MgO-Based Epitaxial Magnetic Tunnel Junctions Using Fe-V Electrodes

To examine the influence of the barrier quality in fully epitaxial Fe/MgO/Fe(001) magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs), we propose to use Fe-V alloys as magnetic electrodes. This leads to a reduced misfit with MgO. We actually observe, by high-resolution electron microscopy (HREM) and local strain measurements, that the misfit dislocations density in the MgO barrier is lower when it is grown on Fe-V(001). This improvement of the crystalline quality of the MgO barrier actually leads to a significant increase of the tunnel magneto-resistance (TMR), despite the loss of spin polarization (SP) in these alloys, which was measured by spin-polarized X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (SR-XPS).     

Ultrasound Assessment of Carotid Plaque Echogenicity Response to Statin Therapy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Objective: To evaluate in a systematic review and meta-analysis model the effect of statin therapy on carotid plaque echogenicity assessed by ultrasound. Methods: We have systematically searched electronic databases (PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE and Cochrane Center Register) up to April, 2015, for studies evaluating the effect of statins on plaque echogenicity. Two researchers independently determined the eligibility of studies evaluating the effect of statin therapy on carotid plaque echogenicity that used ultrasound and grey scale median (GSM) or integrated back scatter (IBS). Results: Nine out of 580 identified studies including 566 patients’ carotid artery data were meta-analyzed for a mean follow up of 7.2 months. A consistent increase in the echogenicity of carotid artery plaques, after statin therapy, was reported. Pooled weighted mean difference % (WMD) on plaque echogenicity after statin therapy was 29% (95% CI 22%–36%), p < 0.001, I² = 92.1%. In a meta-regression analysis using % mean changes of LDL, HDL and hsCRP as moderators, it was shown that the effects of statins on plaque echogenicity were related to changes in hsCRP, but not to LDL and HDL changes from the baseline. The effect of statins on the plaque was progressive; it showed significance after the first month of treatment, and the echogenicity continued to increase in the following six and 12 months. Conclusions: Statin therapy is associated with a favorable increase of carotid plaque echogenicity. This effect seems to be dependent on the period of treatment and hsCRP change from the baseline, independent of changes in LDL and HDL.     

Dynamic process location management in 5G

5G, as the next generation of wireless networks, promises very high throughput and low latency to mobile users that calls for a substantial innovation in computing management platforms to attend QoS metrics. Thanks to emerging technologies such as software‐defined networking (SDN)/network function virtualization (NFV), many features are available in 5G design to detect and control two types of latency caused by computation and communication. In this paper, taking features of caching mechanisms and SDN into the account, a platform is proposed to minimize latency in 5G via caching big flows intelligently and avoiding bottlenecks that may cause by virtualized computing components. First, the pioneering idea of compromising between the cloud radio access network (CRAN) and mobile edge computing (MEC)/information‐centric network (ICN) via dynamic processing location management platform is investigated. Accordingly, a mathematical optimization problem to minimize the average latency is formulated. Due to the problem complexity, a heuristic algorithm is proposed to treat the latency via dynamic orchestration of processing functionalities. Through numerical results, the performance of the proposed algorithm is analyzed, and the simulations corroborate our analytical results and illustrate the superior performance of the proposed algorithm with acceptable optimality gap.     

Improvement of intelligent methods for evaluating the apparent quality of knitted fabrics

In the previous studies, the standard boards of yarn (ASTM) were analyzed using the image analysis method and artificial neural networks; the appearance of different knitted fabrics samples was tested for appearance. There was a strong influence of yarn type and fabrics structure on fabrics apparent quality. In the present research, the artificial neural network (ANN) has been applied to predict the fabric apparent parameters. The optimum structure of ANN has been designed using the genetic algorithm method. The results show that the ANN can be optimized very well by the GA and the designed ANN is very accurate and applicable to predict the apparent parameters.     

Preparation of sulfuric acid ([3-(3-silicapropyl)sulfanyl]propyl)ester: A new and recyclable catalyst for the formylation and acetylation of alcohols under heterogeneous conditions

We describe a simple and efficient procedure for the preparation of sulfuric acid ([3-(3-silicapropyl)sulfanyl]propyl)ester (3) by the reaction of 3-(thio(propy-3-yl)silica)-propanol (2) and chlorosulfonic acid in chloroform. 3-(Thio(propy-3-yl)silica)-propanol was prepared by the reaction of 3-mercaptopropylsilica (MPS) with 3-chloropropanol in refluxing toluene. This solid sulfuric acid ([3-(3-silicapropyl)sulfanyl]propyl)ester is employed as a new catalyst for the formylation of alcohols with ethyl formate under mild and heterogeneous conditions at room temperature with good to excellent yields. Also, 3 can catalyze the acetylation of various alcohols by the reaction of alcohols with ethyl acetate under reflux conditions or with acetic anhydride at room temperature.     

Phase transformation study during diffusion brazing of γ-TiAl intermetallic using amorphous Ni-based filler metals

The paper aims at understanding the microstructure evolution of the diffusion brazing of γ-TiAl intermetallic compound using two Ni-based filler metals, a ternary Ni-Si-B, and a quinary Ni-Cr-Fe-Si-B. It was found that the joint region comprised of two distinct zones: analogous reaction layers adjacent to the TiAl substrates and a solidified zone at the middle of the joint region. The reaction layers consisted of separate intermetallic phases regions including ternary and binary Ti-Ni-Al intermetallic compounds. The solidified zone mainly composed of the Al_1-xNi₃Si_x isostructural solid solution and athermally Ni-boride or Ni-Cr rich borides containing eutectic microstructures at the joint centerline. The maximum shear strength was 240?MPa, and obtained by using Ni-Cr-Fe-Si-B filler metal. Fracture of the joint with Ni-Cr-Fe-Si-B filler occurred in the reaction layer/solidified zone interface, but joint with Ni-Si-B filler was fractured at solidified zone.     

A note on integer-valued radial model in DEA

This note shows that the input targets of proposed model by Kuosmanen and Kazemi Matin (2009) (http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2007.09.040 and http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.omega.2008.11.002) may not be less than the input targets of proposed model by Lozano and Villa (2006) (http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cor.2005.02.031).