bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Refined Multiscale Fuzzy Entropy to Analyse Post-Exercise Cardiovascular Response in Older Adults With Orthostatic Intolerance
Authors: Hortelano Marcos , Reilly Richard B. , Castells Francisco , Cervigón Raquel
Published: November 2018

Orthostatic intolerance syndrome occurs when the autonomic nervous system is incapacitated and fails to respond to the demands associated with the upright position. Assessing this syndrome among the elderly population is important in order to prevent falls. However, this problem is still challenging. The goal of this work was to determine the relationship between orthostatic intolerance (OI) and the cardiovascular response to exercise from the analysis of heart rate and blood pressure. More specifically, the behavior of these cardiovascular variables was evaluated in terms of refined composite multiscale fuzzy entropy (RCMFE), measured at different scales. The dataset was composed by 65 older subjects, 44.6% (n = 29) were OI symptomatic and 55.4% (n = 36) were not. Insignificant differences were found in age and gender between symptomatic and asymptomatic OI participants. When heart rate was evaluated, higher differences between groups were observed during the recovery period immediately after exercise. With respect to the blood pressure and other hemodynamic parameters, most significant results were obtained in the post-exercise stage. In any case, the symptomatic OI group exhibited higher irregularity in the measured parameters, as higher RCMFE levels in all time scales were obtained. This information could be very helpful for a better understanding of cardiovascular instability, as well as to recognize risk factors for falls and impairment of functional status.
A New Dataset and Performance Evaluation of a Region-Based CNN for Urban Object Detection
Authors: Dominguez-Sanchez Alex , Cazorla Miguel , Orts-Escolano Sergio
Published: November 2018

In recent years, we have seen a large growth in the number of applications which use deep learning-based object detectors. Autonomous driving assistance systems (ADAS) are one of the areas where they have the most impact. This work presents a novel study evaluating a state-of-the-art technique for urban object detection and localization. In particular, we investigated the performance of the Faster R-CNN method to detect and localize urban objects in a variety of outdoor urban videos involving pedestrians, cars, bicycles and other objects moving in the scene (urban driving). We propose a new dataset that is used for benchmarking the accuracy of a real-time object detector (Faster R-CNN). Part of the data was collected using an HD camera mounted on a vehicle. Furthermore, some of the data is weakly annotated so it can be used for testing weakly supervised learning techniques. There already exist urban object datasets, but none of them include all the essential urban objects. We carried out extensive experiments demonstrating the effectiveness of the baseline approach. Additionally, we propose an R-CNN plus tracking technique to accelerate the process of real-time urban object detection.
DDS: A Delay-Constrained Duty-Cycle Scheduling Algorithm in Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Vu Duy-Son , Dao Thi-Nga , Yoon Seokhoon
Published: November 2018

Since sensor nodes usually have a large duty cycle interval to prolong network lifetime, duty-cycled wireless sensor networks (WSNs) can suffer from a long end-to-end (E2E) delay. Because delay-sensitive applications have a certain E2E delay requirement, a lot of studies have tried to tackle the long E2E delay problem. However, most existing studies focused on simply reducing the E2E delay rather than considering the delay bound requirement, which makes it hard to achieve balanced performance between E2E delay and energy efficiency. Although a few studies took into consideration both the delay bound requirement and energy consumption, they required specific node deployment or strict time synchronization between nodes in the network. In order to address the limitations of the existing studies, we propose a delay-constrained duty-cycle scheduling (DDS) algorithm. The objective of DDS is to achieve low energy consumption while satisfying the delay bound requirement in various node deployment scenarios depending on user demands. First, based on network topology information collected by the sink, one-hop delay distribution is derived as a function of the duty cycle interval. Then, the E2E delay distribution is estimated using the Lyapunov central limit theorem, which allows each node group to have a different delay distribution. Finally, the duty cycle interval is determined using the estimated E2E delay distribution such that energy consumption is minimized while meeting the delay bound requirement. Practical WSN deployment scenarios are considered to evaluate the proposed algorithm. The simulation results show that DDS can guarantee the given delay bound requirement and outperform existing algorithms in terms of energy efficiency.
Fuzzy Portfolio Optimization of Power Generation Assets
Authors: Glensk Barbara , Madlener Reinhard
Published: November 2018

Fuzzy theory is proposed as an alternative to the probabilistic approach for assessing portfolios of power plants, in order to capture the complex reality of decision-making processes. This paper presents different fuzzy portfolio selection models, where the rate of returns as well as the investor’s aspiration levels of portfolio return and risk are regarded as fuzzy variables. Furthermore, portfolio risk is defined as a downside risk, which is why a semi-mean-absolute deviation portfolio selection model is introduced. Finally, as an illustration, the models presented are applied to a selection of power generation mixes. The efficient portfolio results show that the fuzzy portfolio selection models with different definitions of membership functions as well as the semi-mean-absolute deviation model perform better than the standard mean-variance approach. Moreover, introducing membership functions for the description of investors’ aspiration levels for the expected return and risk shows how the knowledge of experts, and investors’ subjective opinions, can be better integrated in the decision-making process than with probabilistic approaches.
Impedance Modeling and Stability Analysis for Cascade System of Three-Phase PWM Rectifier and LLC Resonant Converter
Authors: Wang Rutian , Wu Yuyang , He Guoqing , Lv Ying , Du Jiaxing , Li Yanhao
Published: November 2018

In this paper; the impedance model of PWM rectifier and LLC resonant converter are deduced, and the stability analysis of cascade system is studied. The principle of three-phase PWM rectifier is introduced; and the small signal model in d-q coordinate system is deduced. The expression of dc side output impedance model for PWM rectifier is derived. The LLC resonant converter is operated in a fixed-frequency state, and the LLC resonant converter is modeled as a small signal model. On this basis, the input impedance model expression of the LLC resonant converter is derived. According to the impedance stability criterion, it can seen that the amplitude of input impedance is greater than the amplitude of output impedance in a certain frequency domain. In addition, the Nyquist curve is not around the point (−1,0), which can judge that the cascade system is stable. In simulation software, a cascade system simulation is built and corresponding simulation curves are obtained, which verifies the stability of the cascade system.
A New Integration System for Natural Gas Combined Cycle Power Plants with CO2 Capture and Heat Supply
Authors: Hu Yue , Gao Yachi , Lv Hui , Xu Gang , Dong Shijie
Published: November 2018

Although carbon mitigation in power industry is attracting more and more attention around the world, the large scale application of carbon capture technology is obstructed because of the enormous energy consumption and huge capital investment required. In this study, an integrated system with power generation, CO2 capture and heat supply are proposed, which adopts three measures to reutilize the waste heat released from the CO2 capture process, including extracted steam recirculation, a CO2 Rankine cycle and a radiant floor heat subsystem. Amongst these measures, the radiant floor heat subsystem can efficiently reuse the relatively low temperature waste energy in the absorbent cooler. Through thermodynamic analysis, it is determined that the power output of the new integrated system is 19.48 MW higher compared with the decarbonization Natural Gas Combined Cycle (NGCC) power plant without system integration. On the other hand, 247.59 MW of heat can be recovered through the radiant floor heat subsystem, leading to an improved overall energy efficiency of 73.6%. In terms of the economic performance, the integration requires only 2.6% more capital investment than a decarbonization NGCC power plant without system integration and obtains extra revenue of 3.40 $/MWh from the simultaneous heat supply, which reduces the cost of CO2 avoided by 22.3%. The results prove the economic and efficiency potential of a NGCC power plant integrated with carbon capture, which may promote the industrial demonstration of carbon capture theology.
Pulse-Current Sources for Plasma Accelerators
Authors: Shurupov Alexei , Kozlov Alexander , Shurupov Mikhail , Zavalova Valentina , Zhitlukhin Anatoly , Bakhtin Vitalliy , Umrikhin Nikolai , Es’kov Alexei
Published: November 2018

The pulse source for plasma-accelerators supply operates under the conditions of nonlinear growth of load inductance, which complicates the matching of the source and the load. This article presents experimental studies of the use of both traditional pulse-energy sources based on capacitive storage and alternative ones based on explosive magnetic generators (EMG). It is shown that the EMG with the special device of the current-pulse formation more effectively matches with such a plasma load as the pulse plasma-accelerator (PPA). This device allows a wide range to manage the current-pulse formation in a variable load and, consequently, to optimize the operation of the power source for the specific plasma load. A mathematical model describing the principle of operation of this device in EMG on inductive load was developed. The key adjustable parameters are the current into the load, the residual inductance of the EMG, and the sample time of the specified inductance and the final current in the load. The device was successfully tested in experiments with the operation on both one and two accelerators connected in parallel. In the experiments, the optimal mode of device operation was found in which the total energy inputted to a pair of accelerators in one pulse reached 0.55 MJ, and the maximum current reached about 3.5 MA. A comparison with the results of experiments performed with capacitive sources of the same level of stored energy is given. The experiments confirmed not only the principal possibility of using EMG with a special device of current-pulse formation for operation with plasma loads in the MJ energy range but also showed the advantages of its application with specific types of plasma load.
Distributed Thermal Response Tests Using a Heating Cable and Fiber Optic Temperature Sensing
Authors: Vélez Márquez Maria , Raymond Jasmin , Blessent Daniela , Philippe Mikael , Simon Nataline , Bour Olivier , Lamarche Louis
Published: November 2018

Thermal response tests are used to assess the subsurface thermal conductivity to design ground-coupled heat pump systems. Conventional tests are cumbersome and require a source of high power to heat water circulating in a pilot ground heat exchanger. An alternative test method using heating cable was verified in the field as an option to conduct this heat injection experiment with a low power source and a compact equipment. Two thermal response tests using heating cable sections and a continuous heating cable were performed in two experimental heat exchangers on different sites in Canada and France. The temperature evolution during the tests was monitored using submersible sensors and fiber optic distributed temperature sensing. Free convection that can occur in the pipe of the heat exchanger was evaluated using the Rayleigh number stability criterion. The finite and infinite line source equations were used to reproduce temperature variations along the heating cable sections and continuous heating cable, respectively. The thermal conductivity profile of each site was inferred and the uncertainly of the test was evaluated. A mean thermal conductivity 15% higher than that revealed with the conventional test was estimated with heating cable sections. The thermal conductivity evaluated using the continuous heating cable corresponds to the value estimated during the conventional test. The average uncertainly associated with the heating cable section test was 15.18%, while an uncertainty of 2.14% was estimated for the test with the continuous heating cable. According to the Rayleigh number stability criterion, significant free convection can occur during the heat injection period when heating cable sections are used. The continuous heating cable with a low power source is a promising method to perform thermal response tests and further tests could be carried out in deep boreholes to verify its applicability.
A Three-Stage Procedure for Controlled Islanding to Prevent Wide-Area Blackouts
Authors: Shao Hongbo , Mao Yubin , Liu Yongmin , Liu Wanxun , Sun Sipei , Jia Peng , Miao Fufeng , Yang Li , Han Chang , Zhang Bo
Published: November 2018

Controlled islanding has been proposed as a last resort action to stop blackouts from happening when all standard methods have failed. Successful controlled islanding has to deal with three important issues: when, and where to island, and the evaluation of the dynamic stability in each island after islanding. This paper provides a framework for preventing wide-area blackouts using wide area measurement systems (WAMS), which consists of three stages to execute a successful islanding strategy. Normally, power system collapses and blackouts occur shortly after a cascading outage stage. Using such circumstances, an adapted single machine equivalent (SIME) method was used online to determine transient stability before blackout was imminent, and was then employed to determine when to island based on transient instability. In addition, SIME was adopted to assess the dynamic stability in each island after islanding, and to confirm that the chosen candidate island cutsets were stable before controlled islanding was undertaken. To decide where to island, all possible islanding cutsets were provided using the power flow (PF) tracing method. SIME helped to find the best candidate islanding cutset with the minimal PF imbalance, which is also a transiently stable islanding strategy. In case no possible island cutset existed, corresponding corrective actions such as load shedding and critical generator tripping, were performed in each formed island. Finally, an IEEE 39-bus power system with 10 units was employed to test this framework for a three-stage controlled islanding strategy to prevent imminent blackouts.
Local Markets for Flexibility Trading: Key Stages and Enablers
Authors: Minniti Simone , Haque Niyam , Nguyen Phuong , Pemen Guus
Published: November 2018

The European energy transition is leading to a transformed electricity system, where Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) will play a substantial role. Renewable Energy Sources (RES) will challenge the key operational obligation of real-time balancing and the need for flexibility will consequently increase. The introduction of a local flexibility market (LFM) would allow the trading of flexibility supplied by both producing and consuming units at the distribution level, providing market access to DERs, a support tool for Distribution System Operators (DSOs) and a value stream for energy suppliers. Aggregators and DSOs for different reasons can enhance the valuation of flexible DERs. Several research papers have assumed aggregators fully interacting with the electricity markets and DSOs contracting services with power system actors. These interactions are still not allowed in many European countries. This article aims to analyze the European regulation to identify the most important enablers and pave the way towards the full exploitation of DER flexibility, culminating in the establishment of an LFM. Therefore, three main stages, emerging from the progressive withdrawal of the current regulatory and market barriers, are identified: (1) enabling the aggregator’s trading, (2) evolution of the DSO’s role, and (3) key-design challenges of an LFM.
Intelligent Regulation Method for a Controllable Load Used for Improving Wind Power Integration
Authors: Li Jia-Jue , Shao Bao-Zhu , Li Jun-Hui , Ge Wei-Chun , Zhang Jia-Hui , Zhou Heng-Yu
Published: November 2018

Improving the safety and stability of power systems by adjusting the controllable load to improve the wind power integration has become a hot research topic. However, the methodology of accurately controlling the load and fundamentally improving the wind power integration capacity has yet to be studied. Therefore, this paper proposes an intelligent regulation method for a controllable load. This method takes the new energy consumption assessment as feedback, and it combines the wind power acceptance assessment and scheduling plan to form the internal and external loop control structure, and it derives the controllable load intelligent regulation architecture. The load curve is decomposed by an interactive load observer, and the load curve is adjusted by the interactive load controller according to a given standard, thereby improving the new energy acceptance capability. Finally, based on the actual grid operation data of a provincial power grid in Northeastern China, the source grid load balancing process and the interactive load regulation model of the wind power system are simulated. The above method verifies the validity and rationality of the proposed method.
Control of a DC-DC Buck Converter through Contraction Techniques
Authors: Angulo-Garcia David , Angulo Fabiola , Osorio Gustavo , Olivar Gerard
Published: November 2018

Reliable and robust control of power converters is a key issue in the performance of numerous technological devices. In this paper we show a design technique for the control of a DC-DC buck converter with a switching technique that guarantees both good performance and global stability. We show that making use of the contraction theorem in the Jordan canonical form of the buck converter, it is possible to find a switching surface that guarantees stability but it is incapable of rejecting load perturbations. To overcome this, we expand the system to include the dynamics of the voltage error and we demonstrate that the same design procedure is not only able to stabilize the system to the desired operation point but also to reject load, input voltage, and reference voltage perturbations.
An Inventive Method for Eco-Efficient Operation of Home Energy Management Systems
Authors: Hussain Bilal , Javaid Nadeem , Hasan Qadeer , Javaid Sakeena , Khan Asif , Malik Shahzad
Published: November 2018

A demand response (DR) based home energy management systems (HEMS) synergies with renewable energy sources (RESs) and energy storage systems (ESSs). In this work, a three-step simulation based posteriori method is proposed to develop a scheme for eco-efficient operation of HEMS. The proposed method provides the trade-off between the net cost of energy ( C E n e t ) and the time-based discomfort ( T B D ) due to shifting of home appliances (HAs). At step-1, primary trade-offs for C E n e t , T B D and minimal emissions T E M i s s are generated through a heuristic method. This method takes into account photovoltaic availability, the state of charge, the related rates for the storage system, mixed shifting of HAs, inclining block rates, the sharing-based parallel operation of power sources, and selling of the renewable energy to the utility. The search has been driven through multi-objective genetic algorithm and Pareto based optimization. A filtration mechanism (based on the trends exhibited by T E M i s s in consideration of C E n e t and T B D ) is devised to harness the trade-offs with minimal emissions. At step-2, a constraint filter based on the average value of T E M i s s is used to filter out the trade-offs with extremely high values of T E M i s s . At step-3, another constraint filter (made up of an average surface fit for T E M i s s ) is applied to screen out the trade-offs with marginally high values of T E M i s s . The surface fit is developed using polynomial models for regression based on the least sum of squared errors. The selected solutions are classified for critical trade-off analysis to enable the consumer choice for the best options. Furthermore, simulations validate our proposed method in terms of aforementioned objectives.
Performance of Wood-Based Panels Integrated with a Bio-Based Phase Change Material: A Full-Scale Experiment in a Cold Climate with Timber-Frame Huts
Authors: Mathis Damien , Blanchet Pierre , Lagière Philippe , Landry Véronic
Published: November 2018

The relatively low thermal mass of timber frame buildings is a limiting factor for their energy efficiency and for the thermal comfort. The aim of this study is to assess the performance of wood-based wallboards integrated with PCM (Phase Change Materials) in a cold climate (Québec, Canada), from the heating season to the summer. Two timber-frame test huts, of 2 × 2.5 × 3 m, were built following the National Building Code of Canada and placed in the LAVAL University Campus. The first hut was equipped with wood-based panels integrated with the commercial bio-based PCM Puretemp®23 with a 23 °C melting point. The second hut was equipped with standard interior wood panels. Large double glaze windows were installed facing south. Dry indoor air temperatures were recorded for both huts and for the heating season, heating consumptions were monitored. The behaviour of the two huts was compared and PCM panels efficiency was evaluated over several seasons. A reduction of heating consumption was observed for cold months. For the heating season, panels were found to be more efficient as the months were getting milder. By gathering solar energy during the day, they allowed to reduce the test-hut heating consumption, by a maximum of 41% in May. In summer, the PCM panels had a positive impact in order to reduce the hut overheating. However their efficiency was found limited by a poor ability of discharge during the night. The solidification of the PCM was often impossible to achieve due to unsuitable night conditions. The results presented in this study will improve the knowledge concerning wood/PCM composites performance and concerning PCMs issues in cold climates. This study exposes the potential of wood-based panels integrated with PCM to achieve winter energy savings and enhance the summer thermal comfort of a timber-frame building, for a cold Canadian climate.
Effect of Predation, Competition, and Facilitation on Tree Survival and Growth in Abandoned Fields: Towards Precision Restoration
Authors: St-Denis Annick , Kneeshaw Daniel , Messier Christian
Published: November 2018

Tree seedlings planted in abandoned agricultural fields interact with herb communities through competition, tolerance, and facilitation. In addition, they are subject to herbivory by small mammals, deer or invertebrates. To increase the success of forest restoration in abandoned fields and reduce management costs, we should determine which species are tolerant to or facilitated by herbaceous vegetation and those which require protection from competition and predation. Eight native tree species were planted in plots covered by herbaceous vegetation, plots where herbaceous vegetation was removed, and plots where seedlings were surrounded by an organic mulch mat. Half of the seedlings were protected against small mammal damage. Results showed that two non-pioneer and moderately shade-tolerant species (yellow birch and red oak) were inhibited by herbaceous vegetation. Birch species were particularly affected by small mammal predation. No effects of predation or herbaceous competition were observed for conifer species. Rather, herbaceous vegetation had a positive effect on the survival and the height growth of tamarack (Larix laricina). None of the tested herb communities had a stronger competitive effect on tree growth than another. Restoration of abandoned fields using multi-tree species should be designed at the seedling scale rather than at the site scale to account for different tree responses to predation and competition as well as variable site conditions. An approach resembling precision agriculture is proposed to lower costs and any potential negative impact of more intensive vegetation management interventions.
Microwave Assisted Preparation of Flame Resistant Cotton Using Economic Inorganic Materials
Authors: Chang SeChin , Condon Brian , Smith Jade
Published: November 2018

Innovative approaches for preparing flame retardant cotton fabrics were employed by utilizing a microwave-assisted technique with a minimum amount of co-solvent. Our attempts at flame retardant cotton fabrics treated with low cost inorganic formulations, such as urea and diammonium phosphate, were done successfully. The evidence of flame retardant chemical penetrations or surface modification of cotton fabrics was confirmed by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and the treated cotton fabrics were evaluated by flammability tests, such as 45° angle (clothing textiles test), vertical flame (clothing textile test) and limiting oxygen index (LOI). For formulations with urea only, LOI values of treated fabrics were 21.0–22.0% after add-on values for the formulation were 5.16–18.22%. For formulations comprising urea with diammonium phosphate, LOI values were greater than 29.0% after add-on values for the formulation were 1.85–7.73%. With the formulation comprising urea and diammonium phosphate, all treated fabrics passed the vertical flame test for add-on values 5.34–7.73%. Their char lengths were less than half the length of the original fabric and after-flame and after-glow times were less than 3.2 s. Additional thermal properties of desired products will be discussed using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and microscale combustion calorimeter (MCC).
Impact of Pulsed Electric Fields on the Volatile Compounds Produced in Whole Onions (Allium cepa and Allium fistulosum)
Authors: Nandakumar Rajkumar , Eyres Graham T. , Burritt David J. , Kebede Biniam , Leus Michelle , Oey Indrawati
Published: November 2018

The objective of this research was to investigate the effect of pulsed electric field (PEF) processing on the volatile compounds produced in onion cultivars. The changes in the volatile compounds of onions were assessed comparing results observed while measured immediately and 24 h after PEF treatment using headspace solid-phase microextraction gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS). Significant increases in the concentrations of propanethial S-oxide, propenyl propyl thiosulfinate, 2-methyl-2-pentenal, dipropyl disulfide, propenyl propyl disulfide, methyl propyl disulfide, and methyl propenyl disulfide were observed immediately after PEF treatment. The concentrations of propenyl propyl thiosulfinate, dipropyl disulfide, methyl propyl disulfide, dipropyl trisulfide, methyl propyl trisulfide, and propenyl propyl trisulfide increased after 24 h compared to initial concentrations. It is postulated that these changes are due to PEF-induced cell permeabilisation that facilitates enzyme-substrate reactions after the PEF treatment.
Molecular Evidence for Two Domestication Events in the Pea Crop
Authors: Trněný Oldřich , Brus Jan , Hradilová Iveta , Rathore Abhishek , Das Roma R. , Kopecký Pavel , Coyne Clarice J. , Reeves Patrick , Richards Christopher , Smýkal Petr
Published: November 2018

Pea, one of the founder crops from the Near East, has two wild species: Pisum sativum subsp. elatius, with a wide distribution centered in the Mediterranean, and P. fulvum, which is restricted to Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine and Jordan. Using genome wide analysis of 11,343 polymorphic single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on a set of wild P. elatius (134) and P. fulvum (20) and 74 domesticated accessions (64 P. sativum landraces and 10 P. abyssinicum), we demonstrated that domesticated P. sativum and the Ethiopian pea (P. abyssinicum) were derived from different P. elatius genepools. Therefore, pea has at least two domestication events. The analysis does not support a hybrid origin of P. abyssinicum, which was likely introduced into Ethiopia and Yemen followed by eco-geographic adaptation. Both P. sativum and P. abyssinicum share traits that are typical of domestication, such as non-dormant seeds. Non-dormant seeds were also found in several wild P. elatius accessions which could be the result of crop to wild introgression or natural variation that may have been present during pea domestication. A sub-group of P. elatius overlaps with P. sativum landraces. This may be a consequence of bidirectional gene-flow or may suggest that this group of P. elatius is the closest extant wild relative of P. sativum.
Genome Instability Induced by Low Levels of Replicative DNA Polymerases in Yeast
Authors: Zheng Dao-Qiong , Petes Thomas D.
Published: November 2018

Most cells of solid tumors have very high levels of genome instability of several different types, including deletions, duplications, translocations, and aneuploidy. Much of this instability appears induced by DNA replication stress. As a model for understanding this type of instability, we have examined genome instability in yeast strains that have low levels of two of the replicative DNA polymerases: DNA polymerase α and DNA polymerase δ (Polα and Polδ). We show that low levels of either of these DNA polymerases results in greatly elevated levels of mitotic recombination, chromosome rearrangements, and deletions/duplications. The spectrum of events in the two types of strains, however, differs in a variety of ways. For example, a reduced level of Polδ elevates single-base alterations and small deletions considerably more than a reduced level of Polα. In this review, we will summarize the methods used to monitor genome instability in yeast, and how this analysis contributes to understanding the linkage between genome instability and DNA replication stress.
Selenium, Sulphur, Trace Metal, and BTEX Levels in Soil, Water, and Lettuce from the Croatian Raša Bay Contaminated by Superhigh-Organic-Sulphur Coal
Authors: Medunić Gordana , Kuharić Željka , Krivohlavek Adela , Đuroković Marija , Dropučić Kristina , Rađenović Ankica , Lužar Oberiter Borna , Krizmanić Aleksandra , Bajramović Mladen
Published: November 2018

This paper elaborates soil, water, and lettuce contamination status with respect to selenium, sulphur, trace metals, and BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes) in a coal-based area (Raša Bay, Adriatic Sea, Croatia). A local coal-fired power plant polluted soil with S, Se, Cd, and PAHs due to the combustion of domestic superhigh-organic-sulphur coal. The locality is dotted with waste from coal mining/separation, coal combustion, former metal factories, untreated municipal and coal mine effluents, along with various harbour activities, which contribute to environmental contamination. The methodology involved ICP-MS and GC-MS for the measurement of trace elements and BTEX, respectively, while soil sulphur was determined with Eschka’s mixture. The max values of the analysed trace elements in soil (mg/kg) are reported: Hg 1.14, Cd 3.29, V 624, Se 10.3, Pb 872, Cr 1860, Zn 6580, Cu 1850, and U 25.2. According to ecological indices, these values fall into the category of an extremely high level of soil pollution. Elevated total Se values in surface water are ascribed to leaching of seleniferous coal, ash, and coal-polluted soil. Levels of BTEX in water samples were very low (0–0.83 µg/L). The data provide basic information on the inorganic and organic contamination status of the Raša Bay area.
Nordic Modernists in the Circus. On the Aesthetic Reflection of a Transcultural Institution
Authors: Heitmann Annegret
Published: November 2018

Around 1900 the circus was not only an important and highly popular cultural phenomenon all over Europe, but also an inspiration to writers and artists at the onset of Modernism. As an intrinsically intermedial form with international performers, it can be seen as an expression of certain important characteristics of modern life like innovation, mobility, dynamics, speed and vigor. Its displays of color and excitement, of bodies in motion and often provocative gender relations were experienced by authors as a challenge to create new aesthetic forms. However, the circus does not only figure prominently in well-known works by Kafka and Thomas Mann and paintings by Degas, Macke or Leger, it is also thematized in texts by Scandinavian authors. When writers like Henrik Ibsen, Herman Bang, Ola Hansson and Johannes V. Jensen referred to the circus in their works, they represented it as an experience of modernity and addressed themes like alterity, mobility, voyeurism, new gender relations and ambivalent emotions. As a self-reflexive sign, the circus even served to represent the fragile status of art in modernity and thus made an important contribution to the development of Modernism.
Generalized Self-Efficacy, Dispositional Optimism, and Illness Acceptance in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
Authors: Rzońca Ewa , Iwanowicz-Palus Grażyna , Bień Agnieszka , Wdowiak Artur , Szymański Ryszard , Chołubek Gustaw
Published: November 2018

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common chronic endocrinopathies affecting between 5 and 10% of reproductive age women. A diagnosis of PCOS very often causes a deterioration in the woman’s self-esteem and self-image, and consequently her quality of life (QoL). The purpose of the study was to investigate generalized self-efficacy, dispositional optimism and acceptance of illness in women with PCOS and to explore factors that affect these variables. The study was performed between January and November 2016 among women with PCOS using health care services. The study used a diagnostic survey with questionnaires. The research instruments included the Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES), the Life Orientation Test-Revised (LOT-R), the Acceptance of Illness Scale (AIS), and a standardized interview questionnaire. Among the PCOS patients studied, the mean score for generalized self-efficacy was 28.74 (±5.16), dispositional optimism—13.56 (±4.28), and acceptance of illness—27.90 (±7.74). The respondents’ generalized self-efficacy was determined by their residence, education, socio-economic standing, BMI, and time from diagnosis (p < 0.05), while socio-economic standing was a determinant of dispositional optimism (p < 0.05). Determinants of illness acceptance in women with PCOS included their residence, socio-economic standing, and time from diagnosis (p < 0.05). Increased generalized self-efficacy and dispositional optimism contributed to more illness acceptance in PCOS patients. The present study, compared with others on the subject, will enable specialists providing care to women with PCOS to gain a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of the situation and condition of their patients. It will also allow for a better response to the needs of PCOS patients, and provide them with individualized, holistic specialist care, diagnostics, and treatment.
Financial and Sporting Performance in French Football Ligue 1: Influence on the Players’ Market
Authors: Andreff Wladimir
Published: November 2018

Despite the globalisation of European soccer, each professional league exhibits specificities. French Ligue 1 sometimes contends with the trading-off of financial performance against sporting performance of its teams in European soccer competitions, and its inner auditing body, the Direction Nationale du Contrôle de Gestion (DNCG), is in charge of controlling clubs’ financial accounts. Moreover, Ligue 1 operates with one of the best competitive balances in the Big Five, which is detrimental to its clubs’ success at the European level. However, the league and a number of clubs have not been able to curb payroll inflation and have not avoided being recurrently run in a deficit and accumulating debts, in particular payment arrears and player transfer overdue. Lax management occurs, since very few clubs have been sanctioned by a payment failure, even fewer by liquidation, and there has been no bankruptcy. The concept of a soft budget constraint theoretically encapsulates such empirical evidence. The novelty of the paper is to establish a link between the soft budget constraint and the players’ labour market where it crucially triggers market disequilibria: an excess of demand for superstars’ talents and an excess of supply for journeymen players are modelled. Data paucity about player individual wages hinders econometric testing of the aforementioned link and the model. However, a look at transfer fees that concentrates on a few of the top European soccer clubs provides a first insight into the arms race for talent that fuels an excess of demand for superstars and dips a number of clubs’ finance into the red.
Intact Planar Abstraction of Buildings via Global Normal Refinement from Noisy Oblique Photogrammetric Point Clouds
Authors: Zhu Qing , Wang Feng , Hu Han , Ding Yulin , Xie Jiali , Wang Weixi , Zhong Ruofei
Published: November 2018

Oblique photogrammetric point clouds are currently one of the major data sources for the three-dimensional level-of-detail reconstruction of buildings. However, they are severely noise-laden and pose serious problems for the effective and automatic surface extraction of buildings. In addition, conventional methods generally use normal vectors estimated in a local neighborhood, which are liable to be affected by noise, leading to inferior results in successive building reconstruction. In this paper, we propose an intact planar abstraction method for buildings, which explicitly handles noise by integrating information in a larger context through global optimization. The information propagates hierarchically from a local to global scale through the following steps: first, based on voxel cloud connectivity segmentation, single points are clustered into supervoxels that are enforced to not cross the surface boundary; second, each supervoxel is expanded to nearby supervoxels through the maximal support region, which strictly enforces planarity; third, the relationships established by the maximal support regions are injected into a global optimization, which reorients the local normal vectors to be more consistent in a larger context; finally, the intact planar surfaces are obtained by region growing using robust normal and point connectivity in the established spatial relations. Experiments on the photogrammetric point clouds obtained from oblique images showed that the proposed method is effective in reducing the influence of noise and retrieving almost all of the major planar structures of the examined buildings.
Spatial Distribution Estimates of the Urban Population Using DSM and DEM Data in China
Authors: Zhang Junlin , Xu Wei , Qin Lianjie , Tian Yugang
Published: November 2018

Spatial distribution and population density are important parameters in studies on urban development, resource allocation, emergency management, and risk analysis. High-resolution height data can be used to estimate the total or spatial pattern of the urban population for small study areas, e.g., the downtown area of a city or a community. However, there has been no case of population estimation for large areas. This paper tries to estimate the urban population of prefectural cities in China using building height data. Building height in urban population settlement (Mdiffs) was first extracted using the digital surface model (DSM), digital elevation model (DEM), and land use data. Then, the relationships between the census-based urban population density (CPD) and the Mdiffs density (MDD) for different regions were regressed. Using these results, the urban population for prefectural cities of China was finally estimated. The results showed that a good linear correlation was found between Mdiffs and the census data in each type of region, as all the adjusted R2 values were above 0.9 and all the models passed the significance test (95% confidence level). The ratio of the estimated population to the census population (PER) was between 0.7 and 1.3 for 76% of the cities in China. This is the first attempt to estimate the urban population using building height data for prefectural cities in China. This method produced reasonable results and can be effectively used for spatial distribution estimates of the urban population in large scale areas.
Pinpointed Stimulation of EphA2 Receptors via DNA-Templated Oligovalence
Authors: Möser Christin , Lorenz Jessica S. , Sajfutdinow Martin , Smith David M.
Published: November 2018

DNA nanostructures enable the attachment of functional molecules to nearly any unique location on their underlying structure. Due to their single-base-pair structural resolution, several ligands can be spatially arranged and closely controlled according to the geometry of their desired target, resulting in optimized binding and/or signaling interactions. Here, the efficacy of SWL, an ephrin-mimicking peptide that binds specifically to EphrinA2 (EphA2) receptors, increased by presenting up to three of these peptides on small DNA nanostructures in an oligovalent manner. Ephrin signaling pathways play crucial roles in tumor development and progression. Moreover, Eph receptors are potential targets in cancer diagnosis and treatment. Here, the quantitative impact of SWL valency on binding, phosphorylation (key player for activation) and phenotype regulation in EphA2-expressing prostate cancer cells was demonstrated. EphA2 phosphorylation was significantly increased by DNA trimers carrying three SWL peptides compared to monovalent SWL. In comparison to one of EphA2’s natural ligands ephrin-A1, which is known to bind promiscuously to multiple receptors, pinpointed targeting of EphA2 by oligovalent DNA-SWL constructs showed enhanced cell retraction. Overall, we show that DNA scaffolds can increase the potency of weak signaling peptides through oligovalent presentation and serve as potential tools for examination of complex signaling pathways.
Functional Insights into the Roles of Hormones in the Dendrobium officinale-Tulasnella sp. Germinated Seed Symbiotic Association
Authors: Wang Tao , Song Zheng , Wang Xiaojing , Xu Lijun , Sun Qiwu , Li Lubin
Published: November 2018

Dendrobium is one of the largest genera in the Orchidaceae, and D. officinale is used in traditional medicine, particularly in China. D. officinale seeds are minute and contain limited energy reserves, and colonization by a compatible fungus is essential for germination under natural conditions. When the orchid mycorrhizal fungi (OMF) initiates symbiotic interactions with germination-driven orchid seeds, phytohormones from the orchid or the fungus play key roles, but the details of the possible biochemical pathways are still poorly understood. In the present study, we established a symbiotic system between D. officinale and Tulasnella sp. for seed germination. RNA-Seq was used to construct libraries of symbiotic-germinated seeds (DoTc), asymbiotic-germinated seeds (Do), and free-living OMF (Tc) to investigate the expression profiles of biosynthesis and metabolism pathway genes for three classes of endogenous hormones: JA (jasmonic acid), ABA (abscisic acid) and SLs (strigolactones), in D. officinale seeds and OMF under symbiotic and asymbiotic conditions. Low concentrations of endogenous JA, ABA, or SLs were detected in the D. officinale-Tulasnella symbiont compared with the asymbiotic tissues. Gene annotation results suggest that the expression of DEGs (differentially expressed genes) related to JA and ABA biosynthesis from D. officinale were down-regulated, while most of the key DEGs related to SL biosynthesis from D. officinale were up-regulated in the symbiotic germinated seeds compared with the asymbiotic germinated seeds. Moreover, in the OMF, we found a significantly up-regulated differential expression of the JA and ABA biosynthesis-related genes in the symbiotic interaction, with the opposite expression trends to those found in Dendrobium. This indicates that Dendrobium seed symbiotic germination may be stimulated by the apparent involvement of the OMF in the production of hormones, and relatively low concentrations of endogenous JA, ABA, or SLs might be maintained to promote the growth of the D. officinale-Tulasnella symbiotic protocorm-like body. These results will increase our understanding of the possible roles played by endogenous hormones in the regulation of the orchid-fungus symbiosis.
Receptor Tyrosine Kinase-Targeted Cancer Therapy
Authors: Yamaoka Toshimitsu , Kusumoto Sojiro , Ando Koichi , Ohba Motoi , Ohmori Tohru
Published: November 2018

In the past two decades, several molecular targeted inhibitors have been developed and evaluated clinically to improve the survival of patients with cancer. Molecular targeted inhibitors inhibit the activities of pathogenic tyrosine kinases. Particularly, aberrant receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) activation is a potential therapeutic target. An increased understanding of genetics, cellular biology and structural biology has led to the development of numerous important therapeutics. Pathogenic RTK mutations, deletions, translocations and amplification/over-expressions have been identified and are currently being examined for their roles in cancers. Therapies targeting RTKs are categorized as small-molecule inhibitors and monoclonal antibodies. Studies are underway to explore abnormalities in 20 types of RTK subfamilies in patients with cancer or other diseases. In this review, we describe representative RTKs important for developing cancer therapeutics and predicting or evaluated resistance mechanisms.
Endogenous Ovarian Angiogenesis in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome-Like Rats Induced by Low-Frequency Electro-Acupuncture: The CLARITY Three-Dimensional Approach
Authors: Ma Tong , Cui Peng , Tong Xiaoyu , Hu Wei , Shao Linus R. , Zhang Feifei , Li Xin , Feng Yi
Published: November 2018

We sought to determine the role of ovarian vascularity and neo-angiogenesis in the development of mature follicles in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and to identify any changes induced by low-frequency electro-acupuncture (EA). Twenty-eight 21-day-old female Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups—Control, Obesity, PCOS-like, and PCOS-like-EA (n = 7/group). Rats in the Obesity group were fed a high-fat diet throughout the experiment. Rats in the PCOS-like and PCOS-like-EA groups were implanted with a sustained-release tube containing 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) beneath the skin of the neck. Rats in the PCOS-like-EA group received low-frequency EA treatment starting at 70 days for 30 min five times a week for four weeks. At the end of the experiment, all rats were euthanized and perfused with hydrogel. The ovaries were collected for clarification and imaging, and ovarian vascularity and neo-angiogenesis were analyzed. Compared with Control and Obesity rats, the ovaries in DHT-induced PCOS-like rats were smaller in size and had fewer mature follicles and corpora lutea. EA increased angiogenesis in the antral follicles of PCOS-like rats, which in turn promoted follicle maturation, ovulation, and CL formation. Therefore, endogenous ovarian angiogenesis plays a very important role in follicular maturation and might be one of the peripheral and direct mechanisms of EA on PCOS.