bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Balance between Life and Death of Cells: Roles of Metallothioneins
Authors: Nielsen Allan Evald , Bohr Adam , Penkowa Milena
Published: November 2017

Metallothionein (MT) is a highly conserved, low-molecular-weight, cysteine-rich protein that occurs in 4 isoforms (MT-I to MT-IV), of which MT-I+II are the major and best characterized proteins.

This review will focus on mammalian MT-I+II and their functional impact upon cellular survival and death, as seen in two rather contrasting pathological conditions: Neurodegeneration and neoplasms. MT-I+II have analogous functions including: 1) Antioxidant scavenging of reactive oxygen species (ROS); 2) Cytoprotection against degeneration and apoptosis; 3) Stimulation of cell growth and repair including angiogenesis/revascularization, activation of stem/progenitor cells, and neuroregeneration. Thereby, MT-I+II mediate neuroprotection, CNS restoration and clinical recovery during neurodegenerative disorders. Due to the promotion of cell survival, increased MT-I+II levels have been associated with poor tumor prognosis, although the data are less clear and direct causative roles of MT-I+II in oncogenesis remain to be identified.

The MT-I+II molecular mechanisms of actions are not fully elucidated. However, their role in metal ion homeostasis might be fundamental in controlling Zn-dependent transcription factors, protein synthesis, cellular energy levels/metabolism and cell redox state.

Here, the neuroprotective and regenerative functions of MT-I+II are reviewed, and the presumed link to oncogenesis is critically perused.
A Changing Research and Publication Landscape for Biochemistry
Authors: Mocz Gabor
Published: November 2017

This introductory editorial hopes to convey three points to its audience. First, it provides an overview of the new, peer-reviewed, open access journal Biochemistry Insights published by Libertas Academica. Second, it summarizes the benefits of open access publishing concepts to the biochemistry community. And third, it takes a brief look at the near future of biochemistry as a fundamental molecular science whose continued advances and latest developments will be the focus of the new journal. Biochemistry Insights looks forward to receiving research articles, review papers, commentaries and letters from all disciplines and specialties of the field.
On Robust State Estimation of Gene Networks
Authors: Chuang Chia-Hua , Lin Chun-Liang
Published: November 2017

Gene networks in biological systems are not only nonlinear but also stochastic due to noise corruption. How to accurately estimate the internal states of the noisy gene networks is an attractive issue to researchers. However, the internal states of biological systems are mostly inaccessible by direct measurement. This paper intends to develop a robust extended Kalman filter for state and parameter estimation of a class of gene network systems with uncertain process noises. Quantitative analysis of the estimation performance is conducted and some representative examples are provided for demonstration.
Lighting the way: Lithuanian Vėlinės visuality as participation, resistance, rupture, and repair
Authors: Thorpe Denise E
Published: November 2017

During the days of Visų Šventųjų diena (All Saints’ Day) and Vėlinių dieną (All Souls’ Day), Lithuanians traverse the country bearing candles and flowers to lay on the graves of their beloved dead. Although these are Roman Catholic practices, many of the Lithuanians who venture to cemeteries are not Catholic or Catholic identifying. As a church historian described in conversation, ‘ Vėlinės has overflowed the banks of the church’, it carries a distinctive and powerful importance in Lithuania. The pervasiveness of death, suffering, loss, exile and dislocation is a prominent aspect of the Lithuanian experience in the modern era. Exploration of the visual aspects of these bodily practices reveals complex dimensions of memory, identity and hope entwined within these religious practices.
Childhood language skills and adolescent self-esteem in preterm survivors
Authors: Islam Umna A , Poole Kristie L , Schmidt Louis A , Ford Jennifer , Saigal Saroj , Van Lieshout Ryan J
Published: November 2017

Fifty-seven percent of children with poor language skills are affected by socio-emotional problems. Despite the importance of language skills to interpersonal functioning and school performance, relatively little is known about how they affect self-esteem in adolescence. Data on youth at high risk for language problems (e.g. those born extremely low birth weight (ELBW; <1000 grams)) are even more scarce. This prospective study examined associations between language skills at age 8 and self-esteem during adolescence (12–16 years) in individuals born at ELBW ( N = 138) or normal birth weight (NBW; >2500 grams) ( N = 111). Participants’ language skills were assessed using the Verbal Scale of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised and the Token Test at age 8. In adolescence, participants completed the Harter Self-Perception Profile for Adolescents. Birth weight status was found to moderate associations between childhood language and adolescent global self-esteem (Token Test ( p = .006), Verbal Intelligence Quotient ( p = .033)) such that better language skills were associated with higher self-esteem in adolescent ELBW survivors, but not in NBW participants. Language skills may play a protective role in the development and maintenance of self-esteem in ELBW youth and could be an important target for optimizing their functioning, particularly before transitioning to the critical adolescent period.
Pick your perspective: Racial group membership and judgments of intent, harm, and discrimination
Authors: Simon Stefanie , Moss Aaron J. , O’Brien Laurie T.
Published: November 2017

How do people judge the intentions of a perpetrator and the harm experienced by a victim in cases of racial discrimination? How do these judgments influence attributions to discrimination? We examined these questions in 4 studies, predicting that Whites’ and Blacks’ judgments would reflect different group-based perspectives. Supporting our hypotheses, White authors describing an arrest denied intent and ignored harm relative to Black authors (Study 1). When judging whether an event was discrimination, Whites were influenced by intent, but Blacks were influenced by intent and harm (Study 2). Finally, instructing people to take the victim’s perspective increased Whites’ judgments of intent, harm, and discrimination (Studies 3 and 4), while Blacks’ judgments generally remained the same (Study 4). Our results demonstrate one reason why Whites and Blacks judge discrimination differently—they adopt different perspectives when evaluating intent and harm—and offer a way to increase Whites’ recognition of discrimination: perspective-taking.
Predicting participation in the population-based Swedish cardiopulmonary bio-image study (SCAPIS) using register data
Authors: Björk Jonas , Strömberg Ulf , Rosengren Annika , Toren Kjell , Fagerberg Björn , Grimby-Ekman Anna , BergströM Göran M.L.
Published: November 2017

Aims:

To illustrate the importance of access to register data on determinants and predictors of study participation to assess validity of population-based studies. In the present investigation, we use data on sociodemographic conditions and disease history among individuals invited to the Swedish cardiopulmonary bio-image study (SCAPIS) in order to establish a model that predicts study participation.

Methods:

The pilot study of SCAPIS was conducted within the city of Gothenburg, Sweden, in 2012, with 2243 invited individuals (50% participation rate). An anonymous data set for the total target population ( n = 24,502) was made available by register authorities (Statistics Sweden and the National Board of Health and Welfare) and included indicators of invitation to and participation in SCAPIS along with register data on residential area, sociodemographic variables, and disease history. Propensity scores for participation were estimated using logistic regression.

Results:

Residential area, country of birth, civil status, education, occupational status, and disposable income were all associated with participation in multivariable models. Adding data on disease history only increased overall classification ability marginally. The associations with disease history were diverse with some disease groups negatively associated with participation whereas some others tended to increase participation.

Conclusions:

The present investigation stresses the importance of a careful consideration of selection effects in population-based studies. Access to detailed register data also for non-participants can in the statistical analysis be used to control for selection bias and enhance generalizability, thereby making the results more relevant for policy decisions.
An efficient sampling strategy for selection of biobank samples using risk scores
Authors: Björk Jonas , Malmqvist Ebba , Rylander Lars , Rignell-Hydbom Anna
Published: November 2017

Aim:

The aim of this study was to suggest a new sample-selection strategy based on risk scores in case-control studies with biobank data.

Methods:

An ongoing Swedish case-control study on fetal exposure to endocrine disruptors and overweight in early childhood was used as the empirical example. Cases were defined as children with a body mass index (BMI) ⩾18 kg/m2 ( n=545) at four years of age, and controls as children with a BMI of ⩽17 kg/m2 ( n=4472 available). The risk of being overweight was modelled using logistic regression based on available covariates from the health examination and prior to selecting samples from the biobank. A risk score was estimated for each child and categorised as low (0–5%), medium (6–13%) or high (⩾14%) risk of being overweight.

Results:

The final risk-score model, with smoking during pregnancy ( p=0.001), birth weight ( p<0.001), BMI of both parents ( p<0.001 for both), type of residence ( p=0.04) and economic situation ( p=0.12), yielded an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 67% ( n=3945 with complete data). The case group ( n=416) had the following risk-score profile: low (12%), medium (46%) and high risk (43%). Twice as many controls were selected from each risk group, with further matching on sex. Computer simulations showed that the proposed selection strategy with stratification on risk scores yielded consistent improvements in statistical precision.

Conclusions:

Using risk scores based on available survey or register data as a basis for sample selection may improve possibilities to study heterogeneity of exposure effects in biobank-based studies.
Assessment of educational misclassification in register-based data on Finnish immigrants in Sweden
Authors: Saarela Jan , Weber Rosa
Published: November 2017

Aim:

In population registers, information on completed schooling is either missing or misclassified for a large proportion of newly arrived immigrants. It is unclear how quickly the information is updated and whether misclassification, i.e., that the wrong level of education is recorded, biases empirical estimates.

Methods:

We use unique linked Swedish and Finnish register data to determine the extent of such mismeasurement. By running logistic regressions on zero earnings, we also illustrate how mismeasurement might influence the estimated effects of education on health or labour market outcomes.

Results:

We find a considerable bias in estimates based on Swedish records of educational attainment during immigrants’ first few years in the country. Misclassification is additionally very common, even when information on educational attainment exists.

Conclusions:

These findings suggest that research and policies using recently arrived immigrants’ completed schooling as a determinant of socioeconomic integration need to be interpreted with care.
A comprehensive active-steering control method for improvement of vehicle handling performance
Authors: Yang Weimiao , Feng Pengpeng , Zhang Jianwu
Published: November 2017

Non-linear system control has always been a difficult point for vehicle stabilization. To improve the vehicle handling performance, a comprehensive active-steering control method is proposed and derived. Different from traditional strategy, this new controller is based on a piecewise tyre modelling ideology combined with feedback linearization controlling method. In the linear region of wheel–terrain contact, vehicle dynamic system turns to be a linear system, an optimal control is designed for the sake of rapid response in tracking desired values. In the non-linear region, where the controlling difficulty always lies in, the tyre lateral force is described by a new polynomial formula model, which is simpler than magic formula model and more accurate than linear model. This new tyre modelling ideology ensures the feasibility of feedback linearization method in non-linear system control. To verify the proposed controller, a numerical seven-degrees-of-freedom vehicle model is built and validated by standard input simulation. Then, simulation under limit conditions, including high friction case and low friction case, are conducted and results are presented and discussed. Compared with optimal controller and free-control method, comprehensive controller has a much more desirable applicability in both cases and greatly improves the vehicle handling performance.
A Noninvasive Body Setup Method for Radiotherapy by Using a Multimodal Image Fusion Technique
Authors: Zhang Jie , Chen Ying , Chen Yunxia , Wang Chenchen , Cai Jing , Chu Kaiyue , Jin Jianhua , Ge Yun , Huang Xiaolin , Guan Yue , Li Weifeng
Published: November 2017

Purpose:

To minimize the mismatch error between patient surface and immobilization system for tumor location by a noninvasive patient setup method.

Materials and Methods:

The method, based on a point set registration, proposes a shift for patient positioning by integrating information of the computed tomography scans and that of optical surface landmarks. An evaluation of the method included 3 areas: (1) a validation on a phantom by estimating 100 known mismatch errors between patient surface and immobilization system. (2) Five patients with pelvic tumors were considered. The tumor location errors of the method were measured using the difference between the proposal shift of cone-beam computed tomography and that of our method. (3) The collected setup data from the evaluation of patients were compared with the published performance data of other 2 similar systems.

Results:

The phantom verification results showed that the method was capable of estimating mismatch error between patient surface and immobilization system in a precision of <0.22 mm. For the pelvic tumor, the method had an average tumor location error of 1.303, 2.602, and 1.684 mm in left–right, anterior–posterior, and superior–inferior directions, respectively. The performance comparison with other 2 similar systems suggested that the method had a better positioning accuracy for pelvic tumor location.

Conclusion:

By effectively decreasing an interfraction uncertainty source (mismatch error between patient surface and immobilization system) in radiotherapy, the method can improve patient positioning precision for pelvic tumor.
Monitoring square and circular fields with sensors using energy-efficient cluster-based routing for underwater wireless sensor networks
Authors: Sher Arshad , Javaid Nadeem , Azam Irfan , Ahmad Hira , Abdul Wadood , Ghouzali Sanaa , Niaz Iftikhar Azim , Khan Fakhri Alam
Published: November 2017

In this article, to monitor the fields with square and circular geometries, three energy-efficient routing protocols are proposed for underwater wireless sensor networks. First one is sparsity-aware energy-efficient clustering, second one is circular sparsity-aware energy-efficient clustering, and the third one is circular depth–based sparsity-aware energy-efficient clustering routing protocol. All three protocols are proposed to minimize the energy consumption of sparse regions, whereas sparsity search algorithm is proposed to find sparse regions and density search algorithm is used to find dense regions of the network field. Moreover, clustering is performed in dense regions to minimize redundant transmissions of a data packet, while sink mobility is exploited to collect data from sensor nodes with an objective of minimum energy consumption. A depth threshold [Formula: see text] value is also used to minimize number of hops between source and destination for less energy consumption. Simulation results show that our schemes perform better than their counter-part schemes (depth-based routing and energy-efficient depth-based routing) in terms of energy efficiency.
A novel energy-aware routing protocol in intermittently connected delay-tolerant wireless sensor networks
Authors: Kang Min Wook , Chung Yun Won
Published: November 2017

In delay-tolerant wireless sensor networks, messages for sensor data are delivered using opportunistic contacts between intermittently connected nodes. Since there is no stable end-to-end routing path like the Internet and mobile nodes operate on battery, an energy-efficient routing protocol is needed. In this article, we consider the probabilistic routing protocol using history of encounters and transitivity protocol as the base protocol. Then, we propose an energy-aware routing protocol in intermittently connected delay-tolerant wireless sensor networks, where messages are forwarded based on the node’s remaining battery, delivery predictability, and type of nodes. The performance of the proposed protocol is compared with that of probabilistic routing protocol using history of encounters and transitivity and probabilistic routing protocol using history of encounters and transitivity with periodic sleep in detail, from the aspects of delivery ratio, overhead ratio, delivery latency, and ratio of alive nodes. Simulation results show that the proposed protocol has better delivery probability, overhead ratio, and ratio of alive nodes, in most of the considered parameter settings, in spite of a small increase in delivery latency.
DRANS: Daily Routine Analysis for Node Searching in delay tolerant networks
Authors: He Xingyu , Yang Guisong , Zhang Hao
Published: November 2017

In delay tolerant networks, the success rate and the transmission speed are restricted by limited social interaction and complex node mobility pattern analysis. To increase the success rate and reduce the transmission delay in delay tolerant networks, we propose Daily Routine Analysis for Node Searching in delay tolerant networks. In Daily Routine Analysis for Node Searching, each node is required to generate a Staying Probability Table and a Transiting Probability Table by analyzing its own daily routine, then to distribute its Staying Probability Table and Transiting Probability Table to the whole network with the help of other nodes having different mobility patterns. On the basis of the Staying Probability Table and Transiting Probability Table, Daily Routine Analysis for Node Searching further provides a node tracking strategy and an opportunistic routing strategy for delivering data from the source node to the destination node. Trace-driven experiments are performed to compare Daily Routine Analysis for Node Searching with previous node searching methods. The experimental results demonstrate that Daily Routine Analysis for Node Searching is able to promote the success rate and reduce the transmission delay effectively.
Design of multi-energy-space-based energy-efficient algorithm in novel software-defined wireless sensor networks
Authors: Wenxing Liao , Muqing Wu , Yuewei Wu
Published: November 2017

Energy efficiency has always been a hot issue in wireless sensor networks. A lot of energy-efficient algorithms have been proposed to reduce energy consumption in traditional wireless sensor networks. With the emergence of software-defined networking, researchers have demonstrated the feasibility of software-defined networking over traditional wireless sensor networks. Thus, energy-efficient algorithms in software-defined wireless sensor networks have been studied. In this article, we propose an energy-efficient algorithm based on multi-energy-space in software-defined wireless sensor networks. First, we propose a novel architecture of software-defined wireless sensor networks according to current research on software-defined wireless sensor networks. Then, we introduce the concept of multi-energy-space which is based on the residual energy. Based on the novel architecture of software-defined wireless sensor networks and the concept of multi-energy-space, we give a detailed introduction of the main idea of our multi-energy-space-based energy-efficient algorithm. Simulation results show that our proposed algorithm performs better in energy consumption balance and network lifetime extension compared with the typical energy-efficient algorithms in traditional wireless sensor networks.
On dynamic performance estimation of fault-prone Infrastructure-as-a-Service clouds
Authors: Zheng Wanbo , Wang Yuandou , Xia Yunni , Wu Quanwang , Wu Lei , Guo Kunyin , Li Weiling , Luo Xin , Zhu Qingsheng
Published: November 2017

The cloud computing paradigm enables elastic resources to be scaled at run time satisfy customers’ demand. Cloud computing provisions on-demand service to users based on a pay-as-you-go manner. This novel paradigm enables cloud users or tenant users to afford computational resources in the form of virtual machines as utilities, just like electricity, instead of paying for and building computing infrastructures by their own. Performance usually specified through service level agreement performance commitment of clouds is one of key research challenges and draws great research interests. Thus, performance issues of cloud infrastructures have been receiving considerable interest by both researchers and practitioners as a prominent activity for improving cloud quality. This work develops an analytical approach to dynamic performance modeling and trend prediction of fault-prone Infrastructure-as-a-Service clouds. The proposed analytical approach is based on a time-series and stochastic-process-based model. It is capable of predicting the expected system responsiveness and request rejection rate under variable load intensities, fault frequencies, multiplexing abilities, and instantiation processing times. A comparative study between theoretical and measured performance results through a real-world campus cloud is carried out to prove the correctness and accuracy of the proposed prediction approach.
Efficient group-based discovery for wireless sensor networks
Authors: Chen Pengpeng , Chen Ying , Gao Shouwan , Niu Qiang , Gu Jun
Published: November 2017

Due to the combination of constrained power, low duty cycle, and high mobility, neighbor discovery is one of the most challenging problems in wireless sensor networks. Existing discovery designs can be divided into two types: pairwise-based and group-based. The former schemes suffer from high discovery delay, while the latter ones accelerate the discovery process but incur too much energy overhead, far from practical. In this article, we propose a novel efficient group-based discovery method based on relative distance, which makes a delicate trade-off between discovery delay and energy consumption. Instead of directly referring to the wake-up schedules of a whole group of nodes, efficient group-based discovery selectively recommends nodes that are most likely to be neighbors, in which the probability is calculated based on the nodes’ relative distance. Moreover, the sequence of received signal strengths are employed to estimate the relative distance for avoiding the effect of the node distribution. Extensive simulations are conducted to verify the effectiveness of the design. The results indicate that efficient group-based discovery statistically achieves a good trade-off between energy cost and discovery latency. Efficient group-based discovery also shows one order of magnitude reduction in discovery delay with a maximum of 6.5% increase in energy consumption compared with typical discovery methods.
Fault detection in an engine by fusing information from multivibration sensors
Authors: Zeng Ruili , Zhang Lingling , Mei Jianmin , Shen Hong , Zhao Huimin
Published: November 2017

Fault detection based on the vibration signal of an engine is an effective non-disassembly method for engine diagnosis because a vibration signal includes a lot of information about the condition of the engine. To obtain multi-information for this article, three vibration sensors were placed at different test points to collect vibration information about the engine operating process. A method combining support vector data description and Dempster–Shafer evidence theory was developed for engine fault detection, where support vector data description is used to recognize the data from a single sensor and Dempster–Shafer evidence theory is used to classify the information from the three vibration sensors in detail. The experimental results show that the fault detection accuracy using three sensors is higher than using a single sensor. The multi-complementary sensor information can be adopted in the proposed method, which will increase the reliability of fault detection and reduce uncertainty in the recognition of a fault.
Vortex characteristics downstream a fan and its effect on the heat transfer of the temperature inversion under late spring coldness
Authors: Ni Yongyan , Pan Zhongyong , Huang Zhenjie , Liu Weimin
Published: November 2017

Tea plant in East China usually suffers from frost damage due to sudden low temperature under late spring coldness. A fan is a frost protection device that can blow the warmer air aloft to the tea canopy level under radiative frost meteorological event with temperature inversions. In this study, the flow fields and the temperature distribution downstream a fan were numerically simulated. It is found that the flow structure downstream the fan is divided into two flow regimes: one is the jet flow that blows the warmer air aloft downward and the other one is vortex ring that enhances turbulence at the tea canopy level. The jet and the vortex characteristics are nearly independent on the shaft rotation speed. However, the heat transfer process is obviously related to the flow structures, and the temperature distribution on the tea canopy plane coincides with the vortex characteristics. The temperature peak is near the core of the flow vortex, and the high-temperature zone coincides with the vortex ring regime.
Hierarchical framework for coordinate optimization of train timetable and electric motor train unit circulation plan
Authors: Lu Chao , Zhou Leishan , Tang Jinjin , Chen Ran
Published: November 2017

To meet the increasing demand for improving railway service quality while using the precious mobile resources reasonably and economically, this research proposes a hierarchical approach that integrates the model for constructing an efficient electric motor train unit circulation plan into the model for optimized timetable design without predefining timetable details. A simulated annealing algorithm for solving the timetabling (main) model is designed, in which the neighborhood system is pretreated. A special tree construction–based branch-and-bound algorithm is improved for solving the electric motor train unit circulation planning (sub)model. The results of the numerical experiment verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. Specifically, compared to the randomly generated initial solution, the optimal solution obtained by the proposed methods reduces the total travel time by 686 min and reduces the number of electric motor train units by 5. The number of electric motor train units needed by the proposed method is on average at least two less than the method that handles the problem in a sequential way. Railway operators can implement this approach for balancing the efficiency of timetable and the quality of electric motor train unit circulation plan within a reasonable computation time when scheduling trains in railways.
Numerical evaluation of multilobe bearings using the spectral method
Authors: Thiery Florian , Gantasala Sudhakar , Aidanpää Jan-Olov
Published: November 2017

Hydropower rotors and pumps have the specificity to be oriented vertically, meaning that the bearing forces have to be evaluated at each time-step depending on the position of the rotor for dynamical analyses. If the bearing forces cannot be evaluated analytically, a suitable numerical method should be used to calculate the pressure distribution over the bearing domain. This process can be computationally expensive as it should be performed for each discrete time-step. As a result, a comparison between the spectral method, the finite difference method, and the finite element method is performed to investigate which method is more adapted to dynamical analysis of the bearing. It is observed that the spectral method has the advantage of having a reasonable simulation time for any eccentricity magnitude with a moderate number of interpolation points. However, this method should be restricted to simple bearing models such as plain bearings or multilobe bearings due to the advantage of finding a global numerical solution directly on the entire bearing/pad domain.
Spectral radius and extremal graphs for class of unicyclic graph with pendant vertices
Authors: Zhi Lu , Xu Meijin , Liu Xiujuan , Chen Xiaodong , Chen Chen , Liu Yan-Jun
Published: November 2017

In this article, we research on the spectral radius of extremal graphs for the unicyclic graphs with girth g mainly by the graft transformation and matching and obtain the upper bounds of the spectral radius of unicyclic graphs.
Three-dimensional air distribution analysis of different outflow typed operating rooms at different inlet velocities and room temperatures
Authors: Ufat Hande , Kaynakli Omer , Yamankaradeniz Nurettin , Yamankaradeniz Recep
Published: November 2017

It is important to provide a regular unidirectional air distribution in an operating room to reduce the number of particles. Measurements were taken in the one of the operating rooms at Uludag University Medical School, with laminar air flow unit and two-cornered outlet which was thought to have some airflow problems. Moreover, a three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics model has been developed where the measurements were taken in. The distributions of air velocity, temperature, and relative humidity have been examined and compared with the measurements to validate the computational fluid dynamics analyses. In addition to present model, four-cornered outlet operating room has been analyzed and compared with the results of two-cornered one. It is concluded that the case of four-cornered outlet provides more suitable thermal distribution, which results in a reduction of the particle numbers in the interior. Although there is no significant change in temperature and relative humidity in the operating room, air distribution changes dramatically.
Taxi fuel consumption and emissions estimation model based on the reconstruction of driving trajectory
Authors: Weng Jiancheng , Liang Quan , Qiao Guoliang , Chen Zhihong , Rong Jian
Published: November 2017

Monitoring operating vehicles’ fuel consumption and emissions is necessity for evaluating fuel saving and emissions reduction. Taxis are one of the key objects needed energy consumption monitoring in passenger transport system. However, the traditional data collection methods for vehicle fuel consumption and emissions had high cost and inconvenient maintenance. This study aims at proposing an approach to estimate taxi fuel consumption and emissions based on the global position system (GPS) trajectory data. The bench test experiment was first conducted with three different driving cycles: cruising, acceleration and deceleration, and the composite driving cycle including these two. Then, models to calculate fuel consumption and emission based on the driving trajectory reconstruction were proposed. Therefore, the taxis’ fuel consumption and emissions could be got through GPS trajectory data corresponding to these three driving cycles. The model accuracy were verified that fuel consumption (92%) and CO2 emission (95%) fit the measurements much better than CO, NOx, and HC emission models (60%–70%). Furthermore, taking fuel consumption per 100 km as dependent variable, the relative errors between the model’s outputs and field measurements were 1.9% in urban areas and 11.2% in comprehensive operating conditions (i.e. both urban and suburb areas).
Nonlinear vibrations of large structures with uncertain parameters
Authors: Lamrhari Mohammed , Sarsri Driss , Azrar Lahcen , Rahmoune Miloud , Sbai Khalid
Published: November 2017

The effects of uncertainties on the nonlinear dynamics of complex structures remain poorly mastered and most methods deal with the linear case. This article deals with a model of a large and complex structure with uncertain parameters for the nonlinear dynamic case, and the reduction in the model discretized by the finite element method is obtained by reducing the degrees of freedom in the numerical model. This is achieved by the development of the unknown displacement vector on the basis of the eigenmodes; a particular attention is paid to the calculation of the nonlinear stiffness coefficients of the model. The method combines the stochastic finite element methods with a modal reduction class based on sub-structuring the component mode synthesis method. The reference method is the Monte Carlo simulation which consists in making several simulations for different values of the uncertain parameters. The simulation of complex and nonlinear structures is costly in terms of memory and computation time. To solve this problem, the perturbation method combined with the component mode synthesis reduction method significantly reduces the computational cost by preserving the physical content of the original structure. The numerical integration by the Newmark schema is used; the first statistical moments (mean and variance) of the nonlinear dynamic response are computed. Numerical simulations illustrate the accuracy and effectiveness of the proposed methodology.
Parameter optimization for deformation energy and forming quality in single point incremental forming process using response surface methodology
Authors: Yao Zimeng , Li Yan , Yang Mingshun , Yuan Qilong , Shi Pengtao
Published: November 2017

The deformation energy in single point incremental forming has an immediate impact on the processing cost, the heat and the wear effects between the tool and the formed material. Meanwhile, poor forming quality is still one of the largest challenges for the development and commercialization of this method. Therefore, the goal of this study is to search for the optimal working condition for lower energy consumption with better forming quality during the forming process. A Box–Behnken design for a cone parts forming process has been performed. The effects of four input parameters (step down, tool diameter, wall angle, and initial sheet thickness) on three outputs—deformation energy, surface roughness, and geometric error—have been investigated. With the target of minimal synchronization of deformation energy consumption, surface roughness, and geometric error, which are 1522.4 J, 0.97 µm, and 1.939 mm, respectively, in this case, four processing parameters were optimized with tool diameters as 16 mm, step down as 0.5 mm, sheet thickness as 0.57 mm, and wall angle as 65°. With optimization of deformation energy and surface roughness, in conjunction with geometric error compensation, an increased accuracy of the resulting parts can be obtained with minimum deformation energy and surface roughness.
Development of integrated intelligent computer-aided design system for mechanical power-transmitting mechanism design
Authors: Saric Isad , Muminovic Adil , Colic Mirsad , Rahimic Senad
Published: November 2017

This article presents architecture of integrated intelligent computer-aided design system for designing mechanical power-transmitting mechanisms (IICADkmps). The system has been developed in C# program environment with the aim of automatising the design process. This article presents a modern, automated approach to design. Developed kmps modules for calculation of geometrical and design characteristics of mechanical power-transmitting mechanisms are described. Three-dimensional geometrical parameter modelling of mechanical power-transmitting mechanisms was performed in the computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing/computer-aided engineering system CATIA V5. The connection between kmps calculation modules and CATIA V5 modelling system was established through initial three-dimensional models – templates. The outputs from the developed IICADkmps system generated final three-dimensional virtual models of mechanical power-transmitting mechanisms. Testing of the developed IICADkmps system was performed on friction, belt, cogged (spur and bevel gears) and chain transmitting mechanisms. Also, connection of the developed IICADkmps system with a device for rapid prototyping and computer numerical control machines was made for the purpose of additional testing and verification of practical use. Physical prototypes of designed characteristic elements of mechanical power-transmitting mechanisms were manufactured. The selected test three-dimensional virtual prototypes, obtained as an output from the developed IICADkmps system, were manufactured on the device for rapid prototyping (three-dimensional colour printer Spectrum Z510) and computer numerical control machines. Finally, at the end of the article, conclusions and suggested possible directions of further research, based on theoretical and practical research results, are presented.
Modeling of kerosene combustion under fuel-rich conditions
Authors: Song Eunhye , Song Juhun
Published: November 2017

The turbo-pump and turbine are driven by liquid fuel fed into a gas generator, where the fuel is oxidized with a liquid oxidizing agent. For stable operation of the turbine, the combustion temperature of the gas generator must be maintained below 1000 K. The thermodynamic characteristics of kerosene oxidation in the gas generator must be understood to optimize the design and operation conditions of the liquid-fueled rocket engine system. Herein, the 3-species surrogate mixture model for kerosene was selected, and the detailed Dagaut’s kerosene oxidation mechanism consisting of 225 chemical species and 1800 reversible chemical reactions was utilized. The exit gas temperature and product gas composition in the gas generator under fuel-rich conditions were simulated by applying the perfectly stirred reactor model. The perfectly stirred reactor model was used in combination with the liquid spray model for evaporation of the droplets and the two-temperature model for evaluation of the flame temperature separately from the locally averaged reactor temperature. The theoretical prediction of the gas species fraction and soot yield could be improved by applying the tar cracking mechanism, where the reaction characteristics under high temperature were taken into account.
Aerodynamic drag reduction and flow control of Ahmed body with flaps
Authors: Tian Jie , Zhang Yingchao , Zhu Hui , Xiao Hongwei
Published: November 2017

In this study, we attempted a novel drag reduction technique for 25° and 35° Ahmed models by experimenting with two types of flap structures, respectively, added to the slant edges of the two models. Different pairs of flaps were added at various angles compared to the slant for the sake of comparison. The study comprehensively analyzed the effects of the “big-type” and “small-type” flaps on the aerodynamic drag and near wake of an Ahmed model in a greater range of flap mounting angles. Parametric analysis results confirmed that large and small flaps are most efficient when configured on the 25° Ahmed model at specific angles; up to 21% pressure coefficient reduction was achieved for the 25° Ahmed model (flap configurations at slant side edge) and 6% for the 35° Ahmed model (flap configurations at both slant side and top edges). The velocity and pressure contours indicated that the key to drag reduction is to weaken (if not eliminate) the longitudinal vortex created at the side edges of the rear slant.
Characterization of oxide barrier layers prepared by atomic layer deposition
Authors: Tsai Fa-Ta , Chao Ching-Kong , Jhong Kai-Jyun , Chang Rwei-Ching
Published: November 2017

Atomic layer deposition has become an important thin-film growth technique for producing gas diffusion barriers because of its low process temperature and its ability to produce uniform films. In this work, atomic layer deposition was used to deposit various Al2O3 and ZnO thin films on polyethylene terephthalate substrates; subsequently, the physical properties and water vapor transmission rates of the films were characterized. Single and hybrid films (Al2O3, ZnO, Al2O3/ZnO, and ZnO/Al2O3) with thicknesses of 25, 50, and 100 nm at a deposition temperature of 60°C were investigated. The deposited films were characterized for surface roughness, optical transmittance, adhesion, water vapor transmission rate, and contact angle. The results showed that the double-layer structure provided a higher water vapor transmission rate and higher adhesion strength than those of the single-layer structure although both the surface roughness and optical transmittance of the single-layer structure were slightly better than those of the double-layer structure. The results revealed that the atomic layer deposition-grown hybrids could act as water vapor barriers.
Analysis of cavitation orthogonal experiments in power ultrasonic honing
Authors: Ye Linzheng , Zhu Xijing
Published: November 2017

Cavitation will occur in the process of power ultrasonic honing. To explore the influence of cavitation on the material surface processed, an ultrasonic honing cavitation orthogonal experiment is conducted and three indicators are analyzed, which are pits’ maximum diameter, surface erosion rate, and surface roughness and can represent the single bubble collapse strength, the whole cavitation strength, and the impact of cavitation on material surface quality, respectively. The results show that cavitation leads to micro-pits on material surface. The main factors influencing the pits’ maximum diameter are distance and amplitude in turn; meanwhile, the shorter distance and the greater amplitude result in the larger pits’ maximum diameter. The surface erosion rate is mainly affected by experiment time and distance in order. Amplitude has the greatest influence on the surface roughness. The sample surface roughness reduces and surface quality improves in the condition of distance of 5 mm, amplitude of 65%, and experiment time of 1/3 min. Therefore, cavitation effect can help to enhance the workpiece surface quality in power ultrasonic honing under certain conditions, and the experimental analysis results have reference significance to the actual processing of ultrasonic honing.
Fluid dynamic modeling and fuzzy proportional–integral–derivative–based ink-supply method for piezoelectric ink-jet printing
Authors: Zhan Hongwu , Xu Fang , Ni Zijing
Published: November 2017

To resolve the problems of ink drop tailing, satellite drop, and ink ribbon of piezoelectric ink-jet printing, a fluid dynamic modeling method and an adaptive ink-supply method are proposed. First, based on the volume of fluid method, a fluid dynamic model for the jetting and forming of ink drop is set up. According to this model, the numerical analysis for the states of forming, fracture, and flight of ink drops is performed; referring to different boundary conditions of piezoelectric ink-jet process, the inherent relations between ink characteristics and ink drop motion are analyzed, and an optimal viscosity range for piezoelectric nozzle is confirmed. Then, a fuzzy proportional–integral–derivative–based ink-supply control method is developed to achieve the fast and smooth responses for ink temperature and to obtain the required ink characteristics and ink-supply effects. Finally, a microcontroller-based piezoelectric ink-jetting experiment platform is established, and the experiment results show that the fluid dynamic modeling method can simulate the flow field profiles of piezoelectric ink-jet; the fuzzy proportional–integral–derivative–based ink-supply system can improve the printing quality; the print stripes are decreased obviously, and the softer and cleaner images can be obtained.
Towards a hybrid software architecture and multi-agent approach for autonomous robot software
Authors: Yang Shuo , Mao Xinjun , Yang Sen , Liu Zhe
Published: November 2017

To support robust plan execution of autonomous robots in dynamic environments, autonomous robot software should include adaptive and reactive capabilities to cope with the dynamics and uncertainties of the evolving states of real-world environments. However, conventional software architectures such as sense-model-plan-act and behaviour-based paradigms are inadequate for meeting the requirements. A lack of sensing during acting in the sense-model-plan-act paradigm makes the software slow to react to run-time contingencies, whereas the behaviour-based architectures typically fall short in planning of long-range steps and making optimized plan adaptations. This article proposes a hybrid software architecture that maintains both adaptivity and reactivity of robot behaviours in dynamic environments. To implement this architecture, we further present the multi-agent development framework known as AutoRobot, which views the robot software as a multi-agent system in which diverse agent roles collaborate to achieve software functionalities. To demonstrate the applicability and validity of our concrete framework and software architecture, we conduct an experiment to implement a typical case, for example, a robot that autonomously picks up and drops off dishes for remote guests, which requires the robot to plan and navigate in a highly dynamic environment and can adapt its behaviours to unexpected situations.
A simultaneous trajectory generation method for quadcopter intercepting ground mobile vehicle
Authors: Zhu Jiangcheng , Zhu Jun , Xu Chao
Published: November 2017

This article proposes a trajectory generator for quadcopter to intercept moving ground vehicle. For this air–ground interaction problem, we formulate the trajectory generation problem as quadratic dynamic programming in a moving-horizon scheme based on the quadcopter kinematics and observation to ground vehicle. The closed-form solution of quadratic dynamic programming in each iteration enables this algorithm a real-time replanning performance. Thereafter, segmented trajectory rule, inspired from commercial flight landing regular, is implemented to guarantee smoothness in approaching and interception to moving ground target from comparably far origin. Our established algorithm is verified through both simulations and experiments.
Enhancing the alignment of the preclinical and clinical stroke recovery research pipeline: Consensus-based core recommendations from the Stroke Recovery and Rehabilitation Roundtable translational working group
Authors: Corbett Dale , Carmichael S Thomas , Murphy Timothy H , Jones Theresa A , Schwab Martin E , Jolkkonen Jukka , Clarkson Andrew N , Dancause Numa , Weiloch Tadeusz , Johansen-Berg Heidi , Nilsson Michael , McCullough Louise D , Joy Mary T
Published: November 2017

Stroke recovery research involves distinct biological and clinical targets compared to the study of acute stroke. Guidelines are proposed for the pre-clinical modeling of stroke recovery and for the alignment of pre-clinical studies to clinical trials in stroke recovery.