bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Deterministic sparse FFT algorithms
Authors: Plonka Gerlind , Wannenwetsch Katrin
Published: October 2015

In this paper we consider sparse signals
${\bf x}\in {\bf C}^N$
which are known to vanish outside a support interval of length bounded by m < N. For the case that m is known, we propose a deterministic algorithm of complexity
${\cal O}(m\log m)$
for reconstruction of x from its discrete Fourier transform
$\widehat{\bf x}\in {\bf C}^N.$
(© 2015 Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Capturing Situational Information with Smartphones and Mobile Sensing Methods
Authors: Harari Gabriella M. , Gosling Samuel D. , Wang Rui , Campbell Andrew T.
Published: October 2015

Smartphones are pervasive companions to many people as they go about their daily lives. In addition, they are equipped with a wide array of sensors making it possible to measure objective information about people and situations, many times, with great fidelity, over long periods of time, in a way that is both unobtrusive and ecologically valid. Therefore, we argue that smartphones and other forms of mobile sensing are ideally suited to measuring situations. In particular, we describe how sensing methods can be used to assess situational cues, characteristics and classes. Copyright © 2015 European Association of Personality Psychology
Homoepitaxial diamond film growth: High purity, high crystalline quality, isotopic enrichment, and single color center formation
Authors: Teraji Tokuyuki , Yamamoto Takashi , Watanabe Kenji , Koide Yasuo , Isoya Junichi , Onoda Shinobu , Ohshima Takeshi , Rogers Lachlan J. , Jelezko Fedor , Neumann Philipp , Wrachtrup Jörg , Koizumi Satoshi
Published: October 2015

With optical/electronic devices of the next generation in mind, we provide a guideline for the growth of homoepitaxial diamond films that possess higher crystalline quality, higher chemical purity, and a higher carbon isotopic ratio. A custom‐built microwave plasma‐assisted chemical vapor deposition system was constructed to achieve these requirements. To improve both the purity and crystalline quality of homoepitaxial diamond films, an advanced growth condition was applied: higher oxygen concentration in the growth ambient. Under this growth condition for high‐quality diamond, a thick diamond film of ≥30 μm was deposited reproducibly while maintaining high purity and a flat surface. Then, combining this advanced growth condition for non‐doped diamond with a unique doping technique that provides parts‐per‐billion order doping, single‐color centers of either nitrogen‐vacancy or silicon‐vacancy centers that show excellent properties were formed. The new idea of using these color centers as a probe for detecting tiny amounts of impurities was presented. These advanced growth and characterization techniques are expected to open up new fields of diamond research that require extremely low‐impurity concentration, for use in power devices and quantum information devices.
Efficient and secure multi‐functional searchable symmetric encryption schemes
Authors: Hu Changhui , Han Lidong , Yiu Siu Ming
Published: October 2015

There is an increasing trend for data owners to outsource their data to an untrusted cloud provider. Besides providing the storage for the data, the service provider could allow the data owner or authorized clients to search over the data. To guarantee the data secure, the owner must encrypt his or her data before sending to the cloud. However, traditional encryption does not allow searching without decrypting the data. Searchable symmetric encryption is one approach that allows users to search over the encrypted data. For data applications, various different functional search have been proposed, such as wildcard search, similarity keyword search and fuzzy keyword search. Moreover, dynamic addition and removal of files should be supported in practice. However, to our knowledge, there does not exist a searchable symmetric encryption scheme that can support many properties such as more than three functions in all the aforementioned operations. In this paper, we propose an efficient multi‐functional searchable symmetric encryption scheme that can support wildcard search, similarity search (including hamming distance and edit distance), fuzzy keyword search and disjunctive keyword search simultaneously. In the new scheme, the trapdoor changes with various search requests and it enumerates all possibilities of the keyword of the trapdoor. Moreover, we use an array instead of a matrix to reduce the storage, and the scheme can be constructed efficiently in terms of both computational and space complexity. Our scheme is based on the Bloom filter, and it is secure against non‐adaptive chosen keyword attack. With the dynamic technique for the inverted index, our scheme can support dynamic operation such as addition and removal of data files, which can also be secure against adaptive chosen keyword attack. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Nonparametric estimation of time‐dependent ROC curves conditional on a continuous covariate
Authors: Rodríguez‐Álvarez María Xosé , Meira‐Machado Luís , Abu‐Assi Emad , Raposeiras‐Roubín Sergio
Published: October 2015

The receiver‐operating characteristic (ROC) curve is the most widely used measure for evaluating the performance of a diagnostic biomarker when predicting a binary disease outcome. The ROC curve displays the true positive rate (or sensitivity) and the false positive rate (or 1‐specificity) for different cut‐off values used to classify an individual as healthy or diseased. In time‐to‐event studies, however, the disease status (e.g. death or alive) of an individual is not a fixed characteristic, and it varies along the study. In such cases, when evaluating the performance of the biomarker, several issues should be taken into account: first, the time‐dependent nature of the disease status; and second, the presence of incomplete data (e.g. censored data typically present in survival studies). Accordingly, to assess the discrimination power of continuous biomarkers for time‐dependent disease outcomes, time‐dependent extensions of true positive rate, false positive rate, and ROC curve have been recently proposed. In this work, we present new nonparametric estimators of the cumulative/dynamic time‐dependent ROC curve that allow accounting for the possible modifying effect of current or past covariate measures on the discriminatory power of the biomarker. The proposed estimators can accommodate right‐censored data, as well as covariate‐dependent censoring. The behavior of the estimators proposed in this study will be explored through simulations and illustrated using data from a cohort of patients who suffered from acute coronary syndrome. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Cryopreserved human umbilical cord patch for in‐utero spina bifida repair
Authors: Papanna R. , Moise K. J. , Mann L. K. , Fletcher S. , Schniederjan R. , Bhattacharjee M. B. , Stewart R. J. , Kaur S. , Prabhu S. P. , Tseng S. C. G.
Published: October 2015

Objective

To identify a patch system to repair surgically created spina bifida in a sheep model for its efficacy in healing the skin defect, protecting the underlying spinal cord and reducing the Chiari II malformation.

Methods

Spina bifida was created surgically in 16 fetuses from eight timed‐pregnant sheep at gestational age of 75 days. Two fetuses did not survive the procedure. Repeat hysterotomy was performed at 95 days' gestation to cover the defect with either biocellulose film with underwater adhesive (BCF‐adhesive) (n = 7) or human umbilical cord with suture (HUC‐suture) (n = 7). Three fetuses without formation of the defect served as reference controls. The skin healing was examined by direct visualization after a planned Cesarean section at term, followed by histological analysis using hematoxylin and eosin and Masson's trichrome stains. Mid‐sagittal sections of the fetal cranium and upper cervical spine were analyzed by a pediatric neuroradiologist who was blinded to the type of patch received.

Results

Three fetuses that received the BCF‐adhesive and six fetuses that received the HUC‐suture survived to term for final analysis. As a result of dislodgment of the BCF‐adhesive, all spina bifida defects repaired using BCF‐adhesive were not healed and showed exposed spinal cord with leakage of cerebrospinal fluid. In contrast, all spinal defects repaired by HUC‐suture were healed with complete regrowth of epidermal, dermal and subdermal tissue components, with no exposed spinal cord. The maximal skin wound width was 21 ± 3.6 mm in the BCF‐adhesive group but 3 ± 0.8 mm in the HUC‐suture group (P < 0.001). The spinal cord area (P = 0.001) and the number of anterior horn cells (P = 0.03) was preserved to a greater degree in the HUC‐suture group than in the BCF‐adhesive group, whilst psammoma bodies, signifying neuronal degeneration, were only observed in the BCF‐adhesive group. Anatomic changes, indicative of Chiari II malformation, were seen in all three fetuses of the BCF‐adhesive group but in none of the HUC‐suture group (P < 0.01).

Conclusion

Cryopreserved umbilical cord graft is a promising regenerative patch for intrauterine repair of spina bifida. Copyright © 2015 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Impact of adding a second layer to a single unlocked closure of a Cesarean uterine incision: randomized controlled trial
Authors: Bennich G. , Rudnicki M. , Wilken‐Jensen C. , Lousen T. , Lassen P. D. , Wøjdemann K.
Published: October 2015

Objective

To investigate short‐ and long‐term effects on residual myometrial thickness (RMT) of adding a second layer to a single unlocked closure of a Cesarean uterine incision.

Methods

This was a randomized double‐blind controlled trial. Healthy nulliparous women scheduled for first‐time elective Cesarean delivery were operated on using a modified version of the Misgav Ladach surgical technique. The women were examined by transabdominal ultrasound before discharge from the maternity ward and by transvaginal saline contrast sonohysterography at a minimum of 5 months postpartum.

Results

Seventy‐six nulliparae met the criteria and agreed to participate in the study. Thirty‐five women were assigned to the single‐layer technique and 38 to the double‐layer unlocked closure technique. Groups were comparable regarding gestational age at delivery, duration of surgery and perioperative blood loss. There was no difference in RMT between the two groups, both at time of discharge (mean ± SD, 20.2 ± 8.0 mm vs 21.0 ± 9.7 mm) and after 5 months postpartum (mean, 5.7 ± 2.9 mm vs 5.7 ± 2.2 mm). RMT was approximately half that of the normal myometrium at both examinations.

Conclusion

The results of this study suggest that double‐layer closure of a Cesarean uterine incision does not increase RMT compared with single‐layer closure when an unlocked technique is used. Copyright © 2015 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
A Gibbs Sampler for the (Extended) Marginal Rasch Model
Authors: Maris Gunter , Bechger Timo , Martin Ernesto San
Published: October 2015

In their seminal work on characterizing the manifest probabilities of latent trait models, Cressie and Holland give a theoretically important characterization of the marginal Rasch model. Because their representation of the marginal Rasch model does not involve any latent trait, nor any specific distribution of a latent trait, it opens up the possibility for constructing a Markov chain - Monte Carlo method for Bayesian inference for the marginal Rasch model that does not rely on data augmentation. Such an approach would be highly efficient as its computational cost does not depend on the number of respondents, which makes it suitable for large-scale educational measurement. In this paper, such an approach will be developed and its operating characteristics illustrated with simulated data.
Characteristics of Zircon of Chhatrapur Beach Placer Deposit, Ganjam District, Odisha
Authors: Das S. K.
Published: October 2015

Morphological characteristics, statistical analysis, zoning, fracture patterns, mineral inclusions, metamictisation, parallel growth and overgrowth of zircon grains from Chhatrapur coast, Odisha are discussed. Zircon grains show variation in colour from brownish to colourless types. Euhedral zircon grains constitute 6.35% and considerable amounts are composed of elongated (31.22%), oval (18.94%), rounded (11.83%), subhedral (14.87%) and broken (11.10%) types. Some zircon grains show regular concentric zoning to faintly developed, blurred and patchy zoning patterns. Fracture patterns are radial, diagonal, concentric and irregular types. The mineral inclusions constituted of quartz, ilmenite, sillimanite, apatite, monazite, biotite, pyroxene, K-feldspar and plagioclase feldspar. The study indicated that the provenance of the zircon grains of Chhatrapur deposit comprised of igneous and metamorphic rocks of Eastern Ghat Mobile Belt (EGMB).
Quaternary Tectonic Deformations and Geomorphic Setup of Samakhiali Alluvial Plain, Eastern Kachchh, Western India
Authors: Goyal Bhanu , Thakkar M. G. , Bhandari S.
Published: October 2015

Eastern Kachchh is a critical intra-plate seismo-tectonic region where geomorphic features reflect pre-Quaternary and Quaternary structures and sub-surface-deformation. The Bhuj earthquake of 2001 occurred in the same region but did not generate any significant primary deformation features on the surface, however secondary deformations helped in deducing the nature of the earthquake. The present study was, therefore, aimed at understanding the nature of subsurface deformation applying geomorphic criteria in the alluvial landscape of Samakhiali plain. A wrench style of deformation has been observed in the sub-surface along the emerging tips of two faults – south Wagad fault and Kachchh Mainland fault. Incidentally the deformation model proposed here is substantiated by seismic studies carried out in this transition zone.
Depositional Environment in Great Indian Desert using Grain Size Parameters and its Chemical Characterization
Authors: Singh Chander Kumar , Kumar Pankaj , Kumar Alok , Mukherjee Saumitra
Published: October 2015

Grain size is a fundamental descriptive measure of sediment and sedimentary rock. A large part of information related to sedimentary particles transport and deposition can be obtained from grain size. Grain size parameters are useful for recognizing sedimentary environments such as dune, river, beach marine and others of continental shelf through graphical, moment and statistical methods. Bivariate plots between various statistical grain size parameters can be successfully used for distinction of such environments. The present study aims at grain size analysis of fifty sediment samples collected from Thar desert of India. The statistical grain size parameters were treated using different statistical tools such as factor and discriminatory analysis to decipher the depositional history of the sediments of the study region. The analysis suggests that the sediments mainly deposited in fluvial to beach environment along with aeolian deposition. The shape and composition of the sediments grains were also studied using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy-scanning electron microscope (EDX-SEM) which suggested the dominance of fluvial environment in the deposition.
Deposition of the Upper Rewa Sandstone Formation of Proterozoic Rewa Group of the Vindhyan Basin, M.P., India: A Reappraisal
Authors: Verma Anju , Shukla U. K.
Published: October 2015

The Upper Rewa Sandstone Formation of the Rewa Group in the Vindhyan basin is composed mainly of medium to very fine grained, iron pigmented arenaceous rocks variously interpreted as fluvial, marine or continental deposits. The Upper Rewa Sandstone Formation consists of channelized, laterally shifting sand bodies comprising 1-2 m thick fining upward (FU) sharply/erosionally based cycles. Each shoaling bar cycle is characterized by presence of large scale planar and trough cross-bedding, horizontal bedding showing primary parting lineation, wave and current ripples, herringbone cross-bedding and tidal bundles with double mud-drapes and indicates marine environment of deposition and rule out the possibility of continental sedimentation. However, channelized nature of sand bodies composed of shoaling bar cycles with signatures of wave modification and exposure in the lower part of the succession and well developed horizontally bedded lithofacies showing primary parting lineation and well sorted character of sandstones in the upper part of the succession may imply deposition under subtidal to intertidal setting in estuarine to bordering beach environments. The palaeocurrent study shows polymodal to bimodal and unimodal palaeocurrent patterns. The dominant polymodal palaeocurrent patterns with temporal trends directed towards NW, N and SW also corroborate marine origin and sediment dispersal under combined action of wave and currents. Petrographically, sandstone is quartzarenite and consists of mostly monocrystalline quartz, feldspar, mica, rock-fragments and heavy minerals such as hypersthene, zircon, hornblende, tourmaline, rutile, augite, kyanite and andalusite indicating sediment contribution from mixed sedimentary/metamorphic and igneous source terrain. Qm-F-Lt and Qt- F-Lt plots reveal that the Upper Rewa Sandstone Formation shows continental block province with stable craton (C) and in uplifted basement (B) where C>B.
Geochemical Analysis of Groundwater Samples in the Vicinity of Lakes and Drainage Network
Authors: Sankaran S. , Sundararajan N. , Khadija S.
Published: October 2015

Geochemical analysis of ground water samples in the vicinity of lakes and drainage network were carried out in and around a selected set of polluted lakes in the city of Hyderabad, India for possible restoration of the polluted lakes from the state of eutrophication. The results reveal, in general the concentration of TDS and major ions higher in the down stream areas due to shallow water table as well as seepage from lakes and nalas. Further, the concentration of trace elements in ground water was found to be within the permissible limits. The Piper and Wilcox diagrams indicate that the ground water in the study area has low sodium and high salinity hazard.
Characterizations of Humic Acid Isolated from Coals of Two Nagaland Coalfields of India in Relation to their Origin
Authors: Das Tonkeswar , Saikia B. K. , Baruah B. P. , Das Dhrubajyoti
Published: October 2015

In the present study, the humic acid isolated from coals of two coalfields of Nagaland, India has been characterized by Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermal analysis (TGA-DTA), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in relation to their origin. The humic acid reveals a high degree of humification with predominantly aromatic content, which is considered to be type-A humic acid.
Identification and Significance of CH4-rich Fluid Inclusions in Langdu Skarn Cu Deposit, Yunnan Province, China
Authors: Ren Tao , Ma Meijuan
Published: October 2015

Single-phase CH4 and two-phase CH4-rich fluid inclusions were identified at Langdu skarn Cu deposit in Zhongdian area, southwest China. Microthermometric results confirm that the single-phase CH4 fluid inclusions are homogenized to liquid from −118.3°C to −114.2°C, and two-phase CH4-rich fluid inclusions partly homogenized from −87.5 °C to −84.7 °C. Laser Raman micospectroscopic analyses show that vapors of the fluid inclusions are dominant of CH4 with minor N2. The two-phase CH4-rich fluid inclusions allow the determination of the fluid temperature (300°C to 400°C) and pressure (1014 bars to 1484 bars) during mineralization, suggesting that ore formation took place at 3.8 to 4.8 km depth under lithostatic pressure. CH4 contained in the fluid inclusions most likely formed by the reaction 2C + 2H2O=CH4+CO2 between carbonaceous slate from Qugasi Formation and hydrothermal fluids either in situ or during migration. CH4 (and/or N2) will greatly expand the field of vapor/liquid immiscibility and will act as reducing agent which transforms SO42– to S2– that is essential anion for sulfide deposition. Numerous massive sulfide deposits (chalcopyrite and pyrrhotite) reflect that physical and chemical condition of hydrothermal fluid and significant change would be caused by CH4.
A Comprehensive View from Geophysical Signatures over Chitradurga Schist Belt, Karnataka
Authors: Rama Rao J.V. , Balakrishna B. , Murty N.V.S , Ajaykumar P. , Ramakrishna Rao M. V. , Acharya R. S. , Sankaram S. P.
Published: October 2015

Geology of Chitradurga Schist Belt (CSB) from Gadag to Srirangapatna, as inferred from the gravity and magnetic data analysis and supportive evidences from digitized Airborne Total count map is presented in this paper. Significant inferences have emerged from the integrated geophysical analysis coupled with geological information. Pattern, continuity and intensity of anomalies indicate that CSB can be viewed as three sectors; northern (Gadag), central (Chitdradurga) and southern (Nagamangala). Qualitatively geophysical signatures are diagnostic for the purpose of broad classification of the area into different geological domains such as granite-gneissic (gravity lows, fluctuating magnetic values and moderate radiometric counts), metavolcanic (gravity highs, magnetic highs and radiometric lows), metasedimentary (moderate gravity low, low magnetic values and moderate radiometric values) and granitic (gravity low, magnetic high and radiometric high) regions. Images prepared from gravity, magnetic and radiometric values indicated possibility of an additional arm of the schist belt from Huliyar to Hosdurga between the known Kibbanahalli and Chitradurga arms of CSB. From the gravity image it appears that the eastern margin of CSB may be encompassing Bukkapatna granite in the central sector of CSB. Gravity low closures and gravity high gradient between the granites of Chitradurga and those near Jagalur suggest different nature of geological continuity. Structural features, particularly the sheared contacts of metavolanics with metasedimentaries are demarcated based on gravity gradients. Based on these inferred features coupled with known geological controls of mineralization, a few target areas for gold / base metal exploration are identified. A major structural feature affecting the strike of arms of CSB may be the possible regions for emplacement of ultramafic bodies as observed near Sasival and Ghattishosalli. This in turn is significant for mineral exploration in Chitradurga Schist belt. Gravity and magnetic profiles drawn across CSB for every 15’ latitude indicated crustal architecture beneath CSB. Significant rise is noticed in the background gravity field from the arms of CSB to the main schist belt suggesting that the Bababudan volcanics have generated from different depths compared to the Chitradurga volcanics. Further, long wavelength magnetic anomaly coinciding with the eastern margin of schist belt suggests the differences in nature of crust on either side. Frequency analysis of gravity and magnetic anomalies and the modeling indicated the depth persistence of geological units.
Ethnic Residential Segregation: A Multilevel, Multigroup, Multiscale Approach Exemplified by London in 2011
Authors: Jones Kelvyn , Johnston Ron , Manley David , Owen Dewi , Charlton Chris
Published: October 2015

We develop and apply a multilevel modeling approach that is simultaneously capable of assessing multigroup and multiscale segregation in the presence of substantial stochastic variation that accompanies ethnicity rates based on small absolute counts. Bayesian MCMC estimation of a log-normal Poisson model allows the calculation of the variance estimates of the degree of segregation in a single overall model, and credible intervals are obtained to provide a measure of uncertainty around those estimates. The procedure partitions the variance at different levels and implicitly models the dependency (or autocorrelation) at each spatial scale below the topmost one. Substantively, we apply the model to 2011 census data for London, one of the world’s most ethnically diverse cities. We find that the degree of segregation depends both on scale and group.
Pathogen prevalence and abundance in honey bee colonies involved in almond pollination
Authors: Cavigli Ian , Daughenbaugh Katie F. , Martin Madison , Lerch Michael , Banner Katie , Garcia Emma , Brutscher Laura M. , Flenniken Michelle L.
Published: October 2015

Honey bees are important pollinators of agricultural crops. Since 2006, US beekeepers have experienced high annual honey bee colony losses, which may be attributed to multiple abiotic and biotic factors, including pathogens. However, the relative importance of these factors has not been fully elucidated. To identify the most prevalent pathogens and investigate the relationship between colony strength and health, we assessed pathogen occurrence, prevalence, and abundance in Western US honey bee colonies involved in almond pollination. The most prevalent pathogens were Black queen cell virus (BQCV), Lake Sinai virus 2 (LSV2), Sacbrood virus (SBV), Nosema ceranae, and trypanosomatids. Our results indicated that pathogen prevalence and abundance were associated with both sampling date and beekeeping operation, that prevalence was highest in honey bee samples obtained immediately after almond pollination, and that weak colonies had a greater mean pathogen prevalence than strong colonies.
Distinguishing bipolar disorder from borderline personality disorder: A study of current clinical practice
Authors: Saunders K.E.A. , Bilderbeck A.C. , Price J. , Goodwin G.M.
Published: October 2015

Background

Diagnosing mental illness is a central role for psychiatrists. Correct diagnosis informs both treatment and prognosis, and facilitates accurate communication. We sought to explore how psychiatrists distinguished two common psychiatric diagnoses: bipolar disorder (BD) and borderline personality disorder (BPD).

Methods

We conducted a qualitative study of psychiatrists to explore their practical experience. We then sought to validate these results by conducting a questionnaire study testing the theoretical knowledge and practical experience of a large number of UK psychiatrists. Finally we studied the assessment process in NHS psychiatric teams by analysing GP letters, assessments by psychiatrists, and assessment letters.

Results

There was broad agreement in both the qualitative and questionnaire studies that the two diagnoses can be difficult to distinguish. The majority of psychiatrists demonstrated in survey responses a comprehensive understanding DSM-IV-TR criteria although many felt that these criteria did not necessarily assist diagnostic differentiation. This scepticism about diagnostic criteria appeared to strongly influence clinical practice in the sample of clinicians we observed. In only a minority of assessments were symptoms of mania or BPD sufficiently assessed to establish the presence or absence of each diagnosis.

Conclusion

Clinical diagnostic practice was not adequate to differentiate reliably BD and BPD. The absence of reliable diagnostic practice has widespread implications for patient care, service provision and the reliability of clinical case registries.
Barriers to Seeking School Counselling: Malaysian Chinese School Students’ Perspectives
Authors: Chen Kai Shen , Kok Jin Kuan
Published: October 2015

School counselling services have always been unpopular among Malaysian students. Many researchers have studied what prevents students from seeking mental health services. However, there is a lack of study on the barriers to seeking help in the context of Malaysian school counselling services. Using a sample of Chinese high school students ( N = 277), this qualitative study explored the under-utilisation of school counselling services. A thematic analysis was used to analyse an open-ended question, and the findings uncovered contextualised issues such as: conceptualisation of problems and the shameful, fearful, concerned, and responsible self that contributes to the under-utilisation of school counselling services.
Identification of aphid (Hemiptera: Aphididae) species of economic importance in Kenya using DNA barcodes and PCR-RFLP-based approach
Authors: Kinyanjui G. , Khamis F.M. , Mohamed S. , Ombura L.O. , Warigia M. , Ekesi S.
Published: October 2015

Aphids are among pests of economic importance throughout the world. Together with transmitting plant viruses, aphids are capable of inflicting severe crop production losses. They also excrete honeydew that favours the growth of sooty mold which reduces the quality of vegetables and fruits and hence their market values. Rapid and accurate identification of aphids to the species level is a critical component in effective pest management and plant quarantine systems. Even though morphological taxonomy has made a tremendous impact on species-level identifications, polymorphism, morphological plasticity and immature stages are among the many challenges to accurate identification. In addition, their small size, presence of cryptic species and damaged specimens dictate the need for a strategy that will ensure timely and accurate identification. In this study, polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP)-based on mitochondrial cytochromecoxidase subunit I gene and DNA barcoding were applied to identify different aphid species collected from different agro-ecological zones of Kenya. Three restriction enzymesRsaI,AluIandHinf1produced patterns that allowed unambiguous identification of the species exceptAphis craccivoraandAphis fabae. Analyses of the barcode region indicated intraspecific and interspecific sequence divergences of 0.08 and 6.63%, respectively. DNA barcoding identified all species, including the morphologically indistinguishableA. craccivoraandA. fabaeand separated two subspecies ofA. fabae.Based on these results, both PCR-RFLPs and DNA barcoding could provide quick and accurate tools for identification of aphid species within Aphididae subsequently aiding in effective pest management programmes and enhance plant quarantine systems.
Intensive vehicle traffic impacts morphology and endocrine stress response in a threatened amphibian
Authors: Cayuela Hugo , Quay Ludivine , Dumet Adeline , Léna Jean-Paul , Miaud Claude , Rivière Vincent
Published: October 2015

Amphibians are considered to be the most threatened group of vertebrates. Among the multiple factors involved in their decline, habitat loss and alteration as a result of human activities is a major threat. At the individual level the effects of habitat alteration are potentially multiple, including a range of morphological and physiological responses. Analysing and understanding these responses is therefore a critical challenge for amphibian conservation. We examined the influence of intensive vehicle traffic (motorbikes and trucks on unpaved pathways) on the body size and condition and on the production of glucocorticoids (i.e. corticosterone) in the yellow-bellied toad Bombina variegata. In particular, we tested the hypothesis that intensive vehicle traffic has a negative influence on body size and body condition, and postulated that it also increases corticosterone production. Using morphometric data and saliva samples collected from four populations in France, we found that intensive vehicle traffic is associated with a decrease in body size and body condition in both males and females. Furthermore, our analysis revealed that corticosterone production was lower in both sexes in populations experiencing intensive vehicle traffic. We suggest that measures should be applied to reduce vehicle traffic intensity on unpaved pathways during toad breeding activity. This is critical for B. variegata, for which man-made ruts and residual puddles could mitigate the loss of natural habitats.
Increased exposure to Plasmodium chabaudi antigens sustains cross-reactivity and avidity of antibodies binding Nippostrongylus brasiliensis: dissecting cross-phylum cross-reactivity in a rodent model
Authors: FAIRLIE-CLARKE KAREN J. , HANSEN CHRISTINA , ALLEN JUDITH E. , GRAHAM ANDREA L.
Published: October 2015

Mounting an antibody response capable of discriminating amongst and appropriately targeting different parasites is crucial in host defence. However, cross-reactive antibodies that recognize (bind to) multiple parasite species are well documented. We aimed to determine if a higher inoculating dose of one species, and thus exposure to larger amounts of antigen over a longer period of time, would fine-tune responses to that species and reduce cross-reactivity. Using the Plasmodium chabaudi chabaudi (Pcc)–Nippostrongylus brasiliensis (Nb) co-infection model in BALB/c mice, in which we previously documented cross-reactive antibodies, we manipulated the inoculating dose of Pcc across 4 orders of magnitude. We investigated antigen-specific and cross-reactive antibody responses against crude and defined recombinant antigens by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay, Western blot and antibody depletion assays. Contrary to our hypothesis that increasing exposure to Pcc would reduce cross-reactivity to Nb, we found evidence for increased avidity of a subpopulation of antibodies that recognized shared antigens. Western blot indicated proteins of apparent monomer molecular mass 28 and 98 kDa in both Nb and Pcc antigen preparations and also an Nb protein of similar size to recombinant Pcc antigen, merozoite surface protein-119. The implications of antibodies binding antigen from such phylogenetically distinct parasites are discussed.
Clustering layers for the Fife—Greenlee problem in ℝn
Authors: Du Zhuoran , Wei Juncheng
Published: October 2015

We consider the following Fife–Greenlee problem:

where Ω is a smooth and bounded domain in ℝn, ν is the outer unit normal to ∂Ω and a is a smooth function satisfying a(x) ∈ (–1, 1) in . Let K, Ω– and Ω+ be the zero-level sets of a, {a < 0} and {a < 0}, respectively. We assume ∇a ≠ 0 on K. Fife and Greenlee constructed stable layer solutions, while del Pino et al. proved the existence of one unstable layer solution provided that some gap condition is satisfied. In this paper, for each odd integer m ≥ 3, we prove the existence of a sequence ε = εj → 0, and a solution with m-transition layers near K. The distance of any two layers is O(ε log(1/ε)). Furthermore, converges uniformly to ±1 on the compact sets of Ω± as j → +∞
Multistate product traceforward investigation to link imported romaine lettuce to a US cyclosporiasis outbreak – Nebraska, Texas, and Florida, June–August 2013
Authors: BUSS B. F. , JOSHI M. V. , DEMENT J. L. , CANTU V. , SAFRANEK T. J.
Published: October 2015

During June–August 2013, 25 US states reported 631 cyclosporiasis cases including Nebraska and Iowa where a regional investigation implicated common-source imported salad mix served in two chain restaurants. At least two common-origin growing fields were likely sources of contaminated romaine lettuce. Using producer- and distributor-provided data, we conducted a grower-specific traceforward investigation to reveal exposures of ill US residents elsewhere who reported symptom onset during 11 June–1 July 2013, the time period established in the Nebraska and Iowa investigation. Romaine lettuce shipped on 2–6 June from one of these Mexico-origin growing fields likely caused cyclosporiasis in 78 persons reporting illness onsets from 11 June to 1 July in Nebraska, Texas, and Florida. Nationwide, 97% (314/324) of persons confirmed with cyclosporiasis with symptom onset from 11 June to 1 July 2013 resided in 11 central and eastern US states receiving approximately two-thirds of romaine lettuce from this field. This grower's production practices should be investigated to determine potential sources of contamination and to develop recommendations to prevent future illnesses.
Regional investigation of a cyclosporiasis outbreak linked to imported romaine lettuce – Nebraska and Iowa, June–August 2013
Authors: BUSS B. F. , JOSHI M. V. , O'KEEFE A. L. , ALLENSWORTH C. D. , GARVEY A. , OBBINK K. , MANDERNACH S. , SAFRANEK T. J.
Published: October 2015

A regional, multistate investigation into a June–August 2013 cyclosporiasis outbreak was conducted in Nebraska, Iowa, and neighbouring states. Cases were confirmed on the basis of laboratory and clinical findings. Of 227 cases in Iowa (n = 140) and Nebraska (n = 87) residents, 162 (71%) reported dining at chain A/B restaurants – 96% reported house salad consumption. A case-control study identified chain A/B house salad as the most likely vehicle. Traceback was conducted to ascertain production lot codes of bagged salad mix (iceberg and romaine lettuce, red cabbage, and carrots) served as house salad in implicated restaurants. A single production lot code of salad mix supplied by both a common producer and distributor was linked to the majority of confirmed cases in persons reporting regional chain A/B exposure. The salad mix linked to illnesses contained imported romaine lettuce from two separate single-grower fields-of-origin and ⩾1 additional field from another grower.
Conubium cum uxoribus: wives and children in the Roman military diplomas
Authors: Greene Elizabeth M.
Published: October 2015

For at least the first two centuries of empire, marriage for most soldiers during their years of active service was legally banned by the state. It is equally clear that the law forbiddingiustum matrimoniumdid not stop some auxiliary soldiers from formingde factorelationships and creating families whilst in service. In some cases, families will have traveled with soldiers who were in service. Whether they dwelt within the forts or in extramural settlements, family members formed an integral part of the military community.
Labour status and economic stratification in the Roman world: the hierarchy of wages in Egypt
Authors: Freu Christel
Published: October 2015

The hierarchy of workers’ incomes and wages in the Roman world has long drawn the attention of scholars. The series of workers’ wages we have at our disposal comes mostly from Roman and Byzantine Egypt: account books, labour contracts, and orders or receipts of payment on papyri and ostraca. Since the 1930s, lists of wages and prices have been compiled, firstly, to study the purchasing power of the working population and, secondly, to classify the trades according to the workers’ qualifications and to the location of employment.
The agonistic mosaic in the Villa of Lucius Verus and the Capitolia of Rome
Authors: Dunbabin Katherine M. D.
Published: October 2015

The 3rd-c. interventions in the Villa of Lucius Verus on theVia Cassiaincluded the laying of a black-and-white mosaic in the irregular space 32 in Sector D, which forms a passage or vestibule between exedra 24/25 to the north and the small baths (41–48) to the south (fig. 1). The mosaic shows a series of figures and small groups; most are athletes of various sorts, but they also include musicians, comic and tragic actors, and a prize-table with crowns or wreaths and busts of the three Capitoline deities, as well as other figures whose identification is sometimes not immediately obvious (fig. 2). The combination of athletic, musical and theatrical events is the characteristic mark of a Greekagon; the mosaic therefore takes its place among a small group of monuments that portray suchagones. As a detailed description of the mosaic was presented by E. Caserta in NSc 22 (2010–11), the object of the present article is to place the mosaic in the context of related monuments, discuss the more problematic figures, and consider iconographic parallels which not only help to clarify some of the problems but can also indicate the artistic context within which its designer was working. Finally, it will consider the overall interpretation of the mosaic and its relationship to the agonistic culture of Rome in the 3rd c. A.D.
Pandemics and passages to late antiquity: rethinking the plague of c.249–270 described by Cyprian
Authors: Harper Kyle
Published: October 2015

Pandemic events are surpassingly rare in human history. Yet the period we call late antiquity could be considered the age of pandemic disease. It began and ended with the Antonine plague that erupted in the mid-160s A.D. and the Justinianic plague of the mid-6th c. Modern interest in these pandemics has waxed and waned. It was long taken for granted that these events played a major rôle in the fate of the Roman empire. In the mid-20th c., however, attention subsided. Historical demography struggled to make inroads into the discipline of ancient history. In the case of the Antonine plague, a critical article of J. F. Gilliam turned focus away from the disease for a generation. Only in the last 20 years, with the rise of historical demography in ancient studies, and a broader interest in environmental history, have the Antonine and Justinianic plagues received their proper due. Attention has focused on the epidemiology and impact of these events. The Antonine plague is most plausibly identified as smallpox, based on the presentation of the disease described by the contemporary physician Galen, and should qualify as the first pandemic in all of human history. It struck the empire at the apex of its power and prosperity. Its severe demographic effects now seem widely accepted, although there is lively debate about its long-term geopolitical and social consequences. For the Justinianic plague neither its demographic scope nor the long-range consequences are in doubt. Securely identified by both clinical description and paleomolecular evidence, Yersinia pestis arrived in 541 and struck recurrently for over two centuries; like the Black Death in the 14th c., the first bubonic plague fundamentally reshaped the trajectory of European populations.
Figuring out the facts: calculating mosaic labour times in 4th-c. A.D. Britain
Authors: Wootton Will
Published: October 2015

In the study of the British countryside in the 4th c. A.D. villas have formed a central component. Their decoration features highly in the scholarship, the tessellated floors cited as evidence for the spending patterns and status claims of a wealthy élite. This élite’s desire to spend its surplus funds on lavish interiors created a “boom” in mosaic production, which some scholars have associated with a “flight of capital” from the Continent in the late 3rd c. or others simply with the increasing prosperity of landowners during the 4th c.
Tracking mass death during the fall of Rome’s empire (I)
Authors: McCormick Michael
Published: October 2015

This is the first part of a two-part article; the second, “A first inventory of mass graves from late antiquity”, will appear in JRA 29 (2016) as well as on the CJO website.

The Roman empire was more than a system of institutions, beliefs and socio-economic structures; it was a concentration of human capital, physically located in the demographic strength of the population. Human health and mortality crucially affected, and reflected, the economy. As less optimistic interpretations of Late Roman history regain traction, it becomes important to find ways to test such interpretations, including their biological manifestations and implications. One approach would be to map over time and space large-scale violence and disease-driven surges in mortality, as well as chronic factors that may have more gradually eroded the empire’s human capital. Biomolecular archaeology and pathogen genetics are sparking novel explorations of ancient diseases, which ranged from the spectacularly acute to the chronic – malaria, leprosy or tuberculosis –, not to mention seasonal spikes in more routine gastrointestinal infections and the like. Individually and especially cumulatively, the impact of acute and chronic factors could have been of considerable magnitude. The same is true for environmental conditions; thanks to the advances of paleoclimate science, we now know that they too varied unexpectedly, and surely could affect population health.
Roman horticulture beyond the frontier: garden cultivation at Iron Age Uppåkra (Sweden)
Authors: Larsson Mikael , Ingemark Dominic
Published: October 2015

Traditionally, the study of Roman cultural imports to Roman Iron Age societies in Scandinavia has been based on analysis of the artefactual record. The starting point has been artefacts held to be high-status objects deriving chiefly from funerary contexts and, to a lesser degree, from settlement sites. Although the existing evidence at Uppåkra, a high-status settlement site in Scania province, Sweden, comes only from residential contexts, we will address the ongoing debate concerning Roman cultural imports with ecofactual evidence, to consider which aspects of Roman culture were introduced, which parts of Roman society were mediators, and the underlying social reasons for the introduction of the archaeobotanical remains into indigenous Iron Age society.
A menorah plaque from the center of Sardis
Authors: Rautman Marcus
Published: October 2015

Roman Sardis, like other cities of W Asia Minor, reflects the distinctive cultures of different peoples who had long lived in its vicinity. Of these varied populations, the Jewish community seems to have been especially notable. Written sources cited by Josephus establish the presence of diaspora Jews in Lydia and Phrygia by the end of the 3rd c. B.C., when Antiochus III relocated 2000 families here from Babylon and Mesopotamia. By the Late Republic, their descendants at Sardis and other regional centers are known to have acquired civic privileges and rights. The local prominence of the Jewish community at Sardis was dramatically confirmed in the 1960s by the discovery in the city’s NW region of a large assembly hall, along with inscriptions, menorahs and other artifacts that clearly establish its use as a synagogue in the 4th-6th c. Further evidence of Jewish life has been noted during excavation of nearby houses, shops and streets in this peripheral quarter. The recent discovery of a marble relief plaque depicting a menorah and other symbols near the center is an important addition to the material culture of ancient Judaism in Asia Minor.
Old St. Peter’s and the emperor Constans? A debate with G. W. Bowersock
Authors: Liverani Paolo
Published: October 2015

“Writing this paper has been a tedious work … Still I feel it had to be done”: thus begins R. Krautheimer in an article which remains the best discussion of the issue of how to date the Basilica of St. Peter. Now, a quarter of a century later, the topic must be revisited. Although there are some updates, there is little really new to report, but Krautheimer’s study is not as widely read as it should be, even remaining unknown to many scholars who have dealt with the topic in the meantime (perhaps because it was published in a journal specializing in art history). Even if the result will be no less tiresome, it is even more necessary than it was in Krautheimer’s day.
Evolution through the stochastic dyadic Cantor Set: the uniqueness of mankind in the Universe
Authors: Mahecha Diego S.
Published: October 2015

The search for intelligent life or any type of life involves processes with nonlinear chaotic behaviours throughout the Universe. Through the sensitive dependence condition, chaotic dynamics are also difficult or impossible to duplicate, forecast and predict. Similar evolution patterns will result in completely different outcomes. Even, the intelligent life evolution pattern, based on carbon, DNA–RNA–protein, will differ from all possible sequences. In the present paper, the stochastic dyadic Cantor set models the many possible variations of such chaotic behaviours in the Universe, yielding to a tendency to zero, for any scenario of intelligent life evolution. The probability of the development of the exact microscopic and macroscopic scenario that is capable of supporting intelligent life or any other type of life in any planet is vanishingly small. Thus, the present analysis suggests that mankind, as an extremely statistically uncommon occurrence, is unique and alone in the Universe.