bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Targeting Telomeres and Telomerase: Studies in Aging and Disease Utilizing CRISPR/Cas9 Technology
Authors: Brane Andrew C. , Tollefsbol Trygve O.
Published: February 2019

Telomeres and telomerase provide a unique and important avenue of study in improving both life expectancy and quality of life due to their close association with aging and disease. While major advances in our understanding of these two biological mediators have characterized the last two decades, previous studies have been limited by the inability to affect change in real time within living cells. The last three years, however, have witnessed a huge step forward to overcome this limitation. The advent of the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR-associated (CRISPR/Cas) system has led to a wide array of targeted genetic studies that are already being employed to modify telomeres and telomerase, as well as the genes that affect them. In this review, we analyze studies utilizing the technology to target and modify telomeres, telomerase, and their closely associated genes. We also discuss how these studies can provide insight into the biology and mechanisms that underlie aging, cancer, and other diseases.
Preclinical Evaluation of the Pan-FGFR Inhibitor LY2874455 in FRS2-Amplified Liposarcoma
Authors: Hanes Robert , Munthe Else , Grad Iwona , Han Jianhua , Karlsen Ida , McCormack Emmet , Meza-Zepeda Leonardo A. , Stratford Eva Wessel , Myklebost Ola
Published: February 2019

Background: FGFR inhibition has been proposed as treatment for dedifferentiated liposarcoma (DDLPS) with amplified FRS2, but we previously only demonstrated transient cytostatic effects when treating FRS2-amplified DDLPS cells with NVP-BGJ398. Methods: Effects of the more potent FGFR inhibitor LY2874455 were investigated in three DDLPS cell lines by measuring effects on cell growth and apoptosis in vitro and also testing efficacy in vivo. Genome, transcriptome and protein analyses were performed to characterize the signaling components in the FGFR pathway. Results: LY2874455 induced a stronger, longer-lasting growth inhibitory effect and moderate level of apoptosis for two cell lines. The third cell line, did not respond to FGFR inhibition, suggesting that FRS2 amplification alone is not sufficient to predict response. Importantly, efficacy of LY2874455 was confirmed in vivo, using an independent FRS2-amplified DDLPS xenograft model. Expression of FRS2 was similar in the responding and non-responding cell lines and we could not find any major difference in downstream FGFR signaling. The only FGF expressed by unstimulated non-responding cells was the intracellular ligand FGF11, whereas the responding cell lines expressed extracellular ligand FGF2. Conclusion: Our study supports LY2874455 as a better therapy than NVP-BGJ398 for FRS2-amplified liposarcoma, and a clinical trial is warranted.
Targeting mTOR in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
Authors: Simioni Carolina , Martelli Alberto M. , Zauli Giorgio , Melloni Elisabetta , Neri Luca M.
Published: February 2019

Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) is an aggressive hematologic disorder and constitutes approximately 25% of cancer diagnoses among children and teenagers. Pediatric patients have a favourable prognosis, with 5-years overall survival rates near 90%, while adult ALL still correlates with poorer survival. However, during the past few decades, the therapeutic outcome of adult ALL was significantly ameliorated, mainly due to intensive pediatric-based protocols of chemotherapy. Mammalian (or mechanistic) target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a conserved serine/threonine kinase belonging to the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)-related kinase family (PIKK) and resides in two distinct signalling complexes named mTORC1, involved in mRNA translation and protein synthesis and mTORC2 that controls cell survival and migration. Moreover, both complexes are remarkably involved in metabolism regulation. Growing evidence reports that mTOR dysregulation is related to metastatic potential, cell proliferation and angiogenesis and given that PI3K/Akt/mTOR network activation is often associated with poor prognosis and chemoresistance in ALL, there is a constant need to discover novel inhibitors for ALL treatment. Here, the current knowledge of mTOR signalling and the development of anti-mTOR compounds are documented, reporting the most relevant results from both preclinical and clinical studies in ALL that have contributed significantly into their efficacy or failure.
In-Depth Proteome Analysis Highlights HepaRG Cells as a Versatile Cell System Surrogate for Primary Human Hepatocytes
Authors: Tascher Georg , Burban Audrey , Camus Sandrine , Plumel Marine , Chanon Stéphanie , Le Guevel Remy , Shevchenko Valery , Van Dorsselaer Alain , Lefai Etienne , Guguen-Guillouzo Christiane , Bertile Fabrice
Published: February 2019

Of the hepatic cell lines developed for in vitro studies of hepatic functions as alternatives to primary human hepatocytes, many have lost major liver-like functions, but not HepaRG cells. The increasing use of the latter worldwide raises the need for establishing the reference functional status of early biobanked HepaRG cells. Using deep proteome and secretome analyses, the levels of master regulators of the hepatic phenotype and of the structural elements ensuring biliary polarity were found to be close to those in primary hepatocytes. HepaRG cells proved to be highly differentiated, with functional mitochondria, hepatokine secretion abilities, and an adequate response to insulin. Among differences between primary human hepatocytes and HepaRG cells, the factors that possibly support HepaRG transdifferentiation properties are discussed. The HepaRG cell system thus appears as a robust surrogate for primary hepatocytes, which is versatile enough to study not only xenobiotic detoxification, but also the control of hepatic energy metabolism, secretory function and disease-related mechanisms.
Layered Double Hydroxide Sorbents for Removal of Selenium from Power Plant Wastewaters
Authors: Li Man , Chowdhury Tanzil , Kraetz Andrea N. , Jing Hangkun , Dopilka Andrew , Farmen Lisa M. , Sinha Shahnawaz , Chan Candace K.
Published: February 2019

Selenium is an essential trace element but is increasingly becoming a contaminant of concern in the electric power industry due to the challenges of removing solubilized selenate anions, particularly in the presence of sulfate. In this work, we evaluate granulated layered double hydroxide (LDH) materials as sorbents for selenium removal from wastewaters obtained from a natural gas power plant with the aim to elucidate the effect of competing ions on the sorption capacities for selenium removal. We first present jar test data, followed by small-scale column testing in 0.43 inch (1.1 cm) and 2 inch (5.08 cm) diameter testbed columns for the treatment of as-obtained cooling tower blowdown waters and plant wastewaters. Finally, we present field results from a pilot-scale study evaluating the LDH media for treatment of cooling tower blowdown water. We find that despite the high levels of total dissolved solids and competing sulfate ions, the selenium oxoanions and other regulated metals such as chromium and arsenic are successfully removed using LDH media without needing any pre-treatment or pH adjustment of the wastewater.
Effect of Water Saturation on H2 and CO Solubility in Hydrocarbons
Authors: Basha Omar M.
Published: February 2019

The effect of water on the solubility of syngas in hydrocarbons has typically been ignored when developing models for Fischer-Tropsch slurry bubble column reactors (SBCR), despite water being a major by-product. Therefore, a generalized correlation was developed to predict water solubility in hydrocarbons at high temperatures, and was used to calculate the effect of water saturation on H2 and CO solubility in hydrocarbons using the Span Wagner equation of state. The presence of water was shown to have a much more significant effect on H2 solubility in hydrocarbons, compared to CO.
The Effect of Texturing of the Surface of Concrete Substrate on the Pull-Off Strength of Epoxy Resin Coating
Authors: Krzywiński Kamil , Sadowski Łukasz
Published: February 2019

This paper describes a study conducted to evaluate the effect of texturing of the surface of concrete substrate on the pull-off strength (fb) of epoxy resin coating. The paper investigates a total of seventeen types of textures: after grooving, imprinting, patch grabbing and brushing. The texture of the surface of the concrete substrate was prepared during the first 15 min after pouring fresh concrete into molds. The epoxy resin coating was laid after 28 days on hardened concrete substrates. To investigate the pull-off strength of the epoxy resin coating to the concrete substrate, the pull-off method was used. The results were compared with the results obtained for a sample prepared by grinding, normative minimal pull-off strength values and the values declared by the manufacturer. During this study twelve out of fifteen tested samples achieved a pull-off strength higher than 1.50 MPa. It was found that one of the imprinting texturing methods was especially beneficial.
Analysis of Linear Non-Destructive Testing and Evaluation Methods for Thin-Walled Structure Inspection Using Ultrasonic Array
Authors: Li Yang , Zhou Zhenggan , Wang Jun
Published: February 2019

The ultrasonic array used for thin-walled structure non-destructive inspection usually has a high central frequency so that the thickness-to-acoustic wavelength ratio is greater than 10. When the ratio is much smaller than 10, the reliability of the conventional ultrasonic array method will dramatically decrease due to the influence of the acoustic near-field. This situation is unavoidable since the available central frequency of the array transducer cannot be an arbitrarily large value. To optimize the inspection performance in this case, the testing of an ultrasonic array and the evaluation of a structure whose thickness is smaller than five-times the longitudinal wavelength are analyzed in this paper. Linear ultrasonic array methods using different combinations of wave patterns, reflection times, and coupling conditions are uniformly expressed as full matrix algorithms. Simulated and experimental full matrices of 6 mm-thick aluminum plates using a 5-MHz array transducer are captured to analyze their imaging performances and sizing abilities with respect to various defects. Analyses show that the inspection results of the wedge coupling method have a much higher signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) than the results of conventional direct contact methods. Circular defects and rectangular defects can be distinguished by comparing the imaging results of different modes. For the simulated circular defect, the diameter can be measured according to the maximum image amplitude of the defect. To simulate a rectangular defect located in the lower half of the region, the nominal length can be measured using a linear function whose input is a −6 dB drop in length of the SS-S mode image. For a real sample, the material anisotropy and complex self-reflections will decrease the SNR by about 10 dB.
Impact of a Linear Array of Hydrophilic and Superhydrophobic Spheres on a Deep Water Pool
Authors: Yang Guang , Vaikuntanathan Visakh , Terzis Alexandros , Cheng Xin , Weigand Bernhard , Helmig Rainer
Published: February 2019

The impact of solid bodies on the free surface of liquid pools is involved in many practical applications—such as bullets and air-to-sea anti-torpedo defense systems, or the water entry of athletes in water sports—aimed at improving the performance through a control of cavity dynamics. This work reports an experimental investigation of the impact of a linear array of hydrophilic (H) and superhydrophobic (SH) spheres on a deep water pool. The array consisted of ten magnetic spheres, with different permutations of H and SH spheres. Using high speed shadowgraphy, we captured the underwater kinematics of the array for different permutations of H and SH spheres. In particular, we observed the evolution or absence of an air cavity attached to the array as a function of the position of the H and SH spheres. The position of the first SH sphere from the leading edge of the array (ZSH) emerged as a key parameter that alters the characteristics of cavity evolution. The appearance and pinch-off characteristics of a wake cavity behind the trailing edge were governed by the wetting properties of the leading and trailing surfaces of the array. The position of the first SH surface, as well as the wetting characteristics of the leading and trailing surfaces, are potential control parameters to alter underwater cavity evolution during solid surface impact on deep water pools.
Model of Nano-Metal Electroplating Process in Trapezoid Profile Groove
Authors: Egorova Oksana Yu. , Kosushkin Victor G. , Kozhitov Leo V.
Published: February 2019

The principle of the electrodeposition method is to immerse the coated products in a water electrolyte solution, the main components of which are salts or other soluble compounds—metal coatings. The software COMSOL Multiphysics was allowed to perform a simulation of the processes of electrodeposition of the metals copper and silver in the groove of the trapezoidal profile.
Modification of TiO2 Nanowire Arrays with Sn Doping as Photoanode for Highly Efficient Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells
Authors: Ni Shiming , Guo Fengyun , Wang Dongbo , Jiao Shujie , Wang Jinzhong , Zhang Yong , Wang Bao , Feng Pu , Zhao Liancheng
Published: February 2019

The dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) is one candidate among the third-generation solar cells. The performance of most DSSCs based on TiO2 photoanode was limited by the low electron mobility within TiO2. To produce a much higher power conversion efficiency, Sn-doped TiO2 nanowire arrays were successfully prepared using a simple hydrothermal process. It was found that Sn doping augments electron mobility well and raises the flat band potential to improve the performance of DSSCs. The power conversion efficiency (η) of a DSSC based on the reasonable Sn-doped TiO2, N719 dye, platinized counter electrode and iodide/triiodide electrolyte reaches 8.75%. Furthermore, with an anatase TiO2 light scattering layer, a DSSC based on the Sn-doped TiO2 NWAs exhibits a remarkable power conversion efficiency of 9.43%, which is especially useful in weak light conditions.
Different Roles of Ce3+ Optical Centers in Oxyorthosilicate Nanocrystals at X-ray and UV Excitation
Authors: Seminko Vladyslav , Maksimchuk Pavel , Bespalova Iryna , Malyukin Yuri
Published: February 2019

Luminescence properties of Lu2SiO5:Ce3+ and Y2SiO5:Ce3+ nanocrystals were studied using photo- and X-ray luminescence techniques. The crystal structure of Re2SiO5 nanocrystals (P21/c space group) differs from the crystal structure of Re2SiO5 bulk crystals (C2/c space group) with 9- and 7-oxygen-coordinated cation positions instead of 6- and 7-coordinated ones observed for Re2SiO5 bulk crystals. Two optical centers (Ce1 and Ce2) were observed for Re2SiO5:Ce3+ nanocrystals originating from cerium ions substituting 9- and 7-oxygen-coordinated cation sites. Preferential substitution of larger cation sites by cerium ions leads to higher photoluminescence intensity of Ce1 centers, however, Ce2 centers are the main centers for electron-hole recombination, so only Ce2 band is observed in X-ray luminescence spectra. The features of oxygen coordination of Ce1 and Ce2 centers and high content of oxygen vacancies in Re2SiO5:Ce3+ nanocrystals can provide preferential trapping of electrons near Ce2 centers, and therefore, the dominant role of Ce2 band in X-ray luminescence spectra.
Solvent Effects on the Spin Crossover Properties of Iron(II) Imidazolylimine Complexes
Authors: Sertphon Darunee , Harding Phimphaka , Murray Keith S. , Moubaraki Boujemaa , Neville Suzanne M. , Liu Lujia , Telfer Shane G. , Harding David J.
Published: February 2019

A series of Fe(II) complexes, fac-[Fe(4-ima-Bp)3](Y)2⋅sol (Y = ClO4; sol = 3EtOH 1, 3MeOH 2; Y= BF4; sol = EtOH⋅4H2O 3, 4H2O 4 and 3.5MeCN 5) have been prepared and structurally and magnetically characterized. The low temperature structures of 1, 2 and 5 have been determined by X-ray crystallography with LS Fe(II) centres found in all cases. Extensive C–H···π interactions between the cations form 2D layers, which are linked to one another through N-H···O and O-H···O hydrogen bonds, resulting in high cooperativity. Despite 5 containing MeCN, N-H···O/F hydrogen bonds, and C–H···π and π-π interactions combine to give similar 2D layers. Magnetic measurements reveal moderately abrupt spin crossover for 1-4; becoming more gradual and only 50% complete in 1 due to solvent loss. The MeCN solvate shows more gradual SCO and reinforces how subtle changes in packing can significantly influence SCO behaviour.
Graphing Ecotoxicology: The MAGIC Graph for Linking Environmental Data on Chemicals
Authors: Bub Sascha , Wolfram Jakob , Stehle Sebastian , Petschick Lara L. , Schulz Ralf
Published: February 2019

Assessing the impact of chemicals on the environment and addressing subsequent issues are two central challenges to their safe use. Environmental data are continuously expanding, requiring flexible, scalable, and extendable data management solutions that can harmonize multiple data sources with potentially differing nomenclatures or levels of specificity. Here, we present the methodological steps taken to construct a rule-based labeled property graph database, the “Meta-analysis of the Global Impact of Chemicals” (MAGIC) graph, for potential environmental impact chemicals (PEIC) and its subsequent application harmonizing multiple large-scale databases. The resulting data encompass 16,739 unique PEICs attributed to their corresponding chemical class, stereo-chemical information, valid synonyms, use types, unique identifiers (e.g., Chemical Abstract Service registry number CAS RN), and others. These data provide researchers with additional chemical information for a large amount of PEICs and can also be publicly accessed using a web interface. Our analysis has shown that data harmonization can increase up to 98% when using the MAGIC graph approach compared to relational data systems for datasets with different nomenclatures. The graph database system and its data appear more suitable for large-scale analysis where traditional (i.e., relational) data systems are reaching conceptional limitations.
Social Interaction Improved by Oxytocin in the Subclass of Autism with Comorbid Intellectual Disabilities
Authors: Higashida Haruhiro , Munesue Toshio , Kosaka Hirotaka , Yamasue Hidenori , Yokoyama Shigeru , Kikuchi Mitsuru
Published: February 2019

Approximately half of all autism spectrum disorder (ASD) individuals suffer from comorbid intellectual disabilities. Furthermore, the prevalence of epilepsy has been estimated to be 46% of patients with low intelligence quotient. It is important to investigate the therapeutic benefits and adverse effects of any recently developed drugs for this proportion of individuals with the so-called Kanner type of ASD. Therefore, we investigated the therapeutic and/or adverse effects of intranasal oxytocin (OT) administration, especially in adolescents and adults with ASD and comorbid intellectual disability and epilepsy, with regard to core symptoms of social deficits. We have already reported three randomized placebo-controlled trials (RCTs). However, we revisit results in our pilot studies from the view of comorbidity. Most of the intellectually disabled participants were found to be feasible participants of the RCT. We observed significantly more events regarded as reciprocal social interaction in the OT group compared with the placebo group. In the trial, no or little differences in adverse events were found between the OT and placebo arms, as found in some other reports. However, seizures were induced in three participants with medical history of epilepsy during or after OT treatment. In conclusion, we stress that behavioral changes in ASD patients with intellectual disabilities could be recognized not by the conventional measurements of ASD symptoms but by detailed evaluation of social interactions arising in daily-life situations.
Multimode Decomposition and Wavelet Threshold Denoising of Mold Level Based on Mutual Information Entropy
Authors: Lei Zhufeng , Su Wenbin , Hu Qiao
Published: February 2019

The continuous casting process is a continuous, complex phase transition process. The noise components of the continuous casting process are complex, the model is difficult to establish, and it is difficult to separate the noise and clear signals effectively. Owing to these demerits, a hybrid algorithm combining Variational Mode Decomposition (VMD) and Wavelet Threshold denoising (WTD) is proposed, which involves multiscale resolution and adaptive features. First of all, the original signal is decomposed into several Intrinsic Mode Functions (IMFs) by Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD), and the model parameter K of the VMD is obtained by analyzing the EMD results. Then, the original signal is decomposed by VMD based on the number of IMFs K, and the Mutual Information Entropy (MIE) between IMFs is calculated to identify the noise dominant component and the information dominant component. Next, the noise dominant component is denoised by WTD. Finally, the denoised noise dominant component and all information dominant components are reconstructed to obtain the denoised signal. In this paper, a comprehensive comparative analysis of EMD, Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition (EEMD), Complementary Empirical Mode Decomposition (CEEMD), EMD-WTD, Empirical Wavelet Transform (EWT), WTD, VMD, and VMD-WTD is carried out, and the denoising performance of the various methods is evaluated from four perspectives. The experimental results show that the hybrid algorithm proposed in this paper has a better denoising effect than traditional methods and can effectively separate noise and clear signals. The proposed denoising algorithm is shown to be able to effectively recognize different cast speeds.
Matching Users’ Preference under Target Revenue Constraints in Data Recommendation Systems
Authors: Liu Shanyun , Dong Yunquan , Fan Pingyi , She Rui , Wan Shuo
Published: February 2019

This paper focuses on the problem of finding a particular data recommendation strategy based on the user preference and a system expected revenue. To this end, we formulate this problem as an optimization by designing the recommendation mechanism as close to the user behavior as possible with a certain revenue constraint. In fact, the optimal recommendation distribution is the one that is the closest to the utility distribution in the sense of relative entropy and satisfies expected revenue. We show that the optimal recommendation distribution follows the same form as the message importance measure (MIM) if the target revenue is reasonable, i.e., neither too small nor too large. Therefore, the optimal recommendation distribution can be regarded as the normalized MIM, where the parameter, called importance coefficient, presents the concern of the system and switches the attention of the system over data sets with different occurring probability. By adjusting the importance coefficient, our MIM based framework of data recommendation can then be applied to systems with various system requirements and data distributions. Therefore, the obtained results illustrate the physical meaning of MIM from the data recommendation perspective and validate the rationality of MIM in one aspect.
Coherent Structure of Flow Based on Denoised Signals in T-junction Ducts with Vertical Blades
Authors: He Jing , Wang Xiaoyu , Lin Mei
Published: February 2019

The skin friction consumes some of the energy when a train is running, and the coherent structure plays an important role in the skin friction. In this paper, we focus on the coherent structure generated near the vent of a train. The intention is to investigate the effect of the vent on the generation of coherent structures. The ventilation system of a high-speed train is reasonably simplified as a T-junction duct with vertical blades. The velocity signal of the cross duct was measured in three different sections (upstream, mid-center and downstream), and then the coherent structure of the denoised signals was analyzed by continuous wavelet transform (CWT). The analysis indicates that the coherent structure frequencies become abundant and the energy peak decreases with the increase of the velocity ratio. As a result, we conclude that a higher velocity ratio is preferable to reduce the skin friction of the train. Besides, with the increase of velocity ratio, the dimensionless frequency St of the high-energy coherent structure does not change obviously and St = 3.09 × 10−4–4.51 × 10−4.
Study on Asphalt Pavement Surface Texture Degradation Using 3-D Image Processing Techniques and Entropy Theory
Authors: Miao Yinghao , Wu Jiaqi , Hou Yue , Wang Linbing , Yu Weixiao , Wang Sudi
Published: February 2019

Surface texture is a very important factor affecting the anti-skid performance of pavements. In this paper, entropy theory is introduced to study the decay behavior of the three-dimensional macrotexture and microtexture of road surfaces in service based on the field test data collected over more than 2 years. Entropy is found to be feasible for evaluating the three-dimensional macrotexture and microtexture of an asphalt pavement surface. The complexity of the texture increases with the increase of entropy. Under the polishing action of the vehicle load, the entropy of the surface texture decreases gradually. The three-dimensional macrotexture decay characteristics of asphalt pavement surfaces are significantly different for different mixture designs. The macrotexture decay performance of asphalt pavement can be improved by designing appropriate mixtures. Compared with the traditional macrotexture parameter Mean Texture Depth (MTD) index, entropy contains more physical information and has a better correlation with the pavement anti-skid performance index. It has significant advantages in describing the relationship between macrotexture characteristics and the anti-skid performance of asphalt pavement.
An Overview on Denial-of-Service Attacks in Control Systems: Attack Models and Security Analyses
Authors: Cetinkaya Ahmet , Ishii Hideaki , Hayakawa Tomohisa
Published: February 2019

In this paper, we provide an overview of recent research efforts on networked control systems under denial-of-service attacks. Our goal is to discuss the utility of different attack modeling and analysis techniques proposed in the literature for addressing feedback control, state estimation, and multi-agent consensus problems in the face of jamming attacks in wireless channels and malicious packet drops in multi-hop networks. We discuss several modeling approaches that are employed for capturing the uncertainty in denial-of-service attack strategies. We give an outlook on deterministic constraint-based modeling ideas, game-theoretic and optimization-based techniques and probabilistic modeling approaches. A special emphasis is placed on tail-probability based failure models, which have been recently used for describing jamming attacks that affect signal to interference-plus-noise ratios of wireless channels as well as transmission failures on multi-hop networks due to packet-dropping attacks and non-malicious issues. We explain the use of attack models in the security analysis of networked systems. In addition to the modeling and analysis problems, a discussion is provided also on the recent developments concerning the design of attack-resilient control and communication protocols.
A Qualitative Study of the Views of Health and Social Care Decision-Makers on the Role of Wellbeing in Resource Allocation Decisions in the UK
Authors: Peasgood Tessa , Carlton Jill , Brazier John
Published: February 2019

There has been growing international interest in the role that wellbeing measures could play within policy making in health and social care. This project explored the opinions of a sample of UK decision-makers on the relevance of wellbeing and subjective wellbeing (by which we mean good and bad feelings or overall evaluations of life, such as life satisfaction) for resource allocation decisions within health and social care. Through these discussions we draw out the perceived advantages and the potential concerns that decision-makers have about broadening out to wellbeing and subjective wellbeing rather than just measuring health. Three focus groups were conducted: with members of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Citizen’s Council, with a Health and Wellbeing Board at a Local Authority and with Public Health England. In addition, eleven semi-structured interviews were held with staff from NHS England and members of a range of NICE committees. We identified a range of opinions about the role of wellbeing and a broadly held view that there was a need for improved consideration of broader quality of life outcomes. We also identified considerable caution in relation to the use of subjective wellbeing.
Sufficient Condition-Based Stability Analysis of a Power Converter Applied Switching Transient Waveform Modification Using Kharitonov’s Theorem
Authors: Cui Tongkai , Ma Qishuang , Xu Ping
Published: February 2019

The rapid switching action of power metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) causes high-level electromagnetic interference (EMI) in power converters. The switching transient waveform modification method realized by closed-loop gate drive has been recognized as an effective high-frequency EMI reduction approach. However, feedback control of power MOSFET in the saturation region would introduce stability problems. This paper presents a sufficient condition-based stability analysis of all the operating points during turn-off using Kharitonov’s theorem. Firstly, a small-signal MOSFET model during turn-off was used to derive the closed-loop system transfer function. The nonlinear capacitances and the rest constant parameters of the small-signal model were determined based on the device characteristics and the expected outcome of the drain-source voltage. Then we split the turn-off switching transient into several subintervals, during which the system characteristic equation became an interval polynomial due to the nonlinear capacitances. Finally, Kharitonov’s theorem was applied in each subinterval to evaluate the stability, thereby achieving the overall system stability analysis during turn-off. Experiments were conducted to investigate the system’s stability and the results confirmed the validity of the proposed analysis. This work presents an implementable design guideline for the applied switching transient waveform modification of power converters via closed-loop gate drive.
Cyber-Physical System Framework for Measurement and Analysis of Physical Activities
Authors: Arafsha Faisal , Laamarti Fedwa , El Saddik Abdulmotaleb
Published: February 2019

Several recent studies in Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) focus on monitoring human movement and capturing data for further processing and analysis. However, there is a lack of studies that address the configurability and modularity of these systems, which is important for designing customized systems with customized devices. We propose a solution to solve this through a modular framework that automatically recognizes and configures new devices and provides real-time data wirelessly. The proposed framework creates a Digital Twin of the physical device and mirrors its attributes and sensory information into the cyber world so they can be used in real-time and post-routine analysis. As a proof of concept, a configurable CPS model for physical activities monitoring is designed and implemented. The designed gait monitoring and analysis system delivers spatiotemporal data from multiple multi-sensory devices to a central data handling and backup cloud server over conventional IEEE802.11 Wi-Fi. An experiment involving a young athlete examined whether or not the CPS components would recognize each other over foreign networks and communicate accurate information.
Perylene-Diimide Molecules with Cyano Functionalization for Electron-Transporting Transistors
Authors: Barra Mario , Chiarella Fabio , Chianese Federico , Vaglio Ruggero , Cassinese Antonio
Published: February 2019

Core-cyanated perylene diimide (PDI_CY) derivatives are molecular compounds exhibiting an uncommon combination of appealing properties, including remarkable oxidative stability, high electron affinities, and excellent self-assembling properties. Such features made these compounds the subject of study for several research groups aimed at developing electron-transporting (n-type) devices with superior charge transport performances. After about fifteen years since the first report, field-effect transistors based on PDI_CY thin films are still intensely investigated by the scientific community for the attainment of n-type devices that are able to balance the performances of the best p-type ones. In this review, we summarize the main results achieved by our group in the fabrication and characterization of transistors based on PDI8-CN2 and PDIF-CN2 molecules, undoubtedly the most renowned compounds of the PDI_CY family. Our attention was mainly focused on the electrical properties, both at the micro and nanoscale, of PDI8-CN2 and PDIF-CN2 films deposited using different evaporation techniques. Specific topics, such as the contact resistance phenomenon, the bias stress effect, and the operation in liquid environment, have been also analyzed.
City Marathon Active Timing System Using Bluetooth Low Energy Technology
Authors: Sun Chun-I , Huang Jung-Tang , Weng Shih-Chi , Chien Meng-Fan
Published: February 2019

This study proposes and implements city marathon timing technology using Bluetooth Low-Energy (BLE) communication technology. This study also performs a prevalidation of the athletes’ physiological sensory data that is sent out by the same timing system—the BLE active communication technology. In order to verify the timing and positioning technology, 621 K records of static measurement of the Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) were first collected. The trend of the RSSI between the location and the BLE Receiver when the runners carried a BLE Tag was analyzed. Then, the difference between the runners’ passing timestamp and the runners’ actual passing time when the runners carried a BLE Tag and ran past the BLE Receivers was dynamically recorded and analyzed. Additionally, the timing sensing rate when multiple runners ran past the BLE Receivers was verified. In order to confirm the accuracy of the time synchronization in the remote timing device, the timing error, synced by the Network Time Protocol (NTP), was analyzed. A global positioning system (GPS) signal was used to enhance the time synchronization’s accuracy. Additionally, the timing devices were separated by 15 km, and it was verified that they remained within the timing error range of 1 ms. The BLE communication technology has at least one more battery requirement than traditional passive radio frequency identification (RFID) timing devices. Therefore, the experiment also verified that the BLE Tag of this system can continue to operate for at least 48 h under normal conditions. Based on the above experimental results, it is estimated that the system can provide a timing error of under ±156 ms for each athlete. The system can also meet the scale of the biggest international city marathon event.
Air Distribution and Air Handling Unit Configuration Effects on Energy Performance in an Air-Heated Ice Rink Arena
Authors: Taebnia Mehdi , Toomla Sander , Leppä Lauri , Kurnitski Jarek
Published: February 2019

Indoor ice rink arenas are among the foremost consumers of energy within building sector due to their exclusive indoor conditions. A single ice rink arena may consume energy of up to 3500 MWh annually, indicating the potential for energy saving. The cooling effect of the ice pad, which is the main source for heat loss, causes a vertical indoor air temperature gradient. The objective of the present study is twofold: (i) to study vertical temperature stratification of indoor air, and how it impacts on heat load toward the ice pad; (ii) to investigate the energy performance of air handling units (AHU), as well as the effects of various AHU layouts on ice rinks’ energy consumption. To this end, six AHU configurations with different air-distribution solutions are presented, based on existing arenas in Finland. The results of the study verify that cooling energy demand can significantly be reduced by 38 percent if indoor temperature gradient approaches 1 °C/m. This is implemented through air distribution solutions. Moreover, the cooling energy demand for dehumidification is decreased to 59.5 percent through precisely planning the AHU layout, particularly at the cooling coil and heat recovery sections. The study reveals that a more customized air distribution results in less stratified indoor air temperature.
Non-Linear Control for Variable Resistive Bridge Type Fault Current Limiter in AC-DC Systems
Authors: Alam Md Shafiul , Abido Mohammad Ali Yousef , Hussein Alaa El-Din
Published: February 2019

This paper proposes a non-linear control-based variable resistive bridge type fault current limiter (VR-BFCL) as a prospective solution to ease the effect of disturbances on voltage source converter-based high voltage DC (VSC-HVDC) systems. A non-linear controller for VR-BFCL has been developed to insert a variable optimum resistance during the inception of system disturbances in order to limit the fault current. The non-linear controller takes the amount of DC link voltage deviation as its input and provides variable duty to generate a variable effective resistance during faults. The VSC-HVDC system’s real and reactive power controllers have been developed based on a current control loop where direct axis and quadrature axis currents are used to control the active and reactive power, respectively. The efficacy of the proposed non-linear control-based VR-BFCL solution has been proved with balanced as well as unbalanced faults. The results confirm that the oscillations in active power and DC link voltage have been significantly reduced by limiting the fault current through the insertion of an optimum effective resistance with the proposed control technique. The real time digital simulator (RTDS) has been used to implement the proposed approach. The performance of the proposed non-linear control based VR-BFCL is compared with that of traditional fixed duty control.
Novel Yeast Strains for the Efficient Saccharification and Fermentation of Starchy By-Products to Bioethanol
Authors: Gronchi Nicoletta , Favaro Lorenzo , Cagnin Lorenzo , Brojanigo Silvia , Pizzocchero Valentino , Basaglia Marina , Casella Sergio
Published: February 2019

The use of solid starchy waste streams to produce value-added products, such as fuel ethanol, is a priority for the global bio-based economy. Despite technological advances, bioethanol production from starch is still not economically competitive. Large cost-savings can be achieved through process integration (consolidated bioprocessing, CBP) and new amylolytic microbes that are able to directly convert starchy biomass into fuel in a single bioreactor. Firstly, CBP technology requires efficient fermenting yeast strains to be engineered for amylase(s) production. This study addressed the selection of superior yeast strains with high fermentative performances to be used as recipient for future CBP engineering of fungal amylases. Twenty-one newly isolated wild-type Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains were screened at 30 °C in a simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) set up using starchy substrates at high loading (20% w/v) and the commercial amylases cocktail STARGEN™ 002. The industrial yeast Ethanol Red™ was used as benchmark. A cluster of strains produced ethanol levels (up to 118 g/L) significantly higher than those of Ethanol Red™ (about 109 g/L). In particular, S. cerevisiae L20, selected for a scale-up process into a 1-L bioreactor, confirmed the outstanding performance over the industrial benchmark, producing nearly 101 g/L ethanol instead of 94 g/L. As a result, this strain can be a promising CBP host for heterologous expression of fungal amylases towards the design of novel and efficient starch-to-ethanol routes.
Numerical Study on Flow Characteristics in a Francis Turbine during Load Rejection
Authors: Zhou Daqing , Chen Huixiang , Zhang Jie , Jiang Shengwen , Gui Jia , Yang Chunxia , Yu An
Published: February 2019

Labyrinth seals are not usually included in the numerical models of hydraulic machinery to simplify the geometric modeling, and thereby reduce the calculation burden. However, this simplification affects the numerical results, especially in the load rejection process, because disc friction losses, volume losses, and pressure fluctuations in the seal ring (SR) clearance passage are neglected. This paper addresses the issue by considering all of the geometrical details of labyrinth seals when conducting multiscale flow simulations of a high head Francis turbine under a transient load rejection condition using the commercial software code. A comparison of the numerical results that were obtained with the experimental testing data indicates that the calculated values of both torque and mass discharge rate are 8.65% and 5% slightly less than the corresponding values that were obtained from experimental model testing, respectively. The obtained pressure fluctuations of the Francis turbine in the vaneless zone and the draft tube appear to more closely match with the experimental test data when including SR clearance. Moreover, the flow rates through SR clearance passages were very small, but the pressure fluctuations among them were significantly enhanced under the minimal load condition. The numerical model with SR clearance can more accurately reflect the fact that the water thrust on the runner only fluctuates from 800 N to 575 N during the load rejection process, even though the water thrust on the blades varies from −220 N to 1200 N. Therefore, multiscale flow study is of great significance in understanding the effect of clearance flow on the load rejection process in the Francis turbine.
Modeling Vehicles to Grid as a Source of Distributed Frequency Regulation in Isolated Grids with Significant RES Penetration
Authors: Neofytou Neofytos , Blazakis Konstantinos , Katsigiannis Yiannis , Stavrakakis Georgios
Published: February 2019

The rapid development of technology used in electric vehicles, and in particular their penetration in electricity networks, is a major challenge for the area of electric power systems. The utilization of battery capacity of the interconnected vehicles can bring significant benefits to the network via the Vehicle to Grid (V2G) operation. The V2G operation is a process that can provide primary frequency regulation services in the electric network by exploiting the total capacity of a fleet of electric vehicles. In this paper, the impact of the plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) in the primary frequency regulation is studied and the effects PHEVs cause in non-interconnected isolated power systems with significant renewable energy sources (RES) penetration. Also it is taken into consideration the requirements of users for charging their vehicles. The V2G operation can be performed either with fluctuations in charging power of vehicles, or by charging or discharging the battery. So an electric vehicle user can participate in V2G operation either during the loading of the vehicle to the charging station, or by connecting the vehicle in the charging station without any further demands to charge its battery. In this paper, the response of PHEVs with respect to the frequency fluctuations of the network is modeled and simulated. Additionally, by using the PowerWorld Simulator software, simulations of the isolated power system of Cyprus Island, including the current RES penetration are performed in order to demonstrate the effectiveness of V2G operation in its primary frequency regulation.
Overcoming the Limits of the Charge Transient Fault Location Algorithm by the Artificial Neural Network
Authors: Benato Roberto , Rinzo Giovanni , Poli Michele
Published: February 2019

In this paper, two algorithms for single-ended fault location are presented with reference to the unearthed sub-transmission Italian grid (with a voltage level of 60 kV). Both algorithms deal with the correlation between the ground capacitance charging frequency of sound phases and the fault position. In the former, the frequency response of a lumped parameter circuit in the Laplace domain is linked to the fault distance. With such a simplified lumped parameter circuit, the average error in locating a phase-to-ground (PtG) short circuit is 5.18% (total overhead line length equal to 60 km). Since this error is too high, another approach is presented. In this second algorithm, the frequency spectra of the transient current waveforms are used as a database for the training of an Artificial Neural Network (ANN). With this approach, the average error decreases significantly up to 0.36%. The fault location accuracies of the two proposed methods are compared in order to reveal their strengths and weaknesses. The developed procedures are applied to a single-circuit overhead line and to a double-circuit one, both modelled in the EMTP-rv environment, whereas the fault location algorithms are implemented in the MATLAB environment (for the ANN-based algorithm, the Deep Learning toolbox is used).
Experimental Investigation on Performance of an Organic Rankine Cycle System Integrated with a Radial Flow Turbine
Authors: Pan Lisheng , Wang Huaixin
Published: February 2019

An experimental method is used to investigate the performance of a small-scale organic Rankine cycle (ORC) system which is integrated with a radial flow turbine, using 90 °C hot water as a heat source. The considered working fluids are R245fa and R123. The relationship between cycle performance and the operation parameters is obtained. With constant condensing pressure (temperature), the outlet temperature of the hot water, the mass flow rate of the hot water and the evaporator heat transfer rate increase with increasing evaporating pressure. Turbine isentropic efficiency decreases and transmission-generation efficiency increases with rising evaporating pressure. In the considered conditions, the maximum specific energy is 1.28 kJ/kg, with optimal fluid of R245fa and an optimal evaporating temperature of 69.2 °C. When the evaporating pressure (temperature) is constant, the outlet temperature of the cooling water increases, and the mass flow rate of the cooling water decreases with increasing condensing pressure. Turbine isentropic efficiency increases and transmission-generation efficiency decreases with the rise of condensing pressure. In the considered conditions, the maximum specific energy is 0.89 kJ/kg, with optimal fluid of R245fa and an optimal condensing temperature of 29.1 °C. Turbine efficiency is impacted by the working fluid type, operation parameters and nozzle type.
Seamless Transfer Algorithm of AC Microgrid Inverter Compensating Load Current for Weak Grid
Authors: Lim Jae-Uk , Kwon Il-seob , Kim Hag-Wone , Cho Kwan-Yuhl
Published: February 2019

In this paper, we propose a voltage control technique for the seamless transfer algorithm of a microgrid inverter. When the microgrid inverter is switched from grid-connected mode to standalone operation mode, an output voltage transient may occur, and adversely affect the load. To solve this, seamless transfer algorithms that complete mode switching within 4 ms have been studied. However, previous control techniques have very complex structures. In this study, we find the cause of the voltage transient occurring in the mode conversion, through state average modeling of the inverter. Subsequently, we propose a feed-forward compensator for seamless transfer. The cause of the voltage transient is removed by the compensation, and smooth mode switching is achieved. The proposed controller is verified by Powersim (PSIM) simulations.