bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Utopian Pragmatism: Scotland's Choice
Authors: Paterson Lindsay
Published: January 2015

The Scottish referendum of autumn 2014 has been debated as if it was a unique moment in the country's history, and in several senses it was indeed unprecedented – in the level of engagement by citizens which it stimulated, in the acceptance by all sides to the debate that the decision on independence was Scotland's alone (which was an implicit recognition of popular sovereignty), and in its being the first ever democratic and explicit endorsement of the Union by Scotland. Nevertheless, there is also a sense in which the pattern of protest and compromise that led to the referendum and that pervades its aftermath is very familiar – the latest in a series of such processes that have characterised Scotland's always evolving place in the Union since 1707. Radical challenge is followed by pragmatic adjustment as the state cedes just enough power to keep the Union intact for the time being, a compromise which sows the seeds of the next phase of radical rebellion. That is why Scotland's position never fully satisfies anyone, and why, on this occasion, the basis for a new challenge to the Union (and for a new compromise to that new challenge) has probably already been laid before even the outcome of this referendum has been fully settled.
Scotland the Brand – Marketing the Myth?
Authors: Black Gillian , Smith Rachael Craufurd , Kheria Smita , Porter Gerard
Published: January 2015

The paper considers the role of Scottish culture and history, real or imagined, in the commercialisation of iconic Scottish creations such as tartan and Scotch whisky. It notes that many of the forms of legal protection available to the producers of such products were developed to encourage individual innovation, not designed to address communal interests in the preservation of national or group identities and heritage. This may be one reason why, as is illustrated by the case of tartan, these rights offer patchy and incomplete protection to ‘authentic’ Scottish products. Over time, however, the UK has developed various forms of collective protection for cultural products such as Harris Tweed, the effectiveness of which is explored in this article. The final part of the paper considers the importance, in a globalising world, of European Union and international protection for valuable cultural ‘products’. But protection, whether at the national or international level, necessitates a difficult balance to be drawn between the interest in cultural innovation and development, on the one hand, and cultural preservation and the protection of the commercial interests of specific communities, on the other. The article concludes by exploring some of the practical and conceptual challenges associated with determining whether a product should be considered part of the cultural patrimony of the world or, rather, the property of a specific nation or cultural group.

‘…cultural diversity is strengthened by the free flow of ideas, and…is nurtured by constant exchanges and interaction between cultures…’

(Preamble to the 2005 UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions)
National Assessment of Climate Resources for Tourism Seasonality in China Using the Tourism Climate Index
Authors: Fang Yan , Yin Jie
Published: January 2015

Tourism is a very important industry, and it is deeply affected by climate. This article focuses on the role of climate in tourism seasonality and attempts to assess the impacts of climate resources on China’s tourism seasonality by using the Tourism Climate Index (TCI). Seasonal distribution maps of TCI scores indicate that the climates of most regions in China are comfortable for tourists during spring and autumn, while the climate conditions differ greatly in summer and winter, with “excellent”, “good”, “acceptable” and “unfavorable” existing almost by a latitudinal gradation. The number of good months throughout China varies from zero (the Tibetan Plateau area) to 10 (Yunnan Province), and most localities have five to eight good months. Moreover, all locations in China can be classified as winter peak, summer peak and bi-modal shoulder peak. The results will provide some useful information for tourist destinations, travel agencies, tourism authorities and tourists.
Boas’ Formula and Sampling Theorem
Authors: Morita Tohru , Sato Ken-ichi
Published: January 2015

In 1937, Boas gave a smart proof for an extension of the Bernstein theorem for trigonometric series. It is the purpose of the present note (i) to point out that a formula which Boas used in the proof is related with the Shannon sampling theorem; (ii) to present a generalized Parseval formula, which is suggested by the Boas’ formula; and (iii) to show that this provides a very smart derivation of the Shannon sampling theorem for a function which is the Fourier transform of a distribution involving the Dirac delta function. It is also shows that, by the argument giving Boas’ formula for the derivative f'(x) of a function f(x), we can derive the corresponding formula for f'''(x), by which we can obtain an upperbound of |f'''(x)+3R2f'(x)|. Discussions are given also on an extension of the Szegö theorem for trigonometric series, which Boas mentioned in the same paper.
Building Information Modelling for Smart Built Environments
Authors: Zhang Jianchao , Seet Boon-Chong , Lie Tek
Published: January 2015

Building information modelling (BIM) provides architectural 3D visualization and a standardized way to share and exchange building information. Recently, there has been an increasing interest in using BIM, not only for design and construction, but also the post-construction management of the built facility. With the emergence of smart built environment (SBE) technology, which embeds most spaces with smart objects to enhance the building’s efficiency, security and comfort of its occupants, there is a need to understand and address the challenges BIM faces in the design, construction and management of future smart buildings. In this paper, we investigate how BIM can contribute to the development of SBE. Since BIM is designed to host information of the building throughout its life cycle, our investigation has covered phases from architecture design to facility management. Firstly, we extend BIM for the design phase to provide material/device profiling and the information exchange interface for various smart objects. Next, we propose a three-layer verification framework to assist BIM users in identifying possible defects in their SBE design. For the post-construction phase, we have designed a facility management tool to provide advanced energy management of smart grid-connected SBEs, where smart objects, as well as distributed energy resources (DERs) are deployed.
A Back-to-Back 2L-3L Grid Integration of a Marine Current Energy Converter
Authors: Apelfröjd Senad , Ekström Rickard , Thomas Karin , Leijon Mats
Published: January 2015

The paper proposes a back-to-back 2L-3L grid connection topology for a marine current energy converter. A prototype marine current energy converter has been deployed by a research group at Uppsala University. The concept behind the prototype revolves around a fixed pitch vertical axis turbine directly connected to a permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG). The proposed grid connection system utilizes a well known and proven two level voltage source converter generator-side combined with a three-level cascaded H-bridge (CHB) multilevel converter grid-side. The multilevel converter brings benefits in terms of efficiency, power quality and DC-link utilization. The system is here presented for a single marine current energy converter but can easily be scaled up for clusters of marine current energy converters. Control schemes for both grid-side and generator-side voltage source converters are presented. The start-up, steady state and dynamic performance of the marine current energy converter are investigated and simulation results are presented in this paper.
Conversion Characteristics and Production Evaluation of Styrene/o-Xylene Mixtures Removed by DBD Pretreatment
Authors: Jiang Liying , Zhu Runye , Mao Yubo , Chen Jianmeng , Zhang Liang
Published: January 2015

The combination of chemical oxidation methods with biotechnology to removal recalcitrant VOCs is a promising technology. In this paper, the aim was to identify the role of key process parameters and biodegradability of the degradation products using a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor, which provided the fundamental data to evaluate the possibilities of the combined system. Effects of various technologic parameters like initial concentration of mixtures, residence time and relative humidity on the decomposition and the degradation products were examined and discussed. It was found that the removal efficiency of mixed VOCs decreased with increasing initial concentration. The removal efficiency reached the maximum value as relative humidity was approximately 40%–60%. Increasing the residence time resulted in increasing the removal efficiency and the order of destruction efficiency of VOCs followed the order styrene > o-xylene. Compared with the single compounds, the removal efficiency of styrene and o-xylene in the mixtures of VOCs decreased significantly and o-xylene decreased more rapidly. The degradation products were analyzed by gas chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and the main compounds detected were O3, COx and benzene ring derivatives. The biodegradability of mixed VOCs was improved and the products had positive effect on biomass during plasma application, and furthermore typical results indicated that the biodegradability and biotoxicity of gaseous pollutant were quite depending on the specific input energy (SIE).
An Approach for Prioritizing “Down-the-Drain” Chemicals Used in the Household
Authors: Rotsidou Marina , Scrimshaw Mark
Published: January 2015

Many chemicals are present in cleaning and personal care products, which after use are washed down the drain and find their way into water bodies, where they may impact the environment. This study surveyed individuals to determine what products were used most in the home, in an attempt to prioritize which compounds may be of most concern. The survey resulted in the identification of 14 categories of products consisting of 315 specific brands. The survey estimated that individuals each discharge almost 33 L of products per year down the drain. Dishwashing liquids and hand wash gels, which accounted for 40% of this volume, were selected for identification of specific ingredients. Ingredients were classified as surfactants, preservatives, fragrances or miscellaneous, with hand wash gels having a wider range of ingredients than dishwashing liquids. A review of the literature suggested that preservatives, which are designed to be toxic, and fragrances, where data on toxicity are limited, should be prioritized. The approach undertaken has successfully estimated use and provisionally identified some classes of chemicals which may be of most concern when used in cleaning and personal care products.
Budesonide-Loaded Guar Gum Microspheres for Colon Delivery: Preparation, Characterization and in Vitro/in Vivo Evaluation
Authors: Liu Ye , Zhou Hong
Published: January 2015

A novel budesonide (BUD) colon delivery release system was developed by using a natural polysaccharide, guar gum. The rigidity of the microspheres was induced by a chemical cross-linking method utilizing glutaraldehyde as the cross-linker. The mean particle size of the microspheres prepared was found to be 15.21 ± 1.32 µm. The drug loading and entrapment efficiency of the formulation were 17.78% ± 2.31% and 81.6% ± 5.42%, respectively. The microspheres were spherical in shape with a smooth surface, and the size was uniform. The in vitro release profiles indicated that the release of BUD from the microspheres exhibited a sustained release behavior. The model that fitted best for BUD released from the microspheres was the Higuchi kinetic model with a correlation coefficient r = 0.9993. A similar phenomenon was also observed in a pharmacokinetic study. The prolongation of the half-life (t1/2), enhanced residence time (mean residence time, MRT) and decreased total clearance (CL) indicated that BUD microspheres could prolong the acting time of BUD in vivo. In addition, BUD guar gum microspheres are thought to have the potential to maintain BUD concentration within target ranges for a long time, decreasing the side effects caused by concentration fluctuation, ensuring the efficiency of treatment and improving patient compliance by reducing dosing frequency. None of the severe signs, like the appearance of epithelial necrosis and the sloughing of epithelial cells, were detected.
Myricanol Induces Apoptotic Cell Death and Anti-Tumor Activity in Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinoma in Vivo
Authors: Dai Guanhai , Tong Yeling , Chen Xuan , Ren Zeming , Ying Xuhua , Yang Feng , Chai Kequn
Published: January 2015

This study explored the inhibiting effect and mechanism of myricanol on lung adenocarcinoma A549 xenografts in nude mice. Forty nude mice with subcutaneous A549 xenografts were randomly divided into five groups: high-dose myricanol (40 mg/kg body weight) group; middle-dose myricanol (20 mg/kg body weight) group; low-dose myricanol (10 mg/kg body weight) group; polyethylene glycol 400 vehicle group (1 mL/kg); and tumor model group. Nude mice were sacrificed after 14 days of treatment and the tumor inhibition rate (TIR, %) was then calculated. The relative mRNA expression levels of Bax, Bcl-2, VEGF, HIF-1α, and survivin in the tumor tissues were determined by real-time PCR. TUNEL assay was applied to determine cellular apoptosis, while IHC test was performed to detect the protein expression levels of Bax, Bcl-2, VEGF, HIF-1α, and survivin. The TIR of the three myricanol-treated groups ranged from 14.9% to 38.5%. The IHC results showed that the protein expression of Bcl-2, VEGF, HIF-1α, and survivin were consistently downregulated, whereas that of Bax was upregulated after myricanol treatment. Myricanol also significantly upregulated the mRNA expression of Bax and downregulated that of Bcl-2, VEGF, HIF-1α, and survivin in a dose-dependent manner (p < 0.05 to 0.001). These results are consistent with those of IHC. The TUNEL assay results indicated that apoptotic-positive cells significantly increased in the myricanol-treated tumor tissues compared with the cells of the vehicle control group (p < 0.01 to 0.001). These data suggest that myricanol could significantly decelerate tumor growth in vivo by inducing apoptosis.
The Association of ADORA2A and ADORA2B Polymorphisms with the Risk and Severity of Chronic Heart Failure: A Case-Control Study of a Northern Chinese Population
Authors: Zhai Ya-Jing , Liu Ping , He Hai-Rong , Zheng Xiao-Wei , Wang Yan , Yang Qian-Ting , Dong Ya-Lin , Lu Jun
Published: January 2015

The causes of chronic heart failure (CHF) and its progression are likely to be due to complex genetic factors. Adenosine receptors A2A and A2B (ADORA2A and ADORA2B, respectively) play an important role in cardio-protection. Therefore, polymorphisms in the genes encoding those receptors may affect the risk and severity of CHF. This study was a case-control comparative investigation of 300 northern Chinese Han CHF patients and 400 ethnicity-matched healthy controls. Four common single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of ADORA2A (rs2236625, rs2236624, rs4822489, and rs5751876) and one SNP of ADORA2B (rs7208480) were genotyped and an association between SNPs and clinical outcomes was evaluated. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to assess the association. The rs4822489 was significantly associated with the severity of CHF after adjustment for traditional cardiovascular risk factors (p = 0.040, OR = 1.912, 95% CI = 1.029–3.550). However, the five SNPs as well as the haplotypes were not found to be associated with CHF susceptibility. The findings of this study suggest that rs4822489 may contribute to the severity of CHF in the northern Chinese. However, further studies performed in larger populations and aimed at better defining the role of this gene are required.
Pricing a Collateralized Derivative Trade with a Funding Value Adjustment
Authors: Hunzinger Chadd , Labuschagne Coenraad
Published: January 2015

The 2008 credit crisis changed the manner in which derivative trades are conducted. One of these changes is the posting of collateral in a trade to mitigate the counterparty credit risk. Another is the realization that banks are not risk-free and, as a result, cannot borrow at the risk-free rate any longer. The latter led banks to introduced the controversial adjustment to derivative prices, known as a funding value adjustment (FVA), which is interlinked with the posting of collateral. In this paper, we extend the Cox, Ross and Rubinstein (CRR) discrete-time model to include collateral and FVA. We prove that this derived model is a discrete analogue of Piterbarg’s partial differential equation (PDE), which describes the price of a collateralized derivative. The fact that the two models coincide is also verified by numerical implementation of the results that we obtain.
Disrupted tRNA Genes and tRNA Fragments: A Perspective on tRNA Gene Evolution
Authors: Kanai Akio
Published: January 2015

Transfer RNAs (tRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs with lengths of approximately 70–100 nt. They are directly involved in protein synthesis by carrying amino acids to the ribosome. In this sense, tRNAs are key molecules that connect the RNA world and the protein world. Thus, study of the evolution of tRNA molecules may reveal the processes that led to the establishment of the central dogma: genetic information flows from DNA to RNA to protein. Thanks to the development of DNA sequencers in this century, we have determined a huge number of nucleotide sequences from complete genomes as well as from transcriptomes in many species. Recent analyses of these large data sets have shown that particular tRNA genes, especially in Archaea, are disrupted in unique ways: some tRNA genes contain multiple introns and some are split genes. Even tRNA molecules themselves are fragmented post-transcriptionally in many species. These fragmented small RNAs are known as tRNA-derived fragments (tRFs). In this review, I summarize the progress of research into the disrupted tRNA genes and the tRFs, and propose a possible model for the molecular evolution of tRNAs based on the concept of the combination of fragmented tRNA halves.
Sulphated Polysaccharides from Ulva clathrata and Cladosiphon okamuranus Seaweeds both Inhibit Viral Attachment/Entry and Cell-Cell Fusion, in NDV Infection
Authors: Aguilar-Briseño José , Cruz-Suarez Lucia , Sassi Jean-François , Ricque-Marie Denis , Zapata-Benavides Pablo , Mendoza-Gamboa Edgar , Rodríguez-Padilla Cristina , Trejo-Avila Laura
Published: January 2015

Sulphated polysaccharides (SP) extracted from seaweeds have antiviral properties and are much less cytotoxic than conventional drugs, but little is known about their mode of action. Combination antiviral chemotherapy may offer advantages over single agent therapy, increasing efficiency, potency and delaying the emergence of resistant virus. The paramyxoviridae family includes pathogens causing morbidity and mortality worldwide in humans and animals, such as the Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV) in poultry. This study aims at determining the antiviral activity and mechanism of action in vitro of an ulvan (SP from the green seaweed Ulva clathrata), and of its mixture with a fucoidan (SP from Cladosiphon okamuranus), against La Sota NDV strain. The ulvan antiviral activity was tested using syncytia formation, exhibiting an IC50 of 0.1 μg/mL; ulvan had a better anti cell-cell spread effect than that previously shown for fucoidan, and inhibited cell-cell fusion via a direct effect on the F0 protein, but did not show any virucidal effect. The mixture of ulvan and fucoidan showed a greater anti-spread effect than SPs alone, but ulvan antagonizes the effect of fucoidan on the viral attachment/entry. Both SPs may be promising antivirals against paramyxovirus infection but their mixture has no clear synergistic advantage.
Visible Light Induced Green Transformation of Primary Amines to Imines Using a Silicate Supported Anatase Photocatalyst
Authors: Zavahir Sifani , Zhu Huaiyong
Published: January 2015

Catalytic oxidation of amine to imine is of intense present interest since imines are important intermediates for the synthesis of fine chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and agricultural chemicals. However, considerable efforts have been made to develop efficient methods for the oxidation of secondary amines to imines, while little attention has until recently been given to the oxidation of primary amines, presumably owing to the high reactivity of generated imines of primary amines that are easily dehydrogenated to nitriles. Herein, we report the oxidative coupling of a series of primary benzylic amines into corresponding imines with dioxygen as the benign oxidant over composite catalysts of TiO2 (anatase)-silicate under visible light irradiation of λ > 460 nm. Visible light response of this system is believed to be as a result of high population of defects and contacts between silicate and anatase crystals in the composite and the strong interaction between benzylic amine and the catalyst. It is found that tuning the intensity and wavelength of the light irradiation and the reaction temperature can remarkably enhance the reaction activity. Water can also act as a green medium for the reaction with an excellent selectivity. This report contributes to the use of readily synthesized, environmentally benign, TiO2 based composite photocatalyst and solar energy to realize the transformation of primary amines to imine compounds.
An Optimal Sampling Design for Observing and Validating Long-Term Leaf Area Index with Temporal Variations in Spatial Heterogeneities
Authors: Zeng Yelu , Li Jing , Liu Qinhuo , Qu Yonghua , Huete Alfredo , Xu Baodong , Yin Geofei , Zhao Jing
Published: January 2015

A sampling strategy to define elementary sampling units (ESUs) for an entire site at the kilometer scale is an important step in the validation process for moderate-resolution leaf area index (LAI) products. Current LAI-sampling strategies are unable to consider the vegetation seasonal changes and are better suited for single-day LAI product validation, whereas the increasingly used wireless sensor network for LAI measurement (LAINet) requires an optimal sampling strategy across both spatial and temporal scales. In this study, we developed an efficient and robust LAI Sampling strategy based on Multi-temporal Prior knowledge (SMP) for long-term, fixed-position LAI observations. The SMP approach employed multi-temporal vegetation index (VI) maps and the vegetation classification map as a priori knowledge. The SMP approach minimized the multi-temporal bias of the VI frequency histogram between the ESUs and the entire site and maximized the nearest-neighbor index to ensure that ESUs were dispersed in the geographical space. The SMP approach was compared with four sampling strategies including random sampling, systematic sampling, sampling based on the land-cover map and a sampling strategy based on vegetation index prior knowledge using the PROSAIL model-based simulation analysis in the Heihe River basin. The results indicate that the ESUs selected using the SMP method spread more evenly in both the multi-temporal feature space and geographical space over the vegetation cycle. By considering the temporal changes in heterogeneity, the average root-mean-square error (RMSE) of the LAI reference maps can be reduced from 0.12 to 0.05, and the relative error can be reduced from 6.1% to 2.2%. The SMP technique was applied to assign the LAINet ESU locations at the Huailai Remote Sensing Experimental Station in Beijing, China, from 4 July to 28 August 2013, to validate three MODIS C5 LAI products. The results suggest that the average R2, RMSE, bias and relative uncertainty for the three MODIS LAI products were 0.60, 0.33, −0.11, and 12.2%, respectively. The MCD15A2 product performed best, exhibiting a RMSE of 0.20, a bias of −0.07 and a relative uncertainty of 7.4%. Future efforts are needed to obtain more long-term validation datasets using the SMP approach on different vegetation types for validating moderate-resolution LAI products in time series.
Contraction of the Gobi Desert, 2000–2012
Authors: Sternberg Troy , Rueff Henri , Middleton Nick
Published: January 2015

Deserts are critical environments because they cover 41% of the world’s land surface and are home to 2 billion residents. As highly dynamic biomes desert expansion and contraction is influenced by climate and anthropogenic factors with variability being a key part of the desertification debate across dryland regions. Evaluating a major world desert, the Gobi in East Asia, with high resolution satellite data and the meteorologically-derived Aridity Index from 2000 to 2012 identified a recent contraction of the Gobi. The fluctuation in area, primarily driven by precipitation, is at odds with numerous reports of human-induced desertification in Mongolia and China. There are striking parallels between the vagueness in defining the Gobi and the imprecision and controversy surrounding the Sahara desert’s southern boundary in the 1980s and 1990s. Improved boundary definition has implications fGobi; desert boundary; expansion and contraction; Aridity Index; NDVI; Mongolia; China or understanding desert “greening” and “browning”, human action and land use, ecological productivity and changing climate parameters in the region. The Gobi’s average area of 2.3 million km2 in the 21st century places it behind only the Sahara and Arabian deserts in size.
The effect of surface charge on nonspecific uptake and cytotoxicity of CdSe/ZnS core/shell quantum dots
Authors: Breus Vladimir V , Pietuch Anna , Tarantola Marco , Basché Thomas , Janshoff Andreas
Published: January 2015

In this work, cytotoxicity and cellular impedance response was compared for CdSe/ZnS core/shell quantum dots (QDs) with positively charged cysteamine–QDs, negatively charged dihydrolipoic acid–QDs and zwitterionic D-penicillamine–QDs exposed to canine kidney MDCKII cells. Pretreatment of cells with pharmacological inhibitors suggested that the uptake of nanoparticles was largely due to receptor-independent pathways or spontaneous entry for carboxylated and zwitterionic QDs, while for amine-functionalized particles involvement of cholesterol-enriched membrane domains is conceivable. Cysteamine–QDs were found to be the least cytotoxic, while D-penicillamine–QDs reduced the mitochondrial activity of MDCKII by 20–25%. Although the cell vitality appeared unaffected (assessed from the changes in mitochondrial activity using a classical MTS assay after 24 h of exposure), the binding of QDs to the cellular interior and their movement across cytoskeletal filaments (captured and characterized by single-particle tracking), was shown to compromise the integrity of the cytoskeletal and plasma membrane dynamics, as evidenced by electric cell–substrate impedance sensing.
Neoniphon pencei, a new species of holocentrid (Teleostei: Beryciformes) from Rarotonga, Cook Islands
Authors: Copus Joshua , Pyle Richard , Earle John
Published: January 2015

Neoniphon pencei, n. sp., is described from thirteen specimens, 132-197 mm standard length (SL) collected from mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs) at Rarotonga, Cook Islands by divers using mixed-gas closed-circuit rebreathers. It differs from all other species of the genus in number of lateral line scales, scales above and below lateral line, elements of life color, and in COI and cytochrome b DNA sequences. Of the five other known species of Neoniphon, it is most similar to the Indo-Pacific N. aurolineatus and the western Atlantic N. marianus both morphologically and genetically.
Comparative epigenomics: an emerging field with breakthrough potential to understand evolution of epigenetic regulation
Authors: Deakin Janine E. , Domaschenz Renae , Lim Pek Siew , Ezaz Tariq , Rao Sudha
Published: January 2015

Epigenetic mechanisms regulate gene expression, thereby mediating the interaction between environment, genotype and phenotype. Changes to epigenetic regulation of genes may be heritable, permitting rapid adaptation of a species to environmental cues. However, most of the current understanding of epigenetic gene regulation has been gained from studies of mice and humans, with only a limited understanding of the conservation of epigenetic mechanisms across divergent taxa. The relative ease at which genome sequence data is now obtained and the advancements made in epigenomics techniques for non-model species provides a basis for carrying out comparative epigenomic studies across a wider range of species, making it possible to start unraveling the evolution of epigenetic mechanisms. We review the current knowledge of epigenetic mechanisms obtained from studying model organisms, give an example of how comparative epigenomics using non-model species is helping to trace the evolutionary history of X chromosome inactivation in mammals and explore the opportunities to study comparative epigenomics in biological systems displaying adaptation between species, such as the immune system and sex determination.
The Drosophila gonads: models for stem cell proliferation, self-renewal, and differentiation
Authors: Marca John E. La , Somers Wayne Gregory
Published: January 2015

The male and female gonads of Drosophila melanogaster have developed into powerful model systems for both the study of stem cell behaviours, and for understanding how stem cell misregulation can lead to cancers. Using these systems, one is able to observe and manipulate the resident stem cell populations in vivo with a great deal of licence. The tractability of the testis and ovary also allow researchers to explore a range of cellular mechanisms, such as proliferation and polarity, as well as the influence exerted by the local environment through a host of highly-conserved signalling pathways. Importantly, many of the cellular behaviours and processes studied in the Drosophila testis and ovary are known to be disrupted, or otherwise misregulated, in human tumourigenic cells. Here, we review the mechanisms relating to stem cell behaviour, though we acknowledge there are many other fascinating aspects of gametogenesis, including the invasive behaviour of migratory border cells in the Drosophila ovary that, though relevant to the study of tumourigenesis, will unfortunately not be covered.
MYC function and regulation in flies: how Drosophila has enlightened MYC cancer biology
Authors: Lee Jue Er Amanda , Parsons Linda May , Quinn Leonie M.
Published: January 2015

Progress in our understanding of the complex signaling events driving human cancer would have been unimaginably slow without discoveries from Drosophila genetic studies. Significantly, many of the signaling pathways now synonymous with cancer biology were first identified as a result of elegant screens for genes fundamental to metazoan development. Indeed the name given to many core cancer-signaling cascades tells of their history as developmental patterning regulators in flies—e.g. Wingless (Wnt), Notch and Hippo. Moreover, astonishing insight has been gained into these complex signaling networks, and many other classic oncogenic signaling networks (e.g. EGFR/RAS/RAF/ERK, InR/PI3K/AKT/TOR), using sophisticated fly genetics. Of course if we are to understand how these signaling pathways drive cancer, we must determine the downstream program(s) of gene expression activated to promote the cell and tissue over growth fundamental to cancer. Here we discuss one commonality between each of these pathways: they are all implicated as upstream activators of the highly conserved MYC oncogene and transcription factor. MYC can drive all aspects of cell growth and cell cycle progression during animal development. MYC is estimated to be dysregulated in over 50% of all cancers, underscoring the importance of elucidating the signals activating MYC. We also discuss the FUBP1/FIR/FUSE system, which acts as a ‘cruise control’ on the MYC promoter to control RNA Polymerase II pausing and, therefore, MYC transcription in response to the developmental signaling environment. Importantly, the striking conservation between humans and flies within these major axes of MYC regulation has made Drosophila an extremely valuable model organism for cancer research. We therefore discuss how Drosophila studies have helped determine the validity of signaling pathways regulating MYC in vivo using sophisticated genetics, and continue to provide novel insight into cancer biology.
Physicochemical characteristics of commercial coconut oils produced in India
Authors: Prasanth Kumar P. K. , Gopala Krishna A. G.
Published: January 2015

The physico-chemical characteristics and phytonutrient compositions of commercially available coconut oils [prepared from either copra (unrefined coconut oil- UCNO; Refined Bleached and Deodorized coconut oil- RBDCNO) or from milk extracted from wet mature coconut (virgin coconut oil- VCNO)] were analyzed and compared with the quality of VCNO. The color (2.6, 0.0, 1.6 lovibond units), free fatty acid value (0.61, 0.58, 0.53%), and peroxide value (1.35, 0.0, 0.0 meq.O2Kg−1) of UCNOs, VCNOs, and RBDCNOs, respectively, indicated higher units of color and peroxide value for UCNOs, and similar free fatty acid values to the other two oils. The UCNOs showed a slightly lower saponification value and higher iodine value as compared to VCNO. The composition of lauric acid (55.8%), medium chain fatty acids (69.65%) and medium chain triglycerides (59.27%) mainly dicapricmonolaurin (14.32%), dilauricmonocaprin (18.89%) and trilaurin (21.88%) were significantly higher in VCNO. The % phytosterol, phenolics and tocopherol + tocotrienol contents of UCNOs, VCNO and RBDCNO were 83.7, 54.9 and 81.4 mg; 9.4, 1.8 and 2.1 mg; 4.9, 2.8 and 4 mg, respectively. In UCNOs the values were significantly higher than in VCNO and RBDCNO. These results showed that UCNOs have more phytonutrients compared to VCNO and RBDCNO.
Effects of germination on chemical composition and antioxidant activity of flaxseed (Linum usitatissimum L) oil
Authors: Herchi W. , Bahashwan S. , Sebei K. , Ben Saleh H. , Kallel H. , Boukhchina S.
Published: January 2015

The present study was carried out to determine the changes in proximate composition and physicochemical characteristics of flaxseed during germination. Flaxseed was germinated for 4 days and observations were taken every day throughout the study. Changes in the seed reserve and antioxidant activity were determined during germination. The oil content of the cultivar decreased from 35.10 to 27.22%. During the germination period, the total protein content increased to 23.84%. Germinated flaxseed showed significantly higher unsaturated as compared to saturated fatty acid ratios and higher calculated oxidizability (Cox) values. The Saponification value ranged from 182 to 192 mg KOH·g–1 oil during germination. The highest peroxide value (2.4 mequiv O2·kg−1 oil) was observed at the end of germination. The unsaponifiable contents ranged from 1.62 to 1.18%. The oxidation value of the oil samples were statistically in the same range (4.1–6.4%). After 4 days of germination, oil stability was reduced to 1.0 h. The increase in ascorbic acid content was steady. Total phenolic acid contents differed significantly. The greatest concentration was detected in non germinated flaxseed oil. Germinated Flaxssed oil showed an important free radical scavenging activity towards 1-1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radicals.
Analysis of agro-morphological diversity and oil content in Indian linseed germplasm
Authors: Dikshit N. , Sivaraj N.
Published: January 2015

One hundred and eleven accessions of linseed germplasm belonging to 32 districts of six states (Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra) in India were characterized for five qualitative and six quantitative traits. Significant variability was observed in the agro- morphological and qualitative traits. The Shannon diversity index varied from 0.23–0.70 and the phenotypic coefficient of variation ranged from 6.0% to 37.1%. IC 345425, an accession from Surgaon, Chandrapur, Maharashtra, was identified as promising for its high oil content (41.5%). The Pearson correlation matrix generated for the quantitative traits indicated that positive and high correlation was observed among days to 50% flowering and days to 80% maturity (0.9; P value < 0.0001), plant height and seed weight (0.7; P value < 0.0001), seed weight and oil% (0.6; P value < 0.0001), seed weight and number of capsules per plant (0.5; P value < 0.0001). Two major clusters were formed when the characterization data was subjected to Ward’s minimum variance method. DIVA-GIS approaches for the analysis of the diversity in linseed germplasm were mapped for quantitative traits such as plant height, number of capsules per plant and seed oil content.
Chemical composition and sensory evaluation of virgin olive oils from “Morisca” and “Carrasqueña” olive varieties
Authors: Fuentes M. , De Miguel C. , Ranalli A. , Franco M. N. , Martínez M. , Martín-Vertedor D.
Published: January 2015

Two varieties of olive fruit (“Morisca” and “Carrasqueña”), in different ripening stages, have been characterized on the basis of the study of major (triglycerides and fatty acids) and minor compounds (sterols and triterpenics dialcohols) as well as of total phenols, oxidative stability and sensory characteristics. The “Carrasqueña” variety was found to be statistically steadier and more intense in sensory notes. The peroxide index, oxidative stability, sensory notes, oleic and linoleic acid, oxidative susceptibility, MUFA/PUFA, the main triacylglycerides (OOO, POO, OLO, and PLO+SLE), ΔECN42, total sterolic and triterpenic dialcohol composition were used to discriminate these varieties. The results of the regulated parameters led to the classification of the analyzed oils into the “extra virgin” category, except for sensory characteristics. These results are very interesting because of the high percentage of EVOO obtained, for both varieties in oils from the “almazara”, or mill, to ensure that oils from the olive-growing area have a good level of quality.
Physicochemical and sensory properties of Celta dry-ripened “salchichón” as affected by fat content
Authors: Fonseca S. , Gómez M. , Domínguez R. , Lorenzo J. M.
Published: January 2015

This work studies the effect of fat content on the main characteristics of a traditional, Spanish dry-ripened sausage called “salchichón” from the Celta pig breed manufactured with 10, 20 and 30% back fat. Physicochemical properties, color, texture and free fatty acid profile were evaluated throughout the process after 0, 7, 21, 35 and 49 days of ripening, while the study of the volatile compound profile and the sensory evaluation were only performed on the final products. In general, most of the studied physicochemical, color and textural parameters were significantly (P < 0.05) affected by fat levels. Lipolytic reactions were also enhanced with increasing fat levels leading to a higher free fatty acid release. Sausages with 10% fat exhibited a higher content of volatile compounds, even though they did not show significant differences in flavor intensity. The sensory evaluation also reflected a preference for the texture of the sausages with 30% fat. This fact leads us to conclude that, although fat reduction would improve the nutritional quality of dry-ripened meat products, it can only be successful to a certain extent. Therefore, a formulation including 20% fat would be the most suitable for the elaboration of “salchichón” the from Celta pig breed.
Near‐subsurface imaging in an absorbing embedding medium with a multistatic/single frequency scanner
Authors: Nounouh Soufiane , Eyraud Christelle , Litman Amélie , Tortel Hervé
Published: January 2015

Probing the near‐subsurface in the presence of absorbing media is a very challenging problem. Within that framework, we analyse the capabilities of a mono‐frequency/multistatic set‐up for detecting shallowly buried targets. As the antennas constitute an important part of the probing device, an accurate method for modelling the antennas behaviour is proposed. This modelling, performed thanks to a correct balanced set of elementary sources, is then incorporated in the calculation of the scattered field, performed with a home‐made Finite Element Method software. Efforts have also been put into the measurement procedure. The measured fields are thus post‐processed with an efficient method which takes profit of the spectral bandwidth properties of the scattered field. These fields serve as input data for the inversion algorithm, an extension of the DORT method to elongated targets. This qualitative and fast imaging procedure, which exploits the spectral properties of the multistatic scattering matrix, has been adapted to the present stratified configuration. Imaging results of shallowly buried targets embedded in a high losses medium are presented to assess the well‐behaviour of the proposed methodology.
Interpretation of self‐potential anomaly over idealized bodies and analysis of ambiguity using very fast simulated annealing global optimization technique
Authors: Biswas Arkoprovo , Sharma Shashi Prakash
Published: January 2015

An efficient and reliable approach is developed for the interpretation of self‐potential anomaly measured over idealized bodies (sphere, horizontal and vertical cylinder) using a very fast simulated annealing (VFSA) global optimization method. Since VFSA optimization lends itself to a number of good‐fitting models in a vast multidimensional model space, the nature of ambiguity in the interpretation has also been investigated simultaneously. The study reveals that, while optimizing all model parameters (electric dipole density, horizontal location, depth, polarization angle and shape factor) together, the VFSA approach yields a number of equivalent solutions. It has been observed that the shape factor plays an important role in finding a reliable estimate of other model parameters. The analysis of ambiguity shows that a small change in the shape factor produces a large change in the estimated electric dipole density. Accordingly, inaccurate estimates of other model parameters have also been obtained. It has been observed that the optimization method is able to determine all the model parameters accurately when shape factor is fixed. Therefore, interpretation of Self‐potential data is carried out by adapting a two‐step procedure. In the first step, all the model parameters are optimized. The inversion results obtained after the first step indicates the value of shape factor is around 1.5, 1.0 or 0.5. Subsequently in the second step, the shape factor is fixed to 1.5, 1.0 or 0.5 and other model parameters are optimized. In this way, the most reliable result has been obtained, and ambiguity in the interpretation has become insignificant. The efficacy of this approach is demonstrated using noise‐free and noisy synthetic data and three field examples from different areas. One field example is interpreted using multiple targets to show the efficacy of the developed approach in dealing with optimization of a large number of model parameters. The computation time of the two‐step procedure is very short (35 s for each step). It is highlighted that, even if the shape factor is known either from a priori geological information or anomaly contour map, interpretation should be performed in two steps to obtain the most reliable estimate of various model parameters as well as confirmation of geometrical shape of the subsurface structure.
Fire Recurrence and the Dynamics of the Enhanced Vegetation Index in a Mediterranean Ecosystem
Authors: Malak Dania Abdul , Pausas Juli G. , Pardo-Pascual Josep E. , Ruiz Luis A.
Published: January 2015

This study area is located in the eastern littoral of the Iberian Peninsula; its importance resides in its Mediterranean ecosystem, complex topography, extensive land use changes, and intensive forest fires history. The study is done at the landscape level, covering a wide area for an extended period of time. This work uses Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Satellite Remote Sensing (SRS) techniques to evaluate the impact of spatio-temporal parameters on shaping Mediterranean landscapes. Interacting ecological parameters are analysed and correlated to post-fire vegetation regeneration in an attempt to understand its dynamics. The results provide evidence that the number of fires separated by short time intervals influence vegetation growth negatively measured as Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI). During this period, micro-climatic effects (soil and environmental humidity) are major factors influencing EVI-measured vegetation regeneration. The conclusions expect shifts in Mediterranean plant communities in heavily burned ecosystems stressing the importance of their correct short and long term post-fire management.
Fuzzy Labeled Transition Refinement Tree
Authors: Kouah Sofia , Saidouni Djamel-Eddine
Published: January 2015

This paper aims to provide a formal framework that supports an incremental development of dynamic systems such as multi agents systems (MAS). We propose a fuzzy labeled transition system model (FLTS for short). FLTS allows a concise action refinement representation and deals with incomplete information through its fuzziness representation. Afterward, based on FLTS model, we propose a refinement model called fuzzy labeled transition refinement tree (FLTRT for short). The FLTRT structure serves as a tree of potential concurrent design trajectories of the system. Also, we introduce bisimulation relations for both models in order to identify equivalent design trajectories, which could be assessed with respect to relevant design parameters.
A Graph Theoretic Algorithm for Virtual Network Embedding
Authors: Pathak Isha , Vidyarthi Deo Prakash
Published: January 2015

Cloud computing has emerged as an upcoming platform to provide all types of services to the users. Virtualization is a core activity in Cloud that supports multiple services and virtualization at various levels is supported in Cloud. Network virtualization is an important aspect that gives the network illusion to the users that they can access without bothering about the actual physical network. Virtual network embedding is the problem of mapping the virtual nodes and virtual links of the virtual network to actual physical nodes and links with optimization of certain characteristic parameters. The work, in this paper, addresses the virtual network embedding problem to optimize some characteristic parameters such as running time and residual physical network using graph theory approach. The proposed model has been simulated, for its performance study, and result reveals the efficacy of the proposed method.
An Energy Efficient Scheduling Manager for Cloud-Based Mobile Navigation Applications
Authors: Rakjit Chutiwan , Liu William , Gutiérrez Jairo A.
Published: January 2015

This paper presents an in-depth study on a navigation application that has cloud-based and non-cloud-based versions running on the Android platform. It discovered that the cloud-based Osmand is less energy efficient than the non-cloud based Osmand. This is because the tail energy in mobile communications causes extra energy consumption for cloud-based Osmand. Thus, it has designed an Energy Efficient Scheduling Manager (EESManager), which benefits from its awareness of both tail energy and the complexity of the navigation map. As the evaluation results show, the cloud-based Osmand with EESManager can reduce overall energy consumption in case of a simple map between the source and destination.