bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Functional characterization of an N-terminally-truncated mitochondrial porin expressed in Neurospora crassa
Authors: Shuvo Sabbir R. , Kovaltchouk Uliana , Zubaer Abdullah , Kumar Ayush , Summers William A.T. , Donald Lynda J. , Hausner Georg , Court Deborah A.
Published: April 2017

Mitochondrial porin, which forms voltage-dependent anion-selective channels (VDAC) in the outer membrane, can be folded into a 19-β-stranded barrel. The N terminus of the protein is external to the barrel and contains α-helical structure. Targeted modifications of the N-terminal region have been assessed in artificial membranes, leading to different models for gating in vitro. However, the in vivo requirements for gating and the N-terminal segment of porin are less well-understood. Using Neurospora crassa porin as a model, the effects of a partial deletion of the N-terminal segment were investigated. The protein, ΔN2-12porin, is assembled into the outer membrane, albeit at lower levels than the wild-type protein. The resulting strain displays electron transport chain deficiencies, concomitant expression of alternative oxidase, and decreased growth rates. Nonetheless, its mitochondrial genome does not contain any significant mutations. Most of the genes that are expressed in high levels in porin-less N. crassa are expressed at levels similar to that of wild type or are slightly increased in ΔN2-12porin strains. Thus, although the N-terminal segment of VDAC is required for complete function in vivo, low levels of a protein lacking part of the N terminus are able to rescue some of the defects associated with the absence of porin.
Automated Detector of High Frequency Oscillations in Epilepsy Based on Maximum Distributed Peak Points
Authors: Ren Guo-Ping , Yan Jia-Qing , Yu Zhi-Xin , Wang Dan , Li Xiao-Nan , Mei Shan-Shan , Dai Jin-Dong , Li Xiao-Li , Li Yun-Lin , Wang Xiao-Fei , Yang Xiao-Feng
Published: April 2017

High frequency oscillations (HFOs) are considered as biomarker for epileptogenicity. Reliable automation of HFOs detection is necessary for rapid and objective analysis, and is determined by accurate computation of the baseline. Although most existing automated detectors measure baseline accurately in channels with rare HFOs, they lose accuracy in channels with frequent HFOs. Here, we proposed a novel algorithm using the maximum distributed peak points method to improve baseline determination accuracy in channels with wide HFOs activity ranges and calculate a dynamic baseline. Interictal ripples (80–200[Formula: see text]Hz), fast ripples (FRs, 200–500[Formula: see text]Hz) and baselines in intracerebral EEGs from seven patients with intractable epilepsy were identified by experienced reviewers and by our computer-automated program, and the results were compared. We also compared the performance of our detector to four well-known detectors integrated in RIPPLELAB. The sensitivity and specificity of our detector were, respectively, 71% and 75% for ripples and 66% and 84% for FRs. Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient comparing automated and manual detection was [Formula: see text] for ripples and [Formula: see text] for FRs ([Formula: see text]). In comparison to other detectors, our detector had a relatively higher sensitivity and specificity. In conclusion, our automated detector is able to accurately calculate a dynamic iEEG baseline in different HFO activity channels using the maximum distributed peak points method, resulting in higher sensitivity and specificity than other available HFO detectors.
On the connectedness of the branch locus of moduli space of hyperelliptic Klein surfaces with one boundary
Authors: Costa Antonio F. , Izquierdo Milagros , Porto Ana Maria
Published: April 2017

In this work, we prove that the hyperelliptic branch locus of orientable Klein surfaces of genus [Formula: see text] with one boundary component is connected and in the case of non-orientable Klein surfaces it has [Formula: see text] components, if [Formula: see text] is odd, and [Formula: see text] components for even [Formula: see text]. We notice that, for non-orientable Klein surfaces with two boundary components, the hyperelliptic branch loci are connected for all genera.
Rational and polynomial density on compact real manifolds
Authors: Gupta Purvi , Shafikov Rasul
Published: April 2017

We establish a characterization for an [Formula: see text]-manifold [Formula: see text] to admit [Formula: see text] functions [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] functions [Formula: see text] in [Formula: see text] so that every element of [Formula: see text] can be approximated by rational combinations of [Formula: see text] and polynomial combinations of [Formula: see text]. As an application, we show that the optimal value of [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] for all manifolds of dimension [Formula: see text] is [Formula: see text], when [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text].
An Efficient Method for Road Tracking from Satellite Images Using Hybrid Multi-Kernel Partial Least Square Analysis and Particle Filter
Authors: Kumar K. Madhan , Velayudham A. , Kanthavel R.
Published: April 2017

The Road extraction from the remotely sensed imagery is highly realistic for the quick road updating in the Geographic Information System (GIS) data collection. The particle filter (PF) was earlier employed to track the road maps in satellite images. In our previous work, we have introduced an efficient Gauss–Hermite Kalman Filter with Locally Excitatory Globally Inhibitory Oscillator Networks (GHKF–LEGION)-based road extraction, even though it does not properly extract the road from the complex region. In order to recover the track of the road beyond obstacles, in this work, we proposed a novel hybrid multi-kernel partial least squares (PLS) with PF approach. Here, at first, we estimate the initial leader point of the road employing the K-means clustering technique. Subsequently, the PF traces a road till a stopping benchmark is satisfied. Thereafter, without finishing the process, the outcomes are furnished to the hybrid kernel PLS technique which attempts to locate the continuance of the road after several potential road blocks or to locate the entire feasible road branches which are on the other side of the road junction. The outcomes are offered for five satellite images. The experimental results show our proposed road tracking method is better compared to other existing works.
A Very Low Power Quadrature VCO with Modified Current-Reuse and Back-Gate Coupling Topology
Authors: Wan Qiuzhen , Dong Jun , Zhou Hui , Yu Fei
Published: April 2017

In this paper, a very low power modified current-reused quadrature voltage-controlled oscillator (QVCO) is proposed with the back-gate coupling technique for the quadrature signal generation. By stacking switching transistors in series like a cascode, the modified current-reused QVCO can be constructed in a totem-pole manner to reuse the dc biasing current and lower the power consumption. By utilizing the back-gates of switching transistors as coupling terminals to achieve the quadrature outputs, the back-gate coupled QVCO improves the phase noise and reduces the power consumption compared to the conventional coupling transistor based topology. Together with the modified current-reuse and back-gate coupling techniques, the proposed QVCO can operate at reduced supply voltage and power consumption while maintaining remarkable circuit performance in terms of low phase noise and wide tuning range. With a dc power of 1.6[Formula: see text]mW under a 0.8[Formula: see text]V supply voltage, the simulation results show the tuning range of the QVCO is from 2.36 to 3.04[Formula: see text]GHz as the tuning voltage is varied from 0.8 to 0.0[Formula: see text]V. The phase noise is [Formula: see text]118.3[Formula: see text]dBc/Hz at 1[Formula: see text]MHz offset frequency from the carrier frequency of 2.36[Formula: see text]GHz and the corresponding figure-of-merit of the QVCO is [Formula: see text]183.7[Formula: see text]dBc/Hz.
Line-Constrained k-Median, k-Means, and k-Center Problems in the Plane
Authors: Wang Haitao , Zhang Jingru
Published: April 2017

The (weighted) [Formula: see text]-median, [Formula: see text]-means, and [Formula: see text]-center problems in the plane are known to be NP-hard. In this paper, we study these problems with an additional constraint that requires the sought [Formula: see text] facilities to be on a given line. We present efficient algorithms for various distance measures such as [Formula: see text]. We assume that all [Formula: see text] weighted points are given sorted by their projections on the given line. For [Formula: see text]-median, our algorithms for [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] metrics run in [Formula: see text] time and [Formula: see text] time, respectively. For [Formula: see text]-means, which is defined only on the squared [Formula: see text] distance, we give an [Formula: see text] time algorithm. For [Formula: see text]-center, our algorithms run in [Formula: see text] time for all three metrics, and in [Formula: see text] time for the unweighted version under [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] metrics. While our results for the [Formula: see text]-center problem are optimal, the results for the [Formula: see text]-median problem almost match the best algorithms for the corresponding one-dimensional problems.
Insights into the mechanism for the selective catalytic reduction of NOxwith NH3on (MnO)2+/ZSM-5: A DFT study
Authors: Zhao Xiaochuan , Li Xingying , Liu Zile , Mu Wentao , Zhu Jing , Su Liqing , Li Zhe , Huang Wei
Published: April 2017

In this work, the reaction mechanisms for the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of nitrogen oxides (NOx) with NH3on a (MnO)[Formula: see text]/ZSM-5 catalyst were investigated based on the density functional theory (DFT) method. Our calculations showed that the NH3could strongly adsorb on the (MnO)[Formula: see text]/ZSM-5 catalyst as compared to NO. The proposed reaction pathway, NH3(ads)[Formula: see text]NH[Formula: see text]H[Formula: see text]NH2(ads) [Formula: see text] NO(ads)[Formula: see text] NH2NO[Formula: see text]NHNO [Formula: see text] H[Formula: see text]N[Formula: see text]H2O, was more favorable with smaller activation barrier (1.40[Formula: see text]eV) of the rate-determining step. The compared reaction process that the adsorbed NH3reacted directly with adsorbed NO was difficult to happen for the higher activation barrier. Meanwhile, the framework oxygen participated in the oxidation process from ammonia to NH2, thereby increasing its availability for the reaction. In addition, the regeneration process of active site in the presence of NH3and NO2was explored, and the rate-limiting step possessed an activation barrier of 1.46[Formula: see text]eV. The NH2NO species was formed as the crucial intermediate and subsequently decomposed into the N2and H2O.
Neural network modeling as an efficient approach to predict the density of ionic liquids/ethanol binary systems
Authors: Lashkarbolooki Mostafa
Published: April 2017

Ionic liquids (ILs) especially their mixtures are of high interest within the different scientific societies due to their amazing properties. In this regard, a number of attempts have been made to measure, correlate, estimate and calculate the properties of ILs in the neat or mixture forms. Among the different possible predictive methods, artificial neural networks (ANNs) are widely used because of their unique and amazing capabilities for prediction of different parameters. With respect to this paper, a feed-forward ANN model is proposed to model the densities of different binary mixtures of ILs/ethanol. The proposed network is trained and tested with 1078 binary data points gathered by mining into the different published literatures. The data gathered from previously published literatures are separated into two different subsets namely training and testing. The statistical error analysis has shown that the proposed neural network correlated the binary densities with the overall mean absolute percentage error (MAPE), average relative deviation percentage error (ARD%), minimum relative deviation percent (RDmin%), maximum relative deviation Percent (RDmax%) and correlation coefficient ([Formula: see text] of 1.5%, [Formula: see text]0.1%, [Formula: see text]13.0%, 15.0% and 0.9712, respectively.
Oil-Tank Weld Detection Using EMAT
Authors: Chen Li , Choi Wang-Rim , Lee Jeong-Gu , Kim Yi-Gon , Moon Hong-Sik , Bae Young-Chul
Published: April 2017

Tanks are typically used for the storage of oil by the petrochemical industry, and the storage quality is largely determined by the safety of the equipment. Recently, Electromagnetic Acoustic Transducer (EMAT) technology has been the focus of many non-destructive examinations, as EMATs can generate elastic waves without contact, thereby making it easy to carry out the process of detection. The Shear Horizontal (SH)-guided waves that are generated by an EMAT are modeled in a plate made of ferromagnetic material, and this is of particular interest regarding the testing of welded structures. This paper provides an EMAT-sensor design that can be used to find cracks in the welds of a tank whereby the need for people to climb onto the tank is removed; furthermore, regarding cases where the amplitude signal of the SH-wave EMATs is too low, a simulation is used in this paper to propose a method that improves the transduction efficiency.
Grasp Configurations Optimization of Dexterous Robotic Hand Based on Haptic Exploration Information
Authors: Gu Haiwei , Zhang Yuanfei , Fan Shaowei , Jin Minghe , Liu Hong
Published: April 2017

Haptic exploration and grasp planning by dexterous robot hand are usually two independent research areas. In this paper, the determination of optimal grasp configurations after haptic exploration of unknown objects is discussed. The haptic exploration information is used to select initial grasp points and the corresponding robot configurations, which greatly improve the efficiency of grasp planning process. The feasible searching regions on the object are obtained under the constrains of manipulability and robot kinematics. Then, the optimization method based on KNN search is applied to find the optimal grasp positions in feasible searching regions. The selected optimal grasp points set can achieve high grasp quality under the constrains of robot kinematics and manipulability. The optimization method combines multiple grasp quality metrics, which is fast and feasible in optimal grasp points searching. Experiments validate the feasibility and effectivity of the proposed method.
The Role of Knowledge Integration in Capability Development and Emergence of Innovation Ecosystem
Authors: Kashan Alireza Javanmardi , Mohannak Kavoos
Published: April 2017

This paper investigates the interrelationships between knowledge integration (KI), product innovation and capability development to enhance our understanding of the processes and outcomes of capability development within firms. One of the critical underlying mechanisms for capability building identified in the literature is the role of knowledge integration, which operates within innovation projects and contributes to dynamic capability development. Findings of this study demonstrate that the emergence of knowledge specialization from the part level up to the architectural level lead to emergence of innovation ecosystem within the auto industry as a response to learning and innovation within the firm.
On the spectrum of DW Hamiltonian of quantum SU(2) gauge field
Authors: Kanatchikov Igor V.
Published: April 2017

The spectrum of masses of the colorless states of DW Hamiltonian operator of quantum SU(2) Yang–Mills field theory on [Formula: see text] obtained via the precanonical quantization is shown to be purely discrete and bounded from below. The scale of the mass gap is estimated to be of the order of magnitude of the scale of the ultra-violet parameter [Formula: see text] which is introduced by precanonical quantization on dimensional grounds.
Existence and uniqueness theorem for set-valued Volterra–Hammerstein integral equations
Authors: Plotnikov Andrej V. , Komleva Tatyana A. , Molchanyuk Irina V.
Published: April 2017

In this paper, we consider two types of set-valued Volterra–Hammerstein integral equations and prove the existence and uniqueness theorem.
Agent-based simulation platform for cloud manufacturing
Authors: Zhao Chun , Zhang Lin , Liu Yongkui , Zhang Zhiqiang , Yang Gengjiao , Li Bo Hu
Published: April 2017

Cloud manufacturing is a new manufacturing paradigm which creates an open environment for transactions among the enterprises. Research on transaction modes and regularities in a cloud manufacturing environment is important for promoting the applications of cloud manufacturing. To this end, we design and implement a simulation platform according to the typical transaction processes of enterprises in the cloud manufacturing environment. In the simulation platform, enterprises are encapsulated into Service Agents, and thus the activities of service agents can be used to describe enterprise behaviors. By defining different rules, simulations for different business models can be conducted. Detailed descriptions of the platform architecture, functions, and key technologies are presented. The feasibility of the simulation platform is verified through a case study.
Thinning and conditioning of the circular unitary ensemble
Authors: Charlier Christophe , Claeys Tom
Published: April 2017

We apply the operation of random independent thinning on the eigenvalues of [Formula: see text] Haar distributed unitary random matrices. We study gap probabilities for the thinned eigenvalues, and we study the statistics of the eigenvalues of random unitary matrices which are conditioned such that there are no thinned eigenvalues on a given arc of the unit circle. Various probabilistic quantities can be expressed in terms of Toeplitz determinants and orthogonal polynomials on the unit circle, and we use these expressions to obtain asymptotics as [Formula: see text].
Constructing Intrinsic Delaunay Triangulations from the Dual of Geodesic Voronoi Diagrams
Authors: Liu Yong-Jin , Fan Dian , Xu Chun-Xu , He Ying
Published: April 2017

Intrinsic Delaunay triangulation (IDT) naturally generalizes Delaunay triangulation from R
2
to curved surfaces. Due to many favorable properties, the IDT whose vertex set includes all mesh vertices is of particular interest in polygonal mesh processing. To date, the only way for constructing such IDT is the edge-flipping algorithm, which iteratively flips non-Delaunay edges to become locally Delaunay. Although this algorithm is conceptually simple and guarantees to terminate in finite steps, it has no known time complexity and may also produce triangulations containing faces with only two edges. This article develops a new method to obtain proper IDTs on manifold triangle meshes. We first compute a geodesic Voronoi diagram (GVD) by taking all mesh vertices as generators and then find its dual graph. The sufficient condition for the dual graph to be a proper triangulation is that all Voronoi cells satisfy the so-called closed ball property. To guarantee the closed ball property everywhere, a certain sampling criterion is required. For Voronoi cells that violate the closed ball property, we fix them by computing topologically safe regions, in which auxiliary sites can be added without changing the topology of the Voronoi diagram beyond them. Given a mesh with
n
vertices, we prove that by adding at most
O
(
n
) auxiliary sites, the computed GVD satisfies the closed ball property, and hence its dual graph is a proper IDT. Our method has a theoretical worst-case time complexity
O
(
n
2
+
tn
log
n
), where
t
is the number of obtuse angles in the mesh. Computational results show that it empirically runs in linear time on real-world models.
Un comité de propietarios para cada AFP
Authors: Valdes Salvador
Published: April 2017

Este artículo presenta la propuesta del grupo Mejores Pensiones para Chile, de crear un Comité de Propietarios de Fondos en cada AFP. Su función principal sería encargar a expertos evaluaciones sobre la calidad de los servicios prestados por esa administradora a sus afiliados, incluyendo la gestión financiera, los servicios administrativos y las comisiones cobradas. Los miembros del Comité serían sorteados entre afiliados de la AFP en su mayor parte, debiendo aprobar el examen de asesor previsional de la Superintendencia dentro de cierto plazo. Estas funciones y mecanismo de selección difieren de otras propuestas y creemos hacen gran diferencia.
Estructura de propiedad, legitimidad y competencia en la industria de AFP: Una mirada financiera
Authors: Lopez Fernando
Published: April 2017

Permitir la entrada de AFPs sin fines de lucro y la creación de una AFP estatal son medidas que apuntan a aumentar la legitimidad y competencia de la industria de AFP a través de instituciones cuyo fin último no es maximizar la ganancia de sus dueños. Sin embargo, se sabe poco respecto a los beneficios y costos monetarios que esta medida podría tener para los afiliados. Este estudio analiza el caso hipotético en que las administradoras actuales distribuyeran una parte de la diferencia entre sus ingresos por comisiones y sus costos operacionales, que en 2016 ascendieron a US$524 millones. En el escenario base, la mitad de estos recursos hubiesen permitido dar un beneficio anual en torno a $30.000 para el cotizante promedio o aumentar la pensión del jubilado promedio en cerca de $12.000 mensuales. Si en cambio estos recursos fueran invertidos en los fondos de los cotizantes actuales para financiar sus pensiones futuras, éstas podrían aumentar hasta 3,5% en el caso de las generaciones más jóvenes.
Democracia ou oligarquia? O controle invisível da política
Authors: Bueno Roberto
Published: April 2017

O que é democracia, como e de que forma ela vem sendo gerida e apresentada à população? Há discrepância entre o núcleo de suas instituições e a sua prática? Considerando o cenário político comum das democracias ocidentais, este texto detém-se nas formas de controle e nos instrumentos institucionalizados para bloquear a participação política. O autor parte da hipótese de que está em fase final nas democracias contemporâneas um processo de substituição das instituições democráticas em prol da instalação de uma oligarquia no poder, não obstante a manutenção formal das instituições democráticas. Analisam-se as condições em que esse poder oligárquico coordena seus interesses econômicos e políticos de forma invisível.
A nação no campo de jogo: um diálogo comparativo entre discursos nacionais argentinos e brasileiros durante a Copa do Mundo de 2014
Authors: Cabrera Nicolás
Published: April 2017

Neste trabalho procuraremos retomar o diálogo entre futebol e nacionalismo a partir de uma estratégia metodológica um tanto diferenciada em relação à nossa história bibliográfica: pretendemos nos afastar da ótica nação-cêntrica. Para isso, colocaremos o nosso foco nas trocas simbólicas dialogantes entre narrativas nacionais construídas pelos hinchas da Argentina e os torcedores do Brasil durante a Copa do Mundo Brasil 2014. O trabalho apresenta duas seções: a primeira é uma tentativa de sistematizar algumas reflexões relevantes para pensar o futebol e a Copa como terreno simbólico privilegiado para ler a tensão local-global. A segunda seção é um deslocamento para a análise dos cânticos trocados pelos hinchas da Argentina e os torcedores brasileiros durante a Copa do Mundo de 2014.
Bancos na favela: relações entre agências bancárias e moradores de uma região urbana alvo de políticas de “pacificação”.
Authors: Müller Lúcia Helena
Published: April 2017

Este trabalho aborda a ação de agentes financeiros em contextos populares, tendo como pano de fundo políticas de governo voltadas para a chamada “inclusão financeira”. Ele se baseia em uma etnografia realizada no primeiro semestre de 2013 em uma região da periferia da cidade do Rio de Janeiro, onde, a partir de 2010, foram instaladas agências bancárias, na esteira das ações do Estado visando à “pacificação”, isto é, a tomada de controle do território até então sob domínio de organizações criminosas. Mediante a análise das estratégias desenvolvidas por um banco estatal eum banco privado, busco refletir sobre questões mais amplas, como a da atualização ou reconstrução de fronteiras sociais em processos de implantação de políticas que se propõem inclusivas.
Nigel Dodd. The social life of money
Authors: Silva Patricia Kunrath
Published: April 2017

Resenha de Nigel Dodd. The Social Life of Money. Princeton & Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2014, 375 pp.
Vender nos ônibus. Os Buscas na cidade de Buenos Aires, Argentina
Authors: Perelman Mariano D.
Published: April 2017

Durante uma viagem de ônibus é possível que um vendedor suba para oferecer um produto. Quando isso acontece, uma cena geralmente se oferece ao passageiro: um homem sobe, diz algumas palavras ao motorista e começa a realizar uma performance que qualquer viajante assíduo mais ou menos conhece. Mas, para que isso ocorra, é necessário uma série de relações que possibilitem o acesso e a permanência dos vendedores na atividade. Este artigo avança nesse terreno. Baseado em pesquisa de campo em curso com vendedores ambulantes que trabalham no transporte coletivo no âmbito da cidade de Buenos Aires, o texto se centra em como, para poder realizar essa tarefa, os vendedores criam e mantêm relações com outros atores e vão construindo um território, um espaço socialmente construído.
Los Angeles, a metrópole radical de Reyner Banham
Authors: Meyer Regina Maria Prosperi
Published: April 2017

O livro Los Angeles – a arquitetura de quatro ecologias de Reyner Banham (1922-1988) publicado em 1971 tem sido desde sua primeira edição objeto de muita controvérsia. Há quem veja nele um texto seminal, com muita ascendência sobre arquitetos que se lançaram em análises de outras realidades urbanas a partir daquela década. Mas, sua fortuna crítica inclui também críticas acadêmicas severas e, não raramente, demolidoras. As disputas que se travavam naquele momento, em torno do incontornável exame dos dogmas do Movimento Moderno, estão presentes no livro de forma reflexiva, corajosa e, algumas vezes, provocativa. Porém, passadas quatro décadas é interessante debruçar-se sobre o livro buscando apreciar as suas teses a partir do desenvolvimento das metrópoles contemporâneas, estas que, provavelmente, teriam sido designadas pelo autor como metrópoles capitalistas da quarta era da máquina. O artigo busca salientar também a força e a legitimidade da inovação metodológica que o autor forjou para articular a sua tese e seu objeto – a grande Los Angeles.
Surface urban heat island and buildings energy: visualization of urban climatic flows
Authors: Rodríguez-Álvarez Jorge
Published: April 2017

The surface urban heat island (SUHI) effect can be defined as the relative warmth of urban surfaces compared with its surroundings due to the difference in their respective cooling rates. Classic studies have demonstrated that urban warming is a regional and occasional phenomenon whose occurrence depends on weather conditions and characteristics of the urban fabric. Satellite imagery and GIS are combined in this paper to unveil patterns in thermal variations across cities and relate air temperature to density or land cover. Six European regions were selected: Madrid (40ºN, 3ºE), Cologne (50ºN, 6ºE), Barcelona (41ºN,2ºE) London (51ºN,0.5ºW), Brussels(50ºN,4ºE) and Berlin(52ºN,13ºE). Images with information on surface temperature were obtained from Modis Satellite database. Over 120 files were scrutinized to select 6 winter and summer days and nights. From these, six summer nights are presented as they offer the clearest land surface temperature distribution. The spatial correlation between air temperature, density and land cover was analysed in GIS and plotted as citywide cross sections. The strongest correspondence was found between density and land cover. Finally, the influence of UHI in the energy demand of domestic buildings in London and Barcelona was investigated. This analysis showed the greater relative impact of this phenomenon in warmer regions.
Imigrantes coreanos na formação do polo atacadista de moda feminina de pronta-entrega no bairro do Bom Retiro, São Paulo
Authors: Chi Jung Yun
Published: April 2017

Este artigo trata do papel dos imigrantes coreanos na consolidação do polo atacadista de moda feminina de pronta-entrega no bairro do Bom Retiro, São Paulo. Mostra a evolução histórica das confecções coreanas do bairro e as características particulares de seus negócios, destacando-se os aspectos urbano-espaciais.
Climate Engine: Cloud Computing and Visualization of Climate and Remote Sensing Data for Advanced Natural Resource Monitoring and Process Understanding
Authors: Huntington Justin L. , Hegewisch Katherine C. , Daudert Britta , Morton Charles G. , Abatzoglou John T. , McEvoy Daniel J. , Erickson Tyler
Published: April 2017

The paucity of long-term observations, particularly in regions with heterogeneous climate and land cover, can hinder incorporating climate data at appropriate spatial scales for decision-making and scientific research. Numerous gridded climate, weather, and remote sensing products have been developed to address the needs of both land managers and scientists, in turn enhancing scientific knowledge and strengthening early-warning systems. However, these data remain largely inaccessible for a broader segment of users given the computational demands of big data. Climate Engine (http://ClimateEngine.org) is a web-based application that overcomes many computational barriers that users face by employing Google’s parallel cloud-computing platform, Google Earth Engine, to process, visualize, download, and share climate and remote sensing datasets in real time. The software application development and design of Climate Engine is briefly outlined to illustrate the potential for high-performance processing of big data using cloud computing. Second, several examples are presented to highlight a range of climate research and applications related to drought, fire, ecology, and agriculture that can be rapidly generated using Climate Engine. The ability to access climate and remote sensing data archives with on-demand parallel cloud computing has created vast opportunities for advanced natural resource monitoring and process understanding.
Assessment of Vertical Mesh Refinement in Concurrently Nested Large-Eddy Simulations Using the Weather Research and Forecasting Model
Authors: Mirocha Jeffrey D. , Lundquist Katherine A.
Published: April 2017

To facilitate multiscale simulation using the Weather Research and Forecasting Model, vertical mesh refinement for one-way concurrent nested simulation was recently introduced. Grid refinement in the vertical dimension removes the requirement of different grid aspect ratios on the bounding versus the nested domain, such that results from refinement are in the horizontal directions only, and thereby can also reduce numerical errors on the bounding domain arising from large aspect ratios in the presence of complex terrain. Herein, the impacts of vertical grid refinement on the evolving downstream flow in nested large-eddy simulations are evaluated in relation to other model configuration choices, including turbulence subfilter-scale (SFS) stress models, mesh configuration, and alternative methods for calculating several near-surface flow parameters. Although vertical nesting requires coarsening of the vertical grid on the bounding domain, leading to a smaller range of resolved turbulence scales in the nest’s lateral boundary conditions, parameter values within the nested domains are generally only minimally impacted, relative to nesting using the same vertical grid on each domain. Two dynamic SFS models examined herein generally improved the simulated mean wind speed, turbulence kinetic energy, stresses and spectra, on both domains, and accelerated equilibration rates within nested domains, relative to two constant coefficient models. A new method of extrapolating horizontal velocity components to near-surface locations at nested domain lateral boundaries, and a correction to the calculation of deformation elements near the surface, are each shown to slightly alter the mean parameter values, yet only minimally impact equilibration rates within the nested domain.
Variability of Precipitation along Cold Fronts in Idealized Baroclinic Waves
Authors: Norris Jesse , Vaughan Geraint , Schultz David M.
Published: April 2017

Precipitation patterns along cold fronts can exhibit a variety of morphologies including narrow cold-frontal rainbands and core-and-gap structures. A three-dimensional primitive equation model is used to investigate alongfront variability of precipitation in an idealized baroclinic wave. Along the poleward part of the cold front, a narrow line of precipitation develops. Along the equatorward part of the cold front, precipitation cores and gaps form. The difference between the two evolutions is due to differences in the orientation of vertical shear near the front in the lower troposphere: at the poleward end the along-frontal shear is dominant and the front is in near-thermal wind balance, while at the equatorward end the cross-frontal shear is almost as large. At the poleward end, the thermal structure remains erect with the front well defined up to the midtroposphere, hence updrafts remain erect and precipitation falls in a continuous line along the front. At the equatorward end, the cores form as undulations appear in both the prefrontal and postfrontal lighter precipitation, associated with vorticity maxima moving along the front on either side. Cross-frontal winds aloft tilt updrafts, so that some precipitation falls ahead of the surface cold front, forming the cores. Sensitivity simulations are also presented in which SST and roughness length are varied between simulations. Larger SST reduces cross-frontal winds aloft and leads to a more continuous rainband. Larger roughness length destroys the surface wind shift and thermal gradient, allowing mesovortices to dominate the precipitation distribution, leading to distinctive and irregularly shaped, quasi-regularly spaced precipitation maxima.
The Impact of Courts on Public Management: New Insights From the Legal Literature
Authors: Osorio Andrew , O’Leary Rosemary
Published: April 2017

This article challenges some of the accepted wisdom about the relationship between courts and public institutions. The authors raise a reasonable doubt concerning whether judges as a whole are refusing to defer to administrator’s expertise and have lost their “cloak of neutrality.” Moreover, there is evidence to conclude that judges, as a whole, are shying away from the detailed “command-and-control” approaches of the past where courts determined remedial norms, formulated comprehensive and inflexible decrees, and then occupied a substantial directive role in their implementation. At the same time, the authors find continued salience in O’Leary and Straussman’s concern regarding untested conclusions made largely in absence of empirical evidence concerning the impact of courts on public management. Implications for the education of public administration scholars and practitioners are offered.
Identity and Professional Networking
Authors: Raj Medha , Fast Nathanael J. , Fisher Oliver
Published: April 2017

Despite evidence that large professional networks afford a host of financial and professional benefits, people vary in how motivated they are to build such networks. To help explain this variance, the present article moves beyond a rational self-interest account to examine the possibility that identity shapes individuals’ intentions to network. Study 1 established a positive association between viewing professional networking as identity-congruent and the tendency to prioritize strengthening and expanding one’s professional network. Study 2 revealed that manipulating the salience of the self affects networking intentions, but only among those high in networking identity-congruence. Study 3 further established causality by experimentally manipulating identity-congruence to increase networking intentions. Study 4 examined whether identity or self-interest is a better predictor of networking intentions, providing support for the former. These findings indicate that identity influences the networks people develop. Implications for research on the self, identity-based motivation, and professional networking are discussed.
Pre-meal inulin consumption does not affect acute energy intake in overweight and obese middle-aged and older adults: A randomized controlled crossover pilot trial
Authors: Smiljanec Katarina , Mitchell Cassie M , Privitera Olivia F , Neilson Andrew P , Davy Kevin P , Davy Brenda M
Published: April 2017

Background:

Three-fourths of adults older than 55 years in the United States are overweight or obese. Prebiotics including inulin-type fructans may benefit with weight management.

Aim:

We aimed to investigate the acute effects of pre-meal inulin consumption on energy intake (EI) and appetite in older adults.

Methods:

Sedentary, overweight or obese middle-aged and older adults ( n = 7, 60.9 ± 4.4 years, BMI 32.9 ± 4.3 kg/m2) ingested inulin (10 g) or a water preload before each test period in a randomly assigned order. EI, appetite and gastrointestinal symptoms were monitored during the following 24 h.

Results:

No differences in EI were noted between conditions (inulin: 14744 ± 5552 kJ, control: 13924 ± 4904 kJ, p > 0.05). Rumbling was increased with inulin consumption ( p < 0.05).

Conclusion:

Pre-meal inulin consumption does not acutely decrease EI or suppress appetite in older adults. Further research should address individual differences among diets, eating behaviors, and microbiota profiles.
Modern empires and nation-states
Authors: Breuilly John
Published: April 2017

Empires and nation-states are not opposed or distinct forms of polity but closely linked forms. Pre-modern empire existed without any contrasting form of polity we might call a nation-state. Rather, they contrasted with non-national state forms such as city-states, small kingdoms and mobile, nomadic polities. These in turn were in constant interaction with any neighbouring empire or empires, perhaps becoming the core of an empire themselves, perhaps taking over all or part of an existing empire, perhaps maintaining some autonomy by virtue of remoteness or lack of attractiveness, perhaps by balancing opposed empires against each other. Empires did not have a national core, and non-empires were not national. By contrast, modern empires have always had a clearly designated nation-state core and a physically separate set of non-national peripheries. This has been crucial to ensuring that when formal empire is ended, both the imperial core and the former colonies are defined as nation-states. But ex-imperial nation-states and ex-colonial nation-states are really two kinds of states. Much contemporary confusion about the prospect for a world order of nation-states revolves round the failure to make that basic distinction.
Founders, Families, and Futures: Perspectives on the Accountability of Australian Private Ancillary Funds
Authors: Williamson Alexandra , Luke Belinda , Leat Diana , Furneaux Craig
Published: April 2017

This research explores perspectives on the accountability of Private Ancillary Funds (PAFs), a type of Australian endowed philanthropic foundation. PAFs are relatively new giving structures that have experienced strong growth over the past 15 years. With limited regulatory obligations and exemptions available from public reporting, PAFs have discretion in various forms of public accountability. Using Ebrahim’s conceptual framework of nonprofit accountability, this study explores PAF accountability in terms of to whom, for what, how, and why, examining tensions between PAFs’ private form and public purpose. Through in-depth interviews with managers and trustees of 10 PAFs, findings reveal that PAFs engage in accountability for internal reasons relating to their mission and purpose, and their desire to lead others in philanthropy. PAFs are influenced by philanthropic peers, in particular other PAFs; but their accountability does not necessarily include public disclosure or transparency. Four variations to Ebrahim’s accountability framework are proposed.
Receding horizon control of a 3 DOF helicopter using online estimation of aerodynamic parameters
Authors: Mehndiratta Mohit , Kayacan Erdal
Published: April 2017

This study presents a numerical implementation of fast nonlinear model predictive control (NMPC) and nonlinear moving horizon estimation (NMHE) for the trajectory tracking problem of a 3 degree of freedom (DOF) helicopter. The motivation behind using the NMPC instead of its linear counterpart is that the helicopter is operated over nonlinear regions. Moreover, this system has cross-couplings that make the control of the system even more complicated. What is more, according to our simulation scenario, the system has a time-varying dynamical model because it has time-varying parameters which are estimated online using NMHE and the extended Kalman filter (EKF) throughout the control. Although NMHE is computationally more demanding, its capability of incorporating the constraints encourages us to utilize NMHE rather than EKF. Two reference trajectories, namely, sinusoidal and square-like, are tracked, and owing to the better learning capability of NMHE over EKF, the NMPC-NMHE closed-loop control framework is able to track both reference signals with more accuracy than the NMPC-EKF control framework, even under parameter uncertainties. Thanks to the ACADO toolkit, the combined average execution time is 4 milliseconds, demonstrating the potential of the proposed framework for real-time aerospace applications using relatively cheaper processors.
Mental distress under Occupation: The journal of Madeleine Blaess
Authors: Michallat Wendy
Published: April 2017

Madeleine Blaess, a British doctoral student studying at the Sorbonne, was trapped in Paris, unable to return home to York for the duration of the Occupation. In October 1940 she began a diary which she kept diligently until September 1944. This unique testimony written from the perspective of a British student at liberty to roam wartime Paris, focuses more on the civilian struggle through the everyday than on the political and military situation which Blaess, vulnerable to arrest, thinks wise to mention as little as possible. This exhaustively documented, voluminous record of the minutiae of a daily struggle with material hardship discloses a struggle with mental illness articulated and managed through the writing of the diary. That diaries can have a therapeutic purpose for writers under mental strain is axiomatic and this article examines a variety of palliative strategies both deliberate and involuntary invoked through the writing process. In so doing, the article will survey the incidence and causes of civilian mental distress on the home front over the period, an area of inquiry which, other than recent work into the psychological impact of Allied bombing of civilians, has been largely neglected in recent work foregrounding and valorising the historical importance of life-writing sources in the field of Occupation studies.
Mixed-effects location and scale Tobit joint models for heterogeneous longitudinal data with skewness, detection limits, and measurement errors
Authors: Lu Tao
Published: April 2017

The joint modeling of mean and variance for longitudinal data is an active research area. This type of model has the advantage of accounting for heteroscedasticity commonly observed in between and within subject variations. Most of researches focus on improving the estimating efficiency but ignore many data features frequently encountered in practice. In this article, we develop a mixed-effects location scale joint model that concurrently accounts for longitudinal data with multiple features. Specifically, our joint model handles heterogeneity, skewness, limit of detection, measurement errors in covariates which are typically observed in the collection of longitudinal data from many studies. We employ a Bayesian approach for making inference on the joint model. The proposed model and method are applied to an AIDS study. Simulation studies are performed to assess the performance of the proposed method. Alternative models under different conditions are compared.
Continuous ECG Monitoring in Patients With Acute Coronary Syndrome or Heart Failure: EASI Versus Gold Standard
Authors: Lancia Loreto , Toccaceli Andrea , Petrucci Cristina , Romano Silvio , Penco Maria
Published: April 2017

The purpose of the study was to compare the EASI system with the standard 12-lead surface electrocardiogram (ECG) for the accuracy in detecting the main electrocardiographic parameters (J point, PR, QT, and QRS) commonly monitored in patients with acute coronary syndromes or heart failure. In this observational comparative study, 253 patients who were consecutively admitted to the coronary care unit with acute coronary syndrome or heart failure were evaluated. In all patients, two complete 12-lead ECGs were acquired simultaneously. A total of 6,072 electrocardiographic leads were compared (3,036 standard and 3,036 EASI). No significant differences were found between the investigate parameters of the two measurement methods, either in patients with acute coronary syndrome or in those with heart failure. This study confirmed the accuracy of the EASI system in monitoring the main ECG parameters in patients admitted to the coronary care unit with acute coronary syndrome or heart failure.
Fibroadenoma With Pleomorphic Stromal Giant Cells: It’s Not as Bad as It Looks!
Authors: Wawire Jonathan , Singh Kamaljeet , Steinhoff Margaret M.
Published: April 2017

Clinically relevant histological categorization of fibroepithelial lesions can be a daunting task, especially in a core needle biopsy. Assessment of stromal nuclear atypia, including nuclear pleomorphism and mitotic activity, is a key morphological feature employed to classify fibroepithelial lesions. We describe a case of fibroadenoma with markedly atypical nuclear features in the stromal cells that led to misclassification as phyllodes tumor in the core needle biopsy. Excision showed a fibroadenoma containing pleomorphic stromal giant cells, with occasional mitotic figures, including atypical forms. Aforementioned nuclear findings in a fibroepithelial lesion raise a legitimate question of phyllodes tumor. Knowledge of this pitfall may help avoid overtreatment of an otherwise benign fibroepithelial lesion.
Mothers Who Were Neglected in Childhood Show Differences in Neural Response to Their Infant’s Cry
Authors: Wright Dorianne B. , Laurent Heidemarie K. , Ablow Jennifer C.
Published: April 2017

The present study used functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate how a mother’s experience of neglect in her own childhood is associated with her neural response to her infant’s distress cues. During scanning, 22 high-risk primiparous mothers were exposed to both their own 18-month-old infant’s cry sound and a control sound. Mothers’ continuous Neglect subscale scores from the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire were examined as a predictor of their neural response to own infant cry > control sound. Mothers who reported high levels of neglect from childhood showed regions of hyperactivation to their infant’s cry (relative to control sound) in the anterior and posterior cingulate cortices and insula as well as specific prefrontal (precentral gyrus) and parietal (posterior supramarginal gyrus) areas. These results may suggest how important early life experiences are for future parenting responses and behaviors.