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In recent years, there has been increased interest in modeling integer-valued time series. Many methods for time series of counts have been developed in the literature because of their wide applications to epidemiology, finance, disease modeling and environmental science. The negative binomial integer-valued generalized autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity model is a popular one, which can deal with both over-dispersion and potential extreme observations. The accurate estimation of the parameters in the model is extremely important. We adopt the marginal likelihood to estimate the intercept parameter and maximum likelihood to estimate other parameters of the model. We conduct simulations to assess the performance of this estimation method, and compare it with that of estimating all model parameters by maximum likelihood. The results show the superiority of proposed estimation method. We use two real examples to illustrate the model's ability to fit over-dispersed data and the validity of the estimation method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For checking time series models, the Ljung–Box, Li–Mak and Zhu–Wang statistics play an important role, which use the Pearson's correlation coefficient to implement (squared) residual (partial) autocorrelation tests. In this paper, we replace the Pearson's correlation coefficient with a new rank correlation coefficient and propose a new test statistic to conduct diagnostic checks for residuals in autoregressive moving average models, autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity models and integer-valued time series models, respectively. We conduct simulations to assess the performance of the new test statistic, and compare it with existing ones, and the results show the superiority of the proposed one. We use three real examples to exhibit its usefulness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To address the shortcomings in many traditional spectral feature extraction algorithms in practical application of low modeling accuracy and poor stability, this paper introduces the "Boruta algorithm-based local optimization process" based on the traditional simulated annealing algorithm and proposes the "two-step simulated annealing algorithm (TSSA)". This algorithm combines global optimization and local optimization. The Boruta algorithm ensures that the feature extraction results are all strongly correlated with the dependent variable, reducing data redundancy. The accuracy and stability of the algorithm model are significantly improved. The experimental results show that compared with the traditional feature extraction method, the accuracy indexes of the inversion model established by using the TSSA algorithm for feature extraction were significantly improved, with the determination coefficient R2 of 0.9654, the root mean square error (RMSE) of 3.6723 μg/L, and the mean absolute error (MAE) of 3.1461 μg/L. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There has been a rapid increase in the worldwide prevalence of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Previous studies have shown that acupuncture can improve neurological and cognitive function; however, the utility of applying acupuncture in patients with AD remains unclear. This study protocol describes a clinical trial for evaluating the efficacy and safety of acupuncture based on syndrome differentiation with donepezil hydrochloride on cognitive function in patients with AD.Methods/design: This multicenter randomized controlled trial commenced on February 1, 2019, at the Shanghai Longhua Hospital of TCM, Shanghai Huashan Hospital of Fudan University, and Shanghai Mental Health Center, and will conclude on June 30, 2022. The study will recruit 184 patients randomly divided into an acupuncture group or a control group at a 1:1 ratio. All participants will receive donepezil hydrochloride (5 mg/day), and those in the acupuncture group will receive acupuncture based on syndrome differentiation with donepezil for 12 weeks. The primary outcome will be the post-treatment change in the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-cognition score at 12 weeks. The secondary outcomes will be the efficacy scores of the Minimum Mental State Examination, Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Research Activity-Daily Life, and Quality of Life-Alzheimer's Disease. All assessments will be performed at baseline, after treatment (week 12), and at follow-up (weeks 24 and 36).Discussion: This trial may provide high-quality evidence for the efficacy of acupuncture in the treatment of AD. The results of this study will be published in peer-reviewed journals.Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03810794 . Registered on 17 January 2019. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil salinity negatively affects microbial communities, soil fertility, and agricultural productivity and has become a major agricultural problem worldwide. Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) with salt tolerance can benefit plant growth under saline conditions and diminish the negative effects of salt stress on plants. In this study, we aimed to understand the salt-tolerance mechanism of Paenibacillus polymyxa at the genetic and metabolic levels and elucidate the mechanism of strain SC2 in promoting maize growth under saline conditions. Under salt stress, we found that strain SC2 promoted maize seedling growth, which was accompanied by a significant upregulation of genes encoding for the biosynthesis of peptidoglycan, polysaccharide, and fatty acid, the metabolism of purine and pyrimidine, and the transport of osmoprotectants such as trehalose, glycine betaine, and K+ in strain SC2. To further enhance the salt resistance of strain SC2, three mutants (SC2–11, SC2–13, and SC2–14) with higher capacities for salt resistance and exopolysaccharide synthesis were obtained via atmospheric and room-temperature plasma mutagenesis. In saline–alkaline soil, the mutants showed better promoting effect on maize seedlings than wild-type SC2. The fresh weight of maize seedlings was increased by 68.10% after treatment with SC2–11 compared with that of the control group. The transcriptome analysis of maize roots demonstrated that SC2 and SC2–11 could induce the upregulation of genes related to the plant hormone signal transduction, starch and sucrose metabolism, reactive oxygen species scavenging, and auxin and ethylene signaling under saline–alkaline stress. In addition, various transcription factors, such as zinc finger proteins, ethylene-responsive-element-binding protein, WRKY, myeloblastosis proteins, basic helix-loop-helix proteins, and NAC proteins, were up-regulated in response to abiotic stress. Moreover, the microbial community composition of maize rhizosphere soil after inoculating with strain SC2 was varied from the one after inoculating with mutant SC2–11. Our results provide new insights into the various genes involved in the salt resistance of strain SC2 and a theoretical basis for utilizing P. polymyxa in saline–alkaline environments. • Paenibacillus polymyxa SC2 responds to salt stress by synthesizing peptidoglycans and up-regulating the genes related to the transport of osmoprotectants. • Three mutants with higher capacities for salt resistance were obtained via atmospheric and room temperature plasma mutagenesis. • Strain SC2 and its mutants promoted maize growth under salt-alkali stress. • The microbial community composition of maize rhizosphere soil showed variation after inoculating strains SC2 or SC2-11. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The as-prepared Zn x MnO 2 /CNTs shows the superior performance as cathode for ZIBs with a specific capacities of 400 mA h g−1 at 100 mA g−1 and outstanding long-cycle stability, which due to the Zn2+ pre-intercalation in alpha-manganese dioxide nanowires stabilize the tunnel structure during cycling and hierarchically hybrid carbon nanotubes enhanced electronic transmission. [Display omitted] Rechargeable aqueous zinc ion batteries (ZIBs) have attracted more and more attention due to the advantages of high safety, low cost, and environmental friendly in recent years. However, the lack of high-performance cathode materials and uncertain reaction mechanisms hinder the large-scale application of ZIBs. Herein, a 1D structure interlaced by Zn x MnO 2 nanowires and carbon nanotubes is synthesized as cathode material for ZIB. The Zn x MnO 2 /CNTs cathode exhibits excellent specific capacity of 400 mAh g−1 at 100 mA g−1 and outstanding long-cycle stability (with a capacity retention of 93% after 100 cycles at 1000 mA g−1), which indicates the Zn2+ pre-intercalation and composite carbon nanotubes can effectively change the storage space of the tunnel structure and increase the electron transmission rate. In addition, the energy storage mechanism of the highly reversible co-insertion of H+ and Zn2+ is further elaborated. This work has enlightenment and promotion for the future research of ZIBs cathode materials. Moreover, the simple preparation method, low cost and excellent performance of Zn x MnO 2 /CNTs cathode material provide a new way for the practical application of ZIBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We realized for the first time the fabrication of the unique hollow sandwich nanosheets structure of MnV 2 O 4 /NC via the PDA assisted heterogeneous contraction effect, which is conducive to the rapid transport of lithium ions, avoiding the accumulation of nanosheets and improving the electrochemical performance. [Display omitted] Binary transition metal oxides, especially vanadate metal oxides, are highly desirable for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) anode materials due to their low-budget and high theoretical lithium storage capacity. However, low conductivity and poor cycle stability caused by volume changes during charge and discharge limit their grid-scale applications. Herein, a novel spinel MnV 2 O 4 double-layer hollow sandwich nanosheets enclosed in N-doped porous carbon layer (MnV 2 O 4 /NC) was efficiently synthesized in 5 min by microwave-assisted and in-situ pyrolysis the coated polydopamine. MnV 2 O 4 /NC shows the superior performance as anode for LIBs with a specific capacities of 760 mA h g−1 at 1000 mA g−1 and outstanding of cycling stability with a specific capacities of 525.5 mA h g−1 after 1000 cycles even at 5000 mA g−1, respectively, which due to its unique double-layer hollow sandwich microstructure, mixed lithium storage mechanism and in-situ coating of nitrogen-doped carbon layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Influence analysis aims at detecting influential vertices in networks and utilizing them in cost-effective business strategies. Influence analysis in large-scale networks is a key technique in many important applications ranging from viral marketing and online advertisement to recommender systems, and thus has attracted great interest from both academia and industry. Early investigations on influence analysis often assume static networks. However, it is well recognized that real networks like social networks and the web network are not static but evolve rapidly over time. Thus, to make the results of influence analysis in real networks up-to-date, we have to take network evolution into consideration. Incorporating evolution of networks into influence analysis raises many new challenges, since an evolving network often updates at a fast rate and, except for the network owner, the evolution is usually even not entirely known to people. In this survey, we provide an overview on recent research in influence analysis in evolving networks, which has not been systematically reviewed in literature. We first revisit mathematical models of evolving networks and commonly used influence models. Then, we review recent research in five major tasks of evolving network influence analysis. We also discuss some future directions to explore. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stroke is the leading fatal disease in China. This retrospective study aimed to explore the optimal acupuncture intervention time for long-term efficacy on motor dysfunction in patients suffering from acute ischemic stroke through 1-year of follow-up. Three hundred and nine patients collected at Longhua Hospital from January 2016 to December 2017 were classified into 3 groups based on the acupuncture intervention time, including groups A (within 2 days), B (within 3–7 days) and C (within 8–14 days). All patients had received standard treatment combined with acupuncture therapy. Specifically, acupuncture was performed at the acupoints including LI4 (Hegu), ST40 (Fenglong), DU20 (Baihui), and motor area of the scalp, followed by 2 electroacupuncture protocols based on different muscle tensions once a day for 5 days consecutively. The time-effect relationship was assessed using both the Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) and the modified Barthel index (MBI) on the 90th day and 1st year, respectively. Meanwhile, the modified Rankin scale (mRS), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), and fibrinogen (FIB) were also measured during the 1-year follow-up. The favorable outcome rate was 74.4%. One-way univariate analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed significant differences in FMA and MBI on the 90th day among the 3 groups (p < 0.05), while no significant differences were observed in FMA, MBI or mRS at the 1st year between groups A and B. The levels of hs-CRP and FIB (p < 0.05) were markedly reduced. Binary logistic regression analysis suggested that patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) (odds ratio (OR): 3.156), chronic kidney disease (CKD) (OR: 2.563), diabetes mellitus (DM) (OR: 2.174) or stroke history (OR: 1.883) were more inclined to recover poorly from nerve function deficit (p < 0.05). Earlier acupuncture intervention may have a better long-term effect on motor dysfunction and inflammation during the 1-year follow-up. Moreover, acupuncture within 2 days is probably the optimal treatment time for early recovery on the 90th day. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Stroke scales of traditional Chinese medicine (SSTCM) are promoted for use in the early prognosis. The current lines of evidence to support their performance evaluation are uneven. This pilot study aimed to investigate the correlation between traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) symptoms in the early stages of acute ischemic stroke and the prognosis of motor dysfunction through one-year of follow-up. Methods. Three hundred and fifteen patients were retrospected at Longhua Hospital from January 2016 to December 2017. All patients had received standard treatments combined with acupuncture therapy, including both electroacupuncture and scalp acupuncture for a median course of five months. The observed outcomes were the Fugl-Meyer assessment (FMA), the modified Barthel index (MBI), and the modified Rankin scale (mRS) at one-year follow-up after stroke onset by multiple linear regression analysis combined with ROC curves. Results. The favorable outcome rate was 74.3%, with the recurrence rate of 20.3% in the follow-up. In multiple linear regression, 10 TCM symptoms (MBI regression model) were related to the prognosis of MBI (DW 1.409, Ad. R2 0.654) and 10 TCM symptoms (FMA regression model) were related to the FMA outcome (DW 1.446, Ad R2 0.620). The two models were selected to have nine repeated symptoms (repeated model). In the ROC curves, the three models were compared with the NIHSS score, and the MBI regression model reflected the highest efficiency. Conclusions. The combination of 10 TCM symptoms, once onset occurred, including hemiplegia, restlessness, hemianesthesia, short breath, headache, constipation, night sweat, tinnitus, thirsty, and gurgling with sputum, may affect the recovery of motor dysfunction. Furthermore, the improvements of TCM symptoms dynamically after treatment would be observed in a large prospective cohort. This trial is registered with NCT01806233. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This cross-sectional study extracted data of 392 NHANES participants with elevated serum parathyroid hormone (PTH) concentrations from 2 cycles of the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003–2006 and evaluated the association between serum (PTH) concentration and metabolic syndrome (MetS) to identify dietary and lifestyle factors that may modify that association. The primary outcome was MetS severity scores. Results of univariate linear regression analyses revealed that serum PTH concentrations correlated positively and significantly with MetS severity scores (β=0.399, p=0.030). After adjusting for gender, age, race, and alcohol consumption, results of multivariate analysis revealed that increased serum PTH concentration correlated significantly with higher MetS severity scores (β=0.413, p=0.045) in participants with moderate physical activity over the past 30 days. Serum PTH concentration also correlated significantly with higher MetS severity scores in participants with serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D deficiency (β=0.456 and p=0.014), those without vitamin D supplementation (β=0.524, p=0.028) and with higher protein intake (β=0.586 and p=0.030). In conclusion, increased serum PTH concentration is associated with higher MetS severity scores in participants with elevated serum PTH at baseline. The association between PTH concentration and MetS severity is moderated by participants' physical activity levels, status of serum vitamin D, vitamin D supplementation, and daily protein intake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dual and single antiplatelet therapies are routinely used in carotid artery endarterectomy (CEA). However, the efficacy and safety of these therapies are controversial. The present study aimed to comprehensively compare the clinical outcomes between dual and single antiplatelet therapies in CEA. This study retrieved available academic studies evaluating the complications related to antiplatelet therapy between dual and single antiplatelet therapies in CEA from the databases of ScienceDirect, the Cochrane Library, EMBASE, and PubMed. References to previous reviews and related clinical trials were manually checked to retrieve potential literature that was not included in our electronic search results. A total of 10 articles (1 randomized controlled trial, 9 non-randomized controlled trials) were included in the study. The overall number of patients in the dual antiplatelet group was 14,280, and the number of patients in the single antiplatelet group was 125,850. The results revealed that the single antiplatelet group had a lower incidence of 30-day death (rate difference [RD] 0.002; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.000–0.003; P = 0.014), neck hematoma (odds ratio [OR] 2.120; 95% CI 1.431–3.142; P < 0.001), myocardial infarction (RD 0.004; 95% CI 0.001–0.007; P = 0.003), and major bleeding (RD 0.005; 95% CI 0.002–0.008; P < 0.001). Meanwhile, the single antiplatelet group was associated with a shorter operation time (weighted mean difference 4.000; 95% CI= 2.564–5.436; P < 0.001). However, there was no significant difference in the rate of postoperative transient ischemic attack (P = 0.215), stroke (P = 0.130), or length of stay (P = 0.563). Based on current evidence, using single antiplatelet therapy in CEA may reduce operation time and the incidences of 30-day death, neck hematoma, major bleeding, and myocardial infarction without increasing the risks of transient ischemic attack, stroke, or a longer operation time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports the study on enhancement of copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) for hole injection in blue polymer light-emitting diodes based on three blue emissive polymeric materials with different electronic structures under the circumstances of including or excluding an additional poly(N-vinylcarbazole) (PVK) layer. A thin CuPc layer may effectively enhance the hole injection from the anode to the emissive polymer layer and results in a dramatic decrease of operating voltage of the device. The thickness of the CuPc layer is optimized. The addition of a PVK layer between CuPc and emissive polymer may prevent the potential problem of the undesired electron flow from the emissive layer to the CuPc layer. The efficiency of CuPc for enhancing hole injection is almost independent of the energy levels of the highest occupied molecular orbitals of the polymers which are contacted with it. It is suggested that the higher affinity between the two organic materials in comparison with that between indium-tin-oxide and an organic material and the resulted rough interface play a dominated role in the enhancement for hole injection. © 2001 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To comprehend the molecular mechanisms that control the differences in the composition of Osmanthus essential oils, the RNA-seq data and differentially expressed genes in different cultivar Osmanthus were studied. cDNA libraries of “jinqiugui,” “baijie,” and “rixianggui” were sequenced using Illumina HiSeq TM 2000. All of the enzymes involved in ionone synthesis were verified. DEGs were revealed and their enriched pathways were analyzed. A total of 20 DEGsencoding four enzymes that were potential candidates involved in ionone biosynthesis, as well as ispH, GPPS, ZDS, and CCD. It provided a way for Osmanthus oil monomer material to be synthesized in vitro. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, porous polylactide (PLA) microspheres with different structures were prepared through the multiple emulsion solvent evaporation method. By changing organic solvents (ethyl acetate and chloroform) and adding effervescent salt NH4HCO3 in the inner water phase, microspheres with porous capsular, matrix, microcapsular and multivesicular structures were prepared. The protein encapsulation and release, and the cell growth behavior of porous microspheres were further explored. Under the same inner water phase, microspheres prepared with chloroform had higher protein encapsulation efficiency and less protein release rate as compared with those prepared with ethyl acetate. Cell experiments showed that the relatively rough surface of microspheres prepared with chloroform was more favorable for the cell growth in comparison with the smooth surface of microspheres prepared with ethyl acetate. This study shows a simple and effective method to control the protein release and cell growth behaviors of polymer microspheres by tuning their porous structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The developmental times of poikilotherms at different stages are significantly affected by temperature. Most mathematical models describing the temperature-dependent developmental rates of poikilotherms are built according to the experimental data at various constant temperatures. However, these models can also be applied to the developmental rates at variable temperatures. It is more meaningful to use models to predict the occurrence times of pest insects that actually represent the completion for a particular developmental stage (e.g., hatching, pupation, eclosion) under a natural thermal environment. For some developmental stages, insects might experience a period of high temperatures. In this case, skewed bell-shaped nonlinear models are more reasonable than the linear and exponential models because in the high-temperature region the developmental rate decreases with temperature increasing. We used the accumulated developmental progress method that combines three representative nonlinear models to compare the model validity in predicting the egg's earliest hatching date of bamboo locust in different years. We found that for the springtime phenological event the simple Arrhenius' equation obtains the best goodness of fit. This study also provides a general R function that permits users to employ nonlinear parametric models to predict the occurrence times of insect phenology. In fact, if the investigation data cannot reflect the temperature-based phenological models proposed here, we have to consider whether the data set is reliable or whether the temperature is the crucial factor that determines the occurrence time of interest. The present study is valuable for the integrated management of pest insects because the biological or chemical control timing relies on the prediction on the occurrence time of phenological events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing electrode materials with both high energy and power densities is of crucial importance for lithium ion batteries (LIBs). In this work, a novel anode material, graphite nanoplates firmly anchoring with well-dispersed porous Zn 3 V 2 O 8 nanospheres (Zn 3 V 2 O 8 /GNPs), is rationally fabricated via a simple and scalable liquid reflux and subsequent calcination process. The introduced GNP matrices significantly improved the electrochemical performances of the Zn 3 V 2 O 8 /GNPs by enhancing structural durability of the electrodes and facilitating the electron-transfer and mass-transport kinetics. Thus, the Zn 3 V 2 O 8 /GNPs-50 exhibits a reversible specific capacity of 648 mA h g −1 at a current density of 0.8 A g −1 after 100 cycles and 488 mA h g −1 at a high current density of 3.2 A g −1 after 400 cycles. Inspiringly, a new full cell (Zn 3 V 2 O 8 /GNPs-50//LNCM-111) was successfully assembled, which manifested superior electrochemical performances. Hence, we believe that this study demonstrates a promising anode material for next generation LIBs, and particularly, provides a strategy for the rational design of GNPs-based metal oxide composite materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fabrication of hollow structures has attracted considerable attention as an effective strategy to improve the electrochemical performance of anode materials for lithium-ion batteries. Herein, we designed and fabricated Co3V2O8 nanotubes by blend electrospinning followed by annealing. We found the core–shell structure of precursor fibers and a modest annealing temperature with a low heating rate to be the two key factors contributing to the nanotube structure. When employed as anode material for lithium-ion batteries, Co3V2O8 nanotubes exhibited superior electrochemical lithium-storage performance with high specific capacity, notable rate performance and long cycle life. Particularly, a discharge capacity of 1040 mA h g−1 after 350 cycles at 1000 mA g−1 and a stable capacity of 630 mA h g−1 after long 1100 cycles at 5000 mA g−1 were maintained for the as-prepared Co3V2O8 nanotubes electrode. This excellent electrochemical performance can be ascribed to the unique nanotube structure with improved electrochemical kinetic and enhanced mechanical stability. Such an excellent specific capacity and cycling performance indicate that fabrication of nanotube structures by combining blend electrospinning with heat treatment is an effective strategy to develop cobalt-vanadium-based electrodes for high-performance lithium-ion batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Co 3 V 2 O 8 hexagonal pyramid was successfully fabricated via a simple hydrothermal process and subsequent heat treatment. The inner structure of the hexagonal pyramid was further adjusted by controlling the size of Co 7 V 4 O 16 (OH) 2 (H 2 O) precursors. Hierarchical Co 3 V 2 O 8 hexagonal pyramid with height of 1 μm were orderly constructed from 60–80 nm inter-connected particles, showing numerous interval voids. Benefiting from its unique structure, the as-prepared sample showed higher electrochemical performance as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries than that of another bulk sample with height of 5 μm and adhesive inner structure. When tested at a current density of 500 mA g −1 , the hierarchical Co 3 V 2 O 8 hexagonal pyramid exhibited good rate capacity, high cycling stability, and excellent discharge capacity up to 712 mA h g −1 , making it promising electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ontogenetic growth reflects the changes of biomass, height (or body length) of a biological organism as a function of time. Many growth equations have been built but few can accurately predict the ending time of growth. Here we are attempting to provide two growth equations for predicting the time when growth terminates. Meanwhile, these models are also expected to apply to different growth patterns of biological organisms. Two time-dependent growth equations with four parameters each were obtained by replacing temperature with time in two non-linear mathematical models that describe the temperature-dependent developmental and growth rates of poikilotherms. Both models can generate a skewed or symmetrical bell-shaped curve. We obtained the growth equations by integrating these two temperature-dependent developmental rate models with temperature replaced by time. The dry weight data of six species of agricultural crops, the height data of four bamboo species, the tree-ring width data of two coniferous species, and the fresh weight data of 16 animals were used to fit these growth equations. Both growth equations agree well with the actual growth data of animals and plants. Additionally, one equation exhibits wide applicability and is better than the other in describing the tree-ring width. The time of reaching the maximal biomass or height can be predicted by these two models. The growth equations are valuable for predicting the time when the maximal biomass and height (or body length) are reached. Parameters of theses equations can directly reflect the growth rate: the conceptual starting time of growth, the ending time of growth, the maximal growth, and the time associated with the maximal growth rate that is actually the inflection point of the growth equation. We show that these two equations apply to many diverse species. It is worthwhile to explore and compare the growth patterns of biological organisms. In addition, the prediction of tree-ring width of conifers will be helpful to accurately predict the carbon storage in forest ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are many descriptive statistical models describing the temperature-dependent developmental rates of insects without derivation of biophysical processes; thus, it is difficult to explain how temperature affects development from the thermodynamic mechanisms. Fortunately, two mathematical models (the Sharpe-Schoolfield-Ikemoto [SSI] model and Ratkowsky-Olley-Ross [ROR] model) based on thermodynamics have been built to explain temperature-dependent reaction rates. Despite their differences in construction, both models produce similar functions when used to describe the effect of temperature on the probability of a theoretical rate-controlling enzyme that is in its active state. However, the previous fitting method of the SSI model was unable to achieve global optimization of parameter estimates; that of the ROR model usually underestimates the maximal probability of the rate-controlling enzyme that is in its active state, as found in some empirical data sets. In the present study we improved the fitting methods for these two models. We then used these two models to fit 10 data sets from published references. We found the models based on the improved fitting methods agree with the empirical data well and predict that the maximal probabilities of the rate-controlling enzyme that is in its active state are close to 1.The SSI model produces a slightly better goodness-of-fit value for the model than the ROR model, whereas the latter predicts a more symmetrical curve for the probability of the rate-controlling enzyme that is in its active state. If thermodynamic parameters of two or more different species are to be compared, we recommend that researchers use one or the other of these two models and follow the same fitting methods for all species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The equation describing a power–law relationship between the mean and variance of population abundance in space or time is known as Taylor’s power law (TPL), initially observed in samples of insects. Factors determining the TPL exponent are of particular concern to ecologists because the observations of the exponent usually range 1–2. Recent studies have suggested that TPL is caused solely by statistical artifacts rather than biological processes, with the corresponding statistical models lacking linkages to explicit population demography. In this study, we used two special forms of the Neyman–Scott cluster point process to study the effect of offspring dispersal distance from the parents on the TPL exponent. Results showed that dispersal distance could largely affect the TPL exponent. The response curve of TPL exponent to dispersal distance is similar to the shape of the left-skewed gamma distribution function multiplied by a constant which can permit its maximum value to exceed 1. That means, short-distance dispersals could produce large TPL exponents relative to the whole response curve. However, the TPL exponent will decline in the case that the dispersal is extremely short or long. To better understand the function of the exponent of TPL on fitness, we attempted to link plant seed dispersal ability to the TPL exponent, and we discussed the trade-off between investing in propagation energy and in performance energy of plants. Dispersal overlap of offspring each other to an extent can cause a large TPL exponent, providing maximum fitness in a population. A novel theoretical frame was proposed to explain the role of spatial TPL relationships in affecting the fitness of plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transgenic crops are increasingly promoted for their practical effects on suppressing certain insect pests, but all transgenic crops are not equally successful. The insect pests can easily develop resistance against single Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxin transgenic crops. Therefore, transgenic crops including two or more mixed Bt-toxins can solve this problem by delaying the resistance development and killing the majority of targeted pests before the evolution of resistance. It is important to test the controlling effects of transgenic crops including multiple mixed toxins on a particular insect pest. Previous research has checked the cross-resistance and interactions between Bt toxins Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab against one susceptible and four resistant strains of cotton bollworm. The results showed that independence was the main interaction type between two toxins for the susceptible strain, whereas synergism was the main interaction type for any one resistant strain. However, the optimal combinations of two toxins were not obtained. In the present study, we developed two multi-exponential equations (namely bi- and tri-exponential equations) to describe the combination effects of two Bt toxins. Importantly, the equations can provide predictions of combination effects of different continuous concentrations of two toxins. We compared these two multi-exponential equations with the generalized linear model (GLM) in describing the combination effects, and found that the bi- and tri-exponential equations are better than GLM. Moreover, the bi-exponential equation can also provide the optimal dose combinations for two toxins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Temperature greatly affects the developmental duration of insects at their different stages, and many mathematical models exist for describing their temperature-dependent developmental rates. It is important to choose a suitable model to predict outbreaks of pest insects under climate change. However, previous comparisons among these models were usually based on a single species. In the present study, we compared the six nonlinear models (the Briére-1, Briére-2, Lactin, Performance-2, beta, and Ratkowsky models) based on the goodness of fit and the trade-off between the model's goodness of fit and structural complexity, using 10 temperature-dependent developmental rate datasets on insects to make the conclusions general. We found that the square root model (i.e., the Ratkowsky model) fitted all datasets well, and the curve shape produced by this model also approximates the curve shape of thermodynamically based mathematical models. The square root model was originally derived to be applicable to the growth rates of bacteria, and until now it has been generally ignored in entomology. We were mainly concerned with the predicted results obtained by using this model on observations of temperature-dependent developmental rates. We found that the square root model described well the pooled developmental rates in the low-, mid-, and high-temperature ranges, and we believe that it merits wider use in entomology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Of the many mathematical models proposed for capturing the dynamics of plant growth, the beta sigmoid function (BSF) is the newest and consequently is not well known to ecologists. A recent software package based on the Microsoft Excel macro, LEAF-E, was designed to promote the use of BSF, even though the performance of BSF and other growth models had not been compared. We developed R functions for fitting the BSF with a freer option for choosing the parametric number, and illustrated their performance using simulated data generated by four equations (the exponential, logistic, Gompertz, and von Bertalanffy equations), as well as dry weights of six crop species measured in growing seasons. Compared to other growth models, the BSF allowed for both symmetric and asymmetric growth curves, and thus the simulated data modeled the actual data quite well. It was demonstrated that the BSF was better than the above four traditional growth equations. In addition, the R functions developed here can facilitate future data fitting and model comparison for capturing plant growth dynamics. And the time when plants reach their maximum body size can be accurately obtained by using the BSF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microspheres with thermo-responsible surface were fabricated by PCL- b-PEO- b-PNIPAM triblock copolymers. Thermo-responsible morphological changes of PCL- b-PEO- b-PNIPAM microspheres immersed in aqueous solution at temperatures above the LCST ( e.g. 37 °C) were observed from porous surface structure to compact surface layer. Enzymatic degradation and in vitro drug release results showed that the thermo-responsible surface layer greatly influenced the degradation of microspheres as well as the drug release behavior from microspheres. With the copolymerization of PNIPAM block into PCL- b-PEO copolymers, the drug release could be well regulated by changing temperatures and microspheres composition, which revealed the great potentials of microspheres with thermo-responsible surface for controlled drug release. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One dimensional (1D) Ca 2 Co 2 O 5 with hierarchical structure has been fabricated by electrospinning successfully for the first time. The formation process of hierarchical structure Ca 2 Co 2 O 5 are investigated by powder X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. High Seebeck coefficient (maximum value of 191 μV K −1 ) and power factor (maximum value of 1.85×10 −4 W m 1 K −2 at 963 K) could be realized by fabricating 1D hierarchical structure assembled by nanoplates. This work provides a step forward in the design of other materials with similar layered building blocks in the crystal structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between spatial density and size of plants is an important topic in plant ecology. The self-thinning rule suggests a −3/2 power between average biomass and density or a −1/2 power between stand yield and density. However, the self-thinning rule based on total leaf area per plant and density of plants has been neglected presumably because of the lack of a method that can accurately estimate the total leaf area per plant. We aimed to find the relationship between spatial density of plants and total leaf area per plant. We also attempted to provide a novel model for accurately describing the leaf shape of bamboos. We proposed a simplified Gielis equation with only two parameters to describe the leaf shape of bamboos one model parameter represented the overall ratio of leaf width to leaf length. Using this method, we compared some leaf parameters (leaf shape, number of leaves per plant, ratio of total leaf weight to aboveground weight per plant, and total leaf area per plant) of four bamboo species of genus Indocalamus Nakai ( I. pedalis (Keng) P.C. Keng, I. pumilus Q.H. Dai and C.F. Keng, I. barbatus McClure, and I. victorialis P.C. Keng). We also explored the possible correlation between spatial density and total leaf area per plant using log-linear regression. We found that the simplified Gielis equation fit the leaf shape of four bamboo species very well. Although all these four species belonged to the same genus, there were still significant differences in leaf shape. Significant differences also existed in leaf area per plant, ratio of leaf weight to aboveground weight per plant, and leaf length. In addition, we found that the total leaf area per plant decreased with increased spatial density. Therefore, we directly demonstrated the self-thinning rule to improve light interception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Predaceous lady beetles are important natural enemies of many insect pests in agroecosystem. The altered agricultural practices associated with widespread adoption of Bt cotton may have potential effects on the spatio-temporal patterns of predaceous lady beetles, as the composition and abundance of nontarget sucking pests have been changed in Bt cotton fields. In the current study, the spatio-temporal patterns of two important lady beetles, Harmonia axyridis (Pallas) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) and Propylea japonica (Thunberg) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), were surveyed in Bt cotton fields. A nonparametric method associated with Monte Carlo tests was used to address and test whether niche segregation occurred between H. axyridis and P. japonica. The results showed that the dominant region occupied by P. japonica was toward northeast across the season, whereas H. axyridis bad higher presence to the southwest. The temporal patterns of H. axyridis and P. japonica also differed significantly, and the highest levels of each species occurred in different locations from each other on each sampling date in the same Bt cotton fields. In total, there were strong spatio-temporal separation patterns between these two species in Bt cotton fields. These spatio-temporal patterns may produce complementary impacts on prey, and this in turn could be used to strengthen the biological control of insect pests by these two lady beetles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Moso bamboos ( Phyllostachys edulis) are important forestry plants in southern China, with substantial roles to play in regional economic and ecological systems. Mixing broad-leaved forests and moso bamboos is a common management practice in China, and it is fundamental to elucidate the interactions between broad-leaved trees and moso bamboos for ensuring the sustainable provision of ecosystem services. We examine how the proportion of broad-leaved forest in a mixed managed zone, topology, and soil profile affects the effective productivity of moso bamboos (i.e., those with significant economic value), using linear regression and generalized additive models. Bamboo's diameter at breast height follows a Weibull distribution. The importance of these variables to bamboo productivity is, respectively, slope (25.9%), the proportion of broad-leaved forest (24.8%), elevation (23.3%), gravel content by volume (16.6%), slope location (8.3%), and soil layer thickness (1.2%). Highest productivity is found on the 25° slope, with a 600-m elevation, and 30% broad-leaved forest. As such, broad-leaved forest in the upper slope can have a strong influence on the effective productivity of moso bamboo, ranking only after slope and before elevation. These factors can be considered in future management practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A non-aqueous suspension polycondensation method was proposed to proceed the reaction of p-phenylenediamine and terephthaloyl chloride for the preparation of poly( p-phenylene terephthalamide) (PPTA). The system was operated with NMP-CaCl solution as the dispersed phase and inert liquid paraffin as the continuous phase. Each of NMP-CaCl solution microdroplet suspended in paraffin served as a microreactor where the polycondensation took place. According to the results of TGA, XRD, IR, SEM and EA, PPTA with good quality was obtained through this novel method, and a number of main factors influencing this process were investigated to determine the optimum condition for the preparation of PPTA. Besides, this two-phase polycondensation system brings many unique advantages compared to the conventional solution polycondensation method, including a sealed reaction environment keeping the reactants away from oxygen and water, easy removal of HCl to promote the reaction, well-controlled temperature and low viscosity which means less energy cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

rAd5-hTERTC27, a replication-defective adenovirus vector carrying hTERTC27, has been proposed for possible use against hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In this study, we investigated the long-term toxicity of rAd5-hTERTC27 in SD rats and Cynomolgus monkeys. rAd5-hTERTC27 was administered intravenously once a week for 13 weeks followed by a one-month recovery period. As of 4 months, all animals displayed overall good health. Anti-adenoviral antibodies emerged in a dose-independent manner. The levels of complement components, C3 and C4, in the rAd5-hTERTC27 middle-dose and high-dose groups and C4 in the rAd5-EGFP group increased significantly after the 2nd treatment in monkeys. Slight-mild pathological changes of the liver occurred only in the rAd5-hTERTC27 high-dose group (2/16) in rats and not in any other group in either rats or monkeys. With the increase of the dose, the incidence of lymphocyte depletion in the spleen of rats and reactive hyperplasia of the splenic corpuscle in monkeys increased. However, the changes in the liver and spleen were reversible. Given the above data, intravenous administration of rAd5-hTERTC27 (up to 4 × 10 10 VP/kg in rats and 0.9 × 10 10 VP/kg in monkeys) appears to be well-tolerated, providing support for its potentially safe use in clinical trials for the treatment of HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The successful gene delivery into the brain is a major challenge due to the presence of the blood–brain barrier (BBB). In order to transport plasmid DNA across the BBB and target the brain glioma, the PEGylated liposomes (PLs) modified with OX26 and chlorotoxin (CTX) were developed as a dual-targeting gene delivery system, and the therapeutic efficacy of OX26/CTX-PL/pC27 against glioma was evaluated using in vitro and in vivo experimental models. Methods: The PEGylated liposome complexes were prepared by the reverse phase evaporation method, and their physicochemical properties were examined. The transfection efficiency, intracellular distribution, in vitro effects of OX26/CTX-PL/pC27 were determined on C6, F98 and HEK293T cell lines. The dual-targeting therapeutic efficacy of OX26/CTX-PL/pC27 against glioma were assessed using the BMVECs/C6 cells co-culture model and the rat orthotopic glioma model. Results: The OX26/CTX-PL/pDNA complexes exhibited a subglobose shape, and possessed notably low toxicities to HEK293T and C6 cells post 4 h incubation. In the in vitro transfection experiment, gene expressions of hTERTC27 from C6 and F98 cells were significantly improved by OX26 and CTX modification. Our in vitro results also showed that OX26 endowed the PLs with the transport ability across the BBB. Using the BMVECs/C6 cells co-culture model, the viability of C6 cells was decreased to 46.0% after OX26/CTX-PL/pC27 transfection. The OX26/CTX-PL/pC27 complexes exhibited enhanced therapeutic effects on C6 cells. Moreover, the dual-targeting therapeutic effects were further conformed with diminished tumor volumes (18.81 ± 6.15 mm3) and extended median survival time (46 days) in C6 glioma-bearing rats. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed the therapeutic effects derived from enhanced hTERTC27 expression in the tumor site. Conclusions: The PEGylated liposomes modified with OX26 and CTX are able to significantly promote cell transfection, increase the transport of plasmid DNA across the BBB and afterwards target the brain glioma cells in vitro and in vivo, exhibit the most significant therapeutic efficacy. The ligand OX26 plays a critical role in transporting the lipoplexes across the BBB, and CTX acts as a major role in targeting brain glioma cells. The results would encourage further developments for non-invasive targeting therapy of brain gliomas by intravenous injection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers brief profiles of editorial board Leman Akoglu, Justin Levandoski, and Carlos Ordonez, who contributed to the writing of the journal.

Information on ground-dwelling arthropod densities is important for efficient management in agro-ecosystems. A method of using paired pitfall traps with different inter-trap distances, called the two-circle method (TCM), was proposed recently for accurate and efficient estimation of arthropod densities. Using the numbers of individuals caught in paired traps and the inter-trap distances between the paired traps as input, the TCM can simultaneously estimate the effective trapping radius and the population density by fitting a nonlinear model. However, the previous fitting procedure (using the nonlinear least squares approach) provides the estimates and standard errors of only these two variables, and often suffers from its hypersensitivity to the initial values assigned in the nonlinear regression. To estimate the confidence intervals of these estimates and to assess the effects of the number of replications per distance class and the number of distance classes on the accuracy of density estimates, we provide a new procedure for fitting the model by using the optimization function. Evaluation based on simulated and field data suggests that the TCM could provide a reliable estimate of density by using at least 15 paired traps per distance class and at least 4 distance classes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] There is no universal metabolic scaling exponent (α) for different species or taxa in the von Bertalanffy equation. [•] Use of 2/3 or 3/4 value for the scaling exponent α should not be decided merely based on the goodness-of-fit. [•] The logistic equation is a better model for describing the ontogenetic growth of animals and plants. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Crooked Ag2Te nanowires with rough surfaces have been successfully fabricated via a one-pot microwave-assisted solution process in a short time. A possible formation mechanism related to the oriented attachment crystal growth mechanism and the incomplete Ostwald ripening process is presented. The obtained Ag2Te shows a maximum power factor of about 13.4 × 10−4 W m−1 K−2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Huge amounts of search log data have been accumulated at Web search engines. Currently, a popular Web search engine may receive billions of queries and collect terabytes of records about user search behavior daily. Beside search log data, huge amounts of browse log data have also been collected through client-side browser plugins. Such massive amounts of search and browse log data provide great opportunities for mining the wisdom of crowds and improving Web search. At the same time, designing effective and efficient methods to clean, process, and model log data also presents great challenges. In this survey, we focus on mining search and browse log data for Web search. We start with an introduction to search and browse log data and an overview of frequently-used data summarizations in log mining. We then elaborate how log mining applications enhance the five major components of a search engine, namely, query understanding, document understanding, document ranking, user understanding, and monitoring and feedback. For each aspect, we survey the major tasks, fundamental principles, and state-of-the-art methods. Categories and Subject Descriptors: H.3.3 [Information Storage and Retrieval]: Information Search and Retrieval -- Search process General Terms: Algorithms, Experimentation, Measurement [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective We examined whether auricular acupressure ( AA) can alleviate postoperative pain and decrease narcotic consumption and its adverse effects for osteoarthritis patients after total knee arthroplasty ( TKA). Design A prospective, randomized, sham control trial comparing AA and a sham control. Setting Department of Orthopedics, the first Hospital affiliated to Zhejiang University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Hangzhou, China. Subjects Ninety patients with degenerative osteoarthritis undergoing TKA. Interventions The AA group received true AA by embedding vaccaria seeds at four specific AA points (knee joint, shenmen, subcortex, sympathesis) ipsilateral to the surgery site, while the control group received four nonacupuncture points on the auricular helix. Outcome Measures Visual analog scale ( VAS), the consumption of analgesic via patient-controlled analgesia, the incidence of analgesia-related adverse effects, Hospital for Special Surgery scores ( HSS), and range of motion ( ROM) were recorded. Results VAS scores were similar at 12, 24, 36, and 48 h postsurgery ( P > 0.05), but AA group scores were lower than those of the control group at 3, 4, 5, and 7 days ( P < 0.05). Patients in the AA group consumed lower doses of analgesic than those in the control group after surgery ( P < 0.05). The incidence of analgesia-related adverse effects in the AA group was lower than that in the control group ( P < 0.05). Although HSS scores were similar in the two groups preoperatively and at 3 months postoperatively ( P > 0.05), HSS scores 2 weeks postoperatively were higher in the AA group than in the control group ( P < 0.05), but there was no difference between groups in ROM ( P > 0.05). Conclusions Applying auricular acupoint acupressure in the perioperative period of TKA is favorable for alleviating postoperative pain, decreasing opioid consumption and its adverse effects, and promoting early rehabilitation. Also, this intervention has the advantage of lower costs, fewer complications, simple application, and high safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] We have prepared a replication defective adenovirus vector carrying hTERTC27. [•] Intravenous rAd5-hTERTC27 was well tolerated on rats at the experimental dose. [•] Intravenous rAd5-hTERTC27 was not toxic on monkeys at the experimental dose. [•] No hemolysis or systemic anaphylaxis were observed in the Ad5-hTERTC27 groups. [•] Effects on the central nervous system in mice were negative at the effective dose. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Highlights: [•] Ontogenetic growth model does not interpret the crop ontogenetic growth. [•] Logistic model is applicable to both animal and plant ontogenetic growth. [•] Logistic model is in fact universal for the ontogenetic growth of creature. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Purpose: There is no standard second-line regimen for recurrent and metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients after failure of cisplatin-based chemotherapy. A multicenter phase II study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of capecitabine combined with nedaplatin for these patients. Patients and methods: In the multicenter, open-label, single-arm phase II study, patients with recurrent and metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma who failed to previous cisplatin-based chemotherapy were enrolled. Patients received oral capecitabine (1,000 mg/m twice daily from day 1 to 14) and intravenous nedaplatin (80 mg/m, day 1) every 3 weeks for two cycles at least. Results: A total of forty-eight patients were enrolled and included in the intention-to-treat analysis of efficacy and adverse events. Treatment was well tolerated. Grade 3/4 toxicities included neutropenia (8.4 %), anemia (2.1 %), diarrhea (4.2 %), stomatitis (6.3 %), and hand-foot syndrome (HFS) (4.2 %). There were two complete response (4.2 %), eighteen partial responses (37.5 %), giving an overall response rate of 41.7 % [95 % confidence interval (CI) 27.7-55.8]. With a median follow-up period of 12.1 months, the median time to progression was 5.8 months (95 % CI 3.9-7.8 months) and median overall survival was 12.4 months (95 % CI 9.6-16.8 months). Conclusion: Capecitabine combined with nedaplatin offers a satisfactory clinical activity and an acceptable safety profile for recurrent and metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients after failure of cisplatin-based chemotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Editor-in-Chief (EiC) sincerely thanks the 14 associate editors who completed their terms by June 2013: Torsten Grust, Jayant Haritsa, Maurizio Lenzerini, Renee Miller, Srinivasan Parthasarathy, Kian-Lee Tan, Jun Yang, Xiaofang Zhou, Bin Cui, Ravi Kumar, Timos Sellis, and Justin Zobel. They have contributed significantly to the quality and the reputation of TKDE. Without the associate editors, many reviewers, and enormous authors' joint effort, our journal would not be as good as it is today. At the same time, he formally welcomes the associate editors who joined the editorial board in the first half of 2013: Shivnath Babu, Francesco Bonchi, Chee-Yong Chan, Kevin Chang, Sanjay Chawla, Ian Davidson, Ruoming Jin, Panos Kalnis, Xuemin Lin, Dan Olteanu, Naren Ramakrishnan, Mark Sanderson, Ambuj Singh, and Hui Xiong. This group of newly appointed associate editors represents our interest and determination in recruiting the best established and active working experts in the wonderful wide spectrum of knowledge and data engineering. Moreover, they are very committed and dedicated to serving the community and handling the review processes, as testified by their rich experience. In less than 6 months (1 January to 20 May, 2013), TKDE received 340 original submissions and 134 revised submissions. In the same period, 475 decisions were made and 66 papers (13.9%) were accepted, 83 papers (17.5 percent) needed major revisions, and 56 papers (11.8%) needed minor revisions. These numbers clearly show that TKDE is a highly preferred and competitive forum for publishing the strongest research outcome in our fields. The associate editors, the reviewers, and I are working hard to shorten the turn-around time as much as possible without any compromise on quality. For example, 217 of the 340 original submissions (63.8%) submitted between Jan- May 2013 already received a decision. Without the fabulous team of hardworking associate editors and the large base of constructive and responsible reviewers, the review process is simply a mission impossible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clustering on uncertain data, one of the essential tasks in mining uncertain data, posts significant challenges on both modeling similarity between uncertain objects and developing efficient computational methods. The previous methods extend traditional partitioning clustering methods like $(k)$-means and density-based clustering methods like DBSCAN to uncertain data, thus rely on geometric distances between objects. Such methods cannot handle uncertain objects that are geometrically indistinguishable, such as products with the same mean but very different variances in customer ratings. Surprisingly, probability distributions, which are essential characteristics of uncertain objects, have not been considered in measuring similarity between uncertain objects. In this paper, we systematically model uncertain objects in both continuous and discrete domains, where an uncertain object is modeled as a continuous and discrete random variable, respectively. We use the well-known Kullback-Leibler divergence to measure similarity between uncertain objects in both the continuous and discrete cases, and integrate it into partitioning and density-based clustering methods to cluster uncertain objects. Nevertheless, a naïve implementation is very costly. Particularly, computing exact KL divergence in the continuous case is very costly or even infeasible. To tackle the problem, we estimate KL divergence in the continuous case by kernel density estimation and employ the fast Gauss transform technique to further speed up the computation. Our extensive experiment results verify the effectiveness, efficiency, and scalability of our approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Email correspondents play an important role in many people's social networks. Finding email correspondents in social networks accurately, though may seem to be straightforward at a first glance, is challenging. Most of the existing online social networking sites recommend possible matches by comparing the information of email accounts and social network profiles, such as display names and email addresses. However, as shown empirically in this paper, such methods may not be effective in practice. To the best of our knowledge, this problem has not been carefully and thoroughly addressed in research. In this paper, we systematically investigate the problem and develop a practical data mining approach. We find that using only the profiles or the graph structures is far from effective. Our method utilizes the similarity between email accounts and social network user profiles, and at the same time explores the similarity between the email communication network and the social network under investigation. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our method using two real data sets on emails and Facebook. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ag2Se dendrites and nanoparticles were successfully fabricated through a rapid one-pot microwave-assisted solution method using EDTA as complexing agent and formamide as solvent and reducing agent. The as-prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and thermogravimetry-differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA) techniques. On the basis of the experimental observations, an in situ template growth mechanism was proposed to explain the formation of the Ag2Se dendrites and nanoparticles. Moreover, the electrical resistivity and Seebeck coefficient were investigated over the temperature range of 300–600 K to determine the impact of particle size and morphology on the electrical performance. The maximum power factor of 1.84 × 10−3 Wm−1 K−2 was obtained at 400 K for Ag2Se dendrites, which is about 20% larger than that of Ag2Se nanoparticles. The reasons of enhanced electrical performance were also carefully discussed in the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In many applications, such as bioinformatics and cross-market customer relationship management, there are data from multiple sources jointly describing the same set of objects. An important data mining task is to find interesting groups of objects that form clusters in subspaces of the data sources jointly supported by those data sources. In this paper, we study a novel problem of mining mutual subspace clusters from multiple sources. We develop two interesting models and the corresponding methods for mutual subspace clustering. The density-based model identifies dense regions in subspaces as clusters. The bottom-up method searches for density-based mutual subspace clusters systematically from low-dimensional subspaces to high-dimensional ones. The partitioning model divides points in a data set into k exclusive clusters and a signature subspace is found for each cluster, where k is the number of clusters desired by a user. The top-down method interleaves the well-known k-means clustering procedures in multiple sources. We use experimental results on synthetic data sets and real data sets to report the effectiveness and the efficiency of the methods. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Object: Although bone invasion and hyperostosis are common phenomena in patients with intracranial meningiomas, the basic pathomechanism is not fully understood. Based on an immunohistochemical study of surgically resected samples with hyperostosis, we postulate a possible mechanism of hyperostosis in patients with intracranial meningiomas. Materials and methods: Forty-six meningiomas were evaluated in this study. Twenty-six meningiomas associated with hyperostosis specimens served as the study group, and 20 meningiomas without any bony changes served as controls. An immunohistochemical staining technique was used to detect the expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2, -9, and -13, membrane type (MT)1-MMP, estrogen receptor (ER), and progesterone receptor (PR) in the main tumor and hyperostotic portions of the studied samples. Results: In the non-hyperostosis group, expression of MMP-13, MT1-MMP, and ER was significantly less than in the main tumor portion of hyperostotic meningiomas, while there was no difference in the expression of MMP-2 and -9 and PR in the main tumor between the two groups. In the hyperostosis group, the immunoreactivity of MMP-2 in the hyperostotic portion revealed a higher pattern of expression than the main tumor (p < 0.002). The expression of MMP-9, MT1-MMP, ER, and PR had relatively positive immunoreactivity in the main tumor portion (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Increased expression of MMP-13 and MT1-MMP in the tumor portion of hyperostosis of meningiomas might contribute to the initiation of osteolysis. Activated MMP-2 in hyperostotic lesions may change the physiological metabolism of the skull bone, thus playing an important role in hyperostosis formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The I-V characteristics of In2O3:SnO2/TiO2/In2O3:SnO2 junctions with different interfacial barriers are investigated by comparing experiments. A two-step resistance switching process is found for samples with two interfacial barriers produced by specific thermal treatment on the interfaces. The nonsynchronous occurrence of conducting filament formation through the oxide bulk and the reduction in the interfacial barrier due to the migration of oxygen vacancies under the electric field is supposed to explain the two-step resistive switching process. The unique switching properties of the device, based on interfacial barrier engineering, could be exploited for novel applications in nonvolatile memory devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]