bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Immunomodulatory Metabolites Released by the Frog-Killing Fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis
Authors: Rollins-Smith Louise A. , Fites J. Scott , Reinert Laura K. , Shiakolas Andrea R. , Umile Thomas P. , Minbiole Kevin P. C.
Published: September 2015

Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis
is a fungal pathogen in the phylum Chytridiomycota that causes the skin disease chytridiomycosis. Chytridiomycosis is considered an emerging infectious disease linked to worldwide amphibian declines and extinctions. Although amphibians have well-developed immune defenses, clearance of this pathogen from the skin is often impaired. Previously, we showed that the adaptive immune system is involved in the control of the pathogen, but
B. dendrobatidis
releases factors that inhibit
in vitro
and
in vivo
lymphocyte responses and induce lymphocyte apoptosis. Little is known about the nature of the inhibitory factors released by this fungus. Here, we describe the isolation and characterization of three fungal metabolites produced by
B. dendrobatidis
but not by the closely related nonpathogenic chytrid
Homolaphlyctis polyrhiza
. These metabolites are methylthioadenosine (MTA), tryptophan, and an oxidized product of tryptophan, kynurenine (Kyn). Independently, both MTA and Kyn inhibit the survival and proliferation of amphibian lymphocytes and the Jurkat human T cell leukemia cell line. However, working together, they become effective at much lower concentrations. We hypothesize that
B. dendrobatidis
can adapt its metabolism to release products that alter the local environment in the skin to inhibit immunity and enhance the survival of the pathogen.
Campylobacter jejuni Increases Flagellar Expression and Adhesion of Noninvasive Escherichia coli: Effects on Enterocytic Toll-Like Receptor 4 and CXCL-8 Expression
Authors: Reti Kristen L. , Tymensen Lisa D. , Davis Shevaun P. , Amrein Matthias W. , Buret Andre G.
Published: September 2015

Campylobacter jejuni
is the most common cause of bacterium-induced gastroenteritis, and while typically self-limiting,
C. jejuni
infections are associated with postinfectious intestinal disorders, including flares in patients with inflammatory bowel disease and postinfectious irritable bowel syndrome (PI-IBS), via mechanisms that remain obscure. Based on the hypothesis that acute campylobacteriosis may cause pathogenic microbiota dysbiosis, we investigated whether
C. jejuni
may activate dormant virulence genes in noninvasive
Escherichia coli
and examined the epithelial pathophysiological consequences of these alterations. Microarray and quantitative real-time PCR analyses revealed that
E. coli
adhesin, flagellum, and hemolysin gene expression were increased when
E. coli
was exposed to
C. jejuni
-conditioned medium. Increased development of bacterial flagella upon exposure to live
C. jejuni
or
C. jejuni
-conditioned medium was observed under transmission electron microscopy. Atomic force microscopy demonstrated that the forces of bacterial adhesion to colonic T84 enterocytes, and the work required to rupture this adhesion, were significantly increased in
E. coli
exposed to
C. jejuni-
conditioned media. Finally,
C. jejuni
-modified
E. coli
disrupted
TLR4
gene expression and induced proinflammatory
CXCL-8
gene expression in colonic enterocytes. Together, these data suggest that exposure to live
C. jejuni
, and/or to its secretory-excretory products, may activate latent virulence genes in noninvasive
E. coli
and that these alterations may directly trigger proinflammatory signaling in intestinal epithelia. These observations shed new light on mechanisms that may contribute, at least in part, to postcampylobacteriosis inflammatory disorders.
Toll-Like Receptor 9 Signaling in Dendritic Cells Regulates Neutrophil Recruitment to Inflammatory Foci following Leishmania infantum Infection
Authors: Sacramento Laís , Trevelin Silvia C. , Nascimento Manuela S. , Lima-Jùnior Djalma S. , Costa Diego L. , Almeida Roque P. , Cunha Fernando Q. , Silva João S. , Carregaro Vanessa
Published: September 2015

Leishmania infantum
is a protozoan parasite that causes visceral leishmaniasis (VL). This infection triggers dendritic cell (DC) activation through the recognition of microbial products by Toll-like receptors (TLRs). Among the TLRs, TLR9 is required for DC activation by different
Leishmania
species. We demonstrated that TLR9 is upregulated
in vitro
and
in vivo
during infection. We show that C57BL/6 mice deficient in TLR9 expression (TLR9
−/−
mice) are more susceptible to infection and display higher parasite numbers in the spleen and liver. The increased susceptibility of TLR9
−/−
mice was due to the impaired recruitment of neutrophils to the infection foci associated with reduced levels of neutrophil chemoattractants released by DCs in the target organs. Moreover, both Th1 and Th17 cells were also committed in TLR9
−/−
mice. TLR9-dependent neutrophil recruitment is mediated via the MyD88 signaling pathway but is TIR domain-containing adapter-inducing interferon beta (TRIF) independent. Furthermore,
L. infantum
failed to activate both plasmacytoid and myeloid DCs from TLR9
−/−
mice, which presented reduced surface costimulatory molecule expression and chemokine release. Interestingly, neutrophil chemotaxis was affected both
in vitro
and
in vivo
when DCs were derived from TLR9
−/−
mice. Our results suggest that TLR9 plays a critical role in neutrophil recruitment during the protective response against
L. infantum
infection that could be associated with DC activation.
Two-Component Signal Transduction Systems That Regulate the Temporal and Spatial Expression of Myxococcus xanthus Sporulation Genes
Authors: Sarwar Zaara , Garza Anthony G.
Published: September 2015

When starved for nutrients,
Myxococcus xanthus
produces a biofilm that contains a mat of rod-shaped cells, known as peripheral rods, and aerial structures called fruiting bodies, which house thousands of dormant and stress-resistant spherical spores. Because rod-shaped cells differentiate into spherical, stress-resistant spores and spore differentiation occurs only in nascent fruiting bodies, many genes and multiple levels of regulation are required. Over the past 2 decades, many regulators of the temporal and spatial expression of
M. xanthus
sporulation genes have been uncovered. Of these sporulation gene regulators, two-component signal transduction circuits, which typically contain a histidine kinase sensor protein and a transcriptional regulator known as response regulator, are among the best characterized. In this review, we discuss prototypical two-component systems (Nla6S/Nla6 and Nla28S/Nla28) that regulate an early, preaggregation phase of sporulation gene expression during fruiting body development. We also discuss orphan response regulators (ActB and FruA) that regulate a later phase of sporulation gene expression, which begins during the aggregation stage of fruiting body development. In addition, we summarize the research on a complex two-component system (Esp) that is important for the spatial regulation of sporulation.
GtrA Protein Rv3789 Is Required for Arabinosylation of Arabinogalactan in Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Authors: Kolly Gaëlle S. , Mukherjee Raju , Kilacsková Emöke , Abriata Luciano A. , Raccaud Mahé , Blaško Jaroslav , Sala Claudia , Dal Peraro Matteo , Mikušová Katarína , Cole Stewart T.
Published: September 2015

Mycobacterium tuberculosis
possesses a thick and highly hydrophobic cell wall principally composed of a mycolyl-arabinogalactan-peptidoglycan complex, which is critical for survival and virulence. DprE1 is a well-characterized component of decaprenyl-phospho-ribose epimerase, which produces decaprenyl-phospho-arabinose (DPA) for the biosynthesis of mycobacterial arabinans. Upstream of
dprE1
lies
rv3789
, which encodes a short transmembrane protein of the GtrA family, whose members are often involved in the synthesis of cell surface polysaccharides. We demonstrate that
rv3789
and
dprE1
are cotranscribed from a common transcription start site situated 64 bp upstream of
rv3789
. Topology mapping revealed four transmembrane domains in Rv3789 and a cytoplasmic C terminus consistent with structural models built using analysis of sequence coevolution. To investigate its role, we generated an unmarked
rv3789
deletion mutant in
M. tuberculosis
. The mutant was characterized by impaired growth and abnormal cell morphology, since the cells were shorter and more swollen than wild-type cells. This phenotype likely stems from the decreased incorporation of arabinan into arabinogalactan and was accompanied by an accumulation of DPA. A role for Rv3789 in arabinan biosynthesis was further supported by its interaction with the priming arabinosyltransferase AftA, as demonstrated by a two-hybrid approach. Taken together, the data suggest that Rv3789 does not act as a DPA flippase but, rather, recruits AftA for arabinogalactan biosynthesis.

IMPORTANCE
Upstream of the essential
dprE1
gene, encoding a key enzyme of the decaprenyl phospho-arabinose (DPA) pathway, lies
rv3789
, coding for a short transmembrane protein of unknown function. In this study, we demonstrated that
rv3789
and
dprE1
are cotranscribed from a common transcription start site located 64 bp upstream of
rv3789
in
M. tuberculosis
. Furthermore, the deletion of
rv3789
led to a reduction in arabinan content and to an accumulation of DPA, confirming that Rv3789 plays a role in arabinan biosynthesis. Topology mapping, structural modeling, and protein interaction studies suggest that Rv3789 acts as an anchor protein recruiting AftA, the first arabinosyl transferase. This investigation provides deeper insight into the mechanism of arabinan biosynthesis in mycobacteria.
Influence of past breast feeding on pattern and severity of presentation of juvenile idiopathic arthritis
Authors: Hyrich Kimme L , Baildam Eileen , Pickford Hannah , Chieng Alice , Davidson Joyce E , Foster Helen , Gardner-Medwin Janet , Wedderburn Lucy R , Thomson Wendy
Published: September 2015

This analysis aimed to study the influence of breast feeding on the pattern and severity of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) at presentation. The association between ever versus never breast feeding and disease severity at onset was compared in 923 children with JIA recruited to the UK Childhood Arthritis Prospective Study at first presentation to rheumatology. Fifty six per cent of children were ever breast fed (median 3.7 months). Breastfed children reported a lower median age at onset, a lower Childhood Health Assessment Questionnaire (CHAQ), a measure of disease severity, lower parent general evaluation scores and lower pain at presentation. There was a trend towards a higher proportion of breastfed children with rheumatoid factor-negative polyarthritis, but lesser enthesitis-related and psoriatic arthritis. There was a statistically significant inverse association between breast feeding and high CHAQ, even after adjusting for differences in socioeconomic status (adjusted OR 0.61 (95% CI 0.39 to 0.95)). Further work to understand the reasons behind these associations is required.
Ileostomy obstruction by ingested apricot stone with clinical-radiological-pathological correlation
Authors: George A J , Fallaize R C , Bennett J , Shabbir J
Published: September 2015

Patients with stomas often present with bowel obstruction, often secondary to adhesions. This case describes the presentation, investigation and management of a 62-year-old woman with an end ileostomy, who presented to hospital with acute abdominal pain and subacute bowel obstruction. Further questioning revealed the recent ingestion of an apricot stone and this was identified by multimodality imaging as the cause of the luminal obstruction in the distal ileum, just proximal to the stoma. After a failed period of conservative management, examination under anaesthesia was performed and digital extraction attempted, but this was unsuccessful. Rather than surgical stoma revision, endoscopic removal was achieved. The patient improved and was discharged the following day. However, her small bowel obstruction relapsed within 48 h. She was readmitted and underwent stoma revision with no further problems.
Mapping patients’ experiences from initial symptoms to gout diagnosis: a qualitative exploration
Authors: Liddle Jennifer , Roddy Edward , Mallen Christian D , Hider Samantha L , Prinjha Suman , Ziebland Sue , Richardson Jane C
Published: September 2015

Objective

To explore patients’ experiences from initial symptoms to receiving a diagnosis of gout.

Design

Data from in-depth semistructured interviews were used to construct themes to describe key features of patients’ experiences of gout diagnosis.

Participants and setting

A maximum variation sample of 43 UK patients with gout (29 men; 14 women; age range 32–87 years) were recruited from general practices, rheumatology clinics, gout support groups and through online advertising.

Results

Severe joint pain, combined with no obvious signs of physical trauma or knowledge of injury, caused confusion for patients attempting to interpret their symptoms. Reasons for delayed consultation included self-diagnosis and/or self-medication, reluctance to seek medical attention, and financial/work pressures. Factors potentially contributing to delayed diagnosis after consultation included reported misdiagnosis, attacks in joints other than the first metatarsophalangeal joint, and female gender. The limitations in using serum uric acid (SUA) levels for diagnostic purposes were not always communicated effectively to patients, and led to uncertainty and lack of confidence in the accuracy of the diagnosis. Resistance to the diagnosis occurred in response to patients’ beliefs about the causes of gout and characteristics of the people likely to be affected. Diagnosis prompted actions, such as changes in diet, and evidence was found of self-monitoring of SUA levels.

Conclusions

This study is the first to report data specifically about patients’ pathways to initial consultation and subsequent experiences of gout diagnosis. A more targeted approach to information provision at diagnosis would improve patients’ experiences.
A distribution model of the responses to each depressive symptom item in a general population: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Tomitaka Shinichiro , Kawasaki Yohei , Furukawa Toshiaki
Published: September 2015

Objective

Some researchers have reported that distribution of total depressive symptom scores in the general population may follow an exponential pattern except at the lowest end of the scores. To understand the mechanism responsible for this phenomenon, we investigated the mathematical patterns of the individual distributions for each item of a depressive symptom scale.

Methods

We analysed data from 32 022 participants in the general population who participated in the Active Survey of Health and Welfare, Japan. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Japanese version of Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). CES-D has 20 items, each of which is scored in 4 grades: ‘Rarely’, ‘Some’, ‘Much’ and ‘Most of the time’.

Results

The individual distributions of 16 negative items belonging to the depressive mood, somatic symptoms and retarded activities, and interpersonal relations categories, followed a common mathematical pattern, which displayed different distributions with a boundary at ‘Some’. The distributions for the 16 items between ‘Rarely’ and ‘Some’ appeared to cross at a single point. On the other hand, the distributions of the 16 items between ‘Some’ and ‘Most’ followed a linear pattern when plotted using a log-normal scale. The remaining 4 items in the positive affect subscale showed non-specific patterns.

Conclusions

The common mathematical pattern of the 16 negative item distributions may contribute to the exponential pattern of the distribution of total depressive symptom scores except at the lowest end of the scores.
Hemodynamics during anesthesia for intra-arterial therapy of acute ischemic stroke
Authors: Jagani Manoj , Brinjikji Waleed , Rabinstein Alejandro A , Pasternak Jeffrey J , Kallmes David F
Published: September 2015

Background and purpose

Many studies have suggested a relationship between the type of anesthesia provided during intra-arterial therapy for acute ischemic stroke and patient outcomes. Variability in blood pressure and hypotension have previously been identified as possible reasons for worse outcomes in acute stroke. Our aim was to investigate hemodynamic parameters and neurological outcomes of patients receiving either general anesthesia or conscious sedation for intra-arterial therapy of acute stroke.

Methods

We performed a retrospective review of patients undergoing intra-arterial therapy from December 2008 to March 2015. Demographic data, baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score, preoperative physiological variables, procedural details, systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate, and modified Rankin Scale scores were recorded.

Results

99 patients were included in the study, with 38 receiving general anesthesia and 61 receiving conscious sedation. Patients who received general anesthesia had a lower maximum SBP (p=0.02), minimum SBP (p<0.0001), minimum DBP (p<0.0001), and minimum MAP (p<0.0001). On multivariate analysis, general anesthesia was associated with lower minimum SBP (p=0.04), DBP (p=0.02), and MAP (p=0.007). Conscious sedation was associated with more favorable neurological outcomes (p=0.02). Patients with favorable neurological outcomes had a lower maximum variability in SBP (p=0.01) and MAP (p=0.03), as well as a higher minimum DBP (p=0.03).

Conclusions

Patients with acute ischemic stroke undergoing intra-arterial therapy with general anesthesia had lower minimum SBP, DBP, and MAP, greater fluctuations in blood pressure, and less favorable outcomes. More studies are needed to examine the implications of variable and reduced blood pressures and neurological outcomes.
Formation of non-excited and excited hydrogen in proton–lithium inelastic scattering
Authors: Elkilany S.A. , Al-Dhawi A.A.
Published: September 2015

The collisions of a proton with a lithium atom are treated for the first time as a three-channel problem under the assumption that the elastic and hydrogen formation in non-excited, H(1s), and excited, H(2s), channels are open. The effect of polarization potentials of the target and hydrogen formation is considered. A one-valence-electron model for the target, based on the Clementi–Roetti Slater-type basis functions, as well as a modified coupled-static approximation are used to calculate the partial and total cross sections of seven partial waves (0 ≤ ℓ ≤ 6, where ℓ is the total angular momentum) at incident energies between 50 and 500 keV. Our values of the total cross section are in good agreement with previous results.
Assessing use of and reaction to unmanned aerial systems in gray and harbor seals during breeding and molt in the UK
Authors: Pomeroy P. , O'Connor L. , Davies P.
Published: September 2015

Wildlife biology applications of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) are extensive. Survey, identification, and measurement using UAS equipped with appropriate sensors can now be added to the suite of techniques available for monitoring animals – here we detail our experiences in using UAS to obtain detailed information from groups of seals, which can be difficult to observe from land. Trial flights to survey gray and harbor seals using a range of different platforms and imaging systems have been carried out with varying success at a number of sites in Scotland over the last two years. The best performing UAS system was determined by site, field situation, and the data required. Our systems routinely allow relative abundance, species, age–class, and individual identity to be obtained from images currently, with measures of body size also obtainable but open to refinement. However, the impacts of UAS on target species can also be variable and should be monitored closely. We found variable responses to UAS flights, possibly related to the animals’ experience of previous disturbance.
High-Density Liquid-State Machine Circuitry for Time-Series Forecasting
Authors: Rosselló Josep L. , Alomar Miquel L. , Morro Antoni , Oliver Antoni , Canals Vincent
Published: September 2015

Spiking neural networks (SNN) are the last neural network generation that try to mimic the real behavior of biological neurons. Although most research in this area is done through software applications, it is in hardware implementations in which the intrinsic parallelism of these computing systems are more efficiently exploited. Liquid state machines (LSM) have arisen as a strategic technique to implement recurrent designs of SNN with a simple learning methodology. In this work, we show a new low-cost methodology to implement high-density LSM by using Boolean gates. The proposed method is based on the use of probabilistic computing concepts to reduce hardware requirements, thus considerably increasing the neuron count per chip. The result is a highly functional system that is applied to high-speed time series forecasting.
Apparent attenuation of shear waves propagating through a randomly stratified anisotropic medium
Authors: Garnier Josselin , Sølna Knut
Published: September 2015

Waves propagating through heterogeneous media experience scattering that can convert a coherent pulse into small incoherent fluctuations. This may appear as attenuation for the transmitted front pulse. The classic O’Doherty–Anstey theory describes such a transformation for scalar waves in finely layered media. Recent observations for seismic waves in the earth suggest that this theory can explain a significant component of seismic attenuation. An important question to answer is then how the O’Doherty–Anstey theory generalizes to seismic waves when several wave modes, possibly with the same velocity, interact. An important aspect of the O’Doherty–Anstey theory is the statistical stability property, which means that the transmitted front pulse is actually deterministic and depends only on the statistics of the medium but not on the particular medium realization when the medium is modeled as a random process. It is shown in this paper that this property generalizes in the case of elastic waves in a nontrivial way: the energy of the transmitted front pulse, but not the pulse shape itself, is statistically stable. This result is based on a separation of scales technique and a diffusion-approximation theorem that characterize the transmitted front pulse as the solution of a stochastic partial differential equation driven by two Brownian motions.
Orthomartingale-coboundary decomposition for stationary random fields
Authors: El Machkouri Mohamed , Giraudo Davide
Published: September 2015

We provide a new projective condition for a stationary real random field indexed by the lattice [Formula: see text] to be well approximated by an orthomartingale in the sense of Cairoli (1969). Our main result can be viewed as a multidimensional version of the martingale-coboundary decomposition method which the idea goes back to Gordin (1969). It is a powerful tool for proving limit theorems or large deviations inequalities for stationary random fields when the corresponding result is valid for orthomartingales.
Standard monomials for the Weyl group F4
Authors: Lee Dong-il
Published: September 2015

For the exceptional Weyl group of type [Formula: see text], its Gröbner–Shirshov basis and the corresponding standard monomials are constructed.
Polynomial spaces reproduced by elliptic scaling functions
Authors: Zakharov Victor G.
Published: September 2015

In this paper, we consider the so-called elliptic scaling functions [V. G. Zakharov, Elliptic scaling functions as compactly supported multivariate analogs of the B-splines, Int. J. Wavelets Multiresolut. Inf. Process. 12 (2014) 1450018]. Any elliptic scaling function satisfies the refinement relation with a real isotropic dilation matrix; and, in the paper, we prove that any real isotropic matrix is similar to an orthogonal matrix and the similarity transformation matrix determines a positive-definite quadratic form. We prove that the polynomial space reproduced by integer shifts of a compactly supported function can be usually considered as a polynomial solution to a system of constant coefficient PDE’s. We show that the algebraic polynomials reproduced by a compactly supported elliptic scaling function belong to the kernel of a homogeneous elliptic differential operator that the differential operator corresponds to the quadratic form; and thus any elliptic scaling function reproduces only affinely-invariant polynomial spaces. However, in the paper, we present nonstationary elliptic scaling functions such that the scaling functions can reproduce no scale-invariant (only shift-invariant) polynomial spaces.
A CFD Application of NewWave Theory to Wave-in-Deck Simulation
Authors: Wu Yan Ling , Stewart Graham , Chen Yu , Gullman-Strand Johan , Lv Xin , Kumar Pankaj
Published: September 2015

For existing offshore fixed platforms it is often the case that the air gap between the deck and the sea surface is not adequate and the extreme waves will encroach on the deck resulting in large wave-in-deck loads. Factors that result in inadequate air gap are seabed subsidence, sea-level increasing due to climate change and more onerous predictions of extreme crest heights.

In this paper, a numerical approach based on NewWave theory [Tromans et al. (1991), Proc. 1st Int. Offshore and Polar Engineering Conf., Vol. 3, Edinburgh, UK, pp. 64–71] has been developed to represent the extreme wave conditions and implemented into the framework of an open source software, OpenFOAM, to predict the wave-in-deck loading. The results have been compared with published FLOW-3D simulations using Stoke’s 5th order wave theory for a simple box representing the Ekofisk platform deck in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea [Iwanowski et al. (2002), Proc. 21st Int. Conf. Offshore Mechanics and Artic Engineering, June 23–28, 2002, Oslo, Norway].
Geometric constrained variational calculus. II: The second variation (Part I)
Authors: Massa Enrico , Bruno Danilo , Luria Gianvittorio , Pagani Enrico
Published: September 2015

Within the geometrical framework developed in [Geometric constrained variational calculus. I: Piecewise smooth extremals, Int. J. Geom. Methods Mod. Phys. 12 (2015) 1550061], the problem of minimality for constrained calculus of variations is analyzed among the class of differentiable curves. A fully covariant representation of the second variation of the action functional, based on a suitable gauge transformation of the Lagrangian, is explicitly worked out. Both necessary and sufficient conditions for minimality are proved, and reinterpreted in terms of Jacobi fields.
Coagulant Dosage Determination in a Water Treatment Plant Using Dynamic Neural Network Models
Authors: Gomes Leonaldo Silva , Souza Francisco Alexandre A. , Pontes Ricardo Silva Thé , Fernandes Neto Tobias R. , Araújo Rui Alexandre M.
Published: September 2015

A common step in most of water treatment plants is the chemical coagulation. The chemical coagulation is the process of destabilizing the colloidal particles suspended in raw water by the addition of coagulants. Generally, the determination of the quantity of coagulant to be added to water is made manually by jar tests. However, the manual control has slow response to changes of raw water and it requires intensive laboratory analysis. To reduce the manual effort and to improve the response to change in raw water quality, this work proposes the determination of the coagulant dosage using dynamic neural network modeling using the available sensors as input of the model. The case of study is a large scale water treatment plant in Ceará, Brazil, where the kinds of coagulants added to water are the aluminum sulphate (AS) and poly aluminum chloride (PAC). Several dynamic neural network models with different combinations of the input variables have been evaluated. The best solution found is composed by a nonlinear autoregressive with exogenous input (NARX) model having three input variables, the pH in raw and coagulated water, and the turbidity in the coagulated water, with coefficient of determination of R2 = 0.95 and R2 = 0.91 for the AS and PAC dosage prediction, respectively.
An Experimental Analysis of a New Interval-Based Mutation Operator
Authors: Liagkouras K. , Metaxiotis K.
Published: September 2015

In this paper, we present a novel Interval-Based Mutation (IBMU) operator. The proposed mutation operator is performing coarse-grained search at initial stage in order to speed up convergence toward more promising regions of the search landscape. Then, more fine-grained search is performed in order to guide the solutions towards the Pareto front. Computational experiments indicate that the proposed mutation operator performs better than conventional approaches for solving several well-known benchmarking problems.
On the number of divisors of a quaternary quadratic form
Authors: Liu Huafeng , Hu Liqun
Published: September 2015

Let [Formula: see text] We obtain the asymptotic formula [Formula: see text] where [Formula: see text] are two constants. This improves the previous error term [Formula: see text] obtained by the second author [An asymptotic formula related to the divisors of the quaternary quadratic form, Acta Arith. 166 (2014) 129–140].
A small value estimate in dimension two involving translations by rational points
Authors: Nguyen Ngoc Ai Van , Roy Damien
Published: September 2015

We show that if a sequence of non-zero polynomials in [Formula: see text] takes small values at translates of a fixed point [Formula: see text] by multiples of a fixed rational point within the group [Formula: see text], then [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] are both algebraic over [Formula: see text]. The precise statement involves growth conditions on the degree and norm of these polynomials as well as on their absolute values at these translates. It is essentially best possible in some range of the parameters.
Non-periodic continued fractions for quadratic irrationalities
Authors: Oyengo Michael O.
Published: September 2015

A well-known theorem of Lagrange states that the simple continued fraction of a real number [Formula: see text] is periodic if and only if [Formula: see text] is a quadratic irrational. We examine non-periodic and non-simple continued fractions formed by two interlacing geometric series and show that in certain cases they converge to quadratic irrationalities. This phenomenon is connected with certain sequences of polynomials whose properties we examine further.
Primes in explicit short intervals on RH
Authors: Dudek Adrian W. , Grenié Loïc , Molteni Giuseppe
Published: September 2015

In this paper, on the assumption of the Riemann hypothesis, we give explicit upper bounds on the difference between consecutive prime numbers.
On product sets of rationals
Authors: Cilleruelo Javier
Published: September 2015

Bourgain, Konyagin and Shparlinski obtained a lower bound for the size of the product set [Formula: see text] when [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] are sets of positive rational numbers with the numerator and denominator less than or equal to [Formula: see text]. We extend and slightly improve that lower bound using a different approach.
Model-Based Design and Control of Distributed DNA-Based Systems by Petri Nets
Authors: Mardian Rizki , Sekiyama Kosuke
Published: September 2015

Coordination is an important aspect in developing distributed systems. While in silicon-based agents, i.e., mechanical robotics, designing individual-level behavior that may emerge into one global function is a typical approach to such systems, in DNA-based agents, programming of each individual’s behavior still remains a challenge, as they are based on chemical reactions. These reactions occur immediately after all reactants have been mixed into a solution, which introduces challenges in logical control. In this work, we report a design strategy for coordinated event-driven DNA-based systems by using a Petri Nets model. First, computational primitives based on DNA strand displacement reaction are introduced. Second, their molecular implementation is abstracted by Petri Nets for high-level design. Third, as our main contribution, we propose the model of interacting multi-agent systems based on DNA-only reactions. We verify our design via in silico simulation and show initial experiments of Petri Nets operators. From the obtained results, we argue that our design strategy is feasible for coordinating interaction of distributed DNA-based systems.
Ordered Morphologies on the Binary Blend of Diblock Copolymers Film Induced by Nanoparticles
Authors: Sun Min-Na , Zhang Jin-Jun , Pan Jun-Xing , Wang Bao-Feng , Wu Hai-Shun
Published: September 2015

In this study, we investigate the ordered morphologies on the binary blend of diblock copolymers film induced by the mobile wettable nanoparticles on the substrate. The film forms highly ordered microphase and macrophase morphologies. We constructed the phase diagram, which suggests that the ordered-striped macrophase structures are due to the competition equilibrium of the wetting strength and the chemical potential amplitude upon the nanoparticles. The morphologies of the binary blend film form the striped pattern of different periods with the changing oscillation period of the chemical potential. The short-range interaction between monomers only alters the microphase structures. We analyzed the variation in the interfacial energy, the wetting energy and the particles/substrate’s coupling energy on different morphologies. The results provide a new control mechanism to stabilize the ordered microphase and macrophase structures within the copolymer blend film.
The complexity of determining the vertex-rainbow index of graphs
Authors: Mao Yaping , Shi Yongtang
Published: September 2015

The concept of the [Formula: see text]-rainbow index of a network comes from the communication of information between agencies of government, which was introduced by Chartrand et al. in 2010. As a natural counterpart of the [Formula: see text]-rainbow index, the concept of [Formula: see text]-vertex-rainbow index was also introduced. For a graph [Formula: see text] and a set [Formula: see text] of at least two vertices, an [Formula: see text]-Steiner tree or a Steiner tree connecting [Formula: see text] (or simply, an [Formula: see text]-tree) is such a subgraph [Formula: see text] of [Formula: see text] that is a tree with [Formula: see text]. For [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], an [Formula: see text]-Steiner tree [Formula: see text] is said to be a vertex-rainbow [Formula: see text]-tree if the vertices of [Formula: see text] have distinct colors. For a fixed integer [Formula: see text] with [Formula: see text], the vertex-coloring [Formula: see text] of [Formula: see text] is called a [Formula: see text]-vertex-rainbow coloring if for every [Formula: see text]-subset [Formula: see text] of [Formula: see text] there exists a vertex-rainbow [Formula: see text]-tree. In this case, [Formula: see text] is called vertex-rainbow [Formula: see text]-tree-connected. The minimum number of colors that are needed in a [Formula: see text]-vertex-rainbow coloring of [Formula: see text] is called the [Formula: see text]-vertex-rainbow index of [Formula: see text], denoted by [Formula: see text]. In this paper, we study the complexity of determining the [Formula: see text]-vertex-rainbow index of a graph and prove that computing [Formula: see text] is [Formula: see text]-Hard. Moreover, we show that it is [Formula: see text]-Complete to decide whether [Formula: see text]. We also prove that the following problem is [Formula: see text]-Complete: Given a vertex-colored graph [Formula: see text], check whether the given coloring makes [Formula: see text] vertex-rainbow [Formula: see text]-tree-connected.
Trees with independent Roman domination number twice the independent domination number
Authors: Chellali Mustapha , Rad Nader Jafari
Published: September 2015

A Roman dominating function (RDF) on a graph [Formula: see text] is a function [Formula: see text] satisfying the condition that every vertex [Formula: see text] for which [Formula: see text] is adjacent to at least one vertex [Formula: see text] for which [Formula: see text]. The weight of a RDF [Formula: see text] is the value [Formula: see text]. The Roman domination number, [Formula: see text], of [Formula: see text] is the minimum weight of a RDF on [Formula: see text]. An RDF [Formula: see text] is called an independent Roman dominating function (IRDF) if the set [Formula: see text] is an independent set. The independent Roman domination number, [Formula: see text], is the minimum weight of an IRDF on [Formula: see text]. In this paper, we study trees with independent Roman domination number twice their independent domination number, answering an open question.
(G1,G2)-permutation graphs
Authors: Bagheri Gh. Behrooz
Published: September 2015

Let [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] be two labeled graphs of order [Formula: see text]. For any permutation [Formula: see text] the [Formula: see text]-permutation graph of labeled graphs [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] is the union of [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] together with the edges joining the vertex [Formula: see text] to the vertex [Formula: see text]. This operation on graphs is useful to produce a large class of networks with approximately the same properties as one of the original networks or even smaller. In this work we consider some properties of the permutation graph [Formula: see text], for labeled graph [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] of the same order. We provide bounds for the parameters radius, diameter, total distance, connectivity, edge-connectivity, chromatic number, and edge-chromatic number.
Dynamical correlation functions for products of random matrices
Authors: Strahov Eugene
Published: September 2015

We introduce and study a family of random processes with a discrete time related to products of random matrices. Such processes are formed by singular values of random matrix products, and the number of factors in a random matrix product plays a role of a discrete time. We consider in detail the case when the (squared) singular values of the initial random matrix form a polynomial ensemble, and the initial random matrix is multiplied by standard complex Gaussian matrices. In this case, we show that the random process is a discrete-time determinantal point process. For three special cases (the case when the initial random matrix is a standard complex Gaussian matrix, the case when it is a truncated unitary matrix, or the case when it is a standard complex Gaussian matrix with a source) we compute the dynamical correlation functions explicitly, and find the hard edge scaling limits of the correlation kernels. The proofs rely on the Eynard–Mehta theorem, and on contour integral representations for the correlation kernels suitable for an asymptotic analysis.
Competitive Self-Assembly Manifests Supramolecular Darwinism in Soft-Oxometalates
Authors: Das Santu , Kumar Saurabh , Mallick Apabrita , Roy Soumyajit
Published: September 2015

Topological transformation manifested in inorganic materials shows manifold possibilities. In our present work, we show a clear topological transformation in a soft-oxometalate (SOM) system which was formed from its polyoxometalate (POM) precursor [ PMo 12 @Mo 72 Fe 30]. This topological transformation was observed due to time dependent competitive self-assembly of two different length scale soft-oxometalate moieties formed from this two-component host–guest reaction. We characterized different morphologies by scanning electron microscopy, electron dispersive scattering spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, horizontal attenuated total reflection–infrared spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The predominant structure is selected by its size in a sort of supramolecular Darwinian competition in this process and is described here.
Chapter 17 Seismic activity on São Miguel Island volcano-tectonic structures (Azores archipelago)
Authors: Silva R. , Ferreira T. , Medeiros A. , Carmo R. , Luis R. , Wallenstein N. , Bean C. , Sousa R.
Published: September 2015

São Miguel, the largest island of the Azores, corresponds to one of the most seismically active areas within the archipelago. During historical times it was affected at least six times by destructive earthquakes, which were responsible for thousands of deaths. Several seismic crises are related both to volcanic eruptions and unrest episodes, being the cause of significant damage over more restricted areas. The central region of the island has been the most active in recent years and is characterized by the occurrence of seismic swarms, generally with low-magnitude events (M
D
≤2), that are clustered both spatially and temporally. A significant relevant seismic swarm occurred between May and September 2005 and was associated with an episode of volcanic unrest. Another part of the seismicity recorded on São Miguel is associated with submarine volcano-tectonic structures that are located near the island, some of which are the source of the strongest earthquakes. The spatial distribution of
b
-values shows that high values (i.e.
b
>1) are mainly associated with the Fogo–Congro region, whereas low
b
-values (i.e. <1) are more common offshore. The spatial distribution of
b
-values in the Fogo–Congro region is suggestive of the existence of material and/or stress heterogeneities, and this is supported by a mixture of fault plane solutions.
Chapter 22 Use of geothermal resources in the Azores islands: a contribution to the energy self-sufficiency of a remote and isolated region
Authors: Rangel G. , Ponte C. , Franco A.
Published: September 2015

Geothermal power has become the most important source of renewable energy in the Azores and, in recent years, has consistently represented about 20% of the islands’ electrical generation capacity. Continued success of the region's energy policy will require maximization of the use of this clean, indigenous resource to increase the energy self-sufficiency of the Azores islands.
Chapter 4 Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions in the Azores region: geodynamic implications from major historical events and instrumental seismicity
Authors: Gaspar J. L. , Queiroz G. , Ferreira T. , Medeiros A. R. , Goulart C. , Medeiros J.
Published: September 2015

Since the settlement of the archipelago, in the fifteenth century, 31 destructive earthquakes and 28 volcanic eruptions have been registered in the Azores. Major earthquakes occurring in historical times have reached magnitudes >7, often triggering landslides and even small tsunamis. In the same period, subaerial volcanic eruptions have ranged from Hawaiian to sub-Plinian, sometimes with a hydromagmatic character, while submarine eruptions have been Azorean to Surtseyan in style. The temporal and spatial distributions of major historical events are presented and their impacts summarized.

The instrumental seismic activity registered since 1980 is discussed taking into account the main volcano-tectonic structures. These seismological data allow us to improve the characterization of the present-day boundary between the Eurasia and Nubia lithospheric plates, herein defined as the East Azores Volcano-Tectonic System. The seismological data also suggest that the location of the Azores Triple Junction is to the west of Faial Island, at about 38° 50′ N, 30° 25′ W, in agreement with proposals made by other authors using aeromagnetic data. A natural seismic gap, centred in the São Jorge structural alignment, is recognized and is interpreted as a zone of stress accumulation with the potential to generate a high-magnitude earthquake similar to that of 1757.
Late Quaternary coastal landscape morphology and evolution of the Maltese Islands (Mediterranean Sea) reconstructed from high-resolution seafloor data
Authors: Foglini Federica , Prampolini Mariacristina , Micallef Aaron , Angeletti Lorenzo , Vandelli Vittoria , Deidun Alan , Soldati Mauro , Taviani Marco
Published: September 2015

The current strong motivation to explore those traces of the archaeological and prehistoric human heritage that presently lie submerged on the continental shelf requires large-scale and precise underwater mapping. One Mediterranean sector deserving particular attention is the Sicily Channel, which is critical for a better understanding of the Africa–Europe migratory routes and early civilization patterns due to its large expanses of shallow seabed that were partially or totally exposed at times of lower relative sea levels. We have focused our attention on the submerged continental margin of the Maltese archipelago. A detailed bathymetric map is here presented, and is discussed in terms of features interpretable as former subaerial landforms and inundated by sea-level rise following the Last Glacial Maximum lowstand at approximately –130 m. Our datasets combine multibeam surveys, Light Detection And Ranging (LiDAR)-derived digital terrain models (DTMs), Chirp sub-bottom profiler records and bottom samples acquired between 2009 and 2012. The main features identified are former river incisions, alluvial plains, karst landscapes (sinkholes, limestone plateaus), slide deposits and palaeoshorelines. This study provides a detailed topographical reconstruction of the palaeolandscape of this key region that is relevant to any future archaeological exploration of the Maltese offshore area.
Distributed Spatiotemporal Gesture Recognition in Sensor Arrays
Authors: Hosseinmardi Homa , Mysore Akshay , Farrow Nicholas , Correll Nikolaus , Han Richard
Published: September 2015

We present algorithms for gesture recognition using in-network processing in distributed sensor arrays embedded within systems such as tactile input devices, sensing skins for robotic applications, and smart walls. We describe three distributed gesture-recognition algorithms that are designed to function on sensor arrays with minimal computational power, limited memory, limited bandwidth, and possibly unreliable communication. These constraints cause storage of gesture templates within the system and distributed consensus algorithms for recognizing gestures to be difficult. Building up on a chain vector encoding algorithm commonly used for gesture recognition on a central computer, we approach this problem by dividing the gesture dataset between nodes such that each node has access to the complete dataset via its neighbors. Nodes share gesture information among each other, then each node tries to identify the gesture. In order to distribute the computational load among all nodes, we also investigate an alternative algorithm, in which each node that detects a motion will apply a recognition algorithm to part of the input gesture, then share its data with all other motion nodes. Next, we show that a hybrid algorithm that distributes both computation and template storage can address trade-offs between memory and computational efficiency.