bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
AUTOMATED PHOTOGRAMMETRIC IMAGE MATCHING WITH SIFT ALGORITHM AND DELAUNAY TRIANGULATION
Authors: Karagiannis Georgios , Antón Castro Francesc , Mioc Darka
Published: June 2016

Abstract. An algorithm for image matching of multi-sensor and multi-temporal satellite images is developed. The method is based on the SIFT feature detector proposed by Lowe in (Lowe, 1999). First, SIFT feature points are detected independently in two images (reference and sensed image). The features detected are invariant to image rotations, translations, scaling and also to changes in illumination, brightness and 3-dimensional viewpoint. Afterwards, each feature of the reference image is matched with one in the sensed image if, and only if, the distance between them multiplied by a threshold is shorter than the distances between the point and all the other points in the sensed image. Then, the matched features are used to compute the parameters of the homography that transforms the coordinate system of the sensed image to the coordinate system of the reference image. The Delaunay triangulations of each feature set for each image are computed. The isomorphism of the Delaunay triangulations is determined to guarantee the quality of the image matching. The algorithm is implemented in Matlab and tested on World-View 2, SPOT6 and TerraSAR-X image patches.
VOLUMINATOR 2.0 – SPEEDING UP THE APPROXIMATION OF THE VOLUME OF DEFECTIVE 3D BUILDING MODELS
Authors: Sindram M. , Machl T. , Steuer H. , Pültz M. , Kolbe T. H.
Published: June 2016

Abstract. Semantic 3D city models are increasingly used as a data source in planning and analyzing processes of cities. They represent a virtual copy of the reality and are a common information base and source of information for examining urban questions. A significant advantage of virtual city models is that important indicators such as the volume of buildings, topological relationships between objects and other geometric as well as thematic information can be derived. Knowledge about the exact building volume is an essential base for estimating the building energy demand. In order to determine the volume of buildings with conventional algorithms and tools, the buildings may not contain any topological and geometrical errors. The reality, however, shows that city models very often contain errors such as missing surfaces, duplicated faces and misclosures. To overcome these errors (Steuer et al., 2015) have presented a robust method for approximating the volume of building models. For this purpose, a bounding box of the building is divided into a regular grid of voxels and it is determined which voxels are inside the building. The regular arrangement of the voxels leads to a high number of topological tests and prevents the application of this method using very high resolutions. In this paper we present an extension of the algorithm using an octree approach limiting the subdivision of space to regions around surfaces of the building models and to regions where, in the case of defective models, the topological tests are inconclusive. We show that the computation time can be significantly reduced, while preserving the robustness against geometrical and topological errors.
EVENT DETECTION USING MOBILE PHONE MASS GPS DATA AND THEIR RELIAVILITY VERIFICATION BY DMSP/OLS NIGHT LIGHT IMAGE
Authors: Yuki Akiyama , Satoshi Ueyama , Ryosuke Shibasaki , Adachi Ryuichiro
Published: June 2016

Abstract. In this study, we developed a method to detect sudden population concentration on a certain day and area, that is, an “Event,” all over Japan in 2012 using mass GPS data provided from mobile phone users. First, stay locations of all phone users were detected using existing methods. Second, areas and days where Events occurred were detected by aggregation of mass stay locations into 1-km-square grid polygons. Finally, the proposed method could detect Events with an especially large number of visitors in the year by removing the influences of Events that occurred continuously throughout the year. In addition, we demonstrated reasonable reliability of the proposed Event detection method by comparing the results of Event detection with light intensities obtained from the night light images from the DMSP/OLS night light images. Our method can detect not only positive events such as festivals but also negative events such as natural disasters and road accidents. These results are expected to support policy development of urban planning, disaster prevention, and transportation management.
ESTIMATING SEA ICE PARAMETERS FROM MULTI-LOOK SAR IMAGES USING FIRST- AND SECOND-ORDER VARIOGRAMS
Authors: Wang Xiaojian , Li Yu , Zhao Quanhua
Published: June 2016

Abstract. The spatial structures revealed in SAR intensity imagery provide essential information characterizing the natural variation processes of sea ice. This paper proposes a new method to extract the spatial structures of sea ice based on two spatial stochastic models. One is a multi-Gamma model, which characterizes continuous variations corresponding to ice-free area or the background. The other is a Poisson line mosaic model, which characterizes the regional variations of sea ice with different types. The linear combination of the two models builds the mixture model to represent spatial structures of sea ice within SAR intensity imagery. To estimate different sea ice parameters, such as its concentration, scale etc. We define two kinds of geostatistic metrics, theoretical first- and second-order variograms. Their experimental alternatives can be calculated from the SAR intensity imagery directly, then the parameters of the mixture model are estimated through fitting the theoretical variograms to the experimental ones, and by comparing the estimated parameters to the egg code, it is verified that the estimated parameters can indicate sea ice structure information showing in the egg code. The proposed method is applied to simulated images and Radarsat-1 images. The results of the experiments show that the proposed method can estimate the sea ice concentration and floe size accurately and stably within SAR testing images.
LOW COST AND EFFICIENT 3D INDOOR MAPPING USING MULTIPLE CONSUMER RGB-D CAMERAS
Authors: Chen C. , Yang B. S. , Song S.
Published: June 2016

Abstract. Driven by the miniaturization, lightweight of positioning and remote sensing sensors as well as the urgent needs for fusing indoor and outdoor maps for next generation navigation, 3D indoor mapping from mobile scanning is a hot research and application topic. The point clouds with auxiliary data such as colour, infrared images derived from 3D indoor mobile mapping suite can be used in a variety of novel applications, including indoor scene visualization, automated floorplan generation, gaming, reverse engineering, navigation, simulation and etc. State-of-the-art 3D indoor mapping systems equipped with multiple laser scanners product accurate point clouds of building interiors containing billions of points. However, these laser scanner based systems are mostly expensive and not portable. Low cost consumer RGB-D Cameras provides an alternative way to solve the core challenge of indoor mapping that is capturing detailed underlying geometry of the building interiors. Nevertheless, RGB-D Cameras have a very limited field of view resulting in low efficiency in the data collecting stage and incomplete dataset that missing major building structures (e.g. ceilings, walls). Endeavour to collect a complete scene without data blanks using single RGB-D Camera is not technic sound because of the large amount of human labour and position parameters need to be solved. To find an efficient and low cost way to solve the 3D indoor mapping, in this paper, we present an indoor mapping suite prototype that is built upon a novel calibration method which calibrates internal parameters and external parameters of multiple RGB-D Cameras. Three Kinect sensors are mounted on a rig with different view direction to form a large field of view. The calibration procedure is three folds: 1, the internal parameters of the colour and infrared camera inside each Kinect are calibrated using a chess board pattern, respectively; 2, the external parameters between the colour and infrared camera inside each Kinect are calibrated using a chess board pattern; 3, the external parameters between every Kinect are firstly calculated using a pre-set calibration field and further refined by an iterative closet point algorithm. Experiments are carried out to validate the proposed method upon RGB-D datasets collected by the indoor mapping suite prototype. The effectiveness and accuracy of the proposed method is evaluated by comparing the point clouds derived from the prototype with ground truth data collected by commercial terrestrial laser scanner at ultra-high density. The overall analysis of the results shows that the proposed method achieves seamless integration of multiple point clouds form different RGB-D cameras collected at 30 frame per second.
APPLICATION OF TIME SERIES INSAR TECHNIQUE FOR DEFORMATION MONITORING OF LARGE-SCALE LANDSLIDES IN MOUNTAINOUS AREAS OF WESTERN CHINA
Authors: Qu T. , Lu P. , Liu C. , Wan H.
Published: June 2016

Abstract. Western China is very susceptible to landslide hazards. As a result, landslide detection and early warning are of great importance. This work employs the SBAS (Small Baseline Subset) InSAR Technique for detection and monitoring of large-scale landslides that occurred in Li County, Sichuan Province, Western China. The time series INSAR is performed using descending scenes acquired from TerraSAR-X StripMap mode since 2014 to get the spatial distribution of surface displacements of this giant landslide. The time series results identify the distinct deformation zone on the landslide body with a rate of up to 150mm/yr. The deformation acquired by SBAS technique is validated by inclinometers from diverse boreholes of in-situ monitoring. The integration of InSAR time series displacements and ground-based monitoring data helps to provide reliable data support for the forecasting and monitoring of largescale landslide.
Sandpile-based model for capturing magnitude distributions and spatiotemporal clustering and separation in regional earthquakes
Authors: Batac Rene C. , Paguirigan Jr. Antonino A. , Tarun Anjali B. , Longjas Anthony G.
Published: June 2016

Abstract. We propose a cellular automata model for earthquake occurrences patterned after the sandpile model of self-organized criticality (SOC). By incorporating a single parameter describing the probability to target the most susceptible site, the model successfully reproduces the statistical signatures of seismicity. The energy (magnitude) distributions closely follow power-law probability density functions (PDFs) with scaling exponent −5/3, consistent with the expectations of the Gutenberg–Richter (GR) law, for a wide range of the targeted-triggering probability values; this suggests that SOC mechanisms are still present in the model despite the introduction of the targeted triggering. Additionally, for targeted triggering probabilities within the range 0.004–0.007, we observe spatiotemporal distributions that show bimodal behavior, which is not observed previously for the original sandpile. For this critical range of values for the probability, model statistics show remarkable comparison with long-period empirical data from earthquakes from different seismogenic regions. The proposed model has key advantages, foremost of which is the fact that it simultaneously captures the energy, space, and time statistics of earthquakes by just introducing a single parameter, without disrupting the SOC properties of the sandpile grid. We believe that the critical targeting probability is a key requirement for SOC in seismicity, as it parametrizes the memory that is inherently present in earthquake-generating regions.
Effects of reading Strategies and Depth of Vocabulary Knowledge on Turkish EFL Learners’ Text Inferencing Skills
Authors: Cakir Abdulvahit , Unaldi Ihsan , Arslan Fadime Yalcin , Kilic Mehmet
Published: June 2016

Within the framework of foreign language teaching and learning, reading strategies, depth of vocabulary knowledge and text inferencing skills have not been researched extensively. This study tries to fill this gap by analyzing the effects of reading strategies used by Turkish EFL learners and their depth of vocabulary knowledge on their text inferencing skills. Three different measures were used in the study: Word Association Test (WAT), Metacognitive Awareness of Reading Strategies Inventory (MARSI), and inferencing questions used in a standardized national test. The association test and reading strategies scores were regressed on inferencing scores of the participants. The results revealed that depth of vocabulary knowledge was a better predictor of inferencing skills compared to reading strategies. However, the model created by using these two predictors accounted for only 15% of the variance, and the major implication of this result is that there are other more significant factors which affect text inferencing skills of EFL learners than reading strategies and depth of vocabulary knowledge.
Reviewer Acknowledgements for Journal of Management and Sustainability, Vol. 6, No. 2
Authors: Xiao Maple
Published: June 2016

Reviewer Acknowledgements for Journal of Management and Sustainability, Vol. 6, No. 2, 2016.
Terug naar een ‘mediationrechter’ in Nederland conform het model van Voltaire?
Authors: von Bóné Emese
Published: June 2016

A return to the ‘mediator-judge’ in the Netherlands as in the Voltaire-model?

In the last couple of years we see new models of accessible and innovative jurisdiction, such as ‘neighbors judge’, ‘ejudge’ and the ‘office hour judge’. Are these innovations really new? This article gives insight into the Dutch legal history of accessible jurisdiction and compares the forms of accessible jurisdiction.
Erfenisconflicten: relationele aspecten ter ondersteuning van een duurzame successieplanning
Authors: Gepts Liliane
Published: June 2016

Heritage conflicts: relational aspects in supporting parties to a sustainable succession planning

It proves that in succession planning relational aspects are at least as important as juridical and fiscal aspects. Every family has his own context and for that also his own wishes and solicitudes.
Breve intercambio epistolar con el Padre Amador Martín del Molino
Authors: Aranzadi Juan
Published: June 2016

El día 30 de mayo del año 2015 fallecía en Arequipa (Perú) el Padre Amador Martín del Molino, que durante su larga vida fue –por este orden cronológico y quizá también jerárquico- claretiano, sacerdote, misionero, arqueólogo, historiador, etnógrafo y etnólogo de los Bubis y –durante unos pocos años- profesor de antropología en la Universidad Complutense de Madrid.Martín del Molino vivió en la Guinea Española –y fugazmente en la Guinea Ecuatorial independiente- durante diecinueve años (1950-1969) y sus obras históricas, arqueológicas y etnológicas sobre las poblaciones de Fernando Poo, muy influídas por la teoría de los kulturkreise de la Escuela de Viena y por la antropología católica del Padre Schmidt, constituyen –sea para compartir sus conclusiones o para criticarlas, como es mi caso- un punto de referencia obligado de cualquier investigación posterior sobre los Bubis.Por eso, cuando planeé este número monográfico de ENDOXA sobre “Nuevas investigaciones sobre y desde Guinea Ecuatorial”, que se abre, paradójicamente, con sendas entrevistas a dos “viejos investigadores” como Lluis Mallart y James Fernández, consideré oportuno incluir en él, asimismo, una entrevista con Martín del Molino y me puse en contacto con él, por e-mail, para tantear esa posibilidad, sabedor de las dificultades que para realizarla supondrían su elevada edad, su residencia en Perú y sus cada vez más espaciadas visitas a nuestro país.Su muerte ha impedido que esa deseada entrevista tuviera lugar. Como pobre sustituto, y a modo de póstumo homenaje y agradecido reconocimiento a su ímproba tarea investigadora, reproducimos a continuación el breve intercambio epistolar que intentaba preparar esa entrevista, así como sus respuestas “indirectas” a algunas de nuestra preguntas en una entrevista radiofónica transcrita y colgada en Internet pocos días después de su muerte.
Las voces del choga: disonancias y consonancias acerca de una enfermedad popular
Authors: Jones Sánchez Alvar
Published: June 2016

El choga es el nombre popular por el que se conoce un cuadro patológico infantil muy extendido en Guinea Ecuatorial. Más del 70% de las madres interrogadas en la ciudad de Bata reconocían que alguno de sus hijos lo había padecido. Los saberes, representaciones y prácticas en torno al choga incluyen tanto elementos procedentes dela esfera popular como del contacto con el sector salud. Invitan en este sentido a repensar los vínculos entre medicina moderna y medicina tradicional, así como el carácter heterogéneo y dinámico de los saberes populares y biomédicos. Los nuevos mecanismosde transmisión de los saberes en el contexto urbano, los puntos de contacto con la esfera biomédica y las deficiencias del sistema sanitario, conforman un contexto en el que se revela el rol activo que desempeñan los individuos y colectivos en la producción y transformación de los saberes.
La represión del Bwiti en la Guinea Española. El caso de Fernando Poo (1939-1962)
Authors: Sánchez Azañedo Jesús
Published: June 2016

Este trabajo intenta aportar la totalidad de las “Palabras” referidas alBwiti en Fernando Poo del Tribunal de Santa Isabel, durante el período desde 1939 hasta 1962. La exposición cronológica de las mismas, nos permitirá ver el proceso de implantación del culto y su posterior desarrollo, confirmando su práctica en la isla. También pretendemos mostrar la represión ejercida contra sus practicantes, dando lugar en ocasiones a la persecución de familias muy concretas. Por último, queremos evidenciar cómo un documento del año 1939 en el que se piden medidas especiales para la represión del Bwiti, pudo ser programático en este sentido a la hora de aplicar las diferentes formas posteriores de represión del culto.
Des manuels scolaires au service du Sonderfall helvétique (1911-2011)
Authors: Kaufmann Lyonel
Published: June 2016

Dans le dernier quart du 19e siècle, les forces politiques bourgeoises au pouvoir en Suisse construisent une conception du monde helvétique évacuant la conflictualité de classe. Pour leur part, les manuels d’histoire du primaire et du secondaire du canton de Vaud offrent un laboratoire privilégié concernant le fonctionnement et la construction de ce discours. Ce Sonderfall helvétique (exception suisse) trouvera sa forme canonique à la fin des années 1930. Remis en cause brièvement, dans les manuels scolaires, à partir de la fin des années 1970, il retrouvera de la vigueur dès le début des années 1990. L’étude des légendes nationales permet d’observer le fonctionnement de ce discours, vecteur important de notre psyché collective qui nous empêche d’aborder sereinement nos rapports avec le monde extérieur.
Le rôle des enseignants dans l’éducation et la démocratie : impacts d’un projet de recherche sur la perception de futurs enseignants
Authors: Thésée Gina , Carr Paul R. , Potwora Franck
Published: June 2016

Cet article étudie les réflexions suscitées par un questionnaire d’enquête portant sur les liens entre l’éducation et la démocratie. Un échantillon de 157 étudiants d’un programme de formation initiale des enseignants à Montréal a répondu à un questionnaire de suivi (seconde étude) après avoir rempli un questionnaire d’enquête (première étude) portant sur leurs perceptions et leurs expériences des liens entre l’éducation et la démocratie. La première étude révèle une expérience démocratique faible et un parcours éducatif pratiquement sans lien avec la démocratie, ce qui concorde avec les résultats d’études antérieures. Cependant, les résultats du questionnaire de suivi indiquent que la participation à l’enquête a suscité des réflexions d’ordre socioéducatif, épistémologique, pédagogique et méthodologique, qui pourraient avoir des retombées significatives sur leur perception du rôle de l’enseignant.
Developing Historical Consciousness and a Community of History Practitioners: A Survey of Prospective History Teachers Across Canada
Authors: Lévesque Stéphane G. , Zanazanian Paul
Published: June 2016

This paper looks at the historical consciousness of prospective history teachers in Canada. Using a bilingual online survey instrument inspired by the pan-Canadian research Canadians and their Pasts with volunteer participants (N=233), the study investigates their background knowledge, their perceptions of the trustworthiness of sources, their experiences in the history classroom, and their visions of school history. Results reveal that few prospective teachers have extensive knowledge of Canadian history and limited experience with active, inquiry-based teaching approaches to the past. However, a majority of them have very strong conceptions and sense of purposes regarding school history. The paper discusses the implications of this study, notably the need for professional communities of history practitioners.
The Present in Flemish Secondary History Education Through the Lens of Written History Exams
Authors: Van Nieuwenhuyse Karel , Wils Kaat , Clarebout Geraldine , Verschaffel Lieven
Published: June 2016

The present plays an important part in history education, in particular in efforts to make the study of the past relevant for today. This contribution examines how the relationship between past and present is dealt with in current Flemish secondary history education by analyzing 190 written history exams for the 11th and 12th grade. Ten percent of the questions address the present in an autonomous way and 8% relate past and present to each other. A more fine-grained analysis of the present-related questions reveals a variety of ways to integrate the present in history education, including the study of recent interpretations of the past.
MiniCORVET is a Vps8-containing early endosomal tether in Drosophila
Authors: Lőrincz Péter , Lakatos Zsolt , Varga Ágnes , Maruzs Tamás , Simon-Vecsei Zsófia , Darula Zsuzsanna , Benkő Péter , Csordás Gábor , Lippai Mónika , Andó István , Hegedűs Krisztina , Medzihradszky Katalin F , Takáts Szabolcs , Juhász Gábor
Published: June 2016

Yeast studies identified two heterohexameric tethering complexes, which consist of 4 shared (Vps11, Vps16, Vps18 and Vps33) and 2 specific subunits: Vps3 and Vps8 (CORVET) versus Vps39 and Vps41 (HOPS). CORVET is an early and HOPS is a late endosomal tether. The function of HOPS is well known in animal cells, while CORVET is poorly characterized. Here we show that Drosophila Vps8 is highly expressed in hemocytes and nephrocytes, and localizes to early endosomes despite the lack of a clear Vps3 homolog. We find that Vps8 forms a complex and acts together with Vps16A, Dor/Vps18 and Car/Vps33A, and loss of any of these proteins leads to fragmentation of endosomes. Surprisingly, Vps11 deletion causes enlargement of endosomes, similar to loss of the HOPS-specific subunits Vps39 and Lt/Vps41. We thus identify a 4 subunit-containing miniCORVET complex as an unconventional early endosomal tether in Drosophila.
A mitofusin-dependent docking ring complex triggers mitochondrial fusion in vitro
Authors: Brandt Tobias , Cavellini Laetitia , Kühlbrandt Werner , Cohen Mickaël M
Published: June 2016

Fusion of mitochondrial outer membranes is crucial for proper organelle function and involves large GTPases called mitofusins. The discrete steps that allow mitochondria to attach to one another and merge their outer membranes are unknown. By combining an in vitro mitochondrial fusion assay with electron cryo-tomography (cryo-ET), we visualize the junction between attached mitochondria isolated from Saccharomyces cerevisiae and observe complexes that mediate this attachment. We find that cycles of GTP hydrolysis induce progressive formation of a docking ring structure around extended areas of contact. Further GTP hydrolysis triggers local outer membrane fusion at the periphery of the contact region. These findings unravel key features of mitofusin-dependent fusion of outer membranes and constitute an important advance in our understanding of how mitochondria connect and merge.
ELKS controls the pool of readily releasable vesicles at excitatory synapses through its N-terminal coiled-coil domains
Authors: Held Richard G , Liu Changliang , Kaeser Pascal S
Published: June 2016

In a presynaptic nerve terminal, synaptic strength is determined by the pool of readily releasable vesicles (RRP) and the probability of release (P) of each RRP vesicle. These parameters are controlled at the active zone and vary across synapses, but how such synapse specific control is achieved is not understood. ELKS proteins are enriched at vertebrate active zones and enhance P at inhibitory hippocampal synapses, but ELKS functions at excitatory synapses are not known. Studying conditional knockout mice for ELKS, we find that ELKS enhances the RRP at excitatory synapses without affecting P. Surprisingly, ELKS C-terminal sequences, which interact with RIM, are dispensable for RRP enhancement. Instead, the N-terminal ELKS coiled-coil domains that bind to Liprin-α and Bassoon are necessary to control RRP. Thus, ELKS removal has differential, synapse-specific effects on RRP and P, and our findings establish important roles for ELKS N-terminal domains in synaptic vesicle priming.
Exercise promotes the expression of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) through the action of the ketone body β-hydroxybutyrate
Authors: Sleiman Sama F , Henry Jeffrey , Al-Haddad Rami , El Hayek Lauretta , Abou Haidar Edwina , Stringer Thomas , Ulja Devyani , Karuppagounder Saravanan S , Holson Edward B , Ratan Rajiv R , Ninan Ipe , Chao Moses V
Published: June 2016

Exercise induces beneficial responses in the brain, which is accompanied by an increase in BDNF, a trophic factor associated with cognitive improvement and the alleviation of depression and anxiety. However, the exact mechanisms whereby physical exercise produces an induction in brain Bdnf gene expression are not well understood. While pharmacological doses of HDAC inhibitors exert positive effects on Bdnf gene transcription, the inhibitors represent small molecules that do not occur in vivo. Here, we report that an endogenous molecule released after exercise is capable of inducing key promoters of the Mus musculus Bdnf gene. The metabolite β-hydroxybutyrate, which increases after prolonged exercise, induces the activities of Bdnf promoters, particularly promoter I, which is activity-dependent. We have discovered that the action of β-hydroxybutyrate is specifically upon HDAC2 and HDAC3, which act upon selective Bdnf promoters. Moreover, the effects upon hippocampal Bdnf expression were observed after direct ventricular application of β-hydroxybutyrate. Electrophysiological measurements indicate that β-hydroxybutyrate causes an increase in neurotransmitter release, which is dependent upon the TrkB receptor. These results reveal an endogenous mechanism to explain how physical exercise leads to the induction of BDNF.
Testing the Münch hypothesis of long distance phloem transport in plants
Authors: Knoblauch Michael , Knoblauch Jan , Mullendore Daniel L , Savage Jessica A , Babst Benjamin A , Beecher Sierra D , Dodgen Adam C , Jensen Kaare H , Holbrook N Michele
Published: June 2016

Long distance transport in plants occurs in sieve tubes of the phloem. The pressure flow hypothesis introduced by Ernst Münch in 1930 describes a mechanism of osmotically generated pressure differentials that are supposed to drive the movement of sugars and other solutes in the phloem, but this hypothesis has long faced major challenges. The key issue is whether the conductance of sieve tubes, including sieve plate pores, is sufficient to allow pressure flow. We show that with increasing distance between source and sink, sieve tube conductivity and turgor increases dramatically in Ipomoea nil. Our results provide strong support for the Münch hypothesis, while providing new tools for the investigation of one of the least understood plant tissues.
Multi-step coordination of telomerase recruitment in fission yeast through two coupled telomere-telomerase interfaces
Authors: Hu Xichan , Liu Jinqiang , Jun Hyun-IK , Kim Jin-Kwang , Qiao Feng
Published: June 2016

Tightly controlled recruitment of telomerase, a low-abundance enzyme, to telomeres is essential for regulated telomere synthesis. Recent studies in human cells revealed that a patch of amino acids in the shelterin component TPP1, called the TEL-patch, is essential for recruiting telomerase to telomeres. However, how TEL-patch—telomerase interaction integrates into the overall orchestration of telomerase regulation at telomeres is unclear. In fission yeast, Tel1ATM/Rad3ATR-mediated phosphorylation of shelterin component Ccq1 during late S phase is involved in telomerase recruitment through promoting the binding of Ccq1 to a telomerase accessory protein Est1. Here, we identify the TEL-patch in Tpz1TPP1, mutations of which lead to decreased telomeric association of telomerase, similar to the phosphorylation-defective Ccq1. Furthermore, we find that telomerase action at telomeres requires formation and resolution of an intermediate state, in which the cell cycle-dependent Ccq1-Est1 interaction is coupled to the TEL-patch—Trt1 interaction, to achieve temporally regulated telomerase elongation of telomeres.
CELF RNA binding proteins promote axon regeneration in C. elegans and mammals through alternative splicing of Syntaxins
Authors: Chen Lizhen , Liu Zhijie , Zhou Bing , Wei Chaoliang , Zhou Yu , Rosenfeld Michael G , Fu Xiang-Dong , Chisholm Andrew D , Jin Yishi
Published: June 2016

Axon injury triggers dramatic changes in gene expression. While transcriptional regulation of injury-induced gene expression is widely studied, less is known about the roles of RNA binding proteins (RBPs) in post-transcriptional regulation during axon regeneration. In C. elegans the CELF (CUGBP and Etr-3 Like Factor) family RBP UNC-75 is required for axon regeneration. Using crosslinking immunoprecipitation coupled with deep sequencing (CLIP-seq) we identify a set of genes involved in synaptic transmission as mRNA targets of UNC-75. In particular, we show that UNC-75 regulates alternative splicing of two mRNA isoforms of the SNARE Syntaxin/unc-64. In C. elegans mutants lacking unc-75 or its targets, regenerating axons form growth cones, yet are deficient in extension. Extending these findings to mammalian axon regeneration, we show that mouse Celf2 expression is upregulated after peripheral nerve injury and that Celf2 mutant mice are defective in axon regeneration. Further, mRNAs for several Syntaxins show CELF2 dependent regulation. Our data delineate a post-transcriptional regulatory pathway with a conserved role in regenerative axon extension.
Mechanism of B-box 2 domain-mediated higher-order assembly of the retroviral restriction factor TRIM5α
Authors: Wagner Jonathan M , Roganowicz Marcin D , Skorupka Katarzyna , Alam Steven L , Christensen Devin , Doss Ginna , Wan Yueping , Frank Gabriel A , Ganser-Pornillos Barbie K , Sundquist Wesley I , Pornillos Owen
Published: June 2016

Restriction factors and pattern recognition receptors are important components of intrinsic cellular defenses against viral infection. Mammalian TRIM5α proteins are restriction factors and receptors that target the capsid cores of retroviruses and activate ubiquitin-dependent antiviral responses upon capsid recognition. Here, we report crystallographic and functional studies of the TRIM5α B-box 2 domain, which mediates higher-order assembly of TRIM5 proteins. The B-box can form both dimers and trimers, and the trimers can link multiple TRIM5α proteins into a hexagonal net that matches the lattice arrangement of capsid subunits and enables avid capsid binding. Two modes of conformational flexibility allow TRIM5α to accommodate the variable curvature of retroviral capsids. B-box mediated interactions also modulate TRIM5α’s E3 ubiquitin ligase activity, by stereochemically restricting how the N-terminal RING domain can dimerize. Overall, these studies define important molecular details of cellular recognition of retroviruses, and how recognition links to downstream processes to disable the virus.
Complexin induces a conformational change at the membrane-proximal C-terminal end of the SNARE complex
Authors: Choi Ucheor B , Zhao Minglei , Zhang Yunxiang , Lai Ying , Brunger Axel T
Published: June 2016

Complexin regulates spontaneous and activates Ca2+-triggered neurotransmitter release, yet the molecular mechanisms are still unclear. Here we performed single molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer experiments and uncovered two conformations of complexin-1 bound to the ternary SNARE complex. In the cis conformation, complexin-1 induces a conformational change at the membrane-proximal C-terminal end of the ternary SNARE complex that specifically depends on the N-terminal, accessory, and central domains of complexin-1. The complexin-1 induced conformation of the ternary SNARE complex may be related to a conformation that is juxtaposing the synaptic vesicle and plasma membranes. In the trans conformation, complexin-1 can simultaneously interact with a ternary SNARE complex via the central domain and a binary SNARE complex consisting of syntaxin-1A and SNAP-25A via the accessory domain. The cis conformation may be involved in activation of synchronous neurotransmitter release, whereas both conformations may be involved in regulating spontaneous release.
A syntactic approach to the Spanish 'al + infinitive' construction
Authors: Rico Pablo
Published: June 2016

The paper seeks to study the way in which the interpretation is fixed in the Spanish AL + infinitive construction. The reading of these adjuncts can be temporal or causal. Some studies that have approached this issue previously (Rigau 1993; Alonso-Ovalle 2002) have attributed the interpretative disparity to purely semantic reasons, while others (Rigau 1995; Hernanz 1999; Martines 2000) have described the phenomenon without delving too deep in the syntactic details that influence the reading. The aim of this analysis is to approach the problem of the interpretation considering factors of syntactic order. I will claim that the reading is fixed depending basically on two factor: 1) the kind of topological relation that is established in each case: in temporal adjunction, the C head selects an IP as its ground; on the contrary, in the causal adjunction the ground is an XP, a projection between IP and CP that generates opacity with regard to the reading of the temporality; and 2) the retrospective orientation that the auxiliary haber generates.
Topic extraction from adverbial clauses
Authors: Rubio Alcalá Carlos
Published: June 2016

This paper offers new data to support findings about Topic extraction from adverbial clauses. Since such clauses are strong islands, they should not allow extraction of any kind, but we show here that if the appropriate conditions are met, Topics of the CLLD kind in Romance can move out of them. We propose that two conditions must be met for such movement to be possible: the first is that the adverbial clause must have undergone topicalisation in the first place; the second is that the adverbial clause is inherently topical from a semantic viewpoint. Contrast with other language families (Germanic, Quechua and Japanese) is provided and the semantic implications of the proposal are briefly discussed.Keywords: topicalisation; Clitic Left Dislocation; syntactic islands; adverbial clausesEste artículo ofrece nuevos datos sobre la extracción de Tópicos desde oraciones subordinadas adverbiales. Dado que dichas oraciones son islas fuertes, no deberían permitir extracción de ningún tipo, pero mostramos que si se dan las condiciones apropiadas, los Tópicos del tipo CLLD en lenguas románicas pueden desplazarse fuera de ellas. Proponemos que se deben cumplir dos condiciones para que ese movimiento sea posible: la primera es que la propia subordinada adverbial se haya topicalizado en primer lugar; la segunda es que la subordinada adverbial sea inherentemente un Tópico desde el punto de vista semántico. Proporcionamos también algunos contrastes con otras familias lingüísticas (germánica, quechua y japonés) y se discuten brevemente las implicaciones semánticas de la propuesta.Palabras clave: topicalización; dislocación a la izquierda con clítico; islas sintácticas; oraciones adverbiales
Evaluating the well-to-well distribution of radiative recombination rates in semi-polar

InGaN multiple-quantum-well light-emitting diodes
Authors: Funato Mitsuru , Matsufuji Kohei , Kawakami Yoichi
Published: June 2016

The distribution of well-to-well radiative recombination rates (RRRs) in an electrically driven semi-polar

InGaN multiple-quantum-well light-emitting diode (LED) is investigated within an electron–hole recombination picture. Compared to the reference (0001) LED, the

LED exhibits uniform well-to-well RRR distributions, which are less dependent on the injection current, because of the weaker polarization field. The smaller dependence of the RRR distribution on the injection current suggests that

LEDs can be applied to polychromatic LEDs consisting of quantum wells with different emission colors in electrical series because a current-insensitive apparent emission color is expected. A proof-of-concept polychromatic LED is demonstrated on the semi-polar

plane.
Change in the waveform of broadband ultrasound reflected back from a sample via a polymer film
Authors: Tohmyoh Hironori , Mukaimine Shota
Published: June 2016

This paper deals with the changes in the reflected waveform obtained from a sample after covering the sample with a polymer film. First, a theoretical model to predict the waveform obtained from the sample via the film was developed and the validity of the model was verified by experiments in which the ultrasound was transmitted from water into steel samples via a polymer film. Although the present model is based on plane wave theory, it was confirmed experimentally that the model is applicable for focused ultrasonic transducers.
Sol–gel composite material characteristics caused by different dielectric constant sol–gel phases
Authors: Kimoto Keisuke , Matsumoto Makoto , Kaneko Tsukasa , Kobayashi Makiko
Published: June 2016

Ultrasonic transducers prepared by a sol–gel composite method have been investigated in the field of nondestructive testing (NDT). Sol–gel composite materials could be ideal piezoelectric materials for ultrasonic transducer applications in the NDT field, and a new sol–gel composite with desirable characteristics has been developed. Three kinds of sol–gel composite materials composed of different dielectric constant sol–gel phases, Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 (PZT), Bi4Ti3O12 (BiT), and BaTiO3 (BT), and the same piezoelectric powder phase, PbTiO3 (PT), were fabricated and their properties were compared quantitatively. As a result, the PT/BT, sol–gel composite with the highest dielectric constant sol–gel phase showed the highest d
33 and signal strength. In addition, only PT/BT was successfully poled by room-temperature corona poling with reasonable signal strength.
Estimation of size and number density of microbubbles based on analysis of frequency-dependent attenuation
Authors: Yoshida Kenji , Tamura Kazuki , Yamaguchi Tadashi
Published: June 2016

A method of estimating the size and number density of microbubbles in suspension is proposed, which matches the theoretically calculated frequency dependent attenuation coefficient with the experimental data. Assuming that the size distribution of bubbles is given by a log-normal function, three parameters (expected value and standard deviation of radius and the number density of bubbles) of Sonazoid® in the steady flow were estimated. Bubbles are exposed to ultrasound with a center frequency of 5 MHz and mechanical indices of 0.4, 0.5, 0.7, and 1.1. The expected value and standard deviation for the size distribution were estimated to be 70–85 and 45–60% of the reference values in the case of a lower mechanical index, respectively. The number density was estimated to be 20–30 times smaller than the reference values. This fundamental examination indicates that the number density of bubbles can be qualitatively evaluated by the proposed method.
Development of metal-bonded Langevin transducer using LiNbO3
Authors: Ito Hiroshi , Jimbo Hikaru , Shiotani Koichi , Sakai Nagahide
Published: June 2016

We newly developed a metal-bonded Langevin transducer using LiNbO3 in order to realize a practical high-power LiNbO3 Langevin transducer. It utilizes metal bonding with a lead-free solder as an assembly method for a Langevin transducer, instead of a bolt as used in a conventional bolt-clamped Langevin transducer. The newly developed metal-bonded LiNbO3 Langevin transducer achieved a high vibration velocity of over 1.5 m/s and stable operation. Because of rigid metal bonding, it does not show nonlinear phenomena such as a jump phenomenon and/or a resonant frequency shift.
Microwave sintering of sol–gel composite films using a domestic microwave oven
Authors: Kobayashi Makiko , Matsumoto Makoto
Published: June 2016

Feasibility study of sol–gel composite microwave sintering using a domestic microwave oven was carried out. Two kinds of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) powders were mixed with PZT sol–gel solution and the mixture was sprayed onto 3-mm-thick titanium substrate. The films were sintered by 700 W domestic oven for 10 min. Ultrasonic measurement was carried out in pulse–echo mode and clear multiple echoes were confirmed. It would be suitable method to fabricate high frequency broadband focused ultrasonic transducers. Further research is required to improve sintering degree.
One-Year Weight Reduction With Semaglutide or Liraglutide in Clinical Practice
Authors: Gasoyan Hamlet , Pfoh Elizabeth R. , Schulte Rebecca , Le Phuc , Butsch W. Scott , Rothberg Michael B.
Published: September 2024

Importance

Limited data are available on long-term weight loss achieved with semaglutide or liraglutide for type 2 diabetes (T2D) or obesity in clinical practice.

Objective

To document weight loss achieved with injectable forms of semaglutide or liraglutide and identify factors associated with weight reduction of 10% or greater at 1 year.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This retrospective cohort study used electronic health records from a large, integrated health system in Ohio and Florida. Participants included adults with a body mass index (calculated as the weight in kilograms divided by the height in meters squared) of at least 30.0 who initiated treatment with semaglutide or liraglutide between July 1, 2015, and June 30, 2022. Follow-up was completed July 28, 2023.

Exposure

Injectable forms of semaglutide or liraglutide approved for T2D or obesity.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Percentage weight change and categorical weight reduction of 10% or greater at 1 year.

Results

A total of 3389 patients (mean [SD] age, 50.4 [12.2] years; 1835 [54.7%] female) were identified. Of these, 1341 patients received semaglutide for T2D; 1444, liraglutide for T2D; 227, liraglutide for obesity; and 377, semaglutide for obesity. Mean (SD) percentage weight change at 1 year was −5.1% (7.8%) with semaglutide vs −2.2% (6.4%) with liraglutide (P < .001); −3.2% (6.8%) for T2D as a treatment indication vs −5.9% (9.0%) for obesity (P < .001); and −5.5% (7.5%) with persistent medication coverage (ie, a cumulative gap of less than 90 days) at 1 year vs −2.8% (7.0%) with 90 to 275 medication coverage days and −1.8% (6.7%) with fewer than 90 medication coverage days (P < .001). In the multivariable model, semaglutide vs liraglutide (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 2.19 [95% CI, 1.77-2.72]), obesity as a treatment indication vs T2D (AOR, 2.46 [95% CI, 1.83-3.30]), persistent medication coverage vs 90 medication coverage days (AOR, 3.36 [95% CI, 2.52-4.54]) or 90 to 275 medication coverage days within the first year (AOR, 1.50 [95% CI, 1.10-2.06]), high dosage of the medication vs low (AOR, 1.58 [95% CI, 1.11-2.25]), and female sex (AOR, 1.57 [95% CI, 1.27-1.94]) were associated with achieving a 10% or greater weight reduction at year 1.

Conclusions and Relevance

In this retrospective cohort study of 3389 patients with obesity, weight reduction at 1 year was associated with the medication’s active agent, its dosage, treatment indication, persistent medication coverage, and patient sex. Future research should focus on identifying the reasons for discontinuation of medication use and interventions aimed at improving long-term persistent coverage.
Monte Carlo calculated absorbed‐dose energy dependence of EBT3 and EBT4 films for 5–200 MeV electrons and 100 keV–15 MeV photons
Authors: Clements Nathan , Bazalova‐Carter Magdalena
Published: September 2024

Purpose

To use Monte Carlo simulations to study the absorbed‐dose energy dependence of GAFChromic EBT3 and EBT4 films for 5–200 MeV electron beams and 100 keV–15 MeV photon beams considering two film compositions: a previous EBT3 composition (Bekerat et al.) and the final composition of EBT3/current composition of EBT4 (Palmer et al.).

Methods

A water phantom was simulated with films at 5–50 mm depth in 5 mm intervals. The water phantom was irradiated with flat, monoenergetic 5–200 MeV electron beams and 100 and 150 keV kilovoltage and 1–15 MeV megavoltage photon beams and the dose to the active layer of the films was scored. Simulations were rerun with the films defined as water to compare the absorbed‐dose response of film to water, .

Results

For electrons, the Bekerat et al. composition had variations in of up to from 5 to 200 MeV. Similarly, the Palmer et al. composition had differences in up to from 5 to 200 MeV. For photons, varied up to and from 100 keV to 15 MeV for the Bekerat et al. and Palmer et al. compositions, respectively. The depth of films did not appear to significantly affect for photons at any energy and for electrons at energies  50 MeV. However, for 5 and 10 MeV electrons, decreases of up to in were seen due to stacked films and increased beam attenuation in films compared to water.

Conclusions

The up to and variations in for electrons and photons, respectively, across the energies considered in this study indicate the importance of calibrating films with the energy intended for measurement. Additionally, this work emphasizes potential issues with stacking films to measure depth dose curves, particularly for electron beams with energies 10 MeV.