bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A high-sugar diet rapidly enhances susceptibility to colitis via depletion of luminal short-chain fatty acids in mice
Authors: Laffin Michael , Fedorak Robert , Zalasky Aiden , Park Heekuk , Gill Amanpreet , Agrawal Ambika , Keshteli Ammar , Hotte Naomi , Madsen Karen L.
Published: August 2019

Western-style diets have been implicated in triggering inflammatory bowel disease activity. The aim of this study was to identify the effect of a short-term diet high in sugar on susceptibility to colitis. Adult wild-type mice were placed on chow or a high sugar diet (50% sucrose) ± acetate. After two days of diet, mice were treated with dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) to induce colitis. Disease severity was assessed daily. Colonic tissues were analyzed for cytokine expression using the MesoScale discovery platform. Intestinal dextran permeability and serum lipopolysaccharide levels (LPS) were measured. Gut microbiota were analyzed by 16s rRNA sequencing and short chain fatty acid (SCFA) concentrations by gas chromatography. Bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDM) were incubated with LPS and cytokine secretion measured. Mice on a high sugar diet had increased gut permeability, decreased microbial diversity and reduced SCFA. BMDM derived from high sugar fed mice were highly responsive to LPS. High sugar fed mice had increased susceptibility to colitis and pro-inflammatory cytokine concentrations. Oral acetate significantly attenuated colitis in mice by restoring permeability. In conclusion, short term exposure to a high sugar diet increases susceptibility to colitis by reducing short-chain fatty acids and increasing gut permeability.
Anticipatory postural adjustments during joint action coordination
Authors: Nogueira-Campos A. A. , Hilt P. M. , Fadiga L. , Veronesi C. , D’Ausilio A. , Pozzo T.
Published: August 2019

There is a current claim that humans are able to effortlessly detect others’ hidden mental state by simply observing their movements and transforming the visual input into motor knowledge to predict behaviour. Using a classical paradigm quantifying motor predictions, we tested the role of vision feedback during a reach and load-lifting task performed either alone or with the help of a partner. Wrist flexor and extensor muscle activities were recorded on the supporting hand. Early muscle changes preventing limb instabilities when participants performed the task by themselves revealed the contribution of the visual input in postural anticipation. When the partner performed the unloading, a condition mimicking a split-brain situation, motor prediction followed a pattern evolving along the task course and changing with the integration of successive somatosensory feedback. Our findings demonstrate that during social behaviour, in addition to self-motor representations, individuals cooperate by continuously integrating sensory signals from various sources.
Orangutans show active voicing through a membranophone
Authors: Lameira Adriano R. , Shumaker Robert W.
Published: August 2019

Active voicing – voluntary control over vocal fold oscillation – is essential for speech. Nonhuman great apes can learn new consonant- and vowel-like calls, but active voicing by our closest relatives has historically been the hardest evidence to concede to. To resolve this controversy, a diagnostic test for active voicing is reached here through the use of a membranophone: a musical instrument where a player’s voice flares a membrane’s vibration through oscillating air pressure. We gave the opportunity to use a membranophone to six orangutans (with no effective training), three of whom produced a priori novel (species-atypical) individual-specific vocalizations. After 11 and 34 min, two subjects were successful by producing their novel vocalizations into the instrument, hence, confirming active voicing. Beyond expectation, however, within <1 hour, both subjects found opposite strategies to significantly alter their voice duration and frequency to better activate the membranophone, further demonstrating plastic voice control as a result of experience with the instrument. Results highlight how individual differences in vocal proficiency between great apes may affect performance in experimental tests. Failing to adjust a test’s difficulty level to individuals’ vocal skill may lead to false negatives, which may have largely been the case in past studies now used as “textbook fact” for great ape “missing” vocal capacities. Results qualitatively differ from small changes that can be caused in innate monkey calls by intensive months-long conditional training. Our findings verify that active voicing beyond the typical range of the species’ repertoire, which in our species underpins the acquisition of new voiced speech sounds, is not uniquely human among great apes.
Evaluating scale effects of topographic variables in landslide susceptibility models using GIS-based machine learning techniques
Authors: Chang Kuan-Tsung , Merghadi Abdelaziz , Yunus Ali P. , Pham Binh Thai , Dou Jie
Published: August 2019

The quality of digital elevation models (DEMs), as well as their spatial resolution, are important issues in geomorphic studies. However, their influence on landslide susceptibility mapping (LSM) remains poorly constrained. This work determined the scale dependency of DEM-derived geomorphometric factors in LSM using a 5 m LiDAR DEM, LiDAR resampled 30 m DEM, and a 30 m ASTER DEM. To verify the validity of our approach, we first compiled an inventory map comprising of 267 landslides for Sihjhong watershed, Taiwan, from 2004 to 2014. Twelve landslide causative factors were then generated from the DEMs and ancillary data. Afterward, popular statistical and machine learning techniques, namely, logistic regression (LR), random forest (RF), and support vector machine (SVM) were implemented to produce the LSM. The accuracies of models were evaluated by overall accuracy, kappa index and the receiver operating characteristic curve indicators. The highest accuracy was attained from the resampled 30 m LiDAR DEM derivatives, indicating a fine-resolution topographic data does not necessarily achieve the best performance. Additionally, RF attained superior performance between the three presented models. Our findings could contribute to opt for an appropriate DEM resolution for mapping landslide hazard in vulnerable areas.
Harnessing the tissue and plasma lncRNA-peptidome to discover peptide-based cancer biomarkers
Authors: Chakraborty Sajib , Andrieux Geoffroy , Hasan A. M. Mahmudul , Ahmed Musaddeque , Hosen Md. Ismail , Rahman Tania , Hossain M. Anwar , Boerries Melanie
Published: August 2019

Proteome-centric studies, although have identified numerous lncRNA-encoded polypeptides, lack differential expression analysis of lncRNA-peptidome across primary tissues, cell lines and cancer states. We established a computational-proteogenomic workflow involving re-processing of publicly available LC-MS/MS data, which facilitated the identification of tissue-specific and universally expressed (UExp) lncRNA-polypeptides across 14 primary human tissues and 11 cell lines. The utility of lncRNA-peptidome as cancer-biomarkers was investigated by re-processing LC-MS/MS data from 92 colon-adenocarcinoma (COAD) and 30 normal colon-epithelium tissues. Intriguingly, a significant upregulation of five lncRNA UExp-polypeptides in COAD tissues was observed. Furthermore, clustering of the UExp-polypeptides led to the classification of COAD patients that coincided with the clinical stratification, underlining the prognostic potential of the UExp-polypeptides. Lastly, we identified differential abundance of the UExp-polypeptides in the plasma of prostate-cancer patients highlighting their potential as plasma-biomarker. The analysis of lncRNA-peptidome may pave the way to identify effective tissue/plasma biomarkers for different cancer types.
Low-molecular-weight-heparin increases Th1- and Th17-associated chemokine levels during pregnancy in women with unexplained recurrent pregnancy loss: a randomised controlled trial
Authors: Rasmark Roepke E. , Bruno V. , Nedstrand E. , Boij R. , Strid C. Petersson , Piccione E. , Berg G. , Svensson-Arvelund J. , Jenmalm M. C. , Rubér M. , Ernerudh J.
Published: August 2019

Low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) is widely used to treat recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) because of its anti-coagulant effects. Although in vitro studies have suggested additional immunological effects, these are debated. We therefore investigated whether LMWH could modulate immune responses in vivo during pregnancy of women with unexplained RPL. A Swedish open multi-centre randomised controlled trial included 45 women treated with tinzaparin and 42 untreated women. Longitudinally collected plasma samples were obtained at gestational weeks (gw) 6, 18, 28 and 34 and analysed by multiplex bead technology for levels of 11 cytokines and chemokines, chosen to represent inflammation and T-helper subset-associated immunity. Mixed linear models test on LMWH-treated and untreated women showed differences during pregnancy of the Th1-associated chemokines CXCL10 (p = 0.01), CXCL11 (p < 0.001) and the Th17-associated chemokine CCL20 (p = 0.04), while CCL2, CCL17, CCL22, CXCL1, CXCL8, CXCL12, CXCL13 and IL-6 did not differ. Subsequent Student’s t-test showed significantly higher plasma levels of CXCL10 and CXCL11 in treated than untreated women at gw 28 and 34. The consistent increase in the two Th1-associated chemokines suggests a potential proinflammatory and unfavourable effect of LMWH treatment during later stages of pregnancy, when Th1 immunity is known to disrupt immunological tolerance.
In situ growth of Fe(ii)-MOF-74 nanoarrays on nickel foam as an efficient electrocatalytic electrode for water oxidation: a mechanistic study on valence engineering
Authors: Wang Qijun , Wei Feifei , Manoj Devaraj , Zhang Zheye , Xiao Junwu , Zhao Xuezhu , Xiao Fei , Wang Hairen , Wang Shuai
Published: August 2019

DFT results first demonstrate that varying the metal valence can tune the stable intrinsic electronic structure of MOF, different valence Fe(ii) and Fe(iii)-MOF-74 nanoarrrays on nickel foam are further synthesized as electrode for water oxidation.
Impact of molecular packing rearrangement on solid-state fluorescence: polyhalogenatedN-hetarylaminesvs.their co-crystals with 18-crown-6
Authors: Vaganova Tamara A. , Gatilov Yurij V. , Benassi Enrico , Chuikov Igor P. , Pishchur Denis P. , Malykhin Evgenij V.
Published: August 2019

Relationship between the hetarylamine chemical structure, crystal packing in homo- and co-crystals, and fluorescence effects (quenching, bathochromic and hypsochromic shifts).
Piecewise 3D printing of crystallographic data for post-printing construction
Authors: Brown Matthew L. , Hartling David , Tailor Hamel N. , Van Wieren Ken , Houghton Gary B. , McGregor Ian G. , Hansen Callum D. , Merbouh Nabyl
Published: August 2019

A method of 3D printing complex or challenging structures by breaking them into parts with connectors, printing each part separately, and then assembling the structure post-printing has been developed.
Singlet–triplet gaps in diradicals obtained with diffusion quantum Monte Carlo using a Slater–Jastrow trial wavefunction with a minimum number of determinants
Authors: Zhou Xiaojun , Wang Fan
Published: August 2019

Reliable singlet–triplet gaps of diradicals are achieved with FN-DMC using the simplest ansatz for the trial wavefunction.
Enhancement of metallo-supramolecular dissociation kinetics in telechelic terpyridine-capped poly(ethylene glycol) assemblies in the semi-dilute regime
Authors: Schmolke Willi , Ahmadi Mostafa , Seiffert Sebastian
Published: August 2019

Transient linear telechelic polymers can show fast-breaking renormalized bond lifetimes in semidilute solution without substantial topological constraint.
Enhanced Rh-anchoring on the composite metal phosphate Y0.33Zr2(PO4)3in three-way catalysis
Authors: Puspito Buwono Haris , Omori Yasuhiro , Shioya Naoki , Yoshida Hiroshi , Hinokuma Satoshi , Nagao Yuki , Iwashina Katsuya , Endo Yoshinori , Nakahara Yunosuke , Machida Masato
Published: August 2019

Rh/Y0.33Zr2(PO4)3formed a more thermostable bidentate interfacial linkage compared to the monodentate linkage that formed in Rh/ZrP2O7.
Complex formation between UO22+and α-isosaccharinic acid: insights on a molecular level
Authors: Brinkmann Hannes , Patzschke Michael , Kaden Peter , Raiwa Manuel , Rossberg André , Kloditz Roger , Heim Karsten , Moll Henry , Stumpf Thorsten
Published: August 2019

This study elucidates the mutual influence of the interaction of ISA with UO22+on their speciation, based on spectroscopic techniques.
Bioinspired models for an unusual 3-histidine motif of diketone dioxygenase enzyme
Authors: Ramasubramanian Ramamoorthy , Anandababu Karunanithi , Mösch-Zanetti Nadia C. , Belaj Ferdinand , Mayilmurugan Ramasamy
Published: August 2019

Iron(ii) complexes of tris-pyridine ligands have been shown to be accurate models for the unusual 3-His motif of DKDO. Their diketonate adducts showed regioselective C–C cleavage with O2.
Optimization of aggregation-induced phosphorescence enhancement in mononuclear tricarbonyl rhenium(i) complexes: the influence of steric hindrance and isomerism
Authors: Wang Jinhui , Poirot Alexandre , Delavaux-Nicot Béatrice , Wolff Mariusz , Mallet-Ladeira Sonia , Calupitan Jan Patrick , Allain Clémence , Benoist Eric , Fery-Forgues Suzanne
Published: August 2019

Boosted phosphorescence: minor structural changes drastically improve the photoluminescence properties of these new rhenium complexes vs. parent compound.
Photo-induced translocation of a Pdnmoiety (n= 2, 7) on a conjugated polyene ligand
Authors: Yamashita Mitsuki , Horiuchi Shinnosuke , Yamamoto Koji , Murahashi Tetsuro
Published: August 2019

The Pd2-translocation on a tetraene ligand is switchable between the thermodynamic equilibrium state and the photo-stationary state. The Pd7-translocation on a carotene ligand proceeds smoothly under photo-irradiation.
Potential impacts of anthropogenic nutrient enrichment on coral reefs in the South China Sea: evidence from nutrient and chlorophyll a levels in seawater
Authors: Guo Jing , Yu Kefu , Wang Yinghui , Zhang Ruijie , Huang Xueyong , Qin Zhenjun
Published: August 2019

Anthropogenic nutrient enrichment caused macroalgal blooms and further resulted in coral reef degradation in coastal and some remote reef areas of the SCS.
Enhancement and control of neuron adhesion on polydimethylsiloxane for cell microengineering using a functionalized triblock polymer
Authors: Liu Wenming , Han Kai , Sun Meilin , Wang Jinyi
Published: August 2019

We present a straightforward strategy to promote and engineer neuron adhesion on a polydimethylsiloxane substrate by a one-step modification using a functionalized triblock polymer.
Locking of phase transition in MOF ZIF-7: improved selectivity in mixed-matrix membranes for O2/N2 separation
Authors: Xiang Long , Liu Donghui , Jin Hua , Xu Long-Wei , Wang Chongqing , Xu Shutao , Pan Yichang , Li Yanshuo
Published: August 2019

The framework flexibility of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) is beneficial for gas storage and adsorption but is disadvantageous to the separation process based on the size-extrusion mechanism.
Fast processing of highly crosslinked, low-viscosity vitrimers
Authors: Taplan Christian , Guerre Marc , Winne Johan M. , Du Prez Filip E.
Published: August 2019

This study describes a rational approach to go beyond the current processability limits of vitrimer materials, with a demonstration of low-viscosity fast processing of highly crosslinked permanent networks.
Polarity-controllable MoS2 transistor for adjustable complementary logic inverter applications
Authors: Lin Che-Yu , Simbulan Kristan Bryan , Hong Chuan-Jie , Li Kai-Shin , Zhong Yuan-Liang , Su Yan-Kuin , Lan Yann-Wen
Published: August 2019

A MoS2-based field effect transistor has been exhibited with the selective operation of either p- or n-type characteristics in the same device. Compared to existing individual devices, our device could save almost twice the process time and price.
Nature of the E⋯E′ interactions (E, E′ = O, S, Se, and Te) at naphthalene 1,8-positions with fine details of the structures: experimental and theoretical investigations
Authors: Hayashi Satoko , Uegaito Manabu , Nishide Taro , Tanaka Eiichiro , Nakanishi Waro , Sasamori Takahiro , Tokitoh Norihiro , Minoura Mao
Published: August 2019

The nature of E⋯E′ in 1-RE–8-R′E′C10H6 (E/E′ = O, S, Se and Te) is clarified with the QTAIM approach and NBO analysis, after structural determinations.
Enhanced surface activity of activated carbon by surfactants synergism
Authors: Ntakirutimana Samuel , Tan Wei , Wang Yang
Published: August 2019

Enhancement of AC surface activity by surfactants synergism for electrochemical applications.
Experimental and theoretical research on a new corrosion inhibitor for effective oil and gas acidification
Authors: Li Yongming , Wang Dingli , Zhang Lei
Published: August 2019

A new dibenzylamine-quinoline derivative (DEEQ) was synthesized and shown to be an effective corrosion inhibitor for mild steel in 15% HCl solution for oil and gas acidification.
Alkene hydroboration with pinacolborane catalysed by lithium diisobutyl-tert-butoxyaluminum hydride
Authors: Jaladi Ashok Kumar , Shin Won Kyu , An Duk Keun
Published: August 2019

Here we developed a highly efficient alkene hydroboration protocol, showing that various alkyl boronates can be smoothly obtained in good yields by reacting alkenes with pinacolborane (HBpin) in the presence of 5 mol% lithium diisobutyl-tert-butoxyaluminum hydride.
MoS2 nanotubes loaded with TiO2 nanoparticles for enhanced electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution
Authors: Feng Bo , Liu Chuntao , Yan Weiyi , Geng Jianxin , Wang Guimin
Published: August 2019

Polarization curves of TiO2, MoS2-NTs and TiO2/MoS2-NTs in 0.5 M H2SO4 solution.
Identification of donkey meat in foods using species-specific PCR combined with lateral flow immunoassay
Authors: Zhao Liangjuan , Hua Marti Z. , Li Shenmiao , Liu Jinyu , Zheng Wenjie , Lu Xiaonan
Published: August 2019

The developed species-specific polymerase chain reaction-lateral flow immunoassay (PCR-LFI) method allows the rapid, low-cost, highly sensitive and specific detection of donkey DNA for meat authentication, adopted by government laboratories.
First molecular electronic hyperpolarizability of series of π-conjugated oxazole dyes in solution: an experimental and theoretical study
Authors: Abegão Luis M. G. , Fonseca Ruben D. , Santos Francisco A. , Rodrigues José J. , Kamada Kenji , Mendonça Cleber R. , Piguel Sandrine , De Boni Leonardo
Published: August 2019

In this work, we report for the first time, the experimental and theoretical first molecular electronic hyperpolarizability of eleven π-conjugated oxazoles compounds in toluene medium, by using the hyper-Rayleigh scattering (HRS) technique.
Enhanced production of aromatics from propane with a temperature-shifting two-stage fluidized bed reactor
Authors: Yang Yifeng , Hou Yilin , Chen Zhaohui , Wang Huiqiu , Wang Yu , Liu Boyang , Dong Zhuoya , Gao Jun , Wei Ran , Qian Weizhong
Published: August 2019

High-yield production of aromatics from propane with a temperature shifting, two-stage fluidized bed reactor technology.
Correction: Structural versatility of the quasi-aromatic Möbius type zinc(ii)-pseudohalide complexes – experimental and theoretical investigations
Authors: Mitoraj Mariusz P. , Afkhami Farhad Akbari , Mahmoudi Ghodrat , Khandar Ali Akbar , Gurbanov Atash V. , Zubkov Fedor I. , Waterman Rory , Babashkina Maria G. , Szczepanik Dariusz W. , Jena Himanshu S. , Safin Damir A.
Published: August 2019

Correction for ‘Structural versatility of the quasi-aromatic Möbius type zinc(ii)-pseudohalide complexes – experimental and theoretical investigations’ by Mariusz P. Mitoraj et al., RSC Adv., 2019, 9, 23764–23773.
Chemical labeling for fine mapping of IgG N-glycosylation by ETD-MS
Authors: Yang Lijun , Sun Zhenyu , Zhang Lei , Cai Yan , Peng Ye , Cao Ting , Zhang Ying , Lu Haojie
Published: August 2019

Chemical labeling improves ETD-MS analysis of intact glycopeptides.
Interplay of motility and polymer-driven depletion forces in the initial stages of bacterial aggregation
Authors: Porter Michael K. , Preska Steinberg Asher , Ismagilov Rustem F.
Published: August 2019

Counterintuitively, bacterial motility aids polymer-driven depletion aggregation at short time scales by enabling collisions in viscous solutions.
Carbon fibre based flexible piezoresistive composites to empower inherent sensing capabilities for soft actuators
Authors: Yan Xue , Bowen Chris R. , Yuan Chenggang , Hao Zhe , Pan Min
Published: August 2019

We have developed carbon fibre based flexible piezoresistive composites to fabricate a new pneumatic soft finger with an inherent sensing capability, much like a human finger.
Tailoring the crystallinity of solution-processed 6,13-bis(triisopropylsilylethynyl)pentacene via controlled solidification
Authors: Kim Hye Su , Park Jun Hwa , Lee Wi Hyoung , Kim Hyun Ho , Park Yeong Don
Published: August 2019

Crystallinity of TIPS-pentacene is strongly enhanced by a simple method halting spin-coating process prior to the complete solidification. Residual solvent causes a tardy growth of TIPS-pentacene, resulting in greater molecular ordering.
Sulfur-annulated perylenediimide as an interfacial material enabling inverted perovskite solar cells with over 20% efficiency and high fill factors exceeding 83%
Authors: Wu Fei , Luo Zhenghui , Zhu Linna , Chen Chao , Lu Huiqiang , Chen Zhanxiang , Tang Jiang , Yang Chuluo
Published: August 2019

An inverted PSC with a PDI-T interlayer exhibits an excellent efficiency of 20.41%, with a high fill factor (FF) of 83.63%.
Upper critical solution temperature polymer-grafted hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles for near-infrared-irradiated drug release
Authors: Hu Wei , Bai Xiaowen , Wang Yaping , Lei Zhentao , Luo Haipeng , Tong Zaizai
Published: August 2019

A near-infrared (NIR)-responsive drug delivery system was established by grafting UCST polymers on the surfaces of hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles (HMSNs) using the photothermal agent indocyanine green (ICG), which provided a new and promising strategy for drug delivery.
Ce6-C6-TPZ co-loaded albumin nanoparticles for synergistic combined PDT-chemotherapy of cancer
Authors: Sun Xueke , Sun Jiao , Lv Jiekai , Dong Biao , Liu Min , Liu Jingshi , Sun Liheng , Zhang Guangji , Zhang Li , Huang Gaosheng , Xu Wen , Xu Lin , Bai Xue , Song Hongwei
Published: August 2019

Herein, we used albumin as the nano carriers for photosensitizer Chlorin e6 (Ce6), tirapazaming (TPZ) and Coumarin 6 (C6) loading. The multifunctional BSA-Ce6-C6-TPZ composite could achieve enhanced combined PDT-chemo therapy and PDT monitoring.
Metal-free and purely organic phosphorescent light-emitting diodes using phosphorescence harvesting hosts and organic phosphorescent emitters
Authors: Lee Dong Ryun , Han Si Hyun , Lee Jun Yeob
Published: August 2019

Pure organic based phosphorescent light-emitting diodes have been developed using bromine modified emitter and phosphorescence harvesting host.
Magnetic and fluorescent nanohybrids with surface imprinting silica as a dual-functional sensing platform for ratiometric fluorescence detection of phycoerythrin
Authors: Fu Yongxin , Jin Hui , Bu Xiangning , Gui Rijun
Published: August 2019

Magnetic and fluorescent nanohybrids with surface imprinting silica were prepared and developed as a dual-functional sensing platform for ratiometric fluorescence detection of phycoerythrin.
High efficiency blue/green/yellow/red fluorescent organic light-emitting diodes sensitized by phosphors: general design rules and electroluminescence performance analysis
Authors: Yao Jingwen , Ying Shian , Sun Qian , Dai Yanfeng , Qiao Xianfeng , Yang Dezhi , Chen Jiangshan , Ma Dongge
Published: August 2019

Phosphor sensitized fluorescent organic light-emitting diodes realize high efficiency and low roll-off at high luminance.
Bioinformatics analysis of circulating miRNAs related to cancer following spinal cord injury
Authors: Lopes Elisangela C.P. , Paim Layde R. , Matos-Souza José R. , Calegari Décio R. , Gorla José I. , Cliquet Alberto , Lima Carmen S.P. , McDonald John F. , Nadruz Wilson , Schreiber Roberto
Published: August 2019

Patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) have an increased risk of developing esophageal, bladder and hematologic malignancies compared with the normal population. In the present study, we aimed to identify, through in silico analysis, miRNAs and their target genes related to the three most frequent types of cancer in individuals with SCI. In a previous study, we reported a pattern of expression of miRNAs in 17 sedentary SCI males compared with 22 healthy able-bodied males by TaqMan OpenArray. This list of miRNAs deregulated in SCI patients was uploaded to miRWALK2.0 to predict the target genes and pathways of selected miRNAs. We used Cytoscape software to construct the network displaying the miRNAs and their gene targets. Among the down-regulated miRNAs in SCI, 21, 19 and 20 miRNAs were potentially associated with hematological, bladder and esophageal cancer, respectively, and three target genes (TP53, CCND1 and KRAS) were common to all three types of cancer. The three up-regulated miRNAs were potentially targeted by 18, 15 and 10 genes associated with all three types of cancer. Our current bioinformatics analysis suggests the potential influence of several miRNAs on the development of cancer in SCI. In general, these data may provide novel information regarding potential molecular mechanisms involved in the development of cancer among individuals with SCI. Further studies aiming at understanding how miRNAs contribute to the development of the major cancers that affect patients after SCI may help elucidate the role of these molecules in the pathophysiology of the disease.
Nucleoapzymes: catalyst-aptamer conjugates as enzyme-mimicking structures
Authors: Wulf Verena , Willner Itamar
Published: August 2019

The conjugation of catalytic sites to sequence-specific, ligand-binding nucleic acid aptamers yields functional catalytic ensembles mimicking the catalytic/binding properties of native enzymes. These catalyst-aptamer conjugates termed ‘nucleoapzymes’ reveal structural diversity, and thus, vary in their catalytic activity, due to the different modes of conjugation of the catalytic units to the nucleic acid aptamer scaffold. The concept of nucleoapzymes is introduced with the assembly of a set of catalysts consisting of the hemin/G-quadruplex DNAzyme (hGQ) conjugated to the dopamine aptamer. The nucleoapzymes catalyze the oxidation of dopamine by H2O2 to yield aminochrome. The catalytic processes are controlled by the structures of the nucleoapzymes, and chiroselective oxidation of l-DOPA and d-DOPA by the nucleoapzymes is demonstrated. In addition, the conjugation of a Fe(III)-terpyridine complex to the dopamine aptamer and of a bis-Zn(II)-pyridyl-salen-type complex to the ATP-aptamer yields hybrid nucleoapzymes (conjugates where the catalytic site is not a biomolecule) that catalyze the oxidation of dopamine to aminochrome by H2O2 and the hydrolysis of ATP to ADP, respectively. Variable, structure-controlled catalytic activities of the different nucleoapzymes are demonstrated. Molecular dynamic simulations are applied to rationalize the structure-catalytic function relationships of the different nucleoapzymes. The challenges and perspectives of the research field are discussed.
Performance improvement of a non‐intrusive voice quality metric in lossy networks
Authors: Dantas Nunes Rodrigo , Lopes Rosa Renata , Zegarra Rodríguez Demóstenes
Published: August 2019

Voice quality assessment of phone calls is a relevant task for mobile service providers. In this context, the main objective of this research is to provide a model that improves the performance of ITU‐T Rec. P.563. To accomplish this objective, the proposed model considers two aspects, better response in lossy network and adequate treatment of silences segments into the audio signal. Thus, a function is determined to suppress silences in the speech signal according to the packet loss rate value. Furthermore, the proposed model is implemented on both a voice quality server and a mobile device. Experimental results show that P.563 algorithm performance was really improved by the proposed model, approximating its results to those given by P.862 algorithm, reaching a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.9957 and a root mean square error of 0.2983. Moreover, subjective test results demonstrated that the proposed model results overcome those obtained by the P.563 algorithm.
Parallel soft information forwarding in non‐coherent MIMO system based on unitary space‐time modulation
Authors: Xin Huamei , Zhang Dapeng , Liu Ting , Xing Ying
Published: August 2019

Parallel relay is an effective way to extend wireless communication distance. Employing multiple‐input multiple‐output (MIMO) relay can improve communication quality on a large scale, but the communication efficiency is reduced due to channel estimation. In this study, a mutual information‐based estimate‐and‐forward scheme is proposed based on unitary space‐time modulation in MIMO system. An equivalent transmission model is also constructed by regarding that the source signal is affected by a multiplicative factor and an additive noise. Based on this equivalent MIMO model, the generalized signal‐to‐noise ratio and global mutual information of the forwarding schemes are calculated. Error rate and mutual information analysis show that the proposed soft information forwarding can improve the reliability of parallel relaying system and has a better error rate performance than all the existing memory‐less forwarding schemes.
Transmit power optimisation in cellular networks with nomadic base stations
Authors: Grochla Krzysztof , Slabicki Mariusz
Published: August 2019

The increasing demand for cellular network capacity can be mitigated through the installation of nomadic eNodeB, which serve a temporal increase of traffic volume in specific area. When nomadic cells are deployed, the transmission power of neighbour base stations needs to be optimised to limit the inter‐cell interferences. The authors analyse the problem of neighbourhood selection for the optimisation, to define what part of the networks needs to be reconfigured when new base station is added. They evaluate the iterative approach, with increasing range of neighbouring cells being reconfigured and propose a novel, sampling‐based local TX power reconfiguration method, which is evaluated by a numerical model in both regular (honeycomb) topology and in realistic topology reflecting locations of cells in a city. The analysis confirms that the proposed algorithm allows to select small subset of neighbouring cells to be reconfigured (in majority of the cases cells), and achieve similar efficacy as global optimisation, with total network throughput different by comparing to the global optimisation.
Exact distributions for bit error rate and channel capacity in free‐space optical communication
Authors: Kumar Santosh , Singh Rajeev Kumar , Karmeshu
Published: August 2019

Bit error rate (BER) and channel capacity are two important metrics to assess the performance of free‐space optical communication (FSOC) systems. Due to the fading of the optical signal owing to the atmospheric effects, these two quantities behave as random variables. Most of the studies in this direction have focused on the calculation of only the average of these quantities. However, since the complete information about a random variable is encoded in its distribution, it is more informative to examine the latter itself. In this work, the authors derive exact probability density function (PDF) expressions for the BER and the channel capacity for an arbitrary irradiance model. In particular, they investigate these exact results for log‐normal, gamma‐gamma, and K distributions. For the BER analysis, they focus on the binary phase shift keying and quadrature phase shift keying modulation schemes. The authors' analytical reults are found to be in conformity with Monte Carlo simulations. The exact PDFs of the BER and the channel capacity reveal that there are several instances when the average is unable to capture the actual behaviour of these quantities, and therefore one must be careful in drawing conclusions based on the first moment only.
Wireless networks performance enhancement via buffered cooperative communications
Authors: Obayiuwana Enoruwa , Falowo Olabisi Emmanuel , Periola Ayodele
Published: August 2019

The next‐generation wireless communication network is expected to provide a significant increase in average throughput, radio resource utilisation as well as reduced call blocking probability for edge‐cell user equipments (UEs). Satisfying these goals has remained as a Herculean task to wireless network designers and operators. The cooperative communication has been proposed by researchers as a possible technique to surmount these challenges. This study addresses the problems of enhancing the network performance of cell‐edge UEs in wireless communication networks. A Buffered Cooperative Communication (BCC) model that exploits the transmission channel qualities using link adaptation to enhance the average throughput, quality of service and radio resource utilisation is proposed. In the proposed BCC model, the Markov chain analysis is used to investigate the effect of the queue buffer size on the average throughput, data blocking probability and radio resource utilisation. Finally, this work provides a framework to investigate the performance of the BCC scheme compared to the benchmark: non‐BCC (NBCC) scheme. The simulation results show the proposed BCC scheme has significant improvements in the performance over the NBCC scheme.
IoT‐based cyber‐physical communication architecture: challenges and research directions
Authors: Rana Md Masud , Bo Rui
Published: August 2019

In order to provide intelligent services, the Internet of Things (IoT) facilitates millions of smart cyber‐physical devices to be enabled with network connectivity to sense, collect, process, and exchange information. Unfortunately, the traditional communication infrastructure is vulnerable to cyber attacks and link failures, so it is a challenging task for the IoT to explore these applications. In order to begin research and contribute into the IoT‐based cyber‐physical digital world, one will need to know the technical challenges and research opportunities. In this study, several key technical challenges and requirements for the IoT communication systems are identified. Basically, privacy, security, intelligent sensors/actuators design, low cost and complexity, universal antenna design, and friendly smart cyber‐physical system design are the main challenges for the IoT implementation. Finally, the authors present a diverse set of cyber‐physical communication system challenges such as practical implementation, distributed state estimation, real‐time data collection, and system identification, which are the major issues require to be addressed in implementing an efficient and effective IoT communication system.
Data‐driven control for combustion process of circulating fluidised bed boiler
Authors: Fang Fang , Yu Songyuan , Wei Le , Liu Yajuan , Liu Jizhen
Published: August 2019

Owing to the advantages of burning low‐quality coal (coal slime and coal gangue), furnace desulfurisation, low emission and deep load adjustment, the circulating fluidised bed (CFB) combustion technology becomes one of the few fossil fuel utilisation technologies funded continuously by the Chinese government. However, compared with the pulverised coal boiler, the combustion process of CFB boiler is more complicated because of the larger time delay, significant uncertainty and more coupled variables. In this study, a data‐driven proportional–integral‐derivative (DD‐PID) control strategy is presented for the combustion control of CFB boiler to improve the operating performance under full operating conditions. By analysing the running mechanism of combustion process, an inverse decoupler is introduced to transfer the combustion object to the generalised controlled object, which has relatively independent input–output relationship. After that, a normative procedure of DD‐PID, including PID‐parameter database establishment, information‐vector neighbourhood selection, active PID‐parameter determination, database update, and redundant vector deletion, is given. Finally, a series of case study, including numerical tests applied to the proposed combustion model and application test employed on 330 MW CFB simulation platform proves the feasibility of DD‐PID control strategy.
System modelling and synthesis of stepped impedance resonators and filters
Authors: Ur Rehman Sajjad , Alkanhal Majeed A.S.
Published: August 2019

This study presents system‐based models of stepped impedance resonators (SIRs) based on the singularity expansion method. Analytical expressions of the transfer function and the impulse response for two types of dual‐band step resonators are derived (open‐circuited λ/2 and short‐circuited λ/4) for general impedance ratio (K). The accurate physical poles of the structures are acquired using a pole‐energy‐based refined matrix pencil scheme. Then, the frequency domain expression is used to develop a precise equivalent lumped element circuit model for the dual‐band SIRs. Based on that, a direct pole‐zero placement synthesis method is applied to design a three‐stage dual band‐pass filter. Very good matching between the transfer function of the system model and the frequency response data of the synthesised SIR filter is observed. The explored system‐based modelling and synthesis procedures can be generalised systematically to design more complex filter structures.
Evaluation of topologies for a solar powered bidirectional electric vehicle charger
Authors: Bassa de los Mozos Albert , Chandra Mouli Gautham Ram , Bauer Pavol
Published: August 2019

Charging of electric vehicles (EVs) from solar energy provides a sustainable means to power EVs in the future. A comparison of topologies for a three‐port converter to charge EVs directly from photovoltaic (PV) panels is presented in this study. The grid‐connected EV charger has a nominal rating of 10 kW and is bidirectional, enabling vehicle‐to‐grid operation. The topologies are optimally designed considering different switching frequencies, silicon carbide devices, magnetic cores and number of interleaved stages. Nine topologies are compared using a comparison framework, and the best topology is chosen based on the number of components, converter efficiency, volume, controllability and current ripple. The analysis shows that the best topology is a three‐port converter with a central direct current link with a 3‐leg interleaved boost converter (IBC) for the PV, two‐level inverter with sinusoidal modulation for the grid and a 4‐phase interleaved flyback converter for the EV. The loss models built are experimentally verified using a 3‐leg IBC.
Hybrid railway power quality conditioner based on half‐bridge converter and asymmetric balanced traction transformer with deadbeat current control
Authors: Mahdinia Roudsari Hossein , Jalilian Alireza , Jamali Sadegh
Published: August 2019

AC electrified railway system is a huge single‐phase load, which causes significant power quality (PQ) problems to the upstream power grid. Active railway PQ conditioners (ARPQC) have been introduced to overcome the PQ problems. One of the most important complications of the ARPQCs is its high VA rating which entails significant escalation in the price of the conditioner. To mitigate the rating of the ARPQC, a hybrid configuration including an asymmetric balancing traction transformer and a half‐bridge railway PQ conditioner (HBRPC) is proposed in this study. The predictive deadbeat current control with low computational burden and fast dynamic response is used to optimise the performance of the HBRPC. Additionally, a PI adaptive gain controller is proposed for DC‐link voltage stabilisation, which minimises the negative impact of the voltage control on the current control stage. The feasibility and functionality of the proposed scheme is validated via simulation and experimental results.
Reconfigurable and flexible voltage control strategy using smart PV inverters with integrated energy storage for advanced distribution systems
Authors: Shuvra Mahfuz A. , Chowdhury Badrul
Published: August 2019

A novel circuit topology is proposed for utility‐owned photovoltaic (PV) inverters with integrated battery energy storage system (BESS) and compared to two state‐of‐the‐art configurations. The proposed topology offers flexibility and can be applied to a range of distribution networks for tight voltage regulation. During BESS maintenance, the solar‐storage system reconfigures itself for a self‐run mode of operation, and actively compensates high penetration induced voltage fluctuation without activating overcurrent protection of the inverter, which is an added advantage of this strategy. This advantage is achieved by slightly increasing the inverter size to reserve a portion of inverter's current‐carrying capability. A dynamic model of the new configuration is also developed to analyse its performance in providing fast response for high ramp up/down solar irradiance variation. As the proposed control strategy is implemented at the device level, the local voltage regulation is quite guaranteed to be in the permissible range. Results from the analysis performed on a modified IEEE 33 bus medium voltage distribution network with multiple inverters show evidence that the proposed strategy has the potential to mitigate voltage fluctuation in several extreme cases.
Scattering characteristics of polygon plate
Authors: Xu Zhiming , Ai Xiaofeng , Wu Qihua , Zhao Feng , Xiao Shunping
Published: August 2019

Polygon plates are basic structures of complex targets and exist in a variety of scenes. Therefore, the study of scattering characteristics about polygon plates is critical to auto target recognition (ATR). Here, the scattering centres parameters of polygon plates such as position and intensity are deduced by applying the physical optics. According to difference in dependence of azimuth angles, two types of scattering centres are studied. Due to the similarity between dihedral corners and polygon plates, dihedral corners are investigated additionally. Finally, the theoretical analysis is validated by SAR imaging simulation. This study provides theories foundation for ATR and geometry reconstruction (GR).
Angle inversion based on anti‐jamming against deceptive multiple false targets
Authors: Liu Kaiqiang , Fu Xiongjun , Liu Junjie , Chen Hong , Xu Chong
Published: August 2019

Based on digital radio frequency memory technology, jammers can copy the radar signal multiple times by different time delay and frequency shift to form deceptive multiple false targets. For non‐self‐defensive‐type main lobe jamming, the jamming signal and the real signal from different angles into the radar receiver, when the false target generated by the jammer was in the same range cell as the real target, the angle measurement result was with high probability in the energy centre between the target and jamming. Thus, the angle tracking performance of the monopulse radar was retrograded. In this study, an anti‐jamming method called angle inversion based on power synthesis is proposed to effectively estimate the real perspective of the target from deceptive multiple false targets, and the anti‐jamming performance is revealed under the condition of a different jammer‐to‐signal ratio.
Terahertz generation by optically injected semiconductor laser for radar and communication applications
Authors: Zhang Fangzheng , Zhou Pei , Pan Shilong , Zhang Daocheng
Published: August 2019

A frequency‐tunable terahertz (THz) wave generation scheme based on an optically injected semiconductor laser is proposed for radar and communication applications. The THz generator has a very simple structure, and it is demonstrated to have a broad tuning range of 0.1–3.257 THz, which is realised by adjusting the detuning frequency and injection strength of the semiconductor laser. Feasibility of the proposed THz generator is verified by a THz wireless communication experiment, in which error‐free transmission of 150 Mbit/s on–off keying pseudorandom bit sequence signals with a 115‐GHz carrier is achieved over a 1‐meter free‐space link.
Mixed jamming suppression algorithm for phased array radar
Authors: Zhang Meng , Zhang Xinyu , Song Wanjie , Kong Wenqing , Zhang Zijing
Published: August 2019

The most common type of mixed jamming is composed of blanket jamming and deception jamming. In order to effectively detect the target signal in this kind of mixed jamming, this study presents an algorithm based on side‐lobe cancellation (SLC) and slope‐varying linear frequency modulation signal. The entire anti‐jamming process is divided into two steps. SLC is used to suppress blanket jamming first, and then matched filtering is used to suppress deception jamming. The combination of these two algorithms can effectively suppress mixed jamming and accurately detect the target. The simulation analysis shows that this method can effectively detect the target signal in the mixed jamming.
Understanding the atmospheric properties and chemical composition of the ultra-hot Jupiter HAT-P-7b
Authors: Helling Ch. , Iro N. , Corrales L. , Samra D. , Ohno K. , Alam M. K. , Steinrueck M. , Lew B. , Molaverdikhani K. , MacDonald R. J. , Herbort O. , Woitke P. , Parmentier V.
Published: August 2019

Context. Of the presently known ≈3900 exoplanets, sparse spectral observations are available for ≈100. Ultra-hot Jupiters have recently attracted interest from observers and theoreticians alike, as they provide observationally accessible test cases. Confronting detailed theoretical models with observations is of preeminent importance in preparation for upcoming space-based telescopes.

Aims. We aim to study cloud formation on the ultra-hot Jupiter HAT-P-7b, the resulting composition of the local gas phase, and how their global changes affect wavelength-dependent observations utilised to derive fundamental properties of the planet.

Methods. We apply a hierarchical modelling approach as a virtual laboratory to study cloud formation and gas-phase chemistry. We utilise 97 vertical 1D profiles of a 3D GCM for HAT-P-7b to evaluate our kinetic cloud formation model consistently with the local equilibrium gas-phase composition. We use maps and slice views to provide a global understanding of the cloud and gas chemistry.

Results. The day/night temperature difference on HAT-P-7b (ΔT ≈ 2500 K) causes clouds to form on the nightside (dominated by H2/He) while the dayside (dominated by H/He) retains cloud-free equatorial regions. The cloud particles vary in composition and size throughout the vertical extension of the cloud, but also globally. TiO2[s]/Al2O3[s]/CaTiO3[s]-particles of cm-sized radii occur in the higher dayside-latitudes, resulting in a dayside dominated by gas-phase opacity. The opacity on the nightside, however, is dominated by 0.01…0.1μm particles made of a material mix dominated by silicates. The gas pressure at which the atmosphere becomes optically thick is ~10−4 bar in cloudy regions, and ~0.1 bar in cloud-free regions.

Conclusions. HAT-P-7b features strong morning/evening terminator asymmetries, providing an example of patchy clouds and azimuthally-inhomogeneous chemistry. Variable terminator properties may be accessible by ingress/egress transmission photometry (e.g., CHEOPS and PLATO) or spectroscopy. The large temperature differences of ≈2500 K result in an increasing geometrical extension from the night- to the dayside. The H2O abundance at the terminator changes by <1 dex with altitude and ≲0.3 dex (a factor of 2) across the terminator for a given pressure, indicating that H2O abundances derived from transmission spectra can be representative of the well-mixed metallicity at P ≳ 10 bar. We suggest the atmospheric C/O as an important tool to trace the presence and location of clouds in exoplanet atmospheres. The atmospheric C/O can be sub- and supersolar due to cloud formation. Phase curve variability of HAT-P-7b is unlikely to be caused by dayside clouds.