bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Partial Least Squares with Structured Output for Modelling the Metabolomics Data Obtained from Complex Experimental Designs: A Study into the Y-Block Coding
Authors: Xu Yun , Muhamadali Howbeer , Sayqal Ali , Dixon Neil , Goodacre Royston
Published: October 2016

Partial least squares (PLS) is one of the most commonly used supervised modelling approaches for analysing multivariate metabolomics data. PLS is typically employed as either a regression model (PLS-R) or a classification model (PLS-DA). However, in metabolomics studies it is common to investigate multiple, potentially interacting, factors simultaneously following a specific experimental design. Such data often cannot be considered as a “pure” regression or a classification problem. Nevertheless, these data have often still been treated as a regression or classification problem and this could lead to ambiguous results. In this study, we investigated the feasibility of designing a hybrid target matrix Y that better reflects the experimental design than simple regression or binary class membership coding commonly used in PLS modelling. The new design of Y coding was based on the same principle used by structural modelling in machine learning techniques. Two real metabolomics datasets were used as examples to illustrate how the new Y coding can improve the interpretability of the PLS model compared to classic regression/classification coding.
Antimalarial Activity of the Chemical Constituents of the Leaf Latex of Aloe pulcherrima Gilbert and Sebsebe
Authors: Teka Tekleab , Bisrat Daniel , Yeshak Mariamawit , Asres Kaleab
Published: October 2016

Malaria is one of the three major global public health threats due to a wide spread resistance of the parasites to the standard antimalarial drugs. Considering this growing problem, the ethnomedicinal approach in the search for new antimalarial drugs from plant sources has proven to be more effective and inexpensive. The leaves of Aloe pulcherrima Gilbert and Sebsebe, an endemic Ethiopian plant, are locally used for the treatment of malaria and other infectious diseases. Application of the leaf latex of A. pulcherrima on preparative silica gel TLC led to the isolation of two C-glycosylated anthrones, identified as nataloin (1) and 7-hydroxyaloin (2) by spectroscopic techniques (UV, IR, 1H- and 13C-NMR, HR-ESIMS). Both the latex and isolated compounds displayed antimalarial activity in a dose-independent manner using a four-day suppressive test, with the highest percent suppression of 56.2% achieved at 200 mg/kg/day for 2. The results indicate that both the leaf latex of A. pulcherrima and its two major constituents are endowed with antiplasmodial activities, which support the traditional use of the leaves of the plant for the treatment of malaria.
Human Lysozyme Synergistically Enhances Bactericidal Dynamics and Lowers the Resistant Mutant Prevention Concentration for Metronidazole to Helicobacter pylori by Increasing Cell Permeability
Authors: Zhang Xiaolin , Jiang Anmin , Yu Hao , Xiong Youyi , Zhou Guoliang , Qin Meisong , Dou Jinfeng , Wang Jianfei
Published: October 2016

Metronidazole (MNZ) is an effective agent that has been employed to eradicate Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori). The emergence of broad MNZ resistance in H. pylori has affected the efficacy of this therapeutic agent. The concentration of MNZ, especially the mutant prevention concentration (MPC), plays an important role in selecting or enriching resistant mutants and regulating therapeutic effects. A strategy to reduce the MPC that can not only effectively treat H. pylori but also prevent resistance mutations is needed. H. pylori is highly resistant to lysozyme. Lysozyme possesses a hydrolytic bacterial cell wall peptidoglycan and a cationic dependent mode. These effects can increase the permeability of bacterial cells and promote antibiotic absorption into bacterial cells. In this study, human lysozyme (hLYS) was used to probe its effects on the integrity of the H. pylori outer and inner membranes using as fluorescent probe hydrophobic 1-N-phenyl-naphthylamine (NPN) and the release of aspartate aminotransferase. Further studies using a propidium iodide staining method assessed whether hLYS could increase cell permeability and promote cell absorption. Finally, we determined the effects of hLYS on the bactericidal dynamics and MPC of MNZ in H. pylori. Our findings indicate that hLYS could dramatically increase cell permeability, reduce the MPC of MNZ for H. pylori, and enhance its bactericidal dynamic activity, demonstrating that hLYS could reduce the probability of MNZ inducing resistance mutations.
A Comparison of Nutritional Antioxidant Content in Breast Milk, Donor Milk, and Infant Formulas
Authors: Hanson Corrine , Lyden Elizabeth , Furtado Jeremy , Van Ormer Matthew , Anderson-Berry Ann
Published: October 2016

Human milk is the optimal food for human infants, including infants born prematurely. In the event that a mother of a hospitalized infant cannot provide breast milk, donor milk is considered an acceptable alternative. It is known that the macronutrient composition of donor milk is different than human milk, with variable fat content and protein content. However, much less is known about the micronutrient content of donor milk, including nutritional antioxidants. Samples of breast milk from 12 mothers of infants hospitalized in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit until were collected and analyzed for concentrations of nutritional antioxidants, including α-carotene, β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, lycopene, lutein + zeaxanthin, retinol, and α-tocopherol. Additionally, a homogenized sample of donor milk available from a commercial milk bank and samples of infant formulas were also analyzed. Concentrations of nutritional antioxidants were measured using high-performance liquid chromatography. Compared to breast milk collected from mothers of hospitalized infants, commercially available donor milk had 18%–53% of the nutritional antioxidant content of maternal breast milk. As donor milk is becoming a common nutritional intervention for the high risk preterm infant, the nutritional antioxidant status of donor milk–fed premature infants and outcomes related to oxidative stress may merit further investigation.
Dietary Gluten-Induced Gut Dysbiosis Is Accompanied by Selective Upregulation of microRNAs with Intestinal Tight Junction and Bacteria-Binding Motifs in Rhesus Macaque Model of Celiac Disease
Authors: Mohan Mahesh , Chow Cheryl-Emiliane , Ryan Caitlin , Chan Luisa , Dufour Jason , Aye Pyone , Blanchard James , Moehs Charles , Sestak Karol
Published: October 2016

The composition of the gut microbiome reflects the overall health status of the host. In this study, stool samples representing the gut microbiomes from 6 gluten-sensitive (GS) captive juvenile rhesus macaques were compared with those from 6 healthy, age- and diet-matched peers. A total of 48 samples representing both groups were studied using V4 16S rRNA gene DNA analysis. Samples from GS macaques were further characterized based on type of diet administered: conventional monkey chow, i.e., wheat gluten-containing diet (GD), gluten-free diet (GFD), barley gluten-derived diet (BOMI) and reduced gluten barley-derived diet (RGB). It was hypothesized that the GD diet would lower the gut microbial diversity in GS macaques. This is the first report illustrating the reduction of gut microbial alpha-diversity (p < 0.05) following the consumption of dietary gluten in GS macaques. Selected bacterial families (e.g., Streptococcaceae and Lactobacillaceae) were enriched in GS macaques while Coriobacteriaceae was enriched in healthy animals. Within several weeks after the replacement of the GD by the GFD diet, the composition (beta-diversity) of gut microbiome in GS macaques started to change (p = 0.011) towards that of a normal macaque. Significance for alpha-diversity however, was not reached by the day 70 when the feeding experiment ended. Several inflammation-associated microRNAs (miR-203, -204, -23a, -23b and -29b) were upregulated (p < 0.05) in jejunum of 4 biopsied GS macaques fed GD with predicted binding sites on 16S ribosomal RNA of Lactobacillus reuteri (accession number: NR_025911), Prevotella stercorea (NR_041364) and Streptococcus luteciae (AJ297218) that were overrepresented in feces. Additionally, claudin-1, a validated tight junction protein target of miR-29b was significantly downregulated in jejunal epithelium of GS macaques. Taken together, we predict that with the introduction of effective treatments in future studies the diversity of gut microbiomes in GS macaques will approach those of healthy individuals. Further studies are needed to elucidate the regulatory pathways of inflammatory miRNAs in intestinal mucosa of GS macaques and to correlate their expression with gut dysbiosis.
Irrational Use of Medicines—A Summary of Key Concepts
Authors: Ofori-Asenso Richard , Agyeman Akosua
Published: October 2016

Medicines play an integral part of healthcare delivery. However, they are expensive commodities and account for a significant proportion of overall health expenditure in most countries. Irrational use of medicines is a major challenge facing many health systems across the world. Such practices are likely to lead to poor health delivery that may put patients at risk and result in wastage of scarce resources that could have been used to tackle other pressing health needs. The concept of “rational use of medicine” can at times be confusing and not easily appreciated by patients, healthcare providers, policy makers, or the public, all of whom need to collaborate effectively to address this challenge. In this article, we summarize basic concepts such as rational medicine use, good prescribing and dispensing, and explore some of the factors that contribute to irrational use of medicines as well as potential impacts of such practices. This article has been written with the intention of offering a clear, concise, and easy to understand explanation of basic medicine use concepts for health professionals, patients, policy makers, and the public.
Processing of Syndiotactic Polystyrene to Microspheres for Part Manufacturing through Selective Laser Sintering
Authors: Mys Nicolas , Verberckmoes An , Cardon Ludwig
Published: October 2016

Syndiotactic polystyrene pellets were processed into powder form using mechanical (ball milling, rotor milling) and physicochemical (spray drying) techniques with the intention of using it as feed material for selective laser sintering. New materials are an important component in broadening the application window for selective laser sintering but must meet strict requirements to be used. Particles obtained were characterized in size and shape using SEM imaging, analyzed by software, and compared to the product obtained by conventional ball milling. Rotor milling and spray drying proved capable of making spherical powders, yet only rotor milling achieved particles with a mean diameter within the desired range of 45–97 µm. Subsequently, the obtained powders were examined for the effect each processing technique imparts on the intrinsic properties of the material. Differential scanning calorimetry analysis revealed amorphization for all methods and a reduction in crystallinity after processing, however, the reduction in crystallinity was acceptably low for the spray-dried and rotor-milled powders. Ball milling displayed an exceptional reduction in crystallinity, suggesting severe degradation. As a final test, the rotor-milled powder was subjected to single-layer test and displayed good coalescence and smooth morphology, albeit with a large amount of warpage.
Rapid Land Cover Map Updates Using Change Detection and Robust Random Forest Classifiers
Authors: Wessels Konrad , Van den Bergh Frans , Roy David , Salmon Brian , Steenkamp Karen , MacAlister Bryan , Swanepoel Derick , Jewitt Debbie
Published: October 2016

The paper evaluated the Landsat Automated Land Cover Update Mapping (LALCUM) system designed to rapidly update a land cover map to a desired nominal year using a pre-existing reference land cover map. The system uses the Iteratively Reweighted Multivariate Alteration Detection (IRMAD) to identify areas of change and no change. The system then automatically generates large amounts of training samples (n > 1 million) in the no-change areas as input to an optimized Random Forest classifier. Experiments were conducted in the KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa using a reference land cover map from 2008, a change mask between 2008 and 2011 and Landsat ETM+ data for 2011. The entire system took 9.5 h to process. We expected that the use of the change mask would improve classification accuracy by reducing the number of mislabeled training data caused by land cover change between 2008 and 2011. However, this was not the case due to exceptional robustness of Random Forest classifier to mislabeled training samples. The system achieved an overall accuracy of 65%–67% using 22 detailed classes and 72%–74% using 12 aggregated national classes. “Water”, “Plantations”, “Plantations—clearfelled”, “Orchards—trees”, “Sugarcane”, “Built-up/dense settlement”, “Cultivation—Irrigated” and “Forest (indigenous)” had user’s accuracies above 70%. Other detailed classes (e.g., “Low density settlements”, “Mines and Quarries”, and “Cultivation, subsistence, drylands”) which are required for operational, provincial-scale land use planning and are usually mapped using manual image interpretation, could not be mapped using Landsat spectral data alone. However, the system was able to map the 12 national classes, at a sufficiently high level of accuracy for national scale land cover monitoring. This update approach and the highly automated, scalable LALCUM system can improve the efficiency and update rate of regional land cover mapping.
Integrating Data of ASTER and Landsat-8 OLI (AO) for Hydrothermal Alteration Mineral Mapping in Duolong Porphyry Cu-Au Deposit, Tibetan Plateau, China
Authors: Zhang Tingbin , Yi Guihua , Li Hongmei , Wang Ziyi , Tang Juxing , Zhong Kanghui , Li Yubin , Wang Qin , Bie Xiaojuan
Published: October 2016

One of the most important characteristics of porphyry copper deposits (PCDs) is the type and distribution pattern of alteration zones which can be used for screening and recognizing these deposits. Hydrothermal alteration minerals with diagnostic spectral absorption properties in the visible and near-infrared (VNIR) through the shortwave infrared (SWIR) regions can be identified by multispectral and hyperspectral remote sensing data. Six Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) bands in SWIR have been shown to be effective in the mapping of Al-OH, Fe-OH, Mg-OH group minerals. The five VNIR bands of Landsat-8 (L8) Operational Land Imager (OLI) are useful for discriminating ferric iron alteration minerals. In the absence of complete hyperspectral coverage area, an opportunity, however, exists to integrate ASTER and L8-OLI (AO) to compensate each other’s shortcomings in covering area for mineral mapping. This study examines the potential of AO data in mineral mapping in an arid area of the Duolong porphyry Cu-Au deposit(Tibetan Plateau in China) by using spectral analysis techniques. Results show the following conclusions: (1) Combination of ASTER and L8-OLI data (AO) has more mineral information content than either alone; (2) The Duolong PCD alteration zones of phyllic, argillic and propylitic zones are mapped using ASTER SWIR bands and the iron-bearing mineral information is best mapped using AO VNIR bands; (3) The multispectral integration data of AO can provide a compensatory data of ASTER VNIR bands for iron-bearing mineral mapping in the arid and semi-arid areas.
The Potential of Forest Biomass Inversion Based on Vegetation Indices Using Multi-Angle CHRIS/PROBA Data
Authors: Wang Qiang , Pang Yong , Li Zengyuan , Sun Guoqing , Chen Erxue , Ni-Meister Wenge
Published: October 2016

Multi-angle remote sensing can either be regarded as an added source of uncertainty for variable retrieval, or as a source of additional information, which enhances variable retrieval compared to traditional single-angle observation. However, the magnitude of these angular and band effects for forest structure parameters is difficult to quantify. We used the Discrete Anisotropic Radiative Transfer (DART) model and the Zelig model to simulate the forest canopy Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Factor (BRDF) in order to build a look-up table, and eight vegetation indices were used to assess the relationship between BRDF and forest biomass in order to find the sensitive angles and bands. Further, the European Space Agency (ESA) mission, Compact High Resolution Imaging Spectrometer onboard the Project for On-board Autonomy (CHRIS-PROBA) and field sample measurements, were selected to test the angular and band effects on forest biomass retrieval. The results showed that the off-nadir vegetation indices could predict the forest biomass more accurately than the nadir. Additionally, we found that the viewing angle effect is more important, but the band effect could not be ignored, and the sensitive angles for extracting forest biomass are greater viewing angles, especially around the hot and dark spot directions. This work highlighted the combination of angles and bands, and found a new index based on the traditional vegetation index, Atmospherically Resistant Vegetation Index (ARVI), which is calculated by combining sensitive angles and sensitive bands, such as blue band 490 nm/−55°, green band 530 nm/55°, and the red band 697 nm/55°, and the new index was tested to improve the accuracy of forest biomass retrieval. This is a step forward in multi-angle remote sensing applications for mining the hidden relationship between BRDF and forest structure information, in order to increase the utilization efficiency of remote sensing data.
Electrochemical Aptasensor for Myoglobin-Specific Recognition Based on Porphyrin Functionalized Graphene-Conjugated Gold Nanocomposites
Authors: Zhang Guojuan , Liu Zhiguang , Wang Li , Guo Yujing
Published: October 2016

In this work, a novel electrochemical aptasensor was developed for sensitive and selective detection of myoglobin based on meso-tetra (4-carboxyphenyl) porphyrin-functionalized graphene-conjugated gold nanoparticles (TCPP–Gr/AuNPs). Due to its good electric conductivity, large specific surface area, and excellent mechanical properties, TCPP–Gr/AuNPs can act as an enhanced material for the electrochemical detection of myoglobin. Meanwhile, it provides an effective matrix for immobilizing myoglobin-binding aptamer (MbBA). The electrochemical aptasensor has a sensitive response to myoglobin in a linear range from 2.0 × 10−11 M to 7.7 × 10−7 M with a detection limit of 6.7 × 10−12 M (S/N = 3). Furthermore, the method has the merits of high sensitivity, low price, and high specificity. Our work will supply new horizons for the diagnostic applications of graphene-based materials in biomedicine and biosensors.
Wheelchair Navigation System for Disabled and Elderly People
Authors: Kim Eun
Published: October 2016

An intelligent wheelchair (IW) system is developed in order to support safe mobility for disabled or elderly people with various impairments. The proposed IW offers two main functions: obstacle detection and avoidance, and situation recognition. First, through a combination of a vision sensor and eight ultrasonic ones, it detects diverse obstacles and produces occupancy grid maps (OGMs) that describe environmental information, including the positions and sizes of obstacles, which is then given to the learning-based algorithm. By learning the common patterns among OGMs assigned to the same directions, the IW can automatically find paths to prevent collisions with obstacles. Second, it distinguishes a situation whereby the user is standing on a sidewalk, traffic intersection, or roadway through analyzing the texture and shape of the images, which aids in preventing any accidents that would result in fatal injuries to the user, such as collisions with vehicles. From the experiments that were performed in various environments, we can prove the following: (1) the proposed system can recognize different types of outdoor places with 98.3% accuracy; and (2) it can produce paths that avoid obstacles with 92.0% accuracy.
When Ultrasonic Sensors and Computer Vision Join Forces for Efficient Obstacle Detection and Recognition
Authors: Mocanu Bogdan , Tapu Ruxandra , Zaharia Titus
Published: October 2016

In the most recent report published by the World Health Organization concerning people with visual disabilities it is highlighted that by the year 2020, worldwide, the number of completely blind people will reach 75 million, while the number of visually impaired (VI) people will rise to 250 million. Within this context, the development of dedicated electronic travel aid (ETA) systems, able to increase the safe displacement of VI people in indoor/outdoor spaces, while providing additional cognition of the environment becomes of outmost importance. This paper introduces a novel wearable assistive device designed to facilitate the autonomous navigation of blind and VI people in highly dynamic urban scenes. The system exploits two independent sources of information: ultrasonic sensors and the video camera embedded in a regular smartphone. The underlying methodology exploits computer vision and machine learning techniques and makes it possible to identify accurately both static and highly dynamic objects existent in a scene, regardless on their location, size or shape. In addition, the proposed system is able to acquire information about the environment, semantically interpret it and alert users about possible dangerous situations through acoustic feedback. To determine the performance of the proposed methodology we have performed an extensive objective and subjective experimental evaluation with the help of 21 VI subjects from two blind associations. The users pointed out that our prototype is highly helpful in increasing the mobility, while being friendly and easy to learn.
3D Tracking via Shoe Sensing
Authors: Li Fangmin , Liu Guo , Liu Jian , Chen Xiaochuang , Ma Xiaolin
Published: October 2016

Most location-based services are based on a global positioning system (GPS), which only works well in outdoor environments. Compared to outdoor environments, indoor localization has created more buzz in recent years as people spent most of their time indoors working at offices and shopping at malls, etc. Existing solutions mainly rely on inertial sensors (i.e., accelerometer and gyroscope) embedded in mobile devices, which are usually not accurate enough to be useful due to the mobile devices’ random movements while people are walking. In this paper, we propose the use of shoe sensing (i.e., sensors attached to shoes) to achieve 3D indoor positioning. Specifically, a short-time energy-based approach is used to extract the gait pattern. Moreover, in order to improve the accuracy of vertical distance estimation while the person is climbing upstairs, a state classification is designed to distinguish the walking status including plane motion (i.e., normal walking and jogging horizontally), walking upstairs, and walking downstairs. Furthermore, we also provide a mechanism to reduce the vertical distance accumulation error. Experimental results show that we can achieve nearly 100% accuracy when extracting gait patterns from walking/jogging with a low-cost shoe sensor, and can also achieve 3D indoor real-time positioning with high accuracy.
Special Issue: Adolescent Pregnancy: Past, Present and Future Trends and Issues
Authors: Farber Naomi
Published: October 2016

The dramatic overall decrease in rates of pregnancies and births to American teenagers over the last few decades should be counted among contemporary success stories in systematic efforts to reduce bio-psychosocial risks to youth.[...]
A Social-Ecological Resilience Assessment and Governance Guide for Urbanization Processes in East China
Authors: Zhang Chen , Li Yangfan , Zhu Xiaodong
Published: October 2016

This article presents a social-ecological resilience assessment and attempts to explicitly examine the impacts of urbanization on resilience, with a view to explore how to strengthen social-ecological governance of the resilience of urban ecosystems. We use a combined Grey-Fuzzy evaluation model to discuss a case study of the Su-Xi-Chang city cluster, a metropolitan area in East China, in which total social-ecological resilience scores generally exhibited an upward trend, from 0.548 in 2001 to 0.760 in 2013. In the same period, resilience increased in relation to deterioration of environmental quality, pollution discharge, and landscape and ecological governance change, but decreased in relation to social-economic development. Besides, different contributions of indicators to their related resilience values reveal the heterogeneity of the resilience in terms of various disturbances. In addition, several scenarios are posited in an attempt to detect the relationship between social-ecological resilience and urbanization with the goal of improving urban governance. The results suggested that rapid urbanization under rigid and vertically organized forms of governance would cause the social-ecological system to lose resilience, or even to bring it near collapse. When the growth rate of urban land expansion reaches 16%, disturbances caused by urbanization would push the social-ecological system over a particular threshold, where the way it functions changes. However, it is found that adaptive and collaborative governance, incorporating increases in both public participation and the efficiency of environment administration, would strengthen social-ecological governance of resilience to provide the urban system with a wide operating space, and even with accelerated urbanization ratios.
CPT Symmetry and Its Violation
Authors: Lehnert Ralf
Published: October 2016

One of the most fundamental symmetries in physics is CPT invariance. This article reviews the conditions under which CPT symmetry holds by recalling two proofs of the CPT theorem: The original Lagrangian-based analysis and the more rigorous one in the context of axiomatic quantum field theory. The presentation of the proofs is followed by a discussion of the major physical implications that arise from CPT symmetry. Motivated by recent theoretical and experimental interest in CPT tests, various approaches to the violation of CPT symmetry are mentioned, and it is briefly discussed how they evade the CPT theorem. An attempt has been made to keep this work self-contained and at a level suitable for a wider readership by excising as many technical aspects as possible.
Kaumoebavirus, a New Virus That Clusters with Faustoviruses and Asfarviridae
Authors: Bajrai Leena , Benamar Samia , Azhar Esam , Robert Catherine , Levasseur Anthony , Raoult Didier , La Scola Bernard
Published: October 2016

In this study, we report the isolation of a new giant virus found in sewage water from the southern area of Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), with morphological and genomic resemblance to Faustoviruses. This new giant virus, named Kaumoebavirus, was obtained from co-culture with Vermamoeba vermiformis, an amoeboid protozoa considered to be of special interest to human health and the environment. This new virus has ~250 nm icosahedral capsids and a 350,731 bp DNA genome length. The genome of Kaumoebavirus has a coding density of 86%, corresponding to 465 genes. Most of these genes (59%) are closely related to genes from members of the proposed order Megavirales, and the best matches to its proteins with other members of the Megavirales are Faustoviruses (43%) and Asfarviruses (23%). Unsurprisingly, phylogenetic reconstruction places Kaumoebavirus as a distant relative of Faustoviruses and Asfarviruses.
Rabies Control and Treatment: From Prophylaxis to Strategies with Curative Potential
Authors: Zhu Shimao , Guo Caiping
Published: October 2016

Rabies is an acute, fatal, neurological disease that affects almost all kinds of mammals. Vaccination (using an inactivated rabies vaccine), combined with administration of rabies immune globulin, is the only approved, effective method for post-exposure prophylaxis against rabies in humans. In the search for novel rabies control and treatment strategies, live-attenuated viruses have recently emerged as a practical and promising approach for immunizing and controlling rabies. Unlike the conventional, inactivated rabies vaccine, live-attenuated viruses are genetically modified viruses that are able to replicate in an inoculated recipient without causing adverse effects, while still eliciting robust and effective immune responses against rabies virus infection. A number of viruses with an intrinsic capacity that could be used as putative candidates for live-attenuated rabies vaccine have been intensively evaluated for therapeutic purposes. Additional novel strategies, such as a monoclonal antibody-based approach, nucleic acid-based vaccines, or small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) interfering with virus replication, could further add to the arena of strategies to combat rabies. In this review, we highlight current advances in rabies therapy and discuss the role that they might have in the future of rabies treatment. Given the pronounced and complex impact of rabies on a patient, a combination of these novel modalities has the potential to achieve maximal anti-rabies efficacy, or may even have promising curative effects in the future. However, several hurdles regarding clinical safety considerations and public awareness should be overcome before these approaches can ultimately become clinically relevant therapies.
Novel Slope Source Term Treatment for Preservation of Quiescent Steady States in Shallow Water Flows
Authors: Rehman Khawar , Cho Yong-Sik
Published: October 2016

This paper proposes a robust method for modeling shallow-water flows and near shore tsunami propagation, applicable for both simple and complex geometries with uneven beds. The novel aspect of the model includes the introduction of a new method for slope source terms treatment to preserve quiescent equilibrium over uneven topographies, applicable to both structured and unstructured mesh systems with equal accuracy. Our model is based on the Godunov-type finite volume numerical approximation. Second-order spatial and temporal accuracy is achieved through high resolution gradient reconstruction and the predictor-corrector method, respectively. The approximate Riemann solver of Harten, Lax, and van Leer with contact wave restoration (HLLC) is used to compute fluxes. Comparisons of the model’s results with analytical, experimental, and published numerical solutions show that the proposed method is capable of accurately predicting experimental and real-time tsunami propagation/inundation, and dam-break flows over varying topographies.
The Mitigation Potential of Buffer Strips for Reservoir Sediment Yields: The Itumbiara Hydroelectric Power Plant in Brazil
Authors: Luz Marta , Beevers Lindsay , Cuthbertson Alan , Medero Gabriela , Dias Viviane , Nascimento Diego
Published: October 2016

Soil erosion and deposition mechanisms play a crucial role in the sustainability of both existing reservoirs and newly planned projects. Soil erosion is one of the most important factors influencing sediment transport yields, and, in the context of existing reservoirs, the surrounding watersheds supply both runoff and sediment yield to the receiving water body. Therefore, appropriate land management strategies are needed to minimize the influence of sediment yields on reservoir volume and, hence, the capacity of power generation. In this context, soil erosion control measures such as buffer strips may provide a practical and low-cost option for large reservoirs, but need to be tested at the catchment scale. This paper represents a study case for the Itumbiara hydroelectric power plant (HPP) in Brazil. Four different scenarios considering radially planted buffer strips of Vetivergrass with widths of 20 m, 40 m, 100 m and 200 m are analyzed. A semi-distributed hydrological model, SWAT, was used to perform the simulations. Results indicate a reduction of sediments transported to the reservoir of between 0.2% and 1.0% per year is possible with buffer strip provision, and that this reduction, over the life of Itumbiara HPP, may prove important for lengthening the productivity of the plant.
DENSITY-MAGNETIC FIELD CORRELATION IN MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMIC TURBULENCE DRIVEN BY DIFFERENT DRIVING SCHEMES WITH DIFFERENT CORRELATION TIMES
Authors: Yoon Heesun , Cho Jungyeon , Kim Jongsoo
Published: October 2016

Turbulent motions naturally produce density and magnetic-field fluctuations. Correlation between the two fluctuations is important for interpretation of observations, such as observations of the rotation measure (RM). In this paper, we study the effect of driving schemes on the density-magnetic-field correlation. In particular, we numerically investigate how the correlation time of driving affects the correlation between density and magnetic field. We perform compressible magnetohydrodynamic turbulence simulations at different sonic Mach numbers (M

s
), using two different driving schemes—a finite-correlated driving and a delta-correlated driving. In the former, the forcing vectors change continuously with a correlation time comparable to the large-eddy turnover time. In the latter, the direction (and amplitude) of driving changes in a very short timescale. The finite-correlated driving results in strong anti-correlation between two fields when the sonic and the Alfvénic Mach numbers are similar to unity (i.e., when M

s
 ∼ 1 and M
A ∼ 1, respectively). However, the anti-correlation becomes weaker and approaches zero for higher values of M

s
or M
A. The delta-correlated driving produces virtually no correlation between two fields when M

s
 ∼ 1 and M
A ∼ 1, and produces more and more positive correlations as M

s
or M
A increases. We conjecture that two competing effects, tendency for achieving balance between the gas and the magnetic pressure and simultaneous compression of fluid and magnetic field, determine the correlation behavior. We also investigate how different driving schemes affect the Probability Density Function of three-dimensional density, dispersion measure, and RM.
NEW SUNS IN THE COSMOS. III. MULTIFRACTAL SIGNATURE ANALYSIS
Authors: Freitas D. B. de , Nepomuceno M. M. F. , Junior P. R. V. de Moraes , Lopes C. E. F. , Chagas M. L. Das , Bravo J. P. , Costa A. D. , Martins B. L. Canto , Medeiros J. R. De , Leão I. C.
Published: October 2016

In the present paper, we investigate the multifractality signatures in hourly time series extracted from the CoRoTspacecraft database. Our analysis is intended to highlight the possibility that astrophysical time series can be members of a particular class of complex and dynamic processes, which require several photometric variability diagnostics to characterize their structural and topological properties. To achieve this goal, we search for contributions due to a nonlinear temporal correlation and effects caused by heavier tails than the Gaussian distribution, using a detrending moving average algorithm for one-dimensional multifractal signals (MFDMA). We observe that the correlation structure is the main source of multifractality, while heavy-tailed distribution plays a minor role in generating the multifractal effects. Our work also reveals that the rotation period of stars is inherently scaled by the degree of multifractality. As a result, analyzing the multifractal degree of the referred series, we uncover an evolution of multifractality from shorter to larger periods.
SPITZER IRAC OBSERVATIONS OF IR EXCESS IN HOLMBERG IX X-1: A CIRCUMBINARY DISK OR A VARIABLE JET?
Authors: Dudik R. P. , Berghea C. T. , Roberts T. P. , Grisé F. , Singh A. , Pagano R. , Winter L. M.
Published: October 2016

We present Spitzer Infrared Array Camera photometric observations of the ultraluminous X-ray source (ULX, X-1) in Holmberg IX. We construct a spectral energy distribution (SED) for Holmberg IX X-1 based on published optical, UV, and X-ray data combined with the IR data from this analysis. We modeled the X-ray and optical data with disk and stellar models; however, we find a clear IR excess in the ULX SED that cannot be explained by fits or extrapolations of any of these models. Instead, further analysis suggests that the IR excess results from dust emission, possibly a circumbinary disk, or a variable jet.
A NEW γ-RAY LOUD, ECLIPSING LOW-MASS X-RAY BINARY
Authors: Strader Jay , Li Kwan-Lok , Chomiuk Laura , Heinke Craig O. , Udalski Andrzej , Peacock Mark , Shishkovsky Laura , Tremou Evangelia
Published: October 2016

We report the discovery of an eclipsing low-mass X-ray binary at the center of the 3FGL error ellipse of the unassociated Fermi/Large Area Telescope γ-ray source 3FGL J0427.9–6704. Photometry from OGLE and the SMARTS 1.3 m telescope and spectroscopy from the SOAR telescope have allowed us to classify the system as an eclipsing low-mass X-ray binary (P = 8.8 hr) with a main-sequence donor and a neutron-star accretor. Broad double-peaked H and He emission lines suggest the ongoing presence of an accretion disk. Remarkably, the system shows separate sets of absorption lines associated with the accretion disk and the secondary, and we use their radial velocities to find evidence for a massive (∼1.8–1.9 M
⊙) neutron-star primary. In addition to a total X-ray eclipse with a duration of ∼2200 s observed with NuSTAR, the X-ray light curve also shows properties similar to those observed among known transitional millisecond pulsars: short-term variability, a hard power-law spectrum (

), and a comparable 0.5–10 keV luminosity (

erg s−1). We find tentative evidence for a partial (

) γ-ray eclipse at the same phase as the X-ray eclipse, suggesting the γ-ray emission may not be confined to the immediate region of the compact object. The favorable inclination of this binary is promising for future efforts to determine the origin of γ-rays among accreting neutron stars.
FAINT SUBMILLIMETER GALAXIES IDENTIFIED THROUGH THEIR OPTICAL/NEAR-INFRARED COLORS. I. SPATIAL CLUSTERING AND HALO MASSES
Authors: Chen (陳建州) Chian-Chou , Smail Ian , Swinbank A. M. , Simpson James M. , Almaini Omar , Conselice Christopher J. , Hartley Will G. , Mortlock Alice , Simpson Chris , Wilkinson Aaron
Published: October 2016

The properties of submillimeter galaxies (SMGs) that are fainter than the confusion limit of blank-field single-dish surveys (

2 mJy) are poorly constrained. Using a newly developed color selection technique, Optical-Infrared Triple Color (OIRTC), that has been shown to successfully select such faint SMGs, we identify a sample of 2938 OIRTC-selected galaxies, dubbed Triple Color Galaxies (TCGs), in the UKIDSS-UDS field. We show that these galaxies have a median 850 μm flux of

mJy (equivalent to a star formation rate SFR

yr−1 based on spectral energy distribution fitting), representing the first large sample of faint SMGs that bridges the gap between bright SMGs and normal star-forming galaxies in S
850 and L
IR. We assess the basic properties of TCGs and their relationship with other galaxy populations at

. We measure the two-point autocorrelation function for this population and derive a typical halo mass of log10(

)

,

, and

at

, 2–3, and 3–5, respectively. Together with the bright SMGs (

mJy) and a comparison sample of less far-infrared luminous star-forming galaxies, we find a lack of dependence between spatial clustering and S
850 (or SFR), suggesting that the difference between these populations may lie in their local galactic environment. Lastly, on the scale of

at

we find a tentative enhancement of the clustering of TCGs over the comparison star-forming galaxies, suggesting that some faint SMGs are physically associated pairs, perhaps reflecting a merging origin in their triggering.
MULTIFREQUENCY PHOTO-POLARIMETRIC WEBT OBSERVATION CAMPAIGN ON THE BLAZAR S5 0716+714: SOURCE MICROVARIABILITY AND SEARCH FOR CHARACTERISTIC TIMESCALES*
Authors: Bhatta G. , Stawarz Ł. , Ostrowski M. , Markowitz A. , Akitaya H. , Arkharov A. A. , Bachev R. , Benítez E. , Borman G. A. , Carosati D. , Cason A. D. , Chanishvili R. , Damljanovic G. , Dhalla S. , Frasca A. , Hiriart D. , Hu S-M. , Itoh R. , Jableka D. , Jorstad S. , Jovanovic M. D. , Kawabata K. S. , Klimanov S. A. , Kurtanidze O. , Larionov V. M. , Laurence D. , Leto G. , Marscher A. P. , Moody J. W. , Moritani Y. , Ohlert J. M. , Paola A. Di , Raiteri C. M. , Rizzi N. , Sadun A. C. , Sasada M. , Sergeev S. , Strigachev A. , Takaki K. , Troitsky I. S. , Ui T. , Villata M. , Vince O. , Webb J. R. , Yoshida M. , Zola S.
Published: October 2016

Here we report on the results of the Whole Earth Blazar Telescope photo-polarimetric campaign targeting the blazar S5 0716+71, organized in 2014 March to monitor the source simultaneously in BVRI and near-IR filters. The campaign resulted in an unprecedented data set spanning ∼110 hr of nearly continuous, multiband observations, including two sets of densely sampled polarimetric data mainly in the R filter. During the campaign, the source displayed pronounced variability with peak-to-peak variations of about 30% and “bluer-when-brighter” spectral evolution, consisting of a day-timescale modulation with superimposed hour-long microflares characterized by ∼0.1 mag flux changes. We performed an in-depth search for quasi-periodicities in the source light curve; hints for the presence of oscillations on timescales of ∼3 and ∼5 hr do not represent highly significant departures from a pure red-noise power spectrum. We observed that, at a certain configuration of the optical polarization angle (PA) relative to the PA of the innermost radio jet in the source, changes in the polarization degree (PD) led the total flux variability by about 2 hr; meanwhile, when the relative configuration of the polarization and jet angles altered, no such lag could be noted. The microflaring events, when analyzed as separate pulse emission components, were found to be characterized by a very high PD (>30%) and PAs that differed substantially from the PA of the underlying background component, or from the radio jet positional angle. We discuss the results in the general context of blazar emission and energy dissipation models.
NUMERICAL SIMULATIONS OF PLASMA DYNAMICS IN THE VICINITY OF A RETRACTING FLUX TUBE
Authors: Scott Roger B. , Longcope Dana W. , McKenzie David E.
Published: October 2016

In a previous paper, we presented an analytical, zero-β model for supra-arcade downflows in which a retracting flux tube deforms the surrounding magnetic field, constricting the flow of plasma along affected field lines and, in some cases, forcing the plasma to exhibit collimated shocks. Here we present a numerical simulation based on the same model construction—a retracting flux tube is treated as a rigid boundary around which the plasma is forced to flow and the magnetic field and plasma evolve according to the governing equations of magnetohydrodynamics. We find that the collimated shocks described in our previous study are recovered for plasma β in the range of 0 ≤ β ≲ 1, while for 1 ≲ β the behavior is similar to the simpler hydrodynamic case, with classical bow shocks forming when the acoustic Mach number approaches or exceeds unity. Furthermore, we find that while the plasma β is important for identifying the various types of behaviors, more important still is the Alfvén Mach number, which, if large, implies that the bulk kinetic energy of the fluid exceeds the internal energy of the magnetic field, thereby leading to the formation of unconfined, fast-mode magnetosonic shocks, even in the limit of small β.
UNCOVERING CIRCUMBINARY PLANETARY ARCHITECTURAL PROPERTIES FROM SELECTION BIASES
Authors: Li Gongjie , Holman Matthew J. , Tao Molei
Published: October 2016

Studying newly discovered circumbinary planetary systems improves our understanding of planetary system formation. Learning the architectural properties of these systems is essential for constraining the different formation mechanisms. We first revisit the stability limit of circumbinary planets. Next, we focus on eclipsing stellar binaries and obtain an analytical expression for the transit probability in a realistic setting, where a finite observation period and planetary orbital precession are included. Our understanding of the architectural properties of the currently observed transiting systems is then refined, based on Bayesian analysis and a series of tested hypotheses. We find that (1) it is not a selection bias that the innermost planets reside near the stability limit for eight of the nine observed systems, and this pile-up is consistent with a log uniform distribution of the planetary semimajor axis; (2) it is not a selection bias that the planetary and stellar orbits are nearly coplanar (≲3°), and this—along with previous studies—may imply an occurrence rate of circumbinary planets similar to that of single star systems; (3) the dominance of observed circumbinary systems with only one transiting planet may be caused by selection effects; (4) formation mechanisms involving Lidov–Kozai oscillations, which may produce misalignment and large separation between planets and stellar binaries, are consistent with the lack of transiting circumbinary planets around short-period stellar binaries, in agreement with previous studies. As a consequence of (4), eclipse timing variations may better suit the detection of planets in such configurations.
HERSCHEL-RESOLVED OUTER BELTS OF TWO-BELT DEBRIS DISKS—EVIDENCE OF ICY GRAINS*
Authors: Morales F. Y. , Bryden G. , Werner M. W. , Stapelfeldt K. R.
Published: October 2016

We present dual-band Herschel/PACS imaging for 59 main-sequence stars with known warm dust (T
warm ∼ 200 K), characterized by Spitzer. Of 57 debris disks detected at Herschel wavelengths (70 and/or 100 and 160 μm), about half have spectral energy distributions (SEDs) that suggest two-ring disk architectures mirroring that of the asteroid–Kuiper Belt geometry; the rest are consistent with single belts of warm, asteroidal material. Herschel observations spatially resolve the outer/cold dust component around 14 A-type and 4 solar-type stars with two-belt systems, 15 of which for the first time. Resolved disks are typically observed with radii >100 AU, larger than expected from a simple blackbody fit. Despite the absence of narrow spectral features for ice, we find that the shape of the continuum, combined with resolved outer/cold dust locations, can help constrain the grain size distribution and hint at the dust’s composition for each resolved system. Based on the combined Spitzer/IRS+Multiband Imaging Photometer (5-to-70 μm) and Herschel/PACS (70-to-160 μm) data set, and under the assumption of idealized spherical grains, we find that over half of resolved outer/cold belts are best fit with a mixed ice/rock composition. Minimum grain sizes are most often equal to the expected radiative blowout limit, regardless of composition. Three of four resolved systems around the solar-type stars, however, tend to have larger minimum grains compared to expectation from blowout (f
MB = a
min/a
BOS ∼ 5). We also probe the disk architecture of 39 Herschel-unresolved systems by modeling their SEDs uniformly, and find them to be consistent with 31 single- and 8 two-belt debris systems.