bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Limit equilibrium slope stability analysis using the nonlinear strength failure criterion
Authors: Deng Dong-ping , Zhao Lian-heng , Li Liang
Published: September 2014

The limit equilibrium stability analysis of two- and three-dimensional slopes with the nonlinear failure strength criterion uses a number of variables to determine the normal and shear stress on the slip surface. The equation for the nonlinear strength failure criterion is expressed using a Taylor series after analyzing the stress of an elemental slice or column. Multivariate linear equations are then derived to determine these variables based on the force and moment equilibrium conditions the sliding body is subject to. The stress on the slip surface can also be obtained to calculate the slope safety factor. The validity of the current method was verified by comparing it with established examples. Charts were produced for slope stability analysis with the nonlinear strength failure criterion under general conditions using the current method. The results of this study show that the slope safety factor decreases with an increase in the geotechnical material parameter m in the nonlinear strength failure criterion. The results of the current method are in close correspondence with other traditional limit equilibrium methods and are more reliable than the Swedish method. The charts can be used to determine slope design parameters that meet specific requirements.
Approaches for studying fish production: Do river and lake researchers have different perspectives?
Authors: Wurtsbaugh Wayne A. , Heredia Nicholas A. , Laub Brian G. , Meredith Christy S. , Mohn Harrison E. , Null Sarah E. , Pluth David A. , Roper Brett B. , Saunders W. Carl , Stevens David K. , Walker Richard H. , Wheeler Kit
Published: September 2014

Biased perspectives of fisheries researchers may hinder scientific progress and effective management if limiting factors controlling productivity go unrecognized. We investigated whether river and lake researchers used different approaches when studying salmonid production and whether any differences were ecologically supported. We assessed 564 peer-reviewed papers published between 1966 and 2012 that studied salmonid production or surrogate variables (e.g., abundance, growth, biomass, population) and classified them into five major predictor variable categories: physical habitat, fertility (i.e., nutrients, bottom-up), biotic, temperature, and pollution. The review demonstrated that river researchers primarily analyzed physical habitat (65% of studies) and lake researchers primarily analyzed fertility (45%) and biotic (51%) variables. Nevertheless, understudied variables were often statistically significant predictors of production for lake and river systems and, combined with other evidence, suggests that unjustified a priori assumptions may dictate the choice of independent variables studied. Broader consideration of potential limiting factors on fish production, greater research effort on understudied genera, and increased publication in broadly scoped journals would likely promote integration between lentic and lotic perspectives and improve fisheries management.
The double-padlock problem: Is secure classical information transmission possible without key exchange?
Authors: Chappell James M. , Gunn Lachlan J. , Abbott Derek
Published: September 2014

The idealized Kish-Sethuraman (KS) cipher is theoretically known to offer perfect security through a classical information channel. However, realization of the protocol is hitherto an open problem, as the required mathematical operators have not been identified in the previous literature. A mechanical analogy of this protocol can be seen as sending a message in a box using two padlocks; one locked by the Sender and the other locked by the Receiver, so that theoretically the message remains secure at all times. We seek a mathematical representation of this process, considering that it would be very unusual if there was a physical process with no mathematical description. We select Clifford's geometric algebra for this task as it is a natural formalism to handle rotations in spaces of various dimension. The significance of finding a mathematical description that describes the protocol, is that it is a possible step toward a physical realization having benefits in increased security with reduced complexity.
A diverse Upper Darriwilian radiolarian assemblage from the Shundy Formation of Kazakhstan: insights into late Middle Ordovician radiolarian biodiversity
Authors: Pouille Lauren , Danelian Taniel , Popov Leonid E.
Published: September 2014

Abstract. A diverse and well-preserved radiolarian assemblage was extracted from a carbonate sample of latest Darriwilian age from the Shundy Formation of the Aksuran Mountain (North Balkhash Region, Kazakhstan). The fauna is represented by 32 species or morphotypes which belong to nine genera, four families and two orders (Spumellaria and Entactinaria), including four new species described herein (Syntagentactinia? angulata n. sp. Pouille & Danelian, Polyentactinia spinulenta n. sp. Pouille & Danelian, Haplotaeniatum circulus n. sp. Pouille & Danelian and H.? giganteum n. sp. Pouille & Danelian). Representatives of the family Inaniguttidae are particularly abundant, representing c. 70% of the studied assemblage, especially genera Triplococcus and Inanihella that dominate the assemblage. Although the studied fauna contains both of the characteristic species and most of the genera of the previously defined Haplentactinia juncta–Inanigutta unica assemblage, differences in the assemblage structure are striking. The studied fauna also establishes that the two characteristic species of the Inanihella bakanasensis–Triplococcus akzhala assemblage are not restricted to the early–mid-Darriwilian, but their age range also extends to the latest Darriwilian.
A Sound and Complete Proof Technique for Linearizability of Concurrent Data Structures
Authors: Schellhorn Gerhard , Derrick John , Wehrheim Heike
Published: September 2014

Efficient implementations of data structures such as queues, stacks or hash-tables allow for concurrent access by many processes at the same time. To increase concurrency, these algorithms often completely dispose with locking, or only lock small parts of the structure.
Linearizability
is the standard correctness criterion for such a scenario—where a concurrent object is linearizable if all of its operations appear to take effect instantaneously some time between their invocation and return.

The potential concurrent access to the shared data structure tremendously increases the complexity of the verification problem, and thus current proof techniques for showing linearizability are all tailored to specific types of data structures. In previous work, we have shown how simulation-based proof conditions for linearizability can be used to verify a number of subtle concurrent algorithms. In this article, we now show that conditions based on
backward
simulation can be used to show linearizability of
every
linearizable algorithm, that is, we show that our proof technique is both sound
and
complete. We exemplify our approach by a linearizability proof of a concurrent queue, introduced in Herlihy and Wing's landmark paper on linearizability. Except for their manual proof, none of the numerous other approaches have successfully treated this queue.

Our approach is supported by a full mechanisation: both the linearizability proofs for case studies like the queue, and the proofs of soundness and completeness have been carried out with an interactive prover, which is KIV.
Chronic pelvic allodynia is mediated by CCL2 through mast cells in an experimental autoimmune cystitis model
Authors: Bicer Fuat , Altuntas Cengiz Z. , Izgi Kenan , Ozer Ahmet , Kavran Michael , Tuohy Vincent K. , Daneshgari Firouz
Published: September 2014

The cause of chronic pelvic pain in interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome (IC/PBS) remains unclear; autoimmunity is a possible etiology. We have recently shown that injection of a single immunogenic peptide of uroplakin 3A (UPK3A 65-84) induces experimental autoimmune cystitis (EAC) in female BALB/cJ mice that is unique among experimental models in accurately reflecting both the urinary symptoms and pelvic pain of IC/PBS. The aim of this project was to identify the roles of mast cells and mast cell chemoattractant/activator monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 [chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2 (CCL2)] in the allodynia in this model. We immunized 6- to 8-wk-old female BALB/cJ mice with UPK3A 65-84 peptide and, 5–40 days later, observed increased responses to stimulation of the suprapubic abdominal and hindpaw surfaces with von Frey monofilaments compared with mice injected with adjuvant alone. Suprapubic and hindpaw tactile allodynia responses by EAC mice were blocked by instillation of lidocaine into the bladder but not by lidocaine in the uterus, confirming the bladder as the source of the hypersensitivity. Markedly increased numbers of activated mast cells and expression of CCL2 were found in the bladder after immunization with UPK3A 65-84. Hypersensitive responses were inhibited by mast cell stabilizer cromolyn sodium and antagonists of histamine receptors 1 and 2. Furthermore, BALB/cJ mice with deletion of the Ccl2 or chemokine (C-C motif) receptor 2 gene exhibited markedly reduced allodynia and accumulation of mast cells after UPK3A 65-84 immunization. These results show that UPK3A 65-84 immunization causes chronic visceral allodynia and suggest that it is mediated by CCL2-driven mast cell accumulation in the bladder.
Sex-specific effect of antenatal betamethasone exposure on renal oxidative stress induced by angiotensins in adult sheep
Authors: Bi Jianli , Contag Stephen A. , Chen Kai , Su Yixin , Figueroa Jorge P. , Chappell Mark C. , Rose James C.
Published: September 2014

Prenatal glucocorticoid administration in clinically relevant doses reduces nephron number and renal function in adulthood and is associated with hypertension. Nephron loss in early life may predispose the kidney to other insults later but whether sex influences increases in renal susceptibility is unclear. Therefore, we determined, in male and female adult sheep, whether antenatal glucocorticoid (betamethasone) exposure increased 8-isoprostane (marker of oxidative stress) and protein excretion after acute nephron reduction and intrarenal infusions of angiotensin peptides. We also examined whether renal proximal tubule cells (PTCs) could contribute to alterations in 8-isoprostane excretion in a sex-specific fashion. In vivo, ANG II significantly increased 8-isoprostane excretion by 49% and protein excretion by 44% in male betamethasone- but not in female betamethasone- or vehicle-treated sheep. ANG-(1-7) decreased 8-isoprostane excretion but did not affect protein excretion in either group. In vitro, ANG II stimulated 8-isoprostane release from PTCs of male but not female betamethasone-treated sheep. Male betamethasone-exposed sheep had increased p47 phox abundance in the renal cortex while superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity was increased only in females. We conclude that antenatal glucocorticoid exposure enhances the susceptibility of the kidney to oxidative stress induced by ANG II in a sex-specific fashion and the renal proximal tubule is one target of the sex-specific effects of antenatal steroids. ANG-(1-7) may mitigate the impact of prenatal glucocorticoids on the kidney. P47 phox activation may be responsible for the increased oxidative stress and proteinuria in males. The protection from renal oxidative stress in females is associated with increased SOD activity.
Joint cross-correlation analysis reveals complex, time-dependent functional relationship between cortical neurons and arm electromyograms
Authors: Zhuang Katie Z. , Lebedev Mikhail A. , Nicolelis Miguel A. L.
Published: September 2014

Correlation between cortical activity and electromyographic (EMG) activity of limb muscles has long been a subject of neurophysiological studies, especially in terms of corticospinal connectivity. Interest in this issue has recently increased due to the development of brain-machine interfaces with output signals that mimic muscle force. For this study, three monkeys were implanted with multielectrode arrays in multiple cortical areas. One monkey performed self-timed touch pad presses, whereas the other two executed arm reaching movements. We analyzed the dynamic relationship between cortical neuronal activity and arm EMGs using a joint cross-correlation (JCC) analysis that evaluated trial-by-trial correlation as a function of time intervals within a trial. JCCs revealed transient correlations between the EMGs of multiple muscles and neural activity in motor, premotor and somatosensory cortical areas. Matching results were obtained using spike-triggered averages corrected by subtracting trial-shuffled data. Compared with spike-triggered averages, JCCs more readily revealed dynamic changes in cortico-EMG correlations. JCCs showed that correlation peaks often sharpened around movement times and broadened during delay intervals. Furthermore, JCC patterns were directionally selective for the arm-reaching task. We propose that such highly dynamic, task-dependent and distributed relationships between cortical activity and EMGs should be taken into consideration for future brain-machine interfaces that generate EMG-like signals.
Reach target selection in humans using ambiguous decision cues containing variable amounts of conflicting sensory evidence supporting each target choice
Authors: Coallier Émilie , Kalaska John F.
Published: September 2014

Human subjects chose between two color-coded reach targets using multicolored checkerboard-like decision cues (DCs) that presented variable amounts of conflicting sensory evidence supporting both target choices. Different DCs contained different numbers of small squares of the two target colors. The most ambiguous DCs contained nearly equal numbers of squares of both target colors. The subjects reached as soon as they selected a target after the appearance of the DC (“choose-and-go” task). The choice behavior of the subjects showed many similarities to prior studies using other stimulus properties (e.g., visual motion coherence, brightness), including progressively longer response times and higher target-choice error rates for more ambiguous DCs. However, certain trends in their choice behavior could not be fully captured by simple drift-diffusion models. Allowing the subjects to view the DCs for a period of time before presenting the targets (“match-to-sample” task) resulted in much shorter response times overall, but also revealed a reluctance of subjects to commit to a decision about the predominant color of the more ambiguous DCs during the initial extended observation period. Model processing and simulation analyses suggest that the subjects might adjust the dynamics of their decision-making process on a trial-to-trial basis in response to the variable level of ambiguous and conflicting evidence in different DCs between trials.
Neural mechanisms of coarse-to-fine discrimination in the visual cortex
Authors: Purushothaman Gopathy , Chen Xin , Yampolsky Dmitry , Casagrande Vivien A.
Published: September 2014

Vision is a dynamic process that refines the spatial scale of analysis over time, as evidenced by a progressive improvement in the ability to detect and discriminate finer details. To understand coarse-to-fine discrimination, we studied the dynamics of spatial frequency (SF) response using reverse correlation in the primary visual cortex (V1) of the primate. In a majority of V1 cells studied, preferred SF either increased monotonically with time ( group 1) or changed nonmonotonically, with an initial increase followed by a decrease ( group 2). Monotonic shift in preferred SF occurred with or without an early suppression at low SFs. Late suppression at high SFs always accompanied nonmonotonic SF dynamics. Bayesian analysis showed that SF discrimination performance and best discriminable SF frequencies changed with time in different ways in the two groups of neurons. In group 1 neurons, SF discrimination performance peaked on both left and right flanks of the SF tuning curve at about the same time. In group 2 neurons, peak discrimination occurred on the right flank (high SFs) later than on the left flank (low SFs). Group 2 neurons were also better discriminators of high SFs. We examined the relationship between the time at which SF discrimination performance peaked on either flank of the SF tuning curve and the corresponding best discriminable SFs in both neuronal groups. This analysis showed that the population best discriminable SF increased with time in V1. These results suggest neural mechanisms for coarse-to-fine discrimination behavior and that this process originates in V1 or earlier.
Error reduction in EMG signal decomposition
Authors: Kline Joshua C. , De Luca Carlo J.
Published: September 2014

Decomposition of the electromyographic (EMG) signal into constituent action potentials and the identification of individual firing instances of each motor unit in the presence of ambient noise are inherently probabilistic processes, whether performed manually or with automated algorithms. Consequently, they are subject to errors. We set out to classify and reduce these errors by analyzing 1,061 motor-unit action-potential trains (MUAPTs), obtained by decomposing surface EMG (sEMG) signals recorded during human voluntary contractions. Decomposition errors were classified into two general categories: location errors representing variability in the temporal localization of each motor-unit firing instance and identification errors consisting of falsely detected or missed firing instances. To mitigate these errors, we developed an error-reduction algorithm that combines multiple decomposition estimates to determine a more probable estimate of motor-unit firing instances with fewer errors. The performance of the algorithm is governed by a trade-off between the yield of MUAPTs obtained above a given accuracy level and the time required to perform the decomposition. When applied to a set of sEMG signals synthesized from real MUAPTs, the identification error was reduced by an average of 1.78%, improving the accuracy to 97.0%, and the location error was reduced by an average of 1.66 ms. The error-reduction algorithm in this study is not limited to any specific decomposition strategy. Rather, we propose it be used for other decomposition methods, especially when analyzing precise motor-unit firing instances, as occurs when measuring synchronization.
Population interactions between parietal and primary motor cortices during reach
Authors: Menzer David L. , Rao Naveen G. , Bondy Adrian , Truccolo Wilson , Donoghue John P.
Published: September 2014

Neural interactions between parietal area 2/5 and primary motor cortex (M1) were examined to determine the timing and behavioral correlates of cortico-cortical interactions. Neural activity in areas 2/5 and M1 was simultaneously recorded with 96-channel microelectrode arrays in three rhesus monkeys performing a center-out reach task. We introduce a new method to reveal parietal-motor interactions at a population level using partial spike-field coherence (PSFC) between ensembles of neurons in one area and a local field potential (LFP) in another. PSFC reflects the extent of phase locking between spike times and LFP, after removing the coherence between LFPs in the two areas. Spectral analysis of M1 LFP revealed three bands: low, medium, and high, differing in power between movement preparation and performance. We focus on PSFC in the 1–10 Hz band, in which coherence was strongest. PSFC was also present in the 10–40 Hz band during movement preparation in many channels but generally nonsignificant in the 60–200 Hz band. Ensemble PSFC revealed stronger interactions than single cell-LFP pairings. PSFC of area 2/5 ensembles with M1 LFP typically rose around movement onset and peaked ∼500 ms afterward. PSFC was typically stronger for subsets of area 2/5 neurons and M1 LFPs with similar directional bias than for those with opposite bias, indicating that area 2/5 contributes movement direction information. Together with linear prediction of M1 LFP by area 2/5 spiking, the ensemble-LFP pairing approach reveals interactions missed by single neuron-LFP pairing, demonstrating that cortico-cortical communication can be more readily observed at the ensemble level.
Repetitive Sequence and Sex Chromosome Evolution in Vertebrates
Authors: Ezaz Tariq , Deakin Janine E.
Published: September 2014

Sex chromosomes are the most dynamic entity in any genome having unique morphology, gene content, and evolution. They have evolved multiple times and independently throughout vertebrate evolution. One of the major genomic changes that pertain to sex chromosomes involves the amplification of common repeats. It is hypothesized that such amplification of repeats facilitates the suppression of recombination, leading to the evolution of heteromorphic sex chromosomes through genetic degradation of Y or W chromosomes. Although contrasting evidence is available, it is clear that amplification of simple repetitive sequences played a major role in the evolution of Y and W chromosomes in vertebrates. In this review, we present a brief overview of the repetitive DNA classes that accumulated during sex chromosome evolution, mainly focusing on vertebrates, and discuss their possible role and potential function in this process.
Performance Analysis of DTC‐SVM Sliding Mode Controllers‐Based Parameters Estimator of Electric Motor Speed Drive
Authors: Ben Salem Fatma , Derbel Nabil
Published: September 2014

This paper is concerned with a framework which unifies direct torque control space vector modulation (DTC‐SVM) and variable structure control (VSC). The result is a hybrid VSC‐DTC‐SVM controller design which eliminates several major limitations of the two individual controls and retains merits of both controllers. It has been shown that obtained control laws are very sensitive to variations of the stator resistance, the rotor resistance, and the mutual inductance. This paper discusses the performances of adaptive controllers of VSC‐DTC‐SVM monitored induction motor drive in a wide speed range and even in the presence of parameters uncertainties and mismatching disturbances. Better estimations of the stator resistance, the rotor resistance, and the mutual inductance yield improvements of induction motor performances using VSC‐DTC‐SVM, thereby facilitating torque ripple minimization. Simulation results verified the performances of the proposed approach.
Evaluation of the Definitions of “High-Risk” Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma Using the American Joint Committee on Cancer Staging Criteria and National Comprehensive Cancer Network Guidelines
Authors: Chu Melinda B. , Slutsky Jordan B. , Dhandha Maulik M. , Beal Brandon T. , Armbrecht Eric S. , Walker Ronald J. , Varvares Mark A. , Fosko Scott W.
Published: September 2014

Recent guidelines from the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) and National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) have been proposed for the assessment of “high-risk” cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas (cSCCs). Though different in perspective, both guidelines share the common goals of trying to identify “high-risk” cSCCs and improving patient outcomes. Thus, in theory, both definitions should identify a similar proportion of “high-risk” tumors. We sought to evaluate the AJCC and NCCN definitions of “high-risk” cSCCs and to assess their concordance.Methods. A retrospective review of head and neck cSCCs seen by an academic dermatology department from July 2010 to November 2011 was performed.Results. By AJCC criteria, most tumors (n=211,82.1%) were of Stage 1; 46 tumors (13.9%) were of Stage 2. Almost all were of Stage 2 due to size alone (≥2 cm); one tumor was “upstaged” due to “high-risk features.” Using the NCCN taxonomy, 231 (87%) of tumors were “high-risk.”Discussion. This analysis demonstrates discordance between AJCC and NCCN definitions of “high-risk” cSCC. Few cSCCs are of Stage 2 by AJCC criteria, while most are “high-risk” by the NCCN guidelines. While the current guidelines represent significant progress, further studies are needed to generate a unified definition of “high-risk” cSCC to optimize management.
Exact Solutions of the Time Fractional BBM-Burger Equation by Novel(G′/G)-Expansion Method
Authors: Shakeel Muhammad , Ul-Hassan Qazi Mahmood , Ahmad Jamshad , Naqvi Tauseef
Published: September 2014

The fractional derivatives are used in the sense modified Riemann-Liouville to obtain exact solutions for BBM-Burger equation of fractional order. This equation can be converted into an ordinary differential equation by using a persistent fractional complex transform and, as a result, hyperbolic function solutions, trigonometric function solutions, and rational solutions are attained. The performance of the method is reliable, useful, and gives newer general exact solutions with more free parameters than the existing methods. Numerical results coupled with the graphical representation completely reveal the trustworthiness of the method.
Assessment and Classification of Service Learning: A Case Study of CS/EE Students
Authors: Kao Han-Ying , Wang Yu-Tseng , Huang Chia-Hui , Lai Pao-Lien , Chen Jen-Yeu
Published: September 2014

This study investigates the undergraduate students in computer science/electric engineering (CS/EE) in Taiwan to measure their perceived benefits from the experiences in service learning coursework. In addition, the confidence of their professional disciplines and its correlation with service learning experiences are examined. The results show that students take positive attitudes toward service learning and their perceived benefits from service learning are correlated with their confidence in professional disciplines. Furthermore, this study designs the knowledge model by Bayesian network (BN) classifiers and term frequency-inverse document frequency (TFIDF) for counseling students on the optimal choice of service learning.
Prediction of Depth of Sedation from Biological Signals Using Continuous Restricted Boltzmann Machine
Authors: Chen Yeou-Jiunn , Chen Shih-Chung , Chen Pei-Jarn
Published: September 2014

Proper anesthesia is very important for patients to get through surgery without pain and then avoid some other problems. By monitoring the depth of sedation for a patient, it could help a clinician to provide a suitable amount of anesthetic and other clinical treatment. In hospital, a patient is usually monitored by different types of biological systems. To predict the depth of sedation from biological signals is able to ease patient monitoring services. In this study, continuous restricted Boltzmann machines based neural network is proposed to predict the depth of sedation. The biological signals including heart rate, blood pressure, peripheral capillary oxygen saturation, and body weight are selected as analytic features. To improve the accuracy, the signals related to the state of anesthesia including fractional anesthetic concentration, end‐tidal carbon dioxide, fraction inspiration carbon dioxide, and minimum alveolar concentration are also adopted in this study. Using minimizing contrastive divergence, a continuous restricted Boltzmann machine is trained and then used to predict the depth of sedation. The experimental results showed that the proposed approach outperforms feed‐forward neural network and modular neural network. Besides, it would be able to ease patient monitoring services by using biological systems and promote healthcare quality.
Evaluation of Seismic Performance and Effectiveness of Multiple Slim-Type Damper System for Seismic Response Control of Building Structures
Authors: Kim David , Sung Eun Hee , Park Kwan-Soon , Park Jaegyun
Published: September 2014

This paper presents the evaluation of seismic performance and cost-effectiveness of a multiple slim-type damper system developed for the vibration control of earthquake excited buildings. The multiple slim-type damper (MSD) that consists of several small slim-type dampers and linkage units can control damping capacity easily by changing the number of small dampers. To evaluate the performance of the MSD, dynamic loading tests are performed with three slim-type dampers manufactured at a real scale. Numerical simulations are also carried out by nonlinear time history analysis with a ten-story earthquake excited building structure. The seismic performance and cost-effectiveness of the MSD system are investigated according to the various installation configurations of the MSD system. From the results of numerical simulation and cost-effectiveness evaluation, it is shown that combinations of the MSD systems can effectively improve the seismic performance of earthquake excited building structures.
Is the Cloze Procedure Appropriate to Evaluate Health Literacy in Older Individuals? Age Effects in the Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults
Authors: Ownby Raymond L. , Acevedo Amarilis , Waldrop-Valverde Drenna , Jacobs Robin J.
Published: September 2014

Health literacy has received increasing attention because of its importance for older individuals’ health, as studies have shown a close relation between older individuals’ health literacy and their health. Research also suggests that older individuals have low levels of health literacy, but this finding is variable and may depend on which health literacy test is used. Older individuals assessed with the Test of Functional Health Literacy (TOFHLA) score lower than younger individuals, but a previous study suggested that this may result from age-related differential item functioning (DIF) on the TOFHLA. The study reported here assessed age-related DIF in a sample of community-dwelling volunteers. Twenty-two percent of items were differentially more difficult for older individuals independent of their overall ability, and when these items were eliminated from the total score, age differences were no longer found. Performance on a working memory task predicted older but not younger individuals’ performance on the age-related items. At least part of older individuals’ apparent deficits in health literacy when assessed by the TOFHLA may be related to DIF on its items. The TOFHLA, and any measure that employs the cloze procedure to evaluate reading comprehension, should be used cautiously in older individuals.
Improved Estimation of the Initial Number of Susceptible Individuals in the General Stochastic Epidemic Model Using Penalized Likelihood
Authors: Oh Changhyuck
Published: September 2014

The initial size of a completely susceptible population in a group of individuals plays a key role in drawing inferences for epidemic models. However, this can be difficult to obtain in practice because, in any population, there might be individuals who may not transmit the disease during the epidemic. This short note describes how to improve the maximum likelihood estimators of the infection rate and the initial number of susceptible individuals and provides their approximate Hessian matrix for the general stochastic epidemic model by using the concept of the penalized likelihood function. The simulations of major epidemics show significant improvements in performance in averages and coverage ratios for the suggested estimator of the initial number in comparison to existing methods. We applied the proposed method to the Abakaliki smallpox data.
FraudMiner: A Novel Credit Card Fraud Detection Model Based on Frequent Itemset Mining
Authors: Seeja K. R. , Zareapoor Masoumeh
Published: September 2014

This paper proposes an intelligent credit card fraud detection model for detecting fraud from highly imbalanced and anonymous credit card transaction datasets. The class imbalance problem is handled by finding legal as well as fraud transaction patterns for each customer by usingfrequent itemset mining.A matching algorithm is also proposed to find to which pattern (legal or fraud) the incoming transaction of a particular customer is closer and a decision is made accordingly. In order to handle the anonymous nature of the data, no preference is given to any of the attributes and each attribute is considered equally for finding the patterns. The performance evaluation of the proposed model is done on UCSD Data Mining Contest 2009 Dataset (anonymous and imbalanced) and it is found that the proposed model has very high fraud detection rate, balanced classification rate, Matthews correlation coefficient, and very less false alarm rate than other state-of-the-art classifiers.
New Insights into Monoclonal B-Cell Lymphocytosis
Authors: Kalpadakis Christina , Pangalis Gerassimos A. , Sachanas Sotirios , Vassilakopoulos Theodoros P. , Kyriakaki Stavroula , Korkolopoulou Penelope , Koulieris Efstathios , Moschogiannis Maria , Yiakoumis Xanthi , Tsirkinidis Pantelis , Kyrtsonis Marie-Christine , Levidou Georgia , Papadaki Helen A. , Panayiotidis Panayiotis , Angelopoulou Maria K.
Published: September 2014

Monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis (MBL) is a premalignant condition characterized by the presence of less than 5000/μL circulating clonal B cells in otherwise healthy individuals. Three subcategories have been identified according to the immunophenotypic features: CLL-like, CD5(+) atypical, and CD5(−) MBL. CLL-like MBL is by far the most frequent and best studied category and further divided in low-count [LC] and high-count [HC] MBL, based on a cutoff value of 500/μL clonal B cells. LC-MBL typically remains stable and probably does not represent a truly premalignant condition, but rather an age-related immune senescence. On the other hand, HC-MBL is closely related to CLL-Rai0, bearing similar immunogenetic profile, and is associated with an annual risk of progression to CLL requiring therapy at a rate of 1.1%. Currently there are no reproducible factors for evaluating the risk of progression to CLL. CD5(−) MBL is characterized by an immunophenotype consistent with marginal zone origin and displays many similarities with marginal zone lymphomas (MZL), mainly the splenic MZL. The cutoff value of 5000/μL clonal B cells cannot probably be applied in CD5(−) MBL, requiring a new definition to describe those cases.
Three Social Classroom Applications to Improve Student Attitudes
Authors: Wang Alf Inge , Elvemo Aleksander Aanesl. , Gamnes Vegard
Published: September 2014

The paper presents results of a quasiexperiment where the three social classroom applications Post-It, WordCloud, and Categorizer were used in software architecture lectures. Post-It and WordCloud are applications that allow students to brainstorm or give comments related to a given topic. Categorizer is a puzzle game where the students are asked to place a number of terms in one of two correct categories. The three applications are multimodal HTML5 applications that enable students to interact in a classroom using their own digital devices, and the teacher’s laptop is used to display progress and results on the large screen. The focus of this study was to evaluate how the difference of these applications and how their integration into the lecture affected the students’ motivation, engagement, thinking, activity level, social interaction, creativity, enjoyment, attention, and learning. In addition, the study evaluated the usability and the technical quality of the applications. The results of the experiment show that the way such applications are integrated into a lecture highly affects the students’ attitude. The experiment also showed that the game-based application was on average better received among the students and that the students’ attitude was highly sensitive to the difficulty level of the game.
Measurement of Overall Performance Effectiveness in Setup Improvement
Authors: Low Shye-Nee , Chong Siu-Hou , Sim Hui-Yee , Razalli Solehhudin , Kamaruddin Shahrul
Published: September 2014

This study aimed to improve the setup process of injection molding machines by using the developed setup improvement methodology. Overall performance effectiveness (OPE) was used to evaluate the setup improvement. A case study was tested on the application of the developed setup improvement methodology. A 50.1% reduction in setup time was attained by the developed methodology, and significant time savings were achieved with minimum investment. Comparisons between before and after improvement implementation were conducted through OPE to verify the improvement. In terms of OPE, the setup performance in the case study considered an acceptable value of 60.45%. The setup process performance of the developed setup improvement methodology was judged in terms of effectiveness. Results therefore indicate that OPE measurement is an effective way to analyze the efficiency of a single setup process.
Transcriptome of the Deep-Sea Black Scabbardfish,Aphanopus carbo(Perciformes: Trichiuridae): Tissue-Specific Expression Patterns and Candidate Genes Associated to Depth Adaptation
Authors: Stefanni Sergio , Bettencourt Raul , Pinheiro Miguel , Moro Gianluca De , Bongiorni Lucia , Pallavicini Alberto
Published: September 2014

Deep-sea fishes provide a unique opportunity to study the physiology and evolutionary adaptation to extreme environments. We carried out a high throughput sequencing analysis on a 454 GS-FLX titanium plate using unnormalized cDNA libraries from six tissues ofA. carbo. Assemblage and annotations were performed by Newbler and InterPro/Pfam analyses, respectively. The assembly of 544,491 high quality reads provided 8,319 contigs, 55.6% of which retrieved blast hits against the NCBI nonredundant database or were annotated with ESTscan. Comparison of functional genes at both the protein sequences and protein stability levels, associated with adaptations to depth, revealed similarities betweenA. carboand other bathypelagic fishes. A selection of putative genes was standardized to evaluate the correlation between number of contigs and their normalized expression, as determined by qPCR amplification. The screening of the libraries contributed to the identification of new EST simple-sequence repeats (SSRs) and to the design of primer pairs suitable for population genetic studies as well as for tagging and mapping of genes. The characterization of the deep-sea fishA. carbofirst transcriptome is expected to provide abundant resources for genetic, evolutionary, and ecological studies of this species and the basis for further investigation of depth-related adaptation processes in fishes.
Ride Quality Assessment of Bus Suspension System through Modal Frequency Response Approach
Authors: Kong Y. S. , Omar M. Z. , Chua L. B. , Abdullah S.
Published: September 2014

The ride dynamic characteristics of an urban bus were investigated through simulations with suspension component characteristics and were validated through field measurements. It was performed on highway road at a constant forward speed. A random vibration bus model with two parallel tracks of terrain profile was synthesized with superposition between the left and right sides as well as time delay between front and rear. The bus frequency response model was introduced with embedded modal extraction data to enhance computation efficiency. The simulation results of the bus model were derived in terms of acceleration PSD and frequency-weighted root mean square acceleration along the vertical axes at three locations, namely, driver side, middle, and rear passenger side, to obtain the overall bus ride performance. Another two sets of new leaf spring design were proposed as suspension parameter analysis. The simulation approach provides reasonably good results in evaluating passenger perception on ride and shows that the proposed new spring design can significantly improve the ride quality of the driver and passengers.
A New Difference Sequence Set of Orderαand Its Geometrical Properties
Authors: Et Mikail , Karakaya Vatan
Published: September 2014

We introduce a new class of sequences named asmαΔr,ϕ,pand, for this space, we study some inclusion relations, topological properties, and geometrical properties such as order continuous, the Fatou property, and the Banach-Saks property of typep.
Preventive Effects of Chitosan Coacervate Whey Protein on Body Composition and Immunometabolic Aspect in Obese Mice
Authors: de Souza Gabriel Inácio de Morais Honorato , Santamarina Aline Boveto , Santana Aline Alves de , Lira Fábio Santos , Laquila Rachel de , Moreno Mayara Franzoi , Ribeiro Eliane Beraldi , Nascimento Claudia Maria da Penha Oller do , Rodrigues Bruno , Esposito Elisa , Oyama Lila Missae
Published: September 2014

Functional foods containing bioactive compounds of whey may play an important role in prevention and treatment of obesity. The aim of this study was to investigate the prospects of the biotechnological process of coacervation of whey proteins (CWP) in chitosan and test its antiobesogenic potential.Methods.CWP (100 mg·kg·day) was administered in mice with diet-induced obesity for 8 weeks. The animals were divided into four groups: control normocaloric diet gavage with water (C) or coacervate (C-CWP), and high fat diet gavage with water (HF) or coacervate (HF-CWP).Results.HF-CWP reduced weight gain and serum lipid fractions and displayed reduced adiposity and insulin. Adiponectin was significantly higher in HF-CWP group when compared to the HF. The level of LPS in HF-W group was significantly higher when compared to HF-CWP. The IL-10 showed an inverse correlation between the levels of insulin and glucose in the mesenteric adipose tissue in the HF-CWP group. CWP promoted an increase in both phosphorylation AMPK and the amount of ATGL in the mesenteric adipose tissue in HF-CWP group.Conclusion. CWP was able to modulate effects, possibly due to its high biological value of proteins. We observed a protective effect against obesity and improved the inflammatory milieu of white adipose tissue.
Modelling Inflation Uncertainty with Structural Breaks Case of Turkey (1994–2013)
Authors: Göktaş Pınar , Dişbudak Cem
Published: September 2014

In recent years, the importance attached to the concept of volatility has increased and become a phenomenon frequently encountered in every field ranging from financial markets to macroeconomic indicators. In this study, inflation data obtained from CPI index for the period of 1994:01–2013:12 in Turkey was used to determine the best representative of the inflation uncertainty. To realize this, both symmetric and asymmetric GARCH‐type models were employed. Since there are many factors that may lead to structural change within the economic course of Turkey, a structural break in the series has first been investigated. By administering Bai‐Perron structural break test, two different break points both in mean and variance have been detected to be in February 2002 and in June 2001, respectively. The inclusion of those break points to the related equations, appropriate forecasting models were projected. Moreover it was found that, while in the periods prior to the break in both variance and mean the inflation itself was the reason for inflation uncertainty, following the dates of the break, the relationship changed bidirectionally. In the meantime, when the series was taken as a whole without considering the break, bidirectional causality relationship was also detected in the series.
Pentachlorophenol Degradation byJanibactersp., a New Actinobacterium Isolated from Saline Sediment of Arid Land
Authors: Khessairi Amel , Fhoula Imene , Jaouani Atef , Turki Yousra , Cherif Ameur , Boudabous Abdellatif , Hassen Abdennaceur , Ouzari Hadda
Published: September 2014

Many pentachlorophenol- (PCP-) contaminated environments are characterized by low or elevated temperatures, acidic or alkaline pH, and high salt concentrations. PCP-degrading microorganisms, adapted to grow and prosper in these environments, play an important role in the biological treatment of polluted extreme habitats. A PCP-degrading bacterium was isolated and characterized from arid and saline soil in southern Tunisia and was enriched in mineral salts medium supplemented with PCP as source of carbon and energy. Based on 16S rRNA coding gene sequence analysis, the strain FAS23 was identified asJanibactersp. As revealed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis, FAS23 strain was found to be efficient for PCP removal in the presence of 1% of glucose. The conditions of growth and PCP removal by FAS23 strain were found to be optimal in neutral pH and at a temperature of 30°C. Moreover, this strain was found to be halotolerant at a range of 1–10% of NaCl and able to degrade PCP at a concentration up to 300 mg/L, while the addition of nonionic surfactant (Tween 80) enhanced the PCP removal capacity.
Phenolic Composition and Antioxidant Activity ofMalus domesticaLeaves
Authors: Liaudanskas Mindaugas , Viškelis Pranas , Raudonis Raimondas , Kviklys Darius , Uselis Norbertas , Janulis Valdimaras
Published: September 2014

The aim of this study was to determine the composition and content of phenolic compounds in the ethanol extracts of apple leaves and to evaluate the antioxidant activity of these extracts. The total phenolic content was determined spectrophotometrically, as well as the total flavonoid content in the ethanol extracts of apple leaves and the antioxidant activity of these extracts, by the ABTS, DPPH, and FRAP assays. The highest amount of phenolic compounds and flavonoids as well as the highest antioxidant activity was determined in the ethanol extracts obtained from the apple leaves of the cv. Aldas. The analysis by the HPLC method revealed that phloridzin was a predominant component in the ethanol extracts of the apple leaves of all cultivars investigated. The following quercetin glycosides were identified and quantified in the ethanol extracts of apple leaves: hyperoside, isoquercitrin, avicularin, rutin, and quercitrin. Quercitrin was the major compound among quercetin glycosides.
Vacuum Ultraviolet Field Emission Lamp Consisting of Neodymium Ion Doped Lutetium Fluoride Thin Film as Phosphor
Authors: Yanagihara Masahiro , Tsuji Takayuki , Yusop Mohd Zamri , Tanemura Masaki , Ono Shingo , Nagami Tomohito , Fukuda Kentaro , Suyama Toshihisa , Yokota Yuui , Yanagida Takayuki , Yoshikawa Akira
Published: September 2014

A vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) field emission lamp was developed by using a neodymium ion doped lutetium fluoride (Nd3+ : LuF3) thin film as solid-state phosphor and carbon nanofiber field electron emitters. The thin film was synthesized by pulsed laser deposition and incorporated into the lamp. The cathodoluminescence spectra of the lamp showed multiple emission peaks at 180, 225, and 255 nm. These emission spectra were in good agreement with the spectra reported for the Nd3+ : LuF3crystal. Moreover, application of an acceleration voltage effectively increased the emission intensity. These results contribute to the performance enhancement of the lamp operating in the VUV region.
Evaluation of Phytoavailability of Heavy Metals to Chinese Cabbage (Brassica chinensisL.) in Rural Soils
Authors: Chang Yao-Tsung , Hseu Zeng-Yei , Zehetner Franz
Published: September 2014

This study compared the extractability of Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn by 8 extraction protocols for 22 representative rural soils in Taiwan and correlated the extractable amounts of the metals with their uptake by Chinese cabbage for developing an empirical model to predict metal phytoavailability based on soil properties. Chemical agents in these protocols included dilute acids, neutral salts, and chelating agents, in addition to water and the Rhizon soil solution sampler. The highest concentrations of extractable metals were observed in the HCl extraction and the lowest in the Rhizon sampling method. The linear correlation coefficients between extractable metals in soil pools and metals in shoots were higher than those in roots. Correlations between extractable metal concentrations and soil properties were variable; soil pH, clay content, total metal content, and extractable metal concentration were considered together to simulate their combined effects on crop uptake by an empirical model. This combination improved the correlations to different extents for different extraction methods, particularly for Pb, for which the extractable amounts with any extraction protocol did not correlate with crop uptake by simple correlation analysis.