bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Thick Mucus in ALS: A Mixed-Method Study on Associated Factors and Its Impact on Quality of Life of Patients and Caregivers
Authors: Bublitz Sarah K. , Mie Eva , Wasner Maria , Hapfelmeier Alexander , Geiseler Jens , Lorenzl Stefan , Winkler Andrea Sylvia
Published: February 2022

In this explorative mixed-method pilot study, we set out to have a closer look at the largely under-recognized and under-investigated symptom of thick mucus in patients with ALS and its impact on patients and relatives. Thick mucus is a highly distressing symptom for both patients and caregivers. It complicates the use of non-invasive ventilation and is therefore an important prognostic factor of survival. Methods: In our preliminary study, we used a cross-sectional design, including ten ALS patients with thick mucus who were matched to ten ALS patients without thick mucus. Lung function tests and laboratory and sputum analysis were performed and questionnaires administered in order to determine associated factors of thick mucus accumulation. In a qualitative study using semi-structured interviews, we analysed the impact of thick mucus on patients and caregivers. Results: Reduced respiratory parameters as well as a higher degree of bulbar impairment were associated with the presence of thick mucus. Quality of life of patients and caregivers was strongly impaired by thick mucus accumulation. Conclusions: Thick mucus in patients with ALS has a strong impact on quality of life. Reduced cough flow and severely impaired bulbar function appear to be indicative parameters. We suggest that healthcare providers actively explore the presence of thick mucus in their patients and that it becomes included in commonly used screening tools.
Proteomic Analysis Dissects Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Plant Responses to Phosphorus Deficiency
Authors: Zhou Ming , Zhu Shengnan , Mo Xiaohui , Guo Qi , Li Yaxue , Tian Jiang , Liang Cuiyue
Published: February 2022

Phosphorus (P) is an essential nutrient for plant growth. In recent decades, the application of phosphate (Pi) fertilizers has contributed to significant increases in crop yields all over the world. However, low efficiency of P utilization in crops leads to intensive application of Pi fertilizers, which consequently stimulates environmental pollution and exhaustion of P mineral resources. Therefore, in order to strengthen the sustainable development of agriculture, understandings of molecular mechanisms underlying P efficiency in plants are required to develop cultivars with high P utilization efficiency. Recently, a plant Pi-signaling network was established through forward and reverse genetic analysis, with the aid of the application of genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and ionomics. Among these, proteomics provides a powerful tool to investigate mechanisms underlying plant responses to Pi availability at the protein level. In this review, we summarize the recent progress of proteomic analysis in the identification of differential proteins that play roles in Pi acquisition, translocation, assimilation, and reutilization in plants. These findings could provide insights into molecular mechanisms underlying Pi acquisition and utilization efficiency, and offer new strategies in genetically engineering cultivars with high P utilization efficiency.
Wearable Sensors Based on Graphene Nanoplatelets Reinforced Polydimethylsiloxane for Human Motion Monitoring: Analysis of Crack Propagation and Cycling Load Monitoring
Authors: del Bosque Antonio , Sánchez-Romate Xoan , Sánchez María , Ureña Alejandro
Published: February 2022

The use of graphene and other carbon nanoparticles is now of interest for developing chemical (gas and compounds detectors) and physical sensors. In this work, a graphene nanoplatelet (GNP)-PDMS sensor is proposed. More specifically, its strain-sensing capabilities under consecutive cycles as well as the crack propagation mechanisms are widely analyzed. First, an analysis of the electrical properties shows that the increase of the GNP content leads, as expected, to an increase of the electrical conductivity, ranging from values around 10−3 to 1 S/m for 5 and 11 wt.% samples. The analysis of crack propagation monitoring capabilities shows an exceptional sensitivity of the proposed flexible sensors, with a highly exponential behavior of the electrical resistance due to the prevalent breakage of the electrical pathways as crack propagation occurs. Furthermore, the analysis of the electrical response under cyclic load proves a very high robustness, with a similar response when comparing different cycles and an electrical sensitivity that increases when decreasing the GNP content (from 15–25 to 25–50 at 7 and 11 wt.% GNP content, respectively), a fact that is explained by the prevalence of tunneling mechanisms at low contents. Finally, a proof-of-concept of human motion monitoring by the detection of neck, wrist and facial movements is successfully achieved, indicating the high applicability of the proposed sensors.
Presentation of Congenital Portosystemic Shunts in Children
Authors: Bahadori Atessa , Kuhlmann Beatrice , Debray Dominique , Franchi-Abella Stephanie , Wacker Julie , Beghetti Maurice , Wildhaber Barbara E. , McLin Valérie Anne ,   on behalf of the IRCPSS
Published: February 2022

Background: Congenital portosystemic shunts (CPSS) are rare vascular anomalies resulting in communications between the portal venous system and the systemic venous circulation, affecting an estimated 30,000 to 50,000 live births. CPSS can present at any age as a multi-system disease of variable severity mimicking both common and rare pediatric conditions. Case presentations: Case A: A vascular malformation was identified in the liver of a 10-year-old girl with tall stature, advanced somatic maturation, insulin resistance with hyperinsulinemia, hyperandrogenemia and transient hematuria. Work-up also suggested elevated pulmonary pressures. Case B: A young girl with trisomy 8 mosaicism with a history of neonatal hypoglycemia, transient neonatal cholestasis and tall stature presented newly increased aminotransferase levels at 6 years of age. Case C: A 3-year-old boy with speech delay, tall stature and abdominal pain underwent abdominal ultrasound (US) showing multiple liver nodules, diagnosed as liver hemangiomas by hepatic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Management and outcome: After identification of a venous malformation on liver Doppler US, all three patients were referred to a specialized liver center for further work-up within 12 to 18 months from diagnosis. Angio-computed tomography (CT) scan confirmed the presence of either an intrahepatic or extrahepatic CPSS with multiples liver nodules. All three had a hyperintense signal in the globus pallidus on T1 weighted cerebral MRI. Right heart catheterization confirmed pulmonary hypertension in cases A and C. Shunts were closed either using an endovascular or surgical approach. Liver nodules were either surgically removed if there was a risk of malignant degeneration or closely monitored by serial imaging when benign. Conclusion: These cases illustrate most of the common chief complaints and manifestations of CPSS. Liver Doppler US is the key to diagnosis. Considering portosystemic shunts in the diagnostic work-up of a patient with unexplained endocrine, liver, gastro-intestinal, cardiovascular, hematological, renal or neurocognitive disorder is important as prompt referral to a specialized center may significantly impact patient outcome.
Evolution of SARS-CoV-2 IgG Seroprevalence in Children and Factors Associated with Seroconversion: Results from a Multiple Time-Points Study in Friuli-Venezia Giulia Region, Italy
Authors: Lazzerini Marzia , Benvenuto Simone , Mariani Ilaria , Fedele Giorgio , Leone Pasqualina , Stefanelli Paola , Vittori Giada , Schreiber Silvana , Tommasini Alberto , Rezza Giovanni , Barbi Egidio , Comar Manola
Published: February 2022

Data on the effective burden of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in the pediatric population are limited. We aimed at assessing the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies in children at three subsequent time-points. The study was conducted between January 2021 and July 2021 among children referring to the Research Institute for Maternal and Child Health “Burlo Garofolo” in Trieste, a referral regional hospital in Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy. A multivariate analysis was conducted to assess factors independently associated with seroconversion. A total of 594 children were included. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 trimeric Spike protein IgG antibodies were found in 32 (15.4%) children tested in April-May and in 20 (11.8%) in June–July 2021, compared with 24 (11.1%) of those tested in January–February 2021 (p = 0.37, Armitage exact test for trend over time p = 0.76). A subgroup analysis and a multivariate logistic regression analysis were performed considering sociodemographic, clinical, and historical variables. Three categories of children showed statistically significant increased odds of positive anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies: children previously positive to a nasopharyngeal swab (AdjOR 15.41, 95%CI 3.44–69.04, p < 0.001), cohabitant with a person with an history of a previous positive nasopharyngeal swab (AdjOR 9.95, 95%CI 5.35–18.52, p < 0.001), and children with a foreign citizenship (AdjOR 2.4, 95%CI 1.05–5.70, p = 0.002). The study suggests that seroprevalence studies may be of limited help in estimating the prevalence of the COVID-19 pandemic in children. Further studies are needed to identify other markers of previous SARS-CoV-2 infection in children, such as CD4+ T cells or memory B-cells.
Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip: Prevalence and Correlation with Other Diagnoses in Physiotherapy Practice—A 5-Year Retrospective Review
Authors: Vasilcova Veronika , AlHarthi Moqfa , AlAmri Nadrah , Sagat Peter , Bartik Peter , Jawadi Ayman H. , Zvonar Martin
Published: February 2022

(1) Background: The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip (DDH) as a primary or secondary diagnosis during physiotherapy practice. No other studies have investigated the prevalence and associations of DDH within the practice of pediatric rehabilitation. (2) Methods: This retrospective review was performed on 12,225 physiotherapy referrals to the King Abdullah Specialized Children’s Hospital (KASCH), Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, from May 2016 to October 2021. Only DDH referrals for conservative treatment were included in the study. The plan for brace treatment was carried out by the pediatric orthopedics clinic in KASCH. The diagnostic methods were either a pelvic radiograph or ultrasound, depending on the participant’s age. DDH is considered one of the most common secondary complications for children with other medical diagnoses. (3) Results: The most common indication for referral was neurological diagnosis (44%), followed by orthopedic (28%), genetic (19%), cardiac (5%), ophthalmologic (3%), dermatologic (1%) and rheumatologic (0.5%) diagnoses. (4) Conclusion: The prevalence of DDH among all referrals in this study was 6%. In physiotherapy practice, neurologic, genetic, and orthopedic primary or secondary diagnoses were the most prevalent when DDH referrals were investigated. A relatively high prevalence of DDH in the pediatric rehabilitation clinic at KASCH in Riyadh was reported in this study.
Relationships between Physical Activity Parenting Practices and Children’s Activity Measured by Accelerometry with Children’s Activity Style as a Moderator—A Cross Sectional Study
Authors: Malek Mahnoush Etminan , Norman Åsa , Elinder Liselotte Schäfer , Patterson Emma , Nyberg Gisela
Published: February 2022

The objective was to examine the associations between physical activity parenting practices (PAPP) and children’s levels of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and time spent sedentary (SED) during non-school time in weekdays and weekends when children’s activity style was taken into account. Study participants were 88 children (mean age 6.3 (SD 0.3) years); 51.0% girls) and their parents who took part in A Healthy School Start Plus in Sweden. The independent variables included PAPPs Structure, Neglect/control, and Autonomy promotion and children’s activity style as moderator, assessed through validated parent questionnaires. Dependent variables were the MVPA and SED in minutes, measured by accelerometry. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the associations between PAPPs and children’s MVPA and SED with children’s activity style as a moderator. No significant associations between the PAPPs Structure, Neglect/control, and Autonomy promotion and measures of physical activity were found (p > 0.13). The moderating role of activity style improved the model fit and the final model had a reasonable fit to the data. Our results suggest that in future studies, with the aim to explore the relationship between PAPP and children’s physical activity, the activity style of the children should be included as a moderator.
Use of Intravenous Pulse Steroids to Treat Allergic Bronchopulmonary Aspergillosis in a Non-Compliant Asthmatic Adolescent
Authors: Hamad Sara G. , Abu-Hasan Mutasim , AbdulWahab Atqah
Published: February 2022

Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) is an immune-mediated inflammatory airway disease that predominantly affects patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) and, less commonly, patients with asthma. ABPA can lead to irreversible lung injury and bronchiectasis if not treated early and aggressively. Long-term oral steroids are the standard therapy of ABPA. However, it is associated with an increased risk of steroids side effects and possible medication noncompliance. Monthly intravenous pulse methylprednisolone (IV-PS) has been used as an alternative to oral steroids to treat CF-related ABPA with a reportedly similar clinical response and less steroid-related side effects. To our knowledge, the use of IV-PS in asthma-related ABPA has not been previously reported. We report the successful management of asthma-related ABPA in an adolescent using intravenous pulse methylprednisolone in addition to oral itraconazole with no significant steroid-related side effects.
Assessment of Quality of Fresh Concrete Delivered at Varying Temperatures
Authors: Saidi Maroua , Jadidi Kazem , Karakouzian Moses
Published: February 2022

Concrete is increasingly utilized in the construction field in Southern Nevada. This area has an arid and hot summer and freezing cold winter conditions. These extreme conditions affect the properties of fresh concrete, which can cause cracking. Hot weather conditions may adversely affect both fresh and hardened concrete properties. Even though practices can minimize the detrimental effects, good quality control of fresh concrete, from mixing to finishing, is crucial under hot weather conditions. The objective of the present study is to evaluate the seasonal consistency of concrete quality, considering strength and slump properties. Another objective of this research is to determine the relationship between the seasonal air temperature variations and those of freshly batched concrete. Results indicate that strength and slump remain constant with varying air and concrete temperatures during pour. Additionally, during the hot season (air temperature above 27 °C (80 °F)), fresh concrete’s temperature is lower than the air’s temperature, in contrast during the cold season (air temperature below 16 °C (60 °F)), fresh concrete’s temperature is higher than the air’s temperature. Fresh concrete temperature and air temperature are similar in the range of 60 to 80 °F. Therefore, to limit the use of additional water or admixtures it is recommended to pour concrete when the air temperature is in the range of 16° and 27 °C (60 to 80 °F).
Curcuma aromatica and Curcuma comosa Extracts and Isolated Constituents Provide Protection against UVB-Induced Damage and Attenuate Matrix Metalloproteinase-1 Expression in HaCaT Cells
Authors: Pabuprapap Wachirachai , Nakyai Wongnapa , Chaichompoo Waraluck , Pheedee Nattharika , Phetkeereerat Saowanee , Viyoch Jarupa , Yingyongnarongkul Boon-ek , Ajavakom Vachiraporn , Chompoosor Apiwat , Piyachaturawat Pawinee , Suksamrarn Apichart
Published: February 2022

Ultraviolet-B (UVB) exposure is one of the primary extrinsic factors causing skin photoaging. It stimulates inflammatory responses and arrests the cell cycle. Matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) secreted by keratinocytes is one of the important extracellular matrixes to attenuate UVB-induced skin aging via collagen degradation. Curcuma aromatica (CA) and Curcuma comosa (CC), the herbaceous plants in the Zingiberaceae family, are commonly used in Thai traditional women’s medicines. The present work was aimed to investigate the potential of the CA and CC extracts and their isolated compounds to attenuate UVB-induced MMP-1 and cell cycle arrest in HaCaT keratinocytes. Total phenolic contents and antioxidant capacities of the extracts were determined. CC extract contains more phenolic components and provides more potent antioxidant activities than CA extract. HaCaTs were pretreated with the extracts or their isolated constituents 1–4 for 24 h and then repeatedly exposed to UVB at 100 mJ/cm2 10 times. Both extracts and compounds 1–4 effectively reduce UVB-induced MMP-1 levels in HaCaT cells and restore cell cycle arrest. This is the first report on the potential of CA and CC extracts in reducing UVB-induced MMP-1 expression and regulating cell proliferation in HaCaT cells. Thus, CA and CC extracts might be used as alternative natural agents to prevent UVB-induced skin photoaging.
CT and 3 Tesla MRI in the TN Staging of Colon Cancer: A Prospective, Blind Study
Authors: Rafaelsen Søren R. , Dam Claus , Vagn-Hansen Chris , Møller Jakob , Rahr Hans B. , Sjöström Mikkel , Lindebjerg Jan , Hansen Torben Frøstrup , Pedersen Malene Roland Vils
Published: February 2022

(1) Background: Computer tomography (CT) scanning is currently the standard method for staging of colon cancer; however, the CT based preoperative local staging is far from optimal. The purpose of this study was to investigate the sensitivity and specificity of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) compared to CT in the T- and N-staging of colon cancer. (2) Methods: Patients underwent a standard contrast-enhanced CT examination. For the abdominal MRI scan, a 3 Tesla unit was used, including diffusion weighted imaging (DWI). Experienced radiologists reported the CT and MRI scans blinded to each other and the endpoint of the pathological report. (3) Results: From 2018 to 2021, 134 patients received CT and MRI scans. CT identified 118 of the 134 tumors, whereas MRI identified all tumors. For discriminating between stage T3ab and T3cd, the sensitivity of CT was 51.1% and of MRI 80.0% (p = 0.02). CT and MRI showed a sensitivity of 21.4% and 46.4% in detecting pT4 tumors and a specificity of 79.0% and 85.0%, respectively. (4) Conclusion: Compared to CT, the sensitivity of MRI was statistically significantly higher in staging advanced T3cd and T4 tumors. MRI has the potential to be used in the treatment planning of colon cancer.
A Design Synthesis Method for Robust Controllers of Active Vehicle Suspensions
Authors: Zhu Shenjin , He Yuping
Published: February 2022

This paper presents a design synthesis method for robust controllers of active vehicle suspensions (AVSs). Various control techniques have been applied to the design of AVSs for enhancing ride comfort and handling performance of ground vehicles. However, most of these model-based controller designs show poor robustness when the vehicle models are not accurate and operating conditions vary. To address the poor robustness problem of AVSs, a new controller is designed using the H∞ loop-shaping control technique. The controller targets robustness issues on vehicle models with parametric uncertainties and unmodelled dynamics. To facilitate the robust controller design, a design synthesis method is proposed: the H∞ loop-shaping controller design is formulated as a multi-objective optimization problem, the weighting functions’ parameters of the controller are treated as design variables, the expensive computing loads are handled by a parallel computing technique, and the solution of the optimization problem is the desired robust AVS controller. Simulation results demonstrate the benefits of the proposed AVS design.
Factors Affecting Dental Students’ Comfort with Online Synchronous Learning
Authors: McMillan David G. , Kalloo Olivia R. , Lara Roberto A. , Pavlova Mariana , Kritz-Silverstein Donna
Published: February 2022

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic caused many universities to expand their use of videoconferencing technology to continue academic coursework. This study examines dental students’ experience, comfort levels, and preferences with videoconferencing. Methods: Of 100 s-year US dental students enrolled in a local anesthesia course, 54 completed a survey following an online synchronous lecture given in August 2020. Survey questions asked about prior experience with videoconferencing, comfort levels with online and traditional classes, and reasons for not turning on their video (showing their face). Results: Overall, 48.2% had little or no experience with videoconferencing prior to March 2020. Students were more comfortable with in-classroom parameters (listening, asking questions, answering questions, and interacting in small groups (breakouts)) than with online synchronous learning, although differences were not significant (p’s > 0.10). Regression analyses showed there were significant positive associations between videoconferencing experience and comfort with both answering questions and interacting in breakouts (B = 0.55, p = 0.04 and B = 0.54, p = 0.03, respectively). Students reported being more comfortable during in-classroom breakouts than in breakouts using videoconferencing (p = 0.003). Main reasons for students not turning on their cameras were that they did not want to dress up (48.1%), other students were not using their video features (46.3%), and they felt they did not look good (35.5%). Conclusions: Dental students were somewhat more comfortable with traditional in-person vs. online classroom parameters. Prior experience with videoconferencing was associated with increased comfort with synchronous learning, suggesting that after the pandemic, it may be beneficial to structure dental school curricula as a hybrid learning experience with both in-person and online synchronous courses.
A Control Algorithm for Early Wildfire Detection Using Aerial Sensor Networks: Modeling and Simulation
Authors: Rocha André M. , Casau Pedro , Cunha Rita
Published: February 2022

This work presents an algorithm for an Aerial Sensor Network (ASN) composed of fixed-wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) that performs surveillance and detects the early signs of a wildfire in a given territory. The main goal is to cover a given area while prioritizing areas of higher fire hazard risk. The proposed algorithm is scalable to any number of aircraft and can use any kind of fire hazard risk map as long as it contains bounded and nonnegative values. Two different dynamical models associated with the movement of fixed-wing UAVs are proposed, tested, and compared through simulations. Lastly, we propose a workflow to size the ASN in order to maximize the probability of detection of wildfires for a particular risk profile.
Shannon Entropy in LS-Coupled Configuration Space for Ni-like Isoelectronic Sequence
Authors: Wan Jian-Jie , Gu Jie , Li Jiao , Guo Na
Published: February 2022

The Shannon entropy in an LS-coupled configuration space has been calculated through a transformation from that in a jj-coupled configuration space for a Ni-like isoelectronic sequence. The sudden change of Shannon entropy, information exchange, eigenlevel anticrossing, and strong configuration interaction have been presented for adjacent levels. It is shown that eigenlevel anticrossing is a sufficient and necessary condition for the sudden change of Shannon entropy, and both of them are a sufficient condition for information exchange, which is the same as the case of the jj-coupled configuration space. It is found that the structure of sudden change from jj-coupled into LS-coupled configuration spaces through the LS-jj transformation is invariant for Shannon entropy along the isoelectronic sequence. What is more, in an LS-coupled configuration space, there are a large number of information exchanges between energy levels whether with or without strong configuration interaction, and most of the ground and single excited states of Ni-like ions are more suitable to be described by a jj-coupled or other configuration basis set instead of an LS-coupled configuration basis set according to the configuration mixing coefficients and their Shannon entropy. In this sense, Shannon entropy can also be used to measure the applicability of a configuration basis set or the purity of atomic state functions in different coupling schemes.
Otto Engine for the q-State Clock Model
Authors: Aguilera Michel Angelo , Peña Francisco José , Negrete Oscar Andrés , Vargas Patricio
Published: February 2022

This present work explores the performance of a thermal–magnetic engine of Otto type, considering as a working substance an effective interacting spin model corresponding to the q− state clock model. We obtain all the thermodynamic quantities for the q = 2, 4, 6, and 8 cases in a small lattice size (3×3 with free boundary conditions) by using the exact partition function calculated from the energies of all the accessible microstates of the system. The extension to bigger lattices was performed using the mean-field approximation. Our results indicate that the total work extraction of the cycle is highest for the q=4 case, while the performance for the Ising model (q=2) is the lowest of all cases studied. These results are strongly linked with the phase diagram of the working substance and the location of the cycle in the different magnetic phases present, where we find that the transition from a ferromagnetic to a paramagnetic phase extracts more work than one of the Berezinskii–Kosterlitz–Thouless to paramagnetic type. Additionally, as the size of the lattice increases, the extraction work is lower than smaller lattices for all values of q presented in this study.
Three Decades in Econophysics—From Microscopic Modelling to Macroscopic Complexity and Back
Authors: Smolyak Alex , Havlin Shlomo
Published: February 2022

We explore recent contributions to research in Econophysics, switching between Macroscopic complexity and microscopic modelling, showing how each leads to the other and detailing the everyday applicability of both approaches and the tools they help develop. Over the past decades, the world underwent several major crises, leading to significant increase in interdependence and, thus, complexity. We show here that from the perspective of network science, these processes become more understandable and, to some extent, also controllable.
Rethinking Rehabilitation of Salt-Affected Land: New Perspectives from Australian Experience
Authors: Leake John E. , Squires Victor , Shabala Sergey
Published: February 2022

Soil salinity is a major threat to the sustainability of agricultural production systems and has defeated civilisations whenever the cost of remediation exceeded the benefits. Among the reasons for this is the complexity of the plant-water-soil nexus and that the causes of salinity are often separated from the damage in time and space. There have been many activities to address salinity, and while good progress has occurred in commercially attractive irrigation areas, many apparently successful techniques, such as intercropping obligate halophytes with conventional crops, processing halophyte meals for human consumption and new uses for saline waters, have not been taken up, although the benefit in ecological terms is understood. There are limited payments available for some ecosystem services, but these are not yet a very recognised market for land users, whose agency is essential for long term success and addressing this requires institutional evolution. We conclude, from Australian experience, that a more concerted effort, perhaps initiated by a philanthropist, is needed to show merchants and agencies how a range of payments for ecosystem services can be turned into true markets in an aggregate way so the ‘knowledge of what can be done can be transformed into benefit’.
The Post-Pandemic Lecture: Views from Academic Staff across the UK
Authors: Robson Louise , Gardner Benjamin , Dommett Eleanor J.
Published: February 2022

COVID-19 forced the closure of UK universities. One effect of this was a change in how lectures, and their recordings, were made and used. In this research, we aimed to address two related research questions. Firstly, we aimed to understand how UK universities replaced in-person lectures and, secondly, to establish what academic staff believed the post-pandemic lecture would look like. In a mixed-methods study, we collected anonymous quantitative and qualitative data from 87 academics at 36 UK institutions. Analysis revealed that respondents recognised the value and importance of interactive teaching and indicated that the post-pandemic lecture would and should make greater use of this. Data also revealed positive views of lecture capture, in contrast to pre-pandemic studies, and demonstrated that staff recognised their value for those who were unable to attend, or who had specific learning differences. However, staff also recognised the value of asynchronous lecture videos within a blended or flipped approach. This study provides evidence that the pandemic has engendered changes in attitudes and practices within UK higher education that are conducive to educational reform.
A Heuristic Charging Cost Optimization Algorithm for Residential Charging of Electric Vehicles
Authors: Hussain Shahid , Thakur Subhasis , Shukla Saurabh , Breslin John G. , Jan Qasim , Khan Faisal , Ahmad Ibrar , Marzband Mousa , Madden Michael G.
Published: February 2022

The charging loads of electric vehicles (EVs) at residential premises are controlled through a tariff system based on fixed timing. The conventional tariff system presents the herding issue, such as with many connected EVs, all of them are directed to charge during the same off-peak period, which results in overloading the power grid and high charging costs. Besides, the random nature of EV users restricts them from following fixed charging times. Consequently, the real-time pricing scenarios are natural and can support optimizing the charging load and cost for EV users. This paper aims to develop charging cost optimization algorithm (CCOA) for residential charging of EVs. The proposed CCOA coordinates the charging of EVs by heuristically learning the real-time price pattern and the EV’s information, such as the battery size, current state-of-charge, and arrival & departure times. In contrast to the holistic price, the CCOA determines a threshold price value for each arrival and departure sequence of EVs and accordingly coordinates the charging process with optimizing the cost at each scheduling period. The charging cost is captured at the end of each charging activity and the cumulative cost is calculated until the battery’s desired capacity. Various charging scenarios for individual and aggregated EVs with random arrival sequences of EVs against the real-time price pattern are simulated through MATLAB. The simulation results show that the proposed algorithm outperforms with a low charging cost while avoiding the overloading of the grid compared to the conventional uncoordinated, flat-rate, and time-of-use systems.
Atmospheric Stability Effects on Offshore and Coastal Wind Resource Characteristics in South Korea for Developing Offshore Wind Farms
Authors: Ryu Geon Hwa , Kim Young-Gon , Kwak Sung Jo , Choi Man Soo , Jeong Moon-Seon , Moon Chae-Joo
Published: February 2022

South Korea is surrounded by the sea on three sides. The characteristics of offshore wind resources vary from region to region due to the influence of the distribution of the coastline and differences in roughness length and atmospheric stability between the coast and the sea. In particular, turbulent gusts and low-level wind shear occurring near the hub height of the wind turbine within the atmospheric boundary layer have a significant effect on the load of wind turbines. These severe weather phenomena are closely related to atmospheric stability. Therefore, the objective of this study is to determine differences in wind resource characteristics in the South Korean offshore and coast in relation to variations in atmospheric stability using observation data from the HeMOSU-1 meteorological tower in the West Sea and the Boseong meteorological observation tower on the southern coast. On the southern coast, changes in sea and land breezes are observed throughout diurnal and nocturnal periods, with an atmospheric stability distribution similar to that of land, which is unstable during the day and becomes more stable at night. On the other hand, the stable ratio continues to dominate in the west offshore. In the case of coastal areas, low-level wind shear occasionally occurs near the general wind turbine hub height approximately over 100 m due to the influence of winds from the sea. This study shows that when constructing an offshore wind farm, it is necessary to first analyze the characteristics of local coastal and offshore wind resources for more efficient and safe wind farm construction and operation.
Multi-Objective Optimization-Based Health-Conscious Predictive Energy Management Strategy for Fuel Cell Hybrid Electric Vehicles
Authors: Sellali Mehdi , Ravey Alexandre , Betka Achour , Kouzou Abdellah , Benbouzid Mohamed , Djerdir Abdesslem , Kennel Ralph , Abdelrahem Mohamed
Published: February 2022

The Energy Management Strategy (EMS) in Fuel Cell Hybrid Electric Vehicles (FCHEVs) is the key part to enhance optimal power distribution. Indeed, the most recent works are focusing on optimizing hydrogen consumption, without taking into consideration the degradation of embedded energy sources. In order to overcome this lack of knowledge, this paper describes a new health-conscious EMS algorithm based on Model Predictive Control (MPC), which aims to minimize the battery degradation to extend its lifetime. In this proposed algorithm, the health-conscious EMS is normalized in order to address its multi-objective optimization. Then, weighting factors are assigned in the objective function to minimize the selected criteria. Compared to most EMSs based on optimization techniques, this proposed approach does not require any information about the speed profile, which allows it to be used for real-time control of FCHEV. The achieved simulation results show that the proposed approach reduces the economic cost up to 50% for some speed profile, keeping the battery pack in a safe range and significantly reducing energy sources degradation. The proposed health-conscious EMS has been validated experimentally and its online operation ability clearly highlighted on a PEMFC delivery postal vehicle.
Thermal Management of Electrified Vehicles—A Review
Authors: Previati Giorgio , Mastinu Giampiero , Gobbi Massimiliano
Published: February 2022

Vehicle electrification demands a deep analysis of the thermal problems in order to increase vehicle efficiency and battery life and performance. An efficient thermal management of an electrified vehicle has to involve every system of the vehicle. However, it is not sufficient to optimize the thermal behavior of each subsystem, but thermal management has to be considered at system level to optimize the global performance of the vehicle. The present paper provides an organic review of the current aspects of thermal management from a system engineering perspective. Starting from the definition of the requirements and targets of the thermal management system, each vehicle subsystem is analyzed and related to the whole system. In this framework, problems referring to modeling, simulation and optimization are considered and discussed. The current technological challenges and developments in thermal management are highlighted at vehicle and component levels.
Support Vector Quantile Regression for the Post-Processing of Meso-Scale Ensemble Prediction System Data in the Kanto Region: Solar Power Forecast Reducing Overestimation
Authors: Takamatsu Takahiro , Ohtake Hideaki , Oozeki Takashi
Published: February 2022

Although the recent development of solar power forecasting through machine learning approaches, such as the machine learning models based on numerical weather prediction (NWP) data, has been remarkable, their extreme error requires an increase in the amount of reserve capacity procurement used for the power system safety. Hence, a reduction of the serious overestimation is necessary for efficient grid operation. However, despite the importance of the above issue, few studies have focused on the model design, suppressing serious errors, to the best of the authors’ knowledge. This study investigates a prediction model that can reduce the huge overestimation of the solar irradiance, which poses a risk to the power system. The specific approaches used are as follows: the employment of Support Vector Quantile Regression (SVQR), the utilization of Meso-scale Ensemble Prediction System (MEPS, Meso-scale EPS for the regions of Japan) data, which is based on the forecasts from Meso-scale Model (MSM) as explanatory variables, and the hyperparameter adjustment. The performance of the models is verified in the one day-ahead forecasting for surface solar irradiance at five sites in the Kanto region as the numerical simulation, where their forecasting errors are measured by the root mean square error (RMSE) and the 3σ error, which corresponds to the 99.87% quantile error of the order statistics. The test results indicate the following findings: the SVRs’ RMSE and 3σ error tend to be trade-offs in the case of varying the penalty of the regularization term; by using SVR as a post-processing tool for MSM or MEPS data, both of the score of their metrics can be improved from original data; the MEPS-based SVQR (MEPS-SVQR) could provide superior performance in both metrics in comparison with the MSM-based SVQR (MSM-SVQR) if the parameters are properly adjusted. Although the time period and the type of MEPS data used for the validation are limited, our report is expected to help the design of NWP-based machine learning models to enable short-term solar power forecasts with a low risk of overestimation.
Greenhouse Gas Abatement in EUROPE—A Scenario-Based, Bottom-Up Analysis Showing the Effect of Deep Emission Mitigation on the European Energy System
Authors: Kigle Stephan , Ebner Michael , Guminski Andrej
Published: February 2022

Greenhouse gas emissions need to be drastically reduced to mitigate the environmental impacts caused by climate change, and to lead to a transformation of the European energy system. A model landscape consisting of four final energy consumption sector models with high spatial (NUTS-3) and temporal (hourly) resolution and the multi-energy system model ISAaR is extended and applied to investigate the transformation pathway of the European energy sector in the deep emission mitigation scenario solidEU. The solidEU scenario describes not only the techno-economic but also the socio-political contexts, and it includes the EU27 + UK, Norway, and Switzerland. The scenario analysis shows that volatile renewable energy sources (vRES) dominate the energy system in 2050. In addition, the share of flexible sector coupling technologies increases to balance electricity generation from vRES. Seasonal differences are balanced by hydrogen storage with a seasonal storage profile. The deployment rates of vRES in solidEU show that a fast, profound energy transition is necessary to achieve European climate protection goals.
Criteria-Based Fuzzy Logic Risk Analysis of Wind Farms Operation in Cold Climate Regions
Authors: Mustafa Albara M. , Barabadi Abbas
Published: February 2022

Different risks are associated with the operation and maintenance of wind farms in cold climate regions, mainly due to the harsh weather conditions that wind farms experience in that region such as the (i) increased stoppage rate of wind turbines due to harsh weather conditions, (ii) limited accessibility to wind farms due to snow cover on roads, and (iii) cold stress to workers at wind farms. In addition, there are risks that are caused by wind farms during their operation, which impact the surrounding environment and community such as the (iv) risk of ice throw from wind turbines, (v) environmental risks caused by the wind farms, and (vi) social opposition risk to installing wind farms in cold climate regions, such as the Arctic. The analysis of these six risks provides an overall view of the potential risks encountered by designers, operators, and decision makers at wind farms. This paper presents a methodology to quantify the aforementioned risks using fuzzy logic method. At first, two criteria were established for the probability and the consequences of each risk; with the use of experts’ judgments, membership functions were graphed to reflect the two established criteria, which represented the input to the risk analysis process. Furthermore, membership functions were created for the risk levels, which represented the output. To test the proposed methodology, a wind farm in Arctic Norway was selected as a case study to quantify its risks. Experts provided their assessments of the probability and consequences of each risk on a scale from 0–10, depending on the description of the wind farm provided to them. Risk levels were calculated using MATLAB fuzzy logic toolbox and ranked accordingly. Limited accessibility to the wind farm was ranked as the highest risk, while the social opposition to the wind farm was ranked as the lowest. In addition, to demonstrate the effects of the Arctic operating conditions on performance and safety of the wind farm, the same methodology was applied to a wind farm located in a non-cold-climate region, which showed that the risks ranked differently.
Impact of Multi-Physics HiL Test Benches on Wind Turbine Certification
Authors: Kaven Lennard , Frehn Anica , Basler Maximilian , Jassmann Uwe , Röttgers Heiko , Konrad Thomas , Abel Dirk , Monti Antonello
Published: February 2022

Recently developed nacelle test benches for wind turbines, equipped with multi-physics Hardware-in-the-Loop (HiL) systems, enable advanced testing and even certification of next-generation wind turbines according to IEC61400-21. On the basis of three experiments carried out with a commercial 3.2 MW wind turbine, this paper shows to which extent test bench hardware and HiL systems influence certification results. For the crucial Fault-Ride-Through tests, all deviations were found to be below 1% compared to field and simulation results. For this test, the power HiL system and the accuracy of its impedance emulation are found to be of most relevance. The results for the test items Frequency Control and Synthetic Inertia were found to be more sensitive to shortcomings of the mechanical HiL with its control system. Based on these findings, the paper mentions general procedures to ensure the quality of test benches with HiL systems and, with that, ensure the quality of certification.
Survey-Based Assessment of the Preferences in Residential Demand Response on the Island of Mayotte
Authors: Schöne Nikolas , Greilmeier Kathrin , Heinz Boris
Published: February 2022

As on many other European islands, the energy system of Mayotte suffers from low reliability of supply, low share of renewable energies, and high costs of supply. Residential Demand Response (DR) schemes can significantly increase the flexibility of the inherent weak power grid, increasing the potential for renewable energy integration. Given that active involvement of the population is required to unlock the potential of DR, pre-assessing the population’s preferences in DR is vital to tailor favorable schemes and assure long-term uptake of the solution. As a fundamental study, this paper assesses the population’s preferences on direct load control (DLC), electricity tariffs, major motivation, and remuneration goods by processing findings from a survey of 146 residents on Mayotte. Advanced k-means cluster analysis, multinomial logistic regression, one-way analysis of variance, and Chi-square tests were applied to the survey responses to identify socio-demographic influencers. The results indicate four distinct groups of people concerning their interest in DR schemes, with increasing age being a significant predictor for higher interest. Interest in DLC varies with the device/appliance controlled and socio-demographic characteristics. The preferred tariffs correspond to the results of previous literature. Financial incentives play a subordinate role in the main motivation for participation compared to social and environmental attractions as well as non-monetary remuneration goods, supporting the impression of a high sense of community and suitability of islands as laboratories for energy innovations. Follow-up studies must reflect on the ability/willingness to pay as well as the current state of awareness and knowledge of electricity supply to validate speculations on underlying reasons for DR preferences and flag constraints for the DR scheme implementation.
Stress Coupling Analysis and Failure Damage Evaluation of Wind Turbine Blades during Strong Winds
Authors: Tian Kangqi , Song Li , Chen Yongyan , Jiao Xiaofeng , Feng Rui , Tian Rui
Published: February 2022

Blades in strong wind conditions are prone to various failures and damage that is due to the action of random variable amplitude loads. In this study, we analyze the failure of 1.5 MW horizontal axis wind turbine blades. The computational fluid dynamics unsteady calculation method is used to simulate the aerodynamic load distribution on the blade. Fluid–structure coupling methods are applied to calculate the blade stress. The results show that the equivalent stress of the blade is the largest when the azimuth angle is 30°, and the maximum equivalent stress is 20.60 MPa. There are obvious stress peaks in six sections, such as r/R = 0.10 (the span length of blade/the full length of the blade = 0.10). The frequency of damage that is caused by the stress in each area of the blade is determined based on the blade damage. The frequency of gel coat cracking in the blade tips and leaves is 77.78% and 22.22%, respectively, and the frequency of crack occurrence is 87.75%, 10.20% and 2.05%, respectively. By combining the stress concentration area and the damage results, the cause of blade damage is determined, which can replace the traditional inspection methods and improve the inspection efficiency.