bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Torres de vigilancia costera y Paisaje: integración de valores culturales y naturales en el Paraje de Maro-Cerro Gordo
Authors: Chiclana Rodríguez Marta , Fernández Cacho Silvia
Published: June 2019

En la actualidad, el creciente interés por la tutela del Patrimonio Histórico ha impulsado los estudios en este campo, en cuya evolución se observa la tendencia de integrar los valores culturales y naturales en la ordenación y gestión del territorio. Por otra parte, la consolidación de los Sistemas de Información Geográfica (SIG) como técnica de tratamiento cartográfico para el análisis espacial, proporciona amplias posibilidades como elemento de estudio de la realidad geográfica. En este trabajo se muestran los resultados de un ejemplo de la aplicación del análisis espacial a través de un SIG para analizar conjuntamente, desde la base de su representación cartográfica, los valores culturales y naturales en un Espacio Natural Protegido. El objetivo es realizar una propuesta de protección y valorización paisajística, considerando como elementos clave las cuencas visuales de las torres de vigilancia costera, de los caminos que les dan acceso y del grado de antropización del medio en el entorno del espacio natural.
Finaliza la intervención en la Cruz de Osuna
Authors: Gómez Villa José Luis
Published: June 2019

Resumen no disponible
La preservación del patrimonio audiovisual. Funciones de la filmoteca
Authors: Monasterio Morales José Enrique
Published: June 2019

El cine está cimentado sobre una base industrial que ha prodigado su explotación como fenómeno de masas. Su capacidad integradora y sus múltiples naturalezas le han otorgado el carácter de Arte, Documento, Fenómeno Social y, finalmente, al abrigo de su presencia popular, el de Patrimonio Audiovisual de la Humanidad. Sin embargo, en comparación con otras artes, paradójicamente, a pesar de ser un invento relativamente reciente, su naturaleza orgánica le impide su pervivencia en el tiempo. En este contexto surge la necesidad imperiosa de conservar su legado y es aquí donde comienza la creación de las Filmotecas y de su misión. Básicamente todas las Filmotecas recogen en los estatutos de su creación las funciones de Preservación del Patrimonio Audiovisual, Documentación, Investigación y Difusión. Sin embargo, existen distintas tipologías en función de su titularidad, especialización o marcos territoriales.
400 años de historia de la imagen. Museo del Cinema-Col-lecció Tomàs Mallol (Girona)
Authors: Pons Busquet Jordi
Published: June 2019

Resumen no disponible
De las excavaciones a las salas. Festival Internacional del Cine Arqueológico del Bidasoa
Authors: Santos Yanguas Juan
Published: June 2019

Resumen no disponible
Archivos en peligro. Estudio de biodegradación y biodeterioro de películas por microorganismo
Authors: Catalina Lapuente Fernando
Published: June 2019

Resumen no disponible
De la realidad a la utopía, un nuevo reto para los Amigos
Authors: Mesa Ruiz Juan Ignacio de la , Oh Julia , Grandes Ainhoa , Miguel Nuria de , Stamer Damian , Cartwright Elli , Manalo Victorino , Bumbury Carol
Published: June 2019

Resumen no disponible
Caracterización química in-situ de los materiales de construcción de la Catedral de Málaga usando un sistema láser portátil
Authors: Fortes Román Francisco Javier , Cuñat Redondo José , Cabalín Robles Luisa Mª , Laserna Vázquez José Javier
Published: June 2019

En este estudio se ha demostrado la capacidad de la espectrometría de plasmas inducidos por láser (LIBS) para la caracterización química y la generación de mapas de distribución de los materiales empleados en la Catedral de Málaga. En este contexto, fue necesario el uso de un sistema láser portátil que permitiera el análisis en ambientes reales y la adquisición de espectros a tiempo real. Se ha usado un analizador portátil basado en un láser Q-switched Nd:YAG trabajando a su longitud de onda fundamental (1064 nm) para generar plasmas en la superficie del edificio. El propósito de este trabajo fue establecer una discriminación entre arenisca, caliza, mármol y mortero, que son los materiales usados principalmente en este tipo de monumentos históricos. El análisis de campo fue realizado en la fachada norte siendo el área total de análisis 250 m2. Finalmente se generaron imágenes químicas de Si/Ca y Ca/Mg
Arquitectura contemporánea: un patrimonio por descubrir (sección completa)
Authors: Del IAPH Redacción
Published: June 2019

Resumen no disponible
Registro Andaluz de Arquitectura Contemporánea: metodología y balance del proyecto
Authors: González Martínez Plácido
Published: June 2019

Resumen no disponible
El Proyecto Sudoe
Authors: García Vázquez Carlos
Published: June 2019

Resumen no disponible
Hacia la gestión territorial del patrimonio cultural (sección completa)
Authors: Del IAPH Redacción
Published: June 2019

Resumen no disponible
Madinat al-Zahra, territorio y paisaje
Authors: Vallejo Triano Antonio
Published: June 2019

Resumen no disponible
Red Gallega de Patrimonio Arqueológico (RGPA)
Authors: Rodríguez Puentes Eugenio , Infante Roura Faustino , Rey García José Manuel
Published: June 2019

Resumen no disponible
Nueva sede institucional para Madinat al-Zahra
Authors: Nieto Fuensanta , Sobejano Enrique
Published: June 2019

La Sede Institucional de Madinat al Zahra es en realidad un complejo edificio que contiene espacios propios de un museo -salas de exposición, almacenes, talleres, salón de actos- así como toda la infraestructura de administración, conservación e investigación que demanda uno de los conjuntos arqueológicos más importantes en nuestro país.El proyecto surgió como resultado de un concurso internacional en 1999, concebido como el punto de partida para la visita al yacimiento, presentación y exposición museográfica acerca del origen y destino de la ciudad palatina. El edificio que aquí se presenta, próximo a su inauguración dentro del año 2008, interpreta el paisaje arqueológico del antiguo recinto de los Omeyas por medio de una arquitectura semienterrada que establece un diálogo entre la memoria de su pasado islámico y la contemporaneidad de su concepción espacial y material
Próxima publicación de Rituales Festivos de Andalucía en el portal web del IAPH
Authors: Carrera Díaz Gema
Published: June 2019

Resumen no disponible
La tradición pirotécnica y las fiestas en la provincia de Almería
Authors: Delgado Méndez Aniceto
Published: June 2019

Resumen no disponible
Patrimonio del Tiempo
Authors: García Sanjuán Leonardo
Published: June 2019

Resumen no disponible
Muerte, tiempo, memoria. Los megalitos como memoriales culturales
Authors: García Sanjuán Leonardo
Published: June 2019

En este trabajo se plantea la significación de los sitios megalíticos como dispositivos culturales dedicados a la fijación material del tiempo. Dado el carácter fundacional que tienen como elemento fundamental de la construcción del paisaje cultural de las primeras sociedades agrarias, los monumentos megalíticos adquieren una extraordinaria capacidad de permanencia en la memoria colectiva, convirtiéndose en referentes materiales de las identidades, las relaciones y prácticas sociales y las ideologías a través de los siglos. Esta capacidad de permanencia excede ampliamente los límites temporales convencionalmente atribuidos a la Prehistoria, entrando de lleno en el ámbito de las sociedades antiguas, medievales y modernas
La protección del patrimonio arqueológico en Castilla-La Mancha. Reflexiones sobre la Ley 4/2013 de patrimonio cultural
Authors: Benítez de Lugo Enich Luis
Published: June 2019

La nueva Ley 4/2013 ha aportado al panorama arqueológico de Castilla-La Mancha importantes novedades que el autor analiza y comenta desde una óptica personal. La Ley, aprobada la pasada primavera, multiplica los instrumentos jurídicos con que se dota a la Administración competente en la conservación del patrimonio cultural. Asimismo, supone el complemento normativo necesario al innovador Código Deontológico de la Arqueología y Patrimonio de Castilla-La Mancha recientemente aprobado en esta región. Este innovador Código aborda aquellos aspectos que, por implicar más a la ética que a la norma, no son definidos por ésta.
Penerapan ELPSA Framework Berbantuan Game pada Materi Eksponensial
Authors: Putri Devi Arhami , Johar Rahmah , Hasbi Muhammad
Published: June 2019

The Application of the ELPSA Framework Assisted by Game in Teaching Exponential. There is still a tendency for students to avoid mathematical assignments is a challenge for educators. Therefore, to present interesting and quality mathematics learning, one of them can be through the ELPSA framework. ELPSA framework is a mathematical learning approach that contains five components, namely experience, language, pictorial, symbolic, and application. The game was chosen to present training as a part of symbolic component that attract students. This study aims to determine the mastery of student learning through the application of the ELPSA framework assisted by games on exponential material, student responses to the learning activity, and the dynamics of students' emotional activity in game utilization. This research use mixed method with convergent parallel mixed method design. The instruments used were learning outcomes tests, student response questionnaires, and observation sheets of student emotional activity. The study population was all students of MTsN 1 Aceh Tengah, and the sample was 17 students of class VIII-1. Based on the results of data processing using the t test, it can be concluded that the value of students reaches completeness. In addition, students respond well to learning and the use of games. Observation of the emotional activity of students during play shows the seriousness is dominating the emotional activity that arises, followed by pleasure, and curiosity. Whereas signs of boredom and disappointment do not arise. This study presents alternative mathematical learning designs to achieve learning goals, as well as attracting students.
Distributive Energy Justice and the Common Good
Authors: Melin Anders
Published: June 2019

Recently, philosophers and social scientists have shown increased interest in questions of social, global, and intergenerational distributive justice related to energy production and consumption. However, so far there have been only a few attempts to analyse questions of distributive energy justice from a religious point of view, which should be considered a lack since religions are an important basis of morality for a large part of the world’s population. In this article, I analyse issues of distributive energy justice from a Christian theological viewpoint by employing the Catholic common good tradition as a theoretical framework. First, I present and argue for a global and ecological interpretation of the Catholic common good tradition. Then I analyse the implications of such an interpretation on questions of distributive energy justice, focusing on the view of property rights within the Catholic common good tradition. I conclude that, in comparison with Nussbaum’s liberal capabilities approach, the common good tradition provides stronger reasons for individuals and groups in more economically developed countries to share their resources and knowledge with individuals and groups in less economically developed countries.
Effect of Supplementary Light Intensity on Quality of Grafted Tomato Seedlings and Expression of Two Photosynthetic Genes and Proteins
Authors: Wei Hao , Zhao Jin , Hu Jiangtao , Jeong Byoung Ryong
Published: June 2019

Lower quality and longer production periods of grafted seedlings, especially grafted plug seedlings of fruit vegetables, may result from insufficient amounts of light, particularly in rainy seasons and winter. Supplemental artificial lighting may be a feasible solution to such problems. This study was conducted to evaluate light intensity’s influence on the quality of grafted tomato seedlings, ‘Super Sunload’ and ‘Super Dotaerang’ were grafted onto the ‘B-Blocking’ rootstock. To improve their quality, grafted seedlings were moved to a glasshouse and grown for 10 days. The glasshouse had a combination of natural lighting from the sun and supplemental lighting from LEDs (W1R2B2) for 16 h/day. Light intensity of natural lighting was 490 μmol·m−2·s−1 photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) and that of supplemental lighting was 50, 100, or 150 μmol·m−2·s−1 PPFD. The culture environment had 30/25 °C day/night temperatures, 70% ± 5% relative humidity (RH), and a natural photoperiod of 14 h as well. Compared with quality of seedlings in supplemental lighting of 50 μmol·m−2·s−1 PPFD, that of seedlings in supplement lighting of 100 or 150 μmol·m−2·s−1 PPFD improved significantly. With increasing light intensity, diameter, fresh weight, and dry weight, which were used to measure shoot growth, greatly improved. Leaf area, leaf thickness, and root biomass were also greater. However, for quality of seedlings, no significant differences were discovered between supplement lighting of 100 μmol·m−2·s−1 PPFD and supplement lighting of 150 μmol·m−2·s−1 PPFD. Expressions of PsaA and PsbA (two photosynthetic genes) as well as the corresponding proteins increased significantly in supplement lightning of 100 and 150 μmol·m−2·s−1 PPFD, especially in 100 μmol·m−2·s−1 PPFD. Overall, considering quality and expressions of two photosynthetic genes and proteins, supplemental light of 100 μmol·m−2·s−1 PPFD (W1R2B1) would be the best choice to cultivate grafted tomato seedlings.
Soil Quality of Abandoned Agricultural Terraces Managed with Prescribed Fires and Livestock in the Municipality of Capafonts, Catalonia, Spain (2000–2017)
Authors: Úbeda Xavier , Alcañiz Meritxell , Borges Gonzalo , Outeiro Luis , Francos Marcos
Published: June 2019

The abandonment of the economic activities of agriculture, livestock, and forestry since the second half of the 20th century, in conjunction with the exodus of inhabitants from rural areas, has resulted in an increase in the forest mass as well as an expansion of forest areas. This, in turn, has led to a greater risk of forest fires and an increase in the intensity and severity of these fires. Moreover, these forest masses represent a fire hazard to adjacent urban areas, which is a problem illustrated here by the village of Capafonts, whose former agricultural terraces have been invaded by shrubs, and which in the event of fire runs the risk of aiding the propagation of the flames from the forest to the village’s homes. One of the tools available to reduce the amount of fuel in zones adjoining inhabited areas is prescribed burns. The local authorities have also promoted measures to convert these terraces into pasture; in this way, the grazing of livestock (in this particular instance, goats) aims to keep fuel levels low and thus reduce the risk of fire. The use of prescribed fires is controversial, as they are believed to be highly aggressive for the soil, and little is known about their long-term effects. The alternation of the two strategies is more acceptable—that is, the use of prescribed burning followed by the grazing of livestock. Yet, similarly little is known about the effects of this management sequence on the soil. As such, this study seeks to examine the impact of the management of the abandoned terraces of Capafonts by means of two prescribed fires (2000 and 2002), which were designed specifically to prevent forest fires from reaching the village. Following these two prescribed burns, a herd of goats began to graze these terraces in 2005. Here, we report the results of soil analyses conducted during this period of years up to and including 2017. A plot comprising 30 sampling points was established on one of the terraces and used to monitor its main soil quality properties. The data were subject to statistical tests to determine whether the recorded changes were significant. The results show modifications to the concentration of soil elements, and since the first prescribed burn, these changes have all been statistically significant. We compare our results with those reported in other studies that evaluate optimum soil concentrations for the adequate growth of grazing to feed goats, and conclude that the soil conditions on the terrace after 17 years are optimum for livestock use.
Sargassum muticum Hydrothermal Extract: Effects on Serum Parameters and Antioxidant Activity in Rats
Authors: Balboa Elena M. , Millán Rosendo , Domínguez Herminia , Taboada Cristina
Published: June 2019

Sargassum muticum was processed by hydrothermal extraction under previously optimized non-isothermal conditions (up to 187 °C). The alginate free crude hydrolysate was further concentrated by ultrafiltration, operating in diafiltration mode to produce an extract (SmE) enriched in the fucoidan and the phlorotannin fractions and with low mineral content and antiradical capacity equivalent to that of Trolox. In order to explore the potential of this concentrated product for food or feed additive, the in vivo antioxidant potential was assessed. Male Sprague–Dawley rats were fed SmE dissolved in distilled water at doses of 0.5, 1.0 or 2.0 g kg−1, administered via an intragastric tube daily for three weeks. The weight and organ gain was not significantly affected in the different groups in relation to the control group fed a standard diet. Serum glucose was significantly lowered in the groups receiving the higher SmE doses, liver GPx levels were reduced and liver TBARS levels decreased in rats administered the extract, but no effect on SOD activity in either liver or erythrocytes was observed.
Review of Experimental Research on Supercritical and Transcritical Thermodynamic Cycles Designed for Heat Recovery Application
Authors: Lecompte Steven , Ntavou Erika , Tchanche Bertrand , Kosmadakis George , Pillai Aditya , Manolakos Dimitris , De Paepe Michel
Published: June 2019

Supercritical operation is considered a main technique to achieve higher cycle efficiency in various thermodynamic systems. The present paper is a review of experimental investigations on supercritical operation considering both heat-to-upgraded heat and heat-to-power systems. Experimental works are reported and subsequently analyzed. Main findings can be summarized as: steam Rankine cycles does not show much studies in the literature, transcritical organic Rankine cycles are intensely investigated and few plants are already online, carbon dioxide is considered as a promising fluid for closed Brayton and Rankine cycles but its unique properties call for a new thinking in designing cycle components. Transcritical heat pumps are extensively used in domestic and industrial applications, but supercritical heat pumps with a working fluid other than CO2 are scarce. To increase the adoption rate of supercritical thermodynamic systems further research is needed on the heat transfer behavior and the optimal design of compressors and expanders with special attention to the mechanical integrity.
The Application of Adaptive Time Gain Compensation in an Improved Breast Ultrasound Tomography Algorithm
Authors: Liu Chang , Zhang Binzhen , Xue Chenyang , Zhang Guojun , Zhang Wendong , Cheng Yijun
Published: June 2019

In order to better detect information about a mass in breast tissue, an ultrasound tomography algorithm based on adaptive time gain compensation (TGC) was designed. Field II was utilized to automatically evaluate the phantom attenuation coefficient and compensate for the attenuated image. The image reconstruction algorithm process is presented here. Furthermore, the experimental setup with the cylindrical motion of a piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducer (PMUT) linear array was used to detect the mass in the breast model. The attenuation coefficient was evaluated by using the spectral cross-correlation method. According to the acquired attenuation coefficients, TGC compensates for the pulse-echo signal, and the horizontal slice image was reconstructed using the tomography algorithm. The experimental results show that this algorithm can evaluate the attenuation coefficient of the breast model and improve the ability to detect an internal mass. At the same time, the realization of attenuation compensation with software is beneficial to the development of portable medical equipment.
Predictive Speed-Control Algorithm Based on a Novel Extended-State Observer for PMSM Drives
Authors: Zhao Yang , Liu Xudong , Zhang Qi
Published: June 2019

To enhance the control performance of permanent-magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) drive systems, achieving high-precision motion control, a generalized predictive control (GPC) method based on a novel extended-state observer (ESO) is investigated for the speed control of PMSM. In this paper, the controller design consists of two steps. Firstly, according to the continuous time model of PMSM, using the Taylor series expansion, the predictive value of motor speed in finite time is derived, and the single-loop speed controller by combining the speed loop and q - axis current loop is obtained through the defined cost function. The structure of the controller is simple compared to other forms. Secondly, considering the uncertainty of the load torque and the model uncertainties, a novel extended-state observer is designed to compute the actual torque, and the observed value is introduced to the GPC controller. The simulation and experimental results show that the proposed GPC+ESO control method has superior dynamic performance and strong robustness.
Influence of Pathogens and Mechanical Stimuli in Inflammation
Authors: Ibrahim Israr B.M. , Pidaparti Ramana
Published: June 2019

Inflammation is a process driven by underlying cell-cell communication and many other factors. In this study, a model of cell-cell communications was proposed to study factors driving the inflammation time course. Analyses of inflammations that are driven by the combined effects of strain (mechanical stimuli) and/or pathogens are considered in this paper. An agent-based model was employed to simulate inflammation where macrophages and fibroblasts influence each other through cell signaling cytokines that diffuse and spread in the tissue space. The communication network of macrophages and fibroblasts was then inferred and its network model (termed TE network) was generated and analyzed. The results suggest that factors driving inflammation time course can be discriminated by the characteristics of TE networks. Inflammation driven only by pathogens has certain TE network characteristics indicating slower and lower information exchange among cells. Multiple stimuli can help to maintain sufficient information exchange among cells, which is beneficial for inflammation resolution. The TE network captures the unfolding of the innate immune system over time, and the history of pathogens invasion. The resulting network leads to an improved understanding of the resilience of the system to future pathogen invasion.
Bioevaluation of Ranatuerin-2Pb from the Frog Skin Secretion of Rana pipiens and Its Truncated Analogues
Authors: Zhou Xiaowei , Shi Daning , Zhong Ruimin , Ye Zhuming , Ma Chengbang , Zhou Mei , Xi Xinping , Wang Lei , Chen Tianbao , Kwok Hang Fai
Published: June 2019

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are considered as a promising agent to overcome the drug-resistance of bacteria. Large numbers of AMPs have been identified from the skin secretion of Rana pipiens, including brevinins, ranatuerins, temporins and esculentins. In this study, the cDNA precursor of a broad-spectrum antimicrobial peptide, ranatuerin-2Pb, was cloned and identified. Additionally, two truncated analogues, RPa and RPb, were synthesised to investigate the structure-activity relationship of ranatuerin-2Pb. RPa lost antimicrobial activity against Candida albicans, MRSA, Enterococcus faecalis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, while RPb retained its broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity. Additionally, ranatuerin-2Pb, RPa and RPb demonstrated inhibition and eradication effects against Staphylococcus aureus biofilm. RPb showed a rapid bacterial killing manner via membrane permeabilization without damaging the cell membrane of erythrocytes. Moreover, RPb decreased the mortality of S. aureus infected Galleria mellonella larvae. Collectively, our results suggested that RPb may pave a novel way for natural antimicrobial drug design.
Misfolding of a Single Disulfide Bonded Globular Protein into a Low-Solubility Species Conformationally and Biophysically Distinct from the Native One
Authors: Saotome Tomonori , Yamazaki Toshio , Kuroda Yutaka
Published: June 2019

In practice and despite Anfinsen’s dogma, the refolding of recombinant multiple SS-bonded proteins is famously difficult because misfolded species with non-native SS-bonds appear upon the oxidization of their cysteine residues. On the other hand, single SS-bond proteins are thought to be simple to refold because their cysteines have only one SS-bond partner. Here, we report that dengue 4 envelope protein domain 3 (DEN4 ED3), a single SS-bonded protein can be irreversibly trapped into a misfolded species through the formation of its sole intramolecular SS-bond. The misfolded species had a much lower solubility than the native one at pHs higher than about 7, and circular dichroism measurements clearly indicated that its secondary structure content was different from the native species. Furthermore, the peaks in the Heteronuclear Single Quantum Correlation spectroscopy (HSQC) spectrum of DEN4 ED3 from the supernatant fraction were sharp and well dispersed, reflecting the beta-sheeted native structure, whereas the spectrum of the precipitated fraction showed broad signals clustered near its center suggesting no or little structure and a strong tendency to aggregate. The two species had distinct biophysical properties and could interconvert into each other only by cleaving and reforming the SS-bond, strongly suggesting that they are topologically different. This phenomenon can potentially happen with any single SS-bonded protein, and our observation emphasizes the need for assessing the conformation and biophysical properties of bacterially produced therapeutic proteins in addition to their chemical purities.
Chemotherapeutic Drugs Inhibiting Topoisomerase 1 Activity Impede Cytokine-Induced and NF-κB p65-Regulated Gene Expression
Authors: Riedlinger Tabea , Bartkuhn Marek , Zimmermann Tobias , Hake Sandra B. , Nist Andrea , Stiewe Thorsten , Kracht Michael , Schmitz M. Lienhard
Published: June 2019

Inhibitors of DNA topoisomerase I (TOP1), an enzyme relieving torsional stress of DNA by generating transient single-strand breaks, are clinically used to treat ovarian, small cell lung and cervical cancer. As torsional stress is generated during transcription by progression of RNA polymerase II through the transcribed gene, we tested the effects of camptothecin and of the approved TOP1 inhibitors Topotecan and SN-38 on TNFα-induced gene expression. RNA-seq experiments showed that inhibition of TOP1 but not of TOP2 activity suppressed the vast majority of TNFα-triggered genes. The TOP1 effects were fully reversible and preferentially affected long genes. TNFα stimulation led to inducible recruitment of TOP1 to the gene body of IL8, where its inhibition by camptothecin reduced transcription elongation and also led to altered histone H3 acetylation. Together, these data show that TOP1 inhibitors potently suppress expression of proinflammatory cytokines, a feature that may contribute to the increased infection risk occurring in tumor patients treated with these agents. On the other hand, TOP1 inhibitors could also be considered as a therapeutic option in order to interfere with exaggerated cytokine expression seen in several inflammatory diseases.
Systematic Analysis of Gene Expression in Lung Adenocarcinoma and Squamous Cell Carcinoma with a Case Study of FAM83A and FAM83B
Authors: Cai Ling , Luo Danni , Yao Bo , Yang Donghan M. , Lin ShinYi , Girard Luc , DeBerardinis Ralph J. , Minna John D. , Xie Yang , Xiao Guanghua
Published: June 2019

Introduction: In our previous study, we constructed a Lung Cancer Explorer (LCE) database housing lung cancer-specific expression data and clinical data from over 6700 patients in 56 studies. Methods: Using this dataset of the largest collection of lung cancer gene expression along with our meta-analysis method, we systematically interrogated the association between gene expression and overall survival as well as the expression difference between tumor and normal (adjacent non-malignant tissue) samples in lung adenocarcinoma (ADC) and lung squamous cell carcinoma (SQCC). A case study for FAM83A and FAM83B was performed as a demonstration for hypothesis testing with our database. Results: We showed that the reproducibility of results across studies varied by histological subtype and analysis type. Genes and pathways unique or common to the two histological subtypes were identified and the results were integrated into LCE to facilitate user exploration. In our case study, we verified the findings from a previous study on FAM83A and FAM83B in non-small cell lung cancer. Conclusions: This study used gene expression data from a large cohort of patients to explore the molecular differences between lung ADC and SQCC.
Utility of Circulating Cell-Free RNA Analysis for the Characterization of Global Transcriptome Profiles of Multiple Myeloma Patients
Authors: Chen Maoshan , Mithraprabhu Sridurga , Ramachandran Malarmathy , Choi Kawa , Khong Tiffany , Spencer Andrew
Published: June 2019

In this study, we evaluated the utility of extracellular RNA (exRNA) derived from the plasma of multiple myeloma (MM) patients for whole transcriptome characterization. exRNA from 10 healthy controls (HC), five newly diagnosed (NDMM), and 12 relapsed and refractory (RRMM) MM patients were analyzed and compared. We showed that ~45% of the exRNA genes were protein-coding genes and ~85% of the identified genes were covered >70%. Compared to HC, we identified 632 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in MM patients, of which 26 were common to NDMM and RRMM. We further identified 54 and 191 genes specific to NDMM and RRMM, respectively, and these included potential biomarkers such as LINC00863, MIR6754, CHRNE, ITPKA, and RGS18 in NDMM, and LINC00462, PPBP, RPL5, IER3, and MIR425 in RRMM, that were subsequently validated using droplet digital PCR. Moreover, single nucleotide polymorphisms and small indels were identified in the exRNA, including mucin family genes that demonstrated different rates of mutations between NDMM and RRMM. This is the first whole transcriptome study of exRNA in hematological malignancy and has provided the basis for the utilization of exRNA to enhance our understanding of the MM biology and to identify potential biomarkers relevant to the diagnosis and prognosis of MM patients.
Relationship between Multiple Sclerosis-Associated IL2RA Risk Allele Variants and Circulating T Cell Phenotypes in Healthy Genotype-Selected Controls
Authors: Buhelt Sophie , Søndergaard Helle Bach , Oturai Annette , Ullum Henrik , von Essen Marina Rode , Sellebjerg Finn
Published: June 2019

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in or near the IL2RA gene, that encodes the interleukin-2 (IL-2) receptor α (CD25), are associated with increased risk of immune-mediated diseases including multiple sclerosis (MS). We investigated how the MS-associated IL2RA SNPs rs2104286 and rs11256593 are associated with CD25 expression on T cells ex vivo by multiparameter flow cytometry in paired genotype-selected healthy controls. We observed that MS-associated IL2RA SNPs rs2104286 and rs11256593 are associated with expression of CD25 in CD4+ but not CD8+ T cells. In CD4+ T cells, carriers of the risk genotype had a reduced frequency of CD25+ TFH1 cells (p = 0.001) and an increased frequency of CD25+ recent thymic emigrant cells (p = 0.006). Furthermore, carriers of the risk genotype had a reduced surface expression of CD25 in post-thymic expanded CD4+ T cells (CD31−CD45RA+), CD39+ TReg cells and in several non-follicular memory subsets. Our study found novel associations of MS-associated IL2RA SNPs on expression of CD25 in CD4+ T cell subsets. Insight into the associations of MS-associated IL2RA SNPs, as these new findings provide, offers a better understanding of CD25 variation in the immune system and can lead to new insights into how MS-associated SNPs contribute to development of MS.
Serverless Computing: An Investigation of Deployment Environments for Web APIs
Authors: Ivan Cosmina , Vasile Radu , Dadarlat Vasile
Published: June 2019

Cloud vendors offer a variety of serverless technologies promising high availability and dynamic scaling while reducing operational and maintenance costs. One such technology, serverless computing, or function-as-a-service (FaaS), is advertised as a good candidate for web applications, data-processing, or backend services, where you only pay for usage. Unlike virtual machines (VMs), they come with automatic resource provisioning and allocation, providing elastic and automatic scaling. We present the results from our investigation of a specific serverless candidate, Web Application Programming Interface or Web API, deployed on virtual machines and as function(s)-as-a-service. We contrast these deployments by varying the number of concurrent users for measuring response times and costs. We found no significant response time differences between deployments when VMs are configured for the expected load, and test scenarios are within the FaaS hardware limitations. Higher numbers of concurrent users or unexpected user growths are effortlessly handled by FaaS, whereas additional labor must be invested in VMs for equivalent results. We identified that despite the advantages serverless computing brings, there is no clear choice between serverless or virtual machines for a Web API application because one needs to carefully measure costs and factor-in all components that are included with FaaS.
The Who, When, Why, and How of PET Amyloid Imaging in Management of Alzheimer’s Disease—Review of Literature and Interesting Images
Authors: Suppiah Subapriya , Didier Mellanie-Anne , Vinjamuri Sobhan
Published: June 2019

Amyloid imaging using positron emission tomography (PET) has an emerging role in the management of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The basis of this imaging is grounded on the fact that the hallmark of AD is the histological detection of beta amyloid plaques (Aβ) at post mortem autopsy. Currently, there are three FDA approved amyloid radiotracers used in clinical practice. This review aims to take the readers through the array of various indications for performing amyloid PET imaging in the management of AD, particularly using 18F-labelled radiopharmaceuticals. We elaborate on PET amyloid scan interpretation techniques, their limitations and potential improved specificity provided by interpretation done in tandem with genetic data such as apolipiprotein E (APO) 4 carrier status in sporadic cases and molecular information (e.g., cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) amyloid levels). We also describe the quantification methods such as the standard uptake value ratio (SUVr) method that utilizes various cutoff points for improved accuracy of diagnosing AD, such as a threshold of 1.122 (area under the curve 0.894), which has a sensitivity of 92.3% and specificity of 90.5%, whereas the cutoff points may be higher in APOE ε4 carriers (1.489) compared to non-carriers (1.313). Additionally, recommendations for future developments in this field are also provided.
A New Feature Extraction Method for Ship-Radiated Noise Based on Improved CEEMDAN, Normalized Mutual Information and Multiscale Improved Permutation Entropy
Authors: Chen Zhe , Li Yaan , Cao Renjie , Ali Wasiq , Yu Jing , Liang Hongtao
Published: June 2019

Extracting useful features from ship-radiated noise can improve the performance of passive sonar. The entropy feature is an important supplement to existing technologies for ship classification. However, the existing entropy feature extraction methods for ship-radiated noise are less reliable under noisy conditions because they lack noise reduction procedures or are single-scale based. In order to simultaneously solve these problems, a new feature extraction method is proposed based on improved complementary ensemble empirical mode decomposition with adaptive noise (ICEEMDAN), normalized mutual information (norMI), and multiscale improved permutation entropy (MIPE). Firstly, the ICEEMDAN is utilized to obtain a group of intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) from ship-radiated noise. The noise reduction process is then conducted by identifying and eliminating the noise IMFs. Next, the norMI and MIPE of the signal-dominant IMFs are calculated, respectively; and the norMI is used to weigh the corresponding MIPE result. The multi-scale entropy feature is finally defined as the sum of the weighted MIPE results. Experimental results show that the recognition rate of the proposed method achieves 90.67% and 83%, respectively, under noise free and 5 dB conditions, which is much higher than existing entropy feature extraction algorithms. Hence, the proposed method is more reliable and suitable for feature extraction of ship-radiated noise in practice.
Novel Stochastic Computing for Energy-Efficient Image Processors
Authors: Joe Hounghun , Kim Youngmin
Published: June 2019

Stochastic computing, which is based on probability, involves a trade-off between accuracy and power and is a promising solution for energy-efficiency in error-tolerance designs. In this paper, adder and multiplier circuits based on the proposed stochastic computing architecture are studied and analyzed. First, we propose an efficient yet simple stochastic computation technique for multipliers and adders by exchanging the wires used for their operation. The results demonstrate that the proposed design reduces the relative error in computation compared with the conventional designs and has smaller area compared to conventional designs. Then, a new energy-efficient and high-performance stochastic adder with acceptable error metrics is investigated. The proposed multiplier shows better error metrics than other existing stochastic multipliers, and significantly improves area utilization and power consumption compared to the exact binary multiplier. Finally, we apply the proposed stochastic architecture to an edge detection algorithm and achieve a significant reduction in area utilization (64%) and power consumption (96%). It is therefore demonstrated that the proposed stochastic architecture is suitable for energy-efficient hardware designs.
Numerical Simulation of Temperature Decrease in Greenhouses with Summer Water-Sprinkling Roof
Authors: Guo Jiaming , Liu Yanhua , Lü Enli
Published: June 2019

Decreasing the temperature of a greenhouse in summer is very important for the growth of plants. To investigate the effects of a roof sprinkler on the heat environment of a greenhouse, a three-dimensional symmetrical model was built, in which a k-ε (k-epsilon) turbulent model, a DO (Discrete Ordinates) irrational model, a Semi-Implicit Method for Pressure-Linked Equations (SIMPLE) algorithm, and a multiphase model were used to simulate the effects of the roof sprinkler, at different flow rates. Based on the simulation results, it was found that the temperature could be further reduced under a proper sprinkle rate, and the temperature distribution in the film on the roof was more uniform. A test was conducted to verify the accuracy of the model, which proved the validity of the numerical results. The simulation results of this study will be helpful for controlling and optimizing the heat environment of a greenhouse.
Comparative Analysis of Energy Demand and CO2 Emissions on Different Typologies of Residential Buildings in Europe
Authors: Coma Julià , Maldonado José Miguel , de Gracia Alvaro , Gimbernat Toni , Botargues Teresa , Cabeza Luisa F.
Published: June 2019

The building sector accounts for one third of the global energy consumption and it is expected to grow in the next decades. This evidence leads researchers, engineers and architects to develop innovative technologies based on renewable energies and to enhance the thermal performance of building envelopes. In this context, the potential applicability and further energy performance analysis of these technologies when implemented into different building typologies and climate conditions are not easily comparable. Although massive information is available in data sources, the lack of standardized methods for data gathering and the non-public availability makes the comparative analyses more difficult. These facts limit the benchmarking of different building energy demand parameters such as space heating, cooling, air conditioning, domestic hot water, lighting and electric appliances. Therefore, the first objective of this study consists in providing a review about the common typologies of residential buildings in Europe from the main data sources. This study contains specific details on their architecture, building envelope, floor space and insulation properties. The second objective consists in performing a cross-country comparison in terms of energy demand for the applications with higher energy requirements in the residential building sector (heating and domestic hot water), as well as their related CO2 emissions. The approach of this comparative analysis is based on the residential building typology developed in TABULA/EPISCOPE projects. This comparative study provides a reference scenario in terms of energy demand and CO2 emissions for residential buildings and allows to evaluate the potential implementation of new supply energy technologies in hot, temperate and cold climate regions. From this study it was also concluded that there is a necessity of a free access database which could gather and classify reliable energy data in buildings.
The Potential and Status of Renewable Energy Development in Malaysia
Authors: Abdullah Wan Syakirah Wan , Osman Miszaina , Ab Kadir Mohd Zainal Abidin , Verayiah Renuga
Published: June 2019

The Malaysian Government has set an ambitious target to achieve a higher penetration of Renewable Energy (RE) in the Malaysian energy mix. To date, Malaysia has approximately 2% of its energy coming from RE generation sources compared to the total generation mix and targets achieving 20% penetration by 2025. The current energy mix for Malaysia power generation is mainly provided by natural gas and coal. The discussion will cover the traditional sources of generation including natural gas, coal and big hydro stations. In addition, the paper will cover in depth the potential of RE in the country, challenges, and opportunities in this sector. This study can give an initial evaluation of the Malaysian energy industry, especially for RE and can initiate further research and development in this area in order to support the Government target to achieve RE target of 20% by 2025.
Improving Performance of Simplified Computational Fluid Dynamics Models via Symmetric Successive Overrelaxation
Authors: Turek Vojtěch
Published: June 2019

The ability to model fluid flow and heat transfer in process equipment (e.g., shell-and-tube heat exchangers) is often critical. What is more, many different geometric variants may need to be evaluated during the design process. Although this can be done using detailed computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models, the time needed to evaluate a single variant can easily reach tens of hours on powerful computing hardware. Simplified CFD models providing solutions in much shorter time frames may, therefore, be employed instead. Still, even these models can prove to be too slow or not robust enough when used in optimization algorithms. Effort is thus devoted to further improving their performance by applying the symmetric successive overrelaxation (SSOR) preconditioning technique in which, in contrast to, e.g., incomplete lower–upper factorization (ILU), the respective preconditioning matrix can always be constructed. Because the efficacy of SSOR is influenced by the selection of forward and backward relaxation factors, whose direct calculation is prohibitively expensive, their combinations are experimentally investigated using several representative meshes. Performance is then compared in terms of the single-core computational time needed to reach a converged steady-state solution, and recommendations are made regarding relaxation factor combinations generally suitable for the discussed purpose. It is shown that SSOR can be used as a suitable fallback preconditioner for the fast-performing, but numerically sensitive, incomplete lower–upper factorization.
Bottom-Up Electrification Introducing New Smart Grids Architecture—Concept Based on Feasibility Studies Conducted in Rwanda
Authors: Soltowski Bartosz , Campos-Gaona David , Strachan Scott , Anaya-Lara Olimpo
Published: June 2019

Over the past eight years, off-grid systems, in the form of stand-alone solar home systems (SHSs), have proved the most popular and immediate solution for increasing energy access in rural areas across the Global South. Although deployed in significant numbers, issues remain with the cost, reliability, utilization, sustainability and scalability of these off-grid systems to provide higher-tiered energy access. Interconnection of existing stand-alone solar home systems (SHSs) can form a microgrid of interconnected prosumers (i.e., households owning SHS capable of producing and consuming power) and consumers (i.e., households without an SHS, and only capable of consuming power). This paper focuses on the role of a smart energy management (SEM) platform in the interconnection of off-grid systems and making bottom-up electrification scalable, and how it can improve the overall sustainability, efficiency and flexibility of off-grid technology. An interconnected SHS microgrid has the potential to unlock latent generation and storage capacity, and so effectively promote connected customers to higher tiers of energy access. This approach can therefore extend the range of products currently used by people located in the remote areas of developing countries to include higher-power devices such as refrigerators, TVs and potentially, electric cookers. This paper shows the results of field studies in the Northern Province of Rwanda within off-grid villages where people mainly rely on SHSs as a source of electricity. These field studies have informed further simulation-based studies that define the principal requirements for the operation of a smart energy management platform for the interconnection of SHSs to form a community microgrid.
Deep Learning with Stacked Denoising Auto-Encoder for Short-Term Electric Load Forecasting
Authors: Liu Peng , Zheng Peijun , Chen Ziyu
Published: June 2019

Accurate short-term electric load forecasting is significant for the smart grid. It can reduce electric power consumption and ensure the balance between power supply and demand. In this paper, the Stacked Denoising Auto-Encoder (SDAE) is adopted for short-term load forecasting using four factors: historical loads, somatosensory temperature, relative humidity, and daily average loads. The daily average loads act as the baseline in final forecasting tasks. Firstly, the Denoising Auto-Encoder (DAE) is pre-trained. In the symmetric DAE, there are three layers: the input layer, the hidden layer, and the output layer where the hidden layer is the symmetric axis. The input layer and the hidden layer construct the encoding part while the hidden layer and the output layer construct the decoding part. After that, all DAEs are stacked together for fine-tuning. In addition, in the encoding part of each DAE, the weight values and hidden layer values are combined with the original input layer values to establish an SDAE network for load forecasting. Compared with the traditional Back Propagation (BP) neural network and Auto-Encoder, the prediction error decreases from 3.66% and 6.16% to 2.88%. Therefore, the SDAE-based model performs well compared with traditional methods as a new method for short-term electric load forecasting in Chinese cities.