bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evidence, Regulation, and Consequences of Nitrogen-Driven Nutrient Demand by Turfgrass
Authors: Kussow Wayne R. , Soldat Douglas J. , Kreuser William C. , Houlihan Steven M.
Published: March 2012

Nutrient uptake is strongly influenced by plant growth rate. Accelerated growth leads to nutrient levels incapable of sustaining the optimal growth rate, resulting in shoot to root signaling for increased nutrient absorption. The factors controlling nutrient demand in turfgrass and its consequences have not been investigated. The objectives of this research were to verify that turfgrass exhibits the principal characteristics of demand-driven nutrient uptake and to identify the primary factor controlling nutrient demand via regulation of growth rates. Kentucky bluegrass clipping production increased linearly up to annual fertilizer N rates of 600 kg ha−1 and to 1000 kg N ha−1 for creeping bentgrass. At the typical annual N fertilization rates of 150 to 300 kg ha−1 for the two grasses, N supply was the primary determinant of turfgrass growth rate, plant nutrient demand, and nutrient uptake. Nitrogen uptake accounted for over 88% of uptake of all other nutrients. Uptake of P and K were strongly related to tissue N content irrespective of soil test levels. Variations in turfgrass species and cultivar nutrient requirements and nutrient use efficiencies were found to be directly related to differences in growth rates and, by inference, to differences in nutrient demand.
Photonic Eigenmodes in a Photonic Crystal Membrane
Authors: Glushko E. Ya. , Glushko O. E. , Karachevtseva L. A.
Published: March 2012

Photonic membranes are the most widely used kind of 2D photonic crystals in signal processing. Nevertheless, some important aspects of electromagnetic field behavior in membrane like photonic crystals (MPCs) need detail investigation. We develop the approach close to resonant coupling modes method which unites both external and intrinsic problems, in-plane and out-of-plane geometries, and resonator properties of MPC. The resonator standing modes are excited by an external source through the special inputs and may be controlled due to the nonlinear coating. Typical photonic manifestations are studied for Si/SiO2 2D membrane resonators of rectangular.
Personalized Recommendation in Interactive Visual Analysis of Stacked Graphs
Authors: Toledo Alejandro , Sookhanaphibarn Kingkarn , Thawonmas Ruck , Rinaldo Frank
Published: February 2012

We present a system which combines interactive visual analysis and recommender systems to support insight generation for the user. Our approach combines a stacked graph visualization with a content-based recommender algorithm, where promising views can be revealed to the user for further investigation. By exploiting both the current user navigational data and view properties, the system allows the user to focus on visual space in which she or he is interested. After testing with more than 30 users, we analyze the results and show that accurate user profiles can be generated based on user behavior and view property data.
Controversies Surrounding the Potential Use of Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors for the Treatment of Asthma
Authors: Royce Simon G. , Ververis Katherine , Karagiannis Tom C.
Published: March 2012

Management of asthma with long-actingβ2-adrenergic receptor agonists and corticosteroids is exceptionally effective for the majority of asthma patients. However, corticosteroid insensitivity or resistance remains a significant clinical problem for a significant proportion of patients, requiring the investigation of new potential therapeutics for asthma. Histone deacetylase inhibitors represent a different class of compounds that have been evaluated for their potential antiasthmatic effects. Although accumulating evidence is indicating beneficial effects in rodent models of allergic airways disease, the potential use of histone deacetylase inhibitors in asthma remains controversial given their mechanisms of action. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of histone deacetylases and pharmacological modifiers of these enzymes. The discussion represents a balanced account of the emerging evidence indicating the beneficial effects of histone deacetylase inhibitors in inflammatory lung diseases. The potential problems associated with the use of this class of compounds in asthma are also carefully considered.
A Hybrid RSS/TOA Method for 3D Positioning in an Indoor Environment
Authors: Tiwari Smita , Wang Donglin , Fattouche Michel , Ghannouchi Fadhel
Published: March 2012

This paper investigates 3D positioning in an indoor line of sight (LOS) and nonline of sight (NLOS) combined environment. It is a known fact that time-of-arrival-(TOA-) based positioning outperforms other techniques in LOS environments; however, multipath in an indoor environment, especially NLOS multipath, significantly decreases the accuracy of TOA positioning. On the other hand, received-signal-strength-(RSS-) based positioning is not affected so much by NLOS multipath as long as the propagation attenuation can be correctly estimated and the multipath effects have been compensated for. Based on this fact, a hybrid weighted least square (HWLS) RSS/TOA method is proposed for target positioning in an indoor LOS/NLOS environment. The identification of LOS/NLOS path is implemented by using Nakagami distribution. An experiment is conducted in the iRadio lab, in the ICT building at the University of Calgary, in order to (i) demonstrate the availability of Nakagami distribution for the identification of LOS and NLOS path, (ii) estimate the pass loss exponent for RSS technique, and (iii) verify our proposed scheme.
Prioritizing Program Elements: A Pretesting Effort to Improve Software Quality
Authors: Ray Mitrabinda , Mohapatra Durga Prasad
Published: March 2012

Improving the efficiency of a testing process is a challenging task. Prior work has shown that often, a small number of bugs account for the majority of the reported software failures; and often, most bugs are found in a small portion of the source code of a program. First, prioritizing the code elements according to their criticality and then conducting testing, will promote to reveal the important bugs at the early phase of testing. Keeping it in view, we propose an efficient test effort prioritization method that give a chance to the tester to focus more on the parts of the source code that are highly influenced towards the system failures or in which, the failures have high impact on the system. We consider five important factors such as influence towards system failures, average execution time, structural complexity, severity, and business value associated with a component and estimates the criticality of the component within a system. We have experimentally proved that our proposed test effort prioritization approach is effective in revealing important bugs at the early phase of testing as it is linked to external measure of defect severity and business value, internal measure of frequency, complexity, and coupling.
The Modification of Xa-ATIII-Heparin Dynamics by Protamine Sulfate
Authors: Coggin Martin H. , Brecher Arthur S.
Published: March 2012

Heparin promotes the formation of 1∘FXaα-ATIII and FXaβ-ATIII complexes from the free enzymes and antithrombin III. It further stimulates the transformations of the 1∘complexes into the corresponding 3∘complexes. Additionally, it stimulates the degradation of the 1∘FXaα-ATIII and FXaβ-ATIII complexes into free FXaα, FXaβand ATIIIM. Protamine sulfate (PS) stimulates the transformation of FXaαinto FXaβand hence to FXaγ. It also stimulates the transformation of the 1∘-, 2∘-, and 3∘- FXα-ATIII complexes into their correspondingβ-complexes. It further promotes the degradation of the 1∘FXaα- and FXaβ-ATIII complexes into their corresponding 3∘- FXaα- and FXaβ-ATIII complexes, with the concommittant release of FXaγ. The addition of PS to FXa/ATIII/H mixtures results in a reduction in free FXa, ATIII, and 1∘Xa-ATIII complex formation, together with the concommittant increase in 3∘-FXa- ATIII complex formation and release of FXaγ. The likeliest explanation of these results resides in the removal of the effective free heparin as a consequence of the generation of a stable heparin/PS salt upon the addition of the PS to the FXa/ATIII/H mixtures, thereby effectively lowering clotting times.
Emotion Processing in Women with Schizophrenia Is Menstrual Cycle Phase and Affective Valence Dependent: An fMRI Study
Authors: Mendrek Adrianna , Bourque Josiane , Dubé Annie , Lakis Nadia , Champagne Julie
Published: March 2012

Despite a large number of functional neuroimaging investigations of emotion processing in schizophrenia, very few have included women. In the present study 21 schizophrenia and 23 healthy women underwent functional MRI (3T) on two occasions (during the follicular and luteal phase of their menstrual cycle) while viewing blocks of emotionally negative, positive and neutral images. During exposure to negatively charged images patients showed relatively less activations than controls during the luteal phase, but no between-group differences were observed during the follicular phase. In contrast, the exposure to positively valenced material produced no significant interaction, but the main effect of group; schizophrenia patients exhibited less activation than healthy controls during both phases of the menstrual cycle. This is the first study demonstrating that atypical neural activations associated with emotion processing in women diagnosed with schizophrenia depend on the menstrual cycle phase and on the affective valence of presented stimuli.
Inspection of Large Droplets in Fuel Sprays Using a Gaussian Laser-Sheet: An Experimental Approach
Authors: Zakaria Rami
Published: February 2012

A laser sheet imaging system was developed for the investigation of high-speed fuel sprays under a relatively low injection pressure (less than 1 MPa). A pulsed laser and high-resolution CCD cameras were used for the evaluation of the fuel injection system of a small IC engine. Large droplets were detected during the injection incident, with a variation in the scattered light pattern from one droplet to another. The light scattering pattern of individual droplets was investigated in order to study the interaction between the laser beam and large fluid droplets compared to the wavelength. A laser sheet, with a wide waist Gaussian profile, was used for illumination, so that the relative position of a droplet in the third dimension of the field of view (FOV) can be estimated from the 2D-image. Light scattering images were processed in order to closely investigate the structure of the fuel droplets, and the behaviour of the laser beam when encountering large droplets (0.2–1.4 mm). The Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) method was applied on the double exposure spray images to calculate the droplet velocity distribution of the global spray, using a high temporal resolution (15 s).
Synthesis and Characterization of Novel Water Soluble Starch Tartarate Nanoparticles
Authors: Chin Suk Fun , Pang Suh Cem , Lim Lih Shan
Published: March 2012

Starch tartarate nanoparticles were prepared by esterification reaction between native sago starch (Metroxylon sagu) and tartaric acid using dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO) as a solvent and 2-dimethylamino pyridine (DMAP) as a catalyst at 100°C. The substitution of tartaric acid onto native sago starch was confirmed by the FTIR spectra which showed the presence of carbonyl group absorption band of tartarate ester. The solubility of the as-synthesized starch tartarate nanoparticles was observed to increase linearly with increase in the degrees of substitution. Under optimized synthesis conditions, starch tartarate nanoparticles of mean particle sizes which ranged from 200 nm to 300 nm were produced.
Phytoextraction of Cu, Zn, and Pb Enhanced by Chelators with Vetiver (Vetiveria zizanioides): Hydroponic and Pot Experiments
Authors: Chen K. F. , Yeh T. Y. , Lin C. F.
Published: March 2012

Phytoextraction is a green remediation technology for clean-up contaminated soils. The effect of chelator application including EDTA, EDDS, and citric acid on phytoextraction of Cu, Zn, and Pb into high biomass vetiver (Vetiveria zizaniodides) was investigated in the hydroponic experiment and the pot experiment. In the hydroponic test, EDTA induced the most significant toxic symptom on vetiver compared to EDDS and citric acid. Obvious biofilm was attached in the rhizosphere of vetiver with the citric acid addition due to its serving as growth substrate while EDTA posed microbial toxicity to present clear solution. Sequential extraction results demonstrated that EDTA was better than EDDS and citric acid to change the adsorbed metal to loosely bound fraction which is more mobile and bioavailable. In the pot experiment, the critical finding was that vetiver has been demonstrated as a hyperaccumulator for treatment of EDDS with Cu; EDDS, citric acid, and EDTA with Zn; EDTA with Pb. EDDS and EDTA possess the viable phytoextraction ability and can be employed as an remediation alternative, though the groundwater leaching needs to be taken into serious consideration.
A Novel Membrane Protein-Specific Serine/Threonine Kinase: Tissue Distribution and Role in Sperm Maturation
Authors: Nath Debjani , Bhoumik Arpita , Das Sujoy , Bhattacharyya Debdas , Dungdung Sandhya R. , Majumder Gopal C.
Published: March 2012

Our recent studies have described for the first time the purification of an ectoprotein kinase to apparent homogeneity using caprine sperm as the model. Purified ectokinase (CIK) is a novel membrane protein-specific kinase that phosphorylates serine and threonine residues of ectophosphoproteins. This study, using ELISA based on ecto-CIK antibody demonstrates that ecto-CIK level is remarkably higher in the sperm membrane than in the cytosol. The epididymal sperm maturational event as well as sperm vertical velocity is associated with a significant increase in the ecto-CIK level. Ecto-CIK, the membrane protein-specific kinase, is also present in all the tissues tested and is predominantly localized in the cell membrane. Ubiquitous localization of the novel kinase on the mammalian cell membrane suggests that the kinase may play pivotal role in gamete as well as somatic cell regulation by modulating membrane biology through serine/threonine phosphorylation of specific membrane proteins located in the ectodomains.
Wellness Centre: An Evidence-Guided Approach to Delivering Culturally Relevant Community Psychogeriatric Services for Chinese Elders
Authors: Chan Kar C. , Sadavoy Joel
Published: March 2012

Ethnic elders are commonly reluctant to access mental health services and their mental health problems are often overlooked and detected late in the course of illness. Prior studies identified major barriers to ethnic seniors accessing appropriate mental health care demonstrating that language and cultural beliefs cannot be ignored if effective mental health services are to be provided to patients from diverse cultural groups. These are particularly important when care is needed by less acculturated immigrant ethnic seniors for whom language barriers are often greatest. Differences in conceptions of mental distress affect ethnic seniors' choice of help-seeking and often discourage or divert aged persons from utilizing mainstream conventional psychiatric care. Despite the extensive need for appropriate service models for ethnic populations, there have been limited data and models to illustrate how these programs can be systematically and effectively integrated within the mainstream mental health service framework. This paper describes an innovative, mainstream, community-based psychogeriatric service delivery model developed for Chinese seniors in Toronto, Canada, aiming at improving their access to care and enhancing earlier mental health problem detection. The important concepts and strategies of designing and operating a culturally acceptable program are illustrated supported by program data and the challenges analyzed.
Visible Light Photocatalysis with Rare Earth Ion-Doped Nanocomposites
Authors: Narayan Himanshu , Alemu Hailemichael , Setofolo Lijeloang , Macheli Lebohang
Published: March 2012

Rare earth (R) ion-doped TiO2 nanocomposites (NCs) with general composition (R: Y, Yb, Gd; , 0.2) were synthesized through co-precipitation/hydrolysis (CPH). NC particles with average size of approximately a few tens of nm were obtained. Similar compositions of polycrystalline (PC) samples with larger particle size were also prepared employing solid state reaction (SSR) method. Visible light photocatalytic activity of all samples was investigated for degradation of Congo red (CR) dye. Both in terms of apparent rate constant () and percent degradation after 180 min (), all NCs produced significantly enhanced degradation as compared to pure TiO2 and PC samples. Best degradation of 95% ( value) resulted with composition of Y3+ doped NC with  min−1. This was followed by of 85 and 80%, produced with Yb3+ and Gd3+ doped, NCs, at around and  min−1, respectively. The observations clearly suggest that enhanced photocatalytic degradation of CR is directly related to smaller particle size of the catalysts. Moreover, the presence of rare earth ions in the composites facilitates further improvement of degradation efficiency through effective suppression of recombination.
Nitric Oxide Synthase Inhibitors Modulate Nerve-Growth-Factor Mediated Activation of Akt
Authors: Cragg Cheryl L. , MacKinnon Janet C. , Kalisch Bettina E.
Published: March 2012

Nitric oxide (NO) modulates nerve-growth-factor- (NGF-) mediated signaling and gene expression. In the present paper, the role of NO in NGF-mediated Akt activation in PC12 and IMR32 cells was investigated. Cells were treated with NGF (50 ng/mL) in the presence or absence of NO synthase (NOS) inhibitors and Akt phosphorylation assessed by western blot analysis. In both cell lines, Akt was phosphorylated within 15 min of NGF treatment. In PC12 cells, this level of phosphorylation was sustained for 60 min, while in IMR32 cells, the activation decreased after 30 min of NGF treatment. The nonselective NOS inhibitorNω-nitro-L-arginine methylester (L-NAME; 20 mM) had no effect on NGF-mediated Akt phosphorylation in PC12 cells but in combination with NGF, the iNOS selective inhibitor s-methylisothiourea (S-MIU; 2.0 mM) maintained Akt phosphorylation up to 2 h. In IMR32 cells, both L-NAME and S-MIU prolonged the activation of Akt. Pretreatment with 50 μM U0126, a MAP kinase pathway inhibitor, also increased the activation of Akt in both cell lines. These data suggest that NO modulates the duration of phosphorylation of Akt in response to NGF and that this effect may, in part, be mediated by the effects of NO on the Ras-MAP kinase pathway.
Unsupervised Leukocyte Image Segmentation Using Rough Fuzzy Clustering
Authors: Mohapatra Subrajeet , Patra Dipti , Kumar Kundan
Published: March 2012

The segmentation of leukocytes and their components acts
as the foundation for all automated image-based hematological disease
recognition systems. Perfection in image segmentation is a necessary
condition for improving the diagnostic accuracy in automated cytology. Since
the diagnostic information content of the segmented images is plentiful,
suitable segmentation routines need to be developed for better disease
recognition. Clustering is an essential image segmentation procedure which
segments an image into desired regions. A judicious integration of rough
sets and fuzzy sets is suitably employed towards leukocyte segmentation
in a clustering framework. In this study, the goodness of fuzzy sets
and rough sets is suitably integrated to achieve improved segmentation
performance. The membership concept of fuzzy sets endow is efficient handling
of overlapping partitions, and the rough sets provide a reasonable solution to
deal with uncertainty, vagueness, and incompleteness in data. Such synergistic
combination gives the proposed scheme an edge over standard cluster-based
segmentation techniques, that is, K-means, K-medoid, fuzzy c-means, and rough
c-means. Comparative analysis reveals that the hybrid rough fuzzy c-means
algorithm is robust in segmenting stained blood microscopic images. The
accomplished segmented nucleus and cytoplasm of a leukocyte can be used
for feature extraction which leads to automated leukemia detection.
Comparison of Straight and Helical Nanotube Production in a Swirled Fluid CVD Reactor
Authors: Bathgate Graham , Iyuke Sunny , Kavishe Frank
Published: February 2012

Research into Carbon Nanotubes and their applications is fast becoming an extremely popular topic, and any means to greatly improve the synthesis process has a huge marketability. While investigating the feasibility of continuous production of single-walled carbon nanotubes in a vertical Swirled Fluid Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD) reactor, it was discovered that helical nanotubes were lifted from the reactor by the gas current while straight tubes remained behind. Investigation into the merits provided by the helical structure illustrated the greatly increased likeliness for helical tubes to be lifted from the reactor by the carrier gas giving rise to positive speculation of their possible use in vertical CVD reactors in the future.
Molecular characterization of autochthonous Turkish fig accessions
Authors: Caliskan O. , Polat A. A. , Celikkol P. , Bakir M.
Published: February 2012

Turkey is one of the main genetic centers for fig tree, Ficus carica L. The genetic variabilities of 76 fig accessions from Hatay province of Turkey were evaluated by analysis of 10 simple sequence repeats (SSR) loci. The number of alleles revealed by SSR analysis ranged from 3 to 12 alleles per locus with a mean value of 6.8. A total of 68 alleles were detected by SSR and the average heterozygosity was higher than the expected one. In addition, seven random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) primers detected a total of 68 clear and reproducible bands, 55 of which were polymorphic, so it was possible to effectively characterize these fig accessions with either marker techniques. In both marker systems, Mantel’s correlation between similarity scores and cophenetic values was moderately high (0.90 for RAPD and 0.87 for SSR), which demonstrated that the clustering patterns fitted the data well. The clusters obtained using these types of markers were independent. This study indicated that there is great genetic variability among local fig accessions, making them a valuable genetic source for incorporation into potential breeding programs especially for table fig selections.
Short communication. Effect of forage source (grazing vs. silage) on conjugated linoleic acid content in milk fat of Holstein-Friesian dairy cows from Galicia (NW Spain)
Authors: Roca-Fernandez A.I. , Gonzalez-Rodriguez A. , Vazquez-Yañez O. P. , Fernandez-Casado J. A.
Published: February 2012

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of different feeding proportions of forage ―grazing vs. silage― on milk fatty acids (FA) profile and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) content of autumn calving Holstein-Friesian cows (n = 61) at CIAM (Galicia, NW Spain). Three treatments (S, 100% silage; G/S, 50% grazing + 50% silage; G, 100% grazing) were set and milk FA profile of dairy cows was determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The G group showed a decrease in short (p < 0.05) and medium chain FA (p < 0.001), with an increase in long chain FA (p < 0.001) in comparison to the G/S and S groups, which showed the lowest levels (p < 0.001) of mono- and polyunsaturated FA. The CLA content in milk fat increased (p < 0.001) linearly in relation to the increased proportion of fresh grass in the diet of dairy cows from 0.49 and 0.82 to 1.14 g/100 g FA for the treatments S, G/S and G, respectively. During spring and summer, the levels of CLA were three times higher (p < 0.001, +0.76 g/100 g FA) in milk from dairy cows at the G group than in cows at the S group and twice higher (p < 0.001, +0.40 g/100 g FA) than in cows at the G/S group. High proportion of grass in the diet of cows increased CLA content, with the highest levels of unsaturated FA and the lowest levels of saturated FA, increasing the added value of milk on grazing systems using available farm resources.
Short communication. Phylogeny and genetic diversity within Iberian populations of Ornithopus L. and Biserrula L. estimated using ITS DNA sequences T
Authors: Visnevschi-Necrasov T. , Harris D. J. , Faria M. A. , Pereira G. , Nunes E.
Published: February 2012

Genetic diversity within Iberian populations of Ornithopus pinnatus, O. compressus, O. sativus and Biserrula pelecinus were assessed using ITS1 and ITS2 DNA sequences from sixty four specimens, and a phylogeny between Ornithopus species was estimated. Generally within-species variation was low, particularly within Ornithopus. The Mediterranean species of Ornithopus form a sister clade relative to the South American O. micranthopus. The sometimes considered a full species, O. sativus isthmocarpus, was not distinct from O. sativus. Between some species there is limited genetic divergence using these markers, although the situation of O. perpusillus requires additional specimens to be examined before firm conclusions can be drawn.
Effects of different levels of physically effective fibers in diets for cows in early lactation
Authors: Stojanovic B. , Grubic G. , Djordjevic N. , Glamocic D. , Bozickovic A. , Ivetic A.
Published: February 2012

The study was conducted to investigate the effects of a total mixed ration (TMR) particle size on digestibility and production performances of the high-yielding cows in early lactation. The treatments were TMRs with forage-toconcentrate ratio 43:57 in diet dry matter, with four different mean particle lengths and physically effective fiber (PENDF) content based on different cut length of corn silage and alfalfa haylage. Determined values of PEF (physical effectiveness factor) and PENDF (through original and modified Penn State Particle Separator, PSPS) were considerably higher for forages and TMRs using the modified PSPS. The cut length of forage and particle size of TMRs did not affect dry matter intake. However reduced forage cut length significantly increased the apparent total tract digestibility of NDF (from 53.9 to 58.66%), and crude protein (from 71.56 to 77.90%), with the decrease in the non-fiber carbohydrate digestibility (from 91.99 to 86.80%). The increase in the milk yield (35.62 vs. 38.36 kg), and decrease in the milk fat (3.50 vs. 3.10%) and protein content (3.11 vs. 2.99%) were observed with the reduction of particle size in forages. There was no effect on milk fat daily yield, but the increase of the milk protein yield (1.08 vs. 1.15 kg) was determined with the reduced forage cut lengths. The milk fat to protein ratio had tendency to decrease with the reduced forage cut length. Decrease in forage particle size improved feed conversion ratio for milk production, improved digestibility and the milk yield, whereas milk protein content was reduced
Usefulness of portable near infrared spectroscopy in olive breeding programs
Authors: León-Moreno L.
Published: February 2012

The usefulness of portable near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy as a simple and efficient method to determine some of the main selection traits in olive breeding is evaluated in this work. Calibration models were developed and evaluated using partial least squares (PLS) regression from samples collected in different selection steps of the breeding work and under different experimental conditions. The results showed that accurate enough models (values of correlation between actual and predicted constituent higher than 0.9) were obtained for oil and moisture content in both crossvalidation and prediction results. Portable NIR spectroscopy could be used for selection of genotypes on the basis of these characters, providing similar ranking of genotypes than reference methods both in different selection steps of the breeding process (progenies and selection plots) and different experimental conditions (on-tree or under laboratory conditions). The advantages of this technique to improve the efficiency of the evaluation process in olive breeding programs are discussed.
Epigeic soil arthropod abundance under different agricultural land uses
Authors: Pérez-Bote J. L. , Romero A. J.
Published: February 2012

The study of soil arthropods can provide valuable information how ecosystems respond to different management practices. The objective was to assess the total abundance, richness, and composition of epiedaphic arthropods in different agrosystems from southwestern Spain. Six sites with different agricultural uses were selected: olive grove, vineyards, olive grove with vineyards, wheat fields, fallows (150-300 m long), and abandoned vineyards. Crops were managed in extensive. Field margins were used as reference habitats. At the seven sites a total of 30 pitfall traps were arranged in a 10 × 3 grid. Traps were arranged to short (SD, 1 m), medium (MD, 6 m) and large (LD, 11 m) distance to the field margins in the middle of selected plots. Pitfall traps captured a total of 11,992 edaphic arthropods belonging to 11 different taxa. Soil fauna was numerically dominated by Formicidae (26.60%), Coleoptera (19.77%), and Aranae (16.76%). The higher number of soil arthropods were captured in the field margins followed by the abandoned vineyard. Significant differences were found between sites for total abundance, and zones. However, no significant differences for total abundance were found between months (April-July). Richness and diversity was highest in field margins and abandoned vineyards. Significant differences were found for these variables between sites. Our results suggest that agricultural intensification affects soil arthropods in Tierra de Barros area, a taxonomic group with an important role in the functioning of agricultural ecosystems.
Innovation and sectoral linkages in the agri-food system in the Valencian Community
Authors: García Álvarez-Coque J. M. , Alba M. F. , López-García Usach T.
Published: February 2012

This paper aims to analyze the innovative effort of the agri-food system (AFS) in the Valencian Autonomous Community (VC), Spain, estimating the intensity of innovation in each subsector of the AFS. The analysis distinguishes between the direct and indirect (or induced) innovation intensities incorporated by the acquisition of inputs from other subsectors produced in the VC or in the rest of Spain. The methodology employed is based on the inputoutput framework combined with data of technological innovation in enterprises. This methodology provides the novelty of been applied to a region —the VC— and not to a country as it is usually done. The results show that the weight of intersectoral flows in the total innovation effort of the AFS is significant with marked differences between primary and food industry. In most activities, embodied knowledge in inputs purchased from Spain is greater than embodied knowledge of inputs produced inside the region.
Effects of two types of sprinklers and height in the irrigation of sugar beet with a centre pivot
Authors: Ortiz J. N. , Tarjuelo J. M. , De Juan J. A.
Published: February 2012

The main objective of this paper is to analyse the effects of sprinkler type and height above the ground on soil water uniformity (CUs) and sugar beet yield. Irrigation was performed with a centre pivot operating under field conditions with two types of sprinklers, one with a stationary plate (SPS) and the other with a moving plate (MPS), at two heights (1 and 2.5 m). The average coefficient of uniformity (CU) of water application of individual irrigation events with SPS ranged from 74 to 81%, compared to nearly 90% from MPS. The value of the cumulative coefficient of uniformity for the set of irrigation events (CUa) for all sprinkler-height combinations exceeded 90%, a value similar to that obtained for CUS. Results do not show a clear advantage in the final crop response by using sprinklers with MPS or SPS. However, MPS, and especially those located at 1 m in height with a spacing of 1.5 m, have higher water application uniformity, achieving higher yield and yield indexes, as well as higher water use efficiency. The final yield of sugar beet was more influenced by the amount of soil water available for the crop than the small differences in soil water uniformity obtained with the centre pivot.
The impact of information and other factors on on-farm agrobiodiversity conservation: evidence from a duration analysis of Portuguese fruit growers
Authors: Botelho A. , Dinis I. , Costa Pinto L.
Published: February 2012

In spite of the increasing awareness of the importance of in situ and on-farm conservation of agro biodiversity, there is still limited knowledge about the factors that influence farmers’ choices in variety adoption. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to a better understanding of the factors that influence farmers’ adoption of traditional varieties of fruit trees so that better and more effective policy measures aiming at their preservation can be designed. While studies in this area have mainly employed standard probit/logit techniques, in this paper, an econometric technique which addresses simultaneously the issue of sample censoring and the joint determination of the occurrence and timing of adoptions —duration analysis— was applied. The use of this technique in the analysis of adoption data uncovers a sizably higher effect of information on farmers’ decisions than that obtained by standard approaches. The results strongly support the idea that good extension services providing reliable and accessible information, as well as technical guidance adapted to local conditions, are fundamental components in determining the adoption of landraces.
How Do I Respond to Customer Complaints When I Can't Find Anything Wrong?
Authors: Lauer William C.
Published: February 2012

This article discusses the five general steps of complaint investigations: telephone interview; on‐site investigation; lab testing and office review; telephone report to customer; and, follow‐up, if necessary. The article also provides resources to help with investigating complaints.
The Thermodynamics of Molecular Recognition
Authors: Gibb Corinne L. D. , Gibb Bruce C.
Published: February 2012

In this review, we discuss the theoretical and practical aspects of determining the thermodynamic data for the formation of host–guests complexes. More specifically, we discuss the theory behind the free energy, enthalpy, entropy, and heat capacity changes in the formation of 1:1 complexes. We also discuss the mathematical modeling behind these determinations, and how this is tailored for the commonly utilized analytical techniques of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometry, UV–vis spectroscopy, and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC). Finally, we highlight many of the important practical aspects of thermodynamic determinations using these techniques, highlighting their respective strengths and limitations. Although the focus is on 1:1 host–guest complex formation, higher order binding events are also briefly discussed.
Cooperativity and the Chelate, Macrocyclic and Cryptate Effects
Authors: Taylor Richard W. , Ara Begum Rowshan , Day Victor W. , Bowman‐James Kristin
Published: February 2012

The interrelationships between cooperativity and the chelate, macrocyclic, and cryptate effects are described in this chapter. The chapter begins by defining and providing a brief historical background of these four closely related effects as they pertain to both transition metal coordination chemistry and supramolecular chemistry. The second section provides an overview of bonding for supramolecular chemistry with a comparison illustrating similarities with and differences from transition metal coordination. Sections 3 and 4 describe the chemistry of the chelate, macrocyclic, and cryptate effects and the important role that cooperativity plays in each for transition metals coordination and supramolecular chemistry, respectively. Thermodynamic aspects and structural foundations for the increasing stability of complexes as they evolve from chelates through cryptates are also described. Section 4 on supramolecular chemistry is further divided into sections on the chemistry of cations, followed by anions. A short conclusion is provided at the end of the chapter. Throughout the chapter, examples are provided that illustrate the manner in which these important chemical effects are manifested.
Affinity Capillary Electrophoresis as a Tool to Characterize Intermolecular Interactions
Authors: Kiessig Steffen , Stettler Alexandra , Fuhrimann Samuel , Schwarz Maria Anna
Published: February 2012

The application of affinity capillary electrophoresis (ACE), a submode of capillary zone electrophoresis, to investigate the interactions between ligands and their substrates is described in this chapter. Using ACE, it is possible to characterize noncovalent molecular interactions (complexation and partition equilibria) of different binding strengths. Resulting association constants (
K
) provide a measured value of the affinity of a ligand molecule to a substrate. Starting with the background of high‐performance capillary electrophoresis (HPCE), in general, and ACE, various possibilities are given how ACE can be used in capillaries or chips. A brief mathematical description of the context between measured parameters (ionic mobility, peak area, or peak height) and evaluated binding parameters (as binding constants and stoichiometry number), as well as various ACE modes and constellations of intermolecular interacting molecules suitable for a wide range of applications are provided. Finally, selected applications are described in detail in terms of the experimental setup and estimation of the binding strength by a suitable mathematical model.
Ion Chromatography and Membrane Separations Using Macrocyclic Ligands
Authors: Lamb John D. , Li Na
Published: February 2012

The selectivity of macrocyclic ligand hosts in binding ionic and neutral guests was recognized early and has been applied to separations science in a number of ways. Prominent among these applications are ion chromatography (IC) and liquid membranes. This chapter summarizes the various ways by which macrocyclic ligands have been incorporated into these two separations techniques. It begins with a description of the intrinsic selectivities of the macrocyclic hosts used in these applications to date. The next section describes the basic elements of IC and the chemical features of standard ion chromatographic separations. It then proceeds to describe how macrocycles such as crown ethers, cryptands, resorcinarenes, and others have been incorporated into both the mobile and stationary phases of ion chromatographic systems to effect novel separations of both cations and anions. The development of capacity gradient chromatography of anions, unique to macrocycle‐based IC, is described. The application to both analytical separations and preconcentration/matrix elimination is also included. The next section introduces the various types of liquid membranes, including bulk liquid membranes, solid supported liquid membranes, emulsion liquid membranes, and polymer inclusion membranes. This section then proceeds to describe the various studies conducted to characterize the use of macrocyclic ligands as selective carriers of cations, anions, and neutral species across these membranes for separations purposes.
Small‐Angle
X
‐
ray
Scattering (
SAXS
) and Wide‐Angle
X
‐
ray
Scattering (
WAXS
) of Supramolecular Assemblies
Authors: Toma Adriana C. , Pfohl Thomas
Published: February 2012

Small‐angle X‐ray scattering (SAXS) is widely used for investigations of structures and interactions between biomacromolecules in solution. We review recent studies using SAXS for supramolecular assemblies, complex fluids, and similarly analogous systems in biology. A brief introduction is followed by a description of the available X‐ray generating instrumentation. Examples are given for the applications of microfocused X‐ray beams, and the limitations induced by radiation damage on soft matter are described. Several experimental cases are discussed: (1) properties obtained from SAXS on dilute solutions and the available software for data analysis, (2) time‐resolved SAXS on crowded systems, (3) microfluidic approaches for kinetic studies of self‐assembly processes and (4) imaging with X‐rays revealing the sample nanostructure.
Cyclodextrins: From Nature to Nanotechnology
Authors: Lincoln Stephen F. , Pham Duc‐Truc
Published: February 2012

Cyclodextrins (CDs) are naturally occurring homochiral macrocycles composed of α‐1,4‐linked
D
‐glucopyranose in the
4
C
1
conformation. The three smallest α‐, β‐, and γ‐CDs are composed of 6, 7, and 8 glucopyranoses, and as a class constitute one of the most widely used molecular components in supramolecular chemistry. This usage is based on the ability of CDs to complex a vast range of guests in their hydrophobic annuli in water. In this brief review, CD supramolecular chemistry is explored from simple CD complexes to increasingly complex assemblies. The modification of CDs to give desirable properties is also examined along with their supramolecular chemistry. This exploration encompasses CD host–guest complexes, enantioselectivity, polymers, catalysis, metallocyclodextrins, rotaxanes and catenanes, and molecular devices and nanomachines, some of which mimic Nature and all of which represent a fascinating aspect of supramolecular chemistry with some extraordinary possibilities for further advances and practical application.
Molecular Devices: Energy Transfer
Authors: Bonacchi Sara , Genovese Damiano , Juris Riccardo , Montalti Marco , Prodi Luca , Rampazzo Enrico , Zaccheroni Nelsi
Published: February 2012

Devices are systems able to perform specific functions, which result from the coordinated action of different components. The design of these systems is, hence, based on the identification or the development of the necessary parts, and in their integration in a suitable supramolecular architecture. The main challenge in such a process is undoubtedly synthetic: the control of the mutual interactions between the active moieties, in fact, requires a fine‐tuning of the distance and orientation of the components and, in the case of physically connected donor‐acceptor moieties, of the electronic properties of the interconnecting linkers. Organization through covalent bonding has, in this context, several advantages, and many examples of covalent supramolecular devices have been reported in the last two decades. Besides, the covalent approach led to the design of fascinating and efficient prototypes, that often require the preparation of beautiful but complicated chemical systems, through time‐demanding multistep synthetic paths and that are not suitable for large‐scale production. Many examples of devices derived from a more traditional supramolecular approach based on self‐assembly and host‐guest interactions have also been reported. In this chapter, some relevant examples of both covalent and self‐organizing supramolecular devices based on energy‐transfer (ET) processes are reviewed. The basic principles of ET are also discussed. Recently, the advent of nanomaterials offered to supramolecular chemists new active components and structural platforms suitable for the design of nanometric molecular devices. At the present stage, nanomaterials represent, in fact, an ideal platform to achieve a reasonable degree of spatial organization especially when the integration of a large number of components is required or desired. This approach allows the achievement of complex, extensive devices otherwise not accessible. Moreover, some nanomaterials have unique photophysical properties and can become themselves active nanosized component of the final device. In this chapter, we discuss selected examples of ET‐based supramolecular devices with increasing complexity and size; going from dyads to multicomponent nanostructures.
Clathrate Hydrates
Authors: Alavi Saman , Udachin Konstantin , Ratcliffe Christopher I. , Ripmeester John A.
Published: February 2012

Clathrate hydrates are arguably the best understood class of supramolecular materials. Extensive experimental work has been carried out over the last 200 years, and theoretical and computational work for the last 50 years. Also, clathrate hydrates have been investigated from an industrial point of view as these materials tend to form blockages in oil and gas pipelines. Finally, clathrate hydrates occur in nature and play a complex and incompletely understood role in the geosphere. This work presents an overview of the structures and properties of clathrate hydrates as supramolecular solids as well as some of the theoretical foundations required to understand these interesting solids formed between water and a variety of guest species.
Coordination Polymers
Authors: Constable Edwin C.
Published: February 2012

This chapter describes the use of metal ions to control the assembly of multifunctional organic molecules to form networks exhibiting one‐, two‐, or three‐dimensional structures. The assembly is based on the concepts of metallosupramolecular chemistry—the matching of ligand donor and spatial properties with the coordination and geometrical requirements of the metal ion. These materials, also termed metal‐organic frameworks (MOFs) or tectonic solids, possess unique extended structures and their ease of synthesis makes them attractive candidates for large‐scale applications. The synthetic strategies and methodologies are reviewed and the present and potential applications of these new materials are discussed in brief.
Functions Based on Dynamic Structural Changes of Coordination Polymers
Authors: Kondo Mitsuru
Published: February 2012

The unique functions of flexible coordination polymers (FCPs) based on the dynamic structural changes are described. Coordination polymers with flexible structures have been classified into four types in this review. Type I shows reversible interconversions between porous and nonporous frameworks in response to removals and reinclusions of guest molecules from/into the channels. FCPs that exhibit Type I structural changes are general. Type II FCPs show reversible switches between the porous and nonporous frameworks depending on the guest molecules. The two‐dimensional coordination polymers that show reversible structural changes in response to the present solvents have been presented as examples of Type II FCPs. Type III FCPs involve the creation of vacant channels for additional guest molecules from nonporous compounds, which is triggered by chemical stimuli. The hydrogen bond‐assembled metal complex has been shown as an example of Tpye III materials. Type IV FCPs have the channel structures that show reversible transformations depending on the physical stimuli. Type III and IV FCPs are rare and unique. Adsorption of EtOH guest molecules induced by the addition of CH
3
OH, which is a smaller guest molecule, is demonstrated. Mechanical trapping of guest molecules in the closed channels induced by physical stimuli is presented as FCPs demonstrating Type IV structural changes.
Assembly of Block Copolymers
Authors: Adams Dave J. , Topham Paul D.
Published: February 2012

Block copolymers consist of two or more polymer chains covalently linked together. The different blocks can range in compatibility, both within the polymers or between the polymers and the environment. Phase separation between the blocks, as well as between the blocks and solvent, can be used to generate materials with different, yet controlled, nanostructures. In the bulk, phase separation is relatively well understood and related to the segregation strength of the two chemically distinct polymer components. In solution, block copolymers can adopt a range of self‐assembled structures including spherical micelles, wormlike micelles, and vesicles depending on parameters such as the polymer composition, polymer concentration, and solvent choice. This chapter explains how such phase separation comes about in addition to how it can be related to the adopted structures.