bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Means of Assessing Deep Learning-Based Detection of ICOS Protein Expression in Colon Cancer
Authors: Sarker Md Mostafa Kamal , Makhlouf Yasmine , Craig Stephanie G. , Humphries Matthew P. , Loughrey Maurice , James Jacqueline A. , Salto-Tellez Manuel , O’Reilly Paul , Maxwell Perry
Published: July 2021

Biomarkers identify patient response to therapy. The potential immune-checkpoint biomarker, Inducible T-cell COStimulator (ICOS), expressed on regulating T-cell activation and involved in adaptive immune responses, is of great interest. We have previously shown that open-source software for digital pathology image analysis can be used to detect and quantify ICOS using cell detection algorithms based on traditional image processing techniques. Currently, artificial intelligence (AI) based on deep learning methods is significantly impacting the domain of digital pathology, including the quantification of biomarkers. In this study, we propose a general AI-based workflow for applying deep learning to the problem of cell segmentation/detection in IHC slides as a basis for quantifying nuclear staining biomarkers, such as ICOS. It consists of two main parts: a simplified but robust annotation process, and cell segmentation/detection models. This results in an optimised annotation process with a new user-friendly tool that can interact with1 other open-source software and assists pathologists and scientists in creating and exporting data for deep learning. We present a set of architectures for cell-based segmentation/detection to quantify and analyse the trade-offs between them, proving to be more accurate and less time consuming than traditional methods. This approach can identify the best tool to deliver the prognostic significance of ICOS protein expression.
Randomized Trial Assessing the Impact of Routine Assessment of Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients with Head and Neck Cancer
Authors: Billa Oumar , Bonnetain Franck , Chamois Jérôme , Ligey Angeline , Ganansia Valérie , Noel Georges , Renard Sophie , Maillard Sophie , Quivrin Magali , Vulquin Noémie , Truntzer Pierre , Dabakuyo-Yonli Tienhan Sandrine , Maingon Philippe
Published: July 2021

The impact of routine assessment of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) on satisfaction with care and the HRQoL of patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) treated with radiotherapy was assessed. Patients with HNC were randomly assigned to two arms, with stratification on sex, cancer localization, and stage of the disease. In the intervention arm, the patients completed the EORTC QLQ-C30 and EORTC QLQ-H&N35 questionnaires first before randomization, then before each medical appointment during radiotherapy (7 weeks), and then every 3 months until 1 year and at 2 years thereafter. In the control arm, the EORTC QLQ-C30 and EORTC QLQ-H&N35 questionnaires were completed before randomization and at 1 year and 2 years thereafter. The primary endpoint was mean change in HRQoL at score at 2 years from baseline assessed by EQ VAS from the EuroQol questionnaire. The secondary endpoint was mean change in satisfaction with care at 2 years from baseline assessed by QLQ-SAT32. Two hundred patients with head and neck cancers were involved in this study (mean age, 58.83 years (range, 36.56–87.89)), of whom 100 were assigned to the intervention arm and 100 to the control arm. Patients in the intervention arm were reported to have a statistically significant increase in EQ VAS at 2 years (p < 0.0001) and exceeded the minimal clinically important difference (mean change at 2 years from baseline = 10.46). In the two arms, mean differences between arms were not statistically significant, but minimal clinically important differences in favor of the intervention arm were found for EQ VAS (mean change difference (MD) = 5.84), satisfaction with care, in particular waiting times (MD = 10.85) and satisfaction with accessibility (MD = 6.52). Routine assessment of HRQoL improves HRQoL and satisfaction with care for patients with HNC treated with radiotherapy.
Bibliometric Analysis on the Papers Dedicated to Microplastics in Wastewater Treatments
Authors: Palmas Simonetta , Vacca Annalisa , Mais Laura
Published: July 2021

The presence of microplastics (MPs) in the environment is becoming a problem for soils and seas, as well as for the food chain of animals and humans. The scientific community has been called upon to contribute to solving the problem and several papers have been published, especially in the last decade. The aim of this work is to carry out a bibliometric analysis of the scientific literature dedicated to the problem of MPs, highlighting its course over the years, and to identify the sectors to which the research could be profitably addressed. The VOSviewer software has been used to perform the analysis of the data in which specific maps were used to represent the network of the relationships among countries, journals, organizations, authors, and keywords related to the investigated topic and subtopics. The results of the survey demonstrated that during the investigated range of time, most attention has been paid to the individuation of the MPs, and to marine pollution, while a gap seems to exist in the possible advanced oxidation processes specifically addressing the degradation of MPs and their derivates.
Synergistic Effects of Bimetallic AuPd and La2O3 in the Catalytic Reduction of NO with CO
Authors: Wang Xianwei , Maeda Nobutaka , Meier Daniel
Published: July 2021

Bimetallic AuPd nanoparticles supported on TiO2 are known to catalyze the reduction of NO with CO. Here, we investigated the effects of the addition of lanthanum oxide to a AuPd/TiO2 catalyst with a AuPd particle size of 2.1–2.2 nm. The addition of La2O3 enhanced the catalytic activity; for example, at 250 °C, there was 40.9% NO conversion and 49.3% N2-selectivity for AuPd/TiO2, and 100% NO conversion and 100% N2-selectivity for AuPd-La (1:1)/TiO2. The temperature requiring 100% NO conversion dropped from 400 °C to 200 °C by the simple post-impregnation of La2O3 onto AuPd/TiO2. In situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) combined with modulation excitation spectroscopy (MES) demonstrated that CO adsorption occurs first on Au atoms and then, within 80 s, moves onto Pd atoms. This transformation between two adsorption sites was facilitated by the addition of La2O3.
Epsins Negatively Regulate Aortic Endothelial Cell Function by Augmenting Inflammatory Signaling
Authors: Dong Yunzhou , Wang Beibei , Cui Kui , Cai Xiaofeng , Bhattacharjee Sudarshan , Wong Scott , Cowan Douglas B. , Chen Hong
Published: July 2021

Background: The endothelial epsin 1 and 2 endocytic adaptor proteins play an important role in atherosclerosis by regulating the degradation of the calcium release channel inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor type 1 (IP3R1). In this study, we sought to identify additional targets responsible for epsin-mediated atherosclerotic endothelial cell activation and inflammation in vitro and in vivo. Methods: Atherosclerotic ApoE−/− mice and ApoE−/− mice with an endothelial cell-specific deletion of epsin 1 on a global epsin 2 knock-out background (EC-iDKO/ApoE−/−), and aortic endothelial cells isolated from these mice, were used to examine inflammatory signaling in the endothelium. Results: Inflammatory signaling was significantly abrogated by both acute (tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) or lipopolysaccharide (LPS)) and chronic (oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL)) stimuli in EC-iDKO/ApoE−/− mice and murine aortic endothelial cells (MAECs) isolated from epsin-deficient animals when compared to ApoE−/− controls. Mechanistically, the epsin ubiquitin interacting motif (UIM) bound to Toll-like receptors (TLR) 2 and 4 to potentiate inflammatory signaling and deletion of the epsin UIM mitigated this interaction. Conclusions: The epsin endocytic adaptor proteins potentiate endothelial cell activation in acute and chronic models of atherogenesis. These studies further implicate epsins as therapeutic targets for the treatment of inflammation of the endothelium associated with atherosclerosis.
Mesenchymal Stem Cells, Bioactive Factors, and Scaffolds in Bone Repair: From Research Perspectives to Clinical Practice
Authors: Stamnitz Sandra , Klimczak Aleksandra
Published: July 2021

Mesenchymal stem cell-based therapies are promising tools for bone tissue regeneration. However, tracking cells and maintaining them in the site of injury is difficult. A potential solution is to seed the cells onto a biocompatible scaffold. Construct development in bone tissue engineering is a complex step-by-step process with many variables to be optimized, such as stem cell source, osteogenic molecular factors, scaffold design, and an appropriate in vivo animal model. In this review, an MSC-based tissue engineering approach for bone repair is reported. Firstly, MSC role in bone formation and regeneration is detailed. Secondly, MSC-based bone tissue biomaterial design is analyzed from a research perspective. Finally, examples of animal preclinical and human clinical trials involving MSCs and scaffolds in bone repair are presented.
The P2X7 Receptor Stimulates IL-6 Release from Pancreatic Stellate Cells and Tocilizumab Prevents Activation of STAT3 in Pancreatic Cancer Cells
Authors: Magni Lara , Bouazzi Rayhana , Heredero Olmedilla Hugo , Petersen Patricia S. S. , Tozzi Marco , Novak Ivana
Published: July 2021

Pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) are important pancreatic fibrogenic cells that interact with pancreatic cancer cells to promote the progression of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). In the tumor microenvironment (TME), several factors such as cytokines and nucleotides contribute to this interplay. Our aim was to investigate whether there is an interaction between IL-6 and nucleotide signaling, in particular, that mediated by the ATP-sensing P2X7 receptor (P2X7R). Using human cell lines of PSCs and cancer cells, as well as primary PSCs from mice, we show that ATP is released from both PSCs and cancer cells in response to mechanical and metabolic cues that may occur in the TME, and thus activate the P2X7R. Functional studies using P2X7R agonists and inhibitors show that the receptor is involved in PSC proliferation, collagen secretion and IL-6 secretion and it promotes cancer cell migration in a human PSC-cancer cell co-culture. Moreover, conditioned media from P2X7R-stimulated PSCs activated the JAK/STAT3 signaling pathway in cancer cells. The monoclonal antibody inhibiting the IL-6 receptor, Tocilizumab, inhibited this signaling. In conclusion, we show an important mechanism between PSC-cancer cell interaction involving ATP and IL-6, activating P2X7 and IL-6 receptors, respectively, both potential therapeutic targets in PDAC.
A Fragile Balance: Does Neutrophil Extracellular Trap Formation Drive Pulmonary Disease Progression?
Authors: Block Helena , Zarbock Alexander
Published: July 2021

Neutrophils act as the first line of defense during infection and inflammation. Once activated, they are able to fulfil numerous tasks to fight inflammatory insults while keeping a balanced immune response. Besides well-known functions, such as phagocytosis and degranulation, neutrophils are also able to release “neutrophil extracellular traps” (NETs). In response to most stimuli, the neutrophils release decondensed chromatin in a NADPH oxidase-dependent manner decorated with histones and granule proteins, such as neutrophil elastase, myeloperoxidase, and cathelicidins. Although primarily supposed to prevent microbial dissemination and fight infections, there is increasing evidence that an overwhelming NET response correlates with poor outcome in many diseases. Lung-related diseases especially, such as bacterial pneumonia, cystic fibrosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, aspergillosis, influenza, and COVID-19, are often affected by massive NET formation. Highly vascularized areas as in the lung are susceptible to immunothrombotic events promoted by chromatin fibers. Keeping this fragile equilibrium seems to be the key for an appropriate immune response. Therapies targeting dysregulated NET formation might positively influence many disease progressions. This review highlights recent findings on the pathophysiological influence of NET formation in different bacterial, viral, and non-infectious lung diseases and summarizes medical treatment strategies.
Oxidation of Terpenoids to Achieve High-Value Flavor and Fragrances—Questioning Microalgae Oxidative Capabilities in the Biotransformation of the Sesquiterpene Valencene and of Selected Natural Apocarotenoids
Authors: De Simeis Davide , Serra Stefano , Di Fonzo Alessandro , Secundo Francesco
Published: July 2021

Natural flavor and fragrance market size is expected to grow steadily due to the rising consumer demand of natural ingredients. This market request is guided by the general opinion that the production of natural compounds leads to a reduction of pollution, with inherent advantages for the environment and people’s health. The biotransformation reactions have gained high relevance in the production of natural products. In this context, few pieces of research have described the role of microalgae in the oxidation of terpenoids. In this present study, we questioned the role of microalgal based oxidation in the synthesis of high-value flavors and fragrances. This study investigated the role of three different microalgae strains, Chlorella sp. (211.8b and 211.8p) and Chlorococcum sp. (JB3), in the oxidation of different terpenoid substrates: α-ionone, β-ionone, theaspirane and valencene. Unfortunately, the experimental data showed that the microalgal strains used are not responsible for the substrate oxidation. In fact, our experiments demonstrate that the transformation of the four starting compounds is a photochemical reaction that involves the oxygen as oxidant. Even though these findings cast a shadow on the use of these microorganisms for an industrial purpose, they open a new possible strategy to easily obtain nootkatone in a natural way by just using an aqueous medium, oxygen and light.
Label-Free Electrochemical Test of Protease Interaction with a Peptide Substrate Modified Gold Electrode
Authors: Wcisło Anna , Małuch Izabela , Niedziałkowski Paweł , Ossowski Tadeusz , Prahl Adam
Published: July 2021

Efficient deposition of biomolecules on the surface, maintaining their full activity and stability, is a most significant factor in biosensor construction. For this reason, more and more research is focused on the development of electrochemical biosensors that have the ability to electrically detect adsorbed molecules on electrode surface with high selectivity and sensitivity. The presented research aims to develop an efficient methodology that allows quantification of processes related to the evaluation of enzyme activity (proprotein convertase) using electrochemical methods. In this study we used impedance spectroscopy to investigate the immobilization of peptide substrate (Arg-Val-Arg-Arg) modified with 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid on the surface of gold electrode. Both the synthesis of the peptide substrate as well as the full electrochemical characteristics of the obtained electrode materials have been described. Experimental conditions, including concentration of peptide substrate immobilization, modification time, linker, and the presence of additional blocking groups have been optimized. The main advantages of the described method is that it makes it possible to observe the peptide substrate–enzyme interaction without the need to use fluorescent labels. This also allows observation of this interaction at a very low concentration. Both of these factors make this new technique competitive with the standard spectrofluorimetric method.
Lung Ultrasound Is More Sensitive for Hospitalized Consolidated Pneumonia Diagnosis Compared to CXR in Children
Authors: Ciuca Ioana Mihaiela , Dediu Mihaela , Marc Monica Steluta , Lukic Mirabela , Horhat Delia Ioana , Pop Liviu Laurentiu
Published: July 2021

Background: Pneumonia is the leading cause of death among children; thus, a correct early diagnosis would be ideal. The imagistic diagnosis still uses chest X-ray (CXR), but lung ultrasound (LUS) proves to be reliable for pneumonia diagnosis. The aim of our study was to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of LUS compared to CXR in consolidated pneumonia. Methods: Children with clinical suspicion of bacterial pneumonia were screened by LUS for pneumonia, followed by CXR. The agreement relation between LUS and CXR regarding the detection of consolidation was evaluated by Cohen’s kappa test. Results: A total of 128 patients with clinical suspicion of pneumonia were evaluated; 74 of them were confirmed by imagery and biological inflammatory markers. The highest frequency of pneumonia was in the 0–3 years age group (37.83%). Statistical estimation of the agreement between LUS and CXR in detection of the consolidation found an almost perfect agreement, with a Cohen’s kappa coefficient of K = 0.89 ± 0.04 SD, p = 0.000. Sensitivity of LUS was superior to CXR in detection of consolidations. Conclusion: Lung ultrasound is a reliable method for the detection of pneumonia consolidation in hospitalized children, with sensitivity and specificity superior to CXR. LUS should be used for rapid and safe evaluation of child pneumonia.
The Importance of Rhythmic Stimulation for Preterm Infants in the NICU
Authors: Provasi Joëlle , Blanc Loreline , Carchon Isabelle
Published: July 2021

The fetal environment provides the fetus with multiple potential sources of rhythmic stimulation that are not present in the NICU. Maternal breathing, heartbeats, walking, dancing, running, speaking, singing, etc., all bathe the fetus in an environment of varied rhythmic stimuli: vestibular, somatosensory, tactile, and auditory. In contrast, the NICU environment does not offer the same proportion of rhythmic stimulation. After analyzing the lack of rhythmic stimulation in the NICU, this review highlights the different proposals for vestibular and/or auditory rhythmic stimulation offered to preterm infants alone and with their parents. The focus is on the beneficial effects of auditory and vestibular stimulation involving both partners of the mother–infant dyad. A preliminary study on the influence of a skin-to-skin lullaby on the stability of maternal behavior and on the tonic emotional manifestations of the preterm infant is presented as an example. The review concludes with the importance of introducing rhythmic stimulations in the NICU.
Multi-Damage Identification of Multi-Span Bridges Based on Influence Lines
Authors: Zhang Yunkai , Xie Qingli , Li Guohua , Liu Yali
Published: July 2021

The framework security of a bridge is essential as a critical component of traffic engineering. Even though the bridge structure is damaged to various degrees due to various reasons, the bridge will be wrecked when the damage reaches a particular level, suggesting a negative influence on people’s lives. Based on the current situation and existing problems of structural damage identification of bridges, a structural damage identification technology of continuous beam bridges based on deflection influence lines is proposed in this paper in order to keep track of and always detect broken bridge elements, thereby extending the bridge’s service life and reducing the risk of catastrophic accidents. The line function expression of deflection impact on a multi-span continuous beam bridge was first obtained using Graphic Multiplication theory. From the theoretical level, the influence line function of the continuous beam bridge without extensive damage was computed, and a graph was generated. The photographs of the DIL as well as the first and second derivatives, the deflection influence line distinction and its first and second derivatives, and the DIL distinction and its first and second derivatives of a continuous beam bridge in a single position and multi-position destruction were fitted in this paper. Finally, after comparing multiple work conditions and multiple measuring points, it was found that the first derivative of deflection influence line difference had the best damage identification effect. The design was completed and tested, which had verified the feasibility of this theory.
Biomimetic Strontium Substituted Calcium Phosphate Coating for Bone Regeneration
Authors: Maia Marcella Torres , Soares Ana Lorena de Brito , Caetano Matheus Afio , Andrade Fábia Karine , Rodríguez-Castellón Enrique , Vieira Rodrigo Silveira
Published: July 2021

Cellulose acetate (CA)/strontium phosphate (SrP) hybrid coating has been proposed as an effective strategy to build up novel bone-like structures for bone healing since CA is soluble in most organic solvents. Strontium (Sr2+) has been reported as a potential agent to treat degenerative bone diseases due to its osteopromotive and antibacterial effects. Herein, bioactive hybrid composite SrP-based coatings (CASrP) were successfully produced for the first time. CASrP was synthesized via a modified biomimetic method (for 7—CA7dSrP, and 14 days—CA14dSrP), in which the metal ion Sr2+ was used in place of Ca2+ in the simulated body fluid. Energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis confirmed the SrP incorporation chemically in the CASrP samples. Atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) supported EDX data, showing Sr2+ adsorption into CA, and its significant increase with the augmentation of time of treatment (ca. 92%—CA7dSrP and 96%—CA14dSrP). An increment in coating porosity and the formation of SrP crystals were evidenced by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images. X-ray diffraction (XRD) evidenced a greater crystallinity than CA membranes and a destabilization of CA14dSrP structure compared to CA7dSrP. The composites were extremely biocompatible for fibroblast and osteoblast cells. Cell viability (%) was higher either for CA7dSrP (48 h: ca. 92% and 115%) and CA14dSrP (48 h: ca. 88% and 107%) compared to CA (48 h: ca. 70% and 51%) due to SrP formation and Sr2+ presence in its optimal dose in the culture media (4.6–9 mg·L−1). In conclusion, the findings elucidated here evidence the remarkable potential of CA7dSrP and CA14dSrP as bioactive coatings on the development of implant devices for inducing bone regeneration.
Ultrasonic Assessment of Thickness and Bonding Quality of Coating Layer Based on Short-Time Fourier Transform and Convolutional Neural Networks
Authors: Malikov Azamatjon Kakhramon ugli , Cho Younho , Kim Young H. , Kim Jeongnam , Park Junpil , Yi Jin-Hak
Published: July 2021

Ultrasonic non-destructive analysis is a promising and effective method for the inspection of protective coating materials. Offshore coating exhibits a high attenuation rate of ultrasonic energy due to the absorption and ultrasonic pulse echo testing becomes difficult due to the small amplitude of the second echo from the back wall of the coating layer. In order to address these problems, an advanced ultrasonic signal analysis has been proposed. An ultrasonic delay line was applied due to the high attenuation of the coating layer. A short-time Fourier transform (STFT) of the waveform was implemented to measure the thickness and state of bonding of coating materials. The thickness of the coating material was estimated by the projection of the STFT into the time-domain. The bonding and debonding of the coating layers were distinguished using the ratio of the STFT magnitude peaks of the two subsequent wave echoes. In addition, the advantage of the STFT-based approach is that it can accurately and quickly estimate the time of flight (TOF) of a signal even at low signal-to-noise ratios. Finally, a convolutional neural network (CNN) was applied to automatically determine the bonding state of the coatings. The time–frequency representation of the waveform was used as the input to the CNN. The experimental results demonstrated that the proposed method automatically determines the bonding state of the coatings with high accuracy. The present approach is more efficient compared to the method of estimating bonding state using attenuation.
Codonopsis pilosula Extract Protects Melanocytes against H2O2-Induced Oxidative Stress by Activating Autophagy
Authors: Cho Young Ho
Published: July 2021

Recently, as the anti-aging role of melanin in the skin and the inhibition of melanin production has been identified, the development of materials capable of maintaining skin homeostasis has been attracting attention. In this study, we further investigated the anti-melanogenic effect of Codonopsis pilosula extract (CPE) and, under oxidative stress, the cytoprotective effect in Melan-a melanocytes exposed to H2O2. First, CPE treatment significantly reduced melanin production by inhibiting melanogenesis-associated proteins, including microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF), tyrosinase, and tyrosinase-related protein 2 (TRP 2), as a result of the phosphorylation of MAPK/JNK in Melan-a cells. Next, to investigate the protective effects of the CPE on oxidative-stress-induced skin injury and its molecular mechanism, we determined the effect of CPE after inducing oxidative stress by exposing melanocytes to H2O2. CPE protected cells from H2O2-induced cytotoxicity by reducing the expression of the gene encoding the Bax pro-apoptotic protein, whereas it induced the genes encoding the B-cell lymphoma 3 (Bcl2) family and MITF, which is a transcriptional regulator that promotes melanocyte differentiation. Furthermore, our results show that CPE enhanced the production of autophagy-related proteins such as Beclin-1 and light chain 3 (LC3) II; this was substantially reversed by 3-methyladenin (MA, an autophagy inhibitor) pretreatment. Collectively, our findings demonstrate that CPE treatment exhibits not only an anti-melanogenic effect in normal melanocytes, but also a cytoprotective effect in melanocytes subjected to oxidative stress by inducing autophagy and MITF expression. Therefore, we believe that CPE is a potent candidate for cell maintenance in melanocytes.
Machine Learning-Based Model Predictive Control for Collaborative Production Planning Problem with Unknown Information
Authors: Chen Yiyang , Zhou Yingwei , Zhang Yueyuan
Published: July 2021

In industrial production planning problems, the accuracy of the accessible market information has the highest priority, as it is directly associated with the reliability of decisions and affects the efficiency and effectiveness of manufacturing. However, during a collaborative task, certain private information regarding the participants might be unknown to the regulator, and the production planning decisions thus become biased or even inaccurate due to the lack of full information. To improve the production performance in this specific case, this paper combines the techniques of machine learning and model predictive control (MPC) to create a comprehensive algorithm with low complexity. We collect the historical data of the decision-making process while the participants make their individual decisions with a certain degree of bias and analyze the collected data using machine learning to estimate the unknown parameter values by solving a regression problem. Based on an accurate estimate, MPC helps the regulator to make optimal decisions, maximizing the overall net profit of a given collaborative task over a future time period. A simulation-based case study is conducted to validate the performance of the proposed algorithm in terms of estimation accuracy. Comparisons with individual and pure MPC decisions are also made to verify its advantages in terms of increasing profit.
Securing Remote Access to Information Systems of Critical Infrastructure Using Two-Factor Authentication
Authors: Bruzgiene Rasa , Jurgilas Konstantinas
Published: July 2021

Information systems of critical infrastructure provide services on which the core functions of a state and its economy depend as well as welfare of society. Such systems are becoming an increasingly common target for crimes and attacks in cyberspace, as their vulnerabilities can be exploited for malicious activities seeking financial or political gain. One of the main reasons that threatens the security of these systems is the weak control of remote access, otherwise defined as management of a system’s user identity. Management of user identity depends on user authentication, authorization and the assignment of certain rights in the digital space. This paper provides the proposed two-factor (2FA) digital authentication method for remote access to an information system of a critical infrastructure. Results of testing the method’s usability and resilience to cyber threats have shown that the system, in which the method was implemented, is protected from dangerous HTTP requests and publicly available system’s endpoints are protected from threatening inputs that could cause malicious activities on the critical infrastructure. Additionally, the implementation of the authentication API application ensures the rapidity of the method for less than 500 ms for 100 users working in parallel with the system at the same time.
Double-Layer Energy Efficient Synchronous-Asynchronous Circuit-Switched NoC
Authors: Wasif Sandy A. , Hesham Salma , Goehringer Diana , Hofmann Klaus , Abd El Ghany Mohamed A.
Published: July 2021

A network-on-chip (NoC) offers high performance, flexibility and scalability in communication infrastructure within multi-core platforms. However, NoCs contribute significantly to the overall system’s power consumption. The double-layer energy efficient synchronous-asynchronous circuit-switched NoC (CS-NoC) is proposed to enhance the power utilization. To reduce the dynamic power consumption, single-rail asynchronous protocols are utilized. The two-phase and four-phase encoding algorithms are analyzed to determine the most efficient technique. For the data layer, the two asynchronous protocols reduced the power consumption by 80%, with an increase in latency when compared with the fully synchronous protocol. However, the two-phase single-rail protocol had better performance compared with the four-phase protocol by 38%, with the same power consumption and a slight increase in area of 5%. Based on this conducted analysis, the asynchronous two-phase layer had significant power reduction yet operated at a moderate frequency. Therefore, the proposed NoC is divided into two data transfer layers with a single control layer. The data transfer layers are designed using synchronous and asynchronous protocols. The synchronous layer is designated to high-frequency loads, and the asynchronous layer is confined to low-frequency loads. The switching between the layers creates a trade-off between the maximum allowed frequency and the power consumption. The proposed NoC reduces the overall power consumption by 23% when compared with recent previous work. The NoC maintains the same system performance with an 8% area increase over the fully synchronous double-layer in the literature.
Improved Ternary Gray-Code Phase Unwrapping Algorithm for 3D Measurement Using a Binary Defocusing Technique
Authors: Yang Xu , Lin Houxing , Luo Jie , Chen Lei , Lei Yu
Published: July 2021

By using one-bit binary patterns instead of eight-bit sinusoidal ones, the binary defocusing techniques have been widely applied for high-speed 3D shape measurement. As projector defocusing is required, the phase unwrapping process of these techniques remains challenging. A recently proposed ternary Gray-code method can effectively increase the measurement speed by reducing the number of acquired coding patterns. However, it still has limitations, including the measuring range and a noise problem. To improve these, a new ternary Gray-code method is proposed by utilizing 2D modulation instead of the 1D modulation used in the conventional method. Simulations were conducted to compare these two methods, and the results verify that the proposed method reduces the variance in the introduced intermediate gray value by nearly 90%. Experiments were also carried out with the results verifying the superiority of the proposed method.
A Material Model for the Orthotropic and Viscous Behavior of Separators in Lithium-Ion Batteries under High Mechanical Loads
Authors: Bulla Marian , Kolling Stefan , Sahraei Elham
Published: July 2021

The present study is focused on the development of a material model where the orthotropic-visco-elastic and orthotropic-visco-plastic mechanical behavior of a polymeric material is considered. The increasing need to reduce the climate-damaging exhaust gases in the automotive industry leads to an increasing usage of electric powered drive systems using Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries. For the safety and crashworthiness investigations, a deeper understanding of the mechanical behavior under high and dynamic loads is needed. In order to prevent internal short circuits and thermal runaways within a Li-ion battery, the separator plays a crucial role. Based on results of material tests, a novel material model for finite element analysis (FEA) is developed using the explicit solver Altair Radioss. Based on this model, the visco-elastic-orthotropic, as well as the visco-plastic-orthotropic, behavior until failure can be modeled. Finally, a FE simulation model of the separator material is performed, using the results of different tensile tests conducted at three different velocities, 0.1 mm·s−1, 1.0 mm·s−1 and 10.0 mm·s−1 and different orientations of the specimen. The purpose is to predict the anisotropic, rate-dependent stiffness behavior of separator materials in order to improve FE simulations of the mechanical behavior of batteries and therefore reduce the development time of electrically powered vehicles and consumer goods. The present novel material model in combination with a well-suited failure criterion, which considers the different states of stress and anisotropic-visco-dependent failure limits, can be applied for crashworthiness FE analysis. The model succeeded in predicting anisotropic, visco-elastic orthotropic and visco-plastic orthotropic stiffness behavior up to failure.
A Review on MoS2 Energy Applications: Recent Developments and Challenges
Authors: Samy Omnia , El Moutaouakil Amine
Published: July 2021

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) is a promising transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) that has exceptional electronic, magnetic, optical, and mechanical properties. It can be semiconducting, superconducting, or an insulator according to its polymorph. Its bandgap structure changes from indirect to direct when moving towards its nanostructures, which opens a door to bandgap engineering for MoS2. Its supercapacitive and catalytic activity was recently noticed and studied, in order to include this material in a wide range of energy applications. In this work, we present MoS2 as a future material for energy storage and generation applications, especially solar cells, which are a cornerstone for a clean and abundant source of energy. Its role in water splitting reactions can be utilized for energy generation (hydrogen evolution) and water treatment at the same time. Although MoS2 seems to be a breakthrough in the energy field, it still faces some challenges regarding its structure stability, production scalability, and manufacturing costs.
Taxation of Assets Used to Generate Energy—In the Context of the Transformation of the Polish Energy Sector from Coal Energy to Low-Emission Energy
Authors: Kałążny Adam , Morawski Wojciech
Published: July 2021

(1) Background—The aim of this paper was to indicate whether the taxation of facilities related to renewable or low-emission energy differed significantly from that of facilities generating electricity from coal. (2) Methods—The research was conducted using a descriptive method, and because of the legal nature of the article, a crucial role was played by the dogmatic method. (3) Results—The thesis according to which only the “construction part” is subject to the property tax is the result of many years of disputes between the taxpayers and the tax authorities. In practice, it is difficult to compare the tax burden on assets related to coal and low-emission power generation because of the construction of the tax base in Polish property tax law. Most often, however, the tax burden on assets, which is calculated in the context of the amount of energy produced, tends to favour coal-fired power generation. (4) Conclusion: The property tax regulations in Poland treat the assets used for energy production by all methods identically. In practice, because of the specificity of the tax base, this means a more favourable treatment of facilities associated with coal-fired power generation.
Control of Power Electronics Converters and Electric Motor Drives
Authors: Barrero Federico , Rodas Jorge
Published: July 2021

With the increased emphasis on climate change and reducing harmful emissions in the atmosphere, interest in power electronics converters and electric motor drives has led to significant new developments in areas such as renewable energy systems or electric propulsion [...]
Integrating Machine/Deep Learning Methods and Filtering Techniques for Reliable Mineral Phase Segmentation of 3D X-ray Computed Tomography Images
Authors: Asadi Parisa , Beckingham Lauren E.
Published: July 2021

X-ray CT imaging provides a 3D view of a sample and is a powerful tool for investigating the internal features of porous rock. Reliable phase segmentation in these images is highly necessary but, like any other digital rock imaging technique, is time-consuming, labor-intensive, and subjective. Combining 3D X-ray CT imaging with machine learning methods that can simultaneously consider several extracted features in addition to color attenuation, is a promising and powerful method for reliable phase segmentation. Machine learning-based phase segmentation of X-ray CT images enables faster data collection and interpretation than traditional methods. This study investigates the performance of several filtering techniques with three machine learning methods and a deep learning method to assess the potential for reliable feature extraction and pixel-level phase segmentation of X-ray CT images. Features were first extracted from images using well-known filters and from the second convolutional layer of the pre-trained VGG16 architecture. Then, K-means clustering, Random Forest, and Feed Forward Artificial Neural Network methods, as well as the modified U-Net model, were applied to the extracted input features. The models’ performances were then compared and contrasted to determine the influence of the machine learning method and input features on reliable phase segmentation. The results showed considering more dimensionality has promising results and all classification algorithms result in high accuracy ranging from 0.87 to 0.94. Feature-based Random Forest demonstrated the best performance among the machine learning models, with an accuracy of 0.88 for Mancos and 0.94 for Marcellus. The U-Net model with the linear combination of focal and dice loss also performed well with an accuracy of 0.91 and 0.93 for Mancos and Marcellus, respectively. In general, considering more features provided promising and reliable segmentation results that are valuable for analyzing the composition of dense samples, such as shales, which are significant unconventional reservoirs in oil recovery.
Numerical Study of Heat Transfer Intensification in a Circular Tube Using a Thin, Radiation-Absorbing Insert. Part 1: Thermo-Hydraulic Characteristics
Authors: Jasiński Piotr Bogusław
Published: July 2021

The presented paper, which is the first of two parts, shows the results of numerical investigations of a heat exchanger channel in the form of a cylindrical tube with a thin insert. The insert, placed concentrically in the pipe, uses the phenomenon of thermal radiation absorption to intensify the heat transfer between the pipe wall and the gas. Eight geometric configurations of the insert size were numerically investigated using CFD software, varying its diameter from 20% to 90% of the pipe diameter and obtaining the thermal-flow characteristics for each case. The tests were conducted for a range of numbers Re = 5000–100,000 and a constant temperature difference between the channel wall and the average gas temperature of ∆T = 100 °C. The results show that the highest increase in the Nu number was observed for the inserts with diameters of 0.3 and 0.4 of the channel diameter, while the highest flow resistance was noted for the inserts with diameters of 0.6–0.7 of the channel diameter. The f/fs(Re) and Nu/Nus(Re) ratios are shown on graphs indicating how much the flow resistance and heat transfer increased compared to the pipe without an insert. Two methods of calculating the Nu number are also presented and analysed. In the first one, the average fluid temperature of the entire pipe volume was used to calculate the Nu number, and in the second, only the average fluid temperature of the annular portion formed by the insert was used. The second one gives much larger Nu/Nus ratio values, reaching up to 8–9 for small Re numbers.
Connecting Blue Economy and Economic Growth to Climate Change: Evidence from European Union Countries
Authors: Bădîrcea Roxana Maria , Manta Alina Georgiana , Florea Nicoleta Mihaela , Puiu Silvia , Manta Liviu Florin , Doran Marius Dalian
Published: July 2021

Blue Economy represents a new and interesting concept on a global level, both from the economic potential but also by the fact that it can be used to reduce environmental degradation. The main goal of this research is to identify the causality relations between the greenhouse gas emissions, the Blue Economy and economic growth based on a panel of annual data from the 28 countries that are members of the European Union (EU) over the 2009–2018 period. After applying stationarity and cointegration tests, the long term cointegration coefficients shall be determined with the help of the fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS) estimator. Granger causality estimation based on the vector error correction model (VECM) was applied to identify the causality relationship between the variables and to detect the direction of causality. Based on the identified causality relations, the Blue Economy has a significant influence on greenhouse gas emissions in the long run. Unidirectional causality relations were identified from the economic growth of greenhouse gas emissions in the long term, as well as from the greenhouse gas emissions on economic growth in the short term.
Experimental Comparison between Spherical and Refractive Optics in a Concentrating Photovoltaic System
Authors: Renno Carlo
Published: July 2021

Since there are not standard configurations of the Concentrating Photovoltaic (CPV) systems, several types of optics are designed and analyzed. In this paper, the optical performances of a spherical mirror and a commonly used Fresnel lens of the same diameter are compared, highlighting their impact on the CPV system energy performance. First, the absolute and percentual variation trends of optical concentration factor and optical efficiency as function of the distance between each optical system and receiver are analyzed. The concentration levels obtained by means of the spherical mirror are much higher than the Fresnel lens, with maximum values of optical efficiency equal to 72.8% and 24.1%, respectively. The analysis of the concentration reduction due to a solar-tracking failure has also allowed the estimation of the acceptance angle, thus observing that the spherical mirror requires a less accurate solar tracker with respect to the Fresnel lens, especially if a secondary optics is adopted. As for the energy comparison, the spherical mirror allows increase of the Triple-Junction (TJ) cell temperature up to about 65 °C higher than the environmental temperature and to reach an electrical power of about 15 W in correspondence of a concentrated solar radiation of 470 kW/m2. Finally, the deviation between the cumulative electric energy produced by the TJ cell in the cases of correct and incorrect solar tracking and for the configurations with and without secondary optics has been also evaluated for both the optics. The equations experimentally obtained in this paper represent a more accurate tool to describe the physical phenomenon in comparison with the equations theoretically obtained for similar CPV systems. The results can be used to design a real CPV system that adopts a Fresnel lens or a spherical mirror. The equations experimentally obtained in this paper represent a more accurate tool to describe the physical phenomenon in comparison with the equations theoretically obtained for similar CPV systems. The results can be used to design a real CPV system that adopts a Fresnel lens or a spherical mirror.
Response of Understory Avifauna to Annual Flooding of Amazonian Floodplain Forests
Authors: Rowedder Anaís Rebeca Prestes , Laranjeiras Thiago Orsi , Haugaasen Torbjørn , Gilmore Benjamin , Cohn-Haft Mario
Published: July 2021

The annual flooding in the Amazon basin transforms the understory of floodplain forests into an aquatic environment. However, a great number of non-aquatic bird species occupy the understory and midstory of these forests. In general, these birds are thought to be sedentary and territorial, but the way they adapt to this dramatic seasonal transformation has never been described in detail. In this study, we describe avifaunal strategies to cope with seasonal flooding in the lower Purus region, central Amazonia, Brazil. We conducted focal observations of five insectivorous species occupying the lowest forest strata in two types of floodplain forest (black- and whitewater) during the low- and high-water seasons. For each observation, the height of the bird above the substrate (ground or water), its vertical position in the forest, and vegetation density around the bird were noted. All species remained present in the floodplain forests during the two seasons and were not recorded in adjacent unflooded (terra firme) forest. In general, birds migrated vertically to higher forest strata and most species (three of the five) occupied similar vegetation densities independent of water level. Despite the tendency of all species to rise in relative vertical position at high water, there was a reduction in height above substrate for four of the five species, suggesting that their position relative to water was not an important microhabitat element for them. Responses were similar in the two floodplain forest types. It is likely that the decrease in available space during the flood, combined with similar vertical displacement in arthropods, leads to increased prey density for understory insectivorous birds and permits year-round territoriality without major habitat shifts.
Responses of Sap Flux Densities of Different Plant Functional Types to Environmental Variables Are Similar in Both Dry and Wet Seasons in a Subtropical Mixed Forest
Authors: Huang Kechao , Wang Quan , Otieno Dennis
Published: July 2021

Subtropical mixed forest ecosystems are experiencing dramatic changes in precipitation and different plant functional types growing here are expected to respond differently. This study aims to unravel the water use patterns of different plant functional types and their responses to environmental changes in a typical subtropical mixed forest in southern China. Diurnal and seasonal sap flux densities of evergreen broad-leaved trees (EBL), deciduous broad-leaved trees (DBL), and conifers (CON), as well as environmental variables, were recorded simultaneously from May 2016 to March 2019. The results showed that the sap flux density of EBL was significantly higher than those of CON and DBL in all seasons, irrespective of dry or wet seasons. Path analysis revealed that seasonal differences in sap flux density were mainly due to variations in photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD). At saturating PPFD, changes in sap flux density during the day were in response to vapor pressure deficit (VPD). Regression analyses showed that sap flux density increased logarithmically with PPFD, irrespective of functional type. The hysteresis loops of sap flux density and VPD were different among different plant functional types in wet and dry seasons. Our results demonstrated converging response patterns to environmental variables among the three plant functional types considered in this study. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of the water use strategies of different plant functional types in subtropical mixed forests.