bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Overexpression of adenylate cyclase‐associated protein 2 is a novel prognostic marker in malignant melanoma
Authors: Masugi Yohei , Tanese Keiji , Emoto Katsura , Yamazaki Ken , Effendi Kathryn , Funakoshi Takeru , Mori Mariko , Sakamoto Michiie
Published: September 2015

Malignant melanoma is one of the lethal malignant tumors worldwide. Previously we reported that adenylate cyclase‐associated protein 2 (CAP2), which is a well‐conserved actin regulator, was overexpressed in hepatocellular carcinoma; however, CAP2 expression in other clinical cancers remains unclear. The aim of the current study was to clarify the clinicopathological significance of CAP2 overexpression in malignant melanoma. Immunohistochemical analyses revealed that many melanoma cells exhibited diffuse cytoplasmic expression of CAP2, whereas no normal melanocytes showed detectable immunostaining for CAP2. A high level of CAP2 expression was seen in 14 of 50 melanomas and was significantly correlated with greater tumor thickness and nodular melanoma subtypes. In addition, a high level of CAP2 expression was associated with poor overall survival in univariate and multivariate analyses. For 13 patients, samples of primary and metastatic melanoma tissue were available: four patients exhibited higher levels of CAP2 expression in metastatic tumor compared to the primary site, whereas no patient showed lower levels of CAP2 expression in metastatic melanomas. Our findings show that CAP2 overexpression is a novel prognostic marker in malignant melanoma and that CAP2 expression seems to increase stepwise during tumor progression, suggesting the involvement of CAP2 in the aggressive behavior of malignant melanoma.
A review of ammonia emission measured using wind tunnels compared with micrometeorological techniques
Authors: Sommer S. G. , Misselbrook T. H.
Published: September 2015

Ammonia (NH3) emission from livestock manure constitutes a loss of crop‐available nitrogen (N) and poses a threat to the environment. Therefore, low NH3 emission slurry application technologies have been developed, the reduction efficiency of which has typically been estimated through measurements using wind tunnels or integrated horizontal flux (IHF) micrometeorological techniques. A recovery of 100% of released NH3 can be obtained if wind tunnels are designed to avoid pulses of wind into the tunnel through the canopy opening and leaks from the tunnels. The NH3 emission measured with wind tunnels adjusted to an air flow of 1 m/s deviated significantly (P < 0.05) from the emission measured using IHF methods, which are generally considered to give reliable emission estimates for ambient conditions. If wind tunnel air flow was adjusted to the ambient wind speed at height 0.25–0.30 m, then measured emissions were not significantly different from those measured using IHF methods. Wind tunnels influence the air flow pattern and cause turbulent convection in the air layers above the emitting surface, so the similarity in measured emissions for the two measuring techniques is perhaps surprising. This may be because the soil surface resistance to NH3 transport is often the most important rate‐regulating variable, so that the absence of a laminar boundary air layer resistance as caused by wind tunnels is of minor importance. It is concluded that the wind tunnels are well suited to test the emission reduction efficiency of new technologies.
Plasma soluble Tim‐3 emerges as an inhibitor in sepsis: sepsis contrary to membrane Tim‐3 on monocytes
Authors: Ren F. , Li J. , Jiang X. , Xiao K. , Zhang D. , Zhao Z. , Ai J. , Hou C. , Jia Y. , Han G. , Xie L.
Published: September 2015

Immune dysfunction is the main characteristic of sepsis. T cell Ig and mucin domain protein 3 (Tim‐3) on the monocytes has been reported to promote immune homeostasis during sepsis, but the influences of plasm soluble Tim‐3 (sTim‐3) on the immune system during sepsis remain unknown. Here, 100 patients with different severities of sepsis (40 sepsis, 42 severe sepsis, and 18 septic shock) were enrolled in this study. The Tim‐3 and human leukocyte antigen‐DR (HLA‐DR) on the circulating monocytes were detected using flow cytometry. Plasma sTim‐3 was detected by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. Inflammatory factors and two kinds of A disintegrin and metalloprotease (ADAM) – ADAM10 and ADAM17 were assessed. The Tim‐3 and HLA‐DR on the monocytes decreased with increasing sepsis severity. The sTim‐3 was reduced in the sepsis and severe sepsis patients but was elevated in the septic shock patients who exhibited significant immunosuppression as predicted by HLA‐DR. sTim‐3 levels were negatively correlated with IL‐12 and TNF‐α. ADAM10 and ADAM17, sheddases of Tim‐3, exhibited trends toward elevations in the septic shock group. In conclusion, sTim‐3 was involved in the development of sepsis. The homeostasis‐promoting role of the Tim‐3 on the monocytes was disrupted, while the inhibitory role of sTim‐3 emerged during sepsis‐induced immunosuppression.
Study of association of CTLA4 gene variants to non‐anterior uveitis
Authors: Leon Rodriguez D. A. , Serrano Lopera A. , Cordero‐Coma M. , Márquez A. , Fonollosa A. , Ruiz‐Arruza I. , Callejas J. L. , García Serrano J. L. , Díaz Valle D. , Pato E. , Cañal J. , del Rio M. J. , Capella M. J. , Blanco A. , Olea J. L. , Cordero Y. , Martín‐Villa J. M. , Gorroño‐Echebarría M. B. , Molins B. , Adán A. , Martin J.
Published: September 2015

This study was undertaken to investigate the possible genetic association of functional CTLA4 polymorphisms with susceptibility to non‐anterior uveitis. Four hundred and seventeen patients with endogenous non‐anterior uveitis and 1517 healthy controls of Spanish Caucasian origin were genotyped for the CTLA4 polymorphisms rs733618, rs5742909 and rs231775, using predesigned TaqMan© allele discrimination assays. PLINK software was used for the statistical analyses. No significant associations between the CTLA4 polymorphisms and susceptibility to global non‐anterior uveitis were found. It was also the case when the potential association of these genetic variants with the anatomical localization of the disease, such as intermediate, posterior or panuveitis, was assessed. Our results do not support a relevant role of these CTLA4 polymorphisms in the non‐anterior uveitis genetic predisposition.
Identification of a VxP Targeting Signal in the Flagellar Na+/K+‐ATPase
Authors: Laird Joseph G. , Pan Yuan , Modestou Modestos , Yamaguchi David M. , Song Hongman , Sokolov Maxim , Baker Sheila A.
Published: September 2015

Na+/K+‐ATPase (NKA) participates in setting electrochemical gradients, cardiotonic steroid signaling and cellular adhesion. Distinct isoforms of NKA are found in different tissues and subcellular localization patterns. For example, NKA α1 is widely expressed, NKA α3 is enriched in neurons and NKA α4 is a testes‐specific isoform found in sperm flagella. In some tissues, ankyrin, a key component of the membrane cytoskeleton, can regulate the trafficking of NKA. In the retina, NKA and ankyrin‐B are expressed in multiple cell types and immunostaining for each is striking in the synaptic layers. Labeling for NKA is also prominent along the inner segment plasma membrane (ISPM) of photoreceptors. NKA co‐immunoprecipitates with ankyrin‐B, but on a subcellular level colocalization of these two proteins varies dependent on the cell type. We used transgenic Xenopus laevis tadpoles to evaluate the subcellular trafficking of NKA in photoreceptors. GFP‐NKA α3 and α1 are localized to the ISPM, but α4 is localized to outer segments (OSs). We identified a VxP motif responsible for the OS targeting by using a series of chimeric and mutant NKA constructs. This motif is similar to previously identified ciliary targeting motifs. Given the structural similarities between OSs and flagella, our findings shed light on the subcellular targeting of this testes‐specific NKA isoform.
Experimental Investigation of the Evolution and Head-On Collision of Elliptic Vortex Rings
Authors: Chen Bin , Wang Zhiwei , Li Guojie , Wang Yechun
Published: September 2015

The head-on collision process of elliptic vortex rings was experimentally investigated using flow-visualization technique as well as particle image velocimetry (PIV). Elliptic vortex rings were generated by the movement of a free moving elliptic piston–cylinder arrangement. It was found that the Q value is positive in the vortex core region while negative in the regions around the vortex core, which indicates the rotational effect is dominated in the vortex core and strain effect is dominated around the vortex core. When two elliptic vortex rings move toward each other, both rings slow down and expand in diameter direction until they merge and expand in diameter direction rapidly. The collision process of two elliptic vortex rings and the newly generated vortex structure after collision are dominated by the elliptic vortex ring with larger aspect ratio and the trajectories of vortex core almost coincide in different Reynolds numbers.
A two‐stage method for microcalcification cluster segmentation in mammography by deformable models
Authors: Arikidis N. , Vassiou K. , Kazantzi A. , Skiadopoulos S. , Karahaliou A. , Costaridou L.
Published: September 2015

Purpose:

Segmentation of microcalcification (MC) clusters in x‐ray mammography is a difficult task for radiologists. Accurate segmentation is prerequisite for quantitative image analysis of MC clusters and subsequent feature extraction and classification in computer‐aided diagnosis schemes.

Methods:

In this study, a two‐stage semiautomated segmentation method of MC clusters is investigated. The first stage is targeted to accurate and time efficient segmentation of the majority of the particles of a MC cluster, by means of a level set method. The second stage is targeted to shape refinement of selected individual MCs, by means of an active contour model. Both methods are applied in the framework of a rich scale‐space representation, provided by the wavelet transform at integer scales. Segmentation reliability of the proposed method in terms of inter and intraobserver agreements was evaluated in a case sample of 80 MC clusters originating from the digital database for screening mammography, corresponding to 4 morphology types (punctate: 22, fine linear branching: 16, pleomorphic: 18, and amorphous: 24) of MC clusters, assessing radiologists’ segmentations quantitatively by two distance metrics (Hausdorff distance—HDISTcluster, average of minimum distance—AMINDISTcluster) and the area overlap measure (AOMcluster). The effect of the proposed segmentation method on MC cluster characterization accuracy was evaluated in a case sample of 162 pleomorphic MC clusters (72 malignant and 90 benign). Ten MC cluster features, targeted to capture morphologic properties of individual MCs in a cluster (area, major length, perimeter, compactness, and spread), were extracted and a correlation‐based feature selection method yielded a feature subset to feed in a support vector machine classifier. Classification performance of the MC cluster features was estimated by means of the area under receiver operating characteristic curve (Az ± Standard Error) utilizing tenfold cross‐validation methodology. A previously developed B‐spline active rays segmentation method was also considered for comparison purposes.

Results:

Interobserver and intraobserver segmentation agreements (median and [25%, 75%] quartile range) were substantial with respect to the distance metrics HDISTcluster (2.3 [1.8, 2.9] and 2.5 [2.1, 3.2] pixels) and AMINDISTcluster (0.8 [0.6, 1.0] and 1.0 [0.8, 1.2] pixels), while moderate with respect to AOMcluster (0.64 [0.55, 0.71] and 0.59 [0.52, 0.66]). The proposed segmentation method outperformed (0.80 ± 0.04) statistically significantly (Mann‐Whitney U‐test, p < 0.05) the B‐spline active rays segmentation method (0.69 ± 0.04), suggesting the significance of the proposed semiautomated method.

Conclusions:

Results indicate a reliable semiautomated segmentation method for MC clusters offered by deformable models, which could be utilized in MC cluster quantitative image analysis.
Acoustic holography as a metrological tool for characterizing medical ultrasound sources and fields
Authors: Sapozhnikov Oleg A. , Tsysar Sergey A. , Khokhlova Vera A. , Kreider Wayne
Published: September 2015

Acoustic holography is a powerful technique for characterizing ultrasound sources and the fields they radiate, with the ability to quantify source vibrations and reduce the number of required measurements. These capabilities are increasingly appealing for meeting measurement standards in medical ultrasound; however, associated uncertainties have not been investigated systematically. Here errors associated with holographic representations of a linear, continuous-wave ultrasound field are studied. To facilitate the analysis, error metrics are defined explicitly, and a detailed description of a holography formulation based on the Rayleigh integral is provided. Errors are evaluated both for simulations of a typical therapeutic ultrasound source and for physical experiments with three different ultrasound sources. Simulated experiments explore sampling errors introduced by the use of a finite number of measurements, geometric uncertainties in the actual positions of acquired measurements, and uncertainties in the properties of the propagation medium. Results demonstrate the theoretical feasibility of keeping errors less than about 1%. Typical errors in physical experiments were somewhat larger, on the order of a few percent; comparison with simulations provides specific guidelines for improving the experimental implementation to reduce these errors. Overall, results suggest that holography can be implemented successfully as a metrological tool with small, quantifiable errors.
Empirical estimation of peak pressure level from sound exposure level. Part II: Offshore impact pile driving noise
Authors: Lippert Tristan , Galindo-Romero Marta , Gavrilov Alexander N. , von Estorff Otto
Published: September 2015

Numerical models of underwater sound propagation predict the energy of impulsive signals and its decay with range with a better accuracy than the peak pressure. A semi-empirical formula is suggested to predict the peak pressure of man-made impulsive signals based on numerical predictions of their energy. The approach discussed by Galindo-Romero, Lippert, and Gavrilov [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 138, in press (2015)] for airgun signals is modified to predict the peak pressure from offshore pile driving, which accounts for impact and pile parameters. It is shown that using the modified empirical formula provides more accurate predictions of the peak pressure than direct numerical simulations of the signal waveform.
Bullying Victimization and Perpetration Among Adolescent Sport Teammates
Authors: Evans Blair , Adler Ashley , MacDonald Dany , Côté Jean
Published: September 2015

Purpose:

Bullying is a specific pattern of repeated victimization explored with great frequency in school-based literature, but receiving little attention within sport. The current study explored the prevalence of bullying in sport, and examined whether bullying experiences were associated with perceptions about relationships with peers and coaches.

Method:

Adolescent sport team members (n = 359, 64% female) with an average age of 14.47 years (SD = 1.34) completed a pen-and-paper or online questionnaire assessing how frequently they perpetrated or were victimized by bullying during school and sport generally, as well as recent experiences with 16 bullying behaviors on their sport team. Participants also reported on relationships with their coach and teammates.

Results:

Bullying was less prevalent in sport compared with school, and occurred at a relatively low frequency overall. However, by identifying participants who reported experiencing one or more act of bullying on their team recently, results revealed that those victimized through bullying reported weaker connections with peers, whereas those perpetrating bullying only reported weaker coach relationships.

Conclusion:

With the underlying message that bullying may occur in adolescent sport through negative teammate interactions, sport researchers should build upon these findings to develop approaches to mitigate peer victimization in sport.
Learning to expect the unexpected: Updating the cerebellum during voluntary movement
Authors: Bhatti Pamela
Published: September 2015

Motor learning is rapidly updated by cerebellar command.
Nanoparticles, macroplanning
Authors: Parekkadan Biju
Published: September 2015

A nanoparticle EBV vaccine designed using structural biology outperformed current vaccine approaches in both mice and macaques.
The Human Skin Microbiome Associates with the Outcome of and Is Influenced by Bacterial Infection
Authors: van Rensburg Julia J. , Lin Huaiying , Gao Xiang , Toh Evelyn , Fortney Kate R. , Ellinger Sheila , Zwickl Beth , Janowicz Diane M. , Katz Barry P. , Nelson David E. , Dong Qunfeng , Spinola Stanley M.
Published: September 2015

The influence of the skin microbiota on host susceptibility to infectious agents is largely unexplored. The skin harbors diverse bacterial species that may promote or antagonize the growth of an invading pathogen. We developed a human infection model forHaemophilus ducreyiin which human volunteers are inoculated on the upper arm. After inoculation, papules form and either spontaneously resolve or progress to pustules. To examine the role of the skin microbiota in the outcome ofH. ducreyiinfection, we analyzed the microbiomes of four dose-matched pairs of “resolvers” and “pustule formers” whose inoculation sites were swabbed at multiple time points. Bacteria present on the skin were identified by amplification and pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA genes. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) using Bray-Curtis dissimilarity between the preinfection microbiomes of infected sites showed that sites from the same volunteer clustered together and that pustule formers segregated from resolvers (P= 0.001, permutational multivariate analysis of variance [PERMANOVA]), suggesting that the preinfection microbiomes were associated with outcome. NMDS using Bray-Curtis dissimilarity of the endpoint samples showed that the pustule sites clustered together and were significantly different than the resolved sites (P= 0.001, PERMANOVA), suggesting that the microbiomes at the endpoint differed between the two groups. In addition toH. ducreyi, pustule-forming sites had a greater abundance ofProteobacteria,Bacteroidetes,Micrococcus,Corynebacterium,Paracoccus, andStaphylococcusspecies, whereas resolved sites had higher levels ofActinobacteriaandPropionibacteriumspecies. These results suggest that at baseline, resolvers and pustule formers have distinct skin bacterial communities which change in response to infection and the resultant immune response.

IMPORTANCEHuman skin is home to a diverse community of microorganisms, collectively known as the skin microbiome. Some resident bacteria are thought to protect the skin from infection by outcompeting pathogens for resources or by priming the immune system's response to invaders. However, the influence of the skin microbiome on the susceptibility to or protection from infection has not been prospectively evaluated in humans. We characterized the skin microbiome before, during, and after experimental inoculation of the arm withHaemophilus ducreyiin matched volunteers who subsequently resolved the infection or formed abscesses. Our results suggest that the preinfection microbiomes of pustule formers and resolvers have distinct community structures which change in response to the progression ofH. ducreyiinfection to abscess formation.
Hypertension prevalence, incidence and risk factors among children and adolescents in Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol
Authors: Essouma Mickael , Noubiap Jean Jacques N , Bigna Jean Joel R , Nansseu Jobert Richie N , Jingi Ahmadou M , Aminde Leopold N , Zafack Joseline
Published: September 2015

Introduction

The African adult population is facing a growing epidemic of hypertension. Establishment of accurate epidemiological data on hypertension in African children and adolescents may have important implications for hypertension preventive strategies in Africa.

Methods and analysis

This systematic review and meta-analysis will follow the MOOSE Guidelines. Relevant abstracts published in English/French from 1 January 1985 to 31 July 2015 will be searched in PubMed, Google Scholar and Online African journals. Full texts of eligible studies will then be accessed through PubMed, Google Scholar, HINARI and the respective journals’ websites. Relevant unpublished papers and conference proceedings will also be checked. Data will be analysed using R statistical software. The study-specific estimates will be pooled through a random-effects meta-analysis model to obtain an overall summary estimate of the prevalence/incidence of hypertension across studies. Also, we will assess the association between risk factors and hypertension. Heterogeneity of studies will be evaluated by the χ2test on Cochrane's Q statistic. Funnel plots analysis and Egger's test will be done to detect publication bias. Results will be presented by geographic region (central, eastern, northern, southern and western Africa). A p value less than 0.05 will be considered significant for factors that predicted hypertension.

Ethics and dissemination

The current study is based on published data, and thus ethical approval is not required. This systematic review and meta-analysis is expected to serve as input for designing early life preventive and control strategies, and as a guide for future research based on existing gaps. The final report of the systematic review in the form of a scientific paper will be published in peer-reviewed journals. Findings will further be presented at conferences and submitted to relevant health authorities.

Trial registration number

CRD42015019029.
Impact of an electronic alert notification system embedded in radiologists’ workflow on closed-loop communication of critical results: a time series analysis
Authors: Lacson Ronilda , O'Connor Stacy D , Sahni V Anik , Roy Christopher , Dalal Anuj , Desai Sonali , Khorasani Ramin
Published: September 2015

Introduction

Optimal critical test result communication is a Joint Commission national patient safety goal and requires documentation of closed-loop communication among care providers in the medical record. Electronic alert notification systems can facilitate an auditable process for creating alerts for transmission and acknowledgement of critical test results. We evaluated the impact of a patient safety initiative with an alert notification system on reducing critical results lacking documented communication, and assessed potential overuse of the alerting system for communicating results.

Methods

We implemented an alert notification system—Alert Notification of Critical Results (ANCR)—in January 2010. We reviewed radiology reports finalised in 2009–2014 which lacked documented communication between the radiologist and another care provider, and assessed the impact of ANCR on the proportion of such reports with critical findings, using trend analysis over 10 semiannual time periods. To evaluate potential overuse of ANCR, we assessed the proportion of reports with non-critical results among provider-communicated reports.

Results

The proportion of reports with critical results among reports without documented communication decreased significantly over 4 years (2009–2014) from 0.19 to 0.05 (p<0.0001, Cochran–Armitage trend test). The proportion of provider-communicated reports with non-critical results remained unchanged over time before and after ANCR implementation (0.20 to 0.15, p=0.45, Cochran–Armitage trend test).

Conclusions

A patient safety initiative with an alert notification system reduced the proportion of critical results among reports lacking documented communication between care providers. We observed no change in documented communication of non-critical results, suggesting the system did not promote overuse. Future studies are needed to evaluate whether such systems prevent subsequent patient harm.
Improving physician's adherence to completing vaccination schedules for patients with type 2 diabetes attending non-communicable diseases clinics in West Bay Health Center, Qatar
Authors: Tawfik Hassan , Bashwar Zelaikha , Al-Ali Amal , Salem Mohamed , Abdelbagi Isameldin
Published: September 2015

Incomplete vaccination for patients with type 2 diabetes attending non-communicable diseases (NCD) clinics is an issue that could affect patient’s health and wellness negatively and puts patients at high risk of serious diseases.

We aimed to improve physicians adherence to complete vaccination schedule for patients with type 2 diabetes attending NCD clinics in west bay health center according to American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommendation by 25% by January 2015.

In the pre-intervention phase: the quality improvement team designed a checklist to collect the percentage of physician’s adherence of prescription of the recommended vaccination for patients with type 2 diabetes. The percentage of complete vaccination in patients with diabetes attending NCD clinic in West Bay Health Center was 20% .

In the intervention phase the intervention was in the form of: the creation a vaccination form and attached to the (NCD) progress note; to distribute and remind the physicians about the ADA guidelines vaccination recommendations; a summary of the vaccination schedule developed and attached to (NCD) form; development of vaccination reminder posters and posters in the waiting area, nurse station, and physician clinics and education and orientation sessions for NCD clinic staff.

In the post-intervention phase the average percentage of complete vaccination in patients with diabetes attending NCD clinic in West Bay Health Center increased to 69%.
High-intensity interval training improves cardiovascular health, exercise capacity, and quality of life in permanent atrial fibrillation: a case study
Authors: Reed Jennifer L. , Nery Pablo B. , Birnie David H. , Tulloch Heather E. , Pipe Andrew L.
Published: September 2015

Persons with permanent atrial fibrillation experience reduced exercise tolerance, weight gain, and an associated decline in overall health. We report on a 74-year-old man with permanent atrial fibrillation who underwent a 10-week high-intensity interval training program. Substantial improvements in heart rate, blood pressure, aerobic and functional capacity, and quality of life were observed. These are desirable as these patients are not candidates for other treatment options and more effective therapies for the treatment of atrial fibrillation are needed.
Semantic Similarity-Based Clustering of Web Documents Using Fuzzy C-Means
Authors: Avanija J. , Ramar K.
Published: September 2015

With the massive growth and large volume of the web it is very difficult to recover results based on the user preferences. The next generation web architecture, semantic web reduces the burden of the user by performing search based on semantics instead of keywords. Even in the context of semantic technologies optimization problem occurs but rarely considered. In this paper, document clustering is applied to recover relevant documents. We propose an ontology-based clustering algorithm using semantic similarity measure and Fuzzy C-Means, which is applied to the annotated documents for optimizing the result. The proposed method uses Jena API and GATE tool API and the documents can be recovered based on their annotation features and relations. A preliminary experiment comparing the proposed method with K-Means, PSO and hybrid approach PSOK Means shows that the proposed method is feasible and performs better than other clustering methods.
Chapter 11 The older volcanic complexes of São Miguel, Azores: Nordeste and Povoação
Authors: Duncan A. M. , Guest J. E. , Wallenstein N. , Chester D. K.
Published: September 2015

The oldest part of São Miguel is to the east of Furnas. Previous research argued that these volcanics belong to a construct called the Nordeste Volcano, a heavily eroded shield which not only extends to the east coast of the island but also underlies Furnas Volcano in the west. On the basis of geomorphological mapping, we argue that Nordeste comprises two volcanic systems: an older Nordeste construct (the Nordeste Volcanic System) and the younger Povoação Volcano that straddles the Nordeste shield on its western margin. The Nordeste Volcanic System consists of the Lower Basalts which constitute the overwhelming majority of its subaerial products that are exposed in coastal cliff sections. Above the Lower Basalts is a surficial drape of ankaramites and the Upper Basalts. There is no evidence of large explosive trachytic eruptions from Nordeste Volcanic System. Povoação Volcano comprises an early shield construct, after which the volcano experienced caldera collapse. Post-caldera deposits are poorly exposed, but include basaltic, mugearitic and trachytic lavas intercalated by cut-and-fill sequences. Radiometric dating has yet to resolve fully the absolute ages of the Nordeste and Povoação volcanic systems, but morphology indicates that the former is much older than the latter.
Chapter 14 Mapping of soil CO
2
diffuse degassing at São Miguel Island and its public health implications
Authors: Viveiros F. , Gaspar J. L. , Ferreira T. , Silva C. , Marcos M. , Hipólito A.
Published: September 2015

Soil CO
2
diffuse degassing constitutes a permanent risk in quiescent volcanic–hydrothermal areas, as is the case in the Azores archipelago. Since the early 1990s geochemical studies carried out in São Miguel Island showed that some villages are placed in anomalous high degassing areas, and indoor measurements performed in various dwellings highlight the risk to the population. These high indoor CO
2
concentrations are not only measured in areas classified as high degassing areas, but lethal CO
2
concentrations are also registered in buildings located in areas previously defined as low- and medium-risk zones. These lethal values are measured in non-ventilated environments and basements in areas with soil CO
2
concentration above 1.5 vol%. Hazardous CO
2
concentrations are also commonly measured in buildings located in zones where soil CO
2
is higher than 5 vol%. Considering the dangerous values registered and the fact that indoor gas concentration can increase several orders of magnitude owing to peculiar meteorological conditions, updated values are suggested for the correlation between soil gas concentration and CO
2
exposure. This study highlights that both the use of soil degassing maps by land-use planners and appropriate construction rules for buildings placed in degassing areas are necessary.
Chapter 16 Volcanic hazard vulnerability on São Miguel Island, Azores
Authors: Wallenstein N. , Chester D. , Coutinho R. , Duncan A. , Dibben C.
Published: September 2015

In recent years much progress has been made in researching a wide variety of extreme events on São Miguel. In addition there are a number of volcano-related risks that impact upon the people of São Miguel. Some of these may occur both before and during volcanic emergencies (e.g. earthquakes), whilst others render São Miguel dangerous even when its volcanoes are not erupting (e.g. flooding, landslides, tsunamis and health impacts, especially the effects of CO
2
seepage into dwellings). In this chapter we first define what vulnerability means to the people of São Miguel, and relate this to the cultural and economic characteristics of the island. The following aspects of vulnerability are discussed: (a) physical (i.e. housing, settlement and the characteristics of evacuation routes and plans); (b) demographic and economic; and (c) social and cultural and perceptual (i.e. whether people have an accurate cognition of risk). Particular areas of concern relate to housing: the identification of isolated dwellings that would be difficult to evacuate; the vulnerability/resilience of evacuation routes following recent infrastructure improvements; characteristics of the island's transient population; management of livestock under emergency conditions; local leadership roles; and educational outreach.
Chapter 5 The magmatism of the Azores islands
Authors: Zanon Vittorio
Published: September 2015

Magmas in the Azores (Portugal) were erupted from both fissure zones and central volcanoes during overlapping periods. Fissure zones follow extensional trends oriented accordingly with the regional tectonics, erupting basalts and hawaiites. Central volcanoes are characterized by transtensive tectonics and erupted basaltic to trachytic magmas. Highly porphyritic magmas, consisting of cumulitic olivines and clinopyroxenes, can be also erupted during flank eruptions. Volcanism occurs because of the different direction of the plate movement at the triple junction where islands are located. Magma production and its ascent occur in response to the stresses of the lithosphere over a geochemically heterogeneous mantle, enriched in incompatible trace elements and water. The variability in the radiogenic isotopes results from the interaction of the differently enriched mantle sources with a ubiquitous and slightly depleted Azores mantle. Finally, a contribution of recycled oceanic crust is evidenced by a progressive east–west variation in Pb isotope ratios across the island of São Miguel. Primitive melts were generated by 1–7% partial melting of a garnet-bearing peridotite. Overall, basalts show relatively high large-ion lithophile element (LILE) abundances and LILE/high-field-strength element ratios that point to chemical heterogeneities in the mantle sources.
Chapter 8 Eruptive history of Fogo Volcano, São Miguel, Azores
Authors: Wallenstein N. , Duncan A. , Guest J. E. , Almeida M. H.
Published: September 2015

Fogo is the largest of the three active central volcanoes on São Miguel and dominates the centre of the island. It is located at the intersection of NW–SE, NE–SW and east–west-trending fault systems, showing a complex morphology with a Summit Caldera formed as a result of explosive and collapse events. The edifice of Fogo has been extensively dissected by erosion, with deep valleys that show clear tectonic control.

The products of Fogo range from basalt to trachyte and belong to a potassic alkaline suite. The oldest subaerial products of Fogo are >200 ka. Older products are poorly exposed, making stratigraphic correlation difficult, particularly on the north flank where considerable subsidence within the NW–SE Ribeira Grande graben has occurred. A more complete stratigraphy for the last 40 ka was established on the southern flank of the volcano. During this period there were large trachytic Plinian eruptions, including those of the Ribeira Chã (8–12 ka BP) and Fogo A (4.6 ka BP). The last intracaldera eruption was historic and occurred in 1563, and 4 days afterwards there was an effusive basaltic eruption on the northwestern lower flank of the volcano.
Influence of regional tectonics and pre-existing structures on the formation of elliptical calderas in the Kenyan Rift
Authors: Robertson E. A. M. , Biggs J. , Cashman K. V. , Floyd M. A. , Vye-Brown C.
Published: September 2015

Calderas are formed by the collapse of large magma reservoirs and are commonly elliptical in map view. The orientation of elliptical calderas is often used as an indicator of the local stress regime; but, in some rift settings, pre-existing structural trends may also influence the orientation. We investigated whether either of these two mechanisms controls the orientation of calderas in the Kenyan Rift. Satellite-based mapping was used to identify the rift border faults, intra-rift faults and orientation of the calderas to measure the stress orientations and pre-existing structural trends and to determine the extensional regime at each volcano. We found that extension in northern Kenya is orthogonal, whereas that in southern Kenya is oblique. Elliptical calderas in northern Kenya are orientated NW–SE, aligned with pre-existing structures and perpendicular to recent rift faults. In southern Kenya, the calderas are aligned NE–SW and lie oblique to recent rift faults, but are aligned with pre-existing structures. We conclude that, in oblique continental rifts, pre-existing structures control the development of elongated magma reservoirs. Our results highlight the structural control of magmatism at different crustal levels, where pre-existing structures control the storage and orientation of deeper magma reservoirs and the local stress regime controls intra-rift faulting and shallow magmatism.

Supplementary material:

Details of the Standard Deviation Ellipse function and statistical methods are available at
http://www.geolsoc.org.uk/SUP18849
.
Stereo Matching Algorithm Based on 2D Delaunay Triangulation
Authors: Zhang Xue-he , Li Ge , Li Chang-le , Zhang He , Zhao Jie , Hou Zhen-xiu
Published: September 2015

To fulfill the applications on robot vision, the commonly used stereo matching method for depth estimation is supposed to be efficient in terms of running speed and disparity accuracy. Based on this requirement, Delaunay-based stereo matching method is proposed to achieve the aforementioned standards in this paper. First, a Canny edge operator is used to detect the edge points of an image as supporting points. Those points are then processed using a Delaunay triangulation algorithm to divide the whole image into a series of linked triangular facets. A proposed module composed of these facets performs a rude estimation of image disparity. According to the triangular property of shared vertices, the estimated disparity is then refined to generate the disparity map. The method is tested on Middlebury stereo pairs. The running time of the proposed method is about 1 s and the matching accuracy is 93%. Experimental results show that the proposed method improves both running speed and disparity accuracy, which forms a steady foundation and good application prospect for a robot’s path planning system with stereo camera devices.
Research on the Hard-Rock Breaking Mechanism of Hydraulic Drilling Impact Tunneling
Authors: Long Risheng , Sun Shaoni , Lian Zisheng
Published: September 2015

In order to realize the rapid hard-rock tunneling in a safe, highly effective, and economic manner, the hydraulic drilling impact hard-rock tunneling (HDIHT) technology and method were introduced based on the theories of rock mechanics and hydraulic impact. The key parameters, including drilling radius and impact distance, were researched to reveal the stress behavior during HDIHT process. The Von Mises equivalent stress and its principal stress components were analyzed, and the breaking mechanism of HDIHT was also discussed. The simulation results show that, to ensure the effectiveness of “secondary breaking” caused by drilling hole free surfaces, the impact distance should not exceed 200 mm, and the optimal drilling radius was about 35 mm.
Bounded Traveling Waves of the (2+1)-Dimensional Zoomeron Equation
Authors: Zhou Yuqian , Cai Shanshan , Liu Qian
Published: September 2015

The bifurcation method of dynamical system and numerical simulation method of differential equation are employed to investigate the (2+1)-dimensional Zoomeron equation. We obtain the parameter bifurcation sets that divide the parameter space into different regions which correspond to qualitatively different phase portraits. According to these phase portraits, all bounded traveling waves are identified and simulated, including solitary wave solutions, shock wave solutions, and periodic wave solutions. Furthermore, all exact expressions of these bounded traveling waves are given. Among them, the elliptic function periodic wave solutions are new solutions.
Evaluation of an EpitypifiedOphiocordyceps formosana(Cordyceps s.l.) for Its Pharmacological Potential
Authors: Wang Yen-Wen , Hong Tzu-Wen , Tai Yu-Ling , Wang Ying-Jing , Tsai Sheng-Hong , Lien Pham Thi Kim , Chou Tzu-Ho , Lai Jui-Ya , Chu Richard , Ding Shih-Torng , Irie Kenji , Li Tsai-Kun , Tzean Shean-Shong , Shen Tang-Long
Published: September 2015

The substantial merit ofCordyceps s.l.spp. in terms of medicinal benefits is largely appreciated. Nevertheless, only few studies have characterized and examined the clinical complications of the use of health tonics containing these species. Here, we epitypifiedC. formosanaisolates that were collected and characterized asOphiocordyceps formosanabased on morphological characteristics, molecular phylogenetic analyses, and metabolite profiling. Thus, we renamed and transferredC. formosanato the new protologueOphiocordyceps formosana(Kobayasi & Shimizu) Wang, Tsai, Tzean & Shencomb. nov.Additionally, the pharmacological potential ofO. formosanawas evaluated based on the hot-water extract from its mycelium. The relative amounts of the known bioactive ingredients that are unique toCordyceps s.l.species inO. formosanawere found to be similar to the amounts inO. sinensisandC. militaris, indicating the potential applicability ofO. formosanafor pharmacological uses. Additionally, we found thatO. formosanaexhibited antioxidation activitiesin vitroandin vivothat were similar to those ofO. sinensisandC. militaris. Furthermore,O. formosanaalso displayed conspicuously effective antitumor activity compared with the testedCordyceps s.l.species. Intrinsically,O. formosanaexhibited less toxicity than the otherCordycepsspecies. Together, our data suggest that the metabolites ofO. formosanamay play active roles in complementary medicine.
Distributed Modeling and Control of Large-Scale Highly Flexible Solar-Powered UAV
Authors: Wang Rui , Zhou Zhou , Zhu Xiaoping , Xu Xiaoping
Published: September 2015

The modeling, stability, and control characteristics of a large scale highly flexible solar-powered UAV with distributed all-span multielevons were presented. A geometrically nonlinear intrinsic beam model was introduced to establish the structural/flight dynamics coupled equation of motion (EOM); based on it, the explicit decoupled linear flight dynamics and structural dynamics EOM were derived through mean axis theory. Undeformed, deformed, and flexible models were compared through trimming and modal analysis. Since the deformation of wing has increased the UAV’s moment of inertia about the pitch axis, the frequency of short period mode has obviously decreased for the deformed model. The serious coupling between short period mode and 1st bending mode also significantly influences the roots of short period mode of flexible model. So flexible model was the only one which is able to accurately estimate the flight dynamics behaviors and was selected as the later control model. Forty distributed elevons and LQG/LTR controller were employed to control the attitude and suppress the aeroelastic deformation of the UAV simultaneously. The dynamics performance, robustness, and simulation results show that they were suitable for large scale highly flexible solar-powered UAV.
An Improved Information Hiding Method Based on Sparse Representation
Authors: Yao Minghai , Qi Miao , Yi Yugen , Shi Yanjiao , Kong Jun
Published: September 2015

A novel biometric authentication information hiding method based on the sparse representation is proposed for enhancing the security of biometric information transmitted in the network. In order to make good use of abundant information of the cover image, the sparse representation method is adopted to exploit the correlation between the cover and biometric images. Thus, the biometric image is divided into two parts. The first part is the reconstructed image, and the other part is the residual image. The biometric authentication image cannot be restored by any one part. The residual image and sparse representation coefficients are embedded into the cover image. Then, for the sake of causing much less attention of attackers, the visual attention mechanism is employed to select embedding location and embedding sequence of secret information. Finally, the reversible watermarking algorithm based on histogram is utilized for embedding the secret information. For verifying the validity of the algorithm, the PolyU multispectral palmprint and the CASIA iris databases are used as biometric information. The experimental results show that the proposed method exhibits good security, invisibility, and high capacity.
Migration of Sn and Pb from Solder Ribbon onto Ag Fingers in Field-Aged Silicon Photovoltaic Modules
Authors: Oh Wonwook , Kim Seongtak , Bae Soohyun , Park Nochang , Chan Sung-Il , Kang Yoonmook , Lee Hae-Seok , Kim Donghwan
Published: September 2015

We investigated the migration of Sn and Pb onto the Ag fingers of crystalline Si solar cells in photovoltaic modules aged in field for 6 years. Layers of Sn and Pb were found on the Ag fingers down to the edge of the solar cells. This phenomenon is not observed in a standard acceleration test condition for PV modules. In contrast to the acceleration test conditions, field aging subjects the PV modules to solar irradiation and moisture condensation at the interface between the solar cells and the encapsulant. The solder ribbon releases Sn and Pb via repeated galvanic corrosion and the Sn and Pb precipitate on Ag fingers due to the light-induced plating under solar irradiation.
Characterization of Closed Head Impact Injury in Rat
Authors: Hua Yi , Akula Praveen , Kelso Matthew , Gu Linxia
Published: September 2015

The closed head impact (CHI) rat models are commonly used for studying the traumatic brain injury. The impact parameters vary considerably among different laboratories, making the comparison of research findings difficult. In this work, numerical CHI experiments were conducted to investigate the sensitivities of intracranial responses to various impact parameters (e.g., impact depth, velocity, and position; impactor diameter, material, and shape). A three-dimensional finite element rat head model with anatomical details was subjected to impact loadings. Results revealed that impact depth and impactor shape were the two leading factors affecting intracranial responses. The influence of impactor diameter was region-specific and an increase in impactor diameter could substantially increase tissue strains in the region which located directly beneath the impactor. The lateral impact could induce higher strains in the brain than the central impact. An indentation depth instead of impact depth would be appropriate to characterize the influence of a large deformed rubber impactor. The experimentally observed velocity-dependent injury severity could be attributed to the “overshoot” phenomenon. This work could be used to better design or compare CHI experiments.
On Constructing Dynamic and Forward Secure Authenticated Group Key Agreement Scheme from Multikey Encapsulation Mechanism
Authors: Fathirad Iraj , Devlin John
Published: September 2015

The approach of instantiating authenticated group key exchange (GAKE) protocol from the multikey encapsulation mechanism (mKEM) has an important advantage of achieving classical requirement of GAKE security in one communication round. In spite of the limitations of this approach, for example, lack of forward secrecy, it is very useful in group environments when maximum communication efficiency is desirable. To enrich this mKEM‐based GAKE construction, we suggest an efficient solution to convert this static GAKE framework into a partially dynamic scheme. Furthermore, to address the associated lack of forward‐secrecy, we propose two variants of this generic construction which can also provide a means of forward secrecy at the cost of extra communication round. In addition, concerning associated implementation cost of deploying this generic GAKE construction in elliptic curve cryptosystem, we compare the possible instantiations of this model from existing mKEM algorithms in terms of the number of elliptic curve scalar multiplications.