bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Recent Progresses of High-Temperature Microwave-Absorbing Materials
Authors: Jia Zirui , Lin Kejun , Wu Guanglei , Xing Hui , Wu Hongjing
Published: May 2018

Generally, certain parts of aircraft and weapons, for example, head cone, engine inlet and nozzle, need to be resistant to high-temperature and high-speed heat flow. In order to meet the requirement of stealth of these special parts, the high-temperature structural absorbing materials, for example, ceramic fibers, ceramic matrix composites and creative commons (C/C) materials are being actively developed at home and abroad. Continuous and increasing efforts have also been made in the last decade aiming at developing excellent electromagnetic (EM) wave absorbents, for example, SiC working at high temperature. An ideal EM absorber should be relatively lightweight, thermally stable, capable of broad absorbing frequency and cost effective. Different kinds of high-temperature absorbers including ceramics, carbon-based materials, ferromagnetic materials and metal oxides have been summarized and discussed in this review. This review intends to inspire new concepts and approaches for designing excellent high-temperature microwave-absorbing materials.
Strong Adsorption of Al-Doped Bilayer Graphene Toward Anticancer Cisplatin
Authors: Li Guo-Qing , Zhang Meng , Li Wei
Published: May 2018

The adsorption of cisplatin on pristine monolayer graphene (MLG), pristine bilayer graphene (BLG) and Al-doped BLG (Al-BLG) was investigated using density functional theory. The obtained results showed that pristine MLG and pristine BLG were not sensitive to cisplatin. Adsorption energy can be primarily influenced by the atomic species rather than the adsorption position. Moreover, it is strong chemisorption of hollow-site Al-BLG (H-Al-BLG) toward cisplatin. The most stable configurations are the Pt or Cl atom interaction with the Al atom of H-Al-BLG. In conclusion, H-Al-BLG is a kind of potential high quality delivery carrier for anticancer cisplatin.
Fabrication of Novel n-SrTiO3/p-BiOI Heterojunction for Degradation of Crystal Violet Under Simulated Solar Light Irradiation
Authors: Xia Yongmei , He Zuming , Su Jiangbin , Liu Ya , Tang Bin , Li Xiaoping
Published: May 2018

Novel n-SrTiO3/p-BiOI heterojunction composites were successfully fabricated by loading SrTiO3 particles onto the surface of BiOI nanoflakes via a two-step method. The as-prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), energy-disperse X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) and electrochemical measurements. The results show that the n-SrTiO3/p-BiOI heterojunction composites are composed of perovskite structure SrTiO3 and tetragonal phase BiOI. The composites exhibit excellent photocatalytic performance for the degradation of crystal violet (CV) solution under simulated solar light irradiation, which is superior to that of pristine BiOI and SrTiO3. The 30[Formula: see text]wt.%SrTiO3/BiOI composite is found to be the optimal composite, over which the dye degradation reaches 92.5% for 30[Formula: see text]min of photocatalysis. The photocatalytic activity of the 30[Formula: see text]wt.%SrTiO3/BiOI composite is found to be 3.94 times and 28.2 times higher than that of bare BiOI and SrTiO3, respectively. The reactive species trapping experiments suggest that [Formula: see text] and holes are the main active species responsible for the CV degradation. In addition, the electrochemical measurements elucidate the effective separation of photoinduced electron–hole pairs. Moreover, on the basis of experimental and theoretical results, a possible mechanism for the enhanced photocatalytic performance of the SrTiO3/BiOI heterojunction composites is also proposed.
Method of directly defining the inverse mapping applied to prostate cancer immunotherapy — Mathematical model
Authors: Nave Ophir , Elbaz Miriam
Published: May 2018

In this paper, we apply the method of directly defining the inverse mapping introduced by Liao and Zhao [On the method of directly defining inverse mapping for nonlinear differential equations, Numer. Algorithms 72(4) (2016) 989–1020] to the problem of prostate cancer immunotherapy. We extend this method in two directions: first, we apply the method to a system of nonlinear ordinary differential equation, and second, we propose a new technique for finding the base functions in the considered algorithm.
Statistical inference of the lifetime performance index for Lindley distribution under progressive first-failure censoring scheme applied to HPLC data
Authors: Hassanein W. A.
Published: May 2018

This paper is devoted to the construct of the maximum likelihood estimator of the lifetime performance index based on first-failure progressive right type II censored sample for Lindley distribution. Statistical inference for assessing the lifetime performance of the items is performed. Finally, two examples are given, one of them considers a real life application of blood samples from organ transplant recipient using the liquid chromatography (HPLC) data and the other is a simulated example to illustrate the proposed statistical procedure.
Ideals of direct products of rings
Authors: Chajda Ivan , Eigenthaler Günther , Länger Helmut
Published: May 2018

It is known that an ideal of a direct product of commutative unitary rings is directly decomposable into ideals of the corresponding factors. We show that this does not hold in general for commutative rings and we find necessary and sufficient conditions for direct decomposability of ideals. For varieties of commutative rings, we derive a Mal’cev type condition characterizing direct decomposability of ideals and we determine explicitly all varieties satisfying this condition.
Densities of the extreme eigenvalues of Beta–MANOVA matrices
Authors: Kan Raymond , Koev Plamen
Published: May 2018

We derive new expressions for the densities of extreme eigenvalues of a Beta–MANOVA matrix, which generalize the classical result of Khatri for the real case. We also present new expressions for the distributions of those eigenvalues which are valid for any values of the parameters.
A two-dimensional layer-averaged numerical model for turbidity currents
Authors: Yang Shihao , An Yi , Liu Qingquan
Published: May 2018

Turbidity currents occur widely in submarine environments, but field-scale numerical simulations of the flow features have not been applied extensively. Here, we present a two-dimensional layer-averaged numerical model to simulate turbidity currents over an erodible sediment bed, and taking into consideration deposition, entrainment and friction. The numerical model was developed based on the open-source code, Basilisk, ensuring well-balanced and positivity-preserving properties. An adaptive spatial discretization was used, which allows multi-level refinement. The adaptive criterion is based on the dynamic features of the flow and sediment concentrations. The numerical scheme has a relatively high computational efficiency compared with models based on the Cartesian mesh. A hypothetical case based on a true large-scale landform (the Moroccan Turbidite System, offshore NW Africa) was studied. Compared with previous models, the current model accounted for the coupling between flow, sediment transportation and bed evolution. This approach may improve simulation results and also allow the simulation of complex field-scale landforms, while preserving the flow details.
A Survey of Emerging Concepts and Challenges for QoE Management of Multimedia Services
Authors: Skorin-Kapov Lea , Varela Martín , Hoßfeld Tobias , Chen Kuan-Ta
Published: May 2018

Quality of Experience (QoE) has received much attention over the past years and has become a prominent issue for delivering services and applications. A significant amount of research has been devoted to understanding, measuring, and modelling QoE for a variety of media services. The next logical step is to actively exploit that accumulated knowledge to improve and manage the quality of multimedia services, while at the same time ensuring efficient and cost-effective network operations. Moreover, with many different players involved in the end-to-end service delivery chain, identifying the root causes of QoE impairments and finding effective solutions for meeting the end users’ requirements and expectations in terms of service quality is a challenging and complex problem. In this article, we survey state-of-the-art findings and present emerging concepts and challenges related to managing QoE for networked multimedia services. Going beyond a number of previously published survey articles addressing the topic of QoE management, we address QoE management in the context of ongoing developments, such as the move to softwarized networks, the exploitation of big data analytics and machine learning, and the steady rise of new and immersive services (e.g., augmented and virtual reality). We address the implications of such paradigm shifts in terms of new approaches in QoE modeling and the need for novel QoE monitoring and management infrastructures.
Co-Simulation
Authors: Gomes Cláudio , Thule Casper , Broman David , Larsen Peter Gorm , Vangheluwe Hans
Published: May 2018

Modeling and simulation techniques are today extensively used both in industry and science. Parts of larger systems are, however, typically modeled and simulated by different techniques, tools, and algorithms. In addition, experts from different disciplines use various modeling and simulation techniques. Both these facts make it difficult to study coupled heterogeneous systems.

Co-simulation is an emerging enabling technique, where global simulation of a coupled system can be achieved by composing the simulations of its parts. Due to its potential and interdisciplinary nature, co-simulation is being studied in different disciplines but with limited sharing of findings.

In this survey, we study and survey the state-of-the-art techniques for co-simulation, with the goal of enhancing future research and highlighting the main challenges.

To study this broad topic, we start by focusing on discrete-event-based co-simulation, followed by continuous-time-based co-simulation. Finally, we explore the interactions between these two paradigms, in hybrid co-simulation.

To survey the current techniques, tools, and research challenges, we systematically classify recently published research literature on co-simulation, and summarize it into a taxonomy. As a result, we identify the need for finding generic approaches for modular, stable, and accurate coupling of simulation units, as well as expressing the adaptations required to ensure that the coupling is correct.
Exploring Multiobjective Optimization for Multiview Clustering
Authors: Saha Sriparna , Mitra Sayantan , Kramer Stefan
Published: May 2018

We present a new multiview clustering approach based on multiobjective optimization. In contrast to existing clustering algorithms based on multiobjective optimization, it is generally applicable to data represented by two or more views and does not require specifying the number of clusters
a priori
. The approach builds upon the search capability of a multiobjective simulated annealing based technique, AMOSA, as the underlying optimization technique. In the first version of the proposed approach, an internal cluster validity index is used to assess the quality of different partitionings obtained using different views. A new way of checking the compatibility of these different partitionings is also proposed and this is used as another objective function. A new encoding strategy and some new mutation operators are introduced. Finally, a new way of computing a consensus partitioning from multiple individual partitions obtained on multiple views is proposed. As a baseline and for comparison, two multiobjective based ensemble clustering techniques are proposed to combine the outputs of different simple clustering approaches. The efficacy of the proposed clustering methods is shown for partitioning several real-world datasets having multiple views. To show the practical usefulness of the method, we present results on web-search result clustering, where the task is to find a suitable partitioning of web snippets.
A Survey of Symbolic Execution Techniques
Authors: Baldoni Roberto , Coppa Emilio , D’elia Daniele Cono , Demetrescu Camil , Finocchi Irene
Published: May 2018

Many security and software testing applications require checking whether certain properties of a program hold for any possible usage scenario. For instance, a tool for identifying software vulnerabilities may need to rule out the existence of any backdoor to bypass a program’s authentication. One approach would be to test the program using different, possibly random inputs. As the backdoor may only be hit for very specific program workloads, automated exploration of the space of possible inputs is of the essence. Symbolic execution provides an elegant solution to the problem, by systematically exploring many possible execution paths at the same time without necessarily requiring concrete inputs. Rather than taking on fully specified input values, the technique abstractly represents them as symbols, resorting to constraint solvers to construct actual instances that would cause property violations. Symbolic execution has been incubated in dozens of tools developed over the past four decades, leading to major practical breakthroughs in a number of prominent software reliability applications. The goal of this survey is to provide an overview of the main ideas, challenges, and solutions developed in the area, distilling them for a broad audience.
A Survey of Network Traffic Anonymisation Techniques and Implementations
Authors: Dijkhuizen Niels Van , Ham Jeroen Van Der
Published: May 2018

Many networking research activities are dependent on the availability of network captures. Even outside academic research, there is a need for sharing network captures to cooperate on threat assessments or for debugging. However, most network captures cannot be shared due to privacy concerns.

Anonymisation of network captures has been a subject of research for quite some time, and many different techniques exist. In this article, we present an overview of the currently available techniques and implementations for network capture anonymisation.

There have been many advances in the understanding of anonymisation and cryptographic methods, which have changed the perspective on the effectiveness of many anonymisation techniques. However, these advances, combined with the increase of computational abilities, may have also made it feasible to perform anonymisation in real time. This may make it easier to collect and distribute network captures both for research and for other applications.

This article surveys the literature over the period of 1998–2017 on network traffic anonymisation techniques and implementations. The aim is to provide an overview of the current state of the art and to highlight how advances in related fields have shed new light on anonymisation and pseudonimisation methodologies. The few currently maintained implementations are also reviewed. Last, we identify future research directions to enable easier sharing of network traffic, which in turn can enable new insights in network traffic analysis.
PMS
Authors: Bruneau-Queyreix Joachim , Batalla Jordi Mongay , Lacaud Mathias , Negru Daniel
Published: May 2018

Single-source HTTP adaptive streaming solutions (HAS) have become the de facto solutions to deliver live video over the Internet. By avoiding video stalling events that are mainly caused by the lack of throughput at client or at server side, HAS solutions increase the end users’ quality of experience (QoE). We propose to pragmatically extend HAS with our MS-Stream solution that simultaneously utilizes several servers. MS-Stream aims at offering high QoE for live content delivery by exploiting expanded bandwidth and link diversity in distributed heterogeneous infrastructures. By leveraging end users’ connectivity capacities, we further extend the QoE and scalability capabilities of our proposal by exposing a hybrid P2P/multisource live-streaming solution (P2P/MS-Stream (PMS)), achieving trade-offs between the system’s scale and the end users’ QoE. We propose a distributed quality adaptation algorithm run by every peer, along with a local optimization method of the usage of the server infrastructure made available. Large-scale evaluations conducted with 300 peers located in France permits validating our approach and algorithms over flash crowd events and allow us to conclude that PMS can reach the optimal trade-offs between QoE and system scale.
A Taxonomy of Software-Defined Networking (SDN)-Enabled Cloud Computing
Authors: Son Jungmin , Buyya Rajkumar
Published: May 2018

Software-Defined Networking (SDN) opened up new opportunities in networking with its concept of the segregated control plane from the data-forwarding hardware, which enables the network to be programmable, adjustable, and reconfigurable dynamically. These characteristics can bring numerous benefits to cloud computing, where dynamic changes and reconfiguration are necessary with its on-demand usage pattern. Although researchers have studied utilizing SDN in cloud computing, gaps still exist and need to be explored further. In this article, we propose a taxonomy to depict different aspects of SDN-enabled cloud computing and explain each element in details. The detailed survey of studies utilizing SDN for cloud computing is presented with focus on data center power optimization, traffic engineering, network virtualization, and security. We also present various simulation and empirical evaluation methods that have been developed for SDN-enabled clouds. Finally, we analyze the gap in current research and propose future directions.
Continuous Spatial Query Processing
Authors: Qi Jianzhong , Zhang Rui , Jensen Christian S. , Ramamohanarao Kotagiri , HE Jiayuan
Published: May 2018

In the past decade, positioning system-enabled devices such as smartphones have become most prevalent. This functionality brings the increasing popularity of
location-based services
in business as well as daily applications such as navigation, targeted advertising, and location-based social networking.
Continuous spatial queries
serve as a building block for location-based services. As an example, an Uber driver may want to be kept aware of the nearest customers or service stations. Continuous spatial queries require updates to the query result as the query or data objects are moving. This poses challenges to the query efficiency, which is crucial to the user experience of a service. A large number of approaches address this efficiency issue using the concept of
safe region
. A safe region is a region within which arbitrary movement of an object leaves the query result unchanged. Such a region helps reduce the frequency of query result update and hence improves query efficiency. As a result, safe region-based approaches have been popular for processing various types of continuous spatial queries. Safe regions have interesting theoretical properties and are worth in-depth analysis. We provide a comparative study of safe region-based approaches. We describe how safe regions are computed for different types of continuous spatial queries, showing how they improve query efficiency. We compare the different safe region-based approaches and discuss possible further improvements.
Over- and Under-Exposure Reconstruction of a Single Plenoptic Capture
Authors: Hu Wei , Seifi Mozhdeh , Reinhard Erik
Published: May 2018

Light field images, for example, taken with plenoptic cameras, offer interesting post-processing opportunities, including depth-of-field management, depth estimation, viewpoint selection, and 3D image synthesis. Like most capture devices, however, plenoptic cameras have a limited dynamic range, so that over- and under-exposed areas in plenoptic images are commonplace. We therefore present a straightforward and robust plenoptic reconstruction technique based on the observation that vignetting causes peripheral views to receive less light than central views. Thus, corresponding pixels in different views can be used to reconstruct illumination, especially in areas where information missing in one view is present in another. Our algorithm accurately reconstructs under- and over-exposed regions (known as declipping), additionally affording an increase in peak luminance by up to two f-stops, and a comparable lowering of the noise floor. The key advantages of this approach are that no hardware modifications are necessary to improve the dynamic range, that no multiple exposure techniques are required, and therefore that no ghosting or other artifacts are introduced.
Directed Multicut is W[1]-hard, Even for Four Terminal Pairs
Authors: Pilipczuk Marcin , Wahlström Magnus
Published: May 2018

We prove that M
ulticut
in directed graphs, parameterized by the size of the cutset, is
W
[1]-hard and hence unlikely to be fixed-parameter tractable even if restricted to instances with only four terminal pairs. This negative result almost completely resolves one of the central open problems in the area of parameterized complexity of graph separation problems, posted originally by Marx and Razgon [SIAM J. Comput. 43(2):355--388 (2014)], leaving only the case of three terminal pairs open. The case of two terminal pairs was shown to be FPT by Chitnis et al. [SIAM J. Comput. 42(4):1674--1696 (2013)].

Our gadget methodology also allows us to prove
W
[1]-hardness of the S
teiner
O
rientation
problem parameterized by the number of terminal pairs, resolving an open problem of Cygan, Kortsarz, and Nutov [SIAM J. Discrete Math. 27(3):1503-1513 (2013)].
Schedulability Analysis of Tasks with Corunner-Dependent Execution Times
Authors: Andersson BJörn , Kim Hyoseung , Niz Dionisio De , Klein Mark , Rajkumar Ragunathan (Raj) , Lehoczky John
Published: May 2018

Consider fixed-priority preemptive partitioned scheduling of constrained-deadline sporadic tasks on a multiprocessor. A task generates a sequence of jobs and each job has a deadline that must be met. Assume tasks have Corunner-dependent execution times; i.e., the execution time of a job
J
depends on the set of jobs that happen to execute (on other processors) at instants when
J
executes. We present a model that describes Corunner-dependent execution times. For this model, we show that exact schedulability testing is co-NP-hard in the strong sense. Facing this complexity, we present a sufficient schedulability test, which has pseudo-polynomial-time complexity if the number of processors is fixed. We ran experiments with synthetic software benchmarks on a quad-core Intel multicore processor with the Linux/RK operating system and found that for each task, its maximum measured response time was bounded by the upper bound computed by our theory.
Getting hooked on tech
Authors: Kugler Logan
Published: May 2018

Are technology companies maximizing profits by making users addicted to their products?
3D sensors provide security, better games
Authors: Kirkpatrick Keith
Published: May 2018

A variety of techniques allow sensors to locate and recognize objects in space.
Coz
Authors: Curtsinger Charlie , Berger Emery D.
Published: May 2018

Improving performance is a central concern for software developers. To locate optimization opportunities, developers rely on software profilers. However, these profilers only report where programs spend their time: optimizing that code may have no impact on performance. Past profilers thus both waste developer time and make it difficult for them to uncover significant optimization opportunities.

This paper introduces
causal profiling.
Unlike past profiling approaches, causal profiling indicates exactly where programmers should focus their optimization efforts, and quantifies their potential impact. Causal profiling works by running
performance experiments
during program execution. Each experiment calculates the impact of any potential optimization by
virtually speeding
up code: inserting pauses that slow down all other code running concurrently. The key insight is that this slowdown has the same
relative
effect as running that line faster, thus "virtually" speeding it up.

We present Coz, a causal profiler, which we evaluate on a range of highly-tuned applications such as Memcached, SQLite, and the PARSEC benchmark suite. Coz identifies previously unknown optimization opportunities that are both significant and targeted. Guided by Coz, we improve the performance of Memcached by 9%, SQLite by 25%, and accelerate six PARSEC applications by as much as 68%; in most cases, these optimizations involve modifying under 10 lines of code.
Watchdogs vs. snowflakes
Authors: Neville-Neil George V.
Published: May 2018

Taking wild guesses.
Bias on the web
Authors: Baeza-Yates Ricardo
Published: May 2018

Bias in Web data and use taints the algorithms behind Web-based applications, delivering equally biased results.
A Full Duplex D2D Clustering Resource Allocation Scheme Based on a K‐Means Algorithm
Authors: Huang Xu , Zeng Mengjia , Fan Jing , Fan Xiangxiang , Tang Xuefeng
Published: May 2018

Although the Device‐to‐Device (D2D) technology in cellular networks can improve the performance of cellular systems, it creates a large amount of interference in traditional communications. In this paper, the problem of resource allocation and control in a single‐cell scene is studied. First, the concept of a restricted D2D communication area and a restricted D2D user‐reusage area is put forward to reduce the complexity and interference intensity of resource allocation. Second, under the premise of satisfying the QoS (Quality of Service) demands of every system user, the resource allocation algorithm is improved, the optimal allocation of resources is carried out, and the algorithm’s processes are given in detail. Our simulated experiments show that the proposed method greatly improves the spectrum efficiency and the system fairness.
A Comparative Study of Three Detection Techniques for Leifsonia xyli Subsp. xyli, the Causal Pathogen of Sugarcane Ratoon Stunting Disease
Authors: Wu Qibin , Pan Yong-Bao , Zhou Dinggang , Grisham Michael P. , Gao Shiwu , Su Yachun , Guo Jinlong , Xu Liping , Que Youxiong
Published: May 2018

The ratoon stunting disease (RSD), caused by the bacterium Leifsonia xyli subsp. xyli (Lxx), is one of the most economically devastating diseases impacting sugarcane. RSD causes significant yield losses and variety degradation. Diagnosis of RSD is challenging because it does not exhibit any discernible internal and external symptoms. Moreover, the Lxx bacteria are very small and difficult to isolate, cultivate, and detect. In this study, conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR), real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR), and Lxx-loop-mediated isothermal amplification (Lxx-LAMP) were utilized to specifically detect the presence of Lxx pathogens in the juice from Lxx-infected sugarcane stalks and an Lxx-pMD18-T recombinant plasmid. The results showed that Lxx was a highly specific causal pathogen for RSD. All three techniques provided great reproducibility, while Lxx-LAMP had the highest sensitivity. When the DNA extract from Lxx-infected sugarcane juice was used as a template, Lxx-LAMP was 10 and 100 times more sensitive than RT-qPCR and conventional PCR, respectively. When the Lxx-pMD18-T recombinant plasmid was used as a template, Lxx-LAMP was as sensitive as RT-qPCR but was 10 times more sensitive than conventional PCR. Based on the Lxx-LAMP detection system established, adding 0.4 μM loop primers (LF/LP) can accelerate the reaction and reduce the total time required. In addition, the optimal amount of Bst DNA polymerase for Lxx-LAMP reactions was determined to be 6.0 U. The results provide technical support for the detection of RSD Lxx pathogen that will help manage sugarcane RSD.
Integration between Transport Models and Cost-Benefit Analysis to Support Decision-Making Practices: Two Applications in Northern Italy
Authors: Beria Paolo , Bertolin Alberto , Grimaldi Raffaele
Published: May 2018

Decisions on transport plans and projects involve relevant public investments and may also determine radical changes in users’ costs. Unfortunately, it is not rare that—especially at the strategic planning stage—decisions on alternative projects or scenarios are made on a qualitative basis or, at best, by setting some indicators and verifying how much they reach the politically decided targets (e.g., “increasing the use of bicycles by 10%”). In order to reduce subjectivity, a more quantitative and comprehensive approach to the evaluation is needed. A Cost-Benefit Analysis is a tool commonly used to assess public expenditure, but its application to mobility plans introduces further practical and theoretical complexities. In this paper, we will thus try to contribute to the topic of the assessment of both sustainable mobility transport plans and infrastructure projects by presenting the operative application of a CBA methodology that is, at the same time, theoretically coherent and rich in outputs to support the decision-maker. Moreover, we will discuss the possible use of GIS software in order to provide to the decision-makers a clear and immediate “picture” of the effects on the network linked to different scenarios. The structure is as follows. Firstly, we discuss the complexities involved in the evaluation of plans with respect to a single infrastructure. Secondly, we introduce the available approaches for the assessment of consumer surplus, namely, the Rule of Half and the logsum function method, which allow the perfect integration between CBA and transport models. Thirdly, we present, through some operative case studies, the methodologies applied to the assessment and the network effects visualization of the urban mobility plan and new infrastructures. Finally, we underline how we can make the results more understandable to politicians, policy-makers, stakeholders, and citizens and in general improve the transparency and the awareness of the choices.
Oxidation Prevents HMGB1 Inhibition on PDGF-Induced Differentiation of Multipotent Vascular Stem Cells to Smooth Muscle Cells: A Possible Mechanism Linking Oxidative Stress to Atherosclerosis
Authors: Meng Xiaohu , Su Wenjie , Tao Xuan , Sun Mingyang , Ying Rongchao , Wei Wei , Wang Baolin
Published: May 2018

Atherosclerosis is considered as a multifactorial disease in terms of the pathogenic mechanisms. Oxidative stress has been implicated in atherogenesis, and the putative mechanisms of its action include oxidative modification of redox-sensitive signaling factors. High mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) is a key inflammatory mediator in atherosclerosis, but if oxidized it loses its activity. Thus, whether and how it participates in oxidative stress-induced atherosclerosis are not clear. The current study found that exogenous HMGB1 dose-dependently inhibited the proliferation of multipotent vascular stem cells and their differentiation to smooth muscle cells induced by platelet-derived growth factor. But oxidative modification impaired the activity of HMGB1 to produce the effect. The stem cells were regarded as the source of smooth muscle cells in vascular remodeling and neointimal hyperplasia. Therefore, the findings suggested that HMGB1 participated in oxidative stress-induced atherosclerosis presumably by targeting multipotent vascular stem cells.
Multidisciplinary Design Optimization of Aerial Vehicles: A Review of Recent Advancements
Authors: Papageorgiou Athanasios , Tarkian Mehdi , Amadori Kristian , Ölvander Johan
Published: May 2018

The aim of this paper is to present the most common practices in multidisciplinary design optimization (MDO) of aerial vehicles over the past decade. The literature sample is identified through established internet search engines, and a stringent review methodology is implemented in order to ensure the selection of the most relevant sources. In this work, the primary emphasis is on the assessment of the state-of-the-art framework development strategies, while at a secondary level, the objective is to identify the possible improvement directions by evaluating the research trends and gaps. As an additional contribution, statistical studies are also provided, and it is shown how MDO of aerial vehicles has evolved in terms of problem formulation, disciplinary modeling, analysis capabilities, tool implementation, and general applicability. Given this foundation as well as the results of the review, this work concludes by presenting a roadmap for guiding academia and industry in respect to the application of MDO on aerial vehicles. Overall, the roadmap together with the literature review is not only expected to serve as a guide for newcomers into the MDO field but also as an elementary basis which will allow researchers to conduct additional studies in this important and constantly evolving area of design.
Integrin α9 Suppresses Hepatocellular Carcinoma Metastasis by Rho GTPase Signaling
Authors: Zhang Yan-Li , Xing Xin , Cai Li-Bo , Zhu Lei , Yang Xiao-Mei , Wang Ya-Hui , Yang Qin , Nie Hui-Zhen , Zhang Zhi-Gang , Li Jun , Zhang Xue-Li
Published: May 2018

Integrin subunit alpha 9 (ITGA9) mediates cell-cell and cell-matrix adhesion, cell migration, and invasion through binding different kinds of extracellular matrix (ECM) components. However, its potential role and underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Here, we found that ITGA9 expression was obviously decreased in patients with HCC, which was negatively correlated with HCC growth and metastasis. ITGA9 overexpression significantly inhibited cell proliferation and migration in vitro as well as tumor growth and metastasis in vivo. Our data demonstrated that the inhibitory effect of ITGA9 on HCC cell motility was associated with reduced phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and c-Src tyrosine kinase (Src), disrupted focal adhesion reorganization, and decreased Rac1 and RhoA activity. Our data suggest ITGA9, as a suppressor of HCC, prevents tumor cell migration and invasiveness through FAK/Src-Rac1/RhoA signaling.
Closed Reduction in a “Hyperextended Supine Position” with Percutaneous Transsacral-Transiliac and Iliosacral Screw Fixation for Denis Zone III Sacral Fractures
Authors: Irifune Hideto , Hirayama Suguru , Takahashi Nobuyuki , Chiba Mitsumasa , Yamashita Toshihiko
Published: May 2018

Background. Herein, we demonstrate the clinical results of closed reduction in a hyperextended supine position with transsacral-transiliac (TSTI) and iliosacral (IS) screw fixations for Denis zone III sacral fractures. Patients and Methods. Sixteen consecutive patients with Denis zone III sacral fractures who were treated between January 2009 and September 2016 were evaluated. All patients were treated using percutaneous TSTI/IS screw fixation during closed reduction performed with patients placed in a hyperextended supine position with body manipulation. The clinical and radiological results were evaluated, and the neurological outcomes were retrospectively assessed using Gibbon’s classification system. The clinical outcomes were evaluated using the German Multicenter Study Group Pelvic Outcome Scale (POS). Results. The sacral kyphotic angle was reduced by 18.06° ± 15.26° (mean kyphotic angle: pre-OP, 39.44° ± 20.56°; post-OP, 21.38° ± 7.39°), and fracture translation was reduced by 5.93 ± 4.95 mm (mean fracture translation: pre-OP, 8.69 ± 8.03 mm; post-OP 2.75 ± 3.97 mm). The mean initial Gibbon’s score was 3.00 ± 1.32. Among 15 patients with a follow-up duration of over 12 months, the mean reduction loss in the sacral kyphotic angle was 5.87° ± 10.40° and was 1.00 ± 3.00 mm for the fracture translation. The final Gibbon’s score was 1.80 ± 1.21, and 73.3% of patients had good results based on the POS score. Conclusions. Although closed reduction in a hyperextended supine position with percutaneous posterior screw fixation is associated with some surgical limitations and technical difficulties, the procedure is minimally invasive and highly effective for stabilizing Denis zone III sacral fractures.
Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Salmonellosis in Addis Ababa City, Ethiopia
Authors: Garedew Legesse , Solomon Semaria , Worku Yoseph , Worku Hilina , Gemeda Debela , Lelissa Gada , Mamuye Yeshwondm , Abubeker Rajiha , Mihret Amete , Fentaw Surafel , Worku Abeibe , Bahiru Melish , Erenso Girume
Published: May 2018

Background. Diagnosis using reliable tools and treatment followingin vitroantimicrobial susceptibility tests are critical to proper addressing of antibiotic-resistantSalmonellainfection.Methodology. A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the practice of diagnosis and treatment of salmonellosis in Addis Ababa. Tube Widal test (for blood samples only), culture, biochemical and carbohydrate fermentation, serotyping, and antimicrobial susceptibility tests were employed for both blood and stool samples.Results. Of all the diseases listed in the diagnosis, nontyphoidal (n=72, 13.71%) and typhoidal (n=47, 8.95%) salmonellosis were the second and third common diseases. Among the 288 blood samples, almost half were positive for O, H, or both antigens. However, only 1 (0.68%) of the positive blood samples yieldedSalmonellaisolate during culture. The study demonstrated low specificity (0.68%) and positive predictive value (48.78%) of Widal test. Conversely, the test showed 100% sensitivity and negative predictive values.Salmonellaisolates were identified from 7 (7.07%) of 99 stool samples. Two-thirds of salmonellosis suspected patients received antibiotic treatment. However, only half of the confirmed salmonellosis patients were treated with appropriate antibiotics. All of the isolates were susceptible to ciprofloxacin and ceftriaxone but resistant to ampicillin.Conclusions. Majority of the patients who participated in this study were wrongly diagnosed using symptoms, clinical signs, and tube Widal test. Consequently, most of the patients received inappropriate treatment.
Multidepot UAV Routing Problem with Weapon Configuration and Time Window
Authors: Zhou Tianren , Zhang Jiaming , Shi Jianmai , Liu Zhong , Huang Jincai
Published: May 2018

In recent wars, there is an increasing trend that unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are utilized to conduct military attacking missions. In this paper, we investigate a novel multidepot UAV routing problem with consideration of weapon configuration in the UAV and the attacking time window of the target. A mixed-integer linear programming model is developed to jointly optimize three kinds of decisions: the weapon configuration strategy in the UAV, the routing strategy of target, and the allocation strategy of weapons to targets. An adaptive large neighborhood search (ALNS) algorithm is proposed for solving the problem, which is tested by randomly generated instances covering the small, medium, and large sizes. Experimental results confirm the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed ALNS algorithm.
Dynamics Analysis of Avian Influenza A(H7N9) Epidemic Model
Authors: Li Yun , Qin Peng , Zhang Juping
Published: May 2018

The avian influenza A(H7N9) virus has certain fatal effects on human. In this paper, a mathematical model describing the transmission dynamics of avian influenza A(H7N9) between human and poultry is investigated. The basic reproduction number of the model is obtained by applying the method of the next generation matrix. Then the local and global stability of the equilibria are proven. At last, we use numerical simulations to verify the theoretical results.
RF Driven 5G System Design for Centimeter Waves
Authors: Pirinen Pekka , Pennanen Harri , Pouttu Ari , Tuovinen Tommi , Tervo Nuutti , Luoto Petri , Roivainen Antti , Pärssinen Aarno , Latva-aho Matti
Published: May 2018

5G system design is a complex process due to a great variety of applications and their diverse requirements. This article describes our experiences in developing a centimeter waves mobile broadband concept satisfying future capacity requirements. The first step in the process was the radio channel measurement campaign and statistical modeling. Then the link level design was performed tightly together with the radio frequency (RF) implementation requirements to allow as large scalability of the air interface as possible. We started the concept development at 10 GHz frequency band and during the project World Radiocommunication Conference 2015 selected somewhat higher frequencies as new candidates for 5G. Thus, the main learning was to gain insight of interdependencies of different phenomena and find feasible combinations of techniques and parameter combinations that might actually work in practice, not only in theory.
Simulation of the Flexural Response of Ultrahigh Performance Fiber‐Reinforced Concrete with Lattice Fracture Model
Authors: Gu Chunping , Wang Qiannan , Sun Wei
Published: May 2018

The flexural response of ultrahigh performance fiber‐reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) was simulated based on the lattice fracture model. Fiber was modelled as separated beam that was connected to the matrix with interface beams. The simulated results were compared with the experimental results. Deviations occurred at the late stage of the strain‐softening period. But both the strain‐hardening behavior and multicracking phenomenon were observed in the simulation. The effects of fiber orientation and fiber content were studied with the lattice fracture model. The flexural strength and toughness of UHPFRC improved as the fibers were aligned distributed or the fiber content increased. The proposed model has the potential to help with the materials design of UHPFRC, and the limitations of the model were also discussed in the paper.
Minimizing the Makespan for a Two-Stage Three-Machine Assembly Flow Shop Problem with the Sum-of-Processing-Time Based Learning Effect
Authors: Lin Win-Chin
Published: May 2018

Two-stage production process and its applications appear in many production environments. Job processing times are usually assumed to be constant throughout the process. In fact, the learning effect accrued from repetitive work experiences, which leads to the reduction of actual job processing times, indeed exists in many production environments. However, the issue of learning effect is rarely addressed in solving a two-stage assembly scheduling problem. Motivated by this observation, the author studies a two-stage three-machine assembly flow shop problem with a learning effect based on sum of the processing times of already processed jobs to minimize the makespan criterion. Because this problem is proved to be NP-hard, a branch-and-bound method embedded with some developed dominance propositions and a lower bound is employed to search for optimal solutions. A cloud theory-based simulated annealing (CSA) algorithm and an iterated greedy (IG) algorithm with four different local search methods are used to find near-optimal solutions for small and large number of jobs. The performances of adopted algorithms are subsequently compared through computational experiments and nonparametric statistical analyses, including the Kruskal–Wallis test and a multiple comparison procedure.
Case Report of an Acute Complex Perilunate Fracture Dislocation Treated with a Three-Corner Fusion
Authors: Matthewson Graeme , Larrivee Samuel , Clark Tod
Published: May 2018

Perilunate fracture dislocations are a rare but devastating injury, which is often missed on initial presentation leading to significant delays in treatment. With the delay in treatment and a high energy mechanism of injury, patients are at increased risk of developing complex regional pain syndrome following trauma. In this report, we review the case of a 57-year-old left-hand dominant female who presented to a clinic with a five-and-a-half-week-old transtriquetral, perilunate fracture dislocation with comminution of the scaphoid facet. Due to the increased likelihood of a secondary procedure and low probability of a satisfactory outcome with open reduction internal fixation secondary to the loss of the scaphoid articulation, a salvage procedure was deemed her best option. To our knowledge, this is the first case reported in the literature in which a scaphoidectomy, triquetromy, and midcarpal fusion (three-corner fusion) was performed in the acute setting for a perilunate fracture dislocation.
Lower Mass Bound on the W′ Mass via Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay in a 3-3-1 Model
Authors: Santos A. C. O. , Vasconcelos P.
Published: May 2018

The discovery of neutrino masses has raised the importance of studies in the context of neutrinoless double beta decay (0νββ), which constitutes a landmark for lepton number violation (LNV). The standard interpretation is that the light massive neutrinos that we observed oscillating in terrestrial experiments mediate double beta decay. In the minimal 3-3-1 model (3-3-1M), object of our study, there is an additional contribution that stems from the mixing between a new charged vector boson, W′, and the Standard Model W boson. Even after setting this mixing to be very small, we show that tight constraints arise from the nonobservation of 0νββ. Indeed, we derive bounds on the mass of the W′ gauge boson that might exceed those from collider probes and most importantly push the scale of symmetry breaking beyond its validity, leading to an exclusion bound for the minimal 3-3-1 model.
A Method for Prediction of Femoral Component of Hip Prosthesis Durability due to Aseptic Loosening by Using Coffin/Manson Fatigue Model
Authors: Krivokapic Branislav , Blagojevic Zoran , Selesi Dora , Atanackovic Teodor , Pilipovic Stevan , Bascarevic Zoran , Stevanovic Vladan
Published: May 2018

The purpose of this work is to develop a new model estimate of the fatigue life of a hip prosthesis due to aseptic loosening as a multifactorial phenomenon. The formula developed here is a three-parameter model based on Basquin’s law for fatigue, eccentric compression formula for the compressive stress and torsion in the prosthesis due to the horizontal components of the contact force. With our model, we can accurately predict the durability of a hip prosthesis due to the following four parameters: body weight, femoral offset, duration, and intensity of daily physical activities of a patient. The agreement of the prediction with the real life of the prosthesis, observed on 15 patients, is found to be adequate. Based on the formula derived for a particular implant, there was a high degree of concurrence between the model-predicted and actual values of aseptic loosening (durability) proved by the Mann–Whitney U test. By virtue of the validated model, it is possible to predict, quantitatively, the influence of various factors on the hip life. For example, we can conclude that a 10% decrease of a patient’s body mass, with all other conditions being the same, causes 5% increase of the hip fatigue life.
Approximately Nearest Neighborhood Image Search Using Unsupervised Hashing via Homogeneous Kernels
Authors: Li Jun-Yi , Li Jian-Hua
Published: May 2018

We propose an approximation search algorithm that uses additive homogeneous kernel mapping to search for an image approximation based on kernelized locality‐sensitive hashing. To address problems related to the unstable search accuracy of an unsupervised image hashing function and degradation of the search‐time performance with increases in the number of hashing bits, we propose a method that combines additive explicit homogeneous kernel mapping and image feature histograms to construct a search algorithm based on a locality‐sensitive hashing function. Moreover, to address the problem of semantic gaps caused by using image data that lack type information in semantic modeling, we describe an approximation searching algorithm based on the homogeneous kernel mapping of similarities between pairs of images and dissimilar constraint relationships. Our image search experiments confirmed that the proposed algorithm can construct a locality‐sensitive hash function more accurately, thereby effectively improving the similarity search performance.