Individual identification on the basis of the songs of the Asian Stubtail(Urosphena squameiceps)

We analyzed the songs of the Asian Stubtail (Urosphena squameiceps),a migratory passerine that breeds in northeast Asia.The possibility of individual identification of this species by songs was examined in a population in northern China during the breeding season of 2010.Individuality was determined using discriminant function analysis,artificial neural networks and spectrographic cross-correlation.Our results show that,the rate of correct classification is satisfactory in this species,regardless of methods.From an applied perspective,spectrographic cross-correlation is most suitable.Besides its maximum rate of correct classification (89.4％),it does not require measurements of spectrograms,which is a necessity other methods and may introduce artificial errors.We hope that our result of individual identification on the basis of acoustic signals may open up a new research venue for this species.

Identification of individuals with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease by the diagnostic criteria for the metabolic syndrome

AIM:To clarify the efficiency of the criterion of metabolic syndrome to detecting non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD).METHODS:Authors performed a cross-sectional study involving participants of a medical health checkup program including abdominal ultrasonography.This study involved 11 714 apparently healthy Japanese men and women,18 to 83 years of age.NAFLD was defined by abdominal ultrasonography without an alcohol intake of more than 20 g/d,known liver disease,or current use of medication.The revised criteria of the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment PanelⅢ were used to characterize the metabolic syndrome.RESULTS:NAFLD was detected in 32.2%(95%CI:31.0%-33.5%)of men(n=1874 of 5811)and in 8.7%(95%CI:8.0%-9.5%)of women(n=514 of 5903).Among obese people,the prevalence of NAFLD was as high as 67.3%(95%CI:64.8%-69.7%)in men and 45.8%(95%CI:41.7%-50.0%)in women.Although NAFLD was thought of as being the liver phenotype of metabolic syndrome,the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome among subjects with NAFLD was low both in men and women.66.8%of men and 70.4%of women with NAFLD were not diagnosed with the metabolic syndrome.48.2%of men with NAFLD and 49.8%of women with NAFLD weren't overweight[body mass index(BMI)≥25 kg/m2].In the same way,68.6%of men with NAFLD and 37.9%of women with NAFLD weren't satisfied with abdominal classification(≥90 cm for men and≥80 cm for women).Next,authors defined it as positive at screening for NAFLD when participants satisfied at least one criterion of metabolic syndrome.The sensitivity of the definition"at least 1 criterion"was as good as 84.8%in men and 86.6%in women.Separating subjects by BMI,the sensitivity was higher in obese men and women than in non-obese men and women(92.3%vs 76.8%in men,96.1%vs 77.0%in women,respectively).CONCLUSION:Authors could determine NAFLD effectively in epidemiological study by modifying the usage of the criteria for metabolic syndrome.

Iris Localization Algorithm Based on Improved Generalized Symmetry Transform

Accuracy and fastness of iris localization are very important in automatic iris recognition. A new fast iris localization algorithm based on improved generalized symmetry transform (GST) was proposed by utilizing (iris) symmetry. GST was improved in three aspects:1) A new distance weight function is defined. The new weight function, which is effective in iris localization, utilized the characteristic of irises that the iris is a circular object and it has one inner boundary and one outer boundary. 2) Each calculation of the symmetry measurement of a pair of symmetry points was performed by taking one point of a pair as the starting point of the transformation. This is the most important reason for fast iris localization,due to which, repetitious computation was largely excluded. 3) A new phase weight function was proposed to adjust GST to locate circle target much better because the inner part of iris is darker than the outer part. The edge map of iris image was acquired and GST was only implemented on the edge point, which decreased computation without loss of accuracy. The modification of distance weight function and phase weight function leads to the accuracy of localization, and other ideas speed up the localization. Experiments show that the average speed of new algorithm is about 7.0—8.5 times as high as traditional ones including integro-differential operator and Hough transform method.

A History of Personal Identification-- Growth of the Orator in Invisible Man

The notion of invisibility in Invisible Man is spoken out by the protagonist＇s growth as an orator. Rather than a recursive retrieving of his identity throughout the narrative, the invisible man reinvents his identity in his pursuit of pure persuasion. Both being terms in the Burkean system of literature rhetoric, pure persuasion, and identification become one for the unconscious purpose and the other for the symbolic action respectively in the protagonist-speaker＇s growth from an ideal emulator to speaker-audience mediator. In his identification with the audience and his ardent pursuit of pure persuasion, he paradoxically finds himself distanced from both his identity-to-be and the identity of his audience, with great division in-between. Though temporary corporation is achieved and occasional identification is resolved in the last two speeches, the protagonist only finds himself in a rhetorical context which is much more varied and more manipulative than he imagined. Such a realization renders the invisible man invisible again from the public stadium, who decides to resort to the pen for a life-long identification with the broader battlefield of racial discontinuity

AR Display Method of a Person＇s Identifier near the Head on a Camera Screen Based on the GPS Information and Face Detection Using Ad hoc and P2P Networking

The spread of social media has increased contacts of members of communities on the lntemet. Members of these communities often use account names instead of real names. When they meet in the real world, they will find it useful to have a tool that enables them to associate the faces in fiont of them with the account names they know. This paper proposes a method that enables a person to identify the account name of the person （＂target＂） in front of him/her using a smartphone. The attendees to a meeting exchange their identifiers （i.e., the account name） and GPS information using smartphones. When the user points his/her smartphone towards a target, the target＇s identifier is displayed near the target＇s head on the camera screen using AR （augmented reality）. The position where the identifier is displayed is calculated from the differences in longitude and latitude between the user and the target and the azimuth direction of the target from the user. The target is identified based on this information, the face detection coordinates, and the distance between the two. The proposed method has been implemented using Android terminals, and identification accuracy has been examined through experiments.

Analysis of the psychological conditions and related factors of breast cancer patients

Sufferers of breast cancer are often plagued by various psychological problems. Mastectomy, which has a serious influence on the female sex characteristics, can bring about especially serious psychological problems. These problems affect not only the patients’ quality of life but also the beginning, development, and end of the disease. This paper reviewed the relationships between the patients’ personal factors, the disease itself, treatment factors, and other socio-psychological factors and psychological conditions so as to provide new ideas for the psychological intervention on breast cancer patients, comprehensive clinical diagnosis and treatment, and prevention and cure.

湖南新邵(寸石)话的强调标记“别个”——兼论汉语方言他称代词到强调标记的两种类型

文章描写了湘语新邵(寸石)话的强调标记"别个"的话语功能、句法特点,并概括了它的语法化过程:认为指代义的弱化和主观性表达的需要是造成其语义演变的根本原因。再次证明了从他称代词到强调标记的语法化路径。通过相关方言的比较发现,汉语方言由他称代词发展而来的强调标记有两种类型,其中以"人家"的合音词为代表的强调标记主要作用于句法层面,而以"别个"为代表的强调标记则作用于话语或语用层面。

Advances in the development and component recognition of latent fingerprints

Fingerprints have been used as an indispensable tool for personal identification in forensic investigations since the late 19 th century. At present, fingerprinting technology has moved away from its forensic roots and is incorporating a broader scientific range, e.g., material science, spectroscopy and spectral analysis, and even in vitro diagnosis. After a brief introduction to latent fingerprints, this mini-review presents the pioneering progresses of fingerprinting technologies including(i) material and electrochemical techniques, and(ii) spectral and spectroscopy imaging techniques and immunological techniques capable of both the visualization of a fingerprint and the detection of chemicals present in it. Finally, perspectives on this rapidly developing field are discussed.

Who＇s your neighbor？ Acoustic cues to individual identity in red squirrel Tamiasciurus hudsonicus rattle calls

North American red squirrels Tamiasciurus hudsonicus often produce a loud territorial rattle call when conspecifics enter or invade a territory. Previous playback experiments suggest that the territorial rattle call may indicate an invader＇s identity as squirrels responded more intensely to calls played from strangers than to calls played from neighbors. This dear-enemy effect is well known in a variety of bird and mammal species and functions to reduce aggressive interactions between known neighbors. However, although previous experiments on red squirrels suggest some form of individual differentiation and thus recognition, detailed acoustic analysis of potential acoustic cues in rattle calls have not been conducted. If calls function to aid in conspecific identifi- cation in order to mitigate aggressive territorial interactions, we would expect that individual recognition cues would be acoustically represented. Our work provides a detailed analysis of acoustic cues to identity within rattle calls. A total of 225 calls across 32 in- dividual squirrels from Sheep River Provincial Park, Kananaskis, AB, Canada, were analyzed with discriminant function analysis for potential acoustic cues to individual identity. Initial analysis of all individuals revealed a reliable acoustic differentiation across individuals. A more detailed analysis of clusters of neighboring squirrels was performed and results again indicated a statistically significant likelihood that calls were assigned correctly to specific squirrels （55%-75% correctly assigned）; in other words squirrels have distinct voices that should allow for individual identification and discrimination by conspecifics [Current Zoology 58 （5）： 758-764, 2012].

Individual consistency and sex differences in migration strategies of Scopoli＇s shearwaters Calonectris diomedea despite year differences

Recently-developed capabilities for tracking the movements of individual birds over the course of a year or longer has provided increasing evidence for consistent individual differences in migration schedules and destinations. This raises questions about the relative importance of individual consistency versus flexibility in the evolution of migration strategies, and has implications for the ability of populations to respond to climatic change. Using geolocators, we tracked the migrations of Scopoli＇s shearwaters Calonectris diomedea breeding in Linosa （Italy） across three years, and analysed timing and spatial aspects of their movements. Birds showed remarkable variation in their main wintering destination along the western coast of Africa. We found significant individual consistency in the total distance traveled, time spent in transit, and time that individuals spent in the win- tering areas. We found extensive sex differences in scheduling, duration, distances and destinations of migratory journeys. We also found sex differences in the degree of individual consistency in aspects of migration behaviour. Despite strong evidence for individual consistency, which indicates that migration journeys from the same bird tended to be more similar than those of dif- ferent birds, there remained substantial intra-individual variation between years. Indeed, we also found clear annual differences in departure dates, return dates, wintering period, the total distance traveled and re^rn routes from wintering grounds back to the colony. These findings show that this population flexibly shifts migration schedules as well as routes between years in response to direct or indirect effects of heterogeneity in the environment, while maintaining consistent individual migration strategies [Current Zoology 60 （5）： 631-641, 2014].

Memory of conspecifics in male salamanders Plethodon cinereus： Implications for territorial defense

We investigated how exposure duration （time that two individuals initially interact） and separation interval （time be- tween the initial interaction and a subsequent interaction） affect recognition memory of conspecifics in male red-backed sala- manders Plethodon cinereus. Previous studies have demonstrated that this species aggressively defends territories. We recorded aggressive behavior to assess recognition memory, because aggression is more intense toward previously unencountered indi- viduals compared to previously encountered individuals in this species. We found that with 15-min exposures and 5-day separa- tion intervals, focal males did not spend significantly more time threatening ＇unfamiliar＇ intruders than ＇familiar＇ intruders. After either 8-hour exposures and 5-day separation intervals and 5-day exposures and 5-day separation intervals, focal males spent sig- nificantly more time threatening unfamiliar intruders than familiar intruders. These results suggest that male red-backed salaman- ders can remember familiar conspecifics （e.g., territorial neighbors） after at least an 8-hour exposure duration and that memory persists at least as long as 5 days. After 5-day exposure and 15-day separation intervals, we found no significant difference in ag- gressive behavior toward familiar and unfamiliar intruders. Long separation intervals （15 days） may lead either to loss of memory of previously familiar individuals or, alternatively, aggressive reassessment of individuals as only a change in behavior indicates positively that memory has occurred. Thus, variance in territorial defense within an individual may depend on its ability to recog- nize conspecific males .

New era writers： aesthetic choices and the generation gap

Since the 1990s, the generation gap among three important groups of writers born in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s has become ever more evident. Not only do they show a tendency toward the weakening of grand narrative and sense of responsibility and the strengthening of individual aspirations, they also show different aesthetic traits in terms of narrative form. Some advocate a realist style, while others pursue modernist techniques or are enamored of fragmentary details. At the same time, each generation projects its own aesthetic ideas. From the viewpoint of cultural anthropology, this kind Of generation gap essentially implies the effect of the latent protocols of different historical-cultural contexts and memories of growing up on the human spirit. Although the generation gap is an expression of a plural cultural scene, the question of how to strengthen intellectual interaction between different generations of writers and effectively overcome the limitations of each generation remains an important aspect of the promotion of the healthy development of modern Chinese literature.

Ontogenetic mechanisms underlying sexual size dimorphism in Urodele amphibians： An across-species approach

Why do two sexes of the same species differ in body size holds a long-standing question of evolutionary biology. While many across-species comparisons have focused on ultimate causes behind sexual size dimorphism （SSD）, only have a few been directed toward elucidating its ontogenetic basis. Urodeles are an amphibian group in which the direction and degree of SSD vary greatly among species. Using demographic data yielded by skeletochronology for 33 urodele species, the current study re- veals a positive across-species correlation between SSD and the sex difference in mean age of adult animals, and the latter in- creases with the corresponding difference in age at maturity; annual growth rate does not differ between the sexes. We conclude that extended longevities in one sex, which is mediated by delayed maturation, would allow it to grow for longer and get larger, with growth rate making a weak contribution to body size. The sex-specific divergence in ontogenetic trajectory might be ex- plained by potentially high growth costs of reproduction to females in association with stronger fecundity selection, and to males that are expected to experience stronger sexual selection [Current Zoology 59 （1）： 142-150, 2013].