bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Hippocampal Neurogenesis Is Enhanced in Adult Tau Deficient Mice
Authors: Criado-Marrero Marangelie , Sabbagh Jonathan J. , Jones Margaret R. , Chaput Dale , Dickey Chad A. , Blair Laura J.
Published: January 2020

Tau dysfunction is common in several neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Affective symptoms have often been associated with aberrant tau pathology and are commonly comorbid in patients with tauopathies, indicating a connection between tau functioning and mechanisms of depression. The current study investigated depression-like behavior in Mapt−/− mice, which contain a targeted deletion of the gene coding for tau. We show that 6-month Mapt−/− mice are resistant to depressive behaviors, as evidenced by decreased immobility time in the forced swim and tail suspension tests, as well as increased escape behavior in a learned helplessness task. Since depression has also been linked to deficient adult neurogenesis, we measured neurogenesis in the hippocampal dentate gyrus and subventricular zone using 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine (BrdU) labeling. We found that neurogenesis is increased in the dentate gyrus of 14-month-old Mapt−/− brains compared to wild type, providing a potential mechanism for their behavioral phenotypes. In addition to the hippocampus, an upregulation of proteins involved in neurogenesis was observed in the frontal cortex and amygdala of the Mapt−/− mice using proteomic mass spectrometry. All together, these findings suggest that tau may have a role in the depressive symptoms observed in many neurodegenerative diseases and identify tau as a potential molecular target for treating depression.
Quantitative In-Depth Analysis of the Mouse Mast Cell Transcriptome Reveals Organ-Specific Mast Cell Heterogeneity
Authors: Akula Srinivas , Paivandy Aida , Fu Zhirong , Thorpe Michael , Pejler Gunnar , Hellman Lars
Published: January 2020

Mast cells (MCs) are primarily resident hematopoietic tissue cells that are localized at external and internal surfaces of the body where they act in the first line of defense. MCs are found in all studied vertebrates and have also been identified in tunicates, an early chordate. To obtain a detailed insight into the biology of MCs, here we analyzed the transcriptome of MCs from different mouse organs by RNA-seq and PCR-based transcriptomics. We show that MCs at different tissue locations differ substantially in their levels of transcripts coding for the most abundant MC granule proteins, even within the connective tissue type, or mucosal MC niches. We also demonstrate that transcript levels for the major granule proteins, including the various MC-restricted proteases and the heparin core protein, can be several orders of magnitude higher than those coding for various surface receptors and enzymes involved in protease activation, as well as enzymes involved in the synthesis of heparin, histamine, leukotrienes, and prostaglandins. Interestingly, our analyses revealed an almost complete absence in MCs of transcripts coding for cytokines at baseline conditions, indicating that cytokines are primarily produced by activated MCs. Bone marrow-derived MCs (BMMCs) are often used as equivalents of tissue MCs. Here, we show that these cells differ substantially from tissue MCs with regard to their transcriptome. Notably, they showed a transcriptome indicative of relatively immature cells, both with respect to the expression of granule proteases and of various enzymes involved in the processing/synthesis of granule compounds, indicating that care should be taken when extrapolating findings from BMMCs to the in vivo function of tissue-resident MCs. Furthermore, the latter finding indicates that the development of fully mature tissue-resident MCs requires a cytokine milieu beyond what is needed for in vitro differentiation of BMMCs. Altogether, this study provides a comprehensive quantitative view of the transcriptome profile of MCs resident at different tissue locations that builds nicely on previous studies of both the mouse and human transcriptome, and form a solid base for future evolutionary studies of the role of MCs in vertebrate immunity.
Insulating Thermal and Water-Resistant Hybrid Coating for Fabrics
Authors: Ortelli Simona , Costa Anna Luisa
Published: January 2020

Organic–inorganic hybrid (ceramer) coatings were synthesized and deposited on the polyester nonwoven fabrics through the sol–gel process. This promoted the formation of an insulating barrier that was able to enhance the thermal stability and the hydrophobicity of fabrics. The hybrid phase is made of an organic network arising from different alkoxysilane precursors (trimethoxymethylalkoxysilane (TMEOS), 3-aminopropyl-trimethoxyalkoxysilane (APTMS), and tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS)) and inorganic phase made of titanium dioxide TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) and, in some cases, coated by P-based compound. The characterization of hybrid phase at liquid (size distribution and zeta potential of dispersed nanoparticles), dried state (crystalline phase, thermogravimetric (TGA), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic (FTIR) analyses), and on deposited coatings (contact angle, burn-out tests) aimed to find a correlation between the physicochemical properties of ceramer and functional performances of coated fabrics (thermal stability and hydrophobicity). The results showed that all ceramer formulations were able to improve the char formation after burn-out, in particular the highest thermal stability was obtained in the presence of TMEOS precursor and TiO2 NPs coated by P-based compound, which also provided the highest hydrophobicity. In conclusion, we presented an environmentally friendly and easily scalable process for the preparation of ceramer formulations capable of being formed into transparent, thermal-resistant, and hydrophobic fabric coatings, whose functions are extremely challenging for the textile market.
Morpholino-Substituted BODIPY Species: Synthesis, Structure and Electrochemical Studies
Authors: Hassanain Hawazen , Davies E. Stephen , Lewis William , Kays Deborah L. , Champness Neil R.
Published: January 2020

Functionalization of 4,4-difluoro-4-bora-3a,4a-diaza-s-indacene (BODIPY) chromophores at the 2,6-positions with iodo substituents and morpholino-substituted α-methyl groups affords molecules with strong absorbance in the visible spectrum. The effect of such substitution on the solid-state arrangements, absorption, fluorescence and electronic properties of these dye molecules is reported. The spectroscopic and spectroelectrochemical measurements display intense absorptions in the UV-visible spectrum with bathochromic shifts, in comparison to unfunctionalized BODIPY, and a positive shift in redox potentials due to functionalisation of the BODIPY core. Halogen bonds are observed in the solid-state structures of both halogenated BODIPY species, which in one case leads to the formation of an unusual halogen bonded framework.
SocNav1: A Dataset to Benchmark and Learn Social Navigation Conventions
Authors: Manso Luis J. , Nuñez Pedro , Calderita Luis V. , Faria Diego R. , Bachiller Pilar
Published: January 2020

Datasets are essential to the development and evaluation of machine learning and artificial intelligence algorithms. As new tasks are addressed, new datasets are required. Training algorithms for human-aware navigation is an example of this need. Different factors make designing and gathering data for human-aware navigation datasets challenging. Firstly, the problem itself is subjective, different dataset contributors will very frequently disagree to some extent on their labels. Secondly, the number of variables to consider is undetermined culture-dependent. This paper presents SocNav1, a dataset for social navigation conventions. SocNav1 aims at evaluating the robots’ ability to assess the level of discomfort that their presence might generate among humans. The 9280 samples in SocNav1 seem to be enough for machine learning purposes given the relatively small size of the data structures describing the scenarios. Furthermore, SocNav1 is particularly well-suited to be used to benchmark non-Euclidean machine learning algorithms such as graph neural networks. This paper describes the proposed dataset and the method employed to gather the data. To provide a further understanding of the nature of the dataset, an analysis and validation of the collected data are also presented.
Biomarkers for Bladder Cancer Diagnosis and Surveillance: A Comprehensive Review
Authors: Batista Rui , Vinagre Nuno , Meireles Sara , Vinagre João , Prazeres Hugo , Leão Ricardo , Máximo Valdemar , Soares Paula
Published: January 2020

Bladder cancer (BC) ranks as the sixth most prevalent cancer in the world, with a steady rise in its incidence and prevalence, and is accompanied by a high morbidity and mortality. BC is a complex disease with several molecular and pathological pathways, thus reflecting different behaviors depending on the clinical staging of the tumor and molecular type. Diagnosis and monitoring of BC is mainly performed by invasive tests, namely periodic cystoscopies; this procedure, although a reliable method, is highly uncomfortable for the patient and it is not exempt of comorbidities. Currently, there is no formal indication for the use of molecular biomarkers in clinical practice, even though there are several tests available. There is an imperative need for a clinical non-invasive testing for early detection, disease monitoring, and treatment response in BC. In this review, we aim to assess and compare different tests based on molecular biomarkers and evaluate their potential role as new molecules for bladder cancer diagnosis, follow-up, and treatment response monitoring.
Timely-Automatic Procedure for Estimating the Endocardial Limits of the Left Ventricle Assessed Echocardiographically in Clinical Practice
Authors: Onchis Darian M. , Istin Codruta , Tudoran Cristina , Tudoran Mariana , Real Pedro
Published: January 2020

In this paper, we propose an analytical rapid method to estimate the endocardial borders of the left ventricular walls on echocardiographic images for prospective clinical integration. The procedure was created as a diagnostic support tool for the clinician and it is based on the use of the anisotropic generalized Hough transform. Its application is guided by a Gabor-like filtering for the approximate delimitation of the region of interest without the need for computing further anatomical characteristics. The algorithm is applying directly a deformable template on the predetermined filtered region and therefore it is responsive and straightforward implementable. For accuracy considerations, we have employed a support vector machine classifier to determine the confidence level of the automated marking. The clinical tests were performed at the Cardiology Clinic of the County Emergency Hospital Timisoara and they improved the physicians perception in more than 50% of the cases. The report is concluded with medical discussions.
Shear-Wave Elastography Variability Analysis and Relation with Kidney Allograft Dysfunction: A Single-Center Study
Authors: Bolboacă Sorana D. , Elec Florin Ioan , Elec Alina Daciana , Muntean Adriana Milena , Socaciu Mihai Adrian , Iacob Gheorghita , Zaro Răzvan , Andrieș Alexandra-Ioana , Bădulescu Ramona Maria , Ignat Radu Mihai , Iancu Mihaela , Badea Radu Ion
Published: January 2020

Shear-wave elastography (SWE) showed the absence or presence of significant differences among stable kidney allograft function and allograft dysfunction. We evaluated the variability of kidney allograft stiffness in relation to allograft dysfunction, respectively, in terms of a correlation of stiffness with patients’ characteristics. A single-center prospective study on patients who had undergone renal transplantation was conducted between October 2017 and November 2018. Patients were clinically classified as having a stable allograft function or allograft dysfunction. SWE examinations performed by the same radiologist with a LOGIQ E9 were evaluated. Ten measurements were done for Young’s modulus (kPa) at the level of allograft cortex and another ten at the level of medulla. Eighty-three SWE examinations from 63 patients, 69 stable allografts, and 14 allografts with dysfunction were included in the analysis. The intra-examinations stiffness showed high variability, with the quantile covariation coefficient ranging from 2.21% to 45.04%. The inter-examinations stiffness showed heterogeneity (from 28.66% to 42.38%). The kidney allograft cortex stiffness showed significantly higher values in cases with dysfunction (median = 28.70 kPa, interquartile range (IQR) = (25.68–31.98) kPa) as compared to those with stable function (median = 20.99 kPa, interquartile range = (16.08–27.68) kPa; p-value = 0.0142). Allograft tissue stiffness (both cortex and medulla) was significantly negatively correlated with body mass index (−0.44, p-value < 0.0001 for allograft cortex and −0.42, p-value = 0.0001 for allograft medulla), and positively correlated with Proteinuria/Creatinuria ratio (0.33, p-value = 0.0021 for allograft cortex and 0.28, p-value = 0.0105 for allograft medulla) but remained statistically significant only in cases with stable function. The cortical tissue stiffness proved significantly higher values for patients with allograft dysfunction as compared to patients with stable function, but to evolve as an additional tool for the evaluation of patients with a kidney transplant and to change the clinical practice, more extensive studies are needed.
Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy in Ovarian Cancer
Authors: Riggs McKayla J. , Pandalai Prakash K. , Kim Joseph , Dietrich Charles S.
Published: January 2020

Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) in conjunction with cytoreductive surgery (CRS) holds promise as an adjunctive treatment strategy in malignancies affecting the peritoneal surface, effectively targeting remaining microscopic residual tumor. HIPEC increases concentrations of chemotherapy directly within the peritoneal cavity compared with the intravenous route and reduces the systemic side effects associated with prolonged adjuvant intraperitoneal exposure. Furthermore, hyperthermia increases tissue penetration and is synergistic with the therapeutic chemotherapy agents used. In ovarian cancer, evidence is building for its use in both primary and recurrent scenarios. In this review, we examine the history of HIPEC, the techniques used, and the available data guiding its use in primary and recurrent ovarian cancer.
A Review of the Application of Information Theory to Clinical Diagnostic Testing
Authors: Benish William A.
Published: January 2020

The fundamental information theory functions of entropy, relative entropy, and mutual information are directly applicable to clinical diagnostic testing. This is a consequence of the fact that an individual’s disease state and diagnostic test result are random variables. In this paper, we review the application of information theory to the quantification of diagnostic uncertainty, diagnostic information, and diagnostic test performance. An advantage of information theory functions over more established test performance measures is that they can be used when multiple disease states are under consideration as well as when the diagnostic test can yield multiple or continuous results. Since more than one diagnostic test is often required to help determine a patient’s disease state, we also discuss the application of the theory to situations in which more than one diagnostic test is used. The total diagnostic information provided by two or more tests can be partitioned into meaningful components.
The Convex Information Bottleneck Lagrangian
Authors: Rodríguez Gálvez Borja , Thobaben Ragnar , Skoglund Mikael
Published: January 2020

The information bottleneck (IB) problem tackles the issue of obtaining relevant compressed representations T of some random variable X for the task of predicting Y. It is defined as a constrained optimization problem that maximizes the information the representation has about the task, I ( T ; Y ) , while ensuring that a certain level of compression r is achieved (i.e., I ( X ; T ) ≤ r ). For practical reasons, the problem is usually solved by maximizing the IB Lagrangian (i.e., L IB ( T ; β ) = I ( T ; Y ) − β I ( X ; T ) ) for many values of β ∈ [ 0 , 1 ] . Then, the curve of maximal I ( T ; Y ) for a given I ( X ; T ) is drawn and a representation with the desired predictability and compression is selected. It is known when Y is a deterministic function of X, the IB curve cannot be explored and another Lagrangian has been proposed to tackle this problem: the squared IB Lagrangian: L sq − IB ( T ; β sq ) = I ( T ; Y ) − β sq I ( X ; T ) 2 . In this paper, we (i) present a general family of Lagrangians which allow for the exploration of the IB curve in all scenarios; (ii) provide the exact one-to-one mapping between the Lagrange multiplier and the desired compression rate r for known IB curve shapes; and (iii) show we can approximately obtain a specific compression level with the convex IB Lagrangian for both known and unknown IB curve shapes. This eliminates the burden of solving the optimization problem for many values of the Lagrange multiplier. That is, we prove that we can solve the original constrained problem with a single optimization.
On Heat Transfer Performance of Cooling Systems Using Nanofluid for Electric Motor Applications
Authors: Deriszadeh Ali , de Monte Filippo
Published: January 2020

This paper studies the fluid flow and heat transfer characteristics of nanofluids as advance coolants for the cooling system of electric motors. Investigations are carried out using numerical analysis for a cooling system with spiral channels. To solve the governing equations, computational fluid dynamics and 3D fluid motion analysis are used. The base fluid is water with a laminar flow. The fluid Reynolds number and turn-number of spiral channels are evaluation parameters. The effect of nanoparticles volume fraction in the base fluid on the heat transfer performance of the cooling system is studied. Increasing the volume fraction of nanoparticles leads to improving the heat transfer performance of the cooling system. On the other hand, a high-volume fraction of the nanofluid increases the pressure drop of the coolant fluid and increases the required pumping power. This paper aims at finding a trade-off between effective parameters by studying both fluid flow and heat transfer characteristics of the nanofluid.
Probabilistic Ensemble of Deep Information Networks
Authors: Franzese Giulio , Visintin Monica
Published: January 2020

We describe a classifier made of an ensemble of decision trees, designed using information theory concepts. In contrast to algorithms C4.5 or ID3, the tree is built from the leaves instead of the root. Each tree is made of nodes trained independently of the others, to minimize a local cost function (information bottleneck). The trained tree outputs the estimated probabilities of the classes given the input datum, and the outputs of many trees are combined to decide the class. We show that the system is able to provide results comparable to those of the tree classifier in terms of accuracy, while it shows many advantages in terms of modularity, reduced complexity, and memory requirements.
Feedstock-Dependent Phosphate Recovery in a Pilot-Scale Hydrothermal Liquefaction Bio-Crude Production
Authors: Ovsyannikova Ekaterina , Kruse Andrea , Becker Gero C.
Published: January 2020

Microalgae (Spirulina) and primary sewage sludge are considerable feedstocks for future fuel-producing biorefinery. These feedstocks have either a high fuel production potential (algae) or a particularly high appearance as waste (sludge). Both feedstocks bring high loads of nutrients (P, N) that must be addressed in sound biorefinery concepts that primarily target specific hydrocarbons, such as liquid fuels. Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL), which produces bio-crude oil that is ready for catalytic upgrading (e.g., for jet fuel), is a useful starting point for such an approach. As technology advances from small-scale batches to pilot-scale continuous operations, the aspect of nutrient recovery must be reconsidered. This research presents a full analysis of relevant nutrient flows between the product phases of HTL for the two aforementioned feedstocks on the basis of pilot-scale data. From a partial experimentally derived mass balance, initial strategies for recovering the most relevant nutrients (P, N) were developed and proofed in laboratory-scale. The experimental and theoretical data from the pilot and laboratory scales are combined to present the proof of concept and provide the first mass balances of an HTL-based biorefinery modular operation for producing fertilizer (struvite) as a value-added product.
High Performance Single-Phase Single-Stage Grid-Tied PV Current Source Inverter Using Cascaded Harmonic Compensators
Authors: Zakzouk Nahla E. , Abdelsalam Ahmed K. , Helal Ahmed A. , Williams Barry W.
Published: January 2020

In this paper, a single-phase single-stage photovoltaic (PV) grid-tied system is investigated. The conventional pulse width modulated (PWM) voltage source inverter (VSI) is replaced by a PWM current source inverter (CSI) for its voltage boosting capabilities, inherent short-circuit proof and higher reliability features. Modeling, design, and analysis of the considered CSI are presented altogether with enhanced proposed control loops aided with a modified PWM technique. DC-link even current harmonics are commonly reflected as low-order odd harmonics in the grid resulting in a poor quality grid current. In order to overcome the latter, a high performance proportional resonant controller, applied in the inverter inner grid current loop, is proposed using cascaded resonant control units tuned at low-order frequencies to eliminate injected grid current harmonics. Hence, with a less-bulky smoothing inductor at the CSI DC-side, grid power quality and system efficiency are simultaneously improved. Simulation and experimental results verify the proposed controller effectiveness.
Research on Mechanism and Control of Floor Heave of Mining-Influenced Roadway in Top Coal Caving Working Face
Authors: Lai Xingping , Xu Huicong , Shan Pengfei , Kang Yanlei , Wang Zeyang , Wu Xuan
Published: January 2020

The stability of the surrounding rock is the key problem regarding the normal use of coal mine roadways, and the floor heave of roadways is one of the key factors that can restrict high-yield and high-efficiency mining. Based on the 1305 auxiliary transportation roadway geological conditions in the Dananhu No. 1 Coal Mine, Xinjiang, the mechanism of roadway floor heave was studied by field geological investigation, theoretical analysis, and numerical simulation. We think that the surrounding rock of the roadway presents asymmetrical shrinkage under the original support condition, and it is the extrusion flow type floor heave. The bottom without support and influence of mining are the important causes of floor heave. Therefore, the optimal support scheme is proposed and verified. The results show that the maximum damage depth of the roadway floor is 3.2 m, and the damage depth of the floor of roadway ribs is 3.05 m. The floor heave was decreased from 735 mm to 268 mm, and the force of the rib bolts was reduced from 309 kN to 90 kN after using the optimization supporting scheme. This scheme effectively alleviated the “squeeze” effect of the two ribs on the soft rock floor, and the surrounding rock system achieves long-term stability after optimized support. This provides scientific guidance for field safe mining.
Smart Management Energy Systems in Industry 4.0
Authors: Ferrero Renato , Collotta Mario , Bueno-Delgado Maria Victoria , Chen Hsing-Chung
Published: January 2020

In its origins, the term Industry 4 [...]
A Systematic Methodology for Optimal Design of Wireless Power Transfer System Using Genetic Algorithm
Authors: Bagheri Anahita , Erfanian Abbas , Abrishamifar Adib
Published: January 2020

This paper presents a systematic methodology for the optimal design of wireless power transfer (WPT) systems. To design a WPT for a specific application, the values of coil geometric parameters and the number of resonators should be chosen such that an objective function is maximized while satisfying all the design constraints. The conventional methodologies, which are based on cyclic coordinate optimization, are not comprehensive and efficient methods. This paper presents a design methodology based on the genetic algorithm (GA). The optimization method has been applied to designing different WPTs with series and parallel connections of load and different design constraints. Moreover, the number of resonators is considered as the design parameters. In addition, WPTs with parallel and series connections of load are compared from different aspects. The results of calculation, simulation and measurements demonstrate that the 2-coil WPT can be optimized to achieve maximum efficiency compared to the previously reported 2-coil and multi-coil WPTs. In a fabricated 2-coil configuration, a power transfer efficiency (PTE) of 82.7% and a power delivered to the load (PDL) of 173.89 mW are achieved.
Assessment of Simulated Solar Irradiance on Days of High Intermittency Using WRF-Solar
Authors: Prasad Abhnil Amtesh , Kay Merlinde
Published: January 2020

Improvements in the short-term predictability of irradiance in numerical weather prediction models can assist grid operators in managing intermittent solar-generated electricity. In this study, the performance of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model when simulating different components of solar irradiance was tested under days of high intermittency at Mildura, a site located on the border of New South Wales and Victoria, Australia. Initially, four intermittent and clear case days were chosen, later extending to a full year study in 2005. A specific configuration and augmentation of the WRF model (version 3.6.1) designed for solar energy applications (WRF-Solar) with an optimum physics ensemble derived from literature over Australia was used to simulate solar irradiance with four nested domains nudged to ERA-Interim boundary conditions at grid resolutions (45, 15, 5, and 1.7 km) centred over Mildura. The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) station dataset available at minute timescales and hourly derived satellite irradiance products were used to validate the simulated products. Results showed that on days of high intermittency, simulated solar irradiance at finer resolution was affected by errors in simulated humidity and winds (speed and direction) affecting clouds and circulation, but the latter improves at coarser resolutions; this is most likely from reduced displacement errors in clouds.
Evaluation of Effectiveness of CO2 Sequestration Using Portland Cement in Geological Reservoir Based on Unified Pipe-network Method
Authors: Yan Xiao , Sun Zizheng , Li Shucai , Yang Weimin , Zhang Yiming
Published: January 2020

In this paper, we first recapitulate some basic notions of the CO

2

sequestration and numerical model. Next, a mixed model is employed into the CO

2

sequestration framework, for simulating CO

2

geological sequestration processes. The last part of the paper makes extensions to evaluation of the effectiveness of CO

2

sequestration with respect to atmospheric pressure, formation temperature, the initial reactant concentration, fracture aperture, and fracture dip. The results show that reactive Portland cement has a great impact on the effectiveness of CO

2

sequestration, while the proposed mixed model is robust in simulation.
Multi-Sequence LSTM-RNN Deep Learning and Metaheuristics for Electric Load Forecasting
Authors: Bouktif Salah , Fiaz Ali , Ouni Ali , Serhani Mohamed Adel
Published: January 2020

Short term electric load forecasting plays a crucial role for utility companies, as it allows for the efficient operation and management of power grid networks, optimal balancing between production and demand, as well as reduced production costs. As the volume and variety of energy data provided by building automation systems, smart meters, and other sources are continuously increasing, long short-term memory (LSTM) deep learning models have become an attractive approach for energy load forecasting. These models are characterized by their capabilities of learning long-term dependencies in collected electric data, which lead to accurate prediction results that outperform several alternative statistical and machine learning approaches. Unfortunately, applying LSTM models may not produce acceptable forecasting results, not only because of the noisy electric data but also due to the naive selection of its hyperparameter values. Therefore, an optimal configuration of an LSTM model is necessary to describe the electric consumption patterns and discover the time-series dynamics in the energy domain. Finding such an optimal configuration is, on the one hand, a combinatorial problem where selection is done from a very large space of choices; on the other hand, it is a learning problem where the hyperparameters should reflect the energy consumption domain knowledge, such as the influential time lags, seasonality, periodicity, and other temporal attributes. To handle this problem, we use in this paper metaheuristic-search-based algorithms, known by their ability to alleviate search complexity as well as their capacity to learn from the domain where they are applied, to find optimal or near-optimal values for the set of tunable LSTM hyperparameters in the electrical energy consumption domain. We tailor both a genetic algorithm (GA) and particle swarm optimization (PSO) to learn hyperparameters for load forecasting in the context of energy consumption of big data. The statistical analysis of the obtained result shows that the multi-sequence deep learning model tuned by the metaheuristic search algorithms provides more accurate results than the benchmark machine learning models and the LSTM model whose inputs and hyperparameters were established through limited experience and a discounted number of experimentations.
Boron Doping of SWCNTs as a Way to Enhance the Thermoelectric Properties of Melt-Mixed Polypropylene/SWCNT Composites
Authors: Krause Beate , Bezugly Viktor , Khavrus Vyacheslav , Ye Liu , Cuniberti Gianaurelio , Pötschke Petra
Published: January 2020

Composites based on the matrix polymer polypropylene (PP) filled with single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and boron-doped SWCNTs (B-SWCNTs) were prepared by melt-mixing to analyze the influence of boron doping of SWCNTs on the thermoelectric properties of these nanocomposites. It was found that besides a significantly higher Seebeck coefficient of B-SWCNT films and powder packages, the values for B-SWCNT incorporated in PP were higher than those for SWCNTs. Due to the higher electrical conductivity and the higher Seebeck coefficients of B-SWCNTs, the power factor (PF) and the figure of merit (ZT) were also higher for the PP/B-SWCNT composites. The highest value achieved in this study was a Seebeck coefficient of 59.7 µV/K for PP with 0.5 wt% B-SWCNT compared to 47.9 µV/K for SWCNTs at the same filling level. The highest PF was 0.78 µW/(m·K2) for PP with 7.5 wt% B-SWCNT. SWCNT macro- and microdispersions were found to be similar in both composite types, as was the very low electrical percolation threshold between 0.075 and 0.1 wt% SWCNT. At loadings between 0.5 and 2.0 wt%, B-SWCNT-based composites have one order of magnitude higher electrical conductivity than those based on SWCNT. The crystallization behavior of PP is more strongly influenced by B-SWCNTs since their composites have higher crystallization temperatures than composites with SWCNTs at a comparable degree of crystallinity. Boron doping of SWCNTs is therefore a suitable way to improve the electrical and thermoelectric properties of composites.
Analytical Approach to the Exergy Destruction and the Simple Expansion Work Potential in the Constant Internal Energy and Volume Combustion Process
Authors: Song Jeongwoo , Song Han Ho
Published: January 2020

The exergy destruction due to the irreversibility of the combustion process has been regarded as one of the key losses of an internal combustion engine. However, there has been little discussion on the direct relationship between the exergy destruction and the work output potential of an engine. In this study, an analytical approach is applied to discuss the relationship between the exergy destruction and efficiency by assuming a simple thermodynamic system simulating an internal combustion engine operation. In this simplified configuration, the exergy destruction during the combustion process is mainly affected by the temperature, which supports well-known facts in the literature. However, regardless of this exergy destruction, the work potential in this simple engine architecture is mainly affected by the pressure during the combustion process. In other words, if these pressure conditions are the same, increasing the system temperature to reduce the exergy destruction does not lead to an increase in the expansion work; rather, it only results in an increase in the remaining exergy after expansion. In a typical internal combustion engine, temperatures before combustion timing must be increased to reduce the exergy destruction, but increasing pressure before combustion timing is a key strategy to increase efficiency.
Comprehensive Spray Characteristics of Water in Port Fuel Injection Injector
Authors: Park Jeonghyun , Lee Kyung-Hwan , Park Suhan
Published: January 2020

The objective of this study was to compare the injection and spray characteristics of water with n-heptane using a port fuel injection (PFI) system. In this study, the injection pressure was changed to 0.3–0.9 Mpa and the energizing duration was changed to 0.5–4 ms. To investigate spray characteristics, the injection quantities of n-heptane and water were measured. Macroscopic spray characteristics were determined through spray visualization. The Sauter mean diameter (SMD) and velocity of spray droplets were measured with a phase Doppler anemometry (PDA) experiment. Spray tip penetration, spray angle, SMD of droplets, and spray droplet velocity were compared. As the injection pressure increased, the injection quantity and the droplets velocity increased. However, the spray tip penetration, SMD of the droplet, and the spray angle decreased. The increase in energizing duration led to an increase in the injection quantity without affecting other spray characteristics. The higher density of water also increased injection quantity, resulting in a decrease in spray tip penetration and increases of SMD and velocity of spray droplets due to high viscosity and surface tension of water.
Numerical Investigation on the Flow Characteristics in a 17 × 17 Full-Scale Fuel Assembly
Authors: Tian Zihao , Yang Lixin , Han Shuang , Yuan Xiaofei , Lu Hongyan , Li Songwei , Liu Luguo
Published: January 2020

In a previous study, several computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations of fuel assembly thermal-hydraulic problems were presented that contained fewer fuel rods, such as 3 × 3 and 5 × 5, due to limited computer capacity. However, a typical AFA-3G fuel assembly consists of 17 × 17 rods. The pressure drop levels and flow details in the whole fuel assembly, and even in the pressurized water reactor (PWR), are not available. Hence, an appropriate CFD method for a full-scale 17 × 17 fuel assembly was the focus of this study. The spacer grids with mixing vanes, springs, and dimples were considered. The polyhedral and extruded mesh was generated using Star-CCM+ software and the total mesh number was about 200 million. The axial and lateral velocity distribution in the sub-channels was investigated. The pressure distribution downstream of different spacer grids were also obtained. As a result, an appropriate method for full-scale rod bundle simulations was obtained. The CFD analysis of thermal-hydraulic problems in a reactor coolant system can be widely conducted by using real-size fuel assembly models.
Planning of Distributed Energy Storage Systems in μGrids Accounting for Voltage Dips
Authors: Mottola Fabio , Proto Daniela , Varilone Pietro , Verde Paola
Published: January 2020

This paper deals with the optimal planning of the electrical energy storage systems in the microgrids aimed at cost minimization. The optimization accounts for the compensation of the voltage dips performed by the energy storage systems. A multi-step procedure, at the first step, identifies a set of candidate buses where the installation of a storage device produces the maximum benefit in terms of dip compensation; then, the life cycle costs in correspondence of different alternatives in terms of size and location of the storage systems are evaluated by considering an optimized use of the energy storage systems. The simulations on a medium voltage microgrid allowed validating the effectiveness of the proposed procedure.
Durability of Alternative Metal Oxide Supports for Application at a Proton-Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Cathode—Comparison of Antimony- and Niobium-Doped Tin Oxide
Authors: Dubau Laetitia , Maillard Frédéric , Chatenet Marian , Cavaliere Sara , Jiménez-Morales Ignacio , Mosdale Annette , Mosdale Renaut
Published: January 2020

In this study, the resistance to corrosion of niobium-doped tin dioxide (Nb-doped SnO2, NTO) and antimony-doped tin oxide (Sb-doped SnO2, ATO) supports has been probed for proton-exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) application. To achieve this goal, ATO or NTO supports with loose-tube (fiber-in-tube) morphology were synthesized using electrospinning and decorated with platinum (Pt) nanoparticles. These cathode catalysts were submitted to two different electrochemical tests, an accelerated stress test following the EU Harmonised Test Protocols for PEMFC in a single cell configuration and an 850 h test in real air-breathing PEMFC systems. In both cases, the dissolution of the doping element was measured either by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP–MS) performed on the exhaust water or by energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (X-EDS) analysis on ultramicrotomed membrane electrode assembly (MEA), and correlated to the performance losses upon ageing. It appears that the NTO-based support leads to lower performances than the ATO-based one, mainly owing to the low electronic conductivity of NTO. However, in the case of ATO, dissolution of the Sb doping element is non-negligible and represents a major issue from a stability point-of-view.
Does the Level of Absorptive Capacity Matter for Carbon Intensity? Evidence from the USA and China
Authors: Mariyakhan Kamalova , Mohamued Elyas Abdulahi , Asif Khan Muhammad , Popp József , Oláh Judit
Published: January 2020

Interest in the rapid growth of CO2 emissions, together with the economic performance of various countries continues to attract researchers and practitioners’ interest. Alongside, concerns regarding global warming and its effects on human and animal health, and thus sustainable development, escalate. The present study employs the nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag to identify short- and long-run dynamics and the asymmetric nexus between absorptive capacity, and CO2 emissions intensity from 1970 to 2018 in the case of the USA and China. In the short-run, an increase in technology transfer based on human resources increases CO2 emissions in China. Contrarily, the decrease in technology transfer based on infrastructure has an emissions-decreasing effect in China. In the long-run, the effects of an increase in absorptive capacity based on innovation and infrastructure developments provide positive and significant impetus to mitigate the carbon intensity in China and the USA. The results are robust using GHG intensity. Thus, policymakers and researchers have to consider the pivotal role of absorptive capacity in facilitating sustainable development.
Distributed Secondary Control for State of Charge Balancing with Virtual Impedance Adjustment in a DC Microgrid
Authors: Hu Daner , Peng Yonggang , Wei Wei , Hu Yalong
Published: January 2020

For the purpose of accurate power sharing and the state of charge (SOC) balancing of each energy storage unit (ESU), a novel secondary control scheme which regulates the virtual impedance is proposed herein. However, there is a coupling relationship between the power sharing and voltage restoration process. In this study, the secondary control scheme could eliminate that effect so that the virtual impedance was only influenced by the system distribution and no longer affected by system initialization and noise. The proposed secondary strategy contains four controllers, including the current sharing controller, the SOC balancing controller, the virtual impedance correction controller, and the local reference voltage controller. Through the proposed scheme, the ESU with a higher SOC will give more power, whereas the lower one will give less power. The steady-state analysis for the uniqueness of the droop coefficient is given. Besides, the small-signal analysis of the ESU was thereby performed to ensure stability. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed strategy was verified through MATLAB/Simulink.
How Climate Change Affects the Building Energy Consumptions Due to Cooling, Heating, and Electricity Demands of Italian Residential Sector
Authors: Mancini Francesco , Lo Basso Gianluigi
Published: January 2020

Climate change affects the buildings’ performance, significantly influencing energy consumption, as well as the indoor thermal comfort. As a consequence, the growing outdoor environmental temperatures entail a slight reduction in heating consumption and an increase in cooling consumption, with different overall effects depending on the latitudes. This document focuses attention on the Italian residential sector, considering the current and reduced meteorological data, in anticipation of future climate scenarios. According to a sample of 419 buildings, referring to the climatic conditions of Milan, Florence, Rome, and Naples, the heating and cooling needs are calculated by a simplified dynamic model, in current and future conditions. The effects of the simplest climate adaptation measure, represented by the introduction of new air conditioners, have been also evaluated. The simulations results show an important reduction in complex energy consumption (Milan −6%, Florence −22%, Rome −25%, Naples −30%), due to the greater incidence of heating demand in the Italian context. However, the increase in air conditioning electrical consumption over the hot season (Milan +11%, Florence +20%, Rome +19%, Naples +16%) can play a critical role for the electrical system; for that reason, the introduction of photovoltaic arrays as a compensatory measure have been analysed.
Uncertainties in the Testing of the Coefficient of Thermal Expansion of Overhead Conductors
Authors: Bedialauneta Miren T. , Albizu Igor , Fernandez Elvira , Mazon A. Javier
Published: January 2020

Overhead lines can be replaced by high temperature low sag (HTLS) conductors in order to increase their capacity. The coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE) of the HTLS conductors are lower than the CTE of conventional conductors. The utilities and conductor manufacturers usually carry out the verification of the CTE of the overhead conductors in an actual size span. The verification is based on the observation of the change of the conductor length as a result of the conductor temperature change. This process is influenced by the coefficient of thermal expansion to be verified. However, there are other factors that also affect it. This paper analyzes the effect of some of the uncertainty sources in the testing of the coefficient of thermal expansion of the overhead conductors. Firstly, the thermal expansion process is described and the uncertainty sources related to the conductor and the line section are identified. Then, the uncertainty sources and their effect on the CTE testing are quantified.
Parametric Analysis of an Energy-Harvesting Device for a Riser Based on Vortex-Induced Vibrations
Authors: Bai Xu , Han Chuanyu , Cheng Yong
Published: January 2020

An energy-harvesting device for a riser based on vortex-induced vibration is proposed to overcome the power supply problem for a marine deep-water riser-monitoring device. To estimate the upper limit of its energy-capture efficiency, as well as the weight and size of the device designed, a discrete model of the riser was configured. With the experimental settings of Stappenbelt and Blevins, vortex-induced vibrations of the discrete cylinder with two degrees of freedom were simulated, and the parameters affecting the energy-acquisition efficiency of the riser were analyzed. The analysis of the dimensionless amplitude ratio showed that this ratio for the system decreased with increasing mass ratio and damping ratio. An analysis showed that the influences of the damping ratio on the energy-capture efficiency were different under medium and low-mass-ratio conditions. A maximum value of 38.44% was achieved when the mass ratio was 2.36 and the damping ratio was 0.05.
Control Strategy of the Pumped Storage Unit to Deal with the Fluctuation of Wind and Photovoltaic Power in Microgrid
Authors: Wu Guangyi , Shao Xiangxin , Jiang Hong , Chen Shaoxin , Zhou Yibing , Xu Hongyang
Published: January 2020

With the development and utilization of distributed energy and microgrid, distributed energy storage has become a new development trend. However, small pumped storage units have the advantages of flexible engineering location, low investment, quick effect, low requirements on transmission lines, and a better solution to the peak load demand of the system. Therefore, it is more and more used in the microgrid, and it conducts joint dispatching with wind power, photovoltaic, and other clean energies. To solve the capacity problem of small pumped storage units within the microgrid, a new control strategy is proposed in this paper. Two pumped storage units are used for joint operations. Taking the smoothed combined output power of wind power, photovoltaic power, and pumped storage power as the target, and considering the limitations of transmission lines, the constraints of wind power and photovoltaic power fields as well as the restrictions of pumped storage power units and corresponding reservoirs are taken into account. In this paper, social particle swarm optimization (SPSO) with improved weight is used to calculate and solve the model. The effectiveness of the new control strategy is verified.
Use of Fertilizers in Agriculture: Individual Effective Dose Estimate
Authors: Ugolini Raffaella , Caldognetto Elena , Trotti Flavio
Published: January 2020

Natural radioactivity might be present in fertilizers above ordinary levels, in particular for 40K and for the radionuclides of the 238U series. A modeling evaluation of the individual effective dose deriving from the use of fertilizers in agriculture is presented here. Dose assessment is useful in the transposition of Directive 2013/59/Euratom, which rules the individual exposure to commodities containing radionuclides of natural origin, such as fertilizers. The following input data have been considered for this study: the amount of fertilizers used in the region of Veneto and in Italy; the utilized agricultural area (to estimate the density of spread fertilizers); and, the average values of activity concentrations in fertilizers for 40K and 238U series radionuclides, derived from scientific literature. The individual effective dose was evaluated while using the Resrad calculation model, making assumptions on the characteristics of the interested soil. This study is focused on the region of Veneto, where the use of fertilizers is higher with respect to the rest of Italy, such providing a more conservative estimate of the individual effective dose to the population. The results show that the estimated individual effective dose values do not exceed few µSv per year. The category that most contributes to the dose is that of compound fertilizers and radon and 40K are the most significant radionuclides.