bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Vision-Based Wayfinding System for Visually Impaired People Using Situation Awareness and Activity-Based Instructions
Authors: Ko Eunjeong , Kim Eun
Published: August 2017

A significant challenge faced by visually impaired people is ‘wayfinding’, which is the ability to find one’s way to a destination in an unfamiliar environment. This study develops a novel wayfinding system for smartphones that can automatically recognize the situation and scene objects in real time. Through analyzing streaming images, the proposed system first classifies the current situation of a user in terms of their location. Next, based on the current situation, only the necessary context objects are found and interpreted using computer vision techniques. It estimates the motions of the user with two inertial sensors and records the trajectories of the user toward the destination, which are also used as a guide for the return route after reaching the destination. To efficiently convey the recognized results using an auditory interface, activity-based instructions are generated that guide the user in a series of movements along a route. To assess the effectiveness of the proposed system, experiments were conducted in several indoor environments: the sit in which the situation awareness accuracy was 90% and the object detection false alarm rate was 0.016. In addition, our field test results demonstrate that users can locate their paths with an accuracy of 97%.
Detection Methodologies for Pathogen and Toxins: A Review
Authors: Alahi Md , Mukhopadhyay Subhas
Published: August 2017

Pathogen and toxin-contaminated foods and beverages are a major source of illnesses, even death, and have a significant economic impact worldwide. Human health is always under a potential threat, including from biological warfare, due to these dangerous pathogens. The agricultural and food production chain consists of many steps such as harvesting, handling, processing, packaging, storage, distribution, preparation, and consumption. Each step is susceptible to threats of environmental contamination or failure to safeguard the processes. The production process can be controlled in the food and agricultural sector, where smart sensors can play a major role, ensuring greater food quality and safety by low cost, fast, reliable, and profitable methods of detection. Techniques for the detection of pathogens and toxins may vary in cost, size, and specificity, speed of response, sensitivity, and precision. Smart sensors can detect, analyse and quantify at molecular levels contents of different biological origin and ensure quality of foods against spiking with pesticides, fertilizers, dioxin, modified organisms, anti-nutrients, allergens, drugs and so on. This paper reviews different methodologies to detect pathogens and toxins in foods and beverages.
Recent Advances in Electrospun Nanofiber Interfaces for Biosensing Devices
Authors: Sapountzi Eleni , Braiek Mohamed , Chateaux Jean-François , Jaffrezic-Renault Nicole , Lagarde Florence
Published: August 2017

Electrospinning has emerged as a very powerful method combining efficiency, versatility and low cost to elaborate scalable ordered and complex nanofibrous assemblies from a rich variety of polymers. Electrospun nanofibers have demonstrated high potential for a wide spectrum of applications, including drug delivery, tissue engineering, energy conversion and storage, or physical and chemical sensors. The number of works related to biosensing devices integrating electrospun nanofibers has also increased substantially over the last decade. This review provides an overview of the current research activities and new trends in the field. Retaining the bioreceptor functionality is one of the main challenges associated with the production of nanofiber-based biosensing interfaces. The bioreceptors can be immobilized using various strategies, depending on the physical and chemical characteristics of both bioreceptors and nanofiber scaffolds, and on their interfacial interactions. The production of nanobiocomposites constituted by carbon, metal oxide or polymer electrospun nanofibers integrating bioreceptors and conductive nanomaterials (e.g., carbon nanotubes, metal nanoparticles) has been one of the major trends in the last few years. The use of electrospun nanofibers in ELISA-type bioassays, lab-on-a-chip and paper-based point-of-care devices is also highly promising. After a short and general description of electrospinning process, the different strategies to produce electrospun nanofiber biosensing interfaces are discussed.
A Wireless ExG Interface for Patch-Type ECG Holter and EMG-Controlled Robot Hand
Authors: Lee Kwangmuk , Choi Yun Young , Kim Dae Jung , Chae Hee Young , Park Kyeonghwan , Oh Young Min , Woo Sung Hun , Kim Jae Joon
Published: August 2017

This paper presents a wearable electrophysiological interface with enhanced immunity to motion artifacts. Anti-artifact schemes, including a patch-type modular structure and real-time automatic level adjustment, are proposed and verified in two wireless system prototypes of a patch-type electrocardiogram (ECG) module and an electromyogram (EMG)-based robot-hand controller. Their common ExG readout integrated circuit (ROIC), which is reconfigurable for multiple physiological interfaces, is designed and fabricated in a 0.18 μm CMOS process. Moreover, analog pre-processing structures based on envelope detection are integrated with one another to mitigate signal processing burdens in the digital domain effectively.
Accuracy of Flight Altitude Measured with Low-Cost GNSS, Radar and Barometer Sensors: Implications for Airborne Radiometric Surveys
Authors: Albéri Matteo , Baldoncini Marica , Bottardi Carlo , Chiarelli Enrico , Fiorentini Giovanni , Raptis Kassandra Giulia Cristina , Realini Eugenio , Reguzzoni Mirko , Rossi Lorenzo , Sampietro Daniele , Strati Virginia , Mantovani Fabio
Published: August 2017

Flight height is a fundamental parameter for correcting the gamma signal produced by terrestrial radionuclides measured during airborne surveys. The frontiers of radiometric measurements with UAV require light and accurate altimeters flying at some 10 m from the ground. We equipped an aircraft with seven altimetric sensors (three low-cost GNSS receivers, one inertial measurement unit, one radar altimeter and two barometers) and analyzed ~3 h of data collected over the sea in the (35–2194) m altitude range. At low altitudes (H < 70 m) radar and barometric altimeters provide the best performances, while GNSS data are used only for barometer calibration as they are affected by a large noise due to the multipath from the sea. The ~1 m median standard deviation at 50 m altitude affects the estimation of the ground radioisotope abundances with an uncertainty less than 1.3%. The GNSS double-difference post-processing enhanced significantly the data quality for H > 80 m in terms of both altitude median standard deviation and agreement between the reconstructed and measured GPS antennas distances. Flying at 100 m the estimated uncertainty on the ground total activity due to the uncertainty on the flight height is of the order of 2%.
The Rough Path to the Compensation of Asbestos Damages in China
Authors: Coggiola Nadia
Published: August 2017

The article investigates the issue of asbestos damages compensation in China. Today, China is a major player in the global market of asbestos production and consumption. Therefore, a large number of Chinese workers are employed in the asbestos industries and an even larger number of individuals are exposed to asbestos for non-occupational reasons. Although there is no official data on the numbers of asbestos-related diseases in China, it is estimated that a significant part of the population developed asbestos-related diseases and that there will be an augmentation of those diseases in the future. This article examines the Chinese legal provisions on the prevention, control, and compensation of asbestos related diseases; both in cases of environmental and occupational exposures, and analyzes if and when those provisions are applied. This research shows that although the laws and the regulations enacted by the Chinese government provide protection for those exposed to asbestos dust, and entitle them to some compensation or indemnity where those exposures caused damages, the implementation of those rules is actually very difficult, due to a variety of different reasons. Those reasons can vary from problems in the interpretation and implementation of the laws and regulations, to difficulties in the access to justice and in the adjudication by the courts, regarding occupational and environmental damages. In most of these cases, the consequences of these problems are a poor and inefficient protection of the victims of the asbestos exposures for the damages suffered.
Spatiotemporal Agglomeration of Real-Estate Industry in Guangzhou, China
Authors: Wang Peng , Lin Xiaoyan , Dai Dajun
Published: August 2017

Real estate development is critical to healthy economic growth and regional development. Using real-estate data in Guangzhou, China from the 1970s to 2015, we examined the spatiotemporal agglomeration and evolution of Guangzhou’s real estate industry with spatial and spatiotemporal techniques. This study shows that real estate businesses were initially agglomerated in the city center with socioeconomic advantages, and later spread into suburbs as new growth foundations. We also found that different business types, depending on their functions, evolved and agglomerated in different time periods. The findings provide valuable support to the formulation of effective government policy and the management of real estate enterprises in China.
Exploring Jeddah Floods by Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission Analysis
Authors: Tekeli Ahmet
Published: August 2017

Estimating flash floods in arid regions is a challenge arising from the limited time preventing mitigation measures from being taken, which results in fatalities and property losses. Here, Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Multi Satellite Precipitation Analysis (TMPA) Real Time (RT) 3B2RT data are utilized in estimating floods that occurred over the city of Jeddah located in the western Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. During the 2000–2014 period, six floods that were effective on 19 days occurred in Jeddah. Three indices, constant threshold (CT), cumulative distribution functions (CDFs) and Jeddah flood index (JFI), were developed using 15-year 3-hourly 3B42RT. The CT calculated, as 10.37 mm/h, predicted flooding on 14 days, 6 of which coincided with actual flood-affected days (FADs). CDF thresholds varied between 87 and 93.74%, and JFI estimated 28 and 20 FADs where 8 and 7 matched with actual FADs, respectively. While CDF and JFI did not miss any flood event, CT missed the floods that occurred in the heavy rain months of January and December. The results are promising despite that only rainfall rates, i.e., one parameter out of various flood triggering mechanisms, i.e., soil moisture, topography and land use, are used. The simplicity of the method favors its use in TRMM follow-on missions such as the Global Precipitation Measurement Mission (GPM).
A Bag of Concepts Approach for Biomedical Document Classification Using Wikipedia Knowledge
Authors: Pérez-Rodríguez Roberto , Anido-Rifón Luis E. , Mouriño-García Marcos A.
Published: August 2017

Objectives: The ability to efficiently review the existing literature is essential for the rapid progress of research. This paper describes a classifier of text documents, represented as vectors in spaces of Wikipedia concepts, and analyses its suitability for classification of Spanish biomedical documents when only English documents are available for training. We propose the cross-language concept matching (CLCM) technique, which relies on Wikipedia interlanguage links to convert concept vectors from the Spanish to the English space.

Methods: The performance of the classifier is compared to several baselines: a classifier based on machine translation, a classifier that represents documents after performing Explicit Semantic Analysis (ESA), and a classifier that uses a domain-specific semantic an- notator (MetaMap). The corpus used for the experiments (Cross-Language UVigoMED) was purpose-built for this study, and it is composed of 12,832 English and 2,184 Spanish MEDLINE abstracts.

Results: The performance of our approach is superior to any other state-of-the art classifier in the benchmark, with performance increases up to: 124% over classical machine translation, 332% over MetaMap, and 60 times over the classifier based on ESA. The results have statistical significance, showing p-values < 0.0001.

Conclusion: Using knowledge mined from Wikipedia to represent documents as vectors in a space of Wikipedia concepts and translating vectors between language-specific concept spaces, a cross-language classifier can be built, and it performs better than several state-of-the-art classifiers.
Long Noncoding RNA NEAT1 Promotes Growth and Metastasis of Cholangiocarcinoma Cells
Authors: Zhang Cheng , Li Jing-Yi , Tian Fu-Zhou , Zhao Gang , Hu Hai , Ma Yue-Feng , Yang Yu-Long
Published: August 2017

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are known to play important roles in cancers. However, little is known about lncRNAs in cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), a cholangiocyte malignancy with poor prognosis. We investigated the role of nuclear paraspeckle assembly transcript 1 (NEAT1) lncRNA in promoting
CCA. qRT-PCR analysis of patient samples showed that NEAT1 expression was higher in CCA tumors than in matched adjacent nontumor tissue. NEAT1 levels were also higher in CCA cell lines than in a normal biliary epithelium cell line (HIBEpic). NEAT1 knockdown in CCA cell lines using shNEAT1
reduced cell proliferation and colony formation in CCK-8 and colony formation assays, respectively. CCA cells transfected with shNEAT1 also exhibited reduced metastasis and invasiveness in Transwell assays. NEAT1 knockdown cells produced smaller tumors, demonstrating that NEAT1 promotes tumor
growth in vivo. Silencing of NEAT1 increased E-cadherin expression in vitro, and E-cadherin expression was inversely correlated with NEAT1 expression in CCA tissue samples. RIP and ChIP assays suggest that NEAT1 is recruited to the E-cadherin promoter by EZH2 (enhancer of zeste homolog 2),
where it represses E-cadherin expression. These findings indicate that NEAT1 exerts oncogenic effects in CCA. We postulate that NEAT1 is a potentially useful diagnostic and therapeutic target for CCA.
Transport characteristics of a silicene nanoribbon on Ag(110)
Authors: Hiraoka Ryoichi , Lin Chun-Liang , Nakamura Kotaro , Nagao Ryo , Kawai Maki , Arafune Ryuichi , Takagi Noriaki
Published: August 2017

We present the transport characteristics of individual silicene nanoribbons (SiNRs) grown on Ag(110). By lifting up a single SiNR with a low-temperature scanning tunneling microscope tip, a nanojunction consisting of tip, SiNR and Ag is fabricated. In the differential conductance spectra of the nanojunctions fabricated by this methodology, a peak appears at the Fermi level which is not observed in the spectra measured either for the SiNRs before being lifted up or the clean Ag substrate. We discuss the origin of the peak as it relates to the SiNR.
The Origins of [C ii] Emission in Local Star-forming Galaxies
Authors: Croxall K. V. , Smith J. D. , Pellegrini E. , Groves B. , Bolatto A. , Herrera-Camus R. , Sandstrom K. M. , Draine B. , Wolfire M. G. , Armus L. , Boquien M. , Brandl B. , Dale D. , Galametz M. , Hunt L. , Kennicutt R. , Kreckel K. , Rigopoulou D. , Werf P. van der , Wilson C.
Published: August 2017

The [C ii] 158 μm fine-structure line is the brightest emission line observed in local star-forming galaxies. As a major coolant of the gas-phase interstellar medium, [C ii] balances the heating, including that due to far-ultraviolet photons, which heat the gas via the photoelectric effect. However, the origin of [C ii] emission remains unclear because C+ can be found in multiple phases of the interstellar medium. Here we measure the fractions of [C ii] emission originating in the ionized and neutral gas phases of a sample of nearby galaxies. We use the [N ii] 205 μm fine-structure line to trace the ionized medium, thereby eliminating the strong density dependence that exists in the ratio of [C ii]/[N ii] 122 μm. Using the FIR [C ii] and [N ii] emission detected by the KINGFISH (Key Insights on Nearby Galaxies: a Far- Infrared Survey with Herschel) and Beyond the Peak Herschel programs, we show that 60%–80% of [C ii] emission originates from neutral gas. We find that the fraction of [C ii] originating in the neutral medium has a weak dependence on dust temperature and the surface density of star formation, and has a stronger dependence on the gas-phase metallicity. In metal-rich environments, the relatively cooler ionized gas makes substantially larger contributions to total [C ii] emission than at low abundance, contrary to prior expectations. Approximate calibrations of this metallicity trend are provided.
Content and Construct Validity, Reliability, and Responsiveness of the Rheumatoid Arthritis Flare Questionnaire: OMERACT 2016 Workshop Report
Authors: Bartlett Susan J. , Barbic Skye P. , Bykerk Vivian P. , Choy Ernest H. , Alten Rieke , Christensen Robin , den Broeder Alfons , Fautrel Bruno , Furst Daniel E. , Guillemin Francis , Hewlett Sarah , Leong Amye L. , Lyddiatt Anne , March Lyn , Montie Pamela , Pohl Christoph , Scholte Voshaar Marieke , Woodworth Thasia G. , Bingham Clifton O.
Published: August 2017

Objective.

The Outcome Measures in Rheumatology (OMERACT) Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) Flare Group was established to develop a reliable way to identify and measure RA flares in randomized controlled trials (RCT). Here, we summarized the development and field testing of the RA Flare Questionnaire (RA-FQ), and the voting results at OMERACT 2016.

Methods.

Classic and modern psychometric methods were used to assess reliability, validity, sensitivity, factor structure, scoring, and thresholds. Interviews with patients and clinicians also assessed content validity, utility, and meaningfulness of RA-FQ scores.

Results.

People with RA in observational trials in Canada (n = 896) and France (n = 138), and an RCT in the Netherlands (n = 178) completed 5 items (11-point numerical rating scale) representing RA Flare core domains. There was moderate to high evidence of reliability, content and construct validity, and responsiveness. Factor analysis supported unidimensionality. Rasch analysis showed acceptable fit to the Rasch model, with items and people covering a broad measurement continuum and evidence of appropriate targeting of items to people, ordered thresholds, minimal differential item functioning by language, sex, or age. A summative score across items is defensible, yielding an interval score (0–50) where higher scores reflect worsening flare. The RA-FQ received endorsement from 88% of attendees that it passed the OMERACT Filter 2.0 “Eyeball Test” for instrument selection.

Conclusion.

The RA-FQ has been developed to identify and measure RA flares. Its review through OMERACT Filter 2.0 shows evidence of reliability, content and construct validity, and responsiveness. These properties merit its further validation as an outcome for clinical trials.
Safety and Efficacy of Baricitinib Through 128 Weeks in an Open-label, Longterm Extension Study in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis
Authors: Keystone Edward C. , Genovese Mark C. , Schlichting Douglas E. , de la Torre Inmaculada , Beattie Scott D. , Rooney Terence P. , Taylor Peter C.
Published: August 2017

Objective.

To assess the safety and efficacy of baricitinib in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) up to 128 weeks in a phase IIb study (NCT01185353).

Methods.

After a 24-week blinded period, eligible patients entered an initial 52-week open-label extension (OLE); patients receiving 8 mg once daily (QD) continued with that dose and all others received 4 mg QD. Doses could be escalated to 8 mg QD at 28 or 32 weeks at investigator discretion when ≥ 6 tender and ≥ 6 swollen joints were present. Patients completing the first OLE were eligible to enter a second 52-week OLE and receive 4 mg QD regardless of previous dose.

Results.

In the 4-mg (n = 108) and 8-mg (n = 93) groups, treatment-emergent adverse events (AE) occurred in 63% and 67%, serious AE in 16% and 13%, infections in 35% and 40%, and serious infections in 5% and 3% of patients, respectively. Exposure-adjusted incidence rates for AE for all baricitinib groups in the second OLE were similar to or lower than rates observed in the first OLE. No opportunistic infections, tuberculosis cases, or lymphomas were observed through 128 weeks; 1 death occurred during the first OLE. Among all patients in both OLE, the proportions who achieved disease improvement at Week 24 were similar or increased at weeks 76 and 128.

Conclusion.

In a phase IIb study in RA, the safety and tolerability profile of baricitinib, up to 128 weeks, remained consistent with earlier observations, without unexpected late signals. Clinical improvements seen in the 24-week blinded period were maintained during the OLE.
Evidence for Updating the Core Domain Set of Outcome Measures for Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: Report from a Special Interest Group at OMERACT 2016
Authors: Morgan Esi M. , Riebschleger Meredith P. , Horonjeff Jennifer , Consolaro Alessandro , Munro Jane E. , Thornhill Susan , Beukelman Timothy , Brunner Hermine I. , Creek Emily L. , Harris Julia G. , Horton Daniel B. , Lovell Daniel J. , Mannion Melissa L. , Olson Judyann C. , Rahimi Homaira , Gallo Maria Chiara , Calandra Serena , Ravelli Angelo , Ringold Sarah , Shenoi Susan , Stinson Jennifer , Toupin-April Karine , Strand Vibeke , Bingham Clifton O.
Published: August 2017

Objective.

The current Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) Core Set was developed in 1997 to identify the outcome measures to be used in JIA clinical trials using statistical and consensus-based techniques, but without patient involvement. The importance of patient/parent input into the research process has increasingly been recognized over the years. An Outcome Measures in Rheumatology (OMERACT) JIA Core Set Working Group was formed to determine whether the outcome domains of the current core set are relevant to those involved or whether the core set domains should be revised.

Methods.

Twenty-four people from the United States, Canada, Australia, and Europe, including patient partners, formed the working group. Guided by the OMERACT Filter 2.0 process, we performed (1) a systematic literature review of outcome domains, (2) a Web-based survey (142 patients, 343 parents), (3) an idea-generation study (120 parents), (4) 4 online discussion boards (24 patients, 20 parents), and (5) a Special Interest Group (SIG) activity at the OMERACT 13 (2016) meeting.

Results.

A MEDLINE search of outcome domains used in studies of JIA yielded 5956 citations, of which 729 citations underwent full-text review, and identified additional domains to those included in the current JIA Core Set. Qualitative studies on the effect of JIA identified multiple additional domains, including pain and participation. Twenty-one participants in the SIG achieved consensus on the need to revise the entire JIA Core Set.

Conclusion.

The results of qualitative studies and literature review support the need to expand the JIA Core Set, considering, among other things, additional patient/parent-centered outcomes, clinical data, and imaging data.
The OMERACT Rheumatoid Arthritis Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Scoring System: Updated Recommendations by the OMERACT MRI in Arthritis Working Group
Authors: Østergaard Mikkel , Peterfy Charles G. , Bird Paul , Gandjbakhch Frédérique , Glinatsi Daniel , Eshed Iris , Haavardsholm Espen A. , Lillegraven Siri , Bøyesen Pernille , Ejbjerg Bo , Foltz Violaine , Emery Paul , Genant Harry K. , Conaghan Philip G.
Published: August 2017

Objective.

The Outcome Measures in Rheumatology (OMERACT) Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scoring system (RAMRIS), evaluating bone erosion, bone marrow edema/osteitis, and synovitis, was introduced in 2002, and is now the standard method of objectively quantifying inflammation and damage by MRI in RA trials. The objective of this paper was to identify subsequent advances and based on them, to provide updated recommendations for the RAMRIS.

Methods.

MRI studies relevant for RAMRIS and technical and scientific advances were analyzed by the OMERACT MRI in Arthritis Working Group, which used these data to provide updated considerations on image acquisition, RAMRIS definitions, and scoring systems for the original and new RA pathologies. Further, a research agenda was outlined.

Results.

Since 2002, longitudinal studies and clinical trials have documented RAMRIS variables to have face, construct, and criterion validity; high reliability and sensitivity to change; and the ability to discriminate between therapies. This has enabled RAMRIS to demonstrate inhibition of structural damage progression with fewer patients and shorter followup times than has been possible with conventional radiography. Technical improvements, including higher field strengths and improved pulse sequences, allow higher image resolution and contrast-to-noise ratio. These have facilitated development and validation of scoring methods of new pathologies: joint space narrowing and tenosynovitis. These have high reproducibility and moderate sensitivity to change, and can be added to RAMRIS. Combined scores of inflammation or joint damage may increase sensitivity to change and discriminative power. However, this requires further research.

Conclusion.

Updated 2016 RAMRIS recommendations and a research agenda were developed.
Long-Term Monitoring Data Provide Evidence of Declining Species Richness in a River Valued for Biodiversity Conservation
Authors: Freeman Mary C. , Hagler Megan M. , Bumpers Phillip M. , Wheeler Kit , Wenger Seth J. , Freeman Byron J.
Published: August 2017

Free-flowing river segments provide refuges for many imperiled aquatic biota that have been extirpated elsewhere in their native ranges. These biodiversity refuges are also foci of conservation concerns because species persisting within isolated habitat fragments may be particularly vulnerable to local environmental change. We have analyzed long-term (14- and 20-y) survey data to assess evidence of fish species declines in two southeastern U.S. rivers where managers and stakeholders have identified potentially detrimental impacts of current and future land uses. The Conasauga River (Georgia and Tennessee) and the Etowah River (Georgia) form free-flowing headwaters of the extensively dammed Coosa River system. These rivers are valued in part because they harbor multiple species of conservation concern, including three federally endangered and two federally threatened fishes. We used data sets comprising annual surveys for fish species at multiple, fixed sites located at river shoals to analyze occupancy dynamics and temporal changes in species richness. Our analyses incorporated repeated site-specific surveys in some years to estimate and account for incomplete species detection, and test for species-specific (rarity, mainstem-restriction) and year-specific (elevated frequencies of low- or high-flow days) covariates on occupancy dynamics. In the Conasauga River, analysis of 26 species at 13 sites showed evidence of temporal declines in colonization rates for nearly all taxa, accompanied by declining species richness. Four taxa (including one federally endangered species) had reduced occupancy across the Conasauga study sites, with three of these taxa apparently absent for at least the last 5 y of the study. In contrast, a similar fauna of 28 taxa at 10 sites in the Etowah River showed no trends in species persistence, colonization, or occupancy. None of the tested covariates showed strong effects on persistence or colonization rates in either river. Previous studies and observations identified contaminants, nutrient loading, or changes in benthic habitat as possible causes for fish species declines in the Conasauga River. Our analysis provides baseline information that could be used to assess effectiveness of future management actions in the Conasauga or Etowah rivers, and illustrates the use of dynamic occupancy models to evaluate evidence of faunal decline from time-series data.
Recent Developments in Cryptography
Authors: Balasubramanian Kannan
Published: August 2017

The field of cryptography has seen enormous changes ever since the invention of Public Key Cryptography by Diffie and Hellman. The algorithms for complex problems like integer factorization, Discrete Logarithms and Elliptic Curve Discrete Logarithms have improved tremendously making way for attackers to crack cryptosystems previously thought were unsolvable. Newer Methods have also been invented like Lattice based cryptography, Code based cryptography, Hash based cryptography and Multivariate cryptography. With the invention of newer public Key cryptosystems, the signature systems making use of public key signatures have enabled authentication of individuals based on public keys. The Key Distribution mechanisms including the Key Exchange protocols and Public Key infrastructure have contributed to the development of algorithms in this area. This chapter also surveys the developments in the area of identity Based Cryptography, Group Based Cryptography and Chaos Based Cryptography.
Hash Functions and Their Applications
Authors: Balasubramanian Kannan
Published: August 2017

Cryptographic Hash Functions are used to achieve a number of Security goals like Message Authentication, Message Integrity, and are also used to implement Digital Signatures (Non-repudiation), and Entity Authentication. This chapter discusses the construction of hash functions and the various attacks on the Hash functions. The Message Authentication Codes are similar to the Hash functions except that they require a key for producing the message digest or hash. Authenticated Encryption is a scheme that combines hashing and Encryption. The Various types of hash functions like one-way hash function, Collision Resistant hash function and Universal hash functions are also discussed in this chapter.
Integer Factoring Algorithms
Authors: Balasubramanian Kannan , Abbas Ahmed Mahmoud
Published: August 2017

Most cryptographic systems are based on an underlying difficult problem. The RSA cryptosystem and many other cryptosystems rely on the fact that factoring a large composite number into two prime numbers is a hard problem. The are many algorithms for factoring integers. This chapter presents some of the basic algorithms for integer factorization like the Trial Division, Fermat's Algorithm. Pollard's Rho Method, Pollard's p-1 method and the Elliptic Curve Method. The Number Field Sieve algorithm along with Special Number field Sieve and the General Number Field Sieve are also used in factoring large numbers. Other factoring algorithms discussed in this chapter are the Continued Fractions Algorithms and the Quadratic Sieve Algorithm.
Social Media, Social Networking, Copyright, and Digital Libraries
Authors: Bosire-Ogechi Emily
Published: August 2017

Libraries have evolved over time in tandem with the prevailing innovations. This is evidenced by the changes witnessed from the time writing was done on clay tablets to the virtual libraries of today. Technological advancement has been a key pillar of the development of libraries. Indeed, it has given rise to digital libraries that have given access and use of information resources a new focus. Technological developments such as Web 2.0, and specifically social media as well as social networking, have enabled users to access creative works in digital libraries freely. Similarly, they have enabled library users to share the same content freely on social networks. This situation has brought a conflict with copyright laws that require users of creative works to seek permission from their owners before accessing or sharing them. This chapter analyses this conflict and provides recommendations on how it can be managed.
Digital Libraries and the Role of Digital Librarians
Authors: Kehinde Adetola
Published: August 2017

This chapter presents a holistic view of digital libraries and the role of digital librarians. Technological changes and the use of electronic storage and retrieval information systems have changed the way students and researchers are able to access, retrieve and use information. Key topics presented in the chapter include the concept of digitization, reasons for digitization, definitions of digital library, features of digital library, characteristics of digital libraries, advantages and disadvantages of digital library, collection development and content creation, digital librarianship, role of librarians in digital libraries, issues of concern to digital librarians, process of digitization of library resources, digital library components, and digital rights management.
Managing Intellectual Property in Digital Libraries and Copyright Challenges
Authors: Chemulwo Monicah Jemeli
Published: August 2017

Digital technology gives libraries an excellent opportunity to improve their services. It also provides new ways of preserving and disseminating library collections. But the different stages of digitization of the materials in libraries involve many copyright issues. This leads to myriad legal and practical challenges such as locating the owner of copyright. Librarians need to take note of these problems and explore possible solutions. The chapter explores types of intellectual property and their characteristics, legal challenges for digital libraries, legislative responses to the challenges, copyright and fair use, digital library and copyright as well as copyright challenges and recommendations.
Social Bookmarking Tools and Digital Libraries
Authors: Tella Adeyinka , Okojie Victoria , Olaniyi O. T.
Published: August 2017

Digital libraries use the semantic web and social networking technologies to improve browsing and searching for resources. With digital libraries' social and semantic services, every library user has the opportunity to bookmark interesting books, articles, or other materials in semantically annotated directories. Social bookmarking is indispensable to digital libraries. This chapter discusses some of the popular social bookmarks adopted in the digital libraries, the important requirements for including social bookmarking in a digital library system, the design principles of social bookmarks, features of social bookmarking tools, digital libraries and links with social bookmarking, social tagging, social bookmark and digital libraries, advantages and disadvantages of social tagging in digital libraries. The chapter highlights tips that users need to consider when using social bookmarking in digital libraries. The authors conclude that projecting into the future, it is expected that, more digital libraries will incorporate social bookmarking to enhance collaboration among their users.
Collaboration
Authors: Bullock Christopher Alan
Published: August 2017

Driving on the works of Dr. King, this researcher developed an integrated framework for understanding how engaged scholarship and civic responsibility organize into three diverse modes: social justice, economic opportunity, and educational uplift: prospectively, in real time, and retrospectively. The researcher unveils how these modes are generally positioned in an influential discourse of risk that lead organizations to reduce risk by controlling risk uniformly that propels the approval of certain risk conditions over others, and through the privatizing of certain key points of information. Besides identification of the communal manner risk is categorized in the three given modes, and demonstrating the manner in which risk is appended by influential discourse, the researcher purports different ways to organize risk that leads to demonstrated positive social justice, enhanced economic opportunity, and educational uplift. This chapter provides for academicians, community leaders, and government official enhanced knowledge about engaged scholarship and civic responsibility.
Driving STEM Through Engaged Scholarship and Civic Responsibility
Authors: White Yoshino Woodard
Published: August 2017

Pew Research Center revealed a scarcity of U.S. science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) students with advanced degrees at U. S. higher education institutions. Engaged Scholarship opens broad new outlooks in the understanding of STEM professionals, and in how these individual identities and life experiences act as strengths in tackling engaged work. Exposure to STEM engaged scholarship and civic responsibility continues to break boundaries and restraints understood through four key questions. This research works through who can perform STEM? How can these ‘who' individuals perform STEM? What results can scientist, technologist, engineers, mathematician, and non-academes teamed together realize? How can academia, government, business, and community bride the digital divide to ensure a continued flow of STEM ready professionals who are academically prepared and civic minded? This chapter provided qualitative data, explored answers to the four (4) questions, and offered a roadmap to proactivity to recover America's strength in STEM education.
Empowering Civic Responsibility
Authors: Huda Miftachul , Jasmi Kamarul Azmi , Alas Yabit , Qodriah Sari Laelatul , Dacholfany M. Ihsan , Jamsari Ezad Azraai
Published: August 2017

The engaged scholarship has been widely viewed as academic service-learning and community service, which aim to link the classroom and community through courses with a transformative experiential education. It becomes an initiative to inculcate civic responsibility among students with the goal to produce responsible citizens and active participants in the community. This chapter will critically explore the main contribution of service learning to build civic responsibility. The literature review was conducted from referred books and journals on the topic of civic responsibility and service learning. As a core guideline to give a clear understanding and insightful view on the importance of the civic responsibility, this study could contribute to the significant insights towards different aspects of engaged scholarship and civic responsibility. Putting together awareness and goodwill from the community towards the group or organization should do with building civic engagement to get involved in social events to produce responsible citizens and active participants in the community.
Apoptosis pattern and alterations of expression of apoptosis-related factors of supporting cells in Kölliker’s organ in vivo in early stage after birth in rats
Authors: Liu Jun , Cai Linbin , He Yuanyuan , Yang Jun
Published: August 2017

Kölliker’s organ is a temporary but indispensable structure in the development of the cochlea. Supporting cells (SCs) within it release adenosine 5’-triphosphate (ATP), which may play a crucial role in cochlear development before the onset of hearing. To reveal the apoptosis of Kölliker’s organ in new-born rats, we studied the morphological changes and expression of apoptosis-related factors during early postnatal development. We found SCs in Kölliker’s organ decreased in number and changed in appearance along the cochlea apex-to-base gradient, and the expression of caspase-3, caspase-8, caspase-9 and bcl-2 in Kölliker’s organ of the cochlea fluctuated along the course of postnatal development, with an expression peak at postnatal day 3. This study demonstrates a time-dependent degeneration of Kölliker’s organ during postnatal cochlea development, which might be triggered by endogenous factors. 
Metaphysics and mathematics: Perspectives on reality
Authors: Kühn Gideon J.
Published: August 2017

The essence of number was regarded by the ancient Greeks as the root cause of the existence of the universe, but it was only towards the end of the 19th century that mathematicians initiated an in-depth study of the nature of numbers. The resulting unavoidable actuality of infinities in the number system led mathematicians to rigorously investigate the foundations of mathematics. The formalist approach to establish mathematical proof was found to be inconclusive: Gödel showed that there existed true propositions that could not be proved to be true within the natural number universe. This result weighed heavily on proposals in the mid-20th century for digital models of the universe, inspired by the emergence of the programmable digital computer, giving rise to the branch of philosophy recognised as digital philosophy. In this article, the models of the universe presented by physicists, mathematicians and theoretical computer scientists are reviewed and their relation to the natural numbers is investigated. A quantum theory view that at the deepest level time and space may be discrete suggests a profound relation between natural numbers and reality of the cosmos. The conclusion is that our perception of reality may ultimately be traced to the ontology and epistemology of the natural numbers.
Mobile Application Use Among Obstetrics and Gynecology Residents
Authors: Perry Rachel , Burns Roshan M. , Simon Rebecca , Youm Julie
Published: August 2017

Background 

Mobile applications (apps) are increasingly used in clinical settings, particularly among resident physicians. Apps available to patients and physicians are rapidly expanding.

Objective 

We aimed to describe obstetrics and gynecology (ob-gyn) residents' use of and attitudes toward ob-gyn–related mobile apps.

Methods 

We conducted a cross-sectional survey of residents at all 19 California ob-gyn programs using a web-based questionnaire. Responses were analyzed using descriptive and chi-square statistics.

Results 

Of 386 residents contacted, 197 (51%) completed the survey. All respondents owned mobile devices (100% smartphone, 74% tablet), and 93% used apps in the clinical setting. Commonly used ob-gyn–related apps were pregnancy wheels (84%), cervical cancer screening algorithms (68%), and contraceptive eligibility guidelines (47%). Only 53% of respondents recommended apps to patients, with many reporting not being aware of appropriate apps. Sixty-two percent of respondents used apps for learning, but only 3 ob-gyn–specific apps were mentioned. Most chose apps based on recommendations from other residents. Residents viewed mobile technology as an important clinical tool (92%) that improves efficiency (89%). App use did not differ by gender, age, or postgraduate year.

Conclusions 

Mobile technology and ob-gyn–related app use are widely used among California ob-gyn residents, who feel that apps enhance their ability to care for patients. Context of app use varies, with most residents using apps during clinical care, but only half recommending apps to patients. Recommendations from other residents are the common resource for discovering new apps, suggesting a need for more formal guidance on finding and evaluating apps.
Chemistry of riming: the retention of organic and inorganic atmospheric trace constituents
Authors: Jost Alexander , Szakáll Miklós , Diehl Karoline , Mitra Subir K. , Borrmann Stephan
Published: August 2017

Abstract. During free fall in clouds, ice hydrometeors such as snowflakes and ice particles grow effectively by riming, i.e., the accretion of supercooled droplets. Volatile atmospheric trace constituents dissolved in the supercooled droplets may remain in ice during freezing or may be released back to the gas phase. This process is quantified by retention coefficients. Once in the ice phase the trace constituents may be vertically redistributed by scavenging and subsequent precipitation or by evaporation of these ice hydrometeors at high altitudes. Retention coefficients of the most dominant carboxylic acids and aldehydes found in cloud water were investigated in the Mainz vertical wind tunnel under dry-growth (surface temperature less than 0 °C) riming conditions which are typically prevailing in the mixed-phase zone of convective clouds (i.e., temperatures from −16 to −7 °C and a liquid water content (LWC) of 0. 9 ± 0. 2 g m−3). The mean retention coefficients of formic and acetic acids are found to be 0. 68 ± 0. 09 and 0. 63 ± 0. 19. Oxalic and malonic acids as well as formaldehyde show mean retention coefficients of 0. 97 ± 0. 06, 0. 98 ± 0. 08, and 0. 97 ± 0. 11, respectively. Application of a semi-empirical model on the present and earlier wind tunnel measurements reveals that retention coefficients can be well interpreted by the effective Henry's law constant accounting for solubility and dissociation. A parameterization for the retention coefficients has been derived for substances whose aqueous-phase kinetics are fast compared to mass transport timescales. For other cases, the semi-empirical model in combination with a kinetic approach is suited to determine the retention coefficients. These may be implemented in high-resolution cloud models.
Comparison of Global Observations and Trends of Total Precipitable Water Derived from Microwave Radiometers and COSMIC Radio Occultation from 2006 to 2013
Authors: Ho Shu-peng , Peng Liang , Mears Carl , Anthes Richard A.
Published: August 2017

Abstract. We compare atmospheric total precipitable water (TPW) derived from SSM/I (Special Sensor Microwave Imager) and SSMIS (Special Sensor Microwave Imager Sounder) radiometers and WindSat to collocated TPW estimates derived from COSMIC (Constellation System for Meteorology, Ionosphere and Climate) radio occultation (RO) under clear and cloudy conditions over the oceans from June 2006 to December 2013. Results show that the mean microwave (MW) radiometer – COSMIC TPW differences range from 0.06–0.18 mm for clear skies, 0.79–0.96 mm for cloudy skies, 0.46–0.49 mm for cloudy but non-precipitation conditions, and 1.64–1.88 mm for precipitation conditions. Because RO measurements are not significantly affected by clouds and precipitation, the biases mainly result from MW retrieval uncertainties under cloudy and precipitating conditions. All COSMIC and MW radiometers detect a positive TPW trend over these eight years. The trend using all COSMIC observations collocated with MW pixels is 1.79 mm/decade, with a 95 % confidence interval of (0.96, 2.63), which is in close agreement with the trend estimated by all MW observations (1.78 mm/decade with a 95 % confidence interval of 0.94, 2.62). These two trends from independent observations are larger than previous estimates and are a strong indication of the positive water vapor-temperature feedback in a warming planet.
Universal power law of the gravity wave manifestation in the AIM CIPS polar mesospheric cloud images
Authors: Rong Pingping , Yue Jia , Russell III James M. , Siskind David E. , Randall Cora E.
Published: August 2017

Abstract. We aim to extract a universal law that governs the wave display throughout the gravity wave population. Wave display morphology and clarity level varies throughout the wave population manifested through the PMC albedo data. Higher clarity refers to more distinct exhibition of the features which often correspond to larger variances and better organized nature. A gravity wave tracking algorithm is applied to the PMC albedo data taken by the AIM Cloud Imaging and Particle Size (CIPS) instrument to obtain a large ensemble of the gravity wave detections. The horizontal wavelengths in the range of ~ 20–60 km are the focus of the study. It shows that the albedo CWT power statistically increases as the background gets brighter. We resample the wave detections to conform to a normal distribution to examine the wave morphology beyond the cloud brightness impact. Sample cases are selected at the two tails and the peak of the normal distribution to represent the full set of wave detections. For these cases the albedo CWT power spectra follow exponential decay toward smaller scales. The high albedo power category has the most rapid decay (i.e., exponent = −3.2) and corresponds to the most distinct wave display. The wave display becomes increasingly more blurry for the medium and low power categories that hold the spectral exponents of −2.9 and −2.5, respectively. The majority of waves are straight waves whose clarity levels can be collapsed irrespective of the brightness levels but in the brighter background the wave signatures seem to exhibit mildly turbulent-like behavior.