bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Private and public authority interactions and the functional quality of sustainability governance: Lessons from conservation and development initiatives in Tanzania
Authors: Ponte Stefano , Noe Christine , Mwamfupe Asubisye
Published: January 2020

The changing shape of sustainability governance has been a key academic and policy concern in the past two decades, as part of a wider debate on the interactions between public and private authority in governing the economy, society, and the environment. In this article, we contribute to these debates by examining how these interactions operate locally and across jurisdictions in three conservation and development initiatives in Tanzania and what impact they have on the functional quality of sustainability governance. We find that clear division of responsibilities, coupled with material incentives for communities and equal and transparent distribution of benefits, are key positive contributors to functional quality. These factors underpin the complementary interactions (collaborative at the local level; institutional layering across jurisdictions) that are needed to successfully negotiate and implement the compromises needed to balance conservation and development goals. We also find that competitive dynamics are harmful to functional quality, especially those taking the form of local institutional duplication and of dominance by central government across jurisdictions. These tend to appear especially when sustainability initiatives involve multiple stakeholders with wide discrepancies in resources, interests, and power, which leads to compromises determined in a top‐down manner.
Impaired muscle spindle function in murine models of muscular dystrophy
Authors: Gerwin Laura , Rossmanith Sarah , Haupt Corinna , Schultheiß Jürgen , Brinkmeier Heinrich , Bittner Reginald E. , Kröger Stephan
Published: January 2020

Key points

Muscular dystrophy patients suffer from progressive degeneration of skeletal muscle fibres, sudden spontaneous falls, balance problems, as well as gait and posture abnormalities.

Dystrophin‐ and dysferlin‐deficient mice, models for different types of muscular dystrophy with different aetiology and molecular basis, were characterized to investigate if muscle spindle structure and function are impaired.

The number and morphology of muscle spindles were unaltered in both dystrophic mouse lines but muscle spindle resting discharge and their responses to stretch were altered.

In dystrophin‐deficient muscle spindles, the expression of the paralogue utrophin was substantially upregulated, potentially compensating for the dystrophin deficiency.

The results suggest that muscle spindles might contribute to the motor problems observed in patients with muscular dystrophy.

Muscular dystrophies comprise a heterogeneous group of hereditary diseases characterized by progressive degeneration of extrafusal muscle fibres as well as unstable gait and frequent falls. To investigate if muscle spindle function is impaired, we analysed their number, morphology and function in wildtype mice and in murine model systems for two distinct types of muscular dystrophy with very different disease aetiology, i.e. dystrophin‐ and dysferlin‐deficient mice. The total number and the overall structure of muscle spindles in soleus muscles of both dystrophic mouse mutants appeared unchanged. Immunohistochemical analyses of wildtype muscle spindles revealed a concentration of dystrophin and β‐dystroglycan in intrafusal fibres outside the region of contact with the sensory neuron. While utrophin was absent from the central part of intrafusal fibres of wildtype mice, it was substantially upregulated in dystrophin‐deficient mice. Single‐unit extracellular recordings of sensory afferents from muscle spindles of the extensor digitorum longus muscle revealed that muscle spindles from both dystrophic mouse strains have an increased resting discharge and a higher action potential firing rate during sinusoidal vibrations, particularly at low frequencies. The response to ramp‐and‐hold stretches appeared unaltered compared to the respective wildtype mice. We observed no exacerbated functional changes in dystrophin and dysferlin double mutant mice compared to the single mutant animals. These results show alterations in muscle spindle afferent responses in both dystrophic mouse lines, which might cause an increased muscle tone, and might contribute to the unstable gait and frequent falls observed in patients with muscular dystrophy.
Interface Fracture: Failure Criteria
Authors: Banks-Sills Leslie
Published: January 2020

Failure criteria for a crack between two dissimilar materials are presented. Test data from three different material pairs are considered. The first two consist of an interface crack between glass and epoxy and two dissimilar ceramic clays. For the third material pair, there is a delamination between two unidirectional carbon fiber polymer-reinforced plies with fibers in the 0 deg and 90 deg directions. Failure criteria for these materials have been presented previously. In this study, invariant parameters are used in the failure criteria. It is seen that the invariant length parameter has values which are unrealistically large and small. The preferred criterion is based on first principles.
Data-Driven Concept Network for Inspiring Designers’ Idea Generation
Authors: Liu Qiyu , Wang Kai , Li Yan , Liu Ying
Published: January 2020

Big-data mining brings new challenges and opportunities for engineering design, such as customer-needs mining, sentiment analysis, knowledge discovery, etc. At the early phase of conceptual design, designers urgently need to synthesize their own internal knowledge and wide external knowledge to solve design problems. However, on the one hand, it is time-consuming and laborious for designers to manually browse massive volumes of web documents and scientific literature to acquire external knowledge. On the other hand, how to extract concepts and discover meaningful concept associations automatically and accurately from these textual data to inspire designers’ idea generation? To address the above problems, we propose a novel data-driven concept network based on machine learning to capture design concepts and meaningful concept combinations as useful knowledge by mining the web documents and literature, which is further exploited to inspire designers to generate creative ideas. Moreover, the proposed approach contains three key steps: concept vector representation based on machine learning, semantic distance quantification based on concept clustering, and possible concept combinations based on natural language processing technologies, which is expected to provide designers with inspirational stimuli to solve design problems. A demonstration of conceptual design for detecting the fault location in transmission lines has been taken to validate the practicability and effectiveness of this approach.
First molecular detection of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in Ixodes ricinus ticks collected from humans in the Sarajevo Canton (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Authors: Lasić Lejla , Ušanović Lejla , Ćakić Sanja , Hanjalić Jasna , Kalamujić Stroil Belma
Published: January 2020

NA
The Effect of an Integrated Neurofeedback and Biofeedback Training Intervention on Ice Hockey Shooting Performance
Authors: Christie Sommer , Bertollo Maurizio , Werthner Penny
Published: January 2020

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a sensorimotor rhythm (SMR) neurofeedback training (NFT) and biofeedback training (BFT) intervention on ice hockey shooting performance. Specifically, the purpose was to examine (a) whether an NFT/BFT program could improve ice hockey shooting performance, (b) whether the implementation of an SMR-NFT intervention leads to neurological adaptations during performance, and (c) whether such neurological changes account for improvement in shooting performance. Using a longitudinal stratified random control design, results demonstrated that while both SMR-NFT/BFT and control groups improved performance, the rate of improvement for the SMR-NFT/BFT group was significantly higher than the control. Participants in the SMR-NFT/BFT group demonstrated the ability to significantly increase SMR power from pre- to postintervention in the lab. However, no significant changes in SMR power were found during shooting performance. This result may be suggestive of differing cortical activity present during motor-skill preparation.
Understanding and Controlling Cortical Activity for Superior Performance
Authors: Chang Chih-Yen , Hung Tsung-Min
Published: January 2020

Previous studies have revealed that several cortical signatures are associated with superior motor performance in sports, particularly precision sports. This review examined the strength of the evidence from these studies so that a clear conclusion could be drawn and a concrete direction for future efforts revealed. A total of 26 articles assessing the relationship between cortical activity and precision motor performance were extracted from databases. This review concluded that among the electroencephalographic components examined, only sensorimotor rhythm demonstrated a consistent and causal relationship with superior precision motor performance, whereas findings related to the left temporal alpha and frontal theta and alpha rhythms were not consistent and lacked the evidence needed to draw a causal inference for a role in superior precision motor performance. Future studies would benefit from methodological improvements including larger sample sizes, narrower skill-gap comparisons, evidenced-based and refined neurofeedback-training protocols, and consideration of ecological validity.
Resolving hydrogen atoms at metal-metal hydride interfaces
Authors: de Graaf Sytze , Momand Jamo , Mitterbauer Christoph , Lazar Sorin , Kooi Bart J.
Published: January 2020

Unprecedented imaging of hydrogen atoms in a challenging material system paves way for novel research on light-element alloys.
Highly active cationic cobalt(II) hydroformylation catalysts
Authors: Hood Drew M. , Johnson Ryan A. , Carpenter Alex E. , Younker Jarod M. , Vinyard David J. , Stanley George G.
Published: January 2020

Charging up cobalt for hydroformylation

Hydroformylation reactions are applied at massive scale in the chemical industry to transform olefins into aldehydes. The original catalysts were neutral cobalt complexes. Hood
et al.
now report that positively charged cobalt complexes, stabilized by chelating phosphine ligands, show higher activities at lower pressures than their neutral counterparts, approaching the activities of precious rhodium catalysts. These charged catalysts are particularly adept at accelerating the reactions of internal olefins while avoiding decomposition. Spectroscopic studies implicate the involvement of 19-electron intermediates in the catalytic cycle.

Science
, this issue p.
542
Lense–Thirring frame dragging induced by a fast-rotating white dwarf in a binary pulsar system
Authors: Krishnan V. Venkatraman , Bailes M. , van Straten W. , Wex N. , Freire P. C. C. , Keane E. F. , Tauris T. M. , Rosado P. A. , Bhat N. D. R. , Flynn C. , Jameson A. , Osłowski S.
Published: January 2020

Pulsar timing detects frame dragging

Frame dragging is a predicted phenomenon in general relativity, whereby a rotating mass drags the surrounding spacetime around with it. Venkatraman Krishnan
et al.
analyzed timing observations of PSR J1141-6545, a young pulsar in a binary orbit with a white dwarf. Modeling the arrival times of the radio pulses showed a long-term drift in the orbital parameters. After considering possible contributions to this drift, they concluded that it is dominated by frame dragging (the Lense-Thirring effect) of the rapidly spinning white dwarf. These observations verify a prediction of general relativity and provide constraints on the evolutionary history of the binary system.

Science
, this issue p.
577
Liquid but not contactless
Authors: Kornmann Benoît , Weis Karsten
Published: January 2020

The endoplasmic reticulum makes molecular contact with membraneless organelles
Pharmacokinetics and Efficacy of Ceftazidime-Avibactam in the Treatment of Experimental Pneumonia Caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae Carbapenemase-Producing K. pneumoniae in Persistently Neutropenic Rabbits
Authors: Petraitiene Ruta , Petraitis Vidmantas , Kavaliauskas Povilas , Maung Bo Bo W. , Khan Farehin , Naing Ethan , Aung Thein , Zigmantaite Vilma , Grigaleviciute Ramune , Kucinskas Audrius , Stakauskas Rimantas , Georgiades Benjamin N. , Mazur Chase A. , Hayden Joshua A. , Satlin Michael J. , Walsh Thomas J.
Published: January 2020

Klebsiella pneumoniae
carbapenemase-producing
Klebsiella pneumoniae
(KPC-
Kp
) is an emerging global public health threat that causes life-threatening pneumonia and bacteremia. Ceftazidime-avibactam (CZA) represents a promising advance for the treatment of serious infections caused by KPC-
Kp
. We investigated the pharmacokinetics and efficacy of ceftazidime-avibactam in the treatment of experimental KPC-
Kp
pneumonia in persistently neutropenic rabbits.
Structure and Characterization of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus GP38
Authors: Mishra Akaash K. , Moyer Crystal L. , Abelson Dafna M. , Deer Daniel J. , El Omari Kamel , Duman Ramona , Lobel Leslie , Lutwama Julius J. , Dye John M. , Wagner Armin , Chandran Kartik , Cross Robert W. , Geisbert Thomas W. , Zeitlin Larry , Bornholdt Zachary A. , McLellan Jason S.
Published: January 2020

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) is a priority pathogen that poses a high risk to public health. Due to the high morbidity and mortality rates associated with CCHFV infection, there is an urgent need to develop medical countermeasures for disease prevention and treatment. CCHFV GP38, a secreted glycoprotein of unknown function unique to the
Nairoviridae
family, was recently shown to be the target of a protective antibody against CCHFV. Here, we present the crystal structure of GP38, which revealed a novel fold with distant homology to another CCHFV glycoprotein that is suggestive of a gene duplication event. We also demonstrate that antibody 13G8 protects STAT1-knockout mice against heterologous CCHFV challenge using a clinical isolate from regions where CCHFV is endemic. Collectively, these data advance our understanding of GP38 structure and antigenicity and should facilitate future studies investigating its function.
Record of a nonbarred clastic shoreline
Authors: Isla Manuel F. , Schwarz Ernesto , Veiga Gonzalo D.
Published: January 2020

The morphology of wave-dominated clastic shorelines (i.e., foreshore and upper-shoreface sediments) can vary from barred to nonbarred, though the ancient record of nonbarred, sand-dominated shorelines has yet to be recognized. Here, a facies and quantitative architectural analysis of a clastic succession characterized by sandy inclined beds is presented and interpreted as the record of a high-gradient, nonbarred shoreline. Inclined beds dip seaward, have a tangential geometry (<3 m height, <40 m length, <11° dip), and are composed of planar lamination along the foresets and subordinate small-scale trough cross-bedding in the bottomsets. This facies distribution reflects a steep beach profile with a narrow surf zone and the development of plane beds both in foreshore and proximal upper-shoreface settings. Successive packages of inclined beds (a few tens of meters wide) are interpreted as the seaward accretion of this shoreline morphology, producing distinctive architectural elements (foresets and bottomsets). For the first time, we propose diagnostic criteria for identification in the rock record of the widely used modern nonbarred clastic shoreline model, and we contrast them with classical facies models of barred systems. Moreover, we discuss similarities and differences with radar-based Holocene coastal architectural elements, highlighting the need to incorporate detailed two-dimensional quantitative studies for refining the reconstruction of deep-time and recent clastic shorelines.
Sedimentary Basins of the East Siberian Sea and the Chukchi Sea and the Adjacent Area of the Amerasia Basin: Seismic Stratigraphy and Stages of Geological History
Authors: Nikishin A. M. , Startseva K. F. , Verzhbitsky V. E. , Cloetingh S. , Malyshev N. A. , Petrov E. I. , Posamentier H. , Freiman S. I. , Lineva M. D. , Zhukov N. N.
Published: January 2020

The seismic stratigraphy scheme for the shelf basins of the East Siberian Sea and the Chukchi Sea region and the adjacent deepwater area of the Amerasia basin has been developed, and mega-sequences (or tectonostratigraphic units) with the conventional ages of 125‒100, 100‒80, 80‒66, 66‒56, 46‒45, 45‒34, 34‒20, 20‒0 Ma are distinguished. Zhokhov foredeep basin of the Late Jurassic‒Neocomian age is distinguished between the New Siberia and the De Long islands. Three main phases of rifting are identified on the shelves in the region with ages of 125–100, 66–56, and 45–37 Ma. The main phase of continental rifting occurred in the Podvodnikov and Toll basins at 125‒100 Ma. The typical clinoform accumulation of sediments occurred at the edge of the shelf at 66–20 Ma. We identified three syntectonic epochs of the formation of clinoform sequences with the ages of 66–45, 45–34, and 34–20 Ma. The phase of uplifting and compression in the region of Wrangel Island happened at ≈66 Ma. The relatively monotonous tectonic setting with approximately the same thicknesses of the sedimentary cover began at 20 Ma.
Clinical exome sequencing as the first-tier test for diagnosing developmental disorders covering both CNV and SNV: a Chinese cohort
Authors: Dong Xinran , Liu Bo , Yang Lin , Wang Huijun , Wu Bingbing , Liu Renchao , Chen Hongbo , Chen Xiang , Yu Sha , Chen Bin , Wang Sujuan , Xu Xiu , Zhou Wenhao , Lu Yulan
Published: January 2020

Background

Developmental disorders (DDs) are early onset disorders affecting 5%–10% of children worldwide. Chromosomal microarray analysis detecting CNVs is currently recommended as the first-tier test for DD diagnosis. However, this analysis omits a high percentage of disease-causing single nucleotide variations (SNVs) that warrant further sequencing. Currently, next-generation sequencing can be used in clinical scenarios detecting CNVs, and the use of exome sequencing in the DD cohort ahead of the microarray test has not been evaluated.

Methods

Clinical exome sequencing (CES) was performed on 1090 unrelated Chinese DD patients who were classified into five phenotype subgroups. CNVs and SNVs were both detected and analysed based on sequencing data.

Results

An overall diagnostic rate of 41.38% was achieved with the combinational analysis of CNV and SNV. Over 12.02% of patients were diagnosed based on CNV, which was comparable with the published CMA diagnostic rate, while 0.74% were traditionally elusive cases who had dual diagnosis or apparently homozygous mutations that were clarified. The diagnostic rates among subgroups ranged from 21.82% to 50.32%. The top three recurrent cytobands with diagnostic CNVs were 15q11.2-q13.1, 22q11.21 and 7q11.23. The top three genes with diagnostic SNVs were: MECP2, SCN1A and SCN2A. Both the diagnostic rate and spectrums of CNVs and SNVs showed differences among the phenotype subgroups.

Conclusion

With a higher diagnostic rate, more comprehensive observation of variations and lower cost compared with conventional strategies, simultaneous analysis of CNVs and SNVs based on CES showed potential as a new first-tier choice to diagnose DD.
PUMA – pooled uranium miners analysis: cohort profile
Authors: Rage Estelle , Richardson David B , Demers Paul A , Do Minh , Fenske Nora , Kreuzer Michaela , Samet Jonathan , Wiggins Charles , Schubauer-Berigan Mary K , Kelly-Reif Kaitlin , Tomasek Ladislav , Zablotska Lydia B , Laurier Dominique
Published: January 2020

Objectives

Epidemiological studies of underground miners have provided clear evidence that inhalation of radon decay products causes lung cancer. Moreover, these studies have served as a quantitative basis for estimation of radon-associated excess lung cancer risk. However, questions remain regarding the effects of exposure to the low levels of radon decay products typically encountered in contemporary occupational and environmental settings on the risk of lung cancer and other diseases, and on the modifiers of these associations. These issues are of central importance for estimation of risks associated with residential and occupational radon exposures.

Methods

The Pooled Uranium Miner Analysis (PUMA) assembles information on cohorts of uranium miners in North America and Europe. Data available include individual annual estimates of exposure to radon decay products, demographic and employment history information on each worker and information on vital status, date of death and cause of death. Some, but not all, cohorts also have individual information on cigarette smoking, external gamma radiation exposure and non-radiological occupational exposures.

Results

The PUMA study represents the largest study of uranium miners conducted to date, encompassing 124 507 miners, 4.51 million person-years at risk and 54 462 deaths, including 7825 deaths due to lung cancer. Planned research topics include analyses of associations between radon exposure and mortality due to lung cancer, cancers other than lung, non-malignant disease, modifiers of these associations and characterisation of overall relative mortality excesses and lifetime risks.

Conclusion

PUMA provides opportunities to evaluate new research questions and to conduct analyses to assess potential health risks associated with uranium mining that have greater statistical power than can be achieved with any single cohort.
Synthesis and antioxidant activities of phenolic Schiff base monomers and polymers
Authors: Yüksel Esranur , Bilici Ali , Geçibesler İbrahim Halil , Kaya İsmet
Published: January 2020

In this work, synthesis, characterization, and antioxidant activities of two Schiff base monomers (1 and 2) and their corresponding oxidation products (3 and 4) were reported. The monomers were prepared by condensation of 8-amino-2-naphthol with 2,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde and 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde, and then, they were oxidized to in alkaline medium by NaOCl to obtain the corresponding oxidation products. The compounds 1–4 were characterized by various spectral techniques. The analysis results indicated that the oxidation products had a chain structure consisting of randomly ordered phenylene and oxyphenylene units. In vitro antioxidant activities of 1–4 were evaluated against a ABTS cation radical and a DPPH free radical and compared with standard natural antioxidants, vitamin C (ascorbic acid), and vitamin E (α-tocopherol). The ferric reducing antioxidant power and ferrous-ion chelating activities of 1–4 were also determined.
Characterization of zwitterion-modified poly(amidoamine) dendrimers in aqueous solution via a thorough NMR investigation
Authors: Liu Jinyuan , Xiong Zhijuan , Shen Mingwu , Banyai Istvan , Shi Xiangyang
Published: January 2020

Zwitterions are a class of unique molecules that can be modified onto nanomaterials to render them with antifouling properties. Here we report a thorough NMR investigation of dendrimers modified with zwitterions in terms of their structure, hydrodynamic size, and diffusion time in aqueous solution. In this present work, poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimers of generation 5 (G5) were partially decorated with carboxybetaine acrylamide (CBAA), 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (MPC), and 1,3-propane sultone (1,3-PS), respectively with different modification degrees. The formed zwitterion-modified G5 dendrimers were characterized using NMR techniques. We show that the zwitterion modification leads to increased G5 dendrimer size in aqueous solution, suggesting that the modified zwitterions can form a hydration layer on the surface of G5 dendrimers. In addition, the hydrodynamic sizes of G5 dendrimers modified with different zwitterions but with the same degree of surface modification are discrepant depending on the type of zwitterions. The present study provides a new physical insight into the structure of zwitterion-modified G5 dendrimers by NMR techniques, which is beneficial for further design of different biomedical applications.

Graphical abstract
Closed-Set-Based Discovery of Representative Association Rules
Authors: Tîrnăucă Cristina , Balcázar José L. , Gómez-Pérez Domingo
Published: January 2020

The output of an association rule miner is often huge in practice. This is why several concise lossless representations have been proposed, such as the “essential” or “representative” rules. A previously known algorithm for mining representative rules relies on an incorrect mathematical claim, and can be seen to miss part of its intended output; in previous work, two of the authors of the present paper have offered a complete but, often, somewhat slower alternative. Here, we extend this alternative to the case of closure-based redundancy. The empirical validation shows that, in this way, we can improve on the original time efficiency, without sacrificing completeness.
DOES STUDENT MOBILITY AFFECT TRADE FLOWS? NEW EVIDENCE FROM CHINESE PROVINCES
Authors: KHAN YASIR , BIN QIU
Published: January 2020

This paper investigates the impact and relationship of international students’ inflow with export and import trade based on the panel data of 28 provinces in China from 2000 to 2016. However, due to the remarkable differences in economic and social development across various regions, the characteristics and patterns of international students’ inflow in different Chinese provinces are significantly large. Our study finds that international students’ inflow will promote the development of the host country’s export and import trade. The results show that international students’ inflow is positive and statistically significant in the Fixed Effect (FE) and the Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) estimation. This paper empirically investigates the impact of international student inflow on China’s export and import trade. However, the impact of export and import trade of different modes have certain regional differences. Our study proposes that the Chinese government should attach greater importance to the role of international students’ inflow to promote import–export trade. In addition, policymaker needs to design effective strategies and policies to promote export trade from less developed regions, and improve the stability of the sustained growth of export and import trade.
THE OPTIMAL INCENTIVE IN PROMOTING COOPERATION: PUNISH THE WORST AND DO NOT ONLY REWARD THE BEST
Authors: HUANG SHUTING , DONG YALI , ZHANG BOYU
Published: January 2020

Incentive institutions that reward cooperators and punish free-riders are often used to promote cooperation in public goods games. We show that for incentives of intermediate size, a sanctioning institution that punishes the worst players can sustain full cooperation and that a rewarding institution can promote cooperation only if lower contributors also have the chance to win the reward. Furthermore, if the incentive institution can provide both reward and punishment, then it should use reward as much as possible. The group welfare is maximized when the punishment is just barely larger than the minimum required to obtain the full contribution.
Flow Shop Resource Allocation Scheduling with Due Date Assignment, Learning Effect and Position-Dependent Weights
Authors: Liu Wei-Wei , Jiang Chong
Published: January 2020

In this paper, the flow shop resource allocation scheduling with learning effect and position-dependent weights on two-machine no-wait setting is considered. Under common due date assignment and slack due date assignment rules, a bi-criteria analysis is provided. The optimality properties and polynomial time algorithms are developed to solve four versions of the problem. For a special case of the problem, it is proved that the problem can be optimally solved by a lower order algorithm.
Gravitational radiation from the collision of particles
Authors: Misyura M. A.
Published: January 2020

At the present moment, there is an unresolved problem in the physics of cosmic rays. The problem concerns the origin of the ultrahigh energy cosmic rays. One of the possible mechanisms of the particle’s birth with such energy is bound to the processes occurring in the active nuclei of the galaxies. In this paper, we have examined a collision of superheavy particles. Using the Weinberg formalism, we have estimated gravitational radiation emitted during the collision in the first approximation. It was shown that, for a certain collision time, the energy lost by the ultrarelativistic particle is less than the value of the energy of the mass center of the collision and the mass of the colliding particles.
Large-Scale Multi-modal Distance Metric Learning with Application to Content-Based Information Retrieval and Image Classification
Authors: Rasheed Ali Salim , Zabihzadeh Davood , Al-Obaidi Sumia Abdulhussien Razooqi
Published: January 2020

Metric learning algorithms aim to make the conceptually related data items closer and keep dissimilar ones at a distance. The most common approach for metric learning on the Mahalanobis method. Despite its success, this method is limited to find a linear projection and also suffer from scalability respecting both the dimensionality and the size of input data. To address these problems, this paper presents a new scalable metric learning algorithm for multi-modal data. Our method learns an optimal metric for any feature set of the multi-modal data in an online fashion. We also combine the learned metrics with a novel Passive/Aggressive (PA)-based algorithm which results in a higher convergence rate compared to the state-of-the-art methods. To address scalability with respect to dimensionality, Dual Random Projection (DRP) is adopted in this paper. The present method is evaluated on some challenging machine vision datasets for image classification and Content-Based Information Retrieval (CBIR) tasks. The experimental results confirm that the proposed method significantly surpasses other state-of-the-art metric learning methods in most of these datasets in terms of both accuracy and efficiency.
Exact black hole solutions with nonlinear electrodynamic field
Authors: Yu Shuang , Gao Changjun
Published: January 2020

We construct exact black hole solutions to Einstein gravity with nonlinear electrodynamic field. In these solutions, there are, in general, four parameters. They are physical mass, electric charge, cosmological constant and the coupling constant. These solutions differ significantly from the Reissner–Nordström–de Sitter solution in Einstein–Maxwell gravity with a cosmological constant, due to the presence of coupling constant. For example, some of them are endowed with a topological defect on angle [Formula: see text] and the electric charge of some can be much larger or smaller than their mass by varying the coupling constant. On the other hand, these spacetimes are all asymptotically de Sitter (or anti-de Sitter). As a result, their causal structure is similar to the Reissner–Nordström–de Sitter spacetime. Finally, the investigations on the thermodynamics reveal that the coupling constant except for solution-4 has the opposite effect as temperature on the phase, structure of black holes. Concretely, the phase-space changes from single phase to three phases with the decrease of temperature. On the contrary, it changes from three phases to a single phase with the decrease of coupling constant.
Effects of UV irradiation on Fission-fragment track parameters in Makrofol-E detector
Authors: Jain R. K. , Kumar S. , Kumar A. , Kumar Aniket , Singh M. K. , Singh V.
Published: January 2020

This study gives information about the effects of UV (here, the wavelength is 160 nm) exposure on the bulk etch rate ([Formula: see text], track etch rate ([Formula: see text], the detector sensitivity ([Formula: see text], critical angle ([Formula: see text] and etching efficiency ([Formula: see text] of Makrofol-E Solid State Nuclear Track Detector. The effect of UV on the activation energy of Makrofol-E was also studied. Nine pieces of Makrofol-E Solid State Nuclear Track Detector were separated into three equal sets as set A, set B and set C. Set A, named as reference set (Fission fragment FF), was irradiated to [Formula: see text]Cf source. Set B, called as post-exposed ([Formula: see text]), was first irradiated to [Formula: see text]Cf and then exposed to UV. The process was reversed for set C named as pre-exposed ([Formula: see text]) at the same conditions. From the results, it is concluded that radiation produces small but significant effect on activation energy [Formula: see text] of bulk etch rate for pre-exposed and post-exposed samples. Also, the activation energies [Formula: see text] of track etch rate for post-exposed and Fission fragment samples are within experimental uncertainty. The energy carried by UV radiation may be responsible for cross networking processes occurring during the exposure which results small change in activation energies for both [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. The [Formula: see text] can be increased by hardening detector material of the pre-exposed detector.
A Grid-Based Secure Product Data Exchange for Cloud-Based Collaborative Design
Authors: Wu Yiqi , He Fazhi , Yang Yueting
Published: January 2020

As a new design and manufacture paradigm, Cloud-Based Collaborative Design (CBCD) has motivated designers to outsource their product data and design computation onto the cloud service. Despite non-negligible benefits of CBCD, there are potential security threats for the outsourced product data, such as intellectual property, design intentions and private identity, which has become an interest point. This paper presents a novel secure product data exchange (PDE) in the processes of CBCD. Different from general cloud security mechanism, our method is content-based. We first show an outline of the collaborative scenario to describe the architecture of the proposed secure CBCD, in which a security mechanism is combined with the data exchange service to achieve secure PDE. Second, we present a novel grid-based geometric deformation method for the security mechanism with three processes: the original shapes of a source Computer Aided Design (CAD) model can be hidden by deforming the control grid; then the deformed grid can be exchanged to target system where a deformed target CAD model can be reconstructed; at last, the deformed target CAD model can be recovered to the original shape after recovering the deformed grid. Finally, typical CAD model tests demonstrate that our method can keep the sensitive information of source model and also maintain the same level of data exchange error.
MEASURING MODEL RISK IN FINANCIAL RISK MANAGEMENT AND PRICING
Authors: JOKHADZE VALERIANE , SCHMIDT WOLFGANG M.
Published: January 2020

Risk measurement and pricing of financial positions are based on modeling assumptions, which are common assumptions on the probability distribution of the position’s outcomes. We associate a model with a probability measure and investigate model risk by considering a model space. First, we incorporate model risk into market risk measures by introducing model weighted and superposed market risk measures. Second, we quantify model risk itself and propose axioms for model risk measures. We introduce superposed model risk measures that quantify model risk relative to a reference model, which is the financial institution’s model of choice. Several risk measures that we propose require a probability distribution on the model space, which can be obtained from data by applying Bayesian analysis. Examples and a case study illustrate our approaches.
Constructing sequences one step at a time
Authors: Towsner Henry
Published: January 2020

We propose a new method for constructing Turing ideals satisfying principles of reverse mathematics below the Chain–Antichain ([Formula: see text]) Principle. Using this method, we are able to prove several new separations in the presence of Weak König’s Lemma ([Formula: see text]), including showing that [Formula: see text] does not imply the thin set theorem for pairs, and that the principle “the product of well-quasi-orders is a well-quasi-order” is strictly between [Formula: see text] and the Ascending/Descending Sequences principle, even in the presence of [Formula: see text].
Industry-Average Earnings Management and IPO Pricing
Authors: Rakestraw Joseph R. , Kumar Raman , Maher John J.
Published: January 2020

We examine the effects of signed industry-average earnings management on the pricing of initial public offerings (IPOs). We posit that the variation in an IPOs earnings management is related to industry-average earnings management and, therefore, provides useful information regarding the IPO valuation. We find that higher industry-average earnings management negatively affects the pre-issuance price update and the initial return of IPOs. Our findings lend support to the partial adjustment phenomenon of IPO pricing which suggests information that influences valuation is partially incorporated in the initial offer price and more fully incorporated in the share price during the first-day of secondary market trading.
A DSS-Based Novel Approach Proposition Employing Decision Techniques for System Design
Authors: Kaya Burcu Yılmaz , Adem Aylin , Dağdeviren Metin
Published: January 2020

In this study, to enhance flexibility and agility, a special DSS is developed for a system re-design problem, while a decision-making technique is employed afterwards to enable the accelerated and reliable results, as a progressive approach to close a gap of related literature. Proposed approach generates all possible machine schedules regarding some tangible traditional constraints, after that, generated schedules are ranked by ORESTE method regarding human related linguistic variables and ergonomic factors this time, with the aim of harvesting the best outcome. Thus, all traditional and newly introduced problem constraints could be optimized in the best schedule, while time and effort sources of organisation are preserved by employment of proposed DSS, mathematical modelling, and ORESTE. A numerical application of proposed approach is executed and mechanism of proposed novel model is explained in detail as well as usability and salutary of the approach is proved with real life data.
The Effect of Holding Time of Deep Cryogenic-Treated AISI D3 Cutting Tool on Machinability of Low Carbon Steels Using Taguchi’s Technique
Authors: Kumar Satish , Nagraj Mohan , Suresh R. , Bongale Arunkumar , Khedkar Nitin
Published: January 2020

This paper deals with the effect of machining parameters on tool wear, surface roughness and cutting forces in dry turning of low carbon steel with deep cryo-treated AISI D3 tool steel. AISI D3 tool steel was used for preparation of cutting tools as per International Standard Organization (ISO: 3685-1993). Deep cryogenic treatment ([Formula: see text]C) of D3 tool steel was carried out at different holding time (12[Formula: see text]h, 24[Formula: see text]h and 36[Formula: see text]h) followed by tempering at [Formula: see text]C for 2[Formula: see text]h. Taguchi’s L27 orthogonal array is used for optimizing the process parameters during machining process. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was carried out to study the significance of the input parameters. Mathematical models were developed using linear regression analysis for validating results. The tool worn surface shows the abrasion wear and oxidation wear were the main wear mechanisms observed under higher speed and feed rate cutting conditions.
Prenet: Predictive network from ATAC-SEQ data
Authors: Salehin Nazmus , Tam Patrick P. L. , Osteil Pierre
Published: January 2020

Assays for transposase-accessible chromatin sequencing (ATAC-seq) provides an innovative approach to study chromatin status in multiple cell types. Moreover, it is also possible to efficiently extract differentially accessible chromatin (DACs) regions by using state-of-the-art algorithms (e.g. DESeq2) to predict gene activity in specific samples. Furthermore, it has recently been shown that small dips in sequencing peaks can be attributed to the binding of transcription factors. These dips, also known as footprints, can be used to identify trans-regulating interactions leading to gene expression. Current protocols used to identify footprints (e.g. pyDNAse and HINT-ATAC) have shown limitations resulting in the discovery of many false positive footprints. We generated a novel approach to identify genuine footprints within any given ATAC-seq dataset.

Herein, we developed a new pipeline embedding DACs together with bona fide footprints resulting in the generation of a Predictive gene regulatory Network (PreNet) simply from ATAC-seq data. We further demonstrated that PreNet can be used to unveil meaningful molecular regulatory pathways in a given cell type.
Analysis of 4C-seq data: A comparison of methods
Authors: Zisis Dimitrios , Krajewski Paweł , Stam Maike , Weber Blaise , Hövel Iris
Published: January 2020

The circular chromosome conformation capture technique followed by sequencing (4C-seq) has been used in a number of studies to investigate chromosomal interactions between DNA fragments. Computational pipelines have been developed and published that offer various possibilities of 4C-seq data processing and statistical analysis. Here, we present an overview of four of such pipelines (fourSig, FourCSeq, 4C-ker and w4Cseq) taking into account the most important stages of computations. We provide comparisons of the methods and discuss their advantages and possible weaknesses. We illustrate the results with the use of data obtained for two different species, in a study devoted to vernalization control in Arabidopsis thaliana by the FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC) gene and to long-range chromatin interactions in mouse embryonic stem cells.
Some optimal entanglement-assisted quantum codes constructed from quaternary Hermitian linear complementary dual codes
Authors: Harada Masaaki
Published: January 2020

We establish the existence of optimal entanglement-assisted quantum [Formula: see text] codes for [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. These codes are obtained from quaternary Hermitian linear complementary dual codes. We also give some observations on the largest minimum weights.
Quantum speed limit time of a spin qubit in noninteracting spin bath
Authors: Musadiq Muhammad , Khan Salman , Javed Muhammad , Shamirzaie Mahmood
Published: January 2020

We study the dynamic of quantum speed limit (QSL) time of a qubit coupled to a bath of noninteracting spins. The investigations are carried under both exact and approximate solutions of the model and the results of the two approaches are compared with each other. Under the exact solution and in the low temperature limit, QSL time becomes independent of the number of spins in the environment with potential capacity for quantum speed up. Beyond a critical value of temperature, there exists a frequency of the spins that reduces the capacity for speeding up quantum evolution. The effects of driving time, nonuniform frequencies of the bath’s spins and coupling strength on QSL time are also investigated.
Thermodynamical aspects of relativistic hydrodynamics in f(R,G) gravity
Authors: Shekh S. H. , Arora Simran , Chirde V. R. , Sahoo P. K.
Published: January 2020

We present investigation devoted to the dynamical study of relativistic hydrodynamics with some thermodynamical characteristics in [Formula: see text] gravity towards spatially homogeneous isotropic cosmological model filled with isotropic fluid. We govern the features of the derived cosmological model by considering the power-law inflation for the average scale factor. The temperature and entropy density of the proposed model are positive definite. We also discuss the energy conditions to our solutions. The strong energy condition violated, which indicates the accelerated expansion of the proposed model.
THE SYNERGISTIC ROLE OF INDIVIDUAL ABSORPTIVE CAPACITY AND INDIVIDUAL AMBIDEXTERITY IN OPEN INNOVATION: A MODERATED-MEDIATION MODEL
Authors: MAJHI SIDDHARTH GAURAV , SNEHVRAT SAURAV , CHAUDHARY SANJAY , MUKHERJEE ARINDAM
Published: January 2020

Managers employed in the dual gatekeeper-shepherd roles in open innovation contexts need to combine external knowledge inflows with existing internal knowledge to drive innovative work behaviour. This study explores how such managers leverage knowledge sources at the firm boundary, to drive innovation activities, by using their individual-level capabilities of absorptive capacity and ambidexterity. To collect data for the study, 121 technology managers employed in four large automotive equipment manufacturing firms in India were surveyed using an online questionnaire. Structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to examine the direct, moderation and mediation relationships hypothesised in the study. The results demonstrate the synergistic roles played by individual absorptive capacity and individual ambidexterity in enhancing the innovative behaviour of managers operating in an open innovation context. This study contributes to the theory related to the understudied individual-level analyses of open innovation and offers recommendations for managers looking to increase their innovativeness at work.
Thermal Buckling Responses of a Graphene Reinforced Composite Micropanel Structure
Authors: Moayedi H. , Aliakbarlou H. , Jebeli M. , Noormohammadiarani O. , Habibi M. , Safarpour H. , Foong L. K.
Published: January 2020

This is the first research on the thermal buckling analysis of graphene nanoplatelets reinforced composite (GPLRC) doubly curved open cylindrical micropanel in the framework of numerical-based two-dimensional generalized differential quadrature method (2D-GDQM). Additionally, the small-scale effects are analyzed based on nonlocal strain gradient theory (NSGT). The stresses and strains are obtained using the high-order shear deformable theory (HOSDT). The rule of mixture is employed to obtain varying thermal expansion, and Poisson’s ratio, while module of elasticity is computed by modified Halpin–Tsai model. In addition, nonlinear temperature changes along the GPLRC micropanel’s thickness direction. Governing equations and boundary conditions of the GPLRC doubly curved open cylindrical micropanel are obtained by implementing the extended Hamilton’s principle. Besides, for the validation of the results, the results of current model are compared to the results acquired from analytical method. The results show that GPL weight function ([Formula: see text], the ratio of shell curvatures ([Formula: see text]/[Formula: see text], NSG parameters, and geometric parameters have a significant influence on the thermal buckling characteristics of the GPLRC doubly curved open cylindrical micropanel.