bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
ИЗМЕНЕНИЯ ВО ФЛОРЕ СОСУДИСТЫХ РАСТЕНИЙ В РАЙОНЕ ТАЙМЫРСКОГО БИОГЕОЦЕНОЛОГИЧЕСКОГО СТАЦИОНАРА (СРЕДНЕЕ ТЕЧЕНИЕ РЕКИ ПЯСИНЫ, ЗАПАДНЫЙ ТАЙМЫР) С 1970 ПО 2010 Г, "БОТАНИЧЕСКИЙ ЖУРНАЛ"
Authors: МАТВЕЕВА Н.В. , ЗАНОХА Л.Л. , ЯНЧЕНКО З.А.
Published: November 2019

В результате повторных флористических исследований в 2010 г. на западе п-ова Таймыр в среднем течении р. Пясины в окрестностях рыбацкого пос. Тарея, где в 60-70-х годах прошлого века действовал Таймырский биогеоценологический стационар Ботанического института им. В.Л. Комарова, установлено, что состав флоры и распределение большинства видов сосудистых растений в ландшафте претерпели незначительные изменения. Для территории, которую удалось обследовать в 2010 г., в прошлом были известны 212 видов (96 родов, 35 семейств). Спустя 40 лет не были найдены 29 видов (все редкие) и обнаружены 10 новых (редкие, многие в единственном экземпляре, все в пойме р. Пясины), в результате состав флоры - 193 вида, 87 родов, 32 семейства. Основная причина неполного выявления флоры - кратковременность исследований в 2010 г. Нет и твердой уверенности, что 10 новых видов отсутствовали 40 лет назад. При допущении, что ненайденные виды на данной территории присутствуют, ее систематическая и географическая структура осталась неизменной. У подавляющего числа видов (162, 88.5 %) сохранилась их активность в ландшафте, у 5 при той же активности возросло или снизилось обилие. Небольшие изменения в распределении 19 видов с низкой активностью можно считать как объективными, так и субъективными (кратковременность наблюдений в 2010 г. и неопределенность оценок в аннотированном списке 1971 г.). При том, что на повторно обследованной территории зафиксирована существенная трансформация ландшафта - масштабная полигонизация водораздельных увалов и выравнивание поверхности полигонально-валиковых болот из-за опускания валиков, можно говорить об устойчивости состава и структуры флоры сосудистых растений и распределения видов в ландшафте в условиях естественных климатических колебаний и изменчивости элементов ландшафта.
СЕЗОННЫЕ ИЗМЕНЕНИЯ АКТИВНОСТИ ФОТОСИСТЕМЫ II И ЛОКАЛИЗАЦИИ ХЛОРОПЛАСТОВ В КЛЕТКАХ ХВОИ РАСТЕНИЙ РОДА PICEA (PINACEAE), "БОТАНИЧЕСКИЙ ЖУРНАЛ"
Authors: ОВСЯННИКОВ А.Ю. , СЁМКИНА Л.А.
Published: November 2019

Описаны результаты наблюдений за сезонными изменениями локализации хлоропластов в клетках мезофилла хвои Picea pungens Engl. и P. obovata Ledeb. на основе сопоставления клеточных срезов в разных плоскостях. Изучение функциональной активности фотосистемы II проводилось методом PAM-флуориметрии. В вегетационный период хлоропласты располагаются в один слой строго вдоль плоскости латеральных стенок клеток. В осенне-зимний период начинается процесс перемещения пластид к ядру с образованием рыхлого скопления около клеточной стенки, а затем с формированием плотного шарообразного пластидного конгломерата в центре клетки. Процесс перемещения хлоропластов сопряжен с началом снижения параметров интенсивности флуоресценции. Максимальное снижение функциональной активности фотосистемы II совпадает с периодом наблюдения в клетках наибольшей агрегации хлоропластов в феврале-марте. Сделано предположение, что процесс скопления пластид связан с перераспределением объемов вакуолярного и цитозольного компартментов внутри клетки в результате изменения осмотического потенциала при избыточном накоплении продуктов фотоассимиляции.
СТРУКТУРНАЯ ОРГАНИЗАЦИЯ МЕЗОФИЛЛА ХВОИ У ВИДОВ РОДА PINUS (PINACEAE), "БОТАНИЧЕСКИЙ ЖУРНАЛ"
Authors: ЗВЕРЕВА Г.К.
Published: November 2019

Изучена пространственная организация мезофилла хвои у 9 видов рода Pinus, относящихся к подродам Pinus и Strobus. Выделены и охарактеризованы основные пространственные формы ассимиляционных клеток на основе поперечных, тангентальных и радиальных сечений хвои. Показано, что клетки более сложных конфигураций наблюдаются в хлоренхиме мягких сосен. Выявлены различия в строении мезофилла хвои у двуххвойных и пятихвойных сосен.
МАТЕРИАЛЫ К ФЛОРЕ BACILLARIOPHYTA ОЗЕР БАССЕЙНА БЕЛОГО МОРЯ (РЕСПУБЛИКА КАРЕЛИЯ), "БОТАНИЧЕСКИЙ ЖУРНАЛ"
Authors: ГЕНКАЛ С.И. , ЧЕКРЫЖЕВА Т.А.
Published: November 2019

Изучение фитопланктона 7 озер бассейна Белого моря выявило 105 таксонов Bacillariophyta видового и внутривидового ранга. Среди них 89 видов и разновидностей новых для флоры исследованных водоемов, 7 - для флоры России и 5 форм определены до рода. Максимальное видовое разнообразие отмечено в оз. Топозеро (70 таксонов). Наибольшее распространение в исследованных озерах имеют Asterionella formosa, Aulacoseira isl ndica, A. subarctica, Tabellaria flocculosa.
Electroweak corrections to the fermionic decays of heavy Higgs states
Authors: Domingo Florian , Paßehr Sebastian
Published: November 2019

Extensions of the standard model often come with additional, possibly electroweakly charged Higgs states, the prototypal example being the Two-Higgs-Doublet Model. While collider phenomenology does not exclude the possibility for some of these new scalar fields to be light, it is relatively natural to consider masses in the multi-TeV range, in which case the only remaining light Higgs boson automatically receives SM-like properties. The appearance of a hierarchy between the new-physics states and the electroweak scale then leads to sizable electroweak corrections, e. g. in the decays of the heavy Higgs bosons, which are dominated by effects of infrared type, namely Sudakov logarithms. Such radiative contributions obviously affect the two-body decays, but should also be paired with the radiation of electroweak gauge bosons (or lighter Higgs bosons) for a consistent picture at the one-loop order. Resummation of the leading terms is also relatively easy to achieve. We re-visit these questions in the specific case of the fermionic decays of heavy Higgs particles in the Next-to-Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model, in particular pointing out the consequences of the three-body final states for the branching ratios of the heavy scalars.
Multi-dark soliton solutions for the (2+1)-dimensional multi-component Maccari system
Authors: Xu Tao , Chen Yong , Qiao Zhijun
Published: November 2019

Based on reduction of the KP hierarchy, the general multi-dark soliton solutions in Gram type determinant forms for the (2[Formula: see text]+[Formula: see text]1)-dimensional multi-component Maccari system are constructed. Especially, the two component coupled Maccari system comprising of two component short waves and single-component long waves are discussed in detail. Besides, the dynamics of one and two dark-dark solitons are analyzed. It is shown that the collisions of two dark-dark solitons are elastic by asymptotic analysis. Additionally, the two dark-dark solitons bound states are studied through two different cases (stationary and moving cases). The bound states can exist up to arbitrary order in the stationary case, however, only two-soliton bound state exists in the moving case. Besides, the oblique stationary bound state can be generated for all possible combinations of nonlinearity coefficients consisting of positive, negative and mixed cases. Nevertheless, the parallel stationary and the moving bound states are only possible when nonlinearity coefficients take opposite signs.
Oriented local moves and divisibility of the Jones–Kauffman polynomial
Authors: Drube Paul , Pongtanapaisan Puttipong
Published: November 2019

For any virtual link [Formula: see text] that may be decomposed into a pair of oriented [Formula: see text]-tangles [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], an oriented local move of type [Formula: see text] is a replacement of [Formula: see text] with the [Formula: see text]-tangle [Formula: see text] in a way that preserves the orientation of [Formula: see text]. After developing a general decomposition for the Jones polynomial of the virtual link [Formula: see text] in terms of various (modified) closures of [Formula: see text], we analyze the Jones polynomials of virtual links [Formula: see text] that differ via a local move of type [Formula: see text]. Succinct divisibility conditions on [Formula: see text] are derived for broad classes of local moves that include the [Formula: see text]-move and the double-[Formula: see text]-move as special cases. As a consequence of our divisibility result for the double-[Formula: see text]-move, we introduce a necessary condition for any pair of classical knots to be [Formula: see text]-equivalent.
Model theory of Steiner triple systems
Authors: Barbina Silvia , Casanovas Enrique
Published: November 2019

A Steiner triple system (STS) is a set [Formula: see text] together with a collection [Formula: see text] of subsets of [Formula: see text] of size 3 such that any two elements of [Formula: see text] belong to exactly one element of [Formula: see text]. It is well known that the class of finite STS has a Fraïssé limit [Formula: see text]. Here, we show that the theory [Formula: see text] of [Formula: see text] is the model completion of the theory of STSs. We also prove that [Formula: see text] is not small and it has quantifier elimination, [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], elimination of hyperimaginaries and weak elimination of imaginaries.
Are All Forecasts Made Equal? Conditioning Models on Fit to Improve Accuracy
Authors: Newton David
Published: November 2019

We present a parsimonious method of improving forecasts and show that fit, the discrepancy between model forecasts and realized values, is persistent for individual stocks. Conditioning on fit profoundly affects the forecast error for future and out-of-sample returns. Forecasts of stock price direction with the best (worst) decile of historical fit are correct 63.6% (49.2%) of the time and are significantly different from the unconditioned model’s 56% accuracy. We find that superior factor forecasts are essential to profit from model conditioning and conclude that analysts who possess superior factor estimates can dramatically improve their forecasts through the technique we present.
Impact of adaptive immune response and cellular infection on delayed virus dynamics with multi-stages of infected cells
Authors: Elaiw A. M. , AlShamrani N. H.
Published: November 2019

In this investigation, we propose and analyze a virus dynamics model with multi-stages of infected cells. The model incorporates the effect of both humoral and cell-mediated immune responses. We consider two modes of transmissions, virus-to-cell and cell-to-cell. Multiple intracellular discrete-time delays have been integrated into the model. The incidence rate of infection as well as the generation and removal rates of all compartments are described by general nonlinear functions. We derive five threshold parameters which determine the existence of the equilibria of the model under consideration. A set of conditions on the general functions has been established which is sufficient to investigate the global stability of the five equilibria of the model. The global asymptotic stability of all equilibria is proven by utilizing Lyapunov function and LaSalle’s invariance principle. The theoretical results are illustrated by numerical simulations of the model with specific forms of the general functions.
On the resolution of regional archaeomagnetism: untangling directional geomagnetic oscillations and data uncertainties using the French archaeomagnetic database for dates between AD 1000 and 1500 as a guide
Authors: Le Goff Maxime , Gallet Yves
Published: November 2019

A complexity is emphasized in the distribution of French archaeomagnetic directions during the thirteenth and the fourteenth centuries AD. Data uncertainties, and the smoothing introduced when estimating an average secular variation curve, prevent scrutiny of the very nature of this complexity. It might correspond to a directional yaw, the nature of which would be compatible with the recent geomagnetic field evolution as traced by the gufm1 model. In order to emphasize this indeterminacy, a reference secular variation curve was constructed for dates between AD 1000 and 1500, including the yaw in question, and synthetic databases that mimic the accuracy and density characteristics of the true French archaeomagnetic database were considered for some of these. The synthetic curves hence obtained show that the dating accuracy of archaeomagnetic data is the crucial parameter for constructing a detailed secular variation path. The significant impact of the experimental data accuracy is also illustrated. Even more crucial is the fact that the precision of the data dating required to describe the directional variability over the century timescale largely exceeds the precision of the archaeological dates available for the structures generally studied. This highlights the intrinsic limitation of archaeomagnetism for regional reconstruction of century-scale geomagnetic field variations.
Reliability Model of the Fly-By-Wire System Based on Stochastic Petri Net
Authors: Lu Zhong , Zhang Zhiwen , Zhuang Lu , Zhou Jia
Published: November 2019

The fly-by-wire system plays an important role in modern civil aircraft. As a typical safety-critical system, its reliability will affect the safety of aircraft significantly. In the paper, stochastic Petri nets are applied in the reliability modeling and analysis for the fly-by-wire system to represent its dynamic (time-dependent) failure behaviors. Stochastic Petri net-based reliability models are established for all kinds of architectures including series, parallel, m-out-of-n, warm standby, cold standby, and load-sharing architectures, which are commonly used in the fly-by-wire system. A Monte Carlo simulation method is proposed for the stochastic Petri net-based reliability models to generate system lifetime samples, and the system reliability parameters can be calculated in terms of the lifetime samples. Finally, a fly-by-wire system is used as a case study to illustrate the application and effectiveness of our proposed approaches. The results show that the error of the reliability value in a flight duration obtained by our Monte Carlo simulation method is less than 1×10−4 compared with the analytical equation.
Longitudinal Guided Wave Inspection of Small-Diameter Elbowed Steel Tubes with a Novel Squirrel-Cage Magnetostrictive Sensor
Authors: Liu Yao , Liu Xiucheng , Yang Chehua , Guo Wenxin , Wu Bin , He Cunfu
Published: November 2019

In the study, ultrasonic longitudinal mode guided waves were employed to detect defects in elbowed tubes (without welds) with a diameter of 10 mm. Finite element simulation results highlighted that the emitted L(0,1) mode guided waves experienced strong reflection and mode conversion at the elbow region to generate F(1,1) mode, followed by slow and weak F(2,1) mode. The guided wave reflected from the elbow with a through-wall defect was manifested as two overlapped wave packets, which were good indicators of a defective elbow. To conduct L(0,1) mode guided waves inspection on the small-diameter elbowed tubes, a novel tailored squirrel-cage magnetostrictive sensor was employed in the experiment. The new sensor employed the configuration of segmental iron-cobalt strips and small-size permanent magnet arrays. The entire sensor is composed of two identical C-shaped sensor elements and can be recycled and installed conveniently. Experimental results obtained from healthy and defective tubes were consistent with the conclusions obtained from finite element simulations. An artificial through-wall defect at the elbow and a notch defect at the straight part of the tube could be simultaneously detected by L(0,1) mode guided waves through comparing experimental signals with simulation results.
Preparation and Properties of Nanocellulose fromMiscanthus x giganteus
Authors: Barbash Valerii A. , Yashchenko Olha V. , Vasylieva Olesia A.
Published: November 2019

Miscanthus x giganteusstalks were used to make organosolvent pulp and nanocellulose. The organosolvent miscanthus pulp (OMP) was obtained through thermal treatment in the mixture of glacial acetic acid and hydrogen peroxide at the first stage and the alkaline treatment at the second stage. Hydrolysis of the never-dried OМP was carried out by a solution of sulfuric acid with concentrations of 43% and 50% and followed by ultrasound treatment. Structural changes and the crystallinity index of OMP and nanocellulose were studied by SEM and FTIR methods. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed an increase in the crystallinity of OMP and nanocellulose as a result of thermochemical treatment. We show that nanocellulose has a density of up to 1.6 g/cm3, transparency up to 82%, and a crystallinity index of 76.5%. The AFM method showed that the particles of nanocellulose have a diameter in the range from 10 to 20 nm. A thermogravimetric analysis confirmed that nanocellulose films have a denser structure and lower mass loss in the temperature range of 320–440°C compared to OMP. The obtained nanocellulose films have high tensile strength up to 195 MPa. The nanocellulose obtained from OMP exhibits the improved properties for the preparation of new nanocomposite materials.
OTA Testing for Massive MIMO Devices Using Cascaded APM Networks and Channel Emulators
Authors: Xin Lijian , Li Yong , Sun Hao , Zhang Xiang
Published: November 2019

This paper proposes an over-the-air (OTA) testing setup for millimeter-wave (mmWave) massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) equipment using cascaded amplitude and phase modulation (APM) network and channel emulator. Compared with the existing test setup with mechanical switch, the proposed testing setup enables more accurate reconstruction of the radio channel environment under the multiprobe anechoic chamber (MPAC) setup without increasing the number of channel emulators (CEs) to control the system cost. The constructed MPAC testing setup for mmWave and massive MIMO equipment is composed of an anechoic chamber, a sectored probe wall containing a number of probes, an APM network, a fading channel emulator, and a user emulator (UE). In this paper, the structural model and the performance advantages of the proposed radiated testing setup are described, and a fully connected APM network for radiated testing is more prominent than the existing switch. Moreover, the angular spectrum is selected as the performance metric for the reconstructed channel. The ability of the proposed system to reconstruct the power angular spectrum (PAS) of the target channel is studied under both static and dynamic channel models, which can reflect the performance of beamforming procedures of the massive MIMO antenna arrays, e.g., beam acquisition, tracking, and refinement. The simulation results for angular spectrum support the superiority of the proposed OTA testing setup. Furthermore, the simulations for average channel capacity also show that radiated testing setup using cascaded APM network and channel emulator is valid.
Penetrance Estimates Over Time to First and Second Primary Cancer Diagnosis in Families with Li-Fraumeni Syndrome: A Single Institution Perspective
Authors: Shin Seung Jun , Dodd-Eaton Elissa B. , Gao Fan , Bojadzieva Jasmina , Chen Jingxiao , Kong Xianhua , Amos Christopher I. , Ning Jing , Strong Louise C. , Wang Wenyi
Published: November 2019

Li-Fraumeni syndrome (LFS) is a rare autosomal dominant disorder associated with TP53 germline mutations and an increased lifetime risk of multiple primary cancers (MPC). Penetrance estimation of time to first and second primary cancer within LFS remains challenging because of limited data and the difficulty of characterizing the effects of a primary cancer on the penetrance of a second primary cancer. Using a recurrent events survival modeling approach that incorporates a family-wise likelihood to efficiently integrate the pedigree structure, we estimated the penetrance for both first and second primary cancer diagnosis from a pediatric sarcoma cohort at MD Anderson Cancer Center [MDACC, Houston, TX; number of families = 189; single primary cancer (SPC) = 771; and MPC = 87]. Validation of the risk prediction performance was performed using an independent MDACC clinical cohort of TP53 tested individuals (SPC = 102 and MPC = 58). These findings showed that an individual diagnosed at a later age was more likely to be diagnosed with a second primary cancer. In addition, TP53 mutation carriers had a HR of 1.65 (95% confidence interval, 1.1–2.5) for developing a second primary cancer versus SPC. The area under the ROC (AUC) curve for predicting individual outcomes of MPC versus SPC was 0.77. In summary, we provide the first set of penetrance estimates for first and second primary cancer for TP53 germline mutation carriers and demonstrate its accuracy for cancer risk assessment.

Significance:

These findings present an open-source R package LFSPRO that could be used for genetic counseling and health management of individuals with LFS as it estimates the risk of both first and second primary cancer diagnosis.

See related article by Shin et al., p. 354
Disparities in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Incidence in California: An Update
Authors: Sangaramoorthy Meera , Yang Juan , DeRouen Mindy C. , Ho Chanda , Somsouk Ma , Tana Michele M. , Thompson Caroline A. , Gibbons Joseph , Gomez Scarlett Lin , Shariff-Marco Salma
Published: November 2019

Background:

Given changes in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) incidence and the ethnodemographic landscape, we analyzed recent HCC incidence patterns and trends in California.

Methods:

Using 47,992 primary, invasive HCC cases diagnosed from 1988 to 2014 from the California Cancer Registry, we calculated age-adjusted incidence rates (IR), annual percent change (APC), and 95% confidence intervals (CI) by sex, race/ethnicity, and nativity among Hispanics and Asian ethnic groups.

Results:

Compared with non-Hispanic Whites (NHW), all other racial/ethnic groups had higher HCC incidence. Vietnamese had the highest IRs (males: 47.4, 95% CI, 45.3–49.5; females: 14.1, 95% CI, 13.0–15.3). Foreign-born Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese had higher incidence than U.S.-born. The reverse was observed for Hispanic males, whereas no differences by nativity were seen for Hispanic females. IRs increased most for NHWs. Among Asians, male and female Filipinos and Japanese males experienced rate increases, whereas male and female Koreans and Chinese males experienced rate decreases. U.S.-born male and female Hispanics and Japanese had higher APCs than foreign-born, as did Filipino males, whereas Chinese males had a reverse pattern. Annual increases in HCC incidence slowed down in recent years for U.S.-born Hispanic males and females and stabilized among male NHWs and non-Hispanic Blacks. For some Asian groups, early time periods exhibited increasing/stable APCs, whereas later time periods showed decreasing APCs.

Conclusions:

We found significant racial/ethnic and nativity differences in HCC IRs and trends.

Impact:

With changing trends, closer surveillance of HCC incidence by disaggregated race/ethnicity and nativity is warranted among Hispanics and Asians.
Circulating Antibodies against Epstein–Barr Virus (EBV) and p53 in EBV-Positive and -Negative Gastric Cancer
Authors: Camargo M. Constanza , Kim Kyoung-Mee , Matsuo Keitaro , Torres Javier , Liao Linda M. , Morgan Douglas , Michel Angelika , Waterboer Tim , Song Minkyo , Gulley Margaret L. , Dominguez Ricardo L. , Yatabe Yasushi , Kim Sung , Cortes-Martinez Gustavo , Lissowska Jolanta , Zabaleta Jovanny , Pawlita Michael , Rabkin Charles S.
Published: November 2019

Background:

Epstein–Barr virus (EBV)-positive gastric cancers have clinicopathologic differences from EBV-negative tumors and lack TP53 mutation. Serologic profiles may inform viral contribution to carcinogenesis.

Methods:

We compared humoral responses of EBV-positive (n = 67) and EBV-negative (n = 137) patients with gastric cancer from the International EBV-Gastric Cancer Consortium. Serum antibodies against four EBV proteins, nuclear (EBNA), viral capsid (VCA), early-diffuse (EA-D), and Zta replication activator (ZEBRA), and to p53 were assessed by multiplex assays. OR of antibody level tertiles (T1–T3) were adjusted by logistic regression. We also conducted a meta-analysis of reported anti-p53 seropositivity in gastric cancer.

Results:

Consistent with EBV's ubiquity, 99% of patients were seropositive for anti-EBNA and 98% for anti-VCA, without difference by tumor EBV status. Seropositivity varied between patients with EBV-positive and EBV-negative tumors for anti-EA-D (97% vs. 67%, respectively, P < 0.001) and anti-ZEBRA (97% vs. 85%, respectively, P = 0.009). Adjusted ORs (vs. T1) for patients with EBV-positive versus EBV-negative tumors were significantly elevated for higher antibodies against EBNA (2.6 for T2 and 13 for T3), VCA (1.8 for T2 and 2.4 for T3), EA-D (6.0 for T2 and 44 for T3), and ZEBRA (4.6 for T2 and 12 for T3). Antibodies to p53 were inversely associated with EBV positivity (3% vs. 15%; adjusted OR = 0.16, P = 0.021). Anti-p53 prevalence from the literature was 15%.

Conclusions:

These serologic patterns suggest viral reactivation in EBV-positive cancers and identify variation of p53 seropositivity by subtype.

Impact:

Anti-EBV and anti-p53 antibodies are differentially associated with tumor EBV positivity. Serology may identify EBV-positive gastric cancer for targeted therapies.
A Continuous-Time Analysis of Distributed Stochastic Gradient
Authors: Boffi Nicholas M. , Slotine Jean-Jacques E.
Published: November 2019

We analyze the effect of synchronization on distributed stochastic gradient algorithms. By exploiting an analogy with dynamical models of biological quorum sensing, where synchronization between agents is induced through communication with a common signal, we quantify how synchronization can significantly reduce the magnitude of the noise felt by the individual distributed agents and their spatial mean. This noise reduction is in turn associated with a reduction in the smoothing of the loss function imposed by the stochastic gradient approximation. Through simulations on model nonconvex objectives, we demonstrate that coupling can stabilize higher noise levels and improve convergence. We provide a convergence analysis for strongly convex functions by deriving a bound on the expected deviation of the spatial mean of the agents from the global minimizer for an algorithm based on quorum sensing, the same algorithm with momentum, and the elastic averaging SGD (EASGD) algorithm. We discuss extensions to new algorithms that allow each agent to broadcast its current measure of success and shape the collective computation accordingly. We supplement our theoretical analysis with numerical experiments on convolutional neural networks trained on the CIFAR-10 data set, where we note a surprising regularizing property of EASGD even when applied to the non-distributed case. This observation suggests alternative second-order in time algorithms for nondistributed optimization that are competitive with momentum methods.
On Kernel Method–Based Connectionist Models and Supervised Deep Learning Without Backpropagation
Authors: Duan Shiyu , Yu Shujian , Chen Yunmei , Principe Jose C.
Published: November 2019

We propose a novel family of connectionist models based on kernel machines and consider the problem of learning layer by layer a compositional hypothesis class (i.e., a feedforward, multilayer architecture) in a supervised setting. In terms of the models, we present a principled method to “kernelize” (partly or completely) any neural network (NN). With this method, we obtain a counterpart of any given NN that is powered by kernel machines instead of neurons. In terms of learning, when learning a feedforward deep architecture in a supervised setting, one needs to train all the components simultaneously using backpropagation (BP) since there are no explicit targets for the hidden layers (Rumelhart, Hinton, & Williams, 1986 ). We consider without loss of generality the two-layer case and present a general framework that explicitly characterizes a target for the hidden layer that is optimal for minimizing the objective function of the network. This characterization then makes possible a purely greedy training scheme that learns one layer at a time, starting from the input layer. We provide instantiations of the abstract framework under certain architectures and objective functions. Based on these instantiations, we present a layer-wise training algorithm for an [Formula: see text]-layer feedforward network for classification, where [Formula: see text] can be arbitrary. This algorithm can be given an intuitive geometric interpretation that makes the learning dynamics transparent. Empirical results are provided to complement our theory. We show that the kernelized networks, trained layer-wise, compare favorably with classical kernel machines as well as other connectionist models trained by BP. We also visualize the inner workings of the greedy kernelized models to validate our claim on the transparency of the layer-wise algorithm.
The Libations of Blood in Psalm 16:4
Authors: Verburg Jelle
Published: November 2019

The “libations of blood” in Ps. 16:4 have been interpreted as a reference to Canaanite cultic practice. This short note suggests it is better understood against the background of Greek literature on necromancy.
Carlo Denina’s Lettres Critiques: Transnational History in an Age of Information Overload
Authors: Corredera Edward Jones
Published: November 2019

This article recovers the transnational historical approach of the eighteenth-century Piedmontese thinker Carlo Denina (1731-1813) and his Lettres Critiques. The Lettres, which have remained largely overlooked to this day, addressed a number of cultural debates on the epistemology of the Encyclopédie, the art of translation, and European geopolitics, by drawing on a transnational approach to the history of Europe. This article frames Denina’s transnational gaze in the context of early modern concerns over information overload and eighteenth-century ideas of cultural superiority and alterity. The article follows the ways the Lettres Critiques addressed three querelles: Morvilliers’ 1782 rhetorical attack on Spain, German debates on the merits of French culture and the nature of knowledge, and Madrid’s protracted response to William Robertson’s History of America (1777). The article sheds light on an overlooked eighteenth-century vision of transnational history as a solution to embryonic forms of nationalism and the politicization of knowledge.
Evolutionary history of species of the firefly subgenus Hotaria (Coleoptera, Lampyridae, Luciolinae, Luciola) inferred from DNA barcoding data
Authors: Han Taeman , Kim Seung-Hyun , Yoon Hyung Joo , Gyun Park In , Park Haechul
Published: November 2019

The firefly subgenus Hotaria sensu lato of the genus Luciola currently includes four morphospecies: L. (H.) parvula, L. (H.) unmunsana, L (H.) papariensis, and L. (H.) tsushimana. The latter three are taxonomically controversial based on both morphological and molecular data. We examined the phylogenetic relationships and evolutionary history of the species and related congeners using partial COI gene sequences (DNA barcoding). Our phylogenetic analyses consistently supported the monophyly of Hotaria sensu lato, but did not resolve the generic rank. The two types of L. (H.) parvula in Japan can be considered distinct species that arose by pseudocryptic speciation during the Miocene, with substantial genetic divergence (15.41%). Three morphospecies, L. (H.) unmunsana, L (H.) papariensis, and L. (H.) tsushimana, split into several polyphyletic or paraphyletic groups, forming entangled species groups. They are considered an incipient group that is distinguishable genetically but not morphologically, with evidence for recent allopatric speciation events corresponding to geologic events and sea-level changes during the Pliocene and Pleistocene. Group III of L. (H.) unmunsana collected from the Jeolla region is a new taxon.
The Pragmatics of Political Discourse: An Analytical Framework and a Comparative Study of Policy Speeches in the United Kingdom and Hong Kong
Authors: Pan Jun
Published: November 2019

Political discourse, situated at the intersection of language, media and politics, involves the participation of pragmatics at different levels. The progress of postcolonialism and globalisation have resulted in emerging themes of research in this aspect that merit further exploration. This study aims to add to the literature a ‘pragmatic framework’ for political discourse analysis, incorporating the recent development of corpus analysis tools. Pragmatic features including reference and co-text were examined in and illustrated by examples from a corpus consisting of policy speeches in the United Kingdom (UK) and Hong Kong (HK) during the period of 1997 and 2017. The study provides a unique integration of three aspects of pragmatic comparison, i.e., a comparison of political language in a previous coloniser (i.e., United Kingdom) and colonised region (i.e., Hong Kong), a cross-cultural juxtaposition through the lenses of translated/interpreted language, and a historical analogy of the policy speeches delivered in the past 21 years. The study, interdisciplinary in nature, contributes to the existing research an analytical framework for the study of pragmatics in political discourse. It also provides new insights into our knowledge of political language in the media.
Response of flower visitors to the morphology and color of crab spiders in a coastal environment of the Gulf of Mexico
Authors: Rodríguez-Morales Dulce , Ajuria-Ibarra Helena , Hernández-Salazar Laura T. , Rico-Gray Víctor , García-Franco José G. , Rao Dinesh
Published: November 2019

Predation is one of the main interactions between organisms and one of the primary selective agents for their survival. Both prey and predators have developed different strategies and characteristics that allow them to be conspicuous or go undetected. In sit and wait predators, their shape and appearance are important factors that allow them to remain undetected by their potential prey. Sit and wait predators such as crab spiders are difficult to identify when they sit on flowers or areas of flowers with colors similar to the color of their bodies. In this study, we aimed to determine if insects can recognize the morphology and color polymorphism of crab spiders by evaluating the response of flower visitors. We quantified the visits and approaches of floral visitors to the flowerheads of Palafoxia lindenii with spider morphology and color polymorphism treatments. Our results show that insects in general, and bees in particular, avoid visiting flowers with a real spider or a spider model and visit vacant flowers more frequently. In the case of the color polymorphism, insects approached flowerheads with spiders with a similar frequency independently of the color of the spiders, but did not visit them. Insects appeared to identify spiders through their morphological characteristics rather than their color characteristics, since flower visitors did not discriminate between the evaluated spider colors (white, lilac, and purple). This study emphasizes the differential response of different insect prey to the presence, color, and morphology of sit and wait predators.
Foraging modes of carnivorous plants
Authors: Ellison Aaron M.
Published: November 2019

Carnivorous plants are pure sit-and-wait predators: they remain rooted to a single location and depend on the abundance and movement of their prey to obtain nutrients required for growth and reproduction. Yet carnivorous plants exhibit phenotypically plastic responses to prey availability that parallel those of non-carnivorous plants to changes in light levels or soil-nutrient concentrations. The latter have been considered to be foraging behaviors, but the former have not. Here, I review aspects of foraging theory that can be profitably applied to carnivorous plants considered as sit-and-wait predators. A discussion of different strategies by which carnivorous plants attract, capture, kill, and digest prey, and subsequently acquire nutrients from them suggests that optimal foraging theory can be applied to carnivorous plants as easily as it has been applied to animals. Carnivorous plants can vary their production, placement, and types of traps; switch between capturing nutrients from leaf-derived traps and roots; temporarily activate traps in response to external cues; or cease trap production altogether. Future research on foraging strategies by carnivorous plants will yield new insights into the physiology and ecology of what Darwin called “the most wonderful plants in the world”. At the same time, inclusion of carnivorous plants into models of animal foraging behavior could lead to the development of a more general and taxonomically inclusive foraging theory.
Foraging innovation in an artificial environment: a case of little egret luring prey goldfish through beak dipping
Authors: Vijayan Sundararaj , Elem Lotan Tamar Tov , Vardi Reut , Pyakurel Anjala , Abramsky Zvika
Published: November 2019

Behavioural innovations play an important role in animal ecology and evolution. We report a case of little egret using its beak dips as a tool to lure and catch prey goldfish in an artificial environment designed to test predator–prey behavioural foraging games. The egret mimicked the food pellets falling into the pool from a mechanical feeder that fed the goldfish at regular intervals. The falling pellets created ripples in the water that acted as a cue for the prey goldfish to come out of the cover and feed on the floating pellets. The egret learned this phenomenon through time and used its beak dips to create ripples and attract the prey outside. The egret preferably used the location of the feeder in the pool to carry out its beak dipping attempts and maximize its fish capture success. The egret attempted this behaviour more in the largest cover that provided the best refuge to the prey goldfish. The egret beak dipping attempts to lure the prey goldfish out of the cover declined through experimental time as well as with increasing prey kills. As the beak dipping behaviour did not result in a high capture rate of fish, the egret subsequently reduced its attempts through time. This case study illustrates that foraging innovations can occur through learning in laboratory conditions containing a novel but artificial environment.
New, amended, or revised typifications of tropical Southeast Asian mosses described by F. Dozy, J.H. Molkenboer, R.B. van den Bosch, and C.M. van der Sande Lacoste
Authors: Touw Andries
Published: November 2019

Between 1844 and 1872, F. Dozy, J.H. Molkenboer, R.B. Van den Bosch, and C.M. van der Sande Lacoste published 260 species and 17 varieties of tropical Southeast Asian mosses considered new to science. The typification of Dozy and Molkenboer’s new taxa is complicated by restrictions imposed on them and by missing, incorrect, or incomplete collecting data in their publications and on labels of specimens they borrowed from the Rijksherbarium (L). Sixty-five new, revised or emended typifications are proposed, based on information from their publications, specimens they did examine, and data from the records of L.
Reproductive longevity in two species of polychaetous annelids
Authors: REISH DONALD J. , DE CALLIBUS KARIN , DEWAR JESSICA , BUBE CHERYL
Published: November 2019

Polychaetes reproduce many different ways. Regardless of the method of reproduction very little is known on how long an individual, which reproduces multiple times, can live. In attempt to answer this question two species of laboratory reared polychaetes, Neanthes arenaceodentata and Dinophilus gyrociliatus, were selected for this study. The female N. arenaceodentata lays her eggs in a tube, then dies. The male incubates the embryos for 21–25 days and is capable of reproducing again. One male spawned nine times, but the eggs were not fertilized the eighth and ninth time. He lived 13 months. D. gyrociliatus is a minute species which lays two sizes of eggs within a capsule. The smaller ovum develops into a male, fertilizes the larger sized female ova within the capsule, and then dies. The maximum number of capsules and female ova occurred during the first three egg layings then decreased. The oldest worm reproduced 11 times and lived 63 days. Morphological changes with age were noted in both species.
Dolichocyboidea, Pygmephoroidea, Scutacaroidea and Trochometridioidea of China: a review of progress, with a checklist
Authors: GAO JIAN-RONG , ZOU PING
Published: November 2019

This paper presents a historical review of taxonomic research on the superfamilies Dolichocyboidea, Pygmephoroidea, Scutacaroidea and Trochometridioidea in China, with a discussion of the valid status of Luciaphorus auriculariae, and a checklist of 49 species belonging to 6 families and 17 genera, including 16 species of new records for China. The second part of this paper briefly reviews the studies on the biology and control of the pygmephoroid and scutacaroid mites in China, which include Brennandania lambi, Luciaphorus auriculariae, Pseudopygmephorus quadratus, Siteroptes avenae, S. flechtmanni, S. huangshuiensis, S. qinghaiensis, S. reniformis, S. triticola and S. xizangensis.
Seasonal population development of spider mites (Acari: Tetranychidae) and their predators in sprayed and unsprayed apple orchards in Van, Turkey*

Authors: KASAP İSMAIL
Published: November 2019

The aim of this study was to determine the seasonal population dynamics of spider mites [Panonychus ulmi (Koch), Amphitetranychus viennensis (Zacher), Bryobia rubrioculus (Scheuten)] and their natural enemies [Kampimodromus aberrans (Oudemans),Acari, Phytoseiidae; Zetzellia mali (Ewing),Acari, Stigmaeidae; and Stethorus punctillumWeise, Coleoptera, Coccinellidae] on Golden Delicious and Starking Delicious apple cultivars in three apple orchards of Van, Turkey, during 2002–2003. Surveys were carried out weekly from May to November in sprayed and unsprayed apple orchards. The results of study indicated that the population densities of spider mites began to increase generally in early May, reached the maximum level from mid June to lateAugust and persisted until late September in both years. During 2002 the dominant species on both apple cultivars was P. ulmi, whereas in 2003 it was A. viennensis. In this two-year period, the population densities of P. ulmi and A. viennensis reached the maximum level of 318.1 and 427.2 mites per leaf, respectively, in sprayed orchards. In unsprayed orchard, spider mites remained at very low levels because of the presence of K. aberrans which was the only predator of spider mites. On the other hand, in sprayed orchards, although S. punctillum and Z. mali were the most abundant predatory species on spider mites, they could not control them in either apple cultivar and years.
Efficacy of spinosad against the poultry red mite, Dermanyssus gallinae (Mesostigmata: Dermanyssidae), in laboratory and field trials*

Authors: LIEBISCH GABRIELE , HACK RICHARD , SMID GOSSE
Published: November 2019

The poultry red mite, Dermanyssus gallinae (De Geer), is the most economically important ectoparasite in poultry houses in many countries around the world. The lack of efficacy of commercial products in its control results from poor application and/or from its resistance to active ingredients. A new insecticide, spinosad, was tested against mobile stages of the red mite in laboratory and field populations. Laboratory trials showed increasing efficacy five days (adults) and six days (nymphs) after exposure. Laboratory results were confirmed in a field trial conducted under commercial conditions. The trial was conducted in three separate houses on farms with high natural mite populations. The first and second houses were sprayed with concentrations of 2,000 and 4,000 ppm of spinosad (2 and 4 g/L), whereas the third house was used as an untreated control. Spraying was conducted using a sprayer (Stadikopumpe VAAR 252- 200 LE, Dinklage, Germany) with a 200 L reservoir with permanent stirring, a 50 m long flexible tube with a double jet system, and jet size of 0.08 mm. The pressure used was 6–10 bar. Sampling was conducted immediately before the application and once a week for 56 days in the first house and 93 days in the second. In the first house, almost 100% reduction in mite numbers was observed until 28 days post treatment; 74.3% reduction was observed 49 days after treatment. In the second house, rates of reduction were higher than 90% until day 77. The untreated control house maintained high red mite infestations throughout the experimental period. The results showed effective control of all mobile stages of D. gallinae with spinosad.
Community Assessment of Colorectal Cancer Screening Compliance in Northwest Louisiana
Authors: Holden Stephanie
Published: November 2019

Background

In the United States, colorectal cancer (CRC) screening rates have steadily increased. The state of Louisiana has persistent lower screening rates compared to the United States and other states, and with African Americans experiencing the highest CRC incidence rates. Aggregate national and state data can be problematic in isolating key health issues and data in rural areas. Study Purpose: At the Louisiana parish-level, which is comparable to county municipalities in other U.S. states, the research study examined endoscopy CRC screening among African American Medicare beneficiaries.

Method

Using cluster sampling, survey-based data from two neighboring parishes in northwest Louisiana were collected. The survey instrument was adapted from the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey.

Results

The key study variables were CRC screening compliance, residence location, self-reported CRC knowledge, and physician recommendation. The findings showed significant differences in CRC screening compliance between the two parishes. Participants with CRC knowledge score of at least 3 out of 5 were more likely to be compliant with CRC screening. The findings demonstrated the importance of isolating geo-specific data, especially in rural areas, to plan effective health education or intervention strategies.
A Review of Survival Analysis Methods Used in NICE Technology Appraisals of Cancer Treatments: Consistency, Limitations, and Areas for Improvement
Authors: Bell Gorrod Helen , Kearns Ben , Stevens John , Thokala Praveen , Labeit Alexander , Latimer Nicholas , Tyas David , Sowdani Ahmed
Published: November 2019

Objectives. In June 2011, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Decision Support Unit published a Technical Support Document (TSD) providing recommendations on survival analysis for NICE technology appraisals (TAs). Survival analysis outputs are influential inputs into economic models estimating the cost-effectiveness of new cancer treatments. Hence, it is important that systematic and justifiable model selection approaches are used. This study investigates the extent to which the TSD recommendations have been followed since its publication. Methods. We reviewed NICE cancer TAs completed between July 2011 and July 2017. Information on survival analyses undertaken and associated critiques for overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival were extracted from the company submissions, Evidence Review Group (ERG) reports, and final appraisal determination documents. Results. Information was extracted from 58 TAs. Only 4 (7%) followed all TSD recommendations for OS outcomes. The vast majority (91%) compared a range of common parametric models and assessed their fit to the data (86%). Only a minority of TAs included an assessment of the shape of the hazard function (38%) or proportional hazards assumption (40%). Validation of the extrapolated portion of the survival function using external data was attempted in a minority of TAs (40%). Extrapolated survival functions were frequently criticized by ERGs (71%). Conclusions. Survival analysis within NICE TAs remains suboptimal, despite publication of the TSD. Model selection is not undertaken in a systematic way, resulting in inconsistencies between TAs. More attention needs to be given to assessing hazard functions and validation of extrapolated survival functions. Novel methods not described in the TSD have been used, particularly in the context of immuno-oncology, suggesting that an updated TSD may be of value.