bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Temporal Order of DNA Replication Shaped by Mammalian DNA Methyltransferases
Authors: Takebayashi Shin-ichiro , Ryba Tyrone , Wimbish Kelsey , Hayakawa Takuya , Sakaue Morito , Kuriya Kenji , Takahashi Saori , Ogata Shin , Hiratani Ichiro , Okumura Katsuzumi , Okano Masaki , Ogata Masato
Published: January 2021

Multiple epigenetic pathways underlie the temporal order of DNA replication (replication timing) in the contexts of development and disease. DNA methylation by DNA methyltransferases (Dnmts) and downstream chromatin reorganization and transcriptional changes are thought to impact DNA replication, yet this remains to be comprehensively tested. Using cell-based and genome-wide approaches to measure replication timing, we identified a number of genomic regions undergoing subtle but reproducible replication timing changes in various Dnmt-mutant mouse embryonic stem (ES) cell lines that included a cell line with a drug-inducible Dnmt3a2 expression system. Replication timing within pericentromeric heterochromatin (PH) was shown to be correlated with redistribution of H3K27me3 induced by DNA hypomethylation: Later replicating PH coincided with H3K27me3-enriched regions. In contrast, this relationship with H3K27me3 was not evident within chromosomal arm regions undergoing either early-to-late (EtoL) or late-to-early (LtoE) switching of replication timing upon loss of the Dnmts. Interestingly, Dnmt-sensitive transcriptional up- and downregulation frequently coincided with earlier and later shifts in replication timing of the chromosomal arm regions, respectively. Our study revealed the previously unrecognized complex and diverse effects of the Dnmts loss on the mammalian DNA replication landscape.
Functional Role of B Cells in Atherosclerosis
Authors: Ma Shelby D. , Mussbacher Marion , Galkina Elena V.
Published: January 2021

Atherosclerosis is a lipid-driven inflammatory disease of blood vessels, and both innate and adaptive immune responses are involved in its development. The impact of B cells on atherosclerosis has been demonstrated in numerous studies and B cells have been found in close proximity to atherosclerotic plaques in humans and mice. B cells exert both atheroprotective and pro-atherogenic functions, which have been associated with their B cell subset attribution. While B1 cells and marginal zone B cells are considered to protect against atherosclerosis, follicular B cells and innate response activator B cells have been shown to promote atherosclerosis. In this review, we shed light on the role of B cells from a different, functional perspective and focus on the three major B cell functions: antibody production, antigen presentation/T cell interaction, and the release of cytokines. All of these functions have the potential to affect atherosclerosis by multiple ways and are dependent on the cellular milieu and the activation status of the B cell. Moreover, we discuss B cell receptor signaling and the mechanism of B cell activation under atherosclerosis-prone conditions. By summarizing current knowledge of B cells in and beyond atherosclerosis, we are pointing out open questions and enabling new perspectives.
DNA Methylation in LIME1 and SPTBN2 Genes Is Associated with Attention Deficit in Children
Authors: Li Sung-Chou , Kuo Ho-Chang , Huang Lien-Hung , Chou Wen-Jiun , Lee Sheng-Yu , Chan Wen-Ching , Wang Liang-Jen
Published: January 2021

DNA methylation levels are associated with neurodevelopment. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), characterized by attention deficits, is a common neurodevelopmental disorder. We used methylation microarray and pyrosequencing to detect peripheral blood DNA methylation markers of ADHD. DNA methylation profiling data from the microarray assays identified potential differentially methylated CpG sites between 12 ADHD patients and 9 controls. Five candidate CpG sites (cg00446123, cg20513976, cg07922513, cg17096979, and cg02506324) in four genes (LIME1, KCNAB2, CAPN9, and SPTBN2) were further examined with pyrosequencing. The attention of patients were tested using the Conners’ Continuous Performance Test (CPT). In total, 126 ADHD patients with a mean age of 9.2 years (78.6% males) and 72 healthy control subjects with a mean age of 9.3 years (62.5% males) were recruited. When all participants were categorized by their CPT performance, the DNA methylation levels in LIME1 (cg00446123 and cg20513976) were found to be significantly higher and those in SPTBN2 (cg02506324) were significantly lower in children with worse CPT performance. Therefore, DNA methylation of two CpG sites in LIME1 and one CpG site in SPTBN2 is associated with attention deficits in children. DNA methylation biomarkers may assist in identifying attention deficits of children in clinical settings.
Not Always (and Only) Heart Failure—A Case Report of Primary Pleural Lymphoma in an Elderly Patient
Authors: Rabadão Tiago , Naia Leonor , Ferreira Filipa , Teixeira Mariana , Aveiro Marcelo , Eulálio Margarida , Silva Fernando
Published: January 2021

Pleural involvement in Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL) is well documented, but primary pleural lymphomas are extremely rare, occurring mostly in immunosuppressed patients or associated with chronic pleural inflammation. Nevertheless, the pathogenesis and therapeutic approaches to counteract primary pleural lymphomas are still matter of debate. The authors present the clinical case of an 81-year-old female with respiratory and constitutional symptoms. A valvular heart disease and bilateral pleural effusion were known. The study carried out showed a large right pleural effusion; the fluid analysis was compatible with Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma (DLBCL), and two lymphomatous masses with pleural origin were found at the ipsilateral hemithorax. Primary pleural lymphoma was considered and chemotherapy was initiated with a good response and evolution. The authors report this remarkable clinical case because of its rarity, its excellent clinical evolution and the absence of an immunodeficiency context.
A Multi-Analytical Non-Invasive Approach to Aqueous Cleaning Systems in Treatments on Bowed String Musical Instruments
Authors: Cazzaniga Ilaria , Gargano Marco , Invernizzi Claudia , Ludwig Nicola G. , Malagodi Marco , Canevari Claudio , Rovetta Tommaso
Published: January 2021

Restoration and conservation procedures for historical musical instruments involve several issues, also connected with their frequent being played. One of the most delicate procedures for their preservation is the cleaning of surfaces from soil and dirt which have accumulated over the years. In fact, when external particles reach the surface, a fraction of them can deposit on it. Moreover, the contact with the player can generate chemical-physical changes, rapidly warming and wetting the surfaces through sweat deposition. This work focused on the cleaning methods of surfaces of bowed string musical instruments by a systematic and analytical approach. The selective cleaning procedure of varnished surfaces from grime and soil needs to be performed without compromising the original matter. Therefore, a dirty surface was reproduced on a set of varnished mock-ups and different water-based cleaning systems—generally used by restorers—were tested. The procedures were monitored in each step with several analytical methods: multispectral imaging (near-infrared (NIR), IRFC, visible imaging (VIS), UV-induced visible fluorescence), stereomicroscopy, XRF and FTIR spectroscopies allowed us to non-invasively outline the cleaning system efficacy. The results highlighted different levels of cleaning and, in some cases, it was possible to identify the best selectivity for the different procedures.
E-ART: A New Encryption Algorithm Based on the Reflection of Binary Search Tree
Authors: Alabdullah Bayan , Beloff Natalia , White Martin
Published: January 2021

Data security has become crucial to most enterprise and government applications due to the increasing amount of data generated, collected, and analyzed. Many algorithms have been developed to secure data storage and transmission. However, most existing solutions require multi-round functions to prevent differential and linear attacks. This results in longer execution times and greater memory consumption, which are not suitable for large datasets or delay-sensitive systems. To address these issues, this work proposes a novel algorithm that uses, on one hand, the reflection property of a balanced binary search tree data structure to minimize the overhead, and on the other hand, a dynamic offset to achieve a high security level. The performance and security of the proposed algorithm were compared to Advanced Encryption Standard and Data Encryption Standard symmetric encryption algorithms. The proposed algorithm achieved the lowest running time with comparable memory usage and satisfied the avalanche effect criterion with 50.1%. Furthermore, the randomness of the dynamic offset passed a series of National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) statistical tests.
Aberrant Left Subclavian Artery-Esophageal Fistula in a Patient with a Prolonged Use of Nasogastric Tube: A Case Report and Literature Review
Authors: Kim Sungbin , Jeon Kyung Nyeo , Bae Kyungsoo
Published: January 2021

Arterial-esophageal fistula is a rare but potentially fatal complication. Right aortic arch with aberrant left subclavian artery is a rare congenital vascular anomaly that can cause esophageal compression, particularly when the proximal portion of the aberrant subclavian artery forms a Kommerell’s diverticulum. Prolonged use of a nasogastric tube can cause pressure necrosis of the esophagus. We report a patient with massive gastrointestinal bleeding secondary to aberrant left subclavian artery-esophageal fistula after a prolonged use of nasogastric tube. A high index of suspicion is essential for better prognosis when a patient with congenital aortic arch anomaly shows upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage.
Scanned versus Fused-Reconstructed Oblique MR-Images for Assessment of the Tibiofibular Syndesmosis—Diagnostic PerFormance and Reader Agreement
Authors: Seuss Hannes , Hammon Matthias , Roemer Frank , Heiss Rafael , Janka Rolf , Uder Michael , Dankerl Peter
Published: January 2021

To evaluate the diagnostic performance and reader agreement of a novel MRI image fusion method enabling the reconstruction of oblique images for the assessment of the tibiofibular syndesmosis. We evaluated 40 magnetic resonance imaging examinations of patients with ankle sprains (16 with ruptures and 24 without) for the presence of anteroinferior tibiofibular ligament rupture. For all patients, we performed a fusion of standard two-dimensional transversal and coronal 3 mm PDw TSE images into an oblique-fusion reconstruction (OFR) and compared these against conventionally scanned oblique sequence for the evaluation of the tibiofibular syndesmosis. To evaluate diagnostic performance, two expert readers independently read the OFR images twice. We analyzed sensitivity, specificity, negative and positive predictive values, accuracy, and agreement. Reader 1 misinterpreted one OFR as a false negative, demonstrating a sensitivity of 0.94 and specificity of 1.00, reader 2 demonstrated perfect accuracy. Intrareader agreement was almost perfect for reader 1 (α = 0.95) and was perfect for reader 2 (α = 1.00). Additionally, interreader agreement between all fusion sequence reads was almost perfect (α = 0.97). The proposed OFR enables reliable detection of anteroinferior tibiofibular ligament rupture with excellent inter- and intrareader agreement, making conventional scanning of oblique images redundant and supplies a method to retroactively create oblique images, e.g., from external examinations.
Weighted Schatten p-Norm Low Rank Error Constraint for Image Denoising
Authors: Xu Jiucheng , Cheng Yihao , Ma Yuanyuan
Published: January 2021

Traditional image denoising algorithms obtain prior information from noisy images that are directly based on low rank matrix restoration, which pays little attention to the nonlocal self-similarity errors between clear images and noisy images. This paper proposes a new image denoising algorithm based on low rank matrix restoration in order to solve this problem. The proposed algorithm introduces the non-local self-similarity error between the clear image and noisy image into the weighted Schatten p-norm minimization model using the non-local self-similarity of the image. In addition, the low rank error is constrained by using Schatten p-norm to obtain a better low rank matrix in order to improve the performance of the image denoising algorithm. The results demonstrate that, on the classic data set, when comparing with block matching 3D filtering (BM3D), weighted nuclear norm minimization (WNNM), weighted Schatten p-norm minimization (WSNM), and FFDNet, the proposed algorithm achieves a higher peak signal-to-noise ratio, better denoising effect, and visual effects with improved robustness and generalization.
A New Deep Dual Temporal Domain Adaptation Method for Online Detection of Bearings Early Fault
Authors: Mao Wentao , Sun Bin , Wang Liyun
Published: January 2021

With the quick development of sensor technology in recent years, online detection of early fault without system halt has received much attention in the field of bearing prognostics and health management. While lacking representative samples of the online data, one can try to adapt the previously-learned detection rule to the online detection task instead of training a new rule merely using online data. As one may come across a change of the data distribution between offline and online working conditions, it is challenging to utilize the data from different working conditions to improve detection accuracy and robustness. To solve this problem, a new online detection method of bearing early fault is proposed in this paper based on deep transfer learning. The proposed method contains an offline stage and an online stage. In the offline stage, a new state assessment method is proposed to determine the period of the normal state and the degradation state for whole-life degradation sequences. Moreover, a new deep dual temporal domain adaptation (DTDA) model is proposed. By adopting a dual adaptation strategy on the time convolutional network and domain adversarial neural network, the DTDA model can effectively extract domain-invariant temporal feature representation. In the online stage, each sequentially-arrived data batch is directly fed into the trained DTDA model to recognize whether an early fault occurs. Furthermore, a health indicator of target bearing is also built based on the DTDA features to intuitively evaluate the detection results. Experiments are conducted on the IEEE Prognostics and Health Management (PHM) Challenge 2012 bearing dataset. The results show that, compared with nine state-of-the-art fault detection and diagnosis methods, the proposed method can get an earlier detection location and lower false alarm rate.
Assessment of the Effectiveness of Rehabilitation after Total Knee Replacement Surgery Using Sample Entropy and Classical Measures of Body Balance
Authors: Hadamus Anna , Białoszewski Dariusz , Błażkiewicz Michalina , Kowalska Aleksandra J. , Urbaniak Edyta , Wydra Kamil T. , Wiaderna Karolina , Boratyński Rafał , Kobza Agnieszka , Marczyński Wojciech
Published: January 2021

Exercises in virtual reality (VR) have recently become a popular form of rehabilitation and are reported to be more effective than a standard rehabilitation protocol alone. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of adjunct VR training in improving postural control in patients after total knee replacement surgery (TKR). Forty-two patients within 7–14 days of TKR were enrolled and divided into a VR group and a control group (C). The C group underwent standard postoperative rehabilitation. The VR group additionally attended twelve 30-min exercise sessions using the Virtual Balance Clinic prototype system. Balance was assessed on the AMTI plate in bipedal standing with and without visual feedback before and after the four-week rehabilitation. Linear measures and sample entropy of CoP data were analyzed. After four weeks of rehabilitation, a significant reduction in parameters in the sagittal plane and ellipse area was noted while the eyes remained open. Regression analysis showed that sample entropy depended on sex, body weight, visual feedback and age. Based on the sample entropy results, it was concluded that the complexity of the body reaction had not improved. The standing-with-eyes-closed test activates automatic balance mechanisms and offers better possibilities as a diagnostic tool.
Multiscale Thermodynamics
Authors: Grmela Miroslav
Published: January 2021

Multiscale thermodynamics is a theory of the relations among the levels of investigation of complex systems. It includes the classical equilibrium thermodynamics as a special case, but it is applicable to both static and time evolving processes in externally and internally driven macroscopic systems that are far from equilibrium and are investigated at the microscopic, mesoscopic, and macroscopic levels. In this paper we formulate multiscale thermodynamics, explain its origin, and illustrate it in mesoscopic dynamics that combines levels.
Lattice Boltzmann Solver for Multiphase Flows: Application to High Weber and Reynolds Numbers
Authors: Hosseini Seyed Ali , Safari Hesameddin , Thevenin Dominique
Published: January 2021

The lattice Boltzmann method, now widely used for a variety of applications, has also been extended to model multiphase flows through different formulations. While already applied to many different configurations in low Weber and Reynolds number regimes, applications to higher Weber/Reynolds numbers or larger density/viscosity ratios are still the topic of active research. In this study, through a combination of a decoupled phase-field formulation—the conservative Allen–Cahn equation—and a cumulant-based collision operator for a low-Mach pressure-based flow solver, we present an algorithm that can be used for higher Reynolds/Weber numbers. The algorithm was validated through a variety of test cases, starting with the Rayleigh–Taylor instability in both 2D and 3D, followed by the impact of a droplet on a liquid sheet. In all simulations, the solver correctly captured the flow dynamics andmatched reference results very well. As the final test case, the solver was used to model droplet splashing on a thin liquid sheet in 3D with a density ratio of 1000 and kinematic viscosity ratio of 15, matching the water/air system at We = 8000 and Re = 1000. Results showed that the solver correctly captured the fingering instabilities at the crown rim and their subsequent breakup, in agreement with experimental and numerical observations reported in the literature.
Quantifying the Predictability of Visual Scanpaths Using Active Information Storage
Authors: Wollstadt Patricia , Hasenjäger Martina , Wiebel-Herboth Christiane B.
Published: January 2021

Entropy-based measures are an important tool for studying human gaze behavior under various conditions. In particular, gaze transition entropy (GTE) is a popular method to quantify the predictability of a visual scanpath as the entropy of transitions between fixations and has been shown to correlate with changes in task demand or changes in observer state. Measuring scanpath predictability is thus a promising approach to identifying viewers’ cognitive states in behavioral experiments or gaze-based applications. However, GTE does not account for temporal dependencies beyond two consecutive fixations and may thus underestimate the actual predictability of the current fixation given past gaze behavior. Instead, we propose to quantify scanpath predictability by estimating the active information storage (AIS), which can account for dependencies spanning multiple fixations. AIS is calculated as the mutual information between a processes’ multivariate past state and its next value. It is thus able to measure how much information a sequence of past fixations provides about the next fixation, hence covering a longer temporal horizon. Applying the proposed approach, we were able to distinguish between induced observer states based on estimated AIS, providing first evidence that AIS may be used in the inference of user states to improve human–machine interaction.
Robust Characterization of Multidimensional Scaling Relations between Size Measures for Business Firms
Authors: Kobayashi Yuh , Takayasu Hideki , Havlin Shlomo , Takayasu Misako
Published: January 2021

Although the sizes of business firms have been a subject of intensive research, the definition of a “size” of a firm remains unclear. In this study, we empirically characterize in detail the scaling relations between size measures of business firms, analyzing them based on allometric scaling. Using a large dataset of Japanese firms that tracked approximately one million firms annually for two decades (1994–2015), we examined up to the trivariate relations between corporate size measures: annual sales, capital stock, total assets, and numbers of employees and trading partners. The data were examined using a multivariate generalization of a previously proposed method for analyzing bivariate scalings. We found that relations between measures other than the capital stock are marked by allometric scaling relations. Power–law exponents for scalings and distributions of multiple firm size measures were mostly robust throughout the years but had fluctuations that appeared to correlate with national economic conditions. We established theoretical relations between the exponents. We expect these results to allow direct estimation of the effects of using alternative size measures of business firms in regression analyses, to facilitate the modeling of firms, and to enhance the current theoretical understanding of complex systems.
Wafer-Scale Fabrication and Assembly Method of Multichannel Microelectrode Arrays for ECoG Application
Authors: Wang Cong , Wei Yu-Chen , Sung Ho-Kun , Kumar Alok , Zhou Zhong-Liang , Zou Dan-Qing , Jiang Cheng-Peng , Yan Guo-Feng , Choi Jee-Hyun , Dhakal Rajendra
Published: January 2021

High density electrocorticography (ECoG)-based microelectrode arrays (MEAs) are fabricated to timely record the neural activities to provide the fundamental understanding in neuroscience and biomedical engineering. This paper aims to introduce a device-based concept and wafer-scale fabrication process for MEAs. Flexible and biocompatible polyimide is applied on MEAs to bear all possible stress and strain. Detailed fabrication key techniques, including surface treatment, polyimide stability measurement, evaporation process, and curing conditions, have been discussed thoroughly. Moreover, the fabricated polyimide-based MEAs are surface-mounted on well-packaged printed circuit boards (PCBs) via a slot-type connector without any additional wire bonding to make the signal recording process easier. An absence seizure was recorded during the in vivo test, which shows the availability of signal recording based on the presented MEAs. The proposed MEAs could be remained at the skull, while the connector and PCBs can be disassembled apart. Therefore, the testing sample will get less suffering. To verify the robustness of the fabricated MEAs, the impedance properties were characterized using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The measured results indicate an average impedance of 12.3 ± 0.675 kΩ at 1 kHz. In total, 10 groups of MEAs were sample tested, and over 90% of the total 60 channels per 1-MEAs operated efficiently.
Non-Intrusive Load Identification Method Based on Improved Long Short Term Memory Network
Authors: Song Jiateng , Wang Hongbin , Du Mingxing , Peng Lei , Zhang Shuai , Xu Guizhi
Published: January 2021

Non-intrusive load monitoring (NILM) is an important research direction and development goal on the distribution side of smart grid, which can significantly improve the timeliness of demand side response and users’ awareness of load. Due to rapid development, deep learning becomes an effective way to optimize NILM. In this paper, we propose a novel load identification method based on long short term memory (LSTM) on deep learning. Sequence-to-point (seq2point) learning is introduced into LSTM. The innovative combination of the LSTM and the seq2point brings their respective advantages together, so that the proposed model can accurately identify the load in process of time series data. In this paper, we proved the feature of reducing identification error in the experimental data, from three datasets, UK-DALE dataset, REDD dataset, and REFIT dataset. In terms of mean absolute error (MAE), the three datasets have increased by 15%, 14%, and 18% respectively; in terms of normalized signal aggregate error (SAE), the three datasets have increased by 21%, 24%, and 30% respectively. Compared with the existing models, the proposed model has better accuracy and generalization in identifying three open source datasets.
Management of Energy Sources and the Development Potential in the Energy Production Sector—A Comparison of EU Countries
Authors: Daroń Marta , Wilk Marlena
Published: January 2021

Appropriate management of energy sources is one of the basic undertakings in the energy sector. Climate policy changes and the development of technologies enabling the acquisition of energy in a way to reduce the negative impact on the natural environment lead to diversity in the structure of the energy sources being used. Therefore, it is important to assess the impact of these changes on the development of energy sectors by particular countries. The article contains the analysis of various energy sources utilization by European Union (EU) countries and the assessment of the energy production sector potential, and the development of this potential in relation to changes in the energy sources structure. For this purpose, a multidimensional comparative analysis was used. The data for the analysis are derived from the Eurostat database for the years 2017 and 2019 for 28 EU countries and they concern the use of energy sources such as combustible fuels, coal and manufactured gases, natural gas, oil and petroleum products (excluding biofuel portion), hydro/hydropower, wind power, solar photovoltaic, nuclear fuels and other fuels n.e.c. As a result of the research, it was proved that in most EU countries the changes introduced in the structure of the use of various energy sources, according to EU climate policy, have a positive impact on the development of particular energy sectors.
Survey and Comparison of Optimization-Based Aggregation Methods for the Determination of the Flexibility Potentials at Vertical System Interconnections
Authors: Sarstedt Marcel , Kluß Leonard , Gerster Johannes , Meldau Tobias , Hofmann Lutz
Published: January 2021

The aggregation of operational active and reactive power flexibilities as the feasible operation region (FOR) is a main component of a hierarchical multi-voltage-level grid control as well as the cooperation of transmission and distribution system operators at vertical system interconnections. This article presents a new optimization-based aggregation approach, based on a modified particle swarm optimization (PSO) and compares it to non-linear and linear programming. The approach is to combine the advantages of stochastic and optimization-based methods to achieve an appropriate aggregation of flexibilities while obtaining additional meta information during the iterative solution process. The general principles for sampling an FOR are introduced in a survey of aggregation methods from the literature and the adaptation of the classic optimal power flow problem. The investigations are based on simulations of the Cigré medium voltage test system and are divided into three parts. The improvement of the classic PSO algorithm regarding the determination of the FOR are presented. The most suitable of four sampling strategies from the literature is identified and selected for the comparison of the optimization methods. The analysis of the results reveals a better performance of the modified PSO in sampling the FOR compared to the other optimization methods.
Towards Modeling Partial Discharge Phenomena and Propagation in Power Networks Using the Transmission-Line Matrix Method
Authors: Ragusa Antonella , Sasse Hugh , Duffy Alistair
Published: January 2021

Partial discharge (PD), where high field strengths on power cables cause charge build up and discharge within a dielectric at sites of imperfections or inhomogeneities, can lead to noise issues and potential failure of the dielectric. This paper presents the first stage of a research activity that aims to develop a transmission-line matrix (TLM)-based simulation “workbench” useful to investigate PD events in a transmission line. The proposed approach allows the predicting of the electromagnetic disturbances generated by the PD event, and the analysis of external field coupling, such as from intentional electromagnetic interference or lightning, which can add to the field stresses. The paper is focused on defining the right modeling method to simulate PD phenomena in a transmission line context. The best approach to integrate the PD model with the model of the transmission line, useful to describe the propagation of the conducted and radiated emissions produced by PD, is analyzed. A first workbench is proposed, and the first simulation results are described. The paper concludes with the topics of further research.
Ammonia Emissions in SI Engines Fueled with LPG
Authors: Żółtowski Andrzej , Gis Wojciech
Published: January 2021

Ammonia is a toxic exhaust component emitted from internal combustion engines. Both pure ammonia and the products of its reaction with nitrogen and sulfur compounds, being the source of particulate matter (PM) emissions, are dangerous for human health and life. The aim of the article was to demonstrate that NH3 can be produced in exhaust gas after-treatment systems of spark-ignition (SI) engines used in light-duty vehicles. In some cases, NH3 occurs in high enough concentrations that can be harmful and dangerous. It would be reasonable to collect research data regarding this problem and consider the advisability of limiting these pollutant emissions in future regulations. The article presents the results of the spark-ignition engine testing on an engine test bench and discusses the impact of the air–fuel ratio regulation and some engine operating parameters on the concentration of NH3. It has been proven that in certain engine operating conditions and a combination of circumstances like the three-way catalytic reactor (TWC) temperature and periodic enrichment of the air–fuel mixture may lead to excessive NH3 emissions resulting from the NO conversion in the catalytic reactor. This is a clear disadvantage due to the lack of limitation of these pollutant emissions by the relevant type-approval regulations. This article should be a contribution to discussion among emissions researchers whether future emission regulations (e.g., Euro 7 or Euro VII) should include a provision to reduce NH3 emissions from all vehicles.
Role of Electromechanical Coupling, Locomotion Type and Damping on the Effectiveness of Fish-Like Robot Energy Harvesters
Authors: Salazar Ryan , Quintana Ryan , Abdelkefi Abdessattar
Published: January 2021

In this work, an investigation into the influence of prescribed motion on a body caudal fin aquatic unmanned vehicle (AUV) energy harvester is carried out. The undulatory–oscillation locomotion inspired by fishes actuates a composite beam representative of a spinal column with a piezoelectric patch. Two patch configurations—one at the head and tail—are considered for the AUV energy harvester, with a length that would not activate a harmonic in the system. An electromechanical model which accounts for the strain of the prescribed motion and the induced relative strain is developed. Discretizing the relative strain using Galerkin’s method requires a convergence study in which the impacts of the prescribed motion, dependent on the undulation and envelope of the motion, are investigated. The combination of prescribed motion and structural terms leads to a coupling that requires multiple investigations. The removal of the undulation of the system produces a more consistent response. The performances of the two different patch configurations undergoing different prescribed motions are studied in terms of coupled damping and frequency effects. An uncoupled Gauss law-based model is adopted to compare the performance of our approach and that of the coupled electromechanical model harvester. It is demonstrated that there is a complex interaction of the phases of the prescribed and relative motions of the structure which can lead to the development or destruction of the response of the total motion or voltage for the system. The results show that the structural damping and type of locomotion are the most influential parameters on the validity of the uncoupled approach. It is also found that the optimal resistances for the coupled and uncoupled representations are the same for the two motions and patch configurations considered.
Resilience in an Evolving Electrical Grid
Authors: Cicilio Phylicia , Glennon David , Mate Adam , Barnes Arthur , Chalishazar Vishvas , Cotilla-Sanchez Eduardo , Vaagensmith Bjorn , Gentle Jake , Rieger Craig , Wies Richard , Kapourchali Mohammad Heidari
Published: January 2021

Fundamental shifts in the structure and generation profile of electrical grids are occurring amidst increased demand for resilience. These two simultaneous trends create the need for new planning and operational practices for modern grids that account for the compounding uncertainties inherent in both resilience assessment and increasing contribution of variable inverter-based renewable energy sources. This work reviews the research work addressing the changing generation profile, state-of-the-art practices to address resilience, and research works at the intersection of these two topics in regards to electrical grids. The contribution of this work is to highlight the ongoing research in power system resilience and integration of variable inverter-based renewable energy sources in electrical grids, and to identify areas of current and further study at this intersection. Areas of research identified at this intersection include cyber-physical analysis of solar, wind, and distributed energy resources, microgrids, network evolution and observability, substation automation and self-healing, and probabilistic planning and operation methods.
A Step-by-Step Procedure for Tests and Assessment of the Automatic Operation of a Powered Roof Support
Authors: Szurgacz Dawid , Zhironkin Sergey , Cehlár Michal , Vöth Stefan , Spearing Sam , Liqiang Ma
Published: January 2021

A powered longwall mining system comprises three basic machines: a shearer, a scraper (longwall) conveyor, and a powered roof support. The powered roof support as a component of a longwall complex has two functions. It protects the working from roof rocks that fall to the area where the machines and people work and transports the machines and devices in the longwall as the mining operation proceeds further into the seam by means of hydraulic actuators that are adequately connected to the powered support. The actuators are controlled by a hydraulic or electro-hydraulic system. The tests and analyses presented in the developed procedure are oriented towards the possibility of introducing automatic control, without the participation of an operator. This is important for the exploitation of seams that are deposited at great depths. The primary objective was to develop a comprehensive methodology for testing and evaluating the possibility of using the system under operating conditions. The conclusions based on the analysis presented are a valuable source of information for the designers in terms of increasing the efficiency of the operation of the system and improving occupational safety. The authors have proposed a procedure for testing and evaluation to introduce an automatic control system into the operating conditions. The procedure combines four areas. Tests and analyses were carried out in order to determine the extent to which the system could be potentially used in the future. The presented solution includes certification and executive documentation.
Genetic Parameters of Stem and Wood Traits in Full-Sib Silver Birch Families
Authors: Jones Grace , Liziniewicz Mateusz , Adamopoulos Stergios , Lindeberg Johan
Published: January 2021

This study investigated heritability of stem and wood traits to improve Swedish silver birch (Betula pendula Roth.) through breeding. Birch is 12% of Sweden’s forest area but mainly used for low value pulp or firewood. This paper applied non-destructive test (NDT) methods, and estimated traits’ heritability (h2), to help breed birch for high value solid wood products. Two trials of 22 families were assessed at age 19 for stem diameter (DBH), stem straightness, rough brown bark height (BH), grain angle (GA), Pilodyn penetration depth (Pilo) and acoustic velocity (AV). X-ray densitometry was performed on a subsample of radial cores taken at 1.3 m from the ground to get an average benchmark density. The h2 values were moderate for GA (0.20 and 0.21) and Pilo (0.53 and 0.48) at the two sites, but the h2 values for AV were low (0.05 and 0.30). There were moderate genotypic correlations between BH and DBH (0.51–0.54). There were low genotypic and phenotypic correlations between NDT measurements and other traits so including NDT in birch breeding efforts should not inadvertently reduce size, stem or wood quality. The high genetic correlations between sites suggest that GA, Pilo and AV values were determined more by genotype than by environment.
The Effect of Novel Packaging Technology on Food Safety and Quality
Authors: Paolucci Marina , Volpe Maria Grazia
Published: January 2021

This Special Issue of Foods, The Effect of Novel Packaging Technology on Food Safety and Quality, contains seven papers that were refereed and selected in accordance with the usual editorial standards of the journal [...]
Advances in Troubleshooting Fish and Seafood Authentication by Inorganic Elemental Composition
Authors: Varrà Maria Olga , Ghidini Sergio , Husáková Lenka , Ianieri Adriana , Zanardi Emanuela
Published: January 2021

The demand for fish and seafood is growing worldwide. Meanwhile, problems related to the integrity and safety of the fishery sector are increasing, leading legislators, producers, and consumers to search for ways to effectively protect themselves from fraud and health hazards related to fish consumption. What is urgently required now is the availability of reliable, truthful, and reproducible methods assuring the correspondence between the real nature of the product and label declarations accompanying the same product during its market life. The evaluation of the inorganic composition of fish and seafood appears to be one of the most promising strategies to be exploited in the near future to assist routine and official monitoring operations along the supply chain. The present review article focuses on exploring the latest scientific achievements of using the multi-elemental composition of fish and seafood as an imprint of their authenticity and traceability, especially with regards to the geographical origin. The scientific literature of the last 10 years focusing on the analytical determination and statistical elaboration of elemental data (alone or in combination with methodologies targeting other compounds) to verify the identity of fishery products is summarized and discussed.
Industrial Fruits By-Products and Their Antioxidant Profile: Can They Be Exploited for Industrial Food Applications?
Authors: Barbosa Cássia H. , Andrade Mariana A. , Séndon Raquel , Silva Ana Sanches , Ramos Fernando , Vilarinho Fernanda , Khwaldia Khaoula , Barbosa-Pereira Letricia
Published: January 2021

Fruit by-products have a low economic value and have proven biological activities, such as antioxidant capacity due to the presence of active compounds. The main objective of this study was to obtain and determine the antioxidant capacity, through DPPH radical assay and β-carotene bleaching assay, of three food grade extracts from apple, lemon, and orange industrial by-products. Furthermore, the extracts were characterized by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS). LC with diode array detector (LC-DAD) was used for the quantification of the main polyphenols. Lemon extract presented the highest inhibition percentage of DPPH radical (51.7%) and the highest total phenolics content (43.4 mg GAE/g) from the by-products studied. Orange by-product was that with the higher number of polyphenols while lemon extract was that with the highest content of individual phenolics. The by-product obtained from the lemon was that with higher amounts of hydroxycinnamic acids (407 µg/g of by-product), mainly chlorogenic acid (386.7 µg/g), followed by the apple by-product (128.0 µg/g of by-product), which showed higher amounts of rosmarinic and chlorogenic acids. These industrial by-products have great potential as a source of natural antioxidants to be used directly as food additives or to be incorporated in packaging to produce active food packaging.
Signatures of Lorentz Violation in Continuous Gravitational-Wave Spectra of Ellipsoidal Neutron Stars
Authors: Xu Rui , Gao Yong , Shao Lijing
Published: January 2021

We studied the effects of the Lorentz invariance violation on the rotation of neutron stars (NSs) in the minimal gravitational Standard-Model Extension framework, and calculated the quadrupole radiation generated by them. Aiming at testing Lorentz invariance with observations of continuous gravitational waves (GWs) from rotating NSs in the future, we compared the GW spectra of a rotating ellipsoidal NS under Lorentz-violating gravity with those of a Lorentz-invariant one. The former were found to possess frequency components higher than the second harmonic, which does not happen for the latter, indicating those higher frequency components to be potential signatures of Lorentz violation in continuous GW spectra of rotating NSs.
Association of RANKL and OPG Gene Polymorphism in Arab Women with and without Osteoporosis
Authors: Abdi Saba , Binbaz Rawan A. , Mohammed Abdul Khader , Ansari Mohammed G.A. , Wani Kaiser , Amer Osama E. , Alnaami Abdullah M. , Aljohani Naji , Al-Daghri Nasser M.
Published: January 2021

Receptor activator of the nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL) and osteoprotegerin genes (OPG) were identified as susceptible loci for postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMO) in various ethnicities, but neither have been studied in an Arabian population. Hence, the current study aimed to fill this gap. A total of 372 postmenopausal women (174 osteoporosis (OP) and 198 control group (CTRs)) were genotyped for four SNPs: rs2277438A/G and rs9533156T/C (RANKL), and rs2073618C/G and rs3102735T/C (OPG). Anthropometrics, bone mineral density, 25(OH)D and several other bone markers were measured. The frequency distribution of the heterozygous CG genotype of rs2073618 (OPG) was lower in the OP (36.8%) than in CTRs (47%) (OR: 0.6, 95% CI: 0.3–0.97; p = 0.041). No differences in the allelic/genotypic frequencies were detected between the two groups for all other studied SNPs. However, the heterozygous TC genotype of rs3102735 (OPG) was associated significantly with lower BMD at the femoral neck in OP subjects (p = 0.04). The homozygous rare CC genotype of rs9533156 (RANKL) was associated with lower 25(OH)D levels in CTRs (p = 0.032). In contrast, heterozygous AG genotype of rs2277438 (RANKL) is associated with lower 25(OH)D in the OP group (p = 0.02). Our results suggest that RANKL SNPs may impact 25(OH)D levels and that OPG SNP rs2073618A/G is a significant genetic risk factor for PMO Saudi Arabian women.
Development of a New Type of Geodiversity System for the Scoria Cones of the Chaîne des Puys Based on Geomorphometric Studies
Authors: Vörös Fanni , Pál Márton , van Wyk de Vries Benjamin , Székely Balázs
Published: January 2021

The aesthetic beauty of a landscape is an integral value reflected in artistic inspiration. Science, in contrast, tries to quantify the landscape using various methods. Of these, geodiversity indices have been found to be a useful approach, and this geomorphological diversity is characterized through derivatives made from digital terrain models (DTM). While these methods are useful, they have a drawback that the value of some landscape features may be underestimated if they have regular forms. For example, the aesthetic and scientific attractiveness of our study area, the Chaîne des Puys (Auvergne, France), a UNESCO World Heritage site, is strongly related to the distinctive small volcanoes, but despite being an outstanding element of the landscape, the scoria cones do not stand out well in geodiversity indices. This is because they have almost symmetrical conical forms and regular slopes that score low in the available geodiversity methods. We explore this problem and investigate how to overcome the low geodiversity performance of these distinctive landscape elements. We propose a modified approach for scoria cones using the normal input layers but adapted to the cone geometry. The modified indices are easy to compute and consider the uniformity and symmetry of larger landscape elements that form scientifically integral and aesthetically vital components of the landscape. The method is applicable to the tens of thousands of small monogenetic volcanoes in the hundreds of volcanic fields around the world, and could be extended to other volcanic features, such as domes. It would be possible to use the method to study larger volcanoes, as they often share and replicate the small-scale monogenetic morphology considered here.
Familial and Parental Predictors of Physical Activity in Late Adolescence: Prospective Analysis over a Two-Year Period
Authors: Sekulic Damir , Maric Dora , Versic Sime , Zevrnja Ante , Terzic Admir , Zenic Natasa
Published: January 2021

Children’s health behaviors are highly influenced by their parents and family. This study aimed to prospectively evaluate the parental/familial factors associated with physical activity levels (PALs) among older adolescents. The participants were 766 adolescents, who were prospectively observed at baseline (when they were 16 years of age), at first follow-up measurement (FU1; 17 years of age), and second follow-up measurement (FU2; 18 years of age). Sociodemographic factors (age, gender, socioeconomic status, and sport participation) and parental/familial variables were evaluated at baseline. PALs (evidenced by the Physical-Activity Questionnaire-for-Adolescents) were prospectively evidenced at baseline, FU1, and FU2. Factorial analysis of variance for repeated measurements showed a significant decrease in PALs during the study course (F = 83.05, p < 0.001). Sport participation and male gender were significant predictors of PALs at baseline, FU1, and FU2. Logistic regression, controlled for sport participation and male gender, evidenced paternal education as a significant predictor of baseline PALs. Parental conflict was a significant predictor of PALs in all three testing waves. The significant influence of paternal education on the children’s PALs existed from younger adolescence until the age of 17 years. The association between parental conflict and PALs developed in older adolescence. These results should be used in the development of specific and targeted interventions aimed at the improvement of PALs and a reduction of sedentarism in youth.