bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Airborne Waveform Lidar Simulator Using the Radiative Transfer of a Laser Pulse
Authors: Kim Minsu
Published: June 2019

An airborne lidar simulator creates a lidar point cloud from a simulated lidar system, flight parameters, and the terrain digital elevation model (DEM). At the basic level, the lidar simulator computes the range from a lidar system to the surface of a terrain using the geomatics lidar equation. The simple computation effectively assumes that the beam divergence is zero. If the beam spot is meaningfully large due to the large beam divergence combined with high sensor altitude, then the beam plane with a finite size interacts with a ground target in a realistic and complex manner. The irradiance distribution of a delta-pulse beam plane is defined based on laser pulse radiative transfer. The airborne lidar simulator in this research simulates the interaction between the delta-pulse and a three-dimensional (3D) object and results in a waveform. The waveform will be convoluted using a system response function. The lidar simulator also computes the total propagated uncertainty (TPU). All sources of the uncertainties associated with the position of the lidar point and the detailed geomatics equations to compute TPU are described. The boresighting error analysis and the 3D accuracy assessment are provided as examples of the application using the simulator.
Modeling of Motorized Orthosis Control
Authors: Aramendia Iñigo , Zulueta Ekaitz , Teso-Fz-Betoño Daniel , Saenz-Aguirre Aitor , Fernandez-Gamiz Unai
Published: June 2019

Orthotic devices are defined as externally applied devices that are used to modify the structural and functional characteristics of the neuro-muscular and skeletal systems. The aim of the current study is to improve the control and movement of a robotic arm orthosis by means of an intelligent optimization system. Firstly, the control problem settlement is defined with the muscle, brain, and arm model. Subsequently, the optimization control, which based on a differential evolution algorithm, is developed to calculate the optimum gain values. Additionally, a cost function is defined in order to control and minimize the effort that is made by the subject and to assure that the algorithm follows as close as possible the defined setpoint value. The results show that, with the optimization algorithm, the necessary development force of the muscles is close to zero and the neural excitation level of biceps and triceps signal values are getting lower with a gain increase. Furthermore, the necessary development force of the biceps muscle to overcome a load added to the orthosis control system is practically the half of the one that is necessary without the optimization algorithm.
Diffusion and Dopant Activation in Germanium: Insights from Recent Experimental and Theoretical Results
Authors: Sgourou E. N. , Panayiotatos Y. , Vovk R. V. , Kuganathan N. , Chroneos A.
Published: June 2019

Germanium is an important mainstream material for many nanoelectronic and sensor applications. The understanding of diffusion at an atomic level is important for fundamental and technological reasons. In the present review, we focus on the description of recent studies concerning n-type dopants, isovalent atoms, p-type dopants, and metallic and oxygen diffusion in germanium. Defect engineering strategies considered by the community over the past decade are discussed in view of their potential application to other systems.
Wind Loads on a PV Array
Authors: Chung Ping-Han , Chou Chin-Cheng , Yang Ray-Yeng , Chung Cheng-Yang
Published: June 2019

This study experimentally determines the wind loads on a stand-alone solar array (length-to-width ratio of 0.19; 1/10-scale commercial modules). The freestream velocity in a uniform flow is 14.5 ± 0.1 m/s, and the turbulence intensity is 0.3%. The angle of tilt ranges from 10° to 80° and the wind is incident at angle of 0°–180°. Mean surface pressure measurements on the upper and the lower surface of the inclined solar panels are used to calculate the lift coefficient. For the angle of incidence of 0°–60° for the wind, the variation in the lift coefficient with the angle of tilt is U-shaped. The formation of a strong windward corner vortex results in greater lift force on the right half of the inclined plate for the angle of incidence of 30°–45° for the wind.
Discriminating Emotions in the Valence Dimension from Speech Using Timbre Features
Authors: Tursunov Anvarjon , Kwon Soonil , Pang Hee-Suk
Published: June 2019

The most used and well-known acoustic features of a speech signal, the Mel frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCC), cannot characterize emotions in speech sufficiently when a classification is performed to classify both discrete emotions (i.e., anger, happiness, sadness, and neutral) and emotions in valence dimension (positive and negative). The main reason for this is that some of the discrete emotions, such as anger and happiness, share similar acoustic features in the arousal dimension (high and low) but are different in the valence dimension. Timbre is a sound quality that can discriminate between two sounds even with the same pitch and loudness. In this paper, we analyzed timbre acoustic features to improve the classification performance of discrete emotions as well as emotions in the valence dimension. Sequential forward selection (SFS) was used to find the most relevant acoustic features among timbre acoustic features. The experiments were carried out on the Berlin Emotional Speech Database and the Interactive Emotional Dyadic Motion Capture Database. Support vector machine (SVM) and long short-term memory recurrent neural network (LSTM-RNN) were used to classify emotions. The significant classification performance improvements were achieved using a combination of baseline and the most relevant timbre acoustic features, which were found by applying SFS on a classification of emotions for the Berlin Emotional Speech Database. From extensive experiments, it was found that timbre acoustic features could characterize emotions sufficiently in a speech in the valence dimension.
Uveal Melanoma, Angiogenesis and Immunotherapy, Is There Any Hope?
Authors: Castet Florian , Garcia-Mulero Sandra , Sanz-Pamplona Rebeca , Cuellar Andres , Casanovas Oriol , Caminal Josep , Piulats Josep
Published: June 2019

Uveal melanoma is considered a rare disease but it is the most common intraocular malignancy in adults. Local treatments are effective, but the systemic recurrence rate is unacceptably high. Moreover, once metastasis have developed the prognosis is poor, with a 5-year survival rate of less than 5%, and systemic therapies, including immunotherapy, have rendered poor results. The tumour biology is complex, but angiogenesis is a highly important pathway in these tumours. Vasculogenic mimicry, the ability of melanomas to generate vascular channels independently of endothelial cells, could play an important role, but no effective therapy targeting this process has been developed so far. Angiogenesis modulates the tumour microenvironment of melanomas, and a close interplay is established between them. Therefore, combining immune strategies with drugs targeting angiogenesis offers a new therapeutic paradigm. In preclinical studies, these approaches effectively target these tumours, and a phase I clinical study has shown encouraging results in cutaneous melanomas. In this review, we will discuss the importance of angiogenesis in uveal melanoma, with a special focus on vasculogenic mimicry, and describe the interplay between angiogenesis and the tumour microenvironment. In addition, we will suggest future therapeutic approaches based on these observations and mention ways in which to potentially enhance current treatments.
Determination of PD-L1 Expression in Circulating Tumor Cells of NSCLC Patients and Correlation with Response to PD-1/PD-L1 Inhibitors
Authors: Janning Melanie , Kobus Franca , Babayan Anna , Wikman Harriet , Velthaus Janna-Lisa , Bergmann Sonja , Schatz Stefanie , Falk Markus , Berger Lars-Arne , Böttcher Lisa-Marie , Päsler Sarina , Gorges Tobias M. , O’Flaherty Linda , Hille Claudia , Joosse Simon A. , Simon Ronald , Tiemann Markus , Bokemeyer Carsten , Reck Martin , Riethdorf Sabine , Pantel Klaus , Loges Sonja
Published: June 2019

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) hold great potential to answer key questions of how non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) evolves and develops resistance upon anti-PD-1/PD-L1 treatment. Currently, their clinical utility in NSCLC is compromised by a low detection rate with the established, Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved, EpCAM-based CellSearch® System. We tested an epitope-independent method (ParsortixTM system) and utilized it to assess PD-L1 expression of CTCs from NSCLC patients. We prospectively collected 127 samples, 97 of which were analyzed with the epitope-independent system in comparison to the CellSearch system. CTCs were determined by immunocytochemistry as intact, nucleated, CD45−, pankeratins (K)+ cells. PD-L1 status of CTCs was evaluated from 89 samples. With the epitope-independent system, ≥1 CTC per blood sample was detected in 59 samples (61%) compared to 31 samples (32%) with the EpCAM-based system. Upon PD-L1 staining, 47% of patients harbored only PD-L1+CTCs, 47% had PD-L1+ and PD-L1−CTCs, and only 7% displayed exclusively PD-L1−CTCs. The percentage of PD-L1+CTCs did not correlate with the percentage of PD-L1+ in biopsies determined by immunohistochemistry (p = 0.179). Upon disease progression, all patients showed an increase in PD-L1+CTCs, while no change or a decrease in PD-L1+CTCs was observed in responding patients (n = 11; p = 0.001). Our data show a considerable heterogeneity in the PD-L1 status of CTCs from NSCLC patients. An increase of PD-L1+CTCs holds potential to predict resistance to PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors.
FBXW5 Promotes Tumorigenesis and Metastasis in Gastric Cancer via Activation of the FAK-Src Signaling Pathway
Authors: Yeo Mei Shi , Vijay Subhash Vinod , Suda Kazuto , Emrah Balcıoğlu Hayri , Zhou Siqin , Thuya Win Lwin , Loh Xin Yi , Jammula Sriganesh , Peethala Praveen C. , Tan Shi Hui , Xie Chen , Wong Foong Ying , Ladoux Benoit , Ito Yoshiaki , Yang Henry , Goh Boon Cher , Wang Lingzhi , Yong Wei Peng
Published: June 2019

F-box/WD repeat-containing protein 5 (FBXW5) is a member of the FBXW subclass of F-box proteins. Despite its known function as a component of the Skp1-Cullin-F-box (SCF) ubiquitin ligase complex, the role of FBXW5 in gastric cancer tumorigenesis and metastasis has not been investigated. The present study investigates the role of FBXW5 in tumorigenesis and metastasis, as well as the regulation of key signaling pathways in gastric cancer; using in-vitro FBXW5 knockdown/overexpression cell line and in-vivo models. In-vitro knockdown of FBXW5 results in a decrease in cell proliferation and cell cycle progression, with a concomitant increase in cell apoptosis and caspase-3 activity. Furthermore, knockdown of FBXW5 also leads to a down regulation in cell migration and adhesion, characterized by a reduction in actin polymerization, focal adhesion turnover and traction forces. This study also delineates the mechanistic role of FBXW5 in oncogenic signaling as its inhibition down regulates RhoA-ROCK 1 (Rho-associated protein kinase 1) and focal adhesion kinase (FAK) signaling cascades. Overexpression of FBXW5 promotes in-vivo tumor growth, whereas its inhibition down regulates in-vivo tumor metastasis. When considered together, our study identifies the novel oncogenic role of FBXW5 in gastric cancer and draws further interest regarding its clinical utility as a potential therapeutic target.
Direct and Indirect Targeting of HOXA9 Transcription Factor in Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Authors: Lambert Mélanie , Alioui Meryem , Jambon Samy , Depauw Sabine , Seuningen Isabelle , David-Cordonnier Marie-Hélène
Published: June 2019

HOXA9 (Homeobox A9) is a homeotic transcription factor known for more than two decades to be associated with leukemia. The expression of HOXA9 homeoprotein is associated with anterior–posterior patterning during embryonic development, and its expression is then abolished in most adult cells, with the exception of hematopoietic progenitor cells. The oncogenic function of HOXA9 was first assessed in human acute myeloid leukemia (AML), particularly in the mixed-phenotype associated lineage leukemia (MPAL) subtype. HOXA9 expression in AML is associated with aggressiveness and a poor prognosis. Since then, HOXA9 has been involved in other hematopoietic malignancies and an increasing number of solid tumors. Despite this, HOXA9 was for a long time not targeted to treat cancer, mainly since, as a transcription factor, it belongs to a class of protein long considered to be an “undruggable” target; however, things have now evolved. The aim of the present review is to focus on the different aspects of HOXA9 targeting that could be achieved through multiple ways: (1) indirectly, through the inhibition of its expression, a strategy acting principally at the epigenetic level; or (2) directly, through the inhibition of its transcription factor function by acting at either the protein/protein interaction or the protein/DNA interaction interfaces.
Valorization of Olive By-Products as Substrates for the Cultivation of Ganoderma lucidum and Pleurotus ostreatus Mushrooms with Enhanced Functional and Prebiotic Properties
Authors: Koutrotsios Georgios , Patsou Marianna , Mitsou Evdokia K. , Bekiaris Georgios , Kotsou Maria , Tarantilis Petros A. , Pletsa Vasiliki , Kyriacou Adamantini , Zervakis Georgios I.
Published: June 2019

The successful management of olive by-products constitutes a major challenge due to their huge volume, high organic content, and toxicity. Olive-mill wastes (TPOMW) and olive pruning residues (OLPR) were evaluated as substrates for the cultivation of Ganoderma lucidum and Pleurotus ostreatus. Chemical composition, glucans, total phenolic content, and antioxidant activity were measured in mushrooms, and their prebiotic potential was assessed by examining their effect on the growth of four intestinal bacteria. Several substrates based on olive by-products had a positive impact on P. ostreatus mushroom production, whereas only one performed adequately for G. lucidum. Increased ratios of OLPR to wheat-straw resulted in an increase of crude protein content in P. ostreatus fruit-bodies by up to 42%, while G. lucidum mushrooms from OLPR-based substrates exhibited an up to three-fold increase in α-glucan, or a significant enhancement of β-glucan content, when compared to beech sawdust (control). The mushrooms’ FTIR spectra confirmed the qualitative/quantitative differentiation detected by standard assays. In regard to prebiotic properties, mushrooms powder supported or even enhanced growth of both Lactobacillus acidophilus and L. gasseri after 24/48 h of incubation. In contrast, a strain-specific pattern was observed in bifidobacteria; mushrooms hindered Bifidobacterium bifidum growth, whereas they supported a similar-to-glucose growth for B. longum.
Correction: Chun S., et al. CO2 Microwave Plasma—Catalytic Reactor for Efficient Reforming of Methane to Syngas. Catalysts 2019, 9, 292
Authors: Chun Se Min , Shin Dong Hun , Ma Suk Hwal , Yang Geon Woo , Hong Yong Cheol
Published: June 2019

The authors found that the gas sensor analyzer had a large amount of error, and the re-experiments were tested several times [...]
Efficacy of Tumor-Targeting Salmonella typhimurium A1-R against Malignancies in Patient-Derived Orthotopic Xenograft (PDOX) Murine Models
Authors: Murakami Takashi , Hiroshima Yukihiko , Miyake Kentaro , Kiyuna Tasuku , Endo Itaru , Zhao Ming , Hoffman Robert M.
Published: June 2019

We developed tumor-targeting Salmonella typhimurium (S. typhimurium) A1-R, a facultative anaerobe that is an auxotroph of leucine and arginine. The tumor-targeting efficacy of S. typhimurium A1-R was demonstrated in vivo and vitro using several malignant cell lines including melanoma, sarcoma, glioma, breast, pancreatic, colon, cervical, prostate, and ovarian cancers. Our laboratory also developed a patient-derived orthotopic xenograft (PDOX) model by implanting patient-derived malignant tumor fragments into orthotopic sites in mice. We reviewed studies of S. typhimurium A1-R against recalcitrant cancers. S. typhimurium A1-R was effective against all PDOX tumor models tested and showed stronger efficacies than chemotherapy or molecular-targeting therapy against some tumors. Furthermore, the synergistic efficacy of S. typhimurium A1-R when combined with chemotherapeutic agents, molecular-targeting agents, or recombinant methioninase was also demonstrated. We suggest potential clinical uses of this S. typhimurium A1-R treatment.
Regulation of TEAD Transcription Factors in Cancer Biology
Authors: Huh Hyunbin , Kim Dong , Jeong Han-Sol , Park Hyun
Published: June 2019

Transcriptional enhanced associate domain (TEAD) transcription factors play important roles during development, cell proliferation, regeneration, and tissue homeostasis. TEAD integrates with and coordinates various signal transduction pathways including Hippo, Wnt, transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ), and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) pathways. TEAD deregulation affects well-established cancer genes such as KRAS, BRAF, LKB1, NF2, and MYC, and its transcriptional output plays an important role in tumor progression, metastasis, cancer metabolism, immunity, and drug resistance. To date, TEADs have been recognized to be key transcription factors of the Hippo pathway. Therefore, most studies are focused on the Hippo kinases and YAP/TAZ, whereas the Hippo-dependent and Hippo-independent regulators and regulations governing TEAD only emerged recently. Deregulation of the TEAD transcriptional output plays important roles in tumor progression and serves as a prognostic biomarker due to high correlation with clinicopathological parameters in human malignancies. In addition, discovering the molecular mechanisms of TEAD, such as post-translational modifications and nucleocytoplasmic shuttling, represents an important means of modulating TEAD transcriptional activity. Collectively, this review highlights the role of TEAD in multistep-tumorigenesis by interacting with upstream oncogenic signaling pathways and controlling downstream target genes, which provides unprecedented insight and rationale into developing TEAD-targeted anticancer therapeutics.
The Role of Nuclear Receptors in Prostate Cancer
Authors: Shiota Masaki , Fujimoto Naohiro , Kashiwagi Eiji , Eto Masatoshi
Published: June 2019

The nuclear receptor (NR) superfamily consists of 48 members that are divided into seven subfamilies. NRs are transcription factors that play an important role in a number of biological processes. The NR superfamily includes androgen receptor, which is a key player in prostate cancer pathogenesis, suggesting the functional roles of other NRs in prostate cancer. The findings on the roles of NRs in prostate cancer thus far have shown that several NRs such as vitamin D receptor, estrogen receptor β, and mineralocorticoid receptor play antioncogenic roles, while other NRs such as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ and estrogen receptor α as well as androgen receptor play oncogenic roles. However, the roles of other NRs in prostate cancer remain controversial or uninvestigated. Further research on the role of NRs in prostate cancer is required and may lead to the development of novel preventions and therapeutics for prostate cancer.
Modifying Plasmonic-Field Enhancement and Resonance Characteristics of Spherical Nanoparticles on Metallic Film: Effects of Faceting Spherical Nanoparticle Morphology
Authors: Devaraj Vasanthan , Jeong Hyuk , Kim Chuntae , Lee Jong-Min , Oh Jin-Woo
Published: June 2019

A three-dimensional finite-difference time-domain study of the plasmonic structure of nanoparticles on metallic film (NPOM) is presented in this work. An introduction to nanoparticle (NP) faceting in the NPOM structure produced a variety of complex transverse cavity modes, which were labeled S11 to S13. We observed that the dominant S11 mode resonance could be tuned to the desired wavelength within a broadband range of ~800 nm, with a maximum resonance up to ~1.42 µm, as a function of NP facet width. Despite being tuned at the broad spectral range, the S11 mode demonstrated minimal decrease in its near field enhancement characteristics, which can be advantageous for surface-enhanced spectroscopy applications and device fabrication perspectives. The identification of mode order was interpreted using cross-sectional electric field profiles and three-dimensional surface charge mapping. We realized larger local field enhancement in the order of ~109, even for smaller NP diameters of 50 nm, as function of the NP faceting effect. The number of radial modes were dependent upon the combination of NP diameter and faceting length. We hope that, by exploring the sub-wavelength complex optical properties of the plasmonic structures of NPOM, a variety of exciting applications will be revealed in the fields of sensors, non-linear optics, device engineering/processing, broadband tunable plasmonic devices, near-infrared plasmonics, and surface-enhanced spectroscopy.
In Vitro Activity Assays of Sputtered HAp Coatings with SiC Addition in Various Simulated Biological Fluids
Authors: Vlădescu Alina , Pârâu Anca , Pană Iulian , Cotruț Cosmin M. , Constantin Lidia R. , Braic Viorel , Vrânceanu Diana M.
Published: June 2019

Considering the requirements of medical implantable devices, it is pointed out that biomaterials should play a more sophisticated, longer-term role in the customization and optimization of the material–tissue interface in order to ensure the best long-term clinical outcomes. The aim of this contribution was to assess the performance of silicon carbide–hydroxyapatite in various simulated biological fluids (Dulbecco’s modified Eagle’s medium (DMEM), simulated body fluid (SBF), and phosphate buffer solution (PBS)) through immersion assays for 21 days at 37 ± 0.5 °C and to evaluate the electrochemical behavior. The coatings were prepared on Ti6Al4V alloy substrates by magnetron sputtering method using two cathodes made of hydroxyapatite and silicon carbide (SiC). After immersion assays the coating’s surface was analyzed in terms of morphology, chemical and phase composition, and chemical bonds. According to the electrochemical behavior in the media investigated at 37 ± 0.5 °C, SiC addition inhibits the dissolution of the hydroxyapatite in DMEM acellular media. Furthermore, after adding SiC, the slow degradation of hydroxyapatite in PBS and SBF media as well as biomineralization in DMEM were observed.
Machining GX2CrNiMoN26-7-4 DSS Alloy: Wear Analysis of TiAlN and TiCN/Al2O3/TiN Coated Carbide Tools Behavior in Rough End Milling Operations
Authors: Silva Francisco , Martinho Rui , Martins Carlos , Lopes Hernâni , Gouveia Ronny
Published: June 2019

In the last decade, it has been common to observe a competition between coatings achieved via physical vapor deposition (PVD) and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) techniques on cutting tools used in machining processes. The tool’s substrate material can immediately condition the coating process selection. However, there are also materials capabe of adapting to any of the coating processes. Hence, the capabilities demonstrated by a given coating when created with one technique or another are usually different due to the intrinsic characteristics of each coating process, such as temperature and stress levels. In this work, to study the machining behavior of a super duplex stainless steel, PVD- and CVD-coated tungsten carbide inserts with different coatings were used in order to identify the wear mechanisms that affect each of the coatings and the workpiece’s surface quality, evaluated through different roughness parameters. The vibration level produced throughout the various tests was also registered in an attempt to associate the type of coating or insert failure with the level of vibrations generated in the CNC (Computer Numeric Control) machining spindle. This allowed us to conclude that the tools coated with TiAlN via PVD showed better wear behavior, as well as creating workpiece surfaces with less roughness. Thus, it was clear that this coating presents strong advantages in the machining of the super duplex stainless steel chosen for this work, being an innovative work due to the combination of materials used and the approach in terms of vibration analysis applied to milling.
Effect of Nitrogen Flow in Hydrogen/Nitrogen Plasma Annealing on Aluminum-Doped Zinc Oxide/Tin-Doped Indium Oxide Bilayer Films Applied in Low Emissivity Glass
Authors: Chang Shang-Chou , Chan Huang-Tian
Published: June 2019

Low emissivity glass (low-e glass), which is often used in energy-saving buildings, has high thermal resistance and visible light transmission. Heavily doped wide band gap semiconductors like aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) and tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) have these properties, especially after certain treatment. In our experiments, in-line sputtered AZO and ITO bilayer (AZO/ITO) films on glass substrates were prepared first. The deposition of AZO/ITO films was following by annealing in hydrogen/nitrogen (H2/N2) plasma with different N2 flows. The structure and optical and electrical properties of AZO/ITO films were surveyed. Experiment results indicated that N2 flow in H2/N2 plasma annealing of AZO/ITO films slightly modified the structure and electrical properties of AZO/ITO films. The X-ray diffraction peak corresponding to zinc oxide (002) crystal plane slightly shifted to a higher angle and its full width at half maximum decreased as the N2 flow increased. The electrical resistivity and the emissivity reduced for the plasma annealed AZO/ITO films when the N2 flow was raised. The optimum H2/N2 gas flow was 100/100 for plasma annealed AZO/ITO films in this work for low emissivity application. The emissivity and average visible transmittance for H2/N2 = 100/100 plasma annealed AZO/ITO were 0.07 and 80%, respectively, lying in the range of commercially used low emissivity glass.
Diagnostic Performance of PET or PET/CT Using 18F-FDG Labeled White Blood Cells in Infectious Diseases: A Systematic Review and a Bivariate Meta-Analysis
Authors: Meyer Marie , Testart Nathalie , Jreige Mario , Kamani Christel , Moshebah Mohammed , Muoio Barbara , Nicod-Lalonde Marie , Schaefer Niklaus , Giovanella Luca , Prior John O. , Treglia Giorgio
Published: June 2019

Background: Diagnostic performance of positron emission tomography using white blood cells labeled with fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG-WBC PET or PET/CT) in patients with suspicious infectious diseases has been evaluated in several studies; however, there is no consensus about the diagnostic accuracy of this method. Therefore, a systematic review and meta-analysis was carried out on this topic. Methods: A comprehensive computer literature search screening PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase and Cochrane library databases through March 2019 was performed. Pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative likelihood ratios (LR+ and LR−), and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) of 18F-FDG-WBC PET or PET/CT in patients with infectious diseases were calculated. Results: Eight studies on the use of 18F-FDG-WBC PET or PET/CT in suspicious infectious diseases were discussed in the systematic review. The meta-analysis of seven studies (236 patients) provided these pooled results on a per patient-based analysis: sensitivity was 86.3% [95% confidence interval (95%CI) 75–92.9%], specificity 92% (95%CI 79.8–97.1%), LR+ 6.6 (95%CI: 3.1–14.1), LR− 0.2 (95%CI: 0.12–0.33), DOR 43.5 (95%CI: 12.2–155). A statistically significant heterogeneity was not detected. Conclusions: Despite limited literature data, 18F-FDG-WBC PET or PET/CT demonstrated a good diagnostic accuracy for the diagnosis of infectious diseases; nevertheless, larger studies are needed.
Enhanced Superdense Coding over Correlated Amplitude Damping Channel
Authors: Li Yan-Ling , Wei Dong-Mei , Zu Chuan-Jin , Xiao Xing
Published: June 2019

Quantum channels with correlated effects are realistic scenarios for the study of noisy quantum communication when the channels are consecutively used. In this paper, superdense coding is reexamined under a correlated amplitude damping (CAD) channel. Two techniques named as weak measurement and environment-assisted measurement are utilized to enhance the capacity of superdense coding. The results show that both of them enable us to battle against the CAD decoherence and improve the capacity with a certain probability. Remarkably, the scheme of environment-assisted measurement always outperforms the scheme of weak measurement in both improving the capacity and successful probability. These notable superiorities could be attributed to the fact that environment-assisted measurement can extract additional information from the environment and thus it performs much better.
On the Logic of a Prior Based Statistical Mechanics of Polydisperse Systems: The Case of Binary Mixtures
Authors: Paillusson Fabien
Published: June 2019

Most undergraduate students who have followed a thermodynamics course would have been asked to evaluate the volume occupied by one mole of air under standard conditions of pressure and temperature. However, what is this task exactly referring to? If air is to be regarded as a mixture, under what circumstances can this mixture be considered as comprising only one component called “air” in classical statistical mechanics? Furthermore, following the paradigmatic Gibbs’ mixing thought experiment, if one mixes air from a container with air from another container, all other things being equal, should there be a change in entropy? The present paper addresses these questions by developing a prior-based statistical mechanics framework to characterise binary mixtures’ composition realisations and their effect on thermodynamic free energies and entropies. It is found that (a) there exist circumstances for which an ideal binary mixture is thermodynamically equivalent to a single component ideal gas and (b) even when mixing two substances identical in their underlying composition, entropy increase does occur for finite size systems. The nature of the contributions to this increase is then discussed.
Investigating the Randomness of Passengers’ Seating Behavior in Suburban Trains
Authors: Schöttl Jakob , Seitz Michael , Köster Gerta
Published: June 2019

In pedestrian dynamics, individual-based models serve to simulate the behavior of crowds so that evacuation times and crowd densities can be estimated or the efficiency of public transportation optimized. Often, train systems are investigated where seat choice may have a great impact on capacity utilization, especially when passengers get in each other’s way. Therefore, it is useful to reproduce passengers’ behavior inside trains. However, there is surprisingly little research on the subject. Do passengers distribute evenly as it is most often assumed in simulation models and as one would expect from a system that obeys the laws of thermodynamics? Conversely, is there a higher degree of order? To answer these questions, we collect data on seating behavior in Munich’s suburban trains and analyze it. Clear preferences are revealed that contradict the former assumption of a uniform distribution. We subsequently introduce a model that matches the probability distributions we observed. We demonstrate the applicability of our model and present a qualitative validation with a simulation example. The model’s implementation is part of the free and open-source Vadere simulation framework for pedestrian dynamics and thus available for further studies. The model can be used as one component in larger systems for the simulation of public transport.
Foreign Trade Structure, Opening Degree and Economic Growth in Western China
Authors: Li Nan , Sun Lipeng , Luo Xiao , Kang Rong , Jia Mingde
Published: June 2019

This paper presents an interactive study on the relationship between the foreign trade structure, opening degree and economic growth of the provinces in western China (except Tibet). It shows that the export of primary products and labor-intensive products has a positive impact on the external development of the western region, while the export of capital and technology-intensive products has a smaller inhibitory effect on it. At the same time, the system GMM model shows that the opening degree of the western region has a positive effect on economic growth. After including the foreign trade structure interaction item, this result has not changed, and on the basis of opening up to the outside world, the export of labor-intensive products and capital-intensive products plays a significant role in promoting economic development. Therefore, this paper holds that the western region should optimize its foreign trade structure, continue to promote the construction of foreign trade demonstration, and give priority to the development of local characteristic industries to promote economic growth.
Investigation into the Professional Culture of a Foreign Language Teacher in a Multicultural Classroom from Faculty and International Students’ Perspectives
Authors: Stroganova Olga , Bozhik Svyatoslava , Voronova Larisa , Antoshkova Natalia
Published: June 2019

Recent studies have shown that the number of international students, who are academically mobile, is growing. As a result, higher education institutions aim at competitiveness in the world market. Therefore, the core issue of the following work is a process of adaptation of international students to a new educational environment, especially to the process of English teaching and learning in new frameworks. Thus, the purpose of the study is to understand the role of a language teacher in the process of international students’ foreign language learning by comparing faculty’s and students’ views on certain aspects of the educational process. For the following study, quantitative and qualitative methods to collect data using questionnaires with closed-ended and open-ended questions were applied, and the data analysis was carried out. The data obtained from the conducted survey reveals the importance of studying English for international students, their motivation and difficulties that they have to face. Moreover, the obtained data show the great complexity of the English syllabus and ways of its adaptation to the needs of international students. Furthermore, the results of the survey determine an important role of the professional culture of the second language teacher in the context of integrating students into the Russian academic environment.
A Review on the Role of Blockchain Technology in the Healthcare Domain
Authors: Zubaydi Haider Dhia , Chong Yung-Wey , Ko Kwangman , Hanshi Sabri M. , Karuppayah Shankar
Published: June 2019

Recently, there have been increasing calls for healthcare providers to provide controls for patients over their personal health records. Nevertheless, security issues concerning how different healthcare providers exchange healthcare information have caused a flop in the deployment of such systems. The ability to exchange data securely is important so that new borderless integrated healthcare services can be provided to patients. Due to its decentralized nature, blockchain technology is a suitable driver for the much-needed shift towards integrated healthcare, providing new insights and addressing some of the main challenges of many healthcare areas. Blockchain allows healthcare providers to record and manage peer-to-peer transactions through a network without central authority. In this paper, we discuss the concept of blockchain technology and hurdles in their adoption in the healthcare domain. Furthermore, a review is conducted on the latest implementations of blockchain technology in healthcare. Finally, a new case study of a blockchain-based healthcare platform is presented addressing the drawbacks of current designs, followed by recommendations for future blockchain researchers and developers.
A Novel Nature-Inspired Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) Controller Based on SSA-GWO Algorithm for Partially Shaded Photovoltaic Systems
Authors: Wan Yihao , Mao Mingxuan , Zhou Lin , Zhang Qianjin , Xi Xinze , Zheng Chen
Published: June 2019

To overcome the real-time problem of maximum power point tracking (MPPT) for partially shaded photovoltaic (PV) systems, a novel nature-inspired MPPT controller with fast convergence and high accuracy is proposed in this paper. The proposed MPPT controller is achieved by combining salp swarm algorithm (SSA) with grey wolf optimizer (GWO) (namely, SSA-GWO). The leader structure of the GWO algorithm is introduced into the basic SSA algorithm to enhance the global search capability. Numerical simulation on 13 benchmark functions was done to evaluate the proposed SSA-GWO algorithm. Finally, the MPPT performance on PV system with the proposed SSA-GWO algorithm under static and dynamic partial shading conditions was investigated and compared with conventional MPPT algorithms. The quantitative and simulation results validated the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed method.
An Efficient Separable Reversible Data Hiding Using Paillier Cryptosystem for Preserving Privacy in Cloud Domain
Authors: Khan Ahmad Neyaz , Fan Ming Yu , Nazeer Muhammad Irshad , Memon Raheel Ahmed , Malik Asad , Husain Mohammed Aslam
Published: June 2019

Reversible data hiding in encrypted image (RDHEI) is advantageous to scenarios where complete recovery of the original cover image and additional data are required. In some of the existing RDHEI schemes, the image pre-processing step involved is an overhead for the resource-constrained devices on the sender’s side. In this paper, an efficient separable reversible data hiding scheme over a homomorphically encrypted image that assures privacy preservation of the contents in the cloud environment is proposed. This proposed scheme comprises three stakeholders: content-owner, data hider, and receiver. Initially, the content-owner encrypts the original image and sends the encrypted image to the data hider. The data hider embeds the encrypted additional data into the encrypted image and then sends the marked encrypted image to the receiver. On the receiver’s side, both additional data and the original image are extracted in a separable manner, i.e., additional data and the original image are extracted independently and completely from the marked encrypted image. The present scheme uses public key cryptography and facilitates the encryption of the original image on the content-owner side, without any pre-processing step involved. In addition, our experiment used distinct images to demonstrate the image-independency and the obtained results show high embedding rate where the peak signal noise ratio (PSNR) is +∞ dB for the directly decrypted image. Finally, a comparison is drawn, which shows that the proposed scheme is an optimized approach for resource-constrained devices as it omits the image pre-processing step.
Overall Design of Satellite Networks for Internet Services with QoS Support
Authors: Lee Kyu-Hwan , Park Kyoung Youl
Published: June 2019

The satellite network is useful in various applications because of its coverage, broadcast capability, costs independent of the distance, and easy deployment. Recently, thanks to the advanced technologies in the satellite communication, the high throughput satellite system with mesh connections has been applied to the Internet backbone. In this paper, we propose a practical overall design of the satellite network to provide Internet services with quality of service (QoS) support via the satellite network. In the proposed design, we consider two service types such as delay-tolerance and delay-sensitive services allowing the long propagation delay of the satellite link. Since it is crucial to evaluate the user satisfaction in the application layer for various environments to provide the QoS support, we also define the performance metrics for the user satisfaction and derive the major factors to be considered in the QoS policy. The results of the performance evaluation show that there are factors such as the traffic load and burstiness in the QoS policy for the delay-tolerance service with volume-based dynamic capacity in the satellite network. For the delay-sensitive service with rate-based dynamic capacity, it is additionally indicated that it is important for the estimation of effective data transmission rate to guarantee the QoS. Furthermore, it is shown that the small data size has an effect on the slight reduction of the QoS performance in the satellite network.
Magnetic-Free Isolators Based on Time-Varying Transmission Lines
Authors: Wu Fengchuan , Zheng Yuejun , Yuan Fang , Fu Yunqi
Published: June 2019

Two magnetic-free reconfigurable isolators based on a doubly balanced gyrator (DBG) are designed in this paper. One of the isolators is a single-ended transmission isolator (STI), which uses two matching resistors to absorb the signal transmitted in the reverse direction. In theory, it has infinite isolation bandwidth, which is verified by simulation and an experiment. The other isolator is a differential transmission isolator (DTI) to improve the anti-interference performance, which consists of four Wilkinson power splitters (combiners) and two reciprocal transmission line segments. The DTI uses two pairs of differential signals to prevent the reverse signal. Compared to the STI, the DTI has higher power capacity. Furthermore, when the phases of the control signals acting on the switches are changed, the isolation directions of the two isolators will be changed, to obtain the reconfigurable property.
Active Charge Equalizer of Li-Ion Battery Cells Using Double Energy Carriers
Authors: Lee Sang-Won , Choi Yoon-Geol , Kang Bongkoo
Published: June 2019

In this work, a new active balancing circuit is proposed. This circuit consists of a cell-access network and an energy-transfer network. The cell-access network requires 2n + 6 switches, where n is the number of cells, and creates an energy-transfer path between unbalanced cells and the energy-transfer network. The energy-transfer network has double energy carriers and simultaneously implements cell-to-pack and pack-to-cell balancing operations without overlapping. As a result, a high power rate and fast balancing operation can be achieved by using two energy carriers in a single balancing circuit. The prototype of a proposed balancing circuit was built for six cells and then tested under various conditions; all cells in the state of charge (SOC) region of 70% to 80% were equalized after 93 min, and one charging/discharging period in the SOC region of 10% to 90% was increased by 8.58% compared to the non-balancing operation. These results show that the proposed circuit is a good way to balance charges among batteries in a battery pack.
Improvement of Combustion Process of Spark-Ignited Aviation Wankel Engine
Authors: Finkelberg Lev , Kostuchenkov Alexander , Zelentsov Andrei , Minin Vladimir
Published: June 2019

This paper deals with the creation of modern high-performance aircraft power units based on the Wankel rotary piston engine. One of the main problems of Wankel engines is high specific fuel consumption. This paper solves the problem of improving the efficiency of this type of engine. The mathematical model of non-stationary processes of transfer of momentum, energy, mass, and the concentration of reacting substances in the estimated volume provides for the determination of local gas parameters in the entire computational region, which are presented as a sum of averaged and pulsation components. The k-ζ-f model is used as the turbulence model; the combustion is described by the coherent flame model (CFM) based on the concept of laminar flame propagation. As a result of the calculation, we obtained the values of temperature, pressure, and velocity of the working fluid in the working chamber cross-sections of a rotary–piston engine. Various options of the rotor recess shape are considered. Based on the data obtained, the rotor design was improved. The offered shape of the rotor recess has reduced emissions of both nitrogen oxides and carbon dioxide.
Predictive-Fixed Switching Current Control Strategy Applied to Six-Phase Induction Machine
Authors: Gonzalez Osvaldo , Ayala Magno , Doval-Gandoy Jesus , Rodas Jorge , Gregor Raul , Rivera Marco
Published: June 2019

In applications such as multiphase motor drives, classical predictive control strategies are characterized by a variable switching frequency which adds high harmonic content and ripple in the stator currents. This paper proposes a model predictive current control adding a modulation stage based on a switching pattern with the aim of generating a fixed switching frequency. Hence, the proposed controller takes into account the prediction of the two adjacent active vectors and null vector in the ( α - β ) frame defined by space vector modulation in order to reduce the (x-y) currents according to a defined cost function at each sampling period. Both simulation and experimental tests for a six-phase induction motor drive are provided and compared to the classical predictive control to validate the feasibility of the proposed control strategy.
A Forecast Model for the Level of Engineering Maturity Impact on Contractor’s Procurement and Construction Costs for Offshore EPC Megaprojects
Authors: Kim Myung-Hun , Lee Eul-Bum
Published: June 2019

This paper focuses on the influence of detailed engineering maturities on offshore engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) project procurement and construction cost performance. The authors propose a detailed engineering completion rating index system (DECRIS) to estimate the engineering maturities, from contract award to beginning of construction or steel cutting. The DECRIS is supplemented in this study with an artificial neural network methodology (ANN) to forecast procurement and construction cost performances. The study shows that R2 and mean error values using ANN functions are 20.2% higher and 19.7% lower, respectively, than cost performance estimations using linear regressions. The DECRIS cutoff score at each gate and DECRIS forecasting performance of total cost impact were validated through the results of fifteen historical offshore EPC South Korean mega-projects, which contain over 300 procurement cost performance data points in total. Finally, based on the DECRIS and ANN findings and a trade-off optimization using a Monte-Carlo simulation with a genetic algorithm, the authors propose a cost mitigation plan for potential project risks based on optimizing the engineering resources. This research aids both owners and EPC contractors to mitigate cost overrun risks, which could be continuously monitored at the key engineering gates, and engineering resources could be adjusted per optimization results.