bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Wave Manipulations by Coherent Perfect Channeling
Authors: Zhang Xiaonan , Meng Chong , Yang Z. 
Published: October 2017

AbstractWe show that through the wave energy conserved and reversible process of coherent interactions of scalar waves in a multi-channel system joint by a common junction, it is possible to generate outgoing waves only in certain channels by controlling the incoming waves. We refer to such processes as coherent perfect channeling (CPC). As two particular examples, we report experimental and theoretical investigations of CPC with two incoming coherent waves in three and four-channel waveguides that are completely channeled into one or two other waveguides mediated by a deep subwavelength dimension scatterer at the common junction. Two such scatterers are discovered, one confirmed by experiments and the other predicted by theory, and their scattering matrices are constructed. Scatterers with other CPC scattering matrices are explored, and preliminary investigations of their properties are conducted. The scattering matrix formulism makes it possible to extend the domain of CPC to other scalar waves, such as electromagnetic waves and quantum wavefunctions.
Bat songs as acoustic beacons - male territorial songs attract dispersing females
Authors: Knörnschild Mirjam , Blüml Simone , Steidl Patrick , Eckenweber Maria , Nagy Martina 
Published: October 2017

AbstractMale song in birds and mammals is important for repelling rivals, stimulating mates or attracting them to a specific location. Nevertheless, direct experimental evidence for the mate attraction function of male song is limited to a few studies. Here, we provide strong experimental evidence that male songs attract wild female bats (Saccopteryx bilineata). Playbacks of territorial songs reliably elicited phonotaxis in females but not males. Most females captured during playbacks were subadults searching for new colonies to settle in. In S. bilineata, multiple males sing simultaneously at dawn and dusk, thereby creating a conspicuous chorus which encodes information on colony identity and size. Since territorial songs have a large signalling range, male songs constitute acoustic beacons which enable females to localize new colonies. In our playbacks, females strongly preferred local territorial songs over foreign territorial songs from two different locations, indicating that song familiarity influences phonotaxis. Our study provides the first clear experimental evidence that male song elicits female phonotaxis in a non-human mammal. Bats are an especially promising taxon for studying mammalian song since male song has been described in different species with diverse social organisations and natural histories, thus providing exciting opportunities for phylogenetically controlled comparative studies.
Dysregulated gene expressions of MEX3D, FOS and BCL2 in human induced-neuronal (iN) cells from NF1 patients: a pilot study
Authors: Sagata Noriaki , Kato Takahiro A. , Kano Shin-ichi , Ohgidani Masahiro , Shimokawa Norihiro , Sato-Kasai Mina , Hayakawa Kohei , Kuwano Nobuki , Wilson Ashley M. , Ishizuka Koko , Kato Shiori , Nakahara Takeshi , Nakahara-Kido Makiko , Setoyama Daiki , Sakai Yasunari , Ohga Shouichi , Furue Masutaka , Sawa Akira , Kanba Shigenobu 
Published: October 2017

AbstractDirect conversion technique to produce induced-neuronal (iN) cells from human fibroblasts within 2 weeks is expected to discover unknown neuronal phenotypes of neuropsychiatric disorders. Here, we present unique gene expression profiles in iN cells from patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), a single-gene multifaceted disorder with comparatively high co-occurrence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Microarray-based transcriptomic analysis on iN cells from male healthy controls and male NF1 patients (NF1-iN cells) revealed that 149 genes expressions were significantly different (110 upregulated and 39 downregulated). We validated that mRNA of MEX3D (mex-3 RNA binding family member D) was lower in NF1-iN cells by real-time PCR with 12 sex-mixed samples. In NF1-iN cells on day 14, higher expression of FOS mRNA was observed with lower expression of MEX3D mRNA. Interestingly, BCL2 mRNA was higher in NF1-iN cells on day 5 (early-period) but not on day 14. Our data suggest that aberrant molecular signals due to NF1 mutations may disturb gene expressions, a subset of which defines continuum of the neuronal phenotypes of NF1 with ASD. Further translational studies using induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell-derived neuronal cells are needed to validate our preliminary findings especially confirming meanings of analysis using early-period iN cells.
Modelling acrylamide acute neurotoxicity in zebrafish larvae
Authors: Prats Eva , Gómez-Canela Cristian , Ben-Lulu Shani , Ziv Tamar , Padrós Francesc , Tornero Daniel , Garcia-Reyero Natàlia , Tauler Romà , Admon Arie , Raldúa Demetrio 
Published: October 2017

AbstractAcrylamide (ACR), a type-2 alkene, may lead to a synaptopathy characterized by ataxia, skeletal muscles weakness and numbness of the extremities in exposed human and laboratory animals. Currently, only the mildly affected patients undergo complete recovery, and identification of new molecules with therapeutic bioactivity against ACR acute neurotoxicity is urgently needed. Here, we have generated a zebrafish model for ACR neurotoxicity by exposing 5 days post-fertilization zebrafish larvae to 1 mM ACR for 3 days. Our results show that zebrafish mimics most of the pathophysiological processes described in humans and mammalian models. Motor function was altered, and specific effects were found on the presynaptic nerve terminals at the neuromuscular junction level, but not on the axonal tracts or myelin sheath integrity. Transcriptional markers of proteins involved in synaptic vesicle cycle were selectively altered, and the proteomic analysis showed that ACR-adducts were formed on cysteine residues of some synaptic proteins. Finally, analysis of neurotransmitters profile showed a significant effect on cholinergic and dopaminergic systems. These data support the suitability of the developed zebrafish model for screening of molecules with therapeutic value against this toxic neuropathy.
Ontogeny of foraging behaviour in juvenile red-footed boobies (Sula sula)
Authors: Mendez Loriane , Prudor Aurélien , Weimerskirch Henri 
Published: October 2017

AbstractThe early life stages represent a crucial period that can strongly influence population dynamics. We studied the development of foraging behaviour in the red-footed booby, a tropical seabird with an extensive post-fledging care period (3 to 6 months). Adults and juveniles were observed from shore and tracked at sea using GPS loggers over 3 consecutive 12-day periods. Juveniles initially made a majority of flights inland, likely to practice flying, and formed groups of up to 10 juveniles before making short trips at sea. They left the island later and returned earlier than the adults, allowing them to be fed on the nest. Over time, juveniles left the colony alone more frequently and increased the range of their trips while remaining significantly closer to the colony than the adults. They spent more time intensively foraging (slow and sinuous trajectory) than adults, which could reflect attempts to capture prey. Juveniles foraged independently of their parents but associated frequently with congeners, particularly during area-restricted search (ARS) behaviour. The extensive post-fledging care period observed may be explained by the need to develop proper foraging skills adapted to tropical waters, where resources are particularly scarce and unpredictable.
Density-dependence in the declining population of the monarch butterfly
Authors: Marini Lorenzo , Zalucki Myron P. 
Published: October 2017

AbstractThe Eastern monarch butterfly population has significantly declined over the last two decades creating growing concerns around its conservation status. Here, we showed that the overwintering population exhibited a negative density-dependence (i.e. a negative effect on growth rate of the density in the previous year) and that, after accounting for the density effect, the population growth rate tended to decline over time. The negative time effect is probably linked to the host plant (i.e. milkweed) decline in North America. A negative density-dependence was also found in the time series of both egg density per host plant and adult density across North America suggesting the importance of a bottom-up, resource-driven regulation such as host plant limitation and/or of a top-down regulation through generalist natural enemies or diseases. The temporal stability of the density effect indicated that the negative density-dependence and the population decline are likely independent phenomena. One of the most common conclusions of previous research is that environmental stochasticity is the dominant key compounded driver of population dynamics. We showed that density dependence explained 37–50% of the total variation in growth rate in three independent datasets, indicating that several non-exclusive density-related mechanisms can be important in monarch population dynamics.
Origins of Common Neural Inputs to Different Compartments of the Extensor Digitorum Communis Muscle
Authors: Dai Chenyun , Shin Henry , Davis Bradley , Hu Xiaogang 
Published: October 2017

AbstractThe extensor digitorum communis (EDC) is a multi-compartment muscle that allows dexterous extension of the four digits. However, the level of common input shared across different compartments of this muscle is not well understood. We seek to systematically characterize the common and independent neural input, originated from different levels of the central nervous system, to the different compartments. A motor unit (MU) coherence analysis was used to capture the different sources of common and independent input, by quantifying the coherence of MU discharge between different compartments. The MU activities were obtained from decomposition of surface electromyogram recordings. Our results showed that the MU coherence across different muscle compartments accounted for only a small proportion (<20%) of the total input in the alpha (5–12 Hz) and beta (15–30 Hz) bands, but was a major driver (>60%) in the delta (1–4 Hz) band. Additionally, cross-compartment coherence between the middle and ring-little fingers tended to be higher as compared with other finger combinations. Overall, the common input shared across different fingers are found to be at low to moderate levels, in comparison with the total input, which allows dexterous control of individual digits with some degree of coordinated control of multiple digits.
Plastisch rekonstruktive Mikrochirurgie beim alten Patienten
Authors: Ludolph Ingo , Lehnhardt Marcus , Arkudas Andreas , Kneser Ulrich , Pierer Gerhard , Harder Yves , Horch Raymund E. 
Published: October 2017

ZusammenfassungEin besseres Verständnis und die zunehmende Routine in der Mikrochirurgie während der letzten zwei Jahrzehnte, unter anderem aufgrund
verbesserter Instrumente und technischer Geräte, wie auch die zunehmende Anzahl verfügbarer Gewebe-Spenderstellen für den freien
Lappentransfer, ermöglichen heutzutage bei geeigneter Indikation individualisierte, sicherere und erfolgreichere mikrochirurgische
Rekonstruktionen nahezu unabhängig vom Patientenalter. Trotz dieser stetigen Entwicklungen ist die Literatur bezüglich der Thematik im
Hinblick auf die spezifischen Probleme bei älteren Patienten bisher noch spärlich. In zwei Konsensus-Workshops der DAM (Deutschsprachige
Arbeitsgemeinschaft für die Mikrochirurgie der peripheren Nerven und Gefäße) anlässlich der Jahrestagungen 2014 und 2016 wurden die neuesten
Erkenntnisse und Erfahrungen zum mikrochirurgischen Wiederaufbau beim älteren Patienten von einer Expertengruppe erarbeitet und aktuelle
Empfehlungen formuliert. Basierend auf diesen Konsensus-Treffen und der aktuellen Literatur diskutiert dieser Artikel die relevanten
Aspekte.
Haut- und Weichteilinfektionen durch Corynebacterium ulcerans – Fallberichte
Authors: Jenssen Christian , Schwede Ilona , Neumann Volker , Pietsch Cristine , Handrick Werner 
Published: October 2017

Zusammenfassung
Anamnese und klinische Befunde Es wird über drei Patienten mit Haut- und Weichteilinfektionen der Unterschenkel durch Toxin-produzierende Corynebacterium-ulcerans-Stämme berichtet. Alle drei Patienten hatten prädisponierende chronische Erkrankungen und lebten mit Katzen bzw. einem Hund in einem Haushalt.
Untersuchungen und Diagnose Aus Wundabstrichen wurde jeweils eine Mischflora einschließlich von Corynebacterium ulcerans angezüchtet. Die Produktion von Diphtherietoxin war in allen drei Fällen nachweisbar.
Therapie und Verlauf Die Haut- und Weichteilinfektionen konnten bei allen drei Patienten durch eine Kombination von Lokalmaßnahmen und Antibiotikatherapie beherrscht werden. Diphtherie-Antitoxin kam nicht zum Einsatz.
Folgerung Basierend auf einer Literaturübersicht werden die wichtigsten Aspekte der Pathogenese, Klinik, Diagnostik und Therapie dieser Infektionen diskutiert. Corynebacterium ulcerans sollte als möglicher Erreger schwerer Haut-, Wund- und Weichgewebe-Infektionen in diagnostische und therapeutische Überlegungen einbezogen und berufliche sowie häusliche Tierkontakte erfragt werden.
Bacterial natural product biosynthetic domain composition in soil correlates with changes in latitude on a continent-wide scale
Authors: Lemetre Christophe , Maniko Jeffrey , Charlop-Powers Zachary , Sparrow Ben , Lowe Andrew J. , Brady Sean F. 
Published: October 2017

Significance
Secondary metabolites encoded by soil bacteria have proved to be a rich source of lead structures for the development of small-molecule therapeutics. Environmental factors that contribute to differences in the composition of natural product biosynthetic gene clusters found in geographically distant soil microbiomes have remained elusive. In this study, we sought to address this key outstanding question. Of the factors we assessed, changes in latitude were found to correlate most consistently with changes in biosynthetic domain composition on a continent-wide scale. Although further studies are needed to better understand the underlying causes driving this relationship, these findings provide insights into how best to direct future natural product drug discovery efforts.
A report on a Moon Jellyfish Aurelia aurita bloom in Sishili Bay, Northern Yellow Sea of China in 2009
Authors: Dong Zhijun , Liu Dongyan , Wang Yujue , Di Baoping , Song Xiukai , Shi Yajun 
Published: October 2017

In recent years, an increasing number of reports on blooms of Moon Jellyfish (Aurelia aurita) have occurred in the northern coast of China. Throughout the summer of 2009, we studied the occurrence of an A. aurita bloom in relation to environmental variables in the Yantai Sishili Bay of the Northern Yellow Sea. The mean abundance of A. aurita was 0.62 no m−3 in summer 2009 with a highest density of 2.28 n m−3, while the mean biomass of A. aurita was 163.7 mg C m−3. Highest biomass peaked at 673.6 mg C m−3. The present study showed that the spatial distribution of A. aurita seemed unrelated to the environmental variables: sea surface temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen and nutrients. Chlorophyll a concentration was positively correlated to the occurrence of A. aurita in summer 2009, suggesting a cascading effect resulting from the jellyfish grazing on zooplankton that in turn reduced grazing of zooplankton on phytoplankton. Increased suitable settlement and reduced currents in the Bay by intense building of coastal construction and aquaculture rafts were discussed as possibly being the main drivers for the proliferation of Moon Jellyfish A. aurita. Further investigations on A. aurita polyps in situ should be conducted to address this hypothesis and relate these to current management policies.
Marine debris composition and abundance: A case study of selected beaches in Port Dickson, Malaysia
Authors: Khairunnisa A. K. , Fauziah S. H. , Agamuthu P. 
Published: October 2017

Malaysia has a long coastline and is well known for its beautiful beaches which play different roles, depending on the characteristics and location. With increasing population and rapid development, the beaches are experiencing threats from pollution. One of the most visible threats is due to solid waste disposal. A scientific quantitative dataset of marine debris in Malaysia is, however, very rare. Therefore, a study on marine debris was conducted on two beaches in Port Dickson, Malaysia, from January to March 2010. The objective of the study was to compare the density of waste on two selected beaches with different economic activities.
Teluk Kemang and Pasir Panjang are recreational and fishing beaches, respectively. Pasir Panjang received at least 2 units of debris for every 2 m2 (0.495 ± 0.108 items m−2), weighing 46.079 ± 12.507 g m−2. Debris found in Teluk Kemang was lower than that of Pasir Panjang with 1 unit of waste for every 2 m2 (0.262 ± 0.045 items m−2), weighing 2.067 ± 1.238 g m−2. Based on the number of items, plastics were the most abundant type of debris at 64% in Teluk Kemang and 46% in Pasir Panjang. In terms of weight, paper was higher (48%) than plastic (43%) in Teluk Kemang, while the highest percentage of debris found on Pasir Panjang beach was bulky waste (54%). The number of items and weight of debris were higher in Pasir Panjang due to the abundance of huge and heavy abandoned nets from fishing activities left on the beach. Daily clean-ups of Teluk Kemang, a popular recreational beach, contributed to significantly lower amounts of debris found there. On the whole, types of waste found on both beaches were similar. However, the percentage and amount of each waste's type varied between the two beaches. The results indicated that the density of waste is highly dependable on the economic activities of the relevant beaches.
The achievement of water management objectives based on willingness to pay for a water service fee in tidal lowlands
Authors: Yazid Muhammad , Shamsudin Mad Nasir , Rahim Khalid Abdul , Radam Alias , Muda Azizi 
Published: October 2017

The objective of this study was to estimate willingness to pay for a water service fee (WSF) in order to assess the expected achievement of water management objectives in tidal lowlands. A survey was conducted in Telang, a tidal lowland area on the eastern coast of Sumatra, involving 500 water users randomly drawn from approximately 60,000 people living in the delta. Each respondent was interviewed to obtain information regarding socioeconomic status and the willingness to pay for WSF. The data were analyzed using multiple regresion to obtain the estimate of WSF and its affecting factors. Results indicated that the mean WSF was $11.40 US. With this WSF, only the improvement of water distribution objectives could expect to be achieved.
Willingness to pay for WSF was significantly affected by the income of water users. Therefore, efforts to increase this willingness in order to achieve cost recovery and efficient water allocation should be directed towards the increase of income of water users.
Freshwater estimates of prokaryotic respiration in tropical Central America
Authors: Pollard Peter C. 
Published: October 2017

In aquatic fresh ecosystems, prokaryotes are responsible for the bulk of aerobic respiration. They generate most of the CO2 from freshwater, yet rarely are their rates of respiration estimated in situ. Here, direct measurements were made of the rate at which freshwater bacteria and Archaea used dissolved oxygen in the tropical waters of the Panama Canal, Central America. Respiration rates were estimated from measurements of oxygen uptake rates in a dark chamber attached to a sonde in situ in bays, coves and the Panama Canal around Barro Colorado Island. The rate at which oxygen was taken up was then converted to the rate at which carbon dioxide was respired; rates ranged from 1 to 20 g C m−3 d−1. Results showed aquatic bacterial respiration in these tropical freshwaters can return large amounts of dissolved organic carbon to the atmosphere as CO2. Hence, CO2 outgassing from these tropical freshwaters respiration should be considered as a significant source of carbon to the atmospheric global carbon budget.
Predictive model for phosphorus in large shallow Lake Peipsi: Approach based on covariance structures
Authors: Haldna Marina , Möls Tõnu , Buhvestova Olga , Kangur Külli 
Published: October 2017

Long-term datasets of nutrient levels provide a unique opportunity to study the changes that occur in lake ecosystems subjected to multiple man-induced and natural pressures. Unfortunately, the relevant dataset of thousands of records for Lake Peipsi (Estonia/Russia) is rather fragmentary and therefore difficult to analyse. Focusing on the total phosphorus concentration (TP), which is believed to be the main reason for degradation of the shallow lowland lake, we tailored, using SAS/STAT software, a special mixed regression model having 61 linear parameters and a repeated measures approach with spatial covariance structure. The model describes the dependence of TP in the surface water on year number (1985–2010), on the day of year and on geographical coordinates. Based on Akaike's criterion, the present model is superior to the analogous model, where the prediction errors (residuals) are supposed to be independent. Another advantage of the present model is that it distinguishes two groups of factors related to the variation in TP residuals. Factors of the first group affect TP synchronously within the larger areas, while this synchrony is weakening down to about 75 km or even more as has been shown by the SAS VARIOGRAM procedure. Factors in the other group can be associated with sampling instability and random errors in laboratory analyses. The influence of both factor groups on TP is approximately equal, with the related variance components on a log2-scale being 0.12 and 0.15.
Assessment of the effects of plerocercoid larvae of Ligula intestinalis (Cestoda) on Engraulicypris sardella (Cyprinidae) from northern Lake Nyasa/Malawi/Niasa
Authors: Msafiri A. , Kwendwa K. , Nestory P. G. , Alistidia M. 
Published: October 2017

Engraulicypris sardella (Günter, 1868) is a cyprinid fish exploited in the waters of Lake Nyasa that has been found to be infested by Ligula intestinalis (Linnaeus, 1758). Although L. intestinalis has been the subject of a number of studies, there is no information on the effects of this parasite on E. sardella. This study was therefore aimed at assessing the prevalence and intensity of the parasite L. intestinalis, condition of the fish and impact on fecundity of E. sardella. Data recorded for each individual fish included: total length, weight, sex and maturity stage, number of parasites, gonad assessment and egg count. Number, length and total weight of L. intestinalis found per fish host were recorded.
The average infestation rate from the two landing sites (Matema and Kafyofyo) was 32.5%. Kafyofyo had the highest infestation rate (50%) and Matema (15%); on average, each infested fish had 1.7 parasites. The majority of infested fish carried one parasite (57%) with 23.1% having two parasites, 13.8% three parasites, 1.5% four parasites and 4.6% five parasites. There was significant difference between the weight of fish with parasites and those without parasites (P &lt; 0.05). Mean length and weight of parasites was 73.6 mm and 0.25 g, respectively. There was also a significant difference between the weight of gonads of infested and non-infested fish (P &lt; 0.05). The average weight of gonads from infested fish was 0.28 g, while that of non-infected fish was 0.32 g. Gonads of all infected fish were atrophied. Number of eggs (fecundity) decreased significantly with parasite infestation. Condition factors of both infected and uninfected fish did not show any significant difference (Mann-Whitney U-test P &gt; 0.01). Therefore, it was concluded that L. intestinalis parasites affect fecundity and consequently inhibit the reproductive capacity of this cyprinid fish population.