bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Acaricides impair prey location in a predatory phytoseiid mite
Authors: Lima D. B. , Oliveira H. K. V. , Melo J. W. S. , Gondim Júnior M. G. C. , Guedes R. N. C. , Pallini A. , Oliveira J. E. M.
Published: May 2016

The use of predatory mites as the sole management tactic in biological control programmes frequently does not fully and reliably prevents damage of phytophagous mites on plants. Therefore, as an alternative, the integration of predatory mites with acaricides can provide more effective control of phytophagous mites than that of the predators only. However, for such integration, acaricides minimal negative impacts on predatory mites are required. In this study, we evaluated the sublethal effects of three acaricides on the foraging behaviour of Neoseiulus baraki (Athias‐Henriot) (Acari: Phytoseiidae) in a coconut production system. The acaricides were assessed for interference with the location of prey habitat using a Y‐tube olfactometer and for interference with the location of the prey colony within the habitat using a video‐tracking system. In addition to the choice of odour source, the time required and the distance walked to make the choice were assessed. The acaricides tested were abamectin, azadirachtin and fenpyroximate. The predatory mite preferred coconuts infested with the coconut mite Aceria guerreronis Keifer (Acari: Eriophyidae) over uninfested coconuts when not exposed to acaricides. However, when exposed to acaricides, the predator did not distinguish between infested and uninfested fruits. When exposed to abamectin, N. baraki spent more time resting and walked greater distances before making the choice of an odour source. Thus, the acaricides impair the ability of the predatory mite N. baraki to locate a prey habitat and to locate a prey within that habitat. The acaricides differentially affected prey foraging by interfering with odour perception.
A new framing approach in guideline development to manage different sources of knowledge
Authors: Lukersmith Sue , Hopman Katherine , Vine Kristina , Krahe Lee , McColl Alexander
Published: May 2016

Rationale

Contemporary guideline methodology struggles to consider context and information from different sources of knowledge besides quantitative research. Return to work programmes involve multiple components and stakeholders. If the guideline is to be relevant and practical for a complex intervention such as return to work, it is essential to use broad sources of knowledge.

Aims and Objective

This paper reports on a new method in guideline development to manage different sources of knowledge.

Methods

The method used framing for the return‐to‐work guidance within the Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Management of Rotator Cuff Syndrome in the Workplace. The development involved was a multi‐disciplinary working party of experts including consumers. The researchers considered a broad range of research, expert (practice and experience) knowledge, the individual's and workplace contexts, and used framing with the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health. Following a systematic database search on four clinical questions, there were seven stages of knowledge management to extract, unpack, map and pack information to the ICF domains framework. Companion graded recommendations were developed.

Results

The results include practical examples, user and consumer guides, flow charts and six graded or consensus recommendations on best practice for return to work intervention.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest using framing in guideline methodology with internationally accepted frames such as the ICF is a reliable and transparent framework to manage different sources of knowledge. Future research might examine other examples and methods for managing complexity and using different sources of knowledge in guideline development.
Influence of Input‐Scrap Quality on the Environmental Impact of Secondary Steel Production
Authors: Haupt Melanie , Vadenbo Carl , Zeltner Christoph , Hellweg Stefanie
Published: May 2016

In electric arc furnaces (EAFs), different grades of steel scrap are combined to produce the targeted carbon steel quality. The goal of this study is to assess the influence of scrap quality on the recycling process and on the final product by investigating the effect of the scrap mix composition, and other inputs, for example, preheating energy, on the electricity demand of the melting process. A large industrial data set (empirical data set of ∼20,000 individual heats recorded during 2.5 years at a Swiss EAF site) is analyzed using linear regression. The influence of scrap grades on electricity demand are found to correlate strongly with their respective quality; specific electricity demand is up to 45% higher for low‐quality scrap than for high‐quality scrap. Given that chemical compositions of scrap grades are highly variable and often unknown, average concentrations are determined using linear regression with scrap input as the predictors and the amounts of the investigated elements in liquid steel as the dependent variable. The lowest quality (highest copper and tin concentrations) and the highest electricity demand in the EAF are found for scrap recovered from bottom ashes of municipal solid waste incineration. Although even with low‐quality scrap input steel recycling is environmentally superior to primary steel production, the optimization potential in terms of energy efficiency and resource recovery, for example, through pretreatment, seems to be substantial.
Combined microscopy and molecular analyses show phloem occlusions and cell wall modifications in tomato leaves in response to ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma solani’
Authors: MARCO F. DE , PAGLIARI L. , DEGOLA F. , BUXA S. V. , LOSCHI A. , DINANT S. , HIR R. LE , MORIN H. , SANTI S. , MUSETTI R.
Published: May 2016

Callose deposition, phloem‐protein conformational changes and cell wall thickening are calcium‐mediated occlusions occurring in the plant sieve elements in response to different biotic and abiotic stresses. However, the significance of these structures in plant–phytoplasma interactions requires in‐depth investigations. We adopted a novel integrated approach, based on the combined use of microscopic and molecular analyses, to investigate the structural modifications induced in tomato leaf tissues in presence of phytoplasmas, focusing on vascular bundles and on the occlusion structures. Phloem hyperplasia and string‐like arrangement of xylem vessels were found in infected vascular tissue. The diverse occlusion structures were differentially modulated in the phloem in response to phytoplasma infection. Callose amount was higher in midribs from infected plants than in healthy ones. Callose was observed at sieve plates but not at pore‐plasmodesma units. A putative callose synthase gene encoding a protein with high similarity to Arabidopsis CalS7, responsible for callose deposition at sieve plates, was upregulated in symptomatic leaves, indicating a modulation in the response to stolbur infection. P‐proteins showed configuration changes in infected sieve elements, exhibiting condensation of the filaments. The transcripts for a putative P‐protein 2 and a sieve element occlusion‐related protein were localized in the phloem but only the first one was modulated in the infected tissues.
Australian Cattle Dogs with Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis are Homozygous for aCLN5Nonsense Mutation Previously Identified in Border Collies
Authors: Kolicheski A. , Johnson G.S. , O'Brien D.P. , Mhlanga‐Mutangadura T. , Gilliam D. , Guo J. , Anderson‐Sieg T.D. , Schnabel R.D. , Taylor J.F. , Lebowitz A. , Swanson B. , Hicks D. , Niman Z.E. , Wininger F.A. , Carpentier M.C. , Katz M.L.
Published: May 2016

Background

Neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (NCL), a fatal neurodegenerative disease, has been diagnosed in young adult Australian Cattle Dogs.

Objective

Characterize the Australian Cattle Dog form ofNCLand determine its molecular genetic cause.

Animals

Tissues from 4 Australian Cattle Dogs withNCL‐like signs and buccal swabs from both parents of a fifth affected breed member. ArchivedDNAsamples from 712 individual dogs were genotyped.

Methods

Tissues were examined by fluorescence, electron, and immunohistochemical microscopy. A whole‐genome sequence was generated for 1 affected dog. A TaqMan allelic discrimination assay was used for genotyping.

Results

The accumulation of autofluorescent cytoplasmic storage material with characteristic ultrastructure in tissues from the 4 affected dogs supported a diagnosis ofNCL. The whole‐genome sequence contained a homozygous nonsense mutation:CLN5:c.619C>T. All 4DNAsamples from clinically affected dogs tested homozygous for the variant allele. Both parents of the fifth affected dog were heterozygotes. ArchivedDNAsamples from 346 Australian Cattle Dogs, 188 Border Collies, and 177 dogs of other breeds were homozygous for the reference allele. One archived Australian Cattle Dog sample was from a heterozygote.

Conclusions and Clinical Importance

The homozygousCLN5nonsense is almost certainly causal because the same mutation previously had been reported to cause a similar form ofNCLin Border Collies. Identification of the molecular genetic cause of Australian Cattle DogNCLwill allow the use ofDNAtests to confirm the diagnosis ofNCLin this breed.
Genomic evidence for ecological divergence against a background of population homogeneity in the marine snail Chlorostoma funebralis
Authors: Gleason Lani U. , Burton Ronald S.
Published: May 2016

The balance between natural selection, gene flow and genetic drift is difficult to resolve in marine invertebrates with extensive dispersal and fluctuating population sizes. The intertidal snail Chlorostoma funebralis has planktonic larvae and previous work using mtDNA polymorphism reported no genetic population structure. Nevertheless, recent studies have documented differences in thermal tolerance and transcriptomic responses to heat stress between northern and southern California, USA, populations. To gain insight into the dynamics influencing adaptive divergence, we used double‐digest restriction site‐associated DNA (ddRAD) sequencing to identify 1861 genomewide, quality‐filtered single‐nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) loci for C. funebralis collected from three northern and three southern California sites (15 individuals per population). Considering all SNPs, there was no evidence for genetic differentiation among populations or regions (average FST = 0.0042). However, outlier tests revealed 34 loci putatively under divergent selection between northern and southern populations, and structure and SNP tree analyses based on these outliers show clear genetic differentiation between geographic regions. Three of these outliers are known or hypothesized to be involved in stress granule formation, a response to environmental stress such as heat. Combined with previous work that found thermally tolerant southern populations show high baseline expression of stress response genes, these results further suggest that thermal stress is a strong selective pressure across C. funebralis populations. Overall, this study increases our understanding of the factors constraining local adaptation in marine organisms, while suggesting that ecologically driven, strong differentiation can occur at relevant loci in a species with planktonic larvae.
Challenging ‘girls only’ publicly funded human papillomavirus vaccination programmes
Authors: Law Victoria G , Gustafson Diana L
Published: May 2016

This analysis examines the ‘girls only’ policy for publicly funded human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programmes. Current funding policy in most Canadian provinces covers ‘girls only’ with the goal of reducing mortality and morbidity rates of HPV‐related cervical cancer. Recent studies indicate increasing rates of other HPV‐related cancers among cisgender men and women. The HPV vaccine is proving effective against some of these cancers. Statistics on HPV vaccine uptake among individuals with different gender expressions are scarce. Critics argue that a ‘girls only’ HPV vaccine policy is inequitable. We add to this critique by reflecting on the gender binary embedded in such policies and produced through epidemiological studies that attend differentially to females, reinforcing exclusionary practices that leave out those who form their gender identities across the spectrum. We then draw on deontological (duties‐based) and utilitarian (utility‐based) frameworks to show that these gendered policies are also unethical. These challenges to the assumptions underlying ‘girls only’ immunization programmes have implications for nurses and the healthcare system. If we are to advance equitable and ethical health outcomes, we entreat nurses as a collective to mobilize the public to lobby federal, provincial and territorial governments to fund more inclusive HPV vaccination policies.
On Shermer on morality
Authors: Miller Christian B.
Published: May 2016

This is my critical commentary on Michael Shermer's paper “Morality is real, objective, and natural.” Shermer and I agree that morality is both real and objective. Here I raise serious reservations about both Shermer's account of where morality comes from and his account of what morality tells us to do. His approach to the foundations of morality would allow some very disturbing behaviors to count as moral, and his approach to what morality says does not provide the action guidance we need from a moral theory.
From bench to bed and back again: phage therapy of childhood Escherichia coli diarrhea
Authors: Sarker Shafiqul A. , Brüssow Harald
Published: May 2016

Over the last 20 years, the Nestlé Research Center in Switzerland and the International Center for Diarrhoeal Diseases Research in Bangladesh have explored the efficacy of alternative biological agents for the treatment of diarrheal diseases. This paper reviews the work of this collaborative effort, particularly on Escherichia coli phage therapy (PT), and discusses the development of the project, starting with the isolation of T4‐like coliphages from the stool of diarrhea patients, their pilot plant amplification and purification, and the constitution and testing of a cocktail of T4‐like phages in mice. A series of phase I clinical trials has demonstrated the safety of PT. Oral phage given without protection survived gastric passage and was recovered in the feces. Oral T4 phage cocktail was then tested in parallel to a commercial phage product in a phase II randomized, placebo‐controlled single‐center trial in Bangladeshi children hospitalized with acute E. coli diarrhea. It was found that oral phage did not perform better than the current standard of care by oral rehydration/zinc treatment. Furthermore, fecal E. coli pathogen titers were low and mixed infections were found to be frequent. Microbiota analysis showed a correlation between diarrhea and increased levels of Streptococcus, which raises fundamental questions on the causative agent of diarrhea that may explain PT clinical failure.
Equating spatial summation in visual field testing reveals greater loss in optic nerve disease
Authors: Kalloniatis Michael , Khuu Sieu K.
Published: May 2016

Purpose

To test the hypothesis that visual field assessment in ocular disease measured with target stimuli within or close to complete spatial summation results in larger threshold elevation compared to when measured with the standard Goldmann III target size. The hypothesis predicts a greater loss will be identified in ocular disease. Additionally, we sought to develop a theoretical framework that would allow comparisons of thresholds with disease progression when using different Goldmann targets.

Methods

The Humphrey Field Analyser (HFA) 30‐2 grid was used in 13 patients with early/established optic nerve disease using the current Goldmann III target size or a combination of the three smallest stimuli (target size I, II and III). We used data from control subjects at each of the visual field locations for the different target sizes to establish the number of failed points (events) for the patients with optic nerve disease, as well as global indices for mean deviation (MD) and pattern standard deviation (PSD).

Results

The 30‐2 visual field testing using alternate target size stimuli showed that all 13 patients displayed more defects (events) compared to the standard Goldmann III target size. The median increase for events was seven additional failed points: (range 1–26). The global indices also increased when the new testing approach was used (MD −3.47 to −6.25 dB and PSD 4.32 to 6.63 dB). Spatial summation mapping showed an increase in critical area (Ac) in disease and overall increase in thresholds when smaller target stimuli were used.

Conclusions

When compared to the current Goldmann III paradigm, the use of alternate sized targets within the 30‐2 testing protocol revealed a greater loss in patients with optic nerve disease for both event analysis and global indices (MD and PSD). We therefore provide evidence in a clinical setting that target size is important in visual field testing.
Changes in Implantation Patterns and Therapy Rates of Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators over Time in Ischemic and Dilated Cardiomyopathy Patients
Authors: VANDENBERK BERT , GARWEG CHRISTOPHE , VOROS GABOR , FLORÉ VINCENT , MARYNISSEN THOMAS , STICHERLING CHRISTIAN , ZABEL MARKUS , ECTOR JORIS , WILLEMS RIK
Published: May 2016

Background

Clinical guidelines on implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) therapy changed significantly in the last decades with potential inherent effects on therapy efficacy. We aimed to study therapy rates in time and the association between therapies and mortality.

Methods

All patients receiving an ICD, primary and secondary prevention, were included in a single‐center retrospective registry. Information on first appropriate and inappropriate therapies was documented. Dates of implant were divided in P1: 1996–2001, P2: 2002–2008, and P3: 2009–2014.

Results

A total of 727 patients, 84.9% male—66.4% ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM)—56% primary prevention—mean follow‐up 5.2 ± 4.1 years, were included. There was a shift from secondary to primary prevention indications, from ischemic to non‐ICM, and from single chamber to cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator devices. The annual 1‐ and 3‐year appropriate shock (AS) rate declined from 29.4% and 15.1% in P1, over 13.3% and 9.2% in P2 to 7.8% and 5.7% in P3 (log‐rank P < 0.001), while inappropriate shock (IAS) rates remained unchanged (log‐rank P = 0.635). After multivariate regression analysis a higher age at implant, lower left ventricular ejection fraction, history of stroke, diabetes mellitus, intake of loop diuretics or digitalis, higher creatinine, and longer QTc were independent predictors of mortality.

Conclusion

These changes in clinical practice with a shift to primary prevention and rise in non‐ICM implants caused a significant decrease in AS incidence, while IAS remained stable. Receiving AS or IAS was not an independent predictor of mortality in our real‐life cohort.
Pregnancy Loss in Dairy Cattle: Relationship of Ultrasound, Blood Pregnancy‐Specific Protein B, Progesterone and Production Variables
Authors: Gábor G , Kastelic JP , Abonyi‐Tóth Z , Gábor P , Endrődi T , Balogh OG
Published: May 2016

Contents

Objectives were to determine associations between percentage pregnancy loss (PPL) in dairy cattle and: (i) pregnancy diagnosis by ultrasonography; (ii) pregnancy diagnosis by serum pregnancy‐specific protein B (PSPB) concentrations, with or without serum progesterone concentrations; and (iii) production and environmental factors. This study included 149 822 pregnancy diagnoses conducted over 13 years in Holstein‐Friesian cows in Hungarian dairy herds. The following were determined: PPL in cows diagnosed pregnant by transrectal ultrasonography 29–42 days after artificial insemination (AI; n = 11 457); PPL in cows diagnosed pregnant by serum PSPB 29–35 days after AI (n = 138 365); and PPL and its association with serum progesterone concentrations, PSPB and production/environmental variables. The definition of PPL was percentage of cows initially diagnosed pregnant based on ultrasonography or PSPB, but not pregnant when examined by transrectal palpation 60 –70 days after AI. The PPL was lower (p < 0.001) in cows following ultrasonographic vs PSPB diagnosis of pregnancy at 29–35 days (8.1 vs 19.3%, respectively), but was higher in cows following ultrasonographic pregnancy diagnosis on 29–35 vs 36–42 days (8.1 vs 7.1%, respectively, P < 0.05). Furthermore, 72.9% of pregnancies with ultrasound‐detected morphological abnormalities resulted in pregnancy loss. As a subset of PSPB data, a fully quantitative PSPB assay was used for 20 430 samples; PPL in cows with a high PSPB concentration (>1.1 ng/ml) was lowest (15.0%), whereas cows with low concentrations of both PSPB and progesterone (0.6–1.1 and <2 ng/ml, respectively) had the highest PPL (76.3%; p < 0.0001). Furthermore, PPL was higher in cows with advanced parity and with high milk production, when ambient temperatures were high, although body condition score (BCS) had no effect on PPL. Finally, there were no significant associations between serum PSPB and environmental temperatures or number of post‐partum uterine treatments.
MO2TOS: Multi-Fidelity Optimization with Ordinal Transformation and Optimal Sampling
Authors: Xu Jie , Zhang Si , Huang Edward , Chen Chun-Hung , Lee Loo Hay , Celik Nurcin
Published: May 2016

Simulation optimization can be used to solve many complex optimization problems in automation applications such as job scheduling and inventory control. We propose a new framework to perform efficient simulation optimization when simulation models with different fidelity levels are available. The framework consists of two novel methodologies: ordinal transformation (OT) and optimal sampling (OS). The OT methodology uses the low-fidelity simulations to transform the original solution space into an ordinal space that encapsulates useful information from the low-fidelity model. The OS methodology efficiently uses high-fidelity simulations to sample the transformed space in search of the optimal solution. Through theoretical analysis and numerical experiments, we demonstrate the promising performance of the multi-fidelity optimization with ordinal transformation and optimal sampling (MO2TOS) framework.
Polynomial-Time Solvability of Dynamic Lot Size Problems
Authors: Li Chung-Lun , Li Qingying
Published: May 2016

There has been a lot of research on dynamic lot sizing problems with different nonlinear cost structures due to capacitated production, minimum order quantity requirements, availability of quantity discounts, etc. Developing optimal solutions efficiently for dynamic lot sizing models with nonlinear cost functions is a challenging topic. In this paper, we present a set of sufficient conditions such that if a single-item dynamic lot sizing problem satisfies these conditions, then the existence of a polynomial-time solution method for the problem is guaranteed. Several examples are presented to demonstrate the use of these sufficient conditions.
On Maximum Discounted Effort Reward Search Problem
Authors: El-Hadidy Mohamed Abd Allah
Published: May 2016

In this paper, we formulate a new search model for detecting two related targets that randomly located in a finite set of different cells or randomly moved through those cells. We assume that the search effort at each fixed number of time intervals is a random variable with a normal distribution. Rather than minimizing the expected effort of detecting two related targets, the proposed mathematical model allows us to include the search effort as a function with fuzzy parameter (discounted parameter). Another feature of this paper is considering a fuzzy extension of a stochastic optimization problem, which is interesting. We present an algorithm that gives the optimal distribution of an effort which makes the discounted effort reward of finding the targets is maximum. Two numerical examples are illustrated to show the effectiveness of this model by setting some parameters to represent some situations, such as detecting the enemy ships, fighters and the landmines in the war.
Equilibrium Strategies and Optimal Control for a Double-Ended Queue
Authors: Shi Ying , Lian Zhaotong
Published: May 2016

In this paper, we study a passenger–taxi matching queue system. The system is modeled as a birth-and-death process. Since the system is so complex, we mainly focus on numerical analysis. A centralized system and a decentralized one are considered. In the centralized system, the government sets thresholds for both passengers and taxis to maximize the social welfare. We analyze the performance measures of this model, discuss the range of two thresholds that ensures positive social welfare, and numerically give the upper bound of threshold. In the decentralized system, passengers and taxis determine whether to join the system or balk based on their individual utility functions. Further, we consider the government’s tax and subsidy to the taxi drivers. Numerical results show that the social welfare function in the centralized system is concave with respect to the thresholds and the government central planning benefits the society. In the decentralized system, no matter what the passenger and taxi arrival rates are, the social welfare is concave with respect to the taxi fare. Moreover, we analyze the effect of the arrival rates and the benefits of the tax and subsidy.
New supersymmetric black holes in four-dimensional N = 2 supergravity
Authors: Mandal Taniya , Tripathy Prasanta K.
Published: May 2016

In this paper, we consider the four-dimensional N = 2 supergravity theory arising from the compactification of type IIA string theory on a Calabi–Yau manifold. We analyze the supersymmetric flow equations for static, spherically symmetric, single-centered black holes. These flow equations are solved by a set of algebraic equations involving the holomorphic sections and harmonic functions. We examine black hole configurations with D0–D4–D6 charge for which the most general solution of these algebraic equations are considered. Though the black hole solution is unique for a given value of the charges, we find new phases of the black hole solutions upon varying them.
Priority-Based Task Scheduling in the Cloud Systems Using a Memetic Algorithm
Authors: Keshanchi Bahman , Navimipour Nima Jafari
Published: May 2016

Task scheduling is one of the major issues to achieve high performance in distributed systems such as Grid, Peer-to-Peer and cloud environment. Generally, there are two phases in heuristics-based task scheduling algorithms in heterogeneous distributed computing systems (HeDCSs). These phases are task prioritization and processor assigning respectively. Heuristic-based task scheduling algorithms may use different policies to assign priority to subtasks which produce different makespans in a heterogeneous computing system. Thus, a suitable scheduling algorithm is one that can efficiently assign a priority to tasks in order to minimize makespan. Recently, memetic algorithms (MAs) have been used as evolutionary or population-based global search approaches with local search heuristic to optimize NP-complete problems. Recent studies on MAs have discovered their success on a wide variety of real-world problems. Since the task scheduling problem is an NP-complete, in this paper, a new task scheduling algorithm on cloud environment using multiple priority queues and a memetic algorithm (MPQMA) is proposed. The proposed method uses a genetic algorithm (GA) along with hill climbing to assign a priority to each subtask while using a heuristic-based earliest finish time (EFT) approach to search for a solution for the task-to-processor mapping. The basic idea of our approach is using the advantage of MA to increase the convergence speed of the solutions. We implemented the algorithm on Azure Cloud Service by C# language where the experimental results for the set of randomly generated graphs revealed that the proposed MPQMA algorithm outperformed the existing three task scheduling algorithms in terms of makespan with fast convergence to the optimized solution.
A TYPE OF FRACTAL INTERPOLATION FUNCTIONS AND THEIR FRACTIONAL CALCULUS
Authors: LIANG YONG-SHUN , ZHANG QI
Published: May 2016

Combine Chebyshev systems with fractal interpolation, certain continuous functions have been approximated by fractal interpolation functions unanimously. Local structure of these fractal interpolation functions (FIF) has been discussed. The relationship between order of Riemann–Liouville fractional calculus and Box dimension of FIF has been investigated.
An efficient Fourier expansion method for the calculation of value-at-risk: Contributions of extra-ordinary risks
Authors: U Sio Chong , So Jacky , Ding Deng , Liu Lihong
Published: May 2016

This paper proposes a new method to compute Value-at-Risk (VaR) of a given portfolio, in which the returns of different assets are assumed to come from the log-stable Paretian family with and without identical characteristic exponents (extra-ordinary risk). The advantage of stable Paretian is its “stability” under sum, i.e., assets with the same characteristic exponent will generate portfolios with the same characteristic exponent, the self-similar property. Empirically, assets may have different characteristic exponent estimates that may be caused by estimation errors or in fact, different assets have different return generating properties. Theories to justify the latter has yet to be developed. McCulloch (1985, 2006), Shephard (1994)’s local scale models, etc. however are consistent with this “unstable” behavior. For the former, we believe that it can be captured by larger standard errors of the estimates. Our Fourier-cosine based method is first applied to compute VaR of log-stable Paretian distributions with different characteristic exponents. In this study, we provide an error analysis for the method. We also prove the properties for some of our models. A series of numerical results based on empirical data and simulations are showed to support the efficiency of this new method.
Snap Rounding with Restore
Authors: Belussi Alberto , Migliorini Sara , Negri Mauro , Pelagatti Giuseppe
Published: May 2016

This article presents a new algorithm called Snap Rounding with Restore (SRR), which aims to make geometric datasets robust and to increase the quality of geometric approximation and the preservation of topological structure. It is based on the well-known Snap Rounding algorithm but improves it by eliminating from the snap rounded arrangement the configurations in which the distance between a vertex and a nonincident edge is smaller than half the width of a pixel of the rounding grid. Therefore, the goal of SRR is exactly the same as the goal of another algorithm, Iterated Snap Rounding (ISR), and of its evolution, Iterated Snap Rounding with Bounded Drift (ISRBD). However, SRR produces an output with a quality of approximation that is on average better than ISRBD, under the viewpoint both of the distance from the original segments and of the conservation of their topological structure. The article also reports some cases where ISRBD, notwithstanding the bounded drift, produces strong topological modifications while SRR does not. A statistical analysis on a large collection of input datasets confirms these differences. It follows that the proposed Snap Rounding with Restore algorithm is suitable for applications that require robustness, a guaranteed geometric approximation, and a good topological approximation.
Coding Rate Analysis of Forbidden Overlap Codes in High-Speed Buses
Authors: Chang Cheng-Shang , Cheng Jay , Huang Tien-Ke , Lee Duan-Shin , Chen Cheng-Yu
Published: May 2016

One of the main problems in deep submicron designs of high-speed buses is propagation delay due to the crosstalk effect. To alleviate the crosstalk effect, there are several types of crosstalk avoidance codes proposed in the literature. In this article, we analyze the coding rates of forbidden overlap codes (FOCs) that avoid “010 → 101” transition and “101 → 010” transition on any three adjacent wires in a bus. We first compute the maximum achievable coding rate of FOCs and the maximum coding rate of
memoryless
FOCs. Our numerical results show that there is a significant gap between the maximum coding rate of memoryless FOCs and the maximum achievable rate. We then analyze the coding rates of FOCs generated from the bit-stuffing algorithm. Our worst-case analysis yields a tight lower bound of the coding rate of the bit-stuffing algorithm. Under the assumption of Bernoulli inputs, we use a Markov chain model to compute the coding rate of a bus with
n
wires under the bit-stuffing algorithm. The main difficulty of solving such a Markov chain model is that the number of states grows exponentially with respect to the number of wires
n
. To tackle the problem of the curse of dimensionality, we derive an approximate analysis that leads to a recursive closed-form formula for the coding rate over the

n
th

wire. Our approximations match extremely well with the numerical results from solving the original Markov chain for
n
⩽ 10 and the simulation results for
n
⩽ 3000. Our analysis of coding rates of FOCs could be helpful in understanding the trade-off between propagation delay and coding rate among various crosstalk avoidance codes in the literature. In comparison with the forbidden transition codes (FTCs) that have shorter propagation delay than that of FOCs, our numerical results show that the coding rates of FOCs are much higher than those of FTCs.
Valores hematológicos de tartarugas marinhas Chelonia mydas (Linaeus, 1758) juvenis selvagens do Arquipélago de Fernando de Noronha, Pernambuco, Brasil
Authors: Santos Marcelo Renan de Deus , Ferreira Larissa Santos , Batistote Cecília , Grossman Alice , Bellini Cláudio
Published: May 2016

Foram determinados os valores hematológicos de referência para 60 tartarugas marinhas Chelonia mydas juvenis selvagens aparentemente saudáveis do Arquipélago de Fernando de Noronha, Pernambuco, Brasil nos meses de julho a setembro de 2003. Os resultados obtidos foram: Hematócrito 21,4 a 36,6 %; Hemácias 0,244 a 0,554 x10(6)/µl; Hemoglobina 5,9 a 14,0 g/dl; Volume Corpuscular Médio 500,4 a 986,1 fl; Hemoglobina Corpuscular Média 144,0 a 367,1 pg; Concentração de Hemoglobina Corpuscular Média 23,7 a 45,1 g/dl; Leucócitos 1178,8 a 8259,6 /µl; Monócitos 15,4 a 1494,3 /µl; Linfócitos 221,1 a 1924,8 /µl; Heterófilos 621,5 a 4317,8 /µl; Eosinófilos 96,1 a 1831,0 /µl; Basófilos 0,0 a 45,3 /µl e Trombócitos 9513,2 a 36316,5 /µl. A comparação dos resultados obtidos com os dados da literatura reforça a necessidade do estabelecimento de valores hematológicos específicos para aglomerações em diferentes condições geográficas, climáticas, faixas de tamanho e diferentes metodologias. Devido a estas influências estes valores não devem ser extrapolados para outras aglomerações e devem ser usados com critério para avaliação clínica de indivíduos sob outras condições.
Estudo da inervação e vascularização do membro torácico de Columba livia
Authors: Franceschi Raphaela Da Cunha , Souza Daniel Alexandre Stüpp de , Provenci Márcio , Pereira Malcon Andrei Martinez
Published: May 2016

No estudo referente aos territórios vásculo-nervosos em membro torácico de Pombos (Columba livia) foram utilizados 10 animais. Após a retirada de penas e pele, procedeu-se à identificação dos nervos no membro torácico direito, iniciando-se pela aplicação de compressas de ácido acético glacial 3% e dissecação de cada ramo do plexo braquial e seus músculos de inervação. Para a identificação dos territórios vasculares realizou-se a abertura da cavidade toracoabdominal, canulação do coração seguida de injeção de látex sintético via ventrículo esquerdo, dissecação dos vasos, medição e confecção de esquemas dos resultados. O plexo braquial é composto pelos nervos axilar, radial, peitoral e medianoulnar, em que os dois primeiros são responsáveis pela inervação da musculatura extensora, enquanto os dois últimos responsabilizam-se pela motricidade da musculatura flexora. Ainda pode ser observado um plexo acessório. O tronco braquiocefálico surge da Aorta ascendente, sendo encontrado um tronco direito e um esquerdo, emitindo as artérias carótida comum e subclávia como troncos principais. Destes surgem vasos que irrigam a cabeça, a região cervical e os membros torácicos. Em todas as aves observou-se uma constância na irrigação e inervação da musculatura, articulações e ossos do membro torácico, onde se pode presumir que existe uma constante na delimitação dos territórios vásculo-nervosos.
Composition as identity and plural Cantor's theorem
Authors: Bohn Einar Duenger
Published: May 2016

In this paper, I argue that the thesis of Composition as Identity blocks the plural version of Cantor’s Theorem, and that this in turn has implications for our use of Cantor’s theorem in metaphysics. As an example, I show how this result blocks a recent argument by Hawthorne and Uzquiano, and might be turned around to become an abductive argument for Composition as Identity
On a Quasilinear Schrödinger Problem at Resonance
Authors: do Ó João Marcos , Miyagaki Olímpio H. , Moreira Sandra I.
Published: May 2016

In this paper we establish the existence of standing wave solutions for quasilinear Schrödinger equations involving subcritical growth at resonance. By using a change of variables, the quasilinear equation is reduced to a semilinear one, whose associated functional is well defined in the usual Sobolev space. The “first” eigenvalue type of a nonhomogeneous operator has been studied. Using this fact and a variant of the monotone operator theorem, we show that the problem at resonance has at least one nontrivial solution.
Chest drain associated neonatal pneumopericardium
Authors: Tahir Ismail Abdul Qader , Senanayake Eshan , Gurusamy Kalyana Kumar , Khan Natasha , Kumararatne Babu
Published: May 2016

Incidence of pneumopericardia in neonates has reduced significantly since the routine administration of surfactant and synchronised modes of ventilation. The majority now occur secondary to the more common air leaks, e.g. pneumothorax, pneumomediastinum, pulmonary interstitial emphysema (PIE); although there are case reports of spontaneous pneumopericardia in the absence of known risk factors. In most cases the air will resorb without active management but if a tension pneumopericardium develops urgent drainage is required to prevent cardiovascular compromise and death. We present a rare case of iatrogenic tension pneumopericardium in a preterm baby secondary to chest drain insertion for a pneumothorax. The resulting air leak was sufficient to require surgical repair via a median sternotomy. This is a previously unreported complication of chest drain insertion in a neonate, and highlights the importance of careful drain placement.
The application of virtual prototyping methods to
determine the dynamic parameters of mobile
robot
Authors: Kurc Krzysztof , Szybicki Dariusz , Burghardt Andrzej , Muszyńska Magdalena
Published: May 2016

The paper presents methods used to determine
the parameters necessary to build a mathematical model
of an underwater robot with a crawler drive. The parameters
present in the dynamics equation will be determined
by means of advanced mechatronic design tools, including:
CAD/CAE software andMES modules. The virtual prototyping
process is described as well as the various possible
uses (design adaptability) depending on the optional
accessories added to the vehicle. A mathematical model is
presented to show the kinematics and dynamics of the underwater
crawler robot, essential for the design stage.
Numerical analysis and experimental research of the rubber boot
of the joint drive vehicle
Authors: Ziobro Jan
Published: May 2016

The article presents many numerical studies and
experimental research of the drive rubber boot of the joint
drive vehicle. Performance requirements have been discussed
and the required coefficients of the mathematical
model for numerical simulation have been determined.
The behavior of living in MSC.MARC environment was examined.
In the analysis the following have been used: hyperplastic
two-parameter model of the Mooney-Rivlin material,
large displacements procedure, safe contact condition,
friction on the sides of the boots. 3D numerical
model of the joint bootwas analyzed under influence of the
forces: tensile, compressive, centrifugal and angular. Numerous
results of studies have been presented. An appropriate
test stand was built and comparison of the results
of the numerical analysis and the results of experimental
studies was made. Numerous requests and recommendations
for utilitarian character have been presented.
The influence of linguistic and social variables in the spirantization of intervocalic /b,d,g/ in Concepción, Chile
Authors: M. A. Rogers Brandon
Published: May 2016

One of the more characteristic features of Spanish is the process of articulatory reduction, known as spirantization, which affects the voiced stops /b,d,g/ resulting in the voiced approximants [β̞, ð̞, ɣ̞]. While studies have shown variation with respect to the phonetic environments in which /b,d,g/ undergo spirantization, the general consensus has been that they are always realized as approximants between vowels in most varieties of Spanish. Likewise, several studies have found that spirantization relates to different social factors in different varieties of Spanish. However, these studies have been impressionistic and/or qualitative in their analyses of the voiced obstruents and have not examined the varying degrees to which intervocalic /b,d,g/ spirantize. The current study analyzes more than 4,500 tokens of intervocalic /b,d,g/ from the spontaneous speech of 31 speakers from the province of Concepción, Chile. Likewise, the present paper examines and compares the phonetic behavior of traditional intervocalic /b,d,g/ with that of /b,d,g/ in non-traditional intervocalic contexts created by /s/ elision. Results indicated that both linguistic and social factors had an influence on the degree to which speakers realized [β̞, ð̞, ɣ̞], and that while speakers still lenite and delete /b,d,g/ in non-traditional intervocalic environments created by /s/ elision, generally they do so at a much lower rate than when in traditional intervocalic contexts.
Identificação de concepções antropomórficas, teleológicas e vitalistas entre participantes de uma reunião anual da SBBq
Authors: Larentis Ariane Leites , Caldas Lúcio Ayres , Ribeiro Manuel Gustavo Leitão , Herbst Marcelo Hawrylak , Garcia Tomás Coelho , Terra Letícia Labati , Almeida Rodrigo Volcan
Published: May 2016

Neste trabalho, buscou-se identificar obstáculos epistemológicos entre os presentes na XXXIX Reunião Anual da Sociedade Brasileira de Bioquímica e Biologia Molecular (SBBq). Um questionário com perguntas e excertos de artigos científicos de revistas de alto fator de impacto foi respondido por 97 presentes (39 estudantes de iniciação científica, 42 pós-graduandos e 16 professores e pesquisadores). A partir da noção de obstáculo epistemológico proposta por Bachelard, foi possível identificar concepções vitalistas (animismo), concepções teleológicas dos processos evolutivos, em afirmações como a existência de objetivos/finalidades na adaptação dos organismos, assim como uma visão antropomórfica dos processos biológicos em avaliação, tanto nas respostas às perguntas como na aceitação ou não identificação destes obstáculos nos excertos. Verificou-se a presença de figuras de linguagem, metáforas e analogias (obstáculo verbal) na explicação da evolução e do sistema imune, também presentes nos excertos dos artigos.
Bernardin and Bergoglio: What the Cardinal’s Legacy Offers to a Church Led by Pope Francis
Authors: Mannara, CSB Kevin J. V.
Published: May 2016

As the papacy of Francis unfolds the Church is experiencing a time of rebirth, grounded in our long tradition but with shifting emphases and fresh outlooks. Seminaries and other graduate schools of study may struggle to find frames of reference in which to structure education and formation to fit these shifts. They would do well to revisit the work of Joseph Cardinal Bernardin, in particular his Consistent Ethic of Life and Common Ground Initiative, as a way forward during this springtime of renewed interest in the church and its relevance to contemporary issues. The two men seem to be kindred spirits, as well as products of their eras. Bernardin’s work will need updating, but it provides a solid foundation from which to begin the implementation of Francis’s vision for a church at the service of Christ’s mission today.
Determining Soil Bulk Density for Carbon Stock Calculations: A Systematic Method Comparison
Authors: Walter Katja , Don Axel , Tiemeyer Bärbel , Freibauer Annette
Published: May 2016

Core Ideas

Little is known about the methodological errors of bulk density quantification.

Soil probes are easy to handle, but systematic methods comparisons are lacking.

We compared methods among three soil ring types and three soil probe types at four sites.

Accurate and effective determination of soil bulk density (BD) is needed to monitor soil organic C (SOC) stocks and SOC stock changes. However, BD measurements are often lacking in soil inventories and BD is estimated by pedotransfer functions with substantial uncertainty. In a systematic method comparison, we evaluated different methods for BD determination in the field by comparing the performance of MINI (5 cm3) and BIG (250 cm3) sample rings and of three driving hammer probes differing in diameter, material, and extraction method. Bulk density determined with 100‐cm3 sample rings was defined as the reference method (REF). All methods were tested at five depth increments in nine subplots at four sites with differing soil texture and SOC content. All methods determined BD in the depth increments with low systematic error (8% for probes and 2% for sample rings). The random error of the probe samples was, on average, 50% higher than that of the ring samples when the cores of the probes were adequately corrected for compaction or stretching. The BD was significantly overestimated (by 2%) when determined with MINI rings, and the variation in BD was not reduced with BIG sample rings rather than the smaller REF sample rings. The performance of the driving hammer technique varied widely among probe types and sites. The sheath probe had the smallest systematic error of all probes tested and is recommended for soil inventories. All methods for estimating BD had smaller errors than pedotransfer functions.