bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The 2nd Hanrahan Lecture: Geotechnical properties of Irish compressible soils
Authors: Long Michael
Published: January 2020

The objectives of this paper are to provide an update on work done and the development of knowledge on Irish compressible soils since Eamon Hanrahan's book on the topic. Eamon subdivided these soils into three categories; namely, alluvial, estuarine and lake-bed deposits, and he termed them ‘troublesome soils’. A brief background geology will initially be presented. The complexity of the deposits both on a macro- and micro-scale will be highlighted. Sites that have been well studied will be summarized and the engineering solutions used to construct on these sites will be reviewed. Although work on these sites presents a significant engineering achievement, some important lessons were learned. The remainder of the paper deals with how these lessons might be addressed in the future; for example, how to use modern ground investigation techniques to best characterize these complex deposits and what are the best techniques for examining important detailed aspects of 1D consolidation behaviour such as the identification of the apparent preconsolidation stress, the sometimes rapid rate of consolidation and creep, and also how to characterize the undrained shear strength of the soils. The work will be benchmarked against experience of the behaviour of Scandinavian soft soils.
Estimating Energy Footprint Using Thermal Imaging
Authors: Flores Huber , Hamberg Jonatan , Li Xin , Malmivirta Titti , Zuniga Agustin , Lagerspetz Eemil , Nurmi Petteri
Published: January 2020

With great power comes - besides great responsibility - big energy drain, especially where Internet of Things (IoT) devices are considered. Indeed, despite significant improvements in design and manufacturing, energy efficiency remains a critical design consideration for IoT, particularly for devices operating continuous sensing. The energy footprint of these devices has traditionally been measured using hardware power monitors (such as Monsoon power meter), which provide an accurate view of instantaneous power use. However, power meters require direct connection with the device's power source (such as battery) and hence can be used to measure energy drain only on devices with detachable power sources.
Mechanisms of Mitochondrial Iron-Sulfur Protein Biogenesis
Authors: Lill Roland , Freibert Sven-A.
Published: January 2020

Mitochondria are essential in most eukaryotes and are involved in numerous biological functions including ATP production, cofactor biosyntheses, apoptosis, lipid synthesis, and steroid metabolism. Work over the past two decades has uncovered the biogenesis of cellular iron-sulfur (Fe/S) proteins as the essential and minimal function of mitochondria. This process is catalyzed by the bacteria-derived iron-sulfur cluster assembly (ISC) machinery and has been dissected into three major steps: de novo synthesis of a [2Fe-2S] cluster on a scaffold protein; Hsp70 chaperone–mediated trafficking of the cluster and insertion into [2Fe-2S] target apoproteins; and catalytic conversion of the [2Fe-2S] into a [4Fe-4S] cluster and subsequent insertion into recipient apoproteins. ISC components of the first two steps are also required for biogenesis of numerous essential cytosolic and nuclear Fe/S proteins, explaining the essentiality of mitochondria. This review summarizes the molecular mechanisms underlying the ISC protein–mediated maturation of mitochondrial Fe/S proteins and the importance for human disease.
Thioredoxin-interacting protein regulates glucose metabolism and improves the intracellular redox state in bovine oocytes during in vitro maturation
Authors: Jiang XiaoLong , Pang YunWei , Zhao ShanJiang , Hao HaiSheng , Zhao XueMing , Du WeiHua , Wang YaChun , Zhu HuaBin
Published: January 2020

The extent of glucose metabolism during oocyte maturation is closely related to oocyte developmental potential. Thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP) is an α-arrestin family protein that negatively regulates glucose uptake into cells. However, little information is available regarding the function of TXNIP in bovine oocytes. Accordingly, the present study was performed to investigate the influence of TXNIP on glucose metabolism in bovine oocytes during in vitro maturation. Pharmacological inhibition of TXNIP by azaserine enhanced glucose uptake and imparted a specific metabolic effect on glycolysis and pentose phosphate pathway (PPP). RNA interference (RNAi) was adopted to further determine the biological significance of TXNIP in regulating glucose metabolism. The maturation rate and the developmental competence of TXNIP siRNA-treated oocytes were significantly improved. Knockdown of TXNIP in bovine oocytes significantly increased glycolysis by increasing the activities of phosphofructokinase (PFK), pyruvate kinase, and lactate dehydrogenase; pyruvate and lactate production; and intracellular ATP level, as well as mitochondrial activity. Furthermore, glucose metabolism through PPP was also enhanced by TXNIP depletion, as TXNIP siRNA treatment promoted glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) activity and NADPH content, and helped maintain a high level of glutathione and a low level of reactive oxygen species within the oocytes. Further studies revealed that inhibition of TXNIP resulted increases in glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1) expression, as well as PFK1 platelet isoform ( PFKP) and G6PDH mRNA levels. These results reveal that TXNIP depletion promotes oocyte maturation by enhancing both glycolysis and the PPP. During in vitro maturation of bovine oocytes, TXNIP serves as a key regulator of glucose uptake by controlling GLUT1 expression.
Altered Expression of Long Noncoding and Messenger RNAs in Diabetic Nephropathy following Treatment with Rosiglitazone
Authors: Zhang Liwen , Zhou Ying , Zhou Fangfang , Yu Xialian , Liu Jian , Liu Yunzi , Zhu Yufei , Wang Weiming , Chen Nan
Published: January 2020

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is characterized by metabolic disorder and inflammation. However, the regulatory effects that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have on the pathogenesis of DN and on the efficacy of rosiglitazone treatment have yet to be clearly defined. Herein, we performed unbiased RNA sequencing to characterize the transcriptomic profiles in db/db diabetic mouse model with or without rosiglitazone treatment that served to improve the phenotypes of DN. Moreover, RNA‐seq profiling revealed that the development of DN caused an upregulation in the expression of 1176 mRNAs and a downregulation in the expression of 1010 mRNAs compared to controls, with the expression of 251 mRNAs being returned to normal following treatment with rosiglitazone. Further, 88 upregulated and 68 downregulated lncRNAs were identified in db/db mice compared to controls, 10 of which had their normal expression restored following treatment with rosiglitazone. Bioinformatic analysis revealed that the primary pathways involved in the pathogenesis of DN, and subsequently in the therapeutic effects of PPARγ, are related to inflammatory and metabolic processes. From bioinformatics analysis, lncRNA‐AI838599 emerged as a novel molecular mechanism for rosiglitazone treatment in DN through TNFα‐NFκb pathway. These findings may indicate a new molecular regulatory approach for the development of DN therapeutic agents.
Genome Survey and Transcriptome Analysis on Mycelia and Primordia of Agaricus blazei
Authors: Lu Yuan-Ping , Liao Jian-Hua , Guo Zhong-Jie , Cai Zhi-Xin , Chen Mei-Yuan
Published: January 2020

Agaricus blazei, a type of edible straw‐rotting mushroom with somewhat sweet taste and fragrance of almonds, has attracted considerable scientific and practical attention. High‐throughput Illumina PE150 and PacBio RSII platform were employed to generate a genomic sequence. De novo assembly generated 36 contigs with 38,686,133 bp in size, containing 10,119 putative predicted genes. Additionally, we also studied transcriptional regulation of the mycelia and the primordia for exploration of genes involved in fruiting body formation. Expression profiling analysis revealed that 2,164 genes were upregulated in mycelia and 1,557 in primordia. Functional enrichment showed that differentially expressed genes associated with response to stress, ribosome biogenesis, arginine biosynthesis, and steroid biosynthesis pathway were more active in fruiting body. The genome and transcriptome analysis of A. blazei provide valuable sequence resources and contribute to our understanding of genes related to the biosynthesis pathway of polysaccharide and benzaldehyde, as well as the fruiting body formation.
An Improved Car-Following Speed Model considering Speed of the Lead Vehicle, Vehicle Spacing, and Driver’s Sensitivity to Them
Authors: Jiao Shuaiyang , Zhang Shengrui , Li Zongzhi , Zhou Bei , Zhao Dan
Published: January 2020

This paper introduces an improved car-following speed (CFS) model that simultaneously considers speed of the lead vehicle, vehicle spacing, and driver’s sensitivity to them. Specifically, the proposed model extends the Helbing-Tilch model and Yang et al. model developed based on the principle of grey relational analysis where vehicle spacing is considered as the primary factor contributing to car-following speed choices. A computational experiment is conducted for model calibration using vehicle spacing, speed, and acceleration data derived from vehicle trajectory data of the Next Generation Simulation (NGSIM) project sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). It shows that speed of the lead vehicle and vehicle spacing significantly affect speed of the lag vehicle. Further, model validation is carried out using an independent NGSIM dataset by comparing vehicle speed predictions made by the calibrated CFS model with Helbing-Tilch model and Yang et al. model as benchmarks. Compared with speed prediction results of the benchmark models, mean relative errors, root mean square errors, and equal coefficient of speed predictions of the CFS model have reduced by 72.41% and 61.85%, 70.14% and 57.99%, and 33.15% and 14.48%, respectively. The findings of model validation reveal that the CFS model could improve the accuracy of speed predictions in the car-following process.
Method of Depression Classification Based on Behavioral and Physiological Signals of Eye Movement
Authors: Li Mi , Cao Lei , Zhai Qian , Li Peng , Liu Sa , Li Richeng , Feng Lei , Wang Gang , Hu Bin , Lu Shengfu
Published: January 2020

This paper presents a method of depression recognition based on direct measurement of affective disorder. Firstly, visual emotional stimuli are used to obtain eye movement behavior signals and physiological signals directly related to mood. Then, in order to eliminate noise and redundant information and obtain better classification features, statistical methods (FDR corrected t-test) and principal component analysis (PCA) are used to select features of eye movement behavior and physiological signals. Finally, based on feature extraction, we use kernel extreme learning machine (KELM) to recognize depression based on PCA features. The results show that, on the one hand, the classification performance based on the fusion features of eye movement behavior and physiological signals is better than using a single behavior feature and a single physiological feature; on the other hand, compared with previous methods, the proposed method for depression recognition achieves better classification results. This study is of great value for the establishment of an automatic depression diagnosis system for clinical use.
Validation of the NoSAS Score for the Screening of Sleep-Disordered Breathing in a Sleep Clinic
Authors: Rong Yi , Wang Shihan , Wang Hui , Wang Feng , Tang Jingjing , Kang Xiuhong , Li Guangxi , Liu Zhiguo
Published: January 2020

Background. There is a growing number of patients with sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) referred to sleep clinics. Therefore, a simple but useful screening tool is urgent. The NoSAS score, containing only five items, has been developed and validated in population-based studies.Aim. To evaluate the performance of the NoSAS score for the screening of SDB patients from a sleep clinic in China, and to compare the predictive value of the NoSAS score with the STOP-Bang questionnaire.Methods. We enrolled consecutive patients from a sleep clinic who had undergone apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) testing by type III portable monitor device at the hospital and completed the STOP-Bang questionnaire. The NoSAS score was assessed by reviewing medical records. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of both screening tools were calculated at different AHI cutoffs to compare the performance of SDB screening.Results. Of the 596 eligible patients (397 males and 199 female), 514 were diagnosed with SDB. When predicting overall (AHI ≥ 5), moderate-to-severe (AHI ≥ 15), and severe (AHI ≥ 30) SDB, the sensitivity and specificity of the NoSAS score were 71.2, 80.4, and 83.1% and 62.4, 49.3, and 40.7%, respectively. At all AHI cutoffs, the AUC ranged from 0.688 to 0.715 for the NoSAS score and from 0.663 to 0.693 for the STOP-Bang questionnaire. The NoSAS score had the largest AUC (0.715, 95% CI: 0.655–0.775) of diagnosing SDB at AHI cutoff of ≥5 events/h. NoSAS performed better in discriminating moderate-to-severe SDB than STOP-Bang with a marginally significantly higher AUC (0.697 vs. 0.663,P=0.046).Conclusion. The NoSAS score had good performance on the discrimination of SDB patients in sleep clinic and can be utilized as an effective screening tool in clinical practice.
Nonlinear Vibrations of a Rotor-Active Magnetic Bearing System with 16-Pole Legs and Two Degrees of Freedom
Authors: Zhang W. , Wu R. Q. , Siriguleng B.
Published: January 2020

The asymptotic perturbation method is used to analyze the nonlinear vibrations and chaotic dynamics of a rotor-active magnetic bearing (AMB) system with 16-pole legs and the time-varying stiffness. Based on the expressions of the electromagnetic force resultants, the influences of some parameters, such as the cross-sectional area Aα of one electromagnet and the number N of windings in each electromagnet coil, on the electromagnetic force resultants are considered for the rotor-AMB system with 16-pole legs. Based on the Newton law, the governing equation of motion for the rotor-AMB system with 16-pole legs is obtained and expressed as a two-degree-of-freedom system with the parametric excitation and the quadratic and cubic nonlinearities. According to the asymptotic perturbation method, the four-dimensional averaged equation of the rotor-AMB system is derived under the case of 1 : 1 internal resonance and 1 : 2 subharmonic resonances. Then, the frequency-response curves are employed to study the steady-state solutions of the modal amplitudes. From the analysis of the frequency responses, both the hardening-type nonlinearity and the softening-type nonlinearity are observed in the rotor-AMB system. Based on the numerical solutions of the averaged equation, the changed procedure of the nonlinear dynamic behaviors of the rotor-AMB system with the control parameter is described by the bifurcation diagram. From the numerical simulations, the periodic, quasiperiodic, and chaotic motions are observed in the rotor-active magnetic bearing (AMB) system with 16-pole legs, the time-varying stiffness, and the quadratic and cubic nonlinearities.
Family Factors Associated with Consumption of Spirits: A Comparative Gender-Based Study of Ugandan Students in Public Secondary Schools
Authors: Rukundo Aloysius , Ayebare David Santson , Kibanja Grace , Steffens Karl
Published: January 2020

This study aims at investigating family factors associated with consumption of spirits across gender of students in public secondary schools in Uganda. A cross-sectional survey using self-administered questionnaires was used to collect data on consumption of sprits in the past 12 months prior to the study. Of the 1,591 students recruited, the overall prevalence of consumption of spirits was found to be 17.3% (n = 275) with higher consumption of spirits among males (20.3%). Results indicate that unemployed heads of families (aOR = 2.5, 95% CI: 1.30–4.76, p<0.01), fairly religious (aOR = 2.7, 95% CI: 1.08–6.49, p<0.05), and not religious families (aOR = 2.9, 95% CI: 1.17–7.11, p<0.05) were factors associated with consumption of spirits. Early prevention of consumption of spirits could be focused on male students, fathers’ occupation, and family religiosity. In addition, school administrators and authorities could consider these factors during routine school inspections to guard discipline among students in Uganda.
A New Approach for Solving Rub-Impact Dynamic Characteristics of Shrouded Blades Based on Macroslip Friction Model
Authors: Nan Guofang , Lou Jianyang , Song Chuanchong , Tang Min
Published: January 2020

Based on the macroslip friction model, a new dynamic model of the shrouded blades for rotating machinery is developed to study the impact vibration between the adjacent blades. Unlike the traditional analytical method of the shrouded blade based on the simple Coulomb friction model, a new approach is developed that the macroslip friction model is used to represent a more accurate rubbing behavior (more closer to reality) between the shrouds. By means of the harmonic balance method, the friction force and the normal pressure are translated into the equivalent stiffness and the equivalent damping. The Galerkin method is adopted to reduce the dimension of the equation to obtain the 1-DOF equation of motion, and the dynamic response of the shrouded blade is solved by Runge–Kutta numerical method. The effects of parameters such as the gap of shrouds, the mass of the tip, the contact angle, and the normal stiffness between the shrouded blades on the damping characteristics are discussed. The results show that the gap of tips has a significant effect on the vibration amplitude of the blade. Within a certain range, with the decrease of the gap, the amplitude of the blade tip is getting smaller while the resonant speed is increasing. The mass of the shroud has little effect on the damping characteristics, while the contact angle has a great influence on the equivalent stiffness and damping. Increasing the contact angle to a certain extent can effectively reduce the vibration amplitude of the blade, and the normal contact stiffness also has an important influence in reducing the vibration. The research results based on the new method in this paper are compared with the published articles and agree well. The research work is important to the accurate calculations and design and control of the shrouded blades for rotating machinery.
Prognostic Significance of Serum Complement Component 3 in Chronic Rhinosinusitis with Nasal Polyps
Authors: Wang Feng , Yang Yang , You Qihan , Chen Haihong
Published: January 2020

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between serum complement component 3 (C3) levels and disease recurrences in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (NPs). Methods: Ninety-seven patients with NPs and 30 controls were recruited. Clinical features were collected. Serum concentrations of C3 and C4 were measured before and after endoscopic sinus surgery. Results: Compared to the controls, increased C3 levels were found in patients with NPs. Patients with polyp recurrences had higher pre- and postoperative serum C3 levels than patients without polyp recurrences. Serum C3 levels dropped after surgery. After polyp regrowth, the mean C3 level in the recurrent group elevated again to the degree similar to that before surgery. When patients were stratified by tissue eosinophilia, no significant difference was seen in pre-/postoperative, absolute change after surgery, and post-recurrent C3 levels between patients without and with eosinophilic NPs in the group with disease recurrences. Conclusion: Serum C3 may be involved in the pathogenesis of NPs. Higher serum C3 levels may pinpoint patients at high risk of recurrence as an independent factor. Furthermore, the change in C3 levels after surgery may have the potential to serve as a predictor for polyp progression. Adding serum C3 measurement to the routine walk-up in the clinical management of NPs is worth further investigation and may help physicians make a more rational diagnostic and/or therapeutic decision regarding this disease.
A 2018 European Thyroid Association Survey on the Use of Selenium Supplementation in Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis
Authors: Winther Kristian Hillert , Papini Enrico , Attanasio Roberto , Negro Roberto , Hegedüs Laszlo
Published: January 2020

Objective: To investigate clinical practice regarding the use of selenium supplementation in patients with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) among members of the European Thyroid Association (ETA). Methods: ETA members were invited to participate in an online survey investigating the use of selenium supplementation across the spectrum of benign thyroid diseases. Of 872 invited members, 242 (28%) completed the survey. After exclusion of basic scientists and non-European members, survey data from 212 respondents were eligible for further analyses. Responses from 65 (31%) individuals who did not at all recommend selenium, or only considered its use in the setting of a clinical trial, were not included in the final analysis of survey data from 147 respondents. ­Results: While only a minority of respondents (29 of 147, 20%) stated that the available evidence warrants the use of Se in patients with HT, a statistically significant majority (95 of 147; 65%, p < 0.001) used Se occasionally or routinely. Se was predominantly recommended for patients with HT not receiving LT4 (102 of 147; 69%) to reduce circulating thyroid autoantibody levels. Very few respondents routinely recommended Se to pregnant patients with HT. Conclusions: A minority of responding ETA members stated that the available evidence warrants the use of Se in HT, but a majority recommended it to some extent, especially to patients not yet receiving LT4. This is questionable, and selenium is not recommended to patients with HT according to current ETA guidelines. Ongoing and future trials may lead to the reversal of current medical practice.
Impact of Onychomycosis on the Quality of Life: Dermatology Life Quality Index-Based Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Kayarkatte Manasa Narayan , Singal Archana , Pandhi Deepika
Published: January 2020

Background: Onychomycosis (OM) is a common fungal infection of the nail unit with a worldwide prevalence of 5%. Though apparently a benign and innocuous entity, it carries significant psychosocial morbidity. The Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) is based on a simple practical questionnaire that considers multiple psychological and social domains. Its utility in OM by far remains unexplored. Objective: To determine the DLQI in patients suffering from OM. Methods: The DLQI questionnaire was answered by 100 patients with an established diagnosis of OM. Results: The mean DLQI of our study subjects was 6.1 ± 3.3. Most patients (46%) belonged to the DLQI 2 group (moderate effect). Among these, most patients reported disease duration of 1–5 years (50%). Among patients responding to DLQI 3 (very large effect), a higher significant proportion were females (66.7%). The most inconvenient domain was seeking treatment for OM and social embarrassment due to the disease. Conclusion: As DLQI is an easy scoring method, it can be used for assessing quality of health in OM. OM causes moderate effect on quality of life (mostly DLQI 2), thereby making its treatment mandatory.
Development of a Vaping Machine for the Sampling of THC and CBD Aerosols Generated by Two Portable Dry Herb Cannabis Vaporisers
Authors: Carrara Laura , Giroud Christian , Concha-Lozano Nicolas
Published: January 2020

Cannabis sativa is known for its recreational use, but also for its therapeutic potential. There has been wide discussion over the use of cannabis for medical purposes in recent years, especially because a consensus has not been reached regarding its risk/benefit balance. Among the more common modes of administration, vaping with a vaporiser is most frequently used for self-medication. Vaping seems to be a better alternative to preventing adverse health effects due to toxic compounds produced during combustion when cannabis is smoked. However, the delivery kinetics and efficiency of most portable vaporisers are not fully characterised with an appropriate vaping regime. This determination requires a specific vaping machine operating under realistic puffing conditions. In this study, a vaping machine was conceived to fit with the common uses of portable vaporisers that requires conditions different from those used for electronic cigarettes. The experimental setup in this study was optimised to sample aerosolised cannabinoids. The delivery kinetics, efficiency, and decarboxylation yields of two commercially available vaporisers (DaVinci® and Mighty Medic®) were evaluated for delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). Among all tested sampling supports, the glass fibre filter is the most efficient medium to collect mixed THC and CBD aerosols. From the delivery kinetics of cannabinoids, a single-parameter model was used to calculate the extraction coefficient of each vaporiser. The results show that the Mighty Medic® vaporiser had a higher extraction coefficient (0.39) and a more immediate release of cannabinoids than the DaVinci® vaporiser (0.16), which had a gradual and slower rate of vaporisation. This parameter could be a quantitative input in pharmacokinetic models of administration of volatile compounds using vaporisers and a useful tool for the comparison of vaporisers.
High Incidence of New-Onset Joint Pain in Patients on Fluoroquinolones as Antituberculous Treatment
Authors: Mandovra Neha P. , Lele Tejashree T. , Vaidya Preyas J. , Chavhan Vinod B. , Leuppi-Taegtmeyer Anne B. , Leuppi Joerg D. , Chhajed Prashant N.
Published: January 2020

Background: Joint pain is frequently observed in patients on antituberculous treatment, and pyrazinamide is known to be associated with joint pain in patients receiving antituberculous treatment. Fluoroquinolone-associated joint pain and tendon injury have been reported in long-term corticosteroid and transplant recipients, but data are lacking in patients with tuberculosis. Objectives: The objective of this study was to examine the incidence of joint pain manifested during administration of antituberculous therapy and their association with fluoroquinolones. Methods: Patients diagnosed with tuberculosis attending the outpatient clinic over a period of 1 year were reviewed and divided into 3 groups: group A receiving pyrazinamide, group B receiving a fluoroquinolone, and group C receiving both pyrazinamide and a fluoroquinolone. Latency to onset of joint pain was noted in all 3 groups. Joint pain was initially managed with analgesics, and associated hyperuricemia was treated with allopurinol/febuxostat. Causative drugs were stopped in case of intolerable joint pain. Results: 260 patients (47% females, aged 38 ± 18 years; mean ± SD) were included [group A (n = 140), group B (n = 81), and group C (n = 39)]. Overall, 76/260 (29%) patients developed joint pain: group A – 24/140 patients (17%), group B – 32/81 patients (40%), and group C – 20/39 patients (51%). The median latency to the onset of joint pain was 83 days (interquartile range, IQR 40–167): 55 days (IQR 32–66) in group A, 138 days (IQR 74–278) in group B, and 88 days (IQR 34–183) in group C. Hyperuricemia was present in 12/24 (50%) patients in group A and 11/20 (55%) patients in group C. Pyrazinamide was stopped in 7/140 (5%) patients in group A, fluoroquinolones in 6/81 (7%) patients in group B, and both pyrazinamide and fluoroquinolones were stopped in 5/39 (13%) patients in group C because of intolerable joint pain. Major joints affected were knees and ankles. Conclusion: There is a high incidence of joint pain in patients receiving antituberculous treatment, which is higher when fluoroquinolones or the pyrazinamide-fluoroquinolone combination are administered as compared to pyrazinamide alone.
Association of Immune-Related Adverse Events with Pembrolizumab Efficacy in the Treatment of Advanced Urothelial Carcinoma
Authors: Kobayashi Kazuo , Suzuki Kenichi , Hiraide Makoto , Aoyama Takeshi , Yokokawa Takashi , Shikibu Sari , Hashimoto Koki , Iikura Yusuke , Sato Hitoshi , Sugiyama Erika , Tajima Masataka , Hama Toshihiro
Published: January 2020

Purpose: Immune-related adverse events (irAEs) have been associated with the efficacy of programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) inhibitors in patients with urothelial cancer. We therefore evaluated the relationship between irAEs and pembrolizumab efficacy in urothelial cancer patients. Methods: Patients with urothelial cancer who were treated with pembrolizumab in a second-line setting or later between January 2018 and December 2018 were identified by reviewing their medical records from the Cancer Institute Hospital, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research. Data were updated as of December 31, 2018. Kaplan-Meier curves for overall survival (OS) and time to treatment failure (TTF) according to irAE grade were evaluated using the log-rank test. Risk factors for exacerbation of irAEs were also evaluated with multivariate analysis. Results: In this retrospective study, 43 patients received pembrolizumab. We identified irAEs in 22 of the 43 patients (51.2%), including 11 patients (25.6%) with grade 2 or 3 events. In patients with irAE grade 0 or 1, median TTF was 127 days, and median OS was 160 days according to the Kaplan-Meier method. On the other hand, in patients with irAE grade ≥2, median TTF and OS were not reached. Multivariate analysis also revealed that risk factors for exacerbation of irAEs (to grade ≥2) were positively associated with lymphocyte count at baseline (>2,000/µL) before pembrolizumab treatment (p = 0.021). Conclusions: Development of irAEs was associated with survival outcome of pembrolizumab treatment in patients with advanced urothelial cancer.
Efficiency comparison of capacitive wireless power transfer for different materials
Authors: Rahman F. K. A. , Saat Shakir , Yusop Y. , Husin S. H. , Jamaluddin M. H.
Published: January 2020

This paper describes the application of several types of materials to act as capacitive plates in a Capacitive Power Transfer (CPT) system. In general, the efficiency of CPT system is greatly influenced by the coupling capacitance which is varied by distances and permittivity values. Thus this paper intended to compare the performance of CPT system in terms of the output efficiency for several types of capacitive plates. To be specific, copper plate, zinc, and aluminium are used in this work to act as coupling plates to the CPT system. The CPT system in this work applied class E inverter as it has lowest switching losses among its competitors, i.e. class D and class F. The work is validated through experimental setup of CPT system in which copper material provides the best efficiency of the system.
Design and implementation of an impressed current cathodic protection system for buried metallic pipes (part II) (considering Al-Quds gas station in Baghdad)
Authors: Mohammed Saif al deen H , Abdulbaqi Isam M
Published: January 2020

In this part, the implementation of the Cathodic Protection (CP) station in a new position is done due to the analytical study of the part (I) [1]. Also, a PV fed self-adjusted DC-DC converter is designed and implemented for this purpose, and Aluminum anodes designed and manufactured for the sake of approving the proposed CP station operation. A field test shows enhanced results due to the National Association of Corrosion Engineering NACE standard. An edit has been made on the main empirical formula that is previously intended for the design of the same CP system. The proposed CP station is very flexible, more accurate, of lower cost, and needs little maintenance as compared with the already existing CP station.
Verifiable secure computation of linear fractional programming using certificate validation
Authors: Mohammed Nedal M. , Sultan Laman R. , Hamoud Ahmed A. , Lomte Santosh S.
Published: January 2020

Outsourcing of scientic computations is attracting increasing attention since it enables the customers with limited computing resource and storage devices to outsource the sophisticated computation workloads into powerful service providers. However, it also comes up with some security and privacy concerns and challenges, such as the input and output privacy of the customers, and cheating behaviors of the cloud. Motivated by these issues, this paper focused on privacy-preserving Linear Fractional Programming (LFP) as a typical and practically relevant case for veriable secure multiparty computation. We will investigate the secure and veriable schema with correctness guarantees, by using normal multiparty techniques to compute the result of a computation and then using veriable techniques only to verify that this result was correct.
Effects of shorter phase-resolved partial discharge duration on PD classification accuracy
Authors: Xin Chong Wan , Raymond Wong Jee Keen , Illias Hazlee Azil , Kin Lai Weng , Haur Yiauw Kah
Published: January 2020

Partial discharge (PD) pattern recognition is useful to diagnose insulation condition. PD measurement data is commonly represented in phase-resolved partial discharge (PRPD) format. PRPD is useful as it provides a visible pattern for different PD source and various features can be extracted for PD pattern recognition. Shorter PRPD duration will enable more training data but the information in each data is less and vice versa. This works aims to investigate the effects of using very short duration PRPD data on the accuracy of PD pattern recognition. The results conclude that machine learning models such as Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and Support Vector Machine (SVM) are robust enough such that reduction of PRPD duration from 15-seconds to 1-second causes less than 5 % drop in the classification accuracy. However, this is only true for noise free condition. When the same PD data is overlapped with random noise, the classification accuracy suffers a significant reduction up to 19%. Therefore, longer PRPD duration is recommended to withstand the effects of noise contamination.
Voltage tracking of bridgeless PFC cuk converter using PI controller
Authors: Utomo W. M. , Isa N. A. A. , Bakar A. A. , Gani A. F. H. A. , Prasetyo B. E. , Elmunsyah H. , Buswig Y.M.Y
Published: January 2020

This paper proposes a Proportional-Integral (PI) control voltage tracking of Bridgeless Power Factor Correction (BPFC) Cuk converter.  In order to investigate the behaviour of different output voltages during overshoot, steady state and step response, P.I controller is designed to set the -42 V, -48 V, -54 V output voltages. The simulation results show that the proposed PI controller able to control the output voltage and achieve fast steady state and step response of BPFC Cuk converter.  When the value of output voltage increase, the overshoot voltage will become higher but the steady state respond will be faster. Furthermore, BPFC Cuk converter with P.I controller have low output voltage ripples.
A wind turbine sensorless automatic control systems, analysis, modelling and development of IDA-PBC method
Authors: Hichem Hamiani , Abdellah Mansouri , Abderrazak Tadjeddine Ali , Abdelkader Belaidi , Ramzi Salim
Published: January 2020

Several non-linear controls are developed for controlling a wind energy conversion system equipped with a DFIG double feed asynchronous generator. Exploitation of the aerodynamic power captured by the turbine gives a new instruction to the controller based on passivity by keeping the hypersynchronous regime of the DFIG. An adaptive observer MRAS was developed for the considered as a structure in which the rotor speed is estimated from the measurement of stator and rotor currents. Our goal is to maximize active power, minimize construction costs in order to control wind turbine systems using our passivity and observation method. Best results were obtained using sensorless MPPT and IDA-PBC methods.
Comparative study of metaheuristics methods applied to smart grid network in Morocco
Authors: Habachi Rachid , Touil Achraf , Boulal Abdellah , Charkaoui Abdelkabir , Echchatbi Abdelwahed
Published: January 2020

The economic dispatch problem of power plays a very important role in the exploitation of electro-energy systems to judiciously distribute power generated by all plants. The Unit commitment problem (UCP) is mainly finding the minimum cost schedule to a set of generators by turning each one either on or off over a given time horizon to meet the demand load and satisfy different operational constraints, This research article integrates the crow search algorithm (CSA) as a local optimizer of Eagle strategy (ES) to solve economic dispatch and unit commitment problem in smart grid system of two electricity networks: a testing system 7 units and the Moroccan  network.. The results obtained by ES- CSA are compared with various results obtained in the literature. Simulation results show that using ES-CSA can lead to finding stable and adequate power generated that can fulfill the need of both the civil and industrial areas.
Symmetrical high voltage gain half-bridge inverter based double-Y-source networks with reduced voltage stress
Authors: Sayed Hussain , Ahmed Oday A , Mahmood Dhari Y , Jalal Kanaan A. , Habeeb Waleed H.
Published: January 2020

A single-stage symmetrical high voltage gain half-bridge (HB) DC-AC converter is proposed in this paper. Using two Y-source impedance networks, the following key features are utilized from the proposed topology: single stage inverter with very high voltage gain compared to conventional HB inverter, symmetrical output voltage waveform, low voltage stress across the passive components because it is distributed across two impedance networks, and only two switching devices are needed for the converter. Furthermore, important merit of the proposed topology is that the current drawn by the Y-coupled inductors is symmetrical around the X-axis which helps to prevent the Y-network cores from reaching the saturation state. And the last compelling feature is a virtual neutral point for the load connection is inherited in the proposed double Y-source impedance networks converter with no need for DC-Link capacitors. For low voltage sources such as photovoltaic (PV) and fuel cell, the converter is designed to achieve continuous input current operation. The operation modes and principles of the inverter are analyzed and discussed deeply in this paper. A detailed mathematical equations system is derived and verified for the presented converter. Finally, PSpice simulation tools are used to simulate the converter and verify the derived mathematical formulas.
Surface Potential modeling of Dual Metal Gate-Graded Channel-Dual Oxide Thickness with two dielectric constant different of Surrounding Gate MOSFET
Authors: Jaafar Hind , Aouaj Abdellah , Bouziane A. , Iñiguez Benjamin
Published: January 2020

An Analytical study for the surface potential, threshold voltage and Subthreshold swing (SS) of Dual-metal Gate Graded channel and Dual Oxide Thickness with two dielectric constant different cylindrical gate surrounding-gate (DMG-GC-DOTTDCD) metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) is proposed to investigate short-channel effects (SCEs). The performance of the modified structure was studied by developing physics-based analytical models for the surface potential, threshold voltage shift, and Subthreshold swing. It is shown that the novel MOSFET could significantly reduce threshold voltage shift and Subthreshold swing, can also  provides improved electron transport and reduced short channel effects (SCE). Results reveal that the DMG-GC-DOTTDCD devices with different dielectric constant offer superior characteristics as compared to DMG-GC-DOT devices. The derived analytical models agree well with simulation by ATLAS.
Cytokine mRNA Degradation in Cardiomyocytes Restrains Sterile Inflammation in Pressure-Overloaded Hearts
Authors: Omiya Shigemiki , Omori Yosuke , Taneike Manabu , Murakawa Tomokazu , Ito Jumpei , Tanada Yohei , Nishida Kazuhiko , Yamaguchi Osamu , Satoh Takashi , Shah Ajay M. , Akira Shizuo , Otsu Kinya
Published: January 2020

Background:

Proinflammatory cytokines play an important role in the pathogenesis of heart failure. The mechanisms responsible for maintaining sterile inflammation within failing hearts remain poorly defined. Although transcriptional control is important for proinflammatory cytokine gene expression, the stability of mRNA also contributes to the kinetics of immune responses. Regnase-1 is an RNase involved in the degradation of a set of proinflammatory cytokine mRNAs in immune cells. The role of Regnase-1 in nonimmune cells such as cardiomyocytes remains to be elucidated.

Methods:

To examine the role of proinflammatory cytokine degradation by Regnase-1 in cardiomyocytes, cardiomyocyte-specific Regnase-1–deficient mice were generated. The mice were subjected to pressure overload by means of transverse aortic constriction to induce heart failure. Cardiac remodeling was assessed by echocardiography as well as histological and molecular analyses 4 weeks after operation. Inflammatory cell infiltration was examined by immunostaining. Interleukin-6 signaling was inhibited by administration with its receptor antibody. Overexpression of Regnase-1 in the heart was performed by adeno-associated viral vector–mediated gene transfer.

Results:

Cardiomyocyte-specific Regnase-1–deficient mice showed no cardiac phenotypes under baseline conditions, but exhibited severe inflammation and dilated cardiomyopathy after 4 weeks of pressure overload compared with control littermates. Four weeks after transverse aortic constriction, the
Il6
mRNA level was upregulated, but not other cytokine mRNAs, including tumor necrosis factor–α, in Regnase-1–deficient hearts. Although the
Il6
mRNA level increased 1 week after operation in both Regnase-1–deficient and control hearts, it showed no increase in control hearts 4 weeks after operation. Administration of anti–interleukin-6 receptor antibody attenuated the development of inflammation and cardiomyopathy in cardiomyocyte-specific Regnase-1–deficient mice. In severe pressure overloaded wild-type mouse hearts, sustained induction of
Il6
mRNA was observed, even though the protein level of Regnase-1 increased. Adeno-associated virus 9–mediated cardiomyocyte-targeted gene delivery of Regnase-1 or administration of anti–interleukin-6 receptor antibody attenuated the development of cardiomyopathy induced by severe pressure overload in wild-type mice.

Conclusions:

The degradation of cytokine mRNA by Regnase-1 in cardiomyocytes plays an important role in restraining sterile inflammation in failing hearts and the Regnase-1–mediated pathway might be a therapeutic target to treat patients with heart failure.
Prospective Evaluation of the Utility of Whole Exome Sequencing in Dilated Cardiomyopathy
Authors: Ramchand Jay , Wallis Mathew , Macciocca Ivan , Lynch Elly , Farouque Omar , Martyn Melissa , Phelan Dean , Chong Belinda , Lockwood Siobhan , Weintraub Robert , Thompson Tina , Trainer Alison , Zentner Dominica , Vohra Jitendra , Chetrit Michael , Hare David L. , James Paul
Published: January 2020

Background

Dilated cardiomyopathy may be heritable but shows extensive genetic heterogeneity. The utility of whole exome sequencing as a first‐line genetic test for patients with dilated cardiomyopathy in a contemporary “real‐world” setting has not been specifically established. Using whole exome sequencing with rigorous, evidence‐based variant interpretation, we aimed to identify the prevalence of a molecular diagnosis in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy in a clinical setting.

Methods and Results

Whole exome sequencing was performed in eligible patients (n=83) with idiopathic or familial dilated cardiomyopathy. Variants were prioritized for curation in up to 247 genes and classified using American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics–based criteria. Ten (12%) had a pathogenic or likely pathogenic variant. Eight (10%) participants had truncating

TTN

variants classified as variants of uncertain significance. Five (6%) participants had variants of unknown significance according to strict American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics criteria but classified as either pathogenic or likely pathogenic by other clinical laboratories. Pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants were found in 8 genes (all within tier 1 genes), 2 (20%) of which are not included in a standard commercially available dilated cardiomyopathy panel. Using our bioinformatics pipeline, there was an average of 0.74 variants of uncertain significance per case with ≈0.75 person‐hours needed to interpret each of these variants.

Conclusions

Whole exome sequencing is an effective diagnostic tool for patients with dilated cardiomyopathy. With stringent classification using American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics criteria, the rate of detection of pathogenic variants is lower than previous reports. Efforts to improve adherence to these guidelines will be important to prevent erroneous misclassification of nonpathogenic variants in dilated cardiomyopathy genetic testing and inappropriate cascade screening.
Walking Route–Based Calculation is Recommended for Optimizing Deployment of Publicly Accessible Defibrillators in Urban Cities
Authors: Fan Min , Fan Kit‐Ling , Leung Ling‐Pong
Published: January 2020

Background

A straight line–based model is often used to calculate the distance between an out‐of‐hospital cardiac arrest (
OHCA
) and the location of an automated external defibrillator (
AED
). This model may be inaccurate as it overlooks any obstacles between the
OHCA
and
AED
. This study aimed to elucidate the effect of the straight line–based and walking route–based calculation on the average distance between an historical
OHCA
and the closest
AED
and the coverage rate of
AEDs,
ie, the proportion of historical
OHCAs
that were within 100 meters of an
AED
. It is hoped that the findings will help policy makers in deploying
AEDs
in optimal urban settings.

Methods and Results

This was an observational study conducted in Hong Kong. The average distance between an historical
OHCA
and its closest
AED
and the coverage rate of
AEDs
were calculated with both the straight line–based and walking route–based model. A total of 1637
AEDs
and 5119 cases of
OHCA
were included for analysis. The average distances calculated by the straight line–based and walking route–based model were 230.8 and 545.3 meters, respectively. The coverage rate calculated by the straight line–based model was 30.04%, while that by the walking route–based model was 11.17%.

Conclusions

The straight line–based model may underestimate the average distances and overestimate the coverage rate in an urban setting. The walking route–based model may be more useful for studies of
AED
deployment in urban cities.