bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
CHAOS, SELF ORGANIZED CRITICALITY, INTERMITTENT TURBULENCE AND NONEXTENSIVITY REVEALED FROM SEISMOGENESIS IN NORTH AEGEAN AREA
Authors: ILIOPOULOS A. C. , PAVLOS G. P. , PAPADIMITRIOU E. E. , SFIRIS D. S. , ATHANASIOU M. A. , TSOUTSOURAS V. G.
Published: October 2012

Strong evidence is provided for significant far from equilibrium complex processes in the seismogenic layer of the North Aegean region (Greece), after applying modern nonlinear methods to various seismicity time series. The data used are subsets of the regional catalogue compiled in the central Seismological Station of Geophysics Department, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and concern 4367 earthquakes of magnitude greater than 3.8, which took place during the period of 1968–2008. We present results, derived from the application of nonlinear algorithms, concerning the estimation of correlation dimension, mutual information, largest Lyapunov exponent, flatness coefficient and q-value which correspond to Tsallis nonextensive statistics. These quantities are estimated for two seismic time series corresponding to the basic focal parameters of earthquakes, namely origin time and magnitude. The obtained results can be associated with novel far from equilibrium complex dynamics such as low dimensional chaos, Self Organized Criticality (SOC) and intermittent turbulence. Furthermore, in this study, new information is provided about the nonlinear turbulent character of the Hellenic lithospheric dynamics related to the Tsallis nonextensive statistical theory. Our analysis indicates the coexistence of two different lithospheric processes, one low dimensional (chaotic) and the other high dimensional (SOC), revealing the strongly turbulent character of the Greek lithospheric system. In particular, the low dimensional chaotic process corresponds to the temporal manifestation of earthquakes, whereas the high dimensional nonlinear (SOC) process corresponds to the burst energy releases, a result that has significant implications concerning the ability of earthquake prediction.
THE EMERGENCE AND EVOLUTION OF COOPERATION ON COMPLEX NETWORKS
Authors: YANG HAN-XIN , WANG WEN-XU , LAI YING-CHENG , GREBOGI CELSO
Published: October 2012

The emergence and evolution of cooperation in complex natural, social and economical systems is an interdisciplinary topic of recent interest. This paper focuses on the cooperation on complex networks using the approach of evolutionary games. In particular, the phenomenon of diversity-optimized cooperation is briefly reviewed and the effect of network clustering on cooperation is treated in detail. For the latter, a general type of public goods games is used with the result that, for fixed average degree and degree distributions in the underlying network, a high clustering coefficient can promote cooperation. Basic quantities such as the cooperator and defector clusters, mean payoffs of cooperators and defectors along their respective boundaries, the fraction of cooperators for different classes as well as the mean payoffs of hubs in scale-free networks are also investigated. Since strong clustering is typical in many social networks, these results provide insights into the emergence of cooperation in such networks.
THE BRESSAUD NORMAL FORM OF BRAIDS THROUGH WORD REWRITE SYSTEMS
Authors: CHAMBOREDON JEREMY
Published: October 2012

We introduce a nondeterministic rewrite system which is conjectured to converge to the Bressaud normal form of braids as presented in [X. Bressaud, A normal form for braids, J. Knot Theory Ramifications17(6) (2008) 697–732]. We prove the conjecture for 3-strand braids.
SOME COROLLARIES OF MANTUROV'S PROJECTION THEOREM
Authors: CHERNOV VLADIMIR V.
Published: October 2012

In our works with Stoimenow, Vdovina and with Byberi, we introduced the virtual canonical genus g vc (K) and the virtual bridge number vb (K) invariants of virtual knots. One can see from the definitions that for a classical knot K the values of these invariants are less than or equal to the classical canonical genus gc(K) and the bridge number b(K) respectively. We use Manturov's projection from the category of virtual knot diagrams to the category of classical knot diagrams, to show that for every classical knot type K we have g vc (K) = gc(K) and vb (K) = b(K).
RESTORING TIME DEPENDENCE INTO QUANTUM COSMOLOGY
Authors: DAVIDSON AHARON , YELLIN BEN
Published: October 2012

Mini superspace cosmology treats the scale factor a(t), the lapse function n(t) and an optional dilation field ϕ(t) as canonical variables. While pre-fixing n(t) means losing the Hamiltonian constraint, pre-fixing a(t) is serendipitously harmless at this level. This suggests an alternative to the Hartle–Hawking approach, where the pre-fixed a(t) and its derivatives are treated as explicit functions of time, leaving n(t) and a now mandatory ϕ(t) to serve as canonical variables. The naive gauge pre-fix a(t) = const . is clearly forbidden, causing evolution to freeze altogether; so pre-fixing the scale factor, say a(t) = t, necessarily introduces explicit time dependence into the Lagrangian. Invoking Dirac's prescription for dealing with constraints, we construct the corresponding mini superspace time-dependent total Hamiltonian and calculate the Dirac brackets, characterized by {n, ϕ}D ≠ 0, which are promoted to commutation relations in the quantum theory.
TURBULENCE AND CHAOS IN ANTI-DE-SITTER GRAVITY
Authors: DE OLIVEIRA H. P. , PANDO ZAYAS LEOPOLDO A. , TERRERO-ESCALANTE CÉSAR A.
Published: October 2012

Due to the Anti-de-Sitter/Conformal Field Theory (AdS/CFT) correspondence, the question of instability of AdS spacetimes sits in the intersection of mathematical and numerical relativities, string theory, field theory and condensed matter physics. In this essay we revisit that important question emphasizing the power of spectral methods and highlighting the effectiveness of standard techniques for studying nonlinear dynamical systems. In particular, we display explicitly how the problem can be modeled as a system on nonlinearly coupled harmonic oscillators. We highlight some of the many open questions that stem from this result and point out that a full understanding will necessarily require the interdisciplinary cooperation of various communities.
RADIATIVE DECAYS OF EQUAL MASS VECTOR MESONS IN A BETHE–SALPETER EQUATION FRAMEWORK
Authors: MENGESHA ELIAS , BHATNAGAR SHASHANK
Published: October 2012

In this work, we have employed Bethe–Salpeter equation (BSE) under Covariant Instantaneous Ansatz (CIA) to study radiative decays of light vector mesons through the process: h→h'γ, taking h and h' as equal mass light vector and pseudoscalar mesons, respectively. The decay widths calculated for these processes are in reasonable agreement with data. The motivation for this work was our intention to resolve the problems involved in calculations of triangle quark-loop diagrams which appear in processes such as radiative meson decays, meson form factors, strong decays of mesons, etc., in BSE under CIA, which give rise to complexities in amplitudes (as pointed out earlier in Ref. 1) due to the presence of the time-like momentum components in Gaussian factors associated with the vertex functions of the participating hadrons. In this work we try to highlight this problem and then demonstrate a mathematical procedure which might lead to calculations of such processes in BSE under CIA.
DETECTION OF NEUTRINOS FROM MICRO-QUASARS I
Authors: CIVITARESE OSVALDO , ELISA MOSQUERA MERCEDES
Published: October 2012

Using the neutrino intensity obtained from models for high-energy particle-emission from low-mass micro-quasars, we calculate the neutrino flux with and without including neutrino oscillations. We show that the neutrino flux from a micro-quasar is affected by neutrino oscillations. The effect reflects upon the increase in the time of observation, for km-scale neutrino detector.
DETECTION OF NEUTRINOS FROM MICRO-QUASARS II
Authors: ELISA MOSQUERA MERCEDES , CIVITARESE OSVALDO
Published: October 2012

Considering a system composed of a compact object and a star subrounded by wind, and using models for high-energy proton emission from micro-quasars, we calculate the neutrino flux resulting from proton–proton collisions, with and without including neutrino oscillations. It is found that the flux of neutrinos from a windy micro-quasar is affected by neutrino oscillations, and that it reflects upon the increase in the time of observation, by a factor of the order 2–3.
MONTE CARLO SIMULATIONS OF dd REACTION PARAMETERS STUDY AT ULTRA-LOW ENERGY RANGE USING PLASMA HALL ACCELERATOR AND DEUTERIZED TARGETS
Authors: FILIPOWICZ M. , BYSTRITSKY V. M. , DUDKIN G. N. , PENK'OV F. M. , PHILIPPOV A. V.
Published: October 2012

This paper presents results of the application Monte Carlo method to analyze data from the interaction of deuteron beams with metallic targets saturated with deuterium. The SRIM software was used to generate energy spectrum of ions passing the target. These spectra were used to calculate the neutron yields from dd reactions in energy range 7–12 keV of incident deuteron beams. The calculated outputs were compared with the experimental data for the determination of the electron screening potential for dd reactions. The calculations were performed using two different values of the beam energy spread (FWHM) equal 1% and 16%. It was shown that plasma beams with a relatively high spread (16%) were almost as good a tool as the traditional accelerator with mono-energy beam related to the study of the reaction within an ultra-low energy region.
STUDY ON THE PEIREL–NABARRO STRESS OF IRON ALUMINIDES
Authors: PANG L. X. , HAN N. F. , SHI H. , XU J. , HAO X. H. , TANG X. D.
Published: October 2012

The modified Peirel–Nabarro model of dislocations is not valid for the superdislocation bounded by the antiphase domain boundaries in long-range ordered intermetallic. In this work, a new Peirel–Nabarro Stress model is developed to take into account the critical resolved shear stress of antiphase domain boundary (APDB). Based on it, the Peirel–Nabarro Stress of DO3 structure and B2 structure in iron aluminides are calculated. Comparing the Peirel–Nabarro Stress of dislocations and the crystal theoretical yield strength, the results demonstrate B2-type crystal has good plasticity. It coincides with the experimental results well.
COMBINED EFFECT OF THE ELECTRODE AND SURFACE TRANSITION LAYER ON THE PROPERTIES OF A FERROELECTRIC THIN FILM
Authors: CUI LIAN , LI ZHAOAN , DONG YUNFENG , HAN ZHIYOU , XU XU , LÜ TIANQUAN
Published: October 2012

Within the framework of the modified Ginzburg–Landau–Devonshire phenomenological theory, we study the properties of a ferroelectric thin film with surface transition layer, considering the effect of electrodes. The combined effect of the electrode and surface transition layer on the properties (including the polarization, transition temperature and coercive filed) of a ferroelectric thin film is discussed in detail. The results show that the surface transition layer and the electrode can induce the phase transition from ferroelectric to paraelectric phase.
REVIEW ON MALLET FINGER TREATMENT
Authors: Cheung Jason Pui Yin , Fung Boris , Ip Wing Yuk
Published: October 2012

Mallet finger is a common injury involving either an extensor tendon rupture at its insertion or an avulsion fracture involving the insertion of the terminal extensor tendon. It is usually caused by a forceful blow to the tip of the finger causing sudden flexion or a hyperextension injury. Fracture at the dorsal aspect of the base of the distal phalanx is commonly associated with palmar subluxation of the distal phalanx. Most mallet finger injuries are recommended to be treated with immobilisation of the distal interphalangeal joint in extension by splints. There is no consensus on the type of splint and the duration of use. Most studies have shown comparable results with different splints. Surgical fixation is still indicated in certain conditions such as open injuries, avulsion fracture involving at least one third of the articular surface with or without palmar subluxation of the distal phalanx and also failed splinting treatment.
EXPLORING THE ANATOMY OF DORSAL RADIOCARPAL LIGAMENT OF THE WRIST AND ITS ULNAR PART: A CADAVERIC STUDY
Authors: Jariwala A. , Khurjekar K. , Whiton S. , Wigderowitz C. A.
Published: October 2012

The current study aimed to explore the anatomy of the dorsal radio-carpal ligament (DRC ligament) and to investigate the presence and histological structure of ulnar part of the DRC ligament.

Twenty cadaveric wrist joints were dissected and attachments of the DRC ligament and the newly described ulnar part of the DRC ligament were identified and noted. Samples of both ligaments were sent for histological examination.

The DRC ligament was identified in all 20 specimens with type I Mizuseki arrangement of fibres seen in 60% of wrists. The ulnar part of the DRC ligament was successfully identified in 18 of the 20 wrists. The histological observation of the ulnar part of the DRC ligament showed the highly uniform arrangement of collagen bundles typical of ligaments.

This study explores the anatomy of the DRC ligament and confirms the presence of the ulnar part of DRC ligament through histological analysis not undertaken in previous studies.
COMMUNITY ACQUIRED METHICILLIN RESISTANT STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS HAND INFECTIONS: A SOUTH PACIFIC PERSPECTIVE — CHARACTERISTICS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR ANTIBIOTIC COVERAGE
Authors: Buchanan Derek , Heiss-Dunlop Wolfgang , Mathy Jon A.
Published: October 2012

Purpose: Community acquired methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) infections are reported to be increasing worldwide. In the United States when rates exceed 15% empiric treatment is suggested. The aim of our study was to determine local rates and treatment of CA-MRSA within our region.

Methods: Nine hundred and forty-two patients were admitted to our service during a six-year period with culture-positive hand infections identified from operative cultures at the time of surgery.

Results: Sixty-six (7.0%) patients had CA-MRSA positive cultures identified. Thirty-two (48.5%) patients were noted to have remained on antibiotic treatment that did not reflect their MRSA positive status after cultures returned. Despite this, re-admission and re-operation rates were low and comparable to our non-MRSA control group.

Conclusions: Within our CA-MRSA group, current rates do not support automatic empiric treatment for CA-MRSA. Based on sensitivity data, co-trimoxazole and intravenous vancomycin are appropriate and effective antibiotic treatment within our region. Our data supports the importance of drainage of pyogenic infections in helping to resolve complicated hand infections.
SCAPHOID NON-UNIONS, WHERE DO THEY COME FROM? THE EPIDEMIOLOGY AND INITIAL PRESENTATION OF 270 SCAPHOID NON-UNIONS
Authors: Reigstad Ole , Grimsgaard Christian , Thorkildsen Rasmus , Reigstad Astor , Røkkum Magne
Published: October 2012

Scaphoid injury and subsequent non-union is a well documented and researched subject. This article gives an overview of the epidemiology and results of the patients we have treated for scaphoid non-union at a University Hospital. 283 scaphoid non-unions in 268 patients (83% men) were operated upon, 230 as a primary and 47 as a secondary. The median age at time of surgery was 27 years. One-third of the non-unions were located in the proximal part of the scaphoid and the remaining two-thirds in the middle part. Of the 146 patients (55%) who contacted a doctor at the time of injury, 53 fractures where diagnosed (20%). Fourteen (5%) were operated primarily while 39 (15%) (seven dislocated) were immobilized in plaster casts. Thirty-two (12%) were under the age of 16 at the time of injury. The average time from the injury to the initial non-union surgery was 1.5 years with 2.8 years to the second procedure. The risk of osteoarthritis increased time from injury to surgery (both primary and secondary procedures). The greatest potential for the reduction of scaphoid non-union is an increased awareness amongst younger men. There is also potential for improved accuracy in the diagnosis of scaphoid fractures (better clinical tests, the use of radiographs, CTs and MRIs) in order to identify the fracture and evaluate dislocation at the initial injury. Early diagnosis and treatment of fractures and non-unions will reduce the development of degenerative wrist changes.
OUTCOMES OF OPEN CARPAL TUNNEL RELEASES AND ITS PREDICTORS: A PROSPECTIVE STUDY
Authors: Tan Jacqueline Siau Woon , Tan Agnes Beng-Hoi
Published: October 2012

A prospective study of 74 patients who underwent open carpal tunnel releases was conducted, with a follow-up period of six months. We analyzed multiple preoperative variables in order to identify factors that might predict outcomes. These outcomes included improvement in symptom severity and functional severity scores, grip strength as well as patient satisfaction. All the patients showed improvement in symptoms with 72% showing complete symptomatic relief, 74% showing improvement in function and 66% showing improvement in grip strength, and 82% were either completely or very satisfied with the results of surgery. Older patients and patients with weakness were associated with poorer outcomes. Higher preoperative symptom severity and functional severity scores were also associated with less improvement in symptoms and function, respectively. This information would benefit the surgeons and patients during preoperative counseling and help facilitate the decision-making process for both parties.
SECONDARY SURGERIES AFTER DIGITAL REPLANTATIONS: A CASE SERIES
Authors: Matsuzaki Hironori , Kouda Hisao , Maniwa Keiichi
Published: October 2012

We evaluated the injuries, survival rats, and secondary surgeries of patients who had undergone finger replantation or revascularization between October 2005 and July 2010. The 70 digits came from 43 patients (average age, 46 years; range, 19 to 78 years; 37 men). Overall replantation survival rate was 94%; 93% (27/29) for complete amputations and 95% (39/41) for near-amputations. In all, 39 digits from 21 patients required 48 secondary surgeries; skin grafts, tenolysis, joint fusion, bone graft, osteotomy, and web plasty. The more proximal or more severe the injuries, the higher the need of secondary surgeries. The most common surgery soon after replantation was skin coverage; the most common after two months was tendon surgery. Primary repair must be adequate to restore the function and appearance of amputated digits; however, the possible need for secondary surgeries must be kept in mind to avoid restricting the options for secondary procedures.
THE BUTTON-OVER-NAIL TECHNIQUE FOR ZONE I FLEXOR TENDON INJURIES
Authors: Bidwai A. S. C. , Feldberg L.
Published: October 2012

The "button over the nail" is the most commonly used technique in order to re-insert the flexor digitorum profundus tendon into the distal phalanx in the management of Zone 1 injuries. Recent evidence in the literature has highlighted an associated morbidity with the technique. In this study, 37 patients were identified that had been treated using the "button technique", for which outcome data is collected by hand therapists as part of a prospective flexor tendon injury audit. Retrospective case note review was performed to determine incidence of post-operative surgical complications.

There were limited complications with the use of the "button technique" overall. However, functional outcome when compared to other studies are relatively poor with mean range of motion at the distal interphalangeal joint being 37.5 degrees. The authors would recommend any decision to change technique for the management of these injuries should consider functional outcome in the presence of a low surgical complication rate.
TRAUMATIC VOLAR DISLOCATION OF THE DISTAL ULNA WITH A FRACTURE OF THE ULNAR STYLOID
Authors: Sonohata Motoki , Mine Hiroko , Tsuruta Toshiyuki , Mawatari Masaaki
Published: October 2012

Isolated volar dislocation of the distal ulna without forearm fracture is very rare; however, this injury is incorrectly diagnosed in approximately 50% of cases. This injury can lead to a significant functional disability if left untreated. This report presents a case of isolated volar dislocation of the distal ulna with an ulnar styloid fracture. The dislocation was subsequently reduced, the styloid was surgically repaired, and the patient was satisfied at the last follow-up. The importance of a proper clinical examination and an accurate radiographic position of the wrist are stressed. Furthermore, clinical evaluation of the distal radioular joint after reduction is important in achieving good results. There are various strategies for the treatment of distal radioulnar joint after reduction, including conservative treatment or surgical treatment. We believe that surgical exploration could have been carried out at an earlier stage had such a lesion been suspected.

Additional case reports of other instances of successful treatment are needed to educate orthopaedic surgeons and emergency medical technicians on the nature of this type of injury.
SYNOVIAL CHONDROMATOSIS OF THE METACARPOPHALANGEAL JOINT: A CASE REPORT AND LITERATURE REVIEW
Authors: Tominaga Akiko , Takenaka Satoshi , Murase Tsuyoshi , Hashimoto Nobuyuki , Naka Norifumi , Yoshikawa Hideki
Published: October 2012

Synovial chondromatosis of the small joints of the hand is rare. Here, we present a case of synovial chondromatosis in the metacarpophalangeal joint that did not show calcification on radiographs. Synovectomy and resection of cartilagenous loose bodies was successful and there was no recurrence after eight months.
SINGLE CLUBBED FINGER CAUSED BY AN ENCHONDROMA OF THE DISTAL PHALANX: AN UNUSUAL CLINICAL PRESENTATION
Authors: Nishio Jun , Naito Masatoshi
Published: October 2012

Single clubbed finger is an extremely rare condition that may show the presence of an underlying neoplasm of the distal phalanx. We describe a case of clubbing in a young adult patient with an enchondroma of the ring finger distal phalanx. The patient had a history of antecedent trauma to the left ring finger, suggesting the diagnosis of intraosseous epidermoid cyst rather than enchondroma. The lesion was successfully treated by curettage and packing of the bony defect with a synthetic bone substitute. Histologically, the tumour consisted of small, uniform chondrocytes without cytologic atypia. At the seven months follow-up, the patient had no evidence of recurrence, with a nearly normal-looking finger. We suggest that enchondroma should be considered in the differential diagnosis of clubbing in a single digit.
ROBOT WORKSPACE OPTIMIZATION USING A NOVEL MODIFIED DIFFERENTIAL EVOLUTIONARY TECHNIQUE
Authors: PANDA S. , MISHRA D. , BISWAL B. B. , CHOUDHURY B. B.
Published: October 2012

Robotic manipulators with three-revolute (3R) family of positional configurations are very common in the industrial robots (IRs). The capability of a robot largely depends on the workspace (WS) of the manipulator apart from other parameters. With the constraints in mind, the optimization of the workspace is of prime importance in designing the manipulator. The problem is formulated as a constrained optimization problem with workspace volume as objective function. It is observed that the previous literature is confined to use of conventional soft computing algorithms only, while a new search algorithm is conceptualized and proposed to improve the computational time. The proposed algorithm differs from the conventional differential evolutionary (DE) algorithm only in the place of initialization and selection. The algorithm gives a good set of geometric parameters of manipulator within the applied constrained limits. The availability of such an algorithm for optimizing the workspace is important, especially for highly constrained environments. The efficiency of the proposed approach to optimize the workspace of 3R manipulators is exhibited through diverse cases.
A FULLY STRESSED DESIGN METHOD TO DETERMINE THE OPTIMUM STRUT-AND-TIE MODEL FOR BEAM–COLUMN CONNECTIONS
Authors: ÖZKAL FATİH MEHMET , UYSAL HABİB
Published: October 2012

Topology optimization and strut-and-tie model methods have a remarkable success in the detailing of reinforced concrete structures, especially for discontinuity regions of the beam–column connections. However, it has always been complicated to determine an optimum design throughout all the offers of an optimization process, since it is not obvious which of the decision variables should be considered in order to select the optimum design. This paper presents the application of a new selection method on topology optimization and strut-and-tie modeling of the beam–column connections. A performance index formulation assists the selection of the optimum design from the process by considering the fully stressed design concept unlikely other performance indices. Former indices take just one of the structural criterions into consideration such as stress, strain energy, displacement, etc. The efficiency and capability of the approach have been demonstrated by the comparison of element removal criterions and different parameter values on several bidimensional design examples.
NUMERICAL ANALYSIS OF A TWO PHASE FLOW MODEL
Authors: ABDELWAHED MOHAMED , AMARA MOHAMED
Published: October 2012

Due to ever increasing water demand, the preservation of water quality is becoming a very important issue. Eutrophication is amongst the particular problems threatening the quality of water. This paper begins with presenting a mathematical model for aeration process in lake used to combat water eutrophication. Two phases are numerically simulated to study the injected air effect on water by using a corrected one phase model described by Navier–Stokes equations with variable density and viscosity representing the mixture. This model is numerically studied by coupling characteristics scheme for time discretization and mixed finite element method for space approximation. An error estimates in space and time for the velocity are obtained. Numerical results are given firstly in support of the mathematical analysis and secondly to simulate a real application case of the studied problem.
A MLS-BASED LATTICE SPRING MODEL FOR SIMULATING ELASTICITY OF MATERIALS
Authors: ZHAO GAO-FENG , FANG JIANNONG , ZHAO JIAN
Published: October 2012

A MLS-based lattice spring model is presented for numerical modeling of elasticity of materials. In the model, shear springs between particles are introduced in addition to normal springs. However, the unknowns contain only particle displacements but no particle rotations. The novelty of the model lies in that the deformations of shear springs are computed by using the local strain obtained by the moving least squares (MLS) approximation rather than using the particle displacements directly. By doing so, the proposed lattice spring model can represent the diversity of Poisson's ratio without violating the requirement of rotational invariance. Relationships between micro spring parameters and macro material constants are derived from the Cauchy-born rules and the hyperelastic theory. Numerical examples show that the proposed model is able to reproduce elastic solutions obtained by finite element methods for problems without fractures. Therefore, it is capable of simulating solid materials which are initially continuous, but eventually fracture when critical stress and/or displacement levels are reached. A demonstrating example is presented.
STUDY OF THE STRENGTH REDUCTION DDA METHOD AND ITS APPLICATION TO MOUNTAIN TUNNEL
Authors: XIA CAICHU , XU CHONGBANG , ZHAO XU
Published: October 2012

The stability of tunnel surrounding rock is the mainly concerned content during tunnel design and construction procedure. It is one of the main tasks for researchers to accurately estimate the stability of tunnel surrounding rock. Generally, determined by its engineering geological features, surrounding rock of mountain tunnel is cut by joints into discontinuous blocks, which can be more accurately analyzed by discontinuum-base numerical methods, e.g., the discontinuous deformation analysis (DDA) method. In addition, progress of deformation and failure of tunnel surrounding rock is often a nonlinear catastrophe behavior, so that it is feasible to determine the tunnel stability by the catastrophe theory. The strength reduction method can be used to simulate failure progress development in its computation procedure by reducing the strength parameters. Based on the DDA method, the strength reduction method and the catastrophe theory are adopted to study the stability of tunnel surrounding rock. Firstly, the strength reduction method is used to obtain the function of displacement and the reduction factor varies, and then the catastrophe theory is used to judge the critical state of surrounding rock based on the function curve. The reduction factor at this critical point is defined as the stability safety factor of the tunnel. Thus the stability status of the surrounding rock can be determined. Jinjishan multiple-arch tunnel is a big span tunnel with eight traffic lanes, which is a very important project of the second phase project of Fuzhou city airport. This method is put into application of this project to guarantee safety of the tunnel.
USING VON KARMAN NONLINEAR DISPLACEMENT FUNCTIONS IN THE FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS OF FUNCTIONALLY GRADED COLUMN
Authors: TAEPRASARTSIT SOMPON
Published: October 2012

This paper focuses on deriving the exact displacement fields of a functionally graded column (FGC) subjected to mechanical and thermal loads under the assumptions of the Timoshenko beam theory and von Karman strains. Valid only when an axial load is present, the obtained displacement fields are, therefore, not applicable in pure bending analysis. These displacement fields are used as the interpolation functions for formulating static finite element equations whose DOFs are arbitrary constants rather than nodal displacements. The element is super-convergent in von Karman nonlinear analysis, and its superiority over beam elements formulated by using linear exact displacement fields is shown in two examples: (1) the buckling analysis of a stepped FGC, and (2) an FGC subjected to a thermal load. Also investigated is the efficiency of using von Karman nonlinear displacement fields as the interpolation functions for analyzing cases in which the level of nonlinearity is higher than that of the von Karman strain.
AN IMPROVED FINITE ELEMENT METHOD FOR CRACKS WITH MULTIPLE BRANCHES
Authors: AN X. M. , MA G. W. , ZHANG H. H. , LI L. X.
Published: October 2012

The conventional finite element method is improved to tackle complex cracks with multiple branches. The parasitic nodes are introduced to the nodes whose nodal support is completely cut by the crack surfaces, while the nodes whose supports contain crack tips inside are accordingly enriched by the crack tip functions. The principle to set parasitic nodes is regulated, and the relation to the previous methods is dissected. The formulation of the present method is derived, and numerical experiments are conducted. The results show that the present method can treat complex cracks conveniently and efficiently, and the unknowns have a clear physical interpretation.
AUTOMATED EXTRACTION OF THE INNER CONTOUR OF THE ANTERIOR CHAMBER USING OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY IMAGES
Authors: SHU PENG , SUN YANKUI
Published: October 2012

Manual analysis of anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) images is fairly time consuming, and inter-observer reproducibility cannot be guaranteed. Therefore, automated analysis methods of AS-OCT images are necessary in clinical applications. This paper presents a novel approach to extract the inner contour of the anterior chamber automatically from AS-OCT images using a "divide-and-conquer" strategy. We first find the anchor points in an image and these points are used to divide the image into subimages where the iris, lens and cornea are located. Then the endothelial surface of the cornea, lens surface and iris surface are obtained from these subimages with different schemes, and they are merged together to obtain the complete inner contour. In our method, the endothelial surface of the cornea is fitted by using three circular arcs under continuity constraints. Experiments show that the proposed algorithm can extract the inner contour of the anterior chamber from AS-OCT images accurately in real time.
NOVEL BLUE-EMITTING KSrBP2O8: Eu2+ PHOSPHOR FOR NEAR-UV LIGHT-EMITTING DIODES
Authors: WEN YAN , WANG YUHUA , LIU BITAO , ZHANG FENG , SHI YURONG
Published: October 2012

A blue-emitting borophosphate KSrBP2O8: Eu2+ is synthesized and evaluated as a candidate for near ultraviolet white light emitting diodes. This phosphor shows strong excitation band in 250~420 nm, and a broad and asymmetry emission band with a tail on the long-wavelength side. According to investigating on the crystal structure, the asymmetry emission band results from the certain degree of substitutional disorder of Eu 2+ in KSrBP2O8: Eu2+ . The emission intensity of the optimal sample with 5% Eu 2+ is reached to 89% of that of the commercial BaMgAl10O17: Eu2+ under excitation at 365 nm, and the quantum efficiency of the optimal sample is 48.9%. The results reveal that the potential application of KSrBP2O8: 5% Eu2+ as a blue-emitting UV convertible phosphor for white light emitting diodes is feasible.
TWO-DIMENSIONAL FINITE ELEMENT MODEL TO STUDY CALCIUM DISTRIBUTION IN ASTROCYTES IN PRESENCE OF VGCC AND EXCESS BUFFER
Authors: JHA BRAJESH KUMAR , ADLAKHA NEERU , MEHTA M. N.
Published: October 2012

Astrocyte plays a pivotal role in synaptic transmission with neuron. It maintains the ionic concentration in synapse to regulate signals from one cell to another. Calcium known as second messenger plays an important role in signal transduction. There are so many physiological processes that affect the cytosolic calcium concentration [ Ca2+]ilike calcium buffering, flow of calcium ion through channels, etc. The modeling of calcium signaling in astrocytes has become more sophisticated. The modeling effort has provided insight to understand the cell contraction. Main objective of this work is to study the effect of voltage-gated calcium channel on calcium profile under excess buffer approximation in the form of diffusion equation. A mathematical model is developed in the form of diffusion equation for the calcium profile. The model incorporates the important physiological parameter like diffusion coefficient association rate constant, etc. Appropriate boundary conditions have been framed. Finite element method is employed to solve the problem. A MATLAB program has been developed for the entire problem and simulated to compute the numerical results.
FREEZE PROTECTION METHOD USING HOT WATER FOR PASSIVE SOLAR WATER HEATING SYSTEM
Authors: HONG HIKI , KIM JONG HYUN , CHUNG JAE DONG , KUMANO HIROYUKI , REINDL DOUGLAS
Published: October 2012

In the present work, a new freeze protection method is introduced with intended applications for passive solar water heaters. Though electro-thermal wire heat tracing is popularly used to prevent freezing with subsequent risk of burst, this approach is problematic due to resistance heater failure and excessive electric power consumption. In the experimental device, hot water in thermal storage tank is used to heat the outlet pipe from the tank when the surface temperature of the pipe falls lower than a pre-determined set point. The cold water pipe to the thermal storage tank is installed in direct contact with the hot water pipe, controlling its temperature by conduction with the hot water pipe.
EXACT SOLUTION OF THE SIX-VERTEX MODEL WITH DOMAIN WALL BOUNDARY CONDITIONS: CRITICAL LINE BETWEEN DISORDERED AND ANTIFERROELECTRIC PHASES
Authors: BLEHER PAVEL , BOTHNER THOMAS
Published: October 2012

In the present paper we obtain the large N asymptotics of the partition function ZN of the six-vertex model with domain wall boundary conditions on the critical line between the disordered and antiferroelectric phases. Using the weights a = 1 - x, b = 1 + x, c = 2, |x| < 1, we prove that, as N → ∞, ZN = CFN2N1/12(1 + O(N-1)), where F is given by an explicit expression in x and the x-dependency in C is determined. This result reproduces and improves the one given in the physics literature by Bogoliubov, Kitaev and Zvonarev [Boundary polarization in the six-vertex model, Phys. Rev. E65 (2002) 026126]. Furthermore, we prove that the free energy exhibits an infinite-order phase transition between the disordered and antiferroelectric phases. Our proofs are based on the large N asymptotics for the underlying orthogonal polynomials which involve a non-analytical weight function, the Deift–Zhou non-linear steepest descent method to the corresponding Riemann–Hilbert problem, and the Toda equation for the tau-function.
Satyendra Nath Bose – His Life and Times
Authors: Wali Kameshwar C.
Published: October 2012

Considering Bose's legendary association with Einstein and a remarkable discovery to his credit, one might expect him to be better known in the international sphere. However, little is known about him outside India. Quite often he is thought to be from Germany, name misspelt without the "umlaut" on "o". Even in India, he is often confused with Jagadish Chandra Bose, who was the first 19th century scientist from the country to have received worldwide recognition for his experiments on wireless transmission as well as his experiments with plants, demonstrating such vital characteristics in them as growth, nervous system and other distinguishing features of animal life.
Commentary: A Trip Without a Roadmap
Authors: Christy Peter
Published: October 2012

Viewed broadly, programming projects fail far more often than they succeed. In some cases, failure is a useful step toward success, but all too often it is simply failure.
Zyzzyva
Authors: Kotla Ramakrishna , Alvisi Lorenzo , Dahlin Mike , Clement Allen , Wong Edmund
Published: October 2012

A longstanding vision in distributed systems is to build reliable systems from unreliable components. An enticing formulation of this vision is Byzantine Fault-Tolerant (BFT) state machine replication, in which a group of servers collectively act as a correct server even if some of the servers misbehave or malfunction in arbitrary (“Byzantine”) ways. Despite this promise, practitioners hesitate to deploy BFT systems, at least partly because of the perception that BFT must impose high overheads.

In this article, we present Zyzzyva, a protocol that uses speculation to reduce the cost of BFT replication. In Zyzzyva, replicas reply to a client's request without first running an expensive three-phase commit protocol to agree on the order to process requests. Instead, they optimistically adopt the order proposed by a primary server, process the request, and reply immediately to the client. If the primary is faulty, replicas can become temporarily inconsistent with one another, but clients detect inconsistencies, help correct replicas converge on a single total ordering of requests, and only rely on responses that are consistent with this total order. This approach allows Zyzzyva to reduce replication overheads to near their theoretical minima and to achieve throughputs of tens of thousands of requests per second, making BFT replication practical for a broad range of demanding services.
Report on INEX 2008
Authors: Demartin Gianluca , Denoye Ludovic , Douce Antoine , Fachry Khairun Nisa , Gallinar Patrick , Gev Shlomo , Huang Wei-Che , Iofciu Tereza , Kamps Jaap , Kazai Gabriella , Koolen Marijn , Landoni Monica , Nordlie Ragnar , Pharo Nils , Schenkel Ralf , Theobald Martin , Trotman Andrew , de Vries Arjen P. , Woodley Alan , Zhu Jianhan
Published: October 2012

INEX investigates focused retrieval from structured documents by providing large test collections of structured documents, uniform evaluation measures, and a forum for organizations to compare their results. This paper reports on the INEX 2008 evaluation campaign, which consisted of a wide range of tracks: Ad hoc, Book, Efficiency, Entity Ranking, Interactive, QA, Link the Wiki, and XML Mining.
EVIA 2008
Authors: Sakai Tetsuya , Sanderson Mark , Kando Noriko
Published: October 2012

The Second International Workshop on Evaluating Information Access (EVIA 2008) was held at the National Institute of Informatics, Tokyo, Japan on December 16th, 2008. It was composed of sessions covering various aspects of information access evaluation and featured eleven refereed regular and short papers and two unrefereed very short" papers.
AIR 2008
Authors: Joho Hideo , Hopfgartner Frank , Jose Joemon M. , van Rijsbergen C. J.
Published: October 2012

This report describes AIR 2008, the second international workshop on Adaptive Information Retrieval (AIR), held in October 2008 at London, UK. The workshop attracted over 30 participants across the world and the largest workshop held in conjunction with IIiX 2008. The presentation ranged widely from theories to practices on Adaptive Information Retrieval. The workshop consisted of two keynote presentations, three oral presentations, breakout sessions, and poster session.
Using topic shifts in content-oriented XML retrieval
Authors: Ashoori Elham
Published: October 2012

Content-oriented XML retrieval systems support access to XML repositories by retrieving, in response to user queries, XML document components (XML elements) instead of whole documents. The retrieved XML elements should not only contain information relevant to the query, but also should be specific to the given query (i.e. do not discuss other irrelevant topics).

To score XML elements according to how relevant and specific they are given a query, the content and logical structure of XML documents have been widely used. This thesis aims to examine a new source of evidence deriving from the semantic decomposition of XML documents. We consider that XML documents can be semantically decomposed through the application of a topic segmentation algorithm. Using the semantic decomposition and the logical structure of XML documents, we define the notion of topic shifts in an XML element. We then formalise the number of topic shifts to reflect the element's relevance, and more particularly its specificness, to the given user's query.

This thesis investigates the use of topic shifts in content-oriented XML retrieval, which is mainly involved in retrieving information from semi-structured (XML) documents. First, we examine the characteristics of XML elements reflected by their number of topic shifts. Second, we use the number of topic shifts to estimate the relevance of the elements in the collection. Finally, we use topic shifts to provide a
focused access
to XML documents, which aims to determine not only relevant elements, but those at the right level of granularity.

The main contributions of this thesis are the introduction of topic shifts in the context of content-oriented XML retrieval and the extensive evaluation of the ways this evidence can be employed in retrieving XML elements. This thesis demonstrates that topic shifts in XML elements constitute a useful source of evidence for both improving the ranking of XML elements, and determining elements at the right level of granularity in content-oriented XML retrieval.

The thesis is available online at http://elham.ashoori.org/publications/phd-thesis.pdf.
The voting model for people search
Authors: Macdonald Craig
Published: October 2012

An expert search engine aims to assist users with their expertise need - instead of ranking documents, possible candidate experts in an enterprise organisation with relevant expertise are suggested in response to a query. This thesis investigates people search tasks such as expert search, and how persons can be ranked in response to a query, such that those with relevant expertise to the query are ranked first. The expertise areas of the persons are represented by documentary evidence of expertise, known as candidate profiles. The statement of this research work is that people search tasks in general and expert search in particular can be successfully and effectively modelled using a voting paradigm.
Content and structure summarisation for accessing XML documents
Authors: Szlávik Zoltán
Published: October 2012

As the availability of structured documents is constantly increasing, retrieval systems able to return document portions are being developed. Structured documents, usually formatted in XML, may consist of large numbers of document portions, often organised into a hierarchical logical structure. With the high number of document portions, it is necessary to direct the attention of users of retrieval systems towards the most important document portions, and also, to give overviews of the structure of documents, in other words, to show document portions in context. This thesis investigates summarisation as a means to help searchers of XML retrieval systems in the process of accessing the contents of document portions. Two types of summarisation are investigated.

First, summaries of the textual contents of document portions, called XML elements, are studied in a user-based environment. Traditionally, summarisation is associated with whole documents or document sets, but rarely with document portions. As summaries of documents have been proved to be useful in whole document retrieval, it is considered worthwhile to investigate summaries of document portions in XML element retrieval. Summaries of elements are presented to searchers in the context of other elements from the document. The textual summaries of elements also reflect the searchers' information needs: they are query based.

The second type of summarisation investigated in this thesis is called structure summarisation. The automatic generation of tables of contents, as structure summaries, is described and examined. ToC generation is studied either when searchers' queries are available (query based structure summarisation) or otherwise (query independent structure summarisation).

The work presented in this thesis has made several contributions to the fields of summarisation and interactive XML retrieval.

The thesis is available online at http://www.dcs.qmul.ac.uk/~zolley/thesis.html.
On Developing New Models, with Paging as a Case Study
Authors: Dorrigiv Reza , López-Ortiz Alejandro
Published: October 2012

As computer science has progressed, numerous models and measures have been developed over the years. Among the most commonly used in theoretical computer science are the RAM model, the I/O model, worst case analysis, space (memory) usage, average case analysis, amortized analysis, adaptive analysis and the competitive ratio. New models are added to this list every few years to re ect varying constraints imposed by novel application or advances in computer architectures. Examples of alternative models are the transdichotomous RAM or word-RAM, the data stream model, the MapReduce model, the cache oblivious model and the smoothed analysis model. New models and measures, when successful expand our understanding of computation and open new avenues of inquiry. As it is to be expected relatively few models and paradigms are introduced every year, and even less are eventually proven successful. In this paper we discuss rst certain shortcomings of the online competitive analysis model particularly as it concerns paging, discuss existing solutions in the literature as well as present recent progress in developing models and measures that better re ect actual practice for the case of paging. From there we proceed to a more general discussion on how to measure and evaluate new models within theoretical computer science and how to contrast them, when appropriate, to existing models. Lastly, we highlight certain \natural" choices and assumptions of the standard worst-case model which are often unstated and rarely explicitly justied. We contrast these choices to those made in the formalization of probability theory.