bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Systematic Review: Family Support Integrated with Diabetes Self-Management among Uncontrolled Type II Diabetes Mellitus Patients
Authors: Pamungkas Rian , Chamroonsawasdi Kanittha , Vatanasomboon Paranee
Published: September 2017

The rate of type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) is dramatically increasing worldwide. Continuing diabetes mellitus (DM) care needs effective self-management education and support for both patients and family members. This study aimed to review and describe the impacts of diabetes mellitus self-management education (DSME) that involve family members on patient outcomes related to patient health behaviors and perceived self-efficacy on self-management such as medication adherence, blood glucose monitoring, diet and exercise changes, health outcomes including psychological well-being and self-efficacy, and physiological markers including body mass index, level of blood pressure, cholesterol level and glycemic control. Three databases, PubMed, CINAHL, and Scopus were reviewed for relevant articles. The search terms were “type 2 diabetes,” “self-management,” “diabetes self-management education (DSME),” “family support,” “social support,” and “uncontrolled glycaemia.” Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) guidelines were used to determine which studies to include in the review. Details of the family support components of DSME intervention and the impacts of these interventions had on improving the health outcomes patients with uncontrolled glycaemia patients. A total of 22 intervention studies were identified. These studies involved different DSME strategies, different components of family support provided, and different health outcomes to be measured among T2D patients. Overall, family support had a positive impact on healthy diet, increased perceived support, higher self-efficacy, improved psychological well-being and better glycemic control. This systematic review found evidence that DSME with family support improved self-management behaviors and health outcomes among uncontrolled glycaemia T2D patients. The findings suggest DSME models that include family engagement can be a useful direction for improving diabetes care.
Numerical Solution of Maxwell Equations for S-Wave Superconductors
Authors: Karchev Naoum , Vetsov Tsvetan
Published: September 2017

The present paper is a sequel to the paper by Karchev (Condensed Matter 20 February 2017). We report the numerical solutions of the system of equations, which describes the electrodynamics of s-wave superconductors without normal quasi-particles for time-independent fields and half-plane superconductor geometry. The results are: (i) the applied magnetic field increases the Ginzburg–Landau (GL) coherence length and suppresses the superconductivity; (ii) the applied electric field decreases GL coherence length and supports the superconductivity; (iii) if the applied magnetic field is fixed and the applied electric field increases, the London penetration depth of the magnetic field decreases. The main conclusion is that by applying electric field at very low temperature where there are no normal quasi-particles one increases the critical magnetic field. This result is experimentally testable.
Sum Capacity for Single-Cell Multi-User Systems with M-Ary Inputs
Authors: Yang Pei , Wu Yue , Jin Liqiang , Yang Hongwen
Published: September 2017

This paper investigates the sum capacity of a single-cell multi-user system under the constraint that the transmitted signal is adopted from M-ary two-dimensional constellation with equal probability for both uplink, i.e., multiple access channel (MAC), and downlink, i.e., broadcast channel (BC) scenarios. Based on the successive interference cancellation (SIC) and the entropy power Gaussian approximation, it is shown that both the multi-user MAC and BC can be approximated to a bank of parallel channels with the channel gains being modified by an extra attenuate factor that equals to the negative exponential of the capacity of interfering users. With this result, the capacity of MAC and BC with arbitrary number of users and arbitrary constellations can be easily calculated which in sharp contrast with using traditional Monte Carlo simulation that the calculating amount increases exponentially with the increase of the number of users. Further, the sum capacity of multi-user under different power allocation strategies including equal power allocation, equal capacity power allocation and maximum capacity power allocation is also investigated. For the equal capacity power allocation, a recursive relation for the solution of power allocation is derived. For the maximum capacity power allocation, the necessary condition for optimal power allocation is obtained and an optimal algorithm for the power allocation optimization problem is proposed based on the necessary condition.
Thermodynamics of Small Magnetic Particles
Authors: Vogel Eugenio , Vargas Patricio , Saravia Gonzalo , Valdes Julio , Ramirez-Pastor Antonio , Centres Paulo
Published: September 2017

In the present paper, we discuss the interpretation of some of the results of the thermodynamics in the case of very small systems. Most of the usual statistical physics is done for systems with a huge number of elements in what is called the thermodynamic limit, but not all of the approximations done for those conditions can be extended to all properties in the case of objects with less than a thousand elements. The starting point is the Ising model in two dimensions (2D) where an analytic solution exits, which allows validating the numerical techniques used in the present article. From there on, we introduce several variations bearing in mind the small systems such as the nanoscopic or even subnanoscopic particles, which are nowadays produced for several applications. Magnetization is the main property investigated aimed for two singular possible devices. The size of the systems (number of magnetic sites) is decreased so as to appreciate the departure from the results valid in the thermodynamic limit; periodic boundary conditions are eliminated to approach the reality of small particles; 1D, 2D and 3D systems are examined to appreciate the differences established by dimensionality is this small world; upon diluting the lattices, the effect of coordination number (bonding) is also explored; since the 2D Ising model is equivalent to the clock model with q = 2 degrees of freedom, we combine previous results with the supplementary degrees of freedom coming from the variation of q up to q = 20 . Most of the previous results are numeric; however, for the case of a very small system, we obtain the exact partition function to compare with the conclusions coming from our numerical results. Conclusions can be summarized in the following way: the laws of thermodynamics remain the same, but the interpretation of the results, averages and numerical treatments need special care for systems with less than about a thousand constituents, and this might need to be adapted for different properties or devices.
Class E Power Amplifier Design and Optimization for the Capacitive Coupled Wireless Power Transfer System in Biomedical Implants
Authors: R. Narayanamoorthi , A. Vimala , Chokkalingam Bharatiraja , Padmanaban Sanjeevikumar , Leonowicz Zbigniew
Published: September 2017

The capacitive coupled wireless power transfer (CCWPT) operating at megahertz (MHz) frequency is broadly considered as the promising solution for low power biomedical implants. The class E power amplifier is attractive in MHz range wireless power transfer (WPT) applications due to zero voltage switching (ZVS) and zero voltage derivative switching (ZVDS) properties. The existing design of class E amplifier is investigated only for inductive resonant coupled (IRC) WPT systems; the modelling and optimization of the class E amplifier for CCWPT systems are not deliberated with load variation. Meanwhile, the variations in the coupling distance and load are common in real time applications, which could reduce the power amplifier (PA) efficiency. The purpose of this paper is to model and optimize the class E amplifier for CCWPT systems used in MHz range applications. The analytical model of PA parameters and efficiency are derived to determine the optimal operating conditions. Also, an inductive-capacitive-inductive (LCL) impedance matching network is designed for the robust operation of the PA, which improves the efficiency and maintains required impedance compression. The maximum efficiency of the proposed design reached up to 96.34% at 13.56 MHz and the experimental results are closely matched with the simulation.
Wave Equation Datuming Applied to Seismic Data in Shallow Water Environment and Post-Critical Water Bottom Reflection
Authors: Tinivella Umberta , Giustiniani Michela , Vargas-Cordero Ivan
Published: September 2017

Coastal areas are generally characterized by human manufacturing; thus, seismic data analysis is necessary to characterize the properties of the subsoil, the main purpose of which is to clarify risk situations. In the case of very shallow water environments, seismic multiple attenuation becomes a challenge when the reflection of the seafloor is post-critical, so it is not recorded because of the acquisition parameters. We propose an approach to attenuate the multiples by using wave equation datuming that does not require the detection of seafloor reflection and avoids the seafloor reflection prediction and related approximations in the post-critical conditions. Moreover, this approach allows for the enhancement of higher frequencies, and, consequently, an increase in resolution, demonstrating that it is a powerful tool to attenuate multiples and reverberations, especially where other approaches are found to be inefficient. An example of the application of seismic data acquired in the continental shelf of South Chile is reported.
An Efficient Energy Saving Scheme for Base Stations in 5G Networks with Separated Data and Control Planes Using Particle Swarm Optimization
Authors: Kang Min , Chung Yun
Published: September 2017

Reducing energy consumption of mobile communication networks has gained significant attentions since it takes a major part of the total energy consumption of information and communication technology (ICT). In this paper, we consider 5G networks with heterogeneous macro cells and small cells, where data and control planes are separated. We consider two types of data traffic, i.e., low rate data traffic and high rate data traffic. In basic separation architecture, a macro cell base station (MBS) manages control signals, while a small cell base station (SBS) manages both low rate data traffic and high rate data traffic. In the considered modified separation architecture, an MBS manages control signals and low rate data traffic, while an SBS manages high rate data traffic. Then, an efficient energy saving scheme for base stations (BSs) is proposed, where the state of a BS is determined depending on the number of user equipments (UEs) that request high rate data traffic and the number of UEs that exist under the overlapping areas commonly covered by the considered BS and the neighbor BSs. We formulate an optimization problem for the proposed energy saving scheme and obtain the solution using particle swarm optimization (PSO). Numerical results show that the proposed energy saving scheme in the modified separated network architecture has better energy efficiency compared to the conventional energy saving schemes in both basic and modified separated network architectures. Also, the proposed energy saving scheme has lower aggregate delay.
Screening for Autochthonous Phytoextractors in a Heavy Metal Contaminated Coal Mining Area
Authors: Li Kuangjia , Lun Zijian , Zhao Lin , Zhu Qilong , Gu Yansheng , Li Manzhou
Published: September 2017

In order to protect public health and crops from soil heavy metal (HM) contamination at a coal mining area in Henan, central China, HM pollution investigation and screening of autochthonous HM phytoextractors were conducted. The concentrations of cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) in surface soils exceeded the corresponding local background values and the China National Standard (CNS). The maximum potential ecological risk (RI) was 627.30, indicating very high ecological risk. The monomial risk of Cd contributed the most to the RI, varying from 85.48% to 96.48%. The plant community structure in the study area was simple, and was composed of 24 families, 37 genera and 40 species. B. pilosa, A. roxburghiana, A. argyi, A. hispidus were found to be the most dominant species at considerable risk sites. Based on the comprehensive analysis of Cd concentration, bioconcentration factor, translocation factor and adaptability factor, B. pilosa and A. argyi had potential for phytoextraction at considerable risk sites. A. roxburghiana had potential for Cd phytoextraction at moderately risk sites and A. hispidus seemed suitable for phytostabilization. The results could contribute to the phytoremediation of the similar sites.
Gender Differences in Problematic Alcohol Consumption in University Professors
Authors: Ruisoto Pablo , Vaca Silvia , López-Goñi José , Cacho Raúl , Fernández-Suárez Iván
Published: September 2017

The role of job satisfaction and other psychosocial variables in problematic alcohol consumption within professional settings remains understudied. The aim of this study is to assess the level of problematic alcohol consumption among male and female university professors and associated psychosocial variables. A total of 360 professors (183 men and 177 women) of a large private university in Ecuador were surveyed using standardized instruments for the following psychosocial measures: alcohol consumption, job satisfaction, psychological stress, psychological flexibility, social support and resilience. Problematic alcohol consumption was found in 13.1% of participants, although this was significantly higher (χ2 = 15.6; d.f. = 2, p < 0.001) in men (19.1%) than women (6.8%). Problematic alcohol consumption was reported in men with higher perceived stress and job satisfaction. However, 83.3% of women with problematic alcohol use reported lower job satisfaction and higher psychological inflexibility. Results suggest that job satisfaction itself did not prevent problematic alcohol consumption in men; stress was associated with problematic consumption in men and psychological inflexibility in women. Findings from this study support the need to assess aspects of alcohol consumption and problematic behavior differently among men and women. Intervention strategies aimed at preventing or reducing problematic alcohol consumption in university professors must be different for men and women.
Targeting Heat Shock Proteins in Cancer: A Promising Therapeutic Approach
Authors: Chatterjee Suman , Burns Timothy
Published: September 2017

Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are a large family of chaperones that are involved in protein folding and maturation of a variety of “client” proteins protecting them from degradation, oxidative stress, hypoxia, and thermal stress. Hence, they are significant regulators of cellular proliferation, differentiation and strongly implicated in the molecular orchestration of cancer development and progression as many of their clients are well established oncoproteins in multiple tumor types. Interestingly, tumor cells are more HSP chaperonage-dependent than normal cells for proliferation and survival because the oncoproteins in cancer cells are often misfolded and require augmented chaperonage activity for correction. This led to the development of several inhibitors of HSP90 and other HSPs that have shown promise both preclinically and clinically in the treatment of cancer. In this article, we comprehensively review the roles of some of the important HSPs in cancer, and how targeting them could be efficacious, especially when traditional cancer therapies fail.
Genome Instability and γH2AX
Authors: Georgoulis Anastasios , Vorgias Constantinos , Chrousos George , Rogakou Emmy
Published: September 2017

γH2AX has emerged in the last 20 years as a central player in the DDR (DNA damage response), with specificity for DSBs (double-strand breaks). Upon the generation of DSBs, γ-phosphorylation extends along megabase-long domains in chromatin, both sides of the damage. The significance of this mechanism is of great importance; it depicts a biological amplification mechanism where one DSB induces the γ-phosphorylation of thousands of H2AX molecules along megabaselong domains of chromatin, that are adjusted to the sites of DSBs. A sequential recruitment of signal transduction factors that interact to each other and become activated to further amplify the signal that will travel to the cytoplasm take place on the γ-phosphorylated chromatin. γ-phosphorylation is an early event in the DSB damage response, induced in all phases of the cell cycle, and participates in both DSB repair pathways, the HR (homologous recombination) and NHEJ (non-homologous end joining). Today, numerous studies support the notion that γH2AX functions as a guardian of the genome by preventing misrepaired DSB that increase the mutation load of the cells and may further lead to genome instability and carcinogenesis.
Up-Regulation of HSFA2c and HSPs by ABA Contributing to Improved Heat Tolerance in Tall Fescue and Arabidopsis
Authors: Wang Xiuyun , Zhuang Lili , Shi Yi , Huang Bingru
Published: September 2017

Abscisic acid (ABA) is known to play roles in regulating plant tolerance to various abiotic stresses, but whether ABA’s effects on heat tolerance are associated with its regulation of heat stress transcription factors (HSFs) and heat shock proteins (HSPs) is not well documented. The objective of this study was to determine whether improved heat tolerance of tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) by ABA was through the regulation of HSFs and HSPs. ABA-responsive transcriptional factors, ABA-responsive element binding protein 3 (FaAREB3) and dehydration-responsive element binding protein 2A (FaDREB2A) of tall fescue, were able to bind to the cis-elements in the promoter of tall fescue heat stress transcription factor A2c (FaHSFA2c). Exogenous ABA (5 μM) application enhanced heat tolerance of tall fescue, as manifested by increased leaf photochemical efficiency and membrane stability under heat stress (37/32 °C, day/night). The expression levels of FaHSFA2c, several tall fescue HSPs (FaHSPs), and ABA-responsive transcriptional factors were up-regulated in plants treated with ABA. Deficiency of Arabidopsis heat stress transcription factor A2 (AtHSFA2) suppressed ABA-induction of AtHSPs expression and ABA-improved heat tolerance in Arabidopsis. These results suggested that HSFA2 plays an important role in ABA-mediated plant heat tolerance, and FaAREB3 and FaDREB2A may function as upstream trans-acting factors and regulate transcriptional activity of FaHSFA2c and the downstream FaHSPs, leading to improved heat tolerance.
Enhanced Interface Structure and Properties of Titanium Carbonitride-Based Cermets with the Extra Solid Phase Reaction
Authors: Lin Nan , He Yuehui , Kang Xiyue
Published: September 2017

In this paper, the influence of the extra solid phase reaction on the interface structure and mechanical properties of titanium carbonitride-based cermets were investigated. The extra solid phase reaction in the preparation process of cermets could induce the formation of a core/rim/binder interface with the coherent structure and reinforce the interface bonding strength in cermets. The existence of a coherent structure interface can inhibit crack spread and improve the toughness and abrasion resistance of titanium carbonitride-based cermets significantly. Cermets can exhibit the high hardness Rockwell Hardness A (HRA) 92.3, fracture toughness of 11.6 MPa·m1/2, and transverse rupture strength of 2810 MPa.
Chemical Synthesis of Marine-Derived Sulfoglycolipids, a New Class of Molecular Adjuvants
Authors: Manzo Emiliano , Fioretto Laura , Pagano Dario , Nuzzo Genoveffa , Gallo Carmela , De Palma Raffaele , Fontana Angelo
Published: September 2017

Vaccines play a primary role in the protection of human health by preventing infectious and chronic diseases. Recently we have reported 1,2-O-distearoyl-3-O-β-d-sulfoquinovosylglycerol (β-SQDG18), here named Sulfavant A (1), which shows promising properties as a new molecular adjuvant in in vitro and in vivo tests. In the present manuscript, we provide full details about a synthetic strategy for the preparation of 1, including a discussion of chemical determinants of the activity and the major technical hurdles we faced during the study. Synthesis of Sulfavant A (1) is achieved by a versatile procedure based on a trichloroacetimidate methodology and peracetate sugar precursors. The final design opens possibilities for the preparation of a series of interesting analogs for further pharmacological optimization and development, including derivatives containing different saturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids (e.g., 17 and 22).
Comparison of Ti-Based Coatings on Silicon Nanowires for Phosphopeptide Enrichment and Their Laser Assisted Desorption/Ionization Mass Spectrometry Detection
Authors: Kurylo Ievgen , Hamdi Abderrahmane , Addad Ahmed , Boukherroub Rabah , Coffinier Yannick
Published: September 2017

We created different TiO2-based coatings on silicon nanowires (SiNWs) by using either thermal metallization or atomic layer deposition (ALD). The fabricated surfaces were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and reflectivity measurements. Surfaces with different TiO2 based coating thicknesses were then used for phosphopeptide enrichment and subsequent detection by laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (LDI-MS). Results showed that the best enrichment and LDI-MS detection were obtained using the silicon nanowires covered with 10 nm of oxidized Ti deposited by means of thermal evaporation. This sample was also able to perform phosphopeptide enrichment and MS detection from serum.
Construction of Hierarchical CuO/Cu2O@NiCo2S4 Nanowire Arrays on Copper Foam for High Performance Supercapacitor Electrodes
Authors: Zhou Luoxiao , He Ying , Jia Congpu , Pavlinek Vladimir , Saha Petr , Cheng Qilin
Published: September 2017

Hierarchical copper oxide @ ternary nickel cobalt sulfide (CuO/Cu2O@NiCo2S4) core-shell nanowire arrays on Cu foam have been successfully constructed by a facile two-step strategy. Vertically aligned CuO/Cu2O nanowire arrays are firstly grown on Cu foam by one-step thermal oxidation of Cu foam, followed by electrodeposition of NiCo2S4 nanosheets on the surface of CuO/Cu2O nanowires to form the CuO/Cu2O@NiCo2S4 core-shell nanostructures. Structural and morphological characterizations indicate that the average thickness of the NiCo2S4 nanosheets is ~20 nm and the diameter of CuO/Cu2O core is ~50 nm. Electrochemical properties of the hierarchical composites as integrated binder-free electrodes for supercapacitor were evaluated by various electrochemical methods. The hierarchical composite electrodes could achieve ultrahigh specific capacitance of 3.186 F cm−2 at 10 mA cm−2, good rate capability (82.06% capacitance retention at the current density from 2 to 50 mA cm−2) and excellent cycling stability, with capacitance retention of 96.73% after 2000 cycles at 10 mA cm−2. These results demonstrate the significance of optimized design and fabrication of electrode materials with more sufficient electrolyte-electrode interface, robust structural integrity and fast ion/electron transfer.
An Anti-Electromagnetic Attack PUF Based on a Configurable Ring Oscillator for Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Lu Zhaojun , Li Dongfang , Liu Hailong , Gong Mingyang , Liu Zhenglin
Published: September 2017

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are an emerging technology employed in some crucial applications. However, limited resources and physical exposure to attackers make security a challenging issue for a WSN. Ring oscillator-based physical unclonable function (RO PUF) is a potential option to protect the security of sensor nodes because it is able to generate random responses efficiently for a key extraction mechanism, which prevents the non-volatile memory from storing secret keys. In order to deploy RO PUF in a WSN, hardware efficiency, randomness, uniqueness, and reliability should be taken into account. Besides, the resistance to electromagnetic (EM) analysis attack is important to guarantee the security of RO PUF itself. In this paper, we propose a novel architecture of configurable RO PUF based on exclusive-or (XOR) gates. First, it dramatically increases the hardware efficiency compared with other types of RO PUFs. Second, it mitigates the vulnerability to EM analysis attack by placing the adjacent RO arrays in accordance with the cosine wave and sine wave so that the frequency of each RO cannot be detected. We implement our proposal in XINLINX A-7 field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and conduct a set of experiments to evaluate the quality of the responses. The results show that responses pass the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) statistical test and have good uniqueness and reliability under different environments. Therefore, the proposed configurable RO PUF is suitable to establish a key extraction mechanism in a WSN.
GNSS Receiver Identification Using Clock-Derived Metrics
Authors: Borio Daniele , Gioia Ciro , Cano Pons Eduardo , Baldini Gianmarco
Published: September 2017

Falsifying Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) data with a simulator or with a fake receiver can have a significant economic or safety impact in many transportation applications where Position, Velocity and Time (PVT) are used to enforce a regulation. In this context, the authentication of the source of the PVT data (i.e., the GNSS receiver) is a requirement since data faking can become a serious threat. Receiver fingerprinting techniques represent possible countermeasures to verify the authenticity of a GNSS receiver and of its data. Herein, the potential of clock-derived metrics for GNSS receiver fingerprinting is investigated, and a filter approach is implemented for feature selection. Novel experimental results show that three intrinsic features are sufficient to identify a receiver. Moreover, the adopted technique is time effective as data blocks of about 40 min are sufficient to produce stable features for fingerprinting.
Multifunctional Nanotechnology-Enabled Sensors for Rapid Capture and Detection of Pathogens
Authors: Mustafa Fatima , Hassan Rabeay , Andreescu Silvana
Published: September 2017

Nanomaterial-based sensing approaches that incorporate different types of nanoparticles (NPs) and nanostructures in conjunction with natural or synthetic receptors as molecular recognition elements provide opportunities for the design of sensitive and selective assays for rapid detection of contaminants. This review summarizes recent advancements over the past ten years in the development of nanotechnology-enabled sensors and systems for capture and detection of pathogens. The most common types of nanostructures and NPs, their modification with receptor molecules and integration to produce viable sensing systems with biorecognition, amplification and signal readout are discussed. Examples of all-in-one systems that combine multifunctional properties for capture, separation, inactivation and detection are also provided. Current trends in the development of low-cost instrumentation for rapid assessment of food contamination are discussed as well as challenges for practical implementation and directions for future research.
Indoor Positioning System Based on a PSD Detector, Precise Positioning of Agents in Motion Using AoA Techniques
Authors: Rodríguez-Navarro David , Lázaro-Galilea José , De-La-Llana-Calvo Álvaro , Bravo-Muñoz Ignacio , Gardel-Vicente Alfredo , Tsirigotis Georgios , Iglesias-Miguel Juan
Published: September 2017

Here, we present an indoor positioning system (IPS) for detecting mobile agents based on a single Position Sensitive Device sensor (PSD) sited in the environment and InfraRed Emitter Diode (IRED) located on mobile agents. The main goal of the work is to develop an alternative IPS to other sensing technologies, cheaper, easier to install and with a low computational load to obtain a high rate of measurements per second. The proposed IPS has the capacity to accurately determine 3D position from the angle of arrival (AoA) of the signal received at the PSD sensor. In this first approach to the method, the agents are considered to move along a plane. We propose two alternatives for determining position: in one, tones are emitted on a frequency unique to each transmitter, while in the other, sequences are emitted.The paper proposes and set up a very simple and easy to deploy system capable of performing 3D positioning with a single analog sensor, obtaining a high accurate positioning and a reduced execution time for the signal processing. The low computational load of the IPS makes it possible to obtain a very high position update rate (more than 100 times per second), yielding millimetric accuracies.
Optimal Energy Efficiency Fairness of Nodes in Wireless Powered Communication Networks
Authors: Zhang Jing , Zhou Qingjie , Ng Derrick , Jo Minho
Published: September 2017

In wireless powered communication networks (WPCNs), it is essential to research energy efficiency fairness in order to evaluate the balance of nodes for receiving information and harvesting energy. In this paper, we propose an efficient iterative algorithm for optimal energy efficiency proportional fairness in WPCN. The main idea is to use stochastic geometry to derive the mean proportionally fairness utility function with respect to user association probability and receive threshold. Subsequently, we prove that the relaxed proportionally fairness utility function is a concave function for user association probability and receive threshold, respectively. At the same time, a sub-optimal algorithm by exploiting alternating optimization approach is proposed. Through numerical simulations, we demonstrate that our sub-optimal algorithm can obtain a result close to optimal energy efficiency proportional fairness with significant reduction of computational complexity.
Energy-Saving Traffic Scheduling in Hybrid Software Defined Wireless Rechargeable Sensor Networks
Authors: Wei Yunkai , Ma Xiaohui , Yang Ning , Chen Yijin
Published: September 2017

Software Defined Wireless Rechargeable Sensor Networks (SDWRSNs) are an inexorable trend for Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs), including Wireless Rechargeable Sensor Network (WRSNs). However, the traditional network devices cannot be completely substituted in the short term. Hybrid SDWRSNs, where software defined devices and traditional devices coexist, will last for a long time. Hybrid SDWRSNs bring new challenges as well as opportunities for energy saving issues, which is still a key problem considering that the wireless chargers are also exhaustible, especially in some rigid environment out of the main supply. Numerous energy saving schemes for WSNs, or even some works for WRSNs, are no longer suitable for the new features of hybrid SDWRSNs. To solve this problem, this paper puts forward an Energy-saving Traffic Scheduling (ETS) algorithm. The ETS algorithm adequately considers the new characters in hybrid SDWRSNs, and takes advantage of the Software Defined Networking (SDN) controller’s direct control ability on SDN nodes and indirect control ability on normal nodes. The simulation results show that, comparing with traditional Minimum Transmission Energy (MTE) protocol, ETS can substantially improve the energy efficiency in hybrid SDWRSNs for up to 20–40% while ensuring feasible data delay.
A Sparse Dictionary Learning-Based Adaptive Patch Inpainting Method for Thick Clouds Removal from High-Spatial Resolution Remote Sensing Imagery
Authors: Meng Fan , Yang Xiaomei , Zhou Chenghu , Li Zhi
Published: September 2017

Cloud cover is inevitable in optical remote sensing (RS) imagery on account of the influence of observation conditions, which limits the availability of RS data. Therefore, it is of great significance to be able to reconstruct the cloud-contaminated ground information. This paper presents a sparse dictionary learning-based image inpainting method for adaptively recovering the missing information corrupted by thick clouds patch-by-patch. A feature dictionary was learned from exemplars in the cloud-free regions, which was later utilized to infer the missing patches via sparse representation. To maintain the coherence of structures, structure sparsity was brought in to encourage first filling-in of missing patches on image structures. The optimization model of patch inpainting was formulated under the adaptive neighborhood-consistency constraint, which was solved by a modified orthogonal matching pursuit (OMP) algorithm. In light of these ideas, the thick-cloud removal scheme was designed and applied to images with simulated and true clouds. Comparisons and experiments show that our method can not only keep structures and textures consistent with the surrounding ground information, but also yield rare smoothing effect and block effect, which is more suitable for the removal of clouds from high-spatial resolution RS imagery with salient structures and abundant textured features.
Resonance Frequency Readout Circuit for a 900 MHz SAW Device
Authors: Liu Heng , Zhang Chun , Weng Zhaoyang , Guo Yanshu , Wang Zhihua
Published: September 2017

A monolithic resonance frequency readout circuit with high resolution and short measurement time is presented for a 900 MHz RF surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensor. The readout circuit is composed of a fractional-N phase-locked loop (PLL) as the stimulus source to the SAW device and a phase-based resonance frequency detecting circuit using successive approximation (SAR). A new resonance frequency searching strategy has been proposed based on the fact that the SAW device phase-frequency response crosses zero monotonically around the resonance frequency. A dedicated instant phase difference detecting circuit is adopted to facilitate the fast SAR operation for resonance frequency searching. The readout circuit has been implemented in 180 nm CMOS technology with a core area of 3.24 mm2. In the experiment, it works with a 900 MHz SAW resonator with a quality factor of Q = 130. Experimental results show that the readout circuit consumes 7 mW power from 1.6 V supply. The frequency resolution is 733 Hz, and the relative accuracy is 0.82 ppm, and it takes 0.48 ms to complete one measurement. Compared to the previous results in the literature, this work has achieved the shortest measurement time with a trade-off between measurement accuracy and measurement time.
From Triple Win to Triple Sin: How a Problematic Future Discourse is Shaping the Way People Age with Technology
Authors: Neven Louis , Peine Alexander
Published: September 2017

This essay provides a critical analysis of the ageing-and-innovation discourse. The ageing-and-innovation discourse is a key rhetorical structure that legitimizes very large investments in technologies for older people. In this discourse, ageing is positioned as an imminent crisis that will affect whole societies, both socially and economically. Investing in technological solutions is, in turn, positioned as a solution that generates benefits on a societal, economical and individual level. This discourse is used to legitimize investment, rally support and reduce uncertainty. We contend that there are three problems with the ageing-and-innovation discourse. First, it legitimizes investment in every technology for older people and thus provides no means of discriminating between useful and non-useful technologies. Second, this discourse presupposes a very negative view of ageing that jars with the positive view of ageing that many older people have, which, in turn, leads to problems with acceptance of these technologies. Third, the ageing-and-innovation discourse creates a moral high ground that makes it hard for opponents to disagree with this discourse. The ageing-and-innovation discourse is a successful rhetorical device, but it ultimately hinders the development of suitable technologies that fit in with the lives of older people and thus needs to be reconsidered by scientists, policy makers and industry.
Automated Measurement of Microvascular Function Reveals Dysfunction in Systemic Sclerosis: A Cross-sectional Study
Authors: Machin Daniel R. , Gates Phillip E. , Vink Hans , Frech Tracy M. , Donato Anthony J.
Published: September 2017

Objective.

The aim of our study was to determine whether an automated capture and analysis system could detect differences in structure and function of sublingual microvessels in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) compared to healthy controls.

Methods.

Intravital microscopy of the sublingual microcirculation was automatically captured and analyzed in 40 patients with SSc and 10 age-matched healthy controls.

Results.

Total and perfused microvascular density were lower in patients with SSc compared with controls (total microvascular density: 2471 ± 134 µm/mm2 vs 3067 ± 197 µm/mm2, p = 0.020; perfused microvascular density: 1708 ± 92 µm/mm2 vs 2192 ± 144 µm/mm2, p = 0.009). However, the relative percentage of perfused to total microvascular density was similar between SSc and controls (72 ± 2% vs 71 ± 2%, respectively, p = 0.429). Mean red blood cell (RBC) fraction, which indicates the longitudinal tube hematocrit of microvessel segments, was lower in patients with SSc compared with controls (69 ± 1% vs 77 ± 1%, respectively, p < 0.001). Perfused boundary region (PBR), a marker of endothelial glycocalyx barrier properties, was higher in patients with SSc compared with controls (2.1 ± 0.0 µm vs 1.9 ± 0.0 µm, respectively, p = 0.012), suggestive of a dysfunctional glycocalyx. There was an inverse association of PBR with perfused microvascular density (r = −0.40, p = 0.004) and RBC fraction (r = −0.80, p < 0.001).

Conclusion.

Our results indicate that automated capture and analysis of sublingual microvessel segments produces detailed, objective microvascular structural and functional data that have allowed us to distinguish patients with SSc from controls. These data suggest that microvascular structural and functional abnormalities present in patients with SSc could be at least partly due to a dysfunctional glycocalyx.
Médias sociaux : puissance américaine, montée asiatique ?
Authors: Normandin François
Published: September 2017

Difficile de concevoir nos vies personnelles et professionnelles sans les médias sociaux. Vecteurs sociaux, économiques, culturels et même politiques, comme ils l’ont été durant le Printemps arabe par exemple, les médias sociaux relient aujourd’hui des centaines de millions de personnes.
Le Metropolitan Opera ou l’art de dominer le monde numériquement
Authors: Poisson-de Haro Serge
Published: September 2017

Grâce à la numérisation, le Metropolitan Opera (MET) de New York diffuse ses spectacles dans quelque 2 000 salles partout sur la planète. À la dixième saison de son programme numérique, l’opéra a ainsi vendu plus de trois millions de billets pour la présentation de ses spectacles sur grand écran, ce qui équivaut à près de quatre fois la capacité de sa salle new-yorkaise. Géants et petits du monde culturel doivent-ils numériser ou non leur modèle d’affaires ? Récit d’une dynamique concurrentielle en pleine mutation.
Les Grands Ballets canadiens de Montréal : penser sa mission autrement
Authors: Courchesne André , Ravanas Philippe , Pulido Cristian
Published: September 2017

Désireux de consolider leur clientèle et de créer de nouvelles sources de revenus, les Grands Ballets canadiens de Montréal se sont donné, au cours des dernières années, des objectifs précis dont un des éléments constitue une véritable innovation sur le plan de la gestion : revoir la mission de cette compagnie de danse. Récit d’une transformation qui a placé la danse-thérapie au cœur d’un positionnement unique dans le marché.
Les achats programmatiques : comprendre les enjeux
Authors: Renaud Jean-François
Published: September 2017

La révolution numérique a causé bien des surprises dans plusieurs secteurs d’activité en bousculant les chaînes de valeur. Le domaine des voyages a vu apparaître Expedia et Kayak, les agences immobilières ont dû faire place à DuProprio et l’industrie du taxi doit aujourd’hui composer avec Uber. Au moment de programmer des campagnes publicitaires en ligne, ce sont les achats programmatiques qui provoquent les bouleversements les plus profonds dans le monde des médias. Explication d’un phénomène qui prend de l’ampleur.
Êtes-vous un leader inspirant pour votre équipe ?
Authors: Bertholet Jean-François , Gaudet Marie-Claude
Published: September 2017

Que faire pour être inspirant ? C’est une question que se posent plusieurs gestionnaires qui tentent de donner un nouveau souffle à leur leadership. L’intérêt pour ce thème est compréhensible du point de vue de la gestion. En cette ère de cynisme profond où la performance est plus difficile à contrôler et à évaluer et où on s’attend à une contribution élargie et enrichie de la part de nos équipes, l’inspiration ne serait-elle pas la clé du succès ?
La transformation des parcours sociaux et la question de la porosité des sphères de la vie
Authors: Berton Fabienne
Published: September 2017

Porter attention aux parcours sociaux signifie s’affranchir, d’une part, des analyses statiques et, d’autre part, des analyses unidimensionnelles pour tenter d’appréhender le cours de la vie dans son déroulement temporel et dans les interactions de ses multiples dimensions. Le développement des analyses en termes de parcours de vie, de ruptures et de bifurcations témoigne d’un intérêt pour une analyse et une compréhension plus riches des individus concrets et de leur environnement social. Ces analyses sont toutefois loin de s’inscrire dans une problématique purement individuelle. Les événements qui structurent les parcours des personnes résultent aussi des rapports sociaux. L’intérêt récent pour l’analyse des parcours sociaux est exigeant en termes de données à recueillir. Qu’elles soient de nature quantitative ou qualitative, il s’agit de constituer des bases de données longitudinales et multidimensionnelles (recueil de biographies ou construction de cohorte). Muni de ces principes de méthode, les analyses de parcours soulèvent des questions spécifiques : avec l’hypothèse de la porosité des sphères de l’existence, deux questions surgissent, celle de la compensation et celle de la contamination entre ces sphères. Des exemples de compensation ou de contamination sont présentés à partir d’un travail sur les ruptures professionnelles. Un exemple de base de données est proposé avec la construction de la cohorte elfe , un outil potentiel d’analyse des parcours, bifurcations et ruptures.
Les professionnels démunis face aux processus de radicalisation
Authors: Turkieltaub Sandrine
Published: September 2017

À partir d’une pièce de théâtre, Martyr , de Marius von Mayenbur, cet article propose un éclairage sur les difficultés rencontrées par les professionnels qui accompagnent les jeunes lorsque ces derniers expriment des idées « radicales » ou « extrémistes ». Mus par la volonté d’accueillir la parole des jeunes avec bienveillance, et par le souci démocratique de respecter la liberté d’expression, les professionnels hésitent à se positionner. Des paroles ou des actes sont minimisés ou considérés comme minoritaires. Or, ces manifestations doivent être prises au sérieux, car elles disent quelque chose de l’état psychique ou de la situation sociale des jeunes, et du lien social qui se délite, au profit de replis dans des identités essentialisées, de complots supposés, d’identification avec des victimes de conflits internationaux, entraînant le refus de l’altérité.
The internal and external customer focused process improvement and the performance analysis studies in healthcare systems
Authors: Tekin Piril , Erol Rizvan
Published: September 2017

Purpose: The main contribution of this paper is to generate an optimum solution for capacity planning and appointment scheduling issues, which are frequently encountered in clinical flows with various route and treatment periods at dental hospitals.Design/methodology/approach: It is essential to define the system well in order to ensure that the working staff and patients use their time very efficiently and that the process flows continuously. By having examined a sample healthcare system through the help of a study addressed in such context, studies on process improvement in line with the dissatisfactions of the working staff and patients have been carried out. Within the scope of the study, the operation of 7 Departments in a dental hospital undergoing a treatment process have been reviewed and examined. The problems encountered as result of the observations made are discussed in detail, and formerly and recently designed system performance analyses are conducted by having performed the respective process improvement studies. The relevant samplings of this study are modeled via the Arena Simulation Program. The data of the previous four months is used in the parameters, which are used through the modellings. The system data are entered by taking into account seasonal characteristics of the data.Findings: The analyses are made as a consequence of such study that has been addressed, it is established that the efficiency of the internal customers of the hospital increases substantially, and that the waiting durations of the dental patients decrease and in turn, the external customer satisfaction increases drastically.Research limitations/implications: Under the scope of the present study, 7 different treatment processes are analysed in a dental hospital in Cukurova Region with a significant patient potential. The treatment clinics present in the hospital are radiology, periodontology, surgery, treatment, orthodontics and prosthesis. These clinics run their own appointment and treatment system independently. Thus, the study has limited with five departments among 7.Originality/value: With this study, given the flow of different existing treatment processes belonging to patients are optimized, and also the continuity of the system is ensured by minimizing the patient waiting times within the existing system.
Extracting Top-k Company Acquisition Relations From the Web
Authors: Zhao Jie , Wang Jianfei , Yang Jia , Jin Peiquan
Published: September 2017

Company acquisition relation reflects a company's development intent and competitive strategies, which is an important type of enterprise competitive intelligence. In the traditional environment, the acquisition of competitive intelligence mainly relies on newspapers, internal reports, and so on, but the rapid development of the Web introduces a new way to extract company acquisition relation. In this paper, the authors study the problem of extracting company acquisition relation from huge amounts of Web pages, and propose a novel algorithm for company acquisition relation extraction. The authors' algorithm considers the tense feature of Web content and classification technology of semantic strength when extracting company acquisition relation from Web pages. It first determines the tense of each sentence in a Web page, which is then applied in sentences classification so as to evaluate the semantic strength of the candidate sentences in describing company acquisition relation. After that, the authors rank the candidate acquisition relations and return the top-k company acquisition relation. They run experiments on 6144 pages crawled through Google, and measure the performance of their algorithm under different metrics. The experimental results show that the algorithm is effective in determining the tense of sentences as well as the company acquisition relation.