bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Dampened copepod‐mediated trophic cascades in a microzooplankton‐dominated microbial food web: A mesocosm study
Authors: Pree Bernadette , Larsen Aud , Egge Jorun Karin , Simonelli Paolo , Madhusoodhanan Rakhesh , Tsagaraki Tatiana Margo , Våge Selina , Erga Svein Rune , Bratbak Gunnar , Thingstad T. Frede 
Published: November 2016

AbstractInteractions of bottom‐up factors such as the availability of mineral and organic nutrients, and top‐down factors like predation and viral infection affect microbial communities of the pelagic food web. Hypothesis derived from previous experimental and modeling work suggest some general mechanisms on how these factors may be linked and call for an experiment to test interactions between (1) nitrogen source and diatom cell size, (2) bacterial growth rate limitation by mineral nutrients versus organic carbon, and (3) enhanced versus decreased predation pressure by copepods (Calanus finmarchicus). We performed a mesocosm experiment using a replicated three factor––two level full factorial design (
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, +/− glucose, and +/− copepods). Diatoms, pico‐ and nano‐sized autotrophs, prokaryotes, heterotrophic nanoflagellates, micro‐ and mesozooplankton abundances were monitored for 19 days. The main finding was a system that responded remarkably little to these manipulations with no effects of nitrogen source and only moderate effects of carbon treatments. Zooplankton manipulations had the strongest impact on microbial communities, but, opposite to our hypothesis based on previous studies, microzooplankton and diatoms increased during the first 7–10 days when mesozooplankton abundances were experimentally enhanced. We suggest that high abundances of dinoflagellates and ciliates and occurrence of rotifers, which dominated microzooplankton community in the first half of the experiment complicated trophic linkages between copepods, microzooplankton and diatoms. Apart from this dampened copepod mediated trophic cascade, we found tight couplings between communities of the microbial food web, with maxima of predator communities coinciding with low abundances of prey communities.
Fractional laser‐assisted drug uptake: Impact of time‐related topical application to achieve enhanced delivery
Authors: Banzhaf Christina A. , Thaysen‐Petersen Daniel , Bay Christiane , Philipsen Peter A. , Mogensen Mette , Prow Tarl , Haedersdal Merete 
Published: November 2016

Background and ObjectiveAblative fractional laser (AFXL) is acknowledged to increase uptake of topically applied agents in skin. AFXL channels gradually close over time, which may impair this capability. The time frame for applying a drug after AFXL exposure remains to be established. The aim of this study, was to investigate the importance of time‐related topical application after AFXL exposure and to relate resultant uptake in skin with AFXL channel morphology and skin integrity.Study Design/Materials and MethodsButtock skin of healthy volunteers (n = 11) was exposed to 10,600 nm fractional CO2 laser using 5% density, 120 μm beam diameter, 15 mJ pulse energy. Sodium fluorescein (NaF) a small, hydrophilic molecule (370 MW, log P =  −1.52) was applied under standardized conditions at specific time points after laser exposure (0, 2, 5, 10, 30, 60, 90 minutes, 6, 24, and 48 hours). Fluorescence photography collected fluorescence images up to 180 minutes after NaF application. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) assessed AFXL channel dimensions and transepidermal water loss (TEWL) estimated loss of skin integrity.ResultsFluorescence intensities (FI) were significantly elevated when NaF was applied up to 6 hours after laser exposure compared to non‐laser‐processed skin (median FI 1947 arbitrary units [interquartile range 1,246–3,560] versus 1,004 [350–1,538], P < 0.02). The highest FI occurred when NaF was applied within 30 minutes after laser exposure and similar FI were reached for applications at 0, 2, 5, 10, and 30 minutes after AFXL exposure (0 minutes: 3,866 [3,526–4,575], 30 minutes: 3,775 AU [3,070–4,484], P > 0.1). NaF application later than 30 minutes after AFXL exposure resulted in gradually decreasing FI, becoming similar to intact skin when applied at 24–48 hours after AFXL exposure (P > 0.2). OCT images demonstrated that AFXL channels closed over time (100% [100–100%] open up to 30 minutes, 75% [4–86%] at 6 hours and 3% [0–15%] at 24–48 hours after AFXL exposure). TEWL measurements proved loss of skin integrity up to 6 hours after AFXL exposure, while integrity was similar in laser‐exposed and non‐laser‐exposed skin at 24–48 hours.ConclusionsThe time frame to maintain enhanced drug delivery sustained for several hours after AFXL exposure, corresponding to channel morphology and loss of skin integrity. Lasers Surg. Med. 49:348–354, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Fabrication of Core/Shell Nanofibers with Desirable Mechanical and Antibacterial Properties by Pickering Emulsion Electrospinning
Authors: Cai Ning , Han Chao , Luo Xiaogang , Chen Guo , Dai Qin , Yu Faquan 
Published: November 2016

To endow nanofibers with the desirable antibacterial and mechanical properties, a facile strategy using Pickering emulsion (PE) electrospinning is proposed to prepare functional nanofibers with core/shell structure for the first time. The water‐in‐oil (W/O) Pickering emulsion stabilized by oleic acid (OA)‐coated magnetite iron oxide nanoparticles (OA‐MIONs) is comprised of aqueous vancomycin hydrochloride (Van) solution and poly(lactic acid) (PLA) solution. The core/shell structure of the electrospun Van/OA‐MIONs‐PLA nanofibers is confirmed by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy observation. Sustained release of Van from the PE electrospun nanofiber membrane is achieved within the time of 600 h. Compared with the neat PLA electrospun nanofiber membrane, 57% increase of tensile strength and 36% elevation of elongation at break are achieved on PE electrospun nanofiber membrane. In addition, the PE electrospun nanofiber membrane demonstrates excellent antibacterial property stemming from the combinational antibacterial activities of OA‐MIONs and Van. The Van‐loaded PE electrospinning nanofibers with sustained antibacterial performance possess potential applications in tissue engineering and drug delivery.image
Loading of Drug‐Polymer Matrices in Microreservoirs for Oral Drug Delivery
Authors: Petersen Ritika Singh , Keller Stephan Sylvest , Boisen Anja 
Published: November 2016

For major advances in microfabricated drug delivery systems (DDS), fabrication methods with high throughput using biocompatible polymers are required. Once these DDS are fabricated, loading of drug poses a significant challenge. Here, hot punching is presented as an innovative method for drug loading in microfabricated DDS. The microfabricated DDS are microcontainers fabricated in photoresist SU‐8 and biopolymer poly‐l‐lactic‐acid (PLLA). Furosemide (F) drug is embedded in poly‐ε‐caprolactone (PCL) polymer matrix. This F‐PCL drug polymer matrix is loaded in SU‐8 and PLLA microcontainers using hot punching with >99% yield. Thus, it is illustrated that hot punching allows high‐throughput, parallel loading of 3D polymer microcontainers with drug‐polymer matrices in a single process step.
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Facile Preparation of Chloride‐Conducting Membranes: First Step towards a Room‐Temperature Solid‐State Chloride‐Ion Battery
Authors: Gschwind Fabienne , Steinle Dominik , Sandbeck Daniel , Schmidt Celine , von Hauff Elizabeth 
Published: November 2016

AbstractThree types of chloride‐conducting membranes based on polyvinyl chloride, commercial gelatin, and polyvinyldifluoride‐hexafluoropolymer are introduced in this report. The polymers are mixed with chloride‐containing salts, such as tetrabutylammonium chloride, and cast to form membranes. We studied the structural properties, thermal stability, and electrochemical response of the membranes to understand chloride migration and transport. Finally, the membranes are tested in a prototype solid‐state chloride‐ion battery setup. The feasibility of the membranes for their potential use in anion batteries is discussed.
Field evaluation of 3‐hydroxy‐2‐hexanone and ethanol as attractants for the cerambycid beetle pest of vineyards, Xylotrechus arvicola
Authors: Rodríguez‐González Álvaro , Sánchez‐Maíllo Esteban , Peláez Horacio J , González‐Núñez Manuel , Hall David R , Casquero Pedro A 
Published: November 2016

AbstractBACKGROUNDThe beetle Xylotrechus arvicola (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) is a serious pest of vineyards in the Iberian Peninsula. In previous work, the male beetles, but not females, were shown to produce (R)‐3‐hydroxy‐2‐hexanone, and female beetles were attracted to this compound in a laboratory bioassay. In this study, release rates of 3‐hydroxy‐2‐hexanone from different dispensers were measured in the laboratory, and the attractiveness of these to X. arvicola adults was determined in trapping tests in three traditional wine‐growing regions in Spain.RESULTSAs a result of laboratory experiments, for field experiments 3‐hydroxy‐2‐hexanone was formulated as 100 μL in a polyethylene sachet (50 mm × 50 mm × 250 µm), and ethanol was formulated as 1 mL in a polyethylene press‐seal bag (76 mm × 57 mm ×50 µm). Field catches were similar at all three study sites. Catches in traps baited with 3‐hydroxy‐2‐hexanone alone were not significantly different from those in unbaited control traps, but catches in traps baited with 3‐hydroxy‐2‐hexanone and ethanol in separate sachets, with 3‐hydroxy‐2‐hexanone and ethanol in the same sachet or with ethanol alone were significantly greater than those in control traps. These results confirm that the beetles are attracted to ethanol, and the addition of 3‐hydroxy‐2‐hexanone does not seem to make any difference.CONCLUSIONSAttraction of females for the male‐produced compound (R)‐3‐hydroxy‐2‐hexanone has been observed in laboratory but not in field experiments. Traps baited with ethanol are highly attractive to both sexes of adults of X. arvicola, and these can be used for improved monitoring of the adult emergence and for population control by mass trapping. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry
Implementation of refined Deutsch–Jozsa algorithm in a superconducting qutrit system
Authors: Zhao Jie , Tan Xinsheng , Lan Dong , Wu Haiteng , Xue Guangming , Yu Haifeng , Yu Yang 
Published: November 2016

AbstractSuperconducting quantum circuits are promising candidates for realizing quantum computation due to their intrinsic scalability. Here, we report the implementation of the refined Deutsch–Jozsa algorithm in a 3D superconducting transmon qutrit system. Such 3D superconducting systems usually preserve a relatively long coherence time. A qutrit can take advantage of the third level of a superconducting artificial atom and extends the Hilbert space. Compared with the two‐qubit system used for realizing Deutsch–Jozsa algorithm, the employment of qutrit simplifies the hardware design. This simplification and the intrinsic long coherence time jointly lead to a higher fidelity than in previous transmon implementation [DiCarlo et al., Nature 460 (7252), 240–244 (2009)].
Differences among Expert Judgments of Fish Habitat Suitability and Implications for River Management
Authors: Radinger J. , Kail J. , Wolter C. 
Published: November 2016

AbstractExpert judgment is regularly used in ecology for assessing the suitability of habitats, in particular of rare or endangered species or species with limited empirical data. Yet, differences in expert judgment of habitat suitability and consequent implications for ecosystem management have not been evaluated and are largely ignored.Here, we evaluated the variability of 13 expert judgments and the related uncertainty in hydraulic habitat suitability modelling using the riverine fish species Phoxinus phoxinus as a model species.We found (i) the highest agreement among experts identifying the best and fully unsuited habitat conditions, but (ii) that disagreement among experts is surprisingly large, (iii) with largest differences related to the experts' perception of flow velocity and (iv) that semi‐suitable transition areas between high and low habitat suitability are most susceptible to disagreements.We emphasize that expert judgment of habitat suitability is useful for many applications and especially highly suitable habitats would be reliably identified by experts. However, expert judgment‐based assessments should be iterative processes that include both different experts and feedback on the potential effects of their assessments. Furthermore, we recommend that expert judgment should not replace data‐driven empirical ecology but its benefits can rather complement it. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Separations in circular security for arbitrary length key cycles, revisited
Authors: Chang Jinyong , Dai Honglong , Xu Maozhi , Xue Rui 
Published: November 2016

AbstractThe circular security of public key encryptions has been drawn great attentions in recent years. The relationship of notions between circular securities and standard ones such as chosen plaintext security (CPA‐security) and chosen ciphertext security (CCA‐security) deserve to be clarified. For any integer n > 0 and n ≠ 2, whether the notions of n‐circular securities can be implied by that of their standard correspondences, such as CPA or CCA security in public key setting, has largely remained open. Koppula, Ramchen, and Waters in TCC'15 recently made a separation in CPA case by proposing a CPA secure scheme that is not n‐circular secure based on the recent candidate constructions of indistinguishable obfuscation.In this work, we consider the CCA case. In particular, inspired by the indistinguishable‐obfuscation‐based construction of Koppula et al., we obtain the following results:

We make a separation between the n‐circular CCA security and CCA security for anyn>0. Specifically, we propose a hybrid encryption scheme that achieves the CCA security but fails even in the n‐circular CPA security. Hence, that makes a separation between the CCA security and the n‐circular CCA security (and even the n‐circular CPA security).
By revising the previous construction, we also present a CCA secure (hybrid encryption) scheme, which allows an adversary to recover all secret keys when obtaining an encrypted key cycle. Hence, that implies that: if a key cycle arises in a system, then a passive adversary might be able to recover all secret keys even if CCA‐secure encryptions are used.
The results in this work, together with that of Koppula et al., confirm that notions of circular securities are stronger than their standard correspondences. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Short lattice signatures with constant‐size public keys
Authors: Xie Dong , Peng Haipeng , Li Lixiang , Yang Yixian 
Published: November 2016

AbstractA digital signature scheme allows a signer to sign electronic messages using his or her secret key, and any verifier can validate the correctness according to a given verification procedure. Although a variety of lattice‐based signature schemes have been proposed in the past few years, there does not exist a scheme that has short signatures and constant‐size public keys simultaneously. In this paper, we propose a new method for constructing short lattice signatures with constant‐size public keys in the standard model. In our scheme, each signature contains a low‐dimensional lattice vector and the public key only contains three matrices plus a vector. Compared with previous constructions, our scheme is very simple and does not require any complex homomorphic computation. In order for security proof to work, we introduce a new hard lattice problem, called variant small integer solution (Variant‐SIS), and give the security reduction from small integer solution to Variant‐SIS. Then we define a family of hash functions based on the hardness of Variant‐SIS and prove its security properties, including one‐wayness and collision resistance. As a matter of independent interest, the proposed hard problem may be useful in many other lattice‐based cryptographic constructions. Last, the comparison with similar works demonstrates the superiority of our scheme. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A crustacean with eumalacostracan affinities from the Early Devonian Hunsrück Slate (SW Germany)
Authors: Haug Joachim T. , Poschmann Markus , Hörnig Marie K. , Lutz Herbert 
Published: November 2016

AbstractWe describe a new fossil crustacean from the famous Early Devonian Hunsrück Slate, Germany. Other crustacean fossils from this Lagerstätte are of the typical phyllocarid type. The new fossil genus and species Hohensteiniella engeli, represented by a single specimen, exhibits a typical shrimp‐like habitus. H. engeli therefore represents the first crustacean with eumalacostracan affinities from the Hunsrück Slate. Most prominently preserved is the biflagellate antennula, which measures about two‐thirds of the length of the main body. A series of stenopod‐like thoracopods enforce its shrimp‐like appearance. The head shield bears a short rostrum, but appears to have been rather short posteriorly. It remains unclear whether the new species forms an ingroup to Eumalacostraca or is its sister group, as certain key features are not preserved. Possible ingroup affinities may lie with the syncarid lineage (due to the short head shield) or decapod lineage (due to anterior thoracopods being shorter than posterior ones). Representatives of the eumalacostracan lineage are rare in the Devonian and are in most cases younger than H. engeli. Only Archangeliphausia spinosa is slightly older. The specimen of H. engeli is preserved associated with small spherical structures that could represent eggs. We discuss the possibility that H. engeli might have performed a type of parental care.
Urban water pricing in Chile: cost recovery, affordability, and water conservation
Authors: Donoso Guillermo 
Published: November 2016

To address water scarcity issues, policymakers are increasingly considering pricing as an important tool. However, implementing tariff reforms is often difficult in practice due to political factors and the absence of governance structures that can result in quality service provision. Additionally, institutional replication of successful water pricing policies has been difficult due to incomplete information and the contextual uniqueness of local institutions, politics, and social relations. The case study reported here seeks to fill this gap by analyzing Chile's water supply and sanitation (WSS) regulatory framework and evaluating its performance. We show that Chile's policy of providing WSS services through privatized regional and local water companies has been a notable success, but faces new challenges. Thus, Chile's urban water pricing regulation represents an interesting case study for countries that are analyzing their water and sanitation regulation. WIREs Water 2017, 4:e1194. doi: 10.1002/wat2.1194This article is categorized under:

Engineering Water > Planning Water
Human Water > Value of Water
In vitro reconstitution of the cyclosporine specific P450 hydroxylases using heterologous redox partner proteins
Authors: Sun Yue , Ma Li , Han Dongfei , Du Lei , Qi Fengxia , Zhang Wei , Sun Jingran , Huang Shan , Kim Eung-Soo , Li Shengying 
Published: November 2016

Abstract
The cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYPs) CYP-sb21 from Sebekia benihana and CYP-pa1 from Pseudonocardia autotrophica are able to hydroxylate the immunosuppressant cyclosporin A (CsA) in a regioselective manner, giving rise to the production of two hair-stimulating agents (with dramatically attenuated immunosuppressant activity), γ-hydroxy-N-methyl-l-Leu4-CsA (CsA-4-OH) and γ-hydroxy-N-methyl-l-Leu9-CsA (CsA-9-OH). Recently, the in vitro activity of CYP-sb21 was identified using several surrogate redox partner proteins. Herein, we reconstituted the in vitro activity of CYP-pa1 for the first time via a similar strategy. Moreover, the supporting activities of a set of ferredoxin (Fdx)/ferredoxin reductase (FdR) pairs from the cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 were comparatively analyzed to identify the optimal redox systems for these two CsA hydroxylases. The results suggest the great value of cyanobacterial redox partner proteins for both academic research and industrial application of P450 biocatalysts.
Bio‐/Environment‐Friendly Cationic Gemini Surfactant as Novel Corrosion Inhibitor for Mild Steel in 1 M HCl Solution
Authors: Mobin Mohammad , Aslam Ruby , Zehra Saman , Ahmad Musheer 
Published: November 2016

AbstractBio‐/environment‐friendly cationic gemini surfactant, ethane‐1,2‐diyl bis(N,N‐dimethyl‐N‐hexadecylammoniumacetoxy)dichloride, referred to as 16‐E2‐16, was synthesized and characterized. Corrosion inhibition effects of 16‐E2‐16 on mild steel (MS) surface in 1 M HCl solution at 30, 40, 50 and 60 °C were evaluated using gravimetric analysis, potentiodynamic polarisation and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements. The nature of the protective inhibitor film formed on the MS surface was analysed by SEM, EDAX and FT‐IR, while TGA was used to assure the thermal behaviour and stability of the film at high temperature. The formation of [inhibitor‐Fe2+] on the surface of MS was confirmed by UV–visible spectroscopy. The inhibition efficiency of the studied inhibitor increased with increasing concentration and solution temperature. The compound behaved as a mixed type inhibitor and acted by blocking the electrode surface by means of adsorption obeying the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. Surface active properties and corrosion inhibition effects of 16‐E2‐16 in the presence of inorganic (NaI) and organic (NaSal) salts were also investigated and are discussed. Density functional theory calculations have been carried out to correlate the efficiency of the compound with its intrinsic molecular parameters.
A resistant method for landmark‐based analysis of individual asymmetry in two dimensions
Authors: Torcida Sebastián , Gonzalez Paula , Lotto Federico 
Published: November 2016

BackgroundSymmetry of biological structures can be thought as the repetition of their parts in different positions and orientations. Asymmetry analyses, therefore, focuses on identifying and measuring the location and extent of symmetry departures in such structures. In the context of geometric morphometrics, a key step when studying morphological variation is the estimation of the symmetric shape. The standard procedure uses the least‐squares Procrustes superimposition, which by averaging shape differences often underestimates the symmetry departures thus leading to an inaccurate description of the asymmetry pattern. Moreover, the corresponding asymmetry values are neither geometrically intuitive nor visually perceivable.MethodsIn this work, a resistant method for landmark‐based asymmetry analysis of individual bilateral symmetric structures in 2D is introduced. A geometrical derivation of this new approach is offered, while its advantages in comparison with the standard method are examined and discussed through a few illustrative examples.ResultsExperimental tests on both artificial and real data show that asymmetry is more effectively measured by using the resistant method because the underlying symmetric shape is better estimated. Therefore, the most asymmetric (respectively symmetric) landmarks are better determined through their large (respectively small) residuals. The percentage of asymmetry that is accounted for by each landmark is an additional revealing measure the new method offers which agrees with the displayed results while helping in their biological interpretation.ConclusionsThe resistant method is a useful exploratory tool for analyzing shape asymmetry in 2D, and it might be the preferable method whenever a non homogeneous deformation of bilateral symmetric structures is possible. By offering a more detailed and rather exhaustive explanation of the asymmetry pattern, this new approach will hopefully contribute to improve the quality of biological or developmental inferences.