bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Seasonal habitat‐dependent change in nest box occupation by Tengmalm's owl associated with a corresponding change in nest predation
Authors: Zárybnická Markéta , Riegert Jan , Šťastný Karel
Published: November 2016

We investigated the nest‐site settlement of the forest‐dwelling Tengmalm's owl (Aegolius funereus) in the temperate zone of Central Europe (Czech Republic) over a 14‐year period. We analysed the effect of changes in nest‐site suitability (expressed as the proportion of deciduous forest) within the immediate surroundings of the nest boxes (a buffer radius of 25 m) in relation to nest box occupancy, the mean standardized laying date (further the laying date), occurrence of nest predation, and breeding density. In line with the predictions of the site dependence model, we found a positive relationship between the laying date and the proportion of deciduous trees in the nest box surrounding. Further, we found the interactive effect of the laying date and the proportion of deciduous forest surrounding a nest box on the occurrence of breeding attempts predated by pine martens. A higher proportion of deciduous forest was found in the surroundings of predated than non‐predated breeding attempts, and a steeper positive relationship between the laying date and the proportion of deciduous forest was found in the surroundings of non‐predated than predated breeding attempts. The change in the owls’ habitat utilization can be explained by the process of tree leafing which makes the deciduous forest a less suitable habitat with high risk of nest predation before tree foliage and a more suitable habitat with low risk of nest predation after tree foliage. We conclude that our results are in agreement with the site dependence model, and that the degree of foliage of deciduous forest in the nest surrounding of Tengmalm's owl is a key factor determining site suitability due to predation risk from pine martens in Central Europe.
Study of the antibacterial activity of electro-activated solutions of salts of weak organic acids on Salmonella enterica, Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes
Authors: Liato Viacheslav , Labrie Steve , Aïder Mohammed
Published: November 2016

This work assessed the antibacterial activity of electro-activated solutions of salts of weak organic acids (potassium acetate, potassium citrate and calcium lactate) on Salmonella enterica, Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes. This activity was compared in terms of minimal inhibitory (bactericidal) concentration to the effect of commercial acetic, citric and lactic acid at equivalent titratable acidity. Staining live/dead BacLight method was used to consider physiological state of bacteria following the evaluation of pathogenic strains during exposure to the tested solutions. The results demonstrated strong inhibitory activity of all electro-activated solutions. After 10 min of exposure to electro-activated potassium acetate, a reduction of ≥6 log CFU/ml of all bacteria was observed. The electro-activated potassium citrate demonstrated the lowest minimal inhibitory concentration. Nevertheless, its inactivation power was significantly higher than that of conjugated citric acid. Although electro-activated calcium lactate was found less effective in comparison with its conjugated acid form, after 10 min of contact with the tested pathogens, it induced a population reduction of 2.23, 2.97 and 5.57 log CFU/ml of S. aureus, L. monocytogenes and S. enterica, respectively.
Monitoring Countries in a Changing World: A New Look at DIF in International Surveys
Authors: Zwitser Robert J. , Glaser S. Sjoerd F. , Maris Gunter
Published: November 2016

This paper discusses the issue of differential item functioning (DIF) in international surveys. DIF is likely to occur in international surveys. What is needed is a statistical approach that takes DIF into account, while at the same time allowing for meaningful comparisons between countries. Some existing approaches are discussed and an alternative is provided. The core of this alternative approach is to define the construct as a large set of items, and to report in terms of summary statistics. Since the data are incomplete, measurement models are used to complete the incomplete data. For that purpose, different models can be used across countries. The method is illustrated with PISA’s reading literacy data. The results indicate that this approach fits the data better than the current PISA methodology; however, the league tables are nearly identical. The implications for monitoring changes over time are discussed.
Hepatic BSCL2 (Seipin) Deficiency Disrupts Lipid Droplet Homeostasis and Increases Lipid Metabolism via SCD1 Activity
Authors: Lounis Mohamed Amine , Lalonde Simon , Rial Sabri Ahmed , Bergeron Karl‐F. , Ralston Jessica C. , Mutch David M. , Mounier Catherine
Published: November 2016

Berardinelli‐Seip congenital lipodystrophy (BSCL) is an autosomal recessive disorder. The more severe form, designated BSCL2, arises due to mutations in the BSCL2 gene. Patients with BSCL2, as well as Bscl2−/− mice, have a near total absence of body fat, an organomegaly, and develop metabolic disorders including insulin resistance and hepatic steatosis. The function of the Seipin (BSCL2) protein remains poorly understood. Several lines of evidence have indicated that Seipin may have distinct functions in adipose versus non‐adipose cells. Here we present evidence that BSCL2/Bscl2 plays a role in lipid droplet (LD) biogenesis and homeostasis in primary and cultured hepatocytes. Our results show that decreasing BSCL2/Bscl2 expression in hepatocytes increases the number and size of LD, as well as the expression of genes implicated in their formation and stability. We also show that knocking down SCD1 expression reverses the phenotype associated with Seipin deficiency. Interestingly, BSCL2 knockdown induces SCD1 expression and activity, potentially leading to increased basal phosphorylation of proteins involved in the insulin signaling cascade, as well as further increasing fatty acid uptake and de novo lipogenesis. In conclusion, our results suggest that a hepatic BSCL2/Bscl2 deficiency induces the increase and expansion of LD, potentially via increased SCD1 activity.
Influence of Sophorolipid Structure on Interfacial Properties of Aqueous‐Arabian Light Crude and Related Constituent Emulsions
Authors: Koh Amanda , Wong Anna , Quinteros Alexis , Desplat Christine , Gross Richard
Published: November 2016

Sophorolipids (SLs) offer an “environmentally friendly” alternative to chemically produced surfactants currently used in formulations for crude oil extraction, processing, and reclamation. Studies herein describe how sophorolipid structure influences its interfacial properties for environmentally and industrially relevant oil–water systems where the oil phase is Arabian light crude oil, paraffin oil, decane, hexadecane, a 1:1 vol/vol mixture of o‐xylene and 1,2‐dimethylcyclohexane, or a mixture of paraffin oil, o‐xylene, and 1,2‐dimethylcyclohexane (synthetic crude oil). SL‐hexyl ester (SL‐HE) reduces the crude oil–water interfacial tension (IFT) by 57 and 91% at 0.001 and 0.5 mg/mL, respectively. Crude oil displacement tests reveal that SL‐ethyl ester (SL‐EE) and SL‐HE contract a crude oil slick on water to about 20% of its starting volume allowing for easier burning of spilled crude oil on marine surfaces. Water retention and emulsion phase (e.g., o/w vs. w/o) are determined by SL‐structure/concentration, oil concentration, and oil composition to understand their performance for crude oil transportation and clean‐up. For the first time, w/o emulsions were obtained using SLs and their formation occurred after homogenization when the oil phase consisted of a 1:1 mixture of o‐xylene and 1,2‐dimethylcyclohexane. Generally, the performance of SL‐esters in the above studies was superior to that using Triton X‐100, a comparison nonionic surfactant. Hence, SL‐esters offer a valuable platform for tuning interfacial properties to optimize surfactant performance.
Altered uterine contractility in response to β-adrenoceptor agonists in ovarian cancer
Authors: Modzelewska Beata , Jóźwik Maciej , Jóźwik Marcin , Sulkowski Stanisław , Pędzińska-Betiuk Anna , Kleszczewski Tomasz , Kostrzewska Anna
Published: November 2016

We aimed to prospectively examine β-adrenoceptor-mediated uterine contractility in women suffering from gynecological malignancies. Myometrial specimens were obtained from non-pregnant women undergoing hysterectomy for benign gynecological disorders, and ovarian, endometrial, synchronous ovarian–endometrial, and cervical cancer. Contractions of myometrial strips in an organ bath before and after cumulative dosages of β2- and β3-adrenoceptor agonists with preincubation of propranolol, SR 59230A, and butoxamine were studied. All agonists induced a dose-dependent attenuation for uterine contractility in endometrial or cervical cancer, similar to that observed in the reference group. Contradictory effects were observed for ovarian cancer alone or in combination with endometrial cancer. CL 316243 or ritodrine abolished the relaxation, whereas BRL 37344 increased the uterine contractility in ovarian cancer. Moreover, β-adrenoceptor antagonists caused varied effects for β2- or β3-adrenoceptor agonists. Our experiments demonstrate that ovarian cancer, alone or as synchronous ovarian–endometrial cancer, substantially alters uterine contractility in response to β-adrenoceptor agonists.
Vickrey auction vs BDM: difference in bidding behaviour and the impact of other-regarding motives
Authors: Flynn Niall , Kah Christopher , Kerschbamer Rudolf
Published: November 2016

In an experiment, we first elicit the distributional preferences of subjects and then let them bid for a lottery, either in a Becker–DeGroot–Marschak (BDM) mechanism or a Vickrey auction (VA). The standard theory predicts that altruistic subjects underbid in the VA—compared to the BDM—while spiteful subjects overbid in the VA. The data do not confirm those predictions. While we observe aggregate underbidding in the VA, the result is not driven by the choices of altruistic subjects.
Lack of association between vitamin D receptor polymorphisms ApaI (rs7975232) and BsmI (rs1544410) and osteoporosis among the Han Chinese population: A meta‐analysis
Authors: Yu Meng , Chen Guo‐Qiang , Yu Fang
Published: November 2016

In this study, we aimed to assess the relationship between vitamin D receptor gene polymorphisms and osteoporosis in the Han Chinese population. Articles regarding associations between vitamin D receptor polymorphisms (ApaI rs7975232 and BsmI rs1544410) and osteoporosis were retrieved from databases in November 2014. Eligible studies were tested by the Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium. The odds ratio and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were analyzed to evaluate the strength of the associations. Pooled effect estimates were derived using a fixed‐effect model and a random‐effect model according to the heterogeneity of the test results. A subgroup analysis by study type and a sensitivity analysis based on studies that conform to the Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium and studies with postmenopausal women as participants were performed. This meta‐analysis involved 15 eligible studies including 1580 cases and 1389 controls. The pooled estimated odds ratios in the dominant and additive genetic models were 0.73 (95% CI: 0.46–1.14, p = 0.17) and 1.01 (95% CI: 0.77–1.33, p = 0.81), respectively, for rs7975232 and 1.01 (95% CI: 0.81–1.26, p = 0.91) and 1.01 (95% CI: 0.77–1.33, p = 0.92), respectively, for rs1544410. The subgroup analysis showed that regardless of the dominant or additive genetic model, the effect of pooled odds ratios for rs7975232 and rs1544410 was insignificant. The sensitivity analysis also showed that the pooled effect was not significantly changed. In conclusion, no evidence of association is apparent between polymorphisms of vitamin D receptor genes and osteoporosis risk in the Han Chinese population.
Association of MMP‐2 and MMP‐9 expression with recurrences in primary spontaneous pneumothorax
Authors: Huang Ying‐Fong , Chiu Wen‐Chin , Chou Shah‐Hwa , Su Yu‐Han , Chen Yu‐Wen , Chai Chee‐Yin , Huang Chih‐Jen , Huang Ming‐Yii , Yuan Shyng‐Shiou F. , Lee Yi‐Chen
Published: November 2016

Primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP) is a common benign problem. However, PSP recurrence is still a troublesome complication for most patients. This study intended to determine the role of matrix metalloproteinase‐2 (MMP‐2) and MMP‐9 in type II pneumocytes of patients with PSP and its relation with recurrence. Ninety‐one patients who had undergone needlescopic video‐assisted thoracoscopic surgery wedge resection of lung with identifiable blebs for PSP were included in this study. Immunohistochemical (IHC) staining was used to measure the expression of MMP‐2 and MMP‐9 in lung tissues of PSP patients. The results were further correlated with clinicopathological parameters and recurrence rates using chi‐square or Fisher's exact test. The value of MMP‐2 and MMP‐9 for overall recurrence was analyzed by univariate and multivariable Cox regression model. IHC data revealed that MMP‐2 and MMP‐9 staining was predominantly observed in type II pneumocytes of patients with PSP. We found that MMP‐2 and MMP‐9 expression in PSP, especially male PSP patients, was significantly correlated with recurrence. In the univariate and multivariate analyses, MMP‐2 and MMP‐9 were statistically significant risk factors for overall recurrence in PSP patients. Therefore, high expression levels of MMP‐2 and MMP‐9 in type II pneumocytes show a positive correlation with PSP recurrence risk. Further studies are needed to validate whether reduction of MMP‐2 and MMP‐9 expression may be a promising way for decreasing the risk of PSP recurrence in the future.
Controlling Tuberculosis in the United States: Use of Isolation and Other Measures Throughout the Country
Authors: Katz Rebecca , Vaught Andrea
Published: November 2016

Objectives

We sought to better understand the tools used by public health officials in the control of tuberculosis (TB).

Methods

We conducted a series of in-depth interviews with public health officials at the local, state, and federal levels to better understand how health departments around the country use isolation measures to control TB.

Results

State and local public health officials’ use of social distancing tools in infection control varies widely, particularly in response to handling noncompliant patients. Judicial and community support, in addition to financial resources, impacted the incentives and enablers used to maintain isolation of infectious TB patients.

Conclusions

Instituting social distancing requires authorities and resources and can be impacted by evidentiary standards, risk assessments, political will, and community support. Awareness of these factors, as well as knowledge of state and local uses of social distancing measures, is essential to understanding what actions are most likely to be instituted during a public health emergency and to target interventions to better prepare health departments to utilize the best available tools necessary to control the spread of disease. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:337–342)
Incidence of Hospital Norovirus Outbreaks and Infections Using 2 Surveillance Methods in Sweden
Authors: Fraenkel Carl-Johan , Inghammar Malin , Johansson P. J. Hugo , Böttiger Blenda
Published: November 2016

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate 2 different methods of surveillance and to estimate the incidence of norovirus (NoV) outbreaks in hospitals.

DESIGN

Prospective observational study.

SETTING

All 194 hospital wards in southern Sweden during 2 winter seasons (2010–2012).

METHODS

Clinical surveillance based on outbreak reports of 2 or more clinical cases, with symptom onset within 5 days, was compared with laboratory surveillance based on positive NoV results among inpatients. At least 2 NoV positive patients sampled within 5 days at a ward defined a cluster. Outbreak reports including at least 1 NoV positive case and clusters including at least 1 NoV positive patient with 5 or more days from ward admission to sampling were defined as NoV outbreaks.

RESULTS

During the study periods 135 NoV outbreaks were identified; 74 were identified by both clinical and laboratory surveillance, 18 were identified only by outbreak reports, and 43 were identified only by laboratory surveillance. The outbreak incidence was 1.0 (95% CI, 0.8–1.2) and 0.5 (95% CI, 0.3–0.6) per 1,000 admissions for the 2 different seasons, respectively. To correctly identify NoV outbreaks, the sensitivity and positive predictive value of the clinical surveillance were 68% and 88% and of the laboratory surveillance were 86% and 81%, respectively.

CONCLUSION

The addition of laboratory surveillance significantly improves outbreak surveillance and provides a more complete estimate of NoV outbreaks in hospitals. Laboratory surveillance can be recommended for evaluation of clinical surveillance.

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2016;1–7
Three orthogonal ultrasounds fabricate uniform ternary Al-Sn-Cu immiscible alloy
Authors: Zhai W. , Wang B. J. , Liu H. M. , Hu L. , Wei B.
Published: November 2016

The production of Al based monotectic alloys with uniform microstructure is usually difficult due to the large density difference between the two immiscible liquid phases, which limits the application of such alloys. Here, we apply three orthogonal ultrasounds during the liquid phase separation process of ternary Al71.9Sn20.4Cu7.7 immiscible alloy. A uniform microstructure consisting of fine secondary (Sn) phase dispersed on Al-rich matrix is fabricated in the whole alloy sample with a large size of 30 × 30 × 100 mm. The numerical calculation results indicate that the coupled effect of three ultrasounds promotes the sound pressure level and consequently enlarges the cavitation zone within the alloy melt. The strong shockwaves produced by cavitation prevent the (Sn) droplets from coalescence, and keep them suspended in the parent Al-rich liquid phase. This accounts for the formation of homogeneous composite structures. Thus the introduction of three orthogonal ultrasounds is an effective way to suppress the macrosegregation caused by liquid phase separation and produce bulk immiscible alloys with uniform structures.
Downregulation of oncogenic RAS and c-Myc expression in MOLT-4 leukaemia cells by a salicylaldehyde semicarbazone copper(II) complex
Authors: Goh Yan-Yih , Yan Yaw-Kai , Tan Nguan Soon , Goh Su-Ann , Li Shang , Teoh You-Chuan , Lee Peter P. F.
Published: November 2016

Copper complexes with potent anti-tumor effect have been extensively developed. Most investigations of their modes of action focused on the biomolecular targets but not the signal transduction between target binding and cell death. We have previously shown that the cytotoxic complex pyridine(2,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde dibenzyl semicarbazone)copper(II) (complex 1) shows selective binding to human telomeric G-quadruplex DNA over double-stranded DNA in vitro. Herein, we elucidate the mechanism of action by which complex 1 induces apoptosis in MOLT-4 cells. Complex 1 accumulates in the nuclei and differentially downregulates the expression of c-Myc, c-Kit and KRAS oncogenes. Chemical affinity capture assay results show that the complex is associated with c-Myc and KRAS quadruplex sequences in MOLT-4 cells. We further showed that the reduction in Ras protein expression resulted in attenuated MEK-ERK and PI3K-Akt signalling activities, leading to the activation of caspase-dependent apoptosis. Notably, complex 1 increased the sensitivity of MOLT-4 cells to cisplatin and vice versa. Overall, we demonstrated that complex 1 induces apoptosis, at least in part, by suppressing KRAS, c-Kit and c-Myc oncogene expression and the pro-survival MEK-ERK and PI3K-Akt signalling pathways.
10 nm deep, sub-nanoliter fluidic nanochannels on germanium for attenuated total reflection infrared (ATR-IR) spectroscopy
Authors: Sriram K. K. , Nayak Simantini , Pengel Stefanie , Chou Chia-Fu , Erbe Andreas
Published: November 2016

Nanoslits with a depth of ∼10 nm were manufactured on a germanium internal reflection element for attenuated internal reflection infrared spectroscopy.
Ratiometric and photoconvertible fluorescent protein-based voltage indicator prototypes
Authors: Abdelfattah A. S. , Rancic V. , Rawal B. , Ballanyi K. , Campbell R. E.
Published: November 2016

We have explored the potential utility of several new designs for genetically encoded indicators of membrane potential.
Direct observation of the influence of chirality on the microstructure of regioregular poly(3-alkylthiophene)s at the liquid/solid interface
Authors: Cao Hai , Van Den Eede Marie-Paule , Koeckelberghs Guy , Mali Kunal S. , De Feyter Steven
Published: November 2016

The chirality of alkyl side chains has a significant impact on the microstructures of regioregular poly(3-alkylthiophene)s.
Stable, crystalline boron complexes with mono-, di- and trianionic formazanate ligands
Authors: Mondol Ranajit , Snoeken Daan A. , Chang Mu-Chieh , Otten Edwin
Published: November 2016

Boron complexes are isolated with formazanate ligands in mono-, di- and trianionic form, showing their distinctive ability to function as electron-reservoir.
Understanding MAOS through computational chemistry
Authors: Prieto P. , de la Hoz A. , Díaz-Ortiz A. , Rodríguez A. M.
Published: November 2016

Computational chemistry may explain and rationalize the impact of microwave irradiation in organic synthesis.
3D oxalato-bridged lanthanide(iii) MOFs with magnetocaloric, magnetic and photoluminescence properties
Authors: Akhtar Muhammad Nadeem , Chen Yan-Cong , AlDamen Murad A. , Tong Ming-Liang
Published: November 2016

Four isostructural 3D lanthanide(iii) metal–organic frameworks with the general formula (H6edte)0.5[LnIII(ox)2(H2O)] (Ln = Gd (1), Tb (2), Dy (3) and Ho (4); H4edte = N,N,N′,N′-tetrakis(2-hydroxyethyl)ethylenediamine) and ox = oxalate have been synthesized from oxalate.
Water assisted high proton conductance in a highly thermally stable and superior water-stable open-framework cobalt phosphate
Authors: Wang Mei , Luo Hong-Bin , Liu Shao-Xian , Zou Yang , Tian Zheng-Fang , Li Li , Liu Jian-Lan , Ren Xiao-Ming
Published: November 2016

The open-framework cobalt phosphate, (C2N2H10)0.5CoPO4, shows highly thermally stable and superior water-stable and water-assisted proton conductance with s = 2.05 × 10−3 S cm−1 at 329 K and 98% RH.
Carbon nanofibers as a micronutrient carrier in plants: efficient translocation and controlled release of Cu nanoparticles
Authors: Ashfaq Mohammad , Verma Nishith , Khan Suphiya
Published: November 2016

The impact of carbon nanofibers (CNFs) as a carrier for the micronutrients (Cu NPs) on plant growth through easy translocation and slow release of the Cu NPs in plant tissues.
Synthesis and biological evaluation of new fluconazole β-lactam conjugates linked via 1,2,3-triazole
Authors: Divse Jaisingh M. , Mhaske Santosh B. , Charolkar Chaitanya R. , Sant Duhita G. , Tupe Santosh G. , Deshpande Mukund V. , Khedkar Vijay M. , Nawale Laxman U. , Sarkar Dhiman , Pore Vandana S.
Published: November 2016

Novel fluconazole conjugates with potent antifungal activity are reported here. They were also found to be non-hemolytic and non-cytotoxic.
Probing the hydrolytic reactivity of 2-difluoromethyl pyrroles
Authors: Melanson Jennifer A. , Figliola Carlotta , Smithen Deborah A. , Kajetanowicz Aleksandra K. , Thompson Alison
Published: November 2016

α-Difluoromethyl pyrroles were found to be stable while N-protected with an electron-withdrawing group.
Organocatalyzed asymmetric Michael addition by an efficient bifunctional carbohydrate–thiourea hybrid with mechanistic DFT analysis
Authors: Azad Chandra S. , Khan Imran A. , Narula Anudeep K.
Published: November 2016

A series of thiourea based bifunctional organocatalysts having d-glucose as a core scaffold were synthesized and examined as catalysts for the asymmetric Michael addition reaction of aryl/alkyl trans-β-nitrostyrenes over cyclohexanone and other Michael donors having active methylene.
1,3-Dibromo-5,5-dimethylhydantoin (DBH) mediated one-pot syntheses of α-bromo/amino ketones from alkenes in water
Authors: Xu Senhan , Wu Ping , Zhang Wei
Published: November 2016

1,3-Dibromo-5,5-dimethylhydantoin (DBH) served as a dual-role reagent in one reaction, providing a direct and environmentally benign access toward α-bromo/amino ketones in water.
Accessing libraries of bifunctional block copolymers using two distinct pentafluorophenyl moieties
Authors: Varadharajan Divya , Delaittre Guillaume
Published: November 2016

The suitability of pentafluorophenyl (PFP) esters and PFP alkyl moieties for orthogonal dual functionalization of block copolymer segments is evaluated. While amidation followed by para-fluoro–thiol substitution is a viable reaction sequence, thiol-based substitution can occur on PFP esters at a high rate, thereby hampering the viability of the reverse sequence.
Investigation of the in situ generation of oxide-free copper nanoparticles using pulsed-laser ablation of bulk copper in aqueous solutions of DNA bases
Authors: Haghighi Farid Hajareh , Hadadzadeh Hassan , Farrokhpour Hossein
Published: November 2016

The pulsed-laser ablation method was used as a facile and green approach to prepare oxide-free copper nanoparticles, and was performed by laser ablation of a copper target in aqueous solutions of the DNA bases.
Polar catastrophe at the MgO(100)/SnO2(110) interface
Authors: Albar A. , Schwingenschlögl U.
Published: November 2016

First-principles calculations for the MgO(100)/SnO2(110) interface demonstrate the creation of a two-dimensional electron gas or spin-polarized hole gas depending on the termination.
Near‐optimal practical convergent method for interference alignment in MIMO interference channels
Authors: Zhu Yazhou , Tao Yang
Published: November 2016

A practical distributed Gauss–Newton method for the near‐optimal computation of interference alignment solutions is proposed, based on the block‐wise structure of Jacobian matrix of the residual interference function. Also, a simple practical matrix inverse computation algorithm to solve the rank‐deficient problem due to the interference sparse matrix is adopted. This proposal achieves convergent performance comparable to centralised Gauss–Newton method, with the major advantage of being practically implemented in a distributed manner.
Robust adaptive identification of linear time‐varying systems with modified least‐squares algorithm
Authors: Wu Jinbo , Huang Wenjian , Song Yuchen , Zhang Jinguo
Published: November 2016

A modified least‐squares algorithm with forgetting factor is proposed and applied to linear time‐varying systems. The bound on the Euclidean norm of the estimation error is derived mathematically. When the bounded regressor of the linear time‐varying system satisfies persistent excitation condition, this new algorithm can attenuate the influences of bounded disturbances and the change ratio of time‐varying parameters effectively through extra term that is added to the covariance's update law. Contrary to the earlier proposed estimation laws, this algorithm does not require any prior knowledge of upper bounds on the parameters and the disturbances. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the identification law.
Generalised Pollaczek–Khinchin formula for the Polya/G/1 queue
Authors: Mirtchev S.T. , Ganchev I.
Published: November 2016

A generalised Pollaczek–Khinchin formula for the Polya/G/1 queue, with a Polya peaked arrival process, general distributed service times, and infinite number of waiting positions, is obtained. It is shown that the peakedness of the number of arrivals and the variance of the service time lead to a significant increase in the service delay and queue length.
Robust visual tracking via self‐similarity learning
Authors: Song Huihui , Zheng Yuhui , Zhang Kaihua
Published: November 2016

Self‐similarity is an attractive image property that has been successfully applied to object recognition due to its robustness to severe target appearance variations. However, less attention has been paid to explore self‐similarity for visual tracking, mainly because it is difficult to learn self‐similarity information between different features suitable for visual tracking. To address this issue, a simple, yet effective approach is presented to learn self‐similarity information among the local features extracted from the different regions of the target. The target is first divided into some non‐overlapping regions, in which each region is described by the histogram of gradient (HOG) features. Then, an explicit polynomial kernel feature map is constructed, which is capable of characterising the self‐similarity information among all the local regions in the targets. Finally, based on the feature maps, a linear support vector machine (SVM) is learnt via an online dual coordinate descent method that offers fast convergence guarantee. Experiments on a large tracking benchmark dataset with 50 sequences demonstrate the superiority of the proposed method over state‐of‐the‐art methods.
Low‐complexity hopping DFT design based on a compact recursive structure
Authors: Juang W.‐H. , Lai S.‐C. , Chen K.‐H. , Tsai W.‐K. , Luo C.‐H.
Published: November 2016

A novel hopping discrete Fourier transform (DFT) algorithm and its architecture design for efficiently computing time–frequency spectra are presented. Since the sliding process is adopted sample by sample, the spectral bin output data rate is the same as the input data rate. Under the conditions of an M‐sample complex input sequence (M = 256), and N‐point recursive DFT computation (N = 64) for time hop L (L = 4), the proposed method has the following advantages: (i) the computational complexity of Proposed‐I requires only four complex additions and four complex multiplications for each frequency bin, after the first spectral component has been finally calculated; (ii) Proposed‐II utilises a re‐timing scheme to greatly shorten and balance the critical path; (iii) Proposed‐II is less computationally complex than Wang et al.’s method, as the numbers of multiplication and addition operations in the proposed algorithm are 768 and 1024, representing reductions of 50 and 20%, respectively. In addition, the number of coefficients can be reduced by 50% compared with Park et al.’s method. In the FPGA implementation, the proposed design can be operated at 47.26 MHz. It is thus more suitable for use with real‐time analytic applications of time–frequency spectra.
Microstrip switchable filtering power divider with three operating modes
Authors: Zhu Chuanming , Xu Jin , Kang Wei , Wu Wen
Published: November 2016

A switchable filtering power divider (FPD) with three operating modes is presented, i.e. dual‐band FPD centring at 2.1 and 2.5 GHz, low‐band FPD working at 2.1 GHz, high‐band FPD operating at 2.5 GHz. The bandpass filtering responses are achieved by embedding four dual‐mode resonators. The simulated and measured results are in good agreement.
0.9 V third‐order 132 MHz single‐OPAMP analogue filter in 28 nm CMOS
Authors: De Matteis M. , Donno A. , D'Amico S. , Baschirotto A.
Published: November 2016

A 28 nm CMOS‐bulk lowpass analogue filter architecture is hereby proposed. The filter is based on an improved Active‐Gm‐RC structure, where both poles of a Miller‐compensated operational amplifier (OPAMP) have been used for synthesising a third‐order filter. Several well‐known issues related to the 28 nm process node have been hereby mitigated by proper circuit/design techniques, enabling large signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) and 13.5 dBm IIP3. The proposed circuital solution performs 59 dB‐SNR at 340 µW power consumption from a single 0.9 V supply‐voltage. This allows one of the higher figure‐of‐merit (156 dB) in sub‐1 V analogue filters state of the art.
VCO‐based sturdy MASH ADC architecture
Authors: Gutierrez E. , Hernandez L. , Cardes F.
Published: November 2016

A new multistage 1‐1 ΔΣ analogue‐to‐digital converter (ADC) architecture implemented only with voltage‐controlled oscillators (VCOs) is introduced. A sturdy multistage noise‐shaping (SMASH) configuration is used to avoid the need of either calibration circuitry or noise‐cancellation filters. The digital nature of the VCO's output simplifies the implementation of the interconnection paths between stages, making unnecessary neither the use of multibit digital‐to‐analogue converters nor analogue subtraction elements. The basic operation of the architecture is shown at system level and the sensitivity to VCO's frequency mismatch is analysed. The proposed architecture has been validated through behavioural simulations.
Efficiency improvement of WPT system using inexpensive auto‐adaptive impedance matching
Authors: Mirzavand F. , Nayyeri V. , Soleimani M. , Mirzavand R.
Published: November 2016

An inexpensive auto‐adaptive impedance matching rectifier for wireless power transfer (WPT) systems is proposed. In most WPT systems, due to environment variations, the received power varies during the time. Owing to nonlinear characteristics of diodes, variation of received power results in impedance mismatch which degrades the efficiency of the system. The proposed rectifier system changes the matching circuit using two switches based on the level of the output voltage. This strategy provides matching in a wide range of power levels and consequently improves the efficiency of the system up to 20%. The proposed rectifier is fabricated and the output DC voltage is measured showing very good agreement with simulation result.
Gated single molecular device and logic gate design
Authors: Hariharan R.M. , Preferencial Kala C. , Janani K. , Bijo Joseph H. , Vivekananthan S. , John Thiruvadigal D.
Published: November 2016

The electron transport properties of an electrostatic gated single molecular transistor are investigated by using self‐consistent semi‐empirical method. The charge transport characteristics of the molecular device are analysed through the current‐voltage ISD−VSD characteristics transmission characteristics T (E), and molecular projected self‐consistent Hamiltonian states analysis. It is revealed that the gate bias VG can effectively tune the transport properties to greater extent. The mechanisms governing the gate bias tuned transport properties in this device were discussed. The proposed device also exhibits gate modulated negative differential resistance feature, which is exploited in realising basic logic gates. Thus, by using source‐drain resistance R as a function of VG, the application of using gated thiophene based molecular device to realise a set of five basic logic gates at particular VSD is shown. The significant feature of the proposed device is the possibility of realising different logic gates with just one molecular transistor using computationally inexpensive semi‐empirical method.
Model predictive current control for four‐switch three‐phase rectifiers in balanced grids
Authors: Liu Yong‐Chao , Ge Xinglai , Tang Qidi , Deng Zhixian , Gou Bin
Published: November 2016

A model predictive current control scheme with dc‐link capacitor voltages fluctuation suppression for the four‐switch three‐phase rectifier (FSTPR) in balanced grids is presented. The proposed control scheme is a type of the finite‐control‐set model predictive control scheme and is based on the discrete‐time model of the system. From this model, the values of input currents and dc‐link capacitor voltages are predicted for all switching states of the FSTPR. On the basis of a predefined cost function, the switching state, which minimises the errors between input currents and their references as well as the difference between two dc‐link capacitor voltages at the next sampling instant, is selected. Simulation results are presented to confirm the effectiveness of the proposed control scheme.
Beyond line‐of‐sight two‐way time synchronisation via troposcatter
Authors: Li Chenglong , Chen Xihong
Published: November 2016

Available beyond line‐of‐sight time synchronisation means are mainly through satellite and optical fibres. When considering that satellite links have insurmountable bandwidth and security problems, and cable links are not feasible for mobile stations, a backup two‐way time synchronisation means via troposcatter is proposed. The feasibility of the proposed method based on coherence bandwidth and transmission loss is analysed, and references for the time pulse signal design are provided. Then, two different signal time sequences schemes aiming at co‐channel interference are presented and evaluated, and the clock errors due to the incomplete symmetrical two‐way link are analysed. Finally, it is concluded that the proposed means is a promising candidate for beyond line‐of‐sight time synchronisation in emergency communication.
Ka‐band VCO with parasitic capacitance cancelling technique
Authors: Lee W. , Lee S. , Choi J. , So J. , Kwon Y.
Published: November 2016

A Ka‐band push–push voltage‐controlled oscillator (VCO) using a parasitic capacitance cancelling technique is presented. To enhance the oscillation frequency (fosc) and the tuning range (TR), the parasitic capacitance of the VCO is cancelled with negative capacitance (NC). To realise NC, a negative impedance circuit (NIC) is analysed and designed. Because of self‐resonance frequency, NC is realised using an open‐circuit stable NIC. For further enhancement of the fosc, the VCO is developed in a push–push operation. The proposed VCO is fabricated in a commercial 0.15 μm GaAs pHEMT process. It shows 12.4% of the TR at 31.6 GHz with 11 dBm output power. With the NIC, the centre frequency of the VCO increases from 20.1 to 31.6 GHz and the TR increases from 5.7 to 12.4% compared with a VCO without the NIC.
Compact wideband circularly polarised dielectric resonator antenna
Authors: Abedian M. , Rahim S.K.A. , Danesh S. , Jamaluddin M.H. , Islam M.T.
Published: November 2016

A new geometry of compact wideband/dual‐band circularly polarised dielectric resonator antenna (DRA) is presented. First, a wideband DRA is realised by a rectangular dielectric resonator excited by a vertical coaxial probe feed which is supported by a small substrate. Circular polarisation is achieved by utilising a configuration of the DRA feed that excites orthogonal modes inside the DRA. A 3 dB axial‐ratio bandwidth of about 20.8% (9.05–11.14 GHz) is achieved. Second, extension to dual‐band circularly polarised operation is then realised by additionally removing a corner of the rectangular DRA at 45° and adding a floating parasitic strip. The experimental results demonstrate an impedance bandwidth of about 59.8% (6.57–12.18 GHz) and the dual 3 dB axial‐ratio bandwidths of about 10.6% (8.31–9.24 GHz) and 13.5% (10.18–11.66 GHz). The measured peak gain varies from 4.47 to 4.86 dBiC in the lower band and 4.33 to 4.91 dBiC in the upper band.
SDN enhanced tomography for performance profiling in cloud network
Authors: Zhang Pengfei , Zhao Yusu , Wang Yongkun , Jin Yaohui
Published: November 2016

For cloud network performance profiling, network tomography is useful for deducing the network performance based on end‐to‐end measurement. However, most tomography problems are under‐constrained, thus requires additional assumptions in order to be solvable, which sacrifices the accuracy. On the other hand, packet traces from switches could provide accurate and direct performance measurement, but it is hard to cover the whole network with packet trace analysis per link and flow. In this study, the authors propose ScoutFlow, a method combining software‐defined networking (SDN) flow measurement and end‐to‐end performance tomography, to achieve accurate performance profiling for cloud network while keeping low monitoring overhead. In ScoutFlow, they mirror the flow packet trace using SDN, to solve the under‐constrained problem in tomography. ScoutFlow only requires a small amount of flow mirror traces for the measurement, which leads to much lower overhead of flow mirroring than that of traditional packet‐level monitoring methods. The proposed methodology is evaluated with simulation and testbed experiments, which demonstrates ScoutFlow's scalability and accuracy.
Assessing and mitigating cybersecurity risks of traffic light systems in smart cities
Authors: Li Zhiyi , Jin Dong , Hannon Christopher , Shahidehpour Mohammad , Wang Jianhui
Published: November 2016

Intelligent traffic lights are critical cyber‐physical systems that help smart cities to cut road congestion and vehicle emissions. However, they also open a new frontier of cybersecurity. Security researchers have demonstrated ways to compromise the traffic lights to cause potential traffic disruption and public safety degradation. This study aims to raise the public awareness of the cybersecurity issues in traffic light systems. The authors present a bi‐level game‐theoretic framework for assessing cybersecurity risks of traffic light systems, as the first step towards understanding and mitigating the security vulnerabilities. Additionally, they propose a minimax‐regret‐based methodology to guide the deployment of defensive measures in traffic light systems against cyberattacks.
Design optimisation of cyber‐physical distributed systems using IEEE time‐sensitive networks
Authors: Pop Paul , Raagaard Michael Lander , Craciunas Silviu S. , Steiner Wilfried
Published: November 2016

In this study the authors are interested in safety‐critical real‐time applications implemented on distributed architectures supporting the time‐sensitive networking (TSN) standard. The on‐going standardisation of TSN is an IEEE effort to bring deterministic real‐time capabilities into the IEEE 802.1 Ethernet standard supporting safety‐critical systems and guaranteed quality‐of‐service. TSN will support time‐triggered (TT) communication based on schedule tables, audio‐video‐bridging (AVB) flows with bounded end‐to‐end latency as well as best‐effort messages. The authors first present a survey of research related to the optimisation of distributed cyber‐physical systems using real‐time Ethernet for communication. Then, the authors formulate two novel optimisation problems related to the scheduling and routing of TT and AVB traffic in TSN. Thus, the authors consider that they know the topology of the network as well as the set of TT and AVB flows. The authors are interested to determine the routing of both TT and AVB flows as well as the scheduling of the TT flows such that all frames are schedulable and the AVB worst‐case end‐to‐end delay is minimised. The authors have proposed an integer linear programming formulation for the scheduling problem and a greedy randomised adaptive search procedure‐based heuristic for the routing problem. The proposed approaches have been evaluated using several test cases.
Verifying the structure and behavior in UML/OCL models using satisfiability solvers
Authors: Przigoda Nils , Soeken Mathias , Wille Robert , Drechsler Rolf
Published: November 2016

Due to the ever increasing complexity of embedded and cyber‐physical systems, corresponding design solutions relying on modelling languages such as Unified Modelling Language (UML)/Object Constraint Language (OCL) find increasing attention. Due to the recent success of formal verification techniques, UML/OCL models also allow to verify and/or check certain properties of a given model in early stages of the design phase. To this end, different approaches for verification and validation have been proposed. In this work, the authors motivate, define, and describe different verification tasks for structural, as well as behavioural UML/OCL models that can be solved using solvers for Boolean satisfiability. They describe how these verification tasks can be translated into a symbolic formulation which is passed to off‐the‐shelf solvers afterwards. The obtained results enable designers to draw conclusions about the correctness of the considered model.
Remote health care cyber‐physical system: quality of service (QoS) challenges and opportunities
Authors: Shah Tejal , Yavari Ali , Mitra Karan , Saguna Saguna , Jayaraman Prem Prakash , Rabhi Fethi , Ranjan Rajiv
Published: November 2016

There is a growing emphasis to find alternative non‐traditional ways to manage patients to ease the burden on health care services largely fuelled by a growing demand from sections of population that is ageing. In‐home remote patient monitoring applications harnessing technological advancements in the area of Internet of things (IoT), semantic web, data analytics, and cloud computing have emerged as viable alternatives. However, such applications generate large amounts of real‐time data in terms of volume, velocity, and variety thus making it a big data problem. Hence, the challenge is how to combine and analyse such data with historical patient data to obtain meaningful diagnoses suggestions within acceptable time frames (considering quality of service (QoS)). Despite the evolution of big data processing technologies (e.g. Hadoop) and scalable infrastructure (e.g. clouds), there remains a significant gap in the areas of heterogeneous data collection, real‐time patient monitoring, and automated decision support (semantic reasoning) based on well‐defined QoS constraints. In this study, the authors review the state‐of‐the‐art in enabling QoS for remote health care applications. In particular, they investigate the QoS challenges required to meet the analysis and inferencing needs of such applications and to overcome the limitations of existing big data processing tools.
Salient object detection with high‐level prior based on Bayesian fusion
Authors: Wang Anzhi , Wang Minghui , Pan Gang , Yuan Xiaoyan
Published: November 2016

Most of approaches to salient object detection focused on two‐dimensional images, while rare attention was attached to the light field which can provide exclusive visual information for salient object detection and other computer vision applications. An effective algorithm of salient object detection is proposed for light field data. First, boundary connectivity is calculated on all‐focus image. Then, background probability based on boundary connectivity is achieved by computing geodesic distance. Second, the authors rank the similarity of the superpixels of both all‐focus image and depth map via graph‐based manifold ranking to carry out two initial saliency maps. Third, weighted by background probability, the two initial saliency maps are fused to produce final saliency results, integrated by objectness cue. The authors also exploit how to integrate effectively objectness with other visual features, and compare two fusion strategies: linear fusion and Bayesian integration. Experiments show that light field features are helpful for saliency detection, and Bayesian integration framework is the better choice than linear fusion method. Meanwhile, the way how to combine multiple features is crucial. The proposed algorithm handles challenging natural scenarios such as cluttered background, similar foreground and background, and so on, and produces visual favourable results in comparison with the eight state‐of‐the‐art methods.