bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Protocol for a participatory study for developing qualitative instruments measuring the quality of long-term care relationships
Authors: Scheffelaar Aukelien , Hendriks Michelle , Bos Nanne , Luijkx Katrien , van Dulmen Sandra
Published: December 2018

Introduction

In long-term care (LTC), it is unclear which qualitative instruments are most effective and useful for monitoring the quality of the care relationship from the client’s perspective. In this paper, we describe the research design for a study aimed at finding and optimising the most suitable and useful qualitative instruments for monitoring the care relationship in LTC.

Methods and analysis

The study will be performed in three organisations providing care to the following client groups: physically or mentally frail elderly, people with mental health problems and people with intellectual disabilities. Using a participatory research method, we will determine which determinants influence the quality of a care relationship and we will evaluate up to six instruments in cooperation with client-researchers. We will also determine whether the instruments (or parts thereof) can be applied across different LTC settings.

Ethics and dissemination

This study protocol describes a participatory research design for evaluating the quality of the care relationship in LTC. The Medical Ethics Committee of the Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre decided that formal approval was not needed under the Dutch Medical Research Involving Human Subjects Act. This research project will result in a toolbox and implementation plan, which can be used by clients and care professionals to measure and improve the care relationship from the client’s perspective. The results will also be published in international peer-reviewed journals.
Acupuncture for migraine: a protocol for a meta-analysis and meta-regression of randomised controlled trials
Authors: Gao Zishan , Giovanardi Carlo Maria , Li Hongxiao , Hao Chen , Li Qian , Zhang Xu , Mansmann Ulrich
Published: December 2018

Introduction

Although the effectiveness of acupuncture for episodic migraine has been confirmed by multiple clinical trials and Cochrane systematic reviews, the mechanisms underlying the specific effect of acupuncture for migraine remain controversial. We aim to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture for both episodic migraine and chronic migraine by meta-analysis and explore the possible factors influencing the specific effect of acupuncture for migraine by meta-regression.

Methods and analysis

We will search for randomised control trials of acupuncture for migraine in the following eight databases: Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, EMBASE, AMED (via OVID) and four Chinese databases (Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database and Wanfang Database) from inception to 31 December 2017. We will also search OpenSIGLE (opensigle.inist.fr) for conference abstracts. No language restriction will be applied. The selection of studies, data extraction and coding and assessment of risk of bias of the included studies will be conducted independently by two reviewers. Standard meta-analysis and, if appropriate, meta-regression will be performed using the R packages Meta and Metafor.

Ethics and dissemination

The results of this meta-analysis and meta-regression will be disseminated through publication in a peer-reviewed journal and presented at a relevant conference. The data used in this meta-analysis will not contain individual patient data; therefore, ethical approval is not required.

PROSPERO registration number

CRD42018087270.
To what extent do education and physical work load factors explain occupational differences in disability retirement due to knee OA? A nationwide register-based study in Finland
Authors: Kontio Tea , Viikari-Juntura Eira , Solovieva Svetlana
Published: December 2018

Objectives

To examine the association of education and physical work load factors on the occupational differences in disability retirement due to knee osteoarthritis (OA).

Design

Longitudinal study.

Setting

Linkage of several nationwide registers and a job exposure matrix in Finland.

Participants

A total of 1 135 654 Finns aged 30–60 years in gainful employment were followed from 2005 to 2013 for full disability retirement due to knee OA.

Primary and secondary outcome measures

We calculated age-adjusted incidence rates and examined the association of occupation, education and physical work load factors with disability retirement using competing risk regression model. Disability retirement due to other causes than knee OA, old-age retirement and death were treated as competing risk.

Results

A total of 6117 persons had disability retirement due to knee OA. Women had a higher age-adjusted incidence rate than men (72 vs 60 per 100 000 person-years, respectively). In men, a very high risk of disability retirement was found among construction workers, electricians and plumbers (HR 16.6, 95% CI 12.5 to 22.2), service workers (HR 12.7, 95% CI 9.2 to 17.4) and in women among building caretakers, cleaners, assistant nurses and kitchen workers (HR 15.5, 95% CI 11.7 to 20.6), as compared with professionals. The observed occupational differences were largely explained by educational level and noticeably mediated by physical work load factors in both genders.

Conclusion

Our observational study suggests that the risk of disability retirement among manual workers is strongly attributed to the physically heavy work.
Clinical indicators for reporting the effectiveness of patient quality and safety-related interventions: a protocol of a systematic review and Delphi consensus process as part of the international Standardised Endpoints for Perioperative Medicine initiative (StEP)
Authors: Bampoe Sohail , Cook Tim , Fleisher Lee , Grocott Michael P W , Neuman Mark , Story David , Myles Paul , Haller Guy
Published: December 2018

Introduction

Clinical indicators are used to measure and quantify the safety and quality of patient care. They are also often used as endpoints in clinical trials. Definitions of clinical indicators in common use are extremely heterogeneous, limiting their applicability. As part of the international Standardised Endpoints in Perioperative Medicine initiative, this study will identify clinical indicators by systematically reviewing the anaesthesia and perioperative medicine literature, and will provide consensus, clinically useful definitions for those indicators using a Delphi process.

Methods and analysis

An electronic database search will be conducted of Medline (PubMed/OVID), EMBASE and the Cochrane Library in order to meet this review’s objectives that are: (1) To identify clinical indicators and their definitions used in randomised controlled trials that assess patient-related quality and safety interventions in perioperative medicine; (2) To select a shortlist of recommended indicators and definitions that are the most suitable for evaluation of quality and safety interventions following an expert-based consensus-gaining process (Delphi method) and (3) To provide a classification scale for each indicator related to its clarity of definition, validity (strength), reliability, feasibility (ease of use) and frequency of use. This systematic review protocol is reported in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Protocols guidance.

Ethics and dissemination

Ethical approval is not required for this systematic review and Delphi process. The results of this study will be disseminated to the anaesthesia and perioperative medicine clinical and academic community through national and international presentations and through publication in a peer reviewed journal.

PROSPERO registration number

CRD42016042102.
Development and validation of a clinical rule for recognition of early inflammatory arthritis
Authors: ten Brinck Robin M , van Dijk Bastiaan T , van Steenbergen Hanna W , le Cessie Saskia , Numans Mattijs E , Hider Samantha L , Mallen Christian , van der Helm-van Mil Annette
Published: December 2018

Objectives

National and international guidelines recommend prompt referral of patients presenting with inflammatory arthritis (IA), but general practitioners (GPs) feel uncertain in their proficiency to detect synovitis through joint examination, the method of choice to identify IA. Our objective was to develop and validate a rule composed of clinical characteristics to assist GPs and other physicians in identifying IA when in doubt.

Design

Split-sample derivation and validation study.

Setting

The Leiden Early ArthritisRecognitionClinic (EARC), a screening clinic for patients in whom GPs suspected but were unsure of the presence of IA.

Participants

1288 consecutive patients visiting the EARC.

Primary and secondary outcome measures

Associations of clinical characteristics with presence of IA were determined using logistic regression in 644 patients, while validating the results in the other 644 patients (split-sample validation). To facilitate application in clinical practice, a simplified rule (with scores ranging from 0 to 7.5) was derived and validated.

Results

IA was identified by a rheumatologist in 41% of patients. In univariable analysis, male gender, age ≥60 years, symptom duration <6 weeks, morning stiffness >60 min, a low number of painful joints (1–3 joints), presence of patient-reported joint swelling and difficulty with making a fist were associated with IA in the derivation data set. Using multivariable analysis, a simplified rule consisting of these seven items was derived and validated, yielding an area under the receiver operator characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.74 (95% CI 0.70 to 0.78) in the derivation data set. Validation yielded an AUC of 0.71 (95% CI 0.67 to 0.75). Finally, the model was repeated to study predicted probabilities with a lower prevalence of inflammatory arthritis to simulate performance in primary care settings.

Conclusions

Our rule, composed of clinical parameters, had reasonable discriminative ability for IA and could assist physicians in decision-making in patients with suspected IA, increasing appropriateness of healthcare utilisation.
PARENTS 2 Study: a qualitative study of the views of healthcare professionals and stakeholders on parental engagement in the perinatal mortality review—from ‘bottom of the pile’ to joint learning
Authors: Bakhbakhi Danya , Burden Christy , Storey Claire , Heazell Alexander Edward , Lynch Mary , Timlin Laura , Gold Katherine , Siassakos Dimitrios
Published: December 2018

Objective

Engaging bereaved parents in the review process that examines their care before and after a perinatal death might help parents deal with their grief more effectively and drive improvements in patient safety. The objective of this study is to explore whether healthcare professionals would accept or support parent engagement in the perinatal mortality review process.

Design

Qualitative focus group interviews. Transcripts were analysed with an inductive thematic approach.

Setting

Two geographically distinct tertiary maternity hospitals in the UK.

Participants

Five focus groups were conducted with clinical staff including midwives, obstetricians, neonatologists, nursing staff and chaplaincy services.

Results

Twenty-seven healthcare professionals unanimously agreed that parents’ involvement in the perinatal mortality review process is useful and necessary. Six key themes emerged including: parental engagement; need for formal follow-up; critical structure of perinatal mortality review meeting; coordination and streamlining of care; advocacy for parents including role of the bereavement care lead; and requirement for training and support for staff to enable parental engagement.

Conclusions

Healthcare professionals strongly advocated engaging bereaved parents in the perinatal mortality review: empowering parents to ask questions, providing feedback on care, helping generate lessons and providing them with the opportunity to discuss a summary of the review conclusions with their primary healthcare professional contact. The participants agreed it is time to move on from ‘a group of doctors reviewing notes’ to active learning and improvement together with parents, to enable better care and prevention of perinatal death.
Comparison of the periodontal condition in Korean and Japanese adults: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Furuta Michiko , Takeuchi Kenji , Shimazaki Yoshihiro , Takeshita Toru , Shibata Yukie , Hata Jun , Yoshida Daigo , Park Deok-Young , Ninomiya Toshiharu , Yamashita Yoshihisa
Published: December 2018

Objectives

Reports from national surveys in South Korea and Japan have indicated that the prevalence of periodontal disease is lower in Korea than in Japan. However, these national surveys have not evaluated factors related to periodontal health condition, including diabetes and metabolic syndrome. This study compared periodontal conditions between Korean and Japanese adults, in the context of general health status.

Design

Cross-sectional study.

Setting

National survey in South Korea (Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, ‘KNHANES’) and a population-based study in Japan (Hisayama study); both were conducted in 2012.

Participants

This study included 3574 Korean and 2205 Japanese adults aged 40–79 years.

Outcome measures

Periodontal condition was assessed by using the Community Periodontal Index (CPI). Examiners in Japan underwent clinical calibration training for periodontal examination with a gold-standard examiner from KNHANES, prior to the Hisayama study.

Results

The age-adjusted prevalences of periodontal disease, defined as CPI score ≥3, were 31.4% and 42.1% in South Korea and Japan, respectively (p<0.001). The age-adjusted prevalences of diabetes (p=0.018) and metabolic syndrome (p=0.001) were higher in Korea than in Japan. The numbers of present and filled teeth and percentages of participants who visited a dental clinic in the last 12 months were higher in Japan than in Korea (all p<0.001). Logistic regression analysis showed that the Japanese participants were more likely to have periodontal disease than were the Korean participants, after adjusting for age, sex, occupation, oral health status, oral health behaviour, diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

Conclusions

A higher prevalence of periodontal disease was found in Japanese participants than in Korean participants. Further studies are needed to more clearly elucidate factors underlying the difference in periodontal conditions between the two populations, including those related to the dental healthcare system and dietary intake.
Dismantling, personalising and optimising internet cognitive–behavioural therapy for depression: a study protocol for individual participant data component network meta-analysis
Authors: Furukawa Toshi A , Karyotaki Eirini , Suganuma Aya , Pompoli Alessandro , Ostinelli Edoardo G , Cipriani Andrea , Cuijpers Pim , Efthimiou Orestis
Published: December 2018

Introduction

Psychotherapy is a complex intervention, consisting of various components and being implemented flexibly in consideration of individual patient’s characteristics. It is then of utmost importance to know which of the various components or combinations thereof are more efficacious, what their specific effect sizes are and which types of patients may benefit more from different components or their combinations.

Methods and analysis

Internet-delivered cognitive–behavioural therapy (iCBT) offers a unique opportunity to systematically review and quantitatively disentangle the efficacy of various components because, unlike face-to-face cognitive–behavioural therapy, it allows identification of constituent components that are actually delivered to patients. We will systematically identify all randomised controlled trials that compared any form of iCBT against another form or a control intervention in the acute phase treatment of adult depression. We will apply component network meta-analysis (cNMA) to dismantle efficacy of individual components. We will use individual participant data in the cNMA to identify participant-level prognostic factors and effect modifiers for different components.

Ethics and dissemination

The investigators of the primary trials will have obtained ethical approval for the data used in the present study and for sharing the data, if this was necessary, according to local requirements and was not covered from the initial ethic assessment. Results from this study will be published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at relevant conferences.

PROSPERO registration number

CRD42018104683.
For debate: on-the-person battlefield antibiotics
Authors: Rogers Edward , Wright C
Published: December 2018

Wound infection has always been an important contributor to mortality and morbidity on the battlefield. On-the-person antibiotics have long been suggested as one way to help combat this, which have already been implemented by some North Atlantic Treaty Organization partners. This paper is an up-to-date review of the evidence of the efficacy of on-the-person antibiotics and whether the British military should look to use them in the near future.
Work-related stress indicator surveys in UK Ministry of Defence
Authors: Wattie Sarah C , Bridger R S
Published: December 2018

Introduction

UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) policy and strategy recommend the use of a ‘Defence MODified’ version of the Health and Safety Executive Management Standards Indicator Tool to help managers identify risks of work-related stress among Defence personnel. The Defence MODified Tool (‘Stress Indicator Survey’) asks personnel to rate their perceptions of eight working conditions known to be significantly associated with work-related stress. MOD psychologists are developing a Defence norm group against which future survey scores can be compared. This article describes the use of the Stress Indicator Survey in MOD and gives an overview of findings from 2016 to 2018.

Method

MOD psychologists conducted 27 Stress Indicator Surveys in 2016–2018. Data were collated from 6227 personnel for the Defence norm group and comparisons were conducted between Service personnel and MOD civil servants, and between Services (Royal Navy/Royal Marines (RN/RM), Army and Royal Air Force (RAF)).

Results

Service personnel had significantly more favourable perceptions than MOD civil servants of most working conditions. The RN/RM had significantly more favourable perceptions than either the Army or the RAF of all working conditions. These findings indicate differential risks of work-related stress in different groups of personnel.

Discussion

Possible explanations for the observed differences in risk of work-related stress are discussed, including the nature of military life and planned changes to Defence civilian headcount. Examples of managerial actions to improve working conditions based on individual survey findings are given.
Association between circulating inflammatory markers and marksmanship following intense military training
Authors: Gepner Yftach , Hoffman J R , Hoffman M W , Zelicha H , Cohen H , Ostfeld I
Published: December 2018

Introduction

Intense military operations during deployment or training are associated with elevations in inflammatory cytokine markers. However, the influence of an inflammatory response on military-specific skills is unclear. This study examined the association between brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), glial fibrillar acidic protein, markers of inflammation, marksmanship and cognitive function following a week of intense military field training.

Methods

Twenty male soldiers (20.1±0.6 years; 1.78±0.05m; 74.1±7.9kg) from the same elite combat unit of the Israel Defense Forces volunteered to participate in this study. Soldiers completed a five-day period of intense field training including navigation of 27.8km/day with load carriages of ~50% of their body mass. Soldiers slept approximately fivehours per day and were provided with military field rations. Following the final navigational exercise, soldiers returned to their base and provided a blood sample. In addition, cognitive function assessment and both dynamic and static shooting (15 shots each) were performed following a 200 m gauntlet, in which soldiers had to use hand-to-hand combat skills to reach the shooting range.

Results

Results revealed that tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) concentrations were inversely correlated with dynamic shooting (r=−0.646, p=0.005). In addition, a trend (r=0.415, p=0.098) was noted between TNF-α concentrations and target engagement speed (ie, time to complete the shooting protocol). BDNF concentrations were significantly correlated with the Serial Sevens Test performance (r=0.672, p=0.012).

Conclusion

The results of this investigation indicate that elevated TNF-α concentrations and lower BDNF concentrations in soldiers following intense military training were associated with decreases in marksmanship and cognitive function, respectively.
Niebrzydowski algebras and trivalent spatial graphs
Authors: Graves Paige , Nelson Sam , Tamagawa Sherilyn
Published: December 2018

We introduce Niebrzydowski algebras, algebraic structures with a ternary operation and a partially defined multiplication, with axioms motivated by the Reidemeister moves for [Formula: see text]-oriented trivalent spatial graphs and handlebody-links. As part of this definition, we identify generating sets of [Formula: see text]-oriented Reidemeister moves. We give some examples to demonstrate that the counting invariant can distinguish some [Formula: see text]-oriented trivalent spatial graphs and handlebody-links.
Novel Architecture for Low-Power CNTFET-Based Compressors
Authors: Gavaber Morteza Dadashi , Poorhosseini Mehrdad , Pourmozafari Saadat
Published: December 2018

Carbon nanotube field-effect transistors (CNTFETs) are excellent candidates for the replacement of traditional CMOS circuits. One of the most important modules in many arithmetic circuits is multiplier. Sometimes multipliers may occupy more area as well as consume high power which may cause speed reduction in the critical path. Compressors are important building blocks which are used in most multipliers. In this paper, a low-power architecture is proposed which can be used in compressor designs. The proposed architecture uses a low-power three-input XOR gate to reduce area, delay and power consumption. In order to evaluate the delay and power consumption of circuits, we have used four different types of compressors (3–2, 4–2, 5–2 and 7–2). These four designs were simulated using HSPICE simulation tool with 32-nm CMOS model based on 1-V and 1-GHz frequency operator. The results indicate that the proposed compressor architectures have less power–delay product (PDP) and power consumption in comparison with the existing proposed compressors.
The total curvature of knots under second-order infinitesimal bending
Authors: Najdanović Marija S. , Rančić Svetozar R. , Kauffman Louis H. , Velimirović Ljubica S.
Published: December 2018

In this paper, we consider infinitesimal bending of the second-order of curves and knots. The total curvature of the knot during the second-order infinitesimal bending is discussed and expressions for the first and the second variation of the total curvature are given. Some examples aimed to illustrate infinitesimal bending of knots are shown using figures. Colors are used to illustrate curvature values at different points of bent knots and the total curvature is numerically calculated.
Graph polynomials and link invariants as positive type functions on Thompson’s group F
Authors: Aiello Valeriano , Conti Roberto
Published: December 2018

In a recent paper, Jones introduced a correspondence between elements of the Thompson group [Formula: see text] and certain graphs/links. It follows from his work that several polynomial invariants of links, such as the Kauffman bracket, can be reinterpreted as coefficients of certain unitary representations of [Formula: see text]. We give a somewhat different and elementary proof of this fact for the Kauffman bracket evaluated at certain roots of unity by means of a statistical mechanics model interpretation. Moreover, by similar methods we show that, for some particular specializations of the variables, other familiar link invariants and graph polynomials, namely the number of [Formula: see text]-colorings and the Tutte polynomial, can be viewed as positive definite functions on [Formula: see text].
Irreducible SL(2, ℂ)-metabelian representations of branched twist spins
Authors: Fukuda Mizuki
Published: December 2018

An [Formula: see text]-branched twist spin is a fibered [Formula: see text]-knot in [Formula: see text] which is determined by a [Formula: see text]-knot [Formula: see text] and coprime integers [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. For a [Formula: see text]-knot, Nagasato proved that the number of conjugacy classes of irreducible [Formula: see text]-metabelian representations of the knot group of a [Formula: see text]-knot is determined by the knot determinant of the [Formula: see text]-knot. In this paper, we prove that the number of irreducible [Formula: see text]-metabelian representations of the knot group of an [Formula: see text]-branched twist spin is determined up to conjugation by the determinant of the associated [Formula: see text]-knot in the orbit space by comparing a presentation of the knot group of the branched twist spin with the Lin’s presentation of the knot group of the [Formula: see text]-knot.
Cubulated moves for 2-knots
Authors: Díaz Juan Pablo , Hinojosa Gabriela , Verjosvky Alberto
Published: December 2018

In this paper, we prove that given two cubical links of dimension two in [Formula: see text], they are isotopic if and only if one can pass from one to the other by a finite sequence of cubulated moves. These moves are analogous to the Reidemeister and Roseman moves for classical tame knots (links) of dimensions one and two, respectively.
Constructing links of isolated singularities of polynomials ℝ4 → ℝ2
Authors: Bode Benjamin
Published: December 2018

We show that if a braid [Formula: see text] can be parametrized in a certain way, then the previous work (B. Bode and M. R. Dennis, Constructing a polynomial whose nodal set is any prescribed knot or link, arXiv:1612.06328 ) can be extended to a construction of a polynomial [Formula: see text] with the closure of [Formula: see text] as the link of an isolated singularity of [Formula: see text], showing that the closure of [Formula: see text] is real algebraic. In particular, we prove that closures of squares of strictly homogeneous braids and certain lemniscate links are real algebraic. We also show that the constructed polynomials satisfy the strong Milnor condition, providing an explicit fibration of the complement of the closure of [Formula: see text] over [Formula: see text].
Transverse invariants from Khovanov-type homologies
Authors: Collari Carlo
Published: December 2018

In this paper, we introduce a family of transverse invariants arising from the deformations of Khovanov homology. This family includes the invariants introduced by Plamenevskaya and by Lipshitz, Ng, and Sarkar. Then, we investigate the invariants arising from Bar-Natan’s deformation. These invariants, called [Formula: see text]-invariants, are essentially equivalent to Lipshitz, Ng, and Sarkar’s invariants [Formula: see text]. From the [Formula: see text]-invariants, we extract two non-negative integers which are transverse invariants (the [Formula: see text]-invariants). Finally, we give several conditions which imply the non-effectiveness of the [Formula: see text]-invariants, and use them to prove several vanishing criteria for the Plamenevskaya invariant [Formula: see text], and the non-effectiveness of the vanishing of [Formula: see text], for all prime knots with less than 12 crossings.
A new relationship between the dilatation of pseudo-Anosov braids and fixed point theory
Authors: Kawashima Yumehito
Published: December 2018

A relation between the dilatation of pseudo-Anosov braids and fixed point theory was studied by Ivanov. In this paper, we reveal a new relationship between the above two subjects by showing a formula for the dilatation of pseudo-Anosov braids by means of the representations of braid groups due to Jiang and Zheng.
Parity conditions for realizability of Gauss diagrams
Authors: Biryukov Oleg N.
Published: December 2018

We consider a problem of realizability of Gauss diagrams by closed plane curves where the plane curves have only double points of transversal self-intersection. We formulate the necessary and sufficient conditions for realizability. These conditions are based only on the parity of double and triple intersections of the chords in the Gauss diagram.
Twist number and the alternating volume of knots
Authors: Blair Ryan , Allen Heidi , Rodriguez Leslie
Published: December 2018

It was previously shown by the first author that every knot in [Formula: see text] is ambient isotopic to one component of a two-component, alternating, hyperbolic link. In this paper, we define the alternating volume of a knot [Formula: see text] to be the minimum volume of any link [Formula: see text] in a natural class of alternating, hyperbolic links such that [Formula: see text] is ambient isotopic to a component of [Formula: see text]. Our main result shows that the alternating volume of a knot is coarsely equivalent to the twist number of a knot.
The Casson–Walker invariant of 3-manifolds with genus one open book decompositions
Authors: Mochizuki Atsushi
Published: December 2018

In this paper, we give two formulae of values of the Casson–Walker invariant of 3-manifolds with genus one open book decompositions; one is a formula written in terms of a framed link of a surgery presentation of such a 3-manifold, and the other is a formula written in terms of a representation of the mapping class group of a 1-holed torus. For the former case, we compute the invariant through the combinatorial calculation of the degree 1 part of the LMO invariant. For the latter case, we construct a representation of a central extension of the mapping class group through the action of the degree 1 part of the LMO invariant on the space of Jacobi diagrams on two intervals, and compute the invariant as the trace of the representation of a monodromy of an open book decomposition.
Pure electric Penrose and super-Penrose processes in the flat spacetime
Authors: Zaslavskii O. B.
Published: December 2018

Let a particle move in the flat spacetime under the action of the electric potential. If it decays to two fragments, the energy of debris can be larger than the original energy and, moreover, the efficiency of such a process can be unbounded. This effect can be considered as a limit of the Denardo–Ruffini process near the Reissner–Nordström black hole when the gravitational constant and/or black hole mass tend to zero. There are scenarios in which the energy of debris at infinity is much larger than the initial one. Comparison with other close but distinct effects is discussed.
FRACTALITY OF SUBSTITUTION NETWORKS
Authors: XI LIFENG , SUN BINGBIN , YAO JIALING
Published: December 2018

Using the covering theory in fractal geometry, we obtain the fractality of self-similar substitution networks introduced by Li et al. [Scale-free effect of substitution networks, Physica A 492 (2018) 1449–1455].
FAT AND THIN MORAN SETS FOR DOUBLING MEASURES
Authors: LI YANZHE , ZHANG JINGRU , YANG JIAOJIAO
Published: December 2018

For a large class of Moran sets, we find sufficient and necessary conditions implying that a set has positive or null measure for doubling measures.
FRACTAL-BASED CLASSIFICATION OF ELECTROMYOGRAPHY (EMG) SIGNAL IN RESPONSE TO BASIC MOVEMENTS OF THE FINGERS
Authors: NAMAZI HAMIDREZA
Published: December 2018

Investigating human movements is the most important issue in rehabilitation science. Movements of fingers as one of the major movements of human has been considered by many scientists. Therefore, decoding of finger movements by analysis of related biosignal is very important to consider. In this research, we do the complexity analysis on the Electromyography (EMG) signal that was recorded due to basic movements of fingers. In fact, the EMG signal was classified in case of different movements of fingers by fractal analysis. The result of analysis showed that the EMG signal has the greatest and lowest fractal dimension (complexity) in case of thumb finger flexion and little finger extension. In further attempts, the fractal theory can be applied to investigate the influence of other types of stimulation on variations of the complexity of muscles’ reactions.
A Temporal Neuro-Fuzzy System for Estimating Remaining Useful Life in Preheater Cement Cyclones
Authors: Mahdaoui Rafik , Mouss Leila Hayet , Haboussi Amar , Chouhal Ouahiba , Haouassi Hichem , Maarouk Toufik Messoud
Published: December 2018

Fault prognosis in industrial plants is a complex problem, and time is an important factor for the resolution of this problem. The main indicator for the task of fault prognosis is the estimate of remaining useful life (RUL), which essentially depends on the predicted time to failure. This paper introduces a temporal neuro-fuzzy system (TNFS) for performing the fault prognosis task and exactly estimating the RUL of preheater cyclones in a cement plant. The main component of the TNFS is a set of temporal fuzzy rules that have been chosen for their ability to explain the behavior of the entire system, the components’ degradation, and the RUL estimation. The benefit of introducing time in the structure of fuzzy rules is that a local memory of the TNFS is created to capture the dynamics of the prognostic task. More precisely, the paper emphasizes improving the performance of TNFSs for prediction. The RUL estimation process is broken down into four generic processes: building a predictive model, selecting the most critical parameters, training the TNFS, and predicting RUL through the generated temporal fuzzy rules. Finally, the performance of the proposed TNFS is evaluated using a real preheater cement cyclone dataset. The results show that our TNFS produces better results than classical neuro-fuzzy systems and neural networks.
Semi-Markov Model and Phase-Merging Scheme of a Multi-Component System with the Group Instantly Replenished Time Reserve
Authors: Obzherin Yuriy E. , Sidorov Stanislav M.
Published: December 2018

Time redundancy is a method of increasing the reliability and efficiency of the operation of systems for various purposes. A system with time redundancy provides additional time (a time reserve) for restoring characteristics and synchronizing the work of its individual elements. Time reservation is used in production, energy, gas transportation, information, ergonomic systems and some others. In this paper, based on the theory of semi-Markov processes with a common phase space of states, a semi-Markov model of a multicomponent system with a group instantly replenished time reserve is constructed. The reliability characteristics of the system are determined. To approximate the probability and the average time of failure-free operation of the system in conditions of high reliability, asymptotic phase-merging scheme algorithms are used.
Independence in randomizations
Authors: Andrews Uri , Goldbring Isaac , Keisler H. Jerome
Published: December 2018

The randomization of a complete first-order theory [Formula: see text] is the complete continuous theory [Formula: see text] with two sorts, a sort for random elements of models of [Formula: see text] and a sort for events in an underlying atomless probability space. We study independence relations and related ternary relations on the randomization of [Formula: see text]. We show that if [Formula: see text] has the exchange property and [Formula: see text], then [Formula: see text] has a strict independence relation in the home sort, and hence is real rosy. In particular, if [Formula: see text] is o-minimal, then [Formula: see text] is real rosy.
Information loss in black holes due to transition point
Authors: Sepehri Alireza , Pincak Richard , Ghaffary Tooraj
Published: December 2018

An interesting theoretical question is the probability of information loss in the black hole due to the transition point. The presented study is an attempt to investigate this subject. When the black hole is exhausted due to Hawking radiation, the entropy carried away by all emissions and string ball is not equal to the entropy in the original black hole. We conclude that the total entropy is not conserved due to the transition point. This means that some information is lost at the corresponding point. Using the Gottesman and Preskill method, the amount of information loss in the black hole at the correspondence point is obtained.
General Kastler–Kalau–Walze type theorems for manifolds with boundary II
Authors: Wang Yong
Published: December 2018

In this paper, we establish some general Kastler–Kalau–Walze type theorems for any dimensional manifolds with boundary which generalize the results in [J. Wang and Y. Wang, The Kastler–Kalau–Walze type theorem for six-dimensional manifolds with boundary, J. Math. Phys. 56 (2015), Article ID: 052501, 14 pp.].
Mechanical Design of Antichiral-Reentrant Hybrid Intravascular Stent
Authors: Ruan Xiao Li , Li Jie Jie , Song Xiao Ke , Zhou Hong Jian , Yuan Wei Xing , Wu Wen Wang , Xia Re
Published: December 2018

Chiral and reentrant metastructures with auxetic deformation abilities can serve as the building blocks in many industrial applications because of their light weight, high specific strength, energy absorption properties. In this paper, we report an innovative tubular-like structure by a combined mechanical effect of antichiral and reentrant. 2D antichiral-reentrant hybrid structures consisting of circular nodes and tangentially-connected ligaments are predesigned and fabricated using laser cutting technology with high-resolution. The elastic properties and auxeticity of the plane structure are analyzed and compared based on finite element analysis (FEA) and experimental results. For the first time, the antichiral-reentrant hybrid intravascular stents with the auxetic feature are proposed and parametric models are devised with good geometrical structure demonstrated. A series of large-scale stents are manufactured with stereolithography apparatus (SLA) additive manufacturing technique, and their mechanical behaviors are investigated in both experimental tests and FEA. As the selected antichiral-reentrant hybrid stents with tailored expansion ability are subjected to radial loading by the dilation of the balloon, stents undergo identifiable deformation mechanism due to the beam-like ligaments and circular node elements in the varied geometrical design, resulting in the distinct stress outcomes in plaque. It is also demonstrated that the antichiral-reentrant hybrid stents with tunable auxeticity possess robust mechanical properties through implantation inside the obstructed lesion.
Primary and Secondary Resonance Analyses of Viscoelastic Nanoplates Based on Strain Gradient Theory
Authors: Ajri Masoud , Rastgoo Abbas , Fakhrabadi Mir Masoud Seyyed
Published: December 2018

In this study, the nonstationary oscillation, secondary resonance and nonlinear dynamic behavior of viscoelastic nanoplates with linear damping are investigated based on the modified strain gradient theory extended for viscoelastic materials. The viscous component of the nonclassical and classical stress tensors are evaluated on the basis of the Leaderman viscoelastic model. Then, incorporating the size-dependent potential energy, kinetic energy and an external excitation force work, the governing equations of the oscillations are obtained based on the Hamilton’s principle. The governing formula is obtained as a nonlinear second-order integro-differential partial equation. This size-dependent viscoelastic formula is solved using analytical Harmonic balance method (HBM) and the fourth-order Runge–Kutta technique after applying the expansion theory. Additionally, the stability of the steady-state response is examined by means of HBM. Then, the secondary resonance conditions due to the super-harmonic motion are determined by performing frequency response, force response, Poincare map and phase portrait analyses. In addition, the nonstationary transient vibration of viscoelastic nanosystem is analyzed by performing Hilbert–Huang transform.
A parameter uniform essentially first-order convergent numerical method for a parabolic system of singularly perturbed differential equations of reaction–diffusion type with initial and Robin boundary conditions
Authors: Ishwariya R. , Miller J. J. H. , Valarmathi S.
Published: December 2018

In this paper, a class of linear parabolic systems of singularly perturbed second-order differential equations of reaction–diffusion type with initial and Robin boundary conditions is considered. The components of the solution [Formula: see text] of this system are smooth, whereas the components of [Formula: see text] exhibit parabolic boundary layers. A numerical method composed of a classical finite difference scheme on a piecewise uniform Shishkin mesh is suggested. This method is proved to be first-order convergent in time and essentially first-order convergent in the space variable in the maximum norm uniformly in the perturbation parameters.
A generalization of co-maximal graph of commutative rings
Authors: Biswas B. , Kar S. , Sen M. K. , Dutta T. K.
Published: December 2018

Let [Formula: see text] be a commutative ring with [Formula: see text]. Let [Formula: see text] be a graph with vertices as elements of [Formula: see text], where two distinct vertices [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] are adjacent if and only if [Formula: see text] for some non-zero idempotent [Formula: see text] in [Formula: see text]. In this paper, we establish a relation between completeness of the graph [Formula: see text] and regularity of the ring [Formula: see text]. For a finite commutative ring [Formula: see text] with [Formula: see text], we show that the chromatic number of [Formula: see text] is equal to the number of regular elements in [Formula: see text]. Moreover, we characterize some graph theoretic properties of [Formula: see text] and finally we characterize Eulerian property of the graph [Formula: see text].
Modified Becke–Johnson (mBJ) exchange potential investigation of the optoelectronic properties of XThO3(X = Sa, Sr and Ba)
Authors: Cherif Y. Benaissa , Labdelli A. , Boukortt A. , Abbassa H. , Aimouch D. , Hayn Roland
Published: December 2018

The electronic structure and optical properties of [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] in cubic perovskite structure are calculated using a density functional theory with full-potential linearized augmented plane wave (FP-LAPW) method. In this study, we have used the approximations LDA, GGA and mBJ, with mBJ the best approximation to get the band gap energy. This study is conducted through five stages: (1) We have started by optimizing the lattice parameters to find the basic state of each component (2) We have calculated electronic properties such as density of state, band structure, charge density (3) and based on the band structure we have also calculated the optical properties as dielectric function, absorption coefficient, refractive index, reflectivity and optical conductivity to discuss the different transitions and the new peaks. The mechanical (4) and thermodynamic (5) behavior was discussed for the first time for [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] in the cubic phase, in terms of elastic constants, and their related parameters, such as Young’s modulus, shear modulus and Poisson’s ratio. Our results show that [Formula: see text] has a stable ductile trait that makes it effective for high temperature electronic applications. As a result, the various new peaks in the wide UV region due to the transition of electrons confirm the application of [Formula: see text]([Formula: see text], Sr and Ba) in the field of optoelectronic devices.
New results of Boda Claystone research: Genesis, mineralogy, geochemistry, petrophysics
Authors: Fedor Ferenc , Máthé Zoltán , Ács Péter , Koroncz Péter
Published: December 2018

Boda Claystone is a very tight clayey rock with extreme low porosity and permeability, nano-size pores and small amounts of swelling clays. Due to this character it is ideal as a potential host rock for research into the possibilities of high-level waste deposition in geological formation. Though the research started more than 30 years ago, the genesis, the geotectonic history of the Boda Claystone Formation (BCF) and the geology of surrounding areas has only been sketched out recently. On the basis of research of the past few years the process of sedimentation of different blocks was able to be reconstructed. Equipment and methodological developments were needed for the investigation of reservoir geological and hydrodynamic behaviour of this rock, which began in the early 2000s. Based on them the pore structure and reservoir could be characterized in detail. Only theoretical approaches were available for the chemical composition of free porewater. Traditional water-extracting methods were not adaptable because of excessively low porosity and nano-scale pore size distribution. Hence, new ways have to be found for getting enough water for analysis. These new results of BCF research help to prepare more sophisticated and directed experiments, in which there is a great interest internationally.
Subquadratic Algorithms for the Diameter and the Sum of Pairwise Distances in Planar Graphs
Authors: Cabello Sergio
Published: December 2018

In this article, we show how to compute for
n
-vertex planar graphs in
O
(
n
11/6
polylog(
n
)) expected time the diameter and the sum of the pairwise distances. The algorithms work for directed graphs with real weights and no negative cycles. In
O
(
n
15/8
polylog(
n
)) expected time, we can also compute the number of pairs of vertices at distances smaller than a given threshold. These are the first algorithms for these problems using time
O
(
n

c

) for some constant
c
< 2, even when restricted to undirected, unweighted planar graphs.
Even Delta-Matroids and the Complexity of Planar Boolean CSPs
Authors: Kazda Alexandr , Kolmogorov Vladimir , Rolínek Michal
Published: December 2018

The main result of this article is a generalization of the classical blossom algorithm for finding perfect matchings. Our algorithm can efficiently solve Boolean CSPs where each variable appears in exactly two constraints (we call it edge CSP) and all constraints are
even Δ-matroid
relations (represented by lists of tuples). As a consequence of this, we settle the complexity classification of planar Boolean CSPs started by Dvořák and Kupec.

Using a reduction to even Δ-matroids, we then extend the tractability result to larger classes of Δ-matroids that we call
efficiently coverable
. It properly includes classes that were known to be tractable before, namely,
co-independent
,
compact
,
local
,
linear
, and
binary
, with the following caveat: We represent Δ-matroids by lists of tuples, while the last two use a representation by matrices. Since an
n
×
n
matrix can represent exponentially many tuples, our tractability result is not strictly stronger than the known algorithm for linear and binary Δ-matroids.
A (2+ϵ)-Approximation for Maximum Weight Matching in the Semi-streaming Model
Authors: Paz Ami , Schwartzman Gregory
Published: December 2018

We present a simple deterministic single-pass (2+ϵ)-approximation algorithm for the maximum weight matching problem in the semi-streaming model. This improves on the currently best known approximation ratio of (4+ϵ).

Our algorithm uses
O
(
n
log
2
n
) bits of space for constant values of ϵ. It relies on a variation of the local-ratio theorem, which may be of use for other algorithms in the semi-streaming model as well.