bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Comparative Study of Continuum and Structural Modelling Approaches to Simulate Bone Adaptation in the Pelvic Construct
Authors: Zaharie Dan T. , Phillips Andrew T.M.
Published: August 2019

This study presents the development of a number of finite element (FE) models of the pelvis using different continuum and structural modelling approaches. Four FE models were developed using different modelling approaches: continuum isotropic, continuum orthotropic, hybrid isotropic and hybrid orthotropic. The models were subjected to an iterative adaptation process based on the Mechanostat principle. Each model was adapted to a number of common daily living activities (walking, stair ascent, stair descent, sit-to-stand and stand-to-sit) by applying onto it joint and muscle loads derived using a musculoskeletal modelling framework. The resulting models, along with a structural model previously developed by the authors, were compared visually in terms of bone architecture, and their response to a single load case was compared to a continuum FE model derived from computed tomography (CT) imaging data. The main findings of this study were that the continuum orthotropic model was the closest to the CT derived model in terms of load response albeit having less total bone volume, suggesting that the role of material directionality in influencing the maximum orthotropic Young’s modulus should be included in continuum bone adaptation models. In addition, the hybrid models, where trabecular and cortical bone were distinguished, had similar outcomes, suggesting that the approach to modelling trabecular bone is less influential when the cortex is modelled separately.
Phthalates Exposure and Occupational Symptoms among Slovakian Hairdressing Apprentices
Authors: Kolena Branislav , Petrovicova Ida , Sidlovska Miroslava , Hlisnikova Henrieta , Tomasovova Eliska , Zoldakova Veronika , Trajtelova Hana , Rybansky Lubomir , Wimmerova Sona , Trnovec Tomas
Published: August 2019

The objectives of the study were to examine occupational exposure to phthalates of hairdressing apprentices from Slovakia (n = 74, 89.2% females; 10.8% males), outcomes related to body composition and pulmonary functions. We used high-performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry to the quantified urinary concentration of phthalates. Pulmonary function test (PFT), anthropometric measurements, and questionnaire were also conducted. We observed a decrease of % of predicted values of forced vital capacity (FVC% of PV) related exposure to mono(2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl) phthalate (MEOHP; p = 0.054) and sum of bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate metabolites (∑DEHP; p = 0.037), and a decrease of % of predicted values of vital capacity (VC% of PV) related to exposure to MEOHP, ∑DEHP (p = 0.008), and mono(2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl) phthalate (MEHHP; p = 0.014) in females. We detected associations between forced vital capacity (FVC) with weight (p = 0.002) and fat-free mass index (FFMI, p = 0.010). Vital capacity (VC) and VC% of PV increased with weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC), waist-hip ratio (WHR), the waist-height ratio (WHtR), fat mass index (FMI) and FFMI in females (p ≤ 0.014). Results of multivariate regression between PFT and anthropometric parameters adjusted to phthalates indicated exposure to MnBP and MEHP, changing body structure (BMI and FMI), subsequently affecting values of FEV1/FVC.
Surface Erosion Analysis for Thermal Insulation Materials of Graphite and Carbon–Carbon Composite
Authors: Kim Youngin , Cho Jeongho
Published: August 2019

A rocket uses fuel and oxidizers to generate propulsion by combustion and ejection, and is used for space exploration aircrafts, weapons, and satellite launches. In particular, the nozzle generating thrust of solid-propellant rockets is exposed to a high-temperature and high-pressure environment with erosion occurring from the combustion gas. When erosion occurs on the nozzle throat of such a rocket, it has a great impact on the flight performance such as reaching distance and flight speed. Many studies have been conducted to characterize erosion based on the thermochemical erosion model, since it has become important to choose nozzle materials suitable for such environments having robustness against combustion gasses of high temperature and high pressure. However, there is a limit to fully analyze the erosion characteristics only by the thermochemical erosion model. In this paper, we thus consider the mechanical erosion model with the thermochemical model for better understanding of erosion characteristics and investigate the thermochemical and mechanical erosion characteristics of nozzle throat heat-resistant materials made of graphite and carbon–carbon composites; the main factors affecting erosion are discussed by comparing the results of the experimental and theoretical models.
Effect of the Inclination Angle on the Steady-State Heat Transfer Performance of a Thermosyphon
Authors: Wu Yafeng , Zhang Zhe , Li Wenbin , Xu Daochun
Published: August 2019

A two-phase closed thermosyphon is an efficient heat transfer element. The heat transfer process of this type of thermosyphon includes conduction and convective heat transfer accompanied by phase changes. Variations in the inclination angle of a thermosyphon affect the steady-state heat transfer performance of the device. Therefore, the inclination angle is an important factor affecting the performance of a thermosyphon. In this paper, an equation for the actual heating area variations with respect to the inclination angle is deduced, and a model for the areal thermal resistance of a thermosyphon is proposed by analyzing the main influence mechanisms of the inclination angle on the heat transfer process. The experimental results show that the areal thermal resistance, which accounts for the effect of the actual heating area, does not change with respect to the inclination angle and exhibits a linear relationship with the heat transfer rate. The thermal resistance equation is fit according to the experimental data when the inclination angle of the thermosyphon is vertically oriented (90°), and the predicted values of the thermosyphon’s thermal resistance are obtained when the thermosyphon is inclined. The deviations between the experimental data and predicted values are less than ±0.05. Therefore, the theoretical equation can accurately predict the thermosyphon’s thermal resistance at different inclination angles.
Development of a Smart Cyber-Physical Manufacturing System in the Industry 4.0 Context
Authors: Tran Ngoc-Hien , Park Hong-Seok , Nguyen Quang-Vinh , Hoang Tien-Dung
Published: August 2019

The complexity and dynamic of the manufacturing environment are growing due to the changes of manufacturing demand from mass production to mass customization that require variable product types, small lot sizes, and a short lead-time to market. Currently, the automatic manufacturing systems are suitable for mass production. To cope with the changes of the manufacturing environment, the paper proposes the model and technologies for developing a smart cyber-physical manufacturing system (Smart-CPMS). The transformation of the actual manufacturing systems to the Smart-CPMS is considered as the next generation of manufacturing development in Industry 4.0. The Smart-CPMS has advanced characteristics inspired from biology such as self-organization, self-diagnosis, and self-healing. These characteristics ensure that the Smart-CPMS is able to adapt with continuously changing manufacturing requirements. The model of Smart-CPMS is inherited from the organization of living systems in biology and nature. Consequently, in the Smart-CPMS, each resource on the shop floor such as machines, robots, transporters, and so on, is an autonomous entity, namely a cyber-physical system (CPS) which is equipped with cognitive capabilities such as perception, reasoning, learning, and cooperation. The Smart-CPMS adapts to the changes of manufacturing environment by the interaction among CPSs without external intervention. The CPS implementation uses the cognitive agent technology. Internet of things (IoT) with wireless networks, radio frequency identification (RFID), and sensor networks are used as information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure for carrying out the Smart-CPMS.
A Multi-Factor Approach for Selection of Developers to Fix Bugs in a Program
Authors: Guo Shikai , Chen Shifei , Wang Siwen , Zhang Decheng , Liu Yaqing , Guo Chen , Li Hui , Li Tingting
Published: August 2019

In a software tracking system, the bug assignment problem refers to the activities that developers perform during software maintenance to fix bugs. As many bugs are submitted on a daily basis, the number of developers required is quite large, and it therefore becomes difficult to assign the right developers to resolve issues with specific bugs. Inappropriate dispatches results in delayed processing of bug reports. In this paper, we propose an algorithm called ABC-DR to solve the bug assignment problem. The ABC-DR algorithm is a two-part composite approach that includes analysis between bug reports (i.e., B-based analysis) and analysis between developers and bug reports (i.e., D-based analysis). For analysis between bug reports, we use the multi-label k-nearest neighbor (ML-KNN) algorithm to find similar bug reports when compared with the new bug reports, and the developers who analyze similar bug reports recommend developers for the new bug report. For analysis between developers and bug reports, we find developer rankings similar to the new bug report by calculating the relevance scores between developers and similar bug reports. We use the artificial bee colony (ABC) algorithm to calculate the weight of each part. We evaluated the proposed algorithms on three datasets—GCC, Mozilla, and NetBeans—comparing ABC-DR with DevRec, DREX, and Bugzie. The experimental results show that the proposed ABC-DR algorithm achieves the highest improvement of 51.2% and 53.56% over DevRec for recall@5 and recall@10 in the NetBeans dataset.
Fault Parameter Estimation Using Adaptive Fuzzy Fading Kalman Filter
Authors: Kim Donggil , Lee Dongik
Published: August 2019

Early detection and diagnosis of wind turbine faults is critical for applying a possible maintenance and control strategy to avoid catastrophic incidents. This paper presents a novel method to estimate the parameter of faults in a wind turbine. In this work, the estimation of fault parameters is reformulated as the state estimation problem by augmenting the parameters as an additional state. The novelty of the proposed method lies in the use of an adaptive fuzzy fading algorithm for the adaptive Kalman filter so that the convergence property during the estimation of fault parameter can be improved. The performance of the proposed method is evaluated through a set of numerical simulations with both linear and non-linear models.
Opportunities for Integrating Underground Railways into Low Carbon Urban Energy Networks: A Review
Authors: Lagoeiro Henrique , Revesz Akos , Davies Gareth , Maidment Graeme , Curry Daniel , Faulks Gareth , Murawa Michal
Published: August 2019

Cities demand vast amounts of energy for their everyday operation, resulting in significant degradation of energy in the form of heat in the urban environment. This leads to high cooling requirements in cities, while also presenting the opportunity to reuse such waste heat in order to provide low-carbon heating for buildings and processes. Among the many potential energy sources that could be exploited in urban areas, underground railway tunnels are particularly attractive, as the operation of the trains produce considerable amounts of heat throughout the year. This paper reviews how secondary energy sources in urban areas can be integrated into heating and cooling networks, with emphasis on underground rail tunnels. This involves investigating potential urban waste heat sources and the existing state-of-the-art technologies that could be applied to efficiently recover this secondary energy, as well as analyzing how district heating and cooling networks have been a key mechanism to allow for a smooth transition from current fossil fuel based to future low-carbon energy sources.
Smartphone-Based Point-of-Care Cholesterol Blood Test Performance Evaluation Compared with a Clinical Diagnostic Laboratory Method
Authors: Yun Kyongsik , Choi Jaekyu , Song In-Uk , Chung Yong-An
Published: August 2019

Managing blood cholesterol levels is important for the treatment and prevention of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and obesity. An easy-to-use, portable cholesterol blood test could accelerate more frequent testing by patients and at-risk populations. We aim to evaluate the performance of smartphone-based point-of-care cholesterol blood tests compared to that of hospital-grade laboratory tests. We used smartphone systems that are already familiar to many people. Because smartphone systems can be carried around everywhere, blood can be measured easily and frequently. We compared the results of cholesterol tests with those of existing clinical diagnostic laboratory methods. We found that smartphone-based point-of-care lipid blood tests were as accurate as hospital-grade laboratory tests (N = 116, R > 0.97, p < 0.001 for all three cholesterol blood tests, i.e., total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein, and triglyceride). Our system could be useful for those who need to manage blood cholesterol levels to motivate them to track and control their behavior.
Projections of Alpine Snow-Cover in a High-Resolution Climate Simulation
Authors: Lüthi Samuel , Ban Nikolina , Kotlarski Sven , Steger Christian R. , Jonas Tobias , Schär Christoph
Published: August 2019

The recent development of high-resolution climate models offers a promising approach in improving the simulation of precipitation, clouds and temperature. However, higher grid spacing is also a promising feature to improve the simulation of snow cover. In particular, it provides a refined representation of topography and allows for an explicit simulation of convective precipitation processes. In this study we analyze the snow cover in a set of decade-long high-resolution climate simulation with horizontal grid spacing of 2.2 km over the greater Alpine region. Results are compared against observations and lower resolution models (12 and 50 km), which use parameterized convection. The simulations are integrated using the COSMO (Consortium for Small-Scale Modeling) model. The evaluation of snow water equivalent (SWE) in the simulation of present-day climate, driven by the ERA-Interim reanalysis, against an observational dataset, reveals that the high-resolution simulation clearly outperforms simulations with grid spacing of 12 and 50 km. The latter simulations underestimate the cumulative amount of SWE over Switzerland over the whole annual cycle by 33% (12 km simulation) and 56% (50 km simulation) while the high-resolution simulation shows a spatially and temporally averaged difference of less than 1%. Scenario simulations driven by GCM MPI-ESM-LR (2081–2090 RCP8.5 vs. 1991–2000) reveal a strong decrease of SWE over the Alps, consistent with previous studies. Previous studies had found that the relative decrease becomes gradually smaller with elevation, but this finding was limited to low and intermediate altitudes (as a 12 km simulation resolves the topography up to 2500 m). In the current study we find that the height gradient reverses sign, and relative reductions in snow cover increases above 3000 m asl, where important parts of the cryosphere are present. In addition, the simulations project a transition from permanent to seasonal snow cover at high altitudes, with potentially important impacts to Alpine permafrost. This transition and the more pronounced decline of SWE emphasize the value of the higher grid spacing. Overall, we show that high-resolution climate models offer a promising approach in improving the simulation of snow cover in Alpine terrain.
Characteristics of Oceanic Warm Cloud Layers within Multilevel Cloud Systems Derived by Satellite Measurements
Authors: Ding Yuhao , Liu Qi , Lao Ping
Published: August 2019

Low-level warm clouds are a major component in multilayered cloud systems and they are generally hidden from the top-down view of satellites with passive measurements. This study conducts an investigation on oceanic warm clouds embedded in multilayered structures by using spaceborne radar data with fine vertical resolution. The occurrences of warm cloud overlapping and the geometric features of several kinds of warm cloud layers are examined. It is found that there are three main types of cloud systems that involve warm cloud layers, including warm single layer clouds, cold-warm double layer clouds, and warm-warm double layer clouds. The two types of double layer clouds account for 23% and in the double layer occurrences warm-warm double layer subsets contribute about 13%. The global distribution patterns of these three types differ from each other. Single-layer warm clouds and the lower warm clouds in the cold-warm double layer system they have nearly identical geometric parameters, while the upper and lower layer warm clouds in the warm-warm double layer system are distinct from the previous two forms of warm cloud layers. In contrast to the independence of the two cloud layers in cold-warm double layer system, the two kinds of warm cloud layers in the warm-warm double layer system may be coupled. The distance between the two layers in the warm-warm double layer system is weakly dependent on cloud thickness. Given the upper and lower cloud layer with moderate thickness of around 1 km, the cloudless gap reaches its maximum when exceeding 600 m. The cloudless gap decreases in thickness as the two cloud layers become even thinner or thicker.
Wood-Based Cellulose Nanofibrils: Haemocompatibility and Impact on the Development and Behaviour of Drosophila melanogaster
Authors: Mishra Pawan Kumar , Ekielski Adam , Mukherjee Sumit , Sahu Swetapadma , Chowdhury Saptarshi , Mishra Monalisa , Talegaonkar Sushama , Siddiqui Lubna , Mishra Harshita
Published: August 2019

Wood-based cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) offer an excellent scaffold for drug-delivery formulation development. However, toxicity and haemocompatibility of the drug carrier is always an important issue. In this study, toxicity-related issues of CNF were addressed. Different doses of CNF were orally administered to Drosophila and different tests like the developmental cycle, trypan blue exclusion assay, larva crawling assay, thermal sensitivity assay, cold sensitivity assay, larval light preference test, climbing behaviour, nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) reduction assay, adult phenotype, and adult weight were conducted to observe the impact on its development and behaviour. A haemocompatibility assay was done on the blood taken from healthy Wistar rats. In Drosophila, the abnormalities in larval development and behaviour were observed in the behavioural assays. However, the cytotoxic effect could not be confirmed by the gut staining and level of reactive oxygen species. The larvae developed into an adult without any abnormality in the phenotype. The CNF did cause loss of weight in the adult flies and did not cause much toxicity within the body since there was no phenotypic defect. Hemolysis data also suggested that CNF was safe at lower doses, as the data was well within acceptable limits. All these results suggest that cellulose nanofibres have no significant cytotoxic effects on Drosophila. However, the developmental and behavioural abnormalities suggest that CNF may act as a behavioural teratogen.
Identification of SWI2/SNF2-Related 1 Chromatin Remodeling Complex (SWR1-C) Subunits in Pineapple and the Role of Pineapple SWR1 COMPLEX 6 (AcSWC6) in Biotic and Abiotic Stress Response
Authors: Jakada Bello Hassan , Aslam Mohammad , Fakher Beenish , Greaves Joseph G. , Li Zeyun , Li Weimin , Lai Linyi , Ayoade Oyekunle Adenike , Cheng Yan , Cao Shijiang , Li Gang , Hu Jer-Ming , Qin Yuan
Published: August 2019

Chromatin remodeling complex orchestrates numerous aspects of growth and development in eukaryotes. SWI2/SNF2-Related 1 chromatin remodeling complex (SWR1-C) is a member of the SWI/SNF ATPase-containing chromatin remodeling complex responsible for the exchange of H2A for H2A.Z. In plants, SWR1-C plays a crucial role by transcriptionally regulating numerous biological and developmental processes. However, SWR1-C activity remains obscure in pineapple. Here, we aim to identify the SWR1-C subunits in pineapple. By genome-wide identification, we found a total of 11 SWR1-C subunits in the pineapple. The identified SWR1-C subunits were named and classified based on the sequence similarity and phylogenetic analysis. RNA-Seq analysis showed that pineapple SWR1-C subunits are expressed differentially in different organs and at different stages. Additionally, the qRT-PCR of pineapple SWR1-C subunits during abiotic stress exposure showed significant changes in their expression. We further investigated the functions of pineapple SWR1 COMPLEX 6 (AcSWC6) by ectopically expressing it in Arabidopsis. Interestingly, transgenic plants ectopically expressing AcSWC6 showed susceptibility to fungal infection and enhanced resistance to salt and osmotic stress, revealing its involvement in biotic and abiotic stress. Moreover, the complementation of mutant Arabidopsis swc6 by pineapple SWC6 suggested the conserved function of SWC6 in plants.
Tailor-Made Detection of Individual Phosphorylated and Non-Phosphorylated EPIYA-Motifs of Helicobacter pylori Oncoprotein CagA
Authors: Pachathundikandi Suneesh Kumar , Gutiérrez-Escobar Andrés Julián , Tegtmeyer Nicole
Published: August 2019

The gastric pathogen and carcinogen Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) encodes a type IV secretion system for translocation of the effector protein CagA into host cells. Injected CagA becomes tyrosine-phosphorylated at the five amino acid residue Glutamate-Proline- Isoleucine-Tyrosine-Alanine (EPIYA)-sequence motifs. These phosphorylated EPIYA-sites represent recognition motifs for binding of multiple host factors, which then manipulate signaling pathways to trigger gastric disease. Thus, efficient detection of single phosphorylated EPIYA-motifs in CagA is required. Detection of phospho-CagA is primarily performed using commercial pan-phosphotyrosine antibodies. However, those antibodies were originally generated to recognize many phosphotyrosines in various mammalian proteins and are not optimized for use in bacteria. To address this important limitation, we synthesized 11-mer phospho- and non-phospho-peptides from EPIYA-motifs A, B, and C, and produced three phospho-specific and three non-phospho-specific rabbit polyclonal CagA antibodies. These antibodies specifically recognized the corresponding phosphorylated and non-phosphorylated EPIYA-motifs, while the EPIYA-C antibodies also recognized the related East-Asian EPIYA-D motif. Otherwise, no cross-reactivity of the antibodies among EPIYAs was observed. Western blotting demonstrated that each EPIYA-motif can be predominantly phosphorylated during H. pylori infection. This represents the first complete set of phospho-specific antibodies for an effector protein in bacteria, providing useful tools to gather information for the categorization of CagA phosphorylation, cancer signaling, and gastric disease progression.
Effect of Chlorine-Containing VOCs on Silver Migration and Sintering in ZSM-5 Used in a TSA Process
Authors: Monpezat Arnaud , Couchaux Gabriel , Thomas Vincent , Artheix Antoine , Deliere Ludovic , Gréau Claire , Topin Sylvain , Coasne Benoit , Roiban Lucian , Cardenas Luis , Farrusseng David
Published: August 2019

Silver nanoparticles are currently one of the most studied nanostructured nanomaterials. Because nanoparticle size and dispersion act together in determining a material’s physical and chemical properties, there is a continuous quest to develop size-controlled synthesis methods. Nonetheless, the instability of the nanometer-sized particles, which is caused by their tendency to aggregate irreversibly into larger particles, remains a recurrent problem. The use of confining scaffolds, such as the regular system of cages in a crystalline zeolite-type material, is often reported in the literature as an efficient solution to overcome particle migration at the surface. Silver nanoparticles encapsulated in ZSM-5 (Ag@ZSM-5) represent a new generation of adsorbent for Xe enrichment from the atmosphere that is currently being developed at the pilot scale in a Temperature Swing Adsorption (TSA) process. In this study, we have found that the presence of Cl-containing compounds in the air (VOCs) leads to a poisoning of the active silver phase by the formation of silver chloride. By a careful study of process parameters, we have found that most of the chlorine can be removed by heat treatment above 573 K so that the adsorption properties of silver are regenerated. That said, when applying 573 K temperature regeneration at the pilot scale, we observe a very minor but observable decay of xenon adsorption capacity that continues cycle after cycle. The mechanism of capacity decay is discussed in terms of (i) the residual presence of Cl at the surface of silver nanoparticles, (ii) the aggregation of silver nanoparticles into larger particles (sintering mechanism), and (iii) the acceleration of silver particle migration to the surface and sintering.
Molecular Characterization of Circulating Tumor Cells Enriched by A Microfluidic Platform in Patients with Small-Cell Lung Cancer
Authors: Obermayr Eva , Agreiter Christiane , Schuster Eva , Fabikan Hannah , Weinlinger Christoph , Baluchova Katarina , Hamilton Gerhard , Hochmair Maximilian , Zeillinger Robert
Published: August 2019

At initial diagnosis, most patients with small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) present with metastatic disease with a high number of tumor cells (CTCs) circulating in the blood. We analyzed RNA transcripts specific for neuroendocrine and for epithelial cell lineages, and Notch pathway delta-like 3 ligand (DLL3), the actionable target of rovalpituzumab tesirine (Rova-T) in CTC samples. Peripheral blood samples from 48 SCLC patients were processed using the microfluidic Parsortix™ technology to enrich the CTCs. Blood samples from 26 healthy donors processed in the same way served as negative controls. The isolated cells were analyzed for the presence of above-mentioned transcripts using quantitative PCR. In total, 16/51 (31.4%) samples were CTC-positive as determined by the expression of epithelial cell adhesion molecule 1 (EpCAM), cytokeratin 19 (CK19), chromogranin A (CHGA), and/or synaptophysis (SYP). The epithelial cell lineage-specific EpCAM and/or CK19 gene expression was observed in 11 (21.6%) samples, and positivity was not associated with impaired survival. The neuroendocrine cell lineage-specific CHGA and/or SYP were positive in 13 (25.5%) samples, and positivity was associated with poor overall survival. DLL3 transcripts were observed in four (7.8%) SCLC blood samples and DLL3-positivity was similarly associated with poor overall survival (OS). CTCs in SCLC patients can be assessed using epithelial and neuroendocrine cell lineage markers at the molecular level. Thus, the implementation of liquid biopsy may improve the management of lung cancer patients, in terms of a faster diagnosis, patient stratification, and on-treatment therapy monitoring.
Size Dependency of Circulation and Biodistribution of Biomimetic Nanoparticles: Red Blood Cell Membrane-Coated Nanoparticles
Authors: Li Haichun , Jin Kai , Luo Man , Wang Xuejun , Zhu Xiaowen , Liu Xianping , Jiang Ting , Zhang Qin , Wang Sheng , Pang Zhiqing
Published: August 2019

Recently, biomimetic nanoparticles, especially cell membrane-cloaked nanoparticles, have attracted increasing attention in biomedical applications, including antitumor therapy, detoxification, and immune modulation, by imitating the structure and the function of biological systems such as long circulation life in the blood. However, the circulation time of cell membrane-cloaked nanoparticles is far less than that of the original cells, greatly limiting their biomedical applications, while the underlying reasons are seldom demonstrated. In this study, the influence of particle size on the circulation and the biodistribution of red blood cell membrane-coated nanoparticles (RBC-NPs) as model biomimetic nanoparticles were investigated. Differently sized RBC-NPs (80, 120, 160, and 200 nm) were prepared by fusing RBC membranes on poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticles. It was shown that the particle size did not change the cellular uptake of these biomimetic nanoparticles by macrophage cells in vitro and their immunogenic responses in vivo. However, their circulation life in vivo decreased with the particle size, while their accumulation in the liver increased with the particle size, which might be related to their size-dependent filtration through hepatic sinusoids. These findings will provide experimental evidence for the design and the optimization of biomimetic nanoparticles.
Heat Stress-Induced Multiple Multipolar Divisions of Human Cancer Cells
Authors: Chen Shaoyong , Liu Mingyue , Huang Huiming , Li Bo , Zhao Hucheng , Feng Xi-Qiao , Zhao Hong-Ping
Published: August 2019

Multipolar divisions of heated cells has long been thought to stem from centrosome aberrations of cells directly caused by heat stress. In this paper, through long-term live-cell imaging, we provide direct cellular evidences to demonstrate that heat stress can promote multiple multipolar divisions of MGC-803 and MCF-7 cells. Our results show that, besides facilitating centrosome aberration, polyploidy induced by heat stress is another mechanism that causes multipolar cell divisions, in which polyploid cancer cells engendered by mitotic slippage, cytokinesis failure, and cell fusion. Furthermore, we also find that the fates of theses polyploid cells depend on their origins, in the sense that the polyploid cells generated by mitotic slippage experience bipolar divisions with a higher rate than multipolar divisions, while those polyploid cells induced by both cytokinesis failure and cell fusion have a higher frequency of multipolar divisions compared with bipolar divisions. This work indicates that heat stress-induced multiple multipolar divisions of cancer cells usually produce aneuploid daughter cells, and might lead to genetically unstable cancer cells and facilitate tumor heterogeneity.
Paraimmunobiotic Bifidobacteria Modulate the Expression Patterns of Peptidoglycan Recognition Proteins in Porcine Intestinal Epitheliocytes and Antigen Presenting Cells
Authors: Iida Hikaru , Tohno Masanori , Islam Md. Aminul , Sato Nana , Kobayashi Hisakazu , Albarracin Leonardo , Kober AKM Humayun , Ikeda-Ohtsubo Wakako , Suda Yoshihito , Aso Hisashi , Nochi Tomonori , Miyazaki Ayako , Uenishi Hirohide , Iwabuchi Noriyuki , Xiao Jin-zhong , Villena Julio , Kitazawa Haruki
Published: August 2019

Peptidoglycan recognition proteins (PGLYRPs) are a family of pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) that are able to induce innate immune responses through their binding to peptidoglycan (PGN), lipopolysaccharide, or lipoteichoic acid, or by interacting with other PRR-ligands. Recently, progress has been made in understanding the immunobiology of PGLYRPs in human and mice, however, their functions in livestock animals have been less explored. In this study, we characterized the expression patterns of PGLYRPs in porcine intestinal epithelial (PIE) cells and antigen-presenting cells (APCs) and their modulation by the interactions of host cells with PRR-ligands and non-viable immunomodulatory probiotics referred to as paraimmunobiotics. We demonstrated that PGLYRP-1, -2, -3, and -4 are expressed in PIE cells and APCs from Peyer’s patches, being PGLYPR-3 and -4 levels higher than PGLYRP-1 and -2. We also showed that PGLYRPs expression in APCs and PIE cells can be modulated by different PRR agonists. By using knockdown PIE cells for TLR2, TLR4, NOD1, and NOD2, or the four PGLYRPs, we demonstrated that PGLYRPs expressions would be required for activation and functioning of TLR2, TLR4, NOD1, and NOD2 in porcine epitheliocytes, but PGLYRPs activation would be independent of those PRR expressions. Importantly, we reported for the first time that PGLYRPs expression can be differentially modulated by paraimmunobiotic bifidobacteria in a strain-dependent manner. These results provide evidence for the use of paraimmunobiotic bifidobacteria as an alternative for the improvement of resistance to intestinal infections or as therapeutic tools for the reduction of the severity of inflammatory damage in diseases in which a role of PGLYRPs-microbe interaction has been demonstrated.
RNN-ABC: A New Swarm Optimization Based Technique for Anomaly Detection
Authors: Qureshi Ayyaz-Ul-Haq , Larijani Hadi , Mtetwa Nhamoinesu , Javed Abbas , Ahmad Jawad
Published: August 2019

The exponential growth of internet communications and increasing dependency of users upon software-based systems for most essential, everyday applications has raised the importance of network security. As attacks are on the rise, cybersecurity should be considered as a prime concern while developing new networks. In the past, numerous solutions have been proposed for intrusion detection; however, many of them are computationally expensive and require high memory resources. In this paper, we propose a new intrusion detection system using a random neural network and an artificial bee colony algorithm (RNN-ABC). The model is trained and tested with the benchmark NSL-KDD data set. Accuracy and other metrics, such as the sensitivity and specificity of the proposed RNN-ABC, are compared with the traditional gradient descent algorithm-based RNN. While the overall accuracy remains at 95.02%, the performance is also estimated in terms of mean of the mean squared error (MMSE), standard deviation of MSE (SDMSE), best mean squared error (BMSE), and worst mean squared error (WMSE) parameters, which further confirms the superiority of the proposed scheme over the traditional methods.
Pricing Interval European Option with the Principle of Maximum Entropy
Authors: Liu Xiao , Zhou Rongxi , Xiong Yahui , Yang Yuexiang
Published: August 2019

This paper develops the interval maximum entropy model for the interval European option valuation by estimating an underlying asset distribution. The refined solution for the model is obtained by the Lagrange multiplier. The particle swarm optimization algorithm is applied to calculate the density function of the underlying asset, which can be utilized to price the Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE) 50 Exchange Trades Funds (ETF) option of China and the Boeing stock option of the United States. Results show that maximum entropy distribution provides precise estimations for the underlying asset of interval number situations. In this way, we can get the distribution of the underlying assets and apply it to the interval European option pricing in the financial market.
From the Hidden Protest of Students towards Problem-Based Learning
Authors: Duarte José , Robert Nogueira João
Published: August 2019

This paper presents protests from academically successful students who privately conveyed to the researchers their feelings of personal discontent with schools. The criterion to select this “sample” was that these students, dissatisfied with school but having good marks, would reveal what others, academically less successful, could not express, by not knowing the syllabus as well as those students. However, their complaints are followed by suggestions of changes to be analyzed in this study. Our questions focused especially on the tenth grade, as this grade starts the three-year-cycle preceding university. We attempt to contribute to the issue of teacher education, by focusing on the stream of participative research in educational institutions, conducted by external researchers in cooperation with the institution’s stakeholders, students, and teachers in this study. The data analyzed for this paper came from in-depth interviews conducted, in a non-directive way, with students and their teachers. From the proposals of the students and the comments from teachers, we conclude it is crucial to substantially reduce the predominant teacher-centered methodology of verbal presentation by engaging in students’ activities, including the model of problem-based learning or alike in opposition, in order to rote memorization activities.
Biological Viral Infection Watermarking Architecture of MPEG/H.264/AVC/HEVC
Authors: Jang Bong-Joo , Lee Suk-Hwan , Lee Young-Suk , Kwon Ki-Ryong
Published: August 2019

This paper addresses the viral infectious watermarking (VIW) model using biological virus infection for a new-paradigm of video copyright protection of MPEG/H.264/AVC/HEVC. Our model aims to spread or infect the watermark to different codecs each time video contents are copied, edited, or transcoded. Thus, we regard the watermark as the infectious virus, the video content as the host, and the video codec as the contagion medium and then model pathogen, mutant, and contagion as the infectious watermark. Then, we define the techniques of viral infectious watermark generation, kernel-based VIW, and content-based VIW. Furthermore, we present a reversible VIW for fast infection in VIW model. This makes the video quality and strength be adaptively controlled in the infectious process. Experiment results verified that our VIW model can detect or recover the reversible watermark without loss in different codecs and also can maintain the quality of video content that is recovered to the same bit rate.
Research on Angle and Stiffness Cooperative Tracking Control of VSJ of Space Manipulator Based on LESO and NSFAR Control
Authors: Ye Xin , Hong Jia-Cai , Dong Zheng-Hong
Published: August 2019

With the increase in on-orbit maintenance and support requirements, the application of space manipulator is becoming more promising. However, how to control the vibration generated by the space manipulator has been a difficult problem to be solved. The advent of variable stiffness joint (VSJ) has brought about a dawn in solving this problem. But how to achieve coordinated control of joint angle and stiffness is still a problem to be solved, especially when considering system model parameter uncertainty, unknown disturbance and control input saturation. In order to realize the controllable attenuation of the vibration of the space flexible manipulator based on the variable stiffness joint, the dynamic model of the variable stiffness joint was constructed. Then the linear transformation and feedback linearization method are used to transform its complex nonlinear dynamic model system into a pseudo-linear system containing aggregate disturbance and input saturation constraints. This paper constructs a linear extended state observer (LESO) for estimating the state of unknown systems in pseudo-linear systems. Based on the idea of state feedback control, a Neural State Feedback Adaptive Robust (NSFAR) control is constructed by using Radial Basis Function Neural Network. The adaptive input saturation compensation control law is also designed by using Radial Basis Function Neural Network to deal with the input saturation compensation problem. The ultimate uniform bounded stability of the constructed system is proved by the stability analysis based on Lyapunov function. Finally, the effectiveness and superiority of the constructed tracking algorithm are verified by compared simulation and semi-physical experiment.
Mathematical Modeling of the Working Conditions of the Ship’s Utilization Boiler in Order to Evaluate Its Performance
Authors: Tuński Tomasz , Behrendt Cezary , Szczepanek Marcin
Published: August 2019

The paper presents a mathematical model allowing the determination of the amount of saturated steam produced in marine water tube boilers and smoke tube boilers. The mathematical model includes the impact of the exhaust gas temperature and its amount, ambient temperature, engine power load, and location of boiler tubes. In addition to the amount of steam generated in a boiler, it is also feasible to establish flow resistance of the exhaust gas in the boiler determined by the boiler tubes’ arrangement and the thickness of scale deposits and the exhaust gas temperature after the exhaust gas boiler. Due to the model universality, it may be applied not only to make calculations for existing boilers, but also to perform numerical experiments in order to determine the amount of steam produced by the entire range of boilers used in the waste heat recovery systems in power marine systems and the adopted limit values, such as exhaust gas flow resistance and their temperature, after the boiler. The reliability of the obtained results has been revised by comparing them with the outcomes of the experiments performed on the ships.
Electrical Treeing in Power Cable Insulation under Harmonics Superimposed on Unfiltered HVDC Voltages
Authors: Azizian Fard Mehrtash , Farrag Mohamed Emad , Reid Alistair , Al-Naemi Faris
Published: August 2019

Insulation degradation is an irreversible phenomenon that can potentially lead to failure of power cable systems. This paper describes the results of an experimental investigation into the influence of direct current (DC) superimposed with harmonic voltages on both partial discharge (PD) activity and electrical tree (ET) phenomena within polymeric insulations. The test samples were prepared from a high voltage direct current (HVDC) cross linked polyethylene (XLPE) power cable. A double electrode arrangement was employed to produce divergent electric fields within the test samples that could possibly result in formation of electrical trees. The developed ETs were observed via an optical method and, at the same time, the emanating PD pulses were measured using conventional techniques. The results show a tenable relation between ETs, PD activities, and the level of harmonic voltages. An increase in harmonic levels has a marked effect on development of electrical trees as the firing angle increases, which also leads to higher activity of partial discharges. This study of the influencing operational parameters of HVDC converters on power cable insulation is predicted to contribute to enhancements in cable design and progressive advancement in condition monitoring and insulation diagnostic techniques that can lead to more effective asset management in HVDC systems.
Electric Vehicles for Public Transportation in Power Systems: A Review of Methodologies
Authors: Clairand Jean-Michel , Guerra-Terán Paulo , Serrano-Guerrero Xavier , González-Rodríguez Mario , Escrivá-Escrivá Guillermo
Published: August 2019

The market for electric vehicles (EVs) has grown with each year, and EVs are considered to be a proper solution for the mitigation of urban pollution. So far, not much attention has been devoted to the use of EVs for public transportation, such as taxis and buses. However, a massive introduction of electric taxis (ETs) and electric buses (EBs) could generate issues in the grid. The challenges are different from those of private EVs, as their required load is much higher and the related time constraints must be considered with much more attention. These issues have begun to be studied within the last few years. This paper presents a review of the different approaches that have been proposed by various authors, to mitigate the impact of EBs and ETs on the future smart grid. Furthermore, some projects with regard to the integration of ETs and EBs around the world are presented. Some guidelines for future works are also proposed.
Control Strategies Applied to Wave Energy Converters: State of the Art
Authors: Maria-Arenas Aleix , Garrido Aitor J. , Rusu Eugen , Garrido Izaskun
Published: August 2019

Wave energy’s path towards commercialization requires maximizing reliability, survivability, an improvement in energy harvested from the wave and efficiency of the wave to wire conversion. In this sense, control strategies directly impact the survivability and safe operation of the device, as well as the ability to harness the energy from the wave. For example, tuning the device’s natural frequency to the incoming wave allows resonance mode operation and amplifies the velocity, which has a quadratic proportionality to the extracted energy. In this article, a review of the main control strategies applied in wave energy conversion is presented along their corresponding power take-off (PTO) systems.
Effect of Morphology and Mechanical Stability of Nanometric Platinum Layer on Nickel Foam for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction
Authors: Milazzo Rachela G. , Privitera Stefania M. S. , Scalese Silvia , Lombardo Salvatore A.
Published: August 2019

Platinum thin films are deposited on open-cell nickel foam with porosity of 95% via spontaneous galvanic displacement. Ni foams with different morphologies and pore size are compared and characterized by electrochemical and structural analysis techniques. The effect of Pt coating on the electrochemical activity is studied by using the Pt coated foam as electrode material for hydrogen evolution reaction in an aqueous alkaline electrolyte. The electrocatalytic activity of the electrodes is evaluated using linear sweep voltammetry curves and Tafel plots as a function of deposition time. The comparison with scanning electron microscopy analyses demonstrates that the catalytic activity has a maximum when the platinum film completely covers the Ni surface. The further increase of the Pt thickness leads to mechanical instability with crack formation and delamination. The effect of the foam morphology on the Pt deposition rate has been evaluated and discussed, determining the minimum Pt amount required to achieve the maximum electrochemical activity, as well as the maximum thickness in order to assure stable characteristics before delamination occurs.
From Transient to Sedentary? Changes in the Home Range Size and Environmental Patterns of Movements of European Eels (Anguilla anguilla) in a Mediterranean River
Authors: Herrera Mercedes , Moreno-Valcárcel Raquel , De Miguel Rubio Ramón , Fernández-Delgado Carlos
Published: August 2019

The habitat use of eels during the development of sedentary behavior, which depends on the animals’ body size, is unknown. Our objective was to analyze, for two years, the changes in the home range of a population of European eel (Anguilla anguilla, Linnaeus, 1758) in Southern Europe in relation to the animals’ body length (TL), and the influence of environmental factors (water temperature and flow) on the local movements of this population through observation of their sedentary behavior. We used a previously-validated mark–recapture methodology, obtaining a low deviation in the estimation of the extension of the eels’ movements. Our results revealed relatively short movements in relation to other populations, and we hypothesize that this could be related to the high habitat diversity and low eel population density in the study area. The home range size showed a high variability and dispersion among the smallest eels, however, as TL increased, the variability of home range size decreased, and home ranges were larger. These changes could be associated with the acquisition of a sedentary lifestyle. Once eels had become sedentary, an environmental pattern was observed between their movements and the water temperature and flow, with larger movements observed as the flow increased and water temperature decreased. This suggests that the temporal and spatial scales of observation are of crucial importance for monitoring eel populations and for the study of population size structure, population dynamics, and biology, which can be used to improve conservation strategies.