bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Inter- and intra-regional variation in intonation: An analysis of rising pitch accents and rootedness
Authors: Reed Paul E.
Published: January 2020

Regional linguistic variation is a widely known characteristic of American English, with the American South as one of the many foci. However, in much of this literature, Appalachia is lumped together with other Southern varieties. Further, the vast sociolinguistic literature has documented intra-regional variation along socio-indexical lines. However, most variation studies have focused on vocalic variation at the expense of other sources of variation, which may have different patterns and meanings. The present study was designed to explore intonational variation in conversational speech in two varieties of American English: Appalachian and Southern. Additionally, the intra-regional variation in intonation present in Appalachian English was explored considering the rootedness (local place-based attachment) of speakers. The results revealed significant effects of regional dialect on both the quantitative and qualitative realization of pitch accent. Further, intra-regional variation was significantly impacted by socio-indexical aspects, including rootedness, of individual speakers. The findings from this study demonstrate that both region and socio-indexical features are expressed intonationally and also provide motivation for additional exploration of intonational variation across and within the regional varieties of American English.
A theoretical investigation of the nonlinear acoustic response of abrupt area contractions
Authors: Kawell Samuel T. , Humphreys Luke H. , Stubbs Daniel C. , Scarborough David E.
Published: January 2020

Acoustic instabilities are frequently the culprit for engine failure. To mitigate these instabilities, an accurate model of the nonlinear acoustic pressure profile of the system is necessary. This study develops a nonlinear model for the acoustic response of an area-contraction. The derivation begins with the unsteady Bernoulli equation which is formed into the pressure drop across the area-contraction. Each acoustic variable is assumed to be time-harmonic and is written as the sum of a steady and fundamental term. Using a Fourier transformation, nonlinear expressions for the pressure drop and impedance are derived as functions of the steady and acoustic velocity. These expressions capture the nonlinearity of the acoustic response when the flow can reverse out of the orifice, i.e., the amplitude of the mean velocity is less than the amplitude of the oscillating acoustic velocity. This impedance model is verified by archive quality acoustic response data from a previous study.
Near-infrared and visible light dual-mode organic photodetectors
Authors: Lan Zhaojue , Lei Yanlian , Chan Wing Kin Edward , Chen Shuming , Luo Dan , Zhu Furong
Published: January 2020

A dual-mode photodetector with bias-switchable spectral response offers detection and monitoring in two distinct bands.
Complex multiphase organohydrogels with programmable mechanics toward adaptive soft-matter machines
Authors: Zhuo Shuyun , Zhao Ziguang , Xie Zhexin , Hao Yufei , Xu Yichao , Zhao Tianyi , Li Huanjun , Knubben Elias M. , Wen Li , Jiang Lei , Liu Mingjie
Published: January 2020

Adaptive soft-matter machines are developed using the complex multiphase organohydrogels with multistable mechanical states.
Single-cell analysis reveals different age-related somatic mutation profiles between stem and differentiated cells in human liver
Authors: Brazhnik K. , Sun S. , Alani O. , Kinkhabwala M. , Wolkoff A. W. , Maslov A. Y. , Dong X. , Vijg J.
Published: January 2020

Somatic mutation levels in human liver increase with age and are higher in differentiated hepatocytes than in residential LSCs.
Black holes caught in the act of swallowing stars
Authors: Clery Daniel
Published: January 2020

Dozens of tidal disruption events found in galaxy surveys shed light on violent events.
Nested hybrid nanotubes
Authors: Gogotsi Yury , Yakobson Boris I.
Published: January 2020

Material made with atom-thin tubular crystals portends the creation of inventive nanodevices
Activity of Antibiotics against Pseudomonas aeruginosa in an
In Vitro
Model of Biofilms in the Context of Cystic Fibrosis: Influence of the Culture Medium
Authors: Diaz Iglesias Yvan , Van Bambeke Françoise
Published: January 2020

Pseudomonas aeruginosa
is a major cause of respiratory biofilm-related infections in patients with cystic fibrosis. We developed an
in vitro
pharmacodynamic model to study the activity of antipseudomonal antibiotics against PAO1 biofilms grown in artificial sputum medium with agar [ASM(+)] versus that against biofilms grown in Trypticase soy broth supplemented with glucose and NaCl (TGN). We measured bacterial counts, metabolic activity (fluorescein diacetate [FDA] hydrolysis), and biomass (crystal violet absorbance).
Expanding U.S. Laboratory Capacity for Neisseria gonorrhoeae Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing and Whole-Genome Sequencing through the CDC's Antibiotic Resistance Laboratory Network
Authors: Kersh Ellen N. , Pham Cau D. , Papp John R. , Myers Robert , Steece Richard , Kubin Grace , Gautom Romesh , Nash Evelyn E. , Sharpe Samera , Gernert Kim M. , Schmerer Matthew , Raphael Brian H. , Henning Tara , Gaynor Anne M. , Soge Olusegun , Schlanger Karen , Kirkcaldy Robert D. , St. Cyr Sancta B. , Torrone Elizabeth A. , Bernstein Kyle , Weinstock Hillard
Published: January 2020

U.S. gonorrhea rates are rising, and antibiotic-resistant
Neisseria gonorrhoeae
(AR-Ng) is an urgent public health threat. Since implementation of nucleic acid amplification tests for
N. gonorrhoeae
identification, the capacity for culturing
N. gonorrhoeae
in the United States has declined, along with the ability to perform culture-based antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST). Yet AST is critical for detecting and monitoring AR-Ng.
Arctic sea ice export as a driver of deglacial climate
Authors: Condron Alan , Joyce Anthony J. , Bradley Raymond S.
Published: January 2020

A widespread theory in paleoclimatology suggests that changes in freshwater discharge to the Nordic (Greenland, Norwegian, and Icelandic) Seas from ice sheets and proglacial lakes over North America played a role in triggering episodes of abrupt climate change during deglaciation (21–8 ka) by slowing the strength of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning circulation (AMOC). Yet, proving this link has been problematic, as climate models are unable to produce centennial-to-millennial–length reductions in overturning from short-lived outburst floods, while periods of iceberg discharge during Heinrich Event 1 (ca. 16 ka) may have occurred after the climate had already begun to cool. Here, results from a series of numerical model experiments are presented to show that prior to deglaciation, sea ice could have become tens of meters thick over large parts of the Arctic Basin, forming an enormous reservoir of freshwater independent from terrestrial sources. Our model then shows that deglacial sea-level rise, changes in atmospheric circulation, and terrestrial outburst floods caused this ice to be exported through Fram Strait, where its subsequent melt freshened the Nordic Seas enough to weaken the AMOC. Given that both the volume of ice stored in the Arctic Basin and the magnitude of the simulated export events exceed estimates of the volumes and fluxes of meltwater periodically discharged from proglacial Lake Agassiz, our results show that non-terrestrial freshwater sources played an important role in causing past abrupt climate change.
Reshuffling the Columbia River Basalt chronology—Picture Gorge Basalt, the earliest- and longest-erupting formation
Authors: Cahoon Emily B. , Streck Martin J. , Koppers Anthony A.P. , Miggins Daniel P.
Published: January 2020

The Columbia River Basalt Group (CRBG) is the world’s youngest continental flood basalt province, presumably sourced from the deep-seated plume that currently resides underneath Yellowstone National Park in the northwestern United States. The earliest-erupted basalts from this province aid in understanding and modeling plume impingement and the subsequent evolution of basaltic volcanism. We explore the Picture Gorge Basalt (PGB) formation of the CRBG, and discuss the location and geochemical significance in a temporal context of early CRBG magmatism. We report new ARGUS-VI multicollector 40Ar/39Ar incremental heating ages from known PGB localities and additional outcrops that we can geochemically classify as PGB. These 40Ar/39Ar ages range between 17.23 ± 0.04 Ma and 16.06 ± 0.14 Ma, indicating that PGB erupted earlier and for longer than other CRBG main-phase units. These ages illustrate that volcanism initiated over a broad area in the center of the province, and the geochemistry of these early lavas reflects a mantle source that is distinct both spatially and temporally. Combining ages with the strongest arc-like (but depleted) geochemical signal of PGB among CRBG units indicates that the shallowest metasomatized backarc-like mantle was tapped first and concurrently, with later units (Steens and Imnaha Basalts) showing increased influence of a plume-like source.
Losing weight following diagnosis of type 2 diabetes boosts chance of remission
Authors: Cook Rob , Davidson Peter , Martin Rosie
Published: January 2020

The study

Dambha-Miller H, Day AJ, Strelitz J, et al. Behaviour change, weight loss and remission of Type 2 diabetes: a community-based prospective cohort study.
Diabet Med
2019. doi:
10.1111/dme.14122
.

This project was funded by the NIHR Health Technology Assessment Programme (project number 08/116/300) as well as the Wellcome Trust (grant number: G061895), the Epidemiology Unit programme (MC_UU_12015/4), and the National Health Service R&D support funding.

To read the full NIHR Signal, go to:
https://discover.dc.nihr.ac.uk/content/signal-000841/weight-loss-after-type-2-diabetes-diagnosis-boosts-chance-of-remission
Lessons from a Health Policy and Systems Research programme exploring the quality and coverage of newborn care in Kenya
Authors: English Mike , Gathara David , Nzinga Jacinta , Kumar Pratap , Were Fred , Warfa Osman , Tallam-Kimaiyo Edna , Nandili Mary , Obengo Alfred , Abuya Nancy , Jackson Debra , Brownie Sharon , Molyneux Sassy , Jones Caroline Olivia Holmes , Murphy Georgina A V , McKnight Jacob
Published: January 2020

There are global calls for research to support health system strengthening in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). To examine the nature and magnitude of gaps in access and quality of inpatient neonatal care provided to a largely poor urban population, we combined multiple epidemiological and health services methodologies. Conducting this work and generating findings was made possible through extensive formal and informal stakeholder engagement linked to flexibility in the research approach while keeping overall goals in mind. We learnt that 45% of sick newborns requiring hospital care in Nairobi probably do not access a suitable facility and that public hospitals provide 70% of care accessed with private sector care either poor quality or very expensive. Direct observations of care and ethnographic work show that critical nursing workforce shortages prevent delivery of high-quality care in high volume, low-cost facilities and likely threaten patient safety and nurses’ well-being. In these challenging settings, routines and norms have evolved as collective coping strategies so health professionals maintain some sense of achievement in the face of impossible demands. Thus, the health system sustains a functional veneer that belies the stresses undermining quality, compassionate care. No one intervention will dramatically reduce neonatal mortality in this urban setting. In the short term, a substantial increase in the number of health workers, especially nurses, is required. This must be combined with longer term investment to address coverage gaps through redesign of services around functional tiers with improved information systems that support effective governance of public, private and not-for-profit sectors.
Breastfeeding peer counselling for mothers of preterm neonates: protocol of a stepped-wedge cluster randomised controlled trial
Authors: Laborie Sophie , Denis Angelique , Horsch Antje , Occelli Pauline , Margier Jennifer , Morisod Harari Mathilde , Claris Olivier , Touzet Sandrine , Fischer Fumeaux Celine Julie
Published: January 2020

Introduction

Among preterm infants, mother’s own milk feeding reduces neonatal morbidity and decreases the length of hospital stay. However, breastfeeding rates and duration are lower than among term infants. It is reported that peer counselling is effective in increasing breast feeding in term infants in low-income and middle-income countries, but results are mixed in high-income countries. We aim to investigate herein whether peer counselling may be a feasible and effective breastfeeding support among preterm infants in French-speaking high-income countries.

Methods and analysis

Eight European centres will participate in this stepped-wedge cluster randomised controlled trial. We plan to include 2400 hospitalised neonates born before 35 gestational weeks. Each centre will begin with an observational period. Every 3 months, a randomised cluster (centre) will begin the interventional period with peer counsellors until the end of the study. The counsellors will be trained and supervised by the trained nurses. They will have a weekly contact with participating mothers, with a face-to-face meeting at least once every fortnight. During these meetings, peer counsellors will listen to mothers’ concerns, share experiences and help the mother with their own knowledge of breast feeding. The main outcome is breastfeeding rate at 2 months corrected age. Secondary outcomes are breastfeeding rates at hospital discharge and at 6 months, breastfeeding duration and severe neonatal morbidity and mortality. The mental health of the mother, mother–infant bonding and infant behaviour will be assessed using self-report questionnaires. A neurodevelopmental follow-up, a cost-effectiveness analysis and a cost–consequence at 2 years corrected age will be performed among infants in a French subgroup.

Ethics and dissemination

French, Belgian and Swiss ethics committees gave their agreement. Publications in peer-reviewed journals are planned on breast feeding, mental health and economic outcomes.

Trial registration number

NCT03156946
How to WEB: a practical review of methodology for the use of the Woven EndoBridge
Authors: Goyal Nitin , Hoit Daniel , DiNitto Julie , Elijovich Lucas , Fiorella David , Pierot Laurent , Lamin Saleh , Spelle Laurent , Saatci Isil , Cekirge Saru , Arthur Adam S
Published: January 2020

Wide-necked bifurcation aneurysms (WNBAs) make up 26–36% of all brain aneurysms. Treatments for WNBAs pose unique challenges due to the need to preserve major bifurcation vessels while achieving a durable occlusion of the aneurysm. Intrasaccular flow disruption is an innovative technique for the treatment of WNBAs. The Woven EndoBridge (WEB) device is the only United States Food and Drug Administration approved intrasaccular flow disruption device. In this review article we discuss various aspects of treating WNBAs with the WEB device, including indications for use, aneurysm/device selection strategies, antiplatelet therapy requirement, procedural technique, potential complications and bailouts, and management strategies for residual/recurrent aneurysms after initial WEB treatment.
How safe and effective are flow diverters for the treatment of unruptured small/medium intracranial aneurysms of the internal carotid artery? Meta-analysis for evidence-based performance goals
Authors: Fiorella David , Gache Larry , Frame Diana , Arthur Adam S
Published: January 2020

Background

The objective of this meta-analysis was to establish safety and effectiveness benchmarks for endovascular therapy of unruptured small-to-medium internal carotid artery (ICA) aneurysms using flow diverters.

Methods

A systematic literature review and subsequent meta-analysis were performed using best research methods. Studies of any design with at least 10 patients treated with flow diverters for predominantly (≥90%) unruptured small/medium ICA aneurysms and ≥6 month follow-up were included. The primary effectiveness endpoint was complete aneurysm occlusion rate at 12 months. The primary safety endpoint was a composite measure of cumulative events that could indicate a stroke or neurologic death: any death, stroke, intracranial hemorrhage, or worsening on the modified Rankin Scale.

Results

41 studies (2614 patients) met eligibility criteria for the meta-analysis. The core lab adjusted complete occlusion rate was 74.9% (95% CI 69.6% to 79.8%) at 12 months for studies using any flow diverter. With an aim of generating performance goals for a US Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) study, a pre-specified analysis was conducted using only studies with flow diverters commercially available in the USA. In this cohort, 12 month complete occlusion was 74.6% (95% CI 66.8% to 81.7%). The primary safety event rate for flow diverters commercially available in the USA was 7.8% (95% CI 4.8% to 11.4%).

Conclusions

The treatment of small and medium-sized aneurysms with flow diverters is effective in achieving curative reconstruction in most cases and is associated with low rates of morbidity and mortality. This meta-analysis informs robust performance goals for evaluating new flow diverters in small/medium unruptured carotid aneurysms.
Theory determination of $$\varvec{\bar{B}\rightarrow D^{(*)}\ell ^-\bar{\nu }}$$ form factors at $$\varvec{\mathcal {O}(1/m_c^2)}$$
Authors: Bordone Marzia , Jung Martin , van Dyk Danny
Published: January 2020

We carry out an analysis of the full set of ten $$\bar{B}\rightarrow D^{(*)}$$B¯→D(∗) form factors within the framework of the Heavy-Quark Expansion (HQE) to order $$\mathcal {O}\left( \alpha _s,\,1/m_b,\,1/m_c^2\right) $$Oαs,1/mb,1/mc2, both with and without the use of experimental data. This becomes possible due to a recent calculation of these form factors at and beyond the maximal physical recoil using QCD light-cone sum rules, in combination with constraints from lattice QCD, QCD three-point sum rules and unitarity. We find good agreement amongst the various theoretical results, as well as between the theoretical results and the kinematical distributions in $$\bar{B}\rightarrow D^{(*)}\lbrace e^-,\mu ^-\rbrace \bar{\nu }$$B¯→D(∗){e-,μ-}ν¯ measurements. The coefficients entering at the $$1/m_c^2$$1/mc2 level are found to be of $$\mathcal {O}(1)$$O(1), indicating convergence of the HQE. The phenomenological implications of our study include an updated exclusive determination of $$|V_{cb}|$$|Vcb| in the HQE, which is compatible with both the exclusive determination using the BGL parametrization and with the inclusive determination. We also revisit predictions for the lepton-flavour universality ratios $$R_{D^{(*)}}$$RD(∗), the $$\tau $$τ polarization observables $$P_\tau ^{D^{(*)}}$$PτD(∗), and the longitudinal polarization fraction $$F_L$$FL. Posterior samples for the HQE parameters are provided as ancillary files, allowing for their use in subsequent studies.
Parking 3-sphere swimmer: II. The long-arm asymptotic regime
Authors: Alouges François , Di Fratta Giovanni
Published: January 2020

The paper carries on our previous investigations on the complementary version of Purcell’s rotator (sPr3): a low-Reynolds-number swimmer composed of three balls of equal radii. In the asymptotic regime of very long arms, the Stokes-induced governing dynamics is derived, and then experimented in the context of energy-minimizing self-propulsion characterized in the first part of the paper.

Graphical abstract
Scheduling of space to ground quantum key distribution
Authors: Polnik Mateusz , Mazzarella Luca , Di Carlo Marilena , Oi Daniel KL , Riccardi Annalisa , Arulselvan Ashwin
Published: January 2020

Satellite-based platforms are currently the only feasible way of achieving intercontinental range for quantum communication, enabling thus the future global quantum internet. Recent demonstrations by the Chinese spacecraft Micius have spurred an international space race and enormous interest in the development of both scientific and commercial systems. Research efforts so far have concentrated upon in-orbit demonstrations involving a single satellite and one or two ground stations. Ultimately satellite quantum key distribution should enable secure network communication between multiple nodes, which requires efficient scheduling of communication with the set of ground stations. Here we present a study of how satellite quantum key distribution can service many ground stations taking into account realistic constraints such as geography, operational hours, and most importantly, weather conditions. The objective is to maximise the number of keys a set of ground stations located in the United Kingdom could share while simultaneously reflecting the communication needs of each node and its relevance in the network. The problem is formulated as a mixed-integer linear optimisation program and solved to a desired optimality gap using a state of the art solver. The approach is presented using a simulation run throughout six years to investigate the total number of keys that can be sent to ground stations.
Networks with Evolutionary Processors and Ideals and Codes as Filters
Authors: Dassow Jürgen , Truthe Bianca
Published: January 2020

We study how the generative power of networks of evolutionary processors decreases if special codes and ideals are used as input and output filters of the nodes instead of arbitrary regular languages. We show that all recursively enumerable languages can be generated if the filters are right ideals or left ideals. With respect to codes, we obtain a hierarchy of evolutionary language families which is almost identical to that of the families of codes.
On the Prefix–Suffix Duplication Reduction
Authors: Fazekas Szilárd Zsolt , Mercaş Robert , Reidenbach Daniel
Published: January 2020

This work answers some questions proposed by Bottoni, Labella, and Mitrana (Theoretical Computer Science 682, 2017) regarding the prefix–suffix reduction on words. The operation is defined as a reduction by one half of every square that is present as either a prefix or a suffix of a word, leading thus to a finite set of words associated to the starting one. The iterated case considers consecutive applications of the operations, on all the resulting words. We show that the classes of linear and context-free language are closed under iterated bounded prefix–suffix square reduction, and that for a given word we can determine in [Formula: see text] time all of its primitive prefix–suffix square roots.
Renormalized quantum stress–energy tensor for massive spinor fields around global monopoles
Authors: Piedra Owen Pavel Fernández
Published: January 2020

The renormalized quantum stress–energy tensor [Formula: see text] for a massive spinor field around global monopoles is constructed within the framework of Schwinger–DeWitt approximation, valid whenever the Compton length of the quantum field is much less than the characteristic radius of the curvature of the background geometry. The results obtained show that the quantum massive spinor field in the global monopole spacetime violates all the pointwise energy conditions.
Reduced conformal geometrodynamics
Authors: Arbuzov Andrej B. , Pavlov Alexander E.
Published: January 2020

The global time in geometrodynamics is defined in a covariant under diffeomorphisms form. An arbitrary static background metric is taken in the tangent space. The global intrinsic time is identified with the mean value of the logarithm of the square root of the ratio of the metric determinants. The procedures of the Hamiltonian reduction and deparametrization of dynamical systems are implemented. The reduced Hamiltonian equations of motion of gravitational field in semi-geodesic coordinate system are written.
Magnetic traversable wormhole as accelerator of charged particles
Authors: Kirillov A. A. , Savelova E. P.
Published: January 2020

We show that the scattering of radiation on a traversable wormhole forms a vortex in the radiation energy flux. Then, if the wormhole possesses also a magnetic fields, the vortex accelerates charged particles along the magnetic lines and such a system works as an accelerator. If the vortex is small, the system reaches the stationary state, when the income of the kinetic energy reradiates completely in the form of the synchrotron radiation. Such a mechanism allows us to relate a part of observed sources of the synchrotron radiation to magnetic wormholes.
Electromagnetic Casimir densities for planar boundaries in AdS spacetime
Authors: Saharian A. A. , Kotanjyan A. S. , Saharyan A. A. , Sargsyan H. G.
Published: January 2020

We investigate the vacuum expectation value of the energy-momentum tensor and the Casimir forces for the electromagnetic field in AdS spacetime for the geometry of two parallel plates. On the plates the field obeys the boundary condition that generalizes the perfect conductor boundary condition for an arbitrary number of spatial dimensions. The interaction forces between the plates are attractive. At separations larger than the curvature radius of the spacetime they decay exponentially.
Superfluid vacuum theory and deformed dispersion relations
Authors: Zloshchastiev Konstantin G.
Published: January 2020

Using the logarithmic superfluid model of physical vacuum, one can formulate an essentially quantum post-relativistic theory, which successfully recovers Einstein’s theory of relativity in low-momenta limit, but otherwise has different foundations and predictions. We present an analytical example of the dispersion relation and show that it should have a Landau form which ensures the suppression of dissipative fluctuations. We show that in the low-momentum sector of the theory, a dispersion relation becomes relativistic with small deformations, such that a photon acquires effective mass, but a much more complex picture arises at large momenta.
Classification of Ecological Data by Deep Learning
Authors: Liu Shaobo , Shih Frank Y. , Russell Gareth , Russell Kimberly , Phan Hai
Published: January 2020

Ecologists have been studying different computational models in the classification of ecological species. In this paper, we intend to take advantages of variant deep-learning models, including LeNet, AlexNet, VGG models, residual neural network, and inception models, to classify ecological datasets, such as bee wing and butterfly. Since the datasets contain relatively small data samples and unbalanced samples in each class, we apply data augmentation and transfer learning techniques. Furthermore, newly designed inception residual and inception modules are developed to enhance feature extraction and increase classification rates. As comparing against currently available deep-learning models, experimental results show that the proposed inception residual block can avoid the vanishing gradient problem and achieve a high accuracy rate of 92%.
Bohr Hamiltonian with a four inverse power terms potential and extended Nikiforov–Uvarov method for triaxial nuclei
Authors: Nga Ongodo D. , Ema’a Ema’a J. M. , Ele Abiama P. , Ben-Bolie G. H.
Published: January 2020

The Bohr Hamiltonian with four inverse power terms potential for the [Formula: see text]-part and a harmonic oscillator for the [Formula: see text]-part is solved. The [Formula: see text]-part has been solved using the biconfluent Heun equation. The total wave function and energy have been derived. The numerical results for energy triaxial nuclei spectra are compared with the experimental data, esM and esKM models known for [Formula: see text] atomic nuclei. These results are in overall good agreement with the experimental data. After this, the corresponding [Formula: see text] transition rates have been calculated for each nuclei of Platinum.
Peculiarities of 6Li +12C elastic scattering
Authors: Hamada Sh. , Ibraheem Awad A.
Published: January 2020

Using the phenomenological optical potential and two different semi-microscopic potentials, namely double folding and cluster folding (CF), the available experimental data for 6Li elastically scattered from [Formula: see text]C nucleus at energies 50–600[Formula: see text]MeV are reanalyzed. On the basis of the well-known cluster structure of 6Li as a composite nucleus consisting of a core “alpha” with a valence particle “deuteron” orbiting this core, special attention was paid to the CF potential. Elastic scattering data for 6Li+[Formula: see text]C system plotted as a function of momentum transfer showed that the real Coulomb nuclear interference region is independent of the bombarding energy. The aforementioned structural behavior for the data could be used to define the potential with some certainty. In addition to a Woods–Saxon imaginary potential of fixed radius, the real part of the potential derived from the cluster structure of 6Li was successful in reproducing the experimental data in the whole angular range. Coupled channel (CC) calculation effects are also performed by coupling to 6Li resonant state ([Formula: see text], [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]MeV).
NOVEL ACTIVE SCREEN PLASMA NITRIDING OF ALUMINUM USING ALUMINUM CATHODIC CAGE
Authors: NAEEM M. , DÍAZ-GUILLÉN J. C. , AKRAM MEMOONA , IQBAL JAVED , NAZ M. Y. , SHAFIQ M.
Published: January 2020

The aim of this work is to improve the surface properties of aluminum, using active screen plasma nitriding (ASPN) equipped with aluminum active screen (Al-AS). The samples are treated in fixed processing conditions, except 0–50% hydrogen is admixed in nitrogen gas, for the better removal of the native oxide layer. The samples are analyzed using the micro-hardness tester, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope and dry ball-on-disc wear tester. The results show that using Al-AS (particularly at 40% hydrogen), excellent film quality with better uniformity, surface hardness and wear resistance can be attained with aluminum nitride (AlN) as a leading phase. Using Al-AS, the deposition of inappropriate material (such as iron in some reports) can be avoided with improved results even in short processing time (3[Formula: see text]h).
PREDICTIVE MODELING OF SURFACE ROUGHNESS, MATERIAL REMOVAL RATE AND KERF USING MULTIPLE REGRESSION ANALYIS IN PLASMA ARC CUTTING PROCESS OF HARDOX AND ABREX STEEL
Authors: NAIK DEEPAK KUMAR , MAITY KALIPADA
Published: January 2020

Plasma arc cutting (PAC) process is widely used in metal cutting industries and modern fabrication units. Precise cutting of high strength material is still a challenging task to the industries. PAC process uses thermal energy to melt the material through highly energized plasma gas. Mostly, “hard-to-cut” type materials is used to cut through this process to meet the demands. The present work proposes an experimental investigation of PAC process of hardox 400 and abrex 400. Both the materials are high strength and high abrasion resistance in nature. Experiments were conducted based on Taguchi’s L[Formula: see text] orthogonal array design. The cutting parameters analyzed were arc current, cutting speed, stand-off distance and supply gas pressure whereas material removal rate, kerf and surface roughness were selected as responses. Also, a prediction model was developed to estimate the responses using multiple regression analysis. A comparison between experimental and predicted result shows the accuracy of the model. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to verify the effect of each parameter on the surface quality to be assessed.
A probabilistic version of Sankoff’s maximum parsimony algorithm
Authors: Balogh Gábor , Bernhart Stephan H. , Stadler Peter F. , Schor Jana
Published: January 2020

The number of genes belonging to a multi-gene family usually varies substantially over their evolutionary history as a consequence of gene duplications and losses. A first step toward analyzing these histories in detail is the inference of the changes in copy number that take place along the individual edges of the underlying phylogenetic tree. The corresponding maximum parsimony minimizes the total number of changes along the edges of the species tree. Incorrectly determined numbers of family members however may influence the estimates drastically. We therefore augment the analysis by introducing a probabilistic model that also considers suboptimal assignments of changes. Technically, this amounts to a partition function variant of Sankoff’s parsimony algorithm. As a showcase application, we reanalyze the gain and loss patterns of metazoan microRNA families. As expected, the differences between the probabilistic and the parsimony method is moderate, in this limit of [Formula: see text], i.e. very little tolerance for deviations from parsimony, the total number of reconstructed changes is the same. However, we find that the partition function approach systematically predicts fewer gains and more loss events, showing that the data admit co-optimal solutions among which the parsimony approach selects biased representatives.
Existence and multiplicity of solutions to fractional p-Laplacian systems with concave–convex nonlinearities
Authors: Alsulami Hamed , Kirane Mokhtar , Alhodily Shabab , Saeed Tareq , Nyamoradi Nemat
Published: January 2020

This paper is concerned with a fractional [Formula: see text]-Laplacian system with both concave–convex nonlinearities. The existence and multiplicity results of positive solutions are obtained by variational methods and the Nehari manifold.
Investigation of Multiply Connected Inverse Cauchy Problems by Efficient Weighted Collocation Method
Authors: Yang Judy P. , Lin Qizheng
Published: January 2020

This work introduces an efficient weighted collocation method to solve inverse Cauchy problems. As it is known that the reproducing kernel approximation takes time to compute the second-order derivatives in the meshfree strong form method, the gradient approach alleviates such a drawback by approximating the first-order derivatives in a similar way to the primary unknown. In view of the overdetermined system derived from inverse Cauchy problems with incomplete boundary conditions, the weighted gradient reproducing kernel collocation method (G-RKCM) is further introduced in the analysis. The convergence of the method is first demonstrated by the simply connected inverse problems, in which the same set of source points and collocation points is adopted. Then, the multiply connected inverse problems are investigated to show that high accuracy of approximation can be reached. The sensitivity and stability of the method is tested through the disturbance added on both Neumann and Dirichlet boundary conditions. From the investigation of four benchmark problems, it is concluded that the weighted gradient reproducing kernel collocation method is more efficient than the reproducing kernel collocation method.
Unit groups of finite group algebras of Abelian groups of order at most 16
Authors: Sahai Meena , Ansari Sheere Farhat
Published: January 2020

In this paper, we establish the structure of the unit group of the group algebra [Formula: see text] where [Formula: see text] is an abelian group of order at most [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] is a finite field of characteristic [Formula: see text] with [Formula: see text] elements.
Cutting forces analysis of micro-milling process on Inconel 718 – a finite element approach
Authors: Tripathy Padmaja , Maity Kalipada
Published: January 2020

This paper presents a modeling and simulation of micro-milling process with finite element modeling (FEM) analysis to predict cutting forces. The micro-milling of Inconel 718 is conducted using high-speed steel (HSS) micro-end mill cutter of 1mm diameter. The machining parameters considered for simulation are feed rate, cutting speed and depth of cut which are varied at three levels. The FEM analysis of machining process is divided into three parts, i.e., pre-processer, simulation and post-processor. In pre-processor, the input data are provided for simulation. The machining process is further simulated with the pre-processor data. For data extraction and viewing the simulated results, post-processor is used. A set of experiments are conducted for validation of simulated process. The simulated and experimental results are compared and the results are found to be having a good agreement.
Three Artificial Spintronic Leaky Integrate-and-Fire Neurons
Authors: Brigner Wesley H. , Hu Xuan , Hassan Naimul , Jiang-Wei Lucian , Bennett Christopher H. , Garcia-Sanchez Felipe , Akinola Otitoaleke , Pasquale Massimo , Marinella Matthew J. , Incorvia Jean Anne C. , Friedman Joseph S.
Published: January 2020

Due to their nonvolatility and intrinsic current integration capabilities, spintronic devices that rely on domain wall (DW) motion through a free ferromagnetic track have garnered significant interest in the field of neuromorphic computing. Although a number of such devices have already been proposed, they require the use of external circuitry to implement several important neuronal behaviors. As such, they are likely to result in either a decrease in energy efficiency, an increase in fabrication complexity, or even both. To resolve this issue, we have proposed three individual neurons that are capable of performing these functionalities without the use of any external circuitry. To implement leaking, the first neuron uses a dipolar coupling field, the second uses an anisotropy gradient and the third uses shape variations of the DW track.
The Structural, Electronic, Optical and Thermo-Electric Properties of Oxynitride Perovskite CaTaO2N
Authors: Hocine K. , Cheref O. , Bettine K. , Rached D. , Benalia S. , Rabah M. , Benkhettou N. , Rached H.
Published: January 2020

In this study, we carried out ab-initio calculations of structural, electronic, optical and thermo-electric properties of CaTaO2N compound in Pnma orthorhombic structure, using the full-potential linearized augmented plane wave method (FP-LAPW), within the framework of density functional theory (DFT). The calculated structural parameters are found to be in good agreement with the experimental results. Moreover, we have studied the electronic band structure, total and partial density of states in order to explain the origin of band gaps and the nitrogen anion contribution in the valence and the conduction bands. The CaTaO2N band structure has shown a direct band gap in the direction [Formula: see text] (with the value 2.32[Formula: see text]eV). The optical properties represented by the dielectric functions for CaTaO2N compound have revealed that the Pnma structure absorbs the light at a large window in the edge UV-Vis regions. In order to explain the thermo-electric properties, we have calculated Seebeck coefficient, electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity and the factor figure of merit in this temperature range 100–1000 K. The factor figure of mérit (ZT) of CaTaO2N takes a maximum value of 0.775 at [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]K.
Na2HeO: A possible helium compound from first-principles study
Authors: Zou Z. B. , Wu R. Q. , Zhao Y. F.
Published: January 2020

By first-principle study, we propose a possible stable helium-based compound with chemical formula of Na2HeO. It has a structure of space group [Formula: see text]. Energy calculation indicates that it has a local minimum with a lattice constant [Formula: see text] Å. Electronic band structure suggests that it is a wide gap insulator. Analysis on Hirshfeld charges and charge density distribution shows a chemical bond formed between O and He atoms in this structure. Results from both elastic constants and phonon dispersion indicate that this compound in the proposed structure is both mechanically and dynamically stable.
PyBIRALES: A Radar Data Processing Backend for the Real-Time Detection of Space Debris
Authors: Cutajar D. , Magro A. , Borg J. , Adami K. Z. , Bianchi G. , Pupillo G. , Mattana A. , Naldi G. , Bortolotti C. , Perini F. , Lama L. , Schiaffino M. , Roma M. , Maccaferri A. , Lizia P. Di , Massari M. , Losacco M.
Published: January 2020

The growing population of artificial satellites in near-Earth orbit has made the monitoring of orbital debris objects ever more important. Orbital debris objects pose a threat to these satellites as their orbit cannot be changed in order to avoid a collision. In recent years, the European Space Agency (ESA)’s Space Surveillance and Tracking (SST) programme has been assisting national institutions in the upgrading of their space debris detection and monitoring capabilities. One of the latest such systems within this programme is the BIRALES space surveillance system based in Italy. The receiving antenna is a radio telescope that is made up of 32 receivers which are placed on eight parabolic cylindrical reflectors of the North–South arm of the Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF)’s Northern Cross. This work introduces a new software backend which was developed for this novel space debris sensor. The system was designed to be a fast, highly configurable software backend for the radio telescope’s acquisition and processing system and whose monitoring and control can be realized by a simple front-end web-based application. The real-time detection of Resident Space Object (RSO) is an important prerequisite for such a system as it gives the operator an immediate feedback loop on any detections whilst keeping the storage requirements at a minimum given that there is no need to save the raw data. The detection of high-velocity objects is achieved by means of a specially developed data processing pipeline that uses the received raw antenna voltages to generate a number of beams, collectively known as a multipixel, that cover the Field of View (FoV) of the instrument. The trajectory of the detected objects is determined by considering the illumination sequence within this multipixel. The initial results on known objects represent the first steps in extending the growing network of European SST systems.
Osteosynthesis of Postosteomyelitic Forearm Defects in Children Using a Modified Bone Grafting Technique: The Fibular Intramedullary Bridging Bone and Additional Grafting (FIBBAG)
Authors: Agarwal Anil , Raj Rahul Yogendra , Gupta Shobhit , Shanker Mukesh
Published: January 2020

Background: There are many options to treat post osteomyelitic gaps in forearm bones. We report a pediatric series with postosteomyelitic forearm segmental defects reconstructed with fibular only graft: the non vascular fibular intramedullary bridging bone and additional grafting (FIBBAG) and the results thereof.

Methods: Outcomes in 8 patients treated with fibular strut and overlay matchstick grafts were retrospectively assessed. The clinical results were expressed as forearm shortening, range of motion at elbow and wrist joint. The radiological evaluation included time to union, presence of fractures and recurrence of infection, if any.

Results: The average patient age was 6 years (range, 3–12 years). The radius was involved in 6 and ulna in 2. Union occurred in all patients. The average intraoperative gap to be spanned was 5.86 cm (range, 3–14 cm). The average time for union was 6.63 months (range, 2–14 months). Two patients required additional bone grafting procedures. No graft fatigues/fractures were noted in available follow up. There was no recurrence of infection in any case. A positive ulnar variance was seen in 3 patients at follow up. Forearm shortening was a major cosmetic limitation following the procedure.

Conclusions: Fibular strut and additional bone grafting (FIBBAG) is one of the viable options for reconstruction of post osteomyelitic forearm defects in children with low procedural complication rate.
Olecranon Fracture through Persistent Olecranon Apophysis in a 21-Year-Old Male: A Case Report and Systematic Review of the Literature
Authors: Twu Jonathan , Landy David C. , Wolf Jennifer Moriatis
Published: January 2020

Traumatic fractures involving an ununited olecranon apophysis in adults have been rarely documented in the literature. We present the case of a 21-year-old male wrestler with an elbow injury after a fall. Imaging revealed an acute fracture of the olecranon with sclerotic rounded edges indicating an injury through a persistent olecranon apophysis. Open reduction and internal fixation was performed with plate fixation and bone grafting with radiographic and clinical healing at 6 weeks. Review of the literature revealed 5 case reports showing high rates of non-union with tension band constructs while plate and screw fixation had no incidence of nonunion. Fractures through an ununited olecranon apophysis are successfully treated with plate and screw fixation with bone grafting.
Fivefold Fracture in a Perilunate Fracture Dislocation Involving Scaphoid, Capitate, Hamate, Triquetrum and Lunate: A Case Report
Authors: Boesch Cedric E. , Dejdovic Gabriel , Beutler Kevin , Daigeler Adrien , Medved Fabian
Published: January 2020

This case report presents a very rare fracture combination in a perilunate dislocation including the scaphoid, capitate, hamate and triquetrum and the cornu anterior of the lunate, with an intact scapholunate ligament in a left wrist. An open reduction and internal fixation of the scaphoid, capitate, hamate and triquetrum was performed.
Surface EMG-Based Hand Gesture Recognition via Hybrid and Dilated Deep Neural Network Architectures for Neurorobotic Prostheses
Authors: Rahimian Elahe , Zabihi Soheil , Atashzar Seyed Farokh , Asif Amir , Mohammadi Arash
Published: January 2020

Motivated by the potentials of deep learning models in significantly improving myoelectric control of neuroprosthetic robotic limbs, this paper proposes two novel deep learning architectures, namely the [Formula: see text] ([Formula: see text]) and the [Formula: see text] ([Formula: see text]), for performing Hand Gesture Recognition (HGR) via multi-channel surface Electromyography (sEMG) signals. The work is aimed at enhancing the accuracy of myoelectric systems, which can be used for realizing an accurate and resilient man–machine interface for myocontrol of neurorobotic systems. The HRM is developed based on an innovative, unconventional, and particular hybridization of two parallel paths (one convolutional and one recurrent) coupled via a fully-connected multilayer network acting as the fusion center providing robustness across different scenarios. The hybrid design is specifically proposed to treat temporal and spatial features in two parallel processing pipelines and to augment the discriminative power of the model to reduce the required computational complexity and construct a compact HGR model. We designed a second architecture, the [Formula: see text], as a compact architecture. It is worth mentioning that efficiency of a designed deep model, especially its memory usage and number of parameters, is as important as its achievable accuracy in practice. The [Formula: see text] has significantly less memory requirement in training when compared to the HRM due to implementation of novel dilated causal convolutions that gradually increase the receptive field of the network and utilize shared filter parameters. The NinaPro DB2 dataset is utilized for evaluation purposes. The proposed [Formula: see text] significantly outperforms its counterparts achieving an exceptionally-high HGR performance of [Formula: see text]%. The TCNM with the accuracy of [Formula: see text]% also outperforms existing solutions while maintaining low computational requirements.
Matrix-valued Bratu equation and the exact solution of its initial value problem
Authors: Inoue Hiroto
Published: January 2020

A matrix-valued extension of the Bratu equation is defined. For its initial value problem, the exponential matrix solution and power series solution are provided.