bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Acoustic profiling of Orthoptera for species monitoring and discovery: present state and future needs
Authors: Riede Klaus 
Published: January 2018

Background: Bioacoustic monitoring and classification of animal communication signals has developed into a powerful tool for measuring and monitoring species diversity within complex communities and habitats. The high number of stridulating species among Orthoptera allows their detection and classification in a non-invasive and economic way, particularly in habitats where visual observations are difficult or even impossible, such as tropical rainforests.
Methods: Major sound archives where queried for Orthoptera songs, with special emphasis on usability as reference training libraries for computer algorithms.
Results: Orthoptera songs are highly stereotyped, reliable taxonomic features. However, exploitation of songs for acoustic profiling is limited by the small number of reference recordings: existing song libraries represent only about 1,000 species, mainly from Europe and North America, covering less that 10% of extant stridulating Orthoptera species. Available databases are fragmented and lack tools for song annotation and efficient feature-based search. Results from recent bioacoustic surveys illustrate the potential of the method, but also challenges and bottlenecks impeding further progress. A major problem is time-consuming data analysis of recordings. Computer-aided identification software has been developed for classification and identification of cricket and grasshopper songs, but these tools are still far from practical field application.
Discussion: A framework for acoustic profiling of Orthoptera should consist of the following components:
(1) Protocols for standardised acoustic sampling, at species and community level, using acoustic data loggers for autonomous long-term recordings;
(2) Open access to and efficient management of song data and voucher specimens, involving the Orthoptera Species File (OSF) and Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF);
(3) An infrastructure for automatised analysis and song classification;
(4) Complementation and improvement of Orthoptera sound libraries, using Orthoptera Species File as taxonomic backbone and repository for representative song recordings. Taxonomists should be encouraged to deposit original recordings, particularly if they form part of species descriptions or revisions.
A simple method for data partitioning based on relative evolutionary rates
Authors: Rota Jadranka , Malm Tobias , Wahlberg Niklas 
Published: January 2018

Background. Multiple studies have demonstrated that partitioning of molecular datasets is important in model-based phylogenetic analyses. Commonly, partitioning is done a priori based on some known properties of sequence evolution, e.g. differences in rate of evolution among codon positions of a protein-coding gene. Here we propose a new method for data partitioning based on relative evolutionary rates of the sites in the alignment of the dataset being analysed. The rates are inferred using the previously published Tree Independent Generation of Evolutionary Rates (TIGER), and the partitioning is conducted using our novel python script RatePartitions. We applied this method to eight published multi-locus phylogenetic datasets, representing different taxonomic ranks within the insect order Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths).
Methods. We used TIGER to generate relative evolutionary rates for all sites in the alignments. Then, using RatePartitions, we partitioned the data into bins based on their relative evolutionary rate. RatePartitions applies a simple formula that ensures a distribution of sites into partitions following the distribution of rates of the characters from the full dataset. This ensures that the invariable sites are placed in a partition with slowly evolving sites, avoiding the pitfalls of previously used methods, such as k-means. Different partitioning strategies were evaluated using BIC scores as calculated by PartitionFinder.
Results. In all eight datasets, partitioning using TIGER and RatePartitions was significantly better as measured by the BIC scores than other partitioning strategies, such as the commonly used partitioning by gene and codon position.
Discussion. We developed a new method of partitioning phylogenetic datasets without using any prior knowledge (e.g. DNA sequence evolution). This method is entirely based on the properties of the data being analysed and can be applied to DNA sequences (protein-coding, introns, ultra-conserved elements), protein sequences, as well as morphological characters. A likely explanation for why our method performs better than other tested partitioning strategies is that it accounts for the heterogeneity in the data to a much greater extent than when data are simply subdivided based on prior knowledge.
Fossil fern rhizomes as a model system for biotic interactions across geologic time: Evidence from Patagonia
Authors: Bippus Alexander C. , Escapa Ignacio H. , Wilf Peter , Tomescu Alexandru M. F. 
Published: January 2018

Background. A wealth of data on the networks of ecological interactions present in the modern biota can be readily obtained, due to the ease of unlimited access to the living organisms that form these networks. In contrast, understanding of such interactions in ecosystems of the geologic past is incomplete. Specifically, in terrestrial ecosystems we know comparatively little about plant biotic interactions besides herbivory, oviposition, galling. Here we describe a tiny in situ fossil community which sheds light on concurrent plant-plant, plant-fungal, and plant-animal interactions.
Methods. A single silicified osmundaceous rhizome from a new locality of the early Eocene (ca. 52 Ma) Tufolitas Laguna del Hunco was studied in serial thin sections using light microscopy. The community of organisms colonizing the tissues of the rhizome was characterized by identifying the organisms, as well as mapping and quantifying their distribution. For this, a 200 x 200 µm grid was superimposed onto the rhizome cross section and the colonizers present at each node of the grid were tallied.
Results. Preserved in situ, this community offers a rare window onto aspects of ancient ecosystems usually lost to time and taphonomic processes. The community is surprisingly diverse and includes the first fossilized leafy liverworts in South America, also marking the only fossil record of leafy bryophyte epiphytes; several types of fungal hyphae and spores; microsclerotia with probable affinities in several ascomycete families; and oribatid mite coprolites.
Discussion. The community associated with the Patagonian rhizome enriches our understanding of plant biotic interactions in the distant past and adds to a growing body of literature, which indicates that osmundaceous rhizomes were important hosts for component communities in ancient ecosystems, just as they are today. Because osmundaceous rhizomes represent an ecological niche that has remained unchanged over time and space, and are abundant in the fossil record, they provide a good paleoecological model system that could be used for exploring plant biotic interactions across geologic time.
Kill two birds with one stone: making multi-transgenic pre-diabetes mouse models through insulin resistance and pancreatic apoptosis pathogenesis
Authors: Kong Siyuan , Ruan Jinxue , Zhang Kaiyi , Hu Bingjun , Cheng Yuzhu , Zhang Yubo , Yang Shulin , Li Kui 
Published: January 2018

Background. Type 2 diabetes, a chronic disease to which susceptibility is hereditary, is characterized by insulin resistance accompanied by defective insulin secretion. Mouse models, especially transgenic mice, play an important role in medical research. However, the transgenic mouse models that have been used in diabetes research are involved with single transgenes, focusing on the insulin gene or its mutants. Thus they mainly provide information related to Type 1 diabetes.
Methods. Here, we attempted to focus comprehensively on genes related to pancreatic islet damage, peripheral insulin resistance and related environmental inducing factors by generating single-transgenic mice (CHOP), dual-transgenic mice (hIAPP-CHOP) and triple-transgenic mice (11β-HSD1-hIAPP-CHOP). The latter two types of transgenic animals were induced with high-fat, high-sucrose diets (HFHSD). We evaluated and analyzed the diabetes-related symptoms and the histopathological and immunohistochemical features of the transgenic animals.
Results. Specifically, in the triple-transgene animals, the results of intraperitoneal glucose tolerance tests (IPGTT) began to change 60 days after induction (p<0.001). After 190 days of induction, the body weights (p<0.01) and plasma glucose levels of the animals in the Tg group were higher than those of the animals in the Nc group. After the mice were sacrificed, large amounts of lipid were found deposited in the adipose tissues (p<0.01) and ectopically deposited in the non-adipose tissues (p<0.05 or 0.01) of the animals in the Tg HFHSD group. The weights of the kidneys and hearts of the Tg animals were significantly increased (p<0.01). Serum C-P was decreased due to transgene effects, and insulin levels were increased due to the effects of the high-fat high-sucrose diet in the Tg HFHSD group, indicating that damaged insulin secretion and insulin resistance hyperinsulinemia existed simultaneously in these animals. The serum corticosterone levels of the animals in the Tg group were slightly higher than those of the Nc animals due to the effects of the 11βHSD-1 transgene and obesity. In the Tg HFHSD group, hepatic adipose deposition was more severe and the pancreatic islet area was enlarged under compensation, accompanying apoptosis. In the Tg ControlD group, hepatic adipose deposition was also severe, pancreatic islets were damaged, and their areas were decreased (p<0.05), and apoptosis of pancreatic cells occurred. Taken together, these data show that the transgenes led to early-stage pathological changes characteristic of type 2 diabetes in the triple-transgene HFHSD group. The disease of triple-transgenic mice was more severe than that of dual or single-transgenic mice.
Conclusion. The use of multi-transgenes involved in insulin resistance and pancreatic apoptosis is a better way to generate polygene-related early-stage diabetes models.
Engagement as predictors of performance in a single cohort of undergraduate chiropractic students
Authors: Rix Jacqueline , Dewhurst Philip , Cooke Caroline , Newell David 
Published: January 2018

Objective:
To investigate the potential association of novel academic and nonacademic factors with chiropractic student academic performance.

Methods:
Students enrolled into year 1 of a chiropractic master's degree (MChiro) at our college were selected for this study. Data collected included demographics, attendance, virtual learning environment use, additional learning needs, previous degree qualifications, and summative marks. Differences between students who had to take an examination more than once (resit) and nonresit students were explored using t test and χ2 analysis. Relationships between attendance and end-of-year marks were explored using regression analysis.

Results:
Male students outperformed female students in four of the six units and as the total year average. Students who attended &lt;80% of classes were more likely to have a resit in one or more units (relative risk [RR] = 2.6; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.4–4.9). Students who performed poorly (&lt;70%) in the semester 1 unit of a course on human structure and failed the semester 1 practical assessment of a course on clinical management were significantly more likely to have one or more resit assessments in semester 2 units (RR = 3.5 [95% CI, 2.2–5.7]; RR = 3.2 [95% CI, 2.0–4.9]). Attendance and unit 105 were independent predictors of one or more resits at the end-of-year (R2 = 0.86, p &lt; .001).

Conclusion:
Attendance and first semester summative marks were associated with end-of-year performance. As such, these markers of performance may be used to flag struggling students in the program.
Radiocarbon Content of Dissolved Organic Carbon in the South Indian Ocean
Authors: Bercovici S. K. , McNichol A. P. , Xu L. , Hansell D. A. 
Published: January 2018

AbstractWe report four profiles of the radiocarbon content of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) spanning the South Indian Ocean (SIO), ranging from the Polar Front (56°S) to the subtropics (29°S). Surface waters held mean DOC Δ14C values of −426 ± 6‰ (~4,400 14C years) at the Polar Front and DOC Δ14C values of −252 ± 22‰ (~2,000 14C years) in the subtropics. At depth, Circumpolar Deep Waters held DOC Δ14C values of −491 ± 13‰ (~5,400 years), while values in Indian Deep Water were more depleted, holding DOC Δ14C values of −503 ± 8‰ (~5,600 14C years). High‐salinity North Atlantic Deep Water intruding into the deep SIO had a distinctly less depleted DOC Δ14C value of −481 ± 8‰ (~5,100 14C years). We use multiple linear regression to assess the dynamics of DOC Δ14C values in the deep Indian Ocean, finding that their distribution is characteristic of water masses in that region.
Quantifying Postfire Aeolian Sediment Transport Using Rare Earth Element Tracers
Authors: Dukes David , Gonzales Howell B. , Ravi Sujith , Grandstaff David E. , Van Pelt R. Scott , Li Junran , Wang Guan , Sankey Joel B. 
Published: January 2018

AbstractGrasslands, which provide fundamental ecosystem services in many arid and semiarid regions of the world, are undergoing rapid increases in fire activity and are highly susceptible to postfire‐accelerated soil erosion by wind. A quantitative assessment of physical processes that integrates fire‐wind erosion feedbacks is therefore needed relative to vegetation change, soil biogeochemical cycling, air quality, and landscape evolution. We investigated the applicability of a novel tracer technique—the use of multiple rare earth elements (REE)—to quantify soil transport by wind and to identify sources and sinks of wind‐blown sediments in both burned and unburned shrub‐grass transition zone in the Chihuahuan Desert, NM, USA. Results indicate that the horizontal mass flux of wind‐borne sediment increased approximately threefold following the fire. The REE tracer analysis of wind‐borne sediments shows that the source of the horizontal mass flux in the unburned site was derived from bare microsites (88.5%), while in the burned site it was primarily sourced from shrub (42.3%) and bare (39.1%) microsites. Vegetated microsites which were predominantly sinks of aeolian sediments in the unburned areas became sediment sources following the fire. The burned areas showed a spatial homogenization of sediment tracers, highlighting a potential negative feedback on landscape heterogeneity induced by shrub encroachment into grasslands. Though fires are known to increase aeolian sediment transport, accompanying changes in the sources and sinks of wind‐borne sediments may influence biogeochemical cycling and land degradation dynamics. Furthermore, our experiment demonstrated that REEs can be used as reliable tracers for field‐scale aeolian studies.
Lateral Variations in Foreland Flexure of a Rifted Continental Margin: The Aquitaine Basin (SW France)
Authors: Angrand P. , Ford M. , Watts A. B. 
Published: January 2018

AbstractRift inheritance can play a key role in foreland basin geometry and behavior. If the foreland basin initiates soon after rifting, thermal cooling can also contribute significantly to subsidence. We investigate the effects of crustal inheritance (Aptian‐Cenomanian rifting) on the evolution of the Campanian to middle Miocene flexural Aquitaine foreland basin, northern Pyrenees, France. Surface and subsurface data define rifted crustal geometry and postrift thermal subsidence. Analysis of Bouguer gravity anomalies coupled with flexural modeling constrains the lateral variations of elastic thickness, plate flexure, and controlling loads. The Aquitaine foreland is divided along‐strike into three sectors. The relative role of surface and subsurface (i.e., buried) loading varies along‐strike, and the elastic thickness values decrease from the northeast (25 km) to the southwest (7 km) where the plate is the most stretched. The eastern foreland crust was not rifted and underwent a simple flexural subsidence in response to orogenesis. The central sector was affected by crustal stretching. Here the basin is modeled by combining topographic and buried loads, with postrift thermal subsidence. In the western sector, the foreland basin was created mainly by postrift thermal subsidence. The eastern and central sectors are separated by the Eastern Crustal Lineament, which is one of a series of inherited transverse faults that segment the orogen.
Light‐Driven Janus Hollow Mesoporous TiO2–Au Microswimmers
Authors: Sridhar Varun , Park Byung‐Wook , Sitti Metin 
Published: January 2018

AbstractLight‐driven microswimmers have garnered attention for their potential use in various applications, such as environmental remediation, hydrogen evolution, and targeted drug delivery. Janus hollow mesoporous TiO2/Au (JHP–TiO2–Au) microswimmers with enhanced swimming speeds under low‐intensity ultraviolet (UV) light are presented. The swimmers show enhanced swimming speeds both in presence and absence of H2O2. The microswimmers move due to self‐electrophoresis when UV light is incident on them. There is a threefold increase in speed of JHP–TiO2–Au microswimmers in comparison with Janus solid TiO2/Au (JS–TiO2–Au) microswimmers. This increase in their speed is due to the increase in surface area of the porous swimmers and their hollow structure. These microswimmers are also made steerable by using a thin Co magnetic layer. They can be used in potential environmental applications for active photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue and targeted active drug delivery of an anticancer drug (doxurobicin) in vitro in H2O2 solution. Their increased speed from the presence of a hollow mesoporous structure is beneficial for future potential applications, such as hydrogen evolution, selective heterogeneous photocatalysis, and targeted cargo delivery.
Space‐Charge‐Stabilized Ferroelectric Polarization in Self‐Oriented Croconic Acid Films
Authors: Hu Laigui , Feng Rui , Wang Jiao , Bai Zilong , Jin Wei , Zhang Liuqun , Nie Qing‐Miao , Qiu Zhi‐Jun , Tian Pengfei , Cong Chunxiao , Zheng Lirong , Liu Ran 
Published: January 2018

AbstractGreat progress has been made recently in molecular ferroelectrics with properties even comparable to those of inorganic ferroelectrics. However, it is difficult to develop basic thin films and devices for practical applications since most molecular ferroelectrics are uniaxial. The single polar axes of crystallites inside their films, if available, are usually oriented randomly. These can induce the components without contribution to ferroelectric polarization and a large depolarization electric field to suppress polarization. In this work, it is demonstrated that uniaxial croconic acid films in two‐terminal devices, deposited by thermal evaporation, can show effective ferroelectric polarization and nonvolatile memory switching behavior with small coercive fields of 11–30 kV cm−1. The polar c‐axes in thick crystalline films (>500 nm) are found to be self‐oriented nearly at a desired direction. With the assistance of trapped charges, stable ferroelectric polarization can be achieved, in spite of the existence of nonferroelectric components. These may pave a way to utilize uniaxial molecular ferroelectrics for various applications, such as gate dielectrics, electrets, and memory devices.
Circular Gold Nanodisks with Synthetically Tunable Diameters and Thicknesses
Authors: Cui Ximin , Qin Feng , Ruan Qifeng , Zhuo Xiaolu , Wang Jianfang 
Published: January 2018

Abstract2D or pseudo‐2D plasmonic Au nanocrystals, such as circular Au nanodisks, possess unique plasmonic properties. Circular Au nanodisks not only possess two large surfaces with circular symmetry but also exhibit the wide tunability for their plasmon resonance. However, the lack of effective synthetic methods for producing size‐tunable and monodispersed circular Au nanodisks hinders further studies on their properties and applications. Herein, the synthesis of uniformly sized circular Au nanodisks with synthetically tunable diameters and thicknesses is reported. By performing mild anisotropic oxidation on pregrown Au nanoplates with different thicknesses, the thicknesses of the obtained nanodisks are varied from ≈10 nm to ≈50 nm. The nanodisk diameters are tailored from ≈50 nm to ≈150 nm by controlling the oxidation time. Moreover, both homodimers and heterodimers made of circular Au nanodisks are constructed using molecular linkers. They exhibit rich plasmon modes. In particular, dark multipolar plasmon resonance modes can be excited and observed in the asymmetric heterodimers. Such circular Au nanodisks with controllable sizes, large atomically flat surfaces, and a dominant dipolar plasmon mode are ideal building blocks for constructing plasmonic assemblies and plasmon‐coupled systems with desired plasmonic properties and functions.
Wearable Supercapacitors Printed on Garments
Authors: Lee Seong‐Sun , Choi Keun‐Ho , Kim Se‐Hee , Lee Sang‐Young 
Published: January 2018

AbstractElectronic garments have garnered considerable attention as a core technology for the upcoming wearable electronics era. To enable ubiquitous operation of electronic garments, they must be monolithically integrated with rechargeable power sources. Here, inspired by printing‐assisted aesthetic clothing designs, a new class of wearable supercapacitors (SCs) is demonstrated that can be directly printed on T‐shirts, which look like letters (or symbols) commonly printed on T‐shirts. The printed SCs consist of activated carbon/multiwalled carbon nanotube/ionic liquid‐based electrodes and ionic liquid/thiol‐ene polymer network skeleton/SiO2 nanoparticle‐based gel electrolytes. The rheological properties of the electrode/electrolyte pastes are fine‐tuned by varying the colloidal network structure, which affects the printing processability and formation of the nanoscale ion/electron conduction channels. To ensure the seamless unitization and design versatility of the printed SCs, the T‐shirt is sewn with electroconductive stainless steel (SS) threads prior to the printing process. Onto the SS threads acting as shape‐directing current collectors, the electrode/electrolyte pastes are sequentially stencil‐printed and sealed with water‐proof packaging films. The printed SCs exhibit exceptional form factors, flexibility, and thermal stability. Notably, the SC‐printed T‐shirts maintain their electrochemical activity upon exposure to laundering, wringing, ironing, and folding, demonstrating their potential and practical applicability as a promising electronic garment technology.