bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Validation of ultrasonography for non‐invasive assessment of diaphragm function in muscular dystrophy
Authors: Whitehead Nicholas P. , Bible Kenneth L. , Kim Min Jeong , Odom Guy L. , Adams Marvin E. , Froehner Stanley C.
Published: August 2016

Key points

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a severe, degenerative muscle disease that is commonly studied using the mdx mouse. The mdx diaphragm muscle closely mimics the pathophysiological changes in DMD muscles.

mdx diaphragm force is commonly assessed ex vivo, precluding time course studies. Here we used ultrasonography to evaluate time‐dependent changes in diaphragm function in vivo, by measuring diaphragm movement amplitude.

In mdx mice, diaphragm amplitude decreased with age and values were much lower than for wild‐type mice. Importantly, diaphragm amplitude strongly correlated with ex vivo specific force values.

Micro‐dystrophin administration increased mdx diaphragm amplitude by 26% after 4 weeks. Diaphragm amplitude correlated positively with ex vivo force values and negatively with diaphragm fibrosis, a major cause of DMD muscle weakness.

These studies validate diaphragm ultrasonography as a reliable technique for assessing time‐dependent changes in mdx diaphragm function in vivo. This technique will be valuable for testing potential therapies for DMD.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a severe, degenerative muscle disease caused by dystrophin mutations. The mdx mouse is a widely used animal model of DMD. The mdx diaphragm muscle most closely recapitulates key features of DMD muscles, including progressive fibrosis and considerable force loss. Diaphragm function in mdx mice is commonly evaluated by specific force measurements ex vivo. While useful, this method only measures force from a small muscle sample at one time point. Therefore, accurate assessment of diaphragm function in vivo would provide an important advance to study the time course of functional decline and treatment benefits. Here, we evaluated an ultrasonography technique for measuring time‐dependent changes of diaphragm function in mdx mice. Diaphragm movement amplitude values for mdx mice were considerably lower than those for wild‐type, decreased from 8 to 18 months of age, and correlated strongly with ex vivo specific force. We then investigated the time course of diaphragm amplitude changes following administration of an adeno‐associated viral vector expressing Flag‐micro‐dystrophin (AAV‐μDys) to young adult mdx mice. Diaphragm amplitude peaked 4 weeks after AAV‐μDys administration, and was 26% greater than control mdx mice at this time. This value decreased slightly to 21% above mdx controls after 12 weeks of treatment. Importantly, diaphragm amplitude again correlated strongly with ex vivo specific force. Also, diaphragm amplitude and specific force negatively correlated with fibrosis levels in the muscle. Together, our results validate diaphragm ultrasonography as a reliable technique for assessing time‐dependent changes in dystrophic diaphragm function in vivo, and for evaluating potential therapies for DMD.
Selective accumulation of biotin in arterial chemoreceptors: requirement for carotid body exocytotic dopamine secretion
Authors: Ortega‐Sáenz Patricia , Macías David , Levitsky Konstantin L. , Rodríguez‐Gómez José A. , González‐Rodríguez Patricia , Bonilla‐Henao Victoria , Arias‐Mayenco Ignacio , López‐Barneo José
Published: August 2016

Key points

Biotin, a vitamin whose main role is as a coenzyme for carboxylases, accumulates at unusually large amounts within cells of the carotid body (CB).

In biotin‐deficient rats biotin rapidly disappears from the blood; however, it remains at relatively high levels in CB glomus cells. The CB contains high levels of mRNA for SLC5a6, a biotin transporter, and SLC19a3, a thiamine transporter regulated by biotin.

Animals with biotin deficiency exhibit pronounced metabolic lactic acidosis. Remarkably, glomus cells from these animals have normal electrical and neurochemical properties. However, they show a marked decrease in the size of quantal dopaminergic secretory events.

Inhibitors of the vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2) mimic the effect of biotin deficiency. In biotin‐deficient animals, VMAT2 protein expression decreases in parallel with biotin depletion in CB cells.

These data suggest that dopamine transport and/or storage in small secretory granules in glomus cells depend on biotin.

Biotin is a water‐soluble vitamin required for the function of carboxylases as well as for the regulation of gene expression. Here, we report that biotin accumulates in unusually large amounts in cells of arterial chemoreceptors, carotid body (CB) and adrenal medulla (AM). We show in a biotin‐deficient rat model that the vitamin rapidly disappears from the blood and other tissues (including the AM), while remaining at relatively high levels in the CB. We have also observed that, in comparison with other peripheral neural tissues, CB cells contain high levels of SLC5a6, a biotin transporter, and SLC19a3, a thiamine transporter regulated by biotin. Biotin‐deficient rats show a syndrome characterized by marked weight loss, metabolic lactic acidosis, aciduria and accelerated breathing with normal responsiveness to hypoxia. Remarkably, CB cells from biotin‐deficient animals have normal electrophysiological and neurochemical (ATP levels and catecholamine synthesis) properties; however, they exhibit a marked decrease in the size of quantal catecholaminergic secretory events, which is not seen in AM cells. A similar differential secretory dysfunction is observed in CB cells treated with tetrabenazine, a selective inhibitor of the vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2). VMAT2 is highly expressed in glomus cells (in comparison with VMAT1), and in biotin‐deficient animals VMAT2 protein expression decreases in parallel with the decrease of biotin accumulated in CB cells. These data suggest that biotin has an essential role in the homeostasis of dopaminergic transmission modulating the transport and/or storage of transmitters within small secretory granules in glomus cells.
HCN channels segregate stimulation‐evoked movement responses in neocortex and allow for coordinated forelimb movements in rodents
Authors: Boychuk Jeffery A. , Farrell Jordan S. , Palmer Laura A. , Singleton Anna C. , Pittman Quentin J. , Teskey G. Campbell
Published: August 2016

Key points

The present study tested whether HCN channels contribute to the organization of motor cortex and to skilled motor behaviour during a forelimb reaching task.

Experimental reductions in HCN channel signalling increase the representation of complex multiple forelimb movements in motor cortex as assessed by intracortical microstimulation.

Global HCN1KO mice exhibit reduced reaching accuracy and atypical movements during a single‐pellet reaching task relative to wild‐type controls.

Acute pharmacological inhibition of HCN channels in forelimb motor cortex decreases reaching accuracy and increases atypical movements during forelimb reaching.

The mechanisms by which distinct movements of a forelimb are generated from the same area of motor cortex have remained elusive. Here we examined a role for HCN channels, given their ability to alter synaptic integration, in the expression of forelimb movement responses during intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) and movements of the forelimb on a skilled reaching task. We used short‐duration high‐resolution ICMS to evoke forelimb movements following pharmacological (ZD7288), experimental (electrically induced cortical seizures) or genetic approaches that we confirmed with whole‐cell patch clamp to substantially reduce Ih current. We observed significant increases in the number of multiple movement responses evoked at single sites in motor maps to all three experimental manipulations in rats or mice. Global HCN1 knockout mice were less successful and exhibited atypical movements on a skilled‐motor learning task relative to wild‐type controls. Furthermore, in reaching‐proficient rats, reaching accuracy was reduced and forelimb movements were altered during infusion of ZD7288 within motor cortex. Thus, HCN channels play a critical role in the separation of overlapping movement responses and allow for successful reaching behaviours. These data provide a novel mechanism for the encoding of multiple movement responses within shared networks of motor cortex. This mechanism supports a viewpoint of primary motor cortex as a site of dynamic integration for behavioural output.
High-Temperature Deformation of Inconel 718PlusTM
Authors: Ozturk Utkudeniz , Maria Cabrera Jose , Calvo Jessica
Published: August 2016

Since its introduction in 2003, alloy 718PlusTM spurred a lot of interest owing to its increased maximum service temperature over conventional Inconel 718 (704 °C versus 650 °C), good formability, and weldability together with its moderate cost. Understanding the high-temperature deformation characteristics and microstructural evolution is still of interest to many. It is known that the service performance and hot-flow behavior of this alloy are a strong function of the microstructure, particularly the grain size. To develop precise microstructure evolution models and foresee the final microstructure, it is important to understand how and under which forming conditions softening and precipitation processes occur concurrently. In this work, the softening behavior, its mechanisms, and the precipitation characteristics of 718PlusTM were investigated in two parallel studies. While cylindrical compression tests were employed to observe the hot-flow behavior, the precipitation behavior and other microstructural phenomena such as particle coarsening were tracked via hardness measurements. A precipitation–temperature–time (PTT) diagram was reported, and modeling of the flow curves via hyperbolic sine model was discussed in the light of the PTT behavior. Both “apparent” approach and “physically based” approach are implemented and two different sets of parameters were reported for the latter. Finally, recovery and recrystallization kinetics are described via Estrin–Mecking and Bergstrom, and Avrami kinetics, respectively.
Potential of Retrofit Passive Flow Control for Small Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines
Authors: Holst D. , Pechlivanoglou G. , Wegner F. , Nayeri C. N. , Paschereit C. O.
Published: August 2016

The present paper analyzes the effect of passive flow control (PFC) with respect to the retrofitting on small horizontal axis wind turbines (sHAWTs). We conducted extensive wind tunnel studies on a high performance low Reynolds airfoil using different PFC elements, i.e., vortex generators (VGs) and Gurney flaps (GF). qblade, an open source blade element momentum (BEM) code, is used to study the retrofitting potential of a simulated small wind turbine. The turbine design is presented and discussed. The simulations include the data and polars gained from the experiments and give further insight into the effects of PFC on sHAWTs. Therefore, several different blades were simulated using several variations of VG positions. This paper discusses their influence on the turbine performance. The authors especially focus on the startup performance as well as achieving increased power output at lower wind speeds. The vortex generators reduce the risk of laminar separation and enhance the lift in some configurations by more than 40% at low Reynolds numbers.
CO2 Emissions Reduction From Coal-Fired Power Generation: A Techno-Economic Comparison
Authors: Tola Vittorio , Cau Giorgio , Ferrara Francesca , Pettinau Alberto
Published: August 2016

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) represents a key solution to control the global warming reducing carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants. This study reports a comparative performance assessment of different power generation technologies, including ultrasupercritical (USC) pulverized coal combustion plant with postcombustion CO2 capture, integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) with precombustion CO2 capture, and oxy-coal combustion (OCC) unit. These three power plants have been studied considering traditional configuration, without CCS, and a more complex configuration with CO2 capture. These technologies (with and without CCS systems) have been compared from both the technical and economic points of view, considering a reference thermal input of 1000 MW. As for CO2 storage, the sequestration in saline aquifers has been considered. Whereas a conventional (without CCS) coal-fired USC power plant results to be more suitable than IGCC for power generation, IGCC becomes more competitive for CO2-free plants, being the precombustion CO2 capture system less expensive (from the energetic point of view) than the postcombustion one. In this scenario, oxy-coal combustion plant is currently not competitive with USC and IGCC, due to the low industrial experience, which means higher capital and operating costs and a lower plant operating reliability. But in a short-term future, a progressive diffusion of commercial-scale OCC plants will allow a reduction of capital costs and an improvement of the technology, with higher efficiency and reliability. This means that OCC promises to become competitive with USC and also with IGCC.
Nearfield and farfield measurements of dolphin echolocation beam patterns: No evidence of focusing
Authors: Finneran James J. , Mulsow Jason , Branstetter Brian , Moore Patrick , Houser Dorian S.
Published: August 2016

The potential for bottlenose dolphins to actively focus their biosonar transmissions was examined by measuring emitted clicks in four dolphins using horizontal, planar hydrophone arrays. Two hydrophone configurations were used: a rectangular array with hydrophones 0.2 to 2 m from the dolphins and a polar array with hydrophones 0.5 to 5 m from the dolphins. The biosonar task was a target change detection utilizing physical targets at ranges from 1.3 to 6.3 m with all subjects and “phantom” targets at simulated ranges from 2.5 to 20 m with two subjects. To provide a basis for evaluating the experimental data, sound fields radiated from flat and focused circular pistons were mathematically simulated using transient excitation functions similar to dolphin clicks. The array measurements showed no evidence that the dolphins adaptively focused their click emissions; axial amplitudes and iso-amplitude contours matched the pattern of the simulation results for flat transducers and showed a single region of maximum amplitude, beyond which spherical spreading loss was approximated.
Inadvertent yellow fever vaccination of a patient with Crohn's disease treated with infliximab and methotrexate
Authors: Ekenberg Christina , Friis-Møller Nina , Ulstrup Thomas , Aalykke Claus
Published: August 2016

We present a case of a 56-year-old woman with Crohn's disease, treated with methotrexate and infliximab, who inadvertently received yellow fever vaccination (YFV) prior to a journey to Tanzania. She was not previously vaccinated against YF. YFV contains live-attenuated virus, and is contraindicated in patients treated with immunosuppressive drugs. Following vaccination, the patient fell ill with influenza-like illness. Elevated transaminase levels and YF viremia were detected. Despite being immunocompromised, the patient did not develop more severe adverse effects. Neutralising antibodies to YF virus were detected on day 14 following vaccination and remained protective at least 10 months after vaccination. Limited data is available on outcomes of YFV in patients receiving immunosuppressive therapy, including biologics, and we report this case as a reminder of vigilance of vaccine recommendations in this population.
Rare bilateral presentation of morning glory disc anomaly
Authors: Dedhia Chintan Jethalal , Gogri Pratik Yeshwant , Rani Padmaja Kumari
Published: August 2016

A 4-year-old girl presented with a history of poor vision and oscillation of both eyes since infancy. Ocular examination revealed the best corrected visual acuity of 2/60 in right eye and 3/60 in left eye. Horizontal pendular nystagmus was present in both eyes. Fundus examination revealed morning glory disc anomaly (MGDA) bilaterally. Radiographic imaging of the brain revealed central nervous system anomalies. The guarded visual prognosis was explained and the patient referred for low vision rehabilitation and advised yearly follow-up. MGDA is very rarely bilateral. We aim to highlight the distinguishing features of bilateral MGDA from other excavated optic nerve head anomalies which could also present bilaterally but vary in their associations, management and prognosis.
Enigma: infection or allergy? Vancomycin-induced DRESS syndrome with dialysis-dependent renal failure and cardiac arrest
Authors: Webb Philip Simon , Al-Mohammad Abdallah
Published: August 2016

A man aged 73 years with infective endocarditis presented with septic shock and was started on immediate antimicrobial therapy. His blood culture yielded no organism. Subsequently, he developed a severe allergic reaction to prolonged empirical vancomycin therapy. This manifested as fever, widespread maculopapular rash and severe progressive acute kidney injury ultimately requiring dialysis. In the context of eosinophilia, this was determined to be drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) syndrome. Deciphering this complication as allergy in the context of severe infection required extreme caution due to the polarity of treatment with immunosuppression. Ultimately, this was used, with improvement of renal function, resolution of symptoms and absence of recurrence of infection. In summary, we present a case of vancomycin-related DRESS syndrome leading to dialysis—which is unique in the literature—complicating the treatment of culture-negative infective endocarditis.
Smouldering retinopathy of prematurity: a case treated by multiple antivascular endothelial growth factor therapy
Authors: Balakrishnan Divya , Ambiya Vikas , Jalali Subhadra , Rani Padmaja Kumari
Published: August 2016

A 13 months old female baby born at 24 weeks of gestational age (GA) presented with stage 4A retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) with plus disease in the right eye and stage 3 with plus disease in the left eye. The baby was diagnosed with stage 3 zone 2 ROP in both eyes with plus disease at 32 weeks of GA and received intravitreal bevacizumab in both eyes. The baby received intravitreal bevacizumab and ranibizumab injections at 39 and 57 weeks of postmenstrual age (PMA), respectively for recurrence. Laser treatment to peripheral avascular retina was carried out at 67 weeks of PMA. The right eye progressed to stage 4A and left eye developed pre-retinal haemorrhages. This case reports late recurrence treated with initial multiple antivascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) injections alone. One should be cautious in using anti-VEGF agents as a monotherapy in cases of ROP that appear different from the current understanding of the natural course of the disease.
Studies on the biofilm produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa grown in different metal fatty acid salt media and its application in biodegradation of fatty acids and bioremediation of heavy metal ions
Authors: Abinaya Sindu P. , Gautam Pennathur
Published: August 2016

Metal fatty acid salts (MFAS) in untreated industrial effluents cause environmental pollution. The use of biocompatible agents for remediation may help in reducing the harm caused to the ambient aquatic organism. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a ubiquitous organism that thrives under harsh conditions and is resistant to toxic metal ions. The present study shows a proof-of-concept of using this organism in the biodegradation of MFAS. MFAS were prepared and we studied their effect on the growth of the planktonic form and the formation of biofilm by P. aeruginosa. We observed biofilm formation in the presence of all the MFAS when used as the sole carbon source, albeit the quantity of biofilm formed in the presence of cadmium and copper was less. There was no effect on the planktonic form of the organism but the formation of biofilm increased in the presence of magnesium palmitate. This study shows that metal ions play a pivotal role in the formation of biofilm. HPLC (high-performance liquid chromatography) analysis of the biofilm polysaccharide showed that hexose sugar was a major component when compared with pentose sugar. The structure of biofilm polysaccharide and the coordination of the metal ion with the biofilm polysaccharide were confirmed by FTIR (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy) and Raman spectroscopy.
Approximation of small-amplitude weakly coupled oscillators by discrete nonlinear Schrödinger equations
Authors: Pelinovsky Dmitry , Penati Tiziano , Paleari Simone
Published: August 2016

Small-amplitude weakly coupled oscillators of the Klein–Gordon lattices are approximated by equations of the discrete nonlinear Schrödinger type. We show how to justify this approximation by two methods, which have been very popular in the recent literature. The first method relies on a priori energy estimates and multi-scale decompositions. The second method is based on a resonant normal form theorem. We show that although the two methods are different in the implementation, they produce equivalent results as the end product. We also discuss the applications of the discrete nonlinear Schrödinger equation in the context of existence and stability of breathers of the Klein–Gordon lattice.
PRODUCTION SHARING, DEMAND SPILLOVERS AND CO2 EMISSIONS: THE CASE OF CHINESE REGIONS IN GLOBAL VALUE CHAINS
Authors: PEI JIANSUO , MENG BO , WANG FEI , XUE JINJUN , ZHAO ZHONGXIU
Published: August 2016

Recent trade literature highlights production sharing among economies [Johnson, R and G Noguera (2012). Accounting for intermediates: Production sharing and trade in value added. Journal of International Economics, 86(2), 224–236), and some studies report that 20–25% of CO2 emissions can be attributed to international trade [Peters, G, J Minx, C Weber and O Edenhofer (2011). Growth in emission transfers via international trade from 1990 to 2008. Proceedings the National Academy of Sciences USA, 108(21), 8903–8908.]. However, the mechanism explaining how and to what extent production sharing affects CO2 emissions remains unclear. This study, as an extension of [Meng, B, J Xue, K Feng, D Guan and X Fu (2013a). China’s interregional spillover of carbon emissions and domestic supply chains. Energy Policy, 61, 1305–1321.], adopts the perspective of demand spillovers to provide new insights regarding the position of Chinese domestic-regions’ production in Global Value Chains (GVCs) and their associated CO2 emissions. To this end, we employed a new type of World Input-Output Database (WIOD) in which China’s domestic interregional input–output table for 2007 is endogenously embedded. The pattern of China’s regional demand spillovers across both domestic regions and countries is revealed by employing this new database. These results were then connected to endowments theory, which helps to make sense of the empirical results. It is found that China’s regions are located relatively upstream in GVCs, and had CO2 emissions in net exports, which were entirely predicted by the environmental extended Heckscher–Ohlin–Vanek (HOV) model. Our study points to micro policy instruments to combat climate change: for example, tax reform for energy inputs that helps to change the production pattern, which then has an impact on trade patterns and so forth.
CARBON BOND PRICING AND MODEL SELECTION
Authors: FENG JIANFEN , HUANG XIAOWEI , HOU JUYUE , WANG CHUNXIA , ZENG YAN
Published: August 2016

This paper discusses how to value a carbon bond and how to choose models for it like CGNPC wind additional carbon benefits of medium-term notes, the first Carbon-bond in China. First, the fractional process with jumps is used to model CERs spot price in BlueNext market and to price a numerical carbon bond. Then, through sensitive analysis for model parameters, the fractional process without jumps is suggested to model CERs spot price finally, but the fractional process with jumps may be more suitable for EA in China. Furthermore, there also discusses how to choose discount rate for those derivatives which are paid off by one currency but its underlying is quoted by another.
HEDGING OF CREDIT DERIVATIVES, SYSTEMATIC FLUCTUATION AND BANKING STABILITY IN CHINA
Authors: CHEN QI-AN , DU FANGZHOU
Published: August 2016

The objective of this paper is to theoretically and empirically identify the effects of hedging and systematic fluctuation on banking stability in China. First, theoretical propositions indicate that the impact of credit derivative hedging and systematic fluctuation on banking stability in China is derived on the basis of a newly established theoretical model. Then, empirical research based on one-stage and two-stage GMM methods suggests that ascending hedging degrees leads to a linearly improving condition for banking stability with respect to overnight lending swap hedging, an improving-then-worsening condition for compensation swaps and an improving–worsening–improving condition for deposit swap hedging; at the same time, the ascending level of systematic fluctuation associated with hedging improves banking stability. Moreover, the trade-off between loan expansion and the stability maintenance of banking sectors can be managed by hedging compensation swaps and overnight lending swaps. In general, the empirical results support the applicability of the theoretical model, and the hedging of certain swaps can be used as a tool for stability maintenance purposes.
HETEROGENEOUS OR HOMOGENEOUS INFLATION EXPECTATION FORMATION MODELS: A CASE STUDY OF CHINESE HOUSEHOLDS AND FINANCIAL PARTICIPANTS
Authors: XU YINGYING , LIU ZHIXIN , ZHANG XING
Published: August 2016

This paper attempts to identify whether the inflation expectation formation models adopted by Chinese agents are heterogeneous or homogeneous. A Gaussian mixture model is developed assuming that agents form inflation expectations by selecting a model from alternatives. Analysis results reveal that only adaptive expectation (AE) model is significant, indicating that both households and financial participants are fairly homogeneous in selecting inflation expectation formation models. Therefore, the mechanism of heterogeneous models is inoperative in explaining the heterogeneous inflation expectations in China, and the AE is the main driver of Chinese agents’ perceptions about cost.
A PARTIAL ASEAN CUSTOMS UNION POST 2015?
Authors: DAS SANCHITA BASU , SEN RAHUL , SRIVASTAVA SADHANA
Published: August 2016

This paper explores the feasibility of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) moving forward to the next step of economic integration, i.e., towards an ASEAN Customs Union (ACU) post-2015. Effectively, the way to progress towards an ACU is by forming it among ASEAN-9 members with Singapore maintaining its existing zero tariffs against non-members, thereby creating a Partial ACU. Using applied general equilibrium modeling exercise based on GTAP, the findings suggest that there are potential net positive welfare gains to be collectively reaped by ASEAN if it moves from an AFTA to a partial ACU post-2015. However, not all ASEAN members will individually gain from such an ACU and members may need to devise a feasible mechanism wherein some member country welfare losses in an ACU can be compensated by the members who gain. The paper argues that in spite of political economy challenges due to ASEAN’s unique characteristics and diversity in the levels of economic development among members, such a Partial ACU could be considered by ASEAN leaders due to its strategic imperatives.
REALIZING AN ASEAN ECONOMIC COMMUNITY: PROGRESS AND REMAINING CHALLENGE
Authors: MENON JAYANT , MELENDEZ ANNA CASSANDRA
Published: August 2016

Launched as a political bloc and security pact in the aftermath of the Viet Nam War, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has evolved to embrace an ambitious economic agenda. Its latest project was the establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) on 31 December 2015. Fulfilling these commitments would promote predictability in ASEAN, as well as strengthen its credibility. But to what extent has ASEAN met this deadline? The blueprint for achieving the goal envisages the AEC standing on four pillars and meeting the deadline depends on progress on each of them. Each pillar presents a demanding set of challenges to be met before the AEC can be fully realized. We find that although ASEAN has come a long way toward realizing its goal, considerable challenges remain. Accommodating AEC accords will not be easy when they require changes to domestic laws or even the national constitution. The flexibility that characterizes ASEAN cooperation, the celebrated “ASEAN way”, may hand member states a convenient pretext for non-compliance. How to enforce the accords remains an issue. If the AEC is to be more than a display of political solidarity, ASEAN must find a way to give the commitments more teeth. The real test for the community, therefore, will lie in the years ahead.
Zitterbewegung near a Schwarzschild-type black hole
Authors: Zhukov Alexander V. , Bouffanais Roland , Konobeeva Natalia N. , Belonenko Mikhail B.
Published: August 2016

In this paper, we present an approximate analytic solution to the Dirac equation in the Schwarzschild geometry to investigate the Zitterbewegung (ZB) effect. The analytical expression for the current density, which is induced by the motion of a wave packet of electrons, is obtained. In addition, the intensity of dipole radiation near the black hole is calculated. The proposed approach is based on the Schrödinger representation, thereby allowing to consider the ZB effect in the case of a curved space. The considered example demonstrates a possibility for applying this approach to astrophysical applications, in particular to problems of the electron radiation in the vicinity of real black holes.
Optimizing Ontology Alignment Through Compact MOEA/D
Authors: Xue Xingsi , Liu Jianhua
Published: August 2016

In order to support semantic inter-operability in many domains through disparate ontologies, we need to identify correspondences between the entities across different ontologies, which is commonly known as ontology matching. One of the challenges in ontology matching domain is how to select weights and thresholds in the ontology aligning process to aggregate the various similarity measures to obtain a satisfactory alignment, so called ontology meta-matching problem. Nowadays, the most suitable methodology to address the ontology meta-matching problem is through Evolutionary Algorithm (EA), and the Multi-Objective Evolutionary Algorithms (MOEA) based approaches are emerging as a new efficient methodology to face the meta-matching problem. Moreover, for dynamic applications, it is necessary to perform the system self-tuning process at runtime, and thus, efficiency of the configuration search strategies becomes critical. To this end, in this paper, we propose a problem-specific compact Multi-Objective Evolutionary Algorithm based on Decomposition (MOEA/D), in the whole ontology matching process of ontology meta-matching system, to optimize the ontology alignment. The experimental results show that our proposal is able to highly reduce the execution time and main memory consumption of determining the optimal alignments through MOEA/D based approach by 58.96% and 67.60% on average, respectively, and the quality of the alignments obtained is better than the state of the art ontology matching systems.
The Application of FP-Growth Algorithm Based on Distributed Intelligence in Wisdom Medical Treatment
Authors: Xu Fangqin , Lu Haifeng
Published: August 2016

FP-Growth algorithm is an algorithm of association rules that does not generate a set of candidate, so it has very high practical value in face of the rapid growth of data volume in wisdom medical treatment. Because FP-Growth is a memory-resident algorithm, it will appear to be powerless when it is used for massive data sets. The paper combines Hadoop and FP-Growth algorithm and through the actual analysis of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) data compares the performance in two different environments of stand-alone and distributed. The experimental results show that FP-Growth algorithm has a great advantage in the processing and execution of massive data after the MapReduce parallel model, so that it will have better development prospects for intelligent medical treatment.
Low-Power Hybrid 1-Bit Full-Adder Circuit for Energy Efficient Arithmetic Applications
Authors: Parameshwara M. C. , Srinivasaiah H. C.
Published: August 2016

A novel “16 transistor” (16T) 1-bit Full adder (FA) circuit based on CMOS transmission-gate (TG) and pass transistor logics (PTL) is presented. This 1-bit FA circuit with TG and PTL structure is derived based on carry dependent sum implementation approach. The design metrics (DMs) such as power, delay, power-delay-product (PDP), and transistor-count (TC) for this 1-bit FA are compared against eight other standard and state-of-the-art 1-bit FA circuits reported till date. All the comparisons are done at post layout level with respect to the DMs under consideration. The proposed 1-bit FA dissipates an average power of 2.118[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]W, with a delay of 606 ps, with an area of 33.1[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]m2, resulting in a PDP of 1.28 fJ. This power and hence the PDP is the lowest of all, ever reported till date. In this comparative study a common test bench with a supply voltage [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]V, input signal frequency [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]MHz is used. This 1-bit FA is designed and implemented using Cadences' 90[Formula: see text]nm “generic-process-design-kit” (GPDK).
A Neuron Library for Rapid Realization of Artificial Neural Networks on FPGA: A Case Study of Rössler Chaotic System
Authors: Koyuncu İsmail , Şahin İbrahim , Gloster Clay , Sarıtekin Namık Kemal
Published: August 2016

Artificial neural networks (ANNs) are implemented in hardware when software implementations are inadequate in terms of performance. Implementing an ANN as hardware without using design automation tools is a time consuming process. On the other hand, this process can be automated using pre-designed neurons. Thus, in this work, several artificial neural cells were designed and implemented to form a library of neurons for rapid realization of ANNs on FPGA-based embedded systems. The library contains a total of 60 different neurons, two-, four- and six-input biased and non-biased, with each having 10 different activation functions. The neurons are highly pipelined and were designed to be connected to each other like Lego pieces. Chip statistics of the neurons showed that depending on the type of the neuron, about 25 selected neurons can be fit in to the smallest Virtex-6 chip and an ANN formed using the neurons can be clocked up to 576.89[Formula: see text]MHz. ANN based Rössler system was constructed to show the effectiveness of using neurons in rapid realization of ANNs on embedded systems. Our experiments with the neurons showed that using these neurons, ANNs can rapidly be implemented as hardware and design time can significantly be reduced.
Fault-Tolerant Task Scheduling for Mixed-Criticality Real-Time Systems
Authors: Zhou Junlong , Yin Min , Li Zhifang , Cao Kun , Yan Jianming , Wei Tongquan , Chen Mingsong , Fu Xin
Published: August 2016

Integration of safety-critical tasks with different certification requirements onto a common hardware platform has become a growing tendency in the design of real-time and embedded systems. In the past decade, great efforts have been made to develop techniques for handling uncertainties in task worst-case execution time, quality-of-service, and schedulability of mixed-criticality systems. However, few works take fault-tolerance as a design requirement. In this paper, we address the scheduling of fault-tolerant mixed-criticality systems to ensure the safety of tasks at different levels of criticalities in the presence of transient faults. We adopt task re-execution as the fault-tolerant technique. Extensive simulations were performed to validate the effectiveness of our algorithm. Simulation results show that our algorithm results in up to [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] improvement in system reliability and schedule feasibility as compared to existing techniques, which contributes to a more safe system.
A Useful Chaotic Family with Single Linearity and Circuit Implementation Based on FPGA
Authors: Yuan Zeshi , Li Hongtao , Zhu Xiaohua
Published: August 2016

Recently, a series of typical three-dimensional dissipative chaotic flows where all but one of the nonlinearities are quadratic are studied. Based on this research, a novel chaotic model with only one single linearity is proposed by introducing cubic terms and four new chaotic systems with various characteristics are found. Besides, a chaotic family with a single linearity is constructed with those four chaotic systems and 12 existing systems SL1–SL[Formula: see text] of the chaotic flows. Exploiting the new systems, basic dynamic behaviors are analyzed, including the strange attractors, equilibrium points, Lyapunov exponents as well as the property of multistability. In addition, the corresponding simulation results are illustrated to show those properties expressly. In realizing the chaotic circuit, we utilize the field programmable gate array (FPGA), which is of considerable flexibility, good programmability and stability, instead of analog devices that are easily affected by surroundings. More importantly, the circuit of the proposed chaotic family is realized on a single FPGA over register transfer level (RTL) using 32-bit fixed-point operation. Finally, an experimental FPGA-based circuit is constructed, and the output results are shown on oscilloscope, which agree well with the numerical simulations.
Global existence for a go-or-grow multiscale model for tumor invasion with therapy
Authors: Stinner Christian , Surulescu Christina , Uatay Aydar
Published: August 2016

We investigate a PDE–ODE system describing cancer cell invasion in a tissue network. The model is an extension of the multiscale setting in [G. Meral, C. Stinner and C. Surulescu, On a multiscale model involving cell contractivity and its effects on tumor invasion, Discrete Contin. Dynam. Syst. Ser. B 20 (2015) 189–213] and [C. Stinner, C. Surulescu and M. Winkler, Global weak solutions in a PDE–ODE system modeling multiscale cancer cell invasion, SIAM J. Math. Anal. 46 (2014) 1969–2007], by considering two subpopulations of tumor cells interacting mutually and with the surrounding tissue. According to the go-or-grow hypothesis, these subpopulations consist of moving and proliferating cells, respectively. The mathematical setting also accommodates the effects of some therapy approaches. We prove the global existence of weak solutions to this model and perform numerical simulations to illustrate its behavior for different therapy strategies.
Rate-independent elastoplasticity at finite strains and its numerical approximation
Authors: Mielke Alexander , Roubíček Tomáš
Published: August 2016

Gradient plasticity at large strains with kinematic hardening is analyzed as quasistatic rate-independent evolution. The energy functional with a frame-indifferent polyconvex energy density and the dissipation is approximated numerically by finite elements and implicit time discretization, such that a computationally implementable scheme is obtained. The nonself-penetration as well as a possible frictionless unilateral contact is considered and approximated numerically by a suitable penalization method which keeps polyconvexity and simultaneously bypasses the Lavrentiev phenomenon. The main result concerns the convergence of the numerical scheme toward energetic solutions. In the case of incompressible plasticity and of nonsimple materials, where the energy depends on the second derivative of the deformation, we derive an explicit stability criterion for convergence relating the spatial discretization and the penalizations.
One-dimensional compressible heat-conducting gas with temperature-dependent viscosity
Authors: Wang Tao , Zhao Huijiang
Published: August 2016

We consider the one-dimensional compressible Navier–Stokes system for a viscous and heat-conducting ideal polytropic gas when the viscosity [Formula: see text] and the heat conductivity [Formula: see text] depend on the specific volume [Formula: see text] and the temperature [Formula: see text] and are both proportional to [Formula: see text] for certain non-degenerate smooth function [Formula: see text]. We prove the existence and uniqueness of a global-in-time non-vacuum solution to its Cauchy problem under certain assumptions on the parameter [Formula: see text] and initial data, which imply that the initial data can be large if [Formula: see text] is sufficiently small. Such a result appears to be the first global existence result for general adiabatic exponent and large initial data when the viscosity coefficient depends on both the density and the temperature.
Quasi-neutral limit for the Euler–Poisson system in the presence of plasma sheaths with spherical symmetry
Authors: Jung Chang-Yeol , Kwon Bongsuk , Suzuki Masahiro
Published: August 2016

The purpose of this paper is to mathematically investigate the formation of a plasma sheath near the surface of a ball-shaped material immersed in a bulk plasma, and to obtain qualitative information of such a plasma sheath layer. Specifically, we study existence and the quasi-neutral limit behavior of the stationary spherical symmetric solutions for the Euler–Poisson equations in a three-dimensional annular domain. We first propose a suitable condition on the velocity at the sheath edge, referred as to Bohm criterion for the annulus, and under this condition together with the constant Dirichlet boundary conditions for the potential, we show that there exists a unique stationary spherical symmetric solution. Moreover, we study the quasi-neutral limit behavior by establishing [Formula: see text] estimate of the difference of the solutions to the Euler–Poisson equations and its quasi-neutral limiting equations, incorporated with the correctors for the boundary layers. The quasi-neutral limit analysis employing the correctors and their pointwise estimates enables us to obtain detailed asymptotic behaviors including the convergence rates in [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] norms as well as the thickness of the boundary layers as a consequence of the pointwise estimates.
Graviton laser
Authors: Landry A. , Paranjape M. B.
Published: August 2016

We consider the possibility of creating a graviton laser. The lasing medium would be a system of contained, ultra cold neutrons. Ultra cold neutrons are a quantum mechanical system that interacts with gravitational fields and with the phonons of the container walls. It is possible to create a population inversion by pumping the system using the phonons. We compute the rate of spontaneous emission of gravitons and the rate of the subsequent stimulated emission of gravitons. The gain obtainable is directly proportional to the density of the lasing medium and the fraction of the population inversion. The applications of a graviton laser would be interesting.
A systematic calculation of alpha decay half-lives using a new approach for barrier penetration probability
Authors: Ismail M. , Ellithi A. Y. , EL-Depsy A. , Mohamedien O. A.
Published: August 2016

A systematic calculation of alpha decay half-lives of 347 nuclei is considered in the framework of the Wentzel–Kramers–Brillouin (WKB) approximation using two formulas. A recently proposed barrier penetration formula, with some modified parameters, is used first. Second, a new analytic barrier penetration formula is derived by taking into account the centrifugal potential. A good agreement with experimental data is achieved especially for spherical nuclei. The new formula reproduces experimental alpha decay half-lives with a satisfying accuracy especially for penetration energies much lower than the Coulomb barrier.
A MODERN CONSTRAINED ACETABULAR COMPONENT FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF HIP INSTABILITY
Authors: Maor Dror , Xu Jie , Mudhar Kulvir S , Yates Piers J
Published: August 2016

The incidence of dislocation after primary THR has been quoted up to 2.25%, and between 2% and 20% for revision THR. We report clinical and radiological findings in 76 patients treated with a constrained liner for those considered at high-risk for dislocation, intraoperative instability or recurrent dislocations. Mean follow up was 12 months. Post operatively there were two cases of recurrent dislocation, one aseptic loosening and nine cases of deep infection. These results support that these liners have been used to treat, or in some cases prevent, instability after total hip replacement.
A spectral-based numerical method for Kolmogorov equations in Hilbert spaces
Authors: Delgado-Vences Francisco , Flandoli Franco
Published: August 2016

We propose a numerical solution for the solution of the Fokker–Planck–Kolmogorov (FPK) equations associated with stochastic partial differential equations in Hilbert spaces. The method is based on the spectral decomposition of the Ornstein–Uhlenbeck semigroup associated to the Kolmogorov equation. This allows us to write the solution of the Kolmogorov equation as a deterministic version of the Wiener–Chaos Expansion. By using this expansion we reformulate the Kolmogorov equation as an infinite system of ordinary differential equations, and by truncating it we set a linear finite system of differential equations. The solution of such system allow us to build an approximation to the solution of the Kolmogorov equations. We test the numerical method with the Kolmogorov equations associated with a stochastic diffusion equation, a Fisher–KPP stochastic equation and a stochastic Burgers equation in dimension 1.
Lipschitz and Besov spaces in quantum calculus
Authors: Nemri Akram , Selmi Belgacem
Published: August 2016

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the harmonic analysis on the time scale [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] to introduce [Formula: see text]-weighted Besov spaces subspaces of [Formula: see text] generalizing the classical one. Further, using an example of [Formula: see text]-weighted [Formula: see text] which is introduced and studied. We give a new characterization of the [Formula: see text]-Besov space using [Formula: see text]-Poisson kernel and the [Formula: see text] Littlewood–Paley operator.
1/f Noise in the Mixer Based on Schottky Diode
Authors: Klyuev Alexey V. , Yakimov Arkady V. , Zhukova Irene S. , Ryzhkin Mikhail I. , Klyuev Andrey V.
Published: August 2016

Fluctuations of Schottky diode parameters in a structure of the mixer are investigated. We have used our original measurement data of [Formula: see text] noise in the diode at forward current, which were reported somewhat earlier. These fluctuations are manifested in two ways. At the first, they lead to fluctuations in the transfer factor that is lead to the amplitude fluctuations in the signal at intermediate frequency. The estimation of spectrum of relative fluctuations in the transfer factor of the mixer is executed. Dependences of both the spectrum of these fluctuations on the current through the diode and on the amplitude of the heterodyne signal are investigated. At the second, fluctuations in parameters of the diode lead to occurrence of [Formula: see text] noise in the output voltage. This noise limits the sensitivity of the mixer to the received signal.
Applying Fuzzy Logic of Expert Knowledge for Accurate Predictive Algorithms of Customer Traffic Flows in Theme Parks
Authors: Korol Tomasz , Fotiadis Anestis
Published: August 2016

This study analyzes two forecasting models based on the application of fuzzy logic and evaluates their effectiveness in predicting visitor expenditure and length of stay at a popular theme park. The forecasting models are based on a set of more than 600 decision rules constructed in the form of a complex series of IF-THEN statements. These algorithms store expert knowledge. A descriptive instrument that records the individual visitor’s time spent and expenditure distribution on activities in the E-Da World in Taiwan was used to gather data. From a process of rigorous verification, the models developed are characterized by a high level of accuracy and efficiency.