bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mucosal Melanoma of the Head and Neck: A Retrospective Review and Current Opinion
Authors: Pincet Laurence , Lambercy Karma , Pasche Philippe , Broome Martin , Latifyan Sofiya , Reinhard Antoine
Published: January 2021

Introduction: Head and Neck Mucosal Melanoma (HNMM) is an uncommon malignancy that arises in decreasing order in the nasal cavity, the paranasal sinuses, and the oral cavity. Although radical surgery followed by eventual radiotherapy is acknowledged as the mainstay treatment, patients with advanced stages or multi-focal tumors benefit from new systemic therapies. We wish to share our experience with these treatments and review the current literature.

Materials and Methods: We present a case review of every patient treated in our center for an HNMM over the past 10 years, including every patient treated in our center for an HNMM over the past 10 years. We analyzed clinical characteristics, treatment modalities, and outcomes.

Results: We included eight patients aged from 62 to 85 years old. We found six MM in the nasal cavity, one in the sphenoidal sinus, and one in the piriform sinus. Six patients underwent endoscopic surgery with negative margins, six underwent radiotherapy with variable modalities. Immunotherapy or targeted therapy was given in cases extensive tumors without the possibility of a surgical treatment or in two patient as an adjuvant treatment after R0 surgery. The three-year overall survival was 50%, and three patients (37.5%) are in remission.

Conclusions: HNMM is associated with poor oncologic outcomes regarding the concerned patients of our review, as reported in the literature. New treatments such as immunotherapies or targeted therapies have not significantly changed the prognosis, but they may offer new interesting perspectives.

Our small series of cases seems to confirm that surgical resection with negative margins improves overall survival.
Immunization With a Combination of Four Recombinant Brucella abortus Proteins Omp16, Omp19, Omp28, and L7/L12 Induces T Helper 1 Immune Response Against Virulent B. abortus 544 Infection in BALB/c Mice
Authors: Huy Tran Xuan Ngoc , Nguyen Trang Thi , Reyes Alisha Wehdnesday Bernardo , Vu Son Hai , Min WonGi , Lee Hu Jang , Lee John Hwa , Kim Suk
Published: January 2021

Protective efficiency of a combination of four recombinant Brucella abortus (B. abortus) proteins, namely outer membrane protein (Omp) 16, Omp19, Omp28, and 50S ribosomal protein L7/L12 was evaluated as a combined subunit vaccine (CSV) against B. abortus infection in RAW 264.7 cell line and murine model. The immunoreactivity of these four recombinant proteins as well as pCold-TF vector reacted with Brucella-positive serum individually, but not with Brucella-negative serum by immunoblotting assay. CSV-treated RAW 264.7 cells significantly induced production of IFN-γ and IL-12 while decreased IL-10 production at the late stage of infection compared to PBS-treated control cells. In addition, the enhancement of nitric oxide production together with cytokines secretion profile in CSV-treated cells proved that CSV notably activated bactericidal mechanisms in macrophages. Consistently, mice immunized with CSV strongly elicited production of pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-6 and MCP-1 compared to PBS control group. Moreover, the concentration of IFN-γ was >IL-10 and titers of IgG2a were also heightened compared to IgG1 in CSV-immunized mice which suggest that CSV induced predominantly T helper 1 T cell. These results suggest that the CSV used in the present study is a potential candidate as a preventive therapy against brucellosis.
Classification of Intervertebral Disc Disease
Authors: Fenn Joe , Olby Natasha J. ,   The Canine Spinal Cord Injury Consortium (CANSORT-SCI)
Published: January 2021

Intervertebral disc disease (IVDD) has been recognized in dogs since the 1800s, when the first descriptions of extruded disc material within the vertebral canal were published. In the intervening time our understanding of intervertebral disc pathology in dogs and cats has increased dramatically, with many variations of IVDD described. Whilst the volume of literature and collective understanding of IVDD has expanded, there has also been scope for confusion as the definition of intervertebral disc disease, with its myriad different manifestations, becomes more complicated. A large volume of literature has aimed to combine the use of histopathology, diagnostic imaging and clinical findings to better understand the various ways in which IVDD can be classified. Much of this research has focused on the classification of mechanisms of intervertebral disc degeneration, centering around the differences between, and overlaps in, IVDD in chondrodystrophic and non-chondrodystrophic dog breeds. However, with the increasing availability of advanced imaging modalities allowing more accurate antemortem diagnosis, the concept of IVDD has expanded to include other clinical presentations that may not fit into traditional models of classification of IVDD. This review aims to provide an up to date overview of both historical and current systems of IVDD classification, highlighting the important findings and controversies underpinning them.
Serum Metabolomic Profiles of Paratuberculosis Infected and Infectious Dairy Cattle by Ambient Mass Spectrometry
Authors: Tata Alessandra , Pallante Ivana , Massaro Andrea , Miano Brunella , Bottazzari Massimo , Fiorini Paola , Dal Prà Mauro , Paganini Laura , Stefani Annalisa , De Buck Jeroen , Piro Roberto , Pozzato Nicola
Published: January 2021

Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) is the causative agent of paratuberculosis [Johne's disease (JD)], a chronic disease that causes substantial economic losses in the dairy cattle industry. The long incubation period means clinical signs are visible in animals only after years, and some cases remain undetected because of the subclinical manifestation of the disease. Considering the complexity of JD pathogenesis, animals can be classified as infected, infectious, or affected. The major limitation of currently available diagnostic tests is their failure in detecting infected non-infectious animals. The present study aimed to identify metabolic markers associated with infected and infectious stages of JD. Direct analysis in real time coupled with high resolution mass spectrometry (DART-HRMS) was, hence, applied in a prospective study where cohorts of heifers and cows were followed up annually for 2–4 years. The animals' infectious status was assigned based on a positive result of both serum ELISA and fecal PCR, or culture. The same animals were retrospectively assigned to the status of infected at the previous sampling for which all JD tests were negative. Stored sera from 10 infected animals and 17 infectious animals were compared with sera from 20 negative animals from the same herds. Two extraction protocols and two (-/+) ionization modes were tested. The three most informative datasets out of the four were merged by a mid-level data fusion approach and submitted to partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). Compared to the MAP negative subjects, metabolomic analysis revealed the m/z signals of isobutyrate, dimethylethanolamine, palmitic acid, and rhamnitol were more intense in infected animals. Both infected and infectious animals showed higher relative intensities of tryptamine and creatine/creatinine as well as lower relative abundances of urea, glutamic acid and/or pyroglutamic acid. These metabolic differences could indicate altered fat metabolism and reduced energy intake in both infected and infectious cattle. In conclusion, DART-HRMS coupled to a mid-level data fusion approach allowed the molecular features that identified preclinical stages of JD to be teased out.
My Health Diary, a School-Based Well-Being Program: A Randomized Controlled Study
Authors: Rabaglietti Emanuela , Molinengo Giorgia , Roggero Antonella , Ermacora Antonella , Marinaro Laura , Beccaria Franca
Published: January 2021

Background: A positive transition to adulthood entails developing the individual and social skills needed to cope with critical situations. The “My Health Diary” program was designed as a school-based and teacher-led intervention focusing on the active engagement of 12- to 13-year-old pre-adolescents. The study analyzes the role of several primary variables (psychological well-being, psychosomatic symptoms, health status), secondary variables (health-risk behaviors, prosocial behavior, academic success, physical and verbal aggression), and mediator variables of emotional and social skills in terms of empathic and social self-efficacy, and satisfaction with school. Methods: Sixty schools were involved, divided into control groups (N = 29) and intervention groups (N = 31). The program was administered only to the intervention group. Of the 2306 students at the baseline, 2078 were still involved at post-intervention 6 months later. Results: The program was not found to have significant effects on the primary outcome variables and most of the secondary variables. For the mediators, however, the association was stronger for the girls in the intervention group, and there was a statistically significant difference in the empathic skills shown by girls, who reported higher levels than boys. Conclusions: The program was found to have encouraging effects on some mediators and in enhancing socio-relational and emotional skills among pre-adolescents.
Winter Wheat Straw Decomposition under Different Nitrogen Fertilizers
Authors: Mühlbachová Gabriela , Růžek Pavel , Kusá Helena , Vavera Radek , Káš Martin
Published: January 2021

The climate changes and increased drought frequency still more frequent in recent periods bring challenges to management with wheat straw remaining in the field after harvest and to its decomposition. The field experiment carried out in 2017–2019 in the Czech Republic aimed to evaluate winter wheat straw decomposition under different organic and mineral nitrogen fertilizing (urea, pig slurry and digestate with and without inhibitors of nitrification (IN)). Treatment Straw 1 with fertilizers was incorporated in soil each year the first day of experiment. The Straw 2 was placed on soil surface at the same day as Straw 1 and incorporated together with fertilizers after 3 weeks. The Straw 1 decomposition in N treatments varied between 25.8–40.1% and in controls between 21.5–33.1% in 2017–2019. The Straw 2 decomposition varied between 26.3–51.3% in N treatments and in controls between 22.4–40.6%. Higher straw decomposition in 2019 was related to more rainy weather. The drought observed mainly in 2018 led to the decrease of straw decomposition and to the highest contents of residual mineral nitrogen in soils. The limited efficiency of N fertilisers on straw decomposition under drought showed a necessity of revision of current strategy of N treatments and reduction of N doses adequately according the actual weather conditions.
Longitudinal Study of the Distribution of Antimicrobial-Resistant Campylobacter Isolates from an Integrated Broiler Chicken Operation
Authors: Kwon Bo-Ram , Wei Bai , Cha Se-Yeoun , Shang Ke , Zhang Jun-Feng , Kang Min , Jang Hyung-Kwan
Published: January 2021

The aim of this study was to analyze the prevalence, antimicrobial resistance, and genetic diversity of Campylobacter isolates that were obtained from whole chicken production stages in Korea. A total of 1348 samples were collected from 10 production lines. The prevalence of Campylobacter in breeder farm, broiler farm, slaughterhouse, and retail meat products was 50.0%, 3.3%, 13.4%, and 68.4%, respectively, and Campylobacter was not detected at the hatchery stage. Resistance to quinolones/fluoroquinolones was the most prevalent at all stages. Among the multidrug-resistant isolates, 16 isolates (19.8%) from breeder farm were resistant to both azithromycin and ciprofloxacin. A total of 182 isolates were subdivided into 82 pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) genotypes with 100% similarity. Diverse genotypes were presented with discontinuous patterns along the whole production chain. Thirty percent of Campylobacter-free flocks became positive after slaughtering. An identical genotype was simultaneously detected from both breeder farm and retail meat, even from different production lines. This study reveals that antimicrobial-resistant Campylobacter contamination can occur at all stages of the chicken supply chain. In particular, the breeder farm and slaughterhouse should be the main control points, as they are the potential stages at which antimicrobial-resistant Campylobacter could spread to retail meat products by horizontal transmission.
Weighted Gene Co-Expression Network Analysis Identifies Key Modules and Hub Genes Associated with Mycobacterial Infection of Human Macrophages
Authors: Lu Lu , Wei RanLei , Bhakta Sanjib , Waddell Simon J. , Boix Ester
Published: January 2021

Tuberculosis (TB) is still a leading cause of death worldwide. Treatments remain unsatisfactory due to an incomplete understanding of the underlying host–pathogen interactions during infection. In the present study, weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) was conducted to identify key macrophage modules and hub genes associated with mycobacterial infection. WGCNA was performed combining our own transcriptomic results using Mycobacterium aurum-infected human monocytic macrophages (THP1) with publicly accessible datasets obtained from three types of macrophages infected with seven different mycobacterial strains in various one-to-one combinations. A hierarchical clustering tree of 11,533 genes was built from 198 samples, and 47 distinct modules were revealed. We identified a module, consisting of 226 genes, which represented the common response of host macrophages to different mycobacterial infections that showed significant enrichment in innate immune stimulation, bacterial pattern recognition, and leukocyte chemotaxis. Moreover, by network analysis applied to the 74 genes with the best correlation with mycobacteria infection, we identified the top 10 hub-connecting genes: NAMPT, IRAK2, SOCS3, PTGS2, CCL20, IL1B, ZC3H12A, ABTB2, GFPT2, and ELOVL7. Interestingly, apart from the well-known Toll-like receptor and inflammation-associated genes, other genes may serve as novel TB diagnosis markers and potential therapeutic targets.
Genomic Analysis of Antimicrobial Resistance and Resistance Plasmids in Salmonella Serovars from Poultry in Nigeria
Authors: Jibril Abdurrahman Hassan , Okeke Iruka N. , Dalsgaard Anders , Menéndez Vanesa García , Olsen John Elmerdahl
Published: January 2021

Antimicrobial resistance is a global public health concern, and resistance genes in Salmonella, especially those located on mobile genetic elements, are part of the problem. This study used phenotypic and genomic methods to identify antimicrobial resistance and resistance genes, as well as the plasmids that bear them, in Salmonella isolates obtained from poultry in Nigeria. Seventy-four isolates were tested for susceptibility to eleven commonly used antimicrobials. Plasmid reconstruction and identification of resistance and virulence genes were performed with a draft genome using in silico approaches in parallel with plasmid extraction. Phenotypic resistance to ciprofloxacin (50.0%), gentamicin (48.6%), nalidixic acid (79.7%), sulphonamides (71.6%) and tetracycline (59.5%) was the most observed. Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) detected in genomes corresponded well with these observations. Commonly observed ARGs included sul1, sul2, sul3, tet (A), tet (M), qnrS1, qnrB19 and a variety of aminoglycoside-modifying genes, in addition to point mutations in the gyrA and parC genes. Multiple ARGs were predicted to be located on IncN and IncQ1 plasmids of S. Schwarzengrund and S. Muenster, and most qnrB19 genes were carried by Col (pHAD28) plasmids. Seventy-two percent (19/24) of S. Kentucky strains carried multidrug ARGs located in two distinct variants of Salmonella genomic island I. The majority of strains carried full SPI-1 and SPI-2 islands, suggesting full virulence potential.
Population Pharmacokinetics Analysis of Amikacin Initial Dosing Regimen in Elderly Patients
Authors: Kato Hideo , Parker Suzanne L. , Roberts Jason A. , Hagihara Mao , Asai Nobuhiro , Yamagishi Yuka , Paterson David L. , Mikamo Hiroshige
Published: January 2021

There are limited data of amikacin pharmacokinetics (PK) in the elderly population. Hence, we aimed to describe the population PK of amikacin in elderly patients (>70 years old) and to establish optimized initial dosing regimens. We simulated individual maximum concentrations in plasma (Cmax) and minimal concentrations (Cmin) for several dosing regimens (200–2000 mg every 24, 48, and 72 h) for patients with creatinine clearance (CCr) of 10–90 mL/min and analyzed efficacy (Cmax/minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) ≥ 8) for MICs of 4, 8, and 16 mg/L and safety (Cmin < 4 mg/L). A one-compartment model best described the data. CCr was the only covariate associated with amikacin clearance. The population PK parameter estimates were 2.25 L/h for clearance and 18.0 L for volume of distribution. Dosing simulations recommended the dosing regimens (1800 mg) with dosing intervals ranging 48–72 h for patients with CCr of 40–90 mL/min based on achievement of both efficacy for the MIC of 8 mg/L and safety. None of the dosing regimens achieved the targets for an MIC of 16 mg/L. We recommend the initial dosing regimen using a nomogram based on CCr for an MIC of ≤8 mg/L in elderly patients with CCr of 40–90 mL/min.
Ubiquinol Supplementation Improves Gender-Dependent Cerebral Vasoreactivity and Ameliorates Chronic Inflammation and Endothelial Dysfunction in Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment
Authors: García-Carpintero Sonia , Domínguez-Bértalo Javier , Pedrero-Prieto Cristina , Frontiñán-Rubio Javier , Amo-Salas Mariano , Durán-Prado Mario , García-Pérez Eloy , Vaamonde Julia , Alcain Francisco J.
Published: January 2021

Ubiquinol can protect endothelial cells from multiple mechanisms that cause endothelial damage and vascular dysfunction, thus contributing to dementia. A total of 69 participants diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) received either 200 mg/day ubiquinol (Ub) or placebo for 1 year. Cognitive assessment of patients was performed at baseline and after 1 year of follow-up. Patients’ cerebral vasoreactivity was examined using transcranial Doppler sonography, and levels of Ub and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in plasma samples were quantified. Cell viability and necrotic cell death were determined using the microvascular endothelial cell line bEnd3. Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ) levels increased in patients supplemented for 1 year with ubiquinol versus baseline and the placebo group, although higher levels were observed in male patients. The higher cCoQ concentration in male patients improved cerebral vasoreactivity CRV and reduced inflammation, although the effect of Ub supplementation on neurological improvement was negligible in this study. Furthermore, plasma from Ub-supplemented patients improved the viability of endothelial cells, although only in T2DM and hypertensive patients. This suggests that ubiquinol supplementation could be recommended to reach a concentration of 5 μg/mL in plasma in MCI patients as a complement to conventional treatment.
Neurophysiological Effects of Whole Coffee Cherry Extract in Older Adults with Subjective Cognitive Impairment: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Cross-Over Pilot Study
Authors: Robinson Jennifer L. , Yanes Julio A. , Reid Meredith A. , Murphy Jerry E. , Busler Jessica N. , Mumford Petey W. , Young Kaelin C. , Pietrzkowski Zbigniew J. , Nemzer Boris V. , Hunter John M. , Beck Darren T.
Published: January 2021

Bioactive plant-based compounds have shown promise as protective agents across multiple domains including improvements in neurological and psychological measures. Methodological challenges have limited our understanding of the neurophysiological changes associated with polyphenol-rich supplements such as whole coffee cherry extract (WCCE). In the current study, we (1) compared 100 mg of WCCE to a placebo using an acute, randomized, double-blind, within-subject, cross-over design, and we (2) conducted a phytochemical analysis of WCCE. The primary objective of the study was to determine the neurophysiological and behavioral changes that resulted from the acute administration of WCCE. We hypothesized that WCCE would increase brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and glutamate levels while also increasing neurofunctional measures in cognitive brain regions. Furthermore, we expected there to be increased behavioral performance associated with WCCE, as measured by reaction time and accuracy. Participants underwent four neuroimaging scans (pre- and post-WCCE and placebo) to assess neurofunctional/metabolic outcomes using functional magnetic resonance imaging and magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The results suggest that polyphenol-rich WCCE is associated with decreased reaction time and may protect against cognitive errors on tasks of working memory and response inhibition. Behavioral findings were concomitant with neurofunctional changes in structures involved in decision-making and attention. Specifically, we found increased functional connectivity between the anterior cingulate and regions involved in sensory and decision-making networks. Additionally, we observed increased BDNF and an increased glutamate/gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) ratio following WCCE administration. These results suggest that WCCE is associated with acute neurophysiological changes supportive of faster reaction times and increased, sustained attention.
The Role of Antioxidants Supplementation in Clinical Practice: Focus on Cardiovascular Risk Factors
Authors: Cammisotto Vittoria , Nocella Cristina , Bartimoccia Simona , Sanguigni Valerio , Francomano Davide , Sciarretta Sebastiano , Pastori Daniele , Peruzzi Mariangela , Cavarretta Elena , D’Amico Alessandra , Castellani Valentina , Frati Giacomo , Carnevale Roberto , Group SMiLe
Published: January 2021

Oxidative stress may be defined as an imbalance between reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the antioxidant system to counteract or detoxify these potentially damaging molecules. This phenomenon is a common feature of many human disorders, such as cardiovascular disease. Many of the risk factors, including smoking, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes, and obesity, are associated with an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease, involving an elevated oxidative stress burden (either due to enhanced ROS production or decreased antioxidant protection). There are many therapeutic options to treat oxidative stress-associated cardiovascular diseases. Numerous studies have focused on the utility of antioxidant supplementation. However, whether antioxidant supplementation has any preventive and/or therapeutic value in cardiovascular pathology is still a matter of debate. In this review, we provide a detailed description of oxidative stress biomarkers in several cardiovascular risk factors. We also discuss the clinical implications of the supplementation with several classes of antioxidants, and their potential role for protecting against cardiovascular risk factors.
Subchronic N-acetylcysteine Treatment Decreases Brain Kynurenic Acid Levels and Improves Cognitive Performance in Mice
Authors: Blanco Ayala Tonali , Ramírez Ortega Daniela , Ovalle Rodríguez Paulina , Pineda Benjamín , Pérez de la Cruz Gonzalo , González Esquivel Dinora , Schwarcz Robert , Sathyasaikumar Korrapati V. , Jiménez Anguiano Anabel , Pérez de la Cruz Verónica
Published: January 2021

The tryptophan (Trp) metabolite kynurenic acid (KYNA) is an α7-nicotinic and N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor antagonist. Elevated brain KYNA levels are commonly seen in psychiatric disorders and neurodegenerative diseases and may be related to cognitive impairments. Recently, we showed that N-acetylcysteine (NAC) inhibits kynurenine aminotransferase II (KAT II), KYNA’s key biosynthetic enzyme, and reduces KYNA neosynthesis in rats in vivo. In this study, we examined if repeated systemic administration of NAC influences brain KYNA and cognitive performance in mice. Animals received NAC (100 mg/kg, i.p.) daily for 7 days. Redox markers, KYNA levels, and KAT II activity were determined in the brain. We also assessed the effect of repeated NAC treatment on Trp catabolism using brain tissue slices ex vivo. Finally, learning and memory was evaluated with and without an acute challenge with KYNA’s bioprecursor L-kynurenine (Kyn; 100 mg/kg). Subchronic NAC administration protected against an acute pro-oxidant challenge, decreased KYNA levels, and lowered KAT II activity and improved memory both under basal conditions and after acute Kyn treatment. In tissue slices from these mice, KYNA neosynthesis from Trp or Kyn was reduced. Together, our data indicate that prolonged treatment with NAC may enhance memory at least in part by reducing brain KYNA levels.
Urban Aerosol Particulate Matter Promotes Necrosis and Autophagy via Reactive Oxygen Species-Mediated Cellular Disorders that Are Accompanied by Cell Cycle Arrest in Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cells
Authors: Lee Hyesook , Kim Da Hye , Kim Jeong-Hwan , Park Seh-Kwang , Jeong Ji-Won , Kim Mi-Young , Hong Seok-Ho , Song Kyoung Seob , Kim Gi-Young , Hyun Jin Won , Choi Yung Hyun
Published: January 2021

Urban particulate matter (UPM) is recognized as a grave public health problem worldwide. Although a few studies have linked UPM to ocular surface diseases, few studies have reported on retinal dysfunction. Thus, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the influence of UPM on the retina and identify the main mechanism of UPM toxicity. In this study, we found that UPM significantly induced cytotoxicity with morphological changes in ARPE-19 human retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells and increased necrosis and autophagy but not apoptosis. Furthermore, UPM significantly increased G2/M arrest and simultaneously induced alterations in cell cycle regulators. In addition, DNA damage and mitochondrial dysfunction were remarkably enhanced by UPM. However, the pretreatment with the potent reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenger N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) effectively suppressed UPM-mediated cytotoxicity, necrosis, autophagy, and cell cycle arrest. Moreover, NAC markedly restored UPM-induced DNA damage and mitochondrial dysfunction. Meanwhile, UPM increased the expression of mitophagy-regulated proteins, but NAC had no effect on mitophagy. Taken together, although further studies are needed to identify the role of mitophagy in UPM-induced RPE injury, the present study provides the first evidence that ROS-mediated cellular damage through necrosis and autophagy is one of the mechanisms of UPM-induced retinal disorders.
A Separation Method of Superimposed Gratings in Double-Projector Fringe Projection Profilometry Using a Color Camera
Authors: Zhang Yuanjun , Qu Xinghua , Li Yiming , Zhang Fumin
Published: January 2021

Fringe projection profilometry has been intensively studied for several decades. However, due to the limitation of the field range of a single projector, when measuring objects with complex surfaces, there are always shadow areas in the captured images, resulting in missing measurement data in the dark areas. To solve this problem, systems with double projectors and single camera were employed. Not only were the shadow areas reduced, but system recalibration and multiple measurements were not needed, improving measuring efficiency. Nevertheless, separating the corresponding projection pattern from the superimposed fringe presented a difficult problem. A color camera has RGB three color channels. When the color camera is applied to fringe projection profilometry, the information obtained is three times as much as that of the monochrome camera. Due to the small overlap between the red- and blue-light spectra response of color cameras, the channel color crosstalk can be ignored. This paper proposes a method to project red and blue fringe patterns from two projectors and utilize the characteristics of the red and blue channels of the color camera to separate the superposition grating pattern. The original patterns can be recovered integrally and easily. To explain the effectiveness of superimposed fringe separation, a simulation and experiments were carried out. Both of them showed that the superimposed fringe can be separated correctly, proving that our method is feasible.
Electrical Conductivity Evidence for the Existence of a Mantle Plume Beneath Tarim Basin
Authors: Guo Junhao , Lian Xinbao , Wang Xueqiu
Published: January 2021

This paper proposes using a simulated annealing (SA) calculation to perform one-dimensional inversion of Geomagnetic Depth Sounding (GDS) to obtain the conductivity information of the lower mantle beneath the Tarim area, to calculate the temperature of the lower mantle according to the relevant formula of the petrophysical experiment, and to provide evidence of the existence of the Tarim mantle plume. The data used for inversion originate from the China Geomagnetic Network Center. This article uses theoretical data to prove that the simulated annealing algorithm can invert the true conductivity model when the data do not contain noise. However, when the data contain noise, it is more accurate to use the statistical expected value of the high-quality conductivity model during the simulated annealing inversion process as the optimal conductivity model rather than the classic simulated annealing algorithm. The simulated annealing inversion results of only four stations in Tarim area show that the conductivity of the top of the lower mantle and the upper part of the mantle transition zone in Tarim area is higher than the global average, and it is speculated that the temperature is 150k–450k higher than the global average. This is important evidence for the existence of the mantle plume beneath the Tarim Basin.
An Experimental OpenFlow Proposal over Legacy GPONs to Allow Real-Time Service Reconfiguration Policies
Authors: Merayo Noemí , de Pintos David , Aguado Juan C. , de Miguel Ignacio , Durán Ramón J. , Fernández Patricia , Lorenzo Rubén M. , Abril Evaristo J.
Published: January 2021

The integration of Software Defined Networking (SDN) technologies in Passive Optical Networks (PONs) would provide great advantages to Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and Network Operators, since they can optimize the network operation and reduce its complexity. However, some tasks regarding online service and network configuration strategies are difficult to move to external SDN-controllers since they are time-critical operations. However, the control of some of these policies by SDN techniques could lead to better network and management configuration in a centralized and automatic way. As a consequence, we propose and experimentally test the integration of an OpenFlow approach over legacy Gigabit Passive Optical Networks (GPONs), which allows moving some global service configuration policies to an external SDN controller implementing an SDN management layer that adjust these strategies according to dynamic Quality of Service (QoS) requirements of services in residential users. The viability and efficiency of our approach are demonstrated using a GPON testbed and proposing a new business scenario for ISPs and Network Operators.
Investigating the Use of Natural and Artificial Records for Prediction of Seismic Response of Regular and Irregular RC Bridges Considering Displacement Directions
Authors: Tehrani Payam , Mitchell Denis
Published: January 2021

The seismic responses of continuous multi-span reinforced concrete (RC) bridges were predicted using inelastic time history analyses (ITHA) and incremental dynamic analysis (IDA). Some important issues in ITHA were studied in this research, including: the effects of using artificial and natural records on predictions of the mean seismic demands, effects of displacement directions on predictions of the mean seismic response, the use of 2D analysis with combination rules for prediction of the response obtained using 3D analysis, and prediction of the maximum radial displacement demands compared to the displacements obtained along the principal axes of the bridges. In addition, IDA was conducted and predictions were obtained at different damage states. These issues were investigated for the case of regular and irregular bridges using three different sets of natural and artificial records. The results indicated that the use of natural and artificial records typically resulted in similar predictions for the cases studied. The effect of displacement direction was important in predicting the mean seismic response. It was shown that 2D analyses with the combination rules resulted in good predictions of the radial displacement demands obtained from 3D analyses. The use of artificial records in IDA resulted in good prediction of the median collapse capacity.
Ray Tracing Method of Gradient Refractive Index Medium Based on Refractive Index Step
Authors: Zhang Qingpeng , Tan Yi , Ren Ge , Tang Tao
Published: January 2021

For gradient refractive index media with large refractive index gradients, traditional ray tracing methods based on refined elements or spatial geometric steps have problems such as low tracing accuracy and efficiency. The ray tracing method based on refractive index steps proposed in this paper can effectively solve this problem. This method uses the refractive index step to replace the spatial geometric step. The starting point and the end point of each ray tracing step are on the constant refractive-index surfaces. It avoids the problem that the traditional tracing method cannot adapt to the area of sudden change in the refractive index and the area where the refractive index changes sharply. Therefore, a suitable distance can be performed in the iterative process. It can achieve high-efficiency and precise ray tracing in areas whether the refractive index changes slowly or sharply. According to the comparison of calculation examples, this method can achieve a tracing accuracy of 10−5 mm. The speed and precision of ray tracing are better than traditional methods.
Machine Learning Based Energy-Efficient Design Approach for Interconnects in Circuits and Systems
Authors: Khac Le Hung , Kim SoYoung
Published: January 2021

In this paper, we propose an efficient design methodology for energy-efficient off-chip interconnect. This approach leverages an artificial neural network (ANN) as a surrogate model that significantly improves design efficiency in the frequency-domain. This model utilizes design specifications as the constraint functions to guarantee the satisfaction of design requirements. Additionally, a specified objective function to select low-loss and low-noise structure is employed to determine the optimal case from a large design space. The proposed design flow can find the optimum design that gives maximum eye height (EH) with the largest allowable transmitter supply voltage (VTX) reduction for minimum power consumption. The proposed approach is applied to the microstrip line and stripline structures with single-ended and differential signals for general applicability. For the microstrip line, the proposed methodology performs at a performance speed with 42.7 and 0.5 s per structure for the data generation and optimization process, respectively. In addition, the optimal microstrip line design achieves a 25%VTX reduction. In stripline structures, it takes 31.9 s for the data generation and 0.6 s for the optimization process per structure when the power efficiency reaches a maximum 30.7% peak to peak VTX decrease.
Jupyter Notebooks in Undergraduate Mobile Robotics Courses: Educational Tool and Case Study
Authors: Ruiz-Sarmiento Jose-Raul , Baltanas Samuel-Felipe , Gonzalez-Jimenez Javier
Published: January 2021

Jupyter notebooks are recently emerging as a valuable pedagogical resource in academy, being adopted in educational institutions worldwide. This is mainly due to their ability to combine the expressiveness of traditional explanations from textbooks, with the interaction capabilities of software applications, which provides numerous benefits for both students and lecturers of different fields. One of the areas that could benefit from their adoption is such of mobile robotics, whose recent popularity has resulted in an increasing demand of trained practitioners with a solid theoretical and practical background. Therefore, there is a need of high quality learning materials adapted to modern tools and methodologies. With that in mind, this work explores how the introduction of Jupyter notebooks in undergraduate mobile robotic courses contributes to improve both teaching and learning experiences. For that, we first present a series of (publicly available) educational notebooks encompassing a variety of topics relevant for robotics, with a particular emphasis in the study of mobile robots and commonly used sensors. Those documents have been built from the ground up to take advantage of the Jupyter Notebook framework, bridging the typical gap between theoretical frame and interactive code. We also present a case study describing the notebooks usage in undergraduate courses at University of Málaga, including a discussion on the promising results and findings obtained.
Enhanced K-Nearest Neighbor for Intelligent Fault Diagnosis of Rotating Machinery
Authors: Lu Jiantao , Qian Weiwei , Li Shunming , Cui Rongqing
Published: January 2021

Case-based intelligent fault diagnosis methods of rotating machinery can deal with new faults effectively by adding them into the case library. However, case-based methods scarcely refer to automatic feature extraction, and k-nearest neighbor (KNN) commonly required by case-based methods is unable to determine the nearest neighbors for different testing samples adaptively. To solve these problems, a new intelligent fault diagnosis method of rotating machinery is proposed based on enhanced KNN (EKNN), which can take advantage of both parameter-based and case-based methods. First, EKNN is embedded with a dimension-reduction stage, which extracts the discriminative features of samples via sparse filtering (SF). Second, to locate the nearest neighbors for various testing samples adaptively, a case-based reconstruction algorithm is designed to obtain the correlation vectors between training samples and testing samples. Finally, according to the optimized correlation vector of each testing sample, its nearest neighbors can be adaptively selected to obtain its corresponding health condition label. Extensive experiments on vibration signal datasets of bearings are also conducted to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method.
New Developer Metrics for Open Source Software Development Challenges: An Empirical Study of Project Recommendation Systems
Authors: Şeker Abdulkadir , Diri Banu , Arslan Halil
Published: January 2021

Software collaboration platforms where millions of developers from diverse locations can contribute to the common open source projects have recently become popular. On these platforms, various information is obtained from developer activities that can then be used as developer metrics to solve a variety of challenges. In this study, we proposed new developer metrics extracted from the issue, commit, and pull request activities of developers on GitHub. We created developer metrics from the individual activities and combined certain activities according to some common traits. To evaluate these metrics, we created an item-based project recommendation system. In order to validate this system, we calculated the similarity score using two methods and assessed top-n hit scores using two different approaches. The results for all scores with these methods indicated that the most successful metrics were binary_issue_related, issue_commented, binary_pr_related, and issue_opened. To verify our results, we compared our metrics with another metric generated from a very similar study and found that most of our metrics gave better scores that metric. In conclusion, the issue feature is more crucial for GitHub compared with other features. Moreover, commenting activity in projects can be equally as valuable as code contributions. The most of binary metrics that were generated, regardless of the number of activities, also showed remarkable results. In this context, we presented improvable and noteworthy developer metrics that can be used for a wide range of open-source software development challenges, such as user characterization, project recommendation, and code review assignment.
One-Dimensional Consolidation of Viscoelastic Soils Incorporating Caputo-Fabrizio Fractional Derivative
Authors: Huang Minghua , Lv Chang , Zhou Suhua , Zhou Shuaikang , Kang Jiatao
Published: January 2021

In this paper, the Caputo-Fabrizio fractional derivative is introduced to investigate the one-dimensional consolidation behavior of viscoelastic soils. Using the Caputo-Fabrizio operator, a novel four-element fractional-derivative model is proposed to capture the viscoelastic properties of the soils, and further the one-dimensional consolidation equation is derived to simulate the consolidation behavior of the soils. Using the techniques of eigenfunction expansion and Laplace transform, a series of analytical solutions are derived to calculate the excess pore-water pressure and the average degree of consolidation of the soils. The total vertical stress in the soil is assumed to change linearly with depth, and its distribution patterns are classified to rectangular pattern, trapezoidal pattern and inverse trapezoidal pattern. Four loading types including instantaneous loading, ramp loading, sinusoidal loading and general cyclic loading are considered. Then, a comparison for several special cases is presented to verify the correctness of the proposed solutions through comparing with existing theories. Moreover, two examples considering ramp and sinusoidal loadings are given to study the consolidation behavior of the viscoelastic soils incorporating the Caputo-Fabrizio fractional derivative.
Mitigating DDoS Attacks in SDN-Based IoT Networks Leveraging Secure Control and Data Plane Algorithm
Authors: Wang Song , Gomez Karina , Sithamparanathan Kandeepan , Asghar Muhammad Rizwan , Russello Giovanni , Zanna Paul
Published: January 2021

Software-Defined Networking (SDN) and Internet of Things (IoT) are the trends of network evolution. SDN mainly focuses on the upper level control and management of networks, while IoT aims to bring devices together to enable sharing and monitoring of real-time behaviours through network connectivity. On the one hand, IoT enables us to gather status of devices and networks and to control them remotely. On the other hand, the rapidly growing number of devices challenges the management at the access and backbone layer and raises security concerns of network attacks, such as Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS). The combination of SDN and IoT leads to a promising approach that could alleviate the management issue. Indeed, the flexibility and programmability of SDN could help in simplifying the network setup. However, there is a need to make a security enhancement in the SDN-based IoT network for mitigating attacks involving IoT devices. In this article, we discuss and analyse state-of-the-art DDoS attacks under SDN-based IoT scenarios. Furthermore, we verify our SDN sEcure COntrol and Data plane (SECOD) algorithm to resist DDoS attacks on the real SDN-based IoT testbed. Our results demonstrate that DDoS attacks in the SDN-based IoT network are easier to detect than in the traditional network due to IoT traffic predictability. We observed that random traffic (UDP or TCP) is more affected during DDoS attacks. Our results also show that the probability of a controller becoming halt is 10%, while the probability of a switch getting unresponsive is 40%.
Review of Dew Point Evaporative Cooling Technology for Air Conditioning Applications
Authors: Pacak Anna , Worek William
Published: January 2021

Indirect evaporative cooling has the potential to significantly improve the natural environment. It follows from a significant reduction in electricity consumption in the hot period, and hence lower operating costs for cooling systems. This paper presents the current state of knowledge and research directions on dew point indirect evaporative cooling. It was found that researchers focus on the development of dew point indirect evaporative coolers (DPIEC) by improving its design, geometry, water distribution, and new porous materials implementation. To evaluate the performance of new types of DPIEC, different methods are used by the scientists. Finally, optimized devices are studied in terms of their performance in different systems, like hybrid and desiccant systems, considering different climate conditions. Potential directions of development of evaporative technologies were indicated, such as increasing the coefficient of performance of solid desiccant evaporative cooling systems, developing novel geometry, and efficient water distribution, including development of porous materials.
Applying Knowledge Inference on Event-Conjunction for Automatic Control in Smart Building
Authors: Ge Hangli , Peng Xiaohui , Koshizuka Noboru
Published: January 2021

Smart building, one of IoT-based emerging applications is where energy-efficiency, human comfort, automation, security could be managed even better. However, at the current stage, a unified and practical framework for knowledge inference inside the smart building is still lacking. In this paper, we present a practical proposal of knowledge extraction on event-conjunction for automatic control in smart buildings. The proposal consists of a unified API design, ontology model, inference engine for knowledge extraction. Two types of models: finite state machine(FSMs) and bayesian network (BN) have been used for capturing the state transition and sensor data fusion. In particular, to solve the problem that the size of time interval observations between two correlated events was too small to be approximated for estimation, we utilized the Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampling method to optimize the sampling on time intervals. The proposal has been put into use in a real smart building environment. 78-days data collection of the light states and elevator states has been conducted for evaluation. Several events have been inferred in the evaluation, such as room occupancy, elevator moving, as well as the event conjunction of both. The inference on the users’ waiting time of elevator-using revealed the potentials and effectiveness of the automatic control on the elevator.
Bending Behavior of Corroded H-Shaped Steel Beam in Underground Environment
Authors: Sheng Jie , Xia Junwu , Chang Hongfei
Published: January 2021

To investigate the residual bending strength of a corroded H-shaped steel beam in an underground coal mining environment, the law governing the degradation of the mechanical properties of corroded steel was first investigated through tensile testing. Subsequently, a four-point bending test was conducted on corroded H-shaped steel beams. The influence of the corrosion rate and sustained loading ratio on the residual bending performance of a corroded H-beam was investigated. The results reveal that the uniform corrosion and uneven corrosion of the steel occurred simultaneously. Additionally, pits with a small size appeared on the steel surface and the number of these pits increased with the corrosion time. Four different fracture modes were observed after the tensile test, and the yield strength and ultimate strength of the corroded steel decreased as the corrosion rate increased. In the bending test, the failure mode of the corroded H-shaped steel beam was not changed by the corrosion. The bearing capacity, stiffness, and ductility of the corroded H-shaped steel beams decreased with the increase in the corrosion rate, and the sustained loading further decreased the bearing capacity. Finally, a simple method for assessing the yield load and ultimate load of corroded H-shaped steel beams is proposed.