bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Study of a retinal layer model to generate a spike waveform for a color deficient and strabismus individual
Authors: Rajalakshmi T. , Prince Shanthi 
Published: July 2018

Abstract
The physiological modeling of retinal layers to provide an insight into how the incoming image is converted into its equivalent spike train that can be decoded by the human brain is a key issue. Most of the retinal layer models concentrate mainly on image compression, edge detection and image reconstruction. A retinal layer model to generate spike waveform corresponding to the visual information is not covered much in the literature. The aim of this study was to develop a mathematical model of retinal layers that has complex neural structures, that can detect the incoming signal and transform the signal into the equivalent spike train. The proposed retinal layer model includes a photoreceptor, an outer plexiform (OPL), an inner plexiform (IPL) and ganglion cell layers exhibiting the properties of compression, luminance and spatial temporal filtering in the processing of visual information. The photoreceptor layer enhances the contrast visibility in the dark region and maintains the same in the bright regions. The OPL is modeled to enhance the contour of the image. The finer detail of the image is extracted by mathematically modeling the IPL. The ganglion cell layer is modeled using the Hodgkin-Huxley model to generate the spike train for the incoming information. The spike train was generated for color deficient individuals namely protanopia, deuteranopia, tritanopia and for individuals suffering from night blindness. Simulation results showed a spike train was generated only for a certain threshold stimulus value. The differences in spike pattern for a normal and visually impaired individual were studied. This may lead to a methodology for earlier diagnosis.
Retinal images benchmark for the detection of diabetic retinopathy and clinically significant macular edema (CSME)
Authors: Noor-ul-huda Muhammad , Tehsin Samabia , Ahmed Sairam , Niazi Fuad A.K. , Murtaza Zeerish 
Published: July 2018

Abstract
Diabetes mellitus is an enduring disease related with significant morbidity and mortality. The main pathogenesis behind this disease is its numerous micro- and macrovascular complications. In developing countries, diabetic retinopathy (DR) is one of the major sources of vision impairment in working age population. DR has been classified into two categories: proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) and non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR). NPDR is further classified into mild, moderate and severe, while PDR is further classified into early PDR, high risk PDR and advanced diabetic eye disease. DR is a disease caused due to high blood glucose levels which result in vision loss or permanent blindness. High-level advancements in the field of bio-medical image processing have speeded up the automated process of disease diagnoses and analysis. Much research has been conducted and computerized systems have been designed to detect and analyze retinal diseases through image processing. Similarly, a number of algorithms have been designed to detect and grade DR by analyzing different symptoms including microaneurysms, soft exudates, hard exudates, cotton wool spots, fibrotic bands, neovascularization on disc (NVD), neovascularization elsewhere (NVE), hemorrhages and tractional bands. The visual examination of the retina is a vital test to diagnose DR-related complications. However, all the DR computer-aided diagnostic systems require a standard dataset for the estimation of their efficiency, performance and accuracy. This research presents a benchmark for the evaluation of computer-based DR diagnostic systems. The existing DR benchmarks are small in size and do not cover all the DR stages and categories. The dataset contains 1445 high-quality fundus photographs of retinal images, acquired over 2 years from the records of the patients who presented to the Department of Ophthalmology, Holy Family Hospital, Rawalpindi. This benchmark provides an evaluation platform for medical image analysis researchers. Furthermore, it provides evaluation data for all the stages of DR.
Studies of North Carolina marine algae XIV: increased diversity of flattened offshore Gracilaria (Gracilariales, Rhodophyta) species revealed by DNA sequences of contemporary specimens and the G. mammillaris holotype
Authors: Hardesty Deanna M. , Freshwater D. Wilson 
Published: July 2018

Abstract

Gracilaria mammillaris has been the most common flattened Gracilaria reported from North Carolina offshore waters. Analyses of rbcL sequences from North Carolina specimens identified as G. mammillaris revealed that they were actually Gracilaria galatensis, Gracilaria hayi, Gracilaria isabellana, and Gracilaria occidentalis. Comparisons of contemporary Gracilaria rbcL sequences with a partial sequence from the G. mammillaris holotype indicated that G. mammillaris is most likely not present in North Carolina. Specimens from Venezuela and Brazil originally identified as Gracilaria curtissiae are G. mammillaris, and the currently designated G. mammillaris epitype represents a unique species described here as Gracilaria gurgelii sp. nov.
Morosphaeria muthupetensis sp. nov. (Morosphaeriaceae) from India: morphological characterization and multigene phylogenetic inference
Authors: Devadatha Bandarupalli , Sarma Vemuri Venkateswara , Jeewon Rajesh , Jones E.B. Gareth 
Published: July 2018

Abstract
A novel species of Morosphaeria, Morosphaeria muthupetensis, saprobic on intertidal mangrove wood of Rhizophora mucronata from Muthupet mangroves on Kaveri River Delta, Tamil Nadu along the East coast of India, is described in this paper. Morosphaeria muthupetensis is characterized by large sub-globose to lenticular ascomata; long cylindrical to clavate, short pedicellate asci; small, fusiform to ellipsoidal ascospores with acute ends when compared to other Morosphaeria species. A multigene phylogeny obtained from a combined nuclear large subunit, small subunit, internal transcribed spacers rDNA and translation elongation factor 1-alpha sequence analysis revealed that M. muthupetensis is phylogenetically distinct and nested in between Morosphaeria velatispora and Morosphaeria ramunculicola and all these species constitute a strongly supported monophyletic clade sister to the genus Helicascus. Detailed descriptions and illustrations of M. muthupetensis are presented and compared with other Morosphaeria species.
Solieria incurvata (Solieriaceae, Rhodophyta), a new species from Venezuela based on morpho-anatomical and molecular evidence
Authors: Núñez Resendiz María Luisa , Ardito Sonia , León-Tejera Hilda , Dreckmann Kurt M. , Sentíes Abel 
Published: July 2018

Abstract

Solieria incurvata from Puerto Escondido, Estado Falcon, Venezuela, is described as a new species based on morpho-anatomical and molecular data. Morphologically S. incurvata differs from other Solieria species, with which it shares its distributional range, by its narrow branches that become gradually constricted toward their bases, by possessing acute and incurved apices, and by its branching pattern and anatomical morphometrics. On the basis of COI-5P and rbcL sequences, the new species forms an independent lineage that clearly belongs in the Solieria clade of the Solieriaceae.
Baseline hepcidin measurement in the differential diagnosis of anaemia for elderly patients and its correlation with the increment of transferrin saturation following an oral iron absorption test
Authors: Wolff Fleur , De Breucker Sandra , Pepersack Thierry , Compté Nathalie , Mélot Christian , Gulbis Béatrice , Cotton Frédéric 
Published: July 2018

Abstract

Background
Anaemia is often multifactorial in the elderly, with a frequent association between iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) and anaemia of chronic disease (ACD). The primary objective of our study was to investigate whether baseline hepcidin measurement could be useful for identifying iron deficiency (ID) in anaemic elderly patients. The secondary objective was to assess whether baseline hepcidin concentrations correlated with the relative increase of transferrin saturation (TS) after an oral iron absorption test (OIAT).

Methods
Blood samples were collected between 7:30 am and 10:00 am in 328 geriatric outpatients, 102 underwent the OIAT. Types of anaemia were classified according biochemical and clinical criteria. TS and hepcidin were measured at baseline and 4 h after the iron dose. The ability of baseline hepcidin measurement to highlight ID in elderly anaemic patients was assessed using a receiver operator curve (ROC) analysis. Correlations between baseline hepcidin levels and the increment of TS following the OIAT were investigated using the Spearman coefficient.

Results
Among 328 included patients, 78 (23.8%) suffered from anaemia; 13 (4.0%), 19 (5.8%), 27 (8.2%) and 19 (5.8%) patients fulfilled criteria for IDA, IDA/ACD, ACD and unexplained anaemia, respectively. By multivariable analysis, creatinine, C-reactive protein, ferritin, Delta TS and Delta hepcidin were independently associated with baseline hepcidin concentrations. The area under the ROC curve (95% confidence interval) was 0.900 (0.830–0.970) for baseline hepcidin measurement. Baseline hepcidin levels correlated negatively with the relative increase in TS with a Spearman coefficient of −0.742.

Conclusions
Baseline hepcidin levels could be a useful tool to identify ID in anaemic elderly patients and may predict acute iron response following OIAT.
Evaluating structural crashworthiness and progressive failure of double hull tanker under accidental grounding: bottom raking case
Authors: Prabowo Aditya Rio , Cho Hyun Jin , Lee Seung Geon , Baek Seung Jun , Byeon Jung Hoon , Bae Dong Myung , Sohn Jung Min , Harsritanto Bangun IR 
Published: July 2018

Abstract
Remarkable consequences of maritime accident can be various, including structural damage, loss of life and marine pollution. During an accidental phenomenon, such as ship grounding, the amount of oil spillage indicates casualties’ extent of surrounding sea water. Effort to provide protection for sea environment against such event has been conducted actively by developing navigational instruments, and passively using structural development and assessment. The accidental grounding is, however, a very complicated process with high sensitivity to given factors during its occurrence. Variety in ship type, location, obstruction etc. affected by advance improvement in naval technology, invites sustainable analysis for structural crashworthiness and failure to produce evaluation data.
This work aims to perform an assessment on double hull tanker subjected accidental grounding with oceanic seabed as the obstruction. Fundamental concept of bottom raking is used to design grounding scenario using numerical experiment. Non-Linear Finite Element Method (NLFEM) is deployed to idealise tanker structure and obstruction geometry. The selected crashworthiness criteria in grounding are summarised to provide structural prediction in moment double hull members are experiencing crushing process. Influence of geometrical parameters’ variation to progressive failure is presented with contribution of double bottom members to structural behaviour in final part. Result data of the current work can be a reasonable reference to understanding double bottom performance in grounding, especially in raking case. Insight of such accidental phenomenon is very useful in further effort to minimise grounding consequences.
Morphology and micromechanics of liquid rubber toughened epoxies
Authors: Gunwant Dheeraj , Sah Prakash L. , Zaidi M.G.H. 
Published: July 2018

Abstract
In the present work, a diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA)-based epoxy resin was modified with the help of a liquid rubber (LR) obtained from the pyrolysis of rubber. Tensile tests on samples of rubber modified epoxy resins (REs) containing varying rubber volume fractions (RVF) were conducted to obtain their tensile properties. Fractographic analysis of fractured samples using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) revealed the presence of phase separated rubber zones characterized by microvoids, distributed uniformly in the epoxy domain. Young’s modulus and yield strength of REs were observed to drop with RVF. A three-dimensional (3D) finite element model was employed to predict the elastic properties and stress distributions in REs. Various stress distributions and their dependence on the properties of rubber were examined in detail through the model. The effect of rubber properties on bulk elastic properties of the REs were also studied. Lastly, the effective stress-strain relationship was predicted with the help of an elastic-plastic analysis. Predicted results showed coherence with experimental results.
Geotourism in an urban space?
Authors: Chylińska Dagmara , Kołodziejczyk Krzysztof 
Published: July 2018

Abstract
Geotourism is usually connected with two types of landscapes: natural and cultural, however in the second case these are usually industrial or post-industrial landscapes, where the subjects of tourists’ interest are mainly various relicts of mining (e.g. open pits, waste dumps, quarries). Although it is changing, urban landscapes or – more generally – landscapes of human settlements are not so often perceived as a place of geotourism development. We try to analyze reasons why such areas have a great potential to develop this type of tourism, illustrating them by selected case studies from Poland and the Czech Republic. We want to prove that geotourism in a city or a town can be understood as part of urban tourism not only in its traditional meaning (as all kinds of tourism located in such landscapes), but also as an important element of travels undertaken in order to search and experience a genius loci of a city.
A critical examination of perceptual learning styles in English language teaching
Authors: Lethaby Carol , Mayne Russell 
Published: July 2018

AbstractThis article critically reviews the concept of learning styles, particularly the notion of perceptual, that is, visual, auditory and kinaesthetic (VAK), styles. We look at problems with the definition and terminology used to describe VAK learning styles, arguing that they have yet to be shown to be consistent and measurable attributes. We review the history of VAK, present literature on the topic in language teaching and other educational fields and scrutinize the scientific, psychological and educational concerns with the use of VAK learning styles in the classroom, asserting that much of the popularity assigned to the notion of VAK learning styles is based on the false assumption that teaching to a learner’s sensory learning preference will enhance achievement. We conclude with some brief suggestions for alternative pedagogical interventions in language teaching which do have strong empirical backing as well as a call to the language teaching profession to look to other fields, such as neuroscience and cognitive science to guard against classroom practices that have no scientific basis.
Decentralized decision making in adaptive multi-robot teams
Authors: Geihs Kurt , Witsch Andreas 
Published: July 2018

Abstract
We present our decision support middleware PROViDE that facilitates decentralized decision making in multi-robot teams operating in highly dynamic environments with potentially unreliable communication channels and noisy sensors. Achieving an adaptive team behavior in such an environment is a challenge because the specific conditions require a fully decentralized decision process. The design of PROViDE borrows inspiration from human decision making processes. PROViDE supports replication of proposals, conflict resolution, and final team-decision making. For each of these steps a choice of methods is offered to the developer to provide flexibility for different application requirements and characteristics of execution environments. PROViDE is integrated into a comprehensive modeling framework for multi-robot systems. The main contributions of this paper are twofold: For the development of adaptive multi-robot teams we discuss requirements for a middleware that supports decentralized decision making in dynamic and adverse environments, and we demonstrate the effective and coherent integration of a set of domain-dependent decision support protocols into a middleware framework.
An intelligent decision support system for readmission prediction in healthcare
Authors: Eigner Isabella , Bodendorf Freimut 
Published: July 2018

Abstract
Readmission prediction in hospitals is a highly complex task involving multiple risk factors that can vary among different disease groups. We address this issue by implementing multiple cross-validated classification models within an intelligent CDSS to enhance patient discharge management. Depending on the diagnosis, the system selects and applies the appropriate model and visualises the prediction results. In addition, the cost and reimbursement development for each episode are determined. The architecture of the CDSS and the integration of the prediction models are presented in this paper.
Predictive analytics for data driven decision support in health and care
Authors: Hayn Dieter , Veeranki Sai , Kropf Martin , Eggerth Alphons , Kreiner Karl , Kramer Diether , Schreier Günter 
Published: July 2018

Abstract
Due to an ever-increasing amount of data generated in healthcare each day, healthcare professionals are more and more challenged with information. Predictive models based on machine learning algorithms can help to quickly identify patterns in clinical data. Requirements for data driven decision support systems for health and care (DS4H) are similar in many ways to applications in other domains. However, there are also various challenges which are specific to health and care settings. The present paper describes a) healthcare specific requirements for DS4H and b) how they were addressed in our Predictive Analytics Toolset for Health and care (PATH). PATH supports the following process: objective definition, data cleaning and pre-processing, feature engineering, evaluation, result visualization, interpretation and validation and deployment. The current state of the toolset already allows the user to switch between the various involved levels, i. e. raw data (ECG), pre-processed data (averaged heartbeat), extracted features (QT time), built models (to classify the ECG into a certain rhythm abnormality class) and outcome evaluation (e. g. a false positive case) and to assess the relevance of a given feature in the currently evaluated model as a whole and for the individual decision. This allows us to gain insights as a basis for improvements in the various steps from raw data to decisions.
Decision making support in security forces command centers at open air music festivals: Localization of resources and sharing information
Authors: Köfler Armin , Pammer-Schindler Viktoria , Almer Alexander , Schnabel Thomas 
Published: July 2018

Abstract
We describe a case study on decision making in command centers of security forces at major open air music festivals. Our goal was to assess current modus operandi and to identify design implications. We have carried out two expert interviews, two field observations and four group discussions with experts based on a fully functional prototype as IT artifact to concretize discussions. Key insights are that in this case localization of relevant resources is the most important aspect of situation awareness, and that state of current knowledge needs to be clearly shared within the command center.
Performance Evaluation of Different Optical Amplifiers in Spectrum Sliced Free Space Optical Link
Authors: Thakur Aditi , Nagpal Shaina 
Published: July 2018

Abstract
Free space optics (FSO) is well-competent and premier technology to cater the high speed services in different geographical areas such as hilly areas and inter building network. In this paper, we successfully demonstrated the spectrum sliced wavelength division multiplexed FSO system. In order to make system bandwidth efficient, frequency spacing of 75 GHz is taken among the wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) channels. Carrier spectrum broadening is achieved for spectrum slicing through the nonlinearity called self-phase modulation. Moreover, requirement of multiple laser sources is eliminated. However, in conventional WDM systems, n numbers of lasers are needed to generate n WDM channels. To strengthen the signal in this FSO system, three optical amplifiers are scrutinized such as erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA), semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) and Raman amplifier in terms of Q-factor and bit error rate (BER). Results revealed that EDFA is best amplifier in proposed SS-WDM-FSO system.
The effect of 17 years of increased salt iodization on the prevalence and nature of goiter in Croatian schoolchildren
Authors: Vučinić Maja , Kušec Vesna , Dundović Sandra , Ille Jasenka , Dumić Miroslav 
Published: July 2018

Abstract

Background
High goiter prevalence caused by iodine deficiency (medium content 5.6 mg potassium iodide [KI]/kg of salt, median urine iodine concentration [UIC] 68 μg/L) in Croatia was observed in 1991 and 1995 when salt was iodized with 10 mg KI/kg. A new regulation introduced in 1996, specified 25 mg KI/kg of salt resulting in an increase of median UIC to 248 μg/L. Afterwards, goiter prevalence was only assessed in two small studies.

Methods
In this study, we investigated the prevalence and etiology of goiter in 3594 schoolchildren 17 years after an increase in salt iodization in Croatia. Thyroid size was determined by palpation in 1777 girls and 1817 boys aged 10–18 years. In goitrous children, a thyroid ultrasound and thyroid-stimulating hormone, free thyroxine (fT4), free triiodothyronine (fT3), thyroid peroxidase (TPO) and thyroglobulin (TG) antibody measurements were performed.

Results
Goiter was found in 32 children (0.89% vs. 2.8% in 1991, p<0.00001 and 27% in 1995, p<0.00001), simple goiter (SG) in 18/32 (56%) goitrous children vs. 126/152 (82.8%) in 1991 p<0.00001, autoimmune thyroiditis (AT) in 13/32 (40.6%) vs. 19/152 (12.5%) in 1991 p<0.0009, nodules in four: two cysts, toxic adenoma and carcinoma (in 1991 two adenomas and one cyst), Graves’ disease was not found (four in 1991). Subclinical hypothyroidism was found in three children. Thyroid disease was diagnosed in four of 32 children before the investigation. Increased iodine supply decreased goiter prevalence and SG/AT ratio in goitrous patients.

Conclusions
As thyroid abnormalities were found in 0.89% of children and some required treatment, thyroid examination is important in apparently healthy children regardless of sufficient iodization.