bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Melting and freeze-out conditions of hadrons in a thermal medium
Authors: Torres-Rincon Juan M. , Aichelin Joerg , Petersen Hannah , Rose Jean-Bernard , Tindall Joseph
Published: February 2018

We describe two independent frameworks which provide unambiguous determinations of the deconfinement and the decoupling conditions of a relativistic gas at finite temperature. First, we use the Polyakov-Nambu-Jona–Lasinio model to compute meson and baryon masses at finite temperature and determine their melting temperature as a function of their strangeness content. Second, we analyze a simple expanding gas within a Friedmann-Robertson-Walker metric, which admits a well-defined decoupling mechanism. We examine the decoupling time as a function of the particle mass and cross section. We find evidences of an inherent dependence of the hadronization and freeze-out conditions on flavor, and on mass and cross section, respectively.
Heavy Flavored Jets with CMS
Authors: Jung Kurt
Published: February 2018

The energy loss of jets in heavy-ion collisions is expected to depend on the mass and flavor of the initiating parton. Thus, measurements of jet quenching with tagged partons place powerful constraints on the thermodynamic and transport properties of the hot and dense medium. Furthermore, recent results that constrain the jet production mechanism will shed additional light on the contributions of leading and next-to-leading order heavy flavor jet production with regard to the global energy loss picture. To this end, we present recent results measuring spectra and nuclear modification factors of jets associated to charm and bottom quarks in both pPb and PbPb collisions, as well as measurements of dijet asymmetry of pairs of b-jets in PbPb collisions.
Subthreshold Ξ− production in proton-nucleus collisions in a BUU model
Authors: Zétényi Miklós , Wolf György
Published: February 2018

We study the production of the doubly strange Ξ baryon in subthreshold p + A collisions using a BUU type transport model. We propose a new mechanism for Ξ creation in a two-step process via hyperon-nucleon collisions. We study the influence of the anisotropy of hyperon production in N + N collisions on the Ξ multiplicity. Applying reasonable assumptions on the unknown elementary cross sections, we are able to reconstruct the Ξ yield observed by the HADES collaboration (GSI, Darmstadt) in subthreshold p+Nb collisions.
The Small Acceptance Vertex Detector of NA61/SHINE
Authors: Deveaux M. , Aduszkiewicz A. , Ali Y. , Baszczyk M. , Brylinski W. , Dorosz P. , Di Luise S. , Feofilov G. , Gazdzicki M. , Igolkin S. , Jablonski M. , Kovalenko V. , Koziel M. , Kucewicz W. , Larsen D. , Lazareva T. , Martinengo P. , Merzlaya A. , Mik L. , Planeta R. , Snoch A. , Vechernin V. , Tefelski D. , Suljic M. , Staszel P.
Published: February 2018

Charmonium production in heavy ion collisions is considered as an important diagnostic probe for studying the phase diagram of strongly interacting matter for potential phase transitions. The interpretation of existing data from the CERN SPS is hampered by a lack of knowledge on the properties of open charm particle production in the fireball. Moreover, open charm production in heavy ion collisions by itself is poorly understood. To overcome this obstacle, the NA61/SHINE was equipped with a Small Acceptance Vertex Detector (SAVD), which is predicted to make the experiment sensitive to open charm mesons produced in A-A collisions at the SPS top energy. This paper will introduce the concept and the hardware of the SAVD. Moreover, first running experience as obtained in a commissioning run with a 150 AGeV/c Pb+Pb collision system will be reported.
A Low-voltage Programmable Frequency Divider with Wide Input Frequency Range
Authors: Liao Yilong , Fan Xiangning
Published: February 2018

A low-voltage programmable frequency divider with wide input frequency range is fabricated in standard 0.18µm TSMC RF CMOS technology and presented in this paper. Considering the frequency division ratio of dual-modulus prescaler is relatively smaller, a programmable divider with full custom design is used to increase the frequency division ratio and the maximum operating frequency. The frequency division ratio of the programmable frequency divider covers from 64 to 255. And the measured results show that the programmable divider works correctly when the input frequency varies from 0.5 GHz to 6.0 GHz, with 1V supply. Besides, the power consumption is 3.5 mA at the maximum frequency of 6.0 GHz.
Research on Outfitting Virtual Assembly based on Ergonomics
Authors: Jiang Zuhua , Lu Junguo , Ji Yongjun , Zhu Hongyuan
Published: February 2018

To improve the present situation where the assembly work of ship outfitting depends on manual experiential operation, the thesis, taking outfitting assembly operation as the research object and optimal assembly path as the target, puts forward the simulation method and procedure of outfitting virtual assembly considering operational posture, operational load, reachability and visibility and other ergonomic factors, taking pipe assembly operation of ship section as the application example. The results show that the method can obtain better assembly operation path, avoid interference of workers’ operation process and improve the efficiency of assembly operation.
Research on Monte Carlo application based on Hadoop
Authors: Wu Minglei , Pan Jingchang
Published: February 2018

Monte Carlo method is also known as random simulation method. The more the number of experiments, the more accurate the results obtained. Therefore, a large number of random simulation is required in order to obtain a higher degree of accuracy, but the traditional stand-alone algorithm has been difficult to meet the needs of a large number of simulation. Hadoop platform is a distributed computing platform built on a large data background and an open source software under Apache. It is easier to write and run applications for processing massive amounts of data as an open source software platform. Therefore, this paper takes π value calculation as an example to realize the Monte Carlo algorithm based on Hadoop platform, and get the exact π value with the advantage of Hadoop platform in distributed processing.
A large data processing algorithm for energy efficiency in a heterogeneous cluster
Authors: Wang Lei , Ge Weichun , Li Zhao , Lei Zhenjiang , Chen Shuo
Published: February 2018

It is reportedi that the electricity cost to operate a cluster may well exceed its acquisition cost, and the processing of big data requires large scale cluster and long period. Therefore, energy efficient processing of big data is essential for the data owners and users. In this paper, we propose a novel algorithm MinBalance to processing I/O intensive big data tasks energy efficiently in heterogeneous cluster. In the former step, four greedy policies are used to select the proper nodes considering heterogeneity of the cluster. While in the latter step, the workloads of the selected nodes will be well balanced to avoid the energy wastes caused by waiting. MinBalance is a universal algorithm and cannot be affected by the data storage strategies. Experimental results indicate that MinBalance can achieve over 60% energy reduction for large sets over the traditional methods of powering down partial nodes.
An interferometric radar sensor for monitoring the vibrations of structures at short ranges
Authors: Luzi Guido , Crosetto Michele , Angelats Eduard , Fernández Enric
Published: February 2018

The Real-Aperture-Radar (RAR) interferometry technique consolidated in the last decade as an operational tool for the monitoring of large civil engineering structures as bridges, towers, and buildings. In literature, experimental campaigns collected through a well-known commercial equipment have been widely documented, while the cases where different types of sensors have been tested are a few. On the bases of some experimental tests, a new sensor working at high frequency, providing some improved performances, is here discussed. The core of the proposed system is an off-the-shelf, linear frequency modulated continuous wave device. The development of this apparatus is aimed at achieving a proof-of-concept, tackling operative aspects related to the development of a low cost and reliable system. The capability to detect the natural frequencies of a lightpole has been verified; comparing the results of the proposed sensor with those ones obtained through a commercial system based on the same technique, a more detailed description of the vibrating structure has been achieved. The results of this investigation confirmed that the development of sensors working at higher frequencies, although deserving deeper studies, is very promising and could open new applications demanding higher spatial resolutions at close ranges.
Optimal design of power frames for special purpose vehicles' cockpits with regard to their eigenfrequencies and shock resistance
Authors: Leontev Aleksandr , Aleshin Mikhail , Klyavin Oleg , Borovkov Alexey
Published: February 2018

The paper is focused on development of a methodology for designing special purpose vehicles' cockpits minimizing vibration and impacts in the workspace. Finite elements method is utilized as the main tool in assessment of the structural design. The method also forms a foundation for further topology optimization, which allows for obtaining lightweight adaptable to production design fulfilling both vibration and impact requests, standards and regulations. The method has been used in designing experimental cockpit for a prospective tractor. Thus it is shown that the methodology being presented in the article can be successfully implemented in design of special purpose vehicles.
Dynamic responses of vehicle ballasted track interaction system for heavy haul trains
Authors: Wang Yingjie , Dimitrovová Zuzana , Yau Jong-Dar
Published: February 2018

In this study, the dynamic responses of ballasted tracks subjected to heavy haul trains are investigated. The vehicle ballasted track interaction (VTI) model can be divided into three parts, which are vehicle model, ballasted track model and wheel/rail contact model. The vehicle is modelled as a multi-body system with 10 degrees of freedom. The ballasted track consisting of rail, sleeper, ballast, sub-ballast and sub-grade is modelled as four elastic components. The vehicle model and ballasted track model is linked by the wheel/rail contact model, which is determined by the nonlinear Hertzian theory. The VTI model is solved by an iterative procedure and validated with some field experiments. The dynamic responses of the vehicle/track system are compared with those from the moving load model. Moreover, the wheel/rail contact force, the force from rail to sleeper and the force from sub-ballast to subgrade are computed for different axle loads of 25t, 30t, 35t and 40t. It is deduced that maximum values of these forces increase in a linear form with the increasing of axle load.
Nonlinear dynamics of a planar hinged-supported beam with one end spring system
Authors: Kłoda Łukasz , Lenci Stefano , Warmiński Jerzy
Published: February 2018

Forced nonlinear oscillations of a planar, initially straight, Timoshenko beam are studied. The goal of this paper is to examine large amplitude vibrations of a hinged-simply supported beam with a linear axial spring on one end, allowing to consider the influence of varying axial boundary conditions. Influence of geometrical nonlinearity coming from very large deformations in axial, transversal and rotational directions on frequency response curves are presented for a wide spectrum of the spring stiffness. The complete frequency response curve is computed by a special pseudo continuation method of explicit numerical simulations. For selected cases, a jump phenomenon between branches and super/sub harmonic resonances have been observed.
Cluster synchronization of dry friction oscillators
Authors: Marszal Michał , Stefański Andrzej
Published: February 2018

Synchronization is a well known phenomenon in non-linear dynamics and is treated as correlation in time of at least two different processes. In scope of this article, we focus on complete and cluster synchronization in the systems of coupled dry friction oscillators, coupled by linear springs. The building block of the system is the classic stick-slip oscillator, which consists of mass, spring and belt-mass friction interface. The Stribeck friction itself is modelled using Stribeck friction model with exponential non-linearity. The oscillators in the systems are connected in nearest neighbour fashion, both in open and closed ring topology. We perform a numerical study of the properties of the dynamics of the systems in question, in two-parameter space (coupling coefficient vs. angular excitation frequency) and explore the possible configurations of cluster synchronization.
Active vibration control of a flexible link robot with the use of piezoelectric actuators
Authors: Williams Darren , Haddad Khodoparast Hamed , Yang Chenyuang
Published: February 2018

Within robot systems the use of flexible links could solve many issues raised by their rigid counterparts. However, when these flexible links are integrated within systems which include moving parts their main issue lies in the vibrations experienced along their length due to disturbances. Much research effort has been made to solve this issue, with particular attention being paid to the application of piezoelectric patches as actuators within active vibration control (AVC). The study will consist of accurate models of a flexible link and two surface bonded piezoelectric patches, where the link and the piezoelectric patches will be modelled through the use of Euler-Bernoulli beam theory (EBT). The link will be subject to an initial displacement at its free end, and the resulting displacement of this end of the beam is to be controlled using a classic proportional-differential (PD) controller. The voltages to be applied across each of the actuators is to be controlled in accordance with the displacement of the free end of the beam, the actuators will then induce a strain upon the link opposing the movement of the tip. This research outlines this general method, obtains the best location of the piezoelectric patches and the control gains to be used, and proves that the method can be used to attenuate the vibrations experienced by a flexible link.
Synthesis of control algorithms for robotic platform with electro-hydraulic drive
Authors: Rybak Larisa , Gaponenko Elena , Malyshev Dmitry
Published: February 2018

The article deals with a robotic vibroprotection platform with electro-hydraulic drive. Built mathematical model systems from the account for characteristics of the drive. Synthesized invariant controller by system state that uses reverse ties coefficients. Controller synthesized at discrete area with a restriction in the magnitude of the relative displacement of the object relative to the base. To ensure the stability of the controller are selected in regulation law amendment providing the desired value of the relative displacement. The results of mathematical modeling are presented.
Modelling and Investigation of a Hybrid Thermal Energy Harvester
Authors: Todorov Todor , Nikolov Nikolay , Todorov Georgi , Ralev Yanko
Published: February 2018

The presented paper deals with dynamical and experimental investigations of a hybrid energy harvester containing shape memory alloy (SMA) wire and elastic cantilever with piezoelectric layer. The SMA wire periodically changes its temperature under the influence of a heated plate that approaches and moves away from the SMA wire. The change of SMA wire length causes rotation of the hot plate. The plate is heated by a heater with constant temperature. The repeated SMA wire extensions and contractions bend the piezoelectric cantilever which generates electric charges. The shape memory effect is presented as a temperature approximation of the Young’s modulus. A dynamical model of the energy harvester is created and some analytical investigations are presented. With the help of an experimental setup the acceleration, the force, the temperature, and the output voltage have been measured. The theoretical results are validated experimentally. Some conclusions are made about the best performance of the energy harvester.
Electromagnetic Vibration Energy Harvesting for Railway Applications
Authors: Bradai S. , Naifar S. , Viehweger C. , Kanoun O.
Published: February 2018

Safe localization of trains via GPS and wireless sensors is essential for railway traffic supervision. Especially for freight trains and because normally no power source is available on the wagons, special solutions for energy supply have to be developed based on energy harvesting techniques. Since vibration is available in this case, it provides an interesting source of energy. Nevertheless, in order to have an efficient design of the harvesting system, the existing vibration needs to be investigated. In this paper, we focus on the characterization of vibration parameters in railway application. We propose an electromagnetic vibration converter especially developed to this application. Vibration profiles from a train traveling between two German cities were measured using a data acquisition system installed on the train’s wagon. Results show that the measured profiles present multiple frequency signals in the range of 10 to 50 Hz and an acceleration of up to 2 g. A prototype for a vibration converter is designed taking into account the real vibration parameters, robustness and integrability requirements. It is based on a moving coil attached to a mechanical spring. For the experimental emulation of the train vibrations, a shaker is used as an external artificial vibration source controlled by a laser sensor in feedback. A maximum voltage of 1.7 V peak to peak which corresponds to a maximum of 10 mW output power where the applied excitation frequency is close to the resonant frequency of the converter which corresponds to 27 Hz.
A new methodology for fault detection in rolling element bearings using singular spectrum analysis
Authors: Bugharbee Hussein Al , Trendafilova Irina
Published: February 2018

This paper proposes a vibration-based methodology for fault detection in rolling element bearings, which is based on pure data analysis via singular spectrum method. The method suggests building a baseline space from feature vectors made of the signals measured in the healthy/baseline bearing condition. The feature vectors are made using the Euclidean norms of the first three PC’s found for the signals measured. Then, the lagged version of any new signal corresponding to a new (possibly faulty) condition is projected onto this baseline feature space in order to assess its similarity to the baseline condition. The category of a new signal vector is determined based on the Mahalanobis distance (MD) of its feature vector to the baseline space. A validation of the methodology is suggested based on the results from an experimental test rig. The results obtained confirm the effective performance of the suggested methodology. It is made of simple steps and is easy to apply with a perspective to make it automatic and suitable for commercial applications.
Vibration-based damage detection of structural joints in presence of uncertainty
Authors: Al-Bugharbee Hussein , Abolfathi Ali , Trendafilova Irina
Published: February 2018

Early damage detection of structure’s joints is essential in order to ensure the integrity of structures. Vibration-based methods are the most popular way of diagnosing damage in machinery joints. Any technique that is used for such a purpose requires dealing with the variability inherent to the system due to manufacturing tolerances, environmental conditions or aging. The level of variability in vibrational response can be very high for mass-produced complex structures that possess a large number of components. In this study, a simple and efficient time frequency method is proposed for detection of damage in connecting joints. The method suggests using singular spectrum analysis for building a reference space from the signals measured on a healthy structure and then compares all other signals to that reference space in order to detect the presence of faults. A model of two plates connected by a series of mounts is used to examine the effectiveness of the method where the uncertainty in the mount properties is taken into account to model the variability in the built-up structure. The motivation behind the simplified model is to identify the faulty mounts in trim-structure joints of an automotive vehicle where a large number of simple plastic clips are used to connect the trims to the vehicle structure.
Axial Wave Reflection and Transmission in Stepped Nanorods Using Doublet Mechanics Theory
Authors: Aydogdu Metin , Gul Ufuk
Published: February 2018

A numerical investigation of the reflection and transmission of axial waves at stepped nanorods is presented. The scale dependent doublet mechanics theory is used in the analysis. The main difference of the doublet mechanics from other scale dependent models (stress gradient, strain gradient and couple stress theories) is its direct dependence to the micro/nano structure of the solid. Scale parameter is directly related to atomic structure of the material in doublet mechanics theory and it is assumed as carbon-carbon bond length in the present study. However, identification of scale parameters in other scale dependent theories is difficult compared to doublet mechanics theory. Governing equations of stepped nanorods are derived in the framework of doublet mechanics using the Hamilton Principle. The numerical results predicted by doublet mechanics are shown and compared with the classical elasticity.
Plasticity Detection and Quantification in Monopile Support Structures Due to Axial Impact Loading
Authors: Meijers P.C. , Tsouvalas A. , Metrikine A.V.
Published: February 2018

Recent developments in the construction of offshore wind turbines have created the need for a method to detect whether a monopile foundation is plastically deformed during the installation procedure. Since measurements at the pile head are difficult to perform, a method based on measurements at a certain distance below the pile head is proposed in this work for quantification of the amount of plasticity. By considering a onedimensional rod model with an elastic-perfectly plastic constitutive relation, it is shown that the occurrence of plastic deformation caused by an impact load can be detected from these measurements. Furthermore, this plastic deformation can be quantified by the same measurement with the help of an energy balance. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated via a numerical example.
Stick-slip and Torsional Friction Factors in Inclined Wellbores
Authors: Aarsnes Ulf Jakob F. , Shor Roman J.
Published: February 2018

Stick slip is usually considered a phenomenon of bit-rock interaction, but is also often observed in the field with the bit off bottom. In this paper we present a distributed model of a drill string with an along-string Coulomb stiction to investigate the effect of borehole inclination and borehole friction on the incidence of stick-slip. This model is validated with high frequency surface and downhole data and then used to estimate static and dynamic friction.

A derivation of the torsional drill string model is shown and includes the along-string Coulomb stiction of the borehole acting on the string and the ‘velocity weakening’ between static and dynamic friction. The relative effects of these two frictions is investigated and the resulting drillstring behavior is presented. To isolate the effect of the along-string friction from the bit-rock interaction, field data from rotational start-ups after a connection (with bit off bottom) is considered. This high frequency surface and downhole data is then used to validate the surface and downhole behavior predicted by the model.

The model is shown to have a good match with the surface and downhole behavior of two deviated wellbores for depths ranging from 1500 to 3000 meters. In particular, the model replicates the amplitude and period of the oscillations, in both the topside torque and the downhole RPM, as caused by the along-string stick slip. It is further shown that by using the surface behavior of the drill-string during rotational startup, an estimate of the static and dynamic friction factors along the wellbore can be obtained, even during stick-slip oscillations, if axial tension in the drillstring is considered. This presents a possible method to estimate friction factors in the field when off-bottom stick slip is encountered, and points in the direction of avoiding stick slip through the design of an appropriate torsional start-up procedure without the need of an explicit friction test.
Helical Buckling of Drill-Strings
Authors: Kapitaniak Marcin , Vaziri Vahid , Wiercigroch Marian
Published: February 2018

This paper presents experimental and numerical investigations of the complex drill-string vibration, with particular attention to the helical buckling of drill-strings and its influence on the system dynamics. The analysis is conducted using a novel experimental drilling rig, capable of exhibiting of all major types of drill-string vibration, including torsional, axial and lateral modes, which utilizes real industrial drill-bits and rock samples. A good qualitative and quantitative agreement between the experiments and numerical model is demonstrated.
Suppression of Drill-String Stick-Slip Vibration
Authors: Vaziri Vahid , Kapitaniak Marcin , Wiercigroch Marian
Published: February 2018

We investigate experimentally and numerically suppression of drill-string torsional vibration while drilling by using a sliding mode control. The experiments are conducted on the novel experimental drilling rig developed at the University of Aberdeen [1] and using PDC commercial drill-bits and real rock-samples. A mathematical model of the experimental setup which takes into account the dynamics of the drill-string and the driving motor, is proposed. Then a sliding mode control method is employed to suppress stick-slip oscillations. The experimental and numerical results considering a time delay of the actuator are in a close agreement. Stick-slip vibration is eliminated and significant reduction in vibration amplitude has been observed when using the controller.
Combination of two underestimators for univariate global optimization
Authors: Ouanes Mohand , Chebbah Mohammed , Zidna Ahmed
Published: February 2018

In this work, we propose a new underestimator in branch and bound algorithm for solving univariate global optimization problems. The new underestimator is a combination of two underestimators, the classical one used in αBB method (see Androulakis et al. [J. Glob. Optim. 7 (1995) 337–3637]) and the quadratic underestimator developed in Hoai An and Ouanes [RAIRO: OR 40 (2006) 285–302]. We show that the new underestimator is tighter than the two underestimators. A convex/concave test is used to accelerate the convergence of the proposed algorithm. The convergence of our algorithm is shown and a set of test problems given in Casado et al. [J. Glob. Optim. 25 (2003) 345–362] are solved efficiently.
Belastung von pflegenden Angehörigen – Durchgeplant bis zur letzten Minute
Authors: Jacobi Petra
Published: February 2018

Wer einen Angehörigen pflegt und zudem seinem Beruf nachgeht, muss seinen Alltag minutiös planen. Für die eigenen Bedürfnisse bleibt da kaum noch Zeit. Britta Müller* kümmert sich seit vielen Jahren um ihre Mutter. Um Pflegezeit und Beruf unter einen Hut zu bekommen, geht sie bis an die Grenze ihrer Belastbarkeit.
Investigation of copper (Cu2+) adsorption performances and gamma radiation dose effect of polymeric hydrogel
Authors: Hassan Safia , Yasin Tariq , Imran Zahid , Batool Syeda Sitwat
Published: February 2018

In present study, series of gamma irradiated poly(acrylic acid)/Penytriethoxytrisilane (PTES) based hydrogels were synthesized. The hydrogels were used for the adsorption of Cu2+ from the aqueous solution. Batch adsorption experiments were performed by varying contact time (0-10 hours), pH value (2-6), hydrogels weight (15-155 mg) and initial Cu2+ concentration (0.003–90 mg/L). The results indicated that lowering the gamma irradiation dose (30-15 kGy) and PTES amount (1.65-0.83 μmol) into hydrogel polymeric networks, improved the initial rate of adsorption and final adsorption capacity of hydrogel for Cu2+. AA40/15 had 143.4mg/g Cu2+ adsorption capacity higher than AA80/30 which is 106.0mg/g. Hydrogels exhibited maximum o adsorption capacity for Cu2+ within a wide pH range. All adsorption data was described by the pseudo—first order and second order kinetic model equations and isotherm data by Langmuir model. FTIR spectra analysis before and after adsorption of Cu2+ on the AA hydrogels gave detail analysis of adsorption mechanism. The behavior of adsorption expressed that the enhanced adsorption capacity was due to the porous structure and e presence of functional groups onto surface of adsorbate. It is expected this polymeric hydrogel has potential to work as alternative biomedical sorbents and environmental use as pH altered.
Frequency and magnetic field mapping of magnetoelastic spin pumping in high overtone bulk acoustic wave resonator
Authors: Polzikova N. I. , Alekseev S. G. , Pyataikin I. I. , Luzanov V. A. , Raevskiy A. O. , Kotov V. A.
Published: February 2018

We report on the first observation of microvolt-scale inverse spin Hall effect (ISHE) dc voltage driven by an acoustic spin pumping (ASP) in a bulk acoustic wave (BAW) resonator formed by a Al-ZnO-Al-YIG(1)-GGG-YIG(2)-Pt structure. When 2 mW power is applied to an Al-ZnO-Al transducer, the voltage VISHE ∼ 4 μV in the Pt film is observed as a result of resonant ASP from YIG(2) to Pt in the area ∼ 170 μm. The results of frequency and magnetic field mapping of VISHE(f,H) together with reflectivity of the resonator show an obvious agreement between the positions of the voltage maxima and BAW resonance frequencies fn(H) on the (f, H) plane. At the same time a significant asymmetry of the VISHE(fn(H)) value in reference to the magnetoelastic resonance (MER) line fMER(H) position is revealed, which is explained by asymmetry of the magnetoelastic waves dispersion law.
Evaluation of fiber Bragg grating sensor interrogation using InGaAs linear detector arrays and Gaussian approximation on embedded hardware
Authors: Kumar Saurabh , Amrutur Bharadwaj , Asokan Sundarrajan
Published: February 2018

Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensors have become popular for applications related to structural health monitoring, biomedical engineering, and robotics. However, for successful large scale adoption, FBG interrogation systems are as important as sensor characteristics. Apart from accuracy, the required number of FBG sensors per fiber and the distance between the device in which the sensors are used and the interrogation system also influence the selection of the interrogation technique. For several measurement devices developed for applications in biomedical engineering and robotics, only a few sensors per fiber are required and the device is close to the interrogation system. For these applications, interrogation systems based on InGaAs linear detector arrays provide a good choice. However, their resolution is dependent on the algorithms used for curve fitting. In this work, a detailed analysis of the choice of algorithm using the Gaussian approximation for the FBG spectrum and the number of pixels used for curve fitting on the errors is provided. The points where the maximum errors occur have been identified. All comparisons for wavelength shift detection have been made against another interrogation system based on the tunable swept laser. It has been shown that maximum errors occur when the wavelength shift is such that one new pixel is included for curve fitting. It has also been shown that an algorithm with lower computation cost compared to the more popular methods using iterative non-linear least squares estimation can be used without leading to the loss of accuracy. The algorithm has been implemented on embedded hardware, and a speed-up of approximately six times has been observed.
The image of the empty hands
Authors: Jacobsson Diana
Published: February 2018

This article examines the relationship between media and politics by focusing on the question of political responsibility and public accountability, and how this is negotiated in news journalism during an industrial crisis. The empirical analysis focuses on two dimensions of the news report: (1) the political performances and argument strategies; how leading politicians introduce, explain or defend their decisions, actions and points of view, and (2) how the dominant discourses of politics are reproduced, negotiated or opposed, in the journalistic recontextualization. The study suggests that news journalism reproduces and strengthens the neoliberal logic when it adapts to hegemonic problem descriptions and the dominant political frame of the crisis, in terms of what caused it, as well as how it should be solved and by whom. This analysis of the dynamics between political performance and how the question of political responsibility and accountability is represented by journalism provides knowledge of discourses regarding crisis in a specific political regime, and also contributes to the discussion about the relationship between journalistic space and political power within the hegemonic frame of neoliberalism.
Templates in child language
Authors: Vihman Marilyn , Wauquier Sophie
Published: February 2018

To what extent do developmental templates, or idiosyncratic child word patterns, reflect (i) universal tendencies of neurophysiologically grounded production, (ii) perceptually-based guidance due to the frequency of occurrence in input speech or to the rhythmic patterning of the adult language, or (iii) formal principles of phonological structure? We will argue here that all of these elements play a role in the emergence of these child structures, which constitute the first evidence of phonology in the child. We focus on the first-word period and provide evidence of both cross-linguistic commonalities and typological differences, which reflect the structure of the ambient language as perceived and filtered by the child. We then focus in on the role of template formation in individual children.
Retrieving meaning from noun and verb grammatical contexts
Authors: Veneziano Edy , Parisse Christophe
Published: February 2018

Ninety French-speaking children aged 2 to 4 years were presented with short utterances containing homophonous or nonce words whose object or action meaning was identifiable on the sole basis of the preceding grammatical morpheme. Items in noun and verb contexts were presented to the same children in order to assess their ability to provide appropriate contrastive interpretations. Results show that, at all ages, items were correctly identified beyond chance, with 4-year-olds outperforming the 2- and 3-year-olds. Individually, however, only part of the children, even in the older group, performed beyond chance level, suggesting substantial interindividual variability and difficulties, still present at these ages, to tackle situations offering minimal information. A case study of the developmental relation between production and comprehension is also presented.
Cross-linguistic variation in children’s multimodal utterances
Authors: Özyürek Aslı
Published: February 2018

Our ability to use language is multimodal and requires tight coordination between what is expressed in speech and in gesture, such as pointing or iconic gestures that convey semantic, syntactic and pragmatic information related to speakers’ messages. Interestingly, what is expressed in gesture and how it is coordinated with speech differs in speakers of different languages. This paper discusses recent findings on the development of children’s multimodal expressions taking cross-linguistic variation into account. Although some aspects of speech-gesture development show language-specificity from an early age, it might still take children until nine years of age to exhibit fully adult patterns of cross-linguistic variation. These findings reveal insights about how children coordinate different levels of representations given that their development is constrained by patterns that are specific to their languages.
Gesture and speech in adults’ and children’s narratives
Authors: Colletta Jean-Marc , Kunene Nicolas Ramona , Guidetti Michèle
Published: February 2018

This chapter reports on a cross-linguistic developmental study comparing speech and gesture produced in narratives by adults and children speaking either French (a non-pro-drop Romance language) or Zulu (a pro-drop Bantu language). We asked 72 participants (French: 12 adults and 24 children; Zulu: 12 adults and 24 children) to narrate a short silent cartoon. Zulu narratives were more detailed and contained fewer comments than the French. Zulu-speaking participants produced more representational and fewer pragmatic gestures than their French-speaking counterparts. Language differences do not explain this result. Rather, the findings support the gesture-speech co-expressivity framework and suggest an impact of literacy practice norms on multimodal narrative performance during later language acquisition.
Conversational partners and common ground
Authors: Clark Eve V.
Published: February 2018

Children’s early exposure to and experience with language varies. They differ in how much conversational interaction they have with more expert adult speakers, which affects both speed of processing and early vocabulary acquisition. Another source of variation is how many interlocutors children interact with. Interlocutors are male or female, use different dialects, and know differing amounts about the child’s daily routines. Here, how much practice children have with interlocutors inside and outside the family affects how well children can establish and make use of common ground. Children also differ in how much practice they have, early on, in making themselves understood to others, and this affects how readily they can establish and then add to common ground with each new interlocutor.
Genome-wide approaches to understanding and improving complex traits in aquaculture species.
Authors: Palaiokostas C. , Houston R. D.
Published: February 2018

The rapid drop in cost and increase in throughput of nucleic acid sequencing has provided many opportunities for aquaculture genetics and breeding. Genome-wide genetic marker data can now be readily generated in a cost-effective manner, even for species without extensive prior genomic tools. The result is that genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and genomic selection (GS) in aquaculture species are becoming increasingly routine. With only a small percentage of global aquaculture production obtained through selective breeding, it holds tremendous potential for the industry. GWAS and GS can help realize this potential, and the last 5 years has seen numerous studies in aquaculture species focusing mainly on growth-related and disease resistance traits. The current review discusses background information relating to methods of using genome-wide marker data for GWAS and GS, and discusses lessons learned through their practical implementations in commercial aquaculture breeding for genetic improvement. Future directions for these techniques and technologies are discussed.
Urban agriculture and its role in the sustainable city - mini review.
Authors: Winklerprins A. M. G. A.
Published: February 2018

Urban agriculture is an essential component of sustainable cities as the activities and interactions of urban cultivation address all three of the core elements of sustainability, economics, environmental issues, and social justice. Therefore, urban agriculture should be considered fundamental infrastructure in the design of future sustainable cities.
From Ancient India to Medieval Shiraz: The Journey of the Ascetic Cat
Authors: Gazerani Saghi
Published: February 2018

The figure of the ascetic cat, one known for his pretense to piety, appears throughout the medieval Persian literature. This study examines the movement of this literary motif along the Silk Road where Buddhism and Manichaeism facilitated its transmission into the nascent Islamic civilization. The study traces the possible paths of their journey by examining both the literary transmission of two anecdotes of the ascetic cat from India to Shiraz, as well as by considering the historical context for such transmission.
Podocyte‐derived microparticles promote proximal tubule fibrotic signaling via p38 MAPK and CD36
Authors: Munkonda Mercedes N. , Akbari Shareef , Landry Chloe , Sun Suzy , Xiao Fengxia , Turner Maddison , Holterman Chet E. , Nasrallah Rania , Hébert Richard L. , Kennedy Christopher R. J. , Burger Dylan
Published: February 2018

Tubulointerstitial fibrosis is a hallmark of advanced diabetic kidney disease that is linked to a decline in renal function, however the pathogenic mechanisms are poorly understood. Microparticles (MPs) are 100–1000 nm vesicles shed from injured cells that are implicated in intercellular signalling. Our lab recently observed the formation of MPs from podocytes and their release into urine of animal models of type 1 and 2 diabetes and in humans with type 1 diabetes. The purpose of the present study was to examine the role of podocyte MPs in tubular epithelial cell fibrotic responses. MPs were isolated from the media of differentiated, untreated human podocytes (hPODs) and administered to cultured human proximal tubule epithelial cells (PTECs). Treatment with podocyte MPs increased p38 and Smad3 phosphorylation and expression of the extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins fibronectin and collagen type IV. MP‐induced responses were attenuated by co‐treatment with the p38 inhibitor SB202190. A transforming growth factor beta (TGF‐β) receptor inhibitor (LY2109761) blocked MP‐induced Smad3 phosphorylation and ECM protein expression but not p38 phosphorylation suggesting that these responses occurred downstream of p38. Finally, blockade of the class B scavenger receptor CD36 completely abrogated MP‐mediated p38 phosphorylation, downstream Smad3 activation and fibronectin/collagen type IV induction. Taken together our results suggest that podocyte MPs interact with proximal tubule cells and induce pro‐fibrotic responses. Such interactions may contribute to the development of tubular fibrosis in glomerular disease.
P026 The impact of trophic effects of multi strain probiotic preparation on paracellular permeability
Authors: Petito V , Laterza L , Graziani C , Lucchetti D , Lopetuso L , Sgambato A , Scaldaferri F , Gasbarrini A
Published: February 2018

Background

Probiotics are defined as live, non-pathogenic bacteria that confer health benefits beyond their nutritional value. Particularly VSL#3, a probiotic mix containing four strains of Lactobacilli (L. paracasei, L. plantarum, L. acidophilus, and L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus*), three strains of Bifidobacteria (B. longum**, B. infantis**, B. breve) and Streptococcus thermophilus, has demonstrated efficacy in the management of diseases characterised by increased intestinal permeability such as irritable bowel syndrome and ulcerative colitis. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the mechanism of action of VSL#3 to reduce intestinal permeability, and its effect in modulating the activity on tight junctions, focusing on the effects of secreted bioactive factors. *Recently reclassified as L. helveticus. **Recently reclassified as B. animalis subsp. lactis.

Methods

Two different lots of VSL#3 (Manufacturer: Nutrilinea Srl, Gallarate (VA), Italy) were used. Caco2 and HT29 cell lines were treated with a conditioning media (CM) prepared using 1g of probiotic formula grown in D-MEM cell culture medium (free of serum and antibiotics) at 37°C for 48 h without shaking and in anaerobic conditions. The effects of probiotic on proliferations of cells were evaluated by cell growth curve and MTT assay. The effect on apoptosis will be analysed by cytometry using double staining with Annexin V-FITC and Propidium Iodide, as well as it is well established. Furthermore, the effect on expression of tight junctions, in particular claudin-2, occludin, and ZO-1, will be investigated by western blot analysis.

Results

The multistrain probiotic formula, in particular the more concentrate CM (1:10) increase Caco2 and HT29 cells proliferation and the percentage of metabolic cell activity (up 20%), together with a decrease of 90% of apoptotic cells in the presence of CM. These trophic effects may have an impact on paracellular permeability. The expression of tight junction proteins increase in 24 h for claudin and ZO-1, and after 48 h of treatment in case of occludin. Also the densitometry and the ratio between of relative density of protein and endogenous control (β-actin) confirms these data. The results are the same using two different lots.

Conclusions

These preliminary data in vitro could be able to explain how VSL#3 works at intestinal mucosa level, in particular by secretion of factors that enhances barrier integrity. The proliferative stimuli and the increase of expression of tight junction proteins are consistent with an effect on mucosa regeneration and re-epithelization. Other experiments, also on other intestinal cell line, are necessary to deeply understand the mechanism of action of this kind of probiotic formula.
Telomere Length and Depression Among Ex-Prisoners of War: The Role of Subjective Age
Authors: Lahav Yael , Avidor Sharon , Stein Jacob Y , Zhou Xiao , Solomon Zahava
Published: February 2018

Objectives

Exposure to captivity increases the risk for multiple disturbances that may intensify during old age. In later phases of life, former-prisoners-of-war (ex-POWs) may suffer from depression as well as from accelerated aging, manifested in older subjective age and leukocyte telomere shortening. The current study assesses the link between these varied facets of increased vulnerability during old age and explores (a) the associations between subjective age and telomere length; (b) the mediating role of changes in subjective age over time within the associations between depression and telomere length.

Methods

Eighty-eight ex-POWs were assessed prospectively 30 (T1), 35 (T2), and 45 (T3) years after the 1973 Israeli Yom-Kippur War. Depression was assessed at T1; subjective age was assessed at T2 and T3; and telomere length and control variables were assessed at T3.

Results

Older subjective age at T3 was associated with concurrent shorter telomeres, beyond the effect of chronological age. Change in subjective age between T2 and T3 mediated the relations between depression at T1 and shorter telomeres at T3 beyond the effects of control variables.

Discussion

Findings suggest that the detrimental ramifications of accelerated subjective age involve premature cellular senesces, and may explain the relation between depression and accelerated aging processes among trauma victims. Hence, clinical interventions may seek to address accelerated subjective age among trauma survivors who suffer from depression.