bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Automatic recognition of piping system from laser scanned point clouds using normal-based region growing
Authors: Kawashima K. , Kanai S. , Date H.
Published: October 2013

Abstract. In recent years, renovations of plant equipment have been more frequent, and constructing 3D as-built models of existing plants from large-scale laser scanned data is expected to make rebuilding processes more efficient. However, laser scanned data consists of enormous number of points, captures tangled objects and includes a high noise level, so that the manual reconstruction of a 3D model is very time-consuming. Among plant equipment, piping systems especially account for the greatest proportion. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to propose an algorithm which can automatically recognize a piping system from large-scale laser scanned data of plants. The straight portion of pipes, connecting parts and connection relationship of the piping system can be automatically recognized. Normal-based region growing enables the extraction of points on the piping system. Eigen analysis of the normal tensor and cylinder surface fitting allows the algorithm to recognize portions of straight pipes. Tracing the axes of the piping system and interpolation of the axes can derive connecting parts and connection relationships between elements of the piping system. The algorithm was applied to large-scale scanned data of an oil rig and a chemical plant. The recognition rate of straight pipes, elbows, junctions achieved 93%, 88% and 87% respectively.
Analyzing near water surface penetration in laser bathymetry – A case study at the River Pielach
Authors: Mandlburger G. , Pfennigbauer M. , Pfeifer N.
Published: October 2013

Abstract. Recent developments in sensor technology yielded a major progress in airborne laser bathymetry for capturing shallow water bodies. Modern topo-bathymetric small foot print laser scanners do no longer use the primary near infrared (NIR) signal (λ=1064 nm) but only emit and receive the frequency doubled green signal (λ= 532 nm). For calculating correct water depths accurate knowledge of the water surface (air-water-interface) is mandatory for obtaining accurate spot positions and water depths. Due to the ability of the green signal to penetrate water the first reflections do not exactly represent the water surface but, depending on environmental parameters like turbidity, a certain penetration into the water column can be observed. This raises the question if it is even feasible to determine correct water level heights from the green laser echoes only. In this article, therefore, the near water surface penetration properties of the green laser signal are analyzed based on a test flight of the River Pielach (Austria) carried out with Riegl's VQ-820-G (532 nm) and VQ-580 (1064 nm) scanners mounted on the same airborne platform. It is shown that within the study area the mean penetration into the water column is in the range of 10–25 cm compared to the NIR signal as reference. However, as the upper hull of the green water surface echoes coincides with the NIR signal with cm-precision, it is still possible to derive water surface models from the green laser echoes only via statistical analysis of aggregated neighboring echoes and robustly keep the underestimation of the water level below 6 cm. This especially holds for still and stationary flowing water bodies.
Relating WorldView-2 data to pine plantation lidar metrics
Authors: Trinder J. C. , Shamsoddini A. , Turner R.
Published: October 2013

Abstract. Over last decades, different types of remotely sensed data including lidar, radar and optical data were investigated for forest studies. Undoubtedly, lidar data is one of the promising tools for these purposes; however, the accessibility and cost of this data are the main limitations. In order to overcome these limitations, optical data have been considered for modelling lidar metrics and their use for inferring lidar metrics over areas with no lidar coverage. WorldView-2 (WV-2) data as a high resolution optical data offer 8 bands including four traditional bands, blue, green, red, and infrared, and four new bands including coastal blue, yellow, red edge and a new infrared band whose relationships with lidar metrics were investigated in this study. For this purpose, band reflectance, band ratios, and principal components (PCs) of WV-2 multispectral data along with 23 vegetation indices were extracted. Moreover, the grey level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) indices of bands, band ratios and PCs were also calculated for different window sizes and orientations. Spectral derivatives and textural attributes of WV-2 were provided for a stepwise multiple-linear regression to model 10 lidar metrics including maximum, mean, variance, 10th, 30th, 60th and 90th height percentiles, standard error of mean, kurtosis and skewness for a Pinus radiata plantation, in NSW, Australia. The results indicated that the textural-based models are significantly more efficient than spectral-based models for predicting lidar metrics. Moreover, the integration of spectral derivatives with textural attributes cannot improve the results derived from textural-based models. The study demonstrates that WV-2 data are efficient for predicting lidar metrics.
A signal denoising method for full-waveform LiDAR data
Authors: Azadbakht M. , Fraser C. S. , Zhang C. , Leach J.
Published: October 2013

Abstract. The lack of noise reduction methods resistant to waveform distortion can hamper correct and accurate decomposition in the processing of full-waveform LiDAR data. This paper evaluates a time-domain method for smoothing and reducing the noise level in such data. The Savitzky-Golay (S-G) approach approximates and smooths data by taking advantage of fitting a polynomial of degree d, using local least-squares. As a consequence of the integration of this method with the Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) approach, and applying this filter on the singular vectors of the SVD, satisfactory denoising results can be obtained. The results of this SVD-based S-G approach have been evaluated using two different LiDAR datasets and also compared with those of other popular methods in terms of the degree of preservation of the moments of the signal and closeness to the noisy signal. The results indicate that the SVD-based S-G approach has superior performance in denoising full-waveform LiDAR data.
Feature relevance assessment for the semantic interpretation of 3D point cloud data
Authors: Weinmann M. , Jutzi B. , Mallet C.
Published: October 2013

Abstract. The automatic analysis of large 3D point clouds represents a crucial task in photogrammetry, remote sensing and computer vision. In this paper, we propose a new methodology for the semantic interpretation of such point clouds which involves feature relevance assessment in order to reduce both processing time and memory consumption. Given a standard benchmark dataset with 1.3 million 3D points, we first extract a set of 21 geometric 3D and 2D features. Subsequently, we apply a classifier-independent ranking procedure which involves a general relevance metric in order to derive compact and robust subsets of versatile features which are generally applicable for a large variety of subsequent tasks. This metric is based on 7 different feature selection strategies and thus addresses different intrinsic properties of the given data. For the example of semantically interpreting 3D point cloud data, we demonstrate the great potential of smaller subsets consisting of only the most relevant features with 4 different state-of-the-art classifiers. The results reveal that, instead of including as many features as possible in order to compensate for lack of knowledge, a crucial task such as scene interpretation can be carried out with only few versatile features and even improved accuracy.
On data acquisition of moving objects via kinematic terrestrial laser scanning
Authors: Wujanz D. , Röckelein S. , Neitzel F. , Fröhlich C.
Published: October 2013

Abstract. Terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) can be seen as an established method for geodetic data acquisition. Advantageous is its high achievable accuracy as well as its rapid, active and laminar sampling of the object space. However, problems occur if an object, the scanner itself or both are moving which is referred to as kinematic TLS (k-TLS). The cause of this issue is the sequential scanning principle of TLS which causes temporal offsets between measured points and hence describes a distinctive feature to photometric approaches. Due to this temporal shift movements of the scanner or an object lead to geometric falsification during data acquisition. If, however, one can determine current orientation and position of an object or the scanner at any point of time by applying additional sensor technology, geometrically correct and kinematic data acquisition can be derived. The contribution at hand presents a multi sensor system which applies a terrestrial laser scanner for acquisition of an object’s surface. In addition three tracking total stations are applied that monitor the object’s orientation and position within the coordinate system of the TLS. Influencing factors onto the geometric correction are the accuracy of the applied total stations for determination of six degrees of freedom (6dof) as well as the temporal synchronisation. At first an introduction into the problem domain is exemplified on a simple case. The system is then tested on a 2.5 m long ship model inside a research facility as well as outdoors on a 12 m long vessel. For the sake of assessment the results have been compared to statically acquired scans of the test objects, outside of the water respectively in position of rest, in order to derive reference models.
Detection and Classification of Changes in Buildings from Airborne Laser Scanning Data
Authors: Xu S. , Vosselman G. , Oude Elberink S.
Published: October 2013

Abstract. Building change detection serves to investigate illegal buildings. Illegal built or removed structures, especially those concealed among gable roofs such as dormers, are difficult to track among potentially millions of buildings. Nevertheless, they can be efficiently located in changed areas. An approach is proposed to automatically detect and classify changes in buildings from two epochs of Airborne Laser Scanning Data. Both datasets are classified into water, ground, building, vegetation and undefined objects in advance. After generalization of a 3D surface separation map, we verify changes by making rules on the separation map. Changes belonging to buildings are then classified into roof, wall, dormers, vehicles, construction above roof and undefined objects. As the ALS data has accuracy in strip difference of lower than 5 cm within the same epoch and from different epochs, changes that are larger than 10 cm were detected. Building changes, which areas are larger than 4 m2, are identified as change. By inspection, nearly all changes are detected and approximately 80% changes are correctly classified.
Processing tree point clouds using Gaussian Mixture Models
Authors: Belton D. , Moncrieff S. , Chapman J.
Published: October 2013

Abstract. While traditionally used for surveying and photogrammetric fields, laser scanning is increasingly being used for a wider range of more general applications. In addition to the issues typically associated with processing point data, such applications raise a number of new complications, such as the complexity of the scenes scanned, along with the sheer volume of data. Consequently, automated procedures are required for processing, and analysing such data. This paper introduces a method for modelling multi-modal, geometrically complex objects in terrestrial laser scanning point data; specifically, the modelling of trees. The model method comprises a number of geometric features in conjunction with a multi-modal machine learning technique. The model can then be used for contextually dependent region growing through separating the tree into its component part at the point level. Subsequently object analysis can be performed, for example, performing volumetric analysis of a tree by removing points associated with leaves. The workflow for this process is as follows: isolate individual trees within the scanned scene, train a Gaussian mixture model (GMM), separate clusters within the mixture model according to exemplar points determined by the GMM, grow the structure of the tree, and then perform volumetric analysis on the structure.
A variational formulation for translation and assimilation of coherent structures
Authors: Plu M.
Published: October 2013

Abstract. The assimilation of observations from teledetected images in geophysical models requires one to develop algorithms that would account for the existence of coherent structures. In the context of variational data assimilation, a method is proposed to allow the background to be translated so as to fit structure positions deduced from images. Translation occurs as a first step before assimilating all the observations using a classical assimilation procedure with specific covariances for the translated background. A simple validation is proposed using a dynamical system based on the one-dimensional complex Ginzburg–Landau equation in a regime prone to phase and amplitude errors. Assimilation of observations after background translation leads to better scores and a better representation of extremas than the method without translation.
Mapping flow distortion on oceanographic platforms using computational fluid dynamics
Authors: O'Sullivan N. , Landwehr S. , Ward B.
Published: October 2013

Abstract. Wind speed measurements over the ocean on ships or buoys are affected by flow distortion from the platform and by the anemometer itself. This can lead to errors in direct measurements and the derived parametrisations. Here we computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to simulate the errors in wind speed measurements caused by flow distortion on the RV Celtic Explorer. Numerical measurements were obtained from the finite-volume CFD code OpenFOAM, which was used to simulate the velocity fields. This was done over a range of orientations in the test domain from −60 to +60° in increments of 10°. The simulation was also set up for a range of velocities, ranging from 5 to 25 m s−1 in increments of 0.5 m s−1. The numerical analysis showed close agreement to experimental measurements.
Historical Map Collections on Geospatial Web
Authors: Muthu Sabarish Senthilnathan , Gkadolou Eleni , Stefanakis Emmanuel
Published: October 2013

The Provincial Archives of New Brunswick (PANB) and the University of New Brunswick Archives (UNBA) maintain a rich collection of historical maps and plans of the City of Fredericton dating back to the 17th Century. This content is in the form of microfiches and paper maps, which are difficult to be accessed and used by researchers and educators. Recently, a series of microfiches and maps have been scanned and are already available in digital form. Going a step further, the advancements in geospatial web technology have been applied to make this digital content a valuable resource of historical information for the endusers. A prototype system has been developed and tested for a set of representative historical maps and plans. The system provides the following functionality: (a) geo-referenced scanned maps can be archived into a geospatial catalog; (b) appropriate metadata can be attached to them; (c) the maps can be superimposed and visualized on top of recent base maps (e.g., Google Maps, Bing Maps, Open Street Map); and (d) the catalog content can be searched and disseminated on the web using geospatial standards. End-users have been exposed to the prototype and evaluated its functionality. Their comments highlight the potential of the prototype in the study of cultural heritage and historical documentation.
Coming Together of National Library and National Archives: The Singapore Experience
Authors: Choh Ngian Lek
Published: October 2013

This paper shares the journey of the National Library Board (NLB) of Singapore in exploring the synergies between the National Archives of Singapore and the NLB. It also outlines the plans made so far in achieving synergy between the two institutions and their functions. In October 2012, a consultancy on the coming together of the library and archives was commissioned and completed, and a Roundtable comprising participants from the Library and Archives Canada, National Library of Netherlands, National Library of New Zealand and National Library of Switzerland was held at the National Library of Singapore in January 2013. The recommendations from the consultancy report and learning points of the Roundtable are also highlighted in this paper.
Nonlocal electron heating at the Earth's bow shock and the role of the magnetically tangent point
Authors: Mitchell J. J. , Schwartz S. J.
Published: October 2013

The solar wind interaction with the terrestrial magnetosphere results in a standing bow shock. Due to the shock's collisionless nature, the plasma in the magnetosheath is far from equilibrium. The highly mobile magnetosheath electrons move quickly between different points on the shock surface. Consequently, portions of phase space are populated with electrons from distant locations. This distant influence renders the heating properties of the shock nonlocal. Previous work predicted that the electron temperature along magnetosheath magnetic field lines should be approximately constant and controlled by heating at the point where the field line first encounters the shock, that is, where the field line is tangential to the shock. This point sends shock‐heated electrons to other bow shock locations but does not receive such electrons from elsewhere. In this paper, we compare electron temperatures measured by spacecraft connected by a field line in the magnetosheath and find a close agreement as predicted, unless electron traversal of the magnetosheath becomes impeded due to geometry. We also study the relationship between shock heating and plasma conditions both locally and at the tangent point. We find that the observed electron heating correlates much better with conditions at the tangent point than with the local shock parameters. Therefore, the tangent point plays a critical role in the electron heating and hence the global nature of the shock's partition of incident solar wind energy.
Mesoscale modeling and satellite observation of transport and mixing of smoke and dust particles over northern sub‐Saharan African region
Authors: Yang Zhifeng , Wang Jun , Ichoku Charles , Hyer Edward , Zeng Jing
Published: October 2013

The transport and vertical distribution of smoke and dust aerosols over the northern sub‐Saharan African region are simulated in the Weather Research and Forecasting model with Chemistry (WRF‐Chem), which uses hourly dynamic smoke emissions from the Fire Locating and Modeling of Burning Emissions database derived from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) fire products. Model performance for February 2008 is evaluated using MODIS true color images, aerosol optical depth (AOD) measurements from the Aerosol Robotic Network, MODIS AOD retrievals, and the Cloud‐Aerosol Lidar data with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) atmospheric backscattering and extinction products. Specification of smoke injection height of 650 m in WRF‐Chem yields aerosol vertical profiles that are most consistent with CALIOP observations of aerosol layer height. Between the equator and 10°N, Saharan dust is often mixed with smoke near the surface, and their transport patterns manifest the interplay of trade winds, subtropical highs, precipitation associated with the Intertropical Convergence Zone, and the high mountains located near the Great Rift Valley region. At the 700 hPa level and above, smoke layers spread farther to the north and south and are often above the dust layers over the Sahel region. In some cases, transported smoke can also be mixed with dust over the Saharan region. Statistically, 5% of the CALIOP valid measurements in February 2007–2011 show aerosol layers either above or between the clouds, reinforcing the importance of the aerosol vertical distribution for quantifying aerosol impact on climate in the Sahel region.
Adoption, Intercountry
Authors: Gibbons Judith L.
Published: October 2013

Intercountry or international adoption has become a significant component of international migration as people wanting to form a family, or increase the number of children in their existing families, adopt children from abroad. Estimates indicate that up to a million children have been adopted internationally, peaking in 2004 with approximately 45,000 intercountry adoptions.
Back Translation
Authors: Beins Bernard C.
Published: October 2013

When researchers create questions that they will pose to people who speak different languages, it is critical that the different linguistic versions of the question be comparable across those languages. One technique to increase the investigator's confidence that different versions of the question tap into the same underlying construct is back translation, a process of translating a question into a second language, then using an independent person to translate the item back to the original language. If the meaning is preserved when rendered back into the original language, researchers assume that the item has the potential to tap into the same target construct in both languages.
Fundamental Attribution Error
Authors: Granot Yael , Balcetis Emily
Published: October 2013

People disproportionately attribute behaviors to actors’ dispositions over situational factors, a phenomenon known as the
fundamental attribution error
. For example, past research has demonstrated that people referred to others’ personalities when explaining why students would write counter‐normative essays supporting a dictator; in so doing, they failed to consider the situational demands placed upon these writers. People additionally highlighted others’ personalities and ignored situational pressures when describing the reasons why experimental participants delivered electric shocks to their peers. Within Western cultures, people commit the fundamental attribution error (FAE) pervasively across various contexts when describing the behavior of others.
Holistic Cognition
Authors: Brevard Joshua , Belgrave Faye Z.
Published: October 2013

Holistic cognition refers to a method of organizing and analyzing information based on how parts of information relate to each other. Features of holistic cognition include: 1) understanding objects by focusing on underlying contextual information or the field in which objects are embedded; 2) an emphasis on relationships when trying to understand situations or objects; 3) using experience‐based knowledge rather than abstract logic and ideas to comprehend; and 4) the capacity for dialecticism or the ability to understand and reconcile opposing thoughts or ideas. Cultures with a holistic cognitive style often produce people who do not see themselves as distinct individuals but rather as pieces of a much larger and interconnected whole. Holistic cognition is often compared to analytic cognition, which is a detachment of the object from its context, a focus on attributes of the object, and a tendency to use rules. Analytic cognition also consists of a “narrow focus in visual attention, dispositional bias in causal attribution, and the use of formal logic in reasoning”.
Indigenous Social Influence
Authors: Smith Peter B.
Published: October 2013

Indigenous forms of social influence are those that are claimed to occur distinctively within one or more specific cultural contexts. They have typically been described by researchers who prefer to construct anindigenous psychologyof their cultural group, rather than describing it in terms derived from Western psychology. Although most forms of social influence might be broadly described in terms of such processes as leadership or conformity, indigenous concepts detail these processes more vividly and with a better grasp of detail. Non‐English terms such asguanxi,wasta,nemawashi,ringi,jeitinho, andsvyazitypically describe such processes.
Novel “Breath Figure”‐Based Synthetic PLGA Matrices for In Vitro Modeling of Mammary Morphogenesis and Assessing Chemotherapeutic Response
Authors: Ponnusamy Thiruselvam , Chakravarty Geetika , Mondal Debasis , John Vijay T.
Published: October 2013

Biodegradable poly(lactic‐co‐glycolic acid) (PLGA) porous films are developed to support mammary cell growth and function. Such porous polymer matrices of PLGA are generated using the easily implemented water‐templating “breath‐figure” technique that allows water droplets to penetrate the nascent polymer films to create a rough porous polymer film. Such breath figure‐based micropatterned porous films show higher epithelial differentiation and growth than the corresponding flat 2D films, and represent the first instance of using them for tissue culture. Specifically, the breath figure morphology supports robust acinar growth with almost double the number of lobular–alveolar units compared to the 2D cultures. Gene profile analysis indicates that the cells grown on porous polymer films show enhanced expressions of mammary differentiation genes (GATA3, EMA, and INTEGB4) but lower the expression of mesenchymal gene (CALLA). Hormonal stimulation of these cultures dramatically increases expression of progenitor marker gene Notch1. Importantly, cells grown on porous PLGA films exhibit an enhanced resistance to doxorubicin treatment in comparison to 2D cultures. Breath‐figure PLGA films show promise in mimicking in vivo mammary functions and can potentially be used to screen chemotherapeutic drugs. The simplicity and ease of fabrication of these polymer films is especially appealing to the development of effective biomaterials to support cell culture and differentiation.
A GCH1 haplotype confers sex‐specific susceptibility to pain crises and altered endothelial function in adults with sickle cell anemia
Authors: Belfer Inna , Youngblood Victoria , Darbari Deepika S. , Wang Zhengyuan , Diaw Lena , Freeman Lita , Desai Krupa , Dizon Michael , Allen Darlene , Cunnington Colin , Channon Keith M. , Milton Jacqueline , Hartley Stephen W. , Nolan Vikki , Kato Gregory J. , Steinberg Martin H. , Goldman David , Taylor James G.
Published: October 2013

GTP cyclohydrolase (GCH1) is rate limiting for tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) synthesis, where BH4 is a cofactor for nitric oxide (NO) synthases and aromatic hydroxylases. GCH1 polymorphisms are implicated in the pathophysiology of pain, but have not been investigated in African populations. We examined GCH1 and pain in sickle cell anemia where GCH1 rs8007267 was a risk factor for pain crises in discovery (n = 228; odds ratio [OR] 2.26; P = 0.009) and replication (n = 513; OR 2.23; P = 0.004) cohorts. In vitro, cells from sickle cell anemia subjects homozygous for the risk allele produced higher BH4. In vivo physiological studies of traits likely to be modulated by GCH1 showed rs8007267 is associated with altered endothelial dependent blood flow in females with SCA (8.42% of variation; P = 0.002). The GCH1 pain association is attributable to an African haplotype with where its sickle cell anemia pain association is limited to females (OR 2.69; 95% CI 1.21–5.94; P = 0.01) and has the opposite directional association described in Europeans independent of global admixture. The presence of a GCH1 haplotype with high BH4 in populations of African ancestry could explain the association of rs8007267 with sickle cell anemia pain crises. The vascular effects of GCH1 and BH4 may also have broader implications for cardiovascular disease in populations of African ancestry. Am. J. Hematol. 89:187–193, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Chemical safety, health care costs and the Affordable Care Act
Authors: Landrigan Philip J. , Goldman Lynn R.
Published: October 2013

On May 22, 2013, the late Senator Frank Lautenberg (D‐NJ), Senator David Vitter (R‐LA) and 19 of their colleagues introduced bipartisan chemical safety legislation in the US Senate, “The Chemical Safety Improvement Act of 2013.” The bill's purpose is to protect human health and the environment against the hazards of toxic chemicals, by requiring the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to examine the safety of all chemicals in consumer products. The bill is currently before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, chaired by Senator Barbara Boxer (D‐CA). This legislation is critically important for physicians and healthcare organizations because it creates significant new opportunities to prevent disease and cut healthcare costs. Am. J. Ind. Med. 57:1–3, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
On the outside, looking in: A review and evaluation of the comparability of blood and brain “‐omes”
Authors: Tylee Daniel S. , Kawaguchi Daniel M. , Glatt Stephen J.
Published: October 2013

In this article, we review studies detailing the correspondence between peripheral blood and brain tissue across various domains of high‐throughput ‐omic analysis in order to provide a context for evaluating blood‐based biomarker studies. Specifically, we reviewed seven studies comparing patterns of DNA methylation (i.e., an aspect of the epigenome), eight articles comparing patterns of gene expression (i.e., the transcriptome), and three articles comparing patterns of protein expression (i.e., the proteome). Our review of the epigenomic literature suggests that CpG‐island methylation levels are generally highly correlated (r = 0.90) between blood and brain. Our review of transcriptomic studies suggests that between 35% and 80% of known transcripts are present in both brain and blood tissue samples; estimates of cross‐tissue correlation in expression levels were found to range from 0.25 to 0.64, with stronger correlations observed among particular subsets of genes. Relative to the epigenome and transcriptome, the proteome has not been as fully compared between brain and blood samples, highlighting an important area for future work as whole‐proteome profiling methods mature. Beyond reviewing the relevant studies, we discuss some of the assumptions, methodological issues, and gaps in knowledge that should be addressed in order to better understand how the multiple “‐omes” of the brain are reflected in the peripheral blood. A better understanding of these relationships is a critical precursor to the validation of biomarkers for brain disorders. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Heterogeneity of schizophrenia: Genetic and symptomatic factors
Authors: Takahashi Sakae
Published: October 2013

Schizophrenia may have etiological heterogeneity, and may reflect common symptomatology caused by many genetic and environmental factors. In this review, we show the potential existence of heterogeneity in schizophrenia based on the results of our previous studies. In our study of the NOTCH4 gene, there were no significant associations between any single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of NOTCH4 and schizophrenia. However, exploratory analyses suggested that the SNP, rs3134928 may be associated with early‐onset schizophrenia, and that rs387071 may be associated with schizophrenia characterized by negative symptoms. In our highly familial schizophrenia study, the African‐American cohort without environmental exposure showed a possible linkage at marker 8p23.1 in the dominant model and in the European‐American cohort, a marker at 22q13.32 showed a probable linkage in the recessive model. In the less familial schizophrenia families, these linkages were not shown. Based on our eye movement study, a putative subtype of schizophrenia with severe symptoms related to excitement/hostility, negative symptoms and disorganization may be associated with chromosome 22q11. We consider that a sample stratification approach may clarify the heterogeneity of schizophrenia. Therefore, this approach may lead to a more straightforward way of identifying susceptibility genes of schizophrenia. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A network medicine approach to psychiatric genetics
Authors: Lasky‐Su Jessica
Published: October 2013

The major psychiatric disorders are complex in nature, meaning that they are influenced by multiple environmental and genetic exposures that perturb the intricate cellular network, resulting in disease. In general, psychiatric diseases are highly heritable but also have important environmental etiologies. Environmental influences include neonatal exposures, social environments, psychological mechanisms, and abnormal functioning of the neurotransmitter system. Molecular influences can be identified using many data types including genomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics, and proteomics. The emerging field of network medicine offers a new approach to explore the complexities of disease development in a framework that considers a holistic, rather than a reductionist viewpoint. In this review we explain a general framework of how the network medicine approach can provide valuable insight into understanding important molecular mechanisms that contribute to the pathogenesis of psychiatric disorders. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Properties of insulin–chitosan complexes obtained by an alkylation reaction on chitosan
Authors: Robles Emmanuel , Juárez Josué , Burboa María. G. , Gutiérrez Luis E. , Taboada Pablo , Mosquera Víctor , Valdez Miguel A.
Published: October 2013

In this study, we investigated the influence of hydrophobized chitosan on the formation and thermodynamic and surface tension properties of insulin–chitosan (I–Ch) polyelectrolyte complexes (PECs). We used an alkylation procedure to insert 12 carbon chains along the chitosan macromolecule with final substitution degrees of 5, 10, and 50%. NMR and IR spectroscopy were used to evaluate the success and extent of the hydrophobization procedure. Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) was used to determine the type and extent of the existing intermolecular interactions between the different constituting components of the insulin–hydrophobized chitosan PECs. Through the surface tension and diffusion coefficients at the air–water interface and ITC experiments with different I–Ch proportions, we demonstrated that around 34, 24, 25, and 60–80 insulin molecules saturated 0, 5, 10, and 50% hydrophobized chitosans, respectively. Surface tension experiments at the air–water interface demonstrated that the interaction of insulin molecules on the unmodified chitosan increased the hydrophobicity; this was mainly due to electrostatic interaction. On the contrary, insulin–hydrophobized chitosan interaction lowered the PEC hydrophobicity because of insulin alkyl chain interaction, and therefore, the hydrophilic insulin groups at the PEC surface contributed to a higher surface tension. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci.,2014,131, 39999.
Nylon 66 nanofibers prepared by CO2 laser supersonic drawing
Authors: Suzuki Akihiro , Mikuni Takumi , Hasegawa Toshinori
Published: October 2013

Nylon 66 nanofibers were prepared by irradiating as‐spun nylon 66 fibers with radiation from a carbon dioxide (CO2) laser while drawing them at supersonic velocities. A supersonic jet was generated by blowing air into a vacuum chamber through the fiber injection orifice. The fiber diameter depended on the drawing conditions used, such as laser power, chamber pressure, laser irradiation point, and fiber supply speed. A nanofiber obtained at a laser power of 20 W and a chamber pressure of 20 kPa had an average diameter of 0.337 μm and a draw ratio of 291,664, and the drawing speed in the CO2 laser supersonic drawing was 486 m s−1. The nanofibers showed two melting peaks at about 257 and 272°C. The lower melting peak is observed at the same temperature as that of the as‐spun fiber, whereas the higher melting peak is about 15°C higher than the lower one. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2014, 131, 40015.
Fabrication and modification of acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene‐based heterogeneous ion‐exchange membranes by plasma treatment: Investigation of the nanolayer deposition rate and temperature effects
Authors: Zendehnam Akbar , Robatmili Nasrin , Hosseini Sayed Mohsen , Arabzadegan Mina , Madaeni Sayed Siavash
Published: October 2013

Our target in this study was the preparation of electrodialysis ion‐exchange membranes with appropriate properties for applications in water recovery and treatment. Composite mixed‐matrix, anion‐exchange membranes were prepared by a solution casting technique with acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene as a base binder, resin powder as a functional group agent, activated carbon as an adsorptive filler, and an Ag nanolayer as a surface modifier. The Ag nanolayer was used with a magnetron sputtering method. The effect of the nanolayer deposition rate (Rq) and substrate and annealing temperatures on the physicochemical characteristics of the membranes were studied. The X‐ray diffraction results show that average grain size of the nanolayer and membrane crystallinity were improved with increasing Rq. The atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy results show that the membrane roughness was enhanced with increasing Rq. The height distribution results also show the best height distribution for the modified membrane at low Rq. The selectivity and flux decreased with increasing nanolayer Rq in the membranes. The selectivity was also decreased initially with increases in the substrate and annealing temperatures from 300 to 325 K in the membranes and then showed an increasing trend. An opposite trend was found for flux with variations in the temperature. The modified membrane containing a 20‐nm Ag nanolayer at low Rq showed better performance compared to the other modified membranes and the pristine one. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2014, 131, 40025.
Flocking Algorithms in Networks with Directed Switching Velocity Interaction Topologies
Authors: Atrianfar Hajar , Haeri Mohammad
Published: October 2013

This paper studies flocking algorithms for multi‐agent systems with directed switching velocity interaction topologies. It is assumed that the position information of each agent is available for agents within its neighborhood region of radius r, however, they communicate the velocity information between each other through unidirectional links modeled by a particular class of directed topologies. A new energy function is defined to analyze the global stability and a sufficient condition is derived for asymptotic flocking in the face of switching topologies. The proposed control strategy guarantees the achievement of desired formations, while avoiding collisions among agents. It also ensures velocity agreement under suitable conditions in a variety of real networks with greatly reduced velocity data exchange. Moreover, a leader‐follower framework is formulated for the described class of interaction topologies and it is shown that a more relaxed condition is required to achieve the desired performance. Finally, several simulations are performed to illustrate and confirm the theoretical results obtained.
The regulation of iron transport
Authors: Frazer David M. , Anderson Gregory J.
Published: October 2013

Iron is an essential nutrient, but its concentration and distribution in the body must be tightly controlled due to its inherent toxicity and insolubility in aqueous solution. Living systems have successfully overcome these potential limitations by evolving a range of iron binding proteins and transport systems that effectively maintain iron in a nontoxic and soluble form for much, if not all, of its time within the body. In the circulation, iron is transported to target organs bound to the serum iron binding protein transferrin. Individual cells modulate their uptake of transferrin‐bound iron depending on their iron requirements, using both transferrin receptor 1‐dependent and independent pathways. Once inside the cell, iron can be chaperoned to sites of need or, if in excess, stored within ferritin. Iron is released from cells by the iron export protein ferroportin1, which requires the ferroxidase activity of ceruloplasmin or hephestin to load iron safely onto transferrin. The regulation of iron export is controlled predominantly at the systemic level by the master regulator of iron homeostasis hepcidin. Hepcidin, in turn, responds to changes in body iron demand, making use of a range of regulatory mechanisms that center on the bone morphogenetic protein signaling pathway. This review provides an overview of recent advances in the field of iron metabolism and outlines the key components of the iron transport and regulation systems. © 2013 BioFactors, 40(2):206–214, 2014
Development and validation of an LC‐ESI‐MS/MS method for the quantitation of hemslecin A in rhesus monkey plasma and its application in pharmacokinetics
Authors: Bai Min , Li Hong‐Liang , He Jian‐Chang , He Gong‐Hao , Feng En‐Fu , Liu Yue‐Qiong , Shi Pan‐Pan , Xu Gui‐Li
Published: October 2013

In this study, a new LC‐ESI‐MS/MS‐based method was validated for the quantitation of hemslecin A in rhesus monkey plasma using otophylloside A as internal standard (IS). Hemslecin A and the IS were extracted from rhesus monkey plasma using liquid–liquid extraction as the sample clean‐up procedure, and were subjected to chromatography on a Phenomenex Luna CN column (150 × 2.0 mm, 3.0 µm) with the mobile phase consisting of methanol and 0.02 mol/mL ammonium acetate (55:45, v/v) at a flow rate of 0.2 mL/min. Detection was performed on an Agilent G6410B tandem mass spectrometer by positive ion electrospray ionization in multiple reaction monitoring mode, monitoring the transitions m/z 580.5 [M + NH4]+ → 503.4 and m/z 518.2 [M + NH4]+ → 345.0 for hemslecin A and IS, respectively. The assay was linear over the concentration range of 0.5–200 ng/mL and was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study in rhesus monkeys. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Determination of amino acid neurotransmitters in rat hippocampi by HPLC‐UV using NBD‐F as a derivative
Authors: Wu Xiaomeng , Wang Rui , Jiang Qingqing , Wang Shue , Yao Yao , Shao Lihua
Published: October 2013

A simple, rapid and accurate high‐performance liquid chromatography method with ultraviolet–visible detection was developed for the determination of five amino acid neurotransmitters – aspartate, glutamic acid, glycine, taurine and γ‐aminobutyric acid – in rat hippocampi with pre‐column derivatization with 4‐fluoro‐7‐nitrobenzofurazan. Several conditions which influenced derivatization and separation, such as pH, temperature, acetonitrile percentage mobile phase and flow rate, were optimized to obtain a suitable protocol for amino acids quantification in samples. The separation of the five neurotransmitter derivatives was performed on a C18 column using a mobile phase consisting of phosphate buffer (0.02 mol/L, pH 6.0)–acetonitrile (84:16, v/v) at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min with the column temperature at 30°C. The detection wavelength was 472 nm. Without gradient elution, the five neurotransmitter derivatives were completely separated within 15 min. The linear relation was good in the range from 0.50 to 500 µmol/L, and the correlation coefficients were ≥0.999. Intra‐day precision was between 1.8 and 3.2%, and inter‐day precision was between 2.4 and 4.7%. The limits of detection (signal‐to‐noise ratio 3) were from 0.02 to 0.15 µmol/L. The established method was used to determine amino acid neurotransmitters in rat hippocampi with satisfactory recoveries varying from 94.9 to 105.2%. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Prevalence of obstructive coronary artery disease in patients undergoing lung transplantation: Case series and review of the literature
Authors: Jones Robert M. , Enfield Kyle B. , Mehrad Borna , Keeley Ellen C.
Published: October 2013

Background

Coronary angiography is commonly performed prior to lung transplantation, but its utility is unproven.

Methods

We conducted a single‐center retrospective analysis of consecutive patients referred for coronary angiography as part of a pre‐operative evaluation for lung transplantation and reviewed the literature for prior series.

Results

A total of 89 patients, 48 men and 41 women were included. Obstructive (≥70% stenosis) CAD was present in 9 (10%), non‐obstructive (<70% stenosis) CAD in 24 (27%), and no angiographic evidence of CAD in 56 (63%) patients. We found 13 previously published series in the literature, in which a total of 1998 patients underwent coronary angiography pre‐lung transplant. Together with our 89 patients, obstructive CAD was found in 11%.

Conclusions

In conclusion, given the low prevalence of obstructive CAD in patients referred for lung transplantation, the inherent risk of angiography, and unproven benefit of detection of obstructive CAD, the utility of routine coronary angiography in this population requires validation in prospective studies. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Identification of Active Sites in a Realistic Model of Strong Metal–Support Interaction Catalysts: The Case of Platinum (1 1 1)‐Supported Iron Oxide Film
Authors: Giordano Livia , Pacchioni Gianfranco , Noguera Claudine , Goniakowski Jacek
Published: October 2013

We report DFT+U results on oxygen adsorption and extraction characteristics obtained for a realistic model of a strong metal–support interaction catalyst, exemplified by a Pt(1 1 1)‐supported FeOx ultra‐thin film. Derived from recent experimental results, the model enables a coherent analysis of the activity towards oxygen at a large variety of sites, which range from FeO and FeO2 oxide terraces to different oxide–metal and oxide–oxide boundaries. We show that the trends in calculated adsorption and desorption energetics are to a large extent specific to the small thickness of the supported oxides and are mainly driven by electron exchange with the underlying metal substrate. The thorough mapping of the activity of different local surface environments enables the identification of the sites that are most likely responsible for the observed low‐temperature activity of FeOx/Pt films in CO oxidation. Beyond the oxide–metal boundaries known for their higher activity than the separate materials, we find that the sites at boundaries between the coexisting oxide phases of different compositions can easily adsorb and release oxygen.
Probabilistic model‐based discriminant analysis and clustering methods in chemometrics
Authors: Bouveyron Charles
Published: October 2013

In chemometrics, the supervised and unsupervised classification of high‐dimensional data has become a recurrent problem. Model‐based techniques for discriminant analysis and clustering are popular tools, which are renowned for their probabilistic foundations and their flexibility. However, classical model‐based techniques show a disappointing behaviour in high‐dimensional spaces, which up to now have been limited in their use within chemometrics. The recent developments in model‐based classification overcame these drawbacks and enabled the efficient classification of high‐dimensional data, even in the ‘smalln/ largep’ condition. This work presents a comprehensive review of these recent approaches, including regularization‐based techniques, parsimonious modelling, subspace classification methods and classification methods based on variable selection. The use of these model‐based methods is also illustrated on real‐world classification problems in chemometrics using R packages. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Palladium‐Catalyzed Desulfitative Cross‐Coupling of Sodium Arylsulfinates with Aryl Bromides and Chlorides: An Alternative Convenient Synthesis of Biaryls
Authors: Zhou Chao , Li Yaming , Lu Yang , Zhang Rong , Jin Kun , Fu Xinmei , Duan Chunying
Published: October 2013

An alternative method for synthesis of biaryls has been developed through the Pd catalyzed desulfitative coupling reaction of sodium arylsulfinates with aryl bromides and chlorides. The procedure tolerates a variety of functional groups, such as cyano, formyl, acetyl, chloro, methoxy, trifluoromethyl and heteroaromatic unit. The desired products were obtained in moderate to excellent yields under relatively mild reaction conditions without additives, base or co‐catalyst.