bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Electrochromic and non-volatile bistable resistive switching behaviour of acid-doped poly(triphenylamine ether)s
Authors: Wang Benfu , Ren Decai , Zhang Qian , Bai Xuduo , Jiang Xiankai
Published: March 2017

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the electrochromic (EC) properties of poly(triphenylamine alkyl ether) and poly(triphenylamine aryl ether) in two different electrolyte solution to study the resistive switching behaviour of acid-doped poly(triphenylamine alkyl ether).

Design/methodology_appach

By Buchwald–Hartwig coupling reaction, two novel poly[N-p-phenoxy-N-[4-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy]ethoxy]triphenylamineandpoly[N,N-bis(4-phenoxy)]triphenylamine were synthesized from 4-phenoxyaniline and two dibromo aromatic compounds, 1,2-bis[β,β′-(p-bromophenoxy)ethoxy]ethane and bis(4-bromophenyl) ether.

Findings

Poly(triphenylamine alkyl ether) displayed excellent EC characteristics, with a coloration change from a colourless neutral state to light blue and red oxidized states, while poly(triphenylamine aryl ether) showed coloration a change from a colourless neutral state to light blue oxidized state in tetrabutylammonium perchlorate electrolyte solution. Moreover, p-toluenesulfonic acid-doped poly(triphenylamine alkyl ether) exhibited a non-volatile bistable resistive switching behaviour with a high high-conductivity/low-conductivity ratio of up to 104, long retention time exceeding 2.5 × 103 s and the switching threshold voltage was also lower than −2V.

Research limitations/implications

In this paper, the non-volatile bistable resistive switching behaviour of acid-dopedpoly(triphenylamine alkyl ether) was in accordance with the molar ratio of 1:1. The effects of different molar ratios remained to be studied.

Practical implications

Poly(triphenylamine ether)s may find optoelectronic applications as new EC and resistive switching materials.

Originality/value

The effects of alkyl and aryl ether structures in the main chain on the EC and resistive switching behaviour of triphenylamine unit have not yet been reported.
Electrochemical studies on the corrosion performance of new advanced anticorrosive pigments
Authors: Ahmed Nivin M. , Abd El-Gawad Walaa M. , El_Shami Ahmed A. , Souaya Eglal M.R.
Published: March 2017

Purpose

This study aims to synthesize a series of new anticorrosive pigments using a new technique called “core-shell”. This technique is based on depositing thin surface layer of expensive, efficient anticorrosive pigment on a cheap extender. This extender forms the bulk of the new pigments. The new pigments were constructed on cores of either waste silica fume or kaolin comprising 80-85 per cent of their chemical structure, and the ferrite shell was about of 20-15 per cent. Electrochemical studies were undertaken on two series of pigments for comparison between ferrites/silica fume and ferrites/kaolin pigment to show their performance, as the shells are different.

Design/methodology/approach

The different ferrites/silica fume and ferrites/kaolin pigments were characterized using different analytical and spectrophotometric techniques, such as X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Immersion test and electrochemical impedance measurements were done in 3.5 per cent NaCl.

Findings

The tests revealed that paint films containing Sr ferrite/silica and Ca ferrite/kaolin were the most effective in corrosion prevention.

Practical implications

Silica fumes have a large array of uses. These pigments can be applied in various industries such as painting, wooding coating, anti-corruption coating, powder coating, architectural paint and waterproof paints. Treated kaolin can be applied in many industries besides pigment manufacture and paint formulations; it can be applied as a reinforcing filler in rubber, plastics and ceramic composites.

Originality/value

The new pigments are considered ecofriendly materials, because using them converts a waste product and a natural ore to useful marketable product, leading to reducing cost and saving the environment at the same time.
The significance of organisational learning in a global context
Authors: Duarte Alonso Abel , Austin Ian Patrick
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine organisational learning (OL) among firms involved in global-trade relationships. The study adopts the stakeholder theory (ST) and the knowledge-based theory (KBT) of the firm to illuminate the research and facilitate the understanding of the areas under investigation. The study, therefore, makes contributions to the extant international business and strategy literature, both in new empirical evidence and in theoretical refinement.

Design/methodology/approach

In-depth, unstructured, face-to-face and telephone interviews were conducted with owners/co-owners of nine Western Australian firms operating internationally.

Findings

Collectively, participants perceive improvements in trade relationships through increased understanding and knowledge. Importantly, OL is significantly affected by systematic and dramatic/strategic quantum change. Alignments with ST and KBT emerged, emphasising the usefulness of these frameworks to understand owners/co-owners’ best-practice stakeholder management. Furthermore, the study proposes a refinement of these frameworks to facilitate understanding of the participating firms’ OL-related strategies.

Originality/value

While there is a rich body of literature on OL, various knowledge gaps have been identified in contemporary research. The study provides value by contributing to new knowledge in these areas and by proposing a refinement of the used theoretical frameworks in explaining OL among Western Australian global firms. In addition, despite Western Australia’s geographic proximity to various overseas consumer markets, very few empirical studies have examined the above areas in the context of this state’s firms. By focusing on Western Australian firms, the study also provides an element of originality.
Omega‐3 supplementation is neuroprotective to corneal nerves in dry eye disease: a pilot study
Authors: Chinnery Holly R. , Naranjo Golborne Cecilia , Downie Laura E.
Published: March 2017

Purpose

To investigate whether oral, long‐chain omega‐3 (ω‐3) essential fatty acid (EFA) supplementation, for 3 months, induces changes to the central corneal sub‐basal nerve plexus in dry eye disease and whether nerve alterations correlate with clinical findings.

Methods

This prospective, comparative study involved the final 12 participants enrolled in a randomised, double‐masked, placebo‐controlled clinical trial of 60 participants with moderate dry eye disease. Participants received either placebo (olive oil 1500 mg/day; n = 4) or ω‐3 EFA supplements (~1000 mg/day eicosapentaenoic acid + ~500 mg/day docosahexaenoic acid; n = 8) for 90 days. The main outcome measure was the mean change in central corneal sub‐basal plexus nerve parameters between days one and 90, quantified using in vivo confocal microscopy. Secondary outcomes included mean change in tear osmolarity, corneal dendritic cell density and basal epithelial cell density.

Results

Compared with baseline, the reduction in OSDI score and tear osmolarity at day 90 were greater in the ω‐3 EFA group than the placebo group (OSDI: ω‐3 EFA, mean ± SEM: −15.6 ± 2.8 vs placebo: −2.8 ± 4.1 units, t5 = 2.6, p = 0.04; tearosmolarity: ω‐3 EFA: −22.63 ± 5.7 vs placebo: −8 ± 2.7 mOsmol/L, t9 = 2.3, p = 0.04). At day 90, corneal total nerve branch density (CTBD: 91.1 ± 8.6 vs 45.1 ± 13.4 branches/mm2, F1,10 = 14, p = 0.004) and corneal nerve branch density on the main fibre (CNBD: 63.4 ± 6.5 vs 27.9 ± 11.5 branches/mm2, F1,10 = 6, p = 0.03) were higher in the ω‐3 EFA group compared with placebo. Relative to day 1, CNBD (branches/mm2) increased at day 90 in the ω‐3 EFA group (+20.0 ± 9.2, t8 = 3.2 p = 0.01) compared with placebo (−10.8 ± 3.2). Similar changes were evident for corneal nerve fibre length (CNFL, mm/mm2), which increased from baseline at day 90 in the omega‐3 EFA group (+2.9 ± 1.6, t8 = 3.4 p = 0.01) compared with placebo (−2.7 ± 0.5). There was a negative correlation between CTBD and tear osmolarity (r10 = −0.70, p = 0.01). No significant changes were observed for basal epithelial cell or corneal dendritic cell density.

Conclusion

These pilot study findings suggest that ω‐3 EFA supplementation imparts neuroprotective effects in the corneal sub‐basal plexus that correlate with the extent of tear osmolarity normalisation.
A novel HLA allele, HLA‐C*15:02:01:04, identified in a Taiwanese individual
Authors: Yang K. L. , Ng J. , Lazaro A. , Lin P. Y.
Published: March 2017

One nucleotide substitution at residue 1924 of HLA‐C*15:02:01:01 results in a novel allele, HLA‐C*15:02:01:04.
A New Locking-Free Formulation of a Three-Dimensional Shear-Deformable Beam
Authors: Fan W. , Zhu W. D.
Published: March 2017

A new locking-free formulation of a three-dimensional shear-deformable beam with large deformations and large rotations is developed. The position of the centroid line of the beam is integrated from its slope that is related to the rotation of a corresponding cross section and stretch and shear strains. The rotation is parameterized by a rotation vector, which has a clear and intuitive physical meaning. Taylor polynomials are used for certain terms that have zero denominators to avoid singularity in numerical implementation. Since the rotation vector can have singular points when its norm equals 2mπ, where m is a nonzero integer, a rescaling strategy is adopted to resolve the singularity problem when there is only one singular point at a time instant, which is the case for most engineering applications. Governing equations of the beam are obtained using Lagrange's equations for systems with constraints, and several benchmark problems are simulated to show the performance of the current formulation. Results show that the current formulation does not suffer from shear and Poisson locking problems that the absolute nodal coordinate formulation (ANCF) can have. Results from the current formulation for a planar static case are compared with its exact solutions, and they are in excellent agreement with each other, which verifies accuracy of the current formulation. Results from the current formulation are compared with those from commercial software abaqus and recurdyn, and they are in good agreement with each other; the current formulation uses much fewer numbers of elements to yield converged results.
Threading dislocations in MBE grown AlInSb metamorphic buffers: Revealed and counted
Authors: Shi Yinqiu , Gosselink Denise , Umansky Vladimir Y. , Weyher Jan L. , Wasilewski Zbig R.
Published: March 2017

The authors compare four methods to investigate the threading dislocations (TDs) observed in metamorphic buffers used in the growth of InSb quantum well on GaAs (001) substrates. Three types of buffers with varying number of Al0.24In0.76Sb interlayers (N = 0, 1, and 3) were studied. Cross-sectional scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) revealed an effective dislocation filtering by the interlayers. Individual TDs were identified with atomic-force microscopy (AFM) as distinct morphological features of dislocation outcrops on the surface. Threading dislocation density (TDD) is reduced by 1 order of magnitude with three interlayers, consistent with the STEM observation. TDD measured with a scanning electron microscope in electron channeling contrast imaging (ECCI) mode agrees closely with the AFM analysis, except for the N = 0 buffer where the ECCI gives TDD lower by more than a factor of two. The etch pit density of N = 3 buffer, measured with a Nomarski differential interference contrast microscope after defect selective etching (DSE), is almost 1 order of magnitude lower than the TDD measured by AFM and ECCI. Due to the large pit size, the used etching recipe only works well for samples with TDD lower than 107 cm−2. AFM, ECCI, and DSE are excellent alternatives to transmission electron microscopy in the process of metamorphic buffer optimization. The AFM technique offers the additional advantage of high vertical resolution morphology mapping. Such capability is of great importance for the optimization of metamorphic buffers from the perspective of surface smoothness improvement.
Electrical and physical characteristics of metal–oxide–semiconductor structured nonvolatile memory with HfLaxTiyOz charge trapping layers
Authors: Jeng Jin-Tsong , Li Yan-Lin , Cheng Chin-Lung
Published: March 2017

A HfLaxTiyOz film that embeds in a Hf2La2O7 dielectric has been presented as the charge trapping layer (CTL) of metal–oxide–semiconductor (MOS) structures for nonvolatile memory (NVM). First, the physical and electrical characteristics of the MOS structures for NVM with HfLaxTiyOz CTLs treated at various postdeposition annealing conditions are examined. Then, the electrical and reliability properties, including hysteresis windows, programming/erasing (P/E) time, endurance, and retention of the MOS structures, with various Ti and O contents incorporated into the HfLaxTiyOz CTLs, are investigated. The results indicate that a 2.7 V hysteresis window is achieved by scanning over the range of ±7 V. The density of charge trap states is estimated to be 2.03 ± 0.06 × 1013 cm−2 during the C–V hysteresis sweep over the range of ±7 V for the HfLaxTiyOz CTL. Better properties, namely, a small memory window narrowing after 104 P/E cycles and a 7% charge loss after 10 years, are demonstrated for the HfLaxTiyOz CTL with a combined titanium content of 17.79 ± 0.53% and an oxygen content of 70.89 ± 2.13%.
Assessing the efficacy of hearing-aid amplification using a phoneme test
Authors: Scheidiger Christoph , Allen Jont B. , Dau Torsten
Published: March 2017

Consonant-vowel (CV) perception experiments provide valuable insights into how humans process speech. Here, two CV identification experiments were conducted in a group of hearing-impaired (HI) listeners, using 14 consonants followed by the vowel /ɑ/. The CVs were presented in quiet and with added speech-shaped noise at signal-to-noise ratios of 0, 6, and 12 dB. The HI listeners were provided with two different amplification schemes for the CVs. In the first experiment, a frequency-independent amplification (flat-gain) was provided and the CVs were presented at the most-comfortable loudness level. In the second experiment, a frequency-dependent prescriptive gain was provided. The CV identification results showed that, while the average recognition error score obtained with the frequency-dependent amplification was lower than that obtained with the flat-gain, the main confusions made by the listeners on a token basis remained the same in a majority of the cases. An entropy measure and an angular distance measure were proposed to assess the highly individual effects of the frequency-dependent gain on the consonant confusions in the HI listeners. The results suggest that the proposed measures, in combination with a well-controlled phoneme speech test, may be used to assess the impact of hearing-aid signal processing on speech intelligibility.
Severe hypophosphataemia after intravenous iron administration
Authors: Anand Gurpreet , Schmid Christoph
Published: March 2017

Iron deficiency is common and can be effectively treated with parenteral iron infusion. We report a case of an iron-deficient and vitamin D-deficient woman who developed severe symptomatic hypophosphataemia following intravenous ferric carboxymaltose administration. We stress the need of increased awareness of this potential complication among physicians. Patients should be informed of this complication and instructed to report for follow-up if they experience new musculoskeletal symptoms or worsening of tiredness. As severe hypophosphataemia is usually symptomatic, we recommend screening symptomatic patients for this complication. Recognising and treating the possible exacerbating factors, especially vitamin D deficiency, might be a simple measure to mitigate this complication.
STEMS pilot trial: a pilot cluster randomised controlled trial to investigate the addition of patient direct access to physiotherapy to usual GP-led primary care for adults with musculoskeletal pain
Authors: Bishop Annette , Ogollah Reuben O , Jowett Sue , Kigozi Jesse , Tooth Stephanie , Protheroe Joanne , Hay Elaine M , Salisbury Chris , Foster Nadine E
Published: March 2017

Introduction

Around 17% of general practitioner (GP) consultations are for musculoskeletal conditions, which will rise as the population ages. Patient direct access to physiotherapy provides one solution, yet adoption in the National Health Service (NHS) has been slow.

Setting

A pilot, pragmatic, non-inferiority, cluster randomised controlled trial (RCT) in general practice and physiotherapy services in the UK.

Objectives

Investigate feasibility of a main RCT.

Participants

Adult patients registered in participating practices and consulting with a musculoskeletal problem.

Interventions

4 general practices (clusters) randomised to provide GP-led care as usual or the addition of a patient direct access to physiotherapy pathway.

Outcomes

Process outcomes and exploratory analyses of clinical and cost outcomes.

Data collection

Participant-level data were collected via questionnaires at identification, 2, 6 and 12 months and through medical records.

Blinding

The study statistician and research nurses were blinded to practice allocation.

Results

Of 2696 patients invited to complete study questionnaires, 978 participated (intervention group n=425, control arm n=553) and were analysed. Participant recruitment was completed in 6 months. Follow-up rates were 78% (6 months) and 71% (12 months). No evidence of selection bias was observed. The direct access pathway was used by 90% of patients in intervention practices needing physiotherapy. Some increase in referrals to physiotherapy occurred from one practice, although waiting times for physiotherapy did not increase (28 days before, 26 days after introduction of direct access). No safety issues were identified. Clinical and cost outcomes were similar in both groups. Exploratory estimates of between group effect (using 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) Physical Component Summary (PCS)) at 6 months was −0.28 (95% CI −1.35 to 0.79) and at 12 months 0.12 (95% CI −1.27 to 1.51).

Conclusions

A full RCT is feasible and will provide trial evidence about the clinical and cost-effectiveness of patient direct access to physiotherapy.

Trial registration number

ISRCTN23378642.
Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) attenuates diet-induced aortic stiffening independent of changes in body composition
Authors: Garner Tyler , Ouyang An , Berrones Adam J. , Campbell Marilyn S. , Du Bing , Fleenor Bradley S.
Published: March 2017

We hypothesized a sweet potato intervention would prevent high-fat (HF) diet−induced aortic stiffness, which would be associated with decreased arterial oxidative stress and increased mitochondrial uncoupling. Young (8-week old) C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into 4 groups: low fat (LF; 10% fat), HF (60% fat), low-fat sweet potato (LFSP; 10% fat containing 260.3 μg/kcal sweet potato), or high-fat sweet potato diet (HFSP; 60% fat containing 260.3 μg/kcal sweet potato) for 16 weeks. Compared with LF and LFSP, HF- and HFSP-fed mice had increased body mass and percent fat mass with lower percent lean mass (all, P < 0.05). Sweet potato intervention did not influence body composition (all, P > 0.05). Arterial stiffness, assessed by aortic pulse wave velocity and ex vivo mechanical testing of the elastin region elastic modulus (EEM) was greater in HF compared with LF and HFSP animals (all, P < 0.05). Advanced glycation end products and nitrotyrosine abundance were greater in aortic segments from HF mice compared with LF and HFSP animals (all, P < 0.05). Aortic elastin and uncoupling protein 2 expressions, however, were reduced in HF compared with LF and HFSP mice (all, P < 0.05). Aortic segments cultured with 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP), a mitochondrial uncoupler, for 72 h reduced the EEM of HF arteries compared with nontreated HF segments (P < 0.05). DNP had no effect on the EEM of aortic segments from HFSP mice. In conclusion, sweet potato attenuates diet-induced aortic stiffness independent of body mass and composition, which is associated with a normalization of arterial oxidative stress possibly due to mitochondrial uncoupling.
Risk aversion and risk seeking in multicriteria forest management: a Markov decision process approach
Authors: Buongiorno Joseph , Zhou Mo , Johnston Craig
Published: March 2017

Markov decision process models were extended to reflect some consequences of the risk attitude of forestry decision makers. One approach consisted of maximizing the expected value of a criterion subject to an upper bound on the variance or, symmetrically, minimizing the variance subject to a lower bound on the expected value. The other method used the certainty equivalent criterion, a weighted average of the expected value and variance. The two approaches were applied to data for mixed softwood–hardwood forests in the southern United States with multiple financial and ecological criteria. Compared with risk neutrality or risk seeking, financial risk aversion reduced expected annual financial returns and production and led to shorter cutting cycles that lowered the expected diversity of tree species and size, stand basal area, stored CO2e, and old-growth area.
Information Sharing by Viewers Via Second Screens for In-Real-Life Events
Authors: Mukherjee Partha , Jansen Bernard J.
Published: March 2017

The use of second screen devices with social media facilitates conversational interaction concerning broadcast media events, creating what we refer to as the social soundtrack. In this research, we evaluate the change of the Super Bowl XLIX social soundtrack across three social media platforms on the topical categories of commercials, music, and game at three game phases (
Pre
,
During
, and
Post
). We perform statistical analysis on more than 3M, 800K, and 50K posts from Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr, respectively. Findings show that the volume of posts in the
During
phase is fewer compared to
Pre
and
Post
phases; however, the hourly mean in the
During
phase is considerably higher than it is in the other two phases. We identify the predominant phase and category of interaction across all three social media sites. We also determine the significance of change in absolute scale across the Super Bowl categories (commercials, music, game) and in both absolute and relative scales across Super Bowl phases (
Pre
,
During
,
Post
) for the three social network platforms (Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram). Results show that significant phase-category relationships exist for all three social networks. The results identify the
During
phase as the predominant one for all three categories on all social media sites with respect to the absolute volume of conversations in a continuous scale. From the relative volume perspective, the
During
phase is highest for the music category for most social networks. For the commercials and game categories, however, the
Post
phase is higher than the
During
phase for Twitter and Instagram, respectively. Regarding category identification, the game category is the highest for Twitter and Instagram but not for Tumblr, which has dominant peaks for music and/or commercials in all three phases. It is apparent that different social media platforms offer various phase and category affordances. These results are important in identifying the influence that second screen technology has on information sharing across different social media platforms and indicates that the viewer role is transitioning from passive to more active.
Layer Assignment of Escape Buses with Consecutive Constraints in PCB Designs
Authors: Yan Jin-Tai
Published: March 2017

It is important for cost and reliability consideration to minimize the number of the used layers in a PCB design. In this article, given a set of
n
circular escape buses with their escape directions between two adjacent components and a set of
m
consecutive constraints on the escape buses, the problem of assigning the given escape buses between two adjacent components onto the minimized layers is first formulated for bus-oriented escape routing. Furthermore, an efficient approach is proposed to minimize the number of the used layers for the given escape buses with the consecutive constraints and assign the escape buses onto the available layers. Compared with Yan's approach [Yan and Chen 2012] for the layer assignment of the linear escape buses with no consecutive constraint and Ma's approach [Ma et al. 2011a] for the layer assignment of the circular escape buses with consecutive constraints, the experimental results show that the proposed approach obtains the same optimal results on the number of the used layers and reduces 43.6% and 90.5% of CPU time for the tested examples on the average, respectively.
User's Web Page Aesthetics Opinion
Authors: Uribe Silvia , Álvarez Federico , Menéndez José Manuel
Published: March 2017

Analyzing a user's first impression of a Web site is essential for interface designers, as it is tightly related to their overall opinion of a site. In fact, this early evaluation affects user navigation behavior. Perceived usability and user interest (e.g., revisiting and recommending the site) are parameters influenced by first opinions. Thus, predicting the latter when creating a Web site is vital to ensure users’ acceptance. In this regard, Web aesthetics is one of the most influential factors in this early perception. We propose the use of low-level image parameters for modeling Web aesthetics in an objective manner, which is an innovative research field. Our model, obtained by applying a stepwise multiple regression algorithm, infers a user's first impression by analyzing three different visual characteristics of Web site screenshots—texture, luminance, and color—which are directly derived from MPEG-7 descriptors. The results obtained over three wide Web site datasets (composed by 415, 42, and 6 Web sites, respectively) reveal a high correlation between low-level parameters and the users’ evaluation, thus allowing a more precise and objective prediction of users’ opinion than previous models that are based on other image characteristics with fewer predictors. Therefore, our model is meant to support a rapid assessment of Web sites in early stages of the design process to maximize the likelihood of the users’ final approval.
A Fast and Simple Surface Reconstruction Algorithm
Authors: Cheng Siu-Wing , Jin Jiongxin , Lau Man-Kit
Published: March 2017

We present an algorithm for surface reconstruction from a point cloud. It runs in
O
(
n
log
n
) time, where
n
is the number of sample points, and this is optimal in the pointer machine model. The only existing
O
(
n
log
n
)-time algorithm is due to Funke and Ramos, and it uses some sophisticated data structures. The key task is to extract a locally uniform subsample from the input points. Our algorithm is much simpler and it is based on a variant of the standard octree. We built a prototype that runs an implementation of our algorithm to extract a locally uniform subsample, invokes Cocone to reconstruct a surface from the subsample, and adds back the sample points absent from the subsample via edge flips. In our experiments with some nonuniform samples, the subsample extraction step is fast and effective, and the prototype gives a 51% to 68% speedup over using Cocone alone. The prototype also runs faster on locally uniform samples.
Multidrug Resistant Pseudomonas Mycotic Pseudoaneurysm following Cardiac Transplant Bridged by Ventricular Assistant Device
Authors: Aye C. , Williams M. , Horvath R.
Published: March 2017

Mycotic pseudoaneurysm of aorta following cardiac surgery is rare but is highly fatal if it is unrecognized and untreated. Here, we report a case of a 45-year-old male patient who presented with rapidly progressive multiple pseudoaneurysms of the ascending aorta infected with multidrug resistant (MDR) Pseudomonas aeruginosa at 5 weeks after cardiac transplantation, on a background of prior bridging therapy with left ventricular assistant device (LVAD). The patient was successfully treated with the newer cephalosporin, Ceftolozane/Tazobactam, in combination with surgery. This is the first reported case of mycotic pseudoaneurysm infected with MDR Pseudomonas. This case also highlights the importance of high vigilance and timely multimodality treatment in the diagnosis and management of mycotic pseudoaneurysm following cardiac transplant, especially in patients who had LVAD.
Intraparenchymal Renal Artery Pseudoaneurysm and Arteriovenous Fistula on a Solitary Kidney Occurring 38 Years after Blunt Trauma
Authors: Benamran Daniel , de Clippele Benedicte , Hammer Frank , Tombal Bertrand
Published: March 2017

Pseudoaneurysm and arteriovenous fistulae of the renal artery are rare complications of kidney trauma. They commonly result from open traumas and occur within days after the injury. Common symptoms include acute haematuria, pain, or hypertension. We report the case of a fifty-three-year-old man presenting with symptomatic complex chronic high flow kidney arteriovenous fistula with interposition of a pseudoaneurysmal pouch and arterial aneurysmal dilatation in a solitary left kidney 38 years after a blunt trauma. Those conditions were successfully treated by endovascular embolization followed by regular radiologic, biological, and clinical follow-up. To the best of our knowledge, few similar cases were reported more than 20 years after trauma. However, no case combining an arteriovenous fistula and a pseudoaneurysm revealing as late as 38 years after trauma was found. In addition, management of those conditions on a solitary kidney and outcomes has not been described. We believe that our case depicts the clinical presentation and management of this rare entity that should not be unrecognized due to its potential lethal implications.
A Case of Recurrent Skin Abscesses: A Conundrum Solved after Obtaining a Thorough Sexual History
Authors: Peralta Diego P. , Chang Aymara Y. , Soto-Ruiz Enrique
Published: March 2017

Background. Despite the improvement in patient-physician communication techniques, sexuality and sexual health continue to be challenging areas for discussion during a clinical encounter. Most people are not prepared to discuss sexual matters openly as it can be perceived as negative or inappropriate. Consequently, an incomplete health assessment can result in delayed diagnosis or misdiagnosis.Case Report. We present a 33-year-old woman who developed recurrent left breast abscesses. She required multiple incision and drainage procedures in the operating room followed by antimicrobial therapy. Although she always had an initial improvement with this approach, she continued to have recurrences and development of new abscesses in other body areas. The polymicrobial nature of her recurrences prompted an extensive and costly workup to determine the nature of her condition. The cause was finally elucidated when a thorough sexual history was obtained. Poor hygiene practices during her sexual encounters were considered the cause of her recurrent abscesses. After medical therapy and modification of her sexual practices, she has not developed new recurrences for more than two years.Conclusion. Discussions on sexuality and sexual health are important parts of any clinical encounter, yet frequently forgotten or avoided. Becoming aware of their importance would avoid delayed diagnosis or misdiagnosis.
Bronchus Associated Lymphoid Tissue Lymphoma Presenting with Immunodeficiency and Multiple Pulmonary Nodules
Authors: Borekci Sermin , Ozbalak Murat , Ersen Ezel , Akı Hilal , Cem Ar Muhlis , Umut Sema
Published: March 2017

Bronchus Associated Lymphoid Tissue Lymphoma (BALTOMA) is a rare subgroup of pulmonary non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas (NHLs) comprising less than 1% of all cases. It constitutes 3.6% of all extranodal lymphomas and only 0.5–1% of primary pulmonary malignancies. They are usually low grade B-cell lymphomas and are considered to originate from the mucosa associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) of the bronchi. Here, we represent a rare case of BALTOMA presenting with immunodeficiency and multiple pulmonary nodules.
Automatic Speaker Recognition for Mobile Forensic Applications
Authors: Algabri Mohammed , Mathkour Hassan , Bencherif Mohamed A. , Alsulaiman Mansour , Mekhtiche Mohamed A.
Published: March 2017

Presently, lawyers, law enforcement agencies, and judges in courts use speech and other biometric features to recognize suspects. In general, speaker recognition is used for discriminating people based on their voices. The process of determining, if a suspected speaker is the source of trace, is called forensic speaker recognition. In such applications, the voice samples are most probably noisy, the recording sessions might mismatch each other, the sessions might not contain sufficient recording for recognition purposes, and the suspect voices are recorded through mobile channel. The identification of a person through his voice within a forensic quality context is challenging. In this paper, we propose a method for forensic speaker recognition for the Arabic language; the King Saud University Arabic Speech Database is used for obtaining experimental results. The advantage of this database is that each speaker’s voice is recorded in both clean and noisy environments, through a microphone and a mobile channel. This diversity facilitates its usage in forensic experimentations. Mel-Frequency Cepstral Coefficients are used for feature extraction and the Gaussian mixture model-universal background model is used for speaker modeling. Our approach has shown low equal error rates (EER), within noisy environments and with very short test samples.
The Child as a Surrogate for Diagnosis of Lupus in the Mother
Authors: Adelowo Olufemi O. , Ohagwu Kenneth A. , Aigbokhan Ejiehi E. , Akintayo Richard O.
Published: March 2017

Introduction. Neonatal lupus erythematosus (NLE) is an acquired disease of the newborn caused by transplacental transfer of maternal anti-Ro/SSA, anti-La/SSB, and infrequently anti-U1 RNP antibodies. Methodology. This is a case report of a male infant delivered via Caesarean section at 36-week gestation following detection of fetal bradycardia during routine antenatal clinic visit. Results. The mother was seropositive for antinuclear antibody (ANA) and anti-Ro/SSA and had elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate. The baby was positive for ANA, extractable nuclear antigen (ENA), and anti-Ro/SSA. Pediatric echocardiography was abnormal and electrocardiography confirmed complete heart block.
Thalamocortical Connectivity and Microstructural Changes in Congenital and Late Blindness
Authors: Reislev N. H. , Dyrby T. B. , Siebner H. R. , Lundell H. , Ptito M. , Kupers R.
Published: March 2017

There is ample evidence that the occipital cortex of congenitally blind individuals processes nonvisual information. It remains a debate whether the cross-modal activation of the occipital cortex is mediated through the modulation of preexisting corticocortical projections or the reorganisation of thalamocortical connectivity. Current knowledge on this topic largely stems from anatomical studies in animal models. The aim of this study was to test whether purported changes in thalamocortical connectivity in blindness can be revealed by tractography based on diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging. To assess the thalamocortical network, we used a clustering method based on the thalamic white matter projections towards predefined cortical regions. Five thalamic clusters were obtained in each group representing their cortical projections. Although we did not find differences in the thalamocortical network between congenitally blind individuals, late blind individuals, and normal sighted controls, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) indices revealed significant microstructural changes within thalamic clusters of both blind groups. Furthermore, we find a significant decrease in fractional anisotropy (FA) in occipital and temporal thalamocortical projections in both blind groups that were not captured at the network level. This suggests that plastic microstructural changes have taken place, but not in a degree to be reflected in the tractography-based thalamocortical network.
Research Ethics 2.0: New Perspectives on Norms, Values, and Integrity in Genomic Research in Times of Even Scarcer Resources
Authors: Brall Caroline , Maeckelberghe Els , Porz Rouven , Makhoul Jihad , Schröder-Bäck Peter
Published: March 2017

Research ethics anew gained importance due to the changing scientific landscape and increasing demands and competition in the academic field. These changes are further exaggerated because of scarce(r) resources in some countries on the one hand and advances in genomics on the other. In this paper, we will highlight the current challenges thereof to scientific integrity. To mark key developments in research ethics, we will distinguish between what we call research ethics 1.0 and research ethics 2.0. Whereas research ethics 1.0 focuses on individual integrity and informed consent, research ethics 2.0 entails social scientific integrity within a broader perspective of a research network. This research network can be regarded as a network of responsibilities in which every stakeholder involved has to jointly meet the ethical challenges posed to research.
Patient-Doctor Contact Interval and Clinical Outcomes in Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis Patients
Authors: Yi Chunyan , Guo Qunying , Lin Jianxiong , Li Jianying , Yu Xueqing , Yang Xiao
Published: March 2017

Background: The optimal patient-doctor contact (PDC) interval remains unknown in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. The aim was to investigate the association between PDC interval and clinical outcomes in continuous ambulatory PD (CAPD) patients. Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, CAPD patients who resided in Guangzhou city between January 2006 and December 2012 were included. According to receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, all patients were classified as high (PDC interval ≤2 months) and low (PDC interval >2 months) PDC frequency groups. Biochemical data, clinical events, and clinical outcomes during the follow-up period were compared. Results: Of 433 CAPD patients, the mean age was 51.3 ± 15.7 years, 54.3% of patients were male, and 29.1% with diabetes. The median vintage of PD was 45.8 (26.3-69.1) months. Patients with high PDC frequency (n = 233) had better patient-survival rates (99.6, 87.7, and 76.5% vs. 92.7, 76.5, and 58.7% at 1, 3, and 5 years; p < 0.001), lower peritonitis rate (0.17 vs. 0.23 episodes per patient-year; p < 0.001), and hospitalization rate (0.49 vs. 0.67 episodes per patient-year; p < 0.001) than those in the low PDC frequency group (n = 200). After adjustment for confounders, PDC interval of no more than 2 months was independently associated with better patient survival (hazard ratio 0.60, 95% CI 0.42-0.86, p = 0.006). Conclusion: A PDC interval of 2 months or less was associated with better clinical outcomes in CAPD patients. This indicates that a shorter PDC interval should be encouraged for them to achieve better clinical outcomes.
Wood Classification Based on Edge Detections and Texture Features Selection
Authors: Fahrurozi Achmad , Madenda Sarifuddin , Ernastuti Ernastuti , Kerami Djati
Published: March 2017

One of the properties of wood is a mechanical property, includes: hardness, strength, cleavage resistance, etc. Among these properties there that can be measured or estimated by visual observation on cross-sectional areas of wood, which is based on inter-fiber density, fiber size, and lines that build the annual rings. In this paper, we proposed a new wood quality classification method based on edge detections. Edge detection is applied to the wood test images with the aim to improving the characteristics of wood fibers so as to make it easier to distinguish their quality. Gray Level Co-occurrence Matrix (GLCM) used to obtain wood texture features, while the wood quality classification done by Naïve Bayes classifier. Found in our experimental results that the first-order edge detection is likely to provide a good accuracy rate and precision. The second order edge detection is highly dependent on the choice of parameters and tends to give worse classification results, as filtering the original wood image, thus blurring characteristics related to wood density. Selection of features obtained from co-occurrence matrix is also quite affected the classification results.
Design of a Front-End for Satellite Receiver
Authors: Hoi Tran Van , Lanh Ngo Thi , Truong Nguyen Xuan , Duc Nguyen Huu , Duong Bach Gia
Published: March 2017

This paper focuses on the design and implementation of a front-end for a Vinasat satellite receiver with auto-searching mechanism and auto-tracking satellite. The front-end consists of a C-band low-noise block down-converter and a L-band receiver. The receiver is designed to meet the requirements about wide-band, high sensitivity, large dynamic range, low noise figure. To reduce noise figure and increase bandwidth, the C-band low-noise amplifier is designed using T-type of matching network with negative feedback and the L-band LNA is designed using cascoded techniques. The local oscillator uses a voltage controlled oscillator combine phase locked loop to reduce the phase noise and select channels. The front-end has successfully been designed and fabricated with parameters: Input frequency is C-band; sensitivity is greater than -130 dBm for C-band receiver and is greater than -110dBm for L-band receiver; output signals are AM/FM demodulation, I/Q demodulation, baseband signals.
A Modulation Scheme for Floating Source Multilevel Inverter Topology with Increased Number of Output Levels
Authors: Bassi Hussain M.
Published: March 2017

This paper presented and studied a new switching scheme for floating source multilevel inverters to produce more levels with the same number of switching devices. In the proposed scheme, the function of the dc sources, except the inner one, is to build up square wave or blocks that is close in the shape to the desired sinusoidal wave. The job of the inner switching devices is to increase the number of the levels to produce smother sinusoidal wave in the inverter output. This job can be done by adding or subtracting the value of the inner dc source to/from the blocks. The topology used in this paper is based on the conventional floating source multi-level inverter using two legs. This topology and modulation technique show substantial reduction in the total harmonics distortion when the modulation technique is the hybrid method. The performance of the proposed switching scheme in generating more levels has been evaluated by PSCAD/EMTDC simulation.
Light-weight Routing Protocol in IoT-based Inter-Device Telecommunication Wireless Environment
Authors: Oh Hayoung , Lim Sangsoon
Published: March 2017

The primary task for IoT-based hyper-connectivity communications lies in the development of direct communications technique among IoT devices in RPL (Routing Protocol for Low-Power and Lossy Networks) environment without the aid from infras such as access points, base stations etc. In a low-power and lossy wireless network, IoT devices and routers cannot keep the original path toward the destination since they have the limited memory, except for a limited number of the default router information.. Different from the previous light-weight routing protocols focusing on the reduction of the control messages, the proposed scheme provides the light-weight IPv6 address auto-configuration, IPv6 neighbor discovery and routing protocol in a IoT capable infra-less wireless networks with the bloom filer and enhanced rank concepts. And for the first time we evaluate our proposed scheme based on the modeling of various probability distributions in the IoT environments with the lossy wireless link. Specifically, the proposed enhanced RPL based light-weight routing protocol improves the robustness with the multi-paths locally established based on the enhanced rank concepts even though lossy wireless links are existed. We showed the improvements of the proposed scheme up to 40% than the RPL based protocol.
Carrier-Based PWM Technique for Inverter-Fed Multiphase Induction Motor
Authors: B Jyothi , Rao M.Venugopala
Published: March 2017

Multiphase (more than three phases) is very much popular due to their eminent features compared to conventional three-phase counter parts. In order to drive the multiphase machine, it requires same phase input w.r.t the no of phases at the output. This paper mainly focuses on five phase, because even after failure of one phase, the performance does not degraded much. Voltage source inverters (VSIs) are used to feed the induction motor. voltage source inverters (VSIs) switches are ON and OFF precisely to control the output. In order to implement harmonic waveform characteristic, carrier based PWM (pulse width modulation) is performed. By using with and without third harmonic injection machine torque is highly improved. Using MATLAB software, the simulation results are presented in the form of computer traces and high traded performance of the machine are discussed.
EETA: An Energy Efficient Transmission Alignment for Wireless Sensor Network Applications
Authors: Lim Sangsoon , Oh Hayoung
Published: March 2017

Energy conserving MAC protocols performing adaptive duty-cycling mechanism have been widely studied to improve the energy efficiency in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs). In particular, several asynchronous Low Power Listening (LPL) MAC protocols such as B-MAC, X-MAC and ContikiMAC transmit a long preamble or consecutive data packets for an efficient rendezvous between senders and receivers. However, the rendezvous results in the challenging problem of unnecessary channel utilization since the senders occupy a large portion of the medium. Furthermore, when a traffic generation time overlaps with other neighbouring nodes, they frequently encounter spatially-correlated contention incurring excessive channel contention. In this paper, we propose a novel traffic distribution scheme called an Energy Efficient Transmission Alignment (EETA), that shifts a traffic generation time of the application layer. By using a MAC layer feedback including contention information, the cross-layer framework determines whether the node delays its transmission or not. EETA is robust from the heavy contending environment due to its traffic distribution feature. We evaluate the performance of EETA through diverse experiments on the TelosB platform. The results show that EETA improves the overall energy efficiency by up to 35%, and reduces the latency by up to 48% compared to the existing scheme.
Adaptive Speech Compression Based on Discrete Wave Atoms Transform
Authors: Souha Bousselmi , Nouredine Aloui , Adnane Cherif
Published: March 2017

This paper proposes a new adaptive speech compression system based on discrete wave atoms transform. First, the signal is decomposed on wave atoms, then wave atom coefficients are truncated using a new adaptive thresholding which depends on the SNR estimation. The thresholded coefficients are quantized using Max Lloyd scalar quantizer. Besides, they are encoded using zero run length encoding followed by Huffman coding. Numerous simulations are performed to prove the robustness of our approach. The results of current work are compared with wavelet based compression by using objective criteria, namely CR, SNR, PSNR and NRMSE. This study shows that the wave atoms transform is more appropriate than wavelets transform since it offers a higher compression ratio and a better speech quality.