bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Suppression of Type I Interferon Signaling by E1A via RuvBL1/Pontin
Authors: Olanubi Oladunni , Frost Jasmine Rae , Radko Sandi , Pelka Peter
Published: January 2017

Suppression of interferon signaling is of paramount importance to a virus. Interferon signaling significantly reduces or halts the ability of a virus to replicate; therefore, viruses have evolved sophisticated mechanisms that suppress activation of the interferon pathway or responsiveness of the infected cell to interferon. Adenovirus has multiple modes of inhibiting the cellular response to interferon. Here, we report that E1A, previously shown to regulate interferon signaling in multiple ways, inhibits interferon-stimulated gene expression by modulating RuvBL1 function. RuvBL1 was previously shown to affect type I interferon signaling. E1A binds to RuvBL1 and is recruited to RuvBL1-regulated promoters in an interferon-dependent manner, preventing their activation. Depletion of RuvBL1 impairs adenovirus growth but does not appear to significantly affect viral protein expression. Although RuvBL1 has been shown to play a role in cell growth, its depletion had no effect on the ability of the virus to replicate its genome or to drive cells into S phase. E1A was found to bind to RuvBL1 via the C terminus of E1A, and this interaction was important for suppression of interferon-stimulated gene transcriptional activation and recruitment of E1A to interferon-regulated promoters. Here, we report the identification of RuvBL1 as a new target for adenovirus in its quest to suppress the interferon response.

IMPORTANCEFor most viruses, suppression of the interferon signaling pathway is crucial to ensure a successful replicative cycle. Human adenovirus has evolved several different mechanisms that prevent activation of interferon or the ability of the cell to respond to interferon. The viral immediate-early geneE1Awas previously shown to affect interferon signaling in several different ways. Here, we report a novel mechanism reliant on RuvBL1 that E1A uses to prevent activation of interferon-stimulated gene expression following infection or interferon treatment. This adds to the growing knowledge of how viruses are able to inhibit interferon and identifies a novel target used by adenovirus for modulation of the cellular interferon pathway.
Sitting behaviour is not associated with incident diabetes over 13 years: the Whitehall II cohort study
Authors: Stamatakis Emmanuel , Pulsford Richard M , Brunner Eric J , Britton Annie R , Bauman Adrian E , Biddle Stuart JH , Hillsdon Melvyn
Published: January 2017

Background

Although certain types of sedentary behaviour have been linked to metabolic risk, prospective studies describing the links between sitting with incident diabetes are scarce and often do not account for baseline adiposity. We investigate the associations between context-specific sitting and incident diabetes in a cohort of mid-aged to older British civil servants.

Methods

Using data from the Whitehall II study (n=4811), Cox proportional hazards models (adjusted for age, sex, ethnicity, employment grade, smoking, alcohol intake, fruit and vegetable consumption, self-rated health, physical functioning, walking and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, and body mass index (BMI)) were fitted to examine associations between total sitting and context–specific sitting time (work, television (TV), non-TV leisure time sitting at home) at phase 5 (1997–1999) and fasting glucose-defined incident diabetes up to 2011.

Results

Total sitting (HR of the top compared with the bottom group: 1.26; 95% CI 1.00 to 1.62; p=0.01) and TV sitting (1.33; 95% CI 1.03 to 1.88; p=0.05) showed associations with incident diabetes; once BMI was included in the model these associations were attenuated for both total sitting (1.19; 95% CI 0.92 to 1.55; p=0.22) and TV sitting (1.31; 95% CI 0.96 to 1.76; p=0.14).

Conclusion

We found limited evidence linking sitting and incident diabetes over 13 years in this occupational cohort of civil servants.
Use of antiseptic for cord care and its association with neonatal mortality in a population-based assessment in Bihar State, India
Authors: Dandona Rakhi , Kochar Priyanka S , Kumar G Anil , Dandona Lalit
Published: January 2017

Objectives

Dry cord care is recommended for all births by the Health Ministry in India. We report prevalence of antiseptic cord care in the context of neonatal mortality in the Indian state of Bihar.

Design

Population-based cross-sectional study with multistage stratified random sampling.

Setting

Households in 1017 clusters in Bihar.

Participants

A representative sample of 12 015 women with a live birth in the last 12 months were interviewed from all 38 districts of Bihar (90.7% participation) in 2014.

Primary and secondary outcome measures

Use of antiseptic cord care at birth and its association with neonatal mortality using multiple logistic regression.

Results

Topical application of any material on cord was reported by 6534 women (54.4%; 95% CI 53.5% to 55.3%). Antiseptic cord care prevalence was 49.7% (95% CI 48.8% to 50.6%), the majority of which was gentian violet (76.4%). The odds of antiseptic use for cord care were higher in facility births (OR 1.46; 95% CI 1.27 to 1.69) and for deliveries by a qualified health provider (OR 1.44; 95% CI 1.26 to 1.66), but were lower for births that occurred before the expected delivery date (OR 0.77; 95% CI 0.61 to 0.96). A total of 256 (2.1%) newborns died during the neonatal period. The odds of neonatal death were significantly higher for live births with no reported antiseptic use (OR 1.53; 95% CI 1.18 to 1.99), and this association persisted when live births in health facilities were considered separately.

Conclusions

Even though dry cord care is recommended by health authorities in India, half the women in this study reported use of antiseptic for cord care mainly with gentian violet; and its use had beneficial effect on neonatal mortality. These findings suggest that the application of readily available gentian violet for cord care in less developed settings should be assessed further for its potential beneficial influence on neonatal mortality.
Adverse events following primary and secondary immunisation with whole-cell pertussis: a systematic review protocol
Authors: Patterson Jenna , Kagina Benjamin M , Gold Michael , Hussey Gregory D , Muloiwa Rudzani
Published: January 2017

Introduction

Pertussis is a contagious respiratory illness caused by the bacteriumBordetella pertussis.Two types of vaccines are currently available against the disease: whole-cell pertussis (wP) and acellular pertussis (aP). With the shift of high-income countries from wP to aP as a result of adverse events following immunisation (AEFI), an upsurge in reported cases of pertussis has been noticed. Owing to this, it is proposed to use wP as a prime and aP for boost vaccination strategy. However, a comparison of the AEFI with the first doses of wP and aP are not clearly documented.

Methods and analysis

The primary outcomes of interest are AEFI with dose 1 of wP, subsequent doses of wP and dose 1 of aP. As a secondary outcome frequency of AEFI with wP will be compared with the AEFI of doses 2 and 3 of wP and dose 1 of aP. Electronic databases will be searched and two authors will screen the titles and abstracts of the output. Full texts will then be independently reviewed by the first author and two other authors. Qualifying studies will then be formally assessed for quality and risk of bias using a scoring tool. Following standardised data extraction, statistical analysis will be carried out using STATA. Where data are available, subgroup analyses will be performed. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines will be followed in reporting the findings of the systematic review and meta-analysis.

Ethics and dissemination

No ethics approval is required as the systematic review will use only published data already in the public domain. Findings will be disseminated through publication in a peer-reviewed journal.

Trial registration number

This protocol has been registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO), registration number CRD42016035809.
Patient Evaluation of Emotional Comfort Experienced (PEECE): developing and testing a measurement instrument
Authors: Williams A M , Lester L , Bulsara C , Petterson A , Bennett K , Allen E , Joske D
Published: January 2017

Objectives

ThePatientEvaluation ofEmotionalComfortExperienced (PEECE) is a 12-item questionnaire which measures the mental well-being state of emotional comfort in patients. The instrument was developed using previous qualitative work and published literature.

Design

Instrument development.

Setting

Acute Care Public Hospital, Western Australia.

Participants

Sample of 374 patients.

Interventions

A multidisciplinary expert panel assessed the face and content validity of the instrument and following a pilot study, the psychometric properties of the instrument were explored.

Main outcome measures

Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis assessed the underlying dimensions of the PEECE instrument; Cronbach's α was used to determine the reliability; κ was used for test–retest reliability of the ordinal items.

Results

2 factors were identified in the instrument and named ‘positive emotions’ and ‘perceived meaning’. A greater proportion of male patients were found to report positive emotions compared with female patients. The instrument was found to be feasible, reliable and valid for use with inpatients and outpatients.

Conclusions

PEECE was found to be a feasible instrument for use with inpatient and outpatients, being easily understood and completed. Further psychometric testing is recommended.
Accounting for spatial complexities in the calculation of biological reference points: effects of misdiagnosing population structure for stock status indicators
Authors: Goethel Daniel R. , Berger Aaron M.
Published: January 2017

Misidentifying spatial population structure may result in harvest levels that are unable to achieve management goals. We developed a spatially explicit simulation model to determine how biological reference points differ among common population structures and to investigate the performance of management quantities that were calculated assuming incorrect spatial population dynamics. Simulated reference points were compared across a range of population structures and connectivity scenarios demonstrating the influence of spatial assumptions on management benchmarks. Simulations also illustrated that applying a harvest level based on misdiagnosed spatial structure leads to biased stock status indicators, overharvesting, or foregone yield. Across the scenarios examined, incorrectly specifying the connectivity dynamics (particularly misdiagnosing source–sink dynamics) was often more detrimental than ignoring spatial structure altogether. However, when the true dynamics exhibited spatial structure, incorrectly assuming panmictic structure resulted in severe depletion if harvesting concentrated on more productive population units (instead of being homogeneously distributed). Incorporating spatially generalized operating models, such as the one developed here, into management strategy evaluations will help develop management procedures that are more robust to spatial complexities.
On weakly conformally symmetric pseudo-Riemannian manifolds
Authors: Mantica Carlo Alberto , Suh Young Jin
Published: January 2017

In this paper, we study the properties of weakly conformally symmetric pseudo- Riemannian manifolds focusing particularly on the [Formula: see text]-dimensional Lorentzian case. First, we provide a new proof of an important result found in literature; then several new others are stated. We provide a decomposition for the conformal curvature tensor in [Formula: see text]. Moreover, some important identities involving two particular covectors are stated; for example, it is proven that under certain conditions the Ricci tensor and other tensors are Weyl compatible. Topological properties involving the vanishing of the first Pontryagin form are then stated. Further, we study weakly conformally symmetric [Formula: see text]-dimensional Lorentzian manifolds (space-times): it is proven that one of the previously defined co-vectors is null and unique up to a scaling. Moreover, it is shown that under certain conditions, the same vector is an eigenvector of the Ricci tensor and its integral curves are geodesics. Finally, it is stated that such space-time is of Petrov type N with respect to the same vector.
On the Chow groups of some hyperkähler fourfolds with a non-symplectic involution
Authors: Laterveer Robert
Published: January 2017

This paper concerns hyperkähler fourfolds [Formula: see text] having a non-symplectic involution [Formula: see text]. The Bloch–Beilinson conjectures predict the way [Formula: see text] should act on certain pieces of the Chow groups of [Formula: see text]. The main result is a verification of this prediction for Fano varieties of lines on certain cubic fourfolds. This has consequences for the Chow ring of the quotient [Formula: see text].
Link prediction based on local weighted paths for complex networks
Authors: Yao Yabing , Zhang Ruisheng , Yang Fan , Yuan Yongna , Hu Rongjing , Zhao Zhili
Published: January 2017

As a significant problem in complex networks, link prediction aims to find the missing and future links between two unconnected nodes by estimating the existence likelihood of potential links. It plays an important role in understanding the evolution mechanism of networks and has broad applications in practice. In order to improve prediction performance, a variety of structural similarity-based methods that rely on different topological features have been put forward. As one topological feature, the path information between node pairs is utilized to calculate the node similarity. However, many path-dependent methods neglect the different contributions of paths for a pair of nodes. In this paper, a local weighted path (LWP) index is proposed to differentiate the contributions between paths. The LWP index considers the effect of the link degrees of intermediate links and the connectivity influence of intermediate nodes on paths to quantify the path weight in the prediction procedure. The experimental results on 12 real-world networks show that the LWP index outperforms other seven prediction baselines.
Fixed-time synchronization of multi-links complex network
Authors: Zhao Hui , Li Lixiang , Peng Haipeng , Xiao Jinghua , Yang Yixian , Zheng Mingwen
Published: January 2017

In the paper, the fixed-time and finite-time synchronizations of multi-links complex network are investigated. Compared with finite-time synchronization, the settling time of fixed-time synchronization is independent of initial conditions. For uncertain multi-links complex networks, this paper further analyzes synchronization mechanism and unknown parameters based on the drive-response concept and finite-time stability theory. Novel synchronization control criteria and the result of parameters identification are, respectively, obtained in a finite time by utilizing Lyapunov function and linear matrix inequality (LMI). Besides, we give other two versions of finite-time synchronization and parameters identification for uncertain multi-links complex network with impulsive control input. Finally, numerical examples are given to illustrate the effectiveness of our theoretical results.
Dark solitons, Lax pair and infinitely-many conservation laws for a generalized (2+1)-dimensional variable-coefficient nonlinear Schrödinger equation in the inhomogeneous Heisenberg ferromagnetic spin chain
Authors: Zhao Xue-Hui , Tian Bo , Liu De-Yin , Wu Xiao-Yu , Chai Jun , Guo Yong-Jiang
Published: January 2017

Under investigation in this paper is a generalized (2+1)-dimensional variable-coefficient nonlinear Schrödinger equation in an inhomogeneous Heisenberg ferromagnetic spin chain. Lax pair and infinitely-many conservation laws are derived, indicating the existence of the multi-soliton solutions for such an equation. Via the Hirota method with an auxiliary function, bilinear forms, dark one-, two- and three-soliton solutions are derived. Propagation and interactions for the dark solitons are illustrated graphically: Velocity of the solitons is linearly related to the coefficients of the second- and fourth-order dispersion terms, while amplitude of the solitons does not depend on them. Interactions between the two solitons are shown to be elastic, while those among the three solitons are pairwise elastic.
Cucumber Detection Based on Texture and Color in Greenhouse
Authors: Li Dahua , Zhao Hui , Zhao Xiangfei , Gao Qiang , Xu Liang
Published: January 2017

Agriculture robot by mechanical harvesting requires automatic detection and counting of fruits in tree canopy. Because of color similarity, shape irregularity, and background complex, fruit identification turns to be a very difficult task and not to mention to execute pick action. Therefore, green cucumber detection within complex background is a challenging task due to all the above-mentioned problems. In this paper, a technique based on texture analysis and color analysis is proposed for detecting cucumber in greenhouse. RGB image was converted to gray-scale image and HSI image to perform algorithm, respectively. Color analysis was carried out in the first stage to remove background, such as soil, branches, and sky, while keeping green fruit pixels presented cucumbers and leaves as many as possible. In parallel, MSER and HOG were applied to texture analysis in gray-scale image. We can obtain some candidate regions by MSER to obtain the candidate including cucumber. The support vector machine is the classifier used for the identification task. In order to further remove false positives, key points were detected by a SIFT algorithm. Then, the results of color analysis and texture analysis were merged to get candidate cucumber regions. In the last stage, the mathematical morphology operation was applied to get complete cucumber.
Concurrent Multi-Band Low-Noise Amplifier
Authors: Ramya  , Rama Rao T. , Venkataraman Revathi
Published: January 2017

With rapid expansions of wireless communications, requirements for transceivers that support concurrent multiple services are continuously increasing and demanding design of a concurrent low-noise amplifier (LNA) with low noise figure (NF), high gain, and high linearity over a wide frequency range for various wireless applications. The proposed work focuses on a concurrent multi-band LNA that works at navigational frequencies, namely, of 1.2[Formula: see text]GHz and 1.5[Formula: see text]GHz, wireless communication frequencies, namely, of 2.45[Formula: see text]GHz and 3.3[Formula: see text]GHz, dedicated short range communication (DSRC) frequency of 5.8[Formula: see text]GHz for the vehicular communication applications. This circuit has a distinct input matching network which resonates at all desired five frequency bands and is achieved by adapting frequency transformation method. To accomplish simultaneous reception of the desired penta-band, the output matching is designed with simple LC matching network with the aid of load-pull methodology.
Study of the nucleon radiative captures 8Li(n,γ)9Li, 9Be(p,γ)10B, 10Be(n,γ)11Be, 10B(p,γ)11C, and 16O(p,γ)17F at thermal and astrophysical energies
Authors: Dubovichenko Sergey , Dzhazairov-Kakhramanov Albert
Published: January 2017

We have studied the neutron-capture reactions 8Li([Formula: see text]Li and its role in the primordial nucleosynthesis. The [Formula: see text] reaction has a significant astrophysical interest because it includes one of the variants of chain of primordial nucleosynthesis processes of the Universe and thermonuclear reactions in type II supernovae. Furthermore, we consider the [Formula: see text] reaction in the astrophysical energy range in the modified potential cluster model (MPCM) with splitting of orbital states according to Young tableaux and, in some cases, with forbidden states (FS). The reaction [Formula: see text] plays an important role in primordial and stellar nucleosynthesis of light elements in the [Formula: see text] shell. Hydrogen burning in second-generation stars occurs via the proton–proton (pp) chain and CNO cycle, with the [Formula: see text] reaction serving as an intermediate link between these cycles. Furthermore, the possibility of describing available experimental data for the total reaction cross-sections of neutron radiative capture on [Formula: see text]Be at thermal and astrophysical energies has been shown. This reaction is a part of one of the variants of the chain of primordial nucleosynthesis of the Universe due to which the elements with a mass of [Formula: see text] may be formed. The results in the field of study of thermonuclear proton-capture reaction on [Formula: see text] at ultralow, i.e., astrophysical energies will be presented further. The possibility of description of the experimental data for the astrophysical [Formula: see text]-factor of the proton radiative capture on [Formula: see text]O to the ground state (GS) of [Formula: see text]F was considered in the frame of the MPCM with FS and classification of the states according to Young tableaux. It was shown that on the basis of the [Formula: see text] transitions from the states of [Formula: see text]O scattering to the GS of [Formula: see text]F in the [Formula: see text]O channel generally succeed to explain the value of measured cross-sections at astrophysical energies.
The oxygen isotopes
Authors: Brown B. Alex
Published: January 2017

The properties of the oxygen isotopes provide diverse examples of progress made in experiments and theory. This chain of isotopes has been studied from beyond the proton drip line in [Formula: see text]O to beyond the neutron drip line in [Formula: see text]O. This short survey starts with the microscopic G matrix approach for [Formula: see text]O of Kuo and Brown in the 1960’s and shows how theory has evolved. The nuclear structure around the doubly-magic nucleus [Formula: see text]O is particularly simple in terms of the nuclear shell model. The nuclear structure around the doubly-magic nucleus [Formula: see text]O exhibits the coexistence of single-particle and collective structure.
Nucleon–anti-nucleon intruder state of Dirac equation for nucleon in deep scalar potential well
Authors: Kuo T. T. S. , Kuo T. K. , Osnes E. , Shu S.
Published: January 2017

We solve the Dirac radial equation for a nucleon in a scalar Woods–Saxon potential well of depth [Formula: see text] and radius [Formula: see text]. A sequence of values for the depth and radius are considered. For shallow potentials with [Formula: see text] the wave functions for the positive-energy states [Formula: see text] are dominated by their nucleon component [Formula: see text]. But for deeper potentials with [Formula: see text] the [Formula: see text]s begin to have dominant anti-nucleon component [Formula: see text]. In particular, a special intruder state enters with wave function [Formula: see text] and energy [Formula: see text]. We have considered several [Formula: see text] values between 2 and 8[Formula: see text]fm. For [Formula: see text] and the above [Formula: see text] values, [Formula: see text] is the only bound positive-energy state and has its [Formula: see text] closely equal to [Formula: see text], both having a narrow wave packet shape centered around [Formula: see text]. The [Formula: see text] of this state is practically independent of [Formula: see text] for the above [Formula: see text] range and obeys closely the relation [Formula: see text].
Attenuation of Sounds in a Pipe with Shear Flow Using Layered Metamaterials
Authors: Yang Wonseok , Park Junhong
Published: January 2017

This study presents a simulation of interactions between sound and a surrounding pipe structure conveying fluid flows. A sound-attenuating structure using layered metamaterials of cylindrical shells is proposed and verified. Numerical simulations based on the finite difference method after considering steady fluid flow in the pipe were performed. The effective wave speed and density of the fluid required to determine acoustic characteristics were calculated from the transfer matrix method. This enabled estimation of noise reduction capability. The metastructure layers were lined parallel to the pipe walls to minimize flow resistance. The effective density was negative near the resonance frequency of the layers. The transmission loss predicted for a moving fluid medium was smaller than that for a stationary medium due to boundary layer formation. The proposed method can be used to design silencers to reduce the transmitted noise in pipe systems.
An Interval Reduced Basis Approach and its Integrated Framework for Acoustic Response Analysis of Coupled Structural-Acoustic System
Authors: Lv Zheng , Qiu Zhiping , Li Qi
Published: January 2017

An interval reduced basis approach (IRBA) is presented for analyzing acoustic response of coupled structural-acoustic system with interval parameters. Simultaneously an integrated framework based on IRBA is established to deal with uncertain acoustic propagation using deterministic finite element (FE) software. The present IRBA aims to improve the accuracy of the conventional first-order approximation and also allow the efficient calculation of second-order approximation of acoustic response. In IRBA, acoustic response is approximated using a linear combination of interval basis vectors with undetermined coefficients. To get explicit expression of acoustic response in terms of interval parameters, the three terms of the second-order perturbation method are employed as basis vectors, and the variant of the Galerkin scheme is applied for derivation of the reduced-order system of equations. For the second-order approximation, the determination of acoustic response interval is reformulated into a series of quadratic programming problems, which are solved using the difference of convex functions (DC) algorithm effectively. The performance of IRBA and availability of the present framework are validated by numerical examples.
ARSENIC REMOVAL FROM WATER BY ADSORPTION ON IRON-CONTAMINATED CRYPTOCRYSTALLINE GRAPHITE
Authors: YANG QIANG , YANG LANG , SONG SHAOXIAN , XIA LING
Published: January 2017

This work aimed to study the feasibility of using iron-contaminated graphite as an adsorbent for As(V) removal from water. The adsorbent was prepared by grinding graphite concentrate with steel ball. The study was performed through the measurements of adsorption capacity, BET surface area and XPS analysis. The experimental results showed that the iron-contaminated graphite exhibited significantly high adsorption capacity of As(V). The higher the iron contaminated on the graphite surface, the higher the adsorption capacity of As(V) on the material obtained. It was suggested that the ion-contaminated graphite was a good adsorbent for As(V) removal.
Wavelet-Based Feature Vector for Shot Boundary Detection
Authors: Kavitha J. , Jansi Rani P. Arockia , Sowmyayani S.
Published: January 2017

The objective of this paper is to develop a shot boundary detection system to detect shots from a given video. To meet this objective, it is proposed to use feature vector in the process of identifying cut transition and gradual transition. The proposed method analyzes each video frame with its immediate left and right neighbor frame and identifies shot transitions. For each frame comparison, it considers color, edge, motion, and texture features of left and right frames. The proposed method is evaluated on video sequences from the TRECVID video set. The experimental results of the proposed method are compared with the existing methods. It is observed that the proposed method is suitable to perform robust shot boundary detection.
Textural Image Denoising Using Gumbel Random Vectors in Gaussian Noise
Authors: Kittisuwan P.
Published: January 2017

Gaussian noise is an important problem in computer vision. The novel methods that become popular in recent years for Gaussian noise reduction are Bayesian techniques in wavelet domain. In wavelet domain, the Bayesian techniques require a prior distribution of wavelet coefficients. In general case, the wavelet coefficients might be better modeled by non-Gaussian density such as Laplacian, two-sided gamma, and Pearson type VII densities. However, statistical analysis of textural image is Gaussian model. So, we require flexible model between non-Gaussian and Gaussian models. Indeed, Gumbel density is a suitable model. So, we present new Bayesian estimator for Gumbel random vectors in AWGN (additive white Gaussian noise). The proposed method is applied to dual-tree complex wavelet transform (DT-CWT) as well as orthogonal discrete wavelet transform (DWT). The simulation results show that our proposed methods outperform the state-of-the-art methods qualitatively and quantitatively.
Makeup Invariant Face Recognition using Features from Accelerated Segment Test and Eigen Vectors
Authors: Bhat Aruna
Published: January 2017

A methodology for makeup invariant robust face recognition based on features from accelerated segment test and Eigen vectors is proposed. Makeup and cosmetic changes in face have been a major cause of security breaches since long time. It is not only difficult for human eyes to catch an imposter but also an equally daunting task for a face recognition system to correctly identify an individual owing to changes brought about in face due to makeup. As a crucial pre-processing step, the face is first divided into various segments centered on the eyes, nose, lips and cheeks. FAST algorithm is then applied over the face images. The features thus derived from the facial image act as the fiducial points for that face. Thereafter principal component analysis is applied over the set of fiducial points in each segment of every face image present in the data sets in order to compute the Eigen vectors and the Eigen values. The resultant principal component which is the Eigen vector with the highest Eigen value yields the direction of the features in that segment. The principal components thus obtained using fiducial points generated from FAST in each segment of the test and the training data are compared in order to get the best match or no match.
Wide Angle Rigid Registration Using a Comparative Tensor Shape Factor
Authors: Cejnog Luciano W. X. , Yamada Fernando A. A. , Vieira Marcelo Bernardes
Published: January 2017

This work aims to enhance a classic method for rigid registration, the iterative closest point (ICP), modifying the closest point search in order to consider approximated information of local geometry combined to the Euclidean distance, originally used. For this, a preprocessing stage is applied, in which the local geometry is encoded in second-order orientation tensors. We define the CTSF, a similarity factor between tensors. Our method uses a strategy of weight variation between the CTSF and the Euclidean distance, in order to establish correspondences. Quantitative tests were made in point clouds with different geometric features, with variable levels of additive noise and outliers and in partial overlapping situations. Results show that the proposed modification increases the convergence probability of the method for higher angles, making the method comparable to state-of-art techniques.
A characterization of commutative rings whose maximal ideal spectrum is Noetherian
Authors: Hedayat Sina , Rostami Esmaeil
Published: January 2017

An ideal [Formula: see text] of a ring [Formula: see text] is called pseudo-irreducible if [Formula: see text] cannot be written as an intersection of two comaximal proper ideals of [Formula: see text]. In this paper, it is shown that the maximal spectrum of [Formula: see text] is Noetherian if and only if every proper ideal of [Formula: see text] can be expressed as a finite intersection of pseudo-irreducible ideals. Using a result of Hochster, we characterize all [Formula: see text] quasi-compact Noetherian topological spaces.
Computational study on favipiravir adsorption onto undoped- and silicon-decorated C60 fullerenes
Authors: Parlak Cemal , Alver Özgür , Şenyel Mustafa
Published: January 2017

Adsorption and interaction mechanisms of fullerene-based complex systems for possible drug delivery vehicles have been at the center of increasing attention. In the scope of this work, the interaction mechanism between an important antiviral drug favipiravir and silicon-doped/undoped C60 fullerenes have been investigated using density functional theory (DFT). Calculations were carried out in both gas phase and water media to see the possible solvent effects. The effect of adsorption of the favipiravir on the SiC59 fullerene system and the nature of interaction were examined by analyzing the band shifts in the carbonyl stretching vibrations and natural bond orbital (NBO) properties of the examined complexes. Some important structural and electronic properties were reported and discussed as well. It was observed that doping the C60 fullerene nanocages with silicon atom enhanced the adsorption mechanism and calculations performed in water media gave rise to more stable complexes for silicon-doped systems compared to the results obtained for the gas phase. Results and parameters found in the present search reveal further insights into the drug delivery systems.
Strategic Assessment of Power Smart Grid Technology Capabilities and Attractiveness: A Case Study on Iran Power Distribution Company
Authors: Mohaghegh Maral , Shirazi Babak
Published: January 2017

Power smart grid is a new concept to solve the basic problems of the current power network with higher reliability and safety, self-healing, the ability to support renewable energy sources and reducing environmental impacts. Novelty and necessity of power smart grid knowledge have shown that utilization and acquisition of these technologies need a spectacular management. The purpose of this study is to identify and select key technologies for investment and acquisition. According to that, this paper uses technology mapping for identification and attractiveness-capability matrix for evaluation and selection of appropriate technologies in Iran power distribution company (IPDC). Finally, 26 critical technologies have been identified and prioritized as strategic plan of IPDC. The proposed methodology is the resulted technology strategy in the IPDC.
Deforming 𝔥-trivial the Lie algebra Vect(S1) inside the Lie algebra of pseudodifferential operators Ψ𝒟𝒪
Authors: Basdouri Imed , Bartouli Issam , Lerbet Jean
Published: January 2017

In this paper, we consider the action of Vect(S1) by Lie derivative on the spaces of pseudodifferential operators [Formula: see text]. We study the [Formula: see text]-trivial deformations of the standard embedding of the Lie algebra Vect(S1) of smooth vector fields on the circle, into the Lie algebra of functions on the cotangent bundle [Formula: see text]. We classify the deformations of this action that become trivial once restricted to [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text] or [Formula: see text]. Necessary and sufficient conditions for integrability of infinitesimal deformations are given.
On Tarski algebras with a finite set of free generators
Authors: Figallo Aldo V.
Published: January 2017

In this paper, we describe a method to determine the structure of the Tarski algebra with a finite set of free generators which is different to that given by Iturrioz and Monteiro in [Les algèbres de Tarski avec un nombre fini de générateurs libres, in Informe Técnico, Vol. 37 (Instituto de Matemática de la Universidad Nacional del Sur, Bahía Blanca, 1994)].
Quantification of Protein Biomarker Using SERS Nano-Stress Sensing with Peak Intensity Ratiometry
Authors: Goh Douglas , Kong Kien Voon , Jayakumar Perumal , Gong Tianxun , Dinish U.S. , Olivo Malini
Published: January 2017

We report a surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) ratiometry method based on peak intensity coupled in a nano-stress sensing platform to detect and quantify biological molecules. Herein, we employed an antibody-conjugated [Formula: see text]-aminothiophenol (ATP) functionalized on a bimetallic-film-over-nanosphere (BMFON) substrate as a sensitive SERS platform to detect human haptoglobin (Hp) protein, which is an acute phase protein and a biomarker for various cancers. Correlation between change in the ATP spectral characteristics and concentration of Hp protein was established by examining the peak intensity ratio at 1572[Formula: see text]cm[Formula: see text] and 1592[Formula: see text]cm[Formula: see text] that reflects the degree of stress experienced by the aromatic ring of ATP during Hp protein–antibody interaction. Development of this platform shows the potential in developing a low-cost and sensitive SERS sensor for the pre-screening of various biomarkers.
Golden-Rule Level of the Employment
Authors: Tao Yong , Wu Xiangjun
Published: January 2017

The competitive economy, over a long time scale, would produce a large number of general equilibria, each of which can be regarded as a possible microstate of this economy. Then by the principle of maximum entropy, we can obtain the most probable macrostate which in the case of perfect competition involving a single industry will lead to a Solow-type aggregate production function. By this aggregate production function, one can make clear how labors match firms on the balanced growth path. Here, we prove that when the capital stock of a society arrives at the golden-rule level on the balanced growth path, the social employment will reach the best level at which every firm on average employs an optimal amount of workers.
Study of connectivity of open framework gravel facies in the Canterbury Plains aquifer using smoke as a tracer
Authors: Burbery Lee F. , Moore Catherine R. , Jones Merren A. , Abraham Phillip M. , Humphries Bronwyn L. , Close Murray E.
Published: January 2017

Open framework gravels (OFGs) are an inherent textural component of alluvial gravel outwash deposited by braided river systems. Being exceptionally permeable, they play an important part in facilitating the transmission of water and contaminants through alluvial gravel aquifers. Understanding how connected OFG facies are is helpful in making informed predictions about groundwater flow and contaminant transport through such aquifer systems. This work examined a section of the Rakaia fan, Canterbury, New Zealand. A 3 × 3 grid of large diameter auger holes was drilled in close proximity to a sea cliff, which provided very good three-dimensional exposure of the fan architecture. A novel smoke tracing experiment and water tracing field tests were conducted to measure the dynamic connectivity of the OFG facies. Smoke proved to be an effective tracer for measuring the interconnectedness of OFGs over set distances of 5 m. The water tracing tests confirmed that OFGs are connected across much longer distances – in excess of 18 m. Results from both tests revealed how rapid, and non-uniform, aqueous transport can be through alluvial outwash materials. The connectivity information will be used to improve realizations of the heterogeneity of the Canterbury Plains aquifer and inform future hydrogeological modelling.
Guilt by Association: A Phenotype-Based View of the Plant Phosphoinositide Network
Authors: Gerth Katharina , Lin Feng , Menzel Wilhelm , Krishnamoorthy Praveen , Stenzel Irene , Heilmann Mareike , Heilmann Ingo
Published: January 2017

Eukaryotic membranes contain small amounts of phospholipids that have regulatory effects on the physiological functions of cells, tissues, and organs. Phosphoinositides (PIs)—the phosphorylated derivatives of phosphatidylinositol—are one example of such regulatory lipids. Although PIs were described in plants decades ago, their contribution to the regulation of physiological processes in plants is not well understood. In the past few years, evidence has emerged that PIs are essential for plant function and development. Recently reported phenotypes associated with the perturbation of different PIs suggest that some subgroups of PIs influence specific processes. Although the molecular targets of PI-dependent regulation in plants are largely unknown, the effects of perturbed PI metabolism can be used to propose regulatory modules that involve particular downstream targets of PI regulation. This review summarizes phenotypes associated with the perturbation of the plant PI network to categorize functions and suggest possible downstream targets of plant PI regulation.
In Vitro Release Kinetics of Microencapsulated Materials and the Effect of the Food Matrix
Authors: Flores Floirendo P. , Kong Fanbin
Published: January 2017

Many biomaterials are encapsulated to preserve their health-promoting properties and promote targeted delivery. Numerous papers have been published about extraction and purification methods, encapsulation techniques, and release properties of encapsulated biomaterials. Despite the abundant information, the food applications of encapsulated materials are currently limited. One approach to increase the food applications is to investigate the mathematical aspects of release behavior and the effect of the food matrix. Such information is useful in evaluating suitable food matrices and predicting the extent of bioavailability of the biomaterial. This review aims to discuss the kinetic models of release, current efforts to promote sustained release, and food matrices currently used in in vitro investigations. Information from pharmaceutical studies is integrated and reviewed to determine possible food applications. Future research on microencapsulated biomaterials conducted along these aspects may hopefully hasten nutraceutical applications.
Construal Level Theory in Organizational Research
Authors: Wiesenfeld Batia M. , Reyt Jean-Nicolas , Brockner Joel , Trope Yaacov
Published: January 2017

Construal level theory (CLT) offers a rich and rigorous conceptual model of how the context shapes mental representations and subsequent outcomes. The theory has generated new understanding of cognitions and behaviors such as prediction, evaluation, and decision making in the fields of psychology and consumer behavior. Recently, management and organizational scholars have begun to leverage CLT to derive novel insights regarding organizational phenomena. This article describes CLT and its theoretical underpinnings, provides a focused and integrated review of organizational research incorporating CLT, and offers an agenda for future work in which CLT opens the door to new avenues of inquiry in organizational research and reinvigorates scholarly interest in cognition in organizations.
Team Innovation
Authors: van Knippenberg Daan
Published: January 2017

Team innovation is of growing importance in research in organizational psychology and organizational behavior as well as organizational practice. I review the empirical literature in team innovation to draw integrative conclusions about the state of the science and to provide a research agenda to move the field forward. The review identifies two main perspectives in team innovation research, the knowledge integration perspective and the team climate perspective. Key conclusions focus on the need to integrate these perspectives to develop an integrative contingency model of the factors providing teams with diverse informational resources and the factors influencing the extent to which teams integrate these resources in a process of information exchange and integration. As part of these integrative efforts, construct consolidation efforts are important to reverse the tendency for proliferation of substantially overlapping moderators and mediators proposed. The review also identifies the contingencies of the relationship between idea development and idea implementation as the most important understudied issue in team innovation research.
Voter Identification Laws and Turnout in the United States
Authors: Highton Benjamin
Published: January 2017

This article analyzes voter identification laws in the United States and their effects on voter turnout. Theoretically, there are plausible reasons to hypothesize turnout lowering effects, though there are also reasons to hypothesize those effects might be minimal. Methodologically, there are research design hurdles to clear in order to produce effect estimates that may be attributed to voter identification laws. Empirically, a small number of studies have employed suitable research designs and generally find modest, if any, turnout effects of voter identification laws. This may indicate that voter identification laws have only minor effects on turnout, or it may be due to the fact that the type of voter identification law that may have the most significant effects—a strict photo identification law—is a relatively recent phenomenon. Future elections and the related additional data may make it possible to adjudicate among these possibilities.
Progovernment Militias
Authors: Carey Sabine C. , Mitchell Neil J.
Published: January 2017

Sociologists, political scientists, and economists have long emphasized the benefits of monopolizing violence and the risks of failing to do so. Yet recent research on conflict, state failure, genocide, coups, and election violence suggests governments cannot or will not form a monopoly. Governments worldwide are more risk acceptant than anticipated. They give arms and authority to a variety of nonstate actors, militias, vigilantes, death squads, proxy forces, paramilitaries, and counterbalancing forces. We develop a typology based on the links of the militia to the government and to society as a device to capture variations among these groups. We use the typology to explore insights from this emerging literature on the causes, consequences, and puzzling survival of progovernment militias and their implications for security and human rights, as well as to generate open questions for further research.
Caveolins and cavins in the trafficking, maturation, and degradation of caveolae: implications for cell physiology
Authors: Busija Anna R. , Patel Hemal H. , Insel Paul A.
Published: January 2017

Caveolins (Cavs) are ~20 kDa scaffolding proteins that assemble as oligomeric complexes in lipid raft domains to form caveolae, flask-shaped plasma membrane (PM) invaginations. Caveolae (“little caves”) require lipid-lipid, protein-lipid, and protein-protein interactions that can modulate the localization, conformational stability, ligand affinity, effector specificity, and other functions of proteins that are partners of Cavs. Cavs are assembled into small oligomers in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), transported to the Golgi for assembly with cholesterol and other oligomers, and then exported to the PM as an intact coat complex. At the PM, cavins, ~50 kDa adapter proteins, oligomerize into an outer coat complex that remodels the membrane into caveolae. The structure of caveolae protects their contents (i.e., lipids and proteins) from degradation. Cellular changes, including signal transduction effects, can destabilize caveolae and produce cavin dissociation, restructuring of Cav oligomers, ubiquitination, internalization, and degradation. In this review, we provide a perspective of the life cycle (biogenesis, degradation), composition, and physiologic roles of Cavs and caveolae and identify unanswered questions regarding the roles of Cavs and cavins in caveolae and in regulating cell physiology.1