bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Image formation modeling and analysis of near‐eye light field displays
Authors: Qin Zong , Chou Ping‐Yen , Wu Jui‐Yi , Chen Yu‐Ting , Huang Cheng‐Ting , Balram Nikhil , Huang Yi‐Pai 
Published: March 2019

AbstractNear‐eye light field displays based on integral imaging through a microlens array provide attractive features like ultra‐compact volume and freedom of the vergence‐accommodation conflict to head‐mounted displays with virtual or augmented reality functions. To enable optimal design and analysis of such systems, it is desirable to have a physical model that incorporates all factors that affect the image formation, including diffraction, aberration, defocusing, and pixel size. Therefore, in this study, using the fundamental Huygens‐Fresnel principle and the Arizona eye model with adjustable accommodation, we develop an image formation model that can numerically calculate the retinal light field image with near‐perfect accuracy, and experimentally verify it with a prototype system. Next, based on this model, the visual resolution is analyzed for different field of views (FOVs). As a result, a rapid resolution decay with respect to FOV caused by off‐axis aberration is demonstrated. Finally, resolution variations as a function of image depth are analyzed based on systems with different central depth planes. Significantly, the resolution decay is revealed to plateau when the image depth is large enough, which is different from real‐image type light field displays.
Crosstalk‐free dual‐view integral imaging display
Authors: Wu Fei , Liu Ze‐Sheng , Deng Hui 
Published: March 2019

AbstractWe propose a crosstalk‐free dual‐view integral imaging display. It is composed of a display panel, a barrier array, and a micro‐lens array. The central barrier is located at the vertical central axes of the display panel and the micro‐lens array to split the element image array and the viewing zone. Moreover, other barriers are located at the margins of the elemental images and corresponding micro‐lenses to eliminate the crosstalk. The lights emitting from the left and right half of the element image array are modulated by the left and right half of the micro‐lens array to reconstruct the right and left viewing zones, respectively. A prototype of the proposed dual‐view integral imaging display is developed, and good experimental results agree well with the theory.
Concurrent palliative care in the surgical management of head and neck cancer
Authors: McCammon Susan D. 
Published: March 2019

AbstractHead and neck cancer affects vital functions of speech, swallowing, breathing, and appearance. Overall survival remains poor and symptom burden is high for both patients with incurable disease at the end of life and for long‐term survivors. Early and concurrent palliative care helps guide treatment decision making and support quality of life during and after treatment. Both narrative competence and directive counsel can affect the concordance of patient goals and tolerance of treatment and outcomes.
Evaluation of Left Atrial Functions by 2‐dimensional Speckle‐Tracking Echocardiography During Healthy Pregnancy
Authors: Tasar Onur , Kocabay Gonenc , Karagoz Ali , Kalayci Karabay Arzu , Karabay Can Yucel , Kalkan Sedat , Kirma Cevat 
Published: March 2019

ObjectivesWe aimed to determine the effects of normal pregnancy on left atrial (LA) mechanics using 2‐dimensional speckle‐tracking echocardiography.MethodsA total of 47 healthy women with singleton pregnancies were prospectively enrolled in this study. A total of 4 visits, including each trimester and postpartum at 6 months, were planned. Echocardiographic studies were performed with a Vivid 7 device equipped with a 2.5‐MHz transducer (GE Vingmed Ultrasound AS, Horten, Norway).ResultsAlthough the LA reservoir phase strain showed a gradual decrease from the first trimester to the third trimester during pregnancy, the measurements in the postpartum period were found to return to initial levels (mean ± SD: first trimester, 40.3% ± 11.7%; second trimester, 37.5% ± 12.9%; third trimester, 33.5% ± 9.0%; postpartum, 42.1% ± 11.1%; P < .001). The LA pump function strain was also parallel to the LA reservoir strain and gradually decreased from the first trimester to the third trimester during pregnancy, and it was observed that rose to the initial level in the postpartum period (first trimester, 16.7% ± 7.4%; second trimester, 14.8% ± 5.5%; third trimester, 12.7% ± 4.3%; postpartum, 15.8% ± 5.5%; P < .001).ConclusionsWe prospectively determined normal reference values for LA deformation parameters using speckle‐tracking echocardiography in each trimester and the postpartum period in healthy pregnancy. These reference values may help identify subclinical LA dysfunction in several cardiovascular or systemic conditions. According to this study, these parameters decreased toward the third trimester during pregnancy and recovered in the postpartum period.
Overgrazing leads to soil cracking that later triggers the severe degradation of alpine meadows on the Tibetan Plateau
Authors: Niu Yujie , Zhu Huimin , Yang Siwei , Ma Sujie , Zhou Jianwei , Chu Bin , Hua Rui , Hua Limin 
Published: March 2019

AbstractSoil cracking is an important process and feature of degradation in terrestrial ecosystems. However, the patterns and causes of cracks related to alpine rangeland overgrazing have not been reported. In this study, we used a multiscale approach to investigate the distribution of soil‐cracking areas at a landscape scale (217 survey sites), selected the grazing‐induced parameter that was closely related to the cracks at a small scale (2013–2017), and evaluated the water infiltration due to mosaic cracking at a microscale. The results showed that cracks only formed in the alpine meadow after overstocking. Soil compaction and water content explained 89.0% of the total variance in the crack characteristics, and soil compaction was closely related to cracking. The initial infiltration rate and steady infiltration rate of the healed cracks were significantly higher than those in the raised areas in the centre of the mosaic crack patches (p < .001). We propose a new model of alpine meadow degradation considering the cracking phenomenon due to overgrazing and provide key and easy‐to‐measure indicators to prevent overgrazing and cracking: a residual biomass greater than 65 g m−2 and a height greater than 6 cm, and the soil compaction should be lower than 1,044.26 ± 188.88 kPa. These safeguard thresholds warn rangeland managers to reduce the stocking rate or improve grazing management. We suggest that the cracking stage of alpine rangelands is the most critical turning point in the process of rangeland degradation and that rangeland managers should pay more attention to crack phenomena to prevent severe degradation.
Ultrafast (milliseconds), multidimensional RF pulse design with deep learning
Authors: Vinding Mads Sloth , Skyum Birk , Sangill Ryan , Lund Torben Ellegaard 
Published: March 2019

PurposeSome advanced RF pulses, like multidimensional RF pulses, are often long and require substantial computation time because of a number of constraints and requirements, sometimes hampering clinical use. However, the pulses offer opportunities of reduced‐FOV imaging, regional flip‐angle homogenization, and localized spectroscopy, e.g., of hyperpolarized metabolites. Proposed herein is a novel deep learning approach to ultrafast design of multidimensional RF pulses with intention of real‐time pulse updates.MethodsThe proposed neural network considers input maps of the desired excitation region of interest and outputs a single‐channel, multidimensional RF pulse. The training library is, e.g., retrieved from a large image database, and the target RF pulses trained upon are calculated with a method of choice.ResultsA relatively simple neural network is enough to produce reliable 2D spatial‐selective RF pulses of comparable performance to the teaching method. For binary regions of interest, the training library does not need to be vast; hence, reestablishment of the training library is not necessarily cumbersome. The predicted pulses were tested numerically and experimentally at 3 T.ConclusionRelatively effortless training of multidimensional RF pulses, based on non‐MRI‐related inputs, but working in an MRI setting still, has been demonstrated. The prediction time of a few milliseconds renders real‐time updates of advanced RF pulses possible.
Finite rotation exact geometry solid‐shell element for laminated composite structures through extended SaS formulation and 3D analytical integration
Authors: Kulikov Gennady M. , Plotnikova Svetlana V. 
Published: March 2019

SummaryA nonlinear exact geometry hybrid‐mixed four‐node solid‐shell element using the sampling surfaces (SaS) formulation is developed for the analysis of the second Piola‐Kirchhoff stress that extends the authors' finite element (Int J Numer Methods Eng. 2019;117:498‐522) to laminated composite shells. The SaS formulation is based on choosing inside the layers the arbitrary number of SaS parallel to the middle surface and located at Chebyshev polynomial nodes in order to introduce the displacements of these surfaces as basic shell unknowns. The external surfaces and interfaces are also included into a set of SaS. The proposed hybrid‐mixed solid‐shell element is based on the Hu‐Washizu variational principle and is completely free of shear and membrane locking. The tangent stiffness matrix is evaluated by efficient three‐dimensional (3D) analytical integration. As a result, the developed exact geometry solid‐shell element exhibits a superior performance in the case of coarse meshes and allows the use of load increments, which are much larger than possible with existing displacement‐based solid‐shell elements. It could be useful for the 3D stress analysis of thick and thin doubly curved laminated composite shells because the SaS formulation gives the possibility to obtain the 3D solutions with a prescribed accuracy.
Zinc finger domain of the human DTX protein adopts a unique RING fold
Authors: Miyamoto Kazuhide , Fujiwara Yuma , Saito Kazuki 
Published: March 2019

AbstractThe Deltex (DTX) family is involved in ubiquitination and acts as Notch signaling modifiers for controlling cell fate determination. DTX promotes the development of the ubiquitin chain via its RING finger (DTX_RING). In this study, the solution structure of DTX_RING was determined using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Moreover, by experiments with a metallochromic indicator, we spectrophotometrically estimated the stoichiometry of zinc ions and found that DTX_RING possesses zinc‐binding capabilities. The Simple Modular Architecture Research Tool database predicted the structure of DTX_RING as a typical RING finger. However, the actual DTX_RING structure adopts a novel RING fold with a unique topology distinct from other RING fingers. We unveiled the position and the range of the DTX_RING active site at the atomic level. Artificial RING fingers (ARFs) are made by grafting active sites of the RING fingers onto cross‐brace structure motifs. Therefore, the present structural analysis could be useful for designing a novel ARF.
Water‐soluble food dye of Allura Red as a tracer to determine the spray deposition of pesticide on target crops
Authors: Gao Saichao , Wang Guobin , Zhou Yangyang , Wang Ming , Yang Daibin , Yuan Huizhu , Yan Xiaojing 
Published: March 2019

AbstractBACKGROUNDQuantification of spray deposition on a target crop is of vital importance to optimize pesticide application. In traditional determinations of spray deposition, a large amount of organic solvent is used to extract pesticides from the target crops. In this study, a water‐soluble food dye of Allura Red was developed as a tracer to determine pesticide spray deposition on a rice target crop.RESULTSThe addition of Allura Red does not obviously alter the physicochemical properties of pesticides (viscosity, density and surface tension) and droplet spectra. An ultra‐performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) analytical method was developed and validated to determine the deposition amount of Allura Red on rice plants. Method accuracy and precision for Allura Red were found to be satisfactory with recoveries of 96.07% to 107.48%. To validate the method, comparative deposition analyses were carried out using representative systematic and non‐systematic pesticides (nitenpyram and chlorothalonil) under the same spraying scenarios using a Potter spray tower. Allura Red and pesticides showed comparable deposition under the same application conditions with ratios from 0.98 to 1.21. A field trial using an unmanned aerial vehicle sprayer further indicated that the deposition rates for Allura Red and nitenpyram on rice seedling were 13.04% and 11.07%, with corresponding relative standard deviation values (n = 5) of 16.39% and 18.79%.CONCLUSIONA laboratory test and field trial confirmed that the developed method of using Allura Red as a tracer for spray deposition assessment is feasible and practicable. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry
Modification of the convective adjustment time‐scale in the Kain–Fritsch eta scheme for the case of weakly forced deep convection over the Tibetan Plateau region
Authors: Wang Chenghai , Wu Di , Zhang Feimin 
Published: March 2019

AbstractThere is general uncertainty about the representation of clouds and convective precipitation in almost all models. Efforts to handle the convective parametrization scheme (CPS) in the grey zone (∼1–5 km horizontal grid spacing) are still imperative to the community, especially for the case of weakly forced deep convection. This study proposes a new convective adjustment time‐scale (τ) for the Kain–Fritsch eta (KFeta) scheme in the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model at high resolution, which differs from the current scale‐aware function. The validation was made in three cases of weakly forced deep convection over the Tibetan Plateau. The results confirmed that modifying τ improves the simulation performance. In particular, the modified τ improved the simulated precipitation pattern, horizontal scale and intensity over the original scheme, which could be attributed to the enhanced rate at which convective instability generated by external factors (e.g. large‐scale advection and surface turbulent fluxes) is removed by the parametrized convection. When τ is appropriately chosen, the CPS can be implemented in high‐resolution simulations.
Fostering agency to overcome barriers in college science teaching: Going against the grain to enact reform‐based ideas
Authors: Birt Julie A. , Khajeloo Mojtaba , Rega‐Brodsky Christine C. , Siegel Marcelle A. , Hancock Tamara S. , Cummings Keala , Nguyen Phuong D. 
Published: March 2019

AbstractStudent‐centered and inquiry‐based teaching improve science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning at all levels. However, reform efforts have been met with limited success due to complex interactions between structural relics of our education systems and the pre‐existing beliefs of STEM instructors. Using the Teacher‐Centered Systemic Reform model and the construct of agency, we investigated these interactions through three case studies of new undergraduate science instructors after they completed a graduate introductory course: college science teaching. Data included interviews, in‐class observations, surveys, and classroom artifacts. Forming a case narrative, data revealed instructors' beliefs, practices, and the barriers that had to be circumnavigated, overcome, or accommodated by instructors. Results demonstrated how different forms of agency mediated the barriers and outcomes that emerged between the personal and contextual factors associated with college science teaching. This study provides insight for supporting new college instructors, fills a gap in the literature, and enhances theoretical understanding of the importance of agency in systemic reform.
Reflections on and implications of the Programme for International Student Assessment 2015 (PISA 2015) performance of students in Taiwan: The role of epistemic beliefs about science in scientific literacy
Authors: She Hsiao‐Ching , Lin Huann‐shyang , Huang Li‐Yu 
Published: March 2019

AbstractThe 2015 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) has drawn a substantial amount of attention from science educators and educational policymakers because it marked the first time that PISA assessed students' ability to evaluate and design scientific inquiry using computer‐based simulations. We undertook a secondary analysis of the PISA 2015 Taiwan dataset of 7,973 students from 214 schools to identify critical issues of student learning and potentially reshape our educational system and policies. Thus, this study sought to identify potential latent clusters of students' scientific literacy performance according to a set of focus variables selected from the PISA student questionnaires. In addition, significant determinants of students' scientific literacy and resiliency were analyzed. Cluster analysis results demonstrated the presence of four clusters of high, medium, low, and inferior scientific literacy/epistemology/affective dispositions. Specifically, students in cluster 1 compared with other clusters showed that the higher the scientific literacy scores are, the more positive epistemic beliefs about science, achievement motivation, enjoyment of science, interests in broad science, science self‐efficacy, information and communications technology (ICT) interest, ICT autonomy, more learning time, more teacher supports and teacher‐directed instructions are. Regression results indicated that the most robust predictor of students' scientific literacy performance is epistemic beliefs about science, followed by learning time, interest in broad science topics, achievement motivation, inquiry‐based science teaching and learning practice, and science self‐efficacy. Decision tree model results showed that the descending order of the variables in terms of their importance in differentiating students as high‐ versus low‐performing were epistemic beliefs about science, learning time, self‐efficacy, interest in broad science, and scientific inquiry, respectively. A similar decision tree model to determine students as resilient versus non‐resilient also was found. Various interpretations of these results are discussed, as are their implications for science education research, science teaching, and science education policy.
A review of direct polymerase chain reaction of DNA and RNA for forensic purposes
Authors: Lynch Courtney , Fleming Rachel 
Published: April 2019

Short tandem repeat (STR) profiling is frequently carried out on biological stains in forensic casework, and the application of messenger RNA (mRNA) body fluid identification is becoming more prevalent. Increasing constraints on analysis time, resources, an increase in the number of samples for analysis, and a large backlog of cases creates significant demand for quicker methods that direct polymerase chain reaction (PCR) can help overcome. Direct PCR bypasses DNA and/or RNA extraction, and in some cases, quantification by adding the sample or substrate punch to the amplification reaction. This method is currently used in some laboratories on reference samples. Direct PCR is also a component of portable devices, which could improve efficiency even further by producing results at the scene, and enabling triaging of samples for further testing. Portable devices are currently used for STR profiling of reference samples but not for mRNA profiling. Various concerns regarding the reliability of the method and equipment (portable devices) must first be addressed before incorporation into forensic casework. This review discusses the limitations and factors that need to be considered for direct PCR to be used for the analysis of casework samples, including being used for mRNA body fluid identification.This article is categorized under:

Forensic Biology > Forensic DNA Technologies
Forensic Biology > Body Fluid Identification
Forensic Biology > Applications of RNA
Thermodynamically stable asymptotically flat hairy black holes with a dilaton potential
Authors: Astefanesei Dumitru , Choque David , Gómez Francisco , Rojas Raúl 
Published: March 2019

AbstractWe present a detailed analysis of the thermodynamics of exact asymptotically flat hairy black holes in Einstein-Maxwell-dilaton theory. We compute the regularized action, quasilocal stress tensor, and conserved charges by using a ‘counterterm method’ similar to the one extensively used in the AdS-CFT duality. In the presence of a non-trivial dilaton potential that vanishes at the boundary we prove that, for some range of parameters, there exist thermodynamically stable black holes in the grand canonical and canonical ensembles. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first example of a thermodynamically stable asymptotically flat black hole, without imposing artificial conditions corresponding to embedding in a finite box.
With a little help from my friends? A longitudinal look at the role of peers versus friends on adolescent alcohol use
Authors: Weybright Elizabeth H. , Beckmeyer Jonathon J. , Caldwell Linda L. , Wegner Lisa , Smith Edward A. 
Published: March 2019

ABSTRACTIntroductionAlcohol is the most commonly used substance by South African adolescents. Social norms play a key role in alcohol use, although distinctions are not always made between descriptive and injunctive norms and peer proximity. Additionally, little research identifies factors attenuating social norms, peer proximity, and alcohol use, such as one's ability to resist peer influence.MethodsThe current study investigates the relationship between adolescent alcohol use in 9th Grade and descriptive peer and injunctive friend norms in 8th grade, the moderating role of resistance to peer influence, and sex differences. Data were from South African students (N = 3592; Mage = 14) participating in the HealthWise South Africa implementation quality trial.ResultsPath model results indicated injunctive friend norms, but not peer norms, influenced alcohol use. Resistance to peer influence did not moderate relationships and group comparisons found no sex differences.ConclusionFindings suggest social proximity shapes influences of alcohol use. Despite a differing cultural context, findings were consistent with those from the United States, indicating social proximity is relevant cross‐culturally.