bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Deep Neural Network for Ore Production and Crusher Utilization Prediction of Truck Haulage System in Underground Mine
Authors: Baek Jieun , Choi Yosoon
Published: October 2019

A new method using a deep neural network (DNN) model is proposed to predict the ore production and crusher utilization of a truck haulage system in an underground mine. An underground limestone mine was selected as the study area, and the DNN model input/output nodes were designed to reflect the truck haulage system characteristics. Big data collected on-site for 1 month were processed to create learning datasets. To select the optimal DNN learning model, the numbers of hidden layers and hidden layer nodes were set to various values for analyzing the training and test data. The optimal DNN model structure for ore production prediction was set to five hidden layers and 40 hidden layer nodes. The test data exhibited a coefficient of determination of 0.99 and mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) of 2.80%. The optimal configuration for the crusher utilization prediction was set to four hidden layers and 40 hidden layer nodes, and the test data exhibited a coefficient of determination of 0.99 and MAPE of 2.49%. The trained DNN model was used to predict the ore production and crusher utilization, which were similar to the actual observed values.
Comparative Evaluation of Flexural Strength and Flexural Modulus of Different Periodontal Splint Materials: An In Vitro Study
Authors: Saquib Shahabe , Abdullah AlQarni , Gotam Das , Talib Naqash , Muhammad Sibghatullah , Sultana AlHaid
Published: October 2019

Splinting of the mobile teeth is a critical part of periodontal management to improve the prognosis and longevity of stable results of periodontally compromised teeth with increased mobility. Different types of splints are used in the dental field based on their mechanical and physical properties.The objective of the current in vitro study was to evaluate the flexure strength and flexural modulus of different types of splinting materials, such as: composite block, ligature wire, Ribbond®, InFibra®, and F-splint-Aid® bonded utilizing Flowable composites resin material. Seventy-five bar specimens were prepared with the dimensions of 25 × 4 × 2 mm, utilizing split metallic mold. Specimens were divided equally (n = 15) into five groups (one control group, four test groups). Different layers of splinting material were placed in between the layers of composite before curing. All the specimens were subjected to a three-point bending test by using a universal testing machine to calculate the flexural strength and flexural modulus. The entire data was subjected to statistical tests to evaluate the significance. Specimens from composite block groups showed the least mean value for flexural strength (89.15 ± 9.70 MPa) and flexural modulus (4.310 ± 0.912 GPa). Whereas, the highest mean value for flexural strength (168.04 ± 45.95 MPa) and flexural modulus (5.861 ± 0.501 GPa) were recorded by Ribbond® specimens. Inter group comparison of flexural strength showed statistically significant differences (P-value < 0.05), whereas comparison of flexural modulus showed non-significant difference among the groups (P-value > 0.05). Within the limitation of the present study, it was concluded that the Ribbond® exhibits maximum flexural strength and flexural modulus, whereas the composite blocks recorded the least values. Still, the decision making depends on the clinical scenario and the unique characteristic of each splint material.
Evolution Mechanism of Wind Vibration Coefficient and Stability Performance during the Whole Construction Process for Super Large Cooling Towers
Authors: Ke Shitang , Zhu Peng , Xu Lu , Ge Yaojun
Published: October 2019

Wind-induced damage during the construction process and the evolution of damage over time are important reasons for the wind-induced destruction of large cooling towers. In fact, wind vibration coefficient and stability performance will evolve with the construction height and material properties over time. However, the existing studies generally ignore the impact of wind load and structural performance during the construction period. In this study, we built the 3D physical model separately for all eight construction stages a super large cooling tower which is being currently constructed and stands 210 m. The dynamic characteristics of the cooling tower were analyzed in each stage. First, the flow field information and 3D time history of aerodynamic forces were obtained for the whole construction process using large eddy simulation (LES). Full transient dynamic finite element analysis was used to calculate the dynamic responses of the tower under the real-time changes of wind loads during the whole construction process. Five calculation methods were used to trace the evolution of wind vibration coefficient during the whole construction process of the super large cooling tower. Then the formula for wind vibration coefficient changing with the construction height was fitted. The differential values of wind vibration coefficient during the whole construction process of the cooling tower were discussed by taking the meridional axial force as the objective function. On this basis, the influence and working mechanism of wind vibration coefficient, concrete age, construction load, geometric nonlinearity, internal suction force on buckling stability, and ultimate bearing capacity of the cooling towers were investigated. This research provides an enhanced understanding on the evolution of wind-induced stability performance in super large cooling towers and a methodology to prevent wind-induced damage during the construction process.
Anthropomorphic Prosthetic Hand with Combination of Light Weight and Diversiform Motions
Authors: Jing Xiaobei , Yong Xu , Jiang Yinlai , Li Guanglin , Yokoi Hiroshi
Published: October 2019

Most prosthetic hands adopt an under-actuated mechanism to achieve dexterous motion performance with a lightweight and anthropomorphic design. Many have been verified in laboratories, and some have already been commercialized. However, a trade-off exists between the dexterity and the light weight of such prosthetic hands. In general, current commercially available prosthetic hands usually consider one aspect at the expense of the other, such as obtaining diversiform hand motions but an increased weight, or achieving lightweight design but with limited motion functions. This study attempts to attain a balance between the two factors, by realizing diversiform hand motions while reducing the weight as far as possible. An anthropomorphic prosthetic hand is proposed with only three servomotors embedded in a human-sized palm, with multiple functions, such as a stable/adaptive grasp and passive hyperextension. The proposed hand can achieve 13 grasp types with over 80% of the grasp motions under the Cutkosky taxonomy, while it weighs only 132.5 g, at less than 36% of the prosthesis weight limitation based on the study of Kay et al.
Distributed Control for Leader-Following Consensus Problem of Second-Order Multi-Agent Systems and Its Application to Motion Synchronization
Authors: Shi Huaitao , Hou Maxiao , Wu Yuhou
Published: October 2019

This paper solves the leader-following consensus problem for a class of second-order multi-agent systems with input quantized by a newly proposed adaptive dynamic quantizer. The novel dynamic quantizer is an adaptive quantizer that combines the logarithmic quantizer and the uniform quantizer by introducing dynamic gain parameters to achieve quantizer adaptive adjustment. It has advantages of logarithmic, uniform, and adaptive dynamic quantizers in ensuring reducible communication expenses and acceptable quantizer errors for better system performance. On this basis, we transform the guide way climbing frame (GWCF) under ideal conditions into a second-order multi-agent system and solve the motion synchronization problem of GWCF. Finally, we illustrate our approach by numerical examples.
Multi-Feature Fusion with Convolutional Neural Network for Ship Classification in Optical Images
Authors: Ren Yongmei , Yang Jie , Zhang Qingnian , Guo Zhiqiang
Published: October 2019

The appearance of ships is easily affected by external factors—illumination, weather conditions, and sea state—that make ship classification a challenging task. To facilitate realization of enhanced ship-classification performance, this study proposes a ship classification method based on multi-feature fusion with a convolutional neural network (CNN). First, an improved CNN characterized by shallow layers and few parameters is proposed to learn high-level features and capture structural information. Second, handcrafted features of the histogram of oriented gradients (HOG) and local binary patterns (LBP) are combined with high-level features extracted by the improved CNN in the last fully connected layer to obtain discriminative feature representation. The handcrafted features supplement the edge information and spatial texture information of the ship images. Then, the Softmax function is used to classify different types of ships in the output layer. Effectiveness of the proposed method is evaluated based on its application to two datasets—one self-built and the other publicly available, called visible and infrared spectrums (VAIS). As observed, the proposed method demonstrated attainment of average classification accuracies equal to 97.50% and 93.60%, respectively, when applied to these datasets. Additionally, results obtained in terms of the F1-score and confusion matrix demonstrate the proposed method to be superior to some state-of-the-art methods.
Tannin Gels and Their Carbon Derivatives: A Review
Authors: Braghiroli Flavia Lega , Amaral-Labat Gisele , Boss Alan Fernando Ney , Lacoste Clément , Pizzi Antonio
Published: October 2019

Tannins are one of the most natural, non-toxic, and highly reactive aromatic biomolecules classified as polyphenols. The reactive phenolic compounds present in their chemical structure can be an alternative precursor for the preparation of several polymeric materials for applications in distinct industries: adhesives and coatings, leather tanning, wood protection, wine manufacture, animal feed industries, and recently also in the production of new porous materials (i.e., foams and gels). Among these new polymeric materials synthesized with tannins, organic and carbon gels have shown remarkable textural and physicochemical properties. Thus, this review presents and discusses the available studies on organic and carbon gels produced from tannin feedstock and how their properties are related to the different operating conditions, hence causing their cross-linking reaction mechanisms. Moreover, the steps during tannin gels preparation, such as the gelation and curing processes (under normal or hydrothermal conditions), solvent extraction, and gel drying approaches (i.e., supercritical, subcritical, and freeze-drying) as well as the methods available for their carbonization (i.e., pyrolysis and activation) are presented and discussed. Findings from organic and carbon tannin gels features demonstrate that their physicochemical and textural properties can vary greatly depending on the synthesis parameters, drying conditions, and carbonization methods. Research is still ongoing on the improvement of tannin gels synthesis and properties, but the review evaluates the application of these highly porous materials in multidisciplinary areas of science and engineering, including thermal insulation, contaminant sorption in drinking water and wastewater, and electrochemistry. Finally, the substitution of phenolic materials (i.e., phenol and resorcinol) by tannin in the production of gels could be beneficial to both the bioeconomy and the environment due to its low-cost, bio-based, non-toxic, and non-carcinogenic characteristics.
Investigating the Multi-Target Pharmacological Mechanism of Hedyotis diffusa Willd Acting on Prostate Cancer: A Network Pharmacology Approach
Authors: Song Yanan , Wang Haiyan , Pan Yajing , Liu Tonghua
Published: October 2019

Hedyotis diffusa Willd (HDW) is one of the most well-known herbs used in the treatment of prostate cancer. However, the potential mechanisms of its anti-tumor effects have not been fully explored. Here, we applied a network pharmacology approach to explore the potential mechanisms of HDW against prostate cancer (PCa). We obtained 14 active compounds from HDW and 295 potential PCa related targets in total to construct a network, which indicated that quercetin and ursolic acid served as the main ingredients in HDW. Mitogen-activated Protein Kinase 8 (MAPK8), Interleukin 6 (IL6), Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A (VEGFA), Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 (STAT3), Jun Proto-Oncogene (JUN), C-X-C Motif Chemokine Ligand 8 (CXCL8), Interleukin-1 Beta (IL1B), Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 (MMP9), C-C Motif Chemokine Ligand 2 (CCL2), RELA Proto-Oncogene (RELA), and CAMP Responsive Element Binding Protein 1 (CREB1) were identified as key targets of HDW in the treatment of PCa. The protein–protein interaction (PPI) cluster demonstrated that CREB1 was the seed in this cluster, indicating that CREB1 plays an important role in connecting other nodes in the PPI network. This enrichment demonstrated that HDW was highly related to translesion synthesis, unfolded protein binding, regulation of mitotic recombination, phosphatidylinositol and its kinase-mediated signaling, nucleotide excision repair, regulation of DNA recombination, and DNA topological change. The enrichment results also showed that the underlying mechanism of HDW against PCa may be due to its coordinated regulation of several cancer-related pathways, such as angiogenesis, cell differentiation, migration, apoptosis, invasion, and proliferation.
Current Management of Pheochromocytoma/Paraganglioma: A Guide for the Practicing Clinician in the Era of Precision Medicine
Authors: Nölting Svenja , Ullrich Martin , Pietzsch Jens , Ziegler Christian G. , Eisenhofer Graeme , Grossman Ashley , Pacak Karel
Published: October 2019

Pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas (PCC/PGLs) are rare, mostly catecholamine-producing neuroendocrine tumors of the adrenal gland (PCCs) or the extra-adrenal paraganglia (PGL). They can be separated into three different molecular clusters depending on their underlying gene mutations in any of the at least 20 known susceptibility genes: The pseudohypoxia-associated cluster 1, the kinase signaling-associated cluster 2, and the Wnt signaling-associated cluster 3. In addition to tumor size, location (adrenal vs. extra-adrenal), multiplicity, age of first diagnosis, and presence of metastatic disease (including tumor burden), other decisive factors for best clinical management of PCC/PGL include the underlying germline mutation. The above factors can impact the choice of different biomarkers and imaging modalities for PCC/PGL diagnosis, as well as screening for other neoplasms, staging, follow-up, and therapy options. This review provides a guide for practicing clinicians summarizing current management of PCC/PGL according to tumor size, location, age of first diagnosis, presence of metastases, and especially underlying mutations in the era of precision medicine.
Validation of the Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment as a Predictor of Mortality in Elderly Glioblastoma Patients
Authors: Lombardi Giuseppe , Bergo Eleonora , Caccese Mario , Padovan Marta , Bellu Luisa , Brunello Antonella , Zagonel Vittorina
Published: October 2019

Background: Treatment of elderly glioblastoma patients (EGP) is a challenge in neuro-oncology. The comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) is currently used to assess geriatric oncological patients with other types of tumors. We performed a large retrospective study to analyze its predictive role in EGP. Methods: Patients aged ≥65 years with histologically confirmed diagnosis of glioblastoma were enrolled. CGA included the following tests: the Cumulative Illness Rating Scale-Comorbidity and Severity Index, Activities of Daily Living, Instrumental Activities of Daily Living, the Mini Mental State Examination, and the Geriatric Depression Scale. Based on CGA results, each patient was categorized as fit, vulnerable, or frail. Results: We enrolled 113 patients. According to the CGA scores, 35% of patients were categorized as “fit”, 30% as “vulnerable”, and 35% as “frail” patients. Median overall survival was 16.5, 12.1, and 10.3 months in fit, vulnerable, and frail patients (p = 0.1), respectively. On multivariate analysis, the CGA score resulted an independent predictor of survival; indeed, vulnerable and frail patients had a hazard ratio of 1.5 and 2.2, respectively, compared to fit patients (p = 0.04). No association between CGA and progression-free survival (PFS) was demonstrated. Conclusions: The CGA score proved to be a significant predictor of mortality in EGP, and it could be a useful treatment decision tool.
Validation of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Experimental Models for TGF-β Promoting Tumor Progression
Authors: Mancarella Serena , Krol Silke , Crovace Alberto , Leporatti Stefano , Dituri Francesco , Frusciante Martina , Giannelli Gianluigi
Published: October 2019

Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) is a pleiotropic cytokine with dual role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). It acts as tumor-suppressor and tumor-promoter in the early and late stage respectively. TGF-β influences the tumor-stroma cross-talk affecting the tumoral microenvironment. Therefore, inhibiting the TGF- β mediated pathway alone and/or in combination with chemotherapeutics represents an important therapeutic option. Experimental models to dissect the role of TGF-β in HCC tumor progression as well as the effectiveness of specific inhibitors are tricky. HCC cell lines respond to TGF-β according to their epithelial phenotype. However, the mesenchymal and more aggressive HCC cell lines in vitro, do not develop tumors when transplanted in vivo, thus hampering the understanding of molecular pathways that dictate outcome. In addition, in this model the native immune system is abolished, therefore the contribution of inflammation in hepatocarcinogenesis is unreliable. Different strategies have been set up to engineer HCC animal models, including genetically modified mice, chemically induced HCC, or hydrodynamic techniques. Patient-derived xenograft is currently probably the most fascinating model, keeping in mind that models cannot mirror all the reality. In this context, we discuss the different available HCC mouse models including our experimental model treated with inhibitor of TGF-β receptor Type I kinase (Galunisertib) and a potential role of exosomes in TGF-β moderated tumor progression of HCC. Unfortunately, no positive results were obtained in our treated orthotopic model because it does not reproduce the critical tumor-stroma interactions of the HCC.
Gene-Specific Targeting of DNA Methylation in the Mammalian Genome
Authors: Urbano Arthur , Smith Jim , Weeks Robert J. , Chatterjee Aniruddha
Published: October 2019

DNA methylation is the most widely-studied epigenetic modification, playing a critical role in the regulation of gene expression. Dysregulation of DNA methylation is implicated in the pathogenesis of numerous diseases. For example, aberrant DNA methylation in promoter regions of tumor-suppressor genes has been strongly associated with the development and progression of many different tumors. Accordingly, technologies designed to manipulate DNA methylation at specific genomic loci are very important, especially in the context of cancer therapy. Traditionally, epigenomic editing technologies have centered around zinc finger proteins (ZFP)- and transcription activator-like effector protein (TALE)-based targeting. More recently, however, the emergence of clustered regulatory interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-deactivated Cas9 (dCas9)-based editing systems have shown to be a more specific and efficient method for the targeted manipulation of DNA methylation. Here, we describe the regulation of the DNA methylome, its significance in cancer and the current state of locus-specific editing technologies for altering DNA methylation.
Sorafenib-Regorafenib Sequential Therapy in Japanese Patients with Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma—Relative Dose Intensity and Post-Regorafenib Therapies in Real World Practice
Authors: Wang Wan , Tsuchiya Kaoru , Kurosaki Masayuki , Yasui Yutaka , Inada Kento , Kirino Sakura , Yamashita Koji , Sekiguchi Shuhei , Hayakawa Yuka , Osawa Leona , Okada Mao , Higuchi Mayu , Takaura Kenta , Maeyashiki Chiaki , Kaneko Shun , Tamaki Nobuharu , Nakanishi Hiroyuki , Itakura Jun , Takahashi Yuka , Asahina Yasuhiro , Enomoto Nobuyuki , Izumi Namiki
Published: October 2019

Background: We aimed to explore the relative dose intensity (RDI) and post-regorafenib treatments in regorafenib therapy. Methods: The medical records of 38 patients treated with regorafenib between July 2017 and June 2019 at our institution were collected. The RDI of regorafenib for the first month (1M-RDI) was calculated. Results: The overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were 12.4 and 3.7 months. The objective response rate and disease control rate were 13.2% and 71.1%. The median total dose of regorafenib in the first month was 2080 mg (240–3360 mg), and the median 1M-RDI was 61.9% (7.1–100%). Patients with 1M-RDI ≥ 50% showed significantly longer OS and PFS than patients with 1M-RDI < 50% (HR 0.19, 95% CI 0.08–0.48, p = 0.0004 and HR 0.2, 95% CI 0.08–0.52, p = 0.0008). A 1M-RDI ≥ 50% (HR 0.18, 95% CI 0.06–0.55, p = 0.002) and hand–foot skin reaction (HR 0.03, 95% CI 0.008–0.16, p < 0.0001) were independently associated with OS. Post-regorafenib therapies were performed in 19 (86.4%) of 22 patients who had stopped regorafenib due to disease progression. Conclusion: A 1M-RDI ≥ 50% is clinically significant. Post-regorafenib therapies are commonly performed in real-world practice.
Defective Excitatory/Inhibitory Synaptic Balance and Increased Neuron Apoptosis in a Zebrafish Model of Dravet Syndrome
Authors: Brenet Alexandre , Hassan-Abdi Rahma , Somkhit Julie , Yanicostas Constantin , Soussi-Yanicostas Nadia
Published: October 2019

Dravet syndrome is a type of severe childhood epilepsy that responds poorly to current anti-epileptic drugs. In recent years, zebrafish disease models with Scn1Lab sodium channel deficiency have been generated to seek novel anti-epileptic drug candidates, some of which are currently undergoing clinical trials. However, the spectrum of neuronal deficits observed following Scn1Lab depletion in zebrafish larvae has not yet been fully explored. To fill this gap and gain a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying neuron hyperexcitation in Scn1Lab-depleted larvae, we analyzed neuron activity in vivo using combined local field potential recording and transient calcium uptake imaging, studied the distribution of excitatory and inhibitory synapses and neurons as well as investigated neuron apoptosis. We found that Scn1Lab-depleted larvae displayed recurrent epileptiform seizure events, associating massive synchronous calcium uptakes and ictal-like local field potential bursts. Scn1Lab-depletion also caused a dramatic shift in the neuronal and synaptic balance toward excitation and increased neuronal death. Our results thus provide in vivo evidence suggesting that Scn1Lab loss of function causes neuron hyperexcitation as the result of disturbed synaptic balance and increased neuronal apoptosis.
Role of APD-Ribosylation in Bone Health and Disease
Authors: Wang Chun , Mbalaviele Gabriel
Published: October 2019

The transfer of adenosine diphosphate (ADP)-ribose unit(s) from nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) to acceptor proteins is known as ADP-ribosylation. This post-translational modification (PTM) unavoidably alters protein functions and signaling networks, thereby impacting cell behaviors and tissue outcomes. As a ubiquitous mechanism, ADP-ribosylation affects multiple tissues, including bones, as abnormal ADP-ribosylation compromises bone development and remodeling. In this review, we describe the effects of ADP-ribosylation in bone development and maintenance, and highlight the underlying mechanisms.
Mitochondrial Dysfunction Underlies Cardiomyocyte Remodeling in Experimental and Clinical Atrial Fibrillation
Authors: Wiersma Marit , van Marion Denise M.S. , Wüst Rob C.I. , Houtkooper Riekelt H. , Zhang Deli , de Groot Natasja M.S. , Henning Robert H. , Brundel Bianca J.J.M.
Published: October 2019

Atrial fibrillation (AF), the most common progressive tachyarrhythmia, results in structural remodeling which impairs electrical activation of the atria, rendering them increasingly permissive to the arrhythmia. Previously, we reported on endoplasmic reticulum stress and NAD+ depletion in AF, suggesting a role for mitochondrial dysfunction in AF progression. Here, we examined mitochondrial function in experimental model systems for AF (tachypaced HL-1 atrial cardiomyocytes and Drosophila melanogaster) and validated findings in clinical AF. Tachypacing of HL-1 cardiomyocytes progressively induces mitochondrial dysfunction, evidenced by impairment of mitochondrial Ca2+-handling, upregulation of mitochondrial stress chaperones and a decrease in the mitochondrial membrane potential, respiration and ATP production. Atrial biopsies from AF patients display mitochondrial dysfunction, evidenced by aberrant ATP levels, upregulation of a mitochondrial stress chaperone and fragmentation of the mitochondrial network. The pathophysiological role of mitochondrial dysfunction is substantiated by the attenuation of AF remodeling by preventing an increased mitochondrial Ca2+-influx through partial blocking or downregulation of the mitochondrial calcium uniporter, and by SS31, a compound that improves bioenergetics in mitochondria. Together, these results show that conservation of the mitochondrial function protects against tachypacing-induced cardiomyocyte remodeling and identify this organelle as a potential novel therapeutic target.
Retroelement-Linked H3K4me1 Histone Tags Uncover Regulatory Evolution Trends of Gene Enhancers and Feature Quickly Evolving Molecular Processes in Human Physiology
Authors: Nikitin Daniil , Kolosov Nikita , Murzina Anastasiia , Pats Karina , Zamyatin Anton , Tkachev Victor , Sorokin Maxim , Kopylov Philippe , Buzdin Anton
Published: October 2019

Background: Retroelements (REs) are mobile genetic elements comprising ~40% of human DNA. They can reshape expression patterns of nearby genes by providing various regulatory sequences. The proportion of regulatory sequences held by REs can serve a measure of regulatory evolution rate of the respective genes and molecular pathways. Methods: We calculated RE-linked enrichment scores for individual genes and molecular pathways based on ENCODE project epigenome data for enhancer-specific histone modification H3K4me1 in five human cell lines. We identified consensus groups of molecular processes that are enriched and deficient in RE-linked H3K4me1 regulation. Results: We calculated H3K4me1 RE-linked enrichment scores for 24,070 human genes and 3095 molecular pathways. We ranked genes and pathways and identified those statistically significantly enriched and deficient in H3K4me1 RE-linked regulation. Conclusion: Non-coding RNA genes were statistically significantly enriched by RE-linked H3K4me1 regulatory modules, thus suggesting their high regulatory evolution rate. The processes of gene silencing by small RNAs, DNA metabolism/chromatin structure, sensory perception/neurotransmission and lipids metabolism showed signs of the fastest regulatory evolution, while the slowest processes were connected with immunity, protein ubiquitination/degradation, cell adhesion, migration and interaction, metals metabolism/ion transport, cell death, intracellular signaling pathways.
Below the Surface: IGF-1R Therapeutic Targeting and Its Endocytic Journey
Authors: Crudden Caitrin , Song Dawei , Cismas Sonia , Trocmé Eric , Pasca Sylvya , Calin George A. , Girnita Ada , Girnita Leonard
Published: October 2019

Ligand-activated plasma membrane receptors follow pathways of endocytosis through the endosomal sorting apparatus. Receptors cluster in clathrin-coated pits that bud inwards and enter the cell as clathrin-coated vesicles. These vesicles travel through the acidic endosome whereby receptors and ligands are sorted to be either recycled or degraded. The traditional paradigm postulated that the endocytosis role lay in signal termination through the removal of the receptor from the cell surface. It is now becoming clear that the internalization process governs more than receptor signal cessation and instead reigns over the entire spatial and temporal wiring of receptor signaling. Governing the localization, the post-translational modifications, and the scaffolding of receptors and downstream signal components established the endosomal platform as the master regulator of receptor function. Confinement of components within or between distinct organelles means that the endosome instructs the cell on how to interpret and translate the signal emanating from any given receptor complex into biological effects. This review explores this emerging paradigm with respect to the cancer-relevant insulin-like growth factor type 1 receptor (IGF-1R) and discusses how this perspective could inform future targeting strategies.
Transcriptional Regulation of Energy Metabolism in Cancer Cells
Authors: Rodríguez-Enríquez Sara , Marín-Hernández Álvaro , Gallardo-Pérez Juan Carlos , Pacheco-Velázquez Silvia Cecilia , Belmont-Díaz Javier Alejandro , Robledo-Cadena Diana Xochiquetzal , Vargas-Navarro Jorge Luis , Corona de la Peña Norma Angélica , Saavedra Emma , Moreno-Sánchez Rafael
Published: October 2019

Cancer development, growth, and metastasis are highly regulated by several transcription regulators (TRs), namely transcription factors, oncogenes, tumor-suppressor genes, and protein kinases. Although TR roles in these events have been well characterized, their functions in regulating other important cancer cell processes, such as metabolism, have not been systematically examined. In this review, we describe, analyze, and strive to reconstruct the regulatory networks of several TRs acting in the energy metabolism pathways, glycolysis (and its main branching reactions), and oxidative phosphorylation of nonmetastatic and metastatic cancer cells. Moreover, we propose which possible gene targets might allow these TRs to facilitate the modulation of each energy metabolism pathway, depending on the tumor microenvironment.
Regulation of Fibrotic Processes in the Liver by ADAM Proteases
Authors: Schmidt-Arras Dirk , Rose-John Stefan
Published: October 2019

Fibrosis in the liver is mainly associated with the activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). Both activation and clearance of HSCs can be mediated by ligand–receptor interactions. Members of the a disintegrin and metalloprotease (ADAM) family are involved in the proteolytic release of membrane-bound ligands and receptor ectodomains and the remodelling of the extracellular matrix. ADAM proteases are therefore major regulators of intercellular signalling pathways. In the present review we discuss how ADAM proteases modulate pro- and anti-fibrotic processes and how ADAM proteases might be harnessed therapeutically in the future.
The Effect of RF Sputtering Conditions on the Physical Characteristics of Deposited GeGaN Thin Film
Authors: Thao Cao Phuong , Kuo Dong-Hau , Tuan Thi Tran Anh , Tuan Kim Anh , Vu Nguyen Hoang , Via Sa Na Thach Thi , Nhut Khau Van , Sau Nguyen Van
Published: October 2019

Ge0.07GaN films were successfully made on Si (100), SiO2/Si (100) substrates by a radio frequency reactive sputtering technique at various deposition conditions listed as a range of 100–400 °C and 90–150 W with a single ceramic target containing 7 at % dopant Ge. The results showed that different RF sputtering power and heating temperature conditions affected the structural, electrical and optical properties of the sputtered Ge0.07GaN films. The as-deposited Ge0.07GaN films had an structural polycrystalline. The GeGaN films had a distorted structure under different growth conditions. The deposited-150 W Ge0.07GaN film exhibited the lowest photoenergy of 2.96 eV, the highest electron concentration of 5.50 × 1019 cm−3, a carrier conductivity of 35.2 S∙cm−1 and mobility of 4 cm2·V−1∙s−1.
Snow Cover Evolution in the Gran Paradiso National Park, Italian Alps, Using the Earth Observation Data Cube
Authors: Poussin Charlotte , Guigoz Yaniss , Palazzi Elisa , Terzago Silvia , Chatenoux Bruno , Giuliani Gregory
Published: October 2019

Mountainous regions are particularly vulnerable to climate change, and the impacts are already extensive and observable, the implications of which go far beyond mountain boundaries and the environmental sectors. Monitoring and understanding climate and environmental changes in mountain regions is, therefore, needed. One of the key variables to study is snow cover, since it represents an essential driver of many ecological, hydrological and socioeconomic processes in mountains. As remotely sensed data can contribute to filling the gap of sparse in-situ stations in high-altitude environments, a methodology for snow cover detection through time series analyses using Landsat satellite observations stored in an Open Data Cube is described in this paper, and applied to a case study on the Gran Paradiso National Park, in the western Italian Alps. In particular, this study presents a proof of concept of the preliminary version of the snow observation from space algorithm applied to Landsat data stored in the Swiss Data Cube. Implemented in an Earth Observation Data Cube environment, the algorithm can process a large amount of remote sensing data ready for analysis and can compile all Landsat series since 1984 into one single multi-sensor dataset. Temporal filtering methodology and multi-sensors analysis allows one to considerably reduce the uncertainty in the estimation of snow cover area using high-resolution sensors. The study highlights that, despite this methodology, the lack of available cloud-free images still represents a big issue for snow cover mapping from satellite data. Though accurate mapping of snow extent below cloud cover with optical sensors still represents a challenge, spatial and temporal filtering techniques and radar imagery for future time series analyses will likely allow one to reduce the current cloud cover issue.
The Global Emergence of Community Drones (2012–2017)
Authors: Vargas-Ramírez Nicolás , Paneque-Gálvez Jaime
Published: October 2019

The use of drones with or by communities—what we call community drones—has emerged globally over the last decade to serve diverse purposes. Despite a growing academic interest in community drones, most experiences have been documented as gray literature and there are still no publications that review and systematize their use worldwide. Here, we present an overview of the first experiences using community drones—what we refer to as their global emergence (2012–2017). We reviewed gray and academic literature in English and Spanish for the period 2012–2017. We then analyzed the experiences according to their location, date, purpose, type of drone(s) used, agent(s) that carried them out, and methodology used for community participation; “good” and “bad” practices were also included when information was available. We reviewed 39 experiences and found that (1) they mostly occurred in Latin America from 2014; (2) commercial and multirotor drones were the most frequently employed; (3) the main purposes were community training to acquire territorial information for improved defense and/or informed decision-making; (4) most initiatives were driven by external agents and communities’ allies; (5) the most usual forms of community participation were participatory mapping and training workshops, yet local knowledge was either neglected or little valued to complement drone information; and (6) there were no appropriate practices established for community drone usage. Our study improves the little knowledge we have regarding the global emergence of community drones, its geographic trends, and the existing opportunities and challenges to meet the needs and expectations from community drones. In addition, we provide guidelines for appropriate practices that will be useful for communities and social agents interested in the acquisition, training, and use of drones. We conclude by suggesting new avenues to develop theoretical and methodological approaches in relation to the new field of community drones.
Fuzzy Coordination Control Strategy and Thermohydraulic Dynamics Modeling of a Natural Gas Heating System for In Situ Soil Thermal Remediation
Authors: Zhai Zhuang-Zhuang , Yang Li-Man , Li Yun-Ze , Jiang Hai-Feng , Ye Yuan , Li Tian-Tian , Li En-Hui , Li Tong
Published: October 2019

Soil contamination remains a global problem. Among the different kinds of remediation technologies, in situ soil thermal remediation has attracted great attention in the environmental field, representing a potential remedial alternative for contaminated soils. Soils need to be heated to a high temperature in thermal remediation, which requires a large amount of energy. For the natural gas heating system in thermal remediation, a fuzzy coordination control strategy and thermohydraulic dynamics model have been proposed in this paper. In order to demonstrate the superiority of the strategy, the other three traditional control strategies are introduced. Analysis of the temperature rise and energy consumption of soils under different control strategies were conducted. The results showed that the energy consumption of fuzzy coordination control strategy is reduced by 33.9% compared to that of the traditional control strategy I, constant natural gas flow and excess air ratio. Further, compared to the traditional control strategy II, constant excess air ratio and desired outlet temperature of wells, the strategy proposed can reduce energy consumption by 48.7%. The results illustrate the superiority of the fuzzy coordination control strategy, and the strategy can greatly reduce energy consumption, thereby reducing the cost of in situ soil thermal remediation.
Markov Information Bottleneck to Improve Information Flow in Stochastic Neural Networks
Authors: Tang Nguyen Thanh , Choi Jaesik
Published: October 2019

While rate distortion theory compresses data under a distortion constraint, information bottleneck (IB) generalizes rate distortion theory to learning problems by replacing a distortion constraint with a constraint of relevant information. In this work, we further extend IB to multiple Markov bottlenecks (i.e., latent variables that form a Markov chain), namely Markov information bottleneck (MIB), which particularly fits better in the context of stochastic neural networks (SNNs) than the original IB. We show that Markov bottlenecks cannot simultaneously achieve their information optimality in a non-collapse MIB, and thus devise an optimality compromise. With MIB, we take the novel perspective that each layer of an SNN is a bottleneck whose learning goal is to encode relevant information in a compressed form from the data. The inference from a hidden layer to the output layer is then interpreted as a variational approximation to the layer’s decoding of relevant information in the MIB. As a consequence of this perspective, the maximum likelihood estimate (MLE) principle in the context of SNNs becomes a special case of the variational MIB. We show that, compared to MLE, the variational MIB can encourage better information flow in SNNs in both principle and practice, and empirically improve performance in classification, adversarial robustness, and multi-modal learning in MNIST.
A Complexity-Entropy Based Approach for the Detection of Fish Choruses
Authors: Siddagangaiah Shashidhar , Chen Chi-Fang , Hu Wei-Chun , Pieretti Nadia
Published: October 2019

Automated acoustic indices to infer biological sounds from marine recordings have produced mixed levels of success. The use of such indices in complex marine environments, dominated by several anthropogenic and geophonic sources, have yet to be understood fully. In this study, we introduce a noise resilient method based on complexity-entropy (hereafter named C-H) for the detection of biophonic sounds originating from fish choruses. The C-H method was tested on data collected in Changhua and Miaoli (Taiwan) during the spring in both 2016 and 2017. Miaoli was exposed to continual shipping activity, which led to an increase of ~10 dB in low frequency ambient noise levels (5–500 Hz). The acoustic dataset was successively analyzed via the acoustic complexity index, the acoustic diversity index and the bioacoustic index. The C-H method was found to be strongly correlated with fish chorusing (Pearson correlation: rH < −0.9; rC > 0.89), and robust to noise originating from shipping activity or natural sources, such as wind and tides (rH and rC were between 0.22 and −0.19). Other indices produced lower or null correlations with fish chorusing due to missed identification of the choruses or sensitivity to other sound sources. In contrast to most acoustic indices, the C-H method does not require a prior setting of frequency and amplitude thresholds, and is therefore, more user friendly to untrained technicians. We conclude that the use of the C-H method has potential implications in the efficient detection of fish choruses for management or conservation purposes and could help with overcoming the limitations of acoustic indices in noisy marine environments.
Design and Analysis of the Task Distribution Scheme of Express Center at the End of Modern Logistics
Authors: Wu Chunxue , Wu Junjie , Wu Yan , Wu Qunhui , Lin Xiao , Xiong Neal N.
Published: October 2019

With the rise and improvement of artificial intelligence technology, the express delivery industry has become more intelligent. At the terminal of modern logistics, each dispatch center has hundreds of express mail deliveries to be dispatched every day, and the number of dispatchers is far less than the number of express mail deliveries. How to assign scientific tasks to each courier dispatch is the main target of this paper. The purpose is to make the number of tasks between the various couriers in the express center roughly the same in each cycle, so that there is a more balanced income between the couriers. In the simulation experiment, the delivery addresses are clustered according to the balanced k-means algorithm. Then, the ant colony algorithm is used to plan the delivery order of the express items in each class. Then, the time cost model is established according to the delivery distance of the express items in each class and the delivery mode of the express items to calculate the delivery time cost. Through a large amount of experimental data, the standard deviation of delivery time cost of each courier gradually decreases and tends to stabilize, which suggests that this method has a good effect on the dispatching task assignment of the express center. It can effectively make the delivery workload between the distributors roughly the same, and improve the delivery efficiency of the courier, save energy, and promote sustainable development.
Multi-Objective Optimisation-Based Tuning of Two Second-Order Sliding-Mode Controller Variants for DFIGs Connected to Non-Ideal Grid Voltage
Authors: Susperregui Ana , Herrero Juan Manuel , Martinez Miren Itsaso , Tapia-Otaegui Gerardo , Blasco Xavier
Published: October 2019

In this paper, a posteriori multi-objective optimisation (MOO) is applied to tune the parameters of a second-order sliding-mode control (2-SMC) scheme commanding the grid-side converter (GSC) of a doubly-fed induction generator (DFIG) subject to unbalanced and harmonically distorted grid voltage. Two variants (i.e., design concepts) of the same 2-SMC algorithm are assessed, which only differ in the format of their switching functions and which contain six and four parameters to be adjusted, respectively. A single set of parameters which stays valid for nine different operating regimes of the DFIG is also sought. As two objectives, related to control performances of grid active and reactive powers, are established for each operating regime, the optimisation process considers 18 objectives simultaneously. A six-parameter set derived in a previous work without applying MOO is taken as reference solution. MOO results reveal that both the six- and four-parameter versions can be tuned to overcome said reference solution in each and every objective, as well as showing that performances comparable to those of the six-parameter variant can be achieved by adopting the four-parameter one. Overall, the experimental results confirm the latter and prove that the performance of the reference parameter set can be significantly improved by using either of the six- or four-parameter versions.
High-efficiency Bidirectional Buck–Boost Converter for Residential Energy Storage System
Authors: Ham Seok-Hyeong , Choi Yoon-Geol , Lee Hyeon-Seok , Lee Sang-Won , Lee Su-Chang , Kang Bongkoo
Published: October 2019

This paper proposes a bidirectional dc–dc converter for residential micro-grid applications. The proposed converter can operate over an input voltage range that overlaps the output voltage range. This converter uses two snubber capacitors to reduce the switch turn-off losses, a dc-blocking capacitor to reduce the input/output filter size, and a 1:1 transformer to reduce core loss. The windings of the transformer are connected in parallel and in reverse-coupled configuration to suppress magnetic flux swing in the core. Zero-voltage turn-on of the switch is achieved by operating the converter in discontinuous conduction mode. The experimental converter was designed to operate at a switching frequency of 40–210 kHz, an input voltage of 48 V, an output voltage of 36–60 V, and an output power of 50–500 W. The power conversion efficiency for boost conversion to 60 V was ≥98.3% in the entire power range. The efficiency for buck conversion to 36 V was ≥98.4% in the entire power range. The output voltage ripple at full load was <3.59 Vp.p for boost conversion (60 V) and 1.35 Vp.p for buck conversion (36 V) with the reduced input/output filter. The experimental results indicate that the proposed converter is well-suited to smart-grid energy storage systems that require high efficiency, small size, and overlapping input and output voltage ranges.
Energy Savings from Feedback Systems: A Meta-Studies’ Review
Authors: Zangheri Paolo , Serrenho Tiago , Bertoldi Paolo
Published: October 2019

In order to achieve the goal of the Paris Agreement and reduce energy consumption there is the need for a behavior change in energy end-users. Many studies have demonstrated that by delivering to energy users customized feedback on their energy consumption it can encourage a change in their behavior and support investments in energy efficiency and sustainable energy use. However, the resulting impact on energy consumption can vary largely depending on how, when, and to whom the feedback is delivered. This paper aims to provide an updated overview of the energy savings for the main energy consumptions in residential buildings associated with different types of feedback and against some key determinants, i.e., geographical area, time period, type of medium. This analysis is based on a comprehensive literature review of over 70 studies. Based on the review the paper draws conclusions relevant for policymakers and stakeholders interested in developing feedback strategies and tools for their wide applications. The paper focuses also on the ongoing process implementing the EU Energy Efficiency Directive articles related to billing and metering, which will enable more proactive consumer feedback.