bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A broadband KU‐band microstrip reflectarray antenna using single‐layer fractal elements
Authors: Xue Fei , Wang Hong‐Jian , Yi Min , Liu Guang
Published: January 2016

A novel single‐layer microstrip reflectarray element with fractal structure is proposed. Ansoft HFSS is used to analyze the reflect phase for the fractal element in honeycomb lattice. A 469‐element prime focus microstrip reflectarray antenna composed of the proposed fractal elements is designed, manufactured, and measured. The measured gain level of 29.8 dB is obtained at the center frequency of 13.58 GHz with 1‐dB gain bandwidth of 15.3%. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 58:658–662, 2016
A miniaturized triple band‐notched MIMO antenna for UWB application
Authors: Yang Zi‐Xian , Yang Hong‐Chun , Hong Jing‐Song , Li Yang
Published: January 2016

In this article, a miniaturized multiple‐output (MIMO) antenna with Triple Band‐Notched Characteristics for ultra‐wideband (UWB) application is proposed. With two half‐planar‐monopoles as radiators to achieve miniaturization, the overall size of this antenna is only 28 × 22 mm2 (0.46 λg×0.36 λg) = 616 mm2 (0.16
), where λg is the guided wavelength at the lowest operation frequency. By introducing a T‐shaped stub on the ground plane, not only is the isolation between radiators greatly enhanced, the impedance (−10 dB S11) performance is also improved significantly. Two C‐shaped slots are etched into each radiator to obtain three notched bands (3.4–3.9 GHz, 5.05–5.85 GHz, 7.9–8.4 GHz) for blocking WiMAX, WLAN, and X‐band satellite communication services. The simulated results are studied and the measured results show that the impedance bandwidths of the proposed antenna covers all UWB band from 3.1 to 10.6 GHz except the notched bands, while a low mutual coupling of less than −18 dB is achieved at the entire band. Furthermore, the measured radiation performances and envelope correlation coefficient also demonstrate the proposed antenna could be a good candidate for UWB system. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 58:642–647, 2016
Dipole‐ and loop‐mode switchable origami paper antenna
Authors: Lee Dongju , Seo Yunsik , Lim Sungjoon
Published: January 2016

A pattern‐switchable origami antenna is designed with paper using inkjet‐printing technology. The proposed antenna can be switched between loop and dipole antenna modes by folding and unfolding the paper, respectively. Eutectic gallium‐indium liquid metal is introduced in order to avoid cracks in the conductive ink when the paper is folded. The performance of the proposed antenna is demonstrated through simulation and measurement results. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 58:668–672, 2016
Dual band loop‐type ground radiation antenna for mobile devices
Authors: Jeon Jihwan , Zahid Zeeshan , Kim Hyeongdong
Published: January 2016

A dual band loop‐type ground antenna is proposed. Loop‐type feeding structures and capacitors have been employed to excite current loops for lower and higher frequency bands. Resonance frequencies of both bands can be controlled using the capacitors. The antenna requires minimal ground clearance and can easily be installed in mobile devices. Measured results show good impedance matching and good radiation performance of the proposed antenna. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 58:666–668, 2016
Circular slot antenna with capacitive loading technique for broad circularly polarized bandwidth
Authors: Sim Chow‐Yen‐Desmond , Yeh Jiun‐Ting , Ban Yong‐Lin
Published: January 2016

A microstrip‐fed circular slot antenna design is proposed. To excite good CP (circularly polarized) radiation, the technique of loading a cross patch (with unequal arm lengths) into the circular slot is initially applied. Here, good impedance matching can be further attained by dividing the cross patch into two equal sections with a gap loaded in between them, in which this gap will induce a capacitive loading effects on the proposed antenna. The measured results shown that the proposed antenna has 10 dB impedance bandwidth of 36.4% (2116–3124 MHz), and its corresponding CP bandwidth (along 3 dB axial ratio, AR) was 12.3% (2345–2655 MHz). In addition to that, the proposed CP slot antenna has also yielded peak gains of more than 3.3 dBic across the CP bandwidth. Detailed process of designing the proposed CP slot antenna is explicitly shown, and vital parametric studies were also conducted by simulation. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 58:715–720, 2016
Ultra‐wideband power divider employing coupled line and short‐ended stub
Authors: Yang Ziqiang , Luo Bangyu , Dong Jun , Yang Tao
Published: January 2016

A compact two‐way equal power divider using three‐line coupled structure is proposed. The effective length of the power divider is around a quarter‐wavelength. To enhance the bandwidth of operation, a half‐wavelength resonator is constructed by introducing a short‐ended stub to combine with the open‐ended microstrip line. A prototype of the power divider is designed and fabricated. The measured input return loss, output return loss, isolation, amplitude imbalance, and phase imbalance are better than 10.3, 14.4, 10.1, 0.2 dB, and 3.2°, respectively, across the entire ultra‐wideband (UWB). © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 58:713–715, 2016
Coplanar waveguides loaded with symmetric and asymmetric multisection stepped impedance resonators: Modeling and potential applications
Authors: Su Lijuan , Naqui Jordi , Mata Javier , Martín Ferran
Published: January 2016

This article is focused on the analysis and modeling of coplanar waveguide (CPW) transmission lines loaded with multisection stepped impedance resonators (MS‐SIRs), transversely etched on the back substrate side. The considered structure consists of a CPW loaded with a 5‐section SIR (5S‐SIR) with wide (capacitive) central and external sections cascaded with narrow (inductive) sections. The general case of a 5S‐SIR with arbitrary lengths and widths of the different sections is considered. The structure is described by a pair of inductively coupled grounded series resonators coupled to the line through the capacitance of the central 5S‐SIR section. If the structure is symmetric, the transmission coefficient exhibits a single transmission zero. Hence, these structures can be used as notch filters exhibiting wide bandwidths, provided the inductance of the 5S‐SIR can be made small, and the capacitance can be enhanced by virtue of the broadside coupling. However, if symmetry is broken, two notches separated a distance that depends on the level of asymmetry and inductive coupling appear. Therefore, these structures are also useful for the implementation of differential sensors and comparators. The proposed model is validated through parameter extraction and experiment, and a proof‐of‐concept of a comparator is reported. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 58:722–726, 2016
A fully integrated LTCC Wilkinson power divider/combiner using a parasitic compensated 100 OHM RF resistor for 60 GHz wireless applications
Authors: Kim Jae‐Sun , Moon Sung‐Min , Oh Hyun‐Myung , Kim Choul‐Young
Published: January 2016

This letter shows a fully integrated Wilkinson power divider/combiner using low temperature co‐fired ceramic (LTCC) process. This power divider/combiner has a screen printed resistor. Therefore, this is helpful to reduce cost and to enhance productivity. Using short stubs and increased dc resistance for 100 Ohm resistor was proposed to compensate parasitic effects due to the large size of printed resistor in LTCC process. The measurement results reveal that the insertion loss is −1.07 dB (Back‐to‐Back: −2.15 dB) at 60 GHz. The measured return loss is better than −15dB in the whole band of interest (57–64 GHz). © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 58:720–722, 2016
A pseudospectral tau approximation for time delay systems and its comparison with other weighted‐residual‐type methods
Authors: Lehotzky Dávid , Insperger Tamás
Published: January 2016

This paper presents a method which applies pseudospectral tau approximation for retarded functional differential equations (RFDEs). The goal is to construct a system of ordinary differential equations, which provides a finite dimensional approximation of the original RFDE. The method can be used to determine approximate stability diagrams for RFDEs. Thorough numerical case studies show that the rightmost characteristic roots of the ordinary differential equation approximation converge to the rightmost characteristic roots of the original RFDE. Application of the method to time‐periodic RFDEs is also demonstrated, and the convergence of the stability boundaries is verified numerically. The method is compared with recently developed highly efficient numerical methods: the pseudospectral collocation (also called Chebyshev spectral continuous‐time approximation), the spectral Legendre tau method, and the spectral element method. The comparison is based on the stability analysis of three linear autonomous RFDEs. The efficiency of the methods is measured by the convergence rate of stability boundaries in the space of system parameters, by the convergence rate of the rightmost characteristic exponent and by the computation time of the stability charts. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Weight loss predictability by plasma metabolic signatures in adults with obesity and morbid obesity of the DiOGenes study
Authors: Stroeve Johanna H.M. , Saccenti Edoardo , Bouwman Jildau , Dane Adrie , Strassburg Katrin , Vervoort Jacques , Hankemeier Thomas , Astrup Arne , Smilde Age K. , van Ommen Ben , Saris Wim H.M.
Published: January 2016

Objective

Aim is to predict successful weight loss by metabolic signatures at baseline and to identify which differences in metabolic status may underlie variations in weight loss success.

Methods

In DiOGenes, a randomized, controlled trial, weight loss was induced using a low‐calorie diet (800 kcal) for 8 weeks. Men (N = 236) and women (N = 431) as well as groups with overweight/obesity and morbid obesity were studied separately. The relation between the metabolic status before weight loss and weight loss was assessed by stepwise regression on multiple data sets, including anthropometric parameters, NMR‐based plasma metabolites, and LC‐MS‐based plasma lipid species.

Results

Maximally, 57% of the variation in weight loss success can be predicted by baseline parameters. The most powerful predictive models were obtained in subjects with morbid obesity. In these models, the metabolites most predictive for weight loss were acetoacetate, triacylglycerols, phosphatidylcholines, specific amino acids, and creatine and creatinine. This metabolic profile suggests that high energy metabolism activity results in higher amounts of weight loss.

Conclusions

Possible predictive (pre‐diet) markers were found for amount of weight loss for specific subgroups.
Infectious Complications in Children With Acute Myeloid Leukemia and Down Syndrome: Analysis of the Prospective Multicenter Trial AML‐BFM 2004
Authors: Hassler Angela , Bochennek Konrad , Gilfert Julia , Perner Corinna , Schöning Stefan , Creutzig Ursula , Reinhardt Dirk , Lehrnbecher Thomas
Published: January 2016

Background

Children with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and Down syndrome have high survival rates with intensity‐reduced chemotherapeutic regimens, although the optimal balance between dose intensity and treatment toxicity has not been determined. We, therefore, characterized infectious complications in children with AML and Down syndrome treated according to AML‐BFM 2004 study (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00111345; amended 2006 for Down syndrome with reduced intensity).

Procedure

Data on infectious complications were gathered from the medical records in the hospital where the patient was treated. Infectious complications were categorized as fever without identifiable source (FUO), or as microbiologically or clinically documented infections.

Results

A total of 157 infections occurred in 61 patients (60.5% FUO, 9.6% and 29.9% clinically and microbiologically documented infections, respectively). Almost 90% of the pathogens isolated from the bloodstream were Gram‐positive bacteria, and approximately half of them were viridans group streptococci. All seven microbiologically documented episodes of pneumonia were caused by viruses. Infection‐related mortality was 4.9%, and all three patients died due to viral infection.

Conclusions

Our data demonstrate that a reduced‐intensity chemotherapeutic regimen in children with AML and Down syndrome is still associated with high morbidity. Although no patient died due to bacteria or fungi, viruses were responsible for all lethal events. Future studies, therefore, have to focus on the impact of viruses on morbidity and mortality of patients with AML and Down syndrome.
The importance of determining the limit of detection of non‐invasive prenatal testing methods
Authors: Fiorentino Francesco , Bono Sara , Pizzuti Francesca , Mariano Martina , Polverari Arianna , Duca Sara , Sessa Mariateresa , Baldi Marina , Diano Laura , Spinella Francesca
Published: January 2016

Objective

Several non‐invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) methods, which analyze circulating fetal cell‐free DNA (cfDNA) in maternal plasma, suggest a fetal fraction (FF) ≥4% for a reportable result, with the assumption that fetal aneuploidies may not be detectable at lower FF. This study determined the actual limit of detection (LOD) of a massively parallel sequencing‐based NIPT method and evaluated its performance in testing samples with low FF.

Method

An experimental model, involving the creation of artificial plasma mixtures with a final aneuploid FF ranging from 1% to 4%, simulated samples at different proportions of fetal cfDNA. We then analyzed 7103 blood samples, from pregnant women undergoing NIPT, to assess the impact of low FF on the performance of cfDNA testing.

Results

Detection of common aneuploidies in samples with an FF as low as 2% is well within the ability of this technology. Of 105 pregnancies confirmed chromosomally abnormal, 25 (23.8%) involving a 2% < FF < 4% were consistently detected. These high‐risk pregnancies would have not been identified using the suggested 4% FF cut‐off.

Conclusion

This study underscores the importance of determining the actual LOD for each specific NIPT methodology. It may reduce the incidence of test cancelations and shorten the time required for the diagnosis of aneuploidy. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Situational Project Management for Collaborative Research Projects
Authors: Lippe Sonia , vom Brocke Jan
Published: January 2016

Collaborative research projects form a specific project type, aimed at organizing innovation endeavors between industry, academic, and public partners. They've become increasingly widespread and their management is challenged due to ambiguously defined goals and the heterogeneous interests of many partners. We present a situation-specific approach that enables managers to select established project management knowledge according to changing needs along the project life cycle. Making use of thematic analysis, we develop a graphical framework to describe and analyze project situations. Further we establish situation profiles as a concept to relate each situation to a management method that corresponds with its managerial needs.
Atomic layer deposition of In2O3 transparent conductive oxide layers for application in Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cells with different buffer layers
Authors: Keller Jan , Stolt Lars , Edoff Marika , Törndahl Tobias
Published: January 2016

This contribution presents the development of atomic layer deposited (ALD) In2O3 films for utilization as transparent conductive oxide (TCO) layers in Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGSe) solar cells. The effects of ALD process parameters on the morphology and growth of In2O3 are studied and related to the electrical and optical properties of the films. Maintaining similar resistivity values compared to commonly used ZnO:Al (AZO) TCOs (ρ = (5–7) × 10−4 Ωcm), a superior mobility of μ ≈ 110 cm2/Vs could be achieved (more than five times higher than a ZnO:Al reference), which results in a significantly reduced parasitic optical absorption in the infrared region. Application of the optimized In2O3 layers in CIGSe solar cells with varying buffer layers (CdS and Zn1–xSnxOy (ZTO)) leads to a distinct improvement in short circuit current density Jsc in both cases. While for solar cells containing the ZTO/In2O3 window structure, a drop in open‐circuit voltage Voc and a deterioration under illumination is observed, the TCO exchange (from AZO to In2O3) on CdS buffer layers results in an increase in Voc without detectable light bias degradation. The efficiency η of the best corresponding solar cells could be improved by about 1% absolute.
High‐resistance GaN‐based buffer layers grown by a polarization doping method
Authors: Zhang Lian , Zhang Yun , Lu Hongxi , Wang Junxi , Li Jinmin
Published: January 2016

A high‐resistance buffer layer is critical for GaN‐based high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) to suppress the drain leakage current and pre‐mature device breakdown. A typical method to obtain the HR buffer layers is the acceptor impurity doping that is able to provide holes to compensate the background electrons in the buffer layers. However, the intentional doped acceptor impurities such as Mg, Fe and C will result in current collapse in GaN‐based HEMTs. To address this issue, in this work, we employed a polarization doping method of holes by Al‐composition grading instead of the acceptor impurity doping. The sheet resistance of the GaN‐based buffer layer significantly increased due to the holes generated by the polarization field. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Model of photoluminescence temperature dependence in GaN/AlN quantum dot structures
Authors: Aleksandrov Ivan A. , Mansurov Vladimir G. , Vdovin Vladimir I. , Zhuravlev Konstantin S.
Published: January 2016

Temperature dependence of photoluminescence intensity and lifetime of GaN/AlN quantum dots have been investigated and compared a theoretical model. Experimental photoluminescence lifetime is mainly determined by radiative process at low temperatures, but somewhat differs from the calculated radiative lifetime at room temperature. This difference corresponds to decrease in the nonradiative lifetime with temperature. Dependence of the nonradiative lifetime in GaN/AlN quantum dots on temperature and emission wavelength has been described by calculations assuming that the nonradiative recombination is caused by tunneling of carriers from quantum dots to nonradiative recombination centers. The tunneling probability has been calculated in the configuration coordinate model using the zero‐radius potential approximation. Temperature dependence of photoluminescence intensity of quantum dots does not follow the temperature dependence of the ratio of the photoluminescence lifetime to the radiative lifetime. Nonradiative recombination of carriers generated in a wetting layer has been taken into account to describe the temperature dependence of the photoluminescence intensity. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
MOCVD growth of DH‐HEMT buffers with low‐temperature AlN interlayer on 200 mm Si (111) substrate for breakdown voltage enhancement
Authors: Zhao Ming , Liang Hu , Kandaswamy Prem Kumar , Van Hove Marleen , Venegas Rafael , Vranken Evi , Favia Paola , Vanderheyden Annelies , Vanhaeren Danielle , Saripalli Yoga Nrusimha , Decoutere Stefaan , Langer Robert
Published: January 2016

In this work, we have systematically investigated the technique of low‐temperature AlN interlayer in MOCVD growth of double heterojunction high‐electron‐mobility transistors buffer stacks on 200 mm Si (111) substrates. We have demonstrated that a continuous compressive stress can be maintained by insertion of interlayers which compensated a large tensile stress during cooling for a thick buffer. This eventually led to a low wafer bow and a good surface quality that enabled wafers with full device stack meeting the specifications for processing in our 200 mm CMOS pilot line. We also demonstrated at both forward and reverse bias conditions a significantly improved vertical buffer breakdown voltage (which is defined at a leakage current of 1 µA/mm2 in the present work) of >500 V at 25 °C and >300 V at 150 °C, respectively. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Immunomodulation in Middle‐Aged Humans Via the Ingestion of Physta® Standardized Root Water Extract of Eurycoma longifolia Jack—A Randomized, Double‐Blind, Placebo‐Controlled, Parallel Study
Authors: George Annie , Suzuki Naoko , Abas Azreena Binti , Mohri Kiminori , Utsuyama Masanori , Hirokawa Katsuiku , Takara Tsuyoshi
Published: January 2016

This study was aimed to investigate the capacity of a standardized root water extract of Eurycoma longifolia (Tongkat Ali, TA), Physta® to modulate human immunity in a middle‐aged Japanese population. This randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, parallel study was conducted for 4 weeks. Eighty‐four of 126 subjects had relatively lower scores according to Scoring of Immunological Vigor (SIV) screening. Subjects were instructed to ingest either 200 mg/day of TA or rice powder as a placebo for 4 weeks [TA and Placebo (P) groups] and to visit a clinic in Tokyo twice (weeks 0 and 4). SIV, immunological grade, immunological age, and other immune parameters were measured. Eighty‐three subjects completed the study; 40 in the TA group and 41 in the P group were statistically analyzed, whereas two were excluded from the analyses. At week 4, the SIV and immunological grade were significantly higher in the TA group than those in P group (p < 0.05). The numbers of total, naïve, and CD4+ T cells were also higher in the TA group than those in P group (p < 0.05). No severe adverse events were observed. The results suggest that ingestion of the root water extract of TA (Physta®) enhances comprehensive immunity in both middle‐aged men and women. This study is registered in UMIN‐CTR (UMIN000011753). Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Passiflora incarnata L. Improves Spatial Memory, Reduces Stress, and Affects Neurotransmission in Rats
Authors: Jawna‐Zboińska Katarzyna , Blecharz‐Klin Kamilla , Joniec‐Maciejak Ilona , Wawer Adriana , Pyrzanowska Justyna , Piechal Agnieszka , Mirowska‐Guzel Dagmara , Widy‐Tyszkiewicz Ewa
Published: January 2016

Passiflora incarnata L. has been used as a medicinal plant in South America and Europe since the 16th century. Previous pharmacological studies focused mainly on the plant's sedative, anxiolytic, and anticonvulsant effects on the central nervous system and its supporting role in the treatment of addiction. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the behavioral and neurochemical effects of long‐term oral administration of P. incarnata. The passionflower extract (30, 100, or 300 mg/kg body weight/day) was given to 4‐week‐old male Wistar rats via their drinking water. Tests were conducted after 7 weeks of treatment. Spatial memory was assessed in a water maze, and the levels of amino acids, monoamines, and their metabolites were evaluated in select brain regions by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). We observed reduced anxiety and dose‐dependent improvement of memory in rats given passionflower compared to the control group. In addition, hippocampal glutamic acid and cortical serotonin content were depleted, with increased levels of metabolites and increased turnover. Thus, our results partially confirmed the proposed mechanism of action of P. incarnata involving GABAA receptors. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Eutelsat HTS systems
Authors: Fenech H. , Tomatis A. , Amos S. , Soumpholphakdy V. , Serrano Merino J. L.
Published: January 2016

KA‐SAT is the first of the second generation of high throughput satellite (HTS) systems. Constructed by Airbus, it was launched in 2010. It delivers over 90 Gbps capacity over 82 spots in Ka‐band over Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. It represents a complete infrastructure with the ground segment complement so as to deliver a suite of services including Internet access, broadcasting and satellite news gathering.

The KA‐SAT HTS system includes an integrated ground and satellite infrastructure: the ground infrastructure comprises a network of ten gateways that are connected to the main European point of presences, to the Internet backbone, to the network operations centre and a centralised operational control centre by Skylogic in Turin. Skylogic interfaces with all the customers.

Besides the operational KA‐SAT, there are four other HTS systems launched or to be launched by Eutelsat: EUTELSAT 3B launched in April 2014, EUTELSAT 36C in 2015, EUTELSAT 65 West A in 2016 and EUTELSAT 172B in 2017. These systems represent a range of HTS systems for Eutelsat, which push the envelope of applications and provide the performance critical to operators. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Maximizing quality of experience through context‐aware mobile application scheduling in cloudlet infrastructure
Authors: Mahmud Md. Redowan , Afrin Mahbuba , Razzaque Md. Abdur , Hassan Mohammad Mehedi , Alelaiwi Abdulhameed , Alrubaian Majed
Published: January 2016

Application software execution requests, from mobile devices to cloud service providers, are often heterogeneous in terms of device, network, and application runtime contexts. These heterogeneous contexts include the remaining battery level of a mobile device, network signal strength it receives and quality‐of‐service (QoS) requirement of an application software submitted from that device. Scheduling such application software execution requests (from many mobile devices) on competent virtual machines to enhance user quality of experience (QoE) is a multi‐constrained optimization problem. However, existing solutions in the literature either address utility maximization problem for service providers or optimize the application QoS levels, bypassing device‐level and network‐level contextual information. In this paper, a multi‐objective nonlinear programming solution to the context‐aware application software scheduling problem has been developed, namely, QoE and context‐aware scheduling (QCASH) method, which minimizes the application execution times (i.e., maximizes the QoE) and maximizes the application execution success rate. To the best of our knowledge, QCASH is the first work in this domain that inscribes the optimal scheduling problem for mobile application software execution requests with three‐dimensional context parameters. In QCASH, the context priority of each application is measured by applying min–max normalization and multiple linear regression models on three context parameters—battery level, network signal strength, and application QoS. Experimental results, found from simulation runs on CloudSim toolkit, demonstrate that the QCASH outperforms the state‐of‐the‐art works well across the success rate, waiting time, and QoE. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Rheological and textural properties of pulse starch gels
Authors: Byars Jeffrey A. , Singh Mukti
Published: January 2016

The properties of starch gels from black beans, chickpeas, lentils, and navy beans were investigated. Differences were shown among starch sources, and the effect of starch concentration was studied. Navy bean starch had the highest peak and final viscosities in pasting tests, while black bean starch had the strongest concentration dependence. The viscosity of all starches had similar shear rate dependence at concentrations of 6 and 8%. Navy and black bean starch gels had the highest storage modulus, and black bean starch had the strongest concentration dependence. In creep, navy bean starch had the lowest steady state compliance at 6 and 8%, but there were no significant differences among starches at 10%. Texture analysis showed that navy bean starch gels were the hardest, and black bean starch gels again had the largest concentration dependence. Navy and black bean starch gels had the highest syneresis index after one day, but the syneresis index became similar for all starches at each concentration at longer times.
Vision of new olfactory sensing array
Authors: Janata Jiří , Nakamoto Takamichi
Published: January 2016

A newly synthesized material with highly controllable, but partial selectivity is proposed for the construction of catalytic sensors comprising an olfactory array. The transduction principle proposed for this array is that of a fuel‐cell‐type amperometric sensor. In the example discussed here, it is based on electrochemical oxidation of lower aliphatic alcohols in an alkaline medium. Since a cyclic voltammogram of each sensor in the olfactory array provides high‐dimesional data, a pattern recognition technique including mutidimensional data generation, feature extraction, and classification is indispensable. The combination of the new sensor array with a sophisticated pattern recognition algorithm might lead to the next generation of olfactory sensing array. © 2016 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Preoperative Pneumonia and Postoperative Venous Thrombosis: A Cohort Study of 427,656 Patients Undergoing Major General Surgery
Authors: Masrouha Karim Z. , Musallam Khaled M. , Rosendaal Frits R. , Hoballah Jamal J. , Jamali Faek R.
Published: January 2016

Background

The literature is sparse regarding the association between pneumonia and venous thrombosis in surgical patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the risk of postoperative venous thrombosis in patients who fit the criteria for preoperative pneumonia using data from the ongoing American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) database while adjusting for potential confounders.

Methods

This is a cohort study using data from the ACS NSQIP database participating sites from 2008 (211 sites) and 2009 (237 sites). 427,656 patients undergoing major general surgery were included. The 30‐day risk of postoperative venous thrombosis including deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) was evaluated in patients with preoperative pneumonia diagnosed before undergoing major general surgery.

Results

Patients with preoperative pneumonia had a higher incidence of both 30‐day DVT and PE than patients without preoperative pneumonia. After adjusting for all potential confounders, the effect estimates for the association between preoperative pneumonia and venous thrombosis were DVT, OR: 1.67 (95% CI 1.32–2.11) and PE, OR: 2.18 (95% CI 1.48–3.22).

Conclusions

A large, multicenter database of surgical patients showed that preoperative pneumonia may increase risk for developing venous thrombosis. This adds to our understanding of risk factors for venous thrombosis and suggests a potential benefit of diagnosing preoperative pneumonia in patients undergoing major general surgery.
Severity of Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve Injuries in Thyroid Surgery
Authors: Dionigi Gianlorenzo , Wu Che‐Wei , Kim Hoon Yub , Rausei Stefano , Boni Luigi , Chiang Feng‐Yu
Published: January 2016

Background

Few studies in the literature have reported recovery data for different types of recurrent laryngeal nerve injuries (RLNIs). This study is the first attempt to classify RLNIs and rank them by severity.

Methods

This prospective clinical study analyzed 281 RLNIs in which a true loss of signal was identified by intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM), and vocal cord palsy (VCP) was confirmed by a postoperative laryngoscope. For each injury type, the prevalence of VCP, the time of VCP recovery, and physical changes on nerves were analyzed. Additionally, different RLNI types were experimentally induced in a porcine model to compare morphological change.

Results

The overall VCP rate in at‐risk patients/nerves was 8.9/4.6 %, respectively. The distribution of RLNI types, in order of frequency, was traction (71 %), thermal (17 %), compression (4.2 %), clamping (3.4 %), ligature entrapment (1.6 %), suction (1.4 %), and nerve transection (1.4 %). Complete recovery from VCP was documented in 91 % of RLNIs. Recovery time was significantly faster in the traction group compared to the other groups (p < 0.001). The rates of temporary and permanent VCP were 98.6 and 1.4 % for traction lesion, 72 and 28 % for thermal injury, 100 and 0 % for compression injury, 50 and 50 % for clamping injury, 100 and 0 % for ligature entrapment, 100 and 0 % for suction injury, and 0 and 100 % for nerve transection, respectively. Physical changes were noted in 14 % of RLNIs in which 56 % of VCP was permanent. However, among the remaining 86 % IONM‐detectable RLNIs without physical changes, only 1.2 % of VCP was permanent. A porcine model of traction lesion showed only distorted outer nerve structure, whereas the thermal lesion showed severe damage in the inner endoneurium.

Conclusions

Different RNLIs induce different morphological alterations and have different recovery outcomes. Permanent VCP is rare in lesions that are visually undetectable but detectable by IONM. By enabling early detection of RLNI and prediction of outcome, IONM can help clinicians plan intra‐ and postoperative treatment.
Sexual Anatomy and Function in Women with and Without Genital Mutilation: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Abdulcadir Jasmine , Botsikas Diomidis , Bolmont Mylène , Bilancioni Aline , Djema Dahila Amal , Bianchi Demicheli Francesco , Yaron Michal , Petignat Patrick
Published: January 2016

Introduction

Female genital mutilation (FGM), the partial or total removal of the external genitalia for non-medical reasons, can affect female sexuality. However, only few studies are available, and these have significant methodologic limitations.

Aim

To understand the impact of FGM on the anatomy of the clitoris and bulbs using magnetic resonance imaging and on sexuality using psychometric instruments and to study whether differences in anatomy after FGM correlate with differences in sexual function, desire, and body image.

Methods

A cross-sectional study on sexual function and sexual anatomy was performed in women with and without FGM. Fifteen women with FGM involving cutting of the clitoris and 15 uncut women as a control group matched by age and parity were prospectively recruited. Participants underwent pelvic magnetic resonance imaging with vaginal opacification by ultrasound gel and completed validated questionnaires on desire (Sexual Desire Inventory), body image (Questionnaire d'Image Corporelle [Body Image Satisfaction Scale]), and sexual function (Female Sexual Function Index).

Main Outcome Measures

Primary outcomes were clitoral and bulbar measurements on magnetic resonance images. Secondary outcomes were sexual function, desire, and body image scores.

Results

Women with FGM did not have significantly decreased clitoral glans width and body length but did have significantly smaller volume of the clitoris plus bulbs. They scored significantly lower on sexual function and desire than women without FGM. They did not score lower on Female Sexual Function Index sub-scores for orgasm, desire, and satisfaction and on the Questionnaire d'Image Corporelle but did report significantly more dyspareunia. A larger total volume of clitoris and bulbs did not correlate with higher Female Sexual Function Index and Sexual Desire Inventory scores in women with FGM compared with uncut women who had larger total volume that correlated with higher scores.

Conclusion

Women with FGM have sexual erectile tissues for sexual arousal, orgasm, and pleasure. Women with sexual dysfunction should be appropriately counseled and treated.
Peripheral Neuropathy After Fecal Microbiota Transplantation for Clostridium difficile Infection: A Case Report
Authors: Didesch Michelle M. , Averill Allison , Oh‐Park Mooyeon
Published: January 2016

We present a case of a 71‐year‐old man with Clostridium difficile infection who underwent fecal transplantation. The patient was found to have a predominantly demyelinating sensorimotor peripheral polyneuropathy upon electrodiagnostic testing. To our knowledge, only one case of peripheral neuropathy after fecal transplantation has previously been reported. Although the exact cause of this patient's neuropathy cannot be confirmed, it has been speculated that the pathophysiology is an immune‐mediated process. Given the increasing incidence of C difficile infections and the emergence of fecal transplantation as treatment, it is important to note that peripheral neuropathy is a potential adverse complication.
Paleofire severity and vegetation change in the Cascade Range, Oregon, USA
Authors: Minckley Thomas A. , Long Colin J.
Published: January 2016

Paleoecological research has expanded our knowledge of the relationships between climate, fire and vegetation. Fire can be a significant driver of forest composition and structure change, but identifying and quantifying fire regimes has been elusive. Using high-resolution charcoal analysis and pollen analysis we reconstructed a 13,200-year-old fire and vegetation history from Breitenbush Lake, Oregon, located in the central Cascade Range, USA. Our objective was to examine if fire occurrence and severity may have been a driver of Holocene forest-composition change. The data from this study suggests that while fire can create opportunities for successional process to occur, fire events were not significant catalysts for forest change. Instead, most major transitions at Breitenbush Lake occurred during prolonged fire-free intervals. Our results reinforce the view that climate is the major control of vegetation composition change in the Cascade Range.
Implications of a Bayesian radiocarbon calibration of colonization ages for mammalian megafauna in glaciated New York State after the Last Glacial Maximum
Authors: Feranec Robert S. , Kozlowski Andrew L.
Published: January 2016

To understand what factors control species colonization and extirpation within specific paleoecosystems, we analyzed radiocarbon dates of megafaunal mammal species from New York State after the Last Glacial Maximum. We hypothesized that the timing of colonization and extirpation were both driven by access to preferred habitat types. Bayesian calibration of a database of 39 radiocarbon dates shows that caribou (Rangifer tarandus) were the first colonizers, then mammoth (Mammuthus sp.), and finally American mastodon (Mammut americanum). The timing of colonization cannot reject the hypothesis that colonizing megafauna tracked preferred habitats, as caribou and mammoth arrived when tundra was present, while mastodon arrived after boreal forest was prominent in the state. The timing of caribou colonization implies that ecosystems were developed in the state prior to 16,000 cal yr BP. The contemporaneous arrival of American mastodon with Sporormiella spore decline suggests the dung fungus spore is not an adequate indicator of American mastodon population size. The pattern in the timing of extirpation is opposite to that of colonization. The lack of environmental changes suspected to be ecologically detrimental to American mastodon and mammoth coupled with the arrival of humans shortly before extirpation suggests an anthropogenic cause in the loss of the analyzed species.
Aesthetic Archives
Authors: Takeo Magruder Michael , Pilcher Jeremy
Published: January 2016

Michael Takeo Magruder, visual artist and researcher, discusses his digital and new media art and practice with Jeremy Pilcher, lawyer and academic, whose research engages with the intersection of art and law. Takeo's work asks viewers to question their relationship both to and within the real-time data flows generated by emerging technologies and the implications these have for archives. His art concerns the way institutions use such systems to create narratives that structure societies. This conversation discusses how Takeo's practice invites us, as individuals, to critically reflect on the implications of the stories that are both told to and about us by using gathered and distributed data.
Recycled Images: from orphan works to found footage
Authors: Op den Kamp Claudy
Published: January 2016

The focus of this article will be on the artistic practice of found footage film-making—with which is understood the practice of creating new films with extant material—and the ‘aesthetics of access’. Lucas Hilderbrand introduces this term in his 2009 publication Inherent Vice, in which he assembles issues of copyright, preservation and bootlegging and applies it to the specific case study of VHS. When he speaks of aesthetics of access he does so in reference to the formal characteristics of the image. That is how the term is intended here as well. So for instance, film-maker Matthias Müller shot the footage he has used to compile his found footage film Home Stories (1990) with a 16 mm film camera off a television screen. Whether this mode of production was favoured for its specific visual impact or for circumventing having to obtain permission to re-use the (mainly Hollywood feature) film material, the resulting slightly degraded look of the duplicated material is a direct result of how the material was accessed, hence its ‘aesthetics of access’. This article argues that the legal provenance of archival material, and potential ways of circumventing legal restrictions in obtaining that material, can be traced in the ultimate form of found footage films. It also argues that in their new amalgamated states, the films emphasise such concepts as ownership and authorship and that they can be seen as illustrative in their allusions to the ways that institutional context, copyright and film form are interdependent.
Hierarchy in practice: Multilateral diplomacy and the governance of international security
Authors: Pouliot Vincent
Published: January 2016

In today’s world, a significant portion of international security politics is conducted through multilateral channels, often from the halls of international organisations such as the United Nations or NATO. This article theorises and empirically documents the production, reproduction, and contestation of local diplomatic hierarchies that practitioners often call ‘international pecking orders’. According to conventional wisdom in IR, the sources of international hierarchies are primarily structural, stemming from the interstate distribution of (material) capabilities. Yet the growing prevalence of multilateral diplomacy in the governance of international security generates distinctive forms of social stratification organised around a struggle for diplomatic competence. As they pursue their instructions and manage security politics, state representatives posted to international organisations make use of the opportunities and constraints of a given situation and compete for rank through the display of practical know-how. The article illustrates this process by looking at how a key set of multilateral practices lend themselves to pecking order dynamics, fromesprit de corpsto reporting through brokering. By taking the multilateralisation of security politics seriously, the article shows that international hierarchy, far from an unobservable reality, is actually part of parcel of each and every practice that makes the world go round.
The humanisation of security? Towards an International Human Protection Regime
Authors: Bellamy Alex J.
Published: January 2016

Over the past few decades, genocidal killing and other mass atrocities have become less frequent and less lethal. At the same time, collective international responses have become more common and more comprehensive. What explains these two phenomena, and are they connected? This article suggests that the evidence of declining mass violence and growing international activism is not only compelling but that the two phenomena are connected by the emergence of a new international human protection regime. The article proceeds in three parts. The first examines the evidence for thinking that the world is experiencing both a decline in mass violence and an increase in international activism in response to such violence. The second outlines the emergence, scope, and limits of the human protection regime. The third considers whether the regime itself is associated with the changing practices of third parties to mass violence. The fourth part contrasts this explanation with potential alternatives.
Choice, voice, and exit: Consumer power and the self-regulation of the private security industry
Authors: Krahmann Elke
Published: January 2016

Promoting Private Security Company (PSC) self-regulation has become a key focus due to high profile scandals during the military interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan. Related efforts include the Montreux Document, the International Code of Conduct for Private Security Service Providers (ICoC), American National Standards Institute/ASIS certification, and the new International Standards Organization (ISO) Management System Standard for Private Security Operations. Implicit in industry self-regulation, however, is the assumption that the consumers of private security services will help facilitate and enforce professional standards by shifting their custom to PSCs which have signed up to these codes of conduct or certification schemes. This article investigates the validity of this assumption with regard to government contracting. To what degree are public agencies able – and willing – to let professional standards guide their contracting behaviour? To answer this question, this article develops a general framework for the analysis of public consumer influence through choice, voice, and exit which draws on insights from microeconomics and Albert Hirschman’s classical treatiseExit, Voice, Loyalty.Taking the United States government as an illustrative example, the analysis observes several obstacles to encouraging security industry self-regulation through consumer power.
CATEGORICITY IN QUASIMINIMAL PREGEOMETRY CLASSES
Authors: HAYKAZYAN LEVON
Published: January 2016

Quasiminimal pregeometry classes were introduced by [6] to isolate the model theoretical core of several interesting examples. He proves that a quasiminimal pregeometry class satisfying an additional axiom, called excellence, is categorical in all uncountable cardinalities. Recently, [2] showed that the excellence axiom follows from the rest of the axioms. In this paper we present a direct proof of the categoricity result without using excellence.
IMPLICATIONAL RELEVANCE LOGIC IS 2-EXPTIME-COMPLETE
Authors: SCHMITZ SYLVAIN
Published: January 2016

We show that provability in the implicational fragment of relevance logic is complete for doubly exponential time, using reductions to and from coverability in branching vector addition systems.
Demand and Supply: Racial and Ethnic Minority Candidates in White Districts
Authors: Juenke Eric Gonzalez , Shah Paru
Published: January 2016

Do voters in white districts systematically obstruct minority representation? Despite a great deal of public and scholarly attention, this question remains largely unresolved. We demonstrate that the narrow focus on the relationship between white voters and minority representation is inadequate to understand why we do not see more minority-elected officials in the United States. We use a matching technique to investigate three theoretical perspectives of descriptive representation using a unique dataset from the 2012 general elections for state legislative seats in 14 states, the first elections after the 2010 redistricting process. Our findings challenge the venerable notion that minority candidates consistently underperform in white districts, and complicate our understanding of the political expression of bigotry in the voting booth.
LINEAR SURJECTIVE ISOMETRIES BETWEEN VECTOR-VALUED FUNCTION SPACES
Authors: KAWAMURA KAZUHIRO
Published: January 2016

We prove some Banach–Stone type theorems for linear isometries of vector-valued continuous function spaces, by making use of the extreme point method.