meaningful audience segments, such as groups of users, consumers, readers, audience, etc., has important applicability in a variety of domains, including for content publishing. In this research, we seek to develop a technique for determining both information dissemination and information discrimination of online content in order to isolate audience segments. The benefits of the technique include identification of the most impactful content for analysis. With 4,320 online videos from a major news organization, a set of audience attributes, and more than 58 million interactions from hundreds of thousands of users, we isolate the key pieces of content in terms of identifying audience segments that are both (a) least and most discriminating in terms of audience segments and (b) the least and most impactful. By empirical methods, we show that 25.3 percent of the videos are so widely disseminated (i.e., viewed by so many different segments) that they are non‐discriminatory, while 29.7 percent of the videos are very discriminatory (i.e., can clearly identify one or more audience segments) but their impact is marginal, as the user base is small. Implications are that there are critical values that can be identified to isolate the set of both distinct and impactful content in a given data set of online content. We demonstrate the utility of this line of analysis by using the approach to identify critical cut‐off values for dynamic persona generation.
“A process of controlled serendipity”: An exploratory study of historians' and digital historians' experiences of serendipity in digital environments
Authors: Martin Kim , Quan‐Haase Anabel
Published: October 2017

We investigate historians' experiences with serendipity in both physical and digital environments through an online survey. Through a combination of qualitative and quantitative data analyses, our preliminary findings show that many digital historians select a specific digital environment because of the expectation that it may elicit a serendipitous experience. Historians also create heuristic methods of using digital tools to integrate elements of serendipity into their research practice. Four features of digital environments were identified by participants as supporting serendipity: exploration, highlighted triggers, allowed for keyword searching and connected them to other people.