bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Flow‐mediated plasticity in the expression of stickleback nesting glue genes
Authors: Seear Paul J. , Head Megan L. , Tilley Ceinwen A. , Rosato Ezio , Barber Iain 
Published: March 2014

AbstractNest construction is an essential component of the reproductive behavior of many species, and attributes of nests – including their location and structure – have implications for both their functional capacity as incubators for developing offspring, and their attractiveness to potential mates. To maximize reproductive success, nests must therefore be suited to local environmental conditions. Male three‐spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus) build nests from collected materials and use an endogenous, glue‐like multimeric protein – “spiggin” – as an adhesive. Spiggin is encoded by a multigene family, and differential expression of spiggin genes potentially allows plasticity in nest construction in response to variable environments. Here, we show that the expression of spiggin genes is affected significantly by both the flow regime experienced by a fish and its nesting status. Further, we show the effects of flow on expression patterns are gene‐specific. Nest‐building fish exhibited consistently higher expression levels of the three genes under investigation (Spg‐a,Spg‐1,andSpg‐2) than non‐nesting controls, irrespective of rearing flow treatment. Fish reared under flowing‐water conditions showed significantly increased levels of spiggin gene expression compared to those reared in still water, but this effect was far stronger forSpg‐athan forSpg‐1orSpg‐2. The strong effect of flowing water onSpg‐aexpression, even among non‐nesters, suggests that the increased production of spiggin – or of spiggin rich in the component contributed bySpg‐a– may allow more rapid and/or effective nest construction under challenging high flow conditions.
Color expression in experimentally regrown feathers of an overwintering migratory bird: implications for signaling and seasonal interactions
Authors: Tonra Christopher M. , Marini Kristen L. D. , Marra Peter P. , Germain Ryan R. , Holberton Rebecca L. , Reudink Matthew W. 
Published: March 2014

AbstractPlumage coloration in birds plays a critical role in communication and can be under selection throughout the annual cycle as a sexual and social signal. However, for migratory birds, little is known about the acquisition and maintenance of colorful plumage during the nonbreeding period. Winter habitat could influence the quality of colorful plumage, ultimately carrying over to influence sexual selection and social interactions during the breeding period. In addition to the annual growth of colorful feathers, feather loss from agonistic interactions or predator avoidance could require birds to replace colorful feathers in winter or experience plumage degradation. We hypothesized that conditions on the wintering grounds of migratory birds influence the quality of colorful plumage. We predicted that the quality of American redstart (Setophaga ruticilla) tail feathers regrown after experimental removal in Jamaica, West Indies, would be positively associated with habitat quality, body condition, and testosterone. Both yearling (SY) and adult (ASY) males regrew feathers with lower red chroma, suggesting reduced carotenoid content. While we did not observe a change in hue in ASY males, SY males shifted from yellow to orange plumage resembling experimentally regrown ASY feathers. We did not observe any effects of habitat, testosterone, or mass change. Our results demonstrate that redstarts are limited in their ability to adequately replace colorful plumage, regardless of habitat, in winter. Thus, feather loss on the nonbreeding grounds can affect social signals, potentially negatively carrying over to the breeding period.
Electrochemistry and Ion Sensing Properties of Conducting Hydrogel Layers Based on Polypyrrole and Alkoxysulfonated Poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT‐S)
Authors: Sobkowiak Marek , Sokalski Tomasz , Lewenstam Andrzej , Gabrielsson Roger , Inganäs Olle , Milczarek Grzegorz 
Published: March 2014

AbstractAcidic aqueous solutions containing pyrrole and alkoxysulfonated PEDOT derivative (PEDOT‐S) were found to undergo polymerization in the absence of an external oxidizing agent. The product was a nearly black‐colored conducting hydrogel that after separation could be dispersed in water or acetone. The suspensions could be used to deposit cast films on a polycrystalline gold electrode. The polymer modified electrode showed a nearly Nernstian potentiometric response to Ag+ cations in the concentration range of 10−5–10−1 M with the slope of 54 mV/decade. The response was specific to Ag+ compared to a series of alkali and transition‐metal cations (pKAg/M>3.7).
Petrous and sphenoid arachnoid cysts: Diagnosis and management
Authors: Adrien Judith , Verillaud Benjamin , Bresson Damien , Tran Hugo , Kania Romain , Sauvaget Elisabeth , Guichard Jean‐Pierre , Herman Philippe 
Published: March 2014

AbstractBackgroundIntraosseous arachnoid cysts are rare and difficult to diagnose. The purpose of this study was to describe the clinical and radiological semiology of petrous and sphenoid arachnoid cysts and to propose a specific management strategy.MethodsThis was a retrospective, descriptive study of patients with arachnoid cysts, which utilized CT, MRI, and the patients' medical histories.ResultsTen patients were included in this study. On CT, the lesions were lytic with bony delineation. On MRI, the lesions exhibited the same signals as cerebrospinal fluid and were not enhanced after contrast. On fluid‐attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) and diffusion‐weighted sequences, the arachnoid cysts' signal disappeared, which is a key feature for eliminating the diagnosis of cholesteatoma. Two patients underwent surgery because of misdiagnosis, either with a meningocele or a cholesteatoma.ConclusionMRI FLAIR and diffusion‐weighted sequences, together with osseous CT scans, help to distinguish arachnoid cysts from meningoceles and avoid unnecessary surgeries with potential complications. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 37: 823–828, 2015
Century‐long records reveal slight, ecoregion‐localized changes in Athabasca River flows
Authors: Rood Stewart B. , Stupple Geoff W. , Gill Karen M. 
Published: March 2014

AbstractReports of abruptly declining flows of Canada's Athabasca River have prompted concern because this large, free‐flowing river could be representative for northern North America, provides water for the massive Athabasca oil‐sands projects and flows to the extensive and biodiverse Peace–Athabasca, Slave and Mackenzie River deltas. To investigate historic hydrology along the river and its major tributaries, we expanded the time series with interpolations for short data gaps; calculations of annual discharges from early, summer‐only records; and by splicing records across sequential hydrometric gauges. These produced composite, century‐long records (1913–2011) and trend detection with linear Pearson correlation provided similar outcomes to nonparametric Kendall τ‐b tests. These revealed that the mountain and foothills reaches displayed slight increases in winter discharges versus larger declines in summer discharges and consequently declining annual flows (~0.16% per year at Hinton; p < 0.01). Conversely, with contrasting boreal contributions, the Athabasca River at Athabasca displayed no overall trend in monthly or annual flows, but there was correspondence with the Pacific Decadal Oscillation that contributed to a temporary flow decline from 1970 to 2000. These findings from century‐long records contrast with interpretations from numerous shorter‐term studies and emphasize the need for sufficient time series for hydrologic trend analyses. For Northern Hemisphere rivers, the study interval should be at least 80 years to span two Pacific Decadal Oscillation cycles and dampen the influence from phase transitions. Most prior trend analyses considered only a few decades, and this weakens interpretations of the hydrologic consequences of climate change. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Stress and chytridiomycosis: Exogenous exposure to corticosterone does not alter amphibian susceptibility to a fungal pathogen
Authors: Searle Catherine L. , Belden Lisa K. , Du Pang , Blaustein Andrew R. 
Published: March 2014

ABSTRACTRecent emergence and spread of the amphibian fungal pathogen, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) has been attributed to a number of factors, including environmental stressors that increase host susceptibility to Bd. Physiological stress can increase circulating levels of the hormone, corticosterone, which can alter a host's physiology and affect its susceptibility to pathogens. We experimentally elevated whole‐body levels of corticosterone in both larval and post‐metamorphic amphibians, and subsequently tested their susceptibility to Bd. Larvae of three species were tested (Anaxyrus boreas, Rana cascadae, and Lithobates catesbeianus) and one species was tested after metamorphosis (R. cascadae). After exposure to Bd, we measured whole‐body corticosterone, infection, mortality, growth, and development. We found that exposure to exogenous corticosterone had no effect on Bd infection in any species or at either life stage. Species varied in whole‐body corticosterone levels and exposure to corticosterone reduced mass in A. boreas and R. cascadae larvae. Exposure to Bd did not affect mortality, but had a number of sublethal effects. Across species, larvae exposed to Bd had higher corticosterone levels than unexposed larvae, but the opposite pattern was found in post‐metamorphic R. cascadae. Bd exposure also increased larval length in all species and increased mass in R. cascadae larvae. Our results indicate that caution is warranted in assuming a strong link between elevated levels of corticosterone and disease susceptibility in amphibians. The role of physiological stress in altering Bd prevalence in amphibian populations is likely much more complicated than can be explained by examining a single “stress” endpoint. J. Exp. Zool. 321A:243–253, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The evolution of bacterial DNA base composition
Authors: Agashe Deepa , Shankar Nachiket 
Published: March 2014

ABSTRACTBacterial genomes exhibit a large amount of variation in their base composition, which ranges from 13% to 75% GC. The evolution and maintenance of this variation has proved to be an enduring puzzle despite decades of theoretical and empirical work. We present an overview of various aspects of this problem, focusing on results from a diverse set of recent studies that use whole‐genome sequencing in combination with bioinformatic, phylogenetic, molecular biological, and experimental evolution approaches. We propose that analysis of within‐genome variance in GC content is also important to understand how genome‐wide base composition has evolved. We close with a discussion of open questions and fruitful avenues of inquiry that may bring us closer to understanding the evolutionary dynamics of bacterial DNA base composition.J. Exp. Zool. (Mol. Dev. Evol.) 322B: 517–528, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Measuring efficiency of cotton cultivation in Pakistan: a restricted production frontier study
Authors: Watto Muhammad Arif , Mugera Amin 
Published: March 2014

AbstractBACKGROUNDMassive groundwater pumping for irrigation has started lowering water tables rapidly in different regions of Pakistan. Declining water tables have thus prompted research efforts to improve agricultural productivity and efficiency to make efficient use of scarce water resources. This study employs a restricted stochastic production frontier to estimate the level of, and factors affecting, technical efficiency of groundwater‐irrigated cotton farms in the Punjab province of Pakistan.RESULTSThe mean technical efficiency estimates indicate substantial technical inefficiencies among cotton growers. On average, tube‐well owners and water buyers can potentially increase cotton production by 19% and 28%, respectively, without increasing the existing input level. The most influential factors affecting technical efficiency positively are the use of improved quality seed, consultation with extension field staff and farmers' perceptions concerning the availability of groundwater resources for irrigation in the future.CONCLUSIONSThis study proposes that adopting improved seed for new cotton varieties and providing better extension services regarding cotton production technology would help to achieve higher efficiency in cotton farming. Within the context of falling water tables, educating farmers about the actual crop water requirements and guiding them about groundwater resource availability may also help to achieve higher efficiencies. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry
Olfactory changes after endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal approach for skull base tumors
Authors: Kim Boo‐Young , Kang Seok‐Gu , Kim Sung W. , Hong Yong K. , Jeun Sin‐Soo , Kim Soo W. , Kim Hyun B. , Kim Min , Maeng Jae H. , Lee Dong C. , Cho Jin H. , Park Yong J. 
Published: March 2014

Objectives/HypothesisThe increased number of endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal approaches (EETSA) has been associated with sinonasal complications such as olfactory dysfunction. Current studies have compared preoperative and postoperative olfactory function according to surgical type and age.Study DesignRetrospective review of medical records at a tertiary referral center.MethodsPatients were divided into two groups according to surgical type and into four groups according to age. The two surgical groups were defined based on the bilateral nasoseptal flap technique (group A: right conventional nasoseptal flap and left modified nasoseptal rescure flap; group B: bilateral modified nasoseptal rescue flap). The four age groups were ≤ 30, 31–45, 46–60, and ≥ 61 years. Patients underwent preoperative olfactory function evaluation using a visual analogue scale (VAS), the Connecticut Chemosensory Clinical Research Center Test (CCCRC), and the Cross‐Cultural Smell Identification Test (CCSIT). Repeat testing was performed 6‐months postoperatively.ResultsA total of 226 patients who underwent binostril four‐hand EETSA were included in this study. In both groups A and B, the olfactory function was significantly decreased according to CCCRC and CCSIT scores (P < 0.05). The VAS scores were significantly decreased in both groups (P < 0.05). The symptom scores and olfactory test results were significantly changed in >30‐year‐old patients who had undergone EETSA.ConclusionEETSA might contribute to olfactory dysfunction independent of surgery type. In addition, age may affect the restoration of olfaction after EETSA. Patients who plan to undergo EETSA must be informed that their olfaction may be impaired.Level of Evidence4. Laryngoscope, 124:2470–2475, 2014
Uniqueness of complete spacelike hypersurfaces via their higher order mean curvatures in a conformally stationary spacetime
Authors: de Lima Henrique Fernandes , Velásquez Marco Antonio Lázaro 
Published: March 2014

We study complete noncompact spacelike hypersurfaces immersed into conformally stationary spacetimes, that is, Lorentzian manifolds endowed with a timelike conformal vector field V. In this setting, by using as main analytical tool a suitable maximum principle for complete noncompact Riemannian manifolds, we establish new characterizations of totally umbilical hypersurfaces in terms of their higher order mean curvatures. For instance, supposing an appropriated restriction on the norm of the tangential component of the vector field V, we are able to show that such hypersurfaces must be totally umbilical provided that either some of their higher order mean curvatures are linearly related or one of them is constant. Applications to the so‐called generalized Robertson‐Walker spacetimes are given. In particular, we extend to the Lorentzian context a classical result due to Jellett .
Telomere length, family history, and paternal age in schizophrenia
Authors: Malaspina Dolores , Dracxler Roberta , Walsh‐Messinger Julie , Harlap Susan , Goetz Raymond R. , Keefe David , Perrin Mary C. 
Published: March 2014

AbstractLeukocyte telomere length (LTL) is longer in association with advanced paternal age, but this association has not been examined along with family history (FH) in schizophrenia. LTL was measured by PCR and compared across cases and controls as part of a study to examine the characteristics of paternal age related schizophrenia. The 53 schizophrenia cases had similar mean LTL as 20 controls, although cases were significantly older than controls and overwhelmingly smoked cigarettes. Multivariate analyses showed that a FH of schizophrenia was associated with longer LTL in both male and female cases. Later paternal age was also related to longer LTL in male cases, but with shorter LTL in female cases. Male cases with older fathers and a FH had the longest LTL. The genetic architecture associated with a familial risk for schizophrenia may include pathways that lengthen LTL. Paternal aging conferred an additional increase in LTL lengthening in male cases, but reduced LTL in female cases. The gender difference in LTL for paternal aging is consistent with the severe illness features reported for female cases with older fathers and could implicate epigenetic alterations in the paternal X chromosomal region with advanced paternal age in association with the risk for schizophrenia.
Performance comparison between a surface‐volume hybrid integrated mixer and a surface integrated mixer
Authors: Li Zhaolong , Chen Rushan 
Published: March 2014

ABSTRACTTwo mixers using a “surface‐volume” hybrid integration approach and a “surface” integration approach are designed and fabricated. Their performances are compared with different measurement methods. Experiment results show that this so‐called surface‐volume hybrid integration approach demonstrates advantages when compared with a monotonous integration approach under certain circumstances. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 56:1015–1019, 2014
Compact dual‐mode dual‐band bandpass filter using slotted stepped‐impedance resonator
Authors: Song Lan , Guan Xuehui , Zhang Xiaoyan 
Published: March 2014

AbstractA compact dual‐mode dual‐band bandpass filter (BPF) is proposed in this article. A T‐shaped slot is etched on the center of the low‐impedance part of a stepped‐impedance resonator, which mainly impact on the pairs of high‐order modes of the resonator. By tuning the length and width of the slot, both pairs of dual‐modes the resonator can be controlled, implying that the bandwidth of the filter can be controlled. The feed line is folded to fulfill the external coupling of the dual‐passband. A dual‐band BPF for 2.4 and 3.5 GHz application is designed, fabricated, and measured. Agreements between measured results and the simulated results verify the proposed structure. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 56:1057–1060, 2014
Differential transmissive fiber‐optic distance sensor
Authors: Shan Mingguang , Min Rui , Zhong Zhi , Wang Ying , Hao Bengong , Zhang Yabin 
Published: March 2014

AbstractBased on the characteristic of a transmissive intensity‐modulated fiber‐optic distance sensor (IFDS) that the offset distance between the axes of emitting fiber and receiving fiber changes the distance‐power response phase, a novel differential fiber distance sensor is constructed by one emitting fiber and twin receiving fibers, thereby, achieving high sensitivity and anti‐interference capacity without reducing the linear range through subtraction of two power signals with given phase received by the detection systems and data processing. Simulation and experimental results indicate that the new differential fiber distance sensor improves sensitivity by about 108%, results in the significant improvement of IFDS anti‐interference capability, and enables IFDS to be more suitable for high accuracy bipolar absolute distance measurement. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 56:1104–1107, 2014
Analysis of slow‐wave propagation in coplanar transmission lines with inkjet printed multiwalled carbon nanotubes network
Authors: Oueriemi Ibtissem , Raskin Jean‐Pierre , Neve César‐Roda , Choubani Fethi , Dupont Védi , Lardot Véronique , Huynen Isabelle 
Published: March 2014

AbstractThis article investigates the propagation along coplanar waveguide (CPW) structures, where multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) network layers are deposited using inkjet printing. Electrical parameters are extracted from measured S‐parameters data over the frequency range from 10 MHz to 26.5 GHz. The results clearly demonstrate two distinct propagation modes. At low‐frequencies, a slow‐wave factor up to 7 is achieved. With increasing frequency, attenuation becomes significant, while the propagation constant tends to a linear TEM regime. An equivalent lumped element circuit for CPW structure with MWCNTs network is developed and describes well the measured behavior up to 26.5 GHz. Thanks to the extracted equivalent circuit, the origin of the observed slow‐wave phenomenon is confirmed: it is ascribed to a larger capacitance per unit length of the CPW line induced by the presence of the CNTs network that prevents/limits the expansion of fields into air. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 56:1118–1124, 2014
Fast operational wavelength initialization technique of wavelength division multiplexed‐passive optical network based on tunable laser diode using back reflection of tunable filtered light
Authors: Jung Eui‐Suk , Lee Eun‐Gu , Moon Sil‐Gu , Lee Sang‐Soo , Won Yong‐Yuk , Han Sang‐Kook 
Published: March 2014

ABSTRACTA new wavelength initialization technique for wavelength division multiplexed‐passive optical network system is proposed and verified experimentally in this article. The proposed system is implemented using the back‐reflection of tunable filtered light over optical access link. At first, a wavelength band for allocated channel is determined using the power difference between two filtered lights with the help of two different optical tunable filters. Next, an accurate operational wavelength is obtained in the determined wavelength band using the back‐reflection of dedicated light path in the determined wavelength band. Experimental results show that the required time for wavelength initialization is measured below 3 s using the proposed technique. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 56:1084–1087, 2014
Notch frequency of dielectric resonator‐loaded monopole antenna for UWB application
Authors: Tseng Ching‐Fang , Lu Shu‐Cheng 
Published: March 2014

AbstractA dielectric resonator (DR)‐loaded monopole antenna with band‐notched characteristics is proposed for ultrawideband applications. The proposed antenna consists of a microstrip fed circular monopole printed on a FR4 substrate loaded with a DR, having relatively high dielectric constant and near zero temperature coefficient of the resonant frequency (τf) compared with FR4. A wide bandwidth from 2.966 to more than 12 GHz, omitting the undesired frequency band of 5.15–5.9 GHz with a reference level of S11 = −6 dB can be obtained. The gain and surrounding environment temperature stability can be enhanced by mounting the GYA DR. Experimental and simulated results showed a good agreement. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 56:1189–1193, 2014
Optically controlled frequency reconfigurable band stop filter with multifrequency switching
Authors: Pendharker Sarang , Shevgaonkar Raghunath K. , Chandorkar Arun N. 
Published: March 2014

ABSTRACTA novel technique of optically switching the notch frequency of a band stop filter using photoconductive switch is presented. The effect of finite switch photoconductance on the frequency response and the design limitations is analyzed using transmission line model. The proposed design is generalized for multifrequency switching and multipole filter responses. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 56:1204–1211, 2014