bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Implications for Developing and Researching Elementary School Mathematics Coaches
Authors: Polly Drew , Mraz Maryann , Algozzine Robert
Published: October 2015

In recent years, national organizations, mathematics educators, and policy makers have called for the development of elementary school mathematics coaches to improve mathematics teaching and learning in elementary schools. The literacy field has found success and promise in the work of instructional coaches, and the mathematics education community can benefit from what professionals in literacy have learned and practiced. This article presents a synthesis of empirical research about instructional coaches, in both literacy and mathematics, as well as the neo‐Vygotskian construct of assisted performance. Following the synthesis, implications are presented regarding how to develop the essential skills and knowledge needed for elementary school mathematics coaches as well as how to examine the impact of their efforts in schools.
Identification of a new allele polymorphism (HLA‐B*40:79) and correlation with the HLA‐B40 (B60 and B61) antigens
Authors: Tilanus M. G. J. , van Dijk A. , van de Velde H. , Hepkema Bouke
Published: October 2015

Full gene sequence of the HLA‐B*40:79 allele; gene polymorphism defines HLA‐B60 and B61 lineages.
Going Places: Travel Seminars as Opportunities for Interfaith Education
Authors: Mikoski Gordon S.
Published: October 2015

Many theological schools use short term travel as a way to foster interfaith education. Due to their experiential, holistic, and intense nature, travel seminars focused on the promotion of interfaith learning can shape a future religious leader's outlook on religious communities across the course of her entire career. In this article I explore the pedagogical dimensions of travel seminars as a tool for interfaith education through the lens of a travel seminar to Israel and the occupied Palestinian Territories.
Ten years (2004–2014) of Chagas disease surveillance and vector control in Ecuador: successes and challenges
Authors: Quinde‐Calderón Leonardo , Rios‐Quituizaca Paulina , Solorzano Luis , Dumonteil Eric
Published: October 2015

Objective

To describe the current situation of Chagas disease in Ecuador and to evaluate the impact of vector control for the period 2004–2014.

METHODS

Since 2004, the Ministry of Public Health has formalized activities for the surveillance and control of Chagas disease and we analyzed here available records.

Results

More than 200 000 houses were surveyed, and 2.6% were found to be infested (95% CI: 2.6–2.7), and more than 51 000 houses were sprayed with residual insecticide, with important yearly variations. A total of 915 cases of T. cruzi infection were registered. The Amazon region is emerging as a high priority area, where nearly half of T. cruzi infection cases originate. The costal region and the southern highland valleys remain important high‐risk area. Vector control efforts over the past 10 years have been effective in the coastal region, where T. dimidiata predominates, and resulted in important reductions in house infestation indices in many areas, even reaching negligible levels in some parishes.

Conclusion

Vector efforts need to be sustained and expanded for the elimination of T. dimidiata to be feasible. Novel vector control interventions need to be designed to reduce intrusion by several triatomine species present in the Amazon region and southern Ecuador. Strong political commitment is needed to sustain current achievements and improve the national coverage of these programmes.
Placing the Anthropocene: a day in the life of an enviro‐organism
Authors: Adams Paul C
Published: October 2015

A turning point in human–environment relations has been signalled by the term Anthropocene. Academic responses to the Anthropocene must acknowledge the unprecedented role of humankind on the planet while avoiding models that dismiss or minimise the agency of non‐human actors. They must pay attention to hybridity, materiality, actor‐networks and nonrepresentational geographies, and at the same time, they must appreciate posthumanist blurring of ontological divides between the social and the natural, and an ethics of mutual inclusion. One way to meet these varied objectives is by understanding place as an organic whole orchestrated by human and non‐human communications, an entity I call an ‘enviro‐organism’. An account of the enviro‐organism proceeds through three phases of the day on a generic, though far from universal, beach. It integrates four goals: to renew understanding of communication as a geographical process, to emphasise scalar ambiguity, to reveal various ways in which communications are embodied and to promote holistic ways of acting and thinking with the world rather than against it. Theoretical foundations in Peircean semiotics, biosemiotics and Jacob von Uexküll's idea of Umwelt permit this sustained focus on communication as a generalised phenomenon linking humans and non‐humans in a place.
Engaging Youth in Sexual Health Research: Refining a “Youth Friendly” Method in the Northern Territory, Australia
Authors: Chenhall Richard , Davison Belinda , Fitz Joseph , Pearse Tiffanie , Senior Kate
Published: October 2015

This article describes the application and adaptation of body mapping as a tool for exploring sexual health and sexual decision making among young people aged 16–25. It argues that while body mapping engaged youth to discuss general health issues, young people were reluctant to engage with issues related to sexual health, due to feelings of shame and fear of stigma. Sexual health case scenarios were developed and used in conjunction with body‐mapping exercises. The use of scenarios was an effective way to explore sensitive information, while protecting young people from revealing any specific identifiable information about themselves. In this article, we suggest that utilizing a combination of methodological approaches (the visual body maps and written case scenarios) in sexual health research with young people has the potential to enhance and enrich the quality of the data, and allow for a safe and enabling environment. This is particularly important where long‐term fieldwork might be difficult or constrained.
Retrospective evaluation of combined mycophenolate mofetil and prednisone treatment for meningoencephalomyelitis of unknown etiology in dogs: 25 cases (2005–2011)
Authors: Barnoon Itai , Shamir Merav H. , Aroch Itamar , Bdolah‐Abram Tali , Srugo Itai , Konstantin Lilach , Chai Orit
Published: October 2015

Objective

To evaluate the use of a combined protocol of prednisone and mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) for the treatment of meningoencephalomyelitis of unknown etiology (MUE) and to describe response, adverse effects, and outcome.

Design

Retrospective study (2005–2011).

Setting

University teaching hospital.

Animals

Twenty‐five client‐owned dogs with clinical signs, neuroimaging, and cerebrospinal abnormalities consistent with MUE. Five dogs whose MMF treatment was discontinued after 7–14 days due to gastrointestinal clinical signs were evaluated only for adverse effects.

Interventions

Dogs were initially treated with prednisone 2 mg/kg PO every 12 hours and with MMF 20 mg/kg PO or IV every 12 hours. Prednisone was tapered after 4 days to 1 mg/kg every 12 hours for 14 days, then to every 24 hours for 30 days, and again reduced by half every 2–4 months thereafter. When prednisone was tapered completely or to 0.5 mg/kg every 24–48 hours without clinical relapse, MMF was tapered in a similar manner.

Measurements and Main Results

Partial or complete clinical response was achieved in 95% (19/20) of the dogs. Median survival time by the end of the study was 250 days (range 6 to >1,679) with 40% (8/20) of the dogs still alive (336–1,679 days after diagnosis). All Pug dogs (4/20) included in the study died with a median survival time of 14 days. Adverse effects attributed to MMF, which included hemorrhagic diarrhea within the first 2 weeks of treatment, were recorded in 20% (5/25) of the dogs.

Conclusions

MMF can be used as an adjunctive treatment for dogs with MUE. This protocol enables reduction of prednisone treatment or, in some cases, its complete withdrawal. The possibility of intravenous administration is advantageous in cases with severe neurological abnormalities and mentation changes, often seen in MUE. Attention is warranted for gastrointestinal adverse effects, especially in the first 2 weeks of treatment.
A Three-Phase Shear-Lag Model for Longitudinal Cracking of a Ceramic Matrix Composite Ply With Thick Fiber Coatings
Authors: Hansen Lucas R. , Waas Anthony M.
Published: October 2015

During progressive cracking of cross-ply ceramic matrix composites (CMCs), load is transferred from the fiber to the matrix in the longitudinal (0 deg) ply via shear through a compliant interphase layer, also referred to as the coating. In the material system of interest, this coating has significant thickness relative to the fiber diameter. The damage process in the cross-ply CMC is observed to be as follows: (1) elastic deformation, (2) cracking of the transverse plies, (3) matrix cracking within the longitudinal plies, (4) failure of longitudinal fibers, and (5) pullout of the cracked fibers from the matrix. In this paper, the focus is on the longitudinal (0 deg) ply. Existing shear-lag models do not fully represent either the stress transfer through the coating or the true accumulations of shear and normal stresses in the matrix. In the current study, a model is developed that takes into account both of these factors to provide a more accurate, analytical representation of the stress distribution and progressive damage accumulation in a longitudinal CMC ply.
Experimental Factors to Be Considered in Electroporation-Mediated Transdermal Diffusion Experiments
Authors: Pavšelj Nataša , Zorec Barbara , Miklavčič Damijan , Becker Sid
Published: October 2015

In this paper, we discuss some of the primary experimental factors that should be considered when interpreting and implementing the published results of skin electroporation studies concerning measurements of mass transport across the stratum corneum (SC) in the Franz cell. It is explained that the pulse magnitude should always be considered in the context of pulse shape and that transport measurements should always be presented in the context of the trans-SC potential difference (instead of the voltage between the electrodes). The condition of the SC prior to the application of the long-duration pulse strongly influences the evolution of the local transport region (LTR). This is quantified in a simple analytical investigation of the conditions that affect the thermodynamic response of the skin.
Arctic underwater noise transients from sea ice deformation: Characteristics, annual time series, and forcing in Beaufort Sea
Authors: Kinda G. Bazile , Simard Yvan , Gervaise Cédric , Mars Jérôme I. , Fortier Louis
Published: October 2015

A 13-month time series of Arctic Ocean noise from the marginal ice zone of the Eastern Beaufort Sea is analyzed to detect under-ice acoustic transients isolated from ambient noise with a dedicated algorithm. Noise transients due to ice cracking, fracturing, shearing, and ridging are sorted out into three categories: broadband impulses, frequency modulated (FM) tones, and high-frequency broadband noise. Their temporal and acoustic characteristics over the 8-month ice covered period, from November 2005 to mid-June 2006, are presented and their generation mechanisms are discussed. Correlations analyses showed that the occurrence of these ice transients responded to large-scale ice motion and deformation rates forced by meteorological events, often leading to opening of large-scale leads at main discontinuities in the ice cover. Such a sequence, resulting in the opening of a large lead, hundreds by tens of kilometers in size, along the margin of landfast ice and multiyear ice plume in the Beaufort-Chukchi seas is detailed. These ice transients largely contribute to the soundscape properties of the Arctic Ocean, for both its ambient and total noise components. Some FM tonal transients can be confounded with marine mammal songs, especially when they are repeated, with periods similar to wind generated waves.
Description and clustering of echolocation signals of Commerson's dolphins (Cephalorhynchus commersonii) in Bahía San Julián, Argentina
Authors: Reyes Reyes M. Vanesa , Iñíguez Miguel A. , Hevia Marta , Hildebrand John A. , Melcón Mariana L.
Published: October 2015

Commerson’s dolphins (Cephalorhynchus commersonii) inhabit coastal waters of Southern South America and Kerguelen Islands. Limited information exists about the acoustic repertoire of this species in the wild. Here, echolocation signals from free-ranging Commerson's dolphins were recorded in Bahía San Julián, Argentina. Signal parameters were calculated and a cluster analysis was made on 3180 regular clicks. Three clusters were obtained based on peak frequency (129, 137, and 173 kHz) and 3 dB bandwidth (8, 6, and 5 kHz). The 428 buzz clicks were analyzed separately. They consisted of clicks emitted with a median inter-click interval of 3.5 ms, peak frequency at 131 kHz, 3 dB bandwidth of 9 kHz, 10 dB bandwidth of 18 kHz, and duration of 56 μs. Buzz clicks were significantly shorter and with a lower peak frequency and a broader bandwidth than most of the regular clicks. This study provided the first description of different echolocation signals, including on- and off-axis signals, recorded from Commerson's dolphins in the wild, most likely as a result of animals at several distances and orientations to the recording device. This information could be useful while doing passive acoustic monitoring.
In Vitro
Activity of the Novel Antimicrobial Peptide Dendrimer G3KL against Multidrug-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Authors: Pires João , Siriwardena Thissa N. , Stach Michaela , Tinguely Regula , Kasraian Sara , Luzzaro Francesco , Leib Stephen L. , Darbre Tamis , Reymond Jean-Louis , Endimiani Andrea
Published: October 2015

The
in vitro
activity of the novel antimicrobial peptide dendrimer G3KL was evaluated against 32
Acinetobacter baumannii
(including 10 OXA-23, 7 OXA-24, and 11 OXA-58 carbapenemase producers) and 35
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
(including 18 VIM and 3 IMP carbapenemase producers) strains and compared to the activities of standard antibiotics. Overall, both species collections showed MIC
50/90
values of 8/8 μg/ml and minimum bactericidal concentrations at which 50% or 90% of strains tested are killed (MBC
50/90
) of 8/8 μg/ml. G3KL is a promising molecule with antibacterial activity against multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant
A. baumannii
and
P. aeruginosa
isolates.
Bilateral coronoid hypoplasia and complex odontoma: a rare concurrence of developmental pathology and odontogenic tumour of the mandible
Authors: Arif Dar Mohd , Alaparthi Ravikiran , Yalamanchili Samatha , Rajendra Santosh Arvind Babu
Published: October 2015

We present a rare case of concurrent bilateral coronoid hypoplasia and complex odontoma in the mandible, with replacement of missing posterior teeth in both sides of the lower jaw. A 20-year-old woman was diagnosed with bilateral occurrence of coronoid hypoplasia and unerupted complex odontoma after radiographic and histopathological examination. The patient was surgically treated with complete removal of the unerupted complex odontoma and prosthetic replacement of the missing teeth.
A multi-faceted approach to increase appropriate analgesia prescribing in the emergency department
Authors: Ratneswaran Culadeeban , Dodd Kevin , Enright Kevin , Dasan Sunil
Published: October 2015

Pain is the most common presenting complaint within the emergency department. Whilst national RCEM guidelines exist, there tends to be low compliance with its use. A retrospective, cross-sectional audit, over a 24 hour period, was carried out in the emergency department of a tertiary hospital in London on all patients with abdominal pain. Pain score documentation was checked as well as: whether analgesia prescribed was compliant with guidelines, time to prescription, and if pain scores were rechecked within an hour.

Cycle 1 (21 patients) showed that only 29% of patients were prescribed analgesia in accordance with guidelines, 38% of pain scores were documented at triage, and only 19% of scores were rechecked at any time. 22% of patients in severe pain were prescribed analgesia within the recommended duration from presentation (20 minutes).

New guidelines, adapted from RCEM, were departmentally approved and disseminated to reflect local medication use. Monthly doctor and nurse teaching sessions were established to improve guideline compliance, objective pain score documentation, and encourage results driven performance. A nurse prescriber champion was established to encourage analgesia prescribing competence in addressing delayed administration. Finally, plans to integrate electronic pain scoring with timer prompts for rechecking are in place to help streamline the process.

Following these interventions, cycle 2 (n=23) showed 87% of pain scores were documented at triage, 52% were prescribed guideline concordant analgesia, and 40% of severe pain scores were acted upon in time. Cycle 3 (n=33) demonstrated the need for monthly educational intervention to maintain high standards; as in its absence, any improvement returned to baseline.
Chest drain care bundle: Improving documentation and safety
Authors: Hutton Joe , Graham Selina
Published: October 2015

Chest drain insertion is a common advanced procedure with a significant associated risk of pain, distress, and complications. Nationally, audit and recommendations from leading bodies have highlighted a number of safety concerns around chest drain insertion.

Audit work has demonstrated poor levels of documentation; particularly around use of premedication, use of ultrasound guidance and consent. This has obvious potential consequences for patient safety and thus is an important target for improvement work.

This project quantifies current standards of documentation and aims to improve this through a combination of accessible and easy to read guidelines, education, and the introduction of a chest drain insertion bundle. National best practice standards were identified through review of national guidance.

Drain insertion was prospectively analysed over a three month period to establish baseline standards of documentation. This initial work was presented and a bundle and clinical guidelines produced. Chest drain insertion was then reaudited and assessed for improvement.

Results demonstrated an improvement in many areas of documentation, pushing local results above the national average. However, only 40% of cases used the new bundle due to a mixture of staff rotation and an unexpectedly high proportion of drains inserted in non targeted areas including the emergency department, theatre, and intensive care. Despite this, the introduction of accessible guidance and bundle has significantly improved chest drain insertion documentation to the benefit of all.
Nonadditive quantum mechanics as a Sturm–Liouville problem
Authors: Braga João P. M. , Filho Raimundo N. Costa
Published: October 2015

The modified Schrödinger equation obtained by Costa Filho et al. [Phys. Rev. A 84, 050102(R) (2011)] is shown to be a Sturm–Liouville problem. This demonstration guarantees that Hamiltonian eigenvalues obtained in this formalism are real. It also allows us to show that, regardless of the non-Hermitian characteristic of the Hamiltonian operator in the Hilbert space, its time evolution remains unitary.
Hartree–Fock and random phase approximation theories in a many-fermion solvable model
Authors: Co’ Giampaolo , De Leo Stefano
Published: October 2015

We present an ideal system of interacting fermions where the solutions of the many-body Schrödinger equation can be obtained without making approximations. These exact solutions are used to test the validity of two many-body effective approaches, the Hartree–Fock and the random phase approximation theories. The description of the ground state done by the effective theories improves with increasing number of particles.
Variational approach for two-component condensates dynamics with two- and three-body interactions and external feeding
Authors: Mboumba Maïk Delon , Moubissi Alain Brice , Ekogo Thierry Blanchard , Ben-Bolie Germain Hubert , Kofane Timoléon Crépin
Published: October 2015

We study theoretically and numerically the dynamical behavior of two-component condensates with two- and three-body interactions in variable shape optical lattices and external feeding. By means of the variational approach, the evolution of the condensate amplitudes, widths and number of particles are investigated. The stability of stationary two-component solitons are derived through the Vakhitov–Kolokolov criterion which depends on the cubic and quintic nonlinearities. Direct numerical results of the two coupled Gross–Piteavskii equations (GPEs) which describe the dynamics of the two-component condensates are found to be in good agreement with the analytical predictions.
New hierarchy of integrable nonlinear differential-difference equations
Authors: Geng Xianguo , Guan Liang , Xue Bo
Published: October 2015

A hierarchy of integrable nonlinear differential-difference equations associated with a discrete [Formula: see text] matrix spectral problem is proposed based on the discrete zero-curvature equations. Then, Hamiltonian structures for this hierarchy are constructed with the aid of the trace identity. Infinitely many conservation laws of the hierarchy are derived by means of spectral parameter expansions.
Wide Input Range Supply Voltage Tolerant Capacitive Sensor Readout Using On-Chip Solar Cell
Authors: Fan Suyan , Law Man-Kay , Li Mingzhong , Chen Zhiyuan , Ieong Chio-In , Mak Pui-In , Martins Rui P.
Published: October 2015

In this paper, a wide input range supply voltage tolerant capacitive sensor readout circuit using on-chip solar cell is presented. Based on capacitance controlled oscillators (CCOs) for ultra-low voltage/power consumption, the sensor readout circuit is directly powered by the on-chip solar cell to improve the overall system energy efficiency. An extended sensing range with high sensing accuracy is achieved using a two-step successive approximation register (SAR) and delta-sigma ([Formula: see text]) analog-to-digital (A/D) conversion (ADC) scheme. Digital controls are generated on-chip using a customized sub-threshold digital standard cell library. Systematic error analysis and optimization including the finite switch on-resistance, buffer input-dependent delay, and SAR quantization nonlinearity are also outlined. High power supply rejection ratio (PSRR) is ensured by using a pseudo-differential topology with ratiometric readout. The complete sensing system is implemented using a standard 0.18[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]m complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) process. Simulation results show that the readout circuit achieves a wide input range from 1.5[Formula: see text]pF to 6.5[Formula: see text]pF with a worst case PSRR of 0.5% from 0.3[Formula: see text]V to 0.42[Formula: see text]V (0.67% from 0.3[Formula: see text]V to 0.6[Formula: see text]V). With a 3.5[Formula: see text]pF input capacitance and a 0.3[Formula: see text]V supply, the [Formula: see text] stage achieves a resolution of 7.1-bit (corresponding to a capacitance of 2.2[Formula: see text]fF/LSB) with a conversion frequency of 371[Formula: see text]Hz. With an average power consumption of 40[Formula: see text]nW and a sampling frequency of 47.5[Formula: see text]kHz, a figure-of-merit (FoM) of 0.78[Formula: see text]pJ/conv-step is achieved.
Competitive Pricing Using Data Envelopment Analysis — Pricing for Oscilloscopes
Authors: Wang Bing , Anderson Timothy R. , Zehr Wilson
Published: October 2015

The research in this paper proposes a new technique for pricing products in competitive markets taking into account the features and prices of competing product offerings. This technique is based on a methodology known as data envelopment analysis (DEA) and is referred to as competitive pricing using data envelopment analysis (CPDEA). With the development of technology accelerating and new products coming to the market at an ever faster pace, prices of current products are often adjusted based on the state-of-the-art (SOA) technology in the market in order to remain competitive. CPDEA measures the product features that are most important to customers and calculates the performance efficiency values using the DEA method. CPDEA regards price as a performance feature, using this approach the manufacturer can adjust the price in order for a product to reach the SOA frontier and maintain competitive pricing. This research demonstrates the proposed method applied to a popular product category in the test and measurement industry: oscilloscopes. The authors investigated the features of oscilloscopes that are most important to users, then a feature dataset from different oscilloscope models was collected, and the performance efficiency values of the different models were calculated. The product prices are then adjusted in order for efficiency to be as close to 1 as possible which means that the products are considered SOA in the market. In this way, we obtain a more competitive price for the older products, while also setting the prices for the advanced products in a way that captures the value of their additional features.
Entropy Production and Detailed Balance for a Class of Quantum Markov Semigroups
Authors: Fagnola F. , Rebolledo R.
Published: October 2015

We give an explicit entropy production formula for a class of quantum Markov semigroups, arising in the weak coupling limit of a system coupled with reservoirs, whose generators [Formula: see text] are sums of other generators [Formula: see text] associated with positive Bohr frequencies [Formula: see text] of the system. As a consequence, we show that any such semigroup satisfies the quantum detailed balance condition with respect to an invariant state if and only if all semigroups generated by each [Formula: see text] do so with respect to the same invariant state.
Quantum Entanglement and Geometric Phase of Two Moving Two-Level Atoms
Authors: Abdel-Khalek S.
Published: October 2015

An important kind of interaction between two moving two-level atoms and a field mode, where the coupling parameter is taken to be time-dependent, is presented in this paper. Nonlocal correlations between the atoms and the field have been investigated by means of concurrence and von Neumann entropy in terms of the involved parameters of the system. The results show that the atomic motion plays an essential role in the evolution of system dynamics, its nonlocal correlations and geometric phase. Moreover, an interesting correlation between the entanglement and the geometric phase during the evolution was observed. The presented system can be very useful for generating and maintaining high amount of entanglement by means of controlling the parameters of atomic motion.
A Modified Adiabatic Quantum Algorithm for Evaluation of Boolean Functions
Authors: Sun Jie , Lu Songfeng , Liu Fang
Published: October 2015

In this paper, we propose a modified construction of the quantum adiabatic algorithm for Boolean functions studied by M. Andrecut et al. [13, 14]. Our algorithm has the time complexity [Formula: see text] for the evaluation of Boolean functions, without additional computational cost of implementing the driving Hamiltonian, which is required by the adiabatic evolution described in [13, 14].
Influence of Surface Tension on Mixed-Mode Cracks
Authors: Li Yuan , Wang Gang-Feng
Published: October 2015

Surface tension inherently exists on free surface, and its effect becomes quite important at sharp crack tip. In the present paper, we investigate the influence of surface tension on mixed-mode cracks by finite element method. It is found that surface tension significantly alters the stress fields and J-integral around crack tip, depending on the profile of crack tip. Generally, surface tension decreases the J-integral and thus enhances material toughness, especially for sharp crack. Based on the criteria of energy release rate, the critical stress intensity factor (SIF) for brittle materials is also determined. Surface tension yields an enhanced critical SIF for mixed-mode cracks, and more significant strengthening effect is obtained for Mode-I crack than for Mode-II crack. Moreover, an analytical expression is advanced to characterize the influence of surface tension on fracture, which shows a good agreement with numerical calculations.
Parameter identification for volumetric heat capacity and thermal conductivity in a quasi-linear thermodynamic system of sea ice
Authors: Lv Wei
Published: October 2015

This paper is intended to determine physical parameters describing volumetric heat capacity and thermal conductivity of sea ice in a quasi-linear thermodynamic system using field observations. The quasi-linear thermodynamic system of sea ice with unknown physical parameters is described, and the existence and uniqueness of its solution is proved. Then the physical parameters are taken as control variable, temperature deviations as objective function, and a parameter identification model is established. The existence of its optimal solution is discussed. To solve the identification model, a new algorithm containing genetic algorithm, Hooke–Jeeves algorithm and semi-implicit finite difference scheme is constructed. The physical parameters are calculated using the observations measured at Nella Fjord around Zhongshan Station, Antarctic in CHINARE 2006. For comparability and consistency with other works, a new international standard named TEOS-10 is used. To examine the validity of the identified results, another simulation for temperature profiles in different measurement period is operated. Numerical results show that better simulations of temperature distribution are possible with the identified parameters than EC1993. Therefore not only the identified parameters can be applied in sea ice modeling, but also this study can enrich and supplement observations of sea ice.
Length product of homologically independent loops for tori
Authors: Balacheff F. , Karam S.
Published: October 2015

We prove that any Riemannian torus of dimension [Formula: see text] with unit volume admits [Formula: see text] homologically independent closed geodesics whose length product is bounded from above by [Formula: see text].
On quasi-large submodules of QTAG-modules
Authors: Hasan Ayazul
Published: October 2015

We generalize the notion of large submodules by introducing what we call a quasi-large submodule. Here, we examine two notions closely related to quasi-large submodules; namely, the notions of [Formula: see text]-modules and that of essentially finitely indecomposable modules. The basic properties of these concepts and their interrelationships are explored, and are further related to the notions of closed modules.
Hierarchical stochastic modelling of large river ecosystems and fish growth across spatio-temporal scales and climate models: the Missouri River endangered pallid sturgeon example
Authors: Wildhaber Mark L. , Wikle Christopher K. , Moran Edward H. , Anderson Christopher J. , Franz Kristie J. , Dey Rima
Published: October 2015

We present a hierarchical series of spatially decreasing and temporally increasing models to evaluate the uncertainty in the atmosphere – ocean global climate model (AOGCM) and the regional climate model (RCM) relative to the uncertainty in the somatic growth of the endangered pallid sturgeon (
Scaphirhynchus albus
). For effects on fish populations of riverine ecosystems, climate output simulated by coarse-resolution AOGCMs and RCMs must be downscaled to basins to river hydrology to population response. One needs to transfer the information from these climate simulations down to the individual scale in a way that minimizes extrapolation and can account for spatio-temporal variability in the intervening stages. The goal is a framework to determine whether, given uncertainties in the climate models and the biological response, meaningful inference can still be made. The non-linear downscaling of climate information to the river scale requires that one realistically account for spatial and temporal variability across scale. Our downscaling procedure includes the use of fixed/calibrated hydrological flow and temperature models coupled with a stochastically parameterized sturgeon bioenergetics model. We show that, although there is a large amount of uncertainty associated with both the climate model output and the fish growth process, one can establish significant differences in fish growth distributions between models, and between future and current climates for a given model.
CGALmesh
Authors: Jamin Clément , Alliez Pierre , Yvinec Mariette , Boissonnat Jean-Daniel
Published: October 2015

CGALmesh is the mesh generation software package of the Computational Geometry Algorithm Library (CGAL). It generates isotropic simplicial meshes—surface triangular meshes or volume tetrahedral meshes—from input surfaces, 3D domains, and 3D multidomains, with or without sharp features. The underlying meshing algorithm relies on restricted Delaunay triangulations to approximate domains and surfaces and on Delaunay refinement to ensure both approximation accuracy and mesh quality. CGALmesh provides guarantees on approximation quality and on the size and shape of the mesh elements. It provides four optional mesh optimization algorithms to further improve the mesh quality. A distinctive property of CGALmesh is its high flexibility with respect to the input domain representation. Such a flexibility is achieved through a careful software design, gathering into a single abstract concept, denoted by the oracle, all required interface features between the meshing engine and the input domain. We already provide oracles for domains defined by polyhedral and implicit surfaces.
Occupancy-Based Frequent Pattern Mining
*
Authors: Zhang Lei , Luo Ping , Tang Linpeng , Chen Enhong , Liu Qi , Wang Min , Xiong Hui
Published: October 2015

Frequent pattern mining is an important data mining problem with many broad applications. Most studies in this field use
support
(frequency) to measure the
popularity
of a pattern, namely the fraction of transactions or sequences that include the pattern in a data set. In this study, we introduce a new interesting measure, namely occupancy, to measure the
completeness
of a pattern in its supporting transactions or sequences. This is motivated by some real-world pattern recommendation applications in which an interesting pattern should not only be frequent, but also occupies a large portion of its supporting transactions or sequences. With the definition of occupancy we call a pattern
dominant
if its occupancy value is above a user-specified threshold. Then, our task is to identify the
qualified patterns
which are both dominant and frequent. Also, we formulate the problem of
mining top-k qualified patterns
, that is, finding
k
qualified patterns with maximum values on a user-defined function of support and occupancy, for example, weighted sum of support and occupancy. The challenge to these tasks is that the value of occupancy does not change monotonically when more items are appended to a given pattern. Therefore, we propose a general algorithm called DOFRA (DOminant and FRequent pattern mining Algorithm) for mining these qualified patterns, which explores the upper bound properties on occupancy to drastically reduce the search process. Finally, we show the effectiveness of DOFRA in two real-world applications and also demonstrate the efficiency of DOFRA on several real and large synthetic datasets.
ASCOS++
Authors: Chen Hung-Hsuan , Giles C. Lee
Published: October 2015

In this article, we explore the relationships among digital objects in terms of their similarity based on vertex similarity measures. We argue that SimRank—a famous similarity measure—and its families, such as P-Rank and SimRank++, fail to capture similar node pairs in certain conditions, especially when two nodes can only reach each other through paths of odd lengths. We present new similarity measures ASCOS and ASCOS++ to address the problem. ASCOS outputs a more complete similarity score than SimRank and SimRank’s families. ASCOS++ enriches ASCOS to include edge weight into the measure, giving all edges and network weights an opportunity to make their contribution. We show that both ASCOS++ and ASCOS can be reformulated and applied on a distributed environment for parallel contribution. Experimental results show that ASCOS++ reports a better score than SimRank and several famous similarity measures. Finally, we re-examine previous use cases of SimRank, and explain appropriate and inappropriate use cases. We suggest future SimRank users following the rules proposed here before naïvely applying it. We also discuss the relationship between ASCOS++ and PageRank.
Genes and exercise intolerance: insights from McArdle disease
Authors: Nogales-Gadea Gisela , Godfrey Richard , Santalla Alfredo , Coll-Cantí Jaume , Pintos-Morell Guillem , Pinós Tomàs , Arenas Joaquín , Martín Miguel Angel , Lucia Alejandro
Published: October 2015

McArdle disease (glycogen storage disease type V) is caused by inherited deficiency of a key enzyme in muscle metabolism, the skeletal muscle-specific isoform of glycogen phosphorylase, “myophosphorylase,” which is encoded by the PYGM gene. Here we review the main pathophysiological, genotypic, and phenotypic features of McArdle disease and their interactions. To date, moderate-intensity exercise (together with pre-exercise carbohydrate ingestion) is the only treatment option that has proven useful for these patients. Furthermore, regular physical activity attenuates the clinical severity of McArdle disease. This is quite remarkable for a monogenic disorder that consistently leads to the same metabolic defect at the muscle tissue level, that is, complete inability to use muscle glycogen stores. Further knowledge of this disorder would help patients and enhance understanding of exercise metabolism as well as exercise genomics. Indeed, McArdle disease is a paradigm of human exercise intolerance and PYGM genotyping should be included in the genetic analyses that might be applied in the coming personalized exercise medicine as well as in future research on genetics and exercise-related phenotypes.
Imaging Diagnosis of Splanchnic Venous Thrombosis
Authors: Rajesh S. , Mukund Amar , Arora Ankur
Published: October 2015

Splanchnic vein thrombosis (SVT) is a broad term that includes Budd-Chiari syndrome and occlusion of veins that constitute the portal venous system. Due to the common risk factors involved in the pathogenesis of these clinically distinct disorders, concurrent involvement of two different regions is quite common. In acute and subacute SVT, the symptoms may overlap with a variety of other abdominal emergencies while in chronic SVT, the extent of portal hypertension and its attendant complications determine the clinical course. As a result, clinical diagnosis is often difficult and is frequently reliant on imaging. Tremendous improvements in vascular imaging in recent years have ensured that this once rare entity is being increasingly detected. Treatment of acute SVT requires immediate anticoagulation. Transcatheter thrombolysis or transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt is used in the event of clinical deterioration. In cases with peritonitis, immediate laparotomy and bowel resection may be required for irreversible bowel ischemia. In chronic SVT, the underlying cause should be identified and treated. The imaging manifestations of the clinical syndromes resulting from SVT are comprehensively discussed here along with a brief review of the relevant clinical features and therapeutic approach.
Evolutionary Feature Selection for Big Data Classification: A MapReduce Approach
Authors: Peralta Daniel , del Río Sara , Ramírez-Gallego Sergio , Triguero Isaac , Benitez Jose M. , Herrera Francisco
Published: October 2015

Nowadays, many disciplines have to deal with big datasets that additionally involve a high number of features. Feature selection methods aim at eliminating noisy, redundant, or irrelevant features that may deteriorate the classification performance. However, traditional methods lack enough scalability to cope with datasets of millions of instances and extract successful results in a delimited time. This paper presents a feature selection algorithm based on evolutionary computation that uses the MapReduce paradigm to obtain subsets of features from big datasets. The algorithm decomposes the original dataset in blocks of instances to learn from them in the map phase; then, the reduce phase merges the obtained partial results into a final vector of feature weights, which allows a flexible application of the feature selection procedure using a threshold to determine the selected subset of features. The feature selection method is evaluated by using three well-known classifiers (SVM, Logistic Regression, and Naive Bayes) implemented within the Spark framework to address big data problems. In the experiments, datasets up to 67 millions of instances and up to 2000 attributes have been managed, showing that this is a suitable framework to perform evolutionary feature selection, improving both the classification accuracy and its runtime when dealing with big data problems.
Multistage CC-CV Charge Method for Li-Ion Battery
Authors: Wu Xiaogang , Hu Chen , Du Jiuyu , Sun Jinlei
Published: October 2015

Charging the Li-ion battery with constant current and constant voltage (CC-CV) strategy at −10°C can only reach 48.47% of the normal capacity. To improve the poor charging characteristic at low temperature, the working principle of charging battery at low temperature is analyzed using electrochemical model and first-order RC equivalent circuit model; moreover, the multistage CC-CV strategy is proposed. In the proposed multistage CC-CV strategy, the charging current is decreased to extend the charging process when terminal voltage reaches the charging cut-off voltage. The charging results of multistage CC-CV strategy are obtained at 25°C, 0°C, and −10°C, compared with the results of CC-CV and two-stage CC-CC strategies. The comparison results show that, at the target temperatures, the charging capacities are increased with multistage CC-CV strategy and it is notable that the charging capacity can reach 85.32% of the nominal capacity at −10°C; also, the charging time is decreased.
OperomeDB: A Database of Condition-Specific Transcription Units in Prokaryotic Genomes
Authors: Chetal Kashish , Janga Sarath Chandra
Published: October 2015

Background. In prokaryotic organisms, a substantial fraction of adjacent genes are organized into operons—codirectionally organized genes in prokaryotic genomes with the presence of a common promoter and terminator. Although several available operon databases provide information with varying levels of reliability, very few resources provide experimentally supported results. Therefore, we believe that the biological community could benefit from having a new operon prediction database with operons predicted using next-generation RNA-seq datasets.Description. We present operomeDB, a database which provides an ensemble of all the predicted operons for bacterial genomes using available RNA-sequencing datasets across a wide range of experimental conditions. Although several studies have recently confirmed that prokaryotic operon structure is dynamic with significant alterations across environmental and experimental conditions, there are no comprehensive databases for studying such variations across prokaryotic transcriptomes. Currently our database contains nine bacterial organisms and 168 transcriptomes for which we predicted operons. User interface is simple and easy to use, in terms of visualization, downloading, and querying of data. In addition, because of its ability to load custom datasets, users can also compare their datasets with publicly available transcriptomic data of an organism.Conclusion. OperomeDB as a database should not only aid experimental groups working on transcriptome analysis of specific organisms but also enable studies related to computational and comparative operomics.
A Secure Ciphertext Self-Destruction Scheme with Attribute-Based Encryption
Authors: Yang Tonghao , Li Junquan , Yu Bin
Published: October 2015

The secure destruction of expired data is one of the important contents in the research of cloud storage security. Applying the attribute-based encryption (ABE) and the distributed hash table (DHT) technology to the process of data destruction, we propose a secure ciphertext self-destruction scheme with attribute-based encryption called SCSD. In SCSD scheme, the sensitive data is first encrypted under an access key and then the ciphertext shares are stored in the DHT network along with the attribute shares. Meanwhile, the rest of the sensitive data ciphertext and the shares of access key ciphertext constitute the encapsulated self-destruction object (EDO), which is stored in the cloud. When the sensitive data is expired, the nodes in DHT networks can automatically discard the ciphertext shares and the attribute shares, which can make the ciphertext and the access key unrecoverable. Thus, we realize secure ciphertext self-destruction. Compared with the current schemes, our SCSD scheme not only can support efficient data encryption and fine-grained access control in lifetime and secure self-destruction after expiry, but also can resist the traditional cryptanalysis attack as well as the Sybil attack in the DHT network.
SPH Simulation of Acoustic Waves: Effects of Frequency, Sound Pressure, and Particle Spacing
Authors: Zhang Y. O. , Zhang T. , Ouyang H. , Li T. Y.
Published: October 2015

Acoustic problems consisting of multiphase systems or with deformable boundaries are difficult to describe using mesh-based methods, while the meshfree, Lagrangian smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) method can handle such complicated problems. In this paper, after solving linearized acoustic equations with the standard SPH theory, the feasibility of the SPH method in simulating sound propagation in the time domain is validated. The effects of sound frequency, maximum sound pressure amplitude, and particle spacing on numerical error and time cost are then subsequently discussed based on the sound propagation simulation. The discussion based on a limited range of frequency and sound pressure demonstrates that the rising of sound frequency increases simulation error, and the increase is nonlinear, whereas the rising sound pressure has limited effects on the error. In addition, decreasing the particle spacing reduces the numerical error, while simultaneously increasing the CPU time. The trend of both changes is close to linear on a logarithmic scale.
The Electronic Structure of Short Carbon Nanotubes: The Effects of Correlation
Authors: Chilkuri Vijay Gopal , Evangelisti Stefano , Leininger Thierry , Monari Antonio
Published: October 2015

This paper presents atight bindingandab initiostudy of finite zig-zag nanotubes of various diameters and lengths. The vertical energy spectra of such nanotubes are presented, as well as their spin multiplicities. The calculations performed using thetight bindingapproach show the existence of quasi-degenerate orbitals located around the Fermi level, thus suggesting the importance of high-qualityab initiomethods, capable of a correct description of the nondynamical correlation. Such approaches (Complete Active Space SCF and Multireference Perturbation Theory calculations) were used in order to get accurate ground and nearest excited-state energies, along with the corresponding spin multiplicities.