bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Effect of High Temperature Annealing on the Photoluminescence of ZnMgO Alloys
Authors: Borkovska Lyudmyla , Khomenkova Larysa , Markevich Iryna , Osipyonok Mykola , Kolomys Oleksandr , Rarata Serhii , Oberemok Oleksandr , Gudymenko Olexandr , Kryvko Andriy , Strelchuk Victor
Published: June 2018

The effect of thermal annealing on the luminescence of wurtzite ZnMgO alloys in the films and ceramics produced by solid state reaction route is investigated. Formation of hexagonal ZnMgO phase is proved by X‐ray diffraction, micro‐Raman, photoluminescence (PL), and PL excitation methods. Mg starts incorporating into ZnO lattice at 700 °C, and its content increases with the increase of the annealing temperature up to 1000 °C. Nevertheless, in the PL spectra of the films annealed in air at 1000 °C, excitonic and defect‐related emissions from residual ZnO phase dominate, while those from the ZnMgO alloy are weak. The annealing in Zn vapor results in even weaker ZnMgO PL. In ceramics sintered in the air at 1000 °C, the PL from wurtzite ZnMgO phase is found to be strongly supressed on the surface and bright in the depth of a pellet. The gettering of Na, K, and Ca residual impurities at the surface of the samples under annealing is proved by Secondary ion mass spectrometry. It is proposed that degradation of ZnMgO PL in the near surface region is caused mainly by intense thermal decomposition of wurtzite ZnMgO phase accompanied by generation of non‐radiative defects.
Kinetic Barrier Against Standing Up of Pentacene Molecules Upon a Pentacene Monolayer
Authors: Zhang Lei , Huo Shuchun , Fu Xing , Hohage Michael , Sun Lidong
Published: June 2018

The growth of pentacene thin films on Cu(110)‐(2 × 1)O surface was investigated in situ and in real time using reflectance difference spectroscopy (RDS). Deposition at a substrate temperature of 230 K results in a lying‐down orientation for all pentacene molecules. Subsequent annealing to a temperature of 350 K induces reorientation for molecules above the first monolayer into a standing‐up configuration. By a quantitative analysis on the corresponding evolution of the RD signals, the kinetic barrier of  meV has been deduced for the reorientation of pentacene molecule.
Assessing the Impact of the Political Environment on INGO Vulnerability to Terrorist Attack
Authors: Lambert Kathryn M.
Published: June 2018

International Non‐Governmental Organizations (INGOs) operate in dangerous environments where their humanitarian missions are often in jeopardy. This study analyzes the relationship between four political variables—Regime Type, Political Corruption, Political Stability, and Level of Terrorism—and terrorist attacks against INGOs. What political conditions exist when INGOs are targeted by terror organizations? Do these conditions differ from international terror attacks in which INGOs are not targeted? The Global Terrorism Database (GTD) is used to identify INGOs attacked by terrorists and to describe the nature of the terrorist threat posed to the organizations. Additionally, data from the Polity IV Project, the State Fragility Index (SFI), and Worldwide Governance Indicators (WGIs) are used to create proxy variables for Regime Type, Political Stability, and Political Corruption. Binary logistic regression of these four variables reveals Political Stability and Level of Terrorism as the best predictors of INGO attacks. These two variables predicted 82.0 percent of the INGO attacks but were much less successful (58.1 percent) in predicting terrorist attacks in which INGOs were not targeted. INGOs can more effectively align resources with their security needs as they gain a better understanding of how the political environment impacts or does not impact their vulnerability to terrorist attack.
Diversity of hepatitis E virus genotype 3
Authors: Nicot Florence , Jeanne Nicolas , Roulet Alain , Lefebvre Caroline , Carcenac Romain , Manno Maxime , Dubois Martine , Kamar Nassim , Lhomme Sébastien , Abravanel Florence , Izopet Jacques
Published: June 2018

Hepatitis E virus genotype 3 (HEV‐3) can lead to chronic infection in immunocompromised patients, and ribavirin is the treatment of choice. Recently, mutations in the polymerase gene have been associated with ribavirin failure but their frequency before treatment according to HEV‐3 subtypes has not been studied on a large data set. We used single‐molecule real‐time sequencing technology to sequence 115 new complete genomes of HEV‐3 infecting French patients. We analyzed phylogenetic relationships, the length of the polyproline region, and mutations in the HEV polymerase gene. Eighty‐five (74%) were in the clade HEV‐3efg, 28 (24%) in HEV‐3chi clade, and 2 (2%) in HEV‐3ra clade. Using automated partitioning of maximum likelihood phylogenetic trees, complete genomes were classified into subtypes. Polyproline region length differs within HEV‐3 clades (from 189 to 315 nt). Investigating mutations in the polymerase gene, distinct polymorphisms between HEV‐3 subtypes were found (G1634R in 95% of HEV‐3e, G1634K in 56% of HEV‐3ra, and V1479I in all HEV‐3efg, clade HEV‐3ra, and HEV‐3k strains). Subtype‐specific polymorphisms in the HEV‐3 polymerase have been identified. Our study provides new complete genome sequences of HEV‐3 that could be useful for comparing strains circulating in humans and the animal reservoir.
Distributed adaptive fault‐tolerant leader‐following formation control of nonlinear uncertain second‐order multi‐agent systems
Authors: Khalili Mohsen , Zhang Xiaodong , Cao Yongcan , Polycarpou Marios M. , Parisini Thomas
Published: June 2018

This paper presents a distributed integrated fault diagnosis and accommodation scheme for leader‐following formation control of a class of nonlinear uncertain second‐order multi‐agent systems. The fault model under consideration includes both process and actuator faults, which may evolve abruptly or incipiently. The time‐varying leader communicates with a small subset of follower agents, and each follower agent communicates to its directly connected neighbors through a bidirectional network with possibly asymmetric weights. A local fault diagnosis and accommodation component are designed for each agent in the distributed system, which consists of a fault detection and isolation module and a reconfigurable controller module comprised of a baseline controller and two adaptive fault‐tolerant controllers, activated after fault detection and after fault isolation, respectively. By using appropriately the designed Lyapunov functions, the closed‐loop stability and asymptotic convergence properties of the leader‐follower formation are rigorously established under different modes of the fault‐tolerant control system.
An evaluation of data stream clustering algorithms
Authors: Mansalis Stratos , Ntoutsi Eirini , Pelekis Nikos , Theodoridis Yannis
Published: June 2018

Data stream clustering is a hot research area due to the abundance of data streams collected nowadays and the need for understanding and acting upon such sort of data. Unsupervised learning (clustering) comprises one of the most popular data mining tasks for gaining insights into the data. Clustering is a challenging task, while clustering over data streams involves additional challenges such as the single pass constraint over the raw data and the need for fast response. Moreover, dealing with an infinite and fast changing data stream implies that the clustering model extracted upon such sort of data is also subject to evolution over time. Several stream clustering surveys exist already in the literature; however, they focus on a theoretical presentation of the surveyed algorithms. On the contrary, in this paper, we survey the state‐of‐the‐art stream clustering algorithms and we evaluate their performance in different data sets and for different parameter settings.
Assessment of Bayesian expected power via Bayesian bootstrap
Authors: Liu Fang
Published: June 2018

The Bayesian expected power (BEP) has become increasingly popular in assessing the probability of success for a future trial. While the traditional power assumes a single value for the unknown effect size Δ and is thus highly dependent on the assumed value, the BEP embraces the uncertainty around Δ given the prior information and is therefore a less subjective measure for the probability of success than the traditional power especially when the prior information is not rich. Current methods for assessing BEP are often based in a parametric framework by imposing a model on the pilot data to derive and sample from the posterior distributions of Δ. The model‐based approach can be analytically challenging and computationally costly especially for multivariate data sets, and it also runs the risk of generating misleading BEP if the model is misspecified. We propose an approach based on the Bayesian bootstrap (BBS) technique to simulate future trials in the presence of individual‐level pilot data, based on which the empirical BEP can be calculated. The BBS approach is model‐free with no assumptions about the distribution of the prior data and also circumvents the analytical and computational complexity associated with obtaining the posterior distribution of the Δ. Information from multiple pilot studies is also straightforward to combine. We also propose the double bootstrap technique, a frequentist counterpart to the BBS, that shares similar properties and achieves the same goal as the BBS for BEP assessment. Simulation and case studies are presented to demonstrate the implementation of the BBS technique and the double bootstrap technique and to compare the BEP results with model‐based approach.
Bayesian design of a survival trial with a cured fraction using historical data
Authors: Psioda Matthew A. , Ibrahim Joseph G.
Published: June 2018

In this paper, we develop a general Bayesian clinical trial design methodology, tailored for time‐to‐event trials with a cured fraction in scenarios where a previously completed clinical trial is available to inform the design and analysis of the new trial. Our methodology provides a conceptually appealing and computationally feasible framework that allows one to construct a fixed, maximally informative prior a priori while simultaneously identifying the minimum sample size required for the new trial so that the design has high power and reasonable type I error control from a Bayesian perspective. This strategy is particularly well suited for scenarios where adaptive borrowing approaches are not practical due to the nature of the trial, complexity of the model, or the source of the prior information. Control of a Bayesian type I error rate offers a sensible balance between wanting to use high‐quality information in the design and analysis of future trials while still controlling type I errors in an equitable way. Moreover, sample size determination based on our Bayesian view of power can lead to a more adequately sized trial by virtue of taking into account all the uncertainty in the treatment effect. We demonstrate our methodology by designing a cancer clinical trial in high‐risk melanoma.
Synthesis of Novel Thiophene‐Chalcone Derivatives as Anticancer‐ and Apoptosis‐Inducing Agents
Authors: Duddukuri Nandan Kumar , Thatikonda Sowjanya , Godugu Chandraiah , Kumar Rathod Aravind , Doijad. Nandkumar
Published: June 2018

A series of new thiophene linked chalcone hybrids has been designed and synthesized. The key intermediate thiophene‐2‐carbaldehyde 13 was synthesized by coupling furan and phenyl ring via Suzuki reaction. The new scaffolds were synthesized by base catalyzed condensation reaction from key intermediate with various substituted acetophenones to build the chalcone core. The conversion in this synthesis involves the following steps (i) Selective bromination, (ii) regioselective Suzuki coupling (iii) Various aromatic substituents were introduced by classical aldol condensation. We screened all compounds of this thiophene‐chalcone derivatives (15 a‐n) in selected cancer cell lines viz. Human breast (MCF‐7, MDA‐MB‐453) prostate cancer (PC‐3), lung (A549). The screened compounds showed good anticancer activity on two of the studied cell lines with best IC50 values of thiophene‐chalcone derivative 15 e (6.3±0.9 μM) on A549 and with GI50 values of compound 15 e (1.9±0.3 μM) on A549 cells. This strategy is operationally simple and works with a diverse range of substrates and warrants future investigations for further anticancer drug development.
H2O‐Mediated Epoxide Ring‐Opening with Concomitant C–S Bond Formation: A One‐Pot Method to 3‐Hydroxy‐oxindolino‐dithiocarbamates as Cytotoxic Agents
Authors: Bhandari Sonal , Katore Amol Rajaram , Bajaj Deepti Madanlal , Sharma Pankaj , Talla Venu , Shankaraiah Nagula
Published: June 2018

A simple and efficient one‐pot protocol for the synthesis of a library of 3‐hydroxy‐oxindolino‐dithiocarbamate hybrids has been developed and evaluated for their in vitro cytotoxicity potential against selected human cancer cell lines. This one‐pot reaction takes place via regiospecific spiro‐epoxide ring‐opening with concomitant C–S bond formation by an in situ generation of dithiocarbamate intermediate. Gratifyingly, the reaction has been accelerated efficiently in water medium without using any catalyst or base and enable higher yields, atom‐economy, greener synthesis and offers diverse substrate scope. Among the tested compounds, one of the representative compounds 4 p with a chloro substitution and N‐p‐CN‐benzyl on oxindole nucleus displayed potent in vitro cytotoxicity against MCF‐7 (breast cancer cells) with an IC50 value of 2.1 ± 0.4 μM. Moreover, the promising candidate 4 p induce G2/M phase cell cycle arrest and apoptosis on MCF‐7 cells, as determined by AO‐EB and DAPI staining as well as annexin binding studies
Convenient Au(III)‐Catalysed Synthesis of 1‐Alkyl‐3‐diethoxy‐phosphoryl‐1,2,3,4‐tetrahydroisoquinolines
Authors: Murashkina Arina V. , Mitrofanov Alexander Yu. , Grishin Yuri K. , Rybakov Victor B. , Beletskaya Irina P.
Published: June 2018

We report here convenient approach to the synthesis of 1‐alkyl‐3‐diethoxyphosphoryl‐1,2,3,4‐tetrahydroisoquinolines through cyclization of alkynylsubstituted α‐aminophosphonates in the presence of AuCl3 with following reduction by NaBH4. Starting alkynylsubstituted α‐aminophosphonates were easily synthesized by using Sonogashira reaction of diethyl (1‐((diphenylmethylene)‐amino)‐2‐(2‐iodophenyl)ethyl)phosphonate with series of terminal alkynes. The 1‐alkyl‐3‐diethoxyphosphoryl‐1,2,3,4‐tetrahydroisoquinolines with different alkyl substituents were obtained as two enantiomers with cis‐configuration in good yields.
One Second Formation of Large Area Graphene on a Conical Tip Surface via Direct Transformation of Surface Carbide
Authors: Ge Yifei , Xu Lele , Lu Xing , Xu Jianxun , Liang Jianbo , Zhao Yuliang
Published: June 2018

Graphene functionalized nanotips are expected to possess promising potential for various applications based on the outstanding electrical and mechanical properties of graphene. However, current methods, usually requiring a high growth temperature and identical crystal surface to match graphene lattice, are suitable for graphene formation on a flat surface. It remains a big challenge to grow graphene on a nanosized convex surface and fabricate functionalized nanotips with high quality graphene at the apex. In this work, a novel ultrafast annealing method is developed for growing large area graphene on Ni nanotips within 1–2 s. Few layered or multiple layered graphene is presented on the apex or sidewall of the conical tip surface. Direct experimental evidences support that thus‐produced graphene is formed via the direct conversion of nickel carbide at the outer surface under the instantaneous high temperature, which is different from the conventional segregation mechanism. This newly developed ultrafast method provides a new route to produce graphene efficiently and economically, promising for both convex surfaces and flat substrates. Moreover, the graphene functionalized nanotips exhibit a great potential for nanoelectrical measurements and conductive scanning probe microscopy (SPM) applications.
Efficient Moisture‐Resistant Perovskite Solar Cell With Nanostructure Featuring 3D Amine Motif
Authors: Li Liang , Jin Xin , Liu Na , Chen Qi , Zhang Wen‐Bin , Zhou Huanping
Published: June 2018

Organic–inorganic halide perovskite‐based solar cells (PSCs) have attracted intensive attention due to their high power conversion efficiency (PCE) and low fabrication cost. However, the long‐term stability is of central importance as it enables the application of hybrid perovskite materials in real‐world devices, where addressing the performance degradation issue in humid conditions is urgently needed. Conceptually different from a previous study based on alkyl ammonium cations, here it is demonstrated that a new type of three‐dimensional hydrophobic ammonium cation, namely POSS‐NH2 can be successfully assembled on the prototype perovskite surface to provide waterproof ability via a facile functionalization process. More importantly, the assembled POSS‐NH2 on the surface is able to tune the optoelectronic behavior of the perovskite film and the relevant interfaces, which could ultimately benefit the device performance with PCEs over 20%, slightly higher than the photovoltaic behavior derived from pristine perovskites. The employment of POSS‐NH2 in perovskite materials opens up an alternative direction toward improving the humidity tolerance of perovskite solar cells while retaining the device performance.
Physics of failure‐based failure mode, effects, and criticality analysis for Integrated Circuits
Authors: Qiu Wenhao , Lian Guangyao , Xue Mingxi , Huang Kaoli
Published: June 2018

Existing failure mode, effects, and criticality analysis (FMECA) methods, which still rely mainly on failure data and the empirical information of designers, suffer from subjectivity and inflexibility, which makes the application of these methods on electronic equipment, especially integrated circuit‐based equipment, less credible. Therefore, the idea of physics of failure (PoF)‐based FMECA is presented. First, the relationship between typical failure modes and the failure mechanisms of integrated circuits is analyzed. Based on the results, pseudo‐random samples are generated using a Monte Carlo (MC) simulation. Then, the hybrid hypothesis test method is proposed to determine the failure distribution function, and then a mixed failure rate model based on failure factors is established to calculate the rates of failure modes. This method is applied to a main control module of a control system to correct the original FMECA results. Results show that this method has good applicability to the FMECA of integrated circuits and can obtain more objective and accurate analysis results compared to traditional methods, while being more applicable for testability verification tests.
Adaptive FA based on evaluation and control of search state for superior solution set search problem
Authors: Wang Hongran , Tamura Kenichi , Tsuchiya Jun‐ichi , Yasuda Keiichiro
Published: June 2018

In conventional single‐objective optimization, presenting multiple alternatives is difficult because the aim is to search for only one global optimal or suboptimal solution. In this paper, we propose a superior solution set search problem as an optimization problem to simultaneously find multiple excellent solutions in multimodal functions. In addition, we analyze the characteristics of the Firefly Algorithm (FA), which divides the search process into multiple clusters, and using this property, we efficiently search for the superior solution set. We interpret the metaheuristics strategy (i.e., diversification and intensification) of the superior solution set search problem and clarify the effects of parameters on the cluster search dynamics of FA in terms of the metaheuristics strategy. After the above analysis, we propose an adaptive FA that preliminarily performs parameter adjustment according to set target value schedule, evaluate indicators of diversification and intensification for the superior solution set search problem, and verify their usefulness by conducting a numerical experiment using three typical benchmark functions. © 2018 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Periodic displacement field for coronary artery vascular nonrigid registration in cardiac cine sequence
Authors: Park Taewoo , Lee Soochahn , Yun Il Dong
Published: June 2018

An efficient methodology of nonrigid registration of coronary artery vascular images with periodic displacement field is presented. The proposed methodology is composed of two parts: the extraction of per‐frame displacement fields by nonrigid registration with frames comprising one heart cycle, and registration of the remaining frames in the sequence using the extracted displacement fields. In this method, the motion of coronary vessels of an entire sequence is efficiently aligned. Experimental evaluation conducted on a set of 16 fluoroscopic angiograms resulted in reduced target registration error (TRE) and computation time, demonstrating the efficiency of the proposed method. © 2018 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
On the Development of a Harmonized, User-Centered Terminology for Current and Upcoming ICT Devices, Services and Applications
Authors: von Niman Bruno , Böcker Martin , Boveda Angel
Published: June 2018

Unfamiliar terms used in the user interface (UI) of an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) device, service or application may present an obstacle to users, if unfamiliar with them or uncertain about their technical meaning and intended functionality. The availability of a harmonised, user-centred terminology benefits users with functional variations, such as those with literacy difficulties, or people with varying visual needs or cognitive capabilities. This paper presents on-going standardization work, focusing on improving the overall usability and accessibility through the development of recommendations addressing terminology harmonization among devices, services and applications to a well-defined degree, in areas not intended to convey a certain brand-specific feature or image.
Completion, Comments and Repurposing a Digital Accessibility MOOC
Authors: Draffan E. A. , Leon Manuel , James Abi , Aljaloud Saud , Wald Mike
Published: June 2018

The ‘massive’ and ‘open’ nature of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) can provide powerful dissemination tools to raise awareness of topics in need of public attention, such as digital accessibility and its impact on assistive technology users. The subject is a wide-ranging one when taught from the point of view of those who may have sensory, physical and/or cognitive impairments coping with a myriad of digital activities on a daily basis. These may range from creating and viewing documents, surfing the web to using a mobile or a washing machine. An analysis of the interactions and learning experiences of those who completed the FutureLearn Digital Accessibility MOOC was conducted, using a combination of statistical and qualitative methods. Preliminary results indicate a progressive loss of participants over time, which is to be expected with MOOCs. However, certain measures such as the number of comments per participant, completed steps, and the “likes” count suggest a relatively high degree of engagement from this particular learning community. After examining the topics that triggered most participation, a suggestion has been formulated to repurpose parts of the course in order to exploit its most engaging sections and offer alternative forms of support for those activities that required more explanation.
Introducing an Emotion-Driven Assistance System for Cognitively Impaired Individuals
Authors: Hantke Simone , Cohrs Christian , Schmitt Maximilian , Tannert Benjamin , Lütkebohmert Florian , Detmers Mathias , Schelhowe Heidi , Schuller Björn
Published: June 2018

Mental, neurological and/or physical disabilities often affect individuals’ cognitive processes, which in turn can introduce difficulties with remembering what they have learnt. Therefore, completing trivial daily tasks can be challenging and supervision or help from others is constantly needed. In this regard, these individuals with special needs can benefit from nowadays advanced assistance techniques. Within this contribution, a language-driven, workplace integrated, assistance system is being proposed, supporting disabled individuals in the handling of certain activities while taking into account their emotional-cognitive constitution and state. In this context, we present a set of baseline results for emotion recognition tasks and conduct machine learning experiments to benchmark the performance of an automatic emotion recognition system on the collected data. We show that this is a challenging task that can nevertheless be tackled with state-of-the-art methodologies.
Effectiveness of Tactile Scatter Plots: Comparison of Non-visual Data Representations
Authors: Watanabe Tetsuya , Mizukami Hikaru
Published: June 2018

The goal of making a scatter plot is to visually identify the type of relationship between two quantitative variables quickly. To explore whether a scatter plot can achieve this goal when it is made in the form of a tactile graph and presented to blind people, we conducted an experiment in which x-y data sets were presented to blind participants in three data representations: tactile graph, tactile table, and electronic table, and the participants were asked to identify the type of relationship between two variables. Under all presentation conditions, the correct rates were high: it was 92.5% for the tactile graph condition and 85.0% for the tactile table and electronic table conditions. Tactile graphs were understood with the shortest time, tactile tables with the second shortest, and electronic tables needed the longest time. This differences were due to the different strategies for identifying the relationships. Both tactile graph and tactile table conditions gained higher subjective ratings than the electronic table condition.
Erratum to: Hydrological modelling in the anthroposphere: predicting local runoff in a heavily modified high-alpine catchment
Authors: Wesemann Johannes , Herrnegger Mathew , Schulz Karsten
Published: June 2018

The article Hydrological modelling in the anthroposphere: predicting local runoff in a heavily modified high-alpine catchment, written by Johannes WESEMANN, Mathew HERRNEGGER and Karsten SCHULZ, was mistakenly originally published without open access. After publication in volume 15, issue 5, page 921-938 this was corrected and the article was made an open access publication. Therefore, the copyright of the article has been changed to © The Author(s) 2018 and the article is forthwith distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits use, duplication, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The original article has been corrected.
Erratum to: Mapping mountain areas: learning from Global, European and Norwegian perspectives
Authors: Price Martin F. , Arnesen Tor , Gløersen Erik , Metzger Marc J.
Published: June 2018

The article Mapping mountain areas: learning from Global, European and Norwegian perspectives, written by Martin F. PRICE, Tor ARNESEN, Erik GLØERSEN and Marc J. METZGER, was originally erroneously published electronically on the publisher’s internet portal (currently SpringerLink) on May 21st 2018 without open access.

When the mistake was discovered the copyright of the article changed in June 2018 to © The Author(s) 2018 and the article is forthwith distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits use, duplication, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The original article has been corrected.
Self-control and demand for commitment in online game playing: evidence from a field experiment
Authors: Acland Dan , Chow Vinci
Published: June 2018

We conduct an experiment on an online game, exploring the effect on gameplay behavior of voluntary commitment devices that allow players to limit their gameplay. Approximately 25% of players use the devices. Median and 75th percentile device users use devices approximately 60 and 100% of the time, respectively. Players who chose to use the device were those who had previously played longer and more frequently than those who chose not to use the device. Offering the commitment devices decreased session length and session frequency by 2.8 and 6.1%, respectively, while increasing weeks of play by 5.5%. Our results are consistent with some players having self-identified self-control problems, leading to longer and more frequent play than they would prefer, and to demand for commitment, and also with commitment devices creating a more rewarding experience, leading to longer-lasting involvement with the game. Our results suggest incentivizing or requiring commitment devices in computer games.
Long-Term Cognitive Outcomes in Patients with Autoimmune Encephalitis
Authors: Hébert Julien , Day Gregory S. , Steriade Claude , Wennberg Richard A. , Tang-Wai David F.
Published: June 2018

Background: A need exists to characterise the long-term cognitive outcomes in patients who recovered from autoimmune encephalitis and to identify the modifiable factors associated with improved outcomes. Methods: We retrospectively analysed data from patients diagnosed with autoimmune encephalitis in our outpatient autoimmune encephalitis clinic over a 5-year period, where the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) is routinely administered. Results: In total, 21 patients met the inclusion criteria, of whom 52% had persistent cognitive impairment at their latest follow-up (median delay to testing=20 months, range 13-182). Visuospatial and executive abilities, language, attention, and delayed recall were predominantly affected. Patients with status epilepticus at presentation had lower total MoCA scores at their last follow-up (median total score 21, range 15-29) compared with patients without status epilepticus at presentation (median total score 27.5, range 21-30; r2=0.366, p=0.004). Patients who experienced delays of more than 60 days from symptom onset to initiation of treatment (either immunosuppression or tumour removal) were more likely to have a MoCA score compatible with cognitive impairment at their last follow-up (r2=0.253, p=0.0239; z-score=−2.01, p=0.044). Conclusions: Our study suggests that the MoCA may be used to evaluate cognition in recovering patients with autoimmune encephalitis. Delays to treatment shorter than 60 days and absence of status epilepticus at onset were associated with better performance on the MoCA obtained more than 1 year after symptom onset, and may predict better long-term cognitive outcomes.
Knowledge, Power and System in Hegel and Foucault: The Hegelian Impact on Foucault’s Theories of Power
Authors: Vallebona Giovanni , Weber Bernadette
Published: June 2018

The following article will broach the issue of the relation between Hegel and Foucault based on the binomial knowledge-power. While for Hegel human knowledge comes with the development of consciousness, for Foucault the possibility of knowledge is articulated within a phenomenology of power. While for Hegel Bildung leads spirit to self-consciousness, Foucault initially considers formation to be connected to a forced correction. At first Foucault studies the problem of formation in view of the dynamics of power, as a faculty of repression; later he underlines that the exchange between the sovereign and the advisor positively influences the decisions of the latter, as well as their personal growth. Foucault points out the connection between truth and freedom, and emphasizes the fundamental role of parresia as a force to break the system of power relations.
THE DISCOVERY OF A BEEHIVE AND THE IDENTIFICATION OF APIARIES AMONG THE ANCIENT MAYA
Authors: Źrałka Jarosław , Helmke Christophe , Sotelo Laura , Koszkul Wiesław
Published: June 2018

Recently, an exceptional find was made by the Nakum Archaeological Project in an offering deposited deep within the architectural core of the Precolumbian Maya site of Nakum located in northeastern Guatemala. The form of the object and comparisons made to ethnographic analogs indicate that it is a clay beehive, most probably one of the oldest in the Maya area and in the whole of Mesoamerica. Whether the object was used for its intended function or is an emulation, or skeuomorph, of perishable counterparts, remains unknown. The importance of this find lies in the fact that beekeeping is an activity that is traced with difficulty in archaeology. The present paper discusses the discovery of this artifact at Nakum, which dates to the end of the Preclassic period (ca. 100 BC–AD 250/300), in a wider temporal and spatial context and provides new data on Precolumbian beekeeping. We use a broad comparative vantage, drawing on archaeological, epigraphic, and ethnohistorical sources to discuss Mesoamerican beekeeping and its role in both the daily and the ritual lives of the Maya.
Effects of environmental temperature and dietary zinc on egg production performance, egg quality and antioxidant status and expression of heat-shock proteins in tissues of broiler breeders
Authors: Liao Xiudong , Li Wenxiang , Zhu Yongwen , Zhang Liyang , Lu Lin , Lin Xi , Luo Xugang
Published: June 2018

To investigate the effects of environmental temperature and dietary Zn on egg production performance, egg quality and antioxidant status, as well as expression of heat-shock proteins (HSP) in tissues, of laying broiler breeders, we used a completely randomised design with a 2×3 factorial arrangement of treatments. The two environmental temperatures were normal (21±1°C, NT) and high (32±1°C, HT). The three dietary Zn sources were a Zn-unsupplemented basal diet (CON), and the basal diet supplemented with 110 mg Zn/kg as either the inorganic Zn sulphate (iZn) or the organic Zn proteinate with a moderate chelation strength (oZn). HT decreased (P<0·002) egg weight, laying rate, eggshell strength, thickness and weight, but increased (P≤0·05) rectal temperature, broken egg rate, misshapen egg rate, feed:egg ratio, Cu Zn superoxide dismutase activities in liver and pancreas, as well as metallothionein (MT) level in pancreas, andHSP70mRNA levels in liver and pancreas of laying broiler breeders. Broiler breeders fed the oZn diet had higher (P<0·04) Zn content in the liver, as well as MT levels in the liver and pancreas, compared with those fed the CON diet. Under HT, broiler breeders fed the oZn diet had higher (P<0·05) Zn content in the pancreas compared with those fed the iZn and CON diets. The results from this study indicated that HT impaired egg production performance and eggshell quality possibly because of the disturbed redox balance andHSPhomoeostasis, whereas the oZn is more available than the iZn for pancreatic Zn of heat-stressed laying broiler breeders.
First geochemical and geochronological characterization of Late Cretaceous mesosilicic magmatism in Gastre, Northern Patagonia, and its tectonic relation to other coeval volcanic rocks in the region
Authors: ZAFFARANA CLAUDIA , LAGORIO SILVIA , ORTS DARÍO , BUSTEROS ALICIA , NIETO DIEGO SILVA , GIACOSA RAÚL , RUIZ GONZÁLEZ VÍCTOR , BOLTSHAUSER BÁRBARA , PUIGDOMENECH NEGRE CARLA , SOMOZA RUBÉN , HALLER MIGUEL
Published: June 2018

This work characterizes Late Cretaceous calc-alkaline volcanic rocks in Gastre, Northern Patagonia, Argentina. These newly found porphyritic rocks bear an 40Ar–39Ar amphibole age of ~ 74–76 Ma, a subduction-type geochemical signature and a deep, garnet-bearing source. Extruded in a stage of low magmatic activity in the Northern Patagonian Andes (~ 41–44° S), they could represent an eastward migration of the Late Cretaceous magmatic arc that was associated with a regional compressive deformational stage in the South American margin.
Digitalisation and human security dimensions in cybersecurity: an appraisal for the European High North
Authors: Salminen Mirva , Hossain Kamrul
Published: June 2018

Overarching digitalisation is producing significant socio-cultural, economic and policy changes in the European High North. These changes create new opportunities, but also challenges and concerns for people and communities living in the region. Digital development is guided by supranational, national and regional digital policies and is secured through national cybersecurity agendas. These frameworks concentrate on advancing overall economic growth and safeguarding critical information infrastructure and information security, but pay inadequate attention to the interests, needs and fears of people and communities experiencing digitalisation in everyday life. In order to generate a more comprehensive cybersecurity agenda, which focuses on human security and empowering people to influence the digital development, a research framework highlighting the actual ways people use, wish to use, or are unable to use information and communication technologies is needed. The focus of this article is therefore on regionally contextualised digital opportunities and threats as they may be experienced by local people and communities. It utilises insights of securitisation theory to grant people a say in the direction of digital development in their region. The aim is to introduce issues of human security to cybersecurity agendas, for a more comprehensive understanding of the societal changes that digitalisation generates.
The effect of intertidal habitat on seasonal lipid composition changes in blue mussels,Mytilus edulisL., from the White Sea
Authors: Fokina N.N. , Ruokolainen T.R. , Nemova N.N.
Published: June 2018

The lipid composition of blue musselsMytilus edulisL. living under different environmental conditions (in the intertidal zone and in aquaculture) was studied to detect origin-related differences in seasonal modifications of lipids, and their fatty acid composition in gills and digestive glands. In early May, the gills and digestive glands of intertidal mussels contained higher amounts of total lipids, chiefly phospholipids and sterols, which appear to perform a protective function as maintenance of membrane integrity. Seasonal modifications in lipid composition of both intertidal and aquaculture mussels were related to environmental factors (mainly low temperature), reproductive processes and food availability. We show that seasonal changes in membrane lipid composition of both intertidal and aquaculture mussels reflect the process of membrane lipid remodelling (namely changes in phosphatidylethanolamine proportion and in the fatty acid composition of phospholipids) required for homeoviscous adaptation in low-temperature conditions. In particular, the unsaturation index and chain fluidity index of phospholipids increased in gills and digestive glands of mussels collected in early May and in November. Similar seasonal changes in the triacylglycerol levels and its fatty acid composition were observed in gills and digestive glands of both intertidal and aquaculture mussels collected in late May and August.
Photon beam attenuation characteristics of three commercial radiation therapy treatment couch-tops
Authors: Wajid Hamza , Fleck Andre , Darko Johnson , Osei Ernest
Published: June 2018

Aim

The purpose of the study was to investigate the detailed angularly dependent attenuation characteristics of three different commercial couch-tops: Varian IGRT, Qfix kVue Standard and Qfix kVue Dose Max couch-tops used in radiation therapy.

Materials and methods

The attenuation of photon beams by the treatment couch-tops was measured using a farmer chamber inserted at the centre of a 16 cm diameter cylindrical acrylic phantom for five different photon energies: 6 MV, 6FFF MV, 10 MV, 10FFF MV and 15 MV photon beams. The Varian IGRT couch-top has three different thicknesses thus attenuation measurements were done at the three different longitudinal locations. Measurements were made with the sliding support rails of the Qfix kVue Standard and Qfix kVue Dose Max couch-tops at both ‘rails-in’ and ‘rails-out’ positions. All measurements were taken for several projections through 360° movement of the gantry and for two different field sizes; 5×5 cm2 and 10×10 cm2.

Results and findings

The results indicate that the maximum attenuation of the Varian IGRT couch-top at the thin, medium and thick portions are 5·1, 5·7 and 8·9%, respectively, the Qfix kVue Standard couch with the rails-in and rails-out are 11·2 and 13·7%, respectively, and Qfix kVue Dose Max couch-top with rails-in and rails-out are 9·7 and 13·8%, respectively. The results from this study can be used to account for the couch-top attenuation during radiation treatment planning of patients treated with these couch-tops.
A Bayesian Method for Incorporating Self‐Similarity Into Earthquake Slip Inversions
Authors: Amey R. M. J. , Hooper A. , Walters R. J.
Published: June 2018

Distributions of coseismic slip help illuminate many properties of earthquakes, including fault geometry, stress changes, frictional properties, and potential future hazard. Slip inversions take observations and calculate slip at depth, but there are a number of commonly adopted assumptions such as minimizing the second spatial derivative of slip (the Laplacian) that have little physical basis and potentially bias the result. In light of growing evidence that fault slip shows fractal properties, we suggest that this information should be incorporated into slip inversions as a form of regularization, instead of Laplacian smoothing. We have developed a Bayesian approach to efficiently solve for slip incorporating von Karman regularization. In synthetic tests, our approach retrieves fractal slip better than Laplacian regularization, as expected, but even performs comparably, or better, when the input slip is not fractal. We apply this to the 2014 Mw 6.0 Napa Valley earthquake on a two‐segment fault using Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) and Global Positioning System (GPS) data. We find the von Karman and Laplacian inversions give similar slip magnitude but in different locations, and the von Karman solution has much tighter confidence bounds on slip than the Laplacian solution. Differences in earthquake slip due to the regularization technique could have important implications for the interpretation and modeling of stress changes on the causative and neighboring faults. We therefore recommend that choice of regularization method should be routinely made explicit and justified and that von Karman regularization is a better default than Laplacian.
Assessing the Challenges of Surface‐Level Aerosol Mass Estimates From Remote Sensing During the SEAC4RS and SEARCH Campaigns: Baseline Surface Observations and Remote Sensing in the Southeastern United States
Authors: Kaku K. C. , Reid J. S. , Hand J. L. , Edgerton E. S. , Holben B. N. , Zhang J. , Holz R. E.
Published: June 2018

The Studies of Emissions and Atmospheric Composition, Clouds and Climate Coupling by Regional Surveys (SEAC4RS) campaign conducted in the southeast United States (SEUS) during the summer of 2013 provided a singular opportunity to study local aerosol chemistry and investigate aerosol radiative properties and PM2.5 relationships, focusing on the complexities involved in simplifying the relationship into a linear regression. We utilize three Southeastern Aerosol Research and Characterization network sites and one Environmental Protection Agency Chemical Speciation Network station that afforded simultaneous Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) aerosol optical depth (AOD) and aerosol mass, chemistry, and light scattering monitoring. Prediction of AERONET AOD using linear regression of daily‐mean PM2.5 during the SEAC4RS campaign yielded r2 of 0.36–0.53 and highly variable slopes across four sites. There were further reductions in PM2.5 predictive skill using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Multi‐angle Imaging SpetroRadiometer (MISR) AOD data, which have shorter correlation lengths and times relative to surface PM2.5. Long‐term trends in aerosol chemistry and optical properties in the SEUS are also investigated and compared to SEAC4RS period data, establishing that the SEUS experienced significant reduction in aerosol mass, corresponding with changes in both aerosol chemistry and optical properties. These changes have substantial impact on the PM2.5‐AOD linear regression relationship and reinforce the need for long‐term aerosol observation stations in addition to concentrated field campaigns.
Global Longitudinal Behavior of IRI Bottomside Profile Parameters From FORMOSAT‐3/COSMIC Ionospheric Occultations
Authors: Panda Sampad Kumar , Haralambous Haris , Kavutarapu Venkatesh
Published: June 2018

The bottomside thickness and shape (B0 and B1) are the critical key elements for depicting a realistic electron density profile in the International Reference Ionosphere (IRI) model. We investigated their longitudinal variability using a large database of FORMOSAT‐3/COSMIC (Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate) electron density profiles covering the period 2006–2015 from which these parameters are derived using a simple analytic Chapman least squares fitting. The parameters are then compared with the IRI‐2012 submodels, that is, Bil‐2000, Gul‐1987, and ABT‐2009 during different seasons and solar activity. Besides apparent adherence of B0 to the equatorial region, the opposite occurrence pattern of maximum B0 to that of NmF2 is realized, manifesting semiannual distribution and hemispheric asymmetry. Unlike NmF2, the presence of single anomaly crest in B0 in all seasons except March equinox and their leading local time stamps are among the key observations. In spite of regular representation of IRI submodels during equinox, the performance of Gul‐1987 seems to be inferior during solstice with respect to geomagnetic field and equatorial electrodynamics, thereby depicting an erroneous distribution of B0. The striking wave‐like feature in B0 longitudinal variability is also revealed indicating its possible connection with the nonmigrating diurnal/semidiurnal tides. Moreover, the solar activity effect on B0 appears to be relatively higher over the Asian and Pacific longitudes (60–150°E). Although speculations are made over B1 variability, its complete longitudinal characteristics are indistinguishable in our results, except the subordinate magnitude as compared to IRI estimations. The important findings from this study may reinforce the understanding of bottomside variability and future improvements in IRI.