bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Changes in skinfold thickness and body composition among children and adolescents in Shandong, China from 1995 to 2010
Authors: Zhang Y.‐X. , Wang S.‐R.
Published: November 2012

Background

There is strong evidence of a upward secular trend in skinfold thickness (SFT) and the prevalence of obesity has increased substantially over recent decades in developed countries. However, no studies on this trend have been reported in Shandong Province, China. The present study aimed to assess the decennial change in SFT and body composition among children and adolescents in Shandong Province during the past 15 years (1995–2010).

Methods

Data were obtained from two national surveys on student's constitution and health carried out by the government in 1995 and 2010 in Shandong Province, China. A total of 14 780 (7198 in 1995 and 7582 in 2010) students aged 7–18 years participated in the present study. Weight and SFT of all subjects were measured. Percentage body fat (%FM) was estimated by SFT, and fat mass (FM) and fat‐free mass (FFM) were calculated from: FM (kg) = %FM × weight (kg)/100; FFM (kg) = weight (kg)−FM(kg). The range of differences of weight, SFT, FM and FFM over the different age groups between the 1995 and 2010 samples were calculated.

Results

In the past 15 years, mean values of SFT have increased. The mean (range) increments of SFT were 6.28 (2.91–11.22) mm for boys and 3.29 (2.22–4.29) mm for girls, demonstrating a mean increase of 32% for boys and 14% for girls. The mean (range) increments of weight, FM and FFM were 7.26 (4.41–10.82) kg, 3.70 (1.47–6.58) kg and 3.56 (1.24–5.27) kg, at rates of 18%, 47% and 10% for boys, respectively, and 4.14 (2.78–5.64) kg, 1.68 (1.02–2.27) kg and 2.46 (1.52–3.49) kg, at rates of 11%, 20% and 8% for girls, respectively.

Conclusions

The mean values of SFT, FM and FFM have increased over time. Rates of increase were greater for FM than FFM.
Arabidopsis AtADF1 is Functionally Affected by Mutations on Actin Binding Sites
Authors: Dong Chun‐Hai , Tang Wei‐Ping , Liu Jia‐Yao
Published: November 2012

The plant actin depolymerizing factor (ADF) binds to both monomeric and filamentous actin, and is directly involved in the depolymerization of actin filaments. To better understand the actin binding sites of the Arabidopsis thaliana L. AtADF1, we generated mutants of AtADF1 and investigated their functions in vitro and in vivo. Analysis of mutants harboring amino acid substitutions revealed that charged residues (Arg98 and Lys100) located at the α‐helix 3 and forming an actin binding site together with the N‐terminus are essential for both G‐ and F‐actin binding. The basic residues on the β‐strand 5 (K82/A) and the α‐helix 4 (R135/A, R137/A) form another actin binding site that is important for F‐actin binding. Using transient expression of CFP‐tagged AtADF1 mutant proteins in onion (Allium cepa) peel epidermal cells and transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana L. plants overexpressing these mutants, we analyzed how these mutant proteins regulate actin organization and affect seedling growth. Our results show that the ADF mutants with a lower affinity for actin filament binding can still be functional, unless the affinity for actin monomers is also affected. The G‐actin binding activity of the ADF plays an essential role in actin binding, depolymerization of actin polymers, and therefore in the control of actin organization.
The influence of occlusion on masticatory performance and satisfaction in complete denture wearers
Authors: Deniz D. A. , Kulak Ozkan Y.
Published: November 2012

Complete dentures should satisfy patients' needs for comfort, function and aesthetics. Thirty edentulous patients were enrolled in this study. Two sets of complete dentures were made for each patient: one with bilaterally balanced occlusion and the other with lingualised occlusion. The patients used each type of denture for 6 months. A single‐blind study design was used in which the patients were not aware of the exchange of dentures. In each 3‐month period, electromyographic measurements of the anterior temporalis and masseter muscles were performed. At the end of 6 months, patient satisfaction was evaluated. The second measurement of lingualised occlusion showed the greatest muscle activity, while chewing gum in both the anterior temporalis and masseter muscles (174·5 and 208·19 μV, respectively). The greatest maximum voluntary contraction was also found for the second measurement of lingualised occlusion for both the anterior temporalis and masseter muscles (142·91 and 187·55 μV, respectively). The mean chewing time decreased with lingualised occlusion. The percent distribution of the patients' ratings of their complete dentures and patient satisfaction with lingualised occlusion were higher than those for bilaterally balanced occlusion. Complete dentures with lingualised occlusion increased masticatory performance, maximum voluntary contraction and patient satisfaction and decreased chewing time.
Patterns and controls of the dynamics of net primary production by understory macroalgal assemblages in giant kelp forests
Authors: Harrer Shannon L. , Reed Daniel C. , Holbrook Sally J. , Miller Robert J.
Published: November 2012

Macroalgae are important primary producers in many subtidal habitats, yet little information exists on the temporal and spatial dynamics of net primary production (NPP) by entire subtidal assemblages. This knowledge gap reflects the logistical challenges in measuring NPP of diverse macroalgal assemblages in shallow marine habitats. Here, we couple a simple primary production model with nondestructive estimates of taxon‐specific biomass on subtidal reefs off Santa Barbara, California to produce a 4‐year time series of net primary production by intact assemblages of understory macroalgae in giant kelp forests off Santa Barbara, California, USA. Daily bottom irradiance varied significantly throughout the year, and algal assemblages were on average exposed to saturating irradiance for only 1.3–4.5 h per day, depending on the time of year. Despite these variable light‐limiting conditions, biomass rather than irradiance explained the vast majority of variation observed in daily NPP at all times of the year. Measurements of peak biomass in spring and summer proved to be good predictors of NPP for the entire year, explaining as much as 76% of the observed variation. In contrast, bottom irradiance was a poor predictor of NPP, explaining <10% of the variation in NPP when analyzed seasonally and ~2% when evaluated annually. Our finding that annual NPP by macroalgal assemblages can be predicted from a single, nondestructive measurement of biomass should prove useful for developing time series data that are necessary to evaluate natural and anthropogenic changes in NPP by one of the world's most productive ecosystems.
Identification of a Marine Cyanophage in a Protist Single‐cell Metagenome Assembly
Authors: Bhattacharya Debashish , Price Dana C. , Bicep Cedric , Bapteste Eric , Sarwade Mihir , Rajah Veeran D. , Yoon Hwan Su
Published: November 2012

Analysis of microbial biodiversity is hampered by a lack of reference genomes from most bacteria, viruses, and algae. This necessitates either the cultivation of a restricted number of species for standard sequencing projects or the analysis of highly complex environmental DNA metagenome data. Single‐cell genomics (SCG) offers a solution to this problem by constraining the studied DNA sample to an individual cell and its associated symbionts, prey, and pathogens. We used SCG to study marine heterotrophic amoebae related to Paulinella ovalis (A. Wulff) P.W. Johnson, P.E. Hargraves & J.M. Sieburth (Rhizaria). The genus Paulinella is best known for its photosynthetic members such as P. chromatophora Lauterborn that is the only case of plastid primary endosymbiosis known outside of algae and plants. Here, we studied the phagotrophic sister taxa of P. chromatophora that are related to P. ovalis and found one SCG assembly to contain α‐cyanobacterial DNA. These cyanobacterial contigs are presumably derived from prey. We also uncovered an associated cyanophage lineage (provisionally named phage PoL_MC2). Phylogenomic analysis of the fragmented genome assembly suggested a minimum genome size of 200 Kbp for phage PoL_MC2 that encodes 179 proteins and is most closely related to Synechococcus phage S‐SM2. For this phage, gene network analysis demonstrates a highly modular genome structure typical of other cyanophages. Our work demonstrates that SCG is a powerful approach for discovering algal and protist biodiversity and for elucidating biotic interactions in natural samples.
PI3K andMAPKs Regulate Neutrophil Migration Toward the Airways in Heaves
Authors: Bullone M. , Moran K. , Lavoie‐Lamoureux A. , Lavoie J.P.
Published: November 2012

Background

Neutrophils accumulate in the airways of horses with heaves. They likely play an important role in the disease pathogenesis. Understanding the pathways regulating their migration may help identifying new therapeutic targets.

Hypothesis

MAPKandPI3K pathways are involved in neutrophil migration toward the airway lumen in heaves.

Animals

Twelve heaves‐affected horses and 4 healthy horses.

Methods

Migratory activity of bronchoalveolar lavage fluids (BALF) from horses with heaves and healthy horses was compared by means of a Boyden chamber. Involvement ofMAPKandPI3K pathways in neutrophil migration was investigated by pretreating neutrophils with inhibitors of p38MAPK,JNK,MEK1/2, andPI3K. The capacity of a p38MAPKinhibitor at decreasing neutrophil chemotaxis toward the airways was also evaluated in vivo.

Results

BALFfrom symptomatic heaves‐affected horses induced a greater degree of chemokinesis (P = .0004) thanBALFfrom healthy horses. Although all pathways tested were involved in neutrophil migration, inhibition ofPI3K was most potent in vitro. An inhibitor of p38MAPKadministered before challenge in horses with heaves did not alterBALFchemokinetic properties.BALFneutrophil percentage andBALFmigratory activity were positively correlated after 14 and 35 days of antigen challenge in healthy (P = .05; R2 = 0.82) and heaves‐affected horses (P = .03; R2 = 0.76), respectively.

Conclusions and Clinical Importance

MAPKandPI3K pathways regulate neutrophil migration induced byBALFof horses with heaves. Inhibition of multiple pathways might be required to completely abolishBALF‐induced neutrophil migratory activity and possibly inflammation in heaves.
Use of an Implanted Sacral Nerve Stimulator to Restore Urine Voiding in Chronically Paraplegic Dogs
Authors: Granger N. , Chew D. , Fairhurst P. , Fawcett J.W. , Lacour S.P. , Craggs M. , Mosse C.A. , Donaldson N. , Jeffery N.D.
Published: November 2012

Background

Loss of urinary control after spinal cord injury increases risk of urinary tract disease and is problematical for owners of affected dogs.

Objectives

To design, implant, and test a sacral nerve stimulating device for controlling urine voiding in paraplegic dogs.

Animals

Nine pet dogs with severe thoracolumbar spinal cord injury causing paraplegia, loss of hindquarter sensation, and incontinence for more than 3 months. The procedure was offered prospectively to owners of suitable candidates after the irreversibility of the incontinence had been ascertained.

Methods

Open label clinical study. Surgically implantable electrode “books” were designed for insertion and retention of mixed sacral nerves. Sacral nerves were accessed via laminectomy and stimulated to test their ability to elicit detrusor contraction and then inserted into the electrode book, which was attached to a subcutaneously implanted, externally activated receiver.

Results

In 8/9 dogs, S2 nerves elicited the largest increases in intravesicular pressure with minimum stimulation and were placed in electrode books. Voiding efficiency was >90% in 8 of the 9 implanted dogs. No important detrimental effects of the procedure were observed.

Conclusions and Clinical Importance

This sacral nerve stimulating implant is a simple and apparently effective neuroprosthetic device that restores urine voiding in paraplegic dogs.
Three‐Dimensional Kinematic Gait Analysis of Doberman Pinschers with and without Cervical Spondylomyelopathy
Authors: Foss K. , da Costa R.C. , Moore S.
Published: November 2012

Background

The optimal treatment of cervical spondylomyelopathy (CSM) is controversial, with the owner's and clinician's perception of gait improvement often being used as outcome measures. These methods are subjective and suffer from observer bias.

Objectives

To establish kinematic gait parameters utilizing digital motion capture in normal Doberman Pinschers and compare them with CSM‐affected Dobermans.

Animals

Nineteen Doberman Pinschers; 10 clinically normal and 9 with CSM.

Methods

All dogs were enrolled prospectively and fitted with a Lycra® body suit, and motion capture was performed and used to reconstruct a 3‐D stick diagram representation of each dog based on 32 reflective markers, from which several parameters were measured. These included stride duration, length, and height; maximal and minimal spinal angles; elbow and stifle flexion and extension; and maximum and minimum distances between the thoracic and pelvic limbs. A random‐effects linear regression model was used to compare parameters between groups.

Results

Significant differences between groups included smaller minimum (mean = 116 mm; P = .024) and maximum (mean = 184 mm; P = .001) distance between the thoracic limbs in CSM‐affected dogs. Additionally, thoracic limb stride duration was also smaller (P = .009) in CSM‐affected dogs (mean = 0.7 seconds) when compared with normal dogs (mean = 0.8 seconds). In the pelvic limbs, the average stifle flexion (mean = 100°; P = .048) and extension (mean = 136°; P = .009), as well as number of strides (mean = 2.7 strides; P = .033) were different between groups.

Conclusions and Clinical Importance

Our findings suggest that computerized gait analysis reveals more consistent kinematic differences in the thoracic limbs, which can be used as future objective outcome measures.
Toxoplasma gondii infection enhances testicular steroidogenesis in rats
Authors: Lim Audrey , Kumar Vineet , Hari Dass Shantala A. , Vyas Ajai
Published: November 2012

The protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii enhances the sexual attractiveness of infected male rats and attenuates the innate fear of cat odour in infected individuals. These behavioural changes plausibly lead to greater transmission of parasites through sexual and trophic routes, respectively. Testosterone, a testicular steroid, is known to reduce fear and enhance sexual attractiveness in males. Here, we show that Toxoplasma gondii infection enhances expression of genes involved in facilitating synthesis of testosterone, resulting in greater testicular testosterone production in male rats. In several species, testosterone mediates trade‐offs between sexually selected traits and life history decisions. Augmentation of testosterone synthesis by Toxoplasma gondii suggests that parasites may manipulate these trade‐offs in rats.
Brassinosteroid production and signaling differentially control cell division and expansion in the leaf
Authors: Zhiponova Miroslava K. , Vanhoutte Isabelle , Boudolf Véronique , Betti Camilla , Dhondt Stijn , Coppens Frederik , Mylle Evelien , Maes Sara , González‐García Mary‐Paz , Caño‐Delgado Ana I. , Inzé Dirk , Beemster Gerrit T. S. , De Veylder Lieven , Russinova Eugenia
Published: November 2012

Brassinosteroid (BR) hormones control plant growth through acting on both cell expansion and division. Here, we examined the role of BRs in leaf growth using the Arabidopsis BR‐deficient mutant constitutive photomorphogenesis and dwarfism (cpd).

We show that the reduced size of cpd leaf blades is a result of a decrease in cell size and number, as well as in venation length and complexity. Kinematic growth analysis and tissue‐specific marker gene expression revealed that the leaf phenotype of cpd is associated with a prolonged cell division phase and delayed differentiation.

cpd‐leaf‐rescue experiments and leaf growth analysis of BR biosynthesis and signaling gain‐of‐function mutants showed that BR production and BR receptor‐dependent signaling differentially control the balance between cell division and expansion in the leaf.

Investigation of cell cycle markers in leaves of cpd revealed the accumulation of mitotic proteins independent of transcription. This correlated with an increase in cyclin‐dependent kinase activity, suggesting a role for BRs in control of mitosis.
Metabolic engineering of plant oils and waxes for use as industrial feedstocks
Authors: Vanhercke Thomas , Wood Craig C. , Stymne Sten , Singh Surinder P. , Green Allan G.
Published: November 2012

Society has come to rely heavily on mineral oil for both energy and petrochemical needs. Plant lipids are uniquely suited to serve as a renewable source of high‐value fatty acids for use as chemical feedstocks and as a substitute for current petrochemicals. Despite the broad variety of acyl structures encountered in nature and the cloning of many genes involved in their biosynthesis, attempts at engineering economic levels of specialty industrial fatty acids in major oilseed crops have so far met with only limited success. Much of the progress has been hampered by an incomplete knowledge of the fatty acid biosynthesis and accumulation pathways. This review covers new insights based on metabolic flux and reverse engineering studies that have changed our view of plant oil synthesis from a mostly linear process to instead an intricate network with acyl fluxes differing between plant species. These insights are leading to new strategies for high‐level production of industrial fatty acids and waxes. Furthermore, progress in increasing the levels of oil and wax structures in storage and vegetative tissues has the potential to yield novel lipid production platforms. The challenge and opportunity for the next decade will be to marry these technologies when engineering current and new crops for the sustainable production of oil and wax feedstocks.
The reflectivity in the S‐band and the broadband ultrasonic spectroscopy as new tools for the study of water relations in Vitis vinifera L.
Authors: Sancho‐Knapik Domingo , Peguero‐Pina José Javier , Medrano Hipólito , Fariñas María Dolores , Álvarez‐Arenas Tomás Gómez , Gil‐Pelegrín Eustaquio
Published: November 2012

The large water requirements of Vitis vinifera L. together with an increase in temperature and drought events imply the need for irrigation in the driest areas of its distribution range. Generous watering may reduce grape quality so irrigation should be precisely regulated through the development of new methods of accurate irrigation scheduling based on plant ‘stress sensing’. Two new methods, the reflectivity in the S‐band and the broadband ultrasonic spectroscopy, can be used as non‐invasive and reproducible techniques for the study of plant water relations in V. vinifera. On one hand, the measurement of reflectance at frequencies around 2.4 GHz gives an excellent accuracy when the changes in the existing area (S) between two reflectance curves are correlated with the relative water content (RWC). On the other hand, an improvement of the broadband ultrasonic spectroscopy based on the enlargement of the analysis frequency window provides, apart from the determination of the turgor loss point (TLP), additional information about the leaves without additional computational cost or additional leaf information requirements. Before TLP, the frequency associated with the maximum transmittance (f/fo), the macroscopic elastic constant of the leaf in the Z direction (c33) and, specially, the variation of the attenuation coefficient with the frequency (n), were highly correlated with changes in RWC. Once turgor is lost, a shift in the parameters directly related to the attenuation of the signal was also observed. The use of both techniques allows for a more convincing knowledge of the water status in V. vinifera.
Modulation of Glycolysis and the Pentose Phosphate Pathway Influences Porcine Oocyte In Vitro Maturation
Authors: Alvarez GM , Ferretti EL , Gutnisky C , Dalvit GC , Cetica PD
Published: November 2012

Contents

Glycolytic and pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) activities were modulated in porcine cumulus–oocyte complexes (COCs) during in vitro maturation (IVM) by the addition of inhibitors or stimulators of key enzymes of the pathways to elucidate their relative participation in oocyte maturation. The activities of glycolysis and PPP were evaluated by lactate production per COC and by the brilliant cresyl blue test, respectively. Glucose uptake per COC and the oocyte maturation rate were also evaluated. Lactate production, glucose uptake and the percentage of oocytes reaching metaphase II decreased in a dose‐dependent manner in the presence of the pharmacological (NaF) or the physiological (ATP) inhibitors of glycolysis (p < 0.05). The addition of the physiological stimulator of glycolysis (AMP) caused no effect on lactate production, glucose uptake or the meiotic maturation rate. The pharmacological (6‐AN) and the physiological (NADPH) inhibitors of PPP induced a dose‐dependent decrease in the percentage of oocytes with high PPP activity and in the nuclear maturation rate (p < 0.05). The physiological stimulator of PPP (NADP) caused no effect on the percentage of oocytes with high PPP activity. The glycolytic and PPP activities of porcine COCs and maturational competence of oocytes seem to be closely related events. This study shows for the first time the regulatory effect of ATP and NADPH as physiological inhibitors of glycolysis and PPP in porcine COCs, respectively. Besides, these pathways seem to reach their maximum activities in porcine COCs during IVM because no further increases were achieved by the presence of AMP or NADP.
Influence of parasitic capacitances on conductive AFM I-V measurements and approaches for its reduction
Authors: Rommel Mathias , Jambreck Joachim D. , Lemberger Martin , Bauer Anton J. , Frey Lothar , Murakami Katsuhisa , Richter Christoph , Weinzierl Philipp
Published: November 2012

Using conductive atomic force microscopy (cAFM), I-V characteristics on dot-like areas can be acquired to study current conduction mechanisms or dielectric breakdown statistics on the nanoscale. However, today such I-V measurements exhibit relatively low sensitivity. It is shown that parasitic capacitances Cpar in the pF range resulting from the cantilever of the probe and the probe holder limit the sensitivity of cAFM. This is proven by the evaluation of different voltage sweep rates sr and the analysis of the influence of measurement position on the sample for both, commercially available probes as well as shielded coplanar probes prepared by focused ion beam. Compared to standard probes, shielded probes show decreased displacement currents and nearly negligible transient effects for the I-V characteristics even at high sweep rates up to 10 V/s. In addition, the influence of the measurement position is much less pronounced for the shielded probes. This means, the increase of Cpar (including the probe holder) when measuring in the center of a large sample compared to measuring at the edge of the sample is around 45% for the shielded probes compared to nearly 85% for standard probes. Here, a simple data evaluation procedure is proposed to correct the measured data for the displacement current, which will strongly improve the effective sensitivity of cAFM especially for high sr, which are preferred to decrease electrical stress during the measurement. However, for higher sr, noise increases and must be reduced in future cAFM systems by additional measures.
Ice-Sheet Response to Oceanic Forcing
Authors: Joughin Ian , Alley Richard B. , Holland David M.
Published: November 2012

Warming and Melting

Mass loss from the ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctica account for a large fraction of global sea-level rise. Part of this loss is because of the effects of warmer air temperatures, and another because of the rising ocean temperatures to which they are being exposed.

Joughin
et al.

(p.
1172
) review how ocean-ice interactions are impacting ice sheets and discuss the possible ways that exposure of floating ice shelves and grounded ice margins are subject to the influences of warming ocean currents. Estimates of the mass balance of the ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctica have differed greatly—in some cases, not even agreeing about whether there is a net loss or a net gain—making it more difficult to project accurately future sea-level change.

Shepherd
et al.

(p.
1183
) combined data sets produced by satellite altimetry, interferometry, and gravimetry to construct a more robust ice-sheet mass balance for the period between 1992 and 2011. All major regions of the two ice sheets appear to be losing mass, except for East Antarctica. All told, mass loss from the polar ice sheets is contributing about 0.6 millimeters per year (roughly 20% of the total) to the current rate of global sea-level rise.
Chemically and Geographically Distinct Solid-Phase Iron Pools in the Southern Ocean
Authors: von der Heyden B. P. , Roychoudhury A. N. , Mtshali T. N. , Tyliszczak T. , Myneni S. C. B.
Published: November 2012

Swimming in Iron Pools

Because iron is essential for marine phytoplankton growth, its availability limits the primary productivity of the oceans. Iron is typically bioavailable only when present in a dissolved state; however, a large fraction of the total iron in the oceans exists as tiny solid-phase particles ranging in size from a few nanometers to a few micrometers.

von der Heyden
et al.

(p.
1199
) used high-resolution x-ray microscopy and spectroscopy to characterize the distribution of iron particles along two transects of the Southern Ocean. Analysis of a number of individual particles reveals strong variation in iron oxidation state, particle mineralogy, and substitution of aluminum for iron—all of which control the solubility, and hence bioavailability, of iron.
A Reconciled Estimate of Ice-Sheet Mass Balance
Authors: Shepherd Andrew , Ivins Erik R. , A Geruo , Barletta Valentina R. , Bentley Mike J. , Bettadpur Srinivas , Briggs Kate H. , Bromwich David H. , Forsberg René , Galin Natalia , Horwath Martin , Jacobs Stan , Joughin Ian , King Matt A. , Lenaerts Jan T. M. , Li Jilu , Ligtenberg Stefan R. M. , Luckman Adrian , Luthcke Scott B. , McMillan Malcolm , Meister Rakia , Milne Glenn , Mouginot Jeremie , Muir Alan , Nicolas Julien P. , Paden John , Payne Antony J. , Pritchard Hamish , Rignot Eric , Rott Helmut , Sørensen Louise Sandberg , Scambos Ted A. , Scheuchl Bernd , Schrama Ernst J. O. , Smith Ben , Sundal Aud V. , van Angelen Jan H. , van de Berg Willem J. , van den Broeke Michiel R. , Vaughan David G. , Velicogna Isabella , Wahr John , Whitehouse Pippa L. , Wingham Duncan J. , Yi Donghui , Young Duncan , Zwally H. Jay
Published: November 2012

Warming and Melting

Mass loss from the ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctica account for a large fraction of global sea-level rise. Part of this loss is because of the effects of warmer air temperatures, and another because of the rising ocean temperatures to which they are being exposed.

Joughin
et al.

(p.
1172
) review how ocean-ice interactions are impacting ice sheets and discuss the possible ways that exposure of floating ice shelves and grounded ice margins are subject to the influences of warming ocean currents. Estimates of the mass balance of the ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctica have differed greatly—in some cases, not even agreeing about whether there is a net loss or a net gain—making it more difficult to project accurately future sea-level change.

Shepherd
et al.

(p.
1183
) combined data sets produced by satellite altimetry, interferometry, and gravimetry to construct a more robust ice-sheet mass balance for the period between 1992 and 2011. All major regions of the two ice sheets appear to be losing mass, except for East Antarctica. All told, mass loss from the polar ice sheets is contributing about 0.6 millimeters per year (roughly 20% of the total) to the current rate of global sea-level rise.
An Exon Splice Enhancer Primes IGF2:IGF2R Binding Site Structure and Function Evolution
Authors: Williams Christopher , Hoppe Hans-Jürgen , Rezgui Dellel , Strickland Madeleine , Forbes Briony E. , Grutzner Frank , Frago Susana , Ellis Rosamund Z. , Wattana-Amorn Pakorn , Prince Stuart N. , Zaccheo Oliver J. , Nolan Catherine M. , Mungall Andrew J. , Jones E. Yvonne , Crump Matthew P. , Hassan A. Bassim
Published: November 2012

Parental genetic conflict may have exploited changes in the coding of a protein loop in a growth factor receptor.
Integrating the Captive and the Wild
Authors: Redford Kent H. , Jensen Deborah B. , Breheny James J.
Published: November 2012

Modern conservation management increasingly integrates approaches developed in zoos with those from the wild to actively manage populations.
LEGO-like DNA Structures
Authors: Gothelf Kurt V.
Published: November 2012

DNA “bricks” consisting of short sequences of single-stranded DNA self-assemble into a wide variety of shapes.
News Flash: X-ray Laser Produces First Protein Structure
Authors: Cho Adrian
Published: November 2012

For the first time, an ultraintense x-ray laser has revealed the previously unknown atomic-scale structure of a protein, researchers report online today in
Science
.
Crusader Crisis: How Conquest Transformed Northern Europe
Authors: Curry Andrew
Published: November 2012

A novel interdisciplinary project shows how medieval crusaders, with their new way of life, suddenly changed the ecology of northern Europe.
Matriptase, HAT, and TMPRSS2 Activate the Hemagglutinin of H9N2 Influenza A Viruses
Authors: Baron Joanna , Tarnow Carolin , Mayoli-Nüssle Deborah , Schilling Eva , Meyer Daniela , Hammami Maya , Schwalm Folker , Steinmetzer Torsten , Guan Yi , Garten Wolfgang , Klenk Hans-Dieter , Böttcher-Friebertshäuser Eva
Published: November 2012

Influenza A viruses of the subtype H9N2 circulate worldwide and have become highly prevalent in poultry in many countries. Moreover, they are occasionally transmitted to humans, raising concern about their pandemic potential. Influenza virus infectivity requires cleavage of the surface glycoprotein hemagglutinin (HA) at a distinct cleavage site by host cell proteases. H9N2 viruses vary remarkably in the amino acid sequence at the cleavage site, and many isolates from Asia and the Middle East possess the multibasic motifs R-S-S-R and R-S-R-R, but are not activated by furin. Here, we investigated proteolytic activation of the early H9N2 isolate A/turkey/Wisconsin/1/66 (H9-Wisc) and two recent Asian isolates, A/quail/Shantou/782/00 (H9-782) and A/quail/Shantou/2061/00 (H9-2061), containing mono-, di-, and tribasic HA cleavage sites, respectively. All H9N2 isolates were activated by human proteases TMPRSS2 (transmembrane protease, serine S1 member 2) and HAT (human airway trypsin-like protease). Interestingly, H9-782 and H9-2061 were also activated by matriptase, a protease widely expressed in most epithelia with high expression levels in the kidney. Nephrotropism of H9N2 viruses has been observed in chickens, and here we found that H9-782 and H9-2061 were proteolytically activated in canine kidney (MDCK-II) and chicken embryo kidney (CEK) cells, whereas H9-Wisc was not. Virus activation was inhibited by peptide-mimetic inhibitors of matriptase, strongly suggesting that matriptase is responsible for HA cleavage in these kidney cells. Our data demonstrate that H9N2 viruses with R-S-S-R or R-S-R-R cleavage sites are activated by matriptase in addition to HAT and TMPRSS2 and, therefore, can be activated in a wide range of tissues what may affect virus spread, tissue tropism and pathogenicity.
Cervical degenerative intraspinal cyst: a case report and literature review involving 132 cases
Authors: Machino Masaaki , Yukawa Yasutsugu , Ito Keigo , Kato Fumihiko
Published: November 2012

Intraspinal and extradural cysts in the cervical spine are rare disorders that may cause myelopathy or radiculopathy. A synovial cyst or ganglion derived from the facet joint and that from a ligamentum flavum have been reported. We report a surgical case of degenerative intraspinal cyst, causing cervical myelopathy. MRI of a case revealed cystic lesion at C4–5. Spinal cord was compressed by cyst and symptoms of myelopathy were also observed. The patient with cervical spinal canal stenosis underwent laminoplasty and excision of the cyst. The patient recovered well immediately after the surgery. Literature review showed that 133 patients have been reported, including the present case. Previous reports indicated that most cysts occurred in old patients and at the atlanto–axial or C7–T1 junction, and laminectomy or laminoplasty with excision of the cyst gave good results in most cases.
Return to play? Athletes with congenital long QT syndrome
Authors: Johnson Jonathan N , Ackerman Michael J
Published: November 2012

Background

Competitive sports participation for athletes with congenital long QT syndrome (LQTS) is guided by the 2005 36th Bethesda Conference and the 2005 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guidelines. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and outcomes of patients with LQTS who chose to remain athletes following their diagnosis.

Methods

Records of all patients between 6 and 40 years of age who were first evaluated in Mayo Clinic's LQTS Clinic from July 2000 to November 2010 were reviewed, for documentation of athletic participation after LQTS diagnosis and LQTS-related events during follow-up. Average follow-up was 5.5±3.4 years.

Results

The cohort included 353 patients with LQTS (199 females, mean age 17±11 years, mean QTc 472±42 ms), of whom 182 had LQT1, 130 had LQT2, 37 had LQT3 and 4 had multiple LQTS mutations. The majority of patients (223, 63%) were either not involved in sports (88%) or chose to discontinue sports (12%) following evaluation. 130 patients (37%, 60 females, mean age 11±7 years, mean QTc 471±46 ms) remained in competitive athletics, including 20 with implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs). Of these 130, 70 (54%) were genotype-positive/phenotype-negative and competing contrary to ESC guidelines but within the Bethesda guidelines. None of these athletes had a sport-related event. Of the 60 LQTS athletes continuing in sports contrary to both the Bethesda and ESC guidelines (genotype-positive/phenotype-positive), only one had a sporting-related event with appropriate ICD shock.

Conclusions

Athletes and their families are fully capable of self-disqualification. Among those athletes with LQTS who chose to remain in competitive sports, a low rate of cardiac events and no deaths were observed in over 650 athlete-years of follow-up. Current guideline-based recommendations for disqualification may be excessive for this disease.
Climate change, fisheries, and aquaculture: trends and consequences for Canadian marine biodiversity1This manuscript is a companion paper to Vander Zwaag et al. (doi:10.1139/a2012-013) and Hutchings et al. (doi:10.1139/er-2012-0049) also appearing in this issue. These three papers comprise an edited version of a February 2012 Royal Society of Canada Expert Panel Report.
Authors: Hutchings Jeffrey A. , Côté Isabelle M. , Dodson Julian J. , Fleming Ian A. , Jennings S. , Mantua Nathan J. , Peterman Randall M. , Riddell Brian E. , Weaver Andrew J.
Published: November 2012

Climate change, fishing, and aquaculture have affected and will continue to influence Canadian marine biodiversity, albeit at different spatial scales. The Arctic is notably affected by reduced quality and quantity of sea ice caused by global warming, and by concomitant and forecasted changes in ocean productivity, species ecology, and human activity. The Atlantic has been especially impacted by severe overfishing and human-induced alterations to food webs. Climate change, fishing, and aquaculture have all affected, to varying degrees, biodiversity on Canada’s Pacific coast. Past and projected trends in key biodiversity stressors reveal marked change. Oceanographic trends include increasing surface water temperatures, reduced salinity, increased acidity, and, in some areas, reduced oxygen. Reductions in Canada’s fishery catches (those in 2009 were half those of the late 1980s), followed by reductions in fishing pressure, are associated with dramatic changes in the species composition of commercial catches in the Atlantic (formerly groundfish, now predominantly invertebrates and pelagic fish) and the Pacific (formerly salmon, now predominantly groundfish). Aquaculture, dominated by the farming of Atlantic salmon, grew rapidly from the early 1980s until 2002 and has since stabilized. Climate change is forecast to affect marine biodiversity by shifting species distributions, changing species community composition, decoupling the timing of species’ resource requirements and resource availability, and reducing habitat quality. Harvest-related reductions in fish abundance, many by 80% or more, coupled with fishing-induced changes to food webs, are impairing the capacity of species to recover or even persist. Open-sea aquaculture net pens affect biodiversity by (i) habitat alteration resulting from organic wastes, chemical inputs, and use of nonnative species; (ii) exchange of pathogens between farmed and wild species; and (iii) interbreeding between wild fish and farmed escapees. Physical and biological changes in the oceans, along with direct anthropogenic impacts, are modifying Canadian marine biodiversity with implications for food security and the social and economic well-being of coastal communities. To assess the consequences of changes in biodiversity for Canada’s oceans and society, it is necessary to understand the current state of marine biodiversity and how it might be affected by projected changes in climate and human uses.
Construction of an evaluation system for selecting an appropriate waterproofing method for the roof of a building
Authors: Choi Sung-Min , Oh Sang-Keun , Seo Chee-Ho
Published: November 2012

In this study, the discussion focus on the analysis of evaluation systems for selecting an appropriate waterproofing method, which involves a series of decision-making processes for providing unbiased, methodical, and suitable grounds to facilitate the final decision of the house owner. Thus, the research can potentially develop a decomposable model for validation and a deployable application model for the construction and performance-based design of materials. This paper has determined the performance evaluation criteria of 28 items and the evaluation index that is derived from the application of the value engineering procedure through the analysis for selecting the appropriate waterproofing method, and made a cost evaluation model of the risk based weighted life cycle cost so that life cycle cost evaluation can be performed in consideration of the risk.
Hydraulic geometry and resistance to flow in headwater streams in the Northwest Territories, Canada
Authors: Baki Abul Basar M. , Zhu David Z. , Courtice Gregory
Published: November 2012

Hydraulic geometry and resistance to flow of headwater streams in the Northwest Territories of Canada are presented in this paper. Power functions describe at-a-station hydraulic geometry relationships very well, where positive exponents of width, depth, and velocity have mean values of 0.14, 0.17, and 0.65, respectively. These values were found to be lower, much lower, and higher than corresponding mean values of width, depth, and velocity exponents found in the literature. The mean velocity exponent is greater than mean width and depth exponents combined, demonstrating the dominant role of velocity in accommodating varying discharge in all streams evaluated in this study. Darcy–Weisbach resistance factor (f) and Manning’s n individually vary over three orders of magnitude, 1.0–267 and 0.085–1.37, respectively. Despite large ranges, hydraulic relations are described effectively through power equations and Keulegan function curves fitted for each section.
DETAILED ANALYSIS OF p+p ELASTIC SCATTERING DATA IN THE QUARK–DIQUARK MODEL OF BIALAS AND BZDAK FROM $\sqrt{s} = 23.5~{\rm GeV}$ TO 7 TeV
Authors: NEMES F. , CSÖRGŐ T.
Published: November 2012

Final results of a detailed analysis of p+p elastic scattering data are presented, utilizing the quark–diquark model of protons in a form proposed by Bialas and Bzdak. The differential cross-section of elastic proton–proton collisions is analyzed in a detailed and systematic manner at small momentum transfers, starting from the energy range of CERN ISR at [Formula: see text], including also recent TOTEM data at the present LHC energies at [Formula: see text]. These studies confirm the picture that the size of proton increases systematically with increasing energies, while the size of the constituent quarks and diquarks remains approximately independent of (or only increases slightly with) the colliding energy. The detailed analysis indicates correlations between model parameters and also indicates an increasing role of shadowing at LHC energies. Within the investigated class of models, a simple and model-independent phenomenological relation was discovered that connects the total p+p scattering cross-section to the effective quark, diquark size and their average separation. Our best fits indicate that the relative error of this phenomenological relation is 10–15% in the considered energy range.
RNAiFOLD: A CONSTRAINT PROGRAMMING ALGORITHM FOR RNA INVERSE FOLDING AND MOLECULAR DESIGN
Authors: GARCIA-MARTIN JUAN ANTONIO , CLOTE PETER , DOTU IVAN
Published: November 2012

Synthetic biology is a rapidly emerging discipline with long-term ramifications that range from single-molecule detection within cells to the creation of synthetic genomes and novel life forms. Truly phenomenal results have been obtained by pioneering groups — for instance, the combinatorial synthesis of genetic networks, genome synthesis using BioBricks, and hybridization chain reaction (HCR), in which stable DNA monomers assemble only upon exposure to a target DNA fragment, biomolecular self-assembly pathways, etc. Such work strongly suggests that nanotechnology and synthetic biology together seem poised to constitute the most transformative development of the 21st century. In this paper, we present a Constraint Programming (CP) approach to solve the RNA inverse folding problem. Given a target RNA secondary structure, we determine an RNA sequence which folds into the target structure; i.e. whose minimum free energy structure is the target structure. Our approach represents a step forward in RNA design — we produce the first complete RNA inverse folding approach which allows for the specification of a wide range of design constraints. We also introduce a Large Neighborhood Search approach which allows us to tackle larger instances at the cost of losing completeness, while retaining the advantages of meeting design constraints (motif, GC-content, etc.). Results demonstrate that our software, RNAiFold, performs as well or better than all state-of-the-art approaches; nevertheless, our approach is unique in terms of completeness, flexibility, and the support of various design constraints. The algorithms presented in this paper are publicly available via the interactive webserver http://bioinformatics.bc.edu/clotelab/RNAiFold ; additionally, the source code can be downloaded from that site.
ENGLERT-TYPE SOLUTIONS OF d = 11 SUPERGRAVITY
Authors: LOGINOV E. K.
Published: November 2012

A family of geometries on S7 arise as solutions of the classical equations of motion in 11 dimensions. In addition to the conventional Riemannian geometry and the two exceptional Cartan–Schouten compact flat geometries with torsion, one can also obtain non-flat geometries with torsion. This torsion is given locally by the structure constants of a non-associative geodesic loop in the affinely connected space.
Technology-driven limits on runtime power management algorithms for multiprocessor systems-on-chip
Authors: Garg Siddharth , Marculescu Diana , Marculescu Radu
Published: November 2012

Runtime power management is a critical technique for reducing the energy footprint of digital electronic devices and enabling sustainable computing, since it allows electronic devices to dynamically adapt their power and energy consumption to meet performance requirements. In this article, we consider the case of MultiProcessor Systems-on-Chip (MPSoC) implemented using multiple Voltage and Frequency Islands (VFIs) relying on fine-grained Dynamic Voltage and Frequency Scaling (DVFS) to reduce the system power dissipation. In particular, we present a framework to theoretically analyze the impact of three important technology-driven constraints; (i) reliability-driven upper limits on the maximum supply voltage; (ii) inductive noise-driven constraints on the maximum rate of change of voltage/frequency; and (iii) the impact of manufacturing process variations on the performance of DVFS control for multiple VFI MPSoCs. The proposed analysis is general, in the sense that it is not bound to a specific DVFS control algorithm, but instead focuses on theoretically bounding the performance that any DVFS controller can possibly achieve. Our experimental results on real and synthetic benchmarks show that in the presence of reliability- and temperature-driven constraints on the maximum frequency and maximum frequency increment, any DVFS control algorithm will lose up to 87% performance in terms of the number of steps required to reach a reference steady state. In addition, increasing process variations can lead to up to 60% of fabricated chips being unable to meet the specified DVFS control specifications, irrespective of the DVFS algorithm used. Nonetheless, we note that although conventional DVFS might become less effective with technology scaling, it will continue to play an important role in the context of emerging power management techniques, for example, for massively parallel multiprocessor systems where only a subset of cores can be turned on at any given point of time due to total power constraints.
Energy-efficient markov chain-based duty cycling schemes for greener wireless sensor networks
Authors: Ghidini Giacomo , Das Sajal K.
Published: November 2012

To extend the lifetime of a wireless sensor network, sensor nodes usually duty cycle between dormant and active states. Duty cycling schemes are often evaluated in terms of connection delay, connection duration, and duty cycle. In this article, we show with experiments on Sun SPOT sensors that duty cycling time (energy) efficiency, that is, the ratio of time (energy) employed in ancillary operations when switching from and into deep sleep mode, is an important performance metric too. We propose a novel randomized duty cycling scheme based on Markov chains with the goal of (i) reducing the connection delay, while maintaining a given time (energy) efficiency, or (ii) keeping a constant connection delay, while increasing the time (energy) efficiency. Analytical and experimental results demonstrate that the Markov chain-based scheme can improve the performance in terms of connection delay without affecting the time efficiency, or vice versa, as opposed to the trade-off observed in traditional schemes. We extend the proposed duty cycling scheme to a partially randomized scheme, where wireless nodes can switch into active state beyond their schedules when their neighbors are active to anticipate message forwarding. The analytical and experimental results confirm the relationship between connection delay and time efficiency also for this scheme.