bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Parametric based study for design of liquid-filled elevated tanks
Authors: Moslemi Mehdi , Ghaemmaghami Amir Reza , Kianoush M. Reza
Published: April 2016

In this study, the dynamic behavior of elevated water tanks is investigated by performing a comprehensive parametric study on conical elevated tanks using the finite element technique. Through this study, a wide range of tank parameters and geometries typically found in practice is considered. To perform this parametric study, a parametric model capable of building any finite element models of a three-dimensional conical elevated tank with varying parameters is developed. As a result of this parametric study, pressure distribution graphs corresponding to both impulsive and convective hydrodynamic pressures can be generated by carrying out spectral analysis. These pressure graphs can be utilized simply in design applications for liquid-filled conical elevated tanks. The accuracy of the proposed pressure graphs is verified by comparing these results with those calculated using the previously verified finite element time-history analysis and also the “current practice”.
Asynchronous Detection of Trials Onset from Raw EEG Signals
Authors: Lopez-Gordo M. A. , Grima Murcia M. D. , Padilla Pablo , Pelayo F. , Fernandez E.
Published: April 2016

Clinical processing of event-related potentials (ERPs) requires a precise synchrony between the stimulation and the acquisition units that are guaranteed by means of a physical link between them. This precise synchrony is needed since temporal misalignments during trial averaging can lead to high deviations of peak times, thus causing error in diagnosis or inefficiency in classification in brain–computer interfaces (BCIs). Out of the laboratory, mobile EEG systems and BCI headsets are not provided with the physical link, thus being inadequate for acquisition of ERPs. In this study, we propose a method for the asynchronous detection of trials onset from raw EEG without physical links. We validate it with a BCI application based on the dichotic listening task. The user goal was to attend the cued auditory message and to report three keywords contained in it while ignoring the other message. The BCI goal was to detect the attended message from the analysis of auditory ERPs. The rate of successful onset detection in both synchronous (using the real onset) and asynchronous (blind detection of trial onset from raw EEG) was 73% with a synchronization error of less than 1[Formula: see text]ms. The level of synchronization provided by this proposal would allow home-based acquisition of ERPs with low cost BCI headsets and any media player unit without physical links between them.
Classification of EEG Single Trial Microstates Using Local Global Graphs and Discrete Hidden Markov Models
Authors: Michalopoulos Kostas , Zervakis Michalis , Deiber Marie-Pierre , Bourbakis Nikolaos
Published: April 2016

We present a novel synergistic methodology for the spatio-temporal analysis of single Electroencephalogram (EEG) trials. This new methodology is based on the novel synergy of Local Global Graph (LG graph) to characterize define the structural features of the EEG topography as a global descriptor for robust comparison of dominant topographies (microstates) and Hidden Markov Models (HMM) to model the topographic sequence in a unique way. In particular, the LG graph descriptor defines similarity and distance measures that can be successfully used for the difficult comparison of the extracted LG graphs in the presence of noise. In addition, hidden states represent periods of stationary distribution of topographies that constitute the equivalent of the microstates in the model. The transitions between the different microstates and the formed syntactic patterns can reveal differences in the processing of the input stimulus between different pathologies. We train the HMM model to learn the transitions between the different microstates and express the syntactic patterns that appear in the single trials in a compact and efficient way. We applied this methodology in single trials consisting of normal subjects and patients with Progressive Mild Cognitive Impairment (PMCI) to discriminate these two groups. The classification results show that this approach is capable to efficiently discriminate between control and Progressive MCI single trials. Results indicate that HMMs provide physiologically meaningful results that can be used in the syntactic analysis of Event Related Potentials.
The convergence in Lp-norm of conjugate Laplace series
Authors: Caramuta P. , Cialdea A. , Silverio F.
Published: April 2016

This paper deals with the summability of conjugate Laplace series in any dimension. In particular, a M. Riesz type inequality is proved and criteria for the convergence of relevant Cesàro means in [Formula: see text]-norm are given. The Fourier character of conjugate Laplace series is investigated too.
Perfect metamaterial absorbers with polarization angle independency in X-band waveguide
Authors: Sabah Cumali
Published: April 2016

The design and characterization of perfect metamaterial absorbers (MAs) based on simple configurations including square- and triangle-shapes, which operate in X-band frequency region are numerically and experimentally investigated. The proposed MAs provide perfect absorption with the polarization angle independency. In X-band waveguide, the absorption rates are 99.69% and 99.97% at the resonance frequencies of 10.57 GHz and 10.93 GHz for the square- and triangle-shaped MAs, respectively. In addition, the same configurations are numerically tested under free space boundary conditions to compare and discuss the obtained results. The suggested MAs enable myriad potential application areas for security and stealth technologies in X-band including wireless communication.
Gravitational Search Algorithm and Its Variants
Authors: Siddique Nazmul , Adeli Hojjat
Published: April 2016

Gravitational search algorithm (GSA) is a nature-inspired conceptual framework with roots in gravitational kinematics, a branch of physics that models the motion of masses moving under the influence of gravity. In GSA, a collection of objects interacts with each other under the Newtonian gravity and the laws of motion. The performances of objects are measured by masses. All these objects attract each other by the gravity force, while this force causes a global movement of all objects toward the objects with heavier masses. The position of the object corresponds to a solution of the problem. The positions of the objects are updated every iteration and the best fitness along with its corresponding object is stored. Heavier masses move slowly than lighter ones. The algorithm terminates after a specified number of iterations after which the best fitness becomes the global fitness for a particular problem and the positions of the corresponding object becomes the global solution of that problem. This paper presents a review of GSA and its variants.
An OMP Steganographic Algorithm Optimized by SFLA
Authors: Ouyang Chun-Juan , Liu Chang-Xin , Leng Ming , Liu Huan
Published: April 2016

In this paper, we propose a novel steganographic method, which utilizes the sparsity and integrity of the image compressed sensing to reduce the risk of being detected by steganalysis. In the proposed algorithm, the message hiding process is integrated into the image sparse decomposition process without affecting the image perceptibility. First, the cover image is decomposed by the orthogonal matching pursuit algorithm of image sparse decomposition, and the shuffled frog leaping algorithm (SFLA) is used to select the optimal atom in each decomposition iteration. Then, different quantization bits are adopted to quantify the sparse decomposition coefficients. Finally, via LSB[Formula: see text] steganographic strategy, the secret message is embedded in the least significant bits of the quantized coefficients. Experimental results show that the embedded data are invisible perceptually. Simultaneously, experiments show that the new steganography has good expandability in embedding capacity, owing to less sensitivity to the embedding bits. The security of the proposed method is also evaluated comparatively, by using four steganalyzers with rich feature, which indicates superior performance of the proposed method comparing with other steganographies conducted in sparse decomposition domain and the LSB[Formula: see text] methods used in spatial domain and DCT domain.
Image Fusion for Mars Data Using Mix of Robust PCA
Authors: Wu Jiang-Long , Tian Xiao-Lin
Published: April 2016

Multi-sensor image fusion is the process of combining relevant information from high spatial resolution image and high spectral resolution image. This paper proposes a pansharpening method for the fusion of Mars images obtained by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter satellite (PAN) and Mars Odyssey satellite (THEMIS MS). The method is based on some mix of Intensity, Hue, Saturation (IHS) and robust principal component analysis (RPCA) combined with the discrete wavelet transformation (DWT). Meanwhile, the results obtained with that of the other fusion techniques are compared, and a relatively objective comprehensive evaluation for fused image is used. Experiments show that the proposed algorithm has a significant suppression of artificial textures and less spectral distortion, and its running time is acceptable.
On the set of catenary degrees of finitely generated cancellative commutative monoids
Authors: O’Neill Christopher , Ponomarenko Vadim , Tate Reuben , Webb Gautam
Published: April 2016

The catenary degree of an element [Formula: see text] of a cancellative commutative monoid [Formula: see text] is a nonnegative integer measuring the distance between the irreducible factorizations of [Formula: see text]. The catenary degree of the monoid [Formula: see text], defined as the supremum over all catenary degrees occurring in [Formula: see text], has been studied as an invariant of nonunique factorization. In this paper, we investigate the set [Formula: see text] of catenary degrees achieved by elements of [Formula: see text], focusing on the case where [Formula: see text] is finitely generated (where [Formula: see text] is known to be finite). Answering an open question posed by García-Sánchez, we provide a method to compute the smallest nonzero element of [Formula: see text] that parallels a well-known method of computing the maximum value. We also give several examples demonstrating certain extremal behavior for [Formula: see text].
Isogeometric analysis of boundary integral equations: High-order collocation methods for the singular and hyper-singular equations
Authors: Taus Matthias , Rodin Gregory J. , Hughes Thomas J. R.
Published: April 2016

Isogeometric analysis is applied to boundary integral equations corresponding to boundary-value problems governed by Laplace’s equation. It is shown that the smoothness of geometric parametrizations central to computer-aided design can be exploited for regularizing integral operators to obtain high-order collocation methods involving superior approximation and numerical integration schemes. The regularization is applicable to both singular and hyper-singular integral equations, and as a result one can formulate the governing integral equations so that the corresponding linear algebraic equations are well-conditioned. It is demonstrated that the proposed approach allows one to compute accurate approximate solutions which optimally converge to the exact ones.
THE EVOLUTION OF FABRICATED GOLD THIN FILMS TO NANO–MICRO PARTICLES UNDER THERMAL ANNEALING PROCESS
Authors: HAJIVALIEI MAHDI , NAZARI SAEED
Published: April 2016

Gold (Au) thin films with thickness of 35[Formula: see text]nm were prepared by electron beam deposition onto flat glass substrates under high vacuum [Formula: see text]Pa) condition and they were annealed in the range of 573–873 K for 1 and 2[Formula: see text]h in atmospheric pressure. The influence of the annealing temperature on the evolution of Au thin film to nano–micro particles was studied. Moreover, the basic properties of the films, namely morphological, structural and optical were investigated. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed that the Au thin films were cubic structure phase with lattice parameter around [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]Å. The most preferential orientation is along (111) planes for all Au films. The lattice parameter and grain size in the films were calculated by X-ray patterns and correlated with annealing temperatures. The obtained results of ultraviolet–visible spectrometry (UV–Vis) indicate that with increasing annealing temperature, the surface plasmon resonance peak of gold nanocrystallite will disappear which implies the size of particles are grown. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) results show that the prepared gold thin films have been converted to nano–micro gold particles in different annealing temperatures. These results lead to controlling the size of produced nanocrystallite.
Invariance of 0-currents under diffusions
Authors: Ledesma Diego Sebastian , Da Silva Fabiano Borges
Published: April 2016

We study two actions of a stochastic flow [Formula: see text] on the space of [Formula: see text]-currents [Formula: see text] of a differentiable manifold [Formula: see text]. In particular, we give conditions on a current [Formula: see text] to be invariant under these actions. Also, we apply our results to the case of [Formula: see text]-currents that come from harmonic measures associated to certain type of foliations on homogeneous spaces.
Semiclassical limits, Lagrangian states and coboundary equations
Authors: Lopes Artur O. , Mohr Joana
Published: April 2016

Assume that [Formula: see text] is a continuous transformation [Formula: see text]. We consider here the cases where [Formula: see text] is either the transformation [Formula: see text] or [Formula: see text] is a smooth diffeomorphism of the circle [Formula: see text]. Consider a fixed continuous potential [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] (a quantum state). The transformation [Formula: see text] acting on [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], defined by [Formula: see text] describes a discrete time dynamical evolution of the quantum state [Formula: see text].

Given [Formula: see text] we define the Lagrangian state [Formula: see text]

In this case [Formula: see text].

Under suitable conditions on [Formula: see text] the micro-support of [Formula: see text], when [Formula: see text], is [Formula: see text]. One of the meanings of the semiclassical limit in Quantum Mechanics is to take [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. We address the question of finding [Formula: see text] such that [Formula: see text] satisfies the property: [Formula: see text], we have that [Formula: see text] has micro-support on the graph of [Formula: see text] (which is the micro-support of [Formula: see text]). In other words: which [Formula: see text] is such that [Formula: see text] leaves the micro-support of [Formula: see text] invariant? This is related to a coboundary equation for [Formula: see text], twist conditions and the boundary of the fat attractor.
Twisted algebras and Rota–Baxter type operators
Authors: Panaite Florin , Van Oystaeyen Freddy
Published: April 2016

We define the concept of weak pseudotwistor for an algebra [Formula: see text] in a monoidal category [Formula: see text], as a morphism [Formula: see text] in [Formula: see text], satisfying some axioms ensuring that [Formula: see text] is also an algebra in [Formula: see text]. This concept generalizes the previous proposal called pseudotwistor and covers a number of examples of twisted algebras that cannot be covered by pseudotwistors, mainly examples provided by Rota–Baxter operators and some of their relatives (such as Leroux’s TD-operators and Reynolds operators). By using weak pseudotwistors, we introduce an equivalence relation (called “twist equivalence”) for algebras in a given monoidal category.
Cohomological operations for the Brauer group and Witt kernels of a quartic field extension
Authors: Sivatski A. S.
Published: April 2016

Let [Formula: see text] be a field, [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text][Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] a quartic field extension. We investigate the divided power operation [Formula: see text] on the group [Formula: see text]. In particular, we show that any element of [Formula: see text] is a symbol [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text] is the quadratic trace form associated with the extension [Formula: see text]. As an application, we obtain certain results on the Stifel–Whitney maps [Formula: see text].
On some “minimal” Leibniz algebras
Authors: Chupordia V. A. , Kurdachenko L. A. , Subbotin I. Ya.
Published: April 2016

The aim of this paper is to describe some “minimal” Leibniz algebras, that are the Leibniz algebras whose proper subalgebras are Lie algebras, and the Leibniz algebras whose proper subalgebras are abelian.
Simple derivations on tensor product of polynomial algebras
Authors: Kour Surjeet
Published: April 2016

Let [Formula: see text] be an unique factorization domain containing a field [Formula: see text] of characteristic zero and let [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] be two [Formula: see text]-algebras. Let [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] be two generalized triangular [Formula: see text]-derivations of [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], respectively. Denote the unique [Formula: see text]-derivation [Formula: see text] of [Formula: see text] by [Formula: see text]. Then with some conditions on [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], it is shown that [Formula: see text] is a simple derivation of [Formula: see text] if and only if [Formula: see text] is [Formula: see text]-simple and [Formula: see text] is [Formula: see text]-simple. We also show that if [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] are positively homogeneous derivations and [Formula: see text] is a generalized triangular derivation, then [Formula: see text] is simple derivation of [Formula: see text] if and only if [Formula: see text] is a simple derivation of [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] is a simple derivation of [Formula: see text].
Bouquets, vertex covers and edge ideals
Authors: Erey Nursel
Published: April 2016

We give a new combinatorial characterization of the big height of a squarefree monomial ideal leading to a new bound for the projective dimension of a monomial ideal.
Theoretical study of the ground and excited states of 1-methylamideanthraquinone and its complex with fluoride anion
Authors: Wang Bing-Qiang , Yin Xiao-Fen , Dong Yan-Yun , Zhang Cai-Yun
Published: April 2016

We have performed a series of calculations using density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) for 1-methylamideanthraquinone (MAAQ). In the S0 state of MAAQ, amide group is coplanar with anthraquinone, and an intramolecular hydrogen bond [Formula: see text] is formed. The [Formula: see text] transition has an intramolecular charge transfer character. Two stable structures (planar nMAAQ and twisted tMAAQ) have been obtained in the S1 state of MAAQ. Thereinto, nMAAQ is lower by 0.105[Formula: see text]eV than tMAAQ in energy, so nMAAQ is the dominant conformation in the S1 state of MAAQ and the emission spectra of tMAAQ cannot be observed in the solution of MAAQ. Excited state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) between C[Formula: see text]O and N–H was not observed in the S1 state of MAAQ. Upon addition of fluoride anion, only twisted conformations were obtained in both S0 and S1 states of MAAQ-F[Formula: see text]. An intermolecular hydrogen bond [Formula: see text] is formed in the S0 state, and intermolecular proton transfer happens in the S1 state for MAAQ-F[Formula: see text].
Penalized empirical relaxed greedy algorithm for fixed design Gaussian regression
Authors: Chen Chen , Chen Na
Published: April 2016

Compared with [Formula: see text]-regularization algorithm, greedy algorithm has great advantage in computational complexity. In this paper, we consider the penalized empirical relaxed greedy algorithm, and analyze its efficiency in the fixed design Gaussian regression problem. Through a careful analysis, we provide the oracle inequalities in the case of finite and infinite dictionary, respectively via choosing appropriate number of greedy iterations. Relying on those oracle inequalities, we obtain the learning rate of the algorithm when the target function lies in the convex hull of the dictionary. Our results show that the error has [Formula: see text] decay, which is the near optimal convergence rate in the literature.
Construction of symmetric fractional over-complete wavelets and applications in image restoration
Authors: Shen Zhengwei
Published: April 2016

In this work, a novel design scheme is proposed for the construction of symmetric fractional over-complete wavelet filter banks. We first provide solutions to the open problem of designing low-pass filters that are symmetric and of minimum-length. We then obtain the high high-pass filters via Toeplitz matrix factorization which is of less computational complexity than existing methods. The resulting filter banks are approximately shift-invariant. The designed filter banks are applied in image restoration that uses an analysis based model solved by split Bregman algorithms. The experiments show the constructed symmetric fractional over-complete wavelet transforms (FOWTs) allow better restoration results than some other wavelet transforms in the literature.
HOW INNOVATION IMPACTS ARTISTIC CREATIVITY — MANAGING INNOVATION IN THE ADVERTISING SECTOR
Authors: ÖBERG CHRISTINA
Published: April 2016

This paper describes and discusses how innovation impacts creativity in the advertising sector. It points to the double meaning of creativity — as innovativeness and as artistic skills — and indicates a tension between the two. Empirical illustrations consist of two case studies from the advertising sector. These point to how innovations (in terms of adaptation of new technology) negatively impact artistic creativity. Contextual factors creating a need for new technology did have an impact, and meant that companies became increasingly competitive and roles became unclear. On the company level, innovation caused knowledge gaps, increased formalization, and expanded the division of work. Contribution is made to research on the management of creativity by suggesting how innovation impacts artistic creativity. Furthermore, the discussion on company level creativity contributes to research on the advertising sector, since the literature has foremost discussed creative processes of individual campaigns.
BiOCl/SnS2 Core-Shell Photocatalyst for the Degradation of Organic Pollutants
Authors: Meng Hui , Wang Tingting , Chen Hongbin , Liu Yizhu , Yu Xiang , Zhu Yi , Zhang Yuanming
Published: April 2016

BiOCl/SnS2 core-shell heterojunction is prepared by a facile and economic hydrothermal method. The obtained BiOCl/SnS2 heterojunction displays high photocatalytic activity in the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB). The high performance is explained by the fast separation of the photoinduced electron–hole pairs promoted by the heterojunction. The cycle life of the heterojunction is also improved compared with individual BiOCl or SnS2.
Bifurcation behaviors analysis of a plankton model with multiple delays
Authors: Sharma Anuj Kumar , Sharma Amit , Agnihotri Kulbhushan
Published: April 2016

A mathematical model describing the dynamics of toxin producing phytoplankton–zooplankton interaction with instantaneous nutrient recycling is proposed. We have explored the dynamics of plankton ecosystem with multiple delays; one due to gestation period in the growth of phytoplankton population and second due to the delay in toxin liberated by TPP. It is established that a sequence of Hopf bifurcations occurs at the interior equilibrium as the delay increases through its critical value. The direction of the Hopf bifurcation and the stability of the bifurcating periodic solutions are determined using the theory of normal form and center manifold. Meanwhile, effect of toxin on the stability of delayed plankton system is also established numerically. Finally, numerical simulations are carried out to support and supplement the analytical findings.
Orientation modulated charge transport in hematite for photoelectrochemical water splitting
Authors: Cai Jiajia , Liu Yinglei , Li Song , Gao Meiqi , Wang Dunwei , Qin Gaowu
Published: April 2016

Hematite is currently considered one of the most promising photoanode materials for light-driven water splitting. The photoelectrochemical performance of hematite is limited by its low conductivity. In this work, we demonstrate that the conductivity of hematite films can be tuned by controlling the orientation of hematite crystals. By applying a high magnetic field (up to 10 T) during the drop-casting preparation, hematite films composed of single crystal particles show featured texture by promoting those particles alignment with (001) normal to the substrate. By enhancing the photocurrent densities with tuned hematite orientation, the current method provides an effective way for increasing the number of carriers that can reach the surface.
On the complement of a graph associated with the set of all nonzero annihilating ideals of a commutative ring
Authors: Visweswaran S. , Sarman Patat
Published: April 2016

The rings considered in this paper are commutative with identity which are not integral domains. Recall that an ideal [Formula: see text] of a ring [Formula: see text] is called an annihilating ideal if there exists [Formula: see text] such that [Formula: see text]. As in [M. Behboodi and Z. Rakeei, The annihilating-ideal graph of commutative rings I, J. Algebra Appl. 10(4) (2011) 727–739], for any ring [Formula: see text], we denote by [Formula: see text] the set of all annihilating ideals of [Formula: see text] and by [Formula: see text] the set of all nonzero annihilating ideals of [Formula: see text]. Let [Formula: see text] be a ring. In [S. Visweswaran and H. D. Patel, A graph associated with the set of all nonzero annihilating ideals of a commutative ring, Discrete Math. Algorithm Appl. 6(4) (2014), Article ID: 1450047, 22pp], we introduced and studied the properties of a graph, denoted by [Formula: see text], which is an undirected simple graph whose vertex set is [Formula: see text] and distinct elements [Formula: see text] are joined by an edge in this graph if and only if [Formula: see text]. The aim of this paper is to study the interplay between the ring theoretic properties of a ring [Formula: see text] and the graph theoretic properties of [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text] is the complement of [Formula: see text]. In this paper, we first determine when [Formula: see text] is connected and also determine its diameter when it is connected. We next discuss the girth of [Formula: see text] and study regarding the cliques of [Formula: see text]. Moreover, it is shown that [Formula: see text] is complemented if and only if [Formula: see text] is reduced.
Disease Risk and Market Structure in Salmon Aquaculture
Authors: Fischer Carolyn , Guttormsen Atle G. , Smith Martin D.
Published: April 2016

We develop a model of a multi-national firm producing commodities for a global market in multiple locations with location-specific risks and different regulatory standards. Salmon aquaculture and disease outbreaks provide an empirically relevant example. We specifically examine details of the infectious salmon anemia outbreak in Chile in the late 2000s, the multi-national nature of some firms operating in Chile, and the overall market structure of the salmon farming industry as motivation for our theoretical model. In the model, market structure and the regulatory environments in multiple countries interact to influence how intensively firms use aquatic ecosystems. Downward-sloping market demand can lead to a perverse outcome in which high environmental standards in one country both lower the provision of disease management in the other country and reduce industry-wide output. We extend this model to consider additional locations, types of firms, and within-location risk spillovers. We find that the risk of outbreak in a given location is decreasing with greater firm concentration within the location, increasing with the outside production of operators within the location, and increasing with lower risk (or more regulation) in other locations where the operators produce. We suggest other applications of multi-national risk management.
Serviceability Assessment for Cascading Failures in Water Distribution Network under Seismic Scenario
Authors: Shuang Qing , Liu Yisheng , Liu Jing , Chen Qigang
Published: April 2016

The stability of water service is a hot point in industrial production, public safety, and academic research. The paper establishes a service evaluation model for the water distribution network (WDN). The serviceability is measured in three aspects: (1) the functionality of structural components under disaster environment; (2) the recognition of cascading failure process; and (3) the calculation of system reliability. The node and edge failures in WDN are interrelated under seismic excitations. The cascading failure process is provided with the balance of water supply and demand. The matrix-based system reliability (MSR) method is used to represent the system events and calculate the nonfailure probability. An example is used to illustrate the proposed method. The cascading failure processes with different node failures are simulated. The serviceability is analyzed. The critical node can be identified. The result shows that the aged network has a greater influence on the system service under seismic scenario. The maintenance could improve the antidisaster ability of WDN. Priority should be given to controlling the time between the initial failure and the first secondary failure, for taking postdisaster emergency measures within this time period can largely cut down the spread of cascade effect in the whole WDN.
Deformation and Failure Mechanism of Roadway Sensitive to Stress Disturbance and Its Zonal Support Technology
Authors: Yao Qiangling , Li Xuehua , Pan Fan , Wang Teng , Wang Guang
Published: April 2016

The 6163 haulage roadway in the Qidong coal mine passes through a fault zone, which causes severe deformation in the surrounding rock, requiring repeated roadway repairs. Based on geological features in the fault area, we analyze the factors affecting roadway deformation and failure and propose the concept of roadway sensitive to stress disturbance (RSSD). We investigate the deformation and failure mechanism of the surrounding rocks of RSSD using field monitoring, theoretical analysis, and numerical simulation. The deformation of the surrounding rocks involves dilatation of shallow rocks and separation of deep rocks. Horizontal and longitudinal fissures evolve to bed separation and fracture zones; alternatively, fissures can evolve into fracture zones with new fissures extending to deeper rock. The fault affects the stress field of the surrounding rock to ~27 m radius. Its maximum impact is on the vertical stress of the rib rock mass and its minimum impact is on the vertical stress of the floor rock mass. Based on our results, we propose a zonal support system for a roadway passing through a fault. Engineering practice shows that the deformation of the surrounding rocks of the roadway can be effectively controlled to ensure normal and safe production in the mine.
The Side Effects of Facial Implants
Authors: Uta Adela Ioana , Uta Claudia Elena , Anguelova Valentinova Lia , Isanta Pomar Carlos
Published: April 2016

This case report is about a 64-year-old woman who presented at the Emergency Walk-in Center with palpebral edema as well as various erythematous plaques in supraciliary and malar areas that have been gradually worsening a couple of days prior to presentation. While talking about history, the patient mentioned she was attending, for about four months, an Esthetic Private Clinic, where she was injected in various sessions with Metacrill®, as a facial lift, for beauty purpose. Due to suspecting an allergic reaction to the Metacrill and the failure of the initial treatments, she was referred to the dermatologist. After failed attempts to treat the patient with corticosteroids and antibiotics, the patient was sent for autoimmunity consultation at the hospital where she received an immunosuppressive treatment with Tacrolimus and was not presenting new symptoms ever since.
Online Identification and Verification of the Elastic Coupling Torsional Stiffness
Authors: Li Wanyou , Chai Zhuoye , Wang Mengqi , Hu Xinhuan , Guo Yibin
Published: April 2016

To analyze the torsional vibration of a diesel engine shaft, the torsional stiffness of the flexible coupling is a key kinetic parameter. Since the material properties of the elastic element of the coupling might change after a long-time operation due to the severe working environment or improper use and the variation of such properties will change dynamic feature of the coupling, it will cause a relative large calculation error of torsional vibration to the shaft system. Moreover, the torsional stiffness of the elastic coupling is difficult to be determined, and it is inappropriate to measure this parameter by disassembling the power unit while it is under normal operation. To solve these problems, this paper comes up with a method which combines the torsional vibration test with the calculation of the diesel shafting and uses the inherent characteristics of shaft torsional vibration to identify the dynamic stiffness of the elastic coupling without disassembling the unit. Analysis results show that it is reasonable and feasible to identify the elastic coupling dynamic torsional stiffness with this method and the identified stiffness is accurate. Besides, this method provides a convenient and practical approach to examine the dynamic behavior of the long running elastic coupling.
Persons with Epilepsy: Between Social Inclusion and Marginalisation
Authors: Mlinar Simona , Petek Davorina , Cotič Živa , Mencin Čeplak Metka , Zaletel Marjan
Published: April 2016

Background. Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder that can lead to complex psychosocial consequences. Epilepsy can change the social status of persons with epilepsy (PWE) and has an effect on their social inclusion as well as their perception of social inclusion. This study aims to explore subjective experiences with social inclusion of PWE in Slovenia.Methods. This study takes a qualitative approach. Eleven semistructured interviews were conducted with eleven participants. Interviews were analysed using thematic analysis.Results. Epilepsy has physical, emotional, and social consequences. Physical consequences of epilepsy are mainly tiredness and exhaustion following an epileptic episode, frequently accompanied by headaches. Emotional consequences are different forms of fear. The main social consequence identified is a negative effect on PWE’s social network, which leads to (self-)isolation and social distrust.Conclusion. PWE experience of social inclusion depends on various psychosocial factors and differs from person to person. The consequences of epilepsy are shown in PWE social contacts and their sense of social inclusion and autonomy.
Raman Spectroscopic Measurements of Dermal Carotenoids in Breast Cancer Operated Patients Provide Evidence for the Positive Impact of a Dietary Regimen Rich in Fruit and Vegetables on Body Oxidative Stress and BC Prognostic Anthropometric Parameters: A Five‐Year Study
Authors: Perrone A. , Pintaudi A. M. , Traina A. , Carruba G. , Attanzio A. , Gentile C. , Tesoriere L. , Livrea M. A.
Published: April 2016

Dermal carotenoids are a feasible marker of the body antioxidative network and may reveal a moderate to severe imbalance of the redox status, thereby providing indication of individual oxidative stress. In this work noninvasive Resonance Raman Spectroscopy (RRS) measurements of skin carotenoids (skin carotenoid score (SCS)) were used to provide indications of individual oxidative stress, each year for five years, in 71 breast cancer (BC) patients at high risk of recurrence. Patients’ SCS has been correlated with parameters relevant to BC risk, waist circumference (WC), and body mass index (BMI), in the aim of monitoring the effect of a dietary regimen intended to positively affect BC risk factors. The RRS methodological approach in BC patients appeared from positive correlation between patients’ SCS and blood level of lycopene. The level of skin carotenoids was inversely correlated with the patients’ WC and BMI. At the end of the 5 y observation BC patients exhibited a significant reduction of WC and BMI and increase of SCS, when strictly adhering to the dietary regimen. In conclusion, noninvasive measurements of skin carotenoids can (i) reveal an oxidative stress condition correlated with parameters of BC risk and (ii) monitor dietary‐related variations in BC patients.
Scaffolded Antigens in Yeast Cell Particle Vaccines Provide Protection against Systemic Polyoma Virus Infection
Authors: Tipper Donald J. , Szomolanyi-Tsuda Eva
Published: April 2016

Background. U65, a self-aggregating peptide scaffold, traps fused protein antigens in yeast cells. Conversion to Yeast Cell Particle (YCP) vaccines by partial removal of surface mannoproteins exposesβ-glucan, mediating efficient uptake by antigen-presenting cells (APCs). YCP vaccines are inexpensive, capable of rapid large-scale production and have potential for both parenteral and oral use.Results. YCP processing by alkaline hydrolysis exposes up to 20% of the glucan but converts scaffolded antigen and internal yeast proteins into a common aggregate, preventing selective yeast protein removal. For U65-green fluorescent protein (GFP) or U65-Apolipoprotein A1 (ApoA1) subcutaneous vaccines, maximal IgG responses in mice required 10% glucan exposure. IgG responses to yeast proteins were 5-fold lower. Proteolytic mannoprotein removal produced YCPs with only 6% glucan exposure, insufficiently porous for selective removal of even native yeast proteins. Vaccine efficacy was reduced 10-fold. Current YCP formulations, therefore, are not suitable for human use but have considerable potential for use in feed animal vaccines. Significantly, a YCP vaccine expressing a GFP fusion to VP1, the murine polyoma virus major capsid protein, after either oral or subcutaneous administration, protected mice against an intraperitoneal polyoma virus challenge, reducing viral DNA levels in spleen and liver by >98%.
Denoising and Trend Terms Elimination Algorithm of Accelerometer Signals
Authors: Zhang Peng , Chang Jing , Qu Boyang , Zhao Qifeng
Published: April 2016

Acceleration-based displacement measurement approach is often used to measure the polish rod displacement in the oilfield pumping well. Random noises and trend terms of the accelerometer signals are the main factors that affect the measuring accuracy. In this paper, an efficient online learning algorithm is proposed to improve the measurement precision of polish rod displacement in the oilfield pumping well. To remove the random noises and eliminate the trend term of accelerometer signals, the ARIMA model and its parameters are firstly derived by using the obtained data of time series of acceleration sensor signals. Secondly, the period of the accelerometer signals is estimated through the Rife-Jane frequency estimation approach based on Fast Fourier Transform. With the obtained model and parameters, the random noises are removed by employing the Kalman filtering algorithm. The quadratic integration of the period is calculated to obtain the polish rod displacement. Moreover, the windowed recursive least squares algorithm is implemented to eliminate the trend terms. The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed online learning algorithm is able to remove the random noises and trend terms effectively and greatly improves the measurement accuracy of the displacement.
Identification of Partitions in a Homogeneous Activity Group Using Mobile Devices
Authors: Yu Na , Zhao Yongjian , Han Qi , Zhu Weiping , Wu Hejun
Published: April 2016

People in public areas often appear in groups. People with homogeneous coarse-grained activities may be further divided into subgroups depending on more fine-grained behavioral differences. Automatically identifying these subgroups can benefit a variety of applications for group members. In this work, we focus on identifying such subgroups in a homogeneous activity group (i.e., a group of people who perform the same coarse-grained activity at the same time). We present a generic framework using sensors built in commodity mobile devices. Specifically, we propose a two-stage process, sensing modality selection given a coarse-grained activity, followed by multimodal clustering to identify subgroups. We develop one early fusion and one late fusion multimodal clustering algorithm. We evaluate our approaches using multiple datasets; two of them are with the same activity while the other has a different activity. The evaluation results show that the proposed multimodal-based approaches outperform existing work that uses only one single sensing modality and they also work in scenarios when manually selecting one sensing modality fails.
Semisupervised Clustering by Iterative Partition and Regression with Neuroscience Applications
Authors: Qian Guoqi , Wu Yuehua , Ferrari Davide , Qiao Puxue , Hollande Frédéric
Published: April 2016

Regression clustering is a mixture of unsupervised and supervised statistical learning and data mining method which is found in a wide range of applications including artificial intelligence and neuroscience. It performs unsupervised learning when it clusters the data according to their respective unobserved regression hyperplanes. The method also performs supervised learning when it fits regression hyperplanes to the corresponding data clusters. Applying regression clustering in practice requires means of determining the underlying number of clusters in the data, finding the cluster label of each data point, and estimating the regression coefficients of the model. In this paper, we review the estimation and selection issues in regression clustering with regard to the least squares and robust statistical methods. We also provide a model selection based technique to determine the number of regression clusters underlying the data. We further develop a computing procedure for regression clustering estimation and selection. Finally, simulation studies are presented for assessing the procedure, together with analyzing a real data set on RGB cell marking in neuroscience to illustrate and interpret the method.
Gentamicin Induced Nephrotoxicity: The Role of Sex Hormones in Gonadectomized Male and Female Rats
Authors: Eshraghi-Jazi Fatemeh , Talebi Ardeshir , Mirsaeedi Fatemeh Sadat , Ahmadian Sarina , Moslemi Fatemeh , Nematbakhsh Mehdi
Published: April 2016

Background. Gentamicin (GM) induced nephrotoxicity may be sex hormones related. The effects of sex hormones on GM induced nephrotoxicity in gonadectomized rats were investigated.Methods. Ovariectomized rats received 0.25, 0.5, or 1 mg/kg/week of estradiol (ES) alone or accompanied with 10 mg/kg/week of progesterone (Pro) for two weeks followed by GM (100 mg/kg/day) for 9 days. Castrated rats were also treated with 10, 50, or 100 mg/kg/week of testosterone (TS) for two weeks and then received GM. In addition, a single castrated group received 0.25 mg/kg/week of ES plus GM.Results. GM increased the serum levels of blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine (Cr) and kidney tissue damage score (KTDS) (P<0.05). TS had no effect on the serum levels of BUN and Cr and KTDS, while low dose of ES intensified these parameters in male (P<0.05). ES (0.5 mg/kg) without Pro ameliorated KTDS in female (P<0.05) while ES (1 mg/kg) with or without Pro exacerbated the BUN values and Cr values, KTDS, and body weight loss (P<0.05).Conclusion. ES (0.5 mg/kg) without Pro ameliorated kidney damage induced by GM in female while neither TS nor ES had beneficial effect on nephrotoxicity induced by GM in male, although ES aggravated it.
A Novel Inflammation-Based Stage (I Stage) in Patients with Resectable Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Chen Peng-Cheng , Feng Ji-Feng
Published: April 2016

Background.Inflammation plays a key role in cancer. In the current study, we proposed a novel inflammation-based stage, named I stage, for patients with resectable esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).Methods. Three hundred and twenty-three patients with resectable ESCC were enrolled in the current study. The I stage was calculated as follows: patients with high levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) (>10 mg/L), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) (>3.5), and platelet-count-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) (>150) were defined as I3. Patients with two, one, or no abnormal value were defined as I2, I1, or I0, respectively. The prognostic factors were evaluated by univariate and multivariate analyses.Results.There were 112 patients for I0, 97 patients for I1, 66 patients for I2, and 48 patients for I3, respectively. The 5-year cancer-specific survival (CSS) in patients with I0, I1, I2, and I3 was 50.0%, 30.9%, 18.2%, and 8.3%, respectively (I0 versus I1,P=0.002; I1 versus I2,P=0.012; I2 versus I3,P=0.020). Multivariate analyses revealed that I stage was an independent prognostic factor in patients with resectable ESCC (P<0.001).Conclusion. The inflammation-based stage (I stage) is a novel and useful predictive factor for CSS in patients with resectable ESCC.
Conservative Resectoscopic Surgery, Successful Delivery, and 60 Months of Follow-Up in a Patient with Endometrial Stromal Tumor with Sex-Cord-Like Differentiation
Authors: De Franciscis Pasquale , Grauso Flavio , Ambrosio Domenico , Torella Marco , Messalli Enrico Michelino , Colacurci Nicola
Published: April 2016

Uterine tumors with sex-cord-like differentiation are extremely rare types of uterine stromal neoplasm. These tumors were classified into two groups with considerable practical relevance because clinical behaviour of uterine tumor resembling ovarian sex cord tumor (UTROSCT) differs widely from its closely related endometrial stromal tumors with sex-cord-like elements (ESTSCLE). Treatment and prognosis of these tumors are unresolved issues because of the exiguous number of reported cases. We describe a rare case of endometrial stromal tumor with sex-cord-like differentiation successfully treated by resectoscopic surgery and conservation of the uterus, in an infertile patient affected by metrorrhagia. This procedure resulted in a pregnancy immediately after treatment and in a successful delivery. During 60 months of follow-up no evidence of recurrence was observed.
Synthesis and Thermoelectric Properties of C60/Cu2GeSe3Composites
Authors: Zhao Degang , Ning Jiai , Li Shuyu , Zuo Min
Published: April 2016

Nanosized C60powder was sufficiently incorporated with Cu2GeSe3powder by ball milling and C60/Cu2GeSe3composites were prepared by spark plasma sintering. C60distributed uniformly in the form of clusters and the average size of cluster was lower than 1 μm. With the addition of C60increasing, the electrical resistivity and Seebeck coefficient of C60/Cu2GeSe3composites increased while the thermal conductivity decreased significantly which resulted from the phonon scattering by C60clusters locating on the grain boundaries of Cu2GeSe3matrix. The maximumZTof 0.20 was achieved at 700 K for 0.9% C60/Cu2GeSe3sample.