bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Idols of Promotion: The Triumph of Self-Branding in an Age of Precarity
Authors: Duffy Brooke Erin , Pooley Jefferson
Published: June 2019

By analyzing the “mass idols” (Lowenthal, 1944) of contemporary media culture, this study contributes to our understanding of popular communication, branding, and social media self-presentation. Leo Lowenthal, in his well-known analysis of popular magazine biographies, identified a marked shift in mass-mediated exemplars of success: from self-made industrialists and politicians (“Idols of Production”) to screen stars and athletes (“Idols of Consumption”). Adapting his approach, we draw upon a qualitative analysis of magazine biographies (People and Time, n=127) and social media bios (Instagram and Twitter, n=200), supplemented by an inventory of television talk show guests (n=462). Today’s idols, we show, blend Lowenthal’s predecessor types: They hail from the sphere of consumption, but get described—and describe themselves—in production terms. We term these new figures “Idols of Promotion” and contend that their stories of self-made success—the celebrations of promotional pluck—are parables for making it in a precarious employment economy.
HTRA1 Mutations Identified in Symptomatic Carriers Have the Property of Interfering the Trimer-Dependent Activation Cascade
Authors: Uemura Masahiro , Nozaki Hiroaki , Koyama Akihide , Sakai Naoko , Ando Shoichiro , Kanazawa Masato , Kato Taisuke , Onodera Osamu
Published: June 2019

Background: Mutations in the high-temperature requirement A serine peptidase 1 (HTRA1) cause cerebral autosomal recessive arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CARASIL). Most carriers for HTRA1 mutations are asymptomatic, but more than 10 mutations have been reported in symptomatic carriers. The molecular differences between the mutations identified in symptomatic carriers and mutations identified only in CARASIL patients are unclear. HTRA1 is a serine protease that forms homotrimers, with each HTRA1 subunit activating the adjacent HTRA1 via the sensor domain of loop 3 (L3) and the activation domain of loop D (LD). Previously, we analyzed four HTRA1 mutant proteins identified in symptomatic carriers and found that they were unable to form trimers or had mutations in the LD or L3 domain. The mutant HTRA1s with these properties are presumed to inhibit trimer-dependent activation cascade. Indeed, these mutant HTRA1s inhibited wild-type (WT) protease activity. In this study, we further analyzed 15 missense HTRA1s to clarify the molecular character of mutant HTRA1s identified in symptomatic carriers.

Methods: We analyzed 12 missense HTRA1s identified in symptomatic carriers (hetero-HTRA1) and three missense HTRA1s found only in CARASIL (CARASIL-HTRA1). The protease activity of the purified recombinant mutant HTRA1s was measured using fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled casein as substrate. Oligomeric structure was evaluated by size-exclusion chromatography. The protease activities of mixtures of WT with each mutant HTRA1 were also measured.

Results: Five hetero-HTRA1s had normal protease activity and were excluded from further analysis. Four of the seven hetero-HTRA1s and one of the three CARASIL-HTRA1s were unable to form trimers. The other three hetero-HTRA1s had mutations in the LD domain. Together with our previous work, 10 of 11 hetero-HTRA1s and two of six CARASIL-HTRA1s were either defective in trimerization or had mutations in the LD or L3 domain (P = 0.006). By contrast, eight of 11 hetero-HTRA1s and two of six CARASIL-HTRA1 inhibited WT protease activity (P = 0.162).

Conclusions: HTRA1 mutations identified in symptomatic carriers have the property of interfering the trimer-dependent activation cascade of HTRA1.
Drum Water Level Control Based on Improved ADRC
Authors: Pu Cuiping , Zhu Yicheng , Su Jianbo
Published: June 2019

Drum water level systems show strong disturbance, big inertia, large time delay, and non-linearity characteristics. In order to improve the antidisturbance performance and robustness of the traditional active disturbance rejection controller (ADRC), an improved linear active disturbance rejection controller (ILADRC) for drum water level is designed. On the basis of the linear active disturbance rejection controller (LADRC) structure, an identical linear extended state observer (ESO) is added with the same parameters as that of the original one. The estimation error value of the total disturbance is introduced, and the estimation error of the total disturbance is compensated, which can improve the control system’s ability to suppress unknown disturbances, so as to improve the antidisturbance performance and robustness. The antijamming performance and robustness of LADRC and ILADRC for drum water level are simulated and analyzed under the influence of external disturbance and model parameter variation. Results show that the proposed control system ILADRC has shorter settling time, smaller overshot, and strong anti-interference ability and robustness. It has better performance than the LADRC and has certain application value in engineering.
Chronic Heat Stress Induces Acute Phase Responses and Serum Metabolome Changes in Finishing Pigs
Authors: Cui Yanjun , Wang Chong , Hao Yue , Gu Xianhong , Wang Haifeng
Published: June 2019

Heat stress (HS) is a main environmental challenge affecting the animal welfare and production efficiency in pig industry. In recent years, numerous reports have studied the alterations in gene expressions and protein profiles in heat-stressed pigs. However, the use of metabolome to unravel adaptive mechanisms of finishing pig in response to chronic HS have not yet been elucidated. We aimed to investigate the effects of chronic HS on serum metabolome in finishing pigs, and to identify the biomarkers of heat stress. Pigs (n = 8 per treatment) were exposed to either thermal neutral (TN; 22 °C) or heat stress (HS, 30 °C) conditions for three weeks. Serum metabonomics of TN- and HS-treated pigs were compared using the GC-MS approach. Metabonomics analysis revealed that twenty-four metabolites had significantly different levels in TN compared to HS (variable importance in the projection values >1 and p < 0.05). These metabolites are involved in carbohydrate, amino acid, fatty acid, amines metabolism, and gut microbiome-derived metabolism. Three serum monoses (glucose, mannose 2, and galactose) and 6-phosphogluconic acid were decreased, indicating insufficient source of fuel for energy supply, resulting in negative energy balance (NEB) in heat-stressed pigs. Increased levels of non-esterified fatty acid (myristic acid, palmitic acid, and linoleic acid) and short-chain fatty acids (3-hydroxybutanoic acid and maleic acid) suggested fat decomposition compensating for energy shortage, which was an adaptive response to NEB. Increased concentrations of fluorine, lyxose 1, and D-galacturonic acid were significantly correlated with the levels of acute phase proteins (HP, LBP, α2-HSG, and Lysozyme), suggesting acute phase response in HS-stressed pigs. These metabolites are expected to be novel biomarkers of chronic HS in pigs, yet the use of which awaits further validation.
Biases in the Measurement of Ambient Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) by Palmes Passive Diffusion Tube: A Review of Current Understanding
Authors: Heal Mathew R. , Laxen Duncan P. H. , Marner Ben B.
Published: June 2019

Palmes-type passive diffusion tubes (PDTs) are widely used to measure levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in air quality studies. Molecules of NO2 diffuse down the concentration gradient established in the tube by their reactive conversion into nitrite (NO2−) with triethanolamine (TEA) absorbent at the inner end. The relatively low uptake rate for the tube geometry means that exposure-averaged NO2 concentration can be calculated from first principles using the diffusion coefficient, D, for NO2 in air. This review provides a critical assessment of the current understanding of sources and extent of potential bias in NO2 PDT measurements in each of the following methodological stages: preparation of the absorbent; quantification of the absorbed NO2−; deployment in the field; calculation of the exposure-average NO2 concentration from the absorbed NO2−; and assessment of PDT bias through comparison against a chemiluminescence NO2 analyser. The review has revealed strong evidence that PDT measurement of NO2 can be subject to bias from a number of sources. The most significant positive biases are ambient wind flow at the entrance of the tube potentially leading to bias of tens of percent, and within-tube chemical reaction between NO and O3 causing bias up to ~25% at urban background locations, but much less at roadside and rural locations. Sources of potentially significant negative bias are associated with deployment times of several weeks in warm and sunny conditions, and deployments in atmospheres with relative humidities <~75% which causes incomplete conversion of NO2 to NO2−. Evidence suggests that biases (positive or negative) can be introduced by individual laboratories in the PDT preparation and NO2− quantification steps. It is insufficiently acknowledged that the value of D is not accurately known—some controlled chamber experiments can be interpreted as indicating that the value of D currently used is too low, giving rise to a positive bias in PDT-derived NO2 concentration. More than one bias may be present in a given PDT deployment, and because the biases act independently the net effect on PDT NO2 determination is the linear sum of individual biases acting on that deployment. The effect of net bias can be reduced by application of a local “bias adjustment” factor derived from co-locations of PDTs with a chemiluminescence analyser. When this is carried out, the PDT is suitable as an indicative measure of NO2 for air quality assessments. However, it must be recognised that individual PDT deployments may be subject to unknown variation in the bias adjustment factor for that deployment.
Dust-Associated Airborne Microbes Affect Primary and Bacterial Production Rates, and Eukaryotes Diversity, in the Northern Red Sea: A Mesocosm Approach
Authors: Mescioglu Esra , Rahav Eyal , Frada Miguel J. , Rosenfeld Sahar , Raveh Ofrat , Galletti Yuri , Santinelli Chiara , Herut Barak , Paytan Adina
Published: June 2019

The northern Red Sea (NRS) is a low-nutrient, low-chlorophyll (LNLC) ecosystem with high rates of atmospheric deposition due to its proximity to arid regions. Impacts of atmospheric deposition on LNLC ecosystems have been attributed to the chemical constituents of dust, while overlooking bioaerosols. Understanding how these vast areas of the ocean will respond to future climate and anthropogenic change hinges on the response of microbial communities to these changes. We tested the impacts of bioaerosols on the surface water microbial diversity and the primary and bacterial production rates in the NRS, a system representative of other LNLC oceanic regions, using a mesocosm bioassay experiment. By treating NRS surface seawater with dust, which contained nutrients, metals, and viable organisms, and “UV-treated dust” (which contained only nutrients and metals), we were able to assess the impacts of bioaerosols on local natural microbial populations. Following amendments (20 and 44 h) the incubations treated with “live dust” showed different responses than those with UV-treated dust. After 44 h, primary production was suppressed (as much as 50%), and bacterial production increased (as much as 55%) in the live dust treatments relative to incubations amended with UV-treated dust or the control. The diversity of eukaryotes was lower in treatments with airborne microbes. These results suggest that the airborne microorganisms and viruses alter the surface microbial ecology of the NRS. These results may have implications for the carbon cycle in LNLC ecosystems, which are expanding and are especially important since dust storms are predicted to increase in the future due to desertification and expansion of arid regions.
Wnt Signaling in Cancer Metabolism and Immunity
Authors: El-Sahli Sara , Xie Ying , Wang Lisheng , Liu Sheng
Published: June 2019

The Wingless (Wnt)/β-catenin pathway has long been associated with tumorigenesis, tumor plasticity, and tumor-initiating cells called cancer stem cells (CSCs). Wnt signaling has recently been implicated in the metabolic reprogramming of cancer cells. Aberrant Wnt signaling is considered to be a driver of metabolic alterations of glycolysis, glutaminolysis, and lipogenesis, processes essential to the survival of bulk and CSC populations. Over the past decade, the Wnt pathway has also been shown to regulate the tumor microenvironment (TME) and anti-cancer immunity. Wnt ligands released by tumor cells in the TME facilitate the immune evasion of cancer cells and hamper immunotherapy. In this review, we illustrate the role of the canonical Wnt/β-catenin pathway in cancer metabolism and immunity to explore the potential therapeutic approach of targeting Wnt signaling from a metabolic and immunological perspective.
Decoding Immune Heterogeneity of Triple Negative Breast Cancer and Its Association with Systemic Inflammation
Authors: Romero-Cordoba Sandra , Meneghini Elisabetta , Sant Milena , Iorio Marilena Valeria , Sfondrini Lucia , Paolini Biagio , Agresti Roberto , Tagliabue Elda , Bianchi Francesca
Published: June 2019

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive subtype with limited therapeutic options. New opportunities are emerging from current comprehensive characterization of tumor immune infiltration and fitness. Therefore, effectiveness of current chemotherapies and novel immunotherapies are partially dictated by host inflammatory and immune profiles. However, further progress in breast cancer immuno-oncology is required to reach a detailed awareness of the immune infiltrate landscape and to determine additional reliable and easily detectable biomarkers. In this study, by analyzing gene expression profiles of 54 TNBC cases we identified three TNBC clusters displaying unique immune features. Deep molecular characterization of immune cells cytolytic-activity and tumor-inflammation status reveled variability in the local composition of the immune infiltrate in the TNBC clusters, reconciled by tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes counts. Platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), a blood systemic parameter of inflammation evaluated using pre-surgical blood test data, resulted negatively correlated with local tumoral cytolytic activity and T cell–inflamed microenvironment, whereas tumor aggressiveness score signature positively correlated with PLR values. These data highlighted that systemic inflammation parameters may represent reliable and informative markers of the local immune tumor microenvironment in TNBC patients and could be exploited to decipher tumor infiltrate properties and consequently to select the most appropriate therapies.
Transformation of Propane over ZnSnPt Modified Defective HZSM-5 Zeolites: The Crucial Role of Hydroxyl Nests Concentration
Authors: Zhou Wei , Liu Jiaxu , Wang Jilei , Lin Long , He Ning , Zhang Xiaotong , Guo Hongchen
Published: June 2019

A series of ZnSnPt supported defective MFI zeolites with different SiO2/Al2O3 ratios (30, 110, 700, and ∞) and hydroxyl nests concentration were prepared and characterized by multiple techniques including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), nitrogen physisorption, NH3-TPD, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), hydrogen temperature programmed reduction (H2-TPR), and Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FT-IR). It was found that Brønsted acid sites (Si(OH)Al) with strong acid strength and the hydroxyl nests with weak acid strength coexisted over the defective ZSM-5 zeolites and ZnSnPt Lewis acid sites preferentially located on the hydroxyl nests. The increase in the concentration of hydroxyl nests and SiO2/Al2O3 ratios apparently improved the distribution of ZnSnPt Lewis acid sites. The hydroxyl nest incorporated ZnSnPt Lewis acid sites showed extraordinary dehydrogenation ability. Specially, operando dual beam Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (DB-FTIR) was applied to characterize the propane transformation under reaction conditions. At low SiO2/Al2O3 ratios, the propane efficiently transforms into propene and aromatics (total selectivity of 93.37%) by the cooperation of Brønsted acid sites and ZnSnPt Lewis acid sites. While at high SiO2/Al2O3 ratios, the propane mainly transforms into propene (selectivity of above 95%) and hydrogen. This study provides guidance for the preparation of highly efficient propane dehydrogenative transformation catalyst.
Wastewater Treatment and Electricity Production in a Microbial Fuel Cell with Cu–B Alloy as the Cathode Catalyst
Authors: Włodarczyk Paweł P. , Włodarczyk Barbara
Published: June 2019

The possibility of wastewater treatment and electricity production using a microbial fuel cell with Cu–B alloy as the cathode catalyst is presented in this paper. Our research covered the catalyst preparation; measurements of the electroless potential of electrodes with the Cu–B catalyst, measurements of the influence of anodic charge on the catalytic activity of the Cu–B alloy, electricity production in a microbial fuel cell (with a Cu–B cathode), and a comparison of changes in the concentration of chemical oxygen demand (COD), NH4+, and NO3– in three reactors: one excluding aeration, one with aeration, and during microbial fuel cell operation (with a Cu–B cathode). During the experiments, electricity production equal to 0.21–0.35 mA·cm−2 was obtained. The use of a microbial fuel cell (MFC) with Cu–B offers a similar reduction time for COD to that resulting from the application of aeration. The measured reduction of NH4+ was unchanged when compared with cases employing MFCs, and it was found that effectiveness of about 90% can be achieved for NO3– reduction. From the results of this study, we conclude that Cu–B can be employed to play the role of a cathode catalyst in applications of microbial fuel cells employed for wastewater treatment and the production of electricity.
PPh3-Assisted Esterification of Acyl Fluorides with Ethers via C(sp3)–O Bond Cleavage Accelerated by TBAT
Authors: Wang Zhenhua , Wang Xiu , Nishihara Yasushi
Published: June 2019

We describe the (triphenylphosphine (PPh3)-assisted methoxylation of acyl fluorides with cyclopentyl methyl ether (CPME) accelerated by tetrabutylammonium difluorotriphenysilicate (TBAT) via regiospecific C–OMe bond cleavage. Easily available CPME is utilized not only as the solvent, but a methoxylating agent in this transformation. The present method is featured by C–O and C–F bond cleavage under metal-free conditions, good functional-group tolerance, and wide substrate scope. Mechanistic studies revealed that the radical process was not involved.
Ddx4+ Oogonial Stem Cells in Postmenopausal Women’s Ovaries: A Controversial, Undefined Role
Authors: Silvestris Erica , Cafforio Paola , Felici Claudia , Cormio Gennaro , D’Oronzo Stella
Published: June 2019

Recent studies support the existence of oogonial stem cells (OSCs) in the ovarian cortex of different mammals, including women.These cells are characterized by small size, membrane expression of DEAD(Asp-Glu-Ala-Asp)-box polypeptide-4 (Ddx4), and stemness properties (such as self-renewal and clonal expansion) as well as the ability to differentiate in vitro into oocyte-like cells. However, the discovery of OSCs contrasts with the popular theory that there is a numerically defined oocyte pool for female fertility which undergoes exhaustion with menopause. Indeed, in the ovarian cortex of postmenopausal women OSCs have been detected that possess both viability and capability to differentiate into oocytes, which is similar to those observed in younger patients. The pathophysiological role of this cell population in aged women is still debated since OSCs, under appropriate stimuli, differentiate into somatic cells, and the occurrence of Ddx4+ cells in ovarian tumor samples also suggests their potential involvement in carcinogenesis. Although further investigation into these observations is needed to clarify OSC function in ovary physiology, clinical investigators and researchers studying female infertility are presently focusing on OSCs as a novel opportunity to restore ovarian reserve in both young women undergoing early ovarian failure and cancer survivors experiencing iatrogenic menopause.
Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy Investigation on the Corrosive Behaviour of Waterborne Silicate Micaceous Iron Oxide Coatings in Seawater
Authors: Zhao Xu , Qi Yuhong , Zhang Zhanping , Li Kejiao , Li Zhitao
Published: June 2019

The anticorrosive composite coatings based on waterborne silicate were prepared to replace existing solvent-based coatings suitable for ships. A series of composite coatings were prepared by adding zinc powder and micaceous iron oxide to the waterborne silicate resin. The adhesion, pencil hardness and impact resistance of the coatings were investigated and corrosion performance in seawater is characterized by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The results show that coatings have excellent adhesion and impact resistance and their pencil hardness can reach up to 4H. During the immersion of composite coatings in seawater for 8 h, only one time constant appears in the Bode plot, coating capacitance (Qc) gradually increases but dispersion coefficient (n) and coating resistance (Rc) gradually decrease. The breakpoint frequency formula was deduced, considering the dispersion effect. With the increase of micaceous iron oxide, the fluctuation of breakpoint frequency with immersion time is weakened. It can be used to evaluate the corrosion resistance of inorganic anticorrosive coatings in seawater. In addition, different penetration models of corrosive media were proposed for the coatings with low or high content of micaceous iron oxide.
Optical Characterization of Non-Stoichiometric Silicon Nitride Films Exhibiting Combined Defects
Authors: Vohánka Jiří , Ohlídal Ivan , Ohlídal Miloslav , Šustek Štěpán , Čermák Martin , Šulc Václav , Vašina Petr , Ženíšek Jaroslav , Franta Daniel
Published: June 2019

The study was devoted to optical characterization of non-stoichiometric silicon nitride films prepared by reactive magnetron sputtering in argon-nitrogen atmosphere onto cold (unheated) substrates. It was found that these films exhibit the combination of three defects: optical inhomogeneity (refractive index profile across the films), uniaxial anisotropy with the optical axis perpendicular to the boundaries and random roughness of the upper boundaries. The influence of the uniaxial anisotropy was included into the corresponding formulae of the optical quantities using the matrix formalism and the approximation of the inhomogeneous layer by a multilayer system consisting of large number thin homogeneous layers. The random roughness was described using the scalar diffraction theory. The processing of the experimental data was performed using the multi-sample modification of the least-squares method, in which experimental data of several samples differing in thickness were processed simultaneously. The dielectric response of the silicon nitride films was modeled using the modification of the universal dispersion model, which takes into account absorption processes corresponding to valence-to-conduction band electron transitions, excitonic effects and Urbach tail. The spectroscopic reflectometric and ellipsometric measurements were supplemented by measuring the uniformity of the samples using imaging spectroscopic reflectometry.
Dihydrogen Bonds in Salts of Boron Cluster Anions [BnHn]2− with Protonated Heterocyclic Organic Bases
Authors: Avdeeva Varvara V. , Vologzhanina Anna V. , Malinina Elena A. , Kuznetsov Nikolai T.
Published: June 2019

Dihydrogen bonds attract much attention as unconventional hydrogen bonds between strong donors of H-bonding and polyhedral (car)borane cages with delocalized charge density. Salts of closo-borate anions [B10H10]2− and [B12H12]2− with protonated organic ligands 2,2’-dipyridylamine (BPA), 1,10-phenanthroline (Phen), and rhodamine 6G (Rh6G) were selectively synthesized to investigate N−H...H−B intermolecular bonding. It was found that the salts contain monoprotonated and/or diprotonated N-containing cations at different ratios. Protonation of the ligands can be implemented in an acidic medium or in water because of hydrolysis of metal cations resulting in the release of H3O+ cations into the reaction solution. Six novel compounds were characterized by X-ray diffraction and FT-IR spectroscopy. It was found that strong dihydrogen bonds manifest themselves in FT-IR spectra that allows one to use this technique even in the absence of crystallographic data.
Study on Luminescence of KCl:Eu2+ Crystals after X-ray Irradiation at Room Temperature
Authors: Kohzuki Yohichi , Ohgaku Tomiyasu
Published: June 2019

Bleaching with the F-light at the excitation bandpass of 20 nm results in the phenomenon that F-centre peak and thermoluminescence (TL) glow peaks due to Fz- and F-centres identically decrease with the F-bleach time, whereas TL glow peak due to Fz-centre only remains almost constant irrespective of its time in the case of that at the excitation bandpass of 5 nm. Analysing the data on bleaching effects, absorption spectrum of X-ray irradiated KCl:Eu2+ crystal has a peak due to Fz-centre approximately within 20 nm of the wavelength 560 nm at F-centre peak. Electrons released from Fz-centres at 370 K and from F-centres at 450 K combine with Eu3+ ions, leading to the excited Eu2+ ions from which the luminescence at 420 nm is emitted.
Synthesis, Crystal Structure, Spectroscopic Properties, and Hirshfeld Surface Analysis of Diaqua [3,14-dimethyl-2,6,13,17 tetraazatricyclo(16.4.0.07,12)docosane]copper(II) Dibromide
Authors: Jeon Sunghwan , Moncol Ján , Mazúr Milan , Valko Marián , Choi Jong-Ha
Published: June 2019

A newly prepared Cu(II) complex salt, Cu(L1)(H2O)2Br2, where L1 is 3,14-dimethyl-2,6,13,17-tetraazatricyclo(16.4.0.07,12) docosane, is characterized by elemental and crystallographic analyses. The Cu(II) center is coordinated by four nitrogen atoms of macrocyclic ligand and the axial position by two water molecules. The macrocyclic ligand adopts an optimally stable trans-III conformation with normal Cu–N bond lengths of 2.018 (3) and 2.049 (3) Å and long axial Cu1–O1W length of 2.632 (3) Å due to the Jahn–Teller effect. The complex is stabilized by hydrogen bonds formed between the O atoms of water molecules and bromide anions. The bromide anion is connected to the neighboring complex cations and water molecules through N–H···Br and O–H···Br hydrogen bonds, respectively. The g-factors obtained from the electron spin resonance spectrum show the typical trend of g∥ > g⊥ > 2.0023, which is in a good accordance to the dx2-y2 ground state. It reveals a coordination sphere of tetragonal symmetry for the Cu(II) ion. The infrared and electronic absorption spectral properties of the complex are also discussed. Hirshfeld surface analysis represents that the H···H, H···Br/Br···H and H···O/O···H contacts are the major molecular interactions in the prepared complex.
Information Theory and an Entropic Approach to an Analysis of Fiscal Inequality
Authors: Vo Duc Hong
Published: June 2019

In his influential study, Theil (1967) developed the notion of entropy on the basis of information theory. He then advocated the use of entropy-based measure for the analysis of income inequality. In this paper, the first of its kind, we apply Theil’s notion of entropy to public finances in multi-tiered governments, in particular for a measurement of fiscal decentralisation, which is currently very crude in terms of the ratio between local government revenue and total revenue. It is the claim of this paper that such an approach of measuring fiscal decentralisation completely ignores important distributional aspects of fiscal arrangements. Findings from this paper indicate that studies on measuring various aspects of fiscal activities—such as fiscal decentralisation—should carefully take into account the dispersion of revenue (and expenditure) across regions. On that basis, the entropic approach developed in this paper is able to accommodate these dispersions across subnational governments. As an illustration for the case of Vietnam, the true degree of fiscal decentralization has effectively been decreased in comparison with estimates from other simple measurements due to the presence of substantial dispersions of revenue and expenditure from the subnational governments across 63 provinces in Vietnam.
Partial Discharge Classification Using Deep Learning Methods—Survey of Recent Progress
Authors: Barrios Sonia , Buldain David , Comech María Paz , Gilbert Ian , Orue Iñaki
Published: June 2019

This paper examines the recent advances made in the field of Deep Learning (DL) methods for the automated identification of Partial Discharges (PD). PD activity is an indication of the state and operational conditions of electrical equipment systems. There are several techniques for on-line PD measurements, but the typical classification and recognition method is made off-line and involves an expert manually extracting appropriate features from raw data and then using these to diagnose PD type and severity. Many methods have been developed over the years, so that the appropriate features expertly extracted are used as input for Machine Learning (ML) algorithms. More recently, with the developments in computation and data storage, DL methods have been used for automated features extraction and classification. Several contributions have demonstrated that Deep Neural Networks (DNN) have better accuracy than the typical ML methods providing more efficient automated identification techniques. However, improvements could be made regarding the general applicability of the method, the data acquisition, and the optimal DNN structure.
Generation Expansion Planning Based on Dynamic Bayesian Network Considering the Uncertainty of Renewable Energy Resources
Authors: Kong Xiangyu , Yao Jingtao , E Zhijun , Wang Xin
Published: June 2019

In generation expansion planning, sustainable generation expansion planning is gaining more and more attention. Based on the comprehensive consideration of generation expansion planning economics, technology, environment, and other fields, this paper analyzes the sustainable development of power supply planning evaluation indicators and builds a multi-objective generation expansion planning decision model considering sustainable development. According to the target variables in the model, the variables such as attribute variables are divided into different subsets, and the logical relationship analysis method between different nodes is obtained based on Dynamic Bayesian network theory, which reduces the complexity of the planning model problem. The application examples show the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed model and the solution method.
A European Database of Building Energy Profiles to Support the Design of Ground Source Heat Pumps
Authors: Carnieletto Laura , Badenes Borja , Belliardi Marco , Bernardi Adriana , Graci Samantha , Emmi Giuseppe , Urchueguía Javier F. , Zarrella Angelo , Di Bella Antonino , Dalla Santa Giorgia , Galgaro Antonio , Mezzasalma Giulia , De Carli Michele
Published: June 2019

The design of ground source heat pumps is a fundamental step to ensure the high energy efficiency of heat pump systems throughout their operating years. To enhance the diffusion of ground source heat pump systems, two different tools are developed in the H2020 research project named, “Cheap GSHPs”: A design tool and a decision support system. In both cases, the energy demand of the buildings may not be calculated by the user. The main input data, to evaluate the size of the borehole heat exchangers, is the building energy demand. This paper presents a methodology to correlate energy demand, building typologies, and climatic conditions for different types of residential buildings. Rather than envelope properties, three insulation levels have been considered in different climatic conditions to set up a database of energy profiles. Analyzing European climatic test reference years, 23 locations have been considered. For each location, the overall energy and the mean hourly monthly energy profiles for heating and cooling have been calculated. Pre-calculated profiles are needed to size generation systems and, in particular, ground source heat pumps. For this reason, correlations based on the degree days for heating and cooling demand have been found in order to generalize the results for different buildings. These correlations depend on the Köppen–Geiger climate scale.
Application of Electro-Hydraulic Actuator System to Control Continuously Variable Transmission in Wind Energy Converter
Authors: Nguyen Minh Tri , Dang Tri Dung , Ahn Kyoung Kwan
Published: June 2019

The wind energy conversion system (WEC) has been increasingly proposed to capture wind energy producing electrical power in high efficiency. One of the most important factors that has significant influence on the overall efficiency is the performance of generators in a fixed-speed wind turbine. The efficiency of the generator strongly depends on the operating speed. Therefore, the generator should be controlled to operate at the rated speed to increase the overall efficiency. In this paper, a continuously variable transmission (CVT) was employed to maintain the speed of the generator by controlling the transmission ratio. By employing a position control system based on an electro-hydraulic actuator (EHA), the speed ratio could be tuned continuously to keep the generator at rated speed. Here, an adaptive fuzzy sliding mode control (AFSC) was developed to control the proposed EHA CVT. Mathematical analysis was also carried out to investigate the global stability of the system. Finally, experiments were conducted to evaluate the performance of the proposed WECs.
Fuzzy Sliding Mode Wheel Slip Ratio Control for Smart Vehicle Anti-Lock Braking System
Authors: Sun Jinhong , Xue Xiangdang , Cheng Ka Wai Eric
Published: June 2019

With the development of in-wheel technology (IWT), the design of the electric vehicles (EV) is getting much improved. The anti-lock braking system (ABS), which is a safety benchmark for automotive braking, is particularly important. Installing the braking motor at each fixed position of the wheel improves the intelligent control of each wheel. The nonlinear ABS with robustness performance is highly needed during the vehicle’s braking. The anti-lock braking controller (CAB) designed in this paper considered the well-known adhesion force, the resistance force from air and the wheel rolling friction force, which bring the vehicle model closer to the real situation. A sliding mode wheel slip ratio controller (SMWSC) is proposed to yield anti-lock control of wheels with an adaptive sliding surface. The vehicle dynamics model is established and simulated with consideration of different initial braking velocities, different vehicle masses and different road conditions. By comparing the braking effects with various CAB parameters, including stop distance, braking torque and wheel slip ratio, the SMWSC proposed in this paper has superior fast convergence and stability characteristics. Moreover, this SMWSC also has an added road-detection module, which makes the proposed braking controller more intelligent. In addition, the important brain of this proposed ABS controller is the control algorithm, which can be used in all vehicles’ ABS controller design.
Towards an Energy Efficient Solution for Bike-Sharing Rebalancing Problems: A Battery Electric Vehicle Scenario
Authors: Usama Muhammad , Shen Yongjun , Zahoor Onaira
Published: June 2019

A free-float bike-sharing system faces various operational challenges to maintain good service quality while optimizing the operational cost. The primary problems include the fulfillment of the users demand at all stations, and the replacement of faulty bikes presented in the system. This study focuses on a free-float bike-sharing system rebalancing problem (FFBP) with faulty bikes using battery electric vehicles (BEVs). The target inventory of bikes at each station is obtained while minimizing the total traveling time through the presented formulation. Using CPLEX solver, the model is demonstrated through numerical experiments considering the various vehicle and battery capacities, and a cost–benefit analysis is performed for BEV and conventional internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs) while taking the BEV manufacturing and indirect emission into account. The results show that the annual cost incurred on an ICEV is 56.9% more as compared to the cost of using an equivalent BEV. Since BEVs consume less energy than conventional ICEVs, the use of BEVs for rebalancing the bike-sharing systems results in significant energy savings for an urban transport network. Moreover, the life cycle emissions of an ICEV are 48.3% more as compared to an equivalent BEV. Furthermore, the operational cost of a BEV significantly reduces with the increase in battery capacity.
Application of the Thermodynamic Cycle to Assess the Energy Efficiency of Amine-Based Absorption of Carbon Capture
Authors: Xu Yaofeng , Deng Shuai , Zhao Li , Yuan Xiangzhou , Fu Jianxin , Li Shuangjun , Liang Yawen , Wang Junyao , Zhao Jun
Published: June 2019

The thermodynamic cycle, as a significant tool derived from equilibrium, could provide a reasonable and rapid energy profile of complicated energy systems. Such a function could strongly promote an in-depth and direct understanding of the energy conversion mechanism of cutting-edge industrial systems, e.g., carbon capture system (CCS) However, such applications of thermodynamics theory have not been widely accepted in the carbon capture sector, which may be one of the reasons why intensive energy consumption still obstructs large-scale commercialization of CCS. In this paper, a kind of thermodynamic cycle was developed as a tool to estimate the lowest regeneration heat (Qre) of a benchmark solvent (MEA) under typical conditions. Moreover, COPCO2, a new assessment indicator, was proposed firstly for energy-efficiency performance analysis of such a kind of CCS system. In addition to regeneration heat and second-law efficiency (η2nd), the developed COPCO2 was also integrated into the existing performance analysis framework, to assess the energy efficiency of an amine-based absorption system. Through variable parameter analysis, the higher CO2 concentration of the flue gas, the higher COPCO2, up to 2.80 in 16 vt% and the Qre was 2.82 GJ/t, when Rdes = 1 and ΔTheat-ex = 10 K. The η2nd was no more than 30% and decreased with the rise of the desorption temperature, which indicates the great potential of improvements of the energy efficiency.
CFD Computation of the H-Darrieus Wind Turbine—The Impact of the Rotating Shaft on the Rotor Performance
Authors: Rogowski Krzysztof
Published: June 2019

Aerodynamics of the Darrieus wind turbine is an extremely complex issue requiring the use of very advanced numerical methods. Additional structural components of this device, such as, for example, a rotating shaft disturb the flow through the rotor significantly impairing its aerodynamic characteristics. The main purpose of the presented research is to validate the commonly-used unsteady Reynolds averaged Navier–Stokes (URANS) approach with the shear stress transport (SST) k-ω turbulence model based on the particle image velocimetry (PIV) studies of a two-bladed rotor operating at the moderate tip speed ratio of 4.5. In the present numerical studies, a two-dimensional turbine rotor with a diameter of 1 m was considered. The following parameters were evaluated: instantaneous velocity fields; velocity profiles in the rotor shadow and aerodynamic blade loads. The obtained numerical results are comparable with the reference experimental results taken from the literature. The second purpose of this work was to examine the influence of the rotating rotor shaft/tower on the wind turbine performance. It has been proven that the cylindrical shaft reduces the power of the device by 2.5% in comparison with the non-shaft configuration.
A Fast Fault Identification in a Grid-Connected Photovoltaic System Using Wavelet Multi-Resolution Singular Spectrum Entropy and Support Vector Machine
Authors: Ahmadipour Masoud , Hizam Hashim , Othman Mohammad Lutfi , Mohd Radzi Mohd Amran , Chireh Nikta
Published: June 2019

A new protection scheme based on applying a combination of wavelet multi-resolution singular spectrum entropy and support vector machine is proposed to identify different types of grid faults in a three-phase grid-tied photovoltaic system. In this technique, discrete wavelet transform with multi-resolution singular spectrum entropy is utilized to extract the unique features of three-phase voltage signals at the point of common coupling. The three-phase voltage signals are decomposed to provide detail and approximation coefficients of wavelet transform. Then, various features between different types of grid faults can be extracted by a combination of multi resolution analysis and spectrum analysis with entropy as the output. The constructed features vector is utilized as input data of a support vector machine classifier to identify and classify various types of faults. The results illustrate that the proposed intelligent technique not only recognizes different types of grid faults correctly, but also performs quickly in identifying grid faults in a grid-connected photovoltaic system. Apart from this, a graphical investigation is executed to observe the effects of different types of grid faults in photovoltaic (PV) operation which highlight the necessity of intelligent protection methods to protect PV systems.
Experimental Comparison of Two-Level Full-SiC and Three-Level Si–SiC Quasi-Z-Source Inverters for PV Applications
Authors: Stepenko Serhii , Husev Oleksandr , Vinnikov Dmitri , Roncero-Clemente Carlos , Pires Pimentel Sergio , Santasheva Elena
Published: June 2019

The paper presents a comparative study of two solar string inverters based on the Quasi-Z-Source (QZS) network. The first solution comprises a full-SiC two-level QZS inverter, while the second design was built based on a three-level neutral-point-clamped QZS inverter with Silicon based Metal–Oxide–Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistors (Si MOSFETs). Several criteria were taken into consideration: the size of passive elements, thermal design and size of heatsinks, voltage stress across semiconductors, and efficiency investigation. The Photovoltaic (PV)-string rated at 1.8 kW power was selected as a case study system. The advantages and drawbacks of both solutions are presented along with conclusions.
Investigating Relationships between Nutrient Concentrations, Stem Sinuosity, and Tree Improvement in Douglas-Fir Stands in Western Washington
Authors: Dwivedi Pranjal , Sucre Eric , Turnblom Eric C. , Harrison Robert B.
Published: June 2019

Stem sinuosity is a deformation that occurs in Douglas-fir and other tree species. Nutritional deficiencies, such as those of copper, zinc, boron, and calcium have been positively associated with increased stem form deformities. The objective of this study was to analyze available soil and total foliar concentrations of sinuous Douglas-fir stands and determine if these data provided insights into the role of nutrients on sinuosity across different sites. Relationships among genetic gain levels across different sites were also assessed to evaluate whether trees selected for growth and form were better at mobilizing and sequestering nutrients in soils or needles. As data collected were multivariate, Mantel test and permutational multivariate analysis of variance (PERMANOVA) were used to study effects of site, genetic gain levels on soil, and foliar nutrients, with ordinations used to visualize trends. The stands were found to be deficient in boron and calcium, and moderately deficient with respect to zinc and nitrogen. Combining foliar data with soil nutrients revealed that there was differential uptake of these nutrients as compared to other more abundant micronutrients. Results of univariate and multivariate analyses showed that site was the most important predictor, which explained variation among soil nutrient concentrations. Genetic gain level was a significant predictor for variation among soil nutrients; however, not significantly for foliar concentrations according to multivariate analyses. Trends in the data indicate that proper genetic selection could reduce sinuosity while also increasing growth. The results of this study support the contention that no one single factor can explain stem sinuosity. It is likely that sinuous growth in trees is caused by a combination of unbalanced nutrient concentrations and metal deficiencies, as were seen in this study, in addition to genetic, environmental, and physiological factors.
Use of Attenuated Total Reflectance—Fourier Transform Infrared (ATR-FTIR) Spectroscopy in Combination with Multivariate Methods for the Rapid Determination of the Adulteration of Grape, Carob and Mulberry Pekmez
Authors: Yaman Nihal , Durakli Velioglu Serap
Published: June 2019

Pekmez, a traditional Turkish food generally produced by concentration of fruit juices, is subjected to fraudulent activities like many other foodstuffs. This study reports the use of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) in combination with chemometric methods for the detection of fraudulent addition of glucose syrup to traditional grape, carob and mulberry pekmez. FTIR spectra of samples were taken in mid-infrared (MIR) range of 400–4000 cm−1 using attenuated total reflectance (ATR) sample accessory. Partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) and PLS chemometric methods were built for qualitative and quantitative analysis of pekmez samples, respectively. PLS-DA models were successfully used for the discrimination of pure pekmez samples and the adulterated pekmez samples with glucose syrup. Sensitivity and specificity of 100%, and model efficiency of 100% were obtained in PLS-DA models for all pekmez groups. Detection of the adulteration ratio of pekmez samples was also accomplished using ATR-FTIR spectroscopy in combination with PLS. As a result, it was shown that ATR-FTIR spectroscopy along with chemometric methods had a great potential for determination of pekmez adulteration with glucose syrup.
An Evolutionary Perspective of Dopachrome Tautomerase Enzymes in Metazoans
Authors: Rosani Umberto , Domeneghetti Stefania , Maso Lorenzo , Wegner K. Mathias , Venier Paola
Published: June 2019

Melanin plays a pivotal role in the cellular processes of several metazoans. The final step of the enzymically-regulated melanin biogenesis is the conversion of dopachrome into dihydroxyindoles, a reaction catalyzed by a class of enzymes called dopachrome tautomerases. We traced dopachrome tautomerase (DCT) and dopachrome converting enzyme (DCE) genes throughout metazoans and we could show that only one class is present in most of the phyla. While DCTs are typically found in deuterostomes, DCEs are present in several protostome phyla, including arthropods and mollusks. The respective DCEs belong to the yellow gene family, previously reported to be taxonomically restricted to insects, bacteria and fungi. Mining genomic and transcriptomic data of metazoans, we updated the distribution of DCE/yellow genes, demonstrating their presence and active expression in most of the lophotrochozoan phyla as well as in copepods (Crustacea). We have traced one intronless DCE/yellow gene through most of the analyzed lophotrochozoan genomes and we could show that it was subjected to genomic diversification in some species, while it is conserved in other species. DCE/yellow was expressed in most phyla, although it showed tissue specific expression patterns. In the parasitic copepod Mytilicola intestinalis DCE/yellow even belonged to the 100 most expressed genes. Both tissue specificity and high expression suggests that diverse functions of this gene family also evolved in other phyla apart from insects.