bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Novel nano molten salt tetra‐2,3‐pyridiniumporphyrazinato‐oxo‐vanadium tricyanomethanide as a vanadium surface‐free phthalocyanine catalyst: Application to Strecker synthesis of α‐aminonitrile derivatives
Authors: Baghery Saeed , Zolfigol Mohammad Ali , Safaiee Maliheh , Alonso Diego A. , Khoshnood Abbas 
Published: March 2017

Efficient and recyclable novel nano tetra‐2,3‐pyridiniumporphyrazinato‐oxo‐vanadium tricyanomethanide, {[VO(TPPA)][C(CN)3]4}, as a vanadium surface‐free phthalocyanine‐based molten salt catalyst was successfully designed, produced and used for the Strecker synthesis of α‐aminonitrile derivatives through a one‐pot three‐component reaction between aromatic aldehydes, trimethylsilyl cyanide and aniline derivatives under neat conditions at 50 °C. This catalyst was well characterized using Fourier transform infrared, UV–visible, X‐ray photoelectron and energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopies, X‐ray diffraction, scanning and high‐resolution transmission electron microscopies, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and thermogravimetric analysis. The catalyst can be simply recovered and reused several times without significant loss of catalytic activity.
Green synthesis of reduced graphene oxide/Fe3O4/Ag ternary nanohybrid and its application as magnetically recoverable catalyst in the reduction of 4‐nitrophenol
Authors: Thu Tran Viet , Ko Pil Ju , Nguyen To Van , Vinh Nguyen Thanh , Khai Doan Minh , Lu Le Trong 
Published: March 2017

Materials having both magnetic and catalytic properties have shown great potential for practical applications. Here, a reduced graphene oxide/iron oxide/silver nanohybrid (rGO/Fe3O4/Ag NH) ternary material was prepared by green synthesis of Ag on pre‐synthesized rGO/Fe3O4. The as‐prepared rGO/Fe3O4/Ag NH was characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X‐ray diffractometry, Raman spectroscopy, vibrating sample magnetometry, transmission electron microscopy and energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy. rGO sheets were covered with Fe3O4 (8–16 nm) and Ag (18–40 nm) nanoparticles at high densities. The mass percentages were 13.47% (rGO), 62.52% (Fe3O4) and 24.01% (Ag). rGO/Fe3O4/Ag NH exhibited superparamagnetic behavior with high saturated magnetization (29 emu g−1 at 12 kOe), and efficiently catalyzed the reduction of 4‐nitrophenol (4‐NP) with a rate constant of 0.37 min−1, comparable to those of Ag‐based nanocatalysts. The half‐life of 4‐NP in the presence of rGO/Fe3O4/Ag NH was ca 1.86 min. rGO/Fe3O4/Ag NH could be magnetically collected and reused, and retained a high conversion efficiency of 94.4% after the fourth cycle. rGO/Fe3O4/Ag NH could potentially be used as a magnetically recoverable catalyst in the reduction of 4‐NP and environmental remediation.
Functional analysis of two polygalacturonase genes in Apolygus lucorum associated with eliciting plant injury using RNA interference
Authors: Zhang Wanna , Liu Bing , Lu Yanhui , Liang Gemei 
Published: March 2017

AbstractSalivary enzymes of many piercing–sucking insects lead to host plant injury. The salivary enzymes, polygalacturonase (PGs), act in insect feeding. PG family genes have been cloned from the mirid bug Apolygus lucorum, a pest of cotton and other host crops in China. We investigated the function of two PG genes that are highly expressed in A. lucorum nymphs (PG3‐4) and adults (PG3‐5), using siRNA injection‐based RNA interference (RNAi). Accumulation of mRNA encoding both genes and their cognate proteins was significantly reduced (>60%) in experimental compared control green fluorescent protein (GFP) siRNA‐treated mirids at 48 h post injection. Injury levels of cotton buds were also significantly reduced after injecting saliva isolated from PG3‐4 and PG3‐5 siRNA‐treated A. lucorum. These results demonstrate that these two PG act in A. lucorum elicitation of plant injury.
Hierarchical parallel model for improving performance on differential evolution
Authors: Tardivo María Laura , Caymes‐Scutari Paola , Bianchini Germán , Méndez‐Garabetti Miguel 
Published: March 2017

SummaryThis paper presents a parallel distributed model for the Differential Evolution algorithm. The proposed model, Hierarchical Island‐Based Model for Differential Evolution, follows a double‐hierarchy master‐worker scheme and offers two parallelism levels. In this proposal, the processes are associated with certain cooperation hierarchy, allowing them to explore in a more comprehensive way the search space of the problem at hand. A comparative study with other algorithms from the state of art is also presented. The results show that Hierachical Island‐Based Model for Differential Evolution is a flexible model and achieves good performance in terms of results quality and computing time.
Assessing the performance portability of modern parallel programming models using TeaLeaf
Authors: Martineau Matthew , McIntosh‐Smith Simon , Gaudin Wayne 
Published: March 2017

SummaryIn this work, we evaluate several emerging parallel programming models: Kokkos, RAJA, OpenACC, and OpenMP 4.0, against the mature CUDA and OpenCL APIs. Each model has been used to port Tealeaf, a miniature proxy application, or mini app, that solves the heat conduction equation and belongs to the Mantevo Project. We find that the best performance is achieved with architecture‐specific implementations but that, in many cases, the performance portable models are able to solve the same problems to within a 5% to 30% performance penalty. While the models expose varying levels of complexity to the developer, they all achieve reasonable performance with this application. As such, if this small performance penalty is permissible for a problem domain, we believe that productivity and development complexity can be considered the major differentiators when choosing a modern parallel programming model to develop applications like Tealeaf.
Evaluation of DVFS techniques on modern HPC processors and accelerators for energy‐aware applications
Authors: Calore Enrico , Gabbana Alessandro , Schifano Sebastiano Fabio , Tripiccione Raffaele 
Published: March 2017

SummaryEnergy efficiency is becoming increasingly important for computing systems, in particular for large scale High Performance Computing (HPC) facilities. In this work, we evaluate, from a user perspective, the use of Dynamic Voltage and Frequency Scaling techniques, assisted by the power and energy monitoring capabilities of modern processors to tune applications for energy efficiency. We run selected kernels and a full HPC application on 2 high‐end processors widely used in the HPC context, namely, an NVIDIA K80 GPU and an Intel Haswell CPU. We evaluate the available trade‐offs between energy‐to‐solution and time‐to‐solution, attempting a function‐by‐function frequency tuning. We finally estimate the benefits obtainable running the full code on an HPC multi‐GPU node, with respect to default clock frequency governors. We instrument our code to accurately monitor power consumption and execution time without the need of any additional hardware, and we enable it to change CPUs and GPUs clock frequencies while running. We analyze our results on the different architectures using a simple energy‐performance model and derive a number of energy saving strategies, which can be easily adopted on recent high‐end HPC systems for generic applications.
Aptamer entrapment in microfluidic channel using one‐step sol‐gel process, in view of the integration of a new selective extraction phase for lab‐on‐a‐chip
Authors: Perréard Camille , d'Orlyé Fanny , Griveau Sophie , Liu Baohong , Bedioui Fethi , Varenne Anne 
Published: March 2017

AbstractThere is a great demand for integrating sample treatment into μTASs. In this context, we developed a new sol‐gel phase for extraction of trace compounds in complex matrices. For this purpose, the incorporation of aptamers in silica‐based gel within PDMS/glass microfluidic channels was performed for the first time by a one‐step sol‐gel process. The effective gel attachment onto microchannel walls and aptamer incorporation in the polymerized gel were evaluated using fluorescence microscopy. A good gel stability and aptamer incorporation inside the microchannel was demonstrated upon rinsing and over storage time. The ability of gel‐encapsulated aptamers to interact with its specific target (either sulforhodamine B as model fluorescent target, or diclofenac, a pain killer drug) was assessed too. The binding capacity of entrapped aptamers was quantified (in the micromolar range) and the selectivity of the interaction was evidenced. Preservation of aptamers binding affinity to target molecules was therefore demonstrated. Dissociation constant of the aptamer‐target complex and interaction selectivity were evaluated similar to those in bulk solution. This opens the way to new selective on‐chip SPE techniques for sample pretreatment.
Harnessing diversity from ecosystems to crops to genes
Authors: Buchanan‐Wollaston Vicky , Wilson Zoe , Tardieu François , Beynon Jim , Denby Katherine 
Published: March 2017

AbstractTo feed humanity, while maintaining a stable and diverse biosphere, crop science needs to adapt to an open research environment where genetic resources and the data demonstrating the environments in which they are effective are freely shared. The challenge faced is to expand crop production on a reduced land area, due to environmental degradation caused by human encroachment and climate change, while maintaining biodiversity. Individual researchers are discovering alleles and genetic combinations that are effective in certain environments but not in others. These data and alleles are useful globally to speed progress in breeding for similar environments while not wasting time on ineffective genotypes. However, currently, there are significant barriers to the sharing of genetic resources and their underpinning data, which must be overcome if we are to sustain the planet for future generations.
Effect of participant physiques on increases in shank circumference for the two prolonged standing conditions
Authors: Chen Yi‐Lang , Wu Bing‐Ze , Huang Ding‐Hau 
Published: March 2017

AbstractThis study examined the effect of participant physique on the increase in shank circumference (ISC) for the 2‐hr standing. We recruited 20 healthy male participants (10 with normal body mass index (BMI) and 10 who were overweight) and examined their ISC every 20 min under two prolonged standing conditions (static and intermittent standing). Results showed that prolonged standing types, physiques, and sustained time significantly influence the ISC. The ISC during intermittent standing (mean = 0.38 cm) was significantly lower than that observed during static standing (mean = 0.52cm). That is, 1 min of relaxation after every 20 min of standing can effectively relieve the load on the participants’ shank during standing. The normal (BMI = 21.9) group exhibited a significantly higher ISC than the overweight group (BMI = 26.5) did. This increase was also reflected in the subjective discomfort rating results. The standing type may be more dominant than the worker's physique on the lower‐limb loading when performing prolonged standing tasks.
Effects of hexavalent chromium on performance, extracellular polymeric substances and microbial community structure of anaerobic activated sludge in a sequencing batch reactor
Authors: Liu Yao , Jin Ruofei , Liu Guangfei , Tian Tian , Zhou Jiti 
Published: March 2017

AbstractBACKGROUNDBioremediation of Cr(VI) to Cr(III) was considered a promising and cost‐effective alternative to chemical and physical methods. However, Cr(VI) had toxic effects on microorganisms. This study focused on exploring the effects of different Cr(VI) concentrations on the performance of an anaerobic activated sludge reactor, extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and microbial community structure.RESULTSAnaerobic sludge reduced and immobilized 100.0 mg L−1 Cr(VI) in 24 h. When the Cr(VI) concentration was increased from 0.0 to 50.0 mg L−1, the production of EPS was enhanced from 231.4 to 1262.9 mg g−1 VSS. With 80.0 mg L−1 Cr(VI) and 120.0 mg L−1 Cr(VI), EPS production was inhibited. Increase of Cr(VI) concentration changed the EPS components and had distinct effects on the functional groups of EPS. In addition, the increase of Cr(VI) stress reduced the abundance of most bacteria.CONCLUSIONLow Cr(VI) concentrations had no effect on CODCr and NO3‐N removal, while 120.0 mg L−1 Cr(VI) seriously inhibited on CODCr, NO3‐N and Cr(VI) removal. This was due to the toxicity and electron competition ability of Cr(VI). High Cr(VI) concentrations (80.0 and 120.0 mg L−1) also inhibited EPS production. Cr(VI) reduction was closely related with EPS. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry
Comparative gastrointestinal morphology of Tachyoryctes splendens (Rüppell, 1835) and Heliophobius emini, (Noack, 1894) two species of East African mole‐rats
Authors: Sahd Lauren , Pereira Daniella L. , Bennett Nigel C. , Kotzé Sanet H. 
Published: March 2017

AbstractTachyoryctes splendens (Northeast African mole‐rat) and Heliophobius emini (Emin's mole‐rat) are two African mole‐rats that represent separate allopatric rodent families namely Spalacidae and Bathyergidae respectively. While these species consume a similar diet of underground plant storage organs such as roots and tubers, T. splendens has been reported to additionally consume small amounts of aerial foliage. This study aims to provide detailed gross morphological and histological morphometric analyses of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of these two subterranean species. The formalin fixed gastrointestinal tracts of T. splendens (n = 9) and H. emini (n = 6) were photographed, weighed and measured. The length and basal surface areas were calculated for each anatomically distinct region. Representative histological samples were prepared and stained using Hematoxylin and Eosin. Microscopic luminal measurements were used to calculate a surface enlargement factor and the luminal surface area of each region. Tachyoryctes splendens had a large double chambered hemi‐glandular stomach with a macroscopically visible transition from keratinized stratified squamous epithelium to glandular epithelium. The cecum was large and the luminal surface revealed a single spiral fold. The ascending colon of T. splendens was arranged in a spiral, with two centripetal and two centrifugal windings. The descending colon was arranged in a single parallel loop, similar to H. emini. A narrow colonic groove was accompanied by V‐shaped folds on either side. Heliophobius emini had a simple glandular stomach, a large, haustrated cecum that displayed a cecal appendix and the descending colon was arranged in a single parallel loop. The internal aspect of the colon revealed a wide colonic groove extending from the ceco‐colic junction to distal colon. As both species originate from a similar geographical region and ingest very similar diets, it is likely that the differences in the GIT morphology are attributed to phylogeny as the species represent two different families of mole‐rats.
Duckling survival of mallards in Southland, New Zealand
Authors: Garrick Erin J. , Amundson Courtney L. , Seddon Philip J. 
Published: March 2017

ABSTRACTThe southern portion of New Zealand's South Island is a productive area for mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) despite a notable lack of permanent or semi‐permanent wetlands. Most broods are reared in pastures that may or may not be flooded with ephemeral water. In recent years, there has been an increased conversion from continuous to sporadic grazing that has resulted in a functional change in the emergent and upland vegetation available for broods. In 2014, we investigated mallard duckling survival on different pastures relative to a suite of characteristics pertaining to the adult female, clutch, brood, weather, and habitat. We monitored 438 ducklings from 50 radio‐marked females to 30 days post‐hatch. Duckling survival was unaffected by pasture type but increased with duckling age, the presence of ephemeral water, and with greater distance from the nearest anthropogenic structure. Survival was lower for broods of second year (SY) females than for broods of after‐second year (ASY) females, in areas with more dense cover, and when ducklings moved, on average, greater daily distances. Cumulative 30‐day duckling survival ranged from 0.11 for ducklings of SY females without ephemeral water present to 0.46 for ducklings of ASY females with ephemeral water present. Therefore, increasing available seasonal water sources may increase duckling survival. Further, narrow, linear patches of dense cover present in our study could support a greater abundance of predators or increase their foraging efficiency. As such, managers could consider increasing patch sizes of dense cover to reduce predator efficiency, and employing predator removal in these areas to improve duckling survival. © 2017 The Wildlife Society.
δ56Fe in seabird guano reveals extensive recycling of iron in the Southern Ocean ecosystem
Authors: Wing S. R. , Gault‐Ringold M. , Stirling C. H. , Wing L. C. , Shatova O. A. , Frew R. D. 
Published: March 2017

AbstractAvailability of iron limits productivity in the Southern Ocean where vast regions of high‐nitrogen low‐chlorophyll conditions are punctuated by hotspots of production surrounding the subAntarctic islands. Here, we compare patterns in accumulation of iron, as indicated by [Fe] and Fe : C (from Wing et al. ), with proxies for uptake of iron within food webs, as indicated by Fe : Al and δ56Fe within the subAntarctic Auckland Island ecosystem. We compare these proxies for dynamics of iron within egested material collected from six seabird species, representing three distinct foraging guilds. Fractions of biogenic iron, estimated from Fe : Al, were lowest in the coastal foraging guild (0.83 ± 0.01), and higher in the oceanic and predator guilds (0.94 ± 0.01 and 0.95 ± 0.01), consistent with high rates of biological recycling. The isotopic ratio of iron 56Fe/54Fe, reported as δ56Fe, is depleted in the heavy isotope 56Fe by recycling in the microbial loop, and is likely further depleted in 56Fe when taken up by animals within the food web. δ56Fe was most negative for the oceanic foraging group indicating intensive recycling (−1.16 ± 0.16‰), most positive in the coastal group where direct lithogenic sources of iron are more available (−0.14 ± 0.15‰), and intermediate in the predatory group, representing a mixture and possible fractionation within food webs (−0.37 ± 0.14‰). These data reveal strong contrasts in bioaccumulation and recycling of iron between coastal and oceanic food webs, and important interactions between marine food web structure and biogeochemical processes supporting productivity in the Southern Ocean.
Diamond‐based concept for combining beams at very high average powers
Authors: McKay Aaron , Spence David J. , Coutts David W. , Mildren Richard P. 
Published: March 2017

AbstractEver since the laser's invention, there has been great interest in increasing beam output power without detriment to its coherence. Despite great advances having been obtained through the use of a diverse range of approaches, steady‐state beam powers above ten kilowatts remain a significant challenge for solid‐state lasers due to the heightened impact of detrimental nonlinear effects such as thermal lensing. Multiplexing several lasers using beam combination represents a method for surpassing the power barriers of single lasers. Here we propose and demonstrate a novel approach to beam combination and power scaling based on Raman conversion in diamond. Power from multiple non‐collinear pump beams is efficiently transferred onto a single Stokes beam in a single‐pass amplifier. Using three mutually‐independent nanosecond pulsed beams from a free‐running‐linewidth 1064 nm laser, 69% of the total peak pump power of 6.7 kW was transferred onto a TEM00 Stokes seed pulse at 1240 nm in a 9.5 mm long diamond crystal. Compared to other beam combination techniques, diamond beam combination has advantages of relaxed constraints on pump beam mutual coherence, while enabling narrowband output. Thermal considerations for extending from low duty‐cycle to continuous wave operation and higher power levels are discussed.
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An alternative proof of lower bounds for the first eigenvalue on manifolds
Authors: Zhang Yuntao , Wang Kui 
Published: March 2017

AbstractRecently, Andrews and Clutterbuck [1] gave a new proof of the optimal lower eigenvalue bound on manifolds via modulus of continuity for solutions of the heat equation. In this short note, we give an alternative proof of Theorem 2 in [1]. More precisely, following Ni's method (Section 6 of [5]), we give an elliptic proof of this theorem.
Strategic Intelligence: The Cognitive Capability to Anticipate Competitor Behavior
Authors: Levine Sheen S. , Bernard Mark , Nagel Rosemarie 
Published: March 2017

Research summary:Pursuing sources of entrepreneurial and competitive advantage, researchers have been exploring cognition. We examine how cognitive capabilities affect competitive performance, drawing on two constructs rooted in psychology and economics. A familiar one is analytic skill, the ability to solve abstract problems. To that, we add strategic intelligence — the ability to anticipate competitors' behavior and preempt it. Using incentivized experiments, we measure the constructs in participants, then let them compete for cash in a highly competitive market. Although the market is designed to eliminate any advantages, whether from market structure or strategic resources, some profit much more than others. We trace performance differences to heterogeneity in analytic skill and strategic intelligence, and show how the two fuel superior performance, even against tough competition.Managerial summary:Why do some entrepreneurs outperform others? How can companies succeed against tough competition? Certainly, some benefit from unique resources, such as patents, and others can winnow competition, as through mergers. But some have entered highly competitive markets, lacking obvious resources, yet managed to achieve impressive success: think Under Armour, Wal‐Mart or Home Depot. Here we test how advantage can stem from managerial cognition. We measure two kinds of cognitive skill in market participants, and then let them vie for cash in intensely competitive markets. Some end up with far more profit than others. Tracing the root of high performance, we find it is predicted by a combination of analytic skills, the ability to solve abstract problems, and strategic intelligence—ability to anticipate competitors' behavior and preempt it. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.ResourcesThis article has earned an Open Data badge for making publicly available the digitally‐shareable data necessary to reproduce the reported results. The data is available athttp://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/P49YA. Learn more about the Open Practices badges from the Center for Open Science:https://osf.io/tvyxz/wiki.