bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Engineering high α‐amylase levels in wheat grain lowers Falling Number but improves baking properties
Authors: Ral Jean‐Philippe , Whan Alex , Larroque Oscar , Leyne Emmett , Pritchard Jeni , Dielen Anne‐Sophie , Howitt Crispin A. , Morell Matthew K. , Newberry Marcus
Published: May 2015

Late maturity α‐amylase (LMA) and preharvest sprouting (PHS) are genetic defects in wheat. They are both characterized by the expression of specific isoforms of α‐amylase in particular genotypes in the grain prior to harvest. The enhanced expression of α‐amylase in both LMA and PHS results in a reduction in Falling Number (FN), a test of gel viscosity, and subsequent downgrading of the grain, along with a reduced price for growers. The FN test is unable to distinguish between LMA and PHS; thus, both defects are treated similarly when grain is traded. However, in PHS‐affected grains, proteases and other degradative process are activated, and this has been shown to have a negative impact on end product quality. No studies have been conducted to determine whether LMA is detrimental to end product quality. This work demonstrated that wheat in which an isoform α‐amylase (TaAmy3) was overexpressed in the endosperm of developing grain to levels of up to 100‐fold higher than the wild‐type resulted in low FN similar to those seen in LMA‐ or PHS‐affected grains. This increase had no detrimental effect on starch structure, flour composition and enhanced baking quality, in small‐scale 10‐g baking tests. In these small‐scale tests, overexpression of TaAmy3 led to increased loaf volume and Maillard‐related browning to levels higher than those in control flours when baking improver was added. These findings raise questions as to the validity of the assumption that (i) LMA is detrimental to end product quality and (ii) a low FN is always indicative of a reduction in quality. This work suggests the need for a better understanding of the impact of elevated expression of specific α‐amylase on end product quality.
A myo‐inositol‐1‐phosphate synthase gene, IbMIPS1, enhances salt and drought tolerance and stem nematode resistance in transgenic sweet potato
Authors: Zhai Hong , Wang Feibing , Si Zengzhi , Huo Jinxi , Xing Lei , An Yanyan , He Shaozhen , Liu Qingchang
Published: May 2015

Myo‐inositol‐1‐phosphate synthase (MIPS) is a key rate limiting enzyme in myo‐inositol biosynthesis. The MIPS gene has been shown to improve tolerance to abiotic stresses in several plant species. However, its role in resistance to biotic stresses has not been reported. In this study, we found that expression of the sweet potato IbMIPS1 gene was induced by NaCl, polyethylene glycol (PEG), abscisic acid (ABA) and stem nematodes. Its overexpression significantly enhanced stem nematode resistance as well as salt and drought tolerance in transgenic sweet potato under field conditions. Transcriptome and real‐time quantitative PCR analyses showed that overexpression of IbMIPS1 up‐regulated the genes involved in inositol biosynthesis, phosphatidylinositol (PI) and ABA signalling pathways, stress responses, photosynthesis and ROS‐scavenging system under salt, drought and stem nematode stresses. Inositol, inositol‐1,4,5‐trisphosphate (IP3), phosphatidic acid (PA), Ca2+, ABA, K+, proline and trehalose content was significantly increased, whereas malonaldehyde (MDA), Na+ and H2O2 content was significantly decreased in the transgenic plants under salt and drought stresses. After stem nematode infection, the significant increase of inositol, IP3, PA, Ca2+, ABA, callose and lignin content and significant reduction of MDA content were found, and a rapid increase of H2O2 levels was observed, peaked at 1 to 2 days and thereafter declined in the transgenic plants. This study indicates that the IbMIPS1 gene has the potential to be used to improve the resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses in plants.
Estimation of the Spectral Density with Assigned Risk
Authors: Efromovich Sam
Published: May 2015

It is well known that adaptive sequential nonparametric estimation of differentiable functions with assigned mean integrated squared error and minimax expected stopping time is impossible. In other words, no sequential estimator can compete with an oracle estimator that knows how many derivatives an estimated curve has. Differentiable functions are typical in probability density and regression models but not in spectral density models, where considered functions are typically smoother. This paper shows that for a large class of spectral densities, which includes spectral densities of classical autoregressive moving average processes, an adaptive minimax sequential estimation with assigned mean integrated squared error is possible. Furthermore, a two‐stage sequential procedure is proposed, which is minimax and adaptive to smoothness of an underlying spectral density.
A large-scale screen reveals genes that mediate electrotaxis in
Dictyostelium discoideum
Authors: Gao Runchi , Zhao Siwei , Jiang Xupin , Sun Yaohui , Zhao Sanjun , Gao Jing , Borleis Jane , Willard Stacey , Tang Ming , Cai Huaqing , Kamimura Yoichiro , Huang Yuesheng , Jiang Jianxin , Huang Zunxi , Mogilner Alex , Pan Tingrui , Devreotes Peter N. , Zhao Min
Published: May 2015

A screen in
Dictyostelium
reveals that mTORC2 signaling participates in electrotaxis, as well as chemotaxis.
Butyrate benefits the intestinal barrier
Authors: VanHook Annalisa M.
Published: May 2015

Microbial-produced butyrate promotes intestinal epithelial barrier function by stabilizing HIF.
Mutator
and
MULE
Transposons
Authors: Lisch Damon
Published: May 2015

The
Mutator
system of transposable elements (TEs) is a highly mutagenic family of transposons in maize. Because they transpose at high rates and target genic regions, these transposons can rapidly generate large numbers of new mutants, which has made the
Mutator
system a favored tool for both forward and reverse mutagenesis in maize. Low copy number versions of this system have also proved to be excellent models for understanding the regulation and behavior of Class II transposons in plants. Notably, the availability of a naturally occurring locus that can heritably silence autonomous
Mutator
elements has provided insights into the means by which otherwise active transposons are recognized and silenced. This chapter will provide a review of the biology, regulation, evolution and uses of this remarkable transposon system, with an emphasis on recent developments in our understanding of the ways in which this TE system is recognized and epigenetically silenced as well as recent evidence that
Mu
-like elements (
MULE
s) have had a significant impact on the evolution of plant genomes.
Mariner and the ITm Superfamily of Transposons
Authors: Tellier Michael , Bouuaert Corentin Claeys , Chalmers Ronald
Published: May 2015

The IS630-Tc1-mariner (ITm) family of transposons is one of the most widespread in nature. The phylogenetic distribution of its members shows that they do not persist for long in a given lineage, but rely on frequent horizontal transfer to new hosts. Although they are primarily selfish genomic-parasites, ITm transposons contribute to the evolution of their hosts because they generate variation and contribute protein domains and regulatory regions. Here we review the molecular mechanism of ITm transposition and its regulation. We focus mostly on the mariner elements, which are understood in the greatest detail owing to
in vitro
reconstitution and structural analysis. Nevertheless, the most important characteristics are probably shared across the grouping. Members of the ITm family are mobilized by a cut-and-paste mechanism and integrate at 5′-TA dinucleotide target sites. The elements encode a single transposase protein with an N-terminal DNA-binding domain and a C-terminal catalytic domain. The phosphoryl-transferase reactions during the DNA-strand breaking and joining reactions are performed by the two metal-ion mechanism. The metal ions are coordinated by three or four acidic amino acid residues located within an RNase H-like structural fold. Although all of the strand breaking and joining events at a given transposon end are performed by a single molecule of transposase, the reaction is coordinated by close communication between transpososome components. During transpososome assembly, transposase dimers compete for free transposon ends. This helps to protect the host by dampening an otherwise exponential increase in the rate of transposition as the copy number increases.
The Influence of LINE-1 and SINE Retrotransposons on Mammalian Genomes
Authors: Richardson Sandra R. , Doucet Aurélien J. , Kopera Huira C. , Moldovan John B. , Garcia-Perez José Luis , Moran John V.
Published: May 2015

Transposable elements have had a profound impact on the structure and function of mammalian genomes. The retrotransposon Long INterspersed Element-1 (LINE-1 or L1), by virtue of its replicative mobilization mechanism, comprises ∼17% of the human genome. Although the vast majority of human LINE-1 sequences are inactive molecular fossils, an estimated 80–100 copies per individual retain the ability to mobilize by a process termed retrotransposition. Indeed, LINE-1 is the only active, autonomous retrotransposon in humans and its retrotransposition continues to generate both intra-individual and inter-individual genetic diversity. Here, we briefly review the types of transposable elements that reside in mammalian genomes. We will focus our discussion on LINE-1 retrotransposons and the non-autonomous Short INterspersed Elements (SINEs) that rely on the proteins encoded by LINE-1 for their mobilization. We review cases where LINE-1-mediated retrotransposition events have resulted in genetic disease and discuss how the characterization of these mutagenic insertions led to the identification of retrotransposition-competent LINE-1s in the human and mouse genomes. We then discuss how the integration of molecular genetic, biochemical, and modern genomic technologies have yielded insight into the mechanism of LINE-1 retrotransposition, the impact of LINE-1-mediated retrotransposition events on mammalian genomes, and the host cellular mechanisms that protect the genome from unabated LINE-1-mediated retrotransposition events. Throughout this review, we highlight unanswered questions in LINE-1 biology that provide exciting opportunities for future research. Clearly, much has been learned about LINE-1 and SINE biology since the publication of
Mobile DNA II
thirteen years ago. Future studies should continue to yield exciting discoveries about how these retrotransposons contribute to genetic diversity in mammalian genomes.
Mechanisms of Theta Plasmid Replication
Authors: Lilly Joshua , Camps Manel
Published: May 2015

Plasmids are autonomously replicating pieces of DNA. This article discusses theta plasmid replication, which is a class of circular plasmid replication that includes ColE1-like origins of replication popular with expression vectors. All modalities of theta plasmid replication initiate synthesis with the leading strand at a predetermined site and complete replication through recruitment of the host's replisome, which extends the leading strand continuously while synthesizing the lagging strand discontinuously. There are clear differences between different modalities of theta plasmid replication in mechanisms of DNA duplex melting and in priming of leading- and lagging-strand synthesis. In some replicons duplex melting depends on transcription, while other replicons rely on plasmid-encoded
trans
-acting proteins (Reps); primers for leading-strand synthesis can be generated through processing of a transcript or in other replicons by the action of host- or plasmid-encoded primases. None of these processes require DNA breaks. The frequency of replication initiation is tightly regulated to facilitate establishment in permissive hosts and to achieve a steady state. The last section of the article reviews how plasmid copy number is sensed and how this feedback modulates the frequency of replication.
Plasmid Rolling-Circle Replication
Authors: Ruiz-Masó J. A. , MachóN C. , Bordanaba-Ruiseco L. , Espinosa M. , Coll M. , Del Solar G.
Published: May 2015

Plasmids are DNA entities that undergo controlled replication independent of the chromosomal DNA, a crucial step that guarantees the prevalence of the plasmid in its host. DNA replication has to cope with the incapacity of the DNA polymerases to startde novoDNA synthesis, and different replication mechanisms offer diverse solutions to this problem. Rolling-circle replication (RCR) is a mechanism adopted by certain plasmids, among other genetic elements, that represents one of the simplest initiation strategies, that is, the nicking by a replication initiator protein on one parental strand to generate the primer for leading-strand initiation and a single priming site for lagging-strand synthesis. All RCR plasmid genomes consist of a number of basic elements: leading strand initiation and control, lagging strand origin, phenotypic determinants, and mobilization, generally in that order of frequency. RCR has been mainly characterized in Gram-positive bacterial plasmids, although it has also been described in Gram-negative bacterial or archaeal plasmids. Here we aim to provide an overview of the RCR plasmids' lifestyle, with emphasis on their characteristic traits, promiscuity, stability, utility as vectors, etc. While RCR is one of the best-characterized plasmid replication mechanisms, there are still many questions left unanswered, which will be pointed out along the way in this review.
The Plasmidome of Firmicutes: Impact on the Emergence and the Spread of Resistance to Antimicrobials
Authors: Lanza Val Fernández , Tedim Ana P. , Martínez José Luís , Baquero Fernando , Coque Teresa M.
Published: May 2015

The phylum
Firmicutes
is one of the most abundant groups of prokaryotes in the microbiota of humans and animals and includes genera of outstanding relevance in biomedicine, health care, and industry. Antimicrobial drug resistance is now considered a global health security challenge of the 21st century, and this heterogeneous group of microorganisms represents a significant part of this public health issue.

The presence of the same resistant genes in unrelated bacterial genera indicates a complex history of genetic interactions. Plasmids have largely contributed to the spread of resistance genes among
Staphylococcus
,
Enterococcus
, and
Streptococcus
species, also influencing the selection and ecological variation of specific populations. However, this information is fragmented and often omits species outside these genera. To date, the antimicrobial resistance problem has been analyzed under a “single centric” perspective (“gene tracking” or “vehicle centric” in “single host-single pathogen” systems) that has greatly delayed the understanding of gene and plasmid dynamics and their role in the evolution of bacterial communities.

This work analyzes the dynamics of antimicrobial resistance genes using gene exchange networks; the role of plasmids in the emergence, dissemination, and maintenance of genes encoding resistance to antimicrobials (antibiotics, heavy metals, and biocides); and their influence on the genomic diversity of the main Gram-positive opportunistic pathogens under the light of evolutionary ecology. A revision of the approaches to categorize plasmids in this group of microorganisms is given using the 1,326 fully sequenced plasmids of Gram-positive bacteria available in the GenBank database at the time the article was written.
Ecology of
Bacillaceae
Authors: Mandic-Mulec Ines , Stefanic Polonca , van Elsas Jan Dirk
Published: May 2015

Members of the family
Bacillaceae
are among the most robust bacteria on Earth, which is mainly due to their ability to form resistant endospores. This trait is believed to be the key factor determining the ecology of these bacteria. However, they also perform fundamental roles in soil ecology (i.e., the cycling of organic matter) and in plant health and growth stimulation (e.g., via suppression of plant pathogens and phosphate solubilization). In this review, we describe the high functional and genetic diversity that is found within the
Bacillaceae
(a family of low-G+C% Gram-positive spore-forming bacteria), their roles in ecology and in applied sciences related to agriculture. We then pose questions with respect to their ecological behavior, zooming in on the intricate social behavior that is becoming increasingly well characterized for some members of
Bacillaceae
. Such social behavior, which includes cell-to-cell signaling via quorum sensing or other mechanisms (e.g., the production of extracellular hydrolytic enzymes, toxins, antibiotics and/or surfactants) is a key determinant of their lifestyle and is also believed to drive diversification processes. It is only with a deeper understanding of cell-to-cell interactions that we will be able to understand the ecological and diversification processes of natural populations within the family
Bacillaceae
. Ultimately, the resulting improvements in understanding will benefit practical efforts to apply representatives of these bacteria in promoting plant growth as well as biological control of plant pathogens.
Risk factors influencing the prescription of tiotropium Respimat formulation: a population-based cohort study
Authors: Trotta Francesco , Da Cas Roberto , Rajevic Maja , Rossi Mariangela , Traversa Giuseppe
Published: May 2015

Objectives

The study aims at investigating the influence of several factors on the probability of receiving one of the two tiotropium formulations (Respimat or Handihaler).

Design

Drug utilisation study.

Setting

All residents in the Region Umbria, Italy, aged ≥45 years, who received prescriptions of tiotropium during 2011–2012.

Participants

Two groups of patients were studied: (1) incident users of the two tiotropium formulations (ie, without tiotropium prescriptions in the previous 6 months); (2) switchers from Handihaler to Respimat. Users of the two formulations were compared with regard to baseline characteristics and medical history. The adjusted OR of receiving Respimat was estimated for several factors.

Results

Incident users of the two formulations (4390 participants) had similar characteristics. They were older and with more comorbidities than patients included in randomised control trials (RCTs). Among prevalent users of Handihaler, the probability of switching to Respimat was greater in patients with severe respiratory disease (users of ≥4 respiratory drugs: adjusted OR=4.62; 95% CI 2.46 to 8.69) and among β-blocker users (adjusted OR=1.76; 95% CI 1.13 to 2.75). Age above 75 years and lipid-lowering drug use reduced the probability of switching. A positive association was also found between neurological conditions and the use of Respimat.

Conclusions

When starting tiotropium treatment, the choice between the two formulations is weakly affected by comorbidities and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease severity. Instead, these characteristics influence the likelihood of switching from Handihaler to Respimat. Since tiotropium users in clinical practice are more severe than those included in RCTs, further aetiological studies are needed to compare the safety profile of the two formulations in routine care.
Surgical care for the aged: a retrospective cross-sectional study of a national surgical mortality audit
Authors: Allen Jennifer , North John B , Wysocki Arkadiusz Peter , Ware Robert S , Rey-Conde Therese
Published: May 2015

Objectives

It is assumed that increased age signifies increased surgical care. Few surgical studies describe the differences in care provided to older patients compared with younger patients. We aimed to examine the relationships between increasing age, preoperative factors and markers of postoperative care in adults who died in-hospital after surgery in Australia.

Design

This retrospective cross-sectional study extracted data from a national surgical mortality audit—an independent, peer-reviewed process.

Setting

From January 2009 to December 2012, 111 public and 61 private Australian hospitals notified the audit of in-hospital deaths after general anaesthetic surgery or if the patient was admitted under a surgeon.

Participants

Notified deaths totalled 19 723. We excluded deaths if patients were brain dead, younger than 17 years or never had an operation (n=11 376). From this baseline population, we divided 11 201 deaths into three patient age groups: youngest (17–64 years), medium (65–79 years) and oldest (≥80 years).

Outcome measures

Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses determined the relationships between increasing age and the measured preoperative factors and postoperative variables.

Results

The baseline population's median age was 78 years (IQR 66–85), 43.7% (4892/11 201) were 80 years or older and 83.4% (9319/11 173) had emergency admissions. The oldest group had increased trauma and emergency admissions than the medium and youngest age groups. Seven of the eight measured markers of postoperative care demonstrate strong and significant relationships with increasing age. The oldest group compared with the medium group had decreased rates of: unplanned returns to theatre (11.2% (526/4709) vs 20.2% (726/3586)), unplanned intensive care admissions (16.3% (545/3350) vs 24.0% (601/2504)) and treatment in intensive care units (59.7% (2689/4507) vs 76.7% (2754/3590)).

Conclusions

The oldest patients received lower levels of care than the medium and youngest age groups.
Phylogeny and synonymous codon usage pattern ofPapaya ringspot viruscoat protein gene in the sub-Himalayan region of north-east India
Authors: Chakraborty Prosenjit , Das Shibu , Saha Bikram , Sarkar Piyali , Karmakar Arup , Saha Arnab , Saha Dipanwita , Saha Aniruddha
Published: May 2015

Sub-Himalayan West Bengal is favorable for the production of several fruits and vegetables. Papaya is one of the common plants cultivated in the area. Most of the papaya plants of the area are susceptible to Papaya ringspot virus (PRSV). Coat protein genes of 6 PRSV isolates of the area were sequenced following RT–PCR. Phylogenetic study of the PRSV isolates showed about 80%–90% similarity with Cuban isolates. The codon usage pattern of our isolates was also analyzed, along with several other isolates. PRSV isolates of our study showed a preference for 8 putative optimal codons. Correspondence analysis of the genes of different isolates along the first 2 major axes were done, as the first 2 axes contributed more in shaping codon usage pattern. In the phylogenetic tree constructed by the neighbour-joining method, our isolates clustered together with the east Indian, north Indian, and Bangladeshi isolates. The diversity and codon usage pattern of the PRSV isolates of different regions were studied, and it was observed that the codon usage pattern of PRSV isolates is probably influenced by translational selection along with mutational bias.
Weak Orlicz–Hardy martingale spaces
Authors: Jiao Yong , Wu Lian , Peng Lihua
Published: May 2015

In this paper, several weak Orlicz–Hardy martingale spaces associated with concave functions are introduced, and some weak atomic decomposition theorems for them are established. With the help of weak atomic decompositions, a sufficient condition for a sublinear operator defined on the weak Orlicz–Hardy martingale spaces to be bounded is given. Further, we investigate the duality of weak Orlicz–Hardy martingale spaces and obtain a new John–Nirenberg type inequality when the stochastic basis is regular. These results can be regarded as weak versions of the Orlicz–Hardy martingale spaces due to Miyamoto, Nakai and Sadasue.
Local rigidity for actions of Kazhdan groups on noncommutative Lp-spaces
Authors: Bekka Bachir
Published: May 2015

Let Γ be a discrete group and 𝒩 a finite factor, and assume that both have Kazhdan's Property (T). For p ∈ [1, +∞), p ≠ 2, let π : Γ →O(Lp(𝒩)) be a homomorphism to the group O(Lp(𝒩)) of linear bijective isometries of the Lp-space of 𝒩. There are two actions πl and πr of a finite index subgroup Γ+ of Γ by automorphisms of 𝒩 associated to π and given by πl(g)x = (π(g) 1)*π(g)(x) and πr(g)x = π(g)(x)(π(g) 1)* for g ∈ Γ+ and x ∈ 𝒩. Assume that πl and πr are ergodic. We prove that π is locally rigid, that is, the orbit of π under O(Lp(𝒩)) is open in Hom (Γ, O(Lp(𝒩))). As a corollary, we obtain that, if moreover Γ is an ICC group, then the embedding g ↦ Ad (λ(g)) is locally rigid in O(Lp(𝒩(Γ))), where 𝒩(Γ) is the von Neumann algebra generated by the left regular representation λ of Γ.
Analytical solutions for cosmological perturbations in a one-component universe with shear stress
Authors: Škovran Matej
Published: May 2015

We construct explicit solutions for scalar, vector and tensor perturbations in a less known setting, a flat universe filled by an isotropic elastic solid with pressure and shear modulus proportional to energy density. The solutions generalize the well-known formulas for cosmological perturbations in a universe filled by ideal fluid.
ABBREVIATED MEASURED VERTICAL TRACTION FOR THE TREATMENT OF MECHANICAL LOW BACK PAIN: REPORT OF FOUR CASES
Authors: Istamatyadis Y. Th. , Stamatiadis A. Y.
Published: May 2015

Abbreviated Measured Vertical Traction (Abbr.M.V.T.) and modified Abbr.M.V.T. are two techniques of lumbar traction, which in contrast to conventional traction, appear to have very promising results. These techniques apply strong traction forces once for very short time, and in one therapeutical session accomplish palliation of low back pain symptoms and increase spinal mobility. We present four cases of patients with low back pain of mechanical origin, successfully treated by these techniques. The patients had four different pathologies, yet showed a uniform response to treatment. The possible pathophysiology of this phenomenon is discussed.
A discussion on the most general torsion-gravity with electrodynamics for Dirac spinor matter fields
Authors: Fabbri Luca
Published: May 2015

We consider the most general torsional completion of gravitation together with electrodynamics for the Dirac spinorial material fields, and we show that consistency arguments constrain torsion to be completely antisymmetric and the dynamics to be parity-invariant and described by actions that are either least-order derivative or renormalizable.
R&D, TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER AND PRODUCTIVITY IN THE INDIAN PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY
Authors: SHARMA CHANDAN
Published: May 2015

Utilising a rich firm-level data on Indian pharmaceutical manufacturing, this paper attempts to investigate effects of in-house research and development (R&D) and technology transfer on firms’ productivity performance for the period 1994–2010. We test the inter-linkage in two frameworks: Growth accounting and production function. Surprisingly, results of the growth accounting analysis suggest that R&D intensity has negligible impact on total factor productivity (TFP) growth of firms. Under the production function framework, results are also not very different. Nevertheless, our estimation results also establish that in the case of foreign firms, R&D has a sizable positive impact on productivity. Furthermore, under the both frameworks, we find very encouraging results for technology transfer. Our analyses also indicate that technological spillover is a crucial source of accessing technology and enhancing productivity of pharmaceutical firms in India.
Simple Virtual Channel Allocation for High-Throughput and High-Frequency On-Chip Routers
Authors: Xu Yi , Zhao Bo , Zhang Youtao , Yang Jun
Published: May 2015

Packet-switched network-on-chip (NoC) has provided a scalable solution to the communications for tiled multicore processors. However, the virtual channel (VC) buffers in the NoC consume significant dynamic and leakage power. To improve the energy efficiency of the router design, it is advantageous to use small buffer sizes while still maintaining throughput of the network. This article proposes two new virtual channel allocation (VA) mechanisms, termed
fixed VC assignment with dynamic VC allocation
(FVADA) and
adjustable VC assignment with dynamic VC allocation
(AVADA). VCs are designated to output ports and allocated to packets according to such assignment. This can help to reduce the head-of-line blocking. Such VC-output port assignment can also be adjusted dynamically to accommodate traffic changes. Simulation results show that both mechanisms can improve network throughput by 41% on average. Real traffic evaluation shows a network latency reduction of up to 66%. In addition, AVADA can outperform the baseline in throughput with only half of the buffer size. Finally, we are able to achieve comparable or better throughput than a previous dynamic VC allocator while reducing its critical path delay by 57%. Hence, the proposed VA mechanisms are suitable for low-power, high-throughput, and high-frequency NoC designs.
The Design and Implementation of a Verification Technique for GPU Kernels
Authors: Betts Adam , Chong Nathan , Donaldson Alastair F. , Ketema Jeroen , Qadeer Shaz , Thomson Paul , Wickerson John
Published: May 2015

We present a technique for the formal verification of GPU kernels, addressing two classes of correctness properties: data races and barrier divergence. Our approach is founded on a novel formal operational semantics for GPU kernels termed synchronous, delayed visibility (SDV) semantics, which captures the execution of a GPU kernel by multiple groups of threads. The SDV semantics provides operational definitions for barrier divergence and for both inter- and intra-group data races. We build on the semantics to develop a method for reducing the task of verifying a massively parallel GPU kernel to that of verifying a sequential program. This completely avoids the need to reason about thread interleavings, and allows existing techniques for sequential program verification to be leveraged. We describe an efficient encoding of data race detection and propose a method for automatically inferring the loop invariants that are required for verification. We have implemented these techniques as a practical verification tool, GPUVerify, that can be applied directly to OpenCL and CUDA source code. We evaluate GPUVerify with respect to a set of 162 kernels drawn from public and commercial sources. Our evaluation demonstrates that GPUVerify is capable of efficient, automatic verification of a large number of real-world kernels.
Accurate Range-Free Localization for Anisotropic Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Zhang Shigeng , Liu Xuan , Wang Jianxin , Cao Jiannong , Min Geyong
Published: May 2015

Position information plays a pivotal role in wireless sensor network (WSN) applications and protocol/algorithm design. In recent years, range-free localization algorithms have drawn much research attention due to their low cost and applicability to large-scale WSNs. However, the application of range-free localization algorithms is restricted because of their dramatic accuracy degradation in practical anisotropic WSNs, which is mainly caused by large error of distance estimation. Distance estimation in the existing range-free algorithms usually relies on a unified
per hop length
(PHL) metric between nodes. But the PHL between different nodes might be greatly different in anisotropic WSNs, resulting in large error in distance estimation. We find that, although the PHL between different nodes might be greatly different, it exhibits significant
locality
; that is, nearby nodes share a similar PHL to anchors that know their positions in advance. Based on the locality of the PHL, a novel distance estimation approach is proposed in this article. Theoretical analyses show that the error of distance estimation in the proposed approach is only one-fourth of that in the state-of-the-art pattern-driven scheme (PDS). An anchor selection algorithm is also devised to further improve localization accuracy by mitigating the negative effects from the anchors that are poorly distributed in geometry. By combining the locality-based distance estimation and the anchor selection, a range-free localization algorithm named Selective Multilateration (SM) is proposed. Simulation results demonstrate that SM achieves localization accuracy higher than 0.3
r
, where
r
is the communication radius of nodes. Compared to the state-of-the-art solution, SM improves the distance estimation accuracy by up to 57% and improves localization accuracy by up to 52% consequently.
Routing money, not packets
Authors: Misra Vishal
Published: May 2015

Revisiting network neutrality.
An interview with U.S. chief technology officer Megan Smith
Authors: Cerf Vinton G.
Published: May 2015

Recently appointed U.S. CTO Megan Smith discusses her evolving governmental role.
The low hanging fruit is gone
Authors: Laube Patrick
Published: May 2015

This position paper reviews the achievements and open challenges of movement analysis within Geographical Information Science. The paper argues that the simple problems of movement analysis have mostly been addressed to a sufficient level ("the low hanging fruit"), leaving the research community with the much more challenging problems for the years ahead ("the high hanging fruit"). Whereas the community has made good progress in structuring trajectory data (segmentation, similarity, clustering) and conceptualizing and detecting movement patterns, the much harder task of semantic annotation of structures and patterns remains difficult. The position paper summarizes both achievements and challenges with two sets assertions and calls for the establishment of a unifying theory of Computational Movement Analysis.
Hermoupolis
Authors: Pelekis Nikos , Sideridis Stylianos , Tampakis Panagiotis , Theodoridis Yannis
Published: May 2015

The domain of trajectory data management and mining undoubtedly contributes with interesting research problems and corresponding effective solutions to what is called data science. An interesting trend that poses new challenges in the field and has emerged especially due to the advance of location-based social networks, is that involved data cannot be considered purely spatiotemporal; trajectories of moving objects also contain additional semantic information that deserves to be further explored. On the other hand, the recently available real trajectory datasets are neither adequate nor appropriate for a wide empirical evaluation of related research proposals. As in other domains, a practical approach to overcome this limitation is developing efficient and functional synthetic trajectory generators. In this line of research, we present Hermoupolis, a pattern- and semantic-aware synthetic trajectory generator, which is able to produce realistic semantic trajectory datasets (along with their synchronized raw spatiotemporal counterparts), conforming to mobility profiles given as input by users.
Trajectory similarity measures
Authors: Toohey Kevin , Duckham Matt
Published: May 2015

Storing, querying, and analyzing trajectories is becoming increasingly important, as the availability and volumes of trajectory data increases. One important class of trajectory analysis is computing trajectory similarity. This paper introduces and compares four of the most common measures of trajectory similarity: longest common subsequence (LCSS), Fréchet distance, dynamic time warping (DTW), and edit distance. These four measures have been implemented in a new open source R package, freely available on CRAN [19]. The paper highlights some of the differences between these four similarity measures, using real trajectory data, in addition to indicating some of the important emerging applications for measurement of trajectory similarity.
Symbolic trajectories and application challenges
Authors: Damiani Maria Luisa , Issa Hamza , Güting Ralf Hartmut , Valdes Fabio
Published: May 2015

Describing the location history of moving objects exclusively in geometric terms is no longer sufficient, whereas more expressive data models capturing the complexity and heterogeneity of movement data are needed. Following this trend, the data model of symbolic trajectories has been recently proposed for the representation of content-rich trajectories in databases. The model provides a simple notation and a powerful and fully operational pattern-based query language for trajectory matching and rewriting. In this paper, we overview the key features of the model and sketch two applications cases, the former regarding the integration of heterogeneous mobility data (GPS and transportation modes), the latter the representation of migration patterns in animal ecology. The goal is to show the flexibility of the model and, at the same time, to prospect possible directions of research.
Planning sightseeing tours using crowdsensed trajectories
Authors: Brilhante Igo , Macedo Jose Antonio , Nardini Franco Maria , Perego Raffaele , Renso Chiara
Published: May 2015

We present an application where semantically enriched trajectories obtained from crowdsensed data are used to build an advanced system for planning personalized sightseeing tours, called TripBuilder. The interesting feature of TripBuilder is that it uses Wikipedia content and trajectories of previous tourists collected by georeferenced Flickr photos in a complex spatio-temporal framework. The objective is to address, in an unsupervised way, the problem of suggesting a budgeted sightseeing tour based on the preferences of the tourist and the time available for the visit. We present few highlights of how TripBuilder works along with a research agenda where we discuss the role of semantically enriched trajectories and crowdsourced location data in planning itineraries.
Patent Mining
Authors: Zhang Longhui , Li Lei , Li Tao
Published: May 2015

Patent documents are important intellectual resources of protecting interests of individuals, organizations and companies. Different from general web documents, patent documents have a well-defined format including frontpage, description, nclaims, and figures. However, they are lengthy and rich in technical terms, which requires enormous human efforts for analysis. Hence, a new research area, called patent mining, emerges in recent years, aiming to assist patent analysts in investigating, processing, and analyzing patent documents. Despite the recent advances in patent mining, it is still far from being well explored in research communities. To help patent analysts and interested readers obtain a big picture of patent mining, we thus provide a systematic summary of existing research efforts along this direction. In this survey, we first present an overview of the technical trend in patent mining. We then investigate multiple research questions related to patent documents, including patent retrieval, patent classification, and patent visualization, and provide summaries and highlights for each question by delving into the corresponding research efforts.
Elaboration and Innervation of the Vibrissal System in the Rock Hyrax (Procavia capensis)
Authors: Sarko Diana K. , Rice Frank L. , Reep Roger L.
Published: May 2015

Mammalian tactile hairs are commonly found on specific, restricted regions of the body, but Florida manatees represent a unique exception, exhibiting follicle-sinus complexes (FSCs, also known as vibrissae or tactile hairs) on their entire body. The orders Sirenia (including manatees and dugongs) and Hyracoidea (hyraxes) are thought to have diverged approximately 60 million years ago, yet hyraxes are among the closest relatives to sirenians. We investigated the possibility that hyraxes, like manatees, are tactile specialists with vibrissae that cover the entire postfacial body. Previous studies suggested that rock hyraxes possess postfacial vibrissae in addition to pelage hair, but this observation was not verified through histological examination. Using a detailed immunohistochemical analysis, we characterized the gross morphology, innervation and mechanoreceptors present in FSCs sampled from facial and postfacial vibrissae body regions to determine that the long postfacial hairs on the hyrax body are in fact true vibrissae. The types and relative densities of mechanoreceptors associated with each FSC also appeared to be relatively consistent between facial and postfacial FSCs. The presence of vibrissae covering the hyrax body presumably facilitates navigation in the dark caves and rocky crevices of the hyrax's environment where visual cues are limited, and may alert the animal to predatory or conspecific threats approaching the body. Furthermore, the presence of vibrissae on the postfacial body in both manatees and hyraxes indicates that this distribution may represent the ancestral condition for the supraorder Paenungulata.
Endoscopic Third Ventriculostomy in Children with Myelomeningocele: A Case Series
Authors: Perez da Rosa Sandra , Millward Christopher Paul , Chiappa Vanessa , Martinez de Leon Maria , Ibáñez Botella Guillermo , Ros López Bienvenido
Published: May 2015

Hydrocephalus develops in up to 80-90% of children with myelomeningocele (MM) after closure of the defect. Traditionally, ventriculoperitoneal shunts have been used to manage hydrocephalus in these patients. A role for endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) in MM has provoked much debate, principally due to anatomical variants described, which may complicate the procedure. We present 7 cases of children with MM and hydrocephalus undergoing a total of 10 ETV procedures. All patients demonstrated clinical improvement (in acute/subacute cases) or stabilization (in chronic cases). Three patients requiring a second ETV have shown clinical stability and renewed radiological evidence of functioning ventriculostomies in follow-up since reintervention. ETV can be used, albeit cautiously, in selected cases of hydrocephalus associated with MM. However, the frequency with which anatomical variation is encountered and the difficulty of the assessment of success make the procedure more challenging than usual.
The Interaction Between the Moscow Patriarchate and the European Court of Human Rights
Authors: Rimestad Sebastian
Published: May 2015

Since the end of the Soviet Union, the Russian Orthodox Church has been trying to regain moral authority in Russian society. This authority is challenged by international human-rights norms, and the Moscow Patriarchate has shown a desire to be perceived as a serious player in the human-rights arena. Emblematic of this active approach is the official representation of the Russian Orthodox Church to the institutions of the Council of Europe, including the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. This article seeks to analyze the ways in which the Moscow Patriarchate has approached the European Court of Human Rights since the 1990s. This includes cases with direct or indirect involvement of the Patriarchate, primarily concerning alleged religious discrimination and, on the other hand, an attempt to influence the discourse surrounding ethical and moral issues.
Dynamics of an Interhemispheric Teleconnection across the Critical Latitude through a Southerly Duct during Boreal Winter*
Authors: Zhao Sen , Li Jianping , Li Yanjie
Published: May 2015

In this study, an interhemispheric teleconnection pattern across the critical latitude from southern Africa through South Asia to the North Pacific was revealed in boreal winter monthly averaged 250-hPa streamfunction fields obtained from both the 40-yr ECMWF Re-Analysis (ERA-40) and the NCEP–NCAR reanalysis data from 1957/58 to 2001/02. Classical Rossby wave theory for zonally varying flow in which the effects of the basic-state meridional wind are ignored predicts that stationary Rossby waves cannot propagate across easterlies. To elucidate the underlying mechanisms responsible for this interhemispheric teleconnection, the theoretical basis for stationary wave propagation across the critical latitude is considered, taking into account meridional ambient flow. The theoretical results suggest that the southerly flow over East Africa, the western Indian Ocean, and South Asia creates a path for the northward propagation of stationary waves across the critical latitude. Stationary wavenumber and group velocity analysis, ray tracing, and simple model experiments applied to nearly realistic boreal winter mean flows confirm that disturbances excited in southern Africa and the western Indian Ocean can propagate across the critical latitude to South Asia through the southerly duct and then continue downstream along the North African–Asian subtropical jet.
Raindrop Size Distribution and Rain Characteristics during the 2013 Great Colorado Flood
Authors: Friedrich Katja , Kalina Evan A. , Aikins Joshua , Steiner Matthias , Gochis David , Kucera Paul A. , Ikeda Kyoko , Sun Juanzhen
Published: May 2015

Drop size distributions observed by four Particle Size Velocity (PARSIVEL) disdrometers during the 2013 Great Colorado Flood are used to diagnose rain characteristics during intensive rainfall episodes. The analysis focuses on 30 h of intense rainfall in the vicinity of Boulder, Colorado, from 2200 UTC 11 September to 0400 UTC 13 September 2013. Rainfall rates R, median volume diameters D0, reflectivity Z, drop size distributions (DSDs), and gamma DSD parameters were derived and compared between the foothills and adjacent plains locations. Rainfall throughout the entire event was characterized by a large number of small- to medium-sized raindrops (diameters smaller than 1.5 mm) resulting in small values of Z (<40 dBZ), differential reflectivity Zdr (<1.3 dB), specific differential phase Kdp (<1° km−1), and D0 (<1 mm). In addition, high liquid water content was present throughout the entire event. Raindrops observed in the plains were generally larger than those in the foothills. DSDs observed in the foothills were characterized by a large concentration of small-sized drops (d < 1 mm). Heavy rainfall rates with slightly larger drops were observed during the first intense rainfall episode (0000–0800 UTC 12 September) and were associated with areas of enhanced low-level convergence and vertical velocity according to the wind fields derived from the Variational Doppler Radar Analysis System. The disdrometer-derived Z–R relationships reflect how unusual the DSDs were during the 2013 Great Colorado Flood. As a result, Z–R relations commonly used by the operational NEXRAD strongly underestimated rainfall rates by up to 43%.
Evaluating the Impact of Guessing and Its Interactions With Other Test Characteristics on Confidence Interval Procedures for Coefficient Alpha
Authors: Paek Insu
Published: May 2015

The effect of guessing on the point estimate of coefficient alpha has been studied in the literature, but the impact of guessing and its interactions with other test characteristics on the interval estimators for coefficient alpha has not been fully investigated. This study examined the impact of guessing and its interactions with other test characteristics on four confidence interval (CI) procedures for coefficient alpha in terms of coverage rate (CR), length, and the degree of asymmetry of CI estimates. In addition, interval estimates of coefficient alpha when data follow the essentially tau-equivalent condition were investigated as a supplement to the case of dichotomous data with examinee guessing. For dichotomous data with guessing, the results did not reveal salient negative effects of guessing and its interactions with other test characteristics (sample size, test length, coefficient alpha levels) on CR and the degree of asymmetry, but the effect of guessing was salient as a main effect and an interaction effect with sample size on the length of the CI estimates, making longer CI estimates as guessing increases, especially when combined with a small sample size. Other important effects (e.g., CI procedures on CR) are also discussed.