bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Review on fault‐diagnosis and fault‐tolerance for DC–DC converters
Authors: Kumar Geddam Kiran , Elangovan Devaraj
Published: October 2019

The DC–DC converters operate extensively in a variety of industrial applications such as electric vehicles, renewable energy systems, aerospace applications, consumer electronics (smartphones, laptops, etc.) and energy storage solutions. The reliability of the DC–DC converters is of a greater significance. The research endeavours made in enhancing the reliability of the DC–DC converters are still very limited and dispersed. Due to the rapid growth in semiconductor technology, the DC–DC converters have an endless number of topologies, with various operating principles and functionalities. Enhancement of the reliability of all types of DC–DC converters is still a challenging task. Power switches are the most fragile components in converter circuits, which inherently fall prey to the faults occurring in the system. Hence, there is always a requirement to take appropriate remedial measures to deal with all kinds of faults. Further, in order to detect the occurrence of fault a fast fault‐diagnosis and fault‐tolerant strategies in the DC–DC converters is mandatory and the same has to be embedded in the converter for safety purpose. In view of the importance of the same, the fault‐diagnostic algorithms and fault‐tolerant strategies developed in the literature, by various researchers are furnished in a single document after conducting an exhaustive review.
Channel equalisation method for wideband digital array radar
Authors: Lianqing Yu , Ning Wang , Guoqing Liu , Yuhao Yang
Published: October 2019

In the radar systems, such as frequency source, power amplifier, mixer, filter and A/D converter, ageing devices, temperature and environmental changes etc., it is inevitable to introduce wideband amplitude/phase error. These can cause seriously channel mismatch that will affect the performance of digital beam‐forming, synthetic aperture radar image, space time adaptive processing (STAP), automatic target recognition (ATR), target detection, clutter/interference suppression, pulse compression results and cancellation ratio etc. So this study mainly discusses that the channel amplitude/phase inconsistency of wideband digital array radar affects the pulse compression, beam forming and so forth. It also researches and analyses channel equalisation method, and the simulation and experimental results based on the experimental data show that the method based on Fourier transform is effectively and convenient. The Fourier transform method is easier for hardware implementation that can be applied to practical engineering.
Parallel processing of sliding spotlight mode SAR imaging based on GPU
Authors: Gao Zixin , Wei Chunpeng , Yang Chen , Xie Yizhuang , Chen He
Published: October 2019

Sliding spotlight synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is a hot imaging mode in space‐borne SAR. It can acquire high‐resolution and large azimuth scene size simultaneously. The main challenges for sliding spotlight SAR processing in real time are the huge volume of raw data and complex imaging algorithm. The rapid development of the graphics processing units (GPUs) provides a new computing platform for high‐performance SAR processing. This work presents a parallel processing of sliding spotlight SAR imaging algorithm on GPU via compute unified device architecture and tests the speedup of each module of the algorithm on the K20c GPU platform from the aspect of a small granularity and a large granularity of point target images. Compared with traditional CPU‐based SAR imaging technology, the proposed GPU‐based sliding spotlight SAR imaging obtains a speedup of 186.80 when processing data with a granularity of 16,384 × 8192 and gets a speedup of 49.72 when processing data with a granularity of 65,536 × 32,768, thereby greatly improving the real‐time imaging processing.
A robust ragged cloud detection algorithm for remote sensing image
Authors: Zhen Li , Baojun Zhao , Linbo Tang , Wenzheng Wang , Boya Zhao
Published: October 2019

Cloud detection plays a significant role in remote sensing (RS) image processing. Numbers of cloud detection algorithms have been developed in the literature. However, they suffer the weakness of omitting thin and small cloud, and poor ability of differentiating the cloud from confusing ground region (e.g. artificial building). In this study, a robust ragged cloud detection algorithm for RS image is proposed. First, the simple linear iterative clustering method is applied to segment ragged cloud. Then, the improved Qtsu's method is introduced to remove the redundant superpixel. Finally, the Natural Scene Statistic is designed to classify the cloud region. Finally, original image will be classified into thick cloud, thin cloud and non‐cloud. Experimental results indicate that the proposed model outperforms the state‐of‐the‐art methods for cloud detection.
Spectral–spatial classification of hyperspectral remote sensing image based on capsule network
Authors: Jia Sen , Zhao Baojun , Tang Linbo , Feng Fan , Wang WenZheng
Published: October 2019

Hyperspectral image (HSI) classification is a hot topic in remote sensing community; many researchers have made a great deal of effort in this domain. Recently, deep learning‐based manner paves a new way to better classification accuracy. However, the flow of information between layers and layers (e.g. max‐pooling) in traditional deep architecture turns out to be ineffective. In this study, a novel spectral–spatial classification framework for HSI based on Capsule Network (CapsNet) and dynamic routing algorithm is introduced. The proposed architecture is composed of a hybrid of 1D and 2D convolutional layers and two capsule layers for better and effective mining and combining features. Consequently, experiments on two popular dataset indicate that CapsNet‐based framework outperforms traditional CNN‐based counterparts. Moreover, this study reveals great potential for CapsNet model in the field of HSI classification.
Airfield detection based on JPEG2000 compressed domain
Authors: Duan Chenhui , Zhao Baojun , Tang Linbo , Li Cheng , Li Chen
Published: October 2019

With the rapid increase of optical remote sensing (RS) images, on‐orbit specific target detection has been facing more and more challenges: limited processing environment, wireless bandwidth, space, power and storage. To resolve this issue, visual characteristics in the compressed domain are exploited to represent and recognise specific objects. In this study, a new saliency method and an airfield detection framework in the JPEG2000 compressed domain is proposed. First, the authors exploit the header information in raw JPEG2000 code streams to generate structural saliency map, and a great deal of non‐structural regions in RS images are eliminated. Second, airfield candidates are extracted from low frequency wavelet sub‐bands using line segment detection and the parallel density model. Finally, the geometrical properties of airfield candidates are represented by the speed‐up robust features descriptor, and the support vector machine classifier is utilised to gain the final detection results. The proposed framework is evaluated on self‐made dataset. Compared with the existing relevant state‐of‐the‐art approaches, the proposed method reduces the processing time by 60% while guaranteeing the detection rate.
G‐CLASS: geosynchronous radar for water cycle science – orbit selection and system design
Authors: Hobbs Stephen E. , Guarnieri Andrea Monti , Broquetas Antoni , Calvet Jean‐Christophe , Casagli Nicola , Chini Marco , Ferretti Rossella , Nagler Thomas , Pierdicca Nazzareno , Prudhomme Christel , Wadge Geoff
Published: October 2019

The mission geosynchronous – continental land atmosphere sensing system (G‐CLASS) is designed to study the diurnal water cycle, using geosynchronous radar. Although the water cycle is vital to human society, processes on timescales less than a day are very poorly observed from space. G‐CLASS, using C‐band geosynchronous radar, could transform this. Its science objectives address intense storms and high resolution weather prediction, and significant diurnal processes such as snow melt and soil moisture change, with societal impacts including agriculture, water resource management, flooding, and landslides. Secondary objectives relate to ground motion observations for earthquake, volcano, and subsidence monitoring. The orbit chosen for G‐CLASS is designed to avoid the geosynchronous protected region and enables integration times of minutes to an hour to achieve resolutions down to ∼20 m. Geosynchronous orbit (GEO) enables high temporal resolution imaging (up to several images per hour), rapid response, and very flexible imaging modes which can provide much improved coverage at low latitudes. The G‐CLASS system design is based on a standard small geosynchronous satellite and meets the requirements of ESA's Earth Explorer 10 call.
Research on synchronisation for burst and instantaneous communication in integrated radar and communication
Authors: Li Xiao‐Bai , Zuo Jia‐Jun , Yang Rui‐Juan , Shen Xu‐Chi
Published: October 2019

Integration of radar and communication (Radcom) is one of the important research areas for multi‐functional integrated radio frequency systems. Most attention has been drawn to the Radcom system based on signal‐sharing, due to its high integration degree. Firstly, the study discusses the application of complementary code to the integration of Radcom and constructs a multi‐carrier DC‐code‐division multiple access system to integrate Radcom. Secondly, in allusion to the integrated system, the study presents the algorithm of timing and frequency synchronisation. The algorithm adopts timing synchronisation of energy detection and carrier synchronisation of temporal correlation and frequency complementary property. Theoretical analysis and simulated results show that the algorithm has excellent performance and satisfies the requirement of synchronisation for burst and instantaneous communication.
Small vehicles detection based on UAV
Authors: Chen Wu , Baojun Zhao , Linbo Tang , Boya Zhao
Published: October 2019

In recent years, with the development of deep neural networks, object detection has been widely used in many fields such as video surveillance, face recognition, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). However, small objects detection is still a challenge for the most of existing methods due to its low resolution and limited information. Here, the authors use an effective object detector single shot multi‐box detector (SSD) as base architecture to detect small vehicles shot by UAV platform. First, in order to improve the performance for small objects, an extended‐layer feature method is proposed for introducing more small‐scale information. Second, the shapes of default boxes on specific feature maps are adjusted to balance the performance loss caused by adding feature maps. Experimental results show that this method reached the accuracy of 78.6% on PASCAL VOC object‐detection dataset, which has a 1.8% bonus compared with the baseline. Moreover, in order to show the effectiveness on small vehicles, an additional experiment is conducted on the UAV123 dataset, which gets a 3.1% bonus. The speed of the proposed method has a 39 fps on a NVIDIA GTX Titan X.
Robust direction‐of‐arrival estimation based on sparse asymptotic minimum variance
Authors: Zhang Xiangyu , Sun Jun , Cao Xingrong
Published: October 2019

This study proposes a direction‐of‐arrival (DOA) estimation algorithm named robust sparse asymptotic minimum variance (RSAMV) to solve the current DOA algorithms' problems, such as the difficulty in weak target estimation, low resolution and the incapacity of separating coherent signal estimation. Through utilising a virtual weak target, the algorithm carries out dynamic diagonal loading to the sampling covariance matrix of SAMV in the iterative process, which effectively reduces weak target loss. Meanwhile, showing the feature of ultra‐low side lobe and high sparseness, the spatial spectrum of RSAMV can easily achieve the high‐resolution estimation of space target in the circumstances of coherent interference. Simulation results show that, compared with other algorithms, the RSAMV algorithm has higher spatial resolution ability and weak target detection ability. Its spatial spectrum has higher sparseness than other sparse algorithms and its performance is more robust than other SAMV algorithms. The Bering‐Time Recording map processed by results that experiment on sea demonstrate the superiority of RSAMV algorithm.
Design and implementation of parallel CRC algorithm for fibre channel on FPGA
Authors: Chuxiong Wu , Haifeng Shi
Published: October 2019

Fibre channel (FC) provides the high‐speed and low‐latency communication between the end systems, widely used in data storage, aerospace applications and large electronic equipment including radar systems. Excellent in error detection and easy to be implemented in hardware, cyclic redundancy check (CRC) is an important error detection method widely used in network data transmission. This study introduces a design and development of parallel CRC algorithm for the hardware implementation on FPGA to meet the specifications for FC. The algorithm can process 128‐bit parallel data in a block by broken it into four 32‐bit data and calculate their CRC, respectively, based on the linear feedback shift register, simplifying the calculation process and reducing resource consumption.
Bayesian angular super‐resolution for sea‐surface target in forward‐looking scanning radar
Authors: Li Changlin , Zhang Yin , Mao Deqing , Huang Yunlin , Yang Jianyu
Published: October 2019

As the traditional imaging dead zone, how to achieve high angular resolution in forward‐looking region is always a big challenge in radar imaging field. In recent years, many approaches are proposed to solve this problem. However, most of the proposed forward‐looking imaging approaches fail to work in the complex sea‐surface situation. In this study, a Bayesian deconvolution method aimed at the sea‐surface target is presented, which relies on the convolution model between the target distribution and the antenna pattern of scanning radar. In view of the situation of sea surface, Rayleigh distribution is adopted to describe the statistical property of sea‐surface clutter, and lognormal distribution is employed to represent the prior distribution of sea‐surface target. Then, the optimisation theory is utilised to obtain the iterative estimated solution. The simulation results are given to verify the superior performance of the presented method.
Evaluating quasi-periodic variations in the γ-ray light curves of Fermi-LAT blazars
Authors: Ait Benkhali F. , Hofmann W. , Rieger F. M. , Chakraborty N.
Published: October 2019

Context. The detection of periodicities in the light curves of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) could have profound consequences for our understanding of the nature and radiation physics of these objects. At high energies (HE; E >  100 MeV), five blazars (PG 1553+113, PKS 2155−304, PKS 0426−380, PKS 0537−441 and PKS 0301−243) have been reported to show year-like quasi-periodic variations (QPVs) with significance > 3σ. As these findings are based on only a few cycles, care needs to be taken to properly account for random variations that can produce intervals of seemingly periodic behavior.

Aims. We present results of an updated timing analysis for six blazars (adding PKS 0447−439 to the above), using suitable methods to evaluate their long-term variability properties and to search for QPVs in their light curves.

Methods. We generate γ-ray light curves covering almost ten years, study their timing properties, and search for QPVs using the Lomb-Scargle Periodogram and the Wavelet Z-transform. Extended Monte Carlo simulations are used to evaluate the statistical significance.

Results. (1) Comparing their probability density functions, all sources (except PG 1553+113) exhibit a clear deviation from a Gaussian distribution, but are consistent with being log-normal, suggesting that the underlying variability is of a nonlinear, multiplicative nature. (2) Apart from PKS 0301−243, the power spectral density for all investigated blazars is close to flicker noise (power-law slope −1). (3) Possible QPVs with a local significance ≳3σ are found in all light curves (apart from PKS 0426−380 and PKS 0537−441), with observed periods in the range (1.7 − 2.8) yr. The evidence is strongly reduced however if evaluated in terms of a global significance.

Conclusions. Our results advise caution as to the significance of reported year-like HE QPVs in blazars. Somewhat surprisingly, the putative redhift-corrected period all cluster around ∼1.6 yr. We speculate on possible implications for QPV generation.
United States Pharmacopeia Safety Review of Willow Bark
Authors: Oketch-Rabah Hellen A. , Marles Robin J. , Jordan Scott A. , Low Dog Tieraona
Published: October 2019

Willow bark (Salix spp.) is an ingredient in some dietary supplements. No serious adverse effects were reported from trials of willow bark extracts delivering 120 – 240 mg salicin (the purported active constituent) daily for up to 8 weeks. All studies involved adults only; none involved special subpopulations such as pregnant or breastfeeding women, or children. The most common adverse effects associated with willow bark are gastrointestinal; a few allergic reactions were also reported. Some publications advise caution when taking willow bark. There is a risk of increased bleeding in vulnerable individuals, salicylates cross the placenta and are eliminated slowly in newborns, some persons are sensitive or allergic to aspirin, and children are at risk of Reye syndrome. Concurrent use with other salicylate-containing medicines increases these risks. Metabolism of 240 mg salicin from willow bark could yield 113 mg of salicylic acid, yet dietary supplement products are not required to be labeled with warnings. In contrast, over-the-counter low-dose aspirin (81 mg strength), which delivers 62 mg salicylic acid, is required by law to include cautions, warnings, and contraindications related to its use in pregnant and nursing women, children, and other vulnerable subpopulations, e.g., those using anticoagulants. In the interest of protecting public health, the United States Pharmacopeia has included a cautionary labeling statement in the United States Pharmacopeia Salix Species monograph as follows: “Dosage forms prepared with this article should bear the following statement: ‘Not for use in children, women who are pregnant or nursing, or by persons with known sensitivity to aspirin.’”
Veranstaltungsbericht
Authors: Marks Lara
Published: October 2019

Seit 2007 wird diese Radtour von TransDia Sport Deutschland e. V. organisiert, um auf das Thema Organspende in Deutschland aufmerksam zu machen. Die Gruppe von Organtransplantierten Menschen (Herz, Leber, Lunge, Niere), Patienten auf der Warteliste (Niere), Angehörige und Interessierte zur Radtour pro Organspende durch das Rheinland, Ruhrgebiet und Bergische Land sind innerhalb einer Woche mit unterschiedlicher Tagesetappen unterwegs. Es wurden verschiedene Kliniken besucht.
Unusual Prenylated Stilbene Derivatives with PTP1B Inhibitory Activity from Artocarpus styracifolius
Authors: Li Wenyan , Pu Zhongji , Yi Wenfang , Ma Qinge , Lin Qinhua , Zhong Guoyue , Yao Pengcheng , Ren Gang
Published: October 2019

In an effort to identify agents from natural products that inhibit protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B), 5 new prenylated stilbenes, (±)-styrastilbene A (1), styrastilbene B (2), and (±)-styrastilbenes C – E (3, 4, and 7), along with 4 known structurally related compounds (5, 6, 8, and 9), were isolated from the roots of Artocarpus styracifolius. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods, including 1D and 2D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HRESIMS), ultraviolet (UV), and infrared (IR). Based on these isolates, a new plausible biosynthetic pathway for the unusual stilbene derivatives 3–8 with a tetracyclic ring system is proposed. Among these compounds, 1–3, 8, and 9 displayed significant PTP1B inhibitory effects with IC50 values ranging from 2.40 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.21 – 2.59) to 8.80 (95% CI: 8.28 – 9.32) µM. Moreover, kinetic analysis and molecular docking simulations were performed to provide insight into the inhibition type as well as the interaction and binding mode of these active isolates with PTP1B. Our results revealed mixed-type PTP1B inhibition for all compounds tested. Docking simulations of these stilbene derivatives showed negative binding energies and close proximity to residues at the allosteric and catalytic sites of PTP1B. These findings suggest that these compounds may have a potential to be further developed as agents for the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Accelerometer-Based Navigation in Total Knee Arthroplasty for the Management of Extra-Articular Deformity and Retained Femoral Hardware: Analysis of Component Alignment
Authors: Cozzi Lepri Andrea , Innocenti Matteo , Matassi Fabrizio , Villano Marco , Civinini Roberto , Innocenti Massimo
Published: October 2019

Purpose Recent advances in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) include an accelerometer portable system designed to improve component position and alignment. The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether accelerometer navigation system can be a valuable option in complex TKAs for extra-articular deformity of the lower limb or in case of retained femoral hardware.

Methods A group of 13 patients underwent TKA with an accelerometer navigation system. Three patients had a tibial extra-articular deformity, six had a femoral extra-articular deformity, and four had an intramedullary nail in the femur. Preoperative and postoperative mechanical axes were measured from full-length lower extremity radiographs to evaluate alignment. The alignment of prosthetic components in the frontal and sagittal planes was determined by postoperative radiographs.

Results At 30-days postoperative radiographic check, the hip knee ankle angle was within 2.0° (0 ± 1) of the neutral mechanical axis. The alignment of the tibial component on the frontal plane was 90.0° (range 89–91) and on the sagittal plane 5.0° (range 3–7). The alignment of the femoral component on the frontal plane was 90.0° (range 89–91) and on the sagittal plane 3.0° (range 0–5).

Conclusion The alignment of the prosthetic components has been accurate and comparable to other navigation systems in literature without any increase in surgical times. The accelerometer-based navigation system is therefore a useful technique that can be used to optimize TKA alignment in patients with extra-articular deformity or with lower limb hardware, where the intramedullary guides cannot be applied.

Level of Evidence This is an observational study without a control group, Level III.
Are Metaphyseal Sleeves a Viable Option to Treat Bone Defect during Revision Total Knee Arthroplasty? A Systematic Review
Authors: Bonanzinga Tommaso , Akkawi Ibrahim , Zahar Akos , Gehrke Thorsten , Haasper Carl , Marcacci Maurilio
Published: October 2019

Purpose Bone loss is a challenging problem during revision total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Several studies have been published on the use of metaphyseal sleeves during revision TKA. Therefore, the aim of this systematic review was to summarize the clinical and radiographic outcomes of the use of metaphyseal sleeves in the setting of revision TKA.

Methods A comprehensive search of PubMed, MEDLINE, CINAHL, Cochrane, EMBASE, and Google Scholar was performed, covering the period between January 1, 2000, and August 12, 2017. Various combinations of the following key words were used: “metaphyseal,” “sleeves,” “knee,” and “revision.” A total of 10 studies were included in the present systematic review.

Results A total of 904 patients with 928 implants were recorded with a mean age of 69 years. They were evaluated at a mean follow-up of 45 months. Overall 1,413 sleeves, 888 in the tibia and 525 in the femur, were implanted. There were 36 septic re-revisions of the prosthetic components (4%). Five sleeves were found loose during septic re-revision; therefore, the rate of septic loosening of the sleeves was 0.35%. An aseptic re-revision of the prosthetic components was performed 27 times (3%). Ten sleeves were found loose during aseptic re-revision; therefore, the rate of aseptic loosening of the sleeves was 0.7%. Intraoperative fractures occurred 44 times (3.1%). Finally, clinical outcome was improved at final follow-up.

Conclusion Metaphyseal sleeves demonstrate high radiographic signs of osteointegration, low septic loosening rate, low intraoperative fractures rate, and a good-to-excellent clinical outcome. Hence, they are a valid option to treat large metaphyseal bone defect during revision TKA.

Level of Evidence This is a systematic review of level IV studies.
Use of Pericardium for Cardiac Reconstruction Procedures in Acquired Heart Diseases—A Comprehensive Review
Authors: De Martino Andrea , Milano Aldo D. , Bortolotti Uberto
Published: October 2019

Background Reconstruction of cardiac structures has been the goal of many surgeons even before the advent of open-heart procedures with cardiopulmonary bypass. Unsatisfactory results with synthetic materials has switched the attention to biological tissues, among which pericardium, either autologous or of animal origin, has been widely used as patch material.

Methods We have reviewed the literature to assess the effective role of pericardial tissue in the correction of various acquired cardiac lesions. Particularly, special attention was given not only to established techniques but also to detect any peculiar and unusual application of pericardium.

Results Autologous pericardium is frequently used as patch material particularly when limited valvular lesions must be corrected, while xenograft pericardium appears particularly useful in patients with endocarditis and extensive destruction of the intracardiac structures by infection and abscesses. Pericardium is an extremely versatile material owing to its pliability and strength; however, it tends to calcify in the long term when in contact with blood, although stability of the repair is maintained in most cases.

Conclusions Pericardium plays an important role in various cardiac and aortic pathologies. Tissues resistant to fibrosis and calcification to be used as patch material are the ideal solution for more successful cardiac reconstruction procedures and will hopefully be provided by the ongoing research.
Cortical Laminar Necrosis as a Presenting Manifestation of Migraine in an Apparently Normal Patient: A Rare Case Report
Authors: Sharma Shri Ram , Massaraf Hussain , Das Sumit , Kalita Arnab
Published: October 2019

We present a 27-year-old female, a known case of classical migraine headache, who had a severe episode of migraine with visual aura attack which continued late into night. The next morning, she had persistent headache and developed abrupt onset of dysarthria and right hemiparesthesias. She attributed symptoms to her long-lasting headache problem and hence did not seek medical help for the next 2 weeks. The symptoms persisted despite her headache subsiding over the next 36 hours. Her condition worsened 2 weeks later during another such episode of headache. This time she developed right hemiparesis, right hemihypoesthesia, and brief and autolimited left-clonic facial movements. Extensive neurological workup done to rule out other known causes of cerebral infarct with cortical laminar necrosis (CLN) was unrevealing. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain showed left frontoparietal T2-/T1-/fluid-attenuated inversion recovery hyperintensity without diffusion restriction in diffusion-weighted imaging and subtle blooming in gradient recalled-echo and was radiologically compatible with cortical laminar necrosis. The patient improved with antiplatelets, antimigraine prophylaxis, and stroke rehabilitation therapy. Our present case is a unique one where CLN can be associated with cerebral ischemic infarct due to migrainous etiology.
Sex-Specific Outcome after Ascending Aortic Surgery in Moderate Hypothermic Circulatory Arrest
Authors: Freundt Miriam , Friedrich Christine , Salem Mohamed Ahmed , Panholzer Bernd , Huenges Katharina , Puehler Thomas , Cremer Jochen , Haneya Assad
Published: October 2019

Background Historically, female patients had worse outcome undergoing heart surgery. No recent data exist on gender-specific outcome after moderate hypothermic circulatory arrest (MHCA). The aim of this large retrospective analysis was to investigate gender disparity in patients undergoing elective surgery of ascending aorta in MHCA at 24°C.

Methods We conducted a retrospective review of 905 (33.3% female) cases of elective heart surgery in MHCA for ascending aortic aneurysm (90.9%) or severely calcified aorta (12.5%) between 2001 and 2015. Furthermore, 299 female and 299 male patients matched by propensity score were compared. Patients with dissection of the aorta were excluded.

Results Women were older (68.4 ± 9.9 vs. 65.8 ± 11.6 years; p = 0.002), had higher logistic EuroSCORE I (18.4 [11.7; 29.2] vs. 12.3% [7.4; 22.6]; p < 0.001), and significantly shorter cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) time (132 [105; 175] vs. 150 [118; 192] minutes; p < 0.001), while mean MHCA time was longer (15 [13; 19] vs. 14 [12; 17] minutes; p = 0.003). Surgical procedures were less complex in women and they were treated more frequently by isolated supracoronary ascending aorta replacement (61 vs. 54%; p = 0.046). Postoperatively, men showed a higher incidence of neurologic complications (7.0 vs. 3.3%; p = 0.03). The 30-day mortality (women 4.9% vs. men 3.9%; p = 0.48) did not differ significantly, likewise after statistical matching (4.7 vs. 2.3%; p = 0.120). Age, CPB time, and blood transfusion, but not female gender, were risk factors for mortality in multivariable regression analysis.

Conclusion This study supports the hypothesis that female gender is not associated with increased short-term mortality or perioperative adverse events in elective aortic surgery in MHCA.
Cumulative Tsallis entropy based on power spectrum of financial time series
Authors: Zhang Yali , Shang Pengjian , He Jiayi , Xiong Hui
Published: October 2019

The complexity of financial time series is an important issue for nonlinear dynamic systems. Generalized power spectrum cumulative Tsallis entropy (PSCTE) is a newly proposed model for measuring dissimilarities between different time series. It solves the problem of traditional Shannon entropy inconsistency. In addition, the power spectrum is used to calculate the probability in the algorithm. In this paper, PSCTE is applied to simulation data sets, and financial time series are used to verify PSCTE reliability. The results show that PSCTE can be worked as an effective tool to measure dissimilarities and help identify signal patterns. Finally, we also obtain the geographical division of the stock market.
Common-path spatial phase-shift speckle shearography using a glass plate
Authors: Hooshmand-Ziafi Helia , Dashtdar Masoomeh , Hassani Khosrow , Motallebi-Araghi Morvarid
Published: October 2019

In this paper, a spatial phase shifting digital speckle pattern shearography setup based on a common path interferometer and modest components is proposed for direct measurement of dynamical deformation gradient of objects. The simplicity, stability, and efficiency of the setup are provided by employing a plane parallel glass plate as a shearing device. The desired field of view can easily be achieved by employing two lenses. Moreover, adjustable spatial carrier frequencies within the speckle pattern which is needed to evaluate the phase difference before and after deformation by Fourier transformation can easily be produced. Ultimately, the slope of the deformations on the test surface can be obtained with tunable sensitivity. To demonstrate our technique, the proposed setup is used to evaluate the phase change in a center-loaded aluminum plate. Experimental results for out of plane deformation gradient are presented and discussed.
Modeling pulse-cleaning plasma mirrors from dielectric response to saturation: A particle-in-cell approach
Authors: Cochran Ginevra E. , Poole Patrick L. , Schumacher Douglass W.
Published: October 2019

Pulse-cleaning plasma mirrors are widely employed to improve ultraintense laser contrast, but much of the literature concerning their effect on the reflected pulse is empirical. A simulation study of pulse-cleaning plasma mirrors using the particle-in-cell code large scale plasma is presented. The importance of capturing initial ionization from neutral atoms, collisional effects, and simulation dimensionality is considered. Excellent agreement with experimental data is obtained when a multiphoton ionization model is employed. Furthermore, a series of 2D simulations is shown to accurately replicate both the reflected light intensity and mode obtained from full 3D simulations at significantly reduced computation cost.
Double core hole valence-to-core x-ray emission spectroscopy: A theoretical exploration using time-dependent density functional theory
Authors: Zhang Yu , Bergmann Uwe , Schoenlein Robert , Khalil Munira , Govind Niranjan
Published: October 2019

With the help of newly developed X-ray free-electron laser (XFEL) sources, creating double core holes (DCHs) simultaneously at the same or different atomic sites in a molecule has now become possible. DCH X-ray emission is a new form of X-ray nonlinear spectroscopy that can be studied with a XFEL. Here, we computationally explore the metal K-edge valence-to-core (VtC) X-ray emission spectroscopy (XES) of metal/metal and metal/ligand DCH states in a series of transition metal complexes with time-dependent density functional theory. The simulated DCH VtC-XES signals are compared with conventional single core hole (SCH) XES signals. The energy shifts and intensity changes of the DCH emission lines with respect to the corresponding SCH-XES features are fingerprints of the coupling between the second core hole and the occupied orbitals around the DCHs that contain important chemical bonding information of the complex. The difference between delocalized/localized core hole models on DCH VtC-XES is also briefly discussed. We theoretically demonstrate that DCH XES provides subtle information on the local electronic structure around metal centers in transition metal complexes beyond conventional linear XES. Our predicted changes from calculations between SCH-XES and DCH-XES features should be detectable with modern XFEL sources.
Edge flame propagation statistics in igniting monodisperse droplet-laden mixtures
Authors: Papapostolou V. S. , Turquand d’Auzay C. , Ozel Erol G. , Chakraborty N.
Published: October 2019

The effects of droplet diameter, overall (i.e., liquid+gaseous phases) equivalence ratio, and turbulence intensity on the edge flame propagation statistics for localized forced ignition of uniformly dispersed n-heptane droplet-laden mixtures under homogeneous isotropic decaying turbulence have been analyzed based on direct numerical simulations data. It has been found that the edge flame structure becomes increasingly prominent for large overall equivalence ratios and droplet diameters. Although the mean edge flame speed has been found to be positive and its most probable value remains comparable to the theoretical value for laminar edge flames in purely gaseous mixtures, the mean values have been found to decrease and the probabilities of finding locally negative edge flame speeds have been found to increase with increasing turbulence intensity. The marginal probability density function and curvature and strain rate dependences of the edge flame speed have been found to be principally governed by the displacement speed of the fuel mass fraction isosurface intersecting the stoichiometric mixture fraction isosurface. The displacement speed of the stoichiometric mixture fraction isosurface has also been found to influence the local scalar gradient dependences of the edge flame speed in this configuration, especially for large droplets. The displacement speed of the fuel mass fraction isosurface Sd has been found to be principally governed by leading order contributions of the reaction and molecular diffusion components and the evaporation contribution remains weak in comparison to these leading order contributors. The local edge flame speed exhibits nonlinear curvature and strain rate dependences and its variation with the magnitudes of both fuel mass fraction and mixture fraction gradients has been found to be nonmonotonic for all cases considered here. The correlations of the edge flame speed with curvature, strain rate, and scalar gradient have been found to be qualitatively similar to the corresponding statistics reported in the existing literature for edge flames in purely gaseous mixtures. Additionally, the curvature and tangential strain rate dependences of the edge flame speed have been found to be dependent on the droplet size and overall equivalence ratio, and these dependences become weak for cases with large droplets.
Compact and on-demand 3D-printed optical device based on silicone optical technology (SOT) for on-site measurement: Application to flow injection analysis
Authors: Malasuk C. , Nakakubo K. , Ishimatsu R. , Nakashima Y. , Yoshioka H. , Morita K. , Oki Y.
Published: October 2019

The current trend for analytical systems and devices is to be small, portable, and low in cost because of the flexibility required to ensure their availability for on-site measurement applications. Using the concept of silicone optical technology (SOT), we propose a fully flexible analytical system, and digital fabrication of a compact optical module for flow-injection analysis (FIA) is demonstrated. A simple structure composed of a transparent polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) optical core with a carbon black-dispersed PDMS cladding acts as a tiny but straightforward optical filter and shows an ability to trap light at tilted incidence; this structure is embedded on a silicone 3D-printed optical module via a simple injection and coating method. The coating properties, the optical trapping performance, and the cross talk test performance of the device were evaluated. The SOT-FIA optical module successfully demonstrated a 99.8% undesired light trapping performance; cross talk of less than 0.5% was observed, illustrating the low-noise detection performance of the SOT-FIA optical system. Colorimetric determination of iron in natural water samples demonstrated excellent linearity, a wide chemical analysis range, and good percentage recovery performance. The results of the determination in real water samples using the proposed SOT-FIA optical device agreed well with the results from the conventional spectrophotometric method. With advantages that include simplicity, low cost, flexibility, portability, and high sensitivity, the proposed optical device will be potentially useful for on-site chemical analysis measurements.
Divining the shape of nascent polymer crystal nuclei
Authors: Hall Kyle Wm. , Sirk Timothy W. , Percec Simona , Klein Michael L. , Shinoda Wataru
Published: October 2019

We demonstrate that nascent polymer crystals (i.e., nuclei) are anisotropic entities with neither spherical nor cylindrical geometry, in contrast to previous assumptions. In fact, cylindrical, spherical, and other high symmetry geometries are thermodynamically unfavorable. Moreover, postcritical transitions are necessary to achieve the lamellae that ultimately arise during the crystallization of semicrystalline polymers. We also highlight how inaccurate treatments of polymer nucleation can lead to substantial errors (e.g., orders of magnitude discrepancies in predicted nucleation rates). These insights are based on quantitative analysis of over four million crystal clusters from the crystallization of prototypical entangled polyethylene melts. New comprehensive bottom-up models are needed to capture polymer nucleation.
Molecular weight of condensed tannins of some tropical feed-leaves and their effect on in vitro gas and methane production
Authors: Petlum A. , Paengkoum P. , Liang J. B. , Vasupen K. , Paengkoum S.
Published: October 2019

The concentration and molecular weights (MW) of condensed tannins (CT) of three locally available tropical plant species leaves which have potential to be used as ruminant feed, and their effects on in vitro gas, including methane, production were investigated. Leaves of three plant species, namely, leucaena (Leucaena leucocephala), cassava (Manihot esculenta, Cranzt), and Siamese neem (Azadirachta indica A.Juss. var. Siamensis Valeton) were used in the present study. CT contents ranged from 1.2% in the leucaena to 5.0% in Siamese neem. The weight-average molecular weights (Mw) of the purified CTs, determined using gel-permeation chromatography, were 3222, 3409 and 3612 Da for leucaena, cassava and Siamese neem respectively. The above values were within the range reported for CTs of various tropical plant species. We know of no published data on MW of CTs from leaves of cassava and Siamese neem and, thus, this research, for the first time, reported the MWs of the above two plant materials. Subsequently, two CT extracts with differing MWs, such as CTs extracted from leaves of Siamese neem and leaves of leucaena, were selected as the representative of high and low MWs of CT respectively, and used for investigation of the effect of the MW of CT on in vitro gas production and fermentation parameters. Supplementation of CTs of a higher MW extracted from leaves of Siamese neem (at 2–6 mg/100 mg DM) significantly inhibited in vitro total gas and methane production, while supplementation of CTs with a lower MW extracted from leaves of leucaena had no effect, except for total gas production at the highest level (6 mg/100 mg DM) of supplementation. Similarly, CT from Siamese neem leaves had a stronger inhibitory effect (P < 0.001) on in vitro volatile fatty acid, acetic acid and butyric acid production. The above results indicated that concentrations and the MW of CT varied among the plant species; in addition, the efficacy of CTs to inhibit ruminal CH4 emission are influenced by their MW.
Recent trends in bovine reproductive biotechnologies.
Authors: Binyameen M. , Saleem M. , Riaz A.
Published: October 2019

The establishment of non-invasive and low-cost reproductive techniques are key interest currently. Although, numerous reproductive techniques have been invented during the last few decades, the procedures adopted require further refinement Artificial insemination is a unique and simple reproductive technique offering substantial and rapid genetic transfer. Use of fresh semen has given good results, but success and reach of frozen semen technology is controversial in developing countries. Optimal use of sexed semen requires precise accuracy in ovulation to obtain satisfactory pregnancy rates. Further modification of the sperm sorter technique is necessary to obtain the maximum number of sexed sperm within a limited time. Embryo transfer technology has been well developed for dairy animals, but currently the main focus is on
in-vitro
embryo production. Its importance is further magnified for animals with good genetics and species near to extinction. Although cloning has been successfully carried out in many species, its cost, neonatal abnormalities and ethical use require further discussion. Transgenesis and stem cells have revolutionized the world through the production of transgenic animals and disease management through mesenchymal stem cells. These technologies are the advanced reproductive technologies which need further research, especially in bovines. In conclusion, modern reproductive techniques are a basic requirement of a modern dairy farming system but their use must be rationalized in an ethical and cost-effective manner.
gas1 mutation extends chronological lifespan via Pmk1 and Sty1 MAPKs in Schizosaccharomyces pombe
Authors: Imai Yuki , Shimasaki Takafumi , Enokimura Chihiro , Ohtsuka Hokuto , Tsubouchi Satoshi , Ihara Kunio , Aiba Hirofumi
Published: October 2019

In the longevity research by using yeasts, chronological lifespan is defined as the survival time after entry into stationary phase. Previously, screening for long lived mutants of Schizosaccharomyces pombe was performed to identify the novel factors involved in longevity. From this screening, one long lived mutant called as No.36 was obtained. In this study, we identified the mutation caused in gas1+, which encodes glucanosyltransferase (gas1-287 mutation) is responsible for the longevity of No.36 mutant. Through the analysis of this mutant, we found that cell wall perturbing agent micafungin also extends chronological lifespan in fission yeast. This lifespan extension depended on both Pmk1 and Sty1 MAP kinases, and longevity caused by the gas1-287 mutation also depended on these kinases. In summary, we propose that the gas1-287 mutation causes longevity as the similar mechanism as cell wall stress depending on Pmk1 and Sty1 MAPK pathways.
First-principles study of oxygen adsorbed on Au-doped RuO2 (110) surface*
Authors: Zhang Ji , Zhang De-Ming
Published: October 2019

Density functional theory calculations are carried out to identify various configurations of oxygen molecules adsorbed on the Au-doped RuO2 (110) surface. The binding energy calculations indicate that O2 molecules are chemically adsorbed on the coordinatively unsaturated Ru (Rucus) sites and the bridge oxygen vacancies on the Au sites. Transition state calculations show that O* can exist on the Rucus site by

O
2
∗

dissociation and diffusion. The calculations of the reaction path of CO indicate that the reaction energy barrier of CO adsorbed on Au with lattice oxygen decreases to 0.28 eV and requires less energy than that on the undoped structure.
Single-doped charged gold cluster with highly selective catalytic activity for the reduction of SO2 by CO: First-principles study*
Authors: Hu Yan-Ling , Zhu Hao-Ran , Wei Shi-Hao
Published: October 2019

It is important for environmental protection to search for catalysts with excellent performance and cost-effective to reduce SO2 by CO. In this work, using first-principles calculation, we have studied the catalytic performance of Au5
Mn
(M = Ni, Pd, Pt, Cu, Ag, Au; n = 1, 0, −1) clusters, and showed that, by giving a negative charge to the Au5
M (M = Cu, Ag, Au, Pd) clusters, we could improve the selectivity of SO2 and avoid effectively catalyst CO poisoning simultaneously. At the same time, the catalytic reaction rate for the reduction of SO2 by CO with Au5
M
− (M = Cu, Ag, Au, Pd) clusters is greatly improved when the Au5
M clusters are charged. These advantages can be well explained by the charge transfer between the clusters and adsorbed molecules, which means that we can effectively control the performance of the catalyst. The equilibrium structures of Au5
Mn
(M = Ni, Pd, Pt, Cu, Ag, Au; n = 1, 0, −1) clusters without or with adsorbed SO2 or CO molecule are also discussed, and the most stable geometrical structures of Au5
Mn
-ML (ML = SO2, CO, SO, and COS) can be explained very well by the match of orbitals symmetry and density of electron cloud through their frontier molecular orbitals. Considering the catalyst cost (Cu is much cheaper than Ag and Au), selectivity of SO2, and effectively avoiding the catalyst CO poisoning, we propose that Au5Cu− is an ideal catalyst for getting rid of SO2 and CO simultaneously.