bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A framework for the extraction and interpretation of organic molecules in speleothem carbonate
Authors: Wynn Peter M. , Brocks Jochen J. 
Published: March 2014

RATIONALEThe organic content of speleothem calcite is a well‐recognized component of their chemical composition. To date, the techniques for interpretation of this material include UV fluorescence, FTIR spectroscopy and biomarker analysis using gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy (GC/MS). However, investigation of the minute concentrations of molecules in speleothems demands careful sampling and laboratory controls.METHODSTo be certain extracted molecules were encapsulated at the time of speleothem growth and do not represent contamination, we submitted three pieces of speleothem calcite to a rigorous extraction procedure. Based on sequential digestion and analysis by GC/MS, we measured concentration profiles of individual compounds with increasing distance from sample surfaces.RESULTSDeclining concentrations toward interior extracts identified cholesterol, phthalates, andn‐alkanes as surface contaminants. In contrast, iodo organic compounds had homogeneous concentration profiles and were also significantly above laboratory background levels, consistent with an indigenous origin. However, further laboratory testing demonstrated that iodo organics were produced by the reaction of iodine derived from the speleothem with solvent additives and other impurities of the extraction procedure. Sitosterol and some fatty acids demonstrated distributions which were probably indigenous to the speleothem archive, thus recording environmental conditions commensurate with time of growth.CONCLUSIONSWe do not aim to provide an environmental interpretation of extracted molecules, but highlight the caution necessary before doing so. We ultimately establish a framework for differentiating between organic constituents that are introduced to the speleothems during storage, handling and as artifacts of extraction, and those encapsulatedin situat the time of growth. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A parallel‐hierarchical neural network model for motor control of a musculo‐skeletal system
Authors: Katayama Masazumi , Kawato Mitsuo 
Published: March 2014

AbstractThis paper proposes a new parallel‐hierarchical neural network model to enable motor learning for simultaneous control of both trajectory and force, by integrating Hogan's control method and the author's previous neural network control model using a feedback‐error‐learning scheme. Furthermore, two hierarchical control laws which apply to the model are derived by using the Moore‐Penrose pseudo‐inverse matrix: one is related to the minimum muscle‐tension‐change trajectory; and the other is related to the minimum motor‐command‐change trajectory. The human arm is redundant at the dynamics level since joint torque is generated by agonist and antagonist muscles. Therefore, acquisition of the inverse model is an ill‐posed problem. However, the combination of these control laws and feedback‐error‐learning resolves the ill‐posed problem. Finally, the efficiency of the parallel‐hierarchical neural network model is shown by learning experiments using an artificial muscle arm and computer simulations.
On the microphysical behaviour of wind-forced water surfaces and consequent re-aeration
Authors: Peirson William L. , Walker James W. , Banner Michael L. 
Published: March 2014

AbstractA detailed laboratory investigation of the mechanical and low-solubility gas coupling between wind and water has been undertaken using a suite of microphysical measurement techniques. Under a variety of wind conditions and in the presence and absence of mechanically generated short waves, approximately fetch-independent surface conditions have been achieved over short laboratory fetches of several metres. The mechanical coupling of the surface is found to be consistent with Banner (J. Fluid Mech. vol. 211, 1990, pp. 463–495) and Banner & Peirson (J. Fluid Mech. vol. 364, 1998, pp. 115–145). Bulk observations of re-aeration are consistent with previous laboratory studies. The surface kinematical behaviour is in accordance with the observations of Peirson & Banner (J. Fluid Mech. vol. 479, 2003, pp. 1–38). Also, their predictions of a strong enhancement of low-solubility gas flux at the onset of microscale breaking is confirmed and direct observations show a concomitant onset of very thin aqueous diffusion sublayers. It is found that the development of strong parasitic capillary waves towards the incipient breaking limit does not noticeably enhance constituent transfer. Across the broad range of conditions investigated during this study, the local instantaneous constituent transfer rate remains approximately log-normally distributed with an approximately constant standard deviation of $0.62\pm 0.15({\mathrm{log}}_e(\mathrm{m}~ {\mathrm{s}}^{-1}))$. Although wind-forced water surfaces are shown to be punctuated by intense tangential stresses and local surface convergence, localized surface convergence does not appear to be the single critical factor determining exchange rate. Larger-scale orbital wave straining is found to be a significant constituent transfer process in contrast to Witting (J. Fluid Mech. vol. 50, 1971, pp. 321–334) findings for heat fluxes, but the measured effects are consistent with his model. By comparing transfer rates in the presence and absence of microscale breaking, low-solubility gas transfer was decomposed into its turbulent/capillary ripple, gravity-wave-related and microscale breaking contributions. It was found that an efficiency factor of approximately $17\, \%$ needs to be applied to Peirson & Banner’s model, which is extended to field conditions. Although bulk thermal effects were observed and thermal diffusion layers are presumed thicker than their mass diffusion counterparts, significant thermal influences were not observed in the results.
Spectrum of somatic EGFR, KRAS, BRAF, PTEN mutations and TTF-1 expression in Brazilian lung cancer patients
Authors: CARNEIRO JULIANA G. , COUTO PATRICIA G. , BASTOS-RODRIGUES LUCIANA , BICALHO MARIA APARECIDA C. , VIDIGAL PAULA V. , VILHENA ALYNE , AMARAL NILSON F. , BALE ALLEN E. , FRIEDMAN EITAN , DE MARCO LUIZ 
Published: March 2014

SummaryLung cancer is the leading global cause of cancer-related mortality. Inter-individual variability in treatment response and prognosis has been associated with genetic polymorphisms in specific genes: EGFR, KRAS, BRAF, PTEN and TTF-1. Somatic mutations in EGFR and KRAS genes are reported at rates of 15–40% in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in ethnically diverse populations. BRAF and PTEN are commonly mutated genes in various cancer types, including NSCLC, with PTEN mutations exerting an effect on the therapeutic response of EGFR/AKT/PI3K pathway inhibitors. TTF-1 is expressed in approximately 80% of lung adenocarcinomas and its positivity correlates with higher prevalence of EGFR mutation in this cancer type. To determine molecular markers for lung cancer in Brazilian patients, the rate of the predominant EGFR, KRAS, BRAF and PTEN mutations, as well as TTF-1 expression, was assessed in 88 Brazilian NSCLC patients. EGFR exon 19 deletions (del746–750) were detected in 3/88 (3·4%) patients. Activating KRAS mutations in codons 12 and 61 were noted in five (5·7%) and two (2·3%) patients, respectively. None of the common somatic mutations were detected in either the BRAF or PTEN genes. TTF-1 was overexpressed in 40·7% of squamous-cell carcinoma (SCC). Our findings add to a growing body of data that highlights the genetic heterogeneity of the abnormal EGFR pathway in lung cancer among ethnically diverse populations.
Effects of prepartal body condition score and peripartal energy supply of dairy cows on postpartal lipolysis, energy balance and ketogenesis: an animal model to investigate subclinical ketosis
Authors: Schulz Kirsten , Frahm Jana , Meyer Ulrich , Kersten Susanne , Reiche Dania , Rehage Jürgen , Dänicke Sven 
Published: March 2014

Subclinical ketosis is a metabolic disorder which often goes undiagnosed and leads to constricted performance and an impairment of general condition. In the current study subclinical ketosis was characterised by a β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) concentration of >1·2 mmol/l in blood serum. To generate this metabolic situation, an animal model was created. The model, based on group-specific interaction of dietary energy supply and body condition, is appropriate for testing the medical effectiveness of treating this kind of ketosis and its concomitants. During the trial, 18 dairy cows (primiparous and pluriparous) were assigned, according to their body condition score (BCS) 6 weeks before expected parturition, to a normal [6·78 MJ net energy for lactation (NEL)/kg dry matter; 20% concentrate] or to a high-energy feeding group (7·71 MJ NEL/kg dry matter; 60% concentrate). Therefore cows with the highest BCS were allocated to the high-energy group to enhance the contrast with the control group. Statistical analysis was done using the MIXED procedure of SAS. Effects were declared significant when P-values were ⩽0·05. Owing to the higher energy concentration and dry matter intake, the energy intake and balance was significantly higher in the high-energy feeding group, with strong effects on lipid metabolism and health in blood and liver post partum. Within the first 2 weeks after calving, 8 out of 9 cows (89%) of the high-energy group had BHB values indicative of subclinical ketosis. These cows also had significantly higher values of non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), aspartate transaminase (AST) and glutamate dehydrogenase (GLDH) post partum, as well as a raised total lipid content of the liver. RQUICKI, a calculated parameter which is based on serum concentrations of glucose, insulin and NEFA to assess the insulin sensitivity, was not affected by treatment. Therefore, RQUICKI does not seem to be the right parameter for diagnosing decreased insulin sensitivity in cows affected by subclinical ketosis. The milk fat and the fat:protein ratio of the high-energy group was also higher, even though there was no decrease in milk yield for cows with subclinical BHB values.
A phase-specific psychological therapy for people with problematic cannabis use following a first episode of psychosis: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Barrowclough C. , Marshall M. , Gregg L. , Fitzsimmons M. , Tomenson B. , Warburton J. , Lobban F. 
Published: March 2014

BackgroundCannabis use is high amongst young people who have recently had their first episode of psychosis, and is associated with worse outcomes. To date, interventions to reduce cannabis consumption have been largely ineffective, and it has been suggested that longer treatment periods are required.MethodIn a pragmatic single-blind randomized controlled trial 110 participants were randomly allocated to one of three conditions: a brief motivational interviewing and cognitive behavioural therapy (MI-CBT) intervention (up to 12 sessions over 4.5 months) with standard care from an early intervention service; a long MI-CBT intervention (up to 24 sessions over 9 months) with standard care; or standard care alone. The primary outcome was change in cannabis use as measured by Timeline Followback.ResultsNeither the extended nor the brief interventions conferred benefit over standard care in terms of reductions in frequency or amount of cannabis use. Also the interventions did not result in improvements in the assessed clinical outcomes, including symptoms, functioning, hospital admissions or relapse.ConclusionsIntegrated MI and CBT for people with cannabis use and recent-onset psychosis does not reduce cannabis use or improve clinical outcomes. These findings are consistent with those in the published literature, and additionally demonstrate that offering a more extended intervention does not confer any advantage. Many participants were not at an action stage for change and for those not ready to reduce or quit cannabis, targeting associated problems rather than the cannabis use per se may be the best current strategy for mental health services to adopt.
Neural substrates of impulsive decision making modulated by modafinil in alcohol-dependent patients
Authors: Schmaal L. , Goudriaan A. E. , Joos L. , Dom G. , Pattij T. , van den Brink W. , Veltman D. J. 
Published: March 2014

BackgroundImpulsive decision making is a hallmark of frequently occurring addiction disorders including alcohol dependence (AD). Therefore, ameliorating impulsive decision making is a promising target for the treatment of AD. Previous studies have shown that modafinil enhances cognitive control functions in various psychiatric disorders. However, the effects of modafinil on delay discounting and its underlying neural correlates have not been investigated as yet. The aim of the current study was to investigate the effects of modafinil on neural correlates of impulsive decision making in abstinent AD patients and healthy control (HC) subjects.MethodA randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, within-subjects cross-over study using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was conducted in 14 AD patients and 16 HC subjects. All subjects participated in two fMRI sessions in which they either received a single dose of placebo or 200 mg of modafinil 2 h before the session. During fMRI, subjects completed a delay-discounting task to measure impulsive decision making.ResultsModafinil improved impulsive decision making in AD pateints, which was accompanied by enhanced recruitment of frontoparietal regions and reduced activation of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex. Moreover, modafinil-induced enhancement of functional connectivity between the superior frontal gyrus and ventral striatum was specifically associated with improvement in impulsive decision making.ConclusionsThese findings indicate that modafinil can improve impulsive decision making in AD patients through an enhanced coupling of prefrontal control regions and brain regions coding the subjective value of rewards. Therefore, the current study supports the implementation of modafinil in future clinical trials for AD.
The Morphological History of Loch Leven, Kinross
Authors: Kirby Roger P. 
Published: March 2014

SynopsisThe historical formation of the loch is described, using geological and geomorphological evidence. The changing areal dimensions from the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries are discussed using historical cartographic and documentary evidence. Finally, a comparison is made between the results of the three bathymetrical surveys that have now been carried out in an attempt to determine the amount of silting.
The Production of Larval Chironomidae in the Mud at Loch Leven, Kinross
Authors: Charles W. Nigel , East Kenneth , Brown David , Gray Muriel C. , Murray Thomas D. 
Published: March 2014

SynopsisThe production of four dominant species of larval Chironomidae (Chironomus anthracinus, Glyptotendipes paripes, Polypedilum nubeculosum and Limnochironomus pulsus) was measured and compared between different sections of the mud zone covering a total area of 662 ha (50 per cent of the loch bed) from March 1971 to March 1972. The results showed that the performance of Chironomus was very similar throughout the area in respect to numbers, growth and production but it was more variable in other species. The mean annual dry weight production of Chironomus over the whole area was 26 g/m2 and the four species together raised this to 29 g/m2 (equivalent to 579 k J/m2). The numbers of Chironomus increased and Glyptotendipes decreased through the sampling period. Estimates of biomass are given for other larval Chironomidae present in the mud. The accuracy of the results is discussed, as well as the variations in the seasonal growth of larvae and the changing composition of the community; some tentative estimates are given of assimilation by larval Chironomidae. The methods used for analysing these data are described in an appendix.
The Parasites of Fish in Loch Leven
Authors: Campbell A. D. 
Published: March 2014

SynopsisThis paper gives results of a survey of the parasites of trout, perch, pike, stickleback and minnow carried out at Loch Leven between April 1967 and March 1972. Twenty-three species of parasites (Protozoa, Cestoda, Trematoda, Nematoda, Acanthocephala and Mollusca) were recorded from trout, 12 from perch, 11 from pike, 12 from sticklebacks and three from minnows. Details of the incidence and intensity of infestation of trout and perch by the parasites, except the Protozoa, are given. The parasites of trout are divided into loch and stream types.
X.—The Role of the Blood Transfusion Service in Organ Transplantation
Authors: Tovey Geoffrey H. 
Published: March 2014

SynopsisThe Blood Transfusion Service has an important role to play in organ transplantation in finding and classifying typing reagents for histocompatibility testing. The development of banks of frozen blood is of importance in reducing the incidence of sensitisation to HLA antigens and the hazard of posttransfusion hepatitis.
A Lyapunov controller for self-balancing two-wheeled vehicles
Authors: Maddahi A. , Shamekhi A. H. , Ghaffari A. 
Published: March 2014

SUMMARYSegway is a self-balancing motorized two-wheeled vehicle which is able to carry the human body. The main issue in design of such a vehicle is to choose a stable control system capable of keeping the rider close to the upright position over smooth and non-smooth surfaces. This work extends the research previously performed by the authors for design of a controller, using the feedback linearization technique, to increase the stability of a two-wheeled vehicle carrying human. This paper investigates the design and validation of a controller for an inertial mobile vehicle using the Lyapunov's feedback control design technique. The system equations of motion are derived followed by finding the Lyapunov function required to design the controller. Owing to the discontinuity, originating from a sign function in the control law, the proposed control system is discontinuous. Therefore, the existence, continuity, and uniqueness of the solution are proven utilizing the Filippov's solution. Afterwards, the asymptotic stability of the control system is proven using the extensions of Lyapunov's stability theory to nonsmooth systems, and LaSalle's invariant set theorem. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed control system is validated using simulation studies. Results confirm that the controller keeps the system stable while provides good position tracking responses.
Finite-time coordination control for networked bilateral teleoperation
Authors: Yang Yana , Hua Changchun , Ding Huafeng , Guan Xinping 
Published: March 2014

SUMMARYA continuous finite-time control scheme for networked bilateral teleoperation is proposed in this brief. The terminal sliding mode technology is used and new master–slave torques are designed. With the new controller, the coordination error of the master manipulator and the slave manipulator converges to zero in finite time. Moreover, the reaching time and the sliding time can be derived. Finally, the comparisons are performed and simulations show the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
Design optimization of a cable-based parallel tracking system by using evolutionary algorithms
Authors: Hernandez Eusebio E. , Valdez S.-I. , Ceccarelli M. , Hernandez A. , Botello S. 
Published: March 2014

SUMMARYIn this paper, an optimization design of a 6 DOF parallel measuring system is analyzed. First, a closed form direct kinematics formulation based on Cayley–Menger determinants is considered in the objective function, in order to measure the manipulator singularities, then an estimation of distribution algorithm is proposed to solve the optimization problem. It is shown that the evolutionary algorithm can find close to optimal solutions for minimum pose error estimation. Additionally, these global optimizers significantly reduce the computational burden in comparison with exhaustive search and other global optimization techniques. The sensitivity of the pose error estimation in the prescribed robots' workspace is analyzed and used to guide a designer in choosing the best structural configuration. Numerical examples are discussed to show the feasibility of the proposed optimization methodology.
Unmanned aerial vehicle dynamic path planning in an uncertain environment
Authors: Yao Min , Zhao Min 
Published: March 2014

SUMMARYAn unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) dynamic path planning method is proposed to avoid not only static threats but also mobile threats. The path of a UAV is planned or modified by the potential trajectory of the mobile threat, which is predicted by its current position, velocity, and direction angle, because the positions of the UAV and mobile threat are dynamically changing. In each UAV planning path, the UAV incurs some costs, including control costs to change the direction angle, route costs to bypass the threats, and threat costs to acquire some probability to be destroyed by threats. The model predictive control (MPC) algorithm is used to determine the optimal or sub-optimal path with minimum overall costs. The MPC algorithm is a rolling-optimization feedback algorithm. It is used to plan the UAV path in several steps online instead of one-time offline to avoid sudden and mobile threats dynamically. Lastly, solution implementation is described along with several simulation results that demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
The coastal topography of the Moray Firth
Authors: Smith J. S. 
Published: March 2014

SynopsisThe geology, glaciation, deglaciation and sea level history are summarised in relation to the evolution of the coastline. Deglaciation and sea level are established as particularly important factors responsible for the distribution of sand and shingle beach forelands. Forelands in the middle coastline of the southern shore of the firth are currently undergoing relatively severe coastal erosion. It is argued that this results from a diminution of nearshore sediment supplies combined with a unidirectional longshore movement of material along the beach face.
Coastal planning in the Moray Firth
Authors: Turnbull R. G. H. 
Published: March 2014

SynopsisSince the late 1940s coastal planning in the Moray Firth, as elsewhere in Britain, has been carried out by appropriate planning authorities within the framework of the statutory development planning and development control system. In the formulation of plans and policies for the coast, regional and district authorities have responded to national policy guidelines and to the advice received from statutory organisations and others. Controversy and differences have been dealt with by consultation and by local public inquiries.In safeguarding the coastline, particularly in the inner Moray Firth, planning authorities have had environmental management responsibility for oil and gas-related activities, recreational and tourist facilities, pollution protection and beach erosion. Continuing pressures and uncertainties about future prospects for oil and gas developments have also generated an unusual amount of administrative, survey and research activity at national, regional and district levels. However, the expertise and knowledge gained provide a unique and valuable information base upon which to prepare an overall coastal strategy.