bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Hypomethylation of the DAZ3 promoter in idiopathic asthenospermia: a screening tool for liquid biopsy
Authors: Zhang Shichang , Xu Li , Yu Mengyao , Zhang Jiexin
Published: October 2020

Given the role of the deleted in azoospermia gene in male infertility, whether the somatic deleted in azoospermia methylation status is associated with idiopathic asthenospermia should be determined. To investigate the methylation levels of the deleted in azoospermia promoter in peripheral white blood cells from idiopathic asthenospermia patients relative to those in normozoospermia controls, 61 ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid anticoagulant blood samples were drawn from all participants for DNA isolation. The deleted in azoospermia promoter methylation ratio was detected by MassARRAY-based methylation quantification and confirmed by quantitative methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction. A MassARRAY-based methylation analysis showed that the deleted in azoospermia 3 promoter (0 to − 2 kbp) was significantly hypomethylated in peripheral white blood cells from idiopathic asthenospermia males, specifically one CpG site (− 246 to − 247). Quantitative methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction data further confirmed that the methylation level of the deleted in azoospermia 3 promoter region in idiopathic asthenospermia patients was significantly lower than that in normozoospermia males. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve determined by quantitative methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction was 0.737 (95% confidence interval: 0.552 to 0.924), with a sensitivity of 53.9% and a specificity of 88.2% at a cut-off level of 74.7%. Therefore, our results suggested that methylation ratio detection of the deleted in azoospermia 3 promoter region by real-time polymerase chain reaction assay is a promising and feasible tool for liquid biopsy in the clinical laboratories. The methylation status of other reported infertility-related genes should also be investigated in peripheral white blood cells.
The antiandrogenic vinclozolin induces differentiation delay of germ cells and changes in energy metabolism in 3D cultures of fetal ovaries
Authors: González-Sanz Silvia , Barreñada Odei , Rial Eduardo , Brieño-Enriquez Miguel A. , del Mazo Jesús
Published: October 2020

Vinclozolin is a pesticide with antiandrogenic activity as an endocrine disruptor compound. Its effects upon the progression of primordial follicles were assessed in cultures of mouse fetal ovaries from the onset of meiotic differentiation of germ cells (13.5 days post coitum) and from both in vivo exposed mice and in vitro exposed ovaries. Exposure of ovaries to vinclozolin—at in vitro dosages ranging from 10 to 200 μM and in 3D ex vivo culture following in vivo exposure to 50 mg/kg bw/day—showed delays in meiocyte differentiation and in follicle growth, even at the lowest in vitro dose exposure. Immunofluorescent analysis showed the presence of the proteins MSY2 and NOBOX in the primary follicles but no difference in the level of protein signals or in the number of follicles in relation to treatment. However, assessing the cytological differentiation of germ cells by detecting the synaptonemal complex protein SYCP3, the exposure to vinclozolin delayed meiotic differentiation from both in vitro- and in vivo-exposed ovaries. These effects were concomitant with changes in the energy metabolism, detected as a relative increase of glycolytic metabolism in live-cell metabolic assays in exposed ovaries.
Trophic downgrading reduces spatial variability on rocky reefs
Authors: Edwards Matthew S. , Konar Brenda
Published: October 2020

Trophic downgrading in coastal waters has occurred globally during recent decades. On temperate rocky reefs, this has resulted in widespread kelp deforestation and the formation of sea urchin barrens. We hypothesize that the intact kelp forest communities are more spatially variable than the downgraded urchin barren communities, and that these differences are greatest at small spatial scales where the influence of competitive and trophic interactions is strongest. To address this, benthic community surveys were done in kelp forests and urchin barrens at nine islands spanning 1230 km of the Aleutian Archipelago where the loss of predatory sea otters has resulted in the trophic downgrading of the region’s kelp forests. We found more species and greater total spatial variation in community composition within the kelp forests than in the urchin barrens. Further, the kelp forest communities were most variable at small spatial scales (within each forest) and least variable at large spatial scales (among forests on different islands), while the urchin barren communities followed the opposite pattern. This trend was consistent for different trophic guilds (primary producers, grazers, filter feeders, predators). Together, this suggests that Aleutian kelp forests create variable habitats within their boundaries, but that the communities within these forests are generally similar across the archipelago. In contrast, urchin barrens exhibit relatively low variability within their boundaries, but these communities vary substantially among different barrens across the archipelago. We propose this represents a shift from small-scale biological control to large-scale oceanographic control of these communities.
Transport of ultrasmall gold nanoparticles (2 nm) across the blood–brain barrier in a six-cell brain spheroid model
Authors: Sokolova Viktoriya , Mekky Gehad , van der Meer Selina Beatrice , Seeds Michael C. , Atala Anthony J. , Epple Matthias
Published: October 2020

The blood–brain barrier (BBB) is an efficient barrier for molecules and drugs. Multicellular 3D spheroids display reproducible BBB features and functions. The spheroids used here were composed of six brain cell types: Astrocytes, pericytes, endothelial cells, microglia cells, oligodendrocytes, and neurons. They form an in vitro BBB that regulates the transport of compounds into the spheroid. The penetration of fluorescent ultrasmall gold nanoparticles (core diameter 2 nm; hydrodynamic diameter 3–4 nm) across the BBB was studied as a function of time by confocal laser scanning microscopy, with the dissolved fluorescent dye (FAM-alkyne) as a control. The nanoparticles readily entered the interior of the spheroid, whereas the dissolved dye alone did not penetrate the BBB. We present a model that is based on a time-dependent opening of the BBB for nanoparticles, followed by a rapid diffusion into the center of the spheroid. After the spheroids underwent hypoxia (0.1% O2; 24 h), the BBB was more permeable, permitting the uptake of more nanoparticles and also of dissolved dye molecules. Together with our previous observations that such nanoparticles can easily enter cells and even the cell nucleus, these data provide evidence that ultrasmall nanoparticle can cross the blood brain barrier.
Tagging the proteasome active site β5 causes tag specific phenotypes in yeast
Authors: Waite Kenrick A. , Burris Alicia , Roelofs Jeroen
Published: October 2020

The efficient and timely degradation of proteins is crucial for many cellular processes and to maintain general proteostasis. The proteasome, a complex multisubunit protease, plays a critical role in protein degradation. Therefore, it is important to understand the assembly, regulation, and localization of proteasome complexes in the cell under different conditions. Fluorescent tags are often utilized to study proteasomes. A GFP-tag on the β5 subunit, one of the core particle (CP) subunits with catalytic activity, has been shown to be incorporated into proteasomes and commonly used by the field. We report here that a tag on this subunit results in aberrant phenotypes that are not observed when several other CP subunits are tagged. These phenotypes appear in combination with other proteasome mutations and include poor growth, and, more significantly, altered 26S proteasome localization. In strains defective for autophagy, β5-GFP tagged proteasomes, unlike other CP tags, localize to granules upon nitrogen starvation. These granules are reflective of previously described proteasome storage granules but display unique properties. This suggests proteasomes with a β5-GFP tag are specifically recognized and sequestered depending on physiological conditions. In all, our data indicate the intricacy of tagging proteasomes, and possibly, large complexes in general.
Urinary metabolomic investigations in vitiligo patients
Authors: Liu Wei , Liu Xiao-Yan , Qian Yue-Tong , Zhou Dong-Dong , Liu Jia-Wei , Chen Tian , Sun Wei , Ma Dong-Lai
Published: October 2020

Urinary metabolomics is a useful non-invasive tool for large-scale screening of disease-related metabolites. However, no comprehensive urinary metabolomic analysis of vitiligo is presently available. To investigate the urine metabolic pattern of vitiligo patients, we conducted a combined cross-sectional and prospective self-control cohort study and an untargeted urinary metabolomic analysis. In the cross-sectional study, 295 vitiligo patients and 192 age‐ and sex‐matched controls were enrolled, and 71 differential metabolites between two groups were identified. Pathway enrichment analysis revealed that drug metabolism-cytochrome P450, biopterin metabolism, vitamin B9 (folate) metabolism, selenoamino acid metabolism, and methionine and cysteine metabolism showed significant enrichment in vitiligo patients compared with the status in healthy controls. In the self-control cohort, 46 active vitiligo patients were recruited to analyse the urinary metabolic signatures after treatment. All of these patients were asked to undertake follow-up visits every 2 months three times after first consulting and the disease stage was evaluated compared with that at the last visit. Folate metabolism, linoleate metabolism, leukotriene metabolism, alkaloid biosynthesis, and tyrosine metabolism were predicted to be involved in vitiligo activity. Our study is the first attempt to reveal urinary metabolic signatures of vitiligo patients and provides new insights into the metabolic mechanisms of vitiligo.
Patterns of enhancement in paretic shoulder kinematics after stroke with musical cueing
Authors: Kang Shinil , Shin Joon-Ho , Kim In Young , Lee Jongshill , Lee Ji-Yeoung , Jeong Eunju
Published: October 2020

Musical cueing has been widely utilised in post-stroke motor rehabilitation; however, the kinematic evidence on the effects of musical cueing is sparse. Further, the element-specific effects of musical cueing on upper-limb movements have rarely been investigated. This study aimed to kinematically quantify the effects of no auditory, rhythmic auditory, and melodic auditory cueing on shoulder abduction, holding, and adduction in patients who had experienced hemiparetic stroke. Kinematic data were obtained using inertial measurement units embedded in wearable bands. During the holding phase, melodic auditory cueing significantly increased the minimum Euler angle and decreased the range of motion compared with the other types of cueing. Further, the root mean square error in the angle measurements was significantly smaller and the duration of movement execution was significantly shorter during the holding phase when melodic auditory cueing was provided than when the other types of cueing were used. These findings indicated the important role of melodic auditory cueing for enhancing movement positioning, variability, and endurance. This study provides the first kinematic evidence on the effects of melodic auditory cueing on kinematic enhancement, thus suggesting the potential use of pitch-related elements in psychomotor rehabilitation.
Patterns of ties in problem-solving networks and their dynamic properties
Authors: Braha Dan
Published: October 2020

Understanding the functions carried out by network subgraphs is important to revealing the organizing principles of diverse complex networks. Here, we study this question in the context of collaborative problem-solving, which is central to a variety of domains from engineering and medicine to economics and social planning. We analyze the frequency of all three- and four-node subgraphs in diverse real problem-solving networks. The results reveal a strong association between a dynamic property of network subgraphs—synchronizability—and the frequency and significance of these subgraphs in problem-solving networks. In particular, we show that highly-synchronizable subgraphs are overrepresented in the networks, while poorly-synchronizable subgraphs are underrepresented, suggesting that dynamical properties affect their prevalence, and thus the global structure of networks. We propose the possibility that selective pressures that favor more synchronizable subgraphs could account for their abundance in problem-solving networks. The empirical results also show that unrelated problem-solving networks display very similar local network structure, implying that network subgraphs could represent organizational routines that enable better coordination and control of problem-solving activities. The findings could also have potential implications in understanding the functionality of network subgraphs in other information-processing networks, including biological and social networks.
Dual-incision minimally invasive fasciotomy of the anterior and peroneal compartments for chronic exertional compartment syndrome of the lower leg
Authors: Grechenig Christoph , Valsamis Epaminondas Markos , Koutp Amir , Hohenberger Gloria , di Vora Theresa , Grechenig Peter
Published: October 2020

To evaluate the risk of iatrogenic injury when using a dual-incision minimally invasive technique to decompress the anterior and peroneal compartments of the lower leg. Forty lower extremities from 20 adult cadavers, embalmed with Thiel’s method, were subject to fasciotomy of the anterior and peroneal compartment using a dual-incision minimally invasive fasciotomy. The first incision was made 12 cm proximal to the lateral malleolus to identify and protect the superficial peroneal nerve (SPN). The second incision was made at the mid-point of the Fibula (half-way between the fibular head and the lateral malleolus). Release of the anterior and peroneal compartments was successful in all specimens. Two nerve injuries of the superficial peroneal nerve were reported. More precisely, in these cases the medial dorsal cutaneous nerve got injured during the fascial opening of the extensor compartment. Two incision minimally invasive fasciotomy to decompress the anterior and peroneal compartments of the lower leg appears to be safe with regard to the results of this study.
Radon concentration in conventional and new energy efficient multi-storey apartment houses: results of survey in four Russian cities
Authors: Yarmoshenko Ilia V. , Onishchenko Aleksandra D. , Malinovsky Georgy P. , Vasilyev Aleksey V. , Nazarov Evgeniy I. , Zhukovsky Michael V.
Published: October 2020

During last decades, energy saving in new buildings became relevant within the energy efficiency strategies in various countries. Such energy efficient building characteristics as air tightening and low ventilation can compromise indoor air quality, in particular, increase radon concentration. In Russia, a significant part of the new buildings is the energy efficient multi-storey apartment houses. The aim of this study is to assess the significance of possible radon concentration increase in new energy efficient buildings in comparison with typical conventional multi-storey houses of previous periods. Radon surveys were conducted in Russian cities Ekaterinburg, Chelyabinsk, Saint-Petersburg and Krasnodar. The radon measurements were carried out in 478 flats using CR-39 nuclear track detectors. Energy efficiency index (EEI) was assigned to each house. All buildings were divided into six main categories. The smallest average radon concentration was observed in panel and brick houses built according to standard projects of 1970–1990 (four-city average 21 Bq/m3). The highest average radon concentration and EEI were observed in new energy efficient buildings (49 Bq/m3). The trend of radon increase in buildings ranked with high EEI index is observed in all cities. The potential increase of radiation exposure in energy-efficient buildings should be analyzed taking into account the principles of radiological protection.
Assessing the susceptibility of schools to flood events in Iran
Authors: Yousefi Saleh , Pourghasemi Hamid Reza , Emami Sayed Naeim , Rahmati Omid , Tavangar Shahla , Pouyan Soheila , Tiefenbacher John P. , Shamsoddini Shahbaz , Nekoeimehr Mohammad
Published: October 2020

Catastrophic floods cause deaths, injuries, and property damages in communities around the world. The losses can be worse among those who are more vulnerable to exposure and this can be enhanced by communities’ vulnerabilities. People in undeveloped and developing countries, like Iran, are more vulnerable and may be more exposed to flood hazards. In this study we investigate the vulnerabilities of 1622 schools to flood hazard in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province, Iran. We used four machine learning models to produce flood susceptibility maps. The analytic hierarchy process method was enhanced with distance from schools to create a school-focused flood-risk map. The results indicate that 492 rural schools and 147 urban schools are in very high-risk locations. Furthermore, 54% of rural students and 8% of urban students study schools in locations of very high flood risk. The situation should be examined very closely and mitigating actions are urgently needed.
Publisher Correction: A predominant involvement of the triple seropositive patients and others with rheumatoid factor in the association of smoking with rheumatoid arthritis
Authors: Regueiro Cristina , Rodriguez-Rodriguez Luis , Lopez-Mejias Raquel , Nuño Laura , Triguero-Martinez Ana , Perez-Pampin Eva , Corrales Alfonso , Villalba Alejandro , Lopez-Golan Yolanda , Abasolo Lydia , Remuzgo-Martínez Sara , Ortiz Ana M. , Herranz Eva , Martínez-Feito Ana , Conde Carmen , Mera-Varela Antonio , Balsa Alejandro , Gonzalez-Alvaro Isidoro , González-Gay Miguel Ángel , Fernandez-Gutierrez Benjamín , Gonzalez Antonio
Published: October 2020

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
A double-stranded DNA catalyzed strand displacement system for detection of small genetic variations
Authors: Liu Na , Zhang Xuzhe , Tang Xiaofeng , Liu Yizhou , Huang Donghui , Xiao Xianjin
Published: October 2020

A double-stranded DNA catalyzed strand displacement system was established for the detection of small genetic variations.
An efficient and easily-accessible ligand for Cu(i)-catalyzed azide–alkyne cycloaddition bioconjugation
Authors: Guo Yuan-Yang , Zhang Bo , Wang Luying , Huang Shenlong , Wang Shilei , You Yanbo , Zhu Gongming , Zhu Anlian , Geng Mingwei , Li Lingjun
Published: October 2020

A novel ligand (6) for copper-catalyzed azide–alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) in bioconjugation has been developed.
The chemistry of Ce-based metal–organic frameworks
Authors: Jacobsen Jannick , Ienco Andrea , D'Amato Roberto , Costantino Ferdinando , Stock Norbert
Published: October 2020

The position of cerium in the periodic table explains its unique properties, which are also reflected in the chemistry and features of MOFs. Thus Ce(iii)- and Ce(iv)-MOFs exhibit similarities of lanthanide and Zr/Hf-MOFs, respectively.
The morphology evolution, tunable down-conversion luminescence, and energy transfer of [CaY]F2 crystals doped with Li+/Ce3+/Tb3+
Authors: Mao Yini , Wang Zhiyi , Ye Rui , Jiang Li , Hu Shanshan , Yang Jun
Published: October 2020

Octahedral [CaY]F2 crystals with an average particle size of 1 μm were synthesized via a mild one-step hydrothermal route without employing any surfactants.
Fucoxanthin activities motivate its nano/micro-encapsulation for food or nutraceutical application: a review
Authors: Wang Chunyan , Chen Xing , Nakamura Yoshimasa , Yu Chenxu , Qi Hang
Published: October 2020

Fucoxanthin is a xanthophyll carotenoid abundant in marine brown algae, encapsulated fucoxanthin could facilitate the commercialization of orally-deliverable tumor intervention products based on nano/micro-encapsulation technology.
The dietary peroxidized lipid, 13-HPODE, promotes intestinal inflammation by mediating granzyme B secretion from natural killer cells
Authors: Rohr Michael , Narasimhulu Chandrakala Aluganti , Keewan Esra'a , Hamid Simran , Parthasarathy Sampath
Published: October 2020

The dietary peroxidized lipid, 13-HPODE, stimulates natural killer cell granzyme B production and secretion, with potential implications for intestinal inflammation.
Nitrogen and sulphur co-doped carbon quantum dots and their optical power limiting properties
Authors: Zhu Senqiang , Wang Kunyan , Hu Jinyang , Liu Rui , Zhu Hongjun
Published: October 2020

For the sake of good performance in nonlinear optical (NLO) applications, two S,N-codoped carbon quantum dots were synthesized from 3,7-dinitro-10H-phenothiazine under different conditions of alkaline solution (D-1 from NaOH, D-2 from ammonia).
Area-selective Ru ALD by amorphous carbon modification using H plasma: from atomistic modeling to full wafer process integration
Authors: Zyulkov Ivan , Voronina Ekaterina , Krishtab Mikhail , Voloshin Dmitry , Chan B. T. , Mankelevich Yuri , Rakhimova Tatyana , Armini Silvia , De Gendt Stefan
Published: October 2020

Selective ALD of Ru on Si-based materials with simultaneous ALD inhibition on the amorphous carbon surface enabled by remote H plasma.
Rapid prediction of drug inhibition under heat stress: single-photon imaging combined with a convolutional neural network
Authors: Lin Hongxin , Xie Jianlei , Fan Taojian , He Youwu , Chen Jianxin , Zhang Han , Zhuo Shuangmu
Published: October 2020

A novel prediction method for cellular drug inhibition under heat stress.
Hybrid DNA/RNA nanostructures with 2′-5′ linkages
Authors: Chandrasekaran Arun Richard , Mathivanan Johnsi , Ebrahimi Parisa , Vilcapoma Javier , Chen Alan A. , Halvorsen Ken , Sheng Jia
Published: October 2020

We report here the first instance of nucleic acid nanostructures that contain 2′-5′ linkages and characterize structures of different complexities: a simple duplex to a 4-arm junction, a double crossover (DX) motif and a tensegrity triangle motif.
Heterotwin Zn3P2superlattice nanowires: the role of indium insertion in the superlattice formation mechanism and their optical properties
Authors: Escobar Steinvall Simon , Ghisalberti Lea , Zamani Reza R. , Tappy Nicolas , Hage Fredrik S. , Stutz Elias Z. , Zamani Mahdi , Paul Rajrupa , Leran Jean-Baptiste , Ramasse Quentin M. , Craig Carter W. , Fontcuberta i Morral Anna
Published: October 2020

Zinc phosphide forms heterotwin superlattices through the inclusion of indium rich layers at the twins. Here we investigate their structure, influence on the optoelectronic properties, and how its non-polar nature impacts the formation mechanism.
Chiral tertiary propargylic alcohols via Pd-catalyzed carboxylative kinetic resolution
Authors: Wang Jie , Zhang Wanli , Wu Penglin , Huang Chaofan , Zheng Yangguangyan , Zheng Wei-Feng , Qian Hui , Ma Shengming
Published: October 2020

A highly efficient Pd/H+-cocatalyzed kinetic resolution reaction of tertiary propargylic alcohols has been reported.
A reclaimed piezoelectric catalyst of MoS2@TNr composites as high-performance anode materials for supercapacitors
Authors: Zhao Xiaona , Lei Yuanchao , Liu Gang , Qian Libing , Zhang Xiaowei , Ping Yunjie , Li Hongjing , Han Qing , Fang Pengfei , He Chunqing
Published: October 2020

A piezoelectric catalyst of the MoS2@TNr composite (MoS2 nanosheets composited with TiO2 nanorods) was synthesized by a two-step hydrothermal method, and can be recycled and reused as an advanced anode material for supercapacitors.
Microstructure control of the wettability and adhesion of Al alloy surfaces
Authors: Wang Yonghua , Qin Zhilei , Xu Jinkai , Yu Huadong
Published: October 2020

This article provides a simple and fast method to adjust the wettability and adhesion of aluminum (Al) alloy surfaces after electric discharge machining (EDM).
Rapid chiral analysis based on liquid-phase cyclic chemiluminescence
Authors: Zhang Runkun , Zhong Yanhui , Lu Zhenyu , Chen Yanlong , Li Gongke
Published: October 2020

Rapid chiral analysis has become one of the important aspects of academic and industrial research.
Highly H2O permeable ionic liquid encapsulated metal–organic framework membranes for energy-efficient air-dehumidification
Authors: Park Sunghwan , Jeong Hae-Kwon
Published: October 2020

An encapsulated IL/MOF membrane shows much improved stability and unprecedentedly high water permeance for air dehumidification.
Relaxing under pressure with a rigid niccolite formate framework
Authors: Szeremeta Anna Z. , Nowok Andrzej , Sieradzki Adam , Simenas Mantas , Vilčiauskas Linas , Gągor Anna , Mączka Mirosław , Paluch Marian , Pawlus Sebastian
Published: October 2020

Order-disorder phase transition and relaxation process in lead free rigid niccolite-type formate crystal under pressure supported by the molecular dynamics simulations.
Solvatofluorochromic flavonoid dyes with enlarged transition dipole moments enable the ratiometric detection of methanol in commercial biodiesel with improved sensitivities
Authors: Qin Tianyi , Liu Bin , Du Bing , Huang Yingying , Yao Guangkai , Xun Zhiqing , Xu Hanhong , Zhao Chen
Published: October 2020

Enlarged transition dipole moment of the solvatofluorochromic probe could improve the detection sensitivity to methanol in biodiesel.
New approach to model‐order selection
Authors: Doraiswami R. , Cheded L.
Published: October 2020

A new, direct and practical scheme is proposed for determining the model orders of a system, its signal and disturbance using key properties of Kalman filter (KF). Unlike conventional methods, it enjoys the unique property of being both necessary and sufficient. The system is described by the Box–Jenkins model, whose accessible input and output are corrupted by unknown zero‐mean white Gaussian‐distributed disturbances and measurement noise. The signal and disturbance are outputs of asymptotically‐stable linear time‐invariant systems driven by an inaccessible input and a zero‐mean white Gaussian noise process, respectively. Predictive analytics is used to estimate the input by exploiting its smoothness and the randomness of the noisy input. The system, signal, and disturbance models and their associated KFs are identified for various selected model orders by minimising the KF residuals so that these become zero‐mean white noise processes. The selected model‐order corresponds to the minimum‐variance residual. Equivalently, the minimum order is selected when the number of poles or the output estimates of the identified models are all identical for all orders equal to, or exceeding the minimal order. The scheme is successfully evaluated and shown to outperform the commonly‐used but only sufficient Akaike Information Criterion.
Multi‐agent system for the reactive fleet maintenance support planning of a fleet of mobile cyber–physical systems
Authors: Mbuli John , Chargui Tarik , Trentesaux Damien , Bekrar Abdelghani , Dailly Thierry
Published: October 2020

Improving the availability and reliability of a fleet of mobile cyber–physical systems as well as the ability to adapt the maintenance planning decisions when facing unexpected events at the fleet level is a major stake faced by the manufacturers and the operators. In the context of this study, the authors propose a reactive multi‐agent system model for the fleet maintenance planning of mobile cyber–physical systems. For that purpose, the ANEMONA multi‐agent design methodology is used. In this methodology, the agents are modelled and then their organisational and interaction views are described. Numerical experiments are carried out in static and dynamic contexts. In a static context, the proposed multi‐agent system is compared with a mathematical programming model to validate the effectiveness of the former in satisfying the fleet's availability and reliability expectations. In a dynamic context, simulated perturbations are used to illustrate the reactivity of the proposed multi‐agent system. Lastly, an application to rail transport for the maintenance of a fleet of trains at Bombardier Transportation France is proposed. For that purpose, the proposed multi‐agent system is integrated in the model layer of a decision support system named ‘MainFleet’ which is currently under development.
Stability of conformable linear differential systems: a behavioural framework with applications in fractional‐order control
Authors: Mayo‐Maldonado Jonathan C. , Fernandez‐Anaya Guillermo , Ruiz‐Martinez Omar F.
Published: October 2020

The authors study the stability of linear systems whose dynamics are described by systems of conformable fractional differential equations. They provide a framework in terms of behavioural system theory to develop a general modelling specification as well as stability conditions for conformable linear systems with a fractional differential order. They also provide sufficient conditions and tests for stability based on linear matrix inequalities. To do so, they elaborate on the relationship between the conformable derivative and the traditional integer derivative as well as on a conformable Laplace transform and the use of polynomial algebra as the pivotal figure for analysis. They demonstrate the advantages of the proposed approach by designing a stabilising fractional‐order controller for a DC–DC converter feeding a constant power load.
Delayed state feedback predictive control of uncertain nonlinear discrete‐time switched systems with input constraint and state delays
Authors: Aminsafaee Maryam , Hossein Shafiei Mohammad
Published: October 2020

This study addresses the robust predictive control of a class of discrete‐time switched systems under arbitrary switching signals. The subsystems of the considered switched system involve polytopic uncertainties, the state delay, non‐linear terms, and input constraint. The main goal is to provide two switched delayed state feedback controllers for the cases of known and unknown state delays based on a constrained robust model predictive control method. An appropriate Lyapunov–Krasovskii functional is used to design the controller via an optimisation problem developed as linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). Both approaches are delay dependent because the online LMIs depend on the value of state delay in the first case and the upper bound of the state delay in the second one. The other advantages of the proposed method are considering a non‐constrained switching signal, its ability to handle constraints, and shaping a transient response. Finally, numerical examples are provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the theoretical results and also to compare the results with previous researches.
Decentralised indoor smart camera mapping and hierarchical navigation for autonomous ground vehicles
Authors: Whitaker Taylor J.L. , Cunningham Samantha‐Jo , Bobda Christophe
Published: October 2020

In this work, the authors propose a novel decentralised coordination scheme for autonomous ground vehicles to enable map building and path planning with a network of smart overhead cameras. Decentralised indoor smart camera mapping and hierarchical navigation supports the automatic generation of waypoint graphs for each camera in an environment and allows path planning through the environment across multiple camera fields of view, or subviews. The proposed solution utilises the growing neural gas algorithm to learn the topology of unoccupied working space in each subview for maintaining a dynamic waypoint graph on each camera. The authors’ pathing solution leverages a modified version of the A* algorithm to compute paths in a decentralised and hierarchical fashion. Waypoint generation was simulated and analysed on a generated environment to ensure it is both effective and efficient, while path planning was simulated on various randomised hierarchical graphs to effectively compare the proposed Decentralised‐A* (D‐A*) algorithm against standard greedy search. The proposed method efficiently handles the cases where other robot navigation methods are otherwise weak and ineffective, while still providing avenues for further optimisation of resource overhead for both the smart camera network as well as the robots themselves.
Design and construction of new axial‐flux permanent magnet motor
Authors: Alamdar Yazdi Mojtaba , Saied Seyed Amin , Mirimani Seyyed Mehdi
Published: October 2020

The present study investigated the design, simulation, and manufacturing of a new coreless stator axial‐flux permanent‐magnet motor. In addition, to magnets with magnetisation along the motor axis, the new structure included magnets that were magnetised circumferentially and buried at the rotor surface. The electromagnetic design of the conventional axial‐flux motor and the new motor was evaluated according to nominal values and design equations. In this regard, the number of poles and coils, as well as the outer diameter of both motors were assumed to be identical. It was observed that the axial length of the new motor is shorter than the conventional axial‐flux motor. Simulations were continued through comparing the motors in terms of air‐gap flux density, torque, and back electromotive force using the transient finite element method. A comparison of the results showed that the new motor had a better performance than the conventional axial‐flux motor. Subsequently, the new motor was manufactured and tested; the experimental results proved to be close to those presented in the analytical section.
Hybrid VNS–LP algorithm for online optimal coordination of directional overcurrent relays
Authors: Damchi Yaser , Dolatabadi Mohammad
Published: October 2020

Optimal coordination of directional overcurrent relays (DOCRs) in interconnected power systems is a highly constrained, non‐convex and non‐linear optimisation problem. In this study, use of a series of linear programming (LP) problems in a variable neighbourhood search (VNS) framework is proposed, in which pickup current settings can be considered either as continuous or discrete variables. Therefore, the proposed hybrid algorithm (VNS–LP) is suitable for coordination problem‐solving in a network with different types of DOCRs. Furthermore, two versions of the VNS algorithm are proposed, the first of which is very easy to implement, while, the other is somewhat more sophisticated, and at the same time much faster and possibly suitable for online coordination in smart grids applications. One advantage of the second algorithm is that it relies only on elementary arithmetic and requires low RAM, which makes it implementable in any low‐level programming environment. This, in turn, can increase the interoperability, which is of crucial importance when automating tasks. The efficiency of the proposed algorithm was investigated in several test systems. Numerical results indicate that the two proposed approaches outperform the previous methods. Moreover, the coordination problem is solved in a reasonably short time using a faster approach.
Current differential relay characteristic for bipolar HVDC transmission line fault detection
Authors: Saber Ahmed , Zeineldin Hatem , El‐Fouly Tarek , Al‐Durra Ahmed
Published: October 2020

This study proposes a new differential relay characteristic to detect internal faults on bipolar HVDC (high voltage direct current) transmission lines and discriminate accurately and in a timely manner both internal and external faults. In comparison with the conventional differential protection characteristic, the proposed relay characteristic avoids the need for an intentional time delay typically required to avoid nuisance fault detection. The sampling currents of the positive and negative poles are obtained from both line ends, and the noise is eliminated from the current signals using a stationary wavelet transform. Initially, a startup unit is utilised to activate the proposed protection scheme. The proposed current differential scheme adopts a biasing technique, which is based on the inherent transient behaviour of the bipolar HVDC system during both external and internal faults. The HVDC transmission line is implemented on the PSCAD/EMTDC platform utilising the frequency‐dependent phase model, and it is tested considering numerous internal and external faults. Finally, the proposed current differential relay characteristic is tested considering different fault resistances up to 1000 Ω as well as different fault locations, including internal HVDC line faults and external faults at both rectifier and inverter sides. The obtained results confirm the robustness of the proposed protection scheme for bipolar HVDC transmission lines fault detection.
Data‐driven distributionally robust economic dispatch for distribution network with multiple microgrids
Authors: Wang Lingling , Jiang Chuanwen , Gong Kai , Si Ruihua , Shao Hongbo , Liu Wanxun
Published: October 2020

With a high penetration level of renewable energy resources (RESs) in the distribution network (DN) and microgrids (MGs), how to realise the coordination between the two entities while takes the uncertain RESs into consideration becomes an urgent problem. A data‐driven distributionally robust economic dispatch (DRED) model for both DN and MGs is proposed in this study, wherein the 1‐norm and ∞‐norm are used to construct the confidence set for the probability distribution of the uncertainties based on historical data. The DN and each MG are considered as independent entities to minimise their own operation cost. The alternating direction method of multipliers is utilised to coordinate the power exchange between DN and MGs and realise the autonomy of each entity. The column and constraint generation algorithm is used to solve the proposed data‐driven DRED model for each entity. Considering the special structure of the proposed DRED problem, a duality‐free decomposition method is adopted. Thus the computational burden is reduced. Numerical results on a modified IEEE 33‐bus DN with three MGs validate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Classifying functional nuclear images with convolutional neural networks: a survey
Authors: Lin Qiang , Man Zhengxing , Cao Yongchun , Deng Tao , Han Chengcheng , Cao Chuangui , Zhang Linjun , Zeng Sitao , Gao Ruiting , Wang Weilan , Ji Jinshui , Huang Xiaodi
Published: October 2020

Functional imaging has successfully been applied to capture functional changes in the pathological tissues of a body in recent years. Nuclear medicine functional imaging has been used to acquire information about areas of concerns (e.g. lesions and organs) in a non‐invasive manner, enabling semi‐automated or automated decision‐making for disease diagnosis, treatment, evaluation, and prediction. Focusing on functional nuclear medicine images, in this study, the authors review existing work on the classification of single‐photon emission computed tomography, positron emission tomography, and their hybrid modalities with computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging images by using convolutional neural network (CNN) techniques. Specifically, they first present an overview of nuclear imaging and the CNN technique, such as nuclear imaging modalities, nuclear image data format, CNN architecture, and the main CNN classification models. According to the diseases of concern, they then classify the existing CNN‐based work on the classification of functional nuclear images into three different categories. For the typical work in each of these categories, they present details about their research objectives, adopted CNN models, and achieved main results. Finally, they discuss research challenges and directions for developing technological solutions to classify nuclear medicine images based on the CNN technique.
Automatic segmentation and classification of lung tumour using advance sequential minimal optimisation techniques
Authors: Vijila Rani K. , Joseph Jawhar S.
Published: October 2020

A chronic disorder caused by abnormal growth of the lung cells in the pulmonary tumour. This study suggests a modern automated approach to improve efficiency and decrease the difficulty of lung tumour diagnosis. The proposed algorithm for lung tumour sensing consists of four phases: pre‐processing, segmentation, extraction, and characteristics classification. The first stage is the image acquisition here input lung image is read and then resized. The second stage is the image pre‐processing here Perona–Malik diffusion with unsharp masking filter is proposed for enhancement purposes. The third stage is the segmentation here the improved histogram–based fast 2D Otsu's thresholding is proposed for lung tumour segmentation purposes. Finally, linear discriminant analysis classifier, support vector machine (SVM) classifier, SVM–sequence minimal optimisation classifier, Naive Bayes classifier, SVM–advance sequence minimal optimisation (SVM–ASMO) classification [proposed] included in the various classifier groups adopted in this report. Overall performance accuracy of 0.962 is obtained using the proposed SVM–ASMO method that helps to diagnose the cancer cells using the feature extraction process, which is done automatically. The specificity, precision, recall, and F1 score of the proposed method is found to be a value of 0.984, 0.974, 0.98, and 0.984,respectively.
Machine learning‐based edge‐computing on a multi‐level architecture of WSN and IoT for real‐time fall detection
Authors: El Attaoui Amina , Largo Salma , Kaissari Soufiane , Benba Achraf , Jilbab Abdelilah , Bourouhou Abdennaser
Published: October 2020

Health telemonitoring systems are constrained by the computational and data transmission load resulting from the large volumes of various measured signals, e.g. in the fall detection application. Nevertheless, the trend of movement and the implementation of computer intelligence in intelligent devices ensure an intelligent and convenient method for continuous real‐time telemonitoring of health conditions. In this paper, fall detection is presented while leveraging edge computing integrated on a multi‐level architecture combines the Wireless Sensors Network and the Internet of Things. Particularly, we present a complete study and implementation scenarios while investigating the performances of machine learning algorithms to distinguish between different fall patterns and activities of daily living using a set of significant extracted features from measured acceleration and angular velocity signals. For low computational requirements and to improve the classification performances, the Linear Discriminant Analysis is used to reduce the dimensionality of extracted features. The experimental results assess the performances of the proposed approach in fall detection that show the highest accuracy of 99.92% provided using the KNN classifier and accuracy of 97.5% for fall pattern recognition using the SVM classifier. Also, the online classification on the Fog device reached an accuracy of 94.42% using the SVM classifier.
Metaheuristics‐based energy efficient clustering in WSNs: challenges and research contributions
Authors: Sharma Richa , Vashisht Vasudha , Singh Umang
Published: October 2020

In past few years, wireless sensor network (WSN) is considered as an essential and imperative way for efficient data communication in ubiquitous computing environment along with the fulfilment of objectives such as (i) lifetime enhancement and (ii) energy conservation. Till date, the research findings demonstrate that clustering of WSNs is an effective and pertinent approach. Moreover, designing of energy‐aware routing schemes for clustered WSNs is a basic necessity due to resource‐restricted nature of these sensor nodes. This study has a twofold contribution. First, the research dimensions of WSNs are explained by incorporating recent work carried out as per findings in real scenarios. Secondly, this study presents a comprehensive survey of existing clustering schemes for WSNs based on metaheuristic techniques. This study is beneficial for researchers of this domain as it surveys the literature over the period 2000–2020 on energy efficiency in clustered WSNs.
The Hydraulic Power Generation and Transmission on Agricultural Tractors: feasible architectures to reduce dissipation and fuel consumption – Part 2
Authors: Casoli Paolo , Zardin Barbara , Ardizio Salvatore , Borghi Massimo , Pintore Francesco , Mesturini Davide
Published: October 2020

Increasing interest in reducing pollutant emissions and fuel consumption of off-road vehicles has led to research alternative systems that aim to reduce the power dissipations of the hydraulic circuits. This work presents the advantages of few alternative solutions for a hydraulic high-pressure circuit of a medium-size tractor. The standard high-pressure circuit is a typical multiusers load sensing system that uses a single variable displacement pump to feed: steering, trailer brake, rear remotes, hitch and suspension. The alternative architectures have been simulated and compared in terms of mechanical energy consumption. In particular, the steering has been separated from the circuit, it has been actuated by means of a dedicated pump moved by an electric motor, in this way the priority valve could be removed and losses due the pressure compensators are reduced. A further architecture based on the insertion of the LS signal conditioner was studied. The results show that relevant energy saving can be achieved with the new alternative architectures; the physical prototyping of the most promising solutions will be realized as the next step of the project.
The Ecosystem Protection and Promotion of Mogao Grottoes
Authors: Liang Jiani , Deng Dexiang , Zhou Xi , Liu Kaige
Published: October 2020

The cultural heritage of the Dunhuang Mogao Caves is a valuable as set for China, but the site is located in Gansu Province in northern China, where the ecological environment is fragile, the environmental space is relatively small and the environmental carrying capacity is limited. In the process of accelerating the tourism development and construction of Mogao Caves cultural heritage, the ecological balance of the environment has been upset and problems have emerged. This paper investigates the ecological and environmental management and enhancement of the site, as well as the conservation and protection of the non-renewable resources of the Mogao Caves cultural heritage.
Mineralogical and microbial correlation of phosphate ore mine in Hazm Al-Jalamid
Authors: Alsagabi Sultan , Albokari Majed , Mashhour Ibrahim
Published: October 2020

This environmental engineering study was conducted to investigate and correlate the fundamental mineralogical compositions of phosphate rock in the Hazm Al-Jalamid area of Saudi Arabia at different layers originating from an open-pit mine. Microbial communities within these layers and the associated correlations between the mineralogical compositions at different geological and textural profiles were investigated. Three representative phosphaterock layers, upper, middle, and lower, were investigated. The dominated crystal structure of the upper layer was calcite, while dolomite, and quartz were in middle and lower layers, respectively. In contrast, Phosphate concentrations reached levels around 3.12%, 7.66%, and 3.92% of the overall content of representative samples in the upper, middle, and lower layers, respectively. The same trends were observed for both fluorapatite and phosphorus pentoxide. The microbiome of the phosphate-ore samples was evaluated. The phylum Proteobacteria dominated the upper and middle layers, while the well-known phosphate-solubilizing bacteria species Pseudomonas putida were present at 46% and 50% in both the upper and middle layers, respectively. In contrast, the actinobacterium Saccharopolyspora flava dominated the lower layer. Increasing selective phyla and species that associated with the elevated content of phosphorus from one layer to another within mine enhanced the understating of these microorganisms as extremophiles.