bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Internalization of trophoblastic small extracellular vesicles and detection of their miRNA cargo in P‐bodies
Authors: Li Hui , Pinilla‐Macua Itziar , Ouyang Yingshi , Sadovsky Elena , Kajiwara Kazuhiro , Sorkin Alexander , Sadovsky Yoel
Published: August 2020

Pregnancy is a unique situation, in which placenta‐derived small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) may communicate with maternal and foetal tissues. While relevant to homoeostatic and pathological functions, the mechanisms underlying sEV entry and cargo handling in target cells remain largely unknown. Using fluorescently or luminescently labelled sEVs, derived from primary human placental trophoblasts or from a placental cell line, we interrogated the endocytic pathways used by these sEVs to enter relevant target cells, including the neighbouring primary placental fibroblasts and human uterine microvascular endothelial cells. We found that trophoblastic sEVs can enter target cells, where they retain biological activity. Importantly, using a broad series of pharmacological inhibitors and siRNA‐dependent silencing approaches, we showed that trophoblastic sEVs enter target cells using macropinocytosis and clathrin‐mediated endocytosis pathways, but not caveolin‐dependent endocytosis. Tracking their intracellular course, we localized the sEVs to early endosomes, late endosomes, and lysosomes. Finally, we used coimmunoprecipitation to demonstrate the association of the sEV microRNA (miRNA) with the P‐body proteins AGO2 and GW182. Together, our data systematically detail endocytic pathways used by placental sEVs to enter relevant fibroblastic and endothelial target cells, and provide support for “endocytic escape” of sEV miRNA to P‐bodies, a key site for cytoplasmic RNA regulation.
Selective generation of excited species in ns pulse/RF hybrid plasmas for plasma chemistry applications
Authors: Gulko I , Jans E R , Richards C , Raskar S , Yang X , van den Bekerom D C M , Adamovich I V
Published: August 2020

Hybrid plasmas, sustained by a repetitive ns pulse discharge and a sub-breakdown RF waveform in N2 and its mixtures with H2, CO, and CO2, are studied using laser diagnostics and kinetic modeling. Plasma emission images show that adding the RF waveform to the ns pulse train does not result in a discharge instability development, since the RF field does not produce additional ionization. Unlike a ns pulse/DC discharge, the ns pulse/RF plasma is sustained using a single pair of electrodes external to the discharge cell. Measurements of electronically excited molecules, N2(A3Σu
+), and vibrationally excited molecules in the ground electronic state, N2(X1Σg
+, v), demonstrate that these species are generated selectively. N2(A3Σu
+) molecules are produced predominantly by the ns pulse discharge waveform, while vibrational excitation of the ground electronic state N2 is mainly due to the RF waveform. Strong vibrational nonequilibrium is maintained at a low translational–rotational temperature. The ns pulse/RF discharge data demonstrate that the quenching of N2(A3Σu
+) is not affected by N2 vibrational excitation. Kinetic modeling shows that the rate of N2(A3Σu
+) quenching in a ns pulse discharge in nitrogen is underpredicted, and the modeling predictions agree with the data only if the rate of N atom generation by electron impact dissociation of N2 is increased by approximately an order of magnitude. This suggests a significant effect of excited electronic states on the net dissociation rate. Infrared emission spectra of ns pulse/RF hybrid plasmas in CO–N2 and CO2–N2 mixtures show that the present approach also generates strong vibrational excitation of CO and CO2, with the CO yield in the CO2–N2 mixture approximately a factor of two higher compared to that in a ns pulse discharge alone. This indicates a significant contribution of the vibrationally enhanced CO2 dissociation in the hybrid plasma. The present results demonstrate that sustaining the hybrid plasma in reacting molecular gas mixtures may isolate the plasma chemical reaction pathways dominated by vibrationally excited molecules from those of electronically excited molecules and atomic species.
Bending vibration control of a MR fluid embedded smart beam exposed by the conjunction of wind-induced galloping effects
Authors: Bolat Fevzi Cakmak , Sivrioglu Selim
Published: August 2020

This study examined the control performance of a multi-layer smart beam structure in which the middle layer was partially filled with magnetorheological (MR) fluid. A galloping profile was connected to the endpoint to obtain vibration from this smart beam element in a regular regime. Flow-induced continuous vibration was created on the beam element by giving wind load from a certain distance to this galloping profile. The natural frequency values of the smart beam element were obtained analytically using the lumped parameter mathematical model, and their accuracy was compared with numerical methods. An electromagnet was placed opposite to MR fluid region to suppress vibrations by creating an actuator relationship with the smart beam. A norm-based H∞ robust control design was realized by taking the natural frequencies of the beam element into account. The control design was applied to the experimental system and the effectiveness of the controller was tested under various conditions. It was observed that the proposed MR fluid embedded active control structure has good properties to suppress the wind-induced vibrations in practice.
Infrared neuromodulation:a neuroengineering perspective
Authors: Fekete Z , Horváth Á C , Zátonyi A
Published: August 2020

Infrared neuromodulation (INM) is a branch of photobiomodulation that offers direct or indirect control of cellular activity through elevation of temperature in a spatially confined region of the target tissue. Research on INM started about 15 ago and is gradually attracting the attention of the neuroscience community, as numerous experimental studies have provided firm evidence on the safe and reproducible excitation and inhibition of neuronal firing in both in vitro and in vivo conditions. However, its biophysical mechanism is not fully understood and several engineered interfaces have been created to investigate infrared stimulation in both the peripheral and central nervous system. In this review, recent applications and present knowledge on the effects of INM on cellular activity are summarized, and an overview of the technical approaches to deliver infrared light to cells and to interrogate the optically evoked response is provided. The micro- and nanoengineered interfaces used to investigate the influence of INM are described in detail.
Estimation of submicron aerosols influence on the electrical conductivity of the atmosphere surface layer
Authors: Petrova G G , Panchishkina I N , Petrov A I , Chkhetiani O G
Published: August 2020

The analysis of the results of complex expeditionary measurements in the surface atmosphere, some of which has recently been published, is continued. Measurements of the Geophysical research laboratory of Southern Federal University, Faculty of Physics during the joint expeditions with Obukhov Institute of Atmospheric Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IAP RAS) at scientific stations IAP RAS: in 2017- on the territory of the Tsimlyansk Scientific Station in the steppe zone, and in 2018 and 2019 – on the Kislovodsk High-Mountain Scientific Station, located on the alpine plateau Shadzhatmaz, 2100 m above the sea level. Quantitative relationships between the polar conductivities of the surface atmosphere and the concentration of submicron aerosols for various physical and geographical conditions are obtained. The observed decrease in polar conductivities reversely proportional to aerosol concentration is due to a decrease in the concentration of small atmospheric ions caused by their adsorption by aerosol particles. The empirical regression series are approximated by a logarithmic function with a high accuracy of the approximation. The presence of a causal relationship between the investigated values is confirmed by the dispersion analysis. The observed differences in the regression equations parameters are explained by different conditions during periods of observation.
Modeling of the atmospheric electric field local variations in the turbulent surface layer
Authors: Timoshenko D V , Kupovykh G V , Klovo A G , Kudrinskaya T V
Published: August 2020

An electrodynamic model of the surface layer is constructed in the approximation of the turbulent electrode effect in the atmosphere. The variation of the electric field that occurs due to changes in the degree of turbulent mixing during the day is calculated. The dependence of the spatial and temporal electric field characteristics on the values of the turbulent diffusion coefficient in the surface layer is studied. It is shown that the local changes in the degree of turbulent mixing lead to disturbances of the electric field comparable to the global unitary variation.
Geophysical and astrophysical processes in Earth’s electric field
Authors: Grunskaya L V , Isakevich V V , Isakevich D V
Published: August 2020

The work on detection of geophysical (lunar tides) and astrophysical (gravitation-wave relativistic binary star systems) impact on Earth’s lower atmosphere electric field is lead in Vladimir state university since 1999. The electric and geomagnetic fields are monitored at the Vladimir state university experimental physical base in infralow frequency scale in which the gravitation-wave frequencies of relativistic binary star systems are suited. Experimental research are lead in order to detect the fact of anomalous behavior of components in vertical Earth’s electric field spectrally localized at the lunar tides frequencies and double of relativistic binary star systems rotation frequencies and to estimate amplitudes of the such components.
Reduction coefficient and electric field near plane electrode with geometric heterogeneity
Authors: Kudrinskaya T V , Klovo A G , Kupovykh G V , Timoshenko D V
Published: August 2020

Based on experimental studies and the theory of the electrode effect, the dependences of the reduction coefficient used in the processing of atmospheric-electric observation data on the geometry of the sensors and the size of the measured electric field are studied. In the approximation of the classical electrode effect, analytical expressions are obtained for the potential and electric field distributions near a flat electrode with a spherical inhomogeneity.
Linking the storm cells position and high values of instability indices – a case study in the southeast of Western Siberia
Authors: Nechepurenko O E , Gorbatenko V P , Konstantinova D A , Pustovalov K N
Published: August 2020

Improving the identification accuracy of spatial distribution of hazardous convective phenomena has relevant meaning for territories are not covered by lightning detection systems. We perform comparison on set of instances of registered lightning discharges by a Boltek single-point lightning detector with spatial instability fields. To determine the areas of atmospheric instability over the southeast of Western Siberia, Total Totals and K-index have been used. Values for the indices were calculated from balloon sounding data and ERA5 reanalysis. The results demonstrate an acceptable spatial agreement between the fields with high instability indices according to ERA5 reanalysis data and actual positions of thunderstorm cells. A validation of ERA5 indices values with upper-air data showed that a smaller consistency error correspond to Total Totals index. Therefore, to predict the spatial position of convective clouds producing thunderstorms over the southeast of Western Siberia, it is promising to use Total Totals index, which is calculated using either aerological measurements or satellite remote sensing data.
Radar reflectivity of thunderstorm clouds
Authors: Sozaeva L T , Sherieva M A
Published: August 2020

The contribution of various types of hydrometeors to the total radar reflectivity was estimated based on numerical modeling of thunderstorm clouds. Isolines, time course and change of reflectivity with the height at two wavelengths due to the contribution of drops and hailstones are constructed. It is shown that when solving inverse problems of the scattering theory at a wavelength of 3.0 cm, it is necessary to take into account the contribution of raindrops to reflectivity, and at a wavelength of 10 cm, it can be ignored. The contribution of cloud droplets and crystals at both wavelengths can be ignored.
Three–dimensional mathematical model of a convective cloud with detailed account for the thermodynamic, microphysical and electric processes
Authors: Shapovalov V A , Shapovalov A V , Sherieva M A
Published: August 2020

A three–dimensional numerical model of a convective cloud developed by the authors, taking into account thermodynamic, microphysical and electrical processes, is presented. The model is characterized by the use of detailed microphysics with a large number of particle size gradations. There are taken into account: the accumulation of charges in the cloud, the electric field, the electric coagulation of cloud particles. The technique of formation of three–dimensional initial data at initialization of model is developed. On the basis of the developed model with a detailed description of the processes for the first time is studied the formation of macro– and micro structural and electrical parameters. The dynamics of changes in the characteristics of thunderstorm clouds at the stage of growth and maximum development are determined. Electrical characteristics of thunderstorm clouds at different times and their relationship with micro structural parameters are investigated. The spatial structure of voluminous electric charges in a cloud, three–dimensional distribution of electric field intensity are determined. A quantitative assessment of the effect of electric coagulation on the rate of precipitation in powerful clouds is obtained.
Views of an Octogenarian on a Path to a Nonagenarian: The Field of General Symmetries and its Applications
Authors: Doebner H-D
Published: August 2020

I am on the path from my eightieth to my ninetieth birthday, or from an octogenarian to a nonagenarian. It is certainly encouraging to have opportunities on this path to talk about personal recollections and my views on my work and activities towards the development of the field—our field—of understanding and applying models in physical and related sciences based on the infinite set of mathematical notions of symmetries in their most general sense and with all their facets. I plan to talk today about the first part of my path in my native city Berlin, followed by the University of Marburg and jointly at the International Centre for Theoretical Physics in Trieste.
Flavor neutrinos as unstable particles
Authors: Blasone M , Jizba P , Smaldone L
Published: August 2020

In this paper we review flavor-energy uncertainty relations for neutrino oscillations in quantum field theory, putting in evidence the analogy with the case of unstable particles. Our study reveals that flavor neutrinos are intrinsically characterized by an energy distribution with a non-vanishing width. In the ultrarelativistic limit, the energy width is bounded from below by the inverse of the oscillation length, which plays the same role as the half-life for unstable particles.
The method of virtual copies and contractions of simple Lie algebras
Authors: Campoamor-Stursberg Rutwig
Published: August 2020

Contractions of simple Lie algebras onto semidirect sums are analyzed in the context of the method of virtual copies, and various existence conditions are obtained in terms of the branching rules of representations and the properties of the characteristic representation associated to an embedding of semisimple algebras. Contractions of the Lie algebra

s
p
(
2
N
,
ℝ
)

with respect to nonmaximal symplectic subalgebras are studied in some detail. In particular, a realization of the subalgebra in terms of cubic polynomial operators is constructed.
Probability Representation of Quantum Mechanics and the Quantizer—Dequantizer Formalism
Authors: Chernega Vladimir N , Man’ko Olga V , Man’ko Vladimir I
Published: August 2020

A review of the approach where the states of quantum systems are identified with fair probability distributions is presented. The quantizer–dequantizer operators used to construct the invertible map of the density operators onto the probability distributions are applied to obtain the kinetic equations for probability distributions identified with the quantum system states. For qubit states, the von Neumann evolution equation for the density operator is explicitly given in the form of kinetic equation for the probability distribution. Simplest tomographic probability distributions describing the states of multimode quantum oscillator are constructed.
Nonlinear Description of Quantum Dynamics. N-level quantum systems
Authors: Cruz-Prado Hans , Marmo Giuseppe , Schuch Dieter
Published: August 2020

In this work a nonlinear evolution of pure states of a finite dimensional quantum system is introduced, in particular a Riccati evolution equation. It is shown how this class of dynamics is actually a Hamiltonian dynamics in the complex projective space. In this projective space it is shown that there is a nonlinear superposition rule, consistent with its linear counterpart in the Hilbert space. As an example, the developed nonlinear formalism is applied to the semiclassical Jaynes–Cummings model.
A new product on 2 × 2 matrices
Authors: Kramer Linus , Kramer Peter , Man’ko Vladimir
Published: August 2020

We study a bilinear multiplication rule on 2 × 2 matrices which is intermediate between the ordinary matrix product and the Hadamard matrix product, and we relate this to the hyperbolic motion group of the plane.
Quantum catastrophes from an algebraic perspective
Authors: Leviatan A , Gavrielov N
Published: August 2020

We study the properties of quantum cusp and butterfly catastrophes from an algebraic viewpoint. The analysis employs an interacting boson model Hamiltonian describing quantum phase transitions between specific quadrupole shapes by interpolating between two incompatible dynamical symmetry limits. The classical properties are determined by using coherent states to construct the complete phase diagrams associated with Landau potentials exhibiting such catastrophes. The quantum properties are determined by analyzing the spectra, transition rates and symmetry character of the eigenstates of critical Hamiltonians.
Schrödinger group and non-linear generalizations of quantum mechanics
Authors: Reginatto M
Published: August 2020

A free particle may be characterized abstractly in terms of its invariance group. Both the Hamilton-Jacobi and Schrödinger equations for classical and quantum free particles are invariant under the same group, the Schrödinger group.

The aim of this paper is to discuss possible restrictions on non-linear generalizations of quantum mechanics. The basic idea is to search for those non-linear generalization of quantum mechanics for which a description of the non-relativistic free particle includes a representation of the Schrödinger group, as in classical and quantum mechanics. This condition imposes strong constraints on possible models of free particles.

To carry out such an investigation it is necessary to select an appropriate mathematical formalism, one which can describe physical systems of non-relativistic particles and allows for the incorporation of non-linearities in a natural way. Here the formalism of ensembles on configuration space is used, which is an approach that is capable of describing both classical and quantum systems and, in addition, allows for more general theories that describe mixed classical-quantum systems. Modifications of the equations involving derivatives of up to fourth order are considered
Urban nature in a time of crisis: recreational use of green space increases during the COVID-19 outbreak in Oslo, Norway
Authors: Venter Zander S , Barton David N , Gundersen Vegard , Figari Helene , Nowell Megan
Published: August 2020

The global response to the COVID-19 pandemic has brought with it significant changes to human mobility patterns and working environments. We aimed to explore how social distancing measures affected recreational use of urban green space during the partial lockdown in Oslo, Norway. Mobile tracking data from thousands of recreationists were used to analyze high resolution spatio-temporal changes in activity. We estimated that outdoor recreational activity increased by 291% during lockdown relative to a 3 yr average for the same days. This increase was significantly greater than expected after adjusting for the prevailing weather and time of year and equates to approx. 86 000 extra activities per day over the municipality (population of 690 000). Both pedestrians (walking, running, hiking) and cyclists appeared to intensify activity on trails with higher greenviews and tree canopy cover, but with differences in response modulated by trail accessibility and social distancing preferences. The magnitude of increase was positively associated with trail remoteness, suggesting that green spaces facilitated social distancing and indirectly mitigated the spread of COVID-19. Finally, pedestrian activity increased in city parks, peri-urban forest, as well as protected areas, highlighting the importance of access to green open spaces that are interwoven within the built-up matrix. These findings shed new light on the value of urban nature as resilience infrastructure during a time of crisis. The current pandemic also reveals some important dilemmas we might face regarding green justice on the path towards urban planning for future sustainable cities.
Positive maps from irreducibly covariant operators
Authors: Kopszak Piotr , Mozrzymas Marek , Studziński Michał
Published: August 2020

In this paper, we discuss positive maps induced by (irreducibly) covariant linear operators for finite groups. The application of group theory methods allows deriving some new results of a different kind. In particular, a family of necessary conditions for positivity, for such objects is derived, stemming either from the definition of a positive map or the novel method inspired by the inverse reduction map. In the low-dimensional cases, for the permutation group S(3) and the quaternion group Q, the necessary and sufficient conditions are given, together with the discussion on their decomposability. In higher dimensions, we present positive maps induced by a three-dimensional irreducible representation of the permutation group S(4) and d-dimensional representation of the monomial unitary group MU(d). In the latter case, we deliver if and only if condition for the positivity and compare the results with the method inspired by the inverse reduction. We show that the generalised Choi map can be obtained by considered covariant maps induced by the monomial unitary group. As an additional result, a novel interpretation of the Fujiwara–Algolet conditions for positivity and complete positivity is presented. Finally, in the end, a new form of an irreducible representation of the symmetric group S(n) is constructed, allowing us to simplify the form of certain Choi–Jamiołkowski images derived for irreducible representations of the symmetric group.
Solar Thermal Opportunities and Challenges in Pakistan
Authors: Ayaz Adnan , Ahmad Faraz , Saher Saim , Noman Muhammad
Published: August 2020

In June 2018, the power deficit in Pakistan hit a record high of 9000 MW. Although alarming, it is not unprecedented due to past trends of exponential population growth, inadequacy of conventional energy sources to meet demand and lack of technological advancements. This represents an urgent and unavoidable need to turn to alternate renewable energy sources such as solar, wind and hydroelectric power. This paper aims to explore the possibilities presented by solar energy to solve the power crisis. This technology can be used to generate electricity which can then be used in different thermal applications. This paper presents a detailed discussion regarding these technologies, the institutions working in this field and scheme of solar thermal plants as per energy needs of Pakistan.
Novel Simplified Blade Hub Line Optimization of High-Pressure Ratio Centrifugal Compressor Design Using Numerical Simulations
Authors: Khan A , Ahmad F , Ali S , Siddiqi M R , Ijaz M Z
Published: August 2020

The focus of this research is to numerically investigate the effect of blade hub line variation on the performance (Total pressure-ratio and Isentropic-Efficiency) of centrifugal compressor from stall to choke to study the operating range and stall margin. An optimization technique is carried out in which the meridional profile hub line is modified and compared with the high Mach number SRV2 compressor designed and fabricated by DLR (German Aerospace Center). Numerical simulations showed significant increase in the stall margin and operating range by bargaining on pressure ratio and isentropic efficiency. Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) based k-ε model is used to predict turbulence using numerical simulations. The value of Y plus for the structured mesh near the boundaries is kept 35. Blade hub line being the important parameter, has substantial performance improvement of centrifugal compressor. The novel design improved the stall margin by 44 percent while operating range from stall to choke has been upgraded by 7.5 percent.
Predicting compressive strength of CRM samples using Image processing and ANN
Authors: Waris M I , Mir J , Plevris V , Ahmad A
Published: August 2020

Quality of concrete is majorly ascertained through its compressive strength which has a significant role in the stability of concrete structures. In this study, artificial neural network (ANN) and image processing (IP) techniques were used to predict the concrete compressive strength (fc) with cement replacement material (CRM), i.e., Fly Ash (FA) and Silica Fumes (SF). 18 concrete cylinders were cast with different mix ratios and with different % of CRM. Half of them were tested for compression strength in the laboratory and remaining cylinders were cut into three slices each, for prediction of compressive strength through the proposed technique. Images were obtained using a DSLR camera under defined conditions to extract the features. Based on the extracted features, ANN modelling was performed for predictingfc. A comparison of experimental results and ANN results (R = 0.9865) proved ANN models can be used as a prediction tool for compressive strength of concrete.
Sign Language Translation in Urdu/Hindi Through Microsoft Kinect
Authors: Sohail  , Khan M Y , Siddiqui N A , Kiran
Published: August 2020

Communication is the foremost and basic necessity of a person. The ability to speak without any problem is a boon; nevertheless, woefully we have often seen people around us who are the victim of speech or hearing impairments. Thus, the ‘Sign Language’ (SL) appears as an alternate standard language that is globally understood and adopted by the deaf community. Though SL is a communication tool, but in practice, we still see most of the normal people do not understand the SL properly; thus, it is again a problem in communication between a speech/hearing impaired and normal persons. In this regard, many research attempts have been made to resolve this problem via wearable technology and other different paradigms of computational solutions. However, almost all of them focused on English or western languages, which provide a trivial resolution for the people of the Indian subcontinent. Thus, in this paper, we propose a solution to address this issue by employing Kinect Motion Sensor for detecting the signs (in SL) through hand movements and gestures and translating them in Urdu/Hindi language, which is readable and audible to normal persons. The proposed system is developed on a feature-based model; hence, we stored signs in a dictionary/training set for the development of the baseline system; however, the users can customize the system by adding their sign patterns in the future.
Control of battery banks for wind energy conversion system
Authors: Kulkarni Aboli A
Published: August 2020

In this paper, the essential methodology to control the battery banks for a renewable power system is explained. The power converter used for the above is a step-down voltage regulator also known as Buck converter. It can be used to garner power from a small wind turbine. The paper also explains the charging process of the battery to track the point where maximum power output is obtained in a wide range of speed variations and proper circuit parameter design. Smart Management of battery charging and control is crucial since the lack thereof, would affect the battery’s performance. This method helps avoid the overcharging and overvoltage and also helps build systems that are economic and efficient. This process helps improve the charging efficiency of the battery, also its performance in terms of degradation rate and lifetime. Simple circuit and high reliability are the key factors in the usage of Buck DC/DC converter. A PMSG Stand-alone Wind Turbine System is also modelled and simulated using MATLAB.
Luminous power improvement in InGaN V-Shaped Quantum Well LED using CSG on SiC Substrate
Authors: Manikandan M , Nirmal D , Prajoon P , Dhivyasri G , Chandran V
Published: August 2020

This paper presents the design and simulation of Silicon Carbide (SiC) based technology, Indium Gallium Nitride (InGaN) Multiple Quantum Well (MQW) Light-Emitting Diode (LED) with a Compositionally Step Graded (CSG) InGaN barrier and V-Shaped well in the active region. The simulations are obtained in Silvaco Computer Aided Design simulator and parameters such as Internal Quantum Efficiency (IQE) with respect to input current, spontaneous emission in regard to wavelength and power versus current in the device are theoretically studied. The CSG InGaN barrier LED with V-shaped quantum well shows substantial growth in output power when compared to the CSG GaN barrier structure with conventional MQW. The high carrier confinement in the V-shape well causes, transportation/injection of hole and change in band bending due to polarization effect. Moreover, lattice-matched SiC substrate over GaN material increases the InGaN V-shaped MQW LEDs radiative recombination rate which in turn leads to high output power. The optical luminous power of 160mW and 82% of peak IQE, emitting wavelength at 460 nm and 200mA of injection current is obtained for the proposed LED. The enactment of the V shape MQW CSG-InGaN device technology is a good alternative choice for commercial and industrial lighting applications.
Design and Analysis of Series Loaded Resonant Converter fed by Standalone/PV Source
Authors: Lakshmi Tejaswi Pallavarjhula Sri , Sree Vidhya V. , Suma Mahanthi Sai
Published: August 2020

The deficiency of power is an enormous issue due to higher growth demands among the utility customers which led the focus on renewable energy sources for electricity generation. Solar energy has gained high popularity due to highly abundant, clean, economical and sustainable when compared to other alternative energy sources. The DC-DC converter topologies are used in solar photovoltaic (PV) applications for power conversion due to less cost, highly reliable, highly efficient, and robust operation. These converters incorporate a wide variety of voltage variations and protection against overvoltage. In the recent times, solar power converters using various soft switching techniques due to high switching frequencies which reduce the size, cost, weight and loss of the converter. The series resonant power converters are one such soft switching converter which is widely employed due to their high - efficiency with the benefit of low switching losses. The paper confers on the analysis of Series Loaded Resonant Converter with low loss switching by applying solar PV as an input source. The converter behaviour is observed in various operating modes concerning the resonant frequency. The design parameters of the proposed converter are validated in MATLAB/SIMULINK environment.
Robot based Smart Water Pipeline Monitoring System
Authors: Sujatha R , Parixit Hariprasad Patel
Published: August 2020

Water scarcity is a serious challenge posed on us and the cost of providing fresh potable will provoke over time. The adoption of robots for the water transportation is inevitable for the productive rehabilitation. Real-time water pipelines monitoring is one of the potential application where robotics play a major role. Monitoring the huge long water pipelines is the biggest challenge. Thus a robust and reliable artificial water pipe monitoring and cleaning robot is proposed to monitor the pipelines of various diameters that interconnect the distributed network for leaks and clogs and to remove the debris. The automated system can be made smart by providing online water leakage or block audit is feasible through a web Socket based application program interface in the cloud platform. An early warning dashboard will be enabled for the water supply management team. This prototype when implemented on a large scale will have potential applications in multipurpose industrial huge oil or gas pipelines along with water pipelines.
4G Signal Booster
Authors: Kavipriya P. , Ebenezar Jebarani M.R. , Jegan G. , Chitra P. , Lakshmi S.
Published: August 2020

A system which is capable of or adapted for turning easily from one to another of various tasks, fields of endeavor have been evolved since 1980’s as time changes everything is of higher execution, higher limit and simplicity of getting to from anyplace on the world. There is a fast progression in remote correspondence innovation giving the system benefits anyplace and at whatever time 4G correspondence frameworks are being created to take care of the different issues the present correspondence frameworks (3G, 2.5G) are facing. In this paper we give a simple booster which works on the present network 4G.We talk about the innovations that exist in market and can be utilized to upgrade the system data transmission and execution of the right now living innovation in the market. Some of regions were ineffectively secured by wire line gadgets because of significant expense. 4G will be a canny innovation that will decrease the quantity of various advances to a solitary worldwide standard. This would lead to more efficient 4G mobile networks. As previously used Specifically, An artificial intelligent technique involving the use of Bat Algorithm (BA) and Artificial Neural Network (ANN) have been proposed. Nowadays everyone is preferred wireless then wired connection and everyone need wireless connectivity. It is trusted that this will fill in as a one-stop look for specialists and engineers in the significant field of remote sign promoters and extenders, who wish to realize what is accessible and existing difficulties.
Evolution of phase singularities of Laguerre–Gaussian Schell-model vortex beam
Authors: Wang Jiao , Ke Xizheng , Wang Mingjun
Published: August 2020

In free space optical communication, the type and quality of the light source are very important. In this paper, we introduce a vortex class of partially coherent sources of Schell type with a Laguerre–Gaussian Schell-model vortex (LGSMV) beam, which is the product of the dark hollow Laguerre–Gaussian Schell-model beam (2013 Opt. Lett.
38 91) passing through a spiral phase modulator. We study the characteristics of the intensity distribution of the LGSMV beam in the far-field plane. The analytical expression of the cross-spectral density function of a LGSMV beam in the far-field plane is derived. We demonstrate an implicit rule that the number of phase singularities of an LGSMV beam is equal to the original topological charge, when the order p increases to a certain extent. This novel rule provides an effective method for detecting the topological charge of an LGSMV beam in applications such as free space optical communication and optical manipulation.
Cancer Diagnostic Delay in Northern and Central Italy During the 2020 Lockdown Due to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic
Authors: Ferrara Gerardo , De Vincentiis Ludovica , Ambrosini-Spaltro Andrea , Barbareschi Mattia , Bertolini Valentina , Contato Edgardo , Crivelli Filippo , Feyles Elda , Mariani Maria Paola , Morelli Luca , Orvieto Enrico , Pacella Elena , Venturino Ezio , Saragoni Luca
Published: August 2020

Objectives

We performed data collection concerning the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic-related delay in the diagnosis of cancers to individuate proper corrective procedures.

Methods

A comparison was made among the number of first pathologic diagnoses of malignancy made from weeks 11 to 20 of 2018, 2019, and 2020 at seven anatomic pathology units serving secondary care hospitals in northern-central Italy.

Results

Cancer diagnoses fell in 2020 by 44.9% compared with the average number recorded in 2018 and 2019. Melanoma and nonmelanoma skin cancer represented 56.7% of all missing diagnoses. The diagnostic decrease in colorectal (–46.6%), prostate (–45%), and bladder (–43.6%) cancer was the most relevant among internal malignancies; for prostate, however, high-grade tumors were only moderately affected (–21.7%).

Conclusions

Diagnosis of cutaneous malignancies was mostly affected by the lockdown; among internal malignancies, corrective actions were mostly needed for colorectal cancer and invasive bladder cancer.
Mastocytosis
Authors: Tzankov Alexandar , Duncavage Eric , Craig Fiona E , Kelemen Katalin , King Rebecca L , Orazi Attilio , Quintanilla-Martinez Leticia , Reichard Kaaren K , Rimsza Lisa M , Wang Sa A , Horny Hans-Peter , George Tracy I
Published: August 2020

Objectives

The 2019 Workshop of the Society for Hematopathology/European Association for Haematopathology received and reviewed cases covering the spectrum of mastocytosis and related diseases, including morphologic mimics, focusing on recent updates and relevant findings for pathologists.

Methods

The workshop panel reviewed 99 cases of cutaneous and systemic mastocytosis (SM) and SM and associated hematologic neoplasms (SM-AHN).

Results

Despite a common theme of KIT mutation (particularly D816V), mastocytosis is a heterogeneous neoplasm with a wide variety of presentations. This spectrum, including rare subtypes and extramedullary organ involvement, is discussed and illustrated by representative cases.

Conclusions

In the age of targeted treatment aimed at KIT, the accurate diagnosis and classification of mastocytosis has major implications for therapy and further interventions. Understanding the clinical, pathologic, and genetic findings of mastocytosis is crucial for selecting the proper tests to perform and subsequent arrival at a correct diagnosis in this rare disease.
The Association Between Age at Initiation of Alcohol Consumption and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Cohort Study of 0.5 Million Persons in China
Authors: Li Haoxin , Lv Jun , Yu Canqing , Guo Yu , Bian Zheng , Fan Junning , Yang Ling , Chen Yiping , Du Huaidong , Long Huajun , Zhang Zengzhi , Chen Junshi , Chen Zhengming , Huang Tao , Li Liming ,   for the China Kadoorie Biobank Collaborative Group
Published: August 2020

It is well known that alcohol consumption is associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus. However, the association of age at initiation of alcohol consumption and duration of alcohol drinking with type 2 diabetes mellitus among Chinese adults is not fully understood. This study was based on data from the China Kadoorie Biobank, which included 512,712 participants aged 30–79 years who were living in China in 2004–2008. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate the association of AAI and drinking duration with type 2 diabetes. After adjustment for potential covariates, ages at alcohol initiation (AAIs) of 18.1–29.0 years, 29.1–39.0 years, and >39.0 years were associated with 22% (95% confidence interval (CI): 14, 30), 25% (95% CI: 17, 33), and 32% (95% CI: 24, 39) lower hazards of type 2 diabetes compared with abstaining, respectively. Drinking durations of <10.1 years, 10.1–20.0 years, and 20.1–30.0 years were associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, compared with abstaining. Among current (weekly) drinkers, AAI <18.1 years and drinking duration >30.0 years were associated with 18% (95% CI: 4, 33) and 20% (95% CI: 3, 40) higher hazards of type 2 diabetes, compared with AAI 18.1–29.0 years and drinking duration <10.1 years, respectively. In conclusion, late AAI and a short drinking duration were associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes in this large prospective cohort study of Chinese adults, but early AAI and long drinking duration were not.
Association Between Midpregnancy Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Levels and Offspring Autism Spectrum Disorder in a California Population-Based Case-Control Study
Authors: Lyall Kristen , Windham Gayle C , Snyder Nathaniel W , Kuskovsky Rostislav , Xu Peining , Bostwick Anna , Robinson Lucy , Newschaffer Craig J
Published: August 2020

Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are critical for brain development and have been linked with neurodevelopmental outcomes. We conducted a population-based case-control study in California to examine the association between PUFAs measured in midpregnancy serum samples and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in offspring. ASD cases (n = 499) were identified through the California Department of Developmental Services and matched to live-birth population controls (n = 502) on birth month, year (2010 or 2011), and sex. Logistic regression models were used to examine crude and adjusted associations. In secondary analyses, we examined ASD with and without co-occurring intellectual disability (ID; n = 67 and n = 432, respectively) and effect modification by sex and ethnicity. No clear patterns emerged, though there was a modest inverse association with the top quartile of linoleic acid level (highest quartile vs. lowest: adjusted odds ratio = 0.74, 95% confidence interval: 0.49, 1.11; P for trend = 0.10). Lower levels of total and ω-3 PUFAs were associated with ASD with ID (lowest decile of total PUFAs vs. deciles 4–7: adjusted odds ratio = 2.78, 95% confidence interval: 1.13, 6.82) but not ASD without ID. We did not observe evidence of effect modification by the factors examined. These findings do not suggest a strong association between midpregnancy PUFA levels and ASD. In further work, researchers should consider associations with ASD with ID and in other time windows.
A graph auto-encoder model for miRNA-disease associations prediction
Authors: Li Zhengwei , Li Jiashu , Nie Ru , You Zhu-Hong , Bao Wenzheng
Published: August 2020

Emerging evidence indicates that the abnormal expression of miRNAs involves in the evolution and progression of various human complex diseases. Identifying disease-related miRNAs as new biomarkers can promote the development of disease pathology and clinical medicine. However, designing biological experiments to validate disease-related miRNAs is usually time-consuming and expensive. Therefore, it is urgent to design effective computational methods for predicting potential miRNA-disease associations. Inspired by the great progress of graph neural networks in link prediction, we propose a novel graph auto-encoder model, named GAEMDA, to identify the potential miRNA-disease associations in an end-to-end manner. More specifically, the GAEMDA model applies a graph neural networks-based encoder, which contains aggregator function and multi-layer perceptron for aggregating nodes’ neighborhood information, to generate the low-dimensional embeddings of miRNA and disease nodes and realize the effective fusion of heterogeneous information. Then, the embeddings of miRNA and disease nodes are fed into a bilinear decoder to identify the potential links between miRNA and disease nodes. The experimental results indicate that GAEMDA achieves the average area under the curve of $93.56\pm 0.44\%$ under 5-fold cross-validation. Besides, we further carried out case studies on colon neoplasms, esophageal neoplasms and kidney neoplasms. As a result, 48 of the top 50 predicted miRNAs associated with these diseases are confirmed by the database of differentially expressed miRNAs in human cancers and microRNA deregulation in human disease database, respectively. The satisfactory prediction performance suggests that GAEMDA model could serve as a reliable tool to guide the following researches on the regulatory role of miRNAs. Besides, the source codes are available at https://github.com/chimianbuhetang/GAEMDA.
Mindfulness Improves Brain–Computer Interface Performance by Increasing Control Over Neural Activity in the Alpha Band
Authors: Stieger James R , Engel Stephen , Jiang Haiteng , Cline Christopher C , Kreitzer Mary Jo , He Bin
Published: August 2020

Brain–computer interfaces (BCIs) are promising tools for assisting patients with paralysis, but suffer from long training times and variable user proficiency. Mind–body awareness training (MBAT) can improve BCI learning, but how it does so remains unknown. Here, we show that MBAT allows participants to learn to volitionally increase alpha band neural activity during BCI tasks that incorporate intentional rest. We trained individuals in mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR; a standardized MBAT intervention) and compared performance and brain activity before and after training between randomly assigned trained and untrained control groups. The MBAT group showed reliably faster learning of BCI than the control group throughout training. Alpha-band activity in electroencephalogram signals, recorded in the volitional resting state during task performance, showed a parallel increase over sessions, and predicted final BCI performance. The level of alpha-band activity during the intentional resting state correlated reliably with individuals’ mindfulness practice as well as performance on a breath counting task. Collectively, these results show that MBAT modifies a specific neural signal used by BCI. MBAT, by increasing patients' control over their brain activity during rest, may increase the effectiveness of BCI in the large population who could benefit from alternatives to direct motor control.
Efficacy and safety of rituximab in adult frequent-relapsing or steroid-dependent minimal change disease or focal segmental glomerulosclerosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Xue Cheng , Yang Bo , Xu Jing , Zhou Chenchen , Zhang Liming , Gao Xiang , Dai Bing , Yu Shengqiang , Mao Zhiguo , Mei Changlin , Xu Chenggang
Published: August 2020

Background

The efficacy and safety of rituximab (RTX) in adult frequent-relapsing (FR) or steroid-dependent (SD) nephrotic syndrome (NS), including minimal change disease (MCD) or focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), are still inconclusive.

Methods

We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis registered in  PROSPERO (CRD42019148102) by pooling data of cohort studies or case series on adult patients with difficult-to-treat NS. Steroid-resistant NS was excluded. The primary outcomes were the complete remission (CR) rate and the relapse rate. Partial remission (PR) rate, no response (NR) rate and adverse events were the secondary outcomes. A random-effects model was performed for all the outcomes.

Results

We included 21 studies involving 382 adult MCD/FSGS subjects with a median follow-up duration from 12 to 43 months. RTX treatment induced a pooled 84.2% CR rate [95% confidence interval (CI): 67.7–96.3%], while MCD patients had a high 91.6% CR rate and FSGS patients a moderate 43% CR rate. However, 27.4% (95% CI 20.7–34.5%) of the patients relapsed during the follow-up. The pooled PR and NR rates were 5.8% (95% CI 1.2–12.5%) and 5.2% (95% CI 0.0–15.0%), respectively. RTX was associated with trivial adverse events and good tolerance.

Conclusions

In summary, by pooling results of current pilot studies, RTX may be an effective and relatively safe alternative for most adult FR or SD MCD/FSGS to displace calcineurin inhibitors or prednisone in the hierarchy of treatment. More clinical trials comparing RTX with other immunosuppressants and concerning the long-term adverse events are needed.