bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Real-World Data on Treatment Management and Outcomes of Patients with Newly Diagnosed Advanced Epithelial Ovarian Cancer in Greece (The EpOCa Study)
Authors: Liontos Michalis , Timotheadou Eleni , Papadopoulos Emmanuel I. , Zafeiriou Zafeiris , Lampropoulou Dimitra Ioanna , Aravantinos Gerasimos , Mavroudis Dimitrios , Christodoulou Christos , Nikolaidi Adamantia , Somarakis Alvertos , Papadimitriou Christos , Papandreou Christos , Bamias Aristotelis
Published: December 2021

New treatment modalities have been recently introduced in the management of ovarian cancer (OC). Herein, we sought to investigate their implementation in routine clinical practice and examine the real-world management of OC in Greece. EpOCa was a non-interventional, multicenter, retrospective study in patients with advanced epithelial OC. The primary outcome was to estimate the proportions of the different treatment regimens used per line of therapy, while progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were the key secondary endpoints. A total of 154 patients were enrolled in the study, among whom, 40% were tested for BRCA mutations and 30% were found to be positive. Nearly 90% of patients underwent debulking surgery at diagnosis, with few operations being also recorded upon relapse. Platinum-based chemotherapy (CT) was predominantly used in the first line with half of patients also receiving angiogenesis inhibitor (AI), while non-platinum-based CT was preferred in later lines. The median PFS was 18.2 and 8.8 months in the first- and second-line setting, respectively, whereas the median OS was approximately 50 months. Our study adds to the available, but limited, real world data on the management of ovarian cancer providing evidence regarding the applied treatment strategies and outcomes of patients in Greece.
Emerging Ecotone and Microbial Community of a Sulfidic Spring in the Reka River near Škocjanske Jame, Slovenia
Authors: Mulec Janez , Oarga-Mulec Andreea , Skok Sara , Šebela Stanka , Cerkvenik Rosana , Zorman Tomaž , Holko Ladislav , Eleršek Tina , Pašić Lejla
Published: December 2021

During long periods with no precipitation, a sulfidic spring (Smrdljivec) appears in the dry bed of the Reka River before sinking into the karst underground. The study characterizes the area’s geological setting, development of microbial communities and an ecotone, and impact on the vulnerable karst ecosystem. Geological mapping of the area, stable isotopic analyses, field measurements, and physico-chemical and toxicity analyses were applied to elucidate the environmental conditions. The spring’s microbial diversity was assessed using cultivation methods, microscopy, and metagenomics. Sulfur compounds in the spring probably originate from coal layers in the vicinity. Metagenomic analyses revealed 175 distinct operational taxonomic units in spring water and biofilms. Proteobacteria predominated in developed biofilms, and a “core” microbiome was represented by methylotrophs, including Methylobacter, Methylomonas, and Methylotenera. Diatoms represented an important component of biofilm biomass. A combination of environmental factors and climatic conditions allows the formation and accessibility of emerging biodiversity hotspots and ecotones. Details of their dynamic nature, global impact, and distribution should be highlighted further and given more protection.
Risk of Infection, Local Prevalence and Seasonal Changes in an Avian Malaria Community Associated with Game Bird Releases
Authors: García Jesús T. , Viñuela Javier , Calero-Riestra María , Sánchez-Barbudo Inés S. , Villanúa Diego , Casas Fabián
Published: December 2021

Anthropogenic activities, such as the translocation or introduction of animals, may cause a parallel movement of exotic parasites harboured by displaced animals. Although introduction and/or relocation of animals for hunting purposes is an increasingly common management technique, the effects of gamebird release as a major vehicle for the introduction of parasites into new geographic regions have rarely been reported. We examined the prevalence and distribution of avian malaria parasites infecting resident avian hosts (red-legged partridge Alectoris rufa) at a local scale, with a particular emphasis on the effects of releasing farm-reared birds for hunting on the spatial and temporal structure of the parasite community. We collected blood samples from adult partridges from two game estates with partridge releases and two sites without releases over two periods (spring and autumn). We tested the probability of infection and differences in the parasite community in relation to the management model (releases vs. non releases) and sampling period, comparing autumn (when farm-reared birds are released) and spring (after hunting season, when mostly wild birds can be found in the population). We found a high prevalence (54%) of Plasmodium spp., and substantial differences in the spatial and temporal distribution of parasite lineages among the populations studied. Some parasite lineages occurred at high frequencies in game estates without introduction of farm-reared partridges, while other lineages were more abundant in game estates with releases than in those without releases. Overall, the prevalence of avian malaria was similar between spring and autumn at non-release sites, whereas in sites with releases, it was higher in autumn than in spring—probably due to artificial restocking with infected farm-reared birds at the onset of the hunting season. In short, humans may be an important agent driving the alteration of the spatial structure of local parasite fauna via the introduction of exotic parasites by gamebird release, which could cause avian malaria outbreaks with severe repercussions for native avifauna.
A Radical-Free Approach to Teeth Whitening
Authors: Pascolutti Mauro , de Oliveira Dileusa
Published: December 2021

Background: Traditional bleaching agents based on hydrogen peroxide (HP) or carbamide peroxide (CP) have adverse soft and hard tissue effects. Objectives: This study tested a novel formulation of phthalimidoperoxycaproic acid (PAP) with additives to optimise its safety and effectiveness. Methods: A novel gel (PAP+) was formulated. Laboratory studies assessed effects of six 10-minute exposures to PAP+ vs. commercial CP and HP gels, using surface profilometry and microhardness. The effectiveness of PAP+ in vitro against complex polyphenol stains on enamel was compared to 6% HP. Results: Unlike HP gels, PAP+ gel did not erode enamel. Unlike both CP and HP gels, PAP+ gel did not reduce the surface microhardness of enamel. PAP+ gel on used on polyphenol stains was superior to 6% HP. In this model, six repeated 10-minute treatments with PAP+ gel could improve the shade by approximately eight VITA® Bleachedguide shades. Conclusions: These laboratory results support the safety and effectiveness of this new PAP formula and its use as an alternative to CP and HP with superior safety and effectiveness.
Robust Quantum Search with Uncertain Number of Target States
Authors: Zhu Yuanye , Wang Zeguo , Yan Bao , Wei Shijie
Published: December 2021

The quantum search algorithm is one of the milestones of quantum algorithms. Compared with classical algorithms, it shows quadratic speed-up when searching marked states in an unsorted database. However, the success rates of quantum search algorithms are sensitive to the number of marked states. In this paper, we study the relation between the success rate and the number of iterations in a quantum search algorithm of given λ=M/N, where M is the number of marked state and N is the number of items in the dataset. We develop a robust quantum search algorithm based on Grover–Long algorithm with some uncertainty in the number of marked states. The proposed algorithm has the same query complexity ON as the Grover’s algorithm, and shows high tolerance of the uncertainty in the ratio M/N. In particular, for a database with an uncertainty in the ratio M±MN, our algorithm will find the target states with a success rate no less than 96%.
Privacy-Protection Scheme of a Credit-Investigation System Based on Blockchain
Authors: Yuan Ke , Yan Yingjie , Xiao Tong , Zhang Wenchao , Zhou Sufang , Jia Chunfu
Published: December 2021

In response to the rapid growth of credit-investigation data, data redundancy among credit-investigation agencies, privacy leakages of credit-investigation data subjects, and data security risks have been reported. This study proposes a privacy-protection scheme for a credit-investigation system based on blockchain technology, which realizes the secure sharing of credit-investigation data among multiple entities such as credit-investigation users, credit-investigation agencies, and cloud service providers. This scheme is based on blockchain technology to solve the problem of islanding of credit-investigation data and is based on zero-knowledge-proof technology, which works by submitting a proof to the smart contract to achieve anonymous identity authentication, ensuring that the identity privacy of credit-investigation users is not disclosed; this scheme is also based on searchable-symmetric-encryption technology to realize the retrieval of the ciphertext of the credit-investigation data. A security analysis showed that this scheme guarantees the confidentiality, the availability, the tamper-proofability, and the ciphertext searchability of credit-investigation data, as well as the fairness and anonymity of identity authentication in the credit-investigation data query. An efficiency analysis showed that, compared with similar identity-authentication schemes, the proof key of this scheme is smaller, and the verification time is shorter. Compared with similar ciphertext-retrieval schemes, the time for this scheme to generate indexes and trapdoors and return search results is significantly shorter.
Estimating the Epicenter of a Future Strong Earthquake in Southern California, Mexico, and Central America by Means of Natural Time Analysis and Earthquake Nowcasting
Authors: Perez-Oregon Jennifer , Varotsos Panayiotis K. , Skordas Efthimios S. , Sarlis Nicholas V.
Published: December 2021

It has recently been shown in the Eastern Mediterranean that by combining natural time analysis of seismicity with earthquake networks based on similar activity patterns and earthquake nowcasting, an estimate of the epicenter location of a future strong earthquake can be obtained. This is based on the construction of average earthquake potential score maps. Here, we propose a method of obtaining such estimates for a highly seismically active area that includes Southern California, Mexico and part of Central America, i.e., the area N1035W80120. The study includes 28 strong earthquakes of magnitude M ≥7.0 that occurred during the time period from 1989 to 2020. The results indicate that there is a strong correlation between the epicenter of a future strong earthquake and the average earthquake potential score maps. Moreover, the method is also applied to the very recent 7 September 2021 Guerrero, Mexico, M7 earthquake as well as to the 22 September 2021 Jiquilillo, Nicaragua, M6.5 earthquake with successful results. We also show that in 28 out of the 29 strong M ≥7.0 EQs studied, their epicenters lie close to an estimated zone covering only 8.5% of the total area.
Contextual Inferences, Nonlocality, and the Incompleteness of Quantum Mechanics
Authors: Grangier Philippe
Published: December 2021

It is known that “quantum non locality”, leading to the violation of Bell’s inequality and more generally of classical local realism, can be attributed to the conjunction of two properties, which we call here elementary locality and predictive completeness. Taking this point of view, we show again that quantum mechanics violates predictive completeness, allowing the making of contextual inferences, which can, in turn, explain why quantum non locality does not contradict relativistic causality. An important question remains: if the usual quantum state ψ is predictively incomplete, how do we complete it? We give here a set of new arguments to show that ψ should be completed indeed, not by looking for any “hidden variables”, but rather by specifying the measurement context, which is required to define actual probabilities over a set of mutually exclusive physical events.
Reliability Analysis of the New Exponential Inverted Topp–Leone Distribution with Applications
Authors: Metwally Ahmed Sayed M. , Hassan Amal S. , Almetwally Ehab M. , Kibria B M Golam , Almongy Hisham M.
Published: December 2021

The inverted Topp–Leone distribution is a new, appealing model for reliability analysis. In this paper, a new distribution, named new exponential inverted Topp–Leone (NEITL) is presented, which adds an extra shape parameter to the inverted Topp–Leone distribution. The graphical representations of its density, survival, and hazard rate functions are provided. The following properties are explored: quantile function, mixture representation, entropies, moments, and stress–strength reliability. We plotted the skewness and kurtosis measures of the proposed model based on the quantiles. Three different estimation procedures are suggested to estimate the distribution parameters, reliability, and hazard rate functions, along with their confidence intervals. Additionally, stress–strength reliability estimators for the NEITL model were obtained. To illustrate the findings of the paper, two real datasets on engineering and medical fields have been analyzed.
Economic Complexity: A New Challenge for the Environment
Authors: Neagu Olimpia
Published: December 2021

The present paper offers a view regarding the challenge induced in the environment by the productive structure of countries. Economic complexity, which links the productive structure of a country with its knowledge, labour, and sophistication, seems to raise new challenges for the environment’s preservation and quality. The debate on this linkage in existing literature is at a beginning, stimulating the mind of scholars, researchers, and policy makers. The relationship between economic complexity and the environment is multi-faced and creates unimagined challenges for humanity in its path toward social and economic progress. The paper reviews the main dimensions of the linkage between economic complexity and the environment, including moderating factors of this connection as they are reported in the existing literature.
From Cultural Heritage Preservation to Art Craft Education: A Study on Taiwan Traditional Lacquerware Art Preservation and Training
Authors: Hung Chi-Sen , Chen Tien-Li , Lee Yun-Chi
Published: December 2021

In Taiwan, preservation and training policies of intangible cultural assets are highly valued by the government. In this study, lacquerware art craft education as intangible cultural heritage is the subject of this study. We conducted in-depth interviews and secondary data collection to obtain research data and carried out a grounded theory data analysis method through expert meetings to explore the passing on education strategy of “lacquerware art craft” in Taiwan. Firstly, based on Bloom’s educational objectives, the study analyzed three aspects of lacquer art education: cognitive, affection and skill, and proposed a “Lacquerware Art Passing-On Education Framework Diagram”. Later, the analysis results of the grounded theory enable us to summarize the “Lacquerware art value and learning structure diagram”. In this structure, it reveals that the Lacquerware artist’s way of thinking about the craft levels can echo the system of the Three Extremes of the Tao in the Book of Changes and divide the value levels of creation into the levels of tools of livelihood, way of living and philosophy of life.
Design and Optimization of Microwave Sensor for the Non-Contact Measurement of Pure Dielectric Materials
Authors: Ali Luqman , Wang Cong , Ullah Inam , Yousaf Adnan , Khan Wali Ullah , Ullah Shafi , Khan Rahim , Alassery Fawaz , Hamam Habib , Shafiq Muhammad
Published: December 2021

This article presents an optimized microwave sensor for the non-contact measurement of complex permittivity and material thickness. The layout of the proposed sensor comprises the parallel combination of an interdigital capacitor (IDC) loaded at the center of the symmetrical differential bridge-type inductor fabricated on an RF-35 substrate (εr = 3.5 and tanδ = 0.0018). The bridge-type differential inductor is introduced to obtain a maximum inductance value with high quality (Q) factor and low tunable resonant frequency. The central IDC structure is configured as a spur-line structure to create a high-intensity coupled electric field (e-field) zone, which significantly interacts with the materials under test (MUTs), resulting in an increased sensitivity. The proposed sensor prototype with optimized parameters generates a resonant frequency at 1.38 GHz for measuring the complex permittivity and material thickness. The experimental results indicated that the resonant frequency of the designed sensor revealed high sensitivities of 41 MHz/mm for thickness with a linear response (r2 = 0.91567), and 53 MHz/Δεr for permittivity with a linear response (r2 = 0.98903). The maximum error ratio for measuring MUTs with a high gap of 0.3 mm between the testing sample and resonator is 6.52%. The presented performance of the proposed sensor authenticates its application in the non-contact measurement of samples based on complex permittivity and thickness.
Phase Role in the Non-Uniformity of Main-Line Couplings in Asymmetric Extracted-Pole Inline Filters
Authors: Triano Ángel , Silveira Patricia , Verdú Jordi , Guerrero Eloi , de Paco Pedro
Published: December 2021

The use of classical symmetrical polynomial definition to synthesize fully canonical inline filters with an asymmetrical distribution of the transmission zeros along the topology leads to the occurrence of uneven admittance inverter in the main-line. This form introduces some limitations to transform such topology into a ladder network. Despite circuital transformation can be used to accommodate both technology and topology, it is usual that extra reactive elements are necessary to implement phase shifts required to achieve the complete synthesis. This article introduces a novel method able to determine the required phase correction that has to be applied to the characteristic polynomials in order to equalize all the admittance inverters in the main path to the same value. It has been demonstrated that a suitable pair of phase values can be accurately estimated using a developed hyperbolic model which can be obtained from the transmission and reflection scattering parameters. To experimentally validate the proposed method, a Ladder-type filter with asymmetrical polynomial definition has been synthesized, fabricated, and measured, demonstrating the effectiveness of the developed solution.
Cam Mechanisms Reverse Engineering Based on Evolutionary Algorithms
Authors: Tiboni Monica , Amici Cinzia , Bussola Roberto
Published: December 2021

Cam follower mechanisms are widely used in automated manufacturing machinery to transform a rotary stationary motion into a more general required movement. Reverse engineering of cams has been studied, and some solutions based on different approaches have been identified in the literature. This article proposes an innovative method based on the use of an evolutionary algorithm for the identification of a law of motion that allows for approximating in the best way the motion or the sampled profile on the physical device. Starting from the acquired data, through a genetic algorithm, a representation of the movement (and therefore of the cam profile) is identified based on a type of motion law traditionally used for this purpose, i.e., the modified trapezoidal (better known as modified seven segments). With this method it is possible to estimate the coefficients of the parametric motion law, thus allowing the designer to further manipulate them according to the usual motion planning techniques. In a first phase, a study of the method based on simulations is carried out, considering sets of simulated experimental measures, obtained starting from different laws of motion, and verifying whether the developed genetic algorithm allows for identifying the original law or approximating one. For the computation of the objective function, the Euclidean norm and the Dynamic Time Warping (DTW) algorithm are compared. The performed analysis establishes in which situations each of them is more appropriate. Implementation of the method on experimental data validates its effectiveness.
SDSWSN—A Secure Approach for a Hop-Based Localization Algorithm Using a Digital Signature in the Wireless Sensor Network
Authors: Prashar Deepak , Rashid Mamoon , Siddiqui Shams Tabrez , Kumar Dilip , Nagpal Amandeep , AlGhamdi Ahmed Saeed , Alshamrani Sultan S.
Published: December 2021

Localization and security are among the most dominant tasks of wireless sensor networks (WSN). For applications containing sensitive information on the location parameters of the event, secure localization is mandatory and must not be compromised at any cost. The main task, as if any node is malicious, is to authenticate nodes that are involved in the localization process. In this paper, we propose a secure hop-based algorithm that provides a better localization accuracy. In addition, to maintain the security of the localization process, the digital signature approach is used. Moreover, the impact of malicious nodes on the proposed scheme has also been observed. The proposed approach is also contrasted with the basic DV-Hop and improved DV-Hop based on error correction. From the simulation outcomes, we infer that this secure digital-signature-based localization strategy is quite robust against any node compromise attacks, thereby boosting its precision. Comparisons between the proposed algorithm and the state of the art were made on the grounds of different parameters such as the node quantity, ratio of anchor nodes, and range value towards the localization error.
AI-Crime Hunter: An AI Mixture of Experts for Crime Discovery on Twitter
Authors: Shoeibi Niloufar , Shoeibi Nastaran , Hernández Guillermo , Chamoso Pablo , Corchado Juan M.
Published: December 2021

Maintaining a healthy cyber society is a great challenge due to the users’ freedom of expression and behavior. This can be solved by monitoring and analyzing the users’ behavior and taking proper actions. This research aims to present a platform that monitors the public content on Twitter by extracting tweet data. After maintaining the data, the users’ interactions are analyzed using graph analysis methods. Then, the users’ behavioral patterns are analyzed by applying metadata analysis, in which the timeline of each profile is obtained; also, the time-series behavioral features of users are investigated. Then, in the abnormal behavior detection and filtering component, the interesting profiles are selected for further examinations. Finally, in the contextual analysis component, the contents are analyzed using natural language processing techniques; a binary text classification model (SVM (Support Vector Machine) + TF-IDF (Term Frequency—Inverse Document Frequency) with 88.89% accuracy) is used to detect if a tweet is related to crime or not. Then, a sentiment analysis method is applied to the crime-related tweets to perform aspect-based sentiment analysis (DistilBERT + FFNN (Feed-Forward Neural Network) with 80% accuracy), because sharing positive opinions about a crime-related topic can threaten society. This platform aims to provide the end-user (the police) with suggestions to control hate speech or terrorist propaganda.
Analysis of the Electromechanical Characteristics of Power Transformer under Different Residual Fluxes
Authors: Ge Wenqi , Zhang Chenchen , Xie Yi , Yu Ming , Wang Youhua
Published: December 2021

When the electromagnetic transients occur in a power transformer, an inrush current is generated in its winding. The inrush current not only affects the performance of the transformer windings, but also affects the lifetime of the transformer. Many factors affect the inrush current, the most influential ones among which are the closing phase angle and the residual flux. In this paper, a dry-type transformer simulation model is built to analyze the influence of the inrush current on the performance of transformer windings during no-load reclosing conditions. Firstly, the inrush current was generated in the transformer windings during the no-load reclosing operation under different residual fluxes. Secondly, the field-circuit coupling 3d finite element method is used to analyze the electromagnetic force at different locations of the transformer windings under the influence of different inrush currents. The results of winding structural parameter variations are obtained through electromagnetic-structural coupling simulation, and the electromagnetic forces are used as the input parameter for the structural analysis. Finally, the residual flux is generated by controlling the opening and closing angle of the transformer through the phase-controlled switch, and the winding electromechanical characteristics are tested under different residual fluxes. Finally, comparisons of the test and simulation results are drawn to verify the impact of the closing angle and residual flux on inrush current and the winding deformation during the no-load reclosing conditions.
Simulation and Experimental Study on the Ultrasonic Micro-Vibration De-Icing Method for Wind Turbine Blades
Authors: Li Yan , Shen He , Guo Wenfeng
Published: December 2021

In cold and humid regions, ice accretion sometimes develops on the blades of wind turbines. Blade icing reduces the power generation of the wind turbine and affects the safe operation of the wind farm. For this paper, ultrasonic micro-vibration was researched as an effective de-icing method to remove ice from the wind turbine blade surface and improve the efficiency of wind turbine power generation. A blade segment with NACA0018 airfoil and the hollow structure at the leading edge was designed. The modal analysis of the blade was simulated by ANSYS, and the de-icing vibration mode was selected. Based on the simulation results, the blade segment sample with PZT patches was machined, and its natural frequencies were measured with an impedance analyzer. A return-flow icing wind tunnel system, and a device used to measure the adhesive strength of ice covering the airfoil blade, were designed and manufactured. The experiments on the adhesive strength of the ice were carried out under the excitation of the ultrasonic vibration. The experimental results show that the adhesive strength of the ice, which was generated under the dynamic flow field condition, was lower than the ice generated by water under the static flow field condition. Under the excitation of the ultrasonic vibration, the adhesive strength of the ice decreased. When the excitation frequency was 21.228 kHz, the adhesive strength was the lowest, which was 0.084 MPa. These research findings lay the theoretical and experimental foundations for researching in-depth the application of the ultrasonic de-icing technology to wind turbines.
Method for Designing Robust and Energy Efficient Railway Schedules
Authors: Restel Franciszek , Wolniewicz Łukasz , Mikulčić Matea
Published: December 2021

The robustness of the timetable is a sensitive issue in the daily realization of railway operations. As shown in the paper, robustness is a function of time reserves that helps to prevent unscheduled stops resulting from traffic disruptions and causing a higher energy consumption. The correct handling of time reserves while scheduling is a multidimensional issue, and it has a significant influence on the energy consumption of railway traffic. Therefore, the paper aims to show a simulation-based method, taking into account failure occurring probabilities and their consequences to get an acceptable level of robustness, that can be quantified by the probability of no delay propagation. This paper presents a method for the addition of time margins to the railway timetable. The iterative time buffer adding method is based on operational data as a knowledge source, to achieve the punctuality target. It was verified on a real railway line. An analysis of energy consumption for unscheduled train stops depending on the added buffer time was conducted after the literature review and the presentation of the evaluation model. The paper ends with discussion of the results and conclusions.
Improved Image Analysis Method to Evaluate Tracking Property under Successive Flashover Based on Fractal Theory
Authors: Li Xiaolong , Cao Chen , Lin Xin
Published: December 2021

Successive flashover would result in carbonized tracking on insulator surface and cause deterioration to the insulation. Thus, investigation of the tracking can be beneficial in understanding flashover characteristics during long-term operation. In this paper, DC flashover was operated on the insulator, and the image of tracking after successive discharge were captured. Improved differential box-counting method (IDBM) was applied to analyze these images based on fractal theory. Weighted item was suggested during the counting procedure for rectangle image with margin covered by cut-size box. Fractal dimension of the tracking was calculated according to the suggested method. It is claimed that the suggested method could estimate the discharge propagation property and deterioration characteristics on the insulator surface. Moreover, IDBM showed advantages in image pre-processing and deterioration property revealed compared to traditional box-counting method attributing to the consideration of color depth. This image analysis method shows universality in dealing with tracking image and could provide additional information to flashover voltage. This paper suggested a potential approach for the investigation of discharge mechanism and corresponding deterioration in future research.
Application of MSVPC- 5G Multicast SDN Network Eminence Video Transmission in Drone Thermal Imaging for Solar Farm Monitoring
Authors: Rajagopal Thenmozhi , Balakrishnan Amutha , Valsalakumar Sreeram , Rajagopal Thundil , Sundaram Senthilarasu
Published: December 2021

The impact of multimedia in day-to-day life and its applications will be increased greatly with the proposed model (MSVPC)–5G Multicast SDN network eminence video transmission obtained using PSO and cross layer progress in wireless nodes. The drone inspection and analysis in a solar farm requires a very high number of transmissions of various videos, data, animations, along with all sets of audio, text and visuals. Thus, it is necessary to regulate the transmissions of various videos due to a huge amount of bandwidth requirement for videos. A software-defined network (SDN) enables forwarder selection through particle swarm optimization (PSO) mode for streaming video packets through multicast routing transmissions. Transmission delay and packet errors are the main factors in selecting a forwarder. The nodes that transfer the videos with the shortest delay and the lowest errors have been calculated and sent to the destination through the forwarder. This method involves streaming to be increased with the highest throughput and less delay. Here, the achieved throughput is shown as 0.0699412 bits per second for 160 s of simulation time. Also, the achieved packet delivery ratio is 81.9005 percentage for 150 nodes on the network. All these metrics can be changed according to the network design and can have new results. Thus, the application of MSVPC- 5G Multicast SDN Network Eminence Video Transmission in drone thermal imaging helps in monitoring solar farms more effectively, and may lead to the development of certain algorithms in prescriptive analytics which recommends the best practices for solar farm development.
Experimental Analysis of Control Methods in Solar Water Heating Systems
Authors: Znaczko Pawel , Kaminski Kazimierz , Chamier-Gliszczynski Norbert , Szczepanski Emilian , Gołda Paweł
Published: December 2021

This paper focuses on an analysis of selected control methods in solar heating systems. Proportional, ON-OFF, and new proposed IPC control methods were tested. Experimental tests were conducted under natural conditions using the author’s method of clustering measurement days. In the form of thermal energy gains in the storage tanks, the results for all tested control methods are presented. The ON-OFF control method is suitable for low variability of solar radiation conditions but is ineffective under dynamic solar radiation conditions. The proportional controllers collect thermal energy under high variability solar radiation effectively, but they tend to cause thermal drifts from the system under high heat load. The proposed IPC control method prevents the waste of heat energy and makes more efficient use of the high and dynamic solar radiation. In conclusion, energy gains depend more on the level of solar radiation and less on its variability. However, the variability of solar radiation makes control in solar systems more challenging, and it is one of the factors that should determine the control strategy. The novelty of this work is based on an extension of the control algorithm by adding the temperature at the entry and exit of the solar coil. This makes it possible to eliminate thermal drift and observe the intensity of heat transfer to the water in the tank.
Effect of Burner Wall Material on Microjet Hydrogen Diffusion Flames near Extinction: A Numerical Study
Authors: Muraleedharan Aravind , Edacheri Veetil Jithin , Mohammad Akram , Kumar Sudarshan , Velamati Ratna Kishore
Published: December 2021

Characteristics of microjet hydrogen diffusion flames stabilized near extinction are investigated numerically. Two-dimensional simulations are carried out using a detailed reaction mechanism. The effect of burner wall material, thickness, and thermal radiation on flame characteristics such as flame height and maximum flame temperature are studied. Results show that the flame stabilizes at lower fuel jet velocities for quartz burner than steel or aluminum. Higher flame temperatures are observed for low conductive burners, whereas the flame length increases with an increase in thermal conductivity of the burner. Even though thermal radiation has a minor effect on flame characteristics like flame temperature and flame height, it significantly influences the flame structure for low conductive burner materials. The burner tip and its vicinity are substantially heated for low conductive burners. The effect of burner wall thickness on flame height is significant, whereas it has a more negligible effect on maximum flame temperature. Variation in wall thickness also affects the distribution of H and HO2 radicals in the flame region. Although the variation in wall thickness has the least effect on the overall flame shape and temperature distribution, the structure near the burner port differs.
Optimal Design Methodology on Compensation Parameters of Inductive Power Transfer Converter for Electric Vehicles
Authors: Jo Cheol-Hee , Kim Dong-Hee
Published: December 2021

Compensation topologies of the inductive power transfer (IPT) converter for electric vehicles (EVs) have been researched in previous works. However, a methodology for designing a compensation topology based on the efficiency of the IPT converter has been barely discussed. This paper proposes an optimal design methodology for compensation parameters to achieve optimal efficiency of the IPT converter with LCC-S. The optimal output voltage is derived using the losses analysis of the IPT converter, and the IPT converter is designed for the optimal output voltage to achieve the optimal efficiency. Furthermore, the battery management (BM) converter on the receiving side is designed based on the output voltage of the IPT converter, the fluctuation range of the coupling coefficient, and the battery charging voltage. The validity of the proposed IPT converter design methodology is verified by designing different compensation parameters and BM converters. The power rating of the three design cases is 3.3 kW with the same magnetic pads satisfying the SAE J2954 WPT 1 class.
Control Performance Improvement of Hydro-Viscous Clutch Based on Fuzzy-PID Controller
Authors: Liao Xiangping , Yang Shuai , Hu Dong , Gong Guofang , Peng Xiongbin
Published: December 2021

As a rotational speed controller, a hydro-viscous clutch (HVC) is usually used in the constant pressure water supply system to maintain the needed water pressure constant. However, when the hydro-viscous clutch is working, it often suffers from the problem of output rotational speed fluctuation since the spool of proportional relief valve can easily get stuck. Consequently, water pressure will fluctuate too. A special pump control system of HVC was proposed based on the Fuzzy-PID controller for the purpose of reducing the fluctuation rate. The MATLAB simulation was carried out according to the mathematical model and the results show that the Fuzzy-PID control strategy is superior to traditional PID control. The corresponding experiment was performed and the result indicate that through applying the Fuzzy-PID controller based pump control system, the rotational output speed fluctuation of HVC can be inhibited from ±60π to ±6π rad/min, and the water pressure fluctuation is dropped from ±0.1 to ±0.002 MPa.
The Road to a Robust and Affordable SiC Power MOSFET Technology
Authors: Maddi Hema Lata Rao , Yu Susanna , Zhu Shengnan , Liu Tianshi , Shi Limeng , Kang Minseok , Xing Diang , Nayak Suvendu , White Marvin H. , Agarwal Anant K.
Published: December 2021

This article provides a detailed study of performance and reliability issues and trade-offs in silicon carbide (SiC) power MOSFETs. The reliability issues such as threshold voltage variation across devices from the same vendor, instability of threshold voltage under positive and negative gate bias, long-term reliability of gate oxide, screening of devices with extrinsic defects by means of gate voltage, body diode degradation, and short circuit withstand time are investigated through testing of commercial devices from different vendors and two-dimensional simulations. Price roadmap and foundry models of SiC MOSFETs are discussed. Future development of mixed-mode CMOS circuits with high voltage lateral MOSFETs along with 4−6× higher power handling capability compared to silicon circuits has been described.
Readiness of the Polish Crisis Management System to Respond to Long-Term, Large-Scale Power Shortages and Failures (Blackouts)
Authors: Majchrzak Dariusz , Michalski Krzysztof , Reginia-Zacharski Jacek
Published: December 2021

Large-scale failures of electric power systems (blackouts) have been the subject of intensive research in most countries for several years. This research aims primarily at seeking solutions to improve the reliability of the operation of power systems and the development of effective strategies to protect critical infrastructure from the effects of energy shortages and power cuts. In contrast, systematic research on crisis management and civil protection under conditions of prolonged blackout has been undertaken in Europe only recently, and these extremely important aspects of energy security have been delayed by the COVID-19 crisis. The ability of the Polish crisis management system to cope with the consequences of long-term, large-scale shortages and interruptions in the supply of electricity, as well as the consequences of possible failures in this field, has not been systematically examined to date. This issue is of growing strategic importance, not only from the point of view of security and defence policy, but also economic cooperation in Central and Eastern Europe. Poland’s infrastructural security must be considered in a broad regional and supra-regional context. A long-term lack of electricity in a large area of Poland would undermine the stability of the entire national security system, destabilising the region and supranational security systems. Apart from objective reasons, intentional attacks on the links of such a chain cannot be ruled out. Poland is the leader of this region, a frontline country in the NATO-Russia conflict, as well as a liaison state that provides the Baltic states—being EU and NATO members—with a land connection to Western Europe. In view of the growing risk of blackout, the importance of the problem and the existence of a cognitive gap in this field, we evaluated the Polish crisis management system in terms of its ability to respond to the effects of a sudden, long-term, large-scale blackout. Methodologically, we adopted a systems approach to security management. In order to estimate the consequences of a blackout, we used analogue forecasting tools and scenario analysis. By analysing previous crisis situations caused by blackouts and local conditions of vulnerability to such events, we formulated basic preparedness requirements that a modern crisis management system should meet in the face of the growing risk of blackouts. A review of strategic documents and crisis planning processes in public administration allowed us to identify deficits and weaknesses in the Polish crisis management system. On this basis we formulated recommendations whose implementation shall improve the ability of the national security system to face such challenges in the future.
Numerical Investigation on Propagation Behaviors of a Three-Dimensional Fracture Network Coupled with Microseismicity in Fractured Shale Reservoirs
Authors: Wu Jianfa , Huang Haoyong , Xu Ersi , Li Junfeng , Wang Xiaohua
Published: December 2021

The formation mechanism and propagation behaviors of a three-dimensional hydraulic fracture network in fractured shale reservoirs remain unclear, especially when the scale of hydraulic fractures is much larger than that of natural fractures. In this study, taking the well XH in the Longmaxi shale reservoir in the Sichuan Basin, China as an example, we develop a fully three-dimensional numerical model for hydraulic fracturing coupled with microseismicity based on the discrete lattice method. We introduce a randomly generated discrete fracture network into the proposed model and explore the formation mechanism of the hydraulic fracture network under the condition that the hydraulic fractures are much larger than natural fractures in scale. Moreover, microseismic events are inversely synthesized in the numerical model, which allows the evolution of the fracture network to be monitored and evaluated quantitatively. In addition, we analyze the effects of injection rate, horizontal stress difference, and fluid viscosity on fracture propagation. Our results show that when the scale of hydraulic fractures is much larger than that of natural fractures, the fracture morphology of “main hydraulic fractures + complex secondary fractures” is mainly formed. We find that a high injection rate can not only create a complex fracture network, but also improve the uniform propagation of multi-cluster fractures and enhance far-field stimulation efficiency. Optimizing the horizontal wellbore intervals with low horizontal stress differences as the sweet spots of hydraulic fracturing is also beneficial to improve the stimulation efficiency. For zones with a large number of natural fractures, it is recommended to use an injection schedule with high viscosity fluid early and low viscosity fluid late to allow the hydraulic fractures to propagate to the far-field to maximize the stimulation effect.
Numerical Modelling of Positive Surface Discharges in C-C4F8/CF3I/N2 Gas Mixture under Non-Uniform Field
Authors: Fan Binhai , Qian Yong , Zang Yiming , Li Ze , Zhou Xiaoli
Published: December 2021

As an environmentally friendly gas with good insulation and stable chemical properties, CF3I gas mixture is considered as a potential alternative to SF6 gas to compensate for the shortcomings of SF6 gas as a greenhouse gas. This article attempts to study the CF3I ternary gas mixtures with c-C4F8 and N2 by considering the process of streamer development in surface discharge. The model of surface discharge in CF3I gas mixture under DC voltage was established by COMSOL, and the drift-diffusion equations of particles was solved to show the discharge process, and the changes of electric field and particle concentration, etc. during the development of streamer were obtained, which provides the theoretical basis for the reliable diagnosis of partial discharge. On this basis, the model is compared with models for two other different gases (SF6/N2, artificial air) in terms of particle characteristics, streamer characteristics and streamer branches characteristics. Finally, it is concluded that under this model, although the insulation characteristics in CF3I gas mixture are weaker than those in SF6, the difference is not large and both are much better than those in artificial air, so c-C4F8/CF3I can be considered as a potential substitute for SF6.
Wireless Power Transfer and RF Technologies
Authors: Seo Dong-Wook
Published: December 2021

This book contains the successful submissions [...]
Online System for Power Quality Operational Data Management in Frequency Monitoring Using Python and Grafana
Authors: Sierra-Fernández Jose-María , Florencias-Oliveros Olivia , Espinosa-Gavira Manuel-Jesús , González-de-la-Rosa Juan-José , Agüera-Pérez Agustín , Palomares-Salas José-Carlos
Published: December 2021

This article proposes a measurement solution designed to monitor the instantaneous frequency in power systems. It uses a data acquisition module and a GPS receiver for time stamping and traceability. A Python-based module receives data, computes the frequency, and finally transfers the measurement results to a database. The frequency is calculated with two different methods, which are compared in the article. The stored data is visualized using the Grafana platform, thus demonstrating its potential for comparing scientific data. The system as a whole constitutes an efficient, low-cost solution as a data acquisition system.
Activities in Divertor Reflector and Linear Plates Using WCLL and HCPB Breeding Blanket Concepts
Authors: Breidokaite Simona , Stankunas Gediminas
Published: December 2021

In fusion devices, such as European Demonstration Fusion Power Reactor (EU DEMO), primary neutrons can cause material activation due to the interaction between the source particles and the targeting material. Subsequently, the reactor’s inner components become activated. For safety and safe performance purposes, it is necessary to evaluate neutron-induced activities. Activities results from divertor reflector and liner plates are presented in this work. The purpose of liner shielding plates is to protect the vacuum vessel and magnet coils from neutrons. As for reflector plates, the function is to shield the cooling components under plasma-facing components from alpha particles, thermal effects, and impurities. Plates are made of Eurofer with a 3 mm layer of tungsten, while the water is used for cooling purposes. The calculations were performed using two EU DEMO MCNP (Monte Carlo N-Particles) models with different breeding blanket configurations: helium-cooled pebble bed (HCPB) and water-cooled lithium lead (WCLL). The TENDL–2017 nuclear data library has been used for activation reactions cross-sections and nuclear reactions. Activation calculations were performed using the FISPACT-II code at the end of irradiation for cooling times of 0 s–1000 years. Radionuclide analysis of divertor liner and reflector plates is also presented in this paper. The main radionuclides, with at least 1% contribution to the total value of activation characteristics, were identified for the previously mentioned cooling times.