bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
THE INFLUENCE OF SOL-GEL COATED LENGTH AND WITHDRAWAL RATE ON PLASTIC OPTICAL FIBER CORE TOWARDS OXYGEN GAS SENSING SENSITIVITY
Authors: Zolkapli Maizatul , Saharudin Suhairi , Herman Sukreen Hana , Abdullah Wan Fazlida Hanim
Published: March 2016

The fabrication and characterization of an optical fiber oxygen sensor based on oxygen fluorescence quenching are described. The sensors are prepared by coating the oxygen sensitive indicator (tris-BP ruthenium (II) chloride and platinum octaethylporphyrin) that is immobilized by the sol-gel route onto the uncladded middle portion of a multimode plastic optical fiber. A design of experiment based on two parameters which are the uncladded coated length and withdrawal rate was carried out in order to identify the optimum setting that gives the highest fluorescence emission which leads to better sensitivity. The sensitivity of the optical oxygen sensor is quantified in terms of the ratio I0/I where I0 and Irepresent the fluorescence intensities in pure nitrogen and pure oxygen environments, respectively. Both ruthenium and platinum coated fiber produced a linear Stern-Volmer relationship which indicate the homogeneous environment of the luminophore. The experimental result reveals that the optimized setting for ruthenium sol-gel coated fiber is 5 mm decladded length and 120 mm/min withdrawal rate while for platinum sol-gel coated fiber is 8 mm decladded length and 160 mm/min withdrawal rate.
CHANNEL MONITORED CHANNEL DUPLEXER FOR OPTIMIZATION OF BIDIRECTIONAL PASSIVE OPTICAL NETWORK
Authors: Taibin Y. , A. A. Mandela , Idrus S.M , Zulkifli N.
Published: March 2016

Method of optimizing the optical network transmission in access network has been investigated in many years. Unidirectional optical transmission system is the earliest method of delivering the information. In recent years, bidirectional optical transmission system is the most popular network and shall be the first right of refusal to deploy nowadays. It is justify enough by the massive deployment of the popular state-of-the-art network named Passive Optical Network (PON) in Fiber To The Home (FTTH) technologies. Combining 3 wavelengths includes (1) 1310nm, (2) 1490nm, and (3) 1550nm within a fiber is the method used on Gigabit Capable Passive Optical Network (GPON) or Gigabit Ethernet Passive Optical Network (GEPON/EPON). Combining 2 different wavelengths for uplink and downlink on Small Form Pluggable (SFP) lasers also has been a method used to optimized and saved the fiber infrastructure. Compared those techniques, the research optimization focusing on introducing a passive optical duplexer that combined the same wavelength from both end with the element of monitoring via different wavelength to confirm the network availability. In the design, a unidirectional converter able to operate at a nominal 1310nm or 1550nm windows shall be demonstrated up to 10Gbps Ethernet signal.
STUDY ON PERFORMANCE OF CO2 LASER IN PAINT REMOVAL OVER SELECTED NATIONAL CAR MODEL
Authors: Abdul Razab Mohammad Khairul Azhar , Jaafar Mohamad Suhaimi , Mohamad Suhaimi Fatanah , Masri Mohamad Najmi , Abdullah Nor Hakimin , Mohamed Mazlan , Mohd Amin Mohamad Faiz , Ahmad Muhammad Iqbal
Published: March 2016

A technique to determine the optimum parameters of 30 Watt Continuous Wave (CW) CO2 laser paint removal has been developed on national car coated substrate. This paper reports on the results of studies carried out on two different coating thicknesses; 196 µm and 201 µm using CW CO2 lasers operating at 10, 600 nm wavelength and relatively high beam power from 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80% and 90% out of 30 Watt. Empirical data were presented to demonstrate the optimum power required for paint stripping process. Macro analysis was done to prove the stripping process was in line with the increase of power percentage applied, whereas microanalysis using EDX and SEM revealed the atomic composition and surface roughness of the crater.
STUDY OF EDC/NHS IMMOBILIZATION FOR PLUMBOUS DETECTION USING SURFACE PLASMON RESONANCE
Authors: Abdulkhaleq Alwahib Ali , Sadrolhosseini A. R. , Lim H. N. , Yaacob M. H. , Abu Bakar M. H. , Mahdi M. A.
Published: March 2016

The presence of plumbous (Pb2+) in Irrigation water is harmful for the environment as well as human health. Herein, a simple yet effective sensor for Pb2+ detection is presented utilizing a surface plasmon resonance technique. The proposed sensor consists of a combination of 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC) and N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) were attached to a gold layer offers a new option for heavy metal detection. The EDC/NHS works as a sensing layer that able to detect Pb2+ down to 15 ppm that matches with the United States Environment Protection Agency.
TEMPORAL SOLITON: GENERATION AND APPLICATIONS IN OPTICAL COMMUNICATIONS
Authors: Amiri IS , Alavi SE , Supa'at ASM , Ali J. , Ahmad H
Published: March 2016

In general, the temporal and spectral shape of a short optical soliton pulse does not change during propagation in a nonlinear medium due to the Kerr effect which balances the chromatic dispersion. Microring resonators (MRRs) can be used to generate chaotic signals. The smaller MRR is used to form the stopping and filtering system. The employed optical material was InGaAsP/InP, which is suitable for use in the practical devices and systems. The tuning and manipulation of the bandwidth of the soliton signals is recommended to control the output signals. The MRRs can be applied to produce ultra-short pulses, where the medium has a nonlinear condition, thus, using of soliton laser becomes an interesting subject. Therefore, an ultra-short pulse in the scope of pico and femtoseconds soliton pulses can be utilized for many applications in engineering communications. In order to obtain smaller bandwidth of the optical soliton pulses, we propose integrating series of MRRs. In this study, 5 fs soliton pulse could be generated using a series of five MRRs. The soliton signals experience less loss during the propagation, where they are more stable compared to normal conventional laser pulses. Using the series of MRRs connected to an add/drop system, shorter soliton bandwidth and highly multi soliton pulses can be obtained. Therefore, generation of ultra-short multi picosecond (1.2 and 1.3 ps), could be performed, where the radius of the add/drop system has been selected to 50 and 300 µm respectively.
THEORETICAL STUDY ON SLOW-LIGHT GENERATED BY INTEGRATED MICRORING RESONATOR WITH WIDE BANDWIDTH AND HIGH GAIN
Authors: Aziz M. S. , Affandi M. S. , Daud S. , Bahadoran M. , Chaudhary K. T. , Ali J.
Published: March 2016

We proposed a new approach to generate slow light transmission with large bandwidth and high buildup factor by using a soliton pulse propagating within integrated ring resonator circuit. The system consisted series of micron-size ring resonator fabricated by using nonlinear InGaAsP/InP material that are laterally coupled together.  For convenience of analysis, optical transfer function for this model is obtained by using z-transform method. Slow light performances were modeled and discuss in this paper. Intensity buildup induced within the series of rings located at left and right sides of the system while strong nonlinear Kerr effect and mutual coupling leads to the spreading frequency bands within the device. Numerical simulation verifies that signal pulse with 45 ps relative delay time and bandwidth of 5.9 GHz (47 pm) are obtained at the communication wavelength around 1550 nm for a 100 ps signal pulse.
DETERMINATION SOUND SPEED OF METAL IN AQUEOUS SOLUTION VIA LASER INDUCED ACOUSTIC WAVE TECHNIQUE
Authors: Duralim Maisarah , Bidin Noriah , Nugroho Waskito , Zainal Jasman
Published: March 2016

Laser induced breakdown and shock wave propagation are nonlinear phenomena. The high temperature and high pressure associated with plasma formation offering a lot advantages in industrial and scientific research.  However not many realized that the end  product of nonlinear effect such as the generation of acoustic wave will also attribute to significant impact. Thus the intention of this study is to materialize the usefulness of such acoustic wave for determination the sound speed of metal element like Pb, Hg and K in aqueous solution. In this attempt a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser was focused to induce optical breakdown and its associated shock wave generation which later  follow by the generation of acoustic wave. The phenomenon is observed in conjunction with high speed photography based shadowgraph technique. The experimental results of sound speed for K, Hg and Pb is found in good agreement with the standard value from references. This confirmed that laser induced acoustic wave will be other alternative method for measuring sound speed for metal element in periodic table.
PRELIMINARY CHARACTERISTIC OF ELECTRICAL NON-LINEARITY CO DOPED CAMNO3-ZNO BASED VARISTOR CERAMICS
Authors: Zulkifli Muhamad Azman , Mohd Ghazali Mohd Sabri , Wan Abdullah Wan Rafizah , Zakaria Azmi , Ahmad Zakiyah
Published: March 2016

Zinc oxide based varistor are widely used as circuit protective devices by literally absorbs these dangerous surge and spikes or grounding this unwanted magnitudes. In this research, zinc oxide is added with 20 mol% calcium manganite (CaMnO3) as an additive and cobalt oxide (Co3O4) as doping material. Citrate-gel method is used as fabrication method compared to conventional solid-state method. This compound (ZnO-CaMnO3-Co3O4) undergoes pre-sintering at 500 °C for 2 hours. In the sintering process, sintering temperature at 1300 °C, while the sintering time are setting at 1.5 hours. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns show the components and phases of the compounds. The change of functional group was observed by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR). I-V characteristic shows the value of nonlinear coefficient in the range of 1.0-2.0.
THE CONDUCTIVITY STUDY OF HYBRID SOLAR CELLS OF TIO2 AND DOPED WITH BIXA ORELLANA FOR SOLAR CELLS APPLICATION
Authors: Ahmad Zakiyah , Mohd Ghazali Mohd Sabri , Salleh Hasiah , Zakaria Azmi , Mohd Ghazali Salmah , Zulkifli Mohd Azman , Khamsan M. Emmer Ashraf
Published: March 2016

The application of nature dyes was explored for solar cells due to several advantages for green technology. These can be supporting in renewable energy alternatives, which must include solar energy. This system was fabricated as hybrid solar cells, which consist of organic and non-organic materials. Metal oxide semiconductor (MOS), TiO2, was selected as charge separation and transport. Bixa orellana used as extracted natural dyes solution in order to enhance the absorption of photons. The dyes were extracted by using immerging in methanol solution and left until dyes being extracted. The dyes were coated on ITO glass by using Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) varied by 1, 3, 5, 7 and 10 layers of scan. This work focuses on conductivity and charge carrier study of thin film. The result shows the conductivity was increase due to several parameters that are, thickness of thin films, and intensity of light, mixture of natural dyes and concentration of dyes solution. The conductivity was then supported with the energy band gap via UV-Vis Spectroscopy.
Oscillation of differential equations with non-monotone retarded arguments
Authors: Chatzarakis George E. , Öcalan Özkan
Published: March 2016

Consider the first-order retarded differential equation$$\begin{eqnarray}x^{\prime }(t)+p(t)x({\it\tau}(t))=0,\quad t\geqslant t_{0},\end{eqnarray}$$where$p(t)\geqslant 0$and${\it\tau}(t)$is a function of positive real numbers such that${\it\tau}(t)\leqslant t$for$t\geqslant t_{0}$, and$\lim _{t\rightarrow \infty }{\it\tau}(t)=\infty$. Under the assumption that the retarded argument is non-monotone, a new oscillation criterion, involving$\liminf$, is established when the well-known oscillation condition$$\begin{eqnarray}\liminf _{t\rightarrow \infty }\int _{{\it\tau}(t)}^{t}p(s)\,ds>\frac{1}{e}\end{eqnarray}$$is not satisfied. An example illustrating the result is also given.
Smooth Tool Path Optimization for Flank Milling Based on the Gradient-Based Differential Evolution Method
Authors: Lu YaoAn , Ding Ye , Zhu LiMin
Published: March 2016

Flank milling is one of the most important technologies for machining of complex surfaces. A small change of the tool orientation in the part coordinate system (PCS) may produce a great rotation of the rotary axes of the machine tool. Therefore, this paper proposes a tool path optimization model for flank milling in the machine coordinate system (MCS). The tool path is computed to smooth the variation of the rotary axes while controlling the geometric deviation. The geometric deviation is measured by the signed distance between the design surface and the tool envelope surface in the PCS. The geometric accuracy is not an objective but a constraint in the proposed optimization model. Given a prescribed geometric tolerance, the tool path smoothness optimization model is reformulated as a constrained nonlinear programming problem. The ε constrained differential evolution with gradient-based mutation (εDEg) is adopted to solve this constrained problem. The validity of the proposed approach is confirmed by numerical examples.
An Approach to Designing Origami-Adapted Aerospace Mechanisms
Authors: Morgan Jessica , Magleby Spencer P. , Howell Larry L.
Published: March 2016

An approach to designing products based on adapting patterns and behaviors from origami is presented. The approach is illustrated by showing its capability for developing mechanism applications for aerospace-based systems. Origami has several attributes that are sought after in aerospace designs, such as deployability, stowability, and portability. The origami-adapted design process seeks to facilitate designers in reliably adapting origami into useful products that achieve desirable attributes. The origami-adapted design process is illustrated and tested using three examples of preliminary design: an origami bellows to protect the drill shafts of a Mars Rover, an expandable habitat for the International Space Station, and a deployable parabolic antenna for space and earth communication systems. Each of these examples starts with an origami fold pattern and modifies it to fulfill specific needs for an aerospace-based product.
Bio-Inspired Fast Actuation by Mechanical Instability of Thermoresponding Hydrogel Structures
Authors: Yang Xuxu , Li Guorui , Cheng Tingyu , Zhao Qian , Ma Chunxin , Xie Tao , Li Tiefeng , Yang Wei
Published: March 2016

Inspired by natural plants, thermoresponding hydrogel (TRH) structures have been designed to trigger mechanical instability with fast actuation. Tough Ca-alginate/poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) hydrogel has been synthesized by the hybrid of physically cross-linked alginate and covalently cross-linked PNIPAM. The tough Ca-alginate/PNIPAM hydrogel exhibits 30 kPa of elastic modulus, 280 J/m2 of fracture energies, and fivefold of uniaxial stretch. A multilayered structure made of (Ca-alginate/PNIPAM)/(Ca-alginate/poly (acrylamide)) hydrogels demonstrate fast actuation induced by mechanical instability. A finite-element simulation model is developed to investigate the deformation and to guide the structural design of the hydrogels. The instability-triggering mechanism can enhance the actuation performances of hydrogel structures in applications, such as drug delivery, microfluid control system, and soft biomimetic robotics.
Effect of Off-Axis Fluoroscopy Imaging on Two-Dimensional Kinematics in the Lumbar Spine: A Dynamic In Vitro Validation Study
Authors: Zhao Kristin D. , Ben-Abraham Ephraim I. , Magnuson Dixon J. , Camp Jon J. , Berglund Lawrence J. , An Kai-Nan , Bronfort Gert , Gay Ralph E.
Published: March 2016

Spine intersegmental motion parameters and the resultant regional patterns may be useful for biomechanical classification of low back pain (LBP) as well as assessing the appropriate intervention strategy. Because of its availability and reasonable cost, two-dimensional (2D) fluoroscopy has great potential as a diagnostic and evaluative tool. However, the technique of quantifying intervertebral motion in the lumbar spine must be validated, and the sensitivity assessed. The purpose of this investigation was to (1) compare synchronous fluoroscopic and optoelectronic measures of intervertebral rotations during dynamic flexion–extension movements in vitro and (2) assess the effect of C-arm rotation to simulate off-axis patient alignment on intervertebral kinematics measures. Six cadaveric lumbar–sacrum specimens were dissected, and active marker optoelectronic sensors were rigidly attached to the bodies of L2–S1. Fluoroscopic sequences and optoelectronic kinematic data (0.15-mm linear, 0.17–0.20 deg rotational, accuracy) were obtained simultaneously. After images were obtained in a true sagittal plane, the image receptor was rotated in 5 deg increments (posterior oblique angulations) from 5 deg to 15 deg. Quantitative motion analysis (qma) software was used to determine the intersegmental rotations from the fluoroscopic images. The mean absolute rotation differences between optoelectronic values and dynamic fluoroscopic values were less than 0.5 deg for all the motion segments at each off-axis fluoroscopic rotation and were not significantly different (P > 0.05) for any of the off-axis rotations of the fluoroscope. Small misalignments of the lumbar spine relative to the fluoroscope did not introduce measurement variation in relative segmental rotations greater than that observed when the spine and fluoroscope were perpendicular to each other, suggesting that fluoroscopic measures of relative segmental rotation during flexion–extension are likely robust, even when patient alignment is not perfect.
Peak Stress in the Annulus Fibrosus Under Cyclic Biaxial Tensile Loading
Authors: Gooyers Chad E. , Callaghan Jack P.
Published: March 2016

Numerous in vitro studies have examined the initiation and propagation of fatigue injury pathways in the annulus fibrosus (AF) using isolated motion segments; however, the cycle-varying changes to the AF under cyclic biaxial tensile loading conditions have yet to be examined. Therefore, the primary objective of this study was to characterize the cycle-varying changes in peak tensile stress in multilayer AF tissue samples within a range of physiologically relevant loading conditions at subacute magnitudes of tissue stretch up to 100 loading cycles. A secondary aim was to examine whether the stress-relaxation response would be different across loading axes (axial and circumferential) and whether this response would vary across regions of the intervertebral disk (IVD) (anterior and posterior–lateral). The results from the study demonstrate that several significant interactions emerged between independent factors that were examined in the study. Specifically, a three-way interaction between the radial location, magnitude of peak tissue stretch, and cycle rate (p = 0.0053) emerged. Significant two-way interactions between the magnitude of tissue stretch and cycle number (p < 0.0001) and the magnitude of tissue stretch and loading axis (p < 0.0001) were also observed. These findings are discussed in the context of known mechanisms for structural damage, which have been linked to fatigue loading in the IVD (e.g., cleft formation, radial tearing, increased neutral zone, disk bulging, and loss of intradiscal pressure).
A Surface Ice Module for Wind Turbine Dynamic Response Simulation Using FAST
Authors: Yu Bingbin , Karr Dale G. , Song Huimin , Sirnivas Senu
Published: March 2016

Developing offshore wind energy has become more and more serious worldwide in recent years. Many of the promising offshore wind farm locations are in cold regions that may have ice cover during wintertime. The challenge of possible ice loads on offshore wind turbines raises the demand of modeling capacity of dynamic wind turbine response under the joint action of ice, wind, wave, and current. The simulation software FAST is an open source computer-aided engineering (CAE) package maintained by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. In this paper, a new module of FAST for assessing the dynamic response of offshore wind turbines subjected to ice forcing is presented. In the ice module, several models are presented which involve both prescribed forcing and coupled response. For conditions in which the ice forcing is essentially decoupled from the structural response, ice forces are established from existing models for brittle and ductile ice failure. For conditions in which the ice failure and the structural response are coupled, such as lock-in conditions, a rate-dependent ice model is described, which is developed in conjunction with a new modularization framework for FAST. In this paper, analytical ice mechanics models are presented that incorporate ice floe forcing, deformation, and failure. For lower speeds, forces slowly build until the ice strength is reached and ice fails resulting in a quasi-static condition. For intermediate speeds, the ice failure can be coupled with the structural response and resulting in coinciding periods of the ice failure and the structural response. A third regime occurs at high speeds of encounter in which brittle fracturing of the ice feature occurs in a random pattern, which results in a random vibration excitation of the structure. An example wind turbine response is simulated under ice loading of each of the presented models. This module adds to FAST the capabilities for analyzing the response of wind turbines subjected to forces resulting from ice impact on the turbine support structure. The conditions considered in this module are specifically addressed in the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standard 19906:2010 for arctic offshore structures design consideration. Special consideration of lock-in vibrations is required due to the detrimental effects of such response with regard to fatigue and foundation/soil response. The use of FAST for transient, time domain simulation with the new ice module is well suited for such analyses.
Focused gas beam injection for efficient ammonia-molecular beam epitaxial growth of III-nitride semiconductors
Authors: Boucherif Abderrahim Rahim , Rondeau Maxime , Pelletier Hubert , Provost Philippe-Olivier , Boucherif Abderraouf , Dubuc Christian , Maher Hassan , Arès Richard
Published: March 2016

A focused gas beam injection is proposed for high-efficiency ammonia molecular beam epitaxial growth of III-nitride. This new injector design is based on a double, coaxial radial high-conductance geometry, which allows rotation-free growth with fast gas switching. The injection profile is characterized through a mobile ion gauge and is then compared to simulations, where experimental results show that up to 27% of the injected molecules reach the surface of the substrate. The injector is tested for the growth of GaN layers, and high-resolution x-ray diffraction rocking curves of a 1 μm-thick GaN layer grown on a commercial GaN template (1 μm-thick layer of GaN on Si) was measured around the 002 Bragg condition and a full width at half maximum of 594 arc sec was obtained. Low-temperature photoluminescence for the same layer shows intense band edge emission and a low yellow luminescence. Hall measurements of the silicon-doped layers show high carrier concentrations up to 2 × 1019 cm−3 and a corresponding mobility of 204 cm2/V s.
Reducing false positives of microcalcification detection systems by removal of breast arterial calcifications
Authors: Mordang Jan‐Jurre , Gubern‐Mérida Albert , den Heeten Gerard , Karssemeijer Nico
Published: March 2016

Purpose:

In the past decades, computer‐aided detection (CADe) systems have been developed to aid screening radiologists in the detection of malignant microcalcifications. These systems are useful to avoid perceptual oversights and can increase the radiologists’ detection rate. However, due to the high number of false positives marked by these CADe systems, they are not yet suitable as an independent reader. Breast arterial calcifications (BACs) are one of the most frequent false positives marked by CADe systems. In this study, a method is proposed for the elimination of BACs as positive findings. Removal of these false positives will increase the performance of the CADe system in finding malignant microcalcifications.

Methods:

A multistage method is proposed for the removal of BAC findings. The first stage consists of a microcalcification candidate selection, segmentation and grouping of the microcalcifications, and classification to remove obvious false positives. In the second stage, a case‐based selection is applied where cases are selected which contain BACs. In the final stage, BACs are removed from the selected cases. The BACs removal stage consists of a GentleBoost classifier trained on microcalcification features describing their shape, topology, and texture. Additionally, novel features are introduced to discriminate BACs from other positive findings.

Results:

The CADe system was evaluated with and without BACs removal. Here, both systems were applied on a validation set containing 1088 cases of which 95 cases contained malignant microcalcifications. After bootstrapping, free‐response receiver operating characteristics and receiver operating characteristics analyses were carried out. Performance between the two systems was compared at 0.98 and 0.95 specificity. At a specificity of 0.98, the sensitivity increased from 37% to 52% and the sensitivity increased from 62% up to 76% at a specificity of 0.95. Partial areas under the curve in the specificity range of 0.8–1.0 were significantly different between the system without BACs removal and the system with BACs removal, 0.129 ± 0.009 versus 0.144 ± 0.008 (p<0.05), respectively. Additionally, the sensitivity at one false positive per 50 cases and one false positive per 25 cases increased as well, 37% versus 51% (p<0.05) and 58% versus 67% (p<0.05) sensitivity, respectively. Additionally, the CADe system with BACs removal reduces the number of false positives per case by 29% on average. The same sensitivity at one false positive per 50 cases in the CADe system without BACs removal can be achieved at one false positive per 80 cases in the CADe system with BACs removal.

Conclusions:

By using dedicated algorithms to detect and remove breast arterial calcifications, the performance of CADe systems can be improved, in particular, at false positive rates representative for operating points used in screening.
A theoretical model of barriers having inhomogeneous impedance surfaces
Authors: Wang Xu , Wang Xiaonan , Yu Wuzhou , Jiang Zaixiu , Mao Dongxing
Published: March 2016

When barriers are placed in parallel on opposite sides of a source, their performance deteriorates markedly. However, barriers made from materials of inhomogeneous impedance eliminate this drawback by altering the behavior of sound as it undergoes multiple reflections between the barriers. In this paper, a theoretical approach is carried out to estimate the performance of the proposed barriers. By combining the ray-tracing method and sound diffraction theory, the existence of different ray paths between the proposed barriers is revealed. Compared to conventional rigid-walled barriers, barriers having inhomogeneous surfaces may have the potential to be widely used in environmental noise control.
Not all gastric masses are gastric cancer
Authors: Del Rosario Michael , Tsai Henry
Published: March 2016

Lung cancer metastasising to the gastrointestinal tract normally does not occur. However, as clinicians, we must be aware that lung adenocarcinoma, as in all cancers, can and will metastasise to any part of the body. We describe a case of a patient with a presumed primary gastric adenocarcinoma who presented with shortness of breath due to pleural effusion. Pathology from the pleural effusion was positive for primary lung adenocarcinoma. Further investigation revealed that the patient's gastric mass was misdiagnosed as gastric adenocarcinoma. We correctly diagnosed the mass as metastatic lung adenocarcinoma. This was very significant because the patient was transitioning to palliative care with possible tube feeding. After the correct diagnosis, her management drastically changed and her health improved. Clinical, pathological and medical management of lung cancer metastasis to the stomach are discussed.
Conjunctival pedicle flap in management of open globe injury with corneal tissue loss
Authors: Nawani Nishant , Vazirani Jayesh , Ojha Hindukush , Sangwan Virender S
Published: March 2016

Accidental injury with scissors led to an open globe injury with iris prolapse and corneal tissue loss in the right eye of a 15-year-old girl. Attempts to suture the laceration normally, led to persistent aqueous leak, and tight suturing was leading to unacceptable distortion of the corneal contour. In the absence of donor tissue or tissue glue, a bulbar conjunctival pedicle flap was used to augment sutures placed without undue tension, and watertight closure of the globe was achieved. Postoperatively, the flap retracted, and excellent tectonic, cosmetic and refractive outcomes were achieved. A conjunctival pedicle flap can be a useful adjunct in the armamentarium of the corneal surgeon while dealing with open globe injuries with corneal tissue loss.
Fitness, body composition and blood lipids following 3 concurrent strength and endurance training modes
Authors: Eklund Daniela , Häkkinen Arja , Laukkanen Jari Antero , Balandzic Milica , Nyman Kai , Häkkinen Keijo
Published: March 2016

This study investigated changes in physical fitness, body composition, and blood lipid profile following 24 weeks of 3 volume-equated concurrent strength and endurance training protocols. Physically active, healthy male and female participants (aged 18–40 years) performed strength and endurance sessions on different days (DD; men, n = 21; women, n = 18) or in the same session with endurance preceding strength (ES; men, n = 16; women, n = 15) or vice versa (SE; men, n = 18; women, n = 14). The training volume was matched in all groups. Maximal leg press strength (1-repetition maximum (1RM)) and endurance performance (maximal oxygen consumption during cycling), body composition (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry), and blood lipids were measured. 1RM and maximal oxygen consumption increased in all groups in men (12%–17%, p < 0.001; and 7%–18%, p < 0.05–0.001, respectively) and women (13%–21%, p < 0.01–0.001; and 10%–25%, p < 0.01–0.001, respectively). Maximal oxygen consumption increased more in DD vs. ES and SE both in men (p = 0.003–0.008) and women (p = 0.008–0.009). Total body lean mass increased in all groups (3%–5%, p < 0.01–0.001). Only DD led to decreased total body fat (men, −14% ± 15%, p < 0.001; women, −13% ± 14%, p = 0.009) and abdominal-region fat (men, −18% ± 14%, p = 0.003; women, −17% ± 15%, p = 0.003). Changes in blood lipids were correlated with changes in abdominal-region fat in the entire group (r = 0.283, p = 0.005) and in DD (r = 0.550, p = 0.001). In conclusion, all modes resulted in increased physical fitness and lean mass, while only DD led to decreases in fat mass. Same-session SE and ES combined training is effective in improving physical fitness while volume-equated, but more frequent DD training may be more suitable for optimizing body composition and may be possibly useful in early prevention of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.
Therapeutic role of a synthesized calcium phosphate nanocomposite material on hepatocarcinogenesis in rats
Authors: Mohammed Magdy , Abdel-Gawad Eman , Awwad Sameh , Kandil Eman , El-Agamy Basma
Published: March 2016

Nanotechnology research is booming worldwide, and the general belief is that medical and biological applications will form the greatest sector of expansion over the next decade. With this in mind, this study was designed to evaluate the therapeutic effects of a synthesized tricalcium phosphate nanocomposite material (nano-TCP) on hepatocarcinoma in a rat model, as initiated with diethylnitrosamine (DEN) and promoted with phenobarbital (PB). Hepatocarcinoma was induced with intraperitoneal injections of DEN (50 mg·(kg body mass)−1) 3 times a week for 2 weeks. Three weeks after the last dose of DEN, the rats received PB (0.05 %, w/v) in their drinking water for a further 6 weeks. Nano-TCP (100 mg·(kg body mass)−1) was administered intraperitoneally 3 times per week to rats with HCC. At the end of the experimental period, liver samples were collected from all animals for biochemical and histopathological analysis. The degree of DNA fragmentation was analyzed, in addition to immune status, by measuring the levels of interferon-γ (IFN-γ), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interleukin-2 (IL-2). The activities of the most important free-radical scavengers of the antioxidant defense system as well as malondialdehyde (MDA) content and liver enzymes were measured. The levels of hepatic heat shock protein-70 (HSP-70), caspase-3, and metalloproteinase-9 were also measured as markers for inflammation and apoptosis. Histopathological examination of liver tissue was performed. The results revealed the potent efficacy of nano-TCP in repairing the fragmented DNA and ameliorating most of the investigated parameters by significant elevation in the levels of hepatic alanine aminotransferase (ALT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities. On the other hand, there was a significant decrease in hepatic gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (γ-GT), MDA, IL-2, IFN-γ, TNF-α, matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), HSP-70, and caspase-3 levels upon treatment. The findings form histopathological examination of the liver tissues agreed with the biochemical results and confirmed the difference between the control and treatment groups. In conclusion, nano-TCP succeeded in treating hepatocarcinoma efficiently, and presents a new hope for patients to get safe, fast, and effective treatment.
Fine root biomass declined in response to restoration of soil calcium in a northern hardwood forest
Authors: Fahey Timothy J. , Heinz Alexis K. , Battles John J. , Fisk Melany C. , Driscoll Charles T. , Blum Joel D. , Johnson Chris E.
Published: March 2016

Forest health deteriorated in eastern North America as a result of depletion of available soil base cations by elevated inputs of acid deposition. We experimentally restored available calcium (Ca) to soils of a forested watershed at Hubbard Brook, New Hampshire, and measured the response of fine root biomass 14 years after treatment. In this northern hardwood forest, fine root (<1 mm diameter) biomass declined significantly in response to the Ca-addition treatment relative to pretreatment and reference forest conditions. The decline was greatest in the mid- and high-elevation hardwood zones of the watershed, where soils are thinnest and have the lowest base saturation and exchangeable Ca pools. Restoration of soil Ca appears to have reduced the allocation of carbon (C) to root systems, coincident with observed increases in aboveground biomass and productivity. Therefore, we suggest that relatively higher tree C allocation to roots in the past contributed to the depressed aboveground productivity observed in northern hardwood forest ecosystems impacted by acid deposition.
OVERCONFIDENCE AND REAL ESTATE RESEARCH: A SURVEY OF THE LITERATURE
Authors: BAO HELEN X. H. , LI STEVEN HAOTONG
Published: March 2016

Real estate investment has recently been advancing rapidly in both volume and complexity. A sound understanding of behavioral issues in this sector benefits all stakeholders, such as investors, regulators and local residents. We focus on one of the most robust behavioral anomalies in business and finance research: overconfidence. Overconfidence significantly influences financial decision and investment performance. However, theoretical and empirical studies are lacking in real estate sector. We conduct a critical review of the overconfidence literature to bridge this gap, identify future research directions for the study of overconfidence in real estate markets, and suggest strategies to handle technical issues, such as the robustness of overconfidence measurement and data availability. Findings provide useful guidelines for researchers and practitioners to design and implement overconfidence studies in real estate research.
Enhancing micro-electromechanical and tuning optical properties in Nd-doped BIT thin film
Authors: Zhang Yunjie , Chen Changle , Wang Jing , Luo Bingcheng , Duan Mengmeng , Jin Kexin
Published: March 2016

Bi4Ti3O[Formula: see text] (BIT) and Bi[Formula: see text]Nd[Formula: see text]Ti3O[Formula: see text] (BNT) thin films were deposited on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si (100) substrates using pulsed laser deposition. The surface morphologies, ferroelectric domain structures and polarization switching were investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and piezoelectric force microscopy (PFM). The phase and amplitude images of PFM show that the BIT and BNT thin films have clear domain structures. Comparison of the surface morphologies and domain structures indicates that the grain boundaries limit the shape of domain and affect the domain structure. The micro-electromechanical performance was characterized by the effective piezoelectric coefficient [Formula: see text] of the thin films. The result shows that the maximum effective [Formula: see text] value (100 pm/V) of BNT thin film is larger than that of BIT thin film (30 pm/V). This can be ascribed to BNT thin film with a preferred growth direction of [Formula: see text]-axis, resulting in effective enhancement of [Formula: see text]. Besides, all the thin films exhibit good optical transmittance in the range of 500–800 nm and the optical band gaps increase from 3.43 eV to 3.52 eV due to Nd doping.
Cosmological birefringence constraints from the Planck 2015 CMB likelihood
Authors: Gruppuso Alessandro
Published: March 2016

The Planck 2015 cosmic microwave background (CMB) likelihood is employed to constrain the cosmological birefringence angle, i.e. the in vacuo rotation of the linear polarization that CMB photons would experience during propagation in case of parity violating coupling within the electromagnetic sector of the Standard Model of particle physics. We find [Formula: see text] which is well compatible with no parity violation mechanism in action from recombination epoch to present.
One-Person Enterprises and Business Growth
Authors: Belt Pekka , Paloniemi Kaarlo , Sinisammal Janne
Published: March 2016

Solopreneurs, i.e. entrepreneurs who run their businesses alone, are surprisingly common constituting some 15% of the work force in Europe and the United States. This study aims to clarify solopreneurs’ relationship to growth by analyzing the daily work of established solopreneurs from two different perspectives; how they perceive their well-being at work and how they perceive the development of their businesses. This research objective is addressed by using grounded theory methodology and thematic interviews. According to the findings of this study, solopreneurs follow a specific pattern in their activities that differentiates them from other entrepreneurs. The entrepreneur’s position as a solopreneur encourages him or her to continue alone. The feedback that solopreneurs receive from the environment directs them to focus on their personal professional skills rather than on business and growth. In addition, solopreneurs do not use networks to develop their businesses even though entrepreneurship literature highlights the importance of networks for business development. However, solopreneurs acknowledge the importance of networks for their personal well-being.
NUMERICAL ANALYSIS ON LOCAL RISK-MINIMIZATION FOR EXPONENTIAL LÉVY MODELS
Authors: ARAI TAKUJI , IMAI YUTO , SUZUKI RYOICHI
Published: March 2016

We illustrate how to compute local risk minimization (LRM) of call options for exponential Lévy models. Here, LRM is a popular hedging method through a quadratic criterion for contingent claims in incomplete markets. Arai & Suzuki (2015) have previously obtained a representation of LRM for call options; here we transform it into a form that allows use of the fast Fourier transform (FFT) method suggested by by Carr & Madan (1999). Considering Merton jump-diffusion models and variance gamma models as typical examples of exponential Lévy models, we provide the forms for the FFT explicitly; and compute the values of LRM numerically for given parameter sets. Furthermore, we illustrate numerical results for a variance gamma model with estimated parameters from the Nikkei 225 index.
A sharp interpolation between the Hölder and Gaussian Young inequalities
Authors: Da Pelo Paolo , Lanconelli Alberto , Stan Aurel I.
Published: March 2016

We prove a very general sharp inequality of the Hölder–Young-type for functions defined on infinite dimensional Gaussian spaces. We begin by considering a family of commutative products for functions which interpolates between the pointwise and Wick products; this family arises naturally in the context of stochastic differential equations, through Wong–Zakai-type approximation theorems, and plays a key role in some generalizations of the Beckner-type Poincaré inequality. We then obtain a crucial integral representation for that family of products which is employed, together with a generalization of the classic Young inequality due to Lieb, to prove our main theorem. We stress that our main inequality contains as particular cases the Hölder inequality and Nelson’s hyper-contractive estimate, thus providing a unified framework for two fundamental results of the Gaussian analysis.
Connes embeddability of graph products
Authors: Caspers Martijn
Published: March 2016

We prove that the Connes embedding problem is stable under graph products.
Effects of Acoustic Waves on Buried Tunnel Structures Under an Impact Load
Authors: Massah S. R. , Torabipour M. M.
Published: March 2016

In this paper, the transmission and reflection of acoustic waves into and from an underground tunnel are investigated by producing an impact load on the ground and measuring the acoustic pressure levels at different time intervals. For this purpose, a sound detector is placed on the ground and then from an arbitrary location on the surface, acoustic waves are transmitted into the ground from an acoustic source. The pressure levels of acoustic waves transmitted into the tunnel space and reflected back to the ground surface are measured, and the effects of several parameters on the attenuation of acoustic pressure levels of transmitted and reflected sound waves are evaluated. Moreover, the effects of parameters such as soil type, concrete type and thickness, buried depth of the underground structure and also the effect of acoustic absorbers on the transmission, propagation and reflection of acoustic waves into and from the tunnel are investigated. The results obtained indicate that the two parameters of soil type and buried depth have the greatest effect on the transmission of acoustic waves, whereas all the parameters considered are important with regard to the reflection of acoustic waves. In addition, it was observed that the use of acoustic absorbers in tunnel structures has a significant effect on the attenuation of transmitted and reflected acoustic waves.
Dynamic Interaction Analysis of Maglev-Guideway System Based on a 3D Full Vehicle Model
Authors: Min Dong-Ju , Jung Myung-Rag , Kim Moon-Young , Kwark Jong-Won
Published: March 2016

The purpose of this paper is to develop a detailed 3D maglev vehicle and guideway model and investigate the dynamic response characteristics of the coupled system. For this, the maglev vehicle is modeled as one cabin and four bogies having eight electromagnetics, four sensors, and four secondary suspensions based on the Urban Transit Maglev (UTM) system in Korea. The 3D dynamic equilibrium equations of the cabin and bogies are derived by considering the actively controlled electromagnetic forces. Also, the equations of motion for the guideway are derived using the modal superposition method for vertical, lateral, and torsional modes. The resulting coupled equations of motion are then solved using a predictor–corrector iterative algorithm. Finally, through the numerical simulation of the developed system, the responses using the 3D maglev vehicle model are compared with those obtained by the corresponding 2D model. The effects of surface irregularity on the dynamic interaction behaviors are then evaluated for increasing vehicle speeds. Particularly, the 3D resonance conditions of the guideway girder and the maglev vehicle are presented considering the resonance conditions due to equidistant moving loads. In addition, some resonance phenomena are rigorously explored, including the lateral resonance by a series of vehicles running on a girder.
TECHNOLOGIES FOR STRAIN ASSESSMENT FROM WHOLE BONE TO MINERALIZED OSTEOID LEVEL: A CRITICAL REVIEW
Authors: REN LI , WANG ZHE , HUANG LINGWEI , YANG PENGFEI , SHANG PENG
Published: March 2016

Bone has distinctive structures and mechanical properties at the whole bone, perilacunar and mineralized osteoid levels. A systematic understanding of bone strain magnitudes at different anatomical levels and their internal interactions is the prerequisite to advances in bone mechanobiology. However, due to the intrinsic shortcomings of the strain-measuring technologies, the systematic assessment of bone strain at different anatomical levels under physiological conditions and a deep understanding of their internal interactions are still restricted. To promote technological advances and provide systematic and valuable information for mechanical engineers and bone biomechanical researchers, the most useful methods for measuring bone strain at different anatomical levels are demonstrated in this review, and suggestions for the future development of the technologies and their potential integrated applications are proposed.
An Efficient Rotation-free Triangle for Drape/Cloth Simulations — Part I: Model Improvement, Dynamic Simulation and Adaptive Remeshing
Authors: Sze K. Y. , Zhou Y. X.
Published: March 2016

This series of two papers aim to improve the rotation-free (RF) triangle model previously developed by the authors and apply it for drape/cloth simulations. To avoid a previously un-observed drawback, the membrane strain obtained from the three-node displacement interpolation is replaced by the one obtained from the six-node interpolation. Dynamic simulations are made possible by explicit time integration. Instead of using dense structural meshes, the quality of draped patterns is improved by global adaptive remeshing. The works in this paper provide important and necessary techniques for practical applications of the RF triangle in the drape simulation. In part II, other techniques including collision handling and garment construction are further discussed and some practical applications of garments on still and moving human body model would be presented.