bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A novel multi-focus image fusion method for improving imaging systems by using cascade-forest model
Authors: He Lin , Yang Xiaomin , Lu Lu , Wu Wei , Ahmad Awais , Jeon Gwanggil 
Published: February 2020

AbstractImage fusion technology combines information from different source images of the same target and performs extremely effective information complementation, which is widely used for the transportation field, medicine field, and surveillance field. Specifically, due to the limitation of depth of field in imaging device, images cannot focus on all objects and miss partial details. To deal with this problem, an effective multi-focus image fusion method is proposed in this paper. We interpret the production of the focus map as a two-class classification task and solve this problem by using a method based on the cascade-forest model. Firstly, we extract the specific features from overlapping patches to represent the clarity level of source images. To obtain the focus map, feature vectors are fed into the pre-trained cascade-forest model. Then, we utilize consistency check to acquire the initial decision map. Afterward, guided image filtering is used for edge-reservation to refine the decision map. Finally, the result is obtained through pixel-wise weighted average strategy. Extensive experiments demonstrate that the proposed method achieves outstanding visual performance and excellent objective indicators.
Two nontrivial solutions for a nonhomogeneous fractional Schrödinger–Poisson equation in $\mathbb{R}^{3}$
Authors: Jiang Ruiting , Zhai Chengbo 
Published: February 2020

AbstractIn this paper, we consider the following nonhomogeneous fractional Schrödinger–Poisson equations:
$$ \textstyle\begin{cases} (-\Delta )^{s}u+V(x)u+\phi u=f(x,u)+g(x)\quad \text{in }\mathbb{R}^{3}, \\ (-\Delta )^{t}\phi =u^{2}\quad \text{in }\mathbb{R}^{3}, \end{cases} $${(−Δ)su+V(x)u+ϕu=f(x,u)+g(x)in R3,(−Δ)tϕ=u2in R3, where $s,t\in (0,1]$s,t∈(0,1], $2t+4s>3$2t+4s>3, $(-\Delta )^{s}$(−Δ)s denotes the fractional Laplacian. By assuming more relaxed conditions on the nonlinear term f, using some new proof techniques on the verification of the boundedness of Palais–Smale sequence, existence and multiplicity of solutions are obtained.
Markups in a two-country monopolistic competition model of trade with heterogeneous consumers
Authors: Osharin Alexander , Verbus Valery , Bakunina Irina , Silaeva Vera , Silaeva Marina 
Published: February 2020

AbstractThe paper develops a two-country monopolistic competition model of trade featuring country-specific consumer tastes. The accounting for heterogeneity in tastes is achieved by assuming different elasticities of substitution in the CES utility function for different country consumers. The proposed framework extends the canonical Krugman’s approach by revealing new effects regarding markups response to consumer heterogeneity and trade liberalization. Specifically, the model predicts that, depending on the preference structure, trade liberalization may lead either to decrease or increase in the level of markups, charged by monopolistically competitive firms across destination countries.
Community recovery dynamics in yellow perch microbiome after gradual and constant metallic perturbations
Authors: Cheaib Bachar , Seghouani Hamza , Ijaz Umer Zeeshan , Derome Nicolas 
Published: February 2020

Abstract
Background
The eco-evolutionary processes ruling post-disturbance microbial assembly remain poorly studied, particularly in host-microbiome systems. The community recovery depends not only on the type, duration, intensity, and gradient of disturbance, but also on the initial community structure, phylogenetic composition, legacy, and habitat (soil, water, host). In this study, yellow perch (Perca flavescens) juveniles were exposed over 90 days to constant and gradual sublethal doses of cadmium chloride. Afterward, the exposure of aquaria tank system to cadmium was ceased for 60 days. The skin, gut and water tank microbiomes in control and treatment groups, were characterized before, during and after the cadmium exposure using 16s rDNA libraries and high throughput sequencing technology (Illumina, Miseq).

Results
Our data exhibited long-term bioaccumulation of cadmium salts in the liver even after two months since ceasing the exposure. The gradient of cadmium disturbance had differential effects on the perch microbiota recovery, including increases in evenness, taxonomic composition shifts, as well as functional and phylogenetic divergence. The perch microbiome reached an alternative stable state in the skin and nearly complete recovery trajectories in the gut communities. The recovery of skin communities showed a significant proliferation of opportunistic fish pathogens (i.e., Flavobacterium). Our findings provide evidence that neutral processes were a much more significant contributor to microbial community turnover in control treatments than in those treated with cadmium, suggesting the role of selective processes in driving community recovery.

Conclusions
The short-term metallic disturbance of fish development has important long-term implications for host health. The recovery of microbial communities after metallic exposure depends on the magnitude of exposure (constant, gradual), and the nature of the ecological niche (water, skin, and gut). The skin and gut microbiota of fish exposed to constant concentrations of cadmium (CC) were closer to the control negative than those exposed to the gradual concentrations (CV). Overall, our results show that the microbial assembly during the community recovery were both orchestrated by neutral and deterministic processes.
Understanding decision making in a food-caching predator using hidden Markov models
Authors: Farhadinia Mohammad S. , Michelot Théo , Johnson Paul J. , Hunter Luke T. B. , Macdonald David W. 
Published: February 2020

Abstract
Background
Tackling behavioural questions often requires identifying points in space and time where animals make decisions and linking these to environmental variables. State-space modeling is useful for analysing movement trajectories, particularly with hidden Markov models (HMM). Yet importantly, the ontogeny of underlying (unobservable) behavioural states revealed by the HMMs has rarely been verified in the field.

Methods
Using hidden Markov models of individual movement from animal location, biotelemetry, and environmental data, we explored multistate behaviour and the effect of associated intrinsic and extrinsic drivers across life stages. We also decomposed the activity budgets of different movement states at two general and caching phases. The latter - defined as the period following a kill which likely involves the caching of uneaten prey - was subsequently confirmed by field inspections. We applied this method to GPS relocation data of a caching predator, Persian leopard Panthera pardus saxicolor in northeastern Iran.

Results
Multistate modeling provided strong evidence for an effect of life stage on the behavioural states and their associated time budget. Although environmental covariates (ambient temperature and diel period) and ecological outcomes (predation) affected behavioural states in non-resident leopards, the response in resident leopards was not clear, except that temporal patterns were consistent with a crepuscular and nocturnal movement pattern. Resident leopards adopt an energetically more costly mobile behaviour for most of their time while non-residents shift their behavioural states from high energetic expenditure states to energetically less costly encamped behaviour for most of their time, which is likely to be a risk avoidance strategy against conspecifics or humans.

Conclusions
This study demonstrates that plasticity in predator behaviour depending on life stage may tackle a trade-off between successful predation and avoiding the risks associated with conspecifics, human presence and maintaining home range. Range residency in territorial predators is energetically demanding and can outweigh the predator’s response to intrinsic and extrinsic variables such as thermoregulation or foraging needs. Our approach provides an insight into spatial behavior and decision making of leopards, and other large felids in rugged landscapes through the application of the HMMs in movement ecology.
Time-aware domain-based social influence prediction
Authors: Abu-Salih Bilal , Chan Kit Yan , Al-Kadi Omar , Al-Tawil Marwan , Wongthongtham Pornpit , Issa Tomayess , Saadeh Heba , Al-Hassan Malak , Bremie Bushra , Albahlal Abdulaziz 
Published: February 2020

AbstractOnline social networks have established virtual platforms enabling people to express their opinions, interests and thoughts in a variety of contexts and domains, allowing legitimate users as well as spammers and other untrustworthy users to publish and spread their content. Hence, it is vital to have an accurate understanding of the contextual content of social users, thus establishing grounds for measuring their social influence accordingly. In particular, there is the need for a better understanding of domain-based social trust to improve and expand the analysis process and determining the credibility of Social Big Data. The aim of this paper is to determine domain-based social influencers by means of a framework that incorporates semantic analysis and machine learning modules to measure and predict users’ credibility in numerous domains at different time periods. The evaluation of the experiment conducted herein validates the applicability of semantic analysis and machine learning techniques in detecting highly trustworthy domain-based influencers.
Technical note: sensitivity analysis of the SCoRE and SARA methods for determining rotational axes during tibiofemoral movements using optical motion capture
Authors: Keizer Michèle N. J. , Otten Egbert 
Published: February 2020

Abstract
Purpose
The first aim was to report the sensitivity of calculated tibiofemoral movements for the choice of placement of the set of femoral markers. The second aim was to report the influence of accuracy of the motion captured positions of the markers on the calculated tibiofemoral movements.

Methods
Tibiofemoral kinematics during single leg hops for distance were calculated. For the first aim, an experiment was conducted in which four different setups of the femoral markers were used to calculated tibiofemoral movements. For the second aim, an experiment was conducted in which all raw marker positions were mathematically moved independently with the known Vicon position error with a distance and in a random direction in each frame, repeated a hundred times. Each time, the tibiofemoral movements were calculated.

Results
The first experiment yields that the standard deviation of the calculated anterior tibia translation between marker setups was 0.88 mm and the standard deviation of the external tibia rotation between marker setups was 0.76 degrees. The second experiment yields that the standard deviation was 0.76 mm for anterior tibia translation and 0.38 degrees for external tibia rotation.

Conclusion
A combined standard deviation of both experiments revealed that transients in anterior tibia translation less than 2.32 mm and external tibia rotations less than 1.70 degrees should be taken with caution. These results are 19.42% of the range of the anterior tibia translation and 13.51% of the rotation range during the jump task. The marker setup should be chosen carefully.
Resectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: association between preoperative CT texture features and metastatic nodal involvement
Authors: Fang Wei Huan , Li Xu Dong , Zhu Hui , Miao Fei , Qian Xiao Hua , Pan Zi Lai , Lin Xiao Zhu 
Published: February 2020

Abstract
Background
To explore the relationship between the lymph node status and preoperative computed tomography images texture features in pancreatic cancer.

Methods
A total of 155 operable pancreatic cancer patients (104 men, 51 women; mean age 63.8 ± 9.6 years), who had undergone contrast-enhanced computed tomography in the arterial and portal venous phases, were enrolled in this retrospective study. There were 73 patients with lymph node metastases and 82 patients without nodal involvement. Four different data sets, with thin (1.25 mm) and thick (5 mm) slices (at arterial phase and portal venous phase) were analysed. Texture analysis was performed by using MaZda software. A combination of feature selection algorithms was used to determine 30 texture features with the optimal discriminative performance for differentiation between lymph node positive and negative groups. The prediction performance of the selected feature was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis.

Results
There were 10 texture features with significant differences between two groups and significance in ROC analysis were identified. They were WavEnLH_s-2(wavelet energy with rows and columns are filtered with low pass and high pass frequency bands with scale factors 2) from wavelet-based features, 135dr_LngREmph (long run emphasis in 135 direction) and 135dr_Fraction (fraction of image in runs in 135 direction) from run length matrix-based features, and seven variables of sum average from coocurrence matrix-based features (SumAverg). The ideal cutoff value for predicting lymph node metastases was 270 for WavEnLH_s-2 (positive likelihood ratio 2.08). In addition, 135dr_LngREmph and 135dr_Fraction were correlated with the ratio of metastatic to examined lymph nodes.

Conclusions
Preoperative computed tomography high order texture features provide a useful imaging signature for the prediction of nodal involvement in pancreatic cancer.
Training attention control of very preterm infants: protocol for a feasibility study of the Attention Control Training (ACT)
Authors: Perra Oliver , Wass Sam , McNulty Alison , Sweet David , Papageorgiou Kostas , Johnston Matthew , Patterson Aaron , Bilello Delfina , Alderdice Fiona 
Published: February 2020

AbstractBackgroundChildren born preterm may display cognitive, learning, and behaviour difficulties as they grow up. In particular, very premature birth (gestation age between 28 and less than 32 weeks) may put infants at increased risk of intellectual deficits and attention deficit disorder. Evidence suggests that the basis of these problems may lie in difficulties in the development of executive functions. One of the earliest executive functions to emerge around 1 year of age is the ability to control attention. An eye-tracking-based cognitive training programme to support this emerging ability, the Attention Control Training (ACT), has been developed and tested with typically developing infants. The aim of this study is to investigate the feasibility of using the ACT with healthy very preterm (VP) infants when they are 12 months of age (corrected age). The ACT has the potential to address the need for supporting emerging cognitive abilities of VP infants with an early intervention, which may capitalise on infants’ neural plasticity.Methods/designThe feasibility study is designed to investigate whether it is possible to recruit and retain VP infants and their families in a randomised trial that compares attention and social attention of trained infants against those that are exposed to a control procedure. Feasibility issues include the referral/recruitment pathway, attendance, and engagement with testing and training sessions, completion of tasks, retention in the study, acceptability of outcome measures, quality of data collected (particularly, eye-tracking data). The results of the study will inform the development of a larger randomised trial.DiscussionSeveral lines of evidence emphasise the need to support emerging cognitive and learning abilities of preterm infants using early interventions. However, early interventions with preterm infants, and particularly very preterm ones, face difficulties in recruiting and retaining participants. These problems are also augmented by the health vulnerability of this population. This feasibility study will provide the basis for informing the implementation of an early cognitive intervention for very preterm infants.Trial registrationRegistered Registration ID:NCT03896490. Retrospectively registered at Clinical Trials Protocol Registration and Results System (clinicaltrials.gov).
Predicting academic success in higher education: literature review and best practices
Authors: Alyahyan Eyman , Düştegör Dilek 
Published: February 2020

AbstractStudent success plays a vital role in educational institutions, as it is often used as a metric for the institution’s performance. Early detection of students at risk, along with preventive measures, can drastically improve their success. Lately, machine learning techniques have been extensively used for prediction purpose. While there is a plethora of success stories in the literature, these techniques are mainly accessible to “computer science”, or more precisely, “artificial intelligence” literate educators. Indeed, the effective and efficient application of data mining methods entail many decisions, ranging fromhow to define student’s success, throughwhich student attributes to focus on, up towhich machine learning method is more appropriate to the given problem. This study aims to provide a step-by-step set of guidelines for educators willing to apply data mining techniques to predict student success. For this, the literature has been reviewed, and the state-of-the-art has been compiled into a systematic process, where possible decisions and parameters are comprehensively covered and explained along with arguments. This study will provide to educators an easier access to data mining techniques, enabling all the potential of their application to the field of education.
Fatal injury by air gun: a case report
Authors: Dumenčić Boris , Rajc Jasmina , Pavoković Deni , Damjanović Tena 
Published: February 2020

AbstractBackgroundThe popularity of air weapons is increasing. They are often viewed as toys, rather than potentially lethal weapons. Regulations on purchase and ownership of air weapons differ from country to country. The majority of fatal and non-fatal air gun accidents involve children less than 16 years of age.Case presentationIn this report, we present a fatal case resulting from an accident involving an air gun. An accident happened between two brothers aged 9 and 7 and was initially considered to be a traumatic wound inflicted by falling on a scooter handle. Upon the arrival of an experienced police inspector, the cause of child’s death was called into question and it was discovered that unlicensed, loaded air gun was left unattended in a backyard shed. It was later established that the cause of death was a fatal gunshot wound to the chest and a pointed lead pellet was found in the boy’s liver.ConclusionsThe public and governments should be advised that air guns can be dangerous weapons which may cause serious injuries and even death. We believe that air guns should be regulated by the same laws that apply to firearms.
Quantifying the roles of water pH and hardness levels in development and biological fitness indices of Culex quinquefasciatus Say (Diptera: Culicidae)
Authors: Ukubuiwe Azubuike Christian , Ojianwuna Chioma Cynthia , Olayemi Israel Kayode , Arimoro Francis Ofurum , Ukubuiwe Chinenye Catherine 
Published: February 2020

AbstractBackgroundThe present study was designed to quantify the contributions of water pH and hardness required for development and adult fitness indices ofCulex quinquefasciatus(Cx. quinquefasciatus) mosquitoes. To this end, seven water pH conditions (pH 4.0–10.0) and five hardness levels (0, 30, 90, 150 and 210 mg/L CaCO3) were simulated following standard protocols. Day-old larvae ofCulex quinquefasciatuswere reared in these simulated water-media conditions till emergence. Entomological indices for immature developmental success and adult biological fitness parameters were measured.ResultThe results revealed significant effects of pH and water levels on the entomological parameters measured for the species. pH values of 4 and 10 and high hardness values ≥ 150 mg/L CaCO3reduced immature developmental successes and adult biological fitness indices. The optimum range of values for the development of the species is respectively pH 5–8 and 0–90 mg/L CaCO3.ConclusionThe present study reveals the significant negative influence of extreme pH and hardness levels on mosquito development and fitness indices; thus, it may be providing baseline information for developing sustainable robust vector control strategies for disease reduction through habitat manipulation.
Parrotfish predation drives distinct microbial communities in reef-building corals
Authors: Ezzat Leïla , Lamy Thomas , Maher Rebecca L. , Munsterman Katrina S. , Landfield Kaitlyn M. , Schmeltzer Emily R. , Clements Cody S. , Vega Thurber Rebecca L. , Burkepile Deron E. 
Published: February 2020

AbstractBackgroundCoral-associated microbial communities are sensitive to multiple environmental and biotic stressors that can lead to dysbiosis and mortality. Although the processes contributing to these microbial shifts remain inadequately understood, a number of potential mechanisms have been identified. For example, predation by various corallivore species, including ecologically-important taxa such as parrotfishes, may disrupt coral microbiomes via bite-induced transmission and/or enrichment of potentially opportunistic bacteria. Here, we used a combination of mesocosm experiments and field-based observations to investigate whether parrotfish corallivory can alter coral microbial assemblages directly and to identify the potentially relevant pathways (e.g. direct transmission) that may contribute to these changes.ResultsOur mesocosm experiment demonstrated that predation by the parrotfishChlorurus spilurusonPorites lobatacorals resulted in a 2-4x increase in bacterial alpha diversity of the coral microbiome and a shift in bacterial community composition after 48 h. These changes corresponded with greater abundance of both potentially beneficial (i.e.Oceanospirillum) and opportunistic bacteria (i.e. Flammeovirgaceae, Rhodobacteraceae) in predated compared to mechanically wounded corals. Importantly, many of these taxa were detectable inC. spilurusmouths, but not in corals prior to predation. When we sampled bitten and unbitten corals in the field, corals bitten by parrotfishes exhibited 3x greater microbial richness and a shift in community composition towards greater abundance of both potential beneficial symbionts (i.e.Ruegeria) and bacterial opportunists (i.e. Rhodospiralles,Glaciecola). Moreover, we observed 4x greater community variability in naturally bitten vs. unbitten corals, a potential indicator of dysbiosis. Interestingly, some of the microbial taxa detected in naturally bitten corals, but not unbitten colonies, were also detected in parrotfish mouths.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that parrotfish corallivory may represent an unrecognized route of bacterial transmission and/or enrichment of rare and distinct bacterial taxa, both of which could impact coral microbiomes and health. More broadly, we highlight how underappreciated pathways, such as corallivory, may contribute to dysbiosis within reef corals, which will be critical for understanding and predicting coral disease dynamics as reefs further degrade.