bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
River damming drives population fragmentation and habitat loss of the threatened Danube streber (Zingel streber): Implications for conservation
Authors: Brinker Alexander , Chucholl Christoph , Behrmann‐Godel Jasminca , Matzinger Michaela , Basen Timo , Baer Jan 
Published: March 2018

Abstract

The Danube streber, Zingel streber, is a threatened and data‐deficient percid fish endemic to the Danube catchment. The study provides the first data on distribution, life history, and genetic structure of the species at the upstream limit of its historic distribution (south‐western Germany).
A 3‐year survey effort with 143 fishing events identified several small, fragmentary populations covering only 7% of the historical range of the species. Census population sizes (Nc) of these subpopulations were estimated from mark–recapture data at <200 individuals. Effective population sizes (Ne), calculated from genetic data (microsatellite genotyping), were much smaller still, at <15 individuals, resulting in an Nc/Ne ratio of <0.25, strongly indicating that populations are seriously affected by genetic drift and inbreeding, and are thus facing a severe extinction risk.
Life‐history parameters recorded during the study indicate a rapid life cycle, with both sexes probably attaining sexual maturity at the age of 1 year or older. Spawning commenced at the beginning of April and fecundity was low (~300–400 eggs per female).
Genetic analysis and mark–recapture data indicate that subpopulations of the streber live in effective isolation, separated by impassable weirs that significantly reduce genetic connectivity between subpopulations.
The species is rheophilic, and limited to sites with flow velocities of ~0.7 m s–1. Hydropower infrastructure may thus also have diminished the availability of suitable habitat by reducing flow rates.
Only 32% of the historical range of the Danube streber is now estimated to be morphologically suitable for the species. Furthermore, relevant parts of this range are located upstream of dams and are therefore not accessible for natural recolonization.
The availability and accessibility of suitable habitats seem to be factors limiting the size of the remaining subpopulations.
Conservation actions should address the restoration of degraded river habitats and increase the connectivity between isolated subpopulations of the Danube streber.
Glochidial infestation of fish by the endangered thick‐shelled river mussel Unio crassus
Authors: Ćmiel Adam M. , Zając Katarzyna , Lipińska Anna M. , Zając Tadeusz 
Published: March 2018

Abstract

Freshwater mussels (Unionoida) are globally threatened. The key to the development of effective conservation strategies for this group is to unravel their complicated life cycle, including the obligatory larva, which parasitizes the external tissues of fish.
Artificial infestation was conducted for three fish species – Barbus barbus, Chondrostoma nasus, and Squalius cephalus – in order to study the prevalence, site, and intensity of infestation, in relation to the fish species and their individual body size. Fish gut contents were also examined, in order to analyse the possibility of glochidia consumption.
Glochidia of Unio crassus are considered parasites of fish gills; however, this study revealed that U. crassus glochidia were attached to the fins of all the host species tested. The number of glochidia attached to C. nasus fins was four times higher than the number of glochidia attached to gills.
The prevalence of fin infestation was higher for C. nasus and S. cephalus than for B. barbus. Infestation intensity was highest for C. nasus and lowest for B. barbus, and was also dependent on fin type. The number of glochidia attached to fins demonstrated a nonlinear (log10) relationship with fish body length.
Inspection of dissected fish guts showed that all of the fish species tested foraged on glochidia: S. cephalus and B. barbus more frequently than C. nasus.
Using predatory fish host species with non‐predatory species in mixed assemblages for artificial rearing of mussels led to increased mortality of fish and decreased infestation intensity.
The best conservation practices for freshwater mussels should therefore be based on single fish species that are easy to infest and that do not prey on glochidia.
The Effect of Random and Block Copolymerization with Pendent Carbozole Donors and Naphthalimide Acceptors on Multilevel Memory Performance
Authors: Zhang Qi‐jian , Zhou Jia‐hui , Li Hui , He Jing‐hui , Li Na‐jun , Xu Qing‐feng , Chen Dong‐yun , Li Hua , Lu Jian‐mei 
Published: March 2018

AbstractPolymeric materials have been widely used in the fabrication of data‐storage devices, owing to their unique advantages and defined conduction mechanisms. To date, the most‐functional polymers that have been reported for memory devices were synthesized through random copolymerization, whilst there have been no reports regarding the memory effect of block polymers. Herein, we synthesized a random copolymer (PMCz8‐co‐PMBNa2) and its corresponding block copolymer (PMCz8‐b‐PMBNa2) to study the effect of the method of polymerization on the memory properties of the corresponding devices. Interestingly, both devices (ITO/PMCz8‐co‐PMBNa2/Al and ITO/PMCz8‐b‐PMBNa2/Al) exhibited ternary memory performance, with threshold voltages of −1.7 V/−3.3 V and −2.7 V/−3.8 V, respectively. However, based on comprehensive measurements, the memory properties of PMCz8‐co‐PMBNa2 and PMCz8‐b‐PMBNa2 were found to be owing to the operation of different conduction mechanisms, which resulted from different molecular stacking in the film state. Therefore, we expect that this work will be helpful for improving our understanding of the conduction mechanisms in polymer‐based data‐storage devices.
My smartphone kit: Design and development of an integrated platform for innovation and product design in engineering education
Authors: Reddy S.R.N. , Kaur Jasleen , Chande Suresh , Challa Rama K. 
Published: March 2018

AbstractThis paper highlights a system and method of bringing an integrated platform for real time teaching of various courses, innovations, designing products, and to extend the mobile education with a practical approach in assorted research and technical education domains. My SmartPhone Kit has been designed and developed for the purpose of learning, developing, and experimenting basic concepts of various courses such as mobile communication, sensor networks, embedded systems, mobile architecture, and programming, etc. Different workshops were conducted in 2015–2016 to evaluate the need of a practical approach and to experience the user satisfaction with the overall methodology of My SmartPhone kit. These workshops comprises the set of theory classes for understanding the basic concepts of various courses, practical sessions, experimental demos by the resource staff, product idea session, real time product development with the kit, and feedback analysis session. This paper focuses on the design of the kit, its implementation, methodology, novelty, and outcomes achieved through it. The analysis is carried through a case study presenting a total of six different workshops at four different institutes during 2015–2016. The findings reveal that maximum number of participants have been satisfied with the overall methodology of My SmartPhone Kit and adopted the same for teaching and learning.
Formation and Properties of Poly(Ionic Liquid)–Carbene Nanogels Containing Individually Stabilized Silver Species
Authors: Miao Han , Schmidt Johannes , Heil Tobias , Antonietti Markus , Willinger Marc , Guterman Ryan 
Published: March 2018

AbstractImidazolium‐based ionic liquids have the ability to undergo a variety of chemical reactions through an N‐heterocyclic carbene (NHC) intermediate, which has expanded the chemical toolbox for new applications. Despite their uses and exploration, the carbene‐forming properties and applications of their polymeric congeners, poly(ionic liquid)s (PILs), is still underdeveloped. Herein, we explore the NHC‐forming properties of a theophylline‐derived PIL for nanogel synthesis. Using silver oxide as both the carbene‐forming reagent and cross‐linker, nanogels containing individually stabilized ions can be created with different sizes and morphology, including large “galaxy‐like” superstructures. Using high‐resolution TEM techniques, we directly observed the sub‐nanometer structure of these constructs. These features combined exemplify the unique chemistry of poly‐NHCs for single‐metal‐ion‐stabilization nanogel design.
Early estimates of cancer incidence for 2015: Expanding to include estimates for white and black races
Authors: Lewis Denise Riedel , Chen Huann‐Sheng , Cockburn Myles G. , Wu Xiao‐Cheng , Stroup Antoinette M. , Midthune Douglas N. , Zou Zhaohui , Krapcho Martin F. , Miller Daniel G. , Feuer Eric J. 
Published: March 2018

BACKGROUNDThe National Cancer Institute's cancer incidence estimates through 2015 from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) registries' November 2017 submission are released in April 2018.METHODSEarly estimates (February 2017) of cancer incidence rates and trends from the SEER 18 registries for diagnoses in 2000 through 2015 were evaluated with a revised delay‐adjustment model, which was used to adjust for the undercount of cases in the early release. For the first time, early estimates were produced for race (whites and blacks) along with estimates for new sites: the oral cavity and pharynx, leukemia, and myeloma.RESULTSModel validation comparing delay‐adjusted rates and trends through 2014 and using 2016 submissions showed good agreement. Differences in trends through 2015 in comparison with those through 2014 were evident. The rate of female breast cancer rose significantly from 2004 to 2015 by 0.3% per year (annual percent change [APC] = 0.3%); the prior trend through 2014 (the same magnitude) was not yet significant. The female colon and rectum cancer trend for whites became flat after previously declining. Lung and bronchus cancer for whites showed a significant decline (APC for males = −2.3%, 2012‐2015; APC for females = −0.7%, 2011‐2015). Thyroid cancer for black females changed from a continuous rise to a flat final segment (APC = 1.6%, not significant, 2011‐2015). Both kidney and renal pelvis cancer (APC = 1.5%, 2011‐2015) and childhood cancers (APC = 0.5%, 2000‐2015) for white males showed a significant rise in the final segments from previously flat trends. Kidney and renal pelvis cancer for black males showed a change from a significant rise to a flat trend.CONCLUSIONSThe early release of SEER data continues to be useful as a preliminary estimate of the most current cancer incidence trends. Cancer 2018;124:2192‐204. © 2018 American Cancer Society.
Nucleophilic Cleavage of Lignin Model Compounds under Acidic Conditions in an Ionic Liquid: A Mechanistic Study
Authors: Hart William E. S. , Aldous Leigh , Harper Jason B. 
Published: March 2018

AbstractA range of lignin model compounds were examined for their reactivity with hydrogen bromide in the ionic liquid N‐butylpyridinium triflate. It was found that the ionic liquid enabled rapid reaction at both the hydroxy and methyl ether sites of the model compounds at room temperature. Reactions at the phenyl ether moieties were more complex; rather than facilitating cleavage at these sites, alternate breakdown products that had not been seen in previous studies were observed; these products are consistent with functionalisation of the aromatic components of the model compounds.
Generation and characterization of Lhx3GFP reporter knockin and Lhx3loxP conditional knockout mice
Authors: Xu Mei , Xie Xiaoling , Dong Xuhui , Liang Guoqing , Gan Lin 
Published: March 2018

AbstractLHX3, a LIM‐homeodomain transcription factor, is broadly expressed in the developing pituitary, spinal cord, medulla, retina and inner ear, and plays essential roles during embryonic development. Mice with homozygous Lhx3 null mutation exhibit failure in the formation of pituitary gland and die perinatally. To facilitate the functional study of Lhx3 in mice, we engineered and characterized two novel Lhx3 mouse strains: Lhx3GFP reporter knock‐in and Lhx3loxP conditional knockout mice. Coimmunolabeling of LHX3 and GFP shows that the expression pattern of the knock‐in GFP reporter recapitulates that of endogenous LHX3 in cochlea, vestibule, retina, and spinal cord. By crossing Lhx3loxP mice with the ubiquitous CMV‐Cre mice, we have demonstrated a high efficiency of Cre recombinase‐mediated removal of exons 3 to 5 of Lhx3, which encode the second LIM‐domain and the HD domain of LHX3, resulting global knockout of Lhx3. Thus, Lhx3GFP and Lhx3loxP mice serve as valuable genetic tools to dissect the tissue‐specific roles of Lhx3 at late‐gestation and postnatal stages in mice.
Current and historical land use influence soil‐based ecosystem services in an urban landscape
Authors: Ziter Carly , Turner Monica G. 
Published: March 2018

AbstractUrban landscapes are increasingly recognized as providing important ecosystem services (ES) to their occupants. Yet, urban ES assessments often ignore the complex spatial heterogeneity and land‐use history of cities. Soil‐based services may be particularly susceptible to land‐use legacy effects. We studied indicators of three soil‐based ES, carbon storage, water quality regulation, and runoff regulation, in a historically agricultural urban landscape and asked (1) How do ES indicators vary with contemporary land cover and time since development? (2) Do ES indicators vary primarily among land‐cover classes, within land‐cover classes, or within sites? (3) What is the relative contribution of urban land‐cover classes to potential citywide ES provision? We measured biophysical indicators (soil carbon [C], available phosphorus [P], and saturated hydraulic conductivity [Ks]) in 100 sites across five land‐cover classes, spanning an ~125‐year gradient of time since development within each land‐cover class. Potential for ES provision was substantial in urban green spaces, including developed land. Runoff regulation services (high Ks) were highest in forests; water quality regulation (low P) was highest in open spaces and grasslands; and open spaces and developed land (e.g., residential yards) had the highest C storage. In developed land covers, both C and P increased with time since development, indicating effects of historical land‐use on contemporary ES and trade‐offs between two important ES. Among‐site differences accounted for a high proportion of variance in soil properties in forests, grasslands, and open space, while residential areas had high within‐site variability, underscoring the leverage city residents have to improve urban ES provision. Developed land covers contributed most ES supply at the citywide scale, even after accounting for potential impacts of impervious surfaces. Considering the full mosaic of urban green space and its history is needed to estimate the kinds and magnitude of ES provided in cities, and to augment regional ES assessments that often ignore or underestimate urban ES supply.
Do consumer‐mediated negative effects on plant establishment outweigh the positive effects of a nurse plant?
Authors: Fujita Tomohiro , Yamashina Chisato 
Published: March 2018

AbstractMany studies demonstrated the importance of facilitative effect by nurse plant on seedling establishment. Few studies evaluated the negative effects of consumers on plant establishment under nurse plants by dealing with them during multiple demographic processes. We investigated the balance between the facilitative effect and negative effects of consumers during multiple demographic processes in Malawi in southeastern Africa. We chose Ficus natalensis as a nurse plant and compared it with three other microsites in tropical woodlands: Brachystegia floribunda (a dominant woodland species), Uapaca kirkiana (a woodland species), and a treeless site. We quantified the seed rain, postdispersal seed predation, germination, and seedling survival of Syzygium guineense ssp. afromontanum (a common forest species). Within each microsite, we quantified the overall probability of recruitment. We also measured seedling abundance of S. guineense ssp. afromontanum. We found that Ficus natalensis exerted both positive and negative impacts on the establishment of S. guineense ssp. afromontanum. Ficus natalensis facilitated seed deposition, seed germination, and seedling survival. On the other hand, seed removal at postdispersal stage was highest under F. natalensis. Interestingly, B. floribunda also had positive effects on germination and seedling survival, but not on seed deposition. When we excluded the seed arrival stage from our estimation of the recruitment probability, the highest value was found under B. floribunda, not under F. natalensis. When we included the seed arrival stage, however, the order of recruitment probability between F. natalensis and B. floribunda was reversed. The probability was one order of magnitude higher under F. natalensis than under B. floribunda. Our estimation of the probability which included the seed arrival stage was consistent with natural patterns of S. guineense ssp. afromontanum establishment. Despite the presence of opposite effects, the net effects of F. natalensis on S. guineense ssp. afromontanum recruitment in tropical woodlands can be positive.
A physical framework for evaluating net effects of wet meadow restoration on late‐summer streamflow
Authors: Nash Caroline S. , Selker John S. , Grant Gordon E. , Lewis Sarah L. , Noël Paul 
Published: March 2018

AbstractRestoration of degraded wet meadows found on upland valley floors has been proposed to achieve a range of ecological benefits, including augmenting late‐season streamflow. There are, however, few field and modelling studies documenting hydrologic changes following restoration that can be used to validate this expectation, and published changes in groundwater levels and streamflow following restoration are inconclusive. Here, we assess the streamflow benefit that can be obtained by wet‐meadow restoration using a physically based quantitative analysis. This framework employs a 1‐dimensional linearized Boussinesq equation with a superimposed solution for changes in storage due to groundwater upwelling and evapotranspiration, calculated explicitly using the White method. The model and assumptions gave rise to predictions in good agreement with field data from the Middle Fork John Day watershed in Oregon, USA. While raising channel beds can increase total water storage via increases in water table elevation in upland valley bottoms, the contributions of both lateral and longitudinal drainage from restored floodplains to late‐summer streamflow were found to be undetectably small, while losses in streamflow due to greater transpiration, lower hydraulic gradients, and less laterally drainable pore volume were likely to be substantial. Although late‐summer streamflow increases should not be expected as a direct result of wet‐meadow restoration, these approaches offer benefits for improving the quality and health of riparian and meadow vegetation that would warrant considering such measures, even at the cost of increased water demand and reduced streamflow.
Effect of discharge and habitat type on the occurrence and severity of Didymosphenia geminata mats in the Restigouche River, eastern Canada
Authors: Gillis Carole‐Anne , Dugdale Stephen J. , Bergeron Normand E. 
Published: March 2018

AbstractSince 2006, the Restigouche River watershed, eastern Canada, has been affected by nuisance growths of the mat‐forming diatom, Didymosphenia geminata. In 2010, in view of the potential impacts of this alga on the local Atlantic salmon fishery, we created a volunteer monitoring network to assess D. geminata mat severity within the watershed. Over the course of 6 monitoring summers, more than 1,200 observations of D. geminata mat severity were reported in 20 subwatersheds of the Restigouche River basin. Observations were mapped to illustrate the yearly severity of D. geminata mats throughout the watershed. Metrics were then extracted from this dataset to assess the spatial and temporal variability of mat severity. At the reach scale, D. geminata occurrence was predominantly found in riffles compared to any other river habitat type. At the watershed scale, a two‐sample Kolmogorov–Smirnov test highlighted a significant effect of maximum spring discharge on mean annual D. geminata mat severity, indicating that when maximum spring discharge is high, severity of D. geminata mats in the following months is significantly lower. Additionally, maximum spring discharge explained 71% of the variability in annual mat severity. This study contributes to the understanding of mat severity dynamics and illustrates the value of volunteer monitoring networks for studying complex ecosystem dynamics.
Climate, but not trait, effects on plant–soil feedback depend on mycorrhizal type in temperate forests
Authors: Bennett Jonathan A. , Klironomos John 
Published: March 2018

AbstractPlants interact with a variety of soil biota. The accumulation of beneficial or antagonistic biota over time can have strong positive or negative effects on the recruitment of new individuals into the population (i.e., plant–soil feedback, PSF). Despite the potential influence of PSF on plant diversity in terrestrial ecosystems, our understanding of its determinants remains incomplete. Within forests, recent evidence indicates that mycorrhizal type can regulate PSF: Arbuscular mycorrhizal trees typically experience negative PSF, while ectomycorrhizal trees experience positive PSF. Other studies have found that plant traits and the local environment also affect PSF; yet, these studies are based on arbuscular mycorrhizal plants in herbaceous systems. Consequently, the relationship between PSF and plant traits or the environment may depend on the mycorrhizal type of the tree. Using PSF measurements for 520 populations belonging to 52 North American temperate forest tree species, we tested whether mycorrhizal type influences how plant traits and climate relate to PSF. For both mycorrhizal types, species that produced larger seeds and were less drought tolerant had more positive (or less negative) PSF. Precipitation during the dry season was negatively related to PSF, but only for arbuscular mycorrhizal trees. These results suggest that investing more resources in seeds may minimize PSF for tree species, irrespective of mycorrhizal type. Species that have historically been exposed to greater pathogen abundances in wetter environments may also be better defended against attack, minimizing negative PSF. However, for species currently found in wetter environments, PSF may be strongly negative if their mycorrhizas do not defend them against attack, as is common among arbuscular mycorrhizal trees. Combined, these results highlight the importance of mycorrhizal type in determining the relationship between PSF and climate, but indicate that the relationship between PSF and plant traits may be independent of mycorrhizal type. Nevertheless, mycorrhizal type remains an important consideration when studying PSF, and forest dynamics in general.