bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Endocrinological Parameters on Sleep Quality, Life Quality, Depression and Anxiety Levels in Pregnancy
Authors: ÖZSOY Filiz , YILMAZ DOĞRU Hatice , DELIBAS Ilhan Bahri , ÖZSOY Asker Zeki , DEMIRTURK Fazli
Published: February 2020

Objectives: Examining the relation between sleep quality, quality of life, depression and anxiety levels with some endocrinological parameters in pregnancy.Methods: The oral glucose loading test and thyroid function test results of the pregnant women who were in the 24-29th weeks of pregnancy were used in the study. Non-pregnant women, who were matched with the study group in terms of sociodemographic data, were also included in the study as the healthy control group. All participant completed a standardized sociodemographic data collection form and the following scales; Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Pittsburg Sleep Quality Scale (PDCA), Quality of Life Scale (SF-36).Results: No significant differences were detected between the sociodemographic data of the participants except for the educational status and living area. As a result, statistically significant differences were detected between the “sleep latency” (p=0.016), “usual sleep activity” (p=0.004), “sleep disorder” (p=0.000) subcomponents compared to the control group. For SF-36, on the other hand, the results of the pregnant group in “physical function” (p=0.000), “physical role limitation” (p=0.002) and “pain” (p=0.000) sub-dimensions were worse than the control group. The Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) value was positively correlated with “sleep time” (r=0.233); the “fasting blood glucose” was positively correlated with “pain” sub-dimensions (r=0.497); and the “physical function” sub-dimension was negatively correlated (r=-0.192).Conclusion: Our data suggest that the depression and anxiety scores of the pregnant women were high, and life and sleep quality was impaired in certain sub-dimensions.
Analysis of the efficiency of the use of fixed assets of agricultural enterprise
Authors: Bunda Olga , Yakimenko Anna
Published: February 2020

The purpose of the article is to analyze the efficiency of use of fixed assets of an agricultural enterprise. The methodology of the study is to use the following methods: grouping and comparison of indicators in the horizontal and vertical analysis, calculating the magnitude of the deviations by years; methods of analysis of coefficients; summarizing the results. The scientific novelty of the work is to improve the analysis of the efficiency of use of fixed assets of an agricultural enterprise. Conclusions. Conducting an analysis of the efficiency of use of fixed assets of an agricultural enterprise, on the example of “Mria” LLC showed that fixed assets are not used effectively enough at this enterprise. In order to improve the efficiency of the use of fixed assets of an agricultural enterprise, it is necessary to free the enterprise from unnecessary machinery and other fixed assets and to introduce new technologies.
Birds Drinking Alcohol: Species and Relationship with People. A Review of Information from Scientific Literature and Social Media
Authors: Tryjanowski Piotr , Hetman Mateusz , Czechowski Paweł , Grzywaczewski Grzegorz , Sklenicka Petr , Ziemblińska Klaudia , Sparks Tim H.
Published: February 2020

Ethanol is a natural by-product of the fermentation process of fruit sugars and is occasionally consumed by fruit-eating and tree sap drinking birds. Information on this form of alcohol consumption features in the scientific literature. However, as pets or as wild animals living close to humans in urban habitats, birds have increasing possibilities to consume alcohol from beverages, such as beer, wine or spirits. Some observations have been discussed in a light-hearted manner in mass media and social media, but without any generalization of why some bird species drink the beverages intentionally or unintentionally provided by humans. To check which species and in what circumstances birds drink alcohol and how this is evaluated by humans, we reviewed the scientific literature and analysed videos from YouTube. In total we found and analysed 8 scientific papers and 179 YouTube videos, from which we identified at least 55 species (in some cases not all birds were identified to species level), 11 in the scientific literature and 47 in videos. The distribution of these species over the avian phylogenetic tree suggests that the origin of this convergent behaviour is mainly by human influence. The two data sources differed in the species covered. Videos typically presented interactions of birds with human-provided alcoholic beverages, and were dominated by two groups of intelligent birds: parrots and corvids. The popularity of YouTube videos for a particular species was positively correlated with the general popularity of the species as measured by the number of hits (results listed) on Google. Human responses to the videos were generally very positive and we analysed how the responses were influenced by factors derived from viewing the videos. Moreover, YouTube videos also provide information on at least 47 new bird species not previously mentioned as using alcohol, and our results suggest that parrots in particular can be potentially good candidates for future restricted laboratory studies on the effect of ethanol on birds and their relationship with humans.
An Online Reactive Power-Optimization Strategy Based on Load-Curve Prediction and Segmentation
Authors: Li Yaqiong , Wang Tongxun , Deng Zhanfeng
Published: February 2020

Due to fluctuating characteristics of loads, dynamic reactive power optimization over a certain time period is essential to provide effective strategies to maintain the security and economic operation of distribution systems. In operation, reactive power compensation devices cannot be adjusted too frequently due to their lifetime constraints. Thus, in this paper, an online reactive power optimization strategy based on the segmentation of multiple predicted load curves is proposed to address this issue, aiming to minimize network losses and at the same time to minimize reactive power-compensation device adjustment times. Based on forecasted time series of loads, the strategy first segments each load curve into several sections by means of thresholding a filtered signal, and then optimizes reactive power dispatch based on average load in each section. Through case studies using a modified IEEE 34-bus system and field measurement of loads, the merits of the proposed strategy is verified in terms of both optimization performance and computational efficiency compared with state-of-the-art methods.
Prediction of Post-Intubation Tachycardia Using Machine-Learning Models
Authors: Kim Hanna , Jeong Young-Seob , Kang Ah Reum , Jung Woohyun , Chung Yang Hoon , Koo Bon Sung , Kim Sang Hyun
Published: February 2020

Tachycardia is defined as a heart rate greater than 100 bpm for more than 1 min. Tachycardia often occurs after endotracheal intubation and can cause serious complication in patients with cardiovascular disease. The ability to predict post-intubation tachycardia would help clinicians by notifying a potential event to pre-treat. In this paper, we predict the potential post-intubation tachycardia. Given electronic medical record and vital signs collected before tracheal intubation, we predict whether post-intubation tachycardia will occur within 10 min. Of 1931 available patient datasets, 257 remained after filtering those with inappropriate data such as outliers and inappropriate annotations. Three feature sets were designed using feature selection algorithms, and two additional feature sets were defined by statistical inspection or manual examination. The five feature sets were compared with various machine learning models such as naïve Bayes classifiers, logistic regression, random forest, support vector machines, extreme gradient boosting, and artificial neural networks. Parameters of the models were optimized for each feature set. By 10-fold cross validation, we found that an logistic regression model with eight-dimensional hand-crafted features achieved an accuracy of 80.5%, recall of 85.1%, precision of 79.9%, an F1 score of 79.9%, and an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.85.
Visible Spectrum and Infra-Red Image Matching: A New Method
Authors: Saleem Sajid , Bais Abdul
Published: February 2020

Textural and intensity changes between Visible Spectrum (VS) and Infra-Red (IR) images degrade the performance of feature points. We propose a new method based on a regression technique to overcome this problem. The proposed method consists of three main steps. In the first step, feature points are detected from VS-IR images and Modified Normalized (MN)-Scale Invariant Feature Transform (SIFT) descriptors are computed. In the second step, correct MN-SIFT descriptor matches are identified between VS-IR images with projection error. A regression model is trained on correct MN-SIFT descriptors. In the third step, the regression model is used to process the MN-SIFT descriptors of test VS images in order to remove misalignment with the MN-SIFT descriptors of test IR images and to overcome textural and intensity changes. Experiments are performed on two different VS-IR image datasets. The experimental results show that the proposed method works really well and demonstrates on average 14% and 15% better precision and matching scores compared to recently proposed Histograms of Directional Maps (HoDM) descriptor.
Shape Dependence of Falling Snow Crystals’ Microphysical Properties Using an Updated Shape Classification
Authors: Vázquez-Martín Sandra , Kuhn Thomas , Eliasson Salomon
Published: February 2020

We present ground-based in situ snow measurements in Kiruna, Sweden, using the ground-based in situ instrument Dual Ice Crystal Imager (D-ICI). D-ICI records dual high-resolution images from above and from the side of falling natural snow crystals and other hydrometeors with particle sizes ranging from 50 μ m to 4 mm. The images are from multiple snowfall seasons during the winters of 2014/2015 to 2018/2019, which span from the beginning of November to the middle of May. From our images, the microphysical properties of individual particles, such as particle size, cross-sectional area, area ratio, aspect ratio, and shape, can be determined. We present an updated classification scheme, which comprises a total of 135 unique shapes, including 34 new snow crystal shapes. This is useful for other studies that are using previous shape classification schemes, in particular the widely used Magono–Lee classification. To facilitate the study of the shape dependence of the microphysical properties, we further sort these individual particle shapes into 15 different shape groups. Relationships between the microphysical properties are determined for each of these shape groups.
A Novel Digital Modulation Recognition Algorithm Based on Deep Convolutional Neural Network
Authors: Jiang Kaiyuan , Zhang Jiawei , Wu Haibin , Wang Aili , Iwahori Yuji
Published: February 2020

The modulation recognition of digital signals under non-cooperative conditions is one of the important research contents here. With the rapid development of artificial intelligence technology, deep learning theory is also increasingly being applied to the field of modulation recognition. In this paper, a novel digital signal modulation recognition algorithm is proposed, which has combined the InceptionResNetV2 network with transfer adaptation, called InceptionResnetV2-TA. Firstly, the received signal is preprocessed and generated the constellation diagram. Then, the constellation diagram is used as the input of the InceptionResNetV2 network to identify different kinds of signals. Transfer adaptation is used for feature extraction and SVM classifier is used to identify the modulation mode of digital signal. The constellation diagram of three typical signals, including Binary Phase Shift Keying(BPSK), Quadrature Phase Shift Keying(QPSK) and 8 Phase Shift Keying(8PSK), was made for the experiments. When the signal-to-noise ratio(SNR) is 4dB, the recognition rates of BPSK, QPSK and 8PSK are respectively 1.0, 0.9966 and 0.9633 obtained by InceptionResnetV2-TA, and at the same time, the recognition rate can be 3% higher than other algorithms. Compared with the traditional modulation recognition algorithms, the experimental results show that the proposed algorithm in this paper has a higher accuracy rate for digital signal modulation recognition at low SNR.
Hybrid Flow Shop Scheduling Problems Using Improved Fireworks Algorithm for Permutation
Authors: Pang Xuelian , Xue Haoran , Tseng Ming-Lang , Lim Ming K. , Liu Kaihua
Published: February 2020

Prior studies are lacking which address permutation flow shop scheduling problems and hybrid flow shop scheduling problems together to help firms find the optimized scheduling strategy. The permutation flow shop scheduling problem and hybrid flow shop scheduling problems are important production scheduling types, which widely exist in industrial production fields. This study aimed to acquire the best scheduling strategy for making production plans. An improved fireworks algorithm is proposed to minimize the makespan in the proposed strategies. The proposed improved fireworks algorithm is compared with the fireworks algorithm, and the improvement strategies include the following: (1) A nonlinear radius is introduced and the minimum explosion amplitude is checked to avoid the waste of optimal fireworks; (2) The original Gaussian mutation operator is replaced by a hybrid operator that combines Cauchy and Gaussian mutation to improve the search ability; and (3) An elite group selection strategy is adopted to reduce the computing costs. Two instances from the permutation flow shop scheduling problem and hybrid flow shop scheduling problems were used to evaluate the improved fireworks algorithm’s performance, and the computational results demonstrate the improved fireworks algorithm’s superiority.
Evaluating the Adaptation of Chinese Torreya Plantations to Climate Change
Authors: Chen Xiongwen , Niu Jianzhi
Published: February 2020

Studying the capacity of some plant species to adapt to climate change is essential for ecological research and agricultural policy development. Chinese Torreya (Torreya grandis ‘Merrillii’) has been an important crop tree in subtropical China for over a thousand years. It is necessary to characterize its adaptation to climate change. In this study, the average monthly temperature and precipitation from 1901 to 2017 in the six regions with Chinese Torreya plantations at different provinces were analyzed. The results indicated that the average annual air temperature across these regions had increased by about 2.0 °C, but no general trend in the annual precipitation and incidence of drought was found. The annual air temperature that Chinese Torreya plantations had experienced was 12.96–18.23 °C; the highest and the lowest average monthly air temperatures were 30.1 °C and −0.8 °C, respectively. The lowest and the highest annual precipitation were 874.56 mm and 2501.88 mm, respectively. Chinese Torreya trees endured a severe drought period in the 1920s. The monthly air temperature at Zhuji, which is the central production region, showed a significant correlation with the air temperature in the other five regions. The monthly precipitation in Hunan and Guizhou had no significant correlation with that of Zhuji. Chinese Torreya plantations have been grown in the regions with a similar climate distance index of air temperatures but different precipitation. This tree has a high capacity to adapt to climate change based on the climate dynamics across its range. This approach may provide a way to evaluate climate adaptation in other tree species. These results may provide helpful information for the development of Chinese Torreya plantations.
Evidence of a Diurnal Cycle in Precipitation over the Southern Ocean as Observed at Macquarie Island
Authors: Lang Francisco , Huang Yi , Siems Steven T. , Manton Michael J.
Published: February 2020

Due to a lack of observations, relatively large discrepancies exist between precipitation products over the Southern Ocean. In this manuscript, surface hourly precipitation observations from Macquarie Island (54.62 ° S, 158.85 ° E) are analysed (1998–2016) to reveal a diurnal cycle. The precipitation rate is at a maximum during night/early morning and a minimum in the afternoon at Macquarie Island station. Seasonally, the diurnal cycle is strongest in summer and negligible over winter. Such a cycle is consistent with precipitation arising from marine boundary layer clouds, suggesting that such clouds are making a substantial contribution to total precipitation over Macquarie Island and the Southern Ocean. Using twice daily upper air soundings (1995–2011), lower troposphere stability parameters show a stronger inversion at night, again consistent with precipitation arising from marine boundary layer clouds. The ERA-Interim precipitation is dominated by a 12 hourly cycle, year around, which is likely to be a consequence of the twice-daily initialisation. The implication of a diurnal cycle in boundary layer clouds over the Southern Ocean to derived A-Train satellite precipitation products is also discussed.
Assimilation of Radar Data, Pseudo Water Vapor, and Potential Temperature in a 3DVAR Framework for Improving Precipitation Forecast of Severe Weather Events
Authors: Lai Anwei , Min Jinzhong , Gao Jidong , Ma Hedi , Cui Chunguang , Xiao Yanjiao , Wang Zhibin
Published: February 2020

An improved approach to derive pseudo water vapor mass mixing ratio and in- cloud potential temperature was developed in this paper to better initialize numerical weather prediction (NWP) and build convective-scale predictions of severe weather events. The process included several steps. The first was to identify areas of deep moist convection, utilizing Vertically Integrated Liquid water (VIL) derived from a mosaicked 3D radar reflectivity field. Then, pseudo- water vapor and pseudo- in- cloud potential temperature observations were derived based on the VIL. For potential temperature, the latent heat initialization for stratiform cloud and moist adiabatic initialization for deep moist convection were used based on a cloud analysis method. The third step was to assimilate the derived pseudo- water vapor and potential temperature observations, together with radar radial velocity and reflectivity into a convective-scale NWP model during data assimilation cycles spanning several hours. Finally, 3-h forecasts were launched each hour during the data assimilation period. The effects of radar data and pseudo- observation assimilation on the prediction of rainfall associated with convective systems surrounding the Meiyu front in 2018 were explored using two real cases. Two sets of experiments, each including several experiments in each real case, were designed to compare the effects of assimilation radar and pseudo- observations on the ensuing forecasts. Relative to the control experiment without data assimilation and radar experiment, the analyses and forecasts of convections were found to be improved for the two Meiyu front cases after pseudo- water vapor and potential temperature information was assimilated.
UFL1 Alleviates LPS-Induced Apoptosis by Regulating the NF-κB Signaling Pathway in Bovine Ovarian Granulosa Cells
Authors: Wang Xinling , Li Chengmin , Wang Yiru , Li Lian , Han Zhaoyu , Wang Genlin
Published: February 2020

Ubiquitin-like modifier 1 ligating enzyme 1 (UFL1) is an E3 ligase of ubiquitin fold modifier 1 (UFM1), which can act together with its target protein to inhibit the apoptosis of cells. Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) can affect the ovarian health of female animals by affecting the apoptosis of ovarian granulosa cells. The physiological function of UFL1 on the apoptosis of bovine (ovarian) granulosa cells (bGCs) remains unclear; therefore, we focused on the modulating effect of UFL1 on the regulation of LPS-induced apoptosis in ovarian granulosa cells. Our study found that UFL1 was expressed in both the nucleus and cytoplasm of bGCs. The results here demonstrated that LPS caused a significant increase in the apoptosis level of bGCs in cows, and also dramatically increased the expression of UFL1. Furthermore, we found that UFL1 depletion caused a significant increase in apoptosis (increased the expression of BAX/BCL-2 and the activity of caspase-3). Conversely, the overexpression of UFL1 relieved the LPS-induced apoptosis. In order to assess whether the inhibition of bGCs apoptosis involved in the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling pathway resulted from UFL1, we detected the expression of NF-κB p-p65. LPS treatment resulted in a significant upregulation in the protein concentration of NF-κB p-p65, and knockdown of UFL1 further increased the phosphorylation of NF-κB p65, while UFL1 overexpression significantly inhibited the expression of NF-κB p-p65. Collectively, UFL1 could suppress LPS-induced apoptosis in cow ovarian granulosa cells, likely via the NF-κB pathway. These results identify a novel role of UFL1 in the modulation of bGC apoptosis, which may be a potential signaling target to improve the reproductive health of dairy cows.
Cortical Oscillations during Gait: Wouldn’t Walking Be So Automatic?
Authors: Delval Arnaud , Bayot Madli , Defebvre Luc , Dujardin Kathy
Published: February 2020

Gait is often considered as an automatic movement but cortical control seems necessary to adapt gait pattern with environmental constraints. In order to study cortical activity during real locomotion, electroencephalography (EEG) appears to be particularly appropriate. It is now possible to record changes in cortical neural synchronization/desynchronization during gait. Studying gait initiation is also of particular interest because it implies motor and cognitive cortical control to adequately perform a step. Time-frequency analysis enables to study induced changes in EEG activity in different frequency bands. Such analysis reflects cortical activity implied in stabilized gait control but also in more challenging tasks (obstacle crossing, changes in speed, dual tasks…). These spectral patterns are directly influenced by the walking context but, when analyzing gait with a more demanding attentional task, cortical areas other than the sensorimotor cortex (prefrontal, posterior parietal cortex, etc.) seem specifically implied. While the muscular activity of legs and cortical activity are coupled, the precise role of the motor cortex to control the level of muscular contraction according to the gait task remains debated. The decoding of this brain activity is a necessary step to build valid brain–computer interfaces able to generate gait artificially.
Characterization of Protein Hydrolysates from Eel (Anguilla marmorata) and Their Application in Herbal Eel Extracts
Authors: Cheng I-Chun , Liao Jin-Xian , Ciou Jhih-Ying , Huang Li-Tung , Chen Yu-Wei , Hou Chih-Yao
Published: February 2020

The enzymatic hydrolysis of fish proteins is the principle method for converting under-utilized fish into valuable products for the pharmaceutical and health food industries. In this study, three commercial enzymes (alcalase, bromelain, and papain) were tested for their ability to create eel protein hydrolysates (EPHs) from whole eel (Anguilla marmorata). Freeze-dried EPHs had almost more than 80% solubility (p < 0.05) in solutions ranging from pH 2–10. The amino acid profiles of the EPHs showed a high percentage of essential amino acids, including histidine, threonine, valine, isoleucine, and leucine. The emulsion activity index (EAI) of EPH resulted as follows: alcalase group (36.8 ± 2.00) > bromelain group (21.3 ± 1.30) > papain group (16.2 ± 1.22), and the emulsion stability index (ESI) of EPH was: alcalase group (4.00 ± 0.34) > bromelain group (2.62 ± 0.44) > papain group (1.44 ± 0.09). As such, EPH has a high nutritional value and could be used as a supplement to diets lacking protein. EPH showed excellent solubility and processed interfacial properties, which are governed by its concentration. Among of them the alcalase group had the best antioxidant effect at 1,1-diphenyl-2-pyridinohydrazinyl (DPPH) radical method, determination of reducing power and ABTS test compared with other groups. EPH may be useful in developing commercial products like herbal eel extracts that are beneficial to human health.
Pt Nanowire-Anchored Dodecahedral Ag3PO4{110} Constructed for Significant Enhancement of Photocatalytic Activity and Anti-Photocorrosion Properties: Spatial Separation of Charge Carriers and PhotogeneratedElectron Utilization
Authors: Zhu Hanxu , Ji Yekun , Chen Lifang , Bian Weilin , Wang Jinnan
Published: February 2020

Pt nanowire-anchored dodecahedral Ag3PO4{110} was constructed for organics photodegradation. SEM and TEM images confirmed that the Pt nanowires were grafted on dodecahedral Ag3PO4, which was entirely bounded by {110} facets. All the X-ray diffraction peaks of the samples were indexed to the body-centered cubic phase of Ag3PO4, indicating that Pt nanowire-anchored dodecahedral Ag3PO4 well maintained the original crystal structure. The rhombic dodecahedral Ag3PO4 entirely bounded by {110} facets achieved high photocatalytic activity. Due to the formation of a Schottky barrier, the Pt nanowires improved the separation of the charge carriers of Ag3PO4. Furthermore, they provided a fast expressway to transfer the photogenerated electrons and prolonged the lifetime of the charge carriers via long-distance transport, resulting in the accumulation of holes on Ag3PO4 for organics degradation. More importantly, the Pt nanowires improved the reduction potential of the photogenerated electrons for O2 reduction to ·O2−, which enhanced the photocatalytic activity and anti-photocorrosion properties of Ag3PO4. We found that 99.5% of Rhodamine B (RhB) could be removed over 0.5ωt% Pt nanowire-anchored dodecahedral Ag3PO4 within 10 min. Even after 10 cycles, the photocatalytic activity was still high. photoluminescence (PL), time-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL), UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectra (UV–visDRS), and photoelectrochemical analysis showed that Pt nanowire-anchored dodecahedral Ag3PO4 exhibited lower bandgap, higher photocurrent intensity, better electronic conductivity, and longer charge carriers lifetime than other types of Ag3PO4 crystals. Radical trapping experiments and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) analysis demonstrated that the holes were the main active species for organics photodegradation.
The Poisoning of V2O5-WO3/TiO2 and V2O5-Ce(SO4)2/TiO2 SCR Catalysts by KCl and The Partial Regeneration by SO2
Authors: Nie Hua , Li Wei , Wu Qirong , Rac Vladislav , Rakić Vesna , Du Xuesen
Published: February 2020

Poisoning effects by alkali metal chlorides is one of the major reasons for the deactivation of SCR catalyst in biomass-fired plants. In this study, the influence of KCl on two vanadium-based catalysts with different promoters, V2O5-WO3/TiO2 and V2O5-Ce(SO4)2/TiO2, was investigated. The catalytic activity of the fresh V2O5-WO3/TiO2 was higher than that of V2O5-Ce(SO4)2/TiO2 at low temperatures. V2O5-Ce(SO4)2/TiO2 performed better than V2O5-WO3/TiO2 when KCl was deposited on the catalyst surface. Both poisoned catalysts were efficiently regenerated by SO2 treatment. The characterization results show that the reducibility and acidity of the catalysts were weakened by KCl deposition but regenerated by SO2.
Perovskite-Based Catalysts as Efficient, Durable, and Economical NOx Storage and Reduction Systems
Authors: Onrubia-Calvo Jon A. , Pereda-Ayo Beñat , González-Velasco Juan R.
Published: February 2020

Diesel engines operate under net oxidizing environment favoring lower fuel consumption and CO2 emissions than stoichiometric gasoline engines. However, NOx reduction and soot removal is still a technological challenge under such oxygen-rich conditions. Currently, NOx storage and reduction (NSR), also known as lean NOx trap (LNT), selective catalytic reduction (SCR), and hybrid NSR–SCR technologies are considered the most efficient control after treatment systems to remove NOx emission in diesel engines. However, NSR formulation requires high platinum group metals (PGMs) loads to achieve high NOx removal efficiency. This requisite increases the cost and reduces the hydrothermal stability of the catalyst. Recently, perovskites-type oxides (ABO3) have gained special attention as an efficient, economical, and thermally more stable alternative to PGM-based formulations in heterogeneous catalysis. Herein, this paper overviews the potential of perovskite-based formulations to reduce NOx from diesel engine exhaust gases throughout single-NSR and combined NSR–SCR technologies. In detail, the effect of the synthesis method and chemical composition over NO-to-NO2 conversion, NOx storage capacity, and NOx reduction efficiency is addressed. Furthermore, the NOx removal efficiency of optimal developed formulations is compared with respect to the current NSR model catalyst (1–1.5 wt % Pt–10–15 wt % BaO/Al2O3) in the absence and presence of SO2 and H2O in the feed stream, as occurs in the real automotive application. Main conclusions are finally summarized and future challenges highlighted.
Quantitative Connection between Cell Size and Growth Rate by Phospholipid Metabolism
Authors: Zhang Zhichao , Zhang Qing , Guan Shaohua , Shi Hualin
Published: February 2020

The processes involved in cell growth are extremely complicated even for a single cell organism such as Escherichia coli, while the relationship between growth rate and cell size is simple. We aimed to reveal the systematic link between them from the aspect of the genome-scale metabolic network. Since the growth rate reflects metabolic rates of bacteria and the cell size relates to phospholipid synthesis, a part of bacterial metabolic networks, we calculated the cell length from the cardiolipin synthesis rate, where the cardiolipin synthesis reaction is able to represent the phospholipid metabolism of Escherichia coli in the exponential growth phase. Combined with the flux balance analysis, it enables us to predict cell length and to examine the quantitative relationship between cell length and growth rate. By simulating bacteria growing in various nutrient media with the flux balance analysis and calculating the corresponding cell length, we found that the increase of the synthesis rate of phospholipid, the cell width, and the protein fraction in membranes caused the increase of cell length with growth rate. Different tendencies of phospholipid synthesis rate changing with growth rate result in different relationships between cell length and growth rate. The effects of gene deletions on cell size and growth rate are also examined. Knocking out the genes, such as

Δ

tktA,

Δ

tktB,

Δ

yqaB,

Δ

pgm, and

Δ

cysQ, affects growth rate largely while affecting cell length slightly. Results of this method are in good agreement with experiments.
Influence of Process Conditions on the Growth and Texture of CVD Alpha-Alumina
Authors: Ruppi S.
Published: February 2020

In the present study, the influence of experimental variables on the growth characteristics and texture development in chemically vapour deposited α-Al2O3 coatings was investigated. The emphasis was on the effects of H2S. The α-Al2O3 layers were deposited from the AlCl3-H2-CO2-HCl-H2S precursor system onto intermediate Ti(C,N) layers. The substrate was cemented carbide. The coatings were characterized with respect to microstructure and texture using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and electron back-scattering diffraction. The observations were unpredictable, suggesting that in addition to the growth rate, H2S strongly affected the texture of the α-Al2O3 coatings. The uncatalyzed α-Al2O3 coatings (H2S = 0) developed (11 2 ¯ 0) texture. With the increment of H2S concentration the texture changed from (11 2 ¯ 0) texture through (10 1 ¯ 0), (10 1 ¯ 2) and (10 1 ¯ 4) textures to (0001) texture. Growth regimes for (11 2 ¯ 0), (10 1 ¯ 0), (10 1 ¯ 2), (10 1 ¯ 4) and (0001) textures were depicted as a function of the H2S/CO2 ratio. Examples of grain-boundary and microstructural manipulation of CVD α-Al2O3 layers by applying texture control were presented.
Evolution of the Microstructure and Properties of Pre-Boronized Coatings During Pack-Cementation Chromizing
Authors: Zeng Jing , Hu Jianjun , Yang Xian , Xu Hongbing , Li Hui , Guo Ning
Published: February 2020

The effect of chromizing time on the microstructure and properties of B–Cr duplex-alloyed coating prepared by a two-step pack-cementation process was investigated. The phases, microstructure, and element distribution of three coatings obtained were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), secondary electron imaging (SEI), backscattering electron imaging (BSEI), and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), respectively. The results show that as the chromizing time increases, the net-like Fe2B and rod-like CrFeB phases in the coating gradually disappear, and finally completely transform into the block-like Cr2B and CrxCy (Cr7C3 and Cr23C6) phases. The growth kinetics analysis shows that interface reaction dominates the coating growth during the early stage of chromizing, while atomic diffusion gradually controls the coating growth at the later stage. The evolution mechanism of the B-Cr duplex-alloyed coating was also discussed.
Crystal Structure, Spectroscopy and Photocatalytic Properties of a Co(II) Complex Based on 5-(1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)pyridine-3-carboxylic Acid
Authors: Wang Dawei , Zhao Ning , Wang Tao , Zhuang Changfu , Wang Ying , Yang Bin
Published: February 2020

A novel cobalt(II) complex, namely [Co(tpa)2(H2O)4]·2H2O (1) (Htpa = 5-(1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)pyridine-3-carboxylic acid) has been solvothermally synthesized and structurally characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Complex 1 was further characterized by elemental analysis, FTIR spectrum, electronic spectrum, X-ray powder diffraction and thermal gravimetric analysis. Structural analysis shows that complex 1 was stabilized via π···π stacking and hydrogen bonding interactions to give a 3D supramolecular framework. Hirshfeld surface analysis showed that O···H (29.5%), H···H (23.8%), N···H (21.5%) and π···π (8.6%) intermolecular contacts are the most important interactions in the crystal of 1. In addition, the synthesized Co(II) complex showed favorable photocatalytic activity for the degradation of methyl orange (MO) under UV light at room temperature. The degradation process of MO was in accordance with the first-order reaction kinetics, and the t1/2 for the reaction is 27.3 min, and the apparent rate constant is k = 2.54 × 10−2 min−1.
An Interference Suppression Method for Non-Contact Bioelectric Acquisition
Authors: Tang Yue , Chang Ronghui , Zhang Limin , Yan Feng
Published: February 2020

For non-contact bioelectrical acquisition, a new interference suppression method, named ‘noise neutralization method’, is proposed in this paper. Compared with the traditional capacitive driven-right-leg method, the proposed method is characterized with that there is an optimal gain to achieve the minimum interference output whatever for the electrode interface impedance mismatch caused by body motion and is more effective for smaller reference electrode areas. The performance of traditional capacitive driven-right-leg method is analyzed and the difficulty to suppress interference in the case of the interface impedance mismatch is pointed out. Therefore, a noise neutralization method is proposed by applying the reference electrode and a 50 Hz band-pass filter to obtain the interference of the human body and adapting the gains to neutralize the interference inputs of two acquisition electrodes and achieve the minimum interference output. The performance of the proposed method is theoretically analyzed and verified by the experiment results, which shows that the proposed method has similar performance to that of the traditional capacitive driven-right-leg method with electrode interface impedance match, while has better interference suppression ability with electrode interface impedance mismatch caused by body motion. It is suggested that the proposed method can be preferred in the case of limited reference electrode area or interface impedance mismatch.
A Wearable Smart Device to Monitor Multiple Vital Parameters—VITAL ECG
Authors: Randazzo Vincenzo , Ferretti Jacopo , Pasero Eros
Published: February 2020

Smart devices are more and more present in every aspect of everyday life. From smartphones, which are now like mini-computers, through systems for monitoring sleep or fatigue, to specific sensors for the recording of vital parameters. A particular class of the latter regards health monitoring. Indeed, through the use of such devices, several vital parameters can be acquired and automatically monitored, even remotely. This paper presents the second generation of VITAL-ECG, a smart device designed to monitor the most important vital parameters as a “one touch” device, anywhere, at low cost. It is a wearable device that coupled with a mobile app can track bio-parameters such as: electrocardiogram, SpO2, skin temperature, and physical activity of the patient. Even if it not yet a medical device, a comprehensive comparison with a golden standard electrocardiograph is presented to demonstrate the quality of the recorded signals and the validity of the proposed approach.
Ethanol Production from Hydrolyzed Kraft Pulp by Mono- and Co-Cultures of Yeasts: The Challenge of C6 and C5 Sugars Consumption
Authors: Branco Rita H. R. , Amândio Mariana S. T. , Serafim Luísa S. , Xavier Ana M. R. B.
Published: February 2020

Second-generation bioethanol production’s main bottleneck is the need for a costly and technically difficult pretreatment due to the recalcitrance of lignocellulosic biomass (LCB). Chemical pulping can be considered as a LCB pretreatment since it removes lignin and targets hemicelluloses to some extent. Chemical pulps could be used to produce ethanol. The present study aimed to investigate the batch ethanol production from unbleached Kraft pulp of Eucalyptus globulus by separate hydrolysis and fermentation (SHF). Enzymatic hydrolysis of the pulp resulted in a glucose yield of 96.1 ± 3.6% and a xylose yield of 94.0 ± 7.1%. In an Erlenmeyer flask, fermentation of the hydrolysate using Saccharomyces cerevisiae showed better results than Scheffersomyces stipitis. At both the Erlenmeyer flask and bioreactor scale, co-cultures of S. cerevisiae and S. stipitis did not show significant improvements in the fermentation performance. The best result was provided by S. cerevisiae alone in a bioreactor, which fermented the Kraft pulp hydrolysate with an ethanol yield of 0.433 g·g−1 and a volumetric ethanol productivity of 0.733 g·L−1·h−1, and a maximum ethanol concentration of 19.24 g·L−1 was attained. Bioethanol production using the SHF of unbleached Kraft pulp of E. globulus provides a high yield and productivity.
A Genetic-Algorithm-Based DC Current Minimization Scheme for Transformless Grid-Connected Photovoltaic Inverters
Authors: Song Lei , Huang Lijun , Long Bo , Li Fusheng
Published: February 2020

Transformerless grid-connected inverters are of great industrial value in photovoltaic power generation. However, the direct current (DC) induced into the inverter’s output degrades the power quality of the grid. Recently, a back-propagation neural work proportional–integral–derivative (BP-PID) scheme has proven helpful in solving this problem. However, this scheme can be improved by reducing the suppressing time and overshoot. A genetic algorithm (GA)-based DC current minimization scheme, namely the genetic-algorithm-based BP-PID (GA-BP-PID) scheme, was established in this study. In this scheme, GA was used off-line to optimize the initial weights within the BP neural network. Subsequently, the optimal weight was applied to the online DC current suppression process. Compared with the BP-PID scheme, the proposed scheme can reduce the suppressing time by 59% and restrain the overshoot. A prototype of the proposed scheme was implemented and tested on experimental hardware as a proof of concept. The results of the scheme were verified using a three-phase inverter experiment. The novel GA-PB-PID scheme proposed in this study was proven efficient in reducing the suppressing time and overshoot.
Optimal Placement, Sizing and Coordination of FACTS Devices in Transmission Network Using Whale Optimization Algorithm
Authors: Nadeem Muhammad , Imran Kashif , Khattak Abraiz , Ulasyar Abasin , Pal Anamitra , Zeb Muhammad Zulqarnain , Khan Atif Naveed , Padhee Malhar
Published: February 2020

Flexible AC Transmission Systems (FACTS) play an important role in minimizing power losses and voltage deviations while increasing the real power transfer capacity of transmission lines. The extent to which these devices can provide benefits to the transmission network depend on their optimal location and sizing. However, finding appropriate locations and sizes of these devices in an electrical network is difficult since it is a nonlinear problem. This paper proposes a technique for the optimal placement and sizing of FACTS, namely the Thyristor-Controlled Series Compensators (TCSCs), Shunt VARs Compensators (SVCs), and Unified Power Flows Controllers (UPFCs). To find the optimal locations of these devices in a network, weak buses and lines are determined by constructing PV curves of load buses, and through the line stability index. Then, the whale optimization algorithm (WOA) is employed not only to find an ideal ratings for these devices but also the optimal coordination of SVC, TCSC, and UPFC with the reactive power sources already present in the network (tap settings of transformers and reactive power from generators). The objective here is the minimization of the operating cost of the system that consists of active power losses and FACTS devices cost. The proposed method is applied to the IEEE 14 and 30 bus systems. The presented technique is also compared with Genetic Algorithm (GA) and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO). The findings showed that total system operating costs and transmission line losses were considerably reduced by WOA as compared to existing metaheuristic optimization techniques.
Review of Design and Modeling of Regenerative Heat Exchangers
Authors: Kilkovský Bohuslav
Published: February 2020

Heat regenerators are simple devices for heat transfer, but their proper design is rather difficult. Their design is based on differential equations that need to be solved. This is one of the reasons why these devices are not widely used. There are several methods for solving them that were developed. However, due to the time demands of calculation, these models did not spread too much. With the development of computer technology, the situation changed, and these methods are now relatively easy to apply, as the calculation does not take a lot of time. Another problem arises when selecting a suitable method for calculating the heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop. Their choice depends on the type of packed bed material, and not all available computational equations also provide adequate accuracy. This paper describes the so-called open Willmott methods and provides a basic overview of equations for calculating the regenerative heat exchanger with a fixed bed. Based on the mentioned computational equations, it is possible to create a tailor-made calculation procedure of regenerative heat exchangers. Since no software was found on the market to design regenerative heat exchangers, it had to be created. An example of software implementation is described at the end of the article. The impulse to create this article was also to broaden the awareness of regenerative heat exchangers, to provide designers with an overview of suitable calculation methods and, thus, to extend the interest and use of this type of heat exchanger.
Floodopoly: Enhancing the Learning Experience of Students in Water Engineering Courses
Authors: Valyrakis Manousos , Latessa Gaston , Koursari Eftychia , Cheng Ming
Published: February 2020

This study focuses on the utilisation of lab-based activities to enhance the learning experience of engineering students studying water engineering and geosciences courses. Specifically, the use of “floodopoly” as a physical model demonstration in improving the students’ understanding of the relevant processes of flooding, infrastructure scour and sediment transport, and improve retention and performance in simulation of these processes in engineering design courses, is discussed. The effectiveness of lab-based demonstration is explored using a survey assessing the weight of various factors that might influence students’ performance and satisfaction. It reveals how lab-centred learning, overall course success is linked with student motivation and the students’ perception of an inclusive teaching environment. It also explores the effectiveness of the implementation of student-centred and inquiry-guided teaching and various methods of assessment. The analysis and discussion are informed by students’ responses to a specifically designed questionnaire, showing an improvement of the satisfaction rates compared to traditional class-based learning modules. For example, more students (85%) reported that they perceived the lab-based environment as an excellent contribution to their learning experience, while less students (about 57%) were as satisfied for a traditional class-based course delivery. Such findings can be used to improve students’ learning experience by introducing physical model demonstrations, similar to those offered herein.
Entropy and Mass Distribution in Disc Galaxies
Authors: Marr John Herbert
Published: February 2020

The relaxed motion of stars and gas in galactic discs is well approximated by a rotational velocity that is a function of radial position only, implying that individual components have lost any information about their prior states. Thermodynamically, such an equilibrium state is a microcanonical ensemble with maximum entropy, characterised by a lognormal probability distribution. Assuming this for the surface density distribution yields rotation curves that closely match observational data across a wide range of disc masses and galaxy types and provides a useful tool for modelling the theoretical density distribution in the disc. A universal disc spin parameter emerges from the model, giving a tight virial mass estimator with strong correlation between angular momentum and disc mass, suggesting a mechanism by which the proto-disc developed by dumping excess mass to the core or excess angular momentum to a satellite galaxy. The baryonic-to-dynamic mass ratio for the model approaches unity for high mass galaxies, but is generally <1 for low mass discs, and this discrepancy appears to follow a similar relationship to that shown in recent work on the Radial Acceleration Relation (RAR). Although this may support Modified Newtonian Dynamics (MOND) in preference to a Dark Matter (DM) halo, it does not exclude undetected baryonic mass or a gravitational DM component in the disc.