bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Thoracoscopic lung biopsy under regional anesthesia for interstitial lung disease
Authors: Kurihara Chitaru , Tolly Brian , DeWolf Andre , Nader Antoun , Kim Samuel , Odell David D , Argento Angela C , Budinger G R Scott , Bharat Ankit
Published: February 2020

Background

Interstitial lung disease (ILD) management guidelines support lung biopsy-guided therapy. However, the high mortality associated with thoracoscopic lung biopsy using general anesthesia (GA) in patients with ILD has deterred physicians from offering this procedure and adopt a diagnostic approach based on high-resolution CT. Here we report that thoracoscopy under regional anesthesia could be a safer alternative for lung biopsy and effectively guide ILD treatment.

Methods

This was a single-center retrospective review of prospectively maintained database and consisted of patients who underwent thoracoscopic lung biopsy between March 2016 and March 2018. Patients were divided into two groups: (A) GA, and (B) regional anesthesia using monitored anesthesia care (MAC) and thoracic epidural anesthesia (TEA).

Results

During the study period, 44 patients underwent thoracoscopic lung biopsy. Of these, 15 underwent MAC/TEA. There were no significant differences between the two groups with regard to pulmonary function test and clinicodemographic profile. However, operative time and hospital stay were shorter in MAC/TEA group (32.5±18.5 min vs 50.8±18.4; p=0.004, 1.0±1.3 days vs 10.0±34.7 days; p<0.001, respectively). Eight patients in the GA group, but none in the MAC/TEA group, experienced worsening of ILD after lung biopsy (p=0.03). Additionally, one patient in the GA group died due to acute ILD worsening. No cases of MAC/TEA group had to be converted to GA. In all cases a pathological diagnosis could be made.

Conclusions

Thoracoscopy using regional anesthesia might be a safer alternative to lung biopsy in patients with ILD.
Quasi-periodic oscillations around Kerr-MOG black holes
Authors: Kološ Martin , Shahzadi Misbah , Stuchlík Zdeněk
Published: February 2020

The study of the quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) of X-ray flux observed in the stellar-mass black hole (BH) binaries can provide a powerful tool for testing the phenomena occurring in strong gravity regime. We thus present and apply to three known microquasars the model of epicyclic oscillations of Keplerian discs orbiting rotating BHs governed by the modified theory of gravity (MOG). We show that the standard geodesic models of QPOs can explain the observationally fixed data from the three microquasars, GRO 1655-40, XTE 1550-564, and GRS 1915+105. We perform a successful fitting of the high frequency (HF) QPOs observed in these microquasars, under assumption of MOG BHs, for epicyclic resonance and its variants, relativistic precession and its variants, tidal disruption, as well as warped disc models and discuss the corresponding constraints of parameters of the model, which are the mass and spin and parameter $$\alpha $$α of the BH.
Automatic Seizure Detection using Fully Convolutional Nested LSTM
Authors: Li Yang , Yu Zuyi , Chen Yang , Yang Chunfeng , Li Yue , Allen Li X. , Li Baosheng
Published: February 2020

The automatic seizure detection system can effectively help doctors to monitor and diagnose epilepsy thus reducing their workload. Many outstanding studies have given good results in the two-class seizure detection problems, but most of them are based on hand-wrought feature extraction. This study proposes an end-to-end automatic seizure detection system based on deep learning, which does not require heavy preprocessing on the EEG data or feature engineering. The fully convolutional network with three convolution blocks is first used to learn the expressive seizure characteristics from EEG data. Then these robust EEG features pertinent to seizures are presented as an input to the Nested Long Short-Term Memory (NLSTM) model to explore the inherent temporal dependencies in EEG signals. Lastly, the high-level features obtained from the NLSTM model are fed into the softmax layer to output predicted labels. The proposed method yields an accuracy range of 98.44–100% in 10 different experiments based on the Bonn University database. A larger EEG database is then used to evaluate the performance of the proposed method in real-life situations. The average sensitivity of 97.47%, specificity of 96.17%, and false detection rate of 0.487 per hour are yielded. For CHB–MIT Scalp EEG database, the proposed model also achieves a segment-level sensitivity of 94.07% with a false detection rate of 0.66 per hour. The excellent results obtained on three different EEG databases demonstrate that the proposed method has good robustness and generalization power under ideal and real-life conditions.
Radial anharmonic oscillator: Perturbation theory, new semiclassical expansion, approximating eigenfunctions. II. Quartic and sextic anharmonicity cases
Authors: del Valle J. C. , Turbiner A. V.
Published: February 2020

In our previous paper I (del Valle–Turbiner, 2019) a formalism was developed to study the general [Formula: see text]-dimensional radial anharmonic oscillator with potential [Formula: see text]. It was based on the Perturbation Theory (PT) in powers of [Formula: see text] (weak coupling regime) and in inverse, fractional powers of [Formula: see text] (strong coupling regime) in both [Formula: see text]-space and in [Formula: see text]-space, respectively. As a result, the Approximant was introduced — a locally-accurate uniform compact approximation of a wave function. If taken as a trial function in variational calculations, it has led to variational energies of unprecedented accuracy for cubic anharmonic oscillator. In this paper, the formalism is applied to both quartic and sextic, spherically-symmetric radial anharmonic oscillators with two term potentials [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], respectively. It is shown that a two-parametric Approximant for quartic oscillator and a five-parametric one for sextic oscillator for the first four eigenstates used to calculate the variational energy are accurate in 8–12 figures for any [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], while the relative deviation of the Approximant from the exact eigenfunction is less than [Formula: see text] for any [Formula: see text].
Vacuum polarization of generalized quantum electrodynamics in the Heisenberg picture
Authors: Montenegro David
Published: February 2020

In this work, we consider the generalized quantum electrodynamics proposed by Podolsky in Heisenberg picture via Källén methodology. We investigate the effects of higher-order derivatives to understand the qualitative and quantitative aspects of vacuum polarization. In addition, the most general structure of induced current and polarization tensor that emerge naturally by a perturbative scheme “à la” Källén is also obtained. Afterward, we discuss the physical implication of charge renormalization in the perspective of unitary and stable Podolsky theory.
Video Human Behavior Recognition Based on ISA Deep Network Model
Authors: Zhong Xian , Huang Wenxin , Luo Ruiqi , Wang Can
Published: February 2020

Vision-based behavior recognition is the analysis and recognition of human behavior in video. It has been widely used in many aspects such as multimedia information retrieval, behavior monitoring, and robot perception. This paper uses the Independent Subspace Analysis (ISA) deep network model feature extraction method, which is based on the ISA model and neural network theory, and combines data preprocessing methods, [Formula: see text]-means clustering methods, and Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifiers to achieve video classification and identification of human behavior. The ISA-based deep network model feature extraction method is an unsupervised learning method that can obtain behavior characteristics with good invariance and characterization capabilities in video human behavior. The experiment was conducted on the basis of the Hollywood2 human behavior data set. This experiment was compared with other commonly used human behavior feature extraction and recognition methods. The experimental results validated the effectiveness and advantages of this method in the classification and recognition of human behavior.
Study on Critical Density of Percolation in Crowds in Public Areas
Authors: Guo Hui , Song Ying-Hua , Lv Wei , Guo Xin-Yao , Lei Zhi-Wu
Published: February 2020

The percolation model is an effective tool to solve the problem of fluid flow in the pores; the situation of outsiders crossing the crowd is similar. This paper verifies the obvious percolation phenomenon in the randomly distributed crowd by [Formula: see text] simulation and reveals several characteristics and laws of the crowd percolation phenomena. Studies have shown that sites with different spatial dimensions have different densities of crowd percolation: when the actual density of the crowd is greater than the critical density of the crowd percolation, the outsider is difficult to pass through the crowd; otherwise, the outsider can pass through the crowd easily. Therefore, the critical density of crowd percolation can be one of the indicators of crowd management in public areas, which will provide important guidance for the design of public areas, site selection of public activities and crowd management.
Essential and extending modules relative to a left exact preradical
Authors: Arellano Víctor , Signoret Carlos
Published: February 2020

We give a relativization of the notions of essential, uniform, closed, injective and extending modules with respect to a left exact preradical on the ring. We also give useful examples and show that several classical properties hold for these kinds of modules.
Extensivity and entropy current at thermodynamic equilibrium with acceleration
Authors: Rindori Davide , Becattini Francesco
Published: February 2020

We derive a sufficient condition for the existence of the entropy current of a fluid at local thermodynamic equilibrium using relativistic quantum statistical mechanics, and put forward a general method to calculate it. We also work out a specific calculation in a non-trivial case of interest, namely a system at global thermodynamic equilibrium with proper acceleration of constant magnitude along the flow lines in Minkowski space–time, whose lowest possible proper temperature is the Unruh temperature. In this case, we show that the integral of the entropy current in the right Rindler wedge is the entanglement entropy with the left Rindler wedge.
Extended complex Yang–Mills instanton sheaves
Authors: Lai Sheng-Hong , Lee Jen-Chi , Tsai I-Hsun
Published: February 2020

In the search of Yang–Mills (YM) instanton sheaves with topological charge two, the rank of [Formula: see text] matrix in the monad construction can be dropped from the bundle case with rank [Formula: see text] to either rank [Formula: see text] [S. H. Lai, J. C. Lee and I. H. Tsai, Yang–Mills instanton sheaves, Ann. Phys. 377 (2017) 446] or 0 on some points of [Formula: see text] of the sheaf cases. In this paper, we first show that the sheaf case with rank [Formula: see text] does not exist for the previous construction of [Formula: see text] complex YM instantons [S. H. Lai, J. C. Lee and I. H. Tsai, Biquaternions and ADHM construction of concompact [Formula: see text] Yang–Mills instantons, Ann. Phys. 361 (2015) 14]. We then show that in the new “extended complex YM instantons” discovered in this paper, rank [Formula: see text] can be either 2 on the whole [Formula: see text] (bundle) with some given ADHM data or 1, 0 on some points of [Formula: see text] with other ADHM data (sheaves). These extended [Formula: see text] complex YM instantons have no real instanton counterparts. Finally, the potential applications to real physics systems are noted in the end of the paper.
Jacobi analysis for an unusual 3D autonomous system
Authors: Feng Chunsheng , Huang Qiujian , Liu Yongjian
Published: February 2020

Little seems to be known about the study of the chaotic system with only Lyapunov stable equilibria from the perspective of differential geometry. Therefore, this paper presents Jacobi analysis of an unusual three-dimensional (3D) autonomous chaotic system. Under certain parameter conditions, this system has positive Lyapunov exponents and only two linear stable equilibrium points, which means that chaotic attractor and Lyapunov stable equilibria coexist. The dynamical behavior of the deviation vector near the whole trajectories (including all equilibrium points) is analyzed in detail. The results show that the value of the deviation curvature tensor at equilibrium points is only related to parameters; the two equilibrium points of the system are Jacobi stable if the parameters satisfy certain conditions. Particularly, for a specific set of parameters, the linear stable equilibrium points of the system are always Jacobi unstable. A periodic orbit that is Lyapunov stable is also proven to be always Jacobi unstable. Next, Jacobi-stable regions of the Lorenz system, the Chen system and the system under study are compared for specific parameters. It can be found that although these three chaotic systems are very similar, their regions of Jacobi stable parameters are much different. Finally, by comparing Jacobi stability with Lyapunov stability, the obtained results demonstrate that the Jacobi stable parameter region is basically symmetric with the Lyapunov stable parameter region.
Jacobi structures with background
Authors: Cioroianu Eugen-Mihaita , Vizman Cornelia
Published: February 2020

Combining the twisted Jacobi structure [Twisted Jacobi manifolds, twisted Dirac–Jacobi structures and quasi-Jacobi bialgebroids, J. Phys. A: Math. Gen. 39(33) (2006) 10449–10475] with that of a Poisson structure with a 3-form background [Poisson geometry with a 3-form background, Prog. Theor. Phys. Suppl. 144 (2001) 145–154], alias twisted Poisson, we propose and analyze a new structure, called Jacobi structure with background. The background is a pair consisting of a [Formula: see text]-form and a [Formula: see text]-form. We describe their characteristic leaves. For twisted contact dual pairs, we show the correspondence of characteristic leaves of the two Jacobi manifolds with background.
Bifunctional Nanoparticles as a Recyclable Fluorescent Sensor for pH and Cu2+ Detection and Removal of Heavy Metal Ions
Authors: Qian Yong , Meng Xiangfu , Liu Hongji , Wang Xingyu , Wang Hui
Published: February 2020

Magnetic and fluorescent-based sensors have demonstrated widely applications due to their easily recycle and quickly optical response. However, the complex synthesis and weaker function of these sensors limit their practical applications. Herein, an unmodified, magnetic-functionalized carbon dots-based fluorescent sensor has been developed for label-free detection of pH and Cu[Formula: see text] with high sensitivity. The sensors can not only reversibly quench and recover the fluorescence signals in response to the variation of surrounding environment including pH and Cu[Formula: see text], but also be used as a high-efficiency recyclable adsorbent for removing Cu[Formula: see text], Hg[Formula: see text], Cr[Formula: see text] and Pb[Formula: see text] from aqueous solution.
Enhanced Piezoelectric Performance of Electrospun PVDF-MWCNT-Cu Nanocomposites for Energy Harvesting Application
Authors: Selvan Ramadoss Tamil , Jia Choo Yan , Jayathilaka W. A. D. M. , Chinappan Amutha , Alam Hilaal , Ramakrishna Seeram
Published: February 2020

Piezoelectric principle is one of the popular choices when it comes to mechanical energy recovery and conversion of energy into electrical energy which can be either stored or used straightaway. In general, ceramic-based piezoelectric materials like Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT) had been the popular choice for piezoelectric devices even though they are brittle in nature and found to be toxic in long uses. At the same time, organic-based Polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVDF) and similar polymeric materials have been used in different applications with an offer of flexibility, lightweight and biocompatibility. One major factor dragging down the usage of organic materials in piezoelectric applications is their poor piezoelectric responses. In this work, authors are reporting the enhanced piezoelectric properties of nanofibers of PVDF in composite with copper nanoparticles and Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes (MWCNTs). Fourier Transformation Infrared (FTIR) analysis has been carried out for nanofibers and was able to prove the higher beta phase conversion of PVDF in composite nanofibers when compared with pristine nanofibers. Composite nanofibers were later fabricated into a piezoelectric device with two electrodes and have shown a peak voltage of 6.78 V upon a drop test. As a proof of concept, the mentioned piezoelectric device was integrated into a shoe-based prototype where it has shown 18–20[Formula: see text]V energy harvesting upon walking at leisurely pace.
Nanocrystalline coatings and their electrochemical energy storage applications
Authors: Chen Kunfeng , Liang Feng , Zhu Ting , Yao Shuang , Deng Ruiping , Xue Dongfeng
Published: February 2020

Nanocrystalline coating electrodes, also named thin-film electrodes, have received more and more research interest in electrical energy storage devices because the thin-film electrode enhanced its conductivity leading to facilitate electron transfer, and avoid the use of polymer binders and conductive agent. Here, we review the progress and challenge of synthesizing thin-film electrodes as well as their specific electroactivities for Li-ion batteries and supercapacitors. Nanostructured metal oxide thin film with targeted physical properties directly grown on a metal substrate is also summarized. To fully exploit thin-film electrodes, the optimization of crystallization processes and electrochemical properties of coating or film are important for the development of highly active thin-film energy storage devices.
Tailorable negative permittivity in Fe/BaTiO3 meta-composites
Authors: Liu Yao , Xu Ciqun , Ren Huan , Wei Zaixin , Zhang Zidong
Published: February 2020

Meta-composites with negative permittivity are promising candidates for future electronics such as microwave absorbers, novel capacitors, etc. In this work, we proposed to develop the Fe/BaTiO3 meta-composites with tuneable negative permittivity. Fe content influenced the conductivity of composites and even led to the change of the conductive mechanism. The tuneable permittivity behavior was achieved by controlling the Fe fraction, and the plasma oscillation theory was employed to explain the negative permittivity behavior. Meanwhile, a frequency-switched negative permittivity was observed in this composite, which could be used to extend applications of meta-composites.
Data-based Distributed Fault Diagnosis for Adaptive Structures using Convolutional Neural Networks
Authors: Gienger Andreas , Ostertag Andreas , Böhm Michael , Bertsche Bernd , Sawodny Oliver , Tarín Cristina
Published: February 2020

Adaptive structures are able to react to environmental impacts and have become a promising approach in civil engineering to improve the load-bearing behavior of buildings. Since reliability and safety of building structures are major concerns, the detection and isolation of faults are essential. In this work, the data-based distributed fault diagnosis of sensor and actuator faults in an adaptive high-rise truss structure is investigated and compared to a centralized approach. The decomposition of the different subsystems is given by the hardware layout of the different sensor systems and actuators. The mechanical structure is modeled and extended by dynamic sensor and actuator models containing different faults. Based on the simulation model, different fault scenarios are generated and used for training a convolutional neural network with dropout regularization. It is shown that the distributed approach needs less training data and yields better classification results than the centralized approach due to a significant reduction of the complexity and dimensionality.
The nature and age of Mesoproterozoic strike-slip faulting based on Re–Os geochronology of syntectonic copper mineralization, Assynt Terrane, NW Scotland
Authors: Holdsworth R. E. , Selby D. , Dempsey E. , Scott L. , Hardman K. , Fallick A. E. , Bullock R.
Published: February 2020

In ancient basement regions such as the Lewisian Complex, NW Scotland, the ages of brittle deformation events are commonly poorly constrained owing to a lack of datable fills. An array of NW–SE sinistral and antithetic east–west dextral faults related to a regionally recognized episode of brittle shearing cut Neoarchean gneisses and
c.
2.25 Ga quartz–pyrite veins close to the trace of an unexposed, regional-scale NW–SE fault. Copper–iron mineralization occurs at an intersection between an antithetic dextral fault and an older
c.
2.25 Ga quartz vein. Optical microscopy, SEM and XRD analyses reveal an array of intergrown, co-genetic copper–iron sulfides, hematite and barite. Complex millimetre-thick zoned alteration rims rich in epidote occur at contacts between the sulfides and gneisses. Rhenium–osmium copper–iron sulfide geochronology yields an age of
c
. 1.55 Ga for the hydrothermal mineralization event associated with faulting. Fault movements demonstrably overlap with mineralization based on the asymmetric fibrous growth forms of these minerals within local dextral shears, which acted as local channelways for mineralizing fluids during and after faulting. We tentatively propose that this regionally recognized strike-slip faulting, previously termed the ‘Late Laxfordian’, should be referred to as the ‘Assyntian’ to distinguish it from kinematically distinct Laxfordian events.
Structural evolution of the Breagh area: implications for carboniferous prospectivity of the Mid North Sea High, Southern North Sea
Authors: Grant Ross J. , Booth Matthew G. , Underhill John R. , Bell Andrew
Published: February 2020

Exploration success at Breagh demonstrates that western parts of the Mid North Sea High area are prospective despite the absence of an Upper Permian (Rotliegend Group) Leman Sandstone Formation reservoir and source rocks belonging to the Upper Carboniferous Westphalian Coal Measures Group. Detailed seismic and well interpretation shows that the Breagh trap was a long-lived footwall high, the prospectivity of which was enhanced by Variscan folding and uplift, leading to the truncation (subcrop) of Lower Carboniferous reservoirs beneath the Base Permian Unconformity. Its drape (supra-crop) by Upper Permian (Zechstein Super Group) evaporites creates the seal. The complexity of its overburden means that an accurate picture of the Breagh structure only emerges after accurate depth-conversion that takes the effects of the Mesozoic graben into account. Pronounced easterly tilting during the Cenozoic affected the area and controlled gas migration into the structure from palaeostructures lying to the east. However, evidence that Breagh is not filled to spill point (underfill) suggests that charge limitation remained an issue. The study demonstrates that a poorly-documented and under-explored Lower Carboniferous play exists in Southern North Sea, which relies upon careful structural mapping and basin modelling to be undertaken for the play to be understood and its further potential to be realized.

Thematic collection:
This article is part of the Under-explored plays and frontier basins of the UK continental shelf collection available at:
https://www.lyellcollection.org/cc/under-explored-plays-and-frontier-basins-of-the-uk-continental-shelf
Middle Telychian (Llandovery, Silurian) graptolites and biostratigraphy of the Howgill Fells, England, based upon the collections of D.W.R. Wilson housed in the Lapworth Museum of Geology, University of Birmingham
Authors: Loydell David K.
Published: February 2020

Examination of D.W.R. Wilson's PhD graptolite collection from the Howgill Fells, housed in the Lapworth Museum of Geology, University of Birmingham, reveals a high diversity (23 species) of middle Telychian graptolites from the uppermost
Streptograptus crispus
and
Streptograptus sartorius
(and possibly lowermost
Monoclimacis griestoniensis
) biozones. The collections include the first British records of
Pseudoplegmatograptus hexagonalis
and
Pristiograptus pergratus
. The stratigraphical range of
P. pristinus
is extended upwards, into the
sartorius
Biozone. One specimen of
Stimulograptus clintonensis
shows remarkable dorsal rhabdosome curvature proximally.
Torquigraptus
is particularly diverse in the
sartorius
Biozone with at least six species present: one new species,
T. wilsoni
, is described and two probable new species, one of which is very similar to the lower Telychian
T. cavei
, are left in open nomenclature.
Review—The Development of Wearable Polymer-Based Sensors: Perspectives
Authors: Harito Christian , Utari Listya , Putra Budi Riza , Yuliarto Brian , Purwanto Setyo , Zaidi Syed Z. J. , Bavykin Dmitry V. , Marken Frank , Walsh Frank C.
Published: February 2020

The development of smart polymer materials is reviewed and illustrated. Important examples of these polymers include conducting polymers, ionic gels, stimulus-response be used polymers, liquid crystalline polymers and piezoelectric materials, which have desirable properties for use in wearable sensors. This review outlines the mode of action in these types of smart polymers systems for utilisation as wearable sensors. Categories of wearable sensors are considered as tattoo-like designs, patch-like, textile-based, and contact lens-based sensors. The advantages and disadvantages of each sensor types are considered together with information on the typical performance. The research gap linking smart polymer materials to wearable sensors with integrated power systems is highlighted. Smart polymer systems may be used as part of a holistic approach to improve wearable devices and accelerate the integration of wearable sensors and power systems, particularly in health care.
Electrodeposition of MoSx: Tunable Fabrication of Sulfur Equivalent Electrodes for High Capacity or High Power
Authors: Wu Qiyuan , Abraham Alyson , Wang Lei , Tong Xiao , Takeuchi Esther S. , Takeuchi Kenneth J. , Marschilok Amy C.
Published: February 2020

In this study, amorphous MoSx electrodes were fabricated by a facile one step electrodeposition method as sulfur equivalent cathode structures for lithium based batteries. By modifying the deposition conditions, the physical, chemical, and resulting electrochemical properties of MoSx were manipulated to achieve either higher energy delivery or higher power delivery. MoSx deposited at anodic potential (MoSx-AD) showed a higher initial capacity of 900 mAh g−1 attributed to its higher sulfur content. In contrast, MoSx deposited at cathodic potential (MoSx-CD) exhibited a lower initial capacity of 500 mAh g−1 with improved cycling stability up to 100 cycles and significantly improved rate capability attributed to its higher conductivity and improved Li+ transport properties.
Review—Nanocomposite-Based Sensors for Voltammetric Detection of Hazardous Phenolic Pollutants in Water
Authors: Patel Bhargav R. , Noroozifar Meissam , Kerman Kagan
Published: February 2020

Due to the close contingency between human health and their socio-economic well-being with regards to environmental pollution, environmental monitoring of various pollutants is global cause for concern. There is an urgent need for developing a sensing device that is capable for multiplex detections, cost-effective, rapid, sensitive, portable, and selective. With the advancement in the field of nanotechnology, nanocomposites are emerging as model modifier components for fulfilling the aforementioned needs and amplifying the electrochemical detection mechanisms. The interactions between the multiple components in the nanocomposite and their synergistic effects makes it superior and enhances the performance of the electrochemical sensor compared to when a singular nanomaterial component is used in the sensor. This review article apprises recent advances in the novel methodologies for fabrication of nanocomposites for voltammetric detection of water pollutants. The improved performance of the nanocomposite-based electrochemical sensors in detection of organic phenolic pollutants such as dihydroxybenzene isomers (DHB), bisphenol A (BPA) and 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) were highlighted. The future perspectives with challenges and strategic angles of development for the nanocomposite-based electrochemical sensors in environmental monitoring are also discussed.
Effect of Carbon Monoxide on Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell Performance with a Hydrogen Circulation System
Authors: Matsuda Yoshiyuki , Shimizu Takahiro , Hashimasa Yoshiyuki
Published: February 2020

The effect of carbon monoxide (CO) on the performance of polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs) with either a hydrogen circulation system or a hydrogen one-way pass system is investigated and compared. The voltage drop induced by adding 0.2 ppm of CO to the PEFC with the hydrogen circulation system was less than one-tenth of that observed in the PEFC with the hydrogen one-way pass system at 1000 mA cm–2 and a cell temperature of 60 °C. Gas analysis results showed that CO concentration in the hydrogen circulation system was lower than the initially supplied CO concentration. In the hydrogen circulation system, permeated oxygen from the cathode should enhance CO oxidation. This should lead to decrease the CO concentration and mitigate the voltage drop in the hydrogen circulation system.
High Rate Capability of All-Solid-State Lithium Batteries Using Quasi-Solid-State Electrolytes Containing Ionic Liquids
Authors: Nishio Kazunori , Gambe Yoshiyuki , Kawaji Jun , Unemoto Atsushi , Okumura Takefumi , Honma Itaru
Published: February 2020

Here we demonstrate a high rate capability of all-solid-state lithium batteries using quasi-solid-state electrolytes containing an ionic liquid. We fabricated solid-state electrolyte using an ionic liquid: 1 mol l−1 lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl) imide dissolved 1-Ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (LiFSI/EMI-FSI) and fumed silica nanoparticles with a variety of volume fractions. The fabricated freestanding film with 85% volume fraction of LiFSI/EMI-FSI exhibited an ionic conductivity and self-diffusion coefficient of lithium-containing species; 10.2 mS cm−1 and 3.3 × 10−11 m2 s−1 at 35 °C. We revealed that the increase in the volume fraction of the LiFSI/EMI-FSI led to the decrease in concentration polarization resistance, leading to an enhanced rate capability in Li∣LiFePO4 batteries. The fabricated Li∣LiFePO4 batteries using freestanding electrolyte films with 85 vol% LiFSI/EMI-FSI exhibited a high capacity (>150 mAh g−1) at 1 C (0.6 mA cm−2) based on that at 0.1 C. Further, we fabricated bipolar-type all-solid-state lithium batteries assembled by stacking of Li∣LiFePO4 cell components in a single package. The bipolar-type lithium batteries exhibited the increased packing energy density, depending on the number of stacked cells. These results open opportunities of designing all-solid-state lithium batteries for high energy and power density using quasi-solid-state electrolytes.
Effect of Annealing Temperature of Ni-P/Si on its Lithiation and Delithiation Properties
Authors: Domi Yasuhiro , Usui Hiroyuki , Ueno Ayumu , Shindo Yoshiko , Mizuguchi Hayato , Komura Takuro , Nokami Toshiki , Itoh Toshiyuki , Sakaguchi Hiroki
Published: February 2020

Annealed Ni–P–coated Si (Ni–P/Si) anodes for lithium-ion batteries have shown a superior cycle life with discharge capacity of 1000 mA h g−1over 1100 cycles in some ionic-liquid electrolytes. However, the annealing temperature has yet to be optimized for Ni–P/Si electrodes. We investigated the electrochemical performance of Ni–P/Si electrode annealed at various temperatures in this study. The Ni–P/Si electrodes annealed at 800 ± 20 °C exhibited a superior cycle life with a reversible capacity of 1000 mA h g−1over 1000 cycles, whereas the capacity of the electrodes annealed at temperatures of 750 °C and 850 °C faded at approximately 500 cycles. At 800 °C, a newly formed NiSi2phase was theorized to significantly contribute to improving adhesion between the Ni–P coating layer and the Si particles. The Ni–P coating particles tended to aggregate at 850 °C, leading to a reduction in the coating effect, that is, a decline in their reactivity with Li+, acceleration of electrode disintegration, and a reduction in electrical conductivity. On the other hand, Ni–P/Si electrodes annealed at 850 °C exhibited a superior rate performance. The amount of available NiSi2which ultimately contributed to higher reactivity with Li should increase.
Ion-Exchanged ZIF-67 Synthesized by One-Step Method for Enhancement of CO2 Adsorption
Authors: Song Fujiao , Cao Yan , Zhao Yunxia , Jiang Ruiyu , Xu Qi , Yan Jinlong , Zhong Qin
Published: February 2020

Li+- and Na+-exchanged ZIF-67 was synthesized by a new one-step method of ion as-exchange technique and tested as CO2 adsorbents. As a comparison, the standard ion-exchange procedure was also carried out. The powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electronic microscope (SEM), particle size analyzer (PSD), and thermal gravimetry analysis (TGA) were used to investigate the effect of ion-exchange techniques on the structure of the materials. CO2 uptake of ZIF-67 ion exchanged by one-step method is much higher than that by the standard ion-exchange procedure. All of the adsorption isotherms show linear patterns with stable adsorption rate from 0 bar to 1 bar, which reveals the materials could get excellent adsorption performance at higher pressure range (>1 bar). Elemental analysis, N2 physical adsorption, and the point of zero charge (PZC) were carried out to confirm the adsorption mechanism. van der Waals interaction determined by the surface area and coordination interaction resulting from electrostatic interaction work in synergy to enhance CO2 adsorption performance of ZIF-67 ion exchanged by the one-step method.
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Biomarker-Guided Treatment for Metastatic Gastric Cancer in the Second-Line Setting
Authors: Lauren Brianna , Ostvar Sassan , Silver Elisabeth , Ingram Myles , Oh Aaron , Kumble Lindsay , Laszkowska Monika , Chu Jacqueline N. , Hershman Dawn L. , Manji Gulam , Neugut Alfred I. , Hur Chin
Published: February 2020

Background. The 5-year survival rate of patients with metastatic gastric cancer (GC) is only 5%. However, trials have demonstrated promising antitumor activity for targeted therapies/immunotherapies among chemorefractory metastatic GC patients. Pembrolizumab has shown particular efficacy among patients with programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) expression and high microsatellite instability (MSI-H). The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of biomarker-guided second-line GC treatment. Methods. We constructed a Markov decision-analytic model using clinical trial data. Our model compared pembrolizumab monotherapy and ramucirumab/paclitaxel combination therapy for all patients and pembrolizumab for patients based on MSI status or PD-L1 expression. Paclitaxel monotherapy and best supportive care for all patients were additional comparators. Costs of drugs, treatment administration, follow-up, and management of adverse events were estimated from a US payer perspective. The primary outcomes were quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) with a willingness-to-pay threshold of $100,000/QALY over 60 months. Secondary outcomes were unadjusted life years (survival) and costs. Deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were performed to evaluate model uncertainty. Results. The most effective strategy was pembrolizumab for MSI-H patients and ramucirumab/paclitaxel for all other patients, adding 3.8 months or 2.0 quality-adjusted months compared to paclitaxel. However, this strategy resulted in a prohibitively high ICER of $1,074,620/QALY. The only cost-effective strategy was paclitaxel monotherapy for all patients, with an ICER of $53,705/QALY. Conclusion. Biomarker-based treatments with targeted therapies/immunotherapies for second-line metastatic GC patients substantially improve unadjusted and quality-adjusted survival but are not cost-effective at current drug prices.
The Yemeni Brown Algae Dictyota dichotoma Exhibit High In Vitro Anticancer Activity Independent of Its Antioxidant Capability
Authors: El-Shaibany Amina , AL-Habori Molham , Al-Maqtari Tareq , Al-Mahbashi Hassan
Published: February 2020

The aim of this study was to investigate the anticancer and antioxidant activities as well as the safety of the brown algae Dictyota dichotoma of the Western seacoast of Yemen. Cytotoxicity of methanol extract of D. dichotoma and several of its fractions, petroleum ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate, n‐butanol, and aqueous extracts against seven different cancer cell lines was determined by crystal violet staining. The antioxidant activity was also assessed using the DPPH radical scavenging assay. Acute toxicity study was performed on rats at increasing doses of the methanol extract. Extracts of D. dichotoma exerted a significant dose‐dependent cytotoxicity on the seven tumor cell lines but were generally more selective on MCF‐7 and PC‐3. Among all fractions, the chloroform fraction of the D. dichotoma displayed the highest cytotoxic activity and was most effective in MCF‐7, PC3, and CACO cells (IC50 = 1.93 ± 0.25, 2.2 ± 0.18, and 2.71 ± 0.53 μg/mL, respectively). The petroleum ether fraction was also effective, particularly against MCF‐7 and PC‐3 (IC50 = 4.77 ± 0.51 and 3.93 ± 0.51 μg/mL, respectively) whereas the activity of the ethyl acetate fraction was more pronounced against HepG2 and CACO (IC50 = 5.06 ± 0.21 and 5.06 ± 0.23 μg/mL, respectively). Of all the extracts tested, the crude methanolic extract of the algae exhibited only a modest antioxidant potential (IC50 = 204.6 ± 8.3 μg/mL). Doses as high as 5000 mg/kg body weight of D. dichotoma methanolic extracts were safe and well tolerated by rats. The overall results showed that D. dichotoma exhibited a significant cytotoxic activity probably due to the occurrence of nonpolar cytotoxic compounds, which is independent of its antioxidant capability.
Dyslipidemia Might Be Associated with an Increased Risk of Osteoarthritis
Authors: Xiong Jianping , Long Junyu , Chen Xi , Li Ye , Song Hai
Published: February 2020

Background. According to several studies, the autoimmune response may lead to osteoarthritis and dyslipidemia and may affect the homeostasis of the human body’s internal environment and then cause its own immune regulation. Consequently, the risk of osteoarthritis might be increased by dyslipidemia, but this association is not universally acknowledged. Therefore, a systematic review and meta‐analysis was conducted to study the relationship between dyslipidemia and the risk of osteoarthritis. Methods. In this study, PubMed, EMBASE, and the ISI Web of Science were used to identify related studies published before July 2018. The relationship between dyslipidemia and the risk of osteoarthritis was evaluated on the basis of relative risk (RR) values and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs). To further investigate this relationship, we also employed the random effects model proposed by DerSimonian and Laird. Results. A total of nine studies were included to study the effect of dyslipidemia on the risk of osteoarthritis, including four cohort, three case‐control, and two cross‐sectional studies. Among these studies, six stated data for knee osteoarthritis, two reported on hand osteoarthritis, and one reported on hip osteoarthritis. A total of 53,955 participants were included in the meta‐analysis, comprising 22,501 patients with OA (19,733 hand OA, 2,679 knee OA, and 89 hip OA). Based on the meta‐analysis of case‐control and cross‐sectional studies, osteoarthritis was clearly higher in those with dyslipidemia compared to those who did not suffer from dyslipidemia (case‐control: OR = 1.37; 95%CI = 1.27–1.46; cross‐sectional: OR = 1.33; 95%CI = 1.21‐1.46). In addition, the meta‐analysis of cohort studies did not present any relationship between dyslipidemia and OA (RR = 1.00; 95%CI = 0.85–1.14). Conclusions. Even though our meta‐analysis of case‐control and cross‐sectional studies suggested a strong relationship between dyslipidemia and osteoarthritis; this relationship was not validated by our meta‐analysis of only cohort studies. As a result, further investigation needs to be conducted on the relationship between dyslipidemia and osteoarthritis, considering the significant public health relevance of the topic.
Genetic Predisposition and Salt Sensitivity in a Chinese Han Population: The EpiSS Study
Authors: Liu Kuo , Xi Bo , Liu Zheng , Qi Han , Liu Bin , Zhang Jie , Cao Han , Yan Yuxiang , Zhao Min , He Yan , Zhang Ling
Published: February 2020

Objectives. Genome-wide association studies and candidate gene studies have found many single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that affect salt sensitivity (SS). We constructed a polygenic risk score (PRS) to estimate the joint effect of these SNPs on SS. Methods. We recruited 762 Chinese participants into the study. An unweighted PRS was constructed using 42 known genetic risk variants associated with SS or salt sensitivity blood pressure. A modified Sullivan’s acute oral saline load and diuresis shrinkage test was used to detect salt sensitivity. Logistic regression was used to estimate the joint effect of the SNPs on SS both overall and after stratification by hypertension. Results. The mean age of the participants was 57.1 years, and most of them were female (77.4%). The prevalence of SS was 28.7%. Both the continuous PRS and PRS tertiles were significantly associated with the risk of SS and a BP increase of more than 5 mmHg during acute salt loading but were not associated with a BP decrease of more than 10 mmHg during the diuresis shrinkage process. In the normotensive group, participants with PRSs in the middle and top tertiles had a more than twofold increased risk of SS (OR = 2.18, 95% CI: 1.15–4.12, P=0.016, and OR = 2.28, 95% CI: 1.19–4.38, P=0.013, respectively) compared with participants with PRSs in the first tertile. In the normotensive group, participants with PRSs in the middle tertile (OR = 1.94, 95% CI: 1.01–3.71, P=0.046) and top tertile (OR = 2.30, 95% CI: 1.19–4.44, P=0.013) had an increased risk of a greater than 5 mmHg increase in BP during acute salt loading than those with PRSs in the first tertile. In the hypertension group, neither the continuous PRS nor PRS tertile was significantly associated with the risk of SS. Conclusion. The 42 investigated SNPs were jointly and significantly associated with SS, especially in the normotensive Chinese population. These findings may provide genetic evidence for identifying target populations that would benefit from salt restriction policies.
Passive Method for Estimating Available Throughput for Autonomous Off-Peak Data Transfer
Authors: Satoda Kozo , Takahashi Eiji , Onishi Takeo , Suzuki Takayuki , Ohta Daisuke , Kobayashi Kosei , Murase Tutomu
Published: February 2020

Large demands for mobile traffic subject base stations to frequent short-term and sharp peak loads. Recent analysis of data traffic on commercial mobile networks reported that the traffic peaks can be reduced by an average of 40% without compromising the quality of experience provided to the end user, if a peak load can be shifted for at most 20 s. To reduce peak traffic, we previously proposed a method for off-peak data transfer, with which user equipment (UE) autonomously delays receiving data, and a peak load on a base station can be shifted. In terms of off-peak transfer of data, a significant problem is determining how each UE estimates available throughput. In this paper we propose a method of passively estimating available throughput of each UE. We evaluated the effectiveness of the proposed method through experiments on experimental and commercial LTE networks. The results indicate that our method obtains more than a 0.7 correlation between actual available throughput and estimated throughput.
On the Growth Order and Growth Type of Entire Functions of Several Complex Matrices
Authors: Abul-Ez M. , Abd-Elmageed H. , Hidan M. , Abdalla M.
Published: February 2020

In this paper, we establish an explicit relation between the growth of the maximum modulus and the Taylor coefficients of entire functions in several complex matrix variables (FSCMVs) in hyperspherical regions. The obtained formulas enable us to compute the growth order and the growth type of some higher dimensional generalizations of the exponential, trigonometric, and some special FSCMVs which are analytic in some extended hyperspherical domains. Furthermore, a result concerning linear substitution of the mode of increase of FSCMVs is given.
Fault Diagnosis of Rolling-Element Bearing Using Multiscale Pattern Gradient Spectrum Entropy Coupled with Laplacian Score
Authors: Yan Xiaoan , Liu Ying , Ding Peng , Jia Minping
Published: February 2020

Feature extraction is recognized as a critical stage in bearing fault diagnosis. Pattern spectrum (PS) and pattern spectrum entropy (PSE) in recent years have been smoothly applied in feature extraction, whereas they easily ignore the partial impulse signatures hidden in bearing vibration data. In this paper, the pattern gradient spectrum (PGS) and pattern gradient spectrum entropy (PGSE) are firstly presented to improve the performance of fault feature extraction of two approaches (PS and PSE). Nonetheless, PSE and PGSE are only able to evaluate dynamic behavior of the time series on a single scale, which implies there is no consideration of feature information at other scales. To address this problem, a novel approach entitled multiscale pattern gradient spectrum entropy (MPGSE) is further implemented to extract fault features across multiple scales, where its key parameters are determined adaptively by grey wolf optimization (GWO). Meanwhile, a Laplacian score- (LS-) based feature selection strategy is employed to choose the sensitive features and establish a new feature set. Finally, the selected new feature set is imported into extreme learning machine (ELM) to identify different health conditions of rolling bearing. Performance of our designed algorithm is tested on two experimental cases. Results confirm the availability of our proposed algorithm in feature extraction and show that our method can recognize effectively different bearing fault categories and severities. More importantly, the designed approach can achieve higher recognition accuracies and provide better stability by comparing with other entropy-based methods involved in this paper.
Effects of Epstein-Barr Virus Infection on CD19+ B Lymphocytes in Patients with Immunorelated Pancytopenia
Authors: Zhao Yang , Wang Yihao , Liu Hui , Ding Kai , Liu Chunyan , Yu Hong , Shao Zonghong , Fu Rong
Published: February 2020

Objectives. To explore effects of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection on CD19+ B lymphocytes in patients with immunorelated pancytopenia (IRP).Methods. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in vitro diagnostic kit was used to detect EBV capsid antigen- (CA-) IgG and VCA-IgM antibodies in the serum. We analyzed the EBV-DNA copies of CD19+ B lymphocyte by using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). CD21, CD23, CD5, CD80, and CD86 receptors on the surfaces of CD19+ B cells were detected by flow cytometry (FCM). The correlation between these receptors and EBV-DNA copies were evaluated.Results. The results revealed that the positive rate of EBVCA-IgM and CD19+ B lymphocyte EBV-DNA copy in the IRP group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). CD19+ B lymphocyte EBV-DNA copies were also more abundant in IRP patients than in control subjects (P<0.05). Expression levels of the CD21, CD23, CD5, CD80, and CD86 receptors on the surfaces of CD19+ B cells in IRP patients with anti-EBVCA IgM positivity were significantly higher than those in anti-EBVCA IgM negativity IRP patients (P<0.05). The results revealed that EBV-DNA copy numbers were positively correlated with CD21, CD23, CD5, CD80, and CD86 expression.Conclusions. EBV infection may activate CD19+ B lymphocytes and further disrupt bone marrow hematopoiesis in IRP patients.