bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Initiating intramuscular depot medroxyprogesterone acetate 24–48 hours after mifepristone administration does not affect success of early medical abortion
Authors: Lang Christina , Chen Zhong Eric , Johnstone Anne , Cameron Sharon
Published: July 2018

Objectives

The primary objective of this study was to determine whether intramuscular depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (IM DMPA) given at the time of misoprostol administration, 24–48 hours after mifepristone, affects the rate of continuing pregnancy. In addition, the study explored factors predictive of continuing pregnancy.

Design

Case-control study based on database review of women who underwent early medical abortion (EMA) over a 4-year period.

Setting

Single abortion service in Scotland.

Participants

5122 women who underwent an EMA within the timeframe of this study.

Main outcome measures

Continuing pregnancies among women receiving IM DMPA were compared with those choosing other hormonal methods of contraception, non-hormonal contraception or no contraception at the time of misoprostol administration. Logistic regression was performed to assess the effects of demographic characteristics, gestation at presentation and method of contraception provided, on outcome of pregnancy.

Results

A total of 4838 women with complete data were included, of which there were 20 continuing pregnancies (0.4%); 284 women were excluded due to missing data. There was no increased risk of a continuing pregnancy among women who initiated IM DMPA at the time of misoprostol administration (24–48 hours after mifepristone) compared with women who initiated no hormonal contraception at this time (RR 0.48; 95% CI 0.06 to 3.81). Gestation ≥8 weeks and previous terminations were factors associated with increased likelihood of continuing pregnancy.

Conclusions

Women choosing IM DMPA after EMA can be reassured that IM DMPA can be safely initiated at the time of misoprostol administration 24–48 hours after mifepristone without an increase in the risk of a continuing pregnancy. Both increasing gestation and previous termination were factors associated with an increased likelihood of continuing pregnancy following an EMA.
Regional thalamic MRI as a marker of widespread cortical pathology and progressive frontotemporal involvement in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Authors: Tu Sicong , Menke Ricarda A L , Talbot Kevin , Kiernan Matthew C , Turner Martin R
Published: July 2018

Background

The thalamus is a major neural hub, with selective connections to virtually all cortical regions of the brain. The multisystem neurodegenerative syndrome amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) has pathogenic overlap with frontotemporal dementia, and objective in vivo markers of extra-motor pathological spread are lacking. To better consider the role of the thalamus in neurodegeneration, the present study assessed the integrity of the thalamus and its connectivity to major cortical regions of the brain in a longitudinal manner.

Methods

Diffusion-based MRI tractography was used to parcellate the thalamus into distinct regions based on structural thalamo-cortical connectivity in 20 patients with ALS, half of whom were scanned at two time points, and 31 matched controls scanned on a single occasion.

Results

At baseline, widespread diffusivity alterations in motor- and extramotor-associated thalamic parcellations were detectable. Longitudinal decline selectively affected thalamic regions associated with frontal and temporal lobe connectivity. Diffusivity measures were significantly correlated with clinical measures of disease burden. Progression of functional disability, as indicated by change on the ALS functional rating scale, was associated with longitudinal change in mean diffusivity of the right frontal lobe thalamic parcellation (r=0.59, p=0.05).

Conclusions

Regional thalamic connectivity changes mirror the progressive frontotemporal cortical involvement associated with the motor functional decline in ALS. Longitudinal MRI thalamic parcellation has potential as a non-invasive surrogate marker of cortical dysfunction in ALS.
Ensuring respect for persons in COMPASS: a cluster randomised pragmatic clinical trial
Authors: Andrews Joseph E , Moore J Brian , Weinberg Richard B , Sissine Mysha , Gesell Sabina , Halladay Jacquie , Rosamond Wayne , Bushnell Cheryl , Jones Sara , Means Paula , King Nancy M P , Omoyeni Diana , Duncan Pamela W
Published: July 2018

Cluster randomised clinical trials present unique challenges in meeting ethical obligations to those who are treated at a randomised site. Obtaining informed consent for research within the context of clinical care is one such challenge. In order to solve this problem it is important that an informed consent process be effective and efficient, and that it does not impede the research or the healthcare. The innovative approach to informed consent employed in the COMPASS study demonstrates the feasibility of upholding ethical standards without imposing undue burden on clinical workflows, staff members or patients who may participate in the research by virtue of their presence in a cluster randomised facility. The COMPASS study included 40 randomised sites and compared the effectiveness of a postacute stroke intervention with standard care. Each site provided either the comprehensive postacute stroke intervention or standard care according to the randomisation assignment. Working together, the study team, institutional review board and members of the community designed an ethically appropriate and operationally reasonable consent process which was carried out successfully at all randomised sites. This achievement is noteworthy because it demonstrates how to effectively conduct appropriate informed consent in cluster randomised trials, and because it provides a model that can easily be adapted for other pragmatic studies. With this innovative approach to informed consent, patients have access to the information they need about research occurring where they are seeking care, and medical researchers can conduct their studies without ethical concerns or unreasonable logistical impediments.

Trial registration number

NCT02588664, recruiting. This article covers the development of consent process that is currentlty being employed in the study.
Substance in bureaucratic procedures for healthcare resource allocation: a reply to Smith
Authors: Badano Gabriele
Published: July 2018

William Smith’s recent article criticises the so-called orthodox approaches to the normative analysis of healthcare resource allocation, associated to the requirement that decision-makers should abide by strictly procedural principles of legitimacy defining a deliberative democratic process. Much of the appeal of Smith’s argument goes down to his awareness of real-world processes and, in particular, to the large gap he identifies between well-led democratic deliberation and the messiness of the process through which the intuitively legitimate Affordable Care Act (ACA) was created. This reply aims to demonstrate that the ACA provides no counterexample to orthodox views, seizing this opportunity to explore the specific space that the procedural principles populating orthodox accounts are meant to regulate. Neither general questions of healthcare justice concerning, for example, universal access nor, relatedly, the activity of elected politicians falls within the natural scope of application of such principles, revealing a much more complex picture of the interactions between justice and legitimacy as well as substantive and procedural considerations than acknowledged by Smith. In the end, orthodox accounts of healthcare resource allocation turn out to provide a precious fund of theoretical resources for the normative study of administrators, which might be useful well beyond bioethics and health policy.
Effect of supplementation of sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate as fat emulsifier in low-density diet on growth performance, backfat thickness, lean muscle percentage, and meat quality in finishing pigs
Authors: Yun H.M. , Yun K.S. , Upadhaya S.D. , Kim I.H.
Published: July 2018

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of supplementation of sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate as fat emulsifier in low-density diet on the growth performance and meat quality of finishing pigs. A total of 84 mixed-sex finishing pigs [(Landrace × Yorkshire) × Duroc] at 112 d of age with an average body weight (BW) of 60 ± 0.75 kg (two gilts and two barrows per pen; seven pens per treatment) were used in a 56 d experiment. Pigs were randomly allotted to one of three treatments based on BW and stratified based on sex. The following three treatments were used (1) control basal diet (T1), (2) low-energy diet (T2), and (3) T2 + 0.1% sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate emulsifier (T3). The supplementation of sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate as fat emulsifier in energy-reduced diet did not have significant effects on growth performance compared with energy-reduced diet without emulsifier, although it slightly increased final BW by 1.45%, average daily gain by 3.3%, gain to feed ratio by 3.77%, and reduced average daily feed intake by 0.64%. The supplementation of emulsifier in energy-reduced diet did not have any adverse effect (P > 0.05) on meat quality attributes, as well as backfat thickness and lean muscle percentage (LMP), compared with energy-reduced diet without emulsifier or basal diet. In conclusion, the supplementation of emulsifier at 0.1% level in low-energy diet did not have significant effects on growth performance, backfat thickness, LMP, and meat quality attributes in finishing pigs.
Delivering Usability in IT Products: Empirical Lessons from the Field
Authors: Weichbroth Paweł
Published: July 2018

On the surface, one might think that revealing the factors that impact on software product usability and the success of an entire project would be relatively simple; however, reported evidence from practitioners and scholars frequently shows the opposite. The aim of this study was to determine factors with a positive (negative) impact on delivering usability in a software product and the success (failure) of an entire project. This paper presents the results of our study, where 11 factors were identified and described, along with an outline of 11 goal-oriented rules incorporating the expertise and knowledge of project managers. The elaborated body of knowledge, positively evaluated by IT professionals, would seem to be a valuable asset during the risk analysis performed before the kick-off of a project as well as in understanding the notion of usability.
Syntax versus semantics in knowledge bases – I
Authors: Aladova Elena
Published: July 2018

This paper is the first one in a series of papers where we lay special attention on syntax and semantics in knowledge base theory. The main goal of the present paper is to set up all necessary mathematical background for the definition of a knowledge-base model which will be introduced in the next paper. We should emphasize that in these papers we develop a slightly different approach to the knowledge-base model than in the previous ones.
Some new results on Gröbner–Shirshov bases for Lie algebras and around
Authors: Bokut L. A. , Chen Yuqun , Obul Abdukadir
Published: July 2018

We review Gröbner–Shirshov bases for Lie algebras and survey some new results on Gröbner–Shirshov bases for [Formula: see text]-Lie algebras, Gelfand–Dorfman–Novikov algebras, Leibniz algebras, etc. Some applications are given, in particular, some characterizations of extensions of groups, associative algebras and Lie algebras are given.
Algebraic geometry over algebraic structures X: Ordinal dimension
Authors: Daniyarova Evelina Yur’evna , Myasnikov Alexei Georgievich , Remeslennikov Vladimir Nikanorovich
Published: July 2018

This work is devoted to interpretation of concepts of Zariski dimension of an algebraic variety over a field and of Krull dimension of a coordinate ring in algebraic geometry over algebraic structures of an arbitrary signature. Proposed dimensions are ordinal numbers (ordinals).
On the augmentation topology of automorphism groups of affine spaces and algebras
Authors: Kanel-Belov Alexei , Yu Jie-Tai , Elishev Andrey
Published: July 2018

We study topological properties of Ind-groups [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] of automorphisms of polynomial and free associative algebras via Ind-schemes, toric varieties, approximations, and singularities. We obtain a number of properties of [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text] is the polynomial or free associative algebra over the base field [Formula: see text]. We prove that all Ind-scheme automorphisms of [Formula: see text] are inner for [Formula: see text], and all Ind-scheme automorphisms of [Formula: see text] are semi-inner. As an application, we prove that [Formula: see text] cannot be embedded into [Formula: see text] by the natural abelianization. In other words, the Automorphism Group Lifting Problem has a negative solution. We explore close connection between the above results and the Jacobian conjecture, as well as the Kanel-Belov–Kontsevich conjecture, and formulate the Jacobian conjecture for fields of any characteristic. We make use of results of Bodnarchuk and Rips, and we also consider automorphisms of tame groups preserving the origin and obtain a modification of said results in the tame setting.
Word maps on perfect algebraic groups
Authors: Gordeev Nikolai , Kunyavskiĭ Boris , Plotkin Eugene
Published: July 2018

We extend Borel’s theorem on the dominance of word maps from semisimple algebraic groups to some perfect groups. In another direction, we generalize Borel’s theorem to some words with constants. We also consider the surjectivity problem for particular words and groups, give a brief survey of recent results, present some generalizations and variations and discuss various approaches, with emphasis on new ideas, constructions and connections.
A two-dimensional slice through the parameter space of two-generator Kleinian groups
Authors: Klimenko Elena , Kopteva Natalia
Published: July 2018

We describe all real points of the parameter space of two-generator Kleinian groups with a parabolic generator, that is, we describe a certain two-dimensional slice through this space. In order to do this, we gather together known discreteness criteria for two-generator groups with a parabolic generator and present them in the form of conditions on parameters. We complete the description by giving discreteness criteria for groups generated by a parabolic and a [Formula: see text]-loxodromic elements whose commutator has real trace and present all orbifolds uniformized by such groups.
Supertropical quadratic forms II: Tropical trigonometry and applications
Authors: Izhakian Zur , Knebusch Manfred , Rowen Louis
Published: July 2018

This paper is a sequel of [Z. Izhakian, M. Knebusch and L. Rowen, Supertropical semirings and supervaluations, J. Pure Appl. Algebra 220(1) (2016) 61–93], where we introduced quadratic forms on a module [Formula: see text] over a supertropical semiring [Formula: see text] and analyzed the set of bilinear companions of a quadratic form [Formula: see text] in case the module [Formula: see text] is free, with fairly complete results if [Formula: see text] is a supersemifield. Given such a companion [Formula: see text], we now classify the pairs of vectors in [Formula: see text] in terms of [Formula: see text] This amounts to a kind of tropical trigonometry with a sharp distinction between the cases for which a sort of Cauchy–Schwarz (CS) inequality holds or fails. This distinction is governed by the so-called CS-ratio [Formula: see text] of a pair of anisotropic vectors [Formula: see text] in [Formula: see text]. We apply this to study the supertropicalizations (cf. [Z. Izhakian, M. Knebusch and L. Rowen, Supertropical semirings and supervaluations, J. Pure Appl. Algebra 220(1) (2016) 61–93]) of a quadratic form on a free module [Formula: see text] over a field in the simplest cases of interest where [Formula: see text].

In the last part of the paper, we introduce a suitable equivalence relation on [Formula: see text], whose classes we call rays. (It is coarser than usual projective equivalence.) For anisotropic [Formula: see text] the CS-ratio [Formula: see text] depends only on the rays of [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. We develop essential basics for a kind of convex geometry on the ray-space of [Formula: see text], where the CS-ratios play a major role.
Types of points and algebras
Authors: Zhitomirski G.
Published: July 2018

The connection between classical model theoretical types (MT-types) and logically-geometrical types (LG-types) introduced by B. Plotkin is considered. It is proved that MT-types of two [Formula: see text]-tuples in two universal algebras coincide if and only if their LG-types coincide. Two problems set by B. Plotkin are considered: (1) let two tuples in an algebra have the same type, does it imply that they are connected by an automorphism of this algebra? and (2) let two algebras have the same type, does it imply that they are isomorphic? Some varieties of universal algebras are considered having in view these problems. In particular, it is proved that if a variety is hopfian or co-hopfian, then finitely generated free algebras of such a variety are completely determined by their type.
Strong absorption model with antisymmetric S-matrix
Authors: Berezhnoy Yu. A. , Molev A. S.
Published: July 2018

We present a strong absorption model with an [Formula: see text]-matrix in a new form of an antisymmetrized Fermi distribution for describing diffraction patterns of neutron–nucleus scattering at intermediate energies. The proposed antisymmetric [Formula: see text]-matrix has a form close to the conventional one and allows to obtain exact analytical expressions for the damping factor that determines the elastic scattering amplitude and the total cross-sections for interaction, reactions and elastic scattering. The use of an antisymmetrized Fermi function instead of the usual Fermi function in successful strong absorption models basically does not notably affect the calculated nucleon–nucleus elastic scattering differential cross-sections in the intermediate energy region.
Entrepreneurial Intention: An Exploratory Study of Fashion Students
Authors: Zhao Li , Davis L. , Copeland Lauren
Published: July 2018

Consumers’ new shopping patterns and emerging technologies have created various opportunities, as well as challenges for fashion entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurship education plays a vital role in cultivating entrepreneurship and innovation, and can help to shape a person’s entrepreneurial disposition, skills, and competence (Kuratko, 2005), all of which are essential for realization of entrepreneurship in enterprises (Unger et al., 2011). Due to limited research on entrepreneurial intentions of fashion students, it is crucial to discover what factors are relatively more important for cultivating entrepreneurial intentions among fashion students. This study used in-depth interviews with open-ended questions from September 2016 to December 2016 to uncover valuable themes regarding this topic. Findings of this study indicate that both internal and external factors contribute to fashion students’ entrepreneurial intentions. The findings provide valuable insights for policy makers and fashion educators to promote entrepreneurship education and provide better support for fashion students to pursue entrepreneurial success.
Locally isomorphic torsionless modules over domains of finite character
Authors: Ay Saylam Basak , Klingler Lee
Published: July 2018

In a 2002 paper, P. Goeters and B. Olberding compare local, near, and stable isomorphisms of torsionless modules over [Formula: see text]-local domains. In this paper, we compare these weaker forms of isomorphisms of torsionless modules over domains of finite character.
All symbolic powers and ordinary powers of the defining ideal of a fat nearly-complete intersection are equal
Authors: Haghighi Hassan , Mosakhani Mohammad
Published: July 2018

The purpose of this paper is to study the containment problem for the corresponding ideal [Formula: see text] of a special zero dimensional subscheme [Formula: see text] in [Formula: see text], what we call a fat nearly-complete intersection. We show that for every positive integer [Formula: see text], the equality [Formula: see text] holds.
Duals and multipliers of controlled frames in Hilbert spaces
Authors: Rashidi-Kouchi M. , Rahimi A. , Shah Firdous A.
Published: July 2018

In this paper, we introduce and characterize controlled dual frames in Hilbert spaces. We also investigate the relation between bounds of controlled frames and their related frames. Then, we define the concept of approximate duality for controlled frames in Hilbert spaces. Next, we introduce multiplier operators of controlled frames in Hilbert spaces and investigate some of their properties. Finally, we show that the inverse of a controlled multiplier operator is also a controlled multiplier operator under some mild conditions.
Fabrication and Photoelectrochemical Performance Optimization of CuInS2 Quantum Dots Sensitized TiO2 Nanonails Array Photoelectrodes
Authors: Su Xiaofa , Qi Yan , Shi Baozhu , Lv Yanqun , Tian Lecheng
Published: July 2018

The CuInS2 quantum dots sensitization of TiO2 nanonails (NNs) array was successfully carried out by a successive ionic layer absorption and reaction (SILAR) method using CuCl2 ⋅ 2H2O, InCl3 ⋅ 4H2O and Na2S ⋅ 9H2O as precursors. The morphology, elemental composition and crystalline structure of the CuInS2 quantum dots sensitized TiO2 NNs array heterojunction nanostructures were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray-photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The above characterization results could unanimously reveal that the nanoparticles successfully loaded on the TiO2 NNs array can be assigned as CuInS2 quantum dots. UV-Vis absorption measurements indicated that the CuInS2 quantum dots sensitization extended the visible light absorption. The largest short-circuit photocurrent density of 17.7[Formula: see text]mA/cm2 was obtained, which indicated that the CuInS2 was a promising material in activating visible light functionalities and enhancing photoelectrochemical performance.
Engineering Iron-Based Nanoparticles Spatially Dispersed on Mesoporous Carbon and Its Catalytic Activity for the Direct Oxidization of Benzene to Phenol
Authors: Sun Qiang , Liu Long , Li Yi-Ding , Wang Zeng-Rong , Zhang Xue
Published: July 2018

We report engineered iron-based nanoparticles supported on cagelike mesoporous carbon that leaves its most mesopores empty to retain an open pore network and are expected to be efficient catalyst with fast molecular diffusion/transportation. The nano-scale iron-based particle inlayed in mesoporous carbon catalyst was obtained via the introduction of N atoms as an anchor. Results of X-ray diffraction, N2 sorption and transmission electron microscopy showed that the cagelike mesoporous structure of the carbon matrix was retained during catalyst preparation and iron-based nanoparticles were spatially dispersed on the mesoporous carbon. Importantly, it was found that the obtained iron-based nanoparticles inlayed into mesoporous carbon with a low Fe loading of 1.26[Formula: see text]wt.% was an appropriate catalyst for the benzene hydroxylation to phenol using H2O2 as the oxidant. At a low temperature of 30∘C, 19.4% conversion to benzene and 14.6% phenol yield were obtained; in addition, the catalyst could be recycled at least four times.
Coexistence in a mutualistic model with cross-diffusion in a heterogeneous environment
Authors: Adam Badradeen , Lin Zhigui , Tarboush Abdelrazig K.
Published: July 2018

To understand the impact of environmental heterogeneity and mutualistic interaction of species, we consider a mutualistic model with cross-diffusion in a heterogeneous environment. Semi-coexistence states have been studied by using the corresponding eigenvalue problems, and sufficient conditions for the existence and non-existence of coexistence states are given. Our results show that the model possesses at least one coexistence solution if the intrinsic populations growth rates are big or free-diffusion and cross-diffusion coefficients are weak. Otherwise, the model have no coexistence solution. The true solutions are obtained by utilizing the monotone iterative schemes. In order to illustrate our analytical results, some numerical simulations are given.
Synchronization of switched Boolean networks with impulsive effects
Authors: Xu Xiaojing , Liu Yansheng , Li Haitao , Alsaadi Fuad E.
Published: July 2018

This paper studies the state/output synchronization of switched Boolean networks (SBNs) with impulsive effects via the algebraic state space representation (ASSR) approach. First, an algebraic form is established for SBNs with impulsive effects via ASSR. Second, based on the algebraic form, some necessary and sufficient conditions are presented for the state/output synchronization of SBNs with impulsive effects under arbitrary switching signals. Third, two special kinds of switching signals, that is, free switching signal and feedback switching signal, are considered for the state synchronization of SBNs with impulsive effects. Finally, two illustrative examples are worked out to show the effectiveness of the obtained results.
Independence number of generalized products of graphs
Authors: Mehta H. S. , Acharya U. P.
Published: July 2018

The tensor product and the Cartesian product of two graphs are very well-known graph products and studied in detail. Many graph parameters, particularly independence number, have been studied for these graph products. These two graph products have been generalized by [Formula: see text]-tensor product and [Formula: see text]-Cartesian product, respectively, and studied in detail. In this paper, we discuss the independence number for [Formula: see text]-tensor product [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]-Cartesian product [Formula: see text]. In general, we obtain lower bound and upper bound for the independence number.
Fuglede–Putnam type theorems via the generalized second Aluthge transform
Authors: Maleki Manzar , Janfada Ali Reza
Published: July 2018

Let [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] be the polar decompositions of [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. A pair [Formula: see text] is said to have the FP-property if [Formula: see text] implies [Formula: see text] for any [Formula: see text]. Let [Formula: see text] denote the generalized second Aluthge transform of a bounded linear operator [Formula: see text] such that [Formula: see text] is the polar decomposition of [Formula: see text] where [Formula: see text] denotes the first Aluthge transform of operator [Formula: see text]. We show that (i) if [Formula: see text] is class [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] is invertible class [Formula: see text] operators with [Formula: see text] such that [Formula: see text] for some Hilbert Schmidt operator [Formula: see text], then [Formula: see text]; (ii) if [Formula: see text] for any [Formula: see text], then [Formula: see text] for any [Formula: see text], furthermore, if [Formula: see text] is invertible, then [Formula: see text]. Finally, if [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] is an operator such that [Formula: see text], then we prove that [Formula: see text] for any [Formula: see text] such that [Formula: see text].
Morphology transformation and self-selective etching of ZnO nanostructures under centralized polarization field
Authors: Zhang Yimin , Huang Bo , He Guannan , He Qinyu
Published: July 2018

The morphology of ZnO nanostructures has great influence on its performance in device applications. In this paper, ZnO nanoflowers composed of nanorods have been synthesized by introducing a centralized polarization field in aqueous solution method. Meanwhile, with the decrease of precursor solution, obvious self-selective etching has been observed on ZnO (002) planes and the nanorods gradually transform to nanotubes. The room-temperature photoluminescence spectra show the UV emission, as well as the visible emissions which indicate the defects in the samples. Moreover, based on the SEM and XRD analysis, the possible growth mechanisms of different ZnO nanostructures were proposed.
Electrical properties of 0–3 0.5(Ba0.7Ca0.3)TiO3–0.5Ba(Zr0.2Ti0.8)O3/PVDF nanocomposites
Authors: Pandey Bablu K. , Kumar Amit , Chandra K. P. , Kulkarni A. R. , Jayaswal S. K. , Prasad K.
Published: July 2018

Lead-free [Formula: see text](0.50(Ba[Formula: see text]Ca[Formula: see text]TiO3–0.50Ba(Zr[Formula: see text]Ti[Formula: see text]O[Formula: see text]-([Formula: see text]PVDF ceramic–polymer nanocomposites with [Formula: see text], 0.05, 0.10, 0.15, 0.20, 0.25 were prepared using melt-mixing technique. The distribution of nanoceramic filler particles (0.50(Ba[Formula: see text]Ca[Formula: see text]TiO3–0.50Ba(Zr[Formula: see text]Ti[Formula: see text]O[Formula: see text] in the PVDF matrix were examined using scanning electron microscope. Impedance analysis indicated the negative temperature coefficient of resistance character of all the test specimens. Filler concentration-dependent piezoelectric coefficient ([Formula: see text] data followed exponential growth types of variation. The data for ac conductivity were found to obey Jonscher’s power law. The correlated barrier hopping (CBH) model was found to explain the mechanism of charge transport occurring in the system. The low value of loss tangent ([Formula: see text]) along with the high value of [Formula: see text] foreshadowing the prospect of present nanocomposite is a better nonlead option for piezo-sensing/detection applications, especially in bio-medical area.
Wotan
Authors: Petelin Oleg , Betz Vaughn
Published: July 2018

FPGA routing architectures consist of routing wires and programmable switches that together account for the majority of the fabric delay and area, making evaluation and optimization of an FPGA’s routing architecture very important. Routing architectures have traditionally been evaluated using a full synthesize, pack, place and route CAD flow over a suite of benchmark circuits. While the results are accurate, a full CAD flow has a long runtime and is often tuned to a specific FPGA architecture type, which limits exploration of different architecture options early in the design process. In this article, we present Wotan, a tool to quickly estimate routability for a wide range of architectures without the use of benchmark circuits. At its core, our routability predictor efficiently counts paths through the FPGA routing graph to (1) estimate the probability of node congestion and (2) estimate the probabilities to successfully route a randomized subset of
(source, sink)
pairs, which are then combined into an overall routability metric. We describe our predictor and present routability estimates for a range of 6-LUT and 4-LUT architectures using mixes of wire types connected in complex ways, showing a rank correlation of 0.91 with routability results from the full VPR CAD flow while requiring 18× less CPU effort.
Efficient Energy-Compensated VPLs using Photon Splatting
Authors: Sriwasansak Jamorn , Gruson Adrien , Hachisuka Toshiya
Published: July 2018

Efficient light transport simulation is important for many applications in computer graphics. Many-light methods based on virtual point lights (VPLs) especially work well for scenes consist mainly of diffuse materials. Rendered images with VPLs, however, are known to suffer from energy loss due to clamping of the VPL contributions. Removing this clamping, unfortunately, introduces significant variance in images due to the singularities of VPLs. We propose an efficient and practical algorithm which compensates energy loss of VPLs using yet another efficient rendering method -- photon splatting. Recent unified path sampling frameworks show that VPLs are in fact photons. Based on this unified formulation, we propose to reuse VPLs as photons to compensate missing energy of clamped VPLs. This combination is very natural: the singularities of VPLs happen if a shading point is too close to VPLs, but such VPLs can also be seen as neighboring photons that are indeed useful for photon density estimation. We formulate this energy compensation process using multiple importance sampling to combine rendering with VPLs and photon splatting optimally. Our algorithm can be efficiently implemented on GPUs since rendering with VPLs and photon splatting are both suitable for GPUs. The results demonstrate that our method produces more accurate images in the same rendering time than the existing methods. For common use cases of rendering mostly diffuse scenes, our work leads to an efficient, accurate, and practical rendering algorithm based on VPLs.
Sampling-based Rig Conversion into Non-rigid Helper Bones
Authors: Mukai Tomohiko
Published: July 2018

While 3D animation packages provide a wide variety of animation rigs for creating expressive skin animation, most interactive systems employ linear blend skinning for hard realtime computation. We propose a method for converting an arbitrary skeleton-driven deformer into a linear blend skinning-based helper bone rig. Our system builds the target rig by applying an example-based skinning technique that uses a minimal training dataset obtained from the source model by two-pass sampling of the skin deformation. The first uniform sampling analyzes the relationship between the rotation of each joint and the deformation of skin vertices. The second sampling composes a minimum training dataset by selecting important pose samples using novel geometrical measures. We also propose a skinning decomposition with similarity transformation algorithm for accurately approximating the non-rigid skin deformation behavior by helper bone transformations. Our experimental results demonstrate the proposed automated rig conversion into non-rigid helper bones from several skeleton-driven deformers, including Delta Mush deformers, corrective blendshapes, and virtual-muscle systems.
A Narrow-Range Filter for Screen-Space Fluid Rendering
Authors: Truong Nghia , Yuksel Cem
Published: July 2018

We introduce a simple screen-space filtering technique for real-time rendering of particle-based fluid simulations. Starting with a depth-map generated directly from the particle data, our new filter formulation smooths the depth-map by considering the depth values in a narrow range. The depth values outside of this range are carefully handled to achieve the desired surface shape near discontinuities. The simplicity of our formulation leads to a computationally efficient filter. We present examples with complex particle-based fluid simulations and provide comparisons, clearly showing that our filter provides improved surface quality in terms of surface smoothness and preserving boundaries near discontinuities, as compared to prior filtering methods.
A Survey of Physics-Based Attack Detection in Cyber-Physical Systems
Authors: Giraldo Jairo , Urbina David , Cardenas Alvaro , Valente Junia , Faisal Mustafa , Ruths Justin , Tippenhauer Nils Ole , Sandberg Henrik , Candell Richard
Published: July 2018

Monitoring the “physics” of cyber-physical systems to detect attacks is a growing area of research. In its basic form, a security monitor creates time-series models of sensor readings for an industrial control system and identifies anomalies in these measurements to identify potentially false control commands or false sensor readings. In this article, we review previous work on physics-based anomaly detection based on a unified taxonomy that allows us to identify limitations and unexplored challenges and to propose new solutions.
Digital Information Asset Evaluation
Authors: Batini Carlo , Castelli Marco , Viscusi Gianluigi , Cappiello Cinzia , Francalanci Chiara
Published: July 2018

The article discusses a model for information value assessment based on the concepts of information capacity, information utility, and information management costs. Notwithstanding that both state-of-the-art researchers and practitioners consider information as a fundamental asset, there is actually no consensus on what are the determinants of information value, particularly with regard to the increasing number of data available through digitalized processes and services. The model is applied to a case study comparing two information management projects for the improvement of core business processes of a global manufacturing company based in Italy.
The Effects of Institution-Based Trust on Community Commitments
Authors: Song Jaeki , Kim Junghwan , Triche Jason , Kim Miri , Chai Sangmi
Published: July 2018

This study investigates how institution-based trust affects community members' commitments toward their online communities. Drawing on trust and regulatory focus theory, our research model explains that institution-based trust (situational normality and structural assurance) influences members' community commitments and that members' regulatory foci (promotion- and prevention-focus) moderate the impacts of institution-based trust on community commitments. To test our research model, we surveyed 303 members of online communities. We find that structural assurance (not situational normality) positively affects members' community commitments. We also find that members' promotion-focused motivations moderate the relationship between situational normality and community commitments. This study suggests a theoretical framework to augment existing relationships of trust, motivation, and commitment research, emphasizing the role of institution-based trust provided by the community itself. This study also explains that online communities can sustain their competitive advantages with the community membership base by facilitating impersonal structures and functionalities of the community.
Epistemology in the Era of Fake News
Authors: Torres Russell , Gerhart Natalie , Negahban Arash
Published: July 2018

Fake news has recently garnered increased attention across the world. Digital collaboration technologies now enable individuals to share information at unprecedented rates to advance their own ideologies. Much of this sharing occurs via social networking sites (SNSs), whose members may choose to share information without consideration for its authenticity. This research advances our understanding of information verification behaviors among SNS users in the context of fake news. Grounded in literature on the epistemology of testimony and theoretical perspectives on trust, we develop a news verification behavior research model and test six hypotheses with a survey of active SNS users. The empirical results confirm the significance of all proposed hypotheses. Perceptions of news sharers' network (perceived cognitive homogeneity, social tie variety, and trust), perceptions of news authors (fake news awareness and perceived media credibility), and innate intentions to share all influence information verification behaviors among SNS members. Theoretical implications, as well as implications for SNS users and designers, are presented in the light of these findings.
The Philosopher's Corner: The Value of Feyerabend's Anarchic Thinking for Information Systems Research
Authors: Gregor Shirley
Published: July 2018

Further consideration of Feyerabend's ideas has potential value for information systems research. He continues in a long and commendable tradition of the scientist as a subversive and rebel - a tradition including Galileo, Franklin, Darwin, and Einstein - and a tradition that emphasizes science as a creative human activity. Treiblmaier advances three propositions regarding Feyerabend's ideas and their potential for IS research. The first, if taken to mean that in Feyerabend's spirit of anarchy there should be ongoing questioning of our epistemological foundations, is worth supporting for a number of reasons, including the apparent hegemony of hypothetico-deductive type perspectives. The second, if meaning that in Feyerabend's spirit a variety of research approaches should be supported, is accepted in many traditional views of science. The third proposition is benign if "anything goes" as a principle means more openness and tolerance of differing and new viewpoints. However, there are issues if this stance includes strong relativism. Information systems research generates knowledge that can be applied to practical problems. We should be able to retain Feyerabend's questioning spirit, yet develop actionable knowledge that has sufficient credibility to be useful in the world.
The Philosopher's Corner: Questioning Assumptions in the Information Systems Discipline
Authors: Burton-Jones Andrew
Published: July 2018

A healthy characteristic of any research field is a willingness to question its own assumptions. In this essay, I discuss Treiblmaier's proposal to question the epistemological and methodological assumptions of the Information Systems field. Treiblmaier's proposal is thoughtful and provocative and reflects his deep knowledge of the topic and his strong desire for an alternative epistemological and methodological future for our field. Drawing on Feyerabend, Treiblmaier recommends that IS researchers adopt epistemological anarchism, methodological anarchism, and "anything goes" as a guiding principle. I argue against all of these viewpoints. I argue that epistemological anarchism will not foster research progress, methodological anarchism will not lead to major new insights, and "anything goes" as a guiding principle will not benefit the field. Despite disagreeing with Treiblmaier's main recommendations, I highlight several points that I agree are important for the field to address.
Improvement in upright and supine lung mechanics with bariatric surgery affects bronchodilator responsiveness and sleep quality
Authors: Peters Ubong , Dechman Gail , Hernandez Paul , Bhatawadekar Swati , Ellsmere James , Maksym Geoffrey
Published: July 2018

Obesity and weight loss have complex effects on respiratory physiology, but these have been insufficiently studied, particularly at early time points following weight loss surgery and in the supine position. We evaluated 15 female participants with severe obesity before and 5 wk and 6 mo after bariatric surgery using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), spirometry, plethysmography, and oscillometry to measure respiratory system mechanics. Oscillometry and spirometry were conducted in the upright and supine position and before and after bronchodilation with 200 µg of salbutamol. At 5 wk postsurgery, weight loss was 11.9 kg (SD 2.7) with no effect on spirometric outcomes and a slight effect on oscillometric outcomes. However, at 6 mo weight loss was 21.4 kg (SD 7.1) with a 14.1% (SD 6.1) and 17.8 (5.4)% reduction in upright and supine respiratory system resistance (Rrs),6, respectively. Respiratory system elastance also decreased by 25.7% (SD 9.4) and 20.2 (SD 7.2)% in the upright and supine positions. No changes were observed in spirometry, but sleep quality improved from PSQI of 8.4 (SD 3.5) to 4.1 (SD 2.9). Bronchodilator responsiveness was low at baseline but increased significantly after surgery, and this response was comparable to the improvement in Rrs produced by weight loss. Modeling the impedance spectra with a two-compartment model demonstrated that improvements in lung mechanics with weight loss begin in the upper or central compartment of the lungs and progress to include the peripheral compartment. Respiratory mechanics are impaired in individuals with severe obesity and is associated with poor sleep quality, but these improved substantially with weight loss. Our data provide new evidence that individuals with severe obesity may have poor sleep quality because of abnormal respiratory mechanics that weight loss improves.

NEW & NOTEWORTHY This is the first study to quantify the degree of weight loss-induced improvements in respiratory system mechanics in both upright and supine positions, and its association with bronchodilator responsiveness and sleep quality at multiple time points. Weight loss induced large improvements in upright and supine respiratory system mechanics with corresponding improvements in bronchodilator responsiveness and sleep quality. Using mathematical modeling, we demonstrate that these improvements begin in the central airways and progress to include the lung periphery.
A New Model for Calculating the Ground and Excited States Masses Spectra of Doubly Heavy Ξ Baryons
Authors: Mohajery Neda , Salehi Nasrin , Hassanabadi Hassan
Published: July 2018

Since the doubly heavy baryons masses are experimentally unknown (except Ξcc+ and Ξcc++), we present the ground state masses and the positive and negative parity excited state masses of doubly heavy Ξ baryons. For this purpose, we have solved the six-dimensional hyperradial Schrödinger equation analytically for three particles under the hypercentral potential by using the ansatz approach. In this paper, the hypercentral potential is regarded as a combination of the color Coulomb plus linear confining term and the six-dimensional harmonic oscillator potential. We also added the first-order correction and the spin-dependent part contains three types of interaction terms (the spin-spin term, spin-orbit term, and tensor term) to the hypercentral potential. Our obtained masses for the radial excited states and orbital excited states of Ξccd, Ξccu, Ξbbd, Ξbbu, Ξbcd, and Ξbcu systems are compared with other theoretical reports, which could be a beneficial tool for the interpretation of experimentally unknown doubly heavy baryons spectrum.
Impact of Resistance Exercise under Hypoxia on Postexercise Hemodynamics in Healthy Young Males
Authors: Horiuchi Masahiro , Ni-i-nou Arisa , Miyazaki Mitsuhiro , Ando Daisuke , Koyama Katsuhiro
Published: July 2018

We investigated the effects of resistance exercise under hypoxia on postexercise hemodynamics in eight healthy young males. The subjects belonged to a track & field club (sprinters, hurdlers, and long jumpers) and engage in regular physical training (1-2 h per day, 3-5 days per week). Each participant performed eight sets of bilateral leg squats with a one-minute interval under normoxia (room air) and hypoxia (13 % FiO2). During a 60-minute recovery, we set normoxic condition either after normoxic or hypoxic exercise. These two experimental protocols (normoxia and hypoxia) were performed in a random order with a one-week washout period. The leg squat exercise consists of 50 % 1-RM (14 repetitions) × 5 sets and 50% 1-RM (repetitions max; 7 repetitions) × 3 sets. The resting period between each set was 1 min, and a total of 91 repetitions were performed. Blood pressure, heart rate (HR), and several biomarkers were measured pre- and postexercise. The mean arterial pressure (MAP) significantly decreased after exercise compared to the pre-exercise values under both conditions (P< 0.05). The MAP at 20 and 30 min of recovery in hypoxia was significantly lower than in normoxia (P< 0.05, respectively). The antidiuretic hormone significantly increased after 60 min of recovery in both conditions; moreover, the values in hypoxia were significantly higher than those in normoxia (P< 0.05). The delta changes in MAP from baseline (pre-exercise) were significantly related to changes in HR from baseline in normoxia (r = 0.560,P< 0.001) but not in hypoxia. These results suggest that the hypoxic condition elicits greater hypotension after resistance exercise in comparison to normoxia. Moreover, the underlying mechanisms for the attenuation of hypotension after resistance exercise may differ between normoxia and hypoxia.