bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cardioprotective Effects of Quercetin Against Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury Are Age-Dependent
Authors: BARTEKOVA M. , RADOSINSKA J. , PANCZA D. , BARANCIK M. , RAVINGEROVA T.
Published: February 2020

Quercetin, a polyphenolic compound present in various types of food, has been shown to exert beneficial effects in different cardiac as well as non-cardiac ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) models in adult animals. However, there is no evidence about the effects of quercetin on I/R injury in non-mature animals, despite the fact that efficiency of some interventions against I/R is age-dependent. This study was aimed to investigate the effects of chronic quercetin treatment on I/R injury in juvenile and adult rat hearts. Juvenile (4-week-old) as well as adult (12-week-old) rats were treated with quercetin (20 mg/kg/day) for 4 weeks, hearts were excised and exposed to 25-min global ischemia followed by 40-min reperfusion. Functional parameters of hearts and occurrence of reperfusion arrhythmias were registered to assess the cardiac function. Our results have shown that quercetin improved post-ischemic recovery of LVDP, as well as recovery of markers of contraction and relaxation, +(dP/dt)max and –(dP/dt)max, respectively, in juvenile hearts, but not in adult hearts. Quercetin had no impact on incidence as well as duration of reperfusion arrhythmias in animals of both ages. We conclude that the age of rats plays an important role in heart response to quercetin treatment in the particular dose and duration of the treatment. Therefore, the age of the treated subjects should be taken into consideration when choosing the dose of quercetin and duration of its application in prevention and/or treatment of cardiovascular diseases.
Transfer Learning: Video Prediction and Spatiotemporal Urban Traffic Forecasting
Authors: Pavlyuk Dmitry
Published: February 2020

Transfer learning is a modern concept that focuses on the application of ideas, models, and algorithms, developed in one applied area, for solving a similar problem in another area. In this paper, we identify links between methodologies in two fields: video prediction and spatiotemporal traffic forecasting. The similarities of the video stream and citywide traffic data structures are discovered and analogues between historical development and modern states of the methodologies are presented and discussed. The idea of transferring video prediction models to the urban traffic forecasting domain is validated using a large real-world traffic data set. The list of transferred techniques includes spatial filtering by predefined kernels in combination with time series models and spectral graph convolutional artificial neural networks. The obtained models’ forecasting performance is compared to the baseline traffic forecasting models: non-spatial time series models and spatially regularized vector autoregression models. We conclude that the application of video prediction models and algorithms for urban traffic forecasting is effective both in terms of observed forecasting accuracy and development, and training efforts. Finally, we discuss problems and obstacles of transferring methodologies and present potential directions for further research.
What Shapes Local Innovation Policies? Empirical Evidence from Japanese Cities
Authors: Okamuro Hiroyuki , Nishimura Junichi
Published: February 2020

Increasing attention has been paid to regional innovation systems. However, previous studies have so far only focused on (the regional impact of) national policies or specific regions. Despite increasing attention to regional and local innovation policies, no studies have been carried out to date on the factors of implementation and design of local research and development (R&D) subsidy programs at the city level. Our research fills this gap by using information on R&D subsidy programs from local authorities in Japan collected via websites and our original survey. Thus, our research aims at empirically investigating the determinants of both implementation and design of local R&D subsidy programs at the city level (length and upper limit of subsidies, and flexibility of subsidy conditions) considering both demand- and supply-side factors. We employ probit models for basic empirical estimations and provide some robustness checks. The empirical results suggest that, after controlling for city type and population size, supply-side factors including local government conditions significantly affect the implementation of public R&D subsidy programs. In contrast, we find that demand-side factors matter more for the design of subsidy programs than supply-side factors.
Evaluation of the Nutritive Value and the Fatty Acid, Phenol, Tannin and Terpenoid Contents of Nine Pastures in an Alpine District during the Summer Season
Authors: Peiretti Pier Giorgio , Tassone Sonia , Vahdani Narges , Battelli Giovanna , Gai Francesco
Published: February 2020

A study was conducted over the summer of 2014 on nine Alpine pastures in the Chisone and Susa Valleys (NW Italy). The aim was to characterize the variation in the chemical composition, gross energy, in vitro true digestibility (IVTD), in vitro neutral detergent fiber digestibility (NDFD), fatty acids (FA), total phenols, total and condensed tannin contents, and terpenoid profile. The dry matter, ash, crude protein, acid detergent fiber, lignin, and gross energy contents of the pastures were found to differ. All the pastures had good IVTD (706–829 g/kg DM) and NDFD (487–694 g/kg NDF) values. The most abundant FAs in all the pastures were α-linolenic (354–519 g/kg of the total FAs), linoleic (75–110 g/kg of the total FAs), and palmitic acid (64–89 g/kg of the total FAs) and they differed significantly among pastures. No significant differences were found in the total phenols, or in the total and condensed tannin contents among pastures. Fifty-eight terpenoids were detected and 4-cyclopentene-1, 3-dione, β-caryophyllene, and eucalyptol were the most abundant. The terpenoids differed both qualitatively and quantitatively among pastures. The results highlight the importance of the great biodiversity of pastures, which provide a balanced distribution of fundamental nutritional elements and bioactive compounds in grasslands.
Challenges in the Production of High-Quality Seed Potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.) in the Tropics and Subtropics
Authors: Wasilewska-Nascimento Beata , Boguszewska-Mańkowska Dominika , Zarzyńska Krystyna
Published: February 2020

The potato has been a widely used vegetable crop in temperate countries for a long time. Its consumption and the area of its cultivation has increased significantly over the past decades in the tropics and subtropics as well. The main problems of potato producers in the tropics and subtropics are the unsatisfactory quality of seed potatoes, mainly derived from the informal seed supply system, and the insufficient availability and high cost of certified seed potatoes. The hope for improving this situation can be the application of soil-less technologies for minituber production under controlled conditions. This publication focuses on important advantages of the aeroponic system in the production of pre-basic seed potatoes in the tropics and subtropics. It also highlights some deficiencies that can be overcome with the involvement of several actors in the potato industry, including local universities and the private sector. It emphasizes that innovative aeroponic installations are an opportunity to increase the production of high-quality seed potatoes in the countries of the tropics and subtropics, which, in many cases, will result in less dependence on expensive imported seed potatoes, often from a different climate zone. The introduction of aeroponic installations conserves the shrinking natural soil and water resources and contributes to their protection.
Identifying Pollen Donors and Success Rate of Individual Pollinizers in European Plum (Prunus domestica L.) Using Microsatellite Markers
Authors: Meland Mekjell , Frøynes Oddmund , Fotiric Akšić Milica , Pojskić Naris , Kalamujić Stroil Belma Kalamujić , Lasic Lejla , Gasi Fuad
Published: February 2020

European plum cultivars (Prunus domestica L.) are hexaploid and partially self-fertile or self-sterile requiring compatible pollinizers with overlapping bloom times. Therefore, inter-planting of different pollinizer cultivars is recommended. In order to identify successful pollinizers of the plum cultivars ‘Edda’, ‘Opal’ (self-fertile), ‘Jubileum’, ‘Reeves’, ‘Mallard’, ‘Avalon’, ‘Cacanska Lepotica’ (self-fertile), and ‘Valor’, 60 fruits per cultivar were collected from nine orchards in 2017 and 2018, all of which were located in Ullensvang, western Norway. DNA extraction was subsequently conducted from the obtained embryos, followed by genetic characterization using seven microsatellite markers. Tissue samples from all possible pollinizers were collected during the summer of 2017 and the same DNA approach was conducted. Results showed that ‘Opal’ was the most successful pollinizer among the investigated plum cultivars. The main exception was ‘Cacanska Lepotica’, which consistently displayed very high level of self-pollination. The most successful foreign pollinizer of ‘Opal’ was ‘Mallard’. However, in more than two thirds of embryos extracted from ‘Opal’ fruits self-fertilization was determined. ‘Reeves’ was identified as the most successful pollinizer among embryos collected from ‘Valor’. Among the five cultivars (‘Edda’, ‘Jubileum’, ‘Reeves’, ‘Mallard’, and ‘Avalon’) that did not display self-pollination, the pollinizer success rate of ‘Opal’, ranged from 36.5% (‘Mallard’) to 93.5% (‘Edda’) in 2017, while in 2018 this rate ranged from 43.5% (‘Jubileum’ and ‘Reeves’) up to 96.5% (‘Edda’). Overall, genotyping embryos using SSRs (simple sequence repeats) proved an effective method in determining the success rate of individual pollinizers among European plum cultivars.
A Chitosan Composite Film Sprayed before Pathogen Infection Effectively Controls Postharvest Soft Rot in Kiwifruit
Authors: Zhang Cheng , Long Youhua , Li Jiaohong , Li Ming , Xing Deke , An Huaming , Wu Xiaomao , Wu Yanyou
Published: February 2020

Soft rot caused by Botryosphaeria dothidea and Phomopsis sp. is a critical disease in kiwifruit. In order to efficiently control soft rot, a 28.6% chitosan composite film (CCF) containing chitosan, dextrin, ferulic acid, calcium, and auxiliaries was successfully developed. The results showed that CCF had a strong inhibitory effect on mycelia growth of B. dothidea and Phomopsis sp., with mycelial EC50 values of 68.11 and 50.34 mg L−1, respectively. The concentration of 0.71–1.42 g L−1 CCF had noticeably preventive and curative effects against soft rot. The spray of CCF before pathogen infection effectively reduced the incidence of soft rot, remarkably increased the content of resistance compounds, and activated the activity of defense enzymes. Moreover, it notably enhanced the yield and quality and prolonged the shelf life of kiwifruit. Therefore, the excellent control effects of CCF against soft rot might be associated with its film-forming property and antifungal activity, which prevent infection and induce plant defense mechanisms. The concentration of 0.71–1.42 g L−1 CCF was optimal for the field application before the onset of disease symptoms in plants with B. dothidea and Phomopsis sp.
Estimation of the Constituent Properties of Red Delicious Apples Using a Hybrid of Artificial Neural Networks and Artificial Bee Colony Algorithm
Authors: Abbaspour-Gilandeh Yousef , Sabzi Sajad , Benmouna Brahim , García-Mateos Ginés , Hernández-Hernández José Luis , Molina-Martínez José Miguel
Published: February 2020

Non-destructive estimation of the constituent properties of fruits and vegetables has led to a dramatic change in the agriculture and food industry, allowing accurate and efficient sorting of the products based on their internal properties. Therefore, the present study utilized visible (VIS) and near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy data in the range from 200 to 1100 nm for the estimation of several properties of Red Delicious apples, namely Brix minus acid (BrimA), firmness, acidity and starch content, using a hybrid of Artificial Neural Networks and Artificial Bee Colony (ANN–ABC) algorithm. Furthermore, the hybrid Artificial Neural Network–Particle Swarm Optimization (ANN–PSO) algorithm was utilized to select the most effective properties to estimate these characteristics. The results indicated that there are different peaks within this spectral range, and the spectral range for each peak gives different results. To ensure the stability of the proposed method, 1000 replications were performed for each estimate. The highest coefficients of determination, R2, for estimating the studied properties among the 1000 replicates were 0.898 for BrimA, 0.8 for firmness, 0.825 for acidity and 0.973 for starch content. The selection of the most effective wavelengths for estimating the properties produced five effective wavelengths for BrimA, nine for firmness, seven for acidity and five for starch content. In this case, the best R2 of the hybrid ANN–ABC among the 1000 iterations were 0.828, 0.738, 0.9 and 0.923, respectively.
Genomic Characterization of New Variant of Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S)-Producing Escherichia coli with Multidrug Resistance Properties Carrying the mcr-1 Gene in China
Authors: Biswas Silpak , Elbediwi Mohammed , Gu Guimin , Yue Min
Published: February 2020

Colistin is considered to be a ‘last-resort’ antimicrobial for the treatment of multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacterial infections. Identification of Enterobacteriaceae, carrying the transferable colistin resistance gene mcr-1, has recently provoked a global health concern. This report presents the first detection of a hydrogen sulfide (H2S)-producing Escherichia coli variant isolated from a human in China, with multidrug resistance (MDR) properties, including colistin resistance by the mcr-1 gene, which could have great implications for the treatment of human infections.
Antibiotic Consumption and Microbiological Epidemiology in Surgery Departments: Results from a Single Study Center
Authors: Zaha Dana Carmen , Bungau Simona , Uivarosan Diana , Tit Delia Mirela , Maghiar Teodor Andrei , Maghiar Octavian , Pantis Carmen , Fratila Ovidiu , Rus Marius , Vesa Cosmin Mihai
Published: February 2020

The spectrum and antibiotic sensitivity of isolated strains vary between departments, hospitals, countries; the discrepancies are related to the use and dosage of these antibiotics. The purpose of our research was to compare the type of pathogens and the susceptibility of the isolated strains, as well as the use of antibiotics in the surgical departments of the Emergency Clinical County Hospital, Oradea, Romania; for one year, all the patients admitted to the mentioned sections were monitored. Antibiotic sensitivity of isolated strains was expressed using cumulative antibiogram. The total consumption of antibiotics was 479.18 DDD/1000 patient-days in the surgical sections. The most commonly used drugs were cephalosporins third and first generation, and clindamycin. Infections of wounds, urinary tract and fluids were most commonly diagnosed, and the most isolated was Escherichia coli, followed by Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis. The most commonly prescribed antimicrobial was ceftriaxone, but its sensitivity was low. This study revealed that the intake of antimicrobials in the surgical sections is increased and the comparison of antimicrobial prescriptions, sensitivity rates, and the spectrum of isolated pathogens showed differences between antimicrobials.
Correction: Saeed, A., et al. Incidence of Vancomycin-Resistant Phenotype of the Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Isolated from a Tertiary Care Hospital in Lahore. Antibiotics 2020, 9, 3
Authors: Saeed Aqib , Ahsan Fatima , Nawaz Muhammad , Iqbal Khadeja , Rehman Kashif Ur , Ijaz Tayyaba
Published: February 2020

The authors wish to make the following corrections to this paper [...]
Seismic Response Mitigation of Base-Isolated Buildings
Authors: Stanikzai Mohammad Hamayoun , Elias Said , Rupakhety Rajesh
Published: February 2020

Earthquake response mitigation of a base-isolated (BI) building equipped with (i) a single tuned mass damper at the top of the building, (ii) multiple tuned mass dampers (MTMDs) at the top of the building, and (iii) MTMDs distributed on different floors of the building (d-MTMDs) is studied. The shear-type buildings are modeled by considering only one lateral degree of freedom (DOF) at the floor level. Numerical approach of Newmark’s integration is adopted for solving the coupled, governing differential equations of motion of 5- and 10-story BI buildings with and without TMD schemes. A set of 40 earthquake ground motions, scaled 80 times to get 3200 ground motions, is used to develop simplified fragility curves in terms of the isolator maximum displacement. Incremental dynamic analysis (IDA) is used to develop simplified fragility curves for the maximum target isolator displacement. It is found that TMDs are efficient in reducing the bearing displacement, top floor acceleration, and base shear of the BI buildings. In addition, it was noticed that TMDs are efficient in reducing the probability of failure of BI building. Further, it is found that the MTMDs placed at the top floor and d-MTMDs on different floors of BI buildings are more efficient in decreasing the probability of failure of the BI building when compared with STMD.
Gold/QDs-Embedded-Ceria Nanoparticles: Optical Fluorescence Enhancement as a Quenching Sensor
Authors: Shehata Nader , Samir Effat , Kandas Ishac
Published: February 2020

This work focuses on improving the fluorescence intensity of cerium oxide (ceria) nanoparticles (NPs) through added plasmonic nanostructures. Ceria nanoparticles are fluorescent nanostructures which can emit visible fluorescence emissions under violet excitation. Here, we investigated different added plasmonic nanostructures, such as gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) and Cadmium sulfide/selenide quantum dots (CdS/CdSe QDs), to check the enhancement of fluorescence intensity emissions caused by ceria NPs. Different plasmonic resonances of both aforementioned nanostructures have been selected to develop optical coupling with both fluorescence excitation and emission wavelengths of ceria. In addition, different additions whether in-situ or post-synthesis have been investigated. We found that in-situ Au NPs of a 530 nm plasmonic resonance wavelength provides the highest fluorescence emissions of ceria NPs compared to other embedded plasmonic structures. In addition to the optical coupling between plasmonic resonance of Au with the visible emissions fluorescence spectrum of ceria nanoparticles, the 530 nm in-situ Au NPs were found to reduce the bandgap of ceria NPs. We suggest that the formation of more tri-valent cerium ions traps energy levels along with more associated oxygen vacancies, which is responsible for increasing the fluorescence visible emissions intensity caused by ceria. As an application, the gold-ceria NPs is shown to optically detect the varied concentration of iron tiny particles in aqueous medium based on a fluorescence quenching mechanism. This work is promising in different applications such as biomarkers, cancer treatments, and environmental pollution monitoring.
Effect of the Lubrication Parameters on the Ceramic Ball Bearing Vibration in Starved Conditions
Authors: Zhang Ke , Wu Xianchao , Bai Xiaotian , Wang Zinan , Zou Defang , Sun Jie
Published: February 2020

The thickness of the oil film in ceramic ball bearings varies greatly at starved lubrication conditions, thus leading to non-uniform contact between the balls and raceways in the circumference. The lubrication parameters have a direct impact on the thickness of the oil film and then affect the dynamic characteristics of the ceramic ball bearings. A nonlinear dynamic model of ceramic ball bearing with limited lubrication is presented in this paper, and parametric studies on the effect of lubrication parameters are conducted. In starved conditions, the uneven contact between the ball and ring leads to changes in vibration, and the inner ring vibration is applied to evaluate the degree of starved lubrication. The results show that as the oil quantity increases, the bearing stiffness increases and results in increased peak frequency. As the oil quantity decreases, the thickness of the oil film reduces, resulting in the bearing vibration increase. The research findings provide a theoretical reference for ceramic ball bearing design and have guided significance for improving the service performance of ceramic ball bearings.
Numerical Study on Hysteretic Behaviour of Horizontal-Connection and Energy-Dissipation Structures Developed for Prefabricated Shear Walls
Authors: Zhu Limeng , Kong Lingmao , Zhang Chunwei
Published: February 2020

This study proposed a developed horizontal-connection and energy-dissipation structure (HES), which could be employed for horizontal connection of prefabricated shear wall structural system. The HES consists of an external replaceable energy dissipation (ED) zone mainly for energy dissipation and an internal stiffness lifting (SL) zone for enhancing the load-bearing capacity. By the predicted displacement threshold control device, the ED zone made in bolted low-yielding steel plates could firstly dissipate the energy and can be replaced after damage, the SL zone could delay the load-bearing and the load-displacement curves of the HES would exhibit “double-step” characteristics. Detailed finite element models are established and validated in software ABAQUS. parametric analysis including aspect ratio, the shape of the steel plate in the ED zone and the displacement threshold in the SL zone, is conducted. It is found that the HES depicts high energy dissipation ability and its bearing capacity could be obtained again after the yielding of the ED zone. The optimized X-shaped steel plate in the ED zone exhibit better performance. The “double-step” design of the HES is a potential way of improving the seismic and anti-collapsing performance of prefabricated shear wall structures against large and super-large earthquakes.
Comparison of Convolutional Neural Network Architectures for Classification of Tomato Plant Diseases
Authors: Maeda-Gutiérrez Valeria , Galván-Tejada Carlos E. , Zanella-Calzada Laura A. , Celaya-Padilla José M. , Galván-Tejada Jorge I. , Gamboa-Rosales Hamurabi , Luna-García Huizilopoztli , Magallanes-Quintanar Rafael , Guerrero Méndez Carlos A. , Olvera-Olvera Carlos A.
Published: February 2020

Tomato plants are highly affected by diverse diseases. A timely and accurate diagnosis plays an important role to prevent the quality of crops. Recently, deep learning (DL), specifically convolutional neural networks (CNNs), have achieved extraordinary results in many applications, including the classification of plant diseases. This work focused on fine-tuning based on the comparison of the state-of-the-art architectures: AlexNet, GoogleNet, Inception V3, Residual Network (ResNet) 18, and ResNet 50. An evaluation of the comparison was finally performed. The dataset used for the experiments is contained by nine different classes of tomato diseases and a healthy class from PlantVillage. The models were evaluated through a multiclass statistical analysis based on accuracy, precision, sensitivity, specificity, F-Score, area under the curve (AUC), and receiving operating characteristic (ROC) curve. The results present significant values obtained by the GoogleNet technique, with 99.72% of AUC and 99.12% of sensitivity. It is possible to conclude that this significantly success rate makes the GoogleNet model a useful tool for farmers in helping to identify and protect tomatoes from the diseases mentioned.
A Correlational Analysis of Shuttlecock Speed Kinematic Determinants in the Badminton Jump Smash
Authors: King Mark , Towler Harley , Dillon Romanda , McErlain-Naylor Stuart
Published: February 2020

The forehand jump smash is an essential attacking stroke within a badminton player’s repertoire. A key determinate of the stroke’s effectiveness is post-impact shuttlecock speed, and therefore awareness of critical technique factors that impact upon speed is important to players/coaches. Three-dimensional kinematic data of player, racket and shuttlecock were recorded for 18 experienced players performing maximal effort forehand jump smashes. Joint angles and X-factor (transverse plane pelvis-thorax separation) were calculated at key instants: preparation, end of retraction, racket lowest point, turning point and shuttlecock contact. Peak shoulder, elbow, and wrist joint centre linear velocities, phase durations and jump height were also calculated. Correlational analyses were performed with post-impact shuttlecock speed, revealing significant correlations to peak wrist joint centre linear velocity (r = 0.767), acceleration phase duration (r = −0.543), shoulder internal/external rotation angle at shuttlecock contact (r = 0.508) and X-factor at the end of retraction (r = −0.484). Multiple linear regression analysis revealed 43.7% of the variance in shuttlecock speed could be explained by acceleration phase duration and X-factor at the end of retraction, where shorter acceleration phase durations and more negative X-factor at end of retraction caused greater shuttlecock speeds. These results suggest that motions of the proximal segments (shoulder and pelvis–thorax separation) are critical to developing greater distal linear velocities, which subsequently lead to greater post-impact shuttlecock speed.
Detecting and Localizing Dents on Vehicle Bodies Using Region-Based Convolutional Neural Network
Authors: Park Sung Hyun , Tjolleng Amir , Chang Joonho , Cha Myeongsup , Park Jongcheol , Jung Kihyo
Published: February 2020

Detection and localization of the dents on a vehicle body that occurs during manufacturing is critical to achieve the appearance quality of a new vehicle. This study proposes a region-based convolutional neural network (R-CNN) to detect and localize dents for a vehicle body inspection. For a better feature extraction, this study employed a lighting system, which can highlight dents on an image by projecting the Mach bands (bright-dark stripes). The R-CNN was trained using the highlighted images by the Mach bands, and heat-maps were prepared with the classification scores estimated from the R-CNN to localize dents. This study applied the proposed R-CNN to the inspection of dents on the surface of a car body and quantitatively analyzed its performances. The detection accuracy of the dents was 98.5% for the testing data set, and mean absolute error between the actual dents and estimated dents were 13.7 pixels, which were close to one another. The proposed R-CNN could be applied to detect and localize surface dents during the manufacture of vehicle bodies in the automobile industry.
Rearrangeable and Repackable S-W-S Elastic Optical Networks for Connections with Limited Bandwidths
Authors: Lin Bey-Chi
Published: February 2020

Elastic optical networks flexibly allocate bandwidth to a connection for improving utilization efficiency. The paper considers an optical node architecture that is similar to a three-stage Clos network for elastic optical networks. The architecture, which employs space switching in the first and the third stages and wavelength switching in the second stage, is called an S-W-S switching fabric. In this paper, we propose a graph-theoretic approach and different routing algorithms to derive the sufficient conditions under which an S-W-S switching fabric will be rearrangeable nonblocking and repackable nonblocking. The proposed rearrangeable and repackable nonblocking S-W-S switching fabrics for connections with limited bandwidths consume around half the number of middle wavelength switches compared to strictly nonblocking S-W-S switching fabrics.
Meso-Scale Failure of Freezing–Thawing Damage of Concrete under Uniaxial Compression
Authors: Si Zheng , Du Xiaoqi , Huang Lingzhi , Li Yanlong
Published: February 2020

In this study, discrete element PFC3D software was used to simulate the uniaxial compression of C30 concrete specimen models after freezing–thawing damage. Based on the thickness of the freezing–thawing damage layer of the concrete and the uniaxial compression test, the meso-parameters of cement mortar in concrete and the meso-parameters of weak interface between the cement mortar and coarse aggregate under different freezing–thawing cycles were calibrated. The axial compression deformation produced in the experiment was compared with the axial displacement of particles obtained by numerical simulation to verify the accuracy of the model and the selected meso-parameters. Based on the numerical model, the effects of freeze–thaw damage on the mechanical properties of concrete were studied from the perspectives of the contact force between particles, crack development, and concrete cracking, and the characteristics of meso-scale failure of concrete model after freezing–thawing damage were analyzed. The results show that the stress–strain curves obtained by uniaxial compression simulation in the PFC3D-based numerical model of freezing–thawing concrete are consistent with the test results. During the uniaxial compression process in the freezing–thawing concrete model, the contact force at different stage points between the particles, crack development, and the number of cracked concrete fragments quantitatively reflected the degree of meso-scale concrete failure. With increasing numbers of freeze–thaw cycles, the failure severity of the model increased with obvious penetrating cracks, which is consistent with the failure pattern obtained by physical experiments. Therefore, numerical experiments can be used to study the meso-scale failure modes of concrete.
Dynamic Analysis and Security Characteristics of Carrier-Based Aircraft Arresting in Yaw Condition
Authors: Peng Yiming , Xie Pengpeng , Wei Xiaohui , Nie Hong
Published: February 2020

In order to research the safety characteristics of carrier-based aircraft in yaw arrest, a complete dynamic model of the arresting system of a certain type of aircraft was developed to understand more about its dynamic properties. Based on the discrete kink-wave model, a simulation of centering arrest was conducted. The simulation results were compared with experimental data from the United States (US) military standards, demonstrating that the basic changing laws are almost the same. On the basis of centering arrest, a simulation of yaw arrest was carried out. The results show that in yaw state, the difference in the lengths of the arresting cables on either side of the hook is smaller in the early stage after the hook hangs on the rope, which leads to little influence on load fluctuation produced by the kink-wave. With the increase in arresting distance, the difference in the lengths of the arresting cables on either side becomes larger, resulting in a situation in which the cable tension on the departure side will gradually become greater than that on the opposite side. In this situation, yaw landing has a negative impact on the characteristics of arresting safety, and the excessive yaw angle causes the aircraft to rush out of the safe landing area.
A Numerical Model for Simulating Ground Motions for the Korean Peninsula
Authors: Han Sang Whan , Jee Hyun Woo
Published: February 2020

Ground motions are used as input for the response history analyses of a structure. However, the number of ground motions recorded at a site located in low-to-moderate seismic regions such as the Korean Peninsula is few. In this case, artificial ground motions need to be used, which can reflect the characteristics of source mechanism, travel path, and site geology. On 15 November, 2017, the Pohang earthquake, with a magnitude of 5.4 and a focal depth of 9 km, occurred near the city of Pohang. This earthquake caused the most significant economic loss among the earthquakes that occurred in the Korean Peninsula. During the Pohang earthquake, valuable ground motions were recorded at stations distributed in the Korean Peninsula. In this study, a ground motion model is proposed based on ground motions recorded during the 2017 Pohang earthquake. The accuracy of the proposed model is verified by comparing measured and simulated ground motions at 111 recording stations.
Autonomous Underwater Vehicles: Localization, Navigation, and Communication for Collaborative Missions
Authors: González-García Josué , Gómez-Espinosa Alfonso , Cuan-Urquizo Enrique , García-Valdovinos Luis Govinda , Salgado-Jiménez Tomás , Cabello Jesús Arturo Escobedo
Published: February 2020

Development of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) has permitted the automatization of many tasks originally achieved with manned vehicles in underwater environments. Teams of AUVs designed to work within a common mission are opening the possibilities for new and more complex applications. In underwater environments, communication, localization, and navigation of AUVs are considered challenges due to the impossibility of relying on radio communications and global positioning systems. For a long time, acoustic systems have been the main approach for solving these challenges. However, they present their own shortcomings, which are more relevant for AUV teams. As a result, researchers have explored different alternatives. To summarize and analyze these alternatives, a review of the literature is presented in this paper. Finally, a summary of collaborative AUV teams and missions is also included, with the aim of analyzing their applicability, advantages, and limitations.
Poplar Biochar as an Alternative Substrate for Curly Endive Cultivated in a Soilless System
Authors: Sabatino Leo , Iapichino Giovanni , Mauro Rosario Paolo , Consentino Beppe Benedetto , De Pasquale Claudio
Published: February 2020

Imminent necessity for eco-friendly and low-cost substitutes to peat is a defiance in the soilless plant cultivation systems. Wood biochar could entirely or partly substitute peat as a plant growing constituent to produce vegetables. Nevertheless, knowledge concerning potential plant performance of leafy green vegetables grown on wood biochar is restricted. The present study assessed the main physicochemical traits of various growing media constituted by decreasing the content of peat and by increasing the percentages of poplar wood biochar. Yield, nutritional and functional properties of curly endive plants cultivated in a protected environment were also tested. Biochar was pyrolyzed from poplar (Populus nigra L.) at 450 or 700 °C for 48 h. Increasing biochar concentration and pyrolysis temperature resulted in higher pH, EC and K content of the growing mediums. Biochar was also effective in increasing particle density and bulk density. Biochar at 70% and pyrolysis temperature of 450 °C significantly increased head fresh weight by 47.4%, head height by 24.9%, stem diameter by 21.5% and number of leaves by 80.8%, respectively compared with the control (100% peat). Head dry matter content, root dry matter content, SSC, ascorbic acid and total phenolic were also significantly affected by this treatment. Furthermore, the addition of biochar and the use of higher pyrolysis temperature decreased N leaves concentration. This represents a particularly important target for leafy green vegetables healthiness.
The Rational Spline Interpolation Based-LOD Method and Its Application to Rotating Machinery Fault Diagnosis
Authors: Niu Xiaorui , Zhang Kang , Wan Chao , Chen Xiangmin , Liao Lida , Tian Zeyu
Published: February 2020

Local oscillatory-characteristic decomposition (LOD) is a relatively new self-adaptive time-frequency analysis methodology. The method, based on local oscillatory characteristics of the signal itself uses three mathematical operations such as differential, coordinate domain transform, and piecewise linear transform to decompose the multi-component signal into a series of mono-oscillation components (MOCs), which is very suitable for processing multi-component signals. However, in the LOD method, the computational efficiency and real-time processing performance of the algorithm can be significantly improved by the use of piecewise linear transformation, but the MOC component lacks smoothness, resulting in distortion. In order to overcome the disadvantages mentioned above, the rational spline function that spline shape can be adjusted and controlled is introduced into the LOD method instead of the piecewise linear transformation, and the rational spline-local oscillatory-characteristic decomposition (RS-LOD) method is proposed in this paper. Based on the detailed illustration of the principle of RS-LOD method, the RS-LOD, LOD, and empirical mode decomposition (EMD) are compared and analyzed by simulation signals. The results show that the RS-LOD method can significantly improve the problem of poor smoothness of the MOC component in the original LOD method. Moreover, the RS-LOD method is applied to the fault feature extraction of rotating machinery for the multi-component modulation characteristics of rotating machinery fault vibration signals. The analysis results of the rolling bearing and fan gearbox fault vibration signals show that the RS-LOD method can effectively extract the fault feature of the rotating mechanical vibration signals.
AtTPR10 Containing Multiple ANK and TPR Domains Exhibits Chaperone Activity and Heat-Shock Dependent Structural Switching
Authors: Paeng Seol Ki , Kang Chang Ho , Chi Yong Hun , Chae Ho Byoung , Lee Eun Seon , Park Joung Hun , Wi Seong Dong , Bae Su Bin , Phan Kieu Anh Thi , Lee Sang Yeol
Published: February 2020

Among the several tetratricopeptide (TPR) repeat-containing proteins encoded by the Arabidopsis thaliana genome, AtTPR10 exhibits an atypical structure with three TPR domain repeats at the C-terminus in addition to seven ankyrin (ANK) domain repeats at the N-terminus. However, the function of AtTPR10 remains elusive. Here, we investigated the biochemical function of AtTPR10. Bioinformatic analysis revealed that AtTPR10 expression is highly enhanced by heat shock compared with the other abiotic stresses, suggesting that AtTPR10 functions as a molecular chaperone to protect intracellular proteins from thermal stresses. Under the heat shock treatment, the chaperone activity of AtTPR10 increased significantly; this was accompanied by a structural switch from the low molecular weight (LMW) protein to a high molecular weight (HMW) complex. Analysis of two truncated fragments of AtTPR10 containing the TPR and ANK repeats showed that each domain exhibits a similar range of chaperone activity (approximately one-third of that of the native protein), suggesting that each domain cooperatively regulates the chaperone function of AtTPR10. Additionally, both truncated fragments of AtTPR10 underwent structural reconfiguration to form heat shock-dependent HMW complexes. Our results clearly demonstrate that AtTPR10 functions as a molecular chaperone in plants to protect intracellular targets from heat shock stress.
A New Tooth Profile Modification Method of Cycloidal Gears in Precision Reducers for Robots
Authors: Li Tianxing , An Xiaotao , Deng Xiaozhong , Li Jinfan , Li Yulong
Published: February 2020

The tooth profile modification of cycloidal gears is important in the design and manufacture of precision reducers or rotary vector (RV) reducers for robots. The traditional modification design of cycloidal gears is mainly realized by setting various machining parameters, such as the size and center position of the grinding wheel. The traditional modification design has some disadvantages such as complex modification calculation, uncontrollable tooth profile curve shape and unstable meshing performance. Therefore, a new tooth profile modification method is proposed based on the consideration of the comprehensive influences of pressure angle distribution, meshing backlash, tooth tip and root clearance. Taking the pressure angle and modifications of tooth profile as the parameters of the modification function and the meshing backlash of gear teeth as constraints, the mathematical model for tooth profile modifications is built. The modifications are superimposed on the normal direction of the theoretical profile—the force transmission direction. The mathematical relationship between the modifications and the pressure angle distribution, which determines the force transmission performance, is established. Taking the straight line method, cycloid method and catenary method as examples, by means of the tooth contact analysis technology, the transmission error and minimum meshing backlash, which reflects the lost motion, of the newly modified profile are analyzed and verified. This proposed method can flexibly control the shape change of the modification profile and accurately pre-control the transmission accuracy of the cycloid-pin gear. It avoids the disadvantages of traditional modification methods, such as uncontrollable tooth profile shape and unstable meshing accuracy. The method allows good meshing characteristics, high force transmission performance and more precise tooth profile curve. The study provides a new design method of the modified profile of cycloidal gears.
Collecting Vulnerable Source Code from Open-Source Repositories for Dataset Generation
Authors: Raducu Razvan , Esteban Gonzalo , Rodríguez Lera Francisco J. , Fernández Camino
Published: February 2020

Different Machine Learning techniques to detect software vulnerabilities have emerged in scientific and industrial scenarios. Different actors in these scenarios aim to develop algorithms for predicting security threats without requiring human intervention. However, these algorithms require data-driven engines based on the processing of huge amounts of data, known as datasets. This paper introduces the SonarCloud Vulnerable Code Prospector for C (SVCP4C). This tool aims to collect vulnerable source code from open source repositories linked to SonarCloud, an online tool that performs static analysis and tags the potentially vulnerable code. The tool provides a set of tagged files suitable for extracting features and creating training datasets for Machine Learning algorithms. This study presents a descriptive analysis of these files and overviews current status of C vulnerabilities, specifically buffer overflow, in the reviewed public repositories.
An Optimal Feature Parameter Set Based on Gated Recurrent Unit Recurrent Neural Networks for Speech Segment Detection
Authors: BATUR DİNLER Özlem , AYDIN Nizamettin
Published: February 2020

Speech segment detection based on gated recurrent unit (GRU) recurrent neural networks for the Kurdish language was investigated in the present study. The novelties of the current research are the utilization of a GRU in Kurdish speech segment detection, creation of a unique database from the Kurdish language, and optimization of processing parameters for Kurdish speech segmentation. This study is the first attempt to find the optimal feature parameters of the model and to form a large Kurdish vocabulary dataset for a speech segment detection based on consonant, vowel, and silence (C/V/S) discrimination. For this purpose, four window sizes and three window types with three hybrid feature vector techniques were used to describe the phoneme boundaries. Identification of the phoneme boundaries using a GRU recurrent neural network was performed with six different classification algorithms for the C/V/S discrimination. We have demonstrated that the GRU model has achieved outstanding speech segmentation performance for characterizing Kurdish acoustic signals. The experimental findings of the present study show the significance of the segment detection of speech signals by effectively utilizing hybrid features, window sizes, window types, and classification models for Kurdish speech.
An Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) with Different Health Outcomes Based on the Air Pollution Concentrations in Stockholm during the Period of 2015–2017
Authors: Olstrup Henrik
Published: February 2020

The Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) is a tool that has been developed in order to address the health effects caused by simultaneous exposure to several different air pollutants. Short-term health effects in terms of mortality or morbidity are used in order to construct an index. In this study, different indexes for different health outcomes, based on the concentrations of NO2, O3, and PM10 at an urban background measuring station in Stockholm during the period of 2015–2017, are calculated by using different risk-coefficients obtained from a meta-analysis. An AQHI based on local risk-coefficients for asthma emergency department visits (AEDV) in Stockholm is also included in the analysis. Correlation coefficients between different pairs of AQHIs, where the additive effects associated with exposure to NO2, O3, and PM10 during 2015–2017 are used, exhibit R-values as in 12 out of 15 cases exceed 0.80. However, the average risk increase for different AQHIs are very different, where indexes based on hospital admissions for asthma are larger than those based on mortality outcomes. An overall conclusion is that different AQHIs for different population groups are not needed, but the index may need to be weighted differently for different population groups.
Measurements of Ozone Vertical Profiles in the Upper Troposphere–Stratosphere over Western Siberia by DIAL, MLS, and IASI
Authors: Dolgii Sergey , Nevzorov Alexey A. , Nevzorov Alexey V. , Gridnev Yurii , Kharchenko Olga
Published: February 2020

The purpose of this work is to measure the ozone vertical distribution (OVD) in the upper troposphere–stratosphere by differential absorption lidar (DIAL) at 299/341 nm and 308/353 nm and to compare and analyze the results against satellite data. А lidar complex for measuring the OVD in the altitude range ≈(5–45) km has been created. Here we analyze the results of ozone lidar measurements at wavelengths of 299/341 nm and 308/353 nm in 2018 at Siberian Lidar Station (SLS) and compare them with satellite (MLS/Aura and IASI/MetOp) measurements of OVD. The retrieved lidar OVD profiles in the upper troposphere–stratosphere in comparison with MLS/Aura and IASI/MetOp profiles, as well as the stitched OVD profile in comparison with the mid-latitude Krueger model, confirm the prospects of using the pairs of ozone sounding wavelengths 299/341 and 308/353 nm.
Comparison of Different Techniques to Calculate Properties of Atmospheric Turbulence from Low-Resolution Data
Authors: Wacławczyk Marta , Gozingan Amoussou S. , Nzotungishaka Jackson , Mohammadi Moein , P. Malinowski Szymon
Published: February 2020

In this work we study different techniques to estimate basic properties of turbulence, that is its characteristic velocity and length scale from low-resolution data. The methods are based on statistics of the signals like the velocity spectra, second-order structure function, number of signal’s zero-crossings and the variance of velocity derivative. First, in depth analysis of estimates from artificial velocity time series is performed. Errors due to finite averaging window, finite cut-off frequencies and different fitting ranges are discussed. Next, real atmospheric measurement data are studied. It is demonstrated that differences between results of the methods can indicate deviations from the Kolmogorov’s theory or the presence of external intermittency, that is the existence of alternating laminar/turbulent flow patches.