bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Morphology and Electrochemical Properties of Perfluorosulfonic Acid Ionomers for Vanadium Flow Battery Applications: Effect of Side‐Chain Length
Authors: Ding Cong , Zhang Huamin , Li Xianfeng , Zhang Hongzhang , Yao Chuan , Shi Dingqin 
Published: June 2013

AbstractPerfluorosulfonic acid ionomers (PFSI) with different side‐chain lengths have been investigated with respect to their morphology and electrochemical properties in vanadium flow batteries (VFB). The results indicated that the membrane with the shortest side chains (SSC‐M2) displayed small ion clusters and a low degree of hydrophobic–hydrophilic separation, which is favourable to reduce the cross‐over of vanadium ions in the VFB. SSC‐M2 shows a similar proton conductivity to Nafion, which carries longer ionic side chains but with much lower ion permeability. As a result, the VFB assembled with SSC‐M2 exhibited a superior coulombic efficiency and a voltage efficiency close to that of Nafion115. In situ mass transfer revealed that SSC‐M2 had a remarkably low degree of vanadium and water transfer across the membrane, which resulted in lower capacity fading than in the case of Nafion115. These results indicate that a membrane with short side chains is an ideal option in the fabrication of high‐performance VFBs with low capacity loss.
Peak‐to‐average power ratio reduction in space frequency block coding multi‐input multi‐output orthogonal frequency division multiplexing systems by tone reservation
Authors: Deng X. , Jiang T. , Zhou Y. , Ye C. , Qi Q. 
Published: June 2013

SUMMARYIn this paper, a tone reservation (TR) method is employed to reduce the peak‐to‐average power ratio (PAPR) in multi‐input multi‐output orthogonal frequency division multiplexing systems with space frequency block coding (SFBC). The key idea of the employed TR method is taking signals on multiple transmit antennas into account to design appropriate peak reduction symbols, which can significantly reduce the PAPR of SFBC multi‐input multi‐output orthogonal frequency division multiplexing signals. With the employed TR scheme, the SFBC structure can be maintained, whereas the traditional TR method would destroy it, resulting in the degradation of bit error rate (BER) performance. Simulation results demonstrate that the employed TR scheme can provide significantly better BER performance than the traditional TR method with slight PAPR reduction degradation. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Differences in the early cognitive development of children and great apes
Authors: Wobber Victoria , Herrmann Esther , Hare Brian , Wrangham Richard , Tomasello Michael 
Published: June 2013

ABSTRACTThere is very little research comparing great ape and human cognition developmentally. In the current studies we compared a cross‐sectional sample of 2‐ to 4‐year‐old human children (n = 48) with a large sample of chimpanzees and bonobos in the same age range (n = 42, hereafter: apes) on a broad array of cognitive tasks. We then followed a group of juvenile apes (n = 44) longitudinally over 3 years to track their cognitive development in greater detail. In skills of physical cognition (space, causality, quantities), children and apes performed comparably at 2 years of age, but by 4 years of age children were more advanced (whereas apes stayed at their 2‐year‐old performance levels). In skills of social cognition (communication, social learning, theory of mind), children out‐performed apes already at 2 years, and increased this difference even more by 4 years. Patterns of development differed more between children and apes in the social domain than the physical domain, with support for these patterns present in both the cross‐sectional and longitudinal ape data sets. These results indicate key differences in the pattern and pace of cognitive development between humans and other apes, particularly in the early emergence of specific social cognitive capacities in humans. © 2013Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 56: 547–573, 2014.
Identification of a putative transcriptome signature common to neuroblastoma and neural crest cells
Authors: Angeles Rabadán M. , Usieto Susana , Lavarino Cinzia , Martí Elisa 
Published: June 2013

ABSTRACTNeuroblastoma, the most common extracranial tumor in children, is caused by genetic lesions in neural crest precursors of the peripheral nervous system. However, since neural crest cells are neither present after birth and nor are they readily accessible for analysis, very little is known about the genetic networks they might share with neuroblastoma cells during their development, despite their common embryonic origin. Here we have developed a novel resource for lineage tracing and for the isolation of neural crest cells in the chick embryo, enabling us to perform a genome‐wide expression screen in neural crest progenitors. In this analysis, we efficiently retrieved known neural crest specific genes that validate our screening strategy and we identified new genes that participate in diverse cell activities, yet with a strong representation of genes associated to cell signaling and cell mobility, two hallmarks of migratory cells. We crossed this transcriptome data with that in the neuroblastoma gene server to search for the human orthologues of these genes associated with neuroblastoma. Accordingly, we retrieved 54 genes expressed strongly in both populations, from which we were able to validate a total of 27 genes expressed in the neural crest that are relevant to neuroblastoma formation. We propose that neural crest and neuroblastoma tumor cells share a common genetic signature that might serve to characterize neuroblastoma cancer stem cells, thereby contributing to the identification of specific targets against which new therapeutic strategies can be designed. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol 73:815–827, 2013
A new method for identifying rapid decline dynamics in wild vertebrate populations
Authors: Di Fonzo Martina , Collen Ben , Mace Georgina M. 
Published: June 2013

AbstractTracking trends in the abundance of wildlife populations is a sensitive method for assessing biodiversity change due to the short time‐lag between human pressures and corresponding shifts in population trends. This study tests for proposed associations between different types of human pressures and wildlife population abundance decline‐curves and introduces a method to distinguish decline trajectories from natural fluctuations in population time‐series. First, we simulated typical mammalian population time‐series under different human pressure types and intensities and identified significant distinctions in population dynamics. Based on the concavity of the smoothed population trend and the algebraic function which was the closest fit to the data, we determined those differences in decline dynamics that were consistently attributable to each pressure type. We examined the robustness of the attribution of pressure type to population decline dynamics under more realistic conditions by simulating populations under different levels of environmental stochasticity and time‐series data quality. Finally, we applied our newly developed method to 124 wildlife population time‐series and investigated how those threat types diagnosed by our method compare to the specific threatening processes reported for those populations. We show how wildlife population decline curves can be used to discern between broad categories of pressure or threat types, but do not work for detailed threat attributions. More usefully, we find that differences in population decline curves can reliably identify populations where pressure is increasing over time, even when data quality is poor, and propose this method as a cost‐effective technique for prioritizing conservation actions between populations.
A novel method for design of gray‐level transformation functions for image contrast improvement based on the histogram equalization technique
Authors: Murahira Kota , Kawakami Takashi , Taguchi Akira 
Published: June 2013

SummaryHistogram equalization (HE) is a simple and effective method for contrast enhancement as it can automatically define the gray‐level transformation function based on the distribution of gray levels included in an image. HE fails to produce satisfactory results for a broad variety of low‐contrast images because HE does not use the spatial features included in the input image. This paper proposes a novel contrast enhancement method using not only the conventional histogram but also the differential gray‐level histogram of the input image. The differential gray‐level histogram contains edge information from the input image. Edge information is one of the important spatial features of the image. We can extract the regions that are to be emphasized by using both the conventional histogram and the differential gray‐level histogram. The input histogram is modified by the histogram of the extracted regions. The gray‐level transformation function is derived using the modified histogram. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electron Comm Jpn, 96(7): 57–66, 2013; Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com). DOI 10.1002/ecj.11397
Contrast control of far‐infrared camera by varying the image sensor temperature
Authors: Fujitsuka Norio , Naganawa Hiroshi 
Published: June 2013

SummaryFar‐infrared cameras are thought to be well suited for the detection of pedestrians at night. However, around sunset during the summer, because the temperature difference between pedestrians and background objects becomes small, it is difficult for a far‐infrared camera to distinguish pedestrians. To solve this problem, we propose a new contrast control method that involves varying the image sensor temperature. By increasing the image sensor temperature from 25 °C to 50 °C, the contrast between the road surface and clothes and between the sky and clothes is increased about 1.54‐ and 1.64‐fold, respectively. The contrast between the sky and skin increased about 1.55‐fold, but the contrast between the road surface and skin did not increase. This is because the emissivities of these objects were similar. The contrast control method is effective for detecting objects with relatively large differences in emissivity at about the same temperature. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electron Comm Jpn, 96(7): 52–56, 2013; Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com). DOI 10.1002/ecj.11405
Method of measuring contrast‐to‐noise ratio (CNR) in nonuniform image area in digital radiography
Authors: Mori Masaki , Imai Kuniharu , Ikeda Mitsuru , Iida Youko , Ito Fukiko , Yoneda Kazuo , Enchi Yukihiro 
Published: June 2013

SummaryOne of the physical indices for evaluating the image quality of digital radiography is the contrast‐to‐noise ratio (CNR). The CNR was reported to simulate human perception. Thus, the CNR is a variable index for evaluating detectability in digital radiography. However, it is difficult to evaluate the CNR in a nonuniform image area. In this study, we have devised a new method for measuring the CNR in a nonuniform image area on digital radiography using the top‐hat transform. Furthermore, we investigated the radiation dose dependence of CNR in the digital image of an anthropomorphic breast phantom containing a simulated calcification. We have shown that the CNR in a nonuniform image area can be analyzed with high accuracy by the devised method for measuring the CNR. As for the radiation dose dependence of the CNR, the CNR increased with the mAs values and fell depending on the increase in the density of mammary glands in the anthropomorphic breast phantom. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electron Comm Jpn, 96(7): 32–41, 2013; Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com). DOI 10.1002/ecj.11416
Differential Pulse Voltammetric Determination of Montelukast in Tablets and Human Plasma by Using Chitosan Modified Carbon Paste Electrode
Authors: Yıldız Gülcemal , Aydoğmuş Zeynep , Kauffmann Jean‐Michel 
Published: June 2013

AbstractElectrochemical reduction and determination of montelukast (MKS) was studied in methanol – 0.1 M HCl solution (1 : 1, v/v) by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) at chitosan modified carbon paste electrode. The linear range was 1.70×10−7–1.83×10−5 M for DPV analysis. Limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) were 5.32×10−8 M and 1.61×10−7 M, respectively. The developed method was successfully applied to the determination of MKS in tablets and spiked human plasma. The results obtained were in good agreement with those obtained using a reported spectrofluorimetric technique.
Electrochemical Estrogen Receptor α based Biosensor for Label‐Free Detection of Estradiol
Authors: Guo Zhenzhong , Zine Nadia , Balaguer Patrick , Zhang Aidong , Namour Philippe , Lagarde Florence , Jaffrezic‐Renault Nicole 
Published: June 2013

AbstractWe describe a new electrochemical biosensor based on estrogen receptor α (ER‐α) for label‐free detection of 17β‐estradiol, a model of endocrine‐disrupting compounds. ER‐α is coupled onto the gold electrode through its 6‐His tag and NTA‐copper complex. After interaction of estradiol with ER‐α, the biosensor presents a well‐defined peak at +500 mV due to estradiol oxidation (E17 peak). The linear range of detection is from 1 fM to 1 nM and the detection limit is 1 fM. Good selectivity was obtained for interfering substances at nanomolar level, for concentration of E17 up to 0.1 pM. The E17 was detected in hospital effluents.
Effect of cross‐section interpolated bathymetry on 2D hydrodynamic model results in a large river
Authors: Conner Jeff T. , Tonina Daniele 
Published: June 2013

ABSTRACTTwo‐dimensional (2D) hydrodynamic models have been increasingly used to quantify aquatic habitat and stream processes, such as sediment transport, streambed morphological evolution, and inundation extents. Because river topography has a strong influence on predicted hydraulic conditions, 2D models require accurate and detailed bathymetric data of the stream channel and surrounding floodplains. Besides collection of mass points to construct high‐resolution three‐dimensional surfaces, bathymetries may be interpolated from cross‐sections. However, limited information is available on the effects of cross‐section spacing and the derived interpolated bathymetry on 2D model results in large river systems. Here, we investigated the effects of cross‐section spacing on flow properties simulated with 2D modeling at low, medium and high discharges in two morphologically different reaches, a simple (almost featureless with low sinuosity) and a complex (presenting pools, riffles, runs, contractions and expansions) reach of the Snake River (Idaho, USA), the tenth largest river in the United States in terms of drainage area. We compared the results from 2D models developed with complete channel bathymetry acquired with multibeam sonar data and photogrammetry, with 2D model results that were developed using interpolated topography from uniformly distributed transects. Results indicate that cross‐sections spaced equal to or greater than 2 times the average channel width (W*) smooths the bathymetry and suppresses flow structures. Conversely, models generated with cross‐sections spaced at 0.5 and 1 W* have stream flow properties, sediment mobility and spatial habitat distribution similar to those of the complete bathymetry. Furthermore, differences in flow properties between interpolated and complete topography models generally increase with discharge and with channel complexity. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effect of natural restoration time of abandoned farmland on soil detachment by overland flow in the Loess Plateau of China
Authors: Wang Bing , Zhang Guang‐hui , Shi Yang‐yang , Zhang X.C. , Ren Zong‐ping , Zhu Liang‐jun 
Published: June 2013

ABSTRACTVegetation restoration has significant effects on soil properties and vegetation cover and thus affects soil detachment by overland flow. Few studies have been conducted to evaluate this effect in the Loess Plateau where a Great Green Project was implemented in the past decade. This study was carried out to quantify the effects of age of abandoned farmland under natural vegetation restoration on soil detachment by overland flow and soil resistance to erosion as reflected by soil erodibility and critical shear stress. The undisturbed soil samples were collected from five abandoned farmlands with natural restoration age varying from 3 to 37 years. The samples were subjected to flow scouring in a 4.0 m long by 0.35 m wide hydraulic flume under six different shear stresses ranging from 5.60 to 18.15 Pa. The results showed that the measured soil detachment capacities in currently cultivated farmland were 24.1 to 35.4 times greater than those of the abandoned farmlands. For the abandoned farmlands, soil detachment capacities fluctuated greatly due to the complex effects of root density and biological crust thickness, and could be simulated well by flow shear stress and biological crust thickness with a power function (NSE = 0.851). Soil erodibility of abandoned farmlands decreased gradually with restoration age and reached a steady stage when restoration age was greater than 28 years. The critical shear stress of the natural abandoned farmlands declined when restoration age was less than 18 years and then increased due to the episodic influences of vegetation recovery and biological crust development. More studies in the Loess Plateau are necessary to quantify the relationship between soil detachment capacity and biological crust thickness for better understanding the mechanism of soil detachment under natural vegetation restoration. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Multiscale Stochastic Volatility with the Hull–White Rate of Interest
Authors: Kim Jeong‐Hoon , Yoon Ji‐Hun , Yu Seok‐Hyon 
Published: June 2013

AbstractAlthough interest rates fluctuate randomly, many option‐pricing models do not fully take into account their stochastic nature because of their generally limited impact on option prices. However, stochastic changes in stochastic interest rates may exert a significant impact on option prices when issues of maturity, hedging, or stochastic volatility are considered. This study incorporates the term structure of a stochastic interest rate driven by a Hull–White process into a stochastic volatility model in order to assess the sensitivity of option prices to changes in interest rate. It demonstrates that a stochastic volatility model with a stochastic interest rate outperforms a model with a constant interest rate, particularly, for short time‐to‐maturity European options. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Jrl Fut Mark 34:819–837, 2014
Modeling of flame characteristics under O2/CO2 atmosphere by detailed chemical kinetics
Authors: Zhao Ran 
Published: June 2013

AbstractOxy‐fuel (O2/CO2) combustion is one of the several promising new technologies which can realize the integrated control of CO2, SO2, NOX, and other pollutants. The most significant feature of oxy‐fuel combustion is the presence of high CO2 concentration in the combustion atmosphere. As the physical and chemical properties of CO2 and N2 are very different, the flame characteristics of fuels under O2/CO2 atmosphere can be quite different from those under conventional air atmosphere. Up to now, the variation of flame characteristics of n‐alkanes and the reaction mechanisms under O2/CO2 atmosphere have been unclear. In this paper, flame characteristics of three typical pre‐mixed flames were studied under both ordinary air atmosphere and O2/CO2 atmospheres over a wide range of CO2 concentrations in the combustion systems. A unified detailed chemical kinetic model was also validated and used to simulate the flame characteristics of the three types of fuels. Based on the verified model, the influences of various parameters (atmosphere, excess oxygen ratio, O2 concentration, CO2 concentration, and alkane type) on the flame characteristics were systematically investigated. It can be concluded that a high CO2 concentration atmosphere has different effects on the ignition, laminar flame speed, and adiabatic temperature characteristics. This work confirms that the chemical effects of CO2 play a pronounced role on the flame characteristics, especially for the ignition time property. These calculations also give new insight into the complexity of the effects of the high CO2 concentration atmosphere and should help to improve the understanding of experimentally measured oxy‐fuel combustion and flame characteristics in the literature.
Cost‐effectiveness of a stepped care programme to prevent depression and anxiety in residents in homes for the older people: a randomised controlled trial
Authors: Bosmans J. E. , Dozeman E. , van Marwijk Harm W. J. , van Schaik Digna J. F. , Stek Max L. , Beekman Aartjan T. F. , van der Horst Henriette E. 
Published: June 2013

BackgroundDepression and anxiety are common in residents of elderly homes. Both disorders have negative effects on functioning, well‐being and health‐care utilisation. Besides treatment, prevention can be an option to reduce the burden of mental disorders. The objective of this study was to evaluate the cost‐effectiveness of a stepped care programme to prevent the onset of depression and anxiety disorders in residents of elderly homes compared with usual care from a societal perspective.MethodsOutcomes were incidence of depression and/or anxiety, severity of depressive and anxiety symptoms and quality‐adjusted life years. Health‐care utilisation was measured during interviews. Multiple imputation was used to impute missing cost and effect data. Uncertainty around cost differences and incremental cost‐effectiveness ratios was estimated using bootstrapping. Cost‐effectiveness planes and acceptability curves were created.ResultsThe incidence of depression and anxiety combined in the intervention group was not reduced in comparison with the usual care group. There was also no effect on the other outcomes. Mean total costs in the intervention group were €838 higher than in the usual care group, but this difference was not statistically significant (95% confidence interval, −593 to 2420). Cost‐effectiveness planes showed that there was considerable uncertainty. Cost‐effectiveness acceptability curves showed that the maximum probability of the intervention being cost‐effective in comparison with usual care was 0.46 for reducing the incidence of depression and anxiety combined.ConclusionA stepped care programme to prevent depression and anxiety in older people living in elderly homes was not considered cost‐effective in comparison with usual care. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Do extreme climate events require extreme forcings?
Authors: Kumar Arun , Chen Mingyue , Hoerling Martin , Eischeid Jon 
Published: June 2013

AbstractThe question whether extreme climate events require extreme forcings is assessed for the severe Great Plains drought during May–July 2012. This drought event had a rapid onset, and little indications or early warnings for its sudden emergence existed. The analysis of its origins is based on a dynamical seasonal climate forecast system where states of the ocean, atmosphere, land, sea ice, and atmospheric trace gases were initialized in late April 2012, and an ensemble of forecasts was made. Based on the diagnosis of a spectrum of possible outcomes for precipitation over the Great Plains from this system, it is concluded that the extreme Great Plains drought did not require extreme external forcings and could plausibly have arisen from atmospheric noise alone. Implications for developing early warning system for extreme events in general are also discussed.