bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Vulnerability of phenological synchrony between plants and pollinators in an alpine ecosystem
Authors: Kudo Gaku 
Published: December 2013

AbstractThe relationship between flowering phenology and abundance of bumble bees (Bombusspp.) was investigated using 2 years of phenological data collected in an alpine region of northern Japan. Abundance ofBombusspecies was observed along a fixed transect throughout the flowering season. The number of flowering species was closely related to the floral resources for pollinators at the community scale. In the year with typical weather, the first flowering peak corresponded to the emergence time of queen bees from hibernation, while the second flowering peak corresponded to the active period of worker bees. In the year with an unusually warm spring, however, phenological synchrony between plants and bees was disrupted. Estimated emergence of queen bees was 10 days earlier than the first flowering date owing to earlier soil thawing and warming. However, subsequent worker emergence was delayed, indicating slower colony development. The flowering season finished 2 weeks earlier in the warm‐spring year in response to earlier snowmelt. A common resident species in the alpine environment,B. hypocrita sapporoensis, flexibly responded to the yearly fluctuation of flowering. In contrast, population dynamics of otherBombusspecies were out of synchrony with the flowering: their frequencies were highest at the end of the flowering season in the warm‐spring year. Therefore, phenological mismatch between flowers and pollinators is evident during warm years, which may become more prevalent in a warmer climate. To understand the mechanism of phenological mismatch in the pollination system of the alpine ecosystem, ground temperature, snowmelt regime, and life cycle of pollinators are key factors.
TGF‐β1 induces EMT reprogramming of porcine bladder urothelial cells into collagen producing fibroblasts‐like cells in a Smad2/Smad3‐dependent manner
Authors: Islam Syed S. , Mokhtari Reza Bayat , El Hout Yaser , Azadi M. A. , Alauddin M. , Yeger Herman , Farhat Walid A. 
Published: December 2013

AbstractActivation of fibroblasts and their differentiation into myofibroblasts, excessive collagen production and fibrosis occurs in a number of bladder diseases. Similarly, conversion of epithelial cells into mesenchymal cells (EMT) has been shown to increase fibroblasts like cells. TGF‐β1 can induce the EMT and the role of TGF‐β1‐induced EMT during bladder injury leading to fibrosis and possible organ failure is gaining increasing interest. Here we show that EMT and fibrosis in porcine bladder urothelial (UC) cells are Smad dependent. Fresh normal porcine bladder urothelial cells were grown in culture with or without TGF‐β1 and EMT markers were assessed. TGF‐β1 treatment induced changes in cellular morphology as depicted by a significant decrease in the expression of E‐cadherin and corresponding increase in N‐cadherin and α‐SMA. We knocked down Smad2 and Smad3 by Smad specific siRNA. Downregulation of E‐cadherin expression by TGF‐β1 was Smad3‐dependent, whereas N‐cadherin and α‐SMA were dependent on both Smad2 and Smad3. Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF/CCN2), matrix metalloproteinase‐2 and ‐9 (MMP‐2, MMP‐9) has been shown to play important roles in the pathogenesis of fibrosis. Induction of these genes by TGF‐β1 was found to be time dependent. Upregulation of CTGF/CCN2 by TGF‐β1 was Smad3 dependent; whereas MMP‐2 was Smad2 dependent. Smad2 and Smad3 both participated in MMP‐9 expression. TGF‐β1 reprogrammed mesenchymal fibroblast like cells robustly expressed collagen I and III and these was inhibited by SB‐431542, a TGF‐β receptor inhibitor. Our results indicate that EMT of porcine bladder UC cells is TGF‐β1 dependent and is mediated through Smad2 and Smad3. TGF‐β1 may be an important factor in the development of bladder fibrosis via an EMT mechanism. This identifies a potential amenable therapeutic target.
Millennial- to centennial-scale climate periodicities and forcing mechanisms in the westernmost Mediterranean for the past 20,000 yr
Authors: Rodrigo-Gámiz Marta , Martínez-Ruiz Francisca , Rodríguez-Tovar Francisco J. , Jiménez-Espejo Francisco J. , Pardo-Igúzquiza Eulogio 
Published: December 2013

AbstractCyclostratigraphic analysis conducted on a continuous high-resolution marine record from the western most Mediterranean reveals well-identified paleoclimate cycles for the last 20,000 yr. The detrital proxies used (Si/Al, Ti/Al, Zr/Al, Mg/Al, K/Al, Rb/Al) are related to different sediment-transport mechanisms, including eolian dust and fluvial runoff, which involve fluctuations in the atmosphere–hydrosphere systems. These fluctuations are accompanied by changes in marine productivity (supported by Ba/Al) and bottom-water redox conditions (Cu/Al, V/Al, Zn/Al, Fe/Al, Mn/Al, U/Th). Spectral analysis conducted using the Lomb–Scargle periodogram and the achieved significance level implemented with the permutation test allowed us to establish major periodicities at 1300, 1515, 2000, and 5000 yr, and secondary peaks at 650, 1087, and 3000 yr. Some of these cycles also agree with those previously described in the North Atlantic Ocean and circum-Mediterranean records. The periodicities obtained at 2000 and 5000 yr support a global connection with records distributed at high, mid, and low latitudes associated with solar activity, monsoonal regime and orbital forcing. The 1300- and 1515-yr cycles appear to be linked with North Atlantic climate variability and the African monsoon system. Thus, the analyzed record provides evidence of climate cycles and plausible forcing mechanisms coupled with ocean–atmosphere fluctuations.
Goldstone and Higgs modes of photons inside a cavity
Authors: Yi-Xiang Yu , Ye Jinwu , Liu Wu-Ming 
Published: December 2013

AbstractGoldstone and Higgs modes have been detected in various condensed matter, cold atom and particle physics experiments. Here, we demonstrate that the two modes can also be observed in optical systems with only a few (artificial) atoms inside a cavity. We establish this connection by studying the U(1)/Z2 Dicke model where N qubits (atoms) coupled to a single photon mode. We determine the Goldstone and Higgs modes inside the super-radiant phase and their corresponding spectral weights by performing both 1/J = 2/N expansion and exact diagonalization (ED) study at a finite N. We find nearly perfect agreements between the results achieved by the two approaches when N gets down even to N = 2. The quantum finite size effects at a few qubits make the two modes quite robust against an effectively small counterrotating wave term. We present a few schemes to reduce the critical coupling strength, so the two modes can be observed in several current available experimental systems by just conventional optical measurements.
Betaine Reduces Serum Uric Acid Levels and Improves Kidney Function in Hyperuricemic Mice
Authors: Liu Yang-Liu , Pan Ying , Wang Xing , Fan Chen-Yu , Zhu Qin , Li Jian-Mei , Wang Shui-Juan , Kong Ling-Dong 
Published: December 2013

AbstractBetaine as a dietary alkaloid has attracted the attention of patients with kidney diseases. This study aimed to investigate the effects of betaine on serum uric acid levels and kidney function, and explore their underlying mechanisms in potassium oxonate-induced hyperuricemic mice. Betaine at 5, 10, 20, and 40 mg/kg was orally administered to hyperuricemic mice for 7 days and found to significantly reduce serum uric acid levels and increase fractional excretion of uric acid in hyperuricemic mice in a dose-dependent manner. It effectively restored renal protein level alterations of urate transport-related molecular proteins urate transporter 1, glucose transporter 9, organic anion transporter 1, and ATP-binding cassette subfamily G member 2 in this model, possibly resulting in the enhancement of kidney urate excretion. Moreover, betaine reduced serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen levels and affected urinary levels of beta-2-microglobulin and
N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase as well as upregulated renal protein levels of organic cation/carnitine transporters OCT1, OCTN1, and OCTN2, resulting in kidney function improvement in hyperuricemic mice. The findings from this study provide evidence that betaine has anti-hyperuricemic and nephroprotective actions by regulating protein levels of these renal organic ion transporters in hyperuricemic mice.
Recent advances in graphene-based planar micro-supercapacitors for on-chip energy storage
Authors: Wu Zhong-Shuai , Feng Xinliang , Cheng Hui-Ming 
Published: December 2013

Abstract
The current development trend towards miniaturized portable electronic devices has significantly increased the demand for ultrathin, flexible and sustainable on-chip micro-supercapacitors that have enormous potential to complement, or even to replace, micro-batteries and electrolytic capacitors. In this regard, graphene-based micro-supercapacitors with a planar geometry are promising micro-electrochemical energy-storage devices that can take full advantage of planar configuration and unique features of graphene. This review summarizes the latest advances in on-chip graphene-based planar interdigital micro-supercapacitors, from the history of their development, representative graphene-based materials (graphene sheets, graphene quantum dots and graphene hybrids) for their manufacture, typical microfabrication strategies (photolithography techniques, electrochemical methods, laser writing, etc.), electrolyte (aqueous, organic, ionic and gel), to device configuration (symmetric and asymmetric). Finally, the perspectives and possible development directions of future graphene-based micro-supercapacitors are briefly discussed.
First Report of the NA2 Lineage of Phytophthora ramorum from an Ornamental Rhododendron in the Interior of California
Authors: Garbelotto M. , Barbosa D. , Mehl H. , Rizzo D. M. 
Published: December 2013

In July 2012, we collected a rhododendron var. Trilby with twig dieback symptoms in the lower canopy, consistent with the disease “ramorum blight” caused by Phytophthora ramorum. The symptomatic plant had been planted a year earlier to replace a dead rhododendron in a landscape setting in Placer County, California (Lat: 39.036216°; Long: –120.999274°), Sierra Nevada foothills at ~600 m elevation. Isolations yielded a culture with a fast growth rate and overall morphology resembling the P. ramorum NA2 lineage described by Ivors et al. (4). DNA was extracted from the culture as described previously (4) and six SSR loci: MS18, MS39, MS43, MS45, MS64, MS145, were amplified (2,4). Allelic patterns were compared with those of three testers from each of the three lineages NA1, NA2, and EU1 known to be present in ornamental plants in North America, and they unambiguously confirmed the isolate belongs to the NA2 lineage of the pathogen. Although the symptomatic plant was confined to a landscape setting, it had been planted in that location for a year, providing a possible source of inoculum for the surrounding area. This is the first report of P. ramorum from the Sierra Nevada eco-region in the interior of California. It is also the first report of a NA2 isolate from a plant outside of commercial nurseries in California. The mating type of the isolate was not determined, but NA2 isolates are normally A2, the same mating type of NA1 isolates. The only other report of a NA2 isolate found outside of a nursery is from Washington State (1). Although there is no evidence the pathogen may have infected other plants, the infected rhododendron was found at a location situated over 100 km east of the closest known infestation (www.sodmap.org). Additionally, this is the first report of the pathogen outside the coast mountain range of California. Because the three lineages are genetically and phenotypically distinct (3), the escape of NA2 or EU1 isolates, both still absent from plants in natural settings, could have significant implications for California ecosystems. This finding highlights that introductions of P. ramorum via ornamental plants are still possible, in spite of current regulations. References: (1) G. Chastagner et al. Phytopathology 101:S32, 2011. (2) P. P. Croucher et al. Biol. Invasions 15:2281, 2013. (3) N. J. Grünwald et al. Trends Microbiol. 20:131, 2012. (4) K. Ivors et al. Mol. Ecol. 15:1493, 2006.
Surgical Treatment for Thoracic Myelopathy Due to Simultaneous Ossification of the Posterior Longitudinal Ligament and Ligamentum Flavum at the Same Level
Authors: Onishi Eijiro , Sano Hirokazu , Matsushita Mutsumi 
Published: December 2013

Study Design:
Retrospective review.

Objective:
The aim of this study was to assess the clinical outcomes of surgery in patients with simultaneous ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) and ossification of the ligamentum flavum (OLF) at the same thoracic spine level and identify the risk factors for poor outcomes.

Summary of Background Data:
OPLL complicated with OLF in the thoracic spine is a rare condition. The optimal treatment option for thoracic myelopathy due to OPLL and OLF remains controversial, and high risk of postoperative paralysis remains a major complication.

Methods:
We conducted a retrospective review of clinical and radiographic records of 15 patients who underwent surgery for simultaneous OPLL and OLF at the same level.

Results:
Simultaneous OPLL and OLF occurred in the upper thoracic spine in 3 patients (20%), mid-thoracic spine in 10 patients (67%), and lower thoracic spine in 2 patients (13%). Six, 4, 2, and 3 patients underwent posterior decompression, posterior decompression and fusion, posterior decompression and circumferential decompression through a posterior approach, and circumferential decompression and posterior fusion, respectively. The mean Japanese Orthopaedic Association score before surgery and at the final follow-up was 5.7±1.9 and 7.0±2.1 points, respectively, yielding a mean recovery rate of 16.5%. However, no significant difference was observed between preoperative and postoperative Japanese Orthopaedic Association scores. Two patients with mid-thoracic lesions reported postoperative lower extremity weakness. Mid-thoracic lesions and considerable blood loss were risk factors for poor surgical outcome.

Conclusions:
Simultaneous OPLL and OLF in the mid-thoracic spine was observed in two thirds of the patients. We suggest that simultaneous OPLL and OLF in this area has a relatively poor recovery and may be very challenging and risky to treat, regardless of the surgical method selected, and recommend early surgery for OPLL and OLF in the mid-thoracic spine.
Conneconomics: The Economics of Dense, Large-Scale, High-Resolution Neural Connectomics
Authors: Marblestone Adam H. , Daugharthy Evan R. , Kalhor Reza , Peikon Ian D. , Kebschull Justus M. , Shipman Seth L. , Mishchenko Yuriy , Lee Jehyuk , Dalrymple David A. , Zamft Bradley M. , Kording Konrad P. , Boyden Edward S. , Zador Anthony M. , Church George M. 
Published: December 2013

AbstractWe analyze the scaling and cost-performance characteristics of current and projected connectomics approaches, with reference to the potential implications of recent advances in diverse contributing fields. Three generalized strategies for dense connectivity mapping at the scale of whole mammalian brains are considered: electron microscopic axon tracing, optical imaging of combinatorial molecular markers at synapses, and bulk DNA sequencing of trans-synaptically exchanged nucleic acid barcode pairs. Due to advances in parallel-beam instrumentation, whole mouse brain electron microscopic image acquisition could cost less than $100 million, with total costs presently limited by image analysis to trace axons through large image stacks. It is difficult to estimate the overall cost-performance of electron microscopic approaches because image analysis costs could fall dramatically with algorithmic improvements or large-scale crowd-sourcing. Optical microscopy at 50–100 nm isotropic resolution could potentially read combinatorially multiplexed molecular information from individual synapses, which could indicate the identifies of the pre-synaptic and post-synaptic cells without relying on axon tracing. An optical approach to whole mouse brain connectomics may therefore be achievable for less than $10 million and could be enabled by emerging technologies to sequence nucleic acids in-situ in fixed tissue via fluorescent microscopy. Strategies relying on bulk DNA sequencing, which would extract the connectome without direct imaging of the tissue, could produce a whole mouse brain connectome for $100k–$1 million or a mouse cortical connectome for $10k–$100k. Anticipated further reductions in the cost of DNA sequencing could lead to a $1000 mouse cortical connectome.
Climate change triggers morphological and life-history evolution in response to predators
Authors: Hart Edmund M. , Gotelli Nicholas J. 
Published: December 2013

AbstractAlthough climate change is expected to reorganize entire communities, this restructuring might reflect either direct ecological or evolutionary responses to abiotic conditions or indirect effects mediated through altered species interactions. We tested the hypothesis that changes in trophic interaction strength due to altered predator abundance have a cascading evolutionary response in a prey species (Daphnia pulex). Using a multiyear / multigenerational field experiment, we manipulated 12 open aquatic mesocosms to simulate hydrological conditions under climate change. After a three-year press manipulation, we collectedDaphnia pulexfrom each pond and raised them in a common garden. Using quantitative genetic methods, we measured a series of quantitative traits every other day on 108 individuals for eight weeks. There was a significant decrease in tail spine length and population growth rate in groups exposed to the most extreme future climate scenarios. Structural equation models demonstrated that trait changes were best explained as an indirect effect of climate change treatments mediated through changes in predator abundance. Our results suggest climate change can trigger a cascade of ecological and evolutionary forces by reducing predator density, which in turn acts as a selective force leading to evolutionary change in prey morphology and life history.
ABA-INSENSITIVE3, ABA-INSENSITIVE5, and DELLAs Interact to Activate the Expression ofSOMNUSand Other High-Temperature-Inducible Genes in Imbibed Seeds inArabidopsis
Authors: Lim Soohwan , Park Jeongmoo , Lee Nayoung , Jeong Jinkil , Toh Shigeo , Watanabe Asuka , Kim Junghyun , Kang Hyojin , Kim Dong Hwan , Kawakami Naoto , Choi Giltsu 
Published: December 2013

AbstractSeeds monitor the environment to germinate at the proper time, but different species respond differently to environmental conditions, particularly light and temperature. In Arabidopsis thaliana, light promotes germination but high temperature suppresses germination. We previously reported that light promotes germination by repressing SOMNUS (SOM). Here, we examined whether high temperature also regulates germination through SOM and found that high temperature activates SOM expression. Consistent with this, som mutants germinated more frequently than the wild type at high temperature. The induction of SOM mRNA at high temperature required abscisic acid (ABA) and gibberellic acid biosynthesis, and ABA-INSENSITIVE3 (ABI3), ABI5, and DELLAs positively regulated SOM expression. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays indicated that ABI3, ABI5, and DELLAs all target the SOM promoter. At the protein level, ABI3, ABI5, and DELLAs all interact with each other, suggesting that they form a complex on the SOM promoter to activate SOM expression at high temperature. We found that high-temperature-inducible genes frequently have RY motifs and ABA-responsive elements in their promoters, some of which are targeted by ABI3, ABI5, and DELLAs in vivo. Taken together, our data indicate that ABI3, ABI5, and DELLAs mediate high-temperature signaling to activate the expression of SOM and other high-temperature-inducible genes, thereby inhibiting seed germination.
MHC class I molecules are incorporated into human herpesvirus‐6 viral particles and released into the extracellular environment
Authors: Ota Megumi , Serada Satoshi , Naka Tetsuji , Mori Yasuko 
Published: December 2013

ABSTRACTHuman herpesvirus‐6 (HHV‐6), which belongs to the betaherpesvirus subfamily, mainly replicates in T lymphocytes. Here, we show that MHC class I molecules are incorporated into HHV‐6 viral particles and released into the extracellular environment. In addition, HHV‐6A/B‐infected T cells showed reduced surface and intracellular expression of MHC class I molecules. The cellular machinery responsible for molecular transport appears to be modified upon HHV‐6 infection, causing MHC class I molecules to be transported to virion assembly sites.
Linking dietary shifts and reproductive failure in seabirds: a stable isotope approach
Authors: Kowalczyk Nicole D. , Chiaradia Andre , Preston Tiana J. , Reina Richard D. 
Published: December 2013

Summary

Diet‐related breeding failure in seabirds has been attributed to declines in key prey abundance, the quality of prey and overall prey availability. However, identifying which aspect of diet is responsible for reproductive failure is challenging due to the practicalities of measuring prey utilization and the actual availability and abundance of those resources.

In this study, stable isotope‐based Bayesian models, in combination with indices of resource availability, were used to assess the links between prey availability, seabird diet and reproductive success in a generalist, inshore top predator, the little penguin, Eudyptula minor.

The most probable causes for the sharp decrease in little penguin reproductive performance were diminished localized populations of anchovies, Engraulis australis, in combination with the scarcity of alternative prey. Low dietary diversity and the consumption of low trophic value prey were observed in this period. In the contrasting following year, penguins consumed increased levels of anchovy as well as a high diversity of prey. High dietary diversity and the consumption of high trophic value prey were observed in birds' pre‐breeding and breeding diet and likely led to early breeding and high reproductive success.

Our results highlight that resource abundance and the availability of a variety of prey taxa are critical factors in enabling this inshore seabird to adjust to changes in environmental conditions and fluctuations in prey.

An understanding of seabird diet is integral to their conservation and management. Monitoring seabird trophic niche dimensions and reproductive parameters can elucidate causes for population declines and can provide information about particular prey species and foraging locations that require protection.