bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Chromatic contrast dependence of reaction time to random‐dot stereograms at isoluminance
Authors: Lin Kai , Liao Ningfang , Zhao Dazun , Dong Shuwen , Li Yasheng 
Published: September 2015

AbstractThe relationship between reaction time and perceived contrast of random‐dot‐stereograms has been investigated in this article. First, reaction times of random‐dot stereograms with luminance contrast variations and chromatic contrast variations at isoluminance were examined. Further experiments of reaction times were measured for random‐dot stereograms filtered by a two‐dimensional Gaussian filter. The results clearly indicate that reaction time gradually decreases as contrast increases and level outs when contrast approaches to some value. Furthermore, reaction times for same contrast were shorter for luminance changes than the chromatic variations along the red–green axis, which in turn were shorter than those along blue–yellow axis. Therefore, it could be concluded that luminance contrast cues are more effective than chromatic contrast cues at isoluminance in facilitating stereo perception. On the other hand, it has been found that there was no apparent difference of reaction times for filtered random‐dot stereograms, compared with the unfiltered cases. Finally, there are large inter‐subject variations in stereo perception. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 41, 564–570, 2016
Alternative ways to measure impacts of dam closure to the structure of fish communities of a neotropical river
Authors: Lima Ana Carolina , Agostinho Carlos Sérgio , Soares Amadeu M.V.M. , Monaghan Kieran A. 
Published: September 2015

AbstractNeotropical freshwaters host some of the most biodiverse ecosystems in the world and are among the most threatened by habitat alterations. The high number of species and lack of basic ecological knowledge provide a major obstacle to understanding the effects of environmental change. We assessed the impact of dam closure on the fish communities of a neotropical river by applying simple descriptions of community organizations: species abundance distribution and abundance biomass comparison curves. Fish data were collected using gillnets during three distinct time periods (1 year before, 1 year after and 5 years after dam closure), at eight sites located downstream of the dam, in the reservoir, transition zone and upstream. A total of 69 343 individuals representing 260 species were recorded. Dam closure was associated with changes in the organization of fish communities at all sites. Species richness tended to increase immediately after dam closure while evenness decreased. Changes in taxonomic structure (richness and evenness) were accompanied by a change in the distribution of biomass with the proportionate contribution by smaller individuals significantly increased relative to larger individuals. Five years on, richness had fallen to below pre‐closure levels at all sites, while the comparative stability of assemblages in the transformed habitats was reflected by biomass‐abundance distribution patterns that approximated pre‐disturbance ratios. This simplistic analysis provided a sensitive and informative assessment of ecological conditions, which highlights the impact to ecosystem process and ecological networks and has particular value in regions where a lack of detailed ecological knowledge precludes the application of traditional bioassessment methods. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Use of nonimmobilized enzymes and mediators achieved high power densities in closed biobatteries
Authors: Zhu Zhiguang , Zhang Y.‐H. Percival 
Published: September 2015

AbstractThe immobilization of redox enzymes on the surface of electrodes is a typical practice for enzymatic fuel cells (EFCs) but enzyme immobilization usually results in low retaining enzymatic activities and low power densities. Here, we investigated an alternative solution – the use of nonimmobilized thermostable enzymes (e.g., NAD‐based glucose 6‐phosphate dehydrogenase and flavin‐containing diaphorase) and a nonimmobilized mediator (i.e., benzyl viologen or 9,10‐anthraquinone‐2,7‐disulphonic acid, AQDS) for achieving high power densities from glucose 6‐phosphate in closed EFCs (called biobatteries). At the same enzyme loading, power densities of biobatteries increased in an order from the case of immobilized enzymes and immobilized vitamin K3 to the case of nonimmobilized enzymes and immobilized vitamin K3 to the case of nonimmobilized enzymes and nonimmobilized AQDS. The maximum power density of the biobattery based on nonimmobilized enzymes and AQDS was 1.1 mW cm−2 of anode at room temperature, 34‐times of the biobattery based on immobilized enzymes and immobilized vitamin K3. When enzyme loading was increased by another 10‐fold, the highest power density of biobattery was increased to 2.4 mW cm−2 at 37°C. The biobattery based on nonimmobilized enzymes and AQDS retained 60% of its initial current density after running for 2 h. When repeatedly being used for 6 rounds, the biobattery had 35% of its initial current density after 12 days. Our results suggest that closed biobatteries equipped with nonimmobilized thermostable enzymes and mediators feature simple system configuration and have high power densities.
Geomorphic knowledge for mangrove restoration: a pan‐tropical categorization
Authors: Balke Thorsten , Friess Daniel A. 
Published: September 2015

AbstractExtreme events such as storm surges and tsunamis in combination with subsidence of densely populated coastal areas pose an increasing threat to millions of people in the tropics. Intertidal mangrove forests may form a natural protection against some extreme events, but have also widely been destroyed by coastal development. The establishment of mangroves and the maintenance of their stability over the short‐ to long‐term requires an understanding of sedimentary processes and landforms in the coastal zone, making geomorphology a crucial, but sometimes neglected discipline when attempting restoration for disaster risk reduction. Mangrove geomorphic setting varies markedly across the tropics, depending on abiotic parameters such as suspended sediment supply and tidal range, with different restoration strategies suitable for each. In this study we provide a global categorization of mangrove geomorphic settings, based on the literature and global remote sensing data. The world's mangroves can be broadly defined as: (1) minerogenic and high tidal range; (2) minerogenic and low tidal range; and (3) organogenic and low tidal range. We further discuss restoration and management approaches most suitable for each geomorphic setting. Overall, this study can be used to inform managers about the relevance of geomorphic knowledge for successful mangrove restoration, how an understanding of geomorphology can influence site selection and restoration success, and how to match specific restoration methods to the prevailing geomorphic context. The stronger incorporation of geomorphic knowledge into site planning and design will improve the success rates of restoration for this important and globally threatened ecosystem. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Temperature and food concentration have limited influence on the mixture toxicity of copper and Microcystis aeruginosa to Daphnia magna
Authors: Hochmuth Jennifer D. , Janssen Colin R. , De Schamphelaere Karel A.C. 
Published: September 2015

Abstract

Standard ecotoxicity tests are conducted under constant and favorable experimental conditions. In natural communities, however, the toxicity of chemicals may be influenced by abiotic and biotic environmental factors. Firstly, the authors examined the influence of temperature and total food concentration on the nature of the combined effects of copper (Cu) and the cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa to Daphnia magna (i.e., whether the combined effects deviated from noninteraction). Secondly, the authors investigated the relative influence of the percentage of M. aeruginosa in the diet, temperature, and total food concentration on chronic Cu toxicity to D. magna. The nature of the combined effects between Cu and M. aeruginosa (i.e., synergism according to the independent action reference model and noninteraction according to concentration addition reference model) was not affected by temperature and total food concentration. In line with other studies, the concentration addition reference model gave rise to more protective predictions of mixture toxicity than the independent action reference model, thus confirming the former model's suitability as a conservative scenario for evaluating mixture toxicity of Cu and M. aeruginosa under the temperature and food concentrations tested. Further, the 21-d median effective concentration for Cu based on reproduction varied between 20 μg/L and 100 μg/L, and the results indicate that the percentage of M. aeruginosa explained 76% of the variance in the Cu median effective concentration for reproduction, whereas the effects of temperature and total food were limited (together explaining 11% of the variance). The present study suggests that environmental risk assessment of Cu should consider specific situations where harmful M. aeruginosa blooms can co-occur with elevated Cu exposure. Environ Toxicol Chem 2016;35:742–749. © 2015 SETAC
Predicted and observed therapeutic dose exceedances of ionizable pharmaceuticals in fish plasma from urban coastal systems
Authors: Scott W. Casan , Du Bowen , Haddad Samuel P. , Breed Christopher S. , Saari Gavin N. , Kelly Martin , Broach Linda , Chambliss C. Kevin , Brooks Bryan W. 
Published: September 2015

Abstract

Instream flows of the rapidly urbanizing watersheds and estuaries of the Gulf of Mexico in Texas (USA) are increasingly dominated by reclaimed waters. Though ionizable pharmaceuticals have received increasing attention in freshwaters, many research questions remain unanswered, particularly in tidally influenced urban coastal systems, which experience significant spatiotemporal variability in pH that influences bioavailability and bioaccumulation. The authors coupled fish plasma modeling of therapeutic hazard values with field monitoring of water chemistry variability and pharmaceutical occurrence to examine whether therapeutic hazards to fish existed within these urban coastal ecosystems and whether therapeutic hazards differed within and among coastal locations and seasons. Spatial and temporal fluctuations in pH within study sites altered the probability of encountering pharmaceutical hazards to fish. Significant water quality differences were consistently observed among traditional parameters and pharmaceuticals collected from surface and bottom waters, which are rarely sampled during routine surface water quality assessments. The authors then compared modeling predictions of fish plasma concentrations of pharmaceuticals to measured plasma levels from various field-collected fish species. Diphenhydramine and diltiazem were observed in plasma of multiple species, and diltiazem exceeded human therapeutic doses in largemouth bass, catfish, and mullet inhabiting these urban estuaries. Though the present study only examined a small number of target analytes, which represent a microcosm of the exposome of these fish, coastal systems are anticipated to be more strongly influenced by continued urbanization, altered instream flows, and population growth in the future. Unfortunately, aquatic toxicology information for diltiazem and many other pharmaceuticals is not available for marine and estuarine organisms, but such field observations suggest that potential adverse outcomes should be examined. Environ Toxicol Chem 2016;35:983–995. © 2015 SETAC
Stage-dependent and sex-dependent sensitivity to water-soluble fractions of fresh and weathered oil in the marine copepod Calanus finmarchicus
Authors: Jager Tjalling , Altin Dag , Miljeteig Cecilie , Hansen Bjørn Henrik 
Published: September 2015

Abstract

Acute toxicity differs between species but also varies within a species. Important intraspecific factors are the exposure duration and properties of the animal such as life stage, sex, and physiological status. In the present study, the acute toxicity of water-soluble fractions (WSFs) from fresh and artificially weathered oil was followed over time in different life stages of the calanoid copepod Calanus finmarchicus, including adult males and females. The life stages differ in size but also in lipid content and physiology. To meaningfully compare the sensitivity of the different stages, the authors fitted a toxicokinetic–toxicodynamic (TKTD) model from the framework of the General Unified Threshold Model of Survival (GUTS) to the mortality patterns over time. The oil WSFs could not be treated as single compounds: the rapid effect at high doses could not be reconciled with the slow effect at low doses. Treating the oil as a mixture of 2 component blocks could, however, capture these patterns satisfactorily. Even though the early life stages of animals are generally considered to be the most vulnerable, the adult males of C. finmarchicus turned out to be most sensitive, followed by the early copepodites. Naupliar larvae were equally susceptible to oil toxicity as late copepodites and adult females. The relationship between the GUTS model parameters and the physiological traits for the different life stages remains, however, unclear. Environ Toxicol Chem 2016;35:728–735. © 2015 SETAC
High‐intensity resistance training attenuates dexamethasone‐induced muscle atrophy
Authors: Krug AndrÉ L.O. , Macedo Anderson G. , Zago Anderson S. , Rush James W.E. , Santos Carlos F. , Amaral Sandra L. 
Published: September 2015

ABSTRACTIntroductionIn this study we investigated the effects of high‐intensity resistance training (RT) on dexamethasone (DEX)‐induced muscle atrophy in flexor hallucis longus (FHL), tibialis anterior (TA), and soleus (SOL) muscles. Methods: Rats underwent either high‐intensity RT or were kept sedentary. In the last 10 days they received either DEX (0.5 mg/kg/day, intraperitoneally) or saline. Results: DEX reduced body weight (−21%), food intake (−28%), FHL and TA muscle mass (−20% and −18%, respectively), and increased muscle‐specific ring finger 1 (MuRF‐1) protein level (+37% and +45.5%). RT attenuated FHL muscle atrophy through a combination of low increase in MuRF‐1 protein level (−3.5%) and significant increases in mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) (+63%) and p70S6K (+46% and +49% for control and DEX, respectively) protein levels. Conclusion: RT attenuated DEX‐induced muscle atrophy through a combination of increases in mTOR and p70S6K protein levels and a low increase in MuRF‐1 protein level. Muscle Nerve 53: 779–788, 2016
Setting occupational standards for insulin‐treated diabetes at sea, on land and in the air
Authors: Shaw Ken 
Published: September 2015

AbstractDiabetes, particularly treatment with insulin, has proved a longstanding and frustrating barrier to employment in certain occupations where public safety has been deemed to be potentially at risk. Historically, health and safety issues within the work environment have dictated employment policy, precluding people with diabetes who would otherwise be entirely capable of undertaking required responsible and skilled activities. Such considerations have been especially evident for professional occupations involving both commercial and public transport on land, by sea and in the air. This situation is changing. With the combination of individualised diabetes management and implementation of the Disability Discrimination Act, it is no longer appropriate to apply a ‘blanket ban’ restriction to employment irrespective of circumstances.The UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), the Driving and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) have each accepted the principle that insulin‐treated diabetes should no longer be an absolute contraindication to occupational employment, but to be potentially permissable subject to strict, robust individual assessment. Each transport agency has established regulatory standards and operational protocols appropriate for their respective domains with a prime emphasis on minimising hypoglycaemia risk. Ensuring public safety remains paramount, but, with these protocol surveillance and assessment processes in place, it has proved possible for individuals with insulin‐treated diabetes to achieve fitness certification and gain employment previously excluded to them. Over the last few years, despite having diabetes and being treated with insulin, many merchant seafarers, drivers of heavy goods vehicles and commercial airline pilots have successfully achieved fitness accreditation to work safely and reliably within these special occupational situations. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons.
World‐class expertise: a developmental model
Authors: Kaufman Scott Barry , Duckworth Angela L. 
Published: September 2015

The field of psychology has done a remarkable job discovering the ways people differ from one another in their abilities and talents, but has long neglected the diverse ways people can unleash those capacities. There is no plausible mechanism by which our genes directly encode skills like how to dribble a basketball, play the violin, or solve an algebraic equation. We are not born knowing how to write a sonnet or flip an omelet. On the contrary, all human expertise—even at the far‐right tail of the distribution—depends on experience and training. A more accurate understanding of the development of high achievement should inspire people to push beyond their perceived and often self‐imposed limits to reach heights they never would have imagined possible. WIREs Cogn Sci 2017, 8:e1365. doi: 10.1002/wcs.1365This article is categorized under:

Psychology > Motor Skill and Performance
Genetic Counselors’ Perspectives and Practices Regarding Expanded Carrier Screening after Initial Clinical Availability
Authors: Lazarin Gabriel A. , Detweiler Stacey , Nazareth Shivani B. , Ashkinadze Elena 
Published: September 2015

AbstractExpanded carrier screening (ECS), introduced in 2009, identifies carriers for dozens or hundreds of recessive diseases. At the time of its introduction into clinical use, perspectives of the genetic counseling community regarding ECS were unknown. We conducted a survey in early 2012 of GCs and report the results here. They represent a snapshot of opinions and usage at that time, providing a baseline for comparison as the technology continues to evolve and as usage increases. The survey assessed personal perspectives, opinions on clinical implementation and clinical utilization of ECS. The sample included 337 GCs of varying clinical fields, of whom 150 reported practicing in reproductive settings. Our findings demonstrate that, at the time, GCs indicated general agreement with ECS as a concept – for example, most GCs agreed that carrier screening should address diseases outside of current guidelines and also indicated personal interest in electing ECS. There were also disagreements or concerns expressed regarding appropriate pre‐ and post‐test counseling (e.g., the content and delivery mode of adequate informed consent) and practical implementation (e.g., the amount of time available for follow‐up care). This was the first quantitative study of a large number of GCs and it revealed initial overall support for ECS among the GC profession. The authors plan to re‐administer a similar survey, which may reveal changes in opinions and/or utilization over time. A follow up survey would also allow further exploration of questions uncovered by these data.
A CLOSED-FORM SOLUTION FOR THE HEALTH CAPITAL MODEL
Authors: Strulik Holger 
Published: September 2015

Abstract:This paper provides a closed-form solution for the health capital model of health demand. The results are exploited in order to prove analytically the comparative dynamics of the model. Results are derived for the so-called pure investment model, the pure consumption model and a combination of both types of models. Given the plausible assumptions that (i) health declines with age and that (ii) the health capital stock at death is lower than the health capital stock needed for eternal life, it is shown that the optimal solution implies eternal life.
Collagen peptide supplementation in combination with resistance training improves body composition and increases muscle strength in elderly sarcopenic men: a randomised controlled trial
Authors: Zdzieblik Denise , Oesser Steffen , Baumstark Manfred W. , Gollhofer Albert , König Daniel 
Published: September 2015

AbstractProtein supplementation in combination with resistance training may increase muscle mass and muscle strength in elderly subjects. The objective of this study was to assess the influence of post-exercise protein supplementation with collagen peptidesv.placebo on muscle mass and muscle function following resistance training in elderly subjects with sarcopenia. A total of fifty-three male subjects (72·2 (sd4·68) years) with sarcopenia (class I or II) completed this randomised double-blind placebo-controlled study. All the participants underwent a 12-week guided resistance training programme (three sessions per week) and were supplemented with either collagen peptides (treatment group (TG)) (15 g/d) or silica as placebo (placebo group (PG)). Fat-free mass (FFM), fat mass (FM) and bone mass (BM) were measured before and after the intervention using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Isokinetic quadriceps strength (IQS) of the right leg was determined and sensory motor control (SMC) was investigated by a standardised one-leg stabilisation test. Following the training programme, all the subjects showed significantly higher (P<0·01) levels for FFM, BM, IQS and SMC with significantly lower (P<0·01) levels for FM. The effect was significantly more pronounced in subjects receiving collagen peptides: FFM (TG +4·2 (sd2·31) kg/PG +2·9 (sd1·84) kg;P<0·05); IQS (TG +16·5 (sd12·9) Nm/PG +7·3 (sd13·2) Nm;P<0·05); and FM (TG –5·4 (sd3·17) kg/PG –3·5 (sd2·16) kg;P<0·05). Our data demonstrate that compared with placebo, collagen peptide supplementation in combination with resistance training further improved body composition by increasing FFM, muscle strength and the loss in FM.