bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Carbon based dot capped silver nanoparticles for efficient surface-enhanced Raman scattering
Authors: Dong Yongqiang , Wang Qian , Wan Lisi , You Xu , Chi Yuwu
Published: July 2016

A simple method has been developed for the preparation of silver nanoparticles/carbon based quantum dot nano-hybrids for surface-enhanced Raman scattering substrates.
Enhanced charge separation of vertically aligned CdS/g-C3N4 heterojunction nanocone arrays and corresponding mechanisms
Authors: Xu Zhuoqi , Li Hui , Wu Zhicheng , Sun Jian , Ying Zhifeng , Wu Jiada , Xu Ning
Published: July 2016

Vertical-aligned CdS/g-C3N4 heterojunction nanocone arrays have been fabricated on silicon(100) substrates by a plasma sputting reaction deposition and pulsed laser deposition, successively.
Templates selection in non‐overlapping template matching test
Authors: Chen Meihui , Chen Hua , Fan Limin , Feng Dengguo
Published: July 2016

It is important to study the correlation of randomness statistical tests The correlation of templates in non‐overlapping template matching test is studied. The correlation degree between templates is defined and a correlation theorem is presented. For two different m‐bit templates, when the last m−1 bits of one are equal to the first m−1 bits of the other one, correlation degree of them reaches the maximum value. Correlation experiments are also carried out and the results agree with the theorem. Finally, an effective selection strategy is proposed and the number of templates can be reduced about 50%.
EE‐RS and PA for untrusted relay network at high signal‐to‐noise ratio regime
Authors: Zarrabi Houman , Kuhestani Ali , Moradikia Majid
Published: July 2016

In this study, the authors investigate the energy‐efficient (EE) relay selection (RS) and power allocation (PA) in a cooperative secured system. Their scenario includes a multiple‐antenna source, a multiple‐antenna destination and multiple amplify‐and‐forward untrusted relay nodes, where the relay nodes only have the channel‐amplitude information. To prevent the untrusted relays from intercepting the source message and to achieve positive secrecy rate, the destination‐based cooperative jamming technique is used. By maintaining a minimum required secrecy rate, three optimal joint RS and power minimisation schemes are studied. The first objective is minimising the total transmit power consumption, and therefore obtaining the corresponding EE‐RS and PA schemes. Second, they focus on relay power minimisation, and third sum power minimisation of the relay and one mobile node by considering a weighted factor are investigated. Closed‐form solutions are presented for three practical optimised networks. Finally, some numerical results are provided to show the merits of the proposed scheme. They also give some insights to system design.
Generalised proportional–integral–derivative filter
Authors: Zhang Junfeng , He Xiao , Zhou Donghua
Published: July 2016

In this study, the filtering problem is investigated for both linear and non‐linear systems. A new generalised proportional–integral–derivative filter (GPIDF) is proposed by introducing the idea of proportional–integral–derivative (PID) control. It utilises the past, current and future information to estimate the current state in order to achieve a better filtering performance. Besides, the GPIDF provides a unified structure to accommodate a variety of filtering scenarios as its special cases, including the popular generalised Kalman filter. Based on the new proposed GPIDF structure, the optimal PID filter and extended optimal PID filter are designed using the minimum mean square error criterion at each time step. In addition, the practical strong robust proportional–integral filter and extended strong robust proportional–integral filter are developed without requirements of knowledge about model uncertainty. The developed filters are recursive and suitable for real‐time online applications. Finally, two simulation studies are carried out to demonstrate the effectiveness and applicability of the authors' proposed methods.
Adaptive fast non‐singular terminal sliding mode control for a vehicle steer‐by‐wire system
Authors: Sun Zhe , Zheng Jinchuan , Wang Hai , Man Zhihong
Published: July 2016

Steer‐by‐wire (SbW) systems in road vehicles require an effective controller to provide accurate and robust steering performance. For this purpose, this study proposes an adaptive fast non‐singular terminal sliding mode (AFNTSM) controller for an SbW system by combining an adaptive estimation law with a fast non‐singular terminal sliding mode (FNTSM) control scheme. First, the authors present a model to identify the dynamics of the SbW system, in which the self‐aligning torque and friction‐related forces are treated as external disturbances. Second, the AFNTSM control design is elaborated, which is proved to be able to guarantee high tracking accuracy via effectively estimating the self‐aligning torque, fast convergence rate owing to its exponential stability, strong robustness against system and road surface uncertainties, and inherently smooth control inputs. Subsequently, the selection criteria of the control parameters are given in details. Finally, experimental results are shown to demonstrate that the designed AFNTSM controller has great superiority in comparison with an FNTSM controller without adaptation and an adaptive sliding mode controller based on conventional sliding mode.
Automatic tuning of attitude control system for fixed‐wing unmanned aerial vehicles
Authors: Poksawat Pakorn , Wang Liuping , Mohamed Abdulghani
Published: July 2016

In this study, an automatic tuning approach for attitude control system of fixed‐wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is proposed. The main advantage of this approach is that it can be performed on systems with unstable or critically stable open‐loop poles and since UAVs are integrating systems, the method is particularly suitable for this application. A closed‐loop relay feedback experiment is conducted to identify the system's open‐loop frequency response. The time delay plus integrator models of both inner and outer loops are then identified. The controller's parameters are calculated based on specified gain and phase margins. Wind tunnel experimental results are used to validate the closed‐loop performance of a fixed‐wing UAV tuned with the proposed methodology.
New dynamical observers design for linear descriptor systems
Authors: Osorio‐Gordillo Gloria L. , Darouach Mohamed , Astorga‐Zaragoza Carlos M. , Boutat‐Baddas Latifa
Published: July 2016

The study concerns the design of a new dynamical observer for descriptor systems called as generalised dynamic observer. It generalises the existing results on the proportional observers and proportional integral observers. Conditions for the existence and stability of this observer are given and its design is obtained in terms of a set of linear matrix inequalities. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is illustrated by a numerical example.
Robust probabilistic optimal voltage sag monitoring in presence of uncertainties
Authors: Nasiri Saeed , Seifi Hossein
Published: July 2016

This study presents an optimisation model to achieve an optimal voltage sag monitoring programme. To cover the main uncertainty associated with fault impedance, a novel approach termed as probabilistic monitor reach area (PMRA) is developed. Moreover, PMRA is employed to consider reliability of the monitoring equipment impact. Additionally, several indices based on PMRA are defined to distinguish the optimal programme when outage of generators, loading level, line outage and feeder reconfiguration may result in several programmes. Besides, the other advantage of the proposed method is aptitude of modelling large load switching as an influential source of voltage sags. The model determines the number and the location of monitors in such a way that a pre‐defined probability of observability is satisfied. Capability of the proposed methodology is checked for several test systems and illustrated here on the 24‐bus reliability test system and on the 34‐node test feeder. Numerical results and their comparison with the commonly used MRA method reveal that the proposed optimal voltage sag monitoring programme is robust against uncertainties including fault impedance, load variations and outage of the generators/lines.
Comprehensive review of delays in power transmission projects
Authors: Pall Goutom K. , Bridge Adrian J. , Skitmore Martin , Gray Jason
Published: July 2016

The power transmission (PT) system is at the very heart of the power industry and which is vital to the development of a country. Delays in PT projects have a significant adverse effect on the economic development of a country and although billions of dollars are invested globally in PT projects, costly delays are common. Despite the critical nature of PT, the literature relating to the causes of delays is embryonic, with no theoretical or empirical studies yet conducted to establish the factors involved. This study presents a first step in rectifying this situation. A total of 74 published articles are reviewed that are most closely related to PT projects in order to identify their likely causes of delay. As a result, 82 potential causes of delay are identified and classified into nine major groups. The causes are then ranked in terms of their frequency of occurrence in the literature. Finally, conclusions are drawn concerning the extent to which this review and analysis may form a theoretical framework that can be tested empirically, as well as providing crucial information with recommendation to PT project stakeholders to achieve their key targets including the realisation of the benefits involved.
Hybrid islanding detection method and priority‐based load shedding for distribution networks in the presence of DG units
Authors: K. Narayanan , Siddiqui Shahbaz Ahmed , Fozdar Manoj
Published: July 2016

The integration of Distributed Generation (DG) units in the existing power system has made the reliable operation of the system more complex. This has necessitated a comprehensive approach in planning the expansion of the system with the incorporation of DG units for effective and reliable operation of the system. In this study, a robust Hybrid Islanding Detection Technique (HIDT) has been proposed for identifying the islanding event early and accurately in the distribution networks with DGs installed by a two‐step Genetic Algorithm (GA) process. As the reliability of power supply to the customer is of utmost importance, a priority‐based load shedding scheme is proposed. The proposed load shedding scheme sheds only the vulnerable loads in the island for regaining the frequency and voltage stabilities. By the proposed methods, a comprehensive solution for system planning and emergency control actions can be obtained for effective operation of the system with DG units. The proposed methods are investigated on standard IEEE 33 and 69 bus distribution systems under different loading conditions. The results obtained show that the proposed methods are able to identify the islanding event more effectively and also regain the stability in the island with less amount of load shedding.
Optimal investment strategies for distributed generation in distribution networks with real option analysis
Authors: Zou Bo , Wang Jianhui , Wen Fushuan
Published: July 2016

Efficient and well‐timed investment in distributed generation (DG) in distribution networks in the electricity market environment presents a big challenge for distribution companies. In this study, a real option valuation framework is proposed to determine the optimal investment strategies for DG including the investment location, size, and timing. Within the proposed framework, the profit from investing in DG is modelled, where the benefits include the operation cost savings and capacity update deferral benefit compared with a no‐DG‐investment scenario over the study period. Future power demands and electricity prices are modelled as stochastic variables. The candidate DG investment plans are considered as multiple mutually exclusive options, and the corresponding managerial flexibility for seizing opportunities and mitigating risk of loss upon an unfavourable unfolding of future uncertainties is assessed with real option analysis using the extended least square Monte Carlo method. The distribution of future investment strategies and optimal initial investment threshold levels under various scenarios are analysed in a case study to demonstrate the characteristics of the proposed framework and methodology.
Input parameter extraction method for point scatterer formulation in vegetation media at millimetre‐wave frequencies
Authors: Leonor Nuno R. , Caldeirinha Rafael F.S. , Sánchez Manuel García , Fernandes Telmo R.
Published: July 2016

An empirical method to extract the relevant point scatterer formulation input parameters for appropriate radio coverage simulation in vegetation areas, is proposed. While the original propagation model would require the prior knowledge of the complete tree(s) re‐radiation function(s) to extract the relevant propagation input parameters, the empirical method proposed herein is based only on two simple measurements. Re‐radiation measurements of several specimens of Thuja pelicata and Ficus benjamina trees at two frequencies have been used to validate the proposed simplified extraction method. The proposed empirical model was then used to characterise the propagation phenomena of various trees arranged in four different scenarios. Subsequently, directional spectra measurements performed inside an anechoic chamber at both 20 and 62.4 GHz were used to assess the empirical model performance, while predicting the received signal level arriving from various directions. A relatively good overall model performance when applied to tree formations was obtained which, coupled with the simplified parameter extraction proposed, makes it suitable to be integrated in commercial simulation platforms and/or as input data to other propagation models that may require the prior knowledge of the individual tree re‐radiation functions.
Photonic processing of all‐optical Johnson counter using semiconductor optical amplifiers
Authors: Singh Simranjit , Kaur Simarpreet , Kaur Ramandeep , Kaler Rajinder Singh
Published: July 2016

This study presents a novel design of Johnson counter using D flip‐flops. The performance of D flip‐flop is carried out by exploiting the cross‐gain modulation effect in semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA), purging the use of components like polarisation controllers, switches and so on. Performance is evaluated in terms of various variants like operational speed, cost effectiveness of design, rise time/fall time, quality of signal received and the system is found to give better results in terms of extinction ratio even without any feedback path. The Johnson counter or twisted ring counter is implemented using three all‐optical D flip‐flops producing six states. The D flip‐flop incorporates travelling wave SOA and all‐optical NOT gate. The proposed counter is reasonably valuable as it desires half of the flip‐flops in association to other ring counters which directly reduce the cost of the system.
Design and analysis of a pendulum‐based electromagnetic energy harvester using anti‐phase motion
Authors: Lee Byung‐Chul , Chung Gwiy‐Sang
Published: July 2016

This study describes the design and analysis of an anti‐phase pendulum motion‐based electromagnetic energy harvester. The proposed energy harvester consists of a magnet‐based pendulum, a coil‐based pendulum, shaft, connecting rod, and housing. Two pendulums were connected in parallel, which can move in anti‐phase motion, using a rotatable connecting rod. Mechanical, electrical, and magnetic behaviours were investigated through the simulations (MATLAB, ANSYS Maxwell) and experiments. The anti‐phase pendulum motion can reduce the induction time. This phenomenon has the effect of improving the output voltage of the electromagnetic induction, which is experimentally verified. Experimental results demonstrated that the induction time is shortened by 21%, and the output power showed a 37% increase compared with the single‐phase pendulum motion. The dependence of the output on the input conditions was also investigated extensively in terms of the frequency, displacement, mass, and electrical load resistance. The maximum output power of 247 μW was obtained at anti‐phase pendulum motion. In addition, the proposed anti‐phase motion phenomenon can be used effectively to improve the output voltage of an electromagnetic induction‐based energy harvester.
Design of robust adaptive controller and feedback error learning for rehabilitation in Parkinson's disease: a simulation study
Authors: Rouhollahi Korosh , Emadi Andani Mehran , Karbassi Seyed Mahdi , Izadi Iman
Published: July 2016

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an efficient therapy to control movement disorders of Parkinson's tremor. Stimulation of one area of basal ganglia (BG) by DBS with no feedback is the prevalent opinion. Reduction of additional stimulatory signal delivered to the brain is the advantage of using feedback. This results in reduction of side effects caused by the excessive stimulation intensity. In fact, the stimulatory intensity of controllers is decreased proportional to reduction of hand tremor. The objective of this study is to design a new controller structure to decrease three indicators: (i) the hand tremor; (ii) the level of delivered stimulation in disease condition; and (iii) the ratio of the level of delivered stimulation in health condition to disease condition. For this purpose, the authors offer a new closed‐loop control structure to stimulate two areas of BG simultaneously. One area (STN: subthalamic nucleus) is stimulated by an adaptive controller with feedback error learning. The other area (GPi: globus pallidus internal) is stimulated by a partial state feedback (PSF) controller. Considering the three indicators, the results show that, stimulating two areas simultaneously leads to better performance compared with stimulating one area only. It is shown that both PSF and adaptive controllers are robust regarding system parameter uncertainties. In addition, a method is proposed to update the parameters of the BG model in real time. As a result, the parameters of the controllers can be updated based on the new parameters of the BG model.
Adaptive indexing approach for main memory column store
Authors: Liu Hui , Liu Zhijing
Published: July 2016

Owing to efficient query processing for random workload, the hybrid crack sort (HCS) has become an important adaptive indexing approach in main‐memory column store. However, under sequential workload scenarios, the HCS does not obtain a good query execution performance, because of great reorganisation overhead imposed on the initial queries. The authors propose a hybrid radix crack sort (HRCS) approach to solve this problem. By the adoption of radix‐based partition strategy, it divides the unsorted column into disjoint key ranges and then conducts data reorganisation in at most two key ranges for each query. For HRCS, only a small portion of the whole column needs to be touched for the processing of each query, thus reducing the reorganisation cost and improving the query execution performance. The final experiments show that the novel HRCS approach can obtain a higher query execution performance for not only random workload but also sequential workload, as compared with HCS.
Reliability of the Three-minute All-out Test for Non-motorized Treadmill Tethered Running
Authors: Gama M. , Sousa F.A. , dos Reis I.G. , Gobatto C.
Published: July 2016

The 3-min all-out test was developed and validated on a cycle ergometer using a modification of a linear mathematical equation (1/time vs. power) obtained from the original critical power model. The purpose of this development was to obtain, in a single test, the aerobic and anaerobic capacity parameters and identify the exercise transition moment from heavy to severe intensity. The aim of this study was to propose an adaptation of the all-out 3-min cycle ergometer to a non-motorized treadmill with tethered running. In addition, we tested the reproducibility of this adapted protocol, highlighting the need for mechanical power evaluation using a specific ergometer. Consequently, 10 physically active individuals visited the laboratory 4 times for testing and data collection. The results suggested that the protocol adaptation for the 3-min all-out test for non-motorized treadmill with tethered running was reproducible and feasible. It was also possible to show that the AO3 application in this ergometer ensures the specificity of the sports that involve the running exercise, from assessment of both aerobic and anaerobic parameters, accomplished in a single day of application.
Robust high-performance nanoliter-volume single-cell multiple displacement amplification on planar substrates
Authors: Leung Kaston , Klaus Anders , Lin Bill K. , Laks Emma , Biele Justina , Lai Daniel , Bashashati Ali , Huang Yi-Fei , Aniba Radhouane , Moksa Michelle , Steif Adi , Mes-Masson Anne-Marie , Hirst Martin , Shah Sohrab P. , Aparicio Samuel , Hansen Carl L.
Published: July 2016

Significance

The study of cell-to-cell genomic differences in complex multicellular systems such as cancer requires genome sequencing of large numbers of single cells. This in turn necessitates the uniform amplification of single-cell genomes with high reproducibility across large numbers of cells, which remains an outstanding challenge. Here, we introduce a method that uses commercially available liquid dispensing to perform inexpensive and high-throughput single-cell whole genome amplification (WGA) in nanoliter volumes. For the first time, to our knowledge, we demonstrate robust and highly uniform nanoliter-volume single-cell WGA across a large replicate set consisting of more than 100 single cells. Comparison with previous datasets shows that this method improves uniformity and achieves levels of genome coverage and genomic variant detection comparable or superior to existing methods.
Thermodynamic control of anvil cloud amount
Authors: Bony Sandrine , Stevens Bjorn , Coppin David , Becker Tobias , Reed Kevin A. , Voigt Aiko , Medeiros Brian
Published: July 2016

Significance

Assessing the response of clouds to global warming remains a challenge of climate science. Past research has elucidated what controls the height and temperature of high-level anvil clouds, but the factors that control their horizontal extent remained uncertain. We show that the anvil cloud amount is expected to shrink as the climate warms or when convection becomes more clustered, due to a mechanism rooted in basic energetic and thermodynamic properties of the atmosphere. It is supported by three climate models and consistent with results from a cloud-resolving model and observations. We thus believe that this mechanism is robust and that it adds a new piece to understanding how clouds respond to climate warming.
Protein–protein docking by fast generalized Fourier transforms on 5D rotational manifolds
Authors: Padhorny Dzmitry , Kazennov Andrey , Zerbe Brandon S. , Porter Kathryn A. , Xia Bing , Mottarella Scott E. , Kholodov Yaroslav , Ritchie David W. , Vajda Sandor , Kozakov Dima
Published: July 2016

Significance

Expressing the interaction energy as sum of correlation functions, fast Fourier transform (FFT) based methods speed the calculation, enabling the sampling of billions of putative protein–protein complex conformations. However, such acceleration is currently achieved only on a 3D subspace of the full 6D rotational/translational space, and the remaining dimensions must be sampled using conventional slow calculations. Here we present an algorithm that employs FFT-based sampling on the 5D rotational space, and only the 1D translations are sampled conventionally. The accuracy of the results is the same as those of earlier methods, but the calculation is an order of magnitude faster. Also, it is inexpensive computationally to add more correlation function terms to the scoring function compared with classical approaches.
Evolutionary alteration of ALOX15 specificity optimizes the biosynthesis of antiinflammatory and proresolving lipoxins
Authors: Adel Susan , Karst Felix , González-Lafont Àngels , Pekárová Mária , Saura Patricia , Masgrau Laura , Lluch José M. , Stehling Sabine , Horn Thomas , Kuhn Hartmut , Heydeck Dagmar
Published: July 2016

Significance

Lipoxygenases are lipid-peroxidizing enzymes that have been classified according to their reaction specificity. ALOX15 (12/15-lipoxygenase) has been implicated in inflammatory resolution via biosynthesis of antiinflammatory and proresolving lipoxins. We found that lower mammals including lower primates express arachidonic acid 12-lipoxygenating ALOX15 orthologs, whereas higher primates express 15-lipoxygenating enzymes. Gibbons constitute the missing link interconnecting 12- and 15-lipoxygenating ALOX15 orthologs. To explore the evolutionary driving force for this specificity alteration, we quantified the lipoxin synthase activity of 12- and 15-lipoxygenating ALOX15 orthologs and observed that the lipoxin synthase activities of 15-lipoxygenating enzymes were significantly higher. These results suggest an evolution of ALOX15 specificity, which optimizes the biosynthetic capacity for antiinflammatory and proresolving lipoxins.
Influence of gender self-schema and type of service-oriented NGOs on volunteering activity / Influencia del autoesquema de género y del tipo de servicios de las ONG en las actividades de voluntariado
Authors: García-Cano Andrés , Paterna Consuelo , Martínez Carmen
Published: July 2016

The feminization of service-oriented NGOs on volunteering needs to consider gender differences when exploring the system of volunteer motivations. This study examines the relationship of these motivations with gender self-schema and type of service-oriented NGOs. For this purpose, 160 volunteers from 21 Spanish NGOs completed a questionnaire. The results show that, once the effect of time spent volunteering was removed, there was a significant effect of gender self-schema in relation to motivation and there was a significant interaction effect between gender self-schema and type of NGO. Specifically, masculine volunteers were less motivated than feminine, androgynous and undifferentiated persons. Also, masculine people working with the elderly were the least motivated volunteers and androgynous people working in service-oriented NGOs dedicated to children and adolescents were the most motivated individuals. The results indicate the relevance of androgyny in understanding volunteering, as well as the importance of promoting non-sexist educational proposals to increase men’s participation in these activities.
Alaska's Sablefish Fishery after Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) Program Implementation: an International Economic Market Model
Authors: Warpinski Stephanie , Herrmann Mark , Greenberg Joshua A. , Criddle Keith R.
Published: July 2016

Alaska is the world's principal supplier of Sablefish Anoplopoma fimbria, a buttery-flavored whitefish greatly prized in Japan. Sablefish are distributed from Baja California to western Japan, but the majority of commercial catches are from the Gulf of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands off Alaska. The volume and value of landings of this long-lived demersal fish are comparable to those of the well-known Pacific Halibut Hippoglossus stenolepis. As with Pacific Halibut, Alaska region catches of Sablefish are managed under an individual fishing quota (IFQ) program implemented in 1995. We present a simultaneous-equation market model for Sablefish and use it to examine the linkages between landings volume and exvessel prices and revenues, including the sensitivity of Alaska exvessel prices and revenues to changes in landings, the implementation of IFQs, and changes in the Japanese economy. The model simulations indicate that markets could absorb substantially more Sablefish than can be sustainably harvested from the current stock of Sablefish in the Alaska region. However, sluggishness in the Japanese economy has resulted in overall downward pressure on Alaska region Sablefish exvessel prices. The model simulations indicate that the implementation of IFQs in this fishery significantly increased exvessel revenues as a consequence of the longer seasons that resulted from the end to the “race for the fish.” In addition, we find that implementation has helped buffer the fishery against revenue losses associated with reduced catch limits triggered by the decline of Sablefish biomass in the Alaska region.

Received May 18, 2015; accepted March 1, 2016 Published online July 14, 2016
The effect of badminton‐specific exercise on badminton short‐serve performance in competition and practice climates
Authors: Duncan Michael J. , Chan Cheryl K.Y. , Clarke Neil D. , Cox Martin , Smith Mike
Published: July 2016

This study examined the effects of changes in physiological and psychological arousal on badminton short‐serve performance in competitive and practice climates. Twenty competitive badminton players (10 males and 10 females) volunteered to participate in the study following ethics approval. After familiarisation, badminton short‐serve performance was measured at rest, mid‐way through and at the end of a badminton‐specific exercise protocol in two conditions; competition vs. practice. Ratings of cognitive and somatic anxiety were assessed at three time points prior to badminton short‐serve performance using the Mental Readiness Form 3. Heart rate and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) were assessed during the exercise protocol. Results indicated that better short‐serve performance was evident in practice compared to competition (P = .034). RPE values were significantly higher in the competition condition compared to practice (P = .007). Cognitive anxiety intensity was significantly lower post‐exercise in the practice condition compared to competition (P = .001). Cognitive anxiety direction showed greater debilitation post‐exercise in the competition condition compared to practice (P = .01). Somatic anxiety intensity increased from pre‐, to mid‐ to post‐exercise (P = .001) irrespective of condition. This study suggests that badminton serve performance is negatively affected when physiological arousal, via badminton‐specific exercise, and cognitive anxiety, via perceived competition, are high.
A warped product version of the Cheeger-Gromoll splitting theorem
Authors: Wylie William
Published: July 2016

We prove a new generalization of the Cheeger-Gromoll splitting theorem where we obtain a warped product splitting under the existence of a line. The curvature condition in our splitting is a curvature dimension inequality of the form

C
D
(
0
,
1
)

CD(0,1)

. Even though we have to allow warping in our splitting, we are able to recover topological applications. In particular, for a smooth compact Riemannian manifold admitting a density which is

C
D
(
0
,
1
)

CD(0,1)

, we show that the fundamental group of

M
M

is the fundamental group of a compact manifold with non-negative sectional curvature. If the space is also locally homogeneous, we obtain that the space also admits a metric of non-negative sectional curvature. Both of these obstructions give many examples of Riemannian metrics which do not admit any smooth density which is

C
D
(
0
,
1
)

CD(0,1)

.
Biology of the cardiac myocyte in heart disease
Authors: Peter Angela K. , Bjerke Maureen A. , Leinwand Leslie A.
Published: July 2016

Cardiac hypertrophy is a major risk factor for heart failure, and it has been shown that this increase in size occurs at the level of the cardiac myocyte. Cardiac myocyte model systems have been developed to study this process. Here we focus on cell culture tools, including primary cells, immortalized cell lines, human stem cells, and their morphological and molecular responses to pathological stimuli. For each cell type, we discuss commonly used methods for inducing hypertrophy, markers of pathological hypertrophy, advantages for each model, and disadvantages to using a particular cell type over other in vitro model systems. Where applicable, we discuss how each system is used to model human disease and how these models may be applicable to current drug therapeutic strategies. Finally, we discuss the increasing use of biomaterials to mimic healthy and diseased hearts and how these matrices can contribute to in vitro model systems of cardiac cell biology.
MorphoLibJ: integrated library and plugins for mathematical morphology with ImageJ
Authors: Legland David , Arganda-Carreras Ignacio , Andrey Philippe
Published: July 2016

Motivation: Mathematical morphology (MM) provides many powerful operators for processing 2D and 3D images. However, most MM plugins currently implemented for the popular ImageJ/Fiji platform are limited to the processing of 2D images.

Results: The MorphoLibJ library proposes a large collection of generic tools based on MM to process binary and grey-level 2D and 3D images, integrated into user-friendly plugins. We illustrate how MorphoLibJ can facilitate the exploitation of 3D images of plant tissues.

Availability and Implementation: MorphoLibJ is freely available at http://imagej.net/MorphoLibJ

Contact:  david.legland@nantes.inra.fr

Supplementary information:  Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
SSBD: a database of quantitative data of spatiotemporal dynamics of biological phenomena
Authors: Tohsato Yukako , Ho Kenneth H. L. , Kyoda Koji , Onami Shuichi
Published: July 2016

Motivation: Rapid advances in live-cell imaging analysis and mathematical modeling have produced a large amount of quantitative data on spatiotemporal dynamics of biological objects ranging from molecules to organisms. There is now a crucial need to bring these large amounts of quantitative biological dynamics data together centrally in a coherent and systematic manner. This will facilitate the reuse of this data for further analysis.

Results: We have developed the Systems Science of Biological Dynamics database (SSBD) to store and share quantitative biological dynamics data. SSBD currently provides 311 sets of quantitative data for single molecules, nuclei and whole organisms in a wide variety of model organisms from Escherichia coli to Mus musculus. The data are provided in Biological Dynamics Markup Language format and also through a REST API. In addition, SSBD provides 188 sets of time-lapse microscopy images from which the quantitative data were obtained and software tools for data visualization and analysis.

Availability and Implementation: SSBD is accessible at http://ssbd.qbic.riken.jp.

Contact:  sonami@riken.jp
LAMPLINK: detection of statistically significant SNP combinations from GWAS data
Authors: Terada Aika , Yamada Ryo , Tsuda Koji , Sese Jun
Published: July 2016

Summary: One of the major issues in genome-wide association studies is to solve the missing heritability problem. While considering epistatic interactions among multiple SNPs may contribute to solving this problem, existing software cannot detect statistically significant high-order interactions. We propose software named LAMPLINK, which employs a cutting-edge method to enumerate statistically significant SNP combinations from genome-wide case–control data. LAMPLINK is implemented as a set of additional functions to PLINK, and hence existing procedures with PLINK can be applicable. Applied to the 1000 Genomes Project data, LAMPLINK detected a combination of five SNPs that are statistically significantly accumulated in the Japanese population.

Availability and Implementation: LAMPLINK is available at http://a-terada.github.io/lamplink/.

Contact:  terada@cbms.k.u-tokyo.ac.jp or sese.jun@aist.go.jp

Supplementary information:  Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
MEMHDX: an interactive tool to expedite the statistical validation and visualization of large HDX-MS datasets
Authors: Hourdel Véronique , Volant Stevenn , O’Brien Darragh P. , Chenal Alexandre , Chamot-Rooke Julia , Dillies Marie-Agnès , Brier Sébastien
Published: July 2016

Motivation: With the continued improvement of requisite mass spectrometers and UHPLC systems, Hydrogen/Deuterium eXchange Mass Spectrometry (HDX-MS) workflows are rapidly evolving towards the investigation of more challenging biological systems, including large protein complexes and membrane proteins. The analysis of such extensive systems results in very large HDX-MS datasets for which specific analysis tools are required to speed up data validation and interpretation.

Results: We introduce a web application and a new R-package named ‘MEMHDX’ to help users analyze, validate and visualize large HDX-MS datasets. MEMHDX is composed of two elements. A statistical tool aids in the validation of the results by applying a mixed-effects model for each peptide, in each experimental condition, and at each time point, taking into account the time dependency of the HDX reaction and number of independent replicates. Two adjusted P-values are generated per peptide, one for the ‘Change in dynamics’ and one for the ‘Magnitude of ΔD’, and are used to classify the data by means of a ‘Logit’ representation. A user-friendly interface developed with Shiny by RStudio facilitates the use of the package. This interactive tool allows the user to easily and rapidly validate, visualize and compare the relative deuterium incorporation on the amino acid sequence and 3D structure, providing both spatial and temporal information.

Availability and Implementation: MEMHDX is freely available as a web tool at the project home page http://memhdx.c3bi.pasteur.fr

Contact:  marie-agnes.dillies@pasteur.fr or sebastien.brier@pasteur.fr

Supplementary information:  Supplementary data is available at Bioinformatics online.
LightAssembler: fast and memory-efficient assembly algorithm for high-throughput sequencing reads
Authors: El-Metwally Sara , Zakaria Magdi , Hamza Taher
Published: July 2016

Motivation: The deluge of current sequenced data has exceeded Moore’s Law, more than doubling every 2 years since the next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies were invented. Accordingly, we will able to generate more and more data with high speed at fixed cost, but lack the computational resources to store, process and analyze it. With error prone high throughput NGS reads and genomic repeats, the assembly graph contains massive amount of redundant nodes and branching edges. Most assembly pipelines require this large graph to reside in memory to start their workflows, which is intractable for mammalian genomes. Resource-efficient genome assemblers combine both the power of advanced computing techniques and innovative data structures to encode the assembly graph efficiently in a computer memory.

Results: LightAssembler is a lightweight assembly algorithm designed to be executed on a desktop machine. It uses a pair of cache oblivious Bloom filters, one holding a uniform sample of g -spaced sequenced k -mers and the other holding k -mers classified as likely correct, using a simple statistical test. LightAssembler contains a light implementation of the graph traversal and simplification modules that achieves comparable assembly accuracy and contiguity to other competing tools. Our method reduces the memory usage by 50% compared to the resource-efficient assemblers using benchmark datasets from GAGE and Assemblathon projects. While LightAssembler can be considered as a gap-based sequence assembler, different gap sizes result in an almost constant assembly size and genome coverage.

Availability and implementation:  https://github.com/SaraEl-Metwally/LightAssembler

Contact:  sarah_almetwally4@mans.edu.eg

Supplementary information:  Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Identifying the best fishing-suitable areas under the new European discard ban
Authors: Paradinas Iosu , Marín Marcial , Grazia Pennino Maria , López-Quílez Antonio , Conesa David , Barreda David , Gonzalez Maria , María Bellido José ,   Handling editor: Ernesto Jardim
Published: July 2016

The spatial management of fisheries has been repeatedly proposed as a discard mitigation measure. A number of studies have assessed the fishing suitability of an area based on units of by-catch or discard per unit effort. However, correct identification of fishing-suitable areas should assess biomass loss with respect to the benefits. This study therefore, proposes the analysis of by-catch ratios, which do represent benefit vs. loss and are standardized to a wide range of effort characteristics. Furthermore, our study proposes the use of two ratios: the proportion of total unwanted biomass out of the total catch as an indicator of the overall ecological impact, and the proportion of unwanted but regulated species biomass as a proxy for the economic impact on fishers resulting from the new European discard ban that prohibits the discard of regulated species. These discard ratios are modelled by means of a Bayesian hierarchical model, specifically, a spatio-temporal beta regression model, which has several advantages over the traditional arcsine transformation. Results confirm the standardizing capacity of by-catch ratios across vessels and identify at least two economically fishing-suitable areas where discards ratios are minimized by reducing unwanted catch.
Social contacts and den sharing among suburban striped skunks during summer, autumn, and winter
Authors: Theimer Tad C. , Maestas Jesse M. , Bergman David L.
Published: July 2016

Determining social contacts among solitary carnivores is difficult given their often nocturnal and secretive nature. We used proximity-sensing radiocollars to quantify social contacts and den sharing among striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis) in suburban Flagstaff, Arizona, United States, in summer, autumn, and winter 2012–2013. During June and July, we followed 6 males and 5 females and, in spite of overlapping home ranges, they had few social contacts (range = 0–7), and all were brief, nocturnal encounters. From October through February, we followed 8 males and 9 females and found that patterns of contacts were similar for males and females except for significantly higher diurnal contacts (co-denning) among females in winter. Females varied in denning behavior; 1 female denned continuously in the same location from early November to late January, while at the other extreme 1 female moved among 10 different dens across the same time period. Several females moved to new communal dens in late January, resulting in new combinations of females co-denning. Males visited multiple female dens throughout winter. Overall, our data were consistent with previous studies in documenting overlapping home ranges of both sexes with few social contacts in summer, male intolerance but lack of male territoriality, and divergent social behavior in winter, with females co-denning while males generally denned alone. Our study differed from others in documenting more social interaction and movement during winter, often through nocturnal visits by males to female dens, and a shift in denning associations among females near the end of January.
The Exclusive Economic Zone
Authors: Andreone Gemma
Published: July 2016

The role of the Economic Exclusive Zone (EEZ) in the international law of the sea remains a controversial issue two decades after the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (LOSC) came into force. This chapter examines the evolution of the concept and its juridical nature, and the legal regime applicable to the EEZ. It considers the future development of the EEZ legal regime, exploring the principal controversial features that may influence its course.
The Continental Shelf
Authors: McDorman Ted
Published: July 2016

This chapter begins with a brief history of the legal regime of the continental shelf. It then reviews the core rights and obligations of the legal regime; explains the rules and procedures regarding the determination by a State of its continental shelf outer limit beyond 200 nm; and describes the relationship between the shelf regime and the 200 nm exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
The Deep Seabed
Authors: Lodge Michael
Published: July 2016

The deep seabed is the part of the seabed that is beyond national jurisdiction and is referred to as ‘the Area’ in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (LOSC). This chapter discusses the legal regime of the deep seabed. It covers the legal status of the Area and its resources; the International Seabed Authority; the regulation of ‘activities in the Area’; commercial exploitation; reserved areas; sponsorship by states parties; dispute settlement; and responsibility of the International Seabed Authority under Article 82 (4) of the LOSC.
Can Non-State Actors Mount an Armed Attack?
Authors: Trapp Kimberley N.
Published: July 2016

Article 2(4) of the UN Charter prohibits the use of force between States. In so doing, it addresses itself to a strictly interstate context and does not speak to the phenomenon of uses of force by non-state actors (NSAs). The question examined in this chapter is whether the exception to that prohibition—the right to use force in self-defence—is nevertheless responsive to the war-making capacity of NSAs. Otherwise put, is the definition of ‘armed attack’ in Article 51 of the UN Charter (and related customary international law) conditioned on the attacker being a state? In exploring this question, the chapter considers whether attribution is a necessary condition (in ratione personae terms) for the applicability of Article 51 by assessing the language of the Charter (including its travaux préparatoires), jurisprudence of the International Court of Justice, and state practice.
The Problem of Imminence in an Uncertain World
Authors: Lubell Noam
Published: July 2016

This chapter deals with the concept of imminence within the context of anticipatory self-defence under international law. It examines the meaning of imminence, its interpretation, what it might justify and/or exclude, and whether it can be upheld as a criterion to face modern challenges. It outlines the requirement of imminence in relation to the debatable right to anticipatory self-defence, paying particular attention to the development of state practice and the opinions of commentators. It considers the specific context of terrorism and weapons of mass destruction, and examines the reasons that these are sometimes seen as necessitating a new conception of imminence. The chapter provides an analysis of what new approaches might mean, and whether they can be contained within an understanding of imminence. In so doing, the chapter analyses the notion of certainty, the need for evidence, and the effect of the scale of threat on the decision-making process.
Necessity
Authors: Corten Olivier
Published: July 2016

This chapter examines the doctrine of necessity as an element of the prohibition of the use of force and as a subsidiary condition of the legality of self-defence. It begins by discussing the thesis of necessity as a general justification of the use of force within the context of the international law of responsibility. It then analyses necessity as a condition enshrined in self-defence and in the United Nations collective security system. The chapter also considers the methodological problems that arise from any interpretation of the concept of necessity, especially with respect to the use of force. It highlights the fact that the International Law Commission, the International Court of Justice, and state practice have never recognized necessity as a general justification to use force.