bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Use of supplemental anti‐HBc testing of donors showing non‐discriminating reactive results in multiplex nucleic acid testing
Authors: Kang J. W. , Seo J. H. , Youn K. W. , Seo Y. I. , Huh K. , Choi G. R. , Min H. K. , Oh D. J. , Jo H. J. , Kim J. N.
Published: September 2017

Background and Objectives

The Korean Red Cross began nucleic acid amplification testing (NAT) for HIV and HCV in February 2005, and added HBV NAT beginning in June 2012. The current NAT system utilizes a multiplex assay for simultaneous detection of HBV DNA, HCV RNA and HIV‐1 RNA. For samples that are reactive in the multiplex assay, we do specific tests for each virus. However, there have been cases of non‐discriminated reactive (NDR) results which appear to be the result of non‐specific reactions or cross‐contamination, although some cases are considered to arise from the presence of low levels of HBV DNA due to occult hepatitis B infection.

Materials and Methods

We examined the incidence of NDR results in previous donations of some NAT‐reactive donors. Additionally, for those donors with NDR results, we performed an HBV core antibody (anti‐HBc) assay.

Results

From November 2015 to March 2016, there were 408 NAT‐reactive donors. Of these, nineteen HBV NAT‐reactive donors showed a history of NDR results in the past donations. Seven donors showed NDR results more than once. Of 771 NDR donors, 362 (47·0%) were anti‐HBc reactive.

Conclusion

The NDR donors had a substantially higher rate of anti‐HBc reactivity than other blood donors indicating that some with anti‐HBc reactivity represent donors with occult HBV. Therefore, the incorporation of an anti‐HBc testing for NDR donors could improve blood safety testing for the Korean Red Cross.
Blood component transfusions in mass casualty events
Authors: Ramsey G.
Published: September 2017

Background and Objectives

Planning transfusion needs in mass casualty events (MCE) is critical for disaster preparedness. Published data on blood component usage were analysed to seek correlative factors and usage rates.

Materials and Methods

English‐language medical publications since 1980 were searched for MCEs with numbers of patient admissions and transfused RBCs. Reports were excluded from natural disasters or with total RBC use <50 units. Statistical analysis employed Mann–Whitney U‐tests and Spearman's rank correlations.

Results

In 24 reports, the average units per admission were 3·06 RBCs, 2·13 plasmas and 0·37 platelet doses. Five RBCs per admission would have sufficed for 87% of events. Transfusion needs involving bombings correlated with admissions (P ≤ 0·03). In the formula (massive‐transfusion patients in MCE) times X = (total units for all MCE patients), the average X was 35 for RBCs (correlation P = 0·01), 17 for plasma (P = 0·10) and five for platelet doses (P = 0·06). From 67% to 84% of all components used were given in the first 24 h (event medians).

Conclusions

Blood component use in MCEs correlated with numbers of patients admitted or receiving massive transfusion. More current data are needed to better reflect emerging trauma care practices and refine predictive models of transfusion needs.
Diabetes self-management education training for community health center nurses in Indonesia: a best practice implementation project
Authors: Sugiharto Sugiharto , Stephenson Matthew , Hsu Yu-Yun , Fajriyah Nuniek Nizmah
Published: September 2017

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Background

Diabetes complications can increase progressively, leading to morbidity and mortality among diabetes sufferers. To address this, diabetes self-management education is a strategy to increase patients’ knowledge and awareness in self-care. However some issues related to diabetes self-management education have emerged for health care providers and patients.

Objectives

The objective of this project was to improve nurses’ skills and confidence in delivering diabetes self-management education among type 2 diabetes patients by promoting evidence based practice in community health centers, thereby enhancing patients’ knowledge and skills in performing self-care.

Methods

The Joanna Briggs Institute three-phase Practical Application of Clinical Evidence System and Getting Research into Practice audit and feedback tool were utilized in this project for promoting evidence utilization and changes in the community health setting. In phase 1 of the project, stakeholders were engaged and 12 evidence-based audit criteria were developed. A baseline audit was conducted by the project team in 41 community health centers. In phase 2, barriers underpinning areas of noncompliance found in the baseline audit were identified and strategies developed to target three key areas – staff, administration and patients. In phase 3, a follow-up audit was conducted.

Results

The baseline audit results showed that eight of the 12 criteria recorded zero percent compliance, with the remaining four recording below 50%, representing poor compliance with the current evidence. Strategies implemented during phase 2 of the project included a diabetes educator training program, development of diabetes education curriculum and media, and a patient's logbook. After implementation of the strategies, the follow-up audit showed that all 12 criteria achieved 100% compliance.

Conclusions

The diabetes training program for community health center nurses increased their skills and confidence in delivering diabetes self-management education to patients.
Barreras asociadas a la adherencia al tratamiento de tuberculosis en Cali y Buenaventura, Colombia, 2012
Authors: Carvajal-Barona Rocío , Tovar-Cuevas Luis Miguel , Aristizábal-Grisales Juan Carlos , Varela-Arévalo María Teresa
Published: September 2017

Objetivo: determinar barreras asociadas a la adherencia al tratamiento acortado, estrictamen­te supervisado de tuberculosis (TB) en dos municipios de Colombia. Métodos: estudio de casos (128) y controles (182). Se realizó análisis univariado, bivariado y regresión logística. Resultados: los factores asociados a la no adherencia al tratamiento de TB son: no convivir con familiares (OR=4.54; IC95 % 1.45-14.22), inasistencia a reuniones religiosas (OR=28.17; IC95 % 4.37-181.75), no presentar antecedentes de manejo para una enfermedad mayor a dos semanas (OR=3.37; IC95 % 1.59-7.13), no reconocer que el tratamiento de TB dura hasta seis meses (OR=3.51; IC95 % 1.87-6.59), consumir drogas (OR=3.41; IC95 % 0.95-12.23), falta de suministro ocasional del tratamiento por parte de los servicios de salud (OR=5.53; IC95 % 1.20-5.52). Conclusiones: el diseño y desarrollo de estrategias para asegurar la adherencia al tratamiento de TB debe tener en cuenta, además de los factores individuales comportamentales de los pacientes, los factores sociales y administrativos que afectan su éxito.
On Coarse Grids Simulation of Compressible Mixing Layer Flows Using Vorticity Confinement
Authors: Hejranfar K. , Ebrahimi M. , Sadri M.
Published: September 2017

In this work, the capability and performance of the vorticity confinement (VC) implemented in a high-order accurate flow solver in predicting two-dimensional (2D) compressible mixing layer flows on coarse grids are investigated. Here, the system of governing equations with incorporation of the VC in the formulation is numerically solved by the fourth-order compact finite difference scheme. To stabilize the numerical solution, a low-pass high-order filter is applied, and the nonreflective boundary conditions are used at the farfield and outflow boundaries to minimize the reflections. At first, the numerical results without applying the VC are validated by available direct numerical simulations (DNSs) for a low Reynolds number mixing layer. Then, the calculations using a range of VC levels are performed for a high Reynolds number mixing layer and the results are thoroughly compared with those of available large eddy simulations (LESs). The study shows that, with applying the vortex identification method, more accurate results are obtained in the slow laminar region of the mixing layer. A sensitivity study is also performed to examine the effect of different numerical parameters to reasonably provide more accurate results. It is shown that the local VC introduced based on the artificial viscosity coefficient and the vorticity thickness can improve the accuracy of the results in the turbulent region of the mixing layer compared with those of LESs. It is found that the solution methodology proposed can reasonably preserve the vortices in the flowfield and the results are comparable with those of LESs on fairly coarser grids and thus the computational costs can be considerably decreased.
Experimental Analysis of Angled Injection Aerostatic Hybrid Bearings
Authors: Le Rouzic Julian , Arghir Mihai
Published: September 2017

Counter-rotation angled injection employed for aerostatic hybrid bearings reduces the cross coupling stiffness that may lead to whirl–whip instabilities at high rotation speeds. The benefits of counter-rotation injection have been known for years. Theoretical investigations were performed for water or air fed hybrid bearings but experiments were conducted only for water fed bearings. The present work is the first effort dedicated to angled injection in air fed hybrid bearings. The tests were performed for a simple rotor supported by two identical hybrid bearings. The hybrid bearings are provided with small size, shallow pockets and are fed with air via counter-rotation-oriented orifice type restrictors. An impulse turbine fed with air entrains the rotor. An impact gun applies dynamic excitations and the rotordynamic coefficients are identified from the equations of motion of the rotor. Different air feeding pressures are tested as well as high rotational speeds. Compared to the dynamic characteristics of radial injection hybrid bearings, the direct stiffness of counter-rotation injection bearings has slightly lower values and the direct damping is higher but the main impact is the drastic reduction of the cross-coupling stiffness that may have even negative values.
Cave acoustics in prehistory: Exploring the association of Palaeolithic visual motifs and acoustic response
Authors: Fazenda Bruno , Scarre Chris , Till Rupert , Pasalodos Raquel Jiménez , Guerra Manuel Rojo , Tejedor Cristina , Peredo Roberto Ontañón , Watson Aaron , Wyatt Simon , Benito Carlos García , Drinkall Helen , Foulds Frederick
Published: September 2017

During the 1980 s, acoustic studies of Upper Palaeolithic imagery in French caves—using the technology then available—suggested a relationship between acoustic response and the location of visual motifs. This paper presents an investigation, using modern acoustic measurement techniques, into such relationships within the caves of La Garma, Las Chimeneas, La Pasiega, El Castillo, and Tito Bustillo in Northern Spain. It addresses methodological issues concerning acoustic measurement at enclosed archaeological sites and outlines a general framework for extraction of acoustic features that may be used to support archaeological hypotheses. The analysis explores possible associations between the position of visual motifs (which may be up to 40 000 yrs old) and localized acoustic responses. Results suggest that motifs, in general, and lines and dots, in particular, are statistically more likely to be found in places where reverberation is moderate and where the low frequency acoustic response has evidence of resonant behavior. The work presented suggests that an association of the location of Palaeolithic motifs with acoustic features is a statistically weak but tenable hypothesis, and that an appreciation of sound could have influenced behavior among Palaeolithic societies of this region.
Metagenome-Assembled Genome Sequences of
Acetobacterium
sp. Strain MES1 and
Desulfovibrio
sp. Strain MES5 from a Cathode-Associated Acetogenic Microbial Community
Authors: Ross Daniel E. , Marshall Christopher W. , May Harold D. , Norman R. Sean
Published: September 2017

Draft genome sequences of
Acetobacterium
sp. strain MES1 and
Desulfovibrio
sp. strain MES5 were obtained from the metagenome of a cathode-associated community enriched within a microbial electrosynthesis system (MES). The draft genome sequences provide insight into the functional potential of these microorganisms within an MES and a foundation for future comparative analyses.
Paleotethys slab pull, self-lubricated weak lithospheric zones, poloidal and toroidal plate motions, and Gondwana tectonics
Authors: Vizán Haroldo , Prezzi Claudia Beatriz , Geuna Silvana Evangelina , Japas María Silvia , Renda Emiliano Manuel , Franzese Juan , Van Zele María Andrea
Published: September 2017

The Gondwana megacontinent was composed of different domains separated by self-lubricated weak lithospheric zones, two of which could have extended into Laurasia. Displacement vectors determined through three consecutive paleomagnetism-constrained paleogeographic reconstructions (Early Pennsylvanian–early Guadalupian, ca. 320–270 Ma; late Guadalupian–Middle Triassic, ca. 260–240 Ma; and Late Triassic–early Late Jurassic, ca. 230–160 Ma) show similar orientations to coeval tectonic stresses along Gondwana. Triggered by slab pull at the northern subduction margin of the Paleotethys Ocean, differential displacements between the Gondwana domains caused localized deformation along their borders, reactivating old weak lithospheric zones (e.g., Ventana fold belt south of Buenos Aries province, Argentina; basins such as Cuvette in central Africa; and Neuquén on the Pacific margin of Gondwana). We propose that the wide extent of these structures was possible due to the transmission of mantle toroidal flow induced by strike-slip movements along these focused self-lubricated weak lithospheric zones, along with the northward drift of Pangea. These processes occurred simultaneously with a major mantle reorganization from a huge cold downwelling to a hot upwelling event caused by thermal energy storage beneath Pangea.
Immune thrombocytopenic purpura associated with fingolimod
Authors: Yuen Hiu Lam Agnes , Brown Susan , Chan Noel , Grigoriadis George
Published: September 2017

Fingolimod is an oral sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor modulator which causes lymphocyte sequestration in lymph nodes and is approved for relapsing multiple sclerosis. The Therapeutic Goods Administration of Australia is aware of only one case where fingolimod preceded immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) by 5 weeks. Here we report three such cases.

None were on any medications known to cause ITP and routine investigations were unremarkable. All cases were treated with immunosuppression. Case 1 successfully weaned prednisolone after fingolimod cessation whereas case 2 weaned slowly while continuing fingolimod therapy. Case 3 had more refractory ITP and re-exposure to fingolimod worsened thrombocytopenia.

There was a temporal association between fingolimod exposure and ITP however dose–effect association and pathogenesis remain less clear.

In conclusion, our cases highlight that clinicians should be aware of the possible association between ITP and fingolimod.
What are the key contextual factors when preparing for successful implementation of assistive living technology in primary elderly care? A case study from Norway
Authors: Gjestsen Martha Therese , Wiig Siri , Testad Ingelin
Published: September 2017

Objective

To identify contextual factors at different organisational levels to guide the implementation of an assistive living technology intervention in Norwegian primary home care.

Design

A single embedded case study design was carried out in an urban municipality in Western Norway to get an overview of key contextual factors from the municipality’s perspective.

Data collection and analysis

The data collection was based on a triangulation of methods involving document analysis, semi-structured individual interviews and focus group interviews to get a broad insight when preparing for an intervention. Data were collected on three levels of the healthcare system: (1) national policy documents and regulations (macro), (2) five individual interviews with senior managers and municipal strategy documents (meso) and (3) two focus group interviews with nurses and nurse managers in direct patient care (micro). The Model for Understanding Success in Quality framework was used as a guide in the data analysis.

Results

The main contextual factors identified were external motivators and project sponsorship (macro level); leadership, workforce focus and maturity (meso level);and motivation to change and maturity (micro level). Strategies developed in policy documents affected upper management in the municipality, but healthcare personnel at the micro level were not so familiar with strategies and emphasis on assistive living technologies. Healthcare personnel in our study were motivated to use technological solutions, but lack of data infrastructure and resource availability hindered this.

Conclusions

Aligning interests across multiple stakeholders remain a challenge when planning for an assistive living technology intervention in primary care. In the studied municipality, integration of technological solutions into healthcare services was more a vision than a reality because of a low level of organisational readiness.
Rectal water contrast transvaginal ultrasound versus double-contrast barium enema in the diagnosis of bowel endometriosis
Authors: Jiang Jipeng , Liu Ying , Wang Kun , Wu Xixiang , Tang Ying
Published: September 2017

Objectives

The aim of study was to compare the accuracy between rectal water contrast transvaginal ultrasound (RWC-TVS) and double-contrast barium enema (DCBE) in evaluating the bowel endometriosis presence as well as its extent.

Design and setting

198 patients at reproductive age with suspicious bowel endometriosis were included. Physicians in two groups specialised at endometriosis performed RWC-TVS as well as DCBE before laparoscopy and both groups were blinded to other groups’ results. Findings from RWC-TVS or DCBE were compared with histological results. The severity of experienced pain severity through RWC-TVS or DCBE was assessed by an analogue scale of 10 cm.

Results

In total, 110 in 198 women were confirmed to have endometriosis nodules in the bowel by laparoscopy as well as histopathology. For bowel endometriosis diagnosis, DCBE and RWC-TVS demonstrated sensitivities of 96.4% and 88.2%, specificities of 100% and 97.3%, positive prediction values of 100% and 98.0%, negative prediction values of 98.0% and 88.0%, accuracies of 98.0% and 92.4%, respectively. DCBE was related to more tolerance than RWC-TVS.

Conclusions

RWC-TVS and DCBE demonstrated similar accuracies in the bowel endometriosis diagnosis; however, patients showed more tolerance for RWC-TVS than those with DCBE.
‘Reframing Healthcare Services through the Lens of Co-Production’ (RheLaunCh): a study protocol for a mixed methods evaluation of mechanisms by which healthcare and social services impact the health and well-being of patients with COPD and CHF in the USA and The Netherlands
Authors: Hesselink Gijs , Johnson Julie , Batalden Paul , Carlson Michelle , Geense Wytske , Groenewoud Stef , Jones Sylvester , Roy Brita , Sansone Christina , Wolf Judith R L M , Bart Bradley , Wollersheim Hub
Published: September 2017

Introduction

The USA lags behind other high-income countries in many health indicators. Outcome differences are associated with differences in the relative spending between healthcare and social services at the national level. The impact of the ratio and delivery of social and healthcare services on the individual patient’s health is however unknown. ‘Reframing Healthcare Services through the Lens of Co-Production’ (RheLaunCh) will be a cross-Atlantic comparative study of the mechanisms by which healthcare and social service delivery may impact patient health with chronic conditions. Insight into these mechanisms is needed to better and cost-effectively organise healthcare and social services.

Methods

We designed a mixed methods study to compare the socioeconomic background, needs of and service delivery to patients with congestive heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in the USA and the Netherlands. We will conduct: (1) a literature scan to compare national and regional healthcare and social service systems; (2) a retrospective database study to compare patient’s socioeconomic and clinical characteristics and the service use and spending at the national, regional and hospital level; (3) a survey to compare patient perceived quality of life, receipt and experience of service delivery and ability of these services to meet patient needs; and (4) multiple case studies to understand what patients need to better govern their quality of life and how needs are met by services.

Ethics and dissemination

Ethics approval was granted by the ethics committee of the Radboud University Medical Center (2016–2423) in the Netherlands and by the Human Subjects Research Committee of the Hennepin Health Care System, Inc. (HSR #16–4230) in the USA. Multiple approaches will be used for dissemination of results, including (inter)national research presentations and peer-reviewed publications. A website will be established to support the development of a community of practice.
Ice-marginal sedimentation and processes of diamicton deposition in large proglacial lakes, Lake Erie, Ontario, Canada
Authors: Barnett Peter J. , Karrow Paul F.
Published: September 2017

Detailed studies of coastal cliff exposures through two end moraines form the basis for a model of ice-marginal sedimentation in large ice-contact glacier-fed lakes. The input to the ice-marginal environment directly from the glacier included subglacial till and subaquatic flow tills. The subaquatic flow till (thinly bedded diamicton) was deposited in an apron (up to 1 km wide) along the ice margin. An upward gradient of pore-water pressure immediately beyond the ice margin, causing heaving and dilation of the sediments, initiated debris flows of glacially derived debris (subaquatic flow tills). Most of the stratified sediments in the ice-marginal zone entered the lake by way of a large proglacial stream. Sedimentation was dominated by quasi- or near-continuous density underflows that resulted in the deposition of a sequence of thick rhythmites. The glacier in the Lake Erie basin most likely behaved like an ice stream, with its movement controlled predominantly by a deforming bed of glacial debris, separating the glacier sole from underlying predeposited sediments. The deforming bed is preserved as a massive diamicton layer, interpreted here as subglacially deposited till.
Increased overwinter mortalities of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) fawns during a drought year
Authors: Tosa Marie I. , Springer Matthew T. , Schauber Eric M. , Nielsen Clayton K.
Published: September 2017

Mortality rates of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus (Zimmermann, 1780)) fawns have been quantified throughout North America. Few studies, however, have assessed cause-specific mortality of fawns after the first 3 months of life or during a severe weather event. During 2010–2014, we captured and radio-tracked 93 fawns in southern and central Illinois and recorded 18 mortality events. In order of importance, survival rates were affected by days since capture, year of drought, age at capture, week after capture (1 or 0 indicator), and region. Estimated overwinter (fall through spring) survival rate (±SE) of fawns in both regions during 2010–2014 was 0.83 ± 0.04. However, estimated overwinter survival rates were depressed during 2012–2013, following the severe drought of 2012 (0.63 ± 0.11 or 0.66 ± 0.11 depending on the model). Main causes of mortality were capture-related and predation, though some dead deer also showed signs of hemorrhagic disease. We suspect that the extreme drought of 2012 created favorable conditions for fall–spring mortality of fawns, due to elevated disease transmission and lower forage quality and quantity for deer. In addition, drought may have contributed to predation by reducing abundance of alternative prey. Our results suggest that severe weather conditions during summer can substantially impact overwinter fawn survival.
Model of a multiverse providing the dark energy of our universe
Authors: Rebhan E.
Published: September 2017

It is shown that the dark energy presently observed in our universe can be regarded as the energy of a scalar field driving an inflation-like expansion of a multiverse with ours being a subuniverse among other parallel universes. A simple model of this multiverse is elaborated: Assuming closed space geometry, the origin of the multiverse can be explained by quantum tunneling from nothing; subuniverses are supposed to emerge from local fluctuations of separate inflation fields. The standard concept of tunneling from nothing is extended to the effect that in addition to an inflationary scalar field, matter is also generated, and that the tunneling leads to an (unstable) equilibrium state. The cosmological principle is assumed to pertain from the origin of the multiverse until the first subuniverses emerge. With increasing age of the multiverse, its spatial curvature decays exponentially so fast that, due to sharing the same space, the flatness problem of our universe resolves by itself. The dark energy density imprinted by the multiverse on our universe is time-dependent, but such that the ratio [Formula: see text] of its mass density and pressure (times [Formula: see text]) is time-independent and assumes a value [Formula: see text] with arbitrary [Formula: see text]. [Formula: see text] can be chosen so small, that the dark energy model of this paper can be fitted to the current observational data as well as the cosmological constant model.
The mass and width differences of the neutral and charged ρ(770), ρ(1450) and ρ(1700) mesons from e+e−→ π+π− and τ−→ ντπ−π0 processes
Authors: Bartoš Erik , Dubnička Stanislav , Dubničková Anna Z. , Hayashii Hisaki
Published: September 2017

Unlike the Review of Particle Physics, the clear nonzero values of the mass and width differences of the neutral and charged [Formula: see text] mesons are determined by an application of the Unitary & Analytic model of the pion electromagnetic and the pion weak form factor in a description of the data on [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] processes, respectively. Also the mass and the width differences of the neutral and charged [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] mesons are determined for the first time, however, they are masked by large evaluated errors. Therefore, in order to come to a definite conclusion, more precise data on [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] in the region of [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] mesons are desirable.
Study of B̄s → ϕμ+μ− decays in the G(211) model and vector leptoquark model
Authors: Wang Shuai-Wei
Published: September 2017

We study [Formula: see text] decay in the [Formula: see text] model and vector leptoquark model, respectively. We consider the effects of these two new physics (NP) models on some measured physical observables of this decay process, such as the differential branching fraction and the angular distributions. We find that the large deviation of the differential branching fraction between the measurement and the Standard Model (SM) prediction can be explained in these two NP models. However, we found that not all observables of the double-lepton polarization asymmetries are sensitive to the contributions of these NP models.
Design of a wide band metasurface as a linear to circular polarization converter
Authors: Altintas Olcay , Unal Emin , Akgol Oguzhan , Karaaslan Muharrem , Karadag Faruk , Sabah Cumali
Published: September 2017

In this paper, we present a wide band metasurface (MS) polarization converter which converts a linearly polarized signal to a right-handed or left-handed circularly polarized signal both numerically and experimentally. The unit cell of MS has three nested rectangular resonators which have two metallic patches at its crossed corners. The simulated and measured results are achieved by a commercial full wave EM simulator and a vector network analyzer with two horn antennas in microwave frequency regime. The S-parameters are obtained for co-polarized and cross-polarized responses and axial ratio is evaluated by the division of these two responses. The axial ratio is kept below 3 dB for efficient polarization converting activity. Correspondingly, axial ratio bandwidth of 800 MHz is obtained. The proposed MS can easily be fabricated and integrated into many desired applications by proper configurations depending on the application area and frequencies. The proposed MS has potential such as polarization converter with 0.75 efficiency in WiMAX frequency band, PMC-like treatment with a phase reflection around 0[Formula: see text] and reflection coefficient nearly unity at some frequency points. Beside this, the three nested rectangle MSs also provide opportunities to design low profile antennas with conversion characteristics.
Lie symmetry analysis of the deformed KdV equation
Authors: Huang Yehui , Li Wei , Wang Guo , Yong Xuelin
Published: September 2017

The deformed KdV equation is a generalization of the classical equation that can describe the motion of the interaction between different solitary waves. In this paper, the Lie symmetry analysis is performed on the deformed KdV equation. The similarity reductions and exact solutions are obtained based on the optimal system method. The exact analytic solutions are considered by using the power series method. The conservation laws for the deformed KdV equation are presented. Finally, the analytic solutions are given and their dynamics are studied.
Classical Planar Algebraic Curves Realizable by Quadratic Polynomial Differential Systems
Authors: García Isaac A. , Llibre Jaume
Published: September 2017

In this paper, we show planar quadratic polynomial differential systems exhibiting as solutions some famous planar invariant algebraic curves. Also we place particular attention to the Darboux integrability of these differential systems.
Synthesis of novel dimeric subphthalocyanines via azide-alkyne Huisgen 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition and palladiumcatalyzed Glaser–Hay coupling reactions
Authors: Göktuğ Özge , Göl Cem , Durmuş Mahmut
Published: September 2017

In this study, the monomeric subphthalocyanines bearing azido (2) and terminal ethynyl (3) groups were synthesized. These subphthalocyanines were converted to their dimeric derivatives using azide-alkyne Huisgen cycloaddition and palladium-catalyzed Glaser–Hay coupling reactions subphthalocyanine (4) and (5), respectively. The novel subphthalocyanines were fully characterized by elemental analysis and general spectroscopic methods such as MALDI-TOF mass, FT-IR, UV-vis and [Formula: see text]H-NMR. All synthesized subphthalocyanines showed quite good solubility in the most of common organic solvents. The fluorescence measurements were conducted for these subphthalocyanines to estimate their fluorescence quantum yields. The singlet oxygen generation abilities were also examined to investigate their photosensitizer properties.
A Ratiometric Fluorescent Assay for Fluazinam Based on FRET Between CdTe Quantum Dots and Porphyrin
Authors: Wang Yue , Huo Danqun , Wu Huixiang , Liu Hui , Li Junjie , Yang Mei , Huang Chenghong , Hou Changjun
Published: September 2017

A fluorescent detection system for fluazinam was reported using fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) method based on CdTe quantum dots (CdTe QDs) and 5, 10, 15, 20-tetrakis(4-methacryloyloxy) phenyl porphyrin (TMaPP). TMaPP and water-soluble CdTe QDs were synthesized successfully and characterized using FT-IR, 1H NMR, XPS and TEM, respectively. FRET mechanism between CdTe QDs and TMaPP was confirmed by detailed studies on their fluorescent spectra. After a co-culture of TMaPP and CdTe QDs, fluorescent intensity of CdTe QDs decreased significantly while that of TMaPP increased concomitantly due to altered FRET. Addition of fluazinam led to impaired energy transfer from CdTe QDs to TMaPP and therefore fluorescence recovery of CdTe QDs with fluorescence quenching of TMaPP. The correlation of fluazinam concentration with the fluorescence intensity ratio [Formula: see text] provided the basis for quantitative analysis, and a broad linear range varying from 0.01[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]M to 5[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]M with a low detection limit of 2.3[Formula: see text]nM was obtained. As-reported sensor system demonstrated excellent reproducibility, selectivity and sensitivity in real sample detection.
Insight into sulfur vacancy-induced insulator to metal transition of Li2S
Authors: Pan Yong
Published: September 2017

Sulfur vacancy-induced charge carrier trap is quite important for improving the insulating characteristic of Li2S. In this work, we apply the first-principle calculations to investigate the influence of sulfur intrinsic vacancy and sulfur vacancy concentration on the structure and conductivity of Li2S. Sulfur intrinsic vacancy is dynamically stable. Importantly, sulfur vacancy reduces the band gap of Li2S. The calculated band gap of sulfur intrinsic vacancy is 0.700[Formula: see text]eV. We suggest that the removed sulfur atom leads to Li-2[Formula: see text] state shift from conduction band to Fermi level and improves the charge overlap between the top of valence band (VB) and the bottom of conduction band (CB). The strong charge interaction of Li pairing atoms forms the Li–Li metallic bond. Finally, we predict that sulfur vacancy gives rise to the insulator to metal transition of Li2S. Our works open up a new possibility for improving the conductivity of Li2S.
Drone Near Me
Authors: Abtahi Parastoo , Zhao David Y. , E. Jane L. , Landay James A.
Published: September 2017

Personal drones are becoming more mainstream and are used for a variety of tasks, such as delivery and photography. The exposed blades in conventional drones raise serious safety concerns. To address this, commercial drones have been moving towards a safe-to-touch design or have increased safety by adding propeller guards. The affordances of safe-to-touch drones enable new types of touch-based human-drone interaction. Various applications have been explored, such as augmented sports and haptic feedback in virtual reality; however, it is unclear if individuals feel comfortable using direct touch and manipulation when interacting with safe-to-touch drones. A previous elicitation study showed how users naturally interact with drones. We replicated this study with an unsafe and a safe-to-touch drone, to find out if participants will instinctively use touch as a means of interacting with the safe-to-touch drone. We found that 58% of the participants used touch, and across all tasks 39% of interactions were touch-based. The proposed touch interactions were in agreement for 67% of the tasks, and users reported that interacting with the safe-to-touch drone was significantly less mentally demanding than the unsafe drone.
EarBit
Authors: Bedri Abdelkareem , Li Richard , Haynes Malcolm , Kosaraju Raj Prateek , Grover Ishaan , Prioleau Temiloluwa , Beh Min Yan , Goel Mayank , Starner Thad , Abowd Gregory
Published: September 2017

Chronic and widespread diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and hypercholesterolemia require patients to monitor their food intake, and food journaling is currently the most common method for doing so. However, food journaling is subject to self-bias and recall errors, and is poorly adhered to by patients. In this paper, we propose an alternative by introducing EarBit, a wearable system that detects eating moments. We evaluate the performance of inertial, optical, and acoustic sensing modalities and focus on inertial sensing, by virtue of its recognition and usability performance. Using data collected in a simulated home setting with minimum restrictions on participants’ behavior, we build our models and evaluate them with an unconstrained outside-the-lab study. For both studies, we obtained video footage as ground truth for participants activities. Using leave-one-user-out validation, EarBit recognized all the eating episodes in the semi-controlled lab study, and achieved an accuracy of 90.1% and an F1-score of 90.9% in detecting chewing instances. In the unconstrained, outside-the-lab evaluation, EarBit obtained an accuracy of 93% and an F1-score of 80.1% in detecting chewing instances. It also accurately recognized all but one recorded eating episodes. These episodes ranged from a 2 minute snack to a 30 minute meal.
UbiSwarm
Authors: Kim Lawrence H. , Follmer Sean
Published: September 2017

As robots increasingly enter our everyday life, we envision a future in which robots are ubiquitous and interact with both ourselves and our environments. This paper introduces the concept of ubiquitous robotic interfaces (URIs), multi-robot interfaces capable of mobility, manipulation, sensing, display and interaction. URIs interact directly with the user and indirectly through surrounding objects. A key aspect of URIs is their ability to display information to users either by collectively forming shapes or through their movements. In this paper, we focus on the use of URIs to display information in ubiquitous settings. We first investigate the use of abstract motion as a display for URIs by studying human perception of abstract multi-robot motion. With ten small robots, we produced 42 videos of bio-inspired abstract motion by varying three parameters (7 x 2 x 3): bio-inspired behavior, speed and smoothness. In a crowdsourced between-subjects study, 1067 subjects were recruited to watch the videos and describe their perception through Likert scales and free text. Study results suggest that different bio-inspired behaviors elicit significantly different responses in arousal, dominance, hedonic and pragmatic qualities, animacy, urgency and willingness to attend. On the other hand, speed significantly affects valence, arousal, hedonic quality, urgency and animacy while smoothness affects hedonic quality, animacy, attractivity and likeability. We discuss how these results inform URI designers to formulate appropriate motion for different interaction scenarios and use these results to derive our own example applications using our URI platform, UbiSwarm.
Eyes-Free Art
Authors: Rector Kyle , Salmon Keith , Thornton Dan , Joshi Neel , Morris Meredith Ringel
Published: September 2017

Engagement in the arts1 is an important component of participation in cultural activities, but remains a largely unaddressed challenge for people with sensory disabilities. Visual arts are generally inaccessible to people with visual impairments due to their inherently visual nature. To address this, we present Eyes-Free Art, a design probe to explore the use of proxemic audio for interactive sonic experiences with 2D art work. The proxemic audio interface allows a user to move closer and further away from a painting to experience background music, a novel sonification, sound effects, and a detailed verbal description. We conducted a lab study by creating interpretations of five paintings with 13 people with visual impairments and found that participants enjoyed interacting with the artwork. We then created a live installation with a visually impaired artist to iterate on this concept to account for multiple users and paintings. We learned that a proxemic audio interface allows for people to feel immersed in the artwork. Proxemic audio interfaces are similar to visual because they increase in detail with closer proximity, but are different because they need a descriptive verbal overview to give context. We present future research directions in the space of proxemic audio interactions.
FingerSound
Authors: Zhang Cheng , Waghmare Anandghan , Kundra Pranav , Pu Yiming , Gilliland Scott , Ploetz Thomas , Starner Thad E. , Inan Omer T. , Abowd Gregory D.
Published: September 2017

We introduce FingerSound, an input technology to recognize unistroke thumb gestures, which are easy to learn and can be performed through eyes-free interaction. The gestures are performed using a thumb-mounted ring comprising a contact microphone and a gyroscope sensor. A K-Nearest-Neighbor(KNN) model with a distance function of Dynamic Time Warping (DTW) is built to recognize up to 42 common unistroke gestures. A user study, where the real-time classification results were given, shows an accuracy of 92%-98% by a machine learning model built with only 3 training samples per gesture. Based on the user study results, we further discuss the opportunities, challenges and practical limitations of FingerSound when deploying it to real-world applications in the future.
Smartwatch Wearing Behavior Analysis
Authors: Jeong Hayeon , Kim Heepyung , Kim Rihun , Lee Uichin , Jeong Yong
Published: September 2017

Smartwaches are the representative wearable or body-worn devices that provide convenient and easy information access. There is a growing body of research work on enabling novel interaction techniques and understanding user experiences of smartwatches. However, there is still lack of user experience research on wearing behaviors of smartwatches, which is critical for wearable device and service design. In this work, we investigate how college students wear smartwatches and what factors affect wearing behaviors by analyzing a longitudinal activity dataset collected from 50 smartwatch users for 203 days. Our results show that there are several temporal usage patterns and distinct groups of usage patterns. The factors affecting wearing behaviors are contextual, nuanced, and multifaceted. Our findings provide diverse design implications for improving wearability of smartwatches and leveraging smartwatches for behavioral changes.
Low-resource Multi-task Audio Sensing for Mobile and Embedded Devices via Shared Deep Neural Network Representations
Authors: Georgiev Petko , Bhattacharya Sourav , Lane Nicholas D. , Mascolo Cecilia
Published: September 2017

Continuous audio analysis from embedded and mobile devices is an increasingly important application domain. More and more, appliances like the Amazon Echo, along with smartphones and watches, and even research prototypes seek to perform multiple discriminative tasks simultaneously from ambient audio; for example, monitoring background sound classes (e.g., music or conversation), recognizing certain keywords (‘Hey Siri' or ‘Alexa'), or identifying the user and her emotion from speech. The use of deep learning algorithms typically provides state-of-the-art model performances for such general audio tasks. However, the large computational demands of deep learning models are at odds with the limited processing, energy and memory resources of mobile, embedded and IoT devices.

In this paper, we propose and evaluate a novel deep learning modeling and optimization framework that specifically targets this category of embedded audio sensing tasks. Although the supported tasks are simpler than the task of speech recognition, this framework aims at maintaining accuracies in predictions while minimizing the overall processor resource footprint. The proposed model is grounded in multi-task learning principles to train shared deep layers and exploits, as input layer, only statistical summaries of audio filter banks to further lower computations.

We find that for embedded audio sensing tasks our framework is able to maintain similar accuracies, which are observed in comparable deep architectures that use single-task learning and typically more complex input layers. Most importantly, on an average, this approach provides almost a 2.1× reduction in runtime, energy, and memory for four separate audio sensing tasks, assuming a variety of task combinations.
Studying the effect of multi-query functionality on a correlation-aware SQL-to-mapreduce translator
Authors: Amirthalingam Thivviyan , Springer John
Published: September 2017

The advent of Big Data has prompted numerous solutions that aim to meet the needs pertaining to data with high volume, veracity, velocity and variety properties. The exponential growth in data has dictated a simpler and more scalable environment with high fault tolerance and control over availability. With this motivation in mind and as an alternative to relational databases, numerous Not-Only Structured Query Language (NoSQL) databases were conceived. Nonetheless, relational databases and their de facto language, Structured Query Language (SQL), are still prominent among wider user groups. This project ventures into bridging the gap between Hadoop and relational databases through allowing multi-query functionality to a SQL-to-MapReduce translator. This study includes an analysis of the modified translator's behavior under different sets of conditions. Our results suggest that the modified translator scales linearly as the data size increases.
The Concept of the Anthropocene
Authors: Malhi Yadvinder
Published: September 2017

The Anthropocene, the concept that the Earth has moved into a novel geological epoch characterized by human domination of the planetary system, is an increasingly prevalent framework for debate both in academia and as a wider cultural and policy zeitgeist. This article reviews the proliferation of literature surrounding this concept. It explores the origins and history of the concept, as well as the arguments surrounding its geological formalization and starting date ranging from the Pleistocene to the twentieth century. It examines perspectives and critiques of the concept from the Earth system sciences, ecological and geological sciences, and social sciences and humanities, exploring its role as a cultural zeitgeist and ideological provocation. I conclude by offering a personal perspective on the concept of the Anthropocene and its utility.
Genetic Networks in Plant Vascular Development
Authors: Ruonala Raili , Ko Donghwi , Helariutta Ykä
Published: September 2017

Understanding the development of vascular tissues in plants is crucial because the evolution of vasculature enabled plants to thrive on land. Various systems and approaches have been used to advance our knowledge about the genetic regulation of vasculature development, from the scale of single genes to networks. In this review, we provide a perspective on the major approaches used in studying plant vascular development, and we cover the mechanisms and genetic networks underlying vascular tissue specification, patterning, and differentiation.
Effect of Seyoeum on Obesity, Insulin Resistance, and Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease of High‐Fat Diet‐Fed C57BL/6 Mice
Authors: Na Hyun-Young , Seol Mi Hyeon , Kim Mia , Lee Byung-Cheol
Published: September 2017

Background. This study was performed to evaluate the effect of Seyoeum (SYE), a novel herbal meal replacement, on insulin resistance and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in obese mice fed with a high‐fat diet (HFD). Methods. SYE contained six kinds of herbal powder such as Coix lacryma-jobi, Oryza sativa, Sesamum indicum, Glycine max, Liriope platyphylla, and Dioscorea batatas. Male C57BL/6 mice were divided into four groups: normal chow (NC), HFD, SYE, and HFD plus SYE (HFD + SYE). The mice in groups other than NC were fed HFD for 9 weeks to induce obesity and then were fed each diet for 6 weeks. Clinical markers related to obesity, diabetes, and NAFLD were examined and gene expressions related to inflammation and insulin receptor were determined. Results. Compared with HFD group, body weight, serum glucose, serum insulin, HOMA‐IR, total cholesterol, triglyceride, epididymal fat pad weight, liver weight, and inflammatory gene expression were significantly reduced in SYE group. Insulin receptor gene expression increased in SYE group. Conclusions. Based on these results, we conclude that SYE improved obesity and insulin resistance in high‐fat fed obese mice. Our findings suggest that SYE could be a beneficial meal replacement through these antiobesity and anti‐insulin resistance effects.