bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Mathematical model of sediment and solute transport along slope land in different rainfall pattern conditions
Authors: Tao Wanghai , Wu Junhu , Wang Quanjiu 
Published: March 2017

AbstractRainfall erosion is a major cause of inducing soil degradation, and rainfall patterns have a significant influence on the process of sediment yield and nutrient loss. The mathematical models developed in this study were used to simulate the sediment and nutrient loss in surface runoff. Four rainfall patterns, each with a different rainfall intensity variation, were applied during the simulated rainfall experiments. These patterns were designated as: uniform-type, increasing-type, increasing- decreasing -type and decreasing-type. The results revealed that changes in the rainfall intensity can have an appreciable impact on the process of runoff generation, but only a slight effect on the total amount of runoff generated. Variations in the rainfall intensity in a rainfall event not only had a significant effect on the process of sediment yield and nutrient loss, but also the total amount of sediment and nutrient produced, and early high rainfall intensity may lead to the most severe erosion and nutrient loss. In this study, the calculated data concur with the measured values. The model can be used to predict the process of surface runoff, sediment transport and nutrient loss associated with different rainfall patterns.
Sumoylation stabilizes RACK1B and enhance its interaction with RAP2.6 in the abscisic acid response
Authors: Guo Rongkai , Sun Weining 
Published: March 2017

AbstractThe highly conserved eukaryotic WD40 repeat protein, Receptor for Activated C Kinase 1 (RACK1), is involved in the abscisic acid (ABA) response in Arabidopsis. However, the regulation of RACK1 and the proteins with which it interacts are poorly understood. Here, we show that RACK1B is sumoylated at four residues, Lys50, Lys276, Lys281 and Lys291. Sumoylation increases RACK1B stability and its tolerance to ubiquitination-mediated degradation in ABA response. As a result, sumoylation leads to enhanced interaction between RACK1B and RAP2.6, an AP2/ERF family transcription factor. RACK1B binds directly to the AP2 domain of RAP2.6, which alters the affinity of RAP2.6 for CE1 and GCC cis-acting regulatory elements. Taken together, our findings illustrate that protein stability controlled by dynamic post-transcriptional modification is a critical regulatory mechanism for RACK1B, which functions as scaffold protein for RAP2.6 in ABA signaling.
Highly Sensitive Aluminum-Based Biosensors using Tailorable Fano Resonances in Capped Nanostructures
Authors: Lee Kuang-Li , Hsu Hsuan-Yeh , You Meng-Lin , Chang Chia-Chun , Pan Ming-Yang , Shi Xu , Ueno Kosei , Misawa Hiroaki , Wei Pei-Kuen 
Published: March 2017

AbstractMetallic nanostructure-based surface plasmon sensors are capable of real-time, label-free, and multiplexed detections for chemical and biomedical applications. Recently, the studies of aluminum-based biosensors have attracted a large attention because aluminum is a more cost-effective metal and relatively stable. However, the intrinsic properties of aluminum, having a large imaginary part of the dielectric function and a longer evanescent length, limit its sensing capability. Here we show that capped aluminum nanoslits fabricated on plastic films using hot embossing lithography can provide tailorable Fano resonances. Changing height of nanostructures and deposited metal film thickness modulated the transmission spectrum, which varied from Wood’s anomaly-dominant resonance, asymmetric Fano profile to surface plasmon-dominant resonance. For biolayer detections, the maximum surface sensitivity occurred at the dip of asymmetric Fano profile. The optimal Fano factor was close to −1.3. The wavelength and intensity sensitivities for surface thickness were up to 2.58 nm/nm and 90%/nm, respectively. The limit of detection (LOD) of thickness reached 0.018 nm. We attributed the enhanced surface sensitivity for capped aluminum nanoslits to a reduced evanescent length and sharp slope of the asymmetric Fano profile. The protein-protein interaction experiments verified the high sensitivity of capped nanostructures. The LOD was down to 236 fg/mL.
Transcriptomic insight into terpenoid and carbazole alkaloid biosynthesis, and functional characterization of two terpene synthases in curry tree (Murraya koenigii)
Authors: Meena Seema , Rajeev Kumar Sarma , Dwivedi Varun , Kumar Singh Anup , Chanotiya Chandan S. , Akhtar Md. Qussen , Kumar Krishna , Kumar Shasany Ajit , Nagegowda Dinesh A. 
Published: March 2017

AbstractCurry tree (Murraya koenigii L.) is a rich source of aromatic terpenes and pharmacologically important carbazole alkaloids. Here, M. koenigii leaf transcriptome was generated to gain insight into terpenoid and alkaloid biosynthesis. Analysis of de novo assembled contigs yielded genes for terpene backbone biosynthesis and terpene synthases. Also, gene families possibly involved in carbazole alkaloid formation were identified that included polyketide synthases, prenyltransferases, methyltransferases and cytochrome P450s. Further, two genes encoding terpene synthases (MkTPS1 and MkTPS2) with highest in silico transcript abundance were cloned and functionally characterized to determine their involvement in leaf volatile formation. Subcellular localization using GFP fusions revealed the plastidial and cytosolic localization of MkTPS1 and MkTPS2, respectively. Enzymatic characterization demonstrated the monoterpene synthase activity of recombinant MkTPS1, which produced primarily (−)-sabinene from geranyl diphosphate (GPP). Recombinant MkTPS2 exhibited sesquiterpene synthase activity and formed (E,E)-α-farnesene as the major product from farnesyl diphosphate (FPP). Moreover, mRNA expression and leaf volatile analyses indicated that MkTPS1 accounts for (−)-sabinene emitted by M. koenigii leaves. Overall, the transcriptome data generated in this study will be a great resource and the start point for characterizing genes involved in the biosynthetic pathway of medicinally important carbazole alkaloids.
Dual-energy fluorescent x-ray computed tomography system with a pinhole design: Use of K-edge discontinuity for scatter correction
Authors: Sasaya Tenta , Sunaguchi Naoki , Thet-Lwin Thet- , Hyodo Kazuyuki , Zeniya Tsutomu , Takeda Tohoru , Yuasa Tetsuya 
Published: March 2017

AbstractWe propose a pinhole-based fluorescent x-ray computed tomography (p-FXCT) system with a 2-D detector and volumetric beam that can suppress the quality deterioration caused by scatter components. In the corresponding p-FXCT technique, projections are acquired at individual incident energies just above and below the K-edge of the imaged trace element; then, reconstruction is performed based on the two sets of projections using a maximum likelihood expectation maximization algorithm that incorporates the scatter components. We constructed a p-FXCT imaging system and performed a preliminary experiment using a physical phantom and an I imaging agent. The proposed dual-energy p-FXCT improved the contrast-to-noise ratio by a factor of more than 2.5 compared to that attainable using mono-energetic p-FXCT for a 0.3 mg/ml I solution. We also imaged an excised rat’s liver infused with a Ba contrast agent to demonstrate the feasibility of imaging a biological sample.
Novel vaccine potential of Rv3131, a DosR regulon-encoded putative nitroreductase, against hyper-virulent Mycobacterium tuberculosis strain K
Authors: Kwon Kee Woong , Kim Woo Sik , Kim Hongmin , Han Seung Jung , Hahn Mi-Young , Lee Jong Seok , Nam Ki Taek , Cho Sang-Nae , Shin Sung Jae 
Published: March 2017

AbstractAccumulating evidence indicates that latency-associated Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb)-specific antigens from the dormancy survival regulator regulon (DosR) may be promising novel vaccine target antigens for the development of an improved tuberculosis vaccine. After transcriptional profiling of DosR-related genes in the hyper-virulent Beijing Mtb strain K and the reference Mtb strain H37Rv, we selected Rv3131, a hypothetical nitroreductase, as a vaccine antigen and evaluated its vaccine efficacy against Mtb K. Mtb K exhibited stable and constitutive up-regulation of rv3131 relative to Mtb H37Rv under three different growth conditions (at least 2-fold induction) including exponential growth in normal culture conditions, hypoxia, and inside macrophages. Mice immunised with Rv3131 formulated in GLA-SE, a well-defined TLR4 adjuvant, displayed enhanced Rv3131-specific IFN-γ and serum IgG2c responses along with effector/memory T cell expansion and remarkable generation of Rv3131-specific multifunctional CD4+ T cells co-producing TNF-α, IFN-γ and IL-2 in both spleen and lung. Following challenge with Mtb K, the Rv3131/GLA-SE-immunised group exhibited a significant reduction in bacterial number and less extensive lung inflammation accompanied by the obvious persistence of Rv3131-specific multifunctional CD4+ T cells. These results suggest that Rv3131 could be an excellent candidate for potential use in a multi-antigenic Mtb subunit vaccine, especially against Mtb Beijing strains.
Design of improved ring Wilkinson power divider for millimetre wave applications
Authors: Hammou D. , Nedil M. , Tatu S.O. 
Published: March 2017

An improved millimetre wave microstrip power divider is presented. This circuit enhanced the conventional Wilkinson power divider (WPD) performance by adding transmission lines between the transformer arms and the resistor to reduce inherent undesirable mutual coupling. The proposed power divider design parameters show more stability over a wider frequency band compared to other valid design solutions. For comparison purposes, the proposed power divider along with the WPD are designed at 61 GHz using high permittivity thin ceramic substrate. The measurement results of the proposed circuit demonstrate improved bandwidth with high input/output matching and isolation of −15 and −24 dB, respectively, in the whole frequency band of 10 GHz. Furthermore, the excess insertion loss is reduced by 20% compared to the conventional one.
Neutral gas heating by X-rays in primitive galaxies: Infrared observations of the blue compact dwarf I Zw 18 with Herschel
Authors: Lebouteiller V. , Péquignot D. , Cormier D. , Madden S. , Pakull M. W. , Kunth D. , Galliano F. , Chevance M. , Heap S. R. , Lee M.-Y. , Polles F. L. 
Published: March 2017

Context. The neutral interstellar medium of galaxies acts as a reservoir to fuel star formation. The dominant heating and cooling mechanisms in this phase are uncertain in extremely metal-poor star-forming galaxies. The low dust-to-gas mass ratio and low polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon abundance in such objects suggest that the traditional photoelectric effect heating may not be effective.
Aims. Our objective is to identify the dominant thermal mechanisms in one such galaxy, I Zw 18 (1/30Z⊙), assess the diagnostic value of fine-structure cooling lines, and estimate the molecular gas content. Even though molecular gas is an important catalyst and tracer of star formation, constraints on the molecular gas mass remain elusive in the most metal-poor galaxies.
Methods. Building on a previous photoionization model describing the giant H ii region of I Zw 18-NW within a multi-sector topology, we provide additional constraints using, in particular, the [C ii] 157 μm and [O i] 63 μm lines and the dust mass recently measured with the Herschel Space Telescope.
Results. The heating of the H i region appears to be mainly due to photoionization by radiation from a bright X-ray binary source, while the photoelectric effect is negligible. Significant cosmic ray heating is not excluded. Inasmuch as X-ray heating dominates in the H i gas, the infrared fine-structure lines provide an average X-ray luminosity of order 4 × 1040 erg s-1 over the last few 104 yr in the galaxy. The upper limits to the [Ne v] lines provide strong constraints on the soft X-ray flux arising from the binary. A negligible mass of H2 is predicted. Nonetheless, up to ~107 M⊙ of H2 may be hidden in a few sufficiently dense clouds of order ≲5 pc (≲0.05′′) in size. Regardless of the presence of significant amounts of H2 gas, [C ii] and [O i] do not trace the so-called “CO-dark gas”, but they trace the almost purely atomic medium. Although the [C ii]+[O i] to total infrared ratio in I Zw 18 is similar to values in more metal-rich sources (~1%), it cannot be safely used as a photoelectric heating efficiency proxy. This ratio seems to be kept stable owing to a correlation between the X-ray luminosity and the star formation rate.
Conclusions. X-ray heating could be an important process in extremely metal-poor sources. The lack of photoelectric heating due to the low dust-to-gas ratio tends to be compensated for by the larger occurrence and power of X-ray binaries in low-metallicity galaxies. We speculate that X-ray heating may quench star formation.
Patient-Rated Wrist Evaluation: Spanish Version and Evaluation of Its Psychometric Properties in Patients with Acute Distal Radius Fracture
Authors: Gallucci Gerardo , Boretto Jorge , Donndorff Agustin , Dubois Juieta , Benitez Sonia , Giunta Diego , de Carli Pablo , Alfie Veronica 
Published: March 2017

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to validate a Spanish version of patient-rated wrist evaluation (PRWE) and evaluate its psychometric attributes in a population of patients with distal radius fracture.
Material and Methods A translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the PRWE to Spanish (PRWE-S) was performed according to standardized guidelines. A total of 50 patients with a distal radius fracture were included during the different steps of the study. The reliability of the new instrument was assessed in terms of construct validity with the Quick DASH (Disability of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand). Internal consistency and test–retest stability were also examined.
Results The Spearman's correlation test for analysis of the criterion validity (0.75) indicates a strong positive correlation between the PRWE-S and the Quick DASH. The internal consistency according to Cronbach's α was 0.96, and the intraclass correlation coefficient was moderate (0.46).
Conclusion A Spanish version of the PRWE indicated good validity and reliability in distal radius fracture patients. This valuable tool can be used in Spanish-speaking countries to evaluate various aspects as pain and function in patients with injuries of the wrist.
Black-swan events in animal populations
Authors: Anderson Sean C. , Branch Trevor A. , Cooper Andrew B. , Dulvy Nicholas K. 
Published: March 2017

Significance
Black swans—statistically improbable events with profound consequences—happen more often than expected in financial, social, and natural systems. Our work demonstrates the rare but systematic presence of black-swan events in animal populations around the world (mostly birds, mammals, and insects). These events are predominantly downward, implying that unexpected population crashes occur more frequently than increases. Black-swan events are not driven by life history (e.g., lifespan) but by external causes such as extreme winters and disease. Ignoring the presence of downward black swans may severely underestimate extinction risk in animal populations, particularly under a changing climate, where such extreme events are expected to increase in frequency and magnitude.
Structure of deformed wing virus, a major honey bee pathogen
Authors: Škubník Karel , Nováček Jiří , Füzik Tibor , Přidal Antonín , Paxton Robert J. , Plevka Pavel 
Published: March 2017

Significance
Honey bee populations in Europe and North America have been decreasing since the 1950s. Deformed wing virus (DWV), which is undergoing a worldwide epidemic, causes the deaths of individual honey bees and collapse of whole colonies. We determined three-dimensional structures of DWV at different conditions and show that the virus surface is decorated with protruding globular extensions of capsid proteins. The protruding domains contain a putative catalytic site that is probably required for the entry of the virus into the host cell. In addition, parts of the DWV RNA genome interact with the inside of the virus capsid. Identifying the RNA binding and catalytic sites within the DWV virion offers prospects for the development of antiviral treatments.
Mechanisms regulating angiogenesis underlie seasonal control of pituitary function
Authors: Castle-Miller Jennifer , Bates David O. , Tortonese Domingo J. 
Published: March 2017

SignificanceAdaptation to seasonal changes in the environment is critical for survival in all species. In vertebrates, annual oscillations in pituitary hormones underlie the regulation of seasonal physiology. We found that, in sheep, the duration of pineal melatonin output at night controls the production of different forms of the protein vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) within a specific pituitary region, the pars tuberalis. Forms that block blood-vessel growth are made in winter, but those that stimulate it are made in summer. Further to the resulting remodelling of the vascular connection between the brain and pituitary, the temporally divergent VEGF-A variants operate as messenger signals on endocrine cells of a different part of the gland, the pars distalis, to regulate seasonal fertility.
Self-interrupted synthesis of sterically hindered aliphatic polyamide dendrimers
Authors: Jishkariani Davit , MacDermaid Christopher M. , Timsina Yam N. , Grama Silvia , Gillani Syeda S. , Divar Masoumeh , Yadavalli Srujana S. , Moussodia Ralph-Olivier , Leowanawat Pawaret , Berrios Camacho Angely M. , Walter Ricardo , Goulian Mark , Klein Michael L. , Percec Virgil 
Published: March 2017

Significance
Hydrolytically and enzymatically stable nanoscale synthetic constructs, with well-defined structures that exhibit antimicrobial activity, offer exciting possibilities for diverse applications in the emerging field of nanomedicine. Herein, we demonstrate that it is the core conformation, rather than periodicity, that ultimately controls the synthesis of sterically hindered aliphatic polyamide dendrimers. The latter self-interrupt at a predictable low generation number due to backfolding of their peripheral groups, which in turn leads to well-defined nanoarchitectures.
On the growth of Lebesgue constants for convex polyhedra
Authors: Kolomoitsev Yurii , Lomako Tetiana 
Published: March 2017

In this paper, new estimates of the Lebesgue constant

L

(
W
)
=

1

(
2
π

)
d

∫

T

d

|

∑

k

∈
W
∩

Z

d

e

i
(

k

,

x

)

|

d

x

\begin{equation*} \mathcal {L}(W)=\frac 1{(2\pi )^d}\int _{{\Bbb T}^d}\bigg |\sum _{\mathbfit {k}\in W\cap {\Bbb Z}^d} e^{i(\mathbfit {k}, \mathbfit {x})}\bigg | \textrm {d}\mathbfit {x} \end{equation*}

for convex polyhedra

W
⊂

R

d

W\subset {\Bbb R}^d

are obtained. The main result states that if

W
W

is a convex polyhedron such that

[
0
,

m
1

]
×
⋯
×
[
0
,

m
d

]
⊂
W
⊂
[
0
,

n
1

]
×
⋯
×
[
0
,

n
d

]

[0,m_1]\times \dots \times [0,m_d]\subset W\subset [0,n_1]\times \dots \times [0,n_d]

, then

c
(
d
)

∏

j
=
1

d

log
⁡
(

m
j

+
1
)
≤

L

(
W
)
≤
C
(
d
)
s

∏

j
=
1

d

log
⁡
(

n
j

+
1
)
,

\begin{equation*} c(d)\prod _{j=1}^d \log (m_j+1)\le \mathcal {L}(W)\le C(d)s\prod _{j=1}^d \log (n_j+1), \end{equation*}

where

s
s

is a size of the triangulation of

W
W

.
Behavioural ecology and marine conservation: a bridge over troubled water?
Authors: Dill Lawrence M. 
Published: March 2017

AbstractBehavioural ecology is an evolutionary-based discipline that attempts to predict how animals will behave in a given set of environmental circumstances and how those behavioural decisions will impact population growth and community structure. Given the rapidly changing state of the ocean environment it seems that this approach should be a beneficial tool for marine conservation, but its promise has not been fully realized. Since many conservation issues involve alterations to an animal’s habitat, I focus on how habitat selection models developed by behavioural ecologists may be useful in thinking about these sorts of problems, and mitigating them. I then briefly consider some other potential applications of behavioural ecology to marine conservation. Finally, I emphasize that the strength of a functional approach like behavioural ecology is that it allows predictions, from first principles, of responses to environmental changes outside the range of conditions already experienced and studied, and its models may be broadly generalizable across species and ecosystems.
Multidisciplinary Mentoring Programs to Enhance Junior Faculty Research Grant Success
Authors: Freel Stephanie A. , Smith Paige C. , Burns Ebony N. , Downer Joanna B. , Brown Ann J. , Dewhirst Mark W. 
Published: March 2017

Problem
Junior faculty face challenges in establishing independent research careers. Declining funding combined with a shift to multidisciplinary, collaborative science necessitates new mentorship models and enhanced institutional support.

Approach
Two multidisciplinary mentorship programs to promote grant success for junior faculty were established at the Duke University School of Medicine beginning in 2011. These four-month programs—the Path to Independence Program (PtIP) for National Institutes of Health (NIH) R applicants and the K Club for NIH K applicants—use multiple senior faculty mentors and professional grant-writing staff to provide a 20-hour joint curriculum comprising a series of lectures, hands-on workshops, career development counseling, peer groups, and an internal study section. In March 2016, the authors analyzed the success rate for all NIH grants submitted by participants since program enrollment. In a 2015 postprogram survey, participants rated their feelings of support and competency across six skill factors.

Outcomes
From October 2011 to March 2016, the programs engaged 265 senior faculty mentors, 145 PtIP participants, and 138 K Club participants. Success rates for NIH grant applications were 28% (61 awards/220 decisions) for PtIP participants—an increase over the 2010 Duke University junior faculty baseline of 11%—and 64% (38/59) for K Club participants. Respondents reported significantly increased feelings of support and self-ratings for each competency post program.

Next Steps
The authors plan to expand the breadth of both the mentorship pool and faculty served. Broad implementation of similar programs elsewhere could bolster success, satisfaction, and retention of junior faculty investigators.