bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Detection of Various Streptococcus spp. and Their Antimicrobial Resistance Patterns in Clinical Specimens from Austrian Swine Stocks
Authors: Renzhammer René , Loncaric Igor , Ladstätter Marisa , Pinior Beate , Roch Franz-Ferdinand , Spergser Joachim , Ladinig Andrea , Unterweger Christine
Published: December 2020

Knowledge of pathogenic potential, frequency and antimicrobial resistance patterns of porcine Streptococcus (S.) spp. other than S. suis is scarce. Between 2016 and 2020, altogether 553 S. spp. isolates were recovered from clinical specimens taken from Austrian swine stocks and submitted for routine microbiological examination. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing towards eight antimicrobial substances was performed using disk diffusion test. All isolates from skin lesions belonged to the species S. dysgalactiae subspecies equisimilis (SDSE). S. hyovaginalis was mainly isolated from the upper respiratory tract (15/19) and S. thoraltensis from the genitourinary tract (11/15). The majority of S. suis isolates were resistant to tetracycline (66%), clindamycin (62%) and erythromycin (58%). S. suis isolates from the joints had the highest resistance rates. S. suis and SDSE isolates resistant to tetracycline were more likely to be resistant to erythromycin and clindamycin (p < 0.01). Results show that different species of Streptococcus tend to occur in specific body sites. Nevertheless, a statement whether these species are colonizers or potential pathogens cannot be given so far. High resistance rates of S. suis towards tetracyclines and erythromycin and high recovery rates of S. suis from lung tissue should be considered when treating pigs with respiratory diseases.
Genomic Analysis of CTX-M-Group-1-Producing Extraintestinal Pathogenic E. coli (ExPEc) from Patients with Urinary Tract Infections (UTI) from Colombia
Authors: De La Cadena Elsa , Mojica María Fernanda , Castillo Nathaly , Correa Adriana , Appel Tobias Manuel , García-Betancur Juan Carlos , Pallares Christian José , Villegas María Virginia
Published: December 2020

Background: The dissemination of the uropathogenic O25b-ST131 Escherichia coli clone constitutes a threat to public health. We aimed to determine the circulation of E. coli strains belonging to O25b:H4-B2-ST131 and the H30-Rx epidemic subclone causing hospital and community-acquired urinary tract infections (UTI) in Colombia. Methods: Twenty-six nonduplicate, CTX-M group-1-producing isolates causing UTI in the hospital and community were selected for this study. Results: Twenty-two E. coli isolates harboring CTX-M-15, one CTX-M-3, and three CTX-M-55 were identified. Multilocus Sequence Typing (MLST) showed a variety of sequence types (STs), among which, ST131, ST405, and ST648 were reported as epidemic clones. All the E. coli ST131 sequences carried CTX-M-15, from which 80% belonged to the O25b:H4-B2 and H30-Rx pandemic subclones and were associated with virulence factors iss, iha, and sat. E. coli isolates (23/26) were resistant to ciprofloxacin and associated with amino acid substitutions in quinolone resistance-determining regions (QRDR). We detected two carbapenem-resistant E. coli isolates, one coproducing CTX-M-15, KPC-2, and NDM-1 while the other presented mutations in ompC. Additionally, one isolate harbored the gene mcr-1. Conclusions: Our study revealed the circulation of the E. coli ST131, O25b:H4-B2-H30-Rx subclone, harboring CTX-M-15, QRDR mutations, and other resistant genes. The association of the H30-Rx subclone with sepsis and rapid dissemination warrants attention from the public health and infections control.
Pollution Characteristics of Particulate Matter (PM2.5 and PM10) and Constituent Carbonaceous Aerosols in a South Asian Future Megacity
Authors: Aslam Afifa , Ibrahim Muhammad , Shahid Imran , Mahmood Abid , Irshad Muhammad Kashif , Yamin Muhammad , Ghazala  , Tariq Muhammad , Shamshiri Redmond R.
Published: December 2020

The future megacity of Faisalabad is of prime interest when considering environmental health because of its bulky population and abundant industrial and anthropogenic sources of coarse particles (PM10) and fine airborne particulate matter (PM2.5). The current study was aimed to investigate the concentration level of PM2.5 and PM10, also the characterization of carbonaceous aerosols including organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC) and total carbon (TC) in PM2.5 and PM10 samples collected from five different sectors (residential, health, commercial, industrial, and vehicular zone). The data presented here are the first of their kind in this sprawling city having industries and agricultural activities side by side. Results of the study revealed that the mass concentration of PM2.5 and PM10 is at an elevated level throughout Faisalabad, with ambient PM2.5 and PM10 points that constantly exceeded the 24-h standards of US-EPA, and National Environment Quality Standards (NEQS) which poses harmful effects on the quality of air and health. The total carbon concentration varied between 21.33 and 206.84 μg/m3, and 26.08 and 211.15 μg/m3 with an average of 119.16 ± 64.91 μg/m3 and 124.71 ± 64.38 μg/m3 for PM2.5 in summer and winter seasons, respectively. For PM10, the concentration of TC varied from 34.52 to 289.21 μg/m3 with an average of 181.50 ± 87.38 μg/m3 (for summer season) and it ranged between 44.04 and 300.02 μg/m3 with an average of 191.04 ± 87.98 μg/m3 (winter season), respectively. No significant difference between particulate concentration and weather parameters was observed. Similarly, results of air quality index (AQI) and pollution index (PI) stated that the air quality of Faisalabad ranges from poor to severely pollute. In terms of AQI, moderate pollution was recorded on sampling sites in the following order; Ittehad Welfare Dispensary > Saleemi Chowk > Kashmir Road > Pepsi Factory, while at Nazria Pakistan Square and Allied Hospital, higher AQI values were recorded. The analysis and results presented in this study can be used by policy-makers to apply rigorous strategies that decrease air pollution and the associated health effects in Faisalabad.
Time-Synchronization Method for CAN–Ethernet Networks with Gateways
Authors: Kim Hyeong Jun , Lee Uri , Kim Manho , Lee Suk
Published: December 2020

Time-synchronization technology can provide a common notion of time among the participating nodes on a network. This is essential not only for protocol operation for time-critical services but also for the time stamp for information included in the message. Precise time information can be very crucial for such things as autonomous driving because there are various sensor measurements from multiple cameras, and radio detection and ranging (radar) and light detection and ranging (LiDAR) are used for perceiving the current situation via sensor fusion. A well-known synchronization method, IEEE 1588, denoted as the precision time protocol (PTP), can be used for various applications. For in-vehicle networks of autonomous cars, we have to consider that the network may be comprised of subnetworks based on different protocols such as controller area network (CAN) and Ethernet. However, implementing PTPs on such heterogeneous vehicle networks causes several problems. First, the PTP procedure must be modified to be implement on a CAN network. Second, to calculate the delay and offset for PTP, the processing delay that occurs during message conversion must be considered. In this paper, we propose a synchronization method for CAN–Ethernet networks to solve these problems. The performance of the proposed synchronization method is evaluated by experiments on a real CAN–Ethernet network.
Investigation on the Hump Behavior of Gate-Normal Nanowire Tunnel Field-Effect Transistors (NWTFETs)
Authors: Kang Min Woo , Choi Woo Young
Published: December 2020

The hump behavior of gate-normal nanowire tunnel field-effect transistors (NWTFETs) is investigated by using a three-dimensional technology computer-aided design (TCAD) simulation. The simulation results show that the hump behavior degrades the subthreshold swing (SS) and on-current (Ion) because the corners and sides of nanowires (NWs) have different surface potentials. The hump behavior can be successfully suppressed by increasing the radius of curvature (R) of NWs and reducing gate insulator thickness (Tins).
Design and Testing of an Intelligent Control System for Maize Picking Harvest
Authors: Zhang Zhen , Chi Ruijuan , Dong Naixi , Du Yuefeng , Li Xiaoyu , Xie Bin
Published: December 2020

The driving tasks of a maize harvester are exhausting because of the varying soil, maize conditions, and the long working time. Operators must adjust and optimize the internal settings of the harvester to modify the working parameters and reduce the harvest loss. In this paper, an intelligent control system for maize picking harvest was investigated for automatic adjustment and minimization of maize picking losses. A prediction model based on experimental data was used to predict the maize picking loss rate, and the rotational speed of the pulling rollers, operating speed, and header height were optimized to minimize the maize picking loss. The intelligent control system allows use of manual or automatic controls; the controller adjusts the rotational speed of pulling rollers, the operating speed, and header height based on the measured picking losses in automatic mode. The designed automatic control system comprises faster and slower loops. The fuzzy proportional–integral–derivative (PID) method is used to optimize the rotational speed of pulling rollers and the operating speed in the faster loop, and the PID method is used to regulate the header height in the slower loop. Field experiments were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness and stability of the system. The system test results showed that all working parts respond quickly, and the overshoot and steady-state errors of each working part were relatively small. Regardless of the load condition, the established control strategy could optimize each working parameter of the maize harvester. In experiments, maize picking loss rates of 1.676% and 1.386% were obtained, which meet the requirements of maize harvesting.
Distributed Generation Control Using Modified PLL Based on Proportional-Resonant Controller
Authors: Zare Ahmad , Moattari Mazda , Melicio Rui
Published: December 2020

Due to the increasing necessity for electrical demand, the microgrids (MGs) based on distributed generations (DGs) within power electronic interfaces are being extended to improve the traditional network control. One of the common ways to achieve power sharing among the resources on an islanding MG is to use the droop control approach, performing based on proportional-integrator (PI) controllers. However, due to the effect of feeder impedance, obtaining the reactive power sharing using this method is not accurate and leads to overload in some DGs, resulting in the output terminal voltage of each DG going outside of the allowable range. The second problem arises when the frequency measurement is not performed precisely, leading to inaccurate active power sharing, which can be solved by using an improved phase locked loop (PLL). Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to propose an applicable and simple approach based on the use of conventional droop characteristics and a proportional-resonant (PR) controller in a DG control system. Due to the load changes in the microgrid and other contingencies, the proposed PLL-based controller is able to represent supreme performance with low error in several case studies.
Fatigue Life Simulation of Tractor Spiral Bevel Gear According to Major Agricultural Operations
Authors: Kim Wan-Soo , Kim Yong-Joo , Baek Seung-Min , Moon Seok-Pyo , Lee Nam-Gyu , Kim Yeon-Soo , Park Seong-Un , Choi Yong , Kim Young-Keun , Choi Il-Su , Choi Duck-Kyu , Choi Chang-Hyun
Published: December 2020

The spiral bevel gear in a tractor, unlike the other gears in the transmission, is one of the most vulnerable gears in terms of fatigue life, as it is consistently driven throughout the operations of the tractor. Conventional fatigue life tests of transmission gears require expensive equipment and repeated tests, and do not reflect dynamic field loads. The aim of this study is to develop a simulation model which can replace conventional fatigue life tests for actual gears, in order to evaluate the fatigue life of a tractor using dynamic field load data. A transmission simulation model including a spiral bevel gear was developed using commercial software. In order to measure the dynamic load of the tractor according to various field operations, an axle torque measurement system was developed, and field experiments were performed for major agricultural operations occurring in the field. Fatigue life was calculated using Rainflow cycle counting (RFC), the Smith–Watson–Topper (SWT) model, and S–N curves based on torque data measured in the field. The fatigue life under moldboard plow tillage, subsoiler tillage, rotary tillage, and baler operation were 13,599, 285, 278,884, and 525,977 h, respectively. The fatigue life of the tractor, according to subsoiler tillage and baler operation, was 0.104 and 192 times the service life, respectively, where the difference between these two operations was about 1846 times. The fatigue life of the tractor, according to the attached implement type, was significantly different. Therefore, it can be seen that the fatigue life of a tractor can be significantly different, depending on agricultural operation type which the farmer uses most often; this can be used as basic data for tractor design and evaluation. In addition, it is considered that the developed simulation model can be applied to fatigue life evaluation using dynamic field load data.
Gently Paraconsistent Calculi
Authors: Ciuciura Janusz
Published: December 2020

In this paper, we consider some paraconsistent calculi in a Hilbert-style formulation with the rule of detachment as the sole rule of interference. Each calculus will be expected to contain all axiom schemas of the positive fragment of classical propositional calculus and respect the principle of gentle explosion.
Lymphatic Vessels and Their Surroundings: How Local Physical Factors Affect Lymph Flow
Authors: Solari Eleonora , Marcozzi Cristiana , Negrini Daniela , Moriondo Andrea
Published: December 2020

Lymphatic vessels drain and propel lymph by exploiting external forces that surrounding tissues exert upon vessel walls (extrinsic mechanism) and by using active, rhythmic contractions of lymphatic muscle cells embedded in the vessel wall of collecting lymphatics (intrinsic mechanism). The latter mechanism is the major source of the hydraulic pressure gradient where scant extrinsic forces are generated in the microenvironment surrounding lymphatic vessels. It is mainly involved in generating pressure gradients between the interstitial spaces and the vessel lumen and between adjacent lymphatic vessels segments. Intrinsic pumping can very rapidly adapt to ambient physical stimuli such as hydraulic pressure, lymph flow-derived shear stress, fluid osmolarity, and temperature. This adaptation induces a variable lymph flow, which can precisely follow the local tissue state in terms of fluid and solutes removal. Several cellular systems are known to be sensitive to osmolarity, temperature, stretch, and shear stress, and some of them have been found either in lymphatic endothelial cells or lymphatic muscle. In this review, we will focus on how known physical stimuli affect intrinsic contractility and thus lymph flow and describe the most likely cellular mechanisms that mediate this phenomenon.
An Inside Job: Applications of Intracellular Single Domain Antibodies
Authors: Soetens Eline , Ballegeer Marlies , Saelens Xavier
Published: December 2020

Sera of camelid species contain a special kind of antibody that consists only of heavy chains. The variable antigen binding domain of these heavy chain antibodies can be expressed as a separate entity, called a single domain antibody that is characterized by its small size, high solubility and oftentimes exceptional stability. Because of this, most single domain antibodies fold correctly when expressed in the reducing environment of the cytoplasm, and thereby retain their antigen binding specificity. Single domain antibodies can thus be used to target a broad range of intracellular proteins. Such intracellular single domain antibodies are also known as intrabodies, and have proven to be highly useful tools for basic research by allowing visualization, disruption and even targeted degradation of intracellular proteins. Furthermore, intrabodies can be used to uncover prospective new therapeutic targets and have the potential to be applied in therapeutic settings in the future. In this review we provide a brief overview of recent advances in the field of intracellular single domain antibodies, focusing on their use as research tools and potential therapeutic applications. Special attention is given to the available methods that allow delivery of single domain antibodies into cells.
Impact of Different Lipid Ligands on the Stability and IgE-Binding Capacity of the Lentil Allergen Len c 3
Authors: Finkina Ekaterina I. , Melnikova Daria N. , Bogdanov Ivan V. , Matveevskaya Natalia S. , Ignatova Anastasia A. , Toropygin Ilia Y. , Ovchinnikova Tatiana V.
Published: December 2020

Previously, we isolated the lentil allergen Len c 3, belonging to the class of lipid transfer proteins, cross-reacting with the major peach allergen Pru p 3 and binding lipid ligands. In this work, the allergenic capacity of Len c 3 and effects of different lipid ligands on the protein stability and IgE-binding capacity were investigated. Impacts of pH and heat treating on ligand binding with Len c 3 were also studied. It was shown that the recombinant Len c 3 (rLen c 3) IgE-binding capacity is sensitive to heating and simulating of gastroduodenal digestion. While being heated or digested, the protein showed a considerably lower capacity to bind specific IgE in sera of allergic patients. The presence of lipid ligands increased the thermostability and resistance of rLen c 3 to digestion, but the level of these effects was dependent upon the ligand’s nature. The anionic lysolipid LPPG showed the most pronounced protective effect which correlated well with experimental data on ligand binding. Thus, the Len c 3 stability and allergenic capacity can be retained in the conditions of food heat cooking and gastroduodenal digestion due to the presence of certain lipid ligands.
Impact of the Tumor Microenvironment on Tumor Heterogeneity and Consequences for Cancer Cell Plasticity and Stemness
Authors: Hass Ralf , von der Ohe Juliane , Ungefroren Hendrik
Published: December 2020

Tumor heterogeneity is considered the major cause of treatment failure in current cancer therapies. This feature of solid tumors is not only the result of clonal outgrowth of cells with genetic mutations, but also of epigenetic alterations induced by physical and chemical signals from the tumor microenvironment (TME). Besides fibroblasts, endothelial and immune cells, mesenchymal stroma/stem-like cells (MSCs) and tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) intimately crosstalk with cancer cells and can exhibit both anti- and pro-tumorigenic effects. MSCs can alter cancer cellular phenotypes to increase cancer cell plasticity, eventually resulting in the generation of cancer stem cells (CSCs). The shift between different phenotypic states (phenotype switching) of CSCs is controlled via both genetic programs, such as epithelial-mesenchymal transdifferentiation or retrodifferentiation, and epigenetic alterations triggered by signals from the TME, like hypoxia, spatial heterogeneity or stromal cell-derived chemokines. Finally, we highlight the role of spontaneous cancer cell fusion with various types of stromal cells. i.e., MSCs in shaping CSC plasticity. A better understanding of cell plasticity and phenotype shifting in CSCs is a prerequisite for exploiting this phenomenon to reduce tumor heterogeneity, thereby improving the chance for therapy success.
Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia
Authors: Thomas Xavier , Heiblig Maël
Published: December 2020

Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is a distinct subtype of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cytogenetically characterized by a balanced reciprocal translocation between chromosomes 15 and 17, which results in the fusion between the promyelocytic leukemia (PML) gene and retinoic acid receptor-α (RARα) [...]
Development of a Prognostic Tool to Guide the Decision to Extend Adjuvant Aromatase Inhibitors for up to Ten Years in Postmenopausal Early Breast Cancer Patients
Authors: Moreau-Bachelard Camille , Campion Loïc , Robert Marie , Kerdraon Olivier , Renaudeau Céline , Aumont Maud , Classe Jean-Marc , Campone Mario , Frénel Jean-Sébastien
Published: December 2020

Background: The selection of women with hormone receptor-positive (HR+) early breast cancer (EBC) at high risk of relapse after five years (yrs.) of adjuvant aromatase inhibitors (AIs) is crucial, as the benefit of extending AIs is counterbalanced by toxicity. We developed a clinicopathological tool to estimate the residual risk of relapse after five years of adjuvant AIs. Methods: The Institut de Cancérologie de l’Ouest (ICO) database was used to determine a prognostic score of post-five-year AI relapse. Cox regression models estimated our score’s prognostic performance. Results: In total, 1105 women were included. Median follow-up was 44 months (IQR = 21–70) post-AI treatment. From the Cox models, we designed a dichotomous prognostic score including the number of macrometastases, age (>70 yrs. vs. ≤70 yrs.), tumor size (≥T2 vs. not), and mitotic activity (≥2 vs. not). Overall, 77.5% of patients were classified as being at low risk and 22.5% at high risk of late recurrence. Low-risk patients had a five- to ten-year local or distant recurrence risk of 7.6% (95% CI, 5.4% to 10.6%) as compared with 26.9% (95% CI, 19.9% to 35.7%) for the high-risk roup. Conclusion: In this study, we developed a simple tool to identify women at high risk of relapse despite completing five years of AIs.
Clinical Outcome in Pediatric Patients with Philadelphia Chromosome Positive ALL Treated with Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors Plus Chemotherapy—The Experience of a Polish Pediatric Leukemia and Lymphoma Study Group
Authors: Zawitkowska Joanna , Lejman Monika , Płonowski Marcin , Bulsa Joanna , Szczepański Tomasz , Romiszewski Michał , Mizia-Malarz Agnieszka , Derwich Katarzyna , Karolczyk Grażyna , Ociepa Tomasz , Ćwiklińska Magdalena , Trelińska Joanna , Owoc-Lempach Joanna , Irga-Jaworska Ninela , Małecka Anna , Machnik Katarzyna , Urbańska-Rakus Justyna , Chaber Radosław , Kowalczyk Jerzy , Młynarski Wojciech
Published: December 2020

The treatment of children with Philadelphia chromosome positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL Ph+) is currently unsuccessful. The use of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) combined with chemotherapy has modernized ALL Ph+ therapy and appears to improve clinical outcome. We report herein the toxicity events and results of children with ALL Ph+ treated according to the EsPhALL2010 protocol (the European intergroup study of post-induction treatment of Philadelphia chromosome positive ALL) in 15 hemato-oncological centers in Poland between the years 2012 and 2019. The study group included 31 patients, aged 1–18 years, with newly diagnosed ALL Ph+. All patients received TKIs. Imatinib was used in 30 patients, and ponatinib was applied in one child due to T315I and M244V mutation. During therapy, imatinib was replaced with dasatinib in three children. The overall survival of children with ALL Ph+ treated according to the EsPhALL2010 protocol was 74.1% and event-free survival was 54.2% after five years. The cumulative death risk of the study group at five years was estimated at 25.9%, and its cumulative relapse risk was 30%. Our treatment outcomes are still disappointing compared to other reports. Improvements in supportive care and emphasis placed on the determination of minimal residual disease at successive time points, which will impact decisions on therapy, may be required.
Economy Assessment for the Chiral Amine Production with Comparison of Reductive Amination and Transamination Routes by Multi-Enzyme System
Authors: Huo Heyu , Yao Guangxiao , Wang Shizhen
Published: December 2020

Chiral amines are key building blocks for pharmaceuticals. Economic assessment of commercial potential of bioprocesses is needed for guiding research. Biosynthesis of (S)-α-methylbenzylamine (MBA) was selected as case study. For transamination route, transaminase coupled with glucose dehydrogenase and lactate dehydrogenase catalyzed the reaction with NADH (Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) regeneration. Amine dehydrogenase coupled with NADH oxidase, which catalyzed the reductive amination process. Comparison of biosynthesis cost by reductive amination and transamination routes was carried out. Economic assessment based on the framework of cost analysis and preliminary process information revealed that cost is greatly dependent on enzyme price. The results indicated that enhancing the activity of amine dehydrogenase by 4–5 folds can drop the unit price of reductive amination to $0.5–0.6/g, which make it competitive with transamination route.
Synthesis, Characterization, and Catalytic Applications of the Ti-SBA-16 Porous Material in the Selective and Green Isomerizations of Limonene and S-Carvone
Authors: Retajczyk Monika , Wróblewska Agnieszka , Szymańska Alicja , Miądlicki Piotr , Koren Zvi C. , Michalkiewicz Beata
Published: December 2020

This work presents studies on the activity of the Ti-SBA-16 (SBA—Santa Barbara Amorphous) catalyst in the isomerization of limonene and S-carvone. The Ti-SBA-16 catalyst was synthesized by a two-step method: first, the SBA-16 material was produced, and then it was impregnated with the titanium source. The Ti-SBA-16 catalyst was subjected to detailed characterizations by means of instrumental methods: XRD (X-ray Diffraction), UV-Vis (Ultraviolet–Visible) spectroscopy, FTIR (Fourier-Transform Infrared) spectroscopy, SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy) with EDX (Energy Dispersive X-ray) spectroscopy, and EDXRF (Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence). Both limonene and S-carvone underwent isomerization over the Ti-SBA-16 catalyst. In the isomerization of limonene, the main product was terpinolene, and its highest yield amounted to 39 mol% after 300 min at 170 °C with a catalyst content of 15 wt%. Under these conditions, the conversion of limonene reached 78 mol%. In contrast, the highest yield of carvacrol (65 mol%) was obtained with the catalyst content of 15 wt%, at 200 °C, and with the conversion of S-carvone reaching 79 mol%.
The Activation of Prothrombin Seems to Play an Earlier Role than the Complement System in the Progression of Colorectal Cancer: A Mass Spectrometry Evaluation
Authors: Beitia Maider , Romano Paolo , Larrinaga Gorka , Solano-Iturri Jon Danel , Salis Annalisa , Damonte Gianluca , Bruzzone Marco , Ceppi Marcello , Profumo Aldo
Published: December 2020

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second cause of death in men and the third in women. This work deals with the study of the low molecular weight protein fraction of sera from patients who underwent surgery for CRC and who were followed for several years thereafter. MALDI-TOF MS was used to identify serum peptidome profiles of healthy controls, non-metastatic CRC patients and metastatic CRC patients. A multiple regression model was applied to signals preliminarily selected by SAM analysis to take into account the age and gender differences between the groups. We found that, while a signal m/z 2021.08, corresponding to the C3f fragment of the complement system, appears significantly increased only in serum from metastatic CRC patients, a m/z 1561.72 signal, identified as a prothrombin fragment, has a significantly increased abundance in serum from non-metastatic patients as well. The findings were also validated by a bootstrap resampling procedure. The present results provide the basis for further studies on large cohorts of patients in order to confirm C3f and prothrombin as potential serum biomarkers. Thus, new and non-invasive tests might be developed to improve the classification of colorectal cancer.
Shortened Tracer Uptake Time in GA-68-DOTATOC-PET of Meningiomas Does Not Impair Diagnostic Accuracy and PET Volume Definition
Authors: Graef Josefine , Senger Carolin , Wetz Christoph , Baur Alexander D. J. , Kluge Anne K. , Lukas Mathias , Rogasch Julian M. M. , Walter-Rittel Thula C. , Kohnert David , Makowski Marcus , Acker Güliz , Huang Kai , Budach Volker , Amthauer Holger , Schatka Imke , Furth Christian
Published: December 2020

Ga-68-DOTATOC-PET/MRI can affect the planning target volume (PTV) definition of meningiomas before radiosurgery. A shorter tracer uptake time before image acquisition could allow the examination of more patients. The aim of this study was to investigate if shortening uptake time is possible without compromising diagnostic accuracy and PET volume. Fifteen patients (f = 12; mean age 52 years (34–80 years)) with meningiomas were prospectively examined with dynamic [68Ga]Ga-68-labeled [DOTA0-Phe1-Tyr3] octreotide (Ga-68-DOTATOC)-PET/MRI over 70 min before radiosurgery planning. Meningiomas were delineated manually in the PET dataset. PET volumes at each time point were compared to the reference standard 60 min post tracer injection (p.i.) using the Friedman test followed by a Wilcoxon signed-rank test and Bonferroni correction. In all patients, the earliest time point with 100% lesion detection compared to 60 min p.i. was identified. PET volumes did not change significantly from 15 min p.i. (p = 1.0) compared to 60 min p.i. The earliest time point with 100% lesion detection in all patients was 10 min p.i. In patients with meningiomas undergoing Ga-68-DOTATOC-PET, the tracer uptake time can safely be reduced to 15 min p.i. with comparable PET volume and 100% lesion detection compared to 60 min p.i.
Comparing Absorbable and Nonabsorbable Suture Materials for Repair of Achilles Tendon Rupture: A Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Based Study
Authors: Cho Jaeho , Kim Hyun-Joo , Lee Jeong Seok , Kim Jahyung , Won Sung Hun , Yi Young , Chun Dong-Il
Published: December 2020

We aimed to compare magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings and corresponding clinical outcomes of repaired Achilles tendons using absorbable and nonabsorbable sutures. Patients who underwent Achilles tendon repair were divided into 2 groups, with 11 in the absorbable group (group A) and 11 in the nonabsorbable group (group B). For all patients, MRI findings taken 6 months postoperatively were evaluated for morphological changes in the tendon. Concurrently, the American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle-hind foot score and incidence of postoperative complications were evaluated. Regarding MRI findings, the extent to which the cross-sectional area of the repaired tendon was thicker than that of the preoperative tendon was significantly greater in group B than in group A (p = 0.0012). Notably, more stitches remained within the tendon in group B than in group A (p = 0.0063). No other MRI findings showed a significant difference between the two groups. No significant difference was observed in the AOFAS score, and there was one re-rupture each in both groups. Because nonabsorbable suture material in the treatment of Achilles tendon rupture yielded a thicker postoperative MRI cross-sectional area, enhanced rehabilitation is recommended in order to prevent scar formation.
Exploiting the Massey Gap
Authors: Tănăsescu Andrei , Popescu Pantelimon George
Published: December 2020

In this paper, we find new refinements to the Massey inequality, which relates the Shannon and guessing entropies, introducing a new concept: the Massey gap. By shrinking the Massey gap, we improve all previous work without introducing any new parameters, providing closed-form strict refinements, as well as a numerical procedure improving them even further.
A Novel Printable Tag of M-Shaped Strips for Chipless Radio-Frequency Identification in IoT Applications
Authors: Abdulkawi Wazie M. , Issa Khaled , Sheta Abdel-Fattah A. , Alshebeili Saleh A.
Published: December 2020

There is a growing interest in chipless radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology for a number of Internet of things (IoT) applications. This is due to its advantages of being of low-cost, low-power, and fully printable. In addition, it enjoys ease of implementation. In this paper, we present a novel, compact, chipless radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag that can be read with either vertical or horizontal polarization within its frequency bandwidth. This increases the sturdiness and detection ability of the RFID system. In addition, the difference between the vertical and horizontal responses can be used for tag identification. The proposed tag uses strip length variations to double the coding capacity and thereby reduce the overall size by almost 50%. It has a coding capacity of 20 bits in the operating bandwidth 3 GHz–7.5 GHz, and its spatial density is approximately 11 bits/cm2. The proposed tag has a 4.44 bits/GHz spectral capacity, 2.44 bits/cm2/GHz encoding capacity, a spatial density at the center frequency of 358.33 bits/λ2, and an encoding capacity at the center frequency of 79.63 bits/λ2/GHz. A prototype is fabricated and experimentally tested at a distance of 10 cm from the RFID reader system. Then, we compare the measured results with the simulations. The simulated results are in reasonable agreement with the simulated ones.
Congestion Probabilities in a Multi-Cluster C-RAN Servicing a Mixture of Traffic Sources
Authors: Chousainov Iskanter-Alexandros , Moscholios Ioannis , Sarigiannidis Panagiotis
Published: December 2020

A multi-cluster cloud radio access network (C-RAN) is considered in this paper where the remote radio heads (RRHs) form different clusters. A cluster includes RRHs that have the same radio resource unit capacity. In addition, all RRHs are separated from the common pool of computational resource units named baseband units. Each RRH accommodates calls whose arrival process can be random, quasi-random, or even bursty. The latter is modeled according to the compound Poisson process where calls arrive in the C-RAN in the form of batches whose size (in calls) is generally distributed. An arriving call requires a radio and a computational resource unit so as to be accepted in the C-RAN. If at least one of these units is not available, the call is blocked. To analyze the proposed multi-cluster C-RAN we model it as a loss system, show that the steady-state probabilities have a product form solution and propose an algorithm for the computation of congestion probabilities. The accuracy of the proposed algorithm is verified via simulation.
A Radio Frequency Magnetoelectric Antenna Prototyping Platform for Neural Activity Monitoring Devices with Sensing and Energy Harvesting Capabilities
Authors: Das Diptashree , Nasrollahpour Mehdi , Xu Ziyue , Zaeimbashi Mohsen , Martos-Repath Isabel , Mittal Ankit , Khalifa Adam , Cash Sydney S. , Shrivastava Aatmesh , Sun Nian X. , Onabajo Marvin
Published: December 2020

This article describes the development of a radio frequency (RF) platform for electromagnetically modulated signals that makes use of a software-defined radio (SDR) to receive information from a novel magnetoelectric (ME) antenna capable of sensing low-frequency magnetic fields with ultra-low magnitudes. The platform is employed as part of research and development to utilize miniaturized ME antennas and integrated circuits for neural recording with wireless implantable devices. To prototype the reception of electromagnetically modulated signals from a sensor, a versatile Universal Software Radio Peripheral (USRP) and the GNU Radio toolkit are utilized to enable real-time signal processing under varying operating conditions. Furthermore, it is demonstrated how a radio frequency signal transmitted from the SDR can be captured by the ME antenna for wireless energy harvesting.
Duty-Cycled Wireless Power Transmission for Millimeter-Sized Biomedical Implants
Authors: Akram Muhammad Abrar , Yang Kai-Wen , Ha Sohmyung
Published: December 2020

Wireless power transmission (WPT) using an inductively coupled link is one of the most popular approaches to deliver power wirelessly to biomedical implants. As the electromagnetic wave travels through the tissue, it is attenuated and absorbed by the tissue, resulting in much weaker electromagnetic coupling than in the air. As a result, the received input power on the implant is very weak, and so is the input voltage at the rectifier, which is the first block that receives the power on the implant. With such a small voltage amplitude, the rectifier inevitably has a very poor power conversion efficiency (PCE), leading to a poor power transfer efficiency (PTE) of the overall WPT system. To address this challenge, we propose a new system-level WPT method based on duty cycling of the power transmission for millimeter-scale implants. In the proposed method, the power transmitter (TX) transmits the wave with a duty cycle. It transmits only during a short period of time and pauses for a while instead of transmitting the wave continuously. In doing so, the TX power during the active period can be increased while preserving the average TX power and the specific absorption rate (SAR). Then, the incoming voltage becomes significantly larger at the rectifier, so the rectifier can rectify the input with a higher PCE, leading to improved PTE. To investigate the design challenges and applicability of the proposed duty-cycled WPT method, a case for powering a 1 × 1-mm2-sized neural implant through the skull is constructed. The implant, a TX, and the associated environment are modeled in High-Frequency Structure Simulator (HFSS), and the circuit simulations are conducted in Cadence with circuit components in a 180-nm CMOS process. At a load resistor of 100 kΩ, an output capacitor of 4 nF, and a carrier frequency of 144 MHz, the rectifier’s DC output voltage and PCE are increased by 300% (from 1.5 V to 6 V) and by 50% (from 14% to 64%), respectively, when the duty cycle ratio of the proposed duty-cycled power transmission is varied from 100% to 5%.
Fractional PIλD Controller Design for a Magnetic Levitation System
Authors: Bauer Waldemar , Baranowski Jerzy
Published: December 2020

Currently, there are no formalized methods for tuning non-integer order controllers. This is due to the fact that implementing these systems requires using an approximation of the non-integer order terms. The Oustaloup approximation method of the sα fractional derivative is intuitive and widely adopted in the design of fractional-order PIλD controllers. It requires special considerations for real-time implementations as it is prone to numerical instability. In this paper, for design and tuning of fractional regulators, we propose two methods.The first method relies on Nyquist stability criterion and stability margins. We base the second on parametric optimization via Simulated Annealing of multiple performance indicators. We illustrate our methods with a case study of the PIλD controller for the Magnetic Levitation System. We illustrate our methods’ efficiency with both simulations and experimental verification in both nominal and disturbed operation.
QoS Priority-Based Mobile Personal Cell Deployment with Load Balancing for Interference Reduction between Users on Coexisting Public Safety and Railway LTE Networks
Authors: Ahmad Ishtiaq , Jang JinYoung , Chang KyungHi
Published: December 2020

The Republic of Korea has played a leading role in the development of next-generation long-term evolution (LTE) public safety networks. The LTE-based public safety (PS-LTE) network, the LTE-based high-speed railway (LTE-R) network, and the LTE-based maritime (LTE-M) network use the same 700 MHz frequency band. That results in severe co-channel interference (CCI), so there is a dire need for practical research into resolving the CCI issue. Moreover, unplanned deployment of the mobile personal cell (mPC) generates serious user-association issues owing to its movement, which leads to severe co-channel interference in coexisting PS-LTE and LTE-R networks. Indeed, it is important to satisfy users’ quality of service (QoS) requirements during resource allocation in specific public safety situations. Therefore, we address the CCI issues through wise deployment of the mPC for user association and load balancing in overlapping PS-LTE and LTE-R networks. In this paper, we propose a QoS mPC deployment (QoS_mPCD) scheme for priority-based load balancing and interference reduction in coexisting PS-LTE and LTE-R networks. The proposed scheme efficiently manages the user-association and load-balancing problems, and allocates the best resources to high-priority users based on defined service priority levels. Moreover, we employ an enhanced inter-cell interference coordination (eICIC) scheme that further reduces the interference with the users offloaded onto an mPC. System-level simulations are performed to evaluate the proposed QoS_mPCD scheme by considering important performance matrices such as user equipment (UE) throughput, UE received interference, and UE outage probabilities.
Experimental Investigation on Permeability Evolution of Dolomite Caprock under Triaxial Compression
Authors: Xu Deng , Liu Jianfeng , Wu Zhide , Wang Lu , Liu Hejuan , Xiao Fukun , Zeng Yin , Lyu Cheng
Published: December 2020

In order to study the influence of different confining pressures on the stability and airtightness of dolomite underground gas storage, a permeability test under hydrostatic confining pressure, conventional triaxial compression test and gas–solid coupling test under triaxial compression were carried out on MTS815 test machine. During the tests, an acoustic emission (AE) monitoring system was also employed to estimate the rock damage. The experimental results showed that the relationships between permeability, porosity and hydrostatic confining pressure were exponential function and power function, respectively. Increasing confining pressure reduced the porosity and permeability of dolomite, and increased its triaxial compressive strength, but the addition of nitrogen reduced the compressive strength of dolomite by 10~30%, the higher the confining pressure, the smaller the difference. Compared with the maximum permeability under 15 MPa, confining pressure in the gas–solid coupling experiment, the maximum permeability under confining pressure of 30, 45, and 60 MPa is reduced by 42.0%, 84.4%, and 97.9%, respectively. In addition, the AE activity of dolomite decreases significantly with the increase in confining pressure, which also delayed the arrival of the AE active period.
Environmental Risk Related to the Exploration and Exploitation of Coalbed Methane
Authors: Uliasz-Misiak Barbara , Misiak Jacek , Lewandowska-Śmierzchalska Joanna , Matuła Rafał
Published: December 2020

In coal seams, depending on the composition of coal macerals, rank of coal, burial history, and migration of thermogenic and/or biogenic gas. In one ton of coal 1 to 25 m3 of methane can be accumulated. Accumulation of this gas is included in unconventional deposits. Exploitation of methane from coal seams is carried out with wells from mining excavations (during mining operations), wells drilled to abandoned coal mines, and wells from the surface to unexploited coal seams. Due to the low permeability of the coal matrix, hydraulic fracturing is also commonly used. Operations related to exploration (drilling works) and exploitation of methane from coal seams were analyzed. The preliminary analysis of the environmental threats associated with the exploration and exploitation of coalbed methane has made it possible to identify types of risks that affect the environment in various ways. The environmental risks were estimated as the product of the probability weightings of adverse events occurring and weightings of consequences. Drilling operations and coalbed methane (CBM) exploitation leads to environmental risks, for which the risk category falls within the controlled and accepted range.
The Linkages between Crude Oil and Food Prices
Authors: Roman Monika , Górecka Aleksandra , Domagała Joanna
Published: December 2020

This paper aims to indicate the linkages between crude oil prices and selected food price indexes (dairy, meat, oils, cereals, and sugar) and provide an empirical specification of the direction of the impact. This paper reviews the fuel–food price linkage models with consideration to the time series literature. This study adopts several methods, namely the Augmented Dickey–Fuller test, Granger causality test, the cointegration test, the vector autoregression model, and the vector error correction model, for studying the price transmission among the crude oil and five selected food groups. The data series covers the period between January 1990 and September 2020. The empirical results from the paper indicate that there are long-term relationships between crude oil and meat prices. The linkage of crude oil prices occurred with food, cereal, and oil prices in the short term. Furthermore, the linkages between the analyzed variables increased in 2006–2020.
Application of Phase Change Tracking Approach in Predicting Condensate Blockage in Tight, Low, and High Permeability Reservoirs
Authors: Bilotu Onoabhagbe Benedicta , Russell Paul , Ugwu Johnson , Rezaei Gomari Sina
Published: December 2020

Prediction of the timing and location of condensate build-up around the wellbore in gas condensate reservoirs is essential for the selection of appropriate methods for condensate recovery from these challenging reservoirs. The present work focuses on the use of a novel phase change tracking approach in monitoring the formation of condensate blockage in a gas condensate reservoir. The procedure entails the simulation of tight, low and high permeability reservoirs using global and local grid analysis in determining the size and timing of three common regions (Region 1, near wellbore; Region 2, condensate build-up; and Region 3, single-phase gas) associated with single and two-phase gas and immobile and mobile gas condensate. The results show that permeability has a significant influence on the occurrence of the three regions around the well, which in turn affects the productivity of the gas condensate reservoir studied. Predictions of the timing and location of condensate in reservoirs with different permeability levels of 1 mD to 100 mD indicate that local damage enhances condensate formation by 60% and shortens the duration of the immobile phase by 45%. Meanwhile, the global change in permeability increases condensate formation by 80% and reduces the presence of the immobile phase by 60%. Finally, this predictive approach can help in mitigating condensate blockage around the wellbore during production.