bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A new threat for the globally Endangered Hooded GrebePodiceps gallardoi: the American minkNeovison vison.
Authors: ROESLER IGNACIO , IMBERTI SANTIAGO , CASAÑAS HERNÁN , VOLPE NOELIA 
Published: March 2012

SummaryThe Hooded GrebePodiceps gallardoihas been uplisted to globally ‘Endangered’ recently mainly because of the rapid population decline suffered within the last 20 years due to factors such as nest depredation by Kelp GullLarus dominicanusas well as destruction of colonies by wind and lake desiccation. During a census of Hooded Grebes during the 2010/2011 breeding season we found a new predator that has not previously been mentioned, the American minkNeovison vison. One individual mink killed 33 Hooded Grebes and consequently destroyed one of the five colonies found in that breeding season. Due to the characteristics of the waterbird assemblage in the area, the impact of mink could be catastrophic.
Seabird conservation status, threats and priority actions: a global assessment
Authors: CROXALL JOHN P. , BUTCHART STUART H. M. , LASCELLES BEN , STATTERSFIELD ALISON J. , SULLIVAN BEN , SYMES ANDY , TAYLOR PHIL 
Published: March 2012

SummaryWe review the conservation status of, and threats to, all 346 species of seabirds, based on BirdLife International’s data and assessments for the 2010 IUCN Red List. We show that overall, seabirds are more threatened than other comparable groups of birds and that their status has deteriorated faster over recent decades. The principal current threats at sea are posed by commercial fisheries (through competition and mortality on fishing gear) and pollution, whereas on land, alien invasive predators, habitat degradation and human disturbance are the main threats. Direct exploitation remains a problem for some species both at sea and ashore. The priority actions needed involve: a) formal and effective site protection, especially for Important Bird Area (IBA) breeding sites and for marine IBA feeding and aggregation sites, as part of national, regional and global networks of Marine Protected Areas; b) removal of invasive, especially predatory, alien species (a list of priority sites is provided), as part of habitat and species recovery initiatives; and c) reduction of bycatch to negligible levels, as part of comprehensive implementation of ecosystem approaches to fisheries. The main knowledge gaps and research priorities relate to the three topics above but new work is needed on impacts of aquaculture, energy generation operations and climate change (especially effects on the distribution of prey species and rise in sea level). We summarise the relevant national and international jurisdictional responsibilities, especially in relation to endemic and globally threatened species.
ACTIVE Cognitive Training and Rates of Incident Dementia
Authors: Unverzagt Frederick W. , Guey Lin T. , Jones Richard N. , Marsiske Michael , King Jonathan W. , Wadley Virginia G. , Crowe Michael , Rebok George W. , Tennstedt Sharon L. 
Published: March 2012

AbstractSystematic cognitive training produces long-term improvement in cognitive function and less difficulty in performing activities of daily living. We examined whether cognitive training was associated with reduced rate of incident dementia. Participants were from the Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly (ACTIVE) study (n = 2,802). Incident dementia was defined using a combination of interview- and performance-based methods. Survival analysis was used to determine if ACTIVE treatment affected the rate of incident dementia during 5 years of follow-up. A total of 189 participants met criteria for incident dementia. Baseline factors predictive of incident dementia were older age, male gender, African American race, fewer years of education, relationship other than married, no alcohol use, worse MMSE, worse SF-36 physical functioning, higher depressive symptomatology, diabetes, and stroke (all p < .05). A multivariable model with significant predictors of incident dementia and training group revealed that cognitive training was not associated with a lower rate of incident dementia. Cognitive training did not affect rates of incident dementia after 5 years of follow-up. Longer follow-up or enhanced training may be needed to fully explore the preventive capacity of cognitive training in forestalling onset of dementia. (JINS, 2012, 18, 1–9)
Emission taxes when pollution depends on location
Authors: Marrouch Walid , Sinclair-Desgagné Bernard 
Published: March 2012

AbstractIt is well known that an efficient pollution taxation scheme should charge each source according to its specific marginal contribution to social damages. Despite significant advances in environmental assessment, geographic information systems and data analysis, this requirement would impose technical, informational and administrative expenses that most regulators – notably in developing countries – seem unable to afford. This paper shows that it can actually be less demanding than it seems. If polluters are price-takers, for instance, in a context where the affected population concentrates at a given location, then the optimal emission tax will disregard a source's location. Otherwise, the adjustment of the optimal tax to location will depend on the extent of a polluter's market power.
Low-power 8-bit 5-GS/s digital-to-analog converter for multi-gigabit wireless transceivers
Authors: Sedighi Behnam , Khafaji Mahdi , Scheytt Johann Christoph 
Published: March 2012

We present a method to realize a low-power and high-speed digital-to-analog converter (DAC) for system-on-chip applications. The new method is a combination of binary-weighted current cells and R-2R ladder and is specially suited for modern BiCMOS technologies. A prototype 5 GS/s DAC is implemented in 0.13 μm SiGe BiCMOS technology. The DAC dissipates 26 mW and provides an SFDR higher than 48 dB for output frequencies up to 1 GHz.
Springtime boundary layer ozone depletion at Barrow, Alaska: Meteorological influence, year‐to‐year variation, and long‐term change
Authors: Oltmans Samuel J. , Johnson Bryan J. , Harris Joyce M. 
Published: March 2012

In April 2008 and March–April 2009 near daily ozonesonde measurements were made over a several week period to study springtime Arctic boundary layer ozone loss in the vicinity of Barrow, Alaska. A detailed picture of the vertical structure of the depletion events from the soundings was obtained showing that the depletion was confined to approximately the lowest 1000 m with an average height of the top of the layer at ∼500 m. The two years were strongly contrasting in the frequency of ozone depletion events providing an opportunity for investigating the differing conditions under which these events develop. Short‐term variability of the ozone depletion events is closely tied to the frequency of airflow that is primarily Arctic Ocean in origin (more depletion) or originates at lower latitudes (less depletion). The ubiquitous depletion events are interrupted by periodic mixing of ozone rich air into the boundary layer with the onset of synoptic scale weather changes that interrupt flow from off the Arctic Ocean. A 38‐year record of surface ozone measurements at Barrow provides a unique time series that reveals the strong year‐to‐year variability of ozone depletion event occurrence. During March, but not April or May, there has been a significant increase in the frequency of ozone depletion events. This long‐term increase in March depletion events appears to follow the decline in multiyear sea ice in the Arctic Ocean and its replacement by first‐year ice. This significant change in the occurrence of boundary layer ozone events in March may signal a change in the oxidative chemistry in the Arctic that is related to climate change in this sensitive region.
Assimilation of GIRO data into a real‐time IRI
Authors: Galkin I. A. , Reinisch B. W. , Huang X. , Bilitza D. 
Published: March 2012

Increasingly accurate and detailed global 3‐D specification of the Earth's space plasma environment is required to further understand its intricate organization and behavior. For a long time space physics and aeronomy research has been data starved due to the great variety of natural time scales involved in the plasma phenomenology. We have started developing a new approach to the global ionospheric specification called Real‐Time Assimilative Mapping (RTAM). The IRI‐RTAM will use data from the Global Ionospheric Radio Observatory (GIRO) to smoothly transform IRI's background empirical maps of the ionospheric characteristics to match the observations. Such empirical assimilative modeling will provide a high‐resolution, global picture of the ionospheric response to various short‐term events observed during periods of storm activity or the impact of gravity waves coupling the ionosphere to the lower atmosphere, including timelines of the vertical restructuring of the plasma distribution. It will also contribute to the challenging task of providing a rapid insight into the temporal and spatial space weather development using the real‐time GIRO data streams. The new assimilation technique “updates” the IRI electron density distribution while preserving the overall integrity of IRI's typical ionospheric feature representations. The technique adjusts the coefficients of the spherical/diurnal expansions used by the CCIR and URSI‐88 model to obtain the global subpeak electron density distribution. The set of global corrected coefficients can be generated as frequently as every 15 min and easily disseminated using a single real‐time RTAM server operated by GIRO.
Golgi-SNARE GS28 potentiates cisplatin-induced apoptosis by forming GS28–MDM2–p53 complexes and by preventing the ubiquitination and degradation of p53
Authors: Sun Nian-Kang , Huang Shang-Lang , Chien Kun-Yi , Chao Chuck C.-K. 
Published: March 2012

In the present study, we observed that the Golgi-SNARE (soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive fusion protein-attachment protein receptor) GS28 forms a complex with p53 in HEK (human embryonic kidney)-293 cells. Given that p53 represents a tumour suppressor that affects the sensitivity of cancer cells to various chemotherapeutic drugs, we examined whether GS28 may influence the level of sensitivity to the DNA-damaging drug cisplatin. Indeed, knockdown of GS28 using short-hairpin RNA (shGS28) induced resistance to cisplatin in HEK-293 cells. On the other hand, overexpression of GS28 sensitized HEK-293 cells to cisplatin, whereas no sensitization effect was noted for the mitotic spindle-damaging drugs vincristine and taxol. Accordingly, we observed that knockdown of GS28 reduced the accumulation of p53 and its pro-apoptotic target Bax. Conversely, GS28 overexpression induced the accumulation of p53 and Bax as well as the pro-apoptotic phosphorylation of p53 on Ser46. Further experiments showed that these cellular responses could be abrogated by the p53 inhibitor PFT-α (pifithrin-α), indicating that GS28 may affect the stability and activity of p53. The modulatory effects of GS28 on cisplatin sensitivity and p53 stability were absent in lung cancer H1299 cells which are p53-null. As expected, ectopic expression of p53 in H1299 cells restored the modulatory effects of GS28 on sensitivity to cisplatin. In addition, GS28 was found to form a complex with the p53 E3 ligase MDM2 (murine double minute 2) in H1299 cells. Furthermore, the ubiquitination of p53 was reduced by overexpression of GS28 in cells, confirming that GS28 enhances the stability of the p53 protein. Taken together, these results suggest that GS28 may potentiate cells to DNA-damage-induced apoptosis by inhibiting the ubiquitination and degradation of p53.
Insulin-like Growth Factor I and Anthropometric Parameters in a Danish Population
Authors: Friedrich N. , Jørgensen T. , Juul A. , Spielhagen C. , Nauck M. , Wallaschofski H. , Linneberg A. 
Published: March 2012

AbstractDuring the last decade several studies indicated that low insulin-like growth factor (IGF) I levels are related to higher risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality. Obesity represents one further main cardiovascular risk factor which might also be related to IGF-I. The objective of the present study was to analyse the associations between anthropometric measures and IGF-I levels in a population-based sample.From the Danish cross-sectional Health2006 study 3 328 subjects (1 835 women; 1 493 men) aged 19–72 years were included in the analyses. Serum IGF-I levels were determined by an immunoassay. Body height, weight as well as waist and hip circumferences were measured. Body-mass-index, waist-to-hip ratio and waist-to-height ratio were calculated.Circulating IGF-I levels were inversely associated with all anthropometric markers as evaluated by linear regression adjusting for age, alcohol consumption, smoking and physical activity. Our large cross-sectional study suggests that IGF-I may serve as the link between obesity and mortality although any causal relation cannot be inferred and longitudinal analyses are needed to clarify the causal relation.
Zebrafish: A Model for Understanding Diabetic Complications
Authors: Jörgens K. , Hillebrands J.-L. , Hammes H.-P. , Kroll J. 
Published: March 2012

AbstractDiabetes mellitus causes several vascular complications in patients, such as macrovascular problems including myocardial infarction, peripheral artery diseases and stroke and microvascular problems including nephropathy and retinopathy. Likewise, diabetes mellitus is associated with other complications such as neuropathy and delayed wound healing. The zebrafish has been used for decades as a model organism for studies in developmental biology. In fact several common and important developmental mechanisms have been identified in zebrafish which are similar in mammals. The zebrafish has short generation intervals and zebrafish embryos are transparent and therefore provide unique imaging opportunities. In combination with genetic manipulations, including gene silencing protocols by using morpholinos, mutant or transgenic fish lines, the zebrafish has become one of the most important models in developmental biology. Over and above, zebrafish is also an established model organism for several pathophysiological conditions which are related to human diseases. For instance, zebrafish is used as an inflammation and regeneration model because of its ability to partially compensate for organ loss (e. g., heart and fins). It is also used for drug screening, in tumor biology, for systems biology, congenital and hereditary disease, and in infection 1.
Glucose Effects on the Peritoneum: What Can We Learn from Rodent Models?
Authors: Müller-Krebs S. , Zhang W. , Kihm L. , Reiser J. , Nawroth P. , Schwenger V. 
Published: March 2012

AbstractDuring long-term peritoneal dialysis (PD) the peritoneal membrane underlies processes of structural and functional reorganization mediated by high glucose and reactive glucose metabolites that are contained in PD solutions; this process is accompanied by increasing fibrosis. Mechanistically, the peritoneal damage is triggered by the interaction of advanced glycation end-products with their receptor; this is true for rodents as well as for humans. With this knowledge interventional strategies can be tested in rodent models, among them are the lipid soluble vitamin B1 analogue benfotiamine (BF) or detoxifying enzymes such as glyoxalase. Of additional interest is the finding that PD fluids do not only cause local but also systemic damage, in particular renal and cardiovascular. In the case of kidney damage, the intervention with BF was also successful. Taken together, PD can be regarded as a local model for long-term diabetes together with systemic aspects of damage.
Yeast as a Model to Understand Mechanisms and Consequences of Protein Modifications by Metabolism Derived Toxic Products
Authors: Tyedmers J. 
Published: March 2012

AbstractAn inevitable consequence of metabolism in cells across all kingdoms of life is the non-enzymatic formation of toxic metabolites such as reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reducing sugars, whose reaction products are associated with several diseases such as clinical complications of diabetes, cataracts, cancer and age-related late-onset diseases like Parkinson’s Disease and Alzheimer’s Disease, amongst others. Yeast has been used successfully to study the reaction of these toxic metabolites with proteins in vivo, which I will summarize with exemplified studies on 2 crucial reactions, protein carbonylation and protein glycation.
DNA-modified silicon nanocrystals studied by X-ray luminescence and X-ray absorption spectroscopies: Observation of a strong infra-red luminescence band
Authors: Coxon P. R. , Newman M. , Hunt M. R. C. , O’Farrell N. , Horrocks B. R. , Poolton N. R. J. , Šiller L. 
Published: March 2012

Silicon nanocrystals (SiNCs) modified with 18-mer DNA oligonucleotides have been studied by X-ray excited optical luminescence (XEOL) and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) in photoluminescence yield (PLY) and total electron yield (TEY) modes. Luminescence spectra from the DNA-modified SiNCs under X-ray excitation display distinct differences from simple alkyl terminated SiNCs. The DNA-modified SiNCs show strong luminescence at 540 ± 10 nm under vacuum ultraviolet excitation which is assigned to nitrogen 1s – σ* transitions within the DNA bases. Under excitation at 130 eV the PLY spectra from the same samples show the native nanocrystal ultraviolet emission band is suppressed, and the strongest emission peak is red shifted from 430 ± 10 nm to 489 ± 10 nm which we attribute to base nitrogen 1s transitions. In addition, a strong emission band in the infrared region at 815 ± 10 nm is observed. This clearly resolved strong IR band from the DNA-modified SiNCs may provide a useful luminescence signature in cell-labeling techniques and open up a range of applications for invivo assays.
Interaction of soybean and
Phakopsora pachyrhizi
, the cause of soybean rust.
Authors: Hartman G. L. , Hill C. B. , Twizeyimana M. , Miles M. R. , Bandyopadhyay R. 
Published: March 2012

Abstract

Soybean rust, caused by
Phakopsora pachyrhizi
Syd., is a major disease limiting soybean [
Glycine max
(L.) Merr.] production in many areas of the world. Yield losses of up to 80% have been reported in experimental plots in Taiwan. Although the disease is not always yield limiting, it has the potential under conducive conditions to cause major losses in most soybean-producing countries in the world. The threat of
P. pachyrhizi
to soybean production in the Western Hemisphere began in Paraguay in 2001, where the disease was found in a limited number of soybean fields in the Parana River basin bordering Brazil. Later, in 2004,
P. pachyrhizi
was found in the continental USA. There are approximately 150 species in 53 genera the family Fabaceae known to be hosts of
P. pachyrhizi
. Approximately 120 of the known hosts occur in North and Central America and could become important in the epidemiology of the disease, serving as a bridge or over-wintering host between soybean crops. The interaction between soybean genotypes and
P. pachyrhizi
isolates appears to follow gene-for-gene theory, with resistance genes controlling resistance to specific pathotypes. In addition to soybean, pathotype-specific resistance has also been found in a number of perennial
Glycine
species. Dominant genes controlling pathotype-specific resistance to soybean rust have been identified and mapped to five loci in the soybean genome, with multiple alleles at four loci. Many of the resistance genes have become ineffective over time in different geographic areas following their deployment into soybean production. The search for more durable soybean rust resistance will include research on non-host and/or engineered resistance.
Detection and measurement of plant disease symptoms using visible-wavelength photography and image analysis.
Authors: Bock C. H. , Nutter F. W., Jr. 
Published: March 2012

Abstract
Plant disease detection and severity assessment are required for many purposes, including predicting yield loss, monitoring and forecasting epidemics, judging host resistance and for studying fundamental biological host-pathogen processes. If assessments of disease severity are inaccurate and/or imprecise, incorrect conclusions might be drawn and incorrect actions taken. Image analysis based on digital images made using visible wavelengths is one of the several methods used to detect and quantify disease; it offers advantages compared with visual assessment or other methods. Over the last 30 years, major advances have been made to improve reliability, precision and accuracy of image analysis for detecting and measuring plant disease. Although the equipment and software continue to become more sophisticated, these technologies are also becoming easier to use. As a result, image analysis to measure plant disease is becoming increasingly widely used, and has now been applied in the study of numerous plant diseases. This review describes the history, technology and application of visible-wavelength photography and image analysis, and progress towards realizing the full potential of these systems in plant disease detection and assessment.
Symbiotic nitrogen fixation and the delivery of multiple ecosystem services: a global change perspective.
Authors: Fornara D. 
Published: March 2012

Abstract
A key challenge facing humanity in the coming decades will be ensuring food supply to a growing human population without compromising the sustainability of many agro-ecosystems worldwide. Although agricultural soils remain firmly at the foundation of human life-support systems, human domination of terrestrial ecosystems over the last century has greatly affected their long-term sustainability as well as reducing soil biological diversity. This has mainly occurred through widespread land-use changes and through the chronic deposition of biologically available nutrients, such as nitrogen (N) and phosphorous (P). Here I argue that a better understanding of the ecological role of symbiotic N-fixers could help in developing more sustainable multifunctional agro-ecosystems. N-fixers are beneficial for the delivery of multiple ecosystem services such as greater primary productivity (i.e. increased crop yields), increased soil carbon (C) and N sequestration, and higher soil biological diversity. Understanding the ecological mechanisms responsible for the provision of these ecosystem services may also be critical for reducing the global-warming potential of many agricultural practices worldwide.
Nutrients that kill: is fructose guilty of causing the obesity epidemic?
Authors: Purcell K. , Priya Sumithran Priya Sumithran , Haywood C. , Proietto J. 
Published: March 2012

Abstract
Obesity has become a major health issue throughout the world. Between 1960 and 2000, fructose consumption has increased at a similar rate to that of obesity. For this reason, fructose has been postulated to contribute to obesity. This paper reviews several possible mechanisms by which dietary fructose may be linked to obesity, and examines the currently available data on the interaction of dietary fructose with the increase in rates of obesity. The majority of studies reviewed in this paper support a link between fructose consumption and obesity. However, studies that are controlled for sugar intake do not appear to support a specific effect of fructose (as opposed to glucose) in the development of obesity. At least one study suggests that fructose ingestion gives a worse metabolic profile when compared with glucose.