bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Habitat selection of riparian birds at restoration sites along the Trinity River, California
Authors: Rockwell Sarah M. , Stephens Jaime L.
Published: October 2017

Riparian habitats in the western United States are imperiled, yet they support the highest bird diversity in arid regions, making them a conservation priority. Riparian restoration efforts can be enhanced by information on species response to variation in habitat features. We examined the habitat selection of four riparian birds known as management indicators at restoration and reference sites along the Trinity River, California. We compared vegetation structure and composition at nest sites, territories, and random points to quantify used versus available habitat from 2012 to 2015. Vegetation in focal species' territories differed between site types, and from available habitat, indicating nonrandom site choice. Birds selected aspects of more structurally complex habitats, such as greater canopy cover, canopy height, and tree species richness. Yellow‐breasted Chats preferred greater shrub cover, and Yellow Warblers preferred greater cover by non‐native Himalayan blackberry. Territory preferences on restoration sites were often a subset of those on reference sites. One exception was canopy height, which was taller on restoration site territories than random points for all species, suggesting that birds preferentially used patches of remnant habitat. Few variables were significant in nest site selection. Restoration plantings along the Trinity River were only 3–10 years old during this study, and have not developed many of the characteristics of mature riparian habitat preferred by birds, but may improve in habitat value over time. Understanding habitat selection is especially important in recently human‐modified environments, where indirect cues used to assess habitat quality may become disassociated from actual habitat quality, potentially creating ecological traps.
People's Risk Recognition Preceding Evacuation and Its Role in Demand Modeling and Planning
Authors: Urata Junji , Pel Adam J.
Published: October 2017

Evacuation planning and management involves estimating the travel demand in the event that such action is required. This is usually done as a function of people's decision to evacuate, which we show is strongly linked to their risk awareness. We use an empirical data set, which shows tsunami evacuation behavior, to demonstrate that risk recognition is not synonymous with objective risk, but is instead determined by a combination of factors including risk education, information, and sociodemographics, and that it changes dynamically over time. Based on these findings, we formulate an ordered logit model to describe risk recognition combined with a latent class model to describe evacuation choices. Our proposed evacuation choice model along with a risk recognition class can evaluate quantitatively the influence of disaster mitigation measures, risk education, and risk information. The results obtained from the risk recognition model show that risk information has a greater impact in the sense that people recognize their high risk. The results of the evacuation choice model show that people who are unaware of their risk take a longer time to evacuate.
Conservative central banks: how conservative should a central bank be?
Authors: Hughes Hallett Andrew , Proske Lorian D.
Published: November 2017

Using Rogoff's, 1985 model, we determine how inflation averse a central banker should be, given the level of volatility and projected output gap in the economy. We confirm a strong degree of conservatism, almost twice what society would have chosen. But, for a range of developing countries and the OECD, economies that systematically experience higher levels of output volatility would do best to hire a central banker who is more inflation averse than society, but less so than in stable developed economies. Thus, while a conservative central banker remains desirable, the trade‐off is with output volatility rather than with the output gap itself.
Lessons learned from Paris and Nice
Authors: Noël S. , François A. , Le Failler F. , Charpentier F. , Baudonnet T. , Bierling P. , Djoudi R. , Pirenne F. , Killic S. , Benomar D. , Corby J.‐B. , Fabra C. , Nicoué C. , Collet M. , Brosius N. , Briat O. , Spinardi R. , Chiaroni J. , David V. , Toujas F.
Published: October 2017

On 13 November 2015, between 9:20 pm and 00:20 am, terrorists committed several attacks in Saint‐Denis and the East Parisian districts. These attacks, claimed by the organization Islamic State, constitute the deadliest series of multisite attacks that France has experienced. The stake for the Etablissement Français du Sang (EFS, the French public blood service) was to face the shockwave that propagated throughout the whole establishment from the very minutes following the events, impacting all the processes and stakeholders involved in the transfusion chain, which were challenged by a massive blood donor influx as soon as 14 November 2015. This article covers the impacts of the attacks on immunohaematology and delivery activities as well as the actions that were implemented to ensure sufficient blood supply. Then, the impacts on blood component production are set out. EFS integrated organization and available stocks allowed meeting blood requirements and enabled a strong control of outdating, after unprecedented blood collections during the weeks following 13 November 2015. Lastly, the article presents EFS experience feedback of Paris attacks and of the event that occurred in Nice on 14 July 2016, which helped improve our crisis management pattern with:

Specific steps implemented in delivery facilities located in hospitals that were flooded by a large number of victims;

An analysis of the postattack donor population;

A reflection on optimal organizational schemes to face a donation influx;

Actions to leverage the consequences of a ‘media wave’ that could potentially result in useless, excessive blood collections.
Conducting Comparative Research into Defence Capability Formation
Authors: Markowski Stefan , Chand Satish , Wylie Robert
Published: November 2017

The world appears to be searching for a new, multipolar model of global security. In this context, the provision of  impartial data on military capability formation to be used in disarmament proposals and balance of power negotiations will be critical to effective security management in the prevailing uncertain international environment. In their recent research paper on the relationship between military expenditure (milex), government spending and economic growth in the Indo-Pacific Asia region the authors argued that milex’ high level of aggregation often masked important changes in national military capabilities and proposed limited disaggregation of military expenditure data to highlight national spending on military force structure and preparedness so as to facilitate better understanding of military capability formation. In this paper the authors develop this perspective a step further by reviewing alternative approaches to the production of data on military capability formation. It is suggested that the milex data are disaggregated one level down to differentiate between investments in the future force and expenditure on the readiness and sustainment of the force in being.
Determining the Level of Fanaticism and Football Fanship to University Athletes
Authors: Altungul Oguzhan , Karahüseyinoğlu M. Fatıh
Published: October 2017

It is the area that surrounds the broad masses of football, which includes the economic and social dimensions of the whole world. The reason why soccer is so influential is the question of the amount of football that is interested in football. The reason why soccer is so influential is the question of the amount of football that is interested in football. The concepts (fan, fanatic, and hooligan) that are included in the audience pattern are integrated with the football branch. The aim of this study, which was developed from the basic hypothesis that the opinions of university students on football advocacy / fanaticism levels will be different in terms of various variables, determines the support level of university students. In order to achieve this aim, a total of 438 students from Firat University were applied to the "Football Fanaticism Scale" consisting of 13 questions. University students are called "fanatic" in the total score 13-21, "team supporter" in the interval 22-30, and "footballer" in the range 31-52 points. 66.7% of college athletes are male and 33.3% are female. The majority (54.8%) quit active sports and 45.2% still continue to play active sports. The percentage of active participants in team sports is 61.4%. University athletes categorized themselves as "football lover" (48.2%), "fanatic" (27.6%) and "team supporter" (24.2%) respectively. The average score of university athletes from FFS is; It is in the category of "football lover" with an average score of 36.68 in the range of 31-52 points. There was a meaningful relationship between university sportsmen and men, individual sportsmen and age groups in terms of team support. University sportsmen’s interest in football is generally considered to be "football lover" when it is examined in terms of various variables.
Fatigue Design and Analysis of Offshore Pipelines and Risers Subjected to Waves and Currents
Authors: Liu M. , Cross C.
Published: November 2017

The industry consensus would appear that the effect of currents on wave-induced fatigue damage accumulation is assumed as insignificant and can be ignored. Only when dealing with stability, ultimate limit state design, and vortex-induced vibration (VIV), is the recommended industry practice to consider both currents and waves simultaneously, except for fatigue design. This paper presents a study on how environmental loads should be considered in terms of currents and waves for the fatigue life design of offshore pipelines and risers. The study is intended as a spur to redress the misapprehension by focusing on the coupling effect of direct waves and currents in the context of fatigue damage assessment. It is demonstrated unequivocally that waves and currents cannot be decoupled for fatigue design assessments. Wave-induced fatigue with the inclusion of currents is manifested twofold, not only the increased mean stress correction effect but also higher total damage accumulation due to elevated stress ranges. The practice of using wave histograms while ignoring currents is shown to result in an unacceptable nonconservative fatigue design. Both effects should be accounted for in the engineering assessment. A first-order correction factor involving the ratio of current and wave velocities is introduced to evaluating the environmental load coupling effect. It is recognized that fatigue associated specifically with VIV phenomena is well understood and documented elsewhere, its discussion is thus out with the aims of this paper.
Behavior of Chemical Reaction Between Siloxane Compounds and Surface on Carbon Materials
Authors: Shimizu Tsuyoshi , Tani Hiroshi
Published: October 2017

Among many organic vapor contaminations released from structural components of hard disk drives, organic sioloxanes are particularly ominous, as they can be released in a relatively large quantity. Adherence of organic pollutants to the disk surface is a factor that hinders the normal operation of the head and the disk surface. It is known that volatile siloxane oligomers such as D4 (octamethyl cycletetrasiloxane) often form cyclic polydimethylsiloxane polymers in the presence of acidic catalysts. We investigated the reaction between D4 and some carbon materials such as diamond-like carbon in hard disk and graphite. The effect of the protection of carbon materials by Perfluoropolyether (PFPE) lubricants was observed.
Vehicle Aerodynamic Drag Reduction Using Air Jet System
Authors: Lee SangWook
Published: October 2017

Study on the air jet wheel deflector system using state-of-the-art of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) technique based on an open domain CFD software (OpenFOAM) is performed to reduce vehicle aerodynamic drag. Fabijanic’s simple vehicle model [1] is used for both the mesh sensitivity study and validation of current CFD technique. It was found that CFD method used in this study is reliable tool for the forecasting of the aerodynamic drag coefficient.

Parametric studies were conducted to investigate aerodynamic effects of the conventional wheel deflector and air jet wheel deflector system. For the conventional wheel deflector, 3.6% of drag reduction was achieved with a non-dimensional deflector height of 1/6, but the drag force tends to increase as the non-dimensional height increased. On the other hand, it was shown that air jet wheel deflector system can reduce vehicle aerodynamic drag up to 7.5% at the non-dimensional air jet velocity of 1.0.

Therefore it would be concluded that air jet wheel deflector is a useful device to reduce aerodynamic drag of automobile.
Using the Time-Domain Characterization for Estimation Continuous Blood Pressure via Neural Network Method
Authors: Chao Paul C.-P. , Tu Tse-Yi
Published: October 2017

The new method with back-propagation neural network is expected to be capable of continuous measurement of blood pressures with noninvasive, cuffless strain blood pressure sensor. The eight time-domain characterizations estimate systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure via BPNN leading to a satisfactory accuracy of the BP sensor. The BP sensor is used on human wrist to collect the continuously pulse signal for measuring blood pressures. To assist the sensor, a readout circuit is devised with a Wheatstone bridge, amplifier, filter, and a digital signal processor. The results of SBP and DBP are 4.27±4.98 mmHg and 3.86±5.35 mmHg, respectively. The errors of blood pressure pass the criteria for Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) method 2 and the British Hypertension Society (BHS) Grade B.
A Six-DOF Force/Torque Sensor for Collaborative Robot and its Calibration Method
Authors: Tran Trong-Hieu , Phan Tan-Phat , Chao Paul C.-P. , Wang Yu-Jen , Wang Chun-Chieh
Published: October 2017

This study presents a new six-DOF force/torque sensor and its calibration method for a “collaborative robot or cobot”. This new calibration method applies the so-called “maximum likelihood estimation (MLE)”. MLE is used to determine and identify the parameters related to applied torques/forces and resulted deformations at varied locations of the sensor structure. Formulating the relations in a vector-matrix form, such parameters are captured as the coefficients in a matrix relating torques/forces to angular/linear deformations in different directions. In addition to applying MLE, finite element (FEM) modeling and analysis are conducted to generate realistic-like empirical data for the aforementioned calibration computation based on MLE. The matrix formed by these coefficients can then predict forces and torques with good accuracy via deformations detected by strain gauges. Seen in simulation results, the worst sum of error for three forces is less than 0.04%, while that for three torques is less than 0.00005%. Very small values of sum of error demonstrate a strong correlation of the model with the results obtained from MLE, indicating high precision in sensing forces and torques without decoupling matrix. The developed sensor is highly suitable for real-time sensing of multi-dimensional interactive forces/torques in industrial robots.
Chromium oxide as a hard mask material better than metallic chromium
Authors: Aydinoglu Ferhat , Saffih Faycal , Dey Ripon Kumar , Cui Bo
Published: October 2017

In nanofabrication, use of thin resist is required to achieve very high resolution features. But thin resist makes pattern transferring by dry etching difficult because typical resist has poor resistance to plasma etching. One widely employed strategy is to use an intermediate hard mask layer, with the pattern first transferred into this layer, then into the substrate or sublayer. Cr is one of the most popular hard etching mask materials because of its high resistance to plasma etching. Cr etching is carried out in O2 and Cl2 or CCl4 environment to form the volatile etching product CrO2Cl2, but addition of O2 gas leads to fast resist etching. In this work, the authors show that Cr2O3 can be etched readily in a Cl2/O2 gas mixture with less oxygen than needed for Cr etching, because Cr2O3 contains oxygen by itself. Thus it is easier to transfer the resist pattern into Cr2O3 than into Cr. For the subsequent pattern transferring into the substrate here silicon using nonswitching pseudo-Bosch inductively coupled plasma-reactive ion etching with SF6/C4F8 gas and Cr or Cr2O3 as mask, it was found that the two materials have the same etching resistance and selectivity of 100:1 over silicon. Therefore, Cr2O3 is a more suitable hard mask material than Cr for pattern transferring using dry plasma etching.
Dynamics of Rouse chains undergoing head-to-head association and dissociation: Difference between dielectric and viscoelastic relaxation
Authors: Watanabe Hiroshi , Matsumiya Yumi , Kwon Youngdon
Published: November 2017

Polymer chains having type-A dipoles parallel along the chain backbone exhibit slow dielectric relaxation reflecting their global motion. For monofunctionally head-associative Rouse chains having type-A dipoles, the Rouse equation of motion was combined with the association/dissociation kinetics to calculate the dielectric relaxation function, Φj(t) with j = 1 and 2 for unimer and dimer. Φ1(t) reflects the orientation of the end-to-end vector of the unimer, whereas Φ2(t) detects the orientation of two end-to-center vectors of the dimer (having symmetrical dipole inversion), both being in the direction of the applied electric field. The calculation was made by mapping the conformation of dissociating dimer onto the created unimer and vice versa with the aid of the Rouse eigenmode expansion of the bond vector of segments (Gaussian subchains). It turned out that Φj(t) is not influenced by the association/dissociation reaction. This result makes a striking contrast to the behavior of the viscoelastic relaxation function gj(t): gj(t) is strongly affected by the motional coupling between the unimer and dimer due to the reaction [H. Watanabe et al., Macromolecules 48, 3014–3030 (2015)]. This difference emerged because the dielectric Φj(t) corresponds to the vectorial first-moment average of the segmental bond vector at time t, u(n,t) with n being the segment index, whereas the viscoelastic gj(t) corresponds to the tensorial second-moment average. Because of this difference in the averaging moment, Φj(t) is subjected to cancelation in the conformational mapping but gj(t) is not, so that the reaction effect emerges only for gj(t). The experimental data of head-carboxylated high-cis polyisoprene chains (having the type-A dipoles), confirming this difference, are also presented.
Case Study: The Effect of Nutritional Intervention on Body Composition and Physical Performance of a Female Squash Player
Authors: Rosimus Christopher
Published: November 2017

The body composition of a squash player may affect athletic performance as carrying excessive body fat may increase injury risk and impair agility and speed. This case study outlines the effect of a nutritional intervention on body composition, vitamin D status, and physical performance of a female squash player. A structured, 6-week, moderate energy–restricted diet (70–78% of estimated energy requirement of 2,300 kcal) was implemented with weekly support. A daily supplement of vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids, and a multivitamin and whey protein was used. Full blood count, vitamin D status, body composition, and physical performance assessments were carried out at baseline and Week 6 of intervention. Body composition changes were measured using the BOD POD™ and skinfold calipers. Body fat was 23% at baseline and 22% at Week 6. Mean sum of eight skinfolds was 127.4 ± 2.2 mm at baseline and 107.3 ± 0.4 mm at Week 6. Lean body mass-to-fat mass ratio improved from 3.4 at baseline to 3.7 at Week 6. The greatest increments compared with baseline in serum markers were 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (68%), ferritin (31%), eosinophils (20%), and triglycerides (16%). All physical performance measures improved, with reactive strength index (4.8%), and on-court repeated speed (6.0%) showing the greatest improvements from baseline. This intervention demonstrates that structured energy restriction alongside appropriately structured strength and conditioning training is an effective way to gradually reduce the body fat and improve the body composition of a female athlete.
Case Study: Dose Response of Caffeine on 20-km Handcycling Time Trial Performance in a Paratriathlete
Authors: Graham-Paulson Terri , Perret Claudio , Goosey-Tolfrey Victoria
Published: November 2017

Caffeine’s (CAF) ability to influence upper-body exercise endurance performance may be related to an individual’s training status. This case study therefore aimed to investigate the ergogenic effects of CAF dose on 20-km time trial (TT) performance of an elite male paratriathlete (wheelchair user; age = 46 years, body mass = 76.9 kg, body fat = 25.4%, and handcycling ). The athlete completed four 20-km handcycling TTs on a Cyclus II ergometer under controlled laboratory conditions following the ingestion of 2, 4, and 6 mg/kg CAF or placebo (PLA). Blood lactate concentration, power output, arousal, and ratings of perceived exertion were recorded. Ingestion of 2, 4, and 6 mg/kg CAF resulted in a 2%, 1.5%, and 2.7% faster TT compared with PLA (37:40 min:s). The participant’s blood lactate concentration increased throughout all trials and was greater during CAF compared with PLA. There were no obvious differences in ratings of perceived exertion between trials despite different performance times. Baseline arousal scores differed between PLA and 4 mg/kg CAF (1 = low), and 2 and 6 mg/kg CAF (3 = moderate). Arousal increased at each time point following the ingestion of 4 and 6 mg/kg CAF. The largest CAF dose resulted in a positive pacing strategy, which, when combined with an end spurt, resulted in the fastest TT. CAF improved 20-km TT performance of an elite male paratriathlete, which may be related to greater arousal and an increased power output for a given rating of perceived exertion.
Effect of 4-Week Ingestion of Tomato-Based Carotenoids on Exercise-Induced Inflammation, Muscle Damage, and Oxidative Stress in Endurance Runners
Authors: Nieman David C. , Capps Courtney L. , Capps Christopher R. , Shue Zack L. , McBride Jennifer E.
Published: November 2017

This double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled crossover trial determined if ingestion of a supplement containing a tomato complex with lycopene, phytoene, and phytofluene (T-LPP) and other compounds for 4 weeks would attenuate inflammation, muscle damage, and oxidative stress postexercise and during recovery from a 2-hr running bout that included 30 min of −10% downhill running. Study participants ingested the T-LPP supplement or placebo with the evening meal for 4 weeks prior to running 2 hr at high intensity. Blood samples and delayed onset muscle soreness ratings were taken pre- and post-4-week supplementation, and immediately following the 2-hr run, and then 1-hr, 24-hr, and 48-hr postrun. After a 2-week washout period, participants crossed over to the opposite treatment and repeated all procedures. Plasma lycopene, phytoene, and phytofluene increased significantly in T-LPP compared with placebo (p < .001 for each). Significant time effects were shown for serum creatine kinase, delayed onset muscle soreness, C-reactive protein, myoglobin, 9- and 13-hydroxyoctadecadienoic acids, ferric reducing ability of plasma, and six plasma cytokines (p < .001 for each). The pattern of increase for serum myoglobin differed between T-LPP and placebo (interaction effect, p = .016, with lower levels in T-LPP), but not for creatine kinase, delayed onset muscle soreness, C-reactive protein, the six cytokines, 9- and 13-hydroxyoctadecadienoic acids, and ferric reducing ability of plasma. No significant time or interaction effects were measured for plasma-oxidized low-density lipoprotein or serum 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine. In summary, supplementation with T-LPP over a 4-week period increased plasma carotenoid levels 73% and attenuated postexercise increases in the muscle damage biomarker myoglobin, but not inflammation and oxidative stress.
The Future of Classification in Wheelchair Sports: Can Data Science and Technological Advancement Offer an Alternative Point of View?
Authors: van der Slikke Rienk M.A. , Bregman Daan J.J. , Berger Monique A.M. , de Witte Annemarie M.H. , Veeger Dirk-Jan (H.) E.J.
Published: November 2017

Purpose:Classification is a defining factor for competition in wheelchair sports, but it is a delicate and time-consuming process with often questionable validity. New inertial sensor-based measurement methods applied in match play and field tests allow for more precise and objective estimates of the impairment effect on wheelchair-mobility performance. The aim of the present research was to evaluate whether these measures could offer an alternative point of view for classification.Methods:Six standard wheelchair-mobility performance outcomes of different classification groups were measured in match play (n = 29), as well as best possible performance in a field test (n = 47).Results:In match results, a clear relationship between classification and performance level is shown, with increased performance outcomes in each adjacent higher-classification group. Three outcomes differed significantly between the low- and mid-classified groups, and 1, between the mid- and high-classified groups. In best performance (field test), there was a split between the low- and mid-classified groups (5 out of 6 outcomes differed significantly) but hardly any difference between the mid- and high-classified groups. This observed split was confirmed by cluster analysis, revealing the existence of only 2 performance-based clusters.Conclusions:The use of inertial sensor technology to obtain objective measures of wheelchair-mobility performance, combined with a standardized field test, produced alternative views for evidence-based classification. The results of this approach provide arguments for a reduced number of classes in wheelchair basketball. Future use of inertial sensors in match play and field testing could enhance evaluation of classification guidelines, as well as individual athlete performance.
A Typology of Factors Influencing Seniors’ Participation in Strength Training in Gyms and Fitness Centers
Authors: Pettigrew Simone , Burton Elissa , Farrier Kaela , Hill Anne-Marie , Bainbridge Liz , Lewin Gill , Airey Phil , Hill Keith
Published: November 2017

Older people are less likely to engage in strength training than their younger counterparts, despite the substantial benefits of this form of exercise for preventing and addressing age-related physical decline. In many countries, strength training programs are available for older people yet are undersubscribed. The aim of this study was to identify the factors influencing older people’s participation in strength training at gyms and fitness centers to provide insights into potentially effective recruitment and retention strategies for this population. A total of 79 individuals from four stakeholder groups (seniors, fitness center instructors and managers, health practitioners, and those involved in policy) were interviewed to identify and explicate relevant factors. A detailed typology was developed that provides insights into potential strategies at five ecological system levels: intrapersonal, interpersonal, organizational, social, and policy. The typology can be used as a tool for identifying opportunities to encourage strength training participation among older people.
Structure and Membrane Topography of the Vibrio-Type Secretin Complex from the Type 2 Secretion System of Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli
Authors: Hay Iain D. , Belousoff Matthew J. , Dunstan Rhys A. , Bamert Rebecca S. , Lithgow Trevor
Published: October 2017

The β-barrel assembly machinery (BAM) complex is the core machinery for the assembly of β-barrel membrane proteins, and inhibition of BAM complex activity is lethal to bacteria. Discovery of integral membrane proteins that are key to pathogenesis and yet do not require assistance from the BAM complex raises the question of how these proteins assemble into bacterial outer membranes. Here, we address this question through a structural analysis of the type 2 secretion system (T2SS) secretin from enteropathogenic
Escherichia coli
O127:H6 strain E2348/69. Long β-strands assemble into a barrel extending 17 Å through and beyond the outer membrane, adding insight to how these extensive β-strands are assembled into the
E. coli
outer membrane. The substrate docking chamber of this secretin is shown to be sufficient to accommodate the substrate mucinase SteC.

IMPORTANCE
In order to cause disease, bacterial pathogens inhibit immune responses and induce pathology that will favor their replication and dissemination. In Gram-negative bacteria, these key attributes of pathogenesis depend on structures assembled into or onto the outer membrane. One of these is the T2SS. The
Vibrio
-type T2SS mediates cholera toxin secretion in
Vibrio cholerae
, and in
Escherichia coli
O127:H6 strain E2348/69, the same machinery mediates secretion of the mucinases that enable the pathogen to penetrate intestinal mucus and thereby establish deadly infections.
OrfX, a Nucleomodulin Required for
Listeria monocytogenes
Virulence
Authors: Prokop Andrzej , Gouin Edith , Villiers Véronique , Nahori Marie-Anne , Vincentelli Renaud , Duval Mélodie , Cossart Pascale , Dussurget Olivier
Published: November 2017

Listeria monocytogenes
is a bacterial pathogen causing severe foodborne infections in humans and animals.
Listeria
can enter into host cells and survive and multiply therein, due to an arsenal of virulence determinants encoded in different loci on the chromosome. Several key
Listeria
virulence genes are clustered in
Listeria
pathogenicity island 1. This important locus also contains
orfX
(
lmo0206
), a gene of unknown function. Here, we found that OrfX is a small, secreted protein whose expression is positively regulated by PrfA, the major transcriptional activator of
Listeria
virulence genes. We provide evidence that OrfX is a virulence factor that dampens the oxidative response of infected macrophages, which contributes to intracellular survival of bacteria. OrfX is targeted to the nucleus and interacts with the regulatory protein RybP. We show that in macrophages, the expression of OrfX decreases the level of RybP, which controls cellular infection. Collectively, these data reveal that
Listeria
targets RybP and evades macrophage oxidative stress for efficient infection. Altogether, OrfX is after LntA, the second virulence factor acting directly in the nucleus.

IMPORTANCE
Listeria monocytogenes
is a model bacterium that has been successfully used over the last 30 years to refine our understanding of the molecular, cellular, and tissular mechanisms of microbial pathogenesis. The major virulence factors of pathogenic
Listeria
species are located on a single chromosomal locus. Here, we report that the last gene of this locus encodes a small secreted nucleomodulin, OrfX, that is required for bacterial survival within macrophages and in the infected host. This work demonstrates that the production of OrfX contributes to limiting the host innate immune response by dampening the oxidative response of macrophages. We also identify a target of OrfX, RybP, which is an essential pleiotropic regulatory protein of the cell, and uncover its role in host defense. Our data reinforce the view that the secretion of nucleomodulins is an important strategy used by microbial pathogens to promote infection.
Darboux transformations of integrable couplings and applications
Authors: Ma Wen-Xiu , Zhang Yu-Juan
Published: October 2017

A formulation of Darboux transformations is proposed for integrable couplings, based on non-semisimple matrix Lie algebras. Applications to a kind of integrable couplings of the AKNS equations are made, along with an explicit formula for the associated Bäcklund transformation. Exact one-soliton-like solutions are computed for the integrable couplings of the second- and third-order AKNS equations, and a type of reduction is created to generate integrable couplings and their one-soliton-like solutions for the NLS and MKdV equations.
A novel fast detection method of infrared LSS-Target in complex urban background
Authors: Wu Yanfeng , Sun Haijiang , Liu Peixun
Published: October 2017

LSS-Target (the Low altitude, Slow speed and Small Target) is likely to be a threat to the observation platform, thus infrared LSS-Target detection is an urgent task. LSS-Target is a challenging issue due to the low Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) and sophisticated background. Motivated by the analysis of infrared imaging characteristics, this paper proposes a novel fusion method for IR LSS-Target detection with complex urban background, which is suitable for precise guidance and self defense. First, an adaptive threshold segmentation based on accumulative histogram and maximum likelihood estimation are utilized to eliminate the clutter and improve SNR of the initial image. Second, a template is set up to identify the seed points in the image. Third, a constrained four criteria region growth algorithm is performed to separate the entire regions. Finally, the confidence measure is constructed, which can eliminate false targets and the background edges. Experimental results show that the method in this paper can screen out the real LSS-Target in real time with high accuracy under sophisticated background.
Correctness of SQL Queries on Databases with Nulls
Authors: Guagliardo Paolo , Libkin Leonid
Published: November 2017

Multiple issues with SQL's handling of nulls have been well documented. Having efficiency as its main goal, SQL disregards the standard notion of correctness on incomplete databases -- certain answers -- due to its high complexity. As a result, the evaluation of SQL queries on databases with nulls may produce answers that are just plain wrong. However, SQL evaluation can be modified, at least for relational algebra queries, to approximate certain answers, i.e., return only correct answers. We examine recently proposed approximation schemes for certain answers and analyze their complexity, both theoretical bounds and real-life behavior
The Dresden Database Systems Group
Authors: Lehner Wolfgang
Published: November 2017

The Dresden Database Systems Group focuses on the advancement of data management techniques from a system level as well as information management perspective. With more than 15 PhD students the research group is involved in a variety of larger research projects ranging from activities to exploit modern hardware for scalable storage engines to advancing statistical methods for large-scale time series management. The group is visible at an international level as well as actively involved in cooperations with national and regional research partners
Sampling Schemes by Variables Inspection for the First‐Order Autoregressive Model between Linear Profiles
Authors: Tamirat Yeneneh , Wang Fu-Kwun , Chen Yen-Chih
Published: October 2017

We present four new sampling schemes by variables inspection to deal with the first‐order autoregressive model between linear profiles. The first plan is based on exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA) and the rest of three plans are using the resubmitted sampling, repetitive group sampling (RGS), and multiple dependent state (MDS) sampling schemes. The nonlinear optimization problem is developed to find the number of profiles and the corresponding acceptance criteria, such that the producer’s and consumer’s risk are satisfied simultaneously. The efficiency of the proposed plans is compared with the conventional single sampling plan in terms of average sample number and the probability of acceptance. The result implies that all of the proposed sampling plans are superior to the single acceptance sampling plan by variables. In addition, the EWMA method appeared to be better than the others. The applications of proposed plans are shown with the help of industrial examples taken from calibration of an optical imaging system, and tire cornering stiffness test.
Experimental Investigation of Wave Velocity-Permeability Model for Granite Subjected to Different Temperature Processing
Authors: Jiang Guanghui , Zuo Jianping , Ma Teng , Wei Xu
Published: October 2017

Understanding the change of permeability of rocks before and after heating is of great significance for exploitation of hydrocarbon resources and disposal of nuclear waste. The rock permeability under high temperature cannot be measured with most of the existing methods. In this paper, quality, wave velocity, and permeability of granite specimen from Maluanshan tunnel are measured after high temperature processing. Quality and wave velocity of granite decrease and permeability of granite increases with increasing temperature. Using porosity as the medium, a new wave velocity-permeability model is established with modified wave velocity-porosity formula and Kozeny-Carman formula. Under some given wave velocities and corresponding permeabilities through experiment, the permeabilities at different temperatures and wave velocities can be obtained. By comparing the experimental and the theoretical results, the proposed formulas are verified. In addition, a sensitivity analysis is performed to examine the effect of particle size, wave velocities in rock matrix, and pore fluid on permeability: permeability increases with increasing particle size, wave velocities in rock matrix, and pore fluid; the higher the rock wave velocity, the lower the effect of wave velocities in rock matrix and pore fluid on permeability.
Chemical Composition and Quality Characteristics of Wheat Bread Supplemented with Leafy Vegetable Powders
Authors: Odunlade T. V. , Famuwagun A. A. , Taiwo K. A. , Gbadamosi S. O. , Oyedele D. J. , Adebooye O. C.
Published: October 2017

The study investigated the effect of supplementation of the leaf powders of Telfairia occidentalis, Amaranthus viridis, and Solanum macrocarpon on the chemical composition and the quality characteristics of wheat bread. The bread samples were supplemented with each of the vegetable leaf powders at 1%, 2%, and 3% during preparation. The bread samples were assayed for proximate composition, mineral composition, physical, sensory, and antioxidant properties using standard methods. The addition of vegetable powders significantly increased the protein (9.50 to 13.93%), fibre (1.81 to 4.00%), ash (1.05 to 2.38%), and fat (1.27 to 2.00%). Supplementation with vegetable powder however significantly decreased (p<0.05) the carbohydrate and moisture contents. Significant (p<0.05) increases were recorded for all evaluated minerals as the level of vegetable powder increased. Supplementation with vegetable powder caused significant decrease in total phenolic content, percentage DPPH inhibition, metal chelating ability, ferric reducing antioxidant power, and total antioxidant capacity. Sensory results showed that there was significant decrease in sensory qualities with increasing supplementation. This therefore suggests that bread supplemented with vegetable powder could have more market penetration if awareness is highly created.
Software for the Integration of Multiomics Experiments in Bioconductor
Authors: Ramos Marcel , Schiffer Lucas , Re Angela , Azhar Rimsha , Basunia Azfar , Rodriguez Carmen , Chan Tiffany , Chapman Phil , Davis Sean R. , Gomez-Cabrero David , Culhane Aedin C. , Haibe-Kains Benjamin , Hansen Kasper D. , Kodali Hanish , Louis Marie S. , Mer Arvind S. , Riester Markus , Morgan Martin , Carey Vince , Waldron Levi
Published: November 2017

Multiomics experiments are increasingly commonplace in biomedical research and add layers of complexity to experimental design, data integration, and analysis. R and Bioconductor provide a generic framework for statistical analysis and visualization, as well as specialized data classes for a variety of high-throughput data types, but methods are lacking for integrative analysis of multiomics experiments. The MultiAssayExperiment software package, implemented in R and leveraging Bioconductor software and design principles, provides for the coordinated representation of, storage of, and operation on multiple diverse genomics data. We provide the unrestricted multiple ‘omics data for each cancer tissue in The Cancer Genome Atlas as ready-to-analyze MultiAssayExperiment objects and demonstrate in these and other datasets how the software simplifies data representation, statistical analysis, and visualization. The MultiAssayExperiment Bioconductor package reduces major obstacles to efficient, scalable, and reproducible statistical analysis of multiomics data and enhances data science applications of multiple omics datasets. Cancer Res; 77(21); e39–42. ©2017 AACR.
Hypoxia-Inducible PIM Kinase Expression Promotes Resistance to Antiangiogenic Agents
Authors: Casillas Andrea L. , Toth Rachel K. , Sainz Alva G. , Singh Neha , Desai Ankit A. , Kraft Andrew S. , Warfel Noel A.
Published: October 2017

Purpose: Patients develop resistance to antiangiogenic drugs, secondary to changes in the tumor microenvironment, including hypoxia. PIM kinases are prosurvival kinases and their expression increases in hypoxia. The goal of this study was to determine whether targeting hypoxia-induced PIM kinase expression is effective in combination with VEGF-targeting agents. The rationale for this therapeutic approach is based on the fact that antiangiogenic drugs can make tumors hypoxic, and thus more sensitive to PIM inhibitors.

Experimental Design: Xenograft and orthotopic models of prostate and colon cancer were used to assess the effect of PIM activation on the efficacy of VEGF-targeting agents. IHC and in vivo imaging were used to analyze angiogenesis, apoptosis, proliferation, and metastasis. Biochemical studies were performed to characterize the novel signaling pathway linking PIM and HIF1.

Results: PIM was upregulated following treatment with anti-VEGF therapies, and PIM1 overexpression reduced the ability of these drugs to disrupt vasculature and block tumor growth. PIM inhibitors reduced HIF1 activity, opposing the shift to a pro-angiogenic gene signature associated with hypoxia. Combined inhibition of PIM and VEGF produced a synergistic antitumor response characterized by decreased proliferation, reduced tumor vasculature, and decreased metastasis.

Conclusions: This study describes PIM kinase expression as a novel mechanism of resistance to antiangiogenic agents. Our data provide justification for combining PIM and VEGF inhibitors to treat solid tumors. The unique ability of PIM inhibitors to concomitantly target HIF1 and selectively kill hypoxic tumor cells addresses two major components of tumor progression and therapeutic resistance. Clin Cancer Res; 24(1); 169–80. ©2017 AACR.
Location of Mutation in BRCA2 Gene and Survival in Patients with Ovarian Cancer
Authors: Labidi-Galy S. Intidhar , Olivier Timothée , Rodrigues Manuel , Ferraioli Domenico , Derbel Olfa , Bodmer Alexandre , Petignat Patrick , Rak Beata , Chopin Nicolas , Tredan Olivier , Heudel Pierre-Etienne , Stuckelberger Sarah , Meeus Pierre , Meraldi Patrick , Viassolo Valeria , Ayme Aurélie , Chappuis Pierre O. , Stern Marc-Henri , Houdayer Claude , Stoppa-Lyonnet Dominique , Buisson Adrien , Golmard Lisa , Bonadona Valérie , Ray-Coquard Isabelle
Published: October 2017

Purpose: BRCA2 plays a central role in homologous recombination by loading RAD51 on DNA breaks. The objective of this study is to determine whether the location of mutations in the RAD51-binding domain (RAD51-BD; exon 11) of BRCA2 gene affects the clinical outcome of ovarian cancer patients.

Experimental Design: A study cohort of 353 women with ovarian cancer who underwent genetic germline testing for BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes was identified. Progression-free survival (PFS), platinum-free interval (PFI), and overall survival (OS) were analyzed. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) cohort of ovarian cancer (n = 316) was used as a validation cohort.

Results: In the study cohort, 78 patients were carriers of germline mutations of BRCA2. After adjustment for FIGO stage and macroscopic residual disease, BRCA2 carriers with truncating mutations in the RAD51-BD have significantly prolonged 5-year PFS [58%; adjusted HR, 0.36; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.20–0.64; P = 0.001] and prolonged PFI (29.7 vs. 15.5 months, P = 0.011), compared with noncarriers. BRCA2 carriers with mutations located in other domains of the gene do not have prolonged 5-year PFS (28%, adjusted HR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.42–1.07; P = 0.094) or PFI (19 vs. 15.5 months, P = 0.146). In the TCGA cohort, only BRCA2 carriers harboring germline or somatic mutations in the RAD51-BD have prolonged 5-year PFS (46%; adjusted HR, 0.30; 95% CI, 0.13–0.68; P = 0.004) and 5-year OS (78%; adjusted HR, 0.09; 95% CI, 0.02–0.38; P = 0.001).

Conclusions: Among ovarian cancer patients, BRCA2 carriers with mutations located in the RAD51-BD (exon 11) have prolonged PFS, PFI, and OS. Clin Cancer Res; 24(2); 326–33. ©2017 AACR.
Primary Immunoprevention of Epithelial Ovarian Carcinoma by Vaccination against the Extracellular Domain of Anti-Müllerian Hormone Receptor II
Authors: Mazumder Suparna , Johnson Justin M. , Swank Valerie , Dvorina Nina , Martelli Elizabeth , Ko Jennifer , Tuohy Vincent K.
Published: November 2017

Epithelial ovarian carcinoma (EOC) is the most prevalent form of ovarian cancer in the United States, representing approximately 85% of all cases and causing more deaths than any other gynecologic malignancy. We propose that optimized control of EOC requires the incorporation of a vaccine capable of inducing safe and effective preemptive immunity in cancer-free women. In addition, we hypothesize that ovarian-specific self-proteins that are “retired” from autoimmune-inducing expression levels as ovaries age but are expressed at high levels in emerging EOC may serve as vaccine targets for mediating safe and effective primary immunoprevention. Here, we show that expression of the extracellular domain of anti-Müllerian hormone receptor II (AMHR2-ED) in normal tissues is confined exclusively to the human ovary, drops to nonautoimmune inducing levels in postmenopausal ovaries, and is at high levels in approximately 90% of human EOC. We found that AMHR2-ED vaccination significantly inhibits growth of murine EOC and enhances overall survival without inducing oophoritis in aged female mice. The observed inhibition of EOC growth was mediated substantially by induction of AMHR2-ED–specific IgG antibodies that agonize receptor signaling of a Bax/caspase-3–dependent proapoptotic cascade. Our results indicate that AMHR2-ED vaccination may be particularly useful in providing safe and effective preemptive immunity against EOC in women at high genetic or familial risk who have the greatest need for a preventive vaccine and ultimately in cancer-free postmenopausal women who account for 75% of all EOC cases. Cancer Prev Res; 10(11); 612–24. ©2017 AACR.

See related editorial by Shoemaker et al., p. 607