bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Корекція автоматичного електрогідравлічного приводу технологічного обладнання
Authors: Соколов В.І. , Степанова О.Г. , Батурін Є.О.
Published: May 2020

Розглянуто питання вибору коригуючої ланки для підвищення якості регулювання електрогідравлічного приводу технологічного обладнання. Виконано аналіз способів корекції динамічних характеристик електрогідравлічних слідкуючих приводів з дросельним регулюванням. Для приводів, побудованих на основі стандартних модулів, показана доцільність послідовної установки в ланцюг електромеханічного перетворювача коригуючої ланки - реального пропорційно-диференцуючого регулятора. Як параметри налаштування коригуючої ланки розглядаються постійна часу і коефіцієнт передачі регулятора, до уваги також прийнята постійна часу, що характеризує інерційність ланки. Для вибору оптимальних значень параметрів настроювання коригуючої ланки електрогідравлічного приводу технологічного обладнання рекомендовано проведення досліджень в середовищі Simulink пакета прикладних програм MATLAB. Наведено приклад дослідження впливу параметрів настройки коригуючої ланки на динамічні характеристики електрогідравлічного  приводу з дросельним регулюванням. Представлена блок-діаграма для моделювання перехідних процесів в середовищі Simulink. Відмічені особливості вибору рекомендованих значень параметрів налаштування коригуючої ланки електрогідравлічних приводів технологічного обладнання для механічної обробки матеріалів. Отримано передавальна функція електрогідравлічного слідкуючого приводу з коригувальною ланкою.
La pandemia del nuovo coronavirus 2019 ed il trapianto renale
Authors: Tsalouchos Aris , Salvadori Maurizio
Published: May 2020

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a major pandemic challenging health care. Infection has been reported in all ages, but older patients and immunosuppressant patients as the transplanted are at major risk. Prevention and treatment, whenever possible are the commonly used strategies. Three steps may be distinguished. In the first step prophylaxis is essential and based in avoiding any possible contact to infected people. Staying at home, masking the patient, carefully washing the hands are the most commonly used strategies. If the disease develops in  a transplanted patient two steps must be added. In the first step the reduction of the immunosuppressive therapy must be considered together with the administration of antiviral drugs. In a second phase of the disease a severe lung involvement may develop mostly due to a inflammation citokine induced. In this phase in addition to a intensive ventilation requiring the intensive care unit, anticytokine drugs as tocilizumab should be considered.
The Fever Chart
Authors: Kinsella John
Published: May 2020

‘The Fever Chart’ is a new and extraordinarily timely novella by John Kinsella. Begun in late 2019 as the author was emerging from a prolonged bout of feverish ‘flu, and finished in the first few weeks of 2020 during the peak of the catastrophic Australian bush fires, Kinsella describes the work as ‘a storytelling “antifa” peace novella’. Responding to the climate activism of Greta Thunberg, and reacting against the attempts by industrialists and politicians at the 2020 World Economic Forum in Zurich to downplay the severity of climate change and biomic degradation, ‘The Fever Chart’ weaves a complex and compelling web of environmentally-attuned storytelling literary activism. Its publication during the feverish time of the COVID-19 pandemic is, ultimately, coincidental, but certainly no less relevant or significant for that.
EFFECT OF THE USE OF FEED FROM BARLEY AND PEAS ON MEAT BULLS PRODUCTIVITY
Authors: Kosolapov Vladimir , Ishmuratov Halyaf , Kosolapova Valentina , Zverkova Zinaida
Published: May 2020

Reconnaissance experiments were conducted to evaluate the productive effect of diets for young cattle. The diets consist of silage prepared from peas and barley in the ratio of 50: 50 and 25: 75, as well as from crushed grain these crops. Mixed crop cultivation is recommended for use in feed production. The average daily gain in live weight of gobies grown on such diets is 927–996 g, slaughter yield is up to 58.8%, and the protein content in the longest muscle of the back is 21.93–23.63%.
COMPOSITION OF LONG-TERM HERBS AT APPLICATION OF TECHNOLOGICAL SYSTEMS HAYING
Authors: Teberdiev Dalhat , Rodionova Anna , Zapivalov Sergey
Published: May 2020

Long-term studies have established the possibility of long-term preservation of the composition of agrophytocenosis for haymaking due to the application of improvement techniques that provide improved nutrition conditions for plants. High productivity of haymaking is achieved with the use of mineral fertilizers on slightly acidic soil.
Inisiasi Gerakan Masyarakat Sehat (Germas) Di Poltekkes Kemenkes Palu
Authors: Zainul  , Junaidi  , Nasrul  , Masudin
Published: May 2020

Gerakan Masyarakat Sehat (Germas) merupakan suatu tindakan sistematis dan terencana yang dilakukan secara bersama-sama oleh seluruh komponen bangsa dengan kesadaran, kemauan dan kemampuan berperilaku sehat untuk meningkatkan kualitas hidup. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menginisisasi pelaksanaan Germas di Poltekkes Kemenkes Palu. Jenis penelitian intervensi quasi eksprimen. Penelitian dilaksanakan di Kota Palu dan Kabupaten Poso pada tanggal 10 Agustus - 12 Nopember 2018. Populasi adalah semua pegawai Poltekkes Kemenkes Palu sejumlah 167 orang, sampel sebanyak 96 sampel dengan teknik simple random sampling. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan aktifitas fisik dan asupan buah responden pada umumnya baik. Tekanan darah Sistole ≥140 mmHg sebanyak 11,5%, Diastole ≥90 mmgHg sebanyak 25% dan Glukosa ≥200 mg/dl sebanyak 6,3%, serta kolesterol ≥200 mg/dl sebanyak 76,0%. Pelaksanaan Inisiasi gerakan masyarakat sehat di Poltekkes Kemenkes Palu dapat dilakukan pada kegiatan penggunaan snack buah dan pemeriksaan, namun belum pada kegiatan senam peregangan. Disarankan, perlu dukungan prasarana untuk menginisisasi pelaksanaan peregangan di sela waktu kerja di Poltekkes Kemenkes Palu. Pelaksanaan snack sehat di ruang rapat dan acara-acara di Poltekkes Kemenkes Palu dapat dilanjutkan dan semakin diperluas. Inisisasi pelaksanaan pemeriksaan kesehatan rutin meliputi cek tekanan darah, cek kadar gula darah, cek kolesterol darah dapat memanfaatkan ATM sehat.
Nutrient Accumulation and Distribution Assessment in Response to Potassium Application under Maize–Soybean Intercropping System
Authors: Ahmed Aftab , Aftab Samina , Hussain Sadam , Nazir Cheema Hafsa , Liu Weigou , Yang Feng , Yang Wenyu
Published: May 2020

Intercropping is an intensive agricultural cropping system widely practiced for enhanced yield and nutrient acquisition advantages. A two-year maize–soybean intercropping (MSI) field study was performed in 2018 and 2019 to assess the effects of potassium (K) fertilizer application on biomass accumulation and distribution of essential nutrients in the various plant parts (root, green biomass and seed) of maize–soybean intercropping (MSI). Three different treatments of K fertilizer applications (T0: no potassium application; T1: maize 40, soybeans 30 and T2: maize 80, soybeans 60 kg ha−1) were designed with 2 rows of maize by wide, narrow row planting in row arrangements of 160 cm + 40 cm. Soybeans were grown in 2 wide rows at a width of 40 cm and a row spacing of 60 cm between the rows of maize and soybeans, while the sole maize (SM) and sole soybean (SS) were grown with 70-cm and 50-cm row spacing, respectively. The results of the two-year study confirmed that, as compared to T0, T2 significantly increased nitrogen, phosphate and potassium (NPK) accumulation in all maize parts by 27%, 16% and 20% grain, 23%, 22% and 14% green biomass and 30%, 17% and 15% root, respectively. In soybean treatments, T2 significantly increased NPK accumulation by 23%, 22% and 24% grain, 16%, 15% and 12% green biomass and 18%, 19% and 20% root, respectively. The increased accumulation of nutrients under T2 raised the overall biomass and its distribution to root, green biomass and grain in maize and soybeans by 11% and 18% and 16% and 19%, 20% and 12%, respectively, compared to T0. On average, after two years of experiments, the T2 intercropped maize and the soybeans showed 103% and 64% of the sole yield and attained the maximum LER of 1.66 and 1.68, respectively. Our results reveal that managing optimum K level application (80:60 kg ha−1) can accelerate biomass accumulation and distribution of other essential nutrients in the plant parts of intercropped maize and soybeans. Therefore, it is immensely important to concern potassium application levels in developing a sustainable maize–soybean intercropping systems for achieving higher productivity and land equivalent ratio (LER).
The Effects of Wind Erosion Depending on Cropping System and Tillage Method in a Semi-Arid Region
Authors: Yang Caihong , Geng Yanxiang , Fu Xing Zhou , Coulter Jeffrey A. , Chai Qiang
Published: May 2020

Wind erosion is a major environmental problem in arid and semi-arid regions, where it has significant impacts on desertification and soil degradation. To understand the effects of cropping systems and tillage methods on the reduction of soil wind erosion, wind tunnel investigations were performed on soil samples from an irrigated field in an experiment conducted in semi-arid northwestern China in 2016–2018. Three cropping systems for annual spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)/maize (Zea mays L.) strip intercropping (W/M), a two-year wheat-winter rape-maize rotation (WRM), and a two-year wheat-maize rotation (WM)) were each evaluated with two tillage methods (conventional tillage without wheat straw retention (CT) and no-tillage with 25–30 cm tall wheat straw (NT)). The mean rate of soil erosion by wind with NT was 18.9% to 36.2% less than that with CT. With increasing wind velocity, the rate of soil erosion by wind increased for both CT and NT but was faster with CT than NT. Soil wind erosion occurred with a wind velocity ≥14 m s−1, and NT greatly decreased the rate of soil erosion when wind velocity exceeded 14 m s−1. W/M, WRM, and WM with NT increased non-erodible aggregates by 53.7%, 53.7%, and 54.9% in 2017, and 51.3%, 49.6% and 44.6% in 2018, respectively, than conventional tillage. At a height of 0–20 cm, the rate of soil transport with CT decreased with increasing height. The volume of soil transport at a height of 0–4 cm and soil transport percentage at a height of 0–4 and 0–20 cm (Q0–4/Q0–20) with NT were less than with CT. These findings show that NT with cropping system intensification can be an effective strategy for resisting wind erosion in irrigated semi-arid regions, thereby reducing the negative environmental impacts of crop production.
A Design Criterion Based on Shear Energy Consumption for Robotic Harvesting Tools
Authors: Navas Eduardo , Fernandez Roemi , Sepúlveda Delia , Armada Manuel , Gonzalez-de-Santos Pablo
Published: May 2020

Smart and precise agriculture has increasingly been developed in the last decade, and with that, the idea of optimizing the tools commonly used in this field. One way to improve these devices, particularly cutting tools conceived for harvesting purposes, is to measure the shear energy consumption required for a particular plant. The aim of this research is to establish both a design criterion for cutting grippers and a quantifiable way to evaluate and classify a harvesting tool for a specific crop. This design criterion could help to minimize energy consumption in future harvesting robots, making them more energy-efficient.
Seed Morphology in the Vitaceae Based on Geometric Models
Authors: Martín-Gómez José Javier , Gutiérrez del Pozo Diego , Ucchesu Mariano , Bacchetta Gianluigi , Cabello Sáenz de Santamaría Félix , Tocino Ángel , Cervantes Emilio
Published: May 2020

Morphometric methods based on artificial vision algorithms provide measurements for magnitudes descriptive of seed images (i.e., the length, width, area, and surface circularity index). Nevertheless, their results frequently omit the resemblance of the images to geometric figures that may be used as models. A complementary method based on the comparison of seed images with geometric models is applied to seeds of Vitis spp. The J index gives the percentage of similarity between a seed image and the model. Seven new geometric models are described based on the heart-shaped and piriform curves. Seeds of different species, subspecies and cultivars of Vitis adjust to different models. Models 1 and 3, the heart curve and the water drop, adjust better to seeds of V. amurensis, V. labrusca and V. rupestris than to V. vinifera. Model 6, the Fibonacci’s pear, adjusts well to seeds of V. vinifera, in general, and better to V. vinifera ssp. vinifera than to V. vinifera ssp. sylvestris. Seed morphology in species of Cissus and Parthenocissus, two relatives of Vitis in the Vitaceae, is also analysed. Geometric models are a tool for the description and identification of species and lower taxonomic levels complementing the results of morphometric analysis.
Community-Acquired and Healthcare-Associated Sepsis: Characteristics and in-Hospital Mortality in Italy
Authors: Di Giuseppe Gabriella , Mitidieri Maria , Cantore Federica , Pelullo Concetta P. , Pavia Maria
Published: May 2020

Background: The main aim of the study was to analyse characteristics of sepsis according to the setting of occurrence and to identify predictors of sepsis-related in-hospital mortality. Methods: 544 medical records of adult patients with a diagnosis of sepsis were consulted and divided into two groups according to the setting where sepsis originated: community-acquired (CA) and healthcare-associated (HA) sepsis. Results: Overall, 257 (47.2%) patients had HA sepsis and the in-hospital death rate was 33.6%. Results of the multiple logistic regression revealed that patients with HA sepsis were significantly more likely to have been admitted from another hospital or ward, to have a ≥1 Charlson’s index, to be immunesuppressed, and to have undergone a surgical intervention during hospitalization. In-hospital deaths were significantly associated with older age, admission from another hospital or ward, need of haemodialysis and mechanical ventilation (MV), whereas they were less likely in patients with HA sepsis as compared with CA sepsis. Conclusion: Community-acquired and HA sepsis show distinct clinical, prognostic and risk factors profiles, and should be managed according to their differential characteristics.
Metabolite Profiling and Antioxidant Activity of 10 New Early- to Mid-Season Apple Cultivars and 14 Traditional Cultivars
Authors: Kim Inhwan , Ku Kyung-Hyung , Jeong Moon-Cheol , Kwon Soon-Il , Lee Jihyun
Published: May 2020

Early- to mid-season apple cultivars have recently been developed in response to global warming; however, their metabolite compositions remain unclear. Herein, metabolites, such as free sugars, and organic acids and antioxidant activity were determined in 10 new and 14 traditional apple cultivars. Additionally, the phenolic profiles of the apple pulp and peel were characterized by high-resolution mass spectrometry. Major phenolic compounds in apples varied depending on the cultivar and tissue (i.e., peel or pulp). Among the new apple cultivars, Decobell and Tinkerbell, showed high antioxidant activity and contained higher phenolic compound content than other cultivars in the peel and pulp, respectively. Honggeum showed high phenolic content with similar sugar to acid ratio compared to popular traditional cultivars. In addition to antioxidant phenolic contents, metabolite profile information can be used to select apple cultivars for various purposes. For example, Indo can be selected for sweet apple taste because of its higher sugar to acid ratio. This information can be used to select apple cultivars for various purposes. For example, Decobell peel could be used as sources of food supplements and food additives, and Tinkerbell pulp can be utilized for apple juice making according to its metabolite profile.
Episode-Based Analysis of Size-Resolved Carbonaceous Aerosol Compositions in Wintertime of Xinxiang: Implication for the Haze Formation Processes in Central China
Authors: Yan Guangxuan , Zhang Jingwen , Zhang Puzhen , Cao Zhiguo , Zhu Guifen , Liu Zirui , Wang Yuesi
Published: May 2020

To provide a comprehensive understanding of carbonaceous aerosol and its role in the haze formation in the Central Plains Urban Agglomeration of China, size-segregated particulate matter samples (PM1, PM2.5 and PM10) were continually collected from 20 December 2017, to 17 January 2018, in Xinxiang, the third largest city of Henan province. The results showed that the mean mass concentrations of PM1, PM2.5 and PM10 were 63.20, 119.63 and 211.95 μg·m−3, respectively, and the organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) were 11.37 (5.87), 19.24 (7.36), and 27.04 (10.27) μg·m−3, respectively. Four pollution episodes that were categorized by short evolution patterns (PE1 and PE3) and long evolution patterns (PE2 and PE4) were observed. Meteorological condition was attributed to haze episodes evolution pattern. Carbonaceous components contributed to PE1 and PE2 under drier condition through transportation and local combustion emission, while they were not main species in PE3 and PE4 for haze explosive growth under suitable RH, whatever for the short or long evolution pattern. The atmospheric self-cleaning processes were analyzed by a case study, which showed the wet scavenging effectively reduced the coarse particles with a removal rate of 73%, while it was not for the carbonaceous components in fine particles that is hydrophobic in nature. These results highlight that local primary emissions such as biomass combustion were the important sources for haze formation in Central China, especially in dry conditions.
Adaptive Observer-Based Fault Detection and Fault-Tolerant Control of Quadrotors under Rotor Failure Conditions
Authors: Lien Yu-Hsuan , Peng Chao-Chung , Chen Yi-Hsuan
Published: May 2020

This paper aims to propose a strategy for the flight control of quad-rotors under single rotor failure conditions. The proposed control strategy consists of two stages—fault detection (FD) and fault tolerant control (FTC). A dual observer-based strategy for FD and fault estimation is developed. With the combination of the results from both observers, the decision making in whether a fault actually happened or the observed anomaly was caused by an external disturbance could be distinguished. Following the FD result, a control strategy for normal flight, as well as the abnormal one, is presented. The FTC considers a real-time coordinate transformation scheme to manipulate the target angles for the quad-rotor to follow a prescribed trajectory. When a rotor fault happens, it is going to be detected by the dual observers and then the FTC is activated to stabilize the system such that the trajectory following task can still be fulfilled. Furthermore, in order to achieve robust flight in the presence of external wind perturbation, the sliding mode control (SMC) theory is further integrated. Simulations illustrate the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed method.
Multilevel Bipolar Electroforming-Free Resistive Switching Memory Based on Silicon Oxynitride
Authors: Das Nayan C. , Oh Se-I , Rani Jarnardhanan R. , Hong Sung-Min , Jang Jae-Hyung
Published: May 2020

Resistive random-access memory (RRAM) devices are fabricated by utilizing silicon oxynitride (SiOxNy) thin film as a resistive switching layer. A SiOxNy layer is deposited on a p+-Si substrate and capped with a top electrode consisting of Au/Ni. The SiOxNy-based memory device demonstrates bipolar multilevel operation. It can switch interchangeably between all resistance states, including direct SET switching from a high-resistance state (HRS) to an intermediate-resistance state (IRS) or low-resistance state (LRS), direct RESET switching process from LRS to IRS or HRS, and SET/RESET switching from IRS to LRS or HRS by controlling the magnitude of the applied write voltage signal. The device also shows electroforming-free ternary nonvolatile resistive switching characteristics having RHRS/RIRS > 10, RIRS/RLRS > 5, RHRS/RLRS > 103, and retention over 1.8 × 104 s. The resistive switching mechanism in the devices is found to be combinatory processes of hopping conduction by charge trapping/detrapping in the bulk SiOxNy layer and filamentary switching mode at the interface between the SiOxNy and Ni layers.
An Effective Method for Minimizing Electric Generation Costs of Thermal Systems with Complex Constraints and Large Scale
Authors: Dinh Bach Hoang , Pham Thanh Van , Nguyen Thang Trung , Sava Gabriela Nicoleta , Duong Minh Quan
Published: May 2020

In this paper, an improved antlion optimization algorithm (IALO) was proposed to search for promising solutions for optimal economic load dispatch (ELD) problems to minimize electrical generation fuel costs in power systems with thermal units and to ensure all constraints are within operating ranges. IALO can be more effective than the original method, called the antlion optimization algorithm (ALO), because of the high performance of the applied modifications on the new solutions searching process. In order to evaluate the abilities of the IALO method, we completed many tests on thermal generating systems including 10, 15, 20, 30, 60, 80, and 90 units with different constraints and fuel-consuming characteristics. The results suggest that the offered method is superior to the ALO method with more stable search ability, faster convergence velocity, and shorter calculation times. Furthermore, the obtained results of the IALO method are much better than those of almost all the other methods used to solve problems for the same systems. As a result, IALO is suggested to be a highly effective method, and it can be applied to other problems in power systems instead of ALO, which has a lower performance.
Influence of Milling Techniques on the Performance of Wheat Straw Ash in Cement Composites
Authors: Qudoos Abdul , Kakar Ehsanullah , Rehman Atta ur , Jeon In Kyu , Kim Hong Gi
Published: May 2020

The worldwide production of cement is growing every year due to its increased use in the construction. Cement production is affiliated with an environmental concern as it contributes to the CO2 emissions. It is imperative to reduce the cement production by incorporating supplementary cementitious materials in the cement composites. In this research study, wheat straw ash (WSA) was used as an alternate of ordinary Portland cement. The ash was ground separately with a ball mill and a disintegrator mill as well as with a combination of both to enhance its pozzolanic efficiency. Mortar and paste specimens were made by substituting cement with WSA (20% by weight). Ash specimens were examined in terms of particle size distribution, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray fluorescence analyses. The performance of the ash specimens in cement composites was examined via compressive and flexural strengths, and ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) tests. Isothermal calorimetric, thermogravimetric analyses (TGA), mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were also employed on the specimens. The results revealed that the particle size of the wheat straw ash specimens significantly reduced and specific surface area enhanced when ground with a combination of both milling techniques. Cement composites made with this type of ash demonstrated improved mechanical and physical properties, accelerated hydration reaction at the early ages, reduce calcium hydroxide content at the later ages, and densified microstructure.
Development of A Linear Delta Robot with Three Horizontal-Axial Pneumatic Actuators for 3-DOF Trajectory Tracking
Authors: Li I-Hsum , Chiang Hsin-Han , Lee Lian-Wang
Published: May 2020

This paper focuses on developing a pneumatic-driven and horizontal-structure linear delta robot (PH-LDR) and increasing its trajectory tracking performance on the three-degrees-of-freedom (3-DOF) space. With the investigation of inverse and forward kinematics, the parallel mechanism of PH-LDR is designed by using three high-power and low-cost rod-less pneumatic actuators (PAs) to track 3-DOF motion, and this has a horizontal structure to enlarge the workspace. Since the PH-LDR features nonlinear coupling among its three axes and is disturbed by the three high-nonlinear rod-less PAs, the tracking control performance is significantly decreased, subject to uncertain nonlinearity and parametric uncertainty. Therefore, a fuzzy-PID controller is used to achieve highly accurate 3-DOF trajectory tracking, and furthermore, this study exploits neural networks (NNs) to pre-compensate the impacts arising from the compressibility of air and temperature change. The control system for the PH-LDR also features an embedded controller that allows real-time control. Experimental demonstration verifies the developed PH-LDR with the proposed controller, and the dynamic tracking accuracy in 3-DOF trajectory can be achieved.
Bioremediation Methods for the Recovery of Lead-Contaminated Soils: A Review
Authors: Rigoletto Monica , Calza Paola , Gaggero Elisa , Malandrino Mery , Fabbri Debora
Published: May 2020

Currently, the pollution of soils by heavy metals is a problem of paramount relevance and requires the development of proper remediation techniques. In particular, lead is a frequently detected soil contaminant that poses adverse effects to the environment and human health. In this review, we provide an overview of the bioremediation treatments promoted by plants (phytoremediation), fungi, or bacteria that could be applied to areas polluted by lead. These restoration processes have the advantage of being environmentally friendly and cost-effective solutions that exploit plants to immobilize and extract contaminants from soil and water, and fungi and bacteria to degrade them. Phytoremediation is an extensively studied and mature practice, with many in-the-field applications where numerous plant species have been employed. In contrast, bioremediation processes promoted by fungi and bacteria are very promising but, up to now, studies have been mostly performed at a laboratory scale with only a few implementations in real-world situations; therefore, further research is needed.
Hierarchical Synchronization Control Strategy of Active Rear Axle Independent Steering System
Authors: Deng Bin , Zhao Han , Shao Ke , Li Weihan , Yin Andong
Published: May 2020

The synchronization error of the left and right steering-wheel-angles and the disturbances rejection of the synchronization controller are of great significance for the active rear axle independent steering (ARIS) system under complex driving conditions and uncertain disturbances. In order to reduce synchronization error, a novel hierarchical synchronization control strategy based on virtual synchronization control and linear active disturbance rejection control (LADRC) is proposed. The upper controller adopts the virtual synchronization controller based on the dynamic model of the virtual rear axle steering mechanism to reduce the synchronization error between the rear wheel steering angles of the ARIS system; the lower controller is designed based on an LADRC algorithm to realize an accurate tracking control of the steering angle for each wheels. Experiments based on a prototype vehicle are conducted to prove that the proposed hierarchical synchronization control strategy for the ARIS system can improve the control accuracy significantly and has the properties of better disturbances rejection and stronger robustness.
Trajectory Linearization-Based Adaptive PLOS Path Following Control for Unmanned Surface Vehicle with Unknown Dynamics and Rudder Saturation
Authors: Qiu Bingbing , Wang Guofeng , Fan Yunsheng
Published: May 2020

This paper presents a novel robust control strategy for path following of an unmanned surface vehicle (USV) suffering from unknown dynamics and rudder saturation. The trajectory linearization control (TLC) method augmented by the neural network, linear extended state observer (LESO), and auxiliary system is used as the main control framework. The salient features of the presented strategy are as follows: in the guidance loop, a fuzzy predictor line-of-sight (FPLOS) guidance law is proposed to ensure that the USV effectively follows the given path, where the fuzzy method is introduced to adjust lookahead distance online, and thereby achieving convergence performance; in the control loop, we develop a practical robust path following controller based on enhanced TLC, in which the neural network and LESO are adopted to handle unmodeled dynamics and external disturbances, respectively. Meanwhile, a nonlinear tracking differentiator (NTD) is constructed to achieve satisfactory differential and filter performance. Then, the auxiliary system is incorporated into the controller design to handle rudder saturation. Using Lyapunov stability theory, the entire system is ensured to be uniformly ultimately bounded (UUB). Simulation comparisons illustrate the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed strategy.
The Optogalvanic Spectrum of Neutral Lanthanum between 5610 and 6110 Å
Authors: Windholz Laurentius , Binder Tobias
Published: May 2020

We report on a complete optogalvanic spectrum of a discharge burning in a La-Ar gas mixture, in the spectral range 5610–6110 Å (17,851 to 16,364 cm−1). About 1900 overlapping laser scans, each between 1 and 1.5 cm−1 wide, were necessary to cover this range. The resolution of the spectra is limited by the Doppler width of the spectral features to about 0.03 cm−1 (or ca. 0.01 Å) and is comparable with a Fourier-transform spectrum, but the sensitivity is much higher. Indeed, we could find more than 1800 lines, from which about 800 could be classified as transitions between known energy levels. The main focus of the investigations was to discover previously unknown energy levels by means of excitation of unclassified spectral features.
Green Synthesis of MnO Nanoparticles Using Abutilon indicum Leaf Extract for Biological, Photocatalytic, and Adsorption Activities
Authors: Khan Shakeel Ahmad , Shahid Sammia , Shahid Basma , Fatima Urooj , Abbasi Saddam Akber
Published: May 2020

We report the synthesis of MnO nanoparticles (AI-MnO NAPs) using biological molecules of Abutilon indicum leaf extract. Further, they were evaluated for antibacterial and cytotoxicity activity against different pathogenic microbes (Escherichia coli, Bordetella bronchiseptica, Staphylococcus aureus, and Bacillus subtilis) and HeLa cancerous cells. Synthesized NAPs were also investigated for photocatalytic dye degradation potential against methylene blue (MB), and adsorption activity against Cr(VI) was also determined. Results from Scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) confirmed the successful synthesis of NAPs with spherical morphology and crystalline nature. Biological activity results demonstrated that synthesized AI-MnO NAPs exhibited significant antibacterial and cytotoxicity propensities against pathogenic microbes and cancerous cells, respectively, compared with plant extract. Moreover, synthesized AI-MnO NAPs demonstrated the comparable biological activities results to standard drugs. These excellent biological activities results are attributed to the existence of the plant’s biological molecules on their surfaces and small particle size (synergetic effect). Synthesized NAPs displayed better MB-photocatalyzing properties under sunlight than an ultraviolet lamp. The Cr(VI) adsorption result showed that synthesized NAPs efficiently adsorbed more Cr(VI) at higher acidic pH than at basic pH. Hence, the current findings suggest that Abutilon indicum is a valuable source for tailoring the potential of NAPs toward various enhanced biological, photocatalytic, and adsorption activities. Consequently, the plant’s biological molecule-mediated synthesized AI-MnO NAPs could be excellent contenders for future therapeutic applications.
Eye Movements in Response to Pain-Related Feelings in the Presence of Low and High Cognitive Loads
Authors: Zargari Marandi Ramtin , Fjelsted Camilla Ann , Hrustanovic Iris , Dan Olesen Rikke , Gazerani Parisa
Published: May 2020

The affective dimension of pain contributes to pain perception. Cognitive load may influence pain-related feelings. Eye tracking has proven useful for detecting cognitive load effects objectively by using relevant eye movement characteristics. In this study, we investigated whether eye movement characteristics differ in response to pain-related feelings in the presence of low and high cognitive loads. A set of validated, control, and pain-related sounds were applied to provoke pain-related feelings. Twelve healthy young participants (six females) performed a cognitive task at two load levels, once with the control and once with pain-related sounds in a randomized order. During the tasks, eye movements and task performance were recorded. Afterwards, the participants were asked to fill out questionnaires on their pain perception in response to the applied cognitive loads. Our findings indicate that an increased cognitive load was associated with a decreased saccade peak velocity, saccade frequency, and fixation frequency, as well as an increased fixation duration and pupil dilation range. Among the oculometrics, pain-related feelings were reflected only in the pupillary responses to a low cognitive load. The performance and perceived cognitive load decreased and increased, respectively, with the task load level and were not influenced by the pain-related sounds. Pain-related feelings were lower when performing the task compared with when no task was being performed in an independent group of participants. This might be due to the cognitive engagement during the task. This study demonstrated that cognitive processing could moderate the feelings associated with pain perception.
Promoting Effect of Ti Species in MnOx-FeOx/Silicalite-1 for the Low-Temperature NH3-SCR Reaction
Authors: Gu Jialiang , Duan Rudi , Chen Weibin , Chen Yan , Liu Lili , Wang Xidong
Published: May 2020

Manganese and iron oxides catalysts supported on silicalite-1 and titanium silicalite-1 (TS-1) are synthesized by the wet impregnation method for the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NOx with NH3 (NH3-SCR), respectively. The optimized catalyst demonstrates an increased NOx conversion efficiency of 20% below 150 °C, with a space velocity of 18,000 h−1, which can be attributed to the incorporation of Ti species. The presence of Ti species enhances surface acidity and redox ability of the catalyst without changing the structure of supporter. Moreover, further researches based on in situ NH3 adsorption reveal that Lewis acid sites linked to Mn4+ on the surface have a huge influence on the improvement of denitration efficiency of the catalyst at low temperatures.
Adsorption and Photocatalytic Study of Phenol Using Composites of Activated Carbon Prepared from Onion Leaves (Allium fistulosum) and Metallic Oxides (ZnO and TiO2)
Authors: Hernández-Barreto Diego Felipe , Rodriguez-Estupiñán Jenny Paola , Moreno-Piraján Juan Carlos , Sierra Ramírez Rocío , Giraldo Liliana
Published: May 2020

The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the adsorption and photocatalytic activity of activated carbon-based photocatalysts. Titanium dioxide (TiO2) and zinc oxide (ZnO) were chosen as semiconductors to prepare composites with activated carbon by the wet impregnation method. Activated carbon was prepared using as starting material onion leaves (Allium fistulosum) and as activating agent phosphoric acid (H3PO4). Photooxidation and batch adsorption of phenol was studied to compare the efficiency of the materials prepared. The results showed that the composite AC–TiO2 has a greater photocatalytic activity and a better adsorption capacity compared to AC–ZnO composite.
Costs of Providing HIV Self-Test Kits to Pregnant Women Living with HIV for Secondary Distribution to Male Partners in Uganda
Authors: Bulterys Michelle A. , Mujugira Andrew , Nakyanzi Agnes , Nampala Miriam , Taasi Geoffrey , Celum Connie , Sharma Monisha
Published: May 2020

Background: Secondary distribution of HIV self-testing kits (HIVST) to pregnant women attending antenatal care (ANC) clinics to give to their male partners is a promising strategy to increase testing coverage among men, but its costs are unknown. Methods: We conducted micro-costing of a trial evaluating secondary distribution of HIVST on pregnant women living with HIV (PWLHIV) in an ANC in Kampala, Uganda. Costs (2019 USD) were collected from program budgets, expenditure records, time and motion observations, and staff interviews and estimated for three scenarios: as-studied, reflecting full costs of the research intervention, Ministry of Health (MOH) implementation, reflecting the research intervention if implemented by the MOH, and MOH roll-out, the current strategy being used to roll out HIVST distribution. Results: In the as-studied scenario, cost of HIVST provision was $13.96/PWLHIV reached, and $11.89 and $10.55 per HIV-positive and HIV-negative male partner, respectively, who linked to a clinic for facility-based testing. In the MOH implementation scenario, costs were $9.45/PWLHIV, and $7.87 and $6.99, respectively, per HIV-positive and HIV-negative male partner linking to the clinic. In the MOH roll-out scenario, the cost of HIVST provision to pregnant women regardless of HIV status was $3.70/woman, and $6.65/HIV-positive male partner. Conclusion: Secondary distribution of HIVST from pregnant women can be implemented at reasonable cost to increase testing among men in Uganda and similar settings in Africa.
Clinical Validation of Integrated Point-of-Care Devices for the Management of Non-Communicable Diseases
Authors: Giriraja K. V. , Govindaraj Suman , Chandrakumar H. P. , Ramesh Basanth , Prasad Licy , Priyanka B. R. , Shaikh Samreen , Rana Varun , Trivedi Varun , Ramanathan Sridhar , Laxminarayan Ramanan , Rangarajan Radha
Published: May 2020

Non-communicable diseases are the leading cause of death and disability across India, including in the poorest states. Effective disease management, particularly for cardiovascular diseases, requires the tracking of several biochemical and physiological parameters over an extended period of time. Currently, patients must go to diagnostic laboratories and doctors’ clinics or invest in individual point-of-care devices for measuring the required parameters. The cost and inconvenience of current options lead to inconsistent monitoring, which contribute to suboptimal outcomes. Furthermore, managing multiple individual point-of-devices is challenging and helps track some parameters to the exclusion of others. To address these issues, HealthCubed, a primary care technology company, has designed integrated devices that measure blood glucose, hemoglobin, cholesterol, uric acid, blood pressure, capillary oxygen saturation and pulse rate. Here we report data from clinical studies undertaken in healthy subjects establishing the validity of an integrated device for monitoring multiple parameters.
Cardio-Diagnostic Assisting Computer System
Authors: Georgieva-Tsaneva Galya , Gospodinova Evgeniya , Gospodinov Mitko , Cheshmedzhiev Krasimir
Published: May 2020

The mathematical analysis and the assessment of heart rate variability (HRV) based on computer systems can assist the diagnostic process with determining the cardiac status of patients. The new cardio-diagnostic assisting computer system created uses the classic Time-Domain, Frequency-Domain, and Time-Frequency analysis indices, as well as the nonlinear methods (Poincaré plot, Recurrence plot, Hurst R/S method, Detrended Fluctuation Analysis (DFA), Multi-Fractal DFA, Approximate Entropy and Sample Entropy). To test the feasibility of the software developed, 24-hour Holter recordings of four groups of people were analysed: healthy subjects and patients with arrhythmia, heart failure and syncope. Time-Domain (SDNN < 50 ms, SDANN < 100 ms, RMSSD < 17 ms) and Frequency-Domain (the spectrum of HRV in the LF < 550 ms2, and HF < 540 ms2) parameter values decreased in the cardiovascular disease groups compared to the control group as a result of lower HRV due to decreased parasympathetic and increased sympathetic activity. The results of the nonlinear analysis showed low values of (SD1 < 56 ms, SD2 < 110 ms) at Poincaré plot (Alpha < 90 ms) at DFA in patients with diseases. Significantly reducing these parameters are markers of cardiac dysfunction. The examined groups of patients showed an increase in the parameters (DET% > 95, REC% > 38, ENTR > 3.2) at the Recurrence plot. This is evidence of a pathological change in the regulation of heart rhythm. The system created can be useful in making the diagnosis by the cardiologist and in bringing greater accuracy and objectivity to the treatment.
A Formal Model for Adaptive Free Choice in Complex Systems
Authors: Durham Ian
Published: May 2020

In this article, I develop a formal model of free will for complex systems based on emergent properties and adaptive selection. The model is based on a process ontology in which a free choice is a singular process that takes a system from one macrostate to another. I quantify the model by introducing a formal measure of the ‘freedom’ of a singular choice. The ‘free will’ of a system, then, is emergent from the aggregate freedom of the choice processes carried out by the system. The focus in this model is on the actual choices themselves viewed in the context of processes. That is, the nature of the system making the choices is not considered. Nevertheless, my model does not necessarily conflict with models that are based on internal properties of the system. Rather it takes a behavioral approach by focusing on the externalities of the choice process.
Exploiting Recurring Patterns to Improve Scalability of Parking Availability Prediction Systems
Authors: Di Martino Sergio , Origlia Antonio
Published: May 2020

Parking Guidance and Information (PGI) systems aim at supporting drivers in finding suitable parking spaces, also by predicting the availability at driver’s Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA), leveraging information about the general parking availability situation. To do these predictions, most of the proposals in the literature dealing with on-street parking need to train a model for each road segment, with significant scalability issues when deploying a city-wide PGI. By investigating a real dataset we found that on-street parking dynamics show a high temporal auto-correlation. In this paper we present a new processing pipeline that exploits these recurring trends to improve the scalability. The proposal includes two steps to reduce both the number of required models and training examples. The effectiveness of the proposed pipeline has been empirically assessed on a real dataset of on-street parking availability from San Francisco (USA). Results show that the proposal is able to provide parking predictions whose accuracy is comparable to state-of-the-art solutions based on one model per road segment, while requiring only a fraction of training costs, thus being more likely scalable to city-wide scenarios.
An Efficient Delay Tolerant Networks Routing Protocol for Information-Centric Networking
Authors: Kang Min Wook , Seo Dong Yeong , Chung Yun Won
Published: May 2020

Delay tolerant networks (DTN) is a good candidate for delivering information-centric networking (ICN) messages in fragmented networks due to disaster. In order to efficiently deliver ICN messages in DTN, the characteristics of multiple requester nodes for the same content and multiple provider nodes for the same request should be used efficiently. In this paper, we propose an efficient DTN routing protocol for ICN. In the proposed protocol, requester information for request packet, which is called an Interest in ICN, is shared by exchanging status table with requested Data ID, requester ID, and satisfaction flag, where satisfaction flag is defined to show the delivery status of Data, so that unnecessary forwarding of Data is avoided. Data is forwarded to a more probable node by comparing average delivery predictability to a set of requesters. Performance of the proposed protocol was evaluated using simulation from the aspect of Data delivery probability and Data overhead, for varying buffer sizes, number of relay nodes, and time-to-live (TTL) of Data. The results show that the proposed protocol has better Data delivery probability, compared to content distribution and retrieval framework in disaster networks for public protection (CIDOR) and opportunistic forwarding (OF) protocols, although there is a tradeoff from the aspect of Data overhead for varying buffer sizes and number of relay nodes.
Enhanced Prediction of Solar Radiation Using NARX Models with Corrected Input Vectors
Authors: Rangel Eduardo , Cadenas Erasmo , Campos-Amezcua Rafael , Tena Jorge L.
Published: May 2020

The main objective of this work is to analyze and configure appropriately the input vectors to enhance the performance of NARX models to forecast solar radiation one hour ahead. For this study, Engle–Granger causality tests were implemented. Additionally, collinearity among the meteorological variables of the databases was examined. Different databases were used to test the contribution of these analyses in the improvement of the input vectors. For that, databases from three cities of Mexico with different climates were obtained, namely: Chihuahua, Temixco, and Zacatecas. These databases consisted of hourly measurements of the following variables: solar radiation (SR), wind speed (WS), relative humidity (RH), pressure (P), and temperature (T). Results showed that, in all three cases, proper NARX models were produced even when using input vectors formed only with solar radiation and temperature data. Consequently, it was inferred that pressure, wind speed, and relative humidity could be excluded from the input vectors of the forecasting models since, according to the causality tests, they did not provide relevant information to improve the solar radiation forecast in the studied cases. Conversely, these variables could generate spurious results. Forecasting results obtained with the NARX model were compared to the smart persistence model, commonly used to validate SR prediction. Error measures, such as mean absolute error (MAE) and root mean squared error (RMSE), were used to compare prediction results obtained from different models. In all cases, results obtained from the enhanced NARX model surpassed the results of the smart persistence, namely: in Chihuahua up to 11.5 % , in Temixco up to 15.7 % , and in Zacatecas up to 27.2 % .
Study on the CO Formation Mechanism during Coal Ambient Temperature Oxidation
Authors: Liu Shuo , Wu Yuguo , Zhou Chunshan , Wu Jianming , Zhang Yulong
Published: May 2020

The CO formation rules of coal were analyzed by a self-developed testing device under ambient temperature. The changes of functional groups caused by oxidation were obtained using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The experimental results showed that CO was generated during the ambient temperature oxidation. The highest concentration level of CO could be 389 ppm. The methylene and aldehyde groups on the side chains were involved in the reaction. For the quantum mechanical approach, we employed the density functional theory with the 6–31 G (d, p) basis set. Density functional theory–based computations interpreted the possible reaction sites on a coal molecule by electronic static potential analysis. The rationality of the predicted reactions was also evaluated by transition state analysis and energy analysis. This research theoretically proved that coal could be oxidized to carbon monoxide under ambient temperatures and gave the possible reaction paths.