bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Uncovering Representative Groups in Multidimensional Projections
Authors: Joia P. , Petronetto F. , Nonato L.G.
Published: July 2015

Multidimensional projection‐based visualization methods typically rely on clustering and attribute selection mechanisms to enable visual analysis of multidimensional data. Clustering is often employed to group similar instances according to their distance in the visual space. However, considering only distances in the visual space may be misleading due to projection errors as well as the lack of guarantees to ensure that distinct clusters contain instances with different content. Identifying clusters made up of a few elements is also an issue for most clustering methods. In this work we propose a novel multidimensional projection‐based visualization technique that relies on representative instances to define clusters in the visual space. Representative instances are selected by a deterministic sampling scheme derived from matrix decomposition, which is sensitive to the variability of data while still been able to handle classes with a small number of instances. Moreover, the sampling mechanism can easily be adapted to select relevant attributes from each cluster. Therefore, our methodology unifies sampling, clustering, and feature selection in a simple framework. A comprehensive set of experiments validate our methodology, showing it outperforms most existing sampling and feature selection techniques. A case study shows the effectiveness of the proposed methodology as a visual data analysis tool.
A Novel Framework for Visual Detection and Exploration of Performance Bottlenecks in Organic Photovoltaic Solar Cell Materials
Authors: Aboulhassan A. , Baum D. , Wodo O. , Ganapathysubramanian B. , Amassian A. , Hadwiger M.
Published: July 2015

Current characterization methods of the so‐called Bulk Heterojunction (BHJ), which is the main material of Organic Photovoltaic (OPV) solar cells, are limited to the analysis of global fabrication parameters. This reduces the efficiency of the BHJ design process, since it misses critical information about the local performance bottlenecks in the morphology of the material. In this paper, we propose a novel framework that fills this gap through visual characterization and exploration of local structure‐performance correlations. We also propose a formula that correlates the structural features with the performance bottlenecks. Since research into BHJ materials is highly multidisciplinary, our framework enables a visual feedback strategy that allows scientists to build intuition about the best choices of fabrication parameters. We evaluate the usefulness of our proposed system by obtaining new BHJ characterizations. Furthermore, we show that our approach could substantially reduce the turnaround time.
Visual Analytics for Correlation‐Based Comparison of Time Series Ensembles
Authors: Köthur P. , Witt C. , Sips M. , Marwan N. , Schinkel S. , Dransch D.
Published: July 2015

An established approach to studying interrelations between two non‐stationary time series is to compute the ‘windowed’ cross‐correlation (WCC). The time series are divided into intervals and the cross‐correlation between corresponding intervals is calculated. The outcome is a matrix that describes the correlation between two time series for different intervals and varying time lags. This important technique can only be used to compare two single time series. However, many applications require the comparison of ensembles of time series. Therefore, we propose a visual analytics approach that extends the WCC to support a correlation‐based comparison of two ensembles of time series. We compute the pairwise WCC between all time series from the two ensembles, which results in hundreds of thousands of WCC matrices. Statistical measures are used to derive a concise description of the time‐varying correlations between the ensembles as well as the uncertainty of the correlation values. We further introduce a visually scalable overview visualization of the computed correlation and uncertainty information. These components are combined with multiple linked views into a visual analytics system to support configuration of the WCC as well as detailed analysis of correlation patterns between two ensembles. Two use cases from very different domains, cognitive science and paleoclimatology, demonstrate the utility of our approach.
The Zinc Ion Chelating Agent TPEN Attenuates Neuronal Death/apoptosis Caused by Hypoxia/ischemia Via Mediating the Pathophysiological Cascade Including Excitotoxicity, Oxidative Stress, and Inflammation
Authors: Wang Wei‐Ming , Liu Zhao , Liu Ai‐Jun , Wang Yu‐Xiang , Wang Hong‐Gang , An Di , Heng Bin , Xie Lai‐Hua , Duan Jun‐Li , Liu Yan‐Qiang
Published: July 2015

Aims

We aim to determine the significant effect of TPEN, a Zn2+ chelator, in mediating the pathophysiological cascade in neuron death/apoptosis induced by hypoxia/ischemia.

Methods

We conducted both in vivo and in vitro experiments in this study. PC12 cells were used to establish hypoxia/ischemia model by applying oxygen–glucose deprivation (OGD). SHR‐SP rats were used to establish an acute ischemic model by electrocoagulating middle cerebral artery occlusion. The effect of TPEN on neuron death/apoptosis was evaluated. In addition, the relative biomarks of excitotoxicity, oxidative stress, and inflammation reactions in hypoxia/ischemia PC12 cell model as well as in SHR‐SP rat hypoxia/ischemia model were also assessed.

Results

TPEN significantly attenuates the neurological deficit, reduced the cerebral infarction area and the ratio of apoptotic neurons, and increased the expression of GluR2 in the rat hypoxia/ischemia brain. TPEN also increased blood SOD activity, decreased blood NOS activity and blood MDA and IL‐6 contents in rats under hypoxia/ischemia. In addition, TPEN significantly inhibited the death and apoptosis of cells and attenuated the alteration of GluR2 and NR2 expression caused by OGD or OGD plus high Zn2+ treatments.

Conclusions

Zn2+ is involved in neural cell apoptosis and/or death caused by hypoxia/ischemia via mediating excitotoxicity, oxidative stress, and inflammation.
Considering the impact of climate change on human communities significantly alters the outcome of species and site‐based vulnerability assessments
Authors: Segan Daniel B. , Hole David G. , Donatti Camila I. , Zganjar Chris , Martin Shaun , Butchart Stuart H. M. , Watson James E. M.
Published: July 2015

Aim

Human activities are largely responsible for the processes that threaten biodiversity, yet potential changes in human behaviour as a response to climate change are ignored in most species and site‐based vulnerability assessments (VAs). Here we assess how incorporation of the potential impact of climate change on humans alters our view of vulnerability when using well‐established site and species VA methodologies.

Location

Southern Africa.

Methods

Our baseline was two published studies that used accepted VA methodologies aimed at examining the direct impacts of climate changes on species and sites. The first identified potential shifts in the distributions of 164 restricted‐range avian species, the second forecasted species turnover in 331 Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs). We used a published spatially explicit assessment of potential climate change impacts on people to evaluate which species and sites overlap with human populations most likely to be impacted. By doing this, we were able to assess how the integration of potential climate impacts on human populations changes our perception of which species and sites are most vulnerable to climate change.

Results

We found no correlation between species and sites most likely to be impacted directly by climate change and those where the potential response of human populations could drive major indirect impacts. The relative vulnerability of individual species and sites shifted when potential impacts of climate change on human communities were considered, with more than one‐fifth of species and one‐tenth of sites moving from ‘low’ to ‘high’ risk.

Main conclusions

Standard VA methodologies that fail to consider how people are likely to respond to climate change will result in systematically biased assessments. This may lead to the implementation of inappropriate management actions, and a failure to address those species or sites that may be uniquely, or additionally, imperilled by the impacts of human responses to climate change.
Quantifying the activity levels and behavioural responses of butterfly species to habitat boundaries
Authors: MAIR LOUISE , THOMAS CHRIS D. , FRANCO ALDINA M. A. , HILL JANE K.
Published: July 2015

1. The ability of species' to undergo climate‐driven range shifts across fragmented landscapes depends on their dispersal ability as well as the structure of the landscape. For species' range shifts to occur, individuals must first leave suitable habitat to seek new habitat; this is likely to depend on the rate of movement of individuals within habitat and the likelihood that a boundary is crossed, once it is encountered. For three species of butterfly with contrasting histories of recent range expansion, we examined the propensity of individuals to move within a habitat and their responses to habitat boundaries.

2. We quantified the extent to which Plebejus argus (Linnaeus) (a declining habitat specialist), Aricia agestis (Schiffermuller) (an expanding generalist) and Polymmatus icarus (Rottemburg) (a geographically ubiquitous generalist) crossed habitat boundaries into unsuitable habitat and moved within suitable habitat. The observed movement was then related to individual and environmental conditions.

3. Species differed in their activity levels in accordance within their recent distribution patterns (P. icarus > A. agestis > P. argus). Our results for P. argus suggest that movement may be motivated by nectar‐seeking, and that males generally move more than females. All three species tended to avoid crossing habitat boundaries; however the proportion of individuals crossing habitat boundaries did not differ significantly among species.

4. We conclude that levels of activity within a habitat, which will affect the frequency with which individuals encounter habitat boundaries, rather than behavioural responses to the boundaries, may be important drivers of distribution change.
Hypoxia increases the expression of enamel genes and cytokines in an ameloblast‐derived cell line
Authors: Sidaly Rivan , Landin Maria A. , Suo Zhenhe , Snead Malcolm L. , Lyngstadaas Ståle P. , Reseland Janne E.
Published: July 2015

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of hypoxic conditions on the expression of enamel genes and on the secretion of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), cytokines, and interleukins by an ameloblast‐derived cell line. Murine ameloblast‐derived cells (LS‐8 cells) were exposed to 1% oxygen for 24 and 48 h and harvested after 1, 2, 3, and 7 d. The effect of culture in hypoxic conditions on the expression of structural enamel matrix genes and on the secretion of cytokines and interleukins, as well as ALP and LDH, into the cell‐culture medium was calculated relative to the expression and secretion of these factors by untreated cells (controls) at each time point. Hypoxia increased expression of the structural enamel matrix genes amelogenin (Amelx), ameloblastin (Ambn), and enamelin (Enam), and the enamel protease matrix metalloproteinase‐20 (Mmp20). Expression of hypoxia‐inducible factor 1‐alpha (Hif1α), and secretion of several vascularization factors and pro‐inflammatory factors, were increased after 24 and 48 h of hypoxia. The ALP activity was reduced after 24 and 48 h of hypoxia, whereas the LDH level in the cell‐culture medium was higher after 24 h of hypoxic conditions compared with 48 h. In conclusion, hypoxic exposure may disrupt the controlled fine‐tuned expression and processing of enamel genes, and promote the secretion of pro‐inflammatory factors.
The priming potential of environmentally weathered pyrogenic carbon during land‐use transition to biomass crop production
Authors: McClean Gary J. , Meredith Will , Cross Andrew , Heal Kate V. , Bending Gary D. , Sohi Saran P.
Published: July 2015

Since land‐use change (LUC) to lignocellulosic biomass crops often causes a loss of soil organic carbon (SOC), at least in the short term, this study investigated the potential for pyrogenic carbon (PyC) to ameliorate this effect. Although negative priming has been observed in many studies, most of these are long‐term incubation experiments which do not account for the interactions between environmentally weathered PyC and native SOC. Here, the aim was to assess the impact of environmentally weathered PyC on native SOC mineralization at different time points in LUC from arable crops to short rotation coppice (SRC) willow. At eight SRC willow plantations in England, with ages of 3–22 years, soil amended 18–22 months previously with PyC was compared with unamended control soil. Cumulative CO2 flux was measured weekly from incubated soil at 0–5 cm depth, and soil‐surface CO2 flux was also measured in the field. For the incubated soil, cumulative CO2 flux was significantly higher from soil containing weathered PyC than the control soil for seven of the eight sites. Across all sites, the mean cumulative CO2 flux was 21% higher from soil incubated with weathered PyC than the control soil. These results indicate the potential for positive priming in the surface 5 cm of soil independent of changes in soil properties following LUC to SRC willow production. However, no net effect on CO2 flux was observed in the field, suggesting this increase in CO2 is offset by a contrasting PyC‐induced effect at a different soil depth or that different effects were observed under laboratory and field conditions. Although the mechanisms for these contrasting effects remain unclear, results presented here suggest that PyC does not reduce LUC‐induced SOC losses through negative priming, at least for this PyC type and application rate.
Dispersal is a major driver of the latitudinal diversity gradient of Carnivora
Authors: Rolland Jonathan , Condamine Fabien L. , Beeravolu Champak R. , Jiguet Frédéric , Morlon Hélène
Published: July 2015

Aim

Understanding the relative contribution of diversification rates (speciation and extinction) and dispersal in the formation of the latitudinal diversity gradient – the decrease in species richness with increasing latitude – is a main goal of biogeography. The mammalian order Carnivora, which comprises 286 species, displays the traditional latitudinal diversity gradient seen in almost all mammalian orders. Yet the processes driving high species richness in the tropics may be fundamentally different in this group from that in other mammalian groups. Indeed, a recent study suggested that in Carnivora, unlike in all other major mammalian orders, net diversification rates are not higher in the tropics than in temperate regions. Our goal was thus to understand the reasons why there are more species of Carnivora in the tropics.

Location

World‐wide.

Methods

We reconstructed the biogeographical history of Carnivora using a time‐calibrated phylogeny of the clade comprising all terrestrial species and dispersal–extinction–cladogenesis models. We also analysed a fossil dataset of carnivoran genera to examine how the latitudinal distribution of Carnivora varied through time.

Results

Our biogeographical analyses suggest that Carnivora originated in the East Palaearctic (i.e. Central Asia, China) in the early Palaeogene. Multiple independent lineages dispersed to low latitudes following three main paths: toward Africa, toward India/Southeast Asia and toward South America via the Bering Strait. These dispersal events were probably associated with local extinctions at high latitudes. Fossil data corroborate a high‐latitude origin of the group, followed by late dispersal events toward lower latitudes in the Neogene.

Main conclusions

Unlike most other mammalian orders, which originated and diversified at low latitudes and dispersed ‘out of the tropics’, Carnivora originated at high latitudes, and subsequently dispersed southward. Our study provides an example of combining phylogenetic and fossil data to understand the generation and maintenance of global‐scale geographical variations in species richness.
Sodium fluorescein as an internal tracer on the location of bovine urine patches in pastures
Authors: Gusmão M. R. , Alves T. C. , Lemes A. P. , Bettiol G. M. , Pedroso A. de F. , Barioni Junior W. , Oliveira P. P. A. , Grego C. R.
Published: July 2015

Sodium fluorescein (SF) was evaluated and validated as an internal marker in cattle for the location of urine patches in pastures. Three trials were carried out aiming at the following: evaluating the effect of dilution and volume of application on SF fluorescence on the environment; testing dosages and duration of excretion of SF administered orally to cattle; and validating the methodology for SF use on the location of cattle urine patches in pastures. The marker was tested in beef cattle kept on pastures under three grazing systems: degraded pasture under extensive management (De), intensively managed dryland pasture with high stocking rate (Id) and intensively managed irrigated pasture with high stocking rate (Ii). Besides the localization of urination sites, the number of urinations/animal/d and the area covered by urine were also determined. The residue of SF remained fluorescent in the pasture foliage up to 34 h after urination events, allowing the location of urine patches by a black‐light flashlight. There was no difference between grazing systems in the number of urine patches/animal/d during the rainy and dry seasons. The average number of urine patches was approximately 11/animal/d. As expected, the estimated volume and area covered by urine varied according to the stocking density. The chosen SF dose (50 mg kg−1 LW) did not adversely affect the animals when administered once daily during 2 d. However, the same SF dose administered during four consecutive days caused urinary disorder in the animal. The distribution of urine patches was spatially dependent on specific characteristics of the paddock.
Effects of communication on the performance of nursing students during the simulation of an emergency situation
Authors: Chapelain Pascal , Morineau Thierry , Gautier Claudie
Published: July 2015

Aim

To explore how nursing performance is impacted by different forms of team communication including a message transmitted through an earpiece which triggers reflective thinking in the simulation of a deteriorating patient situation.

Background

Communication can either support team performance or produce interruptions potentially leading to error. Today, technology offers the opportunity to use devices that can permit communication.

Design

An experimental protocol was used with quantitative and qualitative analyses.

Methods

Pairs of nursing students (N = 26) were dispatched to either an experimental group having to wear an earpiece priming reflective thinking, or to a control group. The study was conducted between October 2013–April 2014.

Results

The number of spontaneous information exchanges between pairs of participants was positively correlated with overall performance (actions performed and physician call) and with actions performed at the right moment. The number of questions in the team was positively correlated with overall action performance. No quantitative effect of the earpiece message on the performance indicators was found. But, a qualitative observation showed that this message can allow for error avoidance. Subjective evaluation of the earpiece as an aid was negatively correlated with overall action performance. Its evaluation as a disturbance was also negatively correlated with the measurement of actions performed at the right moment.

Conclusion

The ability to exchange information and to ask questions seems to contribute to performance in care delivery. The use of communication devices to trigger reflective thinking must be studied in more depth to assess their capacity to improve performance.
Gender Composition of Children and the Third Birth in the United States
Authors: Tian Felicia F. , Morgan S. Philip
Published: July 2015

Pollard and Morgan (2002) argued that the parental mixed‐gender preference (i.e., parents' preference to have at least one son and one daughter) will weaken in the United States as aspects of gender become increasingly deinstitutionalized. They presented evidence that mixed‐gender preference weakened in the 1986–1995 period compared to earlier and coined this change as emerging gender indifference. On the other hand, credible claims and evidence suggest that after 1985, the “gender revolution” has stalled. Such arguments suggest that weakened mixed‐gender preference will persist. In this study, the authors replicated and extended Pollard and Morgan using 4 waves of data from the National Survey of Family Growth that allow examination of the 1966–2009 period. The results show that the effect of same‐gender children on intending/having another child declined in the 1986–1995 period; however, no evidence that this effect has continued to weaken was found. Thus, these data show evidence consistent with a “stalled revolution.”
A Generic Approach to Estimate Freeway Traffic Time Using Vehicle ID‐Matching Technologies
Authors: Li Pengfei , Souleyrette Reginald R.
Published: July 2015

New technologies have emerged to estimate the travel time on freeways by matching certain unique identifications of passing vehicles at different locations. These types of technologies share many similarities despite having different mechanisms. In this article, a generic method is presented to estimate freeway travel times using vehicle ID‐matching technologies. In particular, the new method addresses two long‐standing challenges: outlier screening and travel time estimation. Innovations include (1) using both statistical methods and traffic flow theory to screen outliers; and (2) accounting for mechanisms of various equipment measurement errors. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated using simulation and shown to be more accurate and responsive to travel time changes than methods based on the use of traditional inductive loops.
The HT1 protein kinase is essential for red light‐induced stomatal opening and genetically interacts with OST1 in red light and CO2‐induced stomatal movement responses
Authors: Matrosova Anastasia , Bogireddi Hanumakumar , Mateo‐Peñas Alfonso , Hashimoto‐Sugimoto Mimi , Iba Koh , Schroeder Julian I. , Israelsson‐Nordström Maria
Published: July 2015

The question of whether red light‐induced stomatal opening is mediated by a photosynthesis‐derived reduction in intercellular [CO2] (Ci) remains controversial and genetic analyses are needed.

The Arabidopsis thaliana protein kinase HIGH TEMPERATURE 1 (HT1) is a negative regulator of [CO2]‐induced stomatal closing and ht1‐2 mutant plants do not show stomatal opening to low [CO2]. The protein kinase mutant ost1‐3 exhibits slowed stomatal responses to CO2. The functions of HT1 and OPEN STOMATA 1 (OST1) to changes in red, blue light or [CO2] were analyzed. For comparison we assayed recessive ca1ca4 carbonic anhydrase double mutant plants, based on their slowed stomatal response to CO2.

Here, we report a strong impairment in ht1 in red light‐induced stomatal opening whereas blue light was able to induce stomatal opening. The effects on photosynthetic performance in ht1 were restored when stomatal limitation of CO2 uptake, by control of [Ci], was eliminated. HT1 was found to interact genetically with OST1 both during red light‐ and low [CO2]‐induced stomatal opening. Analyses of ca1ca4 plants suggest that more than a low [Ci]‐dependent pathway may function in red light‐induced stomatal opening.

These results demonstrate that HT1 is essential for red light‐induced stomatal opening and interacts genetically with OST1 during stomatal responses to red light and altered [CO2].
Reminiscence work with older people: the development of a historical reminiscence tool
Authors: Thorgrimsdottir Sigrun Huld , Bjornsdottir Kristin
Published: July 2015

Aims and objectives

(i) To explore how reminiscence workers in older people's care define their work and (ii) to describe the development of a historical reminiscence tool containing historical developments from the older person's passage through life, intended to support reminiscence work.

Background

Reminiscence work refers to the recall of past occurrences in a client's life with the intention of enhancing well‐being, social skills and self‐image.

Design

The design of the historical reminiscence tool was informed by the model of intervention design developed by van Meijel et al. starting with problem definition followed by the accumulation of building blocks for the intervention, the design of the intervention and, lastly, a validation of the intervention.

Method

Two studies were designed to develop the historical reminiscence tool. Study 1 was a focus group interview, conducted in 2008, aimed at generating knowledge about current practice and to develop the historical reminiscence tool. Eighteen women who identified themselves as reminiscence workers participated in three focus groups. Study 2 was a telephone survey, conducted in 2012 by the first author, serving the purpose of validation. The results provided information about the use of such a historical reminiscence tool.

Results

Participants understood reminiscence work primarily as meaningful activity, working with personal experience and honouring the individual's memories and life story. The historical reminiscence tool containing information about important historical events and everyday life in the period 1925–1955 was welcomed by the participants. They provided numerous suggestions for improvement of the draft.

Conclusion

Reminiscence work in Iceland is of the social or meaningful activity type rather than a therapy. A historical reminiscence tool containing pertinent historical information was considered helpful in strengthening reminiscence workers' knowledge of the social and historical background of their clients and person‐centred care.

Implication for practice

Reminiscence tools, such as books or electronic sources containing historical information pertaining to aging individuals, can enhance the care of older people.
Identification of HLA‐B*14:41N in a NMDP Hispanic donor, selected for a patient of The Unrelated Mexican Donor Registry‐DONORMO program in Mexico
Authors: Alaez C. , Flores‐A H. , Munguía A. , Gorodezky C.
Published: July 2015

The B*14:41N allele was identified in a The National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) Hispanic donor typed by our Mexican Registry‐DONORMO
Conservation of a Fur Court Robe of the Qing Dynasty
Authors: Wang Yunli , Wang Chunlei
Published: July 2015

Although fur artifacts are not numerous, they are relatively common in northern China’s museums. This article focuses on the conservation of a man’s court robe from the Palace Museum, lined with golden yellow silk kesi and decorated with golden dragons in colorful clouds and fur trim. It illustrates the treatment process for fur garments, including fur type identification, original sewing methodology documentation, replacement fur piece preparation and degraded fur repair. The fur class cultural relics appraisal method makes we completed a research project1. It based on fur fiber micro detection in the field of zoology2 and fiber detection of textile field3. Fur repair methods described in the article isfusion of the traditional fur production and restoration. This article would provide a detailed reference for future similar fur artifact repair work.
Enhanced open-circuit voltage of InAs/GaAs quantum dot solar cells by hydrogen plasma treatment
Authors: Kim HoSung , Park MinSu , Kim SangHyeon , Kim SangHyuck , Song JinDong , Choi WonJun , Park JungHo , Lee YooJong
Published: July 2015

The authors describe performance enhancement in InAs/GaAs quantum dot solar cells (QDSCs) using hydrogen plasma treatment. Photoluminescence (PL) and time-resolved PL revealed clearly decreased defect levels in QDSCs and improved crystal quality after hydrogen passivation. As a result, the open-circuit voltage and efficiency of the hydrogen-treated QDSCs were largely increased about 70 mV and 10%, respectively.
Core–shell FeNi–NixFe3−xO4 nanowires
Authors: Al Salmi Wiaam , Gyawali Parshu , Dahal Bishnu , Pegg Ian L. , Philip John
Published: July 2015

Core–shell Fe0.7Ni0.3–NixFe3−xO4 nanowires were fabricated using a three step process. Initially, NiFe2O4 nanowires were fabricated using the electrospinning method; these nanowires were reduced to form Fe0.7Ni0.3 nanowires. The Fe0.7Ni0.3 nanowires were then naturally oxidized to form a shell of NixFe3−xO4 on the surface, obtaining Fe0.7Ni0.3–NixFe3−xO4 core–shell nanowires. The core Fe0.7Ni0.3 and the shell NixFe3−xO4 are crystalline in nature. The core–shell structure is very stable, and even after prolonged exposure to dry air, it maintains the core–shell structure and the magnetic hysteresis character of the bimagnetic system.
The value of nodal information in predicting lung cancer relapse using 4DPET/4DCT
Authors: Li Heyse , Becker Nathan , Raman Srinivas , Chan Timothy C. Y. , Bissonnette Jean‐Pierre
Published: July 2015

Purpose:

There is evidence that computed tomography (CT) and positron emission tomography (PET) imaging metrics are prognostic and predictive in nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treatment outcomes. However, few studies have explored the use of standardized uptake value (SUV)‐based image features of nodal regions as predictive features. The authors investigated and compared the use of tumor and node image features extracted from the radiotherapy target volumes to predict relapse in a cohort of NSCLC patients undergoing chemoradiation treatment.

Methods:

A prospective cohort of 25 patients with locally advanced NSCLC underwent 4DPET/4DCT imaging for radiation planning. Thirty‐seven image features were derived from the CT‐defined volumes and SUVs of the PET image from both the tumor and nodal target regions. The machine learning methods of logistic regression and repeated stratified five‐fold cross‐validation (CV) were used to predict local and overall relapses in 2 yr. The authors used well‐known feature selection methods (Spearman's rank correlation, recursive feature elimination) within each fold of CV. Classifiers were ranked on their Matthew's correlation coefficient (MCC) after CV. Area under the curve, sensitivity, and specificity values are also presented.

Results:

For predicting local relapse, the best classifier found had a mean MCC of 0.07 and was composed of eight tumor features. For predicting overall relapse, the best classifier found had a mean MCC of 0.29 and was composed of a single feature: the volume greater than 0.5 times the maximum SUV (N).

Conclusions:

The best classifier for predicting local relapse had only tumor features. In contrast, the best classifier for predicting overall relapse included a node feature. Overall, the methods showed that nodes add value in predicting overall relapse but not local relapse.
MRI reconstruction of multi‐image acquisitions using a rank regularizer with data reordering
Authors: Adluru Ganesh , Gur Yaniv , Chen Liyong , Feinberg David , Anderson Jeffrey , DiBella Edward V. R.
Published: July 2015

Purpose:

To improve rank constrained reconstructions for undersampled multi‐image MRI acquisitions.

Methods:

Motivated by the recent developments in low‐rank matrix completion theory and its applicability to rapid dynamic MRI, a new reordering‐based rank constrained reconstruction of undersampled multi‐image data that uses prior image information is proposed. Instead of directly minimizing the nuclear norm of a matrix of estimated images, the nuclear norm of reordered matrix values is minimized. The reordering is based on the prior image estimates. The method is tested on brain diffusion imaging data and dynamic contrast enhanced myocardial perfusion data.

Results:

Good quality images from data undersampled by a factor of three for diffusion imaging and by a factor of 3.5 for dynamic cardiac perfusion imaging with respiratory motion were obtained. Reordering gave visually improved image quality over standard nuclear norm minimization reconstructions. Root mean squared errors with respect to ground truth images were improved by ∼18% and ∼16% with reordering for diffusion and perfusion applications, respectively.

Conclusions:

The reordered low‐rank constraint is a way to inject prior image information that offers improvements over a standard low‐rank constraint for undersampled multi‐image MRI reconstructions.
TBSTM: A Novel and Fast Nonlinear Classification Method for Image Data
Authors: Xu Haitao , Fan Liya , Gao Xizhan
Published: July 2015

A new classifier for image data classification named as linear twin bounded support tensor machine (linear TBSTM) is proposed by adding regularization terms in objective functions, which results in the realization of structural risk minimization avoids of the singularity of matrices. We know that up to now nonlinear classifiers based on STM for image data classification are not seen more. In order to remedy this limitation, a new matrix kernel function is introduced and based on which the nonlinear version of TBSTM is studied with a detailed theoretical derivation, and then a nonlinear classifier called as nonlinear TBSTM is suggested. In order to examine the effectiveness of the proposed classifiers, a series of comparative experiments with three linear classifiers STM, TSTM and PSTM are performed on 15 binary image classification problems taken from ORL, YALE and AR datasets. Experiment results show that the proposed classifiers are effective and efficient.
Groups acting on hyperbolic Λ-metric spaces
Authors: Grecianu Andrei-Paul , Kvaschuk Alexei V. , Myasnikov Alexei G. , Serbin Denis E.
Published: July 2015

In this paper we study group actions on hyperbolic Λ-metric spaces, where Λ is an ordered abelian group. Λ-metric spaces were first introduced by Morgan and Shalen in their study of hyperbolic structures and then Chiswell, following Gromov's ideas, introduced the notion of hyperbolicity for such spaces. Only the case of 0-hyperbolic Λ-metric spaces (that is, Λ-trees) was systematically studied, while the theory of general hyperbolic Λ-metric spaces was not developed at all. Hence, one of the goals of the present paper was to fill this gap and translate basic notions and results from the theory of group actions on hyperbolic (in the usual sense) spaces to the case of Λ-metric spaces for an arbitrary Λ. The other goal was to show some principal difficulties which arise in this generalization and the ways to deal with them.
Photophysical properties of porphyrin derivatives: Influence of the alkyl chains in homogeneous and micro-heterogeneous systems
Authors: Santos Sandra Cruz dos , Moreira Leonardo Marmo , Novo Diogo La Rosa , Santin Luiza Rosimeri Romano , Bianchini Daniela , Bonacin Juliano Alves , Romani Ana Paula , Fernandes Adjaci Uchoa , Baptista Maurício S. , de Oliveira Hueder Paulo Moisés
Published: July 2015

This work is focused on the evaluation of the photophysical properties of protoporphyrin-IX derivatives with different alkyl chains. The goal of this work is to understand the physicochemical properties and select prototypes of photosensitizers for photodynamic therapy. Solvents with different dielectric constants were used to obtain relevant data on different physical and chemical processes, such as fluorescence quantum yield and emission level of aggregation in nonpolar media. In addition, studies were conducted in micro-heterogeneous systems through the interaction of porphyrin derivatives with different surfactants, such as cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, sodium dodecyl sulfate and octyl phenol ethoxylate. The compounds were characterized by electronic absorption spectroscopy in the ultraviolet-visible region and fluorescence emission spectroscopy. The comparative study between the different chemical environments evaluated in the present study represents a relevant contribution to the comprehension of the properties acquired by the porphyrins in different micro-heterogeneous systems, which allows us to understand various interactions that these compounds are subject in biological medium, such as the influence of the polarity of the medium in the reactivity of porphyrins with nonpolar substituents. These results show the decisive physicochemical influence of the alkyl chains on the properties of the tetraazomacrocycle porphyrin.
A Note on Entropies for Compound Systems
Authors: Watanabe Noboru
Published: July 2015

In quantum compound systems, joint (or compound) states usually do not exist [26]. The so-called Ohya compound state was defined by using the von Neumann–Schatten decomposition [23] of an input state and a quantum communication channel. Quantum mutual entropy [10] was introduced by using quantum relative entropy [24] between the Ohya compound state and the trivial (product) compound state on the compound (input and output) system. One of the remarkable results related to state entanglement is the Jamiolkowski isomorphism [5]. In this paper, we use the Jamiolkowski isomorphism for the construction of Ohya compound state and we discuss the existence of a completely positive map between compound entangled states and the Ohya compound states. The efficiency of information transmission is investigated by using the mean entropy and the mean mutual entropy [12, 6] of a connected channel.
Products of binomial coefficients and unreduced Farey fractions
Authors: Lagarias Jeffrey C , Mehta Harsh
Published: July 2015

This paper studies the product [Formula: see text] of the binomial coefficients in the [Formula: see text]th row of Pascal’s triangle, which equals the reciprocal of the product of all the reduced and unreduced Farey fractions of order [Formula: see text]. It studies its size as a real number, measured by [Formula: see text], and its prime factorization, measured by the order of divisibility [Formula: see text] by a fixed prime [Formula: see text], each viewed as a function of [Formula: see text]. It derives three formulas for [Formula: see text], two of which relate it to base [Formula: see text] radix expansions of integers up to [Formula: see text], and which display different facets of its behavior. These formulas are used to determine the maximal growth rate of each [Formula: see text] and to explain structure of the fluctuations of these functions. It also defines analogous functions [Formula: see text] for all integer bases [Formula: see text] using base [Formula: see text] radix expansions replacing base [Formula: see text]-expansions. A final topic relates factorizations of [Formula: see text] to Chebyshev-type prime-counting estimates and the prime number theorem.
Human Chorionic Gonadotropin Protects Vascular Endothelial Cells from Oxidative Stress by Apoptosis Inhibition, Cell Survival Signalling Activation and Mitochondrial Function Protection
Authors: Surico Daniela , Farruggio Serena , Marotta Patrizia , Raina Giulia , Mary David , Surico Nicola , Vacca Giovanni , Grossini Elena
Published: July 2015

Background/Aim: Previous reports have made it hypothetically possible that human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) could protect against the onset of pregnancy-related pathological conditions by acting as an antioxidant. In the present study we planned to examine the effects of hCG against oxidative stress in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). Methods: HUVEC were subjected to peroxidation by hydrogen peroxide. The modulation of nitric oxide (NO) release by hCG and its effects on cell viability, glutathione (GSH) levels, mitochondrial membrane potential and mitochondrial transition pore opening (MPTP) were examined by specific dyes. Endothelial and inducible NO synthase (eNOS and iNOS), Akt and extracellular -signal-regulated kinases 1/2 (ERK1/2) activation and markers of apoptosis were analyzed by Western Blot. Results: In HUVEC, hCG reduced NO release by modulating eNOS and iNOS. Moreover, hCG protected HUVEC against oxidative stress by preventing GSH reduction and apoptosis, by maintaining Akt and ERK1/2 activation and by keeping mitochondrial function. Conclusion: The present results have for the first time shown protective effects exerted by hCG on vascular endothelial function, which would be achieved by modulation of NO release, antioxidant and antiapoptotic actions and activation of cell survival signalling. These findings could have clinical implications in the management of pregnancy-related disorders.
T-Cell Lymphomas Presenting as Colon Ulcers and Eosinophilia
Authors: Wu Ping-Hsiu , Chu Kuang-En , Lin Yu-Min , Huang Shu-Han , Wu Chin-Chu
Published: July 2015

Primary gastrointestinal T-cell lymphoma is an uncommon entity and primary colon T-cell lymphoma is even rarer. The majority of enteropathy-associated T-cell lymphomas present predominantly as ulcers or strictures in the endoscopic examinations, while primary B-cell lymphomas commonly present as exophytic lesions. Ulcerative colon T-cell lymphoma may mimic Crohn's disease (CD), which is a chronic inflammatory disease of the intestines with ulcer and fistula formations difficult for clinicians to diagnose based on endoscopic observations alone. Like CD, T-cell lymphoma may be characterized by the presence of multiple skipped ulcers distributed from the terminal ileum to the descending colon. Furthermore, it is difficult to diagnose this unusual lymphoma by a single endoscopic biopsy. Typically, the histological composition of T-cell lymphoma is made of medium to large atypical cells located in the base of the ulcer with extension to the muscle layer and the adjacent mucosa. However, it is common that biopsy specimens show only mixed inflammatory changes where the lymphoma cells are hard to be identified. The differential diagnosis of malignant lymphoma must be considered when clinically diagnosed CD is refractory to the medical treatment or when its clinical behavior becomes aggressive. The current study presents a rare case of primary colon T-cell lymphoma in a 56-year-old male with marked recent weight loss, watery diarrhea and bilateral neck lymphadenopathy, who received a laboratory checkup and endoscopic workup for colon biopsy. The initial pathological report was consistent with mucosal inflammation and benign colon ulcers. Interestingly, the blood test showed a prominent eosinophilia. A biopsy of the enlarged neck lymph nodes done approximately 1 month after the colon biopsy unexpectedly showed T-cell lymphoma, which led to a review of the initial colonic biopsy specimens. Additional immunohistochemical stains were used accordingly, which showed positive results for CD3, CD45RO and LCA antibodies confirming the diagnosis of lymphoma. The endoscopic diagnosis of ulcerative colon T-cell lymphoma is frequently confused with inflammatory conditions of the large bowel such as CD, and tuberculosis colitis. Our study aims to emphasize the difficulty in differentiating this ulcerative form of colon T-cell lymphoma from the inflammatory bowel diseases and the importance of its differential diagnosis due to the much more aggressive clinical behavior of the T-cell lymphoma.
Computational Constancy Measures of Texts—Yule'sKand Rényi's Entropy
Authors: Tanaka-Ishii Kumiko , Aihara Shunsuke
Published: July 2015

This article presents a mathematical and empirical verification of computational constancy measures for natural language text. A constancy measure characterizes a given text by having an invariant value for any size larger than a certain amount. The study of such measures has a 70-year history dating back to Yule's K, with the original intended application of author identification. We examine various measures proposed since Yule and reconsider reports made so far, thus overviewing the study of constancy measures. We then explain how K is essentially equivalent to an approximation of the second-order Rényi entropy, thus indicating its signification within language science. We then empirically examine constancy measure candidates within this new, broader context. The approximated higher-order entropy exhibits stable convergence across different languages and kinds of text. We also show, however, that it cannot identify authors, contrary to Yule's intention. Lastly, we apply K to two unknown scripts, the Voynich manuscript and Rongorongo, and show how the results support previous hypotheses about these scripts.
Discriminative Syntax-Based Word Ordering for Text Generation
Authors: Zhang Yue , Clark Stephen
Published: July 2015

Word ordering is a fundamental problem in text generation. In this article, we study word ordering using a syntax-based approach and a discriminative model. Two grammar formalisms are considered: Combinatory Categorial Grammar (CCG) and dependency grammar. Given the search for a likely string and syntactic analysis, the search space is massive, making discriminative training challenging. We develop a learning-guided search framework, based on best-first search, and investigate several alternative training algorithms.

The framework we present is flexible in that it allows constraints to be imposed on output word orders. To demonstrate this flexibility, a variety of input conditions are considered. First, we investigate a “pure” word-ordering task in which the input is a multi-set of words, and the task is to order them into a grammatical and fluent sentence. This task has been tackled previously, and we report improved performance over existing systems on a standard Wall Street Journal test set. Second, we tackle the same reordering problem, but with a variety of input conditions, from the bare case with no dependencies or POS tags specified, to the extreme case where all POS tags and unordered, unlabeled dependencies are provided as input (and various conditions in between). When applied to the NLG 2011 shared task, our system gives competitive results compared with the best-performing systems, which provide a further demonstration of the practical utility of our system.
Evaluation Methods for Statistically Dependent Text
Authors: Karimi Sarvnaz , Yin Jie , Baum Jiri
Published: July 2015

In recent years, many studies have been published on data collected from social media, especially microblogs such as Twitter. However, rather few of these studies have considered evaluation methodologies that take into account the statistically dependent nature of such data, which breaks the theoretical conditions for using cross-validation. Despite concerns raised in the past about using cross-validation for data of similar characteristics, such as time series, some of these studies evaluate their work using standard k-fold cross-validation. Through experiments on Twitter data collected during a two-year period that includes disastrous events, we show that by ignoring the statistical dependence of the text messages published in social media, standard cross-validation can result in misleading conclusions in a machine learning task. We explore alternative evaluation methods that explicitly deal with statistical dependence in text. Our work also raises concerns for any other data for which similar conditions might hold.
The correct name for the New Zealand endemic conifer Hall’s totara (Araucariales: Podocarpaceae)
Authors: Molloy Brian
Published: July 2015

Podocarpus laetus is the earliest available legitimate name for the New Zealand conifer Hall’s totara, presently known as P. hallii or P. cunninghamii. The status of these two names is discussed, and the background of P. laetus and species it has been associated with are reviewed. The name P. laetus is reinstated and typified.
Notes on Early Land Plants Today. 74. Validation of a few names in liverworts (Marchantiophyta)
Authors: Söderström Lars , Pócs Tamás , Váňa JIŘÍ , Hagborg Anders
Published: July 2015

For the forthcoming world checklist of hornworts and liverworts (Söderström et al. in press) a few names to be used need to be validated.