Edge-based FEM-BEM for wide-band electromagnetic computation

Author name used in this publication: S. L. HoAuthor name used in this publication: H. C. Wong2005-2006 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

Material parameter estimation and hypothesis testing on a 1D viscoelastic stenosis model: Methodology

This is the post-print version of the final published paper that is available from the link below. Copyright @ 2013 Walter de Gruyter GmbH.Non-invasive detection, localization and characterization of an arterial stenosis (a blockage or partial blockage in the artery) continues to be an important problem in medicine. Partial blockage stenoses are known to generate disturbances in blood flow which generate shear waves in the chest cavity. We examine a one-dimensional viscoelastic model that incorporates Kelvin–Voigt damping and internal variables, and develop a proof-of-concept methodology using simulated data. We first develop an estimation procedure for the material parameters. We use this procedure to determine confidence intervals for the estimated parameters, which indicates the efficacy of finding parameter estimates in practice. Confidence intervals are computed using asymptotic error theory as well as bootstrapping. We then develop a model comparison test to be used in determining if a particular data set came from a low input amplitude or a high input amplitude; this we anticipate will aid in determining when stenosis is present. These two thrusts together will serve as the methodological basis for our continuing analysis using experimental data currently being collected.National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Air Force Office of Scientific Research, Department of Education, and Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council

High-order space-time finite element schemes for acoustic and viscodynamic wave equations with temporal decoupling

Copyright @ 2014 The Authors. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.We revisit a method originally introduced by Werder et al. (in Comput. Methods Appl. Mech. Engrg., 190:6685–6708, 2001) for temporally discontinuous Galerkin FEMs applied to a parabolic partial differential equation. In that approach, block systems arise because of the coupling of the spatial systems through inner products of the temporal basis functions. If the spatial finite element space is of dimension D and polynomials of degree r are used in time, the block system has dimension (r + 1)D and is usually regarded as being too large when r > 1. Werder et al. found that the space-time coupling matrices are diagonalizable over inline image for r ⩽100, and this means that the time-coupled computations within a time step can actually be decoupled. By using either continuous Galerkin or spectral element methods in space, we apply this DG-in-time methodology, for the first time, to second-order wave equations including elastodynamics with and without Kelvin–Voigt and Maxwell–Zener viscoelasticity. An example set of numerical results is given to demonstrate the favourable effect on error and computational work of the moderately high-order (up to degree 7) temporal and spatio-temporal approximations, and we also touch on an application of this method to an ambitious problem related to the diagnosis of coronary artery disease

Dynamic analysis of linear synchronous machines

Author name used in this publication: S. L. HoAuthor name used in this publication: S. Y. YangAuthor name used in this publication: K. W. E. ChengRefereed conference paper2005-2006 > Academic research: refereed > Refereed conference paperVersion of RecordPublishe

Migration of carbon nanotubes from liquid phase to vapor phase in the refrigerant-based nanofluid pool boiling

The migration characteristics of carbon nanotubes from liquid phase to vapor phase in the refrigerant-based nanofluid pool boiling were investigated experimentally. Four types of carbon nanotubes with the outside diameters from 15 to 80 nm and the lengths from 1.5 to 10 μm were used in the experiments. The refrigerants include R113, R141b and n-pentane. The oil concentration is from 0 to 10 wt.%, the heat flux is from 10 to 100 kW·m-2, and the initial liquid-level height is from 1.3 to 3.4 cm. The experimental results indicate that the migration ratio of carbon nanotube increases with the increase of the outside diameter or the length of carbon nanotube. For the fixed type of carbon nanotube, the migration ratio decreases with the increase of the oil concentration or the heat flux, and increases with the increase of the initial liquid-level height. The migration ratio of carbon nanotube increases with the decrease of dynamic viscosity of refrigerant or the increase of liquid phase density of refrigerant. A model for predicting the migration ratio of carbon nanotubes in the refrigerant-based nanofluid pool boiling is proposed, and the predictions agree with 92% of the experimental data within a deviation of ±20%

Genomorama: genome visualization and analysis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The ability to visualize genomic features and design experimental assays that can target specific regions of a genome is essential for modern biology. To assist in these tasks, we present Genomorama, a software program for interactively displaying multiple genomes and identifying potential DNA hybridization sites for assay design.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Useful features of Genomorama include genome search by DNA hybridization (probe binding and PCR amplification), efficient multi-scale display and manipulation of multiple genomes, support for many genome file types and the ability to search for and retrieve data from the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) Entrez server.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Genomorama provides an efficient computational platform for visualizing and analyzing multiple genomes.</p

Cathelicidin preserves intestinal barrier function in polymicrobial sepsis.

ObjectivesThe intestinal epithelium compartmentalizes the sterile bloodstream and the commensal bacteria in the gut. Accumulating evidence suggests that this barrier is impaired in sepsis, aggravating systemic inflammation. Previous studies reported that cathelicidin is differentially expressed in various tissues in sepsis. However, its role in sepsis-induced intestinal barrier dysfunction has not been investigated.DesignTo examine the role of cathelicidin in polymicrobial sepsis, cathelicidin wild-(Cnlp+/+) and knockout (Cnlp-/-) mice underwent cecal-ligation and puncture (CLP) followed by the assessment of septic mortality and morbidity as well as histological, biochemical, immunological, and transcriptomic analyses in the ileal tissues. We also evaluated the prophylactic and therapeutic efficacies of vitamin D3 (an inducer of endogenous cathelicidin) in the CLP-induced murine polymicrobial sepsis model.ResultsThe ileal expression of cathelicidin was increased by three-fold after CLP, peaking at 4 h. Knockout of Cnlp significantly increased 7-day mortality and was associated with a higher murine sepsis score. Alcian-blue staining revealed a reduced number of mucin-positive goblet cells, accompanied by reduced mucin expression. Increased number of apoptotic cells and cleavage of caspase-3 were observed. Cnlp deletion increased intestinal permeability to 4kD fluorescein-labeled dextran and reduced the expression of tight junction proteins claudin-1 and occludin. Notably, circulating bacterial DNA load increased more than two-fold. Transcriptome analysis revealed upregulation of cytokine/inflammatory pathway. Depletion of Cnlp induced more M1 macrophages and neutrophils compared with the wild-type mice after CLP. Mice pre-treated with cholecalciferol (an inactive form of vitamin D3) or treated with 1alpha, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (an active form of VD3) had decreased 7-day mortality and significantly less severe symptoms. Intriguingly, the administration of cholecalciferol after CLP led to worsened 7-day mortality and the associated symptoms.ConclusionsEndogenous cathelicidin promotes intestinal barrier integrity accompanied by modulating the infiltration of neutrophils and macrophages in polymicrobial sepsis. Our data suggested that 1alpha, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 but not cholecalciferol is a potential therapeutic agent for treating sepsis

Observation of the Zero Doppler Effect

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in the credit line; if the material is not included under the Creative Commons license, users will need to obtain permission from the license holder to reproduce the material.National Basic Research Program (973) of China (No. 2011CB922001), and National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 11234010)

Understanding traditional and modern eating: The TEP10 framework

Across the world, there has been a movement from traditional to modern eating, including a movement of traditional eating patterns from their origin culture to new cultures, and the emergence of new foods and eating behaviors. This trend toward modern eating is of particular significance because traditional eating has been related to positive health outcomes and sustainability. Yet, there is no consensus on what constitutes traditional and modern eating. The present study provides a comprehensive compilation of the various facets that seem to make up traditional and modern eating. Specifically, 106 facets were mentioned in the previous literature and expert discussions, combining international and interdisciplinary perspectives. The present study provides a framework (the TEP10 framework) systematizing these 106 facets into two major dimensions, what and how people eat, and 12 subdimensions. Hence, focusing only on single facets of traditional and modern eating is an oversimplification of this complex phenomenon. Instead, the multidimensionality and interplay between different facets should be considered to gain a comprehensive understanding of the trends, consequences, and underlying factors of traditional and modern eating