bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Draft Genome Sequence of Rhizobium pusense Strain NRCPB10
T
(LMG 25623
T
) Isolated from Rhizosphere Soil of Chickpeas (
Cicer arietinum
L.) Grown in India
Authors: Badhai Jhasketan , Whitman William B. , Das Subrata K.
Published: April 2017

Rhizobium pusense
strain NRCPB10
T
was isolated from rhizosphere soil of chickpeas (
Cicer arietinum
L.). Based upon the draft genome sequence, the genome is 5.28 Mb and encodes 5,064 proteins.
Respiration driven excessive sinus tachycardia treated with clonidine
Authors: Li Kam Wa Matthew Emile , Taraborrelli Patricia , Hayat Sajad , Lim Phang Boon
Published: April 2017

A 26-year-old man presented to our syncope service with debilitating daily palpitations, shortness of breath, presyncope and syncope following a severe viral respiratory illness 4 years previously. Mobitz type II block had previously been identified, leading to a permanent pacemaker and no further episodes of frank syncope. Transthoracic echocardiography, electophysiological study and repeated urine metanepherines were normal. His palpitations and presyncope were reproducible on deep inspiration, coughing, isometric hand exercise and passive leg raises. We demonstrated rapid increases in heart rate with no change in morphology on his 12 lead ECG. His symptoms were resistant to fludrocortisone, flecainide, β blockers and ivabradine. Initiation of clonidine in combination with ivabradine led to rapid resolution of his symptoms. We suggest that an excessive respiratory sinus arrhythmia was responsible for his symptoms and achieved an excellent response with the centrally acting sympatholytic clonidine, where previous peripherally acting treatments had failed.
Crohn’s disease presenting as gastric outlet obstruction: a therapeutic challenge?
Authors: Inayat Faisal , Ullah Waqas , Hussain Qulsoom , Shafique Khurram
Published: April 2017

Isolated gastric Crohn’s disease with initial presentation related to gastric outlet obstruction is an unusual clinicopathological entity. We undertake here a literature review of this rare initial presentation of isolated gastric Crohn’s disease and discuss the formidable diagnostic and therapeutic challenges encountered in such patients.
An interesting case of opium tea toxicity
Authors: Seyani Chitsa , Green Peregrine , Daniel Lisa , Pegden Amanda
Published: April 2017

We present an unusual cause of respiratory arrest resulting from sole ingestion of home-brewed opium tea. A 64-year-old woman was found unresponsive and in respiratory arrest by a first responder. There were no obvious signs of regular recreational drug use. On presentation to the local district general hospital, the patient was in extremis, with severe physiological and biochemical derangements. A naloxone infusion was commenced and she later made a good recovery. It was subsequently discovered that she had brewed opium tea from opium buds she had picked from a nearby commercial poppy farm, a practice she had learnt while in Afghanistan.
Erdheim–Chester disease associated with a novel, complex BRAF p.Thr599_Val600delinsArgGlu mutation
Authors: Bentel Jacqueline May , Thomas Marc Andrew , Rodgers Jamie John , Arooj Mahreen , Gray Elin , Allcock Richard , Fermoyle Soraya , Mancera Ricardo Luis , Cannell Paul , Parry Jeremy
Published: April 2017

BRAF mutation testing to determine eligibility for treatment with vemurafenib was performed on archival skin lesions of a 54-year-old patient diagnosed with Erdheim–Chester disease (ECD) in 1999. Sanger sequencing of DNA extracted from a 2008 skin lesion identified two non-contiguous base substitutions inBRAF, which were shown by next-generation sequencing (NGS) to be located in the same allele. Due to its long-standing duration, molecular evolution of disease was possible; however, both Sanger and NGS of a 2000 skin lesion were unsuccessful due to the poor quality of DNA. Finally, droplet digital PCR using a probe specific for this novel mutation detected the complex BRAF mutation in both the 2000 and 2008 lesions, indicating this case to be ECD with a novel underlying BRAF p.Thr599_Val600delinsArgGlu mutation. Although well at present, molecular modelling of the mutant BRAF suggests suboptimal binding of vemurafenib and hence reduced therapeutic effectiveness.
Pathways to genetic parenthood for same-sex couples
Authors: Murphy Timothy F
Published: April 2017

Researchers are pursuing various ways to synthesise human male and female gametes, which would be useful for people facing infertility. Some people are unable to conceive children with their partner because one of them is infertile in the sense of having an anatomical or physiological deficit. Other people—in same sex couples—may not be individually infertile but situationally infertile in relation to one another. Segers et al have described a pathway towards synthetic gametes that would rely on embryonic stem cells, rather than somatic cells. This pathway would be advantageous, they say, for same-sex couples even though it would not offer those couples 50%–50% shared genetics in their children but only 50%–25%. It is unclear, however, why this approach should be preferred morally speaking since it represents a falling off from the kind of shared genetics in children that are functionally a gold standard in parents' expectations generally. Despite raising concerns about whether genetic relatedness is necessary or sufficient as a condition of parental interest in children, Segers et al cede the sociocultural importance of that standard. If so, same-sex couples seem entitled to press a case for some measure of research priority that would offer the same level of access to that social good as everyone else.
Impact of circle of Willis anatomy in traumatic blunt cerebrovascular injury-related stroke
Authors: Shahan Charles P , Gray Richard I , Croce Martin A , Fabian Timothy C
Published: April 2017

Background

Cerebral vascular anatomy, specifically the circle of Willis (COW), plays an unstudied role in the development of stroke after blunt cerebrovascular injury (BCVI; carotid and vertebral). Variant anatomy is very common, and certain variants such as persistent fetal circulation (enlarged posterior communicating artery) may improve collateralization between the anterior (carotid) and posterior (vertebral) circulations. Identifying patients at increased stroke risk may allow tailored anticoagulation, the mainstay of therapy. This study constitutes the first attempt to identify vascular anatomy patterns associated with stroke, with the hypothesis that normal anatomy would protect against stroke.

Study design

Radiographic images from patients with BCVI-related stroke from 2005 to 2014 were identified. Patients with stroke were compared with injury-matched, non-stroke controls. Normal COW anatomy is defined as the presence of all vessels without hypoplasia.

Results

Of 457 patients BCVI, 22 (4.8%) BCVI-related patients with stroke and matched controls were reviewed. 9 (41%) patients with stroke and 2 (9%) controls had normal COW anatomy (OR=7.1, 95% CI 1.28 to 33.3). Persistent fetal-type circulation was found in 6 controls and 1 patient with stroke, resulting in a 7.9-fold decreased risk of stroke with this variant (OR=0.13, 95% CI 0.003 to 1.26).

Conclusions

Cerebral vascular anatomy has a role in BCVI-related stroke. Normal anatomy is not protective; however, the increased collateral flow provided by a persistent fetal-type enlarged posterior communicating artery is likely protective. The identification of high-risk patients may eventually allow for more tailored treatment. Prospective, multi-institutional trials are needed to further reduce the incidence BCVI-related stroke.

Level of evidence

Prognostic and epidemiological, level III.
Defect specific luminescence dead layers in CdS and CdSe
Authors: Rosenberg R.A.
Published: April 2017

CdS and CdSe are often used in optoelectronic devices whose effectiveness may be dictated by defects in the near surface region. Luminescence is one of the main tools for studying such defects. The energy dependence of the X-ray excited optical luminescence (XEOL) spectra of these materials enables the extraction of the depth dependence of the defect distribution. Normal and time-gated XEOL spectra were obtained from these materials in the energy range 600–1500 eV. We find that the results can best be understood in terms of a luminescence dead layer whose width depends on the position of the defect level in the band gap.
Right Fronto-Temporal EEG can Differentiate the Affective Responses to Award-Winning Advertisements
Authors: Wang Regina W. Y. , Huarng Shy-Peih , Chuang Shang-Wen
Published: April 2017

Affective engineering aims to improve service/product design by translating the customer’s psychological feelings. Award-winning advertisements (AAs) were selected on the basis of the professional standards that consider creativity as a prerequisite. However, it is unknown if AA is related to satisfactory advertising performance among customers or only to the experts’ viewpoints towards the advertisements. This issue in the field of affective engineering and design merits in-depth evaluation. We recruited 30 subjects and performed an electroencephalography (EEG) experiment while watching AAs and non-AAs (NAAs). The event-related potential (ERP) data showed that AAs evoked larger positive potentials 250–1400 [Formula: see text]ms after stimulus onset, particularly in the right fronto-temporal regions. The behavioral results were consistent with the professional recognition given to AAs by experts. The perceived levels of creativity and “product-like” quality were higher for the AAs than for the NAAs. Event-related spectral perturbation (ERSP) analysis further revealed statistically significant differences in the theta, alpha, beta, and gamma band activity in the right fronto-temporal regions between the AAs and NAAs. Our results confirm that EEG features from the time/frequency domains can differentiate affective responses to AAs at a neural circuit level, and provide scientific evidence to support the identification of AAs.
Cracking in charged anisotropic cylinder
Authors: Sharif M. , Sadiq Sobia
Published: April 2017

In this paper, we study the stability of static charged anisotropic cylindrically symmetric compact object through cracking. The Einstein–Maxwell field equations and conservation equation are formulated. We then apply local density perturbation and study the behavior of force distribution function. Finally, the cracking is explored for two models satisfying specific form of Chaplygin equation of state. It is found that these models exhibit cracking and the instability increases as the value of charge parameter is increased.
Study of the rare decays Bs,d∗→ l+l− in Z′ model
Authors: Banerjee Debika , Maji Priya , Sahoo Sukadev
Published: April 2017

The rare decays [Formula: see text] are important to probe the flavor sector of the standard model and to search new physics beyond the SM. Unlike pseudoscalar [Formula: see text] meson, the leptonic decays of vector [Formula: see text] mesons are not chirally suppressed which compensates for their short lifetimes, and results in significant branching ratios. In this paper, we estimate the branching ratios of [Formula: see text][Formula: see text] rare decays in [Formula: see text] model which is an extension of the SM with an extra [Formula: see text] gauge symmetry. We find that the branching ratios are increased from their corresponding standard model values and vary with the mass of [Formula: see text] boson. The lower the mass of [Formula: see text] boson, the higher is the branching ratio.
Multi-objective particle swarm optimization using Pareto-based set and aggregation approach
Authors: Huang Song , Wang Yan , Ji Zhicheng
Published: April 2017

Multi-objective optimization problems (MOPs) need to be solved in real world recently. In this paper, a multi-objective particle swarm optimization based on Pareto set and aggregation approach was proposed to deal with MOPs. Firstly, velocities and positions were updated similar to PSO. Then, global-best set was defined in particle swarm optimizer to preserve Pareto-based set obtained by the population. Specifically, a hybrid updating strategy based on Pareto set and aggregation approach was introduced to update the global-best set and local search was carried on global-best set. Thirdly, personal-best positions were updated in decomposition way, and global-best position was selected from global-best set. Finally, ZDT instances and DTLZ instances were selected to evaluate the performance of MULPSO and the results show validity of the proposed algorithm for MOPs.
Automated Counting and Tracking of Vehicles
Authors: Shih Frank Y. , Zhong Xin
Published: April 2017

A robust traffic surveillance system is crucial in improving the control and management of traffic systems. Vehicle flow processing primarily involves counting and tracking vehicles; however, due to complex situations such as brightness changes and vehicle partial occlusions, traditional image segmentation methods are unable to segment and count vehicles correctly. This paper presents a novel framework for vision-based vehicle counting and tracking, which consists of four main procedures: foreground detection, feature extraction, feature analysis, and vehicles counting/tracking. Foreground detection intends to generate regions of interest in an image, which are used to produce significant feature points. Vehicles counting and tracking are achieved by analyzing clusters of feature points. As for testing on recorded traffic videos, the proposed framework is verified to be able to separate occluded vehicles and count the number of vehicles accurately and efficiently. By comparing with other methods, we observe that the proposed framework achieves the highest occlusion segment rate and the counting accuracy.
Multi-State Self-Learning Template Library Updating Approach for Multi-Camera Human Tracking in Complex Scenes
Authors: Liu Jian , Hao Kuangrong , Ding Yongsheng , Yang Shiyu , Gao Lei
Published: April 2017

In multi-camera video tracking, the tracking scene and tracking-target appearance can become complex, and current tracking methods use entirely different databases and evaluation criteria. Herein, for the first time to our knowledge, we present a universally applicable template library updating approach for multi-camera human tracking called multi-state self-learning template library updating (RS-TLU), which can be applied in different multi-camera tracking algorithms. In RS-TLU, self-learning divides tracking results into three states, namely steady state, gradually changing state, and suddenly changing state, by using the similarity of objects with historical templates and instantaneous templates because every state requires a different decision strategy. Subsequently, the tracking results for each state are judged and learned with motion and occlusion information. Finally, the correct template is chosen in the robust template library. We investigate the effectiveness of the proposed method using three databases and 42 test videos, and calculate the number of false positives, false matches, and missing tracking targets. Experimental results demonstrate that, in comparison with the state-of-the-art algorithms for 15 complex scenes, our RS-TLU approach effectively improves the number of correct target templates and reduces the number of similar templates and error templates in the template library.
Equilibria of a clamped Euler beam (Elastica) with distributed load: Large deformations
Authors: Della Corte Alessandro , dell’Isola Francesco , Esposito Raffaele , Pulvirenti Mario
Published: April 2017

We present some novel equilibrium shapes of a clamped Euler beam (Elastica from now on) under uniformly distributed dead load orthogonal to the straight reference configuration. We characterize the properties of the minimizers of total energy, determine the corresponding Euler–Lagrange conditions and prove, by means of direct methods of calculus of variations, the existence of curled local minimizers. Moreover, we prove some sufficient conditions for stability and instability of solutions of the Euler–Lagrange, that can be applied to numerically found curled shapes.
A residual a posteriori error estimate for the Virtual Element Method
Authors: Berrone Stefano , Borio Andrea
Published: April 2017

A residual-based a posteriori error estimate for the Poisson problem with discontinuous diffusivity coefficient is derived in the case of a virtual element discretization. The error is measured considering a suitable polynomial projection of the discrete solution to prove an equivalence between the defined error and a computable residual based error estimator that does not involve any term related to the virtual element stabilization. Numerical results display a very good behavior of the ratio between the error and the error estimator, resulting independent of the meshsize and element distortion.
From adhesive to brittle delamination in visco-elastodynamics
Authors: Rossi Riccarda , Thomas Marita
Published: April 2017

In this paper, we analyze a system for brittle delamination between two visco-elastic bodies, also subject to inertia, which can be interpreted as a model for dynamic fracture. The rate-independent flow rule for the delamination parameter is coupled with the momentum balance for the displacement, including inertia. This model features a nonsmooth constraint ensuring the continuity of the displacements outside the crack set, which is marked by the support of the delamination parameter. A weak solvabi- lity concept, generalizing the notion of energetic solution for rate-independent systems to the present mixed rate-dependent/rate-independent frame, is proposed. Via refined variational convergence techniques, existence of solutions is proved by passing to the limit in approximating systems which regularize the nonsmooth constraint by conditions for adhesive contact. The presence of the inertial term requires the design of suitable recovery spaces small enough to provide compactness but large enough to recover the information on the crack set in the limit.
Quasinormal modes and absorption cross-sections of Born–Infeld–de Sitter black holes
Authors: Bretón Nora , Clark Tyler , Fernando Sharmanthie
Published: April 2017

In this paper, we have studied QNM modes and absorption cross-sections of Born–Infeld–de Sitter black holes. WKB approximation is employed to compute the QNM modes of massless scalar fields. We have also used null geodesics to compute quasinormal modes in the eikonal approximation. In the eikonal limit, QNMs of black holes are determined by the parameters of the circular null geodesics. Unstable circular null orbits are derived from the effective metric which is obeyed by light rays under the influence of a nonlinear electromagnetic field. Comparison is shown with the QNM of the linear electromagnetic counterpart, the Reissner–Nordström black hole. Furthermore, the null geodesics are employed to compute the absorption cross-sections in the high frequency limit via the sinc approximation.
Quantum gravity without vacuum dispersion
Authors: Coumbe D. N.
Published: April 2017

A generic prediction of quantum gravity is the vacuum dispersion of light, and hence that a photon’s speed depends on its energy. We present further numerical evidence for a scale-dependent speed of light in the causal dynamical triangulation (CDT) approach to quantum gravity. We show that the observed scale-dependent speed of light in CDT can be accounted for by a scale-dependent transformation of geodesic distance, whose specific functional form implies a discrete equidistant area spectrum. We make two nontrivial tests of the proposed scale transformation: a comparison with the leading-order quantum correction to the gravitational potential and a comparison with the generalized uncertainty principle. In both cases, we obtain the same functional form.

However, contrary to the widespread prediction of vacuum dispersion in quantum gravity, numerous experiments have now definitively ruled out linear vacuum dispersion beyond Planckian energy scales [Formula: see text], and have even constrained quadratic dispersion at the level [Formula: see text]. Motivated by these experimental constraints, we seek to reconcile quantum gravity with the absence of vacuum dispersion. We point out that given a scale-dependent geodesic distance, a scale-dependent time interval becomes essential to maintaining an invariant speed of light. We show how a particular scale-dependent time interval allows a photon’s speed to remain independent of its energy.
PROBABILITY DENSITY OF RECOVERY RATE GIVEN DEFAULT OF A FIRM’S DEBT AND ITS CONSTITUENT TRANCHES
Authors: CHELLATHURAI THAMAYANTHI
Published: April 2017

This paper derives the theoretical underpinnings behind the following observed empirical facts in credit risk modeling: The probability of default, the seniority, the thickness of the tranche, the debt cushion, and macroeconomic factors are the important determinants of the conditional probability density function of the recovery rate given default (RGD) of a firm’s debt and its tranches. In a portfolio of debt securities, the conditional probability density functions of the recovery rate given default of tranches have point probability masses near zero and one, and the expected value of the recovery rate given default increases as the seniority or debt cushion increases. The paper derives other results as well, such as the fact that the conditional probability distribution function associated with any senior tranche dominates that of any junior tranche by first-order. The standard deviation of the recovery rate given default of a senior security need not be greater than that of a junior security. It is proved that the expected value of the recovery rate given default need not increase as the proportional thickness of the tranche increases.
IMPLICIT TRANSACTION COSTS AND THE FUNDAMENTAL THEOREMS OF ASSET PRICING
Authors: ALLAJ ERINDI
Published: April 2017

This paper studies arbitrage pricing theory in financial markets with implicit transaction costs. We extend the existing theory to include the more realistic possibility that the price at which the investors trade is dependent on the traded volume. The investors in the market always buy at the ask and sell at the bid price. Implicit transaction costs are composed of two terms, one is able to capture the bid-ask spread, and the second the price impact. Moreover, a new definition of a self-financing portfolio is obtained. The self-financing condition suggests that continuous trading is possible, but is restricted to predictable trading strategies having cádlág (right-continuous with left limits) and cáglád (left-continuous with right limits) paths of bounded quadratic variation and of finitely many jumps. That is, cádlág and cáglád predictable trading strategies of infinite variation, with finitely many jumps and of finite quadratic variation are allowed in our setting. Restricting ourselves to cáglád predictable trading strategies, we show that the existence of an equivalent probability measure is equivalent to the absence of arbitrage opportunities, so that the first fundamental theorem of asset pricing (FFTAP) holds. It is also shown that the use of continuous and bounded variation trading strategies can improve the efficiency of hedging in a market with implicit transaction costs. To better understand how to apply the theory proposed we provide an example of an implicit transaction cost economy that is linear and nonlinear in the order size.
An Approach to Partial Quadratic Eigenvalue Assignment of Damped Vibration Systems Using Static Output Feedback
Authors: Zhang Jiafan , Yuan Yongxin , Liu Hao
Published: April 2017

This paper addresses the problem of the partial eigenvalue assignment for second-order damped vibration systems by static output feedback. The presented method uses the combined acceleration, velocity and displacement output feedback and works directly on second-order system models without the knowledge of the unassigned eigenpairs. It allows the input and output matrices to be prescribed beforehand in a simple form. The real-valued spectral decomposition of the symmetric quadratic pencil is adopted to derive a homogeneous matrix equation of output feedback gain matrices that assure the no spillover eigenvalue assignment. The method is validated by some illustrative numerical examples.
Effect of Pre-Annealing on Thermal and Optical Properties of ZnO and Al–ZnO Thin Films
Authors: Saravanan P. , Gnanavelbabu A. , Pandiaraj P.
Published: April 2017

Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles were synthesized by a simple solution route method using zinc acetate as the precursor and ethanol as the solvent. At a temperature of 60[Formula: see text]C, a clear homogenous solution is heated to 100[Formula: see text]C for ethanol evaporation. Then the obtained precursor powder is annealed at 600[Formula: see text]C for the formation of ZnO nanocrystalline structure. Doped ZnO particle is also prepared by using aluminum nitrate nonahydrate to produce aluminum (Al)-doped nanoparticles using the same solution route method followed by annealing. Thin film fabrication is done by air evaporation method using the polymer polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). To analyze the optical and thermal properties for undoped and doped ZnO nanocrystalline thin film by precursor annealing, characterizations such as UV, FTIR, AFM, TGA/DTA, XRD, EDAX and Photoluminescence (PL) were also taken. It was evident that precursor annealing had great influence on thermal and optical properties of thin films while ZnO and AZO film showed low crystallinity and intensity than in the powder form. TGA/DTA suggests pre-annealing effect improves the thermal stability, which ensures that Al ZnO nanoparticle can withstand at high temperature too which is the crucial advantage in the semiconductor devices. UV spectroscopy confirmed the presence of ZnO nanoparticles in the thin film by an absorbance peak observed at 359[Formula: see text]nm with an energy bandgap of 3.4[Formula: see text]eV. A peak obtained at 301[Formula: see text]nm with an energy bandgap of 4.12[Formula: see text]eV shows a blue shift due to the presence of Al-doped ZnO nanoparticles. Both ZnO and AZO bandgap increased due to precursor annealing. In this research, PL spectrum is also studied in order to determine the optical property of the nanoparticle embedded thin film. From PL spectrum, it is observed that the intensity of the doped ZnO is much more enhanced as the dopant concentration is increased to 1[Formula: see text]wt.% and 2[Formula: see text]wt.% of Al in ZnO.
Wet Chemical Synthesis of SnS/Graphene Nanocomposites for High Performance Supercapacitor Electrodes
Authors: Ravuri Syamsai , Pandey Chandan Abhishek , Ramchandran R. , Jeon Soon Kwan , Grace Andrews Nirmala
Published: April 2017

A series of SnS/Graphene (SnS/G) nanocomposites at various concentrations of graphene were synthesized by a wet chemical route and the prepared composites were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM) for its structural and morphological investigation. Results show that the prepared SnS nanoparticles in the composite are [Formula: see text]30[Formula: see text]nm sized and uniformly dispersed on graphene sheets. To test the supercapacitance behavior, electrochemical measurements were carried out in 6[Formula: see text]M KOH electrolyte. A maximum specific capacitance of 984[Formula: see text]F/g was observed for SnS/G-c at 5[Formula: see text]mVs[Formula: see text] scan rate. Galvanostatic charge/discharge curves showed an excellent cyclic stability with higher charge/discharge duration, and hence could be used for high performance supercapacitor applications.
Multi-focus image fusion and super-resolution with convolutional neural network
Authors: Yang Bin , Zhong Jinying , Li Yuehua , Chen Zhongze
Published: April 2017

The aim of multi-focus image fusion is to create a synthetic all-in-focus image from several images each of which is obtained with different focus settings. However, if the resolution of source images is low, the fused images with traditional fusion method would be also in low-quality, which hinders further image analysis even the fused image is all-in-focus. This paper presents a novel joint multi-focus image fusion and super-resolution method via convolutional neural network (CNN). The first level network features of different source images are fused with the guidance of the local clarity calculated from the source images. The final high-resolution fused image is obtained with the reconstruction network filters which act like averaging filters. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed approach can generate the fused images with better visual quality and acceptable computation efficiency as compared to other state-of-the-art works.
Singular reduction of Nambu–Poisson manifolds
Authors: Das Apurba
Published: April 2017

The version of Marsden–Ratiu Poisson reduction theorem for Nambu–Poisson manifolds by a regular foliation have been studied by Ibáñez et al. In this paper, we show that this reduction procedure can be extended to the singular case. Under a suitable notion of Hamiltonian flow on the reduced space, we show that a set of Hamiltonians on a Nambu–Poisson manifold can also be reduced.
FALLING AWAKE: DOES DESPERATION LEAD TO OPPORTUNITY?
Authors: HESS ANDREW
Published: April 2017

We argue that organisations that fall short of performance expectations are not only more likely, but also quicker to make investments in a radical new technology. To illuminate this process, what we call “falling awake,” we add a microfoundations dimension that highlights the key individuals that facilitate this process — highly visible knowledge workers. Empirically, we study the global pharmaceutical industry, where we investigate which firms are the first to make investments in biotechnology and the individuals within these firms that accelerate this investment using fine-grained performance, publishing, and patenting history data from 108 incumbent pharmaceutical firms over 34 years (1970–2003). Our findings suggest that firms adopt a more aggressive approach to investments in radical new technologies after falling short of performance expectations.
GENRES OF COMPLEMENTARY PRODUCTS IN PLATFORM-BASED MARKETS: CHANGES IN EVOLUTIONARY MECHANISMS BY PLATFORM DIFFUSION STRATEGIES
Authors: INOUE YUKI , TSUJIMOTO MASAHARU
Published: April 2017

Platform and complementary products configure platform-based markets. This study focuses on the genres of complementary products in a platform-based market. We examine differences in the influences of mediating factors on the evolutionary mechanisms of genres, based on different diffusion strategies in the Japanese video game sector: Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable. This study shows that a rapid platform diffusion strategy generates bandwagon effects in the evolution of genres, and, in turn, the excessive evolution of various genres negatively influences the sales distribution of software in the platform-based market, leading to a rapid decline of the platform. Additionally, this rapid decline results in an evolutionary failure of genres at a later stage in the platform’s lifecycle. Thus, we imply that a rapid platform expansion strategy may cause a rapid decline of the platform-based market and may exclude innovations based on undeveloped genres of complementary products.
SHADES OF THE INNOVATION-PURCHASING FUNCTION — THE MISSING LINK OF OPEN INNOVATION
Authors: Servajean-Hilst Romaric , Calvi Richard
Published: April 2017

This paper seeks to instigate a new area of research in the Early Purchasing Involvement (EPI) literature around the question: How should a Purchasing function evolve in order to identify and capture innovation in the supplier market? Particularly, we attempt to characterise the specificities of the Innovation-Purchasing function, an emerging function acting in the fuzzy-front-end of projects. The contribution of this paper is a reification of the role of this function in an Open Innovation context, through the description of Early Purchasing Involvement in the Innovation (EPI2) agenda. For that, we collected data through an internal benchmarking study within a multinational/multidivisional firm of the automotive sector. Our study reveals similarities and differences between the observed practices of what we call EPI2 and the more classical EPI activities in a New Product Development (NPD) context. This study provides a model that can help practitioners and raises some propositions to test in new research.
Some integral identities for products of Airy functions using integral transforms
Authors: Ansari Alireza , Masomi Mohammad Rasool
Published: April 2017

In this paper, using the integral identities of Bessel functions, we obtain new integral identities for the products of Airy functions. We get various integrals involving the Widder potential, the Fourier sine and cosine transforms of the products of Airy functions in terms of some special functions.
Organic geochemistry and oil-generating potential of the Oligocene–Early Miocene Dingqinghu Formation sediments in the Lunpola Basin, Tibet
Authors: Zeng Yuhong , Fu Xiugen , Zeng Shengqiang
Published: April 2017

The hydrocarbon source rock potential of shales from the Oligocene–Early Miocene Dingqinghu Formation was evaluated using organic geochemistry (Rock-Eval pyrolysis, total organic carbon (TOC) and bitumen extraction) and organic petrology. Forty-one outcrop samples from Lunbori and Jiangria Co shales in the Lunpola Basin were analysed.

At Lunbori, in the central part of the basin, the shales have very good source rock potential, and show TOC contents ranging from 3.72 to 11.2 wt%, with an average TOC value of 7.36 wt%, S
2
values of 33.4 – 99.5 mg HC/g rock (average 61.8 mg HC/g rock), and extractable organic matter contents varying from 513 to 4525 ppm (average 2105 ppm). The shales have very good source rock potential. Rock-Eval
T
max
values of 433 – 437°C (average 435°C) and high carbon preference index (CPI) values (4.76 – 6.70) indicate that the organic matter is immature to early mature for oil generation. The yellow fluorescence of kerogen under UV light is in good agreement with
T
max
and CPI data. High hydrogen indices (HI) (635 – 1057 mg HC/g TOC) and H/C ratios (1.60 – 1.72) indicate that the Lunbori shales contain oil-prone organic matter and are characterized by high yellow fluorescing amorphous sapropelite content. The Lunbori shales contain a high content of hydrogen-rich Type II and minor Type I oil-prone kerogen, and have dominant medium to long molecular weight
n
-alkanes (maximizing at C
25
or C
27
) with marked odd carbon number preference in the
n
-C
23
 – 
n
-C
31
range, pristine/phytane (Pr/Ph) ratios of 0.06 – 0.14, high phytane/
n
-C
18
ratios (10.95 – 30.63), abundant gammacerane (gammacerane/C
31
hopane: 0.44 – 1.80), and predominant regular sterane C
27
. These data indicate deposition in stratified, anoxic and saline depositional conditions with a kerogen predominatly formed from a lacustrine biota.

The Jiangria Co shales in the western part of the Lunpola Basin contain some hydrogen-rich Type I and II oil-prone kerogens at a marginally mature level. They have TOC contents of up to 2.62 wt%, S
2
values of up to 17.2 mg HC/g rock and extractable organic matter contents of up to 1731 ppm, indicating good source rock potential for oil generation. This is supported by their high HI values (420 – 720 mg HC/g TOC) and H/C ratios (1.05 – 1.50). The biomarker distributions of the extracts are characterized by odd carbon number predominance (C
23
–C
31
), low Pr/Ph ratios (0.05 – 0.09), high concentrations of phytane and high gammacerane content, indicating lacustrine reducing and saline conditions.
Compressed air energy storage in porous formations: a feasibility and deliverability study
Authors: Wang Bo , Bauer Sebastian
Published: April 2017

Compressed air energy storage (CAES) in porous formations is considered as one option for large-scale energy storage to compensate for fluctuations from renewable energy production. To analyse the feasibility of such a CAES application and the deliverability of an underground porous formation, a hypothetical CAES scenario using an anticline structure is investigated. Two daily extraction cycles of 6 h each are assumed, complementing high solar energy production around noon. A gas turbine producing 321 MW of power with a minimum inlet pressure of 43 bar at 417 kg s
−1
air is assumed. Simulation results show that using six wells the 20 m-thick storage formation with a permeability of 1000 mD can support the required 6 h continuous power output of 321 MW, even reaching 8 h maximally. For the first 30 min, maximum power output is higher, at 458 MW, continuously dropping afterwards. A sensitivity analysis shows that the number of wells required does not linearly decrease with increasing permeability of the storage formation due to well inference during air extraction. For each additional well, the continuous power output increases by 4.8 h and the maximum power output within the first 30 min by 76 MW.
Refining palaeoenvironmental analysis using integrated quantitative granulometry and palynology
Authors: Stukins Stephen , McIlroy Duncan , Jolley David W.
Published: April 2017

Accurate palaeoenvironmental analysis is at the heart of producing reliable interpretations and depositional models. This study demonstrates a multivariate statistical approach to facies analysis based on relationships between grain size and quantitative palynology. Our methodology has the advantage that it can be used on small amounts of sample, such as core or well cuttings, as the basis for facies analysis.

Proof of concept studies involving the collection of grain-size and palynological datasets from well-exposed outcrops of the Middle Jurassic, Lajas Formation of the Neuquén Basin, Argentina, demonstrate that canonical correspondence analysis can be used to consistently recognize facies and aid in the determination of depositional environments. This study demonstrates the link between depositional facies, grain-size distribution, palynomorph hydrodynamics and assemblage taphonomy of palynomorphs. This knowledge can be transferred into a semi-automated statistical facies prediction technique for the subsurface in complex depositional settings, particularly when calibrated against conventional sedimentary facies analysis.

Supplementary material:
The full set of grain-size data and statistical scores are available at:
https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.3745481.v1
Structural and petrophysical effects of overthrusting on highly porous sandstones: the Aztec Sandstone in the Buffington window, SE Nevada, USA
Authors: Zuluaga Luisa F. , Fossen Haakon , Ballas Gregory , Rotevatn Atle
Published: April 2017

Little is known about the effect of thrusting on lithological and petrophysical properties of reservoir sandstone. Here we use field observations, probe permeability measurements and thin-section analysis along ten transects from the Muddy Mountain thrust contact downwards into the underlying Jurassic Aztec Sandstone to evaluate the nature and extent of petrophysical and microstructural changes caused by the thrusting. The results reveal a decimetre- to metre-thick low-permeable (≤50 mD) and indurated (0–3% porosity) zone immediately beneath the thrust contact in which dominant microscale processes, in decreasing order of importance, are (1) cataclasis with local fault gouge formation; (2) pressure solution; and (3) very limited cementation. From this narrow zone the petrophysical and microstructural effect of the thrusting decreases gradually downwards into a friable, highly porous (
c.
25%) and permeable (≤2 D) sandstone some 50–150 m below the thrust, in which strain is localized into deformation band populations. In general, the petrophysical properties of the sandstone as a result of overthrusting reveal little impact in overall primary reservoir quality below some tens of metres into the footwall, except for the relatively minor baffling effect of deformation bands.
Energy-Aware Memory Mapping for Hybrid FRAM-SRAM MCUs in Intermittently-Powered IoT Devices
Authors: Jayakumar Hrishikesh , Raha Arnab , Stevens Jacob R. , Raghunathan Vijay
Published: April 2017

Forecasts project that by 2020, there will be around 50 billion devices connected to the Internet of Things (IoT), most of which will operate untethered and unplugged. While environmental energy harvesting is a promising solution to power these IoT edge devices, it introduces new complexities due to the unreliable nature of ambient energy sources. In the presence of an unreliable power supply, frequent checkpointing of the system state becomes imperative, and recent research has proposed the concept of
in-situ
checkpointing by using ferroelectric RAM (FRAM), an emerging non-volatile memory technology, as
unified memory
in these systems. Even though an entirely FRAM-based solution provides reliability, it is energy inefficient compared to SRAM due to the higher access latency of FRAM. On the other hand, an entirely SRAM-based solution is highly energy efficient but is unreliable in the face of power loss. This paper advocates an intermediate approach in hybrid FRAM-SRAM microcontrollers that involves judicious memory mapping of program sections to retain the reliability benefits provided by FRAM while performing almost as efficiently as an SRAM-based system. We propose an energy-aware memory mapping technique that maps different program sections to the hybrid FRAM-SRAM microcontroller such that energy consumption is minimized without sacrificing reliability. Our technique consists of
eM-map
, which performs a one-time characterization to find the optimal memory map for the functions that constitute a program and
energy-align
, a novel hardware-software technique that aligns the system’s powered-on time intervals to function execution boundaries, which results in further improvements in energy efficiency and performance. Experimental results obtained using the MSP430FR5739 microcontroller demonstrate a significant performance improvement of up to 2x and energy reduction of up to 20% over a state-of-the-art FRAM-based solution. Finally, we present a case study that shows the implementation of our techniques in the context of a real IoT application.
A Multi-Quadcopter Cooperative Cyber-Physical System for Timely Air Pollution Localization
Authors: Shen Zhaoyan , He Zhijian , Li Shuai , Wang Qixin , Shao Zili
Published: April 2017

We propose a cyber-physical system of unmanned quadcopters to locate air pollution sources in a timely manner. The system consists of a physical part and a cyber part. The physical part includes unmanned quadcopters equipped with multiple sensors. The cyber part carries out control laws. We simplify the control laws by decoupling the quadcopters’ horizontal-plane motion control from vertical motion control. To control the quadcopter’s horizontal-plane motions, we propose a controller that combines pollutant dynamics with quadcopter physics. To control the quadcopter’s vertical motions, we adopt an anti-windup proportional-integral (PI) controller. We further extend the horizontal-plane control laws from a single quadcopter to multiple quadcopters. The multi-quadcopter control laws are distributed and convergent. We implement a prototype quadcopter and carry out experiments to verify the vertical control laws. We also carry out simulations to evaluate the horizontal-plane control laws. With quadcopter parameters set commensurate with our prototype implementation’s, our simulations show that the control laws can drive quadcopters to locate pollution source(s) in a timely way.
A Complexity Trichotomy for Approximately Counting List
H
-Colorings
Authors: Galanis Andreas , Goldberg Leslie Ann , Jerrum Mark
Published: April 2017

We examine the computational complexity of approximately counting the list
H
-colorings of a graph. We discover a natural graph-theoretic trichotomy based on the structure of the graph
H
. If
H
is an irreflexive bipartite graph or a reflexive complete graph, then counting list
H
-colorings is trivially in polynomial time. Otherwise, if
H
is an irreflexive bipartite permutation graph or a reflexive proper interval graph, then approximately counting list
H
-colorings is equivalent to #BIS, the problem of approximately counting independent sets in a bipartite graph. This is a well-studied problem that is believed to be of intermediate complexity—it is believed that it does not have an FPRAS, but that it is not as difficult as approximating the most difficult counting problems in #P. For every other graph
H
, approximately counting list
H
-colorings is complete for #P with respect to approximation-preserving reductions (so there is no FPRAS unless NP = RP). Two pleasing features of the trichotomy are (1) it has a natural formulation in terms of hereditary graph classes, and (2) the proof is largely self-contained and does not require any universal algebra (unlike similar dichotomies in the weighted case). We are able to extend the hardness results to the bounded-degree setting, showing that all hardness results apply to input graphs with maximum degree at most 6.
Approximation Algorithms for Schema-Mapping Discovery from Data Examples
Authors: Cate Balder Ten , Kolaitis Phokion G. , Qian Kun , Tan Wang-Chiew
Published: April 2017

In recent years, data examples have been at the core of several different approaches to schema-mapping design. In particular, Gottlob and Senellart introduced a framework for schema-mapping discovery from a single data example, in which the derivation of a schema mapping is cast as an optimization problem. Our goal is to refine and study this framework in more depth. Among other results, we design a polynomial-time log(
n
)-approximation algorithm for computing optimal schema mappings from a given set of data examples (where
n
is the combined size of the given data examples) for a restricted class of schema mappings; moreover, we show that this approximation ratio cannot be improved. In addition to the complexity-theoretic results, we implemented the aforementioned log(
n
)-approximation algorithm and carried out an experimental evaluation in a real-world mapping scenario.
Do Health Information Exchanges Deter Repetition of Medical Services?
Authors: Eftekhari Saeede , Yaraghi Niam , Singh Ranjit , Gopal Ram D. , Ramesh R.
Published: April 2017

Repetition of medical services by providers is one of the major sources of healthcare costs. The lack of access to previous medical information on a patient at the point of care often leads a physician to perform medical procedures that have already been done. Multiple healthcare initiatives and legislation at both the federal and state levels have mandated Health Information Exchange (HIE) systems to address this problem. This study aims to assess the extent to which HIE could reduce these repetitions, using data from Centers for Medicare 8 Medicaid Services and a regional HIE organization. A 2-Stage Least Square model is developed to predict the impact of HIE on repetitions of two classes of procedures: diagnostic and therapeutic. The first stage is a predictive analytic model that estimates the duration of tenure of each HIE member-practice. Based on these estimates, the second stage predicts the effect of providers’ HIE tenure on their repetition of medical services. The model incorporates moderating effects of a federal quality assurance program and the complexity of medical procedures with a set of control variables. Our analyses show that a practice's tenure with HIE significantly lowers the repetition of therapeutic medical procedures, while diagnostic procedures are not impacted. The medical reasons for the effects observed in each class of procedures are discussed. The results will inform healthcare policymakers and provide insights on the business models of HIE platforms.