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Orostachys spp., considered economically important succulent plants for both the medicinal and ornamental plant industries, are known to exhibit slow growth in their offsets during the long, cold winter months. Due to the slow growth, this study investigated the application of gibberellic acid (GA3) and determined the optimal GA3 concentration (control, 200 mg·L−1, 400 mg·L−1, and 600 mg·L−1) for promoting the propagation of three Orostachys species (i.e., O. fimbriata, O. japonica, and O. minuta), as well as its impact on their growth and development. According to our study findings, O. fimbrata and O. minuta influenced by GA3 exhibited higher survival rates (7–38%) and offset growth rates (3–87%) compared to the control. Similarly, its application resulted in significant shoot and root development, along with increased moisture content for the majority of the species. The results of this research demonstrate the potential and practical applications of using GA3 to increase the propagation and growth of Orostachys spp. during cold conditions for year-round propagation of these succulent plants, which could have ecological and horticultural significance for related species as well as other vegetatively propagated crops.

The miniaturization of CMOS have lead to high leakage and process variation at sub-micron technology. Hybrid circuits including CMOS and magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ), a spintronic device have been put forward to conquer aforesaid limitations. MTJs have appeared to be most assuring candidates owing to it’s compatibility with CMOS and almost zero leakage power. In this brief an offset compensating magnetic full adder (OCMFA) (a hybrid circuit of CMOS and MTJ) has been proposed, which compensates the offset voltage occurring due to process variation and mismatch. The proposed OCMFA compensates the offset voltage in the precharge mode by pre-charging the outputs associated with high resistance branch at a higher voltage and that with lower resistance branch at a lower voltage. The asymmetrical pre-charging of output nodes is assisted by the write current, to provide input to MTJs and load connected diodes. Thus, it is robust against process variation and upgrades the performance of MFA. Power, delay, variability, and corner analysis are performed utilizing UMC 40nm CMOS technology kit at the cadence virtuoso platform and the compact model of perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) MTJ. This brief contributes in the reliability analysis of proposed MFA with the earlier reported MFA. The proposed OCMFA provides 65% lower PDP and shows 84.6% higher reliability as compared to conventional precharge sense amplifier based magnetic full adder (PCSA-MFA). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This brief proposes a novel sub-1V discrete-time CMOS bandgap reference circuit where a constant voltage is produced by summation of a CTAT and a PTAT voltage that are sampled onto a capacitor. By sampling the voltages onto a capacitor, we eliminate the need for an opamp in the bandgap core, which tends to be the dominant source of noise and offset concerns in low voltage bandgap designs in scaled technologies. A prototype was designed and fabricated in 28nm TSMC HPC+ technology with a nominal output voltage of 108mV. It demonstrates a temperature coefficient of 8.5ppm/°C between −40°C and 125°C, and occupies an area of 0.0075mm2 while consuming $11.6\mu \text{W}$ of power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The existing coordinated control methods of green wave are complicated, difficult to operate and mainly applicable to intersection groups with symmetrical arriving upstream flows. Based on engineering practice, a new method of bidirectional progression green wave coordination control was presented by designing particular overlapping phases on the basis of NEMA dual-ring phasing configuration. Applying the characteristics of asymmetric release mode and the requirements of green wave coordinated control, the overall optimization designs of phase sequence combination and offset were carried out, and the influences of cruising speed and residual queues at red light on offset were considered, and then the classical bidirectional green wave graphic method was optimized. Based on the investigation data of the intersections group of Ziwu Road in Qujing City, bidirectional green wave designs were conducted under both symmetric and asymmetric release mode. The results show that the latter approach not only improved the bandwidth of bidirectional green wave band effectively, but also reduced the average delay and the average number of stops on the main road. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction and aims: With total hip replacement (THR), varus alignment of an uncemented stem will increase offset which can have significant detrimental effects on muscular balance, leg length and overall satisfaction. Thus, we used 3D planning software to determine the change in joint offset with increasing varus stem placement. Methods: Eight patients undergoing THR had routine computed tomography (CT) scans to allow for 3D hip planning. Each set of CTs was templated with a straight stem and an uncemented acetabular cup. Initial templating was performed to reproduce native leg length and offset. The templated stem was then rotated into varus at 1° intervals, up to 6° varus while offset changes for all varus positions were noted. This was repeated for each of 3 neck angles, 125°, 135° and 135° lateral and for each stem sizes 1, 3, 5 and 7. Results: Overall, there was a mean 1.5 mm increase in offset for every 1° of varus. The stems with a 125° neck angle had the greatest increase in mean offset at 1.6 mm for every 1° of varus. The stem neck angles of 135° lateral offset and 135° standard offset, had a mean increase in offset of 1.5 mm and 1.4 mm respectively for every 1° of varus. A greater mean increase in offset for every 1° of varus was observed with increasing stem size. Conclusions: We have quantified the relationship between alignment and offset with every 1° of varus placement increasing hip offset for straight stems by 1.5 mm. This can be used as a guide for surgeons during THR so that they have a better quantitative understanding of how varus placement of the stem affects the hip offset. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a comparative EMC susceptibility study of various integrated bandgap voltage reference cores. Conventional well-known bandgap references based on Kuijk, Brokaw and Tsividis concepts with reduced count of bipolar junction transistors in the core were analyzed. On top of the EMC susceptibility comparison, basic parameters like temperature drift, sensitivity to an operational amplifier input offset and line regulation are also discussed. The influence of a collector leakage current compensation at high temperatures is investigated as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Although the high offset Tri-Lock bone preservation stem (BPS) was used widely, few studies explored the clinical and radiological results. The purpose of this study was to determine the clinical and radiological results of high offset Tri-Lock BPS in unilateral primary total hip arthroplasty (THA) at a minimum follow-up of 3 years. Methods 55 patients who underwent cementless THA with high offset Tri-lock BPS from 2017 to 2018 were followed for a minimum follow-up of 3 years. Patients were assessed clinically for complications, Harris hip score (HHS), Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), and Oxford Hip Score (OHS). Femoral offset (FO), acetabular offset (AO), hip offset (HO), HO difference, and leg length discrepancy (LLD) were measured on the anteroposterior (AP) pelvic radiograph. Standard pelvic AP and lateral radiographs were used to evaluate for evidence of bone ingrowth, stem subsidence, stem alignment, radiolucent line around the stem, osteolysis, loosening, ectopic ossification, and femoral stress shielding. Results No patients reported complications during hospitalization nor the follow-up period. At a mean follow-up of 42.5 months, the mean HHS, WOMAC, and OHS scores showed a significant improvement from preoperative to the latest follow-up. No patients reported thigh pain. No revision nor sign of radiographic loosening had been detected. The high offset Tri-Lock BPS significantly improved the FO and HO postoperatively. HO difference and LLD were balanced postoperatively. No sign of stem subsidence, radiolucent line, osteolysis, loosening, ectopic ossification, nor severe stress shielding (more than grade 3–4) were observed at the latest follow-up. Conclusion The high offset Tri-Lock BPS demonstrated excellent clinical and radiographic outcomes at a minimum follow-up of 3 years. HO difference and LLD between legs decreased significantly and achieved balance postoperatively. Long-term follow-up is required for a definitive conclusion.

Aims: Hip arthroplasty does not always restore normal anatomy. This is due to inaccurate surgery or lack of stem sizes. We evaluated the aptitude of four total hip arthroplasty systems to restore an anatomical and medialized hip rotation centre. Methods: Using 3D templating software in 49 CT scans of non-deformed femora, we virtually implanted: 1) small uncemented calcar-guided stems with two offset options (Optimys, Mathys), 2) uncemented straight stems with two offset options (Summit, DePuy Synthes), 3) cemented undersized stems (Exeter philosophy) with three offset options (CPT, ZimmerBiomet), and 4) cemented line-to-line stems (Kerboul philosophy) with proportional offsets (Centris, Mathys). We measured the distance between the templated and the anatomical and 5 mm medialized hip rotation centre. Results: Both rotation centres could be restored within 5 mm in 94% and 92% of cases, respectively. The cemented undersized stem performed best, combining freedom of stem positioning and a large offset range. The uncemented straight stem performed well because of its large and well-chosen offset range, and despite the need for cortical bone contact limiting stem positioning. The cemented line-to-line stem performed less well due to a small range of sizes and offsets. The uncemented calcar-guided stem performed worst, despite 24 sizes and a large and well-chosen offset range. This was attributed to the calcar curvature restricting the stem insertion depth along the femoral axis. Conclusion: In the majority of non-deformed femora, leg length, offset, and anteversion can be restored accurately with non-modular stems during 3D templating. Failure to restore hip biomechanics is mostly due to surgical inaccuracy. Small calcar guided stems offer no advantage to restore hip biomechanics compared to more traditional designs.

Abstract Background The purpose of total hip arthroplasty (THA) post-surgery and proper physiotherapy is positive recovery for the patient. Consideration is given to hip replacement biomechanics by ensuring no discrepancies in limb length (LL) and a stable prosthesis. Therefore, the patient must have proper preoperative planning and communication and a clear understanding of what to expect. Methods A prospective series of 59 THA operated by a single surgeon via Hardinge approach was studied, using an intraoperative calliper (CAL) to predict the change of LL and offset. We compared the results of the intraoperative changes before and after THA implantation with the reference of these values on anteroposterior x-ray pelvis. The importance of leg length balance and a good offset restoration is questioned, and the effect of component subsidence on leg length is considered. Results The average preoperative leg length discrepancy was −6.0 mm, postoperatively +3.6 mm. There was a strong correlation between the CAL measurements and the values on the x-ray (LL, r=0.873, p

• The challenges of political responsibility in tourism are discussed. • Current political consumerist approaches are problematised. • The novel concept of oppression offsetting is introduced. • Research possibilities on oppression offsetting's potential are forwarded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a Hall plate readout with a randomized four-phase spinning-current scheme is proposed. The goal is to remove the maximum number of offset components, including the offset associated with spike demodulation. The outcome is that only the smallest possible offset remains, corresponding to the residual offset of the Hall plate which cannot be distinguished from the Hall signal. An additional innovation is to operate various offset-reduction loops in spread-spectrum mode, allowing the removal of error components without notching out any in-band signals. The resulting approach delivers a very large notch-free bandwidth while simultaneously reducing the Hall plate residual offset, making it an enabler for high-bandwidth Hall-based current sensors. To demonstrate the proposed techniques, we have realized a mixed-mode experimental circuit, where the analog part is implemented in a custom integrated circuit, and the digital control system in an FPGA is connected to the analog chip. Measurement results feature a Hall readout system with a notch-free bandwidth up to 820 kHz and a 47 μ Trms noise floor. The input-referred Hall plate offset, based on statistical measurements on 10 samples from a single wafer, is reduced from 130 ± 22   μ T to only 23 ± 22   μ T . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vertical Hall sensors (VHSs), compatible with complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology, are used to detect magnetic fields in the plane of the sensor. In previous studies, their performance was limited by a large offset. This paper reports on a novel CMOS seven-contact VHS (7CVHS), which is formed by adding two additional contacts to a traditional five-contact VHS (5CVHS) to alleviate the offset. The offset voltage and offset magnetic field of the 7CVHS are reduced by 90.20% and 88.31% of those of the 5CVHS, respectively, with a 16.16% current-related sensitivity loss. Moreover, the size and positions of the contacts are optimized in standard GLOBALFOUNDRIES 0.18 μm BCDliteTM technology by scanning parameters using FEM simulations. The simulation data are analyzed in groups to study the influence of the size and contact positions on the current-related sensitivity, offset voltage, and offset magnetic field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi-person pose estimation aims at localizing the 2D keypoints (or body joints) for all the people in the image. There are mainly two paradigms to perform this task: top-down and bottom-up. In this paper, we present an advanced bottom-up approach based on accurate keypoint heatmap regression and greedy keypoint association. Firstly, we develop an encoding-decoding method with Gaussian heatmaps and guiding offset fields to represent multi-person pose information, encompassing keypoint positions and adjacent keypoint associations of all individuals in the scene. In particular, we analyze the deficiency of the Gaussian heatmap representation as regards keypoint localization precision if conventional element-wise $L_{2}$ -type loss is employed merely for heatmap supervision. Therefore, we introduce a peak regularization loss to jointly supervise the heatmap regression. In addition, we present an improved Hourglass Network with multi-scale heatmap aggregation to simultaneously infer the said encoding. Finally, we propose a novel focal $L_{2}$ loss to help the network cope with the imbalanced problem of keypoint detection in heatmaps. Our results show that the proposed approach surpasses other bottom-up approaches on COCO dataset, and even outperforms the top-down approaches on CrowdPose dataset containing more crowded scenes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given an input 3D geometry such as a triangle soup or a point set, we address the problem of generating a watertight and orientable surface triangle mesh that strictly encloses the input. The output mesh is obtained by greedily refining and carving a 3D Delaunay triangulation on an offset surface of the input, while carving with empty balls of radius alpha. The proposed algorithm is controlled via two user-defined parameters: alpha and offset. Alpha controls the size of cavities or holes that cannot be traversed during carving, while offset controls the distance between the vertices of the output mesh and the input. Our algorithm is guaranteed to terminate and to yield a valid and strictly enclosing mesh, even for defect-laden inputs. Genericity is achieved using an abstract interface probing the input, enabling any geometry to be used, provided a few basic geometric queries can be answered. We benchmark the algorithm on large public datasets such as Thingi10k, and compare it to state-of-the-art approaches in terms of robustness, approximation, output complexity, speed, and peak memory consumption. Our implementation is available through the CGAL library. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the radial–axial ring rolling (RARR) process of super-large rings, abnormal deformation states such as instability and out of circularity often lead to rolling termination and quality fluctuation of ring products. In this work, an intelligent fuzzy closed-loop control method for RARR process of super-large rings is proposed, i.e., the ring's offset adaptive fuzzy control (ROAFC) based on the regulation of the axial roll's rotational speed and the ring's circularity fuzzy control (RCFC) based on the regulation of the mandrel's feed speed. In addition, a recursive average filtering algorithm is added to smooth the axial roll's rotational speed and the mandrel's feed speed according to the actual situation. Using the ABAQUS/Explicit software and its subroutine VUAMP, the intelligent fuzzy controller of the ring's offset and circularity in the RARR process is designed, and the finite element (FE) model for RARR process of a Φ10 m super-large ring with an integrated intelligent fuzzy control algorithm is established. The variation laws of the ring's offset and circularity error in the RARR process are studied with regard to different control methods such as conventional planning control (CPC), ROAFC, RCFC, and comprehensive control of ROAFC combined with RCFC (ROAFC + RCFC). The results obtained show that, compared with the CPC, the ring's offset is reduced by 84.6% and the circularity error is decreased by 51.9% in the RARR process utilizing comprehensive control of ROAFC + RCFC. The research results provide methodological guidance for realizing the intelligent forming of super-large rings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Stem choice in total hip arthroplasty (THA) for hip dysplasia is still controversial. The aims of the study were to evaluate (1) which stem design provided the highest percentage of adequate reconstructions in THA for dysplasia and (2) any correlation between the reconstructions provided by the stems and the native femoral morphology.Materials and Methods: 150 CT scans including 200 adult dysplastic hips were randomly selected. Using the 3D CT-based software Hip-Op for surgical planning, the native hip anatomy was studied. Then, a single wedge tapered stem, an anatomical stem and a conical tapered stem were simulated in every hip. An adequate reconstruction of hip biomechanics was obtained when combined anteversion, offset restoration, coronal and sagittal tilt, canal filling and leg lengthening were inside the normal ranges.Results: Conical stems achieved the highest percentage of adequate reconstructions (87%, p < 0.0001). The anatomical stem was the worst performer. Single wedge and anatomical stem acceptability was mainly influenced by the combined anteversion. Stem anteversion was correlated with the femoral anteversion (fair correlation), the calcar femorale (fair) and the mediolateral femoral diameter at isthmus (poor). When the femoral anteversion was ≥ 25°, combined anteversion was very acceptable for the conical stem (99.2%), whereas the rate of acceptable combined anteversion for the single wedge tapered stem was 71.4%, and that for the anatomical stem was 51.6% (p < 0.0001).Conclusions: Stem choice in developmental hip dysplasia is mainly driven by appropriate combined anteversion, which is dependent on the coronal and axial femoral morphologies. As a rule of thumb, tapered stems are adequate when femoral anteversion is < 25°; conical stems should be adopted for higher anteversions.Level Of Evidence: IV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although component offset can affect impingement after total hip arthroplasty, the exact impact is unclear. Evaluation of offset on an anterior-posterior pelvic radiograph is different than evaluation in functional positions of impingement, namely flexion/internal rotation and extension/external rotation. We quantified the effect of acetabular (cup/liner) vs femoral (head/stem) offsets on changes in range of motion to extra-prosthetic impingement in these 2 impingement-prone functional positions.Methods: We retrospectively identified 16 total hip arthroplasty patients (age 61.5 ± 12.1 years, body mass index 28.3 ± 4.9 kg/m2) with preoperative and postoperative computerized tomography scans. To eliminate metal artifact, femoral and pelvic 3-dimensional models were created using preoperative scans aligned with postoperative scans, and 3-dimensional scanned implant models were used to reproduce clinical implantation. We tested ±5 mm acetabular cup, acetabular liner, femoral stem, and femoral head offsets. Maximum range of motion (ROM) to bone-bone impingement was calculated for internal rotation at 90° flexion and external rotation at 10° extension.Results: In all cases, increased offset increased ROM to impingement, and vice versa. During internal rotation at 90° flexion, ±5 mm liner offset had the greatest impact on ROM (+9°/-10°), followed by cup (+8°/-9°), head (+5°/-7°), and stem (+3°/-5°) offset. During external rotation at 10° extension, ±5 mm cup offset had the greatest impact on ROM (+10°/-10°), followed by liner (+9°/-9°), head (+7°/-8°), and stem (+4°/-4°) offset. However, no statistically significant differences were found in the changes to ROM in flexion obtained through cup and liner offsets, the changes to ROM in extension obtained through liner and head offsets, and the changes to ROM in extension obtained through increasing stem and head offsets.Conclusion: Increasing offset by any method reduces impingement. Center-of-rotation offset changes via acetabular cup or liner have the greatest impact on extra-prosthetic impingement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Previous studies have demonstrated that patients with abnormal spinopelvic motion are at increased risk of dislocation. However, little is known about the effect of hip offset on dislocation risk following total hip arthroplasty (THA) in patients with abnormal spinopelvic motion. The purpose of this study is to investigate the prevalence of under-restored hip offset and spinopelvic abnormalities in a series of THA patients treated for recurrent instability.Methods: This is a retrospective review of consecutive patients treated for hip instability following primary THA (THA+I) from 2012 to 2020. Patient demographics, surgical variables, and radiographic parameters were recorded. THA+I patients were compared to an age-matched and gender-matched control THA population without hip instability (THA). Univariate analyses were performed to compare differences between groups.Results: Thirty-three THA+I patients (44 hips) were compared to 44 THA patients (44 hips). THA+I patients had a higher prevalence of spinopelvic pathology (odds ratio [OR] 7.80, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.59-23.50, P < .001). The majority of acetabular components were placed within the Lewinnek safe zone (86.4% THA+I vs 72.7% THA; P = .119). THA+I patients were at greater risk of markedly under-restored hip offset (Δoffset ≤ 3 mm; OR 6.34, 95% CI 2.20-18.30, P = .001) and small (<32 mm) femoral head diameter (OR 4.38, 95% CI 1.53-12.53, P = .006) compared to THA patients.Conclusion: Lumbar degenerative disease and under-restoration of hip offset were present in a high proportion of patients with hip instability. Although multiple factors may contribute to THA instability, these data suggest that restoration of offset is essential, particularly in patients with spinopelvic pathology, and may be more important than historically described acetabular targets.Level Of Evidence: Level III. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Distinguishing between dynamic foreground objects and a mostly static background is a fundamental problem in many computer vision and computer graphics tasks. This paper presents a novel online video background identification method with the assistance of inertial measurement unit (IMU). Based on the fact that the background motion of a video essentially reflects the 3D camera motion, we leverage IMU data to realize a robust camera motion estimation for identifying background feature points by only investigating a few historical frames. We observe that the displacement of the 2D projection of a scene point caused by camera rotation is depth-invariant, and the rotation estimation by using IMU data can be quite accurate. We thus propose to analyze 2D feature points by decomposing the 2D motion into two components: rotation projection and translation projection. In our method, after establishing the 3D camera rotations, we generate the depth-relevant 2D feature point movement induced by the camera 3D translation. Then, by examining the disparity between inter-frame offset and the projection of estimated 3D camera motion, we can identify the background feature points. In the experiments, our online method is able to run at 30FPS with only 1 frame latency and outperforms state-of-the-art background identification and other relevant methods. Our method directly leads to a better camera motion estimation, which is beneficial to many applications like online video stabilization, SLAM, image stitching, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antalya 2 tide gauge (TG) station is located on the coast of Turkey within the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. Relative sea level trends 6.0 ± 1.5 and 6.44 ± 0.45 mm/year over 1985–2009 at Antalya 2 TG are different from the trend (1.6 ± 1.5 mm/year over 1935–1977) at Antalya TG within 10 km. In order to investigate this trend discrepancy, the monthly mean series at Antalya 2 TG is re-analyzed for offsets, outliers and trend estimation. The Zivot-Andrews method and the Q p outlier test result in one offset at 1994.0417 year with magnitude of 71.24 ± 13.48 mm and nine outliers. The series, corrected for the offset and outliers, de-seasonalized and filled for missed points, is identified as trend-stationary process and analyzed for trend estimation by various models. The optimal model providing the lowest Akaike Information Criteria is polynomial linear trend with multiplicative seasonal Autoregressive Moving Average (ARMA(2,0)x(1,0)12). The estimated relative sea level trend by the optimal model is 1.77 ± 0.65 mm/year. The large trend discrepancy at Antalya 2 TG is accounted for by one offset primarily (∼71%) and nine outliers (∼3%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Bearing is the property of Bearing Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Two different shapes of offset optical fiber was studied based on coreless fiber for refractive index (RI)/concentration (con.) measurement, and compare them. These shapes are U and S-shapes, both shapes structures were formed by one segment of coreless fiber (CF) was joined between two single mode (SMF) lead in /lead out with the same displacement (12.268µm) at both sides, the results shows the high sensitive was achieved in a novel S-shape equal 98.768nm/RIU, to our knowledge, no one has ever mentioned or experienced it, it’s the best shape rather than the U-shape which equal 85.628nm/RIU. In this research, it was proved that the offset form has a significant effect on the sensitivity of the sensor. Additionally, the sensor is produced using a low-cost fabrication technique. Therefore, the suggested structure is advantageous for RI/ (con.) sensing applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explains the distribution of time and provides a brief overview of various dissemination services. While there are several dissemination services available, this paper focuses on time dissemination using the Network Time Protocol and its network performance. The various time dissemination services available, as well as their methodologies, are discussed. The Round Trip Time and Offset for various NTP servers are investigated. These servers are distributed with time stamps and are located in geographically diverse locations around the world. The jitter in the Round Trip Time and Offset for various NTP servers is also investigated. The paper focuses on the performance of various NTP servers in terms of RTT and Offset. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Railway Standard Design is the property of Railway Standard Design Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Coupled with slow detection speed, the existing corner detection methods based on chord-to-point distance accumulation (CPDA) can not accurately detect adjacent corners, a fast and accurate CPDA based corner detection algorithm was proposed. Firstly, comparative experiments were carried out to investigate the curvature threshold, angle threshold and chord length, and a chord was selected to accurately detect the chord length of adjacent corners. Secondly, the edge was detected by Canny edge detector, and then the chord length was used for curvature estimation to get the curvature of each pixel on the curve, and the curvature threshold was used to determine whether it is a candidate corner. Finally, the error detection point was removed by the angle threshold, and the final corner point was obtained. The experimental results show that the proposed detector has good corner location performance compared with CPDA and other three classical detectors. For the Checkerboard diagram, the number of correct corners detected by the detector of this algorithm is 49, which is similar to that of the standard detection. For the Lab diagram, the proposed detector has the best corner location performance, and its location error is only 1.477. Compared with FAST, GCM and CPDA detectors, this detector also achieves the best performance in terms of missed detection points, error detection points and detection speed.

Abstract Background Leg length (LL) and offset (OS) are important factors in total hip arthroplasty (THA). Because most LL and OS callipers used in THA depend on fixed points on the pelvis and the femur, limb position could affect measurement error. This study was conducted on a THA simulator to clarify the effects of lower limb position and iliac pin position on LL and OS errors and to determine the permissible range of limb position for accurate LL and OS measurement. Methods An LL and OS measurement instrument was used. Two pin positions were tested: the iliac tubercle and the top of the iliac crest intersecting with the extension of the femoral axis. First, the limb was moved in one direction (flexion-extension, abduction-adduction, or internal-external rotation), and LL and OS were measured for each pin position. Next, the limb was moved in combinations of the three directions. Then, the permissible range of combined limb position, which resulted in LL and OS measurement error within ±2 mm, was determined for each pin position. Results Only 4° of abduction/adduction caused 5–7 mm error in LL and 2–4 mm error in OS, irrespective of pin position. The effects of flexion–extension and internal–external rotation on LL error were smaller for the top of the iliac crest than for the iliac tubercle, though OS error was similar for both pin positions. For LL, the permissible range of the combined limb position was wider for the top of the iliac crest than for the iliac tubercle. Conclusion To minimize LL and OS measurement errors in THA, adduction–abduction must be maintained. The iliac pin position in the top of the iliac crest is preferred because it provides less LL measurement error and a wider permissible range of combined limb position for accurate LL measurement.

In this study, an effort to synchronize and localize the underwater sensors simultaneously in a multi-hop environment is considered. Underwater Sensor Networks (UWSNs) has limited range and connectivity due to propagation delay and limited bandwidth. By using a multi-hop environment, we can extend the range and enhancing the network connectivity for providing more accurate localization and synchronization technique. We have established a connection between sensors point to point directed links and then analytically construct the model for the synchronization as a function of range, delay, and timestamps. Secondly, we have formulated the unconstrained optimization problem for localization by using a gradient technique. The proposed research scheme first synchronizes and then localizes the unknown nodes with known depth by using the single anchor node in a multi-hop scenario. According to the literature survey, this joint effort has never been addressed before; both localization and time synchronization for multi-hop scenarios are addressed separately. The proposed algorithm will also calculate the propagation delay that will be generated during message propagation for both localization and time synchronization. The numerical results are compared with some well-known techniques in terms of the number of nodes, localization error, synchronization error, total processing time up to four hops. Experimental results show that the proposed model outperforms in terms of localization and synchronization accuracy, but since this work has never been done before therefore, we compare our results with the techniques that had separately address this problem having some constraints.

Signal coordination plays an important role in urban traffic control systems. Studying the influence of some factors such as the link length on the potential benefits of signal coordination can result in more efficient traffic control. Researchers have observed a highly fluctuating or damped sine-wave type relationship between the link length and the delay in two-way coordinated control, but a clear explanation of this relationship is still lacking. This paper presents a thorough analysis of the mechanism by which link length affects the delay in two-way coordination. The impact of the link length involves two aspects. We first derived formulas for the delay using shockwave queuing profiles that included the impact of the offsets in the two directions. We then conducted numerical experiments employing Robertson’s platoon dispersion model to incorporate the impact of platoon dispersion. By comparing the results from the derived formulas and the numerical experiments, we concluded that the periodicity is due to the mutual relation between the offsets in the two directions, whereas the attenuation is due to platoon dispersion. The findings should provide valuable insights for developing a more reasonable correlation degree model for the coordination of adjacent intersections. In addition, we found that platoon dispersion has a negligible influence on the critical link lengths at which the delay cannot be reduced by signal coordination. This means that whether or not platoon dispersion is considered, it will not affect the choice between the simultaneous and the alternative progressions to minimize the delay under a given link length, which is very meaningful in practical work.

Hip arthroplasty is a common procedure in elective orthopaedic surgery that has excellent outcomes. Hip replacement surgery aims to create a "forgotten" joint, i.e., a pain-free joint akin to a native articulation. To achieve such goals, hip arthroplasty must be personalised. This is achieved by restoring: the centre of rotation of the native hip; leg length equality; femoral offset; femoral orientation; soft tissue tension; joint stability with an unrestricted hip range of motion; and having appropriate stress transfer to the bone. In addition, the whole pathway should provide an uneventful and swift postoperative recovery and lifetime implant survivorship with unrestricted activities. At our institution, the preferred option is a personalized total hip arthroplasty (THA) with a large diameter head (LDH) using either monobloc or dual-mobility configuration for the acetabular component. LDH THA offers an impingement-free range of motion and a reduced risk of dislocation. The larger head-neck offset allows for a supraphysiologic range of motion (ROM). This can compensate for a patient's abnormal spinopelvic mobility and surgical imprecision. Additionally, LDH bearing with a small clearance exerts a high suction force, which provides greater hip micro-stability. With appropriate biomechanical reconstruction, LDH THA can restore normal gait parameters. This results in unrestricted activities and higher patient satisfaction scores. We use LDH ceramic on ceramic for our patients with a life expectancy of more than 20 years and use LDH dual mobility bearings for all others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a 14-b 20-MS/s energy-efficient SAR ADC in 65-nm CMOS technology for portable medical ultrasound systems. To break the limitation of the ADC linearity on the DAC size in a SAR ADC, a background mismatch calibration technique is employed. As a result, the thermal noise will be the major constraint for the DAC size. In addition, a compact noise-reduction technique is proposed to alleviate the adverse impact of the input-referred comparator noise on the effective resolution. Moreover, a 2.5-V on-chip LDO, which serves as the reference generator for the ADC core, is also integrated to guarantee the reference accuracy and to suppress the supply noise. To reduce the capacitive load of the comparator and boost the comparison speed, a low fan-in SAR logic is also designed. With the proposed mismatch calibration technique and the noise-reduction technique activated, measured results indicate that the peak signal-to-noise-and-distortion ratio (SNDR) and the spurious-free dynamic range (SFDR) achieve 78.8 dB and 95.4 dB, respectively. At 20 MS/s, the ADC consumes 6.8mW from its 1.2 V/3.3V supplies in total, leading to an SNDR-based Schreier FOM of 170.5 dB at Nyquist. The active area of the ADC is 450 × 540μm2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the mechanism of lubricating oil consumption,taking a 12v diesel engine as the research object, the dynamic simulation model of piston assembly was established, and the influence of piston pin offset mode and amount on lubricating oil consumption was analyzed. The results show that the offset mode of piston pin generally leads to the decrease of lubricating oil consumption, improves the oil channeling and oil throwing obviously, and the piston pin offset to anti-thrust side (ATS) has the best effect on reducing the consumption of lubricating oil. The offset of piston pin has a great influence on the consumption of lubricating oil. When the offset increases,the oil channeling first decreases and then increases, and the oil throwing decreases continuously. When the piston pin deviates 3 mm to ATS, the best comprehensive effect on reducing lubricating oil consumption is obtained. With the increase of diesel engine speed, the consumption of lubricating oil shows a growing trend, resulting in the reduction of engine efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Niche is the commonly used name for the large recess found in the Queen's Chamber of the Great Pyramid. The Niche dominates the eastern wall of the chamber, rising 4.67 m high. This pyramid was more precisely oriented to the cardinal points than any other, and great care was taken to centre this chamber along its north–south axis. Thus it is of great interest that the Niche is offset two feet south of the central axis of the chamber. Had it been centred, then the Niche would have marked the centre of the pyramid. From an architectural point of view, this offset is very interesting, because it was clearly done on purpose. Various explanations have been forwarded regarding the reason for this displacement, which disrupts the mathematical harmony of the pyramid. In this article I show a mathematical correlation between the offset of the Niche and the offset of the King's Chamber, raising the possibility that the southerly offset of the Niche predicts that of the King's Chamber. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the principle of the input-referred off calibration using the auxiliary pair for Strong-Arm comparator as well as its impact from the additional common-mode current and parasitic capacitance on the input-referred noise, offset, and decision time in detail. The comparison with the simulation results demonstrates the accurate prediction with the proposed analysis. This paper also discusses the design guideline to optimize the Strong-Arm comparator with the auxiliary pair for offset calibration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

W artykule scharakteryzowano transakcje offsetowe i przedstawiono przyczyny stosowania mechanizmów offsetowych w kontekście globalnym i zarządzania wiedzą, ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem polskich w tym zakresie. Aby lepiej przedstawić problem, omówiono podstawy prawne zawierania umów offsetowych oraz przykłady alokacji w innych krajach świata.