bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Skapa samhörighet på fritidshem
Authors: Elvstrand Helene , Altberg Lena , Rydén Lina , Svahn Monika
Published: February 2019

Vi är själva experter på vår egen verksamhet. Det är utgångspunkten för det aktionsforskningsprojekt som Kvinnebyskolans fritidshem har deltagit i. Projektet har utvecklat verksamheten genom en ökad samhörighet mellan våra avdelningar, vilket ska skapa större likvärdighet samt främja barnens sociala relationer.
Lärar-elev-relationens betydelse och lärarens relationskompetens
Authors: Klinge Louise
Published: February 2019

År 2013 berättade en lärarstudent för mig att hon två gånger hade kissat på sin stol medan hon gick i folkskolan. Hon var nämligen så rädd för sin matematiklärare att hon inte vågade be om lov att gå på toaletten.
Sociala processer avgör hur elever reagerar som åskådare vid mobbning
Authors: Forsberg Camilla
Published: February 2019

När elever i fjärde till sjunde klass intervjuas om hur de reagerar som åskådare till mobbning framkommer att sociala processer såsom vad som räknas som mobbning, sociala relationer och skuldbeläggande av den utsatta påverkar om de hjälper till eller inte.
Kroppsligt förankrad kognition
Authors: Jeppsson Fredrik
Published: February 2019

Varför är det mer angeläget och accepterat att jobba tvärvetenskapligt med estetiska lärprocesser och naturvetenskapliga ämnen för yngre barns lärande i skolans tidigare år än med äldre elever? Tillsammans med forskakollegor har vi i våra studier visat hur våra sinnliga kroppsliga erfarenheter har betydelse för lärande för alla åldrar.
Lärare och forskare utvecklar digital didaktisk design
Authors: Bodén Ulrika , Stenliden Linnéa , Nissen Jörgen
Published: February 2019

Hur kan en framtida digital utbildningspraktik främja elevers utveckling av kunskaper, förmågor och bildning i Hans Roslings anda? Elevers möjligheter att bidra till samhälleliga utmaningar som klimatförändringar, fattigdomsbekämpning och förbättrade levnadsvillkor behöver stärkas. I VISE-projektet arbetar lärare och forskare gemensamt för att skapa insikter i hur interaktiva datavisualiseringar kan bistå elever att analysera viktig fakta, skapa förståelse om vår värld och visuellt presentera dessa kunskaper.
An INS-UWB Based Collision Avoidance System for AGV
Authors: Sun Shunkai , Hu Jianping , Li Jie , Liu Ruidong , Shu Meng , Yang Yang
Published: February 2019

As a highly automated carrying vehicle, an automated guided vehicle (AGV) has been widely applied in various industrial areas. The collision avoidance of AGV is always a problem in factories. Current solutions such as inertial and laser guiding have low flexibility and high environmental requirements. An INS (inertial navigation system)-UWB (ultra-wide band) based AGV collision avoidance system is introduced to improve the safety and flexibility of AGV in factories. An electronic map of the factory is established and the UWB anchor nodes are deployed in order to realize an accurate positioning. The extended Kalman filter (EKF) scheme that combines UWB with INS data is used to improve the localization accuracy. The current location of AGV and its motion state data are used to predict its next position, decrease the effect of control delay of AGV and avoid collisions among AGVs. Finally, experiments are given to show that the EKF scheme can get accurate position estimation and the collisions among AGVs can be detected and avoided in time.
Optimization Design and Analysis for a Single Motor Hybrid Powertrain Configuration with Dual Planetary Gears
Authors: Hu Jianjun , Mei Bo , Peng Hang , Jiang Xingyue
Published: February 2019

To further improve the comprehensive operating performance of the single motor hybrid electric vehicle, a single motor hybrid powertrain configuration with dual planetary gears (SMHPC-2PG) design is proposed in this paper. By adopting a topology design method that characterizes the constraint relationship between power resource components and planetary gear (PG) nodes, all feasible configuration candidates based on the basic configuration scheme are systematically explored, and dynamic models of configuration candidates are automatically generated. The optimal fuel economy and dynamic performance for configuration candidates are simulated by applying the global optimal control strategy based on dynamic programming (DP). Results of this study demonstrate that SMHPC-2PG with excellent operating performance can be screened out by this method.
Nonrigid Medical Image Registration Using an Information Theoretic Measure Based on Arimoto Entropy with Gradient Distributions
Authors: Li Bicao , Shu Huazhong , Liu Zhoufeng , Shao Zhuhong , Li Chunlei , Huang Min , Huang Jie
Published: February 2019

This paper introduces a new nonrigid registration approach for medical images applying an information theoretic measure based on Arimoto entropy with gradient distributions. A normalized dissimilarity measure based on Arimoto entropy is presented, which is employed to measure the independence between two images. In addition, a regularization term is integrated into the cost function to obtain the smooth elastic deformation. To take the spatial information between voxels into account, the distance of gradient distributions is constructed. The goal of nonrigid alignment is to find the optimal solution of a cost function including a dissimilarity measure, a regularization term, and a distance term between the gradient distributions of two images to be registered, which would achieve a minimum value when two misaligned images are perfectly registered using limited-memory Broyden–Fletcher–Goldfarb–Shanno (L-BFGS) optimization scheme. To evaluate the test results of our presented algorithm in non-rigid medical image registration, experiments on simulated three-dimension (3D) brain magnetic resonance imaging (MR) images, real 3D thoracic computed tomography (CT) volumes and 3D cardiac CT volumes were carried out on elastix package. Comparison studies including mutual information (MI) and the approach without considering spatial information were conducted. These results demonstrate a slight improvement in accuracy of non-rigid registration.
A Simple Secret Key Generation by Using a Combination of Pre-Processing Method with a Multilevel Quantization
Authors: Yuliana Mike , Wirawan  , Suwadi
Published: February 2019

Limitations of the computational and energy capabilities of IoT devices provide new challenges in securing communication between devices. Physical layer security (PHYSEC) is one of the solutions that can be used to solve the communication security challenges. In this paper, we conducted an investigation on PHYSEC which utilizes channel reciprocity in generating a secret key, commonly known as secret key generation (SKG) schemes. Our research focused on the efforts to get a simple SKG scheme by eliminating the information reconciliation stage so as to reduce the high computational and communication cost. We exploited the pre-processing method by proposing a modified Kalman (MK) and performing a combination of the method with a multilevel quantization, i.e., combined multilevel quantization (CMQ). Our approach produces a simple SKG scheme for its significant increase in reciprocity so that an identical secret key between two legitimate users can be obtained without going through the information reconciliation stage.
Electric Load Data Compression and Classification Based on Deep Stacked Auto-Encoders
Authors: Huang Xiaoyao , Hu Tianbin , Ye Chengjin , Xu Guanhua , Wang Xiaojian , Chen Liangjin
Published: February 2019

With the development of advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), electrical data are collected frequently by smart meters. Consequently, the load data volume and length increase dramatically, which aggravates the data storage and transmission burdens in smart grids. On the other hand, for event detection or market-based demand response applications, load service entities (LSEs) want smart meter readings to be classified in specific and meaningful types. Considering these challenges, a stacked auto-encoder (SAE)-based load data mining approach is proposed. First, an innovative framework for smart meter data flow is established. On the user side, the SAEs are utilized to compress load data in a distributed way. Then, centralized classification is adopted at remote data center by softmax classifier. Through the layer-wise feature extracting of SAE, the sparse and lengthy raw data are expressed in compact forms and then classified based on features. A global fine-tuning strategy based on a well-defined labeled subset is embedded to improve the extracted features and the classification accuracy. Case studies in China and Ireland demonstrate that the proposed method is more capable to achieve the minimum of error and satisfactory compression ratios (CR) than benchmark compressors. It also significantly improves the classification accuracy on both appliance and house level datasets.
Numerical Investigation of Passive Vortex Generators on a Wind Turbine Airfoil Undergoing Pitch Oscillations
Authors: Zhu Chengyong , Wang Tongguang , Wu Jianghai
Published: February 2019

Passive vortex generators (VGs) are widely used to suppress the flow separation of wind turbine blades, and hence, to improve rotor performance. VGs have been extensively investigated on stationary airfoils; however, their influence on unsteady airfoil flow remains unclear. Thus, we evaluated the unsteady aerodynamic responses of the DU-97-W300 airfoil with and without VGs undergoing pitch oscillations, which is a typical motion of the turbine unsteady operating conditions. The airfoil flow is simulated by numerically solving the unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations with fully resolved VGs. Numerical modelling is validated by good agreement between the calculated and experimental data with respect to the unsteady-uncontrolled flow under pitch oscillations, and the steady-controlled flow with VGs. The dynamic stall of the airfoil was found to be effectively suppressed by VGs. The lift hysteresis intensity is greatly decreased, i.e., by 72.7%, at moderate unsteadiness, and its sensitivity to the reduced frequency is favorably reduced. The influences of vane height and chordwise installation are investigated on the unsteady aerodynamic responses as well. In a no-stall flow regime, decreasing vane height and positioning VGs further downstream can lead to relatively high effectiveness. Compared with the baseline VG geometry, the smaller VGs can decrease the decay exponent of nondimensionalized peak vorticity by almost 0.02, and installation further downstream can increase the aerodynamic pitch damping by 0.0278. The obtained results are helpful to understand the dynamic stall control by means of conventional VGs and to develop more effective VG designs for both steady and unsteady wind turbine airfoil flow.
Discrete and Continuous Model of Three-Phase Linear Induction Motors “LIMs” Considering Attraction Force
Authors: Toro-García Nicolás , Garcés-Gómez Yeison A. , Hoyos Fredy E.
Published: February 2019

A fifth-order dynamic continuous model of a linear induction motor (LIM), without considering “end effects” and considering attraction force, was developed. The attraction force is necessary in considering the dynamic analysis of the mechanically loaded linear induction motor. To obtain the circuit parameters of the LIM, a physical system was implemented in the laboratory with a Rapid Prototype System. The model was created by modifying the traditional three-phase model of a Y-connected rotary induction motor in a d–q stationary reference frame. The discrete-time LIM model was obtained through the continuous time model solution for its application in simulations or computational solutions in order to analyze nonlinear behaviors and for use in discrete time control systems. To obtain the solution, the continuous time model was divided into a current-fed linear induction motor third-order model, where the current inputs were considered as pseudo-inputs, and a second-order subsystem that only models the currents of the primary with voltages as inputs. For the discrete time model, the current-fed model is discretized by solving a set of differential equations, and the subsystem is discretized by a first-order Taylor series. Finally, a comparison of the continuous and discrete time model behaviors was shown graphically in order to validate the discrete time model.
Comparative Assessment of Priority Listing and Mixed Integer Linear Programming Unit Commitment Methods for Non-Interconnected Island Systems
Authors: Psarros Georgios N. , Papathanassiou Stavros A.
Published: February 2019

The generation management concept for non-interconnected island (NII) systems is traditionally based on simple, semi-empirical operating rules dating back to the era before the massive deployment of renewable energy sources (RES), which do not achieve maximum RES penetration, optimal dispatch of thermal units and satisfaction of system security criteria. Nowadays, more advanced unit commitment (UC) and economic-dispatch (ED) approaches based on optimization techniques are gradually introduced to safeguard system operation against severe disturbances, to prioritize RES participation and to optimize dispatch of the thermal generation fleet. The main objective of this paper is to comparatively assess the traditionally applied priority listing (PL) UC method and a more sophisticated mixed integer linear programming (MILP) UC optimization approach, dedicated to NII power systems. Additionally, to facilitate the comparison of the UC approaches and quantify their impact on systems security, a first attempt is made to relate the primary reserves capability of each unit to the maximum acceptable frequency deviation at steady state conditions after a severe disturbance and the droop characteristic of the unit’s speed governor. The fundamental differences between the two approaches are presented and discussed, while daily and annual simulations are performed and the results obtained are further analyzed.
Initial Design Phase and Tender Designs of a Jacket Structure Converted into a Retrofitted Offshore Wind Turbine
Authors: Alessi Lorenzo , Correia José A. F. O. , Fantuzzi Nicholas
Published: February 2019

Jackets are the most common structures in the Adriatic Sea for extracting natural gas. These structural typologies are suitable for relative low water depths and flat sandy sea floors. Most of them have been built in the last 50 years. When the underground source finishes, these structures should be moved to another location or removed if they have reached their design life. Nevertheless, another solution might be considered: change the future working life of these platforms by involving renewable energy and transforming them into offshore wind towers. The present research proposal aims to investigate the possibility of converting actual structures for gas extraction into offshore platforms for wind turbine towers. This simplified analysis is useful for initial design phases and tender design, or generally when available information is limited. The model proposed is a new simplified tool used to study the structural analysis of the jacket structure, developed and summarized in 10 steps, firstly adopted to study the behavior of the oil and gas structure and then for the retrofitted wind tower configuration.
Pituitary Transcriptomic Study Reveals the Differential Regulation of lncRNAs and mRNAs Related to Prolificacy in Different FecB Genotyping Sheep
Authors: Zheng Jian , Wang Zhibo , Yang Hua , Yao Xiaolei , Yang Pengcheng , Ren CaiFang , Wang Feng , Zhang YanLi
Published: February 2019

Long non-coding RNA (LncRNA) have been identified as important regulators in the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis associated with sheep prolificacy. However, their expression pattern and potential roles in the pituitary are yet unclear. To explore the potential mRNAs and lncRNAs that regulate the expression of the genes involved in sheep prolificacy, we used stranded specific RNA-seq to profile the pituitary transcriptome (lncRNA and mRNA) in high prolificacy (genotype FecB BB, litter size = 3; H) and low prolificacy sheep (genotype FecB B+; litter size = 1; L). Our results showed that 57 differentially expressed (DE) lncRNAs and 298 DE mRNAs were found in the pituitary between the two groups. The qRT-PCR results correlated well with the RNA-seq results. Moreover, functional annotation analysis showed that the target genes of the DE lncRNAs were significantly enriched in pituitary function, hormone-related pathways as well as response to stimulus and some other terms related to reproduction. Furthermore, a co-expression network of lncRNAs and target genes was constructed and reproduction related genes such as SMAD2, NMB and EFNB3 were included. Lastly, the interaction of candidate lncRNA MSTRG.259847.2 and its target gene SMAD2 were validated in vitro of sheep pituitary cells. These differential mRNA and lncRNA expression profiles provide a valuable resource for understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying Hu sheep prolificacy.
Health Information Engagement Factors in Malaysia: A Content Analysis of Facebook Use by the Ministry of Health in 2016 and 2017
Authors: A. Rahim Afiq Izzudin , Ibrahim Mohd Ismail , A. Salim Faizul Nizam , Ariffin Mohd Ariff Ikram
Published: February 2019

Health organizations have widely adopted social media for health promotion, public health communication conveyance, and organizational promotion activities. However, little published data exists on the factors that facilitate health information diffusion in South East Asia, especially Malaysia compared with Western countries. This study aimed to investigate factors associated with good engagement rates among internet users on the Facebook (FB) page of Ministry of Health Malaysia. In this observational study, 2123 FB posts were randomly selected. Data dated from 1 November 2016 to 31 October 2017 was gathered from the Facebook Insight. The logistic regression model was applied to identify factors associated with good engagement rates. This study found that a FB post with a good engagement rate was significantly associated with a health education post (Adjusted Odd Ratio (AOR): 3.80, 95% Confidence Interval CI: 3.02–4.78, p < 0.001), a risk communication post (AOR: 1.77, 95% CI: 1.39–2.26, p < 0.001), a post in the afternoon (AOR: 1.76, 95% CI: 1.34–2.31, p < 0.001) or in the evening (AOR: 1.48, 95% CI: 1.20–1.82, p < 0.001), and a video format (AOR: 3.74, 95% CI: 1.44–9.71, p = 0.007). Therefore, we present the first comprehensive analysis of health information engagement among internet users in Malaysia. The growing trends of online health information-seeking behaviors and demand for the availability of validated health information require effective strategies by public health organizations to disseminate health information and achieve better audience engagement on social media.
Application of Boundary Layer Displacement Thickness in Wind Erosion Protection Evaluation: Case Study of a Salix psammophila Sand Barrier
Authors: Zhang Shuai , Ding Guo-Dong , Yu Ming-han , Gao Guang-lei , Zhao Yuan-yuan , Wang Long , Wang Yi-zhao
Published: February 2019

Since the establishment of blown sand physics, surface roughness has been widely used in current research to indicate the ability of a surface to resist wind erosion and to evaluate the windproof effect of protective measures. However, since the calculation of surface roughness can result in different values and its applicability is poor, there are disadvantages to its use. Therefore, it is proposed that the boundary layer displacement thickness should be used rather than roughness as an indicator to solve such problems. To analyze the new indicator’s accuracy and applicability when evaluating the effect of protective measures, a wind tunnel simulation experiment on a typical mechanical protection measure commonly used for sand control in China was conducted. Indicators of roughness and boundary layer displacement thickness were compared in evaluating the windproof performance of a Salix psammophila sand barrier of differing heights, side lengths, and porosities. The wind speed acceleration rate and effective protection area, which can directly reflect the protective effect of a sand barrier, were analyzed as evaluation criteria. The results show that roughness can only reflect the influence of height on the windbreak effect of sand barriers, whereas the boundary layer displacement thickness accurately showed the influence of height, side length, and porosity on the windproof effect of the sand barriers. Compared with roughness, the boundary layer displacement thickness was more strongly correlated with the effective protection area. Therefore, the boundary layer displacement thickness, rather than roughness, should be used as a new indicator when evaluating the windproof effect of protective measures.
Staff Task-Based Shift Scheduling Solution with an ANP and Goal Programming Method in a Natural Gas Combined Cycle Power Plant
Authors: Özder Emir Hüseyin , Özcan Evrencan , Eren Tamer
Published: February 2019

Shift scheduling problems (SSPs) are advanced NP-hard problems which are generally evaluated with integer programming. This study presents an applicable shift schedule of workers in a large-scale natural gas combined cycle power plant (NGCCPP), which realize 35.17% of the total electricity generation in Turkey alone, as at of the end of 2018. This study included 80 workers who worked three shifts in the selected NGCCPP for 30 days. The proposed scheduling model was solved according to the skills of the workers, and there were nine criteria by which the workers were evaluated for their abilities. Analytic network process (ANP) is a method used for obtaining the weights of workers’ abilities in a particular skill. These weights are used in the proposed scheduling model as concepts in goal programming (GP). The SSP–ANP–GP model sees employees’ everyday preferences as their main feature, bringing high-performance to the highest level, and bringing an objective functionality, and lowering the lowest success of daily choice. At the same time, the model introduced large-scale and soft constraints that reflect the nature of the shift requirements of this program by specifying the most appropriate program. The required data were obtained from the selected NGCCPP and the model solutions were approved by the plant experts. The SSP–ANP–GP model was resolved at a reasonable time. Monthly acquisition time was significantly reduced, and the satisfaction of the employees was significantly increased by using the obtained program. When past studies were examined, it was determined that a shift scheduling problem of this size in the energy sector had not previously been studied.
9-Methylfascaplysin Is a More Potent Aβ Aggregation Inhibitor than the Marine-Derived Alkaloid, Fascaplysin, and Produces Nanomolar Neuroprotective Effects in SH-SY5Y Cells
Authors: Sun Qingmei , Liu Fufeng , Sang Jingcheng , Lin Miaoman , Ma Jiale , Xiao Xiao , Yan Sicheng , Naman C. Benjamin , Wang Ning , He Shan , Yan Xiaojun , Cui Wei , Liang Hongze
Published: February 2019

β-Amyloid (Aβ) is regarded as an important pathogenic target for Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the most prevalent neurodegenerative disease. Aβ can assemble into oligomers and fibrils, and produce neurotoxicity. Therefore, Aβ aggregation inhibitors may have anti-AD therapeutic efficacies. It was found, here, that the marine-derived alkaloid, fascaplysin, inhibits Aβ fibrillization in vitro. Moreover, the new analogue, 9-methylfascaplysin, was designed and synthesized from 5-methyltryptamine. Interestingly, 9-methylfascaplysin is a more potent inhibitor of Aβ fibril formation than fascaplysin. Incubation of 9-methylfascaplysin with Aβ directly reduced Aβ oligomer formation. Molecular dynamics simulations revealed that 9-methylfascaplysin might interact with negatively charged residues of Aβ42 with polar binding energy. Hydrogen bonds and π–π interactions between the key amino acid residues of Aβ42 and 9-methylfascaplysin were also suggested. Most importantly, compared with the typical Aβ oligomer, Aβ modified by nanomolar 9-methylfascaplysin produced less neuronal toxicity in SH-SY5Y cells. 9-Methylfascaplysin appears to be one of the most potent marine-derived compounds that produces anti-Aβ neuroprotective effects. Given previous reports that fascaplysin inhibits acetylcholinesterase and induces P-glycoprotein, the current study results suggest that fascaplysin derivatives can be developed as novel anti-AD drugs that possibly act via inhibition of Aβ aggregation along with other target mechanisms.
Anti-Proliferation Activity of a Decapeptide from Perinereies aibuhitensis toward Human Lung Cancer H1299 Cells
Authors: Jiang Shuoqi , Jia Yinglu , Tang Yunping , Zheng Die , Han Xingbiao , Yu Fangmiao , Chen Yan , Huang Fangfang , Yang Zuisu , Ding Guofang
Published: February 2019

Perinereis aibuhitensis peptide (PAP) is a decapeptide (Ile-Glu-Pro-Gly-Thr-Val-Gly-Met-Met-Phe, IEPGTVGMMF) with anticancer activity that was purified from an enzymatic hydrolysate of Perinereis aibuhitensis. In the present study, the anticancer effect of PAP on H1299 cell proliferation was investigated. Our results showed that PAP promoted apoptosis and inhibited the proliferation of H1299 cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner. When the PAP concentration reached 0.92 mM, more than 95% of treated cells died after 72 h of treatment. Changes in cell morphology were further analyzed using an inverted microscope and AO/EB staining and flow cytometry was adopted for detecting apoptosis and cell cycle phase. The results showed that the early and late apoptosis rates of H1299 cells increased significantly after treatment with PAP and the total apoptosis rate was significantly higher than that of the control group. Moreover, after treatment with PAP, the number of cells in the S phase of cells was significantly reduced and the ability for the cells to proliferate was also reduced. H1299 cells were arrested in the G2/M phase and cell cycle progression was inhibited. Furthermore, the results of western blotting showed that nm23-H1 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) protein levels decreased in a dose-dependent manner, while the pro-apoptotic protein and anti-apoptotic protein ratios and the level of apoptosis-related caspase protein increased in a dose-dependent manner. In conclusion, our results indicated that PAP, as a natural marine bioactive substance, inhibited proliferation and induced apoptosis of human lung cancer H1299 cells. PAP is likely to be exploited as the functional food or adjuvant that may be used for prevention or treatment of human non-small cell lung cancer in the future.
Astaxanthin Ameliorates Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Neuroinflammation, Oxidative Stress and Memory Dysfunction through Inactivation of the Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 Pathway
Authors: Han Ji Hye , Lee Yong Sun , Im Jun Hyung , Ham Young Wan , Lee Hee Pom , Han Sang Bae , Hong Jin Tae
Published: February 2019

Astaxanthin (AXT), a xanthophyll carotenoid compound, has potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties. Neuroinflammation and oxidative stress are significant in the pathogenesis and development of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Here, we studied whether AXT could alleviate neuroinflammation, oxidative stress and memory loss in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) administered mice model. Additionally, we investigated the anti-oxidant activity and the anti-neuroinflammatory response of AXT in LPS-treated BV-2 microglial cells. The AXT administration ameliorated LPS-induced memory loss. This effect was associated with the reduction of LPS-induced expression of inflammatory proteins, as well as the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), nitric oxide (NO), cytokines and chemokines both in vivo and in vitro. AXT also reduced LPS-induced β-secretase and Aβ1–42 generation through the down-regulation of amyloidogenic proteins both in vivo and in vitro. Furthermore, AXT suppressed the DNA binding activities of the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3). We found that AXT directly bound to the DNA- binding domain (DBD) and linker domain (LD) domains of STAT3 using docking studies. The oxidative stress and inflammatory responses were not downregulated in BV-2 cells transfected with DBD-null STAT3 and LD-null STAT3. These results indicated AXT inhibits LPS-induced oxidant activity, neuroinflammatory response and amyloidogenesis via the blocking of STAT3 activity through direct binding.
Nutraceutical Characteristics of Ancient Malus x domestica Borkh. Fruits Recovered across Siena in Tuscany
Authors: Berni Roberto , Cantini Claudio , Guarnieri Massimo , Nepi Massimo , Hausman Jean-Francois , Guerriero Gea , Romi Marco , Cai Giampiero
Published: February 2019

Background: A diet rich in fruits and vegetables contributes to lowering the risk of chronic diseases. The fruits of Malus x domestica are a rich dietary source of bioactive compounds, namely vitamins and antioxidants, with recognized action on human health protection. Tuscany is known for its rich plant biodiversity, especially represented by ancient varieties of fruit trees. Particularly noteworthy are the many ancient Tuscan varieties of apple trees. Methods: Sugar quantification via HPLC and spectrophotometric assays to quantify the antioxidant power and total polyphenol content revealed interesting differences in 17 old varieties of Malus x domestica Borkh. recovered in Siena (Tuscany). Results: The quantification of antioxidants, polyphenols, and the main free sugars revealed that their content in the old fruits was often superior to the widespread commercial counterparts (‘Red Delicious’ and ‘Golden Delicious’). Such differences were, in certain cases, dramatic, with 8-fold higher values. Differences were also present for sugars and fibers (pectin). Most ancient fruits displayed low values of glucose and high contents of xylitol and pectin. Conclusions: The results reported here suggest the possible use of ancient apple varieties from Siena for nutraceutical purposes and draw attention to the valorization of local old varieties.
A Novel Dantrolene Sodium-Loaded Mixed Micelle Containing a Small Amount of Cremophor EL: Characterization, Stability, Safety and Pharmacokinetics
Authors: Jin Wenzhen , Tan Xiaochuan , Wen Jin , Meng Ya , Zhang Yujia , Li He , Jiang Dong , Song Hui , Zheng Wensheng
Published: February 2019

Dantrolene sodium (DS) is the only drug specifically used for the treatment of malignant hyperthermia. Nevertheless, its clinical application is significantly restricted due to its aqueous insolubility and the limited formulations available in clinical practice. In order to solve these problems, a novel mixed micelle composed of phospholipid and Cremophor EL was designed and evaluated. The mixed micelle was prepared using a stirring- ultrasonic method. The Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) results showed that the micelle was small in size (12.14 nm) and narrowly distributed (PdI = 0.073). Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) images showed that the micelle was homogeneous and spherical. The stability study indicated that the system was stable for storage and dilution with distilled water, while the safety testing showed that the micelle was safe for intravenous administration with low hemolysis rates and low allergic reaction rates. In the pharmaceutics study, the Cmax and AUC0-t of the DS-loaded micelle were 4- and 4.5- folds higher than that of the DS. Therefore, the constructed phospholipid-Cremophor EL mixed micelle is a promising drug delivery system for DS.
Ingredients in Zijuan Pu’er Tea Extract Alleviate β-Amyloid Peptide Toxicity in a Caenorhabditis elegans Model of Alzheimer’s Disease Likely through DAF-16
Authors: Du Fangzhou , Zhou Lin , Jiao Yan , Bai Shuju , Wang Lu , Ma Junfeng , Fu Xueqi
Published: February 2019

Amyloid-β, one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), is toxic to neurons and can also cause brain cell death. Oxidative stress is known to play an important role in AD, and there is strong evidence that oxidative stress is associated with amyloid-β. In the present study we report the protective effect of Zijuan Pu’er tea water extract (ZTWE) and the mixture of main ingredients (+)-catechins, caffeine and procyanidin (MCCP) in ZTWE on β-amyloid-induced toxicity in transgenic Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) CL4176 expressing the human Aβ1–42 gene. ZTWE, (+)-catechins, caffeine, procyanidin and MCCP delayed the β-amyloid-induced paralysis to different degrees. The MCCP treatment did not affect the transcript abundance of amyloid-β transgene (amy-1); however, Thioflavin T staining showed a significant decrease in Aβ accumulation compared to untreated worms. Further research using transgenic worms found that MCCP promoted the translocation of DAF-16 from cytoplasm to nucleus and increased the expression of superoxide dismutase 3 (SOD-3). In addition, MCCP decreased the reactive oxygen species (ROS) content and increased the SOD activity in CL4176 worms. In conclusion, the results suggested that MCCP had a significant protective effect on β-amyloid-induced toxicity in C. elegans by reducing β-amyloid aggregation and inducing DAF-16 nuclear translocation that could activate the downstream signal pathway and enhance resistance to oxidative stress.
Enhanced Three Layer Hybrid Clustering Mechanism for Energy Efficient Routing in IoT
Authors: Faizan Ullah Muhammad , Imtiaz Junaid , Maqbool Khawaja Qasim
Published: February 2019

Recently, different routing techniques were proposed for three layer clustering topology in Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) which outperform the basic two layer clustering hierarchy. The problem that remains in these approaches is the heavy control packet exchange between nodes after every round in order to choose efficient lower layer heads. Among these techniques is Hybrid Hierarchical Clustering Approach (HHCA), in which a distributed approach is proposed. According to HHCA, the upper layer heads are centrally selected by base station, while sensor nodes only have to select lower layer heads distributively. In this paper, enhanced three layer hybrid clustering mechanism is proposed that limits the exchange of control packets between nodes after every round for lower layer head selection. The energy of nodes are divided into levels upon which it is decided when nodes of a cluster need to enter into new cluster head selection phase. The proposed mechanism helps to limit control packet exchange between nodes to a large extent, at the same time keeping energy consumption between nodes balanced. Moreover, it is focused that higher layer heads are selected by base station in a manner that reduces backward transmission in the network as much as possible. Simulation results show that nodes in the proposed mechanism stay alive for a longer time as compared to other approaches, and it outperforms HHCA technique in network lifetime based on Half of the Nodes Alive (HNA) by 18 percent.
Highly Sensitive Impact Sensor Based on PVDF-TrFE/Nano-ZnO Composite Thin Film
Authors: Han Jing , Li Dong , Zhao Chunmao , Wang Xiaoyan , Li Jie , Wu Xinzhe
Published: February 2019

A thin film of polyvinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene (PVDF-TrFE) has good flexibility and simple preparation process. More importantly, compared with PVDF, its piezoelectric β-phase can be easily formed without mechanical stretching. However, its piezoelectricity is relatively lower. Therefore, at present, PVDF-TrFE is always compounded with other kinds of piezoelectric materials to solve this problem. The effect of nano-ZnO doping amount on the sensing characteristics of the piezoelectric films was studied. PVDF-TrFE/nano-ZnO films with different nano-ZnO contents were prepared by spin coating process and packaged. The dispersion of nano-ZnO dopants and the crystallinity of β-phase in piezoelectric films with different nano-ZnO contents were observed by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction, and the piezoelectric strain constants and dielectric constants were measured, respectively. The effect of different nano-ZnO contents on the output performance of the piezoelectric sensor was obtained by a series of impact experiments. The results show that the piezoelectric strain constant and dielectric constant can be increased by doping nano-ZnO in PVDF-TrFE. Moreover, the doping amount of nano-ZnO in PVDF-TrFE is of great significance for improving the piezoelectric properties of PVDF-TrFE/nano-ZnO thin films. Among the prepared piezoelectric films, the output voltage of PVDF-TrFE/nano-ZnO piezoelectric sensor with 7.5% nano-ZnO doping amount is about 5.5 times that of pure PVDF-TrFE. Thus, the optimal range of the doping amount for nano-ZnO is about 4–10%.
A Cognitive-Inspired Event-Based Control for Power-Aware Human Mobility Analysis in IoT Devices
Authors: Pérez-Torres Rafael , Torres-Huitzil César , Galeana-Zapién Hiram
Published: February 2019

Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) relates to the deployment of decision-making processes at the network edge or mobile devices rather than in a centralized network entity like the cloud. This paradigm shift is acknowledged as one key pillar to enable autonomous operation and self-awareness in mobile devices in IoT. Under this paradigm, we focus on mobility-based services (MBSs), where mobile devices are expected to perform energy-efficient GPS data acquisition while also providing location accuracy. We rely on a fully on-device Cognitive Dynamic Systems (CDS) platform to propose and evaluate a cognitive controller aimed at both tackling the presence of uncertainties and exploiting the mobility information learned by such CDS toward energy-efficient and accurate location tracking via mobility-aware sampling policies. We performed a set of experiments and validated that the proposed control strategy outperformed similar approaches in terms of energy savings and spatio-temporal accuracy in LBS and MBS for smartphone devices.
A Telemedicine Robot System for Assisted and Independent Living
Authors: Koceska Natasa , Koceski Saso , Beomonte Zobel Pierluigi , Trajkovik Vladimir , Garcia Nuno
Published: February 2019

The emerging demographic trends toward an aging population, demand new ways and solutions to improve the quality of elderly life. These include, prolonged independent living, improved health care, and reduced social isolation. Recent technological advances in the field of assistive robotics bring higher sophistication and various assistive abilities that can help in achieving these goals. In this paper, we present design and validation of a low-cost telepresence robot that can assist the elderly and their professional caregivers, in everyday activities. The developed robot structure and its control objectives were tested in, both, a simulation and experimental environment. On-field experiments were done in a private elderly care center involving elderly persons and caregivers as participants. The goal of the evaluation study was to test the software architecture and the robot capabilities for navigation, as well as the robot manipulator. Moreover, participants’ reactions toward a possible adoption of the developed robot system in everyday activities were assessed. The obtained results of the conducted evaluation study are also presented and discussed.
Offloading and Transmission Strategies for IoT Edge Devices and Networks
Authors: Kang Jiheon , Eom Doo-Seop
Published: February 2019

We present a machine and deep learning method to offload trained deep learning model and transmit packets efficiently on resource-constrained internet of things (IoT) edge devices and networks. Recently, the types of IoT devices have become diverse and the volume of data has been increasing, such as images, voice, and time-series sensory signals generated by various devices. However, transmitting large amounts of data to a server or cloud becomes expensive owing to limited bandwidth, and leads to latency for time-sensitive operations. Therefore, we propose a novel offloading and transmission policy considering energy-efficiency, execution time, and the number of generated packets for resource-constrained IoT edge devices that run a deep learning model and a reinforcement learning method to find an optimal contention window size for effective channel access using a contention-based medium access control (MAC) protocol. A Reinforcement learning is used to improve the performance of the applied MAC protocol. Our proposed method determines the offload and transmission strategies that are better to directly send fragmented packets of raw data or to send the extracted feature vector or the final output of deep learning networks, considering the operation performance and power consumption of the resource-constrained microprocessor, as well as the power consumption of the radio transceiver and latency for transmitting the all the generated packets. In the performance evaluation, we measured the performance parameters of ARM Cortex-M4 and Cortex-M7 processors for the network simulation. The evaluation results show that our proposed adaptive channel access and learning-based offload and transmission methods outperform conventional role-based channel access schemes. They transmit packets of raw data and are effective for IoT edge devices and network protocols.
Reliability Assessment of Deflection Limit State of a Simply Supported Bridge using vibration data and Dynamic Bayesian Network Inference
Authors: Liu Hanbing , He Xin , Jiao Yubo , Wang Xirui
Published: February 2019

Structural health monitoring (SHM) has been widely used in all kinds of bridges. It is significant to accurately assess the serviceability and reliability of bridge subjected to severe conditions by SHM technique. Bridge deflection as an essential evaluation index can reflect structural condition perfectly. In this study, an approach for deflection calculation and reliability assessment of simply supported bridge is presented. Firstly, a bridge deflection calculation method is proposed based on modal flexibility and Kriging method improved by artificial bee colony algorithm. Secondly, a dynamic Bayesian network is employed to evaluate the deflection reliability combined with monitoring results which include modal frequency, mode shape, environmental temperature, and humidity. A linear regression model is established to analyze the relationship between modal parameters and environmental factors. Thirdly, a simply supported bridge is constructed and monitored to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. The results reveal that the proposed method can precisely calculate the bridge deflection. Finally, the time-dependent reliabilities of two cases are computed and the effects of monitoring factors on bridge deflection reliability are analyzed by sensitivity parameter. It indicates that the reliability is negatively correlated with temperature and more sensitive to mode shape than other three factors.
Real-Time Estimation for Roll Angle of Spinning Projectile Based on Phase-Locked Loop on Signals from Single-Axis Magnetometer
Authors: Deng Zhaowei , Shen Qiang , Deng Zilong , Cheng Jisi
Published: February 2019

As roll angle measurement is essential for two-dimensional course correction fuze (2-D CCF) technology, a real-time estimation of roll angle of spinning projectile by single-axis magnetometer is studied. Based on the measurement model, a second-order frequency-locked loop (FLL)-assisted third-order phase-locked loop (PLL) is designed to obtain rolling information from magnetic signals, which is less dependent on the amplitude and able to reduce effect from geomagnetic blind area. Method of parameters optimization of tracking loop is discussed in the circumstance of different speed and it is verified by six degrees of freedom (six degrees of freedom (DoF)) trajectory. Also, the measurement error is analyzed to improve the accuracy of designed system. At last, experiments on rotary table are carried out to validate the proposed method indicating the designed system is able to track both phase and speed accurately and stably. The standard deviation (SD) of phase error is no more than 3°.
Comparative Analysis of Deformation Determination by Applying Fiber-optic 2D Deflection Sensors and Geodetic Measurements
Authors: Marković Marko Z. , Bajić Jovan S. , Batilović Mehmed , Sušić Zoran , Joža Ana , Stojanović Goran M.
Published: February 2019

In the paper the description of an experiment for a comparative analysis of two different methods for deformation determination, geodetic and 2D deflection sensors based on fiber-optic curvature sensors (FOCSs) is given. The experiment is performed by a using specially designed assembly which makes it possible to apply both methods. For performing geodetic measurements, a geodetic micro-network is established. Measurements by applying a 2D deflection sensor and three total stations are carried out for comparison. The data processing comprises graphical and numerical analysis of the results. Based on the presented results the potential of 2D deflection sensor application in structural health monitoring (SHM) procedures is indicated. The analysis of the measurement results also indicates the importance of integrating various types of sensors for obtaining more accurate and more reliable deformation measurements results.
Acute Effects of Ballistic and Non-ballistic Bench Press on Plyometric Push-up Performance
Authors: Bodden David , Suchomel Timothy J. , Lates Ally , Anagnost Nicholas , Moran Matthew F. , Taber Christopher B.
Published: February 2019

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a ballistic or non-ballistic concentric-only bench press (COBP) on subsequent plyometric push-up performance. Fourteen resistance trained men completed two separate one-repetition-maximum (1RM) testing sessions followed by three randomized experimental explosive push-up sessions. These sessions combined a heavy concentric bench press with plyometric push-ups. Using a series of 3 × 10 (condition × time) repeated measures ANOVA, comparisons were made between the effects of ballistic and non-ballistic bench presses on performance of plyometric push-ups to investigate push-up performance variables. Compared with the control condition, both ballistic and non-ballistic bench presses produced lower net impulse and take-off velocity data. No differences were found between ballistic and non-ballistic conditions comparing net impulse and take-off velocity. We conclude that the magnitude of loading used in the current investigation may have caused acute fatigue which led to lower push-up performance characteristics. This information can be used to alter loading protocols when designing complexes for the upper body, combining the bench press and plyometric push-ups.
Current Understanding of the Molecular Basis of Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Virus Pathogenesis and Vaccine Development
Authors: Sharma Anuj , Knollmann-Ritschel Barbara
Published: February 2019

Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) is an alphavirus in the family Togaviridae. VEEV is highly infectious in aerosol form and a known bio-warfare agent that can cause severe encephalitis in humans. Periodic outbreaks of VEEV occur predominantly in Central and South America. Increased interest in VEEV has resulted in a more thorough understanding of the pathogenesis of this disease. Inflammation plays a paradoxical role of antiviral response as well as development of lethal encephalitis through an interplay between the host and viral factors that dictate virus replication. VEEV has efficient replication machinery that adapts to overcome deleterious mutations in the viral genome or improve interactions with host factors. In the last few decades there has been ongoing development of various VEEV vaccine candidates addressing the shortcomings of the current investigational new drugs or approved vaccines. We review the current understanding of the molecular basis of VEEV pathogenesis and discuss various types of vaccine candidates.