bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Development of connected permeability in massive crystalline rocks through hydraulic fracture propagation and shearing accompanying fluid injection
Authors: Preisig G. , Eberhardt E. , Gischig V. , Roche V. , van der Baan M. , Valley B. , Kaiser P. K. , Duff D. , Lowther R. 
Published: September 2014

AbstractThe ability to generate deep flow in massive crystalline rocks is governed by the interconnectivity of the fracture network and its permeability, which in turn is largely dependent on the in situ stress field. The increase of stress with depth reduces fracture aperture, leading to a decrease in rock mass permeability. The frequency of natural fractures also decreases with depth, resulting in less connectivity. The permeability of crystalline rocks is typically reduced to about 10−17–10−15 m2 at targeted depths for enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) applications, that is, >3 km. Therefore, fluid injection methods are required to hydraulically fracture the rock and increase its permeability. In the mining sector, fluid injection methods are being investigated to increase rock fragmentation and mitigate high‐stress hazards due to operations moving to unprecedented depths. Here as well, detailed understanding of permeability and its enhancement is required. This paper reports findings from a series of hydromechanically coupled distinct‐element models developed in support of a hydraulic fracture experiment testing hypotheses related to enhanced permeability, increased fragmentation, and modified stress fields. Two principal injection designs are tested as follows: injection of a high flow rate through a narrow‐packed interval and injection of a low flow rate across a wider packed interval. Results show that the development of connected permeability is almost exclusively orthogonal to the minimum principal stress, leading to strongly anisotropic flow. This is because of the stress transfer associated with opening of tensile fractures, which increases the confining stress acting across neighboring natural fractures. This limits the hydraulic response of fractures and the capacity to create symmetric isotropic permeability relative to the injection wellbore. These findings suggest that the development of permeability at depth can be improved by targeting a set of fluid injections through smaller packed intervals instead of a single longer injection in open boreholes.
‘Nobody cares about the environment’: Kyrgyz' perspectives on enhancing environmental sustainable consumption practices when facing limited sustainability awareness
Authors: Shadymanova Jarkyn , Wahlen Stefan , van der Horst Hilje 
Published: September 2014

AbstractWithin Western societies, the detrimental consequences of mass consumption on the environment have long been identified. Consumers have developed sustainability consciousness in accordance with research and policies. In non‐Western societies, however, experiences with mass consumption have not been so long standing. Furthermore, the extent of mass consumerism is not as wide ranging as in many of the richer countries in the world. In central Asian countries, a soviet history adds to this the concept of resource depletion and sustainability impacting industrialization as an ideological taboo. Currently, central Asian countries such as Kyrgyzstan are embarking on enacting sustainability policies. Kyrgyz consumers are also developing sustainability awareness. This awareness sometimes leads to either new practices or changes in existing practices. However, consumption practices are too complex to assume that only consciousness will lead to increasingly sustainable practices. Furthermore, there is no control over the content of such awareness. The case of emergent sustainable consumption in Kyrgyzstan demonstrates how sustainability values become integrated with locally existing knowledge, meanings and material circumstances. The intent of this study is to investigate how Kyrgyz consumers perceive sustainable consumption and whether and how they integrate sustainability awareness into practices and with other values. Our data consist of 50 structured interviews that were conducted during the summer of 2013 in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek. Closed questions were analysed employing descriptive statistics, whereas a qualitative content analysis was applied to the results of open questions. The results provide an insight into the way in which emerging sustainability awareness is able to develop and how such awareness becomes integrated into existing practices and values.
The transcriptional repressor Bcl6 controls the stability of regulatory T cells by intrinsic and extrinsic pathways
Authors: Sawant Deepali V. , Wu Hao , Yao Weiguo , Sehra Sarita , Kaplan Mark H. , Dent Alexander L. 
Published: September 2014

SummaryFoxp3+ regulatory T (Treg) cells are essential to maintain immune homeostasis, yet controversy exists about the stability of this cell population. Bcl6‐deficient (Bcl6−/−) mice develop severe and spontaneous T helper type 2 (Th2) inflammation and Bcl6‐deficient Treg cells are ineffective at controlling Th2 responses. We used a lineage tracing approach to analyse the fate of Treg cells in these mice. In the periphery of Bcl6−/− mice, increased numbers of Foxp3‐negative ‘exTreg’ cells were found, particularly in the CD25+ population. ExTreg cells from Bcl6−/− mice expressed increased interleukin‐17 (IL‐17) and extremely elevated levels of Th2 cytokines compared with wild‐type exTreg cells. Although Treg cells normally express only low levels of cytokines, Treg cells from Bcl6−/− mice secreted higher levels of IL‐4, IL‐5, IL‐13 and IL‐17 than wild‐type conventional T cells. Next, Treg‐specific conditional Bcl6‐deficient (Bcl6Foxp3−/−) mice were analysed. Bcl6Foxp3−/− mice do not develop inflammatory disease, indicating a requirement for non‐Treg cells for inflammation in Bcl6−/− mice, and have normal numbers of exTreg cells. We induced Th2‐type allergic airway inflammation in Bcl6Foxp3−/− mice, and found that while exTreg cytokine expression was normal, Bcl6‐deficient Treg cells expressed higher levels of the Th2‐specific regulator Gata3 than Bcl6+ Treg cells. Bcl6Foxp3−/− mice had increased numbers of Th2 cells after induction of airway inflammation and increased T cells in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. These data show both Treg‐intrinsic and Treg‐extrinsic roles for Bcl6 in controlling Treg cell stability and Th2 inflammation, and support the idea that Bcl6 expression in Treg cells is critical for controlling Th2 responses.
Evolutionary neutrality of mtDNA introgression: evidence from complete mitogenome analysis in roe deer
Authors: Matosiuk M. , Sheremetyeva I. N. , Sheremetyev I. S. , Saveljev A. P. , Borkowska A. 
Published: September 2014

AbstractIntrogressive hybridization offers a unique platform for studying the molecular basis of natural selection acting on mitogenomes. Most of the mtDNA protein‐coding genes are extremely conserved; however, some of the observed variations have potentially adaptive significance. Here, we evaluated whether the evolution of mtDNA in closely related roe deer species affected by widespread mtDNA introgression is neutral or adaptive. We characterized and compared 16 complete mitogenomes of European (Capreolus capreolus) and Siberian (C. pygargus) roe deer, including four of Siberian origin introgressed into European species. The average sequence divergence of species‐specific lineages was estimated at 2.8% and varied across gene classes. Only 21 of 315 fixed differences identified in protein‐coding genes represented nonsynonymous changes. Only three of them were determined to have arisen in the C. pygargus lineage since the time to the most recent common ancestor (TMRCA) of both Capreolus species, reflecting a decelerated evolutionary ratio. The almost four‐fold higher dN/dS ratio described for the European roe deer lineage is constrained by overall purifying selection, especially pronounced in the ND4 and ND5 genes. We suggest that the highly divergent C. capreolus lineage could have maintained a capability for genomic incorporation of the well‐preserved and almost ancestral type of mtDNA present in C. pygargus. Our analyses did not indicate any signs of positive selection for Siberian roe deer mtDNA, suggesting that the present widespread introgression is evolutionarily neutral.
No patterns in thermal plasticity along a latitudinal gradient inDrosophila simulansfrom eastern Australia
Authors: van Heerwaarden B. , Lee R. F. H. , Overgaard J. , Sgrò C. M. 
Published: September 2014

AbstractPhenotypic plasticity may be an important initial mechanism to counter environmental change, yet we know relatively little about the evolution of plasticity in nature. Species with widespread distributions are expected to have evolved higher levels of plasticity compared with those with more restricted, tropical distributions. At the intraspecific level, temperate populations are expected to have evolved higher levels of plasticity than their tropical counterparts. However, empirical support for these expectations is limited. In addition, no studies have comprehensively examined the evolution of thermal plasticity across life stages. Using populations ofDrosophila simulanscollected from a latitudinal cline spanning the entire east coast of Australia, we assessed thermal plasticity, measured as hardening capacity (the difference between basal and hardened thermal tolerance) for multiple measures of heat and cold tolerance across both adult and larval stages of development. This allowed us to explicitly ask whether the evolution of thermal plasticity is favoured in more variable, temperate environments. We found no relationship between thermal plasticity and latitude, providing little support for the hypothesis that temperate populations have evolved higher levels of thermal plasticity than their tropical counterparts. With the exception of adult heat survival, we also found no association between plasticity and ten climatic variables, indicating that the evolution of thermal plasticity is not easily predicted by the type of environment that a particular population occupies. We discuss these results in the context of the role of plasticity in a warming climate.
Human uterine lower segment myometrial cell and nuclear volume at term: influence of maternal age
Authors: Sweeney Eva M. , Dockery Peter , Crankshaw Denis J. , O'Brien Yvonne M. , Walsh Jennifer M. , Morrison John J. 
Published: September 2014

AbstractLittle is known about the cytoarchitecture of human myometrial cells in pregnancy, and whether or not this may be influenced by maternal characteristics such as age, parity and body mass index (BMI). The aim of this study was primarily to evaluate human myometrial smooth muscle cell (SMC) and nuclear volume in the third trimester of human pregnancy, and secondarily to investigate if these parameters are altered in relation to the maternal characteristics outlined above. Myometrial biopsies were obtained from 30 women undergoing elective caesarean delivery at term. One‐micrometer sections were prepared for light microscopy and 100‐nm sections for electron microscopy. The nucleator technique was used to assess nuclear volume from the light microscopy images. Point‐counting methodology was used on transmission electron micrographs to assess the percentage of the cell volume occupied by the nucleus. Cell volume was calculated from these measurements. The euchromatin to heterochromatin (Eu/Het) ratio was determined to ascertain whether differences in nuclear volume were due to an increased range of genes being transcribed. The mean (± SEM) nuclear volume was 175 ± 10 μm3, the nucleus occupied 1.5 ± 0.1% of the SMC and the mean cell size was 14 047 ± 1352 μm3. The Eu/Het ratio was 7.54 ± 0.4. The mean volume of heterochromatin and euchromatin in the nucleus was 21.5 ± 1.7 and 149 ± 9 μm3, respectively. A multivariate regression analysis revealed that advanced maternal age was associated with an increase in the percentage of the cell occupied by nucleus (R2 = 0.32, P = 0.004). There were no other significant effects of maternal age, BMI or parity on the measured parameters. These findings provide reliable volumes for human myometrial cells and their nuclei at term gestation, and show that nuclear volume fraction may be influenced by maternal age.
Effects of Three Different Testosterone Formulations in Female-to-Male Transsexual Persons
Authors: Pelusi Carla , Costantino Antonietta , Martelli Valentina , Lambertini Martina , Bazzocchi Alberto , Ponti Federico , Battista Giuseppe , Venturoli Stefano , Meriggiola Maria C. 
Published: September 2014

Abstract

Introduction
Gender dysphoria is characterized by a strong discomfort with the gender assigned at birth and the urge to live as a member of the opposite gender. The acquisition of phenotypic features of the desired gender requires the use of cross-sex hormones. Female-to-male (FtM) transsexual persons are treated with testosterone to induce virilization.

Aim
The aim of the study was to assess the effects of three different testosterone formulations on body weight and composition and metabolic and bone parameters.

Methods
Forty-five FtM transsexuals were randomly assigned to receive testoviron depot (i.m.: 100 mg/10 days; n = 15), testosterone gel (50 mg/die; n = 15), and testosterone undecanoate (i.m.: 1,000 mg every 6 weeks for the first 6 weeks and then every 12 weeks, n = 15). FtM individuals were studied before, at week 30, and at week 54 of testosterone treatment.

Main Outcome Measures
Anthropometric, metabolic, bone, hematological, and biochemical parameters were evaluated at baseline and after 12 months of treatment.

Results
Lean body mass significantly increased and fat mass decreased in all groups. No modifications were reported in fasting insulin and insulin sensitivity index. High-density plasma lipoprotein levels declined significantly and low-density lipoprotein concentrations increased significantly in the three groups. The activated partial thromboplastin time and factor I did not change while prothrombin time significantly increased in all groups. At week 54, all subjects were amenorrheic and time to amenorrhea did not differ between the three groups. Current general life satisfaction was increased in all subjects after 1 year of treatment.

Conclusions
One-year testosterone administration in FtM transsexuals appears to be very safe with no differences among the testosterone formulations used. Our study is preliminary, and the detection of subtle or long-term differences in the effects of the three formulations may require further larger and longer term studies in this and other populations.
Recent Developments in Dynamic Pricing Research: Multiple Products, Competition, and Limited Demand Information
Authors: Chen Ming , Chen Zhi‐Long 
Published: September 2014

Dynamic pricing enables a firm to increase revenue by better matching supply with demand, responding to shifting demand patterns, and achieving customer segmentation. In the last 20 years, numerous success stories of dynamic pricing applications have motivated a rapidly growing research interest in a variety of dynamic pricing problems in the academic literature. A large class of problems that arise in various revenue management applications involve selling a given amount of inventory over a finite time horizon without inventory replenishment. In this study, we identify most recent trends in dynamic pricing research involving such problems. We review existing research on three new classes of problems that have attracted a rapidly growing interest in the last several years, namely, problems with multiple products, problems with competition, and problems with limited demand information. We also identify a number of possible directions for future research.
Tillage and residue management effects on temporal changes in soil organic carbon and fractions of a silty loam soil in the North China Plain
Authors: Dikgwatlhe S. B. , Kong F. L. , Chen Z. D. , Lal R. , Zhang H. L. , Chen F. 
Published: September 2014

AbstractSoil degradation and associated depletion of soil organic carbon (SOC) have been major concerns in intensive farming systems because of the subsequent decline in crop yields. We assessed temporal changes in SOC and its fractions under different tillage systems for wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) – maize (Zea mays L.) cropping in the North China Plain. Four tillage systems were established in 2001: plow tillage (PT), rotary tillage (RT), no‐till (NT), and plow tillage with residues removed (PT0). Concentrations of SOC, particulate organic carbon (POC), non‐POC (NPOC), labile organic carbon (LOC), non‐LOC (NLOC), heavy fraction carbon (HFC) and light fraction carbon (LFC) were determined to assess tillage‐induced changes in the top 50 cm. Concentrations of SOC and C fractions declined with soil depth and were significantly affected by tillage over time. The results showed that SOC and its fractions were enhanced under NT and RT from 0 to 10 cm depth compared with values for PT and PT0. Significant decreases were observed below 10 cm depths (P < 0.05) regardless of the tillage system. The SOC concentration under NT for 0–5 cm depth was 18%, 8%, and 10% higher than that under PT0 after 7, 9, and 12 yr of NT adoption, respectively. Apparent stratification of SOC occurred under NT compared with PT and PT0 for depths >10 cm. All parameters were positively correlated (P < 0.01); linear regressions exhibited similar patterns (P < 0.01). Therefore, to maintain and improve SOC levels, residue inputs should be complemented by the adoption of suitable tillage systems.
Metabolome‐genome‐wide association study dissects genetic architecture for generating natural variation in rice secondary metabolism
Authors: Matsuda Fumio , Nakabayashi Ryo , Yang Zhigang , Okazaki Yozo , Yonemaru Jun‐ichi , Ebana Kaworu , Yano Masahiro , Saito Kazuki 
Published: September 2014

SummaryPlants produce structurally diverse secondary (specialized) metabolites to increase their fitness for survival under adverse environments. Several bioactive compounds for new drugs have been identified through screening of plant extracts. In this study, genome‐wide association studies (GWAS) were conducted to investigate the genetic architecture behind the natural variation of rice secondary metabolites. GWAS using the metabolome data of 175 rice accessions successfully identified 323 associations among 143 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and 89 metabolites. The data analysis highlighted that levels of many metabolites are tightly associated with a small number of strong quantitative trait loci (QTLs). The tight association may be a mechanism generating strains with distinct metabolic composition through the crossing of two different strains. The results indicate that one plant species produces more diverse phytochemicals than previously expected, and plants still contain many useful compounds for human applications.
A fluorescence‐activated cell sorting‐based strategy for rapid isolation of high‐lipid Chlamydomonas mutants
Authors: Terashima Mia , Freeman Elizabeth S. , Jinkerson Robert E. , Jonikas Martin C. 
Published: September 2014

SummaryThere is significant interest in farming algae for the direct production of biofuels and valuable lipids. Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is the leading model system for studying lipid metabolism in green algae, but current methods for isolating mutants of this organism with a perturbed lipid content are slow and tedious. Here, we present the Chlamydomonas high‐lipid sorting (CHiLiS) strategy, which enables enrichment of high‐lipid mutants by fluorescence‐activated cell sorting (FACS) of pooled mutants stained with the lipid‐sensitive dye Nile Red. This method only takes 5 weeks from mutagenesis to mutant isolation. We developed a staining protocol that allows quantification of lipid content while preserving cell viability. We improved separation of high‐lipid mutants from the wild type by using each cell's chlorophyll fluorescence as an internal control. We initially demonstrated 20‐fold enrichment of the known high‐lipid mutant sta1 from a mixture of sta1 and wild‐type cells. We then applied CHiLiS to sort thousands of high‐lipid cells from a pool of about 60 000 mutants. Flow cytometry analysis of 24 individual mutants isolated by this approach revealed that about 50% showed a reproducible high‐lipid phenotype. We further characterized nine of the mutants with the highest lipid content by flame ionization detection and mass spectrometry lipidomics. All mutants analyzed had a higher triacylglycerol content and perturbed whole‐cell fatty acid composition. One arbitrarily chosen mutant was evaluated by microscopy, revealing larger lipid droplets than the wild type. The unprecedented throughput of CHiLiS opens the door to a systems‐level understanding of green algal lipid biology by enabling genome‐saturating isolation of mutants in key genes.
Sensitization of Intracellular Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium to Aminoglycosides
In Vitro
and
In Vivo
by a Host-Targeted Antimicrobial Agent
Authors: Lo Jung-Hsin , Kulp Samuel K. , Chen Ching-Shih , Chiu Hao-Chieh 
Published: September 2014

ABSTRACT

Aminoglycosides exhibit relatively poor activity against intracellular
Salmonella enterica
serovar Typhimurium due to their low permeativity across eukaryotic cell membranes. Previously, we identified the unique ability of AR-12, a celecoxib-derived small-molecule agent, to eradicate intracellular
Salmonella
Typhimurium in macrophages by facilitating autophagosome formation and suppressing Akt kinase signaling. In light of this unique mode of antibacterial action, we investigated the ability of AR-12 to sensitize intracellular
Salmonella
to aminoglycosides in macrophages and in an animal model. The antibacterial activities of AR-12 combined with various aminoglycosides, including streptomycin, kanamycin, gentamicin, and amikacin, against intracellular
S
. Typhimurium in murine RAW264.7 macrophages were assessed. Cells were infected with
S
. Typhimurium followed by treatment with AR-12 or individual aminoglycosides or with combinations for 24 h. The
in vivo
efficacies of AR-12, alone or in combination with gentamicin or amikacin, were also assessed by treating
S
. Typhimurium-infected BALB/c mice daily for 14 consecutive days. Exposure of
S
. Typhimurium-infected RAW264.7 cells to a combination of AR-12 with individual aminoglycosides led to a reduction in bacterial survival (
P
< 0.05), both intracellular and extracellular, that was greater than that seen with the aminoglycosides alone. This sensitizing effect, however, was not associated with increased aminoglycoside penetration into bacteria or macrophages. Moreover, daily intraperitoneal injection of AR-12 at 0.1 mg/kg of body weight significantly increased the
in vivo
efficacy of gentamicin and amikacin in prolonging the survival of
S
. Typhimurium-infected mice. These findings indicate that the unique ability of AR-12 to enhance the
in vivo
efficacy of aminoglycosides might have translational potential for efforts to develop novel strategies for the treatment of salmonellosis.