bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Photoreceptor topography and spectral sensitivity in the common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula)
Authors: Vlahos Lisa M. , Knott Ben , Valter Krisztina , Hemmi Jan M. 
Published: April 2014

ABSTRACTMarsupials are believed to be the only non‐primate mammals with both trichromatic and dichromatic color vision. The diversity of color vision systems present in marsupials remains mostly unexplored. Marsupials occupy a diverse range of habitats, which may have led to considerable variation in the presence, density, distribution, and spectral sensitivity of retinal photoreceptors. In this study we analyzed the distribution of photoreceptors in the common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula). Immunohistochemistry in wholemounts revealed three cone subpopulations recognized within two spectrally distinct cone classes. Long‐wavelength sensitive (LWS) single cones were the largest cone subgroup (67–86%), and formed a weak horizontal visual streak (peak density 2,106 ± 435/mm2) across the central retina. LWS double cones were strongly concentrated ventrally (569 ± 66/mm2), and created a “negative” visual streak (134 ± 45/mm2) in the central retina. The strong regionalization between LWS cone topographies suggests differing visual functions. Short‐wavelength sensitive (SWS) cones were present in much lower densities (3–10%), mostly located ventrally (179 ± 101/mm2). A minority population of cones (0–2.4%) remained unlabeled by both SWS‐ and LWS‐specific antibodies, and may represent another cone population. Microspectrophotometry of LWS cone and rod visual pigments shows peak spectral sensitivities at 544 nm and 500 nm, respectively. Cone to ganglion cell convergences remain low and constant across the retina, thereby maintaining good visual acuity, but poor contrast sensitivity during photopic vision. Given that brushtail possums are so strongly nocturnal, we hypothesize that their acuity is set by the scotopic visual system, and have minimized the number of cones necessary to serve the ganglion cells for photopic vision. J. Comp. Neurol. 522:3423–3436, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A data‐centric neuroscience gateway: design, implementation, and experiences
Authors: Shahand Shayan , Benabdelkader Ammar , Jaghoori Mohammad Mahdi , Mourabit Mostapha al , Huguet Jordi , Caan Matthan W.A. , van Kampen Antoine H.C. , Olabarriaga Sílvia D. 
Published: April 2014

SummaryScience gateways provide UIs and high‐level services to access and manage applications and data collections on distributed resources. They facilitate users to perform data analysis on distributed computing infrastructures without getting involved into the technical details. The e‐BioInfra Gateway is a science gateway for biomedical data analysis on a national grid infrastructure, which has been successfully adopted for neuroscience research. This paper describes the motivation, requirements, and design of a new generation of e‐BioInfra Gateway, which is based on the grid and cloud user support environment (also known as WS‐PGRADE/gUSE framework) and supports heterogeneous infrastructures. The new gateway has been designed to have additional data and meta‐data management facilities to access and manage (biomedical) data servers, and to provide data‐centric user interaction. We have implemented and deployed the new gateway for the computational neuroscience research community of the Academic Medical Center of the University of Amsterdam. This paper presents the system architecture of the new gateway, highlights the improvements that have been achieved, discusses the choices that we have made, and reflects on those based on initial user feedback. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Heterojunction Ag–TiO2 Nanopillars for Visible‐Light‐Driven Photocatalytic H2 Production
Authors: Qu Yang , Zhou Wei , Ren Zhiyu , Tian Chungui , Li Jialin , Fu Honggang 
Published: April 2014

AbstractSilver–titanium dioxide (Ag–TiO2) heterojunction nanopillars were fabricated by a facile one‐pot method coupled with further calcinations. The results showed that Ag nanoparticles were well dispersed on the surface of TiO2 nanopillars. The heterojunction composite nanopillars were uniform, approximately 10–20 μm in length and 500–800 nm in diameter. The nanojunctions and surface plasmon resonance effect of Ag–TiO2 heterojunction nanopillars were confirmed by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and UV/Vis spectroscopy. The heterojunction Ag–TiO2 nanopillars showed good photocatalytic H2 production activities under visible‐light irradiation without costly platinum, owing to the good dispersion and closely contacted junctions, as well as the surface plasmon resonance effect and the porous one‐dimensional structure.
Fractionation of Hemp Hurds by Organosolv Pretreatment and its Effect on Production of Lignin and Sugars
Authors: Gandolfi Stefano , Ottolina Gianluca , Consonni Roberto , Riva Sergio , Patel Ilabahen 
Published: April 2014

AbstractFractionation of hemp hurds into its three main components, cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, was carried out using organosolv pretreatment. The effect of processing parameters, such as temperature, catalyst concentration, reaction time, and methanol (MeOH) concentration, on the dissolution and recovery of hemicellulose and lignin was determined. More than 75 % of total hemicellulose and 75 % of total lignin was removed in a single step with low amounts of degradation products under the following conditions: 165 °C, 3 % H2SO4, 20 min reaction time, and 45 % MeOH. Enzymatic hydrolysis of the residual pretreated biomass yielded up to 60 % of cellulose‐to‐glucose conversion. The maximum recovery of the main components was obtained at a combined severity factor value of around one. Characterization of pretreated biomass and isolated lignin was carried out with FTIR and 2D 13C–1H correlation HSQC NMR spectroscopy, the latter technique providing detailed structural information about the obtained methanol organosolv lignin (MOSL). Results suggested that xylopyranoside is the major carbohydrate associated with hemp lignin. The chemical properties of MOSL samples in terms of their phenolic group content and antioxidant capacity were also investigated. The results showed that MOSL samples have a high phenolic group content and antioxidant capacity relative to Klason lignin.
Low‐noise low‐power front‐end logarithmic amplifier for neural recording system
Authors: Derafshi Zahra Haddad , Frounchi Javad 
Published: April 2014

SUMMARYIn this work, a low‐power, low‐noise logarithmic preamplifier for biopotential and neural recording application is presented. The amplifier is based on a linear limit logarithmic amplifier technique, and an active filter as a DC cancellation filter has been included to its input in order to eliminate DC offsets, which are produced at the electrode–tissue interface. This system has been simulated in a UMC standard 90‐nm 1P9M CMOS process. Five dual gain stages are used to produce the required linear limit logarithmic amplifier. The dynamic range of the amplifier is measured to be 48 dB which covers the signals with amplitude from 20 μV to 5 mV. The amplifier consumes 23.5 μW from a 1.2‐V power supply and has a maximum gain of 69.8 dB. The simulated input referred noise is 5.3 μV over 0.1 Hz to 20 kHz. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Risk computing based on capacity of risk‐absorbing in virtual community environment
Authors: Liu Yang , Chen Zhikui , Lv Xiaoning 
Published: April 2014

SUMMARYThe security issues are extremely popular in the virtual community (VC) environment because of the uncertainties. Many works use trust mechanisms as the enhancement. However, trust has flaws in some aspects, making it uncontrollable. Discussed in this paper is the reason that risk is chosen to evaluate individual's credit. Then, risk in VC environment has several properties that are helpful to understand the relationship between VC and members. A new concept is that the capacity of risk absorbing is introduced to make the model more reasonable for usual scenario. In order to compute the capacity of risk absorbing problem, shapley value approach is utilized to equalize the risk of individuals who join the game in series. The evaluation result can provide VC computed evidence to control the individual's behavior. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Lipid nanocarriers based on natural compounds: An evolving role in plant extract delivery
Authors: Lacatusu Ioana , Badea Nicoleta , Niculae Gabriela , Bordei Natalita , Stan Raluca , Meghea Aurelia 
Published: April 2014

The vegetable oils and extracts known for their beneficial effects should be identified and used in various forms for the development of new healthy products. This study was designed to provide further investigation on new nanocarriers made with hempseed oil or a blend of amaranth and hempseed oils, for a concomitant encapsulation and release of the carotenoids enriched plant extract. The size of plant extract loaded lipid nanocarriers ranging between 109 and 130 nm was found to be less influenced by the different ratios of hempseed and amaranth oils. For all of the synthesized nanocarriers, zeta potential values were negative (−33.4 ÷ −38.1 mV). The scanning calorimetry study has shown that lipid nanocarriers have favorable lattice defects for plant extract encapsulation. Entrapment efficiency results revealed an increase of carotenoids entrapment from 57.6 to 83.5% as the amaranth oil percent has been increased. High ability to scavenge the free oxygenated radicals was distinguished for all free and loaded nanocarriers. The level of antioxidant activity increase was proportional to the extent of vegetable oil and was ranging between 93.4 and 98.1%. The nanocarriers made with amaranth and hempseed oils have shown a more sustained release over time than those prepared with hempseed oil only in association with solid lipids.Practical applications: The applicability of lipophilic plant extracts enriched in bioactive compounds encounters serious problems in the food and pharmaceutical sector due to poor bioavailability. Using the concept of exploiting natural resources in combination with soft nanotechnology, valuable bioactive vegetable mixtures could be formulated into solid colloidal nanoparticles. The bioavailability and the therapeutic benefit of hempseed and amaranth oils in association with lipophilic plant extract enriched in carotenoids are increased by incorporation into the same nanostructured formulation. These formulations result in unique precursors of health products, particularly for nutraceutical industry. The lipid nanocarriers based on natural compounds offer potential applications as natural, low cost and innovative delivery systems to improve quality and extend shelf‐life of food products. The developed vegetable based lipid nanocarriers offer advantages of a minimum carrier cytotoxicity, good storage stability, synergistic effects, antioxidant and sustained release, easy to scale up production.Lipid nanocarriers made with hempseed and amaranth oils and loaded with carotenoids extract from marigold plant. Influence of vegetable oils on in vitro antioxidant activity of developed lipid nanocarriers.
Discriminating eggs from different poultry species by fatty acids and volatiles profiling: Comparison of SPME‐GC/MS, electronic nose, and principal component analysis method
Authors: Wang Qingling , Jin Guofeng , Jin Yongguo , Ma Meihu , Wang Ning , Liu Chunyou , He Liyuan 
Published: April 2014

Fatty acid profiles and volatile composition in the yolks of conventional eggs from seven different species (duck, free‐range chicken, silky chicken, quail, pigeon, goose, and chicken) were compared using GC–MS and electronic nose (E‐nose). The results showed that there were significant differences among the fatty acid profiles of the seven avian eggs. Goose eggs contained the highest contents of saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids but the lowest content of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), and the differences were significant (p<0.05). The PUFA proportion was the highest in the free‐range chicken eggs of all the tested avian eggs. The ω‐3 PUFA content and the ω‐6/ω‐3 ratio were significantly (p<0.05) higher in the yolks of goose and silky chicken. The volatile compositions of egg yolks are esters, alcohols, alkenes, and nitrogenous compounds, and the major compounds that contributed to discrimination of different species of eggs were ethyl acetate, pathalic acid butyl isohexyl ester, O‐methylisourea hydrogen sulfate, 1‐butanol, and N‐isopropylbenzamide. In addition, seven different species of eggs were distinguished from each other through principal component analysis of E‐nose data, suggesting that the E‐nose may be a potential technology for discriminating different species of eggs.Practical applications: The results showed that the major volatile components could be used as chemical markers to distinguish different species of eggs by the chemometric method. The results obtained from the electronic nose analysis agreed well with the GC–MS results, suggesting the potential application of the E‐nose technique in the market quality control and the detection of counterfeit eggs.Twenty‐two fatty acids were detected and significant differences were found in the fatty acid proportions of different poultry eggs. A total of 41 volatiles were identified by GC–MS, and E‐nose can successfully discrimination different species of eggs.
Using visual evoked potentials for the early detection of amnestic mild cognitive impairment: a pilot investigation
Authors: Fix Spencer T. , Arruda James E. , Andrasik Frank , Beach Jameson , Groom Kevin 
Published: April 2014

ObjectiveAmnesic mild cognitive impairment (MCIa) is often characterized as an early stage of Alzheimer's dementia (AD). The latency of the P2, an electroencephalographic component of the flash visual evoked potential (FVEP), is significantly longer in those with AD or MCIa when compared with controls. The present investigation examined the diagnostic accuracy of several FVEP‐P2 procedures in distinguishing people with MCIa and controls.MethodsThe latency of the FVEP‐P2 was measured in participants exposed to a single flash condition and five double flash conditions. The double flash conditions had different inter‐stimulus intervals between the pair of strobe flashes.ResultsSignificant group differences were observed in the single flash and two of the double flash conditions. One of the double flash conditions (100 ms) displayed a higher predictive accuracy than the single flash condition, suggesting that this novel procedure may have more diagnostic potential. Participants with MCIa displayed similar P2 latencies across conditions, while controls exhibited a consistent pattern of P2 latency differences. These differences demonstrate that the double stimulation procedure resulted in a measurable refractory effect for controls but not for those with MCIa.ConclusionsThe pattern of P2 group differences suggests that those with MCIa have compromised cholinergic functioning that results in impaired visual processing. Results from the present investigation lend support to the theory that holds MCIa as an intermediate stage between normal healthy aging and the neuropathology present in AD. Measuring the FVEP‐P2 during several double stimulation conditions could provide diagnostically useful information about the health of the cholinergic system. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Influence of Physical Activity on Bone Strength in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Narrative Synthesis
Authors: Tan Vina PS , Macdonald Heather M , Kim SoJung , Nettlefold Lindsay , Gabel Leigh , Ashe Maureen C , McKay Heather A 
Published: April 2014

ABSTRACT

A preponderance of evidence from systematic reviews supports the effectiveness of weight-bearing exercises on bone mass accrual, especially during the growing years. However, only one systematic review (limited to randomized controlled trials) examined the role of physical activity (PA) on bone strength. Thus, our systematic review extended the scope of the previous review by including all PA intervention and observational studies, including organized sports participation studies, with child or adolescent bone strength as the main outcome. We also sought to discern the skeletal elements (eg, mass, structure, density) that accompanied significant bone strength changes. Our electronic-database, forward, and reference searches yielded 14 intervention and 23 observational studies that met our inclusion criteria. We used the Effective Public Health Practice Project (EPHPP) tool to assess the quality of studies. Due to heterogeneity across studies, we adopted a narrative synthesis for our analysis and found that bone strength adaptations to PA were related to maturity level, sex, and study quality. Three (of five) weight-bearing PA intervention studies with a strong rating reported significantly greater gains in bone strength for the intervention group (3% to 4%) compared with only three significant (of nine) moderate intervention studies. Changes in bone structure (eg, bone cross-sectional area, cortical thickness, alone or in combination) rather than bone mass most often accompanied significant bone strength outcomes. Prepuberty and peripuberty may be the most opportune time for boys and girls to enhance bone strength through PA, although this finding is tempered by the few available studies in more mature groups. Despite the central role that muscle plays in bones' response to loading, few studies discerned the specific contribution of muscle function (or surrogates) to bone strength. Although not the focus of the current review, this seems an important consideration for future studies. © 2014 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
A GROUNDED THEORY STUDY OF THE ESTABLISHMENT OF PUBLIC–PRIVATE ALLIANCES IN OFFICIAL DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAMMES
Authors: Baxter Leslie 
Published: April 2014

AbstractThis paper uses a grounded theory methodology to develop a conceptual model of the main concerns of the partners and the social and decision‐making processes associated with establishing public–private alliances in official development assistance programmes. The results suggest that the establishment of PPAs is the result of the complex interaction of ‘Processes and Process Issues’, ‘Alliance Initiation’, ‘Alliance Leadership’, ‘Modifiers’ and ‘Alliance Relationships’. Although individual alliance is context specific, there are five key areas where attention should be focussed during the establishment and where the participants can potentially influence the establishment to optimise the chance of success. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Cadmium fractions in an acid sandy soil and Cd in soil solution as affected by plant growth
Authors: Stritsis Christos , Steingrobe Bernd , Claassen Norbert 
Published: April 2014

AbstractIn a previous experiment, plants were able to immobilize or solubilize Cadmium (Cd) in a sandy acid soil enriched with 40 μmol Cd kg–1, because Cd solution concentration was decreased by maize (Zea mays) and sunflower (Helianthus annuus), and increased by flax (Linum usitatissimum L. ssp. usitatissimum) and spinach (Spinacia oleracea). It is assumed that the equilibrium with Cd fractions in the soil solid phase and the chemical form of Cd in the soil solution were affected. In the present study, the effect of the four plant species mentioned above on Cd binding in soil was investigated by means of a fractionation of soil Cd with a sequential extraction of seven steps. The seven fractions of Cd are operationally defined by the extraction sequence that follows the order of increasing acidity with extractants of different complexing and redox properties. In the unplanted soil, Cd was predominantly present in the exchangeable Fraction I (F. I) and easily mobilizable Fraction II (F. II) (64%). Significant concentrations of Cd were found in F. III (occluded in Mn oxides; 22%) and F. IV (organically bound; 10%). Fractions V (occluded in poorly crystalline Fe oxides), F. VI (occluded in well crystallized Fe oxides), and F. VII (residual fraction) amounted to less than 5% of the total soil Cd concentration. The plants changed the binding of Cd in soil in a different manner. All plants decreased F. I, but F. II was increased by maize and spinach, decreased by flax or remained unaffected by sunflower. Fraction III was not affected by maize and flax, but decreased by sunflower and spinach, and F. IV was not affected by sunflower and spinach, but was increased by maize and flax. These changes of Cd fractions were not related to the changes the plants had caused in total Cd or Cd2+ concentration of the soil solution. These results show that plant species differ in how they affect Cd binding to the soil solid phase, but this effect is not related to how they affect Cd in soil solution. The mechanisms by which plants affect the relationship between the soil solid and liquid phase are still unclear.
Temporal patterns in the foraging behavior of sea otters in Alaska
Authors: Esslinger George G. , Bodkin James L. , Breton André R. , Burns Jennifer M. , Monson Daniel H. 
Published: April 2014

ABSTRACTActivity time budgets in apex predators have been proposed as indicators of population status relative to resource limitation or carrying capacity. We used archival time‐depth recorders implanted in 15 adult female and 4 male sea otters (Enhydra lutris) from the northernmost population of the species, Prince William Sound, Alaska, USA, to examine temporal patterns in their foraging behavior. Sea otters that we sampled spent less time foraging during summer (females 8.8 hr/day, males 7.9 hr/day) than other seasons (females 10.1–10.5 hr/day, males 9.2–9.5 hr/day). Both sexes showed strong preferences for diurnal foraging and adjusted their foraging effort in response to the amount of available daylight. One exception to this diurnal foraging mode occurred after females gave birth. For approximately 3 weeks post‐partum, females switched to nocturnal foraging, possibly in an effort to reduce the risk of predation by eagles on newborn pups. We used multilevel mixed regression models to assess the contribution of several biological and environmental covariates to variation in the daily foraging effort of parous females. In the random effects only model, 87% of the total variation in foraging effort was within‐otter variation. The relatively small among‐otter variance component (13%) indicates substantial consistency in the foraging effort of sea otters in this northern population. In the top 3 models, 17% of the within‐otter variation was explained by reproductive stage, day length, wind speed, air temperature and a wind speed × air temperature interaction. This study demonstrates the potential importance of environmental and reproductive effects when using activity budgets to assess population status relative to carrying capacity. Published 2014. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.