bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pacing Strategies and Metabolic Responses During 4-Minute Running Time Trials
Authors: Watkins Jonathan , Platt Simon , Andersson Erik , McGawley Kerry
Published: January 2017

Purpose:

The aim of the current study was to investigate pacing strategies and the distribution of physiological resources in best vs worst performances during a series of 4-min self-paced running time trials (RunTTs).

Methods:

Five male and 5 female recreational runners (age 32 ± 7 y) completed a submaximal ramp test and 5 RunTTs on a motor-driven treadmill fitted with a speed-controlling laser system. The supramaximal oxygen-uptake (V̇O2) demand was estimated by linear extrapolation from the submaximal relationship between V̇O2 and speed, enabling computation of the accumulated oxygen deficit.

Results:

There were no significant differences between the 5 RunTTs for any of the performance, physiological, or subjective responses (P > .05). The trial-to-trial variability in pacing (ie, separate quarters) was typically low, with an average within-athlete coefficient of variation of 3.3%, being highest at the start and end of the 4 min. Total distance covered and distance covered over the first and last 2 min for best and worst performances were 1137 ± 94 and 1090 ± 89 (P < .001), 565 ± 53 and 526 ± 40 m (P = .002), and 572 ± 47 and 565 ± 54 m (P = .346), respectively.

Conclusions:

Negative pacing strategies were evident during both the best and the worst performances of the RunTT. Best performances were characterized by more aggressive pacing over the first 2 min compared with worst performances. In addition, the relatively low trial-to-trial variability in running speed suggests that pacing strategies are similar during a series of 4-min self-paced running time trials.
Female Age-Related Differences in Biomechanics and Muscle Activity During Descents on the Outstretched Arms
Authors: Lattimer Lauren J. , Lanovaz Joel L. , Farthing Jonathan P. , Madill Stéphanie , Kim Soo , Robinovitch Stephen , Arnold Cathy
Published: January 2017

The purposes of this study were to examine female age differences in: (1) upper extremity (UE) and trunk muscle activity, elbow joint moment, loading force, and UE energy absorption during a controlled forward body descent; and (2) UE muscle strength. Twenty young (mean 24.8 ± 3.4 years) and 20 older (68.4 ± 5.7 years) women were assessed via dynamometry for isometric, concentric, and eccentric UE strength and performed forward descents on force plates at three body lean angles (60°, 45°, and 30° from horizontal). Significant differences (p < .05) were found for muscle strength, biomechanics, and muscle activity. Concentric UE strength averaged 15% lower in older women. At 30° body lean, older women absorbed less energy. Older women had greater biceps brachii activation and less external oblique activation at all body lean angles. Age differences in muscle strength, activation, and energy absorption may contribute to fall-related injury risk.
Changes on Walking During Street Crossing Situations and on Dorsiflexion Strength of Older Caribbean Americans After an Exercise Program: A Pilot Study
Authors: Vieira Edgar R. , Tappen Ruth , Gropper Sareen S. , Severi Maria T. , Engstrom Gabriella , de Oliveira Marcio R. , Barbosa Alexandre C. , da Silva Rubens A.
Published: January 2017

The objective of this pilot study was to evaluate a 6-month exercise program completed by 10 older Caribbean Americans. Assessments were done at baseline and 3 and 6 months, and included walks on an instrumented mat at preferred speed, and during street crossing simulations with regular (10 s) and reduced time (5 s). There were no significant differences on preferred walking speed over time. Differences between the street crossing conditions were found only at 6 months. Significant changes over time among the assessments were found only during street crossing with reduced time. Street crossing with reduced time was the only walking condition sensitive to capture changes associated with participating in the exercise program. There was a significant increase in dorsiflexion strength overtime. At 6 months it was significantly higher than at baseline and 3 months. The program was feasible, acceptable, and had some positive effects on walking, knee flexion, and dorsiflexion strength.
An Old Problem: Aging and Skeletal-Muscle-Strain Injury
Authors: Baker Brent A.
Published: January 2017

Clinical Scenario:

Even though chronological aging is an inevitable phenomenological consequence occurring in every living organism, it is biological aging that may be the most significant factor challenging our quality of life. Development of functional limitations, resulting from improper maintenance and restoration of various organ systems, ultimately leads to reduced health and independence. Skeletal muscle is an organ system that, when challenged, is often injured in response to varying stimuli. Overt muscle-strain injury can be traumatic, clinically diagnosable, properly managed, and a remarkably common event, yet our contemporary understanding of how age and environmental stressors affect the initial and subsequent induction of injury and how the biological processes resulting from this event are modifiable and, eventually, lead to functional restoration and healing of skeletal muscle and adjacent tissues is presently unclear. Even though the secondary injury response to and recovery from "contraction-induced" skeletal-muscle injury are impaired with aging, there is no scientific consensus as to the exact mechanism responsible for this event. Given the multitude of investigative approaches, particular consideration given to the appropriateness of the muscle-injury model, or research paradigm, is critical so that outcomes may be physiologically relevant and translational. In this case, methods implementing stretch-shortening contractions, the most common form of muscle movements used by all mammals during physical movement, work, and activity, are highlighted.

Clinical Relevance:

Understanding the fundamental evidence regarding how aging influences the responsivity of skeletal muscle to strain injury is vital for informing how clinicians approach and implement preventive strategies, as well as therapeutic interventions. From a practical perspective, maintaining or improving the overall health and tissue quality of skeletal muscle as one ages will positively affect skeletal muscle’s safety threshold and responsivity, which may reduce incidence of injury, improve recovery time, and lessen overall fiscal burdens.
Does Having a Culturally Competent Health Care Provider Affect the Patients’ Experience or Satisfaction? A Critically Appraised Topic
Authors: Brunett Miranda , Shingles René Revis
Published: January 2017

Clinical Scenario: The level of cultural competence of health care providers has been studied. However, limited scholarship has examined whether the cultural competence of the health care provider affects patient satisfaction. Focused Clinical Question: Does cultural competence of health care providers influence patient satisfaction with their experience with their provider? Summary of Key Findings: Having a culturally competent health care provider, or one who a patient perceives as culturally competent, does increase patient satisfaction. Clinical Bottom Line: Cultural competence in health care plays an important role in patients being satisfied with their providers, as well as patients willingly and actively participating in their treatment. Strength of Recommendation: Questions 1 to 5 and 9 of the critical appraisal skills program were answered “yes” for all studies in the critically appraised topic. Thus, the authors strongly support the findings.
Epidemiology of National Collegiate Athletic Association Women’s Lacrosse Injuries, 2009–10 Through 2014–15
Authors: Kerr Zachary Y. , Lincoln Andrew E. , Caswell Shane V. , Klossner David A. , Walker Nina , Dompier Thomas P.
Published: January 2017

Context: Participation in collegiate women’s lacrosse has increased dramatically, but little recent epidemiological data exists regarding injuries. Objective: Describe the epidemiology of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) women’s lacrosse injuries during the 2009–10 through 2014–15 academic years. Setting: Aggregate injury and exposure data collected from 40 women’s lacrosse programs providing 83 team-seasons of data. Patients or Other Participants: Collegiate women’s lacrosse student-athletes. Intervention: Women’s lacrosse data from the NCAA Injury Surveillance Program were analyzed. Main Outcome Measures: Injury rates; injury rate ratios; and injury proportions by body site, diagnosis, and injury mechanism were reported with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Time loss (TL) injuries resulted in participation restriction time of at least 24 hours. Nontime loss (NTL) injuries resulted in participation restriction time under 24 hours. Results: There were 705 TL and NTL women’s lacrosse injuries, resulting in an injury rate of 4.93/1000 athlete-exposures (AEs; 95% CI: 4.57–5.30). The TL and NTL injury rates were 2.18/1000 AE (95% CI: 1.93–2.42) and 2.64/1000 AE (95% CI: 2.37–2.90), respectively. Most injuries were to the lower extremity (competition: 64.4%; practice: 71.2%). Most injuries in competition were sprains (26.0%), contusions (19.6%), and strains (19.2%); most injuries in practice were strains (21.4%), sprains (18.1%), and inflammatory conditions (15.8%). Concussions comprised the highest proportion of head/face injuries (competition: 82.1%; practice: 54.5%). No eye injuries were reported. The highest proportion of injuries were player contact (27.4%) in competitions and noncontact (32.1%) in practices. Contact with the ball and stick comprised 21.5% of competition and 14.0% of practice injuries. Conclusions: This study is the most robust assessment of collegiate women’s lacrosse injuries to date, utilizing surveillance data that includes both TL and NTL injuries. Over half of all injuries were NTL; inclusion of such injuries further highlights the breadth of injuries managed by team medical staff.
Gender Differences in Static and Dynamic Postural Stability of Soldiers in the Army’s 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault)
Authors: Sell Timothy C. , Lovalekar Mita T. , Nagai Takashi , Wirt Michael D. , Abt John P. , Lephart Scott M.
Published: January 2017

Context:Postural stability is essential for injury prevention and performance. Differences between genders may affect training focus.Objective:To examine static and dynamic postural stability in male and female soldiers.Design:Descriptive laboratory study.Setting:Biomechanics laboratory.Participants:25 healthy female soldiers (26.4 ± 5.3 y) and 25 healthy male soldiers (26.4 ± 4.9 y) matched on physical demand rating and years of service from the Army’s 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault).Interventions:Each person underwent static and dynamic postural stability testing.Main Outcome Measures:Standard deviation of the ground reaction forces during static postural stability and the dynamic stability index for dynamic postural stability.Results:Female soldiers had significantly better static postural stability than males but no differences were observed in dynamic postural stability.Conclusions:Postural stability is important for injury prevention, performance optimization, and tactical training. The differences observed in the current study may indicate the need for gender-specific training emphasis on postural stability.
Test-Retest Reliability and Practice Effects of the Stability Evaluation Test
Authors: Williams Richelle M. , Corvo Matthew A. , Lam Kenneth C. , Williams Travis A. , Gilmer Lesley K. , McLeod Tamara C. Valovich
Published: January 2017

Context: Postural control plays an essential role in concussion evaluation. The Stability Evaluation Test (SET) aims to objectively analyze postural control by measuring sway velocity on the NeuroCom VSR portable force platform (Natus, San Carlos, CA). Objective: To assess the test-retest reliability and practice effects of the SET protocol. Design: Cohort. Setting: Research laboratory. Patients or Other Participants: 50 healthy adults (20 men, 30 women, age 25.30 ± 3.60 y, height 166.60± 12.80 cm, mass 68.80 ± 13.90 kg). Interventions: All participants completed 4 trials of the SET. Each trial consisted of six 20-s balance tests with eyes closed, under the following conditions: double-leg firm (DFi), single-leg firm (SFi), tandem firm (TFi), double-leg foam (DFo), single-leg foam (SFo), and tandem foam (TFo). Each trial was separated by a 5-min seated rest period. Main Outcome Measures: The dependent variable was sway velocity (deg/s), with lower values indicating better balance. Sway velocity was recorded for each of the 6 conditions as well as a composite score for each trial. Test-retest reliability was analyzed across 4 trials with intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). Practice effects analyzed with repeated measures analysis of variance, followed by Tukey post hoc comparisons for any significant main effects (P < .05). Results: Sway-velocity reliability values were good to excellent: DFi (ICC = .88; 95%CI: .81, .92), SFi (ICC = .75; 95%CI: .61, .85), TFi (ICC = .84; 95%CI: .75, .90), DFo (ICC = .83; 95%CI: .74, .90), SFo (ICC = .82; 95%CI: .72, .89), TFo (ICC = .81; 95%CI: .69, .88), and composite score (ICC = .93; 95%CI: .88, .95). Significant practice effects (P < .05) were noted on the SFi, DFo, SFo, TFo conditions and composite scores. Conclusions: Our results suggest the SET has good to excellent reliability for the assessment of postural control in healthy adults. Due to the practice effects noted, a familiarization session is recommended (ie, all 6 conditions) before data are recorded. Future studies should evaluate injured patients to determine meaningful change scores during various injuries.
Translational complex for differentiation
Authors: Gough Nancy R.
Published: January 2017

NAT1 interacts with a subset of eukaryotic translation initiation factors to enable expression of transcripts required for stem cell differentiation signals.
B cells prevent preterm labor
Authors: Ferrarelli Leslie K.
Published: January 2017

Premature labor and consequent neonatal mortality may be prevented by stimulating the expression of PIBF1 in uterine B cells.
Paper of note in
Science
355
(6321)
Authors: VanHook Annalisa M.
Published: January 2017

This week's article shows that a demethylase reduces the ability of the opportunistic pathogen
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
to form biofilms under anoxic conditions.
Not so patchy story of attempted suicide…leading to 24 hours of deep sleep and survival!
Authors: Trist Adam Joseph , Sahota Hardeep , Williams Lucy
Published: January 2017

Here, we present a somewhat unusual suicide attempt where, despite an unbelievable overdose with transdermal fentanyl patches, the patient survived. The patient—a woman aged 70 years, who has suffered from chronic back pain despite starting transdermal fentanyl patches in 2007. The unconventional method of attempted suicide was based on online research into deaths from fentanyl patch toxicity. She had gradually accumulated 100 µg fentanyl patches from repeat prescriptions, applying 14 patches with fatal intent, alongside 2 45 mg mirtazapine tablets, and concurrent therapeutic doses of tramadol and morphine sulfate oral solution. However, after 24 hours, she awoke from a deep sleep to the sound of the telephone ringing, somewhat amazed her drastic efforts had failed. During admission to Great Western hospital, she was seen by liaison psychiatry and subsequently transferred to the care of the pain management team, to which she had already been referred.
Risk for metabolic diseases in normal weight individuals with visceral fat accumulation: a cross-sectional study in Japan
Authors: Tatsumi Yukako , Nakao Yoko M , Masuda Izuru , Higashiyama Aya , Takegami Misa , Nishimura Kunihiro , Watanabe Makoto , Ohkubo Takayoshi , Okamura Tomonori , Miyamoto Yoshihiro
Published: January 2017

Objective

To investigate the association between visceral fat area (VFA) and metabolic syndrome (Mets) among normal weight Japanese.

Design

A cross-sectional study.

Setting

The health check-up centre of the Takeda Hospital group in Kyoto, Japan.

Methods

This study involved 1674 men and 1448 women aged 30–74 years who underwent medical check-ups in 2012 in the health check-up centre. They were stratified by Body Mass Index (BMI cut-off for obesity is set at 23.0 kg/m2for Asians): normal weight 18.5–22.9 kg/m2or higher weight ≥23.0 kg/m2. The age-adjusted ORs of the 2nd to 4th groups of sex-specific VFA quartiles compared with the 1st quartile for a Mets component clustering were estimated. The clustering was having two or more of the following factors: high blood pressure, high fasting blood glucose (FBG), low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and high triglycerides. Statistical analyses were conducted in 2016.

Results

Participants in the 2nd to 4th VFA quartiles had significantly higher clustering risks; ORs were 3.4 (1.5 to 8.0), 6.3 (2.8 to 14.2) and 9.3 (4.2 to 20.7) for normal weight participants, and 1.7 (1.2 to 2.6), 2.6 (1.8 to 3.9) and 6.0 (4.1 to 8.8) for higher weight participants, respectively. The ORs of the 4th VFA quartile for Mets components were significantly higher; ORs for normal weight participants were 2.1 (1.5 to 3.0) (high blood pressure), 2.4 (1.4 to 4.2) (high FBG), 5.2 (2.1 to 12.9) (low HDL-C) and 12.0 (5.7 to 25.3) (high triglycerides), and higher weight participants were 3.9 (2.8 to 5.5), 4.1 (2.8 to 6.2), 3.9 (2.2 to 6.9) and 5.0 (3.4 to 7.4), respectively.

Conclusions

Among participants with normal weight, as well as those of higher weight, dose-dependent responses were observed between VFA and risk for Mets components and the clustering among Japanese adults. VFA may be useful information for interventions to improve metabolic risk factors in people with normal weight.
National estimation of children in residential care institutions in Cambodia: a modelling study
Authors: Stark Lindsay , Rubenstein Beth L , Pak Kimchoeun , Kosal Sok
Published: January 2017

Objectives

The primary objective of this study was to collect baseline data on the number of children living in residential care institutions in Cambodia. The secondary objective was to describe the characteristics of the children (eg, age, sex, duration of stay, education and health). The data were intended to guide recent efforts by the Government of Cambodia to reduce the number of children living in residential care institutions and increase the number of children growing up in supportive family environments.

Setting

Data were collected in Cambodia across 24 sites at the commune level. Communes—administrative divisions roughly equivalent to counties—were selected by the National Institute of Statistics using a two-stage sampling method.

Design

Government lists and key informant interviews were used to construct a complete roster of institutions across the 24 communes. All identified institutions were visited to count the number of children and gather data on their basic characteristics. The rate of children in residential care in the selected communes was calculated as a percentage of total population using a Poisson model. This rate was applied to all districts in Cambodia with at least one reported residential care institution.

Participants

A total of 3588 children were counted across 122 institutions. A child living in a residential care institution was defined as anyone under the age of 18 years who was sleeping in the institution for at least four nights per week during the data collection period.

Results

There are an estimated 48 775 children living in residential care institutions in Cambodia. The vast majority of children have a living parent and are school-aged. More than half are between 13 and 17 years of age.

Conclusions

Nearly 1 of every 100 children in Cambodia is living in residential care. This raises substantial concerns for child health, protection and national development.
Cross-sectional, descriptive study of Chagas disease among citizens of Bolivian origin living in Munich, Germany
Authors: Navarro Miriam , Berens-Riha Nicole , Hohnerlein Stefan , Seiringer Peter , von Saldern Charlotte , Garcia Sarah , Blasco-Hernández Teresa , Navaza Bárbara , Shock Jonathan , Bretzel Gisela , Hoelscher Michael , Löscher Thomas , Albajar-Viñas Pedro , Pritsch Michael
Published: January 2017

Purpose

Chagas disease (CD) has become a global health issue mainly due to migration. Germany lacks surveillance data and is home to a large Latin American immigrant population. Recognising that Bolivia is the country with the highest CD prevalence in Latin America, this cross-sectional, descriptive pilot study investigated CD and associated factors among citizens of Bolivian origin living in Munich, Germany.

Methods

Participants completed a questionnaire in order to collect socioeconomic and health-related data. In addition, serology was performed. In case of positive serological tests, PCR diagnostic and clinical staging together with disease management was initiated. Qualitative research was conducted to identify personal and community barriers as well as strategies to increase CD awareness among the population at risk.

Results

Between June 2013 and June 2014, 43 people from Bolivia (or descendants) were enrolled. A total of 9.3% (4/43), of whom two women were of childbearing age, tested seropositive (ELISA and IFAT), and one also by PCR. For 2/4 positive participants, clinical evaluation was performed and the indeterminate form of CD was diagnosed. Knowledge about CD symptoms and ways of transmission were completely absent among 55.8% (24/43, 2/4 with CD) and 30.2% (13/43, 1/4 with CD) of participants, respectively. A total of 27.9% (12/43, 0/4 with CD) of participants had donated blood prior to the study, whereas 62.8% (27/43, 3/4 with CD) were motivated to donate blood in the future. The qualitative research identified lack of knowledge as well as stigma and fears related to CD.

Conclusions

Despite the small number of participants, the prevalence of CD as well as the potential risk of non-vectorial transmission was alarming. Campaigns adapted for Latin American migrants as well as control strategies should be developed and put in place in order to prevent non-vectorial transmission and actively detect cases of CD in Germany.
Chinese patent medicine Fei-Liu-Ping ointment as an adjunctive treatment for non-small cell lung cancer: protocol for a systematic review
Authors: Zheng Honggang , He Shulin , Liu Rui , Xu Xinyao , Xu Tao , Chen Shuntai , Guo Qiujun , Gao Yebo , Hua Baojin
Published: January 2017

Introduction

Fei-Liu-Ping ointment has been widely applied as adjunctive drug in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, there has been no systematic review of research findings regarding the efficacy of this treatment. Here, we provide a protocol for assessing the effectiveness and safety of Fei-Liu-Ping ointment in the treatment of NSCLC.

Methods and analysis

The electronic databases to be searched will include MEDLINE (PubMed), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) in the Cochrane Library, Excerpt Medica Database (EMBASE), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), China Scientific Journal Database (VIP), Wanfang Database and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM). Papers in English or Chinese published from inception to 2016 will be included without any restrictions. We will conduct a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trial if possible. The therapeutic effects according to the standard for treatment of solid tumours by the WHO and the quality of life as evaluated by Karnofsky score and weight will be applied as the primary outcomes. We will also evaluate the data synthesis and risk of bias using Review Manager 5.3 software.

Dissemination

The results of this review will offer implications for the use of Fei-Liu-Ping ointment as an adjunctive treatment for NSCLC. This knowledge will inform recommendations by surgeons and researchers who are interested in the treatment of NSCLC. The results of this systematic review will be disseminated through presentation at a conference and publication of the data in a peer-reviewed journal.

Trial registration number

PROSPERO CRD42016036911.
Dying at home of cancer: whose needs are being met? The experience of family carers and healthcare professionals (a multiperspective qualitative study)
Authors: Pottle Jackie , Hiscock Julia , Neal Richard D , Poolman Marlise
Published: January 2017

Objectives

Supporting patients to die in the place of their choosing is an important aspect of end of life care. Our study set out to answer the question: ‘How does the home environment influence perceptions of quality of death, and the experience of caring for the dying at home, for family carers and healthcare professionals (HCPs)?

Methods

A qualitative approach, using multiperspective interviews with bereaved family carers (n=15) and a nominated HCP (n=13) ensured depth of insight gained into supporting a home death. The semistructured interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using Framework.

Results

We found that the home environment enabled normality, a sense of control and individualised care which family carers often perceived as contributing towards a good death. However, the home environment created challenges for both family carers and HCPs, due to the differing and at times conflicting needs of the dying person and their family carers.

Conclusions

We have shed light on the complexity of balancing the demands and the satisfaction of caring for someone dying at home. The ability to manage these conflicting needs influenced whether carers perceived the home setting as the best place for the person to have received care in their last days of life.
Hydromagnetic flow and heat transfer with various nanoparticle additives past a wedge with high order velocity slip and temperature jump
Authors: Liu Qianfang , Zhu Jing , Bin-Mohsin Bandar , Zheng Liancun
Published: January 2017

Nanofluid slip flow with distinct solid particles past a wedge with convective surface and high order slip is discussed in this paper. The wedge model is modified by considering the effects of Brownian motion and thermophphoresis together with the high order velocity slip and temperature jump. In this study, the governing fundamental equations are first transformed into third-order ordinary differential equations and solved by using the homotopy analysis method (HAM). Through error analysis and comparison with previous research, the effectiveness of HAM is ascertained, and the crucial influence of nanoparticles and high-order slip on the fluid skin-friction coefficient and heat transfer coefficient is analyed. Thermophphoresis parameter and suction/injection parameter are found to cause an increase in velocity and temperature. The rate of heat transfer in the Cu–water nanofluid is found to be higher than the others.
Robinson forcing and the quasidiagonality problem
Authors: Goldbring Isaac , Sinclair Thomas
Published: January 2017

We introduce weakenings of two of the more prominent open problems in the classification of C*-algebras, namely the quasidiagonality problem and the UCT problem. We show that a positive solution of the conjunction of the two weaker problems implies a positive solution of the original quasidiagonality problem as well as allows us to give a local, finitary criteria for the MF problem, which asks whether every stably finite C*-algebra is MF.
Critical charge in gapped graphene: The role of screening of the interaction potential by σ-orbitals
Authors: Novoselov Alexander , Pavlovsky Oleg
Published: January 2017

Due to its unique structure, graphene provides a condensed-matter model of particle physics phenomena. One is the critical charge which is highly interested. The investigation of critical charge in gapped graphene is performed within single particle approach by means of Dirac equation integration. The screened Coulomb interaction between charged defect and graphene electron excitations is investigated. Two kinds of mass gap generation and various values of substrate dielectric permittivities are considered. It is shown that the critical charge phenomenon can be observed even with quite small charges for physically motivated parameters.
Three-dimensional few-cycle optical Airy pulses in the array of carbon nanotubes with multilevel impurities
Authors: Konobeeva Natalia N. , Belonenko Mikhail B.
Published: January 2017

Propagation of few-cycle optical Airy pulse through the array of semiconductor carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is considered. CNTs are supposed to contain multilevel impurities. In our study, we have neglected transitions between the valence and the conduction bands. As a result, we have revealed the dependence of the pulse form on the parameters of energy.
Automatic Density Peaks Clustering Using DNA Genetic Algorithm Optimized Data Field and Gaussian Process
Authors: Zang Wenke , Ren Liyan , Zhang Wenqian , Liu Xiyu
Published: January 2017

Clustering by fast search and finding of Density Peaks (called as DPC) introduced by Alex Rodríguez and Alessandro Laio attracted much attention in the field of pattern recognition and artificial intelligence. However, DPC still has a lot of defects that are not resolved. Firstly, the local density [Formula: see text] of point [Formula: see text] is affected by the cutoff distance [Formula: see text], which can influence the clustering result, especially for small real-world cases. Secondly, the number of clusters is still found intuitively by using the decision diagram to select the cluster centers. In order to overcome these defects, this paper proposes an automatic density peaks clustering approach using DNA genetic algorithm optimized data field and Gaussian process (referred to as ADPC-DNAGA). ADPC-DNAGA can extract the optimal value of threshold with the potential entropy of data field and automatically determine the cluster centers by Gaussian method. For any data set to be clustered, the threshold can be calculated from the data set objectively rather than the empirical estimation. The proposed clustering algorithm is benchmarked on publicly available synthetic and real-world datasets which are commonly used for testing the performance of clustering algorithms. The clustering results are compared not only with that of DPC but also with that of several well-known clustering algorithms such as Affinity Propagation, DBSCAN and Spectral Cluster. The experimental results demonstrate that our proposed clustering algorithm can find the optimal cutoff distance [Formula: see text], to automatically identify clusters, regardless of their shape and dimension of the embedded space, and can often outperform the comparisons.
Phase-Sensitive Decision-Directed SNR Estimator for Single-Channel Speech Enhancement
Authors: Ou Shifeng , Song Peng , Gao Ying
Published: January 2017

The a priori signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) plays an essential role in many speech enhancement systems. Most of the existing approaches to estimate the a priori SNR only exploit the amplitude spectra while making the phase neglected. Considering the fact that incorporating phase information into a speech processing system can significantly improve the speech quality, this paper proposes a phase-sensitive decision-directed (DD) approach for the a priori SNR estimate. By representing the short-time discrete Fourier transform (STFT) signal spectra geometrically in a complex plane, the proposed approach estimates the a priori SNR using both the magnitude and phase information while making no assumptions about the phase difference between clean speech and noise spectra. Objective evaluations in terms of the spectrograms, segmental SNR, log-spectral distance (LSD) and short-time objective intelligibility (STOI) measures are presented to demonstrate the superiority of the proposed approach compared to several competitive methods at different noise conditions and input SNR levels.
Generalized Hopf Bifurcation for Neutral Functional Differential Equations
Authors: Guo Shangjiang
Published: January 2017

Here we employ the Lyapunov–Schmidt procedure to investigate bifurcations in a general neutral functional differential equation (NFDE) when the infinitesimal generator has, for a critical value of the parameter, a pair of nonsemisimple purely imaginary eigenvalues with multiplicity [Formula: see text]. We derive criteria, explicitly in terms of the system's parameter values, for the existence of two branches of bifurcating periodic solutions and for the description of the bifurcation direction of these branches. The general result is illustrated by a detailed case study of an oscillator.
Bifurcations in Delay Differential Equations: An Algorithmic Approach in Frequency Domain
Authors: Bel A. , Reartes W. , Torresi A.
Published: January 2017

In this work we study local oscillations in delay differential equations with a frequency domain methodology. The main result is a bifurcation equation from which the existence and expressions of local periodic solutions can be determined. We present an iterative method to obtain the bifurcation equation up to a fixed arbitrary order. It is shown how this method can be implemented in symbolic math programs.
Regular Nonchaotic Attractors with Positive Plural
Authors: Zhang Xu
Published: January 2017

The study of the strange nonchaotic attractors is an interesting topic, where the dynamics are neither regular nor chaotic (the word chaotic means the positive Lyapunov exponents), and the shape of the attractors has complicated geometry structure, or fractal structure. It is found that in a class of planar first-order nonautonomous systems, it is possible that there exist attractors, where the shape of the attractors is regular, the orbits are transitive on the attractors, and the dynamics are not chaotic. We call this type of attractors as regular nonchaotic attractors with positive plural, which are different from the strange nonchaotic attractors, attracting fixed points, or attracting periodic orbits. Several examples with computer simulations are given. The first two examples have annulus-shaped attractors. Another two examples have disk-shaped attractors. The last two examples with externally driven terms at two incommensurate frequencies have regular nonchaotic attractors with positive plural, implying that the existence of externally driven terms at two incommensurate frequencies might not be the sufficient condition to guarantee that the system has strange nonchaotic attractors.
Bifurcation of Bounded Solutions of Impulsive Differential Equations
Authors: Church Kevin E. M. , Liu Xinzhi
Published: January 2017

In this article, we examine nonautonomous bifurcation patterns in nonlinear systems of impulsive differential equations. The approach is based on Lyapunov–Schmidt reduction applied to the linearization of a particular nonlinear integral operator whose zeroes coincide with bounded solutions of the impulsive differential equation in question. This leads to sufficient conditions for the presence of fold, transcritical and pitchfork bifurcations. Additionally, we provide a computable necessary condition for bifurcation in nonlinear scalar impulsive differential equations. Several examples are provided illustrating the results.
Generalizing strong admissibility of patterns of numerical semigroups
Authors: Sun Guangren , Zhao Zhengjun
Published: January 2017

A homogeneous pattern is a linear multivariate polynomial without constant term. Bras-Amorós and García-Sánchez introduced the notion of pattern for numerical semigroups, which generalizes the definition of Arf numerical semigroups. The notion of pattern for numerical semigroups is extended in this paper into a family of homogeneous patterns [Formula: see text]. A numerical semigroup admitting a family of homogeneous patterns [Formula: see text] at [Formula: see text]-level is characterized. We pay our attention in this paper to the families with the action of some permutation groups, especially those consisting of certain partition stabilizers. Stable or sensitive patterns are focused on and we characterize them for several specific permutation groups.
The Role of Universities in Encouraging Growth of Technology-Based New Ventures
Authors: Rao Bharat , Mulloth Bala
Published: January 2017

In addition to typical university focus activities such as the education of students, dissemination of faculty research findings through publications, and partnerships with corporate firms and outreach, today, new venture creation has also gained substantial interest. In fact, universities worldwide are increasingly viewed as venues for spurring entrepreneurship and economic development. This conceptual paper seeks to explore the types of capabilities that universities could develop and enhance to support the growth of technology-based new ventures. Using an entrepreneurial competence framework that builds on insights from the academic entrepreneurship literature, the paper identifies and discusses some of the key factors to be considered for the development of these new ventures. The paper concludes with specific set of recommendations on how universities could encourage the growth of technology-based new ventures.
CoSMSOL: Complex system modeling, simulation and optimization language
Authors: Li Bo Hu , Song Xiao , Zhang Lin , Liu Jing , Chi Peng , Lin Tingyu , Zhang Xing , Laili Yuanjun , Tao Fei , Li Tan
Published: January 2017

Complex System Modeling, Simulation and Optimization Language (CoSMSOL) is problem-oriented and designed to run on multi-core computers. This paper provides the system environment of CoSMSOL and proposes the modeling methods of complex system, language text specification, function library, algorithm library, parallel simulation algorithms and intelligent optimization algorithms which support continuous system, discrete system and agent systems. Also, we developed a simulation language compiler of CoSMSOL, which is employed in two case studies generating a multi-entity war gaming system and an aerodynamic spacecraft model. The two cases illustrate main functions and implementation processes of CoSMSOL. The results validate that CoSMSOL is useful to model agent-based system and aerospace system.
Re-saturation targets identified from 4D seismic softening responses in the Forties Field
Authors: Singer Lyndsay , Byerley Grant , Rose Phil
Published: January 2017

A novel 4D methodology by targeting softening responses, a decrease in impedance over time, is described from the Forties Field. It is demonstrated that these anomalies identified areas where oil had re-saturated previously swept rock. When first observed in some of the older vintages of 4D data, softening responses were dismissed as side lobes of underlying water-swept reservoirs. With improved 4D data quality, softening responses were seen to be clearly responding to an acoustic softening effect isolated in the reservoir. Pressure measurements ruled out hypotheses of gas exsolution or geomechanically induced dilatation of the overlying shale.

At the time of writing 22 re-saturation targets had been drilled at Forties with an average water saturation (
S
w
) of 28%, close to virgin conditions. These results indicated that a previously swept sand can be re-saturated to near initial oil conditions.

The driving mechanism behind the re-saturation is understood to be related to changes in both production offtake and water injection. The resulting complex hydrodynamic interactions appeared to be moving banks of oil around the field. From 2011 to year-end of 2015 re-saturation targets produced 14.6 MMBO and were a key target type at the Forties Field.
Response to “Differential Dependencies Revisited”
Authors: Song Shaoxu , Chen Lei
Published: January 2017

A recent article [Vincent et al. 2015] concerns the correctness of several results in reasoning about differential dependencies (
dds
), originally reported in Song and Chen [2011]. The major concern by Vincent et al. [2015] roots from assuming a type of infeasible differential functions in the given
dds
for consistency and implication analysis, which are not allowed in Song and Chen [2011]. A differential function is said to be
infeasible
if there is no tuple pair with values that can satisfy the specified distance constraints. For example, [price(<2, > 4)] requires the difference of two price values to be < 2 and > 4 at the same time, which is clearly impossible. Although
dds
involving infeasible differential functions may be syntactically interesting, they are semantically meaningless and would neither be specified by domain experts nor discovered from data. For these reasons, infeasible differential functions are not considered [Song and Chen 2011] and the results in Song and Chen [2011] are correct, in contrast to what is claimed in Vincent et al. [2015].
Nonnegative Matrix Factorization with Integrated Graph and Feature Learning
Authors: Peng Chong , Kang Zhao , Hu Yunhong , Cheng Jie , Cheng Qiang
Published: January 2017

Matrix factorization is a useful technique for data representation in many data mining and machine learning tasks. Particularly, for data sets with all nonnegative entries, matrix factorization often requires that factor matrices be nonnegative, leading to nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF). One important application of NMF is for clustering with reduced dimensions of the data represented in the new feature space. In this paper, we propose a new graph regularized NMF method capable of feature learning and apply it to clustering. Unlike existing NMF methods that treat all features in the original feature space equally, our method distinguishes features by incorporating a feature-wise sparse approximation error matrix in the formulation. It enables important features to be more closely approximated by the factor matrices. Meanwhile, the graph of the data is constructed using cleaner features in the feature learning process, which integrates feature learning and manifold learning procedures into a unified NMF model. This distinctly differs from applying the existing graph-based NMF models after feature selection in that, when these two procedures are independently used, they often fail to align themselves toward obtaining a compact
and
most expressive data representation. Comprehensive experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method, which outperforms state-of-the-art algorithms when applied to clustering.
Exploiting Social-Mobile Information for Location Visualization
Authors: Sang Jitao , Fang Quan , Xu Changsheng
Published: January 2017

With a smart phone at hand, it becomes easy now to snap pictures and publish them online with few lines of texts. The GPS coordinates and User-Generated Content (UGC) data embedded in the shared photos provide opportunities to exploit important knowledge to tackle interesting tasks like geographically organizing photos and location visualization. In this work, we propose to organize photos both geographically and semantically, and investigate the problem of location visualization from multiple semantic themes. The novel visualization scheme provides a rich display landscape for geographical exploration from versatile views. A two-level solution is presented, where we first identify the highly photographed places of interest (POI) and discover their focused themes, and then aggregate the lower-level POI themes to generate the higher-level city themes for location visualization. We have conducted experiments on crawled Flickr and Instagram data and exhibited the visualization for the cities of Singapore and Sydney. The experimental results have validated the proposed method and demonstrated the potentials of location visualization from multiple themes.
SIPF
Authors: Song Jun , Yang Fan , Choo Kim-Kwang Raymond , Zhuang Zhijian , Wang Lizhe
Published: January 2017

Ensuring the security and privacy of vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs) and related services such as secure payment has been the focus of recent research efforts. Existing secure payment solutions generally require stable and reliable network connection. This is, however, a challenge in a VANET setting. Drive-thru Internet, a secure payment solution for VANETs, involves a great number of fast-moving vehicles competing for connections/communications simultaneously. Thus, service providers may find it challenging to provide real-time payment services or may have to sacrifice the confidentiality and the authenticity of payment vouchers for usability. In this article, we propose a secure installment payment framework for drive-thru Internet deployment in a VANET setting. The framework also provides the capability to embody properties such as confidentiality of payment vouchers, offline signature verification, periodical reconciliation, and installment payment. Performance evaluation and security analysis demonstrate the utility of the framework in a VANET setting.
A Double-Layer Neural Network Framework for High-Frequency Forecasting
Authors: Chen Hao , Xiao Keli , Sun Jinwen , Wu Song
Published: January 2017

Nowadays, machine trading contributes significantly to activities in the equity market, and forecasting market movement under high-frequency scenario has become an important topic in finance. A key challenge in high-frequency market forecasting is modeling the dependency structure among stocks and business sectors, with their high dimensionality and the requirement of computational efficiency. As a group of powerful models, neural networks (NNs) have been used to capture the complex structure in many studies. However, most existing applications of NNs only focus on forecasting with daily or monthly data, not with minute-level data that usually contains more noises. In this article, we propose a novel double-layer neural (DNN) network for high-frequency forecasting, with links specially designed to capture dependence structures among stock returns within different business sectors. Various important technical indicators are also included at different layers of the DNN framework. Our model framework allows update over time to achieve the best goodness-of-fit with the most recent data. The model performance is tested based on 100 stocks with the largest capitals from the S8P 500. The results show that the proposed framework outperforms benchmark methods in terms of the prediction accuracy and returns. Our method will help in financial analysis and trading strategy designs.
An Improved Overlay and Mapping Algorithm Supporting Rapid Triggering for FPGA Debug
Authors: Eslami Fatemeh , Wilton Steven J.E.
Published: January 2017

Embedded system designers can benefit from FPGA accelerators to achieve higher performance and efficiency. However, there are challenges that do not exist in software development; using software simulators to validate large and complex hardware designs can be extremely slow and impractical. Debugging designs implemented on an FPGA enables running the design at speed for long runs and more exhaustive test cases. However, limited observability is the primary challenge in hardware debug. To enhance hardware observability, trace-buffers and a trigger circuitry are inserted into the design. During the device operation, a history of signals of interest is recorded into the trace-buffers for off-line debug and validation. Recompiling the design every time the designer wishes to modify the trigger condition results in long debug turn-around times and reduced productivity. In this work, we present a pre-synthesized overlay fabric and algorithm to enable rapid triggering; during debug turn-around,
TriggerPlus
, a greedy algorithm, is used to implement a trigger circuit on the overlay.
TriggerPlus
is fast and simple, yet still capable of mapping the trigger circuit to the overlay fabric. We evaluate our techniques using VPR, showing that using our overlay and mapping algorithm together is at least an order of magnitude faster than the previous work resulting in a significant reduction in debug turn-around times.