bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Two-walker discrete-time quantum walks on the line with percolation
Authors: Rigovacca L. , Di Franco C. 
Published: February 2016

AbstractOne goal in the quantum-walk research is the exploitation of the intrinsic quantum nature of multiple walkers, in order to achieve the full computational power of the model. Here we study the behaviour of two non-interacting particles performing a quantum walk on the line when the possibility of lattice imperfections, in the form of missing links, is considered. We investigate two regimes, statical and dynamical percolation, that correspond to different time scales for the imperfections evolution with respect to the quantum-walk one. By studying the qualitative behaviour of three two-particle quantities for different probabilities of having missing bonds, we argue that the chosen symmetry under particle-exchange of the input state strongly affects the output of the walk, even in noisy and highly non-ideal regimes. We provide evidence against the possibility of gathering information about the walkers indistinguishability from the observation of bunching phenomena in the output distribution, in all those situations that require a comparison between averaged quantities. Although the spread of the walk is not substantially changed by the addition of a second particle, we show that the presence of multiple walkers can be beneficial for a procedure to estimate the probability of having a broken link.
Rational design and validation of an anti-protein kinase C active-state specific antibody based on conformational changes
Authors: Pena Darlene Aparecida , Andrade Victor Piana de , Silva Gabriela Ávila Fernandes , Neves José Ivanildo , Oliveira Paulo Sergio Lopes de , Alves Maria Julia Manso , Devi Lakshmi A. , Schechtman Deborah 
Published: February 2016

AbstractProtein kinase C (PKC) plays a regulatory role in key pathways in cancer. However, since phosphorylation is a step for classical PKC (cPKC) maturation and does not correlate with activation, there is a lack of tools to detect active PKC in tissue samples. Here, a structure-based rational approach was used to select a peptide to generate an antibody that distinguishes active from inactive cPKC. A peptide conserved in all cPKCs, C2Cat, was chosen since modeling studies based on a crystal structure of PKCβ showed that it is localized at the interface between the C2 and catalytic domains of cPKCs in an inactive kinase. Anti-C2Cat recognizes active cPKCs at least two-fold better than inactive kinase in ELISA and immunoprecipitation assays and detects the temporal dynamics of cPKC activation upon receptor or phorbol stimulation. Furthermore, the antibody is able to detect active PKC in human tissue. Higher levels of active cPKC were observed in the more aggressive triple negative breast cancer tumors as compared to the less aggressive estrogen receptor positive tumors. Thus, this antibody represents a reliable, hitherto unavailable and a valuable tool to study PKC activation in cells and tissues. Similar structure-based rational design strategies can be broadly applied to obtain active-state specific antibodies for other signal transduction molecules.
Differential Proteomic Analysis of Human Saliva using Tandem Mass Tags Quantification for Gastric Cancer Detection
Authors: Xiao Hua , Zhang Yan , Kim Yong , Kim Sung , Kim Jae Joon , Kim Kyoung Mee , Yoshizawa Janice , Fan Liu-Yin , Cao Cheng-Xi , Wong David T. W. 
Published: February 2016

AbstractNovel biomarkers and non-invasive diagnostic methods are urgently needed for the screening of gastric cancer to reduce its high mortality. We employed quantitative proteomics approach to develop discriminatory biomarker signatures from human saliva for the detection of gastric cancer. Salivary proteins were analyzed and compared between gastric cancer patients and matched control subjects by using tandem mass tags (TMT) technology. More than 500 proteins were identified with quantification, and 48 of them showed significant difference expression (p < 0.05) between normal controls and gastric cancer patients, including 7 up-regulated proteins and 41 down-regulated proteins. Five proteins were selected for initial verification by ELISA and three were successfully verified, namely cystatin B (CSTB), triosephosphate isomerase (TPI1), and deleted in malignant brain tumors 1 protein (DMBT1). All three proteins could differentiate gastric cancer patients from normal control subjects, dramatically (p < 0.05). The combination of these three biomarkers could reach 85% sensitivity and 80% specificity for the detection of gastric cancer with accuracy of 0.93. This study provides the proof of concept of salivary biomarkers for the non-invasive detection of gastric cancer. It is highly encouraging to turn these biomarkers into an applicable clinical test after large scale validation.
Technical noise in K‐band low‐noise cryogenic amplifier
Authors: Parker S.R. 
Published: February 2016

The performance of a 15–29 GHz low‐noise high‐electron‐mobility transistor amplifier at room and cryogenic temperatures is reported. The close‐to‐carrier technical noise is measured for frequency offsets from 100 mHz to 100 kHz and the effect of adjusting the DC power biasing is investigated. An order of magnitude improvement in intrinsic phase noise is achieved by optimising the bias settings away from manufacturer specifications, giving a single‐sideband phase noise power spectral density at 1 Hz offset of −100 dBc/Hz and −105 dBc/Hz for a 26.6 GHz carrier at room temperature and 6.5 K, respectively.
Very long distance connection of gigawatt‐size offshore wind farms: extra high‐voltage AC versus high‐voltage DC cost comparison
Authors: Lauria Stefano , Schembari Maddalena , Palone Francesco , Maccioni Marco 
Published: February 2016

This study presents a cost comparison between commercially available high‐voltage DC (HVDC) and extra high‐voltage AC shore connection (±320 kV voltage source converter and 420 kV–50 Hz single‐core and three‐core cables), for a 1 GW offshore wind farm cluster, considering transmission distances up to 400 km. The HVDC system is a point‐to‐point connection whereas multiple AC intermediate compensating stations are envisaged for AC when needed. Capital costs are evaluated from recently awarded contracts, operating costs include energy losses and missed revenues due to transmission system unavailability, both estimated using North Sea wind production curves. Optimal AC intermediate compensation, if any, and reactive profiles are also taken into account. Resultsshow that HVDC has lower transmission losses at distances in excess of 130 km; however, due to the combined effect of lower AC capital cost and unavailability, using three‐core aluminium cables can be more convenient up to 360 km distance.
Solar PV yield and electricity generation in the UK
Authors: Mason Nigel B. 
Published: February 2016

The annual yield for solar photovoltaic (PV) electricity generation in the UK is calculated for the installed capacity at the end of 2014 and found to be close to 960 kWh/kWp. This value is derived by averaging expected PV yield in different regions of the UK, weighted according to the regionally installed generating capacity from UK government statistics and has an estimated uncertainty of ±5%. The mean generating yield can vary with time as newly deployed PV may change the regional distribution of installed power and the variation over the period 2010–2014 is charted. The installed generating capacity at September 2015 was 8.19 GWp and, based on the above yield, should generate around 7860 GWh of electricity in a typical year or 2.6% of UK consumption (2014). Based on current trends, Solar PV electricity should exceed 3% of UK consumption in 2016.
Spheres, Rings, and Rods as Electrodes in Electrofishing: Their Effects on System Resistance and Electrical Fields
Authors: Reynolds James B. 
Published: February 2016

AbstractThree shapes of electrodes are used for most electrofishing: spheres, rings, and rods. The predictive value of theoretical equations and relative effects of electrode size, shape, and stock diameter (material thickness) on electrical characteristics have not been evaluated by designed experiment. I performed an experiment in a hatchery raceway, using minimum and maximum electrode size‐shape categories common in electrofishing: 15‐cm‐ and 30‐cm‐diameter spheres and rings and 48‐cm‐ and 96‐cm‐long rods (lengths equivalent to ring circumferences). Each size of ring and rod was fabricated in four stock diameters: 3, 6, 10, and 13 mm. Eighteen identical pairs of electrodes (two spheres, eight rings, eight rods) were energized with 120‐V, 60‐Hz sine‐wave AC. Observed values of system resistance (representing potential power demand), voltage gradient at 0–1 cm from an electrode surface (high‐hazard zone for fish), and distance to 0.1 V/cm (effective field size) were measured. Both size–shape and stock diameter had highly significant (P ≤ 0.01) effects on system resistance, high‐hazard zone, and effective field size. Size–shape effect was about nine times more important than stock diameter in its influence on system resistance; about six times more for effective field size; and about twice more for the high‐hazard zone. Boundary conditions imposed by the raceway limited the usefulness of theoretical equations; such boundaries would also exist in natural waters. Empirical measurements of circuits and fields are more accurate and realistic, than theoretical values, for application of electrode design. Lacking one's own empirical data, the data from this study may be used to test virtual electrofishing systems for electrode design. Scenarios are offered as examples for practical application of the results of this study.Received November 25, 2014; accepted October 13, 2015
Is the higher rate of parental child homicide in stepfamilies an effect of non-genetic relatedness?
Authors: Temrin Hans , Nordlund Johanna , Rying Mikael , Tullberg Birgitta S. 
Published: February 2016

Abstract
In an evolutionary perspective individuals are expected to vary the degree of parental love and care in relation to the fitness value that a child represents. Hence, stepparents are expected to show less solicitude than genetically related parents, and this lack of genetic relatedness has been used to explain the higher frequencies of child abuse and homicide found in stepfamilies. However, other factors than non-genetic relatedness may cause this over-representation in stepfamilies. Here we use a 45-year data set of parental child homicides in Sweden to test two hypotheses related to the higher incidence in stepfamilies: 1) adults in different types of family differ in their general disposition to use violence, and 2) parents are more likely to kill stepchildren than genetically related children. Of the 152 perpetrators in biparental families there was an overrepresentation of perpetrators in step-families (n=27) compared with the general population. We found support for the first hypothesis in that both general and violent crime rates were higher in stepfamilies, both in the general population and among perpetrators of child homicide. However, we found no support for the second hypothesis because of the 27 perpetrators in stepfamilies the perpetrator killed a genetically related child in 13 cases, a stepchild in 13 cases and both types of children in one case. Moreover, out of the 12 families where the perpetrator lived with both stepchildren and genetic children, there was no bias towards killing stepchildren. Thus, we found no evidence for an effect of non-genetic relatedness per se.
Behavioral and life history responses to extreme climatic conditions: Studies on a migratory songbird
Authors: Møller A. P. 
Published: February 2016

Abstract
Behavioral responses to environmental change are the mechanisms that allow for rapid phenotypic change preventing temporary or permanent damage and hence preventing reductions in fitness. Extreme climatic events are by definition rare, although they are predicted to increase in amplitude and frequency in the coming years. However, our current knowledge about behavioral responses to such extreme events is scarce. Here I analyze two examples of the effects of extreme weather events on behavior and life history: (1) A comparison of behavior and life history during extremely warm and extremely cold years relative to normal years; and (2) a comparison of behavior before and after the extremely early snowfall in fall 1974 when numerous birds died in the Alps during September-October. Behavioral and life history responses of barn swallows Hirundo rustica to extremely cold and extremely warm years were positively correlated, with particularly large effect sizes in cold years. Extreme mortality in barn swallows during fall migration 1974 in the Alps eliminated more than 40% of the breeding population across large areas in Central and Northern Europe, and this affected first arrival date, changes in timing and extent of reproduction and changes in degree of breeding sociality supposedly as a consequence of correlated responses to selection. Finally, I provide directions for research that will allow us to better understand behavior and life history changes in response to extreme climate change.
What are extreme environmental conditions and how do organisms cope with them?
Authors: Wingfield John C. , Kelley J. Patrick , Angelier Frédéric 
Published: February 2016

Abstract
Severe environmental conditions affect organisms in two major ways. The environment may be predictably severe such as in deserts, polar and alpine regions, or individuals may be exposed to temporarily extreme conditions through weather, presence of predators, lack of food, social status etc. Existence in an extreme environment may be possible, but then to breed or molt in addition can present major bottlenecks that have resulted in the evolution of hormone-behavior adaptations to cope with unpredictable events. Examples of hormone-behavior adaptations in extreme conditions include attenuated testosterone secretion because territoriality and excess courtship may be too costly when there is one opportunity to reproduce. The individual may even become insensitive to testosterone when target areas of the brain regulating reproductive behavior no longer respond to the hormone. A second example is reduced sensitivity to glucocorticoids following acute stress during the breeding season or molt that allows successful reproduction and/or a vital renewal of the integument to endure extreme conditions during the rest of the year. Reduced sensitivity could involve: (a) modulated response of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis, (b) reduced sensitivity to high glucocorticoid levels, or (c) a combination of (a) and (b). Moreover, corticosteroid binding proteins (CBP) buffer responses to stress by reducing the movement of glucocorticoids into target cells. Finally, intracellular enzymes (11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase and variants) can deactivate glucocorticoids entering cells thus reducing interaction with receptors. These mechanisms have important implications for climate change and increasing extremes of weather.
Short- and long-term effects of developmental corticosterone exposure on avian physiology, behavioral phenotype, cognition, and fitness: A review
Authors: Schoech Stephan J. , Rensel Michelle A. , Heiss Rebecca S. 
Published: February 2016

Abstract
A growing body of evidence from across taxa suggests that exposure to elevated levels of glucocorticoids during early development can have long-term effects upon physiological and behavioral phenotypes. Additionally, there is some, though limited, evidence that similar early exposure can also negatively impact cognitive ability. Following pioneering mammalian studies, several avian studies have revealed that the responsiveness of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis as an adult can be explained by levels of corticosterone, the avian glucocorticoid, the individual experienced as a nestling or even as an embryo via yolk exposure. Studies also suggest that perinatal exposure to corticosterone can have effects upon avian ‘personalities’ or coping styles, and findings from mammalian studies suggest that these long-term effects are mediated epigenetically via altered expression of relevant DNA sequences. Although a consistent pattern across-species has yet to emerge, recent work in Florida scrub-jays Aphelocoma coerulescens found that baseline corticosterone levels in 11-day-old nestlings explained 84% of the variation in ‘personality’ (bold vs. timid) when those individuals were tested approximately seven months later. Nestlings with elevated corticosterone levels were more timid than those individuals that as nestlings experienced relatively low corticosterone levels. Some researchers have suggested that parents might use such mechanisms to ‘program’ their offsprings’ phenotype to best fit prevailing environmental conditions. This review will visit what is known about the links between stressful developmental conditions that result in exposure to elevated corticosterone and the short- and long-term effects of this steroid hormone upon central nervous system function and whether alterations thereof are beneficial, deleterious, or neutral. It will concentrate on examples from birds, although critical supporting studies from the mammalian literature will be included as appropriate.
Limited gene flow and partial isolation phylogeography of Himalayan snowcock Tetraogallus himalayensis based on part mitochondrial D-loop sequences
Authors: Wang Xiaoli , Qu Jiangyong , Liu Naifa , Bao Xinkang , Song Sen 
Published: February 2016

Abstract
Himalayan snowcock Tetraogallus himalayensis are distributed in alpine and subalpine areas in China. We used mitochondrial DNA control-region data to investigate the origin and past demographic change in sixty-seven Himalayan snowcock T. himalayensis. The fragments of 1155 nucleotides from the control region of mitochondrial DNA were sequenced, and 57 polymorphic positions defined 37 haplotypes. A high level of genetic diversity was detected in all populations sampled and may be associated isolation of the mountains and habitat fragmentation and deterioration from Quaternary glaciations. In the phylogenetic tree, all haplotypes grouped into four groups: clade A (Kunlun Mountains clade), clade B (Northern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau clade), clade C (Tianshan Mountains clade) and clade D (Kalakunlun Mountains clade). We found a low level of gene flow and significant genetic differentiation among all populations. Based on divergence time we suggest that the divergence of Himalayan snowcock occurred in the middle Pleistocene inter-glaciation, and expansion occurred in the glaciation. Analysis of mtDNA D-loop sequences confirmed demographic population expansion, as did our non-significant mismatch distribution analysis. In conclusion, limited gene flow and a pattern of partial isolation phylogeographic was found in geographic populations of T. himalayansis based on the analysis on mtDNA D-loop sequences.
Dispersal of invasive species by drifting
Authors: Riel M.C. Van , Der Velde G. Van , De Vaate A. Bij 
Published: February 2016

Abstract
Drifting can be an effective way for aquatic organisms to disperse and colonise new areas. Increasing connectivity between European large rivers facilitates invasion by drifting aquatic macroinvertebrates. The present study shows that high abundances of invasive species drift in the headstream of the river Rhine. Dikerogammarus villosus and Chelicorophium curvispinum represented up to 90% of the total of drifting macroinvertebrates. Drift activity shows seasonal and diel patterns. Most species started drifting in spring and were most abundant in the water column during the summer period. Drift activity was very low during the winter period. Diel patterns were apparent; most species, including D. villosus, drifted during the night. Drifting macroinvertebrates colonised stony substrate directly from the water column. D. villosus generally colonised the substrate at night, while higher numbers of C. curvispinum colonised the substrate during the day. It is very likely that drifting functions as a dispersal mechanism for crustacean invaders. Once waterways are connected, these species are no longer necessarily dependent on dispersal vectors other than drift for extending their distribution range.
Parentage assignment and parental contribution analysis in large yellow croaker Larimichthys crocea using microsatellite markers
Authors: Liu Xiande , Zhao Guangtai , Wang Zhiyong , Cai Mingyi , Ye Hua , Wang Qiurong 
Published: February 2016

Abstract
The large yellow croaker Larimichthys crocea is one of the most important fish species in China. To estimate the reproductive success of breeders, three independent full-factorial crosses were created and the fins of breeders and progenies were sampled for microsatellite analysis. Out of 959 offspring from three sets, 99.6% were assigned to their parents using 6–7 microsatellite markers. In all crosses, some parent pairs produced a large number of offspring and some parent pairs did not produce any offspring. The contributions of male or female parents were unequal, ranging from 1.0–89.3% across the three sets. The loss of putative Ne was 69.6% in set 1, 31.2% in set 2 and 57.6% in set 3. These results suggest that the unequal contribution of parents is universal in artificial breeding of L. crocea, especially in a small population, and this should be taken into account in hatcheries or when releasing animals for resource enhancement [Current Zoology 58 (2): 244–249, 2012].
Dispersal behavior correlates with personality of a North American fish
Authors: Rasmussen Josh E. , Belk Mark C. 
Published: February 2016

Abstract
The process of dispersal is determined by the interaction of individual (intrinsic) traits and environmental (extrinsic) factors. Although many studies address and quantify dispersal, few evaluate both intrinsic and extrinsic factors jointly. We test the relative importance of intrinsic traits (exploration tendency and size) and extrinsic factors (population density and habitat quality) on dispersal of a medium-sized western United States minnow, southern leatherside chub Lepidomeda aliciae. A generalized linear model with a binomial response was used to determine the probability of individuals dispersing one year after tagging. Medium-sized individuals that were more prone to explore novel environments were 10.7 times more likely to be recaptured outside of their original capture area after a year (dispersal) compared to non-explorer individuals of the same size class. Differences between explorer classifications within the small and large size classes were negligible. Open habitat within 50 m upstream also increased the probability of dispersal relative to controls. Relative location within the study reach, and population density were not significantly related to dispersal probabilities of individuals. Our results indicate that understanding of personality may illuminate patterns of dispersal within and among populations [Current Zoology 58 (2): 260–270, 2012].