bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Optimal Design of Wire Sheave Used in Offshore Drilling Operations
Authors: Løland Morten L. , Siriwardane Sudath C. , Holen Dag , Stakkeland Frode
Published: November 2015

This paper presents optimized design geometries of wire sheaves that are used in offshore drilling operations. Seven different design geometries of wire sheaves are considered for this study. The criteria considered in this comparison are utilization ratios of yield and buckling capacities and fatigue life. The constrained used are the self-weight and rotational inertia. The obtained utilization ratios of yield capacity, buckling capacity, and fatigue life against the weight and rotational moment of inertia are finally compared. The comparisons reveal that currently used lightest sheave geometry has very good yield and buckling capacities than all other geometries. But it has high self-weight and rotational inertia. Finally, the web with decreasing thickness which has a lowest rotational inertia is proposed as the most suitable design geometry, if the expected design life is limited to 20 years. Different sheave geometries are also proposed depending on the required design service life.
Analyzing Origin of Multifractality of Surface Electromyography Signals in Dynamic Contractions
Authors: Marri Kiran , Swaminathan Ramakrishnan
Published: November 2015

The aim of this study is to analyze the origin of multifractality of surface electromyography (sEMG) signals during dynamic contraction in nonfatigue and fatigue conditions. sEMG signals are recorded from triceps brachii muscles of 22 healthy subjects. The signals are divided into six equal segments on time scale for normalization. The first and sixth segments are considered as the nonfatigue and fatigue conditions, respectively. The source of multifractality can be due to correlation and probability distribution. The original sEMG series are transformed into shuffled and surrogate series. These three series namely, original, shuffled, and surrogate series in the nonfatigue and fatigue conditions are subjected to multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis (MFDFA) and features are extracted. The results indicate that sEMG signals exhibit multifractal behavior. Further investigation revealed that origin of multifractality is primarily due to correlation. The origin of multifractality due to correlation is quantified as 80% in nonfatigue and 86% in fatigue conditions. This method of multifractal analysis may be useful for analyzing the progressive changes in muscle contraction in varied neuromuscular studies.
Considerations for Measuring Compressor Aerodynamic Excitations Including Rotor Wakes and Tip Leakage Flows
Authors: Smith Natalie R. , Murray William L. , Key Nicole L.
Published: November 2015

The unsteady flow field generated by the rotor provides unsteady aerodynamic excitations to the downstream stator, which can result in vibrations such as forced response. In this paper, measurements of the rotor wake and rotor tip leakage flow from an embedded rotor in a multistage axial compressor are presented. A unique feature of this work is the pitchwise traverse of the flow field used to highlight the changes in the rotor exit flow field with respect to the position of the surrounding vane rows. Results acquired at midspan focus on characterizing an average rotor wake, including the effects on the frequency spectrum, from a forced response perspective. While many analyses use an average rotor wake to characterize the aerodynamic forcing function to the downstream stator, this study explores the factors that influence changes in the rotor wake shape and the resulting impact on the spectrum. Additionally, this paper investigates the flow near the endwall where the tip leakage vortex is an important contributor to the aerodynamic excitations for the downstream vane. For the first time, experimental data are presented at the rotor exit, which show the modulation in size and radial penetration of the tip leakage vortex as the rotor passes through the upstream vane wake. As computational models become more advanced, the ability to incorporate these aerodynamic excitation effects should be considered to provide better predictions for vane vibratory response.
Multidisciplinary Assessment of the Control of the Propellers of a Pusher Geared Open Rotor—Part II: Impact on Fuel Consumption, Engine Weight, Certification Noise, and NOx Emissions
Authors: Bellocq Pablo , Garmendia Inaki , Sethi Vishal , Patin Alexis , Capodanno Stefano , Rodriguez Lucas Fernando
Published: November 2015

Due to their high propulsive efficiency, counter-rotating open rotors (CRORs) have the potential to significantly reduce fuel consumption and emissions relative to conventional high bypass ratio turbofans. However, this novel engine architecture presents many design and operational challenges both at engine and aircraft level. The assessment of the impact of the main low-pressure preliminary design and control parameters of CRORs on mission fuel burn, certification noise, and emissions is necessary at preliminary design stages in order to identify optimum design regions. These assessments may also aid the development process when compromises need to be performed as a consequence of design, operational, or regulatory constraints. Part I of this two-part publication presents a novel 0D performance model for counter-rotating propellers (CRPs) allowing an independent definition of the design and operation of each of the propellers. In Part II, the novel CRP model is used to create an engine performance model of a geared open rotor (GOR). This engine model is integrated in a multidisciplinary simulation platform which was used to assess the impact of the control of the propellers, on specific fuel consumption (SFC), engine weight, certification noise, and NOx emission, for a GOR with a 10% clipped rear propeller designed for a 160 PAX and 5700 NM aircraft. The main conclusions of the study are: (1) Minimum SFC control schedules were identified for climb, cruise, and descent (high-rotational speeds for high thrust and low-rotational speeds for low thrust), (2) SFC reductions up to 2% in cruise and 23% in descent can be achieved by using the minimum SFC control. However, the relatively high SFC reductions in descent SFC result in ∼3.5% fuel saving for a 500 NM and ∼0.7% fuel saving for a full range mission, (3) at least 2–3 dB noise reductions for both sideline and flyover can be achieved by reducing the rotational speeds of the propellers at a cost of ∼6% increase of landing and takeoff cycle (LTO) NOx and 10 K increase in turbine entry temperature, (4) approach noise can be reduced by at least 2 dB by reducing CRP rotational speeds with an associated reduction of ∼0.6% in LTO NOx, and (5) the control of the CRP at takeoff has a large impact on differential planetary gearbox (DPGB) weight, but it is almost identical in magnitude and opposite to the change in low-pressure turbine (LPT) and CRP weight. Consequently, the control of the CRP at takeoff has a negligible impact in overall engine weight.
Evaluation of Ductile/Brittle Failure Theory and Derivation of the Ductile/Brittle Transition Temperature
Authors: Christensen Richard M.
Published: November 2015

A recently developed ductile/brittle theory of materials failure is evaluated. The failure theory applies to all homogeneous and isotropic materials. The determination of the ductile/brittle transition is an integral and essential part of the failure theory. The evaluation process emphasizes and examines all aspects of the ductile versus the brittle nature of failure, including the ductile limit and the brittle limit of materials' types. The failure theory is proved to be extraordinarily versatile and comprehensive. It even allows derivation of the associated ductile/brittle transition temperature. This too applies to all homogeneous and isotropic materials and not just some subclass of materials' types. This evaluation program completes the development of the failure theory.
Conduction Invariance in Similarity Solutions for Compressible Flow Code Verification
Authors: Hendon Raymond C. , Ramsey Scott D.
Published: November 2015

In 1991, Coggeshall published a series of 22 closed-form solutions of the Euler compressible flow equations with a heat conduction term included. A remarkable feature of some of these solutions is invariance with respect to conduction; this phenomenon follows from subtle ancillary constraints wherein a heat flux term is assumed to be either identically zero or nontrivially divergence-free. However, the solutions featuring the nontrivial divergence-free heat flux constraint can be shown to be incomplete, using a well-known result most commonly encountered in elementary electrostatic theory. With this result, the application of the divergence operator to the heat flux distributions exhibited by many of the solutions yields a delta function source term instead of identically zero. In theory, the relevant solutions will be conduction invariant only if the appropriate source term is included. This result has important implications for the use of the Coggeshall similarity solutions as code verification test problems for simulation codes featuring coupled compressible fluid flow and heat conduction processes. Computational reproduction of the conduction invariance property represents a conceptually simple check for verifying the robustness of a multiphysics algorithm. In this work, it is demonstrated in the context of various computational instantiations of Coggeshall solution #8 (Cog8) that to maintain any semblance of conduction invariance, a heat source term must be included even with a simple nonlinear heat conduction process. The efficacy of the heat source term is shown to depend not only on values of the various free parameters included in the Coggeshall mathematical model but also the representation of heat sources in multiphysics simulation codes of interest.
Talker information influences spectral contrast effects in speech categorization
Authors: Assgari Ashley A. , Stilp Christian E.
Published: November 2015

Spectral contrast effects, the perceptual magnification of spectral differences between sounds, have been widely shown to influence speech categorization. However, whether talker information alters spectral contrast effects was recently debated [Laing, Liu, Lotto, and Holt, Front. Psychol. 3, 1–9 (2012)]. Here, contributions of reliable spectral properties, between-talker and within-talker variability to spectral contrast effects in vowel categorization were investigated. Listeners heard sentences in three conditions (One Talker/One Sentence, One Talker/200 Sentences, 200 Talkers/200 Sentences) followed by a target vowel (varying from /ɪ/-/ɛ/ in F1, spoken by a single talker). Low-F1 or high-F1 frequency regions in the sentences were amplified to encourage /ɛ/ or /ɪ/ responses, respectively. When sentences contained large reliable spectral peaks (+20 dB; experiment 1), all contrast effect magnitudes were comparable. Talker information did not alter contrast effects following large spectral peaks, which were likely attributed to an external source (e.g., communication channel) rather than talkers. When sentences contained modest reliable spectral peaks (+5 dB; experiment 2), contrast effects were smaller following 200 Talkers/200 Sentences compared to single-talker conditions. Constant recalibration to new talkers reduced listeners' sensitivity to modest spectral peaks, diminishing contrast effects. Results bridge conflicting reports of whether talker information influences spectral contrast effects in speech categorization.
Overweight Stereotype Threat Negatively Impacts the Learning of a Balance Task
Authors: Cardozo Priscila Lopes , Chiviacowsky Suzete
Published: November 2015

Several studies have demonstrated the detrimental effects of stereotype threat on the performance of academic and motor skills, while little attention has been given to the effects of stereotypical conditions on motor learning. The objective of the current study was to investigate the effects of overweight stereotype threat on women learning a balance task. Participants practiced 10 trials of a dynamic balance task and their learning was observed in a retention test one day later. Before practice, the stereotype threat (ST) group received instructions introducing the task as influenced by individual differences, whereby overweight people usually present worse outcomes. For the reduced stereotype threat group (RST), instructions informed them that the task was not influenced by individual differences. Participants also filled out a questionnaire measuring intrinsic motivation. The results showed that performance and learning, as well as perceived competence, were enhanced for participants of the RST group compared with participants of the ST group. The findings provide evidence that overweight stereotype threat affects the learning of motor skills.
Complete Genome Sequences of Two Japanese Eel Endothelial Cell-Infecting Virus Strains Isolated in Japan
Authors: Naoi Yuki , Okazaki Sachiko , Katayama Yukie , Omatsu Tsutomu , Ono Shin-ichi , Mizutani Tetsuya
Published: November 2015

Japanese eel endothelial cell-infecting virus (JEECV) causes viral endothelial cell necrosis of eel (VECNE), resulting in severe economic losses in eel aquaculture in Japan. Here, we report the complete genome sequences of two new JEECV strains isolated from farmed Japanese eels.
Complete Genome Sequence of Salmonella enterica subsp.
enterica
Serovar Typhi Isolate B/SF/13/03/195 Associated with a Typhoid Carrier in Pasir Mas, Kelantan, Malaysia
Authors: Muhamad Harish Salwani , Sim Kee-Shin , Mohd Nor Fauziah , Mat Hussin Hani , Hamzah Wan Mansor , Najimudin Nazalan , Aziah Ismail
Published: November 2015

We report here the complete genome sequence of
Salmonella enterica
subsp.
enterica
serovar Typhi B/SF/13/03/195 obtained from a typhoid carrier, who is a food handler in Pasir Mas, Kelantan.
Draft Genome Sequence of Bacillus tequilensis Strain FJAT-14262a
Authors: Chen Qian-Qian , Liu Bo , Liu Guo-hong , Wang Jie-ping , Che Jian-Mei
Published: November 2015

Bacillus tequilensis
FJAT-14262a is a Gram-positive rod-shaped bacterium. Here, we report the 4,038,551-bp genome sequence of
B. tequilensis
FJAT-14262a, which will provide useful information for genomic taxonomy and phylogenomics of
Bacillus
.
Complete Genome Sequence of Klebsiella pneumoniae Strain HKUOPLC, a Cellulose-Degrading Bacterium Isolated from Giant Panda Feces
Authors: Lu Matthew Guan-Xi , Jiang Jingwei , Liu Lirui , Ma Angel Po-Yee , Leung Frederick Chi-Ching
Published: November 2015

We report here the complete genome sequence of
Klebsiella pneumoniae
strain HKUOPLC, isolated from a giant panda fecal sample collected from Ocean Park, Hong Kong. The complete genome of this bacterium may contribute to the discovery of efficient cellulose-degrading pathways.
Complete Genome Sequence of a Human-Invasive Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium Strain of the Emerging Sequence Type 213 Harboring a Multidrug Resistance IncA/C Plasmid and a
bla
CMY-2
-Carrying IncF Plasmid
Authors: Silva Claudia , Calva Edmundo , Calva Juan J. , Wiesner Magdalena , Fernández-Mora Marcos , Puente José L. , Vinuesa Pablo
Published: November 2015

Salmonella enterica
subsp.
enterica
serovar Typhimurium strain 33676 was isolated in Mexico City, Mexico, from a patient with a systemic infection, and its complete genome sequence was determined using PacBio single-molecule real-time technology. Strain 33676 harbors an IncF plasmid carrying the extended-spectrum cephalosporin gene
bla
CMY-2
and a multidrug resistance IncA/C plasmid.
Complete Genome Sequence of a Novel Recombinant GII.Pe_GII.17 Norovirus Strain from Hong Kong in 2015
Authors: Chan Martin C. W. , Hung Tin-Nok , Kwok Kirsty , Chan Paul K. S.
Published: November 2015

The complete genome sequence of a novel recombinant GII.Pe_GII.17 norovirus strain, tentatively named GII.17 Hong Kong 2015, was determined. RNA-dependent RNA polymerase has 95.6% and 98.4% and viral protein 1 has 90.6% and 95.9% identity at the nucleotide and amino acid levels, respectively, to the closest sequences in GenBank.
Complete Genome Sequence of the Drug-Naive Classical Staphylococcus aureus Strain FDA209P
Authors: Singh Madhuri , Sasaki Takashi , Matsuo Miki , Morimoto Yuh , Aiba Yoshifumi , Hiramatsu Keiichi
Published: November 2015

We report the complete genome sequence of the methicillin-sensitive
Staphylococcus aureus
(MSSA) strain FDA209P (ATCC 6538P and NCTC 7447).
Draft Genome Sequences of Four
Streptomyces
Isolates from the
Populus trichocarpa
Root Endosphere and Rhizosphere
Authors: Klingeman Dawn M. , Utturkar Sagar , Lu Tse-Yuan S. , Schadt Christopher W. , Pelletier Dale A. , Brown Steven D.
Published: November 2015

Draft genome sequences for four
Actinobacteria
from the genus
Streptomyces
are presented.
Streptomyces
is a metabolically diverse genus that is abundant in soils and has been reported in association with plants. The strains described in this study were isolated from the
Populus trichocarpa
endosphere and rhizosphere.
Draft Genome Sequence of a Metronidazole-Resistant Derivative of Gardnerella vaginalis Strain ATCC 14019
Authors: Schuyler Jessica A. , Mordechai Eli , Adelson Martin E. , Gygax Scott E. , Hilbert David W.
Published: November 2015

We report the genome sequence of a metronidazole-resistant derivative of
Gardnerella vaginalis
ATCC 14019. This strain was obtained after serial selection to increase the MIC from 4 to ≥500 µg/ml. Two coding changes, in genes encoding a response regulator and an NAD
+
synthetase, arose during selection.
Pipeline embolization device thrombosis induced peri-construct collateral channels
Authors: Chiu Albert Ho Yuen , Marotta Thomas R
Published: November 2015

More than half a decade of experience and follow-up has now been accumulated with regard to flow diversion as a treatment for intracranial aneurysms; however, many uncertainties, such as the nature of aneurysmal remnants and the meaning of non-regressed, non-perfused aneurysmal masses, are still unknown. Here we discuss a 22-year-old man who presented with a grade 1 subarachnoid hemorrhage secondary to a dissecting right anterior cerebral artery aneurysm who was subsequently treated with a Pipeline Embolization Device construct. After ceasing dual antiplatelet therapy himself, he was found on MRI to have an area of increased aneurysmal remnant reperfusion. This was found to connect to multiple channels which reconstituted flow within the distal construct on angiography. The central area of construct thrombosis could not be visualized on MRI. The finding suggests that non-opacified aneurysmal remnants that have not regressed are biologically active and raises concerns regarding using MRI for long term follow-up.
Hookworm-related cutaneous larva migrans acquired in the UK
Authors: Baple Katy , Clayton James
Published: November 2015

Hookworm-related cutaneous larva migrans (HrCLM) is a skin disease caused by infection with the larvae of animal hookworms. With conditions for infection more favourable in tropical climates, HrCLM in the UK is classically diagnosed in the returning traveller. We present two cases of clinically diagnosed UK-acquired HrCLM from a district general hospital in the south of England. A 68-year-old woman presented with a pruritic serpiginous tract on the right hand. She was a keen gardener and had been handling compost. A 50-year-old man, a long distance runner, presented with a similar lesion on the dorsum of his foot. Both patients were treated with a single dose of albendazole. These cases may represent an emerging infection in the UK. In the absence of a suggestive travel history, early recognition followed by efficient access to therapy is vital for treating HrCLM transmitted in the UK.
Tuberculosis of the cavum revealed by acute facial pain
Authors: Gilbert Thomas , Chidiac Christian , Bonnefoy Marc , Ferry Tristan
Published: November 2015

An 85-year-old woman presented for assessment of recurring episodes of intense hemifacial pain, mimicking trigeminal neuralgia, associated with tinnitus. A necrotic tumour of the cavum with compression of the left Eustachian tube and skull-base invasion was discovered on brain MRI. Although the tumour was initially thought to be malignant, the histopathological findings on the biopsy were compatible with tuberculosis, later confirmed by the cultures. F-18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (PET)/CT showed an intense signal of the cavum, cervical and mediastinal lymph nodes, and also of two small nodules of the apex of each lung. Currently, after 9 months of combined antituberculosis antibiotics, the initial lesion has almost disappeared from both PET scan and MRI. This case highlights the importance of systematically screening for tuberculosis in the assessment of nasopharyngeal tumours.
Jejunal angiodysplasia causing recurrent gastrointestinal bleeding presenting as severe anaemia and melena
Authors: Tiwary Satyendra K , Hakim Md Zeeshan , Kumar Puneet , Khanna Ajay Kumar
Published: November 2015

Angiodysplasia of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract consists of ectasia of the submucosal vessels of the bowel. The evaluation of such patients needs proctoscopy, colonoscopy, small bowel enema, enteroscopy, capsule enteroscopy and angiography. Capsule enteroscopy has come up as an alternative to GI enteroscopy and colonoscopy in patients with occult GI bleeding; up to 52% cases of small bowel angiodysplasia in patients with occult GI bleed with negative upper GI and colonoscopy have been reported. The use of capsule enteroscopy potentially limits the hazard of radiation exposure from angiography and is less invasive than double balloon endoscopy. The treatment options for angiodysplasias include intra-arterial vasopressin injection, selective gel foam embolisation, endoscopic electrocoagulation and injection of sclerosants, with each of these being technically demanding, and requiring centres with good access to enteroscopy technology and trained gastroenterologists. Operative intervention has been indicated for refractory bleeding or lesions in sites not accessible to endoscopic interventions.
Associations between chronic diseases and choking deaths among older adults in the USA: a cross-sectional study using multiple cause mortality data from 2009 to 2013
Authors: Wu Wen-Shiann , Sung Kuan-Chin , Cheng Tain-Junn , Lu Tsung-Hsueh
Published: November 2015

Objectives

To examine whether the strengths of the associations between chronic diseases and overall choking differ from those of the associations between chronic diseases and only food-related choking.

Design

This cross-sectional study used nationwide multiple cause mortality files.

Setting

The USA.

Participants

Older adults aged 65 years or more died between 2009 and 2013.

Main outcome measures

Mortality ratio (observed/expected) of number of deaths from both causes (chronic diseases and choking) and 95% CIs.

Results

We identified 76543 deaths for which the death certificates report choking (International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes W78, W79 and W80 combined) as a cause of death and only 4974 (6.5%) deaths were classified as food-related choking (ICD-10 code W79). Schizophrenia, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and oral cancer are four chronic diseases that had significant associations with both overall and food-related choking. Stroke, larynx cancer and mood (affective) disorders had significant associations with overall choking, but not with food-related choking.

Conclusions

We suggest using overall choking instead of only food-related choking to better describe the associations between chronic diseases and choking.
The Capillary Index Score before thrombectomy: an angiographic correlate of favorable outcome
Authors: Labeyrie Paul-Emile , Redjem Hocine , Blanc Raphaël , Labeyrie Marc-Antoine , Bartolini Bruno , Ciccio Gabriele , Robert Thomas , Gilboa Boaz , Fahed Robert , Abrivard Marie , Piotin Michel
Published: November 2015

Background and purpose

The angiography based Capillary Index Score (CIS) has recently emerged as a potential surrogate marker of cerebral perfusion before intra-arterial thrombolysis. We assessed the prevalence of a favorable CIS (f-CIS) and its relationship with clinical outcome in patients treated by mechanical thrombectomy (MT).

Methods

Data from consecutive patients treated by MT from acute middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion were retrospectively analyzed. CIS was calculated from a pre-intervention cerebral angiogram. Association with favorable clinical outcome (modified Rankin Scale score ≤2) at 3 months was assessed in multivariate analysis.

Results

146 patients were included in the study. f-CIS was observed in 106/146 (72%) patients with an acceptable inter-rater agreement (κ=0.73, p<0.001). It was associated with a lower pretreatment National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score (p=0.014), an isolated M1/M2 occlusion without internal carotid occlusion (p=0.042), and an Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score (ASPECTS) >4 (p=0.004). In binary regression, a favorable outcome was independently associated with f-CIS (OR (−95% CI, +95% CI)=3.8 (1.3 to 10.9), p=0.013), as well as NIHSS (p=0.007), ASPECTS (p=0.005), isolated M1/M2 occlusion (p=0.013), and age (p=0.032). The positive predictive value of f-CIS for a favorable outcome was 67%.

Conclusions

f-CIS was strongly associated with a favorable outcome after MT of acute MCA occlusion. As an easy surrogate marker of cerebral perfusion, it may be a useful—albeit not sufficient—diagnostic test to select patients just before an MT or to manage them after recanalization.
Plate-tectonic evolution of the Earth: bottom-up and top-down mantle circulation
Authors: Ernst W.G. , Sleep Norman H. , Tsujimori Tatsuki
Published: November 2015

Intense devolatilization and chemical-density differentiation attended accretion of planetesimals on the primordial Earth. These processes gradually abated after cooling and solidification of an early magma ocean. By 4.3 or 4.2 Ga, water oceans were present, so surface temperatures had fallen far below low-pressure solidi of dry peridotite, basalt, and granite, ∼1300, ∼1120, and ∼950 °C, respectively. At less than half their T solidi, rocky materials existed as thin lithospheric slabs in the near-surface Hadean Earth. Stagnant-lid convection may have occurred initially but was at least episodically overwhelmed by subduction because effective, massive heat transfer necessitated vigorous mantle overturn in the early, hot planet. Bottom-up mantle convection, including voluminous plume ascent, efficiently rid the Earth of deep-seated heat. It declined over time as cooling and top-down lithospheric sinking increased. Thickening and both lateral extensional + contractional deformation typified the post-Hadean lithosphere. Stages of geologic evolution included (i) 4.5–4.4 Ga, magma ocean overturn involved ephemeral, surficial rocky platelets; (ii) 4.4–2.7 Ga, formation of oceanic and small continental plates were obliterated by return mantle flow prior to ∼4.0 Ga; continental material gradually accumulated as largely sub-sea, sialic crust-capped lithospheric collages; (iii) 2.7–1.0 Ga, progressive suturing of old shields + younger orogenic belts led to cratonal plates typified by emerging continental freeboard, increasing sedimentary differentiation, and episodic glaciation during transpolar drift; onset of temporally limited stagnant-lid mantle convection occurred beneath enlarging supercontinents; (iv) 1.0 Ga–present, laminar-flowing asthenospheric cells are now capped by giant, stately moving plates. Near-restriction of komatiitic lavas to the Archean, and appearance of multicycle sediments, ophiolite complexes ± alkaline igneous rocks, and high-pressure–ultrahigh-pressure (HP–UHP) metamorphic belts in progressively younger Proterozoic and Phanerozoic orogens reflect increasing negative buoyancy of cool oceanic lithosphere, but decreasing subductability of enlarging, more buoyant continental plates. Attending supercontinental assembly, density instabilities of thickening oceanic plates began to control overturn of suboceanic mantle as cold, top-down convection. Over time, the scales and dynamics of hot asthenospheric upwelling versus lithospheric foundering + mantle return flow (bottom-up plume-driven ascent versus top-down plate subduction) evolved gradually, reflecting planetary cooling. These evolving plate-tectonic processes have accompanied the Earth’s thermal history since ∼4.4 Ga.
Variability in functional response curves among larval salamanders: comparisons across species and size classes
Authors: Anderson T.L. , Linares C. , Dodson K.N. , Semlitsch R.D.
Published: November 2015

Predator species and body size represent critical factors that have differential effects on prey populations, as well as overall community structure. However, investigations of how morphologically-similar predator species, simultaneous to variation in predator body size, influence lower trophic levels are infrequently performed. We tested whether predator species and body size influenced the functional response curve of three larval ambystomatid salamanders (Ringed Salamander, Ambystoma annulatum Cope, 1886; Spotted Salamander, Ambystoma maculatum (Shaw, 1802); Marbled Salamander, Ambystoma opacum (Gravenhorst, 1807)) while eating congeneric prey. We combined larval salamanders of varying body sizes with up to six prey densities within experimental microcosms. We tested for the shape of the functional response curve and obtained parameter estimates for attack rate and handling time for each predator size – species combination. We found variability among both species and size classes, with a combination of type I and type II functional response curves. Large size classes of predators had higher attack rates than smaller size classes, but equivalently-sized larvae of different species exhibited differences in attack rates and handling time. Our study shows that predation risk varies depending on the size structure and diversity of predators present in a food web, and that grouping predators by either species or size class may reduce the ability to predict changes in community structure resulting from such interactions.
Low-temperature glassy systems: Present understanding, open problems and future developments
Authors: Parisi G.
Published: November 2015

Jamming of hard spheres is a new critical phenomenon whose exponents are different from those of the other known transitions. These exponents have been recently computed in a mean field approximation whose limits of validity are not known. Even if their values are in very good agreement with the ones obtained by accurate numerical simulations, the deep reasons for this success are not understood.

In this paper, after a brief presentation of the state of the art on the glass transition and jamming, I will discuss how this breakthrough can be the starting point of possible progresses in the following directions: the computation of the upper critical dimension for jamming, harmonic oscillations for soft spheres at low temperature, off-equilibrium behavior and quantum glassy effects.
The effect of an external electric field on thermally-deposited thin CdS/CdTe-based solar cells
Authors: Wan Ke Ming , Zhang Yu Jun , Li Ping , Wang Gang , Xiang Jin , Ding Bao Fu , Alameh Kamal , Song Qun Liang
Published: November 2015

Conventional and inverted thin CdS/CdTe-based solar cells are fabricated using thermal deposition techniques, and their performance under an external electric field is investigated. Results show that both positive and negative electric fields can change the performance of the developed solar cells and that the latter recover to their initial state after switching the external electric field off. Heat treatment experiments confirm the negligible impact of the temperature on the solar cell performance. Transient photocurrent experiments show that the carrier transfer efficiency is modulated directly by an external electric field. By taking into account the CdS nanodipole, the effect of an external electric field on the solar cell performance can be well explained. The results presented in this paper open the way toward the realization of solar cells through carrier separation by an electric field provided by the CdS nanodipoles rather than the solar cell junction.
The gonihedric paradigm extension of the Ising model
Authors: Savvidy George
Published: November 2015

In this paper we review a recently suggested generalization of the Feynman path integral to an integral over random surfaces. The proposed action is proportional to the linear size of the random surfaces and is called gonihedric. The convergence and the properties of the partition function are analyzed. The model can also be formulated as a spin system with identical partition functions. The spin system represents a generalization of the Ising model with ferromagnetic, antiferromagnetic and quartic interactions. Higher symmetry of the model allows to construct dual spin systems in three and four dimensions. In three dimensions the transfer matrix describes the propagation of closed loops and we found its exact spectrum. It is a unique exact solution of the three-dimensional statistical spin system. In three and four dimensions, the system exhibits the second-order phase transitions. The gonihedric spin systems have exponentially degenerated vacuum states separated by the potential barriers and can be used as a storage of binary information.
EFFECTS OF B2O3ADDITION ON SINTERING BEHAVIOR AND MICROWAVE DIELECTRIC PROPERTIES OF Mg4Ta2O9CERAMICS PREPARED BY THE SOL–GEL METHOD
Authors: GUO J. D. , BI J. X. , WU H. T.
Published: November 2015

Sintering characteristics and microwave dielectric properties of Mg4Ta2O9–5[Formula: see text]wt% B2O3ceramics were investigated. With the sintering temperature increasing in the range of 1100[Formula: see text]C–1350[Formula: see text]C, the apparent density, [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] values increased firstly and then saturated at 1250[Formula: see text]C with excellent microwave properties: [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]GHz and [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]ppm/[Formula: see text]C. Compared to the pure MT ceramics, the B2O3additives effectively decreased the sintering temperature of MT ceramics and had no detrimental effect on the properties of the MT ceramics due to the liquid phase effect.
Fault-Tolerant Cycle Embedding in Balanced Hypercubes with Faulty Vertices and Faulty Edges
Authors: GU MEI-MEI , HAO RONG-XIA , FENG YAN-QUAN
Published: November 2015

Let Fv (resp. Fe) be the set of faulty vertices (resp. faulty edges) in the n-dimensional balanced hypercube BHn. The edge-bipancyclicity of BHn − Fv for |Fv| ≤ n − 1 had been proved in [Inform. Sci. 288 (2014) 449–461]. The existence of edge-Hamiltonian cycles in BHn − Fe for |Fe| ≤ 2n − 2 were obtained in [Appl. Math. Comput. 244 (2014) 447–456]. In this paper, we consider fault-tolerant cycle embedding of BHn with both faulty vertices and faulty edges, and prove that there exists a fault-free cycle of length 22n − 2|Fv| in BHn with |Fv| + |Fe| ≤ 2n − 3 and |Fv| ≤ n − 1 for n ≥ 2.
Diagnosability and Diagnostic Algorithm for Pancake Graph under the Comparison Model
Authors: LIU WENJUN , LIN CHENG-KUAN
Published: November 2015

Fault diagnosis is important for the reliability of interconnection networks. This paper addresses the fault diagnosis of n-dimensional pancake graph Pn under the comparison diagnosis model. By the concept of local diagnosability, we first prove that the diagnosabitly of Pn is n − 1, and it has strong local diagnosability property even if there are n − 3 faulty edges. Furthermore, we present efficient algorithms to locate extended star and Hamiltonian path structures in Pn, respectively. According to the works of Li et al. and Lai, the extended star and Hamiltonian path structures can be used to identify all faulty vertices in linear time, provided the number of faulty vertices is no more than n − 1.
Interconnection Networks with Hypercubic Skeletons
Authors: XIAO WENJUN , CHEN WEIDONG , PARHAMI BEHROOZ
Published: November 2015

The hypercubic family of interconnection networks, encompassing the hypercube and its derivatives and variants, has a wide range of applications in parallel processing. Various problems in general complex networks can be addressed by choosing a hypercubic network as a skeleton. In this paper, we provide insight into why hypercubic networks are suitable as network skeletons and discuss a mapping scheme to take advantage of the symmetry of such networks for developing efficient algorithms.
Connectivity Results of Complete Cubic Networks as Associated with Linearly Many Faults
Authors: CHENG EDDIE , QIU KE , SHEN ZHIZHANG
Published: November 2015

We propose the complete cubic network structure to extend the existing class of hierarchical cubic networks, and establish a general connectivity result which states that the surviving graph of a complete cubic network, when a linear number of vertices are removed, consists of a large (connected) component and a number of smaller components which altogether contain a limited number of vertices.

As applications, we characterize several fault-tolerance properties for the complete cubic network, including its restricted connectivity, i.e., the size of a minimum vertex cut such that the degree of every vertex in the surviving graph has a guaranteed lower bound; its cyclic vertex-connectivity, i.e., the size of a minimum vertex cut such that at least two components in the surviving graph contain a cycle; its component connectivity, i.e., the size of a minimum vertex cut whose removal leads to a certain number of components in its surviving graph; and its conditional diagnosability, i.e., the maximum number of faulty vertices that can be detected via a self-diagnostic process, in terms of the common Comparison Diagnosis model.
Depositional characteristics of the northern South China Sea in response to the evolution of the Pearl River
Authors: Shao Lei , Qiao Peijun , Zhao Meng , Li Qianyu , Wu Mengshuang , Pang Xiong , Zhang Hao
Published: November 2015

Geochemical data from South China Sea sedimentary rocks show the effects of both source composition and depositional environments. This enables us to link tectonic trends with erosion in the Pearl River region since
c.
32 Ma. In particular, a shift in the geochemistry appears to signal a response to a well-recorded regional tectonic event at
c.
23–25 Ma, probably corresponding to a jump in the seafloor spreading axis from the west to the SW within the South China Sea. This may correlate with the uplift of the West Yunnan Plateau and possibly also the eastern Tibetan Plateau. Clay mineralogy, sand–mud ratio, and major and rare earth element concentrations, also varied in response to the environment in the drainage areas of the palaeo-Pearl River. By comparing data from the modern sources and the sedimentary record from the northern South China Sea, especially the erosion–transportation–deposition patterns, three groups of index minerals (Ati, GZi, ZTR), as well as rare earth elements can be recognized. These are used to characterize the Pearl River from the east to the west, representing three different parent rock sources. The evolution of the palaeo-Pearl River can be tracked by variations of heavy minerals and key elements that are indicative of provenance.

Supplementary material:

Supplementary material, including Tables S-1 and S-2 listing the sampling and analytical data, is available at
http://www.geolsoc.org.uk/SUP18855
A Probabilistic Framework for Chinese Spelling Check
Authors: Chen Kuan-Yu , Wang Hsin-Min , Chen Hsin-Hsi
Published: November 2015

Chinese spelling check
(CSC) is still an unsolved problem today since there are many homonymous or homomorphous characters. Recently, more and more CSC systems have been proposed. To the best of our knowledge, language modeling is one of the major components among these systems because of its simplicity and moderately good predictive power. After deeply analyzing the school of research, we are aware that most of the systems only employ the conventional
n
-gram language models. The contributions of this article are threefold. First, we propose a novel probabilistic framework for CSC, which naturally combines several important components, such as the substitution model and the language model, to inherit their individual merits as well as to overcome their limitations. Second, we incorporate the topic language models into the CSC system in an unsupervised fashion. The topic language models can capture the long-span semantic information from a word (character) string while the conventional
n
-gram language models can only preserve the local regularity information. Third, we further integrate Web resources with the proposed framework to enhance the overall performance. Our rigorously empirical experiments demonstrate the consistent and utility performance of the proposed framework in the CSC task.
Environment Modeling Using Runtime Values for JPF-Android
Authors: van der Merwe Heila , Tkachuk Oksana , Nel Sean , van der Merwe Brink , Visser Willem
Published: November 2015

Software applications are developed to be executed in a specific environment. This environment includes external/ native libraries to add functionality to the application and drivers to fire the application execution. For testing and verification, the environment of an application is simplified/abstracted using models or stubs. Empty stubs, returning default values, are simple to generate automatically, but they do not perform well when the application expects specific return values. Symbolic execution is used to find input parameters for drivers and return values for library stubs, but it struggles to detect the values of complex objects. In this work-in-progress paper, we explore an approach to generate drivers and stubs based on values collected during runtime instead of using default values. Entry-points and methods that need to be modeled are instrumented to log their parameters and return values. The instrumented applications are then executed using a driver and instrumented libraries. The values collected during runtime are used to generate driver and stub values on-the-y that improve coverage during verification by enabling the execution of code that previously crashed or was missed. We are implementing this approach to improve the environment model of JPF-Android, our model checking and analysis tool for Android applications.
Do #ifdef-based Variation Points Realize Feature Model Constraints?
Authors: Santos Alcemir Rodrigues , Santana de Almeida Eduardo
Published: November 2015

Two mechanisms widely used in the Software Product Lines (SPL) Engineering are the feature model and the conditional compilation. The former models the variability in the problem space and the latter realizes it in the solution space. Even though the research community know that the feature model imposes a number of constraints to the product line implementation, there is a lack of support to co-evolve problem space and solution space. In this paper, we present an exploratory study whether problem space constraints are considered at source code level of #ifdef-based SPL implementations. In order to accomplish our goal, we developed a preliminary approach to check problem and solution spaces in a prototype tool (fclcheck). The results show a lack of realization of feature model constraints while implementing variation points with that mechanism. We also evaluated the scalability of the approach and the recoverability of the tool.
Distributed Assertion Checking Using Symbolic Execution
Authors: Yang Guowei , Do Quan Chau Dong , Wen Junye
Published: November 2015

Annotating functional correctness properties of code using assertions, in principle, enables systematic checking of code against behavioral properties. In practice however, checking assertions can be costly, especially for complex code annotated with rich behavioral properties. This paper introduces a novel approach for distributing the problem of checking assertions for better scalability. Leveraging that assertions should be side effect free, our approach distributes assertion checking into simpler sub-problems---each focusing on checking one single assertion, so that different assertions are checked in parallel among multiple workers. Furthermore, the sub-problem analysis performed by each worker is guided by the checked assertion to avoid irrelevant path exploration and is prioritized based on the distance towards the checked assertion to provide earlier feedback. A case study shows that our approach can provide a reduction in analysis time required for symbolic execution of Java programs compared to non-distributed approach using the Symbolic PathFinder tool.
A Case Study on Executing Instrumented Code in Java PathFinder
Authors: Palmskog Karl , Hariri Farah , Marinov Darko
Published: November 2015

Dynamic program analysis is widely used for detecting faults in software systems. Dynamic analysis tools conceptually either use a modified execution environment or inject instrumentation code into the system under test (SUT). Tools based on a modified environment, such as Java PathFinder (JPF), have full access to the state of the SUT but at the cost of a higher runtime overhead. Instrumentation-based tools have lower overhead but at the cost of less convenient control of runtime such as thread schedules. Combinations of these two approaches are largely unexplored, and to our knowledge, have never been done in JPF. We present a case study of adapting an existing instrumentation-based tool to run inside JPF. To keep the instrumentation unchanged, we limited our changes to the code invoked by the instrumentation. Ultimately, the required changes were few and essentially reduce to properly dividing the analysis-related state and logic between the JPF and host JVM levels. Others can benefit from our experience to quicker adapt their instrumentation-based tools to run in JPF.
Finding any nontrivial coarse correlated equilibrium is hard
Authors: Barman Siddharth , Ligett Katrina
Published: November 2015

One of the most appealing aspects of correlated equilibria and coarse correlated equilibria is that natural dynamics quickly arrive at approximations of such equilibria, even in games with many players. In addition, there exist polynomial-time algorithms that compute exact correlated and coarse correlated equilibria. However, in general these dynamics and algorithms do not provide a guarantee on the
quality
(say, in terms of social welfare) of the resulting equilibrium. In light of these results, a natural question is how
good
are the correlated and coarse correlated equilibria---in terms natural objectives such as social welfare or Pareto optimality---that can arise from any efficient algorithm or dynamics.

We address this question, and establish strong negative results. In particular, we show that in multiplayer games that have a succinct representation, it is NP-hard to compute any coarse correlated equilibrium (or approximate coarse correlated equilibrium) with welfare strictly better than the
worst
possible. The focus on succinct games ensures that the underlying complexity question is interesting; many multiplayer games of interest are in fact succinct. We show that analogous hardness results hold for correlated equilibria, and persist under the egalitarian objective or Pareto optimality.

To complement the hardness results, we develop an algorithmic framework that identifies settings in which we can efficiently compute an approximate correlated equilibrium with near-optimal welfare. We use this framework to develop an efficient algorithm for computing an approximate correlated equilibrium with near-optimal welfare in aggregative games.