bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Cover crop and tillage intensities alter ground-dwelling arthropod communities during the transition to organic production
Authors: Jabbour Randa , Pisani-Gareau Tara , Smith Richard G. , Mullen Christina , Barbercheck Mary 
Published: August 2015

AbstractWe conducted a cropping systems experiment in central Pennsylvania, USA, to determine the effects of initial cover crop species and soil management on the abundance and composition of the ground-dwelling arthropod community. We hypothesized that we would detect legacy effects of the cover crops planted in year 1 of a 3-yr crop sequence on the arthropod community in the subsequent 2 yrs, and that these effects would be influenced by the intensity of tillage. We compared four systems in a factorial combination of perennial sod and legumes or annual cereal grain and legume as initial cover crops and moldboard or chisel plow tillage implemented in soybeans followed by maize in the subsequent 2 yrs. The entire experiment was initiated twice in adjacent locations, starting in 2003 (Start 1) and 2004 (Start 2). We quantified soil arthropod activity-density and community composition and identified all arthropods to order or family, and the ground and tiger beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) to species. In Start 1, but not Start 2, arthropod activity-density increased with each year following implementation of organic management. We observed few legacy effects of cover crop or tillage intensity on arthropod activity-density. The composition of the soil arthropod community was primarily defined by the initial cover crop in the first year, and by the interaction between cover crop and tillage intensity in the second and third year. A legacy effect associated with a yr-1 cover crop of cereal rye was observed for Scarabaeidae beetles and Formicidae (ants) in yr 2 and Carabidae beetles in yr 3 of Start 1, but not Start 2. Weed indicators contributed significantly to the variation in the soil arthropod community that was explained by the environment in yr 2 in Start 1, and in yr 3 in both Starts. Our observations support the concept that both immediate and legacy effects of management shape arthropod communities during the organic transition period, suggesting that transitioning systems could be managed in ways that conserve or enhance natural enemy populations.
Flow-enhanced solution printing of all-polymer solar cells
Authors: Diao Ying , Zhou Yan , Kurosawa Tadanori , Shaw Leo , Wang Cheng , Park Steve , Guo Yikun , Reinspach Julia A. , Gu Kevin , Gu Xiaodan , Tee Benjamin C. K. , Pang Changhyun , Yan Hongping , Zhao Dahui , Toney Michael F. , Mannsfeld Stefan C. B. , Bao Zhenan 
Published: August 2015

AbstractMorphology control of solution coated solar cell materials presents a key challenge limiting their device performance and commercial viability. Here we present a new concept for controlling phase separation during solution printing using an all-polymer bulk heterojunction solar cell as a model system. The key aspect of our method lies in the design of fluid flow using a microstructured printing blade, on the basis of the hypothesis of flow-induced polymer crystallization. Our flow design resulted in a ∼90% increase in the donor thin film crystallinity and reduced microphase separated donor and acceptor domain sizes. The improved morphology enhanced all metrics of solar cell device performance across various printing conditions, specifically leading to higher short-circuit current, fill factor, open circuit voltage and significantly reduced device-to-device variation. We expect our design concept to have broad applications beyond all-polymer solar cells because of its simplicity and versatility.
Monitoring microbial metabolites using an inductively coupled resonance circuit
Authors: Karnaushenko Daniil , Baraban Larysa , Ye Dan , Uguz Ilke , Mendes Rafael G. , Rümmeli Mark H. , de Visser J. Arjan G. M. , Schmidt Oliver G. , Cuniberti Gianaurelio , Makarov Denys 
Published: August 2015

AbstractWe present a new approach to monitor microbial population dynamics in emulsion droplets via changes in metabolite composition, using an inductively coupled LC resonance circuit. The signal measured by such resonance detector provides information on the magnetic field interaction with the bacterial culture, which is complementary to the information accessible by other detection means, based on electric field interaction, i.e. capacitive or resistive, as well as optical techniques. Several charge-related factors, including pH and ammonia concentrations, were identified as possible contributors to the characteristic of resonance detector profile. The setup enables probing the ionic byproducts of microbial metabolic activity at later stages of cell growth, where conventional optical detection methods have no discriminating power.
Combination of Universal Mechanical Testing Machine with Atomic Force Microscope for Materials Research
Authors: Zhong Jian , He Dannong 
Published: August 2015

AbstractSurface deformation and fracture processes of materials under external force are important for understanding and developing materials. Here, a combined horizontal universal mechanical testing machine (HUMTM)-atomic force microscope (AFM) system is developed by modifying UMTM to combine with AFM and designing a height-adjustable stabilizing apparatus. Then the combined HUMTM-AFM system is evaluated. Finally, as initial demonstrations, it is applied to analyze the relationship among macroscopic mechanical properties, surface nanomorphological changes under external force and fracture processes of two kinds of representative large scale thin film materials: polymer material with high strain rate (Parafilm) and metal material with low strain rate (aluminum foil). All the results demonstrate the combined HUMTM-AFM system overcomes several disadvantages of current AFM-combined tensile/compression devices including small load force, incapability for large scale specimens, disability for materials with high strain rate and etc. Therefore, the combined HUMTM-AFM system is a promising tool for materials research in the future.
Serum matrix metalloproteinase-9 in colorectal cancer family-risk population screening
Authors: Otero-Estévez Olalla , Chiara Loretta De , Rodríguez-Girondo Mar , Rodríguez-Berrocal Francisco Javier , Cubiella Joaquín , Castro Inés , Hernández Vicent , Martínez-Zorzano Vicenta Soledad 
Published: August 2015

AbstractMatrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) is related to tumour development and progression in colorectal cancer (CRC) and its utility as biomarker has been suggested. The aim of our study was to measure serum MMP-9 in asymptomatic first-degree relatives of CRC patients and to analyse its diagnostic accuracy for the detection of advanced neoplasia (AN: advanced adenomas and CRC). Additionally, we compared its diagnostic capability with the most used non-invasive faecal immunochemical test (FIT). Serum MMP-9 was quantified by ELISA in 516 asymptomatic individuals that underwent a colonoscopy and a FIT. MMP-9 levels were significantly related to age and gender and therefore the concentration was corrected by these confounders. Corrected MMP-9 (cMMP-9) levels were higher in individuals with advanced adenomas (AA; p-value = 0.029) and AN (p-value = 0.056) compared to individuals with no neoplasia. Moreover, elevated cMMP-9 concentration was associated with more severe characteristics of adenomas (number of lesions, size and histology). Nevertheless, the diagnostic accuracy of cMMP-9 was considerably lower than that of FIT for identifying AA (22.64% vs. 47.17% sensitivity, 90% specificity) or AN (19.30% vs. 52.63% sensitivity, 90% specificity). According to our results, serum MMP-9 cannot be considered of utility for the diagnosis of AN in CRC family-risk population screening.
Effects of ECM protein micropatterns on the migration and differentiation of adult neural stem cells
Authors: Joo Sunghoon , Yeon Kim Joo , Lee Eunsoo , Hong Nari , Sun Woong , Nam Yoonkey 
Published: August 2015

AbstractThe migration and differentiation of adult neural stem cells (aNSCs) are believed to be strongly influenced by the spatial distribution of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins in the stem cell niche. In vitro culture platform, which involves the specific spatial distribution of ECM protein, could offer novel tools for better understanding of aNSC behavior in the spatial pattern of ECM proteins. In this work, we applied soft-lithographic technique to design simple and reproducible laminin (LN)-polylysine cell culture substrates and investigated how aNSCs respond to the various spatial distribution of laminin, one of ECM proteins enriched in the aNSC niche. We found that aNSC preferred to migrate and attach to LN stripes and aNSC-derived neurons and astrocytes showed significant difference in motility towards LN stripes. By changing the spacing of LN stripes, we were able to control the alignment of neurons and astrocytes. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time to investigate the differential cellular responses of aNSCs on ECM protein (LN) and cell adhesive synthetic polymer (PDL) using surface micropatterns. Our findings would provide a deeper understanding in astrocyte-neuron interactions as well as ECM-stem cell interactions.
Robustness and period sensitivity analysis of minimal models for biochemical oscillators
Authors: Caicedo-Casso Angélica , Kang Hye-Won , Lim Sookkyung , Hong Christian I. 
Published: August 2015

AbstractBiological systems exhibit numerous oscillatory behaviors from calcium oscillations to circadian rhythms that recur daily. These autonomous oscillators contain complex feedbacks with nonlinear dynamics that enable spontaneous oscillations. The detailed nonlinear dynamics of such systems remains largely unknown. In this paper, we investigate robustness and dynamical differences of five minimal systems that may underlie fundamental molecular processes in biological oscillatory systems. Bifurcation analyses of these five models demonstrate an increase of oscillatory domains with a positive feedback mechanism that incorporates a reversible reaction and dramatic changes in dynamics with small modifications in the wiring. Furthermore, our parameter sensitivity analysis and stochastic simulations reveal different rankings of hierarchy of period robustness that are determined by the number of sensitive parameters or network topology. In addition, systems with autocatalytic positive feedback loop are shown to be more robust than those with positive feedback via inhibitory degradation regardless of noise type. We demonstrate that robustness has to be comprehensively assessed with both parameter sensitivity analysis and stochastic simulations.
Culvert Replacement Enhances Connectivity of Stream Fish Communities in a Michigan Drainage Network
Authors: Evans Nathan T. , Riley Christopher W. , Lamberti Gary A. 
Published: August 2015

AbstractCulverts installed at road–stream intersections are pervasive in many watersheds and can function as dispersal barriers for aquatic organisms, thereby fragmenting watersheds. We hypothesized that the replacement of culverts with bridges would restore ecosystem connectivity via remediation of dispersal barriers. Our study objectives were to (1) characterize fish assemblages in three Michigan streams before and after culvert replacement by bridges, and (2) determine the effect of fish sample size on our ability to quantify fish assemblage similarity. To address the first objective, we surveyed the fish assemblages of the three study streams (upstream and downstream of the culvert) prior to, 1 year after, and 3 years after culvert removal via standardized electrofishing. The similarity of upstream and downstream fish assemblages increased by 9–25% following culvert removal. Relative fish abundance decreased but biomass of fishes remained constant, indicating a shift in size structure toward larger individuals. To address the second objective, we conducted a bootstrap analysis for all samples. Large sample sizes of fishes (150–350 individuals) were necessary to accurately and precisely measure community similarity. However, changes in community similarity could be detected with relatively small samples (50–100 individuals). Our study illustrates the ecological potential of culvert removal for restoring stream connectivity.
Consequences of Emergence Timing for the Growth and Relative Survival of Steelhead Fry from Naturally Spawning Wild and Hatchery Parents
Authors: Jones Marissa H. , Seeb James E. , Warheit Kenneth I. , Seamons Todd R. , Quinn Thomas P. , Seeb Lisa W. 
Published: August 2015

AbstractFor many fishes, reproducing early in the year may present tradeoffs for the offspring: the drawbacks associated with harsh environmental conditions may be offset by advantages in competition for food and space. We investigated this tradeoff in a system where hatchery‐origin steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss were bred to spawn about 4 months earlier than wild‐origin fish. Hatchery‐origin adults were released into the wild and spawned in common with wild steelhead. Naturally spawned offspring from these matings were assigned to hatchery, wild, and hybrid lineages by using a panel of 96 single‐nucleotide polymorphisms. We then evaluated whether fry abundance, body size and condition, and geographic distribution differed based on parental lineage. The observed mixture proportions were 0.007 hatchery‐lineage, 0.289 hybrid, and 0.704 wild‐lineage juveniles, despite the predominance of hatchery‐origin parents. There were significant differences in FL (hatchery > hybrid > wild) but no difference in body condition. We modeled the emergence dates of the sampled fry and estimated that 96.0% of wild‐lineage fish emerged after the arrival of temperate spring conditions (reduced flows and warmer temperatures) compared with 80.4% of hybrids and 41.2% of hatchery‐lineage fish. We hypothesize that the low abundance of pure hatchery‐lineage fry may be due to a mismatch between the timing of breeding by the parents and suitable river conditions, resulting in low survival and physical displacement of hatchery‐lineage fry from the system. Thus, the advantages of early emergence and large size associated with hatchery origin did not mitigate the disadvantages of early spawning in this case.
Oxidative DNA damage caused by pulsed discharge with cavitation on the bactericidal function
Authors: Kudo Ken-ichi , Ito Hironori , Ihara Satoshi , Terato Hiroaki 
Published: August 2015

Abstract
Plasma-based techniques are expected to have practical use for wastewater purification with a potential for killing contaminated microorganisms and degrading recalcitrant materials. In the present study, we analysed oxidative DNA damage in bacterial cells treated by the plasma to unveil its mechanisms in the bactericidal process. Escherichia coli cell suspension was exposed to the plasma induced by applying an alternating-current voltage of about 1 kV with bubbling formed by water-cavitation, termed pulsed discharge with cavitation. Chromosomal DNA damage, such as double strand break (DSB) and oxidative base lesions, increased proportionally with the applied energy, as determined by electrophoretic and mass spectrometric analyses. Among the base lesions identified, the yields of 8-hydroxyguanine (8-OH-G) and 5-hydroxycytosine (5-OH-C) in chromosomal DNA increased by up to 4- and 15-fold, respectively, compared to untreated samples. The progeny DNA sequences, derived from plasmid DNA exposed to the plasma, indicated that the production rate of 5-OH-C exceeded that of 8-OH-G, as G:C to A:T transitions accounted for 65% of all base changes, but only a few G:C to T:A transversions were observed. The cell viabilities of E. coli cells decreased in direct proportion to increases in the applied energy. Therefore, the plasma-induced bactericidal mechanism appears to relate to oxidative damage caused to bacterial DNA. These results were confirmed by observing the generation of hydroxyl radicals and hydrogen peroxide molecules following the plasma exposure. We also compared our results with the plasma to those obtained with 137Cs γ-rays, as a well-known ROS generator to confirm the DNA-damaging mechanism involved.
Salivary gland infection with Candida tropicalis: antibiotic suppression therapy resulting in selection of uncommon pathogens
Authors: van Prehn Joffrey , van Nieuwenhuizen A. J. , van Weert S. , van Seijen M. , Budding A. E. 
Published: August 2015

Introduction:

Candida infection of the salivary glands is extremely rare, and a parotid gland infection with Candida tropicalis in an immunocompetent patient has, to the best of our knowledge, never been described before.

Case presentation:
A 76-year-old male with known bilateral oncocytic parotid lesions and antibiotic suppression therapy for a vascular endograft infection presented with fever and a tender red mass in the left parotid region. Although a bacterial infection of the parotid gland was suspected at first, cultures of parotid cyst aspirate yielded C. tropicalis. Once the Gram stain indicated the presence of yeast cells, fluconazole therapy was initiated. Follow-up after 3 weeks showed resolution of the infection and antifungal therapy was ceased.

Conclusions:
With increasing and widespread antibiotic use, this case underlines the emergence of uncommon pathogens by antibiotic selection pressure. This shift in causative pathogens will not only result in an increase in Candida infections at known body sites but will also lead to infection of less common anatomical sites. Clinicians should recognize this trend and adjust their differential diagnosis accordingly.
Targeted insertion in well-characterizedDrosophilacell lines using φC31 integrase
Authors: Cherbas Lucy , Hackney Jennifer , Gong Lei , Salzer Claire , Mauser Eric , Zhang Dayu , Cherbas Peter 
Published: August 2015

AbstractWe describe an adaptation of φC31 integrase-mediated targeted cassette exchange for use inDrosophilacell lines. Single copies of an attP-bounded docking platform carrying a GFP-expression marker, with and without insulator elements flanking the attP sites, were inserted by P-element transformation into the Kc167 and Sg4 cell lines; each of the resulting docking site lines carries a single mapped copy of one of the docking platforms. Vectors for targeted substitution contain a cloning cassette flanked by attB sites. Targeted substitution occurs by integrase-mediated substitution between the attP sites (integrated) and the attB sites (vector). We describe procedures for isolating cells carrying the substitutions and for eliminating the products of secondary off-target events. We demonstrated the technology by integrating a cassette containing a Cu++-inducible mCherry marker, and we report the expression properties of those lines. When compared with clonal lines made by traditional transformation methods, which lead to the illegitimate insertion of tandem arrays, targeted insertion lines give more uniform expression, lower basal expression and higher induction ratios. Targeted substitution, though intricate, affords results that should greatly improve comparative expression assays – a major emphasis of cell-based studies.
A Method of Accounting for Enzyme Costs in Flux Balance Analysis Reveals Alternative Pathways and Metabolite Stores in an Illuminated Arabidopsis Leaf
Authors: Cheung C.Y. Maurice , Ratcliffe R. George , Sweetlove Lee J. 
Published: August 2015

AbstractFlux balance analysis of plant metabolism is an established method for predicting metabolic flux phenotypes and for exploring the way in which the plant metabolic network delivers specific outcomes in different cell types, tissues, and temporal phases. A recurring theme is the need to explore the flexibility of the network in meeting its objectives and, in particular, to establish the extent to which alternative pathways can contribute to achieving specific outcomes. Unfortunately, predictions from conventional flux balance analysis minimize the simultaneous operation of alternative pathways, but by introducing flux-weighting factors to allow for the variable intrinsic cost of supporting each flux, it is possible to activate different pathways in individual simulations and, thus, to explore alternative pathways by averaging thousands of simulations. This new method has been applied to a diel genome-scale model of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) leaf metabolism to explore the flexibility of the network in meeting the metabolic requirements of the leaf in the light. This identified alternative flux modes in the Calvin-Benson cycle revealed the potential for alternative transitory carbon stores in leaves and led to predictions about the light-dependent contribution of alternative electron flow pathways and futile cycles in energy rebalancing. Notable features of the analysis include the light-dependent tradeoff between the use of carbohydrates and four-carbon organic acids as transitory storage forms and the way in which multiple pathways for the consumption of ATP and NADPH can contribute to the balancing of the requirements of photosynthetic metabolism with the energy available from photon capture.
Modes of customer co-production for international service offerings
Authors: Sampson Scott E. , Money R. Bruce 
Published: August 2015

Purpose
– Much has been written about the manifestations and managerial implications of customer co-production in service offerings. However, there have been relatively few references to issues of co-production in international service environments. Co-production is very relevant in international environments because of the requirements for interaction between producers and consumers, which interaction spans international borders and national cultures. The purpose of this paper is to apply an established theory of co-production, the Unified Service Theory (UST), to the international service context. This provides the authors with structured models for conceptualizing the co-productive nature of international service offerings and assessing-related managerial implications.

Design/methodology/approach
– The UST provides a model of co-productive service delivery. Extending that model, the authors develop a taxonomy of international service based on the “four modes of service supply” provided in the General Agreement on Trade and Services instituted by the World Trade Organization (WTO). Then, using data from the WTO and World Bank, the authors propose and test six hypotheses for predicting service exporting focus corresponding to the co-production taxonomy.

Findings
– Based on the analysis of empirical data, the authors find more service exporting focus in small, growing, high-wage economies that have a significant service base and focus in merchandise exporting. The strength of these effects differs for different modes of service supply.

Research limitations/implications
– The authors also discuss cultural issues of international service, but the empirical analysis of culture effects is thus far inconclusive. Also, the analysis is limited to modeling and studying dyadic relationships, i.e., service providers in one country involved in an interchange with customers in another country. A natural extension would be to consider triads and more complex networks of co-productive service offerings.

Practical implications
– This research shows how managerial implication of the UST can be extended to international service contexts. The authors review managerial implications pertaining to meeting variable demand, describing service characteristics, and pricing.

Originality/value
– Co-production research is well-established in service management literature. This paper extends that research to international contexts by describing the WTO taxonomy in terms of the UST. This allows the authors to apply various insights of co-production to international service offerings.