bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Biologically effective dose of glyphosate as influenced by weed size in corn
Authors: Soltani Nader , Nurse Robert E. , Sikkema Peter H.
Published: June 2016

There is limited information on the effect of weed size at the time of application on glyphosate efficacy in Ontario. Eleven field trials were conducted over a 3 yr period (2010–2012) in Ontario to determine the biologically effective dose of glyphosate applied postemergence (POST) in corn at doses of 112.5–1350 g acid equivalent (a.e.) ha−1 for the control of various grass and broadleaved weed species when the weeds were 10, 20 or 30 cm in height. The GR90 for redroot pigweed, common ragweed, common lamb’s-quarters, barnyardgrass, and green foxtail were 353, 630, 621, 763, and <112.5 g a.e. ha−1 when applied at 10 cm weed height, 235, 201, 906, 868, and 296 g a.e. ha−1 when applied at 20 cm weed height, and 792, >1350, >1350, 912, and 675 g a.e. ha−1 when applied at 30 cm weed height, respectively. Corn yields were maximized when glyphosate was applied to weeds that were up to 10 cm in height, but was reduced with later glyphosate application timings. The results of this study reinforce the importance of early POST weed control in corn.
Fluctuating versus constant temperatures: effects on metabolic rate and oxidative damages in freshwater crustacean embryos
Authors: Foucreau Natacha , Jehan Charly , Lawniczak Martin , Hervant Frédéric
Published: June 2016

Rising temperatures will pose a major threat, notably for freshwater ecosystems, in the decades to come. Temperature, a major environmental factor, affects organisms’ physiology and metabolism. Most studies of temperature effect address constant thermal regime (CTR), whereas organisms are exposed to fluctuating thermal regime (FTR) in their natural environments. In addition, previous works have predominantly addressed issues of thermal tolerance in adults rather than in early life stages. Therefore, for the first time to our knowledge, we aimed to investigate the influence of thermal conditions, either FTR or CTR, on the physiology of the crustacean amphipod Gammarus roeseli Gervais, 1835 at different embryonic stages. We measured the metabolic rate and the TBARS (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances) body content (to assess the level of oxidative damage). Oxygen consumption rate strongly increased throughout embryo development, whereas oxidative damages did not clearly change. In addition, the embryos tended to consume oxygen equally but displayed less oxidative damage when developing under FTR compared with developing under CTR. Moreover, our results revealed that fluctuating temperatures (and especially the existence of a colder (nonstressful) period during the day) could allow cell-damage repairs, and therefore, allow G. roeseli embryos to ensure good development by implementing an efficient protection response against oxidative stress.
The role of groundwater in highly human-modified hydrosystems: a review of impacts and mitigation options in the Campo de Cartagena-Mar Menor coastal plain (SE Spain)
Authors: Jiménez-Martínez J. , García-Aróstegui J.L. , Hunink J.E. , Contreras S. , Baudron P. , Candela L.
Published: June 2016

Hydrological processes and water resources are increasingly modified by anthropogenic actions, leading to multiple pressures on the environment and related ecosystems. A better understanding of the interactions between the anthroposphere and the hydrosphere is necessary to shape more sustainable societies. The pressure of human activities on the environment is especially high along the circum-Mediterranean area because of a combination of biophysical and economic factors. The Campo de Cartagena coastal plain, together with the Mar Menor lagoon, is one of the most exemplary areas in this aspect. This work analyzes this system at the basin level by providing a synthesis of the state of knowledge of each hydrological compartment and the links between them. We pay special attention to the important role that groundwater plays in the overall functioning of the system, both as a promoting and (or) mitigating agent. The principal identified impacts from human actions are water imbalance (28% of consumed water resources are not renewable); aquifer-cross contamination (high areal density, ∼1.2 wells/km2); acid-mine drainage (mine wastes, accounting for ∼175 hm3 on land and ∼25 hm3 in the sea, accumulated mainly between 1957 and 1992); and lagoon eutrophication (NO3– up to 1 mg/L). A set of mitigation options and complementary management measures that should be implemented following an integrative and holistic approach are presented and discussed, supporting a more sustainable regional economy and the recovery of critical ecosystem services.
Classical and nonclassical symmetries of a generalized Benney– Luke equation
Authors: Bruzón M. S.
Published: June 2016

We apply the Lie-group formalism and the nonclassical method due to Bluman and Cole to deduce symmetries of a generalized Benney–Luke equation. All the reductions are derived. We prove that, by using the nonclassical method, we get several new solutions which are unobtainable by Lie classical symmetries.
How to Measure Memorability and Social Interestingness of Images: A Review
Authors: Amengual Xesca , Bosch Anna , de la Rosa Josep Lluís
Published: June 2016

An entire industry has been developed around keyword optimization for buyers of advertising space. However, the social media landscape has shifted to photo-driven behaviors, and there is a need to overcome the challenge of analyzing the large amount of visual data that users post on the internet. We will address this analysis by providing a review on how to measure image and video interestingness and memorability from content that is tacked in real time on social networks. We will investigate state-of-the-art methods that are used to analyze social media images and present experiments that were performed to obtain comparable results based on the studied proposals and to determine which are the best characteristics and classifiers. Finally, we will discuss future research directions that could be beneficial to both users and companies.
A Hybrid Vehicle Extraction Approach from Low-Quality LiDAR Data Based on Robust One-Class Support Vector Machine
Authors: Wang Yong , Liu Jianyong , Fu Chengqun , Guo Jie , Yu Qin , Xie Lijun
Published: June 2016

Vehicle extraction becomes possible as the high-performance airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) systems can offer very dense and accurate point cloud, which means the sophisticated objects can be recorded in detail, combined with color information from airborne image, hyperspectral and intensity. However, few studies have investigated in extracting vehicles from LiDAR data only, especially when its quality is low, which is the main difficulty for most LiDAR applications. In this paper, a hybrid approach has been proposed to extract vehicles from low-quality LiDAR data. In order to extract vehicle from low-resolution LiDAR data, a robust one-class support vector machine-minimum covariance determinant (OCSVM-MCD) is proposed based on a multivariate dispersion estimator and weighted strategy. Firstly, the three-dimensional (3D) point dataset is classified into nonterrain and terrain points with progressive morphological filter with a slight improvement. Secondly, nonterrain points are segmented by clustering technique and missing blobs are searched from terrain points. Then, the vehicles are extracted from clustering and searching results by OCSVM-MCD, and a hybrid principle is put forward to improve the extraction result at last. The proposed method has been evaluated with two benchmark datasets from ISPRS, and proved that by the method, most vehicles can be extracted from low-quality LiDAR data with an encouraging result.
Generalizations of reversible and Armendariz rings
Authors: Han Juncheol , Kwak Tai Keun , Lee Chang Ik , Lee Yang , Seo Yeonsook
Published: June 2016

This paper concerns several ring theoretic properties related to matrices and polynomials. The basic properties of [Formula: see text]-reversible and power-Armendariz are studied. We provide a method by which one can always construct a power-Armendariz ring but neither symmetric nor Armendariz from given any symmetric ring. We investigate next various interesting relations among ring theoretic properties containing [Formula: see text]-reversibility and power-Armendariz condition.
Nilpotent symplectic alternating algebras III
Authors: Sorkatti Layla , Traustason Gunnar
Published: June 2016

In this paper, we finish our classification of nilpotent symplectic alternating algebras of dimension 10 over any field [Formula: see text].
Improvements for P-ELM1 and P-ELM2 Pruning Algorithms in Extreme Learning Machines
Authors: Zhai Junhai , Shao Qingyan , Wang Xizhao
Published: June 2016

Extreme learning machine (ELM) is an efficient training algorithm for single-hidden layer feed-forward neural networks (SLFNs). Two pruned-ELM named P-ELM1 and P-ELM2 are proposed by Rong et al. P-ELM1 and P-ELM2 employ [Formula: see text] and information gain to measure the association between the class labels and individual hidden node respectively. But for the continuous value data sets, it is inevitable for P-ELM1 and P-ELM2 to evaluate the probability distributions of the data sets with discretization methods for calculating [Formula: see text] and information gain, while the discretization will lead to information loss. Furthermore, the discretization will result in high computational complexity. In order to deal with the problems, based on tolerance rough sets, this paper proposed an improved pruned-ELM algorithm, which can overcome the drawbacks mentioned above. Experimental results along with statistical analysis on 8 UCI data sets show that the improved algorithm outperforms the pruned-ELM in computational complexity and testing accuracy.
Eliciting Subjective Probabilities in Anscombe and Aumann's Model
Authors: Hokari Toru , Yao Masayuki
Published: June 2016

In this note, we propose an alternative version of Anscombe and Aumann's Subjective Expected Utilities (SEU) representation theorem. In Anscombe and Aumann's model, a randomizing device with objective probabilities is available. As pointed out by Sarin and Wakker, when such a randomizing device is available, there is a natural and direct method to elicit subjective probabilities. Anscombe and Aumann did not use this method, but employed an indirect way to derive subjective probabilities. We investigate what happens if we use this direct method to elicit subjective probabilities in Anscombe and Aumann's model.
Approximate Matching of Neighborhood Subgraphs — An Ordered String Graph Levenshtein Method
Authors: Nettleton David F. , Salas Julian
Published: June 2016

Given that exact pair-wise graph matching has a high computational cost, different representational schemes and matching methods have been devised in order to make matching more efficient. Such methods include representing the graphs as tree structures, transforming the structures into strings and then calculating the edit distance between those strings. However many coding schemes are complex and are computationally expensive. In this paper, we present a novel coding scheme for unlabeled graphs and perform some empirical experiments to evaluate its precision and cost for the matching of neighborhood subgraphs in online social networks. We call our method OSG-L (Ordered String Graph-Levenshtein). Some key advantages of the pre-processing phase are its simplicity, compactness and lower execution time. Furthermore, our method is able to match both non-isomorphisms (near matches) and isomorphisms (exact matches), also taking into account the degrees of the neighbors, which is adequate for social network graphs.
ELECTRICAL DISCHARGE MACHINING OF Al/7.5% Al2O3 MMCs USING ROTARY TOOL AND Al2O3 POWDER
Authors: DANESHMAND SAEED , MASOUDI BEHNAM , MONFARED VAHID
Published: June 2016

Nowadays, composites are used in different parts of industries and it is one of the most important subjects. The most widely used reinforcements in metal matrix composites are Al2O3 and SiC fibers and particles which may be used in cutting-edge functional and structural applications of aerospace, defense, and automobile industries. Depending on the type of powder used, composite materials are difficult to machine by conventional cutting tools and methods. The most appropriate way for machining of these composites is electro discharge. For the reason of improving the surface quality, tool wear rate and material removal rate and reducing the cracks on the surface, Al2O3 powder was used. In this study, the effect of input parameters of EDM such as voltage, pulse current, pulse on-time and pulse off-time on output parameters like material removal rate, tool wear rate and surface roughness in both conditions of the rotary tool with powder mixed dielectric EDM and the stationary tool excluding powder mixed dielectric were investigated. The critical parameters were identified by variance analysis, while the optimum machining parameter settings were achieved via Taguchi method. Results show that using of powder mixed dielectric and rotary tool reduce the tool wear rate, surface roughness and the cracks on the surface significantly. It is found also that using of powder mixed dielectric and rotary tool improve the material removal rate due to improved flushing action and sparking efficiency. The analysis of variance showed that the pulse current and pulse on-time affected highly the MRR, TWR, surface roughness and surface cracks.
Synthesis of Protein-Directed Orange/Red-Emitting Copper Nanoclusters via Hydroxylamine Hydrochloride Reduction Approach and Their Applications on Hg2+ Sensing
Authors: Xu Jie , Han Bingyan
Published: June 2016

Herein, we report a facile one-pot method for the synthesis of orange/red-emitting fluorescent copper nanoclusters (Cu NCs), in which bovine serum albumin (BSA) served as the capping scaffold (Cu NCs@BSA) and hydroxylamine hydrochloride (NH2OH[Formula: see text][Formula: see text][Formula: see text]HCl) as the reducing agent. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time to adopt this mild reductant to synthesize fluorescent Cu NCs. The as-prepared Cu NCs@BSA exhibits strong orange or red fluorescence at room temperature depending on the synthesis process, and the maximum excitation and emission peaks were at 355[Formula: see text]nm and 615[Formula: see text]nm, 395[Formula: see text]nm and 645[Formula: see text]nm, respectively. Synthesis conditions including the amounts of NH2OH[Formula: see text][Formula: see text][Formula: see text]HCl, the selection of reducing agent, the molar ratio of BSA/Cu(NO3)2, the pH value, the reaction temperature, the reaction time, and various kinds of Cu sources have been systematically studied. Importantly, these Cu NCs exhibit excellent stability for at least 2 months when stored at 4[Formula: see text]C in the dark, and they also show strong oxidation resistance toward H2O2. Moreover, the prepared Cu NCs have been successfully applied to sensitively and selectively sensing Hg[Formula: see text] without suffering any interference from other metal ions and anions.
Characterizations of ordered k-regular semirings by ordered k-ideals
Authors: Patchakhieo Satyt , Pibaljommee Bundit
Published: June 2016

An ordered semiring [Formula: see text] is called ordered [Formula: see text]-regular if for every element [Formula: see text] of [Formula: see text] there exist [Formula: see text] with [Formula: see text] such that [Formula: see text]. An ordered ideal [Formula: see text] of [Formula: see text] is called an ordered [Formula: see text]-ideal, if [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] for some [Formula: see text] then [Formula: see text]. In this work, we characterize ordered [Formula: see text]-regular semirings using their ordered [Formula: see text]-ideals. Moreover, characterizations of left(right) ordered [Formula: see text]-regular semirings and left(right) ordered [Formula: see text]-weakly regular semirings are investigated.
Excess lithium storage in LiFePO4-Carbon interface by ball-milling
Authors: Guo Hua , Song Xiaohe , Zheng Jiaxin , Pan Feng
Published: June 2016

As one of the most popular cathode materials for high power lithium ion batteries (LIBs) of the electrical-vehicle (EV), lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4 (LFP)) is limited to its relatively lower theoretical specific capacity of 170[Formula: see text]mAh g[Formula: see text]. To break the limits and further improve the capacity of LFP is promising but challenging. In this study, the ball-milling method is applied to the mixture of LFP and carbon, and the effective capacity larger than the theoretical one by 30[Formula: see text]mAh g[Formula: see text] is achieved. It is demonstrated that ball-milling leads to the LFP-Carbon interface to store the excess Li-ions.
Phase diagram of (Na0.5K0.5)NbO3-(Bi0.5Na0.5)ZrO3 solid solution
Authors: Wang Ruiping , Itoh Mitsuru
Published: June 2016

Phase diagram of [Formula: see text]Na[Formula: see text]K[Formula: see text]NbO3–x(Bi[Formula: see text]Na[Formula: see text]ZrO3 solid solution has been established from dielectric constant measurements and structure analyses. It is found that with increasing x, the C–T phase transition temperature [Formula: see text] and the T–O phase transition temperature [Formula: see text] decrease, while the [Formula: see text] phase transition temperature [Formula: see text] increases. [Formula: see text] of NKN–xBNZ is much different from that of NKN–xBZ solid solution. The result could be mainly elucidated by the hybridization between the A-site ion and oxygen.
Coupling Interactions and Performance: Predicting Team Performance from Thin Slices of Conflict
Authors: Jung Malte F.
Published: June 2016

Do teams show stable conflict interaction patterns that predict their performance hours, weeks, or even months in advance? Two studies demonstrate that two of the same patterns of emotional interaction dynamics that distinguish functional from dysfunctional marriages also distinguish high from low-performance design teams in the field, up to 6 months in advance, with up to 91% accuracy, and based on just 15minutes of interaction data: Group Affective Balance, the balance of positive to negative affect during an interaction, and Hostile Affect, the expression of a set of specific negative behaviors were both found as predictors of team performance. The research also contributes a novel method to obtain a representative sample of a team's conflict interaction. Implications for our understanding of design work in teams and for the design of groupware and feedback intervention systems are discussed.
Dynamic Process Migration Based on Block Access Patterns Occurring in Storage Servers
Authors: Liao Jianwei , Trahay François , Xiao Guoqiang
Published: June 2016

An emerging trend in developing large and complex applications on today’s high-performance computers is to couple independent components into a comprehensive application. The components may employ the global file system to exchange their data when executing the application. In order to reduce the time required for input/output (I/O) data exchange and data transfer in the coupled systems or other applications, this article proposes a dynamic process migration mechanism on the basis of block access pattern similarity for utilizing the local file cache to exchange the data. We first introduce the scheme of the block access counting diagram to profile the process access pattern during a time period on the storage server. Next, we propose an algorithm that compares the access patterns of processes running on different computing nodes. Last, processes are migrated in order to group processes with similar access patterns. Consequently, the processes on the computing node can exchange their data by accessing the local file cache, instead of the global file system.

The experimental results show that the proposed process migration mechanism can reduce the execution time required by the application because of the shorter I/O time, as well as yield attractive I/O throughput. In summary, this dynamic process migration technique can work fairly well for distributed applications whose data dependency rely on distributed file systems.
Eigen-Optimization on Large Graphs by Edge Manipulation
Authors: Chen Chen , Tong Hanghang , Prakash B. Aditya , Eliassi-Rad Tina , Faloutsos Michalis , Faloutsos Christos
Published: June 2016

Large graphs are prevalent in many applications and enable a variety of information dissemination processes, e.g., meme, virus, and influence propagation. How can we optimize the underlying graph structure to affect the outcome of such dissemination processes in a desired way (e.g., stop a virus propagation, facilitate the propagation of a piece of good idea, etc)? Existing research suggests that the leading eigenvalue of the underlying graph is the key metric in determining the so-called epidemic threshold for a variety of dissemination models. In this paper, we study the problem of how to optimally place a set of edges (e.g., edge deletion and edge addition) to optimize the leading eigenvalue of the underlying graph, so that we can guide the dissemination process in a desired way. We propose effective, scalable algorithms for edge deletion and edge addition, respectively. In addition, we reveal the intrinsic relationship between edge deletion and node deletion problems. Experimental results validate the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed algorithms.
Mobile Phones as Amplifiers of Social Inequality among Rural Kenyan Women
Authors: Wyche Susan , Simiyu Nightingale , Othieno Martha E.
Published: June 2016

This article provides a detailed analysis of rural Kenyan women and their interactions with the products and services of Safaricom Ltd., Kenya's dominant mobile network provider. The amplification theory of technology offers a framework for analyzing our data, and we find that differential motivation and capacity are mechanisms that appear to benefit the network provider, while disadvantaging rural mobile phone owners. In particular, the design of Safaricom's airtime scratch cards and mobile services does not support rural users’ capabilities. Our analysis suggests that technologists consider their ongoing responsibilities for technologies they built yesterday—that is, they should address problems inherent in the current design of mobile-phone interfaces. We offer practical recommendations on how to do this, and ask HCI/ICTD researchers and practitioners to more carefully consider how overlooking corporate power structures and their impact on mobile phone use amplifies social inequality.
What's in the job of making music?
Authors: Lachenmayer Harry
Published: June 2016

Harry Lachenmayer navigates the underground music world with a CS degree.
Jian Guan on design and innovation in China
Authors: Ansari Ahmed , Kandala Raghavendra
Published: June 2016

Having attended universities in the U.S. and China, this educator shares his insight of the design industry and education in China.
Long-Baseline Neutrino Experiments
Authors: Diwan M.V. , Galymov V. , Qian X. , Rubbia A.
Published: June 2016

We review long-baseline neutrino experiments in which neutrinos are detected after traversing macroscopic distances. Over such distances neutrinos have been found to oscillate among flavor states. Experiments with solar, atmospheric, reactor, and accelerator neutrinos have resulted in a coherent picture of neutrino masses and mixing of the three known flavor states. We summarize the current best knowledge of neutrino parameters and phenomenology, with a focus on the evolution of the experimental technique. We proceed from the first evidence produced by astrophysical neutrino sources to the current open questions and the goals of future research.
Mechanisms Involved in Nematode Control by Endophytic Fungi
Authors: Schouten Alexander
Published: June 2016

Colonization of plants by particular endophytic fungi can provide plants with improved defenses toward nematodes. Evidently, such endophytes can be important in developing more sustainable agricultural practices. The mechanisms playing a role in this quantitative antagonism are poorly understood but most likely multifactorial. This knowledge gap obstructs the progress regarding the development of endophytes or endophyte-derived constituents into biocontrol agents. In part, this may be caused by the fact that endophytic fungi form a rather heterogeneous group. By combining the knowledge of the currently characterized antagonistic endophytic fungi and their effects on nematode behavior and biology with the knowledge of microbial competition and induced plant defenses, the various mechanisms by which this nematode antagonism operates or may operate are discussed. Now that new technologies are becoming available and more accessible, the currently unresolved mechanisms can be studied in greater detail than ever before.
Replication of Tobamovirus RNA
Authors: Ishibashi Kazuhiro , Ishikawa Masayuki
Published: June 2016

Tobacco mosaic virus and other tobamoviruses have served as models for studying the mechanisms of viral RNA replication. In tobamoviruses, genomic RNA replication occurs via several steps: (a) synthesis of viral replication proteins by translation of the genomic RNA; (b) translation-coupled binding of the replication proteins to a 5′-terminal region of the genomic RNA; (c) recruitment of the genomic RNA by replication proteins onto membranes and formation of a complex with host proteins TOM1 and ARL8; (d) synthesis of complementary (negative-strand) RNA in the complex; and (e) synthesis of progeny genomic RNA. This article reviews current knowledge on tobamovirus RNA replication, particularly regarding how the genomic RNA is specifically selected as a replication template and how the replication proteins are activated. We also focus on the roles of the replication proteins in evading or suppressing host defense systems.
Advances in Understanding the Molecular Mechanisms of Root Lesion Nematode Host Interactions
Authors: Fosu-Nyarko John , Jones Michael G.K.
Published: June 2016

Root lesion nematodes (RLNs) are one of the most economically important groups of plant nematodes. As migratory endoparasites, their presence in roots is less obvious than infestations of sedentary endoparasites; nevertheless, in many instances, they are the major crop pests. With increasing molecular information on nematode parasitism, available data now reflect the differences and, in particular, similarities in lifestyle between migratory and sedentary endoparasites. Far from being unsophisticated compared with sedentary endoparasites, migratory endoparasites are exquisitely suited to their parasitic lifestyle. What they lack in effectors required for induction of permanent feeding sites, they make up for with their versatile host range and their ability to move and feed from new host roots and survive adverse conditions. In this review, we summarize the current molecular data available for RLNs and highlight differences and similarities in effectors and molecular mechanisms between migratory and sedentary endoparasitic nematodes.
Study of Natural Cytotoxicity Receptors in Patients with HIV/AIDS and Cancer: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Terra Junior Orlando Nascimento , Maldonado Gabriel de Carvalho , Alfradique Guilherme Rohem , Lisboa Vinicius da Cunha , Arnóbio Adriano , de Lima Dirce Bonfim , Diamond Hilda Rachel , de Souza Maria Helena Faria Ornellas
Published: June 2016

The NCR receptors play a fundamental role in the cytotoxicity mediated by NK cells against tumor cells. In the current study, we investigated possible HIV/AIDS-related changes in the expression of the NCR receptors comparing healthy donors, HIV/AIDS patients, and HIV/AIDS patients with cancer (HIV/AIDSWC). The NCRs were quantified in NK cells (NKdimandNKbright) and T lymphocytes from peripheral blood samples by flow cytometry. We found a significant decrease in the frequency of NK cells expressing NKp46 in HIV/AIDS group (p=0.0012). There was a decrease in the frequency of NK cells expressing NKp46 in the HIV/AIDSWC group; however, this was not statistically significant. We found a significant decrease in the frequency of NK cells expressing NKp30 in the HIV/AIDS group (p=0.0144). There was a decrease in the frequency of NK cells expressing NKp30 and in the HIV/AIDSWC group, but this was not statistically significant. There were no changes in the distribution of NK cells and their subtypes in both groups.
Understanding Genetic Diversity of Sorghum Using Quantitative Traits
Authors: Sinha Sweta , Kumaravadivel N.
Published: June 2016

Sorghum is the important cereal crop around the world and hence understanding and utilizing the genetic variation in sorghum accessions are essential for improving the crop. A good understanding of genetic variability among the accessions will enable precision breeding. So profiling the genetic diversity of sorghum is imminent. In the present investigation, forty sorghum accessions consisting of sweet sorghum, grain sorghum, forage sorghum, mutant lines, maintainer lines, and restorer lines were screened for genetic diversity using quantitative traits. Observations were recorded on 14 quantitative traits, out of which 9 diverse traits contributing to maximum variability were selected for genetic diversity analysis. The principle component analysis revealed that the panicle width, stem girth, and leaf breadth contributed maximum towards divergence. By using hierarchical cluster analysis, the 40 accessions were grouped under 6 clusters. Cluster I contained maximum number of accessions and cluster VI contained the minimum. The maximum intercluster distance was observed between cluster VI and cluster IV. Cluster III had the highest mean value for hundred-seed weight and yield. Hence the selection of parents must be based on the wider intercluster distance and superior mean performance for yield and yield components. Thus in the present investigation quantitative data were able to reveal the existence of a wide genetic diversity among the sorghum accessions used providing scope for further genetic improvement.
Evaluation of Choroidal Thickness in Patients with Pseudoexfoliation Syndrome and Pseudoexfoliation Glaucoma
Authors: Dursun Ayhan , Ozec Ayse Vural , Dogan Oznur , Dursun Feyza Gulac , Toker Mustafa Ilker , Topalkara Aysen , Arici Mustafa Kemal , Erdogan Haydar
Published: June 2016

Purpose. To compare the macular and peripapillary choroidal thickness in eyes with pseudoexfoliation (PEX) syndrome and PEX glaucoma with the normal eyes of healthy controls.Materials and Methods. In this prospective study, 30 eyes of 30 patients with PEX syndrome, 28 eyes of 28 patients with PEX glaucoma, and 30 eyes of 30 age-matched healthy subjects were enrolled. Choroidal thicknesses in the macular and peripapillary areas were measured by using spectral domain optical coherence tomography.Results. Gender, age, and axial length did not significantly differ between the groups (all,p>0.05). The mean values of choroidal thickness in the macular and peripapillary areas (except the superior quadrant) in the patients with PEX syndrome and PEX glaucoma were lower compared with controls (allp<0.05). The mean values of the macular and peripapillary choroidal thickness in the PEX glaucoma group were lower compared with PEX syndrome group; however this difference was not significant.Conclusions. The findings of this study revealed that macular and peripapillary choroidal thicknesses were decreased in PEX syndrome and PEX glaucoma cases. The role of choroid in the development of glaucomatous damage in patients with PEX syndrome remains unclear.
Distributed Control for Multiagent Consensus Motions with Nonuniform Time Delays
Authors: Shi Mengji , Qin Kaiyu
Published: June 2016

This paper solves control problems of agents achieving consensus motions in presence of nonuniform time delays by obtaining the maximal tolerable delay value. Two types of consensus motions are considered: the rectilinear motion and the rotational motion. Unlike former results, this paper has remarkably reduced conservativeness of the consensus conditions provided in such form: for each system, if all the nonuniform time delays are bounded by the maximal tolerable delay value which is referred to as “delay margin,” the system will achieve consensus motion; otherwise, if all the delays exceed the delay margin, the system will be unstable. When discussing the system which is intended to achieve rotational consensus motion, an expanded system whose state variables are real numbers (those of the original system are complex numbers) is introduced, and corresponding consensus condition is given also in the form of delay margin. Numerical examples are provided to illustrate the results.
Effect of Sea Water and Natural Ageing on Residual Strength of Epoxy Laminates, Reinforced with Glass and Carbon Woven Fabrics
Authors: Komorek Andrzej , Przybyłek Paweł , Kucharczyk Wojciech
Published: June 2016

This paper reports the results of the effect of sea water, natural ageing, and cross-impact loading on flexural strength and residual flexural strength of epoxy laminates with glass woven fabrics and hybrid reinforcement with glass and carbon woven fabrics. The tests were conducted on samples with different fibre reinforcement both before and after low energy cross-impact loading. Carbon fabrics decreased residual strength of the composites.
PPARγAgonists as an Anti-Inflammatory Treatment Inhibiting Rotavirus Infection of Small Intestinal Villi
Authors: Gómez Dory , Muñoz Natalia , Guerrero Rafael , Acosta Orlando , Guerrero Carlos A.
Published: June 2016

Rotavirus infection has been reported to induce an inflammatory response in the host cell accompanied by the increased expression or activation of some cellular molecules including ROS, NF-κB, and COX-2. PPARγstimulation and N-acetylcysteine (NAC) treatment have been found to interfere with viral infections including rotavirus infection. Small intestinal villi isolated fromin vivoinfected mice with rotavirus ECwt were analyzed for the percentage of ECwt-infected cells, the presence of rotavirus antigens, and infectious virion yield following treatment with pioglitazone. Isolated villi were also infectedin vitroand treated with PPARγagonists (PGZ, TZD, RGZ, DHA, and ALA),all-transretinoic acid (ATRA), and NAC. After treatments, the expression of cellular proteins including PPARγ, NF-κB, PDI, Hsc70, and COX-2 was analyzed using immunochemistry, ELISA, immunofluorescence, and Western blotting. The results showed that rotavirus infection led to an increased accumulation of the cellular proteins studied and ROS. The virus infection-induced accumulation of the cellular proteins studied and ROS was reduced upon pioglitazone treatment, causing also a concomitant reduction of the infectious virion yield. We hypothesized that rotavirus infection is benefiting from the induction of a host cell proinflammatory response and that the interference of the inflammatory pathways involved leads to decreased infection.
Changes in Pathological Complete Response Rates after Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for Breast Carcinoma over Five Years
Authors: McFarland Daniel C. , Naikan Jessica , Rozenblit Mariya , Mandeli John , Bleiweiss Ira , Tiersten Amy
Published: June 2016

Historically, neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) was extrapolated from adjuvant regimens. Dual HER2 blockade and the introduction of carboplatin for triple negative breast cancers (TNBC) emerged by December 2013 and have improved pathological complete response (pCR) rates. The objective of this study was to assess the pCR rates before and after the introduction of these new neoadjuvant regimens.Materials and Methods.Stage I–III breast cancer patients who received NACT were analyzed for rates of pCR by clinical characteristics (i.e., age, BMI, axillary lymphadenopathy, and histologic subtype), by time period (1 = 3/2010–11/2013, 2 = 12/2013–3/2015), and by type of chemotherapy (e.g., anthracycline/taxane only, carboplatin-containing, and HER2 blockade).Results.113 patients received NACT. Overall pCR rate was 26.5 percent (n=30). The pCR rate increased from 14% to 43.1% (p=0.001) from time period 1 to time period 2 and were associated with HER2 positivity (p=0.003), receiving treatment during time period 2 (p=0.001) and using an anthracycline/taxane plus additional agent type of regimen (p=0.004).Conclusions.Our study revealed a significant difference in rates of pCR over five years. Window of opportunity trials and other trials that utilize pCR analysis should be encouraged.
Twist Periodic Solutions in the Relativistic Driven Harmonic Oscillator
Authors: Núñez Daniel , Rivera Andrés
Published: June 2016

We study the one-dimensional forced harmonic oscillator with relativistic effects. Under some conditions of the parameters, the existence of a unique stable periodic solution is proved which is of twist type. The results depend on a Twist Theorem for nonlinear Hill’s equations which is established and proved here.
Moving Target Network Defense Effectiveness Evaluation Based on Change-Point Detection
Authors: Lei Cheng , Ma Duo-he , Zhang Hong-qi , Wang Li-ming
Published: June 2016

In order to evaluate the effectiveness of moving target network defense, a dynamic effectiveness evaluation approach based on change-point detection is presented. Firstly, the concept of multilayer network resource graph is defined, which helps establish the relationship between the change of resource vulnerability and the transfer of network node state. Secondly, a change-point detection and standardized measurement algorithm is proposed. Consequently, it improves the efficiency of evaluation by measuring the change-point dynamically and enhancing the accuracy of evaluation based on multilayer network resource graph. What’s more, in order to evaluate the defense effectiveness comprehensively, defense cost and benefits are set as evaluation indicators. Finally, experimental analysis, represented by MT6D and DNAT, proves the feasibility of the proposed evaluation method and the accuracy of the evaluation results.
Rubber Composites Based on Polar Elastomers with Incorporated Modified and Unmodified Magnetic Filler
Authors: Kruželák Ján , Sýkora Richard , Dosoudil Rastislav , Hudec Ivan
Published: June 2016

Rubber magnetic composites were prepared by incorporation of unmodified and surface modified strontium ferrite into rubber matrices based on NBR and NBR/PVC. Strontium ferrite was dosed to the rubber matrices in concentration scale ranging from 0 to 100 phr. The main goal was to investigate the influence of the type of ferrite on the curing process, physical-mechanical and magnetic properties of composites. The mutual interactions between the filler and rubber matrices were investigated by determination of cross-link density and SEM analysis. The incorporation of magnetic fillers leads to the increase of cross-link density and remanent magnetic induction of composites. Moreover, the improvement of physical-mechanical properties was achieved in dependence on the content of magnetic fillers. Surface modification of ferrite contributed to the enhancement of adhesion on the interphase filler-rubber. It can be stated that ferrite exhibits reinforcing effect in the composite materials and this reinforcing behavior was emphasized with the increase in polarity of the rubber matrix.
Pipeline Bending Strain Measurement and Compensation Technology Based on Wavelet Neural Network
Authors: Li Rui , Cai Maolin , Shi Yan , Feng Qingshan , Liu Shucong , Zhao Xiaoming
Published: June 2016

The bending strain of long distance oil and gas pipelines may lead to instability of the pipeline and failure of materials, which seriously deteriorates the transportation security of oil and gas. To locate the position of the bending strain for maintenance, an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) is usually adopted in a Pipeline Inspection Gauge (PIG). The attitude data of the IMU is usually acquired to calculate the bending strain in the pipe. However, because of the vibrations in the pipeline and other system noises, the resulting bending strain calculations may be incorrect. To improve the measurement precision, a method, based on wavelet neural network, was proposed. To test the proposed method experimentally, a PIG with the proposed method is used to detect a straight pipeline. It can be obtained that the proposed method has a better repeatability and convergence than the original method. Furthermore, the new method is more accurate than the original method and the accuracy of bending strain is raised by about 23% compared to original method. This paper provides a novel method for precisely inspecting bending strain of long distance oil and gas pipelines and lays a foundation for improving the precision of inspection of bending strain of long distance oil and gas pipelines.
Semisynthesis of Derivatives of Oleanolic Acid fromSyzygium aromaticumand Their Antinociceptive and Anti-Inflammatory Properties
Authors: Rali Sibusiso , Oyedeji Opeoluwa O. , Aremu Olukayode O. , Oyedeji Adebola O. , Nkeh-Chungag Benedicta N.
Published: June 2016

Oleanolic acid is a pentacyclic triterpenoid compound widely found in plants and well known for its medicinal properties. Oleanolic acid (OA) was isolated from the ethyl acetate extract ofSyzygium aromaticumflower buds. Semisynthesis afforded both acetate and ester derivatives. The derived compounds were monitored with thin layer chromatography and confirmed with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, mass spectrometry (MS), Fourier infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and melting point (Mp). All these compounds were evaluated for their analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties at a dose of 40 mg/kg. Significant analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects were noted for all OA-derived compounds. In the formalin-induced pain test, the derivatives showed better analgesic effects compared to their precursor, whereas, in the tale flick test, oleanolic acid proved to be superior in analgesic effects compared to all its derivatives with the exception of the acetyl derivative. Acute inflammatory tests showed that acetyl derivatives possessed better anti-inflammatory activity compared to the other compounds. In conclusion, semisynthesis of oleanolic acid yielded several derivatives with improved solubility and enhanced analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties.
Spectral Studies of UV and Solar Photocatalytic Degradation of AZO Dye and Textile Dye Effluents Using Green Synthesized Silver Nanoparticles
Authors: Mariselvam R. , Ranjitsingh A. J. A. , Mosae Selvakumar P. , Alarfaj Abdullah A. , Munusamy Murugan A.
Published: June 2016

The photocatalytic degradation of the chemical dye AZO and dye effluents in different time duration has been investigated using biologically synthesized silver nanoparticles. Dye industry effluents and AZO dye undergo degradation to form harmless intermediate and colourless products following irradiation by UV and solar light in the presence of green synthesized silver nanoparticles. The degree of degradation was tested under the experimental conditions such asPH, temperature, and absorbance of the dye in UV and solar light was measured. The degradation was higher in the UV light source than in the solar light source. Green synthesized silver nanoparticles in the UV light source were found to expedite the dye degradation process.
Graph-Based Salient Region Detection through Linear Neighborhoods
Authors: Xu Lijuan , Wang Fan , Yang Yan , Hu Xiaopeng , Sun Yuanyuan
Published: June 2016

Pairwise neighboring relationships estimated by Gaussian weight function have been extensively adopted in the graph-based salient region detection methods recently. However, the learning of the parameters remains a problem as nonoptimal models will affect the detection results significantly. To tackle this challenge, we first apply the adjacent information provided by all neighbors of each node to construct the undirected weight graph, based on the assumption that every node can be optimally reconstructed by a linear combination of its neighbors. Then, the saliency detection is modeled as the process of graph labelling by learning from partially selected seeds (labeled data) in the graph. The promising experimental results presented on some datasets demonstrate the effectiveness and reliability of our proposed graph-based saliency detection method through linear neighborhoods.
Biomimetic Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles Using Endosymbiotic Bacterium InhabitingEuphorbia hirtaL. and Their Bactericidal Potential
Authors: Syed Baker , Yashavantha Rao Hoovinakola Chinnappa , Nagendra-Prasad Mysore Nagalingaswamy , Prasad Ashwini , Harini Ballagere Puttaraju , Azmath Pasha , Rakshith Devaraju , Satish Sreedharamurthy
Published: June 2016

The present investigation aims to evaluate biomimetic synthesis of silver nanoparticles using endophytic bacterium EH 419 inhabitingEuphorbia hirtaL. The synthesized nanoparticles were initially confirmed with change in color from the reaction mixture to brown indicating the synthesis of nanoparticles. Further confirmation was achieved with the characteristic absorption peak at 440 nm using UV-Visible spectroscopy. The synthesized silver nanoparticles were subjected to biophysical characterization using hyphenated techniques. The possible role of biomolecules in mediating the synthesis was depicted with FTIR analysis. Further crystalline nature of synthesized nanoparticles was confirmed using X-ray diffraction (XRD) with prominent diffraction peaks at 2θwhich can be indexed to the (111), (200), (220), and (311) reflections of face centered cubic structure (fcc) of metallic silver. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed morphological characteristics of synthesized silver nanoparticles to be polydisperse in nature with size ranging from 10 to 60 nm and different morphological characteristics such as spherical, oval, hexagonal, and cubic shapes. Further silver nanoparticles exhibited bactericidal activity against panel of significant pathogenic bacteria among whichPseudomonas aeruginosawas most sensitive compared to other pathogens. To the best of our knowledge, present study forms first report of bacterial endophyte inhabitingEuphorbia hirtaL. in mediating synthesizing silver nanoparticles.
Ants Can Expect the Time of an Event on Basis of Previous Experiences
Authors: Cammaerts Marie-Claire , Cammaerts Roger
Published: June 2016

Working on three ant species of the genus Myrmica, M. ruginodis, M. rubra, and M. sabuleti, we showed that foragers can expect the subsequent time at which food will be available on the basis of the previous times at which food was present. The ants acquired this expectative ability right after having experienced two time shifts of food delivery. Moreover, the ants’ learning score appeared to be a logarithmic function of time (i.e., of the number of training days). This ability to expect subsequent times at which an event will occur may be an advantageous ethological trait.