bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Natural revegetation potential of Japanese wild thyme (Thymus quinquecostatus Celak.) on serpentine quarries
Authors: Mizuno Takafumi , Nakahara Yusuke , Fujimori Tomoaki , Yoshida Haruna 
Published: February 2018

AbstractQuarrying is an important industry that supports human infrastructure, but it has negative effects on human health, environments, and plant communities. In the case of the serpentine quarry on Sugashima Island (Sugashima), Japan, rapid remediation using native plants is necessary to restore the serpentine ecosystem. According to our previous work, we revealed high adaptability of Japanese wild thyme (Thymus quinquecostatus Celak.) to the severe environment of serpentine areas, and we desired to utilize this species for revegetation. However, basic information on Japanese thyme was extremely limited, in comparison with well‐investigated European thymes that have been used for revegetation experiments. The aims of this work were to identify the plant functional traits of wild thymes collected from different areas of Japan and to test their potential for revegetation of serpentine quarry soil. We collected four types of wild thyme from Sugashima and other areas of serpentine, calcareous, and tuff breccia soil, and revealed varietal differences in leaf form, branching patterns, flowers, and also blooming season, seed formation ability, and seed germination percentages. Thymes from serpentine and calcareous areas could grow on soil of the serpentine quarry, and a small number of plants were able to cover the experimental plots. Among the Japanese thymes investigated, Sugashima thyme had the longest branches, and spread rapidly by forming many branches. These data suggest that Japanese thymes, especially Sugashima thyme, have good potential for revegetation of serpentine quarries.
An update of the Worldwide Integrated Assessment (WIA) on systemic insecticides. Part 3: alternatives to systemic insecticides
Authors: Furlan Lorenzo , Pozzebon Alberto , Duso Carlo , Simon-Delso Noa , Sánchez-Bayo Francisco , Marchand Patrice A. , Codato Filippo , Bijleveld van Lexmond Maarten , Bonmatin Jean-Marc 
Published: February 2018

AbstractOver-reliance on pesticides for pest control is inflicting serious damage to the environmental services that underpin agricultural productivity. The widespread use of systemic insecticides, neonicotinoids, and the phenylpyrazole fipronil in particular is assessed here in terms of their actual use in pest management, effects on crop yields, and the development of pest resistance to these compounds in many crops after two decades of usage. Resistance can only be overcome in the longterm by implementing methods that are not exclusively based on synthetic pesticides. A diverse range of pest management tactics is already available, all of which can achieve efficient pest control below the economic injury level while maintaining the productivity of the crops. A novel insurance method against crop failure is shown here as an example of alternative methods that can protect farmer’s crops and their livelihoods without having to use insecticides. Finally, some concluding remarks about the need for a new framework for a truly sustainable agriculture that relies mainly on natural ecosystem services instead of chemicals are included; this reinforcing the previous WIA conclusions (van der Sluijs et al. Environ Sci Pollut Res 22:148-154, 2015).
Deciphering the protein‐DNA code of bacterial winged helix‐turn‐helix transcription factors
Authors: Joyce Adam P. , Havranek James J. 
Published: February 2018

BackgroundSequence‐specific binding by transcription factors (TFs) plays a significant role in the selection and regulation of target genes. At the protein:DNA interface, amino acid side‐chains construct a diverse physicochemical network of specific and non‐specific interactions, and seemingly subtle changes in amino acid identity at certain positions may dramatically impact TF:DNA binding. Variation of these specificity‐determining residues (SDRs) is a major mechanism of functional divergence between TFs with strong structural or sequence homology.MethodsIn this study, we employed a combination of high‐throughput specificity profiling by SELEX and Spec‐seq, structural modeling, and evolutionary analysis to probe the binding preferences of winged helix‐turn‐helix TFs belonging to the OmpR sub‐family in Escherichia coli.ResultsWe found that E. coli OmpR paralogs recognize tandem, variably spaced repeats composed of “GT‐A” or “GCT”‐containing half‐sites. Some divergent sequence preferences observed within the “GT‐A” mode correlate with amino acid similarity; conversely, “GCT”‐based motifs were observed for a subset of paralogs with low sequence homology. Direct specificity profiling of a subset of OmpR homologues (CpxR, RstA, and OmpR) as well as predicted “SDR‐swap” variants revealed that individual SDRs may impact sequence preferences locally through direct contact with DNA bases or distally via the DNA backbone.ConclusionsOverall, our work provides evidence for a common structural “code” for sequence‐specific wHTH‐DNA interactions, and demonstrates that surprisingly modest residue changes can enable recognition of highly divergent sequence motifs. Further examination of SDR predictions will likely reveal additional mechanisms controlling the evolutionary divergence of this important class of transcriptional regulators.
MRHCA: a nonparametric statistics based method for hub and co‐expression module identification in large gene co‐expression network
Authors: Zhang Yu , Cao Sha , Zhao Jing , Alsaihati Burair , Ma Qin , Zhang Chi 
Published: February 2018

BackgroundGene co‐expression and differential co‐expression analysis has been increasingly used to study co‐functional and co‐regulatory biological mechanisms from large scale transcriptomics data sets.MethodsIn this study, we develop a nonparametric approach to identify hub genes and modules in a large co‐expression network with low computational and memory cost, namely MRHCA.ResultsWe have applied the method to simulated transcriptomics data sets and demonstrated MRHCA can accurately identify hub genes and estimate size of co‐expression modules. With applying MRHCA and differential co‐expression analysis to E. coli and TCGA cancer data, we have identified significant condition specific activated genes in E. coli and distinct gene expression regulatory mechanisms between the cancer types with high copy number variation and small somatic mutations.ConclusionOur analysis has demonstrated MRHCA can (i) deal with large association networks, (ii) rigorously assess statistical significance for hubs and module sizes, (iii) identify co‐expression modules with low associations, (iv) detect small and significant modules, and (v) allow genes to be present in more than one modules, compared with existing methods.
A novel β‐titanium alloy orthodontic wire
Authors: Chang Hong‐Po , Tseng Yu‐Chuan 
Published: February 2018

AbstractThis literature review investigated a recently developed orthodontic wire composed of a β‐titanium alloy known as “Gum Metal” and compared its properties with those of conventional wires. The attractive properties of Gum Metal include an ultra‐low Young's modulus, non‐linear elastic behavior, ultra‐high strength, high yield strain, high ductility, and superplastic deformability without work hardening at room temperature. The unique multifunctional characteristics of this new orthodontic wire make it almost ideal for orthodontic applications. The results of this literature review indicate the strong potential use of Gum Metal wire for improving and enhancing the effectiveness of orthodontic treatment.
High-resolution airborne observations of sea-ice pressure ridge sail height
Authors: Duncan K. , Farrell S. L. , Connor L. N. , Richter-Menge J. , Hutchings J. K. , Dominguez R. 
Published: February 2018

ABSTRACTPressure ridges impact the mass, energy and momentum budgets of the sea-ice cover and present an obstacle to transportation through ice-infested waters. Quantifying ridge characteristics is important for understanding total sea-ice mass and for improving the representation of sea-ice dynamics in high-resolution models. Multi-sensor measurements collected during annual Operation IceBridge (OIB) airborne surveys of the Arctic provide new opportunities to assess the sea ice at the end of winter. We present a new methodology to derive ridge sail height from high-resolution OIB Digital Mapping System (DMS) visible imagery. We assess the efficacy of the methodology by mapping the full sail height distribution along 12 pressure ridges in the western and central Arctic. Comparisons against coincident Airborne Topographic Mapper (ATM) elevation anomalies are used to demonstrate the methodology and evaluate DMS-derived sail heights. Sail heights and elevation anomalies were correlated at 0.81 or above. On average mean and maximum sail height agreed with ATM elevation to within 0.11 and 0.49 m, respectively. Of the ridges mapped, mean sail height ranged from 0.99 to 2.16 m, while maximum sail height ranged from 2.1 to 4.8 m. DMS also delivered higher sampling along ridge crests than coincident ATM data.
Nudging folks towards stronger password choices: providing certainty is the key
Authors: RENAUD KAREN , ZIMMERMANN VERENA 
Published: February 2018

AbstractPersuading people to choose strong passwords is challenging. One way to influence password strength, as and when people are making the choice, is to tweak the choice architecture to encourage stronger choice. A variety of choice architecture manipulations (i.e. ‘nudges’) have been trialled by researchers with a view to strengthening the overall password profile. None has made much of a difference so far. Here, we report on our design of an influential behavioural intervention tailored to the password choice context: a hybrid nudge that significantly prompted stronger passwords. We carried out three longitudinal studies to analyse the efficacy of a range of ‘nudges’ by manipulating the password choice architecture of an actual university web application. The first and second studies tested the efficacy of several simple visual framing ‘nudges’. Password strength did not budge. The third study tested expiration dates directly linked to password strength. This manipulation delivered a positive result: significantly longer and stronger passwords. Our main conclusion was that the final successful nudge provided participants with absolute certainty as to the benefit of a stronger password and that it was this certainty that made the difference.
Old-Fashioned Racism, Contemporary Islamophobia, and the Isolation of Muslim Americans in the Age of Trump
Authors: Lajevardi Nazita , Oskooii Kassra A. R. 
Published: February 2018

AbstractWhile extant research has documented the existence of negative attitudes toward Muslim Americans, it is unclear whether old-fashioned racism (OFR) is at the root of contemporary Islamophobia, and whether beliefs in the inherent inferiority of Muslims are linked to support for political actors and policies that aim to further isolate them. Bringing to bear a unique dataset of 1,044 white, black, Latino, and Asian participants, we demonstrate that a nontrivial portion of survey respondents make blatantly racist evaluations and rate Muslim Americans as the least “evolved” group. Next, we illustrate that these dehumanizing attitudes are strongly linked to modern objections of Muslim Americans, which we measure with a new Muslim American resentment scale (MAR). Our mediation analysis reveals that the relationship between OFR, support for President Trump, and various policy positions is powerfully mediated by MAR. These results suggest that the relevance of OFR in contemporary politics should not easily be dismissed, and that the literature on racial attitudes, which has predominantly focused on the Black-white dichotomy, should also be extended to appraisals of Muslim Americans.
ON THE SYMMETRIC SQUARES OF COMPLEX AND QUATERNIONIC PROJECTIVE SPACE
Authors: BOOTE YUMI , RAY NIGEL 
Published: February 2018

AbstractThe problem of computing the integral cohomology ring of the symmetric square of a topological space has long been of interest, but limited progress has been made on the general case until recently. We offer a solution for the complex and quaternionic projective spaces$\mathbb{K}$Pn, by utilising their rich geometrical structure. Our description involves generators and relations, and our methods entail ideas from the literature of quantum chemistry, theoretical physics, and combinatorics. We begin with the case$\mathbb{K}$P∞, and then identify the truncation required for passage to finiten. The calculations rely upon a ladder of long exact cohomology sequences, which compares cofibrations associated to the diagonals of the symmetric square and the corresponding Borel construction. These incorporate the one-point compactifications of classic configuration spaces of unordered pairs of points in$\mathbb{K}$Pn, which are identified as Thom spaces by combining Löwdin's symmetric orthogonalisation (and its quaternionic analogue) with a dash ofPingeometry. The relations in the ensuing cohomology rings are conveniently expressed using generalised Fibonacci polynomials. Our conclusions are compatible with those of Gugnin mod torsion and Nakaoka mod 2, and with homological results of Milgram.
Jellyfish distribution and abundance in relation to the physical habitat of Jellyfish Lake, Palau
Authors: Cimino Megan A. , Patris Sharon , Ucharm Gerda , Bell Lori J. , Terrill Eric 
Published: February 2018

Abstract:Animals often select for habitats that increase their chance of survival by balancing the need to acquire food, reproduce and avoid predation. Perennial blooms of golden jellyfish (Mastigias papua etpisoni) are present in Jellyfish Lake, Palau, a popular tourist destination. Based on the species’ economic importance and unusual behavioural complexity, increased understanding of jellyfish habitat selection is necessary. We used a novel approach, a REMUS autonomous underwater vehicle, to quantify jellyfish distribution, abundance and habitat, and compared these findings to traditional methods. Midday acoustic surveys showed jellyfish distribution was patchy and the population resided mainly on the eastern side of the lake, as it is known that jellyfish migrate eastward towards the sun. Highest vertical densities of jellyfish were at 6–7 m, potentially to mitigate UV damage or photoinhibition of their photosymbionts, suggesting a coupling exists between their vertical distribution and water properties. Abundance estimates of jellyfish were ~2.75 and ~7.1 million (~2 million excluding bell diameters <1 cm) from acoustic and net samples, suggesting the methodology employed underestimated the population's smaller size fraction and non-synoptic surveys could impact estimates due to unresolved patchiness. Our approach could investigate population dynamics, behaviour or habitat associations on fine scales.
Governance explains variation in national responses to the biodiversity crisis
Authors: BAYNHAM-HERD ZACHARY , AMANO TATSUYA , SUTHERLAND WILLIAM J. , DONALD PAUL F. 
Published: February 2018

SUMMARYGrowing concern about the biodiversity crisis has led to a proliferation of conservation responses, but with wide variation between countries in the levels of engagement and investment. Much of this variation is inevitably attributed to differences between nations in wealth. However, the relationship between environmentalism and wealth is complex and it is increasingly apparent that other factors are also involved. We review hypotheses that have been developed to explain variation in broad environmentalism and show that many of the factors that explain such variation in individuals, such as wealth, age and experience, also explain differences between nation states. We then assess the extent to which these factors explain variation between nation states in responses to and investment in the more specific area of biodiversity conservation. Unexpectedly, quality of governance explained substantially more variation in public and state investment in biodiversity conservation than did direct measures of wealth. The results inform assessments of where conservation investments might most profitably be directed in the future and suggest that metrics relating to governance might be of considerable use in conservation planning.
Early Cycladic fortified settlements: aspects of cultural continuity and change in the Cyclades during the third millennium BC
Authors: Angelopoulou Anastasia 
Published: February 2018

Early Cycladic culture (third millennium BC) has been a focus of scientific interest since the late 19th century. Our knowledge of Early Cycladic civilization is based primarily on evidence gathered from a substantial number of cemeteries that have been discovered in various parts of the Cyclades. In comparison, excavations of Early Cycladic settlements are few in number. Thus, habitation comprises an essential yet understudied field of research.Despite these limitations, fieldwork as well as material and analytical studies conducted over the period 2000–2017 have contributed to a far better understanding of Early Cycladic habitation patterns. Excavations and/or publications of important sites, such as Chalandriani and Kastri on Syros, Skarkos on Ios, Dhaskalio and Kavos on Keros, Markiani on Amorgos and Korfari ton Amygdalion (Panormos) on Naxos, have revealed significant new evidence regarding the development and character of Early Cycladic civilization.
Development and preliminary testing of the Brief Developmental Assessment: an early recognition tool for children with heart disease
Authors: Wray Jo , Brown Katherine L. , Ridout Deborah , Lakhanpaul Monica , Smith Liz , Scarisbrick Angie , O’Curry Sara , Hoskote Aparna 
Published: February 2018

AbstractIntroductionNeurodevelopmental abnormalities are common in children with CHD and are the highest-priority concerns for parents and professionals following cardiac surgery in childhood. There is no additional routine monitoring of development for children with CHD in the United Kingdom; hence, neurodevelopmental concerns may be detected late, precluding early referral and intervention.MethodsAn early recognition tool – the “Brief Developmental Assessment” – was developed using quality improvement methodology involving several iterations and rounds of pilot testing. Our requirements were for a tool covering important developmental domains and practicable for use within inpatient and outpatient settings by paediatric cardiac health professionals who are non-developmental specialists, without specialised equipment and which involved direct observation, as well as parental report.ResultsItems were included in the tool based on existing developmental measures, covering the domains of gross and fine motor skills, daily living skills, communication, socialisation, and general understanding. Items were developed for five age bands – 0–16 weeks, 17–34 weeks, 35–60 weeks, 15 months–2.9 years, and 3–4.9 years – and the final versions included a traffic light scoring system for identifying children with possible delay in any or all domains. Preliminary testing indicated excellent inter-rater reliability, an ability to detect children with a diagnosis known to be associated with developmental delay, and largely acceptable internal reliability.ConclusionWe report the evolution and preliminary testing of an early recognition tool for assessing the development of children with heart disease; this was encouraging and sufficiently good to support further validation in a larger study.
The gendered attrition of architects in Australia
Authors: Matthewson Gill 
Published: February 2018

That architects leave the profession is something that seems ‘known’. In addition, there has been continuous concern that women in particular leave. However, the extent of departure is unclear. Much of the information around these observations come from surveys, is anecdotal or study women in isolation from men. This paper provides some firmer data on the movement of men and women into and out of the profession using Australia as a case study. It collates and analyses historical and contemporary data to delineate the complex patterns of participation in and leaving of architecture.While the sources of data are often limited and approximate, this analysis nonetheless highlights a number of factors affecting the tenure of architects in their profession. The economy is an obvious factor and the data mirrors the economic fate of the country. The paper firmly demonstrates that gender is a factor with a strong impact on leaving the profession – a movement that clearly adversely affects the diversity of the profession. A further factor in leaving is age, which interacts with gender: women begin to leave when young and men when older. Diversity is increasingly proving to be an important factor in the ability of an organisation or a profession to survive, let alone meet, the challenges and opportunities of the globalised twenty-first century.The paper concludes with a plea for better data sources to better clarify how, and to what extent, biases nudge many architects out of the profession. Understanding the extent and nature of these biases helps the formulation of tactics to foster greater diversity to engender a more resilient profession.
Vitamin D status and intake of lactating Inuit women living in the Canadian Arctic
Authors: El Hayek Fares Jessy , Weiler Hope A 
Published: February 2018

AbstractObjectiveTo determine the prevalence and correlates of healthy vitamin D status in lactating Inuit women living in remote regions of the Arctic.DesignCross-sectional.SettingHouseholds were selected randomly in thirty-six communities of Nunavut, Nunatsiavut and Inuvialuit Settlement Region. Dietary intake was assessed using a 24 h recall and an FFQ. Anthropometric measurements, household living conditions, supplement use and health status were assessed. In fasting samples, serum 25-hydroxyvitaimn D (25(OH)D) was measured using a chemiluminescent assay (LIAISON; Diasorin Inc.).SubjectsLactating Inuit women participating in the 2007–2008 International Polar Year Inuit Health Survey conducted in the months of August to October.ResultsAmong participants (n34), 8·8, 26·5 and 50·0 % had 25(OH)D concentrations at or above 75, 50 and 40 nmol/l, respectively. More than one-third of participants did not consume traditional foods during the previous day and only 11·3 % of total energy intake was derived from traditional foods. Only 14·7 % of the sample consumed the daily number of milk servings recommended by Canada’s Food Guide (two servings) for First Nations, Inuit and Métis. Using multivariable logistic regression to examine 25(OH)D≥40 nmol/l, only higher body fat was inversely correlated with 25(OH)D concentration.ConclusionsThe present study is the first to assess simultaneously vitamin D status and other known factors that affect it among lactating Inuit women living in remote communities in the Arctic. Healthy maternal vitamin D status was observed in 25 % of participants during the late summer and early autumn. This requires further assessment in a larger sample spanning more seasons.