bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Novel Fractional Filter Design and Cross-Term Elimination in Wigner Distribution
Authors: Yu Jiexiao , Liu Kaihua , Zhang Liang , Luo Peng
Published: October 2015

The second and the third sentences of the abstract are changed and the shorter abstract is given as follows. To recover the nonstationary signal in complicated noise environment without distortion, a novel general design of fractional filter is proposed and applied to eliminate the Wigner cross-term. A time-frequency binary image is obtained from the time-frequency distribution of the observed signal and the optimal separating lines are determined by the support vector machine (SVM) classifier where the image boundary extraction algorithms are used to construct the training set of SVM. After that, the parameters and transfer function of filter can be determined by the parameters of the separating lines directly in the case of linear separability or line segments after the piecewise linear fitting of the separating curves in the case of nonlinear separability. Without any prior knowledge of signal and noise, this method can meet the reliability and universality simultaneously for filter design and realize the global optimization of filter parameters by machine learning even in the case of strong coupling between signal and noise. Furthermore, it could completely eliminate the cross-term in Wigner-Ville distribution (WVD) and the time-frequency distribution we get in the end has high resolution and good readability even when autoterms and cross-terms overlap. Simulation results verified the efficiency of this method.
A Rare Case of Complete Stent Fracture, Coronary Arterial Transection, and Pseudoaneurysm Formation Induced by Repeated Stenting
Authors: Nakao Fumiaki , Kanemoto Masashi , Yamada Jutaro , Suzuki Kazuhiro , Tsuboi Hidetoshi , Fujii Takashi
Published: October 2015

This report describes a rare asymptomatic case of complete stent fracture, coronary arterial transection, and pseudoaneurysm formation in response to repeated stenting. The proximal and distal ends of transected coronary artery were closed, and distal bypass was performed. Coronary arterial transection can occur in patients with repeated stenting as a long-term adverse event.
Flexural Strength of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer Repaired Cracked Rectangular Hollow Section Steel Beams
Authors: Chen Tao , Qi Ming , Gu Xiang-Lin , Yu Qian-Qian
Published: October 2015

The flexural behavior of rectangular hollow section (RHS) steel beams with initial crack strengthened externally with carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) plates was studied. Eight specimens were tested under three-point loading to failure. The experimental program included three beams as control specimens and five beams strengthened with CFRP plates with or without prestressing. The load deflection curves were graphed and failure patterns were observed. The yield loads and ultimate loads with or without repairing were compared together with the strain distributions of the CFRP plate. It was concluded that yield loads of cracked beams could be enhanced with repairing. Meanwhile, the ultimate loads were increased to some extent. The effect of repair became significant with the increase of the initial crack depth. The failure patterns of the repaired specimens were similar to those of the control ones. Mechanical clamping at the CFRP plate ends was necessary to avoid premature peeling between the CFRP plate and the steel beam. The stress levels in CFRP plates were relatively low during the tests. The use of prestressing could improve the utilization efficiency of CFRP plates. It could be concluded that the patching repair could be used to restore the load bearing capacity of the deficient steel beams.
Recent Development of Nanocomposite Membranes for Vanadium Redox Flow Batteries
Authors: Cha Sang-Ho
Published: October 2015

The vanadium redox flow battery (VRB) has received considerable attention due to its long cycle life, flexible design, fast response time, deep‐discharge capability, and low pollution emissions in large‐scale energy storage. The key component of VRB is an ion exchange membrane that prevents cross mixing of the positive and negative electrolytes by separating two electrolyte solutions, while allowing the conduction of ions. This review summarizes efforts in developing nanocomposite membranes with reduced vanadium ion permeability and improved proton conductivity in order to achieve high performance and long life of VRB systems. Moreover, functionalized nanocomposite membranes will be reviewed for the development of next‐generation materials to further improve the performance of VRB, focusing on their properties and performance of VRB.
Predicting Free Flow Speed and Crash Risk of Bicycle Traffic Flow Using Artificial Neural Network Models
Authors: Xu Cheng , Li Qiangwei , Qu Zhaowei , Jin Sheng
Published: October 2015

Free flow speed is a fundamental measure of traffic performance and has been found to affect the severity of crash risk. However, the previous studies lack analysis and modelling of impact factors on bicycles’ free flow speed. The main focus of this study is to develop multilayer back propagation artificial neural network (BPANN) models for the prediction of free flow speed and crash risk on the separated bicycle path. Four different models with considering different combinations of input variables (e.g., path width, traffic condition, bicycle type, and cyclists’ characteristics) were developed. 459 field data samples were collected from eleven bicycle paths in Hangzhou, China, and 70% of total samples were used for training, 15% for validation, and 15% for testing. The results show that considering the input variables of bicycle types and characteristics of cyclists will effectively improve the accuracy of the prediction models. Meanwhile, the parameters of bicycle types have more significant effect on predicting free flow speed of bicycle compared to those of cyclists’ characteristics. The findings could contribute for evaluation, planning, and management of bicycle safety.
Facile Synthesis of Rambutan‐Like ZnO Hierarchical Hollow Microspheres with Highly Photocatalytic Activity
Authors: Ju Ke-Jian , Zhang Ming , Zhang Qian-Li , Wei Jie , Wang Ai-Jun
Published: October 2015

Rambutan‐like ZnO hierarchical hollow microspheres (ZnO HHMs) were constructed under hydrothermal conditions, using carboxyl methyl starch (CMS) as a soft template. The resulting products were characterized by using X‐ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The experimental parameters and growth mechanism of rambutan‐like ZnO HHMs were discussed in some detail. The as‐prepared samples displayed improved photocatalytic activity for the degradation of rhodamine B under ultraviolet (UV) irradiation.
Experimental Investigation of Effect on Hydrate Formation in Spray Reactor
Authors: Zhao Jianzhong , Tian Yaqin , Zhao Yangsheng , Cheng Wenping
Published: October 2015

The effects of reaction condition on hydrate formation were conducted in spray reactor. The temperature, pressure, and gas volume of reaction on hydrate formation were measured in pure water and SDS solutions at different temperature and pressure with a high-pressure experimental rig for hydrate formation. The experimental data and result reveal that additives could improve the hydrate formation rate and gas storage capacity. Temperature and pressure can restrict the hydrate formation. Lower temperature and higher pressure can promote hydrate formation, but they can increase production cost. So these factors should be considered synthetically. The investigation will promote the advance of gas storage technology in hydrates.
Advanced Real-Time Indoor Tracking Based on the Viterbi Algorithm and Semantic Data
Authors: Trogh Jens , Plets David , Martens Luc , Joseph Wout
Published: October 2015

A real-time indoor tracking system based on the Viterbi algorithm is developed. This Viterbi principle is used in combination with semantic data to improve the accuracy, that is, the environment of the object that is being tracked and a motion model. The starting point is a fingerprinting technique for which an advanced network planner is used to automatically construct the radio map, avoiding a time consuming measurement campaign. The developed algorithm was verified with simulations and with experiments in a building-wide testbed for sensor experiments, where a median accuracy below 2 m was obtained. Compared to a reference algorithm without Viterbi or semantic data, the results indicated a significant improvement: the mean accuracy and standard deviation improved by, respectively, 26.1% and 65.3%. Thereafter a sensitivity analysis was conducted to estimate the influence of node density, grid size, memory usage, and semantic data on the performance.
Load Sharing Multiobjective Optimization Design of a Split Torque Helicopter Transmission
Authors: Fu Chenxi , Zhao Ning , Zhao Yongzhi
Published: October 2015

Split torque designs can offer significant advantages over the traditional planetary designs for helicopter transmissions. However, it has two unique properties, gap and phase differences, which result in the risk of unequal load sharing. Various methods have been proposed to eliminate the effect of gap and promote load sharing to a certain extent. In this paper, system design parameters will be optimized to change the phase difference, thereby further improving load sharing. A nonlinear dynamic model is established to measure the load sharing with dynamic mesh forces quantitatively. Afterwards, a multiobjective optimization of a reference split torque design is conducted with the promoting of load sharing property, lightweight, and safety considered as the objectives. The load sharing property, which is measured by load sharing coefficient, is evaluated under multiple operating conditions with dynamic analysis method. To solve the multiobjective model with NSGA-II, an improvement is done to overcome the problem of time consuming. Finally, a satisfied optimal solution is picked up as the final design from the Pareto optimal front, which achieves improvements in all the three objectives compared with the reference design.
Improving Performance of QoS Applications for Wireless Networks
Authors: Dong Pingping , Wang Jianxin , Huang Jiawei , Wang Haodong , Pan Yi
Published: October 2015

The contention based medium access method of 802.11 standards is a fundamental cause of poor downlink goodput and high latency over wireless networks, which makes it impossible to provide QoS guarantees. The intensive channel contention leads to the performance degradation. The problem exacerbates when the traffic asymmetry between the uplink and the downlink is present. While prior research works proposed various mechanisms to alleviate the issue, little was done to specifically address the appropriate parameter setting in a real world network. This study presents a way to obtain the appropriate access parameters that improves the performance of QoS applications over wireless networks. In particular, we propose AQEDCA, a traffic-aware minimum contention window adjustment algorithm. We validate our scheme by the extensive real world network tests and the results show that our scheme improves the downlink goodput up to 199.13%, decreases the latency up to 54.77%, and can achieve tight QoS guarantees as compared to the existing schemes.
The Effects of Feature Optimization on High-Dimensional Essay Data
Authors: Yi Bong-Jun , Lee Do-Gil , Rim Hae-Chang
Published: October 2015

Current machine learning (ML) based automated essay scoring (AES) systems have employed various and vast numbers of features, which have been proven to be useful, in improving the performance of the AES. However, the high-dimensional feature space is not properly represented, due to the large volume of features extracted from the limited training data. As a result, this problem gives rise to poor performance and increased training time for the system. In this paper, we experiment and analyze the effects of feature optimization, including normalization, discretization, and feature selection techniques for different ML algorithms, while taking into consideration the size of the feature space and the performance of the AES. Accordingly, we show that the appropriate feature optimization techniques can reduce the dimensions of features, thus, contributing to the efficient training and performance improvement of AES.
Sequence-Based Prediction of RNA-Binding Proteins Using Random Forest with Minimum Redundancy Maximum Relevance Feature Selection
Authors: Ma Xin , Guo Jing , Sun Xiao
Published: October 2015

The prediction of RNA-binding proteins is one of the most challenging problems in computation biology. Although some studies have investigated this problem, the accuracy of prediction is still not sufficient. In this study, a highly accurate method was developed to predict RNA-binding proteins from amino acid sequences using random forests with the minimum redundancy maximum relevance (mRMR) method, followed by incremental feature selection (IFS). We incorporated features of conjoint triad features and three novel features: binding propensity (BP), nonbinding propensity (NBP), and evolutionary information combined with physicochemical properties (EIPP). The results showed that these novel features have important roles in improving the performance of the predictor. Using the mRMR-IFS method, our predictor achieved the best performance (86.62% accuracy and 0.737 Matthews correlation coefficient). High prediction accuracy and successful prediction performance suggested that our method can be a useful approach to identify RNA-binding proteins from sequence information.
Single Tablet Regimen Usage and Efficacy in the Treatment of HIV Infection in Australia
Authors: Armstrong B. , Chan D. J. , Stewart M. J. , Fagan D. , Smith D.
Published: October 2015

Single tablet regimens (STRs) for HIV infection improve patient satisfaction, quality of life, medication adherence, and virological suppression compared to multitablet regimens (MTRs). This is the first study assessing STR uptake and durability in Australia. This retrospective audit of all patients receiving an STR (n=299) at a large Sydney HIV clinic (January 2012–December 2013) assessed patient demographics, treatment prior to STR, HIV RNA load and CD4 during MTR and STR dosing, and reasons for STR switch. 206 patients switched from previous antiretroviral treatment to an STR, of which 88% switched from an MTR. Reasons for switching included desire to simplify treatment (57%), reduced side effects or toxicity (18%), and cost-saving for the patient. There was no switching for virological failure. Compared to when on an MTR, patients switching to an STR had significantly lower HIV RNA counts (p<0.001) and significantly higher CD4 counts (p<0.001). The discontinuation rate from STR was very low and all patients who switched to an STR maintained virological suppression throughout the study duration, although the study is limited by the absence of a control group.
Effects of Light Intensity Activity on CVD Risk Factors: A Systematic Review of Intervention Studies
Authors: Batacan Romeo B. , Duncan Mitch J. , Dalbo Vincent J. , Tucker Patrick S. , Fenning Andrew S.
Published: October 2015

The effects of light intensity physical activity (LIPA) on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors remain to be established. This review summarizes the effects of LIPA on CVD risk factors and CVD-related markers in adults. A systematic search of four electronic databases (PubMed, Academic Search Complete, SPORTDiscus, and CINAHL) examining LIPA and CVD risk factors (body composition, blood pressure, glucose, insulin, glycosylated hemoglobin, and lipid profile) and CVD-related markers (maximal oxygen uptake, heart rate, C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and tumor necrosis factor receptors 1 and 2) published between 1970 and 2015 was performed on 15 March 2015. A total of 33 intervention studies examining the effect of LIPA on CVD risk factors and markers were included in this review. Results indicated that LIPA did not improve CVD risk factors and CVD-related markers in healthy individuals. LIPA was found to improve systolic and diastolic blood pressure in physically inactive populations with a medical condition. Reviewed studies show little support for the role of LIPA to reduce CVD risk factors. Many of the included studies were of low to fair study quality and used low doses of LIPA. Further studies are needed to establish the value of LIPA in reducing CVD risk.
Theoretical Studies of Electronic Structure and Photophysical Properties of a Series of Indoline Dyes with Triphenylamine Ligand
Authors: Ren Xue-Feng , Zhang Jun , Kang Guo-Jun
Published: October 2015

To design efficient organic sensitizer, a series of D‐π‐A indoline dyes with different donor parts have been investigated by density functional theory (DFT) and time‐dependent DFT (TD‐DFT) approach. The molecular geometries, frontier molecular orbitals, and absorption spectra of these dyes have been systematically investigated to provide comprehensive understanding of the structure‐property relationships. Compared with D149, our designed dyes have proper HOMO and LUMO energy level, narrowed HOMO‐LUMO energy gap, and broadened absorption band by introducing the N(CH3)2 and N(phenyl)2 groups at the donor part. Furthermore, the dimeric dyes and dye‐(TiO2)6 systems have been optimized by DFT method to simulate the intermolecular interactions, as well as interaction between the dyes dimmers and semiconductor interface, respectively. Through the analyses of absorption energies (Eads), energy levels of the HOMO and LUMO, light harvesting efficiency (LHE), and the driving force of electrons injections (ΔGinject), it is found that the designed dyes should have improved optical properties by importing the N(CH3)2 group. This work is hoped to provide a theoretical guiding role in design of new dyes for dye‐sensitized solar cells.
Antitumor Responses of Invariant Natural Killer T Cells
Authors: Altman Jennie B. , Benavides Adriana D. , Das Rupali , Bassiri Hamid
Published: October 2015

Natural killer T (NKT) cells are innate-like lymphocytes that were first described in the late 1980s. Since their initial description, numerous studies have collectively shed light on their development and effector function. These studies have highlighted the unique requirements for the activation of these lymphocytes and the functional responses that distinguish these cells from other effector lymphocyte populations such as conventional T cells and NK cells. This body of literature suggests that NKT cells play diverse nonredundant roles in a number of disease processes, including the initiation and propagation of airway hyperreactivity, protection against a variety of pathogens, development of autoimmunity, and mediation of allograft responses. In this review, however, we focus on the role of a specific lineage of NKT cells in antitumor immunity. Specifically, we describe the development of invariant NKT (iNKT) cells and the factors that are critical for their acquisition of effector function. Next, we delineate the mechanisms by which iNKT cells influence and modulate the activity of other immune cells to directly or indirectly affect tumor growth. Finally, we review the successes and failures of clinical trials employing iNKT cell-based immunotherapies and explore the future prospects for the use of such strategies.
Development of Ecoefficient Engineered Cementitious Composites Using Supplementary Cementitious Materials as a Binder and Bottom Ash Aggregate as Fine Aggregate
Authors: Bang Jin Wook , Ganesh Prabhu G. , Jang Yong Il , Kim Yun Yong
Published: October 2015

The purpose of this study is to develop ecoefficient engineered cementitious composites (ECC) using supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs), including fly ash (FA) and blast furnace slag (SL) as a binder material. The cement content of the ECC mixtures was replaced by FA and SL with a replacement rate of 25%. In addition, the fine aggregate of the ECC was replaced by bottom ash aggregate (BA) with a substitution rate of 10%, 20%, and 30%. The influences of ecofriendly aggregates on fresh concrete properties and on mechanical properties were experimentally investigated. The test results revealed that the substitution of SCMs has an advantageous effect on fresh concrete’s properties; however, the increased water absorption and the irregular shape of the BA can potentially affect the fresh concrete’s properties. The substitution of FA and SL in ECC led to an increase in frictional bond at the interface between PVA fibers and matrix, improved the fiber dispersion, and showed a tensile strain capacity ranging from 3.3% to 3.5%. It is suggested that the combination of SCMs (12.5% FA and 12.5% SL) and the BA aggregate with the substitution rate of 10% can be effectively used in ECC preparation.
Design Hybrid Evolutionary PSO Aiding Miniature Aerial Vehicle Controllers
Authors: Chiou Juing-Shian , Tran Huu-Khoa , Peng Shou-Tao
Published: October 2015

Based on some sort of simplified fuzzy reasoning methods and PID parameters, many fuzzy-PID controller schemes are applied to control the complicated systems, recently. Mathematical optimization calculations are making in encouraging EP with PSO yielding a higher-quality solution. In this paper, a novel HEPSO algorithm as an improved variant of stochastic optimization strategy PSO, which assigns optimization to fuzzy-PID control gains, is established. The benefit integration design of the HEPSO algorithm structure is generating and updating the new parameters for the fuzzy-PID control schemes in the short setting and operation time. The proposed controllers have demonstrated performance to MAV models.
Head Pose Estimation with Improved Random Regression Forests
Authors: Sang Gaoli , Chen Hu , Zhao Qijun
Published: October 2015

Perception of head pose is useful for many face-related tasks such as face recognition, gaze estimation, and emotion analysis. In this paper, we propose a novel random forest based method for estimating head pose angles from single face images. In order to improve the effectiveness of the constructed head pose predictor, we introduce feature weighting and tree screening into the random forest training process. In this way, the features with more discriminative power are more likely to be chosen for constructing trees, and each of the trees in the obtained random forest usually has high pose estimation accuracy, while the diversity or generalization ability of the forest is not deteriorated. The proposed method has been evaluated on four public databases as well as a surveillance dataset collected by ourselves. The results show that the proposed method can achieve state-of-the-art pose estimation accuracy. Moreover, we investigate the impact of pose angle sampling intervals and heterogeneous face images on the effectiveness of trained head pose predictors.
Optimal Use of Plant Stanol Ester in the Management of Hypercholesterolemia
Authors: Rosin Susanna , Ojansivu Ilkka , Kopu Aino , Keto-Tokoi Malin , Gylling Helena
Published: October 2015

Plant stanol ester is a natural compound which is used as a cholesterol-lowering ingredient in functional foods and food supplements. The safety and efficacy of plant stanol ester have been confirmed in more than 70 published clinical studies and the ingredient is a well-established and widely recommended dietary measure to reduce serum cholesterol. Daily intake of 2 g plant stanols as plant stanol ester lowers LDL-cholesterol by 10%, on average. In Europe, foods with added plant stanol ester have been on the market for 20 years, and today such products are also available in many Asian and American countries. Despite the well-documented efficacy, the full potential in cholesterol reduction may not be reached if plant stanol ester is not used according to recommendations. This review therefore concentrates on the optimal use of plant stanol ester as part of dietary management of hypercholesterolemia. For optimal cholesterol lowering aiming at a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, plant stanol ester should be used daily, in sufficient amounts, with a meal and in combination with other recommended dietary changes.
Assessment of the Knowledge and Attitudes of Saudi Mothers towards Newborn Screening
Authors: Al-Sulaiman Ayman , Kondkar Altaf A. , Saeedi Mohammad Y. , Saadallah Amal , Al-Odaib Ali , Abu-Amero Khaled K.
Published: October 2015

Objective. To assess the attitude and knowledge of the Saudi mothers toward newborn screening (NBS) program.Methods. A total of 425 Saudi women (only mothers who have at least one pregnancy) participated in the study from different regions in Saudi Arabia and completed the structured questionnaire which sought their views on the NBS services.Results. A majority of the participating women (91.1%) supported the NBS program and felt it was very important and useful. However, knowledge of NBS was found to be very limited and only 34.6% knew that NBS was a test to detect genetic disorders. A lack of communication and counseling to NBS clients by health authorities offering screening is implied.Conclusion. In general, there is a positive attitude towards the NBS program among Saudi women. However, they have several concerns to improve the availability of medication and formulas, genetic counseling, medical interventions, communication, education materials, and awareness.
The Evolving Genotypic Profile of HIV-1 Mutations Related to Antiretroviral Treatment in the North Region of Brazil
Authors: Lopes Carmen Andréa F. , Soares Marcelo A. , Falci Diego R. , Sprinz Eduardo
Published: October 2015

HIV related mutations can be associated with decreased susceptibility to antiretrovirals and treatment failures. There is scarce information about HIV mutations in persons failing HIV treatment in North of Brazil. Our aim was to evaluate evolution of HIV subtypes and mutations patterns related to antiretroviral therapy in this region. We investigated HIV resistance profile in adults failing antiretroviral regimen in Northern Brazil from January, 2004, through December, 2013. Genotype data was evaluated through Stanford University algorithm. There were 377 genotypes from different individuals to evaluate. Resistance mutations were similar to worldwide reports and related to antiretroviral exposure. Most prevalent mutations in the reverse transcriptase gene were M184V (80.1%) and K130N (40.6%). Thymidine associated mutations were more frequent in multiexperienced patients. Most common protease mutations were M46I, V82A, I54V, L90M, I84V, M46L, and L76V. Subtype B was the most prevalent (90.7%). There were differences between subtypes B and non-B mutations. We documented for the first time subtypes and patterns of HIV associated mutations in Northern Brazil. A1 subtype was identified for the first time in this area. Depending on drug regimen and how experienced the patient is, an empirical switch of a failing antiretroviral treatment could be a reasonable option.
Prevalence of Malaria Infection and Risk Factors Associated with Anaemia among Pregnant Women in Semiurban Community of Hazaribag, Jharkhand, India
Authors: Sohail Mohammad , Shakeel Shayan , Kumari Shweta , Bharti Aakanksha , Zahid Faisal , Anwar Shadab , Singh Krishn Pratap , Islam Mazahirul , Sharma Ajay Kumar , Lata Sneh , Ali Vahab , Adak Tridibes , Das Pradeep , Raziuddin Mohammad
Published: October 2015

The escalating burden, pathogenesis, and clinical sequel of malaria during pregnancy have combinatorial adverse impact on both mother and foetus that further perplexed the situation of diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. This prompted us to evaluate the status of population at risk of MIP in Hazaribag, Jharkhand, India. Cross-sectional study was conducted over a year at Sadar Hospital, Hazaribag. Malaria was screened using blood smear and/or RDT. Anaemia was defined as haemoglobin concentration. Pretested questionnaires were used to gather sociodemographic, clinical, and obstetrical data. The prevalence of MIP was 5.4% and 4.3% at ANC and DU, and 13.2% malaria was in women without pregnancy. Interestingly, majority were asymptomatically infected withP. vivax(over 85%) at ANC and DU. Peripheral parasitemia was significantly associated with fever within past week, rural origin of subjects, and first/second pregnancies in multivariate analysis, with the highest risk factor associated with fever followed by rural residence. Strikingly in cohort, anaemia was prevalent in 86% at ANC as compared to 72% at DU, whereas severe anaemia was 13.6% and 7.8% at ANC and DU. Even more anaemia prevalence was observed in MIP group (88% and 89% at ANC and DU), whereas severe anaemia was 23% and 21%, respectively. In view of observed impact of anaemia, parasitemia and asymptomatic infection ofP. vivaxduring pregnancy and delivery suggest prompt diagnosis regardless of symptoms and comprehensive drug regime should be offered to pregnant women in association with existing measures in clinical spectrum of MIP, delivery, and its outcome.
An Isothermal Steam Expander for an Industrial Steam Supplying System
Authors: Lin Chen-Kuang , Lai Guang-Jer , Kobayashi Yoshiyuki , Matsuo Masahiro , Chiu Min-Chie
Published: October 2015

Steam is an essential medium used in the industrial process. To ensure steam quality, small and middle scale boilers are often adopted. However, because a higher steam pressure (compared to the necessary steam pressure) is generated, the boiler’s steam pressure will be reduced via a pressure regulator before the steam is directed through the process. Unfortunately, pressure is somewhat wasted during the reducing process. Therefore, in order to promote energy efficiency, a pressure regulator is replaced by a steam expander. With this steam expander, the pressure will be transformed into mechanical energy and extracted during the expansion process. A new type of isothermal steam expander for an industrial steam supplying system will be presented in the paper. The isothermal steam expander will improve the energy efficiency of a traditional steam expander by replacing the isentropic process with an isothermal expansion process. With this, steam condensation will decrease, energy will increase, and steam quality will be improved. Moreover, the mathematical model of the isothermal steam expander will be established by using the Schmidt theory, the same principle used to analyze Stirling engines. Consequently, by verifying the correctness of the theoretical model for the isothermal steam expander using experimental data, a prototype of 100 c.c. isothermal steam expander is constructed.
Evaluation of Geometrical Modulation Transfer Function in Optical Lens System
Authors: Tsai Cheng-Mu
Published: October 2015

This paper presents ray tracing algorithms to evaluate the geometrical modulation transfer function (GMTF) of optical lens system. There are two kinds of ray tracings methods that can be applied to help simulate the point spread function (PSF) in the image plane, for example, paraxial optics and real ray tracings. The paraxial optics ray tracing is used to calculate the first-order properties such as the effective focal length (EFL) and the entrance pupil position through less cost of computation. However, the PSF could have a large tolerance by only using paraxial optics ray tracing for simulation. Some formulas for real ray tracing are applied in the sagittal and tangential line spread function (LSF). The algorithms are developed to demonstrate the simulation of LSF. Finally, the GMTF is evaluated after the fast Fourier transform (FFT) of the LSF.
Location-Based Data Aggregation in 6LoWPAN
Authors: Hu Jinyu , Luo Juan , Zhang Yuxi , Wang Panwu , Liu Yu
Published: October 2015

Location-based information has recently been exploited to assist the aggregated process of data, thereby reducing the spatial redundancy efficiently. The constraints nature in 6LoWPAN becomes one of the major concerns in data aggregation methods. However, traditional CSMA/CA in MAC layer may cause significant transmission and control overhead as well as delay on listening and competing for channels. It is a low efficient way to transfer IPv6 packet due to the big packet header. To overcome these shortages, in this paper, we propose LDAA, a location-based novel data aggregation model that aggregates data from the network layer according to the MAC layer queuing delay. When the queuing delay becomes larger, more packets will be dynamically aggregated into one packet to increase the proportion of application data. Otherwise, the amount of packets involved in aggregation will decrease to improve channels utilization. Simulation results show that our approach could provide better real-time guarantees and reduce data spatial redundancy and energy consumption efficiently.
Time Synchronization for Wireless Sensor Networks Using Adaptive Linear Prediction
Authors: Xing Yulong , Chen Yongrui , Yi Weidong , Duan Chenghua
Published: October 2015

Time synchronization is a crucial component in wireless sensor networks (WSN), especially for location-aware applications. The precision of time-based localization algorithms is closely related to the accuracy of synchronization. The estimation of synchronization errors in most of the existing time synchronization algorithms is based on some statistical distribution models. However, these models may not be able to accurately describe the synchronization errors due to the uncertainties in clock drift and message delivery delay in synchronization. Considering that the synchronization errors are highly temporally correlated (short-term correlation), in this paper, we present an adaptive linear prediction synchronization (ALPS) scheme for WSN. By applying linear prediction on synchronization errors and adaptively adjusting prediction coefficients based on the difference between the estimated values and the real values, ALPS enhances synchronization accuracy at a relatively low cost. ALPS has been implemented on the Tmote-sky platform. As experiment results demonstrate, compared with RBS and TPSN, ALPS cuts synchronization cost by almost 50% while achieving the same accuracy; compared with DMTS and PulseSync, ALPS reduces the MSE (mean square error) of synchronization errors by 41% and 24%, respectively, with the same cost.
Efficiency Enhanced Colloidal Mn‐Doped Type II Core/Shell ZnSe/CdS Quantum Dot Sensitized Hybrid Solar Cells
Authors: Jamshidi A. , Yuan C. , Chmyrov V. , Widengren J. , Sun L. , Ågren H.
Published: October 2015

Colloidal Mn‐doped ZnSe/CdS core/shell quantum dots (QDs) are synthesized for the first time and employed as a strategy to boost the power conversion efficiency of quantum dot sensitized solar cells. By using Mn‐doping as a band gap engineering tool for core/shell QDs an effective improvement of absorption spectra could be obtained. The mid‐states generated by a proper Mn content alleviate carrier separation and enhance the electron injection rate, thus facilitating electron transport to the TiO2 substrate. It is demonstrated that a device constructed with 0.25% Mn‐doped ZnSe/CdS leads to an enhancement of the electron injection rate and power conversion efficiency by 4 times and 1.3, respectively.
An Economic Growth Model with Optimal Growth Rate and Individual Years of Schooling
Authors: Yang Huan , Cai Donghan , Chen Zhongbin
Published: October 2015

An economic growth model with individual years of schooling is present. It is proved that there exist optimal individual years of schooling for fixed wage growth rate. On the other hand, the economy has balance growth path for given individual years of schooling. Finally, we prove that there exist optimal individual years of schooling and economic growth rate such that the individual lifetime utility reaches maximum and the economy grows on a balance growth path.
Low Complexity Cyclic Feature Recovery Based on Compressed Sampling
Authors: Sun Zhuo , Hou Jia , Liu Siyuan , Wang Sese , Chen Xuantong
Published: October 2015

To extract statistic features of communication signal from compressive samples, such as cyclostationary property, full-scale signal reconstruction is not actually necessary or somehow expensive. However, direct reconstruction of cyclic feature may not be practical due to the relative high processing complexity. In this paper, we propose a new cyclic feature recovery approach based on the reconstruction of autocorrelation sequence from sub-Nyquist samples, which can reduce the computation complexity and memory consumption significantly, while the recovery performance remains well in the same compressive ratio. Through theoretical analyses and simulations, we conducted to show and verify our statements and conclusions.
Case Study of Carbon Emissions from a Building’s Life Cycle Based on BIM and Ecotect
Authors: Peng Changhai , Wu Xiao
Published: October 2015

Using building information modeling (BIM) and Ecotect, this paper estimated carbon emissions during an office building’s life cycle. This building’s life cycle CO2emissions were divided into three parts: the construction, operation, and demolition stages. Among these, the statistics on the schedule of quantities were generated using BIM, and the energy consumption during the building’s operational stage was obtained using ECOTECT simulation. Sensitivity analysis was performed by changing several alternative parameters, to identify which parameter has more impacts on building performance. The paper demonstrated that (1) BIM and Ecotect are very helpful in estimating carbon emissions from a building’s life cycle, (2) the primary and effective measures to reduce the building’s CO2emissions in hot and humid climate should be arranged as follows: (a) within the limits of comfort, reducing the fresh air volume; (b) extending the indoor temperature range; (c) improving the thermal insulation performance of exterior windows, walls, and roofs; (d) exploiting natural ventilation during transition seasons, and (3) currently there are some limitations in performing LCA based on BIM and Ecotect.
A Logical Hierarchical Hidden Semi-Markov Model for Team Intention Recognition
Authors: Yue Shi-guang , Jiao Peng , Zha Ya-bing , Yin Quan-jun
Published: October 2015

Intention recognition is significant in many applications. In this paper, we focus on team intention recognition, which identifies the intention of each team member and the team working mode. To model the team intention as well as the world state and observation, we propose a Logical Hierarchical Hidden Semi-Markov Model (LHHSMM), which has advantages of conducting statistical relational learning and can present a complex mission hierarchically. Additionally, the LHHSMM explicitly models the duration of team working mode, the intention termination, and relations between the world state and observation. A Logical Particle Filter (LPF) algorithm is also designed to infer team intentions modeled by the LHHSMM. In experiments, we simulate agents’ movements in a combat field and employ agents’ traces to evaluate performances of the LHHSMM and LPF. The results indicate that the team working mode and the target of each agent can be effectively recognized by our methods. When intentions are interrupted within a high probability, the LHHSMM outperforms a modified logical hierarchical hidden Markov model in terms of precision, recall, andF-measure. By comparing performances of LHHSMMs with different duration distributions, we prove that the explicit duration modeling of the working mode is effective in team intention recognition.
The Peak of Noncentral Stirling Numbers of the First Kind
Authors: Corcino Roberto B. , Corcino Cristina B. , Aranas Peter John B.
Published: October 2015

We locate the peak of the distribution of noncentral Stirling numbers of the first kind by determining the value of the index corresponding to the maximum value of the distribution.
Accurate Solutions to Water Wave Scattering by Vertical Thin Porous Barriers
Authors: Li Ai-jun , Liu Yong , Li Hua-jun
Published: October 2015

The water wave scattering by vertical thin porous barriers is accurately solved in this study. Two typical structures of a surface-piercing barrier and a submerged bottom-standing barrier are considered. The solution procedure is based on the multi-term Galerkin method, in which the pressure jump across a porous barrier is expanded in a set of basis functions involving the Chebychev polynomials. Then, the square-root singularity of fluid velocity at the edge of the porous barrier is correctly modeled. The present solutions have the merits of very rapid convergence. Accurate results for both the reflection and the transmission coefficients and wave forces are presented. This study not only gives a promising procedure to tackle wave interaction with vertical thin porous barriers but also provides a reliable benchmark for complicated numerical solutions.
Inactivation of Hippo Pathway Is Significantly Associated with Poor Prognosis in Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Sohn Bo Hwa , Shim Jae-Jun , Kim Sang-Bae , Jang Kyu Yun , Kim Soo Mi , Kim Ji Hoon , Hwang Jun Eul , Jang Hee-Jin , Lee Hyun-Sung , Kim Sang-Cheol , Jeong Woojin , Kim Sung Soo , Park Eun Sung , Heo Jeonghoon , Kim Yoon Jun , Kim Dae-Ghon , Leem Sun-Hee , Kaseb Ahmed , Hassan Manal M. , Cha Minse , Chu In-Sun , Johnson Randy L. , Park Yun-Yong , Lee Ju-Seog
Published: October 2015

Purpose: The Hippo pathway is a tumor suppressor in the liver. However, the clinical significance of Hippo pathway inactivation in HCC is not clearly defined. We analyzed genomic data from human and mouse tissues to determine clinical relevance of Hippo pathway inactivation in HCC.

Experimental Design: We analyzed gene expression data from Mst1/2−/− and Sav1−/− mice and identified a 610-gene expression signature reflecting Hippo pathway inactivation in the liver [silence of Hippo (SOH) signature]. By integrating gene expression data from mouse models with those from human HCC tissues, we developed a prediction model that could identify HCC patients with an inactivated Hippo pathway and used it to test its significance in HCC patients, via univariate and multivariate Cox analyses.

Results: HCC patients (National Cancer Institute cohort, n = 113) with the SOH signature had a significantly poorer prognosis than those without the SOH signature [P < 0.001 for overall survival (OS)]. The significant association of the signature with poor prognosis was further validated in the Korean (n = 100, P = 0.006 for OS) and Fudan University cohorts (n = 242, P = 0.001 for OS). On multivariate analysis, the signature was an independent predictor of recurrence-free survival (HR, 1.6; 95% confidence interval, 1.12–2.28: P = 0.008). We also demonstrated significant concordance between the SOH HCC subtype and the hepatic stem cell HCC subtype that had been identified in a previous study (P < 0.001).

Conclusions: Inactivation of the Hippo pathway in HCC is significantly associated with poor prognosis. Clin Cancer Res; 22(5); 1256–64. ©2015 AACR.
Bias-Corrected Targeted Next-Generation Sequencing for Rapid, Multiplexed Detection of Actionable Alterations in Cell-Free DNA from Advanced Lung Cancer Patients
Authors: Paweletz Cloud P. , Sacher Adrian G. , Raymond Chris K. , Alden Ryan S. , O'Connell Allison , Mach Stacy L. , Kuang Yanan , Gandhi Leena , Kirschmeier Paul , English Jessie M. , Lim Lee P. , Jänne Pasi A. , Oxnard Geoffrey R.
Published: October 2015

Purpose: Tumor genotyping is a powerful tool for guiding non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) care; however, comprehensive tumor genotyping can be logistically cumbersome. To facilitate genotyping, we developed a next-generation sequencing (NGS) assay using a desktop sequencer to detect actionable mutations and rearrangements in cell-free plasma DNA (cfDNA).

Experimental Design: An NGS panel was developed targeting 11 driver oncogenes found in NSCLC. Targeted NGS was performed using a novel methodology that maximizes on-target reads, and minimizes artifact, and was validated on DNA dilutions derived from cell lines. Plasma NGS was then blindly performed on 48 patients with advanced, progressive NSCLC and a known tumor genotype, and explored in two patients with incomplete tumor genotyping.

Results: NGS could identify mutations present in DNA dilutions at ≥0.4% allelic frequency with 100% sensitivity/specificity. Plasma NGS detected a broad range of driver and resistance mutations, including ALK, ROS1, and RET rearrangements, HER2 insertions, and MET amplification, with 100% specificity. Sensitivity was 77% across 62 known driver and resistance mutations from the 48 cases; in 29 cases with common EGFR and KRAS mutations, sensitivity was similar to droplet digital PCR. In two cases with incomplete tumor genotyping, plasma NGS rapidly identified a novel EGFR exon 19 deletion and a missed case of MET amplification.

Conclusions: Blinded to tumor genotype, this plasma NGS approach detected a broad range of targetable genomic alterations in NSCLC with no false positives including complex mutations like rearrangements and unexpected resistance mutations such as EGFR C797S. Through use of widely available vacutainers and a desktop sequencing platform, this assay has the potential to be implemented broadly for patient care and translational research. Clin Cancer Res; 22(4); 915–22. ©2015 AACR.

See related commentary by Tsui and Berger, p. 790
Reduction of Inflammatory and Noninflammatory Lesions with Topical Tyrothricin 0.1% in the Treatment of Mild to Severe Acne Papulopustulosa: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial
Authors: Richter Claudia , Trojahn Carina , Hillmann Kathrin , Dobos Gabor , Stroux Andrea , Kottner Jan , Blume-Peytavi Ulrike
Published: October 2015

Background/Aims: Antibiotic-induced drug resistance requires new approaches in topical acne treatment. Tyrothricin is known to produce no resistance. In this study, it was tested for the first time in topical acne treatment. The efficacy and tolerability of topical tyrothricin 0.1% was evaluated. Methods: A randomized, active comparator-controlled, exploratory, observer-blind clinical study was conducted in 24 patients with acne papulopustulosa. Randomization on a split-face was either tyrothricin versus clindamycin + benzoyl peroxide (BPO) (n = 12) or tyrothricin versus BPO 5% (n = 12). The main outcome was change in inflammatory and noninflammatory lesion counts. Results: The mean differences in inflammatory lesion counts from baseline were -12.3 (95% CI: -20.5 to -4.1) in clindamycin + BPO, -10.2 (95% CI: -15.3 to -5.0) in BPO 5%, and -7.7 (95% CI: -11.7 to -3.7) in tyrothricin. Tyrothricin reduced noninflammatory lesions (mean difference: -6.5 (95% CI: -11.6 to -1.4) and caused less product-related adverse events (n = 31) compared to BPO (n = 37) and clindamycin + BPO (n = 20). Conclusion: The results indicate that tyrothricin might be a candidate for treating acne and it seems to be more tolerable than both comparator treatments.