bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Secured primary system with the assistance of secondary system in spectrum‐sharing environment
Authors: Truong Tien‐Vu , Nguyen Van‐Dinh , Doan Toan X. , da Costa Daniel B. , Duong Trung Q.
Published: October 2017

Consider an underlay cognitive radio network where an eavesdropper (Eve) targets to intercept the information exchanging between the primary nodes. The secondary system is allowed to access the licensed spectrum as long as it does not violate the target quality‐of‐service (QoS) of the primary network. In return, the secondary network also assists the primary network against the malicious attack of the Eve. The authors aim at designing a resource allocation algorithm maximising the secrecy rate of the primary system while also satisfying the QoS requirement of the secondary system. To be more precise, a jamming noise accompanied by the information signal to degrade the Eve's channel and the information beamforming vector at the secondary transmitter is jointly optimised. The problem of interest is formulated as a non‐convex optimisation problem. For the case in which global channel state information (CSI) is available, the authors propose a path‐following algorithm which aims at locating a Karush‐Kuhn–Tucker solution to the original non‐convex program. By novel transformations and approximations, the authors arrive at only a simple convex problem of moderate dimension. For the case in which only statistics of the Eve's CSI are available, the authors reformulate the considered problem by replacing a non‐convex probabilistic constraint with a set of convex constraints. A worst‐case scenario for a secure communication, where an optimal linear decoder is used at the Eve, is also considered. The superior performance of the proposed design is revealed by numerically comparing it with other known solutions.
Robust fixed‐time consensus tracking with application to formation control of unicycles
Authors: Chu Xing , Peng Zhaoxia , Wen Guoguang , Rahmani Ahmed
Published: October 2017

This study investigates the robust fixed‐time consensus tracking problem of second‐order multi‐agent systems under fixed topology. A novel type of non‐linear protocol and the corresponding sufficient conditions for achieving robust fixed‐time consensus tracking are proposed with the aid of sliding mode technique and Lyapunov theory. Compared to finite‐time consensus tracking, the convergence time of the tracking errors is globally bounded for any initial conditions of the agents, which is also the global information for each agent. Furthermore, the results obtained for second‐order multi‐agent systems are also extended to deal with the fixed‐time formation tracking problem for unicycle‐type robots. Extensive numerical experiments are performed to illustrate the effectiveness of the present theoretical results.
Observer‐based controller synthesis for uncertain polynomial systems
Authors: Vu Van‐Phong , Wang Wen‐June
Published: October 2017

The controller design for a polynomial system with uncertainties and some/all un‐measurable states is a hard issue for researchers. Furthermore, if there is no information for the upper bounds of uncertainties, the design work will be more challenging. In order to overcome these difficulties, this study proposes a novel approach based on the unknown input method and disturbance observer to synthesise an observer‐based controller for the mentioned system such that the states are estimated and stability of the system is achieved asymptotically. First, based on the unknown input method, let the uncertainties of the polynomial system be regarded as the disturbance, and then a new observer is proposed to estimate the disturbance and states simultaneously. Next, the observer‐based controller is synthesised with suitable parameters which are computed from the conditions in the main theorems. Those parameters are obtained by using Matlab tool to solve a set of polynomial linear matrix inequalities which are derived in the main theorems too. With the aid of Lyapunov theory and sum‐of‐square technique, the above two main theorems are derived. It is noted that this study allows the uncertainty bounds are unknown and some/all states are un‐measurable. Finally, two examples are presented to show the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Mean‐square error constrained approach to robust stochastic iterative learning control
Authors: Li Li , Liu Yang , Yang Zhile , Yang Xiaofeng , Li Kang
Published: October 2017

A Kalman filtering‐based robust iterative learning control algorithm is proposed in this study for linear stochastic systems with uncertain dynamics and unknown noise statistics. Firstly, a learning gain matrix is designed for the nominal case by minimising the trace of the mean‐square matrix of the input tracking error. Theoretical results show that the proposed algorithm guarantees not only the asymptotic but also monotonic convergence of the input tracking error in the mean‐square error sense, especially when random noises are Gaussian distributed the proposed algorithm is further proved to be asymptotically efficient. In addition, a new mean‐square error constrained approach is presented in designing the robust learning gain matrix, taking into account model uncertainties. A sufficient condition is provided such that the mean‐square matrix of the input tracking error is constrained within a predesigned upper bound which can monotonically converge to zero. Finally, numerical examples considering both structured and unstructured model uncertainties are included to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms.
Dehazing of remote sensing images using fourth‐order partial differential equations based trilateral filter
Authors: Singh Dilbag , Kumar Vijay
Published: October 2017

Remote sensing images taken in hazy situations are degraded by scattering of atmospheric particles, which greatly influences the efficiency of visual systems. Therefore, the visibility restoration of hazy images becomes a significant area of research. In this study, a fourth‐order partial differential equations based trilateral filter (FPDETF) dehazing approach is proposed to enhance the coarse estimated atmospheric veil. FPDETF is able to reduce halo and gradient reversal artefacts. It also preserves the radiometric information of haze‐free images. The visibility restoration phase is also refined to reduce the colour distortion of dehazed images. The proposed technique has been evaluated on ten well‐known remote sensing images and also compared with seven well‐known existing dehazing approaches. The experimental results reveal that the proposed technique outperforms others in terms of contrast gain and percentage of saturated pixels.
Visual tracking using locality‐constrained linear coding under a particle filtering framework
Authors: Ding Meng , Wei Li , Cao Yunfeng , Wang Jie , Cao Li
Published: October 2017

Visual target tracking has long been a challenging problem because of the variable appearance of the target with changing spatiotemporal factors. Therefore, it is important to design an effective and efficient appearance model for tracking tasks. This study proposes a tracking algorithm based on locality‐constrained linear coding (LLC) under a particle filtering framework. A local feature descriptor is presented that can evenly represent the local information of each patch in the tracking region. LLC uses the locality constraints to project each local feature descriptor into its local‐coordinate system. Compared with sparse coding, LLC can be performed very quickly for appearance modelling because it has an analytical solution derived by a three‐step matrix calculation, and the computational complexity of the proposed tracking algorithm is . Both quantitative and qualitative experimental results demonstrate that the authors’ proposed algorithm performs favourably against the 10 state‐of‐the‐art trackers on 12 challenging test sequences. However, related experimental results show that the performance of their tracker is not effective enough for small tracking targets owing to a lack of sufficient local region information.
Virtual‐multilevel model predictive control with error feedback for modular multilevel converters
Authors: Lin Huancheng , Wang Zhixin
Published: October 2017

This study proposes a stationary coordinate system‐based virtual‐multilevel model predictive control strategy with error feedback for the control of the modular multilevel converter (MMC). In order to reduce the number of considered states for the ac‐side current control, a cost function is established according to the mathematical model of the MMC in the two‐phase stationary coordinate system. The selection of the output voltage levels is optimised with the introduction of the virtual‐multilevel algorithm. By using real‐time submodule (SM) capacitor voltages in current prediction, the circulating current control is combined with the SM capacitor voltage sorting to improve the control accuracy of the circulating current. This study also proposes an error feedback correction method to eliminate the steady‐state error in current control and avoid parameter sensitivity of the control performance. The simulation results and experimental results from a down‐scaled MMC prototype are provided to verify the validity and efficiency of the proposed method.
FBSLS model for image segmentation
Authors: Su Ting , She Li‐huang , Zhang Shi
Published: October 2017

To achieve quick and accurate segmentations for intensity inhomogeneous images, the model named fractional B‐spline level set (FBSLS) is proposed in this study. The core of FBSLS method is that the LS function is expressed as the line combination of FBS basis in continuous forms. In this expression, the evolution of the energy function can be seen as a variation problem on the space spanned by the FBSs. As a result, the minimum value of energy function can be obtained directly from the coefficient of FBSs. Furthermore, every minimisation step can be considered as a convolution operation, and the evolution of the process of energy function may be regarded as the filtering operation whose kernel function is defined by the fractional order BS function. The filtering operation induces an intrinsic algorithm of smoothing which may be controlled explicitly by the order of the chosen FBS function. At the last, the morphological operator was used as the step of post‐processing to get better segmentation. The obtained experimental results demonstrate that the proposed model has better segment results than the traditional ones on segmentation time, Dice coefficient, precision, and recall and F‐measure metrics.
Improved particle swarm optimisation to estimate bone age
Authors: Sabeti Malihe , Boostani Reza , Davoodi Bita
Published: October 2017

This paper automatizes the process of bone age maturity assessment by applying three versions of particle swarm optimization (PSO) along with image processing methods to the left hand X‐ray images. PSO versions were adopted to enhance the segmentation accuracy. The proposed method was compared to the conventional visual inspection method in terms of three segmentation criteria, classification accuracy, robustness against noise and computational complexity. Herein, PSO, worst behavior‐based PSO (WB‐PSO) and adaptive inertia weight (AIW‐PSO) along with Otsu and an iteratively statistical method were implemented to segment the hand radiographs. A dataset containing left hand‐wrist radiographs from 65 referred children was collected. Their results provided 82.49, 83.08, 84.27, 81.76 and 69.04% classification accuracy using the PSO, WB‐PSO, AIW‐PSO, Otsu and the iteratively statistical methods, respectively. To assess the robustness of the implemented methods, white Gaussian noise with different intensities was added to the images and the results indicated that as the noise level increased the robustness against noise for the PSO variants became more highlighted compared to the Otsu and statistical methods. Due to the convincing results, the AIW‐PSO image segmentation system is suggested as an auxiliary diagnostic tool to help specialists for more accurate age bone estimation.
Non‐invasive detection of alcohol concentration based on photoplethysmogram signals
Authors: Chen Yang‐Yi , Lin Chun‐Liang , Lin Yu‐Cheng , Zhao Changchen
Published: October 2017

Sobriety test, which commonly uses a breathalyser for estimating blood alcohol content (BAC) from a breath sample, is commonly used to detect drunk driving. The detection often gives rise to sanitary concern and violation of human right. This research proposes a new method that employs non‐invasive measurement of photoplethysmography (PPG) signal for detecting BAC of the test subject under the sobriety test. The PPG signal is measured via an LED transmitter and a receiver that illuminates finger and measures the changes in lighting. Since a PPG signal contains information of systolic and diastolic blood pressure, it is possible to be used for the purpose of detecting BAC. The authors have developed a practical alcohol sobriety test system to analyse the status of alcohol intake of the subject. Extensive tests have been conducted to examine feasibility of the proposed system with an identification rate up to 85%.
Analysis of the use of complete orders to abstract the internet connectivity at the autonomous system level
Authors: Arjona‐Villicaña Pedro David , Constantinou Costas C , Stepanenko Alexander S , Acosta‐Elías Jesús
Published: October 2017

Complete orders, also called chains, are transitive acyclic digraphs which can be employed as a topological unit to model, abstract and exploit the Internet's path diversity. The main objective behind this work is to demonstrate why complete orders are well suited in abstracting routing information at the interdomain level. In order to abstract a network's topological information, it becomes necessary to introduce another mathematical structure called virtual arc, which allows to define complete orders where these cannot be formed directly. An algorithm, called chain routing, that employs virtual arcs to define chains in a network is described and tested. Further analysis of the chain routing algorithm leads to the conclusion that this is an NP‐complete problem; however, by limiting the size of the complete orders to be used, it is possible to provide an upper bound to the computational task needed to discover these structures in the Internet.
On physical‐layer security for primary system in underlay cognitive radio networks
Authors: Xie Ping , Zhang Moli , Zhang Gaoyuan , Zheng Ruijuan , Xing Ling , Wu Qingtao
Published: October 2017

In this study, the authors consider the physical‐layer security for transmission in underlay cognitive radio networks, where consisting of a primary source–destination pair, a secondary transmitter–receiver pair and a common eavesdropper (E). To transmit data in a secure and reliable manner, they propose a transmission protocol for an underlay cognitive radio network. In particular, the secondary user is allowed to operate on the primary spectrum bandwidth when the interference threshold is satisfied. To protect the transmission confidentiality of primary system, PS node transmits a signal, which is linearly combined with the jamming signal (as artificial noise) and expectation signal, to interfere E. Furthermore, they propose a superimposed coding to combine with the artificial noise and expectation signal at PS node. We also analyse the performance of the proposed transmission protocol. We obtain the outage probability of secondary and primary systems. Simultaneously, they derive the closed‐form expression of intercept probability for primary system. In addition, they verify the performance of their proposed transmission protocol by numerical experiment. The numerical results show that their proposed transmission protocol not only has the better outage performance for secondary system but also has the better intercept performance for primary system.
Stochastic control of observer trajectories in passive tracking with acoustic signal propagation optimisation
Authors: Zhang Huilong , de Saporta Benoite , Dufour Francois , Laneuville Dann , Nègre Adrien
Published: October 2017

The authors present in this study a numerical method which computes the optimal trajectory of a underwater vehicle subject to some mission objectives. The method is applied to a submarine whose goal is to best detect one or several targets, or/and to minimise its own detection range perceived by the other targets. The signal considered is acoustic propagation attenuation. This approach is based on dynamic programming of a finite horizon Markov decision process. A quantisation method is applied to fully discretise the problem and allows a numerically tractable solution. Different scenarios are considered. The authors suppose at first that the position and the velocity of the targets are known and in the second they suppose that they are unknown and estimated by a Kalman type filter in a context of passive tracking.
Time‐efficient BER estimation approach using jitter characteristics for HBC channel
Authors: Li Jia Wen , Mak Peng Un , Pun Sio Hang , Chen Xi Mei , Che U Kin , Lam Chan Tong , Gao Yue Ming , Vai Mang I , Du Min
Published: October 2017

As a physical layer of body area network, human body communication (HBC) has become a prospective candidate with advantages of less interference and intrinsic transmission for implanted devices. Currently, its bit error rate (BER) performance has not been thoroughly reported with high confidence because the traditional BER testing method in commonly used wireless radio and optical system communication, if directly applying in HB channel, is both time‐consuming and problematic due to significant physiological limitations. In this study, a time‐efficient approach using jitter characteristics is proposed to tackle this problem. To practically measure the BER in HBC channel, experiments based on human arms are carried out with 600 records of jitter data (5 subjects, 3 modulation schemes, 4 separation distances, and 10 transmit power levels). By using both normal probability plot and Kolmogorov–Smirnov test, the authors found that the HBC experimental jitter data mainly followed normal distribution. Additionally, the comparison between estimated BERs using their approach match well with those via the theoretical prediction based on additive white Gaussian noise channel. Finally, the proposed approach can be an effective measurement method not only for the BER of body channel, but also applicable in other similar low rate systems.
Synthesis of nanocrystalline silicon using the recrystallisation of binary silica cryogel/Mg system via self‐propagating high‐temperature combustion in the presence of NaCl as a metal halide diluent
Authors: Nangir Mahya , Massoudi Abouzar , Yazdanirad Rahim , Tayebifard Seyed Ali
Published: October 2017

Self‐propagating high‐temperature synthesis as a low energy consumption and simple approach was employed to synthesise silicon nanocrystal from the monolithic silica cryogel prepared by freeze drying. The recrystallisation process of silicon was investigated under combustion at 800, 900 and 1000°C and the uniform coral‐like structure was achieved at 1000°C. The results of Raman and X‐ray diffraction analysis showed the decrease in ignition time to 40 s for 1000°C temperature, leading to the decrement of crystalline size to 10.85 A° and the raise of average lattice strain to 0.152% due to accelerating recrystallisation. In addition, NaCl diluent consumed the excess heat generated during exothermic reaction and decreased the crystalline size to 10.79 A° thanks to its 0.8 W/m K thermal conductivity.
VUV-absorption cross section of carbon dioxide from 150 to 800 K and applications to warm exoplanetary atmospheres
Authors: Venot O. , Bénilan Y. , Fray N. , Gazeau M.-C. , Lefèvre F. , Es-sebbar Et. , Hébrard E. , Schwell M. , Bahrini C. , Montmessin F. , Lefèvre M. , Waldmann I. P.
Published: October 2017

Context. Most exoplanets detected so far have atmospheric temperatures significantly higher than 300 K. Often close to their star, they receive an intense UV photons flux that triggers important photodissociation processes. The temperature dependency of vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) absorption cross sections are poorly known, leading to an undefined uncertainty in atmospheric models. Similarly, data measured at low temperatures similar to those of the high atmosphere of Mars, Venus, and Titan are often lacking.

Aims. Our aim is to quantify the temperature dependency of the VUV absorption cross sections of important molecules in planetary atmospheres. We want to provide high-resolution data at temperatures prevailing in these media, and a simple parameterisation of the absorption in order to simplify its use in photochemical models. This study focuses on carbon dioxide (CO2).

Methods. We performed experimental measurements of CO2 absorption cross sections with synchrotron radiation for the wavelength range (115–200 nm). For longer wavelengths (195–230 nm), we used a deuterium lamp and a 1.5 m Jobin-Yvon spectrometer. We used these data in our one-dimensional (1D) thermo-photochemical model in order to study their impact on the predicted atmospheric compositions.

Results. The VUV absorption cross section of CO2 increases with the temperature. The absorption we measured at 150 K seems to be close to the absorption of CO2 in the fundamental ground state. The absorption cross section can be separated into two parts: a continuum and a fine structure superimposed on the continuum. The variation in the continuum of absorption can be represented by the sum of three Gaussian functions. Using data at high temperature in thermo-photochemical models significantly modifies the abundance and the photodissociation rates of many species in addition to CO2, such as methane and ammonia. These deviations have an impact on synthetic transmission spectra, leading to variations of up to 5 ppm.

Conclusions. We present a full set of high-resolution (Δλ = 0.03 nm) absorption cross sections of CO2 from 115 to 230 nm for temperatures ranging from 150 to 800 K. A parameterisation allows us to calculate the continuum of absorption in this wavelength range. Extrapolation at higher temperature has not been validated experimentally and therefore should be used with caution. Similar studies on other major species are necessary to improve our understanding of planetary atmospheres.
Optimal and simple algorithms to solve integrated procurement-production-inventory problem without/with shortage
Authors: Nobil Amir Hossein , Cárdenas–Barrón Leopoldo Eduardo , Nobil Erfan
Published: October 2017

This research work deals with an imperfect production system considering the purchasing of raw materials in order to study the economic production quantity (EPQ). This manufacturing system produces perfect and defective finished products; defectives are considered as scrap. A single product is manufactured from multiple raw materials which are purchased from outside suppliers. In the integrated procurement-production-inventory (IPPI) model, one of the principal decisions, in addition to determining the optimal lot size to produce, is to define the number of optimal orders of each raw material with respect to rate of consumption in the manufacturing of finished product. Two cases are considered: without shortage (first model) and with shortage (backordering, second model). In the first model, the purpose is to determine jointly the optimal lot size to manufacture and the optimal number orders of each raw material in order to minimize the total cost. The second model obtains the optimal number of orders of each raw material, the optimal lot size to manufacture and the optimal shortage level with aim to minimize the total cost. This research also shows that both of the proposed inventory models are a convex programming problem, so exact algorithms to solve these inventory problems are proposed.
On compromise solutions in multiple objective programming
Authors: Soleimani–Damaneh Majid , Zamani Moslem
Published: October 2017

Compromise solutions, as feasible points as close as possible to the ideal (utopia) point, are important solutions in multiple objective programming. It is known in the literature that each compromise solution is a properly efficient solution if the sum of the image set and conical ordering cone is closed. In this paper, we prove the same result in a general setting without any assumption.
Variations in the Anterolateral Thigh Flap's Vascular Anatomy in African Americans
Authors: Lim Soobin , Atwi Noah , Long Sarah , Toshav Aran , Lau Frank
Published: October 2017

Background Variations in anterolateral thigh (ALT) arterial anatomy are well documented. Ethnicity is a known risk factor for vascular variation in several organ systems, but its impact on ALT anatomy has not been studied. Anecdotally, we observed frequent ALT arterial variation in African American (AA) patients. We thus hypothesized that AA patients have higher rates of anomalous branching.

Materials and Methods A total of 277 computed tomography angiograms (513 lower extremities) captured between May 1, 2013 and May 31, 2015 at a tertiary academic medical center were retrospectively analyzed to determine ALT arterial branching. Patient records were examined to ascertain demographics. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multinomial logistic regression.

Results Males comprised 84.5%. Ethnic distribution was 55.2% AA and 36.5% Caucasian. The descending branch of the lateral circumflex femoral artery (dLCFA) originated from non-LCFA arteries (deep femoral, common femoral, or superficial femoral arteries) in 18.9% of Caucasian versus 9.1% of AA (odds ratio [OR]: 2.28; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.33–3.93, p < 0.01). An oblique branch was identified in 41.1% of Caucasian versus 51.9% of AA (OR: 1.56; 95% CI: 1.08–2.24, p = 0.02). Ethnicity was the only driving factor of dLCFA and oblique branch of the LCFA (oLCFA) anatomy (Wald chi-square: 14 and 11, p = 0.03 and 0.02, respectively).

Conclusions Ethnicity significantly affects ALT arterial anatomy. AA are more likely to have classical dLCFA branching with a fourth oLCFA branch. A flap with an unrecognized oLCFA-dominant supply places patients at a higher risk for flap failure and loss. We recommend preoperative imaging before undertaking an ALT flap reconstruction.
Sternal Anomalies in Asymptomatic Patients after Median Sternotomy and Potential Influencing Factors
Authors: Sündermann Simon , Alkadhi Hatem , Genoni Michele , Maisano Francesco , Emmert Maximilian , Plass André , Rodriguez Cetina Biefer Hector
Published: October 2017

Background We aimed to assess asymptomatic patients who had open-heart surgery with median sternotomy for potential sternal anomalies (SA), their related patient-specific risk factors, and treatment options for the prevention of SA.

Methods Multiplanar CT scans (CTs) from 131 asymptomatic consecutive patients were analyzed retrospectively. Of these, 83 underwent CABG (63.4%), and 48 had aortic valve (AV) procedures via median sternotomy. Sternal bone healing was analyzed for SA and their exact location.

Results In total, 49 SA were identified in 42 (32.1%) patients; 65% SA were found in the manubrium (n = 32). Five hundred thirty-two wires were implanted (4.2 ± 0.5 wires/patient), out of which 96.1% (n = 511) were figure 8 wires. There was no difference between normal and abnormal sterna with regard to the number of wires used for sternal closure (4.2 ± 0.5 vs. 4.3 ± 0.6, p = ns). The distance between wire placement to the proximal edge of the manubrium in normal and abnormal sterna was comparable (11.2 ± 4.2 vs. 10.9 ± 4.8 mm, p = ns). Patients who underwent CABG had a significantly higher risk for SA (OR = 2.4, p ≤ 0.05, 95% CI [1.2–4.9]). The use of BIMA (OR = 4.4, p ≤ 0.05, 95% CI [1.1–17.9]) and body mass index (BMI) > 31 kg/m2 (OR = 3.4, p ≤ 0.01, 95% CI [1.4–8.3]) significantly increased the risk of SA.

Conclusion At least 30% of patients were at an increased risk for SA after receiving a median sternotomy. CABG, use of BIMA, and a BMI > 30 kg/m2 were potential risk factors for the development of SA and warrant close clinical follow-up. Sternal plate fixation, particularly in the manubrium, could be beneficial in such patients.
Determining the Infectious Pathogens and Their Resistance to Antibiotics in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit
Authors: Akın Fatih , Yazar Abdullah , Doğan Metin
Published: October 2017

Introduction Nosocomial infections are one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality. It is important to know the common infectious pathogens and their resistance profiles in intensive care units (ICUs) to determine appropriate treatment protocols. The aim of this study was to determine the epidemiological profile of microorganisms isolated in a pediatric ICU (PICU) and to determine antibiotic resistance in isolated strains.

Materials and Methods This retrospective study was performed at the Meram Medical Faculty Hospital, Necmettin Erbakan University, Konya, Turkey. A total of 1,502 bacteria that were isolated from various specimens from children who were hospitalized in PICUs between January 2014 and December 2015 were included in this study to determine the isolated bacteria diversity and susceptibility to various antibiotics.

Results Staphylococcus spp. was the most frequently isolated microorganism followed by Escherichia coli and Klebsiella spp., respectively. The sites where pathogens were isolated were as follows: 616 blood, (41%), 445 urine (29.6%), 60 sputum (4%), 44 cerebrospinal fluid (2.9%), 25 wound swab (1.6%), 20 tracheal aspirate (1.3%), and 26 others (1.7%). The carbapenem resistance rate was 40.8% among Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates. Among 60 Acinetobacter baumannii isolates tested, 62% were resistant to carbapenems. Sensitivity rates of A. baumannii isolates to tigecycline and colistin were as high as 98 and 96%, respectively. Meropenem and colistin resistance rates to Klebsiella spp. were 16.2 and 15%, respectively.

Conclusion In conclusion, it is essential to identify the infectious pathogens and their resistance to antibiotics especially in ICUs where infections with multidrug-resistant bacteria are frequent. Studies on this issue should be performed at appropriate time intervals.
Blutuntersuchungen bei Schlangen
Authors: Leineweber Christoph , Marschang Rachel
Published: October 2017

Eine Vielzahl verschiedener Schlangenarten wird in privaten Haushalten gehalten. Am
beliebtesten sind Nattern, z. B. Kornnattern sowie diverse Pythons und Boas. Gründe für
eine Vorstellung in der tierärztlichen Praxis sind neben der Abklärung von Erkrankungen
auch zunehmend Routinechecks und die Untersuchung von neu zugekauften Tieren. Teil dieser
Untersuchung ist häufig eine Blutanalyse.
Kommunikation und Vernetzung
Authors: Rexroth Ute , Kuhn Joseph
Published: October 2017

Die konstruktive Zusammenarbeit der vielfältigen Akteure der deutschen PH-Landschaft wird durch einen stetigen Wandel der gesellschaftlichen Rahmenbedingungen (Individualisierung, Globalisierung, Medizinischer Fortschritt, Digitalisierung) erschwert. Um gemeinsam auf Wandel reagieren, die Vernetzung unter den Akteuren erleichtern, und nach außen mit einer Stimme sprechen zu können, schlägt die AG 8 der PH-Gemeinschaft deshalb die Schaffung eigener interner Strukturen vor. Es wird angeregt, eine Geschäftsstelle zu gründen, die die Organisation weiterer Tagungen und die Abstimmung gemeinsamer schriftlicher Stellungnahmen übernimmt und den Dialog auf Augenhöhe moderiert.
Farrerol Modulates Aorta Gene Expression Profile in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats
Authors: Qin Xiaojiang , Hou Xiaomin , Zhang Kun , Li Qingshan
Published: October 2017

Farrerol, a typical natural flavanone and major active component in Rhododendron dauricum var. ciliatum, has been shown to possess vasoactive ability in vitro. The aim of this study was to investigate its effect on aorta gene expression in spontaneously hypertensive rats. Twelve-week-old male normotensive Wistar Kyoto rats and spontaneously hypertensive rats were treated with orally administered farrerol (50 mg/kg body weight) for 8 wk before they were sacrificed. We found that aorta samples showed 444 upregulated genes in control spontaneously hypertensive rats compared with the control Wistar Kyoto rats. Administration of farrerol in spontaneously hypertensive rats increased the expression of 2329 genes in the aorta compared with the control spontaneously hypertensive rats. Gene expression profiles performed on the aorta revealed that farrerol induced changes in vascular smooth muscle contraction, mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway, regulation of actin cytoskeleton, vascular endothelial growth factor signaling pathway, calcium signaling pathway, and renin angiotensin system. Furthermore, 10 genes involved in the pathway of vascular smooth muscle contraction were verified using real-time polymerase chain reaction technique, and several novel potential target genes for the farrerol treatment of hypertension were identified. The findings of this study lend support to the potential use of farrerol as a novel therapeutic and antihypertensive candidate drug to prevent the development of hypertension.
Improved spatial resolution of luminescence images acquired with a silicon line scanning camera
Authors: Teal Anthony , Mitchell Bernhard , Juhl Mattias K.
Published: October 2017

Luminescence imaging is currently being used to provide spatially resolved defect in high volume silicon solar cell production. One option to obtain the high throughput required for on the fly detection is the use a silicon line scan cameras. However, when using a silicon based camera, the spatial resolution is reduced as a result of the weakly absorbed light scattering within the camera's chip. This paper address this issue by applying deconvolution from a measured point spread function. This paper extends the methods for determining the point spread function of a silicon area camera to a line scan camera with charge transfer. The improvement in resolution is quantified in the Fourier domain and in spatial domain on an image of a multicrystalline silicon brick. It is found that light spreading beyond the active sensor area is significant in line scan sensors, but can be corrected for through normalization of the point spread function. The application of this method improves the raw data, allowing effective detection of the spatial resolution of defects in manufacturing.
Experimental determination of phonon thermal conductivity and Lorenz ratio of single crystal metals: Al, Cu, and Zn
Authors: Yao Mengliang , Zebarjadi Mona , Opeil Cyril P.
Published: October 2017

We use a magnetothermal resistance method to measure lattice thermal conductivity of pure single crystal metals over the intermediate temperature range of 5–60 K. Large transverse magnetic fields are applied to suppress electronic thermal conduction. The total thermal conductivity and the electrical conductivity are measured as functions of applied magnetic field. The lattice thermal conductivity is then extracted by extrapolating the thermal conductivity versus electrical conductivity curve at zero electrical conductivity. We used this method to experimentally measure the lattice thermal conductivity and Lorenz number in single crystal Al (100), Cu (100), and Zn (001) in the intermediate temperature range. Our results show that the measured phonon thermal conductivity versus temperature plot has a peak around ΘD/10, and the Lorenz number is found to deviate from the Sommerfeld value in the intermediate temperature range.
Exploring ultra-fast charge transfer and vibronic coupling with N 1s RIXS maps of an aromatic molecule coupled to a semiconductor
Authors: O’Shea James N. , Handrup Karsten , Temperton Robert H. , Gibson Andrew J. , Nicolaou Alessandro , Jaouen Nicolas
Published: October 2017

We present for the first time two-dimensional resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) maps of multilayer and monolayer bi-isonicotinic acid adsorbed on the rutile TiO2(110) single crystal surface. This enables the elastic channel to be followed over the lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals resonantly excited at the N 1s absorption edge. The data also reveal ultra-fast intramolecular vibronic coupling, particularly during excitation into the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital-derived resonance. Both elastic scattering and the vibronic coupling loss features are expected to contain the channel in which the originally excited electron is directly involved in the core-hole decay process. This allows RIXS data for a molecule coupled to a wide bandgap semiconductor to be considered in the same way as the core-hole clock implementation of resonant photoemission spectroscopy (RPES). However, contrary to RPES measurements, we find no evidence for the depletion of the participator channel under the conditions of ultra-fast charge transfer from the molecule to the substrate densities of states, on the time scale of the core-hole lifetime. These results suggest that the radiative core-hole decay processes in RIXS are not significantly modified by charge transfer on the femtosecond time scale in this system.
Ionic liquids-mediated interactions between nanorods
Authors: Yu Zhou , Zhang Fei , Huang Jingsong , Sumpter Bobby G. , Qiao Rui
Published: October 2017

Surface forces mediated by room-temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) play an essential role in diverse applications including self-assembly, lubrication, and electrochemical energy storage. Therefore, their fundamental understanding is critical. Using molecular simulations, we study the interactions between two nanorods immersed in model RTILs at rod-rod separations where both structural and double layer forces are important. The interaction force between neutral rods oscillates as the two rods approach each other, similar to the classical structural forces. Such oscillatory force originates from the density oscillation of RTILs near each rod and is affected by the packing constraints imposed by the neighboring rods. The oscillation period and decay length of the oscillatory force are mainly dictated by the ion density distribution near isolated nanorods. When charges are introduced on the rods, the interaction force remains short-range and oscillatory, similar to the interactions between planar walls mediated by some protic RTILs reported earlier. Nevertheless, introducing net charges to the rods greatly changes the rod-rod interactions, e.g., by delaying the appearance of the first force trough and increasing the oscillation period and decay length of the interaction force. The oscillation period and decay length of the oscillatory force and free energy are commensurate with those of the space charge density near an isolated, charged rod. The free energy of rod-rod interactions reaches local minima (maxima) at rod-rod separations when the space charges near the two rods interfere constructively (destructively). The insight on the short-range interactions between nanorods in RTILs helps guide the design of novel materials, e.g., ionic composites based on rigid-rod polyanions and RTILs.
A priori study of subgrid-scale features in turbulent Rayleigh-Bénard convection
Authors: Dabbagh F. , Trias F. X. , Gorobets A. , Oliva A.
Published: October 2017

At the crossroad between flow topology analysis and turbulence modeling, a priori studies are a reliable tool to understand the underlying physics of the subgrid-scale (SGS) motions in turbulent flows. In this paper, properties of the SGS features in the framework of a large-eddy simulation are studied for a turbulent Rayleigh-Bénard convection (RBC). To do so, data from direct numerical simulation (DNS) of a turbulent air-filled RBC in a rectangular cavity of aspect ratio unity and π spanwise open-ended distance are used at two Rayleigh numbers Ra∈{108,1010} [Dabbagh et al., “On the evolution of flow topology in turbulent Rayleigh-Bénard convection,” Phys. Fluids 28, 115105 (2016)]. First, DNS at Ra = 108 is used to assess the performance of eddy-viscosity models such as QR, Wall-Adapting Local Eddy-viscosity (WALE), and the recent S3PQR-models proposed by Trias et al. [“Building proper invariants for eddy-viscosity subgrid-scale models,” Phys. Fluids 27, 065103 (2015)]. The outcomes imply that the eddy-viscosity modeling smoothes the coarse-grained viscous straining and retrieves fairly well the effect of the kinetic unfiltered scales in order to reproduce the coherent large scales. However, these models fail to approach the exact evolution of the SGS heat flux and are incapable to reproduce well the further dominant rotational enstrophy pertaining to the buoyant production. Afterwards, the key ingredients of eddy-viscosity, νt, and eddy-diffusivity, κt, are calculated a priori and revealed positive prevalent values to maintain a turbulent wind essentially driven by the mean buoyant force at the sidewalls. The topological analysis suggests that the effective turbulent diffusion paradigm and the hypothesis of a constant turbulent Prandtl number are only applicable in the large-scale strain-dominated areas in the bulk. It is shown that the bulk-dominated rotational structures of vortex-stretching (and its synchronous viscous dissipative structures) hold the highest positive values of νt; however, the zones of backscatter energy and counter-gradient heat transport are related to the areas of compressed focal vorticity. More arguments have been attained through a priori investigation of the alignment trends imposed by existing parameterizations for the SGS heat flux, tested here inside RBC. It is shown that the parameterizations based linearly on the resolved thermal gradient are invalid in RBC. Alternatively, the tensor-diffusivity approach becomes a crucial choice of modeling the SGS heat flux, in particular, the tensorial diffusivity that includes the SGS stress tensor. This and other crucial scrutinies on a future modeling to the SGS heat flux in RBC are sought.
Comment on “Entropy and complexity analysis of hydrogenic Rydberg atoms” [J. Math. Phys. 54, 052109 (2013)]
Authors: Jiao Li Guang , Zan Li Rong
Published: October 2017

In a recent paper [S. López-Rosa et al., J. Math. Phys. 54, 052109 (2013)], the authors made detailed investigations on the information-theoretic quantities for hydrogenic atoms in Rydberg states. Asymptotic forms of different types of complexity measures (Crámer-Rao, Fisher-Shannon, and LMC types) in both position and momentum spaces were obtained for hydrogenic states (n,l,m) with fixed l and increasingly large n. However, the expressions for the Crámer-Rao complexity are incorrect due to the wrong definition of variance. The correct form of this complexity in position space is presented exactly in this work. In momentum space, two different definitions of variance are provided and corresponding Crámer-Rao complexities are discussed separately. In either case, the momentum complexity increases much faster than that in position space when increasing principal quantum number n.
Evaluation of a pre-heating system for solar desalination system with linear Fresnel lens
Authors: Banakar Ahmad , Saghar Seyfollah , Motevali Ali , Najafi Gholamhassan
Published: October 2017

Freshwater supply is currently exacerbated in most parts of the world. Freshwater production technologies require spending considerable costs and energy. In this study, a solar collector with a Fresnel lens was developed and evaluated as the collector unit. This collector was designed with a cavity collector and multi-tube absorber arrangement for using preheated water required by water stills. Experiments were conducted from mid-May to mid-June, 2014. Thermal evaluations were conducted at three flow rates (100, 200, and 400 ml/min), resulting in the maximum thermal efficiencies of 75.7%, 81.1%, and 88.2% and minimum thermal efficiencies of 66.5%, 70.4%, and 73.7%, respectively. The maximum output temperatures for the studied flow rates (100, 200, and 400 ml/min) were 96, 77, and 63 °C, respectively. Maximum and minimum heats absorbed at three flow rates (100, 200, and 400 ml/min) were 636.67, 643.21, and 677.38 W and 451.44, 509.66, and 441.67 W, respectively.
Divergence of developmental trajectories is triggered interactively by early social and ecological experience in a cooperative breeder
Authors: Fischer Stefan , Bohn Lena , Oberhummer Evelyne , Nyman Cecilia , Taborsky Barbara
Published: October 2017

Significance

Cooperative breeding represents the pinnacle of vertebrate social evolution. Helpers in cooperatively breeding species are characterized by a life-long potential to reproduce. Therefore it has been predicted that cooperative breeders lack an early specialization into subordinate helpers and dominant breeders. In a 3-year life-history experiment, we manipulated the social and ecological environments jointly during the early postnatal period of a cooperatively breeding vertebrate, the “Princess cichlid”Neolamprologus pulcher. We found that individuals did specialize in distinct behavioral competences, which led to either delayed dispersal or early independent breeding. The divergence into different behavioral trajectories became apparent only by manipulating both early social and ecological experiences, highlighting the importance of multivariate influences on the development of social trajectories.
ElResumende artículos de investigación científica
Authors: Ibáñez O. Romualdo , Moncada N. Fernando
Published: October 2017

Abstracto

El objetivo del presente estudio es comparar el resumen de artículos de investigación científica (AICs) de dos disciplinas (Biología e Historia) a partir de su organización retórica y de las relaciones de coherencia que lo configuran. Para describir la organización retórica, utilizamos, como taxonomía de arranque, la propuesta deHyland (2000), mientras que para las relaciones de coherencia, utilizamos la propuesta deIbáñez, Moncada y Santana (2015). El corpus de esta investigación estuvo constituido por 160 resúmenes escritos en español, pertenecientes a AICs publicados en revistas especializadas. Los resultados revelan que mientras ciertas movidas son obligatorias en los resúmenes de una disciplina, en los de la otra son opcionales. También se observa que los resúmenes de ambas disciplinas se diferencian en sus configuraciones retóricas prototípicas, al igual que en las relaciones de coherencia más frecuentes.
The role of climate change on the emergence and spread of dengue and other vector-borne diseases.
Authors: Bouzid M.
Published: October 2017

Vector-borne diseases have a worldwide distribution and are associated with a significant burden causing over one million deaths annually. Dengue and malaria are the most prevalent mosquito-borne diseases globally. Vectors transmit the infections to human and animal hosts and are the primary targets of disease control strategies. These vectors are sensitive to weather conditions, and outbreaks are associated with optimum range of temperature, precipitation and other relevant weather variables. Climate change refers to environmental changes occurring around the world as a result of human activities and is likely to be more severe towards the end of the century if climate mitigation targets are not met. Climate change is, therefore, already changing the epidemiology and distribution of these vector-borne diseases. In this review, the effect of climate change on the emergence and spread of several vector-borne diseases, with a particular focus on dengue, is explored. Additionally, the contribution of other non-climatic key factors driving disease transmission and distribution and influencing the emergence and spread of vector-borne diseases is also discussed.