bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of wheat leaf rust on interactions between wheat and wild oats planted at various densities and proportions
Authors: Pfleeger Thomas G , Mundt Christopher C , da Luz Michelle A
Published: June 2017

The importance of competition as a major influence on the composition and structure of plant communities has recently been questioned, because other types of interactions can cause significant compositional changes. The goal of this research was to broaden our understanding of disease as a process structuring plant communities under a variety of competitive scenarios. Two cultivars of spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L., cv. Twin and cv. Penawawa) and wild oats (Avena fatua L.) were planted at three densities and at five proportions. One-half of the experimental material was inoculated with uredospores of Puccinia recondita. Increasing the proportion of wheat or oats in mixtures led to significant increases in the amount of aboveground biomass and total seed weight for that species. The seed weight and aboveground biomass per culm or per planted seed decreased for wheat and wild oats as the proportion of wild oats increased in mixtures, indicating a competitive advantage for wild oats when grown with wheat. Wild oats generally did not respond significantly to the effects of leaf rust on wheat, while wheat performance declined. Lowered wheat performance in inoculated stands was the main reason for lower relative biomass ratios of wheat to wild oats. Puccinia recondita infections occurred late in the life cycle of wheat, thereby decreasing the potential impact on wild oats' adults through competitive interactions.
Confining T-joints by adding two outer hollow ring flanges welded to additional hollow circular pipe
Authors: Melek Peter Gerges , Hussein Mohamed , Gaawan Sameh
Published: June 2017

Increasing the capacity of circular hollow section (CHS) T-joints is a challenge for the designers due to its closed nature that makes strengthening difficult as the traditional strengthening techniques focus on adding ring stiffeners inside the chord, these techniques require splitting the chord at each joint location into more than one part and this is not applicable for stiffening prefabricated and erected T-joints. This paper presents a proposed strengthening technique that is based on confining the T-joint by two outer hollow ring flanges welded to additional hollow circular pipe. A parametric study is carried out to investigate the effect of the hollow ring flanges diameter, the added elements thickness, and the spacing between the hollow outer ring flanges on increasing the capacity of T-joints for different values of β (db/d0: brace diameter-to-chord diameter ratio) when the brace is either subjected to tension or compression force. Finally, it is observed that the compressive T-joints gain up to 267% of its original capacity and the tensile T-joints gain up to 65% of its original capacity.
Learning graphs and 1-uniform dcsl graphs
Authors: James Jinto , Germina K. A. , Shaini P.
Published: June 2017

A distance compatible set labeling (dcsl) of a connected graph [Formula: see text] is an injective set assignment [Formula: see text] [Formula: see text] being a non-empty ground set, such that the corresponding induced function [Formula: see text] given by [Formula: see text] satisfies [Formula: see text] for every pair of distinct vertices [Formula: see text] where [Formula: see text] denotes the path distance between [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] is a constant, not necessarily an integer, depending on the pair of vertices [Formula: see text] chosen. A dcsl [Formula: see text] of [Formula: see text] is [Formula: see text]-uniform if all the constants of proportionality with respect to [Formula: see text] are equal to [Formula: see text] and if [Formula: see text] admits such a dcsl then [Formula: see text] is called a [Formula: see text]-uniform dcsl graph. The family [Formula: see text] is well-graded family, if there is a tight path between any two of its distinct sets. A learning graph is an [Formula: see text]-induced graph of a learning space. In this paper, we initiate a study on subgraphs of 1-uniform graphs which lead to the study of Knowledge Structures, Learning Spaces and Union-closed conjecture using graph theory techniques.
The Benefits of Resiliency to Standard Market Impact Models
Authors: Besson Paul , Lasnier Matthieu
Published: June 2017

We leverage Kepler Cheuvreux client order database over the period October 2014 — October 2016 (349,442 trades corresponding to a EUR92.3bn turnover) to estimate new models of market impact. We find a multiplicative relationship between the market impact and the explanatory factors (the volatility, the trading period participation rate and the trading duration). Furthermore, the relationship between the participation rate and the duration on one side and the market impact on the other is concave, with the effect of the participation rate on the market impact scaling as a square root.

We introduce a new indicator of resiliency, which measures the ability of the order book to resist the aggressive order flow in a given period. This indicator shows a positive correlation with the residuals of our standard model of market impact, clearly demonstrating that the more resilient the stock, the more resistant it is to market impact. Thus, we are able to calibrate an enhanced model of market impact using our indicator of resiliency, which improves the explanatory power of the model compared to standard approaches. Our resiliency indicator thereby exposes the relationship between the market impact at the meta-order scale and the market impact at the elementary trade scale.
Regulation of Energy Homeostasis After Gastric Bypass Surgery
Authors: Yarmush Martin L. , D'Alessandro Matthew , Saeidi Nima
Published: June 2017

The obesity epidemic continues to escalate each year in the United States more than anywhere else in the world. The existing pharmaceutical and other nonsurgical treatments for morbid obesity produce suboptimal physiologic outcomes compared with those of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) surgery. RYGB has been the gold standard of bariatric surgery because the beneficial long-term outcomes, which include sustainable weight loss and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) resolution, are far superior to those obtained with other bariatric surgeries. However, the current understanding of RYGB's mechanisms of actions remains limited and incomplete. There is an urgent need to understand these mechanisms as gaining this knowledge may lead to the development of innovative and less invasive procedures and/or medical devices, which can mirror the favorable outcomes of RYGB surgery. In this review, we highlight current observations of the metabolic and physiologic events following RYGB, with a particular focus on the role of the anatomical reconfiguration of the gastrointestinal tract after RYGB.
Parameter Identification and Control Scheme for Monitoring Automatic Thickness Control System with Measurement Delay
Authors: Yang Xu , Gao Jingjing , Shardt Yuri A. W. , Li Linlin , Tong Chaonan
Published: June 2017

The thickness of the steel strip is an important indicator of the overall strip quality. Deviations in thickness are primarily controlled using the automatic gauge control (AGC) system of each rolling stand. At the last stand, the monitoring AGC system is usually used, where the deviations in thickness can be directly measured by the X-ray thickness gauge device and used as the input to the AGC system. However, due to the physical distance between the thickness detection device and the rolling stand, time delay is unavoidably present in the thickness control loop, which can affect control performance and lead to system oscillations. Furthermore, the parameters of the system can change due to perturbations from external disturbances. Therefore, this paper proposes an identification and control scheme for monitoring AGC system that can handle time delay and parameter uncertainty. The cross-correlation function is used to estimate the time delay of the system, while the system parameters are identified using a recursive least squares method. The time delay and parameter estimates are then further refined using the Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm, so as to provide the most accurate parameter estimates for the complete system. Simulation results show that, compared with the standard Proportion Integration Differentiation (PID) controller approach, the proposed approach is not affected by changes in the time delay and parameter uncertainties.
The Treadmill Exercise Protects against Dopaminergic Neuron Loss and Brain Oxidative Stress in Parkinsonian Rats
Authors: Costa Roberta Oliveira da , Gadelha-Filho Carlos Vinicius Jataí , Costa Ayane Edwiges Moura da , Feitosa Mariana Lima , Araújo Dayane Pessoa de , Lucena Jalles Dantas de , Aquino Pedro Everson Alexandre de , Lima Francisco Arnaldo Viana , Neves Kelly Rose Tavares , Barros Viana Glauce Socorro de
Published: June 2017

Parkinson’s disease (PD), a progressive neurological pathology, presents motor and nonmotor impairments. The objectives were to support data on exercise benefits to PD. Male Wistar rats were distributed into sham‐operated (SO) and 6‐OHDA‐lesioned, both groups without and with exercise. The animals were subjected to treadmill exercises (14 days), 24 h after the stereotaxic surgery and striatal 6‐OHDA injection. Those from no‐exercise groups stayed on the treadmill for the same period and, afterwards, were subjected to behavioral tests and euthanized for neurochemical and immunohistochemical assays. The data, analyzed by ANOVA and Tukey post hoc test, were considered significant for p < 0.05. The results showed behavioral change improvements in the 6‐OHDA group, after the treadmill exercise, evaluated by apomorphine rotational behavior, open field, and rota rod tests. The exercise reduced striatal dopaminergic neuronal loss and decreased the oxidative stress. In addition, significant increases in BDNF contents and in immunoreactive cells to TH and DAT were also observed, in striata of the 6‐OHDA group with exercise, relatively to those with no exercise. We conclude that exercise improves behavior and dopaminergic neurotransmission in 6‐OHDA‐lesioned animals. The increased oxidative stress and decreased BDNF contents were also reversed, emphasizing the importance of exercise for the PD management.
Immunomodulation of RA Patients’ PBMC with a Multiepitope Peptide Derived from Citrullinated Autoantigens
Authors: Gertel Smadar , Karmon Gidon , Vainer Sivan , Shovman Ora , Cornillet Martin , Serre Guy , Shoenfeld Yehuda , Amital Howard
Published: June 2017

Citrullinated peptides are used for measuring anticitrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Accumulation of citrullinated proteins in the inflamed synovium suggests that they may be good targets for inducing peripheral tolerance. In view of the multiplicity of citrullinated autoantigens described as ACPA targets, we generated a multiepitope citrullinated peptide (Cit‐ME) from the sequences of major citrullinated autoantigens: filaggrin, β‐fibrinogen, vimentin, and collagen type II. We assessed the ability of Cit‐ME or the citrullinated β60‐74 fibrinogen peptide (β60‐74‐Fib‐Cit) which bears immunodominant citrullinated epitopes (i) to modify cytokine gene expression and (ii) to modulate Treg and Th17 subsets in PBMC derived from newly diagnosed untreated RA patients. RA patient’s PBMC incubated with Cit‐ME or β60‐74‐Fib‐Cit, showed upregulation of TGF‐β expression (16% and 8%, resp.), and increased CD4+Foxp3+ Treg (22% and 19%, resp.). Both peptides were shown to downregulate the TNF‐α and IL‐1β expression; in addition, Cit‐ME reduced CD3+IL17+ T cells. We showed that citrullinated peptides can modulate the expression of anti‐ and proinflammatory cytokines in PBMC from RA patients as well as the proportions of Treg and Th17 cells. These results indicate that citrullinated peptides could be active in vivo and therefore might be used as immunoregulatory agents in RA patients.
Black Tea Source, Production, and Consumption: Assessment of Health Risks of Fluoride Intake in New Zealand
Authors: Waugh Declan T. , Godfrey Michael , Limeback Hardy , Potter William
Published: June 2017

In countries with fluoridation of public water, it is imperative to determine other dietary sources of fluoride intake to reduce the public health risk of chronic exposure. New Zealand has one of the highest per capita consumption rates of black tea internationally and is one of the few countries to artificially fluoridate public water; yet no information is available to consumers on the fluoride levels in tea products. In this study, we determined the contribution of black tea as a source of dietary fluoride intake by measuring the fluoride content in 18 brands of commercially available products in New Zealand. Fluoride concentrations were measured by potentiometric method with a fluoride ion-selective electrode and the contribution of black tea to Adequate Intake (AI) and Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL) was calculated for a range of consumption scenarios. We examined factors that influence the fluoride content in manufactured tea and tea infusions, as well as temporal changes in fluoride exposure from black tea. We review the international evidence regarding chronic fluoride intake and its association with chronic pain, arthritic disease, and musculoskeletal disorders and provide insights into possible association between fluoride intake and the high prevalence of these disorders in New Zealand.
3D Morphology Analysis of TMJ Articular Eminence in Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Authors: Nascimento Falcão Izabella , Cal Alonso Maria Beatriz Carrazzone , da Silva Lucas Hian , Lopes Sérgio Lúcio Pereira de Castro , Comar Lívia Pichi , Costa André Luiz Ferreira
Published: June 2017

Purpose. The objective of this study was to evaluate the computational reconstruction of the articular eminence of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and semiautomatic volumetric segmentation techniques for morphological classification of the TMJ structure. Materials and Methods. A total of 36 MRI scans of TMJ individuals were selected and formatted by using the ITK-SNAP software, consisting of MRI segmentation and generation of 3D models. The TMJ articular eminences were also classified according to the morphology analysis of the articular eminence in 3D reconstructions. Two independent trained and calibrated investigators performed the image analysis, which was repeated after thirty days. Results. There was no association between sex and eminence shape (p=0.456). Fisher’s test revealed no statistically significant association between disc classification and eminence shape on both sides (p=0.629). Chi-square test showed a significant statistically association between disc classification and disc displacement (p=0.000). Intra- and interrater correlation coefficients showed excellent reproducibility values. Conclusions. Anatomical variability of the sample investigated was found, with predominantly round shape and presence of correlation between this shape and normal disc position. The correlation of flattened and convex shapes with disc position reduction indicated that type of disc derangement is more prevalent.
Picroside II Shows Protective Functions for Severe Acute Pancreatitis in Rats by Preventing NF‐κB‐Dependent Autophagy
Authors: Piao Xuehua , Liu Baohai , Guo Lianyi , Meng Fanji , Gao Leming
Published: June 2017

Picroside II, from the herb Picrorhiza scrophulariiflora Pennell, has antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory activities. However, its function on severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) and molecular mechanism remains unknown. The effects of picroside II on the SAP induced by cerulean were investigated. SAP rats were treated with picroside II (25 mg/kg). The severity of SAP was evaluated by using biochemical and histological analyses. Pancreatic cancer cell PANC‐1 was transfected with ptfLC3 (an indicator of autophagic activity), pcDNA3.1‐NF‐κB (nuclear factor kappa B), and pTZU6+1‐NF‐κB‐shRNA and then treated with picroside II. Relative molecules related with NF‐κB‐dependent autophagy were detected by using Western blot. Autophagic activities were observed by phase‐contrast and fluorescent microscopes. Acetylated LC3 was detected by immunoprecipitation. The results showed that picroside II treatment reduced the level of ALT, AST, NF‐κB, IL‐1β, IL‐6, TNF‐α, and SIRT1 (NAD+‐dependent deacetylase) and increased the level of SOD and GSH. The autophagic activity was reduced when NF‐κB was silenced, and the levels of TNF‐α and SIRT1 were reduced. In contrast, the overexpression of NF‐κB increased autophagic activity and the level of TNF‐α, which activated SIRT1. SIRT1 deacetylated LC3 and increased autophagic activities. Picroside II ameliorates SAP by improving antioxidant and anti‐inflammtory activities of SAP models via NF‐κB‐dependent autophagy.
Electronically Tunable Quadrature Sinusoidal Oscillator with Equal Output Amplitudes during Frequency Tuning Process
Authors: Satipar Den , Intani Pattana , Jaikla Winai
Published: June 2017

A new configuration of voltage-mode quadrature sinusoidal oscillator is proposed. The proposed oscillator employs two voltage differencing current conveyors (VDCCs), two resistors, and two grounded capacitors. In this design, the use of multiple/dual output terminal active building block is not required. The tuning of frequency of oscillation (FO) can be done electronically by adjusting the bias current of active device without affecting condition of oscillation (CO). The electronic tuning can be done by controlling the bias current using a digital circuit. The amplitude of two sinusoidal outputs is equal when the frequency of oscillation is tuned. This makes the sinusoidal output voltages meet good total harmonic distortions (THD). Moreover, the proposed circuit can provide the sinusoidal output current with high impedance which is connected to external load or to another circuit without the use of buffer device. To confirm that the oscillator can generate the quadrature sinusoidal output signal, the experimental results using VDCC constructed from commercially available ICs are also included. The experimental results agree well with theoretical anticipation.
Device-Oriented Automatic Semantic Annotation in IoT
Authors: Liu Fagui , Li Ping , Deng Dacheng
Published: June 2017

Semantic technologies are the keys to address the problem of information interaction between assorted, heterogeneous, and distributed devices in the Internet of Things (IoT). Semantic annotation of IoT devices is the foundation of IoT semantics. However, the large amount of devices has led to the inadequacy of the manual semantic annotation and stressed the urgency into the research of automatic semantic annotation. To overcome these limitations, a device-oriented automatic semantic annotation method is proposed to annotate IoT devices’ information. The processes and corresponding algorithms of the automatic semantic annotation method are presented in detail, including the information extraction, text classification, property information division, semantic label selection, and information integration. Experiments show that our method is effective for the automatic semantic annotation to IoT devices’ information. In addition, compared to a typical rule-based method, the comparison experiment demonstrates that our approach outperforms this baseline method with respect to the precision and F-measure.
Co-administration of RANKL and CTLA4 Antibodies Enhances Lymphocyte-Mediated Antitumor Immunity in Mice
Authors: Ahern Elizabeth , Harjunpää Heidi , Barkauskas Deborah , Allen Stacey , Takeda Kazuyoshi , Yagita Hideo , Wyld David , Dougall William C. , Teng Michele W.L. , Smyth Mark J.
Published: June 2017

Purpose: Novel partners for established immune checkpoint inhibitors in the treatment of cancer are needed to address the problems of primary and acquired resistance. The efficacy of combination RANKL and CTLA4 blockade in antitumor immunity has been suggested by recent case reports in melanoma. Here, we provide a rationale for this combination in mouse models of cancer.

Experimental Design: The efficacy and mechanism of a combination of RANKL and CTLA4 blockade was examined by tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte analysis, tumor growth, and metastasis using a variety of neutralizing antibodies and gene-targeted mice.

Results: RANKL blockade improved the efficacy of anti-CTLA4 mAbs against solid tumors and experimental metastases, with regulatory T-cell (Treg)–depleting anti-CTLA4 mAbs of the mouse IgG2a isotype showing greatest combinatorial activity. The optimal combination depended on the presence of activating Fc receptors and lymphocytes (NK cells for metastatic disease and predominantly CD8+ T cells for subcutaneous tumor control), whereas anti-RANKL alone did not require FcR. The significantly higher T-cell infiltration into solid tumors post anti-RANKL and anti-CTLA4 was accompanied by increased T-cell effector function (cytokine polyfunctionality), and anti-RANKL activity occurred independently of Treg depletion. The majority of RANKL expression in tumors was on T cells whereas RANK-expressing cells were mostly tumor-associated macrophages (TAM), with some expression also observed on dendritic cells (DC) and myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC).

Conclusions: These results provide a rationale for the further investigation of RANKL–RANK interactions in tumor immunity and a basis for development of translational markers of interest in human clinical trials. Clin Cancer Res; 23(19); 5789–801. ©2017 AACR.
Surgical Site Infection after Hepatectomy for Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Shirata Chikara , Hasegawa Kiyoshi , Kokudo Takashi , Arita Junichi , Akamatsu Nobuhisa , Kaneko Junichi , Sakamoto Yoshihiro , Makuuchi Masatoshi , Kokudo Norihiro
Published: June 2017

Aims: To clarify the clinical impact, risk factors, and preventive methods for surgical site infection (SSI) after hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: We included 879 consecutive patients who underwent hepatectomy for HCC between 2002 and 2011. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to identify the risk factors for incisional and organ/space SSIs. ORs and 95% CIs are reported. Results: The incidences of incisional and organ/space SSIs were 24 (2.7%) and 73 (8.3%), respectively. High body mass index, multiple resections, and organ/space SSI were associated with incisional SSIs, while repeat hepatectomy (OR 2.14, 95% CI 1.27-3.60), ascites (OR 2.97, 95% CI 1.55-5.48), and bile leakage (OR 4.77, 95% CI 2.77-8.11) were independent risk factors for organ/space SSI. Among the cases with bile leakage, lower rates of organ/space SSIs tended to be observed in patients with cystic duct tubes than in patients without such tubes (13.2 vs. 26.5%, p = 0.157). Retrograde drain infections increased when drain placement was prolonged for more than 4 postoperative days. Conclusion: Bile leakage was associated with the greatest risk of organ/space SSI after hepatectomy for HCC. Cystic duct tubes might be useful for preventing bile leakage and subsequent organ/space SSI after procedures that extensively expose Glissonean pedicles.
Ultrasonography for the Diagnosis of Pneumothorax after Transbronchial Lung Cryobiopsy in Diffuse Parenchymal Lung Diseases
Authors: Viglietta Luca , Inchingolo Riccardo , Pavano Cristina , Tomassetti Sara , Piciucchi Sara , Smargiassi Andrea , Ravaglia Claudia , Dubini Alessandra , Gurioli Christian , Gurioli Carlo , Poletti Venerino
Published: June 2017

Background: Transbronchial lung cryobiopsy (TBLC) can be indicated in diffuse parenchymal lung diseases (DPLDs) when a confident noninvasive diagnosis cannot be made. The 2 most relevant complications of TBLC are bleeding and pneumothorax (PTX). The accuracy of chest ultrasonography (US) for the detection of PTX is higher when compared to chest X-ray (CXR) with reference to computed tomography (CT) scan as a gold standard. Objective: We evaluated the accuracy of chest US in detecting PTX after TBLC in patients with DPLDs. Methods: Patients underwent TBLC during rigid bronchoscopy in deep sedation. Cryobiopsy was performed with fluoroscopic guidance. Three hours later, patients underwent chest US and standard CXR. When there was no concordance between chest US and CXR, chest CT was required. Results: Forty-three patients were enrolled into the study. Cryobiopsy was performed in the right lung in 36 (84%) patients. PTX was diagnosed in 10 (23%) patients by CXR. There was complete agreement between radiologists interpreting CXR (k = 1, 95% CI 1). Chest US was positive for PTX in 11 (25%) patients. There was complete agreement between pulmonologists interpreting chest US (k = 1, 95% CI 1). The prevalence of PTX diagnosed by concordance of CXR and chest US was 23% (10/43, 95% CI 11.8-38.7). The sensitivity and specificity of chest US were 90% (95% CI 55.5-99.7) and 94% (95% CI 79.8-99.3), respectively. Moreover, the positive and negative predictive values were 82% (95% CI 48-98) and 97% (95% CI 84-100), respectively. Conclusion: Chest US is a highly sensitive and specific diagnostic tool for the diagnosis of PTX after TBLC.
Differentiating Incident from Recurrent Stroke Using Administrative Data: The Impact of Varying Lengths of Look-Back Periods on the Risk of Misclassification
Authors: Worthington John Mark , Gattellari Melina , Goumas Chris , Jalaludin Bin
Published: June 2017

Background/Aims: Administrative data are widely used to monitor epidemiological trends in stroke and outcomes; yet there is scant empirical guidance on how to best differentiate incident from recurrent stroke. Methods: We identified all hospital admissions in New South Wales, Australia, with a principal stroke diagnosis from July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2014, linked to 12 years of previous admissions. We calculated the proportion of cases identified with a prior stroke to determine the number of years of look-back required to minimise misclassification of incident and recurrent strokes. Results: Using the maximum available look-back period of 12 years, 1,171 out of 8,364 eligible stroke cases (14.0%) had a stroke history. A 1-year look-back period identified only 25.1% of these patients and 1 in 10 stroke cases were misclassified as incident. With a 10-year clearance period, less than 1 in 100 stroke cases were misclassified as incident. The risk of misclassification was lower in patients younger than 65 years and in those with haemorrhagic stroke. Conclusion: Hospital administrative data sets linked to prior admissions can be used to distinguish recurrent from incident stroke. The risk of misclassifying recurrent stroke cases as incident events is negligible with a look-back period of 10 years.
When during Their Life Cycle Are Extratropical Cyclones Attended by Fronts?
Authors: Schemm Sebastian , Sprenger Michael , Wernli Heini
Published: June 2017

For nearly a century, the study of atmospheric dynamics in the midlatitudes has presented dichotomic perspectives on one of its focal points: the birth and life cycle of cyclones. In particular, the role of fronts has driven much of the historical discourse on cyclogenesis. In the 1910s–20s, the Bergen School of Meteorology postulated that cyclogenesis occurs on a preexisting front. This concept was later replaced by the baroclinic instability paradigm, which describes the development of a surface front as a consequence of the growing cyclone rather than its cause. However, there is ample observational evidence for cyclogenesis on well-marked fronts (frontal-wave cyclones) as well as for cyclogenesis in the absence of fronts in broader baroclinic zones. Thus, after a century of research on the link between extratropical cyclones and fronts, this study has the objective of climatologically quantifying their relationship. By combining identification schemes for cyclones and fronts, the fraction of cyclones with attendant fronts is quantified at all times during the cyclones’ life cycle. The storm-track regions over the North Atlantic are dominated by cyclones that form on preexisting fronts. Over the North Pacific, the result more strongly depends on the front definition. Cyclones that acquire their fronts during the life cycle dominate over the continents and in the Mediterranean. Further, cyclones that develop attendant fronts during their life cycle typically do so around the time they attain maximum intensity. At the time of cyclolysis, at least 40% of all cyclones are still associated with a front. The number of occluded fronts at lysis has not been considered.
TPP, trade-off and eco-system establishment in Taiwan
Authors: Wang Jiann-Chyuan , Lee Joe-San , Ma Yu-Chun
Published: June 2017

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is a free trade agreement with high standards, affecting multiple industries, and imposing tremendous economic impacts. The TPP accounts for 36% of world GDP and its significance and impacts are profound, specifically affecting tariff reduction in the manufacturing sector, market entry in the service sector, and rules of origin requirements, as well as currency valuation, intellectual property rights, and even immigration. This means that Taiwan cannot view the TPP lightly. Taiwan’s economy is export-focused, so not being able to partake in regional economic integration will exert an unfavorable impact on Taiwan’s trade expansion and investment attractiveness. Taiwan’s government should therefore actively seek to engage in the second round of TPP discussions. Although President Trump has announced that the US will be withdrawing from the TPP, Japan is seeking further consolidation so that the remaining TPP member countries can continue to make progress. Taiwan cannot exert much control over international opposition to Taiwan’s membership of the TPP on the part of other countries, so this paper focuses mostly on the challenge of overcoming domestic opposition. A review of the literature reveals that the benefits of joining the TPP outweigh the harm; however, despite continuous efforts to promote the TPP and the reaching of consensus within governmental organizations, there has still been a considerable backlash against the idea of TPP membership from many groups in society. This is because TPP membership would directly disadvantage thousands of domestic-orientated businesses, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and the younger generation. This means that TPP promotion needs to be more considerate of the interests of all related parties and be undertaken in an ‘eco-system’-like manner, focusing on helping traditional industries, SMEs, the agricultural sector, and young people. In addition, the government should work on strengthening the skills of existing workers, and work to develop a system that keeps capital and skilled labor within the country. Foreign investment should ideally help to stimulate domestic economic growth, create more employment opportunities, and drive wages up. If these benefits can be emphasized, then the promotion of the TPP or other FTAs is likely to encounter less resistance and receive more support from Taiwan’s citizens.
The Implementation of a Preoperative Transthoracic Echocardiography Consult Service by Anesthesiologists
Authors: Shillcutt Sasha K. , Walsh Daniel P. , Thomas Walker R. , Lyden Elizabeth , Brakke Tara R. , Ellis Sheila J. , Lisco Steven J. , Markin Nicholas W.
Published: June 2017

We describe a preoperative transthoracic echocardiography consult service led by anesthesiologists. The implementation process and the patient cohort are described. Preoperative transthoracic echocardiographic examinations were mostly performed in patients undergoing intermediate- or high-risk noncardiac surgery and in patients with a higher calculated mortality risk. All transthoracic echocardiographic examinations were interpreted by anesthesiologists.
Polarity Engineering of Benzobisthiadiazole-Based Polymer Thin Film Transistors by Variation of Electron Affinity of the Comonomers
Authors: Wang Yang , Hosokawa Ryuhei , Mori Takehiko , Michinobu Tsuyoshi
Published: June 2017

Fine-tuning of the charge carrier polarity in organic transistors is a fundamental task in order to achieve high-performance organic complementary circuits and related devices. In this article, an efficient methodology for tuning the polarity via rational molecular design is reported. We systematically adjusted the electron affinity of the comonomers in semiconducting copolymers. Thus, three comonomer units, thiophene (T), vinylene (V), and benzothiadiazole (BT), were combined with the benzobisthiadiazole (BBT) unit, leading to three new BBT-based copolymers; i.e., pBBT-T, pBBT-V, and pBBT-BT, respectively. We found that the electron affinity of the comonomer unit decisively affects the absorption spectra, energy levels, thin-film microstructures, and, accordingly, the charge-carrier polarity of the copolymers. pBBT-T with the electron-rich thiophene comonomer showed balanced ambipolar transistor characteristics with the electron/hole mobility ratio (μe/μh) of 2. In contrast, the electron dominant ambipolar characteristics of μe/μh = 14 were achieved by combining BBT with the electron-neutral vinylene group for pBBT-V. Intriguingly, by further strengthening the electron-accepting properties by using the BT unit, unipolar n-type transistors were successfully fabricated based on pBBT-BT. As a result, our findings demonstrated a promising methodology for constructing organic complementary circuits by variation of the electron affinity of the comonomers in BBT-based semiconducting polymers.
Effect of Different Varieties and Planting Time on Kharif Onion Production in Lower Shivalik Hills of Himachal Pradesh
Authors: Sharma Deepa , Jarial Kumud
Published: June 2017

An experiment was conducted to assess the effect of varieties and planting time on kharif onion production under low hill conditions of Himachal Pradesh at Research Farm of the Institute of Biotechnology and Environmental Science (Dr. Y.S. Parmar, University of Horticulture and Forestry), Neri, Hamirpur for two consecutive seasons (2011 & 2012). The farm is located at an altitude of 620 m above mean sea level with average mean maximum and minimum temperature levels of 31.30 C and 12.40 C, respectively and is a representative site of low hill region of Himachal Pradesh. Four cultivars of onion viz. N-53, Nasik Red, Agrifound Dark Red (AFDR) and Agrifound Light Red (AFLR) were transplanted on six dates at ten days interval starting from 5th July to 25th August. The experiment was laid out in factorial randomized block design with three replications for each treatment. Healthy seedlings were transplanted on raised beds at a spacing of 15 x 10 cm in plots of 3.0 x 3.0 m2. Recommended cultural practices were followed during investigation to raise the crop successfully. All the observations pertaining to traits viz. plant height (cm), neck thickness (cm), bulb diameter (cm), bulb weight (g), days for harvesting, and yield (q/ha) were taken by randomly selecting twenty healthy plants from each plot. Standard package and practices were followed for raising the crop as per the recommendations of the University. The maximum bulb diameter (5.50 cm was ()ng to bulb diameter showed that all the variables had significant effect on bulb diameter. the ing 2011 ) and highest bulb weight(64.37 g) among cultivars was noticed in cultivar Agrifound Dark Red. There was a significant effect of both by varieties and transplanting dates. The highest average yield (229.03 q/ha) was observed in cultivar AFDR. The highest bulb yield (197.54 q/ha) among transplanting dates was noted on third transplanting date D3 (25th July). Therefore it can be summarized that cultivar Agrifound Dark Red is the best suited cultivar for kharif onion production in lower Shivalik hills of Himachal Pradesh and it should be transplanted around 25th July for maximization of bulb yield.
Exogenous Probiotics on Biofloc based Aquaculture: A Review
Authors: Daniel N , Nageswari P
Published: June 2017

The successful entrepreneurship of aqua farming relies on the production of aquatic animals in the cost effective, social and environmental friendly approach. Nevertheless, presently fish farming is suffering from various problems related to these. Biofloc technology and/or application of probiotics provide promising results to aquaculture in terms of improvement in the growth and survival of aquatic animals, along with other benefits such as maintaining water quality without causing pollution to the environment. Biofloc is mainly comprised of various beneficial microbial communities, but the action of some probiotics it contains is unknown. On the other hand, probiotics are single, known live microbial strains and their actions to the animals are well established. Therefore, probiotics are recognized for having the most important constituents in the aquaculture. Although biofloc method and probiotics applications are promised to have positive roles aforementioned, the fish welfare often disturbed as the survival of the animals are always less in the fish farming. These led researchers to try generate a new technique to minimize these concerns. Recently new strategy of integrating both biofloc and probiotics were introduced called the exogenous addition of known probiotic bacteria to the biofloc. The study was demonstrated in the area by keeping biofloc as a control. Results promised that addition of single or combination of known probiotics to the biofloc further improve the growth performance of animals in addition with the maintenance of water quality parameters. Besides they also were promising the highest survival to animals with the reduction of pathogenic microbes. An exogenous root of probiotic bacteria on biofloc based aquaculture is a novel approach; relatively less number of studies has been performed in the area. This review describes the impacts of exogenous probiotics on biofloc based fish culture systems.
Classification of Human Organ Using Image Processing
Authors: Sindhu Sindhu , Vaidhehi V
Published: June 2017

The collection of large database of digital image has been used for efficient and advanced way for classifying and intelligent retrieval of medical imaging. This research work is to classify human organs based on MRI images. The various MRI images of organ have been considered as the data set. The main objective of this research work is to automate the medical imaging system. Digital images retrieved based on its shape by Canny Edge Detection and is clustered together in one class using K-Means Algorithm. 2564 data sets related to brain and heart is considered for this research work. The system was trained to classify the image which results in faster execution in medical field, also helped in obtain noiseless and efficient data.
Software Upgradation Model Based on Agile Methodology
Authors: Rathore Manvender , Jose Deepa
Published: June 2017

Agile software development work on twelve principle for software development which implies requirements and solutions evolved through the combined teamwork of disciplined and interdisciplinary teams. The objective of this paper is to connect agile methodology with Version Control System for more efficient and effective utilization of resources. In this proposed model based on agile methodology, the Version Control System plays a vital role to make work done faster as compared to SCRUM. This paper compares various existing agile methodologies. The efficiency of the proposed model is proved through comparative analysis with existing agile methods and using ANOVA mathematical model. Bitbucket as Version Control System is used as web based hosting service and the proposed model is compared by maintaining similar sprints in SCRUM and VSprint model. VCS and previous SRS documents are the important components of this proposed model which helps in increasing the work speed at different phases of software development which the existing models does not consider.
Wavelet Statistical Feature based Malware Class Recognition and Classification using Supervised Learning Classifier
Authors: Makandar Aziz , Patrot Anita
Published: June 2017

Malware is a malicious instructions which may harm to the unauthorized private access through internet. The types of malware are incresing day to day life, it is a challenging task for the antivius vendors to predict and caught on access time. This paper aims to design an automated analysis system for malware classes based on the features extracted by Discrete Wavelet Transformation (DWT) and then by applying four level decomposition of malware. The proposed system works in three stages, pre-processing, feature extraction and classification. In preprocessing, input image is normalized in to 256x256 by applying wavelet we are denoising the image which helps to enhance the image. In feature extraction, DWT is used to decompose image into four level. For classification the support vector machine (SVM) classifiers are used to discriminate the malware classes with statistical features extracted from level 4 decomposition of DWT such as Daubechies (db4), Coiflet (coif5) and Bi-orthogonal (bior 2.8). Among these wavelet features the db4 features effectively classify the malware class type with high accuracy 91.05% and 92.53% respectively on both dataset. The analysis of proposed method conducted on two dataset and the results are promising.
Geographical Information Based Expert System to Estimate Submersible Pump System Specifications
Authors: Kaur Gurpreet , Singh Derminder , Aggarwal Rajan
Published: June 2017

During past two decades, groundwater utilization has increased tremendously in the state of Punjab (India) particularly for agriculture purposes. Higher energy demand for lifting water is a result of decline in water table. Punjab is presently facing water crises which exasperate monetary conditions of small farmers, abrogate the natural value and unfavorably influence farming generation and economy of the state.In this research, an expert system was developed using Java Standard Edition 7 which provide appropriate selection of submersible pump set and required associated components such as power cable rating and size, generator capacity, ammeter rating, voltmeter rating, capacitor rating and Polyvinyl Chloride pipe diameter based on the spatial information of last 18 years (1998-2015) of ground water table for the state of Punjab. The developed system will be beneficial for the farmer’s in estimation of the required submersible pumping system and allied electrical components.
Re-examining Landy’s four-part model of drama therapy education
Authors: Butler Jason D.
Published: June 2017

This article examines drama therapy pedagogy through Landy’s four-part model of educating drama therapists that looks at the education of the ‘self’ as well as teaching about populations, techniques and theory. Applying the lenses of constructivist, situated, psychodynamic
and enactive theories of experiential learning it expands on Landy’s ideas, advocating for a more complex and dynamic view of learning, challenging the field to engage in more dialogue and exploration regarding theories of learning and pedagogy.
Bürger(innen) auf Standortsuche: Erwartungen in Deutschland, Erfahrungen aus der Schweiz
Authors: Drögemüller Cord , Kuppler Sophie
Published: June 2017

Die zur Evaluierung des deutschen Standortauswahlgesetzes einberufene Kommission Lagerung hoch radioaktiver Abfallstoffe hat dem Gesetzgeber im Sommer 2016 ihren Abschlussbericht vorgelegt. Empfohlen wird ein umfangreiches Beteiligungssystem, das es der regionalen und
überregionalen Öffentlichkeit ermöglichen soll, das Standortsuchverfahren kritisch und konstruktiv zu begleiten. Auf der regionalen Ebene sollen Regionalkonferenzen zum Einsatz kommen. Erfahrungen aus der Schweiz zeigen sowohl Chancen als auch Probleme.
Robust-parlamentarisch oder informell-partizipativ? Die Tücken der Entscheidungsfindung in komplexen Verfahren
Authors: Hocke Peter , Smeddinck Ulrich
Published: June 2017

Soll die Entscheidungsfindung über ein Endlager parlamentarisch-repräsentativ oder neuartig-partizipativ erfolgen? Zentral ist, ob und welche Beratungsräume zwischen Entscheidern und Zivilgesellschaft neu entstehen. Die Fortentwicklung des Standortauswahlgesetzes
nimmt einen mittleren Weg. Es werden Möglichkeiten für innovative Partizipationsformen eröffnet. Allerdings sind Anträge und Stellungnahmen nur schwache Mitwirkungsrechte, die mit den Erwartungen in potenziellen Standortregionen kontrastieren. Wird keine Balance gefunden,
verkommt die neue Öffentlichkeitsbeteiligung zum partizipativen Ornament.
Maßnahmenevaluation im transdisziplinären Forschungssetting
Authors: Geiger Sonja , Hirscher Anja , Müller Martin
Published: June 2017

Das Reallabor Nachhaltige Transformation der Textilwirtschaft am Standort Dietenheim will die Nachhaltigkeit der lokalen Textilindustrie stärken. Dabei verfolgen die Akteure unterschiedliche Ziele. Um den Erfolg einzelner Maßnahmen zu messen, hat das Reallaborteam
gemeinsam mit den Stakeholdern einen Kriterienkatalog entwickelt, der die unterschiedlichen Ziele widerspiegelt und die Evaluation erleichtern soll.
Potenziale der Fachhochschulen für die Schweizer Umwelt- und Nachhaltigkeitsforschung
Authors: Kueffer Christoph , Carabias Vicente , Schneider Andreas , Siegrist Dominik
Published: June 2017

Gesellschaftliche Transformationsprozesse sind auf praxisnahe Forschung angewiesen. Fachhochschulen sind dafür ideal positioniert, werden in der Schweiz aber dahingehend kaum unterstützt.
Prediction of meat quality in Bali cattle using ultrasound imaging
Authors: Jakaria J. , Khasanah H. , Priyanto R. , Baihaqi M. , Ulum M. F.
Published: June 2017

The objective of this study were to predict carcass quality characteristics in Bali cattle using ultrasound imagery. The Number of samples were 81 heads of Bali cattle consist of bulls (62 heads) and cows (19 heads) with various age ranging from 1 to 6 years were collected their body weight and carcass qualities including backfat thickness (BF), longissmus dorsi thickness (LD), rump fat thickness (RF), rump thickness (RT), marbling score (MS) and the percentage of intramuscular fat (PIF). Those were estimated using ultrasound performed on 4.5-6,5 MHz frequency with depth of 8.8-13 cm. The BF, LD, MS and PIF measurement were applied on 12th-13th ribs, while the RT and RF measurement were conducted between ischium and illium. MS determination was calculated using Aus-Meat standard, while PIF was analysis based on Deaton and Rouse (2000). Body weight and carcass quality among traits were analyzed using descriptive and correlation procedures. The results showed that performance of body weight and carcass quality differs between Bali bulls and Bali cows, as well as among the age variations. Correlation analyses among traits (body weight and carcass quality) showed strong positive correlation (P<0.05) ranging from 0.291 to 0.938. In conclusion, ultrasound imaging method could be used to estimate carcass quality characteristics in Bali cattle.
Agreement and interpretation of partitive constructions in Spanish: The dual nature of nominal features
Authors: Pérez-Jiménez Isabel , Demonte Violeta
Published: June 2017

This paper analyzes the role of the interaction between syntax and semantics in determining the mixed agreement patterns shown by Spanish partitive constructions when they appear as subjects. These patterns follow straightforwardly from the dual nature of nominal features (concord and index features organized in bundles) and from the assumption that Agree is a feature-valuation process in which the unvalued features of a Probe seek matching parallel valued features of a Goal under locality constraints and a maximization principle. After discussing previous approaches and justifying our syntactic analysis, we demonstrate that interaction for agreement between syntax and semantics is articulated via the nominal index features of the head nouns in the partitive structure, so singular and plural agreement, linked to the valuation/non-valuation of the number index feature, correlates with a group/atomic entity vs. a plurality/distributive reading, respectively, the meaning of the verbal predicate also being relevant. The empirical basis for this analysis is provided by a corpus search whose results are carefully described in the paper.