bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Do aye-ayes echolocate? Studying convergent genomic evolution in a primate auditory specialist
Authors: Bankoff Richard J. , Jerjos Michael , Hohman Baily , Lauterbur M Elise , Kistler Logan , Perry George H. 
Published: April 2016

AbstractSeveral taxonomically distinct mammalian groups – certain microbats and cetaceans (e.g. dolphins) – share both morphological adaptations related to echolocation behavior and strong signatures of convergent evolution at the amino acid level across seven genes related to auditory processing. Aye-ayes (Daubentonia madagascariensis) are nocturnal lemurs with a derived auditory processing system. Aye-ayes tap rapidly along the surfaces of dead trees, listening to reverberations to identify the mines of wood-boring insect larvae; this behavior has been hypothesized to functionally mimic echolocation. Here we investigated whether there are signals of genomic convergence between aye-ayes and known mammalian echolocators. We developed a computational pipeline (BEAT: Basic Exon Assembly Tool) that produces consensus sequences for regions of interest from shotgun genomic sequencing data for non-model organisms without requiringde novogenome assembly. We reconstructed complete coding region sequences for the seven convergent echolocating bat-dolphin genes for aye-ayes and another lemur. Sequences were compared in a phylogenetic framework to those of bat and dolphin echolocators and appropriate non-echolocating outgroups. Our analysis reaffirms the existence of amino acid convergence at these loci among echolocating bats and dolphins; we also detected unexpected signals of convergence between echolocating bats and both mice and elephants. However, we observed no significant signal of amino acid convergence between aye-ayes and echolocating bats and dolphins; our results thus suggest that aye-aye tap-foraging auditory adaptations represent distinct evolutionary innovations. These results are also consistent with a developing consensus that convergent behavioral ecology is not necessarily a reliable guide to convergent molecular evolution.
Development of an experimental system to apply high rates of loading
Authors: Barata Pedro , Santiago Aldina , Rodrigues João P. C. , Rigueiro Constança 
Published: April 2016

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop an experimental system to apply high rates of loading, in order to characterize the behaviour of bolted steel connections subjected to accidental loads, such as impact. The work presented in this paper is part of an ongoing research project at the University of Coimbra IMPACTFIRE PTDC/ECM/110807/2009.

Design/methodology/approach
The experimental set-up was designed to test under tension T-stubs andis capable to apply high strain rates. The test rig comprises a series of beams and steel elements placed horizontally, providing resistance and stiffness for the proposed tests. The loading system is operated by high pressure nitrogen and it comprises three main components: pneumatic reservoir, pneumatic cylinder and a rapidly opening valve, which and allows the instantaneous nitrogen flow from the reservoir to the cylinder. This paper presents a detailed description of the experimental components developed, designed and fabricated at University of Coimbra. Furthermore, the data acquisition system, the methodology for analysis of the results and the results of preliminary tests are also reported.

Findings
The results of the tests showed that the developed system is capable to apply an impact force in the specimens, the shape of the force and acceleration, in terms of duration and magnitude provided by the system showed that the system is capable to apply and simulate an impact force in specimens under tension. Moreover, the results reached under high rates of loading are compared with those reached under quasi-static loading; an increase of the plastic and ultimate resistances and a decrease of the deformation capacity are noticed.

Originality/value
The value of this paper is to describe the development of a new experimental system to perform tests at high strain rates. The results of the experimental tests of T-stub under tension are presented herein.
Strength decay of RC sections for chloride attack
Authors: Imperatore Stefania , Leonardi Angelo , Rinaldi Zila 
Published: April 2016

Purpose
Corrosion of reinforcement, and mainly the one induced by chloride attack, is one of the leading causes of deterioration in reinforced concrete structures. Then, it is very important to develop a simplified analytical tool, able to simulate the corrosion processes and the consequences for the structural safety.

Design/methodology/approach
Aim of this paper is the definition of a simplified integrated procedure, able to predict the decay with the time of the bending moment and axial force resistance of a reinforced concrete section, exposed to a chloride attack. Starting from various literature findings, the rebar mass loss in time is evaluated and related to the chloride distribution and content in time. Then the mechanical properties of the corroded rebars are evaluated by means of strength decay laws developed by the authors. Finally, moment curvature relationships and bending moment – axial force (M-N) interaction envelopes are defined.

Findings
The strength variation with the time can be easily evaluated and then the life cycle and the timing of repair or rehabilitation strategies can be estimated.

Originality/value
The proposed methodology can be considered a very simple, but useful tool for a first analysis of the strength reduction in time, due to chloride pitting corrosion, before performing more complex and time-spending analyses.
Nonlinear dynamic analysis and seismic fragility assessment of a corrosion damaged integral bridge
Authors: Ni Choine Mairéad , Kashani Mehdi , Lowes Laura N , O'Connor Alan , Crewe Adam J , Alexander Nicholas A , Padgett Jamie E 
Published: April 2016

Purpose
In this paper the impact of corrosion of reinforcing steel in RC columns on the seismic performance of a multi-span concrete integral bridge is explored. A new constitutive model for corroded reinforcing steel is used. This model simulates the buckling of longitudinal reinforcement under cyclic loading and the impact of corrosion on buckling strength. Cover concrete strength is adjusted to account for corrosion induced damage and core concrete strength and ductility is adjusted to account for corrosion induced damage to transverse reinforcement. This study evaluates the impact which chloride induced corrosion of the reinforced concrete columns on the seismic fragility of the bridge. Fragility curves are developed at a various time intervals over the lifetime. The results of this study show that the bridge fragility increases significantly with corrosion.

Design/methodology/approach
This paper firstly evaluates the impact which chloride induced corrosion of the columns has on bridge fragility. Finally, fragility curves are developed at various time intervals over the lifetime of the bridge. The results of this study show that the bridge fragility increases significantly with corrosion.

Findings
1)	It was found that columns dominate the system fragility at all levels of deterioration. Therefore, it highlights the importance of good column design in terms of both seismic detailing and durability for this integral bridge type.

2)	In terms of foundation settlement coupled with corrosion, it was found that settlements on the order of the discrete levels adopted for this study increased the system fragility at the slight, moderate and extensive damage states but their impact at the complete damage states is negligible.

3)	Ageing considerations are currently neglected in widespread regional risk assessment and loss estimation packages for transport infrastructure. The result of this study provides a methodology that enables bridge managers and owners to employ in seismic risk assessment of existing aging bridges.

Originality/value
The modelling technician developed in this paper considers the impact of detailed corrosion damaged of RC column on nonlinear dynamic response and fragility of a corroded integral bridge under earthquake loading. The current modelling technique is the most comprehensive 3D fibre element model for seismic analysis and risk assessment of corroded bridges.
Corrosion of bare and embedded in concrete steel bar - impact on mechanical behavior
Authors: Apostolopoulos Alkiviadis , Matikas Theodore E 
Published: April 2016

Purpose
The purpose of this papaer is to study the effects of corrosion on bare and embedded in concrete steel bars and additionaly to study the impact on their mechanical behavior.

Design/methodology/approach
The mechanical properties on bare and embedded specimens of dual phase steel bar B500c were measured after tensile tests, before and after corrosion.

Findings
The results show superficial severe localized pitting corrosion of embedded specimens in contrast to bare specimens. Also recorded a significant influence of corrosion on the mechanical behavior of the embedded steel specimens in contrast to the corresponding bare specimens. The mechanical behavior of dual phase steel bar B500c, due to chloride induced corrosion, seems to be significantly influenced by the existence of local interactions and the intense of external pit depths of different inclusions (MnS and the FeS etc) close to the outer surface.

Originality/value
The originality in this paper is the research on bare and embedded specimens and the comparison between them and additionaly are presented SEM and EDX analysis with interesting findings.
Transformational leadership and change related voice behavior
Authors: Svendsen Mari , Joensson Thomas S. 
Published: April 2016

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between transformational leadership and voice during the change-planning process. The authors propose a moderated mediation model to investigate the relationship between voice, other change-related variables, and the boundary conditions of transformational leadership.Design/methodology/approach– The authors collected survey data from 124 employees and their leaders in a medical technology company in Norway. The organization was planning a major restructuring of its working procedures. The authors analyzed the data using PROCESS and a fixed effect approach.Findings– The results suggest that transformational leadership has no effect on change-related voice (CRV) by itself. However, there is an indirect effect through affective commitment to change. This effect is conditional on the employees’ level of perceived change impact.Research limitations/implications– The paper is limited by the cross-sectional design of the study. Other potential limitations are discussed.Originality/value– The paper is the first to explore the relationship between transformational leadership and CRV, and is thus interesting for practitioners who wish to increase the level of CRV from their employees. Furthermore, researchers interested in organizational change and proactivity constructs such as voice will also find the paper valuable.
Detecting Defects in Weft-knitted Fabrics Using Texture-Recognition Methods
Authors: Najar S. Shaikhzadeh , Saeidi R. Ghazi , Latifi M. , Saeidi A.Ghazi , Rezaei A.H. 
Published: April 2016

This paper describes fabric inspection system aided by computer vision to detect and classify defects in circular knitted fabrics using different common texture-recognition methods, including co-occurrence matrices, the discrete Fourier transform, wavelets, Gabor, and
clustering. The images of the fabrics were broadly classified into six classes: cracks, holes, vertical stripes, horizontal stripes, soil freckles, and defect-free. One hundred and twenty images (256 gray level and 100 dpi) containing 20 images of defect-free fabrics (rib 1x1) as well as 100 images corresponding to five different categories were used. In general, one-half of the images in each category were employed for training and the remaining images were used for testing.
The application of the clustering method applied in this work was found to be highly promising at identifying defects in knitted fabrics. With an overall success rate of 91.6%, the clustering method has a higher efficiency value than all of the other methods. In the case of the wavelet and Gabor methods, the results are acceptable. However, the overall success rates of the co-occurrence matrix and Fourier transform methods in recognizing defects in knitted fabrics are not acceptable.
Climate warming is predicted to reduce omega‐3, long‐chain, polyunsaturated fatty acid production in phytoplankton
Authors: Hixson Stefanie M. , Arts Michael T. 
Published: April 2016

AbstractPhytoplankton are the main source of energy and omega‐3 (n‐3) long‐chain essential fatty acids (EFA) in aquatic ecosystems. Their growth and biochemical composition are affected by surrounding environmental conditions, including temperature, which continues to increase as a result of climate warming. Increasing water temperatures may negatively impact the production of EFA by phytoplankton through the process of homeoviscous adaptation. To investigate this, we conducted an exploratory data synthesis with 952 fatty acid (FA) profiles from six major groups of marine and freshwater phytoplankton. Temperature was strongly correlated with a decrease in the proportion of n‐3 long‐chain polyunsaturated FA (LC‐PUFA) and an increase in omega‐6 FA and saturated FA. Based on linear regression models, we predict that global n‐3 LC‐PUFA production will be reduced by 8.2% for eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and 27.8% for docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) with an increase in water temperature of 2.5 °C. Using a previously published estimate of the global production of EPA by diatoms, which contribute to most of the world's supply of EPA, we predict a loss of 14.2 Mt of EPA annually as a result of ocean warming. The n‐3 LC‐PUFA are vitally important for an array of key physiological functions in aquatic and terrestrial organisms, and these FA are mainly produced by phytoplankton. Therefore, reduced production of these EFA, as a consequence of climate warming, is predicted to negatively affect species that depend on these compounds for optimum physiological function. Such profound changes in the biochemical composition of phytoplankton cell membranes can lead to cascading effects throughout the world's ecosystems.
Skin image retrieval using Gabor wavelet texture feature
Authors: Ou X. , Pan W. , Zhang X. , Xiao P. 
Published: April 2016

AbstractObjectiveSkin imaging plays a key role in many clinical studies. We have used many skin imaging techniques, including the recently developed capacitive contact skin imaging based on fingerprint sensors. The aim of this study was to develop an effective skin image retrieval technique using Gabor wavelet transform, which can be used on different types of skin images, but with a special focus on skin capacitive contact images.MethodsContent‐based image retrieval (CBIR) is a useful technology to retrieve stored images from database by supplying query images. In a typical CBIR, images are retrieved based on colour, shape, texture, etc. In this study, texture feature is used for retrieving skin images, and Gabor wavelet transform is used for texture feature description and extraction.ResultsThe results show that the Gabor wavelet texture features can work efficiently on different types of skin images. Although Gabor wavelet transform is slower compared with other image retrieval techniques, such as principal component analysis (PCA) and grey‐level co‐occurrence matrix (GLCM), Gabor wavelet transform is the best for retrieving skin capacitive contact images and facial images with different orientations. Gabor wavelet transform can also work well on facial images with different expressions and skin cancer/disease images.ConclusionWe have developed an effective skin image retrieval method based on Gabor wavelet transform, that it is useful for retrieving different types of images, namely digital colour face images, digital colour skin cancer and skin disease images, and particularly greyscale skin capacitive contact images. Gabor wavelet transform can also be potentially useful for face recognition (with different orientation and expressions) and skin cancer/disease diagnosis.
Conservative Protestantism and Anti‐Evolution Curricular Challenges Across States*
Authors: Johnson David R. , Scheitle Christopher P. , Ecklund Elaine Howard 
Published: April 2016

ObjectiveDrawing on a symbolic politics perspective, we analyze state‐level “anti‐evolution” legislative attempts between 2000 and 2012 to alter science curricula in the United States.MethodWe use structural equation modeling to examine whether interest groups, public opinion, government political climate, and science and engineering workforces mediate influence of the religious composition of a state on anti‐evolution legislation.ResultsState conservative Protestant adherence does influence anti‐evolution legislation efforts indirectly by increasing the influence of conservative Protestants in state GOP bodies. While a state's conservative Protestant adherence rate does increase anti‐evolution public opinion and the likelihood of anti‐evolution organizations being active in the state, these do not increase the likelihood of anti‐evolution legislation being considered by state governments.ConclusionThe results suggest that anti‐evolution legislation activity is a ceremonial act on the part of politicians, which legitimates the values of conservative Protestants and generates political support.
Mutations Decreasing Intrinsic β-Lactam Resistance Are Linked to Cell Division in the Nosocomial Pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii
Authors: Knight Daniel , Dimitrova Daniela D. , Rudin Susan D. , Bonomo Robert A. , Rather Philip N. 
Published: April 2016

ABSTRACT

Transposon mutagenesis was used to identify novel determinants of intrinsic β-lactam resistance in
Acinetobacter baumannii
. An EZ-Tn5 transposon insertion in a gene corresponding to the A1S_0225 sequence resulted in a 4-fold decrease in resistance to ampicillin, cefotaxime, imipenem, and ceftriaxone but did not alter resistance to other classes of antibiotics. Based on this phenotype, the gene was designated
blhA
(
β
-
l
actam
h
ypersusceptibility). The
blhA
::EZ-Tn5 mutation conferred a similar phenotype in
A. baumannii
strain ATCC 17978. The wild-type
blhA
gene complemented the
blhA
::EZTn5 insertion and restored β-lactam resistance levels back to wild-type levels. The
blhA
mutation also increased β-lactam susceptibility in an
adeB adeJ
double mutant, indicating that the
blhA
mutation acted independently of these efflux systems to mediate susceptibility. In addition, mRNA levels for the
bla
OXA
and
bla
ADC
β-lactamase genes were not altered by the
blhA
mutation. The
blhA
mutation resulted in a prominent cell division and morphological defect, with cells exhibiting a highly elongated phenotype, combined with large bulges in some cells. The
blhA
gene is unique to
Acinetobacter
and likely represents a novel gene involved in cell division. Three additional mutations, in
zipA
,
zapA
, and
ftsK
, each of which encode predicted cell division proteins, also conferred increased β-lactam susceptibility, indicating a common link between cell division and intrinsic β-lactam resistance in
A. baumannii
.
Combination Pod-Intravaginal Ring Delivers Antiretroviral Agents for HIV Prophylaxis: Pharmacokinetic Evaluation in an Ovine Model
Authors: Moss John A. , Butkyavichene Irina , Churchman Scott A. , Gunawardana Manjula , Fanter Rob , Miller Christine S. , Yang Flora , Easley Jeremiah T. , Marzinke Mark A. , Hendrix Craig W. , Smith Thomas J. , Baum Marc M. 
Published: April 2016

ABSTRACT

Preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) against HIV using oral regimens based on the nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) has been effective to various degrees in multiple clinical trials, and the CCR5 receptor antagonist maraviroc (MVC) holds potential for complementary efficacy. The effectiveness of HIV PrEP is highly dependent on adherence. Incorporation of the TDF-MVC combination into intravaginal rings (IVRs) for sustained mucosal delivery could increase product adherence and efficacy compared with oral and vaginal gel formulations. A novel pod-IVR technology capable of delivering multiple drugs is described. The pharmacokinetics and preliminary local safety characteristics of a novel pod-IVR delivering a combination of TDF and MVC were evaluated in the ovine model. The device exhibited sustained release at controlled rates over the 28-day study and maintained steady-state drug levels in cervicovaginal fluids (CVFs). Dilution of CVFs during lavage sample collection was measured by ion chromatography using an inert tracer, allowing corrected drug concentrations to be measured for the first time. Median, steady-state drug levels in vaginal tissue homogenate were as follows: for tenofovir (TFV;
in vivo
hydrolysis product of TDF), 7.3 × 10
2
ng g
−1
(interquartile range [IQR], 3.0 × 10
2
, 4.0 × 10
3
); for TFV diphosphate (TFV-DP; active metabolite of TFV), 1.8 × 10
4
fmol g
−1
(IQR, 1.5 × 10
4
, 4.8 × 10
4
); and for MVC, 8.2 × 10
2
ng g
−1
(IQR, 4.7 × 10
2
, 2.0 × 10
3
). No adverse events were observed. These findings, together with previous pod-IVR studies, have allowed several lead candidates to advance into clinical evaluation.
New Ceftriaxone- and Multidrug-Resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae Strain with a Novel Mosaic
penA
Gene Isolated in Japan
Authors: Nakayama Shu-ichi , Shimuta Ken , Furubayashi Kei-ichi , Kawahata Takuya , Unemo Magnus , Ohnishi Makoto 
Published: April 2016

ABSTRACT

We have characterized in detail a new ceftriaxone- and multidrug-resistant
Neisseria gonorrhoeae
strain (FC428) isolated in Japan in 2015. FC428 differed from previous ceftriaxone-resistant strains and contained a novel mosaic
penA
allele encoding a new mosaic penicillin-binding protein 2 (PBP 2). However, the resistance-determining 3′-terminal region of
penA
was almost identical to the regions of two previously reported ceftriaxone-resistant strains from Australia and Japan, indicating that both ceftriaxone-resistant strains and conserved ceftriaxone resistance-determining PBP 2 regions might spread.