bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Impaired HDL Metabolism Links GlycA, A Novel Inflammatory Marker, with Incident Cardiovascular Events
Authors: Riggs Kayla A. , Joshi Parag H. , Khera Amit , Singh Kavisha , Akinmolayemi Oludamilola , Ayers Colby R. , Rohatgi Anand
Published: December 2019

High-density lipoproteins (HDL) exert anti-atherosclerotic effects via reverse cholesterol transport, yet this salutary property is impaired in the setting of inflammation. GlycA, a novel integrated glycosylation marker of five acute phase reactants, is linked to cardiovascular (CV) events. We assessed the hypothesis that GlycA is associated with measures of impaired HDL function and that dysfunctional HDL may contribute to the association between GlycA and incident CV events. Baseline measurements of HDL cholesterol (HDL-C), HDL particle concentration (HDL-P), apoliprotein A1 (Apo A1), cholesterol efflux capacity, GlycA and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) were obtained from the Dallas Heart Study, a multi-ethnic cohort of 2643 adults (median 43 years old; 56% women, 50% black) without cardiovascular disease (CVD). GlycA was derived from nuclear magnetic resonance imaging. Participants were followed for first nonfatal MI, nonfatal stroke, coronary revascularization, or CV death over a median of 12.4 years (n = 197). The correlation between GlycA and hs-CRP was 0.58 (p < 0.0001). In multivariate models with HDL-C, GlycA was directly associated with HDL-P and Apo A1 and inversely associated with cholesterol efflux (standardized beta estimates: 0.08, 0.29, -0.06, respectively; all p ≤ 0.0004) GlycA was directly associated with incident CV events (adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for Q4 vs. Q1: 3.33, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.99, 5.57). Adjustment for cholesterol efflux mildly attenuated this association (HR for Q4 vs. Q1: 3.00, 95% CI 1.75 to 5.13). In a multi-ethnic cohort, worsening inflammation, as reflected by higher GlycA levels, is associated with higher HDL-P and lower cholesterol efflux. Impaired cholesterol efflux likely explains some of the association between GlycA and incident CV events. Further studies are warranted to investigate the impact of inflammation on HDL function and CV disease.
PrimeStore MTM and OMNIgene Sputum for the Preservation of Sputum for Xpert MTB/RIF Testing in Nigeria
Authors: Bimba John S. , Lawson Lovett , Kontogianni Konstantina , Edwards Thomas , Ekpenyong Bassey Emanna , Dodd James , Adams Emily R. , Sloan Derek J. , Creswell Jacob , Dominguez Jose , Cuevas Luis E.
Published: December 2019

Background: Xpert MTB/RIF (GX) for tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis is often located in reference laboratories, and sputum needs to be transported using a cold chain. Transport media to preserve sputum are available, but performance data under programmatic conditions are limited. Methods: Sputum samples were collected from patients with presumptive TB in Nigeria. One sputum was transported in a cold chain, tested immediately with GX and cultured. One sputum was swabbed and stored in PrimeStore-Molecular-Transport-Medium (Primestore), and the remainder was stored in OMNIGene-sputum (Omnigene), kept for seven days and tested with GX. Results: Of 248 patients, 63 were fresh-sputum culture-positive and 56 GX-positive (sensitivity 88.9%, 95% CI: 78.4–95.4%). Four of 185 culture-negative patients were GX-positive (specificity 97.8%, 94.6–99.4%). Omnigene GX and Primestore GX were positive in 56/62 (90.3%, 80.1–96.4%) and 49/62 (79.0%, 66.8–88.3%) culture-positive, respectively, and 1/185 (99.5%, 97.0–100.0%) and 3/185 (98.4%, 95.3–99.7%) were culture-negative patients. 14 Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)-infected and 44 HIV-uninfected patients were culture-positive. Omnigene and Primestore detected 12/14 (85.7%, 57.2–98.2%) and 5/14 (35.7%, 12.8–64.9%) HIV-infected and 41/44 (93.2%, 81.3–98.6%) HIV-uninfected culture-positive patients. Interpretation: Omnigene stored and fresh sputum samples had similar GX results. The GX results of Primestore-stored samples were similar to those found in the fresh sputum of non-HIV infected patients, but GX-positivity was lower in HIV-infected patients. This was likely due to the lower amount of bacilli collected by the swab and transferred to PrimeStore.
Metabolic Alterations in Cardiomyocytes of Patients with Duchenne and Becker Muscular Dystrophies
Authors: Esposito Gabriella , Carsana Antonella
Published: December 2019

Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophies (DMD/BMD) result in progressive weakness of skeletal and cardiac muscles due to the deficiency of functional dystrophin. Respiratory failure is a leading cause of mortality in DMD patients; however, improved management of the respiratory symptoms have increased patients’ life expectancy, thereby also increasing the clinical relevance of heart disease. In fact, the prevalence of cardiomyopathy, which significantly contributes to mortality in DMD patients, increases with age and disease progression, so that over 95% of adult patients has cardiomyopathy signs. We here review the current literature featuring the metabolic alterations observed in the dystrophic heart of the mdx mouse, i.e., the best-studied animal model of the disease, and discuss their pathophysiological role in the DMD heart. It is well assessed that dystrophin deficiency is associated with pathological alterations of lipid metabolism, intracellular calcium levels, neuronal nitric oxide (NO) synthase localization, and NO and reactive oxygen species production. These metabolic stressors contribute to impair the function of the cardiac mitochondrial bulk, which has a relevant pathophysiological role in the development of cardiomyopathy. In fact, mitochondrial dysfunction becomes more severe as the dystrophic process progresses, thereby indicating it may be both the cause and the consequence of the dystrophic process in the DMD heart.
Three-Dimensional Path Tracking Control of Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Based on Deep Reinforcement Learning
Authors: Sun Yushan , Zhang Chenming , Zhang Guocheng , Xu Hao , Ran Xiangrui
Published: December 2019

In this paper, the three-dimensional (3D) path tracking control of an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) under the action of sea currents was researched. A novel reward function was proposed to improve learning ability and a disturbance observer was developed to observe the disturbance caused by currents. Based on existing models, the dynamic and kinematic models of the AUV were established. Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient, a deep reinforcement learning, was employed for designing the path tracking controller. Compared with the backstepping sliding mode controller, the controller proposed in this article showed excellent performance, at least in the particular study developed in this article. The improved reward function and the disturbance observer were also found to work well with improving path tracking performance.
Design of an Adaptive Sliding Mode Control for a Micro-AUV Subject to Water Currents and Parametric Uncertainties
Authors: Rodriguez Jonathan , Castañeda Herman , Gordillo J. L.
Published: December 2019

This paper addresses the design of an adaptive sliding mode control for an autonomous underwater vehicle with the objective to reject bounded internal and external perturbations. The proposed control is used to achieve velocity regulation and autonomous path-following using waypoints. Each task is successfully performed in the presence of parametric uncertainties and irrotational water currents. Due to complex dynamics and random external perturbations, underwater vehicles need robust control. The closed-loop stability and finite-time convergence of the system are demonstrated using the Lyapunov direct method. To provide a detailed and realistic testing environment for the proposed adaptive controller, a dynamic model of the vehicle using the Lagrange method is derived where all underwater effects are included. On that basis, the proposed adaptive sliding mode controller is compared to its non-adaptive equivalent and PD (Proportional Derivative) computed torque control. The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed adaptive control has better robustness and precision for this particular type of vehicle.
Serial Detection of Circulating Mucorales DNA in Invasive Mucormycosis: A Retrospective Multicenter Evaluation
Authors: Mercier Toine , Reynders Marijke , Beuselinck Kurt , Guldentops Ellen , Maertens Johan , Lagrou Katrien
Published: December 2019

Invasive mucormycosis is a fungal infection with high mortality. Early diagnosis and initiation of appropriate treatment is essential to improve survival. However, current diagnostic tools suffer from low sensitivity, leading to delayed or missed diagnoses. Recently, several PCR assays for the detection of Mucorales DNA have been developed. We retrospectively assessed the diagnostic and kinetic properties of a commercial Mucorales PCR assay (MucorGenius®, PathoNostics) on serial blood samples from patients with culture-positive invasive mucormycosis and found an overall sensitivity of 75%. Importantly, a positive test preceded a positive culture result by up to 81 days (median eight days, inter-quartile range 1.75–16.25). After initiation of appropriate therapy, the average levels of circulating DNA decreased after one week and stabilized after two weeks. In conclusion, detection of circulating Mucorales DNA appears to be a good, fast diagnostic test that often precedes the final diagnosis by several days to weeks. This test could be especially useful in cases in which sampling for culture or histopathology is not feasible.
Development of Antibacterial Ti-Cux Alloys for Dental Applications: Effects of Ageing for Alloys with Up to 10 wt% Cu
Authors: Fowler Lee , Masia Nomsombuluko , Cornish Lesley A. , Chown Lesley H. , Engqvist Håkan , Norgren Susanne , Öhman-Mägi Caroline
Published: December 2019

Peri-implantitis, a disease caused by bacteria, affects dental implants in patients. It is widely treated with antibiotics, however, with growing antibiotic resistance new strategies are required. Titanium-copper alloys are prospective antibacterial biomaterials, with the potential to be a remedy against peri-implantitis and antibiotic resistance. The aim of this study was to investigate Ti-Cux alloys, exploring how Cu content (up to 10 wt%) and ageing affect the material properties. Electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, hardness testing, bacteriological culture, and electrochemical testing were employed to characterize the materials. It was found that alloys with above 3 wt% Cu had two phases and ageing increased the volume fraction of Ti2Cu. An un-aged alloy of 5 wt% Cu showed what could be Ti3Cu, in addition to the α-Ti phase. The hardness gradually increased with increased Cu additions, while ageing only affected the alloy with 10 wt% Cu (due to changes in microstructure). Ageing resulted in faster passivation of the alloys. After two hours the aged 10 wt% Cu alloy was the only material with an antibacterial effect, while after six hours, bacteria killing occurred in all alloys with above 5 wt% Cu. In conclusion, it was possible to tune the material and antibacterial properties of Ti-Cux alloys by changing the Cu concentration and ageing, which makes further optimization towards an antibacterial material promising.
New Pre-reacted Glass Containing Dental Composites (giomers) with Improved Fluoride Release and Biocompatibility
Authors: Colceriu Burtea Loredana , Prejmerean Cristina , Prodan Doina , Baldea Ioana , Vlassa Mihaela , Filip Miuta , Moldovan Marioara , (Moldovan) Madalina-Anca Lazar , Antoniac Aurora , Prejmerean Vasile , Ambrosie Ioana
Published: December 2019

The aim of the present work was to prepare a series of novel restorative giomers and investigate the morphology, the physico-chemical properties (residual monomer, fluoride release), and the cytotoxicity of the new materials. The experimental giomers were prepared as light-cured pastes by blending different resin matrices comprising aromatic/aliphatic/urethane (di) methacrylates, with hybrid fillers containing pre-reacted glasses (PRGs), a radiopaque glass, and nano fluorhydroxyapatite. Polyalkenoic acids based on acrylic acid/itaconic acid/N-acryloyl -L-leucine modified or not with methacrylic groups, together with a superficially active glass, were used to prepare the PRGs. The fluoride ion release of the experimental giomers was investigated within a period of 60 days of storage in bidistilled water while using a fluoride ion selective electrode. Beautifil II commercial product was used as a reference. Cell cytotoxicity tests were done in vitro, in accordance with ISO 10993-122012 proceedings. Human dermal fibroblasts and umbilical endothelial vein cultures were used. The values that were obtained for cumulative fluoride release for all experimental giomers were higher than for the Beautifil II product, being more than twice the ones that were obtained for the commercial product after 60 days of storage in bidistilled water. The experimental biomaterials showed similar and/or better results when compared to the commercial one; this effect was maintained in all tested conditions.
The Effect of Processing Route on Properties of HfNbTaTiZr High Entropy Alloy
Authors: Málek Jaroslav , Zýka Jiří , Lukáč František , Vilémová Monika , Vlasák Tomáš , Čížek Jakub , Melikhova Oksana , Macháčková Adéla , Kim Hyoung-Seop
Published: December 2019

High entropy alloys (HEA) have been one of the most attractive groups of materials for researchers in the last several years. Since HEAs are potential candidates for many (e.g., refractory, cryogenic, medical) applications, their properties are studied intensively. The most frequent method of HEA synthesis is arc or induction melting. Powder metallurgy is a perspective technique of alloy synthesis and therefore in this work the possibilities of synthesis of HfNbTaTiZr HEA from powders were studied. Blended elemental powders were sintered, hot isostatically pressed, and subsequently swaged using a special technique of swaging where the sample is enveloped by a titanium alloy. This method does not result in a full density alloy due to cracking during swaging. Spark plasma sintering (SPS) of mechanically alloyed powders resulted in a fully dense but brittle specimen. The most promising result was obtained by SPS treatment of gas atomized powder with low oxygen content. The microstructure of HfNbTaTiZr specimen prepared this way can be refined by high pressure torsion deformation resulting in a high hardness of 410 HV10 and very fine microstructure with grain size well below 500 nm.
Bioactive Nitrogenous Secondary Metabolites from the Marine Sponge Genus Haliclona
Authors: Zhu Jiaying , Liu Yang , Liu Zijun , Wang Hao , Zhang Huawei
Published: December 2019

Marine sponge genus Haliclona, one of the most prolific sources of natural products, contains over 600 species but only a small part of them had been classified and chemically investigated. On the basis of extensive literature search, this review firstly summarizes 112 nitrogenous secondary metabolites from classified and unclassified Haliclona sponges as well as from their symbiotic microorganisms. Most of these substances have only been found in Haliclona sponges, and display diverse bioactive properties with potential applications in new drug discovery.
Effect of Heat Treatment on the Microstructure and Properties of Ultrafine WC–Co Cemented Carbide
Authors: Xiang Zhongnan , Li Zhanjiang , Chang Fa , Dai Pinqiang
Published: December 2019

In this paper, the effect of heat treatment on the microstructure and properties of a 0.8 μm WC–10%Co ultrafine cemented carbide was studied. The results show that the microstructural differences in ultrafine WC–Co cemented carbides without and with heat treatment are mainly reflected in the Co phase. For conventional cemented carbides, the hardness and wear resistance can be increased only at the expense of the toughness and strength. An ultrafine-grained WC–Co cemented carbide with good hardness and toughness can be obtained by strengthening the Co phase through an appropriate heat treatment process, and the service life of the ultrafine-grained WC–Co cemented carbide can be improved under actual cutting conditions.
Isolation and Molecular Typing of Leishmania infantum from Phlebotomus perfiliewi in a Re-Emerging Focus of Leishmaniasis, Northeastern Italy
Authors: Calzolari Mattia , Carra Elena , Rugna Gianluca , Bonilauri Paolo , Bergamini Federica , Bellini Romeo , Varani Stefania , Dottori Michele
Published: December 2019

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) caused by Leishmania (L.) infantum is a public health threat in the Emilia-Romagna region, northeastern Italy, but its epidemiology has not been fully elucidated in this area. The objective of this study was to characterize Leishmania infection in sand flies collected in a re-emerging focus of VL in the Bologna province. During the summer of 2016, 6114 sand flies were collected, identified, and tested for Leishmania detection. Of the identified sand flies, 96.5% were Phlebotomus (P.) perfiliewi and 3.5% were P. perniciosus. Detected parasites were characterized by biomolecular methods (multilocus microsatellite typing and characterization of repetitive region on chromosome 31), and quantified by real-time PCR. The prevalence of Leishmania infection in individually-tested P. perfiliewi sand flies varied from 6% to 10% with an increasing trend during the season. Promastigotes of L. infantum were isolated by dissection in one P. perfiliewi female; the isolated strain (Lein-pw) were closely related to Leishmania parasites from VL cases in northeastern Italy, but differed from strains isolated in dogs from the same area. Our findings strongly support the vector status of P. perfiliewi for human VL in the study area.
Polymorphisms in TNF Receptor Superfamily 1B (TNFRSF1B:rs3397) are Linked to Mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis Infection and Osteoporosis in Rheumatoid Arthritis
Authors: Naser Amna , Odeh Ahmad K. , Sharp Robert C. , Qasem Ahmad , Beg Shazia , Naser Saleh A.
Published: December 2019

We previously discovered that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in PTPN2/22 (T-cell negative-regulators) occur in 78% of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), along with Mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis (MAP) infection in 33% of patients. In Crohn’s disease, we reported that SNPs in TNFα and receptors (TNFRSF1A/TNFRSF1B) benefited intracellular MAP-survival, increased infection, and elevated inflammatory response mimicking the poor response to anti-TNFα treatment in some patients. Here, we studied the frequency and effects of SNPs in TNFα/TNFRSF1A/TNFRSF1B in RA including gene expression, MAP infection, and osteoporosis marker levels in blood (54 RA and 48 healthy controls). TNFα:rs1800629 (GA) was detected in 19/48 (40%) RA and 8/54 (15%) controls (p-value < 0.05, odds ratio (OR) = 3.6, 95% CI: 1.37–9.54). TNFRS1B:rs3397 (CT) was detected in 21/48 (44%) RA and 10/54 (19%) controls (p-value < 0.05, OR = 4.43, 95% CI: 1.73–11.33). In RA, rs3397 downregulated TNFRSF1B expression (CC > CT (0.34 ± 0.14) and CC > TT (0.27 ± 0.12)), compared to wildtype CC (0.51 ± 0.17), p-value < 0.05. MAP DNA was detected significantly in 17/48 (35.4%) RA compared to 11/54 (20.4%) controls (p-value < 0.05, OR = 2.14, 95% CI: 1.12–5.20). The average osteocalcin level was significantly lower (p-value < 0.05) in RA (2.70 ± 0.87 ng/mL), RA + MAP (0.60 ± 0.31 ng/mL), RA + TNFRSF1B:rs3397 (TT) (0.67 ± 0.35 ng/mL), compared to the healthy control (5.31 ± 1.39 ng/mL), and MAP-free RA (3.85 ± 1.31 ng/mL). Overall, rs3397 appears to downregulate TNFRSF1B, increase MAP infection, worsen inflammation, and cause osteocalcin deficiency and possibly osteoporosis in RA.
Inactivation of Genes Encoding MutL and MutS Proteins Influences Adhesion and Biofilm Formation by Neisseria gonorrhoeae
Authors: Płaczkiewicz Jagoda , Adamczyk-Popławska Monika , Lasek Robert , Bącal Pawel , Kwiatek Agnieszka
Published: December 2019

Neisseria gonorrhoeae is an etiological agent of gonorrhea, which remains a global health problem. This bacterium possesses MutL and MutS DNA repair proteins encoded by mutL and mutS genes, whose inactivation causes a mutator phenotype. We have demonstrated the differential gene expression in N. gonorrhoeae mutL and mutS mutants using DNA microarrays. A subset of differentially expressed genes encodes proteins that can influence adhesion and biofilm formation. Compared to the wild-type strain, N. gonorrhoeae mutL and mutS mutants formed denser biofilms with increased biofilm-associated biomass on the abiotic surface. The N. gonorrhoeae mutS::km, but not the mutL mutant, was also more adherent and invasive to human epithelial cells. Further, during infection of epithelial cells with N. gonorrhoeae mutS::km, the expression of some bacterial genes encoding proteins that can influence gonococcal adhesion was changed compared with their expression in cells infected with the wild-type gonococcus, as well as of human genes’ encoding receptors utilized by N. gonorrhoeae (CD46, CEACAM 1, HSPG 2). Thus, deficiency in the mutS gene resulting in increased mutation frequency in singular organisms can be beneficial in populations because these mutants can be a source of features linked to microbial fitness.
Associations between Dairy Intake, Body Composition, and Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Spanish Schoolchildren: The Cuenca Study
Authors: Lahoz-García Noelia , Milla-Tobarra Marta , García-Hermoso Antonio , Hernández-Luengo Monserrat , Pozuelo-Carrascosa Diana P. , Martínez-Vizcaíno Vicente
Published: December 2019

Full-fat dairy has been traditionally associated with obesity and cardiovascular disease (CVD); however, recent evidence shows that the amount of dairy intake might have a beneficial effect over these pathologies, regardless of their fat content. The aim of this study was to examine the association between the intake of dairy products (including milk with different fat contents) with both adiposity and serum lipid concentration, adjusted by cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), in Spanish schoolchildren. A cross-sectional study of 1088 children, aged 8 to 11 years, was conducted in which anthropometric variables (body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), fat mass percentage (FM%) and fat mass index (FMI)), blood lipid profile, and dairy intake (using a food frequency questionnaire), and CRF (through a 20-m shuttle run test) were measured. Results showed that children with lower BMI, WC, FM%, and FMI had higher whole-fat milk intake and lower skimmed and semi-skimmed milk intake than children with higher BMI, WC, FM%, and FMI. Children with normal levels of triglycerides and high density lipoproteins (HLD) cholesterol consumed more whole-fat milk and less reduced-fat milk than children with dyslipidemic patterns. These relationships persisted after adjustment for CRF. Our findings suggest that full-fat milk intake should be promoted in children without obesity or high cardiometabolic risk.
Human Milk’s Hidden Gift: Implications of the Milk Microbiome for Preterm Infants’ Health
Authors: Beghetti Isadora , Biagi Elena , Martini Silvia , Brigidi Patrizia , Corvaglia Luigi , Aceti Arianna
Published: December 2019

Breastfeeding is considered the gold standard for infants’ nutrition, as mother’s own milk (MOM) provides nutritional and bioactive factors functional to optimal development. Early life microbiome is one of the main contributors to short and long-term infant health status, with the gut microbiota (GM) being the most studied ecosystem. Some human milk (HM) bioactive factors, such as HM prebiotic carbohydrates that select for beneficial bacteria, and the specific human milk microbiota (HMM) are emerging as early mediators in the relationship between the development of GM in early life and clinical outcomes. The beneficial role of HM becomes even more crucial for preterm infants, who are exposed to significant risks of severe infection in early life as well as to adverse short and long-term outcomes. When MOM is unavailable or insufficient, donor human milk (DHM) constitutes the optimal nutritional choice. However, little is known about the specific effect of DHM on preterm GM and its potential functional implication on HMM. The purpose of this narrative review is to summarize recent findings on HMM origin and composition and discuss the role of HMM on infant health and development, with a specific focus on preterm infants.
A Robust Method for Assaying the Immunoreactive Fraction in Nonequilibrium Systems
Authors: Denoël Thibaut , Pedrelli Luca , Pantaleo Giuseppe , Prior John O.
Published: December 2019

The immunoreactive fraction r provides important information on the functional purity of radiolabeled proteins. It is traditionally determined by saturating the radioimmunoconjugate with an increasing excess of antigen, followed by linear extrapolation to infinite antigen excess in a double inverse “Lindmo plot”. Although several reports have described shortcomings in the Lindmo plot, a systematic examination is lacking. Using an experimental and simulation-based approach, we compared—for accuracy, precision and robustness—the Lindmo plot with the “rectangular hyperbola” extrapolation method based on the Langmuir model. The differences between the theoretical and extrapolated r values demonstrate that nonequilibrium and antigen depletion are important sources of error. The mathematical distortions resulting from the linearization of the data in the Lindmo plot induce fragility towards stochastic errors and make it necessary to exclude low bound fractions. The rectangular hyperbola provides robust and precise r estimates from raw binding data, even for slow kinetics.
Evolution of Interdisciplinary Transition of Care Services in a Primary Care Organization
Authors: Hitch William J. , Ulrich Irene Park , Warren Anne C. , Stick Dow , Leyonmark Danielle , Farrar Mackenzie
Published: December 2019

Transitions of care create complex management challenges for providers and leave patients vulnerable to medication errors and hospital readmissions. This article examines the evolution of an interdisciplinary team of pharmacists and nurse care managers and their impact on safe and effective transitions from the acute care settings back into primary care. This article explores successes and challenges of this primary-care-based clinic in managing patients safely through often-complex situations, and explores future directions for improving care processes and outcomes.
Trehalose Protects Maize Plants from Salt Stress and Phosphorus Deficiency
Authors: Rohman Md. Motiar , Islam Md. Robyul , Monsur Mahmuda Binte , Amiruzzaman Mohammad , Fujita Masayuki , Hasanuzzaman Mirza
Published: December 2019

This study is undertaken to elucidate the role of trehalose (Tre) in mitigating oxidative stress under salinity and low P in maize. Eight-day-old maize seedlings of two maize varieties, BARI Hybrid Maize-7 and BARI Hybrid Maize-9, were subjected to salinity (150 mM NaCl), low P (5 µM KH2PO4) and their combined stress with or without 10 mM Tre for 15 d. Salinity and combined stress significantly inhibited the shoot length, root length, and root volume, whereas low P increased the root length and volume in both genotypes. Exogenous Tre in the stress treatments increased all of the growth parameters as well as decreased the salinity, low P, and combined stress-mediated Na+/K+, reactive oxygen species (ROS), malondialdehyde (MDA), lipoxygenase (LOX) activity, and methylglyoxal (MG) in both genotypes. Individually, salinity and low P increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in both genotypes, but combined stress decreased the activity. Peroxidase (POD) activity increased in all stress treatments. Interestingly, Tre application enhanced the SOD activity in all the stress treatments but inhibited the POD activity. Both catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) activity were increased by saline and low P stress while the activities inhibited in combined stress. Similar results were found for ascorbate peroxidase (APX), glutathione peroxidase (GR), and dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR) activities in both genotypes. However, monodehydroascorbate reductase (MDHAR) activity was inhibited in all the stresses. Interestingly, Tre enhanced CAT, APX, GPX, GR, MDHAR, and DHAR activities suggesting the amelioration of ROS scavenging in maize under all the stresses. Conversely, increased glyoxalase activities in saline and low P stress in BHM-9 suggested better MG detoxification system because of the down-regulation of glyoxalase-I (Gly-I) activity in BHM-7 in those stresses. Tre also increased the glyoxalase activities in both genotypes under all the stresses. Tre improved the growth in maize seedlings by decreasing Na+/K+, ROS, MDA, and MG through regulating antioxidant and glyoxalase systems.
Unsteady Flow Process in Mixed Waterjet Propulsion Pumps with Nozzle Based on Computational Fluid Dynamics
Authors: Luo Can , Liu Hao , Cheng Li , Wang Chuan , Jiao Weixuan , Zhang Di
Published: December 2019

The unsteady flow process of waterjet pumps is related to the comprehensive performance and phenomenon of rotating stall and cavitation. To analyze the unsteady flow process on the unsteady condition, a computational domain containing nozzle, impeller, outlet guide vane (OGV), and shaft is established. The surface vortex of the blade is unstable at the valley point of the hydraulic unstable zone. The vortex core and morphological characteristics of the vortex will change in a small range with time. The flow of the best efficiency point and the start point of the hydraulic unstable zone on each turbo surface is relatively stable. At the valley point of the hydraulic unstable zone, the flow and pressure fields are unstable, which causes the flow on each turbo surface to change with time. The hydraulic performance parameters are measured by establishing the double cycle test loop of a waterjet propulsion device compared with numerical simulated data. The verification results show that the numerical simulation method is credible. In this paper, the outcome is helpful to comprehend the unsteady flow mechanism in the pump of waterjet propulsion devices, and improve and benefit their design and comprehensive performance.
Development of New Algorithm for Aniline Point Estimation of Petroleum Fraction
Authors: Wang Kaiyue , Sun Xiaoyan , Xiang Shuguang , Chen Yushi
Published: December 2019

The aniline point (AP) is an important physical property of a petroleum fraction. The AP gives an indication of the aromatic hydrocarbon content in a hydrocarbon mixture and can also be an indicator of the ignition point of a diesel fraction. In this study, common estimation methods were introduced and evaluated, and their limitations were analyzed. Multiple linear regression was used in constructing a quantitative function to solve for the AP using the average boiling point and specific gravity. The iterative modification algorithm of the ternary interaction algorithm was used to obtain the predicted value of the petroleum fraction AP, and the proposed algorithm was tested using 127 actual petroleum fractions. The average estimation deviation of the proposed method was 3.55%; hence, compared to the commonly used estimation methods, the prediction accuracy was significantly improved. This method offers important practical value in the calculation of the petroleum fraction AP and other petroleum fraction properties, thereby providing reference significance.
Numerical Investigation of Design and Operating Parameters of Thermal Gradient Continuous-Flow PCR Microreactor Using One Heater
Authors: Perwez Usama , Aziz Imran , Ahmed Faisal , Raza Khan Mohsin
Published: December 2019

To respond to the dire need for miniaturization and process simplification of continuous-flow PCR (CF-PCR) device, this paper represents design and operation guide of a novel metal alloy assisted hybrid microdevice (polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and glass) for CF-PCR employing one heater. In this research, the specific objectives are to determine whether one heater chip design will be flexible enough when the size of DNA base pair is varied and to investigate whether one heater CF-PCR device will be able to resolve the longstanding problem of thermal crosstalk. Furthermore, the parametric study is performed to determine which of the fourteen parameters have the greatest impact on the performance of one heater CF-PCR device. The main objective of this parametric study is to distinguish between the parameters that are either critical to the chip performance or can be freely specified. It is found that substrate thickness, flow rate, channel spacing, aspect ratio, channel pass length and external heat transfer coefficient are the most limiting parameters that can either improve or deteriorate the chip’s thermal performance. Overall, the impact of design and operating parameters are observed to be least on thermocycling profile at low Reynolds number (≤0.37 Re). However, in addition to the primary metric advantages of CF-PCR, one heater chip design helps in minimizing the thermal crosstalk effects by a factor of 4 in comparison to dual heater PCR while still maintaining a critical criteria of chip flexibility in terms of handling various sizes of DNA fragments. Hence, the proposed scheme paves the way for low-cost point-of-care diagnostics, system integration, and device miniaturization, realizing a portable microfluidic device applicable for on-site and direct field uses.
A Process for the Recovery of Gallium from Gallium Arsenide Scrap
Authors: Cheng Tsai-Hsin , Liu Chia-Ju , Tsai Tang-Yi , Shen Yun-Hwei
Published: December 2019

The recovery of gallium (Ga) from gallium arsenide (GaAs) scrap using a leaching-ion exchange method was investigated. The ground GaAs scrap was leached, using 2.0 N nitric acid at 30 °C for 1.0 h, and the dissolution of Ga and arsenic (As) reached 98%. The pregnant solution with a 1/20 dilution ratio was then passed through a weak acid chelating resin Diaion CR-11. Highly charged Ga3+ has the ability to form complexes with the chelating resin and separate from the coexisting H3AsO4 in the leachate with very low pH. The loaded column was eluted with 0.1 M H2SO4, and the final concentrated solution had 4.5 g/L of Ga with 99.3% purity. The effluent from the column was further processed to remove As by ferric arsenicate precipitation, and reused continuously as the dilution water for raw leachate.
Interception Characteristics and Pollution Mechanism of the Filter Medium in Polymer-Flooding Produced Water Filtration Process
Authors: Wang Xingwang , Xu Xiaoxuan , Dang Wei , Tang Zhiwei , Hu Changchao , Wei Bei
Published: December 2019

Polymer flooding enhances oil recovery, but during the application of this technology, it also creates a large amount of polymer-contained produced water that poses a threat to the environment. The current processing is mainly focused on being able to meet the re-injection requirements. However, many processes face the challenges of purifying effect, facilities pollution, and economical justification in the field practice. In the present work, to fully understand the structure and principle of the oil field filter tank, and based on geometric similarity and similar flow, a set of self-designed filtration simulation devices is used to study the treatment of polymer-contained produced water in order to facilitate the satisfaction of the water injection requirements for medium- and low-permeability reservoirs. The results show that, due to the existence of polymers in oil field produced water, a stable colloidal system is formed on the surface of the filter medium, which reduces the adsorption of oil droplets and suspended solids by the filter medium. The existence of the polymers also increases the viscosity of water, promotes the emulsification of oil pollution, and increases the difficulty of filtration and separation. As filtration progresses, the adsorption of the polymers by the filter medium bed reaches saturation, and the polymers and oil pollution contents in the filtered water increase gradually. The concentration and particle size of the suspended solids eventually exceed the permissible standards for filtered water quality; this is mainly due to the unreasonable size of the particle in relation to the filter medium gradation and the competitive adsorption between the polymers and the suspended solids on the surface of the filter medium. The oil concentration of the filtered water also exceeds the allowable standards and results from the polymers replace the oil droplets in the pores and on the surfaces of the filter medium. Moreover, the suspended particles of the biomass, composed of dead bacteria, hyphae, and spores, have strong attachment and carrying ability with respect to oil droplets, which cause the suspended solids in the filtered water to exceed the permissible standards and oil droplets to be retained in the filtered effluent at the same time.
Super-Resolution for Improving EEG Spatial Resolution using Deep Convolutional Neural Network—Feasibility Study
Authors: Kwon Moonyoung , Han Sangjun , Kim Kiwoong , Jun Sung Chan
Published: December 2019

Electroencephalography (EEG) has relatively poor spatial resolution and may yield incorrect brain dynamics and distort topography; thus, high-density EEG systems are necessary for better analysis. Conventional methods have been proposed to solve these problems, however, they depend on parameters or brain models that are not simple to address. Therefore, new approaches are necessary to enhance EEG spatial resolution while maintaining its data properties. In this work, we investigated the super-resolution (SR) technique using deep convolutional neural networks (CNN) with simulated EEG data with white Gaussian and real brain noises, and experimental EEG data obtained during an auditory evoked potential task. SR EEG simulated data with white Gaussian noise or brain noise demonstrated a lower mean squared error and higher correlations with sensor information, and detected sources even more clearly than did low resolution (LR) EEG. In addition, experimental SR data also demonstrated far smaller errors for N1 and P2 components, and yielded reasonable localized sources, while LR data did not. We verified our proposed approach’s feasibility and efficacy, and conclude that it may be possible to explore various brain dynamics even with a small number of sensors.
Deep-Learning-Based Real-Time Road Traffic Prediction Using Long-Term Evolution Access Data
Authors: Ji Byoungsuk , Hong Ellen J.
Published: December 2019

In this paper, we propose a method for deep-learning-based real-time road traffic predictions using long-term evolution (LTE) access data. The proposed system generates a road traffic speed learning model based on road speed data and historical LTE data collected from a plurality of base stations located within a predetermined radius from the road. Real-time LTE data were the input for the generated learning model in order to predict the real-time speed of traffic. Since the system was developed using a time-series-based road traffic speed learning model based on LTE data from the past, it is possible for it to be used for a road where the environment has changed. Moreover, even on roads where the collection of traffic data is invalid, such as a radio shadow area, it is possible to directly enter real-time wireless communications data into the traffic speed learning model to predict the traffic speed on the road in real time, and in turn, raise the accuracy of real-time road traffic predictions.
Detection of Performance of Hybrid Rice Pot-Tray Sowing Utilizing Machine Vision and Machine Learning Approach
Authors: Dong Wenhao , Ma Xu , Li Hongwei , Tan Suiyan , Guo Linjie
Published: December 2019

Monitoring the performance of hybrid rice seeding is very important for the seedling production line to adjust the sowing amount of the seeding device. The objective of this paper was to develop a system for the real-time online monitoring of the performance of hybrid rice seeding based on embedded machine vision and machine learning technology. The embedded detection system captured images of pot trays that passed under the illuminant cabinet installed in the seedling production line. This paper proposed an algorithm for fixed threshold segmentation by analyzing the images with the exploratory analysis method. With the algorithm, the grid image and seed image were extracted from the pot tray image. The paper also proposed a method for obtaining pixel coordinates of gridlines from the grid image. Binary images of seeds were divided into small pieces, according to the pixel coordinates of gridlines. Each piece corresponded to a cell on the pot tray. By scanning the contours in each piece of the image to check whether there were seeds in the cell, the number of empty cells was counted and then used to calculate the missing rate of hybrid rice seeding. The seed number sowed in pot trays was monitored while using the machine learning approach. The experimental results demonstrated that it would consume 4.863 s for the device to process an image, which allowed for the detection of the missing rate and seed number in real-time at the rate of 500 trays per hour (7.2 s per tray). The average accuracy of the detection of missing rates of a seedling production line was 94.67%. The average accuracy of the detection of seed numbers was 95.68%.
Method for Classifying Behavior of Livestock on Fenced Temperate Rangeland in Northern China
Authors: Gou Xiaowei , Tsunekawa Atsushi , Peng Fei , Zhao Xueyong , Li Yulin , Lian Jie
Published: December 2019

Different livestock behaviors have distinct effects on grassland degradation. However, because direct observation of livestock behavior is time- and labor-intensive, an automated methodology to classify livestock behavior according to animal position and posture is necessary. We applied the Random Forest algorithm to predict livestock behaviors in the Horqin Sand Land by using Global Positioning System (GPS) and tri-axis accelerometer data and then confirmed the results through field observations. The overall accuracy of GPS models was 85% to 90% when the time interval was greater than 300–800 s, which was approximated to the tri-axis model (96%) and GPS-tri models (96%). In the GPS model, the linear backward or forward distance were the most important determinants of behavior classification, and nongrazing was less than 30% when livestock travelled more than 30–50 m over a 5-min interval. For the tri-axis accelerometer model, the anteroposterior acceleration (–3 m/s2) of neck movement was the most accurate determinant of livestock behavior classification. Using instantaneous acceleration of livestock body movement more precisely classified livestock behaviors than did GPS location-based distance metrics. When a tri-axis model is unavailable, GPS models will yield sufficiently reliable classification accuracy when an appropriate time interval is defined.
Sustainable Feasibility of Carbon Trading Policy on Heterogenetic Economic and Industrial Development
Authors: Zhang Haoran , Zhang Rongxia , Li Guomin , Li Wei , Choi Yongrok
Published: December 2019

A carbon emission trading system (ETS) is an effective market mechanism for promoting the reduction of global greenhouse gas emissions and achieving sustainable development between the economy and the environment. To analyze the emissions reduction effect and economic effect of China’s ETS and further discuss the mechanisms of economic development differences and industrial development differences on the final effect of the policy, this study adopts the propensity score matching-difference in differences method and triple difference method. The empirical results show the following: (1) The ETS can simultaneously achieve both the emissions reduction effect and economic effect when key control variables are included. (2) The population, carbon emissions intensity and per capita GDP have significant positive impacts on carbon emissions; the environmental pollution control intensity, research structure, and research intensity have negative impacts on carbon emissions; and the capita stock, employment, and energy consumption have significant positive economic effects. (3) The ETS has a stronger inhibitory effect on the provinces with higher levels of economic and service development compared to the provinces with lower levels of economic and service development. In contrast, the policy has a weaker inhibitory effect on provinces with higher levels of industrial and construction development compared with the lower level provinces.
Dynamic Update and Monitoring of AOI Entrance via Spatiotemporal Clustering of Drop-Off Points
Authors: Zhou Tong , Liu Xintao , Qian Zhen , Chen Haoxuan , Tao Fei
Published: December 2019

This paper proposes a novel method for dynamically extracting and monitoring the entrances of areas of interest (AOIs). Most AOIs in China, such as buildings and communities, are enclosed by walls and are only accessible via one or more entrances. The entrances are not marked on most maps for route planning and navigation in an accurate way. In this work, the extraction scheme of the entrances is based on taxi trajectory data with a 30 s sampling time interval. After fine-grained data cleaning, the position accuracy of the drop-off points extracted from taxi trajectory data is guaranteed. Next, the location of the entrances is extracted, combining the density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise (DBSCAN) with the boundary of the AOI under the constraint of the road network. Based on the above processing, the dynamic update scheme of the entrance is designed. First, a time series analysis is conducted using the clusters of drop-off points within the adjacent AOI, and then, a relative heat index ( R H I ) is applied to detect the recent access status (closed or open) of the entrances. The results show the average accuracy of the current extraction algorithm is improved by 24.3% over the K-means algorithm, and the R H I can reduce the limitation of map symbols in describing the access status. The proposed scheme can, therefore, help optimize the dynamic visualization of the entry symbols in mobile navigation maps, and facilitate human travel behavior and way-finding, which is of great help to sustainable urban development.