bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cofactors associated with Sudden Acquired Retinal Degeneration Syndrome: 151 dogs within a reference population
Authors: Auten Candace R. , Thomasy Sara M. , Kass Philip H. , Good Kathryn L. , Hollingsworth Steven R. , Maggs David J.
Published: August 2017

Objective

To determine factors associated with sudden acquired retinal degeneration syndrome (SARDS) diagnosed within one referral population.

Animals Studied

151 dogs diagnosed withSARDS.

Procedures

Breed, age, sex, and body weight were compared between dogs with electroretinogram‐confirmedSARDSand dogs presented to theUCDavis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (UCD‐VMTH) from 1991 to 2014.

Results

SARDSwas diagnosed in 151 dogs, representing 1.3% of dogs presented to theUCD‐VMTHfor ophthalmic disease. Although dogs of 36 breeds were affected, the Dachshund (n = 31, 21%), Schnauzer (16, 11%), Pug (11, 7%), and Brittany (5, 3%) were significantly overrepresented, and the Labrador Retriever (3, 2%) was significantly underrepresented vs. the reference population (P < 0.001). Median (range) age and body weight of affected vs. reference dogs were 8.9 (3–20) vs. 6.8 (0.1–26) years and 12.4 (2.8–52.7) vs. 22.3 (0.1–60) kg, respectively. Dogs 6–10 years of age and between 10–20 kg in body weight were significantly overrepresented in theSARDSpopulation, while dogs <6 years of age were significantly underrepresented (P < 0.01). Spayed females (59% of affected dogs) were significantly overrepresented compared to the reference population, whereas intact females (1% of affected dogs) were significantly underrepresented.

Conclusions

Consistent with previous studies, smaller, middle‐aged, spayed female dogs may be at increased risk of developingSARDS. Unlike previous studies, this is the first study comparing a variety ofSARDS‐affected breeds to a reference population. Potentially increased risk ofSARDSin several breeds, particularly Dachshunds, suggests a familial factor that warrants further investigation using genetic techniques.
Cointegration of Stock Prices and Domestic Portfolio Diversification Opportunities: Evidence from the Ghana Stock Exchange
Authors: Amfo-Antiri George , Quansah Edward
Published: August 2017

This paper employed Engle-Granger test of cointegration and the Bound Test to explore potential domestic portfolio diversification opportunities that are available for individual investors, institutional and other portfolio managers from constructing domestic portfolios. Daily stock prices for the period 1st August, 2011 to July 29th, 2016 have been employed as well as monthly stock return from the Ghana Stock exchange. The result from the cointegration analysis indicated that most equity stocks listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange are not cointegrated with each other in the long run. In addition, majority of the stock returns are statistically insensitive to the GSE– Composite index during the period under consideration. The empirical evidence indicates that domestic investors can benefit from constructing portfolios that consist of equities from the financial sector and other non-financial sectors which are not cointegrated.
H
2
O at the Phoenix Landing Site
Authors: Smith P. H. , Tamppari L. K. , Arvidson R. E. , Bass D. , Blaney D. , Boynton W. V. , Carswell A. , Catling D. C. , Clark B. C. , Duck T. , DeJong E. , Fisher D. , Goetz W. , Gunnlaugsson H. P. , Hecht M. H. , Hipkin V. , Hoffman J. , Hviid S. F. , Keller H. U. , Kounaves S. P. , Lange C. F. , Lemmon M. T. , Madsen M. B. , Markiewicz W. J. , Marshall J. , McKay C. P. , Mellon M. T. , Ming D. W. , Morris R. V. , Pike W. T. , Renno N. , Staufer U. , Stoker C. , Taylor P. , Whiteway J. A. , Zent A. P.
Published: August 2017

Phoenix Ascending

The Phoenix mission landed on Mars in March 2008 with the goal of studying the ice-rich soil of the planet's northern arctic region. Phoenix included a robotic arm, with a camera attached to it, with the capacity to excavate through the soil to the ice layer beneath it, scoop up soil and water ice samples, and deliver them to a combination of other instruments—including a wet chemistry lab and a high-temperature oven combined with a mass spectrometer—for chemical and geological analysis. Using this setup,

Smith
et al.

(p.
58
) found a layer of ice at depths of 5 to 15 centimeters,

Boynton
et al.

(p.
61
) found evidence for the presence of calcium carbonate in the soil, and

Hecht
et al.

(p.
64
) found that most of the soluble chlorine at the surface is in the form of perchlorate. Together these results suggest that the soil at the Phoenix landing site must have suffered alteration through the action of liquid water in geologically the recent past. The analysis revealed an alkaline environment, in contrast to that found by the Mars Exploration Rovers, indicating that many different environments have existed on Mars. Phoenix also carried a lidar, an instrument that sends laser light upward into the atmosphere and detects the light scattered back by clouds and dust. An analysis of the data by

Whiteway
et al.

(p.
68
) showed that clouds of ice crystals that precipitated back to the surface formed on a daily basis, providing a mechanism to place ice at the surface.
Detection of Perchlorate and the Soluble Chemistry of Martian Soil at the Phoenix Lander Site
Authors: Hecht M. H. , Kounaves S. P. , Quinn R. C. , West S. J. , Young S. M. M. , Ming D. W. , Catling D. C. , Clark B. C. , Boynton W. V. , Hoffman J. , DeFlores L. P. , Gospodinova K. , Kapit J. , Smith P. H.
Published: August 2017

Phoenix Ascending

The Phoenix mission landed on Mars in March 2008 with the goal of studying the ice-rich soil of the planet's northern arctic region. Phoenix included a robotic arm, with a camera attached to it, with the capacity to excavate through the soil to the ice layer beneath it, scoop up soil and water ice samples, and deliver them to a combination of other instruments—including a wet chemistry lab and a high-temperature oven combined with a mass spectrometer—for chemical and geological analysis. Using this setup,

Smith
et al.

(p.
58
) found a layer of ice at depths of 5 to 15 centimeters,

Boynton
et al.

(p.
61
) found evidence for the presence of calcium carbonate in the soil, and

Hecht
et al.

(p.
64
) found that most of the soluble chlorine at the surface is in the form of perchlorate. Together these results suggest that the soil at the Phoenix landing site must have suffered alteration through the action of liquid water in geologically the recent past. The analysis revealed an alkaline environment, in contrast to that found by the Mars Exploration Rovers, indicating that many different environments have existed on Mars. Phoenix also carried a lidar, an instrument that sends laser light upward into the atmosphere and detects the light scattered back by clouds and dust. An analysis of the data by

Whiteway
et al.

(p.
68
) showed that clouds of ice crystals that precipitated back to the surface formed on a daily basis, providing a mechanism to place ice at the surface.
Fear of microbial taint curbs Mars explorers
Authors: Voosen Paul
Published: August 2017

Upheaval in NASA planetary protection office could put restricted areas back in play
Revolutionary malaria tests have unexpected downsides
Authors: Roberts Leslie
Published: August 2017

Despite rapid tests, health workers undertreat malaria—and overuse antibiotics—a big new study shows
Survey finds galaxy clumps stirred up by dark energy
Authors: Clery Daniel
Published: August 2017

Technique is one of several tracking cosmic repulsive force
Children with cancer get more access to experimental drugs
Authors: Schmidt Charles
Published: August 2017

New U.S. law will require pediatric cancer clinic trials
Cash incentives for papers go global
Authors: Abritis Alison , McCook Alison ,   Retraction Watch
Published: August 2017

China's rewards are richest, but many nations offer bonuses for publishing in top journals
Documents detail gender-related tensions at Salk
Authors: Wadman Meredith
Published: August 2017

Internal study implies institute favored big labs run by men
The inside story on 20,000 vertebrates
Authors: Cross Ryan
Published: August 2017

NSF funds a plan to CT scan museum specimens representing most genera
Germany seeks ‘big flip’ in publishingmodel
Authors: Vogel Gretchen , Kupferschmidt Kai
Published: August 2017

Consortium hopes to make all German-authored papers open access by paying annual
fee
Zebrafish larvae could help to personalize cancer treatments
Authors: Leslie Mitch
Published: August 2017

Fish cancer “avatars” may be better than rodent ones
Intonational speech prosody encoding in the human auditory cortex
Authors: Tang C. , Hamilton L. S. , Chang E. F.
Published: August 2017

Brain mechanisms of pitch perception

To emphasize a word, we briefly raise our pitch; this alone can change the meaning of a sentence. Tang
et al.
performed high-density brain recordings on clinically monitored neurosurgical patients. They discovered that intonational pitch is represented by a highly specialized and dedicated neural population in the auditory cortex. Discrete cortical sites extracted intonational information in real time from the speech signal. These sites were overlapping with, but functionally independent from, sites that encode other critical aspects of speech, such as the phonemes and information about the speaker.

Science
, this issue p.
797
Response to Comment on “Observation of the Wigner-Huntington transition to metallic hydrogen”
Authors: Silvera Isaac , Dias Ranga
Published: August 2017

Goncharov and Struzhkin present comments on our observation of metallic hydrogen. We show that most of their comments are unfounded and that our observation of a transition to a shiny, high-reflectance phase remains as evidence that hydrogen has transformed to the metallic phase.
Enhanced water permeability and tunable ion selectivity in subnanometer carbon nanotube porins
Authors: Tunuguntla Ramya H. , Henley Robert Y. , Yao Yun-Chiao , Pham Tuan Anh , Wanunu Meni , Noy Aleksandr
Published: August 2017

Go with the flow

Enhanced water transport occurs in a number of narrow pore channels, such as biological aquaporins. Tunuguntla
et al.
thoroughly characterized molecular transport through narrow carbon nanotubes (CNTs) (see the Perspective by Siwy and Fornasiero). In contrast to previous studies, the authors focused on water and ion transport through relatively short (∼10-nm) fragments of CNTs embedded in lipid bilayer membranes. Strong confinement generated highly accelerated water flow compared with that observed in biological water transporters. A key factor in the transport rate was the tunable rearrangement of intermolecular hydrogen bonding. Furthermore, by changing the charges at the mouth of the nanotube, the authors were able to alter the ion selectivity.

Science
, this issue p.
792
; see also p.
753
Pavlovian conditioning–induced hallucinations result from overweighting of perceptual priors
Authors: Powers A. R. , Mathys C. , Corlett P. R.
Published: August 2017

Neural mechanisms for hallucinations

Pairing a stimulus in one modality (vision) with a stimulus in another (sound) can lead to task-induced hallucinations in healthy individuals. After many trials, people eventually report perceiving a nonexistent stimulus contingent on the presence of the previously paired stimulus. Powers
et al.
investigated how different groups of volunteers and patients respond to this conditioning paradigm. They used behavior, neuroimaging, and computational modeling to dissect the effect of perceptual priors versus sensory evidence on such induced hallucinations. People who are more prone to hear voices were more susceptible to the induced auditory hallucinations. The network of brain regions that was active during the conditioned hallucinations resembled the network observed during clinical symptom capture in individuals who hallucinate while in a brain scanner.

Science
, this issue p.
596
Fostering reproducibility in industry-academia research
Authors: Jasny B. R. , Wigginton N. , McNutt M. , Bubela T. , Buck S. , Cook-Deegan R. , Gardner T. , Hanson B. , Hustad C. , Kiermer V. , Lazer D. , Lupia A. , Manrai A. , McConnell L. , Noonan K. , Phimister E. , Simon B. , Strandburg K. , Summers Z. , Watts D.
Published: August 2017

Sharing can pose challenges for collaborations
Metal-catalyzed electrochemical diazidation of alkenes
Authors: Fu Niankai , Sauer Gregory S. , Saha Ambarneil , Loo Aaron , Lin Song
Published: August 2017

A charged approach to forming C–N bonds

Adjacent carbon-nitrogen bonds often appear in chemical compounds of pharmaceutical interest. Fu
et al.
developed a versatile method to form these bonds by pairing manganese catalysis with electrochemical azide oxidation in the presence of olefins. A major advantage of the electrochemical approach is the tunable precision of its oxidizing power, which leaves other sensitive substituents such as alcohols and aldehydes intact. The reaction proceeded over several hours at room temperature, forming hydrogen at the counter electrode as a benign by-product.

Science
, this issue p.
575
Response to Comment on “Permanent human occupation of the central Tibetan Plateau in the early Holocene”
Authors: Meyer M. C. , Hoffmann D. L. , Aldenderfer M. S. , Haas W. R. , Dahl J. A. , Wang Z. , Degering D. , Schlütz F.
Published: August 2017

We show that Zhang and Li’s sedimentological model for the Chusang travertine neglects the three-dimensional information from multiple outcrops and that their optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) age of about 20,000 years for the human imprints is untenable. We highlight the robustness of our chronology and explore reasons why Zhang and Li’s OSL age is a gross overestimation of the real depositional age of the imprinted travertine.
Park politics
Grand Canyon for Sale
Stephen Nash
University of California Press, 2017. 306 pp.
Authors: Lowry William
Published: August 2017

Another plea to protect America's parks publishes in September. Will this one resonate?
A seismic shift in continental tectonic plates
Authors: Savage Brian
Published: August 2017

Seismology provides an improved estimate for thickness of the continents
Measuring the changing pulse of rivers
Authors: Slater Louise J. , Wilby Robert L.
Published: August 2017

A 50-year data set shows changes in the seasonal timing of river floods in Europe
Actin divides to conquer
Authors: Maiato Helder , Ferrás Cristina
Published: August 2017

Actin prevents chromosome segregation errors during mammalian female meiosis
The mechanics of positioning skin follicles
Authors: Grill Stephan W.
Published: August 2017

A process of mechanochemical pattern formation places feathers in the avian skin
The complex that conquered the land
Authors: Croce Roberta , van Amerongen Herbert
Published: August 2017

Cryo-electron microscopy reveals the structure of the plant photosystem II supercomplex
Combined surgical and endovascular approach to treat a carotid cavernous fistula with associated brainstem venous congestion
Authors: Muram Sandeep , Khader Eliyas Javed , Eesa Muneer , Mitha Alim P
Published: August 2017

Endovascular embolization is the standard approach for management of carotid cavernous fistulas (CCFs) due to the ease of access and reduced level of risk associated with the procedure compared with open surgery. We present here a case of a CCF that eventually led to the development of brainstem venous congestion from perimedullary venous drainage. This fistula was not amenable to endovascular embolization due to lack of either ophthalmic vein or petrosal sinus drainage. Therefore, a craniotomy with direct puncture of the cavernous sinus was performed, followed by coil embolization to completely treat this fistula. This case demonstrates an uncommon progression of venous drainage to Cognard grade V, rare development of symptomatic brainstem venous congestion and a unique method to combine an open surgical approach with endovascular embolization to treat CCFs.
Dilemma of diagnosing sulphonylurea overdose in children: deliberations and considerations before reaching a diagnosis
Authors: Gopal-Kothandapani Jaya Sujatha , Wright Katherine P , Sithambaram Sivagamy , Natarajan Anuja
Published: August 2017

A 15-year-old non-diabetic Caucasian girl presented with sudden onset of seizures, unrecordable blood glucose readings and acute renal failure. She denied any medication ingestion and no other precipitating factors were encountered for this acute presentation. She was treated with intravenous glucose infusion and hydrocortisone injection. Investigations showed a non-ketotic hypoglycaemia with high C-peptide and insulin levels. It took several days and multiple investigations to establish the exact cause of her persistent hypoglycaemia before it was concluded to be secondary to gliclazide overdose in a suicide attempt by the young girl. She made a complete recovery in a week with no apparent lasting neurological or renal impairment.
Identification of stress biomarkers for drought and increased soil temperature in seedlings of European beech (Fagus sylvatica)
Authors: Popović Milica , Gregori Marco , Vodnik Dominik , Ferlan Mitja , Mrak Tanja , Štraus Ines , McDowell Nathan G. , Kraigher Hojka , de Marco Ario
Published: August 2017

Drought is an environmental stress that impacts plant productivity. Projections show both an increase in intense rain events and a reduction in the number of rain days, conditions that leads to increased risk of drought. Consequently, the identification of molecular biomarkers suitable for evaluating the impact of water deprivation conditions on forest plant seedlings is of significant value for monitoring purposes and forest management. In this study, we evaluated a biochemical methodology for the assessment of drought stress coupled with variable soil temperature in European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) seedlings by analyzing a set of metabolites and enzymes involved in free radical scavenging and cell wall synthesis. The results indicate that the specific activities and isoform profile of superoxide dismutases and glutathione peroxidases together with the variation of phenolic compounds enable discrimination between seedlings with different degrees of photosynthetic activity. This approach represents a promising platform for the assessment of drought stress in forest trees and could serve for enhancing selection and breeding practices, allowing for plants that are more tolerant of abiotic stress.
The challenge of estimating a residual spatial autocorrelation from forest inventory data
Authors: Magnussen Steen , Breidenbach Johannes , Mauro Fransisco
Published: August 2017

Estimates of stand averages are needed by forest management for planning purposes. In forest enterprise inventories supported by remotely sensed auxiliary data, these estimates are typically derived exclusively from a model that does not consider stand effects in the study variable. Variance estimators for these means may seriously underestimate uncertainty, and confidence intervals may be too narrow when a model used for computing a stand mean omits a nontrivial stand effect in one or more of the model parameters, a nontrivial spatial distance dependent autocorrelation in the model residuals, or both. In simulated sampling from 36 populations with stands of different sizes and differing with respect to (i) the correlation between a study variable (Y) and two auxiliary variables (X), (ii) the magnitude of stand effects in the intercept of a linear population model linking X to Y, and (iii) a first-order autoregression in Y and X, we learned that none of the tested designs provided reliable estimates of the within-stand autocorrelation among model residuals. More-reliable estimates were possible from stand-wide predictions of Y. The anticipated bias in an estimated autoregression parameter had a modest influence on estimates of variance and coverage of nominal 95% confidence intervals for a synthetic stand mean.
The regulation of pituitary-thyroid abnormalities by peripheral administration of levothyroxine increased brain-derived neurotrophic factor and reelin protein expression in an animal model of Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Shabani Sahreh , Farbood Yaghoob , Mard Seyyed Ali , Sarkaki Alireza , Ahangarpour Akram , Khorsandi Layasadat
Published: August 2017

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is associated with decreased serum levels of thyroid hormones (THs), increased levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), and decreased protein expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and reelin in the hippocampus. In this study, we have evaluated the effect of subcutaneous administration of levothyroxine (L-T4) on levels of THs and TSH as well as protein expression of BDNF and reelin in AD rats. To make an animal model of AD, amyloid-beta peptide (Aβ) plus ibotenic acid were infused intrahippocampally, and rats were treated with L-T4 and (or) saline for 10 days. The levels of THs and TSH were measured by ELISA kits. Protein synthesis was detected by Western blotting method. Results have been shown that serum level of THs, BDNF, and reelin protein expression in the hippocampus were significantly decreased (P < 0.001) in AD animals and elevated significantly in AD rats treated with L-T4 (P < 0.01). Data showed that TSH level significantly decreased in AD rats treated with L-T4 (P < 0.05). These findings indicated that L-T4 increased BDNF and reelin protein expression by regulation of serum THs and TSH level in Aβ-induced AD rats.
Adaptation of mitochondrial expression and ATP production in dedifferentiating vascular smooth muscle cells
Authors: Scheede-Bergdahl Celena , Bergdahl Andreas
Published: August 2017

Atherosclerosis is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the Western world. Although the clinical manifestations of this disease are well documented, the etiology and progression remain to be fully understood. Recently, the mitochondria have been implicated in important cellular processes involved in development of atherosclerosis. Despite the link between mitochondria and atherosclerosis, early-phase mechanisms of the disease have yet to be elucidated. The aim of this project was to explore the role of mitochondria in vascular smooth muscle (VSMC) dedifferentiation. A murine in vitro model, involving organ culture of aortic tissue in serum-free media, was used. Mitochondrial function was measured by high-resolution respirometry. Proteins associated with the VSMC phenotype switch, as well as mitochondrial density, were assessed by immunoblotting. The findings show that intrinsic mitochondrial Complex I activity is significantly upregulated during VSMC dedifferentiation. Diminished coupling between phosphorylation and oxidation was also found, indicating a greater ADP:ATP ratio. This data suggests increased leak in the electron transport chain and altered mitochondrial function specifically at Complex I. This project provides important information regarding the role of mitochondria in the early atherosclerotic process and that detectable changes in mitochondrial function and expression are related to VSMC dedifferentiation.
Reproductive investment in Atlantic cod populations off Newfoundland: Contrasting trends between males and females
Authors: Baulier Loïc , Morgan M. Joanne , Lilly George R. , Dieckmann Ulf , Heino Mikko
Published: August 2017

Life history theory predicts selection for higher reproductive investment in response to increased mortality among mature individuals. We tested this prediction over the period from 1978 to 2013 for three populations of Atlantic cod ( Gadus morhua) off Newfoundland. These populations were heavily fished for a long period. We considered changes in standardized gonad weight as a proxy for changes in gonadal investment. We accounted for the allometry between gonad and body weight, individual body condition, water temperature, and potential spatial and density-dependent effects. Males display significant temporal trends in gonadal investment in all populations; in agreement with theoretical predictions, these trends show increased gonadal investments during the earlier part of the time series when mortality was high, with the trends leveling off or reversing after the later imposition of fishing moratoria. In contrast, females display patterns that are less consistent and expected; significant trends are detected only when accounting for density-dependent effects, with females in two populations unexpectedly showing a long-term decline in gonadal investment. Our results support the hypothesis that fisheries-induced evolution has occurred in gonadal investment in males, but not in females, and suggest that gonadal investment is more important for male reproductive success than expected in this lekking species.
Is there a sign of new physics in beryllium transitions?
Authors: Fornal Bartosz
Published: August 2017

We discuss the current status of the anomaly in beryllium-8 nuclear transitions recently reported in the angular distribution of internal conversion electron–positron pairs. We present a phenomenological analysis of the signal and review the models proposed to explain it, focusing on those involving a new light protophobic vector gauge boson. We also elaborate on the prospects of verifying the anomaly in present and future experiments.
The possible role of van Hove singularities in the high Tc of superconducting H3S
Authors: Souza Thiago X. R. , Marsiglio F.
Published: August 2017

We observe that H3S has a BCC structure and, with nearest neighbor hopping only, a strong singularity occurs at zero energy. This singularity is accompanied with a highly nested Fermi surface, which is not conducive to a stable superconducting instability. Introduction of next-nearest-neighbor hopping removes the singularity, but a “robust” peak remains in the electron density of states. Solution of the BCS equations shows an enhanced superconducting [Formula: see text] due to this peak. Furthermore, nesting is no longer present, so other instabilities will not compete effectively with superconductivity. We find high critical temperatures are possible, even with very modest coupling strengths. We also examine a limit of the [Formula: see text] equations (in an Appendix) where an analytical solution is possible over the entire range of coupling strengths, and therefore the BCS-BEC crossover is fully covered.
Field effects on heterojunctions composed with electron-doped La1−xHfxMnO3and Nb-SrTiO3perovskites
Authors: Zhu Xia , Zhao Meng , Gao Ju , Qi Yaping , Zeng Jiali , Huang Weiyi
Published: August 2017

Thin films and heterojunctions of Hf[Formula: see text]-doped LaMnO3manganite have been studied. The sole tetravalent state of Hf[Formula: see text] ensures formation of [Formula: see text]-type La[Formula: see text]Hf[Formula: see text]MnO3(LHMO) manganite. Photoinduced resistance was also observed as illuminated by visible light. The induced photoresistance (PR) could be greatly enhanced by the compressive strain. The LHMO/Nb-STO heterojunctions showed excellent rectifying characteristics, which are comparable with those [Formula: see text]-junctions of conventional semiconductors. Their transport properties are tunable electrically and magnetically. Such LHMO/Nb-STO heterojunctions have the potential to develop novel functional field-effect transistors based on manganite perovskites.
Spectral-spatial destriping of hyperspectral image via correntropy based sparse representation and unidirectional Huber–Markov random fields
Authors: Wang Yulong , Tang Yuan Yan , Li Luoqing
Published: August 2017

This paper presents a novel destriping method for hyperspectral images. Most of the previous destriping methods regard only the corrupted subimage as an isolated image and fail to consider the high spectral correlation between the subimages in different bands. This may impede their performance of removing striping noises. The proposed method takes advantage of both spectral and spatial information to contribute to the process of striping noise reduction. Firstly, a correntropy-based sparse representation (CSR) model is utilized to learn the high spectral correlation between the subimages in different bands. Then the spatial information of the target subimage with striping noise is incorporated into the CSR model with a unidirectional Huber–Markov random field prior. We devise an Augmented Lagrange Multiplier type of algorithm to efficiently compute the destriped results. The experimental results on two real-world hyperspectral data sets demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Viscoelastic Behavior of Shear-Deformable Plates
Authors: Tekin Gülçin , Kadıoğlu Fethi
Published: August 2017

The purpose of this study is to extend a new mixed-type finite element (MFE) model, developed earlier by the present authors for the analysis of viscoelastic Kirchhoff plates [Aköz, A. Y., Kadıoğlu, F. and Tekin, G. [2015] “Quasi-static and dynamic analysis of viscoelastic plates”, Mechanics of Time-Dependent Materials 19(4), 483–503], to study the quasi-static and dynamic responses of first-order shear-deformable (FSD) linear viscoelastic Mindlin–Reissner plates. In this context, various viscoelastic material models are discussed for the plate structure to read from them possible patterns of viscoelastic behavior. The developed MFE named VPLT32 is C0-continuous four-node linear isoparametric plate element with eight degrees of freedom per node. Hereditary integral form of the constitutive law with constant Poisson’s ratio is used. A new functional in the Laplace–Carson domain suitable for MFE formulation in the same domain is developed by employing Gâteaux differential (GD) method. The unique aspects of this study and the possible contributions of the proposed method to the literature can be summarized as follows: by using this new functional, moment and shear force values that are important for engineers can be obtained directly without any mathematical operation. In addition, geometric and dynamic boundary conditions can be obtained easily and a field variable can be included to the functional systematically. Moreover, shear-locking problem can be eliminated by using the GD method. Dubner and Abate numerical Laplace inversion technique is adopted to transform the obtained solution from the Laplace–Carson domain into the real-time domain. A set of numerical examples are presented not only to demonstrate the validity and accuracy of the proposed MFE formulation but also to examine the effects of load, geometry and material parameters on the viscoelastic response of FSD Mindlin–Reissner plates and to give a better insight into time-dependent behavior of engineering thick plate problems.
An Improved Interpolating Complex Variable Meshless Method for Bending Problem of Kirchhoff Plates
Authors: Deng Yajie , He Xiaoqiao
Published: August 2017

An improved interpolating complex variable moving least squares (IICVMLS) method is proposed for numerical simulations of structures, in which a complete basis function and singular weight function are used to form a new basis function through the orthogonalization process. In this method, a new shape function which has the property of Kronecker [Formula: see text] function is derived to build the interpolating function. Based on the IICVMLS method, an improved interpolating complex variable element free Galerkin (IICVEFG) method is obtained for bending problem of Kirchhoff plates. In the IICVEFG method, the essential boundary conditions can be satisfied directly, and thus the final discrete matrix equation is more concise than that in the non-interpolating complex variable element free Galerkin methods. Hence, the proposed meshless method is more accurate and efficient than conventional complex variable meshless methods. Numerical examples of bending problem of Kirchhoff plates are presented to validate the advantages of the IICVEFG method.
A Fast Complex Variable Element-Free Galerkin Method for Three-Dimensional Wave Propagation Problems
Authors: Cheng Heng , Peng Miaojuan , Cheng Yumin
Published: August 2017

In this paper, combining the dimension splitting method with the improved complex variable element-free Galerkin (ICVEFG) method, we present a fast ICVEFG method for three-dimensional wave propagation problems. Using the dimension splitting method, the equations of three-dimensional wave propagation problems are translated into a series of two-dimensional ones in another one-dimensional direction. The new Galerkin weak form of the dimension splitting method for three-dimensional wave propagation problems is obtained. The improved complex variable moving least-square (ICVMLS) approximation is used to obtain the shape functions, and the penalty method is used to apply the essential boundary conditions, finite difference method is used in the one-dimensional direction, then the formulae of the ICVEFG method for three-dimensional wave propagation problems are obtained. The convergence and the corresponding parameters in the ICVEFG method are discussed. Some numerical examples are given to show that the new method has higher computational precision, and can improve the computational efficiency of the conventional meshless methods for three-dimensional problems greatly.
Impact of Using Tools in an Undergraduate Software Testing Course Supported by WReSTT
Authors: Clarke Peter J. , Davis Debra L. , Chang-Lau Raymond , King Tariq M.
Published: August 2017

Software continues to affect a major part of our daily lives, including the way we use our phones, home appliances, medical devices, and cars. The pervasiveness of software has led to a growing demand for software developers over the next decade. To ensure the high quality of software developed in industry, students being trained in software engineering also need to be trained on how to use testing techniques and supporting tools effectively at all levels of development.

In this article, we investigate how testing tools are used in the software project of an undergraduate testing course. We also investigate how a cyberlearning environment—the Web-Based Repository of Software Testing Tutorials (WReSTT)—is used to supplement the learning materials presented in class, particularly the tutorials on different software testing tools. The results of a study spanning three semesters of the undergraduate course suggest that (1) the use of code coverage tools motivates students to improve their test suites; (2) the number of bugs found when using coverage tools slightly increased, which is similar to the results found in the research literature; and (3) students find WReSTT to be a useful resource for learning about software testing techniques and the use of code coverage tools.
Early Lessons from Evaluation of Computer Science Teacher Professional Development in Google’s CS4HS Program
Authors: Ravitz Jason , Stephenson Chris , Parker Karen , Blazevski Juliane
Published: August 2017

This article compares self-reported learning gains and experiences of teachers in four professional development courses funded through Google’s 2014 Computer Science for High School program. The courses were designed and taught independently at four universities and started late enough in the year to participate in our pre-post study. Two of the courses used a face-to-face approach, one was online only, and one used a hybrid format. Analyses from 314 pre-surveys and 129 post-surveys indicate CS teachers are far from homogenous, suggesting that some customization may benefit professional development. We also saw a stronger sense of community in the two face-to-face courses. Among the outcomes we measured, teacher concerns (Hall and Hord 1977) were more sensitive to change than our measures of self-efficacy, outcome expectations, readiness, or beliefs. Findings illustrate the variety of CS teacher professional development experiences and the need to study the best ways to scale effective CS teacher education.
Blending Measures of Programming and Social Behavior into Predictive Models of Student Achievement in Early Computing Courses
Authors: Carter Adam S. , Hundhausen Christopher D. , Adesope Olusola
Published: August 2017

Analyzing the process data of students as they complete programming assignments has the potential to provide computing educators with insights into both their students and the processes by which they learn to program. In prior research, we explored the relationship between (a) students’ programming behaviors and course outcomes, and (b) students’ participation within an online social learning environment and course outcomes. In both studies, we developed statistical measures derived from our data that significantly correlate with students’ course grades. Encouraged both by social theories of learning and a desire to improve the accuracy of our statistical models, we explore here the impact of incorporating our predictive measure derived from social behavior into three separate predictive measures derived from programming behaviors. We find that, in combining the measures, we are able to improve the overall predictive power of each measure. This finding affirms the importance of social interaction in the learning process, and provides evidence that predictive models derived from multiple sources of learning process data can provide significantly better predictive power by accounting for multiple factors responsible for student success.
A Contingency Table Derived Method for Analyzing Course Data
Authors: Ahadi Alireza , Hellas Arto , Lister Raymond
Published: August 2017

We describe a method for analyzing student data from online programming exercises. Our approach uses contingency tables that combine whether or not a student answered an online exercise correctly with the number of attempts that the student made on that exercise. We use this method to explore the relationship between student performance on online exercises done during semester with subsequent performance on questions in a paper-based exam at the end of semester. We found that it is useful to include data about the number of attempts a student makes on an online exercise.
Witnessing Genome Evolution: Experimental Reconstruction of Endosymbiotic and Horizontal Gene Transfer
Authors: Bock Ralph
Published: August 2017

Present day mitochondria and plastids (chloroplasts) evolved from formerly free-living bacteria that were acquired through endosymbiosis more than a billion years ago. Conversion of the bacterial endosymbionts into cell organelles involved the massive translocation of genetic material from the organellar genomes to the nucleus. The development of transformation technologies for organellar genomes has made it possible to reconstruct this endosymbiotic gene transfer in laboratory experiments and study the mechanisms involved. Recently, the horizontal transfer of genetic information between organisms has also become amenable to experimental investigation. It led to the discovery of horizontal genome transfer as an asexual process generating new species and new combinations of nuclear and organellar genomes. This review describes experimental approaches towards studying endosymbiotic and horizontal gene transfer processes, discusses the new knowledge gained from these approaches about both the evolutionary significance of gene transfer and the underlying molecular mechanisms, and highlights exciting possibilities to exploit gene and genome transfer in biotechnology and synthetic biology.
Pneumocystis Pneumonia in Non-HIV Pregnant Women Receiving Chemotherapy for Malignant Lymphoma: Two Case Reports
Authors: Fukutani Yuki , Chigusa Yoshitsugu , Kondoh Eiji , Kawasaki Kaoru , Io Shingo , Matsumura Noriomi
Published: August 2017

Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) is a life-threatening opportunistic infection that sometimes occurs in immunocompromised patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Here, we report two extremely rare cases of PCP in non-HIV pregnant women who underwent chemotherapy for malignant lymphoma. Case  1 is a 34-year-old primigravida who was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. She received ABVD chemotherapy and developed PCP at 37 weeks of gestation. After the onset of PCP, emergent cesarean section was performed due to a nonreassuring fetal status. Case  2 is a 31-year-old multigravida with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma who was administered R-CHOP chemotherapy. At 34 weeks of gestation, she complained of dyspnea and developed PCP. She delivered her baby vaginally immediately after the onset of symptoms. Both patients were treated with sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim (ST) and recovered shortly thereafter. The babies’ courses were also uneventful. PCP remains a serious cause of death, especially in non-HIV patients, and, therefore, appropriate prophylaxis and a prompt diagnosis are imperative.
Radio Frequency Fingerprint Extraction Based on Multidimension Permutation Entropy
Authors: Deng Shouyun , Huang Zhitao , Wang Xiang , Huang Guangquan
Published: August 2017

Radio frequency fingerprint (RF fingerprint) extraction is a technology that can identify the unique radio transmitter at the physical level, using only external feature measurements to match the feature library. RF fingerprint is the reflection of differences between hardware components of transmitters, and it contains rich nonlinear characteristics of internal components within transmitter. RF fingerprint technique has been widely applied to enhance the security of radio frequency communication. In this paper, we propose a new RF fingerprint method based on multidimension permutation entropy. We analyze the generation mechanism of RF fingerprint according to physical structure of radio transmitter. A signal acquisition system is designed to capture the signals to evaluate our method, where signals are generated from the same three Anykey AKDS700 radios. The proposed method can achieve higher classification accuracy than that of the other two steady-state methods, and its performance under different SNR is evaluated from experimental data. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposal.
Feasibility Studies on the Use of Higher Frequency Bands and Beamforming Selection Scheme for High Speed Train Communication
Authors: Laiyemo Ayotunde O. , Luoto Petri , Pirinen Pekka , Latva-aho Matti
Published: August 2017

With increasing popularity of high speed trains and traffic forecast for future cellular networks, the need to provide improved data rates using higher frequency bands (HFBs) for train passengers is becoming crucial. In this paper, we modify the OFDM frame structure for HST, taking into account the increasing sensitivity to speed at HFBs. A lower bound on the SNR/SINR for a given rate for reliable communication was derived considering the physical layer parameters from the OFDM frame. We also analyze different pathloss models in the context of examining the required gain needed to achieve the same performance as with microwave bands. Finally, we present a time-based analogue beamforming selection approach for HST. We observed that, irrespective of the pathloss models used, the required gains are within the same range. For the same SNR/SINR at different frequency bands, the achievable data rate varies with respect to the frequency bands. Our results show the potential of the use of HFBs. However, due to the increased sensitivity of some channel parameters, a maximum frequency band of 38 GHz is suggested. Evaluation of our proposed beamforming scheme indicates a close performance to the optimal SVD scheme with a marginal rate gap of less than 2 b/s/Hz.
Mechanics Parameter Optimization and Evaluation of Curtain Grouting Material in Deep, Water-Rich Karst Tunnels
Authors: Shi Hai , Bai Mingzhou , Xing Shaochuan
Published: August 2017

Mud and water often gush suddenly during the construction process of deep buried karst tunnels, which may cause serious accidents and result in major economic losses. Accordingly, for tunnels buried in deep rich water districts, discovering how to effectively control water gushing and ensure the stability of surrounding rock has great influence on the safety of engineering construction. The case study in this paper simulates the water-rich section of Dou-mo tunnel from Shanghai to Kunming of China. Numerical analysis was used to simulate the construction of the curtain grouting section and to evaluate the effects of the various curtain grouting parameters. The optimal grouting parameters were selected and then evaluated by applying them to the grouting method. The results show that (1) the grouting effect is the most notable one when the thickness of the grouting circle is outside the 4 m range of the tunnel contour. (2) In the same circle, the grouting quantity of the same ring is presented as a wave form. Therefore the number of the same ring grouting holes should reduce and increase the distance between the adjacent grouting holes appropriately to reduce the number of grouting holes and speed up the grouting progress.
A Metabolomics‐Based Strategy for the Mechanism Exploration of Traditional Chinese Medicine: Descurainia sophia Seeds Extract and Fractions as a Case Study
Authors: Zhou Ning , Sun Ya-Ping , Zheng Xiao-Ke , Wang Qiu-Hong , Yang Yan-Yun , Bai Zhi-Yao , Kuang Hai-Xue , Feng Wei-Sheng
Published: August 2017

A UPLC‐QTOF‐MS based metabolomics research was conducted to explore potential biomarkers which would increase our understanding of the model and to assess the integral efficacy of Descurainia sophia seeds extract (DS‐A). Additionally, DS‐A was split into five fractions in descending order of polarity, which were utilized to illustrate the mechanism together. The 26 identified biomarkers were mainly related to disturbances in phenylalanine, tyrosine, tryptophan, purine, arginine, and proline metabolism. Furthermore, heat map, hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), and correlation network diagram of biomarkers perturbed by modeling were all conducted. The results of heat map and HCA suggested that fat oil fraction could reverse the abnormal metabolism in the model to some extent; meanwhile the metabolic inhibitory effect produced by the other four fractions helped to relieve cardiac load and compensate the insufficient energy supplement induced by the existing heart and lung injury in model rats. Briefly, the split fractions interfered with the model from different aspects and ultimately constituted the overall effects of extract. In conclusion, the metabolomics method, combined with split fractions of extract, is a powerful approach for illustrating pathologic changes of Chinese medicine syndrome and action mechanisms of traditional Chinese medicine.
An Efficient Hybrid Method for 3D Scattering from Inhomogeneous Object Buried beneath a Dielectric Randomly Rough Surface
Authors: He Hong-jie , Guo Li-xin , Liu Wei
Published: August 2017

An efficient iterative analytical-numerical method is proposed for three-dimensional (3D) electromagnetic scattering from an inhomogeneous object buried beneath a two-dimensional (2D) randomly dielectric rough surface. In the hybrid method, the electric and magnetic currents on the dielectric rough surface are obtained by current-based Kirchhoff approximation (KA), while the scattering from the inhomogeneous object is rigorously studied by finite element method (FEM) combined with the boundary integral method (BIM). The multiple interactions between the buried object and rough surface are taken into account by updating the electric and magnetic current densities on them. Several numerical simulations are considered to demonstrate the algorithm’s ability to deal with the scattering from the inhomogeneous target buried beneath a dielectric rough surface, and the effectiveness of our proposed method is also illustrated.