bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Data Analysis, Simulation and Visualization for Environmentally Safe Maritime Data
Authors: Maragoudakis Manolis
Published: January 2019

Marine transportation in Aegean Sea, a part of the Mediterranean Sea that serves as gateway between three continents has recently seen a significant increase. Despite the commercial benefits to the region, there are certain issues related to the preservation of the local ecosystem and safety. This danger is further deteriorated by the absence of regulations on allowed waterways. Marine accidents could cause a major ecological disaster in the area and pose big socio-economic impacts in Greece. Monitoring marine traffic data is of major importance and one of the primary goals of the current research. Real-time monitoring and alerting can be extremely useful to local authorities, companies, NGO’s and the public in general. Apart from real-time applications, the knowledge discovery from historical data is also significant. Towards this direction, a data analysis and simulation framework for maritime data has been designed and developed. The framework analyzes historical data about ships and area conditions, of varying time and space granularity, measures critical parameters that could influence the levels of hazard in certain regions and clusters such data according to their similarity. Upon this unsupervised step, the degree of hazard is estimated and along with other important parameters is fed into a special type of Bayesian network, in order to infer on future situations, thus, simulating future data based on past conditions. Another innovative aspect of this work is the modeling of shipping traffic as a social network, whose analysis could provide useful and informative visualizations. The use of such a system is particularly beneficial for multiple stakeholders, such as the port authorities, the ministry of Mercantile Marine, etc. mainly due to the fact that specific policy options can be evaluated and re-designed based on feedback from our framework.
Examining Customer–Brand Relationships: A Critical Approach to Empirical Models on Brand Attachment, Love, and Engagement
Authors: Gómez-Suárez Mónica
Published: January 2019

This study establishes the relationship among three concepts (attachment, love, and engagement) that have attracted the interest of both practitioners and researchers lately. Based on the consumer–brand relationship literature, a theoretical model is proposed. Using data obtained from a survey to 320 consumers from Madrid (Spain), the results show that only two constructs actually exist: attachment and active engagement, with love being part of attachment (passion) or engagement (long-term relationship). Thus, emotional attachment must be based on emotions that generate captivation. This admiration activates engagement, turning the consumer into the best brand promoter.
Influence of Land Use and Land Cover on Hydraulic and Physical Soil Properties at the Cerrado Agricultural Frontier
Authors: Dionizio Emily Ane , Costa Marcos Heil
Published: January 2019

Western Bahia is one of the most active agricultural frontiers in the world, which raises concern about its natural resources conservation, especially regarding water availability. This study evaluated the influence of five different land uses and land covers on physical and hydraulic soil properties, and developed pedotransfer functions to derive regional hydraulic properties. Significant changes between physical and hydraulic soil properties under agricultural areas and under natural vegetation cover were found, reinforcing that agricultural activity may influence the soil water balance. Cerrado and Forest formation areas have higher infiltration rates ( K s a t ) compared to managed areas, with average values of 16.29 cm h−1, and 14.47 cm h−1, while irrigated croplands, rainfed croplands and pasture areas have much smaller infiltration rates, with K s a t equal to 3.01 cm h−1, 6.22 cm h−1 and 5.01 cm h−1, respectively. Our results suggest that the agriculture practices do not directly affect the vertical nature of hydrological flowpath, except in the case of intensive irrigated agriculture areas, where K s a t reduction can lead to erosive processes favoring organic matter losses, and decreases in productivity and soil quality. Impacts of land use change on hydraulic and physical soil properties are a reality in the Cerrado agriculture frontier and there is an urgent need to monitor how these changes occur over time to develop effective mitigation strategies of soil and water conservation.
Silicon and the Association with an Arbuscular-Mycorrhizal Fungus (Rhizophagus clarus) Mitigate the Adverse Effects of Drought Stress on Strawberry
Authors: Moradtalab Narges , Hajiboland Roghieh , Aliasgharzad Nasser , Hartmann Tobias E. , Neumann Günter
Published: January 2019

Silicon (Si) is a beneficial element that alleviates the effects of stress factors including drought (D). Strawberry is a Si-accumulator species sensitive to D; however, the function of Si in this species is obscure. This study was conducted to examine the effect of Si and inoculation with an arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (AMF) on physiological and biochemical responses of strawberry plants under D. Plants were grown for six weeks in perlite and irrigated with a nutrient solution. The effect of Si (3 mmol L−1), AMF (Rhizophagus clarus) and D (mild and severe D) was studied on growth, water relations, mycorrhization, antioxidative defense, osmolytes concentration, and micronutrients status. Si and AMF significantly enhanced plant biomass production by increasing photosynthesis rate, water content and use efficiency, antioxidant enzyme defense, and the nutritional status of particularly Zn. In contrast to the roots, osmotic adjustment did not contribute to the increase of leaf water content suggesting a different strategy of both Si and AMF for improving water status in the leaves and roots. Our results demonstrated a synergistic effect of AMF and Si on improving the growth of strawberry not only under D but also under control conditions.
Integrating 16S rRNA Sequencing and LC–MS-Based Metabolomics to Evaluate the Effects of Live Yeast on Rumen Function in Beef Cattle
Authors: Ogunade Ibukun , Schweickart Hank , McCoun Megan , Cannon Kyle , McManus Christina
Published: January 2019

We evaluated the effects of live yeast on ruminal bacterial diversity and metabolome of beef steer. Eight rumen-cannulated Holstein steers were assigned randomly to one of two treatment sequences in a study with two 25-d experimental periods and a crossover design. The steers were housed in individual pens. The dietary treatments were control (CON) or yeast (YEA; CON plus 15 g/d of live yeast product). Bacterial diversity was examined by sequencing the V3-V4 region of 16S rRNA gene. The metabolome analysis was performed using a liquid chromatograph and a mass spectrometry system (LC–MS). Live yeast supplementation increased the relative abundance of eight cellulolytic bacterial genera as well as Anaerovorax and Lachnospiraceae. Proteiniclasticum, Salmonella, and Lactococcus were not detected in the YEA treatment. Live yeast supplementation increased the concentrations of 4-cyclohexanedione and glucopyranoside and decreased the concentrations of threonic acid, xanthosine, deoxycholic acid, lauroylcarnitine, methoxybenzoic acid, and pentadecylbenzoic acid. The bacteroidales BS11, Christensenellaceae R-7, and Candidatus saccharimonas showed positive correlations with the metabolites involved in amino acid biosynthesis and the metabolism of energy substrates; the functions of these bacteria are not fully understood in relation to the mode of action of yeast. This study confirms the usefulness of LC–MS-based metabolomics in deciphering the mode of action of live yeast in the rumen.
Effects of Tea Saponin Supplementation on Nutrient Digestibility, Methanogenesis, and Ruminal Microbial Flora in Dorper Crossbred Ewe
Authors: Liu Yunlong , Ma Tao , Chen Dandan , Zhang Naifeng , Si Bingwen , Deng Kaidong , Tu Yan , Diao Qiyu
Published: January 2019

Two experiments were conducted using Dorper × thin-tailed Han crossbred ewes. In experiment 1, eighteen ewes were randomly assigned to two dietary treatments (a basal diet, or the same basal diet supplemented with 2.0 g tea saponin (TS)/head/day) to investigate the effects of TS supplementation on nutrient digestibility and methane emissions. In experiment 2, six ewes with ruminal cannulae were assigned to the same two dietary treatments as in experiment 1 to investigate the effects of TS supplementation on rumen fermentation and microbial flora. TS supplementation increased the apparent digestibility of organic matter (OM) (p = 0.001), nitrogen (N) (p = 0.036), neutral detergent fibre (NDF) (p = 0.001), and acid detergent fibre (ADF) (p < 0.001). Urinary N (p = 0.001) and fecal N (p = 0.036) output were reduced, and N retention (p = 0.001) and nitrogen retention/nitrogen intake (p = 0.001) were increased. Supplementary TS did not decrease absolute methane emissions (p = 0.519) but decreased methane emissions scaled to metabolic bodyweight by 8.80% (p = 0.006). Ammonia levels decreased (p < 0.001) and total volatile fatty acid levels increased (p = 0.018) in response to TS supplementation. The molar proportion of propionate increased (p = 0.007), whereas the acetate:propionate ratio decreased (p = 0.035). Supplementation with TS increased the population of Fibrobacter succinogenes (p = 0.019), but the population of protozoans tended to decrease (p = 0.054). Supplementation with TS effectively enhanced the apparent digestibility of OM, N, NDF, and ADF, and decreased methane emissions scaled to metabolic bodyweight.
The Effect of Virtual Fencing Stimuli on Stress Responses and Behavior in Sheep
Authors: Kearton Tellisa , Marini Danila , Cowley Frances , Belson Susan , Lee Caroline
Published: January 2019

To understand the animal welfare impact of virtual fencing stimuli (audio cue ‘beep’ and electrical stimulus) on naïve sheep, it is necessary to assess stress responses during the animal’s first encounters with these stimuli. Eighty Merino ewes were exposed to one of the following treatments (n = 16 animals per treatment): Control (no stimuli), beep, dog bark, manual restraint, and electrical stimulus. Collars were used to apply the audio and electrical stimuli. The restraint treatment showed an elevated cortisol response compared with the control (p < 0.05), but there were no differences between the other treatments and the control. There were no differences between treatments in vaginal temperature (p > 0.05). For behaviors, the sheep receiving the bark and beep treatments were more vigilant compared to the control (p < 0.05), there were more aversive responses observed in the electrical stimulus treatment compared to the control. Together, the responses showed that the beep stimuli were largely benign, the bark stimuli was minimally aversive, the electrical stimuli was acutely aversive, and the restraint was moderately aversive. These data suggest that, for sheep, their first exposure to the virtual fencing stimuli should be perceived as less aversive than a commonly used restraint procedure.
Statistical Edge Detection and Circular Hough Transform for Optic Disk Localization
Authors: Ünver Halil Murat , Kökver Yunus , Duman Elvan , Erdem Osman Ayhan
Published: January 2019

Accurate and efficient localization of the optic disk (OD) in retinal images is an essential process for the diagnosis of retinal diseases, such as diabetic retinopathy, papilledema, and glaucoma, in automatic retinal analysis systems. This paper presents an effective and robust framework for automatic detection of the OD. The framework begins with the process of elimination of the pixels below the average brightness level of the retinal images. Next, a method based on the modified robust rank order was used for edge detection. Finally, the circular Hough transform (CHT) was performed on the obtained retinal images for OD localization. Three public datasets were used to evaluate the performance of the proposed method. The optic disks were successfully located with the success rates of 100%, 96.92%, and 98.88% for the DRIVE, DIARETDB0, and DIARETDB1 datasets, respectively.
Pickering Emulsions Containing Cellulose Microfibers Produced by Mechanical Treatments as Stabilizer in the Food Industry
Authors: Sanchez-Salvador Jose Luis , Balea Ana , Monte M. Concepcion , Blanco Angeles , Negro Carlos
Published: January 2019

Pickering emulsions are emulsions stabilized by solid particles, which generally provide a more stable system than traditional surfactants. Among various solid stabilizers, bio-based particles from renewable resources, such as micro- and nanofibrillated cellulose, may open up new opportunities for the future of Pickering emulsions owing to their properties of nanosize, biodegradability, biocompatibility, and renewability. The aim of this research was to obtain oil-in water (O/W) Pickering emulsions using cellulose microfibers (CMF) produced from cotton cellulose linters by mechanical treatment through a high-pressure homogenizer. The O/W Pickering emulsions were prepared with different O/W ratios by mixing edible oil (sunflower oil) with water containing CMF at concentrations of up to 1.0 wt%. The apparent viscosity of the separated emulsion phase was measured. Results showed the feasibility of using low concentration of CMF for preparing and stabilizing Pickering emulsions, with the apparent viscosity of the emulsion phase increasing 60–90 times with respect to the sunflower oil, for a shear rate of 1 s−1. In addition, theoretical nutrition facts of the emulsions were calculated and compared with other fats used in foods, showing that they can be a promising low-calorie product containing dietary fiber, replacing trans and saturated fats in foods.
Interannual Variability of Spring Extratropical Cyclones over the Yellow, Bohai, and East China Seas and Possible Causes
Authors: Zhang Jiuzheng , Xu Haiming , Ma Jing , Deng Jiechun
Published: January 2019

Interannual variability of cyclones that are generated over the eastern Asian continent and passed over the Yellow, Bohai, and East China seas (YBE cyclones) in spring is analyzed using reanalysis datasets for the period of 1979–2017. Possible causes for the variability are also discussed. Results show that the number of YBE cyclones exhibits significant interannual variability with a period of 4–5 years. Developing cyclones are further classified into two types: rapidly developing cyclones and slowly developing cyclones. The number of rapidly developing cyclones is highly related to the underlying sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies (SSTA) and the atmospheric baroclinicity from Lake Baikal to the Japan Sea. The number of slowly developing cyclones, however, is mainly affected by the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) in the preceding winter (DJF); it works through the upper-level jet stream over Japan and the memory of ocean responses to the atmosphere. Positive NAO phase in winter is associated with the meridional tripole pattern of SSTA in the North Atlantic Ocean, which persists from winter to the following spring (MAM) due to the thermal inertia of the ocean. The SSTA in the critical mid-latitude Atlantic region in turn act to affect the overlying atmosphere via sensible and latent heat fluxes, leading to an increased frequency of slowly developing cyclones via exciting an anomalous eastward-propagating Rossby wave train. These results are confirmed by several numerical simulations using an atmospheric general circulation model.
Design and Analysis of the Use of Re-Purposed Electric Vehicle Batteries for Stationary Energy Storage in Canada
Authors: Catton John W. A. , Walker Sean B. , McInnis Paul , Fowler Michael , Fraser Roydon A. , Young Steven B. , Gaffney Ben
Published: January 2019

Vehicle electrification increases the fuel efficiency of the transportation sector while lowering emissions. Eventually, however, electric vehicle batteries will reach their end-of-life (EOL) point, when the capacity of the battery is insufficient for operating a motor vehicle. At this point, the battery is typically removed for recycling. This treatment of the electric vehicle battery is not efficient, as there is still a high enough storage capacity that they can be used in various non-vehicular uses. Unfortunately, there are numerous barriers limiting the adoption of re-used electric vehicle batteries. Herein, the authors analyze the limitations and current codes and standards that affect re-purposed battery pack designs. Utilizing these requirements, a bench test setup is designed and built, to determine feasibility of a repurposed electric vehicle (EV) battery for stationary energy storage in Canada.
Fog Computing for Internet of Things (IoT)-Aided Smart Grid Architectures
Authors: Hussain Md. Muzakkir , Beg M.M. Sufyan
Published: January 2019

The fast-paced development of power systems necessitates the smart grid (SG) to facilitate real-time control and monitoring with bidirectional communication and electricity flows. In order to meet the computational requirements for SG applications, cloud computing (CC) provides flexible resources and services shared in network, parallel processing, and omnipresent access. Even though CC model is considered to be efficient for SG, it fails to guarantee the Quality-of-Experience (QoE) requirements for the SG services, viz. latency, bandwidth, energy consumption, and network cost. Fog Computing (FC) extends CC by deploying localized computing and processing facilities into the edge of the network, offering location-awareness, low latency, and latency-sensitive analytics for mission critical requirements of SG applications. By deploying localized computing facilities at the premise of users, it pre-stores the cloud data and distributes to SG users with fast-rate local connections. In this paper, we first examine the current state of cloud based SG architectures and highlight the motivation(s) for adopting FC as a technology enabler for real-time SG analytics. We also present a three layer FC-based SG architecture, characterizing its features towards integrating massive number of Internet of Things (IoT) devices into future SG. We then propose a cost optimization model for FC that jointly investigates data consumer association, workload distribution, virtual machine placement and Quality-of-Service (QoS) constraints. The formulated model is a Mixed-Integer Nonlinear Programming (MINLP) problem which is solved using Modified Differential Evolution (MDE) algorithm. We evaluate the proposed framework on real world parameters and show that for a network with approximately 50% time critical applications, the overall service latency for FC is nearly half to that of cloud paradigm. We also observed that the FC lowers the aggregated power consumption of the generic CC model by more than 44%.
Cord-Blood Lipidome in Progression to Islet Autoimmunity and Type 1 Diabetes
Authors: Lamichhane Santosh , Ahonen Linda , Sparholt Dyrlund Thomas , Dickens Alex M. , Siljander Heli , Hyöty Heikki , Ilonen Jorma , Toppari Jorma , Veijola Riitta , Hyötyläinen Tuulia , Knip Mikael , Oresic Matej
Published: January 2019

Previous studies suggest that children who progress to type 1 diabetes (T1D) later in life already have an altered serum lipid molecular profile at birth. Here, we compared cord blood lipidome across the three study groups: children who progressed to T1D (PT1D; n = 30), children who developed at least one islet autoantibody but did not progress to T1D during the follow-up (P1Ab; n = 33), and their age-matched controls (CTR; n = 38). We found that phospholipids, specifically sphingomyelins, were lower in T1D progressors when compared to P1Ab and the CTR. Cholesterol esters remained higher in PT1D when compared to other groups. A signature comprising five lipids was predictive of the risk of progression to T1D, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) of 0.83. Our findings provide further evidence that the lipidomic profiles of newborn infants who progress to T1D later in life are different from lipidomic profiles in P1Ab and CTR.
The Many Faces of FKBP51
Authors: Hähle Andreas , Merz Stephanie , Meyners Christian , Hausch Felix
Published: January 2019

The FK506-binding protein 51 (FKBP51) has emerged as a key regulator of endocrine stress responses in mammals and as a potential therapeutic target for stress-related disorders (depression, post-traumatic stress disorder), metabolic disorders (obesity and diabetes) and chronic pain. Recently, FKBP51 has been implicated in several cellular pathways and numerous interacting protein partners have been reported. However, no consensus on the underlying molecular mechanisms has yet emerged. Here, we review the protein interaction partners reported for FKBP51, the proposed pathways involved, their relevance to FKBP51’s physiological function(s), the interplay with other FKBPs, and implications for the development of FKBP51-directed drugs.
Platinum Resistance in Ovarian Cancer: Role of DNA Repair
Authors: Damia Giovanna , Broggini Massimo
Published: January 2019

Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is the most lethal gynecological cancer. It is initially responsive to cisplatin and carboplatin, two DNA damaging agents used in first line therapy. However, almost invariably, patients relapse with a tumor resistant to subsequent treatment with platinum containing drugs. Several mechanisms associated with the development of acquired drug resistance have been reported. Here we focused our attention on DNA repair mechanisms, which are fundamental for recognition and removal of platinum adducts and hence for the ability of these drugs to exert their activity. We analyzed the major DNA repair pathways potentially involved in drug resistance, detailing gene mutation, duplication or deletion as well as polymorphisms as potential biomarkers for drug resistance development. We dissected potential ways to overcome DNA repair-associated drug resistance thanks to the development of new combinations and/or drugs directly targeting DNA repair proteins or taking advantage of the vulnerability arising from DNA repair defects in EOCs.
The Oncogene Addiction Switch from NOTCH to PI3K Requires Simultaneous Targeting of NOTCH and PI3K Pathway Inhibition in Glioblastoma
Authors: Saito Norihiko , Hirai Nozomi , Aoki Kazuya , Suzuki Ryo , Fujita Satoshi , Nakayama Haruo , Hayashi Morito , Ito Keisuke , Sakurai Takatoshi , Iwabuchi Satoshi
Published: January 2019

The NOTCH pathway regulates neural stem cells and glioma initiating cells (GICs). However, blocking NOTCH activity with γ-secretase inhibitors (GSIs) fails to alter the growth of GICs, as GSIs seem to be active in only a fraction of GICs lines with constitutive NOTCH activity. Here we report loss of PTEN function as a critical event leading to resistance to NOTCH inhibition, which causes the transfer of oncogene addiction from the NOTCH pathway to the PI3K pathway. Drug cytotoxicity testing of eight GICs showed a differential growth response to GSI, and the GICs were thus stratified into two groups: sensitive and resistant. In the sensitive group, GICs with loss of PTEN function appeared less sensitive to GSI treatment. Here we show that NOTCH regulates PTEN expression and the activity of the PI3K pathway in GICs, as treatment with GSI attenuated the NOTCH pathway and increased PTEN expression. NOTCH regulates PTEN expression via Hes-1, as knockdown of Notch or Hes1 increased expression of PTEN. This novel observation suggests that both pathways must be simultaneously inhibited in order to improve therapeutic efficacy in human glioblastomas (GBMs).
Transient Kinetic Experiments within the High Conversion Domain: The Case of Ammonia Decomposition
Authors: Wang Yixiao , Kunz M. Ross , Siebers Skyler , Rollins Harry , Gleaves John , Yablonsky Gregory , Fushimi Rebecca
Published: January 2019

In the development of catalytic materials, a set of standard conditions is needed where the kinetic performance of many samples can be compared. This can be challenging when a sample set covers a broad range of activity. Precise kinetic characterization requires uniformity in the gas and catalyst bed composition. This limits the range of convecting devices to low conversion (generally <20%). While steady-state kinetics offer a snapshot of conversion, yield and apparent rates of the slow reaction steps, transient techniques offer much greater detail of rate processes and hence more information as to why certain catalyst compositions offer better performance. In this work, transient experiments in two transport regimes are compared: an advecting differential plug flow reactor (PFR) and a pure-diffusion temporal analysis of products (TAP) reactor. The decomposition of ammonia was used as a model reaction to test three simple materials: polycrystalline iron, cobalt and a bimetallic preparation of the two. These materials presented a wide range of activity and it was not possible to capture transient information in the advecting device for all samples at the same conditions while ensuring uniformity. We push the boundary for the theoretical estimates of uniformity in the TAP device and find reliable kinetic measurement up to 90% conversion. However, what is more advantageous from this technique is the ability to observe the time-dependence of the reaction rate rather than just singular points of conversion and yield. For example, on the iron sample we observed reversible adsorption of ammonia and on cobalt materials we identify two routes for hydrogen production. From the time-dependence of reactants and product, the dynamic accumulation was calculated. This was used to understand the atomic distribution of H and N species regulated by the surface of different materials. When ammonia was pulsed at 550 °C, the surface hydrogen/nitrogen, (H/N), ratios that evolved for Fe, CoFe and Co were 2.4, 0.25 and 0.3 respectively. This indicates that iron will store a mixture of hydrogenated species while materials with cobalt will predominantly store NH and N. While much is already known about iron, cobalt and ammonia decomposition, the goal of this work was to demonstrate new tools for comparing materials over a wider window of conversion and with much greater kinetic detail. As such, this provides an approach for detailed kinetic discrimination of more complex industrial samples beyond conversion and yield.
Direct Sulfoxidation of Aromatic Methyl Thioethers with Aryl Halides by Copper-Catalyzed C(sp3)–H Bond Activation
Authors: Xu Runsheng , Zhu Yueer , Xiong Feixiang , Tong Suli
Published: January 2019

A copper-catalyzed direct sulfoxidation reaction by C(sp3)–H bond activation has been developed. Starting from sample aromatic methyl thioethers with aryl halides, versatile biologically-active arylbenzylsulfoxide derivatives were efficiently synthesized in good to high yields under mild conditions. This new methodology provides an economical approach toward C(sp3)–C(sp2) bond formation.
Development of a Bicistronic Vector for the Expression of a CRISPR/Cas9-mCherry System in Fish Cell Lines
Authors: Escobar-Aguirre Sebastian , Arancibia Duxan , Escorza Amanda , Bravo Cristián , Andrés María Estela , Zamorano Pedro , Martínez Víctor
Published: January 2019

The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (CRISPR/Cas9) system has been widely used in animals as an efficient genome editing tool. In fish cells, the technique has been difficult to implement due to the lack of proper vectors that use active promoters to drive the expression of both small guide RNA (sgRNA) and the S. pyogenes Cas9 (spCas9) protein within a single expression platform. Until now, fish cells have been modified using co-transfection of the mRNA of both the sgRNA and the spCas9. In the present study, we describe the optimization of a new vector for the expression of a CRISPR/Cas9 system, designed to edit the genome of fish cell lines, that combines a gene reporter (mCherry), sgRNA, and spCas9 in a single vector, facilitating the study of the efficiency of piscine and non-piscine promoters. A cassette containing the zebrafish U6 RNA III polymerase (U6ZF) promoter was used for the expression of the sgRNA. The new plasmid displayed the expression of spCas9, mCherry, and sgRNA in CHSE/F fish cells. The results demonstrate the functionality of the mammalian promoter and the U6ZF promoter in fish cell lines. This is the first approach aimed at developing a unified genome editing system in fish cells using bicistronic vectors, thus creating a powerful biotechnological platform to study gene function.
Low-Threshold Coherent Emission at 1.5 µm from Fully Er3+ Doped Monolithic 1D Dielectric Microcavity Fabricated Using Radio Frequency Sputtering
Authors: Meroni Cesare , Scotognella Francesco , Boucher Yann , Lukowiak Anna , Ristic Davor , Speranza Giorgio , Varas Stefano , Zur Lidia , Ivanda Mile , Taccheo Stefano , Ramponi Roberta , Righini Giancarlo C. , Ferrari Maurizio , Chiasera Alessandro
Published: January 2019

Low threshold coherent emission at 1.5 µm is achieved using Er3+-doped dielectric 1D microcavities fabricated with a Radio Frequency-sputtering technique. The microcavities are composed of a half-wavelength Er3+-doped SiO2 active layer inserted between two Bragg reflectors consisting of ten, five, and seven pairs of SiO2/TiO2 layers, also doped with Er3+ ions. The morphology of the structure is inspected using scanning electron microscopy. Transmission measurements show the third and first order cavity resonance at 530 nm and 1.5 µm, respectively. The photoluminescence measurements are obtained using the optical excitation at the third order cavity resonance using a 514.5 nm Ar+ laser or Xe excitation lamp at 514.5 nm, with an excitation angle of 30°. The full width at half maximum of the emission peak at 1535 nm decreased with the pump power until the spectral resolution of the detection system was 2.7 nm. Moreover, the emission intensity presents a non-linear behavior with the pump power and a threshold at about 4 µW.
Properties of Nitrogen/Silicon Doped Vertically Oriented Graphene Produced by ICP CVD Roll-to-Roll Technology
Authors: Rozel Petr , Radziuk Darya , Mikhnavets Lubov , Khokhlov Evgenij , Shiripov Vladimir , Matolínová Iva , Matolín Vladimír , Basaev Alexander , Kargin Nikolay , Labunov Vladimir
Published: January 2019

Simultaneous mass production of high quality vertically oriented graphene nanostructures and doping them by using an inductively coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition (ICP CVD) is a technological problem because little is understood about their growth mechanism over enlarged surfaces. We introduce a new method that combines the ICP CVD with roll-to-roll technology to enable the in-situ preparation of vertically oriented graphene by using propane as a precursor gas and nitrogen or silicon as dopants. This new technology enables preparation of vertically oriented graphene with distinct morphology and composition on a moving copper foil substrate at a lower cost. The technological parameters such as deposition time (1–30 min), gas partial pressure, composition of the gas mixture (propane, argon, nitrogen or silane), heating treatment (1–60 min) and temperature (350–500 °C) were varied to reveal the nanostructure growth, the evolution of its morphology and heteroatom’s intercalation by nitrogen or silicon. Unique nanostructures were examined by FE-SEM microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and energy dispersive X-Ray scattering techniques. The undoped and nitrogen- or silicon-doped nanostructures can be prepared with the full area coverage of the copper substrate on industrially manufactured surface defects. Longer deposition time (30 min, 450 °C) causes carbon amorphization and an increased fraction of sp3-hybridized carbon, leading to enlargement of vertically oriented carbonaceous nanostructures and growth of pillars.
Dynamic Fracture Analysis of Functional Gradient Material Coating Based on the Peridynamic Method
Authors: Zhang Yu , Cheng Zhanqi , Feng Hu
Published: January 2019

Functional gradient materials (FGMs) have tremendous potential due to their characteristic advantage of asymptotic continuous variation of their properties. When an FGM is used as a coating material, damage and failure of the interface with the substrate component can be effectively inhibited. In order to study the dynamic crack propagation in FGM coatings, a new method, peridynamics (PD), was used in the present study to simulate dynamic fractures of FGM coatings bonded to a homogeneous substrate under dynamic loading. The bond-based PD theory was employed to study crack propagation and branching in the FGM coating. The influences of the coating gradient pattern, loading, and the geometry and size of the structure on crack curving and propagation under impact loading were investigated. The numerical results show that different forms of the elastic modulus of graded material, the geometry of the structure, and the loading conditions have considerate effects on crack propagation in FGM coatings, but a specific form of elastic modulus had a limited effect on the dynamic fracture of FGM coating.
Wetting and Spreading of Commercially Available Aqueous Surfactants on Porous Materials
Authors: Johnson Phillip , Routledge Toby , Trybala Anna , Vaccaro Mauro , Starov Victor
Published: January 2019

The wetting properties of aqueous solutions of a commercially available surfactant at various concentrations on porous media are investigated using the KRUSS DSA100 shape analyzer and the ADVANCED software to process the data. Time evolution of both the contact angle and drop base diameter at each surfactant concentration after deposition were monitored. Three different porous substrates (sponges) were examined. The sponges used were a car sponge, dish sponge and audio sponge. The sponges were investigated both dry and at different degrees of saturation, that is, the amount of water absorbed into the sponge. It was found that pure distilled water droplets deposited on the dry porous media showed non-wetting. However, if droplets of surfactant solutions were deposited, then a change to a complete wetting case was found at all surfactant concentrations used. It has been observed that for all sponges, no matter the degree of saturation, they display a minimum contact angle after which the droplet is rapidly absorbed into the porous media.
Adjunctive Effects of a Sub-Antimicrobial Dose of Doxycycline on Clinical Parameters and Potential Biomarkers of Periodontal Tissue Catabolism
Authors: Emingil Gülnur , Gürkan Ali , Tervahartiala Taina , Hernandez Marcela , Özgül Semiha , Sorsa Timo , Alassiri Saeed
Published: January 2019

Objectives: The aim of the present randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-arm study was to examine the effectiveness of a sub-antimicrobial dose of doxycycline (SDD) in combination with nonsurgical periodontal therapy, compared to nonsurgical periodontal therapy alone, on potential gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) biomarkers of periodontal tissue catabolism related to the clinical outcomes over a 12-month period. Materials and Methods: GCF was collected and clinical parameters were recorded from 30 periodontitis patients randomized either to an SDD or placebo group. The SDD group received SDD (20 mg) b.i.d for 3 months plus scaling and root planing (SRP), while the placebo group was given placebo capsules b.i.d for 3 months plus SRP. The patients were evaluated every 3 months during the 12-month study period. At each visit, clinical parameters and GCF sampling were repeated. Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-8, MMP-9, MMP-13, myeloperoxidase (MPO), osteoprotegerin (OPG), and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase-5 (TRAP-5) were determined by IFMA and ELISA. Results: Significant improvements were observed in all clinical parameters in both groups over 12 months (p < 0.0125) while the SDD group showed significantly better reduction in gingival index (GI) and pocket depth and a gain in clinical attachment compared to the placebo group (p < 0.05). GCF MMP-8 and OPG levels significantly reduced in the SDD group compared to baseline (p < 0.05). GCF MMP-9 significantly decreased in both groups compared to baseline (p < 0.05). GCF MPO significantly decreased at 3 and 9 months in the SDD group, while it significantly decreased at 6 months in the placebo group (p < 0.05). TRAP and MMP-13 could be detected in none of the samples. Conclusions: The present results indicate that three months of adjunctive usage of SDD to nonsurgical periodontal therapy compared to nonsurgical periodontal therapy alone in periodontitis patients results in further improvement of clinical periodontal parameters and GCF markers of periodontal tissue breakdown over a 12-month period. Beneficial effects of adjunctive SDD therapy is likely to be related to the reduced levels of two major periodontitis-associated MMPs, MMP-8 and -9, and their potential oxidative activator MPO.
Optimal Power Flow Controller for Grid-Connected Microgrids using Grasshopper Optimization Algorithm
Authors: Jumani Touqeer Ahmed , Mustafa Mohd Wazir , Md Rasid Madihah , Hussain Mirjat Nayyar , Hussain Baloch Mazhar , Salisu Sani
Published: January 2019

Despite the vast benefits of integrating renewable energy sources (RES) with the utility grid, they pose stability and power quality problems when interconnected with the existing power system. This is due to the production of high voltages and current overshoots/undershoots during their injection or disconnection into/from the power system. In addition, the high harmonic distortion in the output voltage and current waveforms may also be observed due to the excessive inverter switching frequencies used for controlling distributed generator’s (DG) power output. Hence, the development of a robust and intelligent controller for the grid-connected microgrid (MG) is the need of the hour. As such, this paper aims to develop a robust and intelligent optimal power flow controller using a grasshopper optimization algorithm (GOA) to optimize the dynamic response and power quality of the grid-connected MG while sharing the desired amount of power with the grid. To validate the effectiveness of proposed GOA-based controller, its performance in achieving the desired power sharing ratio with optimal dynamic response and power quality is compared with that of its precedent particle swarm optimization (PSO)-based controller under MG injection and abrupt load change conditions. The proposed controller provides tremendous system’s dynamic response with minimum current harmonic distortion even at higher DG penetration levels.
A Hybrid Current Mode Controller with Fast Response Characteristics for Super Capacitor Applications
Authors: Oh Seung-Min , Ko Jae-hak , Kim Hag-Wone , Cho Kwan-Yuhl
Published: January 2019

A wide-bandwidth current-controller is required for the fast charging and discharging of applications containing super capacitors. To accomplish this, peak current mode is generally used due to the speed of its response characteristics. On the other hand, peak current mode control must be provided with a slope compensation function to restrain sub-harmonic oscillations. However, if the controlled output voltage is varied, the slope must be changed accordingly. Nonetheless, it is not easy to change the slope for every change in output voltage. Another solution involves the slope being set at the maximum value, which results in a slow response. Therefore, in this paper, a hybrid mode controller was proposed that uses a peak current and a newly-specified valley current. Using the proposed hybrid mode control, sub-harmonic oscillation did not occur for duty cycles larger than 0.5 and response times were fast.
The Role of Diversity on Linear Scattering Operator: The Case of Strip Scatterers Observed under the Fresnel Approximation
Authors: Maisto Maria Antonia , Munno Fortuna
Published: January 2019

The aim of this paper is to investigate the role of multiple views and multiple frequencies in linear inverse scattering problems. The study was performed assuming the Fresnel-zone approximation on the scattering operator. Due to the crucial role played by singular values into analysing the linear inverse scattering problems, the impact of view and frequency diversities on singular values behaviour was established. In fact, the singular values were related to the most common metrics used to quantify the achievable performances in inverse scattering problems, such as the number of degrees of freedom (NDF), the information content and the resolution.
Recent Progress in the Design of 4G/5G Reconfigurable Filters
Authors: Al-Yasir Yasir I. A. , Ojaroudi Parchin Naser , Abd-Alhameed Raed A. , Abdulkhaleq Ahmed M. , Noras James M.
Published: January 2019

Currently, several microwave filter designs contend for use in wireless communications. Among various microstrip filter designs, the reconfigurable planar filter presents more advantages and better prospects for communication applications, being compact in size, light-weight and cost-effective. Tuneable microwave filters can reduce the number of switches between electronic components. This paper presents a review of recent reconfigurable microwave filter designs, specifically on current advances in tuneable filters that involve high-quality factor resonator filters to control frequency, bandwidth and selectivity. The most important materials required for this field are also highlighted and surveyed. In addition, the main references for several types of tuneable microstrip filters are reported, especially related to new design technologies. Topics surveyed include microwave and millimetre wave designs for 4G and 5G applications, which use varactors and MEMSs technologies.
An Adaptive Frequency Phase-Locked Loop Based on a Third Order Generalized Integrator
Authors: Du Heng , Sun Qiuye , Cheng Qifu , Ma Dazhong , Wang Xu
Published: January 2019

In this paper, the basic principle and characteristics of a phase-locked loop (PLL) in a single phase grid-connected system are analyzed, and this paper introduces one type virtual orthogonal voltage vector method based on a third order generalized integrator (TOGI) to construct an alpha and beta static coordinate system. The TOGI structure can eliminate the DC offset in a voltage signal or zero offset in the sampling process, and ensure the amplitude of the virtual orthogonal signal is consistent. At the same time, the adaptive frequency estimation unit is introduced, which can effectively deal with the power grid voltage frequency changes and ensure the accuracy of PLL. MATLAB (R2012a, MathWorks, Natick, MA, USA) is used to simulate the variation of power grid voltage frequency, DC component injection, harmonics injection and other parameters, and the performance of PLL is adequately verified. In addition, a 5kW single-phase energy router experimental platform is built to verify the proposed PLL. The experimental results show that the PLL can well track the frequency change of the grid voltage and eliminate the DC offset, so as to achieve accurate phase tracking.
District Heating Challenges for the UK
Authors: Millar Michael-Allan , Burnside Neil M. , Yu Zhibin
Published: January 2019

District heating uptake has grown with the increasing need for cleaner and more efficient energy supply. This has resulted in a rising number of new developments signing up to a district heating scheme, typically powered by Combined Heat and Power (CHP) boilers or biomass boilers with supplemental electrical or gas grid connections. These schemes have advanced rapidly in recent years, with much of the research focus targeting lower carbon technologies, improved load prediction and peak demand management. We assess the current status of District Heating Networks (DHNs) in the United Kingdom using published case studies and suggest next steps to improvement. Our findings show that the United Kingdom has good potential for uptake of district energy given the current political climate and government incentives, however significant improvements must be made to further penetrate the heating market.
Integrated Control Strategy for Inductive Power Transfer Systems with Primary-Side LCC Network for Load-Average Efficiency Improvement
Authors: Ann Sangjoon , Lee Woo-Young , Choe Gyu-Yeong , Lee Byoung Kuk
Published: January 2019

An inductive power transfer (IPT) system has lower peak efficiency and significantly lower load-average efficiency over the entire range of output power than typical power conversion systems because it transmits power wirelessly through magnetically coupled coils. In order to improve the load-average efficiency of the IPT system, this paper proposes an integrated control strategy consisting of full-bridge, phase-shift, and half-bridge control modes. The coupling coefficient and output power conditions for each control mode are theoretically analyzed, and the proposed control algorithm is established. In order to verify the analysis results, a 3.3 kW IPT system prototype is constructed, and it is experimentally verified that the load-average efficiency is improved by up to 3.75% with respect to the output power when using the proposed control scheme. In addition, the proposed control has the additional advantage that it can be directly applied to the existing IPT system without changing or adding hardware.
Enhancing Oscillation Damping in an Interconnected Power System with Integrated Wind Farms Using Unified Power Flow Controller
Authors: He Ping , Arefifar Seyed Ali , Li Congshan , Wen Fushuan , Ji Yuqi , Tao Yukun
Published: January 2019

The well-developed unified power flow controller (UPFC) has demonstrated its capability in providing voltage support and improving power system stability. The objective of this paper is to demonstrate the capability of the UPFC in mitigating oscillations in a wind farm integrated power system by employing eigenvalue analysis and dynamic time-domain simulation approaches. For this purpose, a power oscillation damping controller (PODC) of the UPFC is designed for damping oscillations caused by disturbances in a given interconnected power system, including the change in tie-line power, the changes of wind power outputs, and others. Simulations are carried out for two sample power systems, i.e., a four-machine system and an eight-machine system, for demonstration. Numerous eigenvalue analysis and dynamic time-domain simulation results confirm that the UPFC equipped with the designed PODC can effectively suppress oscillations of power systems under various disturbance scenarios.
Effect of the Implementation of Carbon Capture Systems on the Environmental, Energy and Economic Performance of the Brazilian Electricity Matrix
Authors: Sanchez Moore Claudia Cristina , Kulay Luiz
Published: January 2019

This study examined the effect of Carbon Capture and Storage units on the environmental, energy and economic performance of the Brazilian electric grid. Four scenarios were established considering the coupling of Calcium Looping (CaL) processes to capture CO2 emitted from thermoelectric using coal and natural gas: S1: the current condition of the Brazilian grid; S2 and S3: Brazilian grid with CaL applied individually to coal (TEC) and gas (TGN) operated thermoelectric; and S4: CaL is simultaneously coupled to both sources. Global warming potential (GWP) expressed the environmental dimension, Primary Energy Demand (PED) was the energy indicator and Levelised Cost of Energy described the economic range. Attributional Life Cycle Assessment for generation of 1.0 MWh was applied in the analysis. None of the scenarios accumulated the best indexes in all dimensions. Regarding GWP, S4 totals the positive effects of using CaL to reduce CO2 from TEC and TGN, but the CH4 emissions increased due to its energy requirements. As for PED, S1 and S2 are similar and presented higher performances than S3 and S4. The price of natural gas compromises the use of CaL in TGN. A combined verification of the three analysis dimensions, proved that S2 was the best option of the series due to the homogeneity of its indices. The installation of CaL in TECs and TGNs was effective to capture and store CO2 emissions, but the costs of this system should be reduced and its energy efficiency still needs to be improved.