bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Trajectory Planning with Time-Variant Safety Margin for Autonomous Vehicle Lane Change
Authors: Wu Xiaodong , Qiao Bangjun , Su Chengrui
Published: March 2020

A lane change is one of the most important driving scenarios for autonomous driving vehicles. This paper proposes a safe and comfort-oriented algorithm for an autonomous vehicle to perform lane changes on a straight and level road. A simplified Gray Prediction Model is designed to estimate the driving status of surrounding vehicles, and time-variant safety margins are employed during the trajectory planning to ensure a safe maneuver. The algorithm is able to adapt its lane changing strategy based on traffic situation and passenger demands, and features condition-triggered rerouting to handle unexpected traffic situations. The concept of dynamic safety margins with different settings of parameters gives a customizable feature for the autonomous lane changing control. The effect of the algorithm is verified within a self-developed traffic simulation system.
Application of Predictive Control in Scheduling of Domestic Appliances
Authors: Nagpal Himanshu , Staino Andrea , Basu Biswajit
Published: March 2020

In this work, an algorithm for the scheduling of household appliances to reduce the energy cost and the peak-power consumption is proposed. The system architecture of a home energy management system (HEMS) is presented to operate the appliances. The dynamics of thermal and non-thermal appliances is represented into state-space model to formulate the scheduling task into a mixed-integer-linear-programming (MILP) optimization problem. Model predictive control (MPC) strategy is used to operate the appliances in real-time. The HEMS schedules the appliances in dynamic manner without any a priori knowledge of the load-consumption pattern. At the same time, the HEMS responds to the real-time electricity market and the external environmental conditions (solar radiation, ambient temperature, etc.). Simulation results exhibit the benefits of the proposed HEMS by showing the reduction of up to 70% in electricity cost and up to 57% in peak power consumption.
Discrimination of Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) Accessions Collected in Majella National Park (Abruzzo, Italy) Using Mid-Infrared Spectroscopy and Chemometrics Combined with Morphological and Molecular Analysis
Authors: Di Donato Francesca , Di Cecco Valter , Torricelli Renzo , D’Archivio Angelo Antonio , Di Santo Marco , Albertini Emidio , Veronesi Fabio , Garramone Raffaele , Aversano Riccardo , Marcantonio Giuseppe , Di Martino Luciano
Published: March 2020

Development of local plant genetic resources grown in specific territories requires approaches that are able to discriminate between local and alien germplasm. In this work, three potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) local accessions grown in the area of Majella National Park (Abruzzo, Italy) and five commercial varieties cultivated in the same area were characterized using 22 morphological descriptors and microsatellite (SSR) DNA markers. Analysis of the DNA and of the plant, leaf, flower, and tuber morpho-agronomic traits allowed for a reliable discrimination of the local potato accessions, and provided a clear picture of their genetic relationships with the commercial varieties. Moreover, infrared spectroscopy was used to acquire a fingerprint of the tuber flesh composition. A total of 279 spectra, 70% of which were used in calibration and the remaining 30% for prediction, were processed using partial least squares discriminant analysis. About 97% of the calibration samples and 80% of the prediction samples were correctly classified according to the potato origin. In summary, the combination of the three approaches were useful in the characterization and valorization of local germplasm. In particular, the molecular markers suggest that the potato accession named Montenerodomo, cultivated in Majella National Park, can be considered a local variety and can be registered into the Regional Voluntary GR Register and entered into the foreseen protection scheme, as reported by the Italian regional laws.
Binaural Rendering with Measured Room Responses: First-Order Ambisonic Microphone vs. Dummy Head
Authors: Zaunschirm Markus , Frank Matthias , Zotter Franz
Published: March 2020

To improve the limited degree of immersion of static binaural rendering for headphones, an increased measurement effort to obtain multiple-orientation binaural room impulse responses (MOBRIRs) is reasonable and enables dynamic variable-orientation rendering. We investigate the perceptual characteristics of dynamic rendering from MOBRIRs and test for the required angular resolution. Our first listening experiment shows that a resolution between 15 ∘ and 30 ∘ is sufficient to accomplish binaural rendering of high quality, regarding timbre, spatial mapping, and continuity. A more versatile alternative considers the separation of the room-dependent (RIR) from the listener-dependent head-related (HRIR) parts, and an efficient implementation thereof involves the measurement of a first-order Ambisonic RIR (ARIR) with a tetrahedral microphone. A resolution-enhanced ARIR can be obtained by an Ambisonic spatial decomposition method (ASDM) utilizing instantaneous direction of arrival estimation. ASDM permits dynamic rendering in higher-order Ambisonics, with the flexibility to render either using dummy-head or individualized HRIRs. Our comparative second listening experiment shows that 5th-order ASDM outperforms the MOBRIR rendering with resolutions coarser than 30 ∘ for all tested perceptual aspects. Both listening experiments are based on BRIRs and ARIRs measured in a studio environment.
Modeling the Natural Convection Flow in a Square Porous Enclosure Filled with a Micropolar Nanofluid under Magnetohydrodynamic Conditions
Authors: Karagiannakis Nikolaos P. , Bourantas George C. , Skouras Eugene D. , Loukopoulos Vassilios C. , Miller Karol , Burganos Vasilis N.
Published: March 2020

The laminar, natural convective flow of a micropolar nanofluid in the presence of a magnetic field in a square porous enclosure was studied. The micropolar nanofluid is considered to be an electrically conductive fluid. The governing equations of the flow problem are the conservation of mass, energy, and linear momentum, as well as the angular momentum and the induction equations. In the proposed model, the Darcy–Brinkman momentum equations with buoyancy and advective inertia are used. Experimentally obtained forms of the dynamic viscosity, the thermal conductivity, and the electric conductivity are employed. A meshless point collocation method has been applied to numerically solve the flow and transport equations in their vorticity-stream function formulation. The effects of characteristic dimensionless parameters, such as the Rayleigh and Hartmann numbers, for a range of porosity and solid volume fraction of Al2O3 particles in a water-based micropolar nanofluid on the flow and heat transfer in the cavity are investigated. The results indicate that the intensity of the magnetic field significantly affects both the flow and the temperature distributions. Moreover, the addition of nanoparticles deteriorates the heat-transfer efficiency under specific conditions.
Rheological and Resistance Properties of Magnetorheological Elastomer with Cobalt for Sensor Application
Authors: Zainudin Afiq Azri , Yunus Nurul Azhani , Mazlan Saiful Amri , Shabdin Muhammad Kashfi , Abdul Aziz Siti Aishah , Nordin Nur Azmah , Nazmi Nurhazimah , Abdul Rahman Mohd Azizi
Published: March 2020

Cobalt particles have been introduced as a filler due to the advantages of embedding their magnetic and electrical properties in magnetorheological elastomer (MRE). In the present research, the rheology and resistance of MRE are experimentally evaluated. Isotropic and anisotropic MRE samples containing silicone rubber and cobalt particles were fabricated. The magnetic properties of MRE are conducted using a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The morphological aspects of MRE are observed by using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and characterized by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Rheological properties under various magnetic field strengths were measured for the magnetic field, strain amplitude, and frequency sweep test by using a parallel-plate rheometer. Subsequently, the resistance of MRE is tested under different applied forces and magnetic fields. The MRE storage modulus depicted an enhancement in field-dependent modulus across all the applied magnetic fields. The electrical resistance generated from the sample can be manipulated by external magnetic fields and mechanical loads. The conductivity of MRE is due to the existence of cobalt arrangements observed by FESEM. By introducing cobalt as filler and obtaining satisfactory results, the study might open new avenues for cobalt to be used as filler in MRE fabrication for future sensing applications.
Robust Estimation of Arrival Time of Complex Noisy Partial Discharge Pulse in Power Cables Based on Adaptive Variational Mode Decomposition
Authors: Sun Kang , Wu Tong , Li Xinwei , Zhang Jing
Published: March 2020

Periodic narrowband signals and white noise are the main interferences in online detection and localization of cable partial discharge (PD), however, existing research has always focused on the white noise suppression only, which is not in line with the actual scene. A novel de-noising method for effectively extracting random PD pulse from complex and strong interferences is proposed in this paper and applied to PD localization. Firstly, an improved adaptive variational mode decomposition (AVMD) is used to decompose periodic narrowband interference, white noise, and PD signal into different intrinsic mode. According to the characteristic that the power of intrinsic mode component of periodic narrowband interference in the discrete Fourier transformation (DFT) power spectrum is much larger than that of PD and white noise, the periodic narrowband is removed out. In order to effectively filter out white noise, a scale adaptive wavelet packet decomposition method based on correlation coefficient is proposed, which decomposes the signal into high, middle, and low-frequency components. The components with low frequency, small amplitude are removed out as the white noise interference according to the threshold method, and the residual is the de-noising PD signal. Experimental results show that the proposed method can robustly suppress the interference of periodic narrowband signal and white noise, and effectively preserve the essential characteristics of the real PD signal. In the multi-sensor travelling wave based localization system of cable PD source using time-varying kurtosis, accurate estimation of first arrival time of PD pulse can be achieved by the de-noising results.
A Low-Profile Ferrite Dipole VHF Antenna for Integrated Mast Applications
Authors: Park Won Bin , Trinh-Van Son , Yang Youngoo , Lee Kang-Yoon , Yu Byunggil , Park Jinwoo , You Hojeong , Hwang Keum Cheol
Published: March 2020

In this paper, an extremely low-profile ferrite dipole antenna operating on the VHF band (30–300 MHz) is proposed. The design antenna consists of 44 plate-type ferrite cells arranged into two stacked ferrite layers: a bottom ferrite layer with 2 × 12 grid cells and a top ferrite layer with 2 × 10 grid cells. The antenna is excited by an electric loop feeding structure and maximum gain performance is achieved when the loop feeding structure has five loops. To validate the performance of the proposed antenna, an antenna prototype is fabricated and tested at an outdoor range. The antenna weighs 1.45 kg and has electrical dimensions of approximately 0.0636 × 0.0112 × 0.0008 λ L 3 at the lowest operating frequency of 30 MHz. The measured realized gain varies from −31.48 to −2.44 dBi within the VHF band. Reasonable agreement is also obtained between the measurement and simulation results. To assess the performance of the proposed antenna, it was mounted on the integrated mast of an offshore patrol vessel (OPV) model. The antenna on the OPV was also simulated and the results discussed.
Analysis of Movement Law and Influencing Factors of Hill-Drop Fertilizer Based on SPH Algorithm
Authors: Gao Jin , Zhang Junxiong , Zhang Fan , Hou Zeyu , Zhai Yihao , Ge Luzhen
Published: March 2020

Studying the movement law and influencing factors of fertilizer in soil and controlling fertilizer distribution can improve the quality of fertilization, which is of great significance for promoting crop yield. In this paper, a 3D simulation model of the hill-drop fertilizer device and soil was established by the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) algorithm, and the simulation model was modified using the Mohr–Coulomb criterion, and fertilizer movement in the soil under the disturbance of the cover was simulated and analyzed by the SPH algorithm. Orthogonal simulation experiments and the range analysis method were used to study the overall displacement and deformation of fertilizer, and the key factors affecting fertilizer movement were analyzed. After fertilization, the soil was layered with a soil sampler, and a digital image processing method was used to detect the fertilizer distribution in different soil depths; then, the fertilizer movement was inferred. The results of the field experiment showed that the trend of fertilizer movement was consistent with the results of the simulation experiment, which provides a reference for studying the movement and distribution of fertilizer in soil.
Study on the Mechanical Responses of Plastic Pipes Made of High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) in Water Supply Network
Authors: Vlase Sorin , Marin Marin , Scutaru Maria Luminița , Scărlătescu Dumitru Daniel , Csatlos Carol
Published: March 2020

This paper studies the mechanical behavior of high-density polyethylene (HDPE), from which the pipes used for water transport in water supply networks are manufactured. The study was generated by the practical problem of replacing and modernizing a water network of a city with 300,000 inhabitants. Of the numerous problems that have arisen and been solved by the group of researchers, only those referring to the mechanical behavior of the materials used for pipes are presented. HDPE, which is a thermoplastic material, is suitable for manufacturing the pipes used in water supply networks, having many advantages. Data on the mechanical properties of the material of which the pipe and elbow are made is obtained experimentally. The work involved the main steps required to design a water network, but the subject is not exhausted. The stresses in the polyethylene pipe are determined in two cases: buried in the ground and supported in a concrete massif. Thus, by calculation, the advantage offered by the second solution is justified. The crack of the pipes manufactured from HDPE is studied, taking into account the classical model used in the cracking process. A simulation of pipes and elbows cracking was made. The results obtained via MEF are useful for the users of the networks.
A Self-Stabilizing Phase Decoder for Quantum Key Distribution
Authors: Xu Huaxing , Wang Shaohua , Huang Yang , Song Yaqi , Wang Changlei
Published: March 2020

Self-stabilization quantum key distribution (QKD) systems are often based on the Faraday magneto-optic effect such as “plug and play” QKD systems and Faraday–Michelson QKD systems. In this article, we propose a new anti-quantum-channel disturbance decoder for QKD without magneto-optic devices, which can be a benefit for the photonic integration and applications in magnetic environments. The decoder is based on a quarter-wave plate reflector–Michelson (Q–M) interferometer, with which the QKD system can be free of polarization disturbance caused by quantum channel and optical devices in the system. The theoretical analysis indicates that the Q–M interferometer is immune to polarization-induced signal fading, where the operator of the Q–M interferometer corresponding to Pauli Matrix σ2 makes it satisfy the anti-disturbance condition naturally. A Q–M interferometer based time-bin phase encoding QKD setup is demonstrated, and the experimental results show that the QKD setup works stably with a low quantum bit error rate about 1.3% for 10 h over 60.6 km standard telecommunication optical fiber.
CRANK: A Hybrid Model for User and Content Sentiment Classification Using Social Context and Community Detection
Authors: Sánchez-Rada J. Fernando , Iglesias Carlos A.
Published: March 2020

Recent works have shown that sentiment analysis on social media can be improved by fusing text with social context information. Social context is information such as relationships between users and interactions of users with content. Although existing works have already exploited the networked structure of social context by using graphical models or techniques such as label propagation, more advanced techniques from social network analysis remain unexplored. Our hypothesis is that these techniques can help reveal underlying features that could help with the analysis. In this work, we present a sentiment classification model (CRANK) that leverages community partitions to improve both user and content classification. We evaluated this model on existing datasets and compared it to other approaches.
Contingent Task and Motion Planning under Uncertainty for Human–Robot Interactions
Authors: Akbari Aliakbar , Diab Mohammed , Rosell Jan
Published: March 2020

Manipulation planning under incomplete information is a highly challenging task for mobile manipulators. Uncertainty can be resolved by robot perception modules or using human knowledge in the execution process. Human operators can also collaborate with robots for the execution of some difficult actions or as helpers in sharing the task knowledge. In this scope, a contingent-based task and motion planning is proposed taking into account robot uncertainty and human–robot interactions, resulting a tree-shaped set of geometrically feasible plans. Different sorts of geometric reasoning processes are embedded inside the planner to cope with task constraints like detecting occluding objects when a robot needs to grasp an object. The proposal has been evaluated with different challenging scenarios in simulation and a real environment.
Mapping Forest Vertical Structure in Gong-ju, Korea Using Sentinel-2 Satellite Images and Artificial Neural Networks
Authors: Lee Yong-Suk , Lee Sunmin , Jung Hyung-Sup
Published: March 2020

As global warming accelerates in recent years, the frequency of droughts has increased and water management at the national level has become very important. In particular, accurate understanding and management of the forest is essential as the water storage capacity of forest is determined by forest structure. Typically, data on forest vertical structure have been constructed from field surveys that are both costly and time-consuming. In addition, machine learning techniques could be applied to analyze, classify, and predict the uncertainties of internal structures in forest. Therefore, this study aims to map the forest vertical structure for estimating forest water storage capacity from multi-seasonal optical satellite image and topographic data using artificial neural network (ANN) in Gongju-si, South Korea. For this purpose, the 14 input neurons of normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), two types of normalized difference water index (NDWI), two types of Normalized Difference Red Edge Index (NDre), principal component analysis (PCA) texture, and canopy height average and standard deviation maps were generated from Sentinel-2 optical images obtained in spring and fall season and topographic height maps such as digital terrain models (DTM) and digital surface models (DSM). The training/validation and test datasets for the ANN model were derived from forest vertical structures based on field surveys. Finally, the forest vertical classification map, the result of ANN application, was evaluated by creating an error matrix compared with the field survey results. The result showed an overall test accuracy of ~65.7% based on the number of pixels. The result shows that forest vertical structure in Gong-ju, Korea can be efficiently classified by using multi-seasonal Sentinel-2 satellite images and the ANN approach.
Rotary Ultrasonic Machining of Alumina Ceramic: An Experimental Investigation of Tool Path and Tool Overlapping
Authors: Abdo Basem M. A. , El-Tamimi Abdualziz , Nasr Emad Abouel
Published: March 2020

Pocket milling has been regarded as one of the most widely used operations in machining. The surface quality of the machined pockets is an essential aspect of any engineering and medical applications. In the current study, rotary ultrasonic machining (RUM) was applied for milling micro-pockets on alumina (Al2O3) ceramic. The objective of this research was to analyze the effect of the tool overlapping parameters on the surface roughness, surface morphology and the profiles of the machined pockets. Subsequently, the effect of different tool path strategies was analyzed on the surface quality and the material removal rate (MRR) of the machined pockets. A scanning electron microscope is used for analyzing the tool wear mechanisms. The experimental results provide evidence that the surface roughness, surface morphology and the MRR have been significantly affected by the considered tool overlapping and the tool path strategies. Furthermore, among the selected tool overlapping parameters (5–25%) and the tool path strategies, the best surface roughness (Ra = 0.155 μm and Rt = 1.432 µm) of the machined pockets can be found at 20% of the tool overlapping with a mix of uni-directional and zigzag tool path strategy.
GazeGuide: An Eye-Gaze-Guided Active Immersive UAV Camera
Authors: B. N. Pavan Kumar , Balasubramanyam Adithya , Patil Ashok Kumar , B. Chethana , Chai Young Ho
Published: March 2020

Over the years, gaze input modality has been an easy and demanding human–computer interaction (HCI) method for various applications. The research of gaze-based interactive applications has advanced considerably, as HCIs are no longer constrained to traditional input devices. In this paper, we propose a novel immersive eye-gaze-guided camera (called GazeGuide) that can seamlessly control the movements of a camera mounted on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) from the eye-gaze of a remote user. The video stream captured by the camera is fed into a head-mounted display (HMD) with a binocular eye tracker. The user’s eye-gaze is the sole input modality to maneuver the camera. A user study was conducted considering the static and moving targets of interest in a three-dimensional (3D) space to evaluate the proposed framework. GazeGuide was compared with a state-of-the-art input modality remote controller. The qualitative and quantitative results showed that the proposed GazeGuide performed significantly better than the remote controller.
Numerical Analysis and Experiments of Butt Welding Deformations for Panel Block Assembly
Authors: Ryu Hyunsu , Kang Sungwook , Lee Kwangkook
Published: March 2020

In a shipyard, large numbers of temporary pieces are used to align welding lines of a block joint and prevent welding deformations in the block assembly stage. The use of many temporary pieces requires a great number of working man-hours, causing low productivity. In this study, experiments and numerical analyses of welding deformations were carried out in order to optimize the number of temporary pieces used. The quantitative relationship between the welding deformations and the temporary piece setting was established experimentally. In order to predict welding deformations considering temporary piece setting, a numerical method was proposed. The simulation results were verified through experiments. The optimal number of twenty-one temporary pieces needed to increase the productivity was calculated with the proposed numerical analysis method. Moreover, the proposed numerical analysis method could be used to establish guidelines and plans for a proper use of temporary pieces on the panel block assembly stage.
Synthesis of Two New Mechanisms Which Generate a Highly Aesthetic Design Image—The Flower of Life
Authors: Luca Liliana , Popescu Iulian , Cherciu Mirela , Ghimisi Stefan , Cirtina Marius Liviu , Pasare Minodora Maria
Published: March 2020

(1) Background: The objective of this study was to develop the field of mechanisms that generate aesthetic curves, as they can be useful in designing machines for the manufacture of highly beautiful products. We started from the image of the Flower of Life and we set out to build mechanisms in the field of mechanical engineering that can generate this image. (2) Methods: First, we studied in detail the geometry of the figure. Secondly, based on the mathematical considerations, we made the synthesis of a mechanism able to trace this image, based on the Geneva mechanism with intermittent movement. We completed this mechanism with other kinematic chains, so we generated the proposed curve. Next, we made the synthesis of the second generating mechanism. This was a gear mechanism with compound profiles to which we added additional kinematic chains to generate the Flower of Life curve. Further on, kinematics was applied to confirm the drawing of the curves with the closed loop method. (3) Results: The results obtained following the study and presented in the paper show that the two created mechanisms generate images (trajectories) identical to the Flower of Life. Moreover, other images similar to the Flower of Life, with great artistic potential, were obtained. (4) Conclusions: The aim of the study was achieved, the authors proposed two new mechanisms which generate a highly aesthetic design image—the “Flower of Life”. The paper provides all the notions of structure and kinematics that are necessary to calculate the mechanisms and also analyzes other kinematic possibilities of the created mechanisms. The paper contributes to the development of a new field in the Theory of Mechanisms: generating aesthetic curves.
An Empirical Study on Greenhouse Gas Emission Calculations Under Different Municipal Solid Waste Management Strategies
Authors: Xin Chunlin , Zhang Tingting , Tsai Sang-Bing , Zhai Yu-Ming , Wang Jiangtao
Published: March 2020

The Chinese government is committed to ensuring separation of municipal solid waste (MSW), promoting the integrated development of the MSW management system with the renewable resource recovery system, and achieving construction of ecological civilization. Guided by the methods in Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) guidelines, the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions under five waste disposal scenarios in Beijing under the life cycle framework were assessed in this research. The study included collection and transportation, as well as three end disposal methods (sanitary landfill, incineration, and composting), and the emission reduction benefits of electricity generation from incineration and recycling of renewable resources were taken into account. The results show that an emission reduction benefit of 70.82% could be achieved under Scenario 5 in which kitchen waste and recyclables are sorted and recycled and the residue is incinerated, and the selection of the optimal strategy was not affected by changes in the separation rate. In addition, landfill would emit more GHG than incineration and composting. The results of this study are helpful for the government to make a decision on MSW management considering the goal of GHG emission reduction.
Primary User Traffic Pattern Based Opportunistic Spectrum Handoff in Cognitive Radio Networks
Authors: Arshid Kaleem , Hussain Iftikhar , Bashir Muhammad Khawar , Naseem Shahid , Ditta Allah , Mian Natash Ali , Zahid Misha , Khan Israr Ali
Published: March 2020

Through the expeditious expansion of the wireless network, the unlicensed bandwidth-based devices are growing substantially as compared to the present vacant bandwidth. Cognitive radio networks present a proficient solution to the spectrum shortage diminution hitch by allowing the usage of the vacant part of the spectrum that is not currently in use of the Primary User licensed bandwidth to the secondary user or cognitive radio user. Spectrum management procedure in cognitive radio network comprises of spectrum sharing, sensing and handoff. Spectrum handoff plays a vital role in spectrum management and primarily focuses on single handoff strategies. This paper presents a primary user traffic pattern-based opportunistic spectrum handoff (PUTPOSH) approach to use in the cognitive radio networks. PUTPOSH permits a secondary user to sense the arrival of a primary user and use an opportunistic handoff scheme. The opportunistic handoff scheme firstly detects the arrival of the primary users by energy detection sensing and secondly, it allows a cognitive radio user to decide whether to do handoff or not contingent upon the overall service time to reduce the unused handoffs. The handoffs can either be reactive or proactive based on the arrival rate of the primary user. The simulation results show that the presented PUTPOSH approach (a) minimizes the number of handoffs and the overall service time, and (b) maintains the channel utilization and throughput of the system at a maximal point.
Soft Tissue Evaluation of an Immediate Esthetic Zone Single Implant with a Stereolithographic Guide Using 3D Reconstruction and a CAD/CAM Customized Titanium Anatomic Abutment
Authors: Kim Tae-Heung , Oh You-Kyoung , Jeong Chang-Mo , Ko Edward Chengchuan , Sándor George K. , Kim Yong-Deok
Published: March 2020

The replacement of an unrestorable tooth with a single implant-supported prosthesis is a treatment with predictable and successful outcomes. The anterior maxilla region is a complicated site for such treatment, due to its esthetic, functional, and physiological sensitivity. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the changes in the soft tissue following an immediate implant procedure using guided surgery in combination with a computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) customized titanium anatomic abutment in the esthetic zone. A total of 13 patients who had been treated with an immediate post-extraction implant placement and an immediate provisional restoration were included in the study. The changes in the soft tissue dimension, interdental papilla, and esthetic score were evaluated with a follow-up of at least one year. There was no significant change in the midfacial mucosal status when compared to the pre-treatment situation. The recession of the mesial papillary height was 0.32 mm and the distal papillary height was 0.10 mm. The mean horizontal change in the labial mucosa was 0.32 ± 0.83 mm. There was no significant difference between the mesial papilla index and the distal papilla index. The pink esthetic score value prior to treatment was 11.16, and at one-year follow-up, 10.25. Within the limitations of this study, the immediate post-extraction implant placement procedure with a stereolithographic guide and a provisionalization with a CAD/CAM customized titanium anatomic abutment may be a treatment option with predictable outcomes for the replacement of teeth in the esthetic zone.
Review of Vibration-Based Structural Health Monitoring Using Deep Learning
Authors: Toh Gyungmin , Park Junhong
Published: March 2020

With the rapid progress in the deep learning technology, it is being used for vibration-based structural health monitoring. When the vibration is used for extracting features for system diagnosis, it is important to correlate the measured signal to the current status of the structure. The measured vibration responses show large deviation in spectral and transient characteristics for systems to be monitored. Consequently, the diagnosis using vibration requires complete understanding of the extracted features to discard the influence of surrounding environments or unnecessary variations. The deep-learning-based algorithms are expected to find increasing application in these complex problems due to their flexibility and robustness. This review provides a summary of studies applying machine learning algorithms for fault monitoring. The vibration factors were used to categorize the studies. A brief interpretation of deep neural networks is provided to guide further applications in the structural vibration analysis.
Investigating the Applications of Machine Learning Techniques to Predict the Rock Brittleness Index
Authors: Sun Deliang , Lonbani Mahshid , Askarian Behnam , Jahed Armaghani Danial , Tarinejad Reza , Thai Pham Binh , Huynh Van Van
Published: March 2020

Despite the vast usage of machine learning techniques to solve engineering problems, a very limited number of studies on the rock brittleness index (BI) have used these techniques to analyze issues in this field. The present study developed five well-known machine learning techniques and compared their performance to predict the brittleness index of the rock samples. The comparison of the models’ performance was conducted through a ranking system. These techniques included Chi-square automatic interaction detector (CHAID), random forest (RF), support vector machine (SVM), K-nearest neighbors (KNN), and artificial neural network (ANN). This study used a dataset from a water transfer tunneling project in Malaysia. Results of simple rock index tests i.e., Schmidt hammer, p-wave velocity, point load, and density were considered as model inputs. The results of this study indicated that while the RF model had the best performance for training (ranking = 25), the ANN outperformed other models for testing (ranking = 22). However, the KNN model achieved the highest cumulative ranking, which was 37. The KNN model showed desirable stability for both training and testing. However, the results of validation stage indicated that RF model with coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.971 provides higher performance capacity for prediction of the rock BI compared to KNN model with R2 of 0.807 and ANN model with R2 of 0.860. The results of this study suggest a practical use of the machine learning models in solving problems related to rock mechanics specially rock brittleness index.
Evaluation of a New Statistical Method—TIN-Copula–for the Bias Correction of Climate Models’ Extreme Parameters
Authors: Lazoglou Georgia , Angnostopoulou Christina , Tolika Konstantia , Benedikt Gräler
Published: March 2020

During the last decades, global and regional climate models have been widely used for the estimation of future climate conditions. Unfortunately, the models’ estimated values present important biases relative to the observed values, especially when the estimations refer to extremes. Consequently, several researchers have studied several statistical methods that are able to minimize the biases between climate models and observed values. The present study evaluates a new statistical method for bias correction: The triangular irregular network (TIN)-copula method. This method is a combination of the triangular irregular networks and the copula theory. In the present research, the new method is applied to ten Mediterranean stations and its results are compared with the bias-corrected values of three other widely used methods: The delta, the scaling, and the empirical quantile mapping methods. The analysis was made for maximum mean temperature (TMX) and minimum mean temperature (TMN) as well as for extreme precipitation (R99). According to the results, the TIN-copula method is able to correct extreme temperature and precipitation values, estimated by regional climate models, with high accuracy. Additionally, it is proven that the TIN-copula method is a useful tool for bias correction as it presents several advantages compared with the other methods, and it is recommended for future works.
Complex Dynamics in a Minimal Model of Protection-Based Mutualism
Authors: Swire Samuel , Pasipanodya Elizabeth , Morales Manuel A. , Peacock-López Enrique
Published: March 2020

This paper presents the first five variable model of mutualism motivated by the interaction between ants and homopterans. In this mutualism, homopterans benefit both directly through increased feeding rates and indirectly through predator protection. Results of our analyses show oscillatory, complex, and chaotic dynamic behavior. In addition, we show that intraspecies interactions are crucial for closing trophic levels and stabilizing the dynamic system from potential “chaotic” behavior.
Understanding Australian Wine Consumers’ Preferences for Different Sparkling Wine Styles
Authors: Verdonk Naomi , Ristic Renata , Culbert Julie , Pearce Karma , Wilkinson Kerry
Published: March 2020

This study investigated the perceptions and preferences of Australian wine consumers towards different styles of sparkling wine, including French Champagne and Australian sparkling white, red and rosé wine, Moscato and Prosecco. An online survey of 1027 regular sparkling wine consumers captured demographic information, sparkling wine perceptions and preferences, and typical spending and consumption patterns. Consumers were segmented into three distinct clusters (‘No Frills’, ‘Aspirants’ and ‘Enthusiasts’) using the Fine Wine Instrument model. The majority of No Frills consumers were female and typically consumed sparkling wine once per month. Almost 55% of Aspirants were male with a household income of more than AU$75,000. Enthusiast consumers were also predominantly male and well educated, and 64% were under the age of 35 years. Sparkling white wine and Champagne were generally the preferred styles for each consumer group, followed by Moscato and sparkling rosé wine. Interestingly, Moscato scored favorably with both No Frills and Enthusiast segments. Almost 25% of respondents indicated that they were not familiar with Prosecco, while sparkling red wine was perceived similarly by male and female consumers. The findings from this study can be used by sparkling wine producers to better target their products and marketing to the specific needs and expectations of consumers within different segments of the Australian domestic market.
Long-Term Effect against Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus of Emodin Released from Coaxial Electrospinning Nanofiber Membranes with a Biphasic Profile
Authors: Ye Peiwen , Wei Suying , Luo Chaohua , Wang Qirui , Li Anzhang , Wei Fenghuan
Published: March 2020

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a serious and rapidly growing threat to human beings. Emodin has a potent activity against MRSA; however, its usage is limited due to high hydrophobicity and low oral bioavailability. Thus, the coaxial electrospinning nanofibers encapsulating emodin in the core of hydrophilic poly (vinylpyrrolidone), with a hygroscopic cellulose acetate sheath, have been fabricated to provide long-term effect against MRSA. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy confirmed the nanofibers had a linear morphology with nanometer in diameter, smooth surface, and core-shell structure. Attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectra, X-ray diffraction patterns, and differential scanning calorimetric analyses verified emodin existed in amorphous form in the nanofibers. The nanofibers have 99.38 ± 1.00% entrapment efficiency of emodin and 167.8 ± 0.20% swelling ratio. Emodin released from nanofibers showed a biphasic drug release profile with an initial rapid release followed by a slower sustained release. CCK-8 assays confirmed the nontoxic nature of the emodin-loaded nanofibers to HaCaT cells. The anti-MRSA activity of the nanofibers can persist up to 9 days in AATCC147 and soft-agar overlay assays. These findings suggest that the emodin-loaded electrospun nanofibers with core-shell structure could be used as topical drug delivery system for wound infected by MRSA.
Antiviral Action of Tryptanthrin Isolated from Strobilanthes cusia Leaf against Human Coronavirus NL63
Authors: Tsai Yu-Chi , Lee Chia-Lin , Yen Hung-Rong , Chang Young-Sheng , Lin Yu-Ping , Huang Su-Hua , Lin Cheng-Wen
Published: March 2020

Strobilanthes cusia (Nees) Kuntze is a Chinese herbal medicine used in the treatment of respiratory virus infections. The methanol extract of S. cusia leaf contains chemical components such as β-sitosterol, indirubin, tryptanthrin, betulin, indigodole A, and indigodole B that have diverse biological activities. However, the antiviral action of S. cusia leaf and its components against human coronavirus remains to be elucidated. Human coronavirus NL63 infection is frequent among immunocompromised individuals, young children, and in the elderly. This study investigated the anti-Human coronavirus NL63 (HCoV-NL63) activity of the methanol extract of S. cusia leaf and its major components. The methanol extract of S. cusia leaf effectively inhibited the cytopathic effect (CPE) and virus yield (IC50 = 0.64 μg/mL) in HCoV-NL63-infected cells. Moreover, this extract potently inhibited the HCoV-NL63 infection in a concentration-dependent manner. Among the six components identified in the methanol extract of S. cusia leaf, tryptanthrin and indigodole B (5aR-ethyltryptanthrin) exhibited potent antiviral activity in reducing the CPE and progeny virus production. The IC50 values against virus yield were 1.52 μM and 2.60 μM for tryptanthrin and indigodole B, respectively. Different modes of time-of-addition/removal assay indicated that tryptanthrin prevented the early and late stages of HCoV-NL63 replication, particularly by blocking viral RNA genome synthesis and papain-like protease 2 activity. Notably, tryptanthrin (IC50 = 0.06 μM) and indigodole B (IC50 = 2.09 μM) exhibited strong virucidal activity as well. This study identified tryptanthrin as the key active component of S. cusia leaf methanol extract that acted against HCoV-NL63 in a cell-type independent manner. The results specify that tryptanthrin possesses antiviral potential against HCoV-NL63 infection.
Cannabidiol Effects on Phospholipid Metabolism in Keratinocytes from Patients with Psoriasis Vulgaris
Authors: Jarocka-Karpowicz Iwona , Biernacki Michał , Wroński Adam , Gęgotek Agnieszka , Skrzydlewska Elżbieta
Published: March 2020

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease characterized by dysregulated keratinocyte differentiation, but oxidative stress also plays an important role in the pathogenesis of this disease. Here, we examined the effect of cannabidiol (CBD), a phytocannabinoid with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, on the redox balance and phospholipid metabolism in UVA/UVB-irradiated keratinocytes isolated from the skin of psoriatic patients or healthy volunteers. CBD accumulates mainly in membrane keratinocytes, especially from patients with psoriasis. This phytocannabinoid reduces the redox imbalance observed in the UV-irradiated keratinocytes of healthy subjects. It does so by decreasing reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, increasing the Trx-dependent system efficiency, and increasing vitamin A and E levels. Consequently, a reduction in lipid peroxidation products, such as 8-isoprostanes and 4-hydroxynonenal, was also observed. Moreover, CBD modifies redox balance and lipid peroxidation in psoriatic patient keratinocytes following UV-irradiation. Interestingly, these changes are largely in the opposite direction to the case of keratinocytes from healthy subjects. CBD also regulates metabolic changes by modulating the endocannabinoid system that is disturbed by psoriasis development and UV irradiation. We observed a decrease in anandamide level in the UV-irradiated keratinocytes of healthy controls following CBD treatment, while in keratinocytes from patients treated with CBD, anandamide level was increased. However, the level of palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) was decreased in both groups treated with CBD. We further demonstrate that CBD increases CB1 receptor expression, primarily in the keratinocytes of patients, and increases CB2 receptor expression in both the psoriatic and control groups. However, CBD decreases CB2 receptor expression in UV-irradiated keratinocytes taken from patients. The UV- and psoriasis-induced activity of transmembrane transporters (Multidrug-Resistance (MDR) and breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP)) is normalized after CBD treatment. We conclude that CBD partially reduces oxidative stress in the keratinocytes of healthy individuals, while showing a tendency to increase the oxidative and inflammatory state in the keratinocytes of patients with psoriasis, especially following UV-irradiation.
Tiny but Fatty: Lipids and Fatty Acids in the Daubed Shanny (Leptoclinus maculatus), a Small Fish in Svalbard Waters
Authors: Murzina Svetlana A. , Pekkoeva Svetlana N. , Kondakova Ekaterina A. , Nefedova Zinaida A. , Filippova Kseniia A. , Nemova Nina N. , Orlov Alexei M. , Berge Jorgen , Falk-Petersen Stig
Published: March 2020

The seasonal dynamic of lipids and their fatty acid constituents in the lipid sac and muscles of pelagic postlarval Leptoclinus maculatus, an ecologically important fish species in the Arctic food nets, in Kongsfjord, Svalbard waters was studied. The determination of the qualitative and quantitative content of the total lipids (TLs), total phospholipids (PLs), triacylglycerols (TAGs), cholesterol (Chol), cholesterol esters (Chol esters) and wax esters was analyzed by TLC, the phosphatidylserine (PS), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidylinositol (PI), phosphatidylcholine (PC), lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) and sphingomyelin (SM) were determined by HPLC, and fatty acids of total lipids using GC. The lipid sac is a system of cavities filled with lipids, and it is not directly connected to organs of the digestive system. The wall’s inner layer is a multinuclear symplast that has a trophic function. The results provide additional knowledge on the role of lipids in the biochemical and physiological adaptation of fish to specific environments and clarify the relationship between fatty acids and the food specialization of postlarvae. Analysis of the fatty acid (FA) profile of TLs in the muscles and lipid sac of daubed shanny pelagic postlarvae showed it to be tissue- and organ-specific, and tightly associated with seasonal variations of environmental factors (temperature conditions and trophic resources).
Comparison of Ginsenoside Components of Various Tissues of New Zealand Forest-Grown Asian Ginseng (Panax Ginseng) and American Ginseng (Panax Quinquefolium L.)
Authors: Chen Wei , Balan Prabhu , Popovich David G
Published: March 2020

Asian ginseng (Panax ginseng) and American ginseng (Panax quinquefolium L.) are the two most important ginseng species for their medicinal properties. Ginseng is not only popular to consume, but is also increasingly popular to cultivate. In the North Island of New Zealand, Asian ginseng and American ginseng have been grown in Taupo and Rotorua for more than 15 years. There are no publications comparing the chemical constituents between New Zealand-grown Asian ginseng (NZPG) and New Zealand-grown American ginseng (NZPQ). In this study, fourteen ginsenoside reference standards and LC–MS2 technology were employed to analyze the ginsenoside components of various parts (fine root, rhizome, main root, stem, and leaf) from NZPG and NZPQ. Fifty and 43 ginsenosides were identified from various parts of NZPG and NZPQ, respectively, and 29 ginsenosides were found in both ginseng species. Ginsenoside concentrations in different parts of ginsengs were varied. Compared to other tissues, the fine roots contained the most abundant ginsenosides, not only in NZPG (142.49 ± 1.14 mg/g) but also in NZPQ (115.69 ± 3.51 mg/g). For the individual ginsenosides of both NZPG and NZPQ, concentration of Rb1 was highest in the underground parts (fine root, rhizome, and main root), and ginsenoside Re was highest in the aboveground parts (stem and leaf).