Inflation Method Research Articles

Education program for controversial defect of recent X-ray instrument termed as a simultaneous small angle X-ray scattering and wide angle X-ray diffraction measuring instrument

Abstract Simultaneous rotations of sample and X-ray detected counter are needed to evaluate orientation distribution of crystallites and amorphous chains oriented predominantly parallel to the film surface in addition to exact diffraction peak profiles obtained without the complicated intensity corrections. The rotation mode is known as “θ–2θ scanning” system (θ: film, 2θ: counter). The system has been mainly used in research and development institutes. However, such instruments are not produced at present. Recently, small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) intensities have been measured by using X-ray beam generated along one direction. The brand name of the instrument is “a simultaneous SAXS and WAXD measuring instrument”. The X-ray beam generated by the instrument has surely high luminance providing high degree resolution of peak profiles by diffraction and/or scattering. The sample stage and detector, however, are fixed, since the intensities for SAXS and WAXD are obtained by the digital display of the number of X-ray photons detected on the imaging plate. Such optical system contains controversial defect on evaluating orientation of crystal planes parallel to the surface of films prepared by T-die and inflation methods as well as the exact profile. The imaging plate cannot detect the diffraction intensity from the crystal planes existing in the angle range between incident beam and Bragg angle associated with the diffraction peak position of the individual crystal planes.

Using of sustained lung inflation method in newborn suffering with RDS during their stabilization in delivery room

Using of sustained lung inflation (SLI) during newborn stabilization in delivery room, as a new strategy of therapy in newborn with RDS. The aim: to study the efficiency of sustained lung inflation (SLI) during stabilization in delivery room in the very preterm in infants suffering from respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). Material and methods: 122 infants born 23.01.2012 to 07.09.2014 in Zhytomir Oblast Perinatal Center. The infants were 28,2 ± 1.9 weeks old, weighed 1097 [540 - 1500] g., and had the clinical signs of RDS. Two group of infant were observed: a group of newborn (n = 68, index group), was provided of sustained lung inflation (SLI) during stabilization in delivery room and control group (n = 54), without using sustained lung inflation (SLI) during stabilization. All the newborns were administered surfactant replacement therapy with the help of Curosurf® by the technique of minimally invasive surfactant treatment (MIST) on the background of “lungs involvement”. The both methods were compared and tested for death, IVH, PVL, BPD, pneumothorax frequency. The investigation is done within the framework of comparison with historical control. Results: no complications were observed during using of sustained lung inflation in delivery room in the very preterm in infants suffering from respiratory distress syndrome. The infants tolerated the administration well. The investigation revealed no increase in duration of oxygen therapy in the infants of index group versa those of control group. The comparison of using SLI in delivery room and not using SLI in delivery revealed difference in duration of primary ventilator support, so the need of mechanical ventilation in index group were less versa control group: 50.0% newborn needed only CPAP therapy versa 38.9% newborn (р = 0,29). The research detected tendency to more less of duration of CPAP therapy in index group (p = 0.07). The investigation revealed no statistical discrepancy in the developmental frequency of severe BPD in the number of the infants who undergoing SLI in delivery room and in the number of newborn with standard method of stabilization in delivery room: 11.8% vs. 9.3%, accordingly (p=0,88), in severe IVH: 7.4% vs. 7.4.%, accordingly (p=0,73), incidence of periventricular leukomalacia: 4.4% versa 1,9%, accordingly (р = 0,79), in the incidence of air leak syndrome: 1.5% versa 1.9%, accordingly (р = 0,59). The observation revealed no statistical discrepancy in death or BPD frequency in the infants (weighed from 500 till 999 g) of the index group versa those of the control group (accordingly 58.6% versa 42.9%, (р = 0,42); in severe IVH and BPD: 13.8% vs. 9.5.%, accordingly (p=0,98) and 17.2% vs. 9.5.%, accordingly (p=0,72). Using of sustained lung inflation (SLI) during newborn stabilization in delivery room, which needed surfactant-replacement therapy, doesn’t have any positive effect compare with newborn in standard treatment: using PPV (positive pressure ventilation). Further investigations to study the clinical efficacy of sustained lung inflation (SLI) during newborn stabilization in delivery room are needed especially in newborn less 28 weeks gestation age.

Simultaneous construction of dual Borgen plots. II: Algorithmic enhancement for applications to noisy spectral data

AbstractBorgen plots are low‐dimensional representations of the set of all nonnegative factorizations of spectral data matrices. Classical Borgen plots are limited to nonnegative data and can be constructed for the spectral factor or for the concentration profiles. In the first part of this paper, a simultaneous construction of the two dual Borgen plots is presented, which intensively exploits the underlying duality principles. The second part introduces algorithmic enhancements which make the simultaneous Borgen plot construction possible for noisy experimental data matrices which can contain small negative matrix entries. The new method is tested for FT‐IR spectral data from the Rhodium catalyzed hydroformylation process. The results are compared to those by the FACPACK‐implementation of the polygon inflation method.

Economic analysis of a wind power plant: A case study for the Cappadocia region

The scenario analysis was conducted for a wind power plant in the Cappadocia region, which was selected due to its importance as a historical region and high wind potential. This study determined that the construction of wind power plant can be suitable for the Cappadocia region by using the escalation method of inflation. This study aims to determine the feasible investment cost for wind power plant construction with a suitable economic method. This case study predicted that a 3 MW wind energy plant would be constructed, and an energy production of 7884000 kWh/y can be economical for the Cappadocia region of Turkey. Total investment cost of the wind power plant was estimated to be $ 13540800, and unit electricity cost was approximately 0.14689 $/kWh. The construction of the wind energy plant was evaluated by escalation method for three successive years (2014, 2015 and 2016). Results show that a wind energy plant is economical for the Cappadocia region (Turkey) due to its high-energy wind potential (Wind data acquisition station of Derinkuyu, Cappadocia region). The Government of Turkey, which supports the entrepreneur, imposes no taxes for wind power plant (1 MW). The unit of electrical energy cost for the Cappadocia region was compared with benchmarks from case studies. The effectiveness of wind energy potential is apparently high for the Cappadocia region. The cost of electrical energy for the Cappadocia region was more efficient than the other case studies that referred the significance of an economic analysis of the wind power plant.

Simulation and analysis of airbag parameter variation under different gas flows

In order to improve the accuracy of the airbag-based flexible robot in simulating the human body, and make its surface fit the human body surface better. For the balloon filled airbag in flexible robot, the process of airbag parameters under different gas flow is simulated and analyzed. First, for the traditional airbag inflatable simulation method ignoring the different gas volume flow on the impact of airbag deformation. The air bag inflation control model based on gas volume flow is constructed, the pressure of the airbag inflated is optimized by calculation of gas mass flow simulation inflation and leakage. Finally, the grid unit is used to divide the internal volume of the airbag, and its discrete optimization is carried out to simulate the expansion of the airbag. The simulation results show that the simulation method proposed in this paper can complete the process of spherical airbag. The maximum safety pressure of the airbag and the corresponding temperature are obtained from the simulation results, which can provide the theoretical basis for the surface fitting of the flexible garment fitting robot based on airbag.

A local weighted Axler–Zheng theorem in ℂn

The well-known Axler-Zheng theorem characterizes compactness of finite sums of finite products of Toeplitz operators on the unit disk in terms of the Berezin transform of these operators. Subsequently this theorem was generalized to other domains and appeared in different forms, including domains in $\mathbb{C}^n$ on which the $\overline{\partial}$-Neumann operator $N$ is compact. In this work we remove the assumption on $N$, and we study weighted Bergman spaces on smooth bounded pseudoconvex domains. We prove a local version of the Axler-Zheng theorem characterizing compactness of Toeplitz operators in the algebra generated by symbols continuous up to the boundary in terms of the behavior of the Berezin transform at strongly pseudoconvex points. We employ a Forelli-Rudin type inflation method to handle the weights.

On the Selection of Localization Radius in Ensemble Filtering for Multiscale Quasigeostrophic Dynamics

Covariance localization remedies sampling errors due to limited ensemble size in ensemble data assimilation. Previous studies suggest that the optimal localization radius depends on ensemble size, observation density and accuracy, as well as the correlation length scale determined by model dynamics. A comprehensive localization theory for multiscale dynamical systems with varying observation density remains an active area of research. Using a two-layer quasigeostrophic (QG) model, this study systematically evaluates the sensitivity of the best Gaspari–Cohn localization radius to changes in model resolution, ensemble size, and observing networks. Numerical experiment results show that the best localization radius is smaller for smaller-scale components of a QG flow, indicating its scale dependency. The best localization radius is rather insensitive to changes in model resolution, as long as the key dynamical processes are reasonably well represented by the low-resolution model with inflation methods that account for representation errors. As ensemble size decreases, the best localization radius shifts to smaller values. However, for nonlocal correlations between an observation and state variables that peak at a certain distance, decreasing localization radii further within this distance does not reduce analysis errors. Increasing the density of an observing network has two effects that both reduce the best localization radius. First, the reduced observation error spectral variance further constrains prior ensembles at large scales. Less large-scale contribution results in a shorter overall correlation length, which favors a smaller localization radius. Second, a denser network provides more independent pieces of information, thus a smaller localization radius still allows the same number of observations to constrain each state variable.

Nonlinear structural performance analysis of ETFE cushion in form-developing by inflation method through flat-patterning

Nonlinear structural performance analysis of ETFE cushion in form-developing by inflation method through flat-patterning

On Aspects of Inflation in the Context of Commodity and Futures Market

This thesis has developed alternative approaches for inflation forecasting and analysed the inflation risk premium in the context of commodity futures and options markets. Chapter 1 proposes an approach to tackle the non-availability of exchange-traded inflation futures price data. The composition of the consumer price index enables us to recognise the commodities which correspond to the consumption goods in the CPI. By averaging the commodity futures prices in the same way as the CPI is composed, we construct a synthetic futures contract written on the consumer price index, i.e. a futures on the CPI proxy, based on which we derive a ‘point’ forecast of inflation rate. Chapter 2 analyses the term structures of futures on the CPI proxy using the Schwartz (1997) method. Inspired by the Schwartz (1997)’s framework, we develop a two-factor valuation model filtering the spot consumer price index and the instantaneous real interest rate. The Kalman filter is applied to estimate the two-factor valuation model parameters. The filtered spot consumer price index may help alleviate the publication lag in the U.S. CPI-U index. What’s more, the two-factor valuation model is capable of forecasting the downward trend in the U.S. CPI inflation rate during May 2014 to December 2014. Chapter 3 forecasts the inflation rate from the perspective of commodity futures option market. We construct a synthetic option contract written on the futures on the CPI proxy. Based on a synthetic option implied volatility surface, we derive an interval estimate for the one-year ahead expected inflation rate. Moreover, the fact that commodity futures option market data is high-frequency enables our method of inflation forecasting to theoretically capture the market expectation of price level evolution in the real time. Chapter 4 estimates the inflation risk premium using commodity market data. We derive a link between the inflation risk premium and the risk premium associated with the futures on the CPI proxy. The negative inflation risk premium estimates in our result are consistent with the recent inflation risk premium estimates in the macroeconomic inflation risk premium literature.

Comparison among bone marrow mesenchymal stem and mononuclear cells to promote functional recovery after spinal cord injury in rabbits.

To investigate the efficacy of allogeneic mesenchymal stem-cells and autologous mononuclear cells to promote sensorimotor recovery and tissue rescue. Female rabbits were submitted to the epidural balloon inflation method and the intravenous cells administrations were made after 8 hours or seven days after injury induction. Sensorimotor evaluation of the hindlimbs was performed, and the euthanasia was made thirty days after the treatment. Spinal cords were stained with hematoxylin and eosin. Both therapies given 8 hours after the injury promoted the sensorimotor recovery after a week. Only the group treated after a week with mononuclear cells showed no significant recovery at post-injury day 14. In the days 21 and 28, all treatments promoted significant recovery. Histopathological analysis showed no difference among the experimental groups. Our results showed that both bone marrow-derived cell types promoted significant sensorimotor recovery after injury, and the treatment made at least a week after injury is efficient. The possibilities of therapy with bone marrow-derived cells are large, increasing the therapeutic arsenal for the treatment of spinal cord injury.

Comparative finite element and experimental analysis of a quasi-static inflation of a thin deployable membrane space structure

The deployment of a thin, one-segment, large membrane space structure is examined by the means of a real time quasi-static inflation experiment with photogrammetry and finite element analysis with the explicit and implicit schemes applied to control volume, corpuscular and arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian inflation methods. The numerical solutions comparison is based on mesh size, energy ratio, number of particles, bleed-through leak coefficient, fluid pressure - surface depth stiffness coupling, accuracy and computational efficiency. An optimization of the number of particles and minimization of the bleed-through effects is effectively implemented in corpuscular and ALE approaches. The corpuscular and arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian are found to be most resembling the experimental results in the dynamic shape changes and the time history of the gas properties, but computationally expensive. The control volume, although computationally efficient, is lacking the adequate fluid-structure interaction, thus less accurately recreating the overall dynamics of the morphing surface. Only 0.2%–1.75% and 0.5%–2.5% difference is observed between the experimental, analytical and finite element inflation results respectively.

How to demarcate intersegmental plane with resected-segments inflation method using the slip knot technique in thoracoscopic anatomic segmentectomy.

Intersegmental demarcation line on the surface of the visceral pleura could not be found at thoracoscopic findings. The resected segments inflation (RSI) method has been reported as a useful technique for visualizing the intersegmental demarcation line during segmentectomy. Thoracoscopic anatomic segmentectomy is performed as follows: firstly, the pulmonary vein and artery of the segment planned for resection are dissected from the hilum in order to isolate the segmental bronchus located behind the pulmonary artery. Secondly, a monofilament non-absorbable suture is passed through the segmental bronchus, and a slip-knot is made outside the thorax. Thirdly, bilateral lung ventilation with pure oxygen is conducted. When the affected segment has inflated sufficiently, the slip knot suture is pulled and the segmental bronchus is ligated and collapse of the lung is made on reserved segments. Fourthly, as inflation of the affected segment and collapse of the reserved segments could be found, resection of intersegmental plane could be easily performed with the inflation-deflation line and the intersegmental pulmonary vein. If resected segmental bronchus could be identified, thoracoscopic segmentectomy with the slip-knot technique would be applicable. This slip-knot procedure is economical and is not need special instrument.

Globally Consistent Wrinkle-Aware Shading of Line Drawings.

Shading is a tedious process for artists involved in 2D cartoon and manga production given the volume of contents that the artists have to prepare regularly over tight schedule. While we can automate shading production with the presence of geometry, it is impractical for artists to model the geometry for every single drawing. In this work, we aim to automate shading generation by analyzing the local shapes, connections, and spatial arrangement of wrinkle strokes in a clean line drawing. By this, artists can focus more on the design rather than the tedious manual editing work, and experiment with different shading effects under different conditions. To achieve this, we have made three key technical contributions. First, we model five perceptual cues by exploring relevant psychological principles to estimate the local depth profile around strokes. Second, we formulate stroke interpretation as a global optimization model that simultaneously balances different interpretations suggested by the perceptual cues and minimizes the interpretation discrepancy. Lastly, we develop a wrinkle-aware inflation method to generate a height field for the surface to support the shading region computation. In particular, we enable the generation of two commonly-used shading styles: 3D-like soft shading and manga-style flat shading.

Determination of reliable fatigue life predictors for magnetorheological elastomers under dynamic equi-biaxial loading

Fatigue life prediction is of great significance in ensuring magnetorheological elastomer (MRE) based rubber components exhibit reliability and do not compromise safety under complex loading, and this necessitates the development of plausible fatigue life predictors for MREs. In this research, silicone rubber based MREs were fabricated by incorporating soft carbonyl iron magnetic particles. Equi-biaxial fatigue behaviour of the fabricated MREs was investigated by using the bubble inflation method. The relationship between fatigue life and maximum engineering stress, maximum strain and strain energy density were studied. The results showed that maximum engineering stress and stored energy density can be used as reliable fatigue life predictors for SR based MREs when they are subjected to dynamic equi-biaxial loading. General equations based on maximum engineering stress and strain energy density were developed for fatigue life prediction of MREs.

Adaptive covariance relaxation methods for ensemble data assimilation: experiments in the real atmosphere

Covariance inflation plays an important role in the ensemble Kalman filter because the ensemble‐based error variance is usually underestimated due to various factors such as the limited ensemble size and model imperfections. Manual tuning of the inflation parameters by trial and error is computationally expensive; therefore, several studies have proposed approaches to adaptive estimation of the inflation parameters. Among others, this study focuses on the covariance relaxation method which realizes spatially dependent inflation with a spatially homogeneous relaxation parameter. This study performs a series of experiments with the non‐hydrostatic icosahedral atmospheric model (NICAM) and the local ensemble transform Kalman filter (LETKF) assimilating the real‐world conventional observations and satellite radiances. Two adaptive covariance relaxation methods are implemented: relaxation to prior spread based on Ying and Zhang (adaptive‐RTPS), and relaxation to prior perturbation (adaptive‐RTPP). Both adaptive‐RTPS and adaptive‐RTPP generally improve the analysis compared to a baseline control experiment with an adaptive multiplicative inflation method. However, the adaptive‐RTPS and adaptive‐RTPP methods lead to an over‐dispersive (under‐dispersive) ensemble in the sparsely (densely) observed regions compared with the adaptive multiplicative inflation method. We find that the adaptive‐RTPS and adaptive‐RTPP methods are robust to a sudden change in the observing networks and observation error settings.

Benchmarking the Applicability of Four Methods of Endotracheal Tube Cuff Inflation for Optimal Sealing: A Randomized Trial

To assess the comparable applicability of four methods of endotracheal tube cuff (ETTc) inflation on the basis of optimal level of intracuff pressure and presence of intubation-related complications. Double-blind, randomized trial. A total of 139 adult surgical patients scheduled to undergo nitrous oxide-free general anesthesia were assigned into one of four groups according to the method used for ETTc inflation. The cuff pressure and air volume applied in each method, and laryngotracheal complications were recorded. The highest and lowest ETTc pressure and air volume values were recorded in palpation and minimum leak technique group, respectively. Laryngotracheal complaints were maximized in palpation andminimized in minimal occlusive volume and minimum leak techniques. The air-return back into the syringe method emerges as an attractive and simple-to-perform alternative regarding effective ETTc sealing and low incidence of intubation-related morbidity when a cuff manometer is not readily available. ACTRN12615000699561.

Adaptive Observation Error Inflation for Assimilating All-Sky Satellite Radiance

An empirical flow-dependent adaptive observation error inflation (AOEI) method is proposed for assimilating all-sky satellite brightness temperatures through observing system simulation experiments with an ensemble Kalman filter. The AOEI method adaptively inflates the observation error when the absolute difference (innovation) between the observed and simulated brightness temperatures is greater than the square root of the combined variance of the uninflated observational error variance and ensemble-estimated background error variance. This adaptive method is designed to limit erroneous analysis increments where there are large representativeness errors, as is often the case for cloudy-affected radiances, even if the forecast model and the observation operator (the radiative transfer model) are perfect. The promising performance of this newly proposed AOEI method is demonstrated through observing system simulation experiments assimilating all-sky brightness temperatures from GOES-R (now GOES-16) in comparison with experiments using an alternative empirical observation error inflation method proposed by Geer and Bauer. It is found that both inflation methods perform similarly in the accuracy of the analysis and in the containment of potential representativeness errors; both outperform experiments using a constant observation error without inflation. Besides being easier to implement, the empirical AOEI method proposed here also shows some advantage over the Geer–Bauer method in better updating variables at large scales. Large representative errors are likely to be compounded by unavoidable uncertainties in the forecast system and/or nonlinear observation operator (as for the radiative transfer model), in particular in the areas of moist processes, as will be the case for real-data cloudy radiances, which will be further investigated in future studies.

Comparison between Two Endotracheal Tube Cuff Inflation Methods; Just-Seal Vs. Stethoscope-Guided.

The Endotracheal Tube (ETT) cuff performs a critical function of sealing the airway during positive pressure ventilation. There is a narrow range of cuff pressure required to maintain a functionally safe seal without exceeding capillary blood pressure. We aimed to compare Just-Seal (JS) and Stethoscope-Guided (SG) method of ETT cuff inflation with respect to the volume of air required to inflate the cuff, the manometric cuff pressure achieved and also to assess for the occurrence of postoperative sore throat after extubation in both the groups. It was a prospective observational study done in a Tertiary Teaching Public Hospital over a period of 1½ years on 100 patients with 50 each in two groups; JS or SG method of cuff inflation. SPSS Version 17 was used for data analysis. Statistically significant difference (p-value of less than 0.05) was noted between the two methods based on the volume of air injected into the cuff {the mean volume injected in JS was 6.79 ml and in the SG was 4.95 ml with p=5.71E-16 (< 0.05)} and cuff pressure achieved {mean cuff pressure achieved was 38.80 cm H2O in the JS and 29.64 cm H2O in SG with p=2.29E-14 (< 0.05)}. The incidence of post extubation sore throat was 54% (27 in 50) in the JS group and only 12% (6 in 50) in the SG; p= 0.00000797. ETT cuff inflation guided by a stethoscope is an effective technique for ensuring appropriate cuff pressures thus accomplishing the objective of providing safe and superior quality care of the patient both during and after anaesthesia and reducing the likelihood of even minimal risk complications that may still have legal implications.

Inflation Impact on the Primary Food Products - Emerging Trends and Determinants

India and its average food inflation during the period 2006-2013 was one of the highest among emerging market economies, and nearly double the inflation witnessed in during the previous decade. Present paper, I analysed the trend and major drivers of inflation factors for the food inflation. Study is both descriptive and analytical and entirely based on secondary data obtained from different published sources, authenticated source have been chosen without any personal bias. Analyze the data, percentages, growth rate and compounded annual growth rate were used to examine the major drivers of inflation and Ordinary Least Square Method and Trend analysis was used to calculate year over year growth rate. I observed from the analysis of WPI of all commodities was highly variable during the study period due to decadal growth rate showed decreasing trend, population continued to increase and growth of per-capita income has also increased. Despite declines in monthly Per Capita Consumer Expenditure, expenditures on food had increased which indicates a higher demand food in both urban and rural areas. Finally, results suggest that government should take effective measures to reduce the population, new economic policy which increased the demand for variety of food products and increase the agriculture productivity with low cost inputs.

Optical nanoscopy characterization of nanofilms

Glass formation and glassy behavior remains an important field of study in condensed matter physics, with many aspects still little understood. The approach used in this work is to observe the changes in behavior of glass-forming materials at the nanometer scale by exploring the viscoelastic properties of ultrathin free-standing glassy polymer films. An experimental measurement cell based on the nanobubble inflation method is used, consisting of inflating a polymer film suspended over an array of 5 µm diameter holes in a Si wafer. Measuring the deformation as a function of time as the material relaxes is used to determine the creep compliance. Both polystyrene (PS) and poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc) films of a few tens of nm thickness prepared by spin-coating from solution have been studied. Interference microscopy is used to measure the deformation over several hours, which is challenging at the nanoscale due to mechanical deformations and drift. In this paper we present some of the first solutions developed to allow consistent measurements of film deformation using this novel interference nanoscopy technique. Future work will involve the measurements of creep compliance as a function of different film properties so as to be able to compare the results with theoretical predictions.