bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
CD8+CD57+ T cells exhibit distinct features in human non-small cell lung cancer
Authors: Huang Bing , Liu Rong , Wang Peiliang , Yuan Zhiwei , Yang Jianjian , Xiong Hui , Zhang Ni , Huang Qi , Fu Xiangning , Sun Wei , Li Lequn
Published: June 2020

Background

The repetitive antigen stimulation during chronic infection often leads to the accumulation of CD8+CD57+ T cells. These cells express high levels of interferon-γ, granzyme B and perforin with elevated cytolytic effect, and are considered as the most potent cells for combating chronical viral infection. The status of CD8+CD57+ T cells in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has not been well defined.

Methods

We used flow cytometry and undertook a systemic approach to examine the frequency, immunophenotyping and functional properties of CD8+CD57+ T cells in the peripheral blood, tumor tissue and the corresponding normal tissue, as well as lung draining lymph nodes, of patients with NSCLC.

Results

CD57+ T cells expressed high levels of programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) in all tested compartments and were predominantly CD8+ T cells. These cells in the peripheral blood displayed a terminally differentiated phenotype as defined by loss of CD27 and CD28 while expressing KLRG1. CD8+CD57+ T cells exhibited enhanced cytotoxic potencies and impaired proliferative capability. Unlike CD57+ T cells in the peripheral blood, a significant proportion of CD57+ T cells in the primary tumors expressed CD27 and CD28. CD8+CD57+ T cells in tumors lacked cytotoxic activity. The proliferative activity of these cells was also impaired. CD8+CD57+ T cells in the corresponding normal lung tissues shared similarities with their counterparts in peripheral blood rather than their counterparts in tumors. The vast majority of CD8+CD57+ T cells in lung draining lymph nodes were positive for CD27 and CD28. These cells were unable to produce perforin and granzyme B, but their proliferative activity was preserved. CD8+CD57+ T cells in tumors displayed an inferior response to PD-1 blockade compared with their CD8+CD57- counterparts. Interleukin (IL)-15 preferentially restored the effector function of these cells. Additionally, IL-15 was able to restore the impaired proliferative activity of CD8+CD57+ T cells in tumors and peripheral blood.

Conclusions

Our data indicate that the failure of the immune system to fight cancer progression could be a result of impaired CD8+ T-cell functional maturation into fully differentiated effector T cells within the tumor microenvironment. Boosting IL-15 activity might promote tumor-reactive CD8+ T-cell functional maturation while preserving their proliferative activity.
‘Look under the sheets!’ Fighting with the senses in relation to defecation and bodily care in hospitals and care institutions
Authors: van der Geest Sjaak , Zaman Shahaduz
Published: June 2020

This essay focuses on sensory aspects of care in situations surrounding defecation in hospitals and other care institutions. Sensory activity does not merely encompass pleasant experiences that enhance healing and well-being. Anthropologists—and other disciplines as well—have paid little attention to unpleasant and disgusting experiences that our senses meet and that may rather increase pain and suffering in the context of care. Our essay therefore reflects on a common but highly uncomfortable aspect of being a—sometimes bedridden—patient: defecation. The sensory effects of human defecation are well known. They affect at least four of the five traditional senses. But equally repulsive are the social and emotional effects that defecation in a hospital context has on both patients and professional and other care providers. The essay is based on anthropological observations and the authors’ personal experiences in Bangladesh, Ghana and the Netherlands and covers a wide variety of cultural and politicoeconomic conditions. It further draws on (scarce) scientific publications as well as on fictional sources. Extensive quotations from these various sources are presented to convey the lived sensorial experience of disgust and overcoming disgust more directly to the reader.
Splenoptosis in a dairy cow and endoscopic correction of left displacement of abomasum
Authors: Karvountzis Sotirios
Published: June 2020

A third lactation Holstein dairy cow was presented with history of acute reduction in milk yield (‘milk drop’). On combined auscultation and percussion of the left costal area and paralumbar fossa, distinct sounds (‘ping’ or ‘slosh’) were identified ventrally. The case was investigated endoscopically, with two portals set‐up either side of the 13th left rib. The abomasum was displaced and congested, and ecchymoses were found on its greater curvature. The spleen was not visible on the initial examination. The spleen became visible following abomasocentesis and deflation of the abomasum. Unlike the normal spleen that has a sharp caudal edge, this one’s edge appeared swollen. The swelling was consistent with splenomegaly, due to the compromised blood circulation following the splenoptosis.
A finite element approach for determining the full load–displacement relationship of axially loaded shallow screw anchors, incorporating installation effects
Authors: Cerfontaine Benjamin , Knappett Jonathan A. , Brown Michael J. , Davidson Craig S. , Al-Baghdadi Therar , Sharif Yaseen U. , Brennan Andrew , Augarde Charles , Coombs William M. , Wang Lei , Blake Anthony , Richards David J. , Ball Jon
Published: June 2020

Screw anchors have been recognised as an innovative solution to support offshore jacket structures and floating systems, due to their low-noise installation and potential enhanced uplift capacity. Results published in the literature have shown that for both fixed and floating applications, the tension capacity is critical for design, but may be poorly predicted by current empirical design approaches. These methods also do not capture the load–displacement behaviour, which is critical for quantifying performance under working loads. In this paper, a finite element methodology is developed to predict the full tensile load–displacement response of shallow screw anchors installed in sand for practical use, incorporating the effects of a pitch-matched installation. The methodology is based on a two-step process. An initial simulation, based on wished-in-place conditions, enables the identification of the failure mechanism as well as the shear strain distribution at failure. A second simulation refines the anchor capacity using soil–soil interface finite elements along the failure surface identified previously and also models installation through successive loading–unloading of the screw anchor at different embedment depths. The methodology is validated against previously published centrifuge test results. This simplified numerical approach has been derived to approximate the results in a single step.
Microsatellite markers reveal polymorphisms at the 3′ untranslated region of theSLC11A1gene in Zhongdian Yellow cattle (Bos taurus)
Authors: Wang L. , Xi D. , Xiong H. , Memon S. , Li G. , Gu Z. , Nadir S. , Deng W.
Published: June 2020

Solute carrier family 11-member A1 (SLC11A1) gene encodes natural macrophage resistance-associated protein which regulates activity of macrophages against intracellular pathogens. The objective of this study was to study the polymorphism in the microsatellites present at 3′ untranslated region (UTR) of the SLC11A1 gene in 113 Zhongdian Yellow cattle (Bos taurus). Using DNA bi-directional sequencing, we detected seven alleles (GT10–16) for the first microsatellite (MS1), five alleles (GT12–16) for MS2, and four alleles (GT4–7) for MS3. MS3 is studied for the first time and revealed four novel variants (alleles GT4–7). Alleles GT12 (45.1%), GT13 (59.3%), and GT5 (85.4%) were the most frequent alleles at MS1, MS2, and MS3, respectively, Genotypes G12/12, G13/13, and G5/5 had the highest frequency 0.239, 0.540, and 0.743 at MS1, MS2, and MS3, respectively. Haplotypic data revealed that GT12/GT13 was the most frequent haplotype observed followed by GT12/14 haplotype. Three nucleotide variations were observed in MS1 and MS2. Comparative analysis of GT12/GT12 and GT13/GT13 genotype with other bovine genotypes showed significant difference (P > 0.05). Our results suggest that the homozygous genotypes GT12/GT12 and GT13/GT13 in Zhongdian Yellow cattle might be related to disease resistance. The findings reported in this study would be helpful in cattle breeding programs.
Forest fire flame and smoke detection from UAV-captured images using fire-specific color features and multi-color space local binary pattern
Authors: Hossain F.M. Anim , Zhang Youmin M. , Tonima Masuda Akter
Published: June 2020

In recent years, the frequency and severity of forest fire occurrence have increased, compelling the research communities to actively search for early forest fire detection and suppression methods. Remote sensing using computer vision techniques can provide early detection from a large field of view along with providing additional information such as location and severity of the fire. Over the last few years, the feasibility of forest fire detection by combining computer vision and aerial platforms such as manned and unmanned aerial vehicles, especially low cost and small-size unmanned aerial vehicles, have been experimented with and have shown promise by providing detection, geolocation, and fire characteristic information. This paper adds to the existing research by proposing a novel method of detecting forest fire using color and multi-color space local binary pattern of both flame and smoke signatures and a single artificial neural network. The training and evaluation images in this paper have been mostly obtained from aerial platforms with challenging circumstances such as minuscule flame pixels, varying illumination and range, complex backgrounds, occluded flame and smoke regions, and smoke blending into the background. The proposed method has achieved F1 scores of 0.84 for flame and 0.90 for smoke while maintaining a processing speed of 19 frames per second. It has outperformed support vector machine, random forest, Bayesian classifiers and YOLOv3, and has demonstrated the capability of detecting challenging flame and smoke regions of a wide range of sizes, colors, textures, and opacity.
Dialogue on a superconducting laser operating via nonequilibrium inversed population
Authors: Gulian Armen , Dulal Rajendra , Teknowijoyo Serafim , Chahid Sara
Published: June 2020

In nonequilibrium states, the entropy is reduced from its maximum thermodynamic equilibrium value by virtue of an external energy supply. Such states are characterized by a higher ordering compared to the equilibrium. Human beings represent the highest level of nonequilibrium state, at least in the known part of the Universe. Other physical systems are also well-known, for example, quantum generators, e.g., lasers. Their operation requires a high level of deviation from equilibrium called inverse population. In turn, states out of equilibrium require energy influx for their maintenance, i.e., they should be open systems. In this short review we describe in the form of dialogue between Prof. A. M. Gulian and his younger colleagues Dr. Rajendra Dulal, Dr. Serafim Teknowijoyo and Dr. Sara Chahid the task of achieving inverse population in superconductors. Then, the dialogue moves towards experimental consequences that nonequilibrium superconductors can yield. These include topics related with deeper understanding of mechanisms of superconductivity in novel materials, in particular related to the “glue” which pairs electrons in Cooper pairs. Such understanding will facilitate development of Bose-field quantum generators like lasers, and coherent acoustic as well as paramagnon quantum sources, none of which are yet realized in nonequilibrium superconductors.
NISC-Based MIMO MMSE Detector
Authors: Rizk Mostafa , Baghdadi Amer , Jézéquel Michel , Atat Youssef , Mohanna Yasser
Published: June 2020

Several application-specific processor design approaches have been proposed and investigated to cope with the emerging flexibility requirements jointly associated with the maximum performance efficiency and minimum implementation area and power consumption. Dynamic scheduling of a set of instructions generally leads to an overhead related to instruction decoding. To mitigate this overhead, other approaches have been proposed using static scheduling of datapath control signals. In this context, No-Instruction-Set-Computer (NISC) concept have been introduced considering that a dedicated processor to a specific application does not need an instruction set especially when it is programmed by its designers and not by its users. In this paper, the hardware architecture design of flexible NISC-based architecture design dedicated for minimum mean-squared error (MMSE) linear detection is presented. The devised design, which is used in iterative turbo-receiver, fulfills the performance requirements of emergent wireless communication standards with throughput reaching that of LTE-Advanced. FPGA hardware implementation of the detector architecture achieves a maximum throughput of 115.8 Mega symbols per second for [Formula: see text] and 6.4 Mega symbols per second for [Formula: see text] MIMO systems for an operating clock frequency of 202.67[Formula: see text]MHz.
Research on Optimized Online Allocation of Scope Spatial Crowdsourcing Tasks
Authors: Gao Liping , Dai Kun , Lu Chao
Published: June 2020

Task allocation of spatial crowdsourcing tasks is an important branch of crowdsourcing. Spatial crowdsourcing tasks not only require workers to complete a specific task at a specified time, but also require users to go to the designated location to complete the corresponding tasks. In this paper, Scope spatial crowdsourcing task whose work position is a region rather than a location is a kind of spatial crowdsourcing task. Mobile crowdsourced sensing (MCS) is one of the most important platforms to publish spatial crowdsourcing tasks, based on which MCS workers can use smartphones to complete the collections of related sensing data. When assigning tasks for scoped crowdsourcing tasks, there is a scope overlap between tasks and one or more tasks due to the association of task scope between tasks, which causes a waste of manpower. The focus of this paper is to study the redundancy of the task scope that occurs when using MCS to collect scoping data in the case of fewer workers and more tasks. Optimizing scope spatial crowdsourcing tasks allocation algorithm (OSSA) can eliminate the redundancy of the task area by integrating and decomposing tasks and achieve the improvement of the assignable number of tasks. In the Windows platform, experiments are made to compare the efficiency of the OSSA algorithm with the greedy algorithm and the two-phase-based global online allocation (TGOA) algorithm to further prove the correctness and feasibility of the algorithm for task scope optimization.
Thermal behavior of complex model with the cellulose II and amorphous chain
Authors: Chen Yu , Jiang Xuewei , Wu Huhe , Zheng Lu
Published: June 2020

To investigate the thermal behavior of complex model with amorphous region and crystallization region of cellulose II, the structures and properties of cellulose II, amorphous chain and their combined models were studied by molecular dynamics simulation. The results showed that the amorphous chain is more susceptible to temperature than the cellulose II. It can form anti-parallel structure similar to cellulose II at high temperature. In the complex model, one end of the amorphous chain is fixed to form hydrogen bonds with the cellulose II, and the other end is not. At 300[Formula: see text]K, the free part of amorphous chain is approximately perpendicular to the axial direction of the cellulose II. When the temperature increases, the free part of amorphous chain adheres to the surface of cellulose II. The free part of amorphous chain did not form hydrogen bond with the cellulose II. The formation of amorphous chain and surface of the cellulose II is a zipper process at 450[Formula: see text]K. Furthermore, water molecules penetrate into the inter-space of the amorphous and crystalline regions. The probability of hydrogen bonds between water molecules and the complex model was less than 8.21% which explains why cellulose is insoluble in water. These conclusions provide a guiding significance for the dissolution mechanism of cellulose.
Review on Modeling of Vapor Compression Chillers: District Cooling Perspective
Authors: Kadam Sambhaji T. , Hassan Ibrahim , Rahman Mohammad Azizur , Papadopoulos Athanasios I. , Seferlis Panos
Published: June 2020

Energy consumption and its associated consequences can be reduced by implementing district cooling strategies that supply low temperature water to a wide range of end users through chillers and distribution networks. Adequate understanding, performance prediction and further optimization of vapor compression chillers used widely in district cooling plants have been a subject of intense research through model-based approaches. In this context, we perform an extensive review of different modeling techniques used for predicting steady-state or dynamic performance of vapor compression liquid chillers. The explored modeling techniques include physical and empirical models. Different physical models used for vapor compression chillers, based on physics laws, are discussed in detail. Furthermore, empirical models (based on artificial neural networks, regression analysis) are elaborated along with their advantages and drawbacks. The physical models can depict both steady- and unsteady-state performance of the vapor compression chiller; however, their accuracy and physical realism can be enhanced by considering the geometrical arrangement of the condenser and evaporator and validating them for various ecofriendly refrigerants and large system size (i.e., cooling capacity). Apparently, empirical models are easy to develop but do not provide the necessary physical realism of the process of vapor compression chiller. It is further observed that DC plants/networks have been modeled from the point of view of optimization or integration but no efforts have been made to model the chillers with multiple VCR cycles. The development of such models will facilitate to optimize the DC plant and provide improved control strategies for effective and efficient operation.
Intelligent Control of a Spinal Prosthesis to Restore Walking After Neural Injury: Recent Work and Future Possibilities
Authors: Dalrymple Ashley N. , Mushahwar Vivian K.
Published: June 2020

This review focuses on the development of intelligent, intuitive control strategies for restoring walking using an innovative spinal neural prosthesis called intraspinal microstimulation (ISMS). These control strategies are inspired by the control of walking by the nervous system and are aimed at mimicking the natural functionality of locomotor-related sensorimotor systems. The work to date demonstrates how biologically inspired control strategies, some including machine learning methods, can be used to augment remaining function in models of complete and partial paralysis developed in anesthetized cats. This review highlights the advantages of learning predictions to produce automatically adaptive control of over-ground walking. This review also speculates on the possible future applications of similar machine learning algorithms for challenging walking tasks including navigating obstacles and traversing difficult terrain. Finally, this review explores the potential for plasticity and motor recovery with long-term use of such intelligent control systems and neural interfaces.
Intermediate-Mass Black Holes
Authors: Greene Jenny E. , Strader Jay , Ho Luis C.
Published: June 2020

We describe ongoing searches for intermediate-mass black holes with MBH≈ 10–105M⊙. We review a range of search mechanisms, both dynamical and those that rely on accretion signatures. We find the following conclusions: ▪  Dynamical and accretion signatures alike point to a high fraction of 109–1010M⊙galaxies hosting black holes with MBH∼ 105M⊙. In contrast, there are no solid detections of black holes in globular clusters. ▪  There are few observational constraints on black holes in any environment with MBH≈ 100–104M⊙. ▪  Considering low-mass galaxies with dynamical black hole masses and constraining limits, we find that the MBH–σ*relation continues unbroken to MBH∼105M⊙, albeit with large scatter. We believe the scatter is at least partially driven by a broad range in black hole masses, because the occupation fraction appears to be relatively high in these galaxies. ▪  We fold the observed scaling relations with our empirical limits on occupation fraction and the galaxy mass function to put observational bounds on the black hole mass function in galaxy nuclei. ▪  We are pessimistic that local demographic observations of galaxy nuclei alone could constrain seeding mechanisms, although either high-redshift luminosity functions or robust measurements of off-nuclear black holes could begin to discriminate models.
Scaling of Subcellular Structures
Authors: Marshall Wallace F.
Published: June 2020

As cells grow, the size and number of their internal organelles increase in order to keep up with increased metabolic requirements. Abnormal size of organelles is a hallmark of cancer and an important aspect of diagnosis in cytopathology. Most organelles vary in either size or number, or both, as a function of cell size, but the mechanisms that create this variation remain unclear. In some cases, organelle size appears to scale with cell size through processes of relative growth, but in others the size may be set by either active measurement systems or genetic programs that instruct organelle biosynthetic activities to create organelles of a size appropriate to a given cell type.
Integrating Chemistry and Mechanics: The Forces Driving Axon Growth
Authors: Franze Kristian
Published: June 2020

The brain is our most complex organ. During development, neurons extend axons, which may grow over long distances along well-defined pathways to connect to distant targets. Our current understanding of axon pathfinding is largely based on chemical signaling by attractive and repulsive guidance cues. These cues instruct motile growth cones, the leading tips of growing axons, where to turn and where to stop. However, it is not chemical signals that cause motion—motion is driven by forces. Yet our current understanding of the mechanical regulation of axon growth is very limited. In this review, I discuss the origin of the cellular forces controlling axon growth and pathfinding, and how mechanical signals encountered by growing axons may be integrated with chemical signals. This mechanochemical cross talk is an important but often overlooked aspect of cell motility that has major implications for many physiological and pathological processes involving neuronal growth.
A Roadmap for the Success of Oncolytic Parvovirus-Based Anticancer Therapies
Authors: Hartley Anna , Kavishwar Gayatri , Salvato Ilaria , Marchini Antonio
Published: June 2020

Autonomous rodent protoparvoviruses (PVs) are promising anticancer agents due to their excellent safety profile, natural oncotropism, and oncosuppressive activities. Viral infection can trigger immunogenic cell death, activating the immune system against the tumor. However, the efficacy of this treatment in recent clinical trials is moderate compared with results seen in preclinical work. Various strategies have been employed to improve the anticancer activities of oncolytic PVs, including development of second-generation parvoviruses with enhanced oncolytic and immunostimulatory activities and rational combination of PVs with other therapies. Understanding the cellular factors involved in the PV life cycle is another important area of investigation. Indeed, these studies may lead to the identification of biomarkers that would allow a more personalized use of PV-based therapies. This review focuses on this work and the challenges that still need to be overcome to move PVs forward into clinical practice as an effective therapeutic option for cancer patients.
Mechanical Deformation of Lithium-Ion Pouch Cells under in-plane Loads—Part II: Computational Modeling
Authors: Lian Junhe , Koch Marco , Li Wei , Wierzbicki Tomasz , Zhu Juner
Published: June 2020

Based on the experimental observation, pouch cells can withstand severe deformation during fully confined in-plane compression with flat punches without any risks of a short circuit. During the deformation, the structuralbehavior is characterized by regular kinks, buckles, and shear bands. This study aims to provide a modeling approach for the in-plane compression on lithium-ion pouch batteries in a fully confined case with a flat punch. To capture the right mechanism of buckling while maintaining a satisfactory computational efficiency, two approaches are proposed: a homogenized model with imperfections and an enhanced homogenized model with equivalent layers of metal foils. The first approach introduces periodic geometrical imperfections with a wavelength as observed in the experiments. The second one creates a model in between the homogenized model and detailed model with equivalent properties of coating materials and metal foils. It is concluded that the introduction of imperfections could not correctly capture the folding mechanism, while with the latter hybrid approach, it is possible to capture the right progressive folding pattern of the battery cells during the in-plane compression test. Different potential approaches of the simulation model are investigated for obtaining a better agreement of the prediction and the measured experimental load-displacement response.
Transition Metal Phosphorous Trisulfides as Cathode Materials in High Temperatures Batteries
Authors: Glass Dean E. , Jones John-Paul , Shevade Abhijit V. , Bugga Ratnakumar V.
Published: June 2020

The challenging environment of high temperature and high pressure on the Venus surface limit the battery options for Venus landers and surface probes. High temperature batteries employing Li alloy anodes, molten salt electrolytes and FeS cathodes were demonstrated to be resilient and operational for several days. For further improvements in performance, i.e., both specific energy and operational life, new high-capacity cathode materials are needed. Transition metal phosphorus trisulfides (TMPS3) are promising with considerably higher (2X) specific capacity, specific energy and energy density, by virtue of their ability to react with more than two lithium ions. This papers describes the assessment of these cathodes for high temperature batteries to power future Venus landers and probes. Manganese, iron, cobalt and nickel phosphorus trisulfides were synthesized and characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)/Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDAX) and X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and tested in our high-temperature laboratory cells at 475 °C using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and galvanostatic discharges at different rates. Mn, Fe and Ni phosphorus trisulfides showed reversible behavior in cyclic voltammetric measurements. In the discharge tests, NiPS3 displayed the highest capacity out of the three metal phosphorous trisulfides tested at both C/20 and C/720 rates, with higher voltages and slightly higher capacity than FeS, followed by FePS3, while MnPS3 displayed relatively poor performance at C/20. Cathodes extracted from the discharged cells contain the transition metal (Fe, Ni or Mn) and Li2S by XRD, as expected from the reaction scheme.
Editors’ Choice—Precipitation of Suboxides in Silicon, their Role in Gettering of Copper Impurities and Carrier Recombination
Authors: Kissinger G. , Kot D. , Huber A. , Kretschmer R. , Müller T. , Sattler A.
Published: June 2020

This paper describes a theoretical investigation of the phase composition of oxide precipitates and the corresponding emission of self-interstitials at the minimum of the free energy and their evolution with increasing number of oxygen atoms in the precipitates. The results can explain the compositional evolution of oxide precipitates and the role of self-interstitials therein. The formation of suboxides at the edges of SiO2 precipitates after reaching a critical size can explain several phenomena like gettering of Cu by segregation to the suboxide region and lifetime reduction by recombination of minority carriers in the suboxide. It provides an alternative explanation, based on minimized free energy, to the theory of strained and unstrained plates. A second emphasis was payed to the evolution of the morphology of oxide precipitates. Based on the comparison with results from scanning transmission electron microscopy the sequence of morphology evolution of oxide precipitates was deduced. It turned out that it is opposite to the sequence assumed until now.
Electropolymerizable meso-Tetrakis Biphenyl-Bis(bithiophene) Zinc Porphyrin: Ground and Excited State Properties in Solution and in Films with Axially Coordinated C60
Authors: Ganesan Ashwin , Shao Shuai , Seetharaman Sairaman , Perera Wijayantha A. , D’Souza Francis
Published: June 2020

An electropolymerizable zinc porphyrin carrying eight entities of peripheral bithiophene, 4 was newly designed and synthesized. In this design, the bithiophene entities were separated by a biphenyl spacer to minimize ground state interactions perturbing porphyrin π-electronic structure. By multi-cyclic voltammetry, thin-films of 4 were formed on transparent FTO electrode and were characterized by optical, electrochemical and STM measurements. Further, the ability of zinc porphyrin in 4 to axially coordinate phenyl imidazole functionalized fullerene, C60Im both in solution and on the film interface was performed and characterized. Fluorescence quenching of zinc porphyrin both in solution and in the film was observed upon binding of C60Im. Femtosecond transient absorption studies revealed excited state charge separation for the dyad in solution wherein the measured rate of charge separation, k
CS and charge recombination, k
CR were found to be 2 × 1010 s−1 and 1.2 × 109 s−1, respectively. In contrast, transient absorption studies performed on the dyad in the film were suggestive of energy transfer with minimal contributions from electron transfer. The present study brings out the importance of modulating photochemical reactivity of donor-acceptor dyad in film as compared to that in solution.
U-Model and U-Control Methodology for Nonlinear Dynamic Systems
Authors: Zhang Weicun , Zhu Quanmin , Mobayen Saleh , Yan Hao , Qiu Ji , Narayan Pritesh
Published: June 2020

This study presents the fundamental concepts and technical details of a U-model-based control (U-control for short) system design framework, including U-model realisation from classic model sets, control system design procedures, and simulated showcase examples. Consequently, the framework provides readers with clear understandings and practical skills for further research expansion and applications. In contrast to the classic model-based design and model-free design methodologies, this model-independent design takes two parallel formations: (1) it designs an invariant virtual controller with a specified closed-loop transfer function in a feedback control loop and (2) it determines the real controller output by resolving the inverse of the plant U-model. It should be noted that (1) this U-control provides a universal control system design platform for many existing linear/nonlinear and polynomial/state-space models and (2) it complements many existing design approaches. Simulation studies are used as examples to demonstrate the analytically developed formulations and guideline for potential applications.
Finite Element‐Based Simulation of Cooling Rate on the Material Properties of an Automobile Silent Block
Authors: Öztürk Burak , Kara Fuat
Published: June 2020

The aluminum silent block is the part that connects the front suspension mounting and the road wheels. These products are used in high‐speed cars and are subject to high engineering stresses. Over time, fractures occur in the connection part of these products due to insufficient strength. These problems are related to production metallurgy, which led to the concept of this study. During mass production, these parts are manufactured using the aluminum extrusion method. In this study, a rapid cooling process using water was applied, with the aim of improving the mechanical properties of the connecting part exposed to high dynamic loads. Samples were taken from the regions of these products which differed in thickness and width, and microhardness and tensile tests were performed for each region. The effects of both the extrusion cooling rate and the regional flash cooling on the material properties were then characterized. As a result of the isothermal transformation, the grain size in the microstructure of the material had shrunk. According to the findings, in this type of production, an average increase in strength of 25% was observed in the parts of the material subjected to maximum stress. The stress and safety coefficient values were found using finite element analysis, and curves were then drawn showing the differences in the safety coefficient values from the different points. As a result of cooperation between university and industry, the material and mechanical properties of an automobile part were improved in this study. This research has shown that, in terms of the accuracy of the results, it is very important to consider the variations in different regions of the product when defining the mechanical properties of any material produced by applying casting, heat treatment, and plastic forming methods.
An ECoG-Based Binary Classification of BCI Using Optimized Extreme Learning Machine
Authors: Zhang Xinman , Xiong Qi , Dai Yixuan , Xu Xuebin , Song Guokun
Published: June 2020

In order to improve the accuracy of brain signal processing and accelerate speed meanwhile, we present an optimal and intelligent method for large dataset classification application in this paper. Optimized Extreme Learning Machine (OELM) is introduced in ElectroCorticoGram (ECoG) feature classification of motor imaginary-based brain-computer interface (BCI) system, with common spatial pattern (CSP) to extract the feature. When comparing it with other conventional classification methods like SVM and ELM, we exploit several metrics to evaluate the performance of all the adopted methods objectively. The accuracy of the proposed BCI system approaches approximately 92.31% when classifying ECoG epochs into left pinky or tongue movement, while the highest accuracy obtained by other methods is no more than 81%, which substantiates that OELM is more efficient than SVM, ELM, etc. Moreover, the simulation results also demonstrate that OELM will significantly improve the performance with p value being far less than 0.001. Hence, the proposed OELM is satisfactory in addressing ECoG signal.
Plasma-Derived Exosomal Circular RNA hsa_circ_0005540 as a Novel Diagnostic Biomarker for Coronary Artery Disease
Authors: Wu Wei-peng , Pan Yan-hong , Cai Meng-yun , Cen Jin-ming , Chen Can , Zheng Lei , Liu Xinguang , Xiong Xing-dong
Published: June 2020

Background. Exosomes exist in almost all body fluid and contain diverse biological contents which may be reflective of disease state. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are stable in structure and have a long half-life in exosomes without degradation, thus making them reliable biomarkers. However, the potential of exosomal circRNAs as biomarkers of coronary artery disease (CAD) remains to be established. Here, we aimed to investigate the expression levels and the potential use of exosomal circRNAs as diagnostic biomarkers for CAD. Methods. CircRNA expression levels in exosomes obtained from three plasma samples of CAD patients and three paired controls were analyzed using RNA sequencing. Exosomal circRNAs obtained in the profiling phase were then verified in two-center validation cohorts. Finally, the ability of exosomal circRNAs, adjusting for Framingham Heart Study (FHS) risk factors, was determined to discriminate between CAD patients and non-CAD controls. Results. 355 circRNAs were differentially expressed between these two groups: 164 were upregulated, and 191 were downregulated. Here, we selected the potential circRNAs (fold change>4, P<0.05) as candidate biomarkers for further validation. Our data showed that only hsa_circ_0005540 was significantly associated with CAD (P<0.0001). After adjustment for risk factors, hsa_circ_0005540 showed a high discriminatory power for CAD in ROC analyses (AUC=0.853; 95%confidence interval CI=0.799−0.906, P<0.001). Conclusion. Our results suggest that plasma exosomal hsa_circ_0005540 can be used as a promising diagnostic biomarker of CAD.
Theoretical Investigation on Structure-Property Relationship of Asymmetric Clusters (CH3FBN3)n (n = 1– 6)
Authors: Ma Deng-Xue , Wei Yao-Yao , Li Yun-Zhi , Liu Guo-Kui , Xia Qi-Ying
Published: June 2020

The structural, relative stability, electronic, IR vibrational, and thermodynamic properties of asymmetric clusters (CH3FBN3)n (n = 1–6) are systematically investigated using density functional theory (DFT) method. Results show that clusters (CH3FBN3)n (n = 2–6) form a cyclic structure with a B atom and a Nα atom binding together. Five main characteristic regions are observed and assigned for the calculated IR spectra. The size-dependent second-order energy difference shows that clusters (CH3FBN3)3 and (CH3FBN3)5 have relatively higher stability and enhanced chemical inertness compared with the neighboring clusters. These two clusters may serve as the cluster-assembled materials. The variations of thermodynamic properties with temperature T or cluster size n are analyzed, respectively. Based on enthalpies in the range of 200–800 K, the formations of the most stable clusters (CH3FBN3)n (n = 2–6) from monomer are thermodynamically favorable. These data are helpful to design and synthesize other asymmetric boron azides.
An Augmented Reality Head-Up Display System with a Wide-View Eyebox
Authors: Wu Pei-Jung , Chuang Chih-Hao , Chen Chien-Yu , Wu Jeng-Han , Lin Bor-Shyh
Published: June 2020

This study proposes to apply the combination of two 90-degree prisms and a holographic optical element to an image-dividing element, divide an image into three through the virtual image projection system, and accurately project the images to 160 cm behind the windshield. In order to distinguish the left image, middle image, and right image at the horizontal direction, the 90-degree prism is first utilized for horizontally deflecting the light, a holographic optical element is then used for presenting the vertical deflection of the image, and finally, the images are horizontally arranged as a real image on the diffuser. An image-dividing element is eventually integrated to the virtual image projection system. Then, the divided images are made as a virtual image which is projected to 160 cm behind the windshield to combine with the street scene. The horizontal angle of view of an eyebox is increased from 2.51° to 7.22°, and the size of the eyebox is 31.68 cm × 12.48 cm, allowing a wide-view laser-based head-up display with the large-angle beam-splitting function being successfully designed. It would not affect the field of view on the road, and this system could reduce the space and be arranged easily in a vehicle. Therefore, this proposed system is suitable for the aftermarket.
Industrial Composition and Agglomeration Shadow: Evidence from China’s Large Urban Systems
Authors: Li Jiaming , Sun Dongqi
Published: June 2020

New economic geography (NEG) raises the question why the “agglomeration shadow” effect is significant in some urban regions but not others. This study attempts to answer this question in the context of China by examining the impact of industrial composition of core cities on regional urban systems. Based on the model of urban location from NEG, this study attempts to examine the population growth of six core cities and their urban systems in China. We find services exert a significantly negative effect on market potential, while that of manufacturing is positive. The results are robust in different spatial scales and time spans. This suggests that strong centralizing and agglomerative effects of higher order service sector are more likely to cast an agglomeration shadow on noncore cities in China’s regional urban systems. The differences in industrial composition can explain why an urban region centered on a large core city like Beijing is more likely to cast an agglomeration shadow on its surrounding cities compared to the Shanghai-centered urban region. The findings hold important implications for uneven development of regional urban systems and construction of metropolitan areas in China.
Minireview on the Connections between the Neuropsychiatric and Dental Disorders: Current Perspectives and the Possible Relevance of Oxidative Stress and Other Factors
Authors: Ciobica Alin , Padurariu Manuela , Curpan Alexandrina , Antioch Iulia , Chirita Roxana , Stefanescu Cristinel , Luca Alina-Costina , Tomida Mihoko
Published: June 2020

Although the connections between neuropsychiatric and dental disorders attracted the attention of some research groups for more than 50 years now, there is a general opinion in the literature that it remains a clearly understudied and underrated topic, with many unknowns and a multitude of challenges for the specialists working in both these areas of research. In this way, considering the previous experience of our groups in these individual matters which are combined here, we are summarizing in this minireport the current status of knowledge on the connections between neuropsychiatric and dental manifestations, as well as some general ideas on how oxidative stress, pain, music therapy or even irritable bowel syndrome-related manifestations could be relevant in this current context and summarize some current approaches in this matter.
Seismic Performance Evaluation of Special RC Frames with Gravity Steel Columns under the Base Level
Authors: Zaherdannak Amin , Shabani Amirhosein , Erfani Saeed
Published: June 2020

In many multistory buildings, basement levels are used as parking spaces. However, dimensions of reinforced concrete columns at these levels cause them to be unideal parking spaces. An alternative is to replace the RC columns in middle frames with steel columns that are not a part of seismic force resisting system and only support vertical loads, therefore have smaller sections. Using simply supported steel columns under the base level is beneficial not only because they have smaller cross-sections which lead to increasing the parking space but also these steel columns are easier to be replaced after any possible damages and can be considered as convenient alternatives compared to ordinary RC columns in construction. In this research, seismic performance of structures implementing the suggested alternative is evaluated using nonlinear static and dynamic analyses and compared to that of regular counterparts. Results show that these structures pass the acceptability tests proposed by FEMA P695 methodology. Moreover, seismic performance factors of these two structural systems have been calculated and proposed.
A Specific Urinary Amino Acid Profile Characterizes People with Kidney Stones
Authors: Primiano Aniello , Persichilli Silvia , Ferraro Pietro Manuel , Calvani Riccardo , Biancolillo Alessandra , Marini Federico , Picca Anna , Marzetti Emanuele , Urbani Andrea , Gervasoni Jacopo
Published: June 2020

Background. Urolithiasis is the process of stone formation in the urinary tract. Its etiology is only partly known, and efficient therapeutic approaches are currently lacking. Metabolomics is increasingly used in biomarkers discovery for its ability to identify mediators of relevant (patho)physiological processes. Amino acids may be involved in kidney stone formation. The aim of the present study was to investigate the presence of an amino acid signature in stone former urine through a targeted metabolomic approach. Methods. A panel of 35 amino acids and derivatives was assessed in urines from 15 stone former patients and 12 healthy subjects by UPLC-MS. Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA) was used to define amino acid profiles of cases and controls. Results and Discussion. Our approach led to the definition of a specific amino acid fingerprint in people with kidney stones. A urinary amino acid profile of stone formers was characterized by lower levels of α-aminobutyric acid, asparagine, ethanolamine, isoleucine, methionine, phenylalanine, serine, tryptophan, and valine. Metabolomic analysis may lend insights into the pathophysiology of urolithiasis and allow tracking this prevalent condition over time.
The Influence of Hydrogeology to Generation of Hydrogen Sulfide of Low-Rank Coal in the Southeast Margin of Junggar Basin, China
Authors: Deng Qigen , Zhang Tao , Zhao Fajun , Wang Hao , Yin Jingping
Published: June 2020

The salinity, chemical properties, and migration characteristics of groundwater in coal measures are the key factors that affect the generation, migration, and reservoir of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) in low-rank coal seams. Taking the Jurassic coal and rock strata in the southeastern margin of the Junggar basin as the research object, according to the hydrogeological characteristics of the coal measures, the region is divided into 4 hydrogeological units. The coalbed methane contains a large number of secondary biogas. Along the direction of groundwater runoff, the salinity and the pH value increase gradually. The salinity in the hydrogeological units is low; it is not conducive to the propagation of sulfate-reducing bacteria and the formation of hydrogen sulfide of the Houxia, the south of Manasi River, and Hutubi and Liuhuangou area, the western region of the Miquan. The high salinity center and depressions of low water level (hydrodynamic stagnation zone) in the hydrogeological unit of the Liuhuanggou and the Miquan are the main areas for the production and enrichment of H2S in the low-rank coal. The high salinity in water is formed by infiltration, runoff, and drought evaporation. At the same time, the deep confined water environment closed well; in conditions of hydrocarbon-rich, under the action of sulfate-reducing bacteria, bacterial sulfate reduction will occur and hydrogen sulfide formed. According to the circulation characteristics of water bearing H2S in the region, imbricate and single bevel two kind generation and enrichment mode of hydrogen sulfide under the action of hydrodynamic control. The solubility of hydrogen sulfide in pure water and solutions of NaCl and Na2SO4 with different molar concentrations was calculated. The H2S solubility of groundwater in coal measures of 4 hydrogeological units was estimated.