bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Neuroprotective Effects of a Novel Inhibitor of c-Jun N-Terminal Kinase in the Rat Model of Transient Focal Cerebral Ischemia
Authors: Plotnikov Mark B. , Chernysheva Galina A. , Smolyakova Vera I. , Aliev Oleg I. , Trofimova Eugene S. , Sherstoboev Eugene Y. , Osipenko Anton N. , Khlebnikov Andrei I. , Anfinogenova Yana J. , Schepetkin Igor A. , Atochin Dmitriy N.
Published: August 2020

A novel specific inhibitor of c-Jun N-terminal kinase, 11H-indeno[1,2-b]quinoxalin-11-one oxime sodium salt (IQ-1S), has a high affinity to JNK3 compared to JNK1/JNK2. The aim of this work was to study the mechanisms of neuroprotective activity of IQ-1S in the models of reversible focal cerebral ischemia (FCI) in Wistar rats. The animals were administered with an intraperitoneal injection of IQ-1S (5 and 25 mg/kg) or citicoline (500 mg/kg). Administration of IQ-1S exerted a pronounced dose-dependent neuroprotective effect, not inferior to the effects of citicoline. Administration of IQ-1S at doses of 5 and 25 mg/kg reduced the infarct size by 20% and 50%, respectively, 48 h after FCI, whereas administration of citicoline reduced the infarct size by 34%. The administration of IQ-1S was associated with a faster amelioration of neurological status. Control rats showed a 2.0-fold increase in phospho-c-Jun levels in the hippocampus compared to the corresponding values in sham-operated rats 4 h after FCI. Administration of IQ-1S at a dose of 25 mg/kg reduced JNK-dependent phosphorylation of c-Jun by 20%. Our findings suggest that IQ-1S inhibits JNK enzymatic activity in the hippocampus and protects against stroke injury when administered in the therapeutic and prophylactic regimen in the rat model of FCI.
S-Adenosylmethionine Treatment of Colorectal Cancer Cell Lines Alters DNA Methylation, DNA Repair and Tumor Progression-Related Gene Expression
Authors: Zsigrai Sára , Kalmár Alexandra , Nagy Zsófia B. , Barták Barbara K. , Valcz Gábor , Szigeti Krisztina A. , Galamb Orsolya , Dankó Titanilla , Sebestyén Anna , Barna Gábor , Szabó Vanessza , Pipek Orsolya , Medgyes-Horváth Anna , Csabai István , Tulassay Zsolt , Igaz Péter , Takács István , Molnár Béla
Published: August 2020

Global DNA hypomethylation is a characteristic feature of colorectal carcinoma (CRC). The tumor inhibitory effect of S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) methyl donor has been described in certain cancers including CRC. However, the molecular impact of SAM treatment on CRC cell lines with distinct genetic features has not been evaluated comprehensively. HT-29 and SW480 cells were treated with 0.5 and 1 mmol/L SAM for 48 h followed by cell proliferation measurements, whole-genome transcriptome and methylome analyses, DNA stability assessments and exome sequencing. SAM reduced cell number and increased senescence by causing S phase arrest, besides, multiple EMT-related genes (e.g., TGFB1) were downregulated in both cell lines. Alteration in the global DNA methylation level was not observed, but certain methylation changes in gene promoters were detected. SAM-induced γ-H2AX elevation could be associated with activated DNA repair pathway showing upregulated gene expression (e.g., HUS1). Remarkable genomic stability elevation, namely, decreased micronucleus number and comet tail length was observed only in SW480 after treatment. SAM has the potential to induce senescence, DNA repair, genome stability and to reduce CRC progression. However, the different therapeutic responses of HT-29 and SW480 to SAM emphasize the importance of the molecular characterization of CRC cases prior to methyl donor supplementation.
Characteristics and Possible Role of Bovine Sperm Head-to-Head Agglutination
Authors: Umezu Kohei , Kurata Shouhei , Takamori Hironori , Numabe Takashi , Hiradate Yuuki , Hara Kenshiro , Tanemura Kentaro
Published: August 2020

Although sperm head-to-head agglutination has been reported in many mammalian species, the biological significance of this unique sperm–sperm interaction remains largely unknown. Here, we aimed to examine the functional characteristics of agglutinated bovine sperm to determine the possible role of sperm agglutination in the fertilization process. We initially examined temporal changes to the degree of head-to-head agglutination in culture, and found that bovine sperm agglutinated despite the lack of sperm agglutination inducers in medium. Sperm viability and motility were evaluated by SYBR14/PI and JC-1 staining, respectively, to identify the relationship between sperm agglutination and fertilizing ability. Agglutinated sperm had increased motility, viability, and intact mitochondrial function compared with unagglutinated sperm. Furthermore, we found that heparin significantly increased the percentage of unagglutinated sperm, but did not affect viability of both agglutinated and unagglutinated sperm, suggesting that sperm agglutination dictated the viability. In conclusion, agglutinated bovine sperm maintained viability and motility for a longer time than unagglutinated sperm. Thus, we propose that the head-to-head agglutination is a crucial sperm–sperm interaction to ensure the fertilizing ability of sperm.
circRNAome Profiling in Oral Carcinoma Unveils a Novel circFLNB that Mediates Tumour Growth-Regulating Transcriptional Response
Authors: Chen Yi-Tung , Chang Ian Yi-Feng , Kan Chia-Hua , Liu Yu-Hao , Kuo Yu-Ping , Tseng Hsin-Hao , Chen Hsing-Chun , Liu Hsuan , Chang Yu-Sun , Yu Jau-Song , Chang Kai-Ping , Tan Bertrand Chin-Ming
Published: August 2020

Deep sequencing technologies have revealed the once uncharted non-coding transcriptome of circular RNAs (circRNAs). Despite the lack of protein-coding potential, these unorthodox yet highly stable RNA species are known to act as critical gene regulatory hubs, particularly in malignancies. However, their mechanistic implications in tumor outcome and translational potential have not been fully resolved. Using RNA-seq data, we profiled the circRNAomes of tumor specimens derived from oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), which is a prevalently diagnosed cancer with a persistently low survival rate. We further catalogued dysregulated circRNAs in connection with tumorigenic progression. Using comprehensive bioinformatics analyses focused on co-expression maps and miRNA-interaction networks, we delineated the regulatory networks that are centered on circRNAs. Interestingly, we identified a tumor-associated, pro-tumorigenic circRNA, named circFLNB, that was implicated in maintaining several tumor-associated phenotypes in vitro and in vivo. Correspondingly, transcriptome profiling of circFLNB-knockdown cells showed alterations in tumor-related genes. Integrated in silico analyses further deciphered the circFLNB-targeted gene network. Together, our current study demarcates the OSCC-associated circRNAome, and unveils a novel circRNA circuit with functional implication in OSCC progression. These systems-based findings broaden mechanistic understanding of oral malignancies and raise new prospects for translational medicine.
Greening and Browning Trends of Vegetation in India and Their Responses to Climatic and Non-Climatic Drivers
Authors: Parida Bikash Ranjan , Pandey Arvind Chandra , Patel N.R.
Published: August 2020

It is imperative to know the spatial distribution of vegetation trends in India and its responses to both climatic and non-climatic drivers because many ecoregions are vulnerable to global climate change. Here we employed the NDVI3g satellite data over the span of 35 years (1981/82–2015) to estimate vegetation trends and corresponding climatic variables trends (i.e., precipitation, temperature, solar radiation and soil moisture) by using the Mann–Kendall test (τ) and the Theil–Sen median trend. Analysis was performed separately for the two focal periods—(i) the earlier period (1981/82–2000) and (ii) later period (2000–2015)—because many ecoregions experienced more warming after 2000 than the 1980s and 1990s. Our results revealed that a prominent large-scale greening trend (47% of area) of vegetation continued from the earlier period to the later period (80% of area) across the northwestern Plain and Central India. Despite climatologically drier regions, the stronger greening trend was also evident over croplands which was attributed to moisture-induced greening combined with cooling trends of temperature. However, greening trends of vegetation and croplands diminished (i.e., from 84% to 40% of area in kharif season), especially over the southern peninsula, including the west-central area. Such changes were mostly attributed to warming trends and declined soil moisture trends, a phenomenon known as temperature-induced moisture stress. This effect has an adverse impact on vegetation growth in the Himalayas, Northeast India, the Western Ghats and the southern peninsula, which was further exaggerated by human-induced land-use change. Therefore, it can be concluded that vegetation trend analysis from NDVI3g data provides vital information on two mechanisms (i.e., temperature-induced moisture stress and moisture-induced greening) operating in India. In particular, the temperature-induced moisture stress is alarming, and may be exacerbated in the future under accelerated warming as it may have potential implications on forest and agriculture ecosystems, including societal impacts (e.g., food security, employment, wealth). These findings are very valuable to policymakers and climate change awareness-raising campaigns at the national level.
Robustness of Surface Roughness against Low Number of Picture Elements and Its Benefit for Scaling Analysis
Authors: Zhou Wenmeng , Li Xinghui , Feng Feng , Qu Timing , Huang Junlong , Qian Xiang , Zha Huiting , Feng Pingfa
Published: August 2020

Surface roughness is widely used in the research of topography, and the scaling characteristics of roughness have been noticed in many fields. To rapidly obtain the relationship between root-mean-squared roughness (Rq) and measurement scale (L) could be helpful to achieve more understandings of the surface property, particularly the Rq-L curve could be fitted to calculate the fractal dimension (D). In this study, the robustness of Rq against low number of picture elements was investigated. Artificial surfaces and the surfaces of two actual samples (a silver thin film and a milled workpiece) were selected. When the number of picture elements was lowered, Rq was found to be stable within a large portion of the concerned scope. Such a robustness property could validate the feasibility of Rq-L curve obtained by segmenting a single morphological picture with roughness scaling extraction (RSE) method, which was proposed in our previous study. Since the traditional roughness (TR) method to obtain Rq-L curves was based on multiple pictures, which used a fixed number of picture elements at various L, RSE method could be significantly more rapid than TR method. Moreover, a direct comparison was carried out between RSE method and TR method in calculating the Rq-L curve and D, and the credibility and accuracy of RSE method with flatten order 1 and 2 was verified.
Recent Trends in Coatings and Thin Film: Modeling and Application
Authors: Ellahi Rahmat
Published: August 2020

This special issue took this opportunity to invite researchers to contribute their original research work and review articles to this Special Issue on “Recent Trends in Coatings and Thin Film: Modeling and Application” to be published in Coatings. The goal of this Special Issue was to address challenges and current issues that either advance the state-of-the-art of experimental, numerical, and theoretical methodologies, or extends the bounds of existing methodologies to new contributions that are related to coatings and thin film containing whichever, magnetic, multiphase, material science, nanotechnology, surfaces, interfaces, and mechanical sensing properties. In response to the call for papers, a total of 58 papers were submitted for possible publication. After comprehensive peer review, only 27 papers qualified for acceptance for final publication. The rest of 31 papers could not be accommodated. The submissions may have been technically correct, but were not considered appropriate for the scope of this special issue. The authors are from 17 geographically distributed countries, such as China, Spain, Romania, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Malaysia, Abu Dhabi, UAE, Vietnam, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Lebanon, Egypt, India, and Kuwait, etc. This reflects the great impact of the proposed topic and the effective organization of the guest editorial team of this Special Issue.
Preparation and Self-Repairing Properties of MF-Coated Shellac Water-Based Microcapsules
Authors: Chang Yijuan , Yan Xiaoxing
Published: August 2020

A self-repairing microcapsule was prepared by emulsion polymerization using melamine formaldehyde resin (MF) as wall material, and a mixture of shellac solution and water-based coating as core material. The orthogonal experiment was carried out through five factors and four levels. The effects of Wcore:Wwall, Wemulsifier:Wcore, stirring rate, Wshellac:Wcoating, Wemulsifier solution:Wcore on the output and coverage rate of microcapsules were studied. The stirring rate has a great influence on the preparation process of the MF-coated shellac water-based microcapsules. When the Wcore:Wwall is 0.8:1, Wemulsifier:Wcore is 3:100, stirring rate is 600 rpm, Wshellac:Wcoating is 1:1, Wemulsifier solution:Wcore is 9:1, the prepared microcapsules have the best shape and size. With the increase in concentration of microcapsules, the color difference and gloss of paint film decreased gradually. The tensile strength, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), infrared spectroscopy and repair effects of the paint film were analyzed. When the concentration of microcapsules was 5.0–10.0%, the comprehensive performance of the paint film was better, providing a technical reference for the self-repairing coatings.
Photonic Crystals
Authors: Daniele Martella , Nocentini Sara
Published: August 2020

The past and present goal of photonic technology stems in the fine and arbitrary control of light propagation within miniaturized devices that can possibly integrate different functionalities [...]
(Ba,K)(Zn,Mn)2Sb2: A New Type of Diluted Magnetic Semiconductor
Authors: Yu Shuang , Zhao Guoqiang , Peng Yi , Wang Xiancheng , Liu Qingqing , Yu Runze , Zhang Sijia , Zhao Jianfa , Li Wenmin , Deng Zheng , Uemura Yasutomo J. , Jin Changqing
Published: August 2020

A series of polycrystalline samples of a new diluted magnetic semiconductor (DMS) (Ba,K)(Zn,Mn)2Sb2 has been synthesized and systematically studied. The parent phase is the so-called “Zintl compound” BaZn2Sb2, a week-degenerate semiconductor with a narrow band gap of 0.2 eV. In (Ba,K)(Zn,Mn)2Sb2, the charge is doped by (Ba,K) substitution while the spin is independently doped by (Zn,Mn) substitution. (Ba,K)(Zn,Mn)2Sb2 and analogue (Ba,K)(Zn,Mn)2As2 have comparable narrow band gaps, carrier and spin concentrations. However, the former establishes a short-range spin-glass order at a very low temperature (<10 K), while the latter forms a long-range ferromagnetic ordering with a Curie temperature up to 230 K. The sharp contrast makes (Ba,K)(Zn,Mn)2Sb2 to be a touchstone for DMS theoretical models.
Current and Future Distribution of Five Timber Forest Species in Amazonas, Northeast Peru: Contributions towards a Restoration Strategy
Authors: Rojas Briceño Nilton B. , Cotrina Sánchez Dany A. , Barboza Castillo Elgar , Barrena Gurbillón Miguel Ángel , Sarmiento Fausto O. , Sotomayor Diego A. , Oliva Manuel , Salas López Rolando
Published: August 2020

Forest and land degradation is a serious problem worldwide and the Peruvian National Map of Degraded Areas indicates that 13.78% (177,592.82 km2) of the country’s territory is degraded. Forest plantations can be a restoration strategy, while conserving economically important species affected by climate change and providing forestry material for markets. This study modelled the species distribution under current conditions and climate change scenarios of five Timber Forest Species (TFS) in the Amazonas Department, northeastern Peru. Modelling was conducted with Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) using 26 environmental variables. Of the total distribution under current conditions of Cedrelinga cateniformis, Ceiba pentandra, Apuleia leiocarpa, Cariniana decandra and Cedrela montana, 34.64% (2985.51 km2), 37.96% (2155.86 km2), 35.34% (2132.57 km2), 33.30% (1848.51 km2), and 35.81% (6125.44 km2), respectively, correspond to degraded areas and, therefore, there is restoration potential with these species. By 2050 and 2070, all TFS are projected to change their distribution compared to their current ranges, regardless of whether it will be an expansion and/or a contraction. Consequently, this methodology is intended to guide the economic and ecological success of forest plantations in reducing areas degraded by deforestation or similar activities.
Validation of Copy Number Variants Detection from Pregnant Plasma Using Low-Pass Whole-Genome Sequencing in Noninvasive Prenatal Testing-Like Settings
Authors: Hyblova Michaela , Harsanyova Maria , Nikulenkov-Grochova Diana , Kadlecova Jitka , Kucharik Marcel , Budis Jaroslav , Minarik Gabriel
Published: August 2020

Detection of copy number variants as an integral part of noninvasive prenatal testing is increasingly used in clinical practice worldwide. We performed validation on plasma samples from 34 pregnant women with known aberrations using cell-free DNA sequencing to evaluate the sensitivity for copy number variants (CNV) detection using an in-house CNV fraction-based detection algorithm. The sensitivity for CNVs smaller than 3 megabases (Mb), larger than 3Mb, and overall was 78.57%, 100%, and 90.6%, respectively. Regarding the fetal fraction, detection sensitivity in the group with a fetal fraction of less than 10% was 57.14%, whereas there was 100% sensitivity in the group with fetal fraction exceeding 10%. The assay is also capable of indicating whether the origin of an aberration is exclusively fetal or fetomaternal/maternal. This validation demonstrated that a CNV fraction-based algorithm was applicable and feasible in clinical settings as a supplement to testing for common trisomies 21, 18, and 13.
Regional Mapping of Brain Glutamate Distributions Using Glutamate-Weighted Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer Imaging
Authors: Lee Do-Wan , Woo Chul-Woong , Woo Dong-Cheol , Kim Jeong Kon , Kim Kyung Won , Lee Dong-Hoon
Published: August 2020

Purpose: To investigate glutamate signal distributions in multiple brain regions of a healthy rat brain using glutamate-weighted chemical exchange saturation transfer (GluCEST) imaging. Method: The GluCEST data were obtained using a 7.0 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner, and all data were analyzed using conventional magnetization transfer ratio asymmetry in eight brain regions (cortex, hippocampus, corpus callosum, and rest of midbrain in each hemisphere). GluCEST data acquisition was performed again one month later in five randomly selected rats to evaluate the stability of the GluCEST signal. To evaluate glutamate level changes calculated by GluCEST data, we compared the results with the concentration of glutamate acquired from 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H MRS) data in the cortex and hippocampus. Results: GluCEST signals showed significant differences (all p ≤ 0.001) between the corpus callosum (−1.71 ± 1.04%; white matter) and other brain regions (3.59 ± 0.41%, cortex; 5.47 ± 0.61%, hippocampus; 4.49 ± 1.11%, rest of midbrain; gray matter). The stability test of GluCEST findings for each brain region was not significantly different (all p ≥ 0.263). In line with the GluCEST results, glutamate concentrations measured by 1H MRS also appeared higher in the hippocampus (7.30 ± 0.16 μmol/g) than the cortex (6.89 ± 0.72 μmol/g). Conclusion: Mapping of GluCEST signals in the healthy rat brain clearly visualize glutamate distributions. These findings may yield a valuable database and insights for comparing glutamate signal changes in pre-clinical brain diseases.
Ki67 and PR in Patients Treated with CDK4/6 Inhibitors: A Real-World Experience
Authors: Palleschi Michela , Maltoni Roberta , Ravaioli Sara , Vagheggini Alessandro , Mannozzi Francesca , Fanini Francesca , Pirini Francesca , Tumedei Maria , Barzotti Eleonora , Cecconetto Lorenzo , Sarti Samanta , Manunta Silvia , Possanzini Paola , Fedeli Anna , Curcio Annalisa , Altini Mattia , De Giorgi Ugo , Rocca Andrea , Bravaccini Sara
Published: August 2020

CDK4/6 inhibitors (CDK4/6i) are recommended in patients with estrogen receptor (ER)-positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer (ABC). Up to now, no prognostic biomarkers have been identified in this setting. We retrospectively analyzed the expression of progesterone receptor (PR) and Ki67, assessed by immunohistochemistry, in 71 ABC patients treated with CDK4/6i and analyzed the impact of these markers on progression-free survival (PFS). The majority of patients 63/71 (88.7%) received palbociclib, 4 (5.6%) received ribociclib, and 4 (5.6%) received abemaciclib. A higher median value of Ki67 was observed in cases undergoing second-line treatment (p = 0.047), whereas the luminal B subtype was more prevalent (p = 0.005). In the univariate analysis of the first-line setting, luminal A subtype showed a trend towards a correlation with a longer PFS (p = 0.053). A higher continuous Ki67 value led to a significantly shorter PFS. When the interaction between pathological characteristics and line of treatment was considered, luminal B subtype showed a significantly (p = 0.043) worse outcome (Hazard Ratio (HR) 2.84; 1.03–7.82 95% Confidence Interval (CI)). PFS in patients undergoing endocrine therapy plus CDK4/6i was inversely correlated with Ki67 expression but not with PR, suggesting that tumor proliferation has a greater impact on cell cycle inhibitors combined with endocrine therapy than PR expression.
Evaluation of Nuclear Cataract with Smartphone-Attachable Slit-Lamp Device
Authors: Yazu Hiroyuki , Shimizu Eisuke , Okuyama Sho , Katahira Takuya , Aketa Naohiko , Yokoiwa Ryota , Sato Yasunori , Ogawa Yoko , Fujishima Hiroshi
Published: August 2020

Background: Visual impairments and age-related eye diseases need to be detected and treated in a timely manner. However, this is often hampered by lack of appropriate medical equipment. We have invented a portable, recordable, and smartphone-attachable slit-lamp device, called the Smart Eye Camera (SEC). The aim of this study was to compare evaluating nuclear cataract (NUC) between the SEC and the conventional, non-portable slit-lamp microscope. Methods: A total of 128 eyes of 64 Japanese patients (mean age: 73.95 ± 9.28 years; range: 51‒92 years; female: 34) were enrolled. The NUC was classified into four grades (grade 0 to 3) based on three standard photographs of nuclear opacities according to the WHO classification by ophthalmologists. An ophthalmic healthcare assistant (non-ophthalmologist) filmed the eyes in video mode by the SEC and an ophthalmologist graded the NUC. Grade correlation and inter-rater reproducibility were determined. Results: NUC grading by the two approaches correlated significantly (both eyes: r = 0.871 [95%CI: 0.821 to 0.907; p < 0.001]). Inter-rater agreement was high (weighted κ = 0.807 [95%CI: 0.798 to 0.816; p < 0.001]). Conclusions: This study suggests that the SEC is as reliable as the conventional non-portable slit-lamp microscope for evaluating NUC.
Surveillance of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
Authors: Sumida Yoshio , Yoneda Masashi , Seko Yuya , Ishiba Hiroshi , Hara Tasuku , Toyoda Hidenori , Yasuda Satoshi , Kumada Takashi , Hayashi Hideki , Kobayashi Takashi , Imajo Kento , Yoneda Masato , Tada Toshifumi , Kawaguchi Takumi , Eguchi Yuichiro , Oeda Satoshi , Takahashi Hirokazu , Tomita Eiichi , Okanoue Takeshi , Nakajima Atsushi ,   Japan Study Group of NAFLD (JSG-NAFLD)
Published: August 2020

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is becoming the leading cause of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), liver-related mortality, and liver transplantation. There is sufficient epidemiological cohort data to recommend the surveillance of patients with NAFLD based upon the incidence of HCC. The American Gastroenterology Association (AGA) expert review published in 2020 recommends that NAFLD patients with cirrhosis or advanced fibrosis estimated by non-invasive tests (NITs) consider HCC surveillance. NITs include the fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) index, the enhanced liver fibrosis (ELF) test, FibroScan, and MR elastography. The recommended surveillance modality is abdominal ultrasound (US), which is cost effective and noninvasive with good sensitivity. However, US is limited in obese patients and those with NAFLD. In NAFLD patients with a high likelihood of having an inadequate US, or if an US is attempted but inadequate, CT or MRI may be utilized. The GALAD score, consisting of age, gender, AFP, the lens culinaris-agglutinin-reactive fraction of AFP (AFP-L3), and the protein induced by the absence of vitamin K or antagonist-II (PIVKA-II), can help identify a high risk of HCC in NAFLD patients. Innovative parameters, including a Mac-2 binding protein glycated isomer, type IV collagen 7S, free apoptosis inhibitor of the macrophage, and a combination of single nucleoside polymorphisms, are expected to be established. Considering the large size of the NAFLD population, optimal screening tests must meet several criteria, including high sensitivity, cost effectiveness, and availability.
Some Dissimilarity Measures of Branching Processes and Optimal Decision Making in the Presence of Potential Pandemics
Authors: Kammerer Niels B. , Stummer Wolfgang
Published: August 2020

We compute exact values respectively bounds of dissimilarity/distinguishability measures–in the sense of the Kullback-Leibler information distance (relative entropy) and some transforms of more general power divergences and Renyi divergences–between two competing discrete-time Galton-Watson branching processes with immigration GWI for which the offspring as well as the immigration (importation) is arbitrarily Poisson-distributed; especially, we allow for arbitrary type of extinction-concerning criticality and thus for non-stationarity. We apply this to optimal decision making in the context of the spread of potentially pandemic infectious diseases (such as e.g., the current COVID-19 pandemic), e.g., covering different levels of dangerousness and different kinds of intervention/mitigation strategies. Asymptotic distinguishability behaviour and diffusion limits are investigated, too.
Role of Entropy in Colloidal Self-Assembly
Authors: Rocha Brunno , Paul Sanjib , Vashisth Harish
Published: August 2020

Entropy plays a key role in the self-assembly of colloidal particles. Specifically, in the case of hard particles, which do not interact or overlap with each other during the process of self-assembly, the free energy is minimized due to an increase in the entropy of the system. Understanding the contribution of entropy and engineering it is increasingly becoming central to modern colloidal self-assembly research, because the entropy serves as a guide to design a wide variety of self-assembled structures for many technological and biomedical applications. In this work, we highlight the importance of entropy in different theoretical and experimental self-assembly studies. We discuss the role of shape entropy and depletion interactions in colloidal self-assembly. We also highlight the effect of entropy in the formation of open and closed crystalline structures, as well as describe recent advances in engineering entropy to achieve targeted self-assembled structures.
Poverty Alleviation and Microfinance for the Economy of Pakistan: A Case Study of Khushhali Bank in Sargodha
Authors: Tasos Stylianou , Amjad Muhammad Ijaz , Awan Masood Sarwar , Waqas Muhammad
Published: August 2020

Poverty is a universal reality, and no one can deny the omnipresence of it all over the world. It is considered as the most harmful economic and social problem of human beings since their creation. It affects individuals as well as society as a whole in a very destructive way, and it is considered that poverty is the mother of all human rights violations. Perhaps no one would argue against the notion that microfinance can be a very useful apparatus in human, social, economic, political and national development. Microfinance has been established to fill the gap of a missing credit market for the poor. Among all other anti-poverty strategies, it has become one of the most important and successful tools for poverty elimination throughout the world. In this study, we investigate the impact of microfinance on poverty alleviation for the economy of Pakistan. The literacy is very poor for the area of Pakistan, so our research will help policy makers in making the right decisions in order to help the people that are living below the poverty line. Primary data of 300 households from Khushhali Microfinance Bank Limited were collected. The findings reveal that microfinance imparts a vital role in poverty eradication where the poverty level has decreased from 42.67% in comparison household (CHH) to 29.33% in the program household (PHH). Finally, it unveils the fact that there is a negative association between the provision of microfinance and poverty level of the household. The availability of micro financing facilities to the poor has declined the poverty rate from 42.67 percent to 29.33 percent. The Logistic Regression model implies that poverty has a negative association with the duration of microfinance, education and existence of a market in the locality, whereas it is positively related to family size and gender of the respondent.
High-Level Synthesis Design for Stencil Computations on FPGA with High Bandwidth Memory
Authors: Du Changdao , Yamaguchi Yoshiki
Published: August 2020

Due to performance and energy requirements, FPGA-based accelerators have become a promising solution for high-performance computations. Meanwhile, with the help of high-level synthesis (HLS) compilers, FPGA can be programmed using common programming languages such as C, C++, or OpenCL, thereby improving design efficiency and portability. Stencil computations are significant kernels in various scientific applications. In this paper, we introduce an architecture design for implementing stencil kernels on state-of-the-art FPGA with high bandwidth memory (HBM). Traditional FPGAs are usually equipped with external memory, e.g., DDR3 or DDR4, which limits the design space exploration in the spatial domain of stencil kernels. Therefore, many previous studies mainly relied on exploiting parallelism in the temporal domain to eliminate the bandwidth limitations. In our approach, we scale-up the design performance by considering both the spatial and temporal parallelism of the stencil kernel equally. We also discuss the design portability among different HLS compilers. We use typical stencil kernels to evaluate our design on a Xilinx U280 FPGA board and compare the results with other existing studies. By adopting our method, developers can take broad parallelization strategies based on specific FPGA resources to improve performance.
Battery Energy Management of Autonomous Electric Vehicles Using Computationally Inexpensive Model Predictive Control
Authors: Han Kyoungseok , Nguyen Tam W. , Nam Kanghyun
Published: August 2020

With the emergence of vehicle-communication technologies, many researchers have strongly focused their interest in vehicle energy-efficiency control using this connectivity. For instance, the exploitation of preview traffic enables the vehicle to plan its speed and position trajectories given a prediction horizon so that energy consumption is minimized. To handle the strong uncertainties in the traffic model in the future, a constrained controller is generally employed in the existing researches. However, its expensive computational feature largely prevents its commercialization. This paper addresses computational burden of the constrained controller by proposing a computationally tractable model prediction control (MPC) for real-time implementation in autonomous electric vehicles. We present several remedies to achieve a computationally manageable constrained control, and analyze its real-time computation feasibility and effectiveness in various driving conditions. In particular, both warmstarting and move-blocking methods could relax the computations significantly. Through the validations, we confirm the effectiveness of the proposed approach while maintaining good performance compared to other alternative schemes.
Reduction of the Line-of-Sight Equivalence Principle
Authors: Sangary Nagula , Nikolova Natalia
Published: August 2020

An improvement to the line-of-sight (LoS) approximation of the equivalence principle used in far-field computations is presented. In the original LoS approximation of the equivalence principle, the integral equation uses only the surface currents on the LoS surface, as well as the edge currents on the contour of the LoS surface, which is the replacement of the surface integrals over the shadow part of the surface. Here, we show that the integration over one type of surface current on the LoS surface and edge currents is sufficient, which reduces the resources required for the LoS radiation pattern computations by half. The proposed theory is a rigorous analysis of Love’s Equivalence theory with an introduction of the point-of-symmetry concept. The proposed method makes use of the vector-potential field representation to derive the improved LoS equivalence principle. The proposed approach is validated with the calculation of the far-field radiation pattern of a patch antenna using the Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) simulations.
Detection of Malicious Primary User Emulation Based on a Support Vector Machine for a Mobile Cognitive Radio Network Using Software-Defined Radio
Authors: Cadena Muñoz Ernesto , Pedraza Martínez Luis Fernando , Ortiz Triviño Jorge Eduardo
Published: August 2020

Mobile cognitive radio networks provide a new platform to implement and adapt wireless cellular communications, increasing the use of the electromagnetic spectrum by using it when the primary user is not using it and providing cellular service to secondary users. In these networks, there exist vulnerabilities that can be exploited, such as the malicious primary user emulation (PUE), which tries to imitate the primary user signal to make the cognitive network release the used channel, causing a denial of service to secondary users. We propose a support vector machine (SVM) technique, which classifies if the received signal is a primary user or a malicious primary user emulation signal by using the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and Rényi entropy of the energy signal as an input to the SVM. This model improves the detection of the malicious attacker presence in low SNR without the need for a threshold calculation, which can lead to false detection results, especially in orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) where the threshold is more difficult to estimate because the signal limit values are very close in low SNR. It is implemented on a software-defined radio (SDR) testbed to emulate the environment of mobile system modulations, such as Gaussian minimum shift keying (GMSK) and OFDM. The SVM made a previous learning process to allow the SVM system to recognize the signal behavior of a primary user in modulations such as GMSK and OFDM and the SNR value, and then the received test signal is analyzed in real-time to decide if a malicious PUE is present. The results show that our solution increases the detection probability compared to traditional techniques such as energy or cyclostationary detection in low SNR values, and it detects malicious PUE signal in MCRN.
Prospects of Fuel Cell Combined Heat and Power Systems
Authors: Olabi A.G. , Wilberforce Tabbi , Sayed Enas Taha , Elsaid Khaled , Abdelkareem Mohammad Ali
Published: August 2020

Combined heat and power (CHP) in a single and integrated device is concurrent or synchronized production of many sources of usable power, typically electric, as well as thermal. Integrating combined heat and power systems in today’s energy market will address energy scarcity, global warming, as well as energy-saving problems. This review highlights the system design for fuel cell CHP technologies. Key among the components discussed was the type of fuel cell stack capable of generating the maximum performance of the entire system. The type of fuel processor used was also noted to influence the systemic performance coupled with its longevity. Other components equally discussed was the power electronics. The thermal and water management was also noted to have an effect on the overall efficiency of the system. Carbon dioxide emission reduction, reduction of electricity cost and grid independence, were some notable advantages associated with fueling cell combined heat and power systems. Despite these merits, the high initial capital cost is a key factor impeding its commercialization. It is, therefore, imperative that future research activities are geared towards the development of novel, and cheap, materials for the development of the fuel cell, which will transcend into a total reduction of the entire system. Similarly, robust, systemic designs should equally be an active research direction. Other types of fuel aside, hydrogen should equally be explored. Proper risk assessment strategies and documentation will similarly expand and accelerate the commercialization of this novel technology. Finally, public sensitization of the technology will also make its acceptance and possible competition with existing forms of energy generation feasible. The work, in summary, showed that proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEM fuel cell) operated at a lower temperature-oriented cogeneration has good efficiency, and is very reliable. The critical issue pertaining to these systems has to do with the complication associated with water treatment. This implies that the balance of the plant would be significantly affected; likewise, the purity of the gas is crucial in the performance of the system. An alternative to these systems is the PEM fuel cell systems operated at higher temperatures.
Numerical Investigation of PEMFC Short-Circuit Behaviour Using an Agglomerate Model Approach
Authors: Cosse Carsten , Schumann Marc , Grumm Florian , Becker Daniel , Schulz Detlef
Published: August 2020

With increasing interest in clean energy generation in the transportation sector, increasing attention has been given to polymer-electrolyte-membrane fuel cells as viable power sources. One issue, the widespread application of this technology faces, is the insufficient knowledge regarding the transient behaviour of fuel cells, for instance, following a short-circuit event. In this paper, an agglomerate model is presented and validated, which enables the transient simulation of short-circuit events to predict the resulting peak current and discharge of the double layer capacity. The model allows for the incorporation of detailed morphological and compositional information regarding all fuel cell components. This information is used to calculate the reaction rate, diffusional and convectional species transfer, and the momentum transport. It can be shown that the charge in the double layer capacitance of the fuel cell is key to predicting the peak current and its charge is dependent on the operating conditions of the fuel cell. Further, the effects of the magnitude of the double layer capacity, current rise time and stoichiometry on the dynamic behaviour of the fuel cell are investigated. It can be shown that the discharge of the double layer capacity proceeds from the membrane through the catalyst layer to the gas diffusion layer and that the stoichiometry of the gas supply does not significantly change the absolute peak value of the short-circuit current.
Hybrid Multi-Criteria Method of Analyzing the Location of Distributed Renewable Energy Sources
Authors: Stoltmann Alicja
Published: August 2020

This paper presents the development and the application of a hybrid multi-criteria method, the combination of the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), and numerical taxonomy (NT), to support the decision making on the location of distributed renewable energy sources meeting various types of assessment criteria. Finding criteria weights, using the AHP method, eliminates the disadvantage of NT—which, in current form, is defined by its extreme values. The NT method is less mathematically complicated than the AHP method, and thus, less time-consuming. The combination of methods was used to investigate: (1) Which location among these analyzed has the best chance of implementation considering the author’s set of criteria to describe the proposed locations in detail; and (2) which detailed criterion has the greatest impact on achieving the main goal. The proposed universal set of criteria consists of five main criteria (technical, economic, social, environmental, and legal), under which twenty-eight detailed criteria are listed. The hybrid multi-criteria methodology was used to rank the proposed set of four wind farm locations in terms of chances for investment implementation in the shortest possible time. The ranking of the location obtained with this method should be treated as an element supporting the decision-maker. The location for wind power plant with installed capacity 40 MW was found to be the most suitable, and the results showed that the main contributing factors are carbon avoidance rate and the impact of the investment on environmentally protected areas.
Financial Analysis of the Use of Two Horizontal Drain Water Heat Recovery Units
Authors: Pochwat Kamil , Kordana-Obuch Sabina , Starzec Mariusz , Piotrowska Beata
Published: August 2020

The growing interest in the use of unconventional energy sources is a stimulus for the development of dedicated devices and technologies. Drain water heat recovery (DWHR) units can be an example of such devices. They allow the recovery of part of the heat energy deposited in grey water. This paper describes the results of research on the assessment of the financial profitability of the use of two horizontal heat exchanger solutions, taking into account the actual distribution of cold water temperature during the operating year in the plumbing and two operating regimes of the premises as the residential and service facilities. The analysis showed that the use of a horizontal heat exchanger with increased efficiency in a dwelling in a 15-year life cycle allowed for achieving more than twice as much savings (reaching up to EUR 1427) compared to a classic horizontal heat exchanger. At the same time, it was shown that the installation of this type of equipment was more profitable the greater the water consumption of the premises. The article also notes the impact of cold water temperature in the installation on the results of the analysis. It was featured that taking temperature on the basis of installation design recommendations led to significant distortions in the financial analysis. On the other hand, comparing the method of averaging the cold water temperature (daily, monthly and yearly), it was determined that averaging the temperature over the annual cycle was an acceptable simplification of the model. The research results presented in the paper have a practical aspect and may constitute guidelines for designers and potential investors. In addition, they can be an incentive to continue research on heat exchangers by other scientific centers, which on a global scale will increase the universality of their use.
A Comparative Economic Feasibility Study of Photovoltaic Heat Pump Systems for Industrial Space Heating and Cooling
Authors: Lorenzo Celena , Narvarte Luis , Cristóbal Ana Belén
Published: August 2020

The use of photovoltaic (PV) systems for powering heat pumps (HP) leads to an economic, energy efficient and environmentally friendly alternative for heating and cooling generation. A technical solution developed by the authors permits stand-alone configurations to operate without batteries, mitigating up to 75% of the solar power fluctuations resulting from cloud-passing. Once its technical feasibility has been demonstrated, the economic potential of this innovative solution should be assessed (avoiding a battery system is a significant advantage). This paper presents a comparative economic assessment of this autonomous (AU) solution and a self-consumption (SC) solution, that would substitute a grid-powered HP system for the space heating and cooling of two livestock farms located in Spain. Results show that PV-HP systems are economically feasible regardless of the technical solution: the Profitability Index (PI) is in the 2.23–2.97 €/€ range, the Internal Rate of Return (IRR) is in the 8.1–10.9% range, the Payback Period (PBP) is in the 9.2–11 years range and the savings in terms of the Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) are in the 57–70% range. The AU solution offers a higher economic profitability, because it permits larger savings in the electricity bill. The SC solution presents lower LCOEs because of its greater electricity production.
Updated Typical Weather Years for the Energy Simulation of Buildings in Mediterranean Climate. A Case Study for Sicily
Authors: Costanzo Vincenzo , Evola Gianpiero , Infantone Marco , Marletta Luigi
Published: August 2020

Building energy simulations are normally run through Typical Weather Years (TWYs) that reflect the average trend of local long-term weather data. This paper presents a research aimed at generating updated typical weather files for the city of Catania (Italy), based on 18 years of records (2002–2019) from a local weather station. The paper reports on the statistical analysis of the main recorded variables, and discusses the difference with the data included in a weather file currently available for the same location based on measurements taken before the 1970s but still used in dynamic energy simulation tools. The discussion also includes a further weather file, made available by the Italian Thermotechnical Committee (CTI) in 2015 and built upon the data registered by the same weather station but covering a much shorter period. Three new TWYs are then developed starting from the recent data, according to well-established procedures reported by ASHRAE and ISO standards. The paper discusses the influence of the updated TWYs on the results of building energy simulations for a typical residential building, showing that the cooling and heating demand can differ by 50% or even 65% from the simulations based on the outdated weather file.
Cloud Computing and Energy Efficiency: Mapping the Thematic Structure of Research
Authors: Lis Andrzej , Sudolska Agata , Pietryka Ilona , Kozakiewicz Adam
Published: August 2020

The dynamic growth in the use of cloud computing systems results in increasing energy consumption. Consequently, more and more attention is given to energy efficiency issues both in research and theory development as well as the business practice of cloud computing systems. In spite of the rapid development of research, the field has not been mapped from the bibliometric perspective yet. This study aims at publication profiling and mapping the thematic structure of the cloud computing energy efficiency research field. Detailed research objectives include: (1) profiling scientific publications in the field, (2) identifying and exploring thematic research areas, (3) identifying emerging topics and discussing their potential as future research lines. The aforementioned objectives are translated into the following study questions: (1) What are the most productive nations, institutions, source titles, and scholars contributing to research on energy efficiency in cloud computing? (2) What does the thematic structure of the research field look like? (3) What are the “hot” research topics attracting scholars’ attention? The research methodology toolbox includes a combination of bibliometric descriptive studies (research profiling), science mapping (keyword co-occurrence analysis), and literature reviews (systematic literature review). Bibliometric data for analysis were elicited from the Scopus database. The VOSviewer software supported bibliometric analysis and data visualization.