bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Relationships between placental adiponectin, leptin, visfatin and resistin and birthweight in cattle
Authors: Shen Liuhong , Zhu Yingkun , Xiao Jinbang , Qian Bolin , Jiang Tao , Deng Junliang , Peng Guangneng , Yu Shumin , Cao Suizhong , Zuo Zhicai , Ma Xiaoping , Zhong Zhijun , Ren Zhihua , Wang Ya , Zhou Ziyao , Liu Haifeng , Zong Xiaolan , Hu Yanchun
Published: November 2019

Adipokines can affect intrauterine development while calf birthweight (CBW) is a breeding standard of calves, which reflects the status of fetal intrauterine development. To explore the correlation between placental adipokines and CBW, 54 healthy Chinese Holstein cows were used in the present study. The cows were grouped according to the CBW of their calves. Placentas were collected immediately after delivery and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction were used to detect the placental expression levels of adiponectin, leptin, visfatin and resistin. Our results show that the mRNA transcription and blood placental content of adiponectin, leptin, visfatin and resistin increased with increasing CBW. The analysis showed that the mRNA transcription levels of placental adiponectin, leptin and resistin were positively correlated with CBW. The mRNA and protein expression levels of adiponectin, leptin and visfatin between the three groups were significantly correlated. Placental resistin mRNA levels correlated positively with adiponectin mRNA, but not leptin or visfatin. The protein expression levels of resistin were significantly positively correlated with those of adiponectin, leptin and visfatin. These results suggest that placental adipokines play important roles in regulating calf intrauterine growth.
Evidence that a national REDD+ program reduces tree cover loss and carbon emissions in a high forest cover, low deforestation country
Authors: Roopsind Anand , Sohngen Brent , Brandt Jodi
Published: November 2019

Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) is a climate change mitigation policy in which rich countries provide payments to developing countries for protecting their forests. In 2009, the countries of Norway and Guyana entered into one of the first bilateral REDD+ programs, with Norway offering to pay US$250 million to Guyana if annual deforestation rates remained below 0.056% from 2010 to 2015. To quantify the impact of this national REDD+ program, we construct a counterfactual times-series trajectory of annual tree cover loss using synthetic matching. This analytical approach allows us to quantify tree cover loss that would have occurred in the absence of the Norway-Guyana REDD+ program. We found that the Norway-Guyana REDD+ program reduced tree cover loss by 35% during the implementation period (2010 to 2015), equivalent to 12.8 million tons of avoided CO
2
emissions. Our analysis indicates that national REDD+ payments attenuated the effect of increases in gold prices, an internationally traded commodity that is the primary deforestation driver in Guyana. Overall, we found strong evidence that the program met the additionality criteria of REDD+. However, we found that tree cover loss increased after the payments ended, and therefore, our results suggest that without continued payments, forest protection is not guaranteed. On the issue of leakage, which is complex and difficult to quantify, a multinational REDD+ program for a region could address leakage that results from differences in forest policies between neighboring countries.
Chemical and microbial diversity covary in fresh water to influence ecosystem functioning
Authors: Tanentzap Andrew J. , Fitch Amelia , Orland Chloe , Emilson Erik J. S. , Yakimovich Kurt M. , Osterholz Helena , Dittmar Thorsten
Published: November 2019

Invisible to the naked eye lies a tremendous diversity of organic molecules and organisms that make major contributions to important biogeochemical cycles. However, how the diversity and composition of these two communities are interlinked remains poorly characterized in fresh waters, despite the potential for chemical and microbial diversity to promote one another. Here we exploited gradients in chemodiversity within a common microbial pool to test how chemical and biological diversity covary and characterized the implications for ecosystem functioning. We found that both chemodiversity and genes associated with organic matter decomposition increased as more plant litterfall accumulated in experimental lake sediments, consistent with scenarios of future environmental change. Chemical and microbial diversity were also positively correlated, with dissolved organic matter having stronger effects on microbes than vice versa. Under our experimental scenarios that increased sediment organic matter from 5 to 25% or darkened overlying waters by 2.5 times, the resulting increases in chemodiversity could increase greenhouse gas concentrations in lake sediments by an average of 1.5 to 2.7 times, when all of the other effects of litterfall and water color were considered. Our results open a major new avenue for research in aquatic ecosystems by exposing connections between chemical and microbial diversity and their implications for the global carbon cycle in greater detail than ever before.
The microbiota regulates murine inflammatory responses to toxin-induced CNS demyelination but has minimal impact on remyelination
Authors: McMurran Christopher E. , Guzman de la Fuente Alerie , Penalva Rosana , Ben Menachem-Zidon Ofra , Dombrowski Yvonne , Falconer John , Gonzalez Ginez A. , Zhao Chao , Krause Fynn N. , Young Adam M. H. , Griffin Julian L. , Jones Clare A. , Hollins Claire , Heimesaat Markus M. , Fitzgerald Denise C. , Franklin Robin J. M.
Published: November 2019

Significance

People with multiple sclerosis have a microbiota distinct from healthy controls, and there is growing interest in how these differences might contribute to the onset and progression of CNS autoimmunity. However, the impact that the microbiota may also have on the endogenous regeneration of myelin—remyelination—has not yet been explored. Here we show that inflammatory responses during remyelination depend upon the microbiota, being modulated by antibiotics or probiotics or in germ-free mice. In contrast, these interventions had minimal impact on the activity of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells, with only supratherapeutic doses of antibiotics having an inhibitory effect. Our results suggest that endogenous CNS remyelination is largely resilient to interventions that modify the microbiota.
Extraterrestrial ribose and other sugars in primitive meteorites
Authors: Furukawa Yoshihiro , Chikaraishi Yoshito , Ohkouchi Naohiko , Ogawa Nanako O. , Glavin Daniel P. , Dworkin Jason P. , Abe Chiaki , Nakamura Tomoki
Published: November 2019

Significance

Ribose is an essential sugar for present life as a building block of RNA, which could have both stored information and catalyzed reactions in primitive life on Earth. Meteorites contain a number of organic compounds including components of proteins and nucleic acids. Among the constituent molecular classes of proteins and nucleic acids (i.e., amino acids, nucleobases, phosphate, and ribose/deoxyribose), the presence of ribose and deoxyribose in space remains unclear. Here we provide evidence of extraterrestrial ribose and other bioessential sugars in primitive meteorites. Meteorites were carriers of prebiotic organic molecules to the early Earth; thus, the detection of extraterrestrial sugars in meteorites implies the possibility that extraterrestrial sugars may have contributed to forming functional biopolymers like RNA.
PPARα-targeted mitochondrial bioenergetics mediate repair of intestinal barriers at the host–microbe intersection during SIV infection
Authors: Crakes Katti R. , Santos Rocha Clarissa , Grishina Irina , Hirao Lauren A. , Napoli Eleonora , Gaulke Christopher A. , Fenton Anne , Datta Sandipan , Arredondo Juan , Marco Maria L. , Sankaran-Walters Sumathi , Cortopassi Gino , Giulivi Cecilia , Dandekar Satya
Published: November 2019

Chronic gut inflammatory diseases are associated with disruption of intestinal epithelial barriers and impaired mucosal immunity. HIV-1 (HIV) causes depletion of mucosal CD4
+
T cells early in infection and disruption of gut epithelium, resulting in chronic inflammation and immunodeficiency. Although antiretroviral therapy (ART) is effective in suppressing viral replication, it is incapable of restoring the “leaky gut,” which poses an impediment for HIV cure efforts. Strategies are needed for rapid repair of the epithelium to protect intestinal microenvironments and immunity in inflamed gut. Using an in vivo nonhuman primate intestinal loop model of HIV/AIDS, we identified the pathogenic mechanism underlying sustained disruption of gut epithelium and explored rapid repair of gut epithelium at the intersection of microbial metabolism. Molecular, immunological, and metabolomic analyses revealed marked loss of peroxisomal proliferator-activated receptor-α (PPARα) signaling, predominant impairment of mitochondrial function, and epithelial disruption both in vivo and in vitro. To elucidate pathways regulating intestinal epithelial integrity, we introduced probiotic
Lactobacillus plantarum
into Simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)-inflamed intestinal lumen. Rapid recovery of the epithelium occurred within 5 h of
L. plantarum
administration, independent of mucosal CD4
+
T cell recovery, and in the absence of ART. This intestinal barrier repair was driven by
L. plantarum
-induced PPARα activation and restoration of mitochondrial structure and fatty acid β-oxidation. Our data highlight the critical role of PPARα at the intersection between microbial metabolism and epithelial repair in virally inflamed gut and as a potential mitochondrial target for restoring gut barriers in other infectious or gut inflammatory diseases.
Structures and single-molecule analysis of bacterial motor nuclease AdnAB illuminate the mechanism of DNA double-strand break resection
Authors: Jia Ning , Unciuleac Mihaela C. , Xue Chaoyou , Greene Eric C. , Patel Dinshaw J. , Shuman Stewart
Published: November 2019

Mycobacterial AdnAB is a heterodimeric helicase–nuclease that initiates homologous recombination by resecting DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). The AdnA and AdnB subunits are each composed of an N-terminal motor domain and a C-terminal nuclease domain. Here we report cryoelectron microscopy (cryo-EM) structures of AdnAB in three functional states: in the absence of DNA and in complex with forked duplex DNAs before and after cleavage of the 5′ single-strand DNA (ssDNA) tail by the AdnA nuclease. The structures reveal the path of the 5′ ssDNA through the AdnA nuclease domain and the mechanism of 5′ strand cleavage; the path of the 3′ tracking strand through the AdnB motor and the DNA contacts that couple ATP hydrolysis to mechanical work; the position of the AdnA iron–sulfur cluster subdomain at the Y junction and its likely role in maintaining the split trajectories of the unwound 5′ and 3′ strands. Single-molecule DNA curtain analysis of DSB resection reveals that AdnAB is highly processive but prone to spontaneous pausing at random sites on duplex DNA. A striking property of AdnAB is that the velocity of DSB resection slows after the enzyme experiences a spontaneous pause. Our results highlight shared as well as distinctive properties of AdnAB vis-à-vis the RecBCD and AddAB clades of bacterial DSB-resecting motor nucleases.
A nonlinear, geometric Hall effect without magnetic field
Authors: Schade Nicholas B. , Schuster David I. , Nagel Sidney R.
Published: November 2019

Significance

We show that electric current flowing through a curved wire produces a transverse electric potential across the wire. The potential arises because a transverse electric field must accelerate the current radially to follow the curve. This is a geometric effect in which no magnetic field is present. This potential reflects the sign and density of the current-carrying charges, properties that are traditionally obtained by applying a magnetic field to measure the Hall voltage. We experimentally observe potentials in curved graphene wires that are as large as millivolts. Even straight wires exhibit transverse voltages of geometric origin due to tortuous current paths within the wires. Thus, this nonlinear transverse-potential measurement is a probe of current paths in conductors.
Exploring local meaning-making resources
Authors: Jiang Yaqian , Vásquez Camilla
Published: November 2019

This study examines various combinations of visual and textual meaning-making resources in a popular Chinese meme.
The meme features an exogenous image – the grinning facial expression of a U.S. wrestler, D’Angelo Dinero – that has been
recontextualized into numerous other visual texts, to create semiotic ensembles with local meanings, which are then distributed
across Chinese social media platforms. We analyzed 60 of these image macros, and our findings show that local meanings are created
when Dinero’s facial expression is blended with visual references to Chinese digital culture, Chinese popular culture, Chinese
social class issues, Chinese politics, and Chinese institutions. The majority of textual elements in the image macros are Chinese;
however, the handful of examples that also include other languages typically involve multilingual wordplay and carnivalesque
themes. We argue that although the multivalency of the wrestlers’ facial expression invites interpretations of a wide range of
affective meanings, an overarching rebellious or transgressive stance is consistent across individual texts.
Aspirational Histories of Third World Cosmopolitanism: Dialectical Interactions in Afro-Chinese Beijing
Authors: Ke-Schutte Jay
Published: November 2019

This article follows four years of ethnographic research in Beijing and investigates tropes of “third world solidarity” (termed disanshijie datuanjie 第三世界大团结) and “cosmopolitanism” as they are pragmatically recruited or intersubjectively evoked in urban Afro-Chinese interactions. In it, I demonstrate how historical tensions between cosmopolitanism and “third worldism” are mediated through the translation of the intersubjective cultural concepts guanxi (关系) and Ubuntu. I ask: How do semiotic horizons of “history” and “culture” become pragmatically indispensable activities through which contemporary Chinese and African subjects establish historical or culturally intelligible grounds for a “novel” interaction under current conditions of South-South educational migrancy? Drawing on a genealogy of pragmatist semiotics and symbolic interactionism (Goffman 1983; Agha 2007; Carr 2011), read through a critical theoretical lens (Fanon 1965; Lukács 2010), I reveal a dialectics of interaction at play in the mediation of historical and cultural dynamics in Afro-Chinese encounters in Beijing. In doing so, this article explores a tension that emerges at the juxtaposition of third world solidarity and cosmopolitan aspiration, one—as I will show—that certainly informs what will come to be among the most pivotal interactions of the twenty-first century: that between China and Africa.
Tell Me That I Am Not a Ciganin, Damn Your Mother! The Social and Political Consequences of Enregisterment in Bulgaria
Authors: Canut Cécile
Published: November 2019

In Bulgaria, the Rom/Ciganin persona is defined by non-Ciganin Bulgarians as a set of reiterated features, displayed as fixed and supposedly identifiable by all. This persona is enregistered through various semiotic processes, television being one of the most important ones. Rom/Ciganin is the name that links together a set of indexical stereotypes (naturalized as essences) and purports to denote a particular referent, a community, an ethnicity, and the individuals who, by being so labeled, are said to belong to it. Through the study of a racist act of aggression filmed in Bulgaria, I hypothesize that the hatred of Cigani passes discursively through a typification constantly reelaborated by a process of enregisterment. The making of peoples, groups, and communities is not new, but it becomes problematic when researchers, and the institution in general, relay the idea of fixed ethnic categories without problematizing them. They thus legitimize the Roma (or Cigani, Gypsies, etc.) category, and indeed the Rom persona, through the (re)production of a set of political discourses based on ethnicity and discrimination. This legitimizes a category that allows the marginalization and exclusion of individuals and families in the name of their supposed membership.
Humanity and Its Beneficiaries: Footing and Stance-Taking in an International Criminal Trial
Authors: D’hondt Sigurd
Published: November 2019

This article elucidates the role of metapragmatic devices like footing and stance-taking in trial hearings before the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. It focuses on the case of Ahmad al Faqi al Mahdi, a Malian Islamist found guilty of the 2012 destruction of cultural heritage in Timbuktu. We examine how the prosecution and defense reflexively formulate the hearing as part of a wider text trajectory and how they align personae across participation frameworks by locating the current courtroom event into a wider dialogical field. A careful inspection of these metapragmatic devices reveals how trial participants navigate the multiple tensions facing this emergent, amalgamated form of criminal adjudication, which lacks a coercive apparatus of its own and still bears the traces of the political act of its institution.
Mathematical modeling of molecular-genetic systems regulatory mechanisms activity in malignant neoplasms
Authors: Saidalieva M , Gildieva M S , Abduvaliev A A , Hidirova M B
Published: November 2019

The paper presents the method for constructing systems of nonlinear functional-differential equations with delay of a cellular regulator in norm and in cancerous formations. The existence of stable stationary as well as self-oscillatory solutions to the regulator equations, chaotic solutions and the “black hole” effect is established. The results of the quantitative analysis of the developed equations show the possibility of existence of chaotic behavior (the emergence of various types of chromosomal aberrations), the effect of failure of solutions on the trivial attractor - the effect of “black hole” (metastasis). The opportunity for forecasting the basic modes characteristics allows establishing molecular-genetic bases in oncologic pathogenesis, carrying out diagnostics and predicting characteristic stages of malignant neoplasms current.
Mathematical model of liquid sulfur dioxide injection into layer saturated with water and methane
Authors: Khasanov M K
Published: November 2019

The mathematical model of sulfur dioxide solution injection into the layer saturated with the water and methane accompanied by formation of sulfur gas hydrate is presented. For the axisymmetric problem, self-similar solutions describing the distribution of temperature and pressure in the layer are constructed. It is established that depending on the mass flow rate of sulfur dioxide injection, the formation of sulfur dioxide gas hydrate can occur both on the front surface and in the extended region. There are determined the limit values of the mass flow rate of sulfur dioxide injection separating different modes of sulfur dioxide gas hydrate formation. It is established that the mode with the gas hydrate formation of sulfur dioxide in an extended region is realized at high values of mass injection flow rate of sulfur dioxide and of the initial temperature of the layer.
Mathematical models to determine the influence of road parameters and conditions on vehicular speed
Authors: Kozlov V G , Skrypnikov A V , Samcov V V , Levushkin D M , Nikitin A A , Zaikin A N
Published: November 2019

The study of vehicular movement modes in adverse weather conditions allowed defining the dependence of traffic modes at certain road segments on weather conditions. It is found that the average vehicle speed changes within a year over a wide range depending on road conditions even on its straight horizontal sections. There is a considerable difference in the maximum speed of traffic movement. Complex road sections significantly influence the traffic mode during any period of the year, especially in adverse weather conditions. The road surface condition exerts the greatest impact on the traffic speed. If the adhesion coefficient equals 0.2-0.3 the average traffic speed is 20-25% lower than if that adhesion coefficient equals 0.5-0.6, and in ice conditions the average traffic speed decreases by 40-50%. The proposed calculation formula allows defining the influence of weather conditions on the traffic mode of free-moving cars or cars in a joint traffic flow. It provides for the feasibility study regarding measures aimed to increase the traffic speed in adverse weather conditions of the year. Based on the observations and calculations the correlation dependences of average and maximum traffic speeds on the adhesion coefficient within a 7.0 m-wide road without the hard shoulder were obtained.
About new forecasting methodology for digital control processes
Authors: Rakov V I , Zakharova O V , Esin K S
Published: November 2019

The article substantiates the need for prompt adjustment of the dynamics of the controlled parameter in the management process and the development of a methodology for prompt adjustment in the proportional-integral-differential (PID) control cycle (in real time). New methods of mixed and optimal digital control on the basis of appropriate mathematical models of digital PID control are proposed, which are distinguished by the formation of the best control action in the tact of preventive evaluation of the control object response.
Control of accuracy of turning treatment of parts of machines based on fuzzy logic algorithms
Authors: Shashok A V , Kutyshkin A V
Published: November 2019

The paper considers the possibility of using fuzzy logic algorithms in the development of automatic control systems for precision machining of cylindrical surfaces. For the theoretical justification of the use of these algorithms, a mathematical model of the turning process and a mathematical model of the fuzzy-controller were developed. When developing the fuzzy-controller mathematical model, its input and output linguistic variables were determined, their fuzzification was carried out. The base of fuzzy linguistic rules that formed the algorithm for controlling the processing accuracy was developed. The defuzzification method was chosen, which allows determining the value of the control value depending on the value of the mismatch of the controlled value. The value of the error of the dynamic adjustment of the processing process was considered as an input linguistic variable fuzzy-regulator was considered, and the value of the correction made to the value of the longitudinal feed - as its output linguistic variable. The results of the comparative theoretical analysis of the processing accuracy in the process system without control were studied along with the control of the classic proportional regulator and proportional fuzzy-controller using the fuzzy inference algorithm Mamdani. Based on the results of the comparative analysis, it is concluded that the use of fuzzy logic algorithms is promising in the development of automatic control systems for precision turning of machine parts.
Simulation of an adjustable synchronous electric motor drive of a pumping unit in a reservoir pressure maintenance system
Authors: Korzhev A A , Bolshunova O M , Voytyuk I N
Published: November 2019

The paper describes the method of controlling water supply while maintaining reservoir pressure via changing the speed of rotation of a pumping unit synchronous electric motor drive. The paper presents a review of existing frequency converters, specifying their advantages and disadvantages. The selection of a cascade semiconductor frequency converter is substantiated. A detailed description of the computer model of an adjustable drive system based on a high-voltage synchronous electric motor drive and the selected frequency converter is also presented. The results of modeling in the form of graphs of transients allow us to conclude about the adequacy of the model and the possibility of its practical use in the study of transient modes of controlled electric pumping units based on synchronous motors.
Improvement of efficiency of monitoring and diagnosing electromechanical systems by automating recognition parameters
Authors: Menshikov I A , Kargin V A , Volgin A V , Moiseev A P
Published: November 2019

Evaluation of operating modes of electromechanical systems on vehicles with traction DC motors based on a combination of values of several signs of recognition of the technical condition will increase the probability of detecting failures of traction motors by minimizing the influence of factors that are irregular. The results of the evaluation of the modes of operation and the technical condition of electromechanical systems with traction DC motors of an AC electric train of the ER-9 T series are presented. The problem of recognizing the modes of operation and the technical state of electromechanical systems has been solved with the help of mathematical processing of the parameters of recognition features used in an automated system for adaptive monitoring and prediction of failures of elements of electromechanical systems.
Teeth interference in harmonic drives intended for heavy engineering
Authors: Strelnikov V. N. , Sukov M. G.
Published: November 2019

Based on geometric studies and force analysis of a heavy harmonic gearing and through application of the elasticity theory methods, motions of the deformed gearing from the theoretically preset positioning have been ascertained. A fundamental design feature of the heavy harmonic drive consists in a disk wave generator which permits to provide additional deformations of the flexible gear due to incomplete contact between the disks and the flexible wheel. The scale factor along with the small tooth module between 1.5 and 2 mm of the wave-type reducers and heavy loads imposed on the flexible gear increase its deformations and intensify formation of interference between the teeth. The above circumstances drastically reduce load-carrying capacities of the harmonic drives and actually restrict them due to the carrying capacity of a flexible bearing. The results obtained provide both qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the teeth interference depending on the wave generator swivel angle φ at various values of the transmitted torque between 0 and 5·105
kNm.
ECG cloud monitoring and analysis information system
Authors: Emelyanenko V M , Kurganov K I , Potekhin D I
Published: November 2019

The article shows the possibility of implementing a technical solution for a dynamic cloud-based ECG monitoring system. It can conduct continuous remote monitoring of the dynamics of the human circulatory system state, aiming at quick detecting diseases of the circulatory system and its adjacent diseases. The system can perform 24/7 measurement of the health state of the circulatory system using a mobile cardiograph that sends received ECG data to the server where analysis and processing are performed. It can be used as patients who do not have the opportunity to visit a specialist in person, as well as in hospitals. The system is recommended for use in sports facilities for monitoring the health of athletes and life-threatening events.
Studying the natural gas market under demand uncertainty using a heterogeneous distributed computing environment
Authors: Zorkalzev V I , Edelev A V , Perzhabinsky S M , Sidorov I A , Feoktistov A G
Published: November 2019

In the paper, we propose a new model of the natural gas market simulation. It takes into account the random nature of the natural gas demand that depends, for example, on temperature fluctuations during the heating period. The natural gas supplier strategy is optimized with the reservation of the necessary amount of fuel to compensate for demand fluctuations. To implement simulation modeling, we developed a scalable application with the DISCOMP framework. We apply DISCOMP to develop and use scalable applications in a heterogeneous distributed computing environment. The application significantly increases the number of model runs and improves the simulation accuracy in comparison with the Mathcad computations on a personal computer.
Realization of project procedures in the item designing companies of the Industry 3.0 and Industry 4.0
Authors: Zakoldaev D A , Shukalov A V , Zharinov I O , Zharinov O O
Published: November 2019

The actual task under consideration is to organize the project activity in an item designing company of the Industry 4.0. A comparative analysis is given to realize project procedures in the companies of the Industry 3.0 and Industry 4.0. It is clear that the primary means to create technical documentation for an item designing component in the Industry 3.0 company is the so called CAD systems which help the designer to create construction, program and technological documentation according to the given samples. The Industry 4.0 companies require the cloud technologies to function, Industrial Internet of Things, the technology of imitating modelling and others, which help to organize project procedures in the company virtual space. Virtual tests help to reduce the costs of development of an item and to reduce the amount of time spent for creating the item technical documentation by reducing the expenses. The main result of modelling in the Industry 4.0 company is the item 3D-model which exactly is the digital twin of an item designing component. There is a scheme how to organize project activity in the Industry 4.0 company to generate the project solutions space and choose the best one (optimal) of project alternatives. The optimal criterion includes technical specifications to describe external influencing factors which influence the item during exploitation and which is a part of the technical task to develop the item.
High performance collisional PIC plasma simulation with modern GPUs
Authors: Romanenko Alexey A , Snytnikov Alexey V , Lazareva Galina G
Published: November 2019

GPU implementation of the collisional Particle-In-Cell plasma model is proposed. The goal of this model is the simulation of Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapour Deposition (PECVD) reactors with glow discharge plasma and also for simulation of fusion plasma with sufficient role of collisions. Vlasov equation is being solved by the Particle-In-Cell (PIC) method. Collision are simulated with the null collision technique. The important difference from the collisionless approach is that major time is taken by collision evaluation and not by particle push.

GPU performance is increased by storing the particles in cells and also by the exclusion of synchronization of threads at the stage of current and density evaluation. Electromagnetic field is given by either the Maxwell equations or be the Poisson equation for electrostatic case. The Maxwell equations are solved by the FDTD method. The Poisson equation is solved by the hybrid method. Performance obtained at the moment is 0.5 TFLOPS for particle push with the Nvidia Tesla V100, and the parallels efficiency is 92% for a cluster with 250 nodes with 2 GPUs each resulting in 500 GPUs.
Computer simulation of diamagnetic regime in open magnetic trap
Authors: Dudnikova G I , Chernykh I G , Chernoshtanov I S , Vshivkov V A
Published: November 2019

Preliminary results of numerical simulation of transition to regime of diamagnetic confinement in an axially-symmetric mirror trap are presented. Author’s two-dimensional modification of hybrid Particle-in-Cell model is used in the simulations. Formation of region with hot dense plasma and very small magnetic field is demonstrated. Evolution of plasma and magnetic field, as well as structure of the formed region are discussed and compared with simple analytical estimations.
Hydrodynamical Simulation of Astrophysical Flows: High-Performance GPU Implementation
Authors: Akimova Elena , Misilov Vladimir , Kulikov Igor , Chernykh Igor
Published: November 2019

We present a new hydrodynamical code GPUPEGAS 2.0 for 3D simulation of astrophysical flows using the GPUs. This code is an extension of GPUPEGAS code developed in 2014 for simulation of interacting galaxies. GPUPEGAS 2.0 is based on the Authors’ numerical method of high order of accuracy for smooth solutions with small dissipation of the solution in discontinuities. The high order of accuracy and small dissipation are achieved by using the piecewise-linear representation of the physical variables in each dimension. The Rusanov flux allows one to simply vectorize the solution of the Riemann problem. The code was implemented for the cluster supercomputers NKS-30T (Siberian Supercomputer Center, SB RAS) and Uran (Institute of Mathematics and Mechanics, UrB RAS) using the hybrid MPI+CUDA technology. To avoid the compute capability-specific implementations of reduction routines, the Thrust library was used. The optimal parameters for kernel function were found for the three-dimensional computation grid. The Sedov point blast problem was used as a main test one. The numerical experiment was performed to simulate the hydrodynamics of the type II supernova explosion for the grid size of 2563. A set of experiments was performed to study performance and scalability of the developed code. The performance of 25 GFLOPS was achieved using a single Tesla M2090 GPU. The speedup of 3 times was achieved using a node with 4 GPUs. By using 16 GPUs, 70% scalability was achieved.
Hybrid numerical model of the plasma flow dynamics in open magnetic systems
Authors: Vshivkov V.A. , Boronina M.A. , Genrikh E.A. , Dudnikova G.I. , Vshivkova L.V. , Sudakov A.M.
Published: November 2019

The report provides a brief overview of the numerical models used to solve plasma physics problems. The necessity of using hybrid models is shown, and a hybrid model that can be used in computer modeling of plasma flows in open magnetic systems is considered in more detail. The features of using hybrid models in two-dimensional cylindrical coordinates are given. To solve the equations of particle motion, the Boris algorithm is considered and its improvement is proposed based on the analytical solution of equations at a time step. We present a number of results of numerical simulation of the interaction of plasma flows obtained on the basis of a hybrid model. The calculations were performed in relation to the conditions of laboratory experiments with laser plasma at the KI-1 facility of the ILF SB RAS and the conditions of the diamagnetic regime at the CAT facility of the INP SB RAS.
Development of simulation model of HPC system for Super Charm-Tau factory
Authors: Weins D , Vorobyev V , Chernykh I , Logashenko I
Published: November 2019

The article describes the design of a digital model of an HPC system for processing data from the Super Charm-Tau factory electron-positron collider of the “megascience” class. This model is developed using the AGNES multiagent modeling platform. The model includes intelligent agents that mimic the behavior of the main subsystems of the supercomputer, such as a task scheduler, computing clusters, data storage system, etc. This model allows calculating the parameters of the computing system necessary for processing and storing the results of operation of the Super Charm-Tau factory after its commissioning.
Deep neural networks as surrogate models for urban energy simulations
Authors: Vazquez-Canteli Jose , Dilsiz Demir Aysegul , Brown Julien , Nagy Zoltan
Published: November 2019

Building energy simulation helps governments implement effective policies to increase energy efficiency. In this work, we use deep neural networks (DNN) to create a surrogate model of an urban energy simulator. We modelled 7,860 buildings, with 2,620 geometries, and simulated them across all the climatic regions of the US. With these 68 million hourly data points, we trained two DNNs to predict the solar gains and thermal losses. The DNNs reduce computational time by a factor of 2500 while maintaining good accuracy (R2=0.85). Possible applications are prediction of energy demand due to climate change and building refurbishment measures.
Impact of evapotranspiration on the local microclimate
Authors: Mauree Dasaraden , Coccolo Silvia , Scartezzini Jean-Louis
Published: November 2019

Climate change is having and will have drastic consequences for high density populated areas such as cities. There is thus a need to develop more tools to evaluate new strategies for adaptation to and mitigation of changing temperatures. Additional functionalities were integrated in the urban energy modelling tool CitySim to include an evapotranspiration process and to integrate low rise vegetation as well as trees. In the process, the Canopy Interface Model (CIM) – previously coupled with CitySim – was further developed to integrate the evapotranspiration process and to analyse its impact on the local microclimate. Tvapotranspiration as well as the surface temperature are computed in CitySim and the values are then used as boundary conditions in CIM to calculate the vertical profiles of wind speed, temperature and humidity. Using the campus of the EPFL in Lausanne, Switzerland as a case study, it was demonstrated that the ground evaporative cooling can be an effective mitigation measure for decreasing locally the urban heat island intensity. In future studies, other strategies such as reflective asphalt, will be combined with the evaporative cooling strategies, to determine the most effective action measures that could be easily implemented.
Cost-optimal retrofit analysis for residential buildings
Authors: Sigrist Diego , Deb Chirag , Frei Mario , Schlüter Arno
Published: November 2019

The current retrofit rate in Switzerland is very low. Among other reasons this is attributed to a lack of knowledge about cost-optimal retrofit strategies. In this work we carry out a holistic cost-optimal retrofit analysis for a Swiss single-family house. First, currently popular retrofit measures including all incurring lifecycle costs are identified and collected. Thereby, building systems as well as building envelope retrofit measures are considered. The retrofit measures are then combined to form a wide range of applicable retrofit strategies which are assessed in terms of cost-effectiveness and environmental impact. The calculation methodology considers the impact of building envelope retrofit measures on the design and efficiency of the heating system. For the case study building, the most cost-optimal retrofit strategy is to combine a geothermal heat pump with inter-rafter roof insulation and cellar ceiling insulation. The results indicate that the choice of heating system is much more crucial in terms of cost-effectiveness than building envelope measures. With respect to reducing primary energy consumption, building envelope measures are indispensable, however, when aiming for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the choice of heating system becomes dominant.
Using deep neural networks for predictive modelling of informal settlements in the context of flood risk
Authors: Zhu Yue , Geiß Christian , So Emily
Published: November 2019

Global climate change has substantially increased the risks of cities being adversely affected by natural hazards such as floods. Among the inhabitants of cities at risk, residents dwelling in informal settlements are the most vulnerable group. To identify the future exposure of informal settlements, we adopt a data-driven model from the machine learning domain to anticipate the growth patterns of formal and informal settlements in flood-prone areas. The potential emergence of informal settlements in Shenzhen, China, is predicted by the proposed method. Then, through an analysis of the flood susceptibility of the predicted informal settlement areas, the emerging vulnerability of Shenzhen towards flooding is revealed.
Deep learning in the built environment: automatic detection of rooftop solar panels using Convolutional Neural Networks
Authors: Castello Roberto , Roquette Simon , Esguerra Martin , Guerra Adrian , Scartezzini Jean-Louis
Published: November 2019

Mapping the location and size of solar installations in urban areas can be a valuable input for policymakers and for investing in distributed energy infrastructures. Machine Learning techniques, combined with satellite and aerial imagery, allow to overcome the limitations of surveys and sparse databases in providing this mapping at large scale. In this paper we apply a supervised method based on convolutional neural networks to delineate rooftop solar panels and to detect their sizes by means of pixel-wise image segmentation. As input to the algorithm, we rely on high resolution aerial photos provided by the Swiss Federal Office of Topography. We explore different data augmentation and we vary network parameters in order to maximize model performance. Preliminary results show that we are able to automatically detect in test images the area of a set of solar panels at pixel level with an accuracy of about 0.94 and an Intersection over Union index of up to 0.64. The scalability of the trained model allows to predict the existing solar panels deployment at the Swiss national scale. The correlation with local environmental and socio-economic variables would allow to extract predictive models to foster future adoption of solar technology in urban areas.
Machine learning and geographic information systems for large-scale wind energy potential estimation in rural areas
Authors: Assouline Dan , Mohajeri Nahid , Mauree Dasaraden , Scartezzini Jean-Louis
Published: November 2019

Clean, safe, affordable and available in the long-term, wind is one of the most promising sources of renewable energy. Its optimized and profitable use, however, requires an estimation of the potential in locations of interest, given its very volatile behavior in various settings. In the present study, we propose a methodology using a combination of Machine Learning (Random Forests), Geographic Information Systems and wind parametric models to estimate the large-scale theoretical wind speed potential in rural areas over the entire Switzerland. The monthly wind speed over rural areas is estimated based on wind speed measurements and several meteorological, topographic, and wind-specific features available accross the country. Wind speed values and their associated uncertainty are computed at the scale of 200 x 200 [m2] pixels covering the territory, at a typical height for rural commercial wind turbine installation, that is, z=100m. The developed methodology, is, however, applicable to any large region, given the availability of data of interest. The results show that in the case of Switzerland, wind turbines could approximately represent an non-negligible installed power capacity of, for each pixel and for each turbine installation, on average 80 kW in Swiss rural areas, and up to 1600 kW in most suitable pixels.
Can a building read your mind? Results from a small trial in facial action unit detection
Authors: Allen Mark , Overend Mauro
Published: November 2019

In the last few decades, the energy consumption of individual buildings has been steadily improving. As a result, research efforts are shifting towards acquiring a deeper understanding of occupant comfort, health, and well-being in the built environment. However, existing techniques used to measure and predict the comfort of occupants have seen little change since Fanger. New research attempts are hence focusing on methods to gather more data, more frequently, and less intrusively. A little explored source of data is the one gathered from real-time videos of occupants, the so-called facial action units (FAU), which is the focus of this paper. These are the facial movements and positions that constitute the basic elements of emotions. Using software developed in the realm of affective computing, seven building occupants were monitored for a period of 2 weeks, whilst also completing surveys that gathered information about the office environment, and their work and personal life. Results found that participants that were happy with their office space showed significantly higher average values of the Cheek Raiser (AU06) and Lid Tightener (AU07) facial action units. These findings show the potential of using FAUs to assist in the control and design of buildings in a human-centric manner.
CO2 experimental measurements towards the development of a predictive framework using user actions in smart buildings
Authors: Oliveira Rui , Kämpf Jérôme , Vicente Romeu , Almeida Ricardo , Figueiredo António
Published: November 2019

A transition towards smart buildings is one of the challenges of the 21st century. To achieve this goal, the use of smart sensors and smart appliances can be crucial. Although research about linking real-time monitoring and the operation mode of building appliances have been carried out by other researchers, the focus was on the energy performance relegating indoor air quality and thermal comfort to the background. This paper focuses on the analysis of the preliminary results on experiments performed in a real test room to evaluate the CO2 distribution within a single zone. The strategy is to include the concerns regarding indoor air quality in a global framework where weather forecast, users’ actions and building simulation will be combined in a real-time predictive methodology. The experiments included the evaluation of the air change rate using metabolic-related CO2 as tracer gas into the test room. The attained results show an average air change rate value of 0.55h−1. Moreover, the variability of the CO2 concentration throughout the space was also analysed for different positions, using CO2 data loggers calibrated as the reference and real-time sensors. It was concluded that no optimal position of sensors was observed for a single zone, due to the small swing attained for different sensors positions.
Machine learning-based modeling and controller tuning of a heat pump
Authors: Khosravi Mohammad , Schmid Nicolas , Eichler Annika , Heer Philipp , Smith Roy S.
Published: November 2019

In this paper, we consider the problem of controller tuning for an operating unit in a building energy system. The illustrative example used here is a real heat pump located in the NEST building at Empa, Dubendorf, Zurich, with its outflow temperature controlled by a PI-controller. The plant is in use and accordingly, intervening in its normal operation is not allowed. Moreover, the model of plant is not available or it can be changed due to aging or possible modification. Accordingly, it is desired to utilize a tuning method which is model-free, operates online, does not intervene with the normal operation of the plant and use only the available historical measurement data. Additionally, it is required to guarantee the safety of the plant during the tuning procedure. In this regard, we formulate the controller tuning problem as a black-box optimization and adopt a safe Bayesian optimization approach for controller parameters tuning. In order to assess numerically the performances of the scheme, first we model the plant as a nonlinear ARX model in form of a feedforward neural network. Subsequently, we train the neural network using the available historical measurement data. Finally, the obtained model is used as an oracle in the controller tuning procedure in order to numerically verify the effectivity of the proposed approach.