bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Photoacoustic and Magnetic Resonance Imaging Bimodal Contrast Agent Displaying Amplified Photoacoustic Signal
Authors: Duan Yukun , Xu Yu , Mao Duo , Liew Weng Heng , Guo Bing , Wang Shaowei , Cai Xiaolei , Thakor Nitish , Yao Kui , Zhang Chong‐Jing , Liu Bin 
Published: September 2018

AbstractProgress in photoacoustic (PA) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) bimodal contrast agents has been achieved mainly by utilizing the imaging capability of single or multiple components and consequently realizing the desired application for both imaging modalities. However, the mechanism of the mutual influence between components within a single nanoformulation, which is the key to developing high‐performance multimodal contrast agents, has yet to be fully understood. Herein, by integrating conjugated polymers (CPs) with iron oxide (IO) nanoparticles using an amphiphilic polymer, a bimodal contrast agent named CP‐IO is developed, displaying 45% amplified PA signal intensity as compared to bare CP nanoparticle, while the performance of MRI is not affected. Further experimental and theoretical simulation results reveal that the addition of IO nanoparticles in CP‐IO nanocomposites contributes to this PA signal amplification through a synergistic effect of additional heat generation and faster heat dissipation. Besides, the feasibility of CP‐IO nanocomposites acting as PA‐MRI bimodal contrast agents is validated through in vivo tumor imaging using mice models. From this study, it is demonstrated that a delicately designed structural arrangement of various components in a contrast agent could potentially lead to a superior performance in the imaging capability.
Project productivity evaluation in early software effort estimation
Authors: Azzeh Mohammad , Nassif Ali Bou 
Published: September 2018

AbstractThe productivity factor has long been a key driver to estimate effort from Use Case Points (UCP) size measure, especially when historical dataset is absent. But, no one questions: Does productivity still matter when historical data are also available? To facilitate answering this question, the present paper studies the role of productivity from 2 perspectives. First, does learning productivity from historical data lead to better accuracy than using fixed productivity ratios? Second, what is the impact of ignoring productivity when estimating the effort from UCP? Five different models that use productivity factor have been used under different experimental settings and compared with some regression models that use only UCP size metrics. We found that dynamically learning and adjusting productivity from historical data are more efficient than using fixed productivity values. Moreover, using UCP size variables to estimate effort tends to be more accurate than using productivity and UCP variables. We also did not find any significant improvement when using UCP adjustment factors for measuring productivity. Finally, we conclude that the productivity factor is a good driver to generate effort estimate from UCP in the presence and absence of historical datasets. But using UCP size variables alone for predicting effort is more accurate than using productivity.
Pelvic organ prolapse in Caucasian and East Asian women: a comparative study
Authors: Cheung R. Y. K. , Chan S. S. C. , Shek K. L. , Chung T. K. H. , Dietz H. P. 
Published: September 2018

ABSTRACTObjectiveEthnicity has been suggested to be a significant risk factor for pelvic organ prolapse (POP); yet, pelvic organ descent in different ethnic groups, especially in Asian populations, is not well studied. The aim of this study was to compare prolapse stages, pelvic organ descent and hiatal dimensions between East Asian and Caucasian women presenting with symptoms of POP.MethodsThis was a prospective observational study of East Asian and Caucasian women presenting with symptoms of POP to a tertiary urogynecology clinic in, respectively, Hong Kong and Sydney. Demographic data, prolapse symptoms and prolapse stage were assessed. Physical examination was performed using the pelvic organ prolapse quantification (POP‐Q) system. All women underwent transperineal ultrasound using Voluson systems. Offline analysis of four‐dimensional ultrasound volume data was performed at a later date, by one operator blinded to all clinical data, to ascertain pelvic organ descent and hiatal dimensions on Valsalva maneuver. Levator muscle avulsion was assessed in volumes obtained on pelvic floor muscle contraction. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to assess factors associated with prolapse on clinical and ultrasound examinations.ResultsA total of 225 East Asian women were included between July 2012 and February 2014 from the Hong Kong clinic and 206 Caucasian women between January 2015 and July 2016 from the Sydney clinic. There was no significant difference in the overall staging of prolapse. However, in East Asian women, compared with Caucasians, apical compartment prolapse was more common (99.6% vs 71.8%, P < 0.001) and posterior compartment prolapse less common (16.9% vs 48.5%, P < 0.001) on POP‐Q examination. On Valsalva maneuver, the position of the uterus was lower in East Asian than in Caucasian women (−11.3 vs 1.35 mm, P < 0.001), while the rectal ampulla position was lower in Caucasians than in East Asians (−10.6 vs − 4.1 mm, P < 0.001). On multiple regression analysis, Caucasian ethnicity was a significant factor for lower risk of apical compartment prolapse on clinical assessment (odds ratio (OR), 0.01; P < 0.001) and on ultrasound (OR, 0.13; P < 0.001), and for a higher risk of posterior compartment prolapse on clinical assessment (OR, 4.36; P < 0.001) and of true rectocele on ultrasound (OR, 8.14; P < 0.001).ConclusionsEast Asian women present more commonly with uterine prolapse while Caucasians show more often posterior compartment prolapse. Ethnicity was a significant predictor of type of prolapse on multivariate analysis. Copyright © 2018 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Classification with high dimensional features
Authors: Zou Hui 
Published: September 2018

Rapid advances in technology have made classification with high dimensional features and ubiquitous problem in modern scientific studies and applications. There are three fundamental goals in the pursuit of a good high‐dimensional classifier: accuracy, interpretability, and scalability. In the past 15 years, a host of competitive high‐dimensional classifiers have been developed based on sparse regularization techniques. In this article, we give a selective overview of these classification methods.This article is categorized under:Statistical Learning and Exploratory Methods of the Data Sciences > Knowledge Discovery
Space use, movements, and survival of pygmy rabbits in response to construction of a large pipeline
Authors: Edgel Robert J. , Larsen Randy T. , Whiting Jericho C. , Mcmillan Brock R. 
Published: September 2018

ABSTRACTLittle is known about how energy development affects pygmy rabbits (Brachylagus idahoensis). We quantified space use, movements, and survival of pygmy rabbits before and after construction of the Ruby Pipeline in Utah, USA, from 2010 to 2012. For 18 rabbits captured in and near the pipeline right‐of‐way (ROW) 1 month before construction, 95% kernel home ranges and 50% core areas were ≥3.7 times smaller 1 month after construction. Additionally, those 18 pygmy rabbits shifted the center of 50% core areas away from the ROW following construction ( = 34 m, SD = 36.3, range = −11 to 119 m). Also, 95% kernel home ranges and 50% core areas for 40 rabbits captured in and near the ROW and monitored for 18 months after construction were ≥2.6 times smaller than estimates of similar space use for 25 rabbits in a reference area during the same time. Only 3 of 22 rabbits captured in or near the ROW before construction began crossed the ROW during the 18 months following construction. Weekly estimates of survival for rabbits in or near the ROW were similar before, during, and after construction; and similar to survival rates for rabbits in a reference area. Our results will contribute to biologists’ understanding of the influence of habitat removal and fragmentation associated with the construction of linear features on pygmy rabbits and their habitat. © 2018 The Wildlife Society.
Constrained BRST-BFV Lagrangian formulations for higher spin fields in Minkowski spaces
Authors: Reshetnyak A. A. 
Published: September 2018

Abstract

BRST-BFV method to construct constrained Lagrangian formulations for (ir)reducible half-integer higher-spin Poincare group representations in Minkowski space is suggested. The procedure is derived by two ways: first, from the unconstrained BRST-BFV method for mixed-symmetry higher-spin fermionic fields subject to an arbitrary Young tableaux with k rows (suggested in Nucl. Phys.
B 869 (2013) 523, arXiv:1211.1273) by extracting the second-class constraints subsystem, Ô

α
= (Ô

a
, Ô

a

+
), from a total super-algebra of constraints, second, in self-consistent way by means of finding BRST-extended initial off-shell algebraic constraints, Ô

a
. In both cases, the latter constraints supercommute on the constraint surface with constrained BRST operator Q

C
and spin operators σ

C

i

. The closedness of the superalgebra {Q

C
, Ô

a
, σ

C

i

} guarantees that the final gauge-invariant Lagrangian formulation is compatible with the off-shell algebraic constraints Ô

a
imposed on the field and gauge parameter vectors of the Hilbert space not depending from the ghosts and conversion auxiliary oscillators related to Ô

a
, in comparison with the vectors for unconstrained BRST-BFV Lagrangian formulation. The suggested constrained BRST-BFV approach is valid for both massive HS fields and integer HS fields in the second-order formulation. It is shown that the respective constrained and unconstrained Lagrangian formulations for (half)-integer HS fields with a given spin are equivalent. The constrained Lagrangians in ghost-independent and component (for initial spin-tensor field) are obtained and shown to coincide with the Fang-Fronsdal formulation for totally-symmetric HS field with respective off-shell gamma-traceless constraints. The triplet and unconstrained quartet Lagrangian formulations for the latter field are derived. The constrained BRST-BFV methods without off-shell constraints describe reducible half-integer HS Poincare group representations with multiple spins as a generalized triplet and provide a starting point for constructing unconstrained Lagrangian formulations by using the generalized quartet mechanism. A gauge-invariant Lagrangian constrained description for a massive spin-tensor field of spin n + 1/2 is obtained using a set of auxiliary Stueckelberg spin-tensors. A concept of BRST-invariant second-class constraints for dynamical systems with mixed-class constraints is suggested, leading to equivalent (w.r.t. the BRST-BFV prescription) results of quantization both at the operator level and in terms of the partition function.
Accounting for rainfall and the length of growing season in technical efficiency analysis
Authors: Gadanakis Yiorgos , Areal Francisco José 
Published: September 2018

AbstractThe physical environment of farming systems is rarely considered when conducting farm level efficiency analysis, which is likely to lead to bias of performance measurements based on benchmarking methods such as Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). We incorporate variations of the physical environment (rainfall and length of growing season) through the specifications of the linear programming in DEA to investigate performance measurement bias. The derived technical efficiency estimates are obtained using a sub-vector DEA which ensures farms are compared in a homogenous environment (i.e. accounting for differences in rainfall levels amongst distinct farm units). We use the Farm Business Survey to analyse a representative sample of 245 cereal farms in the East Anglia region between 2009 and 2010. Efficiency rankings obtained from a standard DEA model and a non-discretionary DEA model that incorporates the variations in the physical environment. We show that incorporating rainfall and the length of the growing season as non-discretionary inputs into the production function had significantly altered the farm efficiency ranking between the two models. Hence, to improve extension services to farmers and to reduce biased estimates of farm technical efficiency, variations in environmental conditions need to be integral to the analysis of efficiency.
Referral Patterns for Dual-Energy Computed Tomography in Diagnosis and Management of Gout: Ten-Year Experience at a Canadian Institution
Authors: Gong Bo , Shojania Kamran , Khosa Faisal , Nicolaou Savvas 
Published: September 2018

Purpose To analyze the utilization, indications, and outcomes of dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) gout imaging in clinical practice. Methods This retrospective study was ethics approved. Radiology reports of DECT gout scans between 2007 and 2016 were analyzed for trends of utilization, referral pattern, indication, and diagnosis. Results DECT gout referrals increased substantially (2007: 37; 2008: 72; 2016: 385; total: 1877). The largest number of referrals were from rheumatology (1160), emergency medicine (283), and family medicine (177). Most referrals (92%) were requested to aid an initial diagnosis of gout. Other reasons included estimating the disease burden (6%) or monitoring disease progression and effectiveness of treatment (2%). Rheumatology accounted for most referrals for the latter two reasons (81% and 97%). Imaging findings of urate presence were similar in referrals from rheumatology (62%), family medicine (62%), and other medical specialties (62%). The urate positive rates were slightly lower in referrals from emergency medicine (47%) and surgical specialties (41%). The most common differential diagnoses by referring specialties were calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate crystal deposition disease (CPPD) and other inflammatory or erosive arthritides (rheumatology, family medicine), CPPD and infections (other medical specialties), infections and fractures (emergency medicine), neoplasm and infections (surgical specialties). Conclusions The increasing utilization of DECT for gout imaging validates its clinical value. Varying clinical presentation could explain differences of urate positive rates among specialties. Our results support a multispecialty collaborative approach to the diagnosis and management of gout, with direct access to DECT gout imaging provided to various physician specialties.
Maintaining grain yields of the perennial cereal intermediate wheatgrass in monoculture v. bi-culture with alfalfa in the Upper Midwestern USA
Authors: Tautges Nicole E. , Jungers Jacob M. , DeHaan Lee R. , Wyse Donald L. , Sheaffer Craig C. 
Published: September 2018

AbstractIntermediate wheatgrass (Thinopyrum intermedium; IWG) is a perennial cereal crop undergoing development for grain production; however, grain yield declines of >75% are often observed after year 2 of the perennial stand and may be linked to soil nutrient depletion. Intercropping IWG with a perennial legume such as alfalfa (Medicago sativa) could benefit nutrient cycling while increasing agroecological diversity. Intermediate wheatgrass was established at five environmentally diverse sites in Minnesota, USA in (1) bi-culture with alfalfa, (2) non-fertilized monoculture and (3) monoculture fertilized annually in the spring with 80 kg N/ha. At northern sites where alfalfa growth was favoured, IWG grain yields were reduced in year 2 by growing IWG in bi-culture with alfalfa, relative to the monoculture systems. Across all sites IWG grain yield decreased by 90% in the non-fertilized monoculture, 80% in the fertilized monoculture and 65% in the bi-culture from year 2 to 4 and plant macronutrient concentrations decreased by 25–70%. In year 4, IWG grain yield was similar or greater in the bi-culture than the fertilized monoculture at three of the five sites and alfalfa biomass was correlated positively with grain yield, harvest index and nutrient uptake in the year 4 bi-culture. Chemical-nitrogen fertilization increased grain yields in year 2 but did not mitigate the decline in yields as stands aged. Intermediate wheatgrass in the bi-culture had similar yields and nutrient uptake and lower yield declines than the chemically fertilized stand at sites where alfalfa growth was maintained throughout the life of the stand.
From Light Microscopy to Analytical Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Focused Ion Beam (FIB)/SEM in Biology: Fixed Coordinates, Flat Embedding, Absolute References
Authors: Luckner Manja , Wanner Gerhard 
Published: September 2018

AbstractCorrelative light and electron microscopy (CLEM) has been in use for several years, however it has remained a costly method with difficult sample preparation. Here, we report a series of technical improvements developed for precise and cost-effective correlative light and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and focused ion beam (FIB)/SEM microscopy of single cells, as well as large tissue sections. Customized coordinate systems for both slides and coverslips were established for thin and ultra-thin embedding of a wide range of biological specimens. Immobilization of biological samples was examined with a variety of adhesives. For histological sections, a filter system for flat embedding was developed. We validated ultra-thin embedding on laser marked slides for efficient, high-resolution CLEM. Target cells can be re-located within minutes in SEM without protracted searching and correlative investigations were reduced to a minimum of preparation steps, while still reaching highest resolution. The FIB/SEM milling procedure is facilitated and significantly accelerated as: (i) milling a ramp becomes needless, (ii) significant re-deposition of milled material does not occur; and (iii) charging effects are markedly reduced. By optimizing all technical parameters FIB/SEM stacks with 2 nm iso-voxels were achieved over thousands of sections, in a wide range of biological samples.
Inconsistent Response of Arctic Permafrost Peatland Carbon Accumulation to Warm Climate Phases
Authors: Zhang H. , Gallego‐Sala A. V. , Amesbury M. J. , Charman D. J. , Piilo S. R. , Väliranta M. M. 
Published: September 2018

AbstractNorthern peatlands have accumulated large carbon (C) stocks since the last deglaciation and during past millennia they have acted as important atmospheric C sinks. However, it is still poorly understood how northern peatlands in general and Arctic permafrost peatlands in particular will respond to future climate change. In this study, we present C accumulation reconstructions derived from 14 peat cores from four permafrost peatlands in northeast European Russia and Finnish Lapland. The main focus is on warm climate phases. We used regression analyses to test the importance of different environmental variables such as summer temperature, hydrology, and vegetation as drivers for nonautogenic C accumulation. We used modeling approaches to simulate potential decomposition patterns. The data show that our study sites have been persistent mid‐ to late‐Holocene C sinks with an average accumulation rate of 10.80–32.40 g C m−2 year−1. The warmer climate phase during the Holocene Thermal Maximum stimulated faster apparent C accumulation rates while the Medieval Climate Anomaly did not. Moreover, during the Little Ice Age, apparent C accumulation rates were controlled more by other factors than by cold climate per se. Although we could not identify any significant environmental factor that drove C accumulation, our data show that recent warming has increased C accumulation in some permafrost peatland sites. However, the synchronous slight decrease of C accumulation in other sites may be an alternative response of these peatlands to warming in the future. This would lead to a decrease in the C sequestration ability of permafrost peatlands overall.
Paleozoic Tectonic Setting and Paleogeographic Evolution of the Qin‐Fang Region, Southern South China Block: Detrital Zircon U‐Pb Geochronological and Hf Isotopic Constraints
Authors: Zhang Xinchang , Wang Yuejun , Clift Peter D. , Yan Yi , Zhang Yuzhi , Zhang Le 
Published: September 2018

AbstractThe thick Silurian siliciclastic sedimentary rocks in the Qin‐Fang region contrasting with their absence in surrounding regions have long been an enigma for the early Paleozoic geology of South China. Here we employ detrital zircon U‐Pb geochronology and Lu‐Hf isotope analysis of Cambrian to Devonian samples from the Qin‐Fang and adjacent regions to trace sedimentary provenance and to further constrain its tectonic setting. The similar age spectra of the Cambrian samples from both sides of the Qin‐Fang region imply that they should be derived from a common source(s), arguing against the presence of a Cambrian ocean in the Qin‐Fang region. However, the U‐Pb age patterns of these Cambrian samples, as well as from Silurian and Ordovician sandstones both from within and outside the Qin‐Fang region, differ significantly from those of a middle Devonian sample from the Qin‐Fang region, and Ordovician to upper Triassic samples from the Indochina Block. These results, in conjunction with regional geological information, indicate that the Yunkai Mountain, which is located adjacent to the Qin‐Fang region, must have been emerged above sea level in the middle Devonian. Meanwhile, it can also imply that the Qin‐Fang region should be a part of South China rather than being a segment of the Indochina Block. A two‐stage evolutionary history of the Qin‐Fang region is proposed, (1) an intracontinental basin mainly filled by materials eroded from east Gondwana and/or eastern Cathaysia Block during the early Paleozoic and (2) a foreland basin in the Yunkai Mountain region at least since the middle Devonian.
Relationships Between Lithospheric Structures and Rifting in the East African Rift System: A Rayleigh Wave Tomography Study
Authors: Adams A. , Miller J. , Accardo N. 
Published: September 2018

AbstractThe East African Rift System (EARS) provides a unique location for exploring factors influencing the development and maturation of continental rifting. In particular, the geographical relationships between Cenozoic rifts and Pre‐Cambrian lithospheric structures suggest that such preexisting structures exert an influence on early‐stage rift geometry and behavior. This study uses Rayleigh wave phase velocity at periods of 20 to 100 s to study lateral variability in the lithospheric structures of rift segments and preexisting structures in the central and southern EARS. The model is constructed using records of 789 earthquakes, recorded by a composite station array of 235 stations from nonconcurrent seismic networks between 1994 and 2015. In the central EARS, we observe fast velocities beneath the Tanzania Craton, isolated low‐velocity regions along the Western Rift Branch, and low velocities in all resolved portions of the Eastern Rift Branch, consistent with previous regional surface wave studies. South of the Tanzania Craton, we observe linear low‐velocity zones trending both southeast and southwest from the Tanzania Divergence Zone, suggesting a southern bifurcation of the Eastern Rift Branch. In the southern portions of the Western Rift Branch, the Malawi Rift borders fast velocities associated with the Bangweulu Block and Irumide Belt. Anomalously fast velocities in these regions persist to long periods, confirming the existence of cratonic lithosphere inferred from previous studies. Fast velocities observed beneath the Irumide Belt extend across the southernmost portion of the Malawi Rift, suggesting that strong lithosphere in this region may hinder the southern propagation of the rift.