bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Plant Virus Disease Model with Periodic Environment and Pulse Roguing
Authors: Gao Shujing , Xia Lijun , Liu Yang , Xie Dehui
Published: December 2015

Regular roguing is an effective method to control plant virus diseases. In this paper, a compartmental mathematical model is established to represent the dynamics of plant disease in a periodic environment, including impulsive roguing control strategy. The basic reproductive number and its relation to the persistence of the disease is discussed via using next infection operation. Numerical simulations are performed to demonstrate the theoretical findings, and to illustrate the effect of control measures. Our results show that, (i) when the infection rate is high, it may be impossible to eradicate the disease by simply roguing the infectious plant, so how to effectively identify the latent plant is a key issue in disease control, (ii) increasing the replanting rate is bad for disease control, (iii) the published autonomous research model with continuous roguing may overestimate the infectious risk inherent to impulsive control.
Vaccine‐Induced Antibody Responses Prevent the Induction of Interferon Type I Responses Upon a Homotypic Live Virus Challenge
Authors: Chan J. , Babb R. , David S. C. , McColl S. R. , Alsharifi M.
Published: December 2015

During acute viral infections, innate immunity provides essential protective measures to minimize virus dissemination and regulate adaptive immunity. This helps to successfully eliminate the pathogen and establish long‐term memory. Here, we investigated the effect of vaccine‐induced antibody responses on the induction of IFN‐I responses and the associated lymphocyte activation using influenza A virus vaccination and challenge models. Mice were vaccinated with gamma‐irradiated influenza A virus (γ‐FLU) and challenged three weeks later with live virus. Our data show a significant reduction in IFN‐I responses and lymphocyte activation following a homotypic virus challenge. We confirmed the role of vaccine‐induced antibody responses in the observed impairment of IFN‐I and the associated lymphocyte activation using adoptive transfer of immune sera and the administration of sera‐treated viruses prior to challenge. Overall, we addressed a fundamental concept in immunology and provided experimental data illustrating the inhibition of IFN‐I responses in vaccinated animals upon a homotypic virus challenge.
Trehalose 6–phosphate coordinates organic and amino acid metabolism with carbon availability
Authors: Figueroa Carlos M. , Feil Regina , Ishihara Hirofumi , Watanabe Mutsumi , Kölling Katharina , Krause Ursula , Höhne Melanie , Encke Beatrice , Plaxton William C. , Zeeman Samuel C. , Li Zhi , Schulze Waltraud X. , Hoefgen Rainer , Stitt Mark , Lunn John E.
Published: December 2015

Trehalose 6–phosphate (Tre6P) is an essential signal metabolite in plants, linking growth and development to carbon metabolism. The sucrose–Tre6P nexus model postulates that Tre6P acts as both a signal and negative feedback regulator of sucrose levels. To test this model, short‐term metabolic responses to induced increases in Tre6P levels were investigated in Arabidopsis thaliana plants expressing the Escherichia coli Tre6P synthase gene (otsA) under the control of an ethanol‐inducible promoter. Increased Tre6P levels led to a transient decrease in sucrose content, post‐translational activation of nitrate reductase and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase, and increased levels of organic and amino acids. Radio‐isotope (14CO2) and stable isotope (13CO2) labelling experiments showed no change in the rates of photoassimilate export in plants with elevated Tre6P, but increased labelling of organic acids. We conclude that high Tre6P levels decrease sucrose levels by stimulating nitrate assimilation and anaplerotic synthesis of organic acids, thereby diverting photoassimilates away from sucrose to generate carbon skeletons and fixed nitrogen for amino acid synthesis. These results are consistent with the sucrose–Tre6P nexus model, and implicate Tre6P in coordinating carbon and nitrogen metabolism in plants.
Allium telomeres unmasked: the unusual telomeric sequence (CTCGGTTATGGG)n is synthesized by telomerase
Authors: Fajkus Petr , Peška Vratislav , Sitová Zdeňka , Fulnečková Jana , Dvořáčková Martina , Gogela Roman , Sýkorová Eva , Hapala Jan , Fajkus Jiří
Published: December 2015

Phylogenetic divergence in Asparagales plants is associated with switches in telomere sequences. The last switch occurred with divergence of the genus Allium (Amaryllidaceae) from the other Allioideae (formerly Alliaceae) genera, resulting in uncharacterized telomeres maintained by an unknown mechanism. To characterize the unknown Allium telomeres, we applied a combination of bioinformatic processing of transcriptomic and genomic data with standard approaches in telomere biology such as BAL31 sensitivity tests, terminal restriction fragment analysis, the telomere repeat amplification protocol (TRAP), and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Using these methods, we characterize the unusual telomeric sequence (CTCGGTTATGGG)n present in Allium species, demonstrate its synthesis by telomerase, and characterize the telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) subunit of Allium cepa. Our findings open up the possibility of studying the molecular details of the evolutionary genetic change in Allium telomeres and its possible role in speciation. Experimental studies addressing the implications of this change in terms of the interplay of telomere components may now be designed to shed more light on telomere functions and evolution in general.
Evaluation of hematologic variables in newborn C57/BL6 mice up to day 35
Authors: White Jessica R. , Gong Huiyu , Colaizy Tarah T. , Moreland Jessica G. , Flaherty Heather , McElroy Steven J.
Published: December 2015

Background

Hematologic variables are often analyzed in animal analogs during the investigation of complex disease etiologies such as necrotizing enterocolitis. However, reference intervals (RI) can vary depending on animal strain, age, and sampling site. Reference intervals have been published for adult C57BL/6J mice, but not newborn C57BL/6J mice.

Objectives

The purpose of the present study was to determine hematologic RI in newborn C57BL/6J mice up to day 35.

Methods

C57BL/6J mice founders from The Jackson Laboratory were bred at the University of Iowa. Blood samples were obtained via facial vein sampling at postnatal days 0 (p0), p7, p14, p21, p28, or young adulthood (p35). CBCs were determined with the Sysmex XT‐2000iV analyzer within 30 minutes of blood collection at a 1:10 dilution. Statistics were determined using nonparametric methods following ASVCP guidelines.

Results

Hematologic RI were determined for each of the 6 groups (n = 247, n ≥ 39 per group). Significantly higher values for HGB, RBC, and PLT counts were observed with advancing developmental age. Total WBC counts remained relatively stable during the first 35 days of life. However, WBC differential counts were dominated by neutrophils and lymphocytes in the younger mice, with a trend toward a lymphocytic leukogram on day 35.

Conclusions

These results illustrate the dynamic changes in hematologic variables during murine development after birth. Utilization of age‐specific RI is advised when evaluating data derived from experimental perinatal mouse models.
Visualization of Terrain-induced Slugging in W-shaped Pipeline
Authors: Lee Jungho , Park Jaebum , Sohn Sangho
Published: December 2015

Gas-liquid two-phase flow in a circular pipeline is commonly encountered in an inclined pipeline of an offshore plant. To visualize gas-liquid flow phenomena in an inclined pipeline, the w-shaped transparent pipeline was fabricated with internal diameter of 2″ and slope angle of 25°. The terrain-induced slug flow in a steady-state was visualized at fixed water flow rate of 1 m3/hr and 80% GVF (Gas Volume Fraction). The air and water flow is initially maintained in stratified or wavy flow at t = 0 s. When the velocity difference between the air and water is high enough, the Kelvin-Helmholtz wave motion starts to occur just after at t = 0 s. As the wave reaches the top, the upward water flow is faced with the downward water flow in the main visualized region. When the airway is clogged, the air slug is formed at t = 0.02 s. When a huge tidal wave is observed at t = 0.1 s due to different velocity between the upward water and the downward water flow, the air slug travels at a greater velocity than the water flow. As the tidal wave enlarges its growth, the chaotic motion with scattered bubbles is exhibited at the gas-liquid interface. A series of the air slugging is periodically observed after near 0.5 s. At the second v-shaped pipeline, the slugging phenomena become even more severe due to an irregular water inflow from the first v-shaped pipeline.
Frosting Characteristics on Hydrophilic and Superhydrophobic Copper Surfaces
Authors: Jeong Chan Ho , Lee Jae Bin , Lee Seong Hyuk , Lee Jungho , You Seung Mun , Choi Chang Kyoung
Published: December 2015

The main objective of this study is to examine the frosting characteristics affected by the surface wettability. Two different copper surfaces – bare and nano structured - were prepared for the experiments. Their static contact angles are 74° (bare: without surface treatment) and 154° (nano-structured), respectively. The temperature of the copper substrate was measured by using resistance temperature detector (RTD) sensors embedded inside small holes drilled at 1 mm underneath the surface. During the phase change, the temperature of the copper substrates remained -7.8±0.6°C and the ambient temperature was set as 24±0.5°C with the relative humidity of 45%. Images were captured by using the CMOS camera with the 5 second time interval. Film condensation occurred because of higher wettability of the bare copper surface. Film condensates were frozen at the early stage and frost crystal grew in the vertical direction. On the other hand, dropwise condensates formed on the nano-structured copper surface remained as the supercooled liquid phase for 44 minutes owing to its low wettability. After 4 minutes, frosting on the bare copper substrate was triggered and propagated until it covered the whole surface. The frosting was significantly delayed on the superhydrophobic copper surface due to the lower surface free energy. The different porous media composed of frost which directly influence the heat transfer characteristics was formed on each surfaces. Therefore, additional investigation for heat transfer phenomenon on superhydrophobic surface should be conducted.
Similarity Solutions of Unsteady Three-Dimensional Stagnation Flow and Heat Transfer of a Viscous, Compressible Fluid on an Accelerated Flat Plate
Authors: Mozayyeni H. R. , Rahimi Asghar B.
Published: December 2015

The most general form of the problem of stagnation-point flow and heat transfer of a viscous, compressible fluid impinging on a flat plate is solved in this paper. The plate is moving with a constant or time-dependently variable velocity and acceleration toward the impinging flow or away from it. In this study, an external low Mach number flow impinges on the plate, along z-direction, with strain rate a and produces three-dimensional flow. The wall temperature is assumed to be maintained constant, which is different from that of the main stream. The density of the fluid is affected by the temperature difference existing between the plate and the incoming far-field flow. Suitably introduced similarity transformations are used to reduce the unsteady, three-dimensional, Navier–Stokes, and energy equations to a coupled system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations. The fourth-order Runge–Kutta method along with a shooting technique is applied to numerically solve the governing equations. The results are achieved over a wide range of parameters characterizing the problem. It is revealed that the significance of the aspect ratio of the velocity components in x and y directions, λ parameter, is much more noticeable for a plate moving away from impinging flow. Moreover, negligible heat transfer rate is reported between the plate and fluid viscous layer close to the plate when the plate moves away with a high velocity.
Sound source localization technique using a seismic streamer and its extension for whale localization during seismic surveys
Authors: Abadi Shima H. , Wilcock William S. D. , Tolstoy Maya , Crone Timothy J. , Carbotte Suzanne M.
Published: December 2015

Marine seismic surveys are under increasing scrutiny because of concern that they may disturb or otherwise harm marine mammals and impede their communications. Most of the energy from seismic surveys is low frequency, so concerns are particularly focused on baleen whales. Extensive mitigation efforts accompany seismic surveys, including visual and acoustic monitoring, but the possibility remains that not all animals in an area can be observed and located. One potential way to improve mitigation efforts is to utilize the seismic hydrophone streamer to detect and locate calling baleen whales. This study describes a method to localize low frequency sound sources with data recoded by a streamer. Beamforming is used to estimate the angle of arriving energy relative to sub-arrays of the streamer which constrains the horizontal propagation velocity to each sub-array for a given trial location. A grid search method is then used to minimize the time residual for relative arrival times along the streamer estimated by cross correlation. Results from both simulation and experiment are shown and data from the marine mammal observers and the passive acoustic monitoring conducted simultaneously with the seismic survey are used to verify the analysis.
Speech privacy and annoyance considerations in the acoustic environment of passenger cars of high-speed trains
Authors: Jeon Jin Yong , Hong Joo Young , Jang Hyung Suk , Kim Jae Hyeon
Published: December 2015

It is necessary to consider not only annoyance of interior noises but also speech privacy to achieve acoustic comfort in a passenger car of a high-speed train because speech from other passengers can be annoying. This study aimed to explore an optimal acoustic environment to satisfy speech privacy and reduce annoyance in a passenger car. Two experiments were conducted using speech sources and compartment noise of a high speed train with varying speech-to-noise ratios (SNRA) and background noise levels (BNL). Speech intelligibility was tested in experiment I, and in experiment II, perceived speech privacy, annoyance, and acoustic comfort of combined sounds with speech and background noise were assessed. The results show that speech privacy and annoyance were significantly influenced by the SNRA. In particular, the acoustic comfort was evaluated as acceptable when the SNRA was less than −6 dB for both speech privacy and noise annoyance. In addition, annoyance increased significantly as the BNL exceeded 63 dBA, whereas the effect of the background-noise level on the speech privacy was not significant. These findings suggest that an optimal level of interior noise in a passenger car might exist between 59 and 63 dBA, taking normal speech levels into account.
Children's perception of nonnative-accented sentences in noise and quiet
Authors: Bent Tessa , Atagi Eriko
Published: December 2015

Adult listeners' word recognition is remarkably robust under a variety of adverse listening conditions. However, the combination of two simultaneous listening challenges (e.g., nonnative speaker in noise) can cause significant word recognition decrements. This study investigated how talker-related (native vs nonnative) and environment-related (noise vs quiet) adverse conditions impact children's and adults' word recognition. Five- and six-year-old children and adults identified sentences produced by one native and one nonnative talker in both quiet and noise-added conditions. Children's word recognition declined significantly more than adults' in conditions with one source of listening adversity (i.e., native speaker in noise or nonnative speaker in quiet). Children's performance when the listening challenges were combined (nonnative talker in noise) was particularly poor. Immature speech-in-noise perception may be a result of children's difficulties with signal segregation or selective attention. In contrast, the explanation for children's difficulty in the mapping of unfamiliar pronunciations to known words in quiet listening conditions must rest on children's limited cognitive or linguistic skills and experiences. These results demonstrate that children's word recognition abilities under both environmental- and talker-related adversity are still developing in the early school-age years.
Development of an Anti-Elicitin Antibody-Based Immunohistochemical Assay for Diagnosis of Pythiosis
Authors: Inkomlue Ruchuros , Larbcharoensub Noppadol , Karnsombut Patcharee , Lerksuthirat Tassanee , Aroonroch Rangsima , Lohnoo Tassanee , Yingyong Wanta , Santanirand Pitak , Sansopha Lalana , Krajaejun Theerapong
Published: December 2015

Pythiosis is an emerging and life-threatening infectious disease of humans and animals living in tropical and subtropical countries and is caused by the fungus-like organism
Pythium insidiosum
. Antifungals are ineffective against this pathogen. Most patients undergo surgical removal of the infected organ, and many die from advanced infections. Early and accurate diagnosis leads to prompt management and promotes better prognosis for affected patients. Immunohistochemical assays (IHCs) have been developed using rabbit antibodies raised against
P. insidiosum
crude extract, i.e., culture filtrate antigen (CFA), for the histodiagnosis of pythiosis, but cross-reactivity with pathogenic fungi compromises the diagnostic performance of the IHC. Therefore, there is a need to improve detection specificity. Recently, the elicitin protein, ELI025, was identified in
P. insidiosum
, but it was not identified in other human pathogens, including true fungi. The ELI025-encoding gene was successfully cloned and expressed as a recombinant protein in
Escherichia coli
. This study aims to develop a new IHC using the rabbit anti-ELI025 antibody (anti-ELI) and to compare its performance with the previously reported anti-CFA-based IHC. Thirty-eight
P. insidiosum
histological sections stained positive by anti-ELI-based and anti-CFA-based IHCs indicating 100% detection sensitivity for the two assays. The anti-ELI antibody stained negative for all 49 negative-control sections indicating 100% detection specificity. In contrast, the anti-CFA antibody stained positive for one of the 49 negative controls (a slide prepared from
Fusarium
-infected tissue) indicating 98% detection specificity. In conclusion, the anti-ELI based IHC is sensitive and specific for the histodiagnosis of pythiosis and is an improvement over the anti-CFA-based assay.
Sustainability of professionals’ adherence to clinical practice guidelines in medical care: a systematic review
Authors: Ament Stephanie M C , de Groot Jeanny J A , Maessen José M C , Dirksen Carmen D , van der Weijden Trudy , Kleijnen Jos
Published: December 2015

Objectives

To evaluate (1) the state of the art in sustainability research and (2) the outcomes of professionals’ adherence to guideline recommendations in medical practice.

Design

Systematic review.

Data sources

Searches were conducted until August 2015 in MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials(CENTRAL) and the Guidelines International Network (GIN) library. A snowball strategy, in which reference sections of other reviews and of included papers were searched, was used to identify additional papers.

Eligibility criteria

Studies needed to be focused on sustainability and on professionals’ adherence to clinical practice guidelines in medical care. Studies had to include at least 2 measurements: 1 before (PRE) or immediately after implementation (EARLY POST) and 1 measurement longer than 1 year after active implementation (LATE POST).

Results

The search retrieved 4219 items, of which 14 studies met the inclusion criteria, involving 18 sustainability evaluations. The mean timeframe between the end of active implementation and the sustainability evaluation was 2.6 years (minimum 1.5–maximum 7.0). The studies were heterogeneous with respect to their methodology. Sustainability was considered to be successful if performance in terms of professionals’ adherence was fully maintained in the late postimplementation phase. Long-term sustainability of professionals’ adherence was reported in 7 out of 18 evaluations, adherence was not sustained in 6 evaluations, 4 evaluations showed mixed sustainability results and in 1 evaluation it was unclear whether the professional adherence was sustained.

Conclusions

(2) Professionals’ adherence to a clinical practice guideline in medical care decreased after more than 1 year after implementation in about half of the cases. (1) Owing to the limited number of studies, the absence of a uniform definition, the high risk of bias, and the mixed results of studies, no firm conclusion about the sustainability of professionals’ adherence to guidelines in medical practice can be drawn.
Danish register-based study on the association between specific cardiovascular drugs and fragility fractures
Authors: Torstensson Maia , Hansen Annette Højmann , Leth-Møller Katja , Jørgensen Terese Sara Høj , Sahlberg Marie , Andersson Charlotte , Kristensen Karl Emil , Ryg Jesper , Weeke Peter , Torp-Pedersen Christian , Gislason Gunnar , Holm Ellen
Published: December 2015

Objective

To determine whether drugs used in treatment of cardiovascular diseases (CVD-drugs), including hypertension, increase the risk of fragility fractures in individuals above the age of 65 years.

Design

Retrospective nationwide cohort study.

Setting

Danish nationwide national registers.

Participants

All individuals in Denmark ≥65 years who used specified CVD-drugs in the study period between 1999 and 2012.

Main outcomes measures

Time-dependent exposure to CVD-drugs (nitrates, digoxin, thiazides, furosemide, ACE inhibitors, angiotensin receptor antagonists, β-blockers, calcium antagonists and statins) was determined by prescription claims from pharmacies. The association between use of specific CVD-drugs and fragility fractures was assessed using multivariable Poisson regression models, and adjusted incidence rate ratios (IRRs) were calculated.

Results

Overall, 1 586 554 persons were included, of these 16.1% experienced a fall-related fracture. The multivariable Poisson regression analysis showed positive associations between fracture and treatment with furosemide, thiazide and digoxin. IRRs during the first 14 days of treatment were for furosemide IRR 1.74 (95% CI 1.61 to 1.89) and for thiazides IRR 1.41 (1.28 to 1.55); IRR during the first 30 days of treatment with digoxin was 1.18 (1.02 to 1.37).

Conclusions

Use of furosemide, thiazides and digoxin was associated with elevated rates of fragility fractures among elderly individuals. This may warrant consideration when considering diuretic treatment of hypertension in elderly individuals.
Mutation screening for thalassaemia in the Jino ethnic minority population of Yunnan Province, Southwest China
Authors: Wang Shiyun , Zhang Rong , Xiang Guangxin , Li Yang , Hou Xuhong , Jiang Fusong , Jiang Feng , Hu Cheng , Jia Weiping
Published: December 2015

Objectives

This study aimed to detect α- and β-thalassaemia mutations in the Jino ethnic minority population of Yunnan Province, Southwest China.

Design

A total of 1613 Jino adults were continuously recruited from February 2012 to April 2012. Fasting venous blood samples were obtained to determine haematological variables. Haemoglobin analysis was conducted using high-performance liquid chromatography. Participants with hypochromic microcytic anaemia or positive haemoglobin analysis profiles were confirmed by α- and β-globin genetic testing, including DNA microarray analysis, direct sequencing methods and multiplex gap-PCR assays.

Setting

Shanghai Diabetes Institute, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Diabetes Mellitus, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People's Hospital.

Results

We found 363 suspected cases by primary screening of haematological variables and haemoglobin analysis. After further genetic testing, four types of α- and β-thalassaemia mutation were detected in 203 out of 363 individuals. Both α0- and α+-thalassaemia mutations, --SEAand -α3.7, were identified. β-Thalassaemia mutations included CD17 (HBB:c.52A>T) and CD26 (HbE or HBB:c.79G>A). In addition, 13 HbE carriers had coexisting α0- or α+-thalassaemia deletions. Clinical haematological variables indicated that, in this study, carriers of all thalassaemic genotypes had more severe hypochromic microcytic anaemia than non-thalassaemic individuals.

Conclusions

Our results provide information on the Jino ethnic minority that may be useful for further genetic counselling, prenatal screening and clinical diagnosis of thalassaemia in this region.
‘When something is this rare … how do you know bad really is bad…?’—views on prognostic discussions from patients with advanced soft tissue sarcoma
Authors: Gough Nicholas , Ross Joy R , Riley Julia , Judson Ian , Koffman Jonathan
Published: December 2015

Objectives

Prognostic disclosure among patients with cancer permits open informed discussion about treatment preferences and encourages advance care planning. In rare cancers such as soft tissue sarcoma, discussions regarding prognostication are challenging. Little is known about the consequences of this for patients or their preferences for such information. This qualitative study explores patient-centered accounts of the value and timing of prognostic discussions.

Methods

24 semistructured interviews were conducted with soft tissue sarcoma patients attending one London cancer centre: 66% female, median age 53 (range 19–82). The study was cross-sectional and participants were at different stages of the advanced disease trajectory. Interviews were digitally recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically using the framework approach.

Results

All participants understood the incurable nature of advanced sarcoma. However, prognostic discussions were rare, always patient initiated and did not include known survival data, despite direct participant enquiry. Most participants did not wish to discuss prognosis at initial diagnosis but wished to be offered the opportunity to discuss this at intervals of disease progression, despite reservations it may not be helpful. Participants expected discussions to be clinician initiated. Three themes emerged to explain this position and included (1)Rarity causing prognostic uncertaintyreferring to patient belief that prognostication in rare cancers was less likely to be accurate than for common tumours; (2)Avoiding the negativesreferring to a wish not to hear unfavourable information and (3)Physical symptoms a better prognostic indicator than ‘physician guess’.

Conclusions

Although 17/24 participants preferred not to discuss prognosis at initial diagnosis, they wished to have the opportunity to revisit prognostic discussions at intervals of disease progression. This may facilitate better advance care planning and end of life care.
Simpler Sequential and Parallel Biconnectivity Augmentation in Trees
Authors: Jain Surabhi , Sadagopan N.
Published: December 2015

For a connected graph, a vertex separator is a set of vertices whose removal creates at least two components and a minimum vertex separator is a vertex separator of least cardinality. The vertex connectivity refers to the size of a minimum vertex separator. For a connected graph G with vertex connectivity [Formula: see text], the connectivity augmentation refers to a set S of edges whose augmentation to G increases its vertex connectivity by one. A minimum connectivity augmentation of G is the one in which S is minimum. In this paper, we focus our attention on biconnectivity augmentation for trees. Towards this end, we present a new sequential algorithm for biconnectivity augmentation in trees by simplifying the algorithm reported in [1]. The simplicity is achieved with the help of edge contraction tool. This tool helps us in getting a recursive subproblem preserving all connectivity information. Subsequently, we present a parallel algorithm to obtain a minimum biconnectivity augmentation set in trees. Our parallel algorithm essentially follows the overall structure of sequential algorithm. Our implementation is based on CREW PRAM model with [Formula: see text] processors, where [Formula: see text] refers to the maximum degree of a tree. We also show that our parallel algorithm is optimal with a processor-time product of [Formula: see text] where n is the number of vertices of a tree.
Periodic oscillations of the forced Brusselator
Authors: Gallas J. A. C.
Published: December 2015

We study the organization of stability phases in the control parameter space of a periodically driven Brusselator. Specifically, we report high-resolution stability diagrams classifying periodic phases in terms of the number of spikes per period of their regular oscillations. Such diagrams contain accumulations of periodic oscillations with an apparently unbounded growth in the number of their spikes. In addition to the entrainment horns, we investigate the organization of oscillations in the limit of small frequencies and amplitudes of the drive. We find this limit to be free from chaotic oscillations and to display an extended and regular tiling of periodic phases. The Brusselator contains also several features discovered recently in more complex scenarios like, e.g. in lasers and in biochemical reactions, and exhibits properties which are helpful in the generic classification of entrainment in driven systems. Our stability diagrams reveal snippets of how the full classification of oscillations might look like for a wide class of flows.
Sintering behavior and dielectric properties of Bi3+-substituted Nd(Zn0.5Ti0.5)O3microwave ceramics
Authors: Hu Mingzhe , Ding Zhao , Xiong Gang , Ji Denghui , Zhang Kesheng
Published: December 2015

The sintering behavior and dielectric properties of Bi[Formula: see text]-substituted Nd(Zn[Formula: see text]Ti[Formula: see text]O3(abbreviated as NZT) microwave ceramics (Nd[Formula: see text]Bi[Formula: see text])(Zn[Formula: see text]Ti[Formula: see text])O3[Formula: see text] (abbreviated as NBZT) are investigated. XRD results reveal the formation of single perovskite solid solutions for [Formula: see text] samples. For [Formula: see text] samples, pyrochlore phase begins to segregate from the perovskite phase and its volume fraction increases with [Formula: see text]. B-site Zn[Formula: see text]/Ti[Formula: see text] 1:1 long range order (LRO) is detected by Raman Spectroscopy. The degree of LRO varies as a function of sintering conditions and chemical composition. The microwave dielectric properties of the composition are measured. By substituting Bi[Formula: see text] for Nd[Formula: see text], the temperature coefficient of resonant frequency [Formula: see text] tunes toward zero, however, the microwave quality factor, [Formula: see text] deteriorates. For [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] reaches a minimum value of [Formula: see text] with relative permittivity of [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], respectively. The effect of Bi-doping on the [Formula: see text] value is discussed.
Hyperon puzzle of neutron stars with Skyrme force models
Authors: Lim Yeunhwan , Hyun Chang Ho , Kwak Kyujin , Lee Chang-Hwan
Published: December 2015

We consider the so-called hyperon puzzle of neutron star (NS). We employ Skyrme force models for the description of in-medium nucleon–nucleon (NN), nucleon–Lambda hyperon ([Formula: see text]) and Lambda–Lambda ([Formula: see text]) interactions. A phenomenological finite-range force (FRF) for the [Formula: see text] interaction is considered as well. Equation of state (EoS) of NS matter is obtained in the framework of density functional theory, and Tolman–Oppenheimer–Volkoff (TOV) equations are solved to obtain the mass-radius relations of NSs. It has been generally known that the existence of hyperons in the NS matter is not well supported by the recent discovery of large-mass NSs ([Formula: see text]) since hyperons make the EoS softer than the one without them. For the selected interaction models, [Formula: see text] interactions reduce the maximum mass of NS by about 30%, while [Formula: see text] interactions can give about 10% enhancement. Consequently, we find that some Skyrme force models predict the maximum mass of NS consistent with the observation of [Formula: see text] NSs, and at the same time satisfy observationally constrained mass-radius relations.
An UBMFFP Tree for Mining Multiple Fuzzy Frequent Itemsets
Authors: Lin Jerry Chun-Wei , Hong Tzung-Pei , Lin Tsung-Ching , Pan Shing-Tai
Published: December 2015

Frequent itemsets are useful for discovering interesting associations hidden in large databases. Many mining algorithms use data with binary attributes to represent the occurrence of items and find frequent itemsets. However, many real-world applications provide a richer source of transactions with quantitative values. The fuzzy frequent pattern tree algorithm was thus proposed for extracting fuzzy frequent itemsets from the quantitative transactions. In this paper, a tree structure called the upper-bound multiple fuzzy frequent-pattern (UBMFFP)-tree is designed for improving the pruning effect in the mining process. A two-phase fuzzy mining approach based on the tree structure is also proposed to obtain the complete fuzzy frequent itemsets from a quantitative database. The proposed fuzzy mining approach recursively and efficiently finds the upper-bound fuzzy counts of itemsets with the aid of the tree structure. It prunes unpromising itemsets in the first phase, and then finds the actual fuzzy frequent itemsets in the second phase. Experimental results indicate that the proposed UBMFFP-tree algorithm has good performance in terms of execution time and number of tree nodes.
Generating Implications from One-Variable Functions
Authors: Su Yong , Xie Aifang , Liu Hua-Wen
Published: December 2015

In this paper, we firstly introduce two new classes of fuzzy implications generated from one-variable functions, called [Formula: see text]- and [Formula: see text]-implications, respectively. Then we give a series of necessary and sufficient conditions that these implications satisfy: left neutrality property, identity principle, ordering principle, law of contraposition, modus ponens and modus tollens, respectively. We also discuss the relations between [Formula: see text]- implication ([Formula: see text]-implications, respectively) and other known classes of fuzzy implications.
A Note on the Paper “Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process: Fallacy of the Popular Methods”
Authors: Fedrizzi Michele , Krejčí Jana
Published: December 2015

In the last 30 years, several distinguished researchers have proposed and discussed different fuzzy versions of well-known Saaty's Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). The paper recently published by K. Zhü in the European Journal of Operational Research heavily criticizes the fuzzy approaches to AHP, claiming the fallacy of all of them. Therefore, it seems to be necessary to clarify whether the criticisms are well-founded or not. The present paper aims to rebut Zhü's claims by showing that the evidences and the reasonings in his paper are very poor and far from proving the fallacy of fuzzy AHP.
Conditions for rational weak mixing
Authors: Aaronson Jon.
Published: December 2015

We exhibit rationally ergodic, spectrally weakly mixing measure preserving transformations which are not subsequence rationally weakly mixing and give a condition for smoothness of renewal sequences.
Q-MAT
Authors: Li Pan , Wang Bin , Sun Feng , Guo Xiaohu , Zhang Caiming , Wang Wenping
Published: December 2015

The medial axis transform (MAT) is an important shape representation for shape approximation, shape recognition, and shape retrieval. Despite years of research, there is still a lack of effective methods for efficient, robust and accurate computation of the MAT. We present an efficient method, called
Q-MAT
, that uses quadratic error minimization to compute a structurally simple, geometrically accurate, and compact representation of the MAT. We introduce a new error metric for approximation and a new quantitative characterization of unstable branches of the MAT, and integrate them in an extension of the well-known quadric error metric (QEM) framework for mesh decimation. Q-MAT is fast, removes insignificant unstable branches effectively, and produces a simple and accurate piecewise linear approximation of the MAT. The method is thoroughly validated and compared with existing methods for MAT computation.
Parallel Simulation and Virtual-Machine-Based Emulation of Software-Defined Networks
Authors: Jin Dong , Nicol David M.
Published: December 2015

The emerging software-defined networking (SDN) technology decouples the control plane from the data plane in a computer network with open and standardized interfaces, and hence opens up the network designers’ options and ability to innovate. The wide adoption of SDN in industry has motivated the development of large-scale, high-fidelity testbeds for evaluation of systems that incorporate SDN. In this article, we develop a framework to support OpenFlow-based SDN simulation and distributed emulation, by leveraging our prior work on a hybrid network testbed with a parallel network simulator and a virtual-machine-based emulation system. We show how to exploit typical SDN controller behaviors to handle performance issues caused by the centralized controller in parallel discrete-event simulation. In particular, we develop an asynchronous synchronization algorithm for passive SDN controllers and design a two-level architecture for active SDN controllers. We evaluate the system performance, showing good scalability. Finally, we present a case study, using the testbed, to evaluate network verification applications in an SDN-based data center network.
3D Mesh Labeling via Deep Convolutional Neural Networks
Authors: Guo Kan , Zou Dongqing , Chen Xiaowu
Published: December 2015

This article presents a novel approach for 3D mesh labeling by using deep Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs). Many previous methods on 3D mesh labeling achieve impressive performances by using predefined geometric features. However, the generalization abilities of such low-level features, which are heuristically designed to process specific meshes, are often insufficient to handle all types of meshes. To address this problem, we propose to learn a robust mesh representation that can adapt to various 3D meshes by using CNNs. In our approach, CNNs are first trained in a supervised manner by using a large pool of classical geometric features. In the training process, these low-level features are nonlinearly combined and hierarchically compressed to generate a compact and effective representation for each triangle on the mesh. Based on the trained CNNs and the mesh representations, a label vector is initialized for each triangle to indicate its probabilities of belonging to various object parts. Eventually, a graph-based mesh-labeling algorithm is adopted to optimize the labels of triangles by considering the label consistencies. Experimental results on several public benchmarks show that the proposed approach is robust for various 3D meshes, and outperforms state-of-the-art approaches as well as classic learning algorithms in recognizing mesh labels.
Strategyproof Matching with Minimum Quotas
Authors: Fragiadakis Daniel , Iwasaki Atsushi , Troyan Peter , Ueda Suguru , Yokoo Makoto
Published: December 2015

We study matching markets in which institutions may have minimum and maximum quotas. Minimum quotas are important in many settings, such as hospital residency matching, military cadet matching, and school choice, but current mechanisms are unable to accommodate them, leading to the use of ad hoc solutions. We introduce two new classes of strategyproof mechanisms that allow for minimum quotas as an explicit input and show that our mechanisms improve welfare relative to existing approaches. Because minimum quotas cause a theoretical incompatibility between standard fairness and nonwastefulness properties, we introduce new second-best axioms and show that they are satisfied by our mechanisms. Last, we use simulations to quantify (1) the magnitude of the potential efficiency gains from our mechanisms and (2) how far the resulting assignments are from the first-best definitions of fairness and nonwastefulness. Combining both the theoretical and simulation results, we argue that our mechanisms will improve the performance of matching markets with minimum quota constraints in practice.
Future designers
Authors: Grammenos Dimitris
Published: December 2015

A crash course on creativity, design thinking, and design for young children.
Efficient Implementation of IPCP and DFP
Authors: Audsley N. C. , Burns A.
Published: December 2015

Most resource control protocols such as IPCP (Immediate Priority Ceiling Protocol) require a kernel system call to implement the necessary control over the shared protected object. This switch can be expensive, involving a potentially slow switch from CPU user-mode to kernel-mode (and back). In this paper we look at two anticipatory schemes (IPCP and DFP - Deadline Floor Protocol) and show how they can be implemented with the minimum number of calls on the kernel. Specifically, no kernel calls are needed when there is no contention, and only one when there is. A standard implementation would need two such calls.
ARINC-653 Inter-partition Communications and the Ravenscar Profile
Authors: Garrido Jorge , Zamorano Juan , de la Puente Juan A.
Published: December 2015

The ARINC-653 standard is offen used to build mixed-criticality systems, using a partitioned architecture. Inter-partition communication is carried out by meands of a message-passing mechanism based on ports. The standard includes an API for Ada, but the implementation semantics of operation ports is not fully defined. Furthermore, the API was defined for the Ada 95 standard, and therefore does not take into account the enhancements to the real-time features of the language that have been incorporated in the 2005 and 2013 standards, most notably the Ravenscar profile. This paper is aimed at clarifying the implementation of ARINC communication ports in Ada and the Ravenscar profile. ARINC communication ports are analysed, and their compatibility with the Ravenscar profile is assessed. A new API that can be used with the profile is defined, and a pilot implementation is introduced.
Update of ISO/IEC Technical Reports on the Use of the Ada Programming Language in High Integrity Systems
Authors: Tokar Joyce L.
Published: December 2015

The Ada programming language has been designed for use in high integrity, safety critical, and secure software systems. Several International Organization for Standardization/International Electrotechnical Commission (ISO/IEC) technical reports have been developed to provide guidance on the appropriate use of Ada to achieve the largest benefit in the verification and security of high integrity systems. While the Ada programming language has been evolving over time, these technical reports were written utilizing the Ada 2005 version of the programming language standard. In this brief paper, we pose that the International Real-Time Ada Workshop membership assume the responsibility for updating the technical reports to be in alignment with the current Ada programming language standard, known as Ada 2012.
Muscle microvasculature's structural and functional specializations facilitate muscle metabolism
Authors: Kusters Yvo H. A. M. , Barrett Eugene J.
Published: December 2015

We review the evolving findings from studies that examine the relationship between the structural and functional properties of skeletal muscle's vasculature and muscle metabolism. Unique aspects of the organization of the muscle microvasculature are highlighted. We discuss the role of vasomotion at the microscopic level and of flowmotion at the tissue level as modulators of perfusion distribution in muscle. We then consider in some detail how insulin and exercise each modulate muscle perfusion at both the microvascular and whole tissue level. The central role of the vascular endothelial cell in modulating both perfusion and transendothelial insulin and nutrient transport is also reviewed. The relationship between muscle metabolic insulin resistance and the vascular action of insulin in muscle continues to indicate an important role for the microvasculature as a target for insulin action and that impairing insulin's microvascular action significantly affects body glucose metabolism.
The glucocorticoid receptor: cause of or cure for obesity?
Authors: John Kezia , Marino Joseph S. , Sanchez Edwin R. , Hinds Terry D.
Published: December 2015

Glucocorticoid hormones (GCs) are important regulators of lipid metabolism, promoting lipolysis with acute treatment but lipogenesis with chronic exposure. Conventional wisdom posits that these disparate outcomes are mediated by the classical glucocorticoid receptor GRα. There is insufficient knowledge of the GC receptors (GRα and GRβ) in metabolic conditions such as obesity and diabetes. We present acute models of GC exposure that induce lipolysis, such as exercise, as well as chronic-excess models that cause obesity and lipid accumulation in the liver, such as hepatic steatosis. Alternative mechanisms are then proposed for the lipogenic actions of GCs, including induction of GC resistance by the GRβ isoform, and promotion of lipogenesis by GC activation of the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR). Finally, the potential involvement of chaperone proteins in the regulation of adipogenesis is considered. This reevaluation may prove useful to future studies on the steroidal basis of adipogenesis and obesity.
Excitatory amino acid transporters tonically restrain nTS synaptic and neuronal activity to modulate cardiorespiratory function
Authors: Matott Michael P. , Ruyle Brian C. , Hasser Eileen M. , Kline David D.
Published: December 2015

The nucleus tractus solitarii (nTS) is the initial central termination site for visceral afferents and is important for modulation and integration of multiple reflexes including cardiorespiratory reflexes. Glutamate is the primary excitatory neurotransmitter in the nTS and is removed from the extracellular milieu by excitatory amino acid transporters (EAATs). The goal of this study was to elucidate the role of EAATs in the nTS on basal synaptic and neuronal function and cardiorespiratory regulation. The majority of glutamate clearance in the central nervous system is believed to be mediated by astrocytic EAAT 1 and 2. We confirmed the presence of EAAT 1 and 2 within the nTS and their colocalization with astrocytic markers. EAAT blockade with dl- threo-β-benzyloxyaspartic acid (TBOA) produced a concentration-related depolarization, increased spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic current (EPSC) frequency, and enhanced action potential discharge in nTS neurons. Solitary tract-evoked EPSCs were significantly reduced by EAAT blockade. Microinjection of TBOA into the nTS of anesthetized rats induced apneic, sympathoinhibitory, depressor, and bradycardic responses. These effects mimicked the response to microinjection of exogenous glutamate, and glutamate responses were enhanced by EAAT blockade. Together these data indicate that EAATs tonically restrain nTS excitability to modulate cardiorespiratory function.