bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Maternal Anxiety Associated with Newborn Screening
Authors: ALAN Sümeyra , ALPAR ECEVİT Şule
Published: February 2020

Objective: In this study, it was aimed to determine the anxiety levels of mothers associated with newborn hearing screening test and heel prick blood sampling.Methods: A randomized controlled trial of 112 mothers who applied for newborn screening in a public hospital were conducted. The mothers were divided into two groups depending on their baby's assigned group; hearing screening test group (HST group) or heel prick blood sampling group (HBS group). The study was completed with a total of 101 participants. Parental Information Form, Subjective Units of Distress Scale (SUDS), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-S, STAI-T) were used in data collection. Data analysis were performed by using descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal Wallis test, Independent groups t test, Pearson and Spearman correlation.Results: In the HST and HBS groups, the score median of the SUDS was 5,0 (IQR: 4,0-7,0) and 5,0 (IQR: 4,0-7,0), the score average of the STAI-S was 39,8±6,7 and 41,3±7,6, and the score average of the STAI-T was 42,5±7,1 and 41,4±6,5, respectively. There were significant relationships between the mothers' scores of the SUDS, STAI-S and STAI-T.Conclusion: The mothers' anxiety associated with hearing screening test and heel prick blood sampling were higher than Spielberger’s female population. There was no difference between the anxiety of the mothers according to whether the screening test is interventional. In order to avoid problems associated with parental anxiety, it may be advisable to investigate appropriate methods to reduce the anxiety of mothers.
Innovation and investment framework for the development of competitive fisheries and aquaculture
Authors: Vdovenko Nataliia , Pavlenko Maryna , Hryniuk Elena
Published: February 2020

The purpose of the article it consists in the substantiation of innovation and
investment principles of competitive development of fisheries and aquaculture in
order to effectively conduct business in modern economic conditions and to comply
with technological parameters of production, introduce innovations in production,
and economical attitude to fish and water resources. Methodology research consists
in using a combination of methods: economic-statistical, monographic, systemic,
economic-mathematical, abstract-logical and others. The scientific novelty the re-
sults obtained include the introduction of innovative, economically viable and
competitive production technologies based on a scientific approach to organizing
an aquaculture business, namely the ability to quickly and efficiently respond to
external challenges, find a way out of a critical situation and correctly adjust
production plans in accordance with changes in market conditions.
Conclusions. Substantially modern principles of the effective functioning of
fisheries in order to ensure competitive activity. Regulatory tools are proposed to
ensure the profitability of the aquaculture business, which include attracting in-
vestments for the acquisition of capital goods, training specialists and constantly
improving their skills, and ensuring efficient fisheries production in an innovative
economy.
Rural green tourism as a way to increase the competitiveness of agricultural enterprises
Authors: Zhukovskyi Maksym
Published: February 2020

The purpose of the work. The aim of the study is to find new approaches for the formation of a successful system of managing the competitiveness of agricultural enterprises, namely, to justify the development of a new direction in the activities of agricultural enterprises as rural green tourism and its impact on the level of competitiveness of agricultural enterprises. The methodology of the study is to apply the historical, logical, systemic methods, as well as the system-activity approach. The scientific novelty is to justify that achieving of high-level competitiveness of the enterprise is possible when using a system-creative approach to managing the competitiveness of agricultural enterprises, taking into the account creative-innovative processes such as opening a rural green tourism as new line of activity. Conclusions.Thus, opening of a new direction in the activities of agricultural enterprises as rural green tourism will bring positive changes in the efficiency of economic activity, improve the business image, increase the volume of sales of organic products, increase the level of satisfaction of staff, will promote the development of the local territorial community and increase the level of competitiveness of the enterprise.
Heavy Ion Induced Single Event Effects Characterization on an RF-Agile Transceiver for Flexible Multi-Band Radio Systems in NewSpace Avionics
Authors: Budroweit Jan , Jaksch Mattis , Alía Rubén Garcia , Coronetti Andrea , Kölpin Alexander
Published: February 2020

Nowadays, technologies have a massive impact on the design of avionic systems, even for the conservative space industry. In this paper, the single event effect (SEE) characterization of a highly integrated and radio frequency (RF) agile transceiver is being presented which is an outstanding candidate for future radio systems in NewSpace applications and space avionics. The device being investigated allows programmable re-configuration of RF specifications, where classical software-defined radios (SDR) only define an on-demand re-configuration of the signal processing. RF related configurations are untouched for common SDR and developed discretely by the specific application requirements. Due to the high integrity and complexity of the device under test (DUT), state-of-the-art radiation test procedures are not applicable and customized testing procedures need to be developed. The DUT shows a very robust response to linear energy transfer (LET) values up to 62.5 MeV.cm²/mg, without any destructives events and a moderate soft error rate.
Genotype and Planting Date Influence on Establishment and Growth of Bassia prostrata (L) A.J. Scott in a Semiarid Subtropical Dry Winter Region
Authors: Lauriault Leonard , Waldron Blair L.
Published: February 2020

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) growers in semiarid subtropical regions seek forage crops having a lower irrigation requirement. Perennial forage kochia (Bassia prostrata (L) A.J. Scott (syn. Kochia prostrata)) can potentially fill this need. The New Mexico State University’s Agricultural Science Center at Tucumcari evaluated four genotypes of B. prostrata (subspecies virescens ”Immigrant” and “Pustinny-select” and subsp. grisea “Snowstorm” and “KZ-6X”) that were direct-seeded in March and May of 2014 under irrigation in semiarid continental precipitation conditions, in three randomized complete blocks. Canopy cover was rated in 2016 and 2018 and biomass production was measured in 2018. Snowstorm did not establish on either date. Canopy cover remained unchanged across years. Immigrant established the greatest canopy cover for the March seeding and Pustinny-select had greater canopy cover for the May seeding. The May seeding tended (p < 0.10) to have greater biomass production than the March seeding (12,357 and 8909 kg ha−1, respectively, SEM = 2454). Irrigation or adequate precipitation to maintain soil moisture and weed control are critical to B. prostrata establishment by direct seeding, especially in dry winter regions. Further research is necessary to determine the potential of this species as an alternative to alfalfa in semiarid, subtropical, and continental precipitation regions.
The Kinetics of Total Phenolic Content and Monomeric Flavan-3-ols during the Roasting Process of Criollo Cocoa
Authors: Fernández-Romero Editha , Chavez-Quintana Segundo G. , Siche Raúl , Castro-Alayo Efraín M. , Cardenas-Toro Fiorella P.
Published: February 2020

Cocoa beans are the main raw material for the manufacture of chocolate and are currently gaining great importance due to their antioxidant potential attributed to the total phenolic content (TPC) and the monomeric flavan-3-ols (epicatechin and catechin). The objective of this study was to determine the degradation kinetics parameters of TPC, epicatechin, and catechin during the roasting process of Criollo cocoa for 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 min at 90, 110, 130, 150, 170, 190, and 200 °C. The results showed a lower degradation of TPC (10.98 ± 6.04%) and epicatechin (8.05 ± 3.01%) at 130 °C and 10 min of roasting, while a total degradation of epicatechin and a 92.29 ± 0.06% degradation of TPC was obtained at 200 °C and 50 min. Reaction rate constant ( k ) and activation energy ( E a ) were 0.02–0.10 min−1 and 24.03 J/mol for TPC and 0.02–0.13 min−1 and 22.51 J/mol for epicatechin, respectively. Degradation kinetics of TPC and epicatechin showed first-order reactions, while the catechin showed patterns of formation and degradation.
Time-Series Prediction of Environmental Noise for Urban IoT Based on Long Short-Term Memory Recurrent Neural Network
Authors: Zhang Xueqi , Zhao Meng , Dong Rencai
Published: February 2020

Noise pollution is one of the major urban environmental pollutions, and it is increasingly becoming a matter of crucial public concern. Monitoring and predicting environmental noise are of great significance for the prevention and control of noise pollution. With the advent of the Internet of Things (IoT) technology, urban noise monitoring is emerging in the direction of a small interval, long time, and large data amount, which is difficult to model and predict with traditional methods. In this study, an IoT-based noise monitoring system was deployed to acquire the environmental noise data, and a two-layer long short-term memory (LSTM) network was proposed for the prediction of environmental noise under the condition of large data volume. The optimal hyperparameters were selected through testing, and the raw data sets were processed. The urban environmental noise was predicted at time intervals of 1 s, 1 min, 10 min, and 30 min, and their performances were compared with three classic predictive models: random walk (RW), stacked autoencoder (SAE), and support vector machine (SVM). The proposed model outperforms the other three existing classic methods. The time interval of the data set has a close connection with the performance of all models. The results revealed that the LSTM network could reflect changes in noise levels within one day and has good prediction accuracy. Impacts of monitoring point location on prediction results and recommendations for environmental noise management were also discussed in this paper.
Real-Time Haze Removal Using Normalised Pixel-Wise Dark-Channel Prior and Robust Atmospheric-Light Estimation
Authors: Iwamoto Yutaro , Hashimoto Naoaki , Chen Yen-Wei
Published: February 2020

This study proposes real-time haze removal from a single image using normalised pixel-wise dark-channel prior (DCP). DCP assumes that at least one RGB colour channel within most local patches in a haze-free image has a low-intensity value. Since the spatial resolution of the transmission map depends on the patch size and it loses the detailed structure with large patch sizes, original work refines the transmission map using an image-matting technique. However, it requires high computational cost and is not adequate for real-time application. To solve these problems, we use normalised pixel-wise haze estimation without losing the detailed structure of the transmission map. This study also proposes robust atmospheric-light estimation using a coarse-to-fine search strategy and down-sampled haze estimation for acceleration. Experiments with actual and simulated haze images showed that the proposed method achieves real-time results of visually and quantitatively acceptable quality compared with other conventional methods of haze removal.
Investigation of the Acoustical Environment in A Shopping Mall and Its Correlation to the Acoustic Comfort of the Workers
Authors: Alnuman Nasim , Altaweel Mhd Ziad
Published: February 2020

Noise in shopping centers and restaurants can reduce intelligibility and affect the comfort of the employees working for long periods in such environments. In this study, the interior acoustics of a shopping mall are studied by measuring the reverberation time (RT), with no occupation, and the equivalent sound pressure levels (LAeq), with occupations at different times of the day, over a period of one week. The measurements were done at different locations, chosen based on their usage (shopping areas, entrances, food courts, and playing area). The values are correlated to the subjective acoustic comfort and the experience of loudness of the staff working at these locations, as measured through a questionnaire. The average RT values that were measured ranged between 0.9 s in the food court and 1.4 s for the main entrance. The LAeq was measured with a minimum of 58 dB in the shopping area in the early morning and a maximum of 83 dB in the playing area in the evening. The results showed an increase in the LAeq for the afternoon and evening in comparison with the early morning and midday time (p < 0.05); similarly, the sound levels for the weekends were higher than the weekdays (p < 0.05). The questionnaire results showed that headaches and difficulties in communicating with others (speech intelligibility) are the most important problems induced by the noise in shopping malls, occurring for 47.1% and 38.2% of respondents, respectively.
Application of Image Fusion in Diagnosis and Treatment of Liver Cancer
Authors: Li Chengxi , Zhu Andrew
Published: February 2020

With the accelerated development of medical imaging equipment and techniques, image fusion technology has been effectively applied for diagnosis, biopsy and radiofrequency ablation, especially for liver tumor. Tumor treatment relying on a single medical imaging modality might face challenges, due to the deep positioning of the lesions, operation history and the specific background conditions of the liver disease. Image fusion technology has been employed to address these challenges. Using the image fusion technology, one could obtain real-time anatomical imaging superimposed by functional images showing the same plane to facilitate the diagnosis and treatments of liver tumors. This paper presents a review of the key principles of image fusion technology, its application in tumor treatments, particularly in liver tumors, and concludes with a discussion of the limitations and prospects of the image fusion technology.
Comparison of the Madden–Julian Oscillation-Related Tropical Cyclone Genesis over the South China Sea and Western North Pacific under Different El Niño-Southern Oscillation Conditions
Authors: Ye Chengyao , Deng Liping , Huang Wan-Ru , Chen Jinghua
Published: February 2020

This paper explores the Madden–Julian Oscillation (MJO) modulation of tropical cyclone (TC; hereafter, MJO-TC) genesis over the South China Sea (SCS) and Western North Pacific (WNP) under different El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) conditions. Analyses used Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) best-track data, the Real-Time Multivariate MJO (RMM) index, and European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) Interim (ERA-Interim) reanalysis data. The results showed that the MJO has significant modulation on both the SCS and WNP TC genesis in neutral years, with more (fewer) TCs forming during the active (inactive) MJO phases. However, during the El Niño and La Niña years, the MJO-TC genesis modulation over the two regions differs from each other. Over the SCS, the MJO modulation of TC genesis is stronger in the La Niña years, while it becomes weaker in the El Niño years. Over the WNP, the MJO has a stronger influence on TC genesis in the El Niño years compared to that in the La Niña years. Related Genesis Potential Index (GPI) analysis suggests that midlevel moisture is the primary factor and vorticity is the secondary factor, for the MJO-TC genesis modulation over the SCS in the La Niña years. Over the WNP, midlevel moisture is the dominant factor for the MJO-TC genesis modulation during the El Niño years. These results can be explained by increased water vapor transport from the Bay of Bengal, associated with enhanced westerly wind anomalies, during the active phases relative to the inactive MJO phases; these conditions prevail over the SCS during the La Niña years, and over the WNP during the El Niño years.
Oral Administration of Fucoidan Can Exert Anti-Allergic Activity after Allergen Sensitization by Enhancement of Galectin-9 Secretion in Blood
Authors: Mizuno Masashi , Sakaguchi Kana , Sakane Iwao
Published: February 2020

A previous study revealed that fucoidan inhibited mast cell degranulation through the upregulation of galectin-9 in blood. The purpose of this study is to elucidate its mechanism using ovalbumin (OVA) induced anaphylaxis model mice (BALB/c, Female, 5-week-old) and mast cell line (RBL-2H3 cells). Oral administration of fucoidan after sensitization with OVA/Al(OH)3 inhibited reduction of rectal temperature induced by activation of mast cells. Fucoidan increased galectin-9 mRNA expression only in colonic epithelial cells. These results suggested that fucoidan could suppress the allergic symptoms in sensitized mice by inducing galectin-9 production from colonic epithelial cells. In addition, to check the influence of galectin 9 on the degranulation of mast cells, RBL-2H3 cell lines were treated directly with recombinant galectin-9. As expected, galectin-9 inhibited degranulation of RBL-2H3 cells pre-bound with IgE. Moreover, the residual amounts of IgE on RBL-2H3 cells were decreased by an addition of galectin-9. It was demonstrated that galectin-9 could remove IgE even if IgE was already bound to mast cells and suppress the mast cells degranulation induced by antigen. This study shows that fucoidan might become an effective therapeutic agent for patients already developed type I allergic diseases.
NAFLD Preclinical Models: More than a Handful, Less of a Concern?
Authors: Oligschlaeger Yvonne , Shiri-Sverdlov Ronit
Published: February 2020

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a spectrum of liver diseases ranging from simple steatosis to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, fibrosis, cirrhosis, and/or hepatocellular carcinoma. Due to its increasing prevalence, NAFLD is currently a major public health concern. Although a wide variety of preclinical models have contributed to better understanding the pathophysiology of NAFLD, it is not always obvious which model is best suitable for addressing a specific research question. This review provides insights into currently existing models, mainly focusing on murine models, which is of great importance to aid in the identification of novel therapeutic options for human NAFLD.
Team Role Adoption and Distribution in Engineering Project Meetings
Authors: Nestsiarovich Kristina , Pons Dirk
Published: February 2020

Team communication plays a vital role in engineering management, however, there is a paucity of work that examines how team roles emerge as a response to the communicative processes between participants. This research explored role adoption using qualitative methods comprising observations, questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Five student teams doing final year projects at a university in New Zealand were observed during the academic year and then interviewed at the final stage of project completion. A number of team roles in the engineering context were identified for students and their supervisors: Explorer; Initiator; Facilitator; Active and Passive Information Provider; Outsider; Active and Passive Connector; Passive Collector; Arbitrator; Gatekeeper and Representative. Personal factors, such as social sensitivity, were correlated with the choice of team behaviour pattern. In addition, the team roles could be arranged in circular order to create a circumplex, the two axes of which were identified as Personal Agency/Communion and Social engagement/Social disengagement.
Metabolic Dysfunction in Hutchinson–Gilford Progeria Syndrome
Authors: Kreienkamp Ray , Gonzalo Susana
Published: February 2020

Hutchinson–Gilford Progeria Syndrome (HGPS) is a segmental premature aging disease causing patient death by early teenage years from cardiovascular dysfunction. Although HGPS does not totally recapitulate normal aging, it does harbor many similarities to the normal aging process, with patients also developing cardiovascular disease, alopecia, bone and joint abnormalities, and adipose changes. It is unsurprising, then, that as physicians and scientists have searched for treatments for HGPS, they have targeted many pathways known to be involved in normal aging, including inflammation, DNA damage, epigenetic changes, and stem cell exhaustion. Although less studied at a mechanistic level, severe metabolic problems are observed in HGPS patients. Interestingly, new research in animal models of HGPS has demonstrated impressive lifespan improvements secondary to metabolic interventions. As such, further understanding metabolism, its contribution to HGPS, and its therapeutic potential has far-reaching ramifications for this disease still lacking a robust treatment strategy.
Secreted Phospholipase A2-IIA Modulates Transdifferentiation of Cardiac Fibroblast through EGFR Transactivation: An Inflammation–Fibrosis Link
Authors: Martin Ruben , Gutierrez Beatriz , Cordova Claudia , San Roman Alberto , Alvarez Yolanda , Hernandez Marita , Cachofeiro Victoria , Nieto Maria L
Published: February 2020

Secreted phospholipase A2-IIA (sPLA2-IIA) is a pro-inflammatory protein associated with cardiovascular disorders, whose functions and underlying mechanisms in cardiac remodelling are still under investigation. We herein study the role of sPLA2-IIA in cardiac fibroblast (CFs)-to-myofibroblast differentiation and fibrosis, two major features involved in cardiac remodelling, and also explore potential mechanisms involved. In a mice model of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) after autoimmune myocarditis, serum and cardiac sPLA2-IIA protein expression were found to be increased, together with elevated cardiac levels of the cross-linking enzyme lysyl oxidase (LOX) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation. Exogenous sPLA2-IIA treatment induced proliferation and differentiation of adult rat CFs. Molecular studies demonstrated that sPLA2-IIA promoted Src phosphorylation, shedding of the membrane-anchored heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor (HB-EGF) ectodomain and EGFR phosphorylation, which triggered phosphorylation of ERK, P70S6K and rS6. This was also accompanied by an up-regulated expression of the bone morphogenic protein (BMP)-1, LOX and collagen I. ROS accumulation were also found to be increased in sPLA2-IIA-treated CFs. The presence of inhibitors of the Src/ADAMs-dependent HB-EGF shedding/EGFR pathway abolished the CF phenotype induced by sPLA2-IIA. In conclusion, sPLA2-IIA may promote myofibroblast differentiation through its ability to modulate EGFR transactivation and signalling as key mechanisms that underlie its biological and pro-fibrotic effects.
Differential Regulation of circRNA, miRNA, and piRNA during Early Osteogenic and Chondrogenic Differentiation of Human Mesenchymal Stromal Cells
Authors: Della Bella Elena , Menzel Ursula , Basoli Valentina , Tourbier Céline , Alini Mauro , Stoddart Martin J.
Published: February 2020

The goal of the present study is to identify the differential expression of circular RNA (circRNA), miRNA, and piwi-interacting RNA (piRNA) after lineage commitment towards osteo- and chondrogenesis of human bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells (hMSCs). The cells were maintained for 7 days in either osteogenic or chondrogenic medium. RNA sequencing was performed to assess the expression of miRNA and piRNA, while RNA hybridization arrays were used to identify which circRNA were differentially expressed. qPCR validation of a selection of targets for both osteogenic and chondrogenic differentiation was carried out. The differential expression of several circRNA, miRNA, and piRNA was identified and validated. The expression of total and circular isoforms of FKBP5 was upregulated both in osteo- and chondrogenesis and it was influenced by the presence of dexamethasone. ZEB1, FADS2, and SMYD3 were also identified as regulated in differentiation and/or by dexamethasone. In conclusion, we have identified a set of different non-coding RNAs that are differentially regulated in early osteogenic and chondrogenic differentiation, paving the way for further investigation to understand how dexamethasone controls the expression of those genes and what their function is in MSC differentiation.
Lubricating Properties of Cyano-Based Ionic Liquids against Tetrahedral Amorphous Carbon Film
Authors: Kawada Shouhei , Okubo Hikaru , Watanabe Seiya , Tadokoro Chiharu , Tsuboi Ryo , Sasaki Shinya , Miyatake Masaaki
Published: February 2020

Ionic liquids have unique characteristics, which render them ideal candidates as new base oils or additives. In particular, there are great expectations from the combination of diamond-like carbon and cyano-based ionic liquids. Lubricating properties of cyano-based ionic liquids have been studied on specific tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C) films. After lubrication, ta-C film/ta-C film contact interface exhibits exceedingly low friction. Therefore, it is necessary to understand this low friction phenomenon. The current study evaluated the lubricating mechanism of cyano-based ionic liquids against ta-C films. 1-Butyl-3-methylimidazolium dicyanamide ((BMIM)(DCN)) and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tricyanomethane ((BMIM)(TCC)) were used as lubricants, with the latter exhibiting low friction coefficient of 0.03. Steel cylinders and disks with ta-C films were used as test specimens. Raman spectroscopy, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) helped us understand the mechanism of low friction induced by (BMIM)(TCC). Graphitization of the ta-C film at high temperatures might have caused the reduction in friction between the films. Similarly, anion adsorption on the worn surface at high temperatures also led to reduced friction. However, the TGA result showed a different trend than that of the sliding test. Our results indicate that the cyano-based ionic liquids underwent tribo-decomposition at low temperatures. Further, a minimum temperature was required for the adsorption of anions onto the sliding surface.
Are Classification Deep Neural Networks Good for Blind Image Watermarking?
Authors: Vukotić Vedran , Chappelier Vivien , Furon Teddy
Published: February 2020

Image watermarking is usually decomposed into three steps: (i) a feature vector is extracted from an image; (ii) it is modified to embed the watermark; (iii) and it is projected back into the image space while avoiding the creation of visual artefacts. This feature extraction is usually based on a classical image representation given by the Discrete Wavelet Transform or the Discrete Cosine Transform for instance. These transformations require very accurate synchronisation between the embedding and the detection and usually rely on various registration mechanisms for that purpose. This paper investigates a new family of transformation based on Deep Neural Networks trained with supervision for a classification task. Motivations come from the Computer Vision literature, which has demonstrated the robustness of these features against light geometric distortions. Also, adversarial sample literature provides means to implement the inverse transform needed in the third step above mentioned. As far as zero-bit watermarking is concerned, this paper shows that this approach is feasible as it yields a good quality of the watermarked images and an intrinsic robustness. We also tests more advanced tools from Computer Vision such as aggregation schemes with weak geometry and retraining with a dataset augmented with classical image processing attacks.
A Four-Channel CMOS Front-End for Interference-Robust GNSS Receiver
Authors: Han Fang , Gao Jian , Li Xiaoran , Chen Zhiming
Published: February 2020

A four-channel receiver front-end is designed and implemented for interference- and jamming-robust global navigation satellite system (GNSS) in a 0.18-μm CMOS technology. The front-end consists of four identical RF-to-IF signal paths including low-noise amplifiers (LNAs), mixers and IF amplifiers. In addition, it also includes a phase-locked loop (PLL), which synthesizes the local oscillator (LO) signal, and a serial peripheral interface (SPI) for parameter adjustment. To improve the interference and jamming robustness, a novel linearity improvement technology and LO duty cycle adjustment method are applied in LNA and mixer design, respectively. The receiver achieves a gain of 40 dB, an input-referred third-order intercept point (IIP3) of −8 dBm and a jammer-to-signal power ratio (JSR) of 72 dB under 1.8-V and 3.3-V supply, while occupying a 4 × 5 mm2 die area including the electrostatic discharge (ESD) I/O pads.
Decentralized Voltage Control Strategy of Soft Open Points in Active Distribution Networks Based on Sensitivity Analysis
Authors: Zhao Jinli , Yao Mingkun , Yu Hao , Song Guanyu , Ji Haoran , Li Peng
Published: February 2020

With the increasing penetration of distributed generators, various operational problems, especially severe voltage violation, threaten the secure operation of active distribution networks. To effectively cope with the voltage fluctuations, novel controllable power electronic equipment represented by soft open points has been used in active distribution networks. Meanwhile, the communication has dramatically increased due to the rise of the variety and number of devices within the network. This paper proposes a decentralized voltage control method of soft open points based on voltage-to-power sensitivity. The method reduces the burden of communication, storage, and calculation effectively in a decentralized manner and fulfills the rapid requirements of large-scale active distribution networks. First, the network is divided into several sub-areas; each is under the control of one soft open point at most. The initial strategies of soft open points are adjusted by local voltage-to-power sensitivity and the voltage information within the sub-areas. If some nodal voltages still exceed the expected range after the sub-area autonomy, the operation strategies of soft open points are further improved by inter-area coordination with the alternating direction method of multipliers algorithm. The effectiveness of the proposed decentralized control method is verified on the IEEE 33-node system.
Low-Complexity Joint Channel Estimation for Multi-User mmWave Massive MIMO Systems
Authors: Du Jianhe , Li Jiaqi , He Jing , Guan Yalin , Lin Heyun
Published: February 2020

For multi-user millimeter wave (mmWave) massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems, the precise acquisition of channel state information (CSI) is a huge challenge. With the increase of the number of antennas at the base station (BS), the traditional channel estimation techniques encounter the problems of pilot training overhead and computational complexity increasing dramatically. In this paper, we develop a step-length optimization-based joint iterative scheme for multi-user mmWave massive MIMO systems to improve channel estimation performance. The proposed estimation algorithm provides the BS with full knowledge of all channel parameters involved in up- and down-links. Compared with existing algorithms, the proposed algorithm has higher channel estimation accuracy with low complexity. Moreover, the proposed scheme performs well even with a small number of training sequences and a large number of users. Simulation results are shown to demonstrate the performance of the proposed channel estimation algorithm.
Stream Learning in Energy IoT Systems: A Case Study in Combined Cycle Power Plants
Authors: Lobo Jesus L. , Ballesteros Igor , Oregi Izaskun , Del Ser Javier , Salcedo-Sanz Sancho
Published: February 2020

The prediction of electrical power produced in combined cycle power plants is a key challenge in the electrical power and energy systems field. This power production can vary depending on environmental variables, such as temperature, pressure, and humidity. Thus, the business problem is how to predict the power production as a function of these environmental conditions, in order to maximize the profit. The research community has solved this problem by applying Machine Learning techniques, and has managed to reduce the computational and time costs in comparison with the traditional thermodynamical analysis. Until now, this challenge has been tackled from a batch learning perspective, in which data is assumed to be at rest, and where models do not continuously integrate new information into already constructed models. We present an approach closer to the Big Data and Internet of Things paradigms, in which data are continuously arriving and where models learn incrementally, achieving significant enhancements in terms of data processing (time, memory and computational costs), and obtaining competitive performances. This work compares and examines the hourly electrical power prediction of several streaming regressors, and discusses about the best technique in terms of time processing and predictive performance to be applied on this streaming scenario.
Optimizing the Analytic Hierarchy Process through a Suitability Evaluation of Underground Space Development in Tonghu District, Huizhou City
Authors: Zhang Xiaobo , Wang Chengshan , Fan Jie , Wang Huijun , Li Hailong
Published: February 2020

Underground space has been recognized as one of the few underdeveloped natural resources that humans have owned thus far [...]
Evaluation of Compressor Heat Pump for Root Zone Heating as an Alternative Heating Source for Leafy Vegetable Cultivation
Authors: Terrosi Chiara , Cacini Sonia , Burchi Gianluca , Cutini Maurizio , Brambilla Massimo , Bisaglia Carlo , Massa Daniele , Fedrizzi Marco
Published: February 2020

Protected horticulture is a high energy-consuming sector in which the optimization of energy use and cost for heating facilities is strategic in achieving high environmental and economic sustainability of production. The main aim of the project was to evaluate the use of a heat pump for basal heating as an alternative technology to grow crops with reduced canopies, such as basil. During the test, an area of the greenhouse contained two systems of coaxial pipes circulating warm water from a heat pump and a condensing boiler. These pipes were placed above the growing media. At the same time, a separate area of the same greenhouse contained a traditional heating system consisting of an air heater, the solution commonly used to heat greenhouses. Microclimatic conditions and energy consumption were analyzed for the three heating technologies. The energy analysis of the three experimental heating options showed that all of them could ensure suitable thermal conditions for cultivation in the winter period. Overall, the results confirmed the energy saving resulting from the adoption of the heat pump, underlining the importance of this device in terms of the support that the energy-saving goal receives.
On Developing Techniques for Sharing Satellite Spectrum with Indoor Small Cells in 5G
Authors: Saha Rony
Published: February 2020

In this paper, we present two spectrum sharing techniques for a multisystem, incorporating an integrated satellite-mobile system and an autonomous terrestrial-mobile system (iSMS/aTMS), namely orthogonal spectrum sharing (OSS) and non-orthogonal spectrum sharing (nOSS) techniques. aTMS consists of numerous small cells deployed in several buildings, and iSMS consists of a satellite station integrated with complementary ground component (CGC) stations deployed within buildings. By exploiting the high external wall penetration loss of a building, the iSMS spectrum is shared with small cells per building in OSS, and small cells per 3-dimensional (3D) cluster per building in nOSS. An interference management scheme, to avoid interference in apartments with collocated CGC stations and small cells, was developed and an optimal number of almost blank subframes (ABSs) per ABS pattern period (APP) was defined. System-level capacity, spectral efficiency, and energy efficiency performance metrics were derived. Furthermore, we present an algorithm for both OSS and nOSS techniques. With extensive simulation and numerical analysis, it is shown that the proposed nOSS significantly outperforms OSS in terms of spectral efficiency and energy efficiency, and both techniques can meet the expected spectral efficiency and energy efficiency requirements for the fifth-generation (5G) mobile networks.
Novel Soft-Switching Integrated Boost DC-DC Converter for PV Power System
Authors: Sayed Khairy , Gronfula Mohammed G. , Ziedan Hamdy A.
Published: February 2020

This paper presents a novel soft-switching boost DC-DC converter, which uses an edge-resonant switch capacitor based on the pulse width modulation PWM technique. These converters have high gain voltage due to coupled inductors, which work as a transformer, while the boost converter works as a resonant inductor. Upon turning on, the studied soft switching circuit works at zero-current soft switching (ZCS), and upon turning off, it works at zero-voltage soft switching (ZVS) while using active semiconductor switches. High efficiency and low losses are obtained while using soft switching and auxiliary edge resonance to get a high step-up voltage ratio. A prototype model is implemented in the Power Electronics Laboratory, Assiut University, Egypt. Seventy-two-panel PV modules of 250 W each were used to simulate and execute the setup to examine the proposed boost converter.
Exergetic Analysis and Exergy Loss Reduction in the Milk Pasteurization for Italian Cheese Production
Authors: Friso Dario , Bortolini Lucia , Tono Federica
Published: February 2020

The cheese industry has high energy consumption, and improvements to plant efficiency may lead to a reduction of its environmental impact. A survey on a sample of small-medium Italian cheese factories was carried out in order to assess the efficiency of heat recovery of the milk pasteurization equipment for the cheese production. Then, an exergetic analysis to calculate the related exergy loss was carried out together with a cost-benefit analysis to identify the optimized value of the heat efficiency. The exergy loss reduction was determined throughout an exergy analysis that takes into account this last value and the comparison with the previous exergy losses. Finally, the feasibility and the consequent additional reduction of exergy losses were verified, if a cogeneration heat and power (CHP) combined to the pasteurization equipment is assumed. Results show a current heat recovery efficiency of 93.2% in the Italian cheese factories; a close connection between the exergetic losses and the efficiency of the heat recovery exchanger; the optimized recovery efficiency equal to 97.3% obtained from the cost-benefit analysis; a related important exergetic loss reduction of −45% in the heat exchangers, as a second result of the exergetic analysis; a similar reduction of the exergy loss (−42%) of the whole system, as a third result of the exergetic analysis; a total exergy loss reduction of 22.9 kJ kg−1milk, which corresponds to a lower environmental impact due to CO2 reduction; a further reduction of the exergy loss of −10% when the cogeneration heat and power CHP are used.
Modified Slot Opening for Reducing Shaft-to-Frame Voltage of AC Motors
Authors: Yea Manje , Han Ki Jin
Published: February 2020

This paper presents a method to reduce the winding-to-rotor capacitance of electrical machines for the purpose of suppressing shaft-to-frame voltage, which causes reliability issues, such as electromagnetic interference (EMI) and bearing current. The proposed method is based on the modification of slot opening shape of the stator core, including the variation of slot opening width and the use of oblique slot opening. For the verification of the suggested method, six different slot opening shapes, including a reference design, are analyzed and compared using finite element analysis, and the results show that the proposed method can reduce the shaft-to-frame voltage by 98%, compared to the reference design.
Triclosan Removal in Microbial Fuel Cell: The Contribution of Adsorption and Bioelectricity Generation
Authors: Xu Wenli , Jin Biao , Zhou Shaofeng , Su Yanyan , Zhang Yifeng
Published: February 2020

The occurrence of Triclosan (TCS) in natural aquatic systems has been drawing increasing attention due to its endocrine-disruption effects as well as for the development of antibiotic resistances. Wastewater discharge is the main source of water contamination by TCS. In this study, the removal of TCS in microbial fuel cells (MFCs) was carefully investigated. A 94% removal of TCS was observed with 60 mV electricity generation as well as a slight drop in pH. In addition, we found that adsorption also contributed to the removal of TCS in aqueous solution and 21.73% and 19.92% of the total mass was adsorbed to the inner wall of the reactor and to the electrode, respectively. The results revealed that the attenuation of TCS depends on both biodegradation and physical adsorption in the anode chamber. Thus, the outcomes of our study provide a better understanding of the TCS removal mechanism in MFCs.
Effects of Input Voltage and Freestream Velocity on Active Flow Control of Passage Vortex in a Linear Turbine Cascade Using Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma Actuator
Authors: Matsunuma Takayuki , Segawa Takehiko
Published: February 2020

Passage vortex exists as one of the typical secondary flows in turbomachines and generates a significant total pressure loss and degrades the aerodynamic performance. Herein, a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma actuator was utilized for an active flow control of the passage vortex in a linear turbine cascade. The plasma actuator was installed on the endwall, 10 mm upstream from the leading edge of the turbine cascade. The freestream velocity at the outlet of the linear turbine cascade was set to range from UFS,out = 2.4 m/s to 25.2 m/s, which corresponded to the Reynolds number ranging from Reout = 1.0 × 104 to 9.9 × 104. The two-dimensional velocity field at the outlet of the linear turbine cascade was experimentally analyzed by particle image velocimetry (PIV). At lower freestream velocity conditions, the passage vortex was almost negligible as a result of the plasma actuator operation (UPA,max/UFS,out = 1.17). Although the effect of the jet induced by the plasma actuator weakened as the freestream velocity increased, the magnitude of the peak vorticity was reduced under all freestream velocity conditions. Even at the highest freestream velocity condition of UFS,out = 25.2 m/s, the peak value of the vorticity was reduced approximately 17% by the plasma actuator operation at VAC = 15 kVp-p (UPA,max/UFS,out = 0.18).
Optimization of the Formulation and Properties of 3D-Printed Complex Egg White Protein Objects
Authors: Liu Lili , Yang Xiaopan , Bhandari Bhesh , Meng Yuanyuan , Prakash Sangeeta
Published: February 2020

The 3D printing of foods is an emerging technique for producing unique and complex food items. This study presents the optimization of a new formulation for 3D printing foods on the basis of a complex system, which contains egg white protein (EWP), gelatin, cornstarch, and sucrose. The effects of different formulations on the rheological properties and the microstructure of the printing system were investigated. The formulation was optimized through response surface methodology, and a central composite design was adopted. The optimum formulation of the 3D mixture printing system was made of gelatin (14.27 g), cornstarch (19.72 g), sucrose (8.02 g), and EWP (12.98 g) in 250 mL of total deionized water with a maximum sensory evaluation score of 34.47 ± 1.02 and a viscosity of 1.374 ± 0.015 Pa·s. Results showed that the viscosity of the formulation correlated with the sensory evaluation score. The rheological properties and tribological behavior of the optimum formulation significantly differed from those of other formulations. A viscosity of 1.374 Pa·s supported the timely flow out of the printing material from the nozzle assisting 3D printability. Thus, 3D printing based on the egg white protein mixture system is a promising method for producing complex-shaped food objects.
High-Frequency Glacial Lake Mapping Using Time Series of Sentinel-1A/1B SAR Imagery: An Assessment for the Southeastern Tibetan Plateau
Authors: Zhang Meimei , Chen Fang , Tian Bangsen , Liang Dong , Yang Aqiang
Published: February 2020

Glacial lakes are an important component of the cryosphere in the Tibetan Plateau. In response to climate warming, they threaten the downstream lives, ecological environment, and public infrastructures through outburst floods within a short time. Although most of the efforts have been made toward extracting glacial lake outlines and detect their changes with remotely sensed images, the temporal frequency and spatial resolution of glacial lake datasets are generally not fine enough to reflect the detailed processes of glacial lake dynamics, especially for potentially dangerous glacial lakes with high-frequency variability. By using full time-series Sentinel-1A/1B imagery over a year, this study presents a new systematic method to extract the glacial lake outlines that have a fast variability in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau with a time interval of six days. Our approach was based on a level-set segmentation, combined with a median pixel composition of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) backscattering coefficients stacked as a regularization term, to robustly estimate the lake extent across the observed time range. The mapping results were validated against manually digitized lake outlines derived from Gaofen-2 panchromatic multi-spectral (GF-2 PMS) imagery, with an overall accuracy and kappa coefficient of 96.54% and 0.95, respectively. In comparison with results from classical supervised support vector machine (SVM) and unsupervised Iterative Self-Organizing Data Analysis Technique Algorithm (ISODATA) methods, the proposed method proved to be much more robust and effective at detecting glacial lakes with irregular boundaries that have similar backscattering as the surroundings. This study also demonstrated the feasibility of time-series Sentinel-1A/1B SAR data in the continuous monitoring of glacial lake outline dynamics.
Performance Analysis of Boosting Classifiers in Recognizing Activities of Daily Living
Authors: Rahman Saifur , Irfan Muhammad , Raza Mohsin , Moyeezullah Ghori Khawaja , Yaqoob Shumayla , Awais Muhammad
Published: February 2020

Physical activity is essential for physical and mental health, and its absence is highly associated with severe health conditions and disorders. Therefore, tracking activities of daily living can help promote quality of life. Wearable sensors in this regard can provide a reliable and economical means of tracking such activities, and such sensors are readily available in smartphones and watches. This study is the first of its kind to develop a wearable sensor-based physical activity classification system using a special class of supervised machine learning approaches called boosting algorithms. The study presents the performance analysis of several boosting algorithms (extreme gradient boosting—XGB, light gradient boosting machine—LGBM, gradient boosting—GB, cat boosting—CB and AdaBoost) in a fair and unbiased performance way using uniform dataset, feature set, feature selection method, performance metric and cross-validation techniques. The study utilizes the Smartphone-based dataset of thirty individuals. The results showed that the proposed method could accurately classify the activities of daily living with very high performance (above 90%). These findings suggest the strength of the proposed system in classifying activity of daily living using only the smartphone sensor’s data and can assist in reducing the physical inactivity patterns to promote a healthier lifestyle and wellbeing.