bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Configurable Operational Amplifier Architectures Based on Oxide Resistive RAMs
Authors: Aziza Hassen , Dufaza Christian , Perez Annie , Hamdioui Said
Published: December 2018

This paper introduces memristor-based operational amplifiers (OpAmps) in which semiconductor resistors are suppressed and replaced by memristors. The ability of the memristive elements to hold several resistance states is exploited to design programmable closed-loop OpAmps. An inverting OpAmp, an integrator and a differentiator are studied. Such designs are developed based on a calibrated memristor model, and offer dynamic configurability to realize different gains and corner frequencies at reduced chip area.
Nuclear pairing fluctuations and angular momentum dependence of superconductivity in 94Mo nucleus
Authors: Kargar Z. , Gashtaseb R. Najimi
Published: December 2018

The effects of thermal fluctuations on pairing properties of nuclei with inclusion of angular momentum have been investigated. To treat nuclei at finite temperature and angular momentum, we have extended the formalism in which the mean value of the gap parameter is used to obtain thermal properties of nuclei based on the BCS scheme [Z. Kargar and V. Dehghani, J. Phys. G, Nucl. Part. Phys. 40 (2013) 045108] let us name it MEGBCS. The results obtained for [Formula: see text] nucleus show the appearance of thermally assisted pairing correlations with increasing angular momentum. Also, the [Formula: see text]-shaped heat capacity found experimentally [K. Kaneko et al., Phys. Rev. C 74 (2006) 024325] and theoretically, interpreted as the second phase transition in mesoscopic systems, disappears with increasing angular momentum above a critical value. The nuclear level density of [Formula: see text] is calculated versus excitation energy at various values of total angular momentum. The total level density matches the experimental data closely.
Spectro-Temporal Responses of Curved Railway Tracks with Variable Radii of Arc Curves
Authors: Kaewunruen Sakdirat , Ngamkhanong Chayut , Liu Xin
Published: December 2018

On curved railway tracks, wheel/rail interface can usually cause a traveling source of sound and vibration, which constitutes high-pitch or tonal noise pollution causing considerable concern to rail asset owners, commuters and people living or working along the railway corridor. The sound and vibration can be in various forms and spectra. The undesirable tonal sound on curves caused by excessive lateral wheel/rail dynamics in resonance with falling friction states are often called ‘squeal noises’. This paper evaluates the transient effect of curve radii on the possible occurrence of lateral track resonances, which is a principal cause of dynamic wheel/rail mode coupling that could trigger ‘curve squeal’. This study is devoted to systems thinking approach and better insight into dynamic phenomena of railway tracks that could resolve the railway curve noise problems. Curved track models in three-dimensional space have been developed using a finite element package, STRAND7. The dynamic responses of curved track have been simulated by applying a moving train load. The transient loading model of a common wheel/rail slip has been adopted. The simulations of railway tracks with different curve radii have been carried out to develop state-of-the-art understanding of lateral track dynamics, including rail dynamics, cant dynamics and overall track responses. Parametric studies have been conducted to evaluate lateral displacements, velocities and accelerations of rail over sleeper and rail at midspan, both in static and dynamic conditions. The study firstly reveals that the lateral resonance of tangent tracks is relatively rare and the mode coupling behavior is unlikely to occur on moderately curved tracks. The lateral vibration responses have been presented in terms of time histories and spectro-temporal responses (also called “Spectogram”). The dynamic lateral responses of the track are found to be sensitive to the change of curved radii. The resonance peak in the lateral direction is related to the agreement of corresponding natural frequencies of rail and the vibration excitation frequencies under an individual rolling velocity. The outcome of this study establishes new insight into the dominant influences of different track parameters to track lateral dynamic behaviors.
Dynamic Stability of Slender Concrete-Filled Steel Tubular Columns with General Supports
Authors: Huang Youqin , Fu Jiyang , Wu Di , Liu Airong , Gao Wei , Pi Yonglin
Published: December 2018

The static stability of slender concrete-filled steel tubular (CFST) columns has been explored thoroughly while few researches have been carried out on the dynamic stability of CFST columns even if all applied loadings are naturally time-dependent. This paper presents an analytical procedure for evaluating the dynamic stability of CFST columns of various composite cross-sections under general boundary conditions. This paper is featured by the following facts: (1) proportional damping is considered in derivation of the governing equations on the lateral parametric vibration of the CFST columns subject to axial excitation; (2) Bolotin’s method is used to determine the boundaries of the regions of dynamic instability for the CFST columns with general supports; (3) the relationship of static and dynamic stability, and the effects of boundary conditions and cross-sectional forms are uncovered. New findings of this investigation are (1) larger amplitude or constant component of excitation make it easier for the dynamic instabilities of the CFST columns to occur, while increasing the constant component of excitation reduces the critical value of frequency ratio for the dynamic instability to occur; (2) the dynamic stability analysis can determine the critical loads for both the static and dynamic instability of CFST columns, and the critical instability load decreases with increasing disturbance on the static load; (3) under the same consumptions of steel and concrete, the square columns have better performance of dynamic stability than the circular columns, but there is no definite conclusion on the effect of hollow size on the dynamic stability of double-skin columns.
Purity and flatness in symmetric monoidal closed exact categories
Authors: Hosseini E. , Zaghian A.
Published: December 2018

Let [Formula: see text] be a symmetric monoidal closed exact category. This category is a natural framework to define the notions of purity and flatness. When [Formula: see text] is endowed with an injective cogenerator with respect to the exact structure, we show that an object [Formula: see text] in [Formula: see text] is flat if and only if any conflation ending in [Formula: see text] is pure. Furthermore, we prove a generalization of the Lambek Theorem (J. Lambek, A module is flat if and only if its character module is injective, Canad. Math. Bull. 7 (1964) 237–243) in [Formula: see text]. In the case [Formula: see text] is a quasi-abelian category, we prove that [Formula: see text] has enough pure injective objects.
Partial orders on the power sets of Baer rings
Authors: Ungor B. , Halicioglu S. , Harmanci A. , Marovt J.
Published: December 2018

Let [Formula: see text] be a ring. Motivated by a generalization of a well-known minus partial order to Rickart rings, we introduce a new relation on the power set [Formula: see text] of [Formula: see text] and show that this relation, which we call “the minus order on [Formula: see text]”, is a partial order when [Formula: see text] is a Baer ring. We similarly introduce and study properties of the star, the left-star, and the right-star partial orders on the power sets of Baer ∗-rings. We show that some ideals generated by projections of a von Neumann regular and Baer ∗-ring [Formula: see text] form a lattice with respect to the star partial order on [Formula: see text]. As a particular case, we present characterizations of these orders on the power set of [Formula: see text], the algebra of all bounded linear operators on a Hilbert space [Formula: see text].
A study of n-Lie-isoclinic Leibniz algebras
Authors: Biyogmam G. R. , Casas J. M.
Published: December 2018

In this paper, we introduce the concept of [Formula: see text]-[Formula: see text]-isoclinism on non-Lie Leibniz algebras. Among the results obtained, we provide several characterizations of [Formula: see text]-[Formula: see text]-isoclinic classes of Leibniz algebras. Also, we provide a characterization of [Formula: see text]-[Formula: see text]-stem Leibniz algebras, and prove that every [Formula: see text]-[Formula: see text]-isoclinic class of Leibniz algebras contains a [Formula: see text]-[Formula: see text]-stem Leibniz algebra.
Design of High Altitude Propeller Using Multilevel Optimization
Authors: Liu Xinqiang , He Weiliang , Wei Fengmei
Published: December 2018

An improved D’Angelo optimization framework based on the surrogate model and optimization algorithm is proposed to design and optimize a new high altitude propeller which is applied to the propulsion system of the stratospheric aircraft. The framework adopts a multilevel optimization strategy to determine a high efficiency and light weight propeller. The aerodynamic characteristics of S1223 airfoil are calculated by Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) method. The aerodynamic performance of the D’Angelo propeller which is obtained by the first-level optimization is predicted by Blade element momentum (BEM) theory. Then the D’Angelo propeller chord and twist angle, which are regarded as the initial conditions of the second-level optimization, are optimized to achieve the maximum efficiency by Multi-island genetic algorithm (MIGA). In addition, the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II (NSGA-II) is applied to maximize the propeller efficiency and minimize the propeller weight. And the Pareto frontier solutions about the efficiency and the blade area are obtained by NSGA-II. What is more, the aerodynamic characteristics of the D’Angelo propeller, the optimization propeller by MIGA, and the optimization propeller by NSGA-II are calculated by CFD simulation and compared with BEM results. It is shown that the CFD results are in fair agreement with BEM results and the aerodynamic performance of the NSGA-II propeller is prior to the MIGA propeller and is close to the D’Angelo propeller. Besides, the NSGA-II propeller is the lightest among them and can satisfy the cruise requirements of the high altitude propeller.
Analysis of a predator–prey model with herd behavior and disease in prey incorporating prey refuge
Authors: Saha Sangeeta , Samanta G. P.
Published: December 2018

In this work, we have introduced an eco-epidemiological model of an infected predator–prey system. Incorporation of prey refuge gives that a fraction of the infected prey is available to the predator for consumption. Moreover, to make the model more realistic to the environment, we have introduced strong Allee effect in the susceptible population. Boundedness and positivity of the solution have been established. Local stability conditions of the equilibrium points have been found with the help of Routh–Hurwitz criterion and it has been observed that if a prey population is infected with a lethal disease, then both the prey (susceptible and infected) and predator cannot survive simultaneously in the system for any parametric values. The disease transmission rate and the attack rate on the susceptible have an important role to control the system dynamics. For different values of these two key parameters, we have got only healthy or disease-free or predation-free or a fluctuating disease-free or even a fluctuating predator-free system with some certain parametric conditions.
Water Demand Fluctuations, Non-Transferable Water Rights, and Technical Inefficiency in Japan’s Water Sector
Authors: Satoh Eiji
Published: December 2018

The 2011 Tōhoku earthquake triggered an unexpected water demand fluctuation in Japan’s Abukuma river region. Using this context, this study examines whether demand fluctuations result in technical inefficiency in the Japan’s water sector. Technical efficiency is measured using a data envelopment analysis of water suppliers in the region from 2008–2014. Next, a bootstrapped truncated regression model is specified to examine the determinants of technical efficiency. The estimation results reveal that inefficiency arises when water suppliers with water rights face declining demand. A counterfactual scenario, whereby excess water rights are reallocated to increase water suppliers’ efficiency, improves technical efficiency by 7.19%. This result suggests that the government should permit the reallocation of water rights under a trading scheme.
The J-, M- and L-integrals of body charges and body forces: Maxwell meets Eshelby
Authors: Lazar Markus , Agiasofitou Eleni
Published: December 2018

In this work, we derive the [Formula: see text]-, [Formula: see text]- and [Formula: see text]-integrals of body charges and point charges in electrostatics, and the [Formula: see text]-, [Formula: see text]- and [Formula: see text]-integrals of body forces and point forces in elasticity and we investigate their physical interpretation. Electrostatics is considered as field theory of an electrostatic scalar potential [Formula: see text] (scalar field theory) and elasticity as field theory of a displacement vector [Formula: see text] (vector field theory). One of the basic quantities appearing in the [Formula: see text]-, [Formula: see text]- and [Formula: see text]-integrals is the electrostatic Maxwell–Minkowski stress tensor in electrostatics and the Eshelby stress tensor in elasticity. Among others, it is shown that the [Formula: see text]-integral of body charges in electrostatics represents the electrostatic part of the Lorentz force, and the [Formula: see text]-integral of body forces in elasticity represents the Cherepanov force. The [Formula: see text]-integral between two-point sources (charges or forces) equals half the electrostatic interaction energy in electrostatics and half the elastic interaction energy in elasticity between these two-point sources. The [Formula: see text]-integral represents the configurational vector moment or torque between two body or point sources (charges or forces). Interesting mathematical and physical features are revealed through the connection of the [Formula: see text]-, [Formula: see text]- and [Formula: see text]-integrals with their corresponding infinitesimal generators in both theories. Several important outcomes arise from the comparison between the examined concepts in electrostatics and elasticity. Differences and similarities, that provide a deeper insight into the [Formula: see text]-, [Formula: see text]- and [Formula: see text]-integrals and the related quantities to them, are pointed out and discussed. The presented results show that the [Formula: see text]-, [Formula: see text]- and [Formula: see text]-integrals are fundamental concepts which can be applied in any field theory.
SonicDoor
Authors: Khalil Nacer , Gnawali Omprakash , Benhaddou Driss , Subhlok Jaspal
Published: December 2018

Non-intrusive occupant identification enables numerous applications in Smart Buildings such as personalization of climate and lighting. Current techniques do not scale beyond 20 people, whereas commercial buildings have 100 or more people. This article proposes a new method to identify occupants by sensing their body shape, movement, and walking patterns as they walk through a SonicDoor, a door instrumented with three ultrasonic sensors. The proposed method infers contextual information, such as paths and historical walks through different doors of the building. Each SonicDoor is instrumented with ultrasonic ping sensors, one on top sensing height and two on the sides of the door sensing width of the person walking through the door. SonicDoor detects a walking event and analyzes it to infer whether the Walker is using a phone, holding a handbag, or wearing a backpack. It extracts a set of features from the walking event and corrects them using a set of transformation functions to mitigate the bias. We deployed five SonicDoors in a real building for two months and collected data consisting of over 9,000 walking events spanning over 170 people. The proposed method identifies 100 occupants with an accuracy of 90.2%, which makes it suitable for commercial buildings.
Hardware-software co-optimization of memory management in dynamic languages
Authors: Ismail Mohamed , Suh G. Edward
Published: December 2018

Dynamic programming languages are becoming increasingly popular, yet often show a significant performance slowdown compared to static languages. In this paper, we study the performance overhead of automatic memory management in dynamic languages. We propose to improve the performance and memory bandwidth usage of dynamic languages by co-optimizing garbage collection overhead and cache performance for newly-initialized and dead objects. Our study shows that less frequent garbage collection results in a large number of cache misses for initial stores to new objects. We solve this problem by directly placing uninitialized objects into on-chip caches without off-chip memory accesses. We further optimize the garbage collection by reducing unnecessary cache pollution and write-backs through partial tracing that invalidates dead objects between full garbage collections. Experimental results on PyPy and V8 show that less frequent garbage collection along with our optimizations can significantly improve the performance of dynamic languages.
Adaptive deep learning model selection on embedded systems
Authors: Taylor Ben , Marco Vicent Sanz , Wolff Willy , Elkhatib Yehia , Wang Zheng
Published: December 2018

The recent ground-breaking advances in deep learning networks (DNNs) make them attractive for embedded systems. However, it can take a long time for DNNs to make an inference on resource-limited embedded devices. Offloading the computation into the cloud is often infeasible due to privacy concerns, high latency, or the lack of connectivity. As such, there is a critical need to find a way to effectively execute the DNN models locally on the devices.

This paper presents an adaptive scheme to determine which DNN model to use for a given input, by considering the desired accuracy and inference time. Our approach employs machine learning to develop a predictive model to quickly select a pre-trained DNN to use for a given input and the optimization constraint. We achieve this by first training off-line a predictive model, and then use the learnt model to select a DNN model to use for new, unseen inputs. We apply our approach to the image classification task and evaluate it on a Jetson TX2 embedded deep learning platform using the ImageNet ILSVRC 2012 validation dataset. We consider a range of influential DNN models. Experimental results show that our approach achieves a 7.52% improvement in inference accuracy, and a 1.8x reduction in inference time over the most-capable single DNN model.
Compositionality in scenario-aware dataflow: a rendezvous perspective
Authors: Skelin Mladen , Geilen Marc
Published: December 2018

Finite-state machine-based scenario-aware dataflow (FSM-SADF) is a dynamic dataflow model of computation that combines streaming data and finite-state control. For the most part, it preserves the determinism of its underlying synchronous dataflow (SDF) concurrency model and only when necessary introduces the non-deterministic variation in terms of scenarios that are represented by SDF graphs. This puts FSM-SADF in a sweet spot in the trade-off space between expressiveness and analyzability.

However, FSM-SADF supports no notion of compositionality, which hampers its usability in modeling and consequent analysis of large systems.

In this work we propose a compositional semantics for FSM-SADF that overcomes this problem.

We base the semantics of the composition on standard composition of processes with rendezvous communication in the style of CCS or CSP at the control level and the parallel, serial and feedback composition of SDF graphs at the dataflow level.

We evaluate the approach on a case study from the multimedia domain.
JSCore: architectural support for accelerating JavaScript execution (short WIP paper)
Authors: Chadha Gaurav
Published: December 2018

JavaScript has seen meteoric growth in popularity as it has in- creasingly become the language of choice for developers, both for front-end web development and server code development through various JavaScript frameworks and Node.js. Part of the reason for its wide use is that it is a prototype based language with dynamic types, making it easy to learn and program in. This flexibility and ease of programming comes at the cost of performance. There are two sources of significant slowdown. First, since the number and type of properties of prototypes is dynamic, accessing a property involves a slow dictionary lookup, as opposed to it being present at a fixed offset from the base address. Second, the dynamism in type of values necessitates wrapping and unwrapping of values into objects with a variety of checks including for type of the value. To mitigate these performance problems, this paper proposes JSCore, a core specialized for JavaScript execution, that vastly reduces the performance degradation due to the above two causes. It uses a hardware lookup table to accelerate property access, and extends the data path to store data types with the data, nearly eliminating the second source of slowdown. Combining the two, JSCore accelerates real world JavaScript applications by 23%.
Branching processes for QuickCheck generators
Authors: Mista Agustín , Russo Alejandro , Hughes John
Published: December 2018

In QuickCheck (or, more generally, random testing), it is challenging to control random data generators' distributions---specially when it comes to user-defined algebraic data types (ADT). In this paper, we adapt results from an area of mathematics known as branching processes, and show how they help to analytically predict (at compile-time) the expected number of generated constructors, even in the presence of mutually recursive or composite ADTs. Using our probabilistic formulas, we design heuristics capable of automatically adjusting probabilities in order to synthesize generators which distributions are aligned with users' demands. We provide a Haskell implementation of our mechanism in a tool called DRaGeN and perform case studies with real-world applications. When generating random values, our synthesized QuickCheck generators show improvements in code coverage when compared with those automatically derived by state-of-the-art tools.
Theorem proving for all: equational reasoning in liquid Haskell (functional pearl)
Authors: Vazou Niki , Breitner Joachim , Kunkel Rose , Van Horn David , Hutton Graham
Published: December 2018

Equational reasoning is one of the key features of pure functional languages such as Haskell. To date, however, such reasoning always took place externally to Haskell, either manually on paper, or mechanised in a theorem prover. This article shows how equational reasoning can be performed directly and seamlessly within Haskell itself, and be checked using Liquid Haskell. In particular, language learners --- to whom external theorem provers are out of reach --- can benefit from having their proofs mechanically checked. Concretely, we show how the equational proofs and derivations from Graham's textbook can be recast as proofs in Haskell (spoiler: they look essentially the same).
Rhine: FRP with type-level clocks
Authors: Bärenz Manuel , Perez Ivan
Published: December 2018

Processing data at different rates is generally a hard problem in reactive programming. Buffering problems, lags, and concurrency issues often occur. Many of these problems are
clock errors
, where data at different rates is combined incorrectly. Techniques to avoid clock errors, such as type-level clocks and deterministic scheduling, exist in the field of synchronous programming, but are not implemented in general-purpose languages like Haskell.

Rhine is a
clock-safe
library for synchronous and asynchronous Functional Reactive Programming (FRP). It separates the aspects of clocking, scheduling and resampling from each other, and ensures clock-safety at the type level. Concurrent communication is encapsulated safely. Diverse reactive subsystems can be combined in a coherent, declarative data-flow framework, while correct interoperability of data at different rates is guaranteed by type-level clocks. This provides a general-purpose framework that simplifies multi-rate FRP systems and can be used for game development, media applications, GUIs and embedded systems, through a flexible API with many reusable components.
Autobahn 2.0: minimizing bangs while maintaining performance (system demonstration)
Authors: Sun Marilyn , Fisher Kathleen
Published: December 2018

Lazy evaluation has many advantages, but it can cause bad performance. Consequently, Haskell allows users to force eager evaluation at certain program points by inserting strictness annotations, known and written as bangs (!). Unfortunately, manual bang placement is difficult. Autobahn 1.0 uses a genetic algorithm to infer bang annotations that improve performance. However, Autobahn 1.0 often generates large numbers of superfluous bangs, which is problematic because users must inspect each such bang to determine whether it is safe. We introduce Autobahn 2.0, which uses GHC profiling information to reduce the number of superfluous bangs. When evaluated on the NoFib benchmark suite, Autobahn 2.0 reduced the number of inferred bangs by 90.2% on average, while only degrading program performance by 15.7% compared with the performance produced by Autobahn 1.0. In a case study on a garbage collection simulator, Autobahn 2.0 eliminated 81.8% of the recommended bangs, with the same 15.7% optimization degradation.
Simulations of Learning, Memory, and Forgetting Processes with Model of CA1 Region of the Hippocampus
Authors: Świetlik Dariusz
Published: December 2018

The aim of this paper is to present a computational model of the CA1 region of the hippocampus, whose properties include (a) attenuation of receptors for external stimuli, (b) delay and decay of postsynaptic potentials, (c) modification of internal weights due to propagation of postsynaptic potentials through the dendrite, and (d) modification of weights for the analog memory of each input due to a pattern of long‐term synaptic potentiation (LTP) with regard to its decay. The computer simulations showed that CA1 model performs efficient LTP induction and high rate of sub‐millisecond coincidence detection. We also discuss a possibility of hardware implementation of pyramidal cells of CA1 region of the hippocampus.
An Unusual Presentation of Idiopathic Lymphatic Cyst of the Thigh
Authors: Burusapat Chairat , Sringkarawat Sophilak , Thanapurirat Sineenard , Sapruangthong Rapeepat , Pruksapong Chatchai , Satayasoontorn Kantang
Published: December 2018

Lymphatic cyst is a collection of lymphatic fluid with an epithelial lining which can either represent lymphatic malformations or may occur after trauma or operation. Idiopathic lymphatic cyst of the thigh in adulthood is extremely rare. We report a case of a 27-year-old Thai female presented with a rapidly growing mass over her right thigh. The magnetic resonance imaging scan demonstrated a well-defined, thin rim, enhancing simple cyst. The cyst disappeared for a few days after aspiration. Completed surgical resection was performed for definitive diagnosis and treatment. Immunohistochemical studies revealed the cell lining was positive for CD34, CD31, and D2-40 and negative for calretinin. To our best knowledge, idiopathic lymphatic cyst of the thigh in young adult has never been reported and should be kept in mind in the patient who presents with abnormal thigh mass.
Unexplained Portal Gas in a Patient with an Esophageal Ulcer
Authors: Gupta Samiksha , Surapaneni Balaram Krishna , Vinayek Rakesh , Dutta Sudhir K.
Published: December 2018

Emphysematous gastritis is the infection of gastric mucosa by gas producing microorganisms. It is a rare infection with less than 100 cases reported in the literature. The association of portal venous gas along with emphysematous gastritis is a rare entity. The concomitant portal venous gas worsens the outcome and warrant for surgical treatment. Our case has portal venous gas on CT scan along with suspicion of emphysematous gastritis and an esophageal ulcer on upper GI endoscopy. Medical treatment was given in our case of portal venous gas with the esophageal ulcer. Our case is unique because our patient responded to the conservative management. The patient presented with past history of polysubstance abuse and chronic kidney disease presented with symptoms of acute abdomen. CT scan revealed portal venous gas and suspicion of gastric emphysema. In addition, few foci of gas are seen along the vessels traversing between the stomach and liver. Endoscopy with gastric mucosa biopsy showed Candida albicans. Subsequently, antifungals were started. There was improvement in clinical condition of the patient. We, hereby, also summarize all the reported cases of emphysematous gastritis with treatment and outcome in each case. There has been change in trend from surgical to medical treatment.
Palatine Tonsil Stenting of the Airway as Determined by Drug-Induced Sleep Endoscopy
Authors: Zalzal Habib G. , Coutras Steven
Published: December 2018

Objective. To demonstrate lateral pharyngeal wall collapse and increased apnea-hypopnea index in a child posttonsillectomy. Background. Some children have worsening of their sleep symptoms after tonsillectomy for obstructive sleep apnea. This case report demonstrates an open airway on drug-induced sleep endoscopy (DISE) in a child with tonsillar hypertrophy followed by more pronounced airway obstruction related to lateral pharyngeal wall collapse after tonsillectomy. Case Presentation. A 7-year-old boy presented with obstructive sleep apnea and underwent workup with DISE. Following adenotonsillectomy and subsequent lingual tonsillectomy with epiglottopexy, the patient’s sleep apnea symptoms and polysomnogram results worsened. Subsequent DISE showed a more narrowed oropharyngeal airway space as compared to his preoperative DISE. Discussion. Palatine tonsillar tissue may splint open the airway and prevent airway obstruction in a subset of pediatric patients. Further clinical studies are necessary to determine which children experience this phenomenon. Clinical examination using DISE can be useful in making clinical decisions prior to tonsillectomy.
Estimation of the Dynamic Moduli of Viscoelastic Asphalt Mixtures Using the Extended Kalman Filter Algorithm
Authors: Gong Yu-Seok , Kim Dowan , Mun Sungho
Published: December 2018

Here, we develop a model predicting the dynamic moduli of hot‐mix asphalt/concrete using the extended Kalman filter (EKF) algorithm and draw frequency‐domain master curves. Discrete dynamic moduli were obtained via impact resonance tests (IRTs) on linear viscoelastic (LVE) asphalt at 20, 30, 35, 40, and 50°C. Typically, viscoelastic characteristics have been used to derive asphalt dynamic moduli; compressive frequency sweep tests at different frequencies (Hz) and temperatures are employed to this end. We compared IRT‐derived viscoelastic master curves obtained via compressive frequency sweep testing to those derived using the EKF algorithm, which employs a nonlinear sigmoidal curve and a Taylor series to explore the viscoelastic function. The model reduced errors at both low and high frequencies by correcting the coefficients of the master curve. Furthermore, the predictive model effectively estimated dynamic moduli at various frequencies, and also root‐mean‐square errors (RMSEs) which, together with the mean percentage errors (MPEs), were used to compare predictions.
Seroepidemiology of Hepatitis B and C Virus Infections among Pregnant Women Attending Antenatal Clinic in Selected Health Facilities in East Wollega Zone, West Oromia, Ethiopia
Authors: Dabsu Regea , Ejeta Eyasu
Published: December 2018

Background. Hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus infections are a public health problem worldwide. It is highly endemic in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Horizontal and perinatal transmissions are thought to be the major modes of transmission in these countries. Objective. This study aimed to investigate the seroepidemiology and possible risk factors for hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus infection among pregnant women attending antenatal care clinics. Methods. A cross-sectional study design was conducted from July to September 2014 among 421 pregnant women attending antenatal care services in randomly selected health facilities, East Wollega Zone, West Oromia, Ethiopia. Blood sample was collected from each woman and separated serum was tested for the presence of markers. A prestructured questionnaire was used to collect sociodemographic data and risk factors. The collected data was analyzed using SPSS 20.0 statistical software. Odds ratio and 95% confidence interval were used as measures of the strength of association. Result. The overall prevalence of HBsAg was 2.4% ranging from 0.0% to 5.2%. It was the highest in Sire Health Center and the lowest/nil in others. The prevalence of HCV ranged from 6.7% to 20% with an average of 8.07% in this study area where it was highest in the Getema Health Center Antenatal Care Attendants. Only address (p=0.020) and area of the health institution (p=0.021) are significantly the associated factors for HBsAg and serostatus of HCV, respectively. Conclusion. The prevalence of HBsAg carrier rate of pregnant women in the study area falls within the medium endemic prevalence and HCV prevalence was higher than HBsAg. Study participants who were from urban areas were significantly affected with HBV while study institution affects the prevalence of HCV infection so that initiating screening tests during follow up period for antenatal care services is mandatory.
Differential Expression of IL-36 Family Members and IL-38 by Immune and Nonimmune Cells in Patients with Active Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Authors: Fonseca-Camarillo Gabriela , Furuzawa-Carballeda Janette , Iturriaga-Goyon Emilio , Yamamoto-Furusho Jesús K.
Published: December 2018

IL-1 family includes IL-38 (IL-1F10) and the subfamily of IL-36 and is the central mediators of inflammatory diseases, including pustular psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, rheumatoid arthritis, and gut inflammation. The purpose of the study was to evaluate on tissue of the patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), the IL-36α, IL-36β, IL-36γ, IL-36Ra, and IL-38 gene and cell expression and its correlation with clinical activity. Patients and Methods. A cross-sectional and comparative study was performed. Seventy patients with IBD and 30 noninflamed non-IBD controls were enrolled. Gene expression was measured by RT-PCR. Protein expression was detected by double-staining immunohistochemistry. Results. The mRNA expression of IL-36 family members but not IL-38 was increased in colonic mucosa from patients with active ulcerative colitis versus Crohn’s disease group and noninflammatory control group (P<0.05). However, only gene expression of IL-38 was increased in tissue from patients with inactive ulcerative colitis versus active disease and control group (P<0.005). Conversely, gene expression of IL-36Ra was significantly higher in colonic tissue from patients with active versus inactive ulcerative colitis and noninflamed control group (P<0.05). A differential protein overexpression of IL-36α, IL-36β, IL-36γ, IL-36Ra, and IL-38 by intestinal epithelial cells, macrophages, CD8+ T cells, and/or versus dendritic cells (pDCs) was found in patients with active inflammatory bowel disease compared with noninflamed controls. Conclusion. IL-38 and IL-36 family members’ expression was increased by immune and nonimmune cells in patients with active inflammatory bowel disease. These cytokines and IL-36Ra might represent novel therapeutic targets in patients with gut inflammation.
Dexamethasone Intravitreal Implant (Ozurdex) for Long-Term Macular Edema after Epiretinal Membrane Peeling Surgery
Authors: Chang Yo-Chen , Liu Pei-Kang , Kao Tzu-En , Wu Horng-Jiun , Cheng Kai-Chun , Chen Kuo-Jen , Wu Kwou-Yeung , Wu Wen-Chuan
Published: December 2018

Purpose. To investigate the functional and anatomical outcome of the 0.7 mg dexamethasone (Ozurdex) intravitreal implant (IVD) in eyes with long-term macular edema after macular epiretinal membrane removal. Methods. We enrolled 40 eyes with persistent macular edema at least 12 months after epiretinal membrane removal. Twenty eyes in the IVD group received IVD and the other 20 eyes were in the control group. The main outcome measures were change in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central foveal thickness (CFT). Results. For eyes in the IVD group, the mean BCVA improved by 3.45 lines to 0.47 logMAR one month after IVD. However, the mean BCVA improved by only 0.14 lines to 0.74 logMAR at the same time in eyes in the control group. Six months later, the mean BCVA improved to 0.31 and 0.74 logMAR in the IVD and control groups, respectively. In the IVD group, the mean CFT decreased rapidly by 116.8 μm to 333.9 μm one month after IVD. Thereafter the CFT decreased at a slower pace. In the control group, the CFT remained static during the follow-up period. However, in the IVD group, 6 months after IVD, the CFT seemed to have a tendency to increase. Conclusions. Single IVD could significantly decrease macular edema and improve visual outcome for eyes with persistent long-term macular edema after macular ERM removal and the effect can be sustained as long as 6 months after the initial injection. However, in order to maintain the visual and anatomical outcome, repeat IVD might be considered if macular edema recurs.
Effect of Different Breast Densities and Average Glandular Dose on Contrast to Noise Ratios in Full-Field Digital Mammography: Simulation and Phantom Study
Authors: Nakamura Noriko , Okafuji Yuka , Adachi Saori , Takahashi Kana , Nakakuma Takashi , Ueno Sohichirou
Published: December 2018

We aimed to investigate the effects of mammary gland density and average glandular dose (AGD) on contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) of breast-equivalent phantoms with different mammary gland/fat tissue ratios. Full-field digital-mammography breast X-rays were performed on breast-equivalent phantoms with three different mammary gland/fat tissue ratios (Phantom A [30/70], Phantom B [50/50], and Phantom C [70/30]) and seven thicknesses ranging from 10 mm to 70 mm. The prediction formula for the CNR was calculated by multivariate analysis and the effects of the various parameters on CNR were evaluated using a multiple regression analysis model. Higher CNR values were obtained with lower mammary gland/fat tissue ratios and lower phantom thicknesses. Variation in CNR among the three breast models was low (coefficient of variation, 3.4–8.7%) at lower phantom thicknesses (10–30 mm) and high (coefficient of variation, 10.5–16.8%) at higher phantom thickness (50–70 mm). CNR showed a strong negative correlation (r = -0.8989) with AGD across all three mammary gland ratios. A predictive formula for CNR using AGD and mammary gland density was developed. CNR can be predicted with high precision using AGD and mammary gland density. The predicted CNR could be used to measure the diagnostic reliability of mammography in breast cancer.
Impact of Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 on COPD Development in Polish Patients: Genetic Polymorphism, Protein Level, and Their Relationship with Lung Function
Authors: Gilowska Iwona , Kasper Łukasz , Bogacz Katarzyna , Szczegielniak Jan , Szymasek Teresa , Kasper Marta , Czerwinski Marcin , Sładek Krzysztof , Majorczyk Edyta
Published: December 2018

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by a decline of lung function and symptoms such as chronic bronchitis and emphysema leading from lung tissue destruction. Increased activity of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and an imbalance between MMPs and their tissue inhibitors (TIMPs) are considered as factors influencing the pathogenesis of COPD. We investigated the role of genetic polymorphism and expression level of MMP-9 and concentration of its complexes with TIMPs in the development of COPD among Polish patients. We analyzed SNP in the promoter region of MMP-9 gene (rs3918242) using PCR-RFLP method among 335 COPD patients and 309 healthy individuals. Additionally, 60 COPD patients and 61 controls were tested for copy number variants (CNV) of MMP-9 (by quantitative real-time PCR) and serum levels of MMP-9 and its complexes with TIMP1 and TIMP2 (using ELISA). All subjects were analyzed for lung function using spirometry (FEV1% and FEV1/FVC parameters). We observed that allele and genotype frequencies of the SNP rs3918242, as well as the number of gene copies, were similar in COPD patient and controls groups. Serum levels of MMP-9 and MMP-9/TIMP1 complex were significantly higher in COPD patients in comparison to controls groups, although independently of analyzed gene polymorphisms. Additionally, the significant inverse relationships between parameters of lung function (FEV1% and FEV1/FVC) and proteins level were found in ridge regression models, especially we found that FEV1% decreased when MMP-9 level increased in controls and patients with COPD group. In conclusion, we found that COPD patients were predisposed to produce more MMP-9 and MMP-9/TIMP1 complex than healthy individuals. This phenomenon is probably associated with the disease-related lung environment but not with genetic features of the MMP-9.
A Neural Machine Translation Model for Arabic Dialects That Utilizes Multitask Learning (MTL)
Authors: Baniata Laith H. , Park Seyoung , Park Seong-Bae
Published: December 2018

In this research article, we study the problem of employing a neural machine translation model to translate Arabic dialects to Modern Standard Arabic. The proposed solution of the neural machine translation model is prompted by the recurrent neural network-based encoder-decoder neural machine translation model that has been proposed recently, which generalizes machine translation as sequence learning problems. We propose the development of a multitask learning (MTL) model which shares one decoder among language pairs, and every source language has a separate encoder. The proposed model can be applied to limited volumes of data as well as extensive amounts of data. Experiments carried out have shown that the proposed MTL model can ensure a higher quality of translation when compared to the individually learned model.
Optical Conduction Resonance in Self-Assembled Metal Nanoparticle Array-Dielectric Thin Films
Authors: Zhang Liangmin
Published: December 2018

Optical conduction resonance- (OCR-) enhanced third-order optical nonlinearity of two dimensional (2D) periodic gold nanoparticle array-dielectric thin films has been investigated. The third-order optical susceptibility of periodic gold nanoparticle array embedded in silica thin film shows ~104 enhancement comparing to gold nanoparticle colloids. The 2D gold nanoparticle arrays were synthesized by using the electrostatic self-assembly (ESA) technique. During the fabrication process, the positively or negatively functionalized gold nanoparticles are automatically self-aligned to establish a 2D array with a very small interparticle spacing due to the polymer shell on the metal particles. Then, a monolayer of silica can be coated on the top of the 2D metal nanoparticle array. This type of 2D gold nanoparticle array-dielectric thin films has high volume fraction of gold nanoparticles. According to the extended Maxwell-Garnett theory, this kind of films can exhibit OCR. The OCR frequency can be tuned from visible to mid-infrared by controlling the gold nanoparticle volume fraction. During OCR, the real part of the composite dielectric constant is zero to make the induced electromagnetic waves in gold nanoparticles to couple effectively within the film. The open-aperture z-scan technique is used to measure the nonlinear optical properties of the ESA films.
Selective Catalytic Reduction of NOx with NH3 on Cu-, Fe-, and Mn-Zeolites Prepared by Impregnation: Comparison of Activity and Hydrothermal Stability
Authors: Putluru Siva Sankar Reddy , Schill Leonhard , Jensen Anker Degn , Fehrmann Rasmus S. N.
Published: December 2018

Cu-, Fe-, and Mn-zeolite (SSZ-13, ZSM-5, and BEA) catalysts have been prepared by incipient wetness impregnation and characterized by N2 physisorption, H2-TPR, NH3-TPD, and XPS methods. Both metal and zeolite support influence the deNOx activity and hydrothermal stability. Cu-zeolites and Mn-zeolites showed medium temperature activity, and Fe zeolites showed high temperature activity. Among all the catalysts, Cu-SSZ-13 and Fe-BEA are the most promising hydrothermally resistant catalysts. Fresh and hydrothermally treated catalysts were further examined to investigate the acidic and redox properties and the zeolite surface composition. Increased total acidity after metal impregnation and loss of acidity due to hydrothermal treatment were observed in all the catalysts. Hydrothermal treatment resulted in migration of metal or in strong metal support interations, whereby changes in reduction patterns are observed.
Abundant Lump-Type Solutions and Interaction Solutions for a Nonlinear (3+1) Dimensional Model
Authors: Sadat R. , Kassem M. , Ma Wen-Xiu
Published: December 2018

We explore dynamical features of lump solutions as diversion and propagation in the space. Through the Hirota bilinear method and the Cole-Hopf transformation, lump-type solutions and their interaction solutions with one- or two-stripe solutions have been generated for a generalized (3+1) shallow water-like (SWL) equation, via symbolic computations associated with three different ansatzes. The analyticity and localization of the resulting solutions in the (x,y,z, and t) space have been analyzed. Three-dimensional plots and contour plots are made for some special cases of the solutions to illustrate physical motions and peak dynamics of lump soliton waves in higher dimensions. The study of lump-type solutions moderates the visuality of optics media and oceanography waves.