bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The best alternative for estimating reference crop evapotranspiration in different sub-regions of mainland China
Authors: Peng Lingling , Li Yi , Feng Hao
Published: July 2017

Reference crop evapotranspiration (ETo) is a critically important parameter for climatological, hydrological and agricultural management. The FAO56 Penman-Monteith (PM) equation has been recommended as the standardized ETo (ETo,s) equation, but it has a high requirements of climatic data. There is a practical need for finding a best alternative method to estimate ETo in the regions where full climatic data are lacking. A comprehensive comparison for the spatiotemporal variations, relative errors, standard deviations and Nash-Sutcliffe efficacy coefficients of monthly or annual ETo,s and ETo,i (i = 1, 2, …, 10) values estimated by 10 selected methods (i.e., Irmak et al., Makkink, Priestley-Taylor, Hargreaves-Samani, Droogers-Allen, Berti et al., Doorenbos-Pruitt, Wright and Valiantzas, respectively) using data at 552 sites over 1961–2013 in mainland China. The method proposed by Berti et al. (2014) was selected as the best alternative of FAO56-PM because it was simple in computation process, only utilized temperature data, had generally good accuracy in describing spatiotemporal characteristics of ETo,s in different sub-regions and mainland China, and correlated linearly to the FAO56-PM method very well. The parameters of the linear correlations between ETo of the two methods are calibrated for each site with the smallest determination of coefficient being 0.87.
The effect of oxygen concentration and temperature on nitrogenase activity in the heterocystous cyanobacterium Fischerella sp.
Authors: Stal Lucas J.
Published: July 2017

Heterocysts are differentiated cells formed by some filamentous, diazotrophic (dinitrogen-fixing) cyanobacteria. The heterocyst is the site of dinitrogen fixation providing the oxygen-sensitive nitrogenase with a low-oxygen environment. The diffusion of air into the heterocyst is a compromise between the maximum influx of dinitrogen gas while oxygen is kept sufficiently low to allow nitrogenase activity. This investigation tested the hypothesis that the heterocyst is capable of controlling the influx of air. Here, the thermophilic heterocystous cyanobacterium Fischerella sp. was analysed for the effects of oxygen concentration and temperature on nitrogenase activity. Dark nitrogenase activity is directly related to aerobic respiration and was therefore used as a measure of the influx of oxygen into the heterocyst. Above 30% O2, the influx of oxygen was proportional to its external concentration. Below this concentration, the influx of oxygen was higher than expected from the external concentration. A higher or lower temperature also triggered the heterocyst to increase or decrease, respectively, dark nitrogenase activity while the external concentration of oxygen was kept constant. A higher dark nitrogenase activity requires a higher rate of respiration and therefore a higher flux of oxygen. Hence, the heterocyst of Fischerella sp. is capable of controlling the influx of air.
Epithelial-derived IL-33 promotes intestinal tumorigenesis in Apc

Min/+ mice
Authors: He Zhengxiang , Chen Lili , Souto Fabricio O. , Canasto-Chibuque Claudia , Bongers Gerold , Deshpande Madhura , Harpaz Noam , Ko Huaibin M. , Kelley Kevin , Furtado Glaucia C. , Lira Sergio A.
Published: July 2017

Increased expression of Interleukin (IL)-33 has been detected in intestinal samples of patients with ulcerative colitis, a condition associated with increased risk for colon cancer, but its role in the development of colorectal cancer has yet to be fully examined. Here, we investigated the role of epithelial expressed IL-33 during development of intestinal tumors. IL-33 expression was detected in epithelial cells in colorectal cancer specimens and in the Apc
Min/+ mice. To better understand the role of epithelial-derived IL-33 in the intestinal tumorigenesis, we generated transgenic mice expressing IL-33 in intestinal epithelial cells (V33 mice). V33 Apc
Min/+ mice, resulting from the cross of V33 with Apc
Min/+ mice, had increased intestinal tumor burden compared with littermate Apc
Min/+ mice. Consistently, Apc
Min/+ mice deficient for IL-33 receptor (ST2), had reduced polyp burden. Mechanistically, overexpression of IL-33 promoted expansion of ST2+ regulatory T cells, increased Th2 cytokine milieu, and induced alternatively activated macrophages in the gut. IL-33 promoted marked changes in the expression of antimicrobial peptides, and antibiotic treatment of V33 Apc
Min/+ mice abrogated the tumor promoting-effects of IL-33 in the colon. In conclusion, elevated IL-33 signaling increases tumor development in the Apc
Min/+ mice.
High-Density Genetic Linkage Map Construction and Quantitative Trait Locus Mapping for Hawthorn (Crataegus pinnatifida Bunge)
Authors: Zhao Yuhui , Su Kai , Wang Gang , Zhang Liping , Zhang Jijun , Li Junpeng , Guo Yinshan
Published: July 2017

Genetic linkage maps are an important tool in genetic and genomic research. In this study, two hawthorn cultivars, Qiujinxing and Damianqiu, and 107 progenies from a cross between them were used for constructing a high-density genetic linkage map using the 2b-restriction site-associated DNA (2b-RAD) sequencing method, as well as for mapping quantitative trait loci (QTL) for flavonoid content. In total, 206,411,693 single-end reads were obtained, with an average sequencing depth of 57× in the parents and 23× in the progeny. After quality trimming, 117,896 high-quality 2b-RAD tags were retained, of which 42,279 were polymorphic; of these, 12,951 markers were used for constructing the genetic linkage map. The map contained 17 linkage groups and 3,894 markers, with a total map length of 1,551.97 cM and an average marker interval of 0.40 cM. QTL mapping identified 21 QTLs associated with flavonoid content in 10 linkage groups, which explained 16.30–59.00% of the variance. This is the first high-density linkage map for hawthorn, which will serve as a basis for fine-scale QTL mapping and marker-assisted selection of important traits in hawthorn germplasm and will facilitate chromosome assignment for hawthorn whole-genome assemblies in the future.
Identification and expression of cysteine sulfinate decarboxylase, possible regulation of taurine biosynthesis in Crassostrea gigas in response to low salinity
Authors: Zhao Xuelin , Li Qi , Meng Qian , Yue Chenyang , Xu Chengxun
Published: July 2017

Taurine has been reported high amounts in marine animals to maintain osmotic balance between osmoformers and sea water. Approximately 80% of the total amino-acid content is taurine in Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas, an intertidal and euryhaline species. In this study, we cloned the two copies of cysteine sulfinate decarboxylase (CSAD), the key enzyme in taurine biosynthesis pathway, screened in oyster genome data. Sequentially, we compared the expression patterns of CgCSAD1 and CgCSAD2 under low salinity treatment (8‰ and 15‰) using different families from two populations. There was no correlation between the expression of CSAD and the different population. Notably, CgCSAD1 increased significantly in treated groups for 24 h, but CgCSAD2 had no significant differentiation. Moreover, the results of CgCSAD1 interference provided the evidence of the positive correlation between CgCSAD1 expressions and taurine contents. The zinc finger domain showed in multi-alignment results may be the important character of CgCSAD1 as the key enzyme in taurine biosynthesis to regulate taurine pool in response to low salinity. This study provides a new evidence for the important role of taurine in adaptation to low salinity in oyster. In addition, it is a good model to discuss the function and evolution of the duplication in mollusks.
Systematic analysis of gene expression patterns associated with postmortem interval in human tissues
Authors: Zhu Yizhang , Wang Likun , Yin Yuxin , Yang Ence
Published: July 2017

Postmortem mRNA degradation is considered to be the major concern in gene expression research utilizing human postmortem tissues. A key factor in this process is the postmortem interval (PMI), which is defined as the interval between death and sample collection. However, global patterns of postmortem mRNA degradation at individual gene levels across diverse human tissues remain largely unknown. In this study, we performed a systematic analysis of alteration of gene expression associated with PMI in human tissues. From the Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) database, we evaluated gene expression levels of 2,016 high-quality postmortem samples from 316 donors of European descent, with PMI ranging from 1 to 27 hours. We found that PMI-related mRNA degradation is tissue-specific, gene-specific, and even genotype-dependent, thus drawing a more comprehensive picture of PMI-associated gene expression across diverse human tissues. Additionally, we also identified 266 differentially variable (DV) genes, such as DEFB4B and IFNG, whose expression is significantly dispersed between short PMI (S-PMI) and long PMI (L-PMI) groups. In summary, our analyses provide a comprehensive profile of PMI-associated gene expression, which will help interpret gene expression patterns in the evaluation of postmortem tissues.
Correction: Corrigendum: Genetic interactions and functional analyses of the fission yeast gsk3 and amk2 single and double mutants defective in TORC1-dependent processes
Authors: Rallis Charalampos , Townsend StJohn , Bähler Jürg
Published: July 2017

Scientific Reports 7: Article number: 44257; published online: 10 March 2017; updated: 10 July 2017 This article contains a typographical error in the Materials and Methods section under the subheading ‘Growth assays’. ‘Caffeine and rapamycin were used at concentrations of 100 mM and 100 ng mL−1, respectively while hydrogen peroxide at a concentration of 0.
Quantum Dots in the Analysis of Food Safety and Quality
Authors: Wegner K. David , Tran Michael V. , Massey Melissa , Algar W. Russ
Published: July 2017

The detection of chemical residues, toxins, pathogens and allergens contaminating food and water is of utmost importance to society. Although numerous strategies have been developed to detect, isolate and identify potential threats in food, there remains great demand for assays that enhance the speed, sensitivity and selectivity of detection in formats that are simple, portable and low cost. Quantum dots are brightly fluorescent semiconductor nanocrystals with many physical and optical properties that can help address the challenges associated with developing improved assays for food safety and quality. This chapter summarizes research toward the utilization of quantum dots in assays for the detection of analytes such as pathogens, pesticides, antibiotics and genetically modified organisms (GMOs). A short primer on the properties and bioconjugation of quantum dots is also included. Numerous studies have demonstrated the potential for quantum dots to enhance analytical figures of merit in food safety and quality assays; however, strategic research is needed to develop quantum dot-enabled assays that will have the greatest opportunity to impact food safety practices in industry and society.
Microfluidic “Lab-on-a-Chip” Sensing in Food Safety and Quality Analysis
Authors: Huang Xian , Tang Chongyue , Xu Qingmei , Zhao Yicong , Li Dachao
Published: July 2017

Lab-on-a-chip (LoC) is an emerging technology that aims at miniaturizing chemical and biological processes and conducting various operation procedures, including sample sorting, bioanalysis and flow manipulation. LoC devices offer many advantages, such as low sample consumption, reduced cost, high detection resolution and sensitivity and high measurement throughput, making them favourable for analyzing various compositions within agri-food products. In this chapter, food analysis approaches based upon LoC technology are introduced. The major materials, structures and main operation principles of LoC will be presented, followed by some representative applications of LoC devices in determining various food compositions to ensure food safety and quality.
Paper-fluidic Based Sensing in Food Safety and Quality Analysis
Authors: Lin Yang , Xu Jie
Published: July 2017

Owing to the ever-increasing demand in food safety and quality analysis, simple and rapid sensing devices for detection of various foodborne contaminants have been comprehensively studied. Recently, paper-fluidic-based devices have proven themselves as a promising type of sensor in terms of cost, specificity, sensitivity and so forth. Compared with conventional laboratory-based sensing methods, bulky equipment and adept personnel are no longer indispensable as capillary action could take over complicated flow control involved in traditional methods. Moreover, numerous fabrication methods have been developed, and various commonly used mechanisms have been realized on paper-fluidic devices. This chapter first introduces the general developments in the field, and then discusses representative applications of using paper-fluidic devices for detecting different contaminants such as food pathogens, herbicides and additives. It is foreseeable that paper-based sensing devices will become one of the quotidian products in daily life.
Aptamer-based Sensing Techniques for Food Safety and Quality
Authors: Goudreau D. N. , Smith M. , McConnell E. M. , Ruscito A. , Velu R. , Callahan J. , DeRosa M. C.
Published: July 2017

Food safety is a growing public health concern worldwide. The need to detect unsafe levels of food contaminants such as chemical compounds, toxins and pathogens prompts new technology and advances in biosensing for food safety. Although current detection methods are able to detect such contaminants with a high level of selectivity and sensitivity, these methods continue to lack practical application. A reliable, easy-to-use, inexpensive detection method that can be used quickly and on-site is a necessity, especially for contaminants that primarily affect food commodities in developing countries. Aptamers are single-stranded oligonucleotides capable of binding a specific target molecule with a high degree of affinity and selectivity. These molecular recognition elements can be selected to bind selectively to a specific target molecule, ranging from small molecules to whole cells. This allows aptamers to be used as the recognition components for food-safety related biosensors. This chapter will review recent literature in aptamers for food-safety related target molecules, and will focus on the incorporation of these aptamers in sensitive and practical biosensors for a variety of food products.
Carbon Nanotube Sensing in Food Safety and Quality Analysis
Authors: Najjar Raghid , Nalbach Joseph R. , Xue Wei
Published: July 2017

The unique physical and structural properties of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have made them a powerful sensing material. CNTs exhibit excellent adsorption capabilities due to their large surface area and available bonding sites for other molecules. There has been increasing interest in using CNT-based sensors for food safety control based upon accurate detection of foodborne threats. These sensors can replace, or at least serve as a powerful alternative to, the existing sensing systems that often suffer from low sensitivity, poor specificity, low detection limit, long detection time and high costs. Here we provide a critical review on CNT sensors and their applications in food safety and quality analysis. Due to the wide variety of potential substances, the sensors are divided into different groups based upon the materials under detection. The critical information such as the sensor designs, sensing principles, material preparation processes and sensing experiments are summarized and discussed. The increased accuracy and effectiveness have made CNTs a promising sensing material for low-cost, portable and powerful sensors. With the intensive and continuous research in this field, it is anticipated that these sensors will become increasingly more useful in the food industry.
A new inter‐carrier interference self‐cancellation mapping scheme over fast time‐varying fading channels
Authors: Ma Tianming
Published: July 2017

A new inter‐carrier interference self‐cancellation method with the data symbol mapping scheme of differential grouping weighted symmetry data‐conjugate is studied and proposed to raise the bandwidth efficiency and further improve the system performance over fast time‐varying fading channels. Comparing with the other existing self‐cancellation methods, the proposed scheme can not only maintain the same bandwidth efficiency as the original orthogonal frequency division multiplexing system, but also show a better performance on carrier‐to‐interference ratio and bit error rate according to the final simulation results and performance analysis.
Ten gigabit per second optical transmissions at 1.98 µm in centimetre‐long SiGe waveguides
Authors: Lamy M. , Finot C. , Fatome J. , Brun M. , Labeye P. , Nicolleti S. , Bogris A. , Syvridis D. , Ettabib M.A. , Richardson D.J. , Petropoulos P. , Hammani K.
Published: July 2017

Error‐free transmission of 10 Gbit/s non‐return to zero optical signals along 2.5 cm long silicon germanium waveguides at a wavelength of 1.98 μm is demonstrated. Bit error rate measurements confirm the absence of penalty during the transmission through a subwavelength of 1.3 and 2.2 μm wide waveguides.
Wavelet‐based fundamental heart sound recognition method using morphological and interval features
Authors: Nivitha Varghees V. , Ramachandran K.I. , Soman K.P.
Published: July 2017

Accurate and reliable recognition of fundamental heart sounds (FHSs) plays a significant role in automated analysis of heart sound (HS) patterns. This Letter presents an automated wavelet‐based FHS recognition (WFHSR) method using morphological and interval features. The proposed method first performs the decomposition of phonocardiogram (PCG) signal using a synchrosqueezing wavelet transform to extract the HSs and suppresses the murmurs, low‐frequency and high‐frequency noises. The HS delineation (HSD) is presented using Shannnon energy envelope and amplitude‐dependent thresholding rule. The FHS recognition (FHSR) is presented using interval, HS duration and envelope area features with a decision‐rule algorithm. The performance of the method is evaluated on PASCAL HSs Challenge, PhysioNet/CinC HS Challenge, eGeneralMedical databases and real‐time recorded PCG signals. Results show that the HSD approach achieves an average sensitivity (Se) of 98.87%, positive predictivity (Pp) of 97.50% with detection error rate of 3.67% for PCG signals with signal‐to‐noise ratio of 10 dB, and outperforms the existing HSD methods. The proposed FHSR method achieves a Se of 99.00%, Sp of 99.08% and overall accuracy of 99.04% on both normal and abnormal PCG signals. Evaluation results show that the proposed WFHSR method is able to accurately recognise the S1/S2 HSs in noisy real‐world PCG recordings with murmurs and other abnormal sounds.
Doppler‐robust high‐spectrum‐efficiency VCM‐OFDM scheme for low Earth orbit satellites broadband data transmission
Authors: Li Jionghui , Xiong Weiming , Sun Geng , Wang Zhugang , Huang Yonghui , Shen Ming
Published: July 2017

High‐efficiency satellite‐ground downlink data transmission system is being demanded to support increasing volume of data with limited spectrum resource. Considering the dynamic link conditions due to the orbital motion of low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite, variable coding modulated orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (VCM‐OFDM) is proposed as an effective way to better exploit link resource. In this study, regarding the relative motion between the satellite on‐board transmitter and the ground station receiver, filtered‐OFDM signal is designed with adjustable coding modulation sets to achieve higher spectral efficiency and get along with the high‐Doppler environment at the same time. Physical layer frame structure is proposed taking the Doppler frequency shift compensation into account with minimum overhead. System performance evaluations prove that transmission throughput in the dynamic communication link can be enhanced significantly by the proposed scheme, which indicates the potential for supporting future gigabit X‐band reliable satellite‐ground downlink transmissions.
Active learning with label correlation exploration for multi‐label image classification
Authors: Wu Jian , Ye Chen , Sheng Victor S. , Zhang Jing , Zhao Pengpeng , Cui Zhiming
Published: July 2017

Multi‐label image classification has attracted considerable attention in machine learning recently. Active learning is widely used in multi‐label learning because it can effectively reduce the human annotation workload required to construct high‐performance classifiers. However, annotation by experts is costly, especially when the number of labels in a dataset is large. Inspired by the idea of semi‐supervised learning, in this study, the authors propose a novel, semi‐supervised multi‐label active learning (SSMAL) method that combines automated annotation with human annotation to reduce the annotation workload associated with the active learning process. In SSMAL, they capture three aspects of potentially useful information – classification prediction information, label correlation information, and example spatial information – and they use this information to develop an effective strategy for automated annotation of selected unlabelled example‐label pairs. The experimental results obtained in this study demonstrate the effectiveness of the authors' proposed approach.
Compact discriminative object representation via weakly supervised learning for real‐time visual tracking
Authors: Shen Weichao , Wu Yuwei , Jia Yunde
Published: July 2017

Object representations are of great importance for robust visual tracking. Although the high‐dimensional representation can effectively encode the input data with more information, exploiting it in a real‐time tracking system would be intractable and infeasible due to the high computational cost and memory requirements. In this study, the authors propose a compact discriminative object representation to achieve both good tracking accuracy and efficiency. An ensemble of weak training sets is generated based on the self‐representative ability of tracking samples, which is applied to learn discriminative functions. Each candidate is represented by the concatenation of project values on all the weak training sets. Tracking is then carried out within a Bayesian inference framework where the classification score of the support vector machine is used to construct the observation model. The evaluations on TB50 benchmark dataset demonstrate that the proposed algorithm is much more computationally efficient than the state‐of‐the‐art methods with comparable accuracy.
Computer‐aided mammogram diagnosis system using deep learning convolutional fully complex‐valued relaxation neural network classifier
Authors: Duraisamy Saraswathi , Emperumal Srinivasan
Published: July 2017

In this study, a novel deep learning‐based framework for classifying the digital mammograms is introduced. The development of this methodology is based on deep learning strategies that model the presence of the tumour tissues with level sets. It is difficult to robustly segment mammogram image due to low contrast between normal and lesion tissues. Therefore, Chan‐Vese level set method is used to extract the initial contour of mammograms and deep learning convolutional neural network (DL‐CNN) algorithm is used to learn the features of mammary‐specific mass and microcalcification clusters. To increase the classification accuracy and reduce the false positives, a well‐known fully complex‐valued relaxation network classifier is used in the last stage of DL‐CNN network. Experimental results using the standard benchmarking breast cancer dataset (MIAS and BCDR) show that the proposed method exhibits significant improvement in performance over the traditional methods. Performance measures such as accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, AUC achieved are 99%, 0.9875, 1.0 and 0.9815, respectively. The proposed framework performs well in classifying the digital mammograms as normal, benign or malignant and its subclasses as well.
Fully convolutional networks for action recognition
Authors: Yu Sheng , Cheng Yun , Xie Li , Li Shao‐Zi
Published: July 2017

Human action recognition is an important and challenging topic in computer vision. Recently, convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have established impressive results for many image recognition tasks. The CNNs usually contain million parameters which prone to overfit when training on small datasets. Therefore, the CNNs do not produce superior performance over traditional methods for action recognition. In this study, the authors design a novel two‐stream fully convolutional networks architecture for action recognition which can significantly reduce parameters while keeping performance. To utilise the advantage of spatial‐temporal features, a linear weighted fusion method is used to fuse two‐stream networks’ feature maps and a video pooling method is adopted to construct the video‐level features. At the meantime, the authors also demonstrate that the improved dense trajectories has significant impact for action recognition. The authors’ method can achieve the state‐of‐the‐art performance on two challenging datasets UCF101 (93.0%) and HMDB51 (70.2%).
High‐frequency transient comparison based fault location in distribution systems with DGs
Authors: Jia Ke , Ren Zhefeng , Li Lun , Xuan Zhenwen , Thomas David
Published: July 2017

Distributed generations (DGs) in the distribution systems are connected into the buses using power electronic converters. During fault, it is challenging to provide a constant impedance model for DGs in the system frequency due to the variable converter control strategies. System frequency impedance measurement based fault locations can be influenced by the converters’ fault behaviour. This study addresses this problem by proposing a wide‐area high‐frequency impedance comparison based fault location technique. The high‐frequency impedance model of DG is provided. Based on the constant DG impedance model in high‐frequency range, the faulted line sections can be distinguished by comparing the measured impedance differences without requiring the exact distribution system parameters. Simulation results show that the proposed wide‐area transient measurements based fault location method can provide accurate faulted sections in the distribution systems with DGs regardless of the load and DG output variations, measurement noise, unbalanced loads and islanding operations.
Model order reduction analysis of DFIG integration on the power system small‐signal stability considering the virtual inertia control
Authors: Ma Jing , Song Zhanxiang , Zhang Yongxin , Shen Yaqi , Thorp James S.
Published: July 2017

In view of the problem that the detailed model of doubly‐fed induction generator (DFIG) considering virtual inertia control is high ordered and difficult to analyse, a reduced‐order model for DFIG that is applicable to small‐signal stability analysis is presented. First, according to the attenuating speed of each state variable, the dynamic characteristics of different components of DFIG are explored from the time scale perspective. On this basis, considering the electromechanical coupling characteristic of DFIG, the third‐order simplified model retaining the dynamic of virtual inertia control and phase‐locked loop is derived. Moreover then, the dynamic model of inter‐connected system with reduced‐order model integration is established. Finally, the attenuation time constant of each state variable of DFIG detailed model is calculated. Simulation tests on the New England 10‐generator 39‐bus test system verify that compared with detailed model of DFIG, the presented reduced‐order model could reflect the dynamic characteristics of power system under small‐signal disturbance more accurately, with greatly reduced computation amount.
Lung field segmentation in chest radiographs: a historical review, current status, and expectations from deep learning
Authors: Mittal Ajay , Hooda Rahul , Sofat Sanjeev
Published: July 2017

Lung field defines a region‐of‐interest in which specific radiologic signs such as septal lines, pulmonary opacities, cavities, consolidations, and lung nodules are searched by a chest radiographic computer‐aided diagnostic system. Thus, its precise segmentation is extremely important. To precisely segment it, numerous methods have been developed during the last four decades. However, no exclusive survey consolidating the advancements in these methods has been presented till date, thus indicating a void and the need. This study fills the void by presenting a comprehensive survey of these methods with a focus on their underlying principle, the dataset used, reported performance, and relative merits and demerits. It refrains from doing a hard comparative evaluation by bringing all of them on a common platform, since the datasets used in their development and testing are of varied quality, complexity, and are not publicly available. It also provides a glimpse of deep learning, the present state of deep‐learning‐based lung field segmentation methods, expectations from it, and the challenges ahead of it.
Fine feature sensitive marching squares
Authors: Gong Sui , Newman Timothy S.
Published: July 2017

A new contouring method for producing region boundaries in two‐dimensional (2D) scalar‐value image datasets (such as grey‐scale intensity images from a digital camera or X‐ray device) with sub‐pixel precision is introduced here. The method, fine feature sensitive marching squares (FFS‐MS), extends MS isocontouring to produce an isocontour that preserves fine‐scale features (which are often incorrectly recovered by standard MS). This extension is the 2D analogue of Kaneko and Yamamoto's volume preserving marching cubes algorithm. It has several phases. First, it recovers an isocontour using standard MS. Then, it produces a new dataset with data values estimated by treating the recovered contour as the actual boundary. Using this new dataset, it next compares that dataset's estimated data values with the data values at corresponding locations in the original dataset. Finally, the method adjusts the original dataset's pixel values at every pixel location, where there is a high discrepancy between the original data value and the estimated data value. It iteratively repeats its phases until an optimality criterion is satisfied. Experimental analyses of FFS‐MS are also presented. The analyses focus on FF recovery in comparison with the standard MS.
Analysis, design, and realisation of a ZVT interleaved boost dc/dc converter with single ZVT auxiliary circuit
Authors: Wang Chien‐Ming , Lin Chang‐Hua , Lu Chien‐Min , Li Jyun‐Che
Published: July 2017

An interleaved boost dc/dc converter with zero‐voltage‐transition (ZVT) characteristics is presented in this study. The interleaved approach is used in this presented converter to not only decrease the current stress of the main circuit device but reduce the input ripple current and output capacitor size. Moreover, the presented converter only uses a common ZVT auxiliary circuit for achieving the soft‐switching function. Thus, the presented converter can further reduce the size and cost. The ZVT characteristic for active power switches and zero‐current transition characteristic for power diodes can be achieved to reduce the switching losses of active power switches and eliminate the reverse recovery losses of power diodes. The efficiency can be improved with a wide range of load. This topology can operate at two operational modes D > 50 and D < 50% to increase the application range. The operational principle and design consideration are discussed in detail. Finally, experimental results taken from a 1500 W prototype are presented to confirm the effectiveness of the presented converter.
Spectroscopic determination of the ground-state dissociation energy and isotopic shift of NaD
Authors: Chu Chia-Ching , He Wei-Fung , Lin Rong-Sin , Li Yin-Ji , Whang Thou-Jen , Tsai Chin-Chun
Published: July 2017

Stimulated emission pumping with fluorescence depletion spectroscopy is used to determine the NaD X 1Σ+ ground-state dissociation energy and its isotopic shift. A total of 230 rovibrational levels in the range 9 ≤ v″ ≤ 29 and 1 ≤ J″ ≤ 11 are observed, where v″ = 29 is about 50 cm−1 below the dissociation limit. Analysis of the highest five vibrational levels yields the dissociation energy De = 15 822 ± 5 cm−1 with a vibrational quantum number at dissociation vD = 31.2 ± 0.1. The energy difference in the well depth of this isotopologue with respect to that of NaH is δDe = De(NaH) − De(NaD) = −7 cm−1. A new set of Dunham coefficients is derived to fit all the observed energy levels to within the experimental uncertainty.
Layer roughness reduction and light harvest from Ag nanowires on a silicon surface through wet etching embedding
Authors: Dai Han , Fang Hongjie , Zhao Junfeng , Sun Jie , Yu Xinxiang , Yu Kun
Published: July 2017

Wet etching as a clean method for embedding Ag nanowires into a silicon substrate has been employed to reduce the Ag nanowires layer roughness. Close attachment of the etching holes with Ag nanowires with various diameters was obtained using a simple etching process. Finite-Difference Time-Domain (FDTD) results show that the significant enhancement in light intensity and an increase in light path are caused by the embedding of Ag nanowires into the silicon substrate. These results show that embedding of Ag nanowires into a semiconductor material by etching can simultaneously lead to significant roughness reduction, light scattering enhancement, and charge collection capacity. It is expected that the embedding process will greatly improve the transparency and conductivity of semiconductor materials and has great potential for application in light emitting diodes (LEDs) or solar cells.
Chimpanzees return favors at a personal cost
Authors: Schmelz Martin , Grueneisen Sebastian , Kabalak Alihan , Jost Jürgen , Tomasello Michael
Published: July 2017

Significance

There are many examples of costly cooperation in humans. Although other great apes have been shown to engage in a number of cooperative behaviors, there is no reliable experimental evidence that they will sacrifice resources to benefit others. Here, we show that chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) return favors to conspecifics who have previously assisted them in acquiring food; crucially, they even do this at a material cost to themselves and especially when the conspecific incurred a risk in providing the assistance. Chimpanzees are thus capable of engaging in materially costly reciprocal interactions commonly considered unique to humans.
Polymorphisms of immunoglobulin receptors and the effects on clinical outcome in cancer immunotherapy and other immune diseases: a general review
Authors: Kaifu Tomonori , Nakamura Akira
Published: July 2017

Receptors for the Fc domain of immunoglobulins [Fc receptors (FcRs)] are essential for the maintenance of antibody-mediated immune responses. FcRs consist of activating- and inhibitory-type receptors that regulate adequate thresholds for various immune cells. In particular, polymorphisms and/or gene copy-number variations of FcRs for IgG (FcγRs) are closely associated with the development of inflammatory disorders, including autoimmune diseases. Recent evidence has implicated polymorphisms of FcRs in the efficacy of monoclonal antibody (mAb)-mediated therapy. This review provides an overview of genetic variations in human FcγRs and the clinical contribution of FcγR polymorphisms in mAb treatments for cancer, autoimmune diseases and allergies.
Low fraction of the 222K PrP variant in the protease-resistant moiety of PrPres in heterozygous scrapie positive goats
Authors: Mazza Maria , Guglielmetti Chiara , Ingravalle Francesco , Brusadore Sonia , Langeveld Jan P. M. , Ekateriniadou Loukia V. , Andréoletti Olivier , Casalone Cristina , Acutis Pier Luigi
Published: July 2017

The presence of lysine (K) at codon 222 has been associated with resistance to classical scrapie in goats, but few scrapie cases have been identified in 222Q/K animals. To investigate the contribution of the 222K variant to PrPres formation in natural and experimental Q/K scrapie cases, we applied an immunoblotting method based on the use of two different monoclonal antibodies, F99/97.6.1 and SAF84, chosen for their different affinities to 222K and 222Q PrP variants. Our finding that PrPres seems to be formed nearly totally by the 222Q variant provides evidence that the 222K PrP variant confers resistance to conversion to PrPres formation and reinforces the view that this mutation has a protective role against classical scrapie in goats.
Comprehensive Molecular Characterization of Mitochondrial Genomes in Human Cancers
Authors: Yuan Yuan , Ju Young Seok , Kim Youngwook , Li Jun , Wang Yumeng , Yang Yang , Martincorena Inigo , Creighton Chad J. , Weinstein John N. , Xu Yanxun , Han Leng , Kim Hyung-Lae , Nakagawa Hidewaki , Park Keunchil , Campbell Peter J. , Liang Han ,   PCAWG Network
Published: July 2017

Mitochondria are essential cellular organelles that play critical roles in cancer development. Through International Cancer Genome Consortium, we performed a multidimensional characterization of mitochondrial genomes using the whole-genome sequencing data of ~2,700 patients across 37 cancer types and related RNA-sequencing data. Our analysis presents the most definitive mutational landscape of mitochondrial genomes including a novel hypermutated case. We observe similar mutational signatures across cancer types, suggesting powerful endogenous mutational processes in mitochondria. Truncating mutations are remarkably enriched in kidney, colorectal and thyroid cancers and associated with the activation of critical signaling pathways. We find frequent somatic nuclear transfers of mitochondrial DNA (especially in skin and lung cancers), some of which disrupt therapeutic target genes (e.g., ERBB2). The mitochondrial DNA copy number shows great variations within and across cancers and correlates with clinical variables. Co-expression analysis highlights the function of mitochondrial genes in oxidative phosphorylation, DNA repair, and cell cycle; and reveals their connections with clinically actionable genes. Our study, including an open-access data portal, lays a foundation for understanding the interplays between the cancer mitochondrial and nuclear genomes and translating mitochondrial biology into clinical applications.
Pairs trading with commodity futures: evidence from the Chinese market
Authors: Yang Yurun , Goncu Ahmet , Pantelous Athanasios
Published: July 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to compare the profitability of different pairs selection and spread trading methods using the complete data set of commodity futures from Dalian Commodity Exchange, Shanghai Futures Exchange and Zhengzhou Commodity Exchange.

Design/methodology/approach

Paris trading methods that are proposed in the literature are compared in terms of the risk-adjusted returns visa in-sample and out-of-sample backtesting and bootstrapping for robustness.

Findings

The empirical results show that pairs trading in the Chinese commodity futures market offers high returns, whereas, the profitability of these strategies primarily depends on the identification of suitable pairs. The observed high returns are a compensation for the spread divergence risk during the potentially longer holding periods, which implies that the maximum drawdown is more crucial compared to other risk-adjusted return measures such as the Sharpe ratio.

Originality/value

Complementary to the existing literature, for the Chinese commodity futures market, it is shown that if shorter maximum holding periods are introduced for the spread positions, then the pairs trading profits decreases. Therefore, the returns do not necessarily imply market inefficiency when the higher maximum drawdown associated with the holding period of the spread position is taken into account.
Scandal prevention through a moral work environment: Case Study from Thailand
Authors: Chavengvorakul Kwankaew , Wongsurawat Winai
Published: July 2017

Purpose

This case study aims to describe a set of human resources practices that can help prevent major scandals that would ruin the reputation of an organization.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors performed an in-depth case study of a standardized testing company, which has operated in Thailand for decades without a major cheating scandal.

Findings

Referrals-only recruitment, salient moral and religious cues in the workplace, and credible threats of punishments are the key tools the company has used to guard against cheating.

Research limitations/implications

The company’s practices are only appropriate in the context of a collectivist and culturally-homogeneous environment.

Originality/value

This case study represents an original and practical contribution to scandal-prevention strategies.
Learning leadership from horseback riding – more than meets the eye
Authors: Koris Riina , Alalauri Hanna-Maija , Pihlak Ülle
Published: July 2017

Purpose

This paper aims to present the equine leadership principles which horseback riders are successfully using and which can also be successfully used in leadership of people.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper relies on semi-structured expert interviews with managers–leaders who are also horseback riders.

Findings

Based on the expert interviews, the main equine leadership principles which can effectively be used in leadership of people are trust, fair treatment, calmness, assertiveness, control over one’s feelings, confidence, responsibility, consistency (routine and predictability), courage, sense of empathy, and the ability to express gratitude and praise.

Practical implications

The paper provides a practical insight on relevant leadership principles for leadership trainers, coaches and teachers, as well as executive training organizations who engage in leadership training. It saves busy executives, leadership trainers and teachers hours of reading time by offering concisely the leadership principles which must be fostered in existing and future leaders to make an impact on the employees and contribute toward a better working environment.

Originality/value

To study the topic leadership, this paper uses an innovative and intriguing context (horseback riding) and couples it with the topic of leadership of people.
Oh, what happiness! Finding joy and purpose through work
Authors: Marques Joan F.
Published: July 2017

Purpose

The aim of this paper is reaffirming the real purpose of studying, working, and acquiring a decent lifestyle, which is happiness.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper includes reflections on workshops with professionals, coaching insights, and literature review.

Findings

Attaining happiness is not necessarily dependent on our employer but on our perception of our work. If our mind is at ease, and our outlook is positive, our work can be joy, and we can tread our personal path of happiness.

Practical implications

May serve as a source of self-reflection to readers and potential reconsideration of the reasons behind their professional performance: while earning money is important to pay the bills and care for our families, we owe it to ourselves to be happy while doing it. Finding contentment in our work is the critical step to enjoying it and, thus, being happy doing it.

Social implications

Individuals who focus on acquiring and maintaining their own happiness will be more likely to also exude positive energy to others, thus elevating the chances of these others to pursue happiness as well.

Originality/value

This is a call for refocusing on the true purpose of all our actions. While it is actually rather simple, we seem to keep losing focus and digress into converting means into ends, while disregarding the real end of all our actions, which is happiness.
Outside in
Authors: Fox Robert
Published: July 2017

Purpose

Understanding the user’s viewpoint is crucial so that any website be considered successful. Many organizations pay attention to their internal concerns first at the expense of the user. Libraries as service organizations should be committed to understanding the top-level tasks of their stakeholders by engaging in both cognitive and hierarchical task analysis.

Originality/value

One of the primary purposes of a library is to act as a facilitator to information. One way to accomplish that is via the library website. For the website to be effective, it is necessary to understand the top tasks that the user needs to engage in so that they can accomplish their goals.
The importance of tools in the data lifecycle
Authors: Wolski Malcolm , Howard Louise , Richardson Joanna
Published: July 2017

Purpose

This paper aims to outline principal implications for institutions, particularly universities, in supporting the increasingly complex tools which are used in the data lifecycle.

Design/methodology/approach

The discussion paper draws upon the experience of authors in this domain at the institutional, national and international levels.

Findings

Support for research tools by universities has high-level implications, ranging from financial, strategic and compliance through to capacity, capability and connectivity. The large number of existing tools highlights the need to evaluate them against standardised checklists to determine suitability and levels of resources required for support. Librarians and other information professionals need to expand their current support for research tools beyond the discovery phase to the entire data lifecycle.

Practical implications

Universities can use this paper to assess their maturity in supporting tools in the data lifecycle. Librarians, in particular, can broaden their knowledge of the various categories of tools which support specific aspects of that lifecycle.

Originality/value

While much attention is currently being focused on supporting researchers with their data management requirements, there is a general lack of literature on how to support tools as a critical element in enhancing research outcomes.