bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The impact of irradiance on optimal and cellular nitrogen to phosphorus ratios in phytoplankton
Authors: Thrane Jan‐Erik , Hessen Dag O. , Andersen Tom 
Published: June 2016

AbstractPhytoplankton acclimates to irradiance by regulating the cellular content of light‐harvesting complexes, which are nitrogen (N) rich and phosphorus (P) poor. Irradiance is thus hypothesised to influence the cellular N : P ratio and the N : P defining the threshold between N and P limitation (the ‘optimal’ N : P). We tested this hypothesis by first addressing the response of the optimal N : P to irradiance in a controlled experiment with Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Then, we did a meta‐analysis of experimental data on optimal and cellular N : P ratios across light gradients to test the generality of an N : P to light response within species. In both the experiment and the meta‐analysis, N : P ratios decreased with irradiance, indicating that factors affecting underwater irradiance, like depth and the composition of the water, may influence the relative N : P requirement. The effect of irradiance did not differ between optimal and cellular N : P ratios, but observations of optimal N : P were on average 2.8 times higher than observations of cellular N : P.
Remote MEG dipoles in focal cortical dysplasia at bottom of sulcus
Authors: Nakajima Midori , Widjaja Elysa , Baba Shiro , Sato Yosuke , Yoshida Ryuhei , Tabei Maya , Okazaki Ayaka , Sakuma Satoru , Holowka Stephanie A. , Ochi Ayako , Snead O. Carter , Rutka James T. , Drake James M. , Shiraishi Hideaki , Doesburg Sam , Otsubo Hiroshi 
Published: June 2016

SummaryObjectiveTo investigate whether the magnetoencephalography (MEG) single moving dipole (SMD) method could delineate the epileptic zone of focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) at the bottom of sulcus (FCDB).MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed 17 children (11 male; mean age 8.8 years, range 3–17 years) with FCD type II who underwent epilepsy surgery. We compared spatial congruence between the following: (1) MEG cluster and FCDB and (2) MEG cluster and FCD at the brain surface (FCDS). We measured the volume and depth of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)–visible lesions to investigate whether they affect spatial congruence between MEG cluster and MRI‐visible lesion.ResultsEight children had FCDB and the other nine children had FCDS. The volume of MRI‐visible lesions for FCDB ranged from 1,632 to 4,707 mm3 (mean ± standard deviation [SD] 3,095 ± 1,211 mm3). The depth of FCDB ranged from 19 to 33 mm (mean ± SD 26 ± 4 mm). The volume of MRI‐visible lesion for FCDS ranged from 2,375 to 57,331 mm3 (15,470 ± 18,455 mm3). There was a tendency for a smaller volume of MRI‐visible lesion for FCDB, relative to FCDS(p = 0.079). In FCDB, six children showed clusters of MEG dipoles and two children showed scattered MEG dipoles for interictal spikes. The spatial congruence between the MEG result and FCDB was partially overlapping in four children and discordant in another four children. In FCDS, eight children had MEG cluster and one child had MEG scatter alone. The spatial congruence between MEG result and FCDS was overlapping in eight of nine children (fully two; partially six) and discordant in one of nine children. Fifteen children (88%; FCDB eight; FCDS seven) became seizure‐free after resective surgery. MEG spike dipole resection ratio in the cluster ranged from 4–100% (mean 67%) in 6 FCDB and 23–99% (mean 77%) in 8 FCDS.SignificanceThe SMD method may drift MEG spike dipoles for FCDB. Lesionectomy can control seizures for four of eight patients in FCDB despite the remote MEG dipoles. The FCDB or FCDS partially overlapped with MEG cluster may have an extending/invisible epileptogenic zone consecutive to the MRI‐visible lesion.
Biological invasion by a benthivorous fish reduced the cover and species richness of aquatic plants in most lakes of a large North American ecoregion
Authors: Bajer Przemyslaw G. , Beck Marcus W. , Cross Timothy K. , Koch Justine D. , Bartodziej William M. , Sorensen Peter W. 
Published: June 2016

AbstractBiological invasions are projected to be the main driver of biodiversity and ecosystem function loss in lakes in the 21st century. However, the extent of these future losses is difficult to quantify because most invasions are recent and confounded by other stressors. In this study, we quantified the outcome of a century‐old invasion, the introduction of common carp to North America, to illustrate potential consequences of introducing non‐native ecosystem engineers to lakes worldwide. We used the decline in aquatic plant richness and cover as an index of ecological impact across three ecoregions: Great Plains, Eastern Temperate Forests and Northern Forests. Using whole‐lake manipulations, we demonstrated that both submersed plant cover and richness declined exponentially as carp biomass increased such that plant cover was reduced to <10% and species richness was halved in lakes in which carp biomass exceeded 190 kg ha−1. Using catch rates amassed from 2000+ lakes, we showed that carp exceeded this biomass level in 70.6% of Great Plains lakes and 23.3% of Eastern Temperate Forests lakes, but 0% of Northern Forests lakes. Using model selection analysis, we showed that carp was a key driver of plant species richness along with Secchi depth, lake area and human development of lake watersheds. Model parameters showed that carp reduced species richness to a similar degree across lakes of various Secchi depths and surface areas. In regions dominated by carp (e.g., Great Plains), carp had a stronger impact on plant richness than human watershed development. Overall, our analysis shows that the introduction of common carp played a key role in driving a severe reduction in plant cover and richness in a majority of Great Plains lakes and a large portion of Eastern Temperate Forests lakes in North America.
Land‐use contrasts reveal instability of subsoil organic carbon
Authors: Hobley Eleanor , Baldock Jeff , Hua Quan , Wilson Brian 
Published: June 2016

AbstractSubsoils contain large amounts of organic carbon which is generally believed to be highly stable when compared with surface soils. We investigated subsurface organic carbon storage and dynamics by analysing organic carbon concentrations, fractions and isotopic values in 78 samples from 12 sites under different land‐uses and climates in eastern Australia. Despite radiocarbon ages of several millennia in subsoils, contrasting native systems with agriculturally managed systems revealed that subsurface organic carbon is reactive on decadal timeframes to land‐use change, which leads to large losses of young carbon down the entire soil profile. Our results indicate that organic carbon storage in soils is input driven down the whole profile, challenging the concept of subsoils as a repository of stable organic carbon.
Interactive effects of temperature and drought on cassava growth and toxicity: implications for food security?
Authors: Brown Alicia L. , Cavagnaro Timothy R. , Gleadow Ros , Miller Rebecca E. 
Published: June 2016

AbstractCassava is an important dietary component for over 1 billion people, and its ability to yield under drought has led to it being promoted as an important crop for food security under climate change. Despite its known photosynthetic plasticity in response to temperature, little is known about how temperature affects plant toxicity or about interactions between temperature and drought, which is important because cassava tissues contain high levels of toxic cyanogenic glucosides, a major health and food safety concern. In a controlled glasshouse experiment, plants were grown at 2 daytime temperatures (23 °C and 34 °C), and either well‐watered or subject to a 1 month drought prior to harvest at 6 months. The objective was to determine the separate and interactive effects of temperature and drought on growth and toxicity. Both temperature and drought affected cassava physiology and chemistry. While temperature alone drove differences in plant height and above‐ground biomass, drought and temperature × drought interactions most affected tuber yield, as well as foliar and tuber chemistry, including C : N, nitrogen and cyanide potential (CNp; total cyanide released from cyanogenic glucosides). Conditions that most stimulated growth and yield (well‐watered × high temperature) effected a reduction in tuber toxicity, whereas drought inhibited growth and yield, and was associated with increased foliar and tuber toxicity. The magnitude of drought effects on tuber yield and toxicity were greater at high temperature; thus, increases in tuber CNp were not merely a consequence of reduced tuber biomass. Findings confirm that cassava is adaptable to forecast temperature increases, particularly in areas of adequate or increasing rainfall; however, in regions forecast for increased incidence of drought, the effects of drought on both food quality (tuber toxicity) and yield are a greater threat to future food security and indicate an increasing necessity for processing of cassava to reduce toxicity.
Gamma‐irradiated quiescent cells repair directly induced double‐strand breaks but accumulate persistent double‐strand breaks during subsequent DNA replication
Authors: Minakawa Yusuke , Atsumi Yuko , Shinohara Akira , Murakami Yasufumi , Yoshioka Ken‐ichi 
Published: June 2016

H2AX is expressed at very low levels in quiescent normal cells in vivo and in vitro. Such cells repair DNA double‐strand breaks (DSBs) induced by γ‐irradiation through a transient stabilization of H2AX. However, the resultant cells accumulate small numbers of irreparable (or persistent) DSBs via an unknown mechanism. We found that quiescent cells that had repaired DSBs directly induced by γ‐rays were prone to accumulate DSBs during the subsequent DNA replication. Unlike directly induced DSBs, secondary DSBs were not efficiently repaired, although Rad51 and 53BP1 were recruited to these sites. H2AX was dramatically stabilized in response to DSBs directly caused by γ‐rays, enabling γH2AX foci formation and DSB repair, whereas H2AX was barely stabilized in response to secondary DSBs, in which γH2AX foci were small and DSBs were not efficiently repaired. Our results show a pathway that leads to the persistent DSB formation after γ‐irradiation.
Traveling salesman problems with profits and stochastic customers
Authors: Zhang Mengying , Qin Jin , Yu Yugang , Liang Liang 
Published: June 2016

AbstractIn this paper, we introduce a class of new selection and routing problems, and name it as the traveling salesman problem with profits and stochastic customers (TSPPSC), which is an extension of the traveling salesman problem with profits (TSPP). The class of new problems is put forward to address how to deal with stochastic customer presence under the environment in which an associated profit is obtained once a customer is visited. It is defined on a complete graph in which profits are associated with the vertices and travel costs are associated with the edges. Each vertex (customer) has a probability of requiring a visit. The objective is the simultaneous optimization of the expected collected profits and expected travel costs. According to the way the two objectives (profits and travel costs) are addressed, TSPPSC is categorized into three subproblems. Mathematical formulations are provided for these problems and a genetic algorithm is proposed to solve one of these subproblems. Computational experiments conducted on several sets of instances show a good performance of the proposed algorithm.
Formulating and solving a radio astronomy antenna connection problem as a generalized cable‐trench problem: an empirical study
Authors: Zyma Kenneth , Girard Julien N. , Landquist Eric , Schaper Gregory , Vasko Francis J. 
Published: June 2016

AbstractThe low‐frequency array, LOFAR, is the world's largest connected low‐frequency (LF) radio telescope, combining antenna arrays from across Western Europe into a single telescope. A major extension of an existing LOFAR component in Nançay, France, is currently being developed. The prototype design for this extension consists of a network of 96 LF radio telescope antenna arrays distributed across a 400 × 450 m area. A significant portion of the project's cost involves connecting each antenna array directly to a central control facility via a buried coaxial cable. In his 2013 doctoral dissertation, Girard proposed a cabling layout with the goal of minimizing the total cost to dig the trenches and lay the cables, by modeling the problem as a cable‐trench problem (CTP). In this paper, we will discuss Girard's approach and then formulate the problem as a generalized CTP (GCTP) in order to handle physical obstacles more efficiently. To improve upon Girard's solution, we will first apply variations of Prim's algorithm to analyze a number of different GCTPs, based on a variety of cost parameters. Next, we will show that the mixed‐integer linear programming formulation of the GCTP finds even better cable and trench layouts using CPLEX. Finally, we will use a new multicommodity flow formulation of the GCTP to find provably optimal solutions using CPLEX. This work has implications beyond the installation in development in Nançay, as any future component of LOFAR can apply the techniques discussed in this paper to significantly reduce construction costs.
Association of type 2 diabetes susceptibility loci with peripheral nerve function in a Chinese population with diabetes
Authors: Lu Jingyi , Luo Yi , Wang Jie , Hu Cheng , Zhang Rong , Wang Congrong , Jia Weiping 
Published: June 2016

AbstractAims/IntroductionPrevious studies have suggested a possible relationship between type 2 diabetes mellitus susceptibility loci and diabetic complications. The present study aimed to investigate the associations between type 2 diabetes mellitus loci with peripheral nerve function in a Chinese population with type 2 diabetes mellitus.Materials and MethodsA total of 1,900 type 2 diabetes mellitus patients were recruited in the study. We selected ten single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from ten type 2 diabetes mellitus susceptibility genes previously confirmed in Chinese patients. Genotyping was carried out by using a MassARRAY Compact Analyzer. Peripheral nerve function was evaluated by nerve conduction studies in all participants. The composite Z‐scores for nerve conduction parameters including conduction velocity (CV), amplitude and latency were calculated, respectively.ResultsRs5219 of KCNJ11 (E23K, G→A) was identified to be associated with all the parameters obtained from nerve conduction studies (Z‐score of CV: β = 0.113, P = 0.01; Z‐score of amplitude: β = 0.133, P = 0.01; Z‐score of latency: β = −0.116, P = 0.01) after adjustment for covariates including age, duration and glycated hemoglobin. Specifically, each copy of the A allele was related to better outcomes. CDKAL1 rs7756992 and TCF7L2 rs7903146 correlated with the composite Z‐score of amplitude (P = 0.028 and P = 0.016, respectively), but not CV (P = 0.393 and P = 0.281, respectively) or latency (P = 0.286 and P = 0.273, respectively). There were no significant associations between the other seven SNPs and peripheral nerve function.ConclusionsRs5219 at KCNJ11 (E23K) was associated with peripheral nerve function in a Chinese population with type 2 diabetes mellitus, suggesting shared genetic factors for type 2 diabetes mellitus and diabetic polyneuropathy in this population.
On the Issue of Item Selection in Computerized Adaptive Testing With Response Times
Authors: Veldkamp Bernard P. 
Published: June 2016

Many standardized tests are now administered via computer rather than paper‐and‐pencil format. The computer‐based delivery mode brings with it certain advantages. One advantage is the ability to adapt the difficulty level of the test to the ability level of the test taker in what has been termed computerized adaptive testing (CAT). A second advantage is the ability to record not only the test taker's response to each item (i.e., question), but also the amount of time the test taker spends considering and answering each item. Combining these two advantages, various methods were explored for utilizing response time data in selecting appropriate items for an individual test taker.Four strategies for incorporating response time data were evaluated, and the precision of the final test‐taker score was assessed by comparing it to a benchmark value that did not take response time information into account. While differences in measurement precision and testing times were expected, results showed that the strategies did not differ much with respect to measurement precision but that there were differences with regard to the total testing time.
Making Decisions Better: an evaluation of an educational intervention
Authors: Thomson Carrie Louise , Maskrey Neal , Vlaev Ivo 
Published: May 2016

AbstractRationale, aims and objectivesDespite the widespread inclusion of consultation skills in undergraduate healthcare curricula, patient–doctor interactions are often an imparting of evidence or information rather than an exchange. Evidence‐based practice may be further enhanced by increasing explicit understanding of decision‐making processes used by healthcare professionals and patients.This exploratory investigation evaluated the impact of an educational intervention on understanding of decision‐making processes and practice. The effect of session schedule was assessed to inform the future delivery strategy of such approaches.MethodsThree groups of primary care health professionals (n = 85) completed questionnaires using Likert scales to assess strength of agreement with decision‐making statements exploring four themes – Theory, Applied Theory, Practice and Joint Practice – pre‐intervention and post‐intervention. Responses were analysed, firstly to assess the impact of the intervention on understanding of decision‐making processes and practice across all participants and then by group to determine the effect of session schedules on outcome measures.ResultsOverall agreement with the decision‐making statements significantly increased after the learning set (Mean = −0.162, SD = 0.355); t(64) = −3.666, p < 0.001).Multivariate analysis on effect of session schedule only found significant interactions for the theme ‘Joint Practice’ with group (p < 0.025) and 3‐way interaction of Group and Main role. (p < 0.048). No consistent positive impact of longer session schedule was found.ConclusionParticipation in the learning sessions significantly improved self‐reported understanding of decision‐making processes and application to clinical practice. The extended learning sessions did not provide additional benefits over and above 2 half days or 1 whole day learning sessions.
Ecological Network Analysis of Embodied Energy Exchanges Among the Seven Regions of China
Authors: Zhang Yan , Zheng Hongmei , Chen Bin , Yu Xiangyi , Hubacek Klaus , Wu Ruilin , Sun Xiaoxi 
Published: May 2016

SummaryRegional economic development in China has resulted in an unbalanced distribution of resources and frequent exchanges of resources and products among regions. Therefore, it is necessary to understand these regional differences to support national planning to improve sustainability. In this research, we used energy data and a multiregional input‐output table for China in 2002 to analyze the domestic trade among the 30 provinces and seven regions of China. We also quantified the embodied energy flows and their patterns by means of ecological network analysis and looked at different types of relationships between the regions, such as mutualistic or competing relationships. The results show that the flows connected with the Northern and Eastern regions ranked first, and those connected with the Southwestern and Northwestern regions were the smallest. Based on the flows among provinces and regions, we determined the relationships among them. Results show that more than 95% of the total relationships among the regions were exploitation, with only one competition relationship. The Eastern region received the largest input and the highest benefits from their energy exchanges with other regions. Our study of the regional flows and relationships among the regions and provinces provides useful information on the flows and consumption of embodied energy in China, thereby providing insights into the sustainability of these flows and how to promote sustainable development through regional cooperation.
Mechanisms of homeostatic plasticity in the excitatory synapse
Authors: Fernandes Dominique , Carvalho Ana Luísa 
Published: May 2016

AbstractBrain development, sensory information processing, and learning and memory processes depend on Hebbian forms of synaptic plasticity, and on the remodeling and pruning of synaptic connections. Neurons in networks implicated in these processes carry out their functions while facing constant perturbation; homeostatic responses are therefore required to maintain neuronal activity within functional ranges for proper brain function. Here, we will review in vitro and in vivo studies demonstrating that several mechanisms underlie homeostatic plasticity of excitatory synapses, and identifying participant molecular players. Emerging evidence suggests a link between disrupted homeostatic synaptic plasticity and neuropsychiatric and neurologic disorders.
imageHebbian forms of synaptic plasticity, such as long‐term potentiation (LTP), induce long‐lasting changes in synaptic strength, which can be destabilizing and drive activity to saturation. Conversely, homeostatic plasticity operates to compensate for prolonged activity changes, stabilizing neuronal firing within a dynamic physiological range. We review mechanisms underlying homeostatic plasticity, and address how neurons integrate distinct forms of plasticity for proper brain function.This article is part of a mini review series: “Synaptic Function and Dysfunction in Brain Diseases”.