bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An Automated Virtual Lab for Bond Graph Based Dynamics Modeling Using Graph Grammars and Tree Search
Authors: Mancini Felice , Grande Daniel , Radhakrishnan Pradeep
Published: April 2017

This paper explores the concept of an automated virtual lab in the area of system design and analysis. The project combines different research activities in automated design analysis using the graph grammar and tree search methods. In particular, a graph grammar rule-based system to automatically generate bond graphs for various systems is developed. This is combined with similar grammar based rules and search algorithms to provide automation as well as context sensitive feedback to users of the virtual lab. Examples will be demonstrated to showcase the potential as well as how the virtual lab can be scaled using appropriate learning algorithms towards personalizing education.
Foundations of Statics: An Assessment Study and Feedback Implementation
Authors: Ghosh Amitabha
Published: April 2017

This paper highlights some important obstacles in student test performance resulting from different forms of testing procedures in Statics and Dynamics. A group approach dictates the core pedagogy in these classes, which are components of Engineering Sciences Core Curriculum (ESCC) at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). Our observations indicate that the difficulties start before engineering sciences due to incomplete understanding of mathematics and physics. While the human aspects of this assessment may not be revealed on tests, results of long hours of counseling sessions of students with faculty and academic advisors have now been imbedded in designing of our program. But in spite of our streamlined processes of improved delivery and testing, many good students demonstrate superior test scores on essay type questions but poor understanding of concepts as revealed from the analysis of Multiple Choice (MC) responses. This lack of performance has been tracked to a narrow focus and a lack of retention of prior concepts in their active memory. The paper discusses these topics using a select set of multiple choice questions administered on Statics and Dynamics examinations and offers remedial actions including proposal of a new course.
Aethiophenax mycetophagi sp. nov. (Acari: Trombidiformes: Acarophenacidae), an egg parasitoid of Mycetophagus quadripustulatus (Coleoptera: Mycetophagidae) from Iran
Authors: Arjomandi Elham , Hajiqanbar Hamidreza , Joharchi Omid
Published: April 2017

A new species of the genus Aethiophenax Mahunka, 1981 (Acari: Prostigmata: Acarophenacidae), A. mycetophagi Arjomandi and Hajiqanbar sp. nov., is described and illustrated based on adult females. Mites were collected from the beneath elytra of hairy fungus beetles, Mycetophagus quadripustulatus (Linnaeus, 1761) (Col.: Tenebrionoidea: Mycetophagidae) grazing on oyster mushrooms on a bough of a tree in Mazandaran province, northern Iran. The new species, as fourth representative of the genus, is characterized by all dorsal setae thin and relatively long (26–35) in comparison with those of congeners; all ventral setae thin, setae 2a longest and 1b shortest of venter of idiosoma; tibiotarsus I with solenidion φ slightly clavate and as long as ω; tarsi II with seta pl” modified and spine-like; genu III with two setae (l’ and v’). A key to the world species of the genus is also provided.
Killer whale (Orcinus orca) behavioral audiograms
Authors: Branstetter Brian K. , St. Leger Judy , Acton Doug , Stewart John , Houser Dorian , Finneran James J. , Jenkins Keith
Published: April 2017

Killer whales (Orcinus orca) are one of the most cosmopolitan marine mammal species with potential widespread exposure to anthropogenic noise impacts. Previous audiometric data on this species were from two adult females [Szymanski, Bain, Kiehl, Pennington, Wong, and Henry (1999). J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 108, 1322–1326] and one sub-adult male [Hall and Johnson (1972). J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 51, 515–517] with apparent high-frequency hearing loss. All three killer whales had best sensitivity between 15 and 20 kHz, with thresholds lower than any odontocete tested to date, suggesting this species might be particularly sensitive to acoustic disturbance. The current study reports the behavioral audiograms of eight killer whales at two different facilities. Hearing sensitivity was measured from 100 Hz to 160 kHz in killer whales ranging in age from 12 to 52 year. Previously measured low thresholds at 20 kHz were not replicated in any individual. Hearing in the killer whales was generally similar to other delphinids, with lowest threshold (49 dB re 1 μPa) at approximately 34 kHz, good hearing (i.e., within 20 dB of best sensitivity) from 5 to 81 kHz, and low- and high-frequency hearing cutoffs (>100 dB re μPa) of 600 Hz and 114 kHz, respectively.
Clocks stop sugar shock
Authors: Haspel Jeffrey
Published: April 2017

The circadian clock orchestrates the timing of insulin and glucagon secretion, which is important for glycemic control.
Double trouble for CML
Authors: Sarosiek Kristopher
Published: April 2017

Combining two BCR-ABL1 inhibitors with nonoverlapping mechanisms of action eradicates CML and prevents recurrence.
The Transcriptome ofLeishmania majorDevelopmental Stages in Their Natural Sand Fly Vector
Authors: Inbar Ehud , Hughitt V. Keith , Dillon Laura A. L. , Ghosh Kashinath , El-Sayed Najib M. , Sacks David L.
Published: April 2017

The life cycle of theLeishmaniaparasite in the sand fly vector involves differentiation into several distinctive forms, each thought to represent an adaptation to specific microenvironments in the midgut of the fly. Based on transcriptome sequencing (RNA-Seq) results, we describe the first high-resolution analysis of the transcriptome dynamics of four distinct stages ofLeishmania majoras they develop in a natural vector,Phlebotomus duboscqi. The early transformation from tissue amastigotes to procyclic promastigotes in the blood-fed midgut was accompanied by the greatest number of differentially expressed genes, including the downregulation of amastins, and upregulation of multiple cell surface proteins, sugar and amino acid transporters, and genes related to glucose metabolism and cell cycle progression. The global changes accompanying post-blood meal differentiation of procyclic promastigotes to the nectomonad and metacyclic stages were less extensive, though each displayed a unique signature. The transcriptome of nectomonads, which has not been studied previously, revealed changes consistent with cell cycle arrest and the upregulation of genes associated with starvation and stress, including autophagic pathways of protein recycling. Maturation to the infective, metacyclic stage was accompanied by changes suggesting preadaptation to the intracellular environment of the mammalian host, demonstrated by the amastigote-like profiles of surface proteins and metabolism-related genes. Finally, a direct comparison between sand fly-derived and culture-derived metacyclics revealed a reassuring similarity between the two forms, with thein vivoforms distinguished mainly by a stronger upregulation of transcripts associated with nutrient stress.

IMPORTANCEThe life cycle ofLeishmaniaparasites in the sand fly vector includes their growth and development as morphologically distinct forms of extracellular promastigotes found within the different microenvironments of the gut. Based on RNA-Seq, we provide here the first high-resolution, transcriptomic analysis ofLeishmaniainsect stages during their cyclical developmentin vivo, from tissue amastigotes ingested with the blood meal to infective, metacyclic promastigotes that initiate infection in the mammalian host. The most extensive genetic reprogramming occurred during the early transformation of amastigotes to rapidly dividing procyclic promastigotes in the blood-fed midgut, with major changes in the abundance of mRNAs for surface proteins and metabolism. The post-blood meal-adapted nectomonad stage was characterized by the downregulation of cell cycle-related genes and the upregulation of stress- and starvation-related genes. Finally, the transcriptome of metacyclic promastigotes shifted to a more amastigote-like profile, suggesting their preadaptation to the intracellular host environment.
Further Evidence for Bats as the Evolutionary Source of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus
Authors: Anthony S. J. , Gilardi K. , Menachery V. D. , Goldstein T. , Ssebide B. , Mbabazi R. , Navarrete-Macias I. , Liang E. , Wells H. , Hicks A. , Petrosov A. , Byarugaba D. K. , Debbink K. , Dinnon K. H. , Scobey T. , Randell S. H. , Yount B. L. , Cranfield M. , Johnson C. K. , Baric R. S. , Lipkin W. I. , Mazet J. A. K.
Published: April 2017

The evolutionary origins of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) coronavirus (MERS-CoV) are unknown. Current evidence suggests that insectivorous bats are likely to be the original source, as several 2c CoVs have been described from various species in the family
Vespertilionidae
. Here, we describe a MERS-like CoV identified from a
Pipistrellus cf. hesperidus
bat sampled in Uganda (strain PREDICT/PDF-2180), further supporting the hypothesis that bats are the evolutionary source of MERS-CoV. Phylogenetic analysis showed that PREDICT/PDF-2180 is closely related to MERS-CoV across much of its genome, consistent with a common ancestry; however, the spike protein was highly divergent (46% amino acid identity), suggesting that the two viruses may have different receptor binding properties. Indeed, several amino acid substitutions were identified in key binding residues that were predicted to block PREDICT/PDF-2180 from attaching to the MERS-CoV DPP4 receptor. To experimentally test this hypothesis, an infectious MERS-CoV clone expressing the PREDICT/PDF-2180 spike protein was generated. Recombinant viruses derived from the clone were replication competent but unable to spread and establish new infections in Vero cells or primary human airway epithelial cells. Our findings suggest that PREDICT/PDF-2180 is unlikely to pose a zoonotic threat. Recombination in the S1 subunit of the spike gene was identified as the primary mechanism driving variation in the spike phenotype and was likely one of the critical steps in the evolution and emergence of MERS-CoV in humans.

IMPORTANCE
Global surveillance efforts for undiscovered viruses are an important component of pandemic prevention initiatives. These surveys can be useful for finding novel viruses and for gaining insights into the ecological and evolutionary factors driving viral diversity; however, finding a viral sequence is not sufficient to determine whether it can infect people (i.e., poses a zoonotic threat). Here, we investigated the specific zoonotic risk of a MERS-like coronavirus (PREDICT/PDF-2180) identified in a bat from Uganda and showed that, despite being closely related to MERS-CoV, it is unlikely to pose a threat to humans. We suggest that this approach constitutes an appropriate strategy for beginning to determine the zoonotic potential of wildlife viruses. By showing that PREDICT/PDF-2180 does not infect cells that express the functional receptor for MERS-CoV, we further show that recombination was likely to be the critical step that allowed MERS to emerge in humans.
Are national policies on global health in fact national policies on global health governance? A comparison of policy designs from Norway and Switzerland
Authors: Jones Catherine M , Clavier Carole , Potvin Louise
Published: April 2017

Background

Since the signing of the Oslo Ministerial Declaration in 2007, the idea that foreign policy formulation should include health considerations has gained traction on the United Nations agenda as evidenced by annual General Assembly resolutions on global health and foreign policy. The adoption of national policies on global health (NPGH) is one way that some member states integrate health and foreign policymaking. This paper explores what these policies intend to do and how countries plan to do it.

Methods

Using a most similar systems design, we carried out a comparative study of two policy documents formally adopted in 2012. We conducted a directed qualitative content analysis of the NorwegianWhite Paper on Global health in foreign and development policyand theSwiss Health Foreign Policyusing Schneider and Ingram's policy design framework. After replicating analysis methods for each document, we analysed them side by side to explore the commonalities and differences across elements of NPGH design.

Results

Analyses indicate that NPGH expect to influence change outside their borders. Targeting the international level, they aim to affect policy venues, multilateral partnerships and international institutions. Instruments for supporting desired changes are primarily those of health diplomacy, proposed as a tool for negotiating interests and objectives for global health between multiple sectors, used internally in Switzerland and externally in Norway.

Conclusion

Findings suggest that NPGH designs contribute to constructing the global health governance system by identifying it as a policy target, and policy instruments may elude the health sector actors unless implementation rules explicitly include them. Research should explore how future NPGH designs may construct different kinds of targets as politicised groups of actors on which national governments seek to exercise influence for global health decision-making.
Countdown to 2015: an analysis of donor funding for prenatal and neonatal health, 2003–2013
Authors: Pitt Catherine , Grollman Christopher , Martínez-Álvarez Melisa , Arregoces Leonardo , Lawn Joy E , Borghi Josephine
Published: April 2017

Background

In 2015, 5.3 million babies died in the third trimester of pregnancy and first month following birth. Progress in reducing neonatal mortality and stillbirth rates has lagged behind the substantial progress in reducing postneonatal and maternal mortality rates. The benefits to prenatal and neonatal health (PNH) from maternal and child health investments cannot be assumed.

Methods

We analysed donor funding for PNH over the period 2003–2013. We used an exhaustive key term search followed by manual review and classification to identify official development assistance and private grant (ODA+) disbursement records in the Countdown to 2015 ODA+ Database.

Results

The value of ODA+ mentioning PNH or an activity that would directly benefit PNH increased from $105 million in 2003 to $1465 million in 2013, but this included a 3% decline between 2012 and 2013. Projects exclusively benefitting PNH reached just $6 million in 2013. Records mentioning PNH accounted for 3% of the $2708 million disbursed in 2003 for maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) and increased to 13% of the $9287 million disbursed for MNCH in 2013. In 11 years, only nine records ($6 million) mentioned stillbirth, miscarriage, or the fetus, although the two leading infectious causes of stillbirth were mentioned in records worth $832 million. The USA disbursed the most ODA+ mentioning PNH ($2848 million, 40% of the total) and Unicef disbursed the most ODA+ exclusively benefitting PNH ($18 million, 30%). We found evidence that funding mentioning and exclusively benefitting PNH was targeted to countries with greater economic needs, but the evidence of targeting to health needs was weak and inconsistent.

Conclusions

Newborn health rose substantially on the global agenda between 2003 and 2013, but prenatal health received minimal attention in donor funding decisions. Declines in 2013 and persistently low funding exclusively benefitting PNH indicate a need for caution and continued monitoring of donors' support for newborn health.
Relative bioavailability of single doses of prolonged-release tacrolimus administered as a suspension, orally or via a nasogastric tube, compared with intact capsules: a phase 1 study in healthy participants
Authors: Undre Nasrullah , Dickinson James
Published: April 2017

Objective

Tacrolimus, an immunosuppressant widely used in solid organ transplantation, is available as a prolonged-release capsule for once-daily oral administration. In the immediate postsurgical period, if patients cannot take intact capsules orally, tacrolimus therapy is often initiated as a suspension of the capsule contents, delivered orally or via a nasogastric tube. This study evaluated the relative bioavailability of prolonged-release tacrolimus suspension versus intact capsules in healthy participants.

Design

A phase 1, open-label, single-dose, cross-over study.

Setting

A single clinical research unit.

Participants

In total, 20 male participants, 18–55 years old, entered and completed the study.

Interventions

All participants received nasogastric administration of tacrolimus 10 mg suspension in treatment period 1, with randomisation to oral administration of suspension or intact capsules in periods 2 and 3. Blood concentration–time profile over 144 hours was used to estimate pharmacokinetic parameters.

Primary and secondary outcome measures

Primary end point: relative bioavailability of prolonged-release intact capsule versus oral or nasogastric administration of prolonged-release tacrolimus suspension (area under the concentration–time curve (AUC) from time 0 to infinity post-tacrolimus dose (AUC0–∞); AUC measured until the last quantifiable concentration (AUC0–tz); maximum observed concentration (Cmax); time to Cmax(Tmax)). Tolerability was assessed throughout the study.

Results

Relative bioavailability of prolonged-release tacrolimus suspension administered orally was similar to intact capsules, with a ratio of least-square means for AUC0–tzand AUC0–∞of 1.05 (90% CI 0.96 to 1.14). Bioavailability was lower with suspension administered via a nasogastric tube versus intact capsules (17%; ratio 0.83; CI 0.76 to 0.92). Cmaxwas higher for oral and nasogastric suspension (30% and 28%, respectively), and median Tmaxwas shorter (difference 1.0 and 1.5 hours postdose, respectively) versus intact capsules (2.0 hours). Single 10 mg doses of tacrolimus were well tolerated.

Conclusions

Compared with intact capsules, the rate of absorption of prolonged-release tacrolimus from suspension was faster, leading to higher peak blood concentrations and shorter time to peak; relative bioavailability was similar with suspension administered orally.
Update on systemic vasculitides
Authors: Anwar Siddiq , Karim M Yousuf
Published: April 2017

Management of systemic vasculitis has been revolutionised over the last decade with the introduction of targeted biological agents. With an increase in both the prevalence and the recognition of vasculitis as well as the high cost of these agents, it is important to ensure their most optimal utilisation. The goals of vasculitis therapy include the induction and maintenance of remissions, preventing relapses, reducing the toxicity of therapy with the aim of reducing morbidity and mortality as well as improving the quality of life of those afflicted. This review focuses on the recent advances in the diagnosis, surveillance and treatment of these conditions.
Theoretical study of the adsorption of aromatic amino acids on a single-wall boron nitride nanotube with empirical dispersion correction
Authors: Fan Guohong , Zhu Sheng , Ni Ke , Xu Hong
Published: April 2017

In the present study, the adsorption and properties of three popularly studied aromatic amino acids, namely phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan, on the surface of the single-wall boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) have been explored with an empirical dispersion corrected density functional tight-binding method. A serials of armchair BNNTs (n = 4–12) and zigzag BNNTs (n = 8–18) with the aromatic amino acid adsorbed on the surface are investigated. With the dispersion correction explicitly considered in the density functional tight-binding method, the adsorption properties between amino acids and BNNTs are described by including long-range van der Waals interactions. It is found that the π–π and H–π stacking interactions are the main forces stabilizing the system. Based on the evidence of adsorption energy, charge density plots, and density of states analysis, the study concludes that the BNNT adsorbs the amino acids with no bonded interactions between the two parts. The interactions of amino with the BNNT were further studied by analyzing molecular orbitals and excited state absorption spectrum of the stable complexes.
Effects of Pb addition on microstructures and elemental distribution of AS-CAST AZ61 Mg alloy
Authors: Hou Haibo , Gao Wei
Published: April 2017

AZ61 Mg alloy contains Al and Zn, and it has a good combination of castability, strength and ductility. However, the effect of other alloying elements on AZ61 is seldom investigated. Lead is a cheap metallic material, though its vapor is hazardous, a small amount of Pb as an alloying addition will not have significant influence on the application of Mg alloys. Studies showed that the Pb addition suppresses the formation and growth of discontinuous precipitation in AZ91 alloy. In our study, a small amount of Pb element was added into the AZ61 alloy. Mechanical properties of the alloy have been improved. The microstructures were examined by the optical microscopy (OP), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive spectrometry (EDS). The elemental distribution with Pb alloying was explicitly studied. This alloy composed of [Formula: see text]-Mg phase and [Formula: see text]-Mg[Formula: see text]Al[Formula: see text] phase, while Pb element inclined to distribute in [Formula: see text]-Mg rather than in [Formula: see text]-Mg[Formula: see text]Al[Formula: see text] phase.
The use of double-decker catcher bearing with face-to-face installed inner layer bearings
Authors: Zhu Yi-Li , Zheng Zhong-Qiao
Published: April 2017

In active magnetic bearing (AMB) system, the catcher bearings (CB) are indispensable to temporarily support the rotor from directly impacting the stators. In most cases, traditional CB cannot bear the ultra-high speed, vibrations and impacts after a rotor drop event. To address the shortcomings, a double-decker ball bearing (DDBB) with inner two face-to-face angular contact ball bearings are proposed to be used as CB in an AMB system, and the dynamic response of the rotor after a rotor drop event is experimentally analyzed. The results indicate that using a DDBB as a CB helps to reduce the following collision forces after a rotor drop. Larger ball initial contact angles and smaller pre-load force on the inner layer bearings, larger radial clearance of the outer layer bearing and choosing AISI 10AISI 1045 steel which has a larger density for the adapter ring can effectively reduce the maximum impact force after a rotor drop event.
Three Fractional-Order-Capacitors-Based Oscillators with Controllable Phase and Frequency
Authors: Said Lobna A. , Radwan Ahmed G. , Madian Ahmed H. , Soliman Ahmed M.
Published: April 2017

This paper presents a generalization of six well-known quadrature third-order oscillators into the fractional-order domain. The generalization process involves replacement of three integer-order capacitors with fractional-order ones. The employment of fractional-order capacitors allows a complete tunability of oscillator frequency and phase. The presented oscillators are implemented with three active building blocks which are op-amp, current feedback operational amplifier (CFOA) and second generation current conveyor (CCII). The general state matrix, oscillation frequency and condition are deduced in terms of the fractional-order parameters. The extra degree of freedom provided by the fractional-order elements increases the design flexibility. Eight special cases including the integer case are illustrated with their numerical discussions. Three different phases are produced with fixed sum of [Formula: see text] which can be completely controlled by fractional-order elements. A general design procedure is introduced to design an oscillator with a specific phase and frequency. Two general design cases are discussed based on exploiting the degrees of freedom introduced by the fractional order to obtain the required design. Spice circuit simulations with experimental results for some special cases are presented to validate the theoretical findings.
Probabilistic Interval Reference Ordering Sets in Multi-Criteria Group Decision Making
Authors: He Yue , Xu Zeshui , Jiang Weiling
Published: April 2017

Uncertain preference orderings have been widely applied in real world decision making problems as a useful and convenient tool to express preference information. When the number of decision makers is great, the importance degrees of preference interval orderings provided by the decision makers are usually difficult to be determined and may be ignored, which probably lead to the erroneous decision results when the weight information is missing. In order to make full use of information, we define the concepts of probabilistic interval preference ordering set (PIPOS) and probabilistic interval preference ordering element (PIPOE). Then, we give the score and the basic operation laws of PIPOEs, based on which we develop some aggregation operators and the distance measures for PIPOEs. After that, due to the limited cognitions and knowledge of the decision makers, we propose an algorithm to remove the inaccurate information and adjust the probabilities. Furthermore, we put forward the aggregation-based approach and the TOPSIS approach with probabilistic interval preference orderings for multi-criteria group decision making. Finally, in order to illustrate our approaches, we make a detailed case study concerning the infrastructure investment decision making problem on “the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road” (B&R) strategy.
Backstepping-Based Recurrent Type-2 Fuzzy Sliding Mode Control for MIMO Systems (MEMS Triaxial Gyroscope Case Study)
Authors: Asad Yaghoub Pour , Shamsi Afshar , Tavoosi Jafar
Published: April 2017

This paper presents a novel type-2 fuzzy sliding mode control with nonlinear consequent part in fuzzy rules for control of Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) gyroscope. The MEMS gyroscope consists of the basic mechanical structure, an electronic transducer to excite the system as well as an electronic sensor to detect the change in the mechanical structures modal shape. A nonlinear consequent part recurrent type-2 fuzzy system is used to approximate the conventional sliding mode control (SMC) law. A supervisory compensator is introduced to eliminate the effect of the approximation error. The adaptive adjustment algorithms for type-2 fuzzy parameters are derived in the sense of projection algorithm and Lyapunov stability theorem. The proposed type-2 fuzzy system has simple structure with six layers. Recurrent feedbacks at the fifth layer uses delayed outputs for improve the performance of type-2 fuzzy system. Finally the proposed type-2 fuzzy sliding mode control system is used to tracking control design with regard to uncertainty in MEMS gyroscope system. Combination of backstepping method and sliding mode control helps to compensate the control signal and get a better performance. The backstepping method is used to improve the global ultimate asymptotic stability and applying the sliding mode control to obtain high response and invariability to uncertainties. Simulation results show the proposed type-2 fuzzy system has better performance than ANFIS-based sliding mode control.
Interval Methods in Knowledge Representation
Authors: Kreinovich Vladik
Published: April 2017

Please send your abstracts (or copies of papers that you want to see reviewed here) to vladik@utep.edu, or by regular mail to Vladik Kreinovich, Department of Computer Science, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968, USA.
Triangulated Matlis equivalence
Authors: Positselski Leonid
Published: April 2017

This paper is a sequel to [L. Positselski, Dedualizing complexes and MGM duality, J. Pure Appl. Algebra 220(12) (2016) 3866–3909, arXiv:1503.05523 [math.CT]; Contraadjusted modules, contramodules, and reduced cotorsion modules, preprint (2016), arXiv:1605.03934 [math.CT]]. We extend the classical Harrison–Matlis module category equivalences to a triangulated equivalence between the derived categories of the abelian categories of torsion modules and contramodules over a Matlis domain. This generalizes to the case of any commutative ring [Formula: see text] with a fixed multiplicative system [Formula: see text] such that the [Formula: see text]-module [Formula: see text] has projective dimension [Formula: see text]. The latter equivalence connects complexes of [Formula: see text]-modules with [Formula: see text]-torsion and [Formula: see text]-contramodule cohomology modules. It takes a nicer form of an equivalence between the derived categories of abelian categories when [Formula: see text] consists of nonzero-divisors or the [Formula: see text]-torsion in [Formula: see text] is bounded.
Quantum mechanical studies on the existence of AC mismatches through prototopic tautomerization pathway in adenine and cytosine recognition
Authors: Basumatary Junu , Bezbaruah Bipul , Kalita Rinki , Barman Tapash Kumar , Medhi Chitrani
Published: April 2017

The gas phase studies on the electronic stabilities and thermochemical properties of metastable AC mismatches have been performed and the results are analyzed to explain the features of experimentally available AC mismatches. The hydrogen bonding patterns observed in these mismatches are relevant to the formation of stable AC mismatches. In these AC pairs, the H migration mechanism to generate other tautomeric forms is not observed, which shows the compatibility of H bonding capacity of the sites involved in H bonds. The presence of hydrogen bond type –N[Formula: see text]H–N– may contribute to better AC pairing, hence cisA1-1cisC2, transA2-cisC1 and transA1-1cisC2 are found to be more favorable pairs compared to other AC pairs.
Geodesic structure of magnetically charged regular black hole
Authors: Azam Muhammad , Abbas Ghulam , Sumera Syeda , Nizami Abdul Rauf
Published: April 2017

The purpose of this paper is to study the geodesic structure of magnetically charged regular black hole (MCRBH). The behavior of timelike and null geodesics of MCRBH is investigated. The graphs have been plotted to show the relation between distance versus time and proper time for photon-like and massive particle. For radial and circular motion, the effective potential has been plotted with different parameters of BH. We conclude that massive particles move around the BH in timelike geodesic path.
The linear transformation that relates the canonical and coefficient embeddings of ideals in cyclotomic integer rings
Authors: Batson Scott C.
Published: April 2017

The geometric embedding of an ideal in the algebraic integer ring of some number field is called an ideal lattice. Ideal lattices and the shortest vector problem (SVP) are at the core of many recent developments in lattice-based cryptography. We utilize the matrix of the linear transformation that relates two commonly used geometric embeddings to provide novel results concerning the equivalence of the SVP in these ideal lattices arising from rings of cyclotomic integers.
The analog of the Erdös distance problem in finite fields
Authors: Adhikari S. D. , Mukhopadhyay Anirban , Ram Murty M.
Published: April 2017

In this paper, we give a proof of the result of Iosevich and Rudnev [Erdös distance problem in vector spaces over finite fields, Trans. Amer. Math. Soc. 359 (2007) 6127–6142] on the analog of the Erdös–Falconer distance problem in the case of a finite field of characteristic [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text] is an odd prime, without using estimates for Kloosterman sums. We also address the case of characteristic 2.
Modeling the effects of cross-protection control in plant disease with seasonality
Authors: Gao Shujing , Xia Lijun , Wang Jialin , Zhang Zujin
Published: April 2017

Cross-protection in plants has been widely used to control losses caused by virus diseases in the world. Here, a non-autonomous plant-virus disease model was developed including cross-protection. Global dynamics of the model was discussed. Under the quite weak assumptions, integral form conditions were resolved for permanence of the system and extinction of diseases. Furthermore, we looked into the sufficient conditions that plants could be protected against the detrimental effects of infection by an infection with the mild virus isolates. Last, we performed numerical simulations. Our investigations suggested that cross-protection played an important role in controlling the spread of the challenging virus in plants.
Simulation research for mobile robot path planning based on improved artificial potential field method recommended by the AsiaSim
Authors: Hou Pengqi , Pan Hu , Guo Chen
Published: April 2017

Mobile robot path planning is an important research branch in the field of mobile robots. The main disadvantage of the traditional artificial potential field (APF) method is prone to local minima problems. Improved artificial potential field (IAPF) method is presented in this paper to solve the problem in the traditional APF method for robot path planning in different conditions. We introduce the distance between the robot and the target point to the function of the original repulsive force field and change the original direction of the repulsive force to avoid the trap problem caused by the local minimum point. The IAPF method is suitable for mobile robot path planning in the complicated environment. Simulation and experiment results at the robot platform illustrated the superiority of the modified IAPF method.
Assessment of supergene uranium-vanadium anomalies, Meob Bay deposit, Namibia
Authors: Bowell R. J. , Davies A. A.
Published: April 2017

Extensive surficial uranium mineralization has been identified in the Namib Desert in central Namibia. The mineralization comprises of uranium-rich zones in excess of 500 ppm for more than 3 m in tertiary sediment channels within the Kalahari succession. In places zones over 10 000 ppm over 3 m were observed in the near surface sediments. The mineralization is unusual in that it is entirely within the recent sands and is unconnected to any bedrock anomalies indicating transport of uranium by supergene processes.

A reconnaissance level exploration program has been completed to determine the geological extent and controls on such mineralization and use this to determine potential viability of such deposits. Historic data combined with geophysical data were used to identify potentially high grade uranium anomalies including historically identified anomalies. In addition additional anomalies were also discovered during the course of the work.

Bedrock geology in the area comprises of high thorium granites with highly variable but generally low concentration of uranium that has complicated identification of potential radiometric targets requiring ground based studies to distinguish uranium anomalies. These are intruded into Kuiseb shists that most likely supplied vanadium. Detailed investigation of the identified uranium anomalies found mineralization was confined to the regolith only with high grade uranium (VI) mineralization confined to ferric oxide-rich aeolian sand horizons and black weathered biotite schist horizons, indicating the mineralization was likely of secondary origin.

The assessment of the geology and recent sedimentology indicates that the uranium source is likely to be from the Damara intrusives to the east of the field area with extensive hydrogeochemical mobilization of uranium post-uplift in the Cretaceous period. A complex uranium mineralogy in the sands indicates bi-modal formation of uranium with both oxidation and reduction mechanisms having some control on uranium precipitation in various parts of the deposit.

The mineralization demonstrates the dynamic geochemistry of uranium and the ability to concentrate the metal by entirely supergene processes. Although such deposits of this type are challenged to form a sufficiently large size to be considered economic, potential still exists to identify further high grade zones.
Strengthening Adaptation in Cyber-Physical Systems via Meta-Adaptation Strategies
Authors: Gerostathopoulos Ilias , Bures Tomas , Hnetynka Petr , Hujecek Adam , Plasil Frantisek , Skoda Dominik
Published: April 2017

The dynamic nature of complex Cyber-Physical Systems puts extra requirements on their functionalities: they not only need to be dependable, but also able to adapt to changing situations in their environment. When developing such systems, however, it is often impossible to explicitly design for all potential situations up front and provide corresponding strategies. Situations that come out of this “envelope of adaptability” can lead to problems that end up by applying an emergency fail-safe strategy to avoid complete system failure. The existing approaches to self-adaptation cannot typically cope with such situations better—while they are adaptive (and can apply learning) in choosing a strategy, they still rely on a pre-defined set of strategies not flexible enough to deal with those situations adequately. To alleviate this problem, we propose the concept of meta-adaptation strategies, which extends the limits of adaptability of a system by constructing new strategies at runtime to reflect the changes in the environment. Though the approach is generally applicable to most approaches to self-adaptation, we demonstrate our approach on IRM-SA—a design method and associated runtime model for self-adaptive distributed systems based on component ensembles. We exemplify the meta-adaptation strategies concept by providing three concrete meta-adaptation strategies and show its feasibility on an emergency coordination case study.
Procedural Content Generation for Game Props? A Study on the Effects on User Experience
Authors: Korn Oliver , Blatz Michael , Rees Adrian , Schaal Jakob , Schwind Valentin , Görlich Daniel
Published: April 2017

This work demonstrates the potentials of procedural content generation (PCG) for games, focusing on the generation of specific graphic props (reefs) in an explorer game.

We briefly portray the state-of-the-art of PCG and compare various methods to create random patterns at runtime. Taking a step towards the game industry, we describe an actual game production and provide a detailed pseudocode implementation showing how Perlin or Simplex noise can be used efficiently.

In a comparative study, we investigate two alternative implementations of a decisive game prop: once created traditionally by artists and once generated by procedural algorithms. 41 test subjects played both implementations. The analysis shows that PCG can create a user experience that is significantly more realistic and at the same time perceived as more aesthetically pleasing. In addition, the ever-changing nature of the procedurally generated environments is preferred with high significance, especially by players aged 45 and above.
Preserving the Motion Features in Nonavoiding Collision Crowds
Authors: Dal Bianco Cliceres Mack , Braun Adriana , Brasil Jovani , Musse Soraia Raupp
Published: April 2017

In current games, entire cities can be rendered in real time into massive virtual worlds. In addition to the enormous details of geometry, rendering, effects (e.g., particles), sound effects, and so on, nonplayable characters must also be animated and rendered, and they must interact with the environment and among themselves. Indeed, the computation time of all such data is expensive. Consequently, game designers should define priorities so that more resources can be allocated to generate better graphics, setting aside behavioral aspects. In huge environments, some of the actions/behaviors that should be processed can be nonvisible to the players (occluded) or even visible but far away. Normally, in such cases, the common decision is to turn off such processing. However, hidden enemy behaviors that are not processed can result in nonrealistic feedback to the player. In this article, we aim to provide a method to preserve the motion of nonvisible characters while maintaining a compromise with the needed computational time of background behaviors. We apply this idea specifically in crowd collision behavior, proposing nonavoiding collision crowds. Such crowds do not have collision avoidance behaviors but preserve their motion as typical crowds. We propose a mathematical technique to describe how people are affected by others, so collision avoidance methods are not necessarily computed (they can be turned off, which leads to a reduction in the required computational time). Results show that our method replicates the behavior well (velocities, densities, and time) when compared to a free-of-collision method.
MultiWiki
Authors: Gottschalk Simon , Demidova Elena
Published: April 2017

In this article, we address the problem of text passage alignment across interlingual article pairs in Wikipedia. We develop methods that enable the identification and interlinking of text passages written in different languages and containing overlapping information. Interlingual text passage alignment can enable Wikipedia editors and readers to better understand language-specific context of entities, provide valuable insights in cultural differences, and build a basis for qualitative analysis of the articles. An important challenge in this context is the tradeoff between the granularity of the extracted text passages and the precision of the alignment. Whereas short text passages can result in more precise alignment, longer text passages can facilitate a better overview of the differences in an article pair. To better understand these aspects from the user perspective, we conduct a user study at the example of the German, Russian, and English Wikipedia and collect a user-annotated benchmark. Then we propose MultiWiki, a method that adopts an integrated approach to the text passage alignment using semantic similarity measures and greedy algorithms and achieves precise results with respect to the user-defined alignment. The MultiWiki demonstration is publicly available and currently supports four language pairs.
From social movements to social surveillance
Authors: Donovan Joan
Published: April 2017

How the technology of the Occupy movement became a mobile app for policing.
Managing crises, one text at a time
Authors: Divekar Rahul R. , Rastogi Nidhi
Published: April 2017

Crisis Text Line CTO Jason Bennett shares his insight on the technology behind this helpline using text to reach people in need of counseling during times of crisis.
Uppsala University ACM-W
Authors: Majumdar Anshuman
Published: April 2017

Gender equality in computer science
In praise of soft skills
Authors: Hazlett Christopher
Published: April 2017

Consider what it takes to stand out as more than just a "good" candidate.
Designing blended learning interventions for the 21st century student
Authors: Eagleton Saramarie
Published: April 2017

The learning requirements of diverse groups of students in higher education challenge educators to design learning interventions that meet the need of 21st century students. A model was developed to assist lecturers, especially those that are new to the profession, to use a blended approach to design meaningful learning interventions for physiology. The aim of the model is to encourage methodical development of learning interventions, while the purpose is to provide conceptual and communication tools that can be used to develop appropriate operational learning interventions. A whole brain approach that encourages challenging the four quadrants is encouraged. The main arguments of the model are to first determine the learning task requirements, as these will inform the design and development of learning interventions to facilitate learning and the assessment thereof. Delivery of the content is based on a blended approach.
Renal cell carcinoma: new insights and challenges for a clinician scientist
Authors: Shingarev Roman , Jaimes Edgar A.
Published: April 2017

There is a growing recognition of the complex interplay between renal cell cancer (RCC), kidney function, mechanical reduction of nephron mass, and systemic agents targeting the cancer. Earlier detection of RCC and rising life expectancy of cancer survivors places a greater emphasis on preservation of renal function after cancer resection and during systemic therapy. Unique adverse effects associated with RCC drugs not only help reveal cancer pathophysiology but also expand our knowledge of normal cell signaling and metabolism. In this review, we outline our current understanding of RCC biology and treatment, their bidirectional relationship with kidney function, and unmet research needs in this field.
Musculoskeletal geometry accounts for apparent extrinsic representation of paw position in dorsal spinocerebellar tract
Authors: Chowdhury Raeed H. , Tresch Matthew C. , Miller Lee E.
Published: April 2017

Proprioception, the sense of limb position and motion, arises from individual muscle receptors. An important question is how and where in the neuroaxis our high level “extrinsic” sense of limb movement originates. In the 1990s, a series of papers detailed the properties of neurons in the dorsal spinocerebellar tract (DSCT) of the cat. Despite their direct projections from sensory receptors, it appeared that half of these neurons had consistent, high-level tuning to paw position rather than to joint angles (or muscle lengths). These results suggested that many DSCT neurons compute paw position from lower level sensory information. We examined the contribution of musculoskeletal geometry to this apparent extrinsic representation by simulating a three-joint hindlimb with mono- and biarticular muscles, each providing a muscle spindlelike signal, modulated by the muscle length. We simulated neurons driven by randomly weighted combinations of these signals and moved the paw to different positions under two joint-covariance conditions similar to the original experiments. Our results paralleled those experiments in a number of respects: 1) Many neurons were tuned to paw position relative to the hip under both conditions. 2) The distribution of tuning was strongly bimodal, with most neurons driven by whole-leg flexion or extension. 3) The change in tuning between conditions clustered around zero (median absolute change ~20°). These results indicate that, at least for these constraint conditions, extrinsic-like representation can be achieved simply through musculoskeletal geometry and convergent muscle length inputs. Consequently, they suggest a reinterpretation of the earlier results may be required.

NEW & NOTEWORTHY A classic experiment concluding that many dorsal spinocerebellar tract neurons encode paw position rather than joint angles has been cited by many studies as evidence for high-level computation occurring within a single synapse of the sensors. However, our study provides evidence that such a computation is not required to explain the results. Using simulation, we replicated many of the original results with purely random connectivity, suggesting that a reinterpretation of the classic experiment is needed.