bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The significance of the theropod collections of the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology to our understanding of Late Cretaceous theropod diversity
Authors: Currie Philip J. , Koppelhus Eva B.
Published: October 2015

Significant specimens of theropod dinosaurs were part of the collections that were transferred to the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology when it split off from the Provincial Museum of Alberta in 1981. Collecting activity of the institution increased dramatically in the period leading up to the opening of the building and displays in 1985, and resulted in the recovery and preparation of many fine theropod skeletons. New specimens have been added to the collection every year since the museum opened. Several (mostly small) taxa are only represented by isolated bones, partial skeletons, and (or) teeth. Theropod specimens also include footprints, coprolites, eggs, and feathers in amber. Although theropods are relatively rare in comparison with herbivorous dinosaurs, the Tyrrell has managed to build one of the finest research collections of Late Cretaceous forms. Thirty-seven species of theropods in the Tyrrell are currently accepted as being valid, of which 30 are from the Upper Cretaceous deposits of Alberta.
An edentulous frog (Lissamphibia; Anura) from the Upper Cretaceous (Campanian) Dinosaur Park Formation of southeastern Alberta, Canada
Authors: Gardner James D.
Published: October 2015

The frog Tyrrellbatrachus brinkmani, gen. et sp. nov., is described on the basis of seven incomplete maxillae from vertebrate microfossil localities in the Upper Cretaceous (Campanian) Dinosaur Park Formation, in the Dinosaur Provincial Park area, southeastern Alberta, Canada. The maxillae are distinctive in a unique suite of features related to size, shape, and proportions of the bone, texture of the labial surface, form of the surface for inferred contact with the squamosal, form of the lamina horizontalis and the processus pterygoideus, relative depth of the crista dentalis, and in being edentulous (i.e., lacking teeth). The higher level affinities of Tyrrellbatrachus are uncertain, although certain features exclude it from several known families; for example, the presence of a processus pterygoideus excludes it from Gobiatidae (Late Cretaceous, Asia), whereas the presence of a crista dentalis and of a relatively unreduced pars facialis exclude it from Pipidae (Cretaceous–Recent, Africa and South America). The lack of teeth in Tyrrellbatrachus is notable because although tooth loss is widespread among extant anurans and has arisen independently multiple times, it has rarely been documented among Mesozoic anurans. Comparisons with the only other edentulous anuran from the Mesozoic of the Northern Hemisphere, namely Theatonius (late Campanian – late Maastrichtian, western USA), reveal no compelling similarities to support a close relationship between the two genera. Those taxa represent an early (Campanian) instance of independent tooth loss in anurans and, potentially, the oldest record of tooth loss in nonpipid anurans.
Origins of dinosaur bonebeds in the Cretaceous of Alberta, Canada
Authors: Eberth David A.
Published: October 2015

Upper Cretaceous dinosaur bonebeds are common in Alberta, Canada, and have attracted continuous scientific attention since the 1960s. Since its inception, the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology has documented the presence of hundreds of these sites and has been involved directly in the scientific study of many tens. Because many of these bonebeds have been used to address questions about the paleobiology and paleoecology of dinosaurs, questions have arisen about bonebed origins and preservation in the Cretaceous of Alberta. This study of 260 bonebeds delineates broad paleoenvironmental settings and associations, and taphonomic signatures of assemblages as a first step in assessing patterns of dinosaur bonebed origins in the Upper Cretaceous of Alberta. Bonebeds are known predominantly from the Belly River Group and the Horseshoe Canyon, lower St. Mary River, Wapiti, and Scollard formations. In these units, bonebeds are mostly associated with river channel and alluvial wetland settings that were influenced by a subtropical to warm-temperate, monsoonal climate. Most bonebeds formed in response to flooding events capable of killing dinosaurs, reworking and modifying skeletal remains, and burying taphocoenoses. The “coastal-plain-flooding hypothesis,” proposed in 2005, suggested that many bonebeds in the Dinosaur Park Formation formed in response to the effects of recurring coastal-plain floods that submerged vast areas of ancient southern Alberta on a seasonal basis. It remains the best mechanism to explain how many of the bonebeds were formed and preserved at Dinosaur Provincial Park, and here, is proposed as the mechanism that best explains bonebed origins in other Upper Cretaceous formations across central and southern Alberta.
Carryover effects of phenotypic plasticity: embryonic environment and larval response to predation risk in Wood Frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus) and Northern Leopard Frogs (Lithobates pipiens)
Authors: Bennett A.M. , Murray D.L.
Published: October 2015

Limitations of phenotypic plasticity affect the success of individuals and populations in changing environments. We assessed the plasticity-history limitation on predator-induced defenses in anurans (Wood Frogs, Lithobates sylvaticus (LeConte, 1825), and Northern Leopard Frogs, Lithobates pipiens (Schreber, 1782)), predicting that plastic responses to predation risk by dragonfly larvae (family Aeshnidae) in the embryonic environment would limit the defensive response to predators in the larval environment. Predator-conditioned Wood Frog embryos increased relative tail depth in response to those same cues as larvae, whereas predator-naive tadpoles did not. However, no carryover effect was noted in the behavioural response of Wood Frog tadpoles to predation risk. Predator-naive Northern Leopard Frog tadpoles increased relative tail depth in response to predation risk in the larval environment. Predator-conditioned Northern Leopard Frog embryos hatched with, and maintained, a marginal increase in tail depth as larvae in the absence of predation risk. Predator-conditioned Northern Leopard Frog embryos exposed to predation risk as larvae showed no morphological response. While we find no strong support for the plasticity-history limitation per se, carryover effects across embryonic and larval life-history stages were noted in both Wood Frog and Northern Leopard Frog, suggesting that predation risk early in ontogeny can influence the outcome of future interactions with predators.
The Kasner brane
Authors: Roberts Mark D.
Published: October 2015

Solutions are found to field equations constructed from the Pauli, Bach and Gauss–Bonnet quadratic tensors to the Kasner and Kasner brane spacetimes in up to five dimensions. A double Kasner space is shown to have a vacuum solution. Brane solutions in which the bulk components of the Einstein tensor vanish are also looked at and for four-branes a solution similar to radiation Robertson–Walker spacetime is found. Matter trapping of a test scalar field and a test perfect fluid are investigated using energy conditions.
Tensor gauge condition and tensor field decomposition
Authors: Zhu Ben-Chao , Chen Xiang-Song
Published: October 2015

We discuss various proposals of separating a tensor field into pure-gauge and gauge-invariant components. Such tensor field decomposition is intimately related to the effort of identifying the real gravitational degrees of freedom out of the metric tensor in Einstein’s general relativity. We show that as for a vector field, the tensor field decomposition has exact correspondence to and can be derived from the gauge-fixing approach. The complication for the tensor field, however, is that there are infinitely many complete gauge conditions in contrast to the uniqueness of Coulomb gauge for a vector field. The cause of such complication, as we reveal, is the emergence of a peculiar gauge-invariant pure-gauge construction for any gauge field of spin [Formula: see text]. We make an extensive exploration of the complete tensor gauge conditions and their corresponding tensor field decompositions, regarding mathematical structures, equations of motion for the fields and nonlinear properties. Apparently, no single choice is superior in all aspects, due to an awkward fact that no gauge-fixing can reduce a tensor field to be purely dynamical (i.e. transverse and traceless), as can the Coulomb gauge in a vector case.
Accurate reliability analysis method for quantum-dot cellular automata circuits
Authors: Cui Huanqing , Cai Li , Wang Sen , Liu Xiaoqiang , Yang Xiaokuo
Published: October 2015

Probabilistic transfer matrix (PTM) is a widely used model in the reliability research of circuits. However, PTM model cannot reflect the impact of input signals on reliability, so it does not completely conform to the mechanism of the novel field-coupled nanoelectronic device which is called quantum-dot cellular automata (QCA). It is difficult to get accurate results when PTM model is used to analyze the reliability of QCA circuits. To solve this problem, we present the fault tree models of QCA fundamental devices according to different input signals. After that, the binary decision diagram (BDD) is used to quantitatively investigate the reliability of two QCA XOR gates depending on the presented models. By employing the fault tree models, the impact of input signals on reliability can be identified clearly and the crucial components of a circuit can be found out precisely based on the importance values (IVs) of components. So this method is contributive to the construction of reliable QCA circuits.
An Iterative Partitioning-Based Method for Semi-Supervised Annotation Learning in Image Collections
Authors: Grzeszick Rene , Fink Gernot A.
Published: October 2015

Labeling images is tedious and a costly work that is required for many applications, for example, tagging, grouping and exploring of image collections. It is also necessary for training visual classifiers that recognize scenes or objects. It is therefore desirable to either reduce the human effort or infer additional knowledge by addressing this task with algorithms that allow for learning image annotations in a semi-supervised manner. In this paper, a semi-supervised annotation learning algorithm is introduced that is based on partitioning the data in a multi-view approach. The method is applied to large, diverse image collections of natural scene images. Experiments are performed on the 15 Scenes and SUN databases. It is shown that for sparsely labeled datasets the proposed annotation learning algorithm is able to infer additional knowledge from the unlabeled samples and therefore improve the performance of visual classifiers in comparison to supervised learning. Furthermore, the proposed algorithm outperforms other related semi-supervised learning approaches.
Loops with exponent three in all isotopes
Authors: Kinyon Michael , Wanless Ian M.
Published: October 2015

It was shown by van Rees [Subsquares and transversals in latin squares, Ars Combin. 29B (1990) 193–204] that a latin square of order [Formula: see text] has at most [Formula: see text] latin subsquares of order [Formula: see text]. He conjectured that this bound is only achieved if [Formula: see text] is a power of [Formula: see text]. We show that it can only be achieved if [Formula: see text]. We also state several conditions that are equivalent to achieving the van Rees bound. One of these is that the Cayley table of a loop achieves the van Rees bound if and only if every loop isotope has exponent [Formula: see text]. We call such loops van Rees loops and show that they form an equationally defined variety. We also show that: (1) In a van Rees loop, any subloop of index 3 is normal. (2) There are exactly six nonassociative van Rees loops of order [Formula: see text] with a nontrivial nucleus and at least 1 with all nuclei trivial. (3) Every commutative van Rees loop has the weak inverse property. (4) For each van Rees loop there is an associated family of Steiner quasigroups.
On left-orderability and double branched covers of Kanenobu’s knots
Authors: Doria Medina Fabian , Jackson Michael , Ruales Joaquín , Zeilberger Hadas
Published: October 2015

We show that the fundamental group of the double branched cover of an infinite family of homologically thin, non-quasi-alternating knots is not left-orderable, giving further support for a conjecture of Boyer, Gordon, and Watson that an irreducible rational homology 3-sphere is an L-space if and only if its fundamental group is not left-orderable.
Spaces of polynomial knots in low degree
Authors: Mishra Rama , Raundal Hitesh
Published: October 2015

We show that all knots up to six crossings can be represented by polynomial knots of degree at most [Formula: see text], among which except for [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] all are in their minimal degree representation. We provide concrete polynomial representation of all these knots. Durfee and O’Shea had asked a question: Is there any [Formula: see text]-crossing knot in degree [Formula: see text]? In this paper we try to partially answer this question. For an integer [Formula: see text], we define a set [Formula: see text] to be the set of all polynomial knots given by [Formula: see text] such that [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. This set can be identified with a subset of [Formula: see text] and thus it is equipped with the natural topology which comes from the usual topology [Formula: see text]. In this paper we determine a lower bound on the number of path components of [Formula: see text] for [Formula: see text]. We define a path equivalence for polynomial knots in the space [Formula: see text] and show that it is stronger than the topological equivalence.
Study of some cosmological parameters for interacting new holographic dark energy model in f(T) gravity
Authors: Ranjit Chayan , Rudra Prabir
Published: October 2015

The present work is based on the idea of an interacting framework of new holographic dark energy (HDE) with cold dark matter in the background of [Formula: see text] gravity. Here, we have considered the flat modified Friedmann universe for [Formula: see text] gravity which is filled with new HDE and dark matter. We have derived some cosmological parameters like deceleration parameter, equation of state (EoS) parameter, state-finder parameters, cosmographic parameters, Om parameter and graphically investigated the nature of these parameters for the above mentioned interacting scenario. The results are found to be consistent with the accelerating universe. Also, we have graphically investigated the trajectories in [Formula: see text] plane for different values of the interacting parameter and explored the freezing region and thawing region in [Formula: see text] plane. Finally, we have analyzed the stability of this model.
Modeling and Applications on Timed Stochastic-Flow Networks
Authors: Chen Shin-Guang
Published: October 2015

A stochastic-flow network (SFN) is a network whose flow has stochastic behavior or probabilistic multi-states. A timed stochastic-flow network (TSFN) is a SFN whose flow spends time to go through the network. Traditionally, the evaluation of network reliability does not consider time consumption for the flow to get through the network. However, there are lots of daily-life networks which can be regarded as TSFNs, such as the transportation network, the production network, etc. Their flow spends time to get through the network, and they are not yet explored in the literature. This paper proposes approaches to evaluate the reliability of such networks. Some numerical examples are discussed to illustrate the proposed method.
Estimation of Wind Load Effects with Various Mean Recurrence Intervals with a Closed-Form Formulation
Authors: Chen Xinzhong
Published: October 2015

This study introduces closed-form formulation for estimating wind load effects with various mean recurrence intervals (MRIs), which was originally derived for assessing probabilistic seismic performance of structures, but has not been adopted in wind engineering community. The accuracy of the closed-form formulation is verified by comparing its estimations with those from traditional numerical integration for a wide range of probabilistic responses of both rigid and flexible structures. The closed-form formulation sheds more physical insights regarding the influence of uncertainties in wind speed and extreme response coefficient. It results in a more convenient and accurate definition of design response for a target MRI over the widely used Cook–Mayne coefficient in wind engineering. With this closed-form framework, the influence of epistemic uncertainties attributed to limited knowledge and data is also quantified in terms of confidence interval of estimation in closed-form formulation.
Human Interaction Recognition Using Hierarchical Invariant Features
Authors: Nguyen Ngoc , Yoshitaka Atsuo
Published: October 2015

Human interaction recognition has been widely studied because it has great scientific importance and many potential practical applications. However, recognizing human interactions is also very challenging especially in realistic environments where the background is dynamic or has varying lighting conditions. Most existing methods rely on either spatio-temporal local features (i.e. SIFT) or human poses, or human joints to model human interactions. As a result, they are not fully unsupervised processes because they require either hand-designed features or human detection results. Motivated by the recent success of deep learning networks, we investigate a three-layer convolutional network which uses the Independent Subspace Analysis (ISA) algorithm to learn hierarchical invariant features from videos. Using the invariant features learned by the ISA, we build a bag-of-features (BOF) model to recognize human interactions. We also evaluate the performance of our approach and the effectiveness of hierarchical invariant features on video sequences of the UT-Interaction dataset which contain both interacting persons and irrelevant pedestrians in the scenes. The dataset imposes several challenging factors including moving backgrounds, clutter scenes, scales and camera jitters. Experimental results show that our three-layer convolutional ISA network is able to learn features which are effective to represent complex activities such as human interactions in realistic environments.
A robust automatic leukocyte recognition method based on island-clustering texture
Authors: Li Xiaoshun , Cao Yiping
Published: October 2015

A leukocyte recognition method for human peripheral blood smear based on island-clustering texture (ICT) is proposed. By analyzing the features of the five typical classes of leukocyte images, a new ICT model is established. Firstly, some feature points are extracted in a gray leukocyte image by mean-shift clustering to be the centers of islands. Secondly, the growing region is employed to create regions of the islands in which the seeds are just these feature points. These islands distribution can describe a new texture. Finally, a distinguished parameter vector of these islands is created as the ICT features by combining the ICT features with the geometric features of the leukocyte. Then the five typical classes of leukocytes can be recognized successfully at the correct recognition rate of more than 92.3% with a total sample of 1310 leukocytes. Experimental results show the feasibility of the proposed method. Further analysis reveals that the method is robust and results can provide important information for disease diagnosis.
Integrated stratigraphy and palaeoclimate history of the Carnian Pluvial Event in the Boreal realm; new data from the Upper Triassic Kapp Toscana Group in central Spitsbergen (Norway)
Authors: Mueller Steven , Hounslow Mark W. , Kürschner Wolfram M.
Published: October 2015

The Late Triassic climate is characterized by arid conditions interrupted by a humid phase known as the Carnian Pluvial Event (CPE). This wet phase is well documented in the Tethyan realm, but evidence from the Boreal realm is scarce. Here we present evidence from quantitative palynology for the CPE from the Kapp Toscana Group on central Spitsbergen integrated with organic carbon isotope data linked to the geomagnetic polarity time scale. Our data reveal an early to mid-Julian-1 age for the Tschermakfjellet Formation. The transition to the Julian-2 is located in the De Geerdalen Formation and the Isfjorden Member is confirmed as mostly Tuvalian-3 in age. The
Aulisporites astigmosus
pollen assemblage zone that marks the base of the CPE in the Tethys realm at the base of the Julian-2 is assigned to the Julian-1 in the Boreal region. Palaeoclimate proxy data inferred from principal component analysis indicate wetter conditions from the Julian-2 onwards, which is in agreement with the establishment of local swamp vegetation on top of a delta plain. The palaeotemperature curve indicates a period of cooler climate during the early Julian-1 followed by warming during the late Julian-1.

Supplementary materials:

A list of all identified morphotaxa of pollen, spores and aquatic palynomorphs is available at
http://www.geolsoc.org.uk/SUP18879
.
The dynamic influence of microbial mats on sediments: fluid escape and pseudofossil formation in the Ediacaran Longmyndian Supergroup, UK
Authors: Menon Latha R. , McIlroy Duncan , Liu Alexander G. , Brasier Martin D.
Published: October 2015

Microbial mats are thought to have been widespread in marine settings before the advent of bioturbation, and the range of their influence on sediments is gradually becoming recognized. We propose that mat sealing can dynamically affect porewater conditions, and allow the build-up of overpressure that can drive dewatering and degassing to produce a suite of atypical fluid-escape features. Finely bedded silty and sandy laminae from the
c
. 560 Ma Burway Formation of the Longmyndian Supergroup, Shropshire, England, reveal evidence for sediment injection, including disrupted bedding, clastic injections, sill-like features and sediment volcanoes at sub-millimetre scale. These features are associated with crinkly laminae diagnostic of microbial matgrounds. Matground-associated sediment injection can explain the formation of several types of enigmatic discoidal impressions, common in rocks of this age, which have previously been attributed to the Ediacaran macrobiota. Serial grinding of Longmyndian forms previously described as
Medusinites
aff.
asteroides
and
Beltanelliformis
demonstrates that such discoidal features can be fully explained by fluid escape and associated load structures. Our observations emphasize the non-actualistic nature of shallow-marine Ediacaran sediments. Matground-associated sediment injection features provide a new insight into the interpretation of Proterozoic rocks and the biogenicity of their enigmatic discoidal markings.

Supplementary materials:

A document containing further images of fluid escape and loading features observed in the upper Burway Formation at Ashes Hollow, together with an annotated diagram of features appearing in one typical vertical cross-section, is available at
www.geolsoc.org.uk/SUP18870
.
Should Sibumasu be renamed Sibuma? The case for a discrete Gondwana-derived block embracing western Myanmar, upper Peninsular Thailand and NE Sumatra
Authors: Ridd Michael F.
Published: October 2015

The Luxi–Nujiang suture, which extends from Yunnan into Myanmar, is shown to continue into Thailand and the Malacca Strait. It forms the eastern boundary of a discrete block, here called the Irrawaddy Block, which was formerly considered to be part of Gondwana-derived Sibumasu. It has a distinct Palaeozoic succession, with thick Lower Permian, glacially influenced, diamictite-bearing, marine mass-flow intervals deposited at the Gondwana margin. The rest of Sibumasu, east of the suture, also has local, thin, Lower Permian diamictite units; however, they have been interpreted as ice-rafted deposits, laid down at a greater distance from the Gondwana margin. In NE Sumatra a diamictite-bearing (?)Carboniferous–Lower Permian succession has also been described as of mass-flow origin and it is suggested that it is also part of the Irrawaddy Block. It requires that the bounding suture is aligned SE, beneath the Malacca Strait. In the Late Cretaceous–Palaeogene, the dextral India–Australia oceanic transform propagated onshore as a strike-slip fault, bounding on the east the north-going India Plate. It disrupted the Irrawaddy Block and for much of its length coincided with the line of the earlier suture. Insofar as the acronym Sibumasu was coined to include Sumatra, consideration should be given to renaming this block Sibuma.
Motors, Anchors, and Connectors: Orchestrators of Organelle Inheritance
Authors: Knoblach Barbara , Rachubinski Richard A.
Published: October 2015

Organelle inheritance is a process whereby organelles are actively distributed between dividing cells at cytokinesis. Much valuable insight into the molecular mechanisms of organelle inheritance has come from the analysis of asymmetrically dividing cells, which transport a portion of their organelles to the bud while retaining another portion in the mother cell. Common principles apply to the inheritance of all organelles, although individual organelles use specific factors for their partitioning. Inheritance factors can be classified as motors, which are required for organelle transport; anchors, which immobilize organelles at distinct cell structures; or connectors, which mediate the attachment of organelles to motors and anchors. Here, we provide an overview of recent advances in the field of organelle inheritance and highlight how motor, anchor, and connector molecules choreograph the segregation of a multicopy organelle, the peroxisome. We also discuss the role of organelle population control in the generation of cellular diversity.
Giving Time Purpose: The Synechococcus elongatus Clock in a Broader Network Context
Authors: Shultzaberger Ryan K. , Boyd Joseph S. , Diamond Spencer , Greenspan Ralph J. , Golden Susan S.
Published: October 2015

Early research on the cyanobacterial clock focused on characterizing the genes needed to keep, entrain, and convey time within the cell. As the scope of assays used in molecular genetics has expanded to capture systems-level properties (e.g., RNA-seq, ChIP-seq, metabolomics, high-throughput screening of genetic variants), so has our understanding of how the clock fits within and influences a broader cellular context. Here we review the work that has established a global perspective of the clock, with a focus on (a) an emerging network-centric view of clock architecture, (b) mechanistic insights into how temporal and environmental cues are transmitted and integrated within this network, (c) the systematic alteration of gene expression and cellular metabolism by the clock, and (d) insights into the evolution of temporal control in cyanobacteria.
The Biology and Evolution of Mammalian Y Chromosomes
Authors: Hughes Jennifer F. , Page David C.
Published: October 2015

Mammals have the oldest sex chromosome system known: the mammalian X and Y chromosomes evolved from ordinary autosomes beginning at least 180 million years ago. Despite their shared ancestry, mammalian Y chromosomes display enormous variation among species in size, gene content, and structural complexity. Several unique features of the Y chromosome—its lack of a homologous partner for crossing over, its functional specialization for spermatogenesis, and its high degree of sequence amplification—contribute to this extreme variation. However, amid this evolutionary turmoil many commonalities have been revealed that have contributed to our understanding of the selective pressures driving the evolution and biology of the Y chromosome. Two biological themes have defined Y-chromosome research over the past six decades: testis determination and spermatogenesis. A third biological theme begins to emerge from recent insights into the Y chromosome's roles beyond the reproductive tract—a theme that promises to broaden the reach of Y-chromosome research by shedding light on fundamental sex differences in human health and disease.
Chromothripsis: A New Mechanism for Rapid Karyotype Evolution
Authors: Leibowitz Mitchell L. , Zhang Cheng-Zhong , Pellman David
Published: October 2015

Chromosomal rearrangements are generally thought to accumulate gradually over many generations. However, DNA sequencing of cancer and congenital disorders uncovered a new pattern in which multiple rearrangements arise all at once. The most striking example, chromothripsis, is characterized by tens or hundreds of rearrangements confined to a single chromosome or to local regions over a few chromosomes. Genomic analysis of chromothripsis and the search for its biological mechanism have led to new insights on how chromosome segregation errors can generate mutagenesis and changes to the karyotype. Here, we review the genomic features of chromothripsis and summarize recent progress on understanding its mechanism. This includes reviewing new work indicating that one mechanism to generate chromothripsis is through the physical isolation of chromosomes in abnormal nuclear structures (micronuclei). We also discuss connections revealed by recent genomic analysis of cancers between chromothripsis, chromosome bridges, and ring chromosomes.
Beyond Work-Life “Integration”
Authors: Williams Joan C. , Berdahl Jennifer L. , Vandello Joseph A.
Published: October 2015

Research on the work-family interface began in the 1960s and has grown exponentially ever since. This vast amount of research, however, has had relatively little impact on workplace practice, and work-family conflict is at an all-time high. We review the work-family research to date and propose that a shift of attention is required, away from the individual experience of work and family and toward understanding how identity and status are defined at work. Several factors enshrine cherished identities around current workplace norms. The work devotion schema demands that those who are truly committed to their work will make it the central or sole focus of their lives, without family demands to distract them. Importantly, the work devotion schema underwrites valued class and gender identities: Work devotion is a key way of enacting elite class status and functions as the measure of a man—the longer the work hours and higher the demand for his attention, the better. Advocating change in the way work is done and life is lived meets resistance because it places these cherished identities at risk. Resistance to these identity threats keeps current workplace norms in place. This is why even the business case—which shows that current practices are not economically efficient—fails to persuade organizations to enact change. What is needed now is sustained attention to the implicit psychological infrastructure that cements the mismatch between today's workplace and today's workforce.
Acute ingestion of citrulline stimulates nitric oxide synthesis but does not increase blood flow in healthy young and older adults with heart failure
Authors: Kim Il-Young , Schutzler Scott E. , Schrader Amy , Spencer Horace J. , Azhar Gohar , Deutz Nicolaas E. P. , Wolfe Robert R.
Published: October 2015

To determine if age-associated vascular dysfunction in older adults with heart failure (HF) is due to insufficient synthesis of nitric oxide (NO), we performed two separate studies: 1) a kinetic study with a stable isotope tracer method to determine in vivo kinetics of NO metabolism, and 2) a vascular function study using a plethysmography method to determine reactive hyperemic forearm blood flow (RH-FBF) in older and young adults in the fasted state and in response to citrulline ingestion. In the fasted state, NO synthesis (per kg body wt) was ∼50% lower in older vs. young adults and was related to a decreased rate of appearance of the NO precursor arginine. Citrulline ingestion (3 g) stimulated de novo arginine synthesis in both older [6.88 ± 0.83 to 35.40 ± 4.90 μmol·kg body wt−1·h−1] and to a greater extent in young adults (12.02 ± 1.01 to 66.26 ± 4.79 μmol·kg body wt−1·h−1). NO synthesis rate increased correspondingly in older (0.17 ± 0.01 to 2.12 ± 0.36 μmol·kg body wt−1·h−1) and to a greater extent in young adults (0.36 ± 0.04 to 3.57 ± 0.47 μmol·kg body wt−1·h−1). Consistent with the kinetic data, RH-FBF in the fasted state was ∼40% reduced in older vs. young adults. However, citrulline ingestion (10 g) failed to increase RH-FBF in either older or young adults. In conclusion, citrulline ingestion improved impaired NO synthesis in older HF adults but not RH-FBF, suggesting that factors other than NO synthesis play a role in the impaired RH-FBF in older HF adults, and/or it may require a longer duration of supplementation to be effective in improving RH-FBF.
A CooperativeQ-Learning Path Planning Algorithm for Origin-Destination Pairs in Urban Road Networks
Authors: Zhang Xiaoyong , Li Heng , Peng Jun , Liu Weirong
Published: October 2015

As an important part of intelligent transportation systems, path planning algorithms have been extensively studied in the literature. Most of existing studies are focused on the global optimization of paths to find the optimal path between Origin-Destination (OD) pairs. However, in urban road networks, the optimal path may not be always available when some unknown emergent events occur on the path. Thus a more practical method is to calculate several suboptimal paths instead of finding only one optimal path. In this paper, a cooperativeQ-learning path planning algorithm is proposed to seek a suboptimal multipath set for OD pairs in urban road networks. The road model is abstracted to the form thatQ-learning can be applied firstly. Then the gray prediction algorithm is combined intoQ-learning to find the suboptimal paths with reliable constraints. Simulation results are provided to show the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.
Effects of Fungicides, Time of Application, and Application Method on Control of Sclerotinia Blight in Peanut
Authors: Woodward Jason E. , Russell Scott A. , Baring Michael R. , Cason John M. , Baughman Todd A.
Published: October 2015

Field studies were conducted from 2007 to 2010 to evaluate the response of peanut cultivars to different fungicides, application timings, and methods. Overall, fungicides reduced Sclerotinia blight incidence and increased pod yields when applied to susceptible and partially resistant cultivars. Disease suppression was greater when full fungicide rates were applied preventatively; however, yields between fungicide treated plots were similar. Lower levels of disease and higher yields were achieved with the partially resistant cultivar Tamrun OL07 compared to the susceptible cultivars Flavor Runner 458 and Tamrun OL 02. Despite possessing improved resistance Tamrun OL07 responded to all fungicide applications. While similar levels of disease control were achieved with broadcast or banded applications made during the day or at night, the yield response for the different application methods was inconsistent among years. A negative relationship (slope = −73.8;R2=0.73;P<0.01) was observed between final disease incidence ratings and yield data from studies where a fungicide response was observed. These studies suggest that both boscalid and fluazinam are effective at controlling Sclerotinia blight in peanuts. Alternative management strategies such as nighttime and banded applications could allow for lower fungicide rates to be used; however, additional studies are warranted.
Terminal Sliding Mode Control with Adaptive Law for Uncertain Nonlinear System
Authors: Zhao Zhanshan , Zhang Jing , Sun Liankun , Zhang Dakun
Published: October 2015

A novel nonsingular terminal sliding mode controller is proposed for a second-order system with unmodeled dynamics uncertainties and external disturbances. We need not achieve the knowledge for boundaries of uncertainties and external disturbances in advance. The adaptive control gains are obtained to estimate the uncertain parameters and external disturbances which are unknown but bounded. The closed loop system stability is ensured with robustness and adaptation by the Lyapunov stability theorem in finite time. An illustrative example of second-order nonlinear system with unmodeled dynamics and external disturbances is given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the presented scheme.
Emergent Technologies in Big Data Sensing: A Survey
Authors: Zhu Ting , Xiao Sheng , Zhang Qingquan , Gu Yu , Yi Ping , Li Yanhua
Published: October 2015

When the number of data generating sensors increases and the amount of sensing data grows to a scale that traditional methods cannot handle, big data methods are needed for sensing applications. However, big data is a fuzzy data science concept and there is no existing research architecture for it nor a generic application structure in the field of sensing. In this survey, we explore many scattered results that have been achieved by combining big data techniques with sensing and present our vision of big data in sensing. Firstly, we outline the application categories to generally summarize existing research achievements. Then we discuss the techniques proposed in these studies to demonstrate challenges and opportunities in this field. Finally, we present research trends and list some directions of big data in future sensing. Overall, mobile sensing and its related studies are hot topics, but other large-scale sensing researches are flourishing too. Although there are no “big data” techniques acting as research platforms or infrastructures to support various applications, multiple data science technologies, such as data mining, crowd sensing, and cloud computing, serve as foundations and bases of big data in the world of sensing.
Piloting the Impact of Three Interventions on Guaiac Faecal Occult Blood Test Uptake within the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme
Authors: White Becky , Power Emily , Ciurej Monika , Lo Siu Hing , Nash Katherine , Ormiston-Smith Nick
Published: October 2015

This study evaluated the impact of three interventions on uptake of the guaiac faecal occult blood test (gFOBT) in Greater London. The interventions were designed to improve awareness and understanding of the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme (BCSP) and assist stool sampling. Logistic regression analysis of BCSP London data (N=205,541invitees aged 60–74) compared uptake at 12 weeks between intervention groups and a control group, sent kits as usual between January-April 2013 and January-April 2014. An endorsement flyer, included with gFOBT kits, had no impact on uptake (P=0.68). In 60–69-year-olds, there was a small but significant increase in modelled uptake amongst invitees sent both the flyer and a kit enhancement pack compared with controls (45.1% versus 43.4%,OR=1.07,P=0.047). In North East London, the flyer together with outdoor advertising was associated with a small but significant increase (45.6% versus 43.4%,OR=1.09,P=0.027). The largest increases were seen when all three interventions (flyer, pack, and advertising) were combined (49.5% versus 43.4%,OR=1.28,P<0.001). The increased uptake in the intervention groups was largest in “first-timers” and smaller amongst previous nonresponders and previously screened invitees.
Peripheral Ulcerative Keratitis with Pyoderma Gangrenosum
Authors: Imbernón-Moya Adrián , Vargas-Laguna Elena , Aguilar Antonio , Gallego Miguel Ángel , Vergara Claudia , Nistal María Fernanda
Published: October 2015

Pyoderma gangrenosum is an unusual necrotizing noninfective and ulcerative skin disease whose cause is unknown. Ophthalmic involvement in pyoderma gangrenosum is an unusual event. Only a few cases have been reported, from which we can highlight scleral, corneal, and orbital cases. Peripheral ulcerative keratitis is a process which destroys the peripheral cornea. Its cause is still unknown although it is often associated with autoimmune conditions. Pyoderma gangrenosum should be included in the differential diagnosis of peripheral ulcerative keratitis. Early recognition of these manifestations can vary the prognosis by applying the appropriate treatment. We introduce a 70-year-old woman who suffered pyoderma gangrenosum associated with peripheral ulcerative keratitis in her left eye. The patient’s skin lesions and peripheral keratitis responded successfully to systemic steroids and cyclosporine A.
Automatic Classification of Remote Sensing Images Using Multiple Classifier Systems
Authors: Yang Bin , Cao Chunxiang , Xing Ying , Li Xiaowen
Published: October 2015

It is a challenge to obtain accurate result in remote sensing images classification, which is affected by many factors. In this paper, aiming at correctly identifying land use types reflec ted in remote sensing images, support vector machine, maximum likelihood classifier, backpropagation neural network, fuzzy c-means, and minimum distance classifier were combined to construct three multiple classifier systems (MCSs). Two MCSs were implemented, namely, comparative major voting (CMV) and Bayesian average (BA). One method called WA-AHP was proposed, which introduced analytic hierarchy process into MCS. Classification results of base classifiers and MCSs were compared with the ground truth map. Accuracy indicators were computed and receiver operating characteristic curves were illustrated, so as to evaluate the performance of MCSs. Experimental results show that employing MCSs can increase classification accuracy significantly, compared with base classifiers. From the accuracy evaluation result and visual check, the best MCS is WA-AHP with overall accuracy of 94.2%, which overmatches BA and rivals CMV in this paper. The producer’s accuracy of each land use type proves the good performance of WA-AHP. Therefore, we can draw the conclusion that MCS is superior to base classifiers in remote sensing image classification, and WA-AHP is an efficient MCS.
Genome-Wide Identification of a Methylation Gene Panel as a Prognostic Biomarker in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma
Authors: Jiang Wei , Liu Na , Chen Xiao-Zhong , Sun Ying , Li Bin , Ren Xian-Yue , Qin Wei-Feng , Jiang Ning , Xu Ya-Fei , Li Ying-Qin , Ren Jian , Cho William CS , Yun Jing-Ping , Zeng Jing , Liu Li-Zhi , Li Li , Guo Ying , Mai Hai-Qiang , Zeng Mu-Sheng , Kang Tie-Bang , Jia Wei-Hua , Shao Jian-Yong , Ma Jun
Published: October 2015

DNA methylation, the best known epigenetic marker, can be used as a prognostic biomarker in many cancers. We examined DNA methylation status and survival in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients. Aberrant DNA-methylated genes in 24 NPC tissues and 24 noncancer nasopharyngitis biopsy tissues (NCNBT) were identified using Illumina 450K BeadChip. Correlations between DNA methylation and clinical outcomes were evaluated using bisulfite pyrosequencing in 454 NPC patients. Genome-wide methylation analysis demonstrated that NPC tissues had distinct DNA methylation patterns compared with NCNBT. Among all significant CpG sites, 2,173 CpG sites with β change ≥ 0.2 (1,880 hypermethylated, 293 hypomethylated) were identified (P < 0.05). A methylation gene panel comprising six hypermethylated genes was constructed with the average Z-score method. Patients in the training cohort with high methylation had poorer disease-free survival [DFS, HR, 2.26; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.28–4.01; P, 0.005] and overall survival (OS, HR, 2.47; 95% CI, 1.30–4.71; P, 0.006) than those with low methylation. There were similar results in the validation (DFS, HR, 2.07; 95% CI, 1.17–3.67; P, 0.013; OS, HR, 1.83; 95% CI, 1.01–3.31; P, 0.046) and independent cohorts (DFS, HR, 1.94; 95% CI, 1.08–3.47; P, 0.026; OS, HR, 2.09; 95% CI, 1.10–3.98; P, 0.022). Analysis indicated that the methylation gene panel was an independent prognostic factor. Furthermore, patients with low methylation had a favorable response to concurrent chemotherapy with an improved DFS (P = 0.045) and OS (P = 0.031), whereas patients with high methylation did not benefit from concurrent chemotherapy. The six–hypermethylated gene panel was associated with poor survival in patients with NPC, demonstrating its potential usefulness as a prognostic biomarker to clinicians in NPC management. Mol Cancer Ther; 14(12); 2864–73. ©2015 AACR.
A Prospective Study of the Intra- and Postoperative Efficacy of Intraoperative Neuromonitoring in Spinal Cord Stimulation
Authors: Roth Steven G. , Lange Steven , Haller Jessica , De La Cruz Priscilla , Kumar Vignessh , Wilock Meghan , Paniccioli Stephen , Briotte Michael , Pilitsis Julie G.
Published: October 2015

Background: Accurate lead placement is critical for spinal cord stimulation (SCS) efficacy. The traditional gold standard of awake placement is often technically difficult. While there is retrospective evidence supporting the use of intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring (IOM) as an alternative, a prospective assessment has not yet been performed. Objective: To prospectively evaluate pain and functionality outcomes for IOM-guided SCS, validate two IOM modalities as a means to lateralize lead placement and assess whether IOM can be useful for postoperative programming. Methods: A total of 73 patients were implanted with SCS using electromyography (EMG) and somatosensory-evoked potential collision studies (SSEP-CS) to verify lead placement. Patient pain and function were assessed through serial administration of several validated questionnaires. Stimulation parameters at 6 months were documented. Results: Statistically significant (p < 0.05) improvements were observed in the McGill Pain Questionnaire, Oswestry Disability Index, Pain Catastrophizing Scale, and Visual Analog Scale. EMG and SSEP-CS appropriately lateralized leads in 65/73 (89.0%) and 40/58 (69.0%) cases, respectively. EMG predicted active contacts in use at follow-up with 82.7% sensitivity. Conclusions: We provide prospective evidence that IOM can be used to verify SCS placement. Additionally, EMG may help to streamline device programming and thereby improve outcomes by predicting the ideal stimulation contacts in many cases.
Anterior Temporal Sulcus: A Reliable Intraoperative Landmark for Accurately Delineating the Superior Limit of Amygdala Resection during Anterior Temporal Lobectomy
Authors: Tan Lee A. , Byrne Richard W.
Published: October 2015

Background: Reliable anatomical landmarks are essential to avoiding injuries to the optic tract, anterior choroidal artery and basal ganglia during anterior temporal lobectomy (ATL). We describe an anatomic landmark, specifically the anterior temporal sulcus (ATS), as a reliable method to define the anterior portion of the endorhinal sulcus and the superior limit of amygdala resection. Methods: A total of 25 consecutive patients undergoing ATL at Rush University Medical Center (RUMC) were identified, and their preoperative brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies were analyzed. Results: All patients underwent successful ATL without any complication. There was no injury to the optic tract, anterior choroidal artery or basal ganglia using ATS as the landmark for the superior limit of amygdala resection. The ATS was clearly identifiable on coronal preoperative MRI in 48 out of 50 temporal lobes (96%). The ATS was present in all 25 left temporal lobes (100%); 2 of the 25 right temporal lobes had absent ATS (8%). Following the ATS posteriorly on coronal MRI, it led to the endorhinal sulcus and accurately predicted the superior extent of amygdala resection in all 25 patients (48 temporal lobes). Conclusion: The ATS is a reliable anatomical landmark that accurately delineates the superior border of the amygdala during ATL.