Velocity‐based formulations for standard and quasi‐incompressible hypoelastic‐plastic solids

We present three velocity‐based updated Lagrangian formulations for standard and quasi‐incompressible hypoelastic‐plastic solids. Three low‐order finite elements are derived and tested for non‐linear solid mechanics problems. The so‐called V‐element is based on a standard velocity approach, while a mixed velocity–pressure formulation is used for the VP and the VPS elements. The two‐field problem is solved via a two‐step Gauss–Seidel partitioned iterative scheme. First, the momentum equations are solved in terms of velocity increments, as for the V‐element. Then, the constitutive relation for the pressure is solved using the updated velocities obtained at the previous step. For the VPS‐element, the formulation is stabilized using the finite calculus method in order to solve problems involving quasi‐incompressible materials. All the solid elements are validated by solving two‐dimensional and three‐dimensional benchmark problems in statics as in dynamics. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Comparison of three-dimensional surface scanning techniques for capturing the external ear

Congenital facial anomalies, such as microtia (malformation of the external ear), lead to significant psychosocial effects starting from early childhood. Three-dimensional (3D) scanning and advanced manufacturing are being investigated as a cheaper and more personalised method of fabricating reconstructive treatments for patients compared to traditional approaches. To date, most case studies have used expensive 3D scanners, yet, there is potential for low-cost devices to provide comparable results. This study aimed to investigate these different approaches. Both ears of 16 adult participants were scanned with three devices: Artec Spider (Artec Group), Intel^® RealSense? (Intel), and the Apple iPhone^® 7 (Apple Inc.) combined with photogrammetry using 90, 60 and 30 photographs. The scanning time, processing time, accuracy, completeness, resolution and repeatability of each technique were assessed using the Artec Spider as a reference scanner. Our results show that the iPhone had the longest processing time however, this decreased nine-fold when reducing the number of photos from 90 to 30. There was no significant difference in the accuracy, completeness or repeatability of the iPhone scans with 90 photographs (1.4?±?0.6?mm, 79.9%, 1.0?±?0.1?mm), 60 photographs (1.2?±?0.2, 79.3%, 0.9?±?0.2?mm) or 30 photographs (1.2?±?0.3?mm, 74.3%, 1.0?±?0.2?mm). The Intel RealSesne performed significantly worse in each parameter (1.8?±?03?mm; 46.6%, 1.4?±?0.5). Additionally, the RealSense had significantly lower resolution with not enough detail captured for the application. These results demonstrate that the ear can be accurately 3D scanned using iPhone photographs. We would recommend capturing between 30 and 60 photographs of the ear to create a scan that is accurate but without the downfall of long processing time. Using these methods we aim to provide a more comfortable setting for the patient and a lower-cost and more personalised ear prosthesis.     

Automatic generation of emotions in tutoring agents for affective e-learning in medical education

Web-based education is particularly appropriate for remote teaching and learning at any time and place, away from classrooms and does not necessarily require the presence of a human instructor. The need for time and place independence is even greater in some cases, such as for medical instructors who are usually doctors that have to treat patients on top of their tutoring duties. However, this independence from real teachers and classrooms may influence negatively the students who may feel deprived of the benefits of human–human interaction. In this paper we describe a novel approach for incorporating affective characteristics into e-learning through an authoring tool. The authoring tool incorporates and adapts principles of a cognitive theory for modeling possible emotional states that a tutoring agent may use for educational purposes. Medical instructors may use this authoring tool to create their own educational characters that will interact affectively with their students in the e-learning environment.     

Diet Prevents Social Stress-Induced Maladaptive Neurobehavioural and Gut Microbiota Changes in a Histamine-Dependent Manner

Exposure to repeated social stress may cause maladaptive emotional reactions that can be reduced by healthy nutritional supplementation. Histaminergic neurotransmission has a central role in orchestrating specific behavioural responses depending on the homeostatic state of a subject, but it remains to be established if it participates in the protective effects against the insults of chronic stress afforded by a healthy diet. By using C57BL/6J male mice that do not synthesize histamine (Hdc^−/−) and their wild type (Hdc^+/+) congeners we evaluated if the histaminergic system participates in the protective action of a diet enriched with polyunsaturated fatty acids and vitamin A on the deleterious effect of chronic stress. Behavioural tests across domains relevant to cognition and anxiety were performed. Hippocampal synaptic plasticity, cytokine expression, hippocampal fatty acids, oxylipins and microbiota composition were also assessed. Chronic stress induced social avoidance, poor recognition memory, affected hippocampal long-term potentiation, changed the microbiota profile, brain cytokines, fatty acid and oxylipins composition of both Hdc^−/− and Hdc^+/+ mice. Dietary enrichment counteracted stress-induced deficits only in Hdc^+/+ mice as histamine deficiency prevented almost all the diet-related beneficial effects. Interpretation: Our results reveal a previously unexplored and novel role for brain histamine as a mediator of many favorable effects of the enriched diet. These data present long-reaching perspectives in the field of nutritional neuropsychopharmacology.     

Online Coloring of Bipartite Graphs with and without Advice

In the online version of the well-known graph coloring problem, the vertices appear one after the other together with the edges to the already known vertices and have to be irrevocably colored immediately after their appearance. We consider this problem on bipartite, i.e., two-colorable graphs. We prove that at least ?1.13746?log₂(n)?0.49887? colors are necessary for any deterministic online algorithm to be able to color any given bipartite graph on n vertices, thus improving on the previously known lower bound of ?log₂ n?+1 for sufficiently large n. Recently, the advice complexity was introduced as a method for a fine-grained analysis of the hardness of online problems. We apply this method to the online coloring problem and prove (almost) tight linear upper and lower bounds on the advice complexity of coloring a bipartite graph online optimally or using 3 colors. Moreover, we prove that \(O(\sqrt{n})\) advice bits are sufficient for coloring any bipartite graph on n vertices with at most ?log₂ n? colors.     

A modified matyas algorithm (MMA) for random process optimization

The adaptive random search (ARS) methods for optimization, owing to successive proposed improvements, present some favourable features such as simple handling of difficult functions and implicit non-linear constraints, and a high reliability in obtaining the global optimum. In order to confer more efficiency and reliability on the optimization solution for multimodal problems, the successive strategies of ARS techniques derived from the basic algorithm of Matyas [Automn remote Control 26, 224 (1965)] were coupled. A number of examples previously solved by means of other ARS methods provide an evaluation of the efficiency of the proposed algorithm. The optimum procedure parameter values and their significance for a favourable choice are discussed.     

On transitive orientations with restricted covering graphs

We consider the problem of finding a transitive orientation of a comparability graph, such that the edge set of its covering graph contains a given subset of edges. We propose a solution which employs the classical technique of modular tree decomposition. The method leads to a polynomial time algorithm to construct such an orientation or report that it does not exist.     

Ab initio calculation of the BCC Fe–Al–Mo (Iron–Aluminum–Molybdenum) phase diagram: Implications for the nature of the phase

The metastable phase diagram of the BCC-based ordering equilibria in the Fe–Al–Mo system has been calculated via a truncated cluster expansion, through the combination of Full-Potential-Linear augmented Plane Wave (FP-LAPW) electronic structure calculations and of Cluster Variation Method (CVM) thermodynamic calculations in the irregular tetrahedron approximation. Four isothermal sections at 1750 K, 2000 K, 2250 K and 2500 K are calculated and correlated with recently published experimental data on the system. The results confirm that the critical temperature for the order–disorder equilibrium between Fe₃Al–D0₃ and FeAl–B2 is increased by Mo additions, while the critical temperature for the FeAl–B2/A2 equilibrium is kept approximately invariant with increasing Mo contents. The stabilization of the Al-rich A2 phase in equilibrium with overstoichiometric B2–(Fe,Mo)Al is also consistent with the attribution of the A2 structure to the τ₂ phase, stable at high temperatures in overstoichiometric B2–FeAl.