bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Locating two novel genes for resistance to powdery mildew from Avena byzantina in the oat genome
Authors: Herrmann Matthias Heinrich , Mohler Volker 
Published: November 2018

AbstractPowdery mildew of oats is a major threat to intensive oat farming under humid climate, and the use of resistant cultivars is the most environmentally friendly way of achieving safe yields. In this study, the genetic mapping of unexplored resistance genes from Avena byzantina accessions AVE2406 and AVE2925, designated Pm9 and Pm10, is described. Both accessions were crossed with susceptible cultivars, and monogenic segregation was established based on detached leaf segment tests. The two recombinant inbred line (RIL) populations RIL29 (with AVE2925) and RIL24 (with AVE2406) were phenotyped for powdery mildew resistance and genotyped with DArTseq. The genetic map of RIL24 had 2,516 markers in 30 linkage groups with a length of 2,641.5 cM; for RIL29, 921 markers were allocated to 30 linkage groups totalling to 1,378.2 cM. A major resistance QTL in RIL24 harbouring Pm9 was mapped to Mrg21 of the consensus map using BLASTn analysis. For RIL29, a QTL was found on Mrg03. The results support that at least Pm9 is different from the powdery mildew resistance genes mapped so far.
Functional traits but not environmental gradients explain seed weight in Mongolian plant species
Authors: Amartuvshin N. , Hülber K. , Plutzar C. , Tserenbaljid G. 
Published: November 2018

Abstract

Seed weight varies by several orders of magnitude among vascular plant species. However, the importance of potential drivers such as environmental conditions and plant functional traits have rarely been assessed for a larger taxonomic sample.

We collected seeds of 148 species from 237 sites spread across Mongolia and compared their weight among the major zonal vegetation types, taxonomic groups and a set of functional traits (growth form, dispersal mode, fruit type, storage organs and palatability).

Seed weight strongly varied among all functional traits and taxonomic groups, but no differences among vegetation zones were detected.

These results suggest a low impact of environmental conditions on the evolution of seed weight, contrasting the strong phylogenetic signal.
A comparison of the uterine proteome of mares in oestrus and dioestrus
Authors: Maloney Shawn‐Elizabeth , Khan Firdous A. , Chenier Tracy S. , Diel de Amorim Mariana , Anthony Hayes Michael , Scholtz Elizabeth L. 
Published: November 2018

ContentsProteomic analysis of mare uterine flush fluid provides a minimally invasive technique for studying protein changes associated with the oestrous cycle. The aim of this study was to identify differentially abundant proteins in the uterine flush fluid of mares in oestrus and dioestrus. In this study, uterine flush fluid samples were collected from eight reproductively healthy mares in either oestrus (n = 5) or dioestrus (n = 3). Proteomic analysis was performed using liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry. Of 172 proteins identified, six proteins (immunoglobulin lambda‐like polypeptide 1, haemoglobin subunit alpha, alpha‐1B‐glycoprotein, serotransferrin, apolipoprotein A‐1, and haemoglobin subunit beta) were significantly more abundant in oestrus. These proteins may contribute to the endometrial defence system through roles in inflammation, immunity or antimicrobial activity. In other species, some of these proteins have been described as immunoglobulins, negative acute phase proteins or defence agents against micro‐organisms. During dioestrus, immunoglobulin alpha‐1 chain C region‐related, complement factor I, CD 109 antigen and uterocalin, were significantly more abundant. Research in other species suggests that these four proteins contribute to the immune response through proposed immunoregulatory characteristics, complement system involvement or roles in B cell–T cell interactions. In conclusion, ten differentially abundant proteins were identified in the uterine flush fluid of mares in oestrus and dioestrus. Targeted studies on these proteins could elucidate their role in uterine defence mechanisms during the oestrous cycle in the mare.
Getting western: biogeographical analysis of morphological variation, mitochondrial haplotypes and nuclear markers reveals cryptic species and hybrid zones in the Junonia butterflies of the American southwest and Mexico
Authors: Lalonde Melanie M.L. , Marcus Jeffrey M. 
Published: November 2018

AbstractThe American southwest and northern Mexico has a great degree of endemic diversity compared with the rest of North America. The Pleistocene glaciations and the dispersal of species from glacial refuges in this region have been important engines for the production of biodiversity in the region. The New World Junonia are a recent radiation of butterflies that are thought to have spent time in these refuges during periods of glacial advancement. We have reconstructed the plausible movements and the contemporary geographic distributions of the five taxa (J. coenia, J. grisea, J. litoralis, J. nigrosuffusa and J. zonalis) that occur in the American southwest and northern Mexico using phenotypic and genotypic information primarily from specimens preserved in museum collections, supplemented with additional contemporary collections. Evidence of cryptic species and hybridization events were observed using mitochondrial haplotypes, genotypic variation at the nuclear wingless locus, multilocus DNA fingerprinting, patterns of larval host plant use, variation in life‐history traits and morphological characteristics. Based on these lines of evidence, and in spite of low levels of hybridization between them, we argue that all five Junonia taxa are independent evolutionary lineages. Junonia grisea and J. coenia are morphologically very similar, but differences in morphology, life‐history traits, nuclear genotypes and mitochondrial haplotypes suggest that they are a cryptic species pair, thus elevating J. grisea comb.n. to a full species when it had previously been considered to be a subspecies of J. coenia.
Arabidopsis E2Fc is required for the DNA damage response under UV‐B radiation epistatically over the microRNA396 and independently of E2Fe
Authors: Gómez María S. , Falcone Ferreyra María L. , Sheridan María L. , Casati Paula 
Published: November 2018

SummaryUV‐B radiation inhibits plant growth, and this inhibition is, to a certain extent, regulated by miR396‐mediated repression of Growth Regulating Transcription factors (GRFs). Moreover, E2Fe transcription factor also modulates Arabidopsis leaf growth. Here, we provide evidence that, at UV‐B intensities that induce DNA damage, E2Fc participates in the inhibition of cell proliferation. We demonstrate that E2Fc‐deficient plants show a lower inhibition of leaf size under UV‐B conditions that damage DNA, decreased cell death after exposure and altered SOG1 and ATR expression. Interestingly, the previously reported participation of E2Fe in UV‐B responses, which is a transcriptional target of E2Fc, is independent and different from that described for E2Fc. Conversely, we here demonstrate that E2Fc has an epistatic role over the miR396 pathway under UV‐B conditions. Finally, we show that inhibition of cell proliferation by UV‐B is independent of the regulation of class II TCP transcription factors. Together, our results demonstrate that E2Fc is required for miR396 activity on cell proliferation under UV‐B, and that its role is independent of E2Fe, probably modulating DNA damage responses through the regulation of SOG1 and ATR transcript levels.
De novo genome assembly of the stress tolerant forest species Casuarina equisetifolia provides insight into secondary growth
Authors: Ye Gongfu , Zhang Hangxiao , Chen Bihua , Nie Sen , Liu Hai , Gao Wei , Wang Huiyuan , Gao Yubang , Gu Lianfeng 
Published: November 2018

SummaryCasuarina equisetifolia (C. equisetifolia), a conifer‐like angiosperm with resistance to typhoon and stress tolerance, is mainly cultivated in the coastal areas of Australasia. C. equisetifolia, making it a valuable model to study secondary growth associated genes and stress‐tolerance traits. However, the genome sequence is unavailable and therefore wood‐associated growth rate and stress resistance at the molecular level is largely unexplored. We therefore constructed a high‐quality draft genome sequence of C. equisetifolia by a combination of Illumina second‐generation sequencing reads and Pacific Biosciences single‐molecule real‐time (SMRT) long reads to advance the investigation of this species. Here, we report the genome assembly, which contains approximately 300 megabases (Mb) and scaffold size of N50 is 1.06 Mb. Additionally, gene annotation, assisted by a combination of prediction and RNA‐seq data, generated 29 827 annotated protein‐coding genes and 1983 non‐coding genes, respectively. Furthermore, we found that the total number of repetitive sequences account for one‐third of the genome assembly. Here we also construct the genome‐wide map of DNA modification, such as two novel forms N6‐adenine (6mA) and N4‐methylcytosine (4mC) at the level of single‐nucleotide resolution using single‐molecule real‐time (SMRT) sequencing. Interestingly, we found that 17% of 6mA modification genes and 15% of 4mC modification genes also included alternative splicing events. Finally, we investigated cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin‐related genes, which were associated with secondary growth and contained different DNA modifications. The high‐quality genome sequence and annotation of C. equisetifolia in this study provide a valuable resource to strengthen our understanding of the diverse traits of trees.
Why has the United States continued to receive net investment income as a debtor country?
Authors: Hung Juann H. , Chang Yu‐Yun 
Published: November 2018

AbstractWhy has the United States been able to keep receiving net international investment income as a debtor country? Several authors have pointed out that it is because US direct investments abroad have been generating better returns than have foreign direct investments in the United States. However, there is no consensus on why this is the case. This paper investigates this issue by conducting panel regressions to identify the main determinants of return on US direct investment abroad (RUSDIA) and those of return on foreign direct investment in the United States (RFDIUS), using data from 49 countries over the 1994–2013 period. Our findings suggest that the largest contributor to the RUSDIA‐RFDIUS gap is USDIA's advantage in the internalisation effect, which more than offset any negative age effect. The second largest contributor is income‐shifting activities by US‐controlled MNCs aiming to lower their overall tax payments. The third contributor is the negative age effect of inward FDI in the United States, which more than offset its weak internalisation effect. Altogether, those effects account for about 50% of the average return gap from 1994 to 2013. The contribution of the risk‐compensation hypothesis to the return gap is negligible.
Effect of High Pressure Carbon Dioxide Exposure on the Permeation Properties of Asymmetric Polysulfone Membranes for Gas Separation
Authors: Ismail A. F. , Wong L. , Matsuura T. 
Published: November 2018

In this study, the dependence of permeability on the feed pressure for glassy asymmetric polysulfone membranes has been investigated. Pure CO2 and CH4 were used as test gases. In pure gas experiments with CO2, the untreated membrane showed that the carbon dioxide permeation rate increased with increasing feed pressure from one bar onwards. This is because carbon dioxide behaves as a plasticizing agent by expanding the polymer lattice and increased the frequency of molecular motions of the polymer. Moreover, high carbon dioxide concentration in the polymer film disrupts the chain packing, thereby leading to a larger free volume and enhanced rates of segmental motions. Due to swelling of the polymer matrix, the structure of the polymer matrix is loosened and consequently polymer chains become more flexible. For the treated membrane, the permeability of carbon dioxide does not increase with feed pressure but gives a steady state value over the feed pressure ranges investigated. This was in agreement with scanning electron microscopy studies, which revealed that heat treatment densified the membrane skin layer. Thus, a subsequent heat treatment to the membrane is necessary in suppressing the plasticization effect.
Optimization of Polyetherimide Based CMS Membranes Preparation Conditions for CO2/CH4 Selectivit
Authors: Ahmad M. A. , Rashid N. K. A. , Hameed B. H. 
Published: November 2018

Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to determine the optimum preparation conditions of polyetherimide based carbon molecular sieve (CMS) membranes. Two quadratic models were developed to correlate the pyrolysis temperature, pyrolysis time and polymer concentration to the responses; CO2 permeance and CO2/CH4permselectivity. According to the optimization analysis, the optimum preparation conditions were obtained by using pyrolysis temperature of 725°C, pyrolysis time of 3.0 h and polymer concentration of 8.52%, which resulted in CO2 permeance and CO2/CH4 permselectivity of 3.61×10–10 mol/m2.s.Pa and 4.35, respectively.
Firing properties of ventral medullary respiratory neurons in sino‐aortic denervated rats
Authors: Amorim Mateus R. , Pena Rodrigo F. O. , Souza George M. P. R. , Bonagamba Leni G. H. , Roque Antônio C. , Machado Benedito H. 
Published: November 2018

New Findings
What is the central question of this study?
After sino‐aortic denervation (SAD), rats present normal levels of mean arterial pressure (MAP), high MAP variability and changes in breathing. However, mechanisms involved in SAD‐induced respiratory changes and their impact on the modulation of sympathetic activity remain unclear. Herein, we characterized the firing frequency of medullary respiratory neurons after SAD.

What is the main finding and its importance?
Sino‐aortic denervation‐induced prolonged inspiration was associated with a reduced interburst frequency of pre‐inspiratory/inspiratory neurons and an increased long‐term variability of late inspiratory neurons, but no changes were observed in the ramp‐inspiratory and post‐inspiratory neurons. This imbalance in the respiratory network might contribute to the modulation of sympathetic activity after SAD.

AbstractIn previous studies, we documented that after sino‐aortic denervation (SAD) in rats there are significant changes in the breathing pattern, but no significant changes in sympathetic activity and mean arterial pressure compared with sham‐operated rats. However, the neural mechanisms involved in the respiratory changes after SAD and the extent to which they might contribute to the observed normal sympathetic activity and mean arterial pressure remain unclear. Here, we hypothesized that after SAD, rats present with changes in the firing frequency of the ventral medullary inspiratory and post‐inspiratory neurons. To test this hypothesis, male Wistar rats underwent SAD or sham surgery and 3 days later were surgically prepared for an in situ experiment. The duration of inspiration significantly increased in SAD rats. During inspiration, the total firing frequency of ramp‐inspiratory, pre‐inspiratory/inspiratory and late‐inspiratory neurons was not different between groups. During post‐inspiration, the total firing frequency of post‐inspiratory neurons was also not different between groups. Furthermore, the data demonstrate a reduced interburst frequency of pre‐inspiratory/inspiratory neurons and an increased long‐term variability of late‐inspiratory neurons in SAD compared with sham‐operated rats. These findings indicate that the SAD‐induced prolongation of inspiration was not accompanied by alterations in the total firing frequency of the ventral medullary respiratory neurons, but it was associated with changes in the long‐term variability of late‐inspiratory neurons. We suggest that the timing imbalance in the respiratory network in SAD rats might contribute to the modulation of presympathetic neurons after removal of baroreceptor afferents.
A Novel Method of Assessment for Monitoring Neuromuscular Fatigue in Australian Rules Football Players
Authors: Garrett Joel , Graham Stuart R. , Eston Roger G. , Burgess Darren J. , Garrett Lachlan J. , Jakeman John , Norton Kevin 
Published: November 2018

Purpose: To compare the sensitivity of a submaximal run test (SRT) with a countermovement-jump test (CMJ) to provide an alternative method of measuring neuromuscular fatigue (NMF) in high-performance sport. Methods: A total of 23 professional and semiprofessional Australian rules football players performed an SRT and CMJ test prematch and 48 and 96 h postmatch. Variables from accelerometers recorded during the SRT were player load 1D up (vertical vector), player load 1D side (mediolateral vector), and player load 1D forward (anteroposterior vector). Meaningful difference was examined through magnitude-based inferences (effect size [ES]), with reliability assessed as typical error of measurements expressed as coefficient of variance. Results: A small decrease in CMJ height, ES −0.43 ± 0.39 (likely), was observed 48 h postmatch before returning to baseline 96 h postmatch. This was accompanied by corresponding moderate decreases in the SRT variables player load 1D up, ES −0.60 ± 0.51 (likely), and player load 1D side, ES −0.74 ± 0.57 (likely), 48 h postmatch before also returning to prematch baseline. Conclusion: The results suggest that in the presence of NMF, players use an alternative running profile to produce the same external output (ie, time). This indicates that changes in accelerometer variables during an SRT can be used as an alternative method of measuring NMF in high-performance Australian rules football and provides a flexible option for monitoring changes in the recovery phase postmatch.
Onset age of deglaciation following the Last Glacial Maximum in New York State based on radiocarbon ages of mammalian megafauna
Authors: Feranec Robert S. , Kozlowski Andrew L. 
Published: November 2018

ABSTRACT
Developing accurate chronologies is important for understanding the formation and evolution of glacial environments in the Quaternary. Radiocarbon dating is a prominent technique for creating chronologies for glacial events during the late Pleistocene, and although radiocarbon dates from vertebrate fossils are relatively abundant, these dates have been underutilized for timing glacial events. Here, the utility of using radiocarbon dates from large mammal fossils for dating glacial events is explored further. Specifically, this study examines the potential of exclusive use of dated mammal remains to establish a chronology of deglaciation in New York State after the Last Glacial Maximum. We predict the earliest occurrence dates of megafauna to represent a minimum age for the initiation of deglaciation because glacial ice would have needed to have melted for plants and animals to begin to inhabit the state. We also predict dates to progress to more recent ages from south to north following recession of the Laurentide ice sheet. The data support these predictions. The earliest occurrence dates for mammoth and caribou, the suspected first large mammal species to occur within the state, are between 17,470 and 16,430 calibrated yr B.P. These dates imply first occurrence of large mammals in New York State and thus a minimum age of deglaciation beginning ca. 17,000 calibrated yr B.P. Because of the likely delay between the timing of deglaciation and the first mammal inhabitants of the state, this date must be viewed as a minimum age, with deglaciation having occurred sometime prior to this age. Comparing south to north, as an indicator of glacial regression, dates from New York State south of 42°N latitude are earlier compared to dates collected north of this latitude. This progression of dates from south to north supports the prediction that megafauna expanded northward following recession of the Laurentide ice sheet, and it implies that radiocarbon-dated mammalian megafauna data are useful, even exclusively, in identifying the timing of certain glacial events.
Hydrogeologic modeling supported by geologic mapping in three dimensions: Do the details really matter?
Authors: Medina Cristian R. , Letsinger Sally L. , Olyphant Greg A. 
Published: November 2018

Abstract
A detailed geologic framework model was utilized for groundwater analysis using a fully three-dimensional variably saturated flow model. The geologic framework model, which was developed by a team of glacial geologists from federal and state geological surveys, was fully three-dimensional and did not contain the usual (unrealistic) assumption of widespread aquifer layers separated by leaky aquitard layers of equal extent. The goal of the analysis was to explore the implications of the new generation of geologic framework models for regional groundwater flow, and particularly, groundwater–surface water interactions. A transient numerical simulation, using infiltration at the ground surface as a boundary condition, revealed rich flow complexity, including: (1) widespread, yet patchy, recharge areas with rates that vary through several orders of magnitude, with the recharge rates being statistically correlated to hydraulic conductivity of the vadose zone sediments, elevation, and ground surface slope; (2) the predominance of local flow systems, resulting in an abundance of seepage zones along the sides of the incised (postglacial) stream valleys, and other manifestations of the high water table and strong groundwater–surface water interaction, such as kettle lakes and wetlands; and (3) existence of partially confined aquifers owing to partial burial of deltaic deposits by moraines and lake-bottom deposits having slow vertical permeability. Taken together, these findings support the need for, and value of, high-resolution geologic framework models and the potential fruitful outcome of strong collaboration between glacial geologists and groundwater modelers.
Beginning with mineralogy: Ellen Swallow Richards and earth system science
Authors: Schneiderman Jill S. 
Published: November 2018

ABSTRACT
In this paper, I examine the work of Ellen Henrietta Swallow Richards who is known more commonly to some individuals as the founder of the field of home economics. Richards’ first scientific studies focused on the compositions of ore minerals and later evolved into studies of water, air, and food quality. The first woman to earn a degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, she achieved the position of Instructor of Sanitary Chemistry there. Throughout her lifelong career as a scientist, Richards’ work ranged so widely that it is difficult to classify her among any particular group of scientists. Herein I focus on Richards’ scientific work within both the context of the existing knowledge of her time and twenty-first-century developments in science of “the environment.” Rather than reinscribe Richards as the doyen of home economics—an antiquated field of study—I trace her evolution as a scientist and resituate Richards as a source of inspiration for present-day earth scientists who dedicate themselves to the idea that scientific work should be undertaken for the public good.